Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, I was hit by an idea for another story (not T/T or Enterprise) and I was writing the bits and pieces of the thought I had. Then I had to try and put them together. Sorry again that I took so long in writing this, I just couldn't pull myself away from that other story.
Summary: When two Ambassadors come to Enterprise, what do they want with Trip and T'Pol?
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Chapter 12:
Trial By Jury
**Bridge**
A day after the communiqué from both Starfleet and the Vulcans, Travis announced to the bridge, "Sir, a Vulcan ship has just dropped out of warp.
"They're hailing us, Captain," Hoshi said seconds later.
"On screen."
A fairly young Vulcan appeared on the screen. He wore a normal Vulcan uniform and had short, black hair in the usual Vulcan style. "I am Captain Sorek of the Vulcan Science Vessel Ta'vel," he introduced himself.
"And I am Captain-"
"I know quite well who you are. I am not here to discuss formalities; that is for the people my vessel has brought here. Your Ambassador White and Ambassador T'Rith of the Vulcan High Command will be shuttled over to your ship within the next half and hour. They will discuss and decide the appropriate response to your… situation. That is all I have been told," Captain Sorek got straight to the point. Without allowing Archer the chance to give his two cents worth, Sorek had cut the link.
"Trip, T'Pol, I need to speak with you now. Meet me in the Shuttle Bay immediately," Archer ordered over the comm. to the two of them.
As he walked passed Hoshi's station, she spoke up and asked the question on most everyone's mind on the bridge, "Sir, I don't mean to pry but… does this have anything to do with the Sub-Commander's and Commander's wedding?"
Archer looked away for the moment, aware of the intense stares that were now all directed toward him. They all wanted to hear the answer and no one was hiding that. Cautiously, he nodded his head and replied with, "Yes, I'm afraid it does." He walked inside the turbolifts, leaving them to ponder this in silence.
Everything was still for a time. They had all been happy for the two when they heard the news. Once it was in the open, the Commander and Sub-Commander had found a new openness with each other while in public. They had displayed this in Engineering, the Bridge, the Mess Hall and Captain's Mess, and several other places on the ship. Now everyone had seen them together at least twice.
Everyone had become accustom to the way they acted towards each other (plus they didn't mind that they were no longer at the other's throat bickering). The two made a very good and cute couple and they would all hate to see it end.
Slowly, everyone returned to his or her work. The most optimistic thought in the bunch was that they were here to give them their best. The pessimistic side was much worse; they were here to dishonorly discharge them, strip them of their respect, rank, and titles, and take them back home, separating them for good. There were also hypothesizes that they were going to be court martial, killed, reassigned, and plenty others similar to that.
**Outside the Docking Bay**
T'Pol stood, calmly, on the left of the docking bay doors. At the same time, Archer stood directly across from her but neither one of the made eye contact. Trip, however, was pacing back and forth like a maniac. Archer started to felt himself become dizzy from watching him and decided that he would have to get used to this for as the wedding get closer, Trip would be doing more and more of that. A slight shake and low hissing noise let the three of them know that the ship had just docked and was now in the process of decompressing the docking bay. Trip slowed his pace and walked over to T'Pol's side.
When the door opened, a Vulcan dressed in diplomatic robes, one Human, who wore a diplomatic outfit, and two Vulcan officers walked through them.
The Vulcan diplomat, on the other hand, displayed no emotion but showed how he felt by addressing only Archer. His robes were a brownish purplish color that went down to his feet. He had the normal black hair and Vulcan haircut and brown eyes. Also, his skin seemed to be tinted slightly green because of the green blood all Vulcan's have.
The Human seemed very happy about seeing two other Humans but also frowned when he remembered what one of them was 'committed' of doing. He wore a brown suit with a white button down shirt under it. He had on a satin tie that was tucked neatly inside his jacket and the knot was tied all the way to his neck. His hair was light brown, almost dirty blond, and his eyes were a greenish blue.
The two Vulcan officers merely stood still, apparently just escorting and guarding the other two. They had on dark blue Vulcan uniforms that indicated them as Lieutenants.
"Captain Archer, it is a pleasure to meet you!" The Human ambassador said just a little too enthusiastic for Archer's taste.
"I assume you are Ambassador White," Archer said to the man who just greeted him. "And you are Ambassador T'Rith."
"That is correct," T'Rith responded; the way he spoke gave him away for being a normal Vulcan.
"And your officers?"
"They play no part in the reason we are here-"
"Which is?" Trip interrupted him.
The Vulcan diplomat glared at him but answered the question because he knew Archer would like to know as well. "If we could go some where in private, then myself and Ambassador White will be able to further explain our reason for being here."
"This way," Archer took the lead, and showed them to the Observation Room in which they held almost every diplomatic function they have on Enterprise. The Ambassadors followed closely behind. Behind them was Trip and T'Pol while the two guards had brought up the rear.
**Observation Room**
They all had a seat around the table, Archer at the head, Trip and T'Pol on his left and White and T'Rith on his right. The two guards had been ordered to stand outside and allow no one in unless in was of utmost importance.
"So, do you think you could tell us the reason you came all the way out here now?" Archer asked, his pacience wearing thin.
"Yes, we have been sent here to observe your two officer's behavior or the next seven Earth days. If their conduct does not so an efficient ability to work together and with this vessel along with being able to complete their work, they will not be able to get married," T'Rith spoke in a blunt manner and made it sound like he was reporting the weather.
"No one, not even our parent, have that right. So what makes you think that if we can't live up to your criteria, that we're not allowed to get married?" White seemed to what to agree with his point, that was a human way and right. T'Rith, however, was Vulcan and so was T'Pol, and on Vulcan that was not how marriages went.
"Both Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command are skeptical, at best, that you can make this marriage work and live on a starship. They just want to make sure that there is solid evidence that you can before we make something this big go down in history as a failure." White gave a more Human touch to their reasoning.
T'Pol had no looked at Trip the entire time and Trip could sense there was something she wasn't telling any of them. 'T'Pol, look at me.' When she didn't do as he asked, Trip pushed harder and looked deeper into her mind. 'T'Pol, tell me what's wrong.'
This time she looked at him. Her expression was solid but Trip knew that under the mask, she was torn apart. 'He does not know we are bonded. No Vulcan marriage can work without it and they don't realize we are.'
'So,' Trip said with a shake of his head. 'How does that help… or not help?'
'It could be the only thing that will keep us together.'
'What?' Trip clearly didn't understand what she was saying; how could that keep them together.
'There is no known way to undo a bond with out the bonded's consent. And for the first year we are bonded, separating us by more than a few thousand kilometers could kill us.'
'You didn't exactly tell me that when this hole thing started.' Trip sighed and looked at T'Rith, the way he was looking at the two of them sent shivers down his spine. It almost looked as if he knew something, or suspected something.
"Just precisely how are you going to observe them?" Archer asked, not wanting his friends to be in danger or taken off the ship or anything.
"I will follow Sub-Commander T'Pol around and Ambassador White shall follow Commander Tucker. Only for the week and then we will leave and give our reports." Again, T'Rith's smugness only added to the sick feeling rising in both Archer's and Trip's stomachs.
"Alright, no problem. Just stay out of my way." Trip told White as he stood up to go to engineering. He looked over at T'Pol and telepathically said, 'Watch him. I have a bad feeling about him.' Then he left, closely followed by White.
T'Pol did the same and T'Rith followed her. As they passed by the two guards, T'Rith ordered them back to the ship and they complied by heading in the opposite direction as T'Pol and T'Rith.
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So, you like the two annoying diplomats. I'm definably striving for T'Rith to be a very abnoitous, smug Vulcan; how's it working so far?
Please R/R and tell me.
