Chapter 101
Amanda woke up as her shoulder was roughly shaken by T'Pen.
"Lady, you must get up. T'Arris needs to speak with you," she explained.
Blearily, Amanda looked at her Vulcan wristwatch to find it very distinctly early morning. She sighed; she had managed to catch only a few hours of sleep after staying up so late.
Shuffling out of bed, T'Pen helped her dress quickly before she went into the living room to meet T'Arris.
Amanda took a small globe light with her as she entered the living area to illuminate the room. T'Arris turned as she entered to face her and wasted no time in explaining the reason for her presence.
"You have received a task from your Master: S'Kelnek, as punishment for your recent absence at the dinner," she explained.
"Punishment?" Amanda repeated, barely awake to comprehend what was happening.
He hadn't said anything about a punishment in their last discussion. Why wouldn't he have told her?
"Yes. Come with me and I will take you to your task," she ordered.
She turned to leave but Amanda called her back.
"My lady, must it be at this hour?" she asked.
"Yes, this task will take all day to complete. So you must begin as soon as possible."
Amanda's shoulders sagged. It didn't seem like this was something that could be postponed. She was certain that defying her master's punishment would only incur a further and more difficult task. With reluctance, she followed T'Arris out of her rooms.
They stood outside the compound walls which was covered head to toe in what Amanda could only describe as a bramble. T'Arris pointed to what Amanda assumed to be a fruit.
"Your task is to harvest all of the pla-savas from these walls."
She handed her a pair of rubber looking gloves and a small knife.
"The fruit exterior is covered in spines so must be harvested with care so as not to pierce your skin. Cut the fruit at its head and deposit it in the bucket before moving onto the next."
Amanda pulled on the gloves and flexed her fingers in them. They were far too big.
"Be warned," T'Arris said. "Once the vine is cut it will let out a putrid scent so it is better to breathe through your mouth to reduce the symptoms that you will receive from the smell."
Amanda groaned inwardly. This just keeps getting better and better.
"You cannot leave your post until your task is complete. A ladder is available behind you if you cannot reach the top of the wall. Any questions?" she asked.
"Will I be able to leave my post to relieve myself and take my meals?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, but only when necessary. Your meals will be brought to you."
T'Arris handed her two sachets of water instead of her usual one.
"As you will be in the sun all day I have instructed an attendant to monitor your progress and provide a parasol for shade. Be careful not to contract heat stroke as you will be returned to this task until it is completed."
Amanda took the sachets and glanced back at the young male attendant who stood behind her. She had no doubt that he was also there to make sure that she didn't receive any outside help.
"Any further questions?" asked T'Arris.
Amanda shook her head.
"No, my lady," she said, resigned.
"Then you may begin. I will see you again once it is complete."
Sarek analyzed Amanda's side profile, her head raised and gazing into the distance as if she were deep in thought. Captured on canvas, great attention had been given to depict the curvature of her ear both on the inside and out. Strands of her hair blew behind her as if she stood in a breeze and the blue of her robes brought out the color of her eyes. The overall effect was quite captivating.
However, he wasn't here to assess T'Sang's artwork. He cast a glance about the art gallery. At this time of day it was deserted. She had agreed to meet him here and when he checked the bond he could sense her coming near.
He had chosen the gallery as it would not be out of place to see them both there. Although it would be unusual for a husband to spend time with his wife's attendants the pretext of viewing an artwork of her likeness was plausible and wouldn't arouse suspicion that anything untoward was afoot.
As the other artworks held no interest for him, he turned his gaze back to the painting of his wife once more. It was clever to capture her with a thoughtful expression. Anything else was likely to cause insult with her outward expression of emotion. No matter how small.
Sarek felt T'Sang enter the corridor before he could hear her. He kept his eyes focussed on the painting as she drew closer.
"You requested my presence, Osu," she said quietly, bowing her head to his right.
Still, his eyes did not move. He could sense her fear leaking across the bond before it was suppressed. If Amanda had been wrong, why would she be so afraid?
"You have masterfully captured my wife in this painting. It is intelligently drawn," he said.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed her ears turn green at his compliment. So it was true, he thought. She had grown to care about his opinion of her deeply and he had not seen it... She bowed her head again.
"You honor me with your words, Osu," she said reverently.
T'Sang glanced about the art gallery.
"Is the Lady Amanda not present?" she asked.
She appeared nervous, as if concerned her mistress would step out from behind her.
"Only I am here," Sarek explained.
T'Sang's eyes widened.
"I… I see," she said softly.
Not sure what to do, she turned towards her painting as if she were joining him in his assessment. Sarek decided that he should progress to the next step. It would not be good for either of them to draw this out.
"I have something to return to you," he said, turning to present T'Sang's portfolio from within the folds of his robes to her with one outstretched hand.
It was the first time in their conversation that he had properly looked at her and he watched as her face drained of color before his eyes.
If he had had any doubts before, he certainly didn't now.
Amanda winced as another tiny thorn pierced one of her fingers as she tried to delicately grab the fruit of the pla-savas with the tips of her fingers and cut it from the bush. The damned things were absolutely covered in tiny thorns. The gloves she had been given were useless and she had thrust them to the attendant monitoring her after her first few tries. She was far quicker trying to grab the fruit without touching its thorns than fumbling the knife in such big gloves. Unfortunately this was proving trickier than she thought and she was beginning to collect a number of tiny cuts crisscrossing across her hands.
As she readied to cut the fruit off from its branch, she took a deep breath in under her improvised face mask of a scarf and snipped. A vapor erupted from the lesion on the branch and the overwhelming smell of rotten eggs entered her lungs. Amanda breathed out and tried to ignore the stench that made her eyes water. It made the cuts on her hands sting in what seemed to be some kind of cauterizing effect. She placed the fruit in the satchel slung over her shoulder.
Considering this section harvested, she moved a meter further to continue her work. The attendant that had been monitoring her obligingly moved the parasol that was protecting her from the worst of the sun's rays as she worked. She wiped away the sweat on her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. She had a long way to go before the harvest was complete.
T'Sang reached out to take the portfolio from his fingers and held it against her chest. Her eyes snapped to his with an urgent look to them.
"I apologize if I have offended you, Osu. It was never my intent and I…"
"If I may speak," Sarek interrupted her before this would become too embarrassing for both of them. He breathed out slowly. "I need you to understand, T'Sang, that as my wife's attendant what you have drawn if it became public knowledge would be highly inflammatory not just to my wife and I but also to yourself."
He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. She appeared completely frozen, resolutely staring at the floor.
"You have a promising future in the artists guild and it would be a great shame to have it tainted by ill rumor. Do you understand?" he asked.
T'Sang nodded her head minutely, still unable to look at him. Sarek straightened his shoulders and held back the illogical urge to sigh. He stepped forward.
"T'Sang, look at me," he ordered quietly.
Her gaze slowly lifted to meet his tentatively.
"You will not receive any punishment from myself or Lady Sarek. My wife holds you in high esteem and cares deeply about your future. She is already searching for a suitable family for you to serve…"
"But I can still serve you, Osu. I promise it will not happen again," T'Sang interrupted hastily. "It has been my honor to server the Ambassador and his family," she said bowing her head again.
Sarek consciously relaxed his fists held behind his back. He hadn't realized that he had tightened them…
"You have been an exceptional attendant, T'Sang," he said.
T'Sang's head whipped up at his comment. He noticed the muted fear he had detected on the bond had dissipated. What replaced it was far more alarming…
"However, I must make it explicitly clear to you," he said.
He made certain to maintain direct eye contact with her for this next part.
"There will never be anything more in the relationship between us than an Ambassador and his wife's attendant," he said coldly.
T'Sang visibly swallowed, her eyes fluttering. The bond suddenly became void of all emotion.
"Lady Sarek will find a suitable new position for you," Sarek continued to explain. "And I must insist that any inflammatory articles on your person be destroyed discreetly and as soon as possible. Do you understand?"
"Yes Osu," T'Sang said, her voice barely above a whisper as she held the portfolio tightly to her chest.
"Once we leave this room, what has happened will never be spoken of again," he said with a tone of warning to his voice. "You have been a loyal attendant to us so the transition will not be easy. But in time you will understand that what has happened here is for your benefit."
Unable to speak anymore, T'Sang merely nodded mutely.
"You may go now," he said finally.
T'Sang paused for a moment before turning around to leave.
"And T'Sang," he called out.
She turned her head back to face him.
"Be careful."
In the midst of darkness, Amanda finally harvested the last of the pla-savas. Her calves screamed in protest as she bent to drop the fruit into the bucket. She had to make sure she kept moving otherwise she was certain her muscles would lock in place.
The attendant, as if taking pity on her, picked up the container and walked towards the kitchens. Amanda staggered stiffly behind, grateful for the late hour which meant that no one was around to watch her struggle.
T'Arris was waiting for them in the kitchens and gave an approving nod at the five containers of carefully harvested produce.
"You have done better than I expected shu-pal talsu but your task is not finished yet," she said coolly.
Amanda looked at her dully, too tired to fully register shock.
"What more is there?" she asked, numbly.
T'Arris demonstrated cutting the fruit open, gutting it and removing the seeds before placing the cleaned flesh in a waiting pan on the countertop. T'Arris looked at her pointedly, stepping back from the workspace and knife.
"Proceed," she gestured.
Sighing, Amanda shuffled to the counter and began the laborious process of cleaning the fruit, one by one.
Sometime later, Amanda wasn't sure how long as she had lost track of time by this point, she had finished cleaning the last tiny pla-savas of the lot.
T'Arris returned to turn the pan on to a low simmer before covering the lid. She turned to her.
"Well done. Your master will see you now."
Amanda sank gratefully into the meditation cushions across from Master S'Kelnek, her near exhaustion causing her head to droop onto her chest. The incense was thick and the air too warm for her comfort. Her subconscious cried out for her to give in and sleep. Not yet…
"You have done well, my student."
S'Kelnek's voice seemed to waver just like the incense drifting through the air.
Amanda didn't say anything but tried to lift her eyes to meet his, her eyelids felt heavy, obstructing her vision.
"Your punishment has come to its end. You may use the juice collected from the pla-savas as a gift to your future guests. Your toil will not go unnoticed and will show sufficient regret for your actions."
Amanda felt her head grow lighter as her eyes flickered closed but she jerked herself awake again.
"You are wise, Osu," she said vaguely.
She was barely following anything he said. She was just so tired.
S'Kelnek said something more but she didn't capture it, she tried to focus again through sheer force of will.
"… your efforts to help the boy. However, if you are still determined then I have settled on a price," he said.
Amanda realized with a brief moment of clarity that he must be talking about Socran.
"Name it," she said softly.
Unperturbed by her bluntness S'Kelnek lit another incense stick. Surely not another one? She could barely breathe.
"The price is your memories."
"My memories?" she parroted, confused.
"Yes. Share with me some of your memories and I will consider the balance settled," he explained.
Amanda, too weary to hold back her facial expressions, furrowed her brow.
"But they will be of Earth, full of human emotion. Does that not disgust you?" she asked.
"Could I have had you as my student for so long if that was the case?" he asked rhetorically.
Amanda supposed he had a point.
"Alright," she said, drowsy almost to the point of drunkenness. "But none that contain Sarek. Those are private."
"Very well," he agreed.
Amanda had the vague awareness of him approaching her. Fingertips lightly touching her skin. And then rest. At last…