Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money off 'em.

Notes: The Enterprise crew realizes that they haven't been told the whole story. Trip and Company stumble over a clue, while Travis must keep the ship in one piece and Jon uses his skills as Resident Diplomat to defuse a situation.

Rating: T

Eventual pairings: R/S and TnT

Please R&R. Thanks.

Ten

Travis Mayweather sighed as he paced the upper deck of the Bridge. He hadn't heard from Captain Sato or Lieutenant Commander Tucker; although Trip still had another hour to go before his formal check-in, Travis had heard stories of how he seemed to attract trouble wherever he went. According to Jon Archer, Trip always managed to get out of it unscathed.

He looked up at Lieutenant Bryan Trace at the Tactical Station and Ensign Murdo at the Comm station. Both men shook their heads simulataneously. Travis sighed and resumed his pacing. One part of him was relieved that the Bridge crew was adapting to a routine, another part of him worried about the captain. He should have never let her lead the rescue team underground after an earthquake. He...

Don't second-guess yourself. She would have overrode any of your objections. Captain Hayes warned you about how stubborn she could be. An involuntary smile quirked his lips. Matt Hayes knew Hoshi Sato better than anyone else, so if he called her stubborn...

There was a flurry of activity at the Tactical station, then Lieutenant Trace said, "Commander, we have a Vulcan destroyer on approach. It's the S'tranek."

Travis frowned. "What's a Vulcan destroyer doing here? Ensign Murdo?"

"They haven't hailed us yet, sir."

"Wake up Lieutenant Commander Archer and get him up here. Lieutenant Trace, call yellow alert."

Three minutes later, Jon Archer rushed onto the Bridge, one hand still attaching the pips to his collar. Ensign Murdo moved to relinquish the comm station to him, but Travis indicated Murdo to stay where he was. "I might need you as a diplomat, Lieutenant Commander," Travis told Jon. "That's the S'tranek out there."

Jon frowned in confusion. "The S'tranek? That's Captain V'Krus's ship. He's a hard-liner from the Vulcan High Command, one of Minister Soultek's supporters. He was against the expedition in the first place."

Travis made his way to the command chair and sat down, as Jon came up on his right. "Something must've happened on Vulcan if they sent him here. Ensign Murdo, hail the S'tranek."

"Yes, sir." Murdo worked his board, then nodded. "They're responding."

The viewscreen lit up with the image of the S'tranek's Bridge. The Vulcan commander gazed at Travis with an impassive expression. Travis got up from the command chair and met the hostile gaze; Jon Archer stood ready to back him up if necessary. His presence seemed to put a check on the Vulcan commander's behavior, for the Vulcan managed to keep his tone civil.

"I was expecting Captain Sato. To whom am I speaking?"

The abrupt question surprised Travis, and judging from Jon's scowl, it was rude as hell. Travis kept a neutral tone. "I'm Commander Travis Mayweather, First Officer. Captain Sato is on the surface of Beta Polaris, and I'm in command while she's there. Can I help you, Captain?"

V'Krus glowered at him, but he grudgingly replied, "We are under strict orders to retrieve Doctor T'Marui alive and to confiscate any information in her possession. This is an internal Vulcan matter, Commander Mayweather. Once you have recovered Lieutenant T'Pol, your obligation to us is finished."

Both of Travis's eyebrows shot up at the matter-of-fact tone. "Indeed?" he asked in a frosty tone. "Under whose orders?"

The commander raised an eyebrow. "Vulcan High Command's Minister Soultek has relayed his permission through Ambassador Soval I have my orders, Commander."

Jon's eyes suddenly lit up in a "putting-it-all-together" sort of look. He addressed V'Krus in Vulcan.. "This...information contains...highly sensitive material, doesn't it?"

He nodded slightly in confirmation. "More than you realize, Diplomat Archer."Jon noticed that the commander had pointedly ignored his new Starfleet rank. "Ambassador Soval has the utmost confidence in you, but you must understand...there are issues that must remain uniquely Vulcan."

Jon nodded slowly. "Indeed. I see your point."

"I am gratified that you do. Please let us take care of our affairs in our own way." V'Krus switched back to Standard; his demeanor changed into one of wary respect. "Commander Mayweather, I understand you are following orders issued by your Starfleet and the Vulcan Council. I will relay a copy of ours to Diplomat Archer; they are quite specific. S'tranek, out." His image vanished.

Travis scowled, his dark eyes flashing. "Why do I get the distinct feeling we've been told to back off?"

"Because we have." Jon's stony expression didn't change. "Once we rescue T'Pol, the Vulcans consider our part in this affair over."

"You've got to be kidding."

"They want to take care of T'Marui in their own way and their own time and they don't want us to interfere with that." Jon glanced at Travis, the corners of his mouth turned down grimly. "Captain V'Krus is correct; T'Marui is a Vulcan citizen and not a member of Starfleet. If her work is considered a threat to Vulcan sovereignty, the situation becomes a High Command matter, not a Science Academy one."

"But can they actually go in and take over like that?"

"Not usually, which is why I want to see those orders. V'Krus is honorable, if unbending in his beliefs. And I need to talk to Soval; he would have never agreed to something like this without a damn good reason."

"Go ahead, Lieutenant Commander. I'm as concerned about this as you are---"

"Commander Mayweather!" Lieutenant Trace shouted from Tactical. "Our mystery ship is back!"

Travis's head snapped toward the viewscreen as the unknown ship coalesced into existence in front of them. He wasted no time as he sat in the command chair. "Red alert, raise the shields."

Trace nodded. "They've powered up weapons, Commander. The S'tranek is responding. They're targeting the winged ship's engines!"

Jon had reclaimed the comm station from Ensign Murdo. "V'Krus is issuing an order to stand down or be destroyed. No response."

The strange bird-like ship lashed out a split second before the S'tranek did. The energy beams struck the Vulcan ship, causing its shields to short out for a brief moment. S'tranek 's reply was just as spectacular.

"Direct hit on the winged ship's engines. They're coming around in an arc."

A jolt shook the bridge, nearly shaking Travis out of his chair. "What was that?"

Commander Phlox's voice filtered from below decks. "Some sort of energy pulse is interfering with the shield generators. Compensating now."

Trace's alarmed tone overlapped Phlox's report. "Commander---"

"I see it," said Travis. "Ensign Dougherty, Z-minus twenty degrees. New heading, one-seven-zero mark two."

"Aye, sir," Doughtery replied.

Enterprise dropped gracefully out of the way between the two combatants. Now that the winged ship couldn't hide behind Enterprise, it fired at the S'tranek as the destroyer went past. Their port nacelle flashed crimson and began trailing sparks.

"Direct hit on S'tranek's port nacelle. Their speed is dropping...warp's gone, they're switching to impulse." Lieutenant Trace squinted at his scanner. "The winged ship is going around for another pass."

"How long before we can intercept them?" Travis asked.

"One minute, fifteen seconds."

"Target their engines, Lieutenant Trace."

"Aye, sir." Trace scowled and added, "I'm having trouble getting a lock."

"Best guess, Bryan. Fire."

The phase cannons missed its target as it shot past, but it didn't turn to fire back at Enterprise. Instead, it arced again and attacked the S'tranek with a fiery laser barrage. The destroyer's shields brightened, but held.

Phlox's voice echoed again from the speakers. "Commander, I'm still reading fluctuations in the shield generator. I need a few more moments to compensate." Suddenly, the Denobulan's tone rose sharply. "I have a problem."

"What's wrong, Phlox?" demanded Travis.

"I'm getting interference---"

Lieutenant Trace shouted, "Torpedoes, twelve-hundred meters---"

"Hang on everyone!" yelled Ensign Dougherty. Travis braced himself for the impact...but the torpedoes missed Enterprise by a few thousand meters to port and struck the S'tranek instead. The destroyer buckled under the blast, heavily damaged. The winged ship arced away and vanished again.

"Damage report!" Travis called hoarsely, hoping someone could manage to do it.

Trace nodded at the information on his board and replied, "Minor damage on Decks C,D and E. No injuries, no fatalities."

Phlox added from Engineering, "The shield generators are back to one-hundred percent, Commander. Whatever was interfering with their output has vanished."

Travis blew out a relieved sigh. "Good. Stand by, Phlox...we might have to provide some aid to a Vulcan destroyer that decided to drop by. They got the worst of the attack."

"Acknowledged, Commander, I'll have repair teams standing by."

"Commander...the S'tranek's taken moderate damage," Trace reported. "Their shields and warp drive are down."

Jon glanced over his shoulder. "Captain V'Krus insists they can handle the damage themselves."

Travis snorted and shook his head. "I'm sure they can. Lieutenant Commander Archer, tell them that we are willing to assist if they need it, but we'll respect their , start analyzing the sensor readouts of the attack. See if you can identify what was interfering with our shield generators. If our unwelcome friends have some sort of secret weapon they can use against us---"

Trace nodded grimly. "I'm on it, Commander. Why did they attack the S'tranek and all but ignored us?"

"That's what's bothering me." Travis nodded at Jon. "Ready Room. We're going to talk to Soval."

"The poor bastards," Trip muttered.

Malcolm said nothing as he knelt at the edge of an indentation in the ground. It had been half-hidden by a stand of trees; Sysek and his team had nearly missed it. Wind and erosion had swept away the top layers of dirt. The skeletons within lay sprawled, face down, as if they'd fallen into the grave and died wherever they landed.

"Definitely not from the Lost Colonists. Whoever they were died rather violently and painfully." Malcolm used a stick to lift a layer of leaves from one of the skeletons. "Broken ribs on this one. The one over there had the back of the skull crushed like an egg."

Trip winced as he surveyed the two other skeletons. The bigger one lay upon the smaller one at an angle, as if he had turned his back at the last minute to protect the other. Husband and wife? Father and daughter? Lovers? Trip yanked his mind from that track. "There aren't any signs of markers or any upkeep of the site. Nameless and forgotten. Damn."

"There might not have been anyone left to do so." Sysek gracefully got to his feet. "About how long ago, Doctor?"

"Judging from the rate of decomposition from my preliminary scans...probably fifteen, twenty years ago. It's fortunate that enough of the remains are left after all this time, considering the climate."

"Human remains? Vulcan? Someone else?" Trip asked.

Malcolm frowned as he deliberately closed his medical scanner with a snap. "Vulcan."

Sysek stared at him. "You are sure?"

"Humans and Vulcans are similar in their physical attributes, but the few differences are striking. Yes, Sysek, I'm sure."

Trip gave Sysek a measured gaze and said, "Looks like someone else beat T'Marui in discovering the Lost Colony."

"If there had been a previous expedition to Beta Polaris, we would have known about it."

"'We'?" Malcolm asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Vulcan Security Ministry." Sysek returned Trip's gaze steadily. "Minister T'Pau's contacts are more widespread than is known."

Both men looked at each other, then Trip slowly nodded. "All right. If it was an accidental crash, who killed the survivors, and why?"

"I cannot say. There is not enough information to form a conclusion, Lieutenant Commander---"

Sysek's head snapped to his left, as if he'd heard something. Malcolm had also gotten to his feet with one hand on the phase pistol on his belt. Trip heard the distinct rustling of leaves, the crunch of dry grass; he waved at Malcolm to take cover, while he and Sysek waited for the intruder to show himself.

There was the sound of sliding, then a stream of Vulcan invective in a distinct feminine voice. Trip tried not to burst out laughing at the pure venom in the tone.

"Captain? Are you all right?" came another woman's voice. Crewman Christine Mason.

"I'm fine. Remind me to bring climbing equipment on our next Away Mission, including spikes and pietons..." There was splashing, then "Ponfo mirann!"

Trip glanced at Malcolm, who had raised his eyebrows at the curse, but humor danced in the blue-gray eyes. Sysek winced at the unladylike language, but Trip still felt his amusement.

And Captain Hoshi Sato stumbled out of the trees, her tan uniform covered with dirt, dust, and mud; her long dark hair in disarray. Mason followed, her appearance just as haggard. Hoshi glanced around her and her dark expression grew as she took in the sight of the skeletons in the shallow grave.

"Cap'n," Trip said quietly. "Damn, you're a sight for sore eyes!"

Her head snapped up. "Trip!"

He smiled in relief as he approached her, but that smile faded at little as he took in her appearance. "You look like hell, but I'm glad to see you. Mason?"

"Yes, sir." Crewman Mason managed a slight grin herself. "I managed to keep the captain out of trouble."

"No mean feat, that." Trip's humor faded as Hoshi glowered at him for that remark. "Cap'n, we managed to find T'Pol and T'Marui. T'Pol needs to be in Sickbay---"

Hoshi narrowed her eyes at that. "Is she all right? Where are they?"

Malcolm shook his head as he joined them. "She has undergone some considerable physical and mental trauma.T'Marui...she died minutes before we got to her. Doctor Kov is with both of them now.

Hoshi closed her eyes in sorrow., then opened them again. "Damn. I was hoping---I see that there are more remains here."

"More remains?"

She nodded at Malcolm and jerked her head in the direction from where she'd come. "Two skeletons, off to the side of the mountain trail that leads into the valley. Both in a shallow grave, and Mason thought it was a hasty burial. We found the remnants of a ship crash, but there wasn't enough of the ship left to tell who it'd been. One thing's sure...the crash itself was pretty violent; bits and pieces were scattered for at least half a kilometer."

Trip and Sysek exchanged looks, then Sysek said, "It confirms our suspicion that there were others who came here before the expedition, Captain. These Vulcans---" he pressed his lips together as he indicated the shallow grave, "---had met an abrupt and unceremonious end."

Mason frowned. "They're Vulcans?"

Malcolm nodded in confirmation, but his eyes were still on Hoshi. "Yes, Crewman."

"The other two we found also showed signs of trauma, Doctor. Broken bones, shattered ribs..."She shivered, despite herself. "It wasn't a pretty sight."

Hoshi took a deep breath and said, "I'm beginning to understand why the Science Academy was so reluctant to allow us here. Something happened here that isn't in the official history books."

"Indeed," Malcolm agreed, "but our first priority is T'Pol's welfare. She needs medical care."

"Take me to her, Malcolm." Hoshi unhooked the communicator from her belt and tossed it at Trip. "I managed to reroute some of the circuits and it picked up a weak signal about two hundred meters that way. If we can boost the receiver, we might be able to contact Enterprise and get T'Pol to Sickbay."

Trip caught the communicator with a slight smile. "Thanks, Cap'n. Sysek and I'll get right on it."

She wiped the grime off her face with the back of one hand, then gave Malcolm an expectant look. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, then directed her back towards the ruined city. Trip watched them go with a bemused expression.

"They are...attuned to each other."

Sysek's observation startled him. "You can tell that just by watchin' them?"

The Vulcan nearly smiled. "Like you, I notice the subtle things."

Travis felt the tension between Jon and Soval. The Vulcan ambassador's features were closed off, inscrutable, but Jon's face clearly showed the anger that Travis also felt. He said nothing and allowed Jon to talk to Soval.

"Has the Vulcan Council and the High Command lost their collective minds, Soval? Two groups who pride themselves on their logic are certainly not thinking logically!"

"Unfortunately, I must agree with the sentiment, if not the exact wording, Jonathan." Soval said gravely. "There is much at stake here, not to mention the stability of our social structure as it is now."

He crossed his arms and said, "Soval, you are a logical and honorable Vulcan, but the Council and the High Command are reluctant to share vital information with us. We risked our lives to gather information on Beta Polaris, which turned out to be a virtual landmine. The S'tranek shows up and tells us that once we retrieved T'Pol, we weren't involved in this matter anymore."

Soval said nothing, although he didn't seem surprised at the rage in Jon's leaned forward and continued, "We were involved from the time the crew rosters were tampered with and our orders changed."

"Jonathan, I assure you—"

Travis raised a hand and broke in. "And I assure you, Ambassador, that since Lieutenant T'Pol and Captain Sato are still on the planet's surface, Starfleet is involved. So, if High Minister V'Lar is still interested in multi-species Starfleet crews, I suggest that she keeps an open mind concerning other races. That means cooperation between us."

The ambassador glanced at Jon, but he realized there would be no help coming from that quarter. Soval gave a silent sigh, then said, "Very well, Commander Mayweather. I will tell you what I can, but I must also remind you that I am still bound by High Minister V'Lar's instructions. As your people would phrase it, 'my hands are tied'."

"Understood, Ambassador," Travis said, and Jon nodded in agreement.

Soval's jaw was set, but he went on. "Our race was not always ruled by logic. Millennia ago, we were emotional...irrational. Surak brought the tenets of rationality and logic to our people. The transition was slow, but eventually, the Vulcans turned away from war and destruction. We would rather present an united front to other races, but like any other race, we do have our...differences."

He closed his eyes, as if in pain. "Eventually, the followers of Surak prevailed. Our people embraced logic and turned their attention to the stars. Vulcan established its own colonies, for exploration and defense. Over the years, they were abandoned, for reasons unknown, the original Colonists vanished as if they never were. Beta Polaris was re-discovered by a manned Vulcan craft that crashed onto the surface, but the crew managed to send their information before all contact was lost."

Jon's frown deepened at this new information. "Wait, Soval. How long ago was this?"

"Twenty-two point three five years ago."

"And this is the first we've heard of this?"

Soval opened his eyes and reluctantly admitted, "It was not a scientific exploratory craft. It was a ship from the Vulcan Security Ministry, sent by orders of the High Command."

"Minister Soultek," Jon said flatly. Travis glanced at him, struck at the utter lack of emotion in Jon's voice. "He wanted to find out whatever secrets Beta Polaris had."

"And whatever T'Marui found there just opened a new can of worms," Travis added.

"Indeed." Soval's eyes flashed in anger. "Fifty years ago, Doctor T'Marui became the head of the archaeology department at the Science Academy and began her research into the Lost Colonies. Her work was...controversial to say the least. It caused an uproar in the scientific community and she lost her research grants. Personally, I believe T'Marui's work to be spun of lies, fiction and wishful thinking. Her reasoning is hardly rational. The High Council ignored her and tried to downplay her zealous claims."

Jon frowned at Soval's words and traded looks with Travis. Travis thought, Fiction? The data and evidence T'Marui gathered seemed pretty logical and rational to me. Something isn't right here...it sounds like they're trying to suppress her findings.

"But now, for some reason, they're taking T'Marui's fiction seriously."

"Yes, Jonathan." Soval looked directly at him. "Soultek is convinced that T'Marui and her followers will destabilize Vulcan society with their work."

"High Minister V'Lar and Minister T'Pau have never struck me as overly paranoid, Soval. Why the sudden change? Will T'Marui be able to achieve what they fear?"

"It's not like you'd would throw away two thousand-plus years of logic and go back to bein' 'irrational'," Travis pointed out. "Like us."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Soval's lips, but it vanished so quickly that Travis wasn't sure it had been there in the first place. "Yes, High Minister V'Lar's and Minister T'Pau's reactions seem highly illogical. They have not seen fit to share their rationalizations with me, but I suspect that they know more than they have communicated. And with T'Pol—" Soval's voice trembled slightly, but again, he recovered so quickly that Travis missed the lapse, "—Doctor T'Les is also not thinking clearly. I must admit it is difficult to do, and logic becomes uncertain, when a family member is concerned."

"So much for the belief that Vulcans don't have emotions," Travis groused.

Jon chuckled and said, "How many times to I have to tell you? They have them; they just control them better than we do. It seems they don't have them when they're completely in control." The flash of humor was gone as quickly as it came. "And Soultek sent V'Krus to take T'Marui and the expedition into custody."

"Yes. I lodged a formal protest at the...irregularity of procedure, but the final order was confirmed by V'Lar herself." A shadow of a smile passed across Soval's lips. "Yet I do have the power to make requests of my own."

"Sneaky, as Trip would say," Travis muttered to himself.

Soval raised an eyebrow, but replied, "Indeed, though I prefer the word 'cunning'." He deliberately ignored Travis's look of complete shock. "Diplomat Archer, I address you now as a member of the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps, and Commander Mayweather, as Starfleet's representative on Captain Sato's behalf."

The authority in Soval's tone definitely ended the 'off-the-record' part of the conversation. Travis nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

"Ambassador Soval?" Jon asked. "How may I serve?"

"Diplomat Archer, I charge you with the welfare of Doctor T'Marui and her team. On their return to Enterprise, she and the others will again come under Starfleet protection. Do not worry about Captain V'Krus; I will explain the situation to him. Commander Mayweather, upon retrieval of Lieutenant T'Pol, proceed in due haste to Vulcan, and the Medical Academy. Please inform Captain Sato of what we have discussed, and impress upon her the gravity of the situation."

Travis nodded at the formal words. Sneaky is right. I never expected it from the ambassador, but I guess I should have. "Yes, Ambassador."

"I shall relay the formal request through the Vulcan High Council and ask Admiral Forrest to formalize Enterprise's orders. Minister V'Lar wishes that the Beta Polaris Expedition return as soon as possible, and I agree that the process should be expedited as quickly as possible. Diplomat Archer, Commander Mayweather, do you understand the duties I have impressed upon you both?"

"Yes, Del'haiu. I shall do as you command."

"Yes, sir."

Soval nodded in satisfaction. "I will meet you on Vulcan upon your arrival. Soval, out." His image disappeared from the screen.

Travis let out a long whistle. "Wow. I'm impressed."

Jon smiled dryly and said, "Soval's a politician. He knows how to play the game better than anyone else I've seen. If there's a way around things, he'll find it."

"And you've learned a trick or two from him, I'm sure." He gave Jon a wide grin. "I'm glad you guys are on our side. I'd hate to think if you two were our enemies."

The whistle from the comm interrupted Jon's reply. "Ensign Murdo to Commander Mayweather. We've got a weak signal from the surface. It's Lieutenant Commander Tucker."

Travis nodded at Jon and said, "Pipe it to the Ready Room, Ensign."

"It's pretty spotty, but I'll do my best to boost the signal, sir. Transferring now."

Trip's voice was distorted by static, but they could still hear him. "...---prise, do you read? This is Lieutenant Commander Tucker."

"Good to hear your voice, Lieutenant Commander," Travis replied. "We've been having some communication difficulties; Lieutenant Commander Archer's working on them."

Jon broke in. "We've got interference and signal leakage, Trip, similar to what happened on Augrada, so don't be surprised if we lose you for a brief moment while I chase out the gremlins."

"Sic Porthos on 'em. That'll fix the gremlins real quick." Trip took on a more formal tone. "We need a medical team down here, Commander. Most of us are okay, but Lieutenant T'Pol needs help ASAP. The Cap'n and Crewman Mason ended up slidin' down a ravine and into a stream. Needless to say, the Cap'n's not exactly in a good mood."

"I'll get Lieutenant Cutler down there right away."

"Travis, Jon..." Trip hesitated, then went on, "We've got a casualty. Doctor T'Marui died of a head injury three hours ago. She was already gone by the time we got to her. I'm sorry."

Jon's eyes widened and Travis swore under his breath. That changed everything.

"The members of the Expedition are pretty adamant about takin' her body back home to Vulcan for a formal burial. I don't blame 'em."

"Neither do I. All right, I'll send a team down. Trip, the S'tranek's in orbit around Beta Polaris, with orders to accompany us back to Vulcan. We leave as soon as possible."

There was a slight pause, then Trip said, "The S'tranek? Captain V'Krus? Damn, they really know how to choose an escort. If you could let the S'tranek know what's going on, I'd appreciate it, and Jon, have V'Krus contact me? He and I have some stuff to to discuss."

Jon's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Unfinished business?"

"Somethin' like that."

"I'll let him know."

"The Cap'n wants to hold a briefing when we're all aboard. It's been one hell of a stay down here."

Travis sighed. "That's an understatement, Lieutenant Commander. Talk to you when you and the Cap'n get up here. Enterprise, out." He looked over at Jon. "The Augrada?"

"One of Hoshi's and Trip's more colorful adventures when they served together on the Madagascar with then-Captain Forrest. Their comm frequencies had been tapped by someone who looked like a friend but was really an enemy."

"I wouldn't be surprised if V'Krus was eavesdropping from S'tranek. And the 'unfinished business'?"

Jon's tone was deadpan. "Soval isn't the only one with connections, Travis. I'll be on the Bridge." And with that mysterious comment, he left the Ready Room, leaving a bemused and confused Travis in his wake.