Fragile- Part 5

Fragile Universe
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

Rating: PG-13
ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.
FEEDBACK: Welcomed
EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com
WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Sub-Commander T'Pol comes face to face with her past. Commander Tucker faces an unpleasant present. While Captain Archer contemplates an uncertain future."
DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' are the property of Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.

Part Five

"CHANGING FORTUNES"

* * * * *

Captain Archer could feel his frustration building. He was in the situation room with Sub-Commander T'Pol trying to find out why his First Officer had virtually fallen to pieces at the sight of another Vulcan. One she obviously knew far better than she would have liked to admit.

"Sub-Commander, you must tell me what you know about this Koss. I cannot help you if I am kept in the dark."

She shook her head numbly and said nothing. He thought he saw something glisten deep in her eyes and hoped she was not about to cry. Nothing would unnerve him more right now. "Sub-Commander?" He paused, feeling awkward and out of his depth but time was not on their side. "T'Pol. Please. I need to know."

For several seconds she just looked at him then something in her eyes flattened out. It was only as she began to speak in a dull voice that he realised something inside her had cracked. But what? "You are correct, Captain, there is something I have not told you. Something about my past."

He waited as she collected herself.

"I was once betrothed to Koss." She heard the sharp intake of the Captain's breath but did not focus on him. Her gaze was several inches to one side. It helped her to speak the words that pained her more than any others. "I should have left Enterprise to attend to my marriage."

The Captain frowned. "I don't remember that."

"I did not tell you." She stated flatly, her voice now calm. "A decision was made. One that I have never had cause to regret..."

"Until now."

She did not comment on his assumption. Did not tell him that the one person she had confided in was his Chief Engineer. A man for whom she was developing feelings that must go unrequited. Now more than ever. The reappearance of Koss was not only unwelcome. It could open up the kind of revelations that could destroy her career and blight an innocent man. Vulcans did not forgive easily. And they *never* forgot. That Koss was the vengeful type she knew now with fell certainty. It tainted the beat of her heart with a fear she could not share. Not with this human. Captain or not the gulf between them was too great to span and she still had some pride though she would never admit to such an emotion.

Captain Archer's voice hardened slightly. "What does he want, T'Pol?"

"Me."

Alarm shot through him. "What?"

"There can be only one reason for him to come all this way searching and seeking this ship. Knowing I was on it."

The Captain frowned, convinced more than ever that he was not going to like this.

"He has entered the Pon Farr."

"The what?"

"It is a Vulcan mating fever, Captain. Vulcan males enter Pon Farr once every seven years. If they do not resolve the condition by mating and bonding with a Vulcan female they may die. Those that do not die go mad. It is something that cannot be taken lightly."

"But, you rejected him didn't you?"

A single eyebrow rose imperiously. "Obviously he does not know how to take 'no' for an answer, Captain."

"Then I'll explain the concept to him." He said coldly.

She shook her head. "You do not understand. Unless he releases me from the right of marriage I cannot refuse him."

"What?"

"He has the right as the injured party."

Anger blazed in the Captain's eyes. What was she saying? That it was alright for Koss to rape her because he could not control his hormones? "Not on *my* ship he hasn't."

"That is why I will have to go to the Sh'tok, Captain."

For a moment neither spoke. The Captain had an agonised look on his face. "How can you ask me to allow this, T'Pol? It would be like condoning his actions."

"There is no alternative, Captain. Had I adhered to duty I would already be wed to Koss and this conversation would be irrelevant."

"What about you?"

"What about me, Captain?"

"Don't you have any say in this? Doesn't your opinion matter?"

"Marriages are arranged on Vulcan. The parents enter into contracts when the children are quite young."

"How young?"

"Ten or eleven of your Earth years."

He looked at her aghast. "That's disgusting!"

"No, Captain, that is the Vulcan way. An arrangement that has lasted for hundreds of years."

"No wonder you people contain your emotions. You would spend all your lives grinding your teeth otherwise."

She frowned at him. Annoyed at his arrogance in judging what he did not understand. That she did not approve herself was hardly the point. He was not Vulcan. He had no right to impose his narrow viewpoint.

He realised she really was going to go through with this. "I could order you not to go."

"If you did that I would have no recourse but to lodge a formal complaint."

His eyebrows rose. Surprise and shock evident on his startled face. "Why would you do that, T'Pol? You don't even like him."

"Personal preference has nothing to do with it."

He sighed. He would never understand Vulcans but despite her comments the prospect of T'Pol being unhappy were painful for him to contemplate. "There must be something we can do."

"You can do nothing, Captain. I can only comply."

"At least give yourself a little time before you go over to the other ship."

"Why?"

He tried to think of a good reason then remembered something. "I'm guessing you would benefit from some meditation right about now?"

Something flickered in her eyes before he could pin it down. Though she did not smile or give him any outward sign, he had the strangest feeling his words had pleased her. "You are correct, Captain. With your permission I will inform Koss that I require 24 hours to meditate and prepare before I join him."

The Captain kept the smile off his face. Relief settling warily inside him as he watched her impassive face smooth out the tiny lines of care that had started to crazy pave her forehead with little worry lines. They left together, the Captain silently praying that something would come up to make the delay permanent.

* * * * *

It seemed even hotter than normal when Trip returned to work the next day but that one day in the sun had revitalised him. Not to mention the time he had spent with Kai. A soft smile settled on his lips as he worked. Recalling the joy on the boy's face as he told him story after story. About his life on Earth. About Enterprise. Everything and anything fascinated the child. Another Guard approached half way through the work period requesting Sar's assistance. The big man frowned, uneasy and unwilling to leave Trip. The Guard was anxious and a friend of Sar's. He had a situation brewing with a group of prisoners who were getting violent. He did not want to hurt any of them but lacked the manpower to ensure they stayed calm and attended to their duties. Seeing his hesitation Trip gave him a nod. "It's okay, Sar. Go on, I'll be fine."

Sar looked unhappy. He made the hand sign for forbidden and Trip knew he was saying he was not allowed to leave him. Trip looked around. No one was near their position and Sar would only be gone a little while.

"Look Sar, you're just helpin' a friend. Go on. Ya know I won't say anythin'."

He hesitated just a moment then placed a huge hand on Trip's shoulder, his expression serious. Golden eyes boring into blue ones. "Work hard and do not get distracted. I will not be long, Senisa."

He then pointed to the outwork where he and the other Guard, Lor, would be. Trip nodded to show he understood and flashed him a grin of reassurance. Sar frowned and nodded then slipped away quickly with an anxious Lor. Both men knowing that if a fight broke out before they could get there to stop it they would be punished. Trip went back to his work. Muscles bulging and flexing as he filled the moulds. The heat glistening as his sweat sizzled on his skin like flames of liquid fire. He was used to the heat now but was not expecting the sudden flash of sharp pain in his kidneys as something struck him hard. He dropped his tools, the contents of the mould he was working on splashing and burning whatever it touched. He was about to cry out with pain when a strong hand was clamped over his mouth, his arms pinned to his sides. Roughly he was dragged away from his workplace and into the shadows. The men who grabbed him shoved him to the ground, pinned him down on his back and began to pitch into him with whatever they had to hand. He tried to roll out from under the barrage of blows but they came too thick and too fast. As he slipped into unconsciousness they kicked him before spitting on him and moving off. Melting back to their abandoned work stations while the Guards were elsewhere.

Sar was gone less than an hour. When he got back a cry of anguish, pain and anger cut through him. He knelt beside the Commander and felt anxiously for a pulse. It throbbed weakly and when he removed his hand it was slick with blood. Shame brought tears to the big man's face and a resolve that spelt murder for whoever had raised a hand against the Human. But wherever he looked he saw nothing to indicate who the culprits were. A sigh passed his lips. He hung his head then gathered the Human gently in his arms. He had failed him. He who had given a life-vow of protection had tarnished the honour of his house forever. If the Human died he resolved to end his own life. A fitting payment for a shame that could never be forgiven.

* * * * *

The candle burned. Its' quiet radiant brilliance lost to her deepening thoughts. Another flame burned in her mind's eye. A face hovered before her. She tried to clear her mind. Find that deep and tranquil place that even Koss could not violate but instead she found not what she sought but what she needed and could not have. The face smiled gently taking her heart with it.

*So are ya tellin' me ya like jazz, T'Pol?*

Her dream self nodded. A warm hand slid into hers.

*Then I know just the place to soothe what ails ya.*

She allowed him to lead her. The soft rise and fall of his voice was mesmerising. Calm filled her while a tentative curiosity wondered what he had in mind. Not that she did not trust the Commander. She did. The distance she kept from him aboard Enterprise was because she did not trust herself. The admission seemed to free up a whole host of other thoughts. Emotions pulling out of the walls of her constraint like sand leaking through a sieve. All of them seeping out of her heart and mind as they approached a small crowded bar. The streets were a narrow and winding bustle of good natured people going about their pleasure. The people of all colours, many of them dark skinned like Travis but also a wide smattering of the many races of Earth. Earth. They were on the Commander's homeworld. But how was that possible? Ah. This was a dream. Reassured she tuned in again to what her companion was saying. His happy babble a welcome caress of friendship against her ear.

*I think you'll like this. It's nothin' like that place you described to me T'Pol, so I'm warnin' ya now. This is as close to the jazz of the mid to late 1900s as I could make it.*

She wanted to ask him why. Why that period. But she did not want to rob him of his element of surprise. This was his gift to her. To humans such things were important and she was rapidly discovering that she could deny him nothing. T'Pol wondered how the music managed to so effortlessly inveigle its' way into her senses. She did not just hear it but breathed it into her soul. Her eyes closed as singer and song made a harmony of her rattled nerves. Calming the storm that was her emotional life at this juncture. Her fears and anxieties reduced to the sidelines like spectators in someone else's drama. T'Pol felt strong arms gently wrap around her and nuzzled into the warm haven he offered. Bodies aligned as if made for each other as she absorbed his treasured scent and settled against him. Precious to her because he was. Trip smiled. She could feel the fashion of his lips curving gently against her cheek and embraced his happiness. The joy he gave to her so effortlessly like the love she could see patiently waiting in the beautiful depths of his gentle eyes. He had never spoken of it and she had never asked. Taboo. Such a thing could never be allowed aboard Enterprise. Then she smiled softly, the song embedding itself into her subconscious like the man in whose arms she was so lovingly cradled. They were not on Enterprise. This was a dream and in dreams she could be with whoever she wanted. Have whatever her heart desired. No restrictions and no regrets.

His breath was a sweet murmur next to her ear. She tried to grasp the words of the song while losing herself in the gently swaying body that was crooning against her own. His hands a litany gently guiding her into a slow dance. Her mind buzzing. Her heart providing a descant all of its' own. Music to his ears. Joy to her heart.

*Oh yes I'm leavin'.......on that midnight train to Georgia....*

She pressed herself closer to him, her lips on his neck, her arms around his waist. Not even the winds of Heaven could pass between them. *Don't leave me, Trip. Don't go.*

He kissed the shell of her ear, so gently that she shivered with desire. *I'm not goin' anywhere, darlin'*

But he had. He had gone to Volara and they had lost him. *She* had lost him. The music cracked like a broken record. Her arms closed on empty space. Her eyes filled with tears that blinded her with sudden grief. The candle had burned halfway down. It was late. *Too* late. Silence was her only witness. Emptiness abounded causing an echoing tympani to the heavy solid thump of her lonely heart and the misbegotten feelings that craved completion the more for being so far out of reach. In that moment she knew with complete and utter certainty what her heart had been trying to tell her for so long. She loved Commander Tucker. He was her friend, yes. But he was also so much more. Now there could be no more friendship. No more gentle exploration of each other's hearts and minds. No more hesitant steps on the path to the joining of souls. Koss was waiting for her and she must go. The Commander was lost. Just as her hope was lost in the shattering of her once robust and vibrant heart.

"Love that runs away from me
Dreams that just won't let me be
Blues that keep on botherin' me
Chains that just won't set me free.
Too far away from you and all your charms
Just out of reach of my two open arms..."

- 'Just Out of Reach' sung by the immortal Patsy Cline

Of all the regrets she would take with her one injured her above all others. The fact that she had never told him.

* * * * *

The Prince Regent rose to his feet, aghast. Ambassador Ren and Physician Lek followed Sar into the Royal Audience Chamber with shadowed faces. All saw the broken and bloodied figure carried in the Siminarial Guard's arms. Silently they watched as he laid his burden down with the greatest of care. He knelt beside the unconscious body and bowed his head in shame. Only when the Prince Regent spoke did he raise his eyes to his Liege Lord.

"What is the meaning of this, Sar?"

"The Human was attacked, Highness."

"Attacked? By whom?"

The big man shook his head slowly, the sadness adorning him like a faded cloak. "I know not."

The Prince Regent's eyes narrowed as the Physician moved to kneel next to the injured man. His hands carefully inspecting the many cuts and contusions on the battered body. Heedless of the blood, concerned only with ensuring the heartbeat remained strong.

"You were commanded to protect this man." He said quietly.

Sar was consumed with misery. He began to explain when a groan of deep pain silenced his tongue. The Prince Regent was beside them now, bending over to look into the puffed and discoloured face of Commander Tucker. His eyes were watery slits but in his fogged vision some instinct told him exactly where he was. "Sar? Highness?"

The Physician tried to still his tongue. Not wanting the injured man to move or speak. Trip ignored him. His body might be falling apart but his ears worked fine. He could hear the Prince Regent telling Sar off for failing him. Knew that any minute now a sentence would be pronounced on his friend that would cost a life. A life he now held dear.

"Highness?"

"You should not speak." Chastised Physician Lek.

The Prince Regent knelt beside him, one angry glance at Sar driving the man back a pace. "Yes, Commander?"

"Highness, do not punish Sar. The fault was... mine... an' mine alone."

Surprise flickered in the Prince Regent's eyes. "You do not understand. He failed to protect you. The sentence is death."

Trip began to become distressed. "No! Please. If he has offended me shouldn't I be the one to punish him?"

He was struggling for breath now. Blood bubbling up from punctured lungs, bright and frothy and causing anxiety to his onlookers. He was unaware. All he knew was that an innocent man would die unless he spoke up for him. Only his innate stubborn streak kept him conscious in that sea of pain. He was gasping now, trying valiantly to block out his own harsh breath so that he could hear the Prince Regent. The Prince Regent was at a loss for words.

"Commander. Our ways are not your ways."

"I know and I 'preciate that. I've tried to keep to 'em too."

The Prince Regent nodded, acknowledging the Human's efforts to abide by whatever strictures were imposed upon him. "What would you have me do? I am forced by law to punish him. The law does not bend to any man's will but is impartial, Commander."

"What about me? Don't I get any say?"

The Physician wiped the blood from his mouth with a soft damp cloth, then gently began to wash his bruised and battered face. The cool water was a balm to Trip and he almost swooned with the relief. The Prince Regent watched his struggle. Was amazed that even in this state the Human fought so hard to save another. "If you had your say, Commander, what words would proclaim your judgment?"

It took a moment for Trip to speak. Fighting the pain. The nausea and the bright flaring sparks of lightening that stabbed behind his eyes and robbed him of breath. He felt terrible. "I would...I would say that the guilt should lie with the guilty not the innocent. Sar did not injure me. Wouldn't harm a hair on my head."

"Who did this?"

His head lolled from side to side. Trip closed his eyes and fought back the desire to vomit all over his illustrious host. When he opened his eyes again he saw everything through a red haze. His swollen lips opened enough to allow him to whisper. The Prince Regent had to lower his head to hear the words. "Don't know, don't care. I want to make a vow."

The Prince Regent felt a shock go through him. "A vow?"

"Am I allowed, Highness?" He murmured through the pain.

The Prince Regent straightened on his knees and looked at his Ambassador. "The Commander wants to make a vow."

Ambassador Ren looked surprised. He had never known a being like this. He realised the Prince Regent was asking his advice as much as sharing his surprise at such an unprecedented request. He gave a shrug. "It is within your gift, Highness, to grant his request or deny it. But if you will it, then the law allows the wish to be granted."

Something like a smile crossed the Prince Regent's face. He leant down over the Commander, his words soft but clear. "I grant you this boon. What is your vow?"

Trip managed to force his eyes open enough that the Prince Regent could look at him properly and see the firmness of his intent. Somehow it was important to him that the Prince Regent knew he was not speaking out of delirium. "An' ya promise to honour my vow?"

The Prince Regent's eyebrows rose in barely disguised amusement. The Human risked much by such boldness. He nodded, finding himself more and more intrigued by what the man had in mind. Trip looked at the shamed Guard kneeling a few paces behind the Prince Regent. "Sar!"

The man looked up. Startled.

"Come close, Sar, I can't yell at ya from here."

The Prince Regent felt a smile tug at his stern lips but waited as the Siminarial Guard shuffled next to him. He was all but brushing shoulders with his Prince Regent but he had eyes only for Trip. A dead man anyway he had no reason to further fear his Liege Lord's wrath. "I am here, Senisa."

Trip looked from the Guard to the Prince Regent and back again. Slowly he wet his swollen lips with his tongue and carefully said the only words he could think of to save his friend. "In my eyes you have committed no crime, Sar. I absolve you of any blame and free you of any punishment. I will not let you die in my name. I vow this on blood unshed until my breath rejoins the...winds.. of...heaven..."

For a long time no one spoke. The stunned shock gripped them all except for one man and he was fast fading into unconsciousness. Tears rolled free down the Siminarial Guard's face, much affected by having his own words thrown back at him. The Human's largesse a wonder to him as was his compassion. He dared to place a gentle hand over the Human's heart. Vow to vow. When he looked up the Prince Regent had an odd look in his eyes. It would only be many years hence when Sar looked back on this moment in honest reflection that he would realise the Prince Regent had been holding back tears of his own.

"This day, Sar, you are released from the bonds that bind you to me."

Sar bowed his head. The Prince Regent tapped his shoulder once. A gentle but unexpected familiarity that confused the former Guard. He looked up. Pained eyes questioning. Awaiting his sentence.

"I acknowledge and grant the Commander his vow. From this day forth I place you in his care and protection. You live by his word. The rising and setting of your days are his to command. And when he dies as die all mortals must, you will cover his grave with your body and protect him on his way to the next life. Are you so bound?"

Sar nodded. "Heart and soul, Highness."

"You may be separated the rest of your life from your family. Do you understand?"

There was no hesitation as a quiet new pride began to take root in the formerly devastated man. "I do. Rather that than be separated from my honour."

"It is said," Intoned the Prince Regent softly. "That a man without honour has neither a foot in this world or the next. His body is the food of wolves. His soul shall have no rest. Peace no joy to crown him."

Sar nodded. He recognised that quote from the Prophet. The Prince Regent looked down at the Human who had brought such strange days to the perfect symmetry of his world. A man who knowingly or unknowingly was re-writing prophecy with every breath he took. He glanced at the Physician, watched as he carefully bound the man's broken ribs, revealing still more bruises. A criss-cross of savage cuts across the abdomen raised a concerned eyebrow. The Physician read his thoughts. "He will live, Highness. By the grace of the Prophet."

The Prince Regent got to his feet and indicated for Sar to stand also. Reluctantly the big man rose to his feet. "I have released him into your care."

He frowned. "The sentence..?"

"He must still serve the five years. I cannot alter that but he will no longer work in the mines."

Surprised, Sar could only look at the Prince Regent in wonder. Such a thing had never been heard of before. The Volarans were a strict and often unforgiving race but it was done without malice. It was simply the law. "What will he do, Highness? How will he live?"

A slow rare smile graced the Prince Regent's lips. "Must I have your ears mended for you also? He is in *your* care as you are in *his*." He paused and flicked a glance at the Physician. Lek nodded. The Prince Regent returned his attention to the former Guard. When he spoke his words were gentle. "Take him home, Sar. Tend him and watch over him until the time comes when he can return to his people."

His words came out slow. Hesitant as a child's first step. The words staggered into a sentence, his heart missing a beat as he ached for the answer. "Then he is *free*?"

"Only of his incarceration. His ship will not return until the end of the 5 years imposed."

"And if by some mischance it should come early, Highness?" Whispered Sar. His mind stunned at his own daring.

Impossibly, the Prince Regent's smile widened. "Then the matter will be out of our hands. If they come and he is on the surface it will be the will of the Prophet. None shall intercede to detain him further."

Sar felt new tears form, dropped to his knees and was ready to prostrate himself in thanks. The Prince Regent surprised him by kneeling beside him. "Rise, Sar, you are in my debt no longer. Abase yourself no more. Respect me always but remember that you owe your service to another."

The man nodded. "My thanks to you, heart and soul, Highness." He glanced at Commander Tucker. Noticing he was in a deep exhausted slumber. He did not look comfortable but at least he was alive. "My thanks and his." He murmured softly. The words coming straight from his heart.

* * * * *

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Three people have made comments

Alison, you devil! I just figured out where this story is going. And DAMN, I can't wait to see how it plays out! Don't keep us waiting!

Phew! You are some writer!! This just gets better and better. Sar is a beautifully written character, and I'm so glad Trip has him to look after him.
But I don't like Koss turning up...this reads ominously for T'Pol. Now that she knows she loves our boy, I hope she can keep from being de-flowered!!
Panting for the next installment!

I love this story! You have such a way with words, a gift actually! Thank you so much for the warm and wonderful character of Sar. I look forward to your next chapter!