One hour later

"Ensign Newlin to the Captain."

"Go ahead, Ensign."

"Sir, we've had a slight malfunction with the transporters, it'll require a few minor repairs before we can use them again."

"What sort of malfunction?"

The phase transition coils are out of alignment. It should only take an hour or two to fix."

"We're less than an hour away from Vulcan, Ensign. Do what you have to, but make it quick."


"Dropping out of warp for arrival at Vulcan, sir."

"Standard orbit. Alert me if they hail us."

"Yes, sir."

"Ensign Newlin, how's the transporter coming?"

"It's coming, Captain. But it might be another fifteen to thirty minutes."


Andersen sighed. "Solkan, you're coming with me. Thelis, you have the bridge."

Once in the turbolift, Solkan turned to the Captain. "Where, precisely, are we going?"


"You are going down to the transporter room to see what's going on, to help the Ensign if you can. I am going to inform T'Lea and Kareb of our current situation."

Solkan nodded slightly. This was going exactly as planned.

They exited the turbolift on Deck 7, just between Sickbay and Transporter Room 2.

"Captain," he began, "perhaps - "

Thelis' voice interrupted him. "Captain, we're being hailed."


"Good. We're just past sickbay, route it down there. Solkan, you go ahead and talk to T'Lea and Kareb. Apologize to them for me, will you?"

"Yes, Captain." This was going even better than planned.


"Good morning, Doctor."

Olivia barely looked up from her lab work to greet the Captain.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment," he said, "I need to borrow one of your lab screens."

"Go ahead."


Andersen recognized the Vulcan woman that appeared as Admiral T'Rena, one of the Vulcans' top brass. "I apologize for the delay, Admiral," he said.

"It is of no matter, Captain ..."

"Andersen, USS Taurus."

"What can we do for you, Captain Andersen?"

"Do? We're returning your ambassadors - T'Lea and Kareb - "

"I apologize, Captain -" She began, but stopped short. "For the inconvenience. Had it been possible, we would have sent for them ourselves."


"Of course," he said. "It's no problem."


"It is gracious of you to allow me to talk to you before you leave," Solkan said as he stood in the doorway of T'Lea and Kareb's quarters.

T'Lea motioned him towards a chair.

"The Captain and I were a bit ... concerned ... that no one on Vulcan seemed aware of our arrival. It seemed a bit unusual for ambassadors such as yourselves to have such a ... quiet entrance."

"There is no cause for concern, Commander. T'Lea and I are no longer ambassadors, we have retired. We are simple stellar cartographers with a background in diplomatic service. From time to time our knowledge is requested, especially in such 'unofficial' situations as the one on Cirtri."

"Your 'knowledge?'"

"Of diplomatic affairs and communication."

"Or your services?"

"What are you implying, Commander?"

"I am not implying anything, Ambassador. I am simply asking a question."

"We do not have any 'service' that we offer. We bring our knowledge into a situation where it is requested, that is all."

"Then perhaps you would be interested in another 'situation' - "

"I apologize, Commander, but we only operate through regular channels."

" - a sharing of knowledge, as it may be."

"What knowledge would we possibly have, that would interest an individual, a Commander in Starfleet? And what kind of knowledge do you believe we would be interested in from you?"

Under her breath, T'Lea whispered, "A Lieutenant Commander."

"We have a lot in common, you know. There are things we could accomplish ... which could not be done alone."

"We are stellar cartographers and independant consultants. You are a Starfleet officer. What you 'accomplish,' and what we 'accomplish,' are in entirely different realms. What is it that you want from us?"

"What do I want? Information, knowledge, just like you do."

"We could arrange for you to be enrolled in diplomatic services training on Vulcan, if that is your wish."

"You retired eight years ago, yet you still have full access, don't you?"

"Access to what?"

"And you regularly attend sensitive 'diplomatic' meetings and negotiations. You dine with leaders from throughout the quadrant. You -"

"If that were the case, we would not share such confidential information with anyone in Starfleet, especially one so low in the chain of command."

"You have a such a degree of autonomy, that you never had before you retired -"

Solkan's communicator beeped, nearly catching him off guard. "Solkan here."

"Transporter room reports ready, sir," spoke the voice of Ensign Newlin.

"Thank you, Ensign."

Before he could speak again, his combadge sounded a second time. "Solkan here."

"Transporters are back online, no further problems," the Captain said. "Meet me in five minutes?"

"Aye, sir."

"Back online?" Kareb said.

"We had some mainenance that took slightly longer than expected."

"We appreciate having been informed, Commander," he replied, voice dripping with as much sarcasm as his perfect Vulcan demeanor could muster.

Standing in Transporter Room Two, Kareb handed a PADD back to Ensign Newlin, transport coordinates entered.

"Are you sure these are correct, Ambassador?"

"I know my own home planet, Ensign. Those are the correct coordinates." He stepped up onto the pad, and T'Lea followed.

Without the normal formalities expected from a departing Ambassador and the Captain who hosted him, Kareb simply inclined his head towards the Captain and said, "It was agreeable seeing you again, Captain."

T'Lea, having been silent since before they entered the room, finally spoke up. "Give our 'regards' to your parents."

"I will."

Kareb lifted his hand, giving the traditional Vulcan farewell. Then, with a shimmer of light, the couple dematerialized.

"What was their destination?" asked Solkan.

"A small city in the northwestern continent, population approximately -"

"In other words, not the capital city."

"Yes, sir. That is correct. It's not even a major metropolitan area."

"It's where they live, Solkan. They're going to the city where they live. The question is, why? Why is no one waiting for them, expecting their arrival?"

"Perhaps your earlier concerns may have been founded, Captain."