Your Mom 'n Me-Part I - sec. 11

Your Mom n' Me
Part I – Startling Discoveries

By John O.

Rating: TnT – PG-13 for language and eventual sexual content - Romance/Drama/Series/AU
Disclaimer – Paramount owns the characters and everything Star Trek related. Unfortunately.
Romance/Drama/Series/AU

A.N.: Notes are in the previous story. An interesting conversation with Solkar renders revelations about the past, present and future of Vulcan. Archer is given a very specific reason that his assistance in developing future friendships and alliances for Earth and Vulcan is crucial.

Our tale comes to an end… for now.

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Part I – Startling Discoveries
Section 11

Chapter 21:

“mi’kan,” he bowed gracefully before T’Pol. Trip looked on as the Vulcan he had seen just a few weeks ago approached him and began to lift his hand high. Suddenly his piercing eyes fell on the engineer, softening with gentle emptiness. It was wholly unlike the way Soval or any other Vulcan would look at him, but ‘warm’ didn’t cover it either. He decided that ‘accepting’ was about as accurate as he could find. T’Pol raised an eyebrow at her mate, perusing his thoughts as he categorized the Professor’s expression.

“K'war'ma'khon, t’teraun T’Pol,” Solkar raised his hand, met by Trip’s in the traditional welcome. Solkar’s stare bore its way deep into Tucker’s mind, as if expecting the Commander to understand the Vulcan greeting. He spoke no meaning, much to Archer’s surprise and confusion as his eyes darted for a moment from Vulcan to Vulcan, wishing one of them would explain it.

“Live long and Prosper,” Tucker echoed, sneaking a curious look at T’Pol when the formality was over.

He has welcomed you as ‘one joined to my family, chosen of T’Pol.’

All right! And my high school guidance counselor said I’d never amount to anything, Trip teased her. He took a step back and Solkar turned to address the Captain, observing the Vulcan’s stern countenance return.

“Captain, I am sure you would agree we have much to discuss,” he turned from the gathering and retreated to a dark tunnel. Archer looked to T’Pol for answers who merely nodded in Solkar’s direction, taking the lead as she followed him into the shaded undercropping of Seleya’s sheer southwest corner.

“We must seek more private surroundings, Captain. If you will follow me,” he turned towards the darkness.

“It is quite dark within the tunnels beyond the first passage. However, I believe Commander Tucker and Commander T’Pol know the way,” he spoke evenly to the black, eliciting a broad grin from the engineer. Protecting her secret, the darkness kept the slightly upturned corners of T’Pol’s mouth hidden in amusement. Trip let out a loud chuckle, echoing through the gloomy caverns as the party proceeded in darkness.

“What’s he talking about Trip, you’ve been down here?” Archer asked in the darkness, cursing lightly as he scraped a protruding spire of rock.

You mind, hon?

T’Pol acquiesced through the bond.

“Ya might say this is where T'Pol and I were married,” Archer’s shock was read only by the darkness. He shook his head a moment later, gazing about the darkness and running his hands along the craggy and itchy red rock walls. Somethin’ tells me Katy’s gonna’ demand somethin’ more like Saint Michael’s Cathedral….

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The cave opened up to a small room, a dead end with no exits but the one from which they entered. A row of uplifted stone pallets sat opposite each other, near each wall. Untouched ceremonial mats covered each of them. Solkar gestured for the three to sit, filling one end of the room. The old Vulcan’s gold and brown robes flowed around his stern form as he rounded a two-step stair that rode to the highest platform. He rigidly mounted the pallet, meeting each of their eyes evenly before speaking.

“There are matters of great consequence of which we must speak,” his eyes moved from the Captain to T’Pol. His hands fell to his robes, folded solemnly.

“We may not have a great deal of time, I will endeavor to be brief.”

“Why, are we in danger here?” Archer became edgy, suddenly irked that he may have brought his officers into an unsafe position foolishly.

“Captain I would not place my foredaughter in danger, nor you or her Chosen,” his direct choice of words made Trip squirm a little in the Captain’s presence.

“Now, Captain Archer you have come because you believe I am working as an operative for the Romulan Empire, have you not?”

Archer furrowed his brow in surprise and could only nod in affirmative. Solkar’s eyes grew certain, as though his suspicions had been confirmed. He gave a slight nod as his eyes fell to the cave floor for an instant.

“It is certain then…” he brooded introspectively for a long moment, testing Archer’s curiosity to the breaking point. The man seemed to wither for several seconds as his body became languid against the red cave rock, his mind leaving the premises all together departing from this location.

“Forgive my bluntness Professor, but are you?” T’Pol shot the Captain a steely glare, one from which he recovered with difficulty to look to Solkar’s response. He awoke from the trance and met Archer’s questioning face, then confidently shook his head in silence.

“No, Captain, but perhaps you are, without realizing it,” his head rose from thought and infused his appearance with a much stronger presence. His body lifted again, more powerful and imposing than Trip could recall.

“Captain, the intelligence agent responsible for alerting you to my involvement with the Romulans is in fact being manipulated by them. He believes he has loyal operatives at various positions inside the Romulan government. However, he is unaware that his agents were discovered and replaced with Romulan counterparts loyal to the Empire several months ago. They have been passing him false information ever since.”

“How do you know this,” T’Pol asked quietly. His gaze returned to her, as if he spoke only to her alone.

“Nearly ten years ago I became aware that our people were on a path which diverged from the teachings of Surak. Members of the High Command became increasingly aggressive. Vulcan’s foreign policies with alien societies began to change, our values of tolerance and understanding of our Universe were replaced with hypocrisy and dogmatic interpretation of Surak’s teachings. I began… very closely observing the behavior of members of the High Command, particularly former Administrator V’Las.”

At V’Las’ mention Trip shifted in his seat, drawing Solkar’s notice. The Captain, too, became noticeably (at least to Vulcan senses) agitated at his mention.

“You must understand,” his eyes moved from Archer to Trip.

“V’Las served Vulcan society for many years with distinction and followed the true path of Surak for much of his youth. It was only recently that he became… corrupted,” his voice became sharp with regret.

“By who?” Archer interrupted.

Inhaling sharply, Solkar continued. “To answer that Captain there is something you must be made aware of… a very delicate piece of information,” his voice softened slightly as they made contact with T’Pol’s. Quite the contrast, his foredaughter’s burned with alarm, drawing Trip’s attention to her as he whispered to her quietly. She fluttered for a moment, shaking off the smoldering panic within which Solkar’s words set ablaze.

“You have learned it as well, mi’kan,” his voice became quieter when he turned and spoke to her. Her eyes fell in admission.

“You are quite intuitive,” Solkar spoke to T’Pol with reverence, a slight bow of his chin sending chills through the Vulcan’s heart.

Archer gaped from one to the other. “Learned what?”

Solkar became rigid once again, turning towards Archer, his presence seeming to extend into an arc around the Captain as he spoke.

“You must not divulge this information Captain, you must use it as you see fit but alert no other. Neither Vulcan society nor Earth is ready to know that Vulcan and Romulus share a common ancestry,” the halls seemed darkened and a shudder crept over each inch of rock.

Archer recalled this feeling. It was the same phantom-shaking under his feet that he felt when faced with the knowing eyes of Surak in a vision. The cavern floor remained assuredly unmoving, but the mind and presence of Solkar’s thoughts touching his own made Archer’s mind whirl. Unaccustomed to even the weak telepathic contact initiated by Solkar’s powerful mind, Archer was slightly queasy. Fixed on his eyes, Archer suddenly found his mouth dry and nearly unable to speak.

“I,” clearing his throat he continued again.

“But what about Trip?”

His eyes remained on Archer. “He is bound to one who is bound to me, I already have his assurance.”

“And you have mine,” Archer nodded. “But you can’t keep this from the Vulcan people forever, if the Romulans are meddling in Vulcan affairs, they will find out one day,” the Captain offered.

“Yes, but not today. Captain you once carried the katra of Surak.”

Archer nodded.

“Then you have some knowledge of the history of my people, how we came to follow the path of Surak, of Logic.” He nodded again.

“What you do not know, what very few on Vulcan know… Is that after the Wars ended and our people enjoyed peace through the triumph of Logic, there was dissention among the survivors. A group of them believed that Vulcan must use the path of Logic to secure our superiority, our security. They believed it was necessary to apply logic and rationale to the conquest of those who would threaten us, while Surak continued to teach pacifism,” he nearly sighed as he glanced about the chamber.

“It was here, in this hollow, that the descendants of the Rihannsu culminated their departure from Surak’s noble philosophy when they murdered him nearly sixteen centuries ago, for the threat his principles posed to their dominance.”

“He insisted the Vulcan race must be united if we are to draw strength from the commonality of the obstacles we face. He believed that as a united race we would understand the turmoil within one another as we sought kohlinar. Only then could a Vulcan achieve peace from his most basic emotions. He taught that fellowship between Vulcan and its neighbors, and between an individual Vulcan and his mate, was the only true path to peace within.”

“Today we teach our young that Surak died of very old age during meditation in this temple. The truth is hidden even from those who teach this to them.”

“Why, why did they lie from the beginning?” Trip asked.

“The wars which consumed our planet destroyed our technology. The truth of Surak’s End traveled only by word of mouth, over the centuries however, a very different truth sprung from historical interpretation. The dissidents left Vulcan for a new world, promising to return and conquer our weakness one day. The dissident exodus was all but forgotten in our history, most believed they perished in the depths of space. At that time it was believed that every warp capable vessel had been lost in the war, and few believed that a group of hundreds could survive an interstellar journey at sub-light speed.”

A long silence followed, Archer searched Solkar’s expression as it sat steadily fixed on the bright torch flickering in the doorway.

“But how did you learn of all this, of the Romulan exodus?” Archer asked inquisitively.

“Surak’s family was believed to have been killed with him in meditation. However, his mate and youngest son survived, only a fragile life form in his mother’s womb at the time. His son was called Suran; his mother told him the truth of his father’s life, his death, and the Romulan exodus. When the boy reached the age of kohlinar, his mother was killed by a wild sehlat near their isolated home. He ran across the deserts in agony, succumbing to his most basic instincts, nearly ripping himself apart in anguish. He lost all emotional control and ran wildly into the sand pits to find the sehlat that killed her. The story tells that he killed the sehlat and its mate with his bare hands and feasted on them, abandoning every last principle which governs the logical Vulcan mind.”

”Several days later, the story tells the boy awoke at the base of this temple with no memory of life, his past, or how he arrived at the cave. He entered the caves and was drawn to this chamber by his father’s katra. Here, he meditated for several days, seeking the answers to his identity and his past. One day, his father’s katra came to him and he became the first to carry it. Carrying his father’s katra, he learned of the truth and vowed he would teach his sons and their sons, until the day when Vulcan and the dissidents reunited.”

“But, Syran carried Surak’s katra.”

“Yes, centuries ago there was an accident. The line of Surak was believed to be broken and his katra lost. Syran discovered the lost tomb which held it. He is not of Surak’s Line but he follows the true path, he does honor to Surak’s memory.”

“My second forefather, Suvek, was believed lost in a cave-in nearly five hundred years ago. When he did not return to the cities and lived out his life in isolation, the scholars on Vulcan concluded the line was broken, and that the Descendants of Surak would never return.”

Archer rubbed his forehead, “So you’re the descendant of Surak, which means,” he turned to T’Pol. There was a long silence in which T’Pol remained nearly unmoved, until Trip leaned in near her.

“Did you know?” he asked softly.

She turned to him abruptly, as Solkar watched absently.

“No,” she whispered. It was uncertain if the Captain actually heard her voice, a bare hint above a whisper but he guessed the answer by Trip’s nodding acceptance. She looked up to Solkar without expression in her face, but he saw the hint of incomprehension spreading into fear and doubt within her.

“It has been custom in our family to inform our young when they take a mate and leave their House to form their own. Present circumstances have prohibited me from doing so. The last time we spoke on Vulcan I feared that your life may be in danger, it was wise not to further jeopardize your safety with such dangerous knowledge.

“Which brings us to the attempts on T’Pol’s life,” Archer asked. Solkar stared intently upon his foredaughter.

T’Pol felt his inner struggle to withhold the emotion, but his face betrayed none of the anguish. He feared it was his fault T’Pol had nearly been killed on more than one occasion. Guilt had plagued his meditation of late.

“There are elements within the Romulan Empire which seek a reunification with the Vulcan people. They have resigned to the belief that they will attain true strength when reunited, but they do not seek to reunite under the flag of peace. For the past several years I have been covertly investigating a dissident movement on Vulcan that is aware of the Exodus. They are sympathetic the Romulans and are working towards reunification. The Romulans believe the single greatest threat to reunification with Vulcan, is Earth.”

“I don’t understand… No offense Professor, but the Vulcans have done a pretty fair job of hindering negotiations themselves. The recent pact they refuse to sign with the Andorians, for example.”

“To understand the Romulans, Captain, you must understand that in the effort to conquer, they employ the same diligence and methodical means by which we seek peace and understanding. They believe if Vulcan accepts your people, the melding of our great wisdom and your people’s ambition, your drive for exploration… could become a threat to them. In five years your own ship has vastly compounded their concerns.”

“What has my ship got to do with Romulus trying to drive Earth and Vulcan apart?”

“You have explored new sectors of space, made peaceful contact with a dozen new species, even quelled the centuries-long conflict between my own people and Andor. You convinced an ardent aggressor like the Xindi that your people posed no threat to them, and turned a foe into a future ally. You have brought representatives from Andor, Tellar and Vulcan to peaceful negotiations where only distrust and deception were five years ago,” his eyes moved to Commander Tucker.

“And on your ship, the first Vulcan serves on a Starfleet vessel… and if you will forgive the personal intrusion mi’kan,” her eyes rose from the floor to meet her forefather.

“…but your explorations have also fostered the first Vulcan and Human to join in a sacred Vulcan bond. This has justified their greatest fear of all.”

Archer choked in incredulity, and Trip wasn’t far behind.

“Trip and T’Pol? The Romulans think their…” he glanced at T’Pol and saw the discomfort of this open conversation clearly agitating her.

“…that their, well,” he stuttered. “That they pose a threat to them?”

Solkar nodded sharply.

“The Romulans have a great deal to fear, Captain. They believe if your people and mine unite that we will be an adversary they cannot stand against. Commander T’Pol has been a target of their surveillance since she began serving aboard your ship. When she continued aboard longer than any Vulcan in history, they feared it was a sign of relinquishing antagonism between our people. Her matebond to Commander Tucker has only intensified the cultural integration the Romulans seek to destroy. That is why she is in danger.”

“The closer our two peoples become, the more difficult it will be for Romulus to conquer Vulcan. And there is little else but desire for conquest in the Romulan Senate. It is their intention to prevent a strong Vulcan alliance with any major power of this sector, as they have done with your treaty,” he paused, expecting Archer’s surprise.

“They’re responsible for the Vulcans backing out of the treaty with Andor, how?”

Solkar sighed quietly, “They have many supporters on Vulcan, and manipulation is their preferred method of influence. Chancellor T’Pau and many other high ranking officials have been influenced to believe they cannot trust Andor.”

Archer remained silent while Trip watched Solkar intently.

“So why don’t these guys just come out fightin’ if they want to conquer Vulcan so bad, why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Trip asked.

Solkar turned an aged eyebrow to the inquisitive human, glancing to T’Pol.

“An Earth expression, elder. It means ‘why the deception?” T’Pol translated. Solkar nodded with inner amusement.

“The Romulan mind is governed by a very expansionistic drive for power. But they are also slow to action, they choose to perceive and influence indirectly through subterfuge and sabotage, but they do not rush into war. When they choose to make themselves known, it will be too late to prepare.”

“That is why, Captain, you must bring Vulcan as well as Tellar, Denobula and many other species into Earth’s nonaggression pact with Andor.”

“Why?”

“Because the Romulans are no longer content to observe. For months I have been working in very close concert with V’Las and his Romulan allies to ascertain the threat they pose to Vulcan, but I have done so on my own. The High Council has no knowledge of my investigation. I could not be certain how many Romulan operatives and sympathizers had infiltrated our people. But my position has been compromised by contacting you, and I will no longer be able to continue my investigation.”

“Then why did you to call us here, now?”

“The Romulans have a covert intelligence agency called the Talus Shiarum. They were responsible for the holoship which destroyed several Andorian and Tellarite ships.”

“We were told you were a part of that…” Archer leaned forward, suddenly becoming very stiff on his rock. He couldn’t imagine how Suran sat here for days on end.

Solkar nodded and closed his eyes. “I infiltrated their organization under the guise of a Vulcan sympathizer. My status to influence Vulcan culture greatly assisted me to gain their trust, however, to avoid rousing suspicions I was forced to be a regular part of their operations as an advisor. I suggested the use of your vessel as a holoimage in order to draw you into the disputes between Andor and Tellar. The Romulans believed it was a perfect chance to detract from the growing alliance between Earth and Andor. However, I believed, Captain, that drawing you into the increasingly unstable situation would deescalate the confrontation. Your ability to form bonds with other species impressed me after P’Jem and your dealings with the Kreetassans,” Archer flinched as he recalled the facepaint and hula skirt he had to don in order to appease the Kreetassans.

Solkar nodded in understanding. “They can be an intolerant people if they feel their culture is not respected properly, producing a favorable diplomatic outcome could not have been an easy task.”

That’s an understatement, Trip thought.

Archer smiled as Trip turned to him, restraint from laughter spattered on his face. They gave him a hard time for weeks about that hula skirt.

Suddenly a buzzing sound erupted from the Captain’s side pocket, followed by whirring sounds of distortion and static. Fragments of a voice crept through but the ears of a Vulcan could hardly pick it apart through the interference.

“Cap-- Reed sir-- mo-- on your position!” Archer’s head sprung up as he pulled the communication box from his pocket and flipped it open.

“Malcolm, are you there? Malcolm!” Only static replied.

“Time to go, I’m sorry to cut this short Professor, but we could have company real soon,” the Captain, T’Pol and Trip stood. Trip’s hand went to his side in futility when he realized none of them came armed.

“Captain I realize our time grows short, however I must speak with T’Pol and Commander Tucker alone, it is imperative that I do so before you leave. It may be… a long time before I am able to contact you,” he stared at Archer beseechingly, who had risen and moved towards the door. He nodded.

“You’ve got one minute, but then we’ve got to get moving, this dead end isn’t safe. I’m going to scout the caverns ahead,” he nodded at Trip.

“Captain,” T’Pol called out abruptly. “You are unarmed…” His expression insisted, drawing her surrender. “Be careful,” she offered. He nodded and disappeared through the doorway.

The three sat in haste. “mi’kan, there is something of which you must be made aware, the both of you,” he glanced at Trip.

“Does this have something to do with why they tried to… make it so she couldn’t have babies?” Trip asked innocently.

“Yes,” Solkar answered gruffly. “The Romulans know the truth which has been hidden from Vulcans. Your genetic structures are not incompatible. Were you to attempt, it is likely you could successfully conceive a child. This was discovered by a secret study done at the direct request of V’Las during his term. When they discovered the genomes were compatible, they released findings showing the opposite to be true. The Romulans fear that a Vulcan-Human offspring will only intensify cultural exchange between Earth and Vulcan. Now that the High Command has been dissolved, it is likely the truth will eventually become known and accepted, however it is important that you understand that your sons and daughters will not be safe while Romulus stands ready for war.”

“War?!” Trip cried, “You didn’t say anything about them goin’ to war over it!”

“There is far more at stake than a Vulcan-Human offspring, when they discover I was an operative they will assume I have defected to the High Council, informing them of everything and revealing their intelligence network. Tell your Captain that Earth’s government must be made aware of the Romulan threat, but the truth of Surak’s line and the Exodus must not be revealed. Hurry, you must go now.”

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“So Harris was wrong,” Malcolm bit his lower lip as he paced across the situation room. T’Pol and Trip sat at the table while the Captain stood at the head of the room near a display panel. His arms sat across his chest as he watched the stars disappear behind the Enterprise as they worked their way back to Earth at warp five.

Jonathan had some explaining to do to Admiral Black for snatching up the Enterprise without explanation. And then there was Solkar’s warning, he wasn’t sure how seriously Earth would take heed of anonymous information for an unverifiable source. He squinted when he realized he would have to stake his word behind it, it was the only way anyone would listen. Even then, he wasn’t sure how far it would go. Nobody on Earth besides his crew and a few admirals who read reports of their encounters even knew of the Romulans, much less would immediately believe they were hell-bent for war.

“We should’ve made sure he got out all right,” Trip barked as he jumped from his chair towards the Captain. Archer turned from the window with his eyes cast down in guilt.

“There was no time, Trip, he wouldn’t let us take him with us, you know that,” Trip threw his hands on his hips and pouted.

“Just didn’t feel right,” he paced back towards T’Pol who sat motionless. Her eyes were cast down at the table. Her mind was analyzing, absorbing, and re-analyzing all of what they had just learned. Her emotions were easily suppressed for the time being, the shock of everything she was now trying to accept simply shut down her ability to even have an emotional response.

A daughter of Surak, how? Her emotional breakdowns, her Trellium addiction, especially her near-banishment from Vulcan society by her decision to remain with the Human vessel all insisted it was impossible. The line of Surak carried a proud and powerful spirit, only the highest and most disciplined clerics of Vulcan’s history claimed its roots. How could she, a Vulcan living among humans, a Vulcan who has taken a human mate, possibly accept such an honor?

She suddenly realized it had been part of her all her life, it was not only now being bestowed – she was only now learning of it. The logical deduction was then that her heritage had led her down the path her life had taken, just as it had before she knew of her prominent progenitor.

A reassuring presence entered her mind. Trip’s gentle face had lost its despair and looked down on her from a few steps away. She met his eyes warmly as the Captain and Reed conversed privately on how the tactical officer found them. There had been a strike team of some sort, a group of half a dozen Vulcans attempting to track the Captain’s movements through the caverns when Reed and his security team surprised them from behind. Presumably members of the Vulcan underground working with the Romulans, they were all disabled immediately. The Vulcan assault team was left in the caves after Solkar insisted he must remain on Vulcan. He insisted that he knew the caverns well and would seek shelter in its bowels.

“Captain,” Trip called, drawing Archer’s attention from the discussion with Malcolm near the window. T’Pol was standing now, her hands clasped tautly across her back. An impartial gaze sat on her face but the Captain had seen it enough times and was beginning to recognize that they wished to be excused.

“You’re dismissed,” he nodded, turning back to Malcolm.

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“Captain, I felt I had to tell you about it, I swore to you my loyalties were with this ship and crew, and they are,” Malcolm lifted his fingers to trace the edges of the glass.

After Trip and T’Pol left, Malcolm confessed to Jonathan that Harris had contacted him several times and he had cooperated in order to get information for the safety of the ship.

Archer stared him down sternly and then released a heavy breath. He threw a hand on his cheek and shook his head. “Malcolm, let’s have a drink,” Archer stood and retreated to the corner. Reed was shocked, but happily shocked. He was terrified the Captain was going to lose it like the first time Harris came into the picture.

“Uh, yes sir,” he returned and cocked a smile when he realized the Captain had a hidden compartment under the waste extraction unit.

He held the brown bottle up high, “Scotch, 2102,” Malcolm nodded with a chuckle and wiped his brow.

“I have to say sir, I’m surprised you’re not upset,” his brows remained together in suspicion, terrified the next moment Archer might swing the bottle at him. He laughed as he strained to remove the cap, two glasses in one hand with the stout bottle cradled under his arm.

“Allow me sir,” Malcolm stood, relieving Archer of the burden. He poured Malcolm a glass and set the bottle down hard.

“Malcolm,” Archer turned toward Reed with the glass in his hand.

“My father once told me, when I was very young before he died,” Malcolm shifted uncomfortably.

“…that if you’re going to trust a man, do it and be damned, or don’t be sure,” he poured himself a glass. His eyes grew softer as he smiled at Malcolm, tipping his glass forward.

“You’ve served this ship with distinction for five years, you’ve earned the promotion you got, and you’ve even made a second home for yourself here,” Malcolm and Jonathan met glasses mid air and downed the liquid. Archer’s face contorted in apparent pain before a wide smile broke out.

“Ah, that stuff still gets me,” Malcolm coughed as Archer chuckled back at him.

“I was never much for Scotch sir, more of a bourbon fan actually,” Malcolm laughed, wishing Trip were there.

“But thank you,” he lifted his glass once again and downed the rest in agony. A violent coughing fit confused with laughter seized them both as they nearly toppled to the floor.

“Ah,” Archer raised the bottle to inspect the date once more.

“Shran you sonofabitch,” he laughed, recalling the Andorian’s gracious gift following Trip and T’Pol’s dinner celebration.

When Malcolm regained his composure, his eyes became serious as he leaned in closer to Archer.

“Captain, I have to leave the Enterprise. ”

Archer fingered the edge of his glass, his eyes pinned on the remaining liquid swimming about the bottom edges. Malcolm watched him carefully for his response, but Archer was clearly not caught off guard.

“I thought this was coming,” Archer nodded, matching Malcolm’s solemn expression.

Malcolm began slowly, staring into his glass as he explained.

“Harris tells me that they lost three operatives in the past week, their intelligence network in the Romulan Empire has been crippled. He also suspects that the Romulans are preparing for war, and when that happens, the intelligence community is more crucial than ever… We have to-”, he stopped.

“That life was part of who you are,” Archer reminded him.

“But it’s not anymore!” Malcolm huffed as he slid back into his chair.

“I mean, I don’t want it to be but there’s no way to be sure. I have no way to know another Romulan spy won’t slip aboard or get to someone on the crew. Our security simply isn’t equipped to combat the kind of war they’re waging,” he rubbed his chin in frustration.

“Going back is the only way to protect T’Pol and the rest of this ship. I know you don’t agree with their methods sir, and sometimes I question them myself… but these kinds of threats cannot be dealt with conventionally.” Archer stared ahead, his face was empty as he considered the words. It had been easy to condemn Harris’ “end justifies the means” attitude about forsaking Starfleet principles in order to protect them. But now, abiding by those principles and forgoing the avenues presented by Section 31 meant putting his ship in danger. It meant putting his friends in danger.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he replied in a hoarse whisper. His eyes darted from the glass to Malcolm.

“I don’t look forward to finding a new tactical officer though,” he smiled warmly. His expression became grim as he searched for the words.

“Will you be back?”

Malcolm stood up and straightened his uniform briskly.

“I plan on it,” the Captain stood and took Malcolm’s outstretched hand warmly. He wrapped both his hands around it warmly.

“Be sure that you do,” he stunned Malcolm when he drew the stuffy British officer into a back slapping hug.

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Trip and T’Pol sat in the Mess Hall having an early lunch together when the ship shuddered and decelerated to a gradual halt. The room was bustling with activity. Crewmen and officers lined the tables in anticipation of getting back to Earth and resuming their shore leave. As a result, half the ship crammed into the tiny area for an early lunch along with the cross cultural couple. Everyone turned to see their welcomed home, again looming brightly in the expansive windows.

Hoards of people approached the glass, unable to turn away from the blue globe hovering motionless, even as recently as they had seen it just one week ago. T’Pol continued to sip her Plomeek broth when Trip slipped a hand under the table to retrieve his hidden delicacy. As the dozens of crewmen filed one after another, practically pleating themselves against the glass, the sitting area became nearly barren.

T’Pol, he whispered to her mind mischievously. She looked up to see a very guilty smile and Tucker holding a plate of key lime pie. T’Pol gazed at the treat in want, then inspected their surroundings from one end to the other. A handful of crewmen littered the sitting area but none closer than ten meters. She accepted the plate from her husband’s grasp, pushing the Plomeek aside. Tri p laughed under his breath as he dove back into his turkey and gravy, drawing an innocent inquiry from T’Pol.

Do you find something amusing, t’hy’la?

He swallowed through a smile, sliding his hand beneath the table once again. He looked about the Mess Hall, then slid his hand upon her thigh palm-up. His clandestine invitation shuddered through her with excitement, and she consented to allow the indulgence. Her finger tips glided over his palm, lightly trickling up the length of his own fingers, then back down again. She calmly continued to nibble at surgically removed chunks of key lime, while the secret joining took place beneath their table.

She repeated the motion idly while continuing to dissect the pie and sliding it into her mouth with precision. Crewmen bustled around them, others came to look out the glass, some hurried to their quarters to prepare to leave.

Slowly she stroked her tips up his fingers, then down again. Up the length of his fingers, tickling his joints, then back down again. Up, she sensed his happiness, down and he felt her slip into contently into peace. Up his fingers once more, drawing seconds into minutes. Down again and the moments were strewn into days, up and they crawled into years. Until finally her fingers slipped down his skin one last time, and came to rest against his palm.

Decades later, in another place and time, their hearts stopped in one moment. But her fingers remained warmly wrapped within his grasp just as they once had, that busy morning in the Mess Hall aboard the Enterprise.

End Chapter Notes:

The end here I intended to be a nice send off such that if you never revisit my series, you get the idea that they live happily ever after. However, throughout the series there will be trials and obstacles, dark times and uplifting joy to share with our couple. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing them, as I hope you have enjoyed reading them.

And there’s a small “Spies Like Us” reference when Trip says “And my high school guidance counselor said I’d never amount to anything…” It continues, “GUIDANCE! Source programmable guidance!” :-D If you don’t get it, go watch the film, it’s a classic.

Epilogue

In the weeks following the Enterprise’s return to Earth, the sector was a hotbed of political interactions among the neighboring systems. While Enterprise finished another few weeks in dry-dock, Columbia again set sail for deep space to encounter new life and new civilizations. Under her command, Captain Hernandez’s Columbia made first contact with dozens of new species, befriending many future Starfleet allies. Among them were the Trill and Betazoids.

During the Enterprise’s return journey from Vulcan, Lieutenant Commander Reed received new orders from Starfleet Command, assigning him to Starfleet Intelligence. According to Starfleet records, he was reassigned to an obscure branch office in the New Brunswick Office of Data Sequencing on Earth. His post was a single-man relay post which received and re-transmitted encrypted data. The station was completely isolated, nearly two thousand kilometers from the nearest city and reachable only by continental shuttle. Lt. Commander Reed did not officially report to nor interact with any Starfleet personnel during his tour of duty. In a departmental oversight years later, it would be discovered that no evidence of comm. traffic or maintenance records for such a facility could be found. Nor could any record of a ‘New Brunswick Office of Data Sequencing’. But for the next twenty four months after Enterprise returned to Earth, Malcolm Reed was nothing but a remotely assigned attaché to Starfleet Intelligence.

Throughout the months after Reed’s transfer, the Enterprise played host for many different diplomatic venues including a pact of nonaggression and anti-piracy with the Orion Syndicate. It was considered a momentous accomplishment for Captain Jonathan Archer. Instead of Colonel, Commander Shran was forcibly promoted to Ambassadorial rank for the Andorian people to the planet Earth (which he accepted begrudgingly). Lieutenant Hoshi Sato was awarded the Starfleet Commendation for Technical Accomplishment for extraordinary developments in linguistic communications technology.

In the weeks immediately following the Andorian-Human pact, relations with Tellar and Vulcan faltered as a result of further antagonism between the Andorians and the Vulcans. Ships began disappearing in Vulcan space, including a human vessel with a crew of twelve. The vessels were never recovered and it only fueled an already provocative political climate. Rising instability within the Vulcan government only made things worse and soon it appeared an adversarial affiliation had been forged when the Vulcans nearly closed their embassies on Earth. In a final act of diplomatic desperation, Chancellor T’Pau called an emergency conference, inviting representatives from Tellar, Andor, and Earth to meet peaceably on Vulcan. It was there that the first steps to a solid foundation for alliance was born from the elegant words of Jonathan Archer, Ambassadors Soval and Shran. Soon, the Andorian-Human construction project on Mars included shared technologies and brilliant minds from a dozen different worlds across the quadrant, including Vulcan, Tellar and Denobula. Commander Tucker accepted Ambassador Shran’s offer to design the facility, but remained on the Enterprise as Chief Engineer while political squabbles kept the facility on the drawing board. In his spare time, Commander Tucker prepared schematics of the facility with assistance from the ship’s science officer, Commander T’Pol.

As war with the mysterious Romulan Empire loomed on the horizon, Starfleet and its allies saw the need for a state-of-the-art shipyard to turn out more powerful and technologically advanced ships. Half a dozen species contributed technology such as the Andorians’ energy shields, Vulcan’s protein resequencing, Denobula’s superior medical facilities, and Starfleet’s matter-conversion transporters. However, Utopia Planetia Shipyards would not break ground due to more unforeseen delays. By August of 2155, the ship disappearances in the Vulcan sector expanded to Andorian and Tellarite space. When the first ships began disappearing in the Alpha Centauri system, the allies organized the first partnered patrols. Patrol squads combed the areas plagued by these mysterious attacks, but the incidents only continued. Ships outside of patrol zones continued to be hijacked and destroyed without evidence of the offending vessel. Whenever a patrol would follow the ship on the same run, it would proceed without incident, yielding no clue as to the identity of the marauders.

By September, upgrades and improvements to Yosemite Station and the orbital construction platforms paved the way for the launch of the NX-03 Endeavor under Captain Jeffries’ command. Construction began shortly after on the NX-04 Atlantis, NX-05 Constellation, and NX-06 Apollo.

While ferrying diplomats and often falling into the role himself, Captain Archer managed to return the Enterprise to her mandate – exploration and discovery. As turmoil died down and political relations with their primary allies cemented unprecedented cooperation, the Enterprise explored dozens of systems and covered hundreds of lightyears. Soon after, the Enterprise played host to its third alien exchange officer, as Shran promised. An Andorian pilot commissioned as a Starfleet Lieutenant assumed the helm on September 15th, 2155.

As ships continued to disappear without a trace, panicked freighter crews and lightly armed research vessels began bulking up their defensive capability. Soon every encounter in the region was a potentially hostile one as civilian spacefarers got itchy trigger fingers. Unfavorable encounters between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire increased in number as well. While no formal relations existed to open a diplomatic channel, Starfleet believes that Klingon ships must be disappearing as well. With the region on the brink of war, tactical and security protocols were revolutionized and rewritten to maximize efficiency and readiness in combat situations.

In November of 2155, Ambassador Shran’s vessel the Komari-II was en route to a diplomatic conference on Tellar when it was attacked by an unknown vessel. The attacking vessel took on the Andorian cruiser in error, and was heavily outclassed. The Komari-II destroyed the vessel as it attempted to cloak, but took heavy casualties as well, killing several Andorian crewmembers. Shran was left only moderately injured. Before the attack took sensors offline, the Komari-II managed to identify the vessel’s hull configuration and cloaking capability. The brutal attack provoked the Andorians into pressuring other members of the alliance into an agreement of mutual assistance. Should this offending enemy’s attacks break out into open war, Andoria argued, the alliance must stand together. In the coming weeks, a shadowy enemy soon began to take form.

End Notes: Thank you all for reading, it’s been a pleasure sharing this story which has inspired me to continue writing. I have had tremendous assistance via beta and ideas from Y2Kelly, Ludjin, T’Jaan, and Ligeia. I plan to begin two new stories. They will be direct sequels in the “Your Mom n’ Me” series, occurring in separate but chronologically simultaneous settings. Midnight in the Garden…will be the story of Malcolm returning to Section 31, with covert ops, lies, deceit and treachery abound in the secret intelligence war on the eve of Romulan conflict. I promise, it will also visit Trip and T’Pol ;). The other story will occur nearly simultaneously, tentatively titled Our Paths Are One to be a much shorter story than this one, accounting Trip and T’Pol’s wedding along with the political hijinks of the region.

Return to Part I, Section 10 (Chapters 19 & 20)

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