Disclaimer: Paramount owns everything except Tia Anlor (Ahn-lore). As I have said in 'Golden Girl (Revised)', 'A Few Words' 'Glistni' and 'Small Time', she belongs to me. These stories occur in order. This is the fifth story in which Tia appears. Later works include: 'What do I do now?', 'For Want of Kalyiis', 'Daasii', 'Noblesse Oblige', 'Roses & Thorny', 'Time and Again', 'House of Cards' and 'Starlight Maiden'.
Perspective: This story takes place about 2 weeks after 'Small Time', thus Tia is aboard about four weeks. I spend a lot of time in Admiral Forrest's head; it's such an interesting place to be.
Rating: PG
Acquisition
by JMK758
Chapter One
Chess
Admiral Maxwell Forrest strode down the corridors of Starfleet Command in San Francisco and only his extensive experience assisted in keeping from showing that he was not a happy man. He did not want to encounter the man who was waiting in his office. On the best of days, this individual had a talent for making his most recent meal congeal into an unpleasant lump in his stomach. Forrest had long ago developed the practice of not eating prior to any of the other's all too frequent visits.
It was not that the individual himself was aggressively aggravating. If pressed, this too frequent visitor would be unwilling to assign any emotion at all to himself. Nevertheless, any encounter between them was usually like that of two armed camps. There was no open hostility between them, but one always had the feeling that, just below the surface they were prepared for war.
Forrest shook his head. Perhaps he was just getting old. No, that wasn't it. This person had the ability to stir similar feelings in just about anyone that Forrest had ever witnessed an encounter with.
The Admiral reflected for a moment before opening the door to his outer office that he was glad he had chosen the military rather than diplomatic corps. It at least gave him, every once in a long while, the opportunity to shoot at something.
His Adjunct, when he opened the door, gave him the bad news. "The Ambassador and his Aide are waiting in your office."
"Thank you, Tim. Hold my calls." If he wasn't interrupted, he could finish more quickly. He opened the inner door, not bothering to put on a false and definitely wasted smile.
x
Within, two men were engaged in quiet conversation, and each turned to him virtually in unison. Both were dressed in robes that somehow managed to be simultaneously ornate and subdued, no easy feat. They were both tall, lanky, the older one going quite gray of hair. Forrest had been acquainted with him since he was a Captain, and hadn't noted any particular change in him in all that time. Forrest himself had gone considerably grayer in the past decade and a half.
"Good to see you, Ambassador Soval. Mr. Solek." The slightly younger Vulcan acknowledged him with a grave nod. Forrest went around to his seat, getting comfortable. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" 'Military nothing,' he thought, 'I should have gone on the stage.'
Neither Vulcan sat down. As such they towered over Forrest, a tactic the Admiral had seen tried on him countless times. It didn't have any effect this time either. "Am I correct in my understanding," Soval began, "that Captain Archer has purchased a woman?"
x
Forrest bit his tongue in an effort to keep from laughing in astonishment, carefully schooling his features to almost Vulcan sedateness. 'Only a Vulcan diplomat', he thought, 'could make so undiplomatic a statement.'
"If that is your interpretation; then, sir, you are not correct. Please be seated." He did not add that he was not going to continue if he had to crane his neck to look up at the man; let him conclude that on his own. In the meantime, he would defuse the other's perceived 'advantage'.
It took a few moments, but the Ambassador reluctantly availed himself of a seat. The other did not, though Forrest was already ignoring him. "Then what is your 'interpretation'?"
"No interpretation, Ambassador, simply the facts. About four weeks ago Enterprise rendered emergency assistance to a vessel known as the 'Krontis', which had been attacked by then unknown forces. Unfortunately, there was only one survivor, a young woman named Tia Anlor, a native of the planet Aura. Miss Anlor was a refugee fleeing her world, which was occupied by military forces of a foreign government, a reptilian race known as the 'Silurians'.
"Miss Anlor's return was demanded by forces of that occupation, but they were willing to part with her for a sum of valuables and the advantage of avoiding unnecessary damage to their own ship. It was not so much a purchase as a ransom." Forrest had reviewed the facts of the case when he learned that Soval was coming to 'visit'. He'd had no doubt about the purpose of the visit and was gratified that the Vulcan had lived up to his prediction.
"Having no place to go, being unable and unwilling to return to her home planet, she petitioned Starfleet for sanctuary aboard the Enterprise, and has since joined the ship's staff in the Life Sciences Department. I understand that she is, by profession, a Biologist."
"But if she was the subject of the Silurians, should she not have been returned to them?"
"Not by an Earth ship. She was the slave of an occupying force, not a subject of a government. Captain Archer was not willing to return her to that slavery, a decision I support wholeheartedly. She remained on the ship following the incident."
"As a member of the crew?"
"No, though she is working on the ship. She's a foreign National, a refugee, not a member of Starfleet. She is a civilian."
"Aboard a military vessel."
"Aboard a vessel of exploration, Ambassador." Forrest reminded the man with underlying firmness. He restrained from pointing out, for now, that only the Vulcans had strictly military vessels, something he often considered a source of wonder in the supposedly if not actually 'pacifist' race.
"I see. And this Foreign National, she has not assisted in opening contact between her world and Starfleet – or anyone else, for that matter?"
'Careful.' Forrest thought. Soval had something in mind; he knew the man well enough for that to be obvious. But he would let him play it out; there was no need not to.
"No, Ambassador, to my knowledge she has not. Have the Vulcans had any contact with either of these races?"
"No. Both these worlds, though the location of the world of the Silurians is unknown but presumed to be in the general vicinity of Aura, are quite removed from our explored space."
'That's very interesting.' Forrest thought behind a steady mask.
"Therefore, it is of particular concern to us that there has not been any follow-up on not one, but two, First Contact situations."
x
"How would you know?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Ambassador, Starfleet is not in the habit of announcing its activities, not even to its allies; but that is not to say we have not been 'following up' as you put it. A considerable amount of information has been obtained on the planet Aura and its people."
"Then this Tia Anlor has been representing her race to Earth."
'This is why diplomats always give me a headache' Forrest thought sourly. "Every being is a representative of his or her race, regardless of any particular title."
"Then –."
"Ambassador, I am a very busy man. If you have a point to make somewhere in all this, let's stop fencing and make it."
"Very well." The Ambassador's voice took on as hard an edge as a Vulcan was likely to give it. "My government is quite concerned, both about the practice of buying – or ransoming as you put it – individuals to serve aboard your vessels, and also about the failure – or supposed failure – to take advantage of a First Contact with two worlds."
"Ambassador, at this point Starfleet is not particularly concerned with First Contact with either world. One is an enslaved world we are in no diplomatic or military position to affect the status of. The other is a world considered aggressive, potentially hazardous to our ships and personnel, of which we know next to nothing. Now, I am receiving regular reports about what we have been learning from Miss Anlor, and in due time, when we are satisfied we are in an informed position, we will take such action as we deem suitable.
"Now, of course, if Vulcan wishes to initiate diplomatic contacts with either or both of these worlds, Starfleet will not stand in your way."
"Thank you." Soval left little out of his tone in what he thought of an infant spacefaring race 'standing in the way' of Vulcan's actions. "There is also the matter of the girl herself. She is of a completely unknown race, possessing a physio-biology which is not based upon either copper or iron, but upon gold. To my knowledge that makes her unique."
"She has been extensively examined by the ship's doctor, who has been compiling numerous reports on her physiology. Some things she may be reluctant to share due to cultural restrictions, but he has developed, I understand, an extensive database which I am sure he will be happy to share with your scientists."
"We have no doubts about Dr. Phlox's abilities. The Denobulan is quite efficient and he came well recommended before ever coming to Earth. However, this is not sufficient."
'Here it comes.' Forrest thought, mentally bracing himself.
x
"We have never been impressed with humanity's advancement either as a race or a spacefaring civilization. Captain Archer's performance, in every particular, indicates to us that this lack of faith is well justified. We do not believe that the best interests of this person, either as an individual or as a representative of her race, are best served aboard Enterprise."
Forrest leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his stomach, a small smile on his lips, his entire manner indicative of a calm he did not feel. "And what is your solution to this 'problem'?"
"We feel that her interrogation would be best accomplished aboard a Vulcan vessel."
Forrest's smile broadened ever so slightly. "Her interrogation?"
Soval realized he might have overstated his intention, at least a bit. "Perhaps 'interrogation' is too strong a word."
Forrest let his silence answer for him.
"Nevertheless, we are quite convinced that our position is in the best interest of all concerned."
"Really. What is wrong, Ambassador? Not feeling you're getting the full picture? Don't you still have an Officer aboard Enterprise?"
x
Forrest knew he was playing a heavy hand. T'Pol, aboard for these many months, was ostensibly a Vulcan Observer on a short mission who had wound up a somewhat long-term member of the crew; but whose loyalties had never been in doubt. She was loyal to Vulcan, under the direction of the High Command.
Further, though the point was not generally known – even though Forrest himself had learned of it by comparing the pasts of most of the Vulcans he knew – T'Pol had served many decades ago as an Operative under Soval when he was in charge of their version of the 'Secret Service'.
It was not a matter that he thought Soval would want known.
x
"As I have stated, this is not sufficient. As she is unique, the Vulcan Science Council has expressed intense interest in examining her themselves. It is felt they will learn far more in a much shorter period of time than your personnel can."
"And I, as Captain Archer's superior officer, am expected to have him hand her over to you."
Soval did not reply immediately. He could see that doing so would be the loss of his argument.
"There was a time," he finally said with what sounded like a carefully measured tone of regret Vulcans are known not to indulge in, "when humanity was grateful for our advice." To Forrest it sounded like he was longing for the 'good old days'.
"There was a time when humanity needed your 'advice'. Now, I trust, you will be willing to take our advice."
"Which is?"
"Come into this exploration of the galaxy in partnership with us. There is much we can offer each other, and too little to quarrel over."
Soval stood up. "You will hear from us."
Undismissed, the pair turned and left the room. Forrest sat back, considering. Of the truth of that last statement, he had no doubt. He also knew full well that Soval never made the opening gambit in a contest without having plenty of moves and options. There were a lot of pressures he could bring to bear both on Starfleet and himself, and he knew the Vulcan was not above bringing as many as he needed.
He guessed he would hear from the UESPA next. The United Earth Space Probe Agency did have quite a bit of muscle, but frequently it was the Vulcans that exercised it. He reached out, touching a button on his desk. "Tim, get me Captain Archer aboard Enterprise."