6 — Strange New World

Several days after the engines were killed by these mysterious Andorians, the Vulcans and I were bundled into various shuttlecraft and shot off into outer space.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn none of the Vulcans had been killed by our erstwhile captors. It appeared even the Rihannsu secret police had some qualms about mass killings.

Just before Sutak and I had been ejected, K'trall had offered me the chance to stay with him, as his concubine. My response had been less than pleasant and I wondered whether he was still walking funny. That had settled things for him and me, and he'd slapped me around a bit more before shoving me into Sutak's shuttle.

I shook my hand, which was developing a cramp from the now blunt pencil. I'd started keeping a journal shortly after being stuffed into this baby ship, and found it helped me to vent some of my feelings. Although my friend — for friend he now was — was a very nice guy, calm and reassuring, there were times when I itched to have a good old fashioned argument with someone.

It was an odd wish for me, for I'd always avoided strong emotions like the plague. But now I was deprived of them, I wanted them. I put it down to natural human perversity. We always wanted what we couldn't have. And after we got it, we didn't want it anymore.

Amazingly, those … Andorians had chosen to leave us alone. They could've picked us off any time they wanted, but it appeared they wanted a greater challenge than tiny shuttles that barely went at the speed of light.

"Charlotte; it is oh six hundred hours." Sutak's grave baritone interrupted my musings and I looked up as his shadow fell over me. A beard had come in over the last few weeks and it lent a certain rakishness to his usual elegant good looks.

"Oh, I'm on now." I scrambled up from the bunk and headed over to the flight console. Although I was hardly technically minded, it had been necessary for me to learn the basic principles of flying a warp ship. I couldn't say I was that good at it, but at least I hadn't flown us into any asteroids yet, and I counted that for something.

"Are you well?" Sutak asked me — if I hadn't known better, I would have said he sounded worried. "You appear distracted."

"I could use some air," I admitted. Although necessity had forced me to cope with the confines of this shuttle, which at least was bigger than my Quonset hut, I missed being able to step outside and breathe relatively fresh air. "How soon will we reach 40 Eridani A?"

"If we can maintain current speeds, we will be there in ninety six hours and ten minutes," he rattled reassuringly off of the top of his dark Vulcan head.

I could've kissed him — a very tempting notion. "Then don't worry about it," I said. "I can cope for another few days without totally wigging out on you."

The eyebrow crawled up his forehead. "It is an unproductive use of one's time to worry," he contradicted. "Vulcans do not worry."

"Act concerned, then?" I suggested.

He appeared to accept this emendation. "Humans have never taken extended space flights before — it was logical to be … concerned at how you would handle the isolation."

"Sweet, but not necessary," I said, dabbing at one of the touch pads and veering away from a small comet that appeared hell-bent on mowing us down.

"Indeed," he said. "You have been extremely … stoic."

I smiled at him, even though he couldn't see the gesture. "I learned from the master of stoicism," I teased. "Anyway, I haven't been totally isolated — you've been here the whole time."

Before a moment could develop, the comm board spluttered into life and someone was speaking in Vulcan. "Hey, Sutak, the cavalry's here," I added.

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I stepped out of the shuttle into the docking bay of the Seleya — from Sutak's lessons in his language, I knew that was also the name of one of their most sacred mountains. Sutak was at my side, and he nodded politely at the elegant young Vulcan female waiting for us. She lifted up her hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper, Sutak," she said. She dipped her head to me. "Welcome to the Seleya, Charlotte," she added.

"Thank you," I replied. I raised my own hand. "Peace and long life," I said in English. I was scared to try out my pidgin Vulcan on this female — I had the feeling she wouldn't be as tolerant of my mistakes as Sutak.

She tilted an eyebrow. "Indeed," she returned. "I am T'Pau; I represent the people of Vulcan in this matter, and wish to convey to you our regrets that you have become involved in this unpleasant history with the Rihannsu."

"I can't say it was exactly the way I wanted to see space, but it could have turned out a lot worse," I replied, liking her immediately. "Have you managed to retrieve all the other shuttles?"

"We have," she said. She looked at me appraisingly. "You appear to be more concerned with the welfare of my people than you are with your own welfare."

"In the grand scheme of things, what's one life compared to an entire ship full of people?" I said. Besides, I'd never expected to live this long.

She dipped her head with a small quirk of the mouth I would learn indicated approval. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," she said.

"Majority rules," I agreed, "as long as the majority doesn't oppress the minority."

She dipped her head once more, then turned her attention to Sutak and spoke to him in rapid Vulcan. I heard mention of my own solar system, and got the feeling they were talking about me. "Umm, excuse me? Not to seem ungrateful, but could you talk to me instead of about me? You said something about the Sol system."

She raised both her eyebrows. "You speak Vulcan?" she asked in that tongue.

"A little," I admitted, also in Vulcan. "Not enough to have a conversation," I continued in English, "but I've got a few phrases down."

"Then I apologize for our inadvertent rudeness," she said. "I was explaining to Commander Sutak that there are no ships leaving for the Sol system for at least six of your months. You will have to stay on Vulcan with us."

Somehow, that threw me more than the idea of being stranded in the depths of outer space had. To be back in civilization — and a civilization far more civilized than that of Earth — was so close, yet so far! I swallowed back my reaction, and replied, "I understand. And thank you. I'll try not to be too big of a nuisance."

"Think of it as an opportunity to learn more Vulcan," Sutak suggested quietly.

I chuckled reluctantly. "Did I mangle your language that badly?" I replied impishly. Sutak was so much fun to tease — watching him nobly resist changing expression was something I relished.

He did not deign to respond — probably knew me too well by now — and I shook my head.

T'Pau addressed us once more. "I have arranged quarters for you both. You will be able to control the temperature so it will suit your human physiology. However, you will not find the same to be so on the homeworld."

"I grew up in a hot climate," I said. "Besides, after everything you've done for me, you think I'm going to bellyache about being warm?"

She raised an eyebrow, but continued. "Your quarters have also been equipped with a water shower. We use sonic harmonies to cleanse ourselves, but I thought you would prefer water."

I tugged at my over-ripe vest and trousers. "I could use a shower," I admitted.

"Indeed," Sutak responded deadpan.

I grinned, but didn't rise. The guy might claim to have no sense of humor, but there was definitely one lurking in there.

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Several hours later, showered, hair squeaky-clean and looped in soft white bands that matched the Vulcan style robe I now wore, I examined my quarters. Although the Seleya was a smaller ship than the T'Plana-Hath, the design was similar. There wasn't going to be much time to get comfortable, however. We would reach Vulcan in less than ten hours — the Seleya being a lot faster than the shuttle — and then T'Pau and her crew were off to another solar system, for the follow-up to another first contact.

I read the details with fascination — Sutak and T'Pau had been kind enough to translate the precise Vulcan script into English. The species was known as Trill and they seemed quite human, except for the reddish-brown markings running down the sides of their face. I looked at the Council member who'd made the initial contact; a young female named Lela Dax. She was perhaps a little older than me, but her eyes seemed ageless. She had an old soul.

A polite chiming interrupted me and I switched the computer off. "Come in," I called, wondering who it could be. Vulcans weren't the type to simply come a-calling. The doors opened to admit Sutak, and I smiled at my own denseness. Of course. "You are rested sufficiently, I trust?" he inquired.

I stretched and yawned. "I'm only human," I deadpanned. "Plus I'm not as healthy as you." I winced as the stretch aggravated the ache in my ribs — K'trall had probably cracked a rib when he'd kicked me.

"You are in pain," Sutak stated.

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I denied. I'd had cracked ribs more than once whilst growing up.

"It is illogical to suffer needlessly," Sutak argued. "There is an excellent medical facility on the Seleya. I would recommend you seek their services."

"Oh, really? And has that doctor ever treated a human before?" I asked snidely, his odd testiness getting to me. I'd been getting flashes from him the last couple of days of strange emotions; a heightened tension as well as some warmer thoughts.

Just as suddenly, the tension between us was gone, and I sighed with relief. "I don't want to argue with you, Sutak," I said. "Maybe it's a delayed reaction to what's gone on the last few weeks." I sighed again. "Where will I find this infirmary of yours?"

It had been years since I'd seen a doctor. The war to end all wars had brought back diseases like smallpox, cancer and AIDS — diseases that had been relegated to the medical bin by the thirties — simply because most of the medical practices and hospitals had been destroyed during ground zero. Even before the war, though, my father had been careful not to let me have close contact with any doctors — he didn't want them to find out what he'd been doing to me.

I shuddered at the unpleasant memory, then looked into Sutak's lovely dark eyes. "Okay, okay; I'm going," I grumbled, stuffing my feet into a pair of sandals.

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The doctor didn't have much of a bedside manner, but she diagnosed me quickly enough. K'trall had actually broken two of my ribs, and some of my other wounds had become infected. Unfortunately, because T'Prina had never met a human before, she couldn't say whether or not Vulcan antibiotics would work with human physiology.

She said this with extreme gravity, and I shrugged. "I've had worse cuts than these before," I said. "I'll just heal over time."

"You appear somewhat underweight for a female of your age and height," she said. "However, I have no baseline for your species with which to compare you."

"No, that's right," I told her. "We lost half our crops to blight a few months ago, so the adults went onto half rations to protect the kids. So I'm probably a little malnourished." My stomach grumbled. "Speaking of nourishment, d'you have a mess hall on this ship? I could go for some of that plomeek soup you guys do."

She actually stared at me then, and I had the feeling this was the first time she was seeing me as a person rather than a collection of symptoms. "You are familiar with our foods?" she said.

"Well, yeah," I said. "I've spent the last few weeks on a Vulcan shuttle. It was either eat your food or starve to death. I like your plomeek soup, but the one on the shuttle lacked … something."

She dipped her head. "Food dispensers are adequate, but they do not capture the essence of plomeek soup," she said. "I will escort you to the commissary, but you will need more than soup. You are lacking essential proteins also."

"Most proteins humans get come from animals — I'm a strict vegetarian," I said. "I eat beans and lentils, but they're not as protein-rich as meat and cheese."

"Thousands of years ago, Vulcans also ate meat," T'Prina said, waiting patiently as I got off the bed. "We evolved with the need to ingest proteins, and suffered similar problems to you as we adjusted to our current dietary practices."

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I sat down near one of the viewports and looked at the sight of the stars zipping past — actually, we were zipping past the stars, but I wasn't about to let accuracy get in the way of poetry. I took a spoon of the plomeek soup, then dipped a biscuit-like bread in. The bread wasn't bad — it reminded me of the sour-dough bread my father used to make. Of course, then he'd act out all the other old Irish stereotypes — start drinking, get maudlin, sing folk songs and berate me for my mother's death.

I shook my head and dunked another chunk of bread into the soup, staring out into space — literally — as I wondered what Sutak was up to. Probably still being debriefed about the Rihannsu incident … already I was learning the Vulcan gift for understatement, I noted with wry amusement.

T'Prina had gone back to the infirmary — I was beginning to realize Vulcans weren't the most sociable of beings — and I was therefore alone. In the past, I'd guarded my solitude fiercely due to my curse, and was unused to feeling lonely.

I looked up as Sutak came in and muttered a fierce curse at the happiness that swept through me. Damn, damn, damn. I did have a thing for the guy.

He went to the galley and helped himself to a regular mountain of vegetables, then came over to my table. "You are feeling better?" he inquired.

I smiled at him, unable to help myself. Because of my childhood and the war, and my strange ability, I'd never gone through the usual teenage crushes, and I was therefore a novice with these feelings. As a result, I was finding them difficult to control. "I am," I said, taking a spoon of the plomeek soup. I pointed to my ribcage. "You know; K'trall actually broke two of these, and T'Prina was able to heal them just like … that!" I clicked my fingers. "I've just got a couple of cuts left and they'll heal soon enough."

"We will arrive on Vulcan in less than five of your hours," Sutak said, making rapid inroads into his mountain of salad. I guess he was as glad as me to be eating real food again, though of course he'd never admit it. "It is … unfortunate you will not be able to return to your home system immediately."

Yeah, for both of us, I mused. I didn't want these feelings for him and I knew the Vulcans didn't want some ignorant offworlder on their home turf. "It is," I said mildly. "But that's the way things go. There's no point bellyaching, so I'll just suck it up and get on with it."

Sutak's expression turned quizzical, but he appeared to glean my meaning quickly enough, for he did not query me.

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The first thing that hit me was the stark elegance of the planet — it reminded me of its people. It was blazing hot, and I was glad of the hood on the white robes I was still wearing. The hood served both to protect me and to hide my distinctly un-Vulcan ears.

"Welcome to my planet, Charlotte," Sutak said smoothly enough, although a certain tension was emanating from him. Understandable, really. Although they'd spent centuries exploring the cosmos, it turns out I was actually one of the first aliens to visit their planet.

I squinted against the glare of the sun and pulled my hood more fully over my head. Despite my dark hair and eyes, I'd inherited my fair skin from my father's side of the family, and it burned easily. "Thanks," I replied. A large mountain loomed in the distance with several small austere buildings dotting it. "Mount Seleya," I mused. "It's gotta be."

T'Pau, standing at my other side, raised an eyebrow. "You are correct," she said. "You have studied our home?"

"A little," I fudged, not wanting to betray my deep fascination with her people — I didn't want to come off sounding like a gushing simpleton.

Sutak shook his head — he knew me too well by now, damn him — and said, "Healthy curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of."

I smothered a grin — as we'd gotten to know each other, his English had become more colloquial, and he was now mangling the grammar with the best of us. "You're right," I said. I turned back to T'Pau, relieved to escape Sutak's piercing black eyes. "I've been doing some reading since I first met Sutak a few weeks ago — I guess it wouldn't be logical to deny my interest in h … your people."

T'Pau dipped her head. "Of course," she replied. Undoubtedly her sharp hearing had caught my little stumble, but she was tactful enough to not call me on it.

A young Vulcan male in heavy gray robes that looked monk-like approached T'Pau. "Live long and prosper, T'Pau," he said. "We were not expecting your return so son."

"Peace and long life, L'Dir," she responded. "There was an incident aboard the T'Plana-Hath and it has been lost." She raised her hand in the traditional Vulcan salute as she turned back to me and Sutak. "I must take my leave of you," she added.

"Indeed," Sutak said solemnly. "We are grateful for your timely intervention." Vulcan for 'thanks for saving our asses'.

The beautiful Vulcan dipped her head to me. "Live long and prosper, Charlotte," she said, and I realized suddenly she was not speaking English. How much Vulcan had I picked up in the last few weeks?

"Peace and long life," I replied in my pidgin Vulcan. I seemed to understand quite a bit of the Vulcan speech, but I wasn't confident enough to start talking a lot.

T'Pau made her way back onto the Seleya and I followed Sutak and L'Dir away from the landing site. It was odd, but I couldn't get any sort of reading from L'Dir. I'd been able to read Sutak and the other Vulcans easily enough, although their emotions had been muted and buried quickly. But L'Dir … he was a complete blank slate.

I felt a resistance to my probing; a resistance as refined as the Vulcans themselves, and suddenly felt ashamed of myself. Geez; I had to live with these people for the next six months! I couldn't go intruding into their feelings! I'm sorry, I thought helplessly. Sorry for all the bother I'm going to cause.

L'Dir turned to face me. "You are not Vulcan," he stated.

"What tipped you off?" I shot back defensively, then I sighed. "Sorry," I added. "I guess I'm a little wound up. No; you're right. My species is called human. The T'Plana-Hath detected a warp trail coming from my planet, and decided to make contact."

He dipped his head. "We know of your species," he replied. "We have been observing your progress for some time."

I shook my head, relieved to be back on familiar ground. "I keep hearing that from you Vulcans — personally, I still can't see what progress we've made. We seemed to be a lot more civilized during the early years of this century."

During the Eugenics Wars of the 1990's, humans had learned to work together to fight against the super-humans, and our differences hadn't mattered. A number of these loose alliances had come together; the Americas, the Australians and the European Hegemony had begun sharing technology and ideas, and there'd even been talk of a single currency.

Unknown to us, however, the Middle East cultures had also formed their own alliance, fearing a western super-power. This group had evolved into the ECON and we'd ended up at war with each other — god only knows how.

I shook my head again, dragging my thoughts back to the present. "Well, whatever progress we've made, it was obviously enough in your eyes that we'd be ready for first contact."

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Sutak's home was curiously bare by human standards, yet the stark elegance was welcoming — much like its owner. He resided in a massive estate near the temples of Gol, and I'd been scanned to within an inch of my life before I was permitted to pass through the gates.

Sutak had made no apology for the actions of his guards, and that ticked me off a bit. Although, for Vulcans, it was not logical to apologize for actions that made sense, to me common courtesy dictated I be treated better.

"And these will be your sleeping quarters," he said gravely, ushering me into a simple bedroom, decorated in cool grays and blues.

Although it should have been cold to my human eyes, it was actually very restful, and provided a nice contrast with the red and umber colors of the outside world. I looked around, conscious of Sutak's presence so near to me in a way I hadn't been even when we'd shared the shuttle for several weeks. Maybe it was being in a bedroom that was making me feel self-conscious. Or maybe it was my own slumbering feelings finally awakening.

Uncomfortable with where my thoughts were going — introspection could be a good thing, but I tended to go too far — I turned to Sutak. "It's lovely, Sutak, thank you," I said gravely, steeling myself against the tension emanating from him. It was definitely getting worse. Even his lovely calm black eyes seemed to have a new fire in them.

He dipped his head. "You are welcome," he said — was his voice a little more gravelly than usual? "I hope you will be happy here." He indicated a large white closet. "I have taken the liberty of procuring some suitable garments for the duration of your stay here. I will be away for two of your months on a mission, but my servants will see to your needs."

"When are you going?" I blurted out, dismayed. I didn't want to be left on this strange new world with no-one to talk to. At least, that's what I firmly told myself.

"In forty eight of your hours," he said. "I have been given command of a new ship — its name translates to Intrepid in your tongue. We are to travel to the Andorian homeworld to discuss a disputed world."

"Oh," I said hollowly. "Well, be careful," I added. "I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

His eyebrow rose and he put his hand very quickly on my shoulder. "It is illogical to worry, Charlotte," he said gently. "Two months is a very short period of time. With a new world to explore, and new people to meet, you will find the time appears to pass very rapidly."

I smiled at him, touched by the brief show of compassion, but resisted covering his hand with mine. "You're right," I said. "I've left the world of my birth and I'm living with aliens. And I'm the first human to do it."

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I'd now been living on Vulcan for three weeks, and I'd gotten used to the heat and the thinner oxygen levels with a rapidity that surprised even the Vulcan healers. And I hadn't been as lonely as I'd thought I would be. I'd spent a good deal of time prowling around my new home, reading in the library about Vulcan and other worlds, and chatting with intelligent considerate people. I'd gotten to know L'Dir better and had been fascinated to learn about the discipline of Kolinahr he was currently studying — the complete suppression of emotion.

Yet, for all my newfound happiness, there was something … missing. The feeling wasn't there all the time, and I could suppress it when it did appear. It was like a niggling toothache. I didn't know whether or not I was homesick. Although I did yearn to be able to speak without having to struggle for the right words, I didn't particularly miss anyone back home. I'd never gotten close to anyone there and had never really fit in, anyway. So, what was up with me?

I stepped out of the house, nodding to one of Sutak's servants — a startlingly beautiful female named T'Lani — and pulled my hood over my head. I strolled out of the gates and was surprised when one of the guards greeted me. "Good morning," he said in a voice that seemed to thunder out of his massive chest.

"Good morning," I replied automatically, before realizing he'd addressed me in English. "You've learnt my language?" I asked in Vulcan.

"It was only logical," he said, this time in Vulcan. "You are the first Earth visitor to our world, but you will not be the last."

"I love logic," I said in English. "Anyway, I mustn't distract you from your duties. I'm off to Shir'Kahr." My trip to Shir'Kahr was something I'd been looking forward to for a couple of weeks, and I'd managed to book a seat on a transport leaving for that city in half an hour, despite having no money.

Vulcans did not have a society based on monetary need — they'd eliminated the need for possessions centuries ago — and I'd had less trouble coping with that than one would have thought. Although capitalism had been a driving force on Earth for centuries, it had also been the cause of many of our problems. Saying that, communism under Mao and Stalin hadn't exactly been a picnic in the 20th century, but there had to be a happy medium.

I strolled along the quiet pathways, exchanging nods with passing Vulcans. By now, they'd gotten used to seeing me pounding the sidewalks, and some of them were becoming friendly — effusive, even, by Vulcan standards. I smiled at one of them. "Peace and long life, T'Mir," I said in Vulcan. "This day finds you well?"

T'Mir, an elegant older Vulcan whose acquaintance I'd first made the day after my arrival, dipped her head. "Live long and prosper, Charlotte," she returned in a melodious voice. "I am well, thank you. Walk with me," she added. "I am traveling to Shir'Kahr to visit my son."

"How's he doing?" I asked, falling into step beside her. I'd met her son a couple weeks earlier, just before he'd moved to Shir'Kahr to study at the Vulcan Science Academy.

"He is making satisfactory progress with his studies," T'Mir said.

"Good," I said.

As we walked into the shuttle port, I observed a pair of Vulcans greeting each other, touching two fingers — their version of holding hands — and realized they were mated. They looked to be about my age — maybe a little older — and that made me wonder about Sutak. He was older than I was, perhaps in his mid-thirties, and I was curious why he'd never married. He was a handsome, charming and erudite man — surely some lucky Vulcan woman should have snaffled him by now?

"Charlotte." T'Mir interrupted my mental rambling and I blinked. "You appear … distracted," she said. Her dark brown eyes bore deep into me. "You … feel Sutak's absence," she deduced.

Understatement of the century. "He's the first real friend I've ever had," I confided. "I never dealt well with the emotions of my own people, so I tended to keep my distance."

T'Mir tilted an eyebrow — a human would have teased me about my growing infatuation with Sutak, but Vulcans wouldn't dream of it. "You are empathic," she said. "It was your way of defending yourself."

"Apparently so," I replied. "I may not be able to identify the emotion or understand it, but I can usually feel other people's emotions. And the last few years, living near Zee, I've had to be more on my guard than ever."

"That would be Zefram Cochrane, the human who piloted the Phoenix," T'Mir said. "I had heard he was somewhat … unstable."

"But brilliant," I said quickly. "Say what you want about the man — and, trust me, I could say plenty — but you can't deny his genius."

The eyebrow went upward again. "You are learning our language rapidly," she said. "You are even becoming colloquial."

"Sorry; I'm probably ripping your language to shreds," I said with a short laugh. My natural reserve was returning as I was adjusting to all the changes in my life, much to my relief. I didn't like it when I was out of control. "I've always been good at other languages, but this is the first time both my little talents have come in handy."

"Neither of those abilities could be described as little," T'Mir replied mildly. "A facility for languages will serve you and your people well, as you begin to explore the galaxy."

"I don't think we've thought that far ahead," I said. "It's only been a couple months since Zee's warp flight — I think we're still dealing with the fact we're not alone in the universe like we always thought."

"You did not share their belief?"

"I … don't know," I said. "I hoped there was more than just us in the universe, but even then I didn't think they'd want anything to do with us."

"You do not speak of your fellow humans with much respect," T'Mir said with a faint reproof in her tone.

I shrugged. "There's no point being ridiculously clannish," I said. "Especially now we know we're not alone. Humans have plenty of good points as well as faults — I just don't happen to know the nicer humans." Except for those strangers that had been hanging around the day before the Phoenix launched. With everything that had gone on the last few weeks, I realized I'd not given them a second thought, but now I wondered where they'd gone, what they were up to now. They'd been so keen to get the Phoenix into space — what the hell had been at stake for them?