Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to mintandtea, Ahlysha, tahmtahm, 2redbird, T'Sara, dinopoodle, and Caren Rose for reviewing! You're all awesome!
Genie, The conference was unfortunate. I would desire to tell you more of what happened before and after, but I cannot. Some factions in your goverment are proving to be distrustful of our advisement to maintain a tighter reign on their program. I have assured them, it is not for any nefarious reason we are trying to take humans to the universe in a slow way. Vulcan sees the potential, both positive and terrible, that humans have, we also know that the dangers you would face are above what you are ready to deal with. There are beings and governments that are not so gregarious, that if the wrong step is made, they would kill your planet. Caution is required, and the fact that Earth does not seem to embrace caution is bothersome. Life is rare, and should be treated carefully. The pale haired woman you speak of is misinformed. She is mongering for chaos that does not exist. I did not wish to smack her as you suggest, but educate her as I attempted to do. It was a tiresome affair and I found myself in need of a deep meditation after it's conclusion. Matters at hand are complex and I see no end in sight. Especially, if you humans do go outside your own solar system, my meditations may not be enough. Live long and prosper, Soval
He felt Sorak's eyes on him as he passed his aide's desk on the way out of the Consulate, but he ignored him. A part of him was quite pleased that Genie was indignant on his behalf. Perhaps it was a larger part of him than he wanted to admit. Still, knowing there was at least one human out there besides Admiral Forrest who was seemingly on his side was comforting.
…
Dear Ambassador Soval, Well, I find myself not know what to say in response to that! Either you're worried sick over us or we stress you out...though, I think I'd be in need of something deeply relaxing after dealing with those hooligans. Your composure in the face of human stupidity is truly inspiring, ambassador. Tell me more about meditation. I've read a little about human techniques, but what do your people do to make yourself calm and centered? How often do you meditate? And why? Is this spiritual, or...you said your emotions tended to extremes. Is this to calm yourself? Is this how you maintain your discipline and composure? Did I just answer my own question? Well, members of the media may be pig-headed when it comes to you and your government, but I count myself quite lucky to be educated by you. Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I hold tightly to the hope that one day, everything will work out and we can trust each other as two species, as closer allies. Your secret admirer, Genie
Very astute, he thought to himself as he read her letter. Indeed, Genie, that is exactly why we meditate. However, although her answer was perfectly correct, he wasn't the best at explaining the process of meditation. He commed Sorak and asked for a translated text about the practice written by some of the earliest society builders, then turned his attention to a reply.
Genie, First, I would say to you, that if we are corresponding as we have been now, not as better and lesser, then my name is Soval. I would give you my last name but it is unpronounceable in your language. Please address me as such, if you have not now noticed that is how I sign my letters. As for meditation, the best way to describe it to you is to offer you the texts written by some of the early masters and Reldai. It aids in our focus, our mental discipline, and is in a sense spiritua. It allows the Vulcan to become more at one with our katra, to cage the beast of our emotions. As your read this, you might consider telling me somethings about your life. What does this mystery Genie do with her time when she is not writing an old Vulcan ambassador? Peace and long life, Soval
…
Genie read over the letter, and her heart began to pound. My name is Soval. No ambassador, no sir, just Soval. He was addressing her as a person, not as a dignitary. It felt...thrillingly intimate, but at the thought, she shoved away her previous fantasies and began a response.
Dear Soval, Wow, this feels both strange and wonderful to call you by a personal name. It does feel rather nice to drop formalities. Well then, Soval, I will tell you what Mystery Genie does in her spare time. Other than inhaling the information one Vulcan ambassador sends me on a regular basis, I like to play bass guitar. I would form a band, but all the neighborhood boys who also play instruments are jerks, and I avoid their insipid company when I can. I love to read, so extra reading material is always welcome. I like cooking with my mother (cleaning up the mess is another matter entirely; usually that falls to dad or my brothers when they're home), and being outdoors. Is there a place on Earth you'd really love to visit? I personally would love to visit Jamaica, Hawaii or Fiji or some other place that's warm and sunny. I love being in the water, though San Fran Bay isn't exactly ideal, considering the weather and all. The Baja Strip is probably something that's more to your taste. I asked my source about the climate on Vulcan, and he says it's mostly desert. Is it true you have volcanoes? We have them too, mostly in the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii is home to several dormant volcanoes, and also tropical birds, pristine beaches, tropical jungle and a vibrant culture. Needless to say, I've suggested Hawaii for our family vacation, but so far, no luck. Your secret admirer, Genie
She tried not to think about what it would be like to see Soval in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, but she couldn't help it. Besides, the thought of it was cute! He would look rather smashing in something more colorful than his usual grays and browns. The most colorful thing she had seen him wear was a light green and gold number that looked kind of like it had come out of Japan, and even that was subdued. Intricate and detailed in its own right, but still subdued. Seeing him in something red and colorful almost seemed sacrilegious, but then, didn't he want to be addressed as Soval, not ambassador? Didn't he want to just be a person?
She shook her head of the thought and walked to the post.
…
Genie, It sounds if you are a well rounding young woman. It is important to know a little about many things. I would appreciate hearing your music playing in the spirit of reciprocity I am sending a recording of my own lyra playing. It is top secret and not to be shared with any other, for your ears only. Music is a personal experience for a Vulcan, and not always shared publicly. Mine is that for me. Large bodies of water are not agreeable to Vulcans. We have some springs and one small ocean, about the size of your Great Lakes. I have been to Egypt and I found the climate to be agreeable. It is similar to Vulcan. Large bodies of water tend to make us, as your culture describes it, sea sick. Some people on my planet have never even seen more than a bucket full of water at a time, so as you might imagine visiting your tropical locations has not been on our list of priorities.
I wish you well on your quest to guide your families vacation. It is an agreeable thing that you humans participate in family outings, it is not something generally done on Vulcan. Due to our mental disciplines we do not require the expanses of time from work that your people do. That is also something we take into consideration when thinking of your people in deep space exploration. There are very few Jamaicas in space. Though, there is a planet that is entirely covered in the tropical climate you describe. It is called Risa, and I served there for a time. The inhabitants are
He paused and thought of how to put this delicately.
overly friendly. I would not recommend it to you personally. Peace and long life, Soval
Memories of his time on Risa rose up before his eyes, and he contemplated them for a moment before letting them go. If he contemplated it too much, it would be unpleasant; the people of Risa were a thriving community, and he respected their culture, but he would keep his distance from thoughts of the planet.
Later that night, he meditated on the day, knowing full well that his thoughts were becoming increasingly occupied with the mystery that was Genie. He tried to puzzle the mystery out, but often came to strange conclusions. Who did this young woman know that spoke so well of him? Who thought so well of him that they would go so far as to label his dry wit as "charming"?
He turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand, but he found little inner peace. He sighed and went to bed, determined to meditate again in the morning before going to work.
…
Dear Soval, It's a shame you get sea-sick. I've always found the sight and sound of water to be relaxing. In addition to playing bass guitar, I also play acoustic guitar, which is the instrument I used in the recording. I hope you enjoy it. It's a Spanish piece, a type of music called "merengue". I couldn't tell you how to dance to it. Dancing with me is like dancing with a drunk woman. I'm not particularly graceful when it comes to the rigid rules of ballroom dancing. Do Vulcans dance? Are the people of Risa nosy or something? What makes them so disagreeable? There's nothing wrong with being friendly. I suppose too much curiosity might fray your nerves, but if so, then your nerves must be burnt out from dealing with us humans. We love to explore and learn and ask questions. I'm sure it might just get annoying. Again, I hope you like this piece of music. Relax, have a cup of coffee and enjoy! Your secret admirer, Genie
She sighed and set aside the letter, then locked her door and turned on her recording equipment. She tuned her guitar, then strummed a few chords. And then she began to play.
She had practiced this piece incessantly since Soval had requested a sample of her playing, and she knew the piece by heart. She imagined for a moment that he was in the room with her, sitting at her desk while she played on the bed...or better yet, pressing his chest into her back and stroking his hands over her body as she-
She cut off her thoughts and nearly lost her place, but recovered quickly and kept on playing. Her thighs were throbbing now, but she closed her eyes and poured her soul into the music.
The song was over, and she turned off the mic, then transferred the file to a spare data rod. She slipped it into the envelope with a sigh and walked to the post.
…
"Sorak!"
He looked up from his desk and saw Admiral Forrest standing in front of him, and he bowed his head in greeting.
"Could you remind Soval that my wife's party is tomorrow? Does his schedule allow it?"
"He had no other engagements, so yes, he will be attending."
Forrest smiled. "Great! I'm happy to hear that."
The human stepped forward even closer and leaned in. "Any luck in finding out who she is?"
"That is really none of our business. I have her address, but I shouldn't reveal that information to you."
He looked a little crestfallen, but he rallied with a chuckle. "Yeah, gotta give the ambassador his privacy. See you later, Sorak."
"I hope your day is pleasant, admiral."
Sorak watched the human retreat, then, hardly believing his audacity, glanced at the letter for Soval, reading the address.
11 Songbird Road.
He raised an eyebrow and glanced up at where Forrest had been moments before, then turned to his console and put in a quick search on his family. He had a wife, Abigail, and three children. His youngest was a girl, named Genevieve.
"My daughter has some mysterious pen pal. I woke her up late one Saturday morning, and she said she had been up all night reading philosophy."
The addresses were the same, and the admiral had confirmed that his daughter was the one writing the messages. He found her profile page and leaned back in his chair.
She had deep blue eyes and light brown hair, and a winsome smile. She was a rather comely creature, and to think Soval was communicating with her...judging by his attitude, this correspondence was rather positive. She was bright, he was sure, to hold Soval's attention like that.
Sorak turned off his monitor and went back to his work, determined to say no word of this to Soval. His superior would have to discover this on his own.