26. Convergence

Once Soval was ensconced in his office he saw that T'Pau had already messaged him on his PADD. Apparently, Constance's condition, though serious, was stabilizing and the healer was already using the proto-type re-generator which seemed to be proving effective. Soval felt some of the apprehension that had gripped him beginning to dissipate, so he immediately set himself to the task at hand and called Admiral Gardner. There was none of the rapport Soval had shared with Admiral Forrest, but their working relationship had been adequate up until now. Admiral Gardner picked up almost immediately.

"Ambassador, I apologize, I can't talk right now. I'm in the middle of a situation–"

"Officer Corcoran is at the Consulate," Soval said evenly.

"Wait. What? Let me call you back over a secure connection," he said as he abruptly closed the transmission. Soval observed that 17.6 seconds passed before he received an incoming transmission from Admiral Gardner on his console. He accepted the transmission and Admiral Gardner's face appeared onscreen. He looked quite agitated.

"Ambassador, I need an explanation as to how Officer Corcoran ended up at the Vulcan Consulate," he demanded waiting for an answer. Soval narrowed his eyes.

"And I would like an explanation as to how an SI Officer ended up shot and bleeding out on the streets of San Francisco in the middle of the night," he said sharply. Admiral Gardner frowned.

"That information is need-to-know, Ambassador," replied Admiral Gardner mechanically. Soval briefly wondered why four years ago he had pushed so hard for Gardner's appointment as Captain of the Enterprise over Jonathan Archer when he was so clearly seemed inadequate now.

"I see. This would not have anything to do with Terra Prime would it? Especially in light of the upcoming conference tomorrow in regards to the discussion of forming a coalition of planets? I am starting to lose faith in Starfleet's ability to protect foreign and interstellar entities in light of that fact that they cannot seem to ensure the protection their own officers," he said. Admiral Gardner swallowed uncomfortably before he finally relented.

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'll explain everything, but first you have to tell me if Officer Corcoran is okay? What is her condition?"

"She was shot. In the shoulder. She lost a lot of blood, but her condition has stabilized. She should recover," he said.

"This unbelievable," said Admiral Gardner as he shook his head while rubbing his temples. "It's quite the coincidence that you seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but thank God that you were."

"Indeed," Soval said flatly, knowing full well there was no coincidence; however Starfleet did not need to be apprised of that detail.

"Well, this is shit show," said Gardner sighing. Soval concealed a frown as Gardner continued. "What I am about to tell you is confidential. It does involve Terra Prime. We had an opportunity to undermine their organization so, of course, we jumped at the chance. What we did not realize was that the intel was bad and it cost lives," he said. He shook his head before continuing.

"We were so wrapped up in the possibility of finally bringing Terra Prime to their knees. Admiral Washington insisted that such an opportunity was unlikely to occur again. So he sent Officer Corcoran out into the field. It was supposed to be routine. She had a support team, but they were ambushed. Two other officers were killed. We thought she had been taken hostage…" he said looking stricken.

Soval took a deep breath. It was disturbing to him how close Constance came to being killed, and it infuriated him at how recklessly Admiral Washington handled the lives of his officers. He should be relieved of command, and if the Vulcan High Command was still in place he would have been.

"Needless to say, Admiral Washington has been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation," Gardner said as though he read Soval thoughts. It was something at least.

"Tomorrow is the conference. How can you assure the safety of those in attendance?" Soval asked.

"We have taken every precaution. We are monitoring all satellites in orbit as well ramping up security by threefold. I assure you that we have it under control despite this minor setback," he said. Apparently an injured officer and two dead ones was a minor setback. Soval did not want to know what was required to happen for it to be deemed major.

"You will forward the security protocols for this event to the Consulate immediately for our security officers to evaluate given the circumstances. If they do not appear adequate we will respond appropriately and abstain from attending the duration of the conference," Soval stated.

"Of course, that is quite reasonable. I'll forward them over immediately. And I'll go ahead and send Starfleet Medical personnel to retrieve Officer Corcoran," he said.

"That won't be necessary. We believe she should not be moved in her present condition, and we would prefer to monitor her progress over the next day or two before we release her. In the meantime we will send you a comprehensive report on her condition and progress," Soval said sternly. Admiral Gardner looked as though he was going to protest, but thought the better of it when he saw how serious Soval looked. He only pressed his lips together before nodding briefly.

"Alright, Ambassador, I will forward those security protocols to you then," he said.

"Yes. You will," said Soval before closing out the transmission. He sat back in his chair. It was almost one in the morning. He was mentally drained. Standing, he left for his quarters. He needed mediate.

Constance sat up abruptly and immediately wished she had not. Her shoulder was killing her and she winced as it began throbbing. Looking around she saw that she was in a bright room, minimal in its décor, lying in a bed that was actually quite comfortable despite the pain in her shoulder. Where was she? Looking down at herself she saw that she was dressed in unfamiliar clothing that was rendered in a fabric that was also unfamiliar. She was wearing a lightweight scoop neck tunic and loose matching pants. They looked Vulcan in design. She touched her shoulder. It was heavily bandaged. Peering further down into the tunic she saw that she was not wearing a bra. Her hands instinctively moved to her hips, and then she realized that she was not wearing any underwear either for that matter.

Just then the door to the room opened, and a young Vulcan woman walked in. Constance frowned.

"You should be lying down," said the woman.

"Who are you?"

"My name is T'Pau. Must I repeat myself?" She moved to sit down in the chair that was next to Constance's bed.

"I'm actually feeling alright," Constance lied, as she propped herself up against a pillow. T'Pau raised an eyebrow, but did not protest further. Constance realized she was being stubborn, but she wanted answers. And that desire outweighed the pain she was feeling.

"Where am I?"

"You are at the Vulcan Consulate. You were shot in the shoulder. You lost a lot of blood. Our healers have seen to your injury," T'Pau said evenly. Her delivery was rather blunt, but Constance was used to the way Vulcans who spent little time around Humans spoke. Constance instantly remembered the previous night, and her assignment. She had thought she was going to die. She crossed her arms instinctively as she suppressed a shiver.

"Who undressed me?" She asked looking down.

"I did. The healer needed access to the injury," she said. Constance glanced at her shoulder. Although it was bandaged and the tunic covered most of it, both did nothing to hide the fading yellow mark that was clearly a remnant of the night when Soval had bitten her. She pulled the neck of the tunic higher as T'Pau's eyes impassively flicked to the mark and then back to her. Constance realized that T'Pau may know far more than she was letting on. Constance felt her face color as she changed the subject.

"I'm sorry if I have a lot of questions," she said avoiding T'Pau's penetrating gaze. "I just want to know what happened. How did I end up here?"

"Ambassador Soval knew where to find you," said T'Pau. She continued to stare at her intently. Soval must have figured out something was wrong through the bond much like she had known something had happened to him after the events that had followed the embassy bombing.

"Then you know," said Constance returning her stare.

"If you are referring to your bond then, yes," she said evenly. Constance swallowed, but she remained resolute. She was not going to be ashamed by what she felt was completely natural.

"I assume you have been sent to perform the ritual to sever it then," she said. She could not conceal the disdain that leaked into her voice as she busied herself with arranging the sheets around her waist in the bed. Though she had resolved to accept the situation she did not have to be happy about it.

"Yes," she said. Constance pressed her lips together, however T'Pau continued. "However, I am no longer certain the situation requires such a drastic action." Constance looked up quickly. T'Pau continued to look impassive. Her heart leapt in her throat. She could almost hug the woman, but refrained from doing so as she doubted T'Pau would continue to feel the same after such an emotional display. Instead she only nodded calmly. T'Pau moved to stand.

"I will leave you now to rest. I was instructed to tell you Ambassador Soval will be by to check in on you after the conference," she said.

"Thank you," said Constance as she moved to lie down again. She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes. The pain in her shoulder seemed almost a non-existent. T'Pau glanced at her for a moment before she quietly swept out of the room.

Later that afternoon, after the conference had concluded, Soval made his way to the guest quarters at the Consulate where Constance was recovering. T'Pau had kept him apprised of her condition, which had improved, however he still felt illogically distracted during the conference. When he returned to the Consulate he found he could no longer refrain from seeing her and opted to check in on her before meditating.

When he arrived at the door T'Pau discreetly left her post outside of it with a mention that she desired to get a cup of tea. Soval nodded as she left, grateful to her for the privacy, and pressed the button to open the door. It slide open and Constance stirred when she heard the sound. She sat up gingerly, her eyes focused on him as he walked toward her. He could feel her barely contained elation through the bond, and it took him only three paces to cross the room. Instinctively, he raised his index and middle fingers of his right hand out to her, and without a thought she copied the gesture. They touched their fingers together in ozh'esta. He instantly felt her contentment, immediately followed by intense desire, arousal, and need. Her emotions slammed into him, and she curled her fingers around his as she pulled him closer and he realized the simple touch was not enough.

As she pressed her lips against his and he found himself responding with equal fervor. He leaned in closer pushing himself against her. He opened his mouth to kiss her more deeply letting his teeth graze her bottom lip. He pulled back for a moment pausing to look down at her. He was careful to avoid her bandaged arm and his eyes continued to move further up her shoulder until they rested on a familiar fading bruise. Though it had all but disappeared she still wore his mark. He felt a primal desire unfurl deep inside of him at the sight and all the passion and possessiveness of that night briefly returned as he pulled her into another kiss. His mouth moved insistently against hers as he gave himself over to his baser impulses. He ran his hand slowly down her side, over the thin fabric of her tunic, pausing at the swell of her breast before resting it on the curve of her hip. He was vaguely aware there was very little clothing between them as he pulled her closer feeling her chest brush lightly against his. He felt his control teetering and after a moment he broke apart from her breathing hard as he was brought back to reality.

He moved to position himself so he was sitting next to her on the bed and she rested her head against his shoulder. He could feel her contentment thrum quietly from the bond as they sat together in comfortable silence for a moment. Finally, she spoke.

"This means something. The bond we share. It's… different," she said as she looked up at him. "I don't think this is something everyone gets to experience in their lifetime. We can't just throw it away," she said softly as she interlaced her fingers in his.

"I quite agree," he said quietly, watching her complete the human gesture of handing hands finding the act not at all unpleasant, however far too erotic to ever be permitted in public.

"I think that might be a first," she said as she flashed him a smile before resting her head back on his shoulder.

He moved to rest his chin on her head as he breathed in her scent. She was right. What they shared was deeper than anything he had ever experienced. And the experience of almost losing her made him realize how precious their connection was. They would find a logical way to make this work and though he was not sure how yet, he was content for the moment.

"T'Pau said that you went to attend a conference today," she said changing the subject.

"Yes, it was regarding the formation of a coalition of planets," he said.

"Did it go over well?"

"There was more interest in such a possibility than there had been in the past." Constance raised her eyebrows.

"That seems like good news. More steps in the right direction toward peace and acceptance. But the support for Terra Prime still scares me," she said. "It's as though we've taken one step forward and two steps back. T'Pau filled me in on most of what happened last night. Do you know if they've apprehended anyone yet?"

"Not that I am aware, but the Vulcan Consulate has been working with Starfleet. Security has been increased in light of the recent events," he said. Constance nodded. Through their contact he could feel her thoughts flicker to the previous night and the two other officers. He could feel her sadness through the bond.

"It's illogical to think that any of this was your fault," he said replying to her unspoken thoughts.

"I know, but–" She sighed. Soval could feel her exhaustion. It was starting to affect her emotions, and he knew she needed rest. He moved to stand up gently letting go of her hand.

"I need to meditate, and prepare for tomorrow. And you need to rest. The second day of the conference is to resume in the morning," he said.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she said, wincing a little as she repositioned herself.

"I'll call for a Healer for the pain when I leave," he said as he gently pressed his lips against her forehead.

"No, no I'm fine, Soval," she said. She was so stubborn. Were all Humans prone to this degree of willfulness? He wondered. It was becoming strangely endearing, and he eventually acquiesced to her illogical reassurances. Slowly, he made his way to the door. As he left he turned to look at her one last time before finally embracing the contentment he felt.

The next morning T'Pau arrived to find Constance out of bed and walking around the room. She had turned on the console on the opposite wall and was watching the local news. It was nearly all T'Pau could do to suppress a frown.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she set the tray that she was carrying down on the table by the bed.

"Good Morning T'Pau," said Constance brightly ignoring her question. She eyed the tray T'Pau had brought.

"You should still be in bed in resting," she said.

"I'm feeling much better. That re-generator thing really works won– Wait, did you bring a cheeseburger and fries? For breakfast?" Constance bit her lip in an effort to keep from laughing.

"Yes, I ordered it from the replicator. I was told it was a comfort food among Humans with an adequate amount of protein which you will need for recovery," she said.

'"Umm… we don't usually… Never mind," she said. She knew Vulcans were vegetarians so at least T'Pau had been kind enough to order something familiar for Constance that no doubt repulsed her. Constance saw that there was also coffee so at least she gotten something right. But when she took a sip she immediately set the cup back down. Maybe not, she thought. She grabbed a fry instead forgetting to use a fork and watched as T'Pau's eyes widened. Constance set it back down.

"Sorry," she said as she wiped her fingers on a napkin. Just as she picked up a fork she heard static coming from the console. Both Constance and T'Pau looked up at the screen. Suddenly, what appeared to be a live feed featuring rather cute infant appeared with a caption, Terra Prime, and the sound of a deep male voice stating: "Do not be deceived. This is no ordinary innocent child…" Constance's mouth gaped open when she saw the caption, and she dropped the fork she was holding on the floor as she stood, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Her stomach lurched as she stared at the child. It had distinctly pointed ears, but it also looked eerily human, especially around the eyes which were large and round and featured down swept eyebrows. It wasn't possible, she thought. The voice confirmed her suspicion stating that the child was a hybrid. It was clearly the offspring of a Vulcan and a Human.

"What is this?" she murmured as she stepped closer to the console. T'Pau also stood transfixed. The voice narrating continued, stating: "Terra Prime is dedicated to the protection of life in all its diversity… For the next twenty-four hours we will guarantee safe passage to all aliens leaving the Sol System."

Suddenly a man's face appeared. It appeared to belong to the voice as he continued his threatening message. "Terra Prime will defend the sovereignty of every single human being. And we will begin by destroying the institution whose blind arrogance and moral cowardice put us all at risk - Starfleet Command." The screen zoomed in on a photo of a building. It was Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco.

Constance immediately moved to the door. T'Pau followed her.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to see Soval," she said. T'Pau moved to stand between her and the door.

"You are in no condition to leave. Besides the Ambassador already left for the conference early this morning," she said. "I'm sure he is fine," she stated after she observed the look on Constance's face. T'Pau was right.

"What do you suppose we do then?" Constance began pacing uncomfortably.

"Wait here. I need to contact the rest of the High Council on Vulcan. Then we can make an informed decision," she said. Constance nodded reluctantly. T'Pau turned to leave. Constance sat down on the edge of the bed as T'Pau disappeared. She glanced back at the screen, the image of the infant burned in her mind.

A/N: Finally a little fluff, but I think it was well deserved ;) Now back to business… Some of the dialogue from the live feed at the end of the chapter was taken from the episode, "Terra Prime". Working on the next chapter… stay tuned.