Sibling Rivalry - Ch 3

Sibling Rivalry: Soma vs. Lorian

By Quills

Contact: quills@thequillpen.net
Series: ENT
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story.
Codes: A Captain Soma Adventure
Summary: Two brothers from two different time lines meet for the first time in a bid to save the future.

Chapter 3

Soma followed Lorian down the corridor. He was uncertain where his counterpart was leading him. Lorian had said that there was “someone you should meet”, but Soma was at a loss as to whom it could be. He certainly didn’t know any of the crew, and was at a loss as to why Lorian would wish to introduce him to one of them. The man remained an enigma to him, and Soma decided that he might very well have met his match when it came to being elusive. Lorian had certainly managed to avoid answering Soma’s question, regarding his dislike for him. He purposefully maneuvered their conversation in such a way, that Soma ended up giving more information than he had received. He found himself no closer to understanding his temporal brother, and it unsettled him. He disliked mysteries; particularly when they concerned him.

Soma glanced around the corridor. They were on “G” deck, guest quarters, or at least he remembered guest quarters being on “G” deck. No doubt, Archer and Lorian had implemented a number of changes over the one hundred and seventeen years that the Enterprise had been operating as a generational ship. He had already seen a number of ship systems where alien hardware had been grafted to Starfleet equipment. It may have been unsettling for Soma, but it was far from a surprise. In fact, Soma was impressed by the ingenuity and determination of the generations that had made this Enterprise their home.

Paying more attention to his surroundings than Lorian, Soma fell behind several meters. Noticing Lorian turning down a corner, he hurried to catch up. Once he followed him into the turnoff, Soma came to a halt. The turnoff was only a meter deep, and Lorian was standing outside a doorway.

“Go in,” said Lorian, motioning towards the door.

Soma gave him a confused look. “Just like that?”

“Yes”

Soma’s brow furrowed. He was growing tired of being the object of whatever game Lorian was playing. “Will you at least tell me who is in there?”

This time Lorian looked surprised. For a moment, he thought Soma was kidding, but quickly realized that he was quite serious. “You really don’t know, do you?”

He shook his head in annoyance, “I would think that was obvious.”

For the first time since Soma had met him, Lorian smiled at him. It was more like a grin, and it made him feel uneasy. He was quite certain that Lorian had just found something out, and damned if he didn’t enjoy keeping him in the dark.

“Go in captain,” said Lorian. “Our time is limited. When you’re finished, I’ll be on the cargo deck.”

Walking past Soma, Lorian headed down the corridor. Soma was tempted to go after him, but decided that it would be a waste of time. If he wanted answers, he had a better chance of finding them on the other side of that door. Reaching out, he touched the access control. The door slid open, and he hesitantly stepped through. Immediately his senses registered an old familiarity. The air had a sweet, pungent odor. He quickly identified it as the subtle burning of incense and the fresh, antiseptic clean smell that reminded him of childhood days. Almost instantly, he made a connection to the familiar smell and his childhood. A shudder went down his spine. The room was dark, with only three candles providing illumination, but he could see a form on the far side of the room, a silhouette in the low lighting of the flickering candles. Hesitantly, he stepped forward, uncertain if he should approach the figure. If it was whom he believed, then she hadn’t seen him in over one hundred years.

Soma licked his lips. Swallowing, he tried to clear the dryness from his mouth. Parting his lips, he called out weakly.

“Mother?”

For a moment, Soma watched and waited. Nervously, he wondered if she had heard him. He was about to call out again, when the figure moved, turning slowly. Listening, Soma heard a hushed whispered response.

“Jonathan?”

Nodding slowly, he let out a sigh, “Yes.”

Standing, the figure turned, revealing herself in the light. The long shadows of the candlelight hid most of her features, but Soma didn’t need to see her to know it was T’Pol…his mother. Stepping forward, he moved into the candlelight.

“Jonathan,” she gasped.

Slowly, she reached out, moving towards him. Frail from age, she could only take short steps as she tried to reach him. Fearing she might fall, Soma rushed forward. Reaching out, he took her arm, supporting her fragile body.

T’Pol looked up at him questioningly. “Is it really you?”

“It’s really me,” he smiled.

Collapsed into his arms, Soma grabbed her quickly, pulling her close. Leaning against him, she allowed her head to rest gently on his chest. Holding him tight, she shook her head in disbelief.

“My son…my son,” she said in a hoarse voice. “I never thought I would see you again.”

Resting his chin gently against her head, he felt her hug him tight. Smiling, he slipped his arms around her, gently holding her. He felt himself being overwhelmed, and to his surprise, a tear slid down his cheek. In his reality, his mother was still alive. He had seen her only a few weeks before. But somehow, he felt as if he hadn’t seen her in a hundred years. Looking up at him, T’Pol saw the tears rolling down his cheek. Reaching up, she gently brushed them away.

“That’s the second time I’ve seen you cry.”

He nodded, looking away in embarrassment. “You have that affect on me, mother.”

T’Pol shook her head. “After all this time…how are you here?”

“How else,” he laughed. “A chance encounter with a temporal anomaly.”

T’Pol shook her head. “It would seem that they conspire to bring us together,” she said, patting her hand against his chest.

“Only this time, you’ve come to me,” he said. “You’re in the twenty fourth century.”

“Then the Xindi were stopped?”

“Yes, Captain Archer and factions of the Xindi joined forces and defeated the Sphere-builders. They were the true threat. The Xindi were merely pawns in a larger game. With their help, your mission was accomplished.”

T’Pol looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

“Is that all?” said Soma, unable to hide his surprise. “You’re taking all of this rather calmly.”

“At my age, it’s best,” she said turning away.

T’Pol moved to her desk and Soma followed, holding his arm out for her. Waving him off, she turned and gave him a glaring look.

“I’m not an invalid Jonathan,” she said with a hint of annoyance. “Not yet.”

Walking to her desk, she glanced over her shoulder. “So how did you find me?”

“Lorian,” said Soma. “He said there was someone I should meet.”

T’Pol responded with a nod. Sitting at her desk, she leaned over, resting her hand against the computer controls. Slowly, the lighting in the room began to brighten. Not fully, but just enough to chase the long shadows from their faces.

“There,” said T’Pol, “That’s better.”

Turning, she looked up at Soma. Gazing at him, a hint of a smile flickered across her lips.

“Just as I remembered you,” she said. “It’s been a long time.”

Soma nodded. “Over a hundred years.”

“One hundred and seventeen years, two months, six days and twelve hours,” corrected T’Pol.

Smiling, he shook his head. “I didn’t think you were still alive.”

T’Pol looked at him in surprise. “No one told you?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I didn’t know until I walked into this room. If Lorian hadn’t insisted, I probably would have never known. I was aware that the Enterprise encountered an alternate timeline version of itself. You and dad told me about it, but neither of you ever mentioned that you were still alive. Did you meet your…younger self?”

“We met,” replied T’Pol.

Soma’s curiosity was peaked. He wanted to know what the two versions of his mother might have said to one another, but decided against it. If she had wanted to volunteer that information, then she would have. Her short response was all Soma needed to tell him that it wasn’t his business.

“Did you meet Dad, as well?”

T’Pol shook her head. “Captain Archer had offered to have Trip visit me…but I told him it would have been awkward,” she said with a low sigh. “In truth, I didn’t want him to see me like this…old and gray…but he wouldn’t have cared how I looked.”

She stared at Soma, shaking her head.

“You look so much like him.”

Soma knew what she meant by that. He knew that her Charles Tucker had died, much earlier than his own father. That was something his father had told him. He knew his mother would never openly show her grief, but he recognized her pain. He considered saying something sympathetic and understanding, but if this T’Pol was anything thing like his own then she wouldn’t have wanted it.

“He never seemed to notice,” smiled Soma.

T’Pol nodded. “I didn’t either, the first time.”

“Well…as I recall…the first time you and I met, we didn’t exactly see eye to eye.”

T’Pol looked at Soma for a moment; a sadness seemed to creep into her features. Soma thought he might have gone too far in his attempt at levity; it was a character flaw he had never attempted to correct.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt,” she said. “How…proud I was of you. I thought I would have the time…but-.”

“It’s all right,” he said, shaking his head. “I always knew.”

“Your father…did he…did he see you grow into the man we both knew?”

He smiled, nodding his head again. “Yes, he lived a long and happy life…with you.”

T’Pol nodded. “Good…he was a good man…a good husband…and a good father.”

Soma looked at his mother hesitantly. He knew she was referring to Lorian, and it didn’t bother him. In this reality, Lorian was their son. He had no doubt that they loved Lorian as much as his own parents had loved him. His uncertainty lay in the question he desperately wished to ask her, concerning Lorian.

“Mother…I-I want to ask you something.”

T’Pol shook her head. “Lorian?”

Soma was surprised, but not unduly. He had always considered his mother to be very perceptive. “When he looks at me…I don’t know,” he sighed. “The man despises me, mother.”

T’Pol nodded slowly. “Jonathan…did you know about Lorian before today?”

“Yes, you and…your alternate selves told me when I was ten. They thought I was old enough to understand that in an alternate reality they had, had another son.” He could see her staring at him. She had his answer. He could see it in her eyes, but he also saw a profound sadness. “You know why…don’t you?”

She didn’t respond, but nodded in acknowledgment.

Soma’s eyes went wide. “Tell me…I think I have a right to know.”

Reaching for a brown teapot on her table, she poured a cup for herself. “Would you care for some?”

“As long as it isn’t that awful chamomile stuff you used to drink.”

“You never did like it,” she said, glancing at him.

Turning back, she looked at him for a moment. He was correct. He had a right to know. But it was a painful matter, and as much as T’Pol was happy to see Soma, she had dreaded the day when he might appear.

“Trip and I never told Lorian about you,” she said.

Soma tried to hide his disappointment, but T’Pol could see the expression on his face.

“It was very painful, Jonathan,” she said. “Particularly for your father. You never revealed who you really were. When I decided to tell him, I knew he would be hurt. But I believed he had a right to know that you were his son.”

Looking away, he shook his head. “I wanted to tell him.”

“I know,” she replied sympathetically. “And he eventually understood that as well. He was very proud of you Jonathan.”

He was happy to hear those words. Although he knew that his father was proud of his accomplishments, there was another version with whom he had left many things unresolved.

“You said you didn’t tell Lorian. How did he find out?”

“One night, after Lorian had gone to bed, Trip and I were up late,” she explained. “We were talking about our early missions. Our conversation led to you, and the ‘adventures’ we had together.” T’Pol shook her head. “We didn’t know that Lorian was listening. He must have woken up and thought we were talking about Captain Archer, but it didn’t take him long to realize that it wasn’t the captain. The next morning he confronted us. He wanted to know why we had never told him about you. He was very angry. His emotions took control. He and Trip had an argument, and Lorian said things that he later regretted, but at the time, he was not willing to acknowledge that. Lorian has always been willful and stubborn.”

“We know where he got that from,” said Soma.

T’Pol nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately, he would regret it. He left our quarters, refusing to speak to his father. Trip said he would talk to Lorian once he had calmed down. He knew Lorian would not listen to him in such an agitated state. Trip said we would talk to Lorian together. He…kissed me and left for his shift in engineering.”

Soma looked at her in concern. He could see the pained look on her face grow, and had the uneasy feeling of what happened next.

“How old was Lorian?”

T’Pol hesitated before replying. “Fourteen.”

Soma closed his eyes. The age when Lorian’s father died.

“There was an accident in engineering,” she told him. “They took Trip to sickbay. Phlox did everything he could…but…he couldn’t save him.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

T’Pol continued, ignoring Soma’s sympathy. “When he had found out what had happened, Lorian ran to sickbay,” she explained. “But it was too late. His father had died.”

“He never reconciled?”

“No,” she said gravely. “The last conversation Lorian had with his father was an argument…about you.”

Shaking his head, he finally had his answer. “Now I know why he hates me.”

“It isn’t your fault Jonathan,” she said, placing her hand on his. “His father and I should have told him about you. Maybe this all could have been avoided.”

Soma gave her a questioning look.

“He blames himself,” she said. “I can tell. He knew that by refusing to speak to him, he was hurting his father.”

“And he thinks that’s what caused the accident?”

T’Pol shook her head. “An inspection of the warp coils showed a molecular fracture. Trip would only have known about it if he had taken the engines offline and inspected the coil. There was no reason to suspect a defect. Trip was the best engineer in Starfleet. He knew this ship’s engines. What happened was a terrible accident, but it was an accident.”

“But Lorian doesn’t see it that way,” said Soma. “He’s been unjustly blaming himself all these years, and throwing me in for good measure.”

“Do not judge him to harshly, Jonathan,” she told him.

“I don’t want to judge him, mother. But I’m at a loss as to what I can do.”

T’Pol sighed. “I told you once that you cannot resolve every matter. Some things are beyond you, Jonathan. You have to accept that. We all do.”

“I just…”

“You want to help, Lorian,” she finished.

“Yes.”

“If he is willing, then he will reach out to you.”

Soma sighed in exasperation. “You’re telling me I need let him sort this out on his own.”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I realize you have never been very good at that, but this is Lorian’s decision. But if it puts you at ease, I do not believe that he hates you as much as either of you may think.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Logical deduction…he brought you to see me…did he not?”

Soma smiled. “Yes…he did.”

TBC…

Continue to Chapter 4

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Nine of you have made comments

A wonderful realization of a possiblity. Thank you.

Excellent. I hope there will be some kind of meeting of minds between Soma and Lorian. This could well have been a first step. Ali D :~)

You know I REALLY feel good about myself right now because I was thinking the SAME thing!!!! As to the reason why Lorian doesn't like Soma I mean... can you believe that!!!!!!!! I've never gotten anything right like that before!!!!!! Yay! I think I'm starting to understand how sneaky you can be... let's see if I can come up with the ending of "Enemy of the State".....

Lol Triplover....

Gr8 chapter write more :) n more enemy of the state.

This soma / Lorian / temporal incursion thing's complicated.

Wow. Great explanation Triplover.
Tragic situation and I feel bad for Lorian. I understand why he was mad at his parents for not telling him about Soma.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

Wonderful story, lovely portrayal of old T'Pol (exactly as I would like to see her -- full of wisdom and dignity), and wonderful interactions between Soma, Lorian and T'Pol. And, yes, time travel stories are complicated enough without blending timelines! I think I understand it . . . old T'Pol remembers Soma from his visits to the past, which took place well before she was thrown back further into the past . . . presumably Soma's "old T'Pol" also remembers meeting him in her youth . . . so they share some memories from before the critical event (being thrown into the past). And Soma's father would also remember . . . but Lorian's father doesn't know (until T'Pol tells him) that he is also Soma's father . . . hmm. I can't wait to see where you go from here! (P.S. I love Lorian -- I hope he has a permanent place in your Soma universe!)

Sash...

Yep...that about sums it up. As for Lorian. You'll have to wait and see what happens. It's my belief that Lorian will return in an Enterprise episode.
Q

I'm really enjoying your Soma adventures, this one in particular. I eagerly await the next chapter.

Karen

I heard rumors that another chapter would be up soon. I can't wait!! Hurry, please!!