Chapter Eighteen
Hoshi Sato was as tired as she'd ever been. Not physically, translating wasn't exactly a contact sport, but just mentally it was a very exacting chore. The reason why she wasn't already in the tender embrace of sleep was that her mind just wasn't letting her relax. She was too wired, there was too much pent up activity.
The fateful meeting between the Andorians the Vulcan, the Humans, the Rigellians, and just about every other sentient, space faring species in the area happened that afternoon. Hoshi had been up to her eye-teeth making damn sure that everyone could clearly understand each other.
Not that they argued any less, it was just now they could understand with clarity, the insults, insinuations, and outright slander. She didn't envy the Captain or the Sub-Commander. Or the various ambassadors even, Enterprise's inadvertent search for their lost crewman sparked the largest confluence of single species representatives since the first Vulcan planetary accords nearly five hundred years ago. There were thirty six different vessels in orbit, all of whom represented a species or planetary system that had prisoners to claim from the Orion base.
The Vulcans and the Andorians were practically at blows, the Rigellians and the Centauri hadn't engaged in diplomatic interactions in nearly a hundred years, and to her nearest understanding the Axanar and the Kretassins were under orders to shoot each other on sight.
Talk about a diplomatic moray.
They were all there for one reason though, and Enterprise was doing her damndest to keep the peace. The only upside was that no pirate in their right mind would attack now, there were three Vulcan combat cruisers, three Andorian warships, Enterprise and a whole host of smaller, but no less powerful ships.
The first day was over though, no one had got shot, though they'd come close, and all of the ships had found a nice, safe, stable orbit for the evening. Talks were to resume tomorrow, heaven help them, and Hoshi just wanted some tea to try and lull her mind to sleep.
It was dark in the mess hall. There was no immediate star near the lonely asteroid the Orions had their base set upon, the faint illumination came only from the stars. She was trying to decide between chamomile and mint, when she inhaled the faint, sticky sweet, smell of pecans and sugar.
Trying to place it, she glanced at the cabinet, but it was empty, Chef's special pecan pie went quickly. But in a semi-secluded, half hidden corner, she spotted a teacup and thermos. The hands that had a hold of the edge of the saucer were fine and delicate, and folded on the table, neatly in the centre, were a single pair of spectacles.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked, guessing that something peculiar was keeping the Sub-Commander up after such a long day.
"It is not going anywhere" Hoshi smiled, her sense of humour was different, but still there. "However I may not be the best company"
"That's ok," Hoshi said lightly, "I'm tired too"
"You should be sleeping; you require adequate rest before the negotiations tomorrow." There was a half eaten slice of pecan pie on a plate by her elbow; it was neatly bisected by the tine marks of the fork, which also lay by her elbow.
"I didn't think pecan pie was your cup of tea, Sub-Commander."
"I'm told its 'good for the soul'" she said dryly.
"Been talking to Trip huh?"
"Yes" Those slender, but deceptively strong, hands caressed the rim of her teacup, almost absently. Hoshi was no expert on Vulcan body language, but it seemed to her that there was something weighing heavily on her friend's mind.
"May I ask you a personal question?" she knew this was the accepted way, at least on Vulcan, to broach a personal topic. There was a long silence, long enough that Hoshi was on the verge of apologising for asking.
"Yes" she replied softly, "You may"
"How … are things?" Hoshi finished the thought weakly, the eyebrow raised a hair, but T'Pol remained silent, she picked up her fork absently, and scooped a bite of the pecan pie on the table.
"There is someone, a male, on the Sha'Ran that I know very well. When my family disapproved of my leaving the Ministry of Security and directing my career towards the Science Directorate, he and his sister, also a…friend of mine, were very hospitable. I stayed many months in their House, while I was making my decision."
T'Pol said this almost absently, twirling the fork in the slight starlight, as if examining it carefully, "We've remained in close contact over the years, but I was unaware of his assignment to this mission. His behaviour of late has been… troubling."
"How so?"
"It is Vulcan tradition to betroth couples as children, I was so bonded. When this mission first started I requested a postponement of the marriage contingent on my completion of my assignment aboard Enterprise. His parents issued an ultimatum that I refused to honour, and my bond was broken. Skon has been… persistent in his attentions on this point. His family does not believe in the tradition as mine did. I do not understand his actions…."
Her voice trailed off at the end of this speech and Hoshi could tell that she was no longer really speaking to her but more thinking out loud. The young Vulcan's brow furrowed, "I do not understand the male of the species."
"As soon as you do give me a call, I don't believe anyone has ever figured that out." Hoshi joked and smiled.
"Well from a perfectly emotional and human standpoint what, what's his name, Skon? What he's doing is not unusual, most males in our society are not betrothed as children, they try to find compatible mates as adults. Some more successfully than others."
"I realise this, it's just…" she stopped sharply, and Hoshi realised why, T'Pol had been about to openly disclose her burgeoning relationship with Jonathan Archer.
"It's just the Captain, right?" Hoshi grinned at the sudden, very blank expression that hooded immediately over T'Pol's features. "You've already 'bonded' with a guy here."
"A relationship with a Human would be fraught with difficulty." T'Pol said non-committably, "The individual who attempted this would be, not welcome in most Vulcan society"
"Are you welcome in most Vulcan society to begin with?" Hoshi asked quietly.
Her first language, her first 'other' language had been Vulcan. She'd delved deeply into the alien tongue, the history, the culture of the people who'd been so instrumental in the elevation of Humanity from the sinkhole to which they'd tumbled after the third world war. Hoshi knew Vulcans better than most humans, and she also knew that T'Pol's insistence on remaining on Enterprise was not looked upon with favour by many in Vulcan society.
"Not particularly."
"Than why would it concern you?"
"Skon is the head of a powerful House. An alliance with his family would be a great honour. I would be able to return to my home with… dignity"
"Instead of in disgrace," Hoshi acknowledged the logic in T'Pol's analysis, "But you don't like him"
"He is a very intelligent, extremely considerate man. He is good company and I am very familiar with his immediate family and acquaintances."
"But you don't like him"
"That is irrelevant; Vulcan's do not bond on the basis of whom they 'like',"
"Right" Hoshi had to grin at her companions wilful deceit, "You're just here because you like living in cold, damp, primitive conditions with people who smell funny and behave in a manner you were brought up to abhor."
"In essence"
"I don't believe you"
"You don't have to"
"Then what are you planning on doing?" Hoshi demanded, "Telling Jon 'it's been fun, call me sometime?'"
"I beg your pardon?"
"It might not be apparent to you, but Humans not only admit to having emotions, they feel and express them as well. No matter what you decide you have a responsibility to Jon to conclude what you have begun. You'll only hurt him if you don't"
"Believe me Ensign I'm quite aware of Human emotion."
"Then I suggest you take that into account before you 'logic' away your bond to him, a relationship isn't just one sided, he's as equal a partner in this as you are. He's entitled to an explanation if nothing else."
"I've made no decision" T'Pol observed.
"Really?" Hoshi asked, "Sounded to me like you already had"
T'Pol made no response. Hoshi drained the last of her tea and got up to leave. As she walked across the mess hall, T'Pol said something that surprised her.
"Thank you"
Hoshi turned, and tilted her head to one side, "For what?"
"For being a friend"
Hoshi smiled, a real broad grin, "Anytime"
The Sub-Commander just nodded and turned back to her pie. Hoshi was left again to marvel at the intricacies of Vulcan-Human relations. Who'd a thunk?
When the doors to the Captain's suite slid open, Porthos lifted his head in instant alertness. When he saw it was just T'Pol he laid it down on the edge of the doggie pillow. Then he lifted it again and made the effort to trot over and look at her expectantly. Her late night visits were always accompanied by an interesting morsel to keep him placated.
She gave him the crust of her pie, setting it gently down on the floor at his feet. He slurped it up greedily, and then looked at her imploringly for more. She did not oblige.
He leapt up, waiting for her to sit in her accustomed spot, she didn't and he whimpered a little. She looked at him, with a questioning gaze. When she finally did sit down he climbed up onto her lap and settled himself in the valley between her upturned knees.
She began to speak, a noise that he didn't really understand. It wasn't the way others on the ship talked to him, the sounds were different, more sibilant and less detached. The words seemed to flow together very lyrically.
Jon noticed them too; Porthos could hear the slight difference in the cadence of his breathing that bespoke the stirrings of awareness. T'Pol was absently stroking his fur when Jon made his first comment.
"Can't sleep?"
She was startled, he could feel the muscle tense and relax slightly under his belly. Porthos lifted his head again at the recognition of his master's voice.
"Apparently not." Her voice held no accent in English, or rather, or rather she spoke with human accent.
"You wanna talk about it?" He was sleepy, but relatively alert.
"About what?" the eyebrow arched, Jon grinned, he was getting the hang of conversing with a Vulcan.
"Whatever's been bothering you since the Vulcan ship docked with us?"
"I don't feel like discussing it" Her expression was closed, and unlike with a Human woman, he understood that if something needed to be said, she'd go ahead and say it. No prevarication or hesitation. Nothing emotional to get in the way.
"Alright," he held out the corner of the blanket, "Cold?"
"Only slightly," He grinned at her response and got out of the warm blankets. He lifted Porthos, protesting slightly off of the Vulcan's lap and tugged her to her feet.
"No reason to be, besides you need sleep."
"This I cannot achieve in my own quarters?"
"Nope" he knelt down and tugged off her boots and socks, to her questioning 'look'. "Bedtime for Vulcans"
"Indeed" she slid back into the pre-warmed blankets and acknowledged the logic of sleeping in comfort. Warmth and relaxation would certainly do her benefit in the upcoming negotiations, a relaxed body led to a clear and focused mind.
Porthos hopped back up onto the bed after Jon settled himself beside T'Pol. He was shushed away by male hands, but silently encouraged by the 'other half'.
Deciding that he liked sleeping on the bed, it was certainly much warmer and more comfortable than his pillow, the subservient quadruped snuggled closer to the Vulcan. After all, hers was the higher body temperature of the two. A satisfactory scratching of the ears was initiated.
Life was good.