I want to thank everyone who put get-wells in their reviews. Let's just say things got much worse, a misdiagnoses was changed to a correct one and hopefully the right medications will help my recovery be much smoother. Thank you all for your patience! Hopefully this rollercoaster of health hasn't dulled my writing skills. I'm still on pain meds so who knows! - J.S.

Rivals Revealed

Sarek received a message in the middle of Demek's visit. He informed them of its contents. "Sokam has been collected by my guard and taken to a location unknown even to T'Pau-"

Amanda asked, "Well what good is all of this if-"

"—and it is confirmed, Maya has gotten T'Niye to officiate," said Sarek.

Amanda's mouth dropped open, eyes full of amazement. "She's already gotten her to agree to do it?"

"Not only has she agreed to perform their sanctioned union, my wife, but Shin shall also be returned to us this day, and according to a message sent by T'Niye herself the healer will be arriving here at our residence this evening to prepare her student for what will occur tomorrow."

Both Demek and Amanda simply stared back at Sarek. "Student?" Amanda was the one who finally asked.

"I suspect Maya has used her abilities to reign in a deal with T'Niye. Perhaps she has offered herself as a student of the mental arts in order to secure T'Niye's protection in our society. Perhaps she has offered to become a convert to Surak. However, I have not the gift of conjecture and I am unaware of the nature of their agreement at this time."

"Fascinating," was the only thing Demek found himself able to say.

Amanda caught a definite burst of pride for Maya via Sarek and then it quickly receded. She smirked at him. "So we get Shin back and Maya comes back here tonight?"

"As is proper," said Sarek. "She is the ward of the House of Sarek and she should leave my home to go to her husband tomorrow. And now T'Pau can no longer turn down her place in our house or society. She is sanctioned by an elder older than her and a House second only to our own. She would appear to be most illogical if she persisted in rejecting the young woman now."

Amanda found herself smiling and then laughing. Maya had gotten the upper hand on the old crone after all. "That's our Maya. She always was like that. Stumped at the beginning of a problem. But when the wheels in her head start turning, look out!" she grinned. Amanda's mind then turned to a question she really needed an answer to. "But will T'Niye treat her well?"

Demek, however, was more than pleased. "The young lady could not have found a more diligent teacher. T'Niye is wise and patient. She is also on par with the Terran concept of 'fairness' in all of her dealings with others."

She sighed, finally relieved. "All right."

"I must now tell you of what has been discovered, so far, by the V'Shar in their investigation of the situation at hand, Sarek. Is Amanda aware of the extent of things?"

"She is aware," he answered.

He continued, "Then I have much to reveal before Maya arrives. There is no need to make her mind wander, is there?" he said to Amanda with the raise of one eyebrow. He turned to Sarek then, his face fully serious. "According to Sumar's extrapolations of the tri-corder information I was able to obtain, the females put into cryo-stasis were apart of the last wave who were sickened by the virus. He has reason to suspect that there are more of them elsewhere. They are currently attempting to locate them."

Sarek agreed, "I, too, wondered if that was not the only cache."

"Yes. Apparently, from what the V'Shar uncovered, the females were initially put into cryogenic stasis for the very noble purpose of reviving them once a cure was found. According to the Health Ministries some forty thousand females were placed into cryogenic stasis with that purpose. But by the time a cure was indeed found, only twenty thousand females were discovered to still be in stasis and within their possession. Members of the council, it is still unknown which ones, confiscated twenty thousand. It was not disclosed why or where they were taken. It has also been confirmed that all of the females who were taken were in an unbonded state. The night of my injury I unintentionally stumbled across perhaps five thousand of them. That is all they have been able to ascertain from their investigation at this time."

"If it truly is the council that has done this, I do not think it will ever come to light," Sarek said with a straight face. "And if it never comes to light, justice will never be served." But Amanda could sense, he was worse than not pleased. He was walking the finer side of enraged but holding it at bay. She also knew he was going to have to remain in meditation for a large portion of the night to contain the emotion that could turn into a chain reaction for a Vulcan. For Sarek, to have a situation such as this, so many apparently unnecessary deaths unanswered for, it sickened him.

She wanted to reach out and touch his hand to reassure him but knew that that was not considered proper among his people. Even if it was Demek with them, and she knew he would not at all mind, she didn't think it was wise of her to grow accustomed to doing that in front of any Vulcans. It wouldn't do for her to forget and slip up later in the company of someone else. She imagined herself touching her husband so casually by accident in T'Pau's presence and her stomach lurched at the impropriety of such a situation on this world. She turned and walked away from both men, appearing to casually look out of the window at the beautiful rock garden put together by none other than Shin. She remembered the eagerness on his face the day she met him and the way he'd asked her if she liked his creation.

Sarek's mind was there, attempting to soothe hers. I appreciate your restraint…your respect of my people and their ways for my sake speaks volumes to me, Ashayam…

She was glad to be facing the window because she felt a thrill of emotion run up her spine for him and the way that he was with her. A tear immediately found its way to her eye. She loved him so much, so deeply. She could never show it to anyone else but him and it was starting to hurt her that this feeling was something to be seen as a thing one must keep hidden as if it were shameful or criminal. Though she'd already loved him, she hadn't expected this depth of feeling to form between them when they initially decided to bond. And even though she understood why it had to be this way, the feeling of hurt cut so deeply she found herself needing to leave the room so she could gain control of herself.

####

Maya made it to them later in the evening. She looked stressed out. "Are you okay?" asked Amanda as she snuck into her room as quietly as possible.

Maya tried to lie through her teeth. Instead, the truth came out with a nervous giggle. "No."

"Did you see Shin since he got back?"

She swallowed back her tears. "Yes. I apologized to him, for getting him all tied up in this mess."

"And?"

"He said there was nothing to apologize for."

"And?" pressed Amanda.

"And he really meant it, I could sense that. He's really okay with me. So why am I not okay with myself?"

Amanda sat down next to her friend and sighed. "Beating yourself up over this is not a good thing the day before your wedding."

"Oh, that?" said Maya. "The event I actually negotiated so it would happen? The thing I'm more afraid of than anything else right now? Am I crazy? What was I thinking? I don't know if I can do this."

"Did something happen? What happened?"

The guards came to collect Sokam. There were five in all and Zurel was one of them. "Maya," said the man who had come to be a trusted friend. "Please, remove yourself from the area before we collect him from the house."

She had been waiting outside for them since T'Niye had departed. She wanted to make sure Sokam was all right and on his way before she left. But the bond between them was pulled taut, like a cord between them would snap if she tried to go too far away from him. She had heeded her husband's words from earlier and not reentered the house though something inside her was trying to pull her back to him. But now Zurel was telling her she shouldn't be seen by him at all? "Should I go so far from him now?" she wondered. It went against an almost ancient instinct that seemed to come along with the bond itself.

"You must. If he catches sight of you now due to the state he is in, he will be able to fight all five of us off of him just to reach you. I am certain you already know he is not himself. We must place him somewhere where he can meditate without distraction. But if he sees you…" Zurel simply nodded in the negative.

Maya went and hid herself off to the side of her little house just as the rest of the guards opened the door. And the man standing there was not her Sokam in the least. She turned away and pulled herself around the house just in time to miss his head turning sharply in the direction where she had been standing. He was searching for her. Had he scented her on the nonexistent breeze?

She could not see him with her eyes, but through the bond she picked up on what he was doing. He was searching the area for her. She had enough knowledge to block him. He was led away by the guard. He knew what they were there for. They were there to take him to her. And that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

Maya asked, "You remember the old expression 'the lights are on but no one's home'?"

Amanda made a mental note to herself to add that onto her list of sayings for her class to work on at some point. "Yes."

"That was him. He was conscious. He was there but he was not there. In short, my husband is nuttier than a mixed bag at this point."

Amanda was glad that at least her humor was still working. "Maya, you know it's temporary."

"I keep telling myself that."

"And oh, hey! On her way out, I spoke to T'Niye and she okayed everything on the list to take with you into the cave."

Maya's face changed into a hopeful expression. "What?"

"She said she wasn't about to allow her student to be killed before she produced the promised heir. I'm sure you'll tell me what that means later."

Maya began to laugh. "I'm still nervous though."

"Surprise, you're normal! Any sane person…well any sane Terran woman would be scared to death of this. But now you've got some help, okay? Does it help any to know this?"

She smiled over at her. "Yes, it does. Thanks so much for being here for me the way you have. You're a great friend, Amanda. And I know I never like to tell people things like this, but I love you so much and you'll never know what your friendship has meant to me."

Amanda found herself tearing up for the third time that day. "Oh dammit, all I do is cry these days. What is wrong with me?"

Maya awoke two hours before sunrise. Her eyes snapped open as if she'd been physically shoved hard but she knew nothing had awakened her externally. But internally she could feel it. Sokam was calling for her. Somewhere not too far away he was chanting her name over and over again.

Maya…Maya…Maya…My Maya…Come to me…Come to me…Come to me…Need…I NEED…Come to me… Some part, some piece of who he was, was buried in there calling to her, desperate.

Soon, Sokam…

She felt him deliver the mental equivalent of a sharp intake of air, a hissing through the teeth of anticipation and open sexual need. And she could feel an answering call within herself. Next to the fear was her need for him. Was this a natural side-effect? Whatever it was, it still wasn't enough. The fear persisted in sitting on top of her.

She forced herself out of bed, showered and then made herself ready for the day to come. She was still afraid, but she had resigned herself to this. She knew that this day would come. And here it was. It was no time to back down. Maya planted her feet firmly on the ground and pushed herself forward and through the fear.

Right before she departed to the ceremony, T'Niye arrived to speak with her. "Remember all that I have imparted about today, my student."

Maya didn't know how she could forget. Everything had been melded into her the night before. She was not at all feeling confident about being stuck in a cave with a sexual maniac for days on end. But at least they'd taken care of things so she could restrain him at some point. "I will remember," was all she answered. Her brand of humor was most likely inappropriate and would probably go over T'Niye's head anyhow so there was no use wasting it.

T'Niye pulled out, of all things, her healer's bag. "I have obtained some things suggested by Lady Amanda. It was most logical of her to apprise me of your possible needs."

She smiled. "That's Amanda. She's always thinking ahead."

"The initial application of these sub-dermal dosing devices will cause a mild amount of pain. But they will be invaluable to you."

"Sub-dermal dosing devices?"

"Instead of continually injecting yourself you will have timed releases for the next several days of Triple Oxygen Compound. You will also have an analgesic that will only engage when you are wounded and in addition to that, you will receive an energy dose that will only release once a day toward the middle of the day when it will be most necessary for you. It will enable you to return to a state of normalcy by the end of the day so that you may obtain sleep. Since he will be restrained, take the time to sleep when it is necessary, I implore you. And lastly, I was able to obtain and modify one of the Orion aphrodisiacs spoken of by Lady Amanda so that this experience will not traumatize my student."

"Wait a minute. One of? They make more than one?"

"They are Orions," was the straight-faced answer given back to her by the elder as she arranged her equipment.

Maya wanted to laugh. She found it about to start bubbling up in her throat. Instead, she turned and looked at the wall as if something on it were intensely curious. Once she got the urge under control, she turned back around and looked at T'Niye. "Okay. Let me have them."

Administering the time-release tech under her skin caused more than simply 'a mild amount of pain'. Maya found herself winching with each application. But she reminded herself that these things were about to make what was about to happen bearable.

On her way to the Kal-if-Fee site Maya felt the tri-ox kick in. She was suddenly able to breathe better than she had ever been able to since arriving on the planet. Despite her fear, she was able to think I'm going to have to talk T'Niye into letting me keep this tech. One takes breathing for granted. I'm not giving this up again! She almost smiled but forced herself not to. Then she was overwhelmed by the mental image of her in court being arraigned by a very serious-faced Vulcan charging her with tech theft and she was almost overwhelmed with laughter. Oh no, not now! Not NOW!

She thought of the technique she used to use in college when she would get nervous and want to go on giggling fits before oral presentations. She looked ahead of herself at the guards and T'Niye being carried on the palanquin. There was a tiny spot on the carrying platform, perhaps a sign of how long the litter had been used for elders in her clan. She focused on that one spot and poured her mirth into it until her laughter eased. She took a deep breath, paid attention to the spot for a few moments more as she exhaled and then felt much more under control. She continued walking through the desert.

And then the aphrodisiac kicked in. She almost didn't feel like herself and tried her best not to focus on the feelings it brought up in her. Because if she did she would run ahead of T'Niye, grab Sokam and haul him into the cave ahead of her before the proper formalities took place.

Able to breathe better due to the tri-ox, getting there seemed to take no time at all. They arrived at the Kal-if-Fee grounds. She saw several people there, but recognized only Sarek, Amanda, Zurel and Demek. Amanda quickly winked once at her and Maya found herself close to smiling. She turned her head and put in a mental reminder to return the favor to Amanda in two years time.

As she continued walking onward she saw another woman seated there older than T'Niye. Maya recognized her face from the meld as the matriarch of T'Niye's clan. She did as she had been previously instructed, paused in her walking, turned to the woman and went down on one knee before her. She waited for the older woman to acknowledge her with one curt nod. She looked up at her and the older woman looked dignified, of course, but whatever else that look was, she didn't know. But the clan mother didn't just sit there. She leaned forward, put one hand to Maya's face on her psi points. The only words Maya could later use to describe the brief contact was 'deep approval'. Then she withdrew her hand, nodded and allowed Maya to continue on her way.

Sokam was standing there, looking as if he were in another world. T'Niye asked him the ritual question, "Do you burn, Sokam?" Instead of addressing his words to the elder as was proper, he instead looked straight at Maya with heated eyes as he struggled to answer, "My eyes are flame. My heart is flame." Maya found herself swallowing in anticipation as her eyes held his.

"Kal-if-Farr!" was called and the bells sounded. Sokam struck the gong one last time. Maya approached him with her extended two fingers stretched out to him. They made contact and she led him to the elder. It was as he had said; the sensation of heat and flame passed from him and into her…and due to the aphrodisiac coursing through her system it was sent back again. He suppressed a shudder of want as his face remained calm, but his breathing became obviously more labored.

T'Niye placed her fingers on both their heads at the same time at the correct points. She was more than satisfied. Their bond was strong. They both had much to learn, but if they persisted they would make it through. She nodded in approval as she allowed her hands to fall from their heads. "It is done."

Maya turned and did what T'Niye had instructed the night before. She walked ahead of Sokam but all his eyes saw was the inviting back and forth motion of her very round feminine hips. As the wedding party disbursed, he soon caught up to her, took her by the hand and pulled her forward to the correct cave as they both began to run.

####

T'Niye answered the communiqué. None other than T'Pau flashed up on her screen. "Councilmember," she addressed her neutrally.

"It has come to my attention that you have interfered in a decision I have made for my family," stated the matriarch and councilmember.

"That may be so," returned the future matriarch of her own clan. "However, what I have done has secured the future of my clan. My actions were not only logical, but legal. It was by the words you uttered, that the couple in question simply needed the sanction of an elder that things were carried out, truly, according to your specifications."

T'Pau's eyes flashed. "I do not find it logical that you have used this situation to make certain that I receive your displeasure for the females I confiscated from your hospital so long ago. Do not forget, they were necessary to the future of our people."

"If that were the case, they would not have been hidden for this long. And the irony that neither of the young men from your house has consented to receive one of those females, but have instead chosen they whom they wish, is not lost on me."

"Your words will be remembered this day."

"And so shall your actions be remembered, as well," T'Niye responded quickly. "You still have much to learn, young one. How will it be for those who discover how you have misused the females in cryogenic stasis by keeping them hidden while so many of our men died?"

T'Pau was smarting. This one referring to her as a 'young one' only because she was forty years her senior! "What the council will do as far as things within our jurisdiction is none of your concern. You were offered a seat and you did not accept it. That was your doing."

"I have observed that power for its own sake corrupts, T'Pau. I am certain you have learned that by now. Of course you have found a way to attach logic to that corruption."

"Your words have no meaning. But I notice you have found a way to attach logic to your interference in my family's affairs."

"Mark how you treat my student," warned T'Niye. "It will not go unnoticed by me or others. And be easy with the wife of Sarek. That will also not go unnoticed by our society since you have already given word that she has been accepted by you."

"You are enamored of Outworlders," accused T'Pau.

T'Niye knew this was supposed to be an insult. But she did not find it so. "Yes, it is logical to respect life regardless of where it originates. Is that not so? First and foremost I am a healer. I appreciate that you fully understand that that shall always be my true function."

T'Pau simply cut the connection without a departing word.