|
"The Logic of Emotion" by Lady Rainbow Rating: PG-13 From Chapter 3 onwards, we’ll be alternating between present time (Trip telling the story to the E Crew) and the past (Trip at the Vulcan Consulate). Trip meets Soval...under unusual circumstances. In this universe, mind melding is more commonplace than in the ENT universe, but it is still taken very seriously, and not done unless there is no other way. Their attitude is more like the Vulcans in TOS. PS: Thanks, Pesterfield. Sorry it took me a while to get the corrections done...I twisted my ankle and it's been an interesting holiday season. And yes, it means "thank you." :) Four “Kemper? As in Major Nathan Kemper?” Travis repeated, his eyes wide in realization. “Yeah, the kid’s on the Columbia as Captain Hayes’s Tactical Officer,” Trip confirmed. “Y’know, if our orders hadn’t gotten screwed up before we launched, he might be sittin’ here instead of me.” Travis nodded. Kemper had been chosen as Enterprise’s Armory and Tactical Officer, but a mix-up of rosters had put Kemper on Columbia instead, and had replaced him with Trip Tucker. They all noticed that T’Pol was studying the depths of her tea, for it had been the Vulcans who had messed up the assignments. Travis brought the topic back to Kemper. “Whoa. Talk about a small world.” “You were with Hayes on the Montana, right?” Trip asked him. The first officer grinned and replied, “I was his Science Officer. Captain Hayes can be hard, but he’s a fair commanding officer. I know that some people don’t appreciate his command style—“ “—but there are some who think he’s all right, like a certain science officer,” said a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Captain Hoshi Sato there. She waved her hand as they all started to stand at attention. “At ease. I don’t mean to crash your party—“ “—then don’t just stand there in the hall, Cap’n. Get in here.” Trip was about to vacate his seat for the captain, but Jon Archer beat him to it. “We’ve got some fine Kentucky bourbon, if that’s to your taste.” She shook her head. “Bourbon’s not on my list of favorite drinks, but if you have any tea, I’d be grateful.” “One Vulcan green tea coming up,” Jon said and went to get it. “I just got off-duty. Sorry I missed your party, Trip,” Hoshi said. “I wanted to give this to you before the night was out.” She gave Trip a bottle with a red-and-yellow ribbon tied around it. “Happy birthday.” He glanced at the label of the bottle and whistled. “Wow. I didn’t really peg you as a sake drinker, Cap’n. I thought you didn’t drink very much.” “I don’t, but my father sent this to me to give to you. He’s one of the best distillers in Kyoto, you know.” She grinned. “This is from both of us.” “Wow. Oneigaishimasu, Cap’n. Thank you.” He carefully set the bottle of sake on his desk, right next to the basket of oranges from Travis. Hoshi nodded at T’Pol, who sat serenely in the ring of senior officers. “Ensign T’Pol, how are you feeling?” “I am well, Captain. The stomach ailment passed quickly, thanks to Doctor Reed’s quick care.” She glanced back at Trip and went on, “That reminds me...why did you not tell us you knew Doctor Reed before being assigned to the Enterprise?” Trip’s laugh was rueful. “Um...I didn’t. Not really.” “But you were both at the Vulcan Consulate at the same time, were you not?” “Doc Reed was actually at Starfleet Medical, and not exclusively at the Consulate. He was one of the few Human doctors who didn’t mind working with Vulcans at the time.” Trip laughed again and Hoshi gave him a sympathetic look. “I knew of Doc Reed; after all, Ramirez sang his praises after Isabella was born. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to actually meet Malcolm until about five weeks ago. Every time I got curious about our resident medic, he always seemed to be on duty or gone for some reason.” T’Pol gave him a strange look, one that was touched with a sudden comprehension. Trip raised his eyebrows, but she only shook her head and said, “Curious.” “I thought so, too. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought he was avoiding me on purpose, but like I said, neither of us really knew each other then.” He shrugged and took a sip of his bourbon. “I usually saw either Doctor Samirah or Doctor Ayakamura, so it really wasn’t an issue to me at the time.” Jon frowned. “I hadn’t known about that, Trip. I’d always assumed you met Malcolm at one point or another. That is strange.” Trip shrugged again. “Sometimes things happen. Why don’t you ask the Doc next time you see him?” He took another sip, then said, “All right...where was I?” Vulcan Consulate March 16, 2145 Trip adapted quickly to the routine at the Consulate. He accompanied Jonathan Archer to breakfast at the Dining Hall, where he usually discussed his schedule with his security team and other business with other diplomats. Trip shadowed Jon as he went through meeting after meeting, argument after argument, polite dance after polite dance. Trip was impressed at the man’s patience and aplomb; not many people could handle a touchy meeting between the Vulcan Trade Minister and the Andorian representative. At lunch, Jon would ask him of his impressions of the people they had met. The first time, Trip was reluctant to give his opinions, but Jon clarified, “You’re a trained security officer. Sometimes you see things I can’t. I’d like to know what you saw in their body language, their unspoken words. Forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes.” So Trip told him, and together, they both saw insights neither one would have seen alone. Jon Archer seemed to follow all the security protocols perfectly, so Trip didn’t know why Major T’Lydya had been worried. Trip chalked it up to different personalities and different views on doing things. Corporal Kemper had been right; there was an undercurrent of hostility between the Humans and the Vulcans at the Consulate, but Trip couldn’t tell where it stemmed from. Then, five days after his arrival, Trip was thrown for a loop. “Trip! Nathan!” Trip heard Jon’s call from the open door of his own office. He immediately reacted to the alarm in Jon’s voice. Three seconds later, he was at Jon’s door with an equally worried Corporal Nathan Kemper. Jon Archer was sitting at his computer terminal, his gaze on someone standing at the corner of the room. Kemper raised his EM-33, but Trip put a hand on his arm. A young Vulcan woman stood there, her arms up, her hands curled into claws. Her long black hair hung in tangles waves over her shoulders. She glanced at Trip and he took a half-step backwards at the madness within her eyes. “T’Saiya,” Jonathan said in a soft voice. Then he added a few words in Vulcan that Trip didn’t understand, but Trip thought were supposed to be soothing. He finally recognized her: T’Saiya was the receptionist of the Vulcan Consulate. She was polite and friendly to everyone who came by her desk. She definitely didn’t look friendly now. Her cheeks were flushed bronze-green and sweat covered her brow. T’Saiya turned away from Jon and took a step towards Trip, who responded by taking another half-step backwards into the hall. Kemper kept his aim trained on T’Saiya without wavering. “T’Saiya,” Jon repeated, this time with a strident note in his voice. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath in Vulcan. Then she advanced towards Trip and Nate, who both retreated in her wake. Trip heard commotion behind him, but he didn’t dare look over his shoulder. The gleam in T’Saiya’s eye was hungry, predatory, as if she was a crocodile and he, Trip, was an appealing snack. Another soft voice said something in Vulcan. Major T’Lydya. I didn’t know she could sound like that, he thought. The gentle tone was completely at odds with the Major he’d met. He couldn’t see her face, but the voice was light, lyrical. T’Lydya’s words seemed to have an effect. T’Saiya stopped in her tracks and cocked her head to the side as if listening to some inner voice. Then she slowly began to drop her hands to her side and took a step away from them... Then she moved faster than anyone Trip had ever seen. T’Saiya leaped forward like a pouncing tiger, nimbly avoiding Kemper’s shot and knocking Trip down flat on his back. She was heavier than she looked and the wind flew out of his lungs in a gush. “Don’t let her touch you, Trip!” Jon shouted. He grabbed her hands and struggled against her. With a grunt, he threw her off him, but in the process, her right hand brushed against his temple. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, followed by blackness. He awoke in a daze. What the hell just happened? His memories were fuzzy, indistinct...all he could recall was a pair of dark, crazed eyes and claws ripping into his skin... “You are awake,” said a calm voice. “Do not attempt to move. You have been hurt.” “Jon?” he rasped. “Nathan?” Then he realized he was lying on a couch in one of the Consulate’s meditation rooms. A fire pot in the corner provided the only light and heat. There was a large shadow sitting in front of him. That shadow turned and he saw a gray-haired Vulcan in ceremonial robes. “They are awaiting word on your progress,” the Vulcan said, “but I would like to check you first, with your permission.” “Yeah...I guess,” Trip mumbled. “What’re you gonna do? Read my mind?” The Vulcan said nothing for a moment, but his voice held dry humor. “No, Ensign Tucker. We Vulcans do not ‘read minds’ unless the situation is quite dire. I will ascertain whether or not T’Saiya’s attack has had any inadvertent effects on your mind.” “You a Healer?” “Of a sort. I come from a long line of diplomats and healers, Ensign.” His mouth went up in a slight smile, startling Trip out of his daze. “I understand we have not been introduced yet, Ensign Tucker. My name is Soval.” “Ambassador Soval?” “Yes.” He swallowed hard. So this was the formidable Vulcan ambassador and Jon’s boss. “Pleased to finally meet ya. Wish it was under better circumstances.” Soval nodded gravely. “As do I.” “Ambassador—“ “I am not in that capacity right now, Ensign. My name is Soval, as I have said.” “Then you can call me ‘Trip’. Ensign isn’t my first name, either.” Soval didn’t quite laugh, but Trip felt his amusement. “Very well...Trip. You will have to explain the significance of the name later. It is unusual for a security officer.” He sighed and rolled his eyes and thought, Aw, no, not again. “Ask Jonathan Archer. He knows the story.” Soval nodded at that and Trip sighed again in relief. “I shall, then. Please, try to relax. If there is any discomfort, I will discontinue the link. Agreed?” Trip nodded in turn. “Agreed.” He closed his eyes as Soval’s long fingers rested on his face, and he felt a stir of warmth from the touch. Son of a...he thought in wonder. Then another world opened in front of his eyes, a world different from his own. |
Like it? Hate it? Just want to point out a typo? Join the discussion now.
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its various forms and its characters are the property of CBS/Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended by the authors of this site, which is solely for the purpose of entertainment and is not for profit. This site is owned by CX and was opened to the public in February 2008.