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Post by dragonfan on Jan 6, 2008 22:57:52 GMT -5
Chapter 30
No matter what Administer V'Las' opinion, the Clan Mothers of Vulcan were not stupid old women. They may have ranged in age from a mere 195 to a tottering 275 but they were all descendents of warrior stock. They all knew that they were bait for what they considered a madman. While it was not possible to fully understand madmen, they did have history to show them what his probable responses were as well as his possible goals. And the most common goal was personal power, something that he could never achieve fully on Vulcan. No male could rule here.
Even Surak himself had acknowledged the fact that it was the Clan Mothers who truly ruled Vulcan. But then his goal had not been personal power. His goal had been the survival of his people. The Clan Mothers of the time had been suspicious of his motives, as they had been of any male's. But he had proven himself. In the present the Clan Mothers were well aware that the subtle discrimination of the past against males was merely prejudice and what it was related to. Males weren't completely raging beasts with no control over themselves. That only happened once every seven years and wasn't their fault anyway. It was simply a fact of biology. Outside of their time males were just as logical and efficient as females but few females would talk about the fact that they were nearly as effected as the males during their time. They just showed it differently.
That didn't mean a male would ever be allowed to rule Vulcan. Tradition would not allow it. If a Vulcan male wished to rule, he would be much more likely to succeed by leaving Vulcan altogether. There were many ways a Vulcan male could come to power, all legitimate. Petitioning to start a colony, becoming Clan Representative, or becoming Administrator of the High Command were but a few but V'Las was apparently one of those few who had decided that it was not enough. The real concern was who were his followers?
The real work of the alliances had already been done. Now all that remained was the ceremonies that would take place on Mount Seleya. Each Clan walked their way up the mountain path to the ceremony grounds, the Clan Mothers being carried in litters. The ceremonies were thousands of years old, each one having been set down long before the Time of Awakening. But the Clan Mothers, the members of the High Council and those who were most deeply involved knew that this time things weren't likely to go according to the program. Even for Vulcans the worst part was not knowing what was going to happen. But everyone knew that the probability was high that during the ceremonies V'Las would strike.
Clan Xtmprsqzntwlfd was the first, followed by the small three member group of aliens, although few knew that those under the heavy outer robes weren't Vulcan. From the moment the bells and ancient garb were seen everyone knew that a wedding would take place today. Most believed that the groom came from the Clan that followed, Tbvqtyhncxdslk, those that knew better did not try to correct the misassumption. The one thing that everyone was sure of was that the full rites were being done. There was no other reason for so many people to be armed; even the litter bearers were armed to the teeth.
'And they aren't just armed with antique weapons either,' Major Hayes smirked to himself. He knew that hidden among the sashes and robes of the armed Vulcans around him were the Vulcan version of phase pistols and that not all of those who appeared unarmed were. In fact the only ones who most definitely weren't armed were Commander Tucker, SubCommander T'Pol and that guy Koss. Not that Hayes considered Koss to be at all someone to be afraid of. He was slightly over weight and definitely out of shape, something that Hayes held in contempt.
He and the good doctor were among those who were visibly armed. Dr. Phlox had told him that their ceremonial duties were mainly to get Commander Tucker to the wedding without anyone interfering. Hayes wasn't sure just what the doctor wasn't saying, but he seemed to be amused at the whole thing. It didn't make sense to Hayes, seeing as how there was a good chance that they would be attacked at some point today.
Trip knew just why he wasn't allowed to have any weapons. Quite often when this wedding ceremony took place the groom was in full plak'tow, the Blood Fever or very close to it. That was not a good time for a Vulcan male to have weapons of any kind, at least not if the wedding was going to be concluded without bloodshed. Unfortunately he didn't think that was going to help this time. Not that he was in plak'tow or that he was going to cause any trouble. But V'Las was sure to do so and he just knew that blood would be spilled today. He hoped that there would be enough Healers on hand.
T'Pol was also concerned about the possibility of violence. She knew that they were as prepared as they could be but the possibilities that faced them were daunting. She gave a slight nod to her sister T'Mir, who had been surreptitiously scanning the mountainside. V'Las had people on the mountain. T'Mir dropped back in the precession and touched T'Pol's hand. Through their family link she said //There are twenty Vulcan males around the outside of the ceremony grounds. I believe that they are planning on cutting us off from the path down the mountain. There is no one at the ceremony grounds themselves or in the temple.//
T'Pol sent back agreement. She was not a great tactician herself but it was a reasonable assumption. The ceremony grounds were merely a platform on an isolated peak with a narrow entry way from the temple on the side of the mountain. If V'Las' men waited until they were all in the temple and ceremony grounds, or worse all on the ceremony grounds, then they could completely cut them off. Or rather they could if no one had been expecting them. More than one person had bondmates among the household guards stationed at the T'Karath Sanctuary just waiting to be called.
The information spread up and down the column of people by those who were aware of the circumstances through a simple touch here and there. Bondmates shared the information with each other and passed it to their children. Where there was no such link, friends passed simple looks and slight nods. Most were still ignorant, as those who did know of the approaching conflict did not wish to for the ambushers to become aware of the trap laid out for them. On the surface it was a perfect trap, the only question was, who would be the ones trapped at the end?
V'Las did wait until everyone had entered the ceremonial grounds. Just as the priests began the opening prayers of the ceremony V'Las' troops shot the priest in charge, killing him instantly. Few had expected that the priests might be in any danger. This was proving to be more than just a matter of someone attempting to take control of the government. Priests and priestesses by their very nature were exempt from any strife. Even in the days before the Awakening, no one voluntarily killed one.
V'Las marched down the narrow spindle that connected the ceremonial grounds to the temple. He didn't realize that the troops behind him, all armed with heavy rifles, were being counted and their placements being sent back to the household guards running up the trail behind them. He spoke loudly to the shocked gathering. "I am V'Las. From this moment on you are my prisoners. Should any of you try to attempt to escape, I will leave your fate to Vulcan's Forge."
Everyone knew that to try and cross Vulcan's Forge without preparation was suicide. Few made the attempt once they passed their kahs-wan as children. The dangers of the great desert were many and varied, from laymatas and wild sehlats to carnivorous vegetation and sparse water. They made no attempt to answer V'Las and he took their silence as agreement. "Good, I see that I have your attention."
Trip was following the announcements with T'Pol's help and was aware that V'Las didn't have just their attention. He also had their contempt, distain and a host of other emotions that were skillfully being controlled. How the man could not sense the violence stewing beneath the surface was beyond him. He was mindblind to anyone other than T'Pol and he could feel the emotions of the crowd crawling on his skin. "Is he that much of an idiot?" Hayes breathed in his ear. Trip figured from Hayes' question that the man knew the language. He just nodded back.
As quiet as the words were, many of the Vulcans around him heard them. The alien words where few had known an alien was were quickly set aside, although those who understood what was said agreed with the alien's sentiment completely. They continued to focus on the threat before them. The armed guards that ringed the ceremonial grounds were the only thing that stood between them and V'Las. Those that could surrounded the Clan Mothers, placing themselves as a second wall of living flesh between them and the madman.
"Your actions are futile," V'Las said contemptuously. "They will die and so will those of you that oppose me. The time has come for the Reunification with our outcast brothers and you women will pay for what you have done for so long!" The mutual contempt between the two factions deepened upon the so called prisoner's viewing of V'Las' blatant emotionalism. The prisoners had no problems with the way things were run on Vulcan. They had been that way for far longer than the mere 2,000 years since Surak. There had never been any reason to change things in all that time. If there had been, Surak himself would have said so when he was preaching logic and the mastery of emotion. V'Las was clearly mad.
There was also his intention of Reunification. No one had any idea if any of the Sundered had survived their exile from Vulcan. In the 2,000 years since they had left no one had heard directly from them. There were always rumors of course but nothing concrete had ever been found. Even if he did have solid evidence that they had survived, there was no telling if they would be even willing to talk to the descendants of those who had exiled them, much less be willing to take part in Reunification.
As V'Las continued to rant about how the Clan Mothers had subjugated males for the final time and the glory that would come from joining those who marched beneath the wings of the raptors, the household guards finally made it up the trail to the temple. From there, it was over in a matter of minutes, although it was not without casualties. The firefight behind him quickly gained V'Las' attention. Without bothering to acknowledge the other both Trip and Hayes worked their way through the crowd to the pathway.
As V'Las realized his troops were loosing to the household guards he turned back to fire his weapon at the Clan Mothers, determined to take at least one of them with him. He fired and Trip deliberately took the shot for T'Les, V'Las' target. Hayes immediately returned fire, fatally wounding V'Las. As Trip fell, his hooded robe fell away from his face. Shock ran throughout the crowd as they saw his Human features.
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Post by dragonfan on Jan 7, 2008 8:07:53 GMT -5
A/N: Let's see if ffnet will let me get it right this time. Vulcan is in " " English is in ( ) and // // indicates telepathy through the bond.
Chapter 31
"Out of my way! Move! I'm a Healer!" shouted Phlox as he threw his own hood back and pushed his way through the crowd. He barely took note of the guards taking V'Las and his troops into custody. His attention was focused solely on Trip. The other Healers in the crowd, jolted from their shock, swiftly joined Phlox in tending the wounded. V'Las' troops, those who could still walk, were restrained and forced to walk down the mountain to the Sanctuary.
Quickly Phlox ordered some of the men to take Trip into temple where he could be treated. Fortunately V'Las had aimed for T'Les' heart. When Trip had gotten in the way, he had taken the blow in his side narrowly missing his liver. There were some advantages to the differences in Vulcan and Human anatomy. Trip was badly injured, but he would not die from his actions. Phlox quickly set about correcting the damage while T'Pol fought her way to her husband's side.
While Phlox and the other Healers dealt with the wounded and the household guards dealt with the prisoners, the rest of the gathering turned their backs on the commotion in the temple. Once she had everyone's attention T'Les explained what V'Las had done, both on Vulcan and on other planets. The fact that their unfortunate current situation with both Andoria and Earth was V'Las' doing was little comfort to those gathered.
"T'Les, while we are aware of V'Las' insanity and the actions needed to deal with him and his followers, no one said anything about bringing aliens here!" T'Para said firmly. She was the oldest of the Clan Mothers and most bowed to her experience. Unable to walk unassisted, she was helped over to where T'Les was standing by two of the young men who had carried her litter. "This is our most sacred place. How could you bring outsiders here?"
"But it was not outsiders that I brought T'Para," T'Les said gently. "Did you not see what they were wearing? The honorable man who was injured in my place is my youngest daughter's bondmate. They have been examined many times in the last few months by both Priests and Healers. All have said the same thing. Commander Charles Tucker and my daughter T'Pol are chosen mates. My Clan will ally with the Human's Star Fleet through this marriage. My son-to-be's attendants are the Healer Phlox who serves with him and T'Pol on board Enterprise and Major Hayes, who serves as the head of security at the Human Embassy in Shi'Kahr. There are no other non-Vulcans here." T'Les' serene look defied anyone to find her actions illogical.
They stood inside a circle of the other Clan Mothers, more than one leaning on the arm of a litter bearer. The litter bearers were all grandsons and great grandsons of the Clan Mothers, specially chosen for this honor by their excellence in the ancient martial skills. They also served as personal guards should the occasion warrant, as this one had. T'Para thought the matter over for a few moments. She was not pleased with non-Vulcans being brought here but she could not dispute T'Les' logic. "Once more Clan Xtmprsqzntwlfd shows a grasp of logic that leads the way of all Vulcans. You are worthy of the man your House once produced T'Les. A Clan Alliance with Star Fleet will do much to undo V'Las' treachery and Commander Tucker has proven himself to be more than worthy of the honor the Other has chosen for him."
T'Les gave a short bow to acknowledge T'Para's assessment. The T'Para turned to the remaining priests. "What is done is done. The Gathering must still continue. We have much to do as we have been delayed. Continue," she ordered.
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T'Pol hovered anxiously over Trip while to one side Phlox worked on his wound. She touched her fingers to his, the only thing she was allowed to do here in public. //You just had to jump in front of my mother didn't you?// she asked him.
//Aw honey, its not that bad!// he said. He hissed as Phlox did something that he couldn't see. //I couldn't let her die!//
//I do believe we have had this conversation before.// she said.
Trip winced. They had, had this talk before, when she had been shot just a couple of months earlier. //I couldn't shove her out of the way. There wasn't anyone else who could get into the line of fire fast enough or get her out of the way. And most importantly he wasn't aiming at a place that would be instantly fatal to a Human. You took a shot near your heart. I didn't. I'll be ok with Phlox's help.// He didn't add the thought that was ringing through his mind, that T'Les was her mother.
T'Pol knew that it did not matter to Trip that T'Les was a Clan Mother or that her Clan had the highest status possible on Vulcan. All that had mattered to Trip was that T'Les was her mother and he could not allow her to be shot if he could prevent it. //There would have been three other people between V'Las and Mother had you not pushed your way to the front. I understand why you did so but I too do not like this situation. I find it distressing that you are injured, especially as we have only finished recovering from Tolaris' attack.//
(Alright Commander, you'll be fine in no time as long as you follow my orders,) Phlox said giving Trip a stern look. Trip was rather famous for not following doctor's orders and trying to get back to work far too soon for Phlox's comfort.
(Don't worry doc, I got things to work on that don't require me to get out of bed,) he said with a grin. Phlox humpffed but it was true, although Trip was aware that Phlox thought he was talking about his and T'Pol's honeymoon. He wasn't. Scotty had left him a data PADD with certain information. He was still working his way through the information but if he understood it correctly, Enterprise wouldn't have to worry about collisions again. Or at least not the same type of collisions that had occurred with the 1701. He was pretty sure that Captain Kirk hadn't known about that little present Scotty had left, just as Trip hadn't known about the slight modifications to his engine. Trip scowled again at the memory of learning what Scotty had done. Yet he did have to admit that the modifications were so slight as to be practically miniscule. That was the only reason he hadn't spotted them before.
Certain circuits had been tweaked to just fractions of a micron from where Trip would have placed them and the crystals that Scotty had installed had actually been installed in the opposite direction that he had intended, although still along the lines of the crystal's planes. He was still trying to figure out why those slight adjustments had made such an impact on his engine's performance. (Well you're very lucky Mr. Tucker,) Phlox said with a sigh as he began sealing the wound. (Not only did that shot miss your liver, I was prepared for your usual away mission outcomes and packed a full emergency medical kit. Do you think it will be possible for you to stay out of my sickbay for a while?)
(Hey! The last two times I was in sickbay had nothing to do with me!) Trip protested.
(Ah yes, I do believe that it was your wife I last treated for a similar ailment. But you were one of my patients the last time,) Phlox pointed out. He was keeping the semi argument going not so much because he hated to have Trip as a patient but because it was keeping Trip's mind off what he was doing.
(It's not my fault that I keep getting into these situations!) Trip protested. (And it wasn't me the last loony tunes wanted! He wanted T'Pol! Like I'd let him have her,) he growled the last line. He changed the subject, not wanting to think about his frequent trips to sickbay. (I need to get on my feet doc. We've got a ceremony to do.)
Phlox sighed. He had known that he wouldn't be able to keep Trip down for long. (You can get up now but I would prefer that you waited until it was time for the ceremony itself. I don't want you on your feet any longer than you have to be. Between the heat and your injury it would be far too easy for you to push yourself into a collapse. I want to avoid that.) He looked up and noticed their audience. "He can be on his feet for the ceremony but I prefer that he remain lying down otherwise."
One of the Vulcan guards nodded. "We will bring you out to the ceremony grounds when it is time for the wedding."
Phlox turned back to Trip. (Now as far as your recreational activities go,)
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Taking into consideration Commander Tucker's wound, and how he had acquired it, the wedding ceremony between Commander Charles Tucker and T'Pol, daughter of T'Les, of the Clan Xtmprsqzntwlfd was the last ceremony held that day. The Clans watched as the Human, held up by his attendants, rang the gong to start the wedding. The bells rang in answer and T'Pol was led up to him. The new priest began the ceremony as they both knelt across from each other. There was a long, drawn out part on different gods or elements or something that Trip didn't quite understand. But he did understand the section where Koss, T'Pol's ex was asked if he wanted to basically kill Trip so he could have T'Pol. Trip couldn't help the smirk on his face as he saw the relief on both T'Pol's face and Koss' when he declined. He'd have to thank Hoshi later for helping him memorize the ceremony. The priest touched their heads and they touched fingers but there was nothing for the priest to do, they were already bonded. They spoke their vows in turn, both in Vulcan.
If anyone internally winced at Trip's pronunciation, he couldn't tell and no one outwardly showed how badly his accent was mangling the words. Having gotten through his vows Trip finally let T'Pol help him to fully understand the rest of the ceremony. Not that understanding all of the words really helped him all that much. These were the full rites and thus they were full of references that Trip had never heard before. //Truthfully you're not missing much.// T'Pol told him. //Few have ever heard them outside of the temples.//
//Priests of every religion all over the galaxy all have their secrets T'Pol. Some are just the 'oh you wanted to know that?' sort and some are things that a priest would die before telling. Seeing as how these are part of the wedding ceremony, I'd say that these are more of the first sort than the second.// Trip said. He could feel her agreement and relief that it was almost all over. //Hey, remember we've still got a party to go to back on Earth.//
//That will be far preferable to being anywhere near Koss again. His presence is making me nauseous.// T'Pol said bluntly. Trip couldn't stop grinning for the rest of the day.
Chapter 32
T'Pau, escorted by her bondmate Skon, were the first Vulcans to board the Human Star Fleet ship Enterprise when it returned to Vulcan. While she was here to complete her duties as High Council representative, she also wanted to see her son as soon as possible. Loosing a betrothed mate was not as devastating as loosing a full bondmate but that did not mean it was not difficult. She could only hope that the Humans had treated her son well.
It was three days after the Grand Gathering at Mount Seleya and two days after V'Las' death. After they had been seated at the conference room table, T'Pau turned to Soval. "V'Las is dead. He died of wounds he received attempting to assassinate the Clan Mothers at the Grand Gathering. Your evidence against him will not be needed other than your formal report."
Soval bowed his head. "I found it very disturbing that I was not able to anticipate his actions in ordering the release of the virus at the Embassy."
"No one could have Soval," she said firmly. "He was insane. He thought he could bring about Reunification and rule Vulcan." Admiral Forrest and Captain Archer could see that this information meant a great deal to Soval. She then turned to Archer. "Captain, your efforts on the part of my sister T'Pol, in the matter of her bonding has been invaluable."
"You're T'Pol's sister?" Archer asked shocked. "You wouldn't be Sarek's mother would you?"
"I am and Skon is his father," T'Pau said. She had not been aware that Captain Archer knew of the relationship between T'Pol and Sarek, although it was logical for him to make that connection. He would have been there when Spock introduced himself to T'Pol.
"I can have him brought to you or I can have someone take you to his quarters as soon as you wish. He's not doing as well as Dr. Evans would like, although he wasn't exposed to the virus." Archer said, his own face showing an amount of worry that startled all of the Vulcans. Archer smiled in response, "Human families come in two different categories, one is related by genetics and the other is chosen. T'Pol is a part of our family here on Enterprise, thus her nephew is a part of our family too. We've tried to support him as best as we could but we know that he needs you right now."
Both Vulcans inclined their heads and shot each other a quick glance before Skon spoke. "My bondmate has duties here that must be fulfilled. I will accept your offer of an escort to my son Captain."
"Lieutenant Reed will take you sir," Archer said and Malcolm stepped forward to lead the way.
"This way sir," he said. As he led Skon down the hallways to the small guest quarters where Sarek was staying he filled Skon in on what had been happening with his son. "We're not exactly sure what is wrong with him but Dr. Evans is certain that he wasn't exposed to the virus. However, he hasn't been eating or sleeping. He has spent most of his time meditating but we're really starting to get worried."
"How long has this behavior been happening?" Skon asked. He was aware of just what was wrong with his son but was wondering how the Humans saw the situation.
"Since he came on board," Malcolm reported. "We checked on him several times in the first day but then Chef reported that he had not eaten any meals. That's when we took up our vigil. We know that something is wrong and we wanted to make sure that he knew he wasn't alone. We did ask, but he declined to answer and we didn't press. All of the Vulcan passengers have had physicals to make certain that they didn't come in contact with the virus."
"What has this vigil consisted of?" Skon asked concerned.
"Someone has been with him around the clock. We've done our best to make certain that he wasn't disturbed but someone was always in the room with him. We've also tried to ensure that the person with him has a calm nature in case the reason for his unusual behavior was of a telepathic nature." Malcolm answered. He gestured to the door of the quarters they had stopped in front of. "This is his cabin." He opened the door and stood in the open doorway.
On one side of the cabin Sarek knelt in meditation and on the other side sat Hoshi with a data PADD. When Malcolm looked over she shook her head, no change. She silently went over to the door. "He hasn't said anything in the last six hours. I'm really worried Malcolm. I know Vulcans can go without food and water for a while but,"
"Don't worry Hoshi, this is Skon, he's Sarek's father." Malcolm introduced them. "This is Ensign Sato sir, she's our communications officer."
Hoshi greeted Skon in his own language and then continued in English. "I know it is inappropriate for me to be here sir, but I am the only one on board that speaks Vulcan. Your son has spoken no English since his arrival and I have acted as translator. Normally we would have had Dr. Phlox looking after him but he is still on Vulcan." She didn't say anything about how those who had taken the other shifts had UT's to help if Sarek had spoken. She doubted Skon would have understood the Human need for untranslated spoken language in times of stress. "We still do not know what is wrong. As far as the doctor can tell he's fine physically. He has spent most of his time in meditation. If there is anything we can do for you or him, please tell us. We'll be on the bridge."
Skon considered what Archer had told him about Human families and the way Ensign Sato had acted as she had left his son's cabin. If he understood the concept correctly, the Ensign was acting as a surrogate sister to his bondmate. "Your concern for my son and your actions are understandable. I will inform you if anything more is required." He entered the cabin and closed the door.
Hoshi and Malcolm exchanged glances and started for the bridge. "Did you find out anything?" Hoshi asked.
"Apparently Administer V'Las of the High Command was behind both the assault on the Vulcan Embassy and the cutting off of relations with Earth. He tried to take over Vulcan and got himself killed in the process. T'Pol's sister T'Pau is with the Captain and the Admiral now. She represents the Vulcan High Council." Malcolm said.
"Well it's good to know that a Human wasn't responsible at least," Hoshi sighed before entering the bridge. They both went to their respective stations; Hoshi, communications and Malcolm, command and relieved the crewmen on duty there. "Sir, we're being hailed; private transmission from Vulcan for Captain Archer."
"I'll take it in his ready room Ensign," Malcolm said as he headed off the bridge.
Once seated at the Captain's desk, he activated the communications link. "Hey Malcolm! Is the Captain busy?" The caller was Trip. He was seated at a desk and Malcolm thought he was calling from a private residence.
"Yes, he's meeting with the High Council Representative now. Are you three alright?" Malcolm asked worried.
"Well let's just say that whoever had I'll get shot in the pool won," Trip grinned. He waved down the shout he could see gathering on Malcolm's face. "I'm fine, Dr. Phlox was prepared and he had me fixed up right away. No one else on our side was hurt. The three of us will be headed up to Enterprise at 1900 hours."
"That sounds good. Did you ever make it to your wedding?" Malcolm asked. "Or did your injuries and the situation preclude that?"
"I was injured at the wedding," Trip admitted. "Mule headed Vulcan nut job tried to kill T'Pol's mom and I got in the way."
"And of course you being you, you couldn't let anyone shoot any unarmed woman much less your mother in law. Don't you know that most men would love to see their mother in law shot while keeping their hands clean?" Malcolm smirked. It was good to see his friend alive and mostly well. That situation was all too common as Trip spent more time recuperating from his misadventures than he spent without injury.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I'm not hurt that bad. The guy was going for a heart shot and Vulcans' hearts are in their sides, not the middle of their chests. Besides I like T'Les, she's a neat lady for a Vulcan," Trip grinned. "Is there anything else we can bring you when we come back?"
"I'm sure Chef would like a few Vulcan vegetables and the like. He wants to make that Vulcan dish the SubCommander likes so well, the one I can't pronounce," Malcolm said eager to have that dish again. T'Pol wasn't the only one that enjoyed it.
"I'll see what I can do, Tucker out."
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"Why is it every time we get married, one of us gets hurt?" Trip mock whined as T'Pol helped him to lie down on their bunk. It was the first time in over a week that they had set foot in their quarters.
"Because we are self sacrificing individuals who are involved in history making events," T'Pol said dryly.
Trip had to laugh at that as he sent his agreement back at her. They did have an inclination towards giving things up for other people. Not that it was a bad thing for people in their professions but it did take its toll on their bodies. "I just hope nothing bad happens while we're on Risa. We need some down time."
"Indeed, we are not the only ones who are in need of rest from stressful situations," T'Pol said as she put away the few items that they had brought with them from Vulcan.
"How is Sarek? Is he going to be ok?" Trip knew that the betrothal bond wasn't anywhere near as strong as a marriage bond but he still worried about the boy.
"He will be fine. In fact he will be returning to Earth with the new Embassy staff." T'Pol said as she completed her task. "It is well that he will be able to return to his work so quickly. He was disturbed that his abrupt departure might have negative effects on the Human children he was working with."
"He's working with Human kids? He's the one Soval sent to help out at the kindergarten?" Trip asked with a huge smile. "That's the best sort of assignment he could have right now. Kids are wonderful to be around when you're hurting. There's just something about how happy they can be at the smallest things that lifts you up no matter how far down you are."
"He has informed me that he finds his work most satisfactory, although quite confusing at times. It seems that Human children are even more illogical than adults," T'Pol said.
Trip could hear quite a few things through their bond that didn't sound in her voice; surprised wonderment that it was possible, amusement at the memory of Trip declaring himself 'just a big kid', worry about their own children, even pride in her nephew for taking on such an important assignment. "That's good. I was a bit worried that he wouldn't be able to go back. For a future diplomat this is the best time to be on Earth. Watching how Earth gov and the High Council work out a new relationship with each other will be a practical lesson on how the governments of two alien species can get along as long as they have the right incentive to do so. Not to mention that I'm sure those kids are going to be missing him."
T'Pol nodded and returned to their bunk. She sat down astride him and said, "With Soval as a mentor he will undoubtedly be able to directly observe the proceedings. It will no doubt be a valuable learning tool for his future."
"Yep, first hand experience is always best," Trip agreed as he drew his fingers over her lips, up her jaw and outlining her ear. "Maybe we should get some more of our own," he said huskily.
"That does seem to be reasonable," T'Pol said breathily as she leaned down to kiss her bondmate. There were quite a few things that could only be truly understood through experiencing them.
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Post by dragonfan on Jan 7, 2008 9:12:57 GMT -5
Chapter 33
With all of the stresses of the last few months, shore leave just about anywhere would have had the crew of the Enterprise in a state of repressed excitement. The opportunity of taking shore leave on Risa, a purely tourist planet, was more than welcome. Captain Archer had scheduled the Enterprise for nine days stay, so that all of the crew could at least get at least three days leave down on the planet. The crew's newlyweds were using the time as a honeymoon, although T'Pol still wasn't sure that it had quite the same meaning as the Vulcan time of Seclusion.
Trip knew that he wasn't up for Seclusion in any case. Pon Farr was nothing to mess around with and although he was officially cleared for duty, he still wasn't up for anything that strenuous. No a Human honeymoon was just what the doctor ordered, days with nothing more frustrating than teaching a Vulcan how to swim and nights filled with gentle loving. Of course he had serious doubts that he would be able to get T'Pol to do anything more than just swim on the surface. The idea of putting her head under the water was enough to cause her some serious discomfort, if not down right fear although she would never admit it. Having seen Vulcan for himself, Trip could understand why and wasn't about to push it.
Sitting in the shuttlepod headed for the surface, Trip glanced over the faces of those who were taking the first shift of the three day leaves. Archer had put the entire crew on a lottery for their rotation, everyone would get the three days but which of the three days was purely left to chance. And that chance had led to nearly the entire alpha shift of the bridge crew going in the first wave, only Travis was left behind.
Swirling around for days now had been talks of the crew's plans for their shore leaves. Malcolm and Hoshi were discussing the differences between a traditional shore leave ( read bar crawl ) and Hoshi's determination to check out the cultural sites available. Archer had loudly informed anyone who asked that he and his beagle Porthos were headed for an isolated mountain cabin and he wasn't to be contacted for anything less than an interstellar emergency. Everyone knew where Trip and T'Pol were headed although most were surprised that they would accept Tavin's hospitality.
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Trip had been surprised with how nice Tavin's family getaway was. The rooms were large and airy, and the view from the wrap around porch was great. They had a view of everything from the beach all the way up to the mountain at the center of the island. He had to admit that it was a great spot for meditation, quiet and peaceful.
They unpacked their clothes out of their duffels and split up to explore the house. T'Pol made a through examination of the kitchen, making certain that it was well stocked. Trip just poked his head into the various rooms around the place. There were a couple of studies and a well stocked library. The sitting room was filled with the sort of furniture that he had learned was common on Vulcan, carved stone covered with pillows. But it was the last room that really caught his attention. There was no doubt what this room was used for, not when the only real piece of furniture in it was a large stone platform covered in bedding and shackles at appropriate intervals.
T'Pol felt Trip's agitation across their bond and came looking for him. When she saw what room he was looking at she realized just what was disturbing him. "There is no reason to think that my cycle will have any effect on you. You are Human, not Vulcan and therefore are not very likely to experience Plak Tow."
"But I might," Trip said. "There is no way to know ahead of time because there has never been a bonding like ours."
"We will deal with it when the time comes," T'Pol said. "I know that whatever happens we will get through it together."
"I just don't want to hurt you," Trip said.
"Nor do I wish to hurt you," T'Pol returned. "No one knows what will happen when I experience the Piyahtaya Pohshau, the Ripening Fire. That does not mean that it is inevitable that we will do each other harm."
"Yeah, I get it; don't borrow trouble." Trip turned his back on the Seclusion chamber and caught the look T'Pol was giving him. "That means don't worry about things that you can't change or things that won't happen for years. Did you find any rope?"
Having learned by now to ignore such abrupt changes of subject T'Pol replied, "No, I have been investigating the stores in the kitchen."
"Good thing I came prepared then," Trip said. "Let's go check out the beach." Wondering what Trip had come up with now T'Pol followed him. Trip grabbed up one of his bags and pulled out a length of rope and a blanket before heading down to the beach. Once there she watched as Trip picked out two trees and tied one end of the rope to one. Working quickly Trip turned the blanket and the rope into a hammock.
T'Pol had seen hammocks in Trip's memories before but hadn't realized that Trip knew how to make one. "You are very efficient. This will make a pleasant place for you to study Mr. Scott's force field generator technology."
"It's also the perfect place for us to snuggle," Trip said as he picked her up and set them both to swinging.
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Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was a gentleman born and bred. His family had served in the English Navy for centuries and he had been raised to personify the ideal of an officer and a gentleman. That was why he had graciously given in and let Hoshi plan their shore leave. He had thought that he would much rather have gone on a traditional bar crawl than sample the local version of culture. He was wrong. Hoshi's delight in both learning a new language, something that had happened during a trip into an art exhibit, and in the new things that they saw there were enough to make him realize that he was having more fun watching her than he would have had otherwise.
He didn't know it but more than one matron was commenting to Hoshi about what a catch she had landed in her handsome escort. Hoshi didn't try to deny the relationship that they were implying. She knew that Malcolm would never do anything inappropriate, especially as long as they had regulation issues. In a way it was very frustrating. She would never want Malcolm to change who he was so drastically, and yet she did wish that he would ignore the fraternization regs. It was enough to make her wish that something weird would happen to them the way it had to Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol. She wasn't the only one who was wishing.
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It had been a perfect day. Jonathan Archer should have realized that there was no way it was going to last. He was sitting on the porch of his rented cabin with Porthos at his feet when suddenly he realized he wasn't alone. Looking up he saw the last person he ever wanted to see again, Crewman Daniels, the Temporal Agent. "Whatever it is, the answer is no," Archer proclaimed. "I hate time travel and everything that goes with it."
"Captain Kirk's incursion into this reality has caused a ripple in the timeline that has become a tidal wave," Daniels began.
"Then go yell at him," Archer said firmly. "Daniels I really need this down time. I have just two more days before I have to get back to Enterprise. I need the time off. I can't do a thing about Kirk and his crew showing up in this universe and I'm not likely to either! They're showing up did a lot of good, both for my crew and for our relations with other worlds."
"In the short term yes, they did a lot of good but they also did a lot of damage that I have to make sure gets corrected. For instance, their interference led to Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol surviving their bonding. But because of their public bonding V'Las attempted his coup nearly four years early. That led to his killing almost every Vulcan in the Embassy on Earth and his death. It also led to your ship not being where it was supposed to be and because of that you personally will miss being in a situation that you need to be in. That situation will lead you to one very small piece of information. That information will sit in your mind for nearly two years until it is needed. Without that information, you will not have the proper mindset to deal with a certain situation in the future that is critical to the entire temporal cold war." Daniels pulled out his temporal observatory and turned it on. "Do you remember this?" he asked Archer.
"Yeah, only it was a lot, umm, smoother," Archer stood up and tried to find a word for the change in what he was seeing. The lines that he had seen before swirling around the room in harmony, were now in tangles and broken strands could be seen everywhere. There was no rhyme or reason that he could see.
"Captain Kirk informed you of the fact that Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol are bondmates. If that had not happened, V'Las would have remained as Administrator of the Vulcan High Command for another four years. He still would have committed a similar atrocity during his attempted coup, but it would have been the Human Embassy on Vulcan that would have suffered. People died this time that didn't die before and people who did die now won't. V'Las is just the start of what caused this particular reaction in the timeline. We've been able to stabilize most of the ripples caused by his early death. But it still led to what is going to cause this effect, because Enterprise isn't going to be here," and Daniels pointed to a particular point, "when she needs to be. The rest I've already told you. You need a piece of information and you can't get it without being at the right place at the right time."
Archer rubbed his eyes. He hated this with a passion. "Ok, so if I make sure that the Enterprise goes directly there after we leave orbit, will we make it in time?"
Daniels nodded. "Yes but I can't give you any more information. It is critical to restoring the timeline that you are personally involved in the situation that will result from the Enterprise being there and then. Not so much because of how your actions will affect the people involved but because you need to be there to see that small but critical piece of information."
"Why can't you just tell me what it is? I mean if the information is such a minor thing?" Archer asked.
"Without your personal involvement, the information will not affect you in the same manner. And you must be affected, Captain. That changes everything," Daniels said as he waved his hand around at the mess the time observatory is showing.
"So it's not so much the information as how it affects me," Archer said as he began to understand.
"And even more importantly, how it affects how you look at things in your future," Daniels said solemnly.
"Ok Daniels, give me the date and the coordinates and then get out of here so I can enjoy the rest of my leave."
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Post by dragonfan on Jan 7, 2008 9:24:33 GMT -5
Chapter 34
After the first three days of their shore leave T'Pol now thought that the Human custom of the Honeymoon was very similar to Vulcan Seclusion. They had been spending almost as much time engaging in s*x as if they were in the throes of Pon Farr. However, they also spent a great deal of time studying the information Mr. Scott of the 1701 had left them. The science behind the shield technology was sound and something that they could implement immediately. In fact, the tech was so easily implemented that Trip spent an entire hour cursing once he realized just how easy it was. While she was not inclined to curse about a situation that she could not have foreseen, she not pleased to have missed this application of technology that she was already aware of. She was also determined that it not happen again.
"Trip, if these shields can deflect things from the hull, could not a lesser strength shield create a similar barrier inside the ship?" T'Pol asked as she floated just above Trip's arms. He was attempting to teach her how to swim.
"I think you're right," he said after a moment's thought. "Malcolm would really like that if we can figure out a way to make it work. He'd love to have a way to cut off intruders if we get boarded. If we can get a force field up and working I bet the Captain would authorize a trial in the brig."
"It is the least used area on Enterprise," T'Pol agreed. She was determined to learn how to swim because it would be a useful skill to have both on away missions and on leave time as they were planning on spending their next leave on Earth with Trip's family. She had seen in Trip's memories that his family spent a great deal of time near, on or in the water. "If the force field works in sealing off the brig, then it should be possible to seal off other areas of Enterprise as well."
Trip considered the basic theory. "Start moving your arms and legs like I showed you," he said. As she did so, he thought about all the places he could put the force fields. "We might be able to section off portions of the ship at predetermined points or use them to hold atmosphere in the landing bay."
"That would be a logical progression," T'Pol said. She was so busy thinking about what they could do with functioning force fields, such as figuring out where they could get components, where the best testing areas were on Enterprise, where they could be best used, as well as the theoretical applications that she didn't realize Trip had lowered his arms to his side. He didn't leave her side, just watched as she awkwardly swam a few feet.
Then he scooped her up. "I knew you could do it!" he laughed.
T'Pol realized what had happened and nodded. "I will need considerably more practice before I can be called proficient but I seem to have mastered the basics."
Trip grinned, "Well now that calls for some celebrating." T'Pol silently agreed. Celebrating was much more pleasant than swimming.
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Travis Mayweather was mountain climbing. It was something that he'd always been interested in, although it didn't come close to being an avid interest. It was just something that he'd thought would be nice to try one day. He should have listened to his brother and forgotten the whole idea. What little experience he had on a planetary surface had not prepared him for this. He had been out in the rain before. He had even been had to climb steep hills before during a rain. But both of those had both been in San Francisco, on Earth.
San Francisco was a very civilized city, although it was a very hilly one. It was not a wilderness trek on an alien world. 'And this is the easy trek!' he thought glumly. He shuddered to think of what might have happened had he gone with his first impulse and taken the harder route. Now all he could imagine going on that trek would have brought him was a broken leg. 'Thank God I listened to Malcolm!' he thought as yet another trickle of rain water ran down his collar. 'He told me that I had to start slow. It isn't that I'm not physically capable of doing the harder routes but I lack the experience to make sure that I don't get into trouble. And trouble does happen if the slightest thing goes wrong and you don't know what you're doing. He was right to compare it to piloting. I wouldn't let a newbie fly through an asteroid belt. And now that I know just how miserable being out here can be I'm not too sure I want to keep doing this.'
He looked up ahead to see his guide at the top of the ridge, waving to him and the other people in his group. 'Just a little bit farther,' he told himself as he walked up the narrow path. Once he reached the ridge the sight took his breath away. Seeing the valley below him wrapped in the misty rain that he had just slogged through was extraordinary. The sunlight shown through the misty rain in a vibrant array of colors that reminded him of a nebula he had seen as a child. 'This wasn't such a bad idea after all.'
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Back on the Enterprise, Captain Archer was doing a walkabout with Porthos. It really wasn't so much that Porthos needed the exercise but that Archer felt he should check out his ship from stern to bow. It was just one of the little rituals that a good captain followed. Not that he was one of those captains who poked their noses too far into his crew's business. No he tried to show enough interest to let them know that he cared as well as giving them enough leeway to show that he trusted them.
That he was maintaining the right balance was shone in the cheerful greetings he received from the crew that he saw on his unofficial inspection. From the engineers right down to the galley crew everyone either seemed to be either relating what a great time they'd had on leave or talking about what their plans were for theirs'. 'All in all things seem to be going well,' Archer thought to himself as he headed into sickbay and the one person on board who wouldn't be getting much leave time at all, Crewman Cutler.
She was the only medical personnel that the Enterprise had on hand, other than Dr. Phlox and because of that would be on duty during Dr. Phlox's quarterly hibernation. Phlox had assured Archer that he shouldn't sleep more than six days and could be woken up if any emergency occurred that needed his attention. Of course he had to admit that there was the rare occasion when hibernation took longer than six days. So Cutler was on duty until Phlox woke up. Archer hoped for her sake that she didn't have much to do and could take her three days leave. On the other hand, with the information that Daniels had given him, he wanted to make sure that Phlox had all the sleep he needed before they ran into whatever trouble they were headed for.
He found Cutler immersed in a data PADD. "Can I ask what you're reading?" he asked.
"OH SIR!" she yelped as she jumped out of her chair. "I didn't hear you come in!" She placed the PADD down on the desk. "I'm studying Denobulan anatomy. I figured it would be a good idea for someone to know what to do if the doctor ever got injured."
"That is a good idea," Archer praised. "How is Phlox doing?"
Cutler straightened up, ready to give her report. "He's sleeping like a baby sir. I've only had a few minor things to deal with here, a small plasma burn and the like. There hasn't been anything life threatening."
"Good, I don't want to wake Dr. Phlox up if I don't have to. Can you make sure that our medical stores are full? If there's anything we need, I want to pick it up before we leave Risa."
Cutler was confused. 'They had been almost fully restocked when they picked up the Vulcans on Earth. Why would the Captain want an inventory of the medical supplies now? He must be expecting trouble,' she decided. There were several reasons why he wouldn't be talking about it now, the most obvious being that if he did he'd have to cancel shore leave. 'On the other hand, there's no reason why I can't spread the message that we need to be in tip top shape when we leave among those department heads that have gotten back from Risa.' "I'll get right on it Captain. It'll give me something to do besides study."
Archer thanked her and continued on his way, unaware of the scuttlebutt he had just started in his wake. By the time that he got to the bridge and his ready room, it was all over the ship. Of course the rumors were everything from there was going to be a surprise inspection from Starfleet, to they were being sent out to round up the last of the Vulcan revolutionaries to there was an alien race about to attack Earth or Vulcan, take your pick, and they were being sent to stop it.
Those who hadn't bought the wilder rumors pointed the fact that Archer hadn't announced anything. Those who did believe them pointed out that the Captain was too nice to say so because he'd have to cancel shore leave for those who hadn't gotten it yet. The naysayers disagreed because there was no way Archer wouldn't tell them if they were going into battle. The rumor mongers agreed that Archer would never send them into battle without preparing them if he could help it. They also pointed out that he wasn't the sort of person to ruin the first trip some of them had been on away from the ship since they had left Earth the first time. They thought that he would make his announcement just before they left Risa.
In fact, Archer had no plans to make any announcement at all. It wasn't that he didn't want his crew to be prepared, just that he didn't have any information to give them. He didn't know what sort of incident Daniels was sending them into, nor did he know how it would affect the ship or crew. All he knew was that he had to be at a certain point in time and space so that the Temporal Cold War didn't erupt into an all out war that resulted in the destruction of the very fabric of time itself.
He really hated his job sometimes.
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Post by dragonfan on Jan 7, 2008 9:34:07 GMT -5
Chapter 35
T'Pol was a surprisingly good cook, even if all of the food was vegetarian. Trip knew that it wouldn't kill him and he did like what she was cooking. But he also knew had to eat some meat or his cravings would overwhelm her. He knew that by the end of nine days he'd be ready to kill for some of Chef's BBQ ribs or really anything. So he had thought about some alternatives before they had left and the one that came to mind almost immediately was seafood. He had checked with T'Pol and she had agreed that fish didn't fall under the 'no animal protein' rule.
It seemed that vegetarianism was mostly a cultural thing for Vulcans, rather than a biological necessity. In ancient times Vulcans had eaten meat and the reason for the change was a logical one. Meat animals on Vulcan were just as empathic as Vulcans themselves. One of the basic reasons for the philosophy of logic in the first place had been to beat into stubborn Vulcan heads that killing feeling creatures, such as their fellow Vulcans, was wrong. Fish, which wasn't a class of creature found on Vulcan, didn't have a large enough brain to actually experience anything outside of sleep, hunt and mate. And for fish those things were barely covered most of the time; at least not that any Vulcan had ever been able to tell and shellfish had even less brains.
Which was why Trip was happily grilling up the large fish he had caught this morning for lunch and T'Pol was standing out in the shallow water of the smaller of the two coves collecting some type of clam that clung to the rocks for that night's dinner. Trip found the different formations of the coves to be a source of amazement. They were situated just yards from one another and yet they were completely different. The larger cove had a perfect beach that sloped down into perfectly clear water. It was a wonderful place to swim or build sandcastles.
Trip snorted as he remembered T'Pol's look at the thought of sandcastles. She had sat next to him and obviously still wondering why any sentient being would want to, had half heartedly attempted to help him build one. Her serious face as she poked the castle with her trowel was the funniest thing he'd seen in months. When he had explained that it was the basis for the art form of sand sculptures she had understood better. It had also led to a long discussion over the various forms of sculpture produced by their different species. In the end T'Pol had admitted that she was far more comfortable as a scientist than she was as an artist. Trip had disagreed and had pointed out just how many types of art there were in the universe and just how many different degrees of artistry. He insisted that she merely hadn't found her medium yet.
Trip wrenched his mind away from the conclusion of that discussion. He didn't want to set T'Pol off while she was out in the water. He was getting better at blocking his mental wanderings from her but thoughts of s*x always set her off. He was still trying to get her to understand that just because he was thinking of s*x didn't necessarily mean that he wanted to have s*x right that minute. He never thought that he would have to gain even more control over himself. He had thought he'd mastered that subject once he'd gotten beyond his teen years.
Trip glanced over at T'Pol. She was standing waist deep in water next to the rocky shelf of the smaller cove. The U shape of the smaller cove was lined with a rocky shelf that plunged straight down to a sandy bottom. It was covered in different types of shellfish that clung to the rocks. T'Pol was gathering enough of these for dinner. She had made significant progress on learning how to swim, enough progress that she was no longer uneasy about going into the water alone. But that did not mean that she was up for an extended swim and Trip was keeping an eye on her.
This was their last day on Risa. The next morning they were scheduled to return to Enterprise and resume their interrupted tour of exploration. As much as he had enjoyed this little vacation he was eager to get back to his ship. Both he and T'Pol were fully recovered from their various injuries and he was starting to get antsy. "What is antsy?" T'Pol asked.
Trip snorted in amusement. He was getting better but he would never be as good as T'Pol at managing random thoughts. "It's a combination of nervous energy and anticipation I guess. Antsy is a way of describing a feeling; kind of like having ants run up and down your nerves."
"That does not sound pleasant," T'Pol stated as she carried the basket of shellfish inside.
"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't," Trip said as he followed her with the fish. "It mostly depends on what you're getting antsy about. If what's coming is a good thing it can be fun but if it's something you don't want to happen, well then it isn't fun and you just want to get it over with."
T'Pol nodded. "And you are antsy because we have been away from your engines for too long, correct?" Trip just nodded. "We'll be back in the morning. For now, we must have lunch and then clean the house for our hosts."
"Of course," Trip said. It had never even occurred to him to do otherwise.
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Back on the Enterprise Archer met with his senior officers. "I'm sure by now you've checked in with your departments and realized that something was up." It had taken him a couple of days but he had soon realized that his crew was hyped up and not just about their shore leaves.
Trip laughed, "You should hear some of the rumors that are flying around Cap."
"I wouldn't have thought that the crew would be telling you Commander," Malcolm said surprised.
"They aren't but they keep forgetting that she can hear them whispering too," Trip said with a jerk towards T'Pol. More than a few people had been whispering the rumors where T'Pol could clearly hear them.
"They are being very foolish," T'Pol said. "They know that the Captain will provide them with the answers they seek and yet they do not ask. Nor do they wait for his explanations. They instead make up ridiculous stories and tell them to each other." They could all clearly hear the disapproval in her voice.
"You did explain to her that gossip isn't logical right?" Malcolm whispered exaggeratedly to Trip. The two men snickered quietly as T'Pol looked sternly at them.
Archer grinned at their antics but put a halt to them. "Ok guys, enough with the comedy routine. There is something up." That sobered the men faster than anything else could have done. "Daniels showed up while I was on leave. The 1701's little trip into our universe has really screwed things up. His people are working on stabilizing things the best they can but they also need certain things to still happen the way they are supposed to. We need to be here," Archer showed them a star chart, "at this location in two days. Daniels couldn't tell me why; just that we needed to be exposed to certain types of information and that is the only way we can get it."
Archer looked grim. "I don't know what we're heading into. I have no idea what will happen when we get there. What I do know is that if we don't show up for whatever it is that we're supposed to find out there, the entire timeline could and will collapse."
That was enough for the senior crew of the Enterprise. They had seen enough of the Temporal Cold War and its effects on their lives. Daniels had given his life trying to keep the Suliban from altering history right in front of them. If an earlier version of him asked them to be at a certain place and time, it was the least they could do for him.
"Enterprise will get us there right on schedule," Trip promised.
"Security is already on the lookout. Whatever is out there, we'll be ready," Malcolm chimed in.
"Sensors are operating at peak efficiency," T'Pol said. "We will find whatever it is that Crewman Daniels wishes us to find."
"Well, it's not the first time we've been asked to save the universe or the timeline," Phlox entered the discussion for the first time. "We'll be ready Captain, no matter what the trouble is. From speaking to Doctor McCoy, I'm beginning to understand that it likely won't be the last either. Apparently there is something about starships named Enterprise that my people would call crisis attractors."
"Did he just call my ship a trouble magnet?" Archer asked rhetorically.
"I thought it was just the Commander," Malcolm said. Trip rolled his eyes but took the ribbing with good humor. He couldn't deny his status as a trouble magnet. If something went wrong it was very likely to happen to him. He'd come to learn how to roll with the punches that life threw him without loosing too much of his sense of humor over the subject.
"Ok people, let's go save the timeline one more time," Archer said as he stood up. The others took this as the dismissal it was and filed out ahead of him. It was time to go back to work.
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Post by dragonfan on Jan 7, 2008 9:41:22 GMT -5
Chapter 36
"I'm coming with you sir," Malcolm announced when Archer handed out the exploration assignments for this small area of space. They had reached the coordinates that Daniels had given the Captain and Archer was determined to put that knowledge out of his mind. In order for this to work, he had to explore this area of space just like he usually would. And that meant that he would be taking Travis and a small shuttle to explore the nearest of the two solar systems while the Enterprise explored the one farther away. The nearer system wasn't very big nor did it have any planets that could support life. The other system had several planets that looked good for exploring. He and Travis would make a quick pass through the system before rejoining Enterprise.
"Malcolm, we need to do this like we don't know anything." Archer got up and paced behind his desk. There wasn't much room, but he couldn't just sit there. "We've already messed the timeline up so much it has literally taken temporal agents years, if not decades to stabilize things. I wouldn't normally take you with me to chart a small and most likely unimportant system. I'd leave you with Enterprise. So that's what we need to do."
"I understand that sir, but there is the fact that we're looking for information not scientific facts. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go or that you shouldn't take Ensign Mayweather as your pilot. But you are my commanding officer and I am responsible for your safety. I must place that first. As for Enterprise, Lewis is going to be Columbia's Armory Officer. He needs the experience of being on the bridge for this." Malcolm could only hope that Archer understood his position.
Archer sighed. He did understand what Malcolm was saying. He was too important to risk losing. The mission to save the timeline not only required that they get the information, but that he survive to later use it. "Alright Malcolm, but you don't do anything unless my life is directly in danger. You'll be playing bodyguard for this trip as much as I hate it."
"Yes sir," Malcolm nodded. He wasn't the only one to sigh silently in relief. Archer may not have wanted to admit it but he was a pivotal person in history. That meant that he had to survive long enough to make history happen.
Trip shot T'Pol a look as he felt her relief at the idea of the Captain having a bodyguard. 'We'll keep Enterprise safe and ready to back him up if he needs it. We don't know that there is going to be trouble,' he pointed out to her. The look she shot him said it all. Trip shrugged, 'Can't blame me for being optimistic.'
'Optimistic is one thing, delusional is another,' she thought back. He had to shrug in agreement. When Daniels was around, trouble soon followed and they were going to be neck deep in it soon enough.
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Everyone else on the bridge of the starship Enterprise might have bought T'Pol's cool demeanor at the information she was receiving, but her bondmate wasn't fooled. T'Pol was as pissed off as a wet cat. She was pissed off at Colonel Grat, the contact from the Tandar military, and his insistence that the Enterprise journey to his homeworld to retrieve her Captain and his officers in three days time after a formal trial. She was ticked off that Hoshi, as Communications Officer and Lewis, as current Armory Officer, were not able to find out where Colonel Grat was hailing them from. And she was pissed off at the Captain for wandering into Tandar territory even though she was more upset at the Tandar people for not marking their territory so that innocent people wouldn't be caught up in whatever nonsense these people were fussing over! She knew that Jon Archer would never have simply wandered into another people's territory without loudly announcing himself and his people if he was aware that he could be trespassing. The man was far too friendly for his own good. She was not disposed towards being overly friendly towards the Tandar either.
Trip tried to send soothing thoughts her way but backed off at the hard stare she sent him in return. This was not the time for soothing. This was the time for decisive action. As there was nothing that he could do to help Hoshi or Lewis track down where the Tandar were holding their people, he got to work on building the shield generators that Scotty had left him the schematics for. Loosing himself in the work should actually help T’Pol regain some equilibrium he hoped. At the very least, if he wasn’t agitated over the loss of his friends then she wouldn’t have to deal with his agitation on top of her own.
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Although it didn’t show on his face, Malcolm Reed was furious with himself. Not only had he failed to realize the Tandar military’s intentions in time; now he, Captain Archer and Ensign Mayweather were in a Tandar prison in the middle of a bunch of Suliban! The Tandar prison was populated with Suliban but no other races. That was the last place that Captain Archer should be. There were no allies to be had here, only enemies. One shiv or other makeshift weapon would be all it would take for the Suliban to win this damned time war.
In fact Malcolm was so busy watching for potential assassins that he almost missed the information that they were there to get. Almost, but he couldn’t help but listen as Captain Archer venomously berated a Suliban man for making his young daughter work for the Cabal. The Cabal, Reed knew was the name of the Suliban terror organization that was fighting the temporal war. The man wasn’t the only obvious parent among the prisoners. There were quite a few Suliban who were less than half the size of the adults. A few moments later the guards sent everyone to their cells, breaking up the confrontation in the process. Ensign Mayweather and Captain Archer collapsed on one of the four bunks while Malcolm paced along the front of the cell.
Malcolm could tell that the encounter had shaken the Captain to his core. Mayweather reached out and touched Archer's arm. "Captain?" he asked.
"This isn't a prison," Archer whispered in horror. "That's what Daniels wanted me to see. It's not a prison, it's an internment camp."
The label brought images to Malcolm's mind from his history lessons of American Indians being herded onto reservations, of refugees from terrible wars in the Middle East being crammed into isolated areas without adequate supplies and Japanese Americans being pulled out of their homes and trucked into hastily built barracks behind chain link fences. Malcolm had never thought that he would be in one but the description fit. If that father had been honest, and Malcolm believed that he had been, then none of the Suliban here was involved in the Cabal.
Archer was sitting in the corner of his bunk staring up at the bunk above him. "All this time I thought that all of them were Cabal. I thought that all of the innocent ones were on their homeworld somewhere. I thought that the Cabal was condoned by their government even if their population didn't know. But they don't have a homeworld anymore. Lord, its no wonder they're fighting so hard. They've lost everything and someone has convinced then that we're going to destroy what little they've got left."
Mayweather was looking a little lost so Malcolm decided to fill him in on what he and the Captain had figured out. "Fairly easy to do," he said over his shoulder. He was still on the lookout for trouble, not so much from the Cabal just now as for the ordinary trouble that was found among any type of prisoners. "When someone has their back to a wall it can be very easy to box them into a corner. A desperate, cornered person is very dangerous. Create a group of such people, aim them at your enemies and you have a very effective weapon that isn't directly traceable to you, especially if you use several someone elses to do the cornering and aiming." The matter of factness in Malcolm's voice made Travis shudder but it caught Archer's attention.
"And someone has done just that," Archer said, his shock turning to anger. "Who is to say that this is the first time or the last it will happen? The Suliban Cabal members were altered so that they could be saboteurs and assassins." Archer got off his bunk and made sure that both of his men were paying close attention. "We know that we are a part of a pivotal point in history. Daniels sent us here to learn this information. I want it branded into your brains gentlemen. I have a feeling that sooner or later we're going to run into others who have met the Cabal's benefactors and I want us to all remember just who the real enemy is. Those people out there aren't our enemies. We will fight them when we must but I refuse to allow some unknown puppet master to turn us into irrational savages that treat innocent children like criminals and killers. Malcolm, find this place's weaknesses."
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Post by dragonfan on Mar 8, 2008 9:05:27 GMT -5
All it took was the message from Colonel Grat informing them that the hearing was postponed for Hoshi to pinpoint the origins of his transmission. Once she had pinpointed the origins, it was easy for T'Pol to locate the prison itself. "There they are," T'Pol said as she hi-lighted the prison on the tactical screen. T'Pol had called Trip up from Engineering and Ensign Lewis from the bridge to the situation room so that they could plan how to rescue their people.
"They're counting on their ability to hide the place more than an active security system. I don't see any patrol ships either," Trip muttered as he examined the sensor readings. He tapped one line on the screen in front of him. "If it wasn't for that we'd've never found 'em. If I can just," he reached for the controls for the sensors and began fiddling; doing his best to bypass the Tandar jamming that was in effect, hiding the prison from most advanced spacecraft. With T'Pol helping it didn't take long and soon the three officers were examining clear sensor readings of the structure and population of the prison.
"Suliban!" Lewis hissed. "We have got to get them out of there!"
'This is undoubtedly what Mr. Daniels wished for the Captain to find. As we have no way to determine whether or not he has accomplished the goal of locating the specific information needed. We must contact him,' T'Pol sent. Trip nodded and located three Human life signs. "They're all being held in the same cell. We can transport a communicator in so we can talk to the Captain. The Tandar's jamming fields won't interfere with a transport but I really don't want to risk them changing the frequencies if we're transporting a person." 'That will satisfy Lewis, mostly because it's the truth. That jamming frequency is way too close for my comfort.'
'You are simply too frightened of the transporter process. If it was not for the fact that the Captain may need to stay in the prison for a longer amount of time I would recommend simply transporting them and their shuttle back to the Enterprise.' T'Pol sent with a glance. She was also analyzing the prison structure itself. "A small amount of explosives placed here and here would collapse the wall between the prison and the shipyard where the Captain's shuttle is located."
'I am not scared of the transporter!' Trip shot back at her. 'I'm just far too aware of everything that can go wrong during transport. There still aren't enough safeties built into the systems yet. Transporting when no one is likely to be shooting at us or when it's a last resort to save someone's life are acceptable risks. When we are in a situation that is already risky I'd simply prefer not to add in the additional risk.' T'Pol simply arched her eyebrow. "The area next to that wall looks like some kind of exercise room to me; either that or where they assemble the prisoners for daily counts or something."
"If they could close or block these doors it would prevent reinforcements from reaching the guards," Lewis muttered. "SubCommander, do you think that the Tandar would be incapacitated by flash bangs?"
"What are flash bangs?" T'Pol asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"Small charges that produce loud noise and bright light," he explained. "They're thrown at a group to daze and confuse them. For Humans they are a nonfatal weapon, although they can cause some damage to sensitive sensory organs. I wouldn't want to use them against Vulcan's for instance because your sensory organs are far more likely to be damaged beyond repair."
"I believe that their use would be appropriate here," T'Pol said with approval. The fact that Lewis had asked if they would be effective while explaining that he would not wish to cause permanent damage was very much in his favor. She would need to make a note in his records. That sort of thinking needed to be rewarded if Starfleet were to become the sort of institution that Admiral Forrest and Soval believed that it could become.
After that it was all too easy to arrange for the mass escape of the Tandar's prisoners. Archer worked out an agreement with the Suliban prisoners, pointing out the futures their children were likely to have if they stayed. Mayweather proved to them how serious the Humans were about the situation by taking a beating to protect one of the Suliban caught talking with Reed. And Reed, well Malcolm passed out flash bangs like they were a new kind of candy to the adult Suliban. He also taught a few of their Engineers how to make their own before working with a few people who knew how to deal with explosives. Less than eight hours after Trip transported a communicator into their cell and three hours after they began to conspire with the Suliban prisoners, Archer and Reed led the escape.
It was so simple to organize the escape that Malcolm could only come to the conclusion that the Tandar had never dealt with any serious escape attempt before. The Tandar's military was adequate, although capturing unarmed civilians didn't count as a very good measuring stick, but they made lousy jailers. It was far easier to imprison a bunch of unarmed and defeated civilians than it was a determined enemy who had not yet conceded defeat and had an ace up their sleeve. 'And Enterprise is a very large ace,' Malcolm thought to himself as he watched Archer throw the first flash bang.
Archer had waited until all of the prisoners here herded into the exercise room before throwing the first flash bang. Suliban parents grabbed up their children while other Suliban adults launched even more flash bangs to confuse the guards. Reed ran to the outer wall while Mayweather watched Archer's back. Two Suliban ran for the doors leading into the room and another ran for the wall not far from Malcolm. Four small explosions were lost in the noise and confusion but the collapse of the wall was not. The prisoners escaped before the majority of the guards and officials knew what had happened.
"How could you do this?!" Grat screamed at Archer. He didn't dare make a move at the Human as both of the Captain's men were poised to launch weapons at him if he made a move. Grat didn't want to have an up close and personal encounter with whatever weapons the Humans had managed to create. It was bad enough being in the same space as one going off. "They'll all die out there! They'll be hunted down like animals out there!"
"It's better to die free than live as a slave," Archer said simply. "They want their children to live free," with that the three Enterprise officers ran out the breech in the wall to their shuttle.
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"Jesus, a concentration camp," Trip breathed out in horror.
"I do not understand. A place where one goes to improve one's concentration does not fit the parameters of the Tandar prison," T'Pol said in complete confusion. She looked around the conference table at the other officers who were showing various signs of illness.
"No honey, not mental concentration, concentration as in moving a widely scattered population and concentrating them into a small piece of land, usually against their will," Trip said flatly. "The next step after that is usually genocide."
T'Pol's face went totally blank; a look that Trip knew, both from experience with Vulcans in general and from what he was feeling through their bond, meant that T'Pol was controlling her emotions as hard as she could. Horror, shock and nausea were pouring off of her in waves, which only increased his stomach's reaction. It wasn't until T'Pol was struck with the next wave of the feedback loop between her and Trip that she realized what was happening. She threw up a mental shield and apologized. "I beg forgiveness my mate. The actions of the Tandar are most disturbing. The Captain was very wise to help the Suliban to escape. No species should be placed in such a situation based on the actions of a small group of individuals. It is not logical."
Archer nodded. "I know but it is what happens when a group of people let hatred overwhelm them and become everything that they live for. To our sorrow, we've seen it happen enough on Earth. That was how I figured out what was really happening there."
"They're free now and they've got weapons that are nonfatal that they can use against anyone who tries to capture them again. They were very grateful for that. Most of the Suliban had no interest in actually harming anyone, not even the Tandar," Malcolm pointed out. "What we need to do is concentrate on keeping our eyes and ears open for any information about who is behind the Cabal and anyone else they might throw at us."
"You are absolutely right Lieutenant," Dr. Phlox chimed in grimly. "You can't find a cure if you don't know the cause and whomever is behind this could very well infect this entire sector of space."
Archer nodded. "The good news is that I've heard from Daniels. He didn't actually say anything but I saw him and he threw me a salute, so I think we've managed to get the timeline back on track."
"Did he smile?" Trip wanted to know.
"No, but considering what the man's been dealing with for years I'd be surprised if he remembered how," Archer said grimly. Daniels hadn't looked good. He had looked tired and exhausted but somewhat pleased. All Archer knew for sure was that he really didn't want the man's job; being captain of the Enterprise was hard enough for him. "All right everyone, let's get back to work."
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