Competition - Part 4

Competition

By: TLR

Rated: PG -13
Disclaimer: Enterprise is the property of UPN and Paramount Pictures.
Summary: This part picks up as part 3 left off. T'Pol has just finished her training exercise, while Trip and his father waited someone impatiently to get to see her. Catherine Tucker busied herself by turning her child and his mate into their supervisors. Now the Admiral and his aide are now at the London consulate face to face with the Humans and their Vulcan counterparts. Let's get back to the story. Enjoy.

October 15, 2006

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Part 4

Coming up to the mixed grouping, Admiral Gardner and the General walked calmly behind the two Vulcan guards sent to escort them to Soval. "Ambassador…. Commanders….Sir…" They failed to know Trip's dad and waited to be introduced.

"Sirs…. This is my father Charles Tucker, Jr. …Dad this is Admiral Gardner and General Staullings." Trip completed the introductions then drew silent wanting to hear what the gentlemen had on their minds.

"I am truly sorry for the intrusion Ambassador, but I am afraid that I must take Commander Tucker and his father back to Star fleet headquarters." This scared Trip thinking something had happened to his mom or brother.

"Is everything all rght…. Is my mom okay…. Is it Jimmie…. What?" Trip came forward away from his mate's side. She could feel his worry and tried to lend him some mental support.

"No son…they are fine." Gardner started not at all knowing how to handle this. "We've had a report of some espionage attempts on humans and we need to get you back to safe ground."

The ambassador stepped up truly worried about the news. "What attempts are you referring too?" He wanted to be of assistance by beginning an investigation into the problem. The feelings he was getting from the humans were a mix of worry and disbelief.

"I don't know how to tell you this Ambassador, but the reports we've gotten said that Vulcans were using some kind of mind control on Humans…… I know this sounds preposterous, but until we get this thing checked out, I think it would be best if you keep your agents behind the walls of the embassy for a while. We will let you know what we find as soon as we get these claims investigated." The Admiral gestured for Trip to follow him.

"This is crazy. Vulcans can't mind control anybody." Trip rebelled at the idea of having to be separated from his mate after such a wearisome battle.

"I know commander, but for right now….Vulcans are off limits to Humans…." The General replied and watched as the young man stood his ground. "That's an order……!!!" He added making Trip and his father follow him toward the outer doorway. T'Pol came up to stand beside her mentor. He looked down at her, wondering where the humans got such an idea from. Did they know of the Vulcans' true abilities, neither could tell. Both were sure however that if this allegation didn't go away and fast, the rift it would create could end relations between their two peoples for good.

*****

"This is absolutely crazy…!" Trip swore as he hit the large conference room. "I have never heard of such a thing." Charles, Jr. stepped in beside his son, not truly knowing why he would be brought into a meeting of this sort.

In the corner of the room sat Captain Archer, a tall General Sumners flanking him at the end of the long table. "Cap'n?" Trip felt both puzzled and relieved to see his old friend. He walked quickly around the table and stood at Jon's side.

"Did you hear what they are accusing the Vulcans of….. It's preposterous…. Tell em….. They have gotta be working with some bad information." Archer looked up having been briefed on the source of the data star fleet had.

"Trip…." His old friend started as gently as possible. "They got the information from your mother." This statement received a shocked look from the blond haired male. He backed away, almost instinctively not believing his friend of so many years could have uttered such at thing.

"Catherine told them this?" Charles was equally shocked as he came up behind his son.

"I don't know why….but they seem to think that I knew about this mind control…. That I let it happen." Jon continued having been brought in to answer these serious charges.

"Ah this is ridiculous…..First you believe that the Vulcans are into mind control, and now you actually think that Cap'n Archer…. A man who saved this damn planet, who put his life on the line over and over again for star fleet, would be a party to such a thing……IF…it were true." Trip moved back around and got into the Admiral's face. The generals in the room rose preparing to restrain the commander if he continued with his overly confrontational style.

"Now commander….I agree that these claims seem somewhat outrageous, but given the severity of the terrorist attack by the Xindi, we cannot take any claims too lightly. I suggest we sit down and try to hash these allegations out first." The Admiral calmly pointed to the chair next to Archer and requested again for the man to sit down. "Commander." He then turned to Charles, who was still standing along the side of the room.

"Mr. Tucker…Normally our investigations would be classified, however your wife claims that you had intimate knowledge of this mind control." This shocked the human,who could not for the life of him, understand why Catherine would say that, let alone make these claims.

"I have no such knowledge Admiral….. My wife is mistaken." He sat down beside his son and waited to see what would come next.

"Your wife claims she overheard the alien in question admitting to the act and this Vulcan was speaking to you when she did so." General Staullings interjected. "Are you saying you did not have such a conversation recently?"

Charles looked at Trip who instantly realized the reason for this lie. He knew to tell the true could get him, T'Pol and perhaps Captain Archer into trouble, but to lie would be even worse. He saw his son nod, indicating for the man to reveal what had been said in the strictest of confidence. He began, "The only discussion I had recently was with my son and Commander T'Pol. During which they told me of their intentions to marry as soon as her government's troubles had straightened out. I think, Admiral that is the reason for your false information." Charles chose his words carefully so as not to incriminate himself, and not to give out too much information.

"Marry?" Archer answered back totally shocked and saw Trip give him a sheepish nod.

"We would'a told ya Cap'n, but we know how star fleet feels about shipmates that marry. If it got out too prematurely, they would probably try to split us up, and we couldn't take that chance."
The young man shrugged his shoulders, as if wanting Jon's forgiveness for such a breach in friendship.

"I knew you were very close friends, but I had no idea you two were that serious ….Trip.." Archer patted his friend on the back in a supportive manner. The two men appeared to have forgotten the proceedings around them. They were brought back by the stern voice of General Staullings who seemed very perturbed by the whole thing.

"So you are saying your mother gave falsified data to a government branch, reporting the possibility of a terrorist threat and strained relations between Earth and their oldest allies all out of jealousy. You know what she did was a criminal offense and she will need to be brought in for questioning." The room went silent as Jon, Trip and his dad contemplated the thought of Trip's mother getting put in prison.

*****

Back at the embassy, T'Pol was in an assigned chamber meditating. Her face as well as her body hurt from the beating she took at the hands of her old friend and partner. A small cut just beneath her eye oozed the occasional streak of green as the blood tried to congeal. Greenish hued bruises lined her torso, hips and thighs beneath the loose fitting robes she wore. The candle before her made the darkened room a bit softer, but even with its mood setting nature, the young alien found it hard to concentrate on alleviating her own pain with her mate so far away. Instead of trying to go to that white space that always seemed to help her mind, T'Pol instead honed in on her mate and found herself mentally sitting in on the conversation. At the part where Catherine was being looked at for falsifying information, the young woman knew she could not allow Trip's mother to take the fall for the bond which formed between her and her mate. She stood immediately and went down the massive stone hallway toward the Ambassador's quarters to seek guidance.

As she had been, T'Pol found the Ambassador sitting squat sit on some pillows. He too was in deep meditation but felt the disturbed presence of the child as she approached him. Soval's aide let her in and T'Pol waited patiently for him to address her. "Commander….You wish to speak with me?"

Even though the elder male knew this woman for many years, he still didn't always know what drove her. This was especially true since her assignment to the Enterprise and to a ship full of illogical humans. Many was the time he thought it unwise for T'Pol, who was always so bright and independent, to spend such a prolonged time with the Humans as she had. When the sub-commander resigned her commission to go into the Expanse with this very crew, the Ambassador thought his fears to be correct. But she came through that ordeal and in many ways had become more enlightened by it. Now it was Soval who looked to her for assistance in building a stronger alliance with the Humans, a fact that would have stunned the elder statesman just two years ago.

T'Pol advanced at his gesture and sat down across from the flame. The flickering light lent a soothing atmosphere to this already tense situation. She knew what she was about to tell her mentor would not be well received, but to withhold the information and allow an innocent woman to go to prison was simply illogical. She began, feeling a bit nervous about talking with this particular male. Since her father's death, Soval played a great role in her upbringing, and to T'Pol it was like letting her own father down. This was something a true Vulcan child would never do.

"I believe I know where the allegations came from and why." She started as evenly as she could. The commander's voice cracked several times as she tried to get it out. Clearing her throat once again, she broke the silent raised brow her father-like figure was giving her.

"Commander Tucker and I have bonded." The direct approach had always worked for T'Pol in the past. Ambassador V'lar even said it was the child's bluntness that made her rethink her own decisions. This however got nothing but a disturbed look from the graying male. He remained still not knowing the proper terms to use right now.

"It was during our time in the expanse, as far as we can tell….It was not something that was planned, it just seemed to happen." T'Pol was becoming nervous at the silence she was getting from him.

"You bonded during your time in the expanse, and yet you married Koss anyway…. That was illogical not to mention dishonorable." Soval was blunt, a bit shocked by this woman's confession.

"We knew not of our bond at that time…." T'Pol reassured him that she did not act with dishonor. "It became apparent to us well after my marriage to Koss was dissolved."

"Then how do you know the bond was formed in the Expanse?" The ambassador's voice eased up wanting to understand what his protégé had gone through at the hands of the humans.

"Because all the symptoms fit…. I had great difficulty in controlling my feelings for the Commander…. I thought at first it was due to the trellium exposure I had aboard the Seleya, or perhaps to the spacial anomalies that we were constantly in. The pressure of the mission was severe and keeping the crew's emotions from overwhelming me took great concentration. I thought myself overwhelmed beyond my limits." T'Pol studied the soothing qualities of the flame.

"But it wasn't these things." The ambassador coaxed her onward.

"No….I'm not sure but after we returned it became apparent that the Commander and I were attracted to one another. I knew it was not right, but Koss' parents had called off the wedding which meant that I was not acting dishonorably. I allowed the commander to accompany me to Vulcan. With the loss of his sister, and his hometown, he seemed to need assistance." T'Pol looked up into his eyes and saw understanding, something she didn't expect.

"The bond was drawing you two together even then." Soval added knowing all too well what lengths this special connection would go too to keep the mated pair together.

"Yes….I believe it was… When I got home and found that Koss' family still expected me to go through with the wedding plans, I was angered… I tried to get out of them but it quickly became clear that V'Las would imprison my mother if I didn't comply with my father's agreement. The despair that accompanied that act was overwhelming for both of us." For some reason T'Pol felt free to discuss these emotions with Soval, as she might have with her own father.

"The link between bond mates is strong, and one cannot fight against its pull. I am amazed you were able to go through with such an act. It must have been quite painful for you." His look was gentle, more so than T'Pol had ever seen. She nodded silently.

"I fail to see how this explains the sabotage attempts the Admiral was speaking of." Soval knew that dwelling on the subject would become too difficult on his student. A coy trick the Vulcans had to control their emotions was to move past the painful stuff and keep going.

"After my marriage to Koss, the commander was very distraught. He went home to his parent's new house and apparently spent several weeks sulking in his room. This worried his parents, especially his mother who felt that my treatment of him, in going off and marrying another male, was intolerable. She also knew of my repeated attempts at trying to keep away from her son even after my marriage had ended and of the upheaval this brought to him." T'Pol knew her mentor was getting the picture now.

"Yes… Human mothers do seem to have a bond with their children, though much weaker than the ones Vulcans have.

"When we came back to Earth after my mourning, his mother was quite angry with me and even tried to bring another woman into the house in hopes of getting her son interested in her." She saw Soval's eyes get large.

"That must have been very difficult…. How did you handle it?" He was curious from a professional standpoint. No Vulcans were allowed to bring harm or allow harm to come to Humans in any way, shape or form. Clearly this infringement on her and the commander's bond would have sparked the primal nature of his protégé.

"I managed to beam out to the consulate in San Diego before I could kill her, but it wasn't easy." T'Pol reassured him quickly knowing just how important the oath was to all Vulcans serving on this planet.

"You acted appropriately, but why did you stay in that situation. Why didn't you and the commander come to the consulate and stay the remainder of your visit?" Soval wanted to understand what made humans do what they did.

"I wanted Commander Tucker to stay behind and visit with his family while I came to London to do my training, but he was emphatic about our staying together. He was willing to stay in London with me, but I felt that my taking him from his parents would only reinforce his mother's negative feelings. I thought perhaps if I could simply talk with her, I could get her to understand about the bond and how it was missed during the time of upheaval that made her son so unhappy." T'Pol knew that didn't seem all that logical, but having dealt with these humans for so long, Soval knew that the logical choice was not always the right one with this species.

"It is admirable that you wanted to improve relations with this woman, but doing so at the risk of another female's life may not have been the most logical way of accomplishing it. Perhaps you could have found a way to let your mate work things out with his parents and you simply stay out of their emotional exchange." The ambassador was well acquainted with getting caught up in the humans' drama, how it was often a sure fire way of getting off the beaten path.

"Agreed…. I see now that my actions could have been improved by not communicating at all, but unfortunately I did and am now trying to deal with the aftermath." The commander was showing her exhaustion on the matter.

"And you think this Human female reported your bond as the mind control she spoke of?" Soval was all too familiar dealing with emotional females. He saw her nod again.

"Well then there is nothing to worry about. The Admiral will investigate and find nothing to the allegations. The moratorium will be lifted and it will be as the humans say, 'business as usual." He gazed back down into his candle light preparing for the woman's departure. When she didn't leave he looked back up at her.

"They are preparing to arrest her for falsifying information of a terrorist attack….. I can not let her go to prison, no matter what she feels about her son's and my marriage." T'Pol was here with a favor to ask. Soval looked into her eyes and realized just how amazing this woman was. Her heritage spoke loudly as he could hear the wisdom of Surak coming through in her words.

"You wish me to speak on the woman's behalf?" He asked sure he had gotten the correct assumption from the tonal quality of her voice. Her nod was more endearing, and the elder was hard pressed to refuse this female anything. He thought back to her father, a fine officer and friend. Soval knew that at that moment, the logic T'Pol displayed would be of credit to both her bloodlines. He returned her nod as warmly as if it had been her father's.

*****

Back at Star Fleet Headquarters in San Francisco, Trip and Charles worked frantically to keep Catherine from being arrested. They both knew her actions were uncalled for and their ramifications were far worse than anyone could imagine. Deeper though, the motivations for this woman's outburst were only pure love for her son and her desire for his happiness. For that, she couldn't be imprisoned. She must be cleared at all cost.

"Listen Admiral…. I know what my mom did was wrong, but believe me when I say she was merely mistaken. After the death of my sister, she's been afraid of things she doesn't understand. Like my wanting to marry an alien, she's just trying to keep me safe." Trip pleaded more settled down by the comfort of his mate's empathic support.

"That's the point commander, what has she got to be afraid of with Commander T'Pol. Has she witnessed any reason that has frightened her?" General Staullings spoke up trying to get the man to come clean about his mother's true motives.

"No… Not that I am aware of. She just knows that Commander T'Pol and I had a rough go of it for a while and that it upset me greatly….. I guess she doesn't want me to get hurt, that's all." Trip was trying to soften the severity of what his mother did.

"Star Fleet Command is not a galactic dating service, Commander." General Staullings spoke up annoyed at all the hullabaloo. "The ramifications of what your mother did could set our relations with the Vulcans back 100 years."

"I agree." Gardner pointed out. "That is why I think we should get Mrs. Tucker down here to answer to these charges immediately. In the meantime, I will contact Ambassador Soval and try to smooth things over."

"You really think it's necessary to haul her all the way out here?" Archer was trying to keep this elder southern woman from being too badly shaken up, somewhat gracious considering the amount of trouble she could have gotten him in.

"Yes I do….. The faster we get through these charges, the less likely our relationship with the Vulcans will be negatively affected. Furthermore I think it should be up to the Vulcans to decide if any punishment should be levied against her, since it is their reputations she is trying to destroy."

Back at the London compound, T'Pol made her way through the stone hallways back to her quarters. She was in need of some meditation to sooth her still aching muscles. Before she reached her doorway, the alien heard a familiar voice calling after her.

"So, where is your 'better half '?" Honey made a point of chuckling with that statement. "Afraid I might go after him next?" T'Pol looked at him blankly, too tired to put up with this foolishness.

"The commander is at Star Fleet Headquarters on a security matter." She turned and attempted to go.

"Oh so he IS afraid I'll take him out." The alien moved into her pathway impeding T'Pol's progress and making her come to a halt.

"He is afraid of nothing…. I said he was at Star Fleet on a security matter and he is." T'Pol started to go around and he veered into her direction.

"Did you tell him about my oath not to harm humans?" Honey's smile grew brighter and brighter with each moment.

"He is aware that you are under the same restrictions as Vulcans…. He has no fear of you in any way." T'Pol stepped back from his closeness as it started to make her anger more apparent.

"Well, why don't you let him stay in Star Fleet and you get back to some real work right here. You are far too good to be a glorified researcher….. Don't you miss the thrill of getting the job done?" This time Honey was being really serious. He knew of the woman's bad mission, but still found her to be one of the best agents the security ministry ever had. Her brilliance alone made T'Pol far too good to be a science officer aboard a ship full of lesser intelligent beings.

"I am an officer in Star Fleet and intent to remain so. I do, do real work, important work that just finished saving the planet on which you live and work. Clearly my work holds merit and should be acknowledged as such." T'Pol made her way around him, head held up, and eyes squinted to the point of daggers. She got to her door and went inside without a backward glance to the alien.

However, as her anger built at her old partner's words, so did Trip's. Sitting in the large conference room now quietly awaiting the arrival of the defendant, the engineer fidgeted in his seat until he couldn't hold it in any longer. With a swift upward thrust, he jutted out of the chair standing straight and stiff as a board.

"I'll kill him!!!" Trip shouted to a very surprised Admiral Gardner who had to this point been reviewing data logs on past Vulcan Human interactions looking for any reference to episodes of mind control in the past. He didn't want to accuse this woman of anything that could possibly be true. He came to his feet, as Generals Staullings and Sumner got to Trip and restrained his arms.

"I beg your pardon, commander?" The admiral wasn't the only stunned one in the room. Jon put a hand on his old friend's chest trying to help hold him back. Charles watched from his seat on the other side of the young man, mouth open and mind shocked beyond belief. Trip shook off some of the last waves of homicidal rage that hit him. He had heard every word of what the alien said to his mate and tried for as long as possible to keep his angered feelings pent up. They reached boiling and it caused the reaction they'd just witnessed. Trying to calm down, Trip stopped straining against the generals' grasp.

"I'm sorry sir…..It's not you…." Trip stuttered trying to get the words out of his still hazy mind. "I need a short recess so that I can take care of some thing back at the London consulate." He tried to look as controlled as possible, but wasn't pulling it off well.

"The Vulcan consulate is the last place you should be right now, Commander….. It is best that you leave Vulcan-Human relations to me… Now please sit down." Gardner found this turn in the man's behavior quite strange. He wondered for a moment if Mrs. Tucker might be speaking the truth.

"You don't understand, Sir…… T'Pol needs me and I have to go take care of a few things…. I will be right back after I…." Trip was cut off by Gardner's hand coming up and stopping his explanation.

"I said you are not going anywhere, Commander. Do I make myself clear, or will I have to put you in the brig to cool off?" This time the senior officer wasn't tolerating any disobedience. Trip could hear Archer to his right trying to talk some sense into him.

"Trip…what the hell are you doing…Sit down and shut up." The engineer eased back into his seat and was released by the two generals. His angered undertones continued as both the admiral and his aides made a point of watching his actions very carefully. The engineer's fidgeting continued, first squirreling onto one side of his butt, then another. It was the large doors of the conference room opening, which brought him back to the present.

Into the room walked Catherine Tucker, held onto by an Ensign Meyers and escorted by two lesser crewmen in dress uniform. The woman looked nervous as her eyes darted from side to side. When she saw her husband and son in the room, Catherine took a sharp breath, knowing just exactly what this impromptu meeting was all about. The Admiral got up from his chair, as did all the other men in the room and waited for the woman to be seated. Instead of seating her next to Charles, the Ensign pulled out a lone chair on the other side of the desk and held it for the woman to sit in. Clutching her purse tightly in her hands, Catherine sat down and tried to keep her knees from knocking together too loudly beneath the deep wood of the oak table top.

"Mrs. Tucker." The admiral started wanting to be as polite as possible to this civilian. "You called us with a claim that the Vulcans were controlling your son's mind. I would like you to elaborate on how you came about that knowledge." Again the woman swallowed hard, trying to get her voice box to relax back into position.

"I overheard the Commander telling my husband and son about their special connection…." She hesitated trying not to lie, but also not to look as if she'd lied in the first place. "She said she could see what he saw, and knew what he knew without having to say it." The woman's hands shook under the table with all the scrutiny she was getting at that very moment. "With the strange way my son was acting, I couldn't help but feel she was controlling him in some way."

This statement got an automatic, "Ah Mom" from the engineer and a stern "Catherine" from her husband. She held up her head and tried to look defiant in the face of their anger.

"What strange things was your son doing?" Gardner wanted now more than ever to dig deeper into this part, seeing the violent behavior Commander Tucker just exhibited.

"Well……She went off and got married and he still wanted her….. I bring home a perfectly beautiful and appropriate human girl for him and he doesn't even give her the time of day." Catherine didn't realize that her list of strange events didn't quite fit what the admiral was hoping for. She continued…."And instead of coming straight home after that year long mission into the expanse, he chose to go to an alien world, a place that I might add ended up making him even more miserable."

"Begging your pardon, Ma'am, but those things don't qualify as being strange behavior…. They simply show that your son is in love with Commander T'Pol. Do you have any real proof or have you just made this mind control claim up to try and break up the commanders?" General Staullings used much less tact.

"These are strange behaviors for my son….. In his many years in Star Fleet he always came straight home to see us. He never would think about keeping us in suspense like that." Catherine was hopping mad, not remembering she was in grave danger of doing some jail time for her falsified claims.

"Mom…. I went to Vulcan because I didn't want to see my old hometown like that again. I was feeling very upset the entire time we were in the expanse, and T'Pol was the only one who understood. I was only there a week." Trip started and was interrupted by his mother who was going on spiteful.

"Ten days…." Admiral Gardner, listening intently for these last few moments, grew tired of this foolishness. He put up his hand to stop the warring parties, and finally decided he'd heard enough.

"Mrs. Tucker……Do you realize giving falsified information about a possible terrorist threat is a criminal offense….. You could be looking at some jail time for your actions." This got the southern woman's attention and quick.

"What…… I was simply reporting information I thought might be of some use. After the alien's attack upon Earth, I was sure that any information that would help us be more safe would be greatly appreciated. How was I to know the information wasn't pertinent? If you blame anyone, you should blame that Commander T'Pol…. If she hadn't been saying those things to my husband, I would have never thought them a threat." Her words got another round of scolding.

"Mother……." "Catherine". The two men yelled out in unison.

"Mrs. Tucker…. It is easy to see how you might have gotten confused by what you thought you heard, but really to think Commander T'Pol able to commit such an act, I was sure you knew of her better. Trip told me he wrote you several times about his crewmates and his friends. Didn't he tell you that T'Pol was a very good and kind person?" Archer was trying to play devil's advocate.

"Yes and he also told me how frustrated he was working with her." Catherine hesitated a moment seeing the annoyed faces of her family. "Well he didn't say exactly that, but a mother can tell when her child isn't happy and he was frequently unhappy during his time with her." She looked back at the Admiral who was wearing the same sour look upon his face that the Tucker's had. "It is true…. I can tell when something is bothering my boy." She proclaimed in her own defense.

"That is in fact very true." A lone voice came from the doorway as Ambassador Soval entered the conference room. He came up to the group, his flowing robes making him a very impressive figure and looked down upon the smaller female that was the center of all this confusion. "Human females do seem to have a stronger connection to their children, though not nearly as strong as Vulcan parents do."

"Ambassador." Gardner came up and addressed the elder statesman with the utmost courtesy. "I thought we were to speak later on this matter via comm link, what brings you to San Francisco? Is there trouble with what we spoke of?" Now the Admiral was worried. He knew their initial accusation was a bit harsh and wondered if the Vulcans were here to announce their grievances on the matter.

"Anytime a Vulcan is accused of something, it is my job to see to it that the matter is investigated thoroughly. I came to help you look into these accusations." He looked down to the Earth woman realizing that her emotional outburst was the cause of this ruckus.

"Is this the woman who made the accusations?" His tone was even and demanding, a fact that gave Catherine the heebie-jeebies. Soval took a chair beside her making the woman all the more nervous. The ambassador's straight back and authoritative manner made Catherine rethink her earlier plan. Trip, on the other hand was pleased to see the Vulcan here. He knew of his mate's previous discussion with the patriarch, and wondered how he was gonna save the day.

"Now Admiral… What have you learned about the accusations made to this point?" Soval kept a cool and even demeanor, though his words sounded very threatening to Catherine.

"Well, not much Ambassador.. It seems that Mrs. Tucker here thought that Commander T'Pol was somehow controlling Commander Tucker's mind, but it appears she may have been in error." This answer drew the Vulcan to look in Catherine's direction.

"Mrs. Tucker.." Soval started…. "So you are related to Commander Tucker?" An obvious question but a good ice breaker as the humans would call it.

"Yes……he is my son." The southern woman was sheepish about talking to this male.

"In what ways do you feel the commander has harmed your son?" Again the ambassador was polite, but oppressive.

"She has some control over him….. He always seems to want to be with her." Now Catherine's voice was all but a whisper.

"You say they always want to be together, and this makes you reason that the commander is controlling his mind?" Trip wasn't sure whose side the ambassador was on just yet. Soval on the other hand knew he had to bring out the fear in this woman to get her to back down on the objections.

"Interesting…" He replied in a brief moment's introspection. "What exactly do you know about Vulcans, Mrs. Tucker?" Soval was getting around to things in his own time. Catherine looked perplexed by his questions and with an unsure voice answered as little as she could.

"They are vegetarians." This got a positive response from the statesman.

"Correct, and what else?"

"They have long lives." Her voice was that of a mouse in the largeness of the room.

"Also correct….any thing else?' Soval's presence was working its magic.

"They don't have emotions." Catherine was sure that one would please the man if what her son wrote to her was any indication. Instead it got a prolonged explanation that this time the woman had to listen too.

"Actually we do have emotions, Mrs. Tucker, though with our practice of controlling them, it is a common misconception. Our emotions are much greater than that of humans and was the reason for our very violent past. Since our people adopted logic, and learned to control their emotions, we have been able to thrive in our cultural and academic pursuits." Soval was getting to the heart of what T'Pol was trying to make the woman understand.

"We live a life that is well ordered and very heavily dictated by honor and duty. It is the only way we can keep from reverting into the chaos and destruction our distant ancestors lived through." He looked at her waiting to see a sign of recognition, when it didn't come he continued.

"What else do you know of Vulcans, Mrs. Tucker?" Catherine remained silent as did the rest of the room.

"You spoke of your connection with your son. Vulcans have a similar connection we share. We are empathic creatures and are able to sense emotions that are given off by those around us." Soval saw the woman squirm a bit more.

"We form connections between those we care for and allow our minds to share with each other through this bond of sorts." This statement drew the interest of the admiral, generals and even Archer.

"I believe it is this type of connection you might have heard the Commander speaking of to your husband and son. From what T'Pol has told me, you didn't seem too eager to allow her to explain this bond to you. You were even aggressive to her when she attempted to do so, is that not correct?" Trip and Charles sat back and crossed their arms, a look of "well?" on there faces. Catherine was feeling very ganged up on, her eyes began to tear and her arms couldn't hide their shaking any longer.

"Mrs. Tucker….I apologize if I have said anything to offend you. I am not angered by your confrontation with the Commander, nor is she. T'Pol merely pointed out to me that when she tried to address your concerns over their marriage, you weren't very receptive to her attempts. She was concerned that you got the wrong impression of their situation and sought out guidance to help better the circumstances. Relations between Humans and Vulcans are very important to us, and she didn't want to do anything that would affect that status." The ambassador seemed to soften up a bit seeing the emotional display that was about to take place.

"Their marriage?" General Sumner pointed out that the ambassador spoke in the past tense. "I thought they hadn't married yet."

"By Vulcan law, the commanders are legally married. However it has not been officially recognized. That will have to take place back on Vulcan at a later date. The formation of a bond is the definitive characteristic of a Vulcan marriage. The commanders formed a bond sometime during their time in the Expanse, as near as they could tell. They were unaware of it's presence for quite a while after returning and that is the cause of much of the trouble the two experienced. The commander told me of your concern over the difficulties your son had during this time." The ambassador was getting through to most everyone in the group, except Catherine who still wasn't satisfied with the explanation.

"Bonds might be normal for you Ambassador, but Commander Tucker is Human. How do you know he is capable of such a bond?" Gardner was truly interested in this particular situation.

"Humans have a lower level empathic sense, not unlike our distant ancestors. We were not always at this level of intelligence or empathic ability. Like your species, we had to work at having those things we wished, a longer lifespan, greater intelligence and superior empathic capabilities. They were our focus, much as wealth, power and health were Human motivators in your history." This lesson was fascinating everyone, except Catherine and Soval could tell just that. She would be a hard nut to crack, as the humans would say, but he was determined to do so.

"So you think Commander Tucker was able to connect with Commander T'Pol in this way and form this….." General Staullings hesitated trying to pick his word, "bond."

"I know he was…The symptoms fit. The problems with trying to stay away from each other, the constant fascination with each other and even the intermittent mental intrusions when they became separated, during Commander Tucker's brief transfer to Columbia, all these things are common to a bond that is not being well cared for." Soval finished and Archer couldn't help but notice that what he was describing was all too familiar.

"You are describing the very things that we call love, Ambassador….. Humans experience those things when we are separated from those we are deeply in love with." Jon turned to the admiral for a gestured backup.

"Not like this Cap'n." Trip chimed up. "It's much stronger…. When T'Pol was forced to marry Koss, I thought I was gonna die…… When she got back to the ship it was all I could do to keep away from her." Trip spoke in such a manner that allowed everyone in the room, even his mother to relive the moment with him.

"I wanted so bad to kill Koss for making her marry him…. I could taste it." Jon looked to his friend knowing just how true love like that felt.

"Is that why you shouted 'I'll kill him' Commander?" The admiral asked starting to see the puzzle come together.

"No sir…. T'Pol has been training with one of her old partners, and he has been goading her for the last few days. She hasn't been too happy about it." Trip sounded a bit embarrassed by his outburst.

"You were angry by something that happened a few days ago and you responded like that?" Sumner's asked.

"No….it was happening when I said that… he was in the hallway blocking her exit and telling her that she should never have given up her job at the ministry to pursue a job with Star Fleet, on a ship of inferior beings no less." This got a startled look from the officials in the room.

"You got all that from sitting here… How?" they asked collectively.

"The bond is quite powerful and as it grows stronger, the bonded pair can communicate over vast distances. My wife and I can communicate, and she still resides on Vulcan." Soval helped with that answer.

"That's right Cap'n….. T'Pol and I kinda know what's in each other's head. It came in real handy when we were fighting the O'rions," Trip tried to explain. "Remember afterward when we were in sickbay and T'Pol kinda …told that joke…. Well I was thinking it and she didn't realize it was me thinking it and…… it sorta just came out." Tucker saw his friend laugh at the memory.

"So you think the same things?" Archer asked wanting to know more.

"Not exactly….It's kind of a jumble of thoughts. It took us a while to figure out whose was whose. I know for about two weeks I was using the word logical a lot." This again elicited a laugh.

"On the brighter side, it kept me from being affected by the O'rion females and saved the ship." Trip's smile grew. "If it hadn't been for the bond, we'd all have been sold in the O'rion slave market.

"This really happened to you commander?" Admiral Gardner was shocked at the lengths this connection could go.

"Yep…." The engineer was more relaxed seeing as how to this point the admiral hadn't talked about splitting them up or putting his mother in jail.

"Could the Commander control your mind if she wanted to?" The question was asked by a very blunt General Staullings.

"No more than humans can control someone with hypnosis. If it is something that is truly out of the Commander's nature, she would have no affect over him." Soval answered knowing this bond was too new to the young engineer.

"Also like hypnosis, it would be quite obvious she was trying to do so. Mind melds are a very difficult procedure. Connection within a simple bonding can not control either of the bond pair's mind."

"So the commander is in no danger of being controlled by his….wife….. Commander T'Pol?" Gardner asked blatantly.

"No more so than any other human husband is." Trip answered with a big smile on his face. He looked to his dad and saw the joke appreciated. "The only difference is that it's a bit quieter. Being able to hold a conversation without talking is less distracting, but boy can she talk at you though." This brought a chuckle from most everyone except Soval. When he remained straight, the rest of the room forced down their laughter.

"So actually Mrs. Tucker was telling the truth about the commander and her son's minds being linked?" Archer pointed this out to the room

"Yes." Soval offered up in the woman's defense. "I believe in her haste to get away from the commander, she mistook what was said out of context. Had she remained in the conversation, we might not be sitting here today." Catherine scowled.

"You do have a point Ambassador…. Your people's reputation was greatly tarnished by these accusations, regardless of the fact that they were a misunderstanding. What would you suggest Mrs. Tucker's punishment be?" This got the woman to straighten.

"It is not logical to punish a lack of understanding. Enlightenment is more appropriate to keep this from reoccurring. I would suggest that Mrs. Tucker be allowed to spend some time at the Vulcan consulate in London while the Commander and her son are finishing up their commitments. Her mate will be allowed to join her. Mr. Tucker as been a gracious guest and will most likely find the experience equally enlightening." This was the most cordial Archer had ever seen the ambassador. He was truly amazed by the way he handled this situation.

"You mean I have to spend time at the Vulcan consulate?" Catherine acted like she'd gotten a death sentence.

"Would you prefer a cell in the brig, Mom?" Trip was sarcastic, but deep inside felt truly hurt his mother couldn’t see his happiness with T'Pol. When Catherine didn't answer, the admiral spoke up.

"Well, time at the consulate it is…. I am pleased that this incident didn't turn into anything more serious. We do value our relations with the Vulcans and don't want to see anything harm it." He looked directly at the woman who'd been the start of all this. "Isn't that right, Mrs. Tucker?"

"Yes….. I suppose so." Her manner reflected her distaste at going to such a place. As the ambassador stood to leave, he held out the chair for the surly female. At that moment Catherine realized her sentence would start immediately.

"We will take our leave of you Admiral." Soval announced awaiting the woman's rise. "Captain, it was agreeable to see you."

Archer was flabbergasted that the man even acknowledged his presence. "Ambassador…. Nice to see you too."

"Our shuttle awaits." Soval indicated the direction Catherine was to go and allowed her to pass before following behind. Trip and Charles brought up the rear, a coy smile on both their faces as they left the admiral, general and Jon to discuss the amazing facets of the days events.

*****

Part 5
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A whole mess of folks have made comments

Great! Even more Goodness! So she wasn't senile, just foolish. Good enough. :)

Now. About that longbow...

Yea!! More "Competition"!!

Great chapter - although I think Catherine's gettin' off awfully easy...by all means, have more fun with her. Good Ole Soval - the BOV with a heart of latinum! I hope Trip gets to knock Honey on his '4th point of contact'

Both of your stories are very enjoyable - send more soon

-jc

Longbow? .....What Longbow?...T

Will he at least get to wear tights?

More competition!! That's the best ending yet ;). But I agree with Anne that Catherine's getting off really easy. You've gotta have more fun with her! And definitely can't wait to see Trip get some action!

I don't suppose you could slip a teeeeensy weeeensy little guillotine in there could ya? Just to make Honey nervous?

A guillotine? Now Black'nblue, I am not that twisted.....well yes I am but it would be hard to get it in there. I will think about it though. T.

Silly Catherine. (...for some reason, "Trix are for kids!" just popped into my head. *meh*) Nicely done, and I can't wait for more! :)

Very nice interaction of the characters. I like that you have Catherine's basic motavation as love for her child. I also like Soval's explanations and Trip and his father's compassion for Catherine. The punishment suits the crime! Looking forward to part 5.

I have something I want to send you in a PM, but didn't find you on the T&T board. Do you have a place I could send you a message?

Thanks, I thought after all that kick butt, there would need to be a bit of talking. Sure just touch the sign in and it sends me a message to my email. T.

Well the email thing didn't go through, so here is a special email I have set up just for my writing. tlr555@verizon.net. It may be changing next week, I am going to comcast because I am tired of inadequate signal all the time, but when it does, I will post a new one. T.

I hope to have the last part out by next weekend. Sorry for the delay. T.

I am sorry for the delay, but work and school got crazy. I will have the final part out by Sunday, I promise. Thanks for your patience. T.

Just turned in Part 4 of the Warp 7 project. Will get finished the end of Competition and turn it in by monday. T.

I always love your works. I love the way you have done Soval. Please write more soon. The twist on mind control is so funny. I think catherine should watch a work out session with honey.

Just turned the finale in, it should be up soon. Thanks again for being so patient. T.