ENTERPRISE
"WHAT PRICE LOGIC?"
by J. B. Tilton and Diana Louise Herd

Rating: PG-13 (for language)

PART 3 - GOOD INTENTIONS

With no other clues left to him, Archer sets course for
unexplored space. There he hopes to find the answers he is
looking for. But will he find the cure he needs to save T'Pol and
Sarel? Or must he accept the fact that his science officer will end
up like the young Vulcan and be driven permanently insane?

* * *

T'Pol was growing steadily worse. She was now wracked by fits
of hysterical laughter followed by depression that bordered on
suicidal. Her outbursts of anger were more frequent and more
pronounced than before. Not even Tyveks' help and disciplines
seemed to be having any effect any more.

The Enterprise had traveled more than eight days past the Sular
colony. They had encountered no systems nor any ships in all that
time. The nearest system was still four days away but long range
scans had not detected anything that might suggest it was
inhabited, let alone inhabited by a warp capable culture.

"It's very possible we are traveling in the wrong direction,"
suggested Tyvek. "Just because Saret had the communications
satellite pointed in this direction is no guarantee this is where the
aliens are."

"I know," said Archer. "But we didn't have any other clues
where the aliens might be. I had to start somewhere. Any idea
how much longer T'Pol can hold out?"

"I'm not sure," said Tyvek. "I've done everything I can think of to
help her. Even the doctor has been helping, prescribing drugs that
are known to inhibit emotional responses. Frankly, I'm very
concerned. If she keeps going like this, she'll end up like Sarel."

"We have to do something," said Archer. "I wish I knew what
was causing this. At least if we knew, maybe we could do
something about it."

"I'm afraid I can't find out what caused it," said Tyvek. "I know
there's a telepathic link between Sarel and T'Pol but I can't find out
what caused it."

"I know," said Archer. "I appreciate everything you've done. I'm
sure without your help T'Pol would have become catatonic already.
At least there's still hope."

"I'm not so sure," said Tyvek. "Don't misunderstand me, my
friend. No one wants to see T'Pol cured more than I do. But even
if we do find this mysterious race, there's no guarantee they had
anything to do with this. Or that they can do anything to fix it."

"I have to try," said Archer, his anger flaring.

Archer calmed himself. He wasn't angry at Tyvek. He wasn't
sure who he was angry at. Fate, maybe. After everything they had
been through, and now T'Pol was steadily loosing her mind. He
still had no love for the Vulcans, but after Tyveks' explanation of
ancient Vulcan history, he felt he at least understood them a little
better.

"I know this is difficult for you," said Tyvek. "If you'd like, I could
teach you some meditation techniques that will help you relieve
some stress?"

"Thanks," said Archer, "but I don't think so."

"Well," said Tyvek, "if you change your mind, I'm more than
willing to teach you. They are simple techniques which are taught
to young Vulcans."

"Thanks anyway," said Archer. "I think I'll just rely on my tried
and true methods."

"And what might those be?" asked Tyvek.

"Cap'n to the bridge," came Trips' voice over the intercom.

"Saved by the bell," said Archer smiling.

Archer and Tyvek left his ready room and went to the bridge.
Trip was sitting in the command chair watching the view screen.
He glanced over at the two as they entered the bridge, then looked
back at the view screen. He moved out of the chair as Archer
entered the bridge. Archer looked at the view screen.

A ship was displayed on the screen. It appeared to be sitting
motionless in space. Archer had never seen anything like it before.
It had one cylindrical part on the underside with what looked like
wings sticking out from either side. On the end of each wing was
what appeared to be structures similar to the Enterprises' nacelles.
On the upper side was a cube shaped structure with a smaller cube
shaped structure on top of that.

"What have we got, Trip?" asked Archer, taking his seat in the
chair.

"I'm not really sure," said Trip. "One second we were traveling
through space, the next that ship just appeared. Like it just
dropped through a hole in space."

"It could be cloaking technology," said Tyvek. "There are some
races who have them. A cloaking device masks a ship from normal
sensors. Its' practically an invisibility screen. It can be very
effective especially in combat."

"But why is it sitting out there?" asked Archer. "Trip, what have
sensors told us about that ship?"

"Well," said Trip, "it's about three times as large as the
Enterprise. It's about four hundred million kilometers directly
ahead, just sitting there. They don't appear to have warp
capability. Those aren't warp nacelles on that ship. I can't figure
out what they are. I've brought the Enterprise to a stop until we can
figure out what they want."

"What about weapons capabilities?" asked Archer.

"I've been able to identify several torpedo launchers," interjected
Malcolm. "There's also some kind of array around the ship which is
definitely a weapons system of some kind but I can't identify it.
And I'm detecting an electro-magnetic shield of some sort around
the entire ship. It's similar to a force field, but the specifics of the
field are pretty strange."

"Hoshi," said Archer, "any contact with the ship?"

"Nothing yet, sir," said Hoshi.

"It could be a trap, sir," said Malcolm. "If they have this cloaking
technology, they could use that ship as a decoy. Have it sit out
there like it's helpless, then attack any ship that stops by to help."

"I guess that's possible," said Tyvek. "But if it is a decoy, I
would assume they'd be portraying the ship as being in some sort
of danger. Have you detected any damage to the ship?"

"No, nothing," said Trip. "It's just sitting out there."

"Maybe they detected us and they're just waiting for us to hail
them," said Travis.

"Maybe," said Archer. "Have they moved at all?"

"No, sir," said Malcolm. "They're just sitting out there."

"Well," said Archer, "since we know they're out there, it's a
pretty good bet they know we're here. Travis, take us to within one
hundred kilometers of that ship. Hoshi, bring the universal
translator on line. Let's see what we've got here."

The Enterprise moved silently through space. It stopped about
one hundred kilometers from the alien vessel. The vessel simply
hung in space, making no move to move away or attack. Archer
watched curiously.

"That's odd," said Trip. "They don't seem to be hailing us.
You'd think they might want to know who we are and what we
want."

"Yes," said Archer. "Well, let's see if they want to chat. Hoshi,
open hailing frequencies."

"Open, sir," said Hoshi.

"This is Captain Jonathon Archer of the Earth star ship,
Enterprise," said Archer. "We are on a peaceful mission. We wish
to communicate with you."

There was no response to their hail. Archer had Hoshi repeat
the hail, and still there was no response.

"Sir," said Ensign Matthews from the science station, "I'm not
registering any life forms aboard the ship."

"None at all?" questioned Archer.

"No, sir," said Matthews. "It's like it's deserted."

"Captain," said Malcolm, "the power signature of that ship. It's
registering as minimal. No life support, no weapons activated,
almost nothing. It's just barely registering a power signature and
that's one like I've never seen before."

"That's damned odd," said Trip. "A ship that size should be
putting out three times the power we are. What do you think it
means, Cap'n?"

Before Archer could answer, Matthews spoke again.

"Sir," she said, "I have three ships appearing on sensors."

"What heading?" demanded Archer.

"That's just it, sir," said Matthews. "They aren't moving toward
us. They just appeared out of no where. They appear to be
identical to the one directly ahead. One is off our stern and there's
one each off our port and starboard all at a distance of one
hundred kilometers. They have us surrounded, sir."

"Red alert," said Archer. "Activate all torpedo bays. Charge all
weapons. Polarize the hull plating."

Within seconds the Enterprise was ready for combat. But
Archer wasn't hopeful of the outcome if these ships should
suddenly open fire. Three ships of that size against the Enterprise;
one third the size of only one of them. Archer tensed for the first
barrage.

"Sir," said Hoshi suddenly, "we're being hailed. From the ship to
our stern. I can get a visual, sir."

"On screen," said Archer.

The view on the screen changed and Archer saw a humanoid
male approximately fifty Earth years of age. He looked very similar
to humans, except for the ridge of spine-like features which started
just above each eyebrow and extended back over the top of his
head. His eyes appeared to be cat-like and his skin was a soft
yellowish color.

"I am Tannis Tol, First of the Tanosian ship, Norric," said the
figure. "Captain Archer, if you truly come in peace, you are
welcome. However, your aggressive stance is not the demeanor of
a peaceful overture. Deactivate your defenses and disarm your
weapons as a sign of your peaceful intentions."

"Malcolm," whispered Archer, "have they armed their weapons
yet?"

"No, sir," whispered Malcolm back. "But they all seem to have
that electro-magnetic shielding of the ship off our bow. Suggest we
do not deactivate our polarized hull plating, sir."

Archer considered his options. If this Tannis had wanted to
fight, he would probably have opened fire on them as soon as he
had deactivated their cloaking device. Still, he couldn't be sure of
their intentions. It could be a ploy to get them to lower their
defenses so they could attack easily.

"Malcolm," said Archer, "deactivate weapons systems, but keep
the hull polarized." He turned back to the view screen. "First
Tannis. I have deactivated our weapons but I cannot lower our
defenses until I am sure of your peaceful intentions. Please
understand that I do not wish any hostile actions between our two
peoples. We come in peace."

Tannis turned and spoke to another Tanosian in the background
who was sitting at some sort of monitoring station. The second
Tanosian replied something, shaking his head "no" to Tannis.
Tannis spoke to him again.

"Sir," said Malcolm, "the ships have deactivated their
electro-magnetic shielding."

"Depolarize the hull," said Archer.

"Captain Archer," said Tannis. "I accept your words of peace.
Please know that we, too, have no hostile intentions toward you or
any other race. When you entered our space from outside
explored territory, we were sent to discover your intentions."

"Thank you, First Tannis," said Archer. "We are a ship of
exploration. Our mission is to seek out new worlds and new
cultures."

"I see," said Tannis. Suddenly he saw Tyvek standing next to
the command chair. "Captain, if I may ask. Is the individual next to
you of the Vulcan race?"

"Yes," said Archer, surprised. "He has come with us on a
mission of urgency which involves a member of my crew. How do
you know of the Vulcans?"

"Some weeks ago," said Tannis, "one of our ships encountered
a settlement of a race called Vulcans on a planet several days from
here. In the same direction that you have arrived from."

Archers' heart leapt. These must have been the visitors that
Tyvek had learned of from Sarel. If they were, they might know
what was wrong with Sarel and T'Pol. And how to cure them.

"First Tannis," said Archer. "It's because of that contact that we
are here. The Vulcans on that planet simply disappeared and
we've come to see if we can find out what happened to them."

"Captain," said Tannis, "what transpired on that planet was an
accident. It was not our intention to cause them any harm. I must
warn you. If you intend any retaliation against that ship for what
transpired, we have deemed the matter unintentional. We will not
allow you to seek any form of justice your society may deem
appropriate in situations like this."

"No, First Tannis," said Archer, "you misunderstand. We don't
know what happened there. We simply came here in search of
that knowledge. There are also two Vulcans aboard my ship who
seem to be suffering from that contact. It's our hope that you may
be able to provide us with some answers and possibly a way to
help them."

Tannis didn't answer right away. He seemed to be considering
what Archer had said.

"So you do not seek to punish those involved?" he asked finally.

"No," said Archer, "not if what happened was unintentional. As I
explained, our only motivation in being here is to find help for the
two Vulcans on my ship. One of them is my science officer. If
there's anything you can tell us, please, we would be grateful."

"Very well," said Tannis. "You may transport to my ship. We
will meet and discuss this. As long as your ship takes no
provocative action, we will abide by a truce."

"Thank you, First Tannis," said Archer. "Prepare to receive our
shuttle."

The view screen went blank.

"Hoshi," said Archer, "contact Dr. Phlox and tell him to have
Sarel ready. Tyvek, why don't you go get T'Pol. Trip, I'm leaving
you in command of the Enterprise in my absence. Don't do
anything that might provoke an incident. Travis, I'll need a shuttle
pilot."

"Understood," said Trip. "Cap'n, be careful over there. If these
are the same people who did whatever it was that happened to that
colony, they might try to do the same thing to you."

"I know, Trip," said Archer. "But we don't have any choice.
Without their help, T'Pol will loose her mind."

Archer, Tyvek, Travis, T'Pol, and Sarel left the shuttle bay of the
Enterprise ten minutes later. Archer was apprehensive at what he
would find on the Tanosian ship, but he was also excited. With any
luck, they would be able to explain what happened to the Vulcan
scientists. And more importantly, they might be able to help T'Pol
and Sarel.

* * *

"As I told you," said Tannis, sitting in what Archer could only
describe as a conference room, "our contact with your Vulcan
scientists was totally unintentional. We, like you, are explorers.
Some weeks ago I decided to see what lay beyond the boundaries
of our space. That's when we encountered the planet with the
Vulcan colony on it."

"Then you're the ones who damaged the communications
satellite," said Archer.

"Unintentionally, yes," said Tannis. "We did a simple scan of it
to determine it's function. When we did, it simply stopped
functioning. We determined that the specific frequency of the
radiation produced by our scanners caused it to malfunction. I
decided to go to the planets' surface and offer our assistance in
repairing it."

"So what happened to the scientists?" asked Tyvek. "Jonathon
tells me there was no sign of them. It was like they just vanished."

"That's a bit complicated," said Tannis. "Commander Sular, the
head of the scientists, was not what we expected. None of them
were. We learned of their devotion to logic and the suppression of
emotion. It intrigued us. We have never met such a race before."

"They are unique in our experience as well," said Archer.

"When we learned the true purpose of the colony," said Tannis,
"to remove emotions from the Vulcan psyche, I offered to help
Commander Sular. To make some form of restitution for what
could conceivably be considered an act of aggression."

"Help?" asked Archer. "How could you help them remove all
their emotions?"

"Many of my people are telepathic, Captain," explained Tannis.
"Not all, but a large portion of them. Many are very accomplished
at it. My own ships' physician is one such individual.

"Since emotion is a form of intellectual response, the physician
felt he could tap into the Vulcan mind. To find the area of the brain
that controls emotions and shut it down, so to speak. Our medical
science uses this technique in some forms of illness. It can be
quite effective if used properly."

"What went wrong?" asked Tyvek.

"At first, nothing," said Tannis. "The physician found it
remarkably easy to locate and deactivate the emotional center of
the Vulcans' minds. Soon, all of the scientists had been 'treated'
and it appeared we had helped them succeed in a quest they had
pursued for more than twenty of your years."

"Shut down?" questioned Tyvek. "Do you total mean
repression? Completely close off that portion of their minds?"

"In effect, yes," said Tannis. "As I said, the physician found it
extremely easy to do so."

"Jonathon, I think I know what happened," said Tyvek. "The
scientists seemed okay at first. Then they began to act erratic. To
display wild bouts of emotion, similar to what T'Pol has been going
through."

"That's exactly right," said Tannis. "It happened suddenly,
within only a day or two. In only a few hours, most of the scientists
were either catatonic or dead. We had no idea what had gone
wrong. I decided the best thing to do was to bring the scientists to
our home world where experts could examine them and try to find
out what happened."

"I can tell you what happened," said Tyvek. "In most
humanoids, repressed memories usually remain that way. Unless
they're triggered by some stimuli. A word, a familiar surrounding, a
piece of music, or something similar can suddenly trigger the
memory. If it doesn't, it simply remains a repressed memory.

"But the Vulcan mind is much different. The Vulcan mind
actively attempts to bring those memories into the conscious mind.
No mental discipline has ever been able to prevent it. It is the
working of our minds. No memory can remain repressed for long.
Soon, the mind itself will bring it to the surface."

"That's what our physicians determined," said Tannis.

"I don't understand," said Archer. "You're talking about
repressed memories. What does this have to do with their
emotions?"

"When the Tanosian physician forcible repressed their
emotions," said Tyvek, "their minds treated them as repressed
memories. And they did what any Vulcan mind would do. They
tried to force those memories into their conscious minds."

"But isn't that what Vulcans do every day of their lives?" asked
Archer. "Repress their memories? I still don't see why they
reacted the way they did."

"Because," said Tyvek, "it is because we do it every day. They
aren't truly repressed. They are simply controlled. Locked away so
we aren't controlled by them."

"Tyvek speaks the truth," said Tannis. "A truly repressed
memory is one which the person has no conscious memory of.
With the Vulcans, they are still aware they have emotions, they are
simply capable of controlling them so they are not apparent."

"Jonathon," said Tyvek, "have you ever known a Vulcan to
express any emotion, no matter how insignificant that expression
might be?"

Archer thought back to just before the Enterprise had first
launched. When it had been decided that the Enterprise, not the
Vulcans, would return the Klingon to his home world, the Vulcan
ambassador HAD raised his voice slightly; an indication of an
emotional response.

"Occasionally," said Archer.

"That's what Tannis is talking about," said Tyvek. "Even though
our emotions are controlled, we still feel them. We simply restrain
ourselves from displaying them. Occasionally, we falter, and they
slip through, even if only slightly."

"What our physician did," said Tannis, "was to make them truly
repressed. Your Commander Sular did not have access to his
emotions, even inadvertently. We thought we had helped them
succeed in their quest."

"But that only created the problem," said Tyvek. "What
happened was literally a war inside of them. A war between the
forced repression which the physician instilled in them against the
natural processes of the Vulcan mind to bring repressed memories
into the conscious mind. And I'm afraid I have made a terrible
mistake."

"How?" asked Archer.

"When I helped T'Pol to repress her uncontrollable outbursts,"
said Tyvek, "I actually accelerated the process. That's why in the
last week she seems to have grown progressively worse faster than
before. It was like adding fuel to an out of control fire."

"You couldn't have known," said Archer. "Just like Tannis
couldn't have known what the result of his physicians' help would
be on the Vulcans."

"I appreciate your understanding," said Tannis. "We are truly
sorry for the harm we have caused. As I said, it was unintentional."

"What happened with the scientists?" asked Archer. "You said
you took them to your home world to treat them. Were you
successful in restoring the balance to them."

Tannis just looked at the floor for a moment. A look of profound
sadness crossed his face before he spoke again.

"Unfortunately," said Tannis, "none of them survived. It took us
too long to discern what the problem was. Once we did, we tried to
help them, but it was too late. Most ended up in a catatonic state
like Sarel. Within a few days, they simply died."

"Even in a catatonic state," said Tyvek, "the war was still going
on. It would have been too much for any Vulcan, even one who
had completed the Kolinar. Their minds would have completely
shut down to protect itself. When that happened, all body functions
would have ceased."

Archer just looked at Tyvek and Tannis. Everything he had
done, all this distance they had traveled to help Sarel and T'Pol,
only to find out there was nothing they could do. Both were
doomed to slowly go mad and eventually die.

"Then there's nothing we can do," said Archer dejectedly. "T'Pol
is doomed to die like the others did."

"Perhaps not," said Tannis. "While it was too late for the
scientists, we now know what caused their problems. T'Pol is still
conscious and reasonably cognizant. It is very likely we can help
her. If Sarel has not slipped too far into his catatonic state, it is
possible we can also help him."

"How?" asked Archer. "You said your physician totally
repressed their emotions?"

"Very simple," said Tannis. "By allowing my physician to
attempt to undo what he has done. He can reach into their minds
and remove the repression he placed there. Once the repression
is removed, they should be able to return to normal."

"Is that possible?" asked Archer.

"I don't know," said Tannis. "It's never been tried before. But it
is the only option we have."

"Tannis," said Tyvek, "T'Pol was affected because of Sarel.
There is a telepathic link between them. It is what has allowed
T'Pol to be infected even though she wasn't present when your
physician performed the repression on the others. If Sarel cannot
be cured, T'Pol will not benefit either."

"I would gather," said Tannis, "that either T'Pol or Sarel are
telepathic. At least partially. My guess would be that Sarel is at
least partially telepathic, since it is his affliction that is affecting
T'Pol. If we can remove the repression from him, the link should be
severed. Captain Archer, the decision must be yours. They are
your people. You must agree to allow my physician to try or I
cannot permit it. But I tell you it is the only option we have."

"Sarel is not a member of my crew," said Archer. "But since he
can't speak for himself, I would imagine that he would prefer to live
rather than die like the others did. Unless anyone has any
objections, I say do whatever you have to so you can help them."

No one spoke. Tannis just nodded, then left to inform the ships'
physician of their plan.

"It must be hard going through that," said Archer.

"More than hard," said Tyvek. "Imagine every emotional
response you've ever experienced in your entire life. Every
outburst of anger, or love, hate, every instance of jealousy, envy,
every time you've been happy or sad. Now, imagine all them
suddenly being forced into your conscious mind where you are
forced to relive them without any possible way to control them. And
all of them just as intense and as vivid as when you experienced
them."

"That's enough to drive anyone insane," said Archer. "Over
time, we learn to accept what happened. The feelings become
tempered."

"Now imagine how much more intense these would be for a
Vulcan," said Tyvek. "Most Vulcans don't experience their
emotions as humans or other races do. They control them, try to
ignore them. For a Vulcan, such an onslaught would be
unbearable. Their natural reaction would be to repress them
again."

"Where they would again be forced into their conscious mind,"
said Archer. "A constant warfare between trying to repress them
and being forced to relive them over and over and over again."

"Precisely," said Tyvek. "Which may explain why Sarel is still
alive. He's relatively young. Even though he's inexperienced, he
would have fewer emotional experiences than most of the other
scientist, all of whom were much older."

"How long do you think it will take?" asked Archer.

"There's no way to tell," said Tyvek. "It will depend on how deep
the catatonic state is, how much damage has been done, what
their physician has to do to correct it, a whole list of variables. All
we can do now is wait."

That was the hard part. There was a chance that Sarel and
T'Pol could be helped, but Archer knew so little about telepathy that
he couldn't understand the complexities of it. Even the few human
telepaths he had met or read about didn't have the level of
sophistication that the Tanosians apparently had. It was going to
be a long wait.

Archer contacted the Enterprise and informed them of what was
going on. Two of the Tanosian ships as well as the decoy ship had
eventually cloaked and returned to the Tanosian home world. To
occupy their time, First Tannis had offered to show Archer and
Tyvek around his ship.

The level of their technology astounded Archer. Their ships
used some form of gravitational propulsion system, similar to warp
drive, but without leaving any discernable warp trail. It explained
why the Enterprise had not detected any ships in the system on
their first visit to the colony planet.

Their shields; the electro-magnetic force fields Malcolm had
detected; protected the ship from damage. It dissipated heat and
energy away from the ship allowing the ship to remain in a
sustained fight if necessary. In addition, their torpedoes were
comparable, but much more superior, to the Enterprise torpedoes.
And they used a unique form of forced energy laser-like weapon
which was less effective than a torpedo, but didn't require as long
to recharge as it took to reload a torpedo. Archer found that the
weapon was very similar to the phase pistols he used on the
Enterprise.

Their replication system was also superior to that of the
Enterprise. The Tanosians could create virtually anything they
needed or wanted with it. And it seemed that each cabin had it's
own personal replication module; not communal ones like those in
the Enterprise mess hall.

But the thing which intrigued Archer the most was the ships
engines. The Tanosians didn't use warp factors, since they weren't
warp engines. Instead, they calculated the speed in grav factors;
similar to the warp factor utilized by Star Fleet. And their speed
was incredible. Tannis' ship, the Norric, was capable of achieving
a speed of grav factor nine; roughly equivalent to warp factor nine.
Archer couldn't conceive of any Earth ship ever achieving that type
of speed.

Three hours into their tour of the ship, the ships' physician
arrived, followed by T'Pol and Sarel. T'Pol appeared to be normal
and Sarel appeared to be haggard and exhausted; but conscious.

"I was successful," announced the ships' doctor. "It was
difficult. The Vulcans have very ordered and disciplined minds.
Sarel will require extended rest and recuperation, but he should
recover fully. T'Pol should also rest for several days to regain her
strength. But they are in no danger of suffering the same fate as
their fellows."

"Thank you," said Archer, shaking the physicians hand.

He looked perplexed at Archer.

"It's a way of showing respect and appreciation," said Archer.
"It's also used to show our friendly intentions."

"An interesting concept," said Tannis. "Captain, again, we are
truly sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you or the
Vulcan people. We had only the best of intentions in our attempt to
help them. Had we known the results beforehand, we would never
have tampered with their minds as we did."

"I can appreciate that," said Archer. "And I have no doubt that
what happened was unintentional. I will inform Star Fleet
Command that this was simply a case of cross cultural
misinformation. I'm sure they can convince the Vulcans not to
press the issue."

"Thank you," said Tannis. "I have one other thing I wish to
discuss with you. It's rather delicate and I don't mean any offense.
My superiors on the Tanosian home feel that, at this time, your
race is too primitive to risk contact with us on a continued basis.
Our greatest law is that we cannot interfere in the internal workings
of another society. Especially one less advanced than our own.

"They feel that any contact between us would risk contamination
and present an undue influence on your people. Especially when
it's discovered just how much more advanced we are than you.
They have agreed that you should report to your superiors
regarding your contact with us. However, they also feel that, at this
time, there should be no further contact. At least until your
technology has improved."

"I understand," said Archer. "I'll inform Star Fleet Command
that you have no hostile intentions toward us, but that you feel any
type of contact is not warranted at this time. I'm sure they'll agree
to stay out of your territory."

"Thank you, Captain," said Tannis. "Personally, I do not agree
with the decision. But I have no say in the matter."

"I understand," said Archer. "There are times when I disagree
with my superiors, but I still have to follow orders."

"Exactly," said Tannis. "Captain Archer, I wish you a safe
journey home. Hopefully, at some time in the future, we will meet
again."

"I'll look forward to it," said Archer.

Archer and the party returned the Enterprise. As the ship turned
to return to explored space, the Tanosian ship simply faded from
view; First Tannis had once again activated the cloaking device.

Sarel slept most of the way back. A thorough examination by
Dr. Phlox revealed that he seemed to be in reasonably good
shape. But he was no longer catatonic as he had been since they
had first encountered him.

T'Pol said very little and remained in her quarters resting most
of the time. Dr. Phlox had pronounced her fit as well, if not
somewhat exhausted. Archer decided to give her all the time she
needed to rest up from her ordeal. Even Tyvek seemed to
understand and didn't bother her.

The Enterprise dropped from warp and settled into a standard
orbit around the Sular colony planet. For once, Archer was anxious
to meet with Commander Saret. He knew the Vulcan would be
smug and superior but this time Archer was ready for him. Besides
Travis, who was piloting the shuttle, Sarel and T'Pol rode with
Archer in the shuttle.

Instead of setting down outside of the colony as he had before,
Archer had Travis set the shuttle down in the very center of the
settlement. As they exited the shuttle, Saret and several Vulcans
approached, two of them armed.

"Captain Archer," he said, "I did not expect to see you here
again. I have been ordered by the Vulcan High Command to take
you into custody. You will be transported back to Vulcan where
you will be tried on charges of kidnaping the son of the Vulcan
ambassador."

"I don't think so," said Archer smiling. "As you can see, Sarel is
fine. Better, I might add, than when he left. I think the Vulcan
ambassador will be glad to have his son returned to him."

"Nevertheless," said Saret, "you did abduct the ambassadors'
son. For that, you must be punished. It is time you humans
learned your place in the galaxy."

"Really?" questioned Archer. "Well, what do you think will
happen when the Vulcan people learn of the real reason for this
colony? How Commander Sular thought he could wipe all
emotions from the Vulcan psyche. And how that quest cost him his
life and the lives of forty four other Vulcans. I don't think it will sit
well with the general populace. Nor will it sit well with Star Fleet
Command."

"This will never become known," said Saret. "What happened
here will remain a mystery. No one, least of all Star Fleet
Command, will ever learn of this colonies' true purpose. It will
remain listed as a scientific research colony."

T'Pol held up a computer disk to Saret. He took the disk and
looked at it.

"This contains a complete account of what transpired here," said
T'Pol. "It also contains the account of our contact with an alien
race who have corroborated Captain Archers' claims. I'm sure that
once this is filed with Star Fleet Command, there will be many
questions which they will wish to ask of the Vulcan ambassador to
Earth."

"The Vulcan High Command will never take the word of a
Terran over that of a Vulcan Commander," said Saret. "And if you
persist in defending him, I can assure you I am quite willing to take
you into custody as well. On a charge of treason against the
Vulcan people and conspiracy with the humans."

"Perhaps they will take my word," said Sarel dispassionately.
He was still having trouble with bouts of emotionalism, but he was
steadily improving. "I am sure my father will. And I know several
members of the High Command who will also listen to me.

"Commander Sular was a brilliant scientist. But he was
misguided. It is not possible to remove emotions from the Vulcan
psyche. His goal was a worth while attempt. But it has failed. The
Vulcan High Command will learn of it from me. Unless,
Commander, you propose to take me into custody as well. In
which case, I'm sure my father would be more than curious to know
the reason for such an act."

Saret looked at Sarel, then at T'Pol. If he had been human,
Archer would have thought he showed disgust in his face. Saret
then looked back as Archer.

"Let's just say we had a cultural misunderstanding," suggested
Archer. "That Sarel came with me willingly and that you simply
misunderstood that. You can notify the Vulcan High Command that
we've settled everything here and that we're back on friendly terms
again."

"What about the knowledge of this colony?" asked Saret.

"I'll leave that in your hands," said Archer. "Since the High
Command authorized this little expedition, I believe it's reasonable
to assume they knew its' true purpose. And I think they'd like to
know what happened here. As for whether you tell the Vulcan
people about it, that's up to you. And the High Command."

Saret cocked one eyebrow. He considered the option, then
nodded once in agreement.

"Fine," said Archer. "Oh, by the way, it's been a real pleasure
meeting you again, Commander. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"It is my hope," said Saret, "that we never again encounter each
other, Captain. Good day, sir."

"Good day, Commander" said Archer.

Archer, T'Pol, and Travis returned to the shuttle. Sarel
remained on the planet to assist the Vulcan rescue team with their
investigation and inventory of the planet. As they returned to the
Enterprise, Archer smiled to himself. It wasn't often he could make
a Vulcan back down.

As the Enterprise warped through space on it's way to
rendezvous with the Shinnota, he sat in his ready room wondering
what to put in his report to Star Fleet Command. Admiral Carter
would want a full accounting of the past several weeks. Archer
wasn't sure exactly what to tell the admiral and what not to tell him.
As he sat contemplating the situation, the chime on his ready room
door sounded.

"Come in," he said.

T'Pol entered the ready room. She stood in front of Archer and
he could tell she was slightly nervous. Though she had regained
full control of her emotions, it was clear that she was uncertain at
the moment.

"What is it, Sub-Commander?" asked Archer.

"I was wondering, sir," said T'Pol, "what report you were going to
make to Star Fleet Command regarding this incident?"

"I was just considering that," said Archer. "I suppose I'll tell
them everything. Of course, I'll leave out the part about Tyvek
helping us. I made a promise to him when we first met that I
wouldn't divulge our knowing about him. I can't see breaking that
promise because of what happened here."

"What of the colonies secret purpose?" asked T'Pol. "What will
you report regarding that?"

"I'll tell them the truth," said Archer. "They have a right to know
what was going on out here."

"I would ask that you not include the colonies ulterior agenda in
your report, sir," said T'Pol. "If the news should get out, it could
have catastrophic results. It is possible it might even affect
human-Vulcan relations."

"How can you defend them?" asked Archer. "Because of them,
you were nearly driven insane. You could have ended up like
Sarel. You can't seriously ask me to withhold that from Star Fleet
Command."

"Yes, sir," said T'Pol, "that's what I am asking. If you report it to
Star Fleet Command, it is bound to get out. Once news of it
reaches my world, there will be serious repercussions. The results
could be . . . tragic, sir."

"I don't believe this," said Archer. "You're asking me to lie to
Star Fleet Command. You wouldn't do it. Why ask me to?"

"Not lie, sir," said T'Pol. "Simply omit any reference to the
colonies true agenda. As far as anyone is concerned, this was
simply a scientific colony which suffered a catastrophic event. I do
not believe it is necessary to subject either your race or mine to the
possibilities of what might occur if this news should get out."

"And just what do I tell Star Fleet?" asked Archer. "They're
going to want to know something."

"Simply tell them that the aliens are telepathic," offered T'Pol,
"and that this had an unforeseen affect on the colonists. It has the
merits of being the truth."

"I can't do that, T'Pol," said Archer. "I can't file reports based on
what you think MIGHT happen. I have to report everything, no
matter how unacceptable it might be."

"Please," said T'Pol, touching Archers' arm lightly, "I ask this as
a personal favor. I realize your devotion to Star Fleet. And that
you do not wish to deceive them. But I can assure you, Captain,
this report will have long reaching effects. I have never asked for
anything of a personal nature from you before. But I ask for this.
Please reconsider your decision."

Archer just stared at T'Pol. He knew she was recovered from
her ordeal. But she had said please to him. In an almost
emotional way. In the back of his mind Archer had been thinking
how here was his chance to make up for everything the Vulcans
had done to his father.

But the look in T'Pols eyes was compelling. For the first time
since they had met, a Vulcan was talking to a human as an equal.
Not as a mentor to a child, which is how most Vulcans felt about
humans.

"Very well, T'Pol," said Archer. "I'll not inform Star Fleet of the
true mission of that colony. I didn't know you felt so passionate
about it."

"That would be an inappropriate description," said T'Pol, folding
her hands in front of her and returning to her normal stoic
demeanor. "I just do not wish to cause unnecessary complications
between our two peoples. I appreciate your decision, sir."

"My pleasure," said Archer. "Thank you, T'Pol. Thank you for
showing me that, perhaps, Vulcans and humans may be more
similar than I ever considered they might be."

T'Pol didn't say another word. She simply turned and left the
ready room, leaving Archer still stunned at her actions. For a while,
at least, he wouldn't think of his science officer in the same was as
he had since they had first met. And he would always remember
that, Vulcan or not, T'Pol DID experience emotion just as any
human did. Just as all Vulcans also did.

He turned back to his PADD and began to revise his report to
Star Fleet Command.

The End

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