The Gift of Celebration
Chapter 25
"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them."
Rabindranath Tagore
It wasn't until 0400 hours when the last of the celebration guests staggered home. It had been a good evening. After a delicious sit down dinner, Sarek, with a stoic expression on his face, endured the arrival of the huge, traditional Terran birthday cake, complete with 100 candles on it. After one mischievous look at his face, Amanda did not insist that he blow them out. The cake, and the champagne accompanying it, had been cut and distributed to all the guests while the orchestra played a very soft rendition of the traditional Happy Birthday. Then all the guests stood with their glass of champagne to toast the one hundredth birthday of the distinguished Ambassador to Earth. At the head table sat the most distinguished of all the attending VIPs; Admiral and Mrs. Nogura, the UFOP President and Vice President and their ladies, the Vulcan High Council President and his spouse, and of course Spock, sitting to the left of his father. Jim was shocked that Amanda had placed Jim, Bones and Winona at the head table next to Spock, and he saw some of the guests giving them questioning glances. Her seating arrangements sent a very clear message to all the attendees of hers and Sarek's loyalty to Star Fleet, the Federation, and to the Terrans they called friends.
Before the end of the evening, the Admiral took Jim, Todd, and Gavin aside to speak quietly to them. "Captains, Commander, you have my profound thanks for completing this mission in an exemplary manner; well done. I want both ships' personnel to take a few days for shore leave before your next mission orders. Thanks to you and your officers, Vulcan and Earth will continue as a united front within the Federation; the strength of the United Federation of Planets is intact."
"I'm happy the mission was completed successfully," Jim said. "But Admiral, I still don't understand what Solon hoped to achieve? Other than to lever the advantage of a surprise attack to pick off a few of the Federation's and Fleet's very highly placed targets, what could he hope to accomplish? Even if he'd gotten to those targets, there is always someone to step in to take their place. No one is indispensible."
"Jim, there isn't really an explanation I can give you that makes sense. The workings of a fanatic's mind as they rationalize their brand of hatred and bigotry are as Mr. Spock would say, "not logical." But believe me when I say, it would have hurt us; hurt us badly. Perceived vulnerability of the UFOP or Fleet is something we need to avoid at all costs. Just know that there are more fanatics and terrorists out there; we must be vigilant, both within and without Fleet and the Federation. What we have built is too important for us to become complacent or lazy about preserving it. The UFOP is so large, it's like a house of cards. Once a card is pulled from it, it weakens the whole edifice, and if the card is important enough, like Vulcan is, it can all come tumbling down. Evil is a very powerful card."
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."1 Jim murmured.
"Exactly," the Admiral said. He went on to tell Jim not to bother with their debriefing until lunch tomorrow. There was no rush. The terrorists were in the ships' brigs and Nogura still had to tell the Vulcan High Council about its three traitorous members. He would do that in the morning. It was not something he was looking forward to it, he told them, but it had best come from the C in C and not from the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. He would not delegate that unpleasant task to anyone else. The three Vulcans would be tried for treason by the Vulcan Tribunal, an arm of Vulcan High Command, and they would decide on their punishment. As for the rest of The Terra Prime members, they would be transported to Earth for trial and the Admiral had no doubt that after their trials, they would end up on Rura Penthe, the dreaded penal asteroid. The Admiral also told them that aside from being called as witnesses or being deposed about the events, he thought their part of mission was finished.
Nogura dismissed them. "Go home, get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow at noon."
Todd and his officers beamed back to his ship, and the Embassy group finally went home. The caterers had packed away the left over food and cake and the cleaners would come in the morning to remove the decorations. Jim and Spock piloted the two shuttles and they all trooped quietly and thankfully into the house. T'Lane had left a light on in the living room and the peace and quiet, as they entered the living room, was welcomed.
"I'm exhausted," Amanda sighed. "I thought this evening would never end. I think Admiral Nogura was very pleased with the attendance and I think everything went very well despite what went on outside. Everyone inside was pretty much oblivious thank goodness. Let's go to bed and I hope no one will try to get up early. T'Lane assured me she would keep Peter occupied until a decent time of the morning. Good night, everyone. Thank you for all you did, it's such a relief that this is over. We'll talk more tomorrow." Sarek nodded to everyone and followed his wife.
They all made their way to their respective beds. Jim peeked in on Peter and closed the door to the sleeping alcove. He sighed tiredly, pulling at the tight collar of his green dress tunic which had gotten more uncomfortable with each passing minute.
Bones looked over to him. "Is it my imagination, or are there more baubles and medals hanging on that tunic since you wore it last time? You're runnin' out of room, there, Captin'? That thing must be gettin' heavy."
Jim grinned ruefully. "I can't help it if we keep saving planets and civilizations and Star Fleet keeps giving me medals." He looked over to Bones who was shedding his own hated formal uniform tunic as fast as he could. "Bones?"
"Hmm."
"What was all that about; you and the Phaser and going all feral on me. You hate all that shit, Phasers blazing, difficult away missions, danger, fighting."
Bones' looked back at him, his blue gaze serious. "Yeah, that's true, I do; but if you thought I'd just sit in that ballroom and let ya'll do all the fighting after what they did to your mother, and what S'ten did to Peter, then you don't know me very well. Nobody messes with my friends or with that little boy without me doin' somethin; about it. And I can hold my own with a Phaser; you've seen to that, Jimmy."
Jim was quiet for a minute thinking about Bones discarding his scruples and deep felt convictions in order to defend and protect. "Thanks, Bones," he said softly. "Just thanks."
"Hush you; there's no need for thanks. You, me, Spock, we're a team; we protect our own and we always got each other's backs. Now let's get some sleep. I'm exhausted.'
Everyone except T'Lane, T'Lar and Peter slept until mid morning. Even Spock and Sarek got up late. Jim dressed, grabbed a snack off the breakfast room table and went to Sarek's office to comm Admiral Nogura to touch base about the debriefing. Afterward, he spoke with Todd; the two Captains, their XO's and Gavin would meet the Admiral on board The Condor for lunch and debriefing. He came back to the dining room to find everyone at breakfast; T'Lane and Peter were there too, hearing about Sarek's birthday party.
"Good morning, everyone." Jim dropped a light kiss on top of Peter's sandy head and another one on his mother's unfamiliar curly one as she smiled up at him. He still hadn't gotten over the new hair cut.
"Hi Uncle Jim. Did you have fun at the party?"
"It was a very exciting evening, Squirt. We didn't get home until very late."
Jim threw a mischievous glance at T'Lane. "How about you, T'Lane, did you and Peter enjoy "The Lone Ranger?"
Peter's hazel eyes shone. "It was great, right, T'Lane? She did a lot of research on the Old West, Uncle Jim. We watched seven episodes."
"Seven episodes! That's a lot of research you got done, T'Lane." Jim looked at her, his hazel eyes brimming with laughter.
One of T'Lane's eyebrows did an uncanny imitation of Spock's. "Yes, Captain, it was. I now know quite a lot about horses, silver bullets, and masked men," she responded; her face was serene, but her black eyes were twinkling.
Bones leaned over to Spock. "If you say facinatin' to that girl, I swear I'm gonna' give you a regimen of vitamin hypos every week for the next year," he whispered sotto voice.
Spock looked at the doctor, opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Sometimes it was best to just not, as Jim would say, "rile Bones up."
"Peter dear, if you're finished it's time for school work. Amanda, T'Lane, T'Lar and I will be busy in the kitchen for a while. If you need any help with your composition, just come and get me there. We have a lot of cooking to do for the party tonight. If you get hungry come to the kitchen and I'll fix you something.
"OK, Noni," said Peter, grabbing a couple of pieces of fruit on his way out.
Jim, Spock, and Gavin, also got up. "We're having lunch with the Admiral, Ma, so don't expect us back until later. Amanda, if you need anything for tonight's party just comm one of us and we'll pick it up on our way back."
"Thank you, Jim, and please remind the Admiral that the family party begins at 1900 hours and we'd be honored if he and Mrs. Nogura would like to attend."
T'Lane also got up. "There is no need for you to be interrupted, Captain. I am going now to check on the cleaning crew at the Ball Room, Amanda. If you need anything I can pick it up on my way back. I will help with the food when I return."
Sarek also got up from the table. "It is time for me to go to the office, my wife. I am sure that Admiral Nogura has already spoken to the Vulcan High Council. Now we must meet and decide when the tribunal will convene to pass judgment on the three Council members. Meanwhile, they must be incarcerated and we must disclose their transgressions to their families and to all of Vulcan." Sarek's normally impassive face was somber. "Vulcan honor has been severely compromised and I fear there will be much consternation, sorrow and shame among their families and within the Vulcan High Council.2 The cause is sufficient."
"What do you think will happen to them, Sarek?" Jim asked.
"I am not sure, James. At the very least exile; they will never be able to return to Vulcan; their familial bonds with parents, siblings, children, cousins, all will be severed by a Vulcan healer, their names will be purged from their clan lists; if they are married their marriage bonds will be dissolved. They will be outcasts and their names will be forgotten on Vulcan." He drew in a deep breath. "It will be as if they never existed. Death would be preferable."
Jim looked around the room; he thought of the two people he loved most in the world; his mother and Peter. He thought of Spock and Bones; of Amanda, T'Lane, Sarek, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, of Todd, Gavin, Violet, and Davy, of his dear friends in Riverside, of the beautiful blue planet he called home, and of his beloved ship. His drew in a shaky breath at the thought of never seeing his family and friends again, never seeing Earth again, never feeling his mighty ship underneath his feet; forever parted from everyone and everything he held most dear. Sarek was right, death was preferable.
It was close to noon when they said goodbye to the ladies and to Peter and left for The Condor. Jim piloted the shuttle straight to the landing bay. The Admiral's assistant took them directly to the dining room where Admiral Nogura was waiting for them. Jim saw that he looked tired, almost drained; unusual for the Ice Man whose face usually never gave anything away.
"Gentlemen, good to see you," he told them. "Lunch is ready."
The men drew out the chairs and two yeomen appeared with trays of food and set plates and ice tea down in front of each officer. They stood until the Admiral sat down and Jim waited until the yeomen left to speak.
"You look tired Admiral."
"Yes well, it was a tough morning. Mr. Spock, is it usual for the whole of the Vulcan Council to be present for a debriefing?"
"It is not unusual, Admiral. Particularly when the news is something of paramount importance. In this particular instance, I am certain my father's celebration was the motivating factor in all of them being present."
"Believe me when I tell you gentlemen that I never again wish to impart bad news to a room full of shocked angry Vulcans who are trying their best to remain calm and impassive. I could have cut the atmosphere with a knife."
"What did they say Admiral?" asked Bones, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"They assured me they would take care of the matter. They would decide and mete out punishment and inform me of what it will be. They want the three Vulcans transferred to holding cells at Vulcan Security, so if you would please take care of that as soon as possible, Captain Kirk."
"Aye, Sir. I'll contact Officer Sofik and Commander Giotto and arrange for the transfers as soon as we're finished here."
Admiral Nogura nodded his majestic white head. "I've also debriefed the UFOP President of the satisfactory ending to this mission. He wishes for me to extend his thanks to all of you. No one else knows what transpired here, and we hope to keep it that way, so consider this mission highly classified and let the others who were involved know that. Commander Bradford, please also extend my thanks to the two other SIS agents. Their help was invaluable. After they leave Vulcan, they will resume their assignments on Rigel V. Terra Prime is still active there, and although we have dealt them a heavy blow, I doubt that it will end them."
"Aye, Sir."
"Captain Kirk, Captain Todd, as I mentioned last night, both ships' complements deserve a little shore leave. Your new orders won't come in for a few days, so enjoy yourselves. Make sure both crews have some time off and that means the ships' commanding officers as well. No work for the next few days. Put both ships on auto, have Vulcan Space Central keep them on their umbilicals and all of you enjoy Shore Leave. Jim, make sure that Chief Engineer of yours gets off the ship too."
"Yes, Sir."
Jim and Todd smiled. It would be good to spend time on Vulcan without the worry of the mission. Jim thought how pleased his mother and Peter would be.
The rest of the meal was spent in desultory conversation. Spock passed on his mother's invitation for the family party to the Admiral.
"Thank your mother, Mr. Spock, but we are heading back to Earth this afternoon. I must be back in San Francisco by tomorrow. I'm sure my assistant has a back log of items that must be taken care of, but even more important, Mrs. Nogura would not be happy if we missed our grand daughter's birthday."
Lunch was soon over. They took their leave and made their way to the shuttle bay. Todd and Tomas Rodriguez said their goodbyes. "We'll see you at the party this evening, we're looking forward to it," Todd said to Spock.
"Captain, Commander, it is very informal, only friends are invited, so there is no need for uniforms" replied Spock.
Jim took the pilot's seat of the shuttle again and did a 360 fly around The Condor. He took a few pictures with his comm to show Scotty. "She's a beautiful ship, isn't she Spock?" He looked sideways at his First.
Spock, knowing a cue when he heard one, nodded. "She is indeed, Jim; but there is no ship of the line that is as aesthetically pleasing as Enterprise. There is a certain dignity, majesty and stateliness about our flag ship that seems to be missing in other ships."
Jim gave him such a dazzling smile, that Spock blinked. Bones in the back seat, nudged Gavin and snorted. Jim's love affair with his ship was a well known fact; nothing pleased him more than praise for his lady. However, Jim could be also be generous with his praise of other ships and especially of the beautiful Condor. He would show Scotty the holos while they relaxed with some good whisky and he'd tell him all about Nogura's grand new ship; all of its upgrades, the enhanced warp engines, and the possibility of there being more built like her. Both of them would agree that the new ship was beautiful and powerful, but their mutual admiration and love of Enterprise would remain steadfast and strong.
Jim brought the shuttle gently down at the Embassy. The heat outside was already unbearable as they walked into the cool dimness of house.
The men walked into the kitchen to find everyone hard at work preparing food for the evening. Amanda looked up and smiled at them. She and T'Lar were dicing fresh vegetables and putting them on trays. Winona's face was flushed with heat and her curls were damp around her face. She was rolling out dough for pies and fresh peaches had been cut and were in a bowl.
Bones' eyes opened wide. "Winona darlin' are you making peach pies?" he asked unbelievably.
Jim scowled at the 'darlin' but refrained from saying anything.
"I am, Leonard. I thought some good home cooked desserts would be nice for tonight. I know you love peach pie. This time I got the recipe from the Southern Cookbook you gave me for Christmas," she told him. "I hope they're as good as your grandmother's." She gave him a shy smile. "It's just a small thank you for all you've done for us, Leonard," she told him. "But please don't feel obligated to eat any if it's not to your liking," she added.
McCoy could feel the heat in his cheeks as he blushed. He ducked his head then looked at her. "Winona, I would rather waltz with a horde of Klingons at a Cotillion than pass up a piece of that there peach pie. You sure didn't have to do that for me, but thank you. The peaches smell amazin'."
"I've also made a Red Velvet Cake and a Carrot Cake. Jim and Peter love my Carrot cake, don't you sweetheart? I thought it'd be a treat for you after all that happened last night."
"Thanks Ma," Jim said, giving her a hug and dropping a light kiss on the rosy cheek. "Peter and I will probably devour the whole cake," he told her teasingly.
"You most certainly will not! It's a huge cake, there will be plenty for everyone. Now all of you shoo; this kitchen is not big enough for everyone. You're distracting us and we still have a lot of work to do. I may have something sweet for everyone in a few minutes, though," she added as she patted Jim's cheek affectionately. "Why don't you check on Peter's composition and I'll bring in some cookies and iced tea in a little while."
Spock, leaned casually against the door, but his attention was anything but casual. He watched the affectionate little tableaux between mother and son and felt again that same twinge of envy he'd felt while in Riverside at Christmas. 3 He could not negate or rationalize away the thought that he wished he and Amanda could interact, if not like Jim and his mother, at least in a less formal and more affectionate manner. He knew, though, that while he was under his father's roof that would not be possible. Regret tugged at him as he watched Jim and Winona.
The men went into the living room and Jim checked on Peter's progress; he made a couple of suggestions and grammar corrections and then sat behind Peter on the sofa to relax. Gavin, Bones and Spock were relaxing as well. He could smell the peach pies baking in the oven. He thought again of the three Vulcans and their probable exile from family, friends and their world. He found it in himself to feel sorrow for them; he knew he could not have handled such a loss. He looked down at the curly head in front of him and at his friends across the room. Tonight all those he held most dear would be present with him at the family party; he felt a deep sense of contentment at that thought.
1 Edmund Burke 1729-1797
2 trau'es: In Vulcan, displaying integrity; upright; not deceptive or fraudulent; genuine; characterized by truth; not false
3 See "A Riverside Christmas Mystery