Chapter One: Stonn

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The chiming coming from T'Pring's office down the hall is loud enough to catch Stonn's attention. T'Pring's door must be open, then. Unusual, unless her assistant K'Tyll has stepped away from the desk for a moment and left the door open behind her.

He waits a beat, expecting T'Pring herself to answer the chime, but when it continues, he rises and follows the sound.

The office is empty.

How odd that he hadn't noticed T'Pring's absence. He was so certain that she was in her office that finding her gone flusters him. No, less than that. Surprised, perhaps. He's usually more alert to her actions.

The signal light on the top of the subspace transceiver flashes in unison with the chimes. With a quick glance around, Stonn crosses the distance and reads the screen.

Message from S'Chn T'Gai Spock.

To Stonn's dismay, the old anger constricts his throat and he feels his heart hammer in his side. Scorn and disgust and shame—he feels those, too, in rapid succession, like a wave crashing over him. Bad enough that T'Pring has allowed herself to be bonded to the half-human son of Sarek. Worse is his own history with him, as schoolboys and rivals and finally genuine enemies. Sometimes in his dreams he sees Spock's fist aiming for his jaw, or he relives the boyish thrill of watching him react to a taunt. In this area of his life, Stonn fails again and again, the Vulcan ideal of detachment and logic slipping out of his grasp.

To say that he hates Spock is not….unreasonable.

To his credit, Spock has not shared their history with T'Pring. At least this is what Stonn surmises, since T'Pring's demeanor with him is pleasant and even—does he dare admit it—friendly. Convivial. Engaging. Enjoyable in the extreme.

Or if Spock has told her of their past experiences, this information does not appear to have adversely affected her attitude towards Stonn. Surely she would react negatively if she knew of their schoolyard violence?

In his private meditations, Stonn likes to imagine that T'Pring knows and does not care. That she shares his dismay about diluting Vulcan genes with those of a species as illogical, as undisciplined, as undeservedly arrogant as humans.

The chiming stops and the screen goes dark. Stonn exits T'Pring's office and considers what to do next. The logical thing is to do nothing. He doesn't know where she is, and when she returns she will see that Spock attempted to contact her.

But Stonn's logic often fails him where T'Pring is concerned. He knows this but is unable to corral his emotions when he considers her future without him.

It might be instructive to deliver the message in person and note her reaction. It might give him insight into the degree of attachment she feels for Spock while they are parted—he on the Enterprise, she here at Ankeshtan K'til Vulcan Criminal Rehabilitation Center.

What is that human saying? Absence makes the heart to wander?

He heads out of the administration building and walks to the artificial gardens built by the El-Keshtanktil to serve as meditation and exercise areas for those undergoing treatment. The third moon of Omicron Lyrae is the perfect place for a criminal rehabilitation center. Barren and remote, it has no cities, no civilian transport stations, and almost no visitors. Most of the prisoners are v'tosh ka'tur who have rejected logic and elevated their emotions as a guide for their actions. The extensive grounds are designed to remind them of home—ornate but not excessively so, landscaped with succulents and sand-shrubs reminiscent of Vulcan.

T'Pring often walks here with her co-therapists, sometimes chatting with patients—she objects to calling them prisoners—but she sometimes walks here alone. Today she is by herself. Standing beside a small reflecting pool, she turns at the sound of Stonn's footsteps on the flagstone.

A flicker of something Stonn can't identify flashes in her expression, and then she lifts her chin in greeting.

"Forgive the interruption."

"You are not interrupting," T'Pring says. "It is always pleasant to see you."

For the second time that day Stonn feels flustered—or surprised. Like most Vulcans, T'Pring does not indulge in unnecessary social niceties. If she says it is pleasant to see him, she means it. The thought brings a rush of heat to his face.

"I feel the same," he says, trying to keep his voice even. "Nevertheless, I would not bother your private time if I did not think it was warranted."

T'Pring inclines her head a fraction in agreement. He hesitates a moment and then takes a breath to proceed.

"I was passing your office when the subspace transceiver indicated an incoming transmission, but no one was there to respond."

T'Pring frowns and then lifts one eyebrow. "Ah, that may have been during K'Tyll's scheduled break."

"I assumed as much," Stonn says. "I hope I have not overstepped, but I thought it might be something requiring your immediate attention and I took the liberty of checking the origin."

Again, an unidentifiable expression crosses T'Pring's face. "And was it? Something requiring my immediate attention?"

Suddenly Stonn is unable to say the man's name, his mouth is so full of ashes. "I believe it was your sa-kugalsu."

This time the expression that crosses T'Pring's face is undeniable. Joy—and affection. And perhaps something more.

"Thank you, Stonn," she says with more warmth than he's ever heard in her voice. He gives a quick bow to hide the distress this gives him.

Without looking back, he pivots on his heel and walks past the manicured gardens and twinkling strings of lights, past the ornamental statuary and polished stone cairns and sandy raked pathways, past the prisoners chatting softly or admiring Omicron Lyrae's other two moons in the pale sky.

An illusion, of course, that the v'tosh ka'tur are the only prisoners here. He's as much a captive as they are.

Author's Note: I've been a fan of Star Trek since TOS aired originally—yes, I'm THAT old! I've loved all of the iterations since and have been thrilled with the recent movies and new series—all of them. "Strange New Worlds" is a terrific opportunity to play with some of my favorite characters from TOS again, and in this particular story, I give four of them a chapter apiece to explain their own personal purgatories. Leave me a review to let me know what you think! (And if you like Star Trek as much as I do, head over to the stories posted for TOS, Enterprise, and Star Trek 2009 for more of my fiction.)