12. Civil Duties
Authors note: This chapter is very heavy on dialog, so please bear with me.
"Ugh," Trip groaned, when he woke up.
"Have I injured you?" T'Pol inquired warily.
"Except for that monster hickey, I'm fine," Trip smiled as he pointed at the bite mark on his shoulder. "Just didn't expect you to be that demanding. I'm pretty sore all over. That'll be one helluva muscle ache."
"The need to consummate the bond is a strong one as long as the bond is not mature. We delayed acting on that need for a long period of time, we shall not wait that long again."
"So, does that mean you won't 'need me' 9 times a night in the future?"
"No, but if you wish..." T'Pol was silenced by a kiss.
"If it was for my wishes, darlin', we'd probably still be at it, but my body can't quite keep up with that and I'm not shooting to be the first Starfleet officer to go west by 'excessive mating'. Helluva way to go, but I'd rather spend a couple of decades with you beforehand."
After another kiss, T'Pol snuggled back up to him. "Would you mind explaining your amusement of last night. You said you started a… dating service?"
"Yeah, well I caught Soval ogling V'Lar all evening. I offered to be his mediator and he accepted to me doin' that as soon as I'm a Vulcan citizen, so my first duty as a honorary Vulcan will be to play matchmaker between the two Ambassadors." Trip laughed.
"The Ambassador has shown a great deal of respect by entrusting you with that duty. I hope you treat this task with the proper seriousness."
"Well, you should know me well enough by now. Of course I'll be serious about it. How Do I become a Vulcan citizen anyways?"
"There is no precedence. We are not only the first married Vulcan/human pair. I am the first Vulcan in documented Vulcan history, who married an alien. The High Council will decide to which degree they are granting you citizenship."
"Well guess we'll learn about that soon enough. So what was the High Priest talking about with you?"
"He was interested in learning more about my experiences with your species and he expressed a great deal of respect for you."
"Now that's something new," Trip wondered wide-eyed. "Except the lil' one... I mean T'Pau and Soval, not too many Vulcans besides you have talked positively about me."
Ignoring Trip's slip for the moment, T'Pol conveyed the security issue. "He also advised me to live on Earth until my safety on Vulcan can be secured. I have spoken to T'Pau briefly. A surveillance ship is in a stationary orbit above this estate and patrols are securing its boundaries."
"That doesn't sound too good. Well I was thinking about livin' on Earth anyways, so I looked up a few estates, while we were on our way here. Guess I'll have to speed up the process a bit. I'll try to contact my mom later. I found a nice place that I could afford with all the money I've stacked up over the 4 years, but I'd rather have her pay a visit to look at it, before making the deal."
"That would be agreeable. I shall visit the Bureau of Property today and have this estate assigned to me. There is one final issue to address. High Priest Torok informed me that during our mind melds T'Pau inadvertently chose us as her En'ahr'at."
"What's that?"
"An En'ahr'at is comparable to the human concept of a step parent or a god parent. The ritual, that T'Pau improvidently performed is best resembled by the human concept of adoption. It is a means of protection for a Vulcan young, who lost both parents."
Trip exhaled a big sigh. "That's good news, I already thought I was going mad."
"What do you mean?" T'Pol could feel the relief wash over through the bond, but the transmission also contained a considerable amount of joy.
"Well, do you remember when I got all angry after the mind melds, when I thought that the Syrranites weren't the best candidates to raise her? I started to feel like I was her dad and I thought I was going crazy. After all you just don't start feeling like the dad of a Vulcan. And I was sort of confused that she started to joke around all of a sudden. Do you think she picked that up from me?"
"Most likely. The High Priest explained that during the ritual meld, personal traits are imprinted on the young's mind. In that way the En'ahr'at shares personal traits with the young, much like a biological parent does. It appears she has received some of your sense of humor."
"Well, I just hope she doesn't start to say 'damn' on every occasion," Trip laughed. "And I'm pretty sure she got your giggle brow. Saw that one for the first time yesterday."
"What is a giggle brow?"
"Except in that white space of ours you never laugh or smile. With your face being so stoic all the time I've got to rely on your eyebrows and eyes to read your emotions and I tend to think that I've gotten pretty good at that. You have a very specific raised eyebrow when you're amused."
"You always were very perceptive," she praised. "High Priest Torok shares your belief, that T'Pau's upbringing was suboptimal. He further offered us an audience on Mount Seleya to reverse the effects of the inadvertent ritual." A strong wave of anger and disappointment smashed her unprepared as she conveyed the information and she quickly added, "I did tell the High Priest however, that you would most likely refuse that offer."
"What about you?" he asked as the bonds transmissions seized.
"Since Vulcans are mostly suppressing their emotions, the effects on me will take longer to become noticeable. The almost instantaneous effect on you is caused by the fact that you are emotional by nature. I do not wish the rituals results to be reversed as well."
"I'm glad you think like that." Trip sighed in relief and kissed her thankfully. "I'd still like to have that audience though. That High Priest looked like a mighty good fellow and I'd really like to meet him."
"I shall ask him, while I am in Shi'Kar. May I ask what T'Pau spoke to you about? I sensed your discomfort, so I surmise it was an intimate topic?" T'Pol asked while Trip idly groped his favorite Vulcan buttocks. She shifted slightly to give him better access.
"Well yeah. She instructed me on... uh mating. I turned purple as always, but it was helpful." he said and suddenly started grinning. "Come to think of it, you Vulcans really do nothing the normal way. The kids adopt themselves new parents and the daughter lectures her dad on mating properly. For a species without a sense of humor you people sure can be hilarious."
"We do have a sense of humor, we just hide it better." T'Pol countered giggle-brow'ed. "May I inquire about your fascination with these particular delicious parts?" she asked and pressed the cheeks in question firmly into his hands.
"Well, they're just nice and soft." he grinned.
"I shall give you additional time to tend to them, but we need to rise now." T'Pol said sheepishly and Trip had to laugh about her ploy to avoid admitting that she liked it.
* * *
Trip sat on the desk in front of the view screen, waiting for the transmission to be established. He hoped that his mother would be taking the call. Another one of his fathers rants about how he could have hitched up with a Vulcan wasn't very high on his wish-list at the moment. After several minutes finally the face of his mother appeared on the screen.
"Trip, finally. Where are you hon, you've been all over the news."
"We're on Vulcan mom. There's been a hearing about the stuff that happened on Earth."
"Are you ok? They said you were about to be put on trial for attacking that Vulcan guy." she said with moist eyes. "And they wouldn't tell us where you are."
"It wasn't a real trial, but they tried to nail T'Pol. We're ok now. Had to call a Vulcan gunshot wedding though, so there's a bit of fait accompli we'll have to present to you."
"You're married?" Cathryn asked wide-eyed.
"That's the outcome of a wedding mom, isn't it"
"Well, congratulations boy. Hope you have thought that through. Your father will not be pleased. He opened up a bit when he saw her picking you up from the floor in that news program, but I'm afraid he needs a lot of time to come around."
"This might hurt mom, but I'm tired of listening to the crap my ol' man is giving me. We just had to bury our child and got abused by Paxton's Vulcan cousin afterward. We both took a lot of crap from the Vulcans and Starfleet. I don't need my own family hurling more brown stuff at us. If you force me to choose between you and T'Pol, trust me, you won't like the result."
"You won't have to choose boy, but please try to understand him. We lost Lizzie and the Vulcans didn't lift a finger and you know how you were as a child. I had to spent hours cuddling you and you always complained about girls being too cold for not hugging and cuddling enough when you started dating. Now how is he supposed to believe a Vulcan can give you that. It is a bit extreme."
"You might wanna remember that T'Pol flipped off her own people to go with us into the Expanse, so even my thickheaded dad should know by now that not all Vulcans are the same. As for the other stuff, that's not anybodies business and that includes you. You haven't even met her yet."
"Well we were hoping you'd drop by when you're back on Earth."
"Not gonna happen anytime soon, mom. I have another idea though. I'm sending you a file. It's the data of an estate in California that I'm planning to buy. I'd like you to have a look at it and check whether it'd be something for T'Pol and me."
"I'd love to do that son. Anything specific that I need to look out for, that T'Pol would need?"
"Well it would be nice if it is hidden somewhat, y'know, that not everybody can see into the backyard or into the house. Vulcan's are pretty protective of their privacy."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Ok, thanks mom. When we settle down, we'll invite you both to visit us for an afternoon or so, maybe the ol' man gets along with T'Pol better when he finally meets her."
"I'm sure he will. Just give him time and I'm dying to meet her myself. Must be quite the lady, if she's gotten you to marry her." Cathryn said with a smile.
"That she is mom. I'll call you back tomorrow about the estate ok?"
"Ok, hon. Be careful, both of you."
"Will do mom, see ya."
* * *
Three hours later a chime and a flashing light on the view screen announced another incoming message. A bit warily Trip opened the connection and was greeted by the faces of his wife and T'Pau.
"Now, if that's not my two favorite Vulcans." Trip smiled. "T'Pol, how did you end up in the High Council? Got lost?"
"No, I invited her," T'Pau answered. "I believe the Earth expression is girl talk."
"I might have given you a tad too much insight, hon." Trip groaned good mannerly.
"I was meaning to ask, if you will accompany us for the mid day meal." T'Pau continued.
"Well, who can pass up lunch with two pretty ladies," Trip teased. "So how do I get there?"
"Major Taran will bring you here in a shuttle craft."
"Ok, I'll squeeze myself into a robe. See you in a bit."
* * *
"Catfish?" Trip asked wide-eyed as he sat down on the table.
"Yes," T'Pau explained. "We acquired at in one of the human shops in Earth's Embassy. The Embassies library contained appropriate instructions to prepare the dish. I forwarded it to our kitchen staff.
"Wow, I'm flattered," Trip admitted with a smile.
The two Vulcans and the human engineer began their meal and ate in silence.
"You will need to attend another meeting in the High Council tomorrow," T'Pau broke the silence. "The final decision has not been made yet, but it is fairly sure, that you will be declared a Vulcan citizen tomorrow. Admiral V'Kar is the only member of the Council, who opposes the idea and as the only opposing voice, he cannot forestall our decision. T'Pol also informed me about your decision regarding the mind melds." T'Pau spoke the last sentence rather warily.
"Yeah, don't worry hon, I'm not angry or anything. In fact I'm happy about it. T'Pol and I have lost two kids already, adopting one for a change is rather nice and trust me, we've been through worse things than accidentally adopting a pretty girl." Trip said, smiling about the greenish blush that crept up to T'Pau's face.
"You lost two children? Was there another child besides Elizabeth?"
T'Pol could sense the sadness and the grief in the bond when Trip explained their encounter with Lorian and the Enterprise from another time line. They had not discussed their son for a long time and only now T'Pol realized, how much Trip was still affected by it.
"Do you know what happened to the other vessel?" T'Pau asked.
"No," Trip sighed sadly. "They were outnumbered badly and they took one helluva beating to protect us. We made it through that corridor, but they never followed. Guess they..." Trip did not finish his sentence, trying his best to not cry in front of T'Pau.
T'Pol watched silently as T'Pau rose and walked around the table to sit right next to Trip. The young Vulcan sensed his sadness and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do not be ashamed of your emotions, Trip. You are human."
"The Vulcan Science Directorate is still reviewing Starfleet's reports regarding time travel," T'Pau continued, when Trip had regained his composure with one of T'Pols breathing techniques. "We are planning to send a science vessel into the region of space that was the Expanse. I shall order them to investigate the fate of the other vessel."
"That would be nice hon. I still owe him a slap in the face." Trip smiled and patted T'Pau's hand that was still on his shoulder.
"I do not understand." T'Pau said slightly confused.
"The last time I saw him, he shot me." Trip said sadly. "I can understand him though. Flying around for over 100 years to wait for one single chance to get the job done. That must have been one helluva pressure he had on his shoulders and I guess he needed a good kick in the ass. But I wasn't there for him, I died too soon in that time line. And now..."
"Do not concern yourself," T'Pol interrupted, now sitting on his other side. "You did all you could."
"You and T'Pol shall decide on a Vulcan name for you," T'Pau instructed – now back in Vulcan leader mode. "If you are granted Vulcan citizenship you will be expected to choose a Vulcan name."
"How about T'Rip?" he laughed.
"That would be a female name," T'Pol interjected.
"Hm, is that why it was so difficult for you to call me Trip?"
"Yes, referring to a male with a female name is... awkward. But I have grown accustomed to it." T'Pol explained.
"Well, I would think that Mishek would be fitting." Trip offered.
"You obviously have made progress in learning our language." T'Pau consented.
"We use our meditation sessions for that. Instead of just sitting around in that white space with nothing to do, T'Pol teaches me Vulcan."
"Very well," T'Pau answered with a pronounced giggle brow. Only that particular human engineer would come up with something to do, even during their time of meditation.
* * *
Trip was relaxing on their bed after a long joint meditation. T'Pol had decided to add an hour or two of solitary meditation. Trip was drawn out of his thoughts, when he heard his wife's footsteps approaching. T'Pol was wearing her blue silk jammies, that he knew from their numerous neuropressure sessions in the expanse.
Wordlessly she pushed down the pants and climbed up to Trip with her lower body half completely exposed. Trip watched the situation dumbstruck. "Now is an appropriate time to tend to the delicious parts." T'Pol announced matter-of-factly.
It took Trip a while to regain his composure and he reeled into a hearty laugh. "So my wife wants a nice bum groping. You need to learn a thing or two about the finer points of a romantic encounter, darlin', especially about the absence of blunt announcements and sudden acts of rapid undressing." he laughed as he reached for his favorite buttocks. Ever the devoted husband, he delivered the desired groping with gentle hands.
* * *
"By unanimous decision of the High Council the human Charles Tucker the Third, son of Cathryn, son of Charles Junior, bonded mate of Lady T'Pol of Vulcan is hereby declared a citizen of Vulcan. He shall officially be addressed by his chosen name Mishek of Vulcan. He is expected to conclude the Rite of Tal'oth within the next 2 years."
Trip noticed that T'Pau looked decisively uneasy when she announced the result of the High Council's debate. The flaring nostrils of his wife could only mean, that the Rite of Tal'oth must be something more elaborate than a ritual washing of hands.
"You two almost burst a vein in there," Trip inquired as he walked along the corridor with T'Pol and T'Pau. "So what's this Tal'oth and why did you two get so upset about it?"
"Admiral V'Kar demanded that you undergo this ritual to prove yourself worthy of Vulcan citizenship. Unfortunately the Ministers V'Ren and V'Cor, followed the Admirals arguments and made their consent to the decision dependent on the passing of the rite."
"Well, if that V'Kar fella is involved, I can only imagine that it is something that could get me killed," Trip answered uneasily.
"The Rite of Tal'oth is a desert survival ritual. You are expected to survive in the Forge for four months with a ritual blade as your only weapon. Your mate shall instruct you in Suus Manah techniques and you shall learn basic human medicine to tend to your wounds. You must also acquire a domesticated Sehlat as a companion." T'Pau explained.
"Nice," Trip sighed. "I'll be roaming the damn desert for almost half a year with only a kitchen knife and a tame saber-toothed bear for a companion? Maybe Vulcan citizenship wasn't so brilliant an idea after all."
"It will be a taxing and dangerous mission, but I have trust in your abilities." T'Pol tried to reassure him, despite her own fears for her mate. "We have more than a year to prepare you for the ordeal."
"Well," Trip sighed. "You ladies go for the meal, I've got a date with Ambassador V'Lar. I'll join you later." With that he changed his path toward the Ambassador's temporary office.
* * *
"Commander Tucker, it is agreeable to see you." V'Lar opened after Trip entered her office.
"Nice to meet you, too, Ambassador."
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
"Uh, I'm not used to this Ambassador, so I'll just get it out," Trip started nervously. "I've come as a mediator. There's someone who's interested in marrying you."
"You came here to mediate a betrothal?" the Ambassador asked, visibly surprised. "The person you speak about, must have a great deal of respect to entrust you with that capacity. May I ask, whom we speak about?"
"You may, Ambassador. I think you already know, that we're talking about Ambassador Soval. But he told me that these things are done by a mediator."
"Very well. I am honored by the Ambassador's proposal and you may inform him, that a betrothal between us is most agreeable."
"I'll take that as a yes," Trip grinned.
"You find this amusing?"
"No, on the contrary," Trip coughed, trying to regain a sense of seriousness. "I'm just surprised that you didn't even have to think about it. I'll best get going to deliver the good news. It was a pleasure talking to you, Ambassador," Trip nodded.
"I'm honored." Ambassador V'lar answered, before Trip left the office.
* * *
"Nice to see you Ambassador," Trip grinned as he strode into Soval's office.
"It is agreeable to see you, Mishek."
"It'll take a while to get used to the new name," Trip answered. "Anyways, you may wanna start preparations for a date with High Priest Torok. Ambassador V'Lar asked me to tell you that she thinks a betrothal between you and her is 'most agreeable'."
"Both the information and your service honor me, Mishek." Soval answered after a prolonged silence.
"Well, Ambassador, glad to be of service. If you'll excuse me, I've got a date for lunch with two lovely ladies. I'll leave you to raisin' an eyebrow or whatever you do, when you're happy," Trip smiled and nodded.
Soval watched the human leave the office, before he allowed the giggle brow to creep towards the hair line.
* * *
"I take it that your mission was a success?" T'Pol asked as Trip sat down on the table between his to favorite Vulcans.
"Yep," Trip answered, still grinning. "Two happy customers for the Vulcan Dating Service."