The Ek'tevan Prerogative
By Mary K. Hanson
Limited Copyright © 2010
NOTE: Numbers throughout the text, such as (8), refer to end notes that provide translations, definitions, and more information to readers.
ACT TWO:
Exterior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan
The medical facility to which Spock is taken is adjacent to the Transitional Council Cathedral; it is a large oval structure that looks like a carved boulder surrounded by sandy earth and weird cactus-like vegetation. The camera pans around the structure, and then moves in closer and through a wall to show us the interior.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Surgical Arena
Inside the structure is a maze of hallways that lead to a medium-sized, white, circular room on the second floor that usually used as a surgical arena. It has been stripped of all of its furnishings, and all breakables have been locked away in cabinets that line the walls. In some places, the floor is littered with heavy blankets and pillows. Along the wall are various monitoring devices; some lit up, some dark and vacant of data. All around the perimeter of the room, near the ceiling, are large double-thick windows connected to offices and an observation deck above the room. From there, presumably, nonparticipants can watch any surgeries or other activities in the arena room below. Some of the windows seem to have a mirror finish on them so you can't see into the room on the other side; other windows appear either "frosty" or perfectly clear.
In the arena room, Spock is seated on the floor, and holds his head in his hands as he forces away the pain he is feeling and fights to regain his focus and poise. Sa'aat paces back and forth, and keeps an eye on the door and the observation windows above, as if he is waiting for someone or nervous about something. The guards and Ministers are not currently present in the room. Spock is still in his Star Fleet uniform and Sa'aat is still in the formalwear he had on before.
Spock
(lifting his head slowly, wincing a bit in pain while trying to control it)
You have acquired a new skill set since the last time I saw you.
Sa'aat
Indeed --
Spock
I did not expect to find you here.
Sa'aat
I know.
Spock
In truth, I thought I would never see you again.
Sa'aat
(more quietly)
I know.
Sa'aat continues his slow pacing around the room, and Spock follows him with his eyes. He finally seems to grow weary of waiting, and asks Sa'aat outright:
Spock
Are you going to require me to ask you a catalogue of questions, Sa'aat, or are you going to explain to me what transpired and how you came to be in this place?
Sa'aat stops pacing and looks directly at Spock.
Sa'aat
(almost like an entreaty)
Would it make a difference?
Spock
Clarification can often make a difference --
Sa'aat steps up to Spock and squats down in front of him. His tone of voice is almost tender, and his posture is much softer than we have seen it before. He tentatively raises a hand to touch the top of Spock's head, but then second guesses himself and withdraws it. He then raises his hand again, and reaches around to touch a spot between two of the vertebrae near the top of Spock's spine. Spock does not resist the touch. Sa'aat applies some relieving pressure on the vertebrae, and Spock winces slightly, but then seems to feel the relief from the touch almost instantly. Sa'aat removes his hand, saying quietly:
Sa'aat
It was never my desire to leave you as abruptly as I did…
Spock
And yet you left me anyway -- without warning, without explanation. You were more than simply my Osavensular T'Guv, Sa'aat. You were my only friend; and you knew what your friendship meant to me. You were the only Vulcan I knew who did not see my Humanity as a defect. You actually helped me to integrate my Human emotions more effectively into my Vulcan self at a time when I was most at war within my own body. But then you were gone. I thought I had done something to offend you… I thought your removal from me was a punishment by my parents for what offense I could not imagine… Then, as time grew between us and no word came from you, I assumed that you had died, but there was no body to mourn, no katra to carry to Mount Seleya…
Sa'aat
My departure was necessary.
Spock
How so?
Sa'aat
Spock… Considering the somewhat "delicate" and personal nature of the duties of a Osavensular T'Guv, it is not uncommon for some students to… "misread" their feelings and reactions to their lessons and become enamored with their instructors…
Spock
I did not misinterpret your instruction…
Sa'aat
No. You did not. In our case it was not the student who erred… It was I. Surely, Spock, you must have felt or at least guessed that my feelings for you increased with every meeting. My admiration for you grew into affection, and that affection developed into love, and love into…
(stops for a moment to contain his rising emotion)
I was an Osavensular T'Guv who could no longer keep a practiced distance from his student.
Spock does not seem in the least bit shocked or appalled by this revelation. Rather, he seems a bit confused that Sa'aat's feelings were an issue at all. He speaks frankly.1
Spock
I was aware of your feelings… and I was not repulsed them, Sa'aat. I accepted them, as you accepted me.
Sa'aat
They were unprofessional, imprudent…
Spock
As you were my Osavensular T'Guv, we shared much. Beyond our physical interactions, you also let me touch your mind... Your feelings for me were genuine and your intentions were always untainted. You did not seek to deceive me or to use me… I understood this. I held you no ill will and thought no less of you for it. At the time, as bereft as I was of friendship, I even welcomed your attention. If there is "fault", then some of it lies with me as well. I did nothing to rebuff you.
Sa'aat
Nevertheless, my desire for you compromised my ability to maintain a professional demeanor. The sight of you, the feel of your skin, your sound, your mouth, your scent… Even the mere thought of you aroused in me passions I could not control… For an Osavensular T'Guv, such behavior is unacceptable. I informed your parents of my dilemma, and your father thought it best that I remove myself from the estate and your tutelage as quickly as possible. I agreed.
Spock
Had you explained the reasons for your departure at the time, I might have followed you --
Sa'aat
Would you? How different would our destinies have been then? But your father would never have allowed that, Spock. He already had you bonded to T'Pring.
Spock
Yes… and I felt her death upon the destruction of our home-world…
Sa'aat
We all lost much in that catastrophe. Our planet, our heritage, our families… I heard about your mother, and I grieve with thee. I know how important she was to you.
Spock
Thank you.
Spock struggles briefly with the remembrances of his mother's death, and then seeks to change the subject. He and Sa'aat still speak in low-tones so as not to be overheard.
Spock
Why did you not contact me in all this time?
Sa'aat
Early on, your father thwarted my attempts to maintain communication with you; and then after time passed, it seemed "callous" somehow to remind you of me when nothing could be done to undo our circumstance…
Spock
Where did you go?
To make himself more comfortable, Sa'aat shifts from his squatting position and sits down on the floor in front of Spock. He sits in the practiced and flexible cross-legged position of meditation he learned at the Monastery.
Sa'aat
Off planet. First, as far away as I could go by shuttle, and then on from there. I was expecting that once there was time and distance between us, I could recover and reestablish my self-discipline. I was not entirely successful... I then entered the Ip-sut (2) Monastery and learned the ways of the K'a'sum'i, hoping that the isolation and discipline of the place would assist me in yearning for you less… After that, I was engaged as an…
(stops himself and rephrases)
I took on other duties that assured me a more solitary existence.
(more intimately)
You were not the only one who experienced pain and confusion at our parting, Spock. Removed from you, I was like a river without water: bleak and lifeless… Since I left you, there has been no one else: no mate, no lover, no student, no courtesan, no dalliance… No one. It has always and evermore been you. I can love no other.
Spock
(in all honesty)
If that is true, then it is a tragedy, Sa'aat, for…
(almost apologetically)
…I am involved with a female --
Sa'aat
The Human, Uhura --
Spock
Yes.
Sa'aat
We have met. She seems intelligent; educated and perceptive, but is somewhat… censorious.
Spock
She challenges me --
Sa'aat
Yes, I can see that she might. What does your father think of her?
Spock
Admittedly, although he is well aware of our situation, I have not yet broached the subject with him directly. It has always been his desire that I take a Vulcan female for a mate…
Sa'aat
Only because he felt that doing so would help you to integrate more readily into Vulcan society; and because he thought it might spare your offspring the isolation and intolerance you yourself faced as a child.
Spock
You paint my father with a sable brush… when iron is more his make.
Sa'aat
As formidable as Sarek may seem, Spock, he always endeavors to do what he believes is best for you.
Spock
(unconvinced, getting slowly to his feet)
Such as trying to convince me to succumb to the demands of the Ek'tevan Prerogative?
(directly to Sa'aat)
Did they force you to comply with the edict as well?
Sa'aat rises to his feet as well, and steps in close to Spock to speak to him quietly.
Sa'aat
Yes.
Spock
Why did you allow it?
Sa'aat
I am sa-ka-ashausu (3). I never expected to reproduce. The possibility, even though induced by proclamation, was intriguing to me…
(deflecting the conversation from himself)
However, it was Sarek's hope that you would have been spared compliance with the edict altogether. Since Spock Prime had filed no objection --
Spock
(in disbelief)
What?
Sa'aat takes Spock by the arm and walks him across the room to the door. There, he lifts a hand and touches the wall with his fingertips, searching beyond the door with his mind. Spock watches him intently. We surmise from Spock's expressions that he is astonished by Sa'aat's telepathic range. When the mind-sweep is completed, Sa'aat then looks around the room to see if any monitors are focused on them or if anyone is watching from the gallery above the room. Sa'aat then positions Spock against the wall by the door in such a way as to shield with his own body the view of Spock from the monitors and gallery windows, and again speaks softly:
Sa'aat
Understanding what compliance with the edict would have meant to you, Spock, your father convinced Spock Prime to obey the demands of the Prerogative and submit to the sampling and plak-tau in your stead. His DNA profile was identical to your own, and once his genetic material had been willingly proffered and added to the genetics banks, there would have been no reason for the Transitional Council to enjoin you to do the same.
Spock
But Spock Prime and myself were one in the same being. Why would Father's mind-set toward him be any different than it was for me?
Sa'aat
Although Spock Prime was in truth an echo of yourself, Sarek did not see him as his son… In this life, in this universe you are his child; no one else.
Spock
Most certainly having felt as I feel about the Prerogative, why would Spock Prime agree to sacrifice himself for my benefit?
Sa'aat
Search yourself for that answer, Spock. If you were given the opportunity to spare another humiliation and distress, would you not step forward and take the burden on yourself? It is a part of your nature; it always has been… and apparently will be in the future.
(after a short pause, continuing with his story)
The Council, too, however, was stunned when Spock Prime agreed to comply with the edict. And he was murdered a scant two days before he was to come here to the Arena… Immediately following his death, the Transitional Council demanded that you be called to stand in his place.
Spock
Your words suggest that there might have been intent in their actions. That the Council specifically wanted me to stand before them and not Spock Prime, and so had him removed in order to clear a path to me…
Sa'aat
Truly so.
Spock
For what purpose?
Sa'aat
As you may have already surmised, despite the façades of normalcy and control, New Vulcan is a place of acute disharmony, Spock. Many survivors of the destruction of Vulcan blame the existing Ministers for failing to protect them from Nero of Romulus… The fact that he was able to single-handedly deactivate the entire protection grid around the planet and use a solitary ship to extinguish our world seemed to indicate mammoth flaws in the then existing military structure on Vulcan and a gross lack of defensive preparedness on the part of its leaders. Immediately upon our arrival on New Vulcan, factions formed, each one believing it has the answers our people need; each one attempting to gain control of the Ministry.
Spock
You are describing the heralds of a civil war.
Sa'aat
I am. We are a planet in turmoil… And at this moment, some of that turmoil revolves around you. Amid the factions, a new Sect has emerged. Although they call themselves the Fonn Vuhlkansu or "Loyalist Vulcans", the Ministry euphemistically refers to them as the "Spockian Sect".
Spock raises an eyebrow in astonishment.
Sa'aat
This sect seeks to form stronger ties with the Federation, take Humans as mates in order to secure alliances with Earth, and preaches a less "isolationist" stance in the galaxy. In the face of this, T'Pau has aligned herself with Semuk who currently controls the majority of the military. More importantly, she is standing in open opposition to your father, Sarek, who has aligned himself with the Mystics, some of the Elders and the Fonn Vuhlkansu.
Spock
But, T'Pau is our clanswoman --(4)
Sa'aat
As I said…New Vulcan is a place of acute disharmony. In the past, T'Pring's bonding with you cemented a union between your family and hers… Now that T'Pring is dead and your bond is broken, T'Pau looks outside old familial ties and traditions for her connections and power.
Spock
(shaking his head in disbelief)
T'Pau followed the teachings of Surak… She labored on behalf of the Syrannite Vulcans… She has always been a woman of impeccable logic.
Sa'aat
A logic which in her hands can be, and often has been, quite savage. When she has made up her mind about something, there is no debating with her. She uses her logic like a scalpel, cutting everything away that does not support her viewpoint... regardless of the damage she may cause in the process.
Spock tries to assimilate that information, as Sa'aat continues…
Sa'aat
Semuk and T'Pau were counting on your disobedience to the edict in order to create havoc in the Ministry chamber, and force your father into action to protect you… It was their hope that if he openly objected to the Ek'tevan Prerogative, or sought to have you spared the consequences of it, he could be labeled a traitor and removed from office. Once his influence on the Council was diminished in this way, T'Pau and Semuk could take full control…
Spock
(suddenly understanding)
But Father does not protect me… and so their plan is in disruption.
Sa'aat
Precisely. Your father continues to frustrate their actions by playing the "mediator", although that is not his true position. He, like Semuk and T'Pau, also seeks to lead… He has a contingent of followers spread out throughout New Vulcan and the surrounding systems. Unfortunately, although word has gone out calling his people to gather as quickly as possible, he cannot yet directly confront T'Pau and her allegiance. It is his hope to have the numbers needed within the city walls by dusk tomorrow… But T'Pau senses that something is coming, and keeps pushing the time table forward. It was she who forced your meeting with the Ministry this morning and even now is escalating her attacks upon you. It is her hope that the more firmly she pushes against you, the more likely it will be that Sarek will fold in an effort to defend you.
Spock
So I am a pawn in a clan war.
Sa'aat
It is not what I would have wished --
Spock
And yet here we are…
(after a moment for thought)
Can you get word to my father? Let him know that I understand his motivations and request that he not abandon his position in order to shield me.
Sa'aat
I can, but, Spock, you --
Sa'aat puts a hand up and scowls slightly. He tilts his head in the direction of the door as though listening, or seeing something beyond the wall and door in his mind.
Sa'aat
The solders are coming. T'Pau is with them…
Spock again looks somewhat surprised by Sa'aat's ability.
Spock
Was this improved talent for "reading" acquired at the Monastery?
Sa'aat
No … (5)
(frankly)
I do not know that I can safeguard you from them, Spock.
Spock
I expect and demand nothing from you. You must do as you must -- as must I.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Second Floor Hallway
McCoy and Uhura continue to seek a way to get to Spock, but they are not having much luck. Most doors are locked and the corridors are laid out in a confusing maze. The Humans seem to running in circles. McCoy stops beside an unmarked grey door to try to reorient himself, and Uhura comes to a nearly breathless standstill beside him.
McCoy
Haven't we been this way before?
Uhura
I'm not sure… All the corridors look the same to me, and nothing seems to be marked.
McCoy
Vulcans don't believe in street signs?
Uhura
Vulcans are smart enough to remember where everything is and how to get there without signs and directories. Their buildings are like their brains… everything in layers around a central core. All we have to do is find the core and we can find everything else.
McCoy
Easier said than done… How did we get on this level anyway? What happened to our elevator?
Uhura points to a door at the end of the current hallway.
Uhura
Let's try this way…
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Surgical Arena
Sa'aat steps away from the wall as the door to the arena room opens. T'Pau enters with a small phalanx of soldiers behind her. She carries a ceremonial box in her hands. Once she and the soldiers are in the room and door is secured behind them, she comes to a halt, looking very regal; her head high, her shoulders squared. The soldiers line up in a half-circle behind her.
T'Pau then transfers the box to one hand and balances it there while she touches a finger to the top of the box with the opposite hand. The lid opens of its own accord and she reaches inside the box. She removes from it a palm-sized medical device. The device is somewhat rectangular and has phials attached to the long sides of it. On the top of it are various syringe-like attachments and what looks like a small cone-shaped tool. T'Pau holds the box out to the nearest solider, who takes it from her reverently with both hands. Holding the medical device in her hand, T'Pau focuses on Spock.
T'Pau
Spock. By the power conferred to me by the citizens of New Vulcan, as High Minister of the Transitional Council I am here to compel your compliance with the Ek'tevan Prerogative.
Spock steps back further into the room to distance himself from everyone and stand resolute in his refusal to comply with the edict. Although Sa'aat does not approach T'Pau or try to impede her in any way, he bows slightly toward her and speaks respectfully:
Sa'aat
Minister. Perhaps with more time, I can convince this citizen to --
T'Pau
There will be no further discussion of the issue, Kahr-Lan Sa'aat. A verdict has been rendered. The citizen Spock will now provide the State with samples of his sa-nei-masu and blood.
Spock
I will not.
T'Pau
Your continued objections are irrational, Spock. You WILL comply with the demands of the edict, with or without your spoken consent.
Spock
Without, then, I should think, Minister.
T'Pau
So be it.
T'Pau then gestures to the soldiers to step forward. All but the one holding the box do so. Across the room, Spock braces himself for an attack. With a single gesture, T'Pau releases the soldiers and they descend on Spock en masse. Sa'aat stays where he is and watches the mêlée, fighting to disguise his concern about Spock's safety. Spock struggles against the soldiers, continuing to voice his objections, but is grossly outnumbered. A mix of martial arts and street fighting, the brawl continues across the room until Spock is held between two of the soldiers while a third raises a hand to strike Spock directly in the face.
There is suddenly a brilliant flash in the room, and the guard with his arm raised drops to the floor unconscious.
The camera turns to show us Sa'aat with a Vulcan phaser in hand. The other soldiers do not know what to do, and look to T'Pau. T'Pau hides her astonishment well, and puts up a hand that commands the soldiers to stop and stay where they are.
Sa'aat lowers the weapon and steps up firmly in front of T'Pau; chest forward, head raised as though he intends to challenge her directly. She gives him a slow, measured look, showing no fear or trepidation over the fact that he is armed and she is not.
T'Pau
You shield your mind from me, Kahr-Lan Sa'aat.
Sa'aat
I shield my mind from the guards so they cannot interfere with me or anticipate my actions. The blocking of you, Minister, is simply a side effect.
(shows her the phaser)
The weapon is on the stun setting. I wish no one any permanent injury.
T'Pau
I see… But you do now seek to object to the enforcement of the law?
Sa'aat
No, Minister. However, I am compelled to point out that the brutality of your current choice of enforcement is unnecessary. I respectfully submit that if others see Spock torn and beaten, you only make him seem more the victim and the martyr. I can attain the samples you seek without resorting to the violence which may only prove to enforce the belief, in the eyes of your adversaries, that the State is perpetrating a rape upon this citizen.
T'Pau stands silent for a moment then looks past Sa'aat to the soldiers.
T'Pau
Pehkaya (6) -- !
The soldiers release Spock. Spock takes several steps back to put some distance between himself and the soldiers. One of the soldiers drags his unconscious fellow over to a wall where he is out of the way.
T'Pau somewhat reluctantly hands the medical device out to Sa'aat. He takes the device and walks with it over to where Spock is standing. Spock is breathing hard, and there is green blood trickling from a shallow gash in his forehead above his right eye. Bruises are already starting to show on the orbit around that eye.
Spock
(standing firm, breathing hard)
I…do NOT…give you…permission…
Sa'aat
I know.
Sa'aat levels the phaser directly at Spock and fires. The blast knocks Spock backwards and he slumps to the floor unconscious. As soon as Spock is down, Sa'aat goes to him, pockets the phaser, and selects a tip on the medical device that looks like a multi-pronged needle. He lifts one of Spock's limp arms and presses the device against Spock's wrist. The device gives out a low fizzing sound, and we can see Spock's green blood fill the phial on one side of the device.
Sa'aat then kneels down beside Spock. He pauses for a moment as though considering what he is doing, then reaches to the top of Spock's Federation issued slacks, unbuttons the fastener at the waist and unzips the slacks.
The camera focuses on Spock's head and torso as Sa'aat secures the sa-nei-masu sample from him. Although he is unconscious, Spock's body convulses slightly at the contact of the medical device. We hear an electrical "snapping" sound, and then a rhythmic pumping noise. Spock starts to breathe heavily. The heavy breaths increase to more rapid "chuffing"7 as the mechanism stimulates him to climax. With a final groan, the sa-nei-masu sample is secured.
Sa'aat carefully folds Spock's pants closed again, and gets to his feet. He turns back to T'Pau to show her that the samples were acquired.
Sa'aat
Blood and sa-nei-masu, as required by the edict, Minister.
T'Pau seems pleased with this, and turns to the soldier who is still holding the box. With a gesture, she indicates to the soldier that he join Sa'aat.
When the solider nears him, Sa'aat sets the medical device with its samples into the box, and then removes from the box another type of syringe. It is about seven-inches long, narrow, glass-like with a silvery casing, and has a multi-toothed air-injection needle at one end of it. It is filled with a pale yellow fluid. Sa'aat palms it in one hand and holds it out for T'Pau to see.
T'Pau
With the genetic materials having been legally collected, the citizen Spock will now undergo the chemically induced plak-tau required by statute under the Ek'tevan Prerogative. Kahr-Lan Sa'aat, at his own behest, will administer the catalyst.
Sa'aat turns back to Spock and leans down over him. He uses his free hand to push Spock's head down and forward, revealing the back and nape of Spock's neck. Before he continues, Sa'aat places his mouth against Spock's head and whispers:
Sa'aat
Forgive me --
Spock is still unconscious and cannot respond. Sa'aat places the long syringe against the back of Spock's neck near the base of his skull and injects the catalyzing agent. The syringe hisses, and Spock's body trembles slightly as the agent starts to circulate through his body.
T'Pau
The catalyst will take several minutes to fully stimulate the plak-tau effect. I want him made ready for the selected females before that time.
Sa'aat
Understood.
Sa'aat hands the now-emptied syringe to the soldier with the box, and all of the soldiers exit the room, dragging their still unconscious companion along with them. T'Pau herself heads toward the door, but lingers for a moment before exiting. She turns to Sa'aat and addresses him:
T'Pau
I am aware of your "attachment" to this citizen, Kahr-Lan Sa'aat. And I recognize your efforts to keep him from injury during this process.
Sa'aat
One cannot contradict the truth of your observations, Minister.
T'Pau
Then I must admit that I do not understand your willingness to assist us in this action.
Sa'aat
I do what I believe is most logical. Engaging in a battle of wills at this time serves no purpose. It can only result in damage to Spock, more rancor between the Sects, and a further division of the population as a whole. I do only what I believe best serves New Vulcan and its people…
T'Pau
(not wholly convinced despite what she is saying)
Well stated. I had initially thought it unwise for Semuk to present you with the rank and honors he did upon your arrival to New Vulcan, but I now the see some of the clarity in his decision-making. You follow orders. You recognize the chain of command. You are selective in your engagements with a perceived enemy. All are the hallmarks of a good soldier…
Sa'aat says nothing, and simply bows to the perceived compliment.
T'Pau
When our positions are fully established and the Ministry is once more under our sole control, we will remember you, Sa'aat. Perhaps we can even see to it that Spock falls under your permanent personal custody.
Sa'aat
(bowing a little more deeply)
Thank you, Minister T'Pau.
T'Pau turns to leave, but stops once more and looks back at Spock's body on the floor. She then looks at Sa'aat.
T'Pau
I want that Federation uniform destroyed.
Sa'aat
Yes, Minister.
T'Pau then exits the room, and Sa'aat turns back to Spock. Spock is lying on his side and is starting to shudder from the effects of the chemical inducement. Sa'aat looks around the room then closes his eyes and "scans" the nearby area with his mind. He opens his eyes again, kneels down next to Spock, and carefully starts removing Spock's clothing.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, First Floor Hallway
T'Pau, now without her contingent of soldiers, walks through the corridor until she comes to what initially looks like a large vacant area along the wall. There is some rectangular ribbing on the wall that, at first glance, simply looks like decoration. T'Pau presses her fingertips into the wall and a door appears, now outlined by the ribbing, that slides open to reveal a large turbolift elevator car. She enters the turbolift, and then holds the door open with one hand until Semuk, coming toward her down the hall, reaches her. He enters the elevator with her.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, First Floor Hallway, Main Turbolift
The turbolift door closes, and T'Pau speaks to the elevator control module:
T'Pau
Lower Level Four.
Elevator (Male Mechanical Voice Over)
Neh-neik vok kehkuh (8)
The turbolift starts to move down into the lower levels of the building. As it moves, Semuk turns to T'Pau and speaks.
Semuk
How goes all?
T'Pau
We proceed forward with alacrity. I am, at this moment, going to secure the females for Spock's plak-tau, and will have them upon him within the quarter hour. I admit, the number of females willing to mate with him surprises me. T'Pring, although bonded to him, was planning to reject him at his next Pon Farr… His first Pon Farr, as I understand it. He has not gone through one yet.
Semuk
That is atypical for his age…
T'Pau
It is the Human in him. It despoils the draw of his Vulcan blood.
Semuk
Is he fertile? (9)
T'Pau
The induced plak-tau will deceive his body into believing he is going through a Pon Farr, so fertility will be initiated. We have seen this in other males, as well…
Semuk
Tell me again why we want that… "ulef kosh-ves" (10) …to reproduce at all.
T'Pau
Bringing those of Spock's blood into our fold will provide us with leverage in the future, should we need it.
Semuk
You think always several steps ahead.
T'Pau
It is wise to do so…
Semuk
How many of the willing females have you chosen?
T'Pau
Five at the moment. That is an unusually high number, I admit, but several of the younger ones have just come into cycle, and it would be a pity to allow such an opportunity go to waste. (11)
Semuk
Can he service five females in one plak-tau?
T'Pau
What he is incapable of finishing himself, we can complete later with the sa-nei-masu samples procured from him.
Semuk
How were you able to wrest his genetic material from him so quickly?
T'Pau
We had help from Kahr-Lan Sa'aat…
Semuk looks pleased by the news. T'Pau seems distracted however. Without looking at Semuk, she asks him:
T'Pau
Tell me more about Sa'aat. Where did you find him, again?
Semuk
With the Hurgh Ghor Guild (12) on the black-asteroid Dremarka 17, near the Klingon border. He answered the distress calls when Vulcan was being attacked by Nero of Romulus, and offered the use of his ship for evacuation and transport purposes.
T'Pau
He captains his own vessel?
Semuk
A small cruiser, as I understand it. The Haulat.(13) Nothing to be concerned about, I am certain.
T'Pau
It is not the ship that concerns me, Semuk… What concerns me is that those who command often find it difficult to take orders from others.
Semuk
Sa'aat has done all that we have asked of him.
T'Pau
Yes, but with what motivation? He seeks no power here. He took on the mantel of a kahr-lan without relish, so a military appointment is not his goal… What drives him?
Semuk
…Civil peace for New Vulcan…
T'Pau
You trust that his motives are that pure?
Semuk
As you yourself pointed out, power and position do not seem to motivate his actions. What else is there?
T'Pau
What always acts as catalysts in such circumstances: blood… aberration… passion… fanaticism… animus… delirium… a lust for anarchy…(14)
Semuk
I sense none of that in Sa'aat.
T'Pau
He is well schooled and superbly disciplined, I will grant you… although where Spock is concerned, he plays the enraptured fool quite well. Nevertheless, I can sense in his mind a cavernous depth, which I cannot fathom.
Semuk
That is not extraordinary for those skilled in the K'a'sum'i.
T'Pau
It is more than that. I know that you think highly of him, Semuk, but I do not trust him. Not fully. I did, however, offer him Spock as an inducement to keep him aligned with us, and that seemed to peak his interest.
Semuk
(bemused)
Spock as a bondling to a sa-ka-ashausu… Sarek would be appalled.
T'Pau
Good --
Elevator (Male Mechanical Voice Over)
Neh-neik vok kehkuh.
The door to the turbolift opens again, and T'Pau steps out into a hall that looks almost identical to the one she just left. Semuk follows after her.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Second Floor Hallway
McCoy and Uhura are lost inside the medical facility. Uhura is worried, but determined. Frustrated by their lack of progress, she implores McCoy:
Uhura
Try the tricorder again. I'm sure it indicated before that we were heading in the right direction.
McCoy lifts his pursed-sized tricorder device up and activates it. He scans the immediate area with the unit, and a beeping sound starts to emanate from it. He turns his whole body around in the corridor until the beeping sound is at its loudest and most consistent… When he looks up, however, the unit is pointing at a blank wall with rectangular ribbing on it.
McCoy
It's indicating the wall again. Damn thing must be broken --
Uhura
How is that possible? It was working fine before.
McCoy
Maybe the Vulcans activated a jamming signal or something.
Uhura
Then the tricorder would be showing us the interference -- not a clear signal. Maybe its directional interface is messed up. Let me see it.
Uhura takes the device from McCoy and fiddles with it.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Second Floor Hallway, Another View
While Uhura and McCoy are focused on the tricorder unit, the blank ribbed wall they were looking at before opens up quietly, revealing a large turbolift elevator (like the one T'Pau had been in previously). Inside the elevator are Sa'aat and the young Vulcan girl, Tasmeen15, who we had seen earlier in the Cathedral building. Sa'aat hands the child what looks like a short-strand necklace of black pearls, and speaks to her in tones we cannot hear. He then releases the child, and she goes hurrying down the hall right past Uhura and McCoy.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Second Floor Hallway
McCoy and Uhura are at first unaware of Tasmeen, Sa'aat or the elevator. Then McCoy sees the child as she runs past him, and recognizes her.
McCoy
(to Uhura)
She was in the Cathedral --
(to the child)
Hey, honey! Wait up!
Tasmeen pauses only for a moment to look back at McCoy, and then continues quickly down the hall.
McCoy
Hey! At least show us the way off this floor!
Sa'aat
(voice over, from the elevator)
What are you doing here?
As Tasmeen disappears around a corner in the corridor, McCoy and Uhura turn to face Sa'aat. McCoy is at first irritated, but then beams when he sees the turbolift in the wall.
McCoy
Hey, the tricorder wasn't malfunctioning after all!
Sa'aat exits the turbolift and the door closes behind him, vanishing into the surface of the wall again. He steps up to McCoy and Uhura, and Uhura confronts him directly.
Uhura
Where is Spock?
Sa'aat
You cannot be in this place.
Uhura
Where… is… Spock?
Sa'aat
You are in a restricted area. Do you wish to be incarcerated?
McCoy
We wish to see Spock.
Sa'aat
That is impossible at this time. He has been made ready for the --
McCoy
Look, General, or whatever the hell your rank is supposed to be, we're getting more than a little sick and tired of being jerked around by you pointy-eared bastards. If you don't tell me where Spock is right now, I'll…
Sa'aat waits for McCoy to complete his sentence. His solid stance seems to dare McCoy to confront him directly. In the face of Sa'aat's determination, McCoy's pique fades a bit.
McCoy
Well, I don't know what I'll do… but it won't be quiet and it won't be pretty.
Sa'aat
Doubtless.
(very serious)
But I feel it necessary to remind you that you are "aliens" on this world. You are not citizens here, and you have no rights here -- regardless of your standing in the Federation. I am doing all I can to keep Spock from severe injury, but I cannot continue to do so if I am constantly being distracted by you, your arguments and your illegal activities.
McCoy
What "illegal activities"?
Sa'aat
Talking in a Formal Chamber, trespassing in a medical facility, violating the perimeter of a controlled area, threats of assault on a Vulcan military officer… Need I go on?
McCoy
Not really, no.
Uhura
Just let us see Spock, Kahr-Lan Sa'aat. We won't talk to him, we won't approach him if we're not supposed to, but… Just let us see him, so we can report to our captain that he's all right.
Sa'aat
(spoken as a statement rather than a question)
You are making regular reports to your starship.
McCoy
Yes. Captain Kirk is up to speed on everything we witnessed at the Cathedral, and is on his way back here with the Enterprise…
Sa'aat
(with restrained pique)
Another distraction. Thank you.
Sa'aat pauses for thought for a moment, and then takes McCoy by the upper arm with one hand and Uhura by the upper arm with his other hand. He starts walking them rapidly down the corridor.
Sa'aat
Come with me before you both are seen and arrested.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Third Floor Bio-Genetics Storage Lab
The Vulcan child, Tasmeen, is tiptoeing through the interior of the lab, careful not to disrupt anything or make any noise.
The room is pristine; the floor, walls, ceiling and fixtures are all painted a monotone dove-like grey. There are long tables cluttered with scanning equipment, and the walls are punctuated with circular cabinet doors. Tasmeen counts off several of the cabinet doors before putting her fingers in the center of one of them. She presses in as hard as she can.
The door opens and chilled air pours out in a vapor into the room while a long shelving unit filled with biological samples extends out from the wall. Each sample on the shelving unit is contained in a contamination-free housing phial about the size of a thumb. Each phial has a sort of holographic "label" on it describing its contents. Tasmeen reads the markings on the samples, and selects only specific ones from those on the shelving unit. For each sample she selects, she removes a "pearl" from her "necklace" and sets it onto the back of the sample's small housing phial.
The "pearl" attaches itself to the phial and then flattens out into a small, dark disk. When she is satisfied with her work, Tasmeen goes to the end of the shelving unit where the door is and presses on the center of it again. The shelving unit retracts back into the wall and the circular door shuts with a suction-sound.
She then steps over to a second cabinet door, and opens it as she did the previous one. The second unit opens up and she starts applying more of the pearls to the phials on the shelves.
Interior: Medical Facility on New Vulcan, Second Floor Office
We see the office from the interior. It is dark inside but we are able to see that it is a shallow space fitted only with a desk and a chair. The top of the desk seems to be littered with a variety of monitoring screens and a narrow bank of what look like "sockets" into which other equipment can be connected. Two walls are perfectly blank, one has a door on it, and the rear wall houses a huge picture window with double-paned glass. The window is clear on the inside, but shows a mirrored surface on the other side so anyone looking at the window from the outside would see only their own reflection and not who or what was in the office.
The door opens and the lights in the room flicker on automatically.
Sa'aat
Lights to 30 percent.
At his command, the lights in the room dim considerably. Sa'aat pushes Uhura into the room ahead of him, and pulls Dr. McCoy in behind him. Before they have a chance to complain or react, Sa'aat shuts the door (with him in the room with them). He turns to them, already speaking:
Sa'aat
The windows are set to "echo", so no one can see you. And the room is sound-insulated, so no one can hear you either. Be careful not to draw attention to yourselves and you should be secure here until I can find a way to get you out of the building undetected.
McCoy
What is this place?
Sa'aat
An observation and transcription station; one of several on this floor. It looks down onto the surgical arena.
McCoy
(intrigued)
Really? I've never seen a Vulcan surgical suite firsthand before.
McCoy steps up to the window and looks through the glass.
Uhura
(to Sa'aat)
And why bring us here?
Sa'aat
You said you wanted to see Spock, did you not?
Uhura
Are they conducting surgery on Spock?!
Sa'aat
No.
Confused, Uhura turns to the window herself and comes face-to-face with McCoy who is looking at her with shock on his features.
McCoy
(his voice low, filled with concern)
I don't know if you really want to see this --
Uhura
Why? Is Spock all right?
Uhura pushes McCoy aside and looks through the glass as McCoy answers her:
McCoy
He's going through the induced plak-tau…
1 Author's Note: Based on the idea that homosexuality is a genetic predisposition (rather than a personal choice) I assumed that the Vulcans would accept homosexuality as a natural part of some individual's genetic structure and evolution and would therefore have no logical reason for prejudice against it. The fact that Sa'aat is gay, or "sa-ka-ashausu" (the Vulcan word for homosexual male), would not have shocked anyone unless he had tried to hide it or lied about it. In Vulcan society, being gay may be acceptable, but lying it is not.
2 Ip-sut: Vulcan word for "hide" or "hidden"
3 Sa-ka-ashausu: Vulcan term for a homosexual male
4 This fact is based on Trek canon.
5 Author's Note: In my own back-story on Sa'aat, I devised that Sa'aat's expanded mental acuity and telepathic range was increased during his time with the Coh'Lie people – a mystical warrior race that is something of an enigma. [[I made up this race of beings myself; it is NOT part of Trek canon.]] Not associated with the Federation or any other planetary allegiance, the Coh'Lie generally act only in defense of their own world, and are not predatory or exploratory in nature. Once their wrath has been excited, however, they kill without empathy or deference, and have been known to extinguish entire races in order to restore their privacy and self-supremacy. The Coh'Lie world, therefore, has been labeled a "quarantined planet" and no Federation or Vulcan vessels are allowed to go there. For Sa'aat to even approach them would have been grounds for immediate dismissal from his Vulcan military service, and would probably have resulted in his being deported from New Vulcan. He therefore keeps this information to himself. Spock, Semuk, T'Pau and others are NOT aware of Sa'aat's interactions with the Coh'Lie.
6 Pehkaya: Vulcan word for "Stop"
7 Chuffing: a heavy-breath sound somewhere between a bark and cough; it signals a male Vulcan's pending sexual climax. [[Author's Note: This term and its definition are of my own making and are not part of Trek canon.]]
8 Neh-neik vok kehkuh: literally translated from the Vulcan it means "lower level four"
9 Author's Note: Some Trek-related sites suggested that a Vulcan male is not fertile until after his first Pon Farr has been initiated. Vulcan males are considered "children" until they sexually mature around age 30. In the alternate universe of Star Trek XI, Spock is about 35-40 years old. Some of the "interference" with his Pon Farr may be attributed to both the Human element in him, and to the fact that he has been away from his home world for an extended period of time. The "7 year itch" male Vulcans must endure is connected in part to the 7-year cycles of the planet itself.
10 Ulef kosh-ves: literally translated from the Vulcan it means "half-breed"
11 Note: according to the Star Trek Online Geekipedia (.com/wiki/Introduction_To_Vulcan_Physiology ) "Vulcan females are always fertile." However, they do have a reproductive cycle, much like Human females, and are able to conceive only when an ovum is present.
12 Hurgh Ghor Guild: a guild of assassins comprised of lethally-skilled members from various species who can survive the rigid training requirements. They generally operate only on worlds where paid assassinations are legal but sometimes take on other assignments for a price. "Hurgh Ghor" is Klingon word for "dark planet". [[Author's Note: this assassins' guild is my creation and is NOT part of Trek canon.]]
13 Haulat: literally translated from the Vulcan it means "Mirror"
14 Author's note: It was my intention here to reveal, to some degree, some of T'Pau's own reasons for taking the stance she has taken on New Vulcan; this statement is a sort of "Freudian slip" on her part.
15 Tasmeen's name means "autumn" in Vulcan
