It took a few weeks for the temple to be repaired. Until the new living spaces were prepared, including the Mother Superior’s renovated apartments, T’Nedara stayed with T’Pol in Shi’Kahr.  

Other than preparing for the site’s reconsecration, which included composing new rituals, restocking the temple supplies and reorganizing the altered floor plan, she spent most of her time learning English and trading stories of Selek with T’Pol.

“Your interest in Terran vernacular is timely,” the sub-Commander remarked. “Were you inspired by Selek?”

“I was,” She replied. “He showed me a mover…”

“I believe it’s called a movie.”

“Oh. Yes, and it was in English. With Vulcan subtitles for my benefit, naturally. It was interesting to me how the setting was a character of its own. New York City is an important place in Terran history, isn’t it?”

“It is immensely important. The greatest human city of the 20^th century. What was the movie called?”

“This eludes me for the moment,” T’Nedara furrowed her brow as she spoke. “Something onomatopoeic and only tangentially related to the subject matter. I asked for a story about human mythology and was surprised it was set in a modern era.”

“Human are as creative as they are superstitious.” T’Pol even smiled a bit. “I always enjoyed horror movies.”

“I’m not sure about the whole idea of making a person scared on purpose,” T’Nedara tried not to sound too critical. “I was surprised to find out such a genre existed.”

“The human mind likes opposites, the same way that Vulcans do. They like their drama and horror as much as their romance and comedy. But this was not horror, obviously.”

“Oh, no, it was a romance. A sea creature fell in love with a human. It was also funny, though. I must admit, a few lines brought my laughter to the surface.”

“I think I know the one you mean. It’s a retelling of an old story, ‘The Little Mermaid’ but with a happier ending.”

“It’s still a bittersweet one. I must extend some empathy to the brother of the protagonist. He would have been incarcerated for the rest of his life.”

The conversation moved to the concept of literary adaptation, another persistent human obsession.

“I saw a book in Selek’s room,” T’Nedara said, “with a notorious history in this regard. I’ve seen excerpts in Vulcan, but I would very much like to read the original.”

“A Terran vision of a desert planet, created in the years before first contact, is indeed fascinating.” T’Pol replied. “There was a time when humans had reason to believe they were alone in the universe and did not yet understand warp technology.”

“The chant they use, the mantra against fear – it’s something Surak would have composed and taught. I can’t ignore such an obvious parallel.” T’Nedara couldn’t hide her interest in the book. “And the spice! Of course, our redspice doesn’t come from giant worms and isn’t a hallucinogen. But I can see the ancient Vulcan ways, in the way they preserved water and fought with ruthless, amoral energy.”

“Humans and Vulcans might not be so different when it comes to their tumultuous history.” T’Pol paused, and seemed to compose herself before continuing. “The discovery of the warp drive and First Contact brought them out of a difficult time. But they entered another one just as quickly.

“We protected them for as long as we could. They were adventurous and brave, but foolish. I watched the crew of the Enterprise learn the reality of life in space. I watched their optimism fade, sometimes even twist and change into bitterness.”

“Is that what happened to Trip?” T’Nedara asked.

T’Pol was surprised by the directness of the question. Other Vulcans were often reluctant to ask about her human crewmates, especially Trip.       

“The official records claim he died on the Enterprise,” T’Pol began, “but you, of all people, deserve to know the truth.”

That was how T’Nedara became the first person to hear the whole story of what really happened to Charles Tucker III, the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise.

“According to all of the official accounts, Charles Tucker the III died in an accident on the Enterprise in the year 2161. There were two other important events that happened in the same year; the formation of the United Federation of Planets and the formation of an organization called Section 31 in response to that.

“Section 31” gets its name from Article 14, Section 31 if the Starfleet Charter. It states that any extraordinary measures – even those that include murder, theft, and sabotage – could be undertaken if the Federation or United Earth was under an existential threat.

When Trip first left Earth to explore space, he was hopeful, optimistic, and dedicated to his friend Jonathan Archer and his dream. Perhaps he was too optimistic. Maybe we can credit him for giving everyone in the galaxy the impression that humans were friendly, enthusiastic, and painfully naive.

The Xindi attack changed him. His sister, Elizabeth, was one of millions that were killed.  The human capacity for joy has its mirror image in their rage. Tripp’s anger went beyond a simple longing for revenge, and his energy and knowledge turned away from flirting, exploring, and making friends.

The accident did happen, and the circumstances that were reported regarding the Andorian General Shran and Captain Archer are factual. However, Trip didn’t die as a result. His body disappeared from the hospital and the morgue. When they gave me his personal effects, I asked who had identified him, and I was told his parents had claimed his body based on biometric information sent from Earth.

I was charged with delivering his belongings to his family. When I met them, they said that they had been told his body had been damaged by radiation, and could not be safely returned. He had been safely disposed of in space after being identified by Jonathan Archer. I kept my silence about the discrepancies in each story, including the fact that Trip’s burns, although serious, were not due to radiation.

I returned to Vulcan. After a few months of silence, mysterious notes started to appear in my personal logs. Only a masterful engineer and very clever programmer could get through those Vulcan security protocols. I traded a few notes with an anonymous user who eventually revealed himself as Trip, not by using his name, but with references to deeply personal events shared by only the two of us.

I still didn’t believe it was him until he actually appeared in my house. Literally, using a transporter, technology that’s barely functional outside of the Vulcan High Command.

You may have guessed that I was pleased to see him, and wasn’t bothered with a lot of questions at first. He still retains the scars of the accident, and refused to tell me everything at the time, but confirmed that his death was a fabricated event to extract him from the Enterprise. His determination to seek out and destroy anything even remotely connected with the Xindi put him on the radar as a valuable ally for those who would pursue the path of the extremist.

It’s not clear when it started, or if he was one of the founding members or just a recruit, but he didn’t call it Section 31 at the time. Not everyone liked the idea of a galactic federation based on universal justice. It’s logical to include espionage as part of any government system, but it’s crucial to keep it clandestine, and Tripp was risking his secrets to come out of hiding to be with me.

The pregnancy was a surprise, as you may have guessed. Elizabeth, Selek’s older sister, was created through artificial means and it was thought that a Terran-Vulcan hybrid was an impossibility. We considered termination, not only for out fear of exposing Tripp but due to the possibility of physical damage to myself. However, my condition advanced normally, following the Vulcan gestation period, and Koss agreed to step in and fill the role of ‘father’ on all of the relevant government forms.

Trip Tucker remains a member of the secretive organization that is now known throughout the universe as Section 31, a rogue splinter group associated with terrorism, espionage, and extortion. Tripp hasn’t always approved of their methods, which have only become more extreme, and these days he is more a hostage than an equal member. They need his engineering knowledge, and they threaten him, and his loved ones, to get it.

I was never worried about dealing with them. You have seen me handle a plasma rifle. But I did have some maternal concern for my son, who would be in danger if his true ancestry were discovered, and by keeping this secret I have kept him safe from his father’s colleagues.”

“The secret may have been discovered by the cult,” T’Nedara said. “They have my biometrics.”

“But not the skill to read them, not the finer details. We will find and destroy any information they have. While you rebuild and study, I will conduct a thorough investigation.”

She paused, and seemed to focus on a place far in the distance.

“They will be found. And punished.”

“Please consider all of the resources of the Temple at your disposal,” T’Nedara had to breath deeply to hide her visceral emotional reaction. But she couldn’t hide the raised volume of her voice or the green flush in her cheeks.

They conversed no more that night, but there was an unspoken understanding between them regarding the fate of the cult.

T’Pol quietly utilized some questionable search methods only available to a sub-Commander, taking liberties with the rules that ensured the safety and privacy of Vulcan civilians.

T’Nedara, meanwhile, had successfully discovered the ancient texts of the Kolinahru, and studied the forbidden psionic powers in secret.

Denied love, they would indulge their rage instead. It was a bold but risky path, especially for Vulcans.