Negotiating - Pt. 7

Negotiating Peace

By Myst123

Rated: G, General
Contact: mystbbs@earthlink.net
Disclaimer: Star Trek situations, characters, and name are all owned by Paramount. This work is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes.

Part Seven – Conclusion

*****************

“There are seven Andorians, one human and one Vulcan in the room. No other bio-signs are evident.”

“Front and two side entrances. The most direct route to their location is through the front, but there are Andorians at all but the side entrance on the far side. That entrance is blocked with debris.”

“Could we be transported into the building without alerting the Andorians?”

“Only one at a time. According to the engineers, Hoshi reports, the transporter can’t safely do more than that.”

“I’d prefer not to hurt any of the Andorians. We need to strike, get the men, and then get out. We’ll need a secure route to the shuttlepod, a way into the building, a diversion after we get the men to pull the Andorians away from the front entrance, and…”

“…some good luck,” Malcolm finished T’Pol’s sentence.

“Vulcans don’t believe in luck,” T’Pol informed the armory officer. “We believe in sound planning.”

“A people after my own heart. So, let’s plan this raid.”

*****

“Sir, I cannot stop the negotiations, nor do I believe it to be in the best interests of the Andorians to stop building alliances between our worlds. For the first time we are learning to understand each other so we can work together to create peace between us. Vulcans have been as suspicious of Andorians and their motives. We have an opportunity to lay those suspicions to rest.”

“Humans don’t trust Vulcans, either,” Trip inserted into the monologue. “But although they are not the easiest folks to get to know, they do know their science and their protocols. They live by very strict rules, which blind them when another species doesn’t act as Vulcans deem logical. You’ve got them over a limb here – they have to negotiate because it has been proved they misjudged you.”

“Stop speaking, both of you! We have no interest in Vulcans or their ideas. We want you gone, Vulcan.”

“Listen, buddy, you say you are going to make the Vulcans sorry. You attacked us by using some sort of stun blast. We never saw you at all on radar. Where’d you get that technology?”

“Pink skin, you are annoying me. We have friends, that is all you need to know.”

“Yeah, good friends, who want to create trouble between you and the Vulcans. What’s in it for these so-called friends of yours?”

“They understand us. They know the deceitful Vulcans will destroy our world if the talks proceed.”

“Sounds like you’re being used, like they have their own agenda.”

“Commander Tucker makes a logical….”

“…not logical, but interesting or possible or even meritorious argument.” Trip frowned at Soval. When would the Vulcan learn not to use the word “logic” when talking to other species? The word was too loaded.

Soval realized Tucker was giving him a warning that he was crossing some invisible communications line which would antagonize the Andorians. Really, humans and Andorians were too fatiguing, but he would show the Commander a Vulcan capable of talking to the emotional on their terms.

Regrouping, Soval began again. “As I was saying, Commander Tucker cites persuasive reasons for re-examining the motives of your friends. We are not here to discredit them, but, if they do consider Vulcans their enemies, why have they not come forward and confronted us? Why are they not here by your side, to tell me, as you are doing, what they want?”

“No more about our friends! Leave this planet.”

“We are free to leave?”

“Our friends will come to take you back to the pink skin’s ship, and you will go back to Vulcan and leave Andoria alone, or all Vulcans will die.”

Even if the talk were all hyperbole, Trip and Soval believed there was a true threat in the words. Neither man relished the thought of the unknown friends taking them anywhere – it was clear that both would be killed or taken hostage, and that the Andorian rebels would be held to blame. Vulcan could possibly even go to war with the Andoria over the incident. The rebels distrusted Vulcans too much to listen to Soval, and by extension, Trip. The best the two men could do would be to delay things long enough for Enterprise to find them.

“My capt’n tells a fascinating story about gazelles which I’m sure will fit right into the discussion here. Let me tell you the tale,” Trip piped up. Soval wasn’t sure boring the Andorians to death was the most effective way to stall for time. The plan could backfire and the Andorians kill them out of rage or pity.

*****

T’Pol, Malcolm and the two security officers were beamed one-by-one just within the side entrance blocked by rubble. A quick scan verified that both of the other entrances were guarded by two Andorians each. T’Pol and one of the officers made their way towards one entrance and Malcolm and his partner to the other. The Andorians were easily and efficiently incapacitated with phasers set on stun. The two groups rendezvoused on either side of the entrance to the room where Trip and Soval were being held, the subcommander listening closely to what was occurring in the room. Oddly, it sounded like Commander Tucker was telling a story. Relieved as she was to hear his voice, she hoped he knew what he was doing. She signaled her companions to stand ready.

*******

The Andorians were exchanging puzzled looks about the words coming from the human’s mouth when Soval suddenly heard a sound he hadn’t heard in over 50 years. It was a nearly silent signal he had used to catch his daughter’s attention when she was a child, a noise so subtle most Vulcans couldn’t detect it. He heard it again.

“Commander Tucker, I’m sure the Andorians are fascinated with this story, and I know how you and T’Pol loath for me to interrupt when you are in the middle of giving instruction, but I have to interject one bit of information about my pretty little ears.”

Trip’s head swung towards the Vulcan in sudden comprehension. “By all means, Ambassador, please share.”

“Down,” Soval shouted, startling the Andorians, and the two men fell flat to their stomachs.

Phaser fire erupted and was quickly over. Seven Andorians lay on the ground, stunned into unconsciousness. T’Pol and the security officers rushed to Soval and Trip while Malcolm kept watch at the doorway, using his communicator to tell Rostov to meet them at the front entrance in the shuttle. The officers created a chair with their arms and swooped Soval off his feet, while T’Pol thrust a pistol into Trip’s hands. The group ran through the hall to the front entry just as the shuttlepod landed. The door of the vehicle sprang open, the members of the group scrambled in, and the hatch closed even as Rostov took off.

Malcolm and the two security officers joined Rostov in the front of the vehicle to monitor the Andorian rebel response while T’Pol checked over Trip and Soval at the back.

“The gazelle speech, Commander?” T’Pol demanded almost incredulously when the shuttlepod was safely on its way.

“It was all I could think of at short notice. It just kinda popped into my head.”

“After all the times you have been kidnapped or lost, one would think you would have more experience thinking on your feet. When we get this situation settled, you and I will have long discussions about appropriate responses to hostage situations. You need to learn self-preservation.”

“I’ve only been separated from Enterprise once or twice, T’Pol” Trip told her, looking meaningfully at her then at Soval. “I haven’t had that much experience.”

“Ah, yes, I understand. And is this the second or third time I have come to your rescue?”

Trip wrinkled his nose at her and winked, refusing to be drawn.

“May I remind you, I once saved you on Corridan.”

“No, Commander, you rushed to the planet with no clear plan in mind and you were taken hostage five minutes after you arrived. In the end a combination of factors came together to save me, but you weren’t central to that outcome.”

“Well, I could have saved you if Shran hadn’t thrown that sack over my head. And there is no need for your Vulcan exaggeration – it was longer than 5 minutes. And I did have a plan, it just got torpedoed.”

T’Pol looked at him, pursed her lips together, tilted her head to one side, and shook it at him. Soval silently watched the exchange.

******

The next day T’Pol sought out Trip in the shuttlebay. He was examining the shuttlepod retrieved from Andoria. The rebels had disappeared before the Andorian authorities could reach the compound where Trip and Soval had been held, abandoning the Enterprise vehicle in their rush to escape. The pod hadn’t been harmed by the experience, but Trip was checking to make sure all was well.

“Ambassador Soval has returned to Andoria to resume the negotiations.”

“Ah, what a shame, I was looking forward to dining with him for days to come.”

“He asked me to thank you for your help. He told me you did refuse to let the Andorians separate the two of you and that you provided valuable assistance during the initial conversations. I’m sorry if I sounded critical about your efforts yesterday.”

“Yeah, well I guess I can think on my feet sometimes.”

“Training wouldn’t hurt you, Commander. Getting out of hostile situations isn’t something which comes naturally to anyone. There is no shame in learning techniques. I would feel more…comfortable…knowing you have some skills. The situation you were in with the Andorians was not typical because they used technology no one could have anticipated. The outcome of your experience is that Ambassador Soval will hold high level discussions with the VHC, Starfleet, and the Andorians. Clearly there is an enemy out there determined to cause suspicion and dissent between our worlds. We can only survive if we come together.”

“Who was helping the Andorian rebels?”

“Ambassador Soval has his suspicions, but he wants to have official discussions before making anything public.”

“Ah, well, I was only directly involved. No need for me to know.”

“Perhaps, Commander, if you are willing to learn to conduct yourself effectively in hostage situations, I will tell you what my thoughts on the matter are.”

“Bribery, T’Pol? Tch, tch, how human of you. Oh, and when during our busy days am I supposed to have these lessons?”

“We could meet in the evenings so our work isn’t interrupted.”

“I tend to relax off duty, T’Pol, not go looking for more work. You should learn to relax a little, rather than constantly problem solve.”

“I meditate, Mr. Tucker, and participate in cardio-vascular activities. Those meet my recreational needs.”

“If I have to learn self-defense in my off-hours, you can learn to enjoy other activities besides meditation and exercise.”

T’Pol’s gaze was hard to read, but Trip didn’t see a ‘no’ in her look.

“I want to thank you for taking care of Ambassador Soval. I know you don’t like him, and that you found him difficult to communicate with, but you did make an effort and that…pleases…me.”

“He’s OK. When I met him on Earth, he never acknowledged me, always made me feel invisible.”

“I was unaware you had met the Ambassador before.”

“Yeah, you and him both.”

“Nevertheless, you must have impressed him during the situation, for he asked many questions about you.”

“Like what?” Trip asked suspiciously. “I don’t think I like the idea of him asking any questions about me, let alone many.”

“You just finished complaining that he didn’t pay any attention to you, and now you are complaining he is paying too much?”

“I wanted him to notice the work our team was accomplishing – I have no desire for him to notice me personally. What was he asking?”

“How old you are, how long you have been in Starfleet, what your family is like, if you are serious about your work or never serious, what your plans are for the future…information such as that.”

“Why don’t I just write a biography for him. He never asked me one question about myself when we were away. He only wanted to show me how superior Vulcans are to the poor pathetic humans.”

“Perhaps he is trying to overcome his prejudices and learn about you as an individual. You did help to save his life.”

“Yeah, right. Why do you care so much what Soval thinks, anyway?”

“He is important to me. Perhaps, one day, I’ll explain.”

“Another bribe? What do I have to do to find out?”

Trip could have sworn T’Pol almost smiled at that question.

The End!

Return to Part 6

Back to Fan Fiction Main Menu

Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS!

A whole mess of folks have made comments

I absolutely adore how you wound this all up. The interaction between Trip and Soval, and then Trip and T'Pol was utterly priceless! Well done, many hugs and a great big THANK YOU! Now. Is that bribery enough to get a sequel? Ali D :~)

Really nice ending. Loved the way Soval imparted the 'down!' info and the verbal sparring between T'Pol and Trip was great. Thanks for a great story.

Please develop the Soval, Trip and T'Pol triangle. Loved how you wound it up.

Nicely done, Myst...loved the chat between Trip and T'Pol at the end. I'd like to see this expanded into a sequel, pretty please.

I really like this. And I love how Soval is now taking an interest in Trip. Why??? Maybe you can explain in a sequel?? ;)

Oh delicious. Simply yummy. This post just the wonderful icing on this cake of a story.

You must continue to write about our pair and of course Soval. You've written him superbly.

MORE AND SOON!!! Well told, thanks for writing and sharing.

I love it. The funny thing is that by the end of the story Soval has a better idea of T'Pol's feelings for Trip than Trip does. Asking lots of questions, eh?

Really though, I'd love to see a sequel, with or without Soval. I found T'Pol's insecurities quite interesting. The bit about her age was strange, but telling. I think it'd be interesting for Trip to find out how she thinks he sees her.

I like your showing Soval's thoughts. That is just like him. And the need of Vulcans for sunlight was a nice touch. It is great to round out their biology and culture more. The Trip and Soval, Trip and T'Pol interaction was great.

That was really cool. I really enjoyed this especially since all these different scenarios run through all our heads and you put it really neatly together. Never a boring read. Don't stop, keep them coming.

That was really cool. I really enjoyed this especially since all these different scenarios run through all our heads and you put it really neatly together. Never a boring read. Don't stop, keep them coming.

That was a great little fic. I loved the bantering at the end between Trip & T'Pol.