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"May the Wind Be at Our Backs" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 The Vulcans are different from the canon universe. They have their own agenda. The “V’tosh ka’tur”, the “Vulcans without logic” were featured in the ENT episode, “Fusion”. I borrowed that concept for this chapter. Malcolm’s thoughts in the wake of T’Pol’s kidnapping and Hoshi learns that Vulcan politics is more complicated than she’d thought. Had to rewrite one section of this...Pookha, I wanted to get Jefferies and Robinson mentioned somewhere and I thought this would be a good place to do it. :)
Ten Doctor Malcolm Reed felt sick to his stomach and he knew it wasn’t because of any injury to his person. He summoned up his professional demeanor as he finished the last surgery on one of the Vulcans, then he nodded at Lieutenant Cutler and Crewman Drake to finish up. He emerged from the scrub room with the intention of checking every one of his patients before reporting to Captain Sato. Hoshi, he thought. The captain would have her hands full, with T’Pol in the hands of a deranged Vulcan scientist. Again, he silently cursed himself for not heeding his own instincts. He closed his eyes and centered himself. Doctor T’Les had suspected that T’Marui was not all she seemed to be and he completely agreed. T’Marui was considered a maverick in her specialty, an eccentric, but she was harmless. Yet Malcolm had known there was more to her than met the eye. He should have come to Hoshi Sato with his suspicions, but how could he explain it? “Forgive me, Captain, but I have a feeling our Vulcan colleague is two bricks short of a load? An absolutely daft loony? No, madam, I don’t have any proof, it’s just my instincts.” Not to mention the fact that he’d have to explain himself and then... “Are you ill, Doctor?” asked T’Niura from her biobed. He managed a slight smile. “Just a bit weary, Doctor T’Niura, but I am gratified to see everyone on the road to recovery. Your apprentice should be up and about in a few days.” “Thank you, Doctor.” The older woman inclined her head. “T’Lun is like a daughter to me...but you have not answered my question.” “I thought I had answered it adequately,” Malcolm replied as he checked on a sleeping patient on the next biobed. Her mouth quirked. “Your time on Vulcan has affected your sense of humor.” “Oh?” He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. And she’s concerned about my sense of humor? “You sound more like a Vulcan than a Human, Doctor.” He shrugged. “I spent several years at the Medical Academy, so I suppose some of your...humor has rubbed off on me.” He chuckled and shrugged. “Make no mistake, though, I am wholly Human.” T’Niura nodded and looked him from head to toe. “Yes. That much is obvious.” For some reason, that comment made him distinctly uncomfortable. Or was it because of her intense scrutiny? He avoided looking at her, for his instincts were warning him against it. He thought he heard her voice in his mind: Look at me, Malcolm. Look at me. You may be Human, but your heart is Vulcan. Would you like to know the true face of a Vulcan, not the facade? Look at me... Hoshi Sato’s voice broke the spell. “Sato to Reed.” He immediately crossed over to the intercom on the wall, keeping his back to T’Niura. At the same time, Lieutenant Cutler emerged from the scrub room, back in her duty uniform. She looked up at the senior geologist and said, “Doctor, her readings are erratic and she seems agitated. Shall I administer a sedative?” “That may be prudent,” Malcolm replied in a low tone. “She has been concerned for her apprentice, though I have reassured her more than once.” “I’ll talk with her. T’Lun should recover nicely. T’Niura needs her rest, so I’ll give her some mytoloxian.” “Fifty ccs should be enough.” At Liz’s expression, he clarified, “Her Vulcan constitution is stronger than a Human’s, and she hasn’t rested—or put herself through a healing trance—since she was beamed from the surface. I’m concerned that her devotion to her apprentice is detrimental to her recovery, although I can certainly understand it.” Liz nodded. “So can I. Very well, Doctor.” Malcolm hid a sigh of relief and punched the com button. “Reed here.” “Report to Conference Room A immediately.” “On my way, Captain. Reed, out.” He glanced over his shoulder as he went through the Sickbay doors, he stole a glance at T’Niura, who now lay sleeping on her biobed after Liz had given her the sedative. He shivered again and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand: how to save T’Pol from T’Marui’s mad plans. “They are heading back to Vulcan. Doctor T’Marui holds my daughter hostage to further her radical ideas. This is not acceptable.” Hoshi stifled a sigh as she met Doctor T’Les’s angry expression. T’Les, High Minister V’Lar and Ambassador Soval attended the meeting via holoscreen. V’Lar and Soval wore grave expressions, but T’Les was a seething volcano. Hoshi felt a stab of guilt; after all, she had promised T’Les that she would personally watch over T’Pol. T’Les didn’t seemed to be concerned with assigning guilt or blame; instead, she seemed to be more concerned about T’Marui. “Can we beam T’Pol off their ship?” Hoshi asked Phlox. The Denobulan gave her a slight smile. “Not all of T'Marui's team agrees with her methods. Seprol and T'Nu believe they can isolate the Syklonians' shield harmonics." "That's possible?" Trip asked, with a look of disbelief. "We have trouble with shield harmonics for Enterprise. That's why Captain Jeffries and Commander Robinson recommended other means of defenses for the ship." There was an eager gleam in the engineer's eyes, like a child who'd just been given permission to play in a restricted area. In the short time Hoshi had known him, she knew they'd lose him if she didn't keep a close rein on him. "Seprol and T'Nu are analyzing the frequency of the Syklonian shields. If we can match our transporter frequency to their shield harmonic, then we can locate and beam T’Pol to Enterprise. It involves some complicated and delicate fine-tuning, but I'm confident that it can be done.” Trip still didn't seem convinced, but he still had an far-away look in his eyes, one that Hoshi had also seen before. It meant her Armory Officer was thinking about the tactical applications as well as the engineering applications. "It's gotta be just perfect, Commander Phlox, or anyone transporting'll be splattered all over the universe. Not a pleasant way to go, I think." T’Les’s eyes flashed again. “Chief Security Minister T’Pau can forward some shield harmonic information to you, Lieutenant Commander Tucker. It would help ease your worry.” Trip and Hoshi exchanged looks. When were the Vulcans gonna tell us about this? The question was written all over the Armory Officer’s face. Even Jon Archer’s good-natured countenance was severely strained. High Minister V’Lar nodded at Ambassador Soval, and Soval picked up the thread of the conversation before Phlox launched into the mechanics of their problem. “Minister T’Pau has alerted our defense forces and they are enroute to intercept the Syklonian ship. We have jammed all communication signals in Vulcan space, in case T’Marui plans to beam her madness on a planet-wide channel.” Trip frowned and shook his head. “Whatever this lady found on Beta Polaris is really serious, isn’t it, Ambassador.” “Doctor T’Marui has ties to revolutionary movements, Lieutenant Commander Tucker. She is a skilled and charismatic leader, not to mention wily and secretive in her dealings.” “And you didn’t bother to tell us any of this?” “Trip,” Hoshi murmured in a dangerous tone. To her surprise, Soval looked rather abashed at Trip’s accusation. Doctor Reed, who hadn’t yet said a word, raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together. She knew he’d already spent hours in the surgical ward, repairing the damage from T’Marui’s “expedition”. Hoshi could feel the anger roll off him in waves, though Malcolm’s face was politely blank. “We only recently discovered T’Marui’s intentions, just after Enterprise left for Beta Polaris,” T’Les admitted, but that admission seemed grudging. “The V’tosh ka’tur. A radical branch of Vulcan mysticism that had struggled to survive in the wake of Surak’s reforms. They have been losing followers and resources for decades. This is their final attempt to seize power.” Hoshi frowned at the revelation. A power struggle within the Vulcan government? It must’ve been so hush-hush that even Starfleet Intelligence hasn’t heard of it. Then again, I can understand why they’ve been quiet...with the Andorians and the Tellarites waiting in the wings for them to fall... “I’ve never heard of them,” she said aloud. Jon had a “putting-it-all-together” expression as he explained, “ The translation for their name is ‘Vulcans without logic’, Captain. They don’t play by the same rules as those who follow Surak’s teachings and that makes them extremely dangerous.” “We must stop them from reaching Vulcan space,” Hoshi said. She glanced at Trip and Phlox. “Work on those shield harmonics. Lieutenant Commander Tucker, I know the phase cannons are still untested, but can you adjust them to pack an extra punch?” “No problem, Captain. Give me half an hour, an hour max.” Trip glanced at Phlox. The Denobulan looked over at Hoshi and at her nod of permission, both men left the Conference Room and headed for Engineering and the Armory. “We’ll do our best to intercept T’Marui and retrieve Ensign T’Pol,” Hoshi said, “and we’ll keep you appraised of our situation.” V’Lar nodded, then added, “We do not hold you responsible for this...crisis, Captain Sato. Our own oversight has brought this. If possible, we would rather T’Marui be captured alive, to be punished according to our traditional ways.” The coldness in the High Minister’s tone made Hoshi shiver. If T’Marui was brought to Vulcan, she had the feeling that the punishment wouldn’t be merciful or swift. “We will do our best,” Hoshi repeated. “Enterprise, out.” After Jon closed the channel, Hoshi looked at Jon. “Please tell me you didn’t see this coming.” Jon shook his head and winced. “I’ve heard of the V’tosh ka’tur, Captain, but it’s a topic not discussed in polite company. I always got the impression that they were an embarrassment to mainstream Vulcan society. Even Soval would much rather deny their existence. They’ve been a thorn in V’Lar’s side for some time, but as she said, they’ve been losing followers and influence for a while.” “Obviously, T’Marui seeks to revive their former glory,” Malcolm remarked. “Obviously,” Hoshi agreed. She looked at her crew. “Condition Red, everyone. We’ve got to be ready to pull this off at a moment’s notice. Dismissed.” The room emptied quickly, but she noticed Malcolm stayed behind. “Doctor Reed? How are our Vulcan guests?” “They are all resting comfortably in Sickbay.” He met her eyes. “Captain, I believe T’Marui isn’t the only member of the V’tosh ka’tur within the expedition. I have overheard T’Niura and she seemed to agree with her mentor’s ideas.” She frowned as she remembered the senior geologist’s remarks in the underground tunnels. “T’Niura? I thought she didn’t agree with T’Marui—“ “A credible act, I think. I have her sedated at the moment, so we shouldn’t have a problem with her, but for the others...” His blue-gray eyes were troubled. “They may try to attempt to aid T’Marui from Enterprise.” Hoshi nodded and gave him a rueful smile. “Keep an eye on your patients. I’ll have Trip post some of his people on the ones who aren’t injured. We’ll stop them, Malcolm, and get T’Pol back.” “Thank you, Captain.” He headed for the doors, but Hoshi put a hand up, and he stopped. “Captain?” “I was just thinking...perhaps you can talk to Lieutenant Commander Tucker about some training in covert surveillance.” Her voice was teasing. “He could use you in his Security detail.” His mouth turned up in a smirk. “I’m a doctor. I’m trained to notice the little details that could mean life or death. But I’ll keep it in mind.” He disappeared through the doors, leaving a bemused Hoshi Sato behind. |
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