The Slopes of Andoria

Chapter 1: Semper Fidelis by Kotik

T'Pol eyed the captain carefully. The expression on his face, which her mate would describe as a 'shit eating grin', could only mean two things: he was either prepared for one of those illogical human rituals called 'ribbing' or he knew something that she and Trip didn't. The dinner in the Captain's Mess had so far gone on in an agreeable silence. Maybe the humans were finally catching on to Vulcan protocol.   T'Pol shoved that thought aside as overly optimistic. 

It had been just two weeks since the captain of Enterprise had the distinctly unpleasant task of delivering a eulogy for a six month old infant, the unlikely child of his First Officer and his Chief Engineer. Having just returned from a time of mourning on Vulcan, his two senior officers had resumed their duties, but the impact of the ordeal was more than visible. 

T'Pol, who had always been petite, now looked skinny at best. If it was at all possible, she was even more reserved than before the events on the mining station. She had ditched the colorful cat suits and wore a standard issue blue Starfleet uniform now. She had not spoken much since their return.

Trip was uncharacteristically quiet, and he had lost weight, too. Although baby Elizabeth had been the result of a sinister lab experiment, they had mourned her as if she had been born naturally. For all the pain her death had caused, it had also brought positive change: the shared grief for the infant had united the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites. The attendance of their dignitaries at the funeral had turned out to be more than a mere gesture. The Coalition talks had turned out to be a huge success and the four species were working on ways to intensify their cooperation.

 The shared grief had also - finally - brought Elizabeth's parents together. To all on the ship, it was now plainly visible that the two commanders were more than just colleagues. It had been the ship's worst kept secret for ages, that the two were attracted to each other, but it had always seemed as if the two of them were the last ones to get the clue. This was the reason for Archer's grin. 

"So, when are you going to tell me?" Archer asked with a pointed look at Trip.

"Tell you what?" the engineer returned. 

"You didn't even notice that you were holding hands when you came in here, did you?"

Trip blushed. Even T'Pol's face adopted a slightly green tinge. Neither knew what to say. They eyed the Captain with a look akin to teenagers who had been caught while making out.

Archer failed to suppress a laugh. "Don't you get it? The whole ship is happy for you. Hell, Hoshi's been running a pool on how long it takes for you to move in to T'Pol's quarters."

"She can dish out the winnings," Trip admitted sheepishly. "Question is, whether Starfleet is happy for us, too. No-frat rules 'n all..."

"Don't worry. Now that missions are starting to last years captains are allowed to waive the no-frat rules in certain situations if it doesn't impact performance. It was one of Admiral Forrest's last orders and I have it on good authority that it was you two that he had in mind. Everyone saw it, except you." 

"Thank you, Captain," T'Pol said softly and took Trip's proffered hand. Absentmindedly, she caressed the back of his hand with her thumb and Archer had to smile again. 

"Ok, now that we got the elephant out of the room, I hope you will still work together as well as always. In fact, I need you both at your best. Trip's proposed changes to the injectors have been installed by Jupiter Station and we're expected to test them today. Tomorrow we are heading out to Andoria to give their delegation a ride home, so we better not cook the engine."

"See here?" Trip pointed to a data readout on his display. "Whatever happens, we've got to keep within 0.5 percent on all the parameters and you're the only one fast enough to keep an eye on all of them."

"It appears that you are finally prepared to accept the superiority of the Vulcan mind," T'Pol shot back.  The unconcealed hint of teasing in her voice showed that her remark was meant to be anything but serious. 

"Don't let your head get too big, darlin'. Don't wanna have to knock down a bulkhead just to get you out of engineering again."

An amused lift of an eyebrow answered his riposte before the com interrupted their banter. 

"Bridge to engineering, we're ready up here."

"Ready, too Cap'n."

"Let's see what she handles like at 5.5," Archer ordered. "Go for it."

"Semper fi," Trip and T'Pol answered in unison, much to the amusement of the engineering crew. 

"Hoo-rah," came Archer's return as the laughter on the bridge echoed through the com. "Do I take it that you have my copy of Heartbreak Ridge?"

"How'd ya guess Cap'n?"

"Floor it," Archer ordered, still laughing.

With that Enterprise jumped to warp on her way to break the Starfleet speed record.