Chapter 11

2298

USS Lincoln NCC-7013

Science officer, Lieutenant Commander Saavik waited patiently under the oak tree in the garden. Ships large enough to carry families usually always carried a small garden or grove. Saavik was thirty-six Earth years of age.

She appeared exactly how she was twelve years ago. Vulcans aged more or less half the rate of a human. By the time they reached the age of eighteen, ageing began to slow right down. At the age of thirty a person was considered still very young.

This garden was comparatively large in design and took up a whole deck. There was various irregular pebble and bark paths leading from four entrance halls into the garden area. They all travelled to the centre where twelve oak and fur trees stood. In front of them stood two stone benches facing one another. Saavik sat on one of them awaiting her twelve-year-old daughter's decision.

The girl stepped into the garden a while later and followed the narrow woodland path to the centre of the structure.

In proper Vulcan etiquette T'Sharl was assumed by others to be Saavik's young sister. It was virtually unheard of for a Vulcan female to have a child under the age of thirty. As for Vulcan males they usually did not undergo their first Pon Farr usually until their mid thirties, unless of cause the genetics were physiologically altered in some way then the fever would be premature.

T'Sharl stood tall despite her comparatively small size. She wore her hair free and long. It hung down nearly to her waist. Physically the child was elegantly attractive in a severe Vulcan way. In many ways she resembled a mixture of Spock, Amanda, and Saavik, but her eyes were the most beautiful feature of all. They had an alien beauty all to themselves.

T'Sharl recently completed her education aboard the ship and had past a vast number of exams including temporal physics, astronomy, archaeology which she found a great deal of fascination with, mathematics and she had acquired an A7 computer qualification.

Despite her young age the girl was quite a genius, probably to do her mixed heritage. Now she was considering joining the Vulcan science academy to study archaeology in greater detail.

"Mother," she said as she approached into the centre of the garden. "I have decided."

"And what is your answer my daughter?" Saavik stood up.

"I will return home to Vulcan and join the Academy." Saavik nodded.

"I am sure Ambassador Sarek will be gratified to see you."

"Yes." T'Sharl shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Saavik noticed that there was something plainly troubling the girl other than her choice in education. "Mother there is something I need to talk to you about. It has been troubling me for some time."

Saavik sat back down readying herself for one of their long conversations. T'Sharl sat on the opposite bench and looked up at the artificially created blue sky with clouds.

"What is it," Saavik said calmly.

"It is of a personal nature. Years ago before Amanda died she spoke of it."

"What did she say?"

"It concerns my father."

"Your father died T'Sharl. Before you were born." Saavik frowned. The girl breathed in deeply.

"That is not true according to Amanda. I understand you were only trying to protect me, but...but it's time for absolute truth between us." Saavik realised Amanda must have told T'Sharl the truth about Spock. The girl had withdrawn the information within herself for all these years. Why had Amanda told her without her consent? Saavik realised that Amanda must have believed that her grand daughter had been old enough to know the truth about the circumstances of T'Sharl's birth.

"Then, Amanda did tell you the truth. How old were you?"

"Six Earth years."

"I should have told you before. It was me who was wrong." She shook her head with disbelief. "All these years you must have considered saying something."

"Many times, but it wasn't the right time. Now is."

"Yes it is," she said calmly. Saavik stared into nothing. T'Sharl noticed that she was in deep thought. Her mother looked sad. "Are you ever going to tell him?" She asked. There was silence for a long moment. It was clear that Saavik was struggling with the truth. She even wanted to keep it from herself.

It had all happened so long ago. Just seeing him bought back memories from her painful childhood. The painful distant past caused her to shudder. He had been the first kind person she had ever met. Saavik remembered her life as a young lieutenant in the academy being tutored by Captain Spock and then aboard the USS Enterprise.

Suddenly Saavik realised the truth that she had been denying from herself for all those years. She realised it and a powerful alien emotion swept through her that she had never felt before. Saavik tried to deny the feeling a first, but it persisted.

She realised that she wanted him.

Saavik sat down next to T'Sharl.

"Amanda had said that he doesn't know. Have you told him yet?" T'Sharl had to know. She was still in the dark about her father. She could see that discussing the matter wasn't easy for Saavik, but she had to know. Saavik tensed visibly. The girl could sense something from her. It wasn't clear, but it actually seemed like apprehension.

"No," she said.

Was her mother actually afraid? For a moment T'Sharl thought she might be, but there was nothing Saavik feared. Besides fear was illogical. She had always been a strong person and T'Sharl suspected that she always would be, but why all these years had she never told Spock? Her mother rarely if ever spoke of about T'Sharl's father. Why was that? She thought. Why would she keep it a secret for such a long time?

"Are you going to?"

"I..." She struggled to form the words. The emotion was overwhelming. She had never felt this way, not for at least a long time. Emotionally she could never face him again. It was illogical, but she felt shame. He was her superior officer, her commander. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she had felt so captivated by him in the first place.

He had a strange alien aura about him. Saavik wondered how she could have possibly sense that. It was improper. Completely illogical. She also felt a deep sense of elusiveness. There was also something very secretive that no one could or would ever know.

Even though he was part of her people he was still something of a mystery to her. She had never spoken of her feelings to Captain Spock or even admitted it to herself until at least today.

Whether he had guessed she had no idea, but they had at least melded minds a few of times and then there was that time... She froze in thought. T'Sharl watched in bewilderment. Saavik was far away deep inside a private memory.

On the planet Genesis his mind had been a blank. He hadn't been the Spock she had grown to admire and later to even to love. She knew she would have given herself up to the Klingons if it had been necessary to save his life. Saavik nearly had to, but David Marcus had saved them both instead.

"I don't know," she said finally as she came out from one memory to another.

During the brief times they had shared together during the mind melds the powerful control he held over the highly emotional human half of his personality had given her great strength to cope with the ramming violent nature of her own Romulan half. Spock had also given her great morale strength.

Some how she wanted him to know how she felt. She wanted to be part of his life again, but another part wanted to protect him from the truth that she feared. She felt little comfort from the truth that T'Sharl knew. If she did meet him it was her right to tell him. Saavik realised that. Evidently in time he would discover it.

"We will discuss this in further perhaps at a later occasion," replied Saavik evenly. She couldn't here. It was to open. People could listen. Saavik could never discuss it properly. It was too deep and far too emotional to explore vocally. "I would rather discontinue the conversation."

"Please mother just one more question." Saavik finally nodded.

"Proceed."

"Was it he who inspired you to followed a career in Starfleet?"

"Yes. I am sure then that you are well aware of the events which followed after I was promoted to junior grade lieutenant. Spock died saving the Enterprise from the destructive forces of Khan."

"Yes I know," T'Sharl said. "He was saved and brought back to Vulcan. A doctor, Leonard McCoy was the keeper of his katra. My father's soul was returned to his body by the Far-tor- pan ceremony. Is that not correct?"

Saavik nodded. "The report which you read was somewhat brief though. At that time there was a torpedo called the Genesis device created by a team of scientists who developed and succeeded in creating a living-breathing planet.

"The USS Enterprise was at battle within the nebula and faced the USS Reliant. It was hijacked by Khan. He was a genetically engineered human from Earth's late nineteen nineties. Khan stole the torpedo and it detonated in the nebula.

"A planet was formed from the dust and gas of the nebula. The Enterprise was unable to escape the wave. The warp engines were off line." Saavik knew she would have to be careful about what she said. Much information about Genesis was still top secret.

"Your father...he gave his life by repairing the damage so that the ship could warp out." She swallowed. Saavik hated remembering the terrible moment in her life when the other person that she only ever cared about had died.

"I was assigned to the USS Reliant, a science vessel along with Doctor David Marcus one of the scientists who created the experiment. David and I beamed down to the surface to investigate the new world. We found Spock, alive, but his body was regenerated to a child eight or nine in Earth years. His mind was a void. The planet was ageing extremely fast. Spock with it. Soon he experienced his first..." Saavik lowered her voice. "Pon Farr." She stopped.

"Then he didn't even know that...! I understand now. I know why you didn't want him to know, but I am sure he would understand Mother." Saavik gazed at her daughter and was a little taken a back at T'Sharl's emotionalism in her chosen words.

"It is hard," Saavik said very quietly. She shook her head and lowered her eyes. "If you choose to seek him out and reveal yourself. It is your choice. I will not stop you."

"Thank you Mother." T'Sharl greatly appreciated what Saavik had told her. She turned and followed the footpath towards the doors.