Unbound- Part 3

Unbound
An "Enterprise" story

By Alison M. DOBELL

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

SUMMARY: "Lt Reed speaks to the Captain. An Away Team is assembled to take advantage of the Zenari hospitality."
DISCLAIMER: The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Enterprise' are the property of Paramount. No infringement of copyright is intended.

Part Three

"BURDEN OF TRUTH"

* * * *

Captain Archer stared at Lt. Reed in shock. It was late and everybody had been dismissed to get some sleep before their early start the next day. The trip down to Zeon promised to be a full one. He had not expected the Lieutenant to turn up at the door to his private quarters. Surprised he frowned. "It's late, Lieutenant. Can't this wait until morning?"

"No sir, I don't believe it can."

The Captain raised his eyebrows but his Armoury Officer did not elaborate. Sighing in resignation the Captain stepped aside to allow him to enter.

"Now what's so urgent it couldn't wait until morning?"

The Lieutenant took a moment to steel himself before speaking. The Captain was in his night wear and obviously about to get into bed. Lt. Reed looked unsettled, uncomfortable and unhappy. The combination sharpened Captain Archer's wits quicker than being doused in cold water. "With respect I do not think Sub-Commander T'Pol should accompany us down to the planet surface tomorrow, sir."

To say he was surprised was putting it mildly. The Captain had never known Lt Reed have a problem with T'Pol before. "And your reason, Lieutenant?"

"Apart from the fact that all the command staff would be away from Enterprise at the same time, I would rather not say at this point in time, Captain."

"Lt. Reed, the Sub-Commander is a valued member of this crew irrespective of the fact that she is also a Vulcan. You're going to have to do better than simply ask me to exclude her."

"It's... it's a private matter sir."

"Private?"

"Yes, sir."

Lt. Reed was doing everything but openly squirming now. His gaze fixed on a point on the wall behind the Captain's left shoulder. Studiously avoiding eye contact and standing ramrod straight as if he were on inspection parade or about to be sentenced at his own court martial. "Lieutenant, when I ask a member of my crew a question I expect a straight answer. That goes doubly so for any of my command staff. If you have a problem with the Sub-Commander then you're going to have to spell it out for me."

"Sir, I don't have a problem with the Sub-Commander. Or at least I didn't."

"You didn't?"

"No, sir."

"But now you do?"

His silence spoke volumes.

The Captain was fast running out of patience. "Lieutenant, I am ordering you to explain yourself. It is the end of a long and trying day and we both need our rest. Tomorrow we will be spending most of the day on the surface of an alien planet with a species we have never had dealings with before. Whatever reservations you may have I need to know what they are."

The Lieutenant turned his head slightly and looked the Captain in the eye. He seemed very solemn and more than a little miserable. "The information came third hand Captain." He hedged as if to distance himself from a poison sword. A faint hope lingering that the Captain would not press him for details of something that amounted to little more than hearsay. His hope was quickly dashed.

"What information?"

"About the Sub-Commander..."

"And? Spit it out, Lieutenant."

"It concerns the Sub-Commander and the Commander."

The Captain's frown deepened. What did this have to do with Trip? "What are you talking about?"

"The Sub-Commander and Commander were observed indulging in inappropriate behaviour but it was what the Sub-Commander was saying that was most alarming."

The Captain was thoroughly intrigued now. "What did she say?"

"She told the Commander the reason she opposed us having any contact with the Zenari." He paused, feeling terrible about repeating what Travis had told him but seeing no other option. He could hardly refuse to disclose the information to the Captain when asked point blank to do so. He hated the way it made him feel like he was also betraying his best friend. "It had to do with the relationship between Humans and Vulcans. A relationship built around a lie."

"Lie?"

Captain Archer sat down. Listening wide eyed as his Armoury Officer filled him in on the details he was glad he had done so. As intrigued and curious as he had been to discover the source of the Lieutenant's unease now that he knew he fervently wished that he didn't.

* * * * *

The whispered sigh of a heavy soft material as like to crushed velvet as it was not drew hushed muted tones from the polished ashlar stone, like ghosts sighing as the living passed. Not in grieving but in memory and solemn greeting. Whenever the soft padded feet paused the sighing shone in a muted song of welcome. A cool voice of benediction. Ambassador Chot waited while his major domo approached then bowed low with respect. So many meanings transmitted in that one simple act. An affirmation of fealty and acknowledgement of his own place in the subtle hierarchy of the Zenari regime. Kantak was silent. His patience infinite. His Lord a faint but vibrant shadow of muted light, a column rising and fading above them into the over arching ceiling of crystal. As more of the Ambassador's essence poured down to reanimate him the column became even fainter until it was gone. Several long healing minutes passed before a sigh of gathered breath took residence once more in the physical form that carried him. The Ambassador's robe shifted slightly and ribbons of light refracted from the dark shiny surface absorbing his energy. Kantak sensed the Ambassador was pleased.

"The Humans will be here within one of their hours. Dissention has already begun."

Kantak inclined his head. "How much may they observe, Excellency?"

Ambassador Chot looked at him but there was a distance to his inky orbs. A swirling depth that swallowed all light yet did not claim it for his own. "Whatever their hearts desire."

If his aide was surprised at the response he did not show it.

"The Vulcan will not be accompanying them."

"A wise decision from the Humans."

The Ambassador seemed amused but made no comment. His intercession had been subtle. In the unclothed mists of his mind he savoured the Vulcan's hidden passion. The Human response to her intoxicating. Interesting. Useful. A bait for a thousand hooks needed but one larva. His multifaceted mind smiled in a blend of colours splintered from a prism. Light had no pure reflection. Darkness was a cloak that lulled the unwary with fears born of misunderstood imaginings. That he could bring them to fruition was a small thing. The flavours engendered were better in tinctures than in full drams. Subtle wiles went unnoticed and did the deeper damage. They also healed breaches that were formed in sleep and nurtured as the soul began to wake forming new patterns of consciousness. Yes. This culture could be formed. Molded. Used. Adapted.

Soon they would test the boundaries. Explore these new creations. Wield what it was the Xindi most feared and the Humans most desired. The Vulcan had been right to fear them but not for the reasons she imagined. Ambassador Chot reached out in the silent vacuum of space and tentatively touched the Human minds as they focused on their trip down to the planet surface. The Captain's mind was predictably preset, the configuration dictated by his need to obtain information, his desire to accumulate powerful allies, and his ignorance of the cost. The man had great loyalty and strength of character but was naive in the ways of the universe. He lapped over the thoughts being steadfastly organised in the man's mind. Reviewed the make up of their Away Team. Felt a stir of interest at the many-tongued one who would join them and was amused by the adversarial one who worried and fussed over every detail of the mission.

The bright one drew his attention once more as he had done in their first contact. His excitement and enthusiasm so diametrically opposed to the reactions of the others that it was something of a novelty. A refreshing change. Attitude open, mind questing, curiosity seeking. Full of depths that bespoke a pioneering spirit and a quick mind. Surprise littered his thoughts at the inclusion of a non-human doctor. Ambassador Chot paused and widened his senses. They knew little of Denobulans and he was wary. How did one of them come to be on a Human star ship? They would have to be more careful around this one. His was an old race, a venerable one. He had a vibrant quixotic mentality and a startling clarity of vision that would need careful monitoring. Interesting. For the first time in decades the Ambassador felt a thrum of excitement. A faint dark glow of anticipation as the wheels of the future tense began to form in the folds of the present. Malleable. A new material to play with. New secrets to extract and refine. Little did they know what this sacred space was. But they would learn. Oh yes. Once he had evaluated their gifts they would learn.

* * * * *

Sub-Commander T'Pol was not pleased. She glared at the Captain but he did not budge. They stood in the situation room. Lt. Reed fidgeted uneasily from one foot to the other feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Commander Tucker's expression was one of dumbfounded astonishment which was slowly turning to anger. He stared at his friend. "You think we did WHAT?"

Lt. Reed inwardly flinched. The echo of it on his face like a reaction from a physical blow. Captain Archer was quick to speak up. "Don't blame Lt Reed he was simply doing his duty."

Now Trip turned to the Captain. "His duty?" The words were a sneer of utter distaste. "Duty to go spying on his fellow officers? Is that what ya call it?"

"I did not spy on anyone, Commander..." Began the Lieutenant.

"No," Snapped Trip, trying to hide how much it hurt. "Ya used Travis and Hoshi to do your dirty work for ya. I never would have thought ya could stoop so low."

The Lieutenant flushed and could feel his own ire rising in response but the Sub-Commander spoke first. She actually sounded somewhat puzzled, her anger seemingly reserved for the Captain.

"Why would the Ensign ascribe actions to myself and the Commander that are blatantly untrue?"

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying Travis is lying?"

Commander Tucker could feel his breath getting a little laboured. He tried to calm down so he could speak without letting his anger over rule his common sense. Not that the dividing line was that thick at this minute. "No one's sayin' anythin' Cap'n but I think ya should get Travis an' Hoshi in here so we can clear this mess up in one go. I don't know what he thought he saw or heard but I'm tellin' ya he's wrong."

"Are you saying you did not kiss the Sub-Commander?"

Trip could not mask the hurt in his eyes or his voice. "How many times I gotta tell ya, Cap'n? No, I did not."

The Captain looked at T'Pol, her stony expression coupled with Trip's vehement denial making him suddenly uncertain. He was beginning to feel more than a little angry with Lt Reed for putting him in this position. "Sub-Commander?"

"I concur with the Commander. I suggest Ensign Mayweather tell us what it was he thinks he saw and heard. Speculation is no substitute for direct observation."

"And if he still insists he saw and heard what he says he did?" The Captain could not resist asking.

Trip's lips set in a grim line. "Then ya'll have to decide who you're gonna believe Cap'n."

The Captain did not want this but he had no choice. Activating the com he asked for Ensigns Mayweather and Sato to join them in the situation room. While they waited the tension all but sucked the air out of the room. When the door hissed open every eye turned to watch a very uneasy pair of Ensigns enter. The Captain took a deep breath and locked eyes with Ensign Mayweather. "Travis, I want you to tell us *exactly* what you saw and heard."

The man looked upset and nervous. This was the last thing he wanted. When Lt. Reed had forced him to speak up the only thing that had reassured him was the thought that it would not come to this. While he could understand the Lieutenant feeling duty bound to bring the matter to the Captain's attention the whole thing seemed to have taken on a life of its' own. Travis wished the ground would open up beneath his feet but knew it would not. Face flushed he told them what he had told Hoshi, trying not to look at Commander Tucker when he heard the Chief Engineer's gasp of disbelief. Sub-Commander T'Pol made no sound at all, her impassive face showing no emotion whatsoever but the fury in her eyes burning holes in him. As soon as the boomer finished speaking Trip spoke.

"I never touched the Sub-Commander Travis, let alone kissed her! And this was supposed to have happened in the corridor next to the elevator? If we were gonna get intimate don't ya think we'd have gone somewhere a little more private? Geez, what were ya thinkin'?"

Although he was flushed with embarrassment Travis met the Commander's eyes without flinching. "I'm only saying what I saw, Commander."

"Then ya need to see Phlox and get your eyes tested!"

"Commander!" Captain Archer's voice warned. He looked at Travis. "What did you hear, Ensign?"

Now he looked a bit confused. "It didn't really make much sense to me at the time Captain but the Commander was asking the Sub-Commander about lies. He kept asking her 'what lies' then when they kissed she said 'this one'."

Commander Tucker was ready to pound his fist into the wall. The whole thing was plain ludicrous but the Captain was hanging on every word. Hell. Even Malcolm looked torn between who to believe. Shit. If he had not been *with* T'Pol he would have been tempted to believe Travis too. He was basically an honest man. In fact, Commander Tucker could not ever remember the boomer lying so that made this situation even more bizarre. It was the Captain's voice which roused him from his dark reverie.

"Sub-Commander, you are very quiet. What do you have to say?"

For a moment silence descended. T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Ensign Sato marveled at her control. "The Commander is correct, we had no physical contact. We neither touched nor kissed. Nor did we discuss lies. Our only point of discussion was about going down to the planet surface. The Commander was excited and eager to go, I thought it was a mistake."

"So none of this happened?"

"That is correct Captain though Ensign Mayweather was not lying."

The moment the words left her mouth the ground fell away beneath Trip's feet. Had T'Pol just said what he thought she had said? There was a stunned silence. Captain Archer spoke with difficulty. "What did you say?"

"I said that Ensign Mayweather was not lying."

"You also said that incident with Trip never happened."

"That is correct, Captain."

Captain Archer shook his head as if the contents inside were lose. "Sub-Commander, both cannot be correct. Either your recollections and the Commander's are wrong or Ensign Mayweather is wrong."

"Not so, Captain."

He could definitely feel a headache coming on. The Captain indicated for everybody to take a seat. He had a feeling this was going to take some time. Once they were seated he indicated for T'Pol to continue.

"I warned you that the Zenari could not be trusted."

"An' ya said they were dangerous." Added the Commander.

T'Pol continued smoothly as if he had not spoken. "When Vulcans first made contact with the Zenari a century ago it ended in bloodshed. The Zenari lied to us. A lie so divisive and potent that decades later we were still fighting a war over it."

"What lie was that?" Asked the Captain.

The Sub-Commander's bland expression did not change. "That information is classified." She paused. "The incident between myself and Commander Tucker never happened but the Ensign did see us in the corridor."

Lt. Reed frowned. "How do you know that? Did you see him?"

She shook her head. "No, but the Zenari manipulate. They do not create a lie out of nothing."

Commander Tucker waved his arms in the air, a look of total confusion on his face. "Hold on a minute, what does that mean?"

T'Pol took a moment to look around the room, making eye contact with each and every one of them. Her gaze settled at last on the Captain. "Many species terraform planets. Create environments in which their species can survive and even thrive. The Zenari do not do this." She paused to make sure she had their full attention. "They terraform minds."

Stunned, no one spoke for a full minute. The Captain cleared his throat slowly. "Are you saying they somehow tampered with Ensign Mayweather's mind?"

"Yes. They manipulated what he saw and heard to create a lie. A lie he had to believe was true in order to create division among us."

No one knew quite what to say. It was Lt. Reed who thought about the piece of information that the others had not yet picked up on. Sub-Commander T'Pol had said that the Zenari could not create a lie out of nothing. So. Did that mean there *was* something between her and the Commander? And if there was. Was it something they should worry about?

* * * * *

The distant field rippled. Space warped comfortably around the spherical ship. Power sequestered from numerous suns in a thousand systems propelled it through repulsion and attraction. Similar to the vortex theory of planetary motions but much more complex and refined. Sometimes using lightwaves, sometimes gravity. It had no propulsion system and no warp core. Smaller spheres absorbed themselves into the metallic skin and emerged again moments later like ball bearings moving through gas implying it was not solid. The size of the sphere was hard to fathom until it passed close to a planet or moon. Huge it could easily pass for a small planet, the odd metallic surface able to polarise like a giant mirror or alter to create a gaseous plane making it all but invisible in the reaches of space. The shape adopted appeared to be one of convenience not necessity. Only one thing was certain as it made its' inexorable way through the vast ocean of stars. Unerringly heading for the vast tract of unstable space known as the Delphic Expanse. The sphere was going home.

* * * * *

Sub-Commander T'Pol could hardly believe her ears. Captain Archer however, appeared to be completely serious.

"Captain, it would be folly to go down to Zeon now that you know the true nature of these beings."

"I have already spoken with Admiral Forest and it is his wish that we continue to explore the possibility that the Zenari may be able to help us."

Lt. Reed did not feel happy or comfortable. He did not want to contradict his Captain but neither could he discount the Vulcan's warning. "Sub-Commander, you said they were dangerous?"

Her eyes regained focus. "Yes, Lieutenant."

"In what way? If they pose a threat we should at least be prepared."

"You cannot prepare for the Zenari, Lieutenant, it would be a waste of time and resources to try."

Trip could not believe what he was hearing. "What?" He looked from T'Pol to the Captain. "Cap'n if that's true we can't go down there! Who knows what the hell they may have cooked up for us next."

"We'll be careful, Commander. Besides we'll have Lt. Reed and a security detail with us. What could go wrong?"

"But Cap'n," He tried one last time. "If they can manipulate our minds.."

The Captain pressed his lips together and said the one thing he had been hoping not to say out loud. "What makes you think we would be any safer on Enterprise? The Zenari have shown how easily they can affect our perceptions even at a distance. At least by going ahead with this visit we may be able to glean some information that will help us. They haven't shown any inclination towards hostility. Let's try to keep it that way."

Ensign Mayweather looked decidedly unhappy but kept his mouth shut. Hoshi was not so sure that she wanted to go down with the Away Team after all though the linguist in her was itching to glean more information about the Zenari for the universal translator. What she had so far was incomplete but allowed a rudimentary form of communication to pass between them. There had however been indications that the Zenari had more than one language. Before they were dismissed the Captain had one last thing to say.

"In view of your information about the Zenari, Sub-Commander, I want you to remain on Enterprise while we go down to the surface."

"Captain, that would not be wise."

"Your concern is noted, Sub-Commander."

She tried another tack. "You do not know what you are walking into, Captain. It could be a trap."

He paused. "Any last advice?"

She wanted to say *don't go* but one look at the determination on his face told her it would be a waste of breath. Frustrated but resigned to the inevitability of it, she shook her head, but as they all began to file out of the room her eyes unerringly locked on to Commander Tucker's. He could sense her unspoken concern. Tried to reassure her with a look but nothing could still the growing sensation that they were making a big mistake. In T'Pol's mind she was already calling the decision Archer's Folly.

* * * * *

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A handful of people have made comments

ARGGGG!! That captain! I honestly want to smack him. After all this time and all the countless exapmles of T'Pol's wisdom, he should have the sense to take her advice! It's been what, two going on three years? AGHHH!

*Ahem*, okay, so now it makes more sense to me. I confess I was a bit confused with the last chapter, especially the part where T'Pol *smiled*. Anyway, I'm all caught up and now and can't wait for the next chapter! I'm really curious to see where this is going and how the T/T thread will develop. Good work Alison!

I'm enjoying this story. Now I want to know what'll happen with Phlox. :)

Loved Reed jumping on the not-being-able-to-create-a-lie-out-of-nothing thing. Very true to form.

And, maybe most of all, I'm dying to get the details of what happened with the Vulcans a century ago.

One note though; in the second part I think you have a typo. Trip thinks isn't 7 *billion* enough and it should be million.

Something I forgot to mention the first time: if I read the last bit correctly, Archer is saying that after he told the Admiral that the Zenari manipulated the mind of a crewmember the Admiral still wanted then to see if Zenari could help them?

Or when he says he's already contacted the Admiral is referring to the previous time that we saw? And, if he is, why does he still mention that the Zenari could be of help?

I understand Archer saying they could gather information. But I don't understand "They haven't shown any inclination towards hostility" Are they messing with his head, or is Archer really that stupid?

Where would they all be without the 'step-back-and-keep-calm' attitude of their resident Vulcan? Not that it's doing any good, here.

Archer really is TOO naive for his own good, sometimes, and me thinks there's lots of trouble ahead...oh goody.

Oh, excellent! I'm so intrigued and waiting for the next section. I love T'Pol! She is such a great character. Thanks for writing her so wise and rational.