He was no longer smiling.
In the thirty-minute walk from Captain Mayweather's ship to Endeavour, Soval had quietly observed Commodore Archer's good cheer gradually fade, to be replaced by a grim expression that the ambassador remembered all too well from the days after the Expanse mission ended. Twice in the last half hour, the presence of the Endeavour security force was all that had prevented looters from assaulting them. Administrator Maddox had announced an imminent Romulan attack minutes before they arrived at Mayweather's ship, and the resulting panic continued to rage throughout the station. Frightened humans rioted and looted, causing unnecessary destruction as they scrambled to find a way off of the station.
It was a sad display of humanity's darker side.
Unsurprisingly, Captain Tucker was waiting for them as they entered Endeavour's docking hatch, his own dark expression mirroring that of the commodore's.
"The Ti'Mir wants you to contact them at once, Ambassador," the captain said by way of greeting, gesturing toward a wall unit as he continued. "You can use the comm panel to respond." Soval gave him a slight nod before striding toward the unit. Behind him, the captain began to quietly debrief Commodore Archer. Had he desired to, Soval could have easily eavesdropped on their conversation, but he instead focused his attention elsewhere.
The comm panel was easy to operate and, within seconds, the ambassador had a direct communication link with the Ti'Mir.. His assistant, a promising young diplomat named Skon, quickly answered.
"The Ti'Mir is standing by for departure, Ambassador," the young man said simply, his words unhurried and calm. "Captain Vanik has informed me that seven warp signatures have been detected on an approach vector. All have been tentatively identified as Romulan, and they will be in-system within six point five two standard hours." Skon paused briefly before continuing. "What are your instructions?" Soval nearly frowned.
As a senior ambassador and close associate of Minister T'Pau, he had been given absolute command of this diplomatic mission. It fell within his authority to have the Ti'Mir remain in-system and provide additional support to the outnumbered and outgunned humans. Logic dictated an immediate withdrawal in the face of a numerically superior force, but the ambassador seriously doubted that either Archer or Tucker would follow such a course. Endeavour would remain and face the Romulans, would offer what meager defense it could, and would be destroyed if necessary so that some of these 'Boomers' could survive. It would be a tragic and completely unnecessary loss.
And yet, Soval could not help but think of Surak's own words: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. By remaining to defend the fleeing humans, the crew of the Endeavour would be holding true to that maxim, whether they knew of it or not. They would do so without thought or complaint, and would offer up their own lives without hesitation, if it meant that another human would survive.
It was one of the things Soval admired about humanity.
Ordering the Ti'Mir to participate in the battle had its own risks. Thus far, Vulcan had provided only strategic advice in the ongoing Earth-Romulan war and had resisted being drawn into the escalating conflict. Many within Starfleet had accused Minister T'Pau of cowardice, or decried the lack of military assistance as further proof that the Vulcans desired to stand in humanity's way. Few desired to look at the difficulties Minister T'Pau continued to experience as she struggled to keep her fledgling government intact. Discovery of the Kir'shara had fundamentally altered the way Vulcans saw themselves. Seemingly overnight, their military force had dwindled to less than a quarter of its original might as most of their experienced officers resigned to re-evaluate their lives. As it stood, Vulcan could ill afford to be drawn into the war, no matter how badly they may wish to aid their allies.
"Inform Captain Vanik that I will rejoin you within the hour," Soval ordered. He needed more time to determine the appropriate course of action. "I will issue instructions then." Skon gave him the slightest of nods as he deactived the link. Turning his attention back to Commodore Archer and Captain Tucker, Soval let himself focus on their conversation.
"…here in six and a half hours," Tucker was saying, his face grim. "I've got T'Pol coordinatin' the evacuation plan with station authorities."
"T'Pol's on the bridge?" Archer asked, his face reflecting his surprise. "But her injuries-"
"I need her there, sir," Tucker interrupted. "She's under strict orders not to get out of the command chair." He rolled his tongue around inside his cheek as he observed Soval's silent approach. A flicker of something flashed through his eyes as the commodore spoke.
"You've talked to Maddox?" Archer queried, and Tucker nodded.
"Yes sir," the captain replied. He frowned angrily. "Eisler warned that moron about the suicide bombers and the idiot didn't even sound an alert." Archer's expression darkened and he opened his mouth to speak when Captain Tucker suddenly turned his attention toward Soval. "Ambassador," he said, and Soval could not help but notice the flicker of surprised annoyance that appeared briefly on the commodore's face. The Vulcan inclined his head slightly in response. "Is your ship ready to go?" Captain Tucker asked, his face giving nothing away.
"It is," Soval replied calmly. "The captain merely awaits my arrival." Tucker nodded, gave Archer a sidelong glance before pressing on.
"Then I'd like to officially request you get Commodore Archer clear of the battle zone, sir." Had he been Human, Soval would have smiled his approval at Tucker's logic even as he realized that the appropriate course of action was now before him.
"Not a chance, Trip," Archer declared, his voice tense and his face flushed with some emotion that Soval could not identify. "I'll coordinate the evacuation from Endeavour or from one of the Boomer ships." Tucker frowned as he and Archer squared off, but that was the only indication of his emotional state. As Soval calmly took a step back from the two, it occurred to him that Commander T'Pol had clearly been a good influence on Captain Tucker.
"Sir," Tucker began but Archer cut him off with a sharp hand gesture.
"That's enough, Captain." The emphasis on Tucker's rank was clear. "I'm not jumping on the fastest ship out of here and that's final!"
"Where's Columbia at right now, sir?" Tucker's question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Soval mentally saluted him for his choice of tactics. T'Pol had been a very good influence.
"What?" Commodore Archer asked, showing momentary confusion. It faded quickly as understanding appeared in his eyes.
"How about Discovery or Atlantis?" Tucker took a step forward, invading the commodore's personal space. "What about Challenger? When will she launch again?" With each question, the older human visibly flinched and his features became more grim. "How's the Intrepid-class refit comin' along? Or maybe-"
"I know where you're going with this, Trip," Archer interrupted, "but Romulans don't take prisoners."
"That we know of, sir." Captain Tucker clasped his hands behind his back in a stance that Soval recognized from T'Pol. Once more, amusement swelled within the ambassador. "Can you take that chance?" the captain asked softly.
"All right," Commodore Archer said quietly, his confrontational air gone. "You've made your point." He shot the younger man a look that Soval could only call disgruntled. "T'Pol's been a bad influence on you," he muttered.
"She'd argue that point," Tucker said with a grin. "You'll have to walk," he continued. "Both shuttlepods are deployed and we're usin' the transporter for rescue operations." His mirth faded quickly as he turned away. "Professor," he said as he turned his attention to Lieutenant Reynolds. Even if T'Pol had not explained why her mate called the lieutenant by that appellation, Soval would have recognized it as a 'nickname' by the annoyance that briefly appeared in the younger human's eyes. Knowing it to be a friendly alternative to the man's name, however, did not give Soval additional insight as to why it was even necessary.
He wondered if T'Pol could explain it.
"I want you and Second Squad to escort the ambassador and Commodore Archer to the Ti'Mir," Tucker ordered. Reynolds gave a sharp nod and the captain continued. "Stay with him until you reach Starbase One." Both Archer and Reynolds tensed at that; the commodore shot Tucker a hard glare as the captain shifted to his oddly accented Vulcan. "Keep him from trying to do anything ... heroic." The lieutenant blinked in surprise, then nodded again. "I'll owe you a case of beer," the captain finished.
"Make it Andorian ale, sir," Reynolds responded in unaccented Vulcan and the two men shared a smile. Tucker turned his attention back to Archer, clearly ignoring the frown on the commodore's face.
"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Archer asked; Tucker opened his mouth to respond, then glanced away, an expression of surprise on his face. Commander T'Pol's voice on the intraship comm sounded mere seconds later.
"Captain Tucker to the bridge," she declared.
"Sorry, Commodore," the captain smirked. "Duty calls." He offered his hand and Archer took it without hesitation. "Be seein' you, sir."
"Good luck," the commodore replied. "Look after T'Pol and Phlox for me." Abruptly, Archer drew the captain into an embrace and they exchanged hearty back slaps. "Don't get yourself killed, Trip," the commodore said as he released his old friend.
"I'll do my best, sir," Tucker smiled. His expression shifted to one of startled annoyance as he glanced once more in the direction of the bridge. "I'm comin', woman. Jeez," he muttered under his breath and Soval found himself fighting to maintain his composure. Tucker frowned at Soval's poorly concealed amusement as he lifted his hand in the traditional ta'al salute. "Live long and prosper, Ambassador," the captain said in his mangled Vulcan and the ambassador returned the gesture, not even trying to hide the smile in his eyes.
"Peace and long life to you and your mate," Soval replied and Tucker grinned.
"I'll pass that on," he replied. His eyes darted briefly to Archer and he continued in Soval's native tongue. "Look after him for me?" he asked and Soval nodded.
"Let's get moving," Commodore Archer suggested as Tucker disappeared into the turbolift. He took a step toward the docking hatch. "Mister Reynolds..."
"On it, sir," the lieutenant stated, gesturing quickly to his security troops. Two of them preceded the commodore, weapons held at the ready, and another two flanked Archer. Soval glanced at Reynolds, inclining an eyebrow. "Shall we, Ambassador?" the lieutenant asked in Vulcan.
With the slightest of nods, Soval stepped through the docking hatch and into the corridor.