Time Will Tell - Pt 4

Time Will Tell

By Evalyn A

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.
Rating: T POV, G. May be archived, just let me know.
A/N: This is part of a continuing series of personal log entries made by T’Pol during her time on Enterprise, starting with season one.

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Part 4

When I heard that the monastery at P’Jem had been destroyed, my first thought was that I was to blame. I had allowed Enterprise to visit P’Jem. Had I told the Captain that it was a sacred place and not for off-worlders, he would have shown appropriate respect. Everything had followed from that poor judgement on my part.

And surely, if I were properly performing my duty as advisor aboard Enterprise, Captain Archer would have had a different reaction to the Vulcan listening post on P’Jem, despite the obvious contravention of the Andorian accord. I could have made him understand the logic. And the sacred monastery would still be intact.
The Vulcan High Command clearly agreed with that assessment when they recalled me to Vulcan. I very shortly realized, however, that their logic was faulty.

I could not blame the High Command for their conclusions, in their position I would have concluded the same. But they could not truly understand Enterprise and the humans, not as I had come to understand them. Captain Archer is not a man that would have been particularly influenced by my advice in a situation such as this, if it did not agree with his fundamental values. In any case, had I protested too loudly at his actions, he would simply have become suspicious of my motives, disinclined as he is to trust any Vulcan – even me.

And it is also true that the monastery would still be intact if the High Command had not authorized a perversion of its original intent, by permitting it to be used to mask illicit activities. I will have some time on my return voyage to Vulcan on the Ni’Var to reflect upon these thoughts.

In the meantime, Captain Archer has suggested that I accompany him on one last away mission to Coridan. I suspect that he wishes to have an opportunity to talk to me away from the crew, although his exact reasons elude me. Perhaps he believes I have more influence with the High Command than I do, that I go willingly but could be persuaded to change my mind. He could not be more wrong, if so.

At any rate, I will appreciate this last time spent with the Captain. I have grown to respect his approach to first contact situations, different as it is from the Vulcan way. The Vulcan relationship with Coridan is somewhat strained, under the circumstances, and I will be interested to see how the Captain deals with the planetary officials. First contacts with Captain Archer are rarely boring.

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I make this log entry from my bed in sickbay, to which I have been confined for the past thirty-six hours. I have just reviewed my last entry, which was unquestionably prophetic. The visit to Coridan was not boring.

I do not complain that I am here in sickbay, for if I were not here, I would be aboard the Ni’Var returning to Vulcan. And I have been given plenty of opportunity while lying here to reflect upon the events of the last few days. Dr. Phlox has forbidden me from attempting to perform my duties and has insisted on complete rest and recreational activities only.

My contemplations have been regularly interrupted by visits by various crewmembers. I have just received a visit from Commander Tucker. He sat on the end of my bed, and proclaimed, with a small smirk, “I’ll bet you’re disappointed that you’re not headin’ back to Vulcan right now.” I found myself compelled to reply, “As you no doubt are also.” He raised his eyebrows, poked at my feet in what I can only describe as an overly familiar manner, and concluded, “Better luck next time!” before strolling out. I am continually perplexed by humans as individuals, despite my increased level of understanding of them as a species.

I find myself mulling over the political implications of these events. In my opinion the Vulcan High Command has abused its authority on Coridan, taking advantage of the materialistic role we have played in Coridan’s reach for the stars. We should long ago have withdrawn our assistance from the government and left the Coridan people to sort out their own governance. The reason why we did not is obvious – dilithium. It would be illogical to leave the government of a planet that provides such a rich source of energy to the quadrant to chance. Far better to have a suitable government, supported by the High Command and the weight of the Vulcan Fleet, running the planet to our specifications. Vulcans can be no less self-serving than any other species, apparently.

I do not understand why Captain Archer went to such lengths to convince Sopek to speak on my behalf to the High Command, to convince them to leave me here. I cannot imagine Captain Archer taking seriously any advice I might give him on how to manage interspecies relations at this point. Since I see little value in my role here as an advisor on behalf of the current Vulcan powers, I will instead attempt to focus on providing advice gleaned from my own experience, in the hopes that I can remain true to Surak’s ideals, while learning as much as I can about the human species. We have much to learn from each other.

Continue to Part 4

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One person has made comments

Nicely done. Your interpretation of T'Pol's perspective is very revealing and provides us all with a nice summary and reminder of past episodes. Keep up the good work.