15

The Vulcanorion Connection

Chapter Ten: A Return to Earth

It had been almost a month since the Briefing on Mars, and Soval was relieved to be back on Earth at last. Sorral's placement on Mars had been discontinued by Envoy Sirtek, who had haughtily informed the young man that his services would not be required by the Vulcan-Mars Consulate. Sorral had been overjoyed by the bad news, even though it meant leaving his friend Mark Forrest behind.

Mark was continuing on in his Starfleet-based Martian placement, and would no doubt have many dealings with the Vulcan-Mars Consulate because of his Vulcan language skills. Admiral Forrest was extremely proud of his son Mark for the calm and rational manner in which he had conducted himself during the hostage crisis. Soval knew that the Human father had always gone to great lengths to help his son achieve mental and emotional balance, including allowing Soval to train Mark in meditative techniques. Mark had certainly come a long way since his emotionally turbulent adolescence, and Soval had been gratified to hear that Mark's education in Vulcan meditation techniques had helped him to overcome at least some of his emotional difficulties, in conjunction with Human psychological healing methods. These same tools had helped him to remain calm during the crisis, and to recover his equilibrium fairly soon after it.

Sorral, on the other hand, had experienced more difficulty in finding his balance after the trauma of the crisis. Soval and Fer'at's wife, Dr. T'Lan, had been working with him extensively to help him to come to terms with his experiences, as well as dealing with the new-found knowledge of his Orion-Hybrid DNA.

Sorral had returned to Earth with his father, and was free for the time being to fully devote himself to his mother's care and support. T'Nak had finally been transferred to an Earth hospital, not far from the Vulcan Consulate in San Francisco. Soval had visited her frequently to ensure her welfare, and he had continued to retain Talcon as a bodyguard for Sorral and as a Security Supervisor for T'Nak. Because of his family members' by now well-known status as Vulcanorions, he did not want to take the chance of another extremist group kidnapping them. There were a number of xenophobic groups on Earth that worried Soval, particularly one that was led by a vigilante named John Frederick Paxton. Paxton had been very vocal in his opposition to Orion Hybrids being permitted to visit the Earth, and he had used the hostage crisis to underline his point.

Since the hostage crisis, he and T'Nak had in some ways drawn closer in spite of the rather significant fact that she was pregnant with their former hostage-taker's child. They had, however, settled one thing between them: it was agreed that, when T'Nak was stronger physically and emotionally, the couple would divorce as peacefully as possible. Soval had finally admitted to himself that their marriage relationship was beyond repair, and he had at last agreed to let go of the marital bond to which he had clung with such temerity. There was little point in continuing, although Soval had committed himself to providing as many resources as possible to help T'Nak with the enormous responsibility which she had taken on in the form of her Vulcan-Andorian-Orion offspring. The child's life would not be easy, and Soval wanted to at least help the youngster to have the best start possible given the less than ideal circumstances into which he or she would be born.

The political climate, at least, had improved somewhat from its panic-stricken state a month ago. Soval, Forrest, and Jovan had all met with government officials and explained "the other side" of the Orion-Hybrid issue to them. As a result, the "emergency legislation" that the more fearful members of the United Earth Planetary Council had wanted to push through was tabled until the matter could be studied by Earth and Mars scientists in more depth. In the mean time, Sorral and Mark had been organizing groups of students from their Interplanetary Diplomacy program to peacefully protest the "Destroyer Genetics" program that was being considered by some Earth officials. Mark was orchestrating the protests on Mars while Sorral was doing so on Earth, at least in his local area. He had appointed a Student Leader to organize the group while he was caring for his mother, as he had wanted to stage a counter-argument to the one being offered by xenophobes such as Paxton.

Soval would have preferred his son to stay away from political activity for the time being, but he knew that he could not in all conscience ask him to remain silent about an issue that Sorral had come to understand as his own. Sorral was attempting to discover all that he could about his Orion heritage, although he was very aware of the dangers of doing so. The father and son had discussed the precautions that they both knew he needed to take, but after that Soval had restrained himself from interfering in his son's choices. There would still be times when Sorral would require his guidance, but Soval knew that it was well past time that he began the process of letting go of his last and youngest son.

As Soval contemplated the letting go of his family, there was a buzz at the door of his living quarters.

"Enter," he called out, as Fer'at walked in.

"Welcome back to Earth, my friend," Soval greeted him, "I trust the rest of your stay on Mars was more...uneventful...than the start of it?"

"Uneventful—as a le-matya prowling loose in the marketplace!" Fer'at exclaimed, "But at least I have begun to make peace with my daughter's mate. T'Lan insisted that I remain behind to help Kelsad re-establish himself as an independent Security agent based on Mars. He will still have ties to the Andorian government, of course...but he says that he wishes to leave their service."

"And do you believe him?"

"I believe nothing that comes out of his mouth," Fer'at retorted, "But I have promised my wife and daughter that I would try, since Jovan refuses to let go of him. I do not understand Jovan's logic, Soval! Even after Kelsad's betrayal of our family, she insists that he is to be involved in her life and that of the unborn child as well. If I wish to have a place in my grandchild's life, I must accept Kelsad. I am now a hostage of Jovan's irrational love for him!"

"Perhaps it is time for you to release some of your paternal authority, Fer'at. You are known to be somewhat...overprotective of those for whom you care deeply."

"I believe those were once my words to you, Soval," Fer'at countered, "I imagine you do not want to let Sorral out of your sight after what we endured."

"What I want, my friend, is not as important as what Sorral needs. I believe you were right when you told me that Sorral needed more challenges in his life—it is possible that I have been functioning as an obstacle to his growth."

"Perhaps you should stop listening to me, Soval," Fer'at replied wryly, "After what happened to us since my last piece of advice, I should think that you would be discontinuing my services."

"Your services are needed now more than ever, my old friend...and, speaking of discontinued services, I very recently received a message from Minister Kuvak. He has informed me that Sirtek is being re-called from his duty as the Vulcan Envoy to Mars. I had not informed the Vulcan High Command about Sirtek's rather scathing accusations concerning them, and so I considered the possibility that you had done so."

"I?" Fer'at answered, "I have done nothing of the sort, Soval. You know that I would not usurp your duties, as Sirtek did when he met with the Earth officials. If he has been re-called, it is probably one of Chief Y'Ral's Security officers who was the informant. I must say, though, that Sirtek has no one to blame but himself for his misfortune. Perhaps this latest development will give him some insight into how his judgmental behavior has affected his son Talcon, and for that matter, your own son, Sorral. I understand that his placement has been discontinued. I do wonder if this shoddy treatment of Sorral has more to do with his Vulcanorion genetics than his work performance. Sirtek did not give the boy much of an opportunity to prove himself."

"Sorral is just as happy to have left the Mars placement...we will find another one for him when his mother is more fully recovered," Soval informed his friend, "As for Sirtek, we may have quarreled with his methods, Fer'at," Soval pointed out to him, "But he did have at least one virtue: he was not afraid to speak out against the Vulcan High Command. I am, in a way, perturbed to see him go."

"I am not," Fer'at stated firmly, "I welcome his dismissal, as it was well deserved. You saw how he treated his own son at the Briefing."

"Yes," Soval concurred, "and that too was perturbing, as were a great many things that happened to us on Mars. I must confess that I am most gratified to have left that particular colony world behind us. But I am afraid that I need to leave now, Fer'at...Admiral Forrest and his family are expecting me at their home within the next half-hour."

"Yes," Fer'at said to him, "And I will accompany you there, since I and my family have also been invited. T'Lan, Jovan, and Sethir have already gone ahead, as they are bringing T'Nak to the Forrests' abode to escape the hospital for a short time."

"Very well," Soval replied, "although I hope this outing has been cleared by T'Nak's doctors."

The two men exited the Vulcan Compound, where they both maintained apartments for themselves and their families, as did all the other Vulcans who lived on Earth and who worked at the Consulate. There was a Ground-Car waiting for them, and as Soval entered he gave the Driver directions on how to get there. He then did a double-take, as he realized that "the Driver" was Talcon. He sensed that there was also another passenger in the back of the car, seated beside Fer'at.

"Ambassador," Talcon greeted him, "And Dr. Fer'at. Sorral and T'Nak are at the Forrests' house, and I am to take you there."

"Hi, you guys!" Olivine Fossa said in her usual informal manner, "I'm coming with Talc. I just arrived on Earth for a little holiday, and I thought I'd see how you were all doing after the big ordeal...so I guess I'm going to be crashing this little party you're having!"

"Ms. Fossa," Soval replied in a neutral tone, "It is agreeable to see you once more." Although Talcon's companion was certainly not disagreeable, he found Olivine's manner to at times be somewhat inappropriate when she was addressing people who were many years her senior.

"I apologize on behalf of my friend, Ambassador," Talcon said, "She sometimes forgets her manners."

"And of course, you're the epitome of good manners yourself, Talc!" Olivine retorted, "I should learn from you, huh?"

"Yes, indeed, Olivine," Talcon replied, his voice betraying a certain tone of fondness for her in spite of his attempts to repress it.

"What about your work project with the Vulcanorions, Ms. Fossa?" Fer'at asked as the Ground-Car lifted several inches off the ground and sped off towards the Admiral's home, "Are they still being employed by you and your people?"

"Of course, Doctor!" Olivine sang out merrily, "I put one of my best Vulcanorion workers in charge. She's been promoted to Supervisor, and she's doing a great job. I don't need to worry about a thing while I'm away."

"And is your mate here?" Fer'at asked her, "I believe you told us his name was Isaac."

"Oh, he wasn't my mate!" Olivine exclaimed, "Just my boyfriend. We broke up this month, unfortunately. I guess the strain of the hostage crisis was a little too much for our relationship. He wanted to keep me on a leash, after that—and I was just not agreeable to that. I need to be a free spirit, and so I came to Earth to bug Talc."

Soval peered at Talcon quizzically. He knew that it was not his place to judge the relationship between the young Vulcan and his Human friend, but he could feel a sense of paternalistic disapproval bubbling up within him nonetheless. He placed the feeling in a mental file under the term "inappropriate personal judgments". He did not wish to interfere in Talcon's life, but he had somehow, in the past month that the boy had been working for them on Earth, become almost like a second son to him. He had been offering the young man guidance when he asked for it, and had been as supportive as he knew how to be with regard to his father Sirtek's abandonment of him. He had also been keeping Talcon's mother, T'Lok, up to date on what was happening with her son. He was not certain whether she would be joining her husband in his recall to Vulcan or whether she would remain behind to support Talcon. From the brief conversations that Soval had engaged in with Sirtek's wife, he surmised that it would be the latter.

As he drove along the country road to the Forrests' house, Talcon did not offer any explanation or excuse for Olivine Fossa's visit, and Soval refrained from mentioning it further. After a quiet and uneventful ride, they at last pulled into the laneway of the house where the Forrests resided. The house was an odd mixture between an old-style Earth farmhouse and a modern architectural structure based on Vulcan designs. Unlike the sands of Vulcan, however, the surrounding area was full of grasses and trees of many different varieties. As they hopped out of the car and strode towards the home, Soval realized how fond he had become of his adopted world's amazing biodiversity. He noticed that he appreciated Earth much more after returning from worlds like Vulcan or Mars, which were quite barren in comparison.

Max Forrest met them at the door, wearing his civilian clothes.

"Hey, Admiral Max!" Olivine greeted him enthusiastically, giving him a hug, "It's great to see you wearing something other than that boring old Starfleet uniform!"

"Hey, Olivine," Forrest returned her greeting in a jovial manner, "Talcon warned us that you would be arriving. Mariel wanted to have you all over because she hasn't seen much of you since our...shared experience together."

"This is great!" Olivine exclaimed, "A Hostages Reunion! Are Minister Samuels and Ambassador Ka'Jar here?"

"Well...no," Forrest admitted as his big golden dog Barker trotted out in a docile fashion to greet the newly arrived guests, "We haven't really invited them...I guess we assumed that they would be otherwise engaged in their duties. Come on in, Ambassador, and Dr. Fer'at. Mariel has been taking Barker to obedience classes lately, and so his behavior has improved since the last time that Soval was here. I don't know if the Ambassador has warned you about our resident canine, but I assure you he's quite harmless."

Olivine patted the dog as Barker sniffed at the new arrivals, refraining from jumping up on them as he had the last time, to Soval's considerable relief. They were led to the back verandah of the house, where their families were seated at a large wooden table laden with fruits and vegetable dishes of every sort imaginable. Evidently, Mariel intended for them to have a feast for their mid-day meal. Thankfully, there had been some advance notice of the event beforehand, and Soval had prepared for it by fasting for the past two days. He was quite familiar with the Human tendency to eat more than was necessary to sustain their bodies.

As Mariel hustled them outside and sat them down at their assigned places, Soval was surprised to see Maxine's Tomm-1000 Household Assistant Android sitting down with them.

"Tomm has a new job, Ambassador Soval!" Maxine explained, her cheerful disposition having returned in spite of her trauma on Mars a month ago, "He's going to keep the Marsies' re-programming, and he's going to serve as a Security Android for me whenever I go out. He's been doing a great job at keeping the bullies away at school—haven't you, Tomm?"

"Yes, Maxine," Tomm replied in a somewhat less mechanical way than when Soval had last encountered him, "I have been programmed with over 5,000 Security protocols, precautions, and procedures. I will protect you in case of an emergency."

"Tomm was a hero, and he helped to bring the Security Team over to Sethir and I when we finally escaped from those odious ogres that kidnapped us. I was freaking out when Mum and T'Nak got captured instead of us, but Tomm kept me calm. Didn't he, Sethir?"

"He has been well-programmed by the Mars technicians," Sethir agreed, "I would very much like to inspect his circuitry, Maxine, if you would permit me."

"No, Sethir," Maxine objected, "Tomm isn't just any old machine. I believe that he has a personality...maybe even his own feelings."

"That would seem to be a projection on your part, Maxine," Sethir informed her, "It is highly unlikely that Tomm's programming is that advanced."

"Oh, stop trying to imitate your father, Sethir—telling me all that psycho-babble about projection! I know a lot more than people think I do...and you better not start trying to be like my big brother, bugging me about 'Androids-having-no-feelings' now that Mark is away working on Mars!"

"Well, you never know, kids!" Olivine interjected, "We've never been inside the mind of an Android, have we? Of course, Talc probably has more insight into that than we do, right, Babe?"

"Olivine, please stop referring to me as though I were your infant," Talcon retorted, "I am not 'Babe'. I am a Vulcan male of twenty-two standard years."

"And I am a Human female of twenty-two standard years," Olivine replied with a smile, "Don't we make a great couple?"

"Yes," agreed Jovan, "Almost as great as Kelsad and I..."

"...who thankfully has been left behind on Mars to do his duty," Fer'at interrupted his daughter.

"I believe that it is now time for us to be silent," Fer'at's wife T'Lan called out to them, "Admiral Forrest wishes to intone an Earth Blessing upon our meal."

T'Nak floated outside in her therapeutic mid-air chair, accompanied by her son Sorral, and sat across from her husband Soval.

"We're ready," she said to them, "Go ahead, Max."

Forrest delivered a blessing of gratitude to his deity for the bounty of the big meal before them. After it was thus intoned, it generally fell upon Mariel to instruct the guests to "dig in", a phrase which Soval had learned over the years meant to begin eating. The Vulcans ate in silence while the Humans chattered on amongst themselves about every topic imaginable. Soval noticed that his son and wife were unusually quiet during the meal. They ordinarily made every effort to participate in the obligatory meal-time conversation that was so much a part of Human life. He supposed, however, that T'Nak's condition made it difficult for her to engage with the Humans in her usual energetic fashion; and Sorral was no doubt concerned about his mother's first social outing away from the safety of the hospital.

After the meal was complete and the dishes cleared away, Mariel informed them that she and T'Nak wanted to say "a few things".

"Max and I wanted to have you all over today because we feel that you are all our friends, and we want to make sure you know that. It shouldn't take a big crisis to cement friendships between people, but sometimes it does nonetheless. I know Vulcans and Humans have not always gotten along well in the past century or so that our two species have been interacting...but Sorral and T'Nak have really convinced me that we can change that, just by spending time together and getting to know one another. One of these days, I'd like to really go crazy and invite some Andorians over as well...Kelsad for sure, and maybe even Ka'Jar and Ka'Shel from the Briefing. Right now, though, I've just invited your families because you are the ones I've come to know best—especially in the past few weeks, as I've worked with T'Lan on developing a psychological healing program for our kids. I've learned a lot about Vulcan kids from T'Lan—and about how Vulcans in general process their thoughts and emotions. T'Nak and I have been friends for years, of course, as part of the Starfleet/Vulcan Consulate spousal support club! We've supported each other over the years during those times when our two guys were working long hours, and things didn't seem to be going too well for us. I think now, though, after we've all been through such a traumatic event together, it's time to widen the circle a bit and take a chance on getting to know other Vulcans—even though you don't talk much during dinner. Fer'at, T'Lan, Jovan, Sethir, Talcon, and our surprise guest, Olivine too—we want to welcome you into our family as friends, just like Soval, Sorral, and T'Nak have been. If you'll accept us, that is."

"I would like to be Maxine's friend," the young son of Fer'at and T'Lan offered, "I will even forgo inspecting Tomm's circuitry for her."

"Sethir!" Fer'at chided the youngster, "You will be silent, please."

"Yes, Mariel," T'Lan replied to Mariel simply, "We do accept your offer of friendship. Our gratitude to you and your family for your hospitality towards us...we, who are Strangers from another world."

Mariel appeared pleased by T'Lan's response. She looked at T'Nak, nodding at her. T'Nak stared ahead for a moment, as though she were about to do something very difficult. She gestured to Sorral, who brought a large book out of the day-pack on the back of her mid-air chair. Sorral laid the book gently down before his father. Soval recognized it immediately. It was a very ancient copy of The Book of Surak, one which T'Nak's grandfather had given to her, in the hope that she would one day become a more devoted student of its message.

"Soval, my husband," T'Nak said finally, "I am giving this book to you as a gift. As in many Vulcan families, the handing over of the Book of Surak must be witnessed by at least five adult family members. Since the only family member that Soval and I have on Earth is Sorral, I have asked our friends to witness, as they have become like our family on Earth.

I know that you have always been in awe of this edition of Surak's writings, Soval, because it is a particularly ancient copy; it is said to contain lost writings that the newer versions do not. I would not know, since I have not read it. My grandfather did not give me this gift so that it would sit on the shelf unread, and so I know that he would approve of me giving it to you. He did, in fact, counsel me to give it to another if by the time I was half a century old I still had not read it. I am now a number of years past the half-century mark, and I ask you to receive this sacred gift from me as a peace offering between us."

"T'Nak, I cannot accept," Soval told her, "This book was intended for you. I have read the Book of Surak hundreds of times over and am very familiar with its content. You are more in need of it than I, for I doubt if you have read the full book even once."

"You are correct, Soval," T'Nak answered, "and I know that I'm not going to get through it, even once. You, however, would study these ancient writings that are not found in the other editions, and I know you would do so in great depth and detail. If you remember, you once asked me if I would permit you to read it, and I declined. I hid it away from you out of spite, because I was enraged that you would not agree to dissolve our marriage. Since the dissolution of a marriage requires both parties to agree to it, I have felt trapped by you and your stubborn refusal to let go of me.

Recently, however, you have chosen to give me a sacred gift yourself: you have finally agreed to the dissolution of our marriage, and in so doing you have given me my freedom back. This means more to me than you will ever know. Therefore, I ask you, my husband—for once, do not be stubborn. Accept this gift from me."

"Come on, Dad," Sorral urged his father, "Mum wants to give it to you as a peace offering, and I'd like you to receive it as such."

"Our son has suffered greatly as a result of our disagreements, Soval. I realize that in the course of our marriage, I have not always been kind to you. I wish to apologize for my unkindness, and particularly for the parts of my autobiographical book that you felt were 'unsuitable for public consumption', as you said."

"I am a Vulcan male who is over a century old, T'Nak. I do not require kindness," Soval stated, "nor do I require an apology."

"Well, I'm giving it to you anyways, you stoic old sand-tortoise!" T'Nak retorted, "Mariel, T'Lan, and Jovan have all encouraged me in this, as they believed it was the right thing to do, given all that we have endured together, and all that I have put you through over the years."

Soval surveyed the surrounding group, and he realized that he was, without a doubt, out-numbered.

"Very well," he conceded, "I accept this gift, T'Nak—but in receiving it, I believe that I also owe you an apology for my at times rigidly held opinions. I know that I have been very dictatorial throughout our marriage, and that has not helped matters. Let us now be at peace with one another, and let us do this in honor of our cherished son, Sorral."

"My gratitude to you, my honored parents," Sorral said to them, his relief evident, "I'm proud of you both—this means a lot to me."

"Then it was well worth our time, Sorral," Soval responded. He had been deeply touched by this gesture by T'Nak, as overwhelming as it had been for him to engage with her in this manner in front of their friends. Normally, this kind of thing would have drained him emotionally and he would have had to excuse himself by now for a nap and a period of meditation. At the moment, however, he was surprisingly at peace with himself.

"I guess we can't very well expect to make peace with other species until we create it amongst those closest to us," Forrest mused, "Mariel and I have learned that, especially since this ordeal that we all went through. We want to wish you the best in your new life, T'Nak. And you too, of course, Soval."

"Thank you...Max," Soval responded, remembering to obey Mariel's "Forrest-Woods Rule" and use only the Admiral's personal name while at the couple's home.

"Hear, hear!" Mariel cheered, "And I'd like to propose a toast to a very peaceful divorce for T'Nak and Soval!"

"Toast is bread which has been cooked," Sethir explained to the adult Vulcans.

"No, it's not," Maxine countered, "Not in this context. My Mum means that we raise our glasses, like this..."

Maxine lifted her cup into the air, and Sethir followed suit.

"Uh...maybe a toast is not quite the most appropriate thing for a divorce, Mariel," Forrest murmured to his wife quietly. To Soval's relief, the Admiral changed the subject.

"I think you'll be happy to know, Ambassador," Forrest began, before correcting himself, "I mean...Soval...the Human, Vulcan, and Andorian Security teams are getting much better at working together since the Hostage Crisis. They have all been working closely with Sha'Zallyn Th'Zoara, who's been tried and incarcerated on Mars. He's been directing them on which of the people to look for when they're screening visitors to determine whether or not they're involved in any aspect of Orion drug trafficking. He's also been working with the Researchers from Earth and Mars who have been asking him about this "Creation Code" that the Orions are working on which would render Sirtek's 'Destroyer Genetics' plan obsolete. He's been able to direct them towards other research work that has corroborated what he's been telling them about the Orions and their stronger, 'super-adaptable' DNA, which carries disease-resistant genes. All of this information will help the ministers of the United Earth Planetary Council to make more informed choices about their legislation concerning the Orion Hybrids. Hopefully, they'll see that taking away the Hybrids' individual rights is the wrong way to go."

"It sounds like things may finally be coming together," Mariel commented, "and I hear that Jovan is going to begin working with Starfleet?"

"That's right," Forrest replied, "We're still working out the details, but we think that Jovan would be a valuable member of our team. She'll have to undergo a certain amount of training here on Earth, though."

"I am more than willing to receive such training," Jovan told them, "I wish to do something to help resolve this problem which some of my people have been creating. We need to provide alternatives to Orion Hybrids, like Sha'Zallyn, for example. After all, he was not a bad man—he was simply a man who was desperate and made bad choices. He was actually a medical doctor before he became a kidnapper—surely we can't waste potential like that on desperation any longer!"

"Yes," agreed T'Nak, "I am especially concerned about the future potential of Orion Hybrids, as I am carrying Sha'Zallyn's child."

"So it is Zallyn's child, Mum, and not Th'Orran's?" Sorral asked, his expression a mixture of sadness and relief.

"Yes," T'Nak admitted to him, "It can only be Zallyn's. I incapacitated Th'Orran with the Vulcan nerve pinch before he could touch me."

"So I'll have a part-Andorian sibling..." Sorral mused, more to himself than to anyone else.

"I do caution you, T'Nak, to keep your distance from Sha'Zallyn," Soval warned his soon-to-be-former-wife, "We still do not know how far he can be trusted."

"Since he is in prison on Mars, Soval, it is doubtful that I will be seeing him in the near future," T'Nak told him, "but at some point, I will need to introduce him to his child. He is, after all, its father."

"Unwise," Soval counseled her, before realizing that he was falling back into over-protective paternalism once more. T'Nak would do what she felt was right, regardless of what he thought about the matter.

"I apologize, T'Nak," he said quietly, "It is not my place to give you advice on the matter."

"But maybe Dad is right, Mum," Sorral added, "I think it would be more prudent to keep away from Sha'Zallyn...please, don't even visit him in prison."

"You're beginning to sound more and more like your father, Sorral," T'Nak noted, her voice tinged with a sense of humor.

"Remember," Jovan cautioned them, "what Soval said about embracing our fears rather than acting out of them. Let's not close the door too tightly on people like Sha'Zallyn. He is helping us, after all, and I believe he is going to take the opportunity to redeem himself. We have to stop falling back on our fears concerning the Orion Hybrids...you and I are both carrying Vulcandorion children, T'Nak, and we have a perspective that needs to be heard by all."

As his friends and family members considered their childrens' futures and debated the issue of how far they could trust Sha'Zallyn, Soval found himself disengaging from the conversation. He closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to find the calm centre within himself. They had all been through a chaotic and disturbing experience; and he knew that the effects of that experience, not only upon them but also upon the people of Earth and Mars, were not going to disappear overnight. He knew his diplomacy skills would be needed more than ever in the coming months, and he was prepared to offer his services insofar as he would be allowed to do so by the Earth community. However much he loved this world, he understood that he was still only a guest here.

Sorral, on the other hand, had been born and raised on Earth, and so had much deeper ties to this diverse planet. He was not only a so-called 'Vulcanorion Hybrid'; his son was a cultural Hybrid, a mixture of both Vulcan and Earth cultures. Sorral's friend, Mark Forrest, was similarly well-versed in both the Earth and Vulcan cultures, and would soon be ready for a full placement on the Vulcan home-world. He thought of the ways in which Talcon and Olivine, Jovan and Kelsad, and even Maxine Forrest and Sethir had been interacting with each other, and he could see a more inclusive attitude amongst them beginning to occur. The next generation of children, he realized, would change the societies that they lived within, not only in genetic terms, but also within their spirits...their katras, as the Vulcans called the soul. This would no doubt create great resistance and fear amongst those, like himself, who clung tenaciously to the old ways.

The "old guard" would not give up their worldviews willingly. Among the student protestors of "Destroyer Genetics" were also protestors from the xenophobic group led by John Frederick Paxton. Paxton and his followers were not only against the Hybridization of species, they were against permitting any extra-terrestrials at all to enter Earth society. In a way, Soval could not blame them, as he knew that he held within himself similar xenophobic impulses that sought to protect his ancient and slow-changing society on Vulcan.

Whether or not Soval or Paxton and his followers were in agreement, however, Humans were moving forth into the galaxy, ready or not; and as they were doing so, the galaxy, it seemed, was entering into their home society.

They were all going to have to contend with some very big changes, some of them beneficial and some, perhaps a little less welcome. Earth had left behind it the Human conflicts of the past, such as the three World Wars and the Eugenics Wars which had ravaged their planet before they finally awoke to new possibilities for a future based upon peace and cooperation between Humans. And now, they were again embarking on a new chapter in their history, one which included other species and their attendant challenges. It remained to be seen if the following generations would be capable of coping with the challenge.

"Ambassador Soval?" Forrest interrupted his thoughts gently, "You seem to be lost in deep contemplation of the Universe. Do you have any words of wisdom for us?"

Soval considered his many disagreements with the Starfleet Admiral, as well as the moments of cooperation and friendship between himself and Maxwell Forrest. This time together with their families and friends was one such moment.

"No, Max," he responded, "I believe you and your family already have all the wisdom that you need to negotiate the future, within the sanctity of your own spirits."