Crossing the Line: Chapter 13
by Helena Fallon.
The first evening on Sheshanu had been a surprise for Kirk and McCoy because Millanus arrived and invited them to share a meal with his own family at a local restaurant. Fortunately they had only had a small glass of the wine before Millanus turned up at McCoy's door with the invitation.
The restaurant was only a short walk and obviously very popular because of the full tables. The waiter quietly ushered the three men towards a table overlooking an inner courtyard that was a beautiful garden.
"It's a shame that the weather does not permit us to dine comfortably outside. Some evenings it's pleasant to use the garden tables and watch the lafta fly about the kooka blossoms.
"Kooka are T'Gydez's favourite flowers," Millanus explained, "their perfume seems to be even stronger in the evening."
"Are the lafta harmless?" McCoy asked.
"Yes, they are like an exotic moth," Jius explained seriously but he had more of his mother in his features than his father's genes. Jius had already told the guests that he was studying to be a zoologist with a special interest in flying insects.
"Are insects a problem with your crops as they are on other planets?" asked Kirk with genuine interest, that came from deep within his mind-set as a descendant of generations of farmers.
"We grow cereals that have been genetically modified to repel the pests. It is better than spraying the crops because it targets the insects directly and less damage is done to the rest of the eco system," explained the student.
Yulla, his sister, then spoke up, "Not all insects are pests. The scientists have found that the numi and filligasts produce sweet secretions for their hives that have natural healing properties and can be used in salves for burn victims."
"They assist the natural healing process even when Vulcans are in a self-healing trance?" probed the doctor.
"Yes, the siposs speeds the healing and has the same effect with the Humans too."
"I must speak with Ullan about this," McCoy replied vaguely remembering a remark that the Healer Ullan had made on board ship.
"The early scientists here discovered the properties but it was found by chance that the siposs could also be used with Humans. Some of the survivors were suffering from burns and the ship didn't have Human medicine, and none of the Newton's medical supplies had survived the explosion, so Healer Ullan acted out of desperation because everything else had failed," Yulla clarified.
"You can see Yulla is a good medical technician and takes her studies very seriously," Millanus said with a gentle smile that softened his strong features, "More Lacci cake, James?"
The evening passed in pleasant company. On the way home, McCoy and Kirk were pleased to see that several of their former shipmates were heading towards the apartment block after spending the evening out with other Sheshanuans, either immediate neighbours or friends made on the Pulse of Serenity. McCoy felt that this all boded well for the future and integration.
The next morning, after an early breakfast before the rest of the household, Sonak took his son to his personal flyer that was kept in its own hangar beyond the house's formal garden.
"It's not a long journey in the flyer. I'll teach you how to fly this on the way," Sonak assured his son.
The controls were quickly mastered once Spock's psi imprint was registered in the ship's computer. This was not just to be able to physically fly the craft but also acted as the craft's security system; only those registered could take the craft.
"Can T'Louhusa fly?" Spock asked as he maintained the course his father had set.
"Yes, but she rarely does these days because people are encouraged to use the public transport to keep the skies free and accessible to security and emergency vehicles."
Spock nodded and did not comment further but the answer told Spock a lot about the society he now found himself in. The unspoken words were that the skies were monitored for unnecessary craft and no doubt unexpected craft were 'checked out' quickly. It all gave Spock a feeling that the Sheshanuans were either slightly paranoid or they really did sense that their world was under threat from invasion as his meld with his father, the previous evening, had implied.
"To your left Spock, can you see the landing areas?"
"Yes, do I aim for any particular space?"
"One near the building so I don't have far to walk," remarked Sonak with a hint of humour against himself.
Spock brought the craft gently down to his father's satisfaction and the two men then headed for the plain cream coloured square building, of two storeys, that was near by.
"Satiff is expecting you," the green clad officer informed them at the entry desk.
Sonak merely nodded and led the way into the elevator. Sonak pressed his palm against the control panel and the elevator moved to his transmitted thoughts. Spock sensed that they were going downwards and wondered how many subterranean floors this building had but it was a reflection of the Sheshanuan society; it was far more complex than the visible appearance.
They seemed to walk through a maze of corridors once they left the elevator. Spock occasionally saw another green uniformed officer but none took any notice of the two men. Finally Sonak went into a room and Spock found a small elderly looking Vulcan appraising him.
"My younger son, Spock, he flew my craft here today," Sonak added and it pleased Spock that his father was proud enough to mention the fact.
Satiff raised his bony hand in greeting, "It is an honour to meet a famous scientist and Star Fleet officer, although sadly Star Fleet is not viewed with welcoming eyes these days," the older man reflected.
"I am honoured, Sir. My father has spoken of you, Satiff, and your efforts to monitor what is happening in known space," replied Spock.
Satiff gave a slight nod of acceptance of the greeting and Spock wondered how long this elderly man had lived on the planet. To Spock's eyes he looked older than Sonak and was probably nearer T'Pau's age. However his voice, like T'Pau's, had a commanding quality to its deep and measured tones.
"You are trusted at this facility, Spock. We are unfortunately a necessity in order to protect all those who have sought safety on this planet. The Federation has become a much more maligned force and there is considerable unrest amongst the old Alliance planets as well as the younger members. Perhaps it is just the inevitable development of an organisation that began in hope but history has shown us a pattern where so many diverse cultures, and sometimes organisations, become too large and certain dominant elements too powerful within them. Such powerful groups hijack the original ideas and corrupt them for their own ends. So many empires have crumpled in the past having once been great when dissent has led to fractional infighting and eventual disintegration, or the old empire is taken over by another organisation or race."
"True, history can hold many lessons for the present, however, we should not dwell too much upon the past but learn from the past's mistakes to try and build a better future," Spock quietly stated.
Satiff's dark eyes twinkled, "Oh I can tell you are Sonak's son! Come there is much to show while you are here." Satiff turned and lead the way towards a door, knowing that the other two men would follow.
Meanwhile, Kirk and McCoy decided that on their first full day that they would go to the Enclave. They chose to walk because the route looked straightforward on the tablet map and Kirk needed to be in fresh air after all the months on board a ship. The day was bright but with a breeze that made walking comfortable and they enjoyed taking in their surroundings. As they walked out of the city, the buildings became predominantly two storeys and all appeared to have walled gardens and reminded both men of Vulcan settlements. They saw small shops and cafes and stopped to buy tulac tea at one with outside tables over looking a square, that was pleasantly laid out with flowers and low bushes. It was here that they also saw other Humans from the Enterprise sitting and enjoying a drink and a light meal.
The proprietor introduced himself as Chuden and he was cheerful and quietly friendly in what they now considered to be a Sheshanuan way. He was more rounded and less tall than Spock or Sonak but it was difficult to judge his age, other than he appeared to have dark brown hair without any trace of grey and an unlined face that was smooth and free from any blemish
"We have had several of your people pass this way this morning," Chuden said as he brought the mugs of tulac tea to their table, "Are you going to explore the Enclave too?"
"That was the idea, we thought it would be good to walk and get more of a feel for our surroundings," Kirk replied, "Do you have time to sit with us for a little while?"
"Thank you, it will begin to get busy when the school finishes in half a vitar. The older pupils often stop here on their way home," he confided to his new customers, as he pulled out a chair to join them.
"The way of young people even on Earth," McCoy replied feeling very relaxed.
"May I ask how long have you lived here Chuden?" Kirk asked carefully not wishing to offend with such a personal question.
"I was born on the way here. My parents left Vulcan to take work on the Vulcan colony of G'deavra. They thought it would be better than to risk prying eyes on their home planet, but they left Vulcan separately so as not to draw any suspicions to their natural bonding. As is the usual way, my parents told their respective families that my brother was the result of Pon Farr and therefore they couldn't do much about the bonding they had formed. My father was supposed to have been bonded in childhood, but the natural bonding breaks any weaker link so the intended woman's family must have had their suspicions. My family moved on as soon as they sent word of my older brother's birth and finally got to Kaliska, where they heard that the ship to Sheshanu had just left. However, my father found work and the Kaliskans left them in peace and my sister was born just before they started the journey here.
It was a longer journey to this planet then because the ships were slower and I was born just before we reached Sheshanu. My brother and sister don't remember their time on Kaliska, but my parents just wanted to be as far away as possible from the Vulcan authorities to protect themselves and their children. They were lucky; others who come here have dreadful tales of persecution before they managed to escape. There are some very brave Vulcans who somehow seek out the natural bonders and try to get them away from Vulcan and aim them towards this part of space. Some choose to stay on Kaliska, I gather it is a pleasant and tolerant planet even now," explained Chuden and Kirk thought, as he recounted his history, how open these people were about their personal lives compared with Vulcans.
"Yes, I had a brief visit on my way here and I liked the feel of the planet. They were relaxed and I was impressed with the unhurried feel of Kaliska City and the families…I was amazed at just how many happy families I saw, it was so different to my visits to Vulcan. I suppose it's because Kaliska has a reputation for encouraging the arts that the artistic atmosphere encourages a less rigid way of living," explained Kirk warming to this Sheshanuan's openness.
"I've heard that said before. We like the arts here too but, because we are very much still on the frontier of this part of the universe, we still have that pioneering pulse running through our veins and science is central to that. The scientific work that is done here is still about understanding the area of space we inhabit and this very planet and scientists out number all other professions here. My own sons are employed in laboratories in the city but scientists have to eat and many other professions have grown as the Vulcan Space Service Outpost took on the shape of a colony."
"I think the earlier people here were very fortunate to have been protected by the Vulcan Fleet who sent them well away and out of Vulcan's prying eyes," Kirk replied remembering some of the stories their original Vulcan passengers had told while on the Pulse of Serenity.
"Yes, but by necessity they were scientists so it wasn't a very well rounded base to start with…Scientists can be…very pedantic sometimes," Chuden said thoughtfully.
"Oh don't we know it!" McCoy suddenly agreed.
Chuden's eyebrows rose, "You are a healer, is that not a branch of science?"
"Yes, a special branch of science. I like to think that I specialise in helping sick people but people are themselves not easily categorised because they are far more unpredictable…You see some of my patients don't always follow a predicted pattern. I like to think that I'm treating the individual who has certain symptoms. My work is to find the right medicine, and correct dosage, for the individual patient," McCoy patiently explained.
Chuden nodded thoughtfully before adding, "My friends at the Enclave will welcome you as a much needed Healer, who will hopefully understand them as fellow Humans. My people have tried but I think they have struggled at times to understand how you Humans think and how distress affects your people. It has been an interesting time getting to know one another as different races. However, I think because we all understand the concept of persecution here and that this is our haven to be ourselves, we try to help others…If you understand what I am trying to say…I believe we Sheshanuans just tried to make the Newton survivors know that they could stay here in peace and safety…But sometimes our Healers look a little pensive when returning from visits to the Humans," Chuden tried to explain but it sounded clumsy to his own ears. However, he relaxed when he saw the Human Healer's expression soften as he said,
"Yes, I think I understand. Healer Ullan told me about how they were unsure how to treat the Humans they had rescued because no one had that sort of experience, other than medical texts circulated on alien medicine. Such texts were predominantly about physical illness rather than how Humans react to emotional stress and tension," McCoy answered wondering about this sensitive man, who obviously knew people in the Enclave.
"You speak of the Enclave as friends," McCoy gently probed wondering if he would share a little more knowledge.
"I helped Nigel when he showed an interest in setting up a restaurant. My soulmate, T'Mibica, would run the café while I helped him learn how to use the kitchen equipment and try out our different food with his traditional Terran recipes…We still help one another because we are in the same line of business. Nigel calls it a friendly rivalry and we have learnt from each other. But there is a lot of celebration in the Enclave at the moment because we all kept the secret of the birth of Tom Bennett's son."
The two Humans stared at the Sheshanuan in disbelief.
Chuden's soft brown eyes twinkled in delight at their reaction, "His partner, Diane, wanted a big surprise for him because neither thought that she was fertile after she was rescued. The brave lady was badly affected by a faulty escape pod and suffered from radiation sickness and spent a long time in the hospital. It is very special to produce the first Human on Sheshanu and the Enclave has been celebrating since Thomas David was born. Diane didn't want Tom to be told in case the pregnancy didn't last or the baby was too weak to survive. Well I know he sounds healthy enough and every one calls him Little Tom because you can see the father in him."
"I knew we had to come this way and take up the invitation that Tom had extended to all us Enterprise survivors, but this is wonderful! The Sheshanuans didn't give any hint of such momentous news, even after we had arrived on the planet," explained Kirk thinking that Sheshanuans still had their Vulcan ancestry that valued personal privacy afterall. He wondered how much Spock had known because he had shared melds with his father and Rouq'al, but then Kirk realised that he had probably picked up the agreed secrecy about the matter.
With this news the two men decided to continue their walk towards the Enclave. They could smell the change in the quality of the air as they approached the sheltered bay, in the distance they caught sight of the green sea that seemed to have a haze of shimmering blue hovering near the surface. Getting closer they had a better view of the harbour with the small pleasure craft that sheltered there. Following the expanse of green and blue rippling sea they could just make out the signs of another landmass on the horizon to the far right. Leaning against a low wall, admiring this view, they found two former engineering technicians, Will and Jane Tasker.
"Beautiful isn't it!" stated Jane with a huge grin. "It just feels so good to see an expanse of water again. We're hoping to go out on a trip around the bay later. Every one is very friendly in the Enclave and they all want to meet you Doctor."
"Have you been here long?" McCoy enquired with a grin.
"We took the transit here after an early breakfast so we're met a lot of the Newton survivors we saw on Tom's films. Right now, we just wanted to have a quiet time up here after meeting so many enthusiastic Humans," replied Jane reaching for tactful words to express the draining experience she had just had amongst the enthusiastic Newton survivors.
"There may only be a small number of Newton survivors but you can imagine how good it feels to have a few more Humans to join them…But I needed to take a few quite minutes out too…Oh they don't measure time in minutes here do they?" Will suddenly added, conscious that he needed to take on board the new culture that had rescued them.
"It's all a lot to take in isn't it? Fortunately, the Sheshanuan Council appear to understand that we need a period of adjustment," Kirk added understanding Will's honest admission. "It's a beautiful sea view; it even rivals the one from my San Francisco apartment!"
Bones laughed at that statement because Kirk's exclusive apartment, overlooking the busy bay, was so different to their present accommodation and the city they were now living in. However, the Doctor was pleased that Kirk was being so positive about his experiences since arriving. He hoped that this initial euphoria would not suddenly evaporate to deep depression when the realisation struck them all that they were probably never going to return to Earth. Although the Earth that allowed a Star Fleet to plot the deaths of innocents, because some of them might be troublesome in the future, was not one the doctor personally wished to see again.
They left the Taskers to continue their walk to the Enclave; the low prefabricated dwellings of Tom Bennett's films could now be clearly seen. The films didn't do these dwellings justice because the former images they had seen had been recorded in the colder season. Today, the visitors could see that the houses were being externally personalised by the occupants with colourful hanging baskets, window boxes and tubs of flowers and shrubs against the dull yellow of the outer prefabricated walls. The majority of the buildings looked out towards the sea; besides the obvious houses they could see that some buildings were shops, or workshops, with living quarters above but colour and variety again reflected the vibrancy of the Enclave's Human inhabitants. The combination of colours were not ones that a Vulcan culture would naturally have chosen, but here they seemed to be perfect and generally promoted a positive and inviting mood for the area.
"Dr. McCoy!" the voice of Tom Bennett claimed the men's attention. They turned to see the happy Tom coming out of a doorway framed with a climbing orange flower fixed to a trellis. "Please come and meet my partner, Diane, and my son, Thomas David…They kept it all as a surprise for me…But we have our first Sheshanuan born Human!"
Neither Kirk nor McCoy could refuse the invite. The joy of the new father filled the air, giving him an invisible aura of sheer delight to match the brilliance of the bright orange flowers framing his door.
Diane was a tall, olive skinned woman with black shoulder length hair, that was loosely pulled away from her face with colourful red combs to each side of her head. The proud father had gathered up his child and McCoy stepped forward to hold him and congratulate the pair.
"Well now… Thomas David, I bet you're quite a celebrity already at the hospital and amongst all those who visit the Enclave," McCoy's warm tones addressed the smiling round faced and well-nourished baby. It gave the doctor a chance to professionally judge the new Human and he was delighted to see that Little Tom appeared healthy and reacting normally for an infant of around 6 months. The child definitely had his father's fair colouring and pale blue eyes. "Well young Thomas, your Mom has done a great job and you appear to be a picture of health," he added as he handed him back to the proud father.
Diane beamed her thanks and Kirk saw her lose the slightly apprehensive look, "That's so good to hear…I thought he was all right and the Healers are kind but…"
"Sheshanuan and trying their best with an alien race," McCoy gently finished.
"Yes, I really do mean that every one at the hospital, and our Sheshanuan friends, have been so good to me and they supported my decision not to worry Tom with my pregnancy. They were so pleased for us because I was so sick when I was rescued and Ullan didn't think I'd survive the journey here."
"But you're looking well now," McCoy said adding, " I have brought my small scanner to check people over if they wish."
"Oh check the baby first," Tom invited and Kirk watched as McCoy brought out his small medical scanner from his jacket pocket and it hummed softly as the doctor passed it over the happy boy.
"Just perfect, no worries at all. Now a quick scan for Mom, as Jim here admires the latest member of the Human Race.
Kirk took the hint and went over to Tom to peer at the child, who just gurgled up at him in contentment.
"He's very placid," Kirk remarked.
"He has been since I arrived, but I'm told that Little Tom can have his moments when he lets the world know that Thomas David Bennett is alive and demanding attention right NOW!" The two men chuckled together while McCoy and Diane stood quietly to one side.
"You've healed well and in good health, Diane," the doctor assured the woman. "The hospital has worked wonders on getting you well after you were so sick. Ullan showed me your records on the journey here."
"He and the other Healers on the ship were very concerned about me, but I'll always remember their patience and overall gentleness when often I was so weak with the vomiting. Some of the others in damaged pods didn't survive but they never gave up on me, or the ones who were badly burnt but put into escape pods by colleagues. The others here will be pleased to see you, even if it's just to have a quick scan today."
McCoy nodded in his understanding and knew that he would be very central to the lives of these people. He hoped that his small medical staff of Daisy Norden, Karen Willis and Toby Rosenberg would also visit today to make themselves known to these brave survivors. They had talked about having a clinic built for their use at the Enclave but they had to decide whether they wanted to live there or be closer to the hospital in the city. Rouq'al and Healer Ullan had stressed that the Council would accept the decisions that McCoy and his staff made, but they all needed to take their time and weigh up the pros and cons of where to live and work.
Leaving the small family, the two friends continued along the street and saw the restaurant that they thought Chuden had alluded to. 'The Enclave's Table' had ten small round tables outside that were all occupied. It didn't surprise them to find both of the former Enterprise's chefs, seated on 'next door' tables with their respective partners, sampling the cuisine. Frank Norden and his Daisy raised their glasses in greeting. While Edmundo Ricci and his partner, Alice Millet, both grinned and waved their way.
It was a good mix of Enclave folk and Enterprise people together with a few Sheshanuans. Jim Kirk raised his hand and smiled broadly in greeting to former crew, who called greetings on seeing the two men, but he didn't want to stop and talk. Jim Kirk was heading indoors to the inner sanctum of the restaurant, hoping for a more private space. There was something that was just too settled and perfect and he was looking for the 'fly in the ointment'.
McCoy followed his friend aware of the slight mood change; he had seen it before on missions when he was looking for something hidden during a 'diplomatic function' or information gathering exercise.
"Welcome to the Enclave!" greeted a smiling Black woman, dressed in a pale yellow tunic top with black pants, "A table for two, gentlemen?"
"Perfect, somewhere quiet if possible. We seem to have been very visible for hours and I'd like to just sit back quietly and think about all the people we have met and things we have seen since arriving," Kirk answered truthfully.
The woman's smile softened and she quietly said, "I understand, it can be quite overwhelming at first. The Sheshanuans are very helpful and concerned about us, but we like our Enclave here because we felt we could make it our own special place. I hope that doesn't sound ungrateful but we survivors just felt we needed a bit of space, outside the city, to be able to reflect and think about how we were going to shape our future here."
"Very wise," said McCoy, "I'm Dr. McCoy, by the way, and this is Jim Kirk."
The woman's eyes widened on hearing the names.
"Oh, the famous Captain Kirk…I'm sorry I didn't recognise you…I was only a lowly lab technician on the Newton. Nigel's my partner and when he was assigned to the last mission, I tagged along too," she explained and indicated for them to follow her.
She took them to the far corner on the right of the large room that was the body of the restaurant. It was a pleasant square room with its calm pale blue walls, while a darker blue floor complimented the light oak coloured furniture and 'seascape' paintings on the walls. The table in this far corner could easily have sat four comfortably and was softly lit.
"You can alter the lighting by touching the blue button on that panel to soften it further or the orange button makes it brighter," the waitress explained.
"It's just fine, pleasant enough to read the menu for touch ordering…But you didn't tell us your name?" Kirk asked in his most charming manner and flashed the waitress the devastating smile that for years had helped to find him female company on many a planet.
The woman suddenly looked down at her tunic and absently brought up her right hand to touch an area above her left breast, "I forgot to put my name badge on…sorry, I'm Lindia."
"Well we're delighted to meet you, Lindia. We stopped by and had a tulac tea with Chuden on the way here," Kirk revealed and saw the woman smile warmly once more.
"Oh Chuden and T'Mibica are friends and taught Nigel how to cook here and about the local produce to adapt for our Terran recipes. They have been very kind to us and really helped us set up this little business. It's the little things like encouraging his customers to try out our place too when we first set up. Now we have quite a clientele amongst the Sheshanuans and many from the city come here for trips around the bay and to buy from our shops. Our fashions are gaining in popularity amongst the young. We also have some of the Sheshanuans who are psi damaged, from the strange fever that can afflict them; they seem to feel comfortable amongst us because we're psi blind. Oh more customers, if you'll excuse me…"
"Of course Lindia, thanks for the chat," replied Kirk and turned to the menu.
"Lindia's nice and confirmed what Chuden said," McCoy gently stated just for Kirk's hearing.
Kirk looked up, "Am I so obvious?"
"I'm a psychologist and I've known you for years…I'm supposed to be observant in my profession."
Kirk nodded and concentrated on ordering a meal, pressing the menu descriptions that he thought sounded appetising.
"Is Spock as suspicious as you?" the Doctor continued to quietly probe.
Kirk looked up and found the stunning blue eyes intently observing him, "I don't think Spock is besotted. He seems genuinely pleased to have found his real father, and a family that is willing to welcome him, but he said we'd talk when he got back," admitted Kirk.
Leonard McCoy nodded, accepting the reply but he hoped, over the meal, that his friend would trust him with his reservations.
The day had been very informative for Spock. He had retreated to his room, on his return, to meditate on all he had learnt that day at the security headquarters. The house was quiet because his sisters were each involved upon a school task and T'Louhusa had instructed her daughters to respect their brother's personal privacy of his bedroom and adjoining sitting room. This evening there was a dinner party; Sonak had said that T'Louhusa had invited some friends who had unbonded daughters.
"She's not interfering, Spock, just being pragmatic because the more women you meet the greater the likelihood of finding your mate…It's a wonderful feeling and you will know when you meet your soulmate because your psi is just attracted to a psi of equal compatibility. It all just feels so natural."
Spock sank down on the large magenta and sea-green cushion he had placed on the floor in order to sit in his preferred meditating position. He recalled the warm affection that he had experienced with T'Louhusa's touch and knew that his chosen mother only wanted him to know the inner peace and joy that she and Sonak knew together. The excited and welcoming touch of the four sisters, that had suddenly given him a true sense of family life, also briefly filled his mind before they were swept aside to consider far more troubling matters.
The last voyage of the Enterprise had been a life-changing event for all the crew, but for himself the whole philosophy of his Vulcan background had been revealed to be totally false. The more he discovered about his planet's past, the more the niggling questions he had always held to himself were confirmed to have been instinctively correct. The revelations concerning psi compatibility being normal was a relief because he had always thought childhood bonding to be cruel, especially following his own distressing experience. However, today he had met Sheshanuans who fiercely believed that they would defend this frontier planet to the death because they were the real Vulcans; their ancestors had escaped the genocide that was set into place by the revered Surak. It was one thing to have the knowledge from melding with his father and Rouq'al, but to see the evidence yourself and to be granted a meld with an eminent historian was an honour. All this revealed truth Spock could not deny.
The people of the Archipelago, all in the very distant past, had been the link with a peaceful trading people who had not wished to accept any part in the civil wars that were tearing their planet apart on the major land masses. Surak's philosophy had been born out of the desire to unite a planet in peace before they totally destroyed the very fabric of their world. Nuclear weapons had already laid vast areas to waste and even tilted the axis of Vulcan, after underground experimental testing had triggered severe volcanic eruptions and the shifting of tectonic plates in the planet's crust.
The gentle Spock had felt physically sick with the historical details of the genocide. The knowledge of the shameful event, and particularly Surak's part in it, had been suppressed from the very start. Consequently, all the teachings of Surak were now brought into question. How could a man preach peace, through example, and yet be the instigator of the decision to destroy the irritating pocket of opposition to his principle ideas? The people of the Archipelago had rejected Surak's ideas has dangerous nonsense. These peaceful traders believed in individuality and the choice to choose your partner in life by natural attraction. They had even cautioned the Surak believers that worshipping logic would destroy the love of family and the joys of sharing your life with your natural life partner. "Logic," said Predar, "had its place in mathematics and the sciences but not as a way to govern relationships with your fellow Vulcans."
Historians over the centuries had been persecuted for trying to reveal the evidence that gradually surfaced. The 'barbarian rebels' as Surak and his followers dubbed these Archipelago inhabitants had been driven back to their small islands, where they initially maintained their independence. However, the planet's governing majority still pressed them to conform to logic and only then would they be permitted to resume their former trading activities throughout the planet.
The final confrontation was the 'educational' force that Surak sent to the Archipelago to take over the government of the islands. Predar had led the resistance and the bodies of the invaders were returned to Surak with the warning never again to try and take their lands by force. The people of the Archipelago only wished to be left alone to live without the destructive influence of Surak's teachings.
The so-called gentle Surak was appalled by the unexpected loss of life of his ' missionary force'. He was afraid because these islanders, whom the victors of the civil wars considered poorly educated although basically peaceful, had not killed the force with conventional weapons but somehow had destroyed every brain cell of the invaders. Surak and his colleagues could not risk such a weapon being turned on the greater landmasses, so logic dictated that the people of the Archipelago had to be completely destroyed. Conveniently, the death of these rebels would end their heretical challenge to the supremacy of logic. It was decided that an automatic flyer would drop bombs containing deadly poisonous chemicals that would quickly destroy the inhabitants. The act would quickly put an end to a drain on precious resources that could then be logically used to consolidate the new government of a united Vulcan and for the rebuilding it's infra-structure.
However, some of the inhabitants managed to use the ancient escape routes beneath the mountainous regions of the largest island. They had lived for months in deep caves on stored supplies that Predar and her people had maintained in case they had been over-run by an invading force. These few survivors kept true to their beliefs and managed to persuade others to keep their secrets and practise of natural mating through psi compatibility. The Vulcan government spread the lie that psi compatibility created mental instability and ultimately caused insanity. Those found practicing psi compatibility faced severe punishments and were often imprisoned in mental institutions because Vulcans had a great dread of going insane and losing their salvation of logic. Consequently, the numbers being placed in mental institutions, and their treatment there, were not queried by the rest of Vulcan. Even now, mental health was rarely mentioned on Vulcan; patients were still hidden away, although treatment had greatly improved, and it was not considered a subject to be openly discussed within families or with outsiders. Spock suddenly thought of the distress suffered by Sydel and then those painful memories were quickly replaced by the knowledge of her present contentment with Kever.
The historians had committed to memory all that they had found before controversial findings were destroyed to prevent the cataloguing of the alternative history. These memories were carefully themselves passed on to trusted historians for new generations to keep the information from being totally destroyed over the centuries. Such memories passed on through melds were a treasure trove of the alternative history because you could not lie in a mind meld.
Some artefacts and illegal films of archaeological evidence had, over the years, been smuggled away from Vulcan to be archived on Sheshanu and to be tested for their validity. So far, all the tests had confirmed the dating of the artefacts and that the films seemed genuine and not planted or fabricated by those wishing to bring into question the secret history. Spock had been fascinated by films of the wall paintings found in deep caves depicting the chemical bombs being dropped and the bodies of the dead laying as they fell. Obviously some survivors had slipped out from their hiding places to witness the collection and then mass burning of the bodies and recorded these events in the cave paintings hoping that they would last longer than any written testament in a book.
Some very precious fragments of books, from this period, had been found and saved from the phaser. Those that could not be saved had been memorised before their destruction to be reproduced from the memory. Spock had seen all this material and had even been honoured with a mind meld with T'Curani, the soul mate of Rouq'al. Spock did not doubt all he had seen in this historian's mind and understood the belief that it was a Sheshanuan's duty to honour the memory of all those innocents who died for their beliefs in such an appalling manner. He also shared the memory of T'Curani's resistance when arrested and an attempt made to force a mind-meld upon her. He had experienced Rouq'al's version of this event, and the subsequent exile of Rouq'al, T'Curani and Sonak to Outpost 49, together with his own part in the agreement that T'Pau reluctantly accepted. T'Curani's strong mind had protected her from the actions of the security guards, it was strong enough to kill the guards involved and she suspected that this was how Surak's invading force to the Archipelago had been killed. Spock believed her because on Sheshanu it was accepted that natural bonders had stronger telepathic powers. T'Curani suspected that this fact had also been kept hidden from the Vulcan fleet in case they had become afraid of the couples that they protected. The natural bonders had spent centuries hiding their abilities and fortunately no one had made the connection with their equally natural higher fertility.
However, of more pressing concerns were the results of the 'cloaked' monitoring probes that the Sheshanuans had distributed throughout the Federation, the Romulan and Klingon empires and as far as the Tholian Empire, together with as much unaligned space as they could reach. The resulting transmissions were being continually decoded and analysed by shifts of cryptographers at the security establishment they had visited. Consequently, the Sheshanuan Council had built up a comprehensive picture of what was really happening between Star Fleet and the Tholians, and the growing discontent within the Federation of Planets and the empires bordering the Federation. The vast distances of space meant that even the most upto date material was at least six months old despite the advanced technology of relaying cloaked satellites. The most recent decoded messages had revealed that Vulcan had ceded from the Federation of Planets. Vulcan was followed immediately by the former old 'Alliance of Planets' in the area of space that was predominantly still patrolled by the Vulcan Space Service.
The power of Star Fleet was the major source of the dissent due to the draconian measures it pressed the Council of the Federation of Planets to adopt in order to govern trade and the free passage of space travellers. Spock had watched T'Pau addressing the Council of the Federation of Planets, where her rare presence in that large chamber silenced the quarrelling delegates as her tiny figure commanded the floor, and delivered a devastating speech of explanation as to why Vulcan was leaving the Federation. She had even ended her oration with a warning to Admiral Nogura and Star Fleet Command that the Tholians were not to be trusted and that they had destroyed every race they touched. Satiff confirmed that Vulcan had been, and was still, monitoring the Tholians. The Vulcan Space Service was now patrolling the border between the remains of the Federation and the older Alliance that had reformed and was preparing to defend their individual planets from any aggressive moves that Star Fleet, or the Tholians, might take towards them.
Non-aligned planets were alarmed by the situation and were themselves seeking new alliances and building up their own defences from any outside threat. It all fed a feeling of mistrust in an area of space that had previously quietly co-existed with the occasional skirmish that was usually caused by a trading issue.
Satiff had also showed Spock the build-up of weapons at Star Fleet Bases together with evidence of the re-fitting of star ships, with the latest phaser and cloaking technologies, and the careful promotion of trusted officers to influential positions. Finally, Satiff had shown him the evidence that Nogura had colluded with the Tholians to sabotage the Providence, the Newton and the Enterprise. It was considered particularly important to kill Kirk because he might become the natural leader of a unified opposition to their plans. Star Fleet suspected that McCoy, Scott and himself would take the final voyage with Kirk, but they had even considered assassinating Kirk if he had resigned his commission. However, Star Fleet security had not considered Spock to be such a dangerous personality for rallying any dissent. He had been seen as an accomplished scientist who would probably return home to a principal position within the Vulcan Science Academy.
Spock smiled inwardly remembering his father's remark at his side.
"Well, Satiff, Star Fleet had certainly underestimated my son and what his true research entailed and that of his colleagues," Sonak had proudly stated and Satiff's dark eyes twinkled and the white haired head gave a quick nod in acknowledgement of the words before adding.
"We are all honoured to have you here Spock. We hope that you will want to remain with us and help us stay quietly at the edge of things, living in peace and honouring the memory of those who were so brutally murdered in the name of logic."
A sharp rap on Spock's door broke his meditation.
"Come!"
The heavy looking carved door smoothly swung open to reveal the seriously mannered Biron.
"Father sent me to say that our guests are beginning to arrive," she hesitantly said when she saw that she had disturbed his meditation.
"Thank you, gentle sister. Perhaps I ought to quickly change as I see you have made the effort to wear an attractive dress this evening."
Biron dropped her eyes shyly, but she was pleased that her brother had noticed her change in clothes. She quietly left, softly closing the door behind her.
Spock smoothly rose, he knew that he had no right to keep James Kirk, or the the other Humans, in the dark about his findings. However, Spock also knew his friend's response would be to go back to the Federation to form some sort of resistance against Nogura and the Tholian threat. He wondered how many of the Humans would follow Kirk back to the Federation. Deep in his own heart, Spock knew that he had no desire to leave this place but would Jim interpret that decision as a betrayal of their friendship?
End of Chapter 13.