Consequences-Part 29

Consequences

by Samantha Quinn

Part 29: Gathering Clouds

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour and a half later, T’Pol sat the PADD down on the bed beside her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly. She had tried, in vain, to meditate prior to departing the T’Lar earlier in the morning. As she was unable to meditate, her headache was now a constant. The concentration required to read the documents had, in fact, increased the discomfort.

Nonetheless, the exercise had been a beneficial one. According to the documents found herein, melding was becoming a steadily increasing practice amongst her people. It was estimated that approximately twenty-seven percent of the total population had engaged in melding practices. While still a relatively small number, it was certainly more than T’Pol had previously believed. Further, the history was utterly fascinating. Prior to the time of Surak, mind melds were non-existent on Vulcan-a fact which was most fortunate, given the violent nature of Vulcans at the time. The Revolution’s embracement of logic had saw an increase in mind capabilities. Selak, devoted disciple of Surak, had “discovered” the process of melding and introduced it to the Vulcan public while he was still very young. For over two hundred years, the custom had been a treasured practice amongst T’Pol’s people. As he reached old age, however, Selak abandoned several tenets of Surak’s teaching. He took multiple wives as well as concubines; he reportedly partook of animal flesh; and he flaunted his lapses in meditation.

Most intriguingly, Selak was forgiven for these lapses. It had not been hard for T’Pol to realize why. After all, Selak was a name learned in school alongside that of Surak, and with good reason. Whereas Surak sought to use logic as a means of pacification to bring their people out of the violent stage they were in, Selak had advocated for using logic to further the development of Vulcan culture and had indeed founded the Vulcan Science Directorate. Thus, his lapses were overlooked. It was typical that Vulcans lost a certain amount of their logical processes as they neared the end of life. Surely, that had been affecting Selak and was the reason for his behavior.

At least, that’s what the Vulcans of the time believed. Then came the unfortunate incident with the Prince. This was not one taught in Vulcan educational systems. Instead, Vulcans were taught to believe that melds were inappropriate because of the emotional involvement they represented.

*Is it feasible?* T’Pol wondered. *Pon far is not communicable. To proclaim that one could induce a biological function of mating through telepathic means is ridiculous.* Yet, T’Pol realized, she herself could not deny the intriguing potential intensity of a meld, having experienced such a sensation with Tolaris.

Involuntarily, T’Pol shuddered slightly at the remembrance of the event. *Control, T’Pol,* she scolded herself. *That event happened over a year ago.* Regardless of the time that had passed, however, T’Pol clearly still recalled the strength of Tolaris’ emotions overwhelming her. Again, T’Pol felt the urge to shudder. Instead, she stood and began to walk down the hall to Skon’s den. Now was not the time to contemplate events wrought with such emotion. Undoubtedly, her condition would place her health in jeopardy if she were to do so.

The door to Skon’s den was open. He glanced up the moment she appeared in the doorway. “T’Pol,” he greeted. “Are you ready to send your message to your ship?”

“Yes,” she stated simply.

“What manner of communication do you wish to send?” Skon inquired.

“It is a timely matter,” she answered.

Skon nodded once. “Come, then, we shall need to use the communication devices at High Command.” Seeing T’Pol bristle-a lapse no doubt due to her illness-he added, “Officially you are here to perform the marital ceremony, T’Pol. You are still a representative of High Command on the Enterprise. No doubt they shall see the logic in having you . . . monitor the humans while they are out of sight.”

T’Pol raised an eyebrow at her former Captain in a gesture of amusement. “Flawlessly logical. I assume you have contacted Sopel’s parents, then?”

“Indeed. The announcement has been made. You shall wed to the house of Tulak,” Skon remarked.

T’Pol felt a momentary lapse of grief Reminding herself of the logic of the situation, she pushed it away. “That is most agreeable,” she conceded to Skon.

They walked in silence to the sand runner.

Once safely inside, Skon inquired, “I trust your reading was productive?”

“Indeed. I found the historical sections most interesting. I am somewhat curious, however, as to why the incident with the Prince Sokar is not mentioned in typical historical texts,” T’Pol answered.

“Although Selak’s actions were decidedly unpleasant, they were the actions of a solitary Vulcan. Our ancestors permitted his actions to undermine centuries worth of intriguing medical and scientific advancements. The people of Selak’s time could still recall the conditions of pre-Revolution Vulcan society. In Selak’s actions, they saw a potential return to such times.”

“They panicked,” T’Pol supplied.

“They experienced fear,” Skon corrected. “A quite understandable response, given their history. Regardless, in the effort to banish melders, some members of our society spoke of the illogic of such actions. As a result, the Vulcans in favor of abolishing melding raised concern over the practice of ‘sharing emotions’ they believed to occur in melds.”

“From my experience, that has been true,” T’Pol contended.

Skon gave her a brief look. “Your experience was unfortunate.”

“Indeed. However, I would be interested in knowing some of the ‘logical’ benefits of melding,” T’Pol answered.

Skon paused only momentarily before answering. “My wife, T’Pau, and I shall be holding a meeting of melders tonight after the evening meal. Perhaps you would like to attend. You may find the answers to the questions you seek there.”

“I shall attend,” T’Pol agreed. “It would be most wise to ascertain as much information about the process before Sopel’s arrival.”

“You have been unexpectedly tolerant in your acceptance of the account of Selak,” Skon commented.

“I did discount the tale as fiction at first,” T’Pol admitted. “Since then, I have reversed my position.”

“For what reason?”

“The phenomenon of pon far,” T’Pol explained. “It has long been documented that the non-affected partner will begin to experience the symptoms of the condition after beginning to mate. This is without any melding taking place. Although I do not understand the scientific aspects of melding fully, nor do I completely comprehend the scientific reasoning for the biological reactions amongst mates, I deduce that in both cases, there is a certain amount of telepathy involved.”

“Such has been the conjecture amongst recent scientific circles. It is my personal belief that they are the same phenomenon, only in differing magnitudes. Presumably, the lighter the touch, the less damaging the result. If Sokar had engaged in minimal mind touching, the transference would not have been complete.” Skon answered.

“My only area of concern then, is why Prince Sokar did not simply mate,” T’Pol told him.

“He did,” Skon replied. “Copulation did not cease his condition. He continued to experience the condition until the imbalance of bodily functions caused his death.”

“I do not understand,” T’Pol asked, confused. “If he indeed mated, then why did the pon far not cease?”

“That is a question for which I do not have an answer. However, it has been hypothesized that part of the blame lies in the fact that the wife of Prince Sokar was one of the few Vulcans who displayed no signs of telepathic ability. At the time it was extremely rare. For this reason, Sokar’s regularly scheduled pon fars were longer than are the norm. Unlike most Vulcans, Sokar was unable to share the intensity of his condition,” Skon informed her.

“A condition which would have been greatly magnified by the method in which it was contracted,” T’Pol finished.

“Indeed. It is possible, although not certain, that if Sokar had been with a telepathic Vulcan, the end result would not have been death.”

T’Pol paused, in yet another effort to control the increasing amount of pain coursing through her head. “Have there been additional documented cases of such transference, since that event?” she asked.

“No. Melds, as you are aware, are stigmatized in our culture. However, there have been unsubstantiated reports amongst us that even the lightest touch in the proximity of the face has induced pon far symptoms. Presumably, Sokar’s case was fatal because it involved a full meld.” Skon stopped, as they had arrived at their destination.

They walked quietly up the steps into High Command Head Quarters. Alone in her thoughts, T’Pol realized it had been over two years since she had last been here. Understandably, she had to suppress a small surge of anxiety.

A tall, professional male Vulcan greeted them. The epitome of poise, he no doubt was in control of his emotions-something T’Pol envied him greatly for. “Captain Skon, Sub-Commander T’Pol,” he greeted.

“I must send a message to the Enterprise,” T’Pol informed him.

He nodded once. “I shall escort you to a communications terminal.”

“I shall await you, T’Pol,” Skon promised.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the Enterprise, Captain Archer sat wearily in his chair. It was, quite possibly, the last place he wanted to be. Although Archer was neither a mind reader, nor a physician, he knew that Dr. Phlox was keeping something from him. And that something had to do with Trip’s progress. When Archer had inquired this morning, all Phlox would say is, “The effectiveness of the treatment is difficult to determine at this point.”

To which Archer had wanted to reply, “Just exactly how many times do they have to mate before there’s any discernable progress?” But he hadn’t. He had simply nodded his head and told Phlox to keep him informed.

“Captain, we’re receiving a transmission,” Hoshi’s voice broke through his thoughts, “It’s from Vulcan.”

Archer turned to look at her questionably. “Are they requesting to speak to Ambassador V’Lar?” he asked.

Hoshi grinned. “No, sir. They are requesting to speak to you.” Her voice held a definite tinge of happiness when she added, “It’s Sub-Commander T’Pol.”

Hope flooded through the Captain of the Enterprise at that moment. He was sure V’Lar and Ventik were trying to be helpful, but a small part of Archer still argued that T’Pol was the only Vulcan he could fully trust. “I’ll take it in my quarters,” Archer told Hoshi. “Lieutenant, you have the bridge.”

After Archer had exited the bridge, Travis turned and looked at Malcolm expectantly. “Well, Lieutenant Reed, do you have any orders?”

“Yes,” Malcolm replied sarcastically. “Try not to hit either of the ships in front of us.”

Travis snickered. “I’ll try, Sir. But you know, that might be awfully difficult, with us being stationary and all.”

“Do your best, Ensign.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“T’Pol, this is quite a surprise,” Archer said cheerfully. “But certainly a welcome one.”

“Thank you, Captain. I am calling to relate additional information concerning Commander Tucker,” T’Pol replied.

Archer sat up a little straighter at this news. More information concerning Trip-and his condition- was exactly what Archer wanted. “What type of additional information?” he pressed.

“As you are aware, Ambassador Soval was quite ill during his time on the Enterprise. It is quite likely that Commander Tucker had been provoked by the Ambassador. While the Ambassador may not concede to this, it is most likely true. I urge you to consider that fact when you contemplate prosecuting the Commander.”

It took more than a minute for Archer to realize what she was talking about. When it dawned upon him, he shook his head in slight frustration. “Trip has been cleared of all charges, Sub-Commander,” he assured the woman. “But it had nothing to do with Ambassador Soval’s illness. It turns out Trip himself was ill and not in control of his actions.”

T’Pol nodded. “He was displaying some disconcerting symptoms prior to my departure,” she acknowledged. “Has Doctor Phlox determined the specific nature of Commander Tucker’s illness?”

“Yes,” Archer said, feeling that old familiar sensation of agitation. In annoyance, he ran a distracted hand through his hair before continuing. “According to Doctor Phlox, he has somehow contracted a Vulcan disorder-pon far, I believe he called it. In any event, it’s the disease in which you apparently have to mate.”

“No.” T’Pol stated simply. “He could not have contracted it. It is not communicable. It is impossible.” T’Pol felt an ever increasing sense of dread. It was not possible. Commander Tucker was not a Vulcan. He could not have pon far. There was only one way in which he could even be remotely capable of having it. And that too was impossible. It had to be.

“Damnit, T’Pol, I don’t know anything about this disease,” Archer snapped in frustration. He was not angry at T’Pol, not really, but she was a convenient target for his agitation. “All I know is what Phlox told me. Maybe if you Vulcans didn’t insist on keeping everything so secretive, we’d have a little bit more information to go on and Trip wouldn’t be in such a condition in the first place.”

Archer regretted his outburst almost immediately. T’Pol’s brows furrowed together in a manner which belied the belief that Vulcans do not have emotions. “I’m sorry, T’Pol. I didn’t-“

“I must speak to Doctor Phlox, Captain.”

“T”Pol-“

“Now, Captain. Time is of the essence.”

“Alright.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Moments after Phlox had confirmed Captain Archer’s claim, T’Pol ended the connection and exited the communications room.

Skon had been waiting patiently, but quirked an eyebrow as she exited. “Is all well with your ship?” he inquired. By way of explanation, he added, “Your voice was somewhat elevated.”

T’Pol closed her eyes and wondered if she would ever have her control back. “I apologize for my lapse,” she said.

“You are ill. No apology is necessary. What causes you concern?”

“I cannot explain yet. I must speak to my father first.”

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To Be Continued. . . .

Zealousgirl-I’m flattered that you think this fic’s done tastefully-it’s a conscious effort. But then, surely *all* writers who deal with pon far deal with it in a tasteful fashion? Why, just look at *Bounty*. . . ;)

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Four of you have made comments

Excellent! Don't marry Sopal, T'Pol! Go back to Enterprise and be with Trip. You *know* it makes sense... Loving this, can't wait for the next part! Thank you, Ali D :~)

I'm anxiously awaiting more. (And hoping for a happy ending.... pleeeease)

Yikes! I can't figure out how you're going to get T'Pol out of that marriage and back to Trip but I know you can do it! (Just do it REAL soon!) :-)

oh, the tension, the excitement! Ms. DOBELL is right, T'Pol, forget Sopal. You know you want Trip!

I'm getting anxious. How will this all be resolved? What will happen to Soval? Will our couple get the happy ending we all think they deserve?

On the bright side, if they don't live happily ever after int his story, TPTB have basically given us a Trip/T'Pol relationship of some sort on a platter. Can't wait!