A Talk with a Vulcan Priest

Thanks: To justTrip'n!


T'Pol and Trip were on Risa for the second visit to that planet by Enterprise. This time Archer stayed on board while T'Pol had gone down to the Surface. Trip had gone with her mostly to keep himself out of trouble--that to spend time with her on the planet.

T'Pol and Trip walked to the Vulcan Embassy. T'Pol had said she wanted to visit a priest to discuss some personal matters. Trip went along to keep her company on the walk to the Embassy and to make sure he was waiting for her when she was ready to go back to the hotel. He had some plans for this evening: Dinner, maybe a walk in the hotel gardens. The Hotel was able to simulate a Vulcan garden. It would cost him but worth it if she was pleased. Coffee and Tea later. Good way to get much closer, which he desired. He knew he cared for T'Pol very much, maybe even loved her. He didn't think beyond that. He was wlling to take his time. They were still going to be on board Enterprise and seeing each other every day. He realized that he cared about her despite the fact she was Vulcan and harder to read than a stone statue.

When they reached the embassy, T'Pol asked to see the priest assigned to the embassy. She had arranged an appointment when she had been told Enterprise was returning to Risa. The priest was waiting.

T'Pol turned to Trip. "Trip, this will take at least an hour, maybe more. I realize that is a long time to ask you to wait."

"I can amuse myself. Maybe I will go for a walk and look around the neighborhood."

"Be careful. Vulcans were forced to put their Embassy in a less safe area. For Vulcans there is no worry because the embassy staff always travel in pairs or larger groups. In addition, all of the staff are well trained in the martial arts of Vulcan. Perhaps you should take a ground car back to the hotel and wait for me there."

"Naw, I'll be alright, I can take care of myself. Besides I won't wander far from the embassy. If I see anything I can't handle, I will hotfoot it right back here. I can run pretty damned fast when I'm scared."

"Well then, I must go to meet the priest."

"I'll be waiting for you when you come out."

T'Pol entered the small office of the priest. She greeted the priest and was greeted in return.

"What may I do for you, my daughter?"

"I have some very personal matters I wish to discuss."

"Go on, Daughter. Talk and I will listen until you want to ask me a question. Or after you have finished, I may have questions."

T'Pol regarded him for a minute. He was old for a Vulcan she noted. He must be accomplished and experienced in logic and Surak, she thought.

T'Pol hestitated and then began to speak:

"There is a male that I am increasingly attracted to. He is intelligent, brave, gentle, trustworthy and loyal. He is sincere and I trust him very much.

"We are in close contact daily. Although he works in a different section than I do, he manages to come to my area fairly often in a day. I believe he does it because he wants to see me.

"I have not encouraged him in any way. I have kept a proper distance between us and not allowed any informality or intimate talk. We are considered friends, but are not as close as he seems to want. He says I keep him 'at arm's length.' I suppose that is correct. But it is the Vulcan way."

"Continue."

"I must admit that I find him interesting and intelligent, but he can be annoying. It seems at times he is that way deliberately. He is well liked by others around him and is friendly, always ready to help. He has taken the time to make me feel welcome."

"Welcome?"

"Yes I am on a starship."

"I thought the Vulcan starship departed Risa two days ago.I was not aware another had arrived.".

"No this is not a Vulcan ship. It is Human."

"How many other Vulcans besides you and this male are on board this Human ship?"

"There is no other Vulcan on board but me. There are eighty Humans and one Denobian and myself on board."

"So this Denobian has become your friend?"

"No, he is the ship's Doctor. I am friendly with him but he is not the male I am speaking about."

"You mean this male is Human?" replied the Priest with disbelief.

"Yes he is."

"But you are just casual acquaintances aren't you?"

"That is what I want to talk to you about," T'Pol said. "Have you met many Humans?"

"No, but I have spoken to other Vulcans who have had contact with Humans. From what I have been told, they are very emotional and barbarians."

"But you have never spoken with a Human?"

"I do not have to. The Vulcans I have spoken with are all knowledgeable and I believe what they have told me. I need not speak with a Human even if I could tolerate being near one," the priest exclaimed. "So . . . what is there to talk about? Certainly you don't want to be anything more than acquaintances with this male? He is just a Human."

T'Pol flushed slightly. "There is more of this story to tell."

"What is it, Daughter? You want to know how to disengage from this Human?"

"I was hoping I would not have to."

"Are you not betrothed? Why are you not married? How soon will your bethrothed experience his pon farr?"

"I am no longer betrothed. The family broke it the engagement when I refused to return to Vulcan to marry," said T'Pol looking down at her hands.

"What! You refused to return to marry your bethrothed? That is not the Vulcan way, Daughter."

"I know, but I could not leave the Humans. They needed guidance." She did not mention that her Human friend had spoken to her about personal choice, which had influenced her decision not to marry Koss.

"That is comendable, Daughter, but your duty to your famly comes first, and I am sure they would want you to marry your betrothed."

"That is not what I came her to talk about. I have another personal matter to discuss."

The priest did not appear to know quite what to say so he merely said, "Continue."

"This Human male has opened me to some things that I have never thought of before."

"Such as?"

"Once our ship encountered a species that had three sexes. The two dominate sexes used the third sex for procreation but did not consider it part of their society. They ignored it for the most part, treating it casually. This Human I am speaking of saw something the others didn't. He met a third sex, treated it as an equal. He told me later that this third sex was extremely intelligent, learned incredibly fast, and was interested in expanding its life. Unfortunately the third sex tried to act on these desires by escaping to Enterprise, but the two other sexes took it away again. The third sex commited suicide. The Human said it was out of depression because it could not realize the wonderful things that he had opened up to it. Our Captain was angry at this man and talked to him very severely. Had this Human not been so important to the ship, the Captain would have punished him."

"The Captain obviously saw that the man had been wrong."

"No, the captain wanted to gain as much new technology from the aliens as possible, though he would have failed in any case. It was obvious the aliens would not reveal their technology, believing the Humans should discover technology on their own."

"That is the way of the Vulcans too."

"What the aliens did not realize is that the Human I have told you about is quite talented. They showed him their equipment, but not how it was constructed. He has been thinking and experimenting since. He will discover the equipments' secret someday."

"He is Human, not Vulcan. It would take him a lifetime if he ever could do it," said the Priest confidently

T'Pol did not respond to this.

"Another time he was stranded on a small body with a hostile alien. The two fought violently until the Human finally convinced the alien they should work together so they could be rescued. He stayed with the alien until rescue came for both of them. He could have been safely aboard the Enterprise sooner, but he refused to leave the alien. He  chose to remain to help the alien survive even though it risked his own safety. I later said to the Captain that the Captain had accomplished in one day more than the Vulcans had in one year in regard to the aliens. I was wrong. It was the Human who had stayed with the Alien, disregarding his own safety until rescue came for the alien, who impressed the aliens and made them more inclined to increased meetings with Humans."

"This Human has done more than Vulcans? I hardly believe this could the case. Though, perhaps Vulcans have had fewer opportunities to impress the aliens."

"He was terribly injured in a fall while he was shutting down his equipment in order to save the ship. He would have died except the Denobian doctor saved him. I never visited him while he lay in a coma. I did not see him until he was fully recovered. I was worried that he might have died. I should have visited him at night when no one was around. I feel I should  have spoken to him even if he could not have heard me. I should have said that he needed to fight for his life, help was on the way, but he had to stay alive-- that the ship needed him."

T'Pol thought how she failed Trip and herself during that time by not reguarly visiting him just to talk, even though he would never hear her.

T'Pol continued, attempting to justify herself: "I would not have been showing fear or pity, but concern for a friend."

"This is unsuprising. Fear and pity are not emotions that Vulcans express; but concern is acceptable in moderation. That should not have bothered you. If he was a Vulcan male, I would completely understand. But why are you this concerned about an inferior Human?"

"He was not inferior to me. I see him as the hope of his species. He is willing to meet other species not as a superior or inferior but as an equal. He will meet them with interest and friendliness. It is a perilous approach, as he will be placing himself in danger when he meets with species who are devious and dangerous but outwardly friendly. However it is the best way for Humans to go out in space and meet new species. He and his kind are very much needed by his species."

"The Vulcans would not go out that way and do not. And they have made contact with many other Species."

Yes, but they have not been successful all of the time."

"That is no way to talk about your people. You should be proud of being a Vulcan. Humans are so different. They are too emotional, not like us, who have logic and control to guide us."

"Humans are emotional, and he is very emotional. It is hard to be around him at times as he upsets my control. He questions my logic saying that logic isn't everything and can get in the way of doing the right thing."

"As I said, they are too emotional. You would do well to stay away from this Human for your own good."

T'Pol steeled herself and then spoke rapidly:

"There is a female on board that he has been seeing with at breakfast and at movie night once or twice. He seems to be drawn to her."

"That should be of no interest to you. Allow this development to help you withdraw from him enough that you are not upset by his closeness. Let the two Humans be together. You are Vulcan and have no future of that kind with a Human."

"She has aroused a sense of violence in me."

"Violence? Impossible, have you meditated on this?"

'Yes very much, and I still feel that way."

"Oh, I am certain you are mistaken. What could possibly be the cause of such a thing?"

"I am jealous of her."

"What? Vulcans don't feel jealousy."

"Yes they do, as they also feel other emotions that they surpress."

"But if you simply stand aside, let the two become a couple, your jealousy surely will fade."

"This is what I have come to talk to you about. I am hoping that you can apply your knowledge of Surak to tell me how to resolve my problem in a satsfactory way. I want to make the right decision."

"I will do my best. I am sure that Surak will have the answer you seek. Just tell me now, what exactly is the problem?"

"I want him!" T'Pol blurted out."He is mine. I can't allow her to have him. I want him for my mate for life." Her voice crackled with emotion when she said this.

The Priest's facade dropped he looked stunned and shocked by turns. "What are you saying my Daughter? How could you, a Vulcan woman, even have these kinds of thoughts?"

"I need your help. Tell me what I must do. I am not going to give him up, so what can I do?"

"I don't believe Surak covered a Vulcan-Human mating. I would not know where to look, and there is nothing I remember of Surak speaking of this kind of relationship with aliens."

"Doesn't Surak speak of relationships?"

"Between Vulcans. You know our customs are based on his teachings. What you are telling me is that you feel love for this Human. Love is an emotion that Vulcans began to feel for their mates after a few years together, the first pon farr, and perhaps the birth of their first child. There is another kind of love that eventually develops between a parent and a child. But your experience sounds more like a precipitous Human emotion. Vulcan love is guided by logic and takes time to develop, with much meditation."

"That is not the kind of love I have learned from Humans. Vulcan 'love' is just affection mixed with logic. It is not as deeply felt as human love."

"My Child, you have been among Humans too long. You have been beguiled by these emotions from an inferior species. You must meditate for many long hours to cleanse yourself of this."

T'Pol's control was slipping she wanted to shout at the Priest, I don't want a lecture! I want your help!  Instead she held on to her control.

"I will meditate on this, but I need your help in resolving my jealousy without mating with the Human. I am not sure that is what I want just yet."

"You mean that you may want to mate with him at some future time?"

T'Pol knew she had said the wrong thing. She tried to cover it up.

"No, excuse me. I misspoke. I have not been speaking Vulcan for some years and my fluency has not entirely returned to me today. What I meant is I would like to resolve this jealously and to continue to remain friendly with him. We are on board a starship and must work together frequently. It is better we remain on good terms."

The Priest leaned back and closed his eyes. "Do you believe that you could become friendly enough with him to make him lose interest in this other female, without sliding into  a deeper more intimate relationship? That would solve your dilemma."

"I believe that I can, but . . ."

"Good, good, Remember that you are Vulcan and that he is just a Human. Think of it that way and I am sure you can do as I say."

T'Pol stood up. "I appreciate the logic of your advice and your time. "

"It is my pleasure to help with your problems. I hope our talk will help you to reclaim your Vulcan nature by abandoninng these Human emotions. Good bye then."

"Peace and long life." T'Pol walked out of the Priests Office. Her mind was in a turmoil. She knew the Priest's advice was logical.  The thought that she would lose Tucker's friendship frightened her. She must do as the priest had suggested. She decided that she would be friendly enough to make Tucker forget Cole, but not encourage him further. It would be difficult. She knew that he cared deeply for her, perhaps loves her. That she felt the same way. It was a risky plan. So much could go wrong. Should she attempt it? A image came into her mind: Trip and Cole standing in front of Archer while he performed a marriage ceremony for them. NO. I will do as the Priest suggests.

She saw Trip walking into the Embassy. She knew she had an uncertain future and her decisions would have a profound effect on that future.

"Ready to go? I have a nice evening planned for us. I have even got the hotel to arrange a Vulcan Garden for us to have dinner in. And they will prepare your favorite Vulcan dishes. Sound good?"

"Yes, Commander, that sounds wonderful. How very pleasing of you to do this for a friend."

Finis