Orlyanal, Sea of Lataan, Senes, Stardate 2292.287

Sarek looked down at the padd Malar had given him. It would have been rude to refuse it. Vulcans did take and keep photographs, but to look at these now would be an emotional act. He could not deny that he was curious, but he had not been prepared to look at pictures of Sybok. Losha was alive and whatever their relationship turned out to be, they were currently little more than strangers, so had the pictures been only of him, he would have satisfied his curiosity. But now was not the time to be confronted with pictures of his older son. Apart from the video detailing Sybok's demands after he had taken hostages on Nimbus III, Sarek had seen nothing of Sybok since had left Vulcan. He preferred not to think of the events on Nimbus III, but realized he would likely have to repeat some of the details to Losha.

Amanda would want to see the photographs. He would give the padd to her at some point, but not until he felt prepared to deal with what would surely be her emotional response. Dealing with Losha's emotions alone would require him to be centered. Strange, though, that after all the emotions he had felt from him on Deep Space Four, he had felt relatively few today. He was curious as to why, but in the end, it didn't matter, and he needed to reflect on the day's events before clearing his mind altogether in meditation. He tucked the padd into his travel bag.

After changing into his night clothes, he sat down on the floor. It was his first trip to Senes and he found it to be an interesting place. He would enjoy seeing more of it, but it was illogical to speculate on whether he would have the opportunity to visit the planet again. After discovering that Losha was Sybok's son, he had had little time to reflect on the matter due to the ongoing negotiations with Ambassadors Tala and Bareess. He had spent what little time he had had trying to assist Dr. Dvir with arranging an off-planet surgery to restore Losha's vision. It was not until the negotiations had ended that he allowed himself to reflect on the situation. It had not been easy - Amanda had been eager to inform Losha of his discovery.

Thirty-six days earlier…

One of Losha's jail release records indicated that his father's name was Sybok. Though it was not an uncommon name, neither was it particularly common. The number of people exiled from Vulcan was small, though he was uncertain how many people left of their own accord. The likelihood of an unrelated Sybok leaving of his own accord seemed small, but he did not want to make any assumptions. He left his quarters for the sick bay, where Crewman Janda, the medic, directed him to Dr. Naik's office. He found her sitting at her desk, reviewing information on her terminal.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Dr. Naik. May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course, Ambassador," she said, rising from her desk. "Any good news about my patient?"

"Not as of yet, though I have no doubt Dr. Dvir will be successful in arranging surgery for him off Vulcan."

"Yes, she gave me an update this morning. I just thought perhaps you had somehow managed to get him permission to travel to Vulcan." It was an illogical comment - the Vulcan Immigration Service had already made its decision and would not bend the rules, even for him. Still, he found the doctor to be quite logical for a human. This could be the result of her choice in pursuing a field of study as logical as medicine, though the study of medicine had not seemed to affect the logic of one human doctor he knew, Leonard McCoy. Dr. McCoy was one of the most emotional and illogical humans he'd come to know.

"I am afraid that matter is out of my hands."

"I see. So what can I do for you then?" She didn't smile, but there was a warmth in her eyes.

"I have reason to believe that Losha may be related me. I was hoping you could take a genetic sample from me to confirm this."

Naik paused, a look of clear shock on her face, but quickly composed herself. "Of course. But your genetic profile should be in our transporter logs."

"I prefer to involve as few people as possible. It is a...personal matter." Dvir already had access to his genetic information, but he did not want to involve her in this. He respected her and knew she could be trusted to be discreet, but he did not want to involve other Vulcans in this, not until he was certain. It was illogical, he knew, because a Vulcan was less apt to gossip than a human, but Dvir had known him for fifteen years and was not aware of Sybok's existence. She would not pry, but a human would not understand the shame involved in his son's exile, and he therefore felt more comfortable with Naik.

"I understand. Follow me." She walked around her desk and out into the sick bay. If she wondered why he hadn't gone to Dr. Dvir, she said nothing.

"If another time would be more convenient-" The doctor cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"Janda, you're on break for the next thirty minutes!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Janda hurried out the door and down the hall. For being a woman who was small in stature, she commanded a great presence.

She walked over to a cabinet near where Crewman Janda had been sitting and pulled out some equipment. One was a tricorder-like device that Sarek was not familiar with, the other a clear bag with small plastic sticks. She slid back a small circular lid on the device and removed one of the sticks from the bag.

"Hold out your hand," she instructed. He complied, and she brushed the stick over the back of his hand, then stuck the end of it into the device. Next, she moved over to a terminal and entered some information. He watched the screen, though he had no idea what he was looking at. After a few minutes, Naik turned to him, an inscrutable look on her face.

"Well, your suspicions were correct." She paused and turned her head to the side, as if trying to decide what to say next. "Losha's genetic profile indicates that he is your paternal grandson."

"I see. Thank you for assisting me. I trust you will keep this confidential? I will inform Dr. Dvir, of course."

"Of course." She nodded her head.

"I appreciate it. My son, Losha's father, is deceased. I had not spoken to him for some time before his death and I was unaware that he had any children." This was much more information than he wanted to provide, but he felt it was necessary. When humans didn't have the facts, they often made wild and illogical speculations. It was better to be honest. The doctor had, after all, assisted him.

When he returned to his quarters, he opened the file containing the notes from the last negotiation session. It was the file he had been about to review before he had somehow been distracted by the files concerning Losha sent to him by the Vulcan Immigration Service. He attempted to focus on the notes, but found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He soon realized he would need to meditate before he could accomplish anything further.

He had pulled his meditation mat out from a drawer in the sleeping room and was laying it on the floor when he heard the outer door opening. Amanda had returned. She entered the sleeping room as he was rolling the mat back up.

"It's not your usual time to meditate." There was a puzzled look on her face. "I wouldn't have bothered you if I'd known. I'll leave you."

"You don't need to leave, Amanda. There is something about which I must speak with you." While it would be beneficial to meditate before speaking with Amanda, as long she were here, there was little logic in delaying the conversation. He would doubtless need to meditate after speaking with her anyway, as he knew the topic would elicit a significant emotional response from her.

"Is everything alright?" The puzzled look remained, but she reached the fingers of her right hand out to him. He touched his own fingers to hers, knowing that she would sense his uneasiness, and knowing that it was unavoidable.

"What's the matter, Sarek?" They each withdrew their fingers.

"I have something to show you." He moved past Amanda to the desk in the outer room where the computer terminal was. Amanda followed, and he pulled up the file the Immigration Service had sent him. When he found the jail release record, he moved aside so she could see. Her eyes widened.

"Our Sybok?" She turned to face him.

"Yes."