“Not necessary, Phlox said, smiling down at her benignly.
TPol turned her head slightly to look up at Archer. “I am concerned, Captain. I believe that Commander Tucker is presently in grave danger.
Archer rubbed his right eyebrow, scrunching up his face. “You believe that because of a hallucination? Thats not a very sound source of information.
“I do not believe it was merely a hallucination, sir. TPol paused for a moment, aware that she was going to have to reveal something of an intensely private and personal nature. “When Vulcans join minds, they sometimes forge amental bond. I believe that I may have formed such a bond with the commander shortly before his death. I have had another experience similar to this, though it was of a far less violent nature.
Phlox touched her shoulder. “You may sit up now, Commander. Ive heard of many such bonds between mates in many species, including, as we know, the Andorians. However, Ive never heard of it crossing species boundaries.
As she moved to a seated position at the edge of the bed, TPol felt a bit embarrassed. “Trip and I arewe weresomething of an anomaly, Doctor. Our genetic codes were commingled to create a baby that should never have been possible. Our briefromantic entanglement was in itself unique; can you really rule out that in ourpairing, we might have created an entirely new interspecies phenomenon?
Phloxs tufted eyebrows lifted. “Not at all. It is entirelypossible. He held up a datapad whose screen displayed ranks of slowly scrolling data. “It is, however, also possible that you are still suffering from the aftereffects of your addiction to trellium-D. Or even a delayed reaction from your repeated exposures to the Romulan telepresence unit last year, during the first Aenar crisis. Either way, the extreme certainty you seem to feel about the reality of these hallucinationsor whatever they ultimately prove to becould be an artifact of residual neurological damage.
TPol wasnt convinced. “Conversely, she said, “as we have learned from the heightened emotional states I have experienced occasionally during the time sincemy addiction, those same aftereffects may merely have opened up neurological or emotional pathways that had previously been closed.
“Hmmm, Phlox said agreeably, nodding. “Either answer could be, as youre fond of saying, logical.
“TPol, Id be the last one to deny the validity of Vulcan telepathy, Archer said, folding his arms before him. “Hell, I once shared my skull with your peoples most revered philosopher. And even if none of his logic rubbed off on me, Id still have to question how a link like that could work over interstellar distances.
“The Aenar had that capability, TPol said.
Phlox shook his head. “Aenar telepathy is somewhat more powerful than Vulcan psi abilities, the doctor said. “With a very few exceptions, your people are touch-telepaths.
TPol turned to face Archer directly. “Captain, I knewthat Trip wasnt dead before I was told the truth. I was aware of his living consciousness at a time after youhad told me he was dead. In my previous mind encounter with Trip, I even became aware that his appearance had been altered. At the time, I was unable to understand it. But later, when I saw him in person on Earth, myhallucination turned out to be true.
She paused, swallowing the unbidden emotion that was even now creeping into her mind. “My behavior is notirrational, nor emotional. I know this to be true: Commander Tucker is in mortal danger.
Placing a bandage-covered hand gingerly on Archers sleeve, TPol implored him. “You are Trips best friend, CaptainJonathan. I amconnected to him. We canfind him. Rescue him.
Archer pulled away from her, his face crumpling in obvious anguish. “Im sorry, TPol. You knowwe cant. He swept at the air angrily with one hand. “Were one ship,damn it! Even if I did take Enterpriseinto Romulan territory, wed be overwhelmed within minutes. Wed never even reachRomulus! And wed be sacrificing an entire crew for the life of one person, not to mention leaving the security of Earth and the Coalition at risk, andvery possibly starting a war as well.
“I cant do it, TPol. I cant sacrifice this ship, this crew everything,for Trip, no matter how badly any of us would like to. I just cant.
He walked away from her, toward the door. “Please dont ask me again.
Once the captain was gone, Phlox cleared his throat as he looked up from the datapad he had been studying so intently for the past several minutes.
“Did you really expect Captain Archer to give you any other response? His tone sounded more curious than judgmental.
TPol shook her head. “No, Doctor. The captain has always had to strike a balance between the demands of his superiors, interstellar politics, and his desire to lead this ship based on something purer than either one. But more often than not, he opts to follow the rules out of necessity.
“For what its worth, I believe that there ismore to your mental link to Mister Tucker than most other physicians and scientists would admit, Phlox said. “That said, I also am fully aware that you are in a state of exhaustion. And the heightened emotions you areexhibiting are no doubt draining your strength even further.
“Im going to strongly suggest that you take some time offsome significanttime off, to meditate, rest, and clear your mind. He smiled wryly, but his ice-blue eyes were otherwise inscrutable. “Perhaps awayfrom the others in the crew for a time, you will be able to find the answers you need.
TPol stared at him for a moment, wondering at the intent of Phloxs words, and surprised at the kindness she saw in the Denobulans gaze. But that part of her that had been trained long ago, before Enterpriseeven existed, instinctively told her not to ask for clarification.
“Perhaps you are right, Doctor, she said after several moments of silent reflection. “Thank you for the advice.
“You know that what youre asking is in gross violation of a score of laws?
TPol stared at Denaks face on the viewscreen. She had signaled him several hours earlier, and his response had finally come only a few minutes ago.
“I also know that youhave operated outside the law numeroustimes when circumstances required it, TPol said. “I worked at your side on some of those occasions. You have done things that will never be written into Vulcan historyor even in the most secret files of the VShar.
Denak raised one of his eyebrows, but only slightly. “A lesser man might think you were threatening me in some manner, Commander. But I know better. I also know that I owe you my life, several times over.
TPol glanced over at the timer attached to the subspace scrambling device on her desktop. Her time was fast running out.
“Denak, you were the one who told me to look into Captain Sopek
“Thelate Captain Sopek,he said, interrupting her.
“and while I have been unable to find concrete evidence, I have followed up on a number of rumors about Sopek working within the Romulan sphere of influence.
“Why is it so important for you to learn about Sopeknow? Denak asked, squinting as though with enough effort he might read the answer to his question on her forehead. “Or is there another reason behind this request that youre not sharing with me?