Chapter 4

Since Admiral Mendez had given us his support and her father had given me his blessing, we'd decided to have a Starfleet-sanctioned wedding to avoid any appearance of impropriety for the sake of the crew. Later, if we survived the war in Alliance Earth space, we'd have a Vulcan wedding ceremony on her family's estate and renew our vows in New Orleans in front of my family.

We'd decided to ask Antonio Silva, the Mako's captain, to perform the ceremony. Before that could happen, we needed two people to act as witnesses. V'Lar had determined that Salayna Rex, her valued colleague, would fit the bill as her maid of honor and intended to ask Salayna after she'd assisted Tevik with his little problem.

My choice, however, required a more...Machiavellian approach.

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Tynen strode into the Valkyrie's sickbay, hoping Dr. Thae'lak Shron was engaged in treating a complex medical emergency.

"Captain!" the Andorian announced brightly. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence in our humble sickbay?" Then the man swept his pale blue hand across the breadth of the empty room. "As you can see, we have the capacity to treat any ailment you may have. So tell me, how may we assist you?"

Inwardly cursing his rotten luck, the captain said, "Actually, I'm feeling fine, Thae'lak. I just dropped by to have a word with you...in private."

The physician simply stared at him for a moment before he nodded. "Of course," the Andorian said, before he escorted Tynen into his office.

The Andorian commander took a seat behind his desk while Jason sat in a chair across from Shron. The captain then sighed deeply. "Thae'lak, I have to tell you something you probably won't like, so I want you to promise me you won't fly off the handle after you hear it, okay?"

The pale blue-skinned man narrowed his eyes at Tynen while his antennae leaned toward the captain. "What do you mean by 'something I probably won't like?'"

Tynen shot a faux nervous glance at his friend. "Well...remember that time several months ago when your sister visited the ship and the three of us spent the night drinking shots of Romulan Ale?"

Shron blinked twice at that before a lazy smile crept onto his face. "Barely. That certainly was a wild night, Brown skin! You know, Tayara was quite surprised that you, an Earther, could actually hold your ale alongside an Andorian woman! Why, I recall passing out while you and Tayara proceeded to drink me under the tab-" Suddenly, Shron interrupted himself as his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. Then he glared at Tynen and shouted, "Are you trying to tell me you took advantage of my sister?"

The captain responded with a carefully crafted expression of horror on his face. "Of course not! I'd never do something like that to you!"

The Andorian appeared to calm himself after that and sighed heavily. "Well, that's a relief! You know, Tynen, you really had me going there for a moment!"

Tynen said nothing and simply smiled at the other man.

"So, tell me," Shron asked, "why did you bring up my sister anyway?"

"I only mentioned it because we're such good friends...oh, and I love V'Lar, she cherishes me, we're getting married, and would you be my best man at our wedding ceremony?"

The captain waited a minute or two for some kind of reaction from his friend before he asked, "Are you still processing what I'd just said or are you having a heart attack?"

At first, Shron's mouth opened and shut repeatedly like a landed fish as no sounds issued from it. Then the Andorian finally found his voice. "You!" he whispered harshly. "A-and…the Vulcan?"

Tynen nodded.

"You...you wish to bond with her?"

Tynen nodded once more.

"You...and she...intend to have intimate...relations...with each other?" Shron squeaked.

Tynen nodded fervently.

Then the Andorian shook his head from side-to-side, apparently attempting to sweep that image from his mind.

Shron then regarded the captain sullenly. "How?"

"How...what?"

Thae'lak frowned at him. "How did this," he said, the deep-seeded and ancient animosity many of his people still felt toward Vulcans plainly evident in his voice, "happen!"

Annoyed somewhat by his friend's antipathy to his woman, the little devil on Tynen's shoulder decided to get into the act just then. "I don't really know...I suppose it started a year ago when I strapped her wrists together, stripped her down to her underwear, and had her mount me shortly after she'd come on board the Valkyrie..."

Moments later the captain chanced a glimpse to see how his exaggerated account of V'Lar's and his escape last year from certain death had affected Thae'lak. He was somewhat surprised to note that the man's antennae stood as stiff as flagpoles on the top of his forehead.

Suddenly, Shron noted woodenly, "I knew humans could accomplish almost anything when they set their minds to it, but I never thought in my wildest dreams one of you could possibly succeed in corrupting a Vulcan!" Then the Andorian regarded the captain with a look both of awe and reverence. "Brown skin," he exclaimed, "for this, your blood should grace the Andorian Guard's Wall of Heroes!"

Although Tynen considered, for a nanosecond, whether he should disclose to his friend that he'd only bound and disrobed V'Lar so he could carry her unconscious form when he rescued her from a baryon sweep, he immediately nixed the notion. Sometimes, he reasoned, the means justified the ends. "Great!" the captain chirped. "So, will you help me administer the coup de grace of my gambit by being my best man?"

The doctor lifted his chin proudly and puffed out his chest. "The wild horses of your homeworld could not drag me away from being at your side in your hour of triumph. I, Thae'lak Shron, shall be there!"

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After thirty minutes and substantial intimidation on his part to keep Shron from planning a night of debauchery in the bride's and groom's honor, Tynen found himself standing outside Niznik Vox's cabin. After screwing up his courage, the captain pressed Vox's door chime.

"Come," he heard Vox's voice say before the door swept open.

Tynen poked his head through the open portal and found that Vox was seated on a couch reviewing a PADD. "Hello, Vox. Is this a good time?"

The young Trill male smiled warmly at him. "Of course, Jason. Please come inside."

He entered Vox's quarters and gingerly crossed the room to stand in front of the couch. "May I?" he asked indicating the empty space beside Vox.

Vox smiled warmly up at him and nodded. He sat next to Vox and regarded the joined Trill with a smile of his own. Even though Niznik's masculine features were readily apparent to most people, Tynen still spied mannerisms and expressions that recalled in his mind, Jezri, his first real love.

"So," Vox asked, "what's on your mind?"

Tynen chuckled and shook his head. "I'd never thought I'd ever be having this conversation with you."

Vox's face still maintained a smile even with the puzzled look in his eyes. "What do you want to tell me, Jason?"

Tynen then drew a deep breath, exhaled it noisily, and said, "Vox…I'm in love with V'Lar."

The joined Trill blinked three times before he seemed to find his voice. "V'Lar?"

Tynen nodded. "Yes. She loves me, too, Vox. We've bonded in the Vulcan way and we're getting married."

"You're getting m-married?" Vox stammered. Then the navigator shook his head. "Wow…this is all so…sudden, Jason. How long have you two been together?"

"Well, we've been dating for three weeks or so. Last night, we bonded."

Vox stared at him for several beats before he gave him a thin smile. "T-that's great news!" Then Vox reached over to grab the other man in a tender hug. "I'm really happy for you…happy for you both! She's a wonderful person!"

The captain nodded as he fought down the feeling that he had Jezri in his arms once more. "You'd get no argument from me on that. I can't believe someone as incredibly wonderful as V'Lar wants me, Vox!"

"Oh, don't be such an idiot," Vox protested gently. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

Tynen pulled himself gently out of the hug and nodded at Vox. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Jason. Always," The Trill said. "So, when do you plan to 'tie the knot,' as your people say?"

"The day after tomorrow, our wedding party will beam over to the Mako where Captain Silva will perform the ceremony. Before that, though, tomorrow evening, Shron and Salayna plan to have a little celebration in our honor. The Alpha Shift bridge crew will be invited, along with Major Vanderweg and Janja."

"Who's in the wedding party?"

"Shron's my best man and Rex is V'lar's maid of honor."

A cloud appeared to cross Vox's face for a short moment; then it was gone. "Sounds kind of small, doesn't it?"

Tynen shrugged. "Well, you know V'Lar. She doesn't want a big, fancy production."

Vox nodded. "Yes, that is the Vulcan way, isn't it?"

"You can say that again. Don't worry, though. When we return to the Alpha Quadrant from Alliance Earth space, we'll have a big, New Orleans-style wedding with all the trimmings! And you'll be there, Vox, right alongside us!"

Vox grinned slyly at him. "Why, of course, sir! I mean, who am I to argue with the captain of the Valkyrie?"

He smiled and tenderly rested his hand upon Vox's shoulder. "You're my good friend, that's who you are."

They warmly regarded each other for several moments before Tynen sighed deeply. "Well, I guess I'd better go. I need to arrange for Janja to draw up some plans to combine V'Lar's quarters and mine to create a stateroom. See you tomorrow?"

Vox nodded at him. "You can count on it, Jason. Oh, and once again, please accept my congratulations! I'm truly happy for you both."

He flashed a grin at his navigator, gave the Trill a jaunty wave, and exited the cabin, unknowingly leaving a now quite somber Vox in his wake.

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After leaving Vox's quarters, Jason sauntered to the Engineering Deck in search of Lt. Commander Janja Rad. When he found his Chief Engineer, they entered the man's office to take a look at schematics of the quarters in "Officers' Country" to determine the best way to combine his billet with his bride's. An hour later, he went to the mess hall for a bite to eat then returned to his cabin to brush his teeth, shower, and shave. Then he dressed in his old Starfleet Academy sweatshirt, sweatpants, and slippers, grabbed an old novel, flopped down onto his sofa and waited for V'Lar to come to his cabin. Nearly an hour later she entered his quarters wearing one of her Vulcan evening robes to find him waiting for her.

"Has Captain Tevik returned to his ship?" he asked.

She nodded listlessly.

"Did you have a chance to talk with Salayna?"

"Yes. She accepted my request to be my maid of honor."

He stood up and approached her but she held up her right hand signaling him to halt his advance. "Give me a moment, Jason. I am still attempting to integrate the sensations that arose during our meditations."

Tynen simply shrugged and returned to his seat while she started for his bathroom. As he struggled to lock away his jealousy of the Vulcan captain, she stopped and turned to face him. "I am sensing an emotion from you that I do not understand."

He glared at her and snapped, "I thought you'd said it was rude for you to intrude into my thoughts absent my consent."

She regarded him with a neutral expression on her face. "You were broadcasting your feelings quite openly. Perhaps I should provide you with assistance by instructing you on how to shield your emotions."

Tynen narrowed his eyes at her then. "I think I've got it covered, V'Lar. Do you sense anything now?"

A look of concentration swept across her face for several long moments. Then she allowed her control to slip to reveal her astonishment. "How?"

He knew what she'd detected. He'd completely blocked her mental probes, using techniques drilled into him by the Section's Deltan and Betazoid operatives. Although Vulcans had strong psychic abilities bolstered by their logic, for the most part, they were touch telepaths, unable to challenge an experienced Deltan or Betazoid who were capable of projection or reception over far greater distances. Now, smug with the knowledge that he'd managed to surprise her with his ability, he answered, "I can't tell you; it's classified."

She took that in with a nearly imperceptible narrowing of her own eyes. "Your shields are quite formidable. However, it must be difficult to maintain them for a substantial period of time."

"Not really," he said. "In the past, I had to maintain them for months at a time. So, I believe you should find my shielded mind a preferable contrast to listening in on my undisciplined 'human emotions.'"

She said nothing as she turned away and retreated into his bathroom. Several minutes later, she exited his lavatory and strode toward him with her robe hanging loosely about her shoulders. When she came to a halt beside the sofa, she stared down at him and said, "I do not."

He gave her a puzzled look. "You do not-what?"

"I do not find the obstruction of our connection to be 'preferable.' I take great pleasure from our bond, Jason. Although your emotions are, at times, a source of confusion to me, more often than not, they furnish me with a sense of assimilation and...contentment."

He smiled up at her. "That's true for me, as well, love. Don't you know my heart belongs to you?"

She nodded and said, "Please forgive me for my insensitivity, aisha."

He exonerated her with a placid smile while he reached for her, unable to resist drawing her near. Tynen tangled his fingers into the soft cloth of her garment, dragging it down her olive-tinged back and shoulders. In response, her eyes opened wide and she glanced down at him. It was then that their fiery gazes locked onto the others. Suddenly, her look grew wanton and called to something primeval inside him. Before he knew it, she flung herself at him, attacking his mouth with hers. Answering in kind, he teased her lips open and kissed her with abandon. Soon, V'Lar's robe drifted to the floor, alighting with the sound of an angel's kiss. A moment later, when his hands cupped her bottom, Jason growled lowly, triggering her to press her body even more firmly against his. Unable to control himself any longer, he swept her up in his arms, sprang onto his feet, and carried her across the room while her hands fondled his chest under his shirt.

When they reached his bed, he swung her legs down to rest upon the deck and together they dragged his sweatshirt over his head. While her hands wandered purposefully across the muscles of his chest, the extremely moved man, cowed by the fact that she'd come to him nude under her robe, whispered, "I love you, V'Lar." Even with his confession of his adoration for her, he fought down the impatience of the child inside, while the careful, thoughtful man who stood sentinel over the reins that governed his emotions took control so he could protect his unwary mate from being overwhelmed by his fire.

All of a sudden, she growled in a way that raised the hairs on the back of the ancient primate's neck that dwelt deep down inside his living soul. "Jason Tynen, I have caught your scent," she spoke the ancient words lowly as her nostrils flared while she drew her nose across his chest. Then, as her fingers sketched sensuous runes across the planes of his back, she recited the elemental vow that a Vulcan woman employed to initiate her first coupling with her bonded mate. "Aisha-my mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts, my heart to your heart, forever together, never parted."

The power of the words crashed open the floodgates for the lovers. He flung her onto his bed then lunged down beside her. Moments later, his lips and tongue caressed the heated flesh of her ear, her throat and then her breasts. As she arched her back to meet his tender salutations, he guided his fingers – the same ones she'd taught him to use for the Vulcan kiss – to explore her intimately.

When she moaned deeply, he said, "You enjoy that." It was a statement, not an inquiry.

"Yes."

He pressed his lips softly against her body as he crept downward, pausing at her ribcage, then her flat tummy, then the bones of her hips before finally coming to rest beside her right thigh.

Then she lifted her head, fixed her eyes upon his, and gave him a puzzled glance. "What are you doing?"

The only answer he gave was his eyes twinkling wickedly in the moment before he kissed her like she'd never been kissed before.

Suddenly, she slammed her eyes closed, while impassioned entreaties to ancient, nearly-forgotten gods of her ancestors tumbled from her feverish lips.

Moments later, as the fingers of both of her hands clawed the sheets of his bed, she begged him, "Aisha, please stop!"

Continuing to trace her softness with his fingers, he halted his ministrations to ask a simple question.

"Why?"

"Because...I am aflame!" she howled.

Suddenly, like some great jungle cat, she pounced on him, ardent, perhaps even zealous with her longing to make him scream out her name in ecstasy. She bathed him with her tongue, sweeping it over the sensitive parts of his body for several wild and glorious minutes before she allowed her hips to slip down over his. Soon, they began to move together in a rhythm as old as time. "Aisha, do not stop!" she commanded, her eyes feral in her craving for him as her fingertips caressed and fondled his body.

Then he gazed up at her with eyes as dark as a Terran night. "As you wish…my beloved wife."

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She took possession of my very soul that night. Although I will always treasure our first time as wondrous, I should have realized something was unearthly about the passion we shared so soon in our relationship.

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