Letters Home

Chapter 2

                                                                                                                               August 13, 2151

Esteemed Mother,

I well know that V’Las and the High Command are concerned about the Andorians, because they have been actively spying on them.  I was not going to tell you this but shortly before the letter demanding me to come home for my wedding, we visited the monastery at P’Jem.  I had been 9 weeks and 4 days on the human ship at that point.  Mother, I have never been more disappointed in our people.  Did you ever suspect we had a spying post located directly under the monastery?  I am sure the High Command thought we needed one, but we lied about it.  How am I supposed to uphold the idea that we Vulcans have superior ethics to my human shipmates when they personally witness things like this?

You may have heard about this P’Jem incident through your private political contacts.  If you think that I was to blame for this exposure of our deception, think again.  I was ordered by my captain to turn over a scanner filled with evidence of our deception to the Andorians.   But yes, I agree with this action. 

And yes, my captain was angry with the monks as keepers of this deception.  But do not think of the crew of my ship as simply volatile illogical humans.  I no longer do.  My captain truly wanted to get to know us better despite his resentment at Uncle Soval from holding back the human space program.  We stopped at P’Jem to establish friendly relations and take the monk’s blessing.  Captain Archer also wanted me to have a visit with those of my own species, realizing that I might need that after a long time solely in human company.  He is concerned with my welfare.  While we were prisoners of the Andorians, he tried to protect me from them and even shared a blanket when we were shivering with cold in our confinement.  I fear there will be further ramifications for me from this Andorian incident.

I am not the only non-human on the ship.  I am impressed that the captain chose a Denobulan as his ship’s medical officer.   I have confided in Dr Phlox on several occasions.  The captain appreciates his logical advice as well as mine.  On the occasion of my summons home by Koss’s parents, I also confided in our ship’s chief engineer for advice.   It was surprising in that he asked me what I personally preferred to do about this summons home.  My first reaction was that what I preferred was irrelevant.  But upon meditating over it, I realized he had a valid point.

Having taken some advice, I will now give some.  Protect yourself.  Know who your real friends are, those who will stand by you.  I say this because I sense there will be more political fallout from this incident at P’Jem.    Talk to Uncle Soval.

Your Sometimes Obedient Daughter, T’Pol

                                                                                                                                    September 15, 2151

Dear Intermittently Obedient Daughter,

I am always watchful now.  There are occasionally strangers sitting in on my classes, taking notes.  I have a group of close friends who could protect me if I ever needed it.  They have a strong group meditation practice that can help those whose emotions are near the surface, like yours are.  I will pass along any advice on meditation techniques as I learn them.

Your Uncle Soval has been to Vulcan for consultations with the High Command.  As you must certainly know, the High Command is not happy with the humans right now.  They are considering cancelling joint fleet maneuvers.   I heard this through T’Fel whose cousin Kuvak serves on the High Command.

I will close here, there is nothing more to say at the moment accept take care of your self too.   Enclosed is a guided meditation I learned from my new meditation group.

Your Very Concerned Mother

                                                                                                                                 October 1, 2151

My Esteemed and Concerned Mother,

Let us bypass Vulcan politics for one letter.  I want to share with you some things which may show you why remaining on a human ship is logical and a worthwhile adventure.  Do you know there are people who are born on and live their entire lives on freighters?  There are Vulcan families of several generations that have done this and now humans are too.  This is a very adaptable species.  While touring a freighter, I discovered children playing a hide and seek game using the entire ship as their playground – just like Vulcan children do.

Then, there was an incident aboard Enterprise which challenges some of our strongly held beliefs.   I am beginning to be skeptical of some of the Science Academy’s pronouncements.  We have strong evidence for the possibility of time travel here on Enterprise.  An alien invaded the ship with a device that allowed him to transport through bulkheads.  And our captain saw another device in the possession of a crewman which allowed him to view the past and the future like a map.  This crewman said he was a traveler from several centuries in the future.  Whatever he really was, the alien thought him enough of a threat to kill him.  Then the alien left the ship in a pod that was sent for him.  I do not know completely what to make of it except the humans have an apt phrase from one of their famous playwrights: “there is more in heaven and earth than in your philosophy.”  I believe that can be applied to Vulcan philosophy too.

One more incident of note.  I am beginning to appreciate each of my fellow crew members more.  Our Coms officer, Hoshi Sato, and I, found ourselves on a Klingon ship sinking into a gas giant.  It is a long story, I am okay now and back on Enterprise.  But the point is, that during a dangerous operation, she admitted the emotion of fear and I helped her with a short visual meditation to counter it.  This worked.  So you see, Mother, that humans are capable of repressing emotions, even in dire circumstances.  There is great hope for this species.

Take care with those disturbing developments on the home front.  I tried your visual meditation.  It is an interesting variation to my usual techniques.  I will keep it in my file and may try it again sometime. 

I await your next letter eagerly.  I know you will have responses to the things I have said here.  You always do.

Your obedient daughter (who did try your meditation), T’Pol

                                                                                                                           October 12, 2151

Dear Obedient-in-meditation Daughter,

I have sent you another visual meditation technique.  This one has been recommended by the leader of my new meditation group, T’Pau.   She is very skilled in this area, so please use it more than once.  In fact, it is recommended that you repeat it every evening for two weeks before returning to your standard practice.  You should notice a positive effect on the repression of your emotions.  I have detected an elevation in your emotions through your letters.  How, you are asking, can I tell this?  Because I am your mother, that is why.

You are right.  I do have some responses to those “positive” incidents you have been experiencing.    First, Vulcan children on star ships do not play games.  The hide and seek must have been practice for concealing themselves if the ship was ever invaded.  What the human children were doing has got to be an imitation of training techniques learned from Vulcan freighter families who where instructing human freighter families how to conduct themselves with safety drills in space. 

Second, humans are extremely gullible to believe in time travel.  Our Science Academy has made a statement on time travel and that should be the end of it.  It does not exist.  Your humans were misinterpreting advanced technology they did not understand.

Third, it is laudable that you were able to impress upon one of the human crew, the necessity for meditation.   They never do anything we tell them until they get in trouble and we have to save them.   That this Sato person had to learn this in a dangerous situation is typical, I am told.  So, is she continuing to meditate or is she saving it for the next time she gets in trouble? 

For now, the powers-that-be are leaving me alone.   They no longer are sitting in on my classes.   It must be very boring for clandestine operations types to listen to academic discourse.  My cooker is still working and your plant has been severely pruned back so that it will be awhile before it again attempts to invade the house through a window crack.   I am content with my existence.  Accept for concern about you, of course.   Stop listening to human and Andorian jazz.

Meditate, meditate, meditate.  

Your Mother

                                                                                                                          November 19, 2151

My Very Dear and Esteemed Mother,

My letter is somewhat late because I have been recovering from a wound I received.  It was a phase pistol wound that I got by pushing Captain Sopek out of the line of fire from a rebel group on Coridan.  Due to my effort on his behalf, I will not be returning to Vulcan as ordered to by the High Command.    This order, as you must realize, was because of my actions at the incident at P’Jem.  Why is it that the High Command is focusing on me as the culprit when they are the ultimate source for blame by setting up that spying post in the first place?  Do they not take any responsibility for putting a venerable monastery at risk?

Because of this attitude of the High Command, I think it best for you to continue to pick up letters from me through the Earth Embassy on Vulcan.  If you are visiting the embassy too often, use one of the people from your meditation group to do it.  What was the name of that mediation group?  You never told me.  I tried your newest meditation for a week.  It seemed to help a little. 

I will send this letter with the next batch of messages that goes out through subspace channels today.   I will be busy now with the study of a nebula we are exploring.  We have met a Vulcan ship which we are helping with engine repairs and they are sharing their scientific equipment to help us study this nebula.

Your Obedient Daughter, T’Pol