Never and Always...
Disclaimer: Star Trek: Enterprise is the property of CBS/Paramount. All original material herein is the property of its author.
A/N: Thank you for the positive comments regarding Archer. Though Archer-bashing appears to be distressingly fashionable in some circles, I love the guy, and I have always been a champion of the Big Three dynamic. I am also tickled that Lorian and Karyn have found an audience.
Chapter 3: ...As Long As We Remember Them
Malcolm's honor guard snapped to attention as the airlock gauge flashed green, indicating that the shuttle from Earth's embassy had docked. Archer, flanked by T'Pol and Trip, stepped forward as the hatch hissed open, revealing the embassy representative, a somber-faced man named Shaw.
"Ambassador Shaw," Archer greeted him, shaking his hand. "Glad to have you aboard."
"Thank you, Captain," Shaw replied quietly.
Archer introduced Trip and T'Pol before beckoning Malcolm over. "Lt. Commander Reed will be your liaison for the journey home."
Malcolm gave Shaw a respectful nod. "My staff and I are at your disposal, sir. If there's anything you need, you have but to ask."
Shaw nodded his thanks before turning back to Archer. "We have a member of the Vulcan High Council with us. He'll be representing Vulcan at the memorial."
A gray-haired Vulcan, dressed in muted ambassadorial robes, emerged from the airlock: Soval. He met the surprised faces of Archer, Trip, and T'Pol by raising his hand in the Vulcan ta'al. "We meet again, sooner than any of us expected."
All three officers returned the ta'al in unison, as Shaw and Malcolm observed from the sidelines. "Looks like Vulcan Old Home Week," Malcolm murmured.
Soval smoothly switched to a human greeting, holding out his hand. Archer shook it warmly. "Welcome aboard, Amb...uh, Councillor Soval? Minister?"
"Ambassador," Soval clarified. "Minister T'Pau agreed with my assessment that my abilities as a diplomat far outweighed any input I might have at this time regarding the reorganization of Vulcan's government." He paused. "Also, I asked to make this final journey with Admiral Forrest, to pay tribute to him at the memorial. I greatly valued his friendship."
Shaw looked from Archer to Malcolm. "I'd like to see my... The victims, are they—" He faltered, swallowing hard.
"Of course, Ambassador," Malcolm replied. "Come with me, sir." He led the way down the corridor with Shaw, as the others followed. Malcolm continued, his manner at once smoothly professional and gentle with compassion. "They were brought to a specially prepared area of the ship, where an honor guard will watch over them round the clock, all the way home..."
The Captain's Mess was filled with warm memories that evening. Abner Shaw, like everyone else at the embassy, had been awash in shock and sorrow for days; he was only too glad of the opportunity to share fond anecdotes about his lost colleagues. After he bid the Enterprise officers goodnight and took his leave, Soval took on the mantle of storyteller, enthralling Archer with tales of his many years working with Admiral Forrest. Archer, in turn, passed on his lingering memories of his conversations with Surak, now mercifully uninterrupted by the blatherings of that emissary-reject Syrran. T'Pol, for her part, reminisced about her mother. Then Soval listened with fascination as Trip and T'Pol recounted the rocky road that led to their engagement, from Lorian's prescient analysis of T'Pol's marriage to Koss's confession and declaration of release.
"It is unfortunate that Admiral Forrest is not here to share in the news of your engagement," Soval told the commanders. "I believe he would have supported it."
"Supported? He would have promoted the hell out of it!" Archer laughed. "You saw what he did with 'The First Ever Vulcan Member Of Starfleet'."
Trip and T'Pol both winced, recalling the media circus surrounding T'Pol's Starfleet commission. "I don't understand why it has to be such a big deal," Trip sighed. "Can't we just get married?"
"No," Archer and Soval both said flatly.
"You're trailblazers, whether you want to be or not," Archer pointed out. "You're choosing a difficult and untested path."
"However, you will leave a valuable legacy behind," Soval said. "The path will be easier for those who follow you."
T'Pol's brow knitted pensively. She spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. "I am embarking on a journey that diverges from the Vulcan norm. But in many ways, I am only now discovering what it is to be truly Vulcan." She glanced at Trip before continuing. "I choose this path freely. Yet I wish to embrace the facets of my heritage that I have never known. To learn that mind-melding is not a shameful thing, a source of pain and disease, but a lost art, a method of healing and communion accessible to all...to know that my mother learned to meld..." She turned hopefully to Soval. "Will you teach me?"
"Of course," the ambassador replied readily. "We can begin whenever you are ready."
"This evening?" she asked.
"As you wish."
"How shall I prepare?..."
As the two Vulcans conversed, the two humans traded a glance. Trip could tell from Archer's glad smile that they were thinking the same thing: it was good to see T'Pol embracing her Vulcan heritage.
In all the years Trip had known her, he had gotten the impression that T'Pol didn't think much of Vulcan society or traditions—even when she was throwing them in his face to prove a point. Now he understood her disillusionment a lot better. She had spent virtually all her life as an outcast. Her emotions were unusually close to the surface, she had chosen an unconventional career, and she hadn't slavishly followed Vulcan tradition or the High Command's doctrine. Plus, she'd been the VHC's go-to scapegoat ever since P'Jem. No wonder she was as disenchanted, in her own way, as T'Les had been.
But now, because of the Kir'Shara, Vulcans were embracing truth and reacquainting themselves with the Surakian ideals of humility and tolerance. T'Pau had cleaned house; the Vulcan High Council would not be taking up the High Command's longtime role as the insufferable know-it-alls of the galaxy. Finally, T'Pol had a homeworld she could respect.
It was about time.
-tbc-