[Re]Solution
Sarek's disbelief filled his office. Spock sent communications to announce many new beginnings.
First, he'd become a father with Uhura. Grayson Uhura x Spock entered the world at just under 10 pounds, already telepathic and possibly empathic.
Second, Spock left his new family - temporarily - because he and Dr. M'Benga, the Vulcan endocrinologist, had a plan for increasing live infant yields among the remnants.
Finally, Spock announced the annulment of his marriage and his intent to marry his son's mother - as originally planned before Sarek's crisis consumed his life.
Only the key Vulcan leaders were in the meeting. They needed to decide what to do about "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination (IDIC)", a core belief in the Vulcan value system that stood a good chance of accellerating Vulcan extinction.
"We have been re-evaluating the Lande equations with regards to the effects of IDIC."
The speaker drew a long, deep breath before continuing.
"We conclude that continued application to IDIC to the remnant will disperse the dominant Vulcan alleles within 15.29 years."
Sarek observed the discord among Vulcan elders who had been on Earth instead of dealing with survival here on New Vulcan. Sarek, an old hand at crisis observation, waited for the panic to subside and the philosophical debate to begin. His strategy required them to move through it. Sarek needed the discussion to polarize in support of IDIC. Only then would his scorched earth scenario work; they would reason through his evidence and its impact until they stood on the brink of emotional explosion.
Sarek knew his people well, certainly better than they knew him. He also knew, based on new information from Spock's recent correspondence, that the time had come to use Spock in a dfferent way; as humans often described it, Sarek was about to throw his son under the bus. He waited and the perfect moment revealed itself. Clearing his throat to ensure he had the enclave's uninterrupted attention, he began.
"Gentlemen, if you value the uniqueness of the Vulcan gene pool, please listen..."
Sarek's months and months of cajoling, bullying and prodding would payoff here. He'd conditioned them to listen, pay heed and eventually capitulate.
His elegant argument started with a shameless - and nonetheless effective - emotional but logical defense of the Vulcan gene pool and the need for it in the universe. Lest they believe that all would be fine with the new surge in Vulcan-Vulcan weddings, Sarek pointed to his own son, the hero of Vulcan, as an example of what IDIC could do to the continued existence of Vulcan genes.
He read in council chambers an abridged (modified by Sarek to suit his purposes) version of Spock's proud announcement that a human female from Earth's African continent held in her arms the infant son of Spock, a child that should have been conceived on New Vulcan with Spock's Vulcan wife. This baby would be only one-quarter Vulcan. And this baby belonged to their hero - Sarek's son - Spock.
If any of them had bothered to truly reason, they would have realized the timing of Uhura's pregnancy would precede Spock's obligations to his marriage. Sarek didn't give them time to reason. He declared his own son's behavior a cautionary tale of what could happen if the council did not rescind IDIC as a basis for consideration as a Vulcan. He demanded its teachings be removed from Vulcan education until such time as the extinction threat eased. He did not have to draw the lines between the dots for them; if Spock could be ensnared, anyone could.
Sarek petitioned and badgered them to protect the gene pool by instituting a change to the Family Records Archive. For the first time in its multi-millennial history, no individual less than one-half pure Vulcan would be accepted into the Archives.
The Family Records Archive contained genealogical records pre-dating the split of Romulans from the Vulcan core. It formed the basis for belonging within the Vulcan culture. Its content had been used after the cataclysm to document the dead and the living. Now the Archive had an entrance exam: Spock passed; his infant son did not.
Sarek argued that those for whom this mattered would subordinate their individual needs to those of the Vulcan existence. In essence, Vulcans would marry only certain Vulcans.
In this manner, Sarek reasoned eloquently and persuasiely and undid a foundation of the teaching of Surak, the father of modern Vulcan. Sarek accomplished this in a single afternoon.
Without a single hesitant step, Sarek brought down the pillars of the Cult of Spock and threw his son's reputation within the remnant diaspora to hungry wolves.
Survival's price would always be paid by those around the crafty Vulcan ambassador.
At six weeks old, Grayson transitioned to a longer sleeping pattern making location changes easier. The remainder of her maternity leave would be taken on New Vulcan. She would join Spock and M'Benga who, in their three-plus weeks on the planet, had finally achieved their first two in vitro pregnancies - one with a bonded couple experiencing trauma-related infertility and one with population program newlyweds who had no bond. Success remained elusive but the program had turned a huge corner with this news.
Truth be told, Uhura hadn't wanted to move. Spock had begged her to come and then greased the skids with Kirk without her knowledge. She lost her temper with Spock when she found out but it bore no fruit; he left two days later expecting his family to follow. Rounding the corner of a corridor she could navigate blindfolded, she hunted Kirk down an hour after Spock's departure. It would be a cold day in hell before she'd let two men decide her future without her consent.
"Uhura!" she shouted at the door too loudly. Grayson shrieked, frightened by her shout.
Uhhh! Screaming baby...
The wail brought Kirk out at a trot. Without asking, he took Grayson from her, rocking him to quiet his screaming. Babyless and unable to vent her wrath, she marched to the couch and flopped.
"Uhura, what is your major malfunction!? Why was this baby screaming?" Past tense. Jim could get him quieted faster than anyone - including his mother.
"I shouted at your door because I couldn't shout at you... yet!" She reached for the baby but Kirk kept him out of her grasp. Grayson picked a side by nuzzling into Kirk's arms.
"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Her look shot bullets at him.
"Aren't you going to ask me how I know your panties are in a bunch?" he added, smiling.
"Be serious, Jim. We're past that. Why would you agree to have us shipped off to New Vulcan?" Her tears brought him to her immediately. Sliding Grayson to one arm he placed the other around her, bringing her close.
"I thought that's what you wanted... To be with Spock." he whispered.
"I do, but... Sarek doesn't want us there. Not when he's trying to create his pure Vulcan offsprings. No family, no friends..." Grayson wailed, tuned in as he was to her state of mind.
"Who would dare breach the walls of the Nubian Warrior Princess?" and she laughed at him through her tears. He'd reminded her of one of her favorite fantasy games when she was a child in Africa. A story she gave to him what seemed like a lifetime ago now.
"Spock and M'Benga will be locked in that lab for weeks. We'll be all alone."
"What's this really about?" he asked her as he calmed Grayson again. She turned to make sure their eyes met. Unblinking, she answered his query.
"Why didn't you ask me?" She bruised him with the hurt look in her eyes.
"I was afraid you would stay. You and Spock need time together. And I need to be captain for a while."
Pulling her closer he kissed her forehead, lingering as long as he dared; she belonged to another man. Grayson fretted in his arms; he handed the baby to her as she lifted her blouse to feed him.
"I'll miss this; just us, together." he told her. He paused, capturing a mental picture, then bent to kiss Grayson's head. "If you want to come home, just call. I'll come get you, myself. I promise."
Jim Kirk had a reputation for never breaking a promise.
Four weeks later, Jim helped her pack and personally carried their luggage to the shuttle. He gave Spock a cock & bull story that McCoy didn't want Grayson's atoms scrambled all over the universe before he was two. Flimsy though the story was, Spock bought it. Kirk had his own reasons for avoiding the transporter.
He piloted the shuttle himself; she cried the entire way.
Pulling into orbit so that they could say goodbye privately, he tenderly kissed her cheek when he wanted to kiss her lips. His touch revealed all his longing to be with her and Grayson and his sure knowledge that only distance would cure him of their effect on him.
He cradled Grayson on his shoulder, brushing the boy's soft, baby-scented curls with his lips, unabashed tears streaming down his face.
"Grayson... I love you, buddy; I'll always be your daddy..."
Handing the baby back to her, he kissed the boy's head, pushed the comm button and spoke in his clear tone of command.
"Kirk to New Vulcan. Requesting permission to land."
Another Captain Kirk had just lost his family.
McCoy waited for him as Kirk landed the shuttle in the Enterprise shuttle bay on his return trip, an open bottle of bourbon in one hand and a flask of Tennessee sour mash in the other. Sulu had tipped him off. They sat silently on the shuttle steps until both bottle and flask were empty. Then they went to McCoy's quarters and did it again.
None of them knew that it would be two years befre they came together again on the Enterprise.
At a small homestead on New Vulcan a very old Vulcan paced like a younger version of himself. He'd gotten a call 48 hours ago confirming the start of one of Vulcan's new paths. He expected news sooner but it had not come. As he planned for a covert shuttle visit, the secure channel opened.
"You are there?"
"Yes. How is Nuhir?" Information transfer was taking too long.
"She is well. The firsts are always reluctant. But he is here - "
"A boy?" Pride rode inside the question.
"Yes. Big and noisy and healthy. Nuhir says you had picked a name together."
Spock Prime closed his eyes in silent thanks. His beloved, Nuhir - the only child of the head of the Romulan Tal Shiar - bore him a son. He would thank his younger self for the tip about chocolate.
"He will be named Surak"
Tal Shiar ascension followed hereditary lines. When Nuhir took over headship from her father in 10-15 federation standard years, their son would become the half-Romulan/half-Vulcan heir apparent to the real power within the Romulan Empire. Aged though he was, Spock Prime contemplated the path and work ahead. Like his younger self, he now had a son to raise and a culture to save from itself.
One small step towards Vulcan/Romulan unification - at the DNA level.
IDIC remained alive and well in Sarek's family.