Chapter 1
"Fascinating."
Taking her eye away from the telescope, she pulled out a data padd and a padd pencil. Setting the padd and pencil on her lap, she turned back to the telescope.
"Computer, magnify image to 400 magnification," she said as she recorded her command on the padd.
A beep of computer acknowledgement and a larger, clearer image appearing in the eyepiece told her that the computer had done its job.
"Fascinating," she said again, as she examined the image. Then picking up the pencil, she began to draw the image on the padd. A circle becoming a short, wide cylinder appeared; then came two long cylinders lying on their sides on top near the back, with two more long cylinders lying on their sides became attached to the bottom of the craft, near the back as well.
"A ship," she whispered with a puzzled look, for this ship looked like no Warbird she had ever seen. Turning back to the telescope to examine the details of the mysterious ship, she saw that it had changed position, and only the back portion was visible.
"Computer, lock on image. Turn telescope as necessary."
Another beep and a turn of the chair in which she was sitting along with the telescope, and she scribbled her command in her log again. Now able to focus on the ship, she began to draw the details. After two hours of drawing, erasing, and drawing again revealed the ship to be a Federation ship.
"No, I'm not done yet," she said to the ship in space as it turned to move out of the telescope's range. She had the ship's exterior schematics and could probably identify the class to which the ship belonged, but she couldn't quite make out the name of the ship. Yes, of course the ship had the letters "U.S.S." as its beginning, but the rest was unknown.
After study of ships using the computer in her room, Alley Orion Falan had found the class of the mysterious starship that, five Federation standard years ago, had been crusing in what was now the Neutral Zone. Alley had seen the strange ship on a class field trip to the Astronomy Lab on T'Lan, the largest moon. Because of its large size, T'Lan, could be classified as a planet, except for the fact that it had no atmosphere. Always orbiting the Romulan sun on the far side of Romulus, T'Lan had a great view of the stars and galaxies beyond. Since the computer had limited information on Federation ships, Alley would have to wait for another glimpse of the Constellation-class starship to find out which ship it was. After recording her findings in her personal log, Alley got up and stretched. She gazed at the red rays of dawn grazing the purple mountain peaks and wondered about the worlds beyond the stars, just waiting to be explored by her. Grabbing her bat'leth and her kh'tarah, Alley slipped on her dark red cloak and put a few meth'ns - Romulan money - in her satchel that she swung over her head and shoulder so the strap crossed her chest leading to the satchel by her right side. Slipping downstairs and out towards the woods, Alley headed toward town.
Stepping out into the street, Alley could see the various merchants setting up colorful carts and opening doors for business. Smiling to herself, she continued down the road, nodding politely to those who gave her friendly smiles, until she spotted a cart with various shades of purple fabric covering the top. Now her smile was more of a grin as she stepped up to the Romulan man who was arranging items on the left side of the front of the cart.
"Good morning, Ghakar," Alley whispered in Klingon. As the man turned around to see who was speaking to him, the faint forehead ridges of a Klingon were visible. He smiled and replied in Klingon, "And good morning to you, Alley. Going for another ride, eh?"
"Yes," Alley replied back, speaking in Klingon all the while. "Two faras, please." She held 3 meth'ns in her hand. After Ghakar took the coins, he handed her what would have looked like two Terran sugar cubes had it not been for their bluish color.
"Don't you have studies?" Ghakar said. Then he laughed, because Alley's next look let him know that he had hit the mark.
"Yes, but Father said that I need only meditate to separate that which is logical from that which is not logical; right now there is nothing illogical about what I am doing, so I can't separate the two, can I?" Alley replied with a roguish smile as she tucked the two blue cubes into her pocket. "Plus, school does not begin until four hours from now. I have plenty of time."
"Heh, heh, heh. I should tell you that your logic is impeccable. You should be a diplomat," Ghakar chortled, knowing the Alley despised the fact everyone said she should be a diplomat.
"And why is that? Because I am a Romulan-born half-human, half- Vulcan, and I could perhaps bridge the gap between the Romulans and the Vulcans as well as maybe the Empire and the Federation?"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Yes, yes, but you also have skill to state your view so logically and so without emotion that would make a pure Vulcan envious, and slap someone upside the head with an insult - in a polite- sounding way, of course - at the same time! That is what I define as a diplomat!"
"Yes, well, I have a different definition. A diplomat to me is nothing more than a fancy way to say 'formal tactician,'" Alley stated as she started off down the road. "See you tomorrow, Ghakar."
"Ha, ha, ha, good day to you, Alley. Heh, heh, heh." Ghakar waved good-bye as continued to chortle as he went back to arranging his wares.
A soft breeze blew through the purple, blue, and red leaves of various trees, reaching onward to the stables where M'Kal was standing. Sniffing the breeze, he could tell that it came from the southwest. Smiling to himself, he went to ready Avalon. Feeling the soft pad of Terran mulch under his feet, he chose the path to Avalon's stall. Standing ten feet tall behind the gate was a horse, huge by Terran comparisons, covered in black hair from his head all the way to his soft, glossy tail. Most people would call him part of the workhorse breed, for his build gave an air of superior strength. Avalon leaned his head out to touch M'Kal on the forehead.
"I wonder where she will take you today," M'Kal asked the black stallion. Alley had named the horse after reading about the Terran King Arthur. Alley seemed to feel at rest when she was with Avalon, meaning a ride with him was her resting place, just as the real Avalon was King Arthur's resting place.
Sniffing around him, Avalon seemed to be able to tell that Alley was coming without M'Kal's question needing to be asked. Unlatching the gate, M'Kal led Avalon out of his stall to the field. When he returned, he heard light footsteps coming towards the house. He knew it was she, for the footsteps were in the light yet strong and alert way that he had taught her. Smiling to himself, he quietly grabbed a nearby stick, and as he straightened up and turned the corner, he threw the stick with a sharp flick of his wrist towards the girl.
The girl, on the other hand, seemed not to notice the airborne stick. Then, she suddenly caught the stick in her right hand and returned the attack just as quickly. Her position implied that nothing had happened, but her eyes were full of diligence, taking in all details present so that she might use them to her advantage, should another attack arise.
"Excellent," whispered M'Kal in Klingon, stepping towards the girl, who had now relaxed, yet still somewhat alert.
"And you as well," Alley replied. "How did you know it was me?"
"I smelled faras, particularly two faras, on the breeze that is blowing from the southwest. Only one who is coming to ride would come this way, and Avalon is the only horse in my stables that loves faras. You are also the only person whom Avalon will let ride him. I then concluded it to be you."
"Your logic is well, I see."
"Ah, yes, and your precision is the same. You gripped the stick at the very same placed that I had. You have learned well. Now, I do believe that you are here on your own free will, not on your father's." He had hit the mark. Alley rolled her eyes in that way of hers that she did whenever no one would listen to her views.
"Father wants me to undergo Kolinahr at some point in my adult life, so I have plenty of time. Mother agrees, and Avak is, of course, following in Father's footsteps. And I happen to like being the black sheep of the family." Alley picked up the blanket which hung over Avalon's stall and threw it over the horse.
"Ha, ha. You sound more like a human every day. First, you like something, meaning you used an emotion; then you use a metaphor. Shall we just move to Terra, you and I?"
"Actually, I wish to go into the Federation. Starfleet, in particular." Alley strapped Avalon's bridle around his head, carefully avoiding M'Kal's eyes.
"Ahhh," M'Kal said, shaking his head. "You know what your family will say about that."
"Yes, I know they want me to go to the Vulcan Science Academy, but I've got two hundred years to live. Since I'm only half-Vulcan, shouldn't only one hundred years be devoted to being a Vulcan?" Finished with preparing for her ride, Alley had turned to M'Kal, her teacher and advisor.
"Ahh, don't tell me, tell--"
"You know he won't listen. He'll just yell at me in that polite, diplomatic, logical, Vulcan way and then go meditate until the sun rises again."
As this conversation unfolded, M'Kal and Alley had walked to the field, and she was now sitting in the grass, pulling up grass as she described her father's yelling. Listening to the eight-year-old half- Vulcan pour out her emotions to him, M'Kal laughed softly to himself. Alley defied the Vulcan way of total logic, wanting to be a mix of human emotion and intuition and Vulcan logic.
"Avalon wishes to be ridden before you go, so I suggest you do it now. I estimate that you only have two hours before you must attend to your lessons."
"Okay. And it's two point six eight three hours, to be exact," she replied roguishly. Then she called Avalon and leapt up onto his back, turning him towards the woods before both spirited away. M'Kal heard Avalon's hoof-beats fade away and turned back toward his house.
Alley sprinted down the wide street, holding the z'hok stick close to her arm as she pumped her limbs for power. Turning right down the street, a castle appeared in her line of sight. It was a castle from the early days of Romulus, built nearly three centuries after a group of Vulcans had split off from the rest of Vulcan to live a life different from the one proposed by Surak. Now, the castle was an academy, with students both young and old. Alley had started at three years of age-the lowest age accepted-and had showed a great interest in the Romulan history and ancient culture. Starting as a P'Nov, or pre-novice, she had at first been teased, for she had been, and still was, both the only Vulcan and the only human, because of her split heritage, to have ever attended the V'Akhar Academy. But the teasing died down fairly quickly, for Alley had risen to the top of her class within a few days.
Although she blossomed in the Romulan culture, her family regarded her as a slight outcast, since her mother, father, and brother had all been born and raised on Vulcan around Vulcans. Avak, Alley's brother, had left with her father and mother to Vulcan, to enter into the Science Academy. Alley had chosen to remain on Romulus with M'Kal as her guardian. Remarkably skilled in the Klingon martial arts, the bat'leth, and the kh'tarah, the Romulan form of fencing, she was nearly invincible in combat with her Vulcan precision and strength. But her mind was also strong, with her Vulcan logic leading the way. In school, she acted liked a Vulcan scholar; in combat she was a Klingon warrior. But every once in a while, when her spirit needed it, she contained her Vulcan logic and Klingon teachings and let her human emotion run wild.
"Can't catch me!" Alley waved her z'hok stick in the air, careful not to drop the ball which was wrapped in the net near the top of the z'hok. Rounding the corner to where her faithful horse was standing by the old town tree, she whispered in the old Romulan language, "On, Avalon, on!" Avalon charged on, with Alley deftly maneuvering him through the obstacles that lay in their path. Behind them, a Romulan and two Klingons followed, also on horseback. The Romulan was steering his horse back and forth in front of the two Klingons' horses, so they would not catch up on Alley. Hearing the victory whoop, all three boys slowed to a halt and waited for the victorious Vulcan to return. The two Klingons slid down from their horses, exhausted.
"Next time, it should be Alley versus all," one said, putting one hand out to lean on his horse. The other, placing his now half-empty water- bottle back into his belt, shook his head in agreement.
"Aww, come on, K'Rohk," the Romulan replied, referring to the first Klingon, "you can't be saying that a noble Klingon such as yourself could be beaten by a lowly half-Vulcan like Alley."
"Or maybe," K'Rohk replied with a grin on his face, "maybe we should have K'Qoh and I go against you, Ronan, and let Alley decide which team she should be on."
"I would then pick Ronan over you," Alley replied, emerging from the trees behind them.
"Why?" asked K'Qoh, mocking a look of surprise and outrage. "We Klingons are more advanced in fighting than a . . . lowly Romulan." K'Qoh waved his z'hok stick as he spoke, dropping his voice an octave lower to emphasize the "lowly Romulan."
"True, but at least the 'lowly Romulan' can swing a sword," Alley replied with her roguish grin as she slid off Avalon.
"Oh, now it's on!" K'Qoh tackled Alley on the ground. With a whoop and a laugh, K'Rohk joined them, and all three wrestled on the ground. Ronan looked on and laughed as Alley soon gained the upper hand and turned both Klingons over onto their backs. She threw her weight onto them, forcing their shoulders to lie flat on the ground. Holding them down with surprising strength, Ronan continued to taunt them.
"Now, look at you two-beaten, by a human."
"A HALF-human," K'Rohk gasped beneath Alley's hand.
"Thank you," Alley replied, lifting her right hand off of K'Rohk. K'Rohk quickly got up and walked over to Ronan.
"Hey! Hey! What about me?! Aren't you going to let me go?" K'Qoh gasped, struggling to free himself.
"What do you think, Ronan? Shall I let the offender go?" Alley asked, smiling up at Ronan. Ronan struck a pose to indicate deep thought.
"Hmmmm. I don't know. . ." K'Rohk put his hands on his hips and looked at Ronan with a scrutinizing look. "I guess you should-only because K'Rohk would attack me if I said 'no,' and then you'd have to get up anyway."
"Logical," Alley replied and stood up, releasing K'Qoh. "Where to now?"
"I know," K'Qoh said, moving swiftly to his dark blue horse, "Last one back is a dead targ!" He jumped onto his horse, with K'Rohk doing the same at his side, and sped off into the woods. Ronan and Alley leapt onto their horses and followed after them. After a few minutes, Alley had taken the lead, with Ronan following her in second.
When Alley returned to M'Kal's home after a bat'leth combat session with her friends, she saw a light blinking on the computer indicating that there was an incoming message waiting for her. She walked towards it and touched a button on the screen to send the message to her room. She already knew that the message was from Vulcan, and therefore was going to be a recorded one.
After placing her satchel around the hook near the door and her bat'leth on its proper shelf above her bed, she sat down at her computer console and asked the computer to show the message.
"Hello, Alley," Avak's familiar face appeared on the screen. Avak contacted Alley once a week so they could talk to each other like they used to. For as far back as she could remember, Alley and Avak treated each other more like friends than siblings. Even though Avak had followed his father's logic and ways of life, he often talked with Alley, listening to her points. Avak still tried to turn Alley towards the Vulcan way of thinking, but he did it less forcefully. She in turn, listened to him as well, still keeping her way but considering his at the same time. That's what she liked about her brother. If only other people could be like him.
"All is well here on Vulcan. Father has been discussing issues in the forum, and Mother, as always, supports him by his side. I have achieved a position in the Vulcan Diplomatic Corps. Only yesterday Ambassador Spock visited the forum. He has hinted of a trip to Romulus, to try to reunite the Vulcan and Romulan peoples, and asked Father about Romulan culture, so that he may blend in with the public and create an 'underground.' Perhaps you will be able to meet him.
"I must leave at this, for Father asked me not to reveal all on this channel. Live Long and Prosper."
The transmission ended, soon replacing Avak's face with the Romulan bird of prey holding the two sister worlds, Romulus and Remus. Alley sat back in her chair and sighed, knowing full well that she would have to tell her brother that she was preparing to leave for Starfleet soon. She leaned forward and asked the computer to record a message.
"Hello, Avak. My studies and health are well. I still have far to go to reach the status of High Initiate. I am sorry that I will not be able to perhaps meet Ambassador Spock, for I am planning to travel soon. Besides, tell him to start in the capital; there will be plenty of people there that will listen to an 'underground' plan; then he should try to find the V'Ahkar Academy, for K'Ehyna would be a logical choice for a base, since so many people here do not wish for the Romulan military lifestyle. Live Long and Prosper." She then ended her transmission on that note. Avak would know where she was planning to travel; she didn't dare say that she was planning to join Starfleet on a Romulan channel, else she would be captured and interrogated on Federation information and no way or chance to ever get off Romulus. After she ended the transmission, her keen, pointed ears picked out sounds of metal banging against metal. Trained by M'Kal to deduce exactly what made what sounds and from which direction the sound was coming, she concluded that the metal sound was not of bat'leths touching, but of metal pots and pans hitting a surface. She got up from the terminal and proceeded toward the kitchen, where she saw that M'Kal was indeed preparing food. He was softly humming an old Klingon song while chopping up herbs and preparing the meat.
"Strange," Alley muttered as she entered.
M'Kal picked up her muttering, soft as she did it. "What is strange?" he inquired, not even turning around.
"A Klingon-a blind Klingon, at that- is standing in a kitchen, chopping up herbs, and humming a lullaby. I just never thought that a Klingon would be so peaceful," Alley replied with her now too familiar roguish smile.
"Well, I think it is strange that a Vulcan-a Vulcan born and raised on Romulus, at that-would make such an illogical assumption," M'Kal answered. He turned around with a plate in each hand. His eyes were white, instead of the normal Klingon brown, though that was the only thing that would conclude his blindness. He had learned how to use his senses so well that he could walk almost anywhere and do just about anything as if he still retained his sight. And so, he had passed those skills of the senses on to Alley, his apprentice in the Klingon and Romulan arts of combat.
After sitting down to the table and filling his plate, M'Kal asked, "So, what did Avak have to say about Vulcan this time?"
"The usual. He met Ambassador Spock in the forum."
"That doesn't seem usual." Although he couldn't see, M'Kal could tell Alley was giving him her you know what I mean look. "And you replied?"
"Yes; I told him that I was planning to leave Romulus soon."
M'Kal paused for a minute. "Ah, Alley, you do know that once you join Starfleet, it will be very hard to get transport back here, and our communications will have to be short."
"Yes, I know," Alley answered, tired of hearing the same response over and over again. "I plan to take the Orion."
"I will not say anything."
Putting her fork down, Alley gave M'Kal another annoyed look. "I know I can get across the border."
"Knowing and doing are two very different things."
"I know what I'm doing. I'll just tail a freighter."
"Then I suggest you do it two days from now, for the V'Dra is leaving for Ferenginar. From there, you should be able to leave for Federation space."
"Okay," was all Alley said.
"But you are delaying your chance to achieve the status of High Initiate."
"Oh, Ronan, I've already told you; I've got two hundred years to live, and I want to experience my human side first. Then I will join you on your quest for Kolinahr." Ronan gave Alley a strong look for joking about Kolinahr. Alley giggled at Ronan's strong reaction to her joke.
"You know, you're a lot like Avak. Come with me, and I'll drop you off at Vulcan," Alley giggled again, knowing Ronan took the Vulcans seriously.
"But what will you do when pon farr comes around?"
Alley was walking with Ronan down the path to the Terran equivalent of Alchemy class. It was the day before the morning on which Alley would leave behind the V'Dra for Ferenginar and later Starfleet. Ronan was closer than a friend to Alley, more like a brother, particularly since she had bonded with him during her pon farr when she was younger.
"Pon Farr is strong when it is experienced by males. Females do not die if they do not mate. All I have to do it meditate for a day or so. I'll be fine."
"But --"
"I'm going, and I'm not going to change my mind."
"It's just,--" Ronan paused as they reached the shade of the great flaros tree standing in a corner of the courtyard.
"Yes?"
"Well,"-Ronan fidgeted about-"it's just that you had a pretty hard time getting people around here to trust you, let alone like you."
"Ah, and you think people in the Federation and Starfleet will not only distrust me, but that they will hate me to a certain point, am I right?" Alley gave him one of her looks as she tossed her shoulder-length hair about her in a girlish fashion. "Trust me, I can handle it."
"Alright, Alley." Ronan turned to face her as he stepped closer. "Maybe it's just my male aggressiveness kicking in. You know, just in case you just happen to find another boy over there," Ronan smiled. Then he leaned his head down a little and they nuzzled for a few seconds.
Alley smiled and said, "I better get to Alchemy, and I'm pretty sure that Master Dhahran won't be pleased if you're late for Ancient Runes." Ronan released Alley, and she walked around the tree to the doorway that leads to Alchemy. As she walked, her mahogany-colored hair swished from side to side, and her robes twirled about her in a way that made her look like a maiden girl out of a medieval fantasy. Then Ronan turned and continued down to Ancient Runes.
"Fascinating."
Taking her eye away from the telescope, she pulled out a data padd and a padd pencil. Setting the padd and pencil on her lap, she turned back to the telescope.
"Computer, magnify image to 400 magnification," she said as she recorded her command on the padd.
A beep of computer acknowledgement and a larger, clearer image appearing in the eyepiece told her that the computer had done its job.
"Fascinating," she said again, as she examined the image. Then picking up the pencil, she began to draw the image on the padd. A circle becoming a short, wide cylinder appeared; then came two long cylinders lying on their sides on top near the back, with two more long cylinders lying on their sides became attached to the bottom of the craft, near the back as well.
"A ship," she whispered with a puzzled look, for this ship looked like no Warbird she had ever seen. Turning back to the telescope to examine the details of the mysterious ship, she saw that it had changed position, and only the back portion was visible.
"Computer, lock on image. Turn telescope as necessary."
Another beep and a turn of the chair in which she was sitting along with the telescope, and she scribbled her command in her log again. Now able to focus on the ship, she began to draw the details. After two hours of drawing, erasing, and drawing again revealed the ship to be a Federation ship.
"No, I'm not done yet," she said to the ship in space as it turned to move out of the telescope's range. She had the ship's exterior schematics and could probably identify the class to which the ship belonged, but she couldn't quite make out the name of the ship. Yes, of course the ship had the letters "U.S.S." as its beginning, but the rest was unknown.
After study of ships using the computer in her room, Alley Orion Falan had found the class of the mysterious starship that, five Federation standard years ago, had been crusing in what was now the Neutral Zone. Alley had seen the strange ship on a class field trip to the Astronomy Lab on T'Lan, the largest moon. Because of its large size, T'Lan, could be classified as a planet, except for the fact that it had no atmosphere. Always orbiting the Romulan sun on the far side of Romulus, T'Lan had a great view of the stars and galaxies beyond. Since the computer had limited information on Federation ships, Alley would have to wait for another glimpse of the Constellation-class starship to find out which ship it was. After recording her findings in her personal log, Alley got up and stretched. She gazed at the red rays of dawn grazing the purple mountain peaks and wondered about the worlds beyond the stars, just waiting to be explored by her. Grabbing her bat'leth and her kh'tarah, Alley slipped on her dark red cloak and put a few meth'ns - Romulan money - in her satchel that she swung over her head and shoulder so the strap crossed her chest leading to the satchel by her right side. Slipping downstairs and out towards the woods, Alley headed toward town.
Stepping out into the street, Alley could see the various merchants setting up colorful carts and opening doors for business. Smiling to herself, she continued down the road, nodding politely to those who gave her friendly smiles, until she spotted a cart with various shades of purple fabric covering the top. Now her smile was more of a grin as she stepped up to the Romulan man who was arranging items on the left side of the front of the cart.
"Good morning, Ghakar," Alley whispered in Klingon. As the man turned around to see who was speaking to him, the faint forehead ridges of a Klingon were visible. He smiled and replied in Klingon, "And good morning to you, Alley. Going for another ride, eh?"
"Yes," Alley replied back, speaking in Klingon all the while. "Two faras, please." She held 3 meth'ns in her hand. After Ghakar took the coins, he handed her what would have looked like two Terran sugar cubes had it not been for their bluish color.
"Don't you have studies?" Ghakar said. Then he laughed, because Alley's next look let him know that he had hit the mark.
"Yes, but Father said that I need only meditate to separate that which is logical from that which is not logical; right now there is nothing illogical about what I am doing, so I can't separate the two, can I?" Alley replied with a roguish smile as she tucked the two blue cubes into her pocket. "Plus, school does not begin until four hours from now. I have plenty of time."
"Heh, heh, heh. I should tell you that your logic is impeccable. You should be a diplomat," Ghakar chortled, knowing the Alley despised the fact everyone said she should be a diplomat.
"And why is that? Because I am a Romulan-born half-human, half- Vulcan, and I could perhaps bridge the gap between the Romulans and the Vulcans as well as maybe the Empire and the Federation?"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Yes, yes, but you also have skill to state your view so logically and so without emotion that would make a pure Vulcan envious, and slap someone upside the head with an insult - in a polite- sounding way, of course - at the same time! That is what I define as a diplomat!"
"Yes, well, I have a different definition. A diplomat to me is nothing more than a fancy way to say 'formal tactician,'" Alley stated as she started off down the road. "See you tomorrow, Ghakar."
"Ha, ha, ha, good day to you, Alley. Heh, heh, heh." Ghakar waved good-bye as continued to chortle as he went back to arranging his wares.
A soft breeze blew through the purple, blue, and red leaves of various trees, reaching onward to the stables where M'Kal was standing. Sniffing the breeze, he could tell that it came from the southwest. Smiling to himself, he went to ready Avalon. Feeling the soft pad of Terran mulch under his feet, he chose the path to Avalon's stall. Standing ten feet tall behind the gate was a horse, huge by Terran comparisons, covered in black hair from his head all the way to his soft, glossy tail. Most people would call him part of the workhorse breed, for his build gave an air of superior strength. Avalon leaned his head out to touch M'Kal on the forehead.
"I wonder where she will take you today," M'Kal asked the black stallion. Alley had named the horse after reading about the Terran King Arthur. Alley seemed to feel at rest when she was with Avalon, meaning a ride with him was her resting place, just as the real Avalon was King Arthur's resting place.
Sniffing around him, Avalon seemed to be able to tell that Alley was coming without M'Kal's question needing to be asked. Unlatching the gate, M'Kal led Avalon out of his stall to the field. When he returned, he heard light footsteps coming towards the house. He knew it was she, for the footsteps were in the light yet strong and alert way that he had taught her. Smiling to himself, he quietly grabbed a nearby stick, and as he straightened up and turned the corner, he threw the stick with a sharp flick of his wrist towards the girl.
The girl, on the other hand, seemed not to notice the airborne stick. Then, she suddenly caught the stick in her right hand and returned the attack just as quickly. Her position implied that nothing had happened, but her eyes were full of diligence, taking in all details present so that she might use them to her advantage, should another attack arise.
"Excellent," whispered M'Kal in Klingon, stepping towards the girl, who had now relaxed, yet still somewhat alert.
"And you as well," Alley replied. "How did you know it was me?"
"I smelled faras, particularly two faras, on the breeze that is blowing from the southwest. Only one who is coming to ride would come this way, and Avalon is the only horse in my stables that loves faras. You are also the only person whom Avalon will let ride him. I then concluded it to be you."
"Your logic is well, I see."
"Ah, yes, and your precision is the same. You gripped the stick at the very same placed that I had. You have learned well. Now, I do believe that you are here on your own free will, not on your father's." He had hit the mark. Alley rolled her eyes in that way of hers that she did whenever no one would listen to her views.
"Father wants me to undergo Kolinahr at some point in my adult life, so I have plenty of time. Mother agrees, and Avak is, of course, following in Father's footsteps. And I happen to like being the black sheep of the family." Alley picked up the blanket which hung over Avalon's stall and threw it over the horse.
"Ha, ha. You sound more like a human every day. First, you like something, meaning you used an emotion; then you use a metaphor. Shall we just move to Terra, you and I?"
"Actually, I wish to go into the Federation. Starfleet, in particular." Alley strapped Avalon's bridle around his head, carefully avoiding M'Kal's eyes.
"Ahhh," M'Kal said, shaking his head. "You know what your family will say about that."
"Yes, I know they want me to go to the Vulcan Science Academy, but I've got two hundred years to live. Since I'm only half-Vulcan, shouldn't only one hundred years be devoted to being a Vulcan?" Finished with preparing for her ride, Alley had turned to M'Kal, her teacher and advisor.
"Ahh, don't tell me, tell--"
"You know he won't listen. He'll just yell at me in that polite, diplomatic, logical, Vulcan way and then go meditate until the sun rises again."
As this conversation unfolded, M'Kal and Alley had walked to the field, and she was now sitting in the grass, pulling up grass as she described her father's yelling. Listening to the eight-year-old half- Vulcan pour out her emotions to him, M'Kal laughed softly to himself. Alley defied the Vulcan way of total logic, wanting to be a mix of human emotion and intuition and Vulcan logic.
"Avalon wishes to be ridden before you go, so I suggest you do it now. I estimate that you only have two hours before you must attend to your lessons."
"Okay. And it's two point six eight three hours, to be exact," she replied roguishly. Then she called Avalon and leapt up onto his back, turning him towards the woods before both spirited away. M'Kal heard Avalon's hoof-beats fade away and turned back toward his house.
Alley sprinted down the wide street, holding the z'hok stick close to her arm as she pumped her limbs for power. Turning right down the street, a castle appeared in her line of sight. It was a castle from the early days of Romulus, built nearly three centuries after a group of Vulcans had split off from the rest of Vulcan to live a life different from the one proposed by Surak. Now, the castle was an academy, with students both young and old. Alley had started at three years of age-the lowest age accepted-and had showed a great interest in the Romulan history and ancient culture. Starting as a P'Nov, or pre-novice, she had at first been teased, for she had been, and still was, both the only Vulcan and the only human, because of her split heritage, to have ever attended the V'Akhar Academy. But the teasing died down fairly quickly, for Alley had risen to the top of her class within a few days.
Although she blossomed in the Romulan culture, her family regarded her as a slight outcast, since her mother, father, and brother had all been born and raised on Vulcan around Vulcans. Avak, Alley's brother, had left with her father and mother to Vulcan, to enter into the Science Academy. Alley had chosen to remain on Romulus with M'Kal as her guardian. Remarkably skilled in the Klingon martial arts, the bat'leth, and the kh'tarah, the Romulan form of fencing, she was nearly invincible in combat with her Vulcan precision and strength. But her mind was also strong, with her Vulcan logic leading the way. In school, she acted liked a Vulcan scholar; in combat she was a Klingon warrior. But every once in a while, when her spirit needed it, she contained her Vulcan logic and Klingon teachings and let her human emotion run wild.
"Can't catch me!" Alley waved her z'hok stick in the air, careful not to drop the ball which was wrapped in the net near the top of the z'hok. Rounding the corner to where her faithful horse was standing by the old town tree, she whispered in the old Romulan language, "On, Avalon, on!" Avalon charged on, with Alley deftly maneuvering him through the obstacles that lay in their path. Behind them, a Romulan and two Klingons followed, also on horseback. The Romulan was steering his horse back and forth in front of the two Klingons' horses, so they would not catch up on Alley. Hearing the victory whoop, all three boys slowed to a halt and waited for the victorious Vulcan to return. The two Klingons slid down from their horses, exhausted.
"Next time, it should be Alley versus all," one said, putting one hand out to lean on his horse. The other, placing his now half-empty water- bottle back into his belt, shook his head in agreement.
"Aww, come on, K'Rohk," the Romulan replied, referring to the first Klingon, "you can't be saying that a noble Klingon such as yourself could be beaten by a lowly half-Vulcan like Alley."
"Or maybe," K'Rohk replied with a grin on his face, "maybe we should have K'Qoh and I go against you, Ronan, and let Alley decide which team she should be on."
"I would then pick Ronan over you," Alley replied, emerging from the trees behind them.
"Why?" asked K'Qoh, mocking a look of surprise and outrage. "We Klingons are more advanced in fighting than a . . . lowly Romulan." K'Qoh waved his z'hok stick as he spoke, dropping his voice an octave lower to emphasize the "lowly Romulan."
"True, but at least the 'lowly Romulan' can swing a sword," Alley replied with her roguish grin as she slid off Avalon.
"Oh, now it's on!" K'Qoh tackled Alley on the ground. With a whoop and a laugh, K'Rohk joined them, and all three wrestled on the ground. Ronan looked on and laughed as Alley soon gained the upper hand and turned both Klingons over onto their backs. She threw her weight onto them, forcing their shoulders to lie flat on the ground. Holding them down with surprising strength, Ronan continued to taunt them.
"Now, look at you two-beaten, by a human."
"A HALF-human," K'Rohk gasped beneath Alley's hand.
"Thank you," Alley replied, lifting her right hand off of K'Rohk. K'Rohk quickly got up and walked over to Ronan.
"Hey! Hey! What about me?! Aren't you going to let me go?" K'Qoh gasped, struggling to free himself.
"What do you think, Ronan? Shall I let the offender go?" Alley asked, smiling up at Ronan. Ronan struck a pose to indicate deep thought.
"Hmmmm. I don't know. . ." K'Rohk put his hands on his hips and looked at Ronan with a scrutinizing look. "I guess you should-only because K'Rohk would attack me if I said 'no,' and then you'd have to get up anyway."
"Logical," Alley replied and stood up, releasing K'Qoh. "Where to now?"
"I know," K'Qoh said, moving swiftly to his dark blue horse, "Last one back is a dead targ!" He jumped onto his horse, with K'Rohk doing the same at his side, and sped off into the woods. Ronan and Alley leapt onto their horses and followed after them. After a few minutes, Alley had taken the lead, with Ronan following her in second.
When Alley returned to M'Kal's home after a bat'leth combat session with her friends, she saw a light blinking on the computer indicating that there was an incoming message waiting for her. She walked towards it and touched a button on the screen to send the message to her room. She already knew that the message was from Vulcan, and therefore was going to be a recorded one.
After placing her satchel around the hook near the door and her bat'leth on its proper shelf above her bed, she sat down at her computer console and asked the computer to show the message.
"Hello, Alley," Avak's familiar face appeared on the screen. Avak contacted Alley once a week so they could talk to each other like they used to. For as far back as she could remember, Alley and Avak treated each other more like friends than siblings. Even though Avak had followed his father's logic and ways of life, he often talked with Alley, listening to her points. Avak still tried to turn Alley towards the Vulcan way of thinking, but he did it less forcefully. She in turn, listened to him as well, still keeping her way but considering his at the same time. That's what she liked about her brother. If only other people could be like him.
"All is well here on Vulcan. Father has been discussing issues in the forum, and Mother, as always, supports him by his side. I have achieved a position in the Vulcan Diplomatic Corps. Only yesterday Ambassador Spock visited the forum. He has hinted of a trip to Romulus, to try to reunite the Vulcan and Romulan peoples, and asked Father about Romulan culture, so that he may blend in with the public and create an 'underground.' Perhaps you will be able to meet him.
"I must leave at this, for Father asked me not to reveal all on this channel. Live Long and Prosper."
The transmission ended, soon replacing Avak's face with the Romulan bird of prey holding the two sister worlds, Romulus and Remus. Alley sat back in her chair and sighed, knowing full well that she would have to tell her brother that she was preparing to leave for Starfleet soon. She leaned forward and asked the computer to record a message.
"Hello, Avak. My studies and health are well. I still have far to go to reach the status of High Initiate. I am sorry that I will not be able to perhaps meet Ambassador Spock, for I am planning to travel soon. Besides, tell him to start in the capital; there will be plenty of people there that will listen to an 'underground' plan; then he should try to find the V'Ahkar Academy, for K'Ehyna would be a logical choice for a base, since so many people here do not wish for the Romulan military lifestyle. Live Long and Prosper." She then ended her transmission on that note. Avak would know where she was planning to travel; she didn't dare say that she was planning to join Starfleet on a Romulan channel, else she would be captured and interrogated on Federation information and no way or chance to ever get off Romulus. After she ended the transmission, her keen, pointed ears picked out sounds of metal banging against metal. Trained by M'Kal to deduce exactly what made what sounds and from which direction the sound was coming, she concluded that the metal sound was not of bat'leths touching, but of metal pots and pans hitting a surface. She got up from the terminal and proceeded toward the kitchen, where she saw that M'Kal was indeed preparing food. He was softly humming an old Klingon song while chopping up herbs and preparing the meat.
"Strange," Alley muttered as she entered.
M'Kal picked up her muttering, soft as she did it. "What is strange?" he inquired, not even turning around.
"A Klingon-a blind Klingon, at that- is standing in a kitchen, chopping up herbs, and humming a lullaby. I just never thought that a Klingon would be so peaceful," Alley replied with her now too familiar roguish smile.
"Well, I think it is strange that a Vulcan-a Vulcan born and raised on Romulus, at that-would make such an illogical assumption," M'Kal answered. He turned around with a plate in each hand. His eyes were white, instead of the normal Klingon brown, though that was the only thing that would conclude his blindness. He had learned how to use his senses so well that he could walk almost anywhere and do just about anything as if he still retained his sight. And so, he had passed those skills of the senses on to Alley, his apprentice in the Klingon and Romulan arts of combat.
After sitting down to the table and filling his plate, M'Kal asked, "So, what did Avak have to say about Vulcan this time?"
"The usual. He met Ambassador Spock in the forum."
"That doesn't seem usual." Although he couldn't see, M'Kal could tell Alley was giving him her you know what I mean look. "And you replied?"
"Yes; I told him that I was planning to leave Romulus soon."
M'Kal paused for a minute. "Ah, Alley, you do know that once you join Starfleet, it will be very hard to get transport back here, and our communications will have to be short."
"Yes, I know," Alley answered, tired of hearing the same response over and over again. "I plan to take the Orion."
"I will not say anything."
Putting her fork down, Alley gave M'Kal another annoyed look. "I know I can get across the border."
"Knowing and doing are two very different things."
"I know what I'm doing. I'll just tail a freighter."
"Then I suggest you do it two days from now, for the V'Dra is leaving for Ferenginar. From there, you should be able to leave for Federation space."
"Okay," was all Alley said.
"But you are delaying your chance to achieve the status of High Initiate."
"Oh, Ronan, I've already told you; I've got two hundred years to live, and I want to experience my human side first. Then I will join you on your quest for Kolinahr." Ronan gave Alley a strong look for joking about Kolinahr. Alley giggled at Ronan's strong reaction to her joke.
"You know, you're a lot like Avak. Come with me, and I'll drop you off at Vulcan," Alley giggled again, knowing Ronan took the Vulcans seriously.
"But what will you do when pon farr comes around?"
Alley was walking with Ronan down the path to the Terran equivalent of Alchemy class. It was the day before the morning on which Alley would leave behind the V'Dra for Ferenginar and later Starfleet. Ronan was closer than a friend to Alley, more like a brother, particularly since she had bonded with him during her pon farr when she was younger.
"Pon Farr is strong when it is experienced by males. Females do not die if they do not mate. All I have to do it meditate for a day or so. I'll be fine."
"But --"
"I'm going, and I'm not going to change my mind."
"It's just,--" Ronan paused as they reached the shade of the great flaros tree standing in a corner of the courtyard.
"Yes?"
"Well,"-Ronan fidgeted about-"it's just that you had a pretty hard time getting people around here to trust you, let alone like you."
"Ah, and you think people in the Federation and Starfleet will not only distrust me, but that they will hate me to a certain point, am I right?" Alley gave him one of her looks as she tossed her shoulder-length hair about her in a girlish fashion. "Trust me, I can handle it."
"Alright, Alley." Ronan turned to face her as he stepped closer. "Maybe it's just my male aggressiveness kicking in. You know, just in case you just happen to find another boy over there," Ronan smiled. Then he leaned his head down a little and they nuzzled for a few seconds.
Alley smiled and said, "I better get to Alchemy, and I'm pretty sure that Master Dhahran won't be pleased if you're late for Ancient Runes." Ronan released Alley, and she walked around the tree to the doorway that leads to Alchemy. As she walked, her mahogany-colored hair swished from side to side, and her robes twirled about her in a way that made her look like a maiden girl out of a medieval fantasy. Then Ronan turned and continued down to Ancient Runes.