9
The Vulcanorion Connection
Chapter Four: Kelsad
Soval disembarked from the passenger ship that had taken Sorral, Fer'at, and himself to the MarTerra Space Station in orbit around Mars. There, they were to meet Ambassador Sirtek, the Diplomatic Envoy to Mars. Soval was not looking forward to the meeting, as Sirtek would undoubtedly be dismissive of his son. He knew, however, that he needed to let Sorral make his own mistakes and learn from bitter experience.
He had, en route to Mars, come to the conclusion that Fer'at was correct on this occasion, as was his own wife T'Nak, for she had been saying much the same thing for years: to hold his son back from life's learning situations would teach him nothing, at this point in his life.
He had since been meditating on what Fer'at had told him about his tendency to over-protect those he cared for deeply. T'Nak had said to him something quite similar; and so, he had renewed his determination not to allow such emotions to affect his rational decision-making processes. It had been particularly disturbing that Fer'at had believed that his irrational need to over-protect also extended to his work with the Humans. He had been determined to delay Starfleet's first official deep-space mission, that which had been led by the brash and arrogant Captain of the Starship Enterprise, Jonathan Archer.
Archer had held a personal grudge against him because Soval had been instrumental in holding back the development of the warp drive engine on Earth. Unfortunately, this had resulted in the sad fact that Archer's father, Henry, did not live to see his life's work completed by the time that he died. Archer was resentful of Vulcans in general and Soval in particular because of this. He was very attached to his father's dream of sending out the Earth's first warp-five capable starship into deep space, and he was prepared to rush headlong into the galaxy without considering the possible consequences.
Soval had argued bitterly with Archer, and even with Admiral Forrest; however, the Admiral had adamantly supported Archer over and above Soval's objections, and so in the end the Vulcan diplomat had been given little choice in the matter.
It was now a moot point, however, since Archer had left aboard the new Starship with his crew over a year ago. Soval had arranged for one of his best people, Sub-Commander T'Pol, to accompany them as a science officer; but to his dismay, she had become increasingly supportive of their efforts as she spent more and more time with them on their mission. He supposed that he could not blame her for that, however, as he had been doing much the same thing as he spent more time with Admiral Forrest and his rather eccentric family.
At the present time, it was important to put aside all past disagreements in order to work closely with Starfleet to minimize the threat posed by the Orion Syndicate and its criminal minions. Now that Earth was beginning to become a "player" in interplanetary politics, it was also more likely to draw attention to itself in ways that might not be beneficial for its rather naive populations.
"Dad," Sorral said, interrupting his thought processes, "Don't look now, but I think Ambassador Sirtek is approaching."
Sirtek strode up to the trio and stopped in front of them.
"This is your son, Soval?" he asked curtly, eyeing Sorral as if he were merchandise in a store.
"This is Sorral, Ambassador Sirtek," Soval confirmed to the younger diplomat. He did not particularly appreciate Sirtek's failure to address him by his own title of "Ambassador", but he tried to keep himself above that kind of childish behavior.
"You will be put to work in the office immediately," he said to Sorral, "and I expect you to put in a full day's effort."
"Yes, Ambassador Sirtek," Sorral replied obediently.
"And, you will dress appropriately for this most auspicious opportunity which we at the Mars Embassy have graciously afforded you...what is that beneath your tunic?"
"I...it's just a shirt, Ambassador..."
Soval noticed that his son had loosened his tunic at the top, partially displaying an Earth-style shirt with a design on it. He silently rebuked himself for not having seen it before so that he could correct his son. It was too late for that now.
"Unfasten your tunic," Sirtek demanded.
Sorral glanced at his father with a puzzled look on his face, and did as he was told.
"Is this necessary, Sirtek?" asked Dr. Fer'at, his irritation at Sirtek detectable. Soval gestured to him not to interfere with Sirtek's chastisement of the boy. This was to be another of Sorral's learning experiences.
Sorral unfastened his tunic to display a black T-shirt with a colorful picture of the Earth on it, musical notes emanating from it. Under the design a caption read, "Earth Rocks!"
"Explain," Sirtek ordered the young man.
"It's called a 'T-shirt' on Earth, Ambassador," Sorral explained, "It refers to the ancient 'Rock Music', which is a popular musical form enjoyed by many...even some Vulcans. I could play you and the other members of the Embassy some songs, if you like."
"Certainly not!" Sirtek scoffed, "That is a piece of commercial propaganda for an idle form of entertainment. It serves no useful purpose, and it is inappropriate for a young Vulcan male who wishes to serve his world in a diplomatic capacity. Remove it, please...right now."
Sorral stared at his father in disbelief, but Soval said nothing. The boy took off his tunic and pulled the T-shirt off, glancing around him, embarrassed, as two Human girls walked by and ogled him in a most unrestrained manner.
He quickly put on the tunic, being careful this time to fasten it all the way to his neck, and he gave over the shirt to Fer'at. Another young Vulcan presently joined Sirtek, to stand dutifully by his side. He was dressed in the uniform of a Vulcan Security officer, and, judging by his resemblance to Sirtek, Soval surmised that he must be the man's son.
"This is Mr. Talcon," Sirtek introduced the officer, "and he will be supervising you for the duration of your placement, Sorral. You are not to go anywhere without first reporting to him."
Sorral looked as though he were about to make a heated reply, but Soval jostled him slightly with his arm. Thankfully, Sorral thought better of it and closed his mouth.
"Yes, Sir," Sorral mumbled.
"You will enunciate clearly when speaking, Sorral," Talcon chided him in a patronizing fashion, "You are working for the Vulcan-Mars Consulate, not as a nursery school teacher. Much will be required from the son of an Earth Ambassador."
Sorral glowered at the young man as if he wanted to make a rebellious retort of some kind; and so, Soval decided to intervene in one last attempt to salvage Sorral's sinking status with the Vulcan-Mars Consulate.
"I apologize, Ambassador, and Mr. Talcon," he said to them in a reconciliatory manner, "Sorral has many talents, but adherence to decorum is not one of them. Sorral, you will listen to Mr. Talcon and submit to his authority. You wished to go to Mars, and now you are here. You are expected to perform to standard, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Honored Father," Sorral conceded, crest-fallen, "But...will Mark and I get to work together?"
"It is unlikely," Soval told him, "unless you are prepared to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner at all times."
"Talcon," Sirtek told his son brusquely, "You will bring Sorral to the Consular Office and give him a simple task to do. If he performs it in a satisfactory manner, then you can give him something slightly more challenging to do. He will be your responsibility the entire time that he is here. Please ensure that he does not interfere with the work of either myself or my staff."
Talcon bowed his head to his father and gestured to Sorral to follow him. Sorral looked at his own father and Dr. Fer'at as though he did not want to leave them, but Soval gestured to him to follow Talcon. From what Sirtek had said so far, it was obvious that he had very low expectations of Sorral. It would now be up to Sorral to prove them wrong...if he was capable of it.
"I understand that you and Dr. Fer'at have a Vulcanorion family member to meet," Sirtek said to them after the two young men had left, "I will leave you to do that. Talcon will return here in another hour to take both of you, and possibly your children, on a tour of the Mars facility where many of the Vulcanorions and Shir'Kayas have been working. You are to be shown their work conditions so that you will have a sense of what is available to them here. For our part, we here at the Vulcan-Mars Consulate would like to encourage Vulcanorion and Shir'Kayan immigration to Mars—it will limit the number of them on Vulcan."
"And you think that this is a solution to the problems they face on Vulcan?" Fer'at asked Sirtek, his voice barely managing to suppress its angry tone.
"I think it is a solution in that their problems will be experienced here on Mars rather than on Vulcan. I will see both of you at the briefing with Admiral Washington and the other Starfleet Officers. At the moment, I have important matters which require my attention."
"That is no solution," Fer'at stated, as Sirtek took his leave, "pushing our social issues onto another, less experienced culture? We will doubtless be shamed by Sirtek at the briefing, Soval, my friend...he considers us both to be a couple of simple-minded Shir'Kayas, and that is why he treats us with such disrespect."
"We must not allow his arrogance to affect us, Fer'at," Soval told his friend, "whether or not Sirtek deems us to be worthy of respect is irrelevant to our purpose here."
"Yes, I am aware of that," Fer'at concurred, "but it will be most unfortunate for Sorral to endure such treatment from the son of that most ungracious sehlat."
"That is enough, Fer'at," he scolded the doctor firmly, "let us not stoop to the level of name-calling...are we not above that, at our age?"
Fer'at only raised an eyebrow in reply, scanning the people who were beginning to stream out of the gate. The next passenger ship to dock was from Vulcan, and it was here in the arrivals area that his daughter, Jovan, would be disembarking.
At that moment, a light green-skinned Vulcanorion woman strode down the corridor through the Arrivals Gate. She was accompanied by a green Andorian with black hair and sharply pointed ears. Soval just barely managed to suppress the shock he felt upon seeing what he surmised to be an Andorian-Vulcan-Orion "Tribrid".
"Father," Jovan greeted Fer'at, "It is agreeable to see you."
"My cherished daughter," Fer'at returned her greeting fondly, "I trust the Andorian has not been mistreating you."
Fer'at's tone grew a little more onerous as he mentioned "the Andorian".
"Ambassador Soval," Jovan acknowledged the diplomat, "Friend of my Father. I greet you with honor."
"The honor is mine, Jovan," Soval replied, "but I have not yet met your companion."
"This is Kelsad," Jovan introduced the male, "and he is a Vulcandorion—he carries within him Vulcan, Andorian, and Orion genes..."
"...and Human," Kelsad told them in a matter-of-a-fact manner, "My grandmother was Vulcan-Human-Orion."
Soval experienced a sense of disturbance within his emotional centre once more. He chastened himself to keep a stricter reign on his feelings. He could tell by looking at Fer'at that he was having intense difficulty suppressing his emotions over this issue; he was obviously fighting a losing battle with regard to his daughter's relationship with "The Andorian", as he referred to Kelsad. Fer'at was exceedingly open-minded for a Vulcan, but even he could not withstand the idea of an Andorian in his family. Soval knew that he would no doubt feel exactly the same way if he was in Fer'at's position.
"You both appear as though you are ready to turn green yourselves," Jovan chided her elders, "Perhaps we should go to the living quarters which Mother has secured for us?"
Fer'at gestured down the corridor and they followed him to a lift which brought them to another level. As they entered it, Soval could not help but notice Kelsad glaring at his companion's father. Fer'at was studiously ignoring him, and so Soval decided to engage the multiple species "Quadru-brid" in conversation to break the tension.
"On what world did you grow up, Mr. Kelsad?" he inquired.
Kelsad regarded Soval with an air of contempt, as if he had been asked this question one too many times.
"I grew up on Andoria, with my mother," he responded, "But I was sent to live with my father on Vulcan in the hopes that I would avoid the Orion drug-runners who were looking for converts amongst the more disenfranchised members of the Andorian youth population. However, as I'm sure you're aware, Ambassador, Vulcan is not immune from such social ills itself—a fact which you doubtless prefer not to admit."
"To deny the facts would be illogical, Kelsad," Soval retorted, "I grew up in Shir'Kaya, and I am well aware of the issues there."
"Logic—yes, that elusive little creature which I worked so hard to capture. I failed, of course, because of my despised status as a "half-Andorian" abomination. As a boy, I wanted only to please my father, a Vulcanorion who hated himself so much that he pretended to himself that he was really a full Vulcan. He studied the writings of Surak, he learned to contain his emotions, and he tried over and over to qualify for entry into the hallowed institutions of learning on Vulcan. He tried...and he failed. Finally, in desperation, he joined an order of Surakian monks, who were willing to take him in and teach him what the Vulcan institutions would not. He remains there to this day as their faithful servant, but I could not abide by such a foolish existence."
"Your father was correct in his choice, Kelsad," Soval said to the young man, "He chose the wiser path. I myself was saved from a life of drug addiction and misery by the Surakian monks of Sh'Vaht. I served among them with pride for most of my adolescence. I, too, had many difficulties qualifying for entry to the Universities because of my past, but I persisted and finally succeeded."
"You are a full Vulcan, Ambassador," Kelsad replied quietly.
"I have already had that conversation with him, Soval," Fer'at told him as he led the way out of the lift and into the complex which contained numerous living accommodations, "Kelsad insists upon seeing himself as a victim of our society."
He stopped at a door, pressing a button.
"Enter," the voice of Fer'at's wife answered.
They were welcomed into the apartment by Dr. T'Lan, who was a psychiatrist like her husband.
"Welcome to you all," T'Lan greeted them, "Jovan and Kelsad, I have procured this living space for you while you are here exploring career opportunities. I hope they meet with your approval."
"Of course they do, Mother T'Lan," Jovan responded to her step-mother, "Our gratitude to you."
"We are certainly well-ensconced within the Vulcan section of the station," Kelsad commented drily, "I suppose, T'Lan, that this is to keep us safe and secure from all those criminal Orion people?"
"I apologize if the accommodations are unacceptable to you, Kelsad," T'Lan responded evenly. Her voice held not one trace of irritation or resentment, Soval noted in admiration. Fer'at was indeed a fortunate male. His daughter Jovan, however, seemed to be far less fortunate with regard to her own mate. Soval sensed from him a deep-seated anger towards Vulcan society...perhaps even rage.
"Kelsad," Jovan spoke sharply to her mate, "I must insist that you treat my parents with respect, if you wish to be a member of our family."
"I respect your step-mother," Kelsad responded, eyeing Fer'at with mistrust.
"Both, Kelsad! My father as well. And you, my Father Fer'at. You will stop making such prejudicial comments about Kelsad's Andorian heritage. When you shame him, you shame me as well...not to mention our child, whom I carry within my womb."
"Child?" Fer'at echoed his daughter, his dismay now fully evident, "You have procreated with...The Andorian?"
"Fer'at," T'Lan corrected her husband, "You will refer to Kelsad by his name, please. You are not facilitating this conversation properly due to your rudeness. Soval, my apologies to you for this unfortunate scene that you have been made to witness."
Fer'at's face was beginning to take on a greenish tinge.
"I will bring Fer'at with me, T'Lan," Soval told her, "Perhaps this is a situation best handled by you. Fer'at...we must go now, if we are to meet Talcon for the tour of the Mars facilities."
"Please bring Sethir with you," T'Lan ordered Fer'at, gesturing to a young Vulcan boy of about fourteen years, "He has become bored within the confines of the apartment."
"I don't blame him," muttered Kelsad.
"Will your child be Andorian, Jovan?" Sethir asked his older sister.
"Partly," Jovan answered the boy, her exasperation beginning to grow, "Sethir. Please go with our Father and Ambassador Soval. I wish to discuss some issues with my step-mother T'Lan."
Fer'at gestured towards his son, and the three of them walked out of the apartment, leaving T'Lan alone with the beleaguered couple.