Merged

Chapter 24

The ship was hit by yet another blast. The communications center sparked and Jontek was sure that if he'd still been standing there, he would have been electrocuted. He wasn't sure how much longer the small ship would hold together. He noted on the view screen that one of the other three Vulcan ships was coming around again. He again looked to the debris that had fallen on T'Pol and clung to Sontek's assurance that she was still alive.

He continued to remove the ceiling pieces from where he'd seen her fall. He didn't even notice the Andorian ship which entered the area until it took out the Vulcan ship which would have likely have ended Jontek's rescue attempts. One down, two to go. He would say that two ships against two might be a fair fight if he didn't know that the one he was in was likely to fall apart any moment.

He saw the shuttle craft leave the Andorian ship and head toward them. It was a last ditch effort to save them and he was grateful. He had to get to T'Pol and quickly. If they were even to have a chance, he must free her. He doubled his efforts to remove the shattered pieces of the ship that kept her from him.

He barely heard the sound of the door opening behind him.

"Jontek, we must leave. Now." Shran had grabbed his shoulder and was pulling it.

He brushed the Andorian off. "I'm not leaving T'Pol."

"You must."

With a determination in his voice he stated firmly, "No. I'd rather die with her then leave her behind."

Shran had dealt with the Pink Skin long enough to know he'd fulfill that death wish rather then seek his own survival. It was one of his traits that Shran felt was most Andorian. He ran over and helped the Vulcan man that held his friend within remove the offending materials, which kept them from T'Pol. Another blast hit the ship, but it was a glancing blow. Another full on and it was likely none of them would get off the ship in time.

The last piece separating them from T'Pol was removed. She was beneath the console but it was obvious that her head had been hit by a piece of the falling ceiling. Green blood streamed down the left side of her face, and running down her ear to pool beneath her head. Jontek knew that it was risky to move her, but it was riskier to leave her there. He scooped her up and the two men ran to the door, to the waiting shuttle that could take them to the safety of the Andorian ship.

Shran's voice was hard, his antennae rigid. "These brocnar will pay for this. I promise you. I will see that not a particle remains of their ships."

Jontek knew that he would fulfill that promise. Although he too wanted revenge on these people, he also knew it wasn't the way to handle this. Not if the Federation were to survive. "Shran, they mustn't be destroyed. If they are, they will become martyrs to their cause. We do not know how deep this conspiracy is. They must be brought before Federation justice. To show that the Federation can and does work."

"But they are without honor. Brocnar do not deserve such consideration." It was voiced dismissively.

Jontek conceded but still pushed for what he knew was right. "That may be, but think about it. If they are not still around, untrue stories can be woven. The war between Andoria and Vulcan could be reignited. I know you don't want that, Shran."

As they ran out, another glancing blow hit the ship. The Andorians were keeping the Vulcans busy and preventing their targeting from hitting its mark. Still, what ceiling was left finally fell to the deck. They ran down the corridor reaching the airlock, now somewhat blocked. Shran crawled over a beam into the shuttle. He gestured to Jontek to hand T'Pol to him, gently taking her from him. Shran went to lay her down and then started back. As Jontek was crawling into the space, another blow rocked the ship throwing him backwards. His head hit a beam and the force crushed the right side of his head slightly but enough to cause him to lose consciousness. Shran crawled again into the dying ship and pulled Jontek into the shuttle. He closed off the airlock and keyed the engines, taking off at best speed. He'd barely gotten clear of the ship when the Vulcan ship gave a final shudder and cracked open, the ship's interior breached into the openness of space.

Shran piloted the shuttle into the bay of the mother ship, his creative path always one step ahead of the Vulcan phase cannons. He knew his ship's doctor would be close at hand to help address the injuries of the two Vulcan's that Shran had just literally pulled out of the jaws of death. As he looked over to the two that he had called friends for many years he called to the Ice Gods to look favorably upon them, to grant them warmth to live another day.

Leaving the Vulcan's to the medical team, Shran rushed to the bridge. He wanted to make the two Vulcan ships pay for the destruction they had rendered upon his people, upon his friends. He recalled Jontek's plea to only render the ships inoperable so that the Vulcan's on board would have to face the justice of the Federation. He considered how sweet revenge would taste but knew that the Vulcan/Human spoke truly. If he simply destroyed them, it would look as if the Andorian/Vulcan conflict had yet started again and these Vulcan's would have achieved their goal of destabilizing the peace that the Federation had wrought.

"Target their weapons and engines."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. I want them disabled."

The crew was too well versed as Imperial Guards to question the order further. With the rescue completed, they could concentrate on ending this battle. As they continue to press against the two ships, Shran was surprised to hear his communications officer announce the arrival of two other ships. Two Starfleet vessels, the Saratoga and the California. Between the three ships, the two Vulcan renegades were easily subdued.

Shran was hailed from the Saratoga. He found himself looking into the eyes of Captain Tanya Flanders. She indicated they had been sent to this space by an order set in motion by Starfleet Security. They weren't certain what they would find but they'd been ordered to provide assistance to the Andorians. Shran quickly filled them in on what the Vulcans on these two ships had been doing. Captain Flanders assured him they would be taken to Federation Headquarters where they would be charged and face trial. He agreed.

Leaving Starfleet to arrest the Vulcans who had tried to destroy his people, Shran left the bridge to check on the two Vulcan guests of his sickbay. When he walked in he was pleased to see T'Pol sitting up, head bandaged but otherwise looking mostly like the Vulcan he had first learned to respect. He noticed that Jontek, though was still unconscious. He figured that the look of concern on her face had something to do with that fact.

"You're looking better, T'Pol."

"It is well to see you Shran. I only hope you were in time."

He asked the Andorian doctor the prognosis and was told the merged being was holding its own, but that it certainly wasn't out of the ice flow yet. T'Pol, overhearing, took that to mean that things were much worse than she'd hoped.

T'Pol tried to get up to go over to the Vulcan male on the biobed next to her. The doctor stopped her. She tried to insist on performing a healing trance with him. "It will not help. The damage is too extensive. We'll just have to wait this out."

T'Pol nodded. The bond she was feeling was different somehow. Part of it was incredibly weak. The other part felt stronger but unable to find its way along the string between them.

XoXoXoXoXoXo

Jon had felt their head hit the beam, the side which held Sontek's essence suddenly assaulted with pain. "Sontek!"

The Vulcan had not answered and before Jon could try again, he lost consciousness.

He realized that they were still not in a conscious state. Yet, he was able to seek out Sontek. When he found him, he was shocked. It reminded him of meeting Surak after the blast in the Forge, when the radiation sickness was assaulting him. This was certainly not the same cause, but he felt as if the Vulcan was dying.

"Sontek!"

As if pulling himself from a deep slumber, Sontek answered, "Jon. I'm glad you are okay. I wasn't sure. Do you know how T'Pol is?"

Jon tried to find the bond but was unsure. "I think I can feel her, but it's like threading a needle in the dark. I know she's somewhere, but I can't touch her."

"Jon. You have to fight your way to consciousness. You have to have them contact Phlox."

Jon was confused. "Why?"

"Do you remember the day we left Tanansis V? The meeting with the Tananites?" Sontek tried to send a mental picture of the event. His mind was not working optimally.

"Yeah." Jon noticed a scene in his mind, like looking through a cloudy lens.

"They said if I were to die, you would need surgery to survive."

Jon wouldn't accept this. "You're not going to die, Sontek. I won't let you."

"It is not your choice." He paused. "And what about T'Pol? Don't you owe it to her to live?"

Jon recalled back to sickbay and Trip. He felt the same pain. "I don't want to lose you, Sontek."

"Jon, we both have stated that given the choice, we'd live as ourselves."

"But I don't want you to die." He knew it sounded childish, but it was a wish from his soul.

"We all die, Jon."

Jon's heart hurt. "Not like this."

"Jon, I'd like for you to remember me."

"I'll never forget you, Sontek. We've been a part of each other so long."

"No. I mean I want to show you who I am. Open my memories to you, fully. Will you see?"

"Okay, Sontek. Whatever you want."

It was as if there had been hidden shields in their mind forever. Suddenly they dropped. Jon found himself seeing Sontek's life.

He saw him as a child, with others in a Vulcan nursery. The children were learning a counting song. Sontek sat to the back of the room, watching, not participating as fully. He could tell that this was due to a shyness the young child felt. He had a desire to join in but a fear as well that he would not be good enough.

He saw Sontek in his family life. His Mother, Senaya and his father, Vlant. His father served on the Solora, a deep space probe ship. His mother taught navigation at the Vulcan Science Academy. Before the two children had been born, she too had served in the Vulcan fleet. His sister T'Plorn worked for the Vulcan High Command until it was disbanded. She worked as a clerk in the Diplomatic Corps, the same department that Soval worked in. She had even visited Earth once years ago. Had met with her relative who was an advisor on the Warp Five Project.

He saw the family and extended family gatherings. Cousins playing, stories told. He saw Sontek at the feet of his uncles, hearing tales of Earth. Hearing of their parochial attitudes, their lack of emotional control, and the fear that should they succeed at building a warp ship capable of the stars that all hell would break loose in the galaxy.

He saw Sontek's bonding ceremony as a child. Meeting T'Salin, developing a bond with her. This bond then followed him through all the rest of her life, through school, through desert training, through all parts of Vulcan life. He felt the comfort of knowing there was always someone there. He felt the contentment that came with the knowledge that he would spend his life with her.

He saw how the discovery of the Kir'Shara shook the foundation of Vulcan life. The initial arguments that Surak's katra could not still be alive, the following of the scientific tests to determine if this was indeed the true Kir'Shara, the study of it's words when it was determined this was Surak's own teachings, the changes as each Vulcan examined his or her own heart in the light of the knowledge of the true path. The commitment that Sontek had given to following that path, no matter where it led him.

He saw how the Romulan War had affected Sontek and Vulcan in general. Many lost family. Sontek lost his father and mother. Sontek lost T'Salin.

He felt what Sontek felt during the last moments of T'Salin's life, as the ship she was on slowly lost atmosphere. The Romulans took no prisoners and there was no one to mount a rescue. He felt Sontek stay with T'Salin, comforting her, speaking to her along their bond. He had seen Sontek and T'Pol together but knew that their relationship was not the same as Sontek's and T'Salin's. This feeling was not quite the same as human love but it was as close as Jon could have imagined. He felt the deep, unending grief that Sontek felt the second the bond broke. He knew his pain had been deep.

He saw Sontek pull himself together and continue to take each day as it happened, focusing entirely on his work. He noted that Sontek's relationship with his sister stayed strong how he took to providing assistance to her when her husband would leave on his voyages. He saw that Sontek saw his role of uncle as important.

He saw Sontek, meeting him on the Trafalgar, interested to know the man who Surak had shared his katra with. He'd heard stories as a child but the man in front of him did not match those stories. This was a man of science as well as one who, as a human, would embrace his emotions. He decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and learned during their examination of the star geyser that he actually liked the way this human comported himself.

He saw Sontek on the shuttle heading towards the surface of Tanansis V. The sure certainty that this would be his last moments. He felt him reach out, hoping to find some lasting filament of his bond with T'Salin, almost but never touching it. And then darkness.

The memories stopped.

"You loved her. You loved T'Salin."

"Yes. That's how I knew that T'Pol loved you. How I knew you love her. You must be here for her, Jon. Find your way along the bond." He paused. "I'm tired. I must rest now. I must try to conserve my strength until we reach Denobula."

Jon watched Sontek's consciousness take a different mode then he'd seen before. It was almost as if he were drawing what strengths he could to him. It made Jon feel tired as well, but Sontek had indicated he needed to fight to the surface and to consciousness. He did so.

T'Pol watched as Jontek's eyes fluttered open. "Jontek!"

"I'm Jon alone. Sontek is not doing well. We have to get to Denobula."

"Why?"

"Sontek said that Phlox knows the procedures that will need to be followed should he die. But I'm hoping Phlox will be able to save Sontek instead."

T'Pol nodded. She cupped his face, running her thumb along his jaw line. "I love you, Jon."

He reached up to her and pulled her towards him. They kissed, their lips touching, brushing against each other softly. He whispered, "I love you too, T'Pol. I was so afraid I'd lost you." The kiss became deeper.

The Andorian doctor touched T'Pol's shoulder. "If you wish this man to survive, you must give him rest."

She nodded, looking down into the brown eyes of the Vulcan man that held Jon. "He's right, you should rest. I'll be here if you need me."

Jon felt so tired. He nodded and closed his eyes, finding sleep quickly.

T'Pol told Shran what Jon had said and they set course for Denobula. T'Pol contacted Phlox and he nodded knowingly as if this message was one he knew would come eventually. He said he would have everything prepared.

For the next 20 hours, T'Pol barely left the side of Jontek. He never again regained consciousness but his biosigns indicated he was alive. T'Pol was hopeful.