“Thats what I was going to suggest, McCall said, sighing in apparent relief that he wasnt going to have to try to force the issue on a superior officerone who might be going insane right before his eyes, for all he knew. “Why dont I have Ensign Ko accompany you to sickbay?

TPol also didnt miss the trepidatious look on Kos face as he accompanied her into the bridge turbolift, where he stood as far away from her as possible. She wasnt offended by his quite logical impulse toward caution, nor by the unusual alacrity with which he exited sickbay once he had finished conducting her inside.

A moment after she finished offering an awkward greeting to Phlox, the sickbay doors slid open again. TPol turned in time to see Captain Archer enter, looking every bit as concerned as McCall had. No doubt McCall notified him,TPol thought. She would have done the same in his position.

As TPol attempted to describe to both Phlox and the captain what had just happened to her on the bridge, Phlox treated the cuts on her hands with a disinfectant, then quickly and expertly bandaged them. Phlox then activated one of his small medical scanners, which he used to check both her blood pressure and the dilation of her pupils.

“Please lie back on the bed, he said, his voice exhibiting just a hint of concern.

“And youre certain that it was Trip that you saw? Archer asked as TPol walked to the bed and settled back onto it, placing her head underneath the wall‑mounted medical display panel.

“I am certain, TPol said.

“Id certainly like to see what Mister Tucker looks like now,Phlox said. He hadnt been present when Trip had come to her during Archers speech at the Coalition Compact signing ceremony; on that historic occasion, the Denobulan physician had spent most of his time with his three wives.

“As I have already explained, Doctor, he now resembles a Vulcan, though he lacks most of the emotional control that my people usually exhibit, TPol said. “If you like, I could search through the database to find you an appropriate image to view.

“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.