Running Interference

Sarek and Amanda were ready for a visit from Demek whom had only just been released from the Vulcan Academy Hospital. They all wished it was a social call, but it was not. Serious things were afoot and once apprised of the full situation, the elder had information they all sorely needed.

"Please, enter my abode," said Sarek as he opened the door. Zurel was standing just behind him, having escorted him from the gate. The guard nodded once at Sarek and then went on his way.

Demek entered the home with his hand raised in salute. "Live long and prosper, Sarek."

"Peace and long life," answered the younger man.

"Lady Amanda, I am pleased to see you well," Demek addressed her once he was inside the home.

Amanda, unable to hide her stress over a situation that seemed to be attempting to swallow one of her best friends, only nodded at Demek with a wan smile. "You too, Demek." She handed him a tumbler of water as a sign of hospitality.

"Please, sit," invited Sarek as he took his own seat. Amanda sat next to her husband and for once was careful not to touch him. He knew then exactly how stressed she was. His wife usually sought reassurance via touch. She knew Demek did not hold the same distaste for her Terran ways as other Vulcans and therefore there was no reason for her to hide her true self from him. She was also trying her best to keep her turmoil to herself and not allow it to leech into their bond. He ached, internally, for the turmoil his wife was in for her friends, for she seemed to have made fast friends with Shin whom she had only just met a few weeks before. "You were quite urgent when I spoke with you an hour ago," said Sarek to Demek.

After taking a small drink of the liquid given to him, he answered, "I have uncovered several important pieces of information. I knew you would want to have access to everything I have been able to uncover."

"Indeed, I would."

"On your first inquiry, I was also unable to affect the release of your Terran guard. Agent Sumar has assured me that, in fact, the V'Shar have not at all authorized this course of action. We are almost being led to assume by the V'Shar that Agent Stilen has acted of his own volition. But I suspect that someone senior in our government has authorized his actions. When Sumar approached his superiors about the matter, he was effectively told that it was not his jurisdiction and that he could not handle the matter."

"That's it?" exploded Amanda.

Demek nodded once. "That is all for now."

Sarek said, "This is unfortunate indeed. That Maya would be asked to hand herself over quite literally on the eve of her husband's Time coming to full fruition-" The answers then fell into place and it pained him to say it, but he felt obligated to speak the truth. "And until someone more senior comes into play, there is nothing we may do. I suspect T'Pau has done this."

"If she has found the young Terran as distasteful as you have indicated, it would not be beyond her to have a very logical way to have her removed without breaking the law or causing the death or injury of another," agreed Demek.

Amanda said, "But Sokam will die if-"

"If Maya hands herself over to the V'Shar voluntarily," said Sarek, "her bond would be stripped and Sokam would be handed over to another to serve him in his time of need. He would not die. But the amount of suffering he will endure in the meantime is unmentionable."

Amanda looked down, feeling helpless about her friend's situation all over again. "How could she be so cruel? Maya loves Sokam. And Sokam-" She paused. She already knew you didn't use the word 'love' in the same sentence about a Vulcan.

"T'Pau is not acting from a place of cruelty. I honestly do not know her true intentions," said Demek. "But you must understand that she assumes the responsibility of creating desirable unions as a clan mother. And Sokam has made a more than undesirable union in her eyes. To increase the size of this problem, he made this union without her permission and based, it seems, halfway on emotion since he was already in the beginning stages of his Time. That was not logical and to her it will not do. She sees herself as preventing her kinsman from being forced into a marriage he later will not wish to remain in."

"But Maya's been so good for him," said Amanda, clearly upset. "Sarek, can she do this? Why can she do this?"

"She is an elder, Amanda."

"But so is he! Can't he do something!" she said as she looked at Demek with pleading eyes. "Can't you do something?"

"Only a female may attain the title of 'clan mother'. I am male and I am not even a clan leader. I can do nothing. You need the services of a true elder. I am an elder in age only."

Sarek said, "Maya contacted me this morning and I have been apprised of Sokam's status. He will be picked up, shortly, and taken to a secluded waiting place until the proper arrangements have been made. I have made certain to use guards loyal only to me. My ward has since set things in motion to make what she has termed 'a deal'."

Amanda could detect amusement and a tiny sliver of pride in Sarek toward Maya. "What did she do?" she asked.

"She should be, at this moment, speaking with T'Niye."

"The healer?" asked Amanda. "Why is she seeing a healer? She's not going to get her bond stripped, is she?"

Demek's eyes perceptibly widened. "No. T'Niye is a female elder and clan leader. And though she is not yet a clan mother, she is next in line to become clan mother for her family. She need only receive the permission of her clan mother and then she may officiate at their union."

"But what if her clan mother won't-"

"She will," assured Demek. "If T'Niye deems it so, her clan mother will not turn down her request."

"Why not?" asked Amanda. "If T'Pau is so against Maya why would another female elder help her?"

Demek said, "You are young to the ways of our world. You do not yet fully comprehend the family politics and what transpires between us behind-the-scenes. Maya has most likely taken information from Sokam's mind, among other places, and is now acting upon it. T'Pau has underestimated the role of emotion paired with resourcefulness."

Sarek looked at him pointedly.

"I did not say it was logical," said Demek. "Only an effective motivator in the case of your ward."

####

Maya exited her shared bedroom with Sokam. She had left him on his own, but knew that would not be for long. The guards would come to get him, Sarek had assured her. She trusted Sarek. There was nearly no one else she could trust these days, except for a select few persons, and she'd called T'Niye within moments of speaking with him.

She took advantage of the time she had and quickly used the sonic shower attached to Shin's room, then put on a very high quality understated dress. It was one of the only purchases she had made since arriving on Vulcan. She bought the dress originally to use for family functions. She had no idea it would be used for this.

The long garment was deep blue and covered her well. It was almost Renaissance in style with a few differences to that style here and there. The a-line cut dress was very strangely comfortable and made of a heavy fabric reminiscent of velour but much cooler. The lower portion was not too long or full and she was confident she wouldn't wind up tripping on the hem. The sleeves toward the wrists were slightly wider and a bit too long, she realized, so that she could shield her skin from the sun within them when she crossed her hands closely together. And there was a very convenient cloak attached to the back that almost blended in with the fabric when it was not being worn up and over her hair.

She quickly added a small amount of cosmetics to her skin but was careful not to overdo it. She took her curls and put them into a very contained updo that was not at all her style but she knew was necessary for the look she was trying to pull off. She was nervous as she made her preparations, but she knew she had no choice. This had to be done and it had to be done right. She walked outside the house and waited at her gate.

Within fifteen minutes a shuttle landed and Healer T'Niye exited. "I have come to speak with thee, young one, as has been requested," greeted the healer.

Maya didn't know what she was and was not supposed to do. She most certainly knew she shouldn't smile though her instincts were telling her to do so. She remembered almost last minute this was not Terra Prime and the same rules of etiquette did not apply here. She simply nodded once. "I appreciate you coming this far to speak with me, elder. Where do you think we should do this?"

"I shall come within your courtyard," she said as she stepped forward and away from the shuttle. One of her guards also exited and went to follow. "Return to the shuttle," she instructed him. "I will be but a moment."

Maya didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. But she kept her confusion hidden by turning quickly and making sure T'Niye only saw the back of her head until her face was under control.

The healer stepped into her courtyard and closed the door so that it was now only the two of them. The older woman took a seat without being asked to do so. The young lady in front of her was obviously in a state of distress though she was doing everything to cover it. Her shields were up and her face was almost blank, but her body language looked rigid compared to the last time she had seen her. T'Niye admired the young woman, to some extent, for her initiative. What, she wondered, would the young lady say? Would she make or break herself this day? Would she use emotion or logic? She would remain impersonal toward her only until she proved her worth…if she could prove her worth.

Maya sat down opposite T'Niye on a stool that was slightly below her and looked up at the elder. It was one of the only things she knew for sure from Sokam that she should do, sit below the elder to receive whatever knowledge she had. She couldn't detect one thought from the look on the woman's face. But she knew this was her last hope. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and forced herself to go forward. "First of all I want to thank you again for coming to me. I was more than ready to go to you."

"I am a healer. It is my duty to serve those in need. I am accustomed to travelling to those that are in need."

"But I didn't call you here as a healer today. I've called you here outside of your services and for that I'm thankful that you came." T'Niye nodded at her once. Maya took that as a green light and continued. "Please, forgive me ahead of time. I don't understand the culture here or the ways and I don't know if the things I'm saying are going to be wrong or right."

"Proceed."

She looked down at her hands and then remembered every Vulcan she ever knew made it a point to have direct eye-contact throughout all conversations. She forced herself to look up at the elder and then forced herself not to show her nervousness by doing something like sighing. "Shin, my guard, has been taken from me. The agent from the V'Shar has taken him and I don't know what I should do. They demand that I hand myself over to them and only then will they release him."

"And what do you ask of me, young one?"

"I know that elders are the only ones they respect. If you asked them to hand him over, would they give him to you?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

Maya sat there, nodding. She was waiting for T'Niye to say something else for about five seconds when she realized the woman considered the conversational ball to be back in her court. "All right. Would you do that for me?"

"Yes," said T'Niye.

Maya was taken aback. Why had she given in so easily? "Really?"

"It is what I have stated, is it not?" she said. But there was a note of amusement in her eyes.

"Yes, of course," she said. "I was just-" She stopped speaking. Surprise was an emotion. Right. Don't go there. But she hadn't expected that part of things to go that smoothly. "Are you as free with information?"

T'Niye hadn't expected her to go this route and was a little intrigued with what the little Terran would come up with next. "Yes."

Maya detected the woman was being quite patient with her. Maybe she'd actually caught her interest. She swallowed and continued, unsure of herself but flying full steam ahead, "I've observed that every person on your world I've come across who has realized that I'm a Terran with telepathic abilities has been almost eager to take over educating me on their usage. Why is that?"

No, it was not the question she had expected to hear. Her curiosity piqued as to where the young lady was taking this, she also saw no reason to not answer it, either. "Everyone has the desire to take something new, untouched, and cultivate it along their particular path. Everyone sees their logic as correct in their own eyes."

"The V'Shar want to make me into an agent. They want to take my mental abilities and teach me how to use them to their advantage. I get that. But what sort of interest could other Vulcans outside the intelligence sector have in me?"

"They wish to cultivate you, your thoughts and your abilities in the correct way, in the ways of logic and discipline so that it is assured you do not misuse them. As you grow older, your abilities will grow stronger. It is necessary that such a force should have discipline, boundaries."

She nodded. "I have been encouraged to pick a mentor to teach me on several occasions."

"It would be wise of you to do so. As you grow stronger, they will hamper your way of life without training and perhaps also put the lives of others in danger."

And this was where it was about to get hairy. She had the sudden sensation of someone who was about to hurl herself into oncoming traffic and did it anyway. "I choose you, elder."

T'Niye blinked once, twice, three times. The little Terran was an unexpected thing and it began to dawn on her exactly why T'Pau wanted her out of the way. "You will first explain your logic to me, young one."

She knew at that point only the truth would do. And the Historian in her took over. "I took the time last night to research you and your family. They are an old and noble line dedicated to the spread of logic. You weren't always on that path, though. Your clan only converted to the ways of Surak nearly four hundred years ago, but never looked back to the old ways once they did. Your last clan mother, the one before your clan mother now, was born a V'Tosh Ka'tur. Your clan was little more than persecuted for the first century after your conversion. Reviled as untrustworthy by your old associates on the other side of your world most likely because they were hurt that you'd left them behind, but still not yet trusted by the Syrranites who logically thought it best to take a wait and see approach about your clan, unlike the current trend of those jumping the proverbial wall one at a time, your clan mother back then uprooted an entire clan and moved them to this side of the planet.

"After a century of remaining here, on this side, and not one of yours reneging to return to their old ways you were finally not only accepted, but trusted and seen as one of the true harbingers of pure logic. More of your number have sought and attained Kolinahr than any other clan. You are seen as only second to T'Pau's clan and her clan is highest only because her line descends directly from Surak's. You were offered a seat on the current council but for reasons no one know you turned it down. I have asked that you be the one to teach me because via family melds you most likely know what it is to be seen as an outsider. You could teach me the proper ways to handle that and still thrive here. Along with that thinking I know that as a healer, you've gone through rigorous mental training, so you could probably hone my skills just as well as a master could. And that was my logic in asking that you become my teacher in the mental disciplines."

T'Niye was fascinated! But she contained her eagerness to accept this new student and instead laid bare one other thing she detected. "There is more to this logic but you do not yet speak of it. You think perhaps you will overstep yourself. If you are to be my student, all must be transparent between us. Speak it now."

Maya realized then, this healer was reading her though her shields were up! She had been found out and decided she might as well charge onward with the last part of her plan now. "There has been no marriage alliance with the clan of Surak and your clan. I wasn't able to officially find out why. It didn't make any sense. Wouldn't the two strongest clans stand to benefit by joining together. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, T'Pau is threatened by your clan's power. Take me as your student and sanction my union with Sokam, and it will take you one step closer to a marriage alliance with my husband's clan. The student of T'Niye would be officially bonded to someone from the house of Surak."

She wanted to see how savvy this one truly was. Was she offering what she thought she was offering? "And how would this produce a marriage alliance between the clan of Surak and my clan?"

She swallowed. "My husband is still seen with an element of suspicion because of how late in life he attained the True Path in the eyes or your people. He may have a difficult time finding a bond mate for our child, especially since I am Terran and my child will be a hybrid." She did not tell T'Niye that Sokam had had these thoughts about their future child and what might happen with him or her. The thoughts had not been filled with worry or haste, but still they had been there.

T'Niye would have smiled if she were Terran. "You are offering your child to marry a child of my clan."

She swallowed again, nervous. "My son…if I have a son, I won't have him dying because he cannot find a bond mate. Most likely no Terran will marry him since it will most likely still be illegal for a Terran to marry him. I can only guess he will appear more Vulcan than Terran, and I can only predict that by then there might still be a shortage of Vulcan females. Also, being aligned to your house can only be an advantage and make it more likely that he will be accepted into Vulcan society fully despite his Terran blood. Yes, I offer my son for one your daughters."

"And if you should have a female?"

"Her blood content will be unimportant, only that she is female and of the House of Surak. She would be sought after and it would make it an even bigger advantage for you to have her chosen to save a son of your house. And I would have her treated well by whomever we choose for her. Your house is the only house I know of without a prejudice toward Outworlders since they haven't forgotten their history of how they were treated when they first came to this side. I would rather she marry into your clan than any other."

T'Niye simply sat there for a full minute, wordless. Finally, she spoke almost slowly, "You have bargained with logic. That was not your first instinct, but you were able to override them... I will sanction your marriage to Sokam."

"And the rest of the deal?"

"You will be my student in the mental arts. And your son may marry one of our daughters so that when his Time comes upon him he will not have to risk death; if you have a girl child she will be well treated by us and the son of our house and she will save his life as has been the custom since the time of the beginning, and we will finally attain a marriage alliance with the House of Surak."

Maya added, "Of course, none of this will go into effect until Shin is delivered to me."

"That is only logical." She then stood and seemed about to depart. "I will impart your first lesson in logic now, my student."

"Yes?" asked Maya, lightheaded that she'd pulled this off.

"T'Pau is the one behind the taking of Shin, not the V'Shar."

Her face fell. "What?"

"Using logic, can you extrapolate why?"

Maya stood there thinking hard for a few minutes. "She wants to get rid of me. If she can get the V'Shar to take me via my own will, she could have finally gotten rid of me for good."

"Logical. But that is not her way," corrected T'Niye. "T'Pau wished for you to make a decision and show your true loyalties. It was, in effect, a test. Where would your loyalties go? With a Terran male not even of your blood or with he you wished to officially call 'husband'?"

Maya looked down at her hands and admitted, "Sarek called me back to reason and forced me to promise not to do something so stupid. So that decision wasn't entirely of my making."

"And how did he do that?" she asked, curious as to how Sarek dealt with Terran emotions.

"He reminded me that Shin would think he had failed in his duties if someone he was guarding gave themselves up for him."

"It was Sarek that put you on the path of logic. But it was solely your thoughts that forced you to continue upon that path. You have much potential, T'Maya."

She caught the name change and only nodded. "What happens now?"

"I affect Shin's release. And within one day's time you will arrive at the site of Sarek's family koon-ut-kal-if-fee grounds. I will come this evening and instruct you in all that you should do tomorrow. I will meld the information into you to ensure that you do not forget anything."

"Is it necessary to-"

"You are my student, are you not? We will meld on a regular basis for that reason alone so that you may learn how to use your abilities correctly. But I also consider myself your teacher in Vulcan ways. You are now she who will raise a child who shall marry one of my direct descendants. You cannot be ignorant to our ways."

Maya didn't say one more word. She also caught the fact that whatever child she had would be joined to not only a child of T'Niye's house, but one who came directly from the healer. She was amazed and humbled because there was only one reason the healer would do such a thing. "Live long and prosper," she said as she held back her emotions.

T'Niye reached forward, lifted Maya's hand and wordlessly instructed her in how to do the official salute. Through the brief contact, Maya sensed her new teacher's affection and patience with her. Afterward, the older woman then raised her own hand in the ta'al to her new student and then left.

Once she knew the elder was gone, Maya sat down hard in the chair she had occupied before, the shakes of nervousness finally taking her. Things could have gone very badly but they hadn't. She'd done what she previously thought was next to impossible and now her Sokam would live.

Thanks everyone for your well-wishes. I feel much better than I did and have been able to get around. My pain has lessened considerably and I'm taking advantage of that because in the beginning of November I have to get a procedure done to take care of this situation and I'm going to be knocked out in pain even worse for a little while, but at least then it will take care of this for good! In the meantime, I'm trying my best to get out as much of this story as possible so that I don't leave you all waiting in limbo for too long. - J.S.