The Expanse - J.M. Dillard [25]
Forrest shook his head. He seemed reluctant to have yielded to Soval’s pressure; at the same time, Archer understood why the Admiral had done it. It was only fair to let Archer know what he was getting into.
Flanked by T’Pol, Archer rose and moved to leave the room.
Behind them, Soval called, “I need to speak with you, T’Pol.”
Archer swore silently at that. T’Pol was, quite simply, one of his most valuable crew members ... and he had no doubt that Soval would do everything in his power to pressure her to stay. She would, of course; there was no reason for her to risk her life on behalf of Earth, and she had been put on Enterprise at the Ambassadors request, to keep the Vulcans informed of the mischief the humans were getting into.
That didn’t make losing her any easier.
Outside the Fleet Operations Center, the night air was damp and chill. T’Pol found it bracing; she’d become accustomed to San Francisco weather during her time in the city as an intern. In addition, she had long ago adapted to the cooler temperatures aboard Enterprise. She supposed that if she returned to Vulcan, she’d have to reacclimate herself to the heat.
At the moment, she walked away from the Center past the large metal sculpture of Earth. Beside her was Soval, who wore his traditional heavy cloak to ward off the cold. T’Pol had yet to tell him of her desire to remain aboard Enterprise. She knew he would disapprove; she would have to word her case most carefully.
So she said nothing at first—merely listened, like a good diplomat.
Soval, of course, had already made plans without consulting her. T’Pol did not take offense; as her superior, he had a right.
“If all goes right,” the Ambassador was saying, “you should be able to return to your duties on Earth within a year ... that is, if you’re still interested.”
They made their way down the steps in front of the building.
If all goes well. What, precisely, was Soval saying? If the taint of being around humans has sufficiently worn off ... ? If you conduct yourself in an appropriate “Vulcan” manner for a long enough time ... ? She forced herself to censor the line of thought. Perhaps she was misinterpreting the Ambassador; to be fair, she remained silent and listened further.
“You haven’t been back to Vulcan for some time,” Soval continued. “You may find your assignment at the Ministry of Information refreshing.”
T’Pol had serious doubts about that. Serving at the Ministry was tantamount to a demotion. She’d be greeting tourists, giving out directions and maps, suggesting sites of interest to visitors. It would scarcely be challenging.
It seemed ridiculous to waste her time performing such trivial duties, when she was so critically needed aboard Enterprise.
Still, she did not bring up that subject quite yet; she knew Soval too well. Instead, she pursued a different issue. “I don’t understand why I can’t remain in San Francisco.”
They moved away from the sidewalk, into a landscaped park.
“You’ve spent far too much time with humans,” Soval answered swiftly. “It would be best if you return home for a while.”
T’Pol now knew her suspicion had been correct. After spending time with the ship’s crew, T’Pol had begun to formulate a hypothesis: Much of what Vulcans thought about humans was based on ignorance and prejudice. Vulcans remembered the extreme violence of their own past, and assumed humans were exactly the same, in need of the major transformation brought about by Surak, the pursuit of total nonemotion.
True, humans were still quite capable of violence, but they were far from the savagery that had marked ancient Vulcan history. In fact, humans were capable of much that was good, and they were remarkably adaptable, learning quickly from their mistakes. Their culture was making remarkable strides toward peace. T’Pol had learned they were loyal, well-meaning, and deserving of trust—something Soval would never give them.
Normally, she would have accepted Soval’s pronouncement without question; now—having been “tainted” by her time amongst humans—she pressed. “You thought it was crucial