I don't own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings. It's a sad fact, but I try not to let it keep me from living my life to the fullest.
Live Your Life To The Fullest
T'Mardis set her vessel down in the field behind the clinic. Healer Sertok and his small staff were waiting. They brought a little girl named Shanera out on a stretcher. She had fallen from the roof of the orphanage, after climbing up there to escape the tauntings of some playmates. Her fractured pelvis would require surgery.
Shanera's parents had died in the Genocide. She and her classmates had been rescued by the crew of a cargo vessel, one of the last to leave Vulcan before the destruction. The Ministry of Genealogical Records had finally located a living family member. T'Vrana, a restaurant owner who lived in San Francisco, was a cousin of Shanera's late mother. T'Vrana had made arrangements to come and fetch the child, but the plans changed when Shanera became injured. Healer Sertok's granddaughter, T'Vessya would accompany the little one. She was a Political Science student at Berkeley and had come to New Vulcan only for a brief visit.
Sertok gave T'Vessya final instructions for Shanera's care as the child was carefully brought aboard the El'es and made comfortable in guest quarters.
Since they had just stocked up on food and other supplies, there was no need to visit Starbase 7 before heading to Terra. T'Mardis set a direct course and traveled at the fastest speed prudent. The child was receiving pain medication, but there was no reason to prolong her suffering.
T'Ameela's mother had been a consoler and a midwife, so the young woman knew something of pain control. She shared a few simple techniques with Shanera and also played a few quiet games with her. The journey to Terra would take about three days.
The San Francisco Shuttle Port was expecting them and had an ambulance at the ready. T'Vrana and her Human husband Hugo were also there to accompany Shanera. Hugo was a psychiatric nurse at San Francisco General Hospital, where Shanera was to be operated on by a Vulcan orthopedic surgeon.
T'Vrana was grateful for the care that had been shown Shanera. As the child was being transferred to the ambulance, she invited T'Vessya, T'Mardis, and the crew of the El'es to dine at her restaurant at their convenience. They had four days to spend on Terra until the return trip to New Vulcan. The important diplomats they would be transporting were currently attending a trade conference in Paris.
T'Mardis arranged for a modest suite in a hotel not far from Union Square. It was close to ground transportation. T'Ameela and Tiden were interested in visiting several of San Francisco's famous tourist attractions. T'Mardis researched the various air shuttle lines and found a round trip excursion to Minsk that left in the morning and returned the following evening. She bought a ticket and packed her warmest clothes.
Minsk was a old European city, full of beautiful Eastern Orthodox churches, memorials, and houses that seemed to belong to another time. The domes and towers reminded T'Mardis of illustrations from fairy tales. She enjoyed the ground shuttle tour immensely, but was relieved when it ended. There was only one place in Minsk she really desired to see, the house where Yuri had lived as a child. T'Mardis remembered the street address, as Yuri had always sent gifts to his mother until her death. She hailed a ground taxi, which brought her to one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, close to the Svisloch River and the Tatar Gardens.
Her cab stopped in front of 218 Dmitrova Street. Yuri's house was just to the outside of the area which had been the Jewish Ghetto, fenced in during the German occupation of the city in 1941. Thousands of Jews had been relocated there from other areas of Europe, then forcibly removed to death camps. Others had managed to escape to the nearby forests, where they joined the Resistance. Memorials were everywhere in the neighborhood, a testimony to the memory of a genocide and the power of hatred.
These had once only been historical facts to her, but now T'Mardis understood the pain and the loss all too well. Just as one evil Human had brought death and pain to millions, a crazed Romulan had destroyed an entire planet.
T'Mardis asked the driver to wait. Her intention was merely to walk around the outside of the dwelling. However, an elderly woman rounded the corner with packages. T'Mardis recognized her from Yuri's family album. She was his aunt.
Alina Ivanova recognized T'Mardis as well. She stopped in front of the door and faced her.
"You are Yuri's woman. You should come in out of the cold and I'll make us some tea."
T'Mardis paid the driver and sent him on his way. Then she stepped inside the old stone house and into Yuri's past.
Alina's parlor was comfortable, if somewhat shabby. The walls were adorned with religious icons and tole paintings. T'Mardis sat in a rocker with needlepointed cushions.
Alina did not want the details of Yuri's death. The police on Melenia V had given her a very thorough report. T'Mardis had contacted her before she left for New Vulcan, but there had not really been time to chat.
"I wish only to know if Yuri was happy and if you loved him."
T'Mardis knew the acceptable "Vulcan" answer would have been to say something about mutual contentment and esteem. However, Yuri's aunt deserved the truth.
"I believe Yuri was as happy as he could be. My culture does not speak much of love, but since his death, half of my soul has been missing."
"Then you loved him very much."
Alina rose from her chair and pulled a small box out of a drawer in a side table.
"There are no more Ivanovs to follow me. I am the last. Yuri told me how much you enjoyed earrings.
These amber drops are over three hundred years old. I was going to send them to you but I did not have an address. Wear them occasionally and think kindly on Yuri and me. However, do not dwell too much upon the past. Yuri is gone, but you are still young and very much alive. Live your life to the fullest, T'Mardis, and don't be afraid to love again."
Upon her return to San Francisco, T'Mardis discovered that Tiden had contracted pneumonia. Apparently he saved every penny he could, refusing to spend any money on his own comforts. He had not even bought himself a warm coat to keep away the chilly winds that came off San Francisco Bay. While the foolish youngster spent the night in the hospital, T'Mardis and T'Ameela did a bit of shopping.
They found a clothing store off of Union Square that would design and embroider logos while one waited. T'Mardis ordered heavy, lined jackets for all three of them. The backs read "Ivanov Imports" and had a little bird flying below the inscription. Their names were embroidered on the front.
They also purchased thermal underwear and warm boots, again for all three crew members. If warm clothes were a required uniform, Tiden would have no choice but to wear them.
When he was released from the hospital, T'Mardis made it clear to a very sheepish Tiden that caring for himself was part of his duties.
"I have provided you with warm and professional clothing. I expect you to wear it and maintain it properly. You are an important member of the team, one I rely upon heavily. If you are dead or too sick to work, you will be of no assistance to me or your family."
Shanera's surgery had gone well. The child had been released from the hospital into her adoptive parents' care. Hugo took some family leave so that he might stay at home and assist in his daughter's recovery.
T'Mardis and her crew decided to spend their last evening in San Francisco at T'Vrana's restaurant. The décor reminded T'Mardis of her father's inn in Shi'Kahr.
T'Vrana showed them to her best table and served them a variety of dishes that could only be described as a gourmet feast. There were Vulcan vegetables such as mashya and bertakk that T'Mardis had not tasted in years. They were being grown in New Mexico and Arizona and exported to New Vulcan.
After dinner, T'Vrana escorted her guests to a back room where a jazz combo would be playing. Numerous patrons were already there, mostly Vulcans and Humans.
"What a novel idea, T'Vrana. I was an innkeeper for many years, like my father before me. It never occurred to me to offer my customers live music."
T'Vrana nearly laughed at T'Mardis' comment.
"That is probably because you ran a reputable house. Mine was not considered to be such until after the Genocide. Most of the "respectable" Vulcan business owners have relocated to the colony. Formerly, many of my clients were expatriates and those who were considered undesirables. For example, see the female at the end of the bar? That is T'Lunit, who has been declared V'tosh ka'tur, without logic. She mates with young males, purely for sensual pleasure. If your Tiden is not careful, she make lure him into her trap."
"T'Ameela and I will keep an eye on Tiden."
"As will I. As I was saying, my establishment has suddenly become respectable. Many Vulcans who are without mates now come here either in hopes of finding a potential spouse by chance, or to meet someone suggested by a friend or relative. Elder Selek at the corner table is a prime example."
T'Vrana indicated a distinguished looking gentleman dressed in an immaculate black suit. He was talking with a Vulcan female, whose attire also indicated that she was of the nobility.
"That is the third female he has met here this month. Either he is too picky or they are."
T'Mardis took a good look at Elder Selek. She guessed his age at somewhere between 150 and 175, not too old to father children. He was still quite attractive. In his youth he might have been handsome. Surely he would not remain unattached for long.
The meeting had been arranged by Elder Tauril, who thought Selek would have much in common with Sevaal. She had been a music teacher at a private girls' school in Switzerland, so she had lived many years among Humans and was accustomed to their ways. Selek hoped that it also meant that she would not be repulsed by his humanity.
However, Sevaal was also the younger sister of Elder Tovorek, who had blamed Selek for not stopping the Genocide. Though she knew of his true identity, Sevaal had agreed to meet with Selek because an alliance with the S'chn T'gai clan would strengthen her brother's future political ambitions. It also did not hurt that Selek was gainfully employed, serving as New Vulcan's Minister of Trade.
Sevaal was beautiful, even at 120 years of age. However, she was also arrogant and condescending, and too schooled in logic and Vulcan ways to even attempt to be tactful.
After they had engaged in small talk over dinner, they moved to T'Vrana's back room. Sevaal wasted no time on niceties.
"We are both past the age where we can afford to be selective. I am willing to overlook your Human blood and the failed attempt to rescue Romulus. I am more interested in your clan affiliation and political position. I believe that I could be content with such."
"Perhaps so, my lady, but I could not be. I have no intention of bonding with a female who has no respect for me and whom I can not respect in return."
"Very well then, Selek. Let us waste no more of each other's time. I bid you good evening. Live long and prosper."
"Peace and long life, Sevaal. May you find what you seek."
Selek had first respected his wife Saavik and then grown to love her. He would not be willing to settle for less in this new reality. He was ready to move on with his life, to live it to the fullest, and he would not be afraid to love again. If the hour had not been so late, he might have introduced himself to the very attractive female sitting with T'Vrana. She was dark skinned, dressed in trousers and wearing amber earrings. Selek found her uncommonly beautiful.
T'Vrana and T'Mardis watched as Sevaal left Elder Selek alone at his table. Apparently the meeting had not gone well. T'Mardis was still grieving Yuri, not yet ready to find another mate. When the time came, she hoped to be more fortunate than Elder Selek.
Tiden loaded the last of the produce into the El'es' newly acquired stasis units. The cargo hold was full, thanks to a large donation of new children's clothing from the Hadassah group of Temple Beth Israel. It would be taken to the orphanage in New Shannai'Kahr, along with a major shoe manufacturer's gift of discontinued sneakers.
T'Ameela checked the cargo against the manifest, verifying with Tiden that all was in order. T'Mardis was not back from her last minute errand yet. Suddenly a hovercycle landed on the apron next to the ship. When the rider remover her helmet, she was revealed to be T'Mardis. T'Ameela regarded her friend with amusement.
"It is a logical purchase, T'Ameela. We will find it useful for small deliveries between settlements."
"That fact is not in dispute, T'Mardis. I am simply wondering where you plan to stow it for our journey. The cargo hold is full, and the guest quarters are all taken."
T'Mardis looked puzzled. She had merely been acting on Alina's advice. It was time to live her life to the fullest, which meant tasking time to do what she enjoyed. Riding a hovercycle was one of her greatest pleasures.
"I had not considered this. I suppose that I shall have to put it in our quarters. It will be a tight fit, but we can manage for a few days."
This time the amused expression came from Tiden as he pushed the hovercycle up the ramp and through the ship. Thankfully the passengers had not been around to see this.
The Embassy had sworn T'Mardis and her crew to secrecy. They were never to mention that they had transported Ambassador Sarek and his aide Sipel to Starbase 7 to rendezvous with another vessel. The Ambassador stayed in his quarters the entire journey. Sipel even fetched Sarek's meals.
At first T'Mardis did not realize that this was the same Sarek she had been infatuated with so many years ago. He had aged beyond his years, probably the result of grief and heavy responsibilities. Sarek was still handsome, but it seemed he had lost his zest for life. Only duty remained in its place.
An armed security detail met them at the Starbase 7 Shuttle Port. The Ambassador and his aide wore hooded cloaks which concealed their identities. T'Mardis and her crew waited several minutes before disembarking themselves, notifying the Immigration Ministry of their arrival.
Tiden and T'Ameela made their way to Nebula Galactic to replenish their supplies. They would also be picking up some desperately needed drugs for the New Shi'Kahr clinic.
When she reached the Immigration Ministry Office to collect the passenger manifest, Tolvin had an emergency transport request for them.
"There is a female who must travel to meet her bondmate, who has suddenly become "indisposed ." She has two young children. You must find a way to accommodate them."
"Indisposed" was a euphemism for Pon Farr. If the male did not mate soon, he would likely die. They only available space on the El'es was the crew quarters, where Tiden slept. Sometimes when the ship was very laden with cargo, nonperishable items were also stored there. It would be a very uncomfortable journey, but the unfortunate male's life must be preserved.
"We shall adjust our cabin arrangements so that the female and her children can be transported to the colony. All will be well, Tolvin."
Tolvin notified all the passengers that the El'es would be departing as soon as possible. Two hours later, they left for New Vulcan. Poor Tiden slept on the floor in T'Mardis and T'Ameela's quarters. Since at least one of them was always on duty, they had offered him the use of a bed. However, he had declined. Such a thing would be unseemly, as he was merely a deck hand.
It was really quite amusing, thought T'Mardis to herself as she stepped over the sleeping Tiden and around the hovercycle in order to get into her bed. Perhaps she should consider purchasing a larger ship.
