Chapter 13
Vahklas
By Blacknblue (aka Bluenblack)
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek. I wrote this for fun. Anyone is free to download and/or redistribute this story as long as you keep it complete and intact, and as long as you don't make any money from it.
Vulcan terms used in this story were taken from the online Vulcan Language Dictionary, the Vulcan Language Institute, or I made them up myself.
This is not edited. Take it as you see it, typos and all.
Author's Note: I said I would finish it if I live. Despite walking pneumonia and a mild stroke this winter, I ain't dead yet. Bear with me.
This chapter finally gets back to what's happening in the Expanse. Enterprise got to the Northstar colony and found survivors from E2. Some questions are going to get answered, including why we never heard about the temporal cold war in the original series or anywhere else. My goal is to make this series fully compatible with established canon insofar as I possibly can. Since the ENT series was emphatically not compatible with original canon, I am trying to do repair work. Dunno how close it will be.
A/N (Standard note): This story makes several references to events that took place during earlier stories in my series. It also incorporates aspects of the Vulcan social and economic structure, as described in my prior stories. If you have not read my earlier work you might have issues following along. Enter at your own risk.
Anyone is welcome to use anything I invent in these fan fics as long as they don't make any money off it. I also appreciate it when they take the time to give me a brief nod. Otherwise help yourself.
In order, the stories in this series are:
1) For Want of a Nail
2) In The Cold of The Night
3) Father To The Man
4) Purgatory
5) Hess + Kov
6) and this critter, Vahklas
###
Turbulence shook the pod again, slightly.
"Sorry, sir." Mayweather made a correction to their heading.
"Don't worry about it," Archer said. "The wind currents coming out of those mountains would probably be enough to jar Enterprise. It should settle down once we get a little lower."
"ETA eleven minutes," Travis told everyone. "See anything yet?"
Hoshi didn't raise her head. She had been leaning intently over the co-pilot's controls ever since they hit atmosphere, and her eyes never left the readouts. "Three retro-fitted shuttlepods, or something very similar. No telling what kind of tinkering they did to things over the course of a century. Each pod looks like it has one phase cannon, low yield, and the largest one…might… be capable of warp one. Can't be sure. There's a collection of prefab shacks scattered around what looks like a mining shaft, along with a couple of wells."
"Life signs?" Archer tried to relax the grip on his knees.
"Somewhere between seven and fifteen that I can get clearly. Could be a lot more." Hoshi looked up, embarrassed. "They're dumping the ore in piles around the perimeter of the camp. Along with the constant transmissions they make it's partially scrambling the signal. I can't get any details. And I can't get anything inside the mine."
"We will know when we get there," Phlox said serenely. The discovery that at least some of his grandchildren were still alive had hit the doctor like a fifth of bourbon would have hit the captain. A smile was welded on his face, and a faraway look in his eyes showed that he didn't much care what was going on inside the shuttlepod right then.
The comm crackled. "Incoming shuttle from Mining Camp One. Acknowledge. Over."
Hoshi paused a moment and then reached over. "Mining Camp One, this is shuttlepod two from Enterprise. We are on approach and request permission to land. Uh, over?"
She looked at the others. "They've gone back to the old radio communication protocols. Makes sense, if they plan to get the people here used to modern tech gradually."
"They'd better," Mayweather muttered. "What they used to call future shock caused a fair amount upset to some people back on Earth, because things were changing faster than the social mechanisms could keep up with. And that was when it was happening naturally. I can only imagine what trying to drag these people forward three hundred years in one generation is going to do."
"Enterprise Shuttlepod Two from Mining Camp One. You are cleared to land at the eastern edge of camp, outside the stockpiles. Avoid the road, we have nearly constant traffic. Over."
"Mining Camp One, acknowledged. ETA…," she glanced at Travis, who held up four fingers. "ETA four minutes. Over and out." Hoshi sat back and muttered, "I think that was the right protocol. It's been a long time since that History of Electronic Communication course."
The shacks were some kind of sheet metal, perhaps salvaged from the hull of the cargo hold in orbit. At close range they could see several flatbed wagons parked near the ore piles, being loaded by shovel and sweat. The wagons were fitted with a small engine and a seat at the front, where a tiller bar, along with a pair of pedals appeared to be the only controls.
Several figures waited just inside the ring of ore piles. Archer looked at his people. "Let me start the talking. I know they're family, but we want to get some basic information out of the way first, before we dive in."
"Surely, captain," Phlox stirred and protested. "You can't believe that they would harm us."
"No." Archer shook his head. "I'm not worried about them. But I want to make sure that they're in the good graces of the other humans here. The colonists on this world are not what modern humans would call highly civilized, and some of the people from E2 obviously carry alien blood. Remember that these colonists were originally enslaved by a race that was centuries more advanced. But they managed to turn the tables on them anyway. It doesn't pay to underestimate them."
"I get it." Travis nodded. "You want to make sure that they aren't working under duress. Maybe with hostages back in the settlements or something. A good thought."
"Did you get all that, Malcolm?" Hoshi asked.
"Perfectly. A prudent course of action, if I may say so, sir. We will stand by up here just in case. Although I rather doubt that we really have anything to worry about."
"So do I," Archer said. "But these last few years have made me a touch paranoid."
"I find it quite a relief to hear that, sir."
#
T'Jala replaced the clean skillet and dropped her drying cloth into the recycler. Cook was still scraping down the grill and cleaning the crevices. Her first and most favorable impression of the galley aboard this ship had been the staff's near obsession with hygiene. She automatically suppressed a mild twinge of shame, recalling her concerns. The High Command's propaganda had indeed been insidious.
The V'Tosh Katur engineer waited at one of the tables near a viewport. He was observing the planet below when she walked up and took the opposite chair. A faint background murmur of conversation came through the activated comm unit.
"It is an interesting illustration of the differences in thought patterns between our races," Tizok said, without looking away from the port. "Captain Archer ordered that any crewmember who desires to monitor the away team's communications should be permitted to do so. I cannot imagine a Vulcan captain giving an equivalent order. Not even a V'Tosh Katur. It would not occur to them."
"The logic initially escaped me," T'Jala said. "Until Malcolm explained that nearly every member of the original crew was desperate to find out the status of their own descendants. By listening to the comm unit, they will receive the news as soon as the bridge crew does. It will also save Malcolm the unpleasant duty of informing those members whose descendants did not survive. He stated that reviving hope at this point, only to receive final confirmation of their demise, is likely to be emotionally devastating."
"Very little work is being performed in engineering," Tizok said. "Every crewmember is dangerously distracted."
T'Jala inclined her head slightly. "The tension level aboard this ship is disquieting. I gain the impression that the crew is on the verge of losing control completely."
"I believe you underestimate them, Lady T'Jala," Tizok said. "I recognize that you have been in contact with Humans longer than I have. However, I am something of an expert on attempting to experience emotion while remaining functional. Since I came aboard I have been forced to conclude that Humans can naturally achieve that which we, the V'Tosh Katur, sought in vain to accomplish. They are capable of enduring the full range and intensity of emotion while still retaining control. I have not yet concluded whether this is biological or cultural."
"You have not seen them under maximum stress," T'Jala said. "My krei, T'Pol Tucker, states that when faced with a serious threat to their family or battle comrades even a Human's control will shatter. The result can be, in her words, appalling."
The comm unit hissed.
"Shuttlepod Two, we have visual contact. Maintain current bearing. You are cleared to land at the designated area. Welcome back to Northstar. Please tell us you have coffee. Our only re-sequencer has been re-purposed to making components, and the local excuse for coffee would cut the paint off a ship's hull. Over."
Laughter broke out around the room, while the two Vulcans raised eyebrows.
#
Healer Jul activated the door code and stepped back to allow Eldest Mother T'Para priority of entrance. The women walked into a consulting room that was already close to full. The standard conference table boasted a collection of remarkably distinguished individuals, compared to the ordinary meetings that were held there.
It was unusual, to say the very least, for the eldest mothers of two major clans to physically sit down at the same table across from each other. When one added the presence of a Council Minister, his Adjunct Assistant, one of the discoverers of the Kirshara, and two alien dignitaries held in significant esteem by the High Council, the meeting strongly resembled a treaty negotiation of some sort.
Jul focused inward and banished such imaginative musings. She and Kerlek had extremely important work to do. This meeting could cause serious repercussions for both Vulcan and Earth. Whimsy was inappropriate. She seated T'Para and joined Healer Kerlek at the head of the table, silently granting him the clearance to proceed.
"We recognize that the circumstances of this meeting are unusual," Kerlek began. "Given the sensitive nature of the information that we are about to impart, Jul and I decided that it would be best to confine its distribution to a single presentation in a controlled setting."
"Acknowledged," T'Para twitched a finger. Since a member of her clan had instigated the meeting, she took over the duty of hostess by default. "Proceed." Everyone else sat silently listening. Jul scanned the room and noted that the two humans wore nearly identical expressions of anxiety. She decided that proactive reassurance would be logical, in the interest of avoiding unnecessary stress.
"The information is not disquieting in any way," Jul said calmly. "It does not imply any health or safety issues for T'Lissa, or any future children of mixed Human and Vulcan heritage. To the contrary, in fact. The sensitive nature of the information is due to political and social, rather than biological issues."
Kuvak stirred and lowered the hand that he had been using to prop up his chin. "In that case, I concur with your caution. Is it possible that this information is already known to the government? Perhaps classified?"
"Entirely possible," Kerlek said. "If it is already known, the V'Las administration might well have been driven to near panic by its discovery."
Eldest Mother Laritkla twitched an eyebrow. "Panic? I hesitate to criticize your choice of words without more information, but your statement seems extreme."
"I concur," T'Para said, wearing the barest trace of an almost detectable hint of potential disapproval. "V'Las exhibited many negative personality traits. Cowardice was not among them."
"Perhaps panic was the wrong choice of word," Kerlek backed off. "Certainly the High Command's established policies would have necessitated extreme measures to conceal this information if it was discovered."
"Quit beating around the bush, Kerlek," Captain Tucker said, in a tone that Jul interpreted as indicating exasperation. "What is this great secret you dragged us all down here for? Me and Anna have both got work piling up on our desks with every passing minute. If we wait too long to get back the avalanche will bury us alive. I don't even want to think about poor Kuvak and Kov."
"Certainly," Kerlek said. "You and Lady T'Pol will doubtless recall volunteering to assist Dr. Phlox and myself in our research?"
"Yes," T'Pol said. She sat her with hands folded and a serene expression. Jul watched in approval. Her krei was suffering an amount of ongoing stress from multiple sources that would challenge the self-discipline of someone twice her age. Yet she was exhibiting the calm of a Kohlinar student.
"You are also aware," Kerlek said carefully, "that as part of our research, we compiled a complete genetic profile of T'Lissa, as well as both of you? Our intent was to use cross-comparisons to isolate specific base pair sequences, identify their functions, and reverse engineer T'Lissa's creation."
"So far, so good," Trip said. "We got all that."
Anna Hess contorted her face in a grimace. After an instant of mental review, Jul concluded that she was expressing distaste. "I know that you made it sound clinical because it was clinical, literally. I also know it was necessary. But it sounds so cold to talk about a baby that way." Her face shifted to an expression that Jul was completely at a loss to identify.
Laritkla said gently, "The mechanical description of biological operations does not, in any way, reflect on the essence of parental affection, Anna."
"I know." Anna turned her head and took a deep breath. "Ignore me. Just a random emotional outburst. Not important."
"Bullshit," Trip smiled, for a Human it was quite faint. "Lighten up on yourself, commander. That's an order."
Anna chuckled. "Aye, sir."
Kov reached over and took Anna's hand. He asked Kerlek, "What is the significance of this introductory information?"
Kerlek straightened and wiped all expression from his face. "During our investigation, Phlox and I made a discovery. Until this point, we have been indecisive regarding its publication. Healer Jul's recent investigation into Human telepathy, and her surprise at the ease with which Captain Tucker was able to communicate with his mate and daughter, prompted me to reveal the information to her. She prevailed upon me to distribute the data to the Humans who are most immediately affected by it, leaving its ultimate fate up to you. The other members of your clans were invited due to the potential for extreme emotional reactions on both our worlds."
The Humans sat and blinked at him silently for a moment, then looked at each other. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Trip said. "Doc, I don't wanna sound difficult, but getting a straight answer out of you is worse than trying to pry one out of Phlox sometimes. Just spit it out. We aren't children. Neither of us are going to have a fit, whatever it is. Even if we did, our mates are here. They'll make us behave ourselves."
Kerlek closed his eyes. "We discovered... We learned that over 17% of the Human genome is identical, in both structure and function, to its counterpart in the Vulcan genome."
"Say WHAT?"
Trip jerked upright in the chair. Anna merely stared while the muscles of her forehead tightened, which Jul recalled meant she was deep in contemplation. Kov turned in concern and touched her cheek. "Anna. Look at me. Beloved. Anna?"
T'Pol froze in shock. One of her hands dropped lifelessly to the table with a thud. "This is incomprehensible. This is not possible. Please repeat the basic information in an alternate form, with expanded detail." The older Vulcans sat with faces that might have been carved from granite, listening very closely indeed.
"Parallel evolution." Trip was obviously running possible explanations through his mind. "Could that be it?"
"No," Kerlek said flatly. "We have effectively eliminated that possibility." He looked at T'Pol and hesitated, the looked at Jul.
Jul said, "We have been unable to refute the evidence. More than 17% of the Human genetic code came from Vulcan. Kerlek and Phlox have analyzed the data using every possible method. They have cross checked it against multiple alternate sources of genetic material, and they have had their calculations cross-checked multiple times. I have cross-checked them myself. The possibility of error is statistically insignificant. The possibility of parallel evolution is statistically insignificant. Allowing for standard rates of genetic drift yields the conclusion that at some point between 60,000 and 80,000 Earth years ago a space faring race chose, for their own reasons, to infuse the ancestors of modern Humans with Vulcan DNA."
Kuvak said slowly, "There is a theory extant which proposes an explanation for the superficial similarities of many races in the galaxy. Could this be further evidence in support of that theory?"
"Unknown," Kerlek said. "However, if the Vulcanoid races of the galaxy all have a common origin or common ancestor, it was millions, if not billions, of years ago. This genetic infusion took place within the current lifespan of both our races. According to the research that Phlox conducted into the Human database, the time of the infusion correlates very closely to the appearance on Earth of a new sub-species of Human called Cro-Magnon."
"Cro-Magnon." Anna rubbed her face. "They suddenly appeared out of nowhere, for no discernible reason. Then they exploded out of Africa, and took over the planet. First Humans to make representational art. First Humans to invent weaving. First Humans to use agriculture and animal husbandry. First Humans to invent the atlatl, and the bow. First Humans to build structures. First Humans known to use jewelry and cosmetics. First Humans to smelt metal."
"First Human warriors." Trip's remark fell into the room and left silence behind.
"Precisely." Kerlek actually sighed. Given the circumstances, Jul decided that the cause was sufficient. "Phlox told me his archaeological research left no doubt that the infusion of Vulcan material transformed a race of peaceful hunter/gatherers into murderous warriors. We agreed that the Science Directorate would find this information difficult to accept, regardless of the rigor of the research."
"Unfortunate, but probably correct," Jul admitted. "However, Science Directorate's lack of ability to adjust should not prevent the acquisition of new knowledge."
"Do you have a theory about why someone might have done this?" Anna wanted to know.
"We do," Kerlek said. "Phlox hypothesized that the race who made the infusion did it after the eruption of what he referred to as a super-volcano. I am informed that plate tectonics on Earth are more active and violent than here, and that Mt. Toba's eruption was one of the most violent in the lifespan of your race. I believe that it caused several years of darkness, leading to universal famine, followed by a thousand years of lowered oxygen levels and lethal cold?"
"Yeah." Trip rubbed his eyes. "I think that's right. Haven't thought about it since geology class in high school."
"Phlox told you right," Anna said slowly. "They found ash layers six or seven meters thick, thousands of kilometers from the volcano itself. For six years, there was no growing season over a large percentage of our planet. Then for a thousand years it got colder than Humans had ever known. Every Human alive today is descended from the survivors of that time. About 10,000 people, wasn't it, Trip?"
"More like 6,000 to 8,000 is what I heard," Trip muttered.
Eldest Mother Laritkla said severely, "Are you attempting to make a Human joke, young man?"
"He's not, I promise," Anna said earnestly. "We really did come that close to dying out."
"I withdraw my earlier objection to your choice of words," T'Para said. "Panic might well have been a reasonable description of the High Command's reaction to this information. I consider it likely that this information is, in fact, already known. Although it is no doubt classified. One of the first things the High Command did was obtain a complete genetic analysis of Humans, in the event that development of a bioweapon became necessary."
"I'm guessing Earthgov has it too," Anna said. "Our people would have done the same thing, for the same... reason." She made a snorting sound. "Surprise, surprise. Our governments think alike. Oh, my Lord."
"Soval told me something once," Trip said thoughtfully. "He said there was a good reason that the High Command was so jumpy about us Humans. It was because we reminded them of themselves, and the way Vulcans used to be. We scared them because they knew what Vulcans were capable of, and they were afraid we might be just as dangerous."
He paused and changed expression before turning to his mate. "What? What is it, hon? I didn't mean anything offensive. Soval actually said that."
T'Pol looked at him and offered two fingers. "I am not offended, husband. Not in the slightest. As it happens, I can testify that the High Command's trepidation was fully justified. I am merely overwhelmed by the multiple ironies of the situation. For example, it is established law, and has been for centuries, that anyone who can prove through genetic analysis that they have at least one eighth Vulcan ancestry is eligible to apply for Vulcan citizenship. Subject to individual case review."
Both Human lost control. Trip bent over the table and buried his face on his folded arms, laughing while his shoulders shook. Anna grabbed Kov and pressed her face to his arm, choking. "I'm sorry. I'm trying. I'm tr... I can't stand it!" She exploded also.
Kov's distress was palpable. He was struggling urgently to maintain control in the presence of his clan's eldest mother and her distinguished counterpart. But Jul's healer empathy detected that he was only barely holding back from joining Anna in semi-hysteria.
Kuvak said, with no detectable upset, "It would indeed be disruptive if the entire Human race were to apply for citizenship en masse. However, the law is quite clear. Given the data presented here, they have the inherent right to do so."
"Th-the line would str-stretch from ShiKahr to the far side of the TikLasat mountains and back again," Trip snickered. "By the time the first generation of applicants was processed, their grandchildren would be ready to sign up. Perpetual employment for the entire diplomatic corps."
Jul made the soft cough that Humans used to indicate a desire to interject a comment. "Since this information relates to the Human genome we decided that it would be inappropriate for anyone but Humans to make the final decision. Should Kerlek publish the findings?"
"Oh, man." Trip rubbed his forehead. "This is gonna take some thought."
"Absolutely." Anna dried her eyes. "I can just hear some of the xenophobes back home now. It might even provoke riots. The xenophobes here would be more restrained about it, but some of them might be even more vicious." Jul firmly suppressed her discomfort at Anna's remark. The young Human was understandably destabilized by the news and obviously meant no offense.
"Maybe we should talk to Starfleet Command," Trip said. "Find out if they already know about it. If it is classified, and we spread it around without realizing it, we might get ourselves in hot water. They couldn't really bust us if we weren't informed in advance, but they would claim we're command level and supposed to think about potential repercussions."
"An excellent thought," Kuvak said. "I shall do the same for our government. I hope that we can agree on a mutually satisfactory compromise, in the event that one or both governments desire to keep the information secret."
"I'm not sure if it's a good idea to let it out anyway," Trip said. He slumped back. "You gotta understand, Kerlek. For a hundred years, we have been hearing the High Command tell us we're inherently inferior, a pack of savage barbarians, not fit to be a star traveling race, a danger to ourselves and everyone around us, too childish to be trusted with technology that we developed for ourselves with our own abilities."
"He's right." Anna squeezed her eyes shut. "The average Human on Earth either despises Vulcans, or regards Vulcans with resentful indifference. Only a few of us have worked with you enough to know better. For everyone like me and Trip, there are several million who only know what they have heard about from people who had to deal with the High Command. And leaving us in the lurch when the Xindi hit was the last straw for a disturbing number of people. It will be at least a Human generation before the anger over that starts to cool off." She gave T'Pol a rueful smile. "Right now, the only Vulcan that I am certain would receive a warm welcome on Earth is the one who went into the Expanse with us. The best any other Vulcan can hope for is wary tolerance. And you wouldn't get that much from everybody."
"You estimate," Kerlek said soberly, "that learning of blood kinship with Vulcan would generate negative emotions among your people?"
"Among some of our people, oh yeah," Trip ran a hand through his hair. "A lot of Humans wouldn't believe it. They would figure it was just another propaganda lie. The High Command used to lie by conditioned reflex. For a lot of our people, the default response to anything a Vulcan says is suspicion."
"I was not aware the the alliance had deteriorated to such a degree," Jul said.
"The High Command took great pains to prevent most of our people from knowing it," T'Para said. "I conclude that their ultimate purpose involved alliance with the Romulans. The sudden and, to most Vulcans, inexplicable breaking of relations by Humans would have been helpful."
"I get it," Anna nodded. "Humans are undependable. They're sitting only a few light years from our home world, with the Andorians moving in. We need allies we can depend on. Who better than our own kin? It probably would have worked, too."
"You deduced all of that, simply from what she said?" Kerlek raised both eyebrows.
"It's simple enough," Trip told him. "The High Command wasn't nearly as sneaky as they thought they were. Not to a Human anyway."
T'Pol's mouth quivered as she suppressed a smile.
"That's it." Anna's eyes suddenly widened. "It just hit me. This is why first generation hybrids do better when the Vulcan genome is dominant. Our baby is actually going to be fifty-eight point five percent Vulcan, instead of half. It wouldn't make sense for the smaller percentage to be dominant over the larger."
"It is quite possibly a contributing factor," Kerlek said.
"Another potential factor," T'Pol said, sounding distracted, "is copper blood in a Vulcan. I was recently reminded that animal life on Earth originally used copper for circulatory fluid. Only after significant advancement in evolution had occurred did environmental pressures cause some of them to start using iron."
Jul felt a spark of excitement. "I was unaware of this, as well. It might assist the initial stages of the embryo in adapting to a copper based environment. The Human portion of the genome would simply be returning to its evolutionary roots, in a sense. However, no animal on Vulcan uses iron. A fetus with Vulcan genes that was developing in an iron based environment would be at a significant disadvantage."
Anna took a deep breath. "Which just reaffirms what I already knew."
"We will speak after this meeting," Kov's eldest mother said. "I may have found your solution. One of Kov's krei has volunteered." Anna clenched her hand on Kov's. He winced slightly but made no other response.
"I'm sorry," Anna swallowed. "I can't wait. Do I know her? I mean, have I met her?"
"You work with her," the old woman said. "She is one of Kov's former shipmates. T"Hosh."
"T'Hosh?" Anna look surprised. Then thoughtful. "Why not? We get along all right." She looked at Kov. "What do you think, honey?"
He seemed uncertain. "It is not my decision to make."
"I know that," Anna said impatiently. "But I want your opinion anyway. This will be your baby too."
"I have no objection to T'Hosh as a host mother," Kov said. "Although I believe that her family is not as dedicated to the new principles of the Kirshara as some. This, in conjunction with her time aboard the Vahklas, will destroy any remaining connection to them."
"She'll have a family," Anna said decisively. "Us."
"Indeed," Kuvak said. "In return for such a favor, a lifetime place in my home is only the least of the rewards I intend to bestow."
"Shoot." Anna's smile widened into a grin. "Maybe I should introduce her to my brother. I've been trying to get him to settle down. He's been jumping from contract to contract ever since he got out of school. He needs a stable home."
"We will definitely speak after this meeting," Laritkla said.
"Just hang onto that data for now, Kerlek." Trip stood up. "Me and Anna will meditate and discuss the matter with our mates and each other. If either government has it classified, that settles it already. If not, we can come up with something. Maybe." He staggered slightly and T'Pol moved like a striking Le'Matya, catching his arm to stabilize him. "Thanks, hon." Trip flushed. "I guess I sat in one position too long."
"Kov," T'Pol said. "Has Anna discussed with you the eventual necessity for her to relocate to a lower gravity environment? A Human who maintains long term residency under Vulcan gravity will inevitably suffer permanent damage, and the near certainty of a shortened lifespan."
"She has not." Kov looked at the commander, who glared briefly at T'Pol.
"It isn't anything urgent, Kov." Anna's nostrils flared and she gave T'Pol another glance. "I'll be fine for a while."
"I intend to relocate my family to a Vulcan colony," T'Pol said. "Where our children can grow up surrounded by others of similar appearance and lifestyle, and their father will retain the ability to walk without artificial aids."
Anna winced. "It isn't that bad." She looked at Kov's expression and sighed. "Not yet anyway. I've got a couple of years left before anything serious starts to happen. I didn't want to worry you when so much else was going on."
Kov said, "Lady T'Pol, your information was both timely and useful. It is appreciated. Anna, we need to talk." He didn't look happy.
"When I get home this evening," she said. "It's really nothing to worry about.'
"Now." Kov spoke with tight control.
Anna's flushed. "I said, when I get home we can talk. Right now, I have to get back to work."
Kov looked across the room. "Trip. Anna will not be returning to the factory until some urgent family business is taken care of."
"You..." Anna's complexion darkened further. She suddenly seemed to experience difficulty with respiration.
"Sure." Trip looked at his second in command. "That's the breaks, Anna. You know the rules of the game on Vulcan. Inside the family, your word is law. Career, or anything outside the home that threatens his mate or children, Kov has the right to sling you over his shoulder. Want to complain, move back to Human space."
"Trip!"
"C'mon, T'Pol," Trip said. "Let's go snag the wildcat-in-training and get my ladies home. With Anna not coming back this afternoon, I'm going to be working late as it is."
#
"Ahhh." Crewman Jeff Watson used both hands to reverently place the coffee cup on the table. "Thank you, grandfather. May all the gods of the galaxy heap blessings upon your ancestral head." He beamed a wide smile, and suddenly no one at the table needed the brow ridges to see that he was Phlox's grandson.
Phlox chuckled. "I have always enjoyed spoiling my children, Jeffrey. The cargo ship that accompanied us is carrying ten tons of beans, already roasted. However-"
"Oh, frabjous day!" Jeff flung his arms wide, provoking laughs from the entire landing party. More laughter came from the portable comm unit that Hoshi had activated and placed on a tripod in a corner of the room. Everyone seemed half heartbroken that most of the E2 crew had died, and half drunk with joy that all of the children had survived.
"I gotta know," Mayweather said. "I can't stand it any longer. How? If the E2... I mean. If us going into the time corridor removed it from the timeline, how did you dodge the bullet? What did you do?"
"Simple." Jeff picked up his cup and took another sip, rolling it over his tongue and looking amused while they seethed with impatience. "We came with you."
"All right." Archer had his chin propped on one hand. "How?" He was operating on 'emotion deferred mode. Renewed hope, followed by the final end of his dream that he might find his granddaughter alive after all, had left him unable to deal with the emotional backlash. Dimly he was aware that at some point in the near future, he was going to be visiting Phlox for some chemical help sleeping. But for now there was Duty. Duty had kept him from going completely insane in the Expanse last time. It would save him again this time.
Jeff looked pleased with himself. "We got the idea from your old logs, captain. We all read them as we grew up. They were part of our required indoctrination. I'm sure you remember those aliens who hid themselves and hitched a ride by tucking themselves into the slipstream of your warp field?"
"You sneaky boy!" Phlox slapped the table in delight.
"Don't praise me, grandfather," Jeff told him. "All I did was follow instructions. Elder T'Pol made the calculations, and Captain Lorian designed the escape pod. Or maybe you should call it a capsule?"
"A vault." Hoshi was opening and closing her hands, and making frequent glances at the door. Her grand babies were out there, and the last place she had any interest in being was inside with these droning men. "It was a vault to hold the treasure of the future."
"The vault then." Jeff smiled. "We knocked out the partitions between the two largest cargo bays, and welded patches to turn them into a single unit. Then we installed separate life support and stocked it with as many supplies as we could cram in. We downloaded the Human and Vulcan databases, and all the information we had gathered in the last century.
"We stowed as many different types of tools as we could, whatever we thought we would have trouble making at first. Then we installed explosive connections and cut it free from the main ship. When you moved to approach the corridor all the children and pregnant women, and some of the youngest men, loaded up. Once the fight started, we blew the bolts and dropped loose from Enterprise.
"The shuttles moved in and grappled themselves to the connections we installed. Then the towing shuttle fired up, and the other shuttles activated a holographic cloak. It wasn't worth much, but it didn't have to be. We made a power dive at your stern." He paused to cough, looking embarrassed. "We almost hit you. I'm sorry."
"Don't bother," Archer waved it away. "You didn't. The universe doesn't care about near misses, and neither do we. So it was our warp field that protected you?"
"Yeah." Jeff's face tightened, then he forced a smile back on it. "Inside the warp field, while you were in the corridor, we were disconnected from this level of space-time. When the temporal adjustment happened we weren't there to be adjusted. And when we came out the other end, as far as the universe was concerned we were just part of your ship. I mean, the universe wasn't watching and making judgments or anything like that. I just couldn't think of a better way to express it."
"Don't be too sure," Travis said. "The longer I live, and the farther I go, the less certain I get about some things. Exactly what the universe might be is one of the things I am getting less certain about."
"Anyway." Jeff coughed into his fist. "We rode your coattails until you passed as close to Northstar as you were going to get. Then we dropped out and the main drive shuttle docked to the underside of the Vault. The others locked onto the sides. We all said a prayer and activated the improvised warp one drive."
"What did you do about containment?" Travis asked. "That shuttle doesn't look big enough to hold a secondary reactor, and I'm pretty sure that a standard shuttle reactor won't generate a magnetic bottle strong enough to hold the anti-matter properly."
"Properly? No." Jeff looked rueful. "But it held enough anti-matter to get us here, barely. We dropped off some sentinel buoys in the outer belt and moved toward the planet. We jettisoned the warp core along the way and sent it toward the sun. Containment failed before we got halfway to orbit. Made a pretty firework display, though. The people down here thought it was some kind of sign from God."
Phlox groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, my child. Your human blood... You said that as if it didn't even bother you. Are all of my descendants in your group like this?"
"Like what, grandfather?" Jeff shrugged. "Captain Archer said it well. The universe doesn't care about near misses. If we stopped to worry about every time we almost got killed, we'd never make it to the head in the morning."
A knock at the door was followed by a curly haired girl who looked about fourteen. "Dinner's done. It's some of those blue-horned lizards again. Sorry. That's what the last supply wagon brought."
Jeff said, "Oh, well. At least they are keeping us fed." He looked at the others, "As you might imagine, their mining tech is miserable, to say the least. Especially in this climate. We're trading clean ore for supplies, and using the rest of the ore to start making a production system. Or we were."
"We can get you a jumpstart on that," Archer stood up. "After dinner, give us a breakdown on where you are and what you need to start off. The other two ships need to head back in a week or two. But we'll stick around as long as necessary. Our re-sequencers and machine shop are at your disposal."
"Thank. You. Creator. Person." Jeff looked up. "We accept, with pitiful gratitude. Now lets go eat some of that boot leather with scales. Nothing like it to make you appreciate hydroponic recycling."
Someone else knocked, and a young woman with blonde hair, who bore a strong family resemblance to both Jeff and Phlox, stepped into the room with a baby in her arms. "Somebody is awake and I thought she might want to meet her grandpa."
Jeff told them, "This is Susan, my half-sister." Phlox smiled even more broadly and stood up. Then he looked puzzled when Susan stepped past him and stopped in front of Captain Archer's chair. "Say hello to Grandpa Jonathan, Eowyn."
Archer's vision blurred and the room started rocking. "She... I never... She never told... I didn't know she was married."
"She wasn't." Susan raised an eyebrow, for all the world like T'Pol. "I mean, everyone knew that they were together, but they never bothered with a formal ceremony."
"It wasn't really necessary," Jeff added. "They had something better. Didn't Elder T'Pol mention it when she met with you?"
"No." Jonathan gingerly held out his arms. "She must have thought we had higher priority things to discuss."
Susan chuckled. "Not likely that she would have considered anything higher priority than this." She laid the baby carefully across his arms. "Make sure you support her head. There. Rest her against your chest, and your arm goes under her back. The other arm goes in front for a safety railing. Like that."
Jonathan looked down at the twisting blanket bundle and felt helpless. "How old is she? I can't see her face."
Susan but her lip and fought back a giggle. "It's all right to free up a couple of fingers to move the blanket corner," she said. "I just wanted to shield her on the way over here. She's fourteen months old, but of course her father's blood makes her grow a little slower than a human."
"Who." He had to stop and swallow. "Who's the father?"
This time she did giggle. "Take a guess." Susan moved the blanket corner. Jonathan stared for a long moment and blinked rapidly. He brought the baby up slowly and planted a feather soft kiss on her head. Then he looked at his shipmates and said, "When it comes time for this one's wedding reception, I guess I'll bring the booze and Trip can bring the catfish."
Archer hugged his tiny descendant close and broke down, sobbing out of control, as he had not done since he was a small boy.
#
"Yes, Minister Kuvak." T'Pau looked tired. "It was, of course, inevitable that this genetic information become public eventually. One of the first items of business after the change in administration, as you know, was a review of the existing Top Secret and Most Secret files. This particular item was listed as Most Secret, Eyes Only for the Chief Minister and Fleet Admirals. It was accompanied by several hypothetical scenarios evaluating the feasibility of invading Earth, as opposed to exterminating Humans via orbital bombardment."
Kuvak's face froze. "Was any action ever taken on the plans?"
"No." T'Pau's words caused a visible reaction in Kuvak's expression. She said nothing of course. The provocation would be extreme even if his son were not bonded to a Human. "The analysis concluded that by withholding immediate action following First Contact, the previous administration had sacrificed the option of direct attack. Open violence at this point would be unacceptably dangerous. Humans now possess both the technology to launch lethal responses, and connections with other races which would make it difficult to act clandestinely in the matter."
"Did they seriously anticipate a Human invasion?" Kuvak managed to keep most, though not all, of the incredulity out of his voice.
"I conclude that V'Las was unable to decide what Humans intended," T'Pau told him. "His written responses to intelligence reports indicate escalating levels of frustration with Human instability."
"They are not unstable," Kuvak objected. "Unstable races do not build and maintain interstellar civilizations. They are sensitive to environmental variables and highly reactive to changing conditions. It is an adaptive requirement for survival on Earth."
"Your response is logical," T'Pau agreed. "However, V'Las concluded that the entire species is inherently inconsistent and therefore an ongoing threat. He was planning, once the Romulans were in control, to recommend a pre-emptive strike against Earth using the full power and force of the empire's military."
"Fear," Kuvak said. "Once again. The failure to cast out fear."
"Consensus among V'Las and the High Command leadership led to the belief that public acknowledgment of blood kinship between our species would make it impossible to continue an effective campaign of negative propaganda. They also concluded that it would certainly render any attack plan null and void. Therefore, the information was assigned the highest possible classification."
"Should I conclude," Kuvak said, "that you have no objection to publishing the results of the research that Healer Kerlek and Doctor Phlox conducted?"
"You may conclude," T'Pau said, "that I trust the judgment of the Humans involved. Let them decide."
#
Archer pushed his plate back with carefully hidden relief. Blue horn lizard wasn't any tastier than the last time he had eaten it, despite the addition of some garlic and pepper from the ship's galley. It was something like trying to spice a rock. Futile. It also felt like a rock in his stomach. But at least it was filling. You had to admit that much. It certainly was filling. Painfully so.
Skagaran bootleg whiskey, though. That wasn't too bad. He had tasted worse rotgut on half a dozen planets. It was so good that he forced himself to nurse the first glass and refuse a refill while he looked around the room. They had not bothered to move the comm unit to the dining hall. The crew was going to be getting shore leave anyway.
Some of the other grand kids had joined them for the meal. Jeff's wife, Selera, had taken a seat beside her husband. She was a pretty girl who looked pure Human, at least superficially. She was also about eight months pregnant. An apparently random selection of additional young adults filled the other tables in the room. The remaining survivors assigned to this shift were riding herd on the youngsters. Second shift was on duty at the mine, and third shift was sleeping.
His baby granddaughter had gone back to the nursery for a bottle and another nap. Jonathan planned on an extended visit as soon as the post-dinner conversation broke up.
Well. Now I know where I'm retiring to. It could be worse. The climate bites, but with deep wells and modern power systems in place it should be livable.
"Why didn't you just ask us?" Phlox had not even tried to gag down more than a couple of bites of the lizard, but he was putting back one whiskey after another. The only noticeable effect was his normally cheerful demeanor becoming even more cheerful. "We would gladly have taken all of you aboard."
"We still would have needed a way to get here," Selera pointed out. "You had to get to the meeting, and we didn't want to add one more thing to worry and distract you. We hated knowing that you were going to be mourning us, but with any luck we would see you again. If not, at least you wouldn't have to mourn us twice. Plus... um." She shifted and glanced at Jeff.
"We wanted to hide this from the time patrol, or whatever you call them," Jeff said bluntly. "We didn't know how they would look at it."
"They're going to find out eventually," Travis said. "Someone is going to mention you in a document that survives. You know they will. You are certainly going to be seen as an anomaly."
"We hope to become an unimportant footnote to the Xindi conflict," Jeff said. "A group of anonymous refugees who landed on Northstar and blended with the local people. Nothing noteworthy about us. No reason to bother deleting us from history. Or that's the idea, anyway. We never told the colonists where we came from, exactly, or how we got here from Earth, exactly. Just that our ship was destroyed in a battle with humanity's enemies, and we needed sanctuary. They opened their arms and their doors instantly."
"Good people here," Susan said. "Ignorant of course. That's to be expected. But not as ignorant as their ancestors were. They learned a lot from the Skagarans, and remembered it. The datapads you left behind stay drained, even with solar rechargers. Their paper supply is limited and low quality, they make it from leaves pressed together. Kind of like papyrus, sort of. But they have been making new books like crazy, trying to copy as much as they can in case the PADDS go dead."
"We can help with that, too," Hoshi said with satisfaction. "We brought a lot of reference books. I mean a lot of books." She thought for a moment. "About the Temporal Authority. What about if every member of the crew writes down an account of what happened separately, and then hides it? Or better yet, we arrange for several copies from each crewmember to be distributed to random locations? The Temporal Authority might, or might not, be able to eventually track them all down and eliminate them. But I'm betting that they would rather find some way to just live with this."
"Perfect." Captain Archer grinned. "After all, how would they know that they had found them all? How could they ever be sure that someone, somewhere, had not read a copy and that it had not affected their behavior in a way that they never mentioned to anyone else? I suspect that they wouldn't like it one bit."
"You are correct, Captain Jonathan Archer. We would not like it."
Two figures stood in front of the only door leading from the dining hall. It had not opened. One was obviously Andorian. The other belonged to a species that no one in the room had ever seen before. He stood half a head taller than the Andorian, who was at least as tall as Jonathan. The new alien had skin the color of very old parchment, but smooth as glass, with a combination of streaks and spots covering it. At first glance he seemed reptilian, until you saw the short crop of hair on his neck. His teeth looked like they belonged in a barracuda.
No one moved for about ten seconds. Then Hoshi's hand flashed to her belt and a phase beam split the air. It hit some kind of shield a decimeter in front of them and disappeared.
"Lieutenant," the Andorian chided. "There is no need for that." Hoshi's other hand moved with equal speed to flick the settings switch. She fired again. A beam on killing power splashed harmlessly on the shield in front of the Andorian's face.
"Hoshi," Archer ordered. "Stop. It won't help anything."
"They are NOT GOING TO KILL MY BABIES!" She was moving before the first words were clear of her mouth, heading straight for the intruders with all the grace and lethal intent of a striking cobra. The Andorian flinched by reflex. His companion did not. So he became Hoshi's first target. Travis spun out of his chair and lunged after her. Archer sat with his mind racing. Phlox and the other males were torn by indecision. The women didn't even bother trying to jump into the fray.
Hoshi hit the camouflage covered alien like a torpedo and ripped a set of bloody tracks down the side of his face with her nails. He recoiled, just as she had anticipated. She crouched low and when he staggered backwards she swept one foot around.
Hoshi's kick would have ripped the ligaments apart in a Human knee joint. This guy merely screamed and buckled to the floor. Good enough. She leaped for his throat and drew back her hand for a butterfly chop.
Travis hit her in a diving tackle while her arm was still in the air. He grabbed her in a bear hug from behind and they rolled across the stranger to the floor beyond. The Andorian grabbed his comrade and dragged him out of the line of fire while Hoshi detonated.
"LET GO Of ME!"
She jacknifed and slammed both heels into Travis's shins with an audible thump. He yipped as she raked her boot heels down his legs, finally digging them into his ankles. Meanwhile, he kept his face buried in her shoulder to keep his eyes from being gouged out while he fought for a full nelson hold. He couldn't do it, she was just too agile. But he finally did get both of her arms semi-immobilized. So she started hammering the back of her skull into his face, over and over.
"Ow! Hoshi, it's me! Stop!"
"No! I didn't fight my way across this gods forsaken Expanse, kill, and bleed, and bury friends, and go through torture, just to sit passively while they murder my family in front of my eyes. Let me go so I can gut those sintalluss plortkes lik'tal melentalu with my teeth!"
The Andorian winced. His friend was too busy rubbing his injured leg to notice or care.
Travis moved desperately and managed to pin her legs between his own. He got his head positioned next to hers and hugged her back tightly enough to keep her from doing any more damage. At least for the present. She started cursing in Earth Standard, Vulcan, Denobulan, Klingon, Andorian, Tellarite, Rigellian, Xindi Insectoid and several others that nobody else recognized.
The alien with skin patterns straightened and looked at the pair in disbelief. The Andorian said quietly, "I did try to warn you."
"Admitted. You did. In any case." They turned back to the the table and both froze.
Archer took a deep breath and pressed the knife against the side of his neck with just enough pressure to break the skin. He knew that the blade was positioned too far back to hit the jugular vein unless he turned the knife slightly. But he wanted to make sure they got the point and believed he was serious. The other knife point was carefully aligned with the bottom of his breastbone, angling up and slightly to the left. Even if it missed his heart, it was sure to rip a lung. All he had to do was fight Phlox off for the few seconds it would take to bleed out.
"Daniels told me," Captain Archer said evenly, "that I am scheduled to be one of your federation's early presidents. I don't know what might happen to your time line if you try to elect a corpse, but we can certainly find out. Rather, you can find out. None of us will know or give a damn. Especially me."
The Andorian's antennae drew down to his scalp. His companion glanced at him. "He's serious, isn't he? I will not question your judgment again. Are they all like this?"
"Yes," the blue guy sighed.
Archer ignored their muttering. "Let us reason together," he suggested. "Even if you wipe out our children's children, you can't remove the memories we have. Human memories are permanent. You would have to physically remove that part of our brains. If you harm our children, I give you my word of honor that I will publicize everything Daniels told me, and so will the rest of the crew. Then I will dedicate my life to doing the opposite of what he said I was going to do. I will immediately resign from starfleet and take up a life of crime. Maybe I will start smuggling biotoxins or something. But if you leave our children alone, we will be too occupied with our families to bother with your temporal cold war idiocy."
"We have no interest in wiping out anyone, captain," the Andorian said urgently. "Please, listen. Will you listen and let us explain our purpose? We do not intend harm of any kind."
"Define harm," Archer said. "To you, we've all been dead for centuries anyway, so what do you care?"
The colorful alien seemed dumbfounded at this. The Andorian stepped forward and carefully made a clearing of the throat sound. "Captain. I will not insult anyone's intelligence. We are not here for altruistic purposes. We are here to preserve our people and our civilization. To do that, we are operating under strict guidelines that were handed down from Central administration. We are to minimize our interference at all times. We are instructed to avoid incursion whenever possible. When it is not possible, we are strictly ordered to do the bare minimum required to ensure that the timeline retains its proper configuration. No more."
"Which means what? Exactly?" Archer glowered. "My arms are getting tired. Talk fast, or I will assume you are stalling and settle the matter myself."
The Andorian started speaking as rapidly as was possible without becoming incoherent. "The E2 is included in our timeline as an existing incident. Therefore we have left your prior encounter intact. Our records indicate that all hands were lost following your entry of the temporal displacement corridor. But our records are incomplete for various reasons. If we can ensure that information about the refugees does not become generally available, we will have no reason to take further action."
The other alien ventured, "We simply need to make sure you understand that this is critical. No one who is not already aware of this situation can be informed. If it became generally known that not only is time travel possible, but that it is also possible to change the time line and still survive the effects of the change, catastrophe would be inevitable."
"Catastrophe for you," Archer said. "For us, not so much. Again, we don't care. Once more, with feeling. We. Do. Not. Care. It's no skin off our backs if you and your temporal cold war never come to pass at all."
"The temporal cold war." The colorful alien made a strange expression. "It is no longer a factor of any kind. It has been dealt with by direct intervention from Central administration. I believe that you were introduced to one of our Central administrators, captain?"
Archer paused. "Yeah. I met one." The memory of that man's(?) glowing eyes and casually godlike powers had burned through his dreams for weeks. "What did they do?"
"They ordered the parties involved in the war to cease and desist."
"That's it?" Jeff hadn't spoken until then, but the casual way the alien said it made him gape in astonishment.
"One does not defy an order from Central administration," the Andorian said, with his antennae tying themselves in knots. "It is not possible for someone at our level of mental capacity. They usually refrain from issuing commandments. But when they do, they are invariably obeyed. Central administration is far enough ahead in time that nearly every andornoid race in the galaxy is ancestral to at least some of them. They have no favorites in what they regard as petty bickering. They simply place limits on the damage that such bickering is permitted to inflict."
"If you agree to continue in the same manner as you have begun," the Andorian told Jeff, "and if we can convince your ancestors to refrain from revealing your existence, then we would prefer to do what Lieutenant Sato said. We would prefer to live with it."
"After all, you have already been here for a few months," the camouflage alien said. "We would have to go back to the point of your arrival. Which would wipe out that time period for the other settlers, both Human and Skagaran. Which could potentially cause even further complications. For example, seven families have conceived children during that time span. Those children would no longer exist. Two marriages have occurred, one of which was due to a random encounter. One death by accident has happened, and the horse was executed. Which resulted in a lawsuit. Two homes have burned down, and a duel with pistols has occurred. All of these events would be deleted, and we have no way of knowing whether they would have occurred without your presence, or if they are part of the desired time stream. We are going to maintain compliance with standing orders and touch no more than we must."
"What about the other ships that came with us?"
"While it is true that Human memories are permanent," the Andorian said. "It is also true that they can be distorted by false memories if they are skillfully implanted. We can easily do this for both crews. We will simply leave them believing that upon arrival you discovered three small shiploads of refugees. The colonists offered them shelter, and you confirmed that they were harmless."
Travis finally let Hoshi sit up, though he watched her closely. She ignored him with dignity. "There will be exceptions to that deal. If you don't like it, too bad."
"Exceptions?" The temporal agents looked upset.
"Yes." Archer suddenly interjected. "The rest of our crew that didn't come on this mission. They deserve to know the truth. We will agree to keep quiet about it to everyone else. But they have a right to know."
Their faces cleared. "Certainly," the camouflaged alien said. "We have no objection to informing them. They are as highly motivated to agree as you are."
"Are there any more questions or issues?" The Andorian looked around the room. "Excellent. You will not see us again unless there is a problem. May the rest of your lives be happy and fulfilling." They disappeared in a blink. No sound, no air movement, no visual distortion. Just gone.
Archer laid the steak knives back on the table and sagged. Phlox jumped for a napkin and pressed it against the neck wound. "Hold pressure while I get out my kit," he ordered. "I presume that since Trip is not here, you decided that duty demanded you to stand in for him and play the part of both grandfathers, eh? Are you planning to take up long term residence in my sick bay on the trip back to Earth, as well? I said hold pressure, captain. And hold still. This is going to sting, but it's no more than you deserve for that bit of foolishness."
Archer held an impassive expression while he got patched up. Travis slowly stood and said, "I'm sorry about that, Hoshi. I just didn't think it was a good idea to piss them off."
"I wasn't trying to piss them off," she pointed out. "But I know your heart was in the right place. Your head was up your rectum, but your heart was in the right place."
Phlox finished and stepped back. "There. Please try not to get hurt often enough to use up all my supplies before we get back home. Please?"
"I'll do my best." Jonathan stood up and told their hosts, "We will leave Phlox here to chat, since most of you are his blood anyway. The rest of us have some grandkids to hunt up and hug."
TBC
A/N: I estimate two more chapters, plus or minus, and the series is finished. Finally.