Author's Note: Star Trek and all its intellectual property belongs to Paramount/CBS. No infringement intended, no money made.
The meeting was a first in our history.
I looked around the room. All in it were my colleagues, many my friends. But that day, though many looked at me, few among them would meet my eyes.
There had been a shocking development in our relationship with the Humans aboard Enterprise.
Cogenitors are usually shielded from such contacts, being too valuable and vulnerable to be exposed to the risks new ideas can introduce. However, Calla was due to come into season at any time, and thus the cogenitor had to be in constant attendance; and besides, the initial impression of these new friends had been so good that it had hardly seemed possible for any harm to be done.
But harm was done. The Human Chief Engineer, Charles Tucker, had taken it upon himself to become interested in our cogenitor; and having become interested, it seemed that he deemed it his responsibility to teach xem to read, and to fill xyr mind with absurd ideas of what xe had a right to demand from life.
It was hardly surprising, then, that when the Human recklessly exposed xem to more new concepts in the space of a day than xe had encountered in xyr lifetime, xe had been thrown into such utter confusion that xe had actually demanded the Earth ship give xem sanctuary.
Well. For all that the shock of the incident was extreme, and could have ended Vissia-Earth relations there and then had our Captain Drennik been a less moderate man than he is, he had just spent several days in the company of the Human Captain Archer, and already held him in high esteem.
"I think him a sensible man, as well as an honest one," Drennik said in the council that was convened to consider our response to the cogenitor's unprecedented action. "We have talked with him and explained our position, and I have asked him personally to consider well before he makes his decision."
Tevar and Calla had, of course, been present during that discussion over their cogenitor's fate. They trusted Drennik's judgement, but now their faces were grey with fear. Their cogenitor was on the Human ship, and who knew what unknown dangers faced xem there? Who could tell how carefully xe would be guarded, where xe would sleep, what strange, possibly dangerous food and drink xe would be given? Who could tell whether the Humans would treat xem with kindness? And what if xe became ill?
Naturally, no-one in the room could be unmoved. There was much indignation, though it was reined in out of respect for the captain's evident regard for and trust in his Human counterpart. We had received the strangers as friends, welcoming them to our ship – and this base ingratitude was how they repaid us!
Many eyes, of course, turned towards me. It was common knowledge that other than the captain, I was the one who had had the closest contact with the Humans. Or with one of them, at least. That made me an expert, of sorts; and understanding was a thing that all sought.
It was hardly surprising that for some, it also made me an object of scorn. The lack of respect shown by the Human engineer was shocking, completely overturning the initially good impressions the Humans had made. He had come to our ship, been welcomed and trusted, and had repaid that welcome and that trust by seeking out a cogenitor in secret and corrupting xem, filling xyr thoughts with dreams of things that could never be.
Cogenitors are rare. Few are born, and those few are cherished and guarded. We would never have permitted xem to be troubled by such ideas; xe could not have been risked climbing mountains!
And I – I had bedded with one of the Humans. With a man whom Tucker worked with and called friend. This was not a secret, and up till now it was nothing of which I had been ashamed, or knew any reason why I should be. But now shame filled me, warring with the memories that still held an aching pleasure, so that I hardly knew how to meet the eyes that turned to me.
But still, silence would serve no-one. Moreover, if any word of mine would bring comfort to Calla and Tevar, what right had I to withhold it?
"I believe that the Humans will do what is right," I said, though my throat was tight. "I believe they are misinformed rather than ill-intentioned."
"Was Tucker well-intentioned when he lied to us and deceived us?" Oloma demanded angrily. "Did any of us behave in such a way on their ship, going where we had no right to go and causing so much trouble?"
It was, of course, a rhetorical question. Vissians are a friendly, gregarious, law-abiding people, but though we are intensely curious about other species we would not dream of interfering with their culture or trespassing in their private rooms.
"It seems he believed the cogenitor was being 'oppressed'," said Drennik heavily. "His intentions were good, in Human terms."
A babble of voices cried that the engineer had no right to make such judgments, let alone to act on them, and that Captain Archer must restore xem to us immediately!
Tevar nodded. His and Calla's hands were gripping together as though each was all that was keeping the other from drowning.
"Captain Archer must listen to us." His voice was less confident than his words; he was trying desperately to convince both himself and his wife. "He did not seem a bad man. They simply do not understand our ways. They cannot keep xem. They cannot!"
Calla shook her head. I suspected she was beyond speech.
An angry chorus of agreement filled the room. "And if they try, we will board their ship and take xem back by force!" someone shouted.
That in itself was shocking enough to bring a sudden silence, but soon there were nods and grunts of agreement. The Humans could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be permitted to abscond with our cogenitor. Even aside from the consequences to xyr couple, what under the stars would the Humans do with xem? Where would xe go? How would xe live? What would happen to xem when the novelty of climbing mountains wore off, and xe was so far from xyr own people?
As I had known they must, Drennik's eyes turned to me. "You will hold the weapons systems in readiness," he said. His gaze was sad, but resolute. "We will hope the Humans see reason, but if they do not..."
He did not elaborate.
He had no need to.
=/\=
Time passed.
There was no response from Enterprise.
Everyone on the ship was waiting for news. Our helmswoman sat with hands ready on the controls, eyes on the readouts from that silent silver shape opposite us, tense for the first hint of movement. I sat, just as tense, my hands ready to bring our weapons online. I already knew where I would need to strike, and exactly how much power I would need to use. Enough to disable the warp engines briefly, no more; why should all the Humans die because one among their number was a fool?
When the ship was immobilised, Drennik would demand the cogenitor be surrendered to us peacefully. If the demand was not complied with, and the Humans found some way to block our transporter, I would lead the boarding party.
I knew that if we boarded Enterprise, they would resist. Whether they believed our cause justified or not, they would follow their captain's orders. And if Jonathan Archer decided that his conscience required him to give our cogenitor sanctuary, our assault would confirm his fears and strengthen his resistance. He would order that sanctuary defended with force.
And I knew who would be ordered to command the defence against our boarding party.
(Memory rushed over me in waves. Heat. Lust. Pleasure.)
Calla had sought me out after the meeting. Her eyes were swollen with weeping. "What use is xe to them?" she demanded. "My baby. My baby!"
Tevar put his arms around her. I could catch the sharp citrus-smell of her season starting. The timing of the theft could hardly have been worse.
"You were with their armoury officer," he said hoarsely. "Was he a good man? Was he kind?"
It was a question I had been asking myself since the news broke. Up till then it had never occurred to me to ask it, but now my mind churned among memories as painful as they were sweet, trying to find some evidence of the brain behind the body that had given mine such pleasure.
Behind the reserved surface of Malcolm Reed had lurked an initially rather shy man with a surprisingly sly sense of humour. A sensualist. A man with a passion for his trade, and for the tools of his trade.
And not only for his trade...
"He is a good officer," I said. "His staff love him." Of that much I was sure. Humans are like enough to us for me to read the high respect and affection in which he was held in his domain.
"And honourable," I added. He had made no secret of his desire for me, but had wished to follow the Human way of wooing a female's interest. His astonishment at my more direct and sensible proposal had even showed me something unexpectedly like humility; he had been in doubt of his own ability to succeed.
The night that followed had been a revelation. I had been purring with satisfaction ever since, my body's hunger slaked. Now, all that satisfaction was turned to ashes, burned up by the shock and anxiety of what had happened.
How I wished I could honestly say more. But though I had fleeting impressions of a man who was capable of both goodness and kindness, I had also and most definitely sensed the single-minded ruthlessness of a predator. At the time this had been intensely exciting, and to do him justice Malcolm had spent all his skills and energy on ensuring that both of us enjoyed equal pleasure. I had no fear of him then or now. But still, the memory of that ruthlessness lingered...
They thanked me, while the poverty of the comfort I could offer lodged in my throat like a fishbone.
And then they went away, and I went back to the Bridge, and we were all left once more to the waiting.