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Consequences-Part 19Consequences By Samantha Quinn Rated: PG-13 - R
Intrusions
Arriving in the armory, T'Pol noted that Lieutenant Reed was not present. Ensign O'Reilly, Malcolm's second in command, took notice of the Sub-Commander immediately. "Sub-Commander, is there something I can help you with?" the woman asked. "I was looking for Lieutenant Reed," T'Pol responded. "However, he obviously is not here. Has his presence been required on the bridge?" O'Reilly shot a quizzical glance in the direction of the Enterprise's first officer. "Um, yes, Sub-Commander, he was called to the bridge," she said slowly. "I see," T'Pol responded. "Do you have any indication why?" In fact, according to Starfleet protocol, initial security investigations were to be undertaken by the first officer and the tactical officer. T'Pol suspected, however, that in the official report, Archer would cite her illness as reason enough to conduct the inquiry himself. *He is mistaken if he believes Commander Tucker has impaired my ability to think logically. I can and will continue to do my duty both as the ship's second in command and as a Vulcan,* T'Pol vowed. Realizing that the Ensign was unaware of her internal struggles, T'Pol informed the woman, "I have not been at my station yet this morning, Ensign. However, I require Lieutenant Reed's assistance in a personnel matter." Looking considerably less confused, O'Reilly nodded. "Oh. Well, from what I could hear, something about another Vulcan ship appearing." *A Vulcan ship?* T'Pol wondered. *Why would another Vulcan ship be sent?* Numerous reasons flooded T’Pol’s brain, none of which made her very comfortable. Particularly when the appearance of a ship required the presence of Enterprise's tactical officer. “I see, Ensign. When Lieutenant Reed returns, will you tell him I require a moment of his time?” ****************** On the bridge, Captain Archer marveled at his first officer’s previous bout of clairvoyance. “The peace proceedings are unlikely to proceed smoothly,” wasn’t that what she had said? *That’s for damn sure,* the decided as he listened patiently to the ranting of the Andorian on screen. “Two Vulcan ships for one Andorian ship? Truly, this must be considered an act of war!” To his left, Soval responded, “I will remind you it was you that fired upon the second Vulcan vessel. If anyone has been guilty of an act of war, it is you.” “Quiet, Shrel,” Shran commanded. “I will speak to the Captain of this other Vulcan ship before we make judgments. I will contact you after we have spoken to the Vulcan captain.” The Andorian scowled, then nodded. “Very well.” Abruptly, the conversation ended as the transmission was cut. Turning towards Archer, he looked at the man expectantly. Archer nodded. “They’re returning our hail, sir,” Hoshi informed the Captain. “On screen,” Archer stated. Hoshi complied and the dark screen gave way to a cream colored bridge. Four Vulcans stood, with perfect Vulcan posture, on the bridge. Archer remembered two of them-V’Lar from the last time she had visited the Enterprise, and T’Pau. T’Pau he remembered from childhood. She had been an Ambassador then, and he remembered distinctly a meeting between she and his father. But V’Lar and T’Pau, stood in at the back of the bridge. Two male Vulcans Archer did not recognize remained in front of the bridge, one positioned at the helm and one standing behind him. The standing male Vulcan was obviously older than the rest of his crew, and from the commanding stance, Archer assumed him to be the Captain. Archer contemplated briefly whether he projected such leadership and confidence to the aliens they encountered. He did not have long to contemplate that thought, however, before Soval spoke. “Captain Skon, I was under the impression you had retired? What reason do you have for being here? It has threatened the conference negotiations,” Soval remarked. Although Archer had not seen Skon before, he certainly knew the name. Skon did not reply immediately, but instead laced his hands behind his back and scanned the bridge quietly for a moment. Archer assumed he to be looking for T’Pol. *Has High Command found another reason to want to remove her from the ship?* he wondered. He realized his mistake when Skon’s gaze rested upon him. “Am I correct in presuming you to be Captain Jonathan Archer?” he inquired. The voice betrayed no apparent emotion and for all intents and purposes was monotone. It was, however, politely monotone. A complete contrast to the tone usually used by Soval or the one used by Captain Vanik. “Yes, I am Captain Jonathan Archer of the Earth Starship Enterprise,” Archer began, wondering why the Captain of the Vulcan ship chose to ignore Soval and speak to him first.
“A medical emergency?” Archer questioned. He was interrupted by Shran. Skon looked at Archer to reply. “The Vulcan requiring medical attention is on your ship, Captain Archer,” he replied. “We have come because of Ambassador Soval.” Soval again felt his temper flare, but pushed down the thought. Rationally, he could not argue with Skon. Not in front of Shran. To do so would possibly jeopardize the purpose of the conference. There would be no room for his stubbornness if the conference was to be successful. Archer and Shran looked at Soval expectantly. “It is true, Captain,” he replied. “The doctor of Vanik’s ship believes me to be ill. Although I assure you I am not, I believe Captain Skon and his crew are here to assess the nature of my illness themselves.” “Alright,” Archer agreed. “You are welcome to come aboard the Enterprise, Captain Skon, to check the Ambassador’s health.” “Thank you, Captain. We will leave in a shuttlepod immediately. . . providing, of course, that the Andorian ship does not mean to inflict harm,” Skon questioned. Shran grunted grudgingly. “Fine, fine, Vulcan,” he said irritably. “I will let my people know this display of Vulcan arrogance should not be taken as one of Vulcan hostility.” Skon quirked an eyebrow. “I am gratified for that,” he replied before ending communication. ******************** T’Pol had been waiting for Lieutenant Reed for 23.95 minutes outside the brig. The brig was someone isolated from the rest of the ship which was fortunate. *It would be unfortunate to have to linger here where I can be seen. . . it can easily been mistaken for loitering.* The solitude did help to ease the headache T’Pol had been experiencing since she had awoken in sickbay. Whereas before her headaches had ended shortly after being awoken, this time was different. Outwardly, T’Pol remained composed in the face of what that meant. Which did not necessarily equate with ease. Not at all. *There is little about this situation which is conductive to ease,* T’Pol noted to herself. *The peace conference is in jeopardy, my own life is in peril, and Commander Tucker had managed to cause bodily harm to a well respected member of the Vulcan government. An action which most likely will result in his court martial.* T’Pol refused to speculate on why the last thought unsettled her the most. T’Pol shook the thought away. The peace conference would last at least two more days. Perhaps longer. When it was over, she would depart. In the meantime, she had one last duty to perform as first officer: to find out the truth regarding what had happened between Commander Tucker and Ambassador Soval. With that in mind, T’Pol decided she would not wait for Lieutenant Reed. With no further hesitation, T’Pol turned and walked into the brig. Even her Vulcan training did not adequately prepare her for the sight that greeted her. There, on the floor of the Enterprise’s brig, lay Commander Tucker, sweaty, aroused, naked, and enjoying himself rather profusely if the volume of his grunts were any indication. ******* To Be Continued. . . Have a comment to make about this story? Do so in the Trip Fan Fiction forum at the HoTBBS! Three people have made commentsI really liked the arrival of the T'Lar. Captain Skon comes across as a man with sufficient gravitas and mental acuity to be able to see through Ambassador Soval. At least this is my fond hope. Not every part of a story can be an action sequence. The quieter moments of arc building are every bit as important to the integrity of the story and this paves the way for the rest to follow. The last scene surprised me no end. If I were a Vulcan my eyebrows would have definitely disappeared in my hairline! I can't wait for the next part... Ali D :~) LOL! You have my attention, as well T'Pol's (and the guard's). I can't wait to see the next part, either! Oh my what an image you left us with... could you please hurry i need to see what comes *no pun* next. |