I still own nothing.
I want to apologize for the horrendous delay. I have just started a new job and have spent time training and traveling. Will try to do better as get settled in. Appreciate your patience.
Thank you to EroSlackerMicha, ShanRQuinn, Mojo01, LoErneBraska, and aria1210 for your reviews. I really appreciate your input. I also want to give a nod to Guest, my first ever negative review. I do welcome your making the effort to do so. But since your only point is that Archer and T'Pol do not belong together, I am afraid we will have to agree to disagree.
The day before the Fair, Archer made his last inspection of the site. It was the facility for the world rugby championships and normally held twenty thousand spectators; but for security reasons, it had been reconfigured to hold ten thousand. Of course, it would also be broadcast live for everyone on Earth to see.
His main concern was security and he was thankful again that Malcom had been available to do the planning. Starfleet Security would provide the physical presence at the stadium while a contingent of MACOs were in shuttles, ready to render aid in case of a large attack. There even was a small squad from the mostly ceremonial Terran Army.
After satisfying himself that everything was in place, he headed for a nearby hotel that had been taken over as a place for the visiting aliens to stay. Each of the visiting planets had their own floor with the bottom floor given over to security forces. Although Archer wished it could be different, he had reluctantly agreed that all the visitors would stay within the hotel grounds, surrounded by a security fence. They need to avoid any incident with Terra Prime or their sympathizers.
As he entered the compound, having passed through a retina scan, he headed for the hotel where he was to meet Soval, Shran, Gral and their families for a last meeting. Then he would also meet all the regular citizens each planet had brought.
As he neared the hotel entrance, he was a little surprised to see Shran and Jhamel walking toward him along one of the paths that ran inside the compound. He was even more surprised to see that Jhamel was wearing an Earth style dress that left her arms bare and finished just below her knees. Having never seen her in anything but her cold weather clothes, he had thought she was pretty, but seeing her like this, he realized she was beautiful. Her skin was flawlessly white with just a touch of blue.
Just then, Shran spotted him and they picked up the pace toward him. "Hey, Pinkskin, it is good to see you." Noticing that Archer had been looking toward his wife, he smirked and added, "What do you think of my wife, am I not a lucky man?" Archer was bemused when he saw that Jhamel suddenly had a blue blush to her cheeks.
"You certainly are, Shran. In fact, I really can't believe someone as nice and beautiful as her ever agreed to marry you."
Jhamel blushed a little more and said, "It may be hard to believe, Captain, but I think I am the lucky one."
Archer smiled and said, "Well, in any case, you certainly look comfortable."
"It is so warm. I could hardly wear my normal clothes." She smiled and went on, "I could get used to this."
Archer showed a little concern, "Aren't you afraid you may get sunburned? After all, you are not used to being exposed to this heat."
She smiled back, "It seems that Andorians do not have the pigments that allow sunburn or tanning."
Shran then spoke up, "Well, we need to get to the meeting. Although, we should show up late just to bug Soval."
Archer chuckled, but said, "That is tempting, but I think we should be on time."
Shran answered, "I suppose you're right."
When they entered the conference room, they found the others waiting. Gral was with his wife Margot and his adult son Hatel. Margot was every bit as ugly as her husband, but Archer had discovered she did not have the need to be belligerent and argumentative, in fact, she was quite friendly and gracious. Gral greeted them, "I am glad this thing is about over, I will be glad to return home and not be treated like a prisoner."
For once, Archer had no comeback, since he agreed with Gral. But he knew Gral was expecting something. "It has only been a few days and you don't seem to have suffered to any great degree."
Margot spoke up, "We know it is for our own protection. It is just unfortunate we have not been able to explore your world."
Archer answered sadly, "I apologize for that, perhaps these fairs will be a step toward making that possible in the future."
Soval joined in, "I believe that there is a good chance that could occur. Since the defeat of Terra Prime's attempt to drive all aliens from Earth, I have noticed an improvement in the overall attitude of Earth toward extra-terrestrials." But he then added, "It is clear we have a way to go."
Archer looked at Soval's wife. She was a striking woman, a living epitome of how a Vulcan was perceived to look. Slightly taller than her husband, she had striking cheekbones and carried herself proudly at all times. Although she seemed cold, he had found that she could also be cordial and often even warm during the time he had visited their home. They had also brought their grandson, who was about ten years old. Archer was struck by how much they were like grandparents everywhere when it came to their grandchild. He realized that would change as the boy grew older and learned how a Vulcan must behave.
Shran spoke up, "We probably should proceed with the meeting. We still have to meet with the others."
Archer agreed, and began, "All right, I just want to go over how the schedule is set up for tomorrow, and see if any one has any questions or problems. We plan to have you leave from here via shuttle at noon. When we get to the stadium, you will be escorted to seats between the crowd and the stage."
"President Samuels will open the proceedings with a short welcoming speech, and then you will each proceed with your introductions and presentations."
"Andoria will go first, then The Teller, and then Vulcan. After you…"
Gral interrupted, "Why is Andoria going first? Are you still playing favorites?"
Archer sighed, "I do not agree I have played favorites, but in this case, I just have gone in alphabetical order." Actually, that was a lie. He had been told by those who put on shows, that it is best to lead with the biggest and most popular act you have. There was no doubt that was Shran and Jhamel. The alphabet excuse was a lucky coincidence.
He continued, "If that is okay?" Getting a reluctant nod from Gral, "As I was saying, after all the presentations are done, there will be a meeting between your groups and a selected group of one hundred Earth citizens. That is scheduled to last about an hour. The whole thing should take about five hours. Then you will be brought back here and be taken to your ships whenever you are ready. Anyone have any questions?"
When no one spoke up, Archer said, "Then let's plan to meet in the lobby area," looking at his watch, "At three o'clock. We'll let all the others know the plans and see if we encounter any problems."
They then all exited.
Harry Waters led his wife Eileen and his daughter Lois to their seats. If truth be told, he was not thrilled to be attending this event. Although he deplored the actions that Terra Prime had taken, he shared many of their concerns. He wondered about the idea of entering a possible alliance, of getting involved in interplanetary intrigue. But the damned school system insisted on teaching the importance of tolerance. You add that to his daughter's love for space travel and Enterprise and he could not deny her, especially as she had won a ticket to the Fair by writing an essay.
They found their seats and sat down. Lois was practically floating in her seat, she was so excited. Suddenly she called out. "Look. Dad, there's Captain Archer! Even Harry had to admit it was kind of exciting to see the Captain from Enterprise. After all, he had saved the Earth. But, it was also true, that it could be his actions that had brought the attack against Earth.
A few rows ahead of the Waters family, Steven Baker also observed the scene in front of him. However, although he had some of the same thoughts as Harry, his basic beliefs were much different. He felt that the effort by Terra Prime had been noble and was angry at its defeat. He especially hated Jonathan Archer and Charles Tucker III. Not only for stopping Terra Prime and bringing the Xindi attack upon Earth, but for their disgusting friendship and relationship with T'Pol. But for now, he and his fellow believers would have to bide their time. Sooner or later, they would get their opportunity and achieve their revenge and goals.
Archer was glad to see everything was going on schedule and introduced President Samuels to present the opening remarks.
Harry Waters knew Samuels was the real driving source behind Earth forming an alliance and gave a less than enthusiastic greeting for him. He could see there were many that felt the same way he did.
Samuels smiled to himself at the ambiguous welcome and gave his speech.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to a truly extraordinary event. Today is proof that Earth has entered the Galactic community. We are honored to have representatives from four planets here today. Each of these planets have proven their friendship for Earth and have been with us in times of trouble."
"But this is also a unique opportunity to meet people from these other worlds with whom you share a common interest. We have ordinary citizens who encounter the same problems and situations as each of you. Who share a common goal of doing the best for their families and provide a life for them."
"While it is true you will find they are in many ways very different, you will also see you have much in common".
"Now, I will turn the stage over to Captain Jonathan Archer, who will introduce our first guests."
As Archer came forward, there was little ambiguity in the applause. He was welcome with a huge burst of applause.
Archer smiled and accepted the applause and then spoke out. "Our first presenters are from the planet Andoria. Many of you know how Commander Shran has been a vital ally. Not only did he help against the Xindi, but provided forces that helped destroy an attempt to cause friction between the planets of our quadrant. Please welcome Commander Shran and his wife Jhamel."
In spite of himself, Harry Waters found himself becoming interested. His daughter had made a point to tell him all about Jhamel, a woman from a race of telepathic beings who were blind. Now that he saw her in person, he also was drawn to her beauty. On the other hand, Shran seemed like a show-off.
But it was the video of Andoria that really got his attention. He was amazed by its beauty and its unbelievable difficult conditions. He found himself listening intently to farmers, store keepers, and other citizens who lived and worked under those conditions.
When they finished, however, he still found himself wondering why there was a need to form an alliance with them, no matter how fascinating they and their planet were.
Whatever mixed feelings the Andorians raised for Harry, the was none of that for the Tellerites. They were the very epitome of why he had problems with aliens. They were so ugly and inhuman. Although this Gral spoke eloquently, he could not get past his appearance. As for his wife, he wondered how they could tell one sex from another. He blanched at the thought of them mating. Even their planet was nothing special, although there were some beautiful spots. It was strange though, that even their young children were sort of cute. It was kind of like a bull dog, who is so ugly there is a certain cuteness. But Harry could not possibly understand why Earth would want to form an alliance with such creatures.
Then there were the Vulcans. Harry of course knew them very well. Everyone had heard the stories of how they turned their back when the Xindi attacked. But then there was Soval, who had turned out to help Earth when their embassy was destroyed. But even more there was T'Pol, who risked her life to stay on Enterprise to enter the Expanse; the stories of her friendship with Archer and her relationship with Tucker.
The film of their planet was fascinating. The heat, the sweltering deserts, the beauty of Mount Seleya. And the majesty of their cities with their spires reaching into the skies. Then of course, the fact they looked very much like humans made them easier to accept.
When it was over and he and his family were leaving, his daughter still raving about how exciting and wonderful it all had been, he found he still remained unconvinced, but he perhaps felt there was more to examine then he had first thought. He watched as the selected people from Earth went to mingle with the aliens.
Steven Baker had no such doubts. Everything he saw reinforced the strangeness, the alien nature of the visitors. He knew more than ever that they could not become involved with them. He knew it would eventually lead to a mingling of the races. Hadn't Tucker and T'Pol already proven that? The very things that made them human would be corrupted and their identity would be lost forever.
Archer smiled as he saw the two groups come together. There was of course hesitancy at first, but curiosity brought them together. He saw many sights that made him believe this was a good idea and there was hope it would work out. He saw men and women with similar occupations finding common ground on the problems they faced. He saw Jhamel holding an Earth baby who was tentatively touching her antennae as she and Shran talked to the parents. She saw the same with humans holding Teller and Andorian children. But the most appealing was seeing the children approach each other, each curious about the other and finding common ground.
He also had to smile when Gral got into a discussion with an Earth man who was balding and had a rather pronounced beer belly. It started when he approached Gral and blurted out, "You are without a doubt the ugliest thing I have ever seen."
The other humans nearby were aghast and started to reprimand him, but Gral was pleased he had finally found a kindred soul; he was about ready to gag on all the friendliness and courtesy. He answered back, "Speaking of ugly, I didn't realize a loss of hair and a bulging belly were examples of human beauty."
Stunned, the man snapped back. "Okay, so I am not the most handsome guy around, but, compared to you, I am gorgeous."
Gral smiled, "That may be true on Earth, but tomorrow I will return to my home world, where I am considered quite handsome. You will still be ugly."
He then turned away as some of those listening cheered.
After the Fair was over and everyone had returned to the hotel, Archer found himself alone again with Shran and Jhamel. He asked them, "What time do you leave for Andoria?"
Shran answered, "Actually, I was wanting to discuss that with you. The ship is leaving later tonight, but I was wondering if Jhamel and I would be allowed to stay. Jhamel has never spent time away before and would like to spend more time here."
Archer smiled, "I think that would be all right. I will be leaving for Andoria in a week. Since the next three Fairs will happen quite close together, I am going to keep track of all progress while working specifically on Andoria. You are welcome to hitch a ride with me then."
Shran looked at Jhamel who smiled, he turned back to Archer, "That should work. Can we continue to stay here?"
"I would rather you returned to San Francisco with me and we could find you something near Starfleet Headquarters."
Jhamel spoke up, "That sound like a good idea, especially as that is one area we planned on visiting."
Archer rose from his seat, "That's settled then. The shuttle is due to leave in three hours, I will see you then." As he started to leave, he turned back, "I was planning to have dinner with Trip and his fiancée tomorrow night, do you want to join us."
Shran looked surprised, "I heard that T'Pol had left, did they get back together?"
"It isn't T'Pol, it's someone he was going with before we went on our first mission."
"I see, and I thought Andorians were the impetuous ones when it came to changing partners."
Jhamel looked sharply at him, "Is there something I should know?"
Archer smiled at seeing his friend's discomfort as Shran stuttered, "I was just speaking in general, you know you are the only one for me."
Jhamel continued, "I better be, remember checking on one's husband is considered a sound reason for reading your mind."
Everything got arranged and the five of them met the next night at one of San Francisco's finest Chinese restaurants. Natalie had been excited all day, bombarding Trip with questions about Shran and Jhamel and how she should act around them. Trip told her what he could about them, and then told her to just be herself.
After they were all seated, and were sipping wine, that Shran declared to be a far cry from Andorian ale, Trip smirked and spoke up. "Shran, as I remember, isn't it common on Andorians to have a three-way marriage? Are you looking into that?"
Shran glared at him, as Jhamel smiled sweetly and said, "That is not true for Aener and we have decided that will be the model. Isn't that right, Shran?"
Shran, still glaring at Trip, said, "Yes, and I am sure Commander Tucker was just making polite conversation." Then, smirking, he continued, "Perhaps you mentioned it because you were thinking of something like that for yourself."
Natalie spoke up, "Jhamel, it appears that our men share many of the same unfortunate characteristics, regardless of species. Maybe we should both think about alternatives."
Jhamel smiled, "It does appear so, but perhaps we can just write it off as their being men, and move forward."
Natalie answered, "I suppose, although it's hard to believe we could not do better."
That seemed to end that conversation and with the preliminaries out of the way, the dinner continued on a much better path. In fact, the two couples were together much of the week, as Trip and Natalie acted as guides.
During the meal, Trip informed Archer that the wedding date had been planned for December twenty-first in Miami. It seemed Lester Warren had the hotel set aside two floors for guests to stay and the wedding would be held in their main ballroom.
Archer answered that should work because it was more than two weeks after the last Fair on Vulcan.
General Thrang was not happy. The head of the Andorian Imperial Guard wished he had never heard of the so-called Fair. It was not that they would not be ready. Everything seemed to be in place. He was a little put off that Shran had decided to remain on Earth instead of returning immediately to help out, but he had to admit there would be plenty of time to finish up the detail when he and the contingent from Earth arrived. No, his real problem lay with the Queen of Andoria. He thought back over the history of the current status of the Queen.
For much of the early times of existence for Andoria, they had been ruled by a superior race of beings. Looking very similar to the current Andorians, they had possessed superior strength and intellect and had ruled well. They had mated only in their own ranks to maintain this superiority. Then approximately five hundred years ago, they had been struck by a plague that affected only them. Despite all their efforts, it became apparent that they were doomed to extinction. In a last desperate move, the males donated their sperm to build a huge sperm bank in the hopes of somehow furthering their race. As it turned out, one female did survive the plague. But it was discovered that she was left with only the ability to produce female offspring. The Andorians of that time arrived at a plan to take advantage of the ancients' powers and still gain power themselves. They divided the powers of government between the Queen and the head of the Imperial Guard. All military and political control would be under the Guard, but the Queen would have sway over the internal workings of the planet including culture. She would have no real power, but was hardly a figurehead as her opinion and presence were honored highly by the Andorian people. To be sure there would never be competing figures for the position, the following rules were put in place. At the age of twenty, the Queen to be would be impregnated with the saved sperm and give birth to her heir. Then she would rule for twenty years, when her daughter would repeat the process. Since the life expectancy of their race was only about sixty years, there had never been more than three alive at one time. In some cases, the current queen had died and the old Queen would fill out her rule.
But, Thrang reflected, a new scenario had occurred. When her daughter was only eleven years old, both the present Queen and her mother had been killed, leaving Andoria for the first time without a Queen. The Imperial Guard had decided that until the child was old enough to be impregnated, the head of the Imperial Guard would take complete control. Thus he, General Thrang, had ruled Andoria for five years until the child reached the age of sixteen. No person had ever been more protected, as she was the last of her race. But the birth had been successful and the new Queen had assumed power. It was decided she would rule until the baby was twenty and the cycle would be restored.
The Queens had always ruled and acted in the same fashion, passed down from Mother to daughter. They stayed out of the limelight for the most part, issuing edicts, only occasionally making public appearances. No Queen had ever left the planet and were kept away from outworlders. This was mainly for two reasons. One they were considered to be very fragile and much of it was done for their safety. The second was to be sure there would be no doubt as to who ultimately was in charge.
Thrang had found himself becoming almost a father to the child as she grew up those five years. He still held some of those paternal instincts as she took over her duties. He quickly discovered, however, that he had a problem on his hands. Partly because of her age but especially that normally most of the tutoring that taught the new Queen how to behave and what was expected of them occurred after their sixteenth birthday, she had received none of that, and it became apparent she had her own ideas of how a Queen should act. The Queens had never taken a name, but were always referred to as the Queen. She immediately scoffed at that and called herself Queen Helena. She also had an insatiable curiosity and refused to remain in the palace but ventured out into public. To the consternation of the Imperial Guard, the Andorian people loved it and her. She became an immediate sensation. This unfortunately emboldened her and she demanded to be a part of all discussions referring to the planet and attended selected Imperial Guard meetings.
But now, she had gone too far. She wanted to be a part of the upcoming Fair; to meet with the visitors. This Thrang would not allow. He would not compromise the job of the Imperial Guard to protect Andoria and the Queen. It was far too risky and she was much too naïve to be trusted to discuss matters of state. She seemed to realize she was crossing a line, and had fallen back to at least greet them as the Queen. They appeared to be at a cross roads with neither willing to back down. Truth be told, he also still loved her as his daughter and did not want to expose her to any possible danger. He was also afraid of the reaction of the Andoria public that she was lowering herself.
The Earth starship Shenandoah moved into orbit around Andoria bringing the Earth contingent as well as bringing Jhamel and Shran home. After the twenty-three human participants had been settled into their quarters, Shran, Thrang, and Archer inspected the site for the Fair which was only two days away. Everything seemed ready and Archer returned to his quarters satisfied things were ready to proceed.
Two days later, Archer found himself on the stage waiting for General Thrang to give the opening speech and to proceed with the fair. The Earth participants had spent two days exploring Andoria, even traveling to the home of the Aener. They were now seated in front of the stage.
Suddenly, the audience gasped, and a figure moved out from the wings of the stage, ignoring the security guards who were stunned into immobility at seeing her. Thrang cursed under his breath, the Queen, what was she doing here?
Archer stared in amazement as the figure approached him. She was a beautiful woman, with Andorian characteristics but still noticeably different. She was dressed in a skin-tight suit that left little to the imagination, her eyes were the purest blue, and her skin was white as snow. But strangely, she did not seem sensual, instead she projected a feeling of power, of a powerful intellect. Archer felt no arousal but a sense of awe and serenity.
She stopped as she reached him, smiled, and said, in perfect English, "Captain Archer, it is an honor to meet you, I am Queen Helena, welcome to Andoria."
Archer called upon his experiences in diplomacy to bring himself together and bowing slightly said, "Thank you, your majesty."
Thrang looked on in disbelief, then suddenly wondered how the audience would react, what would they think of their Queen acting so unlike her predecessors. His answer came in the sound of applause as the Andorians rose to give her a standing ovation. She smiled, waved, and brushing past a still stunned Thrang, left the way she had come.
Thrang managed to recover and proceed with his speech, now very anti-climactic. The Fair turned out to be a success. Shran later explained to Archer the role of the Queen in Andorian society and how the present Queen was quickly expanding her role.
The Shenandoah left a week later, to the next stop of The Teller. The Tellerites seemed to feel they were often disrespected and went all out. The site was by far the largest one of the four tours and fifty thousand Tellerites showed up. The accommodations were extravagant for the visitors and they were treated royally on a tour of the planet. Archer believed they did make an impression, although he sensed some of the participants unfortunately were still affected by the Tellerites' appearance.
Archer was now ready to see what was occurring with T'Pol and to see if there was any hope to see her. After returning with the other humans to Earth, Archer arranged for the ship to bring the humans to Vulcan for the Fair. He then hitched a ride to arrive early on Vulcan, to hopefully give him time to meet with T'Pol before the Fair. He sent a message ahead to have Soval try to contact T'Pol and see if she would meet with him.
As the Vulcan cruiser went to warp, T'Pol ended her last fast and began her final preparations for her journey of discovery.
