From qenie; In this, and probably later chapters, I have borrowed elements of Vulcan tradition and history from one of my favorite Star Trek writers, Diane Duane, author of Spock's World, and several other excellent Star Trek novels. Her stories have given me many hours of pleasurable reading.
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At his parents' house, Spock fell asleep quickly and the dream came again.
He was searching the empty corridors again, reaching for what was missing…
Endless deserted hallways, rooms connecting to more rooms. Not here… Not here…
At last his sleep deepened to dreamlessness.
When he woke, he knew at once that the day was well begun; it was midmorning. He lay still for a while, assessing. His exhaustion had ebbed; his mind felt clearer, his body more energetic. Kerin came into his thoughts—the connection that had formed between them, the kiss. Immediately he put those thoughts aside and rose from his bed.
He found the house empty when he emerged into the living area. There was a note from Amanda, explaining that she was teaching an early class this morning, she would hopefully see him later. He ate breakfast and then departed for the Academy. Spock spent the day there, concentrating all his efforts and renewed energy on preparing for his seminars. If thoughts of Kerin—or the link, or the kiss—crept in between him and his task, he pushed them aside. Aside, but not away; they lingered there, at the edge of awareness…
vvvvvvvvvv
Kerin paused in the corridor outside her father's office and consulted her chronometer. It was precisely the fifteenth hour. She touched the entry sensor; the door slid open and she approached the desk of her father's secretary, Simel, an individual whom Kerin had always found not merely inscrutable, but totally bland.
He looked up and stared at her, wordless, waiting.
"Sidak expects me."
He tapped the intercom and announced in a flat voice, "Kerin is here."
The inner office door opened immediately, and Sidak stood there. "Come in, daughter." She did, and she closed the door behind her.
For a moment father and daughter stood facing one another. Sidak was tall, slim, silver-haired, very handsome by any standards, his face all chiseled planes and angles, features perfectly proportioned. Except for the silver hair, he would have appeared much younger than his actual age—which was approximately that of Sarek—because the strict control and discipline under which he had lived since childhood had forbidden variations of expression which gave even Vulcan faces marks of age and character. Sidak had an extremely high psi-rating—the fifth highest on record at the Academy—and was a true telepath, a rarity even among Vulcans, as well as an empath. Learning control of these extraordinary gifts had necessitated the life-long training which had taught him the perfect self-discipline which he now had. He held the same position in the Academy School of Mind Discipline as Solen, that of Tenth Degree J'herr—the highest possible.
Kerin had inherited a number of her father's mental talents which she had struggled for years to control. The most troublesome when she was growing up was the ability to manipulate things in her environment to a certain degree. Reaching for objects and having them come into her hands was great fun for a child—but ultimately a real problem. Also, like Sidak, she was an empath. First with a Vulcan teacher from the age of 2, and then in her first years on Vulcan, she had acquired the necessary self-discipline to control her gifts.
During her first six Seasons on Vulcan Kerin had lived in the home of her father and his wife, T'Sala, and their two children, Shenn and T'Ana. T'Sala had tolerated Kerin's presence with formal courtesy, but only because her husband insisted, and T'Ana had echoed her mother's attitude to the letter. With her half-sister Kerin had never been able to establish any kind of rapport. The fact that Sidak's half-human child had inherited his mind gifts, while T'Ana had not, only ensured that the gulf between them would always be there. Kerin had better luck with Shenn. He was nearer her age—a little over a year younger—and was curious to know about this half-human sister. The two of them had become friends and remained so now.
Once established at the Academy, and with a student-teaching fellowship which gave her a modest income, Kerin had left Sidak's house—to everyone's relief, she was sure—and found her own residence. After she was out of the house her relationship with Sidak, and surprisingly, T'Sala, had improved, and despite many differences, father and daughter had remained on good terms until Kerin's decision to leave Vulcan.
Sidak studied his daughter now as they faced each other, approving of her self-control and air of unshakable calm. She had always had that aura of restraint—a quality of perfect stillness without the appearance of effort. In her early Seasons on Vulcan he had been able to sense her inner tension and turmoil, but these had long been under control, and her mental shields were strong enough to block her feelings even from him. She was an exceptional student, a thoughtful and disciplined bearer of her mind gifts, a worthy daughter in every way. He cherished her—her intelligence, her abilities, her presence. Why, he asked himself, did she wish to go? He had heard her reasons. They were not logical. He had tried to reason with her, but she had clung to her ideas with what he could only describe as Human stubbornness.
She inclined her head in his direction now, greeting him formally, "Live long and prosper, Father."
"Live long and prosper, my daughter." He indicated a chair and she sat; he seated himself. "You have been summoned by our Oldest Mother."
She forced herself to show nothing, though she felt a great deal of surprise and consternation. To be summoned by the Family's Oldest Mother was an event of considerable importance. For a child under the age of 50 it was practically unheard of. T'Kress was very old, and had been Oldest Mother of the House of Sartan for many, many years. The influence she wielded in Vulcan politics and society was awesome. Her sway over the Family was total. In the whole of Vulcan her name stood second—a very near second—only to that of T'Pau, Oldest Mother of the House of Surak, Spock's family.
For the barest instant Sidak felt Kerin's surprise as her shields slipped under the shock of his announcement. But the barriers were back, quicker than thought, and he noted that nothing of her reaction showed in her face. Once again, he approved.
"When?" she asked.
"Tomorrow, one hour before noon," he replied. "At the Family Residence. I shall accompany you, as she has called for my presence also. However, your interview will be private." Now he saw Kerin's face go blank, with that non-expression which concealed apprehension. He understood her feelings—his first personal meeting with T'Kress had caused him considerable disquiet, and he had been much older than Kerin, with much more discipline behind him. It occurred to him to offer some word of encouragement, but knew that would not be logical. However he also knew that Kerin's understanding of Vulcan tradition was less than perfect, and he went on to explain. "It is traditional for the Oldest Mother to call young Family members for personal interviews. These usually occur when the youth is facing an important decision, which will have long-term effects. I do not know that your decision to leave Vulcan has prompted this, however, it is a logical conclusion. You must be prepared for this likelihood."
Kerin was not certain how to respond. She was disturbed at the thought of having to defend her decision to T'Kress. The Oldest Mother had great power and if she tried to influence Kerin to change her mind, the result could be painful and disruptive to the Family and to Sidak especially. She did not wish to cause her Father pain, despite their differences.
"Thank you, Father," she said at last. "I shall consider what you have said."
"The journey to the Residence will require two hours by ground car. I will be at your apartment at the ninth hour tomorrow."
"I shall be ready. Until tomorrow, Father." She bowed formally and left his office.
Her chronometer told her she had forty minutes before she must assume her duties.
She walked out of the building and turned toward the Academy Quad, a short distance away. The Quad marked the center of the Academy facilities, and was a plaza, a meeting place, a resting place used extensively by Academy students and faculty. There were gardens of desert succulents, a few trees, fountains, seating areas. She found a bench, partly secluded by a stone arch, and sat down.
The possibility of ever meeting the Oldest Mother of her House had never entered her mind, though she knew something of the history of her Family. The founder of the House, Sartan, was one of The Six, the closest followers of Surak during his years of growing influence on Vulcan.
Surak was from an ordinary family, he was employed in the family computer consultation business, as its head programmer. He spent his time in the world of cyberspace, largely ignoring the violence and wars consuming the planet. But one day, in his late youth—he was 55 or so—an image of particular devastation on the news nets caught his attention. And suddenly he began to think about his world. It's future. Did it have a future? He watched some more, and thought about that question a long time. And realized in a terrifying flash of insight that Vulcans were well on the way to destroying themselves.
He quit his job then and started to think about another question; what could be done to change the future of Vulcan? He began writing down his ideas, putting them out there on the nets, speaking to anyone who would listen.
Do no harm, he said.
The spear in the Other's heart is the spear in yours; you are he.
Do not allow anger to rule your actions. Learn mastery over your anger, and all other negative emotions.
Determine what is true, and right, and reasonable and act upon this. This is Cthia; logic.
And there was more, much more.
For a very long time, no one listened. But gradually he gained a following, and slowly his ideas began to infiltrate the Vulcan psyche.
Sartan and the others of The Six joined him during this period. They wrote and talked as he did, referring to his ideas, sponsoring public forums and debates to get his ideas out to the people.
Sartan was a powerful man, an influential man. Before he met Surak, he had been head of one of the great mining consortiums, exploiting the rich minerals on Vulcan's moon, T'Khut. His hired mercenaries were tasked to repel any attempt by other companies to encroach on territory he claimed. One of the ensuing battles had been responsible for the devastation which had first caught Surak's attention. Thus Surak set out to make Sartan his greatest ally, and he succeeded. Sartan gave up his position with the consortium. He withdrew his considerable support from the company's violent methods. It bankrupted him, of course; the companies made sure of that. He was shunned, just as Surak was. Just as Surak's early followers were.
But eventually, the ideas of Surak took hold, and spread through the Vulcan consciousness. The people saw the truth; that their current path would lead to annihilation of their race, and it was up to them to change it.
From Surak and The Six had sprung Vulcan's Seven Great Families: Stelek, Sklaar, Samol, Sumar, Steen, Sartan, and Surak.
T'Kress had been Oldest Mother of Sartan's House for over half a century. Kerin knew that as a young woman she had been active in a movement which had restored the teachings of Surak in their original form, and brought about a reformation in the government; a leader of this movement was T'Pau, Oldest Mother of Surak's House. Kerin knew very little else of T'Kress however; she decided to look in the computer archives when she was finished with her duties in Solen's office.
As she sat in the Quad, lost in thought, she did not see Spock emerge from the Computer Sciences building. He saw her, however, and stepped back into the shadow of the doorway. He stood there and watched her until she rose and walked toward the Pu'urn, disappearing through the front door.
Spock left the Academy campus shortly thereafter. He did not go directly to his parents' house, but turned toward another part of the city, on an errand he had decided upon earlier in the day.
