A/N: Just a few words before we get started. I own nothing (except T'Alora), so please don't sue. This first chapter is long but the others will be or are much shorter. All Vulcan translations will be provided at the bottom of the page (which were found through the VLD). Also, you don't need to have read "Broken Orbit" to follow along with this story unless you want to know all about the circumstances surrounding T'Alora's birth.
Enjoy!
Sa-mekh-al
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2261.346, 1700 hours. When Sarek and his entourage materialized in the transporter room of the Enterprise, he squinted his eyes. Those few that noticed chalked it up to him adjusting to the brightness of the room. He was not.
His squinting was born of a mild disappointment. It had been seven weeks and three days since his ko-fu-il had been born and this was to be their first meeting. Up until that moment Sarek had been working under the impression that Spock, Nyota and T'Alora would be there to greet him when he arrived; instead, he and his delegation were welcomed by Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and a yeoman whom he was not familiar with.
The Captain grinned enthusiastically and held up his hand in the ta'al while the Doctor frowned and struggled to mimic the gesture. "Welcome back aboard the Enterprise, Ambassador. I trust your trip's been well so far?"
Sarek nodded as he stepped off the pad and allowed himself, Tarpan and Shornal to be led out the door. "Our journey to Chausa thus far has been expedient and uneventful, as anticipated."
"Good, good. Let's see if we can't continue the trend then, eh?"
Idle chit-chat of this sort continued until the yeoman stopped and entered a code to a suite of rooms for his companions. She began explaining the technological features and amenities in accented Vulkhansu, unaware that his companions had deferred to him for further instruction. "We will resume our review of the mission at 0630 tomorrow in my quarters. Is that understood?"
"Ha, Osu."
"Then you are dismissed."
He, Kirk and McCoy strolled along down the hall again and Sarek wondered once more where his son and daughter-in-law were. There was a 23.43% likelihood that they were both on duty and therefore could not attend his arrival; there was also a 5.61% chance that T'Alora had been stricken ill. He glanced at Doctor McCoy as the officers paused before the door of his usual suite, the Captain punching in a code as they talked. IF his granddaughter were ill no doubt the CMO would be on hand to treat her.
It was a somewhat reassuring thought.
"Welcome home, Ambassador," the Doctor drawled, stepping aside as the door opened. Inside Sarek was gifted with the very sight he longed to see—his family.
"We'll, uh, leave you four alone for now. Don't forget, dinner at 1900 in the Captain's quarters."
Spock stepped forward while Nyota remained standing near the couch cradling the baby. "Vulcans do not forget, Captain. We will be there." The Doctor left grumbling about the "calculating elf" while the Captain's grin widened as they exited. His son stepped forward with hand raised; though he did not smile Spock's eyes were bright. "Tonk'peh, sa-mekh. Lau nash-veh ragtau du-tor t'du ko-fu-il, S'chn T'gai T'Alora Amadika?"
Right on cue Nyota stepped forward, radiant as ever, and Sarek's own face threatened to split into a rarely seen smile. He peered down at T'Alora swaddled tight in her blankets and she blinked back up at him with eyes that were exact miniatures of her grandmother's.
"She is a most fascinating child.".
Nyota's smile deepened. "Her father and I couldn't agree more."
U.S.S. Enterprise, 2261.254, 2002 hours. Their journey was eight days in duration, yet Sarek's time with T'Alora was limited. The mediations that awaited them required great foresight and planning; not only that but his granddaughter's own feeding and sleeping schedules and the duty schedules of her parents differed from his own enough to constrain their visits together. What precious time they had was usually spent in public venues such as the recreation rooms or the 'Mess' and oftentimes members of the crew would join them and claim a portion of T'Alora's attention.
Sarek waited until his last night aboard the Enterprise to give Spock and Nyota the carefully wrapped parcel hidden amongst the folds of his robes. Illogical though it was he knew it would be difficult to part with the album but he did not need the images it contained to recall the events captured therein—T'Alora did. Halfway to his son's rooms he felt the ship rock slightly beneath his feet; were it not for years of interplanetary travel he would have hardly detected any difference at all but Sarek recognized the trouble immediately. The ship was being fired upon. Seconds later the klaxons blared and the empty hallway was filled with officers headed for their stations
He keyed in the command to his son and daughter-in-law's quarters seconds later and entered into the midst of a disagreement.
"…will be considered AWOL and subject to dishonorable discharge from Starfleet if you do not report."
"I understand that, Spock," Nyota replied, gritting her teeth. She held her daughter close and tried to soothe the girl's cries. "But leaving her here isn't an option!"
Sarek swooped in, immediately reaching for his granddaughter. "I will ensure T'Alora's safety and well-being while you attend to your duties."
Nyota blinked, whether due to his sudden appearance or his insistence on taking her baby, before transferring T'Alora into his waiting arms. He looked up and saw Spock nod at him before both departed swiftly for the Bridge.
T'Alora's cries turned to hiccups as he held her close. It was, Sarek recalled perfectly, the first time the two of them had been left alone together. He could still vaguely sense her confusion though it gradually subsided into curiosity; 1.15 minutes later a tiny arm wrenched free of the blankets and flailed about in his direction.
Amanda often used to hold Spock in a similar fashion and took great delight when he would grab hold of her proffered finger. Sarek had declined indulging her in this whim as it was not the Vulcan way. Now he took a seat on the nearby sofa and allowed himself the opportunity to connect with his only grandchild.
Warm. Safe.
Sarek's heart purred in his side. "Yes, T'Alora. You will always be safe when you are with me." She studied him closely though her vision was not yet fully in focus; in particular she honed in on his ears. An impression of Spock came to her mind. "I am not your sa-mekh." T'Alora found the notion very alarming indeed and her tiny lips puckered together in prelude to a wail. Despite his attempts to bond with her over the last eight days she still did not readily recognize him. "I am the father of your father," he hurried to explain, "I am your sa-mekh-al."
Memories of him and Spock through the years filtered across the bond until she was secure in the knowledge that he was who he claimed to be. T'Alora was just beginning to relax when a fresh blast rocked the ship, this time much more strongly then before. She whimpered in his arms and Sarek retrieved the parcel he had originally intended to deliver.
It was a holo album compiled by Amanda depicting their early courtship and their Terran wedding. Sarek had discovered it in amongst her belongings when he returned to the residence they had kept in San Francisco. On the front of the album was a formal portrait of them standing at the altar of her church, Amanda in her white dress and him in his heavy Vulcan robes, facing each other as they spoke their vows.
He shifted T'Alora in his arms so that she might better see the holo-images. "This is your ko-mekh-il," he explained, pointing squarely at Amanda's chest. Sarek felt the little girl's delight as she stared at her grandmother's face. T'Alora liked the way Amanda smiled; it reminded her of her own mother. "You are correct, little one. The mother of your father was human, just as your mother is human."
Sarek turned the page and began verbally describing the memories associated with each image so that his granddaughter no longer acknowledged the rocking of the ship. He too became so lost in the stories that the Enterprise fairly slipped away. They were approaching the end of the album when Sarek became aware of two people standing in the entryway to the room.
"That was beautiful," Nyota whispered as she wiped a tear from her eye. She came to sit beside him and placed a hand on Sarek's knee but said nothing more. Catching sight of her mother T'Alora began to fuss and would not be satisfied until she was placed back in her arms.
"Sleep well, my taluhk ko-fu-il. I cherish thee." Reluctantly he let her go and watched as Nyota headed down the hall to the nursery.
Sarek glanced down at the album in his lap; Amanda was smiling sweetly as he held her in both arms. That day—and that night—were still so vivid in his memory…
"I do not recall having seen this before," Spock announced, breaking his private reverie. His son had come to sit beside him on the couch and both looked down at the picture.
"I discovered this in her desk in the house on Greenleaf Street 6.72 months after the destruction of Vulcan. I kept this memento for myself after that time."
Whether his son understood why he could not part with it before now Sarek could not say. He watched Spock drink in this much younger version of his mother dressed in a loose cotton dress—so unlike the attire she adopted later in life—with a bright floral garland draped around her neck.
"This image was taken at the start of our honeymoon, shortly after our Earth bonding ceremony. Your mother chose this resort on the island of Hawaii due to the privacy it afforded and it's profound knowledge and respectful treatment of all off-world guests. I believe she also chose this location due to the atmospheric conditions it experienced at that time of the year. Six out of ten days of our stay the temperature resembled a cool Vulcan day." He waited for Spock to say something—anything—but his son still had yet to speak. Sarek continued, "The floral garland she is wearing is part of a local custom called a 'lei'…"
"I am familiar with a lei."
Sarek sat in silence next to his son, each listening to Nyota down the hall. The snap of buttons followed by gurgles, giggles and clips of Swahili were heard by both men.
"It was my intention prior to your being called away to deliver this album for T'Alora's use. We were able to fully explore 87% of the album before your return and I believe she understands that this is her grandmother." In the image an errant lock of hair sat curled just beside Amanda's cheek; how Sarek wished he could reach out and wrap it around his own finger. "However, T'Alora's optic nerves are not yet fully functional, nor is her brain fully developed enough to allow her to process these images and the stories accompanying them in the long term. I believe that I will need to repeat this exercise often in the coming years."
Spock remained silent on the matter and—unreasonable though it was—Sarek grew ill-at-ease. Had his son somehow taken umbrage with his previous statement? It was not as if this thought was without precedent. There were numerous times in their shared past where Sarek had spoken with his son in one manner and been misunderstood. He had not meant to insult Spock, only share what few physical reminders he had left of his wife with this new generation.
"I do agree. T'Alora will need instruction on Mother and her life, as well as on you and your years together living on Vulcan. This will take extensive amounts of time and repetition."
The tightness in his chest subsided and Sarek relaxed knowing that his meaning had not been misconstrued. He began to picture the future with T'Alora and all that he had to teach her…
"You will also be called upon to share your knowledge with our other children as the family expands in the coming years."
At that happy prospect Sarek did finally smile.
sa-mekh-al = grandfather
Ha, osu = Yes, sir
Tonk'peh, sa-mekh. Lau nash-veh ragtau du-tor t'du ko-fu-il, S'chn T'gai T'Alora Amadika? = Hello, father. May I introduce to you your granddaughter, S'chn T'gai T'Alora Amadika?
ko-mekh-il = grandmother
taluhk ko-fu-il = precious granddaughter