The Pon T'Keshtan
By Mary K. Hanson
Limited Copyright © 2010
This is the beta-ed version of this chapter. I love the way my beta FarStrider is able to trim the fat off my words and yet leave all the meat of them behind. Fantastic work; thank you!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
Yeoman Janice Rand, her blonde hair piled in a sort of basket weave style on top of her head, met Nyota and Spock at the door with a grin and a silver tray of drinks. Spock declined the offer with a small shake of his head, and stood beside Nyota with his hands behind his back. He had, upon entering, counted the number of vacant chairs around the table; there were thirty-one place-settings: a spot for Kirk at the head of the table, and fifteen settings along the sides.
"I thought this was going to be a more private dinner, Janice," Nyota whispered as she selected a glass of white wine.
"I think it started out that way, and then this one invited that one, and well... things just kind of got out of hand from there."
"Typical," Nyota said, taking a sip. "When we were at the Academy, the captain was famous for hosting parties in his room that quickly expanded to hallways, stairwells, several other dorms, and eventually the lawns and parking lots around campus. He doesn't seem able to say no to a party... or a partier."
Currently he was entertaining Captain Freeda with a very animated story of his encounter with the Xinxian holo-lure on Jagusch-McGillis, and he seemed overtly pleased when Freeda gave him a broad-faced Denobulan grin in response.
Spock, moving quietly in Nyota's wake, wasn't surprised when several eyes followed their progress through the room., appraising them. He knew their relationship had been the gossip of Starfleet since the Narada incident, but this would be the first time most of the guests had seen them as a couple in a social setting. Rumors about Swahn were also undoubtedly circulating among the crew. The stares made him bristle a bit, anticipating reproval, but externally, he kept his features serene.
"What a lovely pair you are," Freeda remarked as they drew near.
"Captain Freeda, let me introduce my First Officer, Commander Spock, and my head Communications Officer, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura," Kirk said.
Freeda's eyes, framed by the facial ridge typical of her species, were presently a soft blue. Spock knew the color was a reflection of her current emotional state, and it would shift dramatically as her hormone or adrenalin levels changed. Nonetheless, the placid blue, along with her kind words, helped assuage some of the prickliness within him, and he was grateful. She extended her hand to him, in the Human greeting, and he reached past Nyota to shake it lightly, reading gentle kindness and acceptance through the touch... along with a slight hint of desire.
Dr. Surrey had warned him that after what he had endured on New Vulcan his unconscious reactions to different stimuli might surprise him. He was often startled by the anger, disgust, or alarm that sometimes arose in response to the most innocuous circumstances, like a handshake, or a look, or a provocative statement - even if it wasn't directed at him. Upon sensing Captain Freeda's vague attraction to him, a flood of revulsion filled him, causing him to withdraw his hand. He was not as healed as he had imagined, and that admission was difficult for him. Only Nyota noticed the subtle shift in his posture that denoted his discomfort. She leaned her hip toward him slightly, offering her unspoken support, as Kirk asked Captain Freeda, "Denobulans are polygamous, right?"
"We're a society of extended families, yes, Captain. Polygamy and polyandry are the Human labels for it."
"Three husbands, three wives - "
"Sometimes more than three."
"Must get confusing, keeping track of everyone," McCoy suggested from beside the captain.
"Not at all. Humans have extended relationships resulting from families with multiple children, don't they? You remember your relations, don't you, Dr. McCoy?"
"Not always, no," McCoy admitted, "Especially when it comes to my distant cousins or just about anyone on my ex-wife's side."
"Ex-wife? Oh, yes, Humans still practice the rite of dissolution."
"Denobulans don't get divorced?"
"Rarely. We tend to select mates with which we are wholly compatible, and in instances when friction arises, we distance ourselves from one another, and live with our other relations until emotions cool again."
"Ahhhh. Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and blows up the bonfire..."
"Oooo, what an evocative sentiment, Doctor McCoy," Freeda cooed.
McCoy grinned. "Thank you."
"That was actually a quote from the ancient Earth author, François de La Rochefoucauld," Spock informed her. (1)
"Yeah, well, he takes credit for a lot of my best lines -" McCoy told Freeda.
Kirk shook his head, laughing. "Anyway, what I was getting to, before Dr. McCoy took us out to the bonfires, is the Vulcans are now in a situation where, rather than single bonds and single births, they're having to deal with multiple pairings and multiple offspring. Maybe the Denobulans could help them learn to cope with that."
Spock's whole body tightened as he turned slightly to the right, indicating his disapproval and rejection of Kirk's suggestion. Of course, Nyota noticed. "I - think Vulcans will handle the issue in their own way," she said. "However, Captain Freeda, you may be able to help me figure out how to cope with the fact that, in light of the Ek'tevan Prerogative, several females seem to have established a claim to my future bondmate."
"The lady is like a rose," said McCoy. "Soft, fragrant and beautiful, but willing to draw blood if need be." (2)
"Mark Overby." Spock identified the author. "But the doctor rather massacred the verbiage."
Kirk laughed, McCoy scowled, and Freeda asked Nyota, astonished, "Jealous possessiveness? Really?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Nyota slipped her arm in Freeda's, leading her away from the men to talk in private.
"Future bondmate - " McCoy said with a grin.
"Set a date for the nuptials yet, Mister Spock?" Kirk asked.
"No."
"But you will be announcing the marriage, right?"
"When things are more settled on New Vulcan, and there is a methodology in place to publish the banns, yes."
"Well, it's about bloody time you two stopped living in sin," said McCoy.
"Yeah, we were worried you'd end up burning in Hell," Kirk added jokingly.
Spock declined to respond to that, but cocked an eyebrow and remarked, "You two seem to take inordinate pleasure in seeking to discompose me."
Kirk gave Spock a solid pat on the shoulder and chuckled, "You're just now figuring that out?"
At precisely eighteen-thirty, Sarek, with Sybok and Tasmeen behind him, entered the room, followed by the entire Fonn Vulhkansu delegation. Unlike the other guests, the Vulcans were meticulously groomed and fastidiously dressed. Casual apparently wasn't in the Vulcan vocabulary. Even Spock, in his Starfleet uniform, was, by Human standards, somewhat overdressed for the occasion.
Ambassador McCormick had taken it upon herself to give a ship-to-ship primer on Vulcan etiquette and table manners before the dinner. Although her pedantic instructions were accurate and necessary under the circumstances, her delivery must have seemed tailor-made to annoy Captain Kirk, especially considering exactly who his First Officer was. Still, Spock was relieved that the captain tried to curb his natural extroversion and watch his speech in front of his Vulcan guests. In deference to Vulcan vegetarianism, Kirk had made sure no meat dishes were served - with the exception of the synth-meat in the Chinese Chicken Salad - and that alcohol was kept to a minimum. While alcohol had little effect on Vulcans, some crew members tended to over imbibe, especially at parties. Like most traditional Vulcan drinks and dishes, the liqueur Bar-kas Masu was blistering hot and spicy.(3) Fermented from an indigenous Vulcan cactus fruit, it was one of Sarek's favorites, and Kirk had made a special effort to procure a case from a backstreet merchant before the Enterprise left Jagusch-McGillis. He thought it tasted like varnish laced with cinnamon, and had remarked to Engineer Scott, "You can probably use it as a solvent to clean just about anything in engineering. I swear, that stuff can melt the enamel right off your teeth." Scotty, on the other hand, loved it; but when small glasses were served as the Fonn Vuhlkansu delegation entered, he declined to take one, still a bit leery of "the beast" since his run in with the Cobalt-Derivian Cocktail.
As each Vulcan stepped into the Captain's Mess, Spock's internal calculator ticked them off: ...twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine. Dr. Surrey, scurrying in a few moments later, uncombed curls and untucked shirttails flying, brought the guest count to thirty; leaving one place setting vacant. Once everyone was seated, conversations sprang up around the table, except in the vicinity of Captain Freeda. Denobulans didn't speak during meals, preferring to focus on their food, which left Dr. McCoy, seated beside her, without a conversation mate. Leaning forward he remarked to Sybok over the din of voices around them, "Spock still hasn't told us how he and Uhura got together."
Smiling over his fork, Sybok said, "Oh, I expect their affections sparked over a discussion of the Vulcan language's lack of articles, or Golic syntax, or something innocuous like that.(4) Spock has always had the uncanny ability to make the mundane fascinating, and that, along with the natural magnetism of the Vulcan male, is often irresistible to females."
"Irresistible?" McCoy snorted, "I always thought Spock came off as something of a cold fish; you know, restrained... even prudish."
Sybok deliberately ignored the stern glance Spock gave them from over the curved bowl of his glass of jade-water. "Oh, hardly. I always suspected Spock was the far more ardent among us in the family. You know, shi'yon. All stone and cool-rigidity on the surface, but underneath - a boiling pool of magma straining for release." (5) Spock set his glass down, hard, next to his plate, in a scolding gesture. Across the table, Dr. Surrey noticed the exchange and pricked his ears so he could eavesdrop.
"Is that how you find him, Uhura?" McCoy asked. "Volcanic?"
Before Nyota could respond, Spock reminded them, "There is a child present at the table."
McCoy looked around, and located Tasmeen at the other end. He shook his head at Spock. "Just as I suspected... prudish."
Sybok chuckled to Nyota, "Only you can dissuade the doctor from his entrenched position, Pi'Ko-kai. Tell us how you came to be attracted to my brother."(6)
Spock turned to her directly. "This is not a conversation suitable for the dinner table."
"Oh, come on, Spock," McCoy pressed. "It's not like we haven't all made up scenarios in our heads; and you know we're going to drag it from you eventually... You're getting married soon, for God's sake, man."
"Married?" Ambassador McCormick echoed, and the word drifted around the table, repeated by others. All eyes focused on Spock and Nyota, causing a heated blush to rise in her face.
"The banns have not yet been published, but a preliminary proclamation of koon-ut so'lik has been made," Spock explained.(7)
"Yeah, yeah. All very well and proper," said McCoy. "But we still want the love story."
"It is a private matter."
"A private matter we're going to keep poking at in public until we get a full accounting."
"Doctor - "
"Arguing with them simply prolongs the discussion, Spock," Sarek noted from his seat directly to Captain Kirk's right.
"Thank you, Ambassador," said McCoy.
"I am not condoning the dialog, Doctor McCoy. I am simply pointing out it may come more quickly to a finish if the Lieutenant is allowed her say on the matter. Speak, Daughter, and let that be the end of it."
Given Vulcans' proclivity for privacy when it came to the matter of personal interrelations, Sarek's request was somewhat surprising. However, the power in his voice was compelling, and it was difficult to deny him... which was part of what made him such a capable ambassador. Nyota placed her fingertips on Spock's forearm, where it lay beside his plate, his hand clenched in a light fist, and took a moment to choose her words carefully.
"Spock has numerous qualities which many females of many species find both charming and alluring. I consider myself blessed and honored to be chosen as his ko-telsu. (8) In my opinion, no Human can compare to him. I wouldn't compare him to a volcano, which is a hard, soulless, inanimate thing. I've always found him to be more like a symphony: a harmonious blending of disparate elements... far more engrossing and provocative than many of the one-note males we women usually encounter in space."
Across the table, Nurse Chapel enthusiastically clinked the side of her water glass with her fork, exclaiming, "Hear, hear! Well said, honey!"
McCoy blinked and looked at Kirk. "I'm not sure, but I think they just insulted us."
"I'm sure," said Kirk.
"Artfully done, Little Sister," Sybok leaned across Spock's plate to whisper to Nyota. "You managed to obey our father, compliment your mate, and disarm the curious with a single blow. Who knew you were so skilled in sof'el'itju!" (9)
Nyota saluted him with her glass before looking at Spock. He gave her a sideways glance which told her little, but also rolled his hand under her fingertips, letting her read his gratitude through the touch. Smiling at him softly, she sipped her wine.
Watching them, Sybok declared, "I am going to have to find myself a Human wife." Christine perked up in her chair and grinned at him.
McCoy, clearing his throat to get her attention, said, "Excuse me, Nurse. What am I, chopped Ferengi slug-liver?"(10)
Sarek drew the captain's attention before Christine responded, "Captain Kirk, is everything in readiness to deliver the Fonn Vuhlkansu delegation to New Vulcan on the morrow?"
"Yes, Ambassador. We're just waiting for Sa'aat to verify he's got all the security measures in place. We'll beam you directly into the Cathedral's Formal Chamber right before tomorrow's Council Meeting. Where is Sa'aat, by the way? I invited him..."
"You are certain?" Sa'aat asked Sionak as they stood before a monitor in his small apartment in the city. Despite the prestige and trappings of his new rank, and his new office in the Cathedral, he was determined to keep these tiny rooms until they no longer served his purposes.
"Yes, osu." The burly guard pointed to a spot in the readouts on the monitor and repeated, "Here: just minutes ago, as traffic from the incoming ships carrying the delegates and the outgoing Federation shuttles was at its heaviest, a small personal craft leaves the planet. It is registered as the Marom'es (11), currently in the possession of the Sreem Maat."
"Semuk's clan - "
"Yes."
"Beyond its ownership, what makes you believe T'Pau is using the vessel?"
"The Marom'es is designed to accommodate a crew of three, plus ten passengers."
"And?"
"When the vessel left the planet, it appeared to the scanners as though no one was aboard... and the ship did not respond to hails."
"So either it was able to launch itself and run on autopilot or the passengers and crew were somehow shielded from conventional scans and evading communication."
"Affirmative."
Sa'aat stepped away from the monitor and paced the room for a moment. He had snatched a fleeting confirmation that T'Pau was still on New Vulcan from T'Janikrel, and he had already suspected T'Pau had used some form of kelbonite shielding in her escape from the lava tube. Logic would suggest, therefore, she might employ the same tactic to escape from the planet. "One must credit her for being both ingenious and bold. If the Marom'es is indeed her mode of escape, she chose her moment well: less than a day before the Council Meeting when security would be focused around the Cathedral and the delegations... And if she remains on the planet, the escaping ship was an excellent decoy. What is the ship's trajectory?"
"It bypassed all the ships in orbit and seemed to be on a heading toward Draylax and the Bassen Rift."
"An odd destination..."
"That track would take the ship near the Romulan Neutral Zone."
"Yes."
"Shall we pursue?"
"No," said Sa'aat. Sionak tilted an eyebrow in surprise, but lowered it as Sa'aat continued, "Not we. If the flight of the Marom'es is a ruse, and T'Pau remains on New Vulcan, I do not want my best klashausu out chasing phantoms. Have Smish take the Wan-Wein. (12) Tell him to follow the Marom'es discreetly, and keep me apprised of his progress. He is not to engage or intercept the vessel without my direct order. Meanwhile, I want you to investigate the area from where the Marom'es departed and let me know if there is any evidence suggesting who was, or was not, on that flight."
"Yes, osu."
"Father tells me your mother's katra currently resides aboard this vessel, Spock," Sybok lifted a slor-tuh (13) from a tray, presented to him by a yeoman, with his fork.
"Yes," said Spock, declining the treat. The yeoman moved on, and Nyota took one of the tufts from the platter and set it on her plate.
"I'm happy for you." Sybok chewed briefly and swallowed. "Truly. I know how much Lady Amanda means to you... and to Father."
"You are gracious," Spock said with an appreciative head bow. He knew the subject of mothers and their katras was a touchy one for his half-brother. Sybok had been as attached to his mother, T'Rea, as Spock was to Amanda, and when, upon her death, T'Rea's katra had been forcibly removed from her body and placed in a vre'katra in the Hall of Ancient Thought, Sybok had been furious. Deepest grief replaced his anger, however, when, upon shoving his way into the chamber to meld with his mother's katra, T'Rea's spirit allowed itself to dissipate and die rather than face continued confinement. (14) It was that Sybok, pained and grieving, whom Spock had first met as a child.
"It seems, for us, we often find small graces and triumphs, in moments of misery." Spock said, circumspect. "Upon T'Rea's death, you and I found one another, and that was a blessing. When I lost myself to the shariv t'kae, I was able to retrieve my mother's katra, another gift. And now, I am gratified to see you return to our people, Sybok. You have been too long absent."
"Yes. The banishment was prohibitive... although, I do admit, I could have kept in better touch with you, Little Brother. Time, distance, and personal pursuits kept us separated, but I hope, as we progress forward, we can both make more of an effort to stay connected."
"That is my hope as well."
"Will you be staying on New Vulcan, Sybok?" Nyota asked.
"If I can, yes. The V'tosh ka'tur hope to establish a separate colony on New Vulcan; open our own schools of thought; provide sanctuary for those Vulcans who don't subscribe to the Traditionalist interpretation of Surak's words..."
"A separate colony?" Kirk asked. "Like on another land-mass or something? Or will you stay close to the main city?"
"Homesteads and land-rights haven't been worked out yet; that's supposed to be part of what will be discussed at the Council Meeting."
"Under the old system," Sarek explained, "estates had been made up of acreage owned and worked by clans and families over generations; now and we have to start over. Children born under the Ek'tevan Prerogative, the Taluhk Tan, are guaranteed property by the State, but how much and where it will be situated have yet to be determined. Personal property will have to be balanced against the State's need for farmland and preserves, and access to minerals, water, and other natural resources."
Sipping his tea, Spock allowed himself a few seconds to muse on what sort of property he might like Swahn to have: perhaps some acreage, a little farm or vineyard, in the foothills He liked the idea of Swahn having a settlement somewhere, a home port, a touch-point... a world he could call home.
"Nothing will come quickly, of course," said Sybok. "Archeological, geological, climatological, and environmental impact studies have to be done. Deeds and property regulations will have to be put into place. Equitable disbursal of land will have to be maintained so no one feels neglected or cheated. I don't envy the duties of the bureaucracy - "
"A bureaucracy of which you will be a part, as the lead delegate for the V'tosh ka'tur," Spock reminded him.
"Yes." Sybok chuckled. "As I said: I don't envy the bureaucratic work."
"And will you still seek Sha Ka Ree?" Nyota asked him.
"Ahhhh. She does her homework," Sybok said to Spock, a bit surprised.
Spock nodded. "Dutifully."
"Sha Ka Ree?" Kirk asked.
"The Vulcan equivalent to the Human concept of the Garden of Eden," Sybok explained. "An idyllic utopia, a place of equality and equanimity, where - "(15)
"A myth," said Sarek bluntly. "Many V'tosh ka'tur are Sha Ka Ree zealots."
"As are many Traditionalists about their own beliefs," Sybok countered.
"Often their pursuit verges on the fanatical. Sybok's mother was lost to such a quest."
All of the softness and humor drained from Sybok's face. "Don't you speak about my mother."
Spock set a hand against his half-brother's wrist; looking Sybok in the eyes until some of the agitation and pique left them.
McCoy remarked, "I have to admit, Ambassador Sarek, I find it a little difficult to imagine a 'fanatic Vulcan'; seems like a contradiction in terms."
"We are restrained and logical beings, Doctor McCoy, however, our fascinations and drives are profound; in some instances, far more profound than they are in Humans. It is the natural dichotomy of the Vulcan people, the reason for our self-enforced control. Without logic we would be lost to our passions... as were our ancestors."
"And that dichotomy is part of what women find so attractive in the Vulcan males," Nurse Chapel added, winking in Sybok's direction. He smiled, allowing her blatant, playful provocativeness to bolster his spirits and take his mind off of darker thoughts and past pains.
"Are Spock's drives profound, Uhura?" McCoy needled.
"Exceedingly - " Nyota took a heaping bite of the slor-tuh, then grimaced and gagged. The pastry tasted like prunes soaked in lemon juice. She swallowed, knowing that spitting it out would be a horrendous breech of etiquette, but pushed her plate away so she wouldn't accidentally sample any more. Seeing her distress, Spock handed her his glass of jade-water without comment.
"You are something of an expert in the interpretation of dreams, are you not, Sybok?" he deliberately changed the subject, as Nyota downed enough jade-water to wash away the taste of the slor-tuh.
"It depends on the dream... and the dreamer."
"Dr. Surrey tells me we are our own best interpreters when it comes to our dreams; nonetheless, I would like to ask you opinion about one I had recently."
"Certainly - "
Just as Spock began recounting his dream about the Shadow Being, the door opened with a thiikk, barely audible to the Humans over the voices in the room. All the Vulcans heard it, however, and turned to watch Sa'aat entering. He was still dressed in the dark faux-leather uniform, and cut a striking figure as he walked to the table, and took the open chair next to S'Risha.
"I apologize for my tardiness," he said to Captain Kirk. "Matters on the surface required my attention."
"So I see -" Kirk said. "The braid's back, and you've gotten a new uniform. So, you accepted the commission of Solai-Lan?"
"No," Sa'aat, smoothed a napkin over his lap, and accepted a plate from one of the attending yeomen. "- Fik-Zhel-Lan, actually." Some of the younger Vulcans at the table actually coughed with surprise, and Kirk looked at them, startled by their response. "It will be discussed in full at the Council Meeting," Sa'aat said dismissively, turning his attention to the variety of foods and drink offered to him. "Please. Do not allow my presence to interfere with your meals and conversation." He filled his plate with steamed vegetables, salad, and a cup of black bean soup.
"You were saying - " Dr. Surrey prompted. " - About your dream, Mister Spock."
"Yes," Spock said, as Sa'aat reached for a glass of the Bar-kas Masu and took a deep swallow of it. He returned his focus to Sybok, "The Shadow Being was made of layers, all black film and undulating gauze, but between the layers were pale points of gray light, thousands if not millions of them."
Sybok's eyes lit up. "I had a similar vision, Little Brother! A whirling vortex filled with glowing nodules of memories and desires and thoughts, and a dark voice saying, 'Prah-tor na'zul-kunel - daungau snagel-tor wuh'rak ihsek-le-suma du.'" (To get to the Mountain, you must first face/encounter the rime.)
"My dream had a similar message," said Spock. "I was told that before I could go to the mountains, I had to shovel snow."
"Ohhhh. Two of the same blood, with the same vision," Sybok whispered, excitement making his voice tremble. "The message must be an important one!"
Sarek turned his attention to his glass of liqueur and sipped it. He presented himself with an air of someone who didn't want to encourage or bring attention to his son's fanciful belief in the importance of dreams. But he had also had a similar vision. During a recent meditation, he had seen himself in the depths of an infinite and incomparably dark ocean, in a trench so deep no light from the surface penetrated. He had been floating in the quiet sustaining darkness for quite some time, before slowly becoming aware he was surrounded by millions of tiny bioluminescent jellyfish. Just pricks of light at first, their numbers eventually became so vast the light from them became blinding…
"I experienced a similar vision," said violet-eyed Serran from beside Ensign Chekhov.
"And I," T'Kela acknowledged.
"And I," said Sol't'gol.
Enteria and T'Stala also nodded in assent.
"Sa'aat," said Spock, "you are the most adept among us. What have you to say on the matter?"
Sa'aat kept his own version of the shared mental picture to himself, but answered, "It is not unusual for visions to be projected and shared along the k'war'ma'khon. We all know this; we have all experienced them before."
"They're the lost katras, aren't they?" Sybok suggested, his eyes glimmering and hope-filled.
"I do not know what the lights represent."
"It is they. I know it. I feel it, within my whole body. It is they! The lost ones. They call to us from the depths of the black hole." Sybok leaned over his plate to look at the Vulcans on his side of the table. "We all felt it. When their bodies died, we felt them die. Billions. The pain is etched in all of our minds." No one said anything, but no one denied him either. He looked at the Vulcans gathered on the opposite side of the table. "Some have survived The Genocide, and their spirits have been reaching out to us over the vastness of space: pale points of light in the blackness. We must go to them; rescue them."
"Temper your imagination, my son," Sarek cautioned. "We have only a collective image, a shared dream. No facts have yet presented themselves."
"Facts are easy enough to accumulate. Let us go to the black hole that was once our home world and see for ourselves!"
"We have pressing matters to attend to here, Sybok, on this world."
"But the souls of the lost, Father! We cannot abandon them."
"You are not even certain the souls are there. The Council Meeting is slated to begin tomorrow afternoon, and you have vowed to stand as the lead delegate for the V'tosh ka'tur. This is no time to go chasing phantoms." Sybok sat back, dropping his hands into his lap, squaring his shoulders, as Sarek said, "You will remain here. I will brook no argument."
When Spock was a child, he often heard his brother and father disagree in much the same manner. There was a constant skirmish of words, ideology and wills between them, and both men were strong and stubborn. Quarreling with Sarek was useless; only logic would persuade him to alter his view, and Sybok often hadn't the patience for that. His impatience, along with his penchant for fanciful idealism, was often his undoing. Punishment for violating one of Sarek's mandates was never physical; he had never raised a hand to either of his children. Instead, his punishments consisted of either open disapproval and denouncement, or a silent shunning... which, for Spock, had actually been the more difficult penalty to bear. As long as his father talked to him, he felt - even if the words were harsh - there was hope for them. But being ignored was isolating, debilitating. Sarek had "ignored" Sybok for decades, and Spock feared they were heading down the same course again. As seemed to be his lot, he once again played the peacemaker between them. "Perhaps," he suggested quietly to Sybok, "once things are settled here, we can make a Pilgrimage to Vulcan."
"Yes," Sybok's whole affect softened again.
"- Bring along the most capable Adepts and have them plumb the depths of the abyss. If there are katras there, the Adepts will find them."
"Yes."
"And if the souls are not there, the journey will still be worth making. It will give us an opportunity to lay our dead to rest - even as new lives are born on New Vulcan."
"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Mister Spock," Dr. Surrey said, feeling proud his patient had come so far in his own recovery.
"You approve, Doctor?" Sarek sounded mildly surprised.
"Absolutely. The pilgrimage has long been a psychological archetype, an action allowing for contemplation and healing on a very deep unconscious level. It is, by its very nature, a sort of walking meditation; a remedial trip, if you will. Many different peoples of many different planets have documented the emotional and physical benefits of such an exercise - when it's done with proper planning and with an open state of mind, of course. Vulcans have been through an unprecedented trauma; making a pilgrimage back to your home world may, as Spock suggested, provide you with a mechanism to release your grief into the void, expunge your anger, make room for the new and the living..." Surrey looked back at Spock and smiled at him. "As I said, I think it's a marvelous idea."
"Thank you, Doctor."
From his end of the table, Sa'aat said nothing, but lifted his glass of Bar-kas Masu in Spock's direction with an approving nod.
(1) François de La Rochefoucauld: not to be confused with the French Cardinal La Rochefoucauld, François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac was a noted French nobleman and writer who lived in the 1600's on Earth. According to Wikipedia: "Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had a great admiration for La Rochefoucauld and was influenced not only by his ethical stance, but also his writing style."
(2) This is a twisted version of the quote by the author Mark Overby, which actually reads: "Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense."
(3) Alcohol: Although it was never addressed in canon, some non-canon Trek references state that alcohol doesn't affect Vulcans - however, they can become inebriated on chocolate (which is why I have, in my stories, one of Spock's favorites treats to have strawberries drenched in chocolate and pepper). "Vulcan Brandy" is supposed to have chocolate in it according to DS9. Bar-kas Masu, which translated from the Vulcan means "Spice-Water", is a drink I made up myself; it is not canon.
(4) Lack of articles: In the Vulcan language there is no use of "articles" such as "the", "an" or "a", as there is in English. And the "syntax" of the Vulcan language is different from English as well, as sentences are usually formed with the verb first, then the subject/object, and then everything else. An English sentence, for example, might read "Kirk and Spock go to the zoo," whereas, in Vulcan, the structure would shift to, "To go zoo Kirk and Spock".
(5) Shi'yon: the Vulcan word for "volcano", or more precisely, "an opening in the earth's crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected" according to the VLD.
(6) Pi'Ko-kai: translated from the Vulcan, this means "Little Sister".
(7) Koon-ut so'lik: the Vulcan proposal of marriage which leads to kal'i'farr (the marriage itself).
(8) Ko-telsu: the Vulcan word for "wife".
(9) Sof'el'itju: A Vulcan martial arts form which means "Dance of Combat" in which the combatants stay about a meter away from each other at all times.
(10) Slug-liver: A Ferengi breakfast food, generally served raw. Deep Space Nine.
(11) Marom'es: The Vulcan word for "excellence".
(12) Wan-Wein: The Vulcan word for "cloud cover".
(13) Slor-tuh: translated from the Vulcan it means "sweet heap"; a Vulcan delicacy similar to a tiny Bundt cake. Author's Note: this is strictly non-canon; I made it up myself.
(14) T'Rea's past: this is from the Star Trek-based novel "Sarek" by A.C. Crispen and the novelization of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier", as well as information gleaned from the Memory Alpha and Memory Beta sites. Another site, The Orion Chronology, purports that T'Rea committed suicide after mind-raping another adept at Gol, but I haven't been able to find anything that substantiates that claim.
(15) Sha Ka Ree: also spelled "Sha-ka-ri", the mystical and mythical center of Creation, the place where the gods held domain; likened to the Romulan concept of Vorta Vor. Sybok and other zealots believed the entrance to it was a physical place somewhere along the rim of the galaxy.