Twenty-One

Shanna spent the entire day with the babies as soon as she was let out of the embassy infirmary. Her mother came to see her and her face had, mercifully, healed by then since Sokam had focused almost all of her healing capabilities into her tailbone and the bruise on her face. But since her arms and legs were still pretty covered in bruises and bite marks, she found herself donning Vulcan robes.

She was back at work that Thursday wearing maroon colored robes with the standard of the S'chn T'gai. Her shear head covering was a homemade scarf replicated and designed by her. It was an almost tie-dye design, half maroon and half grey to match her eyes. She walked into Telvin's office and he simply sat and looked at her. "You may shut the door," he said.

She closed the door behind her.

At first he didn't speak. The old man simply sat there and surveyed her. "You are… well?" he asked almost carefully.

She was, at first, going to assure him that she was. But she knew she needed to start thinking of things the way that a Vulcan might under these circumstances. So she gave the answer she thought was correct under the circumstances. "I don't know what you mean."

He seemed taken aback at first. Then he relaxed, nodded in open approval. "Yes, of course. That is wise." He looked at her robes. "You wear them well, Lady Shanna."

She was able to keep the smile off of her face from the compliment and she remembered not to thank him for it, either.

"Deliver this directly to Sarek," he said to her as he began to roll up a scroll. He was about to seal it but then he paused. He opened it up again. "You shall read it, first."

Her eyes widened. "I was told to never-"

"I am saying that you should. Things are different now and this scroll affects you directly. Read it."

She took the scroll from him with shaking hands and then read its contents as best she could. There were still about ten percent of the inflections she could not understand, but if what she was reading was correct—"Why would you let me read this?"

"I can say nothing to he who is your husband. You, however, I believe should have time to consider this. It will be solely up to you, in the end. I believe you shall pass inspection with T'Pau. But only if you wish it."

She was growing angry, then. "Do you suppose that I should keep this information from my husband?"

He seemed amused. "No, I do not."

She was confused for one split second. Then she caught onto his wording. He could say nothing to Siranon, however-

"Yes," whispered Telvin slowly as his eyes warmed over.

"There are others who have served longer," she protested. "You, for instance."

"I have no desire for such an office. I never have. And Siranon has in fact served long enough. It has been over 25 years for him. Sarek himself had not served as diplomat 15 years when he was given Earth. Do you know why?"

She understood what he meant before. "He was of the S'chn T'gai." She frowned. "And so is Siranon. But in this situation, it doesn't make sense. I know the protocols for that at least, the choosing of a family for such an assignment. That other world, why would they even want-" She didn't know how to put it. Why would they want her or the human children they had?

He sighed. "There are things that they seek in their specifications, certain values. And your family fulfills nearly all of them. None of the others does so. The other clans will never see the submittal of your family unit coming," he said as he seemed to be inwardly crowing at the thought. "They will never see you coming."

It took all of her strength to wait for him to seal the scroll and hand it to her.

"Speak and read Vulcan on a more regular basis from this day forth," he was saying. "And learn more of that other world mentioned in the scroll. You shall need the knowledge."

"We haven't been picked, yet," she said seriously. "We haven't even officially been submitted to be chosen."

He looked at her for about five long seconds. "You shall be. Mark my words, you shall be."

##

Shanna was a ball of confusion as she walked over to the embassy. What had changed? Telvin went from thinking of her as a 'maybe' about what the clan would need to a 'definite'.

Pon Farr. That had to be the thing that changed everything. But why? There was a bit of cultural intricacy she was missing out on here. It made her feel vulnerable, almost naked. If after all of these years serving with Vulcans there were still things she could not pick up on, what other social cues and customs was she walking around unaware of?

My wife, something concerns you deeply… Siranon's mind flared to life within hers.

Yes. We'll talk about it later, my love.

There was a pause. I wish for my arms to be around you at this moment. I wish to hear the sound of your cries in my ear…

Siranon, would you stop that!

Is it wrong now to speak truthfully to my lady wife?

You're nuts!

…am I once again being accused of insanity by you?

She suppressed laughter as she remembered accusing him of being crazy all of those months before when he proposed koon-ut-so-lik to her out of nowhere. He had insisted there was no reason the two of them could not make things work. Time had now shown he had been neither crazy nor wrong. They had found something unexpected in the strangest of places. And here they were now, flirting via a marital bond. No, I suppose you are more sane than I gave you credit for. But besides that, you're nuts because we have a restriction directly from the Healer or did you forget? I doubt you forgot that!

He seemed to groan as if he were in pain. I did not forget…

Well I would figure after what WE just went through you wouldn't have a need to—

I am at a disadvantage, wife! I remember none of our coupling!

Oh, I remember! She taunted as she approached the doors of the embassy. And I have two weeks to recover and so do you, Mr. Horndogger!

What is the meaning of this word, 'hornd-'

I have to go! I'm delivering a scroll to the embassy.

How convenient! He snapped at her.

She found herself laughing at him on the inside. She very easily snapped closed the connection between them and reveled in her newfound maneuverability within the bond. Her husband had been strange since Pon Farr, but not in a scary way. She could actually read his intense thoughts and intentions now! She could see why his ex-wife ran away from it and from him. His intensity was too much because she had not loved him back. That was the thing that made a world of difference between her and Siranon. She had become, in a way, as infatuated with him as he was with her.

Previously, anytime she went to the embassy, it was no big deal. But now, while she wore the robes, the other Vulcan females working there looked at her just a little bit longer. And some of them even nodded at her in acknowledgement. She remembered what Amanda said about them 'just knowing'. So they knew. Some part of her wanted to be embarrassed, but another part refused. What she had gone through with Siranon was not only PRIVATE, but she was only just beginning to understand that it was also sacred and not something to be viewed lightly.

She felt as if she were starting to get a handle on living in the Vulcan world.

##

When it was time for the children to go down for bed that night, Siranon had come home in time to help with getting them ready.

"I have news," Siranon said to her as they walked the hallway back to their room after the children were all settled in and sleeping. "I have just learned today that my father and T'Pau come to Earth next week."

She frowned. "Already?"

"You have yet to meet he who is my father," he said, confused.

She sighed. "No. I was talking about T'Pau. There's something we need to discuss."

"About my clan mother?"

"Yes. I have my own news."

##

"And that was the contents of the scroll?" he asked, openly amazed.

"That's what it said."

Siranon had to sit down. "Why would I be in the lead to be considered to become Vulcan's ambassador to a world just inside the neutral zone?"

She shook her head. "Telvin said something about our family being in line with the values held by the Mashtik. Since they're not in the Federation, information on them is kind of classified. I wasn't able to find out one blessed thing about them, their world or their people. Him telling me to research them was- I have no way of getting into the database. I don't have the clearance for that."

He looked extremely concerned. "I have partial clearance. And from what I know of the Mashtik… how much do you understand about the Debrune?"

"I did some research on them years ago. Weren't they ancient Romulans?"

"To some extent, yes."

"There isn't that much information, but from what I gathered I thought they were all dead?"

"To our knowledge, they are. However, it is believed that the world called Aqueous II by the Federation was in fact populated by a very advanced sect of an ancient Debrune scientist. The inhabitants call it Mashtik as do the Romulans."

She felt a little queasy hearing the word 'sect'.

"Yes, my wife, you have noticed that particular word. When science, philosophy and religion intersect at a crossroads few have seen, it has a tendency to make others unnerved. It is the speculation of the Vulcan Academy that has access to this information that the pre-Mashtik were, in a way, ostracized by Debrune society. So they collected themselves and formed their own society, became a space-faring civilization for two centuries before they founded what they came to call Mashtik."

"Well why do they want a Federation ambassador there now all of a sudden?"

"Apparently their society is quite divided. They think that if they look to the past, it will help their future."

She frowned. "The past?"

"They have asked specifically for a Vulcan ambassador. And they have also asked for a Romulan ambassador. The Federation readily agreed. But the Romulans had the condition that if they accepted a Romulan ambassador, they also had to accept a Klingon contingent, as well. Apparently there is some agreement or alliance between those two peoples that we still do not yet fully comprehend understand."

She shook her head. "But our family, where do we come in?"

"You said that the scroll mentioned that a dossier on us is being compiled for submittal?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "T'Pau is coming here to see if you are fit for the role of ambassador's an wife. If I am correct, she has perhaps already considered Ambassador Sarek and his wife and they have probably flatly refused. There were only two other couples in our clan fit to become ambassadors and one of them just dissolved their bond. All of the other clans are also compiling dossiers and the S'chn T'gai will want to make certain they send forth their greatest prospect to win this position."

"Why us? That other couple, I assume they're both Vulcans? Wouldn't they be more fit to represent your planet?"

Siranon nearly smirked. "The Mashtik consider children sacred. They also consider it one of the greatest and bravest things to marry something other than where you are from."

Her eyebrows rose. "Can I assume that other couple doesn't have any children, either?"

"You would assume correctly."

She looked at him seriously. "Do you want this posting?"

He tried his best to contain himself. "My wife, I do not 'want' or 'not want' this assignment. My greatest concern is what you are willing to agree to. You did not marry me with the understanding that you would become an ambassador's wife. It would be unfair of me to change things between us after the fact of our marriage."

But she sensed it buried deep within him. He thought he was hiding it. She knew that before, she would not have detected his true wishes. But he wanted this assignment. He wanted it badly. Curiosity truly was the thing that would catch a Vulcan every time! And she had to admit to herself, this was the chance of a lifetime, something she never in a million years thought she would even get near when she became a staff member at the Vulcan embassy. "I want it, too," she admitted. "I just wish politics wasn't involved." And there were other worries there, beneath the surface.

He stood and pulled her into his arms. "I will make it very clear to T'Pau, the moment my family is in direct danger I will pull you from that world never to return. I am unwilling to lose any of you. Do you understand my meaning?"

"Yes," she said as she looked up into his eyes. "But I have to make something clear to you from the start. We both want this, but I'm not jumping through hoops for anybody for it. I will act appropriately, dress appropriately, the whole nine yards. But I will not alter my looks, my voice, my accent, anything that is inherently 'me' for this position. Do I make myself clear?"

"I would find any form of alteration to you to be unacceptable," he informed her.

She sighed. She hadn't realized she was nervous about what he might say to her not budging on giving up any part of her identity. But she started realizing that it might be a non-point. "She might meet me and decide I'm not right for this posting, anyway, so there is that."

He shook his head. "No. I doubt that sincerely."