Sweet Sorrow- Ch. 4

Sweet Sorrow

By vandiver49

Rating: G, Angst, Friendship, Romance

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

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Speech in Vulcan is between the (*)

Chapter Four

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*Hello T'Pol, It is good to see you as well.* Tolaris smiled, obviously reveling in the former science officer's shock.

*What are you doing here?* T'Pol meekly inquired. *Were you not banished from Vulcan?* She continued, amazed that no one else in attendance had taken notice of Tolaris' jovial demeanor.

*Quite the contrary T'Pol, only you and a handful of others are fully aware of that aspect of my life. To my family and most others, I departed Vulcan under far nobler auspices.* Tolaris explained, his grin finally diminishing. *Once I learned of your unfortunate predicament, I felt obligated to return and ensure that you were bonded to a suitable mate.*

As T'Pol struggled to regain her composure and calm her emotions, there was one thing of which she was certain. *I will not marry you.*

Tolaris probably would have laughed at her pithy reply, but instead chose to display a small measure of Vulcan decorum. *Seriously T'Pol, what other logical recourse do you have? *He watched as T'Pol's eyes danced back and forth across the Vulcan men behind him. *They will not have you T'Pol, no one will. While your intrepid nature has helped you excel through the rank of the Vulcan High Command, it has had the unfortunate consequence of diminishing your status as a mate.* He continued, extending his arm graciously as though he was sympathetic to her dilemma. *Accept this fate T'Pol; you have no other options. *

T'Pol could only close her eyes in response as Tolaris walked triumphantly towards the stone gazebo, ready to claim his prize. Regardless of how much she opposed it, her Vulcan mind could not deny the bitter truth of his logical words. She was all but ready to admit defeat when, out of the corner of her eye she saw Commander Tucker, rocking up and down on the balls of his feet.

Desperately, T'Pol charged the quarried enclave, consumed with renewed confidence. With hammer in hand, Tolaris was but a stroke away when T'Pol decried her ancient right.

"Ka-li-fee!" She exclaimed, to the amazement of all in attendance. She would have preferred the opportunity to logically analyze her decision, but time was fleeting, forcing her to rely on a very human concept; hope.

*T'Pol, you have chosen the challenge. Are you prepared to become the property of the victor?* T'Lau inquired. A simple nod was the only answer she offered. *Very well, then choose thy champion.*

T'Pol stepped down from the bell house and walked methodically down the middle of the two columns of guests. *Just as my ancestors before me, I now make my decision. I choose him.* She proclaimed, turning and pointing to one human engineer.

Whispers began to rattle and rise from the canyon floor, as Vulcans were stunned by T'Pol's decision. She was about to go the Commander's side to offer him some reasonable explanation when Tolaris violently grabbed her arm, capturing her attention.

*You have succeeded in nothing but condemning this human to death.* He scathed. T'Pol wrenched herself free of his clutches and briskly walked to her champion.

"T'Pol, what the hell is going on?" He asked in frantic confusion. "What is a challenge and what possessed you to point me?"

With time of the essence, T'Pol searched for a succinct answer. "Commander, is there not a part in human weddings where the union of two people may be contested?"

"Well, yeah there is."

"I have enacted the Vulcan equivalent, the Ka-li-fee, but I require your assistance." T'Pol elaborated.

"That would be the whole champion part right?"

"Yes." She said reticently. "As my champion, you are required to fight for my honor."

"Fight? For what, I don't even understand why you challenged him in the first place?" Trip obtusely replied. He definitely wasn't making this any easier for her.

"Do you not recognize him?" She asked, sure that everyone on Enterprise was aware of the mental assault that Tolaris had inflicted upon her during their first year in space.

"No T'Pol; of course not. It's not like I have a plethora of Vulcan friends. Am I supposed to?" It was obvious from Trip's ignorance that Captain Archer had maintained his word, keeping the violation a secret.

"Trip, three years ago, that man came aboard Enterprise and." T'Pol paused momentarily; the memory of that transgression still painfully vivid. "And raped me." That simple fact would prove to be all the motivation Trip needed.

As the friends conversed, two of T'Lau's guardsmen walked up the desert road, placing their weighted battleaxes on the ground before the two combatants. T'Pol moved from in front of Trip, allowing him to advance on his weapon, the ancient lirpa, his counterpart following suit. Both men knelt down to retrieve their pikes, eyeing each other cagily as they waited for the signal to start.

With weapon in hand, Trip was overcome with an unnerving revelation. Hand- to-Hand combat wasn't his forte, but he always believed he could hold his own. Of course that was in more ideal conditions, against a far less alien opponent. He was fully aware of how much stronger T'Pol was than him. How was he supposed to beat this guy?

Trip followed Tolaris' eyes as they turned back towards T'Lau, waiting for the inevitable start. A flick of the priestess' wrist caused Tolaris to charge with murderous rage, forcing Trip to recoil into a defensive posture. The raking sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the canyon as Trip desperately tried to hold his ground. The two exchanged several strikes as they jousted back and forth. But with every clash of steel, Trip was slowly losing ground. Try as he might, Tolaris' strength was overpowering him, his feet leaving receding tracks on the scorched earth. With no other recourse, Trip parried Tolaris to the left, causing the Vulcan to stubble forward from his own momentum.

Trip was only afforded a brief respite as Tolaris quickly recovered, lunging at him with the butt of his lirpa. The Vulcan's aim was true as it hit Trip squarely in the chest. The vicious blow caught Trip off guard, causing him to drop him weapon as he doubled-over in pain. Tolaris was unrelenting as Trip winced in agony, felling the Chief Engineer with an overhand blow to his back. Tolaris stood confidently over to his opponent as he flipped his weapon over, the blade of his pike looming dangerously close.

The brilliant rays of the Vulcan sun reflected of the curve of Tolaris' blade, temporarily blinding Trip's vision. But the radiance also alerted the human to the impending danger as the Vulcan prepared to cleave Trip's head from body. Trip instinctively dropped to his chest and rolled clear, Tolaris' swing cutting through nothing but the desert air.

The Chief Engineer struggled to rise to his feet, clutching his ribs in the process. He was sure they were broken, though he was uncertain of the number. Each breath was more labored than the last, his tortured lungs straining for oxygen in the thin atmosphere.

T'Pol looked on helplessly as her friend attempted to fight for her freedom. This was hardly the way she had intended on them spending their final moments together. But as T'Pol watched the guardsmen exchanged the arms of the two warriors, a needle of concern slowly crept into her conscience. Something in her mind had compelled her to view Commander Tucker as a viable answer to her dilemma. But it was painfully clear that her solicitation of his aid was an egregious error. Obviously, the thought of being bonded to Tolaris had resulted in a momentarily lack of judgment. It was this lapse that had also caused T'Pol to omit one very important detail to Trip; that the Ka-li-fee was a fight to the death.

Back in the dusty arena, Trip had managed to stay on his feet long enough to accept the new weapon proffered to him by T'Lau's attendant. He grasped the tanned leather coils of the whip in his hand, keeping one eye on Tolaris all the while. While he wasn't ready to reengage the Vulcan, he had no choice as Tolaris was bolting towards him again. Once more Trip dodged his assault, but Tolaris was prepared for Trip's elusiveness. Stopping a few steps short of the Chief Engineer, Tolaris cracked his whip, its tail wrapping around Trip's right arm. With a moderate tug on Tolaris' part, Trip's body went sailing though the air. An audible pop accompanied the resounding thud as his body crash back to earth. He cried out in agony, his synapses announcing the separation of his shoulder.

Once again Trip found himself face down in the dirt, but this time in considerably more pain. His body bordered on shock as he looked through the cloud of dust at the approaching figure. His mind flirted with the idea of simply giving up, but he instantly dismissed it. He would put his body through sheer hell if it meant that T'Pol would safe. He tried to get up once more, but his arm simply wouldn't comply, hanging lifelessly from his body. What he needed was a plan, some way to account for the physical advantage that Tolaris had over him. Oddly enough, his inspiration would rise from the dust that was slowly collecting in his cupped palm.

It was a risky move, but he was desperate. As Tolaris neared, Trip flung a clump of dirt in his eyes, obscuring his sight. Summoning what little energy he had left, Trip lunged for Tolaris' shoulder. Though temporarily blinded, the Vulcan was undaunted by this move, catching Trip easily in his arm. This though, was simply according to plan. With all the force he could muster, Trip lifted his leg, crushing the outside of Tolaris' knee with his foot.

Now it was Tolaris' turn to scream in agony, as muscle and sinew were torn asunder. Trip was now holding the Vulcan up, his body slowly beginning to crumple in his grasp. Unrelenting, Trip continued his assault, striking Tolaris' nose with the butt of his palm. The blow immediately overwhelmed Tolaris' senses, rendering him unconscious. Exhausted, Trip dropped his burden, the crimson dust enveloping the Vulcan as landed on the ground. Trip collapsed to his knees as well, stunned by his improbable victory. But the stillness that was Trip's reverie would soon be broken by the intonation of a Vulcan priestess.

*Kill him. * T'Lau exclaimed. Stunned, Trip squinted his eyes at her in obvious confusion. *The Ka-li-fee is a duel to the death. You must kill him in accordance with our tradition. * The priestess expounded.

'To the death?' Trip questioned himself silently as he once again rose to his feet. He could feel his ire boiling within him once again as the question replayed itself in his mind. The metallic tinge of adrenaline began to lace his palette as he shot T'Pol a scathing look.

"To the death?" He asked aloud to T'Pol, his words barely above a whisper. She offered a lowly nod in response, but the apologetic look in her eyes did little to assuage Trip's raising anger. "How in the hell is that logical?!" He screamed, the rage in his voice echoing up off the canyon walls. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

To this T'Pol had no answer.

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A/N: It took me awhile to get this right for one very important reason; science fact versus science fiction. Yea sure, we all know that Vulcan is a planet that's high in gravity but low in atmosphere. The problem is that atmosphere is a function of gravity. Places with high G's like Earth and Venus high accordingly dense atmospheres, while Mars and The Moon, which are 1/3 and 1/6 of Earth's gravity respectively, are relatively thin. Anyway I just chose to express Trip's disadvantage to Vulcan's gravity in Tolaris' strength. It still made for a difficult fight scene. I hope I didn't offend any of you die hard trekkers.

A/N: If you have any disagreements with my stories and you illuminate them in your reviews, please be kind enough to leave your email addy, I'll be more than happy to respond.

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Continued in Chapter 5 (Conclusion)

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