I do not own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings. My only reward is reviews. Such an unconventional arrangement.
Unconventional
"I think that it is time for your break, T'Ameela. I will deliver the order to table number six."
"As you wish, my friend. The gentleman is indeed rather interesting."
T'Ameela removed her apron and ordered her own meal to be taken outside in the Inn's small garden.
T'Mardis collected the Dr. Pepper float and the Greek salad, bringing them to table number six, anxious to see for herself the Vulcan who would place such an unconventional order. There he was, indeed a distinguished gentleman, one she had seen somewhere before. She could not quite place him, not even when he looked directly at her, acknowledging her presence.
"Thank you. This looks most satisfactory."
T'Mardis noted that his eyes were kind and his manner not condescending. He was a most pleasant person.
"I trust that you will enjoy it, osu. Will there be anything else?"
"Yes, I should like to speak to the innkeeper in regard to securing lodgings."
"I am T'Mardis, the innkeeper."
"I give you greetings, T'Mardis. I am Selek. I have recently taken a post at the new university and find myself in need of living quarters."
Selek! Now she remembered him from the unfortunate incident at T'Vrana's. He was an Elder and former Minister, a very distinguished gentleman indeed. T'Mardis feared that the only vacancy she had might be unworthy of such a guest.
"I regret to inform you that the only space available at present would accommodate only one person. There is no separate chamber for a spouse."
"I have no spouse and my requirements are quite basic. I need only a bed, workstation with power, and a private bathing area. A space to park and recharge my hovercycle would also be desirable."
"Very well, then. I shall show you the room when you have finished eating."
With that, T'Mardis left him and returned to her accounting, occasionally peering at the dignified diner over her terminal. He seemed younger and more relaxed than when she had last seen him at the restaurant in San Francisco, the lines in his face less pronounced. He was dressed in a contemporary, black business suit, rather than the conventional robes favored by most others of his class. For his age, Selek was still an attractive male who cut quite a dashing figure.
Selek watched her walk away from his table. She was a lovely female, tall and slender but with definite curves. T'Mardis was dressed in fine linen robes, but they were more form-fitting than most Vulcan females wore. She had pierced ears, adorned with amber earrings. She also had skin the color of milk chocolate and glossy black hair arranged in a braid that hung down her back and below her waist. Most unconventional, but definitely attractive!
"I must not dwell on such things" he chided himself. "I do not know whether she has a bondmate."
Selek finished his meal and waited for the lovely innkeeper to return.
T'Mardis seemed almost apologetic as she showed Selek the only available quarters.
"I am certain an Elder and former Minister is accustomed to a more luxurious living space."
Selek surveyed the rooms, which were decorated in soft, desert hues and arranged for maximum comfort and efficiency. While it was true that he had enjoyed numerous elegant accommodations during his long life, there were other times when he had slept in caves.
"This chamber is more than adequate for my needs. I should like to engage it at once on a monthly basis."
"As you wish, Elder Selek."
T'Mardis quoted him a price which included meals, one that Selek felt was more than reasonable. Then she showed him the parking area and charging station for hovercycles in the rear of the Inn. Selek was somewhat surprised to see a familiar blue hovercycle already there. He nearly asked to whom it belonged, but decided that might be too forward, a violation of another guest's privacy.
Instead, after receiving his parking space assignment, he accompanied T'Mardis to the lobby and paid for his lodgings.
Over the next few weeks, Selek had little occasion to encounter T'Mardis. He traveled back and forth between New Shannai'Kahr and New Sura'Kahr, packing his belongings and seeing to university business. This was plenty to keep Selek occupied, but then Prengish, the new Trade Minister had contacted him via subspace to ask a favor.
"Elder Selek, I find myself suddenly "indisposed". The Trade Ministry staff are efficient, yet most are quite young and lack experience. Would you be willing to field questions from them?"
Selek well understood the nature of Prengish's trouble, Pon Farr!
"Yes, of course, Prengish. Have you found someone to assist you in your difficulty?"
"I believe so, though she would not have been my first choice."
"Ah, I understand. We have all had to make adjustments since the Genocide."
Selek bid Prengish farewell, then sat at his terminal a while longer wondering just what adjustments he himself would be forced to make in the near future. He was running out of time to find a mate.
Kadek the builder handed the keys over to T'Mardis, satisfied that his work was completed. The "seclusion chambers" in the basement of the Inn were finally finished. They had been included in all the inns built on New Vulcan by order of the Elders and the design of the Healers' Guild. This was the provision made for those experiencing Pon Farr.
Technically, these spaces were little more than caves with minimal amenities. Each chamber had a small bathroom, a mat on the floor, a blanket or two, and a few firm pillows. A supply of water and food in the form of energy bars would be provided. There were no windows and just the one entrance, the walls were sound-proofed. The only communication to the outside world was an alarm button that could be pressed if medical assistance was needed. Once a couple entered a "seclusion" chamber, they did not leave until released by the innkeeper or a healer. It was, in effect, a prison.
T'Mardis thanked Kadek for his labors and bid him goodbye. She placed the "seclusion chamber" keys
in the specially designated box. Only she and T'Ameela would be responsible for these rooms and their future occupants.
Though she was nearly a century old, T'Mardis had never experienced Pon Farr. The two young Vulcan males her father had chosen for her had both died before they felt the fires. As Yuri was a Human, he never felt them. T'Mardis knows she has a responsibility to her race, to take a mate and raise children. She has begun to miss Yuri less now, sometimes managing to go a whole day without thinking of him. It is time she moved on.
There was much discussion at the Elders' meeting in New Shi'kahr that night. The first item on the agenda was the Kahs'wan, the Ordeal of Maturity. Before their planet had been destroyed, all male children underwent this test of survival, often a prelude to their childhood bondings to a mate. There were many who viewed this as a type of natural selection. The strong and quick-witted survived and then passed on their genes.
However, very few children had survived the Genocide. It seemed illogical, perhaps even foolish to risk any of them in this manner. For one thing, more than half the children now residing on New Vulcan had not been born on the old home world. Most had come from assorted colony worlds, with various climatic conditions. Many had lacked desert survival skills, which was also true of their parents.
Additionally, though New Vulcan was also a desert world, the weather conditions, plants, and animals found there varied greatly from those native to the old world. Even those who had come to New Vulcan first were still learning new things about the planet daily.
A substitute for the traditional Kahs'wan needed to be found.
Elder Selek recommended a "survival boot camp" that would teach the youngsters the skills necessary to survive in the wilderness of their adopted home world. They would be considered adults if they successfully completed the course. Elder T'Pau insisted that girls also be included, as they would need the same skills.
Selek was surprised at the positive reception the idea received, even more surprised when the very traditional Elder Tovorek suggested that Selek develop the program. Selek's unconventional idea became a resolution that the Council of Elders voted unanimously to accept.
The second item on the agenda turned out to be as surprising as the first, a request to have a declaration of V'tosh ka'tur overturned. It was read aloud to the Council by Elder Tauril.
"A this time, Trade Minister Prengish seeks to have the declaration of V'tosh ka'tur made against his bondmate T'Lunit rescinded. T'Lunit has repented of the behavior which caused her parents to pass such a judgment upon her. Unfortunately, none of her clan have survived to assist her in this matter. The bonding between Prengish and T'Lunit is an agreeable one and she is now with child."
As he listened, Selek nearly choked on his tea. Prengish bonded with T'Lunit, and a child on the way!
He sat quietly as others discussed the "nature of T'Lunit's illogical behavior." In the end, the Elders decided that she deserved a second chance, for she had willingly bonded with Prengish and helped him through his "trouble."
Several other lesser matters were ruled upon before the Council meeting broke up in the wee hours of the morning. Selek left the Council Chamber, intending to drive his hoverbike back to the Inn. He was stopped by Elder Tauril.
"The hour is late, my friend Selek. Come stay with me. You do not wish to drive that hovercycle all the way back to New Shannai'Kahr in the dark and risk an accident."
"Actually, I am residing in New Sura'Kahr at the Inn."
"That is even a greater distance and all the more reason to wait until first light. Walk with me. We must escort first Elder T'Pau back to her cottage."
T'Pau seemed to take mild offense at this.
"I am capable of getting myself home,Tauril. It is but a short distance."
"This is true, however the night is dark and wild beasts occasionally happen by."
"Very well then."
The walk was indeed brief and T'Pau all but ignored Tauril's attempts to engage her in conversation. At the door of her cottage, she quickly bid them goodnight. It appeared to Selek that T'Pau could not get away from Tauril fast enough.
As they entered Tauril's home, Selek began to him about his fondness for T'Pau.
"It would appear that Elder T'Pau does not return your affection."
"Untrue, Selek. Her opinion of me has softened considerably since we became neighbors. She is, however, resistant to the idea of us becoming bondmates. I remain hopeful."
Tauril indicated that Selek should take a seat in a comfortable recliner, then prepared each of them a light repast of fruit and flat bread. The elderly lawyer decided to tease his friend a bit in return.
"At least I am attempting to find myself another mate. You are decades younger and more likely to "feel the need." Yet you have no progress to report. Ah, but you said that you have been staying at the New Sura'Kahr Inn. Thus you have likely encountered the lovely T'Mardis."
"I have met her, Tauril, however my business affairs have kept me quite occupied of late."
"That is a pity, Selek. T'Mardis is an extraordinary female, if somewhat unconventional. I know some of her story, but not all. She was born in Shi'Kahr, the daughter of innkeepers. The family fell upon hard times after the Vulcan flu epidemic of 2184, immigrating to Melenia V. They bought an inn in Colsi, where they prospered for many years. T'Mardis educated herself during this time and took over the inn after the death of her parents."
"As you know, the Noorian plague spread to Melenia V, decimating the indigenous population. The surviving Melenian officials have been powerless to prevent various criminal elements from taking over the planet, most notably pirates."
"Shortly after the Genocide, T'Mardis was forced to sell her business. Her business partner was killed by Orion pirates the day before they were to leave Melenia V. These unscrupulous individuals also stole their ship. She decided to come to New Vulcan."
"T'Mardis had to travel by slow commercial transport and was then stranded at Starbase when her connecting shuttle was destroyed on route. She joined forces with another female, T'Ameela, and hired a small Ferengi vessel to bring them the rest of the way here. These Ferengi were dishonest, planning to sell the women to an Orion slaver."
"T'Mardis and T'Ameela overpowered their captors, seized control of the vessel, claiming it due to the Ferengi's intentional breach of contract. When T'Mardis finally reach New Vulcan, she became an independent transport operator, while running the import business she was now sole owner of. Perhaps you have heard of Ivanov Imports."
Selek nodded. All of New Vulcan knew of Ivanov Imports. He had assumed the firm was Terran-owned, and merely employed Vulcans. There had to be more to this story!
"She continues to run these two businesses, while operating the New Sura'Kahr Inn. Incidentally, she has purchased it free and clear."
"You are correct, Tauril. T'Mardis does sound like an extraordinary female."
"She is also an adventurous one, like you Selek. T'Mardis was not born into your social class, but she is in every way your equal. Besides, such things hardly matter now. Perhaps you should pursue her."
"I am much older than she."
"True enough, however you may yet have many years left. At least entertain the possibility."
T'Mardis waited up to place a subspace call to her friend T'Vrana in San Francisco, not wishing to disturb her sleep. T'Vrana's hybrid pregnancy was in the late stages, and she needed a great deal of rest. Ten A.M. San Francisco time seemed a safe time.
"Good morning, T'Vrana."
"T'Mardis, how pleasant to hear from you. Is all going well at your new Inn?"
"Quite well, thank you. I am kept very busy. How do you and the child fare?"
"The pregnancy is exhausting and the medications needed to maintain it cause unpleasant side effects. However, the healers think my son will come a little early. There is little more than a month left."
"I wish the best for you, my friend. I called because I find myself in need of a source of saya. My Vulcan customers have been requesting it. I recall that you serve it in your restaurant."
"Yes, I have a supplier, who grows his own herbs in Baja California. I will send you his contact information. Make certain to tell him that it is I who referred you. Perhaps we can both get a discount."
"I will do so. Is there any news of interest in San Francisco?"
This was the question T'Vrana had been waiting to hear. Surely it was not gossip if T'Mardis asked first.
"T'Lunit has taken a bondmate."
"This is most surprising!"
"Indeed, though I had noted a recent change in her behavior. She had not patronized my establishment nearly so often, and the males she sought out had been her own age or close to it. My husband Hugo is a nurse at San Francisco General Hospital. He heard that T'Lunit recently took custody of a disabled, orphaned nephew. I expect that she wanted a father for the child and decided to put the foolishness of the past aside."
"With whom has she bonded?"
"Trade Minister Prengish."
T'Mardis could barely hide her amusement. She could not imagine two individuals who deserved each other more than Prengish and T'Lunit.
When Selek's busy life finally settled down again, he returned to his cottage New Shannai'Kahr and finished sorting through the last of his possessions. There was really very little he was attached to. He would leave everything but his clothing and work-related items. He contacted Ivanov Transport and had his things moved to the Inn. Now there was only the matter his home. He had not paid for this cottage built by volunteer labor, and would thus feel guilty if he were to profit from it with so many immigrants in need. No, he would give it away to a worthy recipient.
Through his friend Director Tranil at the orphanage, Selek learned of a young family with a brand new infant daughter, young teachers who are living in a tent behind the school. Selek invited the couple over and simply explained that the cottage was now their. They were nearly overwhelmed with such generosity, but finally found enough words to thank the Elder properly.
Satisfied that all had been seen to, Selek mounted his hovercycle and rode to New Sura'Kahr.
At last, T'Mardis had a moment to herself. Leaving T'Ameela is charge, she changed into her favorite jeans and jacket. It had been weeks since she had last ridden her hovercycle. When she reached the parking area, T'Mardis noticed the red hovercycle parked in the space she had assigned to Elder Selek. So, he was the mysterious rider! T'Mardis filed this information away for future reference.
T'Mardis had placed various games in the main lounge of the Inn. The construction workers who were building the new university liked to relax by challenging one another to chess, poker, cribbage, backgammon, as well as Vulcan games such as Kal-toh.
Selek was having difficulty settling down to meditate, so he decided to go to the lounge in search of a chess partner. He had no more than arrived when two large Xtazzi males, nearly three meters tall, got into an argument over a game of Go Fish. Both had been drinking rather heavily all evening.
The argument turned into a fist fight, with one Xtazzi punching the other hard enough to send him sprawling into a table. The table overturned, sending broken glass everywhere, and drawing the attention of the innkeeper.
T'Mardis stood in the middle of the lounge, brandishing her Melenian stout baton.
"You will cease this foolish action immediately."
Not only was her request ignored, but the angry Xtazzi now focused his attention on T'Mardis.
Selek felt he had no choice but to defend the woman. However, when he attempted to use the Vulcan neck pinch, he merely made the Xtazzi all the angrier. The giant turned to attack Selek, but suddenly crumpled to the floor.
T'Mardis had jumped up on a chair and struck him on the head with her weapon. Selek found himself speechless as T'Mardis summoned her staff to clean up the mess and eject the ruffians. The other patrons decided to call it a night.
Finally, Selek found his voice.
"I had thought to defend you, but you seem to have had the situation well in hand. Instead I must thank you for my rescue."
"You are most welcome, Elder Selek."
"Selek alone will do nicely."
"Very well, Selek. Did you come to the lounge in quest of entertainment?"
"I did, but it appears the other guests have retired."
"Then perhaps you would enjoy a less conventional evening activity. I prefer to race hovercycles. There is a large, well-lit area on the southwest corner of the university campus."
"Yes, I know it well, T'Mardis."
"Excellent. Then I will meet you outside in the parking area in ten minutes."
Selek hurried to his room to change into jeans and a jacket. When he reached the parking area, he found T'Mardis already there and seated atop a familiar blue hovercycle.
A/N:
V'tosh ka'tur, a Vulcan without Logic
Saya, an intoxicating green herbal drink
Kal-toh is a complicated Vulcan chess-type game.