Chapter 9: The Secret Lives of Vulcans

"Oh, she's been dead for several days," Phlox said jovially, uncovering the head of the deceased Vulcan. "Probably since the night of the theft, or the day after." He regarded the eclectic crowd that currently occupied his sickbay with some interest. Lt. Reed was pacing restlessly at the foot of the hospital bed upon which the Vulcan lay. Archer stood, arms crossed, to one side of Sehl's body. On either side of him stood Shran and Kovar. T'Pol stood opposite Archer; Trip had arrived shortly after her and stood, uncharacteristically, quite a few feet away from the science officer. Phlox noted that upon the engineer's entrance, T'Pol had given Trip what was known around the ship as "the cold eyebrow": one raised eyebrow and a slight pursing of her lips that said "not. now." He wondered what that was about.

"Can't you be more precise?" Shran frowned. The Andorian had a way of making every statement sound like a demand.

"I'm sure that if the doctor knew the exact time of death he would have said so." Kovar sounded weary. Phlox guessed that the pair had had many similar exchanges since their partnership began only a few days ago.

"The body was exposed to the elements for an unknown period of time, and the hospital at the outpost had abysmal facilities," the Denobulan explained. "Fluctuating temperatures in their storage locker accelerated decay and are making it impossible to pinpoint a more accurate time of death."

"How was she killed?" T'Pol wanted to know.

"Plasma burst." Phlox uncovered the body to the waist, revealing a large star shaped burn pattern in the center of her torso. "Point blank range," he added unnecessarily.

Malcolm leaned down to examine the wound. "That looks like it came from an Antillian plasma pistol."

"Very good, lieutenant! That was my conclusion as well."

"A very tricky little firearm," the armory officer continued, straightening. Malcolm knew his weapons and enjoyed showing off his knowledge on the subject. "Sensitive firing mechanism. That weapon is only for the expert marksman...or the idiot who thinks they're an expert marksman."

"Her death would have been very quick," Phlox covered the Vulcan's torso again.

"What caused this?" Kovar had paced around the body to the head and he now pointed to a large green bruise that extended from the bridge of her nose to her jaw.

"That was caused perimortem. Additionally, she has two broken fingernails and a fractured wrist, also perimortem. It seems she was in a physical altercation just before her death. Perhaps she attempted to fight off her attacker before being killed."

"Any DNA from the wounds?" Archer had uncovered one of the Vulcan's hands and was examining her broken nails.

"Unfortunately, no. There was DNA on the body from several sources, but none that might shed light on who the killer was. All of it suffered significant degradation over the past few days. All I can say it that sometime in the hours before her death Sehl came in contact with two Andorians, two humans, at least three Vulcans, and an Orion. I did find something unusual, however," he paused. Six pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly.

"She had sex shortly before her death," Phlox told the officers, "with an Andorian."


"A Vulcan and an Andorian? Impossible!" Shran was adamant.

Although it was not a common gesture for his people, Kovar gave a long-suffering sigh. His partner was prone to making unfounded comments such as these, despite whatever facts might be present.

"Clearly it is possible," Kovar said patiently. "Vulcans and Andorians are anatomically compatible—"

"Who's talking about anatomy?" Shran asked irritably. "Can you honestly tell me that you can think of any—any—scenario in which a Vulcan and an Andorian would willingly mate?"

"It may be an unusual occurrence, but I can assure you, it did happen." Phlox smiled cheerfully.

"It's unnatural," Shran growled.

"Interspecies relationships are neither unnatural nor unheard of, Commander," T'Pol said evenly, leveling her gaze at the Andorian. Kovar noticed that Commander Tucker's head jerked up when she said this. He seemed to be experiencing some sort of blood vessel dilation around the skin of his nose and cheekbones—what did the humans call this emotional response? Brushing? T'Pol met the human's eyes briefly before she looked away again.

"Interspecies relationships are one thing, a Vulcan and an Andorian carrying on together is another!" Shran's voice was rising. The Andorian's antennae quivered, conveying the intensity of his feelings on the subject.

Kovar felt an argument brewing. With Shran, everything from what you ate for breakfast to the way you put your boots on was cause for dispute. "What about the Orion?" the Vulcan asked, deflecting attention. "It would not be unusual for Sehl to be in contact with at least two Andorians—Endil and Dav—but where would she come across an Orion?"

"Good question," Archer was also happy to redirect the conversation. "Any nearby that we know of?"

"Yes!" Malcolm said suddenly, as if just remembering something. "The Orion that Endil was communicating with: Hesan. He runs gambling den on a ship that stays somewhere in the vicinity of Aldus Prime."

"See if you can find out where that ship is now," Archer instructed.

"I may be able to help," Kovar offered. "The Vulcan government keeps track of traders like Hesan."

"The Vulcans? Keeping tabs on someone? Who would have thought." Shran's mouth twisted into a dark smile. "Worried about the bad influence of the Orions?"

Ignored the barb but responded to the question. "More like worried about the security of sensitive data. Hesan's primary business is selling information: state secrets, business affairs, personal matters—anything that he thinks will bring in money is fair game."

"The gearling vetch would certainly bring in a pretty penny," Malcolm pointed out.

"There aren't many people who could find a buyer for an artifact as recognizable as the vetch," Shran noted, "but someone like Hesan would be able to manage it." Kovar had to agree—the Andorian could make a valid point every once in a while.

"Maybe we should pay Mr. Hesan a visit." Captain Archer nodded thoughtfully.