Letters Home

Chapter 9

December 27, 2153

Most Esteemed Mother,

Stuff it?  Seriously?  That is a human phrase.  You have been socializing with humans haven’t you?   And it is affecting you.   And you call ME emotional?

I will tread carefully on the subject of Tasik.  I take it that Tasik is only interested in friendship with you because he has a mate already?   That both of you are mutually supportive in an exchange of clandestine activities, i.e., carrying communications for each other?   Advise me if I have analyzed the situation incorrectly.  Tasik is now an off-limit subject between us.

I have been charting these anomalies that are buffeting and damaging starships in the Expanse.  They can be avoided if we are careful.  We encountered an Andorian ship that we are acquainted with from experience outside of the Expanse.  They have discovered how to steer clear of the anomalies and we have been working with them to that end.  We cooperated in the retrieval of a Xindi weapon but since they wanted it for their own use, we were forced to destroy it.  We still have much to work out between humans, Vulcans and Andorians on a trust level, it seems, since we all have different agendas.

We captured a highly placed Xindi and managed to extract information from him through a clever deception worthy of any Andorian or Vulcan master of interrogation.   Humans have come a long way in this area of necessity.  This is a bending of ethics which no one approves of but is a matter of survival.   But because of this, we are getting closer to the truth.  We now know definitively that the spheres are creating the anomalies, reworking space in this sector to make it inhabitable by a trans-dimensional species.

We actually captured one of their number who was an experiment in trying to tolerate the environment they have transformed so far.  Fortunately the experiment failed and this individual died.  But they are close.  This species probably does not care about any of the species native to our dimension – even the Xindi.  They are using the Xindi and setting them against any native species that might be a threat to them, like the humans - like the Klingons, Denobulans, Andorians, and even us Vulcans.   Why are the humans singled out as the most dangerous to them?  This is a mystery since the humans are less technologically advanced than the aforementioned species.

This all means that we will soon be confronting the heart of the problem.  Whatever happens, will happen soon.  So as you can imagine, things are getting tense on the ship.  Relationships between crew members are showing emotional wear.  Frankly, the greatest problem is between two security people: Commander Reed and Major Hayes.  The captain had them come to terms with their differences and I think this has resolved that situation temporarily.  The humans do have their control techniques for volatile situations of an emotional nature that seem to work very well.  We Vulcans should study these more closely.

I find myself on edge lately too and have found some human techniques that work, after a fashion, for a Vulcan.  After a recent intense situation with Trip I reverted to repression of my emotions which, I think, he adjusted to rather well.  I was gratified with his restrained reaction as we sat together for a drink in the mess hall.  I hope he realizes that when I described our latest social interaction as an experiment, it was meant in the most respectful way.

We are sending off a subspace packet shortly so I will end here.

Take care, and know that I am taking the best precautions as is all of our crew.  I have never been in a more bonded situation with colleagues in my life, so whatever happens, know that I am content with my life, doing what I think I was meant to do.

Your affectionate daughter, T’Pol

January 1, 2154

Daughter,

“Stuff it” was an attempt to talk to you in language you understand.  It seems I am not very good at that because you rightly saw that I am awkward in the human vernacular.  And I always will be.  That is because I refuse to socialize with them more than is necessary for a polite Vulcan who works in a famous interplanetary academic setting which attracts aliens from all over the known universe.  Also, I have only been tentatively socializing with humans to better understand you.

I now realize, after rereading my last letter to you and from your reaction to it, that socializing with humans has been negatively affecting me.  To that end, I have ceased socializing with them.   But they continue to invite me to lunch and try to contact me by vmail, which is puzzling.  If I expressed to a Vulcan that I was terminating our social relationship, the Vulcan would accept the fact that I had a logical reason and cease contact.  Why do humans have to ask why?     Maybe you could enlighten me on this point in your next letter.

Now about these Andorians in your Expanse.  Their presence is disturbing, especially when Vulcan presence, except for yourself, is necessarily absent.   If these anomalies are artificially generated, dismantling them would do Vulcan a service and painful as it might be, we would have to offer the humans our gratitude for this service.

My relationships with Tasik, the health of your ivy plant’s descendent, and the irascibility of your Uncle Soval, all remain the same.  So I will mention them no further at this time.

It seems there are new developments in your relationship with Commander Tucker that you are not being completely straight forward with me about.  But I can read between the lines and I do not like what I am thinking.   I will be thinking it anyway because I am your mother.    The only other thing I will say is that I take hope from the fact that you seem to be making progress in your efforts against this Expanse and the Xindi weapon.

I want you home.  I need you home.  Soon.

Your very concerned Mother

January 10, 2154

Most Esteemed Mother,

You asked about why humans have to know why.   I think the fact that they have to know the ‘why’ of things is a positive quality.  It is the underlying reason that they are rapidly catching up to the more technically advanced species, do you not think?  Anyway, a simple explanation that you need a long term vacation to rid yourself of the stresses you are currently under, should gain their sympathetic withdrawal from their socializing efforts.

As to our current situation in the Expanse, I will not tell you that there is nothing to worry about.  That would be illogical.  But as you are receiving yet another letter, you can see that I am still alive.  We continue to have strange experiences in the Expanse like having to have all of the crew except Dr Phlox asleep during the transit of a dangerous short cut the ship had to take.   This was to avoid some hallucinating effects of the area we were in.  We also encountered a Xindi insectoid species nursery ship.  The effect of the infant insectoids on humans is detrimental.   I had to take command of the ship temporarily but all is well again after we freed the captain from a short period of babysitting insectoid young.

We are becoming very busy now and I am not sure when I can get this letter out.  I may be adding more to it before we get subspace coms up again.

Your daughter, T’Pol