A/N Special thanks again to my reviewers LoErneBraska, EroSlackerMicha, and ShanRQuinn. To ShanRQuinn - I am afraid Greta caught the bouquet. Thanks also to the all those still following my story, I do appreciate you all. I still am just borrowing these characters for a while.
Although the officer and crew of Enterprise were confident of her abilities after another series of testing, Admiral Gardner insisted they do one more, and ordered them to "Drive her hard." He explained Enterprise was the prototype for a new series of spaceships and he needed to be sure there would be no problems.
As Archer was tied up with the testing, fortunately others were taking up the drive for an alliance. Shran had found an unexpected ally in Queen Helena and with her help he was able to convince General Thrang to have Andoria reach out to the other governments. Working with Soval and Minister Kuvack, they were able to get permission from T'Pau to hold joint Fleet operations. The Tellerites, not to be outdone, suggested a 'good will tour' with one ship of each of the four planets to join in and to intersperse the crews, having crew members from each planet take positions on the other planet's ships.
In a surprisingly short time, the details were set and both events were set up to occur. In fact, both would occur simultaneously. Gral, Archer, Soval, and Shran would take part in the good will tour, leaving other officers to take part in the joint operations.
Solon, First Citizen of the Romulan Empire, walked through the halls of the Palace with Tribune Torok, the recently appointed Advisor to the Praetor on Military Policy. In the time since Vandor had taken power, he had completely changed the tenor of palace life. It now consisted of competent, dedicated individuals ready to make changes to the Empire. He had also reduced his amorous undertakings, but not abandoned them completely.
Torok was speaking, "Do you know why the Praetor asked us to meet with him this morning?"
"No. To be honest, I have not talked to him much in the last few weeks. He has been wrapped up in studying some information that was heavily encrypted on the old Praetor's computer and the code was only recently broken."
They arrived at the area outside the Praetor's office and were quickly cleared through the ring of security surrounding the entrance.
When they entered the office, they found Vandor at his desk looking intently at a computer screen. They also noticed a viewing screen set up behind the desk.
He looked up and smiled, "Solon, Torok, have a seat."
As they were sitting down, he turned his attention back to his computer.
Then he turned to them and said, "You are probably wondering why I wanted you two here on such short notice. Frankly, I could not wait to inform you of my plans. I'll warn you that I am deadly serious on what I am proposing."
Seeing he had their full attention, he said, "I have decided to launch an attack on Earth."
To say Torok and Solon were shocked would be a huge understatement. It even took Solon a few moments to return to his stoic self.
Torok blurted out, "Attack Earth? For what possible reason? You don't really believe they pose any kind of a threat, do you? They only have a few ships capable of warp 5 and are not particularly advanced."
Vandor ignored him for a moment and said to Solon, "So Solon, what is your opinion?"
Solon, with his usual bluntness, "I am afraid I share Torok's doubts. I assume this has something to do with Vulcan and the other planets of the Quadrant, but I don't see how attacking perhaps the weakest of the planets will gain us a great deal; unless you think it will serve as a warning to the others. I would think it would bring up their guard. Also, they might decide to back Earth against us. We would have a war on our hands. With the current situation in the Empire, I am not sure we are ready for that."
Vandor smiled and said, "Excellent, you both have made very good points and have described the situation accurately with the information you have available. I am afraid I was unfair because I have based my decision on information you did not have access to."
He sat back a little and said, "First of all, we all underestimated my predecessor. When I was able to read the information that he had protected, I was quite impressed."
He smirked, "It made me almost feel bad about doing away with him." He then smiled and said, "Almost."
"But enough of that, I am sure you wish to hear what I discovered."
"We start by going back a couple years before Earth launched Enterprise. If you were not aware, that was the name of their first Warp 5 ship."
"Do either of you remember Centurion Farrak?"
Both nodded and Torok spoke up, "He was one of the Praetor's right-hand men. Then he just disappeared, we all assumed the Praetor had sent him on an important mission."
Vandor nodded, "He did indeed. He sent him to Vulcan."
Torok showed his surprise, while Solon raised an eyebrow.
Vandor continued, "He sent him with two purposes. First, just to see firsthand where Vulcan society was at. Secondly, he wondered if it would be possible to perhaps be able to make use of one or more Vulcans to somehow increase a Romulan chance for a successful takeover."
"One reason he chose Farrak was that he looked more Vulcan than many of us. More like you, Solon."
When the others just continued to listen intently, he went on, "Farrak found that Vulcan had changed a lot during the years. It was apparent that they had abandoned much of what Surak had taught. This enabled him to be successful beyond his highest expectations. He was able to find five Vulcans willing to act as agents for Romulus. One of those was an individual who became obsessed with the idea of Vulcan and Romulus re-uniting. Of course, he assumed it would be as partners. Farrak let him keep that illusion."
"To Farrak's amazement, this man, V'Las, rose to be the head of the High Council. We had a Romulan admirer as the most powerful man on Vulcan."
Solon spoke up, "That is quite remarkable. How did Farrak plan to make use of this opportunity?"
"He needed to find something that would fit in with V'Las's belief that Romulus was interested in joining with a strong Vulcan as equals. He convinced him it would be in the best interest of both parties if Andoria was removed as a possible obstacle to their plans."
"Because of V'Las's arrogance, Farrak was able to convince him that a surprise attack would enable them to make short work of Andoria. Farrak knew that was very unlikely, and that the ensuing war would severely weaken both planets; thus giving Romulus the opportunity it had long desired, the return in triumph to our rightful home."
"In preparation for the invasion, Vulcan established a listening post on a remote site containing a monastery called P'Jem."
"V'Las was also worried about a group of individuals that attempted to follow the teachings of Surak. They were pacifists and he was afraid they could be a roadblock in his plan for going to war with Andoria. However, he was able to drive them out of any access to power and into hiding."
"So, at this point everything was proceeding as planned. They even had a bonus in that Andoria was also at odds with the other only real force in the area, the Tellerites. It only seemed a matter of time until their plans would bear fruit."
He paused, "And then Enterprise was launched."
"Before I go any further, I think I need a drink. Torok, will you join me in an ale? And can I get you some water, Solon?"
When both agreed, Vardon had his orderly bring the drinks and then when he had come and gone, started again.
"I think now I should introduce you to the individuals that will be the major characters in what I am about to relay to you."
Dimming the lights slightly, he typed on his computer and images appeared on the screen behind him.
"This is Enterprise. Not particularly impressive, it was capable of Warp 5 but its armaments would hardly match up to any of our fleet."
Torok interrupted, "What is the source of this information?"
"This data was brought back from Vulcan by Farrak. You have to realize that Vulcan was deeply involved with Earth for over one hundred years. They also kept tabs on what was happening after Enterprise was launched. As the head of the High Council, V'Las had access to all materials and he provided that information to Farrak."
A picture of Archer appears on the screen. "This is Captain Jonathan Archer, captain of Enterprise and one of the stars of our little story. It may be interesting to you to know that the Vulcans did not want him to be the captain, they felt he was too impulsive and also anti-Vulcan. It appears his father was the creator of their warp drives and he felt the Vulcans held their warp program back. He blamed them when his father died before seeing his creation come to life in Enterprise."
"That has changed since then and the main reason for it is this Vulcan."
A picture of T'Pol appeared on the screen. This is T'Pol, who came to serve as First Officer on Enterprise."
He looked for some time at the picture and then turned back, "She is quite beautiful, isn't she? I hope she lives through the war. I would like to deal with her personally."
Inwardly, Solon shook his head, it appeared nothing could stop Vandor's lust from being involved.
Vandor then quickly showed pictures of Soval, Gral, and Shran.
He then turned off the screen and brought the lights back up. "T'Pol was put on Enterprise's first mission because of the mistrust the Vulcans had for Archer, but when that mission was over, she chose to say aboard, the first of many fateful decisions our participants would make."
"As you remember, I said the Vulcans installed a listening post in a monastery at P'Jem. This was the scene for the first major step leading to the situation that has caused me to bring you here."
Finishing off his ale, he continued, "Somehow, the Andorians came to suspect that the listening post existed and sent raiding parties to look for it but were unsuccessful."
"One of these raids was led by a relatively unimportant Commander named Shran. He was not accomplishing any more than the previous raids had when fate or karma chose that moment for Captain Archer to decide to pay a visit to P'Jem apparently based on no more than curiosity."
"He was accompanied by T'Pol and a certain Commander Tucker, who will also play a part in the journey to our present point."
"Although the Andorians mistrusted Archer and the others as tools of the Vulcans, the events that transpired led to Archer discovering the location of the listening post."
"Then, to the amazement of those involved, he had T'Pol take incriminating photos of the post and had her give them to Shran. He then allowed him to leave."
Solon spoke up, "He did this even though he apparently had not encountered the Andorians before, and they were longtime partners of the Vulcans?"
Vandor smirked, "Yes, and you may be beginning to see how Archer and T'Pol are the heart of what eventually occurs."
"A few months after that, the Andorians warned the Monks to leave and destroyed the monastery and listening post. As you would expect, this made a huge impact on Vulcan, Andoria, and Earth."
Torok then joined in, "I assume that both T'Pol and Archer were severely reprimanded by their superiors, perhaps even faced charges."
Vandor smiled again, "Yes, that might be the most obvious result but the actual one was quite different. Apparently, Earth decided to back Archer because the listening post had been a breach of a previous agreement between Vulcan and Andoria. There also seemed to be a bond between Archer and his commanding officer, an Admiral Forrester."
"Also, the effects on Vulcan were surprisingly varied. Of course, V'Las was outraged and sent a ship to have T'Pol removed from Enterprise and returned to Vulcan. But there were also a great many Vulcans who were bothered by the fact that V'Las had used a religious site to hide his listening post. They even applauded Archer for exposing his blasphemy. Chief among them was Syran, the leader of the group that V'Las had forced into hiding. Especially among younger Vulcans, T'Pol was regarded as a hero."
"In the end, V'Las's plans for an invasion actually suffered a setback. Although it did cause many Vulcans to become enraged against Earth and Andoria, it was more than offset by exposing the mixed feelings Vulcans had about the situation. And of course, the loss of the listening post deprived V'Las of valuable information he desired before planning an attack."
"And somehow, Archer was able to persuade the Captain of the ship sent to bring T'Pol back, that she should remain on Enterprise."
"It was sometime later that our protagonists would meet again and once more step across V'Las's plans. Both Andoria and Vulcan claimed a planet that had a strategic position in relation to their home worlds. A hundred years before, they had agreed on a treaty that kept either planet from occupying it. But then the Andorians broke the treaty by placing an armed force on it. The Vulcans retaliated and the opposing ground forces fought to a stalemate, each controlling areas of the planet. It was also rumored that Andoria would send ships to reinforce their position. Since the Vulcans wouldn't allow it, it seemed that V'Las would get the confrontation he sought to start a war."
"But again, the Elements apparently had something else in mind. The leader of the Andorian forces was a recently promoted Regional Commander called Shran."
Seeing the look on Torok's face and the raising of Solon's eyebrow, he continued, "Yes, our old friend from P'Jem."
"Another of our protagonists now enters the arena. The Vulcan forces included the long time Ambassador to Earth, one Soval. He had been in the area and hoped he could perhaps head off a war. Shran agreed to discuss the issue, but only if one individual would serve as intermediary. The one man he felt he could trust that would also be acceptable to the Vulcans."
Solon almost whispered, "Archer."
Vandor smiled again, "Yes, Solon, I see you are beginning to see a pattern, a series of events that will lead to my belief that Earth must be attacked."
"It should be noted that Archer and Soval were hardly admirers of each other. Soval had been the main force in trying to stop Archer from commanding Enterprise, and Archer felt Soval was the main reason his Father was stopped from achieving his dream. As it turned out, Archer was able to work out a cease fire that led to peace talks between Andoria and Vulcan which put a serious crimp in V'Las and Farrak's plans."
"Not only that, but Soval admitted that he was beginning to change his opinion of Archer, that he had been of help in achieving the cease fire. And, of course, the trust between Archer and Shran continued to grow."
"I will speak only of the Xindi story briefly. I know you have all heard the fantastic stories that swirl around it. Tales of Time Travel, of how the destroying of the area called the Expanse somehow saved at least the Quadrant and perhaps the Galaxy from transcendental beings."
"I only want to mention some concrete things that resulted from it that have some effect on what I am discussing. First, it made T'Pol and Archer heroes on Earth. Second, there seems to be enough corroboration that show Archer has the ability to be ruthless if forced into it. It also shows the resilience of Humanity. Apparently, our good friend Shran also provided some help. But they also had a falling out when Shran attempted to take charge of a prototype of the Xindi weapon but was stopped by Archer. Finally," and he gave a leer, "There were stories that T'Pol and Commander Tucker had interspecies sexual relations. Now, I really would like to meet this T'Pol."
Solon grew a little more concerned, it appeared that Vandor had some sort of obsession with this woman.
Vandor rose and said, "I think we all need a break. I have arranged for a small lunch and then we can reconvene. I would like to know what your reactions are at this time. Go ahead, Torok."
"Well, Sir, I admit you have made some interesting points, but I still can't see where this could be a threat to the Empire. Unless you are planning something that this would obstruct, I think we should concern ourselves with the internal problems of the Empire."
Vandor turned to Solon, "How about you? Do you agree with Torok?"
"I think I need to wait until I hear the whole story. You must know that what you have presented so far, while quite intriguing, does not nearly justify what you are proposing."
Vandor smiled, "Careful as always. Come, let us eat."
After lunch, during which they had talked about other matters, they returned to Vandor's office. After everyone was comfortable and replenished with liquid, Vandor continued.
"Back on Vulcan both Farrak and V'Las decided that time was running out on them. The treaty with Andoria was holding and the Syrannites were gaining more followers and supporters. They decided they would try to do something that would give them an excuse to go after the Syrannites and also something that would bring Earth back to its alliance with Vulcan and maybe even cast doubts on its attitude toward Andoria."
"Their plan was to destroy the Earth Embassy on Vulcan while planting evidence that is was done by the Syrannites. They also planned to plant the seed that perhaps the Andorians would be supportive of the bombing as trying to create a wedge between Earth and Vulcan."
"When the bombing occurred, Admiral Forrester was killed while saving Ambassador Soval's life."
"As expected, it quickly brought Enterprise and Archer to Vulcan. The attempt to imply that Andoria could be involved made no impression on Archer, but he was completely fooled by the false evidence and now Earth and Vulcan were united against the Syrannites. They told Archer that they would not need his help, that it was a Vulcan problem and they would keep Starfleet appraised of the situation."
"But now someone they had never worried about, suddenly caused serious problems with their plans. Perhaps it was because Forrester had saved his life, or perhaps the many years on Earth had affected his feelings toward humans, but as it was learned later, Soval convinced Archer that he should do his own investigation. That he should believe no one. He even helped Archer get to the surface. He then performed a mind meld that proved that the evidence had been planted. V'Las quickly moved against him and had him removed from his position but everything was threatening to fall apart."
"Deciding he had no choice, V'Las plunged forward. Finding out that Archer was probably with the Syrannites, he used military force to make Enterprise leave Vulcan. He then launched an all-out attack against the Syrannites, destroying their camp. He then ordered the long-awaited surprise attack against Andoria."
"Unfortunately, it was all doomed to failure. Soval had completed his treachery by telling Commander Tucker, who was in command of Enterprise, about V'Las plan to attack Andoria. Tucker immediately set a course for there and they were able to contact Shran and the Andorians were waiting when the Vulcan ships arrived. Tucker also put Enterprise into the heart of the battle. Although the Andorians were outnumbered, the combination of the loss of the advantage of a surprise attack and the prospect of Vulcan ships destroying an Earth vessel caused one of the members of the Council named Kuvak to revolt and attempt to stop the attack. V'Las stopped him with force, but then something unexpected and extraordinary happened."
"Archer and the leader of the Syrannites arrived at the Council at that moment. They brought with them an artifact called the Kir'Shara that contained the writings of Surak. In the moments of the confusion that followed, Kuvack was able to break free and when V'Las lost all control and tried to destroy the Kir'Shara, he was shot."
"Kuvack then took command and recalled the fleet. V'Las was deposed and the council eventually named T'Pau, the leader of the Syrannites as head of the Council."
"It was also claimed that Archer had actually carried the Katra of Surak. I am not sure I believe all that, but it made an impression on the Vulcans."
"V'Las made his way to Farrak. Getting him to calm down, Farrak then killed him when he turned his back. Farrak then returned to Romulus, leaving his other contacts as spies on Vulcan."
"Well, when the Praetor learned what had happened, he quickly moved to hide all evidence of his failure, including disposing of Farrak."
"Now, wanting to redeem himself, he turned to an idea that had been presented to him by Senator Vrax and Admiral Valdore. He had thought it far-fetched and unworkable, but now was desperate enough to try anything."
Torok broke in, "Is what you are going to tell us the reason Vrax was killed by his Reman guards? And why Valdore was banished to that isolated outpost?"
Vandor nodded and then began, "Apparently Valdore had this plan to create a drone that could be controlled at extremely long distances using telepathic signals. He discussed it with his former colleague from the Senate Vrax because he needed some funding to work on it. Vrax saw how it could be tied into an idea he had long considered of building ships that could be configured to look like enemy vessels to confuse them in a battle. Finally, they hammered out a plan to create two drones that would be able to imitate both the appearance and the weaponry of several species' ships. But then they had the problem to find a telepath powerful enough to control the drones."
"Then Valdore remembered that during one of his missions spying on Andoria, he had heard of a race of telepathic natives called the Aenar that lived in a remote area of Andoria. Valdore took three ships and after observing the area for some time, were able to find a member of the tribe who had wandered off. They drugged him and returned him to Romulus. When he woke up, they told him he was the last of the Aenar and that the rest had been wiped out by order of the Andorian Imperial Guard. The truth was that the drugs they gave him made him highly conducive to suggestion and he believed what they told him and agreed to help them."
"This was the plan the Praetor now embraced. He planned to use the drones to create conflict and unrest in the Quadrant. To pit the planets against each other. When the first drone was ready, they used it to simulate Andorian ships when attacking Tellerite freighters and vice versa. They were quite successful in raising tensions."
"Then the Praetor learned that the Tellerites and the Andorians were planning to hold a trade conference on Babel to attempt to resolve their differences. He decided to use his drones to try to disrupt the conference. He ordered Valdore to attack the Andorian ship carrying the Andorian Ambassador with the drone appearing to be a Tellerite warship."
"The plan worked perfectly. They were also amazed to find that the drone had such maneuverability that it was able to avoid being hit and actually destroyed two Andorian ships."
"But now knowing how outside forces seem to be guiding their paths, guess who commanded one of the attacked Andoria ships; who is able to save only a small portion of his crew when his distress signal is answered. And who commands the rescue ship?"
He smirks, "If you were not thinking Shran and Archer, you have not been listening."
"There was a reason however, that Enterprise was nearby, it was carrying the Tellerite Ambassador to Babel for the conference. Andoria would not let the Tellerites bring their ships into Andorian territory and so The Teller turned to who they perceived as a neutral intermediary, Earth. We also meet one of our last major players, Ambassador Gral of The Teller."
"We don't know what happened aboard Enterprise. We could assume there must have been some tension between Shran and Gral. The next thing we do know is that Enterprise finds the drone, which has had problems and is in the process of repairing itself. It is able to finishing doing so and goes to warp. However, it is troublesome that Enterprise found it. Then suddenly there are again problems with the drone and it is discovered that two humans, one being Commander Tucker, apparently boarded the drone when it was still damaged. They are able to disable the drone once again as Enterprise finds them again. While Valdore waits for the ship to repair itself so it can go to warp, he is able to fend Enterprise off. But then he discovers that a fleet of ships is approaching at high warp. To his astonishment and consternation, he realizes it is made up of ships from all three planets, The Teller, Andoria, and Vulcan. Such a feat had never been accomplished before. As the two humans abandon the ship, the drone recovers and is able to escape back to Romulan space."
As Vandor paused to finish off his ale, Solon said dryly, "I would assume that the Praetor was less than pleased with the results of the mission."
Vandor had to grin, "You do have a talent for understatement. In actuality, the Praetor was livid. He had set out to destabilize the region and instead they were apparently more united then they had ever been before. He of course was not going to take the blame, so someone else was going to take the fall."
"But with all he had invested, he decided to give Vrax and Valdore one more chance. They assured him they would recover by using both drones to destroy Enterprise. It appears they had come to the same conclusion as I have, that Archer is the rock upon which any alliance rests. It is Earth that has provided a new beginning, a new path to follow."
"They launch both drones and are able to lure Enterprise to them by destroying a freighter. As expected, Enterprise is no match for the two drones and the battle is going well, but then suddenly there is another mind interrupting the telegraphic link. They had figured out how the drones were controlled. Whoever the individual was, he was able to convince the Aenar that what he was doing had to stop. Before Valdore could stop him, he set the two drones against each other. By the time Valdore killed him one drone was destroyed and Enterprise finished the other one off."
"As you mentioned before, Vrax paid the full price, while the Praetor felt Valdore was too valuable to kill, so exiled him to the far reaches of the Empire."
Vandor hesitated and got himself more comfortable. "We're about done. Does anyone need anything?"
Getting negative nods, he continued, "About a year ago, there was a conference of several planets on Earth in the hope of creating an Alliance. Progress was being made when an interruption came from an unlikely source. Apparently, there is a group on Earth that calls themselves Terra Prime that believe Earth should stay out of space and free of aliens. They actually threatened an attack on Starfleet if all aliens didn't leave. But then instead of leaving, Vulcan and other planets put their ships in the path of the attack. Then the rebellion was crushed. But it appears that they still have an underground movement that could cause problems again. Soon after that the Conference failed and the participants left."
"But Earth didn't give up and using the connections of the individuals we have talked about, have taken concrete steps toward creating an Alliance between Earth, The Teller, Andoria, and Vulcan."
"From all I understand, I believe it will be created. I don't need to point out such an Alliance would seriously compromise our hopes of reuniting with Vulcan."
"I also believe there is time to prevent its formation by taking Earth and Archer out of the picture."
"I also believe events that will soon take place provide the means to strike an even more telling blow."
"They are planning a 'Good will tour' that will have ships from each planet going on a small excursion together. It looks like all of our individuals will take part. If we attack Earth while they are gone, we will be able to ambush them as they hurry back. We can destroy all the main proponents of the Alliance at one time."
Vandor rose and poured himself another glass of ale. He then also refilled Torok's glass. Getting back in his seat he asked, "Well?"
Torok took his time and then spoke, "I am not sure that an attack will accomplish as much as you think. If it is successful, will we not be at war with all of them? After all, destroying that fleet will be an act of war."
"You point is well taken, Torok, but I do not believe a war with all of them is avoidable. It will surely be true if they form an alliance. Isn't It better to strike now, before the alliance is formed. At least there is a chance that the others will just decide it would not be worth going to war for Earth."
"Besides, there are other factors involved. This is probably the time when the forces of the planets are at the weakest. As time goes on, and there is an Alliance, they will be a much formidable force, having worked together. There is also no doubt that Earth's forces will certainly grow and become more powerful as time goes on."
"One last point, T'Pau has reduced the Vulcan fleet to a much smaller force. While it is true she may reduce it further, it is also likely she would increase it if she agreed to join an alliance."
Torok persisted, "Do you think you can deliver such a large blow to Earth? How may ships are you planning on sending? And are we ready to fight a sustained war if one is necessary?"
Vandor smiled, "I plan on sending twenty ships for the first attack. I plan to have them armed with dirty thermo-nuclear weapons. They will destroy their largest cities and military facilities. They will also pollute the air. If they do then go to war, I think we can afford a fleet of two hundred ships that with our cloaking advantage will be enough to quickly end the war."
Torok said resignedly, "I think you are still underestimating them. Although I agree with the devastating effect of the nuclear weapons. I can also see you are set on this. I promise you my full support."
Vandor turned to Solon, "You have been quiet, Solon, where do you stand?"
"I believe your logic is sound. The most cogent point is that this is likely to be our last best chance. The tide of time is against us. As Torok says I believe you have already committed yourself to this. I have no arguments that I can or wish to raise that will dissuade you. I of course will support your decision."
Vandor smiled, "Thank you." He then pulled up information of the screen as to time, ships to be involved, etc. "This is my initial proposal. I of course welcome your input."
Shran sat at the console usually used by Malcolm Reed on board Enterprise. He had been offered to be the Captain of the Andorian ship that was part of the 'Tour' but had decided it would be more interesting to spend some time on the Enterprise Bridge. As he looked around he saw T'Pol was at her usual post and Archer was in his seat, but the Communication station was manned by a Tellerite. Travis was at his post because Archer made it clear he would trust no one else in that position.
Shran turned back to Archer. He was always amazed at how his friendship with this human, this Pinkskin had grown. He thought back to the initial meeting at P'Jem and hated to think how differently it might have gone. You could have knocked him over with a plog's tail when Archer had told T'Pol to give him the tape.
He then looked over at T'Pol. His relationship with her, a Vulcan, was probably more amazing. Hell, she was his friend. Thinking of them both, he sometimes wondered if there was something between them, something more than friendship. In a way he hoped so. She was certainly beautiful and although he couldn't imagine being with a Vulcan, he just had a feeling they would be good together. Maybe it was because he had found such happiness with Jhamel that he wanted it for his friends too.
T'Pol was engrossed in her scanners. It was as she and the Captain had surmised, they were well suited for following ships movements and presenting them to a screen in front of her. She also had the ability to look outside the ship and bring the picture to her console. Thinking of the Captain made her turn and glance toward him. Although she was pleased with how they were working together, sometimes she remembered how she had felt when they had danced and when she rode behind him on the Hover Bike. Chiding herself for such thoughts, she decided she needed more meditation.
Archer caught Shran looking at him and wondered what he was thinking. He inwardly shook his head at the thought of their friendship. Who would have ever imagined it would turn out this way?
Thinking of friendship, he thought back to the conversation he had with Trip a few days before they left on this tour. Trip had seemed nervous and then acted a little apologetic. But when Archer finally got him to just say it, he proudly said that Natalie was pregnant. After getting the Captain's heartfelt congratulations, he then quietly told Archer he was resigning his commission and leaving Starfleet after the tour. He was going to work for Lester Warren and design and build Warp engines and Starships. Archer did not try to hide how much he would miss him on Enterprise but he also made it clear he understood and told him there was no man better suited for what he was going to do. They then unabashedly gave each other a hug. Trip had then shared his news with the crew and they all reacted similar to Archer. They declared there would be one big goodbye party when the tour was over.
T'Pol had been stoic but it was clear she was moved. She even joined in by giving him a hug.
Thinking of T'Pol made him turn to her and saw her staring intently into her scanners. In spite of himself, his eyes lingered on certain parts of her body. He sighed and decided he probably should take a cold shower later.
At the same time, twenty Romulan warships prepared to decloak in high orbit over the Earth.
