—Chapter 12—
"Ok, ok," said Trip, "so tell me again, why am I humping through this cursed Forge, T'Pol?"
"We are not in the Forge yet, Captain Tucker," said T'Pol.
Trip, T'Les and T'Pol had been walking for the past two hours through the dark, and had covered six miles in that time. They still had another four miles to cover before they could truly claim to be in the Forge, but that could not be helped. Ten miles away was the closest distance that the Enterprise's transporters could place the three of them, safely, and so they walked.
"As to why you are here, that answer should be obvious, Captain Tucker," said T'Pol. "We are on leave, and we are enriching ourselves culturally, by following Surak's path through the Forge. Many Vulcan pilgrims make the same journey each year, so rest assured that your sacrifice will surely win you acclaim for your fortitude."
"That acclaim won't do him much good, given the way he's wheezing," said T'Les, with amusement in her eyes. "I think he is about to drop dead."
"Charming, mother," said T'Pol. "Here I am trying to sell Captain Tucker on a magical journey through the Forge, and you are taunting him with visions of his death."
"No one asked you two to come with me," said T'Les.
"Yes," said T'Pol, "I should allow my mother to walk through the Forge, unaccompanied, to feed the first predator whose path she crosses. I find your logic flawed, mother."
"Ok," said Trip, "that explains why you're here, T'Pol. For your mom. But it doesn't explain why I'm here."
"That should be apparent, Captain Tucker," said T'Pol. "You saved my life on the Seleya. You owe me."
"Wait, what?! I owe you?" said Trip. "No, you have that backwards, T'Pol. You owe me a life, which means you shouldn't be dragging me through the Forge to my death."
"No, no, no," said T'Pol. "By Vulcan mores, you saved my life, so you are responsible for me. If you were not willing to undertake that responsibility, you should have left me on the Seleya to die."
"You're putting me on, right?" said Trip, then looked at T'Les. "She's kidding, no?"
"I told you to run when you had your chance, Captain Tucker," said T'Les. "The net closes on you, ever closer."
Trip had a pithy response for T'Les, but an odd undulating sound that seemed a mix between a cold blooded scream and a chortle startled the man.
"What the hell is that?" said Trip.
"A large v'rassa," said T'Pol. "A desert reptile, some eight feet long when fully grown. It is a carrion eater with a nasty bite, and given its diet, any bite inevitably turns gangrenous, and poisons the victim. The v'rassa tracks the dying victim, and feasts on its corpse, and then repeats the cycle until it is in turn, eaten."
"Charming desert you have here," said Trip. "I wish I had a phaser, but wait, energy weapons don't work in the Forge."
"That is why we carry spears," said T'Pol. "In any case, have no fear. The v'rassa is a cold blooded predator, which means it represents no danger to us in this chilly night air. It is so sluggish we could walk within five feet of it and it wouldn't be able to strike effectively."
"There are other predators in the Forge, T'Pol," said T'Les. "Quiet now, both of you. No need to draw them to us."
"Amen," said Trip, and the three fell silent as they continued walking towards the Forge.
"Do you even know where you are going, T'Les?" said Trip, stuffing a handful of smoked almonds into his mouth.
They'd been walking through the Forge for two days and nights now, mostly in the night, early morning and evening hours, invariably finding a cave, or at least some shade under an overhanging rock during the ten hours of maximum heat. Even though T'Les and T'Pol had been shaped by this planet, those hours were brutal, and for Trip they would have meant death. On the other hand, he did quite well during the night's chill, whereas the two Vulcans were quite uncomfortable in the the forty degree temperatures of the night.
"I am not a fool, Trip," said T'Les, digging into a bag of dried apricots from Earth. "We will reach the T'Karath Sanctuary soon."
"How soon?" said Trip.
"Soon," said T'Les.
"We're lost, aren't we?" said Trip.
"Yes, but don't worry," said T'Les. "Syrranites cross this area regularly, in small groups or alone, and we have organized patrols as well. We will be found, Trip."
"Great," said Trip.
"What is this fruit?" said T'Les. "It is quite tasty."
They were feeding off some rations given them by the Columbia, so all of the foods were of the Earth variety.
"This is dried mango," said T'Pol, snatching a piece for herself, "and the one you nibbled on just now, was an apricot."
"Quite tasty," said T'Les, and she would have said more, but she noticed movement, and said, "Look."
A lone Vulcan approached them, middle-aged, seemingly fit, well covered in the desert's dust, but then, they all were.
He apparently recognized T'Les, and she him, because she looked at the Vulcan and said, "I would like to introduce my daughter T'Pol and her companion, Charles Tucker. This is—"
"My name is Arev," said the Vulcan, interrupting T'Les.
"Yes..." said T'Les. "This is Arev."
Trip looked at T'Pol: they'd both noticed T'Les's hesitation, and knew at the very least that the man's name was not Arev.
"You were not expected any time soon, T'Les," said Arev.
"There was trouble," said T'Les. "I had no choice but to seek refuge here."
"You are always welcome here, T'Les. Always," said Arev. "But why are they here?"
"They would not allow me to come on my own, fearing for my safety," said T'Les. "Is that a problem. I vouch for my daughter, and Captain Tucker is a man of honor by all accounts."
"Captain?"
"StarFleet," said Trip.
"Ah, StarFleet," said Arev. "The High Command's lackey from another world. Are you here then on behalf of StarFleet, or the High Command?"
"Listen," said Trip, "I understand Syrranites have a hard-on for the High Command, Arev, and I'm sure your reasons are logical, but I don't give a damn. I'm only here to see T'Les safe, and if T'Pol is ready to turn back now, I'll be glad to leave this lush tropical landscape to the desert rats, the roaches, and you."
Arev gave a snort, and said, "Well, you are no politician, that is for certain, and an honest man can not be all bad, but as it happens you can not leave. A sandstorm forms that way now, and if you try to walk through it, the wind and sand will scour the flesh from your bones quite efficiently."
Trip looked and there was indeed something that looked like a pillar of smoke forming in the distance, and it didn't look that threatening, but every Vulcan looked concerned, which meant it was no joke.
"Can we make T'Karath Sanctuary before the storm, Arev?"
"Impossible," said Arev. "One of our posts is fairly close by. There, we will find food, water and shelter."
"Can't we just find a cave around here, and wait for the storm to pass?" said Trip, looking at T'Pol.
"The storms can last days, even weeks, though that is rare," said Arev. "Come with me, or you will die of thirst in whatever hole you manage to find. When the storm passes, you and T'Pol can find your way back."
T'Pol nodded to Trip, and they followed Arev and T'Les, though walking some fifty feet behind them, for it was the first chance they'd had to speak privately since leaving the Columbia, and in due time, they reached the Syrrranite outpost of which Arev had spoken.
"So what is going on with your daughter and the Human?" said Arev to T'Les, who was busy chopping up an assortment of vegetables.
Arev drizzled some plosek oil down the sides of a large cast iron pan that looked remarkably like a wok. The metal was quite hot, and the oil started shimmering almost instantly, though being plosek oil, it did not smoke.
"I do not want to talk about it," said T'Les. "T'Pol has always been headstrong to a fault, and now I fear she has allowed herself to care for this Human."
Arev tossed some crushed aromatic bulbs somewhat similar in taste to garlic, along with some crushed falangar, a rhizome noted for it's spicy taste, and as the two aromatics crisped they also flavored the plosek oil.
"Oh, come now, T'Les," said Arev, curious despite himself, for meeting Captain Tucker was his first encounter with a Human. "How did they meet?"
T'Les related the story of the Seleya, as Arev quickly stir-fried vegetables, and three kinds of fungi that looked nothing like Earth's mushrooms.
"Fascinating," said Arev, looking some fifteen feet his left, in order to glance briefly at Trip.
He scooped out the vegetables and partitioned them out onto four plates, then drizzled some more oil into the pan, tossed in and quickly stir-fried two pounds of cooked noodles, heating and crisping up the noodles while also giving them an invisibly thin coating of oil, then drizzling a sweet and spicy chili sauce over the noodles at last, and giving them one last mix and toss, to coat evenly, then partitioned them out onto the plates.
"T'Pol," said T'Les, and moments later her daughter appeared.
"Yes, mother."
"The food is ready. Get Trip."
"Apologies," said T'Pol, taking two bottles of tea, "but we will eat at the mouth of the cave. Trip has never seen a sandstorm in the Forge, and he is fascinated by it."
"Fine," said Arev, "but seal the hole when the time comes."
"Yes, Arev," said T'Pol, juggling drinks and plates, and then moving off slowly.
"She is a lovely girl, T'Les," said Arev.
"Most of the time," said T'Les diplomatically.
"Captain Tucker is an interesting man," said Arev, "and I believe T'Pol finds him so as well."
"I believe so too," said T'Les, "though I am not certain if it is just a brief infatuation for T'Pol, or something more. The man is pleasant enough, but I hope for brief infatuation. It is not a logical match."
"Life is more than logic, T'Les," said Arev, holding up the IDIC pendant which hung around his neck.
The IDIC symbol, was a pyramid with a gemstone at the cap, on a background of a circle, and stood for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, and had long been associated with Surak's enlightenment.
"I would not have expected to hear you say that, Arev," said T'Les, her voice ironic as she pronounced the Vulcan's name. "You do not speak kindly of Humans."
"Just because I object to the fact that the United Earth Government is acting as the High Command's dog," said Arev, "does not mean that I scorn each and every Human."
"Well," said T'Les, "I imagine the matter is out of my hands. Either the foolish girl will run off with the man back to StarFleet, or her chosen mate, Koss will exercise his claim to T'Pol, and kill Captain Tucker if the man should object to that fact."
"Those may be the main probabilities, as you see them, T'Les," said Arev, "but they are not the only possible outcomes."
"Here, Trip," said T'Pol, handing over his plate of food, while juggling two drinks, and her own food.
"Thanks," said Trip, looking up at T'Pol, and taking a plate, and reaching for a drink. "Let me take that bottle from you."
"Thank you," said T'Pol, and sat next to Trip.
They both stared out the open hole they'd left in the wall of stones they'd built as a barrier to the storm's fury. Out there, in the barren waste of the Forge, a monster storm was brewing. What had originally seemed a simple pillar of smoke to Trip, now covered 180 degrees of the horizon, a gigantic wall of sand turning over and over itself, like a huge tornado, the entire edifice being lit regularly by gigantic bolts of lighting which split, and split again, to create a seeming web of energy, and if the sight of the storm inspired awe, the sound of thunder was frightening.
"That's amazing, T'Pol," said Trip. "I've never seen anything like this before. How long until the storm gets here?"
"Not long," said T'Pol. "You feel the wind picking up?"
"Oh, yes," said Trip.
"It could be much worse, but this opening is properly oriented to minimize the wind's effect," said T'Pol. "If we left the cave, and moved twenty feet from the cave's walls, the winds would propel us through the air like tumbleweeds, unless we laid flat on the earth."
"Fascinating," said Trip, teasing T'Pol, but she merely nodded, and tucked into her food, and Trip followed her lead.
"Arev is quite the cook," said T'Pol, appreciating the flavor the Vulcan had extracted from relatively few ingredients, mostly by caramelizing the vegetables and noodles with extreme heat, and masterful seasoning.
"He is, but Arev is not his name."
"Obviously," said T'Pol.
"So why would your mom lie to us?" said Trip.
"I do not know," said T'Pol. "I bet now that you wish we had gone to Tahiti, as I had suggested."
"You're right about that," said Trip. "You pick our next three vacations."
"Excellent," said T'Pol, pleased, for if Trip was planning three years in advance, that was a good sign that he thought well of their relationship.
They finished their meals in silence, Trip drawing inspiration from the sight of the storm, T'Pol drawing comfort from the presence of the man. It was odd. They'd known each other for a relatively short time, yet even now, she could not imagine going back to her old life, without her mate… that is to say, without this man in her life.
"Here," said Trip, standing. "Give me your plate, T'Pol."
"Thank you."
"I'm grabbing myself another tea," said Trip. "May I bring you back one as well?"
"No, thank you."
Trip left, and when he returned to T'Pol's side, he found the Vulcan in a pitiful position, with head hung down, her bangs covering her eyes. Perhaps she was tired, perhaps she was sad. Avec and T'Les were huddled together as they spoke, so as he stood next to T'Pol, he tousled her hair and rubbed the tips of her ear playfully, then sat next to her.
"T'Pol," said Trip.
"Hmmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said T'Pol.
"T'Pol," said Trip, "you're not Human. You are supposed to be logical. Share your thoughts."
"I fear that something terrible will happen, Captain Tucker," said T'Pol. "I wish that we had never come here."
"So we leave T'Les here," said Trip, "since these are her friends, then make our way out of the Forge when the storm clears, and off Vulcan. We're off duty, so we're not bound to spend the rest of our leave here. Without the use of modern technology the odds of the High Command finding her are damned low."
"I suppose so," said T'Pol. "I just hope nothing happens to you here. I can not go back."
"Go back to what?" said Trip.
"To what I was," said T'Pol.
"What do you mean?" said Trip, but T'Pol suddenly raised her head.
She stood, and said, "We need to seal up the cave."
She started piling up rocks at the opening, and Trip followed her lead. Arev and T'Les saw them working, and joined in as well in the effort. It was amazing to Trip, how quickly the storm hit their refuge. Literally twenty seconds had passed since T'Pol had raised her head, to now, and the storm was fully upon them, and Murphy's Law was proven once again in the universe: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and suddenly a bolt of lighting struck the mouth of the cave, and affected both Arev, and T'Les, knocking them from their feet.
Trip was closest to T'Les so bent over her supine form, gently slapping her face, while calling her name. T'Pol bent over Arev, and the Vulcan was conscious, but badly hurt. As T'Pol bent over the Vulcan, he reached up and touched the psi-points on her face, and T'Pol would have fought the Vulcan's touch, but he'd paralyzed her somehow.
"You must carry it to sanctuary," said Arev, and moments later, released T'Pol.
"What have you done to me?" said T'Pol.
"You must carry it to sanctuary, T'Pol."
"Carry what?"
"Surak's katra!"