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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 plot thickens again...Begoogled, this is for you. :) Fourteen Travis rubbed his eyes as he went through all the material they’d collected from Beta Polaris. Together, his science teams and the few Vulcans still on their side compiled the surface scans, the holopictures, and every scrap they could find. He was tired; they all were, but he knew the key was hidden in the data. All they had to do was uncover it. His head snapped around when a surprised noise came from Lieutenant Ellen Varianis. “Ellen? What is it?” he asked. “Travis, take a look at this.” He noticed she’d said Travis and not Commander. That meant it was something significant. He made his way to her side at the lab computer. “What’re you looking at?” “It’s a blood sample from Beta Polaris,” she replied. “One of T’Marui’s people took it from the surface; I think she said it was from the courtyard, a bloodstain next to one of the mosaics.” “From the surface? Wouldn’t it have been contaminated by the elements, especially after all this time?” Travis asked, his tone skeptical. He was no hemotologist, but he could see it wouldn’t be considered valid in a scientific investigation. “If that was in a courtroom, it’d probably be thrown out. Talk about a mess.” She nodded. “Yes, it would, but I decided to compare it to T’Lyse, with her permission, of course.” Varianis nodded at the tall Vulcan woman standing at her shoulder. “The results aren’t confirmed, but look at this.” And she split the screen, adding T’Lyse’s results on the right side. His eyes widened. “I’m not a geneticist, Ellen, but some of these genetic markers look similar.” T’Lyse nodded and brought her hand up to the screen. “Indeed, and Commander, I’d like to show you exactly where it was found.” She brought up a holophoto on a secondary screen, one of a faded, crumbling mosaic in the courtyard. Below the mosaic was a strangely shaped stone, all sharp edges and hard lines, painted a dark emerald green and lined with red. Travis stared at it. Wait a minute, that’s not paint... T’Lyse saw his expression. “Yes, that is actually blood. A sacrificial stone.” He swallowed hard and asked, “I thought Vulcans didn’t believe in...well, Vulcan sacrifice?” “We do not...now. Consider the timeframe, Commander. We were a savage race and capable of murdering one another.” T’Lyse said, her mouth curling in disgust. “Yet there were sects who believed in...personal involvement with their deities.” “And the red’s also blood? But Vulcans bleed green.” “We do,” T’Lyse said, “and the red you see is actually a garnet-like stone inset into the edges. It is not Human blood, but it can be misinterpreted as such by the untrained eye.” “Oh,” Travis said, relieved. “So that isn’t the bombshell that T’Marui uncovered.” “No, but it is possible that she interpreted it as those from the Exiled, the V’tosh katur. If that is so, that is tangible proof they existed at the time of the destruction of the Vulcan colony on Beta Polaris.” “Doesn’t mean they exist now.” “No, it does not. She must have found more information to supplement this. You are correct in saying that this would not hold up to scrutiny in a court of law...Human or Vulcan.” T’Lyse picked up a recording device. “Now, if we can only get this to function...” “May I see?” asked Varianis. After T’Lyse handed it to her, she began to examine the recorder closely. “It looks like one of those old data cylinders. Maybe what we’re looking for is inside. I don’t see any kind of seam, though—“ Her fingers touched an indentation on its side. A sharp popping and crackling noise ripped through the room; everyone ducked for cover. Travis grabbed Ellen, who dropped the recorder in surprise. It hit the floor with a hard crack, then a bright light erupted from one end of the cylinder, casting a shadow on the opposite wall. No, not a shadow, Travis realized. An image. An image of a woman, with reddish-bronze hair and the pointed ears of a Vulcan, dressed in a bodice and skirt of silver mesh-like material, with a light overcoat of crimson, black hose tucked into knee-high black boots. Her mouth moved in some kind of silent conversation. And the woman was smiling. “A mind meld?” Malcolm asked. “You don’t mean a healing meld, do you?” T’Nu shook her head and glanced at Captain Sato. “No, not a healing meld. This is slightly different, Doctor. We respect the sanctity of the privacy of one’s thoughts...though there are instances where there is no other choice to find the information we seek.” “You’re talking about invading someone else’s mind, T’Nu,” Hoshi said quietly. “That has grave consequences.” T’Nu nodded, her eyes sorrowful. “Yes, and I am prepared to shoulder those consequences. Unfortunately, we have no other way to ascertain what T’Marui has planned, or what she intends to do with T’Pol. I do not make this suggestion lightly, Captain, Doctor.” Malcolm’s face was blank, but Hoshi could tell he wasn’t happy with the prospect. “T’Nu, I’ve seen the effects of a botched mind meld. Delusions, catatonia, a slow spiral into death. I may not approve of T’Marui and her followers, but I will not allow any of them to die that way.” “Which makes their safety—and the melder’s safety—of the utmost importance.” T’Nu’s mouth tightened and the wrinkles around her eyes deepened. “Doctor, it has been half a day since Sepol and I were able to suppress T’Niura’s ability to manipulate minds. I am not certain the barriers will hold until we reach Vulcan. And when they dissipate, T’Niura may become even more dangerous.” “She might lash out against the crew and the other Vulcans,” Hoshi said. T’Nu nodded again. “Yes. I would rather not see that happen. She is T’Marui’s right hand in this quest...she would know what T’Marui plans to do and how she will do it.” Malcolm looked at Hoshi, then back at T’Nu. “Might I make one request? That I participate in this meld with you.” “What?” Hoshi burst out. “Malcolm!” T’Nu raised her eyebrows. “What I propose to do is dangerous enough, Doctor. As I have stated before, this is not a healing meld. It has the potential to damage minds, and I would not risk your life as well as mine.” His mouth went up in a humorless smirk as he said, “I understand the risks, T’Nu, but I believe T’Niura might be more willing to cooperate if a more familiar mind touched hers.” “‘More familiar’?” Hoshi repeated. “What do you mean?” Malcolm sighed and said, “She tried to get into my mind earlier; that is why I asked T’Nu to suppress her psychic abilities. It seems that she is...quite taken with me.” The captain blinked and glanced at the sleeping form of T’Niura. She fought to keep her face neutral and succeeded...just barely. “And when were you going to tell me that, Malcolm?” He sighed again. “I just did so, Captain.” She clamped down on her anger, especially when she saw a twinkle of grim amusement in T’Nu’s eyes. “All right, then, but I insist on Lieutenant Cutler monitoring both of you, and I want Lieutenant Commander Tucker in here, just in case.” T’Nu looked over at Malcolm, who nodded. “Agreed, Captain. Come, Doctor, there is some preparation involved in the process. If we are to do this, we must do this correctly. I would not want the captain to become more agitated than she already is.” When all was prepared, T’Nu and Sepol sat on one side of T’Niura, Malcolm sat on the other side, with Hoshi sitting behind him and to his right. Trip leaned against the wall on T’Nu’s side, and Liz Cutler monitored them all from her computer. Liz dimmed the lights, as T’Nu had asked, and nodded at them. “T'Nu, if I seem in any kind of distress, don’t hesitate to pull me out of the meld,” Malcolm told her. “Better to be safe than sorry.” She nodded reluctantly. "A broken meld might have an adverse effect on you, Doctor." "I will assist," rumbled Sepol. "Do not worry." Hoshi seemed calm, but her face betrayed her worry. Malcolm glanced at Trip, whose face was silent but furious. He’d already given Malcolm an earful after he’d heard what the Vulcans were planning. Despite his misgivings, Trip knew that it had been decided. He offered his support by his presence. “Very well, let us begin,” T’Nu said. She closed her eyes and reached out for the psi points on Malcolm’s face. He felt warmth spread across his entire body as T’Nu formed the connection. Sepol silently put his palm on Malcolm’s other cheek, “grounding” him in reality, forming a shield to protect them from interference from outside. Despite Sepol’s intervention, Malcolm could still sense Trip’s “presence”, a vibrating core of energy that was tightly controlled. Then he felt a strong beacon of light that illuminated the darkness: Hoshi Sato. With an effort, he turned away from it and concentrated on his link with T’Nu. Are you ready, Doctor Reed? I’m ready. She put her hand on T’Niura’s face. Our minds to your mind... And suddenly, he found himself elsewhere. Shi’Kahr. The Vulcan Science Academy. He sat in a darkened auditorium with about a hundred other Vulcans. A spotlight came up on the sole person on the stage: T’Marui. She turned to her holoprojector and began her lecture. A Comparative Examination of the Lost Colonist to the Modern Vulcan. As she talked, Malcolm felt the rising tension of the audience all around him. It swirled around him, smothered him, but kept in check by the strongest of shields. After the lecture, T’Marui invited questions from the audience. The voices around him babbled incoherently, angrily, and T’Marui grabbed her materials and left the stage. He rose and went to the side exit. T’Marui stood there, waiting for him, her face a terrible mask. His voice came unbidden, and Malcolm realized he was reliving one of T’Niura’s memories. “Are you unharmed, T’Marui?” Malcolm/T’Niura asked. “Those fools,” T’Marui said flatly. “Even when I attempt to show my work in a ‘logical' fashion, they refuse to even entertain the possibilities. And they call us emotional?” “They are saddled with decades of misconception. We cannot overturn that in a single day. You planted the seeds of doubt among them. Give the seeds time to sprout.” Then Malcolm found himself in a large room with a round table in the center. Harsh Vulcan sunlight streamed through the windows. Doctor T’Les, High Minister V’Lar and Security Minister T’Pau sat on one side of the table. He/She glanced to the side and saw T’Marui, dressed in plain robes. She does not wear any sign of her rank or position in the Academy. The thought put a lump in his throat. “T’Marui, daughter of Stranek and T’Hel, the Vulcan Science Academy and the High Command have decided on your case,” said V’Lar. Cold impassivity shone in the minister’s eyes. “We cannot reinstate your position at this time. It has been determined that your work has caused controversy among the members, to the point as where productivity has been decreased.” T’Marui’s mouth twitched. “Is that not the goal of science? To discover the answers of the universe? To form theories to be debated and tested among the members?” “Yes, but the Science Academy deals with facts not fiction, T’Marui,” T’Les said. “I have submitted my ‘facts’, T’Les—“ “Which are unsubstantiated, T’Marui. We cannot prove any of your theories and suppositions.” “Because you do not bother to try.” V’Lar took control of the situation before it degenerated into bickering. “My apologies, T’Marui, but our decision stands.” And Malcolm/T’Niura thought, They are scared, they know that this is the truth. How can we get them to accept the truth? Yes, how? T’Nu’s voice echoed. Images blurred past Malcolm, too quickly for him to make sense of it, but he heard T’Niura’s thoughts in his mind. They had worked slowly over the decades, consulting with other Vulcans not connected with the Academy and off-world sources. Refining and testing their theories. .T’Niura continued her regular Academy duties, but off-hours, she held debates, roundtables, talks with her students. Convincing a new generation to open their minds. Then, T’Marui had met with T’Les at an Academy function and had returned looking quite pleased with herself. To T’Niura’s surprise, she’d also met with V’Lar and T’Pau. “The seeds have been planted,” T’Marui told her. “All we have to do is wait for them to sprout.” “What did you do?” T’Niura/Malcolm asked. “I planted the seeds in their minds. They are not aware of what lies in store for them. A pity I could not get Soval as well, but he is among the Humans on Earth and out of reach.” They continued their clandestine operations. T’Niura and others went to the Syklonians and convinced them to fund expeditions. Others offered ships and resources for deep-space assignments. There were those in V’Lar’s government who were dissatisfied with her absolute suppression of any “extraneous information”. Word was spread through veiled communiques and secret meetings. Then the discovery of Beta Polaris. T’Marui seized the opportunity and made good on those favors she’d acquired from the government. The Enterprise. Doctor T’Les’s daughter volunteered for the mission, as well as the Human doctor, Reed. This was the sign T’Marui was waiting for. But what did they find? Malcolm wondered. Then T’Niura answered simply, V’Lar’s ancestors were the leaders of the V’tosh ka’tur who fled to the stars. They were the ones who orchestrated the kidnapping of the colonists. And we found visible proof of their treason. The words woke a sleeping dragon. A thin, dagger-like spike of rage pierced Malcolm’s mind and he staggered in its wake. I had never thought you would take my invitation, Malcolm, T’Niura’s voice mocked him, but I see how wily you can be to get what you want. What do you want, Malcolm? I want for you to let me go! He struggled in her grip, but T’Niura held him fast. Burning tendrils pressed all around him, shooting agony along every nerve ending. She “laughed” at him. Do you want to return to Vulcan? To Earth? To your parents and your sister? She showed him a vision of his own past: the smiling countenances of Stuart and Mary Reed at his graduation from Cambridge Medical, his sister’s squeal of “Malcolm, we’re so proud of you!”. Do you want to rid yourself of this ‘sixth sense’ of yours that has complicated your life so? He felt cold sweat break out on his brow. I don’t know what you are talking about. You know to what I refer, Malcolm. You don’t have to fear your ability. We can help you understand it, use it properly. All you must do is let go of the fear, the shame... Then another presence burst into the link. LET HIM GO! It ripped into T’Niura and she released him. His body jerked as T’Nu hand dropped from his face and he was falling... “Malcolm!” Hoshi cried. “Don’t you dare—“ He didn’t hear the rest of her threat. The instant before blackness claimed him, he thought, Her embrace feels heavenly. He felt his mouth turn up in a smirk, then he lost consciousness. |
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