I cannot do review replies this chapter because FFN will not let me onto
the reviews page. However, I will say thank you to my three constant
reviewers- MySchemingMind, Data, and Qwi13. I love you guys! And
MySchemingMind, I joined your yahoo group. And just a note to all, I am not
sure about the dates here, so correct me if I am wrong.
"Understand," Spock began, "that the ideal Vulcan way of life is not practiced even by all Vulcans. However, even non-practicing Vulcans have a sense of control that is more than humans do. You two, to be blunt, lack that."
"But what about Vulcans like... like Sybok?" asked Toreth.
"See. You hesitated to say a name. That not Vulcan at all, Toreth." Toreth frowned, knowing that Spock was avoiding the subject. She could tell that Sybok and those like him were not often discussed in Vulcan culture. "You are both already too old to gain the instinctive way of behavior. Instincts come at a very young age, and you are both teenagers."
"There is a way though... to make it instinctive," T'Son said. Spock looked at him.
"Yes, T'Son," was all he said. Toreth leaned over to him.
"T'Son!" she whispered. "Why would you suggest such an intimate thing? We may know him better than we know ourselves, but he does not know us at all!"
"Well, it is not like anyone else on this ship who can initiate a mind meld could help me, cough, cough," he whispered back.
"T'Son is right," Spock said then.
"What!?" Toreth cried.
"This is the only way to teach you properly. However, both of you have to know what you are getting into."
"I understand," was all Toreth could say. She would at last mind meld with the Vulcan she had loved since age twelve.
"I do too," T'Son said. Even the normally annoyed-with-emotions boy was looking completely awed.
"But Spock!" Toreth began.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Could you not teach it to both of us as once if we did like a three way mind meld?" she asked. Spock looked at her curiously.
"Are you and T'Son close enough friends that you could mind meld and not mind. You have proven that you know how intimate it is." Both Toreth and T'Son nodded.
"This has never been done before, right?" T'Son said.
"I do not know if it will even work, but it should," Spock said. The three sat in a sort-of circle, and Spock started the meld. Suddenly they all could see the room from different points of view; they could sense each other's own minds. T'Son and Toreth, having never done this before, wanted to jump right into the swirling chaos of each others' minds or Spock's ordered one, but Spock had stopped and so did they.
Spock lightly touched the edges of their minds and wonderful new images began to flow into their minds, things from Vulcan's past, ancient teachings, an instinctive way of life. It was a real "whole new world" for both T'Son and Toreth, and they loved it.
Slowly, the flow of knowledge stopped and their minds separated, became their own once more. Toreth could only say two words that summed up everything she and T'Son were thinking: thank you.
the next morning
"Do they always have such random conversations?" Bones asked in bewilderment as he stared at the three teenagers who were standing near the main viewscreen. Kirk grinned.
"Bones, do you remember when you were a teenager? They were raised human, so naturally they would have the tendency of humans to make pointless conversation," Kirk told his CMO.
"Spock, didn't you, T'Son, and Toreth do some sort of Vulcan ritual- ceremony-thingy last night?" Bones asked.
"We did a three-way mind meld, which is neither a ritual, nor a ceremony, nor a thingy, therefore, the answer is no," Spock calmly responded.
"Everything is a 'thingy,' Spock," Bones said. He then thought a moment. "Expect for people. People are what's-hir-faces," he finished. "You can also use thingamajig, thingamabob, watchacallit..."
"Doohickey," Toreth called from the front of the bridge.
"Thank you," McCoy told her. He did not notice Spock rolling his eyes ever so slightly. "So then, why are they still being random and," McCoy grinned, "illogical?"
"I am attempting to become more logical in my actions, though I fear I cannot change my entire personality in one night," Toreth said, coming over to join them. Bones stared at her.
"I think you achieved your goal," he said weakly.
"Quit with the formalities and logic ness," Qwi complained.
"Logic ness is not a word," T'Son said. "The correct word would be logicalness."
"Goddess!" Qwi screeched.
"I have told you before- goddess is just like saying the male equivalent and as the three of us are Christians..." T'Son began.
"I know!" Qwi yelled at him.
"She gets it from the Song of the Lioness quartet, and it is not really taking God's name in vain," Toreth told T'Son, sort of quoting the third of the Ten Commandments.
"Song of the Lioness?" T'Son asked skeptically.
"A book quartet written by Tamora Pierce, but as you are not interested if it happened before 2365, you would not care," Toreth said. T'Son sighed.
"Wait... we are only in the year 2267," Kirk pointed out.
"He thinks TOS is okay, though not as good as some of the other series," Toreth said calmly, confusing the bridge crew even more.
"What's TOS?" Bones asked. Toreth smiled evilly and said nothing.
"It is-"Qwi began.
"Do not tell them; you will corrupt the timeline!" T'Son said.
"We already have corrupted the timeline," Toreth pointed out. "Technically, we are not supposed to be here, and beside, we know everything that will happen in the next hundred and thirty or so years." Spock looked over at Kirk and Bones with an eyebrow raised. For the Vulcan, that was like saying, "I knew they would be assets to us!" Bones crossed his arms and said nothing.
"But they do not know and we should not tell them. Anyway, you yourself are always wondering what the 'true timeline' really is," T'Son said.
"That is because I saw the TNG episode 'Parallels,'" Toreth said. "There are endless universes all simultaneously existing and every little decision we make affects them!"
Qwi had been looking from one to another, unable to follow their conversation, as she was not as much of a Trekkie. (A/N: No offense, Rachel, but it is true). "Brain pain," she muttered.
"Would you stop quoting 'A Sitch in Time'!?" Toreth asked, annoyed.
"'A Sitch in Time'?" T'Son asked.
"It is a Kim Possible movie," Qwi told him.
"Not Kim Impossible!!!" T'Son groaned. Qwi grinned, and then turned to Toreth.
"If you can recite 'The Undiscovered Country', I can recite 'A Sitch in Time," Qwi said.
"Merde," Toreth said.
"Stop cussing in French," Qwi said.
"How about in German?" Toreth said, smiling sinisterly.
"No! And please do not tell me you know how to say merde in German," Qwi said.
"Yes," Toreth said, very seriously.
"I am not allowed to watch PG-13," T'Son told them.
"Two things, T'Son," Toreth said. "First, your parents have been dead for a few hundred years. Second, you are well over thirteen and that is a ludicrous rule anyway."
"Mom and Dad... are dead?" T'Son said, for in all the excitement, he had forgotten all about the fact that everyone he knew was gone.
"Yes," Toreth said, showing no signs of sadness or regret. "Though you know, you can look up descendants of the Black family."
"Fun," T'Son said. The three teenagers dashed for the turbolift. It opened barely in time to stop Toreth from slamming into it. The doors closed and it suddenly seemed very quiet on the bridge.
"Bones?" Kirk asked.
"Yeah?" Bones said.
"For the first time, I am glad I never married," Kirk said, shaking his head.
"Understand," Spock began, "that the ideal Vulcan way of life is not practiced even by all Vulcans. However, even non-practicing Vulcans have a sense of control that is more than humans do. You two, to be blunt, lack that."
"But what about Vulcans like... like Sybok?" asked Toreth.
"See. You hesitated to say a name. That not Vulcan at all, Toreth." Toreth frowned, knowing that Spock was avoiding the subject. She could tell that Sybok and those like him were not often discussed in Vulcan culture. "You are both already too old to gain the instinctive way of behavior. Instincts come at a very young age, and you are both teenagers."
"There is a way though... to make it instinctive," T'Son said. Spock looked at him.
"Yes, T'Son," was all he said. Toreth leaned over to him.
"T'Son!" she whispered. "Why would you suggest such an intimate thing? We may know him better than we know ourselves, but he does not know us at all!"
"Well, it is not like anyone else on this ship who can initiate a mind meld could help me, cough, cough," he whispered back.
"T'Son is right," Spock said then.
"What!?" Toreth cried.
"This is the only way to teach you properly. However, both of you have to know what you are getting into."
"I understand," was all Toreth could say. She would at last mind meld with the Vulcan she had loved since age twelve.
"I do too," T'Son said. Even the normally annoyed-with-emotions boy was looking completely awed.
"But Spock!" Toreth began.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Could you not teach it to both of us as once if we did like a three way mind meld?" she asked. Spock looked at her curiously.
"Are you and T'Son close enough friends that you could mind meld and not mind. You have proven that you know how intimate it is." Both Toreth and T'Son nodded.
"This has never been done before, right?" T'Son said.
"I do not know if it will even work, but it should," Spock said. The three sat in a sort-of circle, and Spock started the meld. Suddenly they all could see the room from different points of view; they could sense each other's own minds. T'Son and Toreth, having never done this before, wanted to jump right into the swirling chaos of each others' minds or Spock's ordered one, but Spock had stopped and so did they.
Spock lightly touched the edges of their minds and wonderful new images began to flow into their minds, things from Vulcan's past, ancient teachings, an instinctive way of life. It was a real "whole new world" for both T'Son and Toreth, and they loved it.
Slowly, the flow of knowledge stopped and their minds separated, became their own once more. Toreth could only say two words that summed up everything she and T'Son were thinking: thank you.
the next morning
"Do they always have such random conversations?" Bones asked in bewilderment as he stared at the three teenagers who were standing near the main viewscreen. Kirk grinned.
"Bones, do you remember when you were a teenager? They were raised human, so naturally they would have the tendency of humans to make pointless conversation," Kirk told his CMO.
"Spock, didn't you, T'Son, and Toreth do some sort of Vulcan ritual- ceremony-thingy last night?" Bones asked.
"We did a three-way mind meld, which is neither a ritual, nor a ceremony, nor a thingy, therefore, the answer is no," Spock calmly responded.
"Everything is a 'thingy,' Spock," Bones said. He then thought a moment. "Expect for people. People are what's-hir-faces," he finished. "You can also use thingamajig, thingamabob, watchacallit..."
"Doohickey," Toreth called from the front of the bridge.
"Thank you," McCoy told her. He did not notice Spock rolling his eyes ever so slightly. "So then, why are they still being random and," McCoy grinned, "illogical?"
"I am attempting to become more logical in my actions, though I fear I cannot change my entire personality in one night," Toreth said, coming over to join them. Bones stared at her.
"I think you achieved your goal," he said weakly.
"Quit with the formalities and logic ness," Qwi complained.
"Logic ness is not a word," T'Son said. "The correct word would be logicalness."
"Goddess!" Qwi screeched.
"I have told you before- goddess is just like saying the male equivalent and as the three of us are Christians..." T'Son began.
"I know!" Qwi yelled at him.
"She gets it from the Song of the Lioness quartet, and it is not really taking God's name in vain," Toreth told T'Son, sort of quoting the third of the Ten Commandments.
"Song of the Lioness?" T'Son asked skeptically.
"A book quartet written by Tamora Pierce, but as you are not interested if it happened before 2365, you would not care," Toreth said. T'Son sighed.
"Wait... we are only in the year 2267," Kirk pointed out.
"He thinks TOS is okay, though not as good as some of the other series," Toreth said calmly, confusing the bridge crew even more.
"What's TOS?" Bones asked. Toreth smiled evilly and said nothing.
"It is-"Qwi began.
"Do not tell them; you will corrupt the timeline!" T'Son said.
"We already have corrupted the timeline," Toreth pointed out. "Technically, we are not supposed to be here, and beside, we know everything that will happen in the next hundred and thirty or so years." Spock looked over at Kirk and Bones with an eyebrow raised. For the Vulcan, that was like saying, "I knew they would be assets to us!" Bones crossed his arms and said nothing.
"But they do not know and we should not tell them. Anyway, you yourself are always wondering what the 'true timeline' really is," T'Son said.
"That is because I saw the TNG episode 'Parallels,'" Toreth said. "There are endless universes all simultaneously existing and every little decision we make affects them!"
Qwi had been looking from one to another, unable to follow their conversation, as she was not as much of a Trekkie. (A/N: No offense, Rachel, but it is true). "Brain pain," she muttered.
"Would you stop quoting 'A Sitch in Time'!?" Toreth asked, annoyed.
"'A Sitch in Time'?" T'Son asked.
"It is a Kim Possible movie," Qwi told him.
"Not Kim Impossible!!!" T'Son groaned. Qwi grinned, and then turned to Toreth.
"If you can recite 'The Undiscovered Country', I can recite 'A Sitch in Time," Qwi said.
"Merde," Toreth said.
"Stop cussing in French," Qwi said.
"How about in German?" Toreth said, smiling sinisterly.
"No! And please do not tell me you know how to say merde in German," Qwi said.
"Yes," Toreth said, very seriously.
"I am not allowed to watch PG-13," T'Son told them.
"Two things, T'Son," Toreth said. "First, your parents have been dead for a few hundred years. Second, you are well over thirteen and that is a ludicrous rule anyway."
"Mom and Dad... are dead?" T'Son said, for in all the excitement, he had forgotten all about the fact that everyone he knew was gone.
"Yes," Toreth said, showing no signs of sadness or regret. "Though you know, you can look up descendants of the Black family."
"Fun," T'Son said. The three teenagers dashed for the turbolift. It opened barely in time to stop Toreth from slamming into it. The doors closed and it suddenly seemed very quiet on the bridge.
"Bones?" Kirk asked.
"Yeah?" Bones said.
"For the first time, I am glad I never married," Kirk said, shaking his head.