Enemy of the State-Ch 18

Enemy of the State

By Quills

Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com
Series: ENT
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story.
Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure.
Summary: The starship Enterprise is on a desperate mission to save Earth from the mysterious Xindi. While searching for the weapon the Xindi intend to use against Earth, Captain Archer and his crew are reunited with their friend from the future, Captain Soma, who brings news of an even more sinister plot by a Xindi faction involving the Vulcans, which threatens not only Earth, but the entire galaxy. Now it is up to Archer and his crew, with the help of Soma, to unravel the Xindi plot and prevent Earth and the galaxy from falling at the feet of their greatest threat…Vulcan.
***Special note: This story takes place after the season three episode, “Carpenter Street”, but before the episode “Harbinger”.

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Chapter 18

The gentle breeze of the warm night air blew the desert sand across the stone walkways of the garden. The dark reddish purple sky hung overhead. It was late in the hour and few travelers came through the stone filled city courtyards after dark or else they would witness a site seen by few, either Vulcan or any other race.

Dry air began to crackle as if charged with electricity. The sound permeates through the small courtyard of stone edifices. After several moments, a low hum joins in the cacophony of electric noise, and a dark opening cuts through the night air. Like a black hole, the opening hangs in the air, a dark emptiness. Unlike those dark celestial voids from which nothing escapes, this black void discharged an object from its inky darkness…a would-be traveler.

Archer landed on the sandy ground just beyond the cobblestone walkway. Stumbling momentarily, he felt lightheaded. An effect he attributed to the travel corridor. Moving forward, he felt a hand grab his arm, steadying him. Turning, he saw Soma smiling at him.

“You all right, sir?”

Archer swallowed, nodding his head. “Just a little lightheaded.”

“Yes, I’d say Commander Tucker and his crew didn’t get all the bugs worked out of the system.”

A sudden noise caused both men to turn abruptly. Looking behind them, they both relaxed their guard when they saw it was only T’Pol exiting the void. She looked at Archer and Soma, taking a deep breath.

“That was…unsettling.”

Soma shot her a mischievous grin, which she wisely chose to ignore.

“Where the hell are we?” said Archer, rubbing his temple. He could feel the dull throbbing of a headache coming on, another parting gift from the Preserver technology.

“Looks like an unoccupied courtyard or park,” said Soma, noticing several smaller stone formations that he took for benches. “It would seem random luck decided to favor us this time.”

”The surroundings do not appear familiar,” said T’Pol as she looked around the courtyard. She noticed the large, stone monoliths scattered throughout the clearing. They looked immensely old. Possibly from some proto-Vulcanian era, when her people practiced such baseless worship as idolatry. Looking past the clearing, T’Pol noticed a small cluster of Yenz trees - palm tree like flora native to Vulcan. They were rather small for Yenz trees, she noted. The native Vulcan tree usually grew much taller in a thriving natural environment. But looking beyond the trees, T’Pol saw something quite un-natural to Vulcan’s skyline…buildings…tall buttresses of metal reaching up to the night sky.

“Agreed,” said Soma, looking past his mother at the tall constructs. “Whatever balance Vulcan had between high technology and primitivism is absent, if these sky scrappers are any indication.”

“See what you can pick up on your scanner,” said Archer, looking around the small clearing. He had never been to Vulcan. The thought of seeing it for the first time, like this, caused a feeling of profound regret in the captain. For all his negative feelings towards them, Archer had a great deal of respect for such an old culture.

“Heavy industrialization,” said Soma, studying the scanner display. “Urban development stretches out nearly fifty kilometers in every direction.”

“That’s a lot of area to cover,” said Archer. “See if you can tap into any computer nets or information databases.”

Soma tapped several keys on the palm-sized unit. Frowning, he tapped several more, which caused his frown to deepen. “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head.

“It may simply be that the device does not ‘speak the language’,” suggested T’Pol.

“Then we have to move to a more populated area,” said Archer.

Soma looked at Archer. “Do you think that’s wise, captain?”

“We need to situate ourselves. The best place to find information would be areas frequented by people.”

Soma glanced at T’Pol. “He’d make a good Vulcan.”

T’Pol merely responded with an arched brow. She knew better than to add ammunition to Jonathan’s already ample arsenal of wit.

“Maybe in the next life,” quipped Archer “One more thing, let’s drop the rank. We don’t need to attract any more attention to ourselves than normal. We’ll just go by our first names, and for obvious reasons, you two handle the talking.”

Nodding, Soma pulled out his palm size disruptor, checking the setting. “Fully charged.”

Archer gave Soma a mock arched brow. Soma made Lieutenant Reed’s paranoid safety seem lax in comparison.

“Stranger’s in a strange land, Jon.”

Archer shook his head in agreement, and reaching into his sleeve, pulled out his own disruptor. Checking the setting, he noted his unit was also still fully charged. The Preserver’s corridor may have disrupted his stomach, but it didn’t appear to have any ill effects on their equipment.

Soma put his disruptor back inside his coat. Glancing at T’Pol, he gave her a sudden quizzical look, when he noticed she was checking her disruptor. “Where in the seven provinces of Sahkar were you keeping that? You barely have enough room between that outfit and your skin for air to fit through.”

Archer wasn’t sure what Soma’s cryptic reference was, but “Sahkar” sounded Vulcan, so he assumed it was some provincial phrase equivalent to “where in the world”. But Archer found he was less interested in what Soma had said than in what had captured the man’s attention. He was right. There wasn’t any obvious place for T’Pol to conceal her disruptor. Where had she been hiding the thing?

T’Pol looking at Soma, she was still holding the disruptor weapon in her hand. “That is none of your concern,” she replied tersely.

Soma made a frowning expression as he glared at her. “I’m not a little boy anymore mother.”

T’Pol’s brows went up and she quickly looked from her son to the captain. Studying Archer, she was surprised to see a complete absence of shock or bewilderment on the captain’s face. In fact, the look on his face was quite unexpected. He was smiling.

“He already knows, mother.”

T’Pol turned to Soma for a moment and then back to Archer. The captain was still smiling, but gave her a slight sympathetic nod in acknowledgment.

“I see,” replied T’Pol straightening. Looking at Archer, she addressed the captain. “How long have you known?”

Archer glanced at Soma. The Vulcan rolled his eyes sympathetically, giving a shrug. “I found out while in command of the Enterprise-C.” Archer thought it best not to divulge that it was Ensign Mayweather’s future self who had relayed the story of Soma’s origin to him. Things were complicated enough.

Archer watched as T’Pol studied him. He wondered what she was thinking. Was she embarrassed? Upset? He knew she would never admit to having such a reaction, but he suspected that his knowing about her relationship with Soma, as well as Trip, made her uncomfortable. The fact that he had kept his knowledge a secret wasn’t a matter of privacy as it was secrecy. He wasn’t sure who knew about Soma and it wasn’t his place to reveal it.

“I’m sorry… I would have told you I knew, but I wasn’t sure that you knew.”

T’Pol considered what Archer said. She trusted her captain. He had proven on numerous occasions that he cared for her well being. His choice not to divulge his knowledge of her son was unnecessary, but was done with the best of intentions.

“It’s all right,” she replied. “You didn’t know that I was already aware. You’re effort was unnecessary…but you’re intention is appreciated.”

Archer gave her a smile, shaking his head. Turning, he looked at Soma. The Vulcan was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Immensely.”

Archer shook his head. “Who else knows?”

Soma’s smile disappeared as he considered the question. “Yourself…mother…and Doctor Phlox.”

Soma looked at T’Pol for confirmation. She nodded in acknowledgment as Archer glanced between the two Vulcans.

“Trip doesn’t know?”

“No.”

Archer gave Soma a surprised look. His response wasn’t wholly unexpected, but Archer had hoped for more than a one-word reply.

Shaking his head, Archer focused on the task-at-hand. If Soma didn’t want to tell his father who he was, then that was his business. Right now, they had a mission to complete and time was not on their side.

“Give us a heading,” said Archer. “Nearest populated area.”

Soma looked down at his scanner, searching for bio-readings. Turning to his left, he looked towards a stone path between two large stone monoliths. Studying the display for a moment, he nodded his head.

“That direction,” he said pointing up the path. “Less than five hundred meters and it opens onto a larger adjoining pathway. There’s a large concentration of bio-readings: Vulcan, Terellian, Klingon as well as several unidentifiable. It might be a street or pavilion of some kind.”

Heading up the path, the search team proceeded, passing between several large stone slabs. Glancing at them, Soma was reminded of the ancient stone monoliths of the Kolti desert, in Vulcan’s southern region. Remembering how impressive they looked. His grandfather, Soval, had made a point in educating Soma in the ancient history and lore of his Vulcan heritage. It was something Soma had always shared with the recalcitrant ambassador; an interest in Vulcan’s past.

Approaching the end of the path, Soma could hear the sounds of people up ahead. From the volume, he imagined a large number of them. Stopping, he motioned Archer and T’Pol over to him.

“Jon, let me continue on. I can see exactly what we can expect.”

Archer considered Soma’s suggestion. They were pressed for time, which meant they didn’t have the luxury of playing it safe. On the other hand, they didn’t have any idea where they were or what to expect on this Vulcan. Caution seemed the best option…at least for now.

“All right,” replied the captain, “scout ahead and then come right back. No unnecessary risks. Clear?”

“Clear.”

Soma turned, moving further up the path. Archer watched as he disappeared into the dark enclosed walkway. Sighing, he glanced at T’Pol. The look of concern was evident. He had become fairly adept at reading her expressions. The one she currently wore, was definitely concern. He’d seen it displayed for him on more than a few occasions. Particularly when she believed he was endangering himself unnecessarily.

“He’ll be all right,” said the captain.

T’Pol turned and looked at him, but said nothing. There wasn’t anything to say. They were in a dangerous line of work. They each understood what that entailed. The fact that Soma was her son did not change that fact. He was an exemplary starship commander and had proven his ability to deal with unexpected and challenging circumstances.

Yes, he will be all right,she reminded herself.

T’Pol looked at Archer, and was about to speak when they heard Soma call out. Looking up the path, they saw him standing at the mouth of the archway. He waved his hand, motioning them to come up. Moving quickly, they headed up the stone path stopping once they reached Soma.

“What did you find?” asked the captain.

“It’s some kind of street,” replied Soma. “There are a number people traveling in either direction as well as a large number of ground transports.”

Archer’s brow furrowed. “Military?”

“I don’t believe so. They look more like personal, civilian transports.” Soma glanced down the corridor. “There seems to be a number of proprietary establishments.”

“They may be able to supply the information we need,” suggested T’Pol. “If we approach them in an indirect manner, they may simply conclude that we are travelers.”

“All right,” said Archer shaking his head. “We’ll join the crowd…try to blend in.” Pointing through the corridor, he motioned Soma to take the lead; nodding, Soma started walking through the corridor, followed by T’Pol, with Archer bringing up the rear.

Approaching the opening at the opposite end of the corridor, Soma halted. Turning, he checked to make sure his companions were ready. A silent nod from each gave him his answer and they proceeded onto the busy walkway.

The first thing Archer noticed was how busy the walkways and street was. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was in New York’s, Times Square or San Fransisco’s, Chinatown; anyplace but Vulcan. The bright lighting panels lit up the walkways, which teamed with people from dozens of worlds.

“This appears to be a well traveled area,” said T’Pol.

“Let’s just keep moving,” replied the captain.

They continued up the street, moving with the flow of traffic. Looking about, Archer noticed a number of non-Vulcan species; most of which he had never seen before. They all seemed to be in a hurry, but judging from their clothing, Archer concluded they were part of an upper class or those who did business with an elite class in a stratified society. He also noticed the manner and dress of many of his fellow travelers. Many were in eveningwear, while others were barely wearing anything at all.

Maybe Vulcan and humans aren’t so different after all,” he thought. ”Similar circumstances breeds similar responses.

Feeling a hand touch his arm, Archer turned towards T’Pol.

She nodded her head in the direction she wished him to direct his attention too. “Jon…I believe that is an information panel.

Archer looked at the illuminated display screen mounted into a gray wall unit. The appearance was very utilitarian, and in stark contrast to the brighter and more material looking shops and dwellings surrounding it.

“Let’s have a look.”

Carefully, they wandered over to the display board. There was already a Klingon male and what T’Pol assumed was what Commander Tucker once referred to as a…lady of the evening. She was dressed in a loose fitting, opaque purple dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Trying to appear as casual as possible, T’Pol glanced at the screen. She noticed several windows on the display, each one in a different language. Though she wasn’t as well versed in languages as Ensign Sato, she could make out some of the Klingon script she saw scrolling across the screen. It was an information portal.

Nodding at Archer and Soma, she signaled them to remain close while she waited to access the machine. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see a gridded map displayed on the screen.

That will be useful, she thought.

Once the Klingon and his companion had finished, T’Pol moved to the console. Studying the display configuration, she pressed what she believed was the interface control. The unit instantly responded with several rows of text in varying languages. She immediately noticed at the top of the list was Vulcan…and just below it was Xindi. A reptile dialect if she wasn’t mistaken. Tapping the control, she selected the Vulcan language, and proceeded to the next screen.

Archer and Soma watched T’Pol from several feet away. They both kept scanned the street and walkways for any sign of trouble. Although they were confident that their presence was unknown, how long that would remain was another question.

“Jon, look,” said Soma pointing to travel car that had stop along the walkway. Archer noticed the metallic vehicle. It didn’t seem as stylized as the others they had seen. Watching the two Vulcan males that had exited the vehicle, the captain saw one of them hand a silver strip to the driver.

“It’s some kind of public transport,” said Archer. “Maybe a taxi cab?”

“And they’re using some form of hard currency.”

T’Pol approached them, and noticed they were observing something or someone.

“You’ve seen something?”

“They use money,” said Soma. “We just saw someone paying another man with a silver strip.”

T’Pol raised her brow. “Yes, it is one of several hard currencies accepted,” she explained. “It is referred to as pressed latinum, and comes in several rare and exotic metals of varying worth.”

“What else did you find out?” asked Archer.

“We are in the city of ShirKahr.”

Archer looked at her questioningly. She said the name as if he should recognize it, but it didn’t appear to have any meaning to him.

“In our time period, it is a major center for learning,” she explained

“I’d say a few things have been added to the curriculum,” said Soma as he eyed two Vulcan females in tight fitting outfits walk by. They gave him a mischievous grin as they walked by. Shaking his head, he looked back at T’Pol. “What else did you get?”

“We are in the Han district. The information portal said it was a place of questionable entertainment and activities.”

“Red light district,” said Archer.

This time T’Pol gave him a questioning look.

Archer shook his head. “Consult linguistics when we get back to the ship.”

Looking towards the street, Archer saw something that caught his attention. Another transport vehicle pulled up to the walkway several meters in front of them. The vehicle was not the simple design they had seen a few minutes earlier. This one was stylized and quite ornate. Watched for the occupant to exit, he was surprised to see a rather heavy-set middle-aged Vulcan male. Most of the Vulcans he had ever met were tall and rather wiry. He had only met one that qualified as overweight. It was in stark contrast to the Vulcan notion of logic and discipline, but Archer reminded himself that those values didn’t apply.

Watching the Vulcan, Archer immediately noticed the small brown bag the man pulled from his coat. It was no larger than the palm of his hand, but he could see it was full…of latinum. Those strips of metal he and Soma had seen the other Vulcan use for currency.

Archer leaned close to Soma. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Soma looked in the direction Archer was pointed. He studied the portly Vulcan for a moment before he noticed what was in his hand. Immediately, he knew what the captain was suggesting,

“Could be risky,” replied Soma “We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves.”

“We’re going to need money.”

“All right,” said Soma, with a nod. “We’ll need a distraction.”

“I’ll handle that,” said Archer. “You just follow my lead. T’Pol, stay back…keep us covered in case anything goes wrong.”

Nodding, T’Pol moved her hand so both Archer and Soma could see that she was holding her disruptor.

Breaking off from their group, Archer moved towards the Vulcan patron. He could see the man was moving towards him, walking cane in hand. He would have to be careful. He remembered that Vulcans were much stronger than humans, and that cane could do some serious damage if the Vulcan was of the mind to use it. Maneuvering himself, he made sure he would move right past the Vulcan. As the man approached, Archer turned suddenly, looking at Soma.

“I’m sorry master,” he shouted repeatedly in a whining, submissive tone, attracting attention from passers bye.

Soma looked at Archer and rolled his eyes. Oh brother, pad you’re part Jon.

Archer continued his rant of apologies as he backed away from Soma, bowing as he did so. Glancing behind him, he made sure he was moving right towards his mark. Seeing the man attempt to move around him, Archer suddenly whirled around, colliding with the portly Vulcan, sending them both careening to the ground.

The Vulcan let out a cry as Archer landed on top of him. Several people stopped to point and several even laughed at the spectacle, but no one bothered to interrupt it.

Quickly, Soma ran to Archer’s side. Grabbing the captain by the collar, he pulled him of the Vulcan in a violent fashion, enough to convince onlookers, but not enough to hurt Archer.

“Insolent dog,” shouted the Vulcan as he tried to get up.

Pushing Archer aside, Soma grabbed the man’s arms and hoisted him up.

“You-“ said the Vulcan, pointing at Archer.

“Please, it was an accident,” said Archer, submissively.

The man raised his arm, the heavy walking stick in his hand. Moving towards Archer it was clear he intended to strike the captain what could very well be a fatal blow.

Quickly, Soma came between his friend and the angry Vulcan. Grabbing the man’s hand, he forced him to stop.

“My apologies sir, I assure you that he will be punished.”

“See here-“

“Sir, there is no need for you to deal with him,” said Soma slyly. “After all…a man of your obvious importance shouldn’t have to deal with a common slave…should he?”

“Well I-“

Raising his hand in supplication, he gave the man a congenial smile. “I will see to this…animal’s punishment, and I assure you…it will befit his insolence.”

The man stared at Archer for a moment. Archer, kept his head bowed and his mouth shut. Looking back at Soma, the Vulcan nodded. “I should hope so. Now…if you’ll kindly step aside, I have very important...business, and I don’t wish to be delayed any further. ”

For a moment, Soma glared at the man. He detested elitists, and the man’s smug, superior attitude was dripping with elitist snobbery. But he had a mission, and it didn’t involve teaching uppity Vulcans lessons in proper etiquette. Nodding congenially, he stepped aside. Turning, the Vulcan started walking up the street.

Glancing around him, Archer noticed, with the excitement now over, the curious and bemused onlookers went back to their business. Walking up to Soma, Archer noticed he was watching the portly Vulcan, as he continued on his way.

“And drop dead on your way, while you’re at it,” he said quietly.

Archer stifled a chuckle. “Did you get it?”

Soma, kept his eyes on the Vulcan as he touched his hand to the breast of his coat, patting the contents of his inner pocket.

As T’Pol approached, Soma glanced over at her. “Well, what did you think mother? Not bad for a couple of amateurs.”

T’Pol’s brow went up as she shook her head. “You two are both on your way to becoming part of this cities criminal element.”

Soma and Archer looked at each. They both recognized the beginning of one of T’Pol’s lectures on the evils of loose morals.

Clearing his throat, Archer leaned close as he spoke. “As I recall, you helped me rob a automated money machine when we were in Detroit.”

Soma looked at T’Pol in mock shock. “Is that true?”

T’Pol looked at Soma briefly before turning away. “Yes…but we only did so out of necessity.”

“Way to go mom!”

T’Pol turned abruptly, giving Soma a piercing stare. In response, he flashed her a full smile, causing her stare to quickly fade.

Making a mental note, T’Pol decided she would have to make a greater effort to not allow her son’s abundance of personality to so easily sway her. She had found it ironic that even she was susceptible to her son’s charming nature; although, she had no doubts as to where he got it. Perhaps it wasn’t so ironic that she was so easily charmed, after all…his father had much the same effect…to her constant dismay.

TBC…

Chapter 19

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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Charming nature, indeed :) Must be in the Tucker genes...

Thanks for the great chapter!

"Way to go mom!" :sigh: I wonder why my mom won't steal money? Soma is so damn lucky! :(

^^Hopefully no one thought I was serious about that.... :)

Thanks for another great chapter. More?
:-)

Awesome chapter! Archer and Some played that elitist Vulcan like a fiddle, hehe.

Archer's a pretty good actor so it seems... I wonder why he never thought of a career in acting.

...lady of the evening...LOL, nearly there T'Pol!

Great chapter, so glad to see that Soma's still doing everything his Dad would.

I just thought of a question Quills... so just where WAS she keeping that disruptor?!

Use your imagination. ;)
Q

"Way to go mom!"-lol
"I'm not a little boy anymore mother."-lol. He doesn't understand: In his mother's eyes, he'll always be here son.
Charming nature indeed.
Fabulous chapter, as usual. Can't wait for more.

^^ Quills... believe me! You do NOT want my to use my imagination on this! :)

^^ by my imagination it was in her bra. its where my m8s bb gun hides when i'm steling it........ Am i right? Cant w8 for more, good 2 c a vulcan with tucker genes its funny... Loevely chapter

soz for the spelling mistakes,i'm a tight arsed brit with little emotion and an amazing lack of ability with the language. Hope it all makes sense still...

Also i;m a girl so no1 call me malcolm i get enough of it at skool. n i know my school mates sumtimes come here so if they leave comments dont blame me

MALCOLM!!!!!!!!! LOL Sorry Neo Getz but I just can't resist these things! I am very sorry... it was just how I was raised! :D

i spend 48 hours a week being called that every 5 mins in class then i have 1hour 30 a day from my friends @ break time, i can take friendly teasing.