The Judgment of Solomon

by

Pat Foley

Chapter 10

In Council Keep, one of the sub chambers held a group of Vulcans, some of the most prominent clan leaders in the Council, those who could influence the votes of others. Normally near invincible politicians, they themselves were now struggling to reconcile the irreconcilable.

"To ask a Vulcan male to choose between family and clan is unVulcan," Slongas, the clan leader who had called the conference ventured.

"Indeed. Family is clan. Clan is family." Sofet said.

"T'Pau should have never have sent an unbonded male to the Federation," said Skigas. "Having done so, she must accept the consequences. Even if that consequence involves a human daughter-in-law."

"And a half-human heir?" Slongas questioned.

"T'Pau intended T'Lean for him. But Sarek would not commit," Smural said. "It must be difficult for T'Pau to see her favored aide rejected for a human."

"Do you blame Sarek?" Sofet asked ironically. The others let this pass.

"T'Lean still waits in expectation for Sarek," Smural said. T'Lean was distantly related to his clan and he had a slight if vested interest in her affairs. Or lack of them. "T'Pau has convinced her to do so."

"T'Pau should have sent T'Lean with him, instead of keeping her favored attendant at her side leaving his intended light-years away when the Time came," Skigas said.

"Sarek chose this human outside of the Time," Sofet argued. "His choice was not forced on him by lack of opportunity."

"If he had been bonded, he would not have so chosen," Smural said.

"Bonding is no guarantee. There are those who are bonded, and who yet seek consorts and Challenge," said Skigas, who had had the shame of a Challenge in his own family.

"You know we do not speak of such things." Slongas said.

"It was still folly to have sent Sarek unbonded far from Vulcan," Smural argued.

"None of that is relevant now," Sofet said.

"True," Slongas agreed. "What is done, is done. He is bonded to the human."

"T'Pau disagrees," Smural noted.

"Is not Sarek the only one to decide when and if he has been bonded?" Slongas asked.

"He went through a Time. He has this child from her as well. He has petitioned for her inclusion in the clan. I do not see how T'Pau can deny any of this," Sofet argued. "Or believe he can bond to another, unwilling as he is."

"She has blocked the human from inclusion in the clan," Smural said. "What could be more definite?"

"But what of the child? He has the blood of Surak," said Slongas.

"The boy is unimportant. He may not even be viable," Skigas said.

"Do you consider the heirship to the clan of Surak unimportant?" Sofet asked.

"T'Pau determines clan marriage adoptions, though Sarek leads the Clan. And Sarek will lead Council for another hundred years or more. Much can happen before them. It is Council now we must concern ourselves with," Slongas argued.

"And for that we must have Sarek." Sofet looked around at the assembled group. "Would you vote to deny the last son of Surak the right to present his son to Council in the ancient rites? To defy Council protocol in this manner? To go against Surak's Constructs? I for one will not."

"And this rift between Sarek and T'Pau?" Slongas asked uneasily.

"What if T'Pau never accepts this child into the clan? How can he then be Sarek's heir?" Skigas asked.

"Why has Sarek not insisted on the mother's being accepted?" Smural wanted to know.

"T'Pau will not live forever. Will you care to face Sarek in Council when T'Pau is gone?" Slongas wondered.

"And if we agree with T'Pau? Are you prepared to amend the Constructs? Withdraw Vulcan from the Federation? Severely impact the Vulcan economy? Explain to the Vulcan Alliance that we have gone back on a thousands' year truce because of one human female?" Sofet asked.

There was silence among the assembled.

"The corollaries may not follow," Smural finally ventured.

"Does anyone doubt their logic?" Sofet asked.

"I agree," Slongas said. "The amendment has consequences that cannot be logically denied. That as clan leaders we must in all logic consider. If T'Pau does not accept that, then her logic is flawed."

"You would tell T'Pau that? Her logic has been invariably flawless." Skigas said.

"Can it be this human has affected her logic?" Smural said.

"She certainly has turned Sarek's head," Sofet said with reluctant admiration.

"Humans spread illogic wherever they go," Skigas said.

"In the absence of Sarek, with T'Pau refusing to elaborate, what can be done?" wondered Slongas.

"We must ask Senchai." Sofet said.

"Senchai?" Several Vulcans spoke at once.

"You can ask Senchai." Skigas said with a faint shudder.

"I would rather face a lematya." Smural agreed.

"Senchai is mad." Slongas said.

"He is aged," Sofet allowed. "Eccentric as the aged can sometimes be. But he knows Vulcan history, Council history, clan history, as none other. He has been the Council Historian since our grandfathers' time." Sofet said. "Who better to get a ruling on the legality of Sarek's choice?"

"It can do no harm to ask." Smural said, then added. "But you can ask."

"Perhaps even T'Pau would be swayed by Senchai's ruling?" Skigas ventured.

"Do you honestly think she would care? She is Matriarch." Smural said.

"We must try." Sofet insisted.

The assembled made their reluctant way down to Senchai's archives, which were located far below the surface, in deep caverns below Council Keep. The archives were buried there both for security's sake, in the long ago days when wars were still fought and ancient records had to be protected from attack. And because the deep caverns preserved documents well. But they preserved more than just documents.

Some said Senchai had not seen the light of day since he had passed the third century mark decades ago. Regardless, the deep caverns seem to have preserved him, too. If not as perfectly as his cherished clan archives, then at least enough that he was still alive past when almost every other Vulcan had made the long journey to Mount Selaya.

Senchai was ancient even by Vulcan standards, wizened and withered to a dried up husk. He was nearly blind, but his hearing was as keen as ever. He had his long suffering aides read all the new Council proposals, edicts and amendments to him. He sometimes even sent comments back. It was rumored that Sarek always read them. But he did not generally read them aloud to Council.

"Who are these rabble," Senchai said, when the deputation arrived at his door. "Guard! Call the Guard!" His voice rose in fury. "Bar the door!"

"It is a group of Council Leaders, Senchai," one of his aides said, raising his gaze from a sheaf of ancient clan records so brittle they crumbled with his breath. "And there has been no Guard posted at the door for more than two centuries," he added dryly.

"Council Leaders?" Senchai snorted. "Pompous upstarts. None of them could recite the Constructs on a bet, I would wager. You!" he said to the tallest, Slongas, who registered dimly on his feeble eyes. Do you even know who Surak was?"

"We come regarding T'Pau's latest proposal, Senchai," this chosen head of the deputation humbly ventured.

"We read it to you yesterday," one of his aides prompted Senchai helpfully.

"I know! You don't need to remind me! I'm not doddering."

"T'Pau's amendment," the aide repeated again, with patient insistence.

"I remember her! Fetching girl. Married the heir to Surak."

"She is Matriarch now," the aide reminded him.

"Mean as a lematya," Senchai reversed himself. "Stinging as a scorpion. One reason why I haven't gone up in fifty years," he added. "Guard! Keep her away!"

"This is a deputation of scholars," his aide said suggestively, forestalling the clan leaders edging surreptitiously to the door with a slight gesture, "who wish to hear your evaluation of T'Pau's amendment. The one regarding the son of Sarek."

"Sarek had a son?" Senchai's blind eyes opened wide in astonishment. "He's nothing but a child himself."

"The child Spock. Son of Amanda. The one about whom T'Pau amendment concerns. The one we read to you yesterday."

Senchai's nodded. "I remember now. The human. That was a surprise," He sat back, raising his brows in pleasurable consideration. "You don't often see a human marry into the clans. Come to think of it," he blinked. "I've never even laid eyes on a human. To think that one has bonded to the son of Surak."

"But remember, Senchai, T'Pau seeks to ban the child from inheriting Council," his aide said.

"Can't!" Senchai said, shooting out a denying arm, scattering a few precious parchments, which two aides did a little dance to recapture as they wafted through the air shedding dust motes. "An heir is an heir. The son of the father inherits. It's in the Constructs." He gave the group a withering glance. "Not that any of these prating upstarts knows the real Constructs. Probably never even seen the original documents."

"They could not anyway. Those documents are rare enough to be restricted to perusal by certified historical archivists only," the aide said soothingly.

"That's no excuse! None of these young cubs has probably seen their own bicentennial. Much less studied here in the archives, apprenticed themselves to the true history of Vulcan."

"These are Council leaders. The heirs to the clans of-"

"Trained up on reconstituted, homogenized pap!" Senchai thundered at them, while they edged backwards again. "Nobody teaches the true history of the Vulcan clans anymore. Just what they want people to know. Some even claim Vulcans have no emotions! I warned T'Pau!" he waved a finger, and caught his balance with difficulty. Two aides moved to either side of him to stand guard in case of future losses of balance.

"But the child of a human-" Slongas ventured, trying to get Senchai back on point.

"Human, Romulan, Rigeilian. Doesn't matter. There's precedent! Vulcan P.R. 9652. Sadren bonded to Krila, a Romulan captive. Their son Sudet inherited. Vulcan P.R. 8537 Sunfisk took a Rigellian as a consort. In the absence of any legal heirs, their son Sfisket inherited. Vulcan P.R 6832-"

"These are examples prior to Surak," Slongas said stubbornly. "They are not relevant post Reform."

"You want examples after the Reforms? Got tons of them. Vulcan A.R. 123 Sanderai bonded to a passing Rigelian diplomat. Vulcan A.R. 2252 Sgellan captured a Romulan, bonded to her, their son Sgellas inherited. Vulcan A.R.-"

"Rigellians and Romulans are closely related to Vulcans, physiologically," Skigas ventured. "There is a shared ancient history, and a physiological ancestor. This is a human."

Senchai peered through the dimness of his vision at Skigas. "The kid has one head? Two arms, two eyes? Breathes the air and not sulphuric acid? Doesn't spit fire or speak in tongues? Not that any of that matters," he said sarcastically. "If the sperm and the eggs combine together well enough to birth a child, the son inherits. Doesn't matter if he looks like a Rigellian sand worm." He half choked, repressing unVulcan amusement. "A sand worm! I'd like to see that lead Council. Serve that spineless group right!"

"Spock's mother has not been accepted into the clan," Sofet said softly.

"Not by my hand," Senchai claimed, folding his arms across his chest. He nearly toppled backwards, except for one of his aides propping him up. He shook off the aide irritatedly with surprising strength, sending the Vulcan skidding. "I saw that application by …who was it?" he snapped his fingers at his aide.

"Sarek," the aide came back patiently, straightening as he regained his own balance.

"I remember him! Stubborn kid. Pigheaded as a Tellurite. Not surprised he's a troublemaker now. I approved it. No reason not to. Heard it stalled on T'Pau's desk. She deserves him, the old witch. Mind you," he extended a stubby finger, "there never was an heir to Surak that wasn't a troublemaker. The rest of us should have offed the lot millennia ago."

"Senchai," Slongas protested faintly.

"Proves you don't know your history. We tried to. How we tried," he said in pleasurable reminiscence. "I could tell you such tales. War upon war." He came back to himself, scowled at the group, gesturing imperiously. "Except they're too darn hard to kill and too stubborn to give in. 's why they win every war. Lost a lot of good Vulcans trying to rid the planet of that family over the millennia. Too late for the plomeek-fed lot we have now." He glared again at the deputation, who shifted uneasily among themselves. "No, we set them up in power and we're stuck with them. No use bellyaching over it. I say give Sarek his way and be done with him. It's a historical fact that Vulcan always ends up doing what they want in the long run. No use trying to fight them. We'll save a lot of bloodshed if we don't. The whole planet caved ten thousand years ago to that clan in the first Pre-Reform wars. We followed Surak like rut-crazed sehlats five thousand years later. None of us have had the gumption to displace them. And in justice, lirpa-wielding, peace-prating lot though they are, they have served us pretty well. We've never known a conqueror, in spite of Romulans and others trying their best." He raised a brow. "But neither have that lot. Don't fight 'em, that's my advice. That is, if you take a page from history."

"But a human-" Slongas said.

"Human, Rigellian, Romulan, what's the difference? Don't you understand simple Vulcanur?" He glared at them with his half blind eyes. "This isn't high level logic. Even a clan leader today ought to be able to conceptualize a few facts and follow a simple logical chain. There's simply no precedent for denial."

"T'Pau—"

"T'Pau's overstepped herself. And she's not of Surak's clan by more than marriage. Darn upstart herself. Has no business overriding – what's that boy's name?" He turned on his aide in fury. "Why can't you tell me it when I ask you? Standing there with your mouth open, useless!"

"Sarek," the aide repeated patiently.

"I remember him! Said I did. Smart kid. Glad he found himself a girl worth a fight. Not that there's any grounds for one here. There's no precedent for denying an heir based on the mother's blood. None at all. And it's about time someone brought some new blood into these clans. Been too long. I haven't seen a single tight-skirted, close-braided, cold-blooded, logic-prating prissy virgin worth tempting me into a Time for nigh on the past century." He reflected on that, while the Councilors shifted uneasily at this reference to Pon Far. "Yes," he allowed, "I'd go upstairs to get a good look at this human, but I might run into that deutronium-plated Matriarch of ours. Typical for a son of Surak to go and fetch himself a winner rather than swallow the usual lematya-bait they tried to foist on him." He glared at Slongas with suddenly piercing intensity. "And why should you whine about the girl? She gave Sarek an heir, didn't she? And I'll bet she knows how to get through a Time without lying frozen like some phaser-stunned Kohlinar acolyte reciting Surak's principles of non-emotion."

"But Senchai, humans are -"

"There's no precedent! Get that, geniuses? Now get out," he said, his voice fading into an aged, senile whine. "It's past time I had my lunch."

"You had luncheon just half an hour ago," his aide said patiently.

"Then it's past time for my nap. Call the damn guard and get these upstarts out!" He raised his reedlike voice in fury, nearly toppling himself over again. "Guard! Guard!"

The clan leaders filed out.

"We'll prepare you a position paper by tomorrow," one aide muttered below Senchai's hearing. "But Senchai is correct. There is no question from a historical perspective."

"Is he mad?" Slongas asked the aide.

"You can ask that?" the aide said dryly. "He is more sane, based on what I hear, than that which is going on between T'Pau and Sarek. Councilor," he added with cold formally before closing the door in Slongas' face.

"That was pointless," Skigas said, when they had regained the sanity and sanctity, of the upper levels.

"I told you he was mad," Smural muttered.

"He'd mad, perhaps." Sofet said. "But he is also right."

"Humans are not Rigelians. They are not even Romulans." Smural said.

"The question is," Slongas said. "Are you going to side with the heir to Surak, the head of Council and the legal Council historian, even though one is human-blinded and the other mad? Or are you going to side with a Matriarch who is going to rule for another hundred years, even if she takes us down a path of economic destruction and leave us open to a Romulan invasion? T'Pau has the power for all clan adoptions. Sarek rules Council. And Vulcan, for the most part."

"But the areas that he does not rule, T'Pau does. And this is in her province."

There was a long silence for a moment as the leaders considered these unattractive alternatives.

"We are Council," Sofet said. "We also rule. In spite of Senchai's claims. T'Pau and Sarek may lead, even in different directions, but it is for us to decide whom to follow. Or even chart a new course for Vulcan."

"Try to get Council to accept that," Smural said.

"Senchai was right," Skigas said.

"That Council should accept Spock?" Sofet asked.

"No. We should have offed the sons of Surak millennia ago," he said, with some unVulcan feeling.

An insistent signal at the door of the conference room revealed Sandor, Sarek's aide, behind the portal.

"You asked to see Sarek as soon as he arrived?" Sandor said. "He is here."

The group filed into Sarek's office, hoping against hope, though their recent history lesson had banished much of that.

Sarek appeared as he always did in Council. Cool, calm, controlled. Even indifferent. He was not behind his desk, but staring out the long windows across the vast complex of Council Keep. Beneath them, the ceremonial guard was changing. Buses full of tour groups were disgorging, the tourists lining up behind the outer gates, pointing and taking holos.

"You have asked for my response to T'Pau's proposed amendment."

"Yes, Sarek," Slongas stepped forward.

Sarek was still looking out across the complex as he spoke. "This legislation is more than just a violation of the Constructs that have guided us for five thousand years of peace. It jeopardizes Vulcan's standing in the Federation, its economic future, the alliances we have forged to our mutual protection from the Romulans and the defenses of the entire quadrant of space. As Leader of the Clan of Surak, I oppose this amendment in each of its logical derivations, but also in the amendment itself, which seeks to reject IDIC, the cornerstone of which our peace principles is based." He glanced back at the group, his words mild compared to their import. "The Clan of Surak, my clan, will not stand to see this amendment passed."

"Have you your clan behind you, Sarek?" Sofet dared to ask.

Sarek turned slightly toward the group. "I believe that I do. I also believe that the majority of Council will agree. However," Sarek paused, eyeing each of the deputation in turn. "Should Council reject the principles of IDIC by voting for T'Pau's amendment, in part or in whole, I will not stand at its head."

"You seek unanimity in Council?" Slongas said, openly amazed. "Total unanimity?"

"Unanimity, by definition, is total," Sarek pointed out.

"But T'Pau sits on Council," Sofet said.

"Quite." Sarek said.

"She has brought this amendment. She would of necessity be a dissenting vote to your position."

"I will not see the Council divided on the principles of IDIC," Sarek said. "If Council votes with T'Pau, even to a single vote, I will resign as Council Head."

This pronouncement hit the group like an ancient battering ram.

"You would leave Council? To do what?" Slongas said. "Serve where?"

"The Federation is large," Sarek said, his eyes glittering. "And there are many who will not renounce those principles. I am sure there is a world, a colony, that my clan, and those who stand for Surak can live among the principles he envisaged. And the ancient alliance, as well as ties with the Federation, as well as Romulan defenses can be preserved from a new clan seat on a new Vulcan."

"You would leave Vulcan?"

"Negative," Sarek said. "In that case, it would be an unVulcan few who would have left Vulcan principles themselves, even if they remain on a planet that has rejected its most important heritage. The planet does not matter, Councilors. If T'Pau's amendment passes, it is a dry husk that once housed a vibrant philosophy. The principles, the values of that philosophy are what matter. Wherever they are practiced."

"But Vulcan-"

"Our homes. Businesses-" another said.

"Sarek, would you not reconsider," Sofet asked urgently, knowing T'Pau well. "To allow merely a simple majority. Even to allow one vote in opposition to you-"

"I will not," Sarek said. "My mind is quite made up."

There was silent among the group.

"Have you any other questions?" Sarek asked.

Slongas glanced at the stunned delegation. "For now, no."

Sarek nodded curtly. "Then, as you can imagine, Councilors, I have many tasks before me."

Out in the corridor, the delegation simply stood, too stunned to move further.

Slongas was the first to speak. "Well, that is a son of Surak," he said, in reluctant regret and admiration. "He will drag the planet with him, or tear it asunder. Senchai was right. What could be more historically fitting?"

"But T'Pau will never yield." Smural said. "What say you, Sofet? You know her well."

Sofet eyed Skigas, and raised a brow. "You wished to rid Vulcan of the sons of Surak," the elderly Vulcan tilted his head fractionally in a Vulcan shrug. "Sarek may have just given you the opportunity." He drew a breath. "Well, I for one will find the prospect of a new colony world…invigorating."

"You cannot be serious, Sofet," Slongas said.

"Do you dare to think Sarek is not?" Sofet asked. "We all know what he is. And that he will do it. There is historical precedent for more than Spock's inheritance. T'Pau may end up Matriarch of a ghost planet. And I know where my loyalties lie."

Sofet left the group staring among each other in dismay.

"If neither T'Pau nor Sarek will compromise, then we are at a stalemate," Slongas said. "Precipitating toward a crisis."

To be continued…