PART 54
Author: Witezon@aol.com
Pairing: A/T
Rating: PG-13
Everything belongs to Paramount/UPN
1730 (2 HOURS BEFORE THE GEGAN COULD DEPART)
VERGENT'S BRIDGE
"Engineering to the Bridge."
"T'Pol, here."
"Ma'am, we're going to need some more help with the warp engines. I was hoping that we could borrow Commander Tucker. The Mezzian engineers are busy cleaning up the contamination on the Gegan and can't transport over, but they will send us all the supplies we need."
T'Pol looked up at Tucker, who was on the view screen. They both knew that there wasn't another senior officer on the Enterprise if he came over.
"Commander Tucker, are you available to help with the warp engine repairs if I transport back over to the Enterprise?"
Thinking over who was left in the Enterprise's engineering section, "Shouldn't be a problem, Sub-Commander, especially since Storen has agreed to help out."
"Prepare for transport." He nodded and stood up. She nodded at Reed.
T'Pol searched out Jonathon, and found him trying to contain his anger at something that Riann was saying. Their conversation was very intense and she did not want to interrupt him now. She would probably be back before he even realized she was gone.
"Lt Reed, if there are any problems, please contact both Captain Archer and Commander Tucker."
Tucker stood there for a minute, then awkwardly said, "Ah, T'Pol, you know, ah..."
She nodded, "Thank you, Commander."
Looking over at Reed, "Please send me to the Enterprise."
Once there, T'Pol quickly received a status update. The Enterprise had no damage they hadn't already repaired and the weapons and plating were at 100%. Also, the technology from the Mezzians was integrating well into the Enterprise's systems.
She thought back to Jonathon, then suddenly felt his presence. 'T'Pol, have you been listening to this?'
'No, I have returned to the Enterprise.' 'What! What are you doing there?'
'They needed Commander Tucker in Vergent's Engine Room and we needed a senior officer on the Enterprise, so we changed locations.'
'I was hoping to spend a little time with you, in person.'
'Aisha, I also would like to share a few moments with you.' They momentarily moved deeper into the bond.
Then, 'How is it with Riann?' 'Not great. I just...uhm.'
'Jonathon, you hit her?' 'Well, look at my memories and you tell me what you would have done.'
'I would have used the Vulcan nerve pinch.'
'Oh great, its funny Vulcan time. As you can tell, I wanted to. But then there weren't any Vulcans available at right the time and place.'
'Where are you now?' 'I'm in the 'lift going to our quarters. I wanted to see Jon.'
'Yeah, I'd like to see him, too. With you. Why don't I have..."
"SUB-COMMANDER TO THE BRIDGE."
'Or not. What's going on?' 'Unknown. I will let you know when I find out.' She immediately changed the 'lift's destination back to the bridge.
Phlox and her relatives, who were in Sickbay at the time, looked up when they heard the announcement
Turning to look at S'Talen, "I didn't know that the Sub-Commander had returned."
"Nor did I, Doctor."
They both thought about the videos they had seen of the unfortunate incident with Riann on the Vergent bridge.
Jon had looked up when he heard Sub-Commander, then over at Miss Anne. He knew that was Mam.
T'Pol walked out of the 'lift and over to the Captain's chair. "Report."
Hoshi answered her, "Ma'am, we're being hailed."
Looking over at her with an arched eyebrow, "By whom?"
Looking at the information again, "Its an Andorian ship, I think its Commander Shran's."
At the same time, the turbo lift opened again, this time it dispersed S'Talen, T'Lar, T'Pel, and Storen, followed by Phlox.
"On screen, and also open a channel to the Vergent."
Shran appeared, he frowned when he saw T'Pol. "Vulcan. I expected to see Archer."
She said nothing to his rudeness.
With a sly look on his face, "I understand that you've mated with him. I wonder what your Vulcan clan will think of that? You Vulcan's are so very sensitive about things like that."
Before T'Pol could answer, S'Talen stepped forward. "We are very pleased with the addition of Jonathon Archer to our clan."
Shran looked nonplussed for a moment, "What has happened to the Enterprise? Its full of Vulcans. What a disappointment."
T'Pol took the conversation back, "Shran, you contacted the Enterprise, is there something you need?"
Archer had appeared in a video block in the upper corner of the viewing screen, listening to the conversation.
Leaning back in his chair, "I was wondering what was going on in this sector. To find not only the Enterprise, but also two Mezzian ships, is unusual. It reminded me of the gift I had sent to you. How did you like it?"
Jonathon opened his mouth to reply, but T'Pol beat him to it, "Jonathon and I thank you, Shran, for the gift. We like it a great deal."
Jonathon held back a chuckle and grinned at her. The Vulcans, with Phlox, had gathered around the command chair.
Shran took in the Human pilot, all the Vulcans and the Denoblian. "The Enterprise looks quite like a multi-species starship. How pleasant it must be for all of you. Where is Archer?"
Speaking up, "I'm here, Shran."
Shran looked at the additional communications channel, taking in Archer sitting a command chair, surrounded by both Humans and Mezzians working in the areas around him
Shaking his head, "I see they've got you doing it now, too. Mezzians and Humans working on a Mezzian ship. How interesting. How did this happen?"
"Klingons."
That caused Shran to get a very intense look on his face, his eyes squinting, but still in his supercilious drawl, "Really, where?"
T'Pol asked over her shoulder, "Ensign Bagera?"
"We tracked them to coordinates 798 mark 49, then they were out of our range, Sub-Commander."
Then she looked at Mantusco, "Status of all Klingon ships?"
Without expression, "Ma'am, two Klingon Birds of Prey have some damage, but they are still maneuverable and are regarded as hard threats. The third has severe damage and regarded as a possible threat. The fourth, as you know, was destroyed by the ShiKahr."
Shran froze in his seat and they could see the Andorians running analyses of their own. "The ShiKahr is in the area?"
The Vulcans didn't answer and as Jonathon was going to answer, T'Pol again, beat him to it, "The ShiKahr will be returning to the Enterprise's location."
'Aisha, that's a very obscure manner of telling him nothing, but giving him concerns about the Vulcan ship. Why is he more concerned about the ShiKahr than the Klingon ships?'
'Other than our longstanding inability to maintain a peace? I do not know, you will need to ask Shran that question.'
'Okay, I will.' He could feel both eyebrows shoot up that.
"Shran, aren't you concerned about the Klingon ships that may still be in the area?"
Shrugging his shoulders, "Klingons are Klingons. They pick a fight, then they fight, and either die or win. Then they go home. Very straight forward. Whereas the Vulcans sail through space as if they own it. Which they don't."
T'Pol and her family had heard this all before and they made no response, but they all stared without blinking.
'T'Pol, can we stop before this escalates?'
A frown in her thoughts, 'Jonathon, what would you have me do? Send my family to their quarters because the mere presence of Vulcans offend the Andorians?'
Sighing, 'No, of course not. I don't mean that and you know it. I just can't understand why Vulcans and Andorians can't get along. Its not like the Vulcans go around attacking everyone they meet or conquering other planets."
'Nor do we want to do that. I can only assume that while other species trust us not to do that, the Andorians are positive we will. There are centuries of bad blood on both sides. Both have completed acts that violated our agreements. But Vulcan stands firm that the Andorians will not have a planet, moon or satellite in our home system or the surrounding systems.'
'What would happen if they did?'
"War. Imagine what would happen, if there was a full blown war between our two peoples, to the rest of the galaxy? The Klingons, Orions, and other pirate cultures would roam free, preying on the lesser developed planets. Any possible order that is now derived from having both the Andorians and Vulcans out in space would be missing.'
'Neither one of your races is the galactic policeman, T'Pol, and that sounds very arrogant. Neither one of you can stop all that.'
'No, but our presence is detrimental to it. They do not want to gain our attention. Also, all the incidental damage done to others because of a war would be catastrophic. What if Travis' family suddenly found itself in the middle of a fight? They would be destroyed in seconds.'
'Why don't the Andorians see that?'
'They do, however, they are still angry enough not to care. They cannot get passed the emotions to recognize what it would do to the galaxy.'
After a moment of quiet in the bond, 'Jonathon, why do not you talk with them? If you need the Enterprise, I am only a thought away.'
'Alright, Aisha, give Jon my love.'
The mental conversation had only taken a few seconds and Shran had watched both of them during that time. "Commander Shran, perhaps you could continue this conversation with Jonathon? I must to take the Enterprise on its patrol sweep."
He tilted his head to one side in agreement. "Very well, Sub- Commander...Archer." Without a reaction, she nodded, "Enterprise out."
A moment later they watched the Enterprise move out along its patrol sweep, followed by the Gegan.
Shran looked Archer, "Well, you finally did it, Archer. You got your Vulcan, and with the family's approval. Quite a feat. I congratulate you."
Nodding, "Thank you, Shran. I'm certainly glad I did."
CONTINUED IN PART 55
1730 (2 HOURS BEFORE THE GEGAN COULD DEPART)
VERGENT'S BRIDGE
"Engineering to the Bridge."
"T'Pol, here."
"Ma'am, we're going to need some more help with the warp engines. I was hoping that we could borrow Commander Tucker. The Mezzian engineers are busy cleaning up the contamination on the Gegan and can't transport over, but they will send us all the supplies we need."
T'Pol looked up at Tucker, who was on the view screen. They both knew that there wasn't another senior officer on the Enterprise if he came over.
"Commander Tucker, are you available to help with the warp engine repairs if I transport back over to the Enterprise?"
Thinking over who was left in the Enterprise's engineering section, "Shouldn't be a problem, Sub-Commander, especially since Storen has agreed to help out."
"Prepare for transport." He nodded and stood up. She nodded at Reed.
T'Pol searched out Jonathon, and found him trying to contain his anger at something that Riann was saying. Their conversation was very intense and she did not want to interrupt him now. She would probably be back before he even realized she was gone.
"Lt Reed, if there are any problems, please contact both Captain Archer and Commander Tucker."
Tucker stood there for a minute, then awkwardly said, "Ah, T'Pol, you know, ah..."
She nodded, "Thank you, Commander."
Looking over at Reed, "Please send me to the Enterprise."
Once there, T'Pol quickly received a status update. The Enterprise had no damage they hadn't already repaired and the weapons and plating were at 100%. Also, the technology from the Mezzians was integrating well into the Enterprise's systems.
She thought back to Jonathon, then suddenly felt his presence. 'T'Pol, have you been listening to this?'
'No, I have returned to the Enterprise.' 'What! What are you doing there?'
'They needed Commander Tucker in Vergent's Engine Room and we needed a senior officer on the Enterprise, so we changed locations.'
'I was hoping to spend a little time with you, in person.'
'Aisha, I also would like to share a few moments with you.' They momentarily moved deeper into the bond.
Then, 'How is it with Riann?' 'Not great. I just...uhm.'
'Jonathon, you hit her?' 'Well, look at my memories and you tell me what you would have done.'
'I would have used the Vulcan nerve pinch.'
'Oh great, its funny Vulcan time. As you can tell, I wanted to. But then there weren't any Vulcans available at right the time and place.'
'Where are you now?' 'I'm in the 'lift going to our quarters. I wanted to see Jon.'
'Yeah, I'd like to see him, too. With you. Why don't I have..."
"SUB-COMMANDER TO THE BRIDGE."
'Or not. What's going on?' 'Unknown. I will let you know when I find out.' She immediately changed the 'lift's destination back to the bridge.
Phlox and her relatives, who were in Sickbay at the time, looked up when they heard the announcement
Turning to look at S'Talen, "I didn't know that the Sub-Commander had returned."
"Nor did I, Doctor."
They both thought about the videos they had seen of the unfortunate incident with Riann on the Vergent bridge.
Jon had looked up when he heard Sub-Commander, then over at Miss Anne. He knew that was Mam.
T'Pol walked out of the 'lift and over to the Captain's chair. "Report."
Hoshi answered her, "Ma'am, we're being hailed."
Looking over at her with an arched eyebrow, "By whom?"
Looking at the information again, "Its an Andorian ship, I think its Commander Shran's."
At the same time, the turbo lift opened again, this time it dispersed S'Talen, T'Lar, T'Pel, and Storen, followed by Phlox.
"On screen, and also open a channel to the Vergent."
Shran appeared, he frowned when he saw T'Pol. "Vulcan. I expected to see Archer."
She said nothing to his rudeness.
With a sly look on his face, "I understand that you've mated with him. I wonder what your Vulcan clan will think of that? You Vulcan's are so very sensitive about things like that."
Before T'Pol could answer, S'Talen stepped forward. "We are very pleased with the addition of Jonathon Archer to our clan."
Shran looked nonplussed for a moment, "What has happened to the Enterprise? Its full of Vulcans. What a disappointment."
T'Pol took the conversation back, "Shran, you contacted the Enterprise, is there something you need?"
Archer had appeared in a video block in the upper corner of the viewing screen, listening to the conversation.
Leaning back in his chair, "I was wondering what was going on in this sector. To find not only the Enterprise, but also two Mezzian ships, is unusual. It reminded me of the gift I had sent to you. How did you like it?"
Jonathon opened his mouth to reply, but T'Pol beat him to it, "Jonathon and I thank you, Shran, for the gift. We like it a great deal."
Jonathon held back a chuckle and grinned at her. The Vulcans, with Phlox, had gathered around the command chair.
Shran took in the Human pilot, all the Vulcans and the Denoblian. "The Enterprise looks quite like a multi-species starship. How pleasant it must be for all of you. Where is Archer?"
Speaking up, "I'm here, Shran."
Shran looked at the additional communications channel, taking in Archer sitting a command chair, surrounded by both Humans and Mezzians working in the areas around him
Shaking his head, "I see they've got you doing it now, too. Mezzians and Humans working on a Mezzian ship. How interesting. How did this happen?"
"Klingons."
That caused Shran to get a very intense look on his face, his eyes squinting, but still in his supercilious drawl, "Really, where?"
T'Pol asked over her shoulder, "Ensign Bagera?"
"We tracked them to coordinates 798 mark 49, then they were out of our range, Sub-Commander."
Then she looked at Mantusco, "Status of all Klingon ships?"
Without expression, "Ma'am, two Klingon Birds of Prey have some damage, but they are still maneuverable and are regarded as hard threats. The third has severe damage and regarded as a possible threat. The fourth, as you know, was destroyed by the ShiKahr."
Shran froze in his seat and they could see the Andorians running analyses of their own. "The ShiKahr is in the area?"
The Vulcans didn't answer and as Jonathon was going to answer, T'Pol again, beat him to it, "The ShiKahr will be returning to the Enterprise's location."
'Aisha, that's a very obscure manner of telling him nothing, but giving him concerns about the Vulcan ship. Why is he more concerned about the ShiKahr than the Klingon ships?'
'Other than our longstanding inability to maintain a peace? I do not know, you will need to ask Shran that question.'
'Okay, I will.' He could feel both eyebrows shoot up that.
"Shran, aren't you concerned about the Klingon ships that may still be in the area?"
Shrugging his shoulders, "Klingons are Klingons. They pick a fight, then they fight, and either die or win. Then they go home. Very straight forward. Whereas the Vulcans sail through space as if they own it. Which they don't."
T'Pol and her family had heard this all before and they made no response, but they all stared without blinking.
'T'Pol, can we stop before this escalates?'
A frown in her thoughts, 'Jonathon, what would you have me do? Send my family to their quarters because the mere presence of Vulcans offend the Andorians?'
Sighing, 'No, of course not. I don't mean that and you know it. I just can't understand why Vulcans and Andorians can't get along. Its not like the Vulcans go around attacking everyone they meet or conquering other planets."
'Nor do we want to do that. I can only assume that while other species trust us not to do that, the Andorians are positive we will. There are centuries of bad blood on both sides. Both have completed acts that violated our agreements. But Vulcan stands firm that the Andorians will not have a planet, moon or satellite in our home system or the surrounding systems.'
'What would happen if they did?'
"War. Imagine what would happen, if there was a full blown war between our two peoples, to the rest of the galaxy? The Klingons, Orions, and other pirate cultures would roam free, preying on the lesser developed planets. Any possible order that is now derived from having both the Andorians and Vulcans out in space would be missing.'
'Neither one of your races is the galactic policeman, T'Pol, and that sounds very arrogant. Neither one of you can stop all that.'
'No, but our presence is detrimental to it. They do not want to gain our attention. Also, all the incidental damage done to others because of a war would be catastrophic. What if Travis' family suddenly found itself in the middle of a fight? They would be destroyed in seconds.'
'Why don't the Andorians see that?'
'They do, however, they are still angry enough not to care. They cannot get passed the emotions to recognize what it would do to the galaxy.'
After a moment of quiet in the bond, 'Jonathon, why do not you talk with them? If you need the Enterprise, I am only a thought away.'
'Alright, Aisha, give Jon my love.'
The mental conversation had only taken a few seconds and Shran had watched both of them during that time. "Commander Shran, perhaps you could continue this conversation with Jonathon? I must to take the Enterprise on its patrol sweep."
He tilted his head to one side in agreement. "Very well, Sub- Commander...Archer." Without a reaction, she nodded, "Enterprise out."
A moment later they watched the Enterprise move out along its patrol sweep, followed by the Gegan.
Shran looked Archer, "Well, you finally did it, Archer. You got your Vulcan, and with the family's approval. Quite a feat. I congratulate you."
Nodding, "Thank you, Shran. I'm certainly glad I did."
CONTINUED IN PART 55