There are always wars and rumors of wars. However, to prevent any possible legal battles, I will inform you all of the following: I do not own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings.

The Jorian War VII

The negations dragged on. There were disputes over the "ownership" of the planet Nalthus. The Jorians had ignored it completely, even though they knew of the rich supply of dilithium it held. It had been the same for Erdrusia. Joria was originally the only planet with sentient life in its solar system, so the Jorians assumed that all six planets were theirs to exploit as they saw fit. Apparently the plan had been to obtain all the mineral wealth from their own world and then move on to the next. The Jorians thought that this was their right. If the Erdrusians and Nalthusians were going to dwell on Jorian territory and make a profit, the Jorians felt entitled to a percentage of their haul.

The Erdrusians argued that their planet had been left unattended, free for the taking. No one on Joria seemed to have given it a second thought until the Erdrusians claimed it. Then the main Jorian objections had been religious ones. Queen Viella and her followers had spread heresy and hedonism! However, the Jorians had taken no action because King Gerlhu had not wanted to wage war against his own daughter.

Gerlhu had no such qualms about Guran. He was not a relative and the man had abandoned his wife and child. He had taken his heresy to another planet and begun to exploit its resources. The King had felt justified in his invasion and in his demand for tribute.


The session had degenerated into a shouting match with accusations of heresy, greed, and other dishonorable behaviors. The three parties had all stormed off to their respective quarters to sulk, leaving the Federation representatives to breathe a sigh of relief.

Jim Kirk had happened to sit in on the session. He looked at Sarek and rolled his eyes.

"That didn't go very well, did it?"

"On the contrary, James, it went just as I had hoped. The Jorians, Erdrusians, and Nalthusians have now aired their true grievances. We know what the real issues are. We can start to build a peace from here on out."

Shras agreed with him.

"Sarek and I have been through worse before. When we negotiated a peace treaty between the Keloi and Hardeki, there was nearly bloodshed. The Keloi ambassador was offended because the Hardeki representative was not willing to hold peace talks in the nude. The Keloi wished to be certain that their opponents were unarmed. If there was no clothing, there would be no place to hide weapons. The Hardeki thought the Keloi just wanted to see them naked. Eventually we were able to compromise and all sat around in our underwear. This included all of our aides and our families."

Korem laughed as he remembered that mission as well.

"You should have seen my father trying to explain this to my mother and his other two wives. They were not very happy about the situation."

Spock regarded his father curiously.

"I never knew of this mission, Father. Did mother accompany you?"

"Yes. We had expected to visit Risa afterward, so Amanda had packed several swimsuits. Neither the Keloi nor the Hardeki had ever seen either a Terran female nor a swimsuit before, so they assumed that she merely favored brightly colored undergarments. One of the Hardeki males tried to purchase your mother from me because he thought her quite attractive in her blue bikini. This almost lead to another incident when I refused to sell her."

Shras had a big smile on his face and his antennae were quivering.

"Yes, it was a pity that Sarek didn't give the idiot the beating he deserved. It was quite a challenge to explain that Vulcans mate for life and that Federation citizens are not to be bought and sold. Sometimes diplomacy is a very hazardous career, not only to one's life but also to personal relationships."

Kehel nodded in agreement as he read a message from Chohara, his wife. She was anxious to know just when he thought he would be returning to Rigel. The family doctor had changed the estimated delivery date for their child. Kehel's son would be born some time in the next ten days.


The heat of the day had finally dissipated, replaced by the cool of evening. Tauril had become accustomed to taking Saavik and Senar for walks around the neighborhood. It seemed to help then burn excess energy in preparation for sleep. The children had begun to look forward to these little excursions and expected them to continue even though the house was overflowing with family.

Tauril saw no reason to deviate from the routine other than to take all of the children on an outing. Little Torel donned his mask and placed his inhaler in a pocket. Sirin unfolded the stroller and placed T'Lonna inside. Jason and Saavik would take turns pushing it. Senar and Hannah each took one of Tauril's hands as the strange procession took off down the street.

Most of the neighbors managed to disguise their surprise at such a sight, as they were logical Vulcans. Many simply nodded a greeting in passing. A few stopped what they were doing to come and chat with the Elder, curious as to where he had acquired so many children.

Tauril's pride at his large (by Vulcan standards) assortment of children and great-grandchildren was thinly veiled at best. A few months ago he had not even had a bondmate!

T'Pau chided him through their bond!

"Husband, thou are without shame. The Terrans would say that thou are showing off!"

"My wife, we have a beautiful family. Are they not worthy of our pride?"

"Yes, my husband, they are. However, have a care for those who have no family. It may be painful for them to observe our abundance."

"Thou are wise as usual, my wife."

"Do not keep the children out too late. They have all had much excitement today."

"We shall return before long."


They had all been too weary to even leave the conference room after the Jorians, Erdrusians, and Nalthusians had all stomped off. Jim had contacted Chief Mofasu and requested that a meal be brought in for them. If they others decided to return and eat, fine. If not, well, they could fend for themselves.

With some trepidation, Nyota approached her father-in-law and Admiral Pike. She presented her idea of a ladies' spa party, wanting their approval before she went ahead with it. She didn't want to hamper future negotiations.

Sarek considered her proposal.

"It can certainly do no harm, Nyota. Amanda used to participate in similar gatherings when she accompanied me on missions. A change of setting and a relaxing activity may in fact soothe, so you have my approval."

Admiral Pike agreed.

"Requisition anything you need, Lieutenant. I'll gladly sign off on it."

"Thank you, sir. I hope it works"

Nyota finished her meal and picked up a PADD, making a list of all that needed to be done.


King Gerlhu had a splitting headache. He could not wrap his brain around what Issow was telling him. Aside from being his brother-in-law and a trusted adviser, Issow was his best friend. They had known each other for more than eighty years. Issow, a business man from a wealthy family, had introduced Gerlhu to his sister Janna. Janna and Gerlhu married and Issow became a trusted adviser. Soon after, Issow became the head of dilithium mining operations on Joria. At that time, the crystals were being sold only for decorative uses, such as in jewelry* and other adornments. The Jorian crown jewels were in fact set with dilithium crystals in assorted colors, the variations a result of impurities. The Jorians had little knowledge of their potential as an energy source.

Issow told his friend the king of his visions and his communications with the Creator. Issow had never steered him wrong, so Gerlhu ordered all of his people to purge their passions. This was not a very popular decision, as one could well imagine. However, the Jorians were for the most part an obedient lot. Within a few years, most of them had complied, at least publicly.

When the Federation began to investigate new power sources, Issow was the the first to hear about it. He also began having "visions" more frequently about the same time. For a while he held his position with the mining commission, then turned these duties over to Gerlhu's brother Germish. Issow became a full-time Prophet. Duke Germish had negotiated the First Contact with the Federation and the first trade agreement. Joria had maintained diplomatic and trade relationships with the Federation but not become a member world. Issow had advised the King that the Federation held too many temptations for his people. It would be far better to limit their association as much as possible.

Gerlhu's younger daughter Viella was unable to live under such an oppressive religious and social system. She did not expect to inherit her father's throne, as it would pass to her older sister Taela. Taela was a model of obedience and decorum. Viella always pushed the boundaries of acceptable behavior. Gerlhu would punish her, sometimes physically and in anger. When Viella came of age and could endure no more, she and many other discontented Jorians set up a colony on Erdrusia. They chose Viella as their queen as she was of royal blood.

Now Issow was telling Gerlhu that it had all been a huge mistake, an illness-induced delusion. Gerlhu flew into a rage, breaking some of the furnishings in his borrowed quarters on the starship. Queen Janna got caught in the crossfire when a piece of a broken chair leg caught her in the temple. Issow called Sickbay and tried to calm him brother-in-law down with the assistance of the Jorian security personnel.

When Dr. McCoy arrived, he found the Queen's injuries to be minimal. He was able to treat her on the spot. Bones was thankful when the Queen asked for separate quarters, saving him from having to make the suggestion himself and maybe start a diplomatic incident. As the doctor left King Gerlhu's quarters, he noticed the large stone in the crown that the monarch was wearing. Could it be a dilithium crystal?

Once Gerlhu had calmed down, he was horrified by what he had done. Realizing that he needed some time to reflect, Gerlhu contacted Sarek and asked that further talks be postponed for the next few days. All the involved parties agreed that they could use a cooling off period.


The first night at Tauril and T'Pau's house had gone quite well. Tauril had given the children another bedtime story and then the family all found their sleeping quarters. Sirin and Rachel slept in Tauril's room in a bed much smaller than they were used to. T'Lonna was in a crib next to Esther.

Hannah stayed in the room with Saavik, while Jason and Torel slept in Senar's room. The children were all too exhausted to make any trouble. However, once they had all enjoyed a decent night's rest, everything changed.

T'Pau had left the house early to meet with an elder in training. She was teaching the younger woman how to perform bonding ceremonies. Tauril assured her that he was quite capable of making breakfast and seeing to the comfort of their guests.

The issues started when Torel spilled his cream of wheat. It landed on the floor splattering on everyone. He was still mastering the use of a spoon. Torel froze, expecting to be disciplined. That would have happened on Hellguard. He would have been beaten, made to clean up the mess, and then not given anything else to eat.

However, none of these things occured. The whole family helped him clean it up. Jason wiped his brother's face off and then got a mischievous look on his face. Jason dipped a finger in the cream of wheat and smeared it on Torel's face, laughing. Hannah thought this was a great game, so she gave Saavik the same treatment. Saavik anointed Senar, who rubbed a big blob into Hannah's hair. Soon all the children were laughing and the cream of wheat was flying. Even T'Lonna clapped her hands and squealed with almost fiendish glee.

Sirin and Rachel tried to stop the food fight, but somehow merely ended up covered in cooked cereal. Esther broke out in hysterical laughter, remembering the hours of instruction Sirin had given his children as to appropriate behavior among Vulcans. Tauril merely stood amused against the kitchen wall and observed. When things had finally settled down, he spoke.

"We must clean up the kitchen before T'Pau returns."

Twenty minutes later, when the Elder entered through the kitchen door, she found her family quietly eating breakfast. There was nothing out of place except a blob of cream of wheat which fell down from the ceiling and nearly missed landing on her favorite robes.

"Torel had a bit of difficulty with his spoon." said Tauril as he wiped up the cereal from the floor.


Nyota met Queen Viella, Felda, and T'Vessya for breakfast in the Rec Room the next morning. Baby Jiver was eating with his father Guran, so the Queen was a bit distracted. She wanted to keep an eye on her husband and son, but she also found Lieutenant Uhura fascinating. She did the most interesting things and led the most exciting life. The woman had a career and was expecting a child, yet still managed to look absolutely gorgeous. Queen Viella wondered how she did it.

She was about to ask that very question when Nyota grabbed for a cup that was too close to the edge of the table. In the process, she chipped a fingernail.

"Darn it! I can never keep my manicure nice. That reminds me. How would you ladies like to attend a little get together I'm hosting in conference room three tonight? It's a very informal affair, a spa party. We'll have some great snacks and all the supplies we need for manicures and pedicures."

Queen Viella smiled.

"Felda and I gratefully accept your kind invitation."

"I would also be pleased to attend such a gathering" said T'Vessya.

Nyota smiled back.

"Good, I'm glad. There will be other crew members there and an invitation will be extended to Queen Janna."

Felda gasped but Queen Viella raised a hand to indicate that all was well.

"My quarrel has never been with my mother. Perhaps we can have a pleasant conversation without my father being present."


After she eaten her breakfast, Nyota made her way to Sickbay, knowing that she was in for a scolding. She had begun retaining a bit more fluid than previously. For the most part, Nyota had been very careful about her diet, avoiding salty foods. However, Spock had come from a desert environment and naturally craved salty. At lunch the previous day she had stolen a few pieces of dried and salted globefruit off his tray. He had said nothing, merely given her the "eyebrow." Now there would be Hell to pay for her little dietary indiscretion.

Christine ushered her over to a biobed and had her remove her shoes.

"Just lie back, Nyota. The doctor will be here in a minute. He's just reviewing yesterday's lab work. He's not going to be happy about those ankles."

"I know, Chris. I know."

Christine left the room and the doctor entered a few moments later. He was scowling.

"Len, before you start yelling at me, let me confess. I ate a couple of pieces of globefruit yesterday. I know I shouldn't have, but I wanted just a taste of something both sweet and salty."

"Darlin', two little pieces of fruit didn't do this. Let's call the hobgoblin down here and we'll all have a little chat."

Nyota was getting worried now, too worried to object to the doctor's use of the term "hobgoblin." She waited while Spock was paged for Sickbay, trying to be calm and send serenity through their bond. He arrived a few moments later and stood next to Nyota, who was still on the biobed.

"Your blood tests haven't improved, though you're not in the danger zone yet. Your liver is working a little harder than I'd like and your white blood cell count is up. Your body is starting to object to the presence of hobgoblin junior and the anti-rejection meds you've been taking. I'm gonna make an adjustment to you drug regimen and give you a very mild diuretic. We've got to keep your blood pressure down. I'd like you to keep that bun in the oven for at least another four weeks. However there may come a point where early delivery is the best option for both you and the baby."

"I'm gonna prescribe compression stockings and insist that you cut back to half shifts. While you're helping with the negotiations, we're gonna get you a chair with an elevated foot rest. Spock, I expect you to be the enforcer, though I'll certainly be notifying Jim of my medical orders. If we all do our jobs, we'll get through this with a healthy mama and a healthy baby. Understood?"

"Yes, Doctor" came the double answer.

"I understand Nyota is giving a party tonight. I want her to have a good nap beforehand. Take care of any last minute details from bed and let your friends help you. Okay then. Get on out of here."

Spock escorted Nyota to their quarters and made certain she had everything she needed within arms reach.


King Gerlhu was much calmer but his headache had not improved after almost twenty-four hours. He sheepishly asked that Dr. McCoy give him something for the pain. The good doctor patiently explained that he should really come to Sickbay and have his head scanned to determine the source of the problem. The king reluctantly agreed.

Bones repeated his scans several times, always reaching the same conclusion. King Gerlhu also had fluid-filled lesions in his brain, probably the result of exposure to the dilithium crystals in his crown. The lesions were small but had probably been there for some time. When questioned, the king admitted that he had suffered from frequent headaches which he thought had been brought on by stress. The court physician had recommended therapeutic massage which had eased his discomfort but not eliminated it. The Jorians did not possess sophisticated medical scanners.

Bones sighed at the thought of another potential diplomatic nightmare in the making, certain that he would be performing brain surgery on King Gerlhu.


Counselor Corenda La Plante had recently returned from a classified mission. She was one of Nyota's best friends aboard ship and the mother of a small boy and an infant daughter. Upon hearing that Nyota was keeping her feet up until party time, Corri decided to pay her friend a visit, taking baby Monica with her.

At six months old, Monica was a happy little butterball who gurgled, cooed, and laughed constantly. She cuddled with Nyota while the two ladies chatted.

"Nyota, did you download the latest Nebula Galactic catalog? I need to get some new clothes for Monica. She's outgrowing everything and I'm low on replicator credits."

"Yes, I did, but then I loaned it to La Keisha along with the Orion Woman's Secret catalog. She and Cupcake are getting to be quite the item. I'll ask her to bring them to the party. She's supplying the manicure expertise, you know."

"Yeas, I did know that. Her mom owns a day spa and La Keisha practically grew up there."


Esther quietly scraped as much of the cream of wheat as possible off of the family's clothes. She volunteered to do the laundry so that T'Pau wouldn't discover the mischief the children had gotten into. Sirin took his three older children into the bedroom and scolded them for their behavior. Tauril had done the same with Saavik and Senar.

Saavik and Senar were eager to show the other children the play area that had been made for them in the newly landscaped backyard. The two fathers supervised them for a while but then decided that the children were fine on their own. Tauril gave Sirin a tour of his greenhouse.

Saavik, Jason, and Torel busied themselves with a game of three-way catch, their younger siblings forgotten.

The rainy season was nearly at an end in New Shi'Kahr. Hannah was wearing a brand new pair of mint green overalls with a pink t-shirt and didn't want to get them dirty, but Senar's sandbox looked so inviting, even with the wet sand in it. She decided that the most reasonable course of action would be to slip them off.

Senar thought this was an excellent idea, as he was also wearing new clothes, a matching shirt and pants outfit with spaceships that Rachel had brought him. The two little ones carefully folded their clothes, set them on the patio, and sat down in the sand box. They played for about twenty minutes before becoming bored.

Hannah decided to teach Senar to play tag and they soon left the backyard.

Jason looked over at the sandbox to check on Hannah. She and Senar were gone, though he could hear giggling. Then he spotted the clothes. Jason ran into the house.

"Mom! Hannah and Senar are running around outside in their underwear. We need to stop them!"

However, it was too late. Neighbor T'Relah stood at the front door with two children, dressed only in their underwear and covered in wet sand.

"Elder T'Pau, I think perhaps these belong to you."


Hamed Mofasu outdid himself on the food for Nyota's party. The ladies really enjoyed all the luscious canapes set out for their enjoyment. Queen Viella was especially impressed. She had never tasted such wonderful food. Even her mother Queen Janna seemed to be enjoying it.

The relaxed atmosphere of the party lent itself to conversation between the two women. At first they struggled a bit, but soon Queen Janna was asking all sorts of questions about her little grandson.

After a bit of wine and cheese, the ladies loosened up even more. Christine brought out the sterilized nail implements while La Keisha set up a display of bright polishes and nail adornments. The assortment of colors nearly moved Viella to tears.

"So many beautiful colors! I don't know how I shall settle on just one."

La Keisha laughed.

"Don't! We'll do your fingernails in one color and your toenails in another and we'll use accent colors for the designs. It will be gorgeous!"

"Of that I have no doubt!" exclaimed the young queen as she admired La Keisha's deep red nails with the free-hand lilies painted in white.

However, the high point of evening came for Queen Viella while she waited for her nails to dry. Corri had finished with the Nebula Galactic catalog and asked if anyone else wanted to see it. Nyota had downloaded it to a PADD that responded to voice commands. Viella spent over an hour gazing at all the wonders NG had to offer.

Suddenly she realized something. The Ferengi had been holding out on her.

*A/N: In the TOS episode Elaan Of Troyius, the Dolman wears a necklace made of dilithium crystals.