Letters Home

Chapter 5

                                                                                                                                     October 31, 2153

Esteemed Mother,

I found nothing in your last article that I thought needed correction.  But since it was published before you asked me to comment on it, it would not be logical for me to apply any edits anyway.  Nevertheless, it shows improvement in your analysis of our trade relations with other species.   

You will be surprised to learn that the High Command had asked for the help of my ship.  It was interesting to work with Uncle Soval again, alongside my captain.  Uncle was grudgingly impressed with Captain Archer in our successful negotiations with the Andorians over the planet of Paan Mokar.  I am sure you will hear Uncle’s version of this.  I would like to know how he puts it to you. 

By the way, the humans are getting a lot of experience and seem to learn faster than us Vulcans.  Our chief engineer had command of the ship while we were on the surface of Paan Mokar.  He placed the ship between both fleets and talked them into remaining calm and not firing.  I hope Uncle also took note of this.

Our work is never dull.  Here is the latest example: We have had another incident that involved events that the human crew believes involved time travel.  We found a derelict ship with a human corpse on board.  This corpse had DNA from several species including Vulcan.  We also found the ship was bigger on the inside than the outside.  When ships from two species, the Tholians and Suliban, attacked Enterprise and demanded the derelict, we asked for Vulcan fleet aid.  A Vulcan combat ship responded and was disabled alongside us.  As a last attempt to keep the derelict out of alien hands, we set an armed torpedo within it but we also activated what appeared to be an emergency beacon within the derelict.  The Tholians had destroyed the Suliban ships and extracted the derelict.  They deactivated our torpedo within the derelict but the beacon must have worked because it dematerialized so that the Tholians lost their prize.

I know you stand with the Science Academy on time travel.  When the captain mentioned the Vulcan DNA in that human corpse and asked me whether Vulcans would accept our ship doctor’s analysis that that meant one day humans and Vulcans would interbred, I told him that Vulcans would accept time travel before they would accept interbreeding with humans.  I expect that you would agree.  So much for our latest adventure. 

Your Obedient Daughter, T’Pol

                                                                                                                               November 15, 2153

Daughter of Questionable Obedience,

Soval, in his usual manner, has denied being the impetus for asking aid from your ship.  He blames this on the Andorians and one in particular.  It was this Shran who invaded P’Jem and on the revelations of your captain, destroyed our venerable sanctuary.  I, as do others, mourn the loss of this great center of peace where you, yourself, found aid when you were in distress over the death of the criminal you were in pursuit of years ago.  You may be interested to hear that T’Pau, our meditation leader, does not share my view.  She and our male leader blame the High Command for the destruction of the sanctuary by risking it with a clandestine listening post.

With all you are going through, it is only logical that the humans are ‘gaining experience’.  To what end, I cannot say.  They do seem to be learning, but will it be enough to keep them – and you, out of serious trouble?  It seems they are capable of overloading even our own fleet with trouble since you mentioned one of our own combat cruisers being disabled in an attempt to come to your aid.  I had to do a double meditation session after I read your last letter.   

Now, about this corpse with Vulcan DNA mixed in with human.   Are you sure your ship’s medical equipment is able to detect such a thing?  It is human equipment, after all, even if used by a competent Denobulan physician.  And your ship has been knocked around a great deal.  I would have that equipment’s alignment checked.  And rechecked.

Do not speak to me ever again on time travel.  Soval was quite put out with me when I brought up the subject again.   Both he and the Science Academy are exasperated at my repeated questions about it.  I have been told by the Science Academy that my own tenure there would be in question if I persisted.

So I expressed exasperation to your ivy plant on the matter of time travel.  It listens and responds as well as some humans and one deluded daughter.  You have not been inhaling any of those vile tobacco sticks or drinking any of that stimulant humans are so fond of, have you?

Thank you for your support of my latest article.  I think.  Or is it that you are too tired from all your misguided adventures to properly critique it? 

I do not suppose you will take my advice and try to stay out of trouble.  So be careful.  Very careful.  I want you back.

Your Mother

                                                                                                                                             December 12, 2153  

Esteemed Mother,

I am unsure how to keep you informed of my activities and not generate the emotion of concern in you.  Logic dictates that I be honest.  We live in a vast, hostile, or at least indifferent, universe.  Making contact and even friends with other species is the business of both the Vulcan and human fleets.   To this end, I will continue to keep you informed of my activities.

Even when we are dealing with warp capable species with fairly civilized societies who do not want to steal something we have on board, things can go wrong.   Our captain and chief engineer were mistaken for smugglers while on board one of our shuttle pods and forced to board a prison ship.  We did manage to convince the planetary authorities that they were innocent and we boarded the prison ship, which incidentally was in the middle of a prisoner take over, to rescue our people.  The universe is full harsh realities that hopefully, one day, will be lessened.  

It seems we cannot escape unethical aliens.  We came across some non-corporal, but “corporal wanna-be’s” as the humans put it.  Once again, our Denobulan doctor was impervious to something the rest of us were not.  Yes, even I was taken over by one of them for a short time before I read its intention and expelled it.  We had to fill the ship with gas, virtually killing the human hosts to get the non corporals to leave.  We then successfully revived all of the crew.  Unfortunately, we had to destroy the alien ship when it pursued us.  There are some species that do not survive when they make a habit of killing other species.  Regrettable, but there is a human phrase to cover the situation “those who live by the sword, will die by the sword”.

Your Obedient Daughter, T’Pol

                                                                                                                      December 24, 2153

Daughter,

Those who live by the sword will die by it?  You frighten me.  You are becoming too human.   We Vulcans gave up the sword centuries ago.

As to all these hostile species, did not our High Command warn the humans of such things?  Did we not try to protect them, nurture them, keep them from doing themselves harm?   And what do they do?  Like an ungrateful child, they ignore us and go off by themselves and get in trouble. 

Write when you have something better to tell me.

Your Mother

                                                                                                                                               January 11, 2154 

Esteemed Mother,

I beg to differ with you about Vulcans giving up the sword if you are referring to giving up ancient edged weapons in favor of energy weapons.  What about our continued employment of the lirpa at weddings?  Humans do not even have ritualized murder at weddings anymore – just the occasional unplanned altercation.

You want me to have something better to tell you?   Okay, I no longer am using my nasal numbing agent.    Smell is a subjective thing and retrainable.  The scent of humans is not that bad, but I still cannot abide canines.   Have you tried human mint tea?   I recommend it.  Also I recommend pasta with tomato sauce without meatballs.  

Do you know of the human entertainment genre called horror movies?  I think humans subconsciously watch these horror movies to test their emotional control like we do with Vulcan children’s tales of logic and control.  But testing their emotional control is not entirely accurate, though it comes down to the same thing, even though they see viewing these movies as an enjoyable experience.  They laugh and sometimes shriek, and then hold each other’s hands to reestablish emotional control.  When the movie is over, they laugh while holding a hand over their hearts and say “oh my god, that was great.”   The great part, I think, is that they are glad it is over and they didn’t fall apart emotionally and cry.

One film showed ignorant, fearful humans attacking a life form different from them.  All they needed to do was add pointed ears to this unfortunate creature to show which character in the film that I identified with.  I am sending you and Uncle Soval copies of this film along with a machine that can play this “entertainment”.  I await your reaction. 

But really, I must keep you up to date on our adventures, even if it slightly disturbs your sense of peace.  The human phrase applicable to our latest Klingon encounter would be that “No good deed goes unpunished.”  We have more than once tried to aid the Klingons; our first mission was to return one of them to the home world and then we helped rescue one of their ships from sinking into a gravity well and being crushed.  But our captain was tried and convicted by them for aiding some innocent aliens that the Klingons had enslaved and abandoned.  I called in some favors with a few Klingons I knew and retrieved my captain.  The regression of fairness in the Klingon legal system is a reminder that any society can go this way.  What about ours on Vulcan?  Do you not see signs of it among us?  I do.

Your daughter, T’Pol

                                                                                                                                             January 22, 2154

Dear Daughter,

I do indeed see some troubling behavior in our High Command.  I have discussed this privately with Soval and his advice is to keep quiet about it with anyone but himself if I value my tenure at the Science Academy.   He and I watch and hope for moderation in their policies.   I suspect continuing clandestine activity that I am concerned about. 

Okay, your point is well taken on the ancient weapons issue.  But did you not say once that although ancient Earth weapons are not used in their current military, they are used in sports?  What about this state of Maryland which has jousting on horseback as their official state sport? 

Now about these Klingons.  Unlike the humans, who at least are not averse to logic on occasion, and who have made some little progress in civilization under us, these Klingons are a lost cause.  Or do you feel otherwise?   And what about those reprobate Romulans who also must be of unretrainable violent stock?  As I have said before, their planet of origin must be a bad place indeed.

I have put your films and the film player you sent, in the back closet.  I am not up to the emotional battering they may give me.  Maybe one day I will watch them.

Your Ever Hopeful of Your Impending Return, Mother

                                                                                                                                                       February 5, 2154  

Esteemed and Hopeful Mother,

I have just had the experience of learning that Vulcans and humans are not the only species with currently logical and compassionate civilizations to have employed weapons of mass destruction over a checkered history.  Our good ship’s doctor recently successful treated an alien patient who stated he would rather die than be treated by a Denobulan.  The incident was resolved with both our doctor and the alien gaining some grudging respect for each other and a moderation in their views.  The captain also obtained a temporary truce so we could remove a variety of aliens from a planet so the natives  could continue their internal wars without alien observation.   We are making diplomatic progress between species out here, even if we must leave planets to their internal mayhem.

Then we had a first contact with a peaceful species which began quite well but ended badly.  Yet, there is hope even here.    The problem was our chief engineer in a misguided attempt at justice, interfered with the culture of these aliens to the point where it ended with the suicide of one of them.  This species requires three different sexes in the creation of a child.   Do not ask me the details, I do not know them anymore than I know how Andorians do it with four.  But one of these sexes is, frankly, enslaved.  Commander Tucker learned that all three sexes are equally sentient and proceeded to teach an enslaved individual to read because he thought it was as capable as the others.  This individual, newly cognizant of its abilities, asked for asylum on our ship which our captain refused.  The aliens broke contact with us, but later hailed us to report the suicide. 

I am torn by this incident.   Although I support our captain in his rejection of the asylum in order to retain friendly relations between species, I deeply sympathize with Commander Tucker about the fairness issue.  I think I know what you would say about this, but tell me anyway.

Your Conflicted Daughter, T’Pol      

                                                                                                                                     February 18, 2154

Dear Conflicted Daughter,

Fairness and individual rights have long been a concern of Vulcans.  Our court system and individual rights documents have been the model for many other species.   But no matter what we feel about the fairness or lack thereof within another sentient civilization, we have no right to interfere.  Now you will probably say we are interfering with the humans ethical as well as technological development on their own home world.   They invited us to do so.  That makes all the difference.  I assume these tri-sexed aliens did not invite the humans to comment on, or worse, interfere in their culture?   Harsh as it may seem, your captain made the right choice.

And what is all this about your Commander Tucker?  You have mentioned him many times before.  I do hope he is not overly influencing you.

Your Mother