Searching for Kov - Chapter 2

Searching for Kov

by myst123

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Mystery

T/T 2004 Summer Challenge

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Paramount. No infringement intended.

AN: Thanks to Bucky, the Patient Beta, who is trying to help me make sense of this story and giving me great advice! I hope in the end I can bring it all together. So please bear with the bumps in the road.

AN2: Descriptions of Vulcan from "Spock's World" by Diane Duane, and "Star Trek: New Worlds, New Civilzations," by Michael Jan Friedman. I loved the idea of Vulcan as a place with a social life and appreciation for beauty, but still seen as logical. I'm not sure Vulcan of the 22nd century would be the same, but I used the details anyway!

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Chapter 2

"A trip to Vulcan to search for Kov? What do you think you’ll find on Vulcan?” Malcolm asked.

"I don’t know," Trip replied, "but we didn’t find anything here, so we thought we’d pick up his trail on Vulcan. Somewhere over the past two years he did something to get himself kidnapped, but we don’t know what. He knows something. No ransom note has been sent to his father which could mean that Kov has whatever the kidnappers want, and they don’t need anything else.”

"Isn’t it possible he is just taking a break?"

"Sure, but we scanned the planet for his biosigns and--nothing. There is no record he left on any transport off the planet. We’ve also tried to find the woman he was last seen with, but no luck. No one at the club had ever seen her before and the dim lighting made it hard to get a good description of her. T’Pol is convinced the woman is the key, but we can’t find her based on the sketchy info we have. It could have been Rajiin, or someone of her species, but scans of the planet didn’t pick anything up.”

"I liked Kov," Malcolm said. “Do you remember how he started talking about Vulcans and sex at lunch? Why do you suppose he go onto that topic?" Malcolm asked slyly.

“I don’t know, Malcolm; he was interested in talking about lots of things. He was saying that Vulcans believe humans mate with whomever they wish whenever they wish, eat six meals a day, sleep half the time, and kill each other in a ritual called football. It was all part of a surreal discussion, so I can’t remember why he started talking about Vulcans and sex.”

Malcolm smiled. Trip always started talking too much when he got flustered, and Malcolm was pretty certain Trip was curious enough about a certain Vulcan and her physical desires to ask a member of that species who might actually give a straight answer.

"So, do you want to go with us and help us find Kov?" Trip demanded, returning to the subject under discussion.

“Of course.”

“Good! T’Pol is talking with Phlox to see if he will go as well. We don’t know what we will encounter, but with the four of us we should have a strong team to get the job done.”

"How will we get to Vulcan?"

"We could take one of the regular transports, but Kov's daddy said he would take us in his ship -- which will be faster - and provide us with a Vulcan shuttle once we are there.”

"Who’s going to fly the Vulcan shuttle?" Malcolm asked dubiously.

“I am.”

Malcolm looked slightly apprehensive. Trip glared at him. “How hard can it be? I’ve flown lots of alien ships with no problem. Well, maybe just a few problems.”

“Nothing. Never mind. I’m sure all will be fine," Malcolm reassured his friend. “Yes, I’m sure all will be just fine.”

***

The trip to Vulcan took three days. During the voyage, the four discussed strategy for locating Kov. Although Trip and Malcolm had known about Vulcans their entire lives, they actually knew very little about the society. Vulcans were too intimidating to humans, and few questions were asked because seldom did an inquiry receive a response. Trip had always assumed the Vulcans were too arrogant, but T’Pol informed him that in reality they are very private and that questions are seen as intrusive and violations of what humans might call ‘personal space.’ Because of the Vulcan need for privacy, T’Pol suggested she and Trip assume responsibility for soliciting information. Trip knew the most about Kov and would be the logical person to see clues in reports of his behavior while T’Pol would be able to navigate the nuances of Vulcan communication. Meanwhile Malcolm and Phlox were to do what they could to see if Kov were on the planet by isolating his individual biosigns from the billions of Vulcans present.

Trip and T’Pol had not spoken of matters not connected with the mission to find Kov since their meeting in the 602 Club. Confused by her rapid taking charge of the situation from the outset, after weeks without communication, Trip adopted a wait and see attitude. He was puzzled as to why T’Pol wanted to be involved at all and why she was being so domineering. But she had blown hot and cold on him so much during their time in the expanse and after their return to Earth that he couldn’t guess what motivated her. Rather than struggle against her will, he decided to play along and observe.

T’Pol for her part was finally free from the messy emotions she had brought upon herself with the Trellium D. Soval had brought Yuris to Earth, and, working with Phlox, the doctors were able to heal the damage she had done to herself. In the end, she had to confide in someone who could help, and surprisingly Soval had been supportive. So often in the past Soval’s disapproval had caused her to question her choices that his understanding made a difference now. She felt strong again, and in control, and willing to get what she wanted without Trellium D. Still, she was uncertain what she did want. Commander Tucker had been her reason for using the drug in the first place. She had to understand what she required from him. Initially she had considered the whole harrowing idea of human *dating* to to maintain the…connection… she felt with him, but was relieved when the opportunity to work together presented itself instead. Although she sensed his confusion and wariness, she was determined that she would solve the riddle he posed in her life and make him make sense.

For their part, Malcolm and Phlox were each aware of the undercurrent of emotion between Trip and T’Pol. Malcolm might tease Trip about his interest in all things Vulcan, and Phlox might let T’Pol know he suspected her interest in the Engineer, but neither would discuss the two with anyone else.

Interwoven with these personal feelings was the urgency to find Kov.

****

T’Pol had joined the men in their cabin for a final briefing session when Vulcan came into the viewscreen. T’Pol hadn’t seen her home world in several years, and found herself anticipating the feel of the dry heat and the glow of the red surface. Trip, who hated dry desert heat, was prepared to be miserable. Neither Malcolm nor Phlox had any opinions about desert worlds and were intrigued simply because this was the home world of the most powerful alien species either knew.

T'Khut was just rising as the craft landed on Vulcan. The oppressive orb seemed just an arm reach away, ready to crash into the surface of Vulcan at any moment. Trip had thought a desert world was nightmare enough, but one with a sister planet which seemed always on the brink of collision was something he hadn’t previously considered. He discovered there were worse things than a barren, arid environment.

As they stood on the planet, waiting to be transported to ShariKahr, T’Pol was lost in thought--she hadn’t expected to be affected by her homeworld. Once in the city, Trip, Malcolm and Phlox were intrigued by the number of small parks and fountains of water. Restaurants were also abundant. Trip had imagined that Vulcan cities were full of dwellings with high walls shutting out the rest of society, with no one speaking to or looking at each other. A Vulcan social life was a surprise, but T’Pol explained the restaurants allowed ready sustenance for a busy people, and the water provided soothing atmospheres for breaks in the day. Both were logical. However, he saw no sign of green grass. He remembered asking T’Pol about grass on Vulcan, and how she had ignored his question. Granted, he had been a bit exuberant by his contact with a new alien species at the time, but still, she could have answered him.

Yuris was the first person the four investigators sought out in hopes he would have suggestions for locating Kov’s biosigns amidst the billions on the planet and to ask him about the practices of the V'tosh ka'tur, in case that information proved to be useful. The Vulcan database contained little on the movement, perhaps indicative of a desire to ignore or suppress what is not understood or acceptable.

T’Pol introduced the Vulcan doctor to her colleagues, but Yuris and Phlox kept quiet about their previous meetings. Yuris agreed to work with Phlox and Malcolm to scan the planet for both Kov and any alien lifeform corresponding to a genetically altered Oran'taku. Rajiin had done her best to distract Phlox from his scans after her rescue, but he had managed to compile a genetic profile nonetheless. Yuris was not knowledgeable about the V'tosh ka'tur, but contacted some individuals more likely to have information.

Leaving Malcolm and Phlox to work with Yuris, Trip and T’Pol set out to meet Surn, a scholar of Surak and the historical interpretation of his teachings. They were to meet in a café near the university. Seating themselves, they ordered beverages and waited for Professor Surn to arrive.

“Do you really think Kov’s past with the illogical Vulcans will provide a lead?”

“Kov was a Vulcan without Logic, not an illogical Vulcan.”

"What’s the difference?”

“Logic is the means by which Vulcans control their emotions. A ‘Vulcan without logic’ is one who wants to experience emotion, but believes this can be done in conjunction with the teachings of Surak. To the majority of Vulcans, that means acting without logic, or abandoning logic as the method of self-control.”

"But it’s not being illogical.”

“No.”

“Okayyyy,” Trip responded, baffled.

“You are illogical, but that is because you allow your emotions to rule your decisions. Once your emotional well-being is satisfied, you can act logically and effectively.”

“Oh yeah? Like when?”

“In our first year of working together, you repeatedly refused to leave Captain Archer behind, despite the fact that we were risking the whole ship to save the one. Once you were assured he would not be left behind, you were able to work effectively.”

“You know T’Pol, when you talk like that you are so cold-blooded I can’t even look at you. How can you say that? Especially when, with both of us working together, so many times we were able to save him. Without us, he died by himself. I know if we had been nearby we could have rescued him before the sphere detonated.”

“That is illogical. We may not have been able to save him. You are not using logic to analyze the situation, you are exhibiting an emotional reaction.’

“I don’t want to talk to you about this any more.”

“You are being emotional and illogical.”

“Where is Surn, anyway?” Trip demanded, looking around as though he would recognize the man as opposed to any of the other hundreds of Vulcan men in the vicinity.

Miraculously, an older Vulcan man wearing traditional Vulcan robes to accommodate the extreme dry heat, approached the table and addressed them by name.

“T’Pol and Commander Tucker,” the stranger said without inflection.

“Yes,” T’Pol responded. “Professor Surn.”

“Yes.”

“Join us.”

“Tea,” Surn ordered from the attendant, who brought it without delay.

Trip found all this certainty and efficiency very annoying. Maybe it was irrational, but he felt the urge to say ‘no’ when his identity was so unquestionably declared and expected, just to see what Surn would do when confronted with an unexpected turn of events. But Trip also realized that the odds of a Vulcan woman and a human male sitting in that café not being himself and T’Pol were remote, so that both Surn and T’Pol would have looked at him with pity rather than bewilderment. He felt he couldn’t win against the Vulcan logic machine.

“You inquired about the V’tosh ka’tur,” Surn stated.

“Yes,” Trip responded. “A friend of mine was a member until about two years ago. He left the group to see his ailing father, and hasn’t returned to that life. He disappeared from Earth about 10 days ago. We don’t know if his disappearance has anything to do with his former life, but we have very little to go on, and so are not excluding anything.”

Surprisingly, Surn was not critical or dismissive of the V’tosh ka’tur. “These individuals are returning to the text of Surak, seeking to know his meaning directly from his teachings rather than through the interpretation of our elders. Such inquiry keep Surak's philosophy essential and insightful.”

“They are dangerous,” T’Pol said flatly. “They seek to harm using Surak’s teachings, not to become *better* Vulcans.”

“That is not my experience with these people. Most are gentle and curious, individuals who value their Vulcan heritage but find the current interpretation of Surak stifling and narrow.”

“You speak pretty freely for a Vulcan. Aren’t you afraid you will be punished?” Trip asked.

Both T’Pol and Surn looked at Trip with the puzzlement he had wished for earlier. “Vulcans do not punish their citizens.”

“What would happen if you didn’t live by the societal strictures?”

“Such a Vulcan would be ostracized, but not punished.”

“Funny, to humans, being ostracized is a form of punishment. Anyway, Kov wasn’t dangerous to anyone. He was a complete gentleman, very kind and calm. He was upset with his father, but the two made peace and have a strong relationship now. Why do you say they are dangerous, T’Pol?”

“Some use the philosophy of the V’tosh ka’tur to exploit others who may be tempted to explore their own emotions.”

“Do you think Kov is being exploited by someone in the V’tosh ka’tur, then?” Trip asked, confused by T’Pol’s perception of these non-illogical-but-without-logic Vulcans.

“I have not heard of this exploitation you mention, T’Pol,” Surn said. “What examples do you have to cite, and do you see a connection with the disappearance of Kov?”

“Professor Surn, please continue with you explanation of the V’tosh ka’tur,” T’Pol requested, avoiding a response to their queries.

“I can see no reason why Kov would be abducted because of his earlier beliefs.”

“Maybe Kov didn’t abandon his beliefs. If not, would that pose a threat to anyone?”

Surn raised a brow thoughtfully. “Perhaps. If he were a practicing V’tosh ka’tur in the midst of traditional Vulcans, he could be perceived as a source of contamination and even a threat to destroy our society.”

“Kov? He wouldn’t hurt a fly! Who would believe such a thing?’

Surn and T’Pol looked at each other. “The Isolationists,” they chorused together.

TBC

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Myst, your are doing a great job here... this story is very interesting! I love it! Please give us more soon... Bucky may be a patient beta but I certainly am not a patient reader. LOL

Nice job. I like this story, and I've really gotten into it with this chapter.

I like your set up regarding the dynamic of T and T's relationship. Great stuff.

Isolationists? My...something new on which to chew. Excellent.

Great addition. I was hooked from the beginning... so, what ever you're doing keep doing it. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Great addition. I was hooked from the beginning... so, what ever you're doing keep doing it. Looking forward to the next chapter.

The mystery builds and I just love it that you have also drawn in Malcolm and Dr Phlox. Malcolm's teasing of Trip was funny and very in character and I can't help feeling T'Pol is holding a whole lot more back than her real reason for wanting to help Trip find Kov. Can't wait for the next part, just hope nothing happens to hurt Kov. Ali D :~)

He he, Vulcan Isolationist. Will you be mentioning the Stone of Gol or not? :-)

I'm enjoying this immensely. Can I please, please, please, have the next chapter soon!?!

Beautiful! I sooo love the T/T-dialogues. And what´ll T´Pol do? Hm, suspense, suspense. To quote Clicks:

Can I please, please, please, have the next chapter soon!?!

Your description of the city, with its restaurants and fountains, sounds similar to the description in "Spock's World." Have you read the book?

Like the dynamic developing between T'Pol and Trip, not to mention Malcolm and Phlox. So glad they could come along for the ride.

Can't wait for more.

Yikes! Yes, Phaser Lady, "Spock's World" is where I got the info on fountains and restaurants, and I meant to credit the work. Drat - I forgot! I also found interesting descriptions of Vulcan and T'Khut in "Star Trek: New Worlds, New Civilizations." I've added an author's note. Thanks!

having finally seen Fusion, I understand this now and great job! ;)
keep it up!