My appologies for the delay on this part, but RL has been a mad house recently.
Many thanks to everyone that has sent reviews.
knoteach
Part 14
The Wild Card's arrival at Star Base 4 seemed almost anti-climatic for most of its crew and passengers.
Chris ordered Josiah and Buck to oversee transfer of the refugees from the cargo ship and the Wild Card, then security was to escort the eight prisoners from the brig to the Star Base's holding cells. Vin and Chris were on hand to watch their unwelcome passengers leave; their leader still grumbling and trying to threaten them into letting them go.
Turning away, Vin started down the hall. It was now time to gather their more friendly guests and head over. Hopefully Travis would give them a little more information on what to expect when they got there.
"Vin?" Chris called as he pulled up along side his first officer. He was concerned about the solemn silence that hung around the man. Vin was usually a quiet man, but there was something sorrowful about him. The look in the younger man's blue eyes confirmed Chris's worries.
Vin stopped and turned toward his captain and best friend, but remained silent for a few moments. "I'll be fine, Capt'n, but it's not going to be easy. If the Vulcans want to take Ezranok back to Vulcan and put him with a foster family there…" Vin shuddered. "I'm afraid of what that might do to the boy."
Chris laid a compassionate hand on his friend's arm. "The boy needs to be with his own people, Vin. It's for the best." Even before Chris had finished his sentence, Vin was shaking his head in disagreement.
"No, Capt'n, it's not," Vin insisted. "Ez needs to be with those he can trust, and…" Vin paused, unsure if he should tell Chris, then plunged on, "and I think he's afraid on them, Chris. He doesn't mind me talking about what happened to me while I was on Vulcan. But if I try to talk about what his life would be like on Vulcan, he changes the subject and I can feel the fear through the bond." Vin looked confused and pained as he continued, "I'm not sure what I should do, Capt'n. I want to keep the boy here, but I want to do what's best for him too. If he is Vulcan, he could have a lot of problems later on if he doesn't get the right training now, but he's afraid of them and he knows nothing of their way of life."
Chris sighed, his own misgivings coming to the fore. "Yeah, and if the boy isn't Vulcan, but Romulan, their disciplines will crush him. And there's no way in hell we'd send the boy back to the Romulans. Dear God, it's all such a mess. I don't know what to do either, Vin."
Vin nodded and both men were silent for a few minutes. The Vin looked up and met Chris's eyes again. "Chris, if the Vulcans don't take him, I'm going to request that the boy be left in my care." Chris opened his mouth, but Vin cut him off. "Capt'n, Ezranok's real mature for his age, so he wouldn't need someone to look after him all the time, and he could help out around the ship. As for his schoolin', I'll teach 'em. We have everything he could need and more in the ship's computer."
Chris looked closely at the lanky man's face as he spoke. "You've been giving this some thought for awhile, haven't you?"
Vin blushed and looked down, "Yeah, since I realized that we share a bond." Vin looked back up with determination shining in his eyes, "I've lost one bondmate. I don't want to lose another, Chris."
"Yeah," Chris nodded then smirked at him. "And what I was goin' to say was, 'Go for it, Vin.' Both you and that boy deserve a little happiness. I think you both would find that with each other."
Vin smiled brilliantly at Larabee. "Thanks, Chris."
Together the two men continued down the hall toward their destination the next door down.
It didn't take long for Ellison, Blair, and Ezranok to get ready to leave the ship since all they had was a couple sets of clothes a piece and a few tokens Ellison had been given by the tribe that had taken him in. Soon Chris and Vin lead the three to the transporter room and nodded for the transporter tech to send them over to the Star Base.
Vin smiled slightly at the wide-eyed wonder on Ezranok and Blair's faces as they were met on the Station by Admiral Travis, two Vulcans, and some other Starfleet representatives.
Travis led the whole entourage through the Star Base's corridors to a large conference room where he directed them to take seats. Ellison pulled out a chair and sat, but then he pulled Blair into his lap, much to the surprise of Travis and the other Starfleet officers. Vin pulled out the chair next to him for Ezranok, while Chris took the one on his other side.
Clearing his throat, Travis got things started, "Captain Larabee, could you summarizes for us what exactly has happened?"
Chris glanced at Vin then leaned forward to give his report. It was an official report, and he tried to be as concise and accurate as possible. It took him several minutes to tell the tale and then they spent the next hour asking questions and clarifying issues.
Finally one of the other Starfleet officers, a Commodore in the Ground Operations division according to his uniform, spoke up, " Captain Larabee, we are satisfied with you report concerning the rescue of Lt. Commander Ellison. With your permission, we would like to have Ellison come with us to begin the debrief of the mission that led to his unfortunate marooning on the planet."
Chris glanced at Jim and received a slight nod. "Of course, Commodore."
Even as Chris spoke Ellison stood, still holding Blair. He wasn't going to take a chance on them getting separated. As he walked past Vin to join the officers that were waiting for him, he heard Vin whisper so softly that only a Sentinel could hear him, "Good luck, my friend." As he passed he dropped his hand down and squeezed the blond man's shoulder, trying to return the sentiment inconspicuously, then left with the other officers following him. Some of them still looked a little confused as to why Ellison had the young boy with him.
After they all left, the only ones left in the conference room were Vin, Chris, Travis, Ezranok, and the two Vulcan men that had met them at the transporter station.
The elder of the two men had been introduced as F'arnoc. He had held his tongue all through the earlier session, but now he took floor. "Captain Larabee, I understand that Ezranok can remember very little of his time before the slavers. Is that correct, sir?"
"Yes, he has some vague recollections, but very little," Chris confirmed.
"Very well. My associate, Malhai'ik," the man waved regally at the younger man at his side, "is skilled at helping to retrieve faded or buried memories without bringing harm to the one that has forgotten."
"Without bringing harm? What do you mean by that?" Vin asked in suspicion.
F'arnock looked at Vin speculatively for a moment before answering. "He will view the memories without bringing them to the conscious mind of the boy if he deems that they might be harmful to him. We realize that it is sometimes better that certain things remain hidden from the one that has suffered them." Vin nodded his understanding and acceptance of this.
When the younger man called for Ezranok to come to him though, the boy was nervous. It took Vin's suggestion that he sit nearby for the boy to get the courage to move. Malhai'ik agreed, as long as Vin agreed to not interfere. Vin agreed. Ezranok flinched a little as the Vulcan touched him to initiate the mind meld, but on the whole he held his own.
It only took Malhai'ik about ten minutes to find what he was looking for, then to tuck away those memories that would harm the boy. He did however find several memories he believed the boy would enjoy having and, pulling those to the front, he placed them to one side so the boy could come back to them later.
Vin watched the Vulcan's search progress with apprehension. He knew the man wouldn't purposefully harm Ezranok, but he was very concerned about what he might find. If Ezranok was Vulcan, there was no way he would ever be allowed to keep the boy. He found himself praying silently that Ezranok was of Romulan blood, that way there would at least be a chance, no matter how small.
After it was over, Vin led Ezranok back to the seats they had occupied before, not giving Malhai'ik the chance to suggest that Ezranok come sit with them. For his part, Malhai'ik sent an impassive look Vin's way then returned to his seat and quietly gave F'arnock his report.
After the two men had discussed what Malhai'ik had found, they sat quietly. Finally Vin couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Well, is Ezranok Vulcan?"
"No, Lt. Commander Tanner," F'arnock answered. "The boy is not Vulcan."
Vin tried not to let his relief show. "So he's Romulan," Vin stated quietly. He had his chance!
"No, Lt. Commander," F'arnock contradicted him. "He is not Romulan either."