A/N Short recap of the story: after a secret mission to clear T'Pol's name goes wrong, Trip is declared dead. In reality, he is trapped in Romulan space and later saved by T'Pol's long lost father. This chapter is from Soval's POV, starting from chapter 1.

Thank you all for your patience and reviews, and many thanks to my wonderful beta LadyinLA.

Disclaimer: Enterprise and its characters are property of CBS/Paramount.

Part One

Vulcan – Before and after Commander Tucker's so called death

Azure – As was his habit since childhood, Soval woke up at 3 A.M. for his morning meditation. He went into the study and took the candle holder of T'Lara, his late wife. The holder was made with several shades of blue ranging from azure – reminding him of Earth's seas – to a much brighter blue pigment. The colors represented the origin of T'Lara's name, the Lara bird, an animal indigenous to Vulcan, famous for its bright blue hues.

At exactly six o'clock he sat down with his youngest son, Lektau, and his wife T'Lan to eat plomeek soup and drink his tea. Strapped to T'Lan's chest was a little baby, sleeping soundly. It was a girl, named after her grandmother, T'Lara. She was the reason he was back on Vulcan. He could only stay a short while, because of the negotiations on Earth regarding the charter of the alliance between Earth, Vulcan, Andoria and Tellar. Diplomat Tos and Ambassador V'Lar kept him apprised of the developments.

His other children, sons Kyrit and Hayal and daughter Sochya, their mates and children, arrived later that day. At night, they assembled at the courtyard. Candleholders were placed on the ground. T'Lara's brother, the five year old Kunli, and T'Nas, the sixteen year old daughter of Sochya, lit the candles. A gentle wind was blowing. The scent of the flowery plant favinit mixed with the smell of melted wax.

The family was ready for the tonk'peh panu ceremony – the introduction of a newborn to the world. They formed a half circle with Lektau in the middle. He was holding the baby in his arms and lifted her up to the stars in the sky. Lektau said the words they had all been waiting for: "Panu ragel-tor T'Lara, T'Lara ragel-tor panu." "World, meet T'Lara. T'Lara, meet the world." Then every member of this family introduced him or herself to T'Lara and welcomed her to the clan. He was the last. He held his grandchild in his arms, studied her innocent face with the hazel eyes, and said, "Hello T'Lara. I am your grandfather. Welcome to our clan."

During the ceremony, Soval silently mourned his wife and Linan and S'Vai, the children that he had lost. And he was content with the children and grandchildren he still had.

Two days later, while he was playing Pleenok with Kunli, Lektau came to him, reporting there was an urgent call for him. "It's the daughter of Kirak and T'Les, T'Pol."

Soval was sitting on one of the rugs on the floor. He stood up, suppressing his worry. T'Pol would never interrupt his time with family unless something truly important had happened. He went to his son's office to take the call. T'Pol wasn't just someone he mentored. She was the daughter of Kirak, a man who he had always considered a brother.

T'Pol's face on the screen looked calm, but her eyes reflected grief and pain. It reminded him vividly of the time T'Pol had lost her father and, later on, her mother and child.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Del'hiue," she said. "I regret to inform you Commander Tucker has died."

Several scenarios went through his mind, but her explanation came quickly.

"Karsian pirates came aboard Enterprise. Commander Tucker wanted to protect the captain and tried to distract the pirates."

The mentioning of Karsian pirates brought back painful memories. His eldest son Linan had been killed during a raid of those pirates. The ship of T'Pol's father had come to the rescue, only to be attacked by another unknown enemy. Later, only debris of the ship on a nearby moon had been found. T'Pol's father and the crew were declared dead.

T'Pol's voice brought him back to the present. "The Commander created an explosion and was seriously injured. He was brought to sickbay and later transported to a hospital on a nearby planet. At the same time, Enterprise received a distress call from another vessel. It took us weeks to locate the ship. We encountered many difficulties before we could return to the planet. It was too late. Because of local customs, only Captain Archer was allowed to see and identify him. He was transported to the ship in a sealed chest."

Soval noticed T'Pol had a hard time controlling her emotions. There were traces of disbelief, shock, pain and even anger in her voice. T'Pol's husband had been in the hospital, and she couldn't be with him. Tucker had died alone, without his wife, his friends or his family present.

He had met Tucker's family several times, the first time at the memorial service of Tucker's and T'Pol's daughter Elizabeth. It was after that same service when he had offered Commander Tucker advice on how to handle a grieving Vulcan. Tucker had accepted his offer. It was the first of many talks. He remembered how he had explained the workings of the bond, how much a death of a mate would affect the other. The fact that Tucker simply had risked his own death, knowing what it would do to T'Pol – it infuriated him.

But when he pushed his resentment down, he realized his anger was not directed at Tucker. It was mixed with pain, anguish and rage against his own mate. Against T'Lara, his wife, who had taken her own life after the grief and depression of losing Linan had consumed her.

Years of training helped him to control his emotions. Logic became his guide. Logic had helped him to analyze situations and notice the inconsistencies. And as T'Pol gave him more details about the circumstances of Tucker's death, the more illogical it became.

First, the actions of Archer. He was T'Pol's commanding officer and aware of their marriage. Why did he not send T'Pol to the planet to be with her husband, or at least see him after his death?

Secondly, the actions of Commander Tucker. In his early years on Enterprise, the young chief engineer could be described as impulsive and immature. But during his interactions with Tucker in recent years, he had proven himself a good leader who acted logically. And yet, when those pirates came aboard, he hadn't called for security, who were fully trained for such situations.

Instead, Tucker had acted impulsively, without thinking of the consequences for T'Pol. As if he didn't care. But Soval was sure T'Pol and Tucker cared deeply for one other and also shared a strong bond. If Tucker had been dying, she would have felt his life slipping away through the bond. But nothing in her story indicated that she had.

And there was the matter of the distress call. "If Commander Tucker were so critically injured, why didn't Enterprise remain nearby? Weren't there any other Starfleet vessels in the vicinity to respond to the distress call?" he asked.

"Before the accident, Enterprise was involved in a classified mission concerning Commander Shran. The distress call came from him. No one else was allowed to know his whereabouts, Del'hiue."

He had heard some strange rumors about Shran. That he had left the Imperial Guard and had been involved with questionable friends. Reports said he had turned into a criminal. Soval hadn't believed it. Shran had always been loyal to the Imperial Guard and to the Andorian people. People don't just become the opposite of what they are deep inside, especially not when they have the responsibility of children.

"The actions of your husband defy logic. He promised to support and take care of you. He had shown during your marriage that he wanted to keep the vows he made to you. He would never break them and simply end his life in this way."

Soval could see relief wash over T'Pol's face. Had she doubted Tucker's affection for her after his strange death?

"As your husband, Commander Tucker is considered a Vulcan citizen. It's my duty to investigate his death. It seems that this situation started with Shran. I will try to contact him."

"Starfleet already made a full report concerning Commander Tucker's death," T'Pol remarked quickly.

The speed with which Starfleet – with their time consuming procedures – had completed the investigation of Tucker's death fueled his suspicion even more. "I will return to Earth. Diplomat Tos needs my assistance, and I would like to attend the memorial service."

For the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope in T'Pol's eyes. "We will be honored by your presence, Del'hiue."

"The honor is all mine, child," he answered, telling her the one thought that played through his mind during their conversation. "Commander Tucker was my friend."

Part Two

Vulcan/San Francisco, Earth

Azure – Soval reached out to Ambassador V'Lar, the woman who once negotiated the Vulcan treaty with the Andorians. She still had excellent contacts with the Andorians. After making sure their conversation could not be monitored by anyone, using a specially designed device, he asked if she could help to locate Commander Shran. V'Lar agreed. After saying goodbye to his family, he travelled back to Earth.

He arrived at Starfleet Headquarters just in time for Commander Tucker's memorial service. When he stepped into the auditorium, filled with black, blue and azure colored chairs, where the memorial service was being held, he was greeted by Professor Tucker, T'Pol's father in law, standing in front of the stage. There was a sadness in his whole demeanor he recognized as that of a father in mourning. "I appreciate your being here, Ambassador," Professor Tucker told him as he escorted him toward the back of the room, where there were still some empty seats. "Trip spoke highly of you."

"I grieve with thee, Professor, and your family," he replied. Professor Tucker thanked him, his blue eyes moist with unshed tears. After guiding Soval to an empty seat, the professor walked back to his seat in the front row, where his wife was waiting, but stopped short to speak with T'Pol. She was seated in the third row from the front, dressed in her mourning robes, next to a clearly pained Lieutenant Reed. Due to his excellent hearing, Soval could hear what the professor said to her. "You belong with us." Soval totally agreed. Commander Tucker's widow was being ignored at her own husband's memorial service, only because, years after Terra Prime, Starfleet Command still wanted their marriage to be a secret.

He made the decision to join T'Pol and stood up. There was one empty seat next to T'Pol in the front row, and Soval took it. The service started. T'Pol seemed lost in grief. The only time she looked up and seemed to listen was during Professor Tucker's speech. It was too emotional for his taste, but Tucker's father's heartfelt words were genuine. Captain Archer also shared some words, but the captain's words were devoid of his usual passion.

Not for the first time, his mind went back to Henry Archer. He remembered the arguments they had, Henry accusing him and his fellow Vulcans of sabotaging his attempts to develop his warp vessel. But if he hadn't acted as he did, Earth would not be the independent planet it was today. The discovery of the Romulan spy Tenson had only confirmed this.

After the service concluded, the auditorium emptied. T'Pol stood up from her seat, but seated herself immediately, holding her hand over her mouth. Dizziness, nausea and headaches were common symptoms of bond mates who have been separated. The first years after T'Lara had died, he had felt sick every morning.

Soval asked T'Pol if he could bring her home. She agreed, and the shuttle ride was done in complete silence. As soon as T'Pol stepped into her house, she seemed suddenly aware of his presence and offered him in for tea.

As she went into the kitchen, he took a seat in the living room on a warm brown colored couch of distinct Vulcan design. On the sofa was draped a patchwork quilt in blue and green colors. On a table nearby, PADDs were laid on top of what appeared to be papers with Human musical symbols. He looked at the title of the music paper: Mozart, Sonata in C. The fact that T'Pol hadn't tidied up Tucker's belongings, spoke volumes. A wall was decorated with schematics of Human ships and pictures of the Enterprise crew, family and friends. In front of this wall were small tables placed with meditation candles, candle holders and vokau's – Vulcan triangle memory plates. The whole room was a perfect combination of Vulcan and Earth, from a harmonious blending of the colors brown, warm red, green and blue among the objects present.

After he had finished his tea in relative silence with T'Pol present, the bell rang. To his surprise, the Tucker family came to visit T'Pol. In order not to hinder their mourning together, he left, but not before promising T'Pol he would contact her again soon.

A week later, V'Lar visited Soval at the embassy to discuss the situation. Once again, he made sure their conversation could not be overheard. "Have you spoken to Captain Archer as I advised? He is a true friend to Commanders Tucker and T'Pol," said V'Lar.

"He told me the same story as T'Pol," Soval replied. He wondered if Archer would be more forthcoming if V'Lar had asked him. He never had become what Humans called friends with Archer, like he had been with Forrest and Tucker. Captain Archer had been a true hero in the Romulan War. But Soval wasn't as impressed by him as V'Lar and T'Pol seemed to be. He still remembered the way Archer and Starfleet had treated T'Pol after the Terra Prime trial, which ended in her imprisonment. Too late he had heard about her trial, at a time when he was back on Vulcan preoccupied with helping his family recover from a serious shuttle accident. He wasn't allowed to visit T'Pol during her time in prison, but he had been able to support T'Pol after her return.

V'Lar told him about her time spent with the Andorian delegates. She also mentioned a rumor about T'Pol that had been circulating. In her decisive tone, colored with irony, she said, "Some people believe that Commander T'Pol sold Terran technology to the Romulans during the war."

"If there's one Vulcan who has fought side by side with the Humans and has been loyal to Starfleet, it's Commander T'Pol. I'm sure no one takes this seriously."

V'Lar almost sighed. "Starfleet is investigating her."

"They accuse her of high treason during the war?"

"Evidently. You were not informed about this? It's good I have my own sources within Starfleet."

Not for the first time, Soval felt irritation about the current administration under T'Pau. Her predecessor was bad, but at least Administrator V'Las understood the need to keep an eye on Vulcan's friends and enemies. T'Pau's emphasis on pacifism and logic had led to her decision that Vulcan would not support Earth at the beginning of the war. It almost ruined Vulcan relations with the other alliance members. She also had dismantled almost all Vulcan intelligence services, because it wasn't the Vulcan way to spy. Soval disagreed, thought that it was incredibly stupid, but had held his tongue.

"One of my sources told me about Shran," V'Lar continued. "He was accused of theft and removed from the Imperial Guard. It's interesting. Gral and Shran are founding fathers of the alliance. Gral was expelled from his position of ambassador four years ago, due to accusations that he killed a man during a bar fight. It looks like enemies of this newfound Federation want to discredit every founding father of the alliance."

V'Lar gave him a thoughtful look. "Be careful, Soval."

Not long after this, she reported Shran had agreed to a meeting. "Shran only wants to speak to you. He said you're the only Vulcan he trusts to some degree. According to him, you prevented a war between our planets at great personal cost." It left him with no choice but to visit Shran himself on a faraway planet.

He tried to reach T'Pol without success, but she contacted him the next day, also to discuss Shran. "I need to get in contact with an Andorian. He is a Commander of the Andorian Imperial Guard. His name is Shran," she said. "We talked about this earlier."

"I will be on a classified mission to meet him," he told her. "Leave Shran to me." He made up an excuse for his staff and left the next day, not knowing where he would end up.

Part Three

Trade complex Handini, Rigel X

Azure – Rigel X was a wasteland, a frozen, cold and dark place. It was here where he would meet Shran. V'Lar had arranged one of the fastest vessels in the fleet, and the small crew that brought him here was sworn to secrecy. They took precautions to mask their movements and communications, deactivating the ship's transponder, and using a double encrypted algorithm on an unused low band subspace frequency to cloak all communications. Soval also used a special device so no one could track his movements while on the planet. He was transported to a trade complex, dressed in a quilted coat with matching hood. The buzz of thousands of people from all over the galaxy, talking and walking, filled the place.

Soval made sure he wasn't followed as he went to the second level to a small bar. As he walked into the brightly lit and busy establishment, the smell of booze, sweat and vomit entered his nostrils. He suppressed his abhorrence. He didn't wish to attract attention, so he followed a group of customers as they made their way to the bar. Almost there, still looking around, his eye caught a glimpse of a familiar azure colored face, standing in a corner. It was Commander Thy'lek Shran. He wore a black robe, his head covered by a hood. He gave him a short nod of recognition and, without a word, he ploughed through the crowd towards the door. Soval followed him.

After a half hour walking through several levels of the complex, Shran entered a shop and turned to face Soval. "At first I didn't want to speak to you," he started, sizing him up from head to toe. "But you helped Andoria in the past. And I am curious what V'Lar meant by 'a matter that would affect both our worlds.'"

"I am investigating the death of Commander Tucker," he answered. "I think he was killed because of a threat against the Federation. And because it took place right during your rendezvous with Enterprise, I hoped you could provide me with some additional information."

"Tucker's dead?" Shran looked shocked. At once, he scanned the room and his body tensed, as if to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. "You're right about the threat. Archer can tell you about it. Unless..." Shran looked around one more time. "Archer is also dead."

"He's alive. He couldn't provide me with much information."

"And you think I could? Why is Tucker so important to you?"

"As a father to Elizabeth, a Vulcan child, Tucker is considered part of the Vulcan community," Soval said. Realizing this would probably convincethe Andorian commander, he added a hesitant personal remark. "And I regard Tucker as a friend."

Shran gave a short laugh. "A long as you don't see me as your friend."

"Not a friend, but not an enemy either, Commander. Allies."

"I am a common criminal in the eyes of many," Shran shrugged.

"Appearances can be deceiving, Commander. I always found the accusation that you're a thief to be illogical."

"And you waited three years to tell me," Shran mocked. "This isn't about Tucker's mission. It's about that Vulcan Starfleet officer T'Pol. Your intelligence services must have told you about the accusations against her."

"Accusations that have no foundation in the truth."

"That's the point. Their 'truth' about me, T'Pol and Gral is based on the documents they retrieved from a Starfleet base on a former Romulan colony, Tikari. They've been studied by a team led by Commander Jubulaata and deemed authentic. Tucker wanted to prove these papers were falsified. And now he's dead."

It was perfectly logical. V'Lar was right. If he hadn't been so focused on Tucker's death, he would have realized it sooner: Shran, Gral, and T'Pol were all connected to Captain Archer. They're the foundation of the Federation. If all of them were discredited, it would destroy the chances of Archer – the ideal candidate of Starfleet for the Earth presidency – tremendously. It would be a devastating blow to the newly formed Federation, perhaps fatal. And this plan could only work if all three of them were slandered. That's why the enemy had created a tidal wave of false rumors.

"Where exactly are those documents found on Tikari?" Soval had visited the planet Tikari a long time ago. It had been at a time when Tikari had primitive technology and still had ties with Vulcan. Vulcan hadn't offered them technology, true to their philosophy that every planet must develop their own. But an unknown alien race did promise the leaders of Tikari advanced technology. Years after they accepted the offer, they found out there was a price to pay. The Romulans made Tikari part of their Empire.

"At a former Romulan archive, near the Starfleet base at Netori, the capital of Tikari. Tucker's mission was my chance to get my name cleared. And my family safe. My enemies had already kidnapped my daughter, because they thought I'd stolen something. Luckily, she was rescued." For the first time, as he spoke about his daughter, Soval saw a glimpse of vulnerability on Shran's face, quickly replaced by his usual sardonic demeanor.

He noted that Shran was here alone on the planet without his family, who he clearly cared about.

"You want your name cleared so that you can return to your family, Commander," he concluded.

"Tucker's dead, the mission has failed. I have to stay in hiding."

They talked for some time, until Shran, who had become more restless by the minute, declared he wanted to move. "Stay here," Shran commanded, "Find your way back to your ship after I'm gone."

Soval looked at his unusual companion for the past hours. "Commander, you led many covert operations. If Tucker's mission has failed, why don't you travel to Tikari and investigate. Think of your family, your reputation. You've nothing to lose, but all to gain."

"I will think about it," Shran said shortly. Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Part Four

Earth, San Francisco/University of Mississippi

Azure – When Soval returned to Earth, everything had changed. As soon as he left the small shuttle pod landing strip, he noticed azure flags hanging everywhere. He recognized them as signs of the Earth Now movement, a political party that wanted Earth to be independent of alien allies and out of the Federation. They supported Filipa Numara, a presidential candidate.

He went straight to the Vulcan Embassy, where Tos gave him an update on T'Pol's situation. She had gone into hiding, after it became clear Starfleet was investigating her. "For a brief moment, we couldn't trace her, but then we intercepted a call from a certain Dr. Cutler. She worked on Enterprise. The doctor ordered an ambulance for a pregnant Vulcan woman with a hybrid child and took her to Starfleet Medical Facilities. We assume it's Commander T'Pol. We also tried to arrange a meeting with Admiral Black, but he only wants to speak with you, Ambassador. You can meet him today at 14:00 hours local time."

He went to his desk to prepare for the meeting and to read all the reports made in his absence. On top of the pile of communiqués was a sealed envelope, addressed to him, with a request from Professor Tucker to contact him. It was early in the morning, and with his shuttle he could easily travel to the University of Mississippi, where Prof. Tucker teaches, and still be back in time for his meeting with Admiral Black. He dressed himself in Human clothing, complete with baseball cap to cover his ears, disabled the shuttle's transponder so his movements couldn't be tracked, and went on his way. During the flight, he contacted Prof. Tucker briefly, making sure he could not be overheard, and told the professor to meet him at a shuttle parking lot near the university.

Prof. Tucker's blue eyes looked almost azure in the bright sunlight, as he approached Soval waiting for him in the parking lot. The man seemed rather tense as they quickly made their way to his office. The place was filled with old fashioned books and PADDs. A bulletin board on one wall was filled with schematics, pictures and notes hanging from it.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ambassador," the elderly Tucker said. "I understand from T'Pol that you two go way back."

He learned a long time ago that this Human expression meant something along the lines of a long relationship. "She was my protégée at the embassy. I was her mentor."

He noticed Tucker looked rather disappointed with his answer and, knowing Humans viewed sharing personal information as a sign of trust, he reluctantly added, "Her father was like a brother to me. I was there when Commander T'Pol was born."

Tucker smiled. He looked older than himself, but Soval reminded himself that Prof. Tucker was probably as young as T'Pol. The professor started by thanking him again for his presence during the memorial service, and told him a long story about his son's youth, how an insecure boy had worked his way up to become Chief Engineer. "It was the highlight of his life to be on Enterprise. There he met T'Pol. What did you think of their relationship?" Prof. Tucker asked suddenly.

"At first I didn't approve of Commander T'Pol's affection towards your son, but their bond is strong and Commander Tucker was a worthy husband. I was a witness at their wedding."

"My wife always knew Trip had a thing for T'Pol, even before he realized it himself. But the way she broke his heart, I didn't like her. And when they got married, I was angry at Trip for not inviting us to the ceremony. Starfleet wanted their relationship to be low profile. But after the wedding, we came to know T'Pol and saw how she made Trip happy, how she helped him during the war. And we know how much they wanted a little one for so long, to be a father and mother."

"I am aware that Commander T'Pol is with child." He assumed Prof. Tucker had invited him to tell him about the baby.

Professor Tucker's face lit up. "She sent us a letter, saying that she wanted us to know she's having a baby. I didn't think it was possible, having a Tucker the fourth. The baby is always going to be part of our family."

"The acceptance of your clan of her child will be very beneficial."

"She also told me that Trip had arranged for your clan to adopt the child."

"Yes, there were several reasons why it seemed logical that their child would be adopted into my clan. Commander Tucker and I prepared documents in such a case. For the protection of his children."

"T'Pol and her child need protection now, Ambassador. And as much as I want to help her, I think you're in a better position to protect her and the baby."

He assured the professor he had every intention of helping T'Pol and her child. As their conversation continued, he became aware how much the professor and he had in common, as fathers and grandfathers. Soval's eyes fell on a note on the bulletin board. It was a white card, on one side a wedding invitation with the name of Tucker's other son, and on the other side a text: "Love is stronger than death."

Professor Tucker saw him looking at the card and took it down. "The wedding card of my youngest son. He got married this year. Trip couldn't made it, so we made a recording of the wedding for him and T'Pol."

"I never heard of this Human expression, 'Love is stronger than death.'"

"It's not an expression. The line was chosen by my son's wife. It comes from an ancient wedding poem in the Bible, about a man and a woman telling one another how much they love each other and want to be together." Professor Tucker smiled sadly. "Not very logical for a Vulcan, I am afraid. But I guess love never is." He bit his lip, as if wanting to tell him something more, but he didn't.

"Affection or love makes us sacrifice our own interests, to work for the good of others instead of our own. It provides us with loyalty to our family, our planet, and helps us when we grieve our loved ones," Soval replied, thinking about T'Lara, his children, his grandchildren, his friends.

"That almost sounds too sentimental for a Vulcan."

"Love isn't anything sentimental in my view. Sentiments are about yourself, love about the other. It's everything logical. Surak himself said that without the affection of his wife, he would never have found the way of logic."

"I am glad we've had this talk, Ambassador," the elderly Tucker said. "In a way, you're part of my family now."

He was in no way part of Tucker's family, but he had learned that Humans didn't particularly like to be confronted with their illogical statements. And he realized he could use a Human friend, now that Commander Tucker was gone, and that perhaps it was friendship Professor Tucker was offering. "It would be my honor." With this, they parted ways.

Part Five

Earth – Starfleet Headquarters, Admiral Black's office

Azure – He had to hurry. After leaving Professor Tucker, he flew back to San Francisco, parked his shuttle, went back to the Vulcan Embassy and changed into his usual robes. As he made his way to Starfleet Headquarters, he noticed that people looked differently at him, now dressed in Vulcan clothing. He saw the frowns on their faces. He heard their negative comments as he walked by.

At exactly 14:00 hours he stepped into Black's office. It was decorated with several paintings of Starfleet vessels, and one painting, depicting Earth in blue and azure colors. "How can we help you, Ambassador?" Black said, gesturing for him to sit down.

He knew Black from before and during the war. He had investigated the man after Tenson turned out to be a Romulan spy. He knew that Black and Tenson had been romantically involved in Black's younger years. His inquiry had revealed that during their time together, Black had been ignorant of Tenson's origins. This was also confirmed by the outcome of a secret investigation made by Starfleet Special Services, the one he wasn't supposed to have read.

"To hand over to me the Tikari documents, so I can study them," he told Black. "Commander T'Pol and myself, as her representative, have to know what this investigation against her is based upon. Remember, she is one of your most prominent Starfleet officers, loyal to Earth and your organization for many years."

Admiral Black stiffened at first, but then he called Commander Jubulaata, who presented him with several files. "We have more evidence, but this would be enough for an investigation. It's a recorded conversation between T'Pol and a Romulan agent," the young woman said. "The agent calls himself Talen."

He heard the two voices, speaking in Vulcan. He recognized the voice of the agent at once. It was Menos, the person Kirak, T'Pol's father, had been investigating shortly before his death.

"He may have called himself Talen, but this is Menos. I am aware he contacted Commander T'Pol three years ago," he said. "He asked her to send technological information in exchange for her father's release from a Romulan prison. Her answer, not on this recording, was no. Commander T'Pol's father is dead. She reported this event to Starfleet Command."

"T'Pol must have believed her father was still alive, because after this conversation, she sent a number of files. We found a message with an attachment with schematics and ideas, made in Commander Tucker's shorthand," Jubulaata showed him multiple files. "I performed several tests. They're authentic."

"But you don't have on record T'Pol's answer to Menos," he pointed out. He suddenly remembered something Professor Tucker had told him in their conversation. "And Tucker's shorthand is hard to read. In fact, it can only be understood by people who know how he thinks."

"We also found files with explanations of his shorthand," the woman replied.

"Despite your expertise, all these records could easily have been manipulated, and Romulans are experts in data manipulation, Commander Jubulaata," he said. "How did you obtain the Tikari files?"

At that moment, Black ordered Jubulaata out of the room. It took some persuasion on his part, but in the end Black told him. "They were obtained by a field agent who delivered them to one of our agents within Starfleet Special Services."

He had been a member of Vulcan Intelligence in the past, and he knew everything depended up reliable sources. "And do you trust this field agent?"

Black sighed. "I know we have to be very careful. So I sent a team to investigate the files at the Tikari site, but that mission went terribly wrong. All the members of that mission are dead."

"That must tell you something, Admiral. There have been accusations made against Ambassador Gral, Commander Shran and Commander T'Pol. The founders of the Federation."

"We already understood that there was a possibility that Commander T'Pol was being framed the minute we heard about the failed mission," Admiral Black admitted reluctantly.

"All the people I mentioned are connected to Captain Archer."

"He is our candidate for the presidency. He has to win. So we must prevent bad publicity about him at any cost," Black said.

"The Federation is indeed of great importance. And I understand your wish to make Archer president of Earth. But Archer is a man of action, not of meetings and debating. Perhaps Starfleet should make an alliance with the other candidates. Placing the burden of the entire United Federation of Planets on one man, makes us very vulnerable."

"Leave our elections to us, Ambassador," Black replied, clearly not happy with his advice.

"As for the Tikari files, are there any documents concerning Captain Archer?"

Black's face turned slightly red. "There is nothing about Jonathan Archer in the files."

An idea crossed his mind. "But his father is."

"It only tells the story of how the Vulcans hindered the development of the NX-warp engine, by refusing to let Henry Archer use the technology developed by him or by telling us that we should stop after the first failed test."

He wasn't fooled by Black's evasive answer. "At one time, that technology was not from him. We found out. It was based on the research of Ellen Tenson. A former Romulan spy. She gave Henry Archer Romulan technology for the development of his warp engine. He wanted to use it, I stopped him. If you start accepting gifts from the Romulans, there is always a price to pay in the end. Earth would be under Romulan rule right now, if it weren't for us preventing it."

Black looked angry. "We could have refused to pay that price. Earth is never going to surrender to an alien force."

Humans were so naive. "The Vulcan High Command decided we couldn't take the risk. Planets have to find their own technology and their own way to the stars."

He decided to end the discussion. Even when the truth would come out, Vulcans would always be seen as the ones who held Earth back. "This will stay between us. But I want something in return. You will tell Commander T'Pol personally that the investigation against her is dropped. And when the media reports on the accusations against Commander T'Pol, Starfleet will release a statement that the accusations are false. We don't need the press fueling an already tense situation."

Admiral Black smiled. "We have a deal."

Part Six

Earth, San Francisco

Azure – Days went by. Admiral Black kept his promise. Together with him, Black visited T'Pol in the hospital where he expressed his gratitude towards T'Pol for her long service to Starfleet. The investigation was put on hold. Soval had visited T'Pol dressed in a white doctor's coat and his ears covered by a purple cap. He had done this not only because he wanted their visit to be a secret from the outside world. But it seemed that the more azure flags were hanging in the street, the more hostile the atmosphere became.

But everything became even more tense as media outlets reported the news about T'Pol's so called betrayal during the war. Despite the deal he had made with Black, Starfleet Communications did nothing.

The result, however, was that more and more protesters took to the streets, protesting the aliens, the Federation, but especially Vulcans. They camped outside the Vulcan Embassy, in front of his home, and when he came outside or walked to his place of work, they were always there: shouting, screaming, shoving protest signs in his face.

He contacted Black and Jubulaata and they issued a statement that protests must be done according the laws of Earth. The next days, he hoped to see improvements, but the protests only seemed to get worse. By that time, he had had enough. He was not going to hide, dressed in other clothes, like some kind of criminal. So every day he dressed himself in Vulcan robes, and he told his co-workers at the embassy to do the same. He was a Vulcan, no matter what the protesters may think of his race.

At one point, he was walking in the early morning to the Vulcan Embassy when a group of protesters stormed towards him. They closed him in, and for the next moment he could only see angry, sweaty Humans, dressed in azure t-shirts with Earth Now written on them, screaming in his face, holding their signs up, pushing him around. It was a cacophony of sounds, smells, colors that made him sick to his stomach. He saw a child fall down among the throng, and instantly he reached out his hand to bring the child to his feet. The next moment he felt the high heel of a woman's shoe pressing against his hand and sending a piercing pain through his body. He was pushed again, he lost his balance, and before he knew it, he was on the ground. The protesters started to hit him with the wooden signs, but luckily the Vulcan Embassy guards broke into the crowd, helped him up and brought him inside. His hand was bleeding, green blood seeping to the ground.

Inside the embassy, he was treated for his wounds. He took some tea and watched a news report about him attacking a child. However, two presidential candidates, Filipa Numara and John Akeelo, spoke up in defense of him in the media. "It's clear from the footage," Akeelo said, "that Ambassador Soval was attacked, while trying to help a child. Everyone has a right to protest, but do not assault another person or destroy property."

It was just the beginning of a strange day. In the late afternoon, he was contacted by Officer Abebe from Starfleet Medical Facilities. The Human woman had short curly hair and a serious look on her face.

To his shock, she told him that T'Pol had been abducted from the hospital.

Thinking of the crowd outside, he asked, "Do you think she was taken by protesters? What is the condition of her child?"

"We are looking into all possibilities. The child is with T'Pol."

"So they're both in danger," he concluded. "What is being done to find them?"

Abebe told him that Starfleet Security was investigating the matter. He wanted to come to the hospital, but Abebe told him it was better he stayed at the embassy for his own protection. She would keep him updated.

Finally, after a long time of waiting, Abebe reported they had found T'Pol in Brasil and a rescue team would save her. Relieved, he got back to work, but when after many hours Abebe hadn't called back, he reached out to her.

The woman looked nervous and tired. "We have reached out to Command several times, but there's no news."

He ended the call, stood up and looked outside the windows. The protesters were still there, but he could try to leave from another exit. He still had his outfit from his last visit to the hospital. As much as he valued his Vulcan robes, it would be wise to dress differently when he went out.

He put on the medical coat, placed the purple cap over his ears, and made his way to the hospital. He asked for Abebe at the reception desk and she let him in. She accompanied him to the fourth floor, where T'Pol's room was located.

He found her doctor, Liz Cutler, sitting next to T'Pol's bed on a chair, her body rigid, her head lifted up to the sky, as if she were looking for answers. In his years on Earth, he had developed an adequate knowledge of Human body language. The young doctor was clearly distressed. Having seen her caring and friendly attitude towards T'Pol, he wasn't surprised.

"Can I be of assistance, Dr. Cutler?" he asked her.

She looked up in surprise. "Ambassador Soval," she said softly. "I need your help."