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Be Careful What You Wish For - Ch 2

Author - Evalyn A.
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Be Careful What You Wish For

By Evalyn A

Rating: G, Action/adventure, T/T shippiness of course. May be archived, just let me know.
Disclaimer: Not making a dime off of this, they belong to Paramount, they don’t belong to me, although finally they’re starting to act as if they did.
SPOILERS: Takes place after “Home,” Episode 3 of Season 4. Thanks to Quills for inspiring this plot by his cryptic spoiler comments.

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Chapter 2

T’Pol found herself shifting uncomfortably, as she listened to the lengthy intelligence briefing. She was unable to put her finger on the nature of her unease; was it the amount of excruciating detail in the briefing, the uncomfortable chairs in the briefing room, or the scratchy material of the uniform that she wore?

She realized that she was spending an excessive amount of time dwelling on her personal comfort instead of paying attention. She realized further that she must have changed a great deal since her time as an intelligence operative, in which this type of briefing would have been routine and expected. She mused distractedly over the events of the last three years. If she could have done things differently, made different choices, what would they have been? Was there any way consistent with her Vulcan heritage and her respect for her mother that she might have avoided the dead end in which she now found herself, in an unwanted marriage, supporting a government that she had come to distrust, in an unnecessary war?

Finally, she shook off her brooding reflection and instead surreptitiously skimmed the written summary of the same information by bringing it up on the console in front of her. It contained a variety of information about Andorian fleet strengths and dispositions, analysis of the possible location of the weapon that they claimed to have manufactured based on the Xindi schematics, and estimations of their likely first assaults and the probability of success.

Having been drafted back into the intelligence corps, it was her task now to work to reduce the degree of speculation necessarily contained in the briefing at this stage – to obtain information by whatever means possible in order to improve the odds of Vulcan winning this war against Andoria.

Soval had made it very clear to her during the trip from Earth to Vulcan that the Vulcan High Command did not intend to leave Andoria in any position to try this tactic again; the only solution to the Vulcan/Andorian dispute was now the complete removal of Andoria’s ability to wage war. She recalled the expression on Soval’s face as he had reiterated his less than complimentary opinion of Andorians in general…

“They are thoughtless, irrational, selfish and motivated entirely by a desire to dominate others in order to prove their superiority. The total lack of validity of their claims to Paan Mokar aside, they have no need for that area of space except to spy on us. Vulcan, on the other hand, has colonies there for peaceful uses – mining, and scientific investigation. This whole situation is intolerable. I do not know how Archer could have allowed them to obtain this weapon, he should have known the likely outcome and destroyed their vessel at the first opportunity,” Soval had expostulated as he strode across his cabin.

T’Pol raised one eyebrow. “Firstly, Enterprise was in no condition to take on an intact, fully armed, Andorian warship. Regardless, had Captain Archer not accepted the aid of the Andorians on that occasion, it is likely that Enterprise would have been destroyed. The Xindi would have then reached Earth several weeks earlier with a fully functional weapon. With the prototype device removed from their possession, the Xindi no doubt were set back by some time in determining the source of the malfunction of the weapon, which allowed Enterprise time to reach the Xindi with information proving the duplicity of the Sphere Builders. Since Enterprise had, in fact, destroyed the weapon rather than allowing it to fall into Andorian hands, I suspect that the possible use by the Andorians of the scans of the prototype weapon at some time in the future to build a weapon against Earth’s putative allies – allies who themselves provided no help at all in dealing with the Xindi threat – would be seen by Captain Archer as an acceptable risk.” She stood her ground as Soval pinned her with an icy glare.

“Have your sympathies turned so completely to the humans that you cannot see the danger here?” he asked her – unable to respond directly to the logic of her statement, she thought wryly.

“I see the danger only too well, Ambassador. Perhaps better than you,” she replied, her expression calm but her voice clearly less respectful. “We are in danger of losing what little respect that remains for us amongst our allies. Vulcan has wasted any number of opportunities to defuse this situation with the Andorians, to bridge the gap with the humans, and to find our place as a partner to all of the space-faring species in this quadrant. The humans, on the other hand, have taken every opportunity to connect in whatever way possible with every world that they encounter. They have been so successful in this regard, that they have succeeded in making an ally of the species that only a few months ago was prepared to obliterate them utterly. Whereas, we, on the other hand, are on the brink of a catastrophic war over an insignificant chunk of rock of little real importance to either party. It seems to me that we could learn much from the humans in the sphere of diplomacy.”

This last comment had left her father’s brother, a veteran of the diplomatic corps, unable to respond without displaying a lack of civility inappropriate to his position as her elder relative and her superior, and thus had left her free to terminate the conversation. The corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly at the memory of the look Soval had given her as she departed his quarters, and realizing this, she glanced about her to be sure no one in the vicinity had noticed. She then sighed inwardly and resumed her perusal of the briefing notes.
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Not unexpectedly, Enterprise had been ordered to patrol within spitting distance of the disputed space between Vulcan and Andoria, in which was located the planetoid Weytahm, or Paan Mokar, depending on whose nomenclature one chose to use. Archer had already spent rather more time than he would have wished on its rather inhospitable surface. However, while Earth did not want to be directly involved in this war, ignorance of the state of the hostilities did not appear to be advantageous either. In addition, there was a finite probability that Enterprise’s presence could in some way contribute to reducing the tensions, and Archer had argued strenuously for what was essentially carte blanche in intervening if necessary. While Starfleet had not exactly given him a free hand, nor had it specifically told him to stay out of things either, which he viewed as the government’s version of plausible deniability.

“The way I read it, they want us to be there in case we can make a difference, but they also want to be able to claim that I overstepped my authority if some action we take somehow gets Earth in too deep or worsens the crisis,” he explained dryly to Tucker over a cup of coffee in his ready room. “On the other hand, if we can somehow figure out a way to stop this from escalating, Earth government will be taking all the credit.”

Tucker grunted. “Well, politicians are always the same, aren’t they? So that’s why they didn’t saddle us with a smooth-talkin’ diplomatic corps representative. Thank heaven for small mercies,” he concluded with a small grin, as he continued to review the ship’s status reports posted by the delta shift.

Archer smiled back, and pondered to himself the difference in having his old friend back as his second in command. He missed T’Pol both for her considerable knowledge and experience, as well as her ability to provide him with contrasting points of view when a decision needed to be made. Nevertheless, he found great comfort in the fact that he and Trip had recovered a good deal of their old camaraderie now that they spent so much time together discussing ship’s business. It was also noteworthy that Trip’s command style, so different from T’Pol’s, seemed to be quite successful in keeping the spirits of the crew high despite their return so soon into proximity with an unwelcome conflict.

He suspected that if T’Pol had stayed, on the other hand, many of the crew would have been somewhat uneasy with her presence on the ship and decidedly apprehensive about the possible reaction to her of any hostile Andorian vessels they might encounter.

A hail from the bridge interrupted his musings. “Captain, we’re being hailed by an Andorian vessel.” He and Tucker looked at each other speculatively as they rose to hurry out onto the bridge. Tucker took his position at the Engineering station while Archer strode down to his chair.

“Status?” he asked Mayweather.

“They’re still outside sensor range, sir,” he replied.

Archer nodded to Reed. “Alert status, Mr. Reed,” he said, and noticed with mild amusement the clear degree of pleasure his tactical officer derived from being given this order.

“Sir, it’s Commander Shran,” Hoshi continued.

Archer raised his eyebrows. “Put him on screen, Lieutenant.”

The screen filled with Shran’s jovial visage. “Well, well, Captain Archer, what a surprise to find you here,” he said in his usual jocular tone. “Are you here to defend Vulcan’s claim to this area of space as well? Or perhaps you’ve decided to sign up with the winner this time?”

Archer shook his head, and taking the same tone, replied, “Actually, our interest is entirely economic We’ve been looking for b-Essium in this sector, and our detectors started registering large amounts just before we encountered your vessel. Would you be able to help us out?” He looked enquiringly at Shran, while Lt. Sato covered her mouth and choked back a laugh, and Mayweather struggled to maintain his usual stoic demeanour.

Shran frowned, clearly knowing that he was being made sport of but unable to pinpoint exactly how. “Well, Captain, I could stay here all day exchanging pleasantries with you, but perhaps it would be more profitable if we discussed things face-to-face, say, over a glass of Andorian ale?”

Archer shrugged. “If you’re buying, Commander. Make sure you bring enough for three,” he replied smoothly. Sato terminated the connection at his nod.

“Mr. Reed, please greet the Commander at the docking port and escort him personally to the Captain’s mess,” he instructed. “You’re with me, Trip,” he continued, “assuming you’re willing to give Andorian ale a try.”

The three men entered the lift together; Archer and Tucker exited first, heading for the Captain’s mess, while Reed continued on to collect his security detail. “Impressions, Trip?” Archer asked him as they walked down the hall.

“So far, he’s just fishing, Cap’n,” Tucker replied. “Do you think he knew we were here?”

“Damn right he did,” Archer stated, allowing Tucker to precede him into the room. “Andorian sensors are better than ours, I don’t suppose for a minute we just happened upon each other at random.”

“We aren’t a serious threat to any Andorian warship out here by ourselves,” Tucker continued, thoughtfully, “so he’s not worried about our firepower. I’d guess he’s just here to test our neutrality,” he concluded.

Archer set three chilled glasses out onto the table. “What do you suppose he plans to tempt us with?”

“Aside from the ale? I’m betting it’ll be the promise of a mutually fulfilling relationship, unhindered by the stifling Vulcan superiority that has held us back from achieving true greatness,” Tucker opined in his best Shran imitation.

Archer grinned as the door opened and Lt. Reed escorted Commander Shran into the room. Archer nodded his dismissal at Reed, who departed the room with a disapproving frown. Tucker suspected that Reed and his security detail were remaining right on the other side of the door in case of trouble.

Shran inclined his head at Archer and Tucker, and waved the full bottle of ale at them both. “Thank you for your hospitality, Captain, and for the honour guard,” he stated dryly. “This has been an especially good year for ale, I do hope you’ll both enjoy it as much as I do,” the Andorian continued as he filled the three glasses, and made himself comfortable at the head of the table.

Archer raised his glass and toasted. “To peace,” he stated.

Shran shook his head irritably. “A lovely sentiment, Captain, but a tad inappropriate at the moment. War is what we have here, although hopefully not for long, given the well-known military shortcomings of the Vulcan fleet. Speaking of Vulcans, where is the stalwart Subcommander?” he inquired sweetly.

Archer suspected once again that Shran already knew the answer to this question. “Under the circumstances, she felt it her duty to return to Vulcan,” he replied.

“Ah, of course,” Shran murmured, sipping his ale. “They are a notoriously unreliable ally, are they not Captain? Even Subcommander T’Pol, the only Vulcan to fight at Earth’s side during the Xindi conflict, has shown her true colours by returning to Vulcan rather than remaining here. But we, on the other hand, have been there when we needed you, have we not?” He turned his head politely in Tucker’s direction.

Tucker returned his gaze impassively. “You know, Commander, it’s true that you keep turning up underfoot, just like gum stuck to a shoe,” he remarked, “but it seems like enlightened self-interest has been involved as well.”

“Well, Mr. Tucker,” Shran continued, after a momentary pause in which he was clearly filing away the colourful analogy for future reference, “enlightened self-interest is probably the best basis for a successful partnership. Vulcan is going to lose this war, so why not sort out our future relationship now?”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself, Shran,” Archer commented. “What makes you think that the rest of us will sit back and let you use the weapon on the Vulcans?”

“I don’t see how you could stop us, Captain,” Shran smirked. “You saw the weapon. You know what it can do.”

Archer raised his eyebrows. “The schematics you left with, Commander, were for a defective prototype. What proof do you have that you even have a functioning weapon?”

Shran’s hand paused as he brought his drink to his mouth. “Is that a chance you are prepared to take?” he asked Archer, speculatively.

“I think you’re bluffing, Shran,” Archer replied calmly.

“Bluffing?” he replied indignantly. “I am most offended at the suggestion. When Andoria wages war, we do so with deadly force,” he stated firmly.

“But we don’t do so with the Xindi weapon without a large supply of properly refined kemocite,” Tucker pointed out. “And none of the Andorian colonies has any deposits of kemocite worth mentioning. Further, the refining process is time-consuming and tricky. You haven’t had time to find or synthesize the kemocite, set up or upgrade a refinery, and process and quality check enough of the ore to supply you with any significant firepower.”

Shran looked decidedly put out at the use of this type of logic. “Are you sure you haven’t got Subcommander T’Pol hidden under there somewhere?” he riposted. “You’re sounding far more like her than a pink-skin.”

Tucker, undecided whether to take this as an insult or a compliment, decided to leave it lie, and simply raised his eyebrows and took another sip of ale.

“Without some evidence that you’ve actually got a weapon, Commander,” Archer picked up where Tucker had left off, “there’s not much motivation for use to choose sides.”

Shran contemplated the two of them silently for a few moments. His demeanour shifted, and his tone changed to a more serious one. “Captain, I value our working relationship. You should realize that, by now; after all, I sent you the weapon scans without the knowledge of my superiors.”

Archer nodded – he had been convinced all along that it had been Shran himself that had arranged for the surreptitious transmission to Enterprise of the Andorian scans of the prototype weapon. “Your point?” he prompted.

“My point is, that this entire situation is the result of ill-advised posturing by the Andorian council,” he stated baldly. “We have nothing to gain by this conflict other than escalation of a situation that for the past two years had been stabilized due to the accords that you helped to broker. They are taking a huge gamble, and it is not one which I can endorse.” He pursed his lips and contemplated his glass. “We must find a way to end this that both sides can agree to, before the Vulcans decide that the only way to keep Andorians to their word is to kill them before they have a chance repudiate it,” he concluded grimly. “And as you are ultimately to blame for this unholy mess, Captain Archer, you must once again be the agent of whatever solution we can devise.”

Archer was nonplussed at the abrupt turnaround the Andorian had exhibited. After a moment to ponder his reply, he commented, “I think there’s plenty of blame to go around, Commander, without dragging us into this.” As Shran began to reply indignantly, Archer held up his hand and continued, “Nevertheless, I agree with you that we are the best to act as a go-between in whatever peace overtures might be contemplated. But I don’t see where we can hope to go with this, if the Andorian government has decided on war.”

The two Enterprise officers watched silently as Shran rolled the liquid about in his glass, letting the liquid clear off the condensation from its chilled surface. He then took a large swig, finishing it off, and looked disapproving as he perused his empty glass. “Both the Andorians and the Vulcans are a proud people, Captain,” he replied. “The solution needs to leave both groups with an opportunity to claim that they have come out better than they went in. I will leave it to you to come up with such a solution,” he concluded, pushing back from the table and nodding to both of them. He swept out of the room, Malcolm’s security detail jogging after him down the corridor.

Archer and Tucker looked at each other with equally bemused expressions as they attempted to absorb what had just transpired. Finally Archer said, “My mother said there’d be days like this …” and refilled both his and Tucker’s glasses.


Chapter 3

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Not that chapter 1 wosn't great but do we realy need to read it twice?

Ummmm, where's chapter 2?

Okay, is this a time-loop thing? ;>

Chapter 2 please!

I never did get used to time travel.

Sorry, y'all. My Mistake! :0 The real chapter two is up now.

Bucky

Good chapter! better then the repeat of chapter one! Keep them coming please!!!!!!

Ahhh... that's better.

Oh this is going to be good why? Well one word. Shran! :-) Good chapter, love the build up.

Ahhh... that's better.

Oh this is going to be good why? Well one word. Shran! :-) Good chapter, love the build up.

Hey, very good work. Shran's character is a thoughtful, patriotic type for his species. Not everyone out there is a crazed, blood thirsty alien that somehow gets advanced tech by luck. I like your fleshing out of Shran's character. I look forward to the next chapter.

I love the way you have delineated Shran, he was always my favourite Blue-skin. This is an entirely believable take on how he might react under these circumstances and the need for two stiff necked races to find a way to save face to avert war thus needing the humans is well put. Looking forward to part 3! Ali D :~)

Oh I love this! What great post! Are you channelling Manny Coto?!?! I can so see this scene happening.

Well done!

Oh I love this! What great post! Are you channelling to Manny Coto?!?! I can so see this scene happening.

Well done!

Okay, a prize goes to the first one who gets Archer's joke and posts a comment. Or at least 5 lashes with a wet noodle.

joke???? You mean the last line that is one out of a sing from the .... 60's? 70's? sometime before I was born.

Nope, when they first meet up with Shran.

You mean the b-Essium? Otherwise known as b*llsh*t - an element common to most species?
:) lol

You got it, LoveThatTrip. Do you prefer your noodle al dente?

Oh!!! ..... Well my mind just does't work that way! :-D I thought that was actually an element. I'll bet if I asked my students they would have gotten it though , hehe....