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Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth

Author - Shouldknowbetter | Genre - Action/Adventure | Genre - Angst | Genre - Romance | Main Story | Rating - R | S
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[EDITOR's Note: We are very greatful to have Shouldknowbetter's final Trip/T'Pol story to offer to our readers as a goodbye present as we close the doors to new submissions. She was one of our earliest contributers, shyly offering a story for our first contest. She blew us—and everyone else—away with her first story, A Logical Proposal, the first in a series that culminated with The Rainbow's Foot. If you have not read that series, let me urge you to do so. The archive remains open for your reading pleasure.

One further note. Shouldknowbetter took a fondness for the character of Amanda Cole, the catalyst that prompted T'Pol to action in the third season episode, "Harbinger." As such, she gave Amanda a back story, and hooked her up with everyone's second favourite Vulcan. To read more look for There is No Sin but Ignorance and A Truth Universally Acknowledged. You do not have to read them to enjoy this story, but this one does presuppose the relationship established in the earlier ones.

Oh, yeah. British spelling throughout.]

Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth

By Shouldknowbetter

Rating: R
Disclaimer:
1. Paramount owns the characters, the Star Trek franchise and the universe. I just use them for my own private, non-profit making amusement.
Category: Action/adventure.
Summary: Why does history think that Trip and T’Pol’s relationship ended shortly after “Terra Prime”? Did Trip really die just before the signing of the Alliance Charter? There are answers to every question. You just have to believe that conspiracy theories are sometimes more than the inventions of dilettante students of history and literature.

Author’s Notes:
1. I’ve followed my usual practise of assuming that the Vulcans know more about the Romulans than they ever publicly admit.
2. Given that the House of Tucker website is about to go into retirement, I’ll take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to bucky and myst and all the rest for the enjoyment I’ve had from the site over the last few years. Plus a very belated thank you to everyone who has ever commented on my stories. It has been a great encouragement for me to think seriously about trying to write something that I might one day have the courage to send to a publisher.





Earth, a few days after “Terra Prime”

T’Pol found that she had so far ceased to be a welcome visitor to the Vulcan Embassy in San Francisco that she was greeted with the news that the Ambassador was unavailable. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to hear: even after she joined Enterprise, Soval had always made himself available when she needed to speak with him. “I will wait.”

“You will wait a long time.” She stared back at the man behind the reception desk, every shred of frustration firmly suppressed, until he relented enough to add, “Ambassador Soval has no free time in his schedule this evening.”

“It is not yet evening.” T’Pol studied the other Vulcan carefully. She found him hard to read after so long amongst Humans, but she was sure that there was a certain tension around his eyes. “At this time, Ambassador Soval is generally to be found in the gymnasium.” If she had recalled that earlier, she would have timed her visit differently, but now it might work to her advantage. The receptionist’s mouth tightened minutely, confirming her deduction. “I will see him there.”

“He may not wish to see you.”

“Then he may tell me so himself.” T’Pol started towards an entirely different portion of the compound. “Unless the embassy’s gymnasium is no longer open to all Vulcans?”

“Are you still Vulcan, T’Pol?” Her stride faltered at the faintly mocking question, but she did not respond, despite her well-prepared answer. She would save that for Soval, who held her future in his hands, and who was likely to give her a far harder time than Storr, whose career seemed to have stagnated. He had been on duty at the front desk when she’d left the embassy four years previously on temporary assignment to Enterprise. Her life had moved on, while his had not: a thing to be pitied.

T’Pol chose not to consider whether it was Storr or herself whom she pitied.
~

The advantage of the gymnasium in the Vulcan embassy lay in the gravity plating with which it had been equipped. The mandated regime for all Vulcans living on a low gravity planet such as Earth was an hour’s high impact exercise daily. That reduced to half an hour in the embassy’s gym, and even those Vulcans who lived outside the compound tended to visit regularly. But T’Pol had to brace herself when she crossed the gravity step at the entrance. She had maintained the exercise regime for a time on Enterprise, but without the example set by Ambassador Soval himself, she had gradually ceased to be quite so assiduous. Her time on Vulcan after Enterprise returned from the Delphic Expanse should have been a warning, but then there had been no need for great physical exertion. The quest for the Kir’Shara had been an unpleasant revelation: she had required Archer’s assistance on more than one occasion. It had been humiliating – she had not been in full control of her emotions then – to require aid from a Human on her native planet, and she had fully intended to extend her exercise programme. But then there had been the Kir’Shara to study, and the time had simply not become available.

T’Pol located Soval on a treadmill on the far side of the gym and straightened her shoulders. The best she could hope for was that he did not notice how the gravity affected her. At least the elevated temperature was pleasant after the foggy conditions outside. Somehow she had also forgotten how unpleasant Earth’s weather could be, another side effect of so long in the stable environment of a starship. She had definitely been too long on Enterprise.

The Ambassador didn’t break stride when T’Pol halted in front of the exercise machine he occupied, although he did subject her to a prolonged scrutiny. She, of course, simply looked calmly back and politely waited for him to speak. Which he did – eventually. “T’Pol. It’s agreeable to see you.”

The pleasant greeting wasn’t in the least what she had expected. It reminded her too sharply that she had not responded to Soval’s gently expressed condolence on her mother’s death. But she had not wanted sympathy, and certainly not from Soval, who had known T’Les rather better than T’Pol had ever cared to acknowledge. And he had remained silent since her daughter’s death.

“May I speak with you, Ambassador?”

He left another of the pauses that so disconcerted his staff: it usually meant he was about to make one of those statements that effortlessly put one in the wrong. “It would appear that you already are.”

T’Pol applied one of the calming techniques recommended in the Kir’Shara. “Privately.”

“If you wish. In,” he directed a needless glance at the timer on the treadmill, “12 minutes 27 seconds.”

“Thank you.”

“You may wait outside if the gravity troubles you.”

T’Pol flicked a dismissive eyebrow at the suggestion, and stepped onto the treadmill beside Soval’s, deliberately selecting a far higher speed than his own gentle pace. She regretted reacting to the implied criticism well before the 12 minutes were up.
~

Soval took T’Pol to his private quarters and immediately left her to shower and change. She did not appreciate the delay. Having decided to approach him, she wanted to state her business as soon as possible. The hiatus was affecting her, she could not deny that – nor could she deny that Soval might be manipulating her. Then she experienced a moment’s doubt at that thought, that seemed to stem more from a borrowed Human prejudice than from her own knowledge. During the two years she had worked for him, Soval had never treated her unfairly. He had challenged her, yes, but she had eventually learnt to appreciate that he did so to promote her understanding. Not that she had ever been able to understand Soval’s own character, even once she developed a guarded respect for him. She had not been able to reconcile the Ambassador who dealt so repressively with Starfleet with the mentor who tacitly encouraged his staff to explore Human culture. Perhaps that was one reason why she had elected to remain on Enterprise beyond its mission to Qo’noS: the Humans had initially seemed easier to deal with.

To occupy herself while she waited, T’Pol took a critical look around the generously sized living area. Soval had never been as meticulously tidy as she felt appropriate for someone in his position, and the clutter had increased in the four years since she had last been in his quarters. There were books and data recorders scattered around instead of stacked neatly on the desk, and even a mug or two left on the side table. T’Pol began to set matters to right, although the content of a number of the recorders resulted in a raised eyebrow. A copy of the Kir’Shara was to be expected, but a partial English translation seemed inappropriate, as did a novel by one of Earth’s more lurid contemporary writers. Then she located the electronic photo album.

Even leaving aside the fact that Vulcans needed no such reminders of people or places, the first picture surprised her. It showed Soval with a small child on his lap, both apparently engrossed in a highly coloured book. T’Pol peered closer, but the tips of the girl’s ears remained rounded: a Human child. The next picture was again of Soval, frowning with customary disapproval at the camera, although he was casually dressed with his hair unbecomingly ruffled. The third picture was of a strikingly handsome Vulcan, barely out of adolescence. It took T’Pol several seconds to realise that it too was Soval, most probably an identity scan extracted from his service record. She took a second, critical look. Physical appearance was, of course, irrelevant, but there were women on Enterprise who would react extremely foolishly if anyone resembling this young man ever set foot on the ship.

“He was a fool.” T’Pol replaced the album hurriedly, turning to find that Soval had emerged from his bedroom. “Most are at that age.” She could think of no response to the odd statement, and was forced to stand in silence while Soval again surveyed her carefully. For once she was grateful for the knowledge that it was for T’Les’s sake that he had befriended her. Otherwise she might have wondered if the indecent speculation amongst a number of the embassy staff were true, and that he did indeed have an inappropriate interest in her. “I grieve with you for the death of your child.”

She forced herself to look steadily back. “I do not require your sympathy.”

One of Soval’s eyebrows rose. “Then you are to be congratulated.”

The outer door burst open before T’Pol had a chance to decide whether the observation was another of Soval’s subtle rebukes. “Hey, sweetheart. Sorry I’m late.” And the Human woman who had uttered the entirely inappropriate greeting bounced across the room to fling her arms around the Ambassador’s neck, lifting her mouth in unmistakable invitation. “Did you miss me?”

“No.” Despite the flat negative, T’Pol saw that Soval’s thumbs caressed the woman’s wrists even as he detached her. “Amanda, we have a guest.”

“Oops! Sorry.” She disengaged herself and located T’Pol, and the brightness faded from her expression. “Commander T’Pol.”

T’Pol studied the other woman with disfavour. She recognised the unattractive self-confidence, the wilful, sensual mouth, and the body that was far too robust for elegance. She had approved their departure from Enterprise at much the same time that Kos offered divorce. The last place in the universe she had expected to re-encounter them was in intimate contact with Ambassador Soval. “Corporal Cole.”

“I see I have no need to introduce you.” Soval seated himself on a couch. “Although Amanda is now a civilian.”

“Well,” the Human plumped herself down beside him, “it was a choice between the uniform or Soval. He won,” she grinned at him, “just.”

He threw her a narrow-eyed look. “Thank you.”

T’Pol blinked – several times. “Ambassador,” they had been speaking Vulcan until Amanda joined them, and T’Pol continued in the same language, too shocked to care for polite conduct in front of Humans, “what is the meaning of this?”

“Where are your manners, T’Pol?” Soval asked mildly. The Human woman had placed her hand on his shoulder; he allowed the contact without comment. “Although I should warn you that Amanda’s Vulcan is,” he paused, “adequate.”

Amanda pulled a face at him. “Be nice, Soval. I’m getting better.”

T’Pol sat down; whether she could have remained standing was problematic. “You are …”

“Amanda is my wife,” Soval concluded when T’Pol found herself unable to continue. “Unofficially.”

“I see.” She saw nothing at all, but it did not seem appropriate to enquire whether her former mentor was entirely sane. The Human was now appraising her as carefully as Soval, and T’Pol stared back. She was a Vulcan in the Vulcan embassy: she would not be judged by this alien, whatever hold the woman might have over the Ambassador.

“I’m sorry your baby didn’t make it.”

Amanda’s voice had lost its cheerful light-heartedness. She sounded sincere, but T’Pol was not appeased. She gave her standard answer. “I do not require your sympathy. I have no feelings on the subject.” The other woman’s expression expressed disbelief and T’Pol felt her facial muscles stiffen despite her control. “I’m Vulcan.”

Amanda’s full lips thinned in response to that particular answer, whether in disbelief or distaste, T’Pol was not given time to judge. “Trip’s not. How’s he doing?”

“Commander Tucker’s feelings are none of my concern.”

“Right!”

“T’Pol requested an interview with me.” Soval’s calm contrasted sharply with the antagonism that had sprung up between the two women, but T’Pol felt her back tighten at the evidence that he was prepared to discuss business – private business – with the Human. “She has not yet explained why.”

T’Pol came to her feet. “I will return at a more convenient time.”

“That’s okay.” Amanda too rose. “I’ll come back later.”

“You will both stay.” Soval shared a frowning look between the two women. “T’Pol, Amanda has my full confidence.”

“But I don’t have hers.” Amanda spoke before T’Pol could do so. “Don’t fuss, Soval. I’ve plenty of studying to do.”

The pair exchanged a long look, giving T’Pol the unpleasant feeling that another conversation was taking place, one from which she was patently excluded. Then Amanda dropped a quick kiss on the top of Soval’s head and headed for the door. “Tell Trip I asked after him, Commander T’Pol. You might even wanna offer him my sympathy. Maybe he needs a little.”

T’Pol glared after her, then switched the glare onto Soval when he said firmly, “Sit down, T’Pol.”

She did sit, but slowly enough to prove that it was her own choice, not his. He studied her once again, and she realised that it was now the Ambassador she had to deal with, not her former mentor. She could not be sure if that was a positive development or not, so went on the attack. “Does the Vulcan government know of your ‘marriage’, Ambassador?”

“Certainly.”

“They approve?”

“Given that they share your opinion of my behaviour, T’Pol, naturally not.” She dropped her eyes, and Soval continued, “I would have expected you, of all people, to understand that one may have a rewarding relationship with a Human.”

T’Pol chose to ignore that observation. “Are you aware that Ms Cole pursued Commander Tucker during her time on Enterprise?”

“Yes.” The positive answer prevented her from delivering the unsavoury facts, and Soval finally got down to business. “Why did you ask to see me, T’Pol?”

She took a moment to steady herself. “I wish to ask if my former position is still open to me.”

Not a muscle moved on Soval’s face. He didn’t even lift an eyebrow. “I understood that you found your work on Enterprise gratifying.”

It wasn’t quite the opening T’Pol had planned for, but it was close enough. “As I made plain to you and to the High Command at the time of my resignation, I believed that the Humans still needed a Vulcan presence on Enterprise to act as the voice of reason. That time has now passed – as Vulcan’s changed policy towards Earth demonstrates.”

“Most logical.” She still couldn’t read anything in Soval’s voice or expression, and that was unusual. Perhaps, despite his liaison with the Human woman, he had benefited from the Kir’Shara. “What of the friendships you have developed with the Human crew?”

“I believe that I can make a greater contribution elsewhere. Friendship is irrelevant.”

“And Commander Tucker?”

T’Pol stood abruptly. “The child was created without our knowledge. Her existence does not reflect on the nature of our relationship – whatever anyone may say.”

“I see.”

Soval had remained seated, and T’Pol looked frostily down at his disinterested expression, choosing not to notice the speculative gleam in his hooded eyes. “May I return?”

“I will make the arrangements.” He finally rose to stand in front of her, a short, aging man, whom she had never understood nor fully appreciated. “Welcome back, T’Pol.” She inclined her head politely and turned to leave, and he added dryly, “Whatever you may think, sub-commander, Amanda is my wife. Leave whatever prejudices you have against her on Enterprise. I will not tolerate them here.”

Intensive study of the Kir’Shara not withstanding, T’Pol could not prevent the angry look she threw Soval on her way to the door.

~

Soval was meditating when Amanda returned, although he lifted his head when she knelt beside him. She studied him in silence before resting a hand on his thigh. “You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind. Want me to go away again?”

He shook his head, but made no move to touch her in return. “I would appreciate your opinion.”

“You know I’m always happy to oblige, Ambassador.” His expression remained stern, and Amanda frowned and settled more comfortably at his feet. “Tell me.”

“T’Pol wishes to leave Enterprise and return to her former position on my staff.”

Amanda whistled silently. “Well! What did you say?”

“I agreed to her request.”

“Why?”

“Because otherwise she would approach the Science Directorate. I prefer that she be under my supervision.”

“So you think something’s wrong? What reason did she give for wanting to leave Enterprise?”

“A logical one – if one discounts her actions over the last four years.”

“You think she’s running away from something?”

“I do not believe that her ambition is to become the next consul!” Soval looked consideringly down at Amanda for a moment. “Do you know if the relationship between T’Pol and Commander Tucker has been intimate?”

“D’you mean have they slept together? I don’t think so. Not before I left Enterprise, anyway. Although I did wonder …” Amanda broke off, shrugged then continued. “Trip backed off from me so quickly, I did wonder if T’Pol had made a move on him.”

Soval finally reached out to her, stroking the backs of the first two fingers of his right hand down her cheek. “I’m sorry for any pain you suffered. But I cannot regret the outcome.”

Her mouth curved in an affectionate, teasing smile. “Being dumped by Trip was the best thing that ever happened to me. And you know it, sweetheart, so don’t expect me to tell you again how much I love you.”

“Then I will not.” But he did pull her onto his lap, and Amanda’s smile widened. For a Vulcan who had accused her of being overly demonstrative, Soval was adapting to Human expectations without much difficulty. And it was she who had to steer the conversation back on track, after an admittedly enjoyable intermission.

“Why’d you ask about Trip and T’Pol?”

Soval didn’t answer her directly, but not because her proximity had disrupted his concentration. “Would Commander Tucker have been grieved by the loss of a child that he had known for so short a time? A child created without his consent?”

“Sure. Trip loves kids, and he loves T’Pol. He’d have been sick as hell.” She studied Soval carefully, her own expression equally thoughtful. “You think there’s a psychic connection between them, don’t you? And that T’Pol can’t take Trip’s grief as well as her own, so she’s running away from it.”

“Idle speculation.”

Soval’s tone rejected idle speculation as the illogical activity it was, but Amanda wasn’t easily repulsed. “But if they’re connected, then they’re married just like we are. Would T’Pol really duck out that easily?”

“She may not know. That portion of the Kir’Shara has only recently become available.”

“Then tell her.”

“No.” Soval’s frowned at the space behind Amanda’s left ear. “Not when she is already over-burdened.”

“You want T’Pol under your protection so that you can send her back to Enterprise if she changes her mind.” Amanda shook her head reprovingly. “Soval, I didn’t know you were such a romantic!”

He re-directed the frown at her, but did not relax his light embrace. “No Vulcan suffers from such cloying sentimentality.”

“Then why d’you wanna get them back together? Maybe they’ll both be happier apart. Trip’ll die long before T’Pol. If she has to live alone, better that she learns to do so now than later.”

“True. But if there is some peculiarity of the Human mind that means that a psychic connection with a Vulcan is unusually strong, T’Pol will not find it easy to live apart from Commander Tucker. She may ultimately be more content to share her life with him now than to live in regret for an opportunity she did not take.”

Amanda raised a hand to Soval’s face, her expression tender and understanding. “I missed you too after I left Vulcan.”

“Agreed.” Well-remembered pain deepened the lines on his face “But I found your absence intolerable.”

There was only one answer she could make and she did so willingly, although Soval called a halt when she suggested that they would be a lot more comfortable in the bedroom. “I have a dinner engagement.”

She scowled and tugged her tee shirt back into place. “Who is it this time? The French representative? Mrs Forrest? Or that woman from the press who attends every function you do?”

“Madame Gestin.”

Amanda folded her arms, still glowering. “You watch yourself, Soval. It’s not trade agreements she wants out of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Soval set her on her feet and headed for their bedroom.

She followed, appraising him critically while he smoothed his hair that she had disarranged. “You’re a menace: handsome, intelligent, and you’re not supposed to like Humans. It’s a challenge a lot of women find irresistible.”

Soval shrugged a robe over his suit, which told Amanda why he hadn’t asked her to accompany him: he considered the engagement official, so he couldn’t take his unofficial wife along. “Do you not trust me?”

“I trust you.” She was still leaning against the doorpost, arms folded. “It’s the other women I’m worried about.”

He came to stand directly in front of her, head cocked. “You are jealous.”

“There’s no need to sound so smug about it!”

He caught her chin to tip up her face for his kiss. “You have no need, ever, to be jealous of another woman, Amanda.”

His voice caressed her so that she couldn’t keep up her offended pose any longer. “I know.” She kissed him back. “Go keep your appointment. But remember what happens to Vulcan Ambassadors who stay out after midnight.” He frowned in bewilderment and Amanda raised her chin to look forbiddingly down her nose: she’d learnt the trick from Soval himself. “Their wives make them sleep on the couch.”

~

Six months later

When Soval came to bed, Amanda was still awake – intentionally so. She rolled over to kiss him, running a hand over his chest, assessing the state of the muscles beneath his warm skin. “Turn over.”

He frowned back. “Why?”

“You need a back rub.”

He hesitated but then obeyed, and Amanda grinned even as she knelt over him. Next to making love with her, Soval liked having his back rubbed. She only wondered how he had coped for so long with no one to perform that service for him. She stroked down to his buttocks then ran her hands upwards, thumbs pressing into his spine, and he murmured appreciatively deep in his throat.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.” She leant forward to kiss the nape of his neck, stroking her hands over his shoulders and upper arms. “Tell me.”

“I understood that you intended to rub my back.”

Soval’s voice was a little strangled with the effort of remaining in control, but Amanda complied despite – or perhaps because of – his evident weakening. Never mind lowering Soval’s emotional threshold: Shran could have achieved the same result with a professional masseuse. “You’ve been tense since you spoke to Kuvac, Soval. Tell me why.”

He gave another sound of pleasure in response to her attentions, and capitulated in the face of loving, Human-style persuasion. “Kuvac has asked me to travel to Andor to conclude the new peace treaty between our two worlds.”

Thoughtfully Amanda stroked firmly up Soval’s back again. “You’ll do a good job. You always do.”

“Will I?” The bitterness was clear in his voice, and the muscles she had just soothed tightened again. “Even if I cannot entirely forgive what Shran did to me?”

“You should be grateful.” Soval’s shoulders set rigid under Amanda’s caressing hands, and she stretched out on top of him to nuzzle the tip of one ear. “Would you really have approached me, sweetheart, if Shran hadn’t kicked your emotional suppression system into touch for a while?”

“Yes.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t even have acknowledged that you were curious about me, let alone asked me out.”

He squirmed out from under her to look deep into her eyes, letting their minds connect as he had not done for some hours; that as much as anything had told Amanda that something was wrong. “You are everything that I have ever needed.”

She gave up on rational argument at that point, in favour of distracting Soval from his upcoming mission. For one thing, he didn’t respond well to rational argument when he was feeling affectionate. And for another, distracting – and appreciating - an affectionate Vulcan took all her attention.

~

A good time later, Amanda roused herself to ask, “When do you leave?”

“In a week.” Soval’s fingers slid through her hair. “Will you come with me, Amanda? I find myself most reluctant to go to Andor alone.”

“Well, of course I will!” She propped herself up so that she could stroke his faintly frowning face; it appeared that she hadn’t distracted him as thoroughly as she had hoped. “As if I’d let you go anywhere without me.” Then a practical restriction reared its head. “But will Kuvac let you take me?”

“He need not know. The Andorian government is still reluctant to allow Vulcan ships to approach. Captain Archer has been asked to provide transport, and to facilitate the negotiations.”

Amanda stared suspiciously at the man lying beneath her. “Enterprise, huh? You wouldn’t be thinking of taking T’Pol along too, would you?”

Soval looked innocently back. “I will require an aide.”

“You’re matchmaking! Maybe Trip and T’Pol are better off apart.”

“Do you believe that T’Pol is currently content?”

Amanda grimaced. Encouraged by Soval, the Vulcans living on Earth met regularly to discuss the Kir’Shara. She’d listened to the debates with fascination, seeing Vulcan philosophy evolve before her eyes. Most of those who attended the meetings followed Soval’s moderate interpretation of Surak’s writings, an interpretation that Amanda favoured herself, because it involved compassion, tolerance and the acceptance that only a few would ever be able to banish emotion entirely. T’Pol had been almost alone in insisting that only complete mastery of emotion was acceptable, and in doing so had seemed to find none of the peace that the other Vulcans had. But Amanda wasn’t about to let Soval win any argument so easily. “I don’t know, but neither do you. She won’t talk to you because of me.”

“Her attitude is illogical.”

“I can understand it. I’m always gonna be the woman who tried to steal her man.”

“Which implies an emotional attachment between T’Pol and Commander Tucker.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of plain, old-fashioned lust, Soval? Or maybe Trip didn’t match up to her expectations.”

He pulled her down beside him, settling them both for sleep. “T’Pol may make her own choice. I am merely giving her the opportunity to do so.”

“Most people would say she made it six months ago.”

“I am not most people.”

“No.” Amanda snuggled closer, snuggling being another Human custom that Soval had accepted with only a token protest. “You’re a hell of a lot more sentimental.”

~

Archer’s welcoming smile greeted them as soon as the airlock doors opened, although it wasn’t directed at his primary guest. “T’Pol, it’s good to have you back.”

“Captain.” The Vulcan woman sounded a little uncomfortable. “It’s agreeable to see you again. But I am not ‘back’. I am merely visiting.”

“It’s still good to see you.” Archer finally turned to the elder Vulcan. “And you, Ambassador.”

“Thank you.” Being overlooked had brought a sarcastic note to Soval’s voice. He considered the oversight an insult to the planet he represented. “T’Pol will brief you on the background to this treaty, captain.”

“I’ve already read up.”

“Then T’Pol will ensure that your preparation is complete.” Soval’s tone indicated that he considered the discussion closed.

“Corporal Cole?” The question came from Reed, who had been standing to one side of Archer, studying the group. “I wasn’t aware that Vulcan had requested MACO assistance.”

“It hasn’t.” Amanda moved a pace or so forward from where she had been lurking unobtrusively behind Soval during the formal greetings. “But I’m not a MACO anymore.”

“Oh.” Reed clearly wanted to ask for more information, but couldn’t think of the right question.

Archer frowned doubtfully at her in his turn. “We weren’t aware that there were three in your party, Ambassador. I’ll get Hoshi to see about another cabin.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Soval assessed the impact of his comment on the two Humans facing him, and decided that clarification was required. “Amanda will share my accommodation.”

Reed’s puzzlement lifted. “She’s your bodyguard? I can assure you, sir, that that won’t be necessary. Your security is our top priority this time. There’ll be no …”

He broke off when Soval held out the first two fingers of his right hand and Amanda responded by laying her corresponding fingers on his. “Amanda is not my bodyguard.”

T’Pol scowled at the Human woman, who was unsuccessfully attempting to hide her amusement, and ended the confusion. “Ms Cole is Ambassador Soval’s,” she had to brace herself to say it, “wife.”

“Unofficially,” Soval added, and directed a look at Archer that dared him to comment.

But for once Enterprise's captain was lost for words. He just indicated that Reed should show their guests to their allotted quarters.

~

“Mind if I sit here?”

Tucker looked up and produced one of the wide smiles that Amanda had always liked. “Seems to me I’ve heard that line somewhere before.”

She grinned and took the seat opposite him. “It’s not a pick-up line this time, commander. Just a simple question.”

“Care to make that Trip?”

“Now where have I heard that one before?”

Tucker smiled again, but he was shaking his head as he looked down to poke at his barely touched meal. “Malcolm told me a real weird story about you and Soval, Amanda.”

“If it was weird, it was no story.”

“You’re really married to him?”

“Yup. Unofficially.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, according to the Kir’Shara we’re married, but Kuvac and Soval’s wife think differently.”

Tucker closed his eyes. “What?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re together; that’s what matters.”

“You and Soval?”

“That’s right.”

He opened his eyes to stare back at her, shaking his head again. “We’re talking about the same guy here, right? Vulcan? Nasty temper? Nice line in sarcasm?”

Amanda studied Tucker for a moment or two in silence, the warmth fading from her expression. “I thought you knew Soval better than that, Trip. You saw a lot of him last time he was on Enterprise.”

He had the grace to grimace. “I guess you’re right. But …”

“But what?” She wasn’t going to let him off lightly. “He’s too old for me? Soval reckons he’s good for another 70 or 80 years. So am I. He doesn’t like Humans? That was the High Command’s position, not Soval’s. He’s Vulcan?” She paused to let that one register. “You can’t call me on that one, Trip.” He dropped his head, mouth pulling to one side, and Amanda regarded him thoughtfully. But before she had a chance to follow up on that line of attack, he looked back, any uncomfortable emotion hidden.

“So why aren’t you in the captain’s dining room?”

“Soval reckoned Captain Archer’s invitation was official so,” Amanda shrugged resignedly, “no unofficial wife.” Her pause was too brief to allow Tucker to forestall the inevitable next question. “Why aren’t you in there? I thought the first officer’s duties included protecting the captain from hostile aliens.”

“Isn’t Soval on our side these days?”

Tucker had sidestepped the question adroitly, and Amanda grimaced for her big mouth that had allowed the engineer to dodge the issue she fully intended to discuss. “Yeah, he’s allowed a lot more freedom in dealing with Earth. But Captain Archer’s never been his favourite Human.” She smiled maliciously. “He thinks a lot of you, commander.”

As she had intended, the unexpected commendation took Tucker aback. “Why that? Because I took his word on the Andorian situation?”

“Partly.” Amanda’s smile widened. “But he’s had his eye on you since you sounded off to the Vulcan observers of the NX-Alpha flight.”

Tucker paled visibly. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Soval’s always picked his staff real carefully. The observers followed Vulcan’s policy towards Earth publicly, but they passed a full report to Soval. He had them double check the figures you quoted. Admit it, Trip, you needed that extra year of tests the Vulcans insisted on. And take my word for it that it would have been three if Soval hadn’t been batting on your side.”

Tucker shook his head in a perverse mixture of denial and acknowledgement, and firmly changed the subject. “Forget the old news. Tell me more about you and Soval.”

Amanda looked back for a moment, wondering whether he was sufficiently off-balance to respond favourably to the questions she really wanted to ask, but decided that she had missed her moment – which didn’t mean that she wouldn’t look for others during her stay on Enterprise. There was plenty of time yet to get to the bottom of the engineer’s abortive affair with T’Pol. “What’s to tell? We met, fell in love, and now we’re both living happily ever after.” An explanation that conveniently forgot that she had left Soval in a fit of pique on discovering that he had omitted to tell her that he was still married, forcing him to chase after her to Earth.

Tucker chuckled, a little of the tension fading from beside his eyes. “That simple, huh? How have your folks taken it?”

“Well,” Amanda smiled reminiscently, “the kids love him; they don’t give him a moment’s peace when we visit my brother. Mom and dad like him, but they don’t think it’ll last.”

“But you do?”

“Sure of it.” Again she made sure Tucker was paying attention. “After being with a Vulcan, who’d want a Human?” He scowled and returned to his food, and Amanda sighed silently: that reaction didn’t bode well for Soval’s plans for T’Pol.

The last exchange had killed the conversation. They ate in silence until the door to the captain’s dining room opened to allow the Vulcan Ambassador to sweep out. He scanned the Mess Hall briefly then moved at a dignified pace over to the table where Amanda and Tucker were seated, apparently oblivious to the frankly curious stares directed at him. Amanda had looked up as soon as the doors opened, and Tucker watched with bemusement tinged with regret as a warm smile curved her mouth as the Vulcan approached. Nearly two years before, he’d been the one granted a similar smile, although he didn’t think it had ever been quite so warm for him.

Soval’s expression didn’t alter from the slightly sour one he’d been wearing when he emerged from the captain’s dining room, and Tucker mentally shook his head – then realised that it was he who was on the receiving end of the look. The elderly Vulcan pinned him with it for a moment too long for simple acknowledgement of his presence, before inclining his head in greeting. Tucker nodded back, not obliged to think up a polite response because Amanda immediately said cheerfully to her husband, “Short dinner.”

“Indeed.” Now watching very carefully, Tucker thought that the lines marking the Ambassador’s face softened slightly. “I did not care for the nature of the conversation.”

“Are you gonna meditate?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll stay here for a while.”

“If you wish.” Soval’s eyes flickered to the multiple plates of dessert decorating the table. “I would appreciate it, however, if you did not make yourself ill.”

Amanda grinned at what Tucker thought was plain rudeness. “I’ll be good.”

“That I doubt.” Very briefly Soval touched her cheek and turned to leave, although not before he had directed another searching look at Tucker, who watched thoughtfully as the Ambassador walked away.

“Does he know that we …?”

He let the sentence hang, and Amanda smiled at his discomfort. “Sure.”

“So was I just warned not to mess with his wife?”

“Maybe.” She pulled her first serving of dessert towards her, conveniently overlooking the real reason for her husband’s interest in the engineer. “Vulcans are very proprietary, Trip. You should know that.”

This time he didn’t react to the sly dig. “Are you really gonna eat three lots of pie, Amanda.”

“I’m gonna try.” She dug into the first slice, eyes closing in ecstasy. “The one thing I miss when we stay on Vulcan is dessert.”

“But you don’t mind living there?”

“What’s not to like? Nice people, great scenery, and no Soval if I stayed on Earth.”

“You’re crazy.”

“No.” Amanda spared enough attention from her food to smile at him. “I’m happy.”

~

When Soval left the captain’s dining room in a mood of clearly expressed disapproval at Human curiosity regarding his private life, T’Pol would have followed if Archer had not jerked his head for her to stay. She hesitated then stood stiffly waiting for him to speak, hands clasped before her across the broad sash of the formal robes she wore. Archer eyed her in silence for a moment then indicated the chair she had vacated. “Won’t you stay a while?” Again she hesitated but finally sunk onto the edge of the chair, waiting with studied calm until he added, “I’ve missed your counsel, T’Pol.”

“Indeed?” Her voice was as remote as her expression. “Yet you rarely took my advice.”

Archer glanced down at his plate, a rueful smile tugging at his mouth. “That didn’t mean I didn’t value your opinion.” He looked back up, catching and holding her eyes. “I thought we were friends, T’Pol.”

This time her expression flickered before she looked hurriedly away. “I trust we still are.”

“Then tell me why you left Enterprise.”

She left a momentary pause then raised her head again. “I gave you my reasons at the time, captain.” Her voice, that had faltered a moment before, had steadied.

“Since you don’t work for me anymore, you might consider making that Jonathan.” If Archer had hoped to shake T’Pol’s composure again, he failed. She continued to stare back at him, eyes calm. “So your sole reason for leaving was to concentrate on your study of the Kir’Shara?”

“Yes.”

Her chin was up, daring her former captain to challenge her assertion, but Jonathan Archer had never shied from a challenge. “I never saw Soval as a less demanding boss than me.”

“My duties on Earth are less onerous than those as Enterprise's first officer and science officer. There are also other Vulcans with whom I may discus Surak’s writings.”

“You could have done that with me.”

“You are not Vulcan.”

“I carried Surak’s katra. He left a few thoughts behind.”

Unable to find an answer to that one, T’Pol again rose to her feet. “If you will excuse me, captain, I have research to complete for Ambassador Soval.”

This time Archer let her reach the door before he asked unfairly, “Are you happy, T’Pol?”

She left without a backward look, so he could not see if she was wearing the pained expression that had marred her flawless face during her last few days on Enterprise.

~

Unless some crisis had pulled Tucker from his bed even earlier than normal, he usually had the Mess Hall pretty much to himself for breakfast. Until that morning, he had believed that he enjoyed the solitude that gave him the chance to set the day’s objectives for his department; juggling the combined duties of first officer and chief engineer meant that he was forced to delegate more of the hands-on engineering tasks than had once been the case. But that morning the empty chairs around him offered no distraction from the anger and resentment that had been plaguing him all night.

The one thing he wouldn’t have expected to provide a distraction, however, was a Vulcan Ambassador. But that was what he got when Soval entered the Mess Hall, filled a mug from the drinks’ dispenser then approached the engineer’s table. “Commander Tucker. May I join you?”

“Sure.” There wasn’t a lot else you could say to a guest, not when you were the first officer and rather obviously not doing anything constructive. Soval took a seat and the familiar scent of mint tea clenched Tucker’s stomach unpleasantly, leading him to say hurriedly, “I hope you’ve not suffered any long term effects from Shran’s interrogation, Ambassador.”

“No.” Soval sipped his tea and continued pleasantly, “Although Amanda would tell you that she is a long term consequence of Shran’s activities.”

For a second Tucker wondered if he had misheard, then laughed in genuine amusement. “She’s quite a woman.”

“I would not disagree with you.”

Soval’s voice lacked the hard edge that Tucker had been accustomed to hear all the years he had known the Vulcan, reminding him just how easy he had found it to work with the man the last time they had met. It led him to speak from the heart. “You’re lucky to have her.”

The Ambassador looked back in silence, and Tucker braced himself to receive the inevitable put-down, belatedly realising that the remark was too personal for politeness. Then Soval said dryly, “I prefer to believe that Amanda has excellent taste.”

Tucker laughed for the second time in as many minutes, but sobered abruptly when the door slid back to allow T’Pol to enter. In contrast to Soval, who was casually dressed – for a Vulcan official – in a two-piece outfit, she was formally clad in a double layer of robes and wearing a formal expression to match. She faltered when she identified the two men seated together, then approached Soval with a steady gait, conspicuously ignoring Tucker, who, after a brief scowl, ducked his head.

“The report you requested, Ambassador.”

Soval took the recorder she held out, raising a pair of fingers to prevent her immediate retreat. “Stay, T’Pol. I may have supplementary questions.”

“I assure you, the report is thorough.”

“I am sure that it is.” Soval’s attention was fixed on the small screen before him. “But that does not preclude the possibility of supplementary questions. Sit.”

“I will be in my quarters if you require my services.”

“I require them now. Sit.” T’Pol raised her eyes fractionally ceiling-wards in an expression of well controlled frustration that Archer would have found very familiar and sat, still ignoring Tucker who had returned to his own PADDs. Soval watched them both from under his heavy eyebrows before finally placing the recorder on the table. “I reached a similar conclusion.”

T’Pol drew a calming breath. “Perhaps another time, Ambassador, you will let me know beforehand when my research is superfluous.”

“Hardly superfluous.” Soval’s fingers gently nudged the recorder. “Independent confirmation is a scientific necessity, T’Pol, as you must know far better than I.” He turned an enquiring look onto Tucker, who would have been more than happy to duck out of the conversation and out of the room. “Has Enterprise had direct involvement in the rising incidence of civic unrest on some of the major planets, Commander Tucker?”

“It’s been a little hard to avoid.” The engineer focussed on Soval and so missed the sharp look T’Pol threw him. “We’ve helped pick up the pieces a few times.”

“But you have detected no evidence of Romulan involvement?”

“Like that drone ship we ran into last year? No.” Then it occurred to Tucker that perhaps he shouldn’t be handing out classified information. “Why the questions, Ambassador?”

Soval indicated that T’Pol should explain, which she did without quite looking at the Human. “The Vulcan fleet has already been substantially decreased in size, but one of the clauses in the draft treaty with Andor stipulates a further reduction. However if the Romulans are still active, such a reduction would compromise Vulcan’s ability to protect itself.”

Tucker grimaced. “I guess you and Andoria won’t consider pooling your resources?”

“It’s a little soon for that.” Soval answered the question even as he rose to his feet. “Excuse me. Amanda will be most unhappy if I do not provide her with coffee within the next few minutes.”

He left Tucker grinning at the idea of Vulcan’s feared Ambassador to Earth being required to fetch his wife’s coffee, although the grin faded almost at once when T’Pol made no move to follow her mentor. “Something you want, sub-commander?”

His voice was hard, and she hesitated before saying awkwardly, “I trust your family are well?”

Tucker grimaced in apparent distaste then deliberately looked her full in the face, and for the first time in six months their eyes met. There was a long pause then he rose to his feet, anger apparent in his stiffened muscles. “That’s none of your business.”

If he was aware that T’Pol’s eyes followed him as he stalked to the door, he gave no sign of it.

~


Quite how Tucker found himself inveigled into accompanying Amanda on a shopping trip to Andor’s subterranean capital city, he didn’t know. It was partly to do with her undoubted charm, but he was almost certain that a good deal of extremely clever manipulation had also been involved. He became sure of the latter when she took the most cursory look at a few shop windows, then led the way to a bar not far from the government buildings where Soval was engaged in putting the finishing touches to the treaty between his planet and Andor. The engineer accepted the glass of Andorian ale that Amanda ordered for him, but turned a wry look on her guileless face. “When Elizabeth used to take me shopping, it took all day.”

Amanda shrugged her magnificent shoulders. “I made a mistake. Soval wouldn’t like a birthday present from Andor.”

“No kidding?” She smiled sweetly, and Tucker sighed. “Cut the crap, Amanda. Why did you bring me here?”

Her expression settled into more serious lines, reminding him that she was far more intelligent than her former profession led some people to believe. Maybe that was the clue to why she had appealed to Soval. “What happened with you and T’Pol, Trip?”

“Nothing.” He knew that his mouth had set in the grim line he’d seen all too often in recent months in the bathroom mirror. “Nothing at all.”

“Then why did she leave Enterprise?”

“She works for your husband. You tell me.”

“She won’t talk to him. Soval’s worried about her.”

sss

Tucker knew that Amanda was trying to appeal to the good nature for which he was known, but there was one subject on which he’d never relent. “She made her choice.” Amanda grimaced, and Tucker shook his head, trying to dispel his anger, although he doubted that his smile reached his eyes. “Forget the old news. Tell me what you’re doing these days – apart from finding yourself the weirdest husband in the entire course of Human history.”

She smiled, although Tucker didn’t believe for one moment that he’d distracted her permanently from her exploration of his private life. “I’m studying law: Human and Vulcan right now, but Soval’s working on the Andorian Ambassador to get me access to their legal courses too.”

“Why?”

“I thought it would be useful. We’re gonna have to thrash out a set of interstellar laws one day, and it’ll go smoother if they’re flexed off current practise. So I thought I’d get a head start.” Her full lips curved reminiscently. “I was happy to make looking after Soval my full time job, but he kicked me out of bed a week after we got back to Earth and told me to go find something constructive to do.”

Tucker shook his head reprovingly, although his smile was finally genuine. “Why do I get the impression that you think he’s wonderful?”

“Because he is.” Amanda spoke lightly, but she sobered again almost at once. “Why don’t you talk to T’Pol, Trip? Maybe …”

“Let it go, Amanda.” He cut across her harshly. “It’s over.”

They never got to find out whether she would have obeyed him, because the explosion ended their conversation far more dramatically. Even though they were 50m from the seat of the explosion, the front of the bar was blown in, tossing customers to the floor, overturning furniture. Dazed and deafened by the blast, Tucker heaved instinctively against the weight trapping his legs, feeling a stab of relief when it shifted. Another shove dislodged the table that had fallen on him and he sat up, breathing deeply to steady himself while he took a quick personal inventory and decided that he’d been lucky: much luckier than others around him. His returning hearing brought the distressing sounds of people in pain, as well as the vigorous screams of those who might be suffering from nothing worse than panic. A quick search showed him Amanda’s body slumped a couple of metres away, and he crawled over, heart pounding with incipient guilt at the thought that they’d only been in the vicinity because she wanted – however misguidedly - to help him. But she stirred before he reached her, and didn’t really need his helping hand to sit up.

“Damn it!” Tucker almost smiled at her borrowing of his characteristic protest. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Above them the damaged ceiling sagged alarmingly, and they both ducked instinctively and futilely. “We need to clear the area.”

He didn’t just mean of themselves, and Amanda knew it. She nodded, and began to force a path through the debris to where an Andorian woman was slumped motionless on the floor, while he went the other way to help an elderly couple, who fortunately appeared more dazed than hurt.

When Tucker finally emerged from the damaged building, he found Amanda staring blindly at the government block across the street that appeared to have caught the full force of the blast. He slipped a comforting arm around her. “You can’t do anything from here, Amanda. I’ll call Enterprise. They can check that Soval’s okay.”

For a few seconds she remained unresponsive, then blinked and pulled free, her expression firming into a professional mask. “No need. He’s fine.” She glanced around them, grimacing at the devastation. “Come on, Trip. We’ve still got work to do here.”

~

When the explosion occurred, the negotiations were already in recess, having hit a tricky clause regarding the regulations appertaining to the proposed Andorian embassy on Vulcan. The blast was still clearly felt, however, even in the small room set aside for private deliberations between the Vulcan negotiators. Soval and T’Pol exchanged raised eyebrows, while Archer, who had been facilitating a solution by telling both sides that they were wrong, headed immediately for the door. It opened before he reached it to reveal the Andorian’s lead negotiator backed by several guards. “Captain Archer, Ambassador Soval,” the woman was clearly unsettled, “come with me. Please.”

The courtesy was a belated addition that didn’t appease the Human. “We heard an explosion. What happened?”

“A malfunction in a major power distribution node.” The answer was far too slick. “This way.”

Archer ignored the outstretched hand that firmly indicated they should move, but it was Soval who said dryly, “I commend your investigative procedures. If you are confident of the cause, I see no reason to remove from here.”

“There’s a possibility of structural damage, Ambassador.” The woman’s gesture was more emphatic this time. “Come.”

This time, after a distinct pause, Soval inclined his head in acceptance and followed the woman, although Archer hung back, hand reaching for his communicator. T’Pol glanced between the two men, apparently unclear where her duty lay, until Soval frowned at her. She followed him reluctantly, matching his pace that remained unhurried despite the attempts of the Andorian negotiator to make him move faster.

Despite all literary precedent that said they should be walking into a trap, the two Vulcans were simply led to another room deeper inside the underground complex. T’Pol left a cautious few seconds after their escort departed, then tried the door: it was unlocked. “Do you believe their explanation, Ambassador?”

“No.” Soval had seated himself, hands clasped in his lap.

In contrast, T’Pol prowled around the room, seemingly unable to wait patiently for events to develop. After a few seconds, almost in the manner of one who could not bear to remain silent any longer, she said cruelly, “Your wife was visiting the city. Yet you appear unconcerned for her safety.” She didn’t receive a reprimand, or even an answer, and shot a quick look at Soval – a look that slid into a faint, puzzled frown when she took in his vacant stare. Then some of the tension that, she belatedly realised, had gripped him since the explosion melted away, and his eyes focused on her again.

“Amanda’s unharmed. So,” Soval was now observing her very carefully, “is Commander Tucker.”

T’Pol turned her back. “Captain Archer will be relieved.” Then the implication of Soval’s message struck her and she swung around to face him again, eyes wide. “You have a psychic connection with her!” The personal observation was rude by Vulcan standards, just as the consternation was unseemly. Soval raised an eyebrow at both, and T’Pol’s mouth tightened. “I apologise. I was merely,” she struggled to find an appropriate word and failed, “surprised. You must find it an unpleasant burden.”

“Quite the contrary.” Soval frowned at the woman, although her head was averted again so that she missed the thoughtful scrutiny. “Was it your encounter with the Seleya, T’Pol, that made you scared of your emotions?”

The challenging question brought her head around to glare at him. “You know nothing about the matter.” Her soft voice shook with barely suppressed outrage.

“No.” In contrast, Soval’s voice was calm, although it was also implacable now that he had finally found the opportunity to voice the opinion he had been slowly forming. “But I knew you five years ago, and I have observed you these last few months. You will never be at peace, T’Pol, for all your study of the Kir’Shara, unless you accept what you are.”

“I am Vulcan!”

“But what do you believe defines us, T’Pol? Our logic? You would be wrong. We are defined by our emotions: they make the path of logic a necessity. You must cast out your fear, T’Pol. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear.”

“You don’t understand!” Despair was suddenly clear in her voice. “I thought I had mastered my emotions.” She drew a shuddering breath, a suspicion of a tremble around her mouth. “I had not.”

If Soval felt any satisfaction at having finally forced T’Pol to admit the truth, he gave no sign of it. He simply said gently, “I think you will find that I understand as no one else can, T’Pol. I do know that Humans are capable of dealing with emotions stronger than their own.”

She shook her head, but before Soval could hand out more advice, Archer stuck his head into the room. “That explosion wasn’t caused by any faulty power grid. I’ve ended the talks for the day. Let’s get you back to Enterprise, Ambassador. I want you in safe keeping until I understand what’s going on here.”

It wasn’t clear whether Soval’s disgust was at Archer’s highhanded approach, or at the interruption to his own attempt to help T’Les’s daughter.

~

By the time Tucker made it back to Enterprise he was exhausted, as much from what he had seen as by physical exertion. Blood was still blood even if it wasn’t red, and he’d seen too much of that in the Delphic Expanse, helping search for bodies on Enterprise's battle damaged decks; the scenes on Andor had brought back the worst of his memories of that desperate time. He would have appreciated some company, but Amanda disappeared as soon as Phlox finished checking them out. Tucker had few doubts about where she was heading; the negotiations had been suspended for the day in the wake of the explosion, so Soval was also back on Enterprise. He couldn’t fault her behaviour, but he’d have been glad of her presence. Given that he didn’t have such an option, however, he had to fall back on that good old comforter, pie. If chef hadn’t had his usual foresight to whip up something profoundly unhealthy, he would have an irritable first officer to deal with.

Fortunately for Tucker’s temper and chef’s well being, however, pecan pie was featured on the day’s menu. The engineer collected a glass of milk to complement his snack and retired to a table to indulge himself. But the sugar had had no time to improve his mood before a faint sensation in the back of his skull, so faint that he would later believe he had imagined it, caused him to look over his shoulder and scowl. T’Pol hesitated a moment longer then stepped forward to the side of his table, perching on the edge of a chair, eyes fixed on his head that had bent over his plate again. “I understand that you were near the centre of the explosion.”

“Yeah.” He broke off another mouthful, spearing it on his fork before raising his eyes. They were harder than she remembered. “What of it?”

From this angle, she could see the sealed cut close to his hairline. “You were injured.”

“I was lucky.” His mouth pulled to one side. “Not like a lot of others in the area.” Their eyes met, and he grimaced again and not at the fate of those caught in the explosion. “Why the sudden interest, T’Pol? Did Soval send you to collect witness statements?”

She didn’t answer for a moment, then said diffidently, “I was concerned for you.”

“Really?” The edge to his voice made T’Pol’s mouth tighten. “How’s that supposed to make me feel? Because to be honest, sub-commander, you’ve jerked me around so often I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

She stared back in hurt silence, and Tucker snapped to his feet, leaving half his food uneaten. By the time T’Pol found her voice again, he was two metres away. “Trip.” She spoke quietly, but it stopped him short, although he didn’t turn around. “I did care for you.”

He turned slowly then, although his expression caused T’Pol to sway backwards. “Then why did you walk away?” He moved back so that he could drop his voice to a level no one else could hear. “I really thought we finally had something going, T’Pol, after I came back from the Columbia. Then you walked out on me. How’s that for commitment?”

“I could feel your emotions.” Her mouth was shaking. “All the time. After Elizabeth died …”
“D’you know that Amanda and Soval have a psychic connection?” Tucker’s voice was still hard, and T’Pol had to force herself to nod. “Amanda told me today that it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her.” He bent over the table, his face bare centimetres from hers. T’Pol closed her eyes. “Why wasn’t it like that for us, T’Pol?”

She didn’t open her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“No?” Tucker’s voice came from a little further away; he had straightened, ready to leave again. “I reckon you just didn’t care enough.”

This time T’Pol didn’t try to call him back. She wasn’t sure that she could have spoken in any case. She was very sure that she had no idea how to convince him that he was wrong.

~

Soval did not respond well to peremptory summons, particularly when he was interrupted while in the process of comforting a wife grieved and angry at senseless destruction. So his frown was a little deeper than normal when he entered the Command Centre, and it deepened still further at the sight of the Andorian in the uniform of the Imperial Guard who waited alongside Archer and Tucker. But it was to Enterprise's captain that Soval addressed himself. “You requested my presence, Captain Archer. I am here.”

Archer barely acknowledged the studiedly polite opening, nodding to the Andorian instead. “This is Commander Tal. He’s brought us some disturbing news.” The captain twisted to include Tal in his next statement. “The Andorians have revised their opinion regarding the cause of today’s explosion.” One of the Vulcan’s eyebrows rose in ironic acknowledgement of that news. “Now they’re saying it was a bomb.” Archer turned sharply back to Soval. “And that the Imperial Guard has recovered evidence linking the attack to Vulcan.”

Soval’s fingers curled, a sure sign of tension to anyone who knew him well. “I can assure you, Commander Tal …”

The immediate attempt at denial appeared to enrage Tal, who brought both hands down on the table in front of him, antennae arching forwards. “Your assurance means nothing! Everyone knows that Vulcans lie even to each other. It seems that nothing’s changed.”

“That’s enough.” Archer stepped between the two men. “Let’s just have the facts, commander. We can deal out the insults later.”

The Andorian grimaced, but reached into a pocket and tossed a twisted piece of metal onto the table. “That was found at the scene of the bomb attack. It was used in the detonator.” Soval eyed Tal in silence for a moment, then leant forward to re-orientate the object with a disdainful finger. “You recognise it?”

Soval didn’t answer, and it was Tucker who said cautiously, “It’s an IDIC.” He glanced at Soval, but when it appeared that the Ambassador was not prepared to add anything, he continued, “It celebrates unity in the presence of diversity. No Vulcan who wanted to disrupt the treaty with Andor would carry one, Commander Tal.”

The Andorian flicked a hand in dismissal of the explanation. “It’s Vulcan. That’s what counts.”

“It is Vulcan,” Soval’s voice was firm, “and therefore designed to mislead. A Vulcan agent would not be so careless as to leave such evidence behind. You were intended to find this, commander.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Tal’s face before he flung himself away from the table, pacing again. Archer picked up the crumpled IDIC, turning it thoughtfully in his fingers. “Soval has a point, commander.”

“A double bluff!” The Andorian came back to push his face into Soval’s. “Just what we might expect from the Vulcans.”

“From the High Command, perhaps. But not from the new administration, Commander Tal.”

Perhaps wanting to distract Tal from Soval, who had tensed at the Andorian’s invasion of his personal space, Tucker said slowly, “Is it possible that a faction on your own planet planted the bomb, commander? Maybe not every Andorian wants peace with Vulcan.”

Tal whipped around to face him, antennae stiffening. “Nonsense!” Tucker gave him a companionable smile that said he didn’t believe the other man. It had only been a lucky guess on his part – or a logical deduction, as a Vulcan would put it – but Tal’s unguarded reaction confirmed that Tucker wasn’t far wrong. Goaded, the Andorian returned to the attack, turning back to Soval. “Do you own one of these,” he waved his hand irritably as he tried to recall the acronym, “IDICs?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have it?”

“Of course. What are you implying, commander? That I planted the bomb during a recess in the negotiations?”

“You’re Vulcan! You could do anything!”

Tal had wandered away again, and Archer sent him an exasperated look. “You know Ambassador Soval wasn’t involved, Commander Tal. Let’s concentrate on finding out who’s really responsible.”

“The Imperial Guard is investigating!”

“Let my people take over.” Archer’s tone was persuasive, the one he’d used to bring many obstreperous aliens around to his point of view. “Face it, Tal, whatever the Andorians discover, the Vulcans are unlikely to accept.”

“This is not your affair, pink skin!”

“You invited me here, Commander: that makes me involved. At least let Lt Reed work alongside you.”

The Andorian shook his head, but he was clearly weakening. Once again he roamed around the room, again stopping in front of Soval, although not so intrusively close this time. He stared at the Vulcan for a moment, moved his eyes to the Humans, and finally looked back to Soval himself. “You believe that Vulcan has no official involvement in this?”

“I do.”

Tal’s mouth twisted. “You’re fortunate that the late and unlamented Commander Shran trusted you, Ambassador Soval, or you’d find yourself back in a questioning chair.”

No one knew how much effort it cost Soval to keep his expression impassive. “Then since I am not to be your guest again, I suggest we seek the truth some other way.”


Part 2

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