Chapter 15 - Burden

Malcolm finds himself between a rock and a hard place. This was partly inspired by the TNG episode "Measure of a Man".

He looked at T'Pol with an incredulous stare, lost for words. Only after several moments, he found the composure to ask what was on his mind.

"T'Pol, you were raped and didn't say a thing?" he asked, but T'Pol didn't answer and remained almost frozen.

"Not the way you would think," Trip interrupted, coming out of the bed room, which he shared with her. It didn't take much of Malcolm's imagination to guess, why Trip was coming out of there in this very moment. Seeing her in shock gave him a pretty good idea of the mental nudge Trip must have had received through that bond of theirs.

"I didn't expect you to say anything," Trip half asked, half stated in her direction, but T'Pol again remained apathetic.

"She didn't," Hoshi explained. "We just learned about it. The embassy sent a message that Tolaris will be put on trial. The ambassador himself will come here in a few hours to give us the details."

"Except the Captain, Phlox and myself nobody knew about it," Trip mused in deep thought. "That can only mean it was Jon, who spilled the beans. Why the hell didn't he say a damn thing when we met at Jupiter Station?"

"First things first," Malcolm interrupted. "I can make sense of the battery. T'Pol didn't end up in sickbay for nothing. But what about the rape? What do you mean by 'not the way you think'? How many forms of rape are there and most importantly, why didn't I as the security officer get to know about it? That scum would never have made it off the ship!"

"I asked the Captain to send them away," T'Pol said when Malcolm's had completed his rant.

It were T'Pol's first words since Hoshi had brought back the news from the embassy and her voice was barely above a whisper. It didn't take a lot of intuition to see that she was reliving some very carefully repressed memories.

"I think it would be best to eat something first," Trip suggested in an attempt to buy T'Pol some time to regain composure. "This whole thing is not exactly a talk to be had on an empty stomach."

=/\=

The morning meal had gone by in complete silence. While T'Pol would normally see that as a sign of respect for her culture, the absence of the usual idle chatter reminded her that Malcolm and Hoshi were simply shocked into silence and Trip was too busy to say anything. All through the meal she had felt the gentle caress of his mind in hers as he waded through the emotional torrent that flooded her, seeking for emotions he could safely take on himself.

Thankfully Malcolm and Hoshi had mainly tried to avoid looking directly at her or Trip or they would have seen his veins bulge on his temples and the occasional tear in his eyes as he tried to help her cope with the devastating mixture of pain and rage.

After all had finished eating, she noticed the expectant looks of Malcolm and Hoshi and decided that it was not logical to defer the talk any longer.

"What happened was not rape in the way humans would define it," T'Pol began vaguely. "Tolaris proposed a mind-meld and I initially agreed."

"With 'initially' meaning that this willingness changed throughout the procedure?" Malcolm speculated. His carefully maintained neutral and clipped voice told her clearly that he put up the professional façade of a security officer to hide his displeasure about not being informed about it earlier.

"When he started to access parts of my mind that I was shielding and flooded my consciousness with unbidden thoughts and emotions I urged him to stop, but he continued the meld forcibly."

Hoshi slung her arms around her own body as if the temperature had dropped to below freezing, reminding T'Pol that she wasn't the only person in the room, whose mind had been violated. Hoshi’s ordeal on the Reptilian ship was probably the closest any Human had ever come to the agony she had felt after Tolaris' attack.

Slinging his arm around Hoshi to console her, Malcolm asked the question that kept him busy since he learned of all this.

"Why didn't you tell any of us? And how in the name of all that's holy could the Captain just send them away without doing anything?"

"It may be difficult to understand from today’s perspective, but at the time I had participated in an activity that most Vulcans considered deviant. By the official doctrine of the time, all damages that had been inflicted, I had brought on myself."

"Damages?" Malcolm asked back.

"Tolaris did not only perform the meld by force, but also ineptly. I was infected with Pa'nar Syndrome, a debilitating and ultimately fatal neurological disease."

"Bloody Norah!" Malcolm exclaimed and Hoshi looked so pale that T'Pol started to doubt the wisdom of continuing this conversation in Hoshi's presence."

"Can... can it be cured?" Hoshi asked in a breaking voice.

"At the time, the government insisted that there was no cure. Doctor Phlox managed to delay the onset of the disease, but his attempts to find further information almost lead to my removal from Enterprise."

"The IME conference at Dekendi Three," Malcolm guessed.

"Indeed. Under a false pretense Dr. Phlox tried to find out further details from Vulcan members of the conference. They logically deduced that it was me, who was infected. Only due to a selfless act of self-incrimination by Dr. Yuris could my recall be averted, which retroactively proved Captain Archers wisdom in not making this incident publicly known. I know that it went against his strongest beliefs to let Tolaris go unpunished."

"Is there a cure now?" Hoshi asked again.

"Yes," T'Pol said with a nod. "Contrary to the falsehoods propagated by V'Las' government, the disease can be cured by a properly performed mind-meld. Minister T'Pau performed the procedure during our time in the Forge."

"I think, I'm starting to get the picture," Malcolm said. "Do you think that putting him on trial now is a good idea?"

"The prospect of divulging the details of this incident in public is disconcerting, but the thought of Tolaris in freedom on Vulcan is even more unbearable."

=/\=

A heavy knock on the door announced the arrival of their distinguished guest. As was written in the embassy message, Ambassador Garth himself was going to inform them about the details of the upcoming trial.

When Trip opened the door however, there were two hooded figures, who put back the hoods of their cloaks, revealing the ambassador's companion to be Minister T'Pau herself. If the leader of the High Council made an appearance, this whole trial did not look set to be just a historical footnote.

Quickly forming his right hand into the Ta'al he greeted their guests and indicated them to enter the house.

"Minister, Ambassador," T'Pol greeted, visibly confused by T'Pau's presence.

"It is agreeable to see you again," T'Pau replied.

"Guess, we'll take our leave," Malcolm offered.

"That won't be necessary," Ambassador Garth said. "I think both your and Lieutenant Sato's presence might be helpful."

Slightly confused, both Malcolm and Hoshi stayed.

"Are all persons aware of the charges against Mr. Tolaris?" Garth asked, receiving affirmative responses from everyone.

"Upon return of the Vahklas Tolaris was apprehended by Vulcan security forces and turned over to United Earth custody. The office of the Judge Advocate General has charged him with rape and battery of Captain T'Pol of Vulcan and battery of Commodore Jonathan Archer."

"That's good to hear," Trip said.

"Minister T'Pau has informed me that the matter at hand is extremely private in Vulcan society, which is why the trial will be held here on Vulcan to avoid too much publicity."

"Something tells me, there's a hook somewhere," Malcolm suspected and Trip rolled his eyes about Mal's instinctive skepticism.

"I'm afraid, you're right Commander," the Ambassador replied carefully. Vulcan has permitted this trial on a condition. The number of outsiders has to be kept at a minimum, which rules out more JAG personnel except for the judge."

"You wouldn't!" Malcolm exclaimed and shot up as if something had bitten him in the backside. He angrily paced the living room.

"Mal?" Trip asked. "Care to tell us what's wrong?"

"Did you miss your legal training at the academy?" Malcolm spat angrily. "With no JAG personnel at hand, this trial is a case for article 87. In that case both plaintiff and defense will be represented by serving officers."

Trip and Hoshi looked at him in shock.

"T'Pol is the victim and you, Trip, are her mate, so you're considered biased. Which leaves me and Hoshi as the highest ranking officers who know the details. That means I'll be representing T'Pol and Commodore Archer and Hoshi will be expected to defend the scum bag."

"You can't be serious!" Trip exclaimed.

Malcolm didn't answer, but Ambassador Garth did.

"Commander Reed’s assessment is mostly correct. As a result of the coalition talks a recent amendment to Article 87 states that in case of involvement of a non-human under Earth jurisdiction, these tasks can also be taken on by legally trained personnel of the respective home world. Captain T'Pol and Commodore Archer will be represented by Minister T'Pau and the frankly unenviable task of legal counsel for the accused will fall to Commander Reed."

"You can't expect me to agree to that, Sir!"

"I'm afraid that is the only option we have," Garth answered. "We have no complete legal staff at the embassy, so taking the situation of the Vulcans into account; the only available options are you and Lieutenant Sato."

"Have you any idea what you're asking of us?"

"Commander Reed," T'Pau spoke for the first time. "I was told that you are a most professional officer. What is it that would make it impossible for you to take this assignment?"

"Does it not strike you as unusual that Hoshi and I happen to be here?" he asked, showing uncharacteristically open frustration. "For all I know about Vulcans, casual invitations are not exactly common practice. Trip and T'Pol are our friends. You are asking me to speak for someone, who assaulted two people, who I respect very much. I'm expected to try reducing or even averting the punishment of someone who committed one of the most grievous acts against a friend of mine."

"With the proper professional detachment, it should be possible to..."

"Minister!" Malcolm interrupted her. "I have no doubt in my professionalism, in fact I actually dread it. I couldn't live with myself if that man went free, because I was 'professional'."

T'Pau looked at him with no more expression than an inquisitively raised eyebrow.

"If I leave details unexplored that may speak against T'Pol and for the accused, the judgment would be challenged. If I do put them in the open, he might be acquitted or at least part of the blame may be put on the victim. I'm not sure I can resolve that conflict."

"You can," T'Pol said, standing up and coming to a halt directly facing Malcolm. "You are a most professional officer and your indulgence is the only option of making this trial a reality. If you decline, he will go free regardless, but if you accept there is at least the chance to issue just punishment. Refusal is not logical."

Malcolm looked at her almost pleadingly.

"I will not hold you responsible for the outcome," T'Pol said. "Please, Malcolm." 

=/\=

Malcolm entered the dark corridor within the Embassy that housed the three holding cells. Snorting silently, he thought that humanity might not be in the best of shapes, if they built their first extraterrestrial Embassy with holding cells included. But for the moment it was good that they existed.

Handing a PADD to one of the guards, he demanded: "I'm Commander Malcolm Reed. Bring the prisoner into the interrogation room."

Standing with his back leaning on the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest Malcolm watched how the prisoner was brought in. He had his arms shackled with what looked like a device capable of immobilizing a buffalo and Malcolm had to remind himself that, when it came to physical strength, the Vulcan could well be one. He found it quite disturbing to look into the face of a Vulcan, who displayed visible signs of disdain.

"Listen," Malcolm began and fought down a snort at the thought that he was probably the least emotional being in this room at this moment. "I'm Commander Malcolm Reed and I have been assigned to you as your legal counsel. I think you're guilty as sin, but in my capacity as your legal representative, I'll have to explore each and every avenue that speaks in your favor."

"This is none of your business," Tolaris answered with what felt to Malcolm like a threatening calm. "What would you know about Vulcans?"

"What I know and don't know is none of your business. Suffice to say my expertise is extensive enough to know, not to assault the mind of one. I want to hear your recollection of the events – and save any psychotic drivel. Just give me the facts."

=/\=

Malcolm came out of the room in a state of shock. The way Tolaris had recollected his thoughts, intentions and actions made him physically sick. It was the psychotic babble of a pathological stalker and rapist and even more sickeningly, the diatribe of his unwanted client had had a distinctive sexual undercurrent. It didn't take a warp specialist to know that T'Pol's mind was meant to be only a first step. While that was probably more than enough to nail the bastard to the wall, it threatened to turn his stomach that he was now forced to consider the possibility that Tolaris wasn't exactly firing on all thrusters, meaning he could possibly evade punishment in favor of a place in a padded cell.

He almost bumped into the figure standing in the corridor – Trip.

"Hi Mal, how did it go?"

"You know that I can't talk to you about that," Malcolm answered.

"Come on, Mal, it's not like you'll win this case," Trip said and his irritation was obvious to Malcolm. "What do you want to prove with this? Is that why you and Hoshi moved to the Embassy quarters?"

Malcolm let out a sigh. "Which part of this arrangement is so hard to understand for you? No matter how much I dislike it, I've been assigned to defend that man and if I make a hash of it, this whole trial will collapse before it begins. Which would mean he goes free. If word would get around that I'm staying at the victim’s home, we could just as well unroll the red carpet for him."

"Well for a job you dislike, you're putting quite an effort into it," Trip spat.

"Do you think I like this?" Malcolm spat back, getting angry, too. "Giving him a fair trial is the only chance to punish him. If the judge rules that I have been biased or worked against the defendant, he'll send us all home, including the scum bag in there."

"Suit yourself," Trip growled and stalked off.

"Brilliant, bloody brilliant," Malcolm sighed.

=/\=

When Rear Admiral Santos de Oliveira entered the room, all attending persons stood up.

"In this court, convened on August 17th, 2155 in the Embassy of United Earth on Vulcan, we hear the case of United Earth Starfleet against Tolaris of Vulcan, son of T'Nera, son of Sokat. The plaintiffs are represented by First Minister T'Pau of Vulcan, the defendant is represented by Commander Malcolm Reed. Chairman is Rear Admiral Joao Sebastiao Santos de Oliveira. Lay assessors are Lieutenant Commander Anna Hess and Minister Kuvak of Vulcan."

All people sat down, once the judge had done so.

"The prosecution will now read the charges against the accused," the judge ordered.

Hoshi watched the proceedings from the visitor ranks, which was an almost sarcastic name, considering that she was the only person in the room, who wasn't either part of the court proceedings or a witness. She quietly admired the fact that T'Pau had even opted to wear a black human court dress and she had to fight a smile, trying to imagine what the Vulcan would have looked like, if Earth still used the white wigs of old times.

Next to her sat Trip, staring into the distance with a fierce scowl. As much as Hoshi wanted to throttle him for the unfair anger he had unleashed on Malcolm, she hoped that their friendship would survive this ordeal.

"Your honor," T'Pau began. "The accused is charged with rape, battery and malicious injury by negligence of Captain T'Pol of Vulcan and battery of Commodore Jonathan Archer. On the day of December the 28th in the year 2151, according to Earth's calculation of time, the accused initiated a mind-meld with Subcommander T'Pol of Vulcan, who was assigned to the Earth vessel Enterprise. Although the mind-meld was initiated with the consent of Subcommander T'Pol, the accused continued the procedure forcibly, when he was asked to stop the mind-meld. Not only did his forcible continuation of the mind-meld cause injury to Subcommander T'Pol's neuro-pathways, it also led to an infection with Pan'ar Syndrome. On the next day the accused was confronted by Captain Jonathan Archer, who banned him from any further contact with Subcommander T'Pol. In an attempt to forcibly circumvent this ban, he assaulted Captain Jonathan Archer, leading to minor injuries and bruises."

Having ended her speech, T'Pau sat down again.

"Both Earth and Vulcan authorities have ruled that, since Captain T'Pol, who was a Subcommander at the time of the incident, was under Earth command at the time, the incident falls therefore under Earth jurisdiction. It is therefore irrelevant that she held a Vulcan rank at the time. I propose that, to avoid any confusion, we should use Captain T'Pol's current rank throughout this hearing. Any objections?"

Both T'Pau and Malcolm did not object the judge's proposal.

"I call the accused to the stand," the judge ordered and delivered the instructions about false statements, both sworn and unsworn and the possible consequences.

"Mr. Tolaris, you have heard the charges against you. What do you have to say in your defense?"

"You all do not understand," Tolaris ranted with the fervor of a religious leader. "T'Pol was repressed and in a crucial stage of her awakening. She needed my guidance."

"Minister T'Pau, your witness," the judge ordered.   

=/\=

Trip felt dizzy and sick. More than once T'Pol had mentally begged him to raise his shields, but he refused to budge. As long as the torrent of emotions in T'Pol's mind was somehow manageable, he was hell-bent on lessening her burden. The raw emotions radiating off the madly ranting Tolaris made the task even more difficult. If he, who possessed only minor telepathic abilities, could pick up the sickening torrent of sexual greed and possessiveness in Tolaris' mind, the thought of how it must affect people with such acute mental faculties like those of T'Pol or T'Pau added further strain on his stomach.

And now Malcolm made it even worse...

"Captain," Malcolm opened his questioning of T'Pol. "Is it true that the accused told you to forego meditation and you complied?"

"Yes."

"What was the result of this indulgence?"

"I had... dreams. They were of unsettling nature."

"Did you cease the experiments?"

"No. Doctor Phlox encouraged me to not give up after a first attempt, but also warned me to 'go slow' as he described it. I was initially determined to cease the practice, but I allowed Tolaris to 'talk me into it'."

"I have never known you to be someone, who is easily talked into something," Malcolm said. "You had served with us a good portion of a year at the time and only two people were able to change your mind about something – Commander Tucker and occasionally the Captain. How come that a stranger, whom you've had known for less than two days could convince you to break so many social rules of Vulcan society?"

Trip's nostril flared as he sucked in what felt like half the chamber's air with a sharp inhale. He felt, how someone grabbed his hand, squeezing it forcefully. He looked to the right – straight into Hoshi's face. She wore the most menacing scowl he'd ever seen on the petite officer's face and her head-shake was a clear signal to forget whatever he was about to do.

"I was... curious," T'Pol admitted. "I had a need to... to acquire more knowledge about emotions."

"Was that an attempt to understand humans better?"

"That was part of the consideration."

"What about the other part?" Malcolm asked. "Did your developing friendship with Commander Tucker influence your decision?"

"That's a low blow, asshole!" Trip screamed and shot up from his seat.

"Silence!" the judge intervened. "Commander Tucker, if you interrupt the court proceedings again, you will be suspended."

"What'm'a s'posed ta do? Sittin' here on ma butt watch'n how ma wife's bein' put through the fuckin' wringer?" he shouted, falling into a hideous drawl as all emotional dams broke.

Before the judge could voice the suspension, Trip felt three fingers on his neck just before the lights went out.

"He refused to raise his shields," T'Pol explained from the witness stand.

A nod signaled Soval's understanding as he picked up the fallen Commander, whom he had just incapacitated.

"It would be prudent to turn Commander Tucker over into medical care," Soval addressed the judge.

"Granted," the judge agreed. "But I expect you to return immediately, Ambassador. You are still a witness in this trial."

"Agreed."

"I'll stay with him," Hoshi volunteered and followed Soval out of the court room. Turning around she looked at Malcolm, who wore an almost depressive frown.

=/\=

"Doctor Phlox," T'Pau opened after being given permission to question the witness. "You have treated Captain T'Pol after the assault. Since she has exempted you from your oath of confidentiality; Can you tell us, what sort of injuries your patient had suffered?"

"Captain T'Pol suffered from a substantial neurological overload. Her neuro-pathways were hyper-stimulated substantially."

"You worked on Vulcan for more than 20 years as a member of the Interspecies Medical Exchange. Had you seen such injuries before?"

"Yes," Phlox agreed. "Captain T'Pol's injuries were comparable to those sustained by Vulcans, who were subjected to torture in Andorian captivity."

"What is your conclusion from these findings?"

"From personal experience during the Vulcan crisis, when Ambassador Soval was tortured by Andorians, we know that they use forceful intrusion into the mind of their victims to acquire information. It was therefore the logical conclusion that Captain T'Pol's mind had been brutally invaded."

"Are you saying that the assault was conducted with the force of Andorian torture devices?" T'Pau asked doubtfully.

"Maybe not equally forceful," Phlox admitted. "But the severity of Captain T'Pol's injuries led me to suspect that the attacker possessed exceptionally strong telepathic abilities."

"What logic do you base your suspicion on?"

"I have observed Commander Tucker before his outburst. It was plainly visible that he was very unwell during the questioning of Tolaris. Commander Tucker's telepathic abilities, which he started to acquire in hard training, are almost negligible compared to those of a Vulcan. Yet he seemed to be disturbed by emotions radiating off the accused during the questioning."

"I can attest to that," Kuvak agreed with visible unease. "The accused was broadcasting most powerful and disturbing emotions during his testimony."

"His telepathic abilities appear to be strong enough to reach a weak telepath," Phlox continued. "It stands to suspect that he might be able to influence the mind of others."

"That is a serious accusation," T'Pau replied. "Can you substantiate that suspicion with facts?"

"I could not until Commander Reed's questioning, but I believe he provided the 'missing piece of the puzzle', as my human shipmates would say. The observation that Captain T'Pol rarely changes her mind is a quite accurate one. Although we are connected in certain ways, being the only aliens among more than 80 humans, I've never managed to change Captain T'Pol's mind other than in small inconsequential matters. For her to break rules that are taught to Vulcans since early childhood on advice by a complete stranger appears extremely uncharacteristic to say the least.

"You suspect that the accused coerced her into compliance by telepathic influence?" T'Pau asked.

"I am certain of it," Phlox replied. "I urge this court to have the mental capabilities of the accused evaluated and I am sure that you will find him capable of forcing himself unto others from a distance."

T'Pau turned to the judge.

"Your honor, I hereby request that the accused be subjected to a medical evaluation of his telepathic abilities."

"Granted," the judge ruled. "This court is adjourned. We will reconvene in three hours."

=/\=

Hoshi paced the little stretch of floor behind the privacy screen, which hid the still unconscious Commander Tucker from public view.

"You know, I'd really like to wring your neck," Hoshi ranted to her unconscious friend. "Mal did it for T'Pol and all you can come up with is giving him shit!"

Predictably, no answer was forthcoming.

"What a great friend you are," she sighed. "What was he supposed to do? Say no and let that asshole go free?"

Silence.

"Know one thing, Trip Tucker," she ranted with a breaking voice and pointed her finger at the unresponsive figure on the biobed. "If you destroy this friendship, I'll... I'll..."

Succumbing to tears of loss and frustration Hoshi plopped down on the chair beside the biobed and rested her head on Trip's chest, letting the tears flow. "This friendship means so much to him..."

She didn't notice the hand that was slowly raised and started stroking her hair gingerly.

=/\=

"The session is reopened," the judge ruled. "I call Dr. Sertak of Vulcan to the stand."

After delivering the speech on false statements for the umpteenth time that day, the judge gave T'Pau permission to question the witness.

"Dr. Sertak. What result did your evaluation come to?"

"We evaluated the mental capabilities of Tolaris and came to the conclusion that his mental faculties are among the strongest in recorded medical history."

"Would such strength be sufficient to implant his -own thoughts into the mind of others?"

"No," the doctor disagreed. "Even the strongest telepaths on Vulcan would never be able to achieve that. However, the force of his mind is strong enough to influence the processing of emotions."

"Explain," T'Pau demanded. "Would such a strong mind be able to influence decisions?"

"Most certainly. A mind as adeptly attuned to telepathic contact as Tolaris's can create or mask powerful emotions like doubt, fear or anger. All these emotions influence our thoughts, even though we loathe admitting it."

"If I may interrupt," the judge jumped in. "If the telepathic abilities of the accused are that strong, how can we be sure that none of us is acting under his influence?"

"Except for a few individuals, Humans do not readily adapt or respond to telepathy," Dr. Sertak explained. "When I reviewed the recordings of the earlier sessions it was plainly visible that Commander Tucker possesses certain telepathic skills as does Lieutenant Sato. Both of them appeared in emotional turmoil."

"What about the Vulcans?" the judge asked.

"As is standard procedure, Tolaris was fitted with a neural suppressing device when he was apprehended."

"He was given a telepathy jamming device?" Anna Hess, the second lay assessor, asked.

"A simplified, but fitting comparison," the doctor agreed. "While it was certainly successful in preventing any telepathic influence on other persons minds, the fact that the accused still was able to broadcast his negative emotions in a way that influenced even weak telepaths like the two human witnesses is testament to the immense potential of his telepathic abilities."

"Your witness," the judge said and indicated T'Pau to continue.

"Doctor Sertak. After her experience with unsettling images in her sleep Captain T'Pol decided to cease any emotional experiments, despite Doctor Phlox's well-intentioned encouragement and warnings. As per her testimony the accused managed to convince her to continue the practice during a short conversation. Would the accused be able to have influenced that decision in his favor?"

"He most certainly did," the witness replied. "We have the testimony of her ship mates that such spontaneous change of opinion is most unusual. Furthermore her decision to cease the practice was based on agitation and doubt as a result of her 'dreams'. Such powerful emotions can only be suppressed by meditation or application of the routines of kohlinaar, none of which had occurred at the time. It is therefore the logical conclusion that the accused has masked out both doubt and fear and stimulated her curiosity. Captain T'Pol admitted that her wish to gain more knowledge in order to further her attachment to Commander Tucker played a part in the decision. The accused was most certainly aware of these tendencies, which gave him a most convenient starting point to manipulate Captain T'Pol's thoughts."

"He cannot have her!" Tolaris growled.

"Silence!" the judge demanded.

"She's MINE! I awoke her! She's MINE!" the UT translated Tolaris' hiss while the Vulcan lunged forward.

Before he knew what hit him, three fingers on his neck restored silence.

All Vulcans in attendance stared at Malcolm.

"Where did you acquire the technique?" T'Pau asked.

"You don't want to know."

Malcolm was startled by Commodore Archers chuckle and only then realized that he had used one of Hoshi's catch phrases. Shrugging with a sheepish grin he sat back on his chair.

"This court is adjourned," the judge ruled.

=/\=

Jonathan Archer looked around the court room as the session was about to resume. He felt deeply sorry for his former bridge officers. The picture of a pale Trip on a biobed consoling a crying Hoshi Sato had disturbed him more than he expected and the other two officers did not seem to fare any better.

Only someone, who had served with her for four years, could see the strain on T'Pol. Her nostrils were flaring and she fidgeted. He couldn't begin to imagine, what she was going through. Having one's private thoughts and love life being dragged into the open would be hard to take for a human and Jon decided not to try to imagine, what that did to a Vulcan.

His look went over to Malcolm and his former security officer did not seem any better than T'Pol. If there was any human, who could come close to a Vulcan's emotional control, it was Malcolm Reed, but faced with what must be the worst assignment of his life, even the Brit’s calm was gone. The scowl and the empty stare were clear signs that the last two days had taken a heavy toll.

"The session is reopened," the judge announced. "Before I deliver the verdict, I recall Doctor Sertak to the stand."

"Doctor, you have examined the mental state of the accused. Has your examination led to any findings regarding the criminal responsibility of the accused?"

"The accused has practically no control over his emotions. The medical examination, however, did not show any signs of Pan'ar Syndrome or Bendii Syndrome. The logical conclusion is therefore that the accused has willfully eradicated his emotional control and there is no logical reason to question the accused's full responsibility for his actions."

"Thank you Doctor," the judge said and waited for Sertak to return to his seat in the auditorium.

"Minister T'Pau, Commander Reed, please deliver your pleas."

=/\=

"On behalf of the United Earth people and the people of Vulcan, the following judgment is pronounced. The accused, Tolaris of Vulcan, is guilty as charged of two cases of battery according to United Earth law and malicious injury by negligence for the infection of Captain T'Pol with Pan'ar syndrome. By publicly expressing his claims to Captain T'Pol despite her bonded relationship to Commander Tucker, which he is aware of, he is guilty of willful malicious interference with a mating bond according to Vulcan law. As per Vulcan-Earth accords of January 10th 2131 this breach of foreign law is considered a crime as per Earth law. The charges of rape are dropped as the mental intrusion does not constitute rape as defined in Earth law. Vulcan law demands the death penalty for the malicious interference with a mating bond, which however has been abolished on Earth. The accused is therefore sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In the interest of the accused's health he will serve his sentence in a Vulcan penal facility and he is hereby delivered into custody of the Vulcan Security forces."

=/\=

"I must admit Minister, these robes fit you very well," Jon said with a smile as he joined T'Pau after the conclusion of the court session.

"Thank you, Commodore. For a human ritual a court session appears to be surprisingly logical, if somewhat circumstantial."

"Would it have been shorter on Vulcan?"

"Indeed. May I inquire about the health of your mate?"

"She is recovering well. I never had the chance to thank you for the help of your physicians. Without them Erika might have lost her eyesight completely."

"It was a logical decision. Considering that Starfleet saved us from war with Andoria twice, saving the vision of a Starfleet officer is the least we can do."

"Commodore Archer?" a young Ensign called from the far end of the corridor.

"Coming!" Jon answered and turned back to T'Pau. "I have to go. I've got a recovering mate waiting for me on Earth. It was nice to meet you again, Minister."

"As it was to meet you, Commodore. Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life, Minister."

=/\=

After almost two days of meditation to recover from the emotional strain that the trial had put on her, T'Pol walked into the United Earth Embassy and saw a morose looking Hoshi in the lobby.

"Hi T'Pol," Hoshi sighed. "Feeling better?"

"I am well, but you do not appear to be well."

"I'm fine," she answered. "But Malcolm isn't. He's barely spoken since the trial. He really took it hard."

"So did Trip," T'Pol agreed. "He tries to hide it, but he is deeply saddened by the events."

"We must do something," Hoshi pleaded.

"Agreed."

=/\=

Entering the code, she walked into the quarters in the Embassy and found Malcolm sitting on a chair, staring out of the window. She doubted that he had missed the hiss of the closing door, so he seemed to ignore her entrance completely. Those thoughts were interrupted, when her keen hearing picked up the sound of quiet sobbing – Malcolm was crying.

=/\=

Feeling her hand on his shoulder, Malcolm covered it with his own, still staring at the landscape through tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly it hit him that the hand on his shoulder was not the delicate one of Hoshi. Whipping his head around he looked straight into the face of T'Pol. Instinctively retracting his hand from hers, he jumped up and hastily wiped his eyes to get rid of the tears.

"I... I'm sorry," he stuttered, not specifying whether he referred to the accidental touch or the tears.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Malcolm," she said and to his utter shock she took his hands in hers. "If anything, it should be me to ask forgiveness. It is most disagreeable to see you in such distress."

"It wasn't you, who gave me that bloody assignment," he replied bitterly.

"No, but I urged you to accept it."

"I shouldn't have dug into your private life like that in public, I'm so sorry," he sighed and hung his head.

"I knew what I had to expect," T'Pol disagreed. "Had you not disclosed so many details, Phlox would not have come to the conclusion to have Tolaris' telepathic abilities examined. That is the sole reason for my acquittal from any joint guilt for the initial indulgence in the mind-meld."

"Maybe you should tell Trip that," he answered sadly. "He still thinks I tried to blame it all on you."

"I already did," Hoshi said and Malcolm looked over to see her leaning on the wall next to the door.

Self-consciously he looked down at his hands, which were still held by those of T'Pol, and then back to Hoshi, who wore a big smile. Obviously she did not mind it.

"Now look at you two," Hoshi said, still smiling. "Instead of endlessly apologizing to each other, we should think about how we get our two blockheads to make up."

"Can we skip the kissing part?" Malcolm asked with a smile.

=/\=

Trip sat in the backyard of their home, feeling morose. While he was glad that Hoshi and Malcolm had returned to stay with them, vacating their temporary home at the Embassy, he had no idea how to ease the massive tension that was still evident between Malcolm and him.

They had interacted little throughout the day and the few exchanged words had been spoken more formally than ever between them. Even before their adventure in Shuttlepod One there had been a more relaxed atmosphere.

Although he knew that he had been utterly unfair to Malcolm, even more so after Hoshi had explained that Malcolm had single-handedly freed T'Pol of any blame, he found himself completely tongue-tied and at a loss for words or ideas, how to broach the subject of a suitable apology.

Before he could brood any further, he noticed a furious looking Hoshi approaching the table at which he and Malcolm had been sitting for an hour, being silent to each other.

With loud thuds Hoshi slammed two bottles of beer onto the table.

"Listen boys," she said forcefully. "T'Pol and I are going to visit the fire-plains and when we come back you better have talked this out, got me?"

"Aye, ma'am," both Trip and Malcolm answered, staring bewildered at her.

"Don't 'aye ma'am' me. Unless you fancy sleeping in the doghouse or probably sehlat-house for you Mister," she said, pointing at Trip. "You better have made up by the time we come back."

With that she turned around and walked off, leaving two befuddled males in her wake.

Before she walked back into the house, she stopped and turned to them: "Skip the kissing part, Trip. That's my job!"

Trip, still looking at her, did not understand why Malcolm started laughing hysterically, but it was nice to hear in any case.

"She's a trip and a half, isn't she," Malcolm said, opening the bottles.

=/\=

It was already dark outside when T'Pol and Hoshi walked into the atrium.

"Do you think they've come around?" Hoshi asked, slightly worried by the complete absence of any voices from the backyard.

"It appears so," T'Pol said coming to an abrupt stop in the door, causing Hoshi to bump into her.

"Oh dear," Hoshi giggled, when she saw what caused T'Pol's sudden stop.

Trip and Malcolm sat next to each other on the bench surrounded by more than a dozen empty bottles. Malcolm had his arm wrapped around Trips shoulder, his head had rolled back and he was snoring loudly at the sky. Trip's head had fallen on Malcolm's shoulder and he, too, snored soundly.

"Should we wake them up?" Hoshi asked in a hushed voice.

"No. They appear to be... comfortable."

"What about predators?" Hoshi asked.

"Considering their audible display, it will be the Sehlats who fear for themselves," T'Pol delivered dead-pan and put one of the lamps on the table before following a giggling Hoshi back into the house.

 

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