ShiKahr, Vulcan, Stardate 2292.295

Losha's first impression of Vulcan was that the air was drier than that in Undaa. As for the temperature, that was still to be determined. It was evening and it seemed much like Hakar on a spring night, but he had no doubt the daytime temperature tomorrow would far exceed what was typical for Hakar, even during the summer.

When they'd first arrived at the spaceport, Losha had been struck by the voices around him, some speaking Standard and other languages, but most speaking in soft tones of Vuhlkansu. Aside from vague recollections of being in the company of his parents' fellow ex-patriots when they'd lived on Earth, he'd never heard so many people speaking it at once. The Vulcans he'd encountered from time to time in Undaa or on his trips to space stations or other planets had always spoken in Standard. Occasionally someone had greeted him in Vuhlkansu in passing, but no one he'd ever had more than a passing conversation with.

Even now, he hadn't yet had the opportunity to speak with anyone. He had followed Sarek, his hand on the ambassador's shoulder, through the immigration line for Vulcan citizens. Sarek had done most of the speaking on his behalf and he'd only had acknowledge that he was S'chn T'gai Velekh. It was strange to think that he now legally had a family name. He'd always only had one name, whether it be Velekh or Losha. Some planets he had lived on as a child required a second name be provided and in that case it had always been "cha'Sybok." Hakarans did not have family names, though many had multiple given names as a way to more easily identify them in conversation.

After indicating that he was S'chn T'gai Velekh, the immigration agent instructed him to step through a machine which blasted him with puffs of air, ensuring that he wasn't unknowingly carrying any non-native pathogens on him. Dr. Dvir had administered the necessary vaccines prior to their arrival and once he, Sarek, and Amanda had been declared pathogen free, they waited for Malar and Naalem, who were being processed in another line as they were not Vulcan citizens.

Sarek had mentioned that though the line for non-Federation citizens was shorter than that for non-Vulcan Federation citizens, it often took much longer to get through as arrivals were questioned in depth. He had assured him, however, that as they were traveling with an ambassador, they should not be be held up for an inordinate amount of time. He was correct - it was perhaps only another twenty minutes before they approached. Dvir and Selar had gone their separate ways after arriving at the spaceport, Dvir indicating that she would meet Losha the next morning at the hospital, where he would meet with specialists and undergo testing. From the spaceport, it was close to an hour's drive to Sarek and Amanda's home, which Amanda had informed them was on the outskirts of the city in a residential area.

After a late evening, through which Naalem was unable to get through without yawning, they retired to their respective rooms. Losha was tired, but knowing that he had to get up early the next morning made it difficult to sleep. He lay in the bed, wondering if his father had lived in this house, if he had been in this very room, slept in this bed. It was strange to think that he could be lying in the same bed his father had lain in fifty years ago. And what about his mother? Was she from this same area? If not, where had she lived? He wished he could see the house, the room, the houses and buildings around them. Hopefully soon.

He felt that he had only just drifted off to sleep when the band around his wrist began vibrating. How Vulcan, he had thought when Amanda had given him the silent alarm the night before. At home on Senes, he was accustomed to waking to music on his padd. At home, he would have lain in bed a few minutes longer, but he knew Vulcans were punctual. He was just putting his feet on the floor and feeling around in front of him when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"I'll take you to the bathroom so you can get ready." It was Naalem. He led Losha down what he presumed was a hallway and to a bathroom, where Naalem explained again, as Amanda had the night before, where everything was located. "I'll be right back with your clothes."

Losha's first day on Vulcan was spent at the Vulcan Science Academy Medical Center undergoing an exam and further scans. He had wanted Malar to accompany him, so that Naalem could get to see a bit of ShiKahr, but Naalem had insisted. It was probably for the best - he wasn't sure how the Vulcans would have reacted to a woman accompanying him to the bathroom facilities. Sarek had driven them to the medical center, though had left after Dr. Dvir had met them in the exam room. The doctors, nurses, and technicians all spoke in Standard - he assumed as a courtesy to Naalem, though perhaps Dvir or Sarek had informed them that he preferred it over Vuhlkansu.

Vulcan efficiency was no exaggeration - they were done in just a few hours. Losha assumed they had nothing left to do but wait for Sarek to return, when Dr. Dvir introduced them to Healer Saya, a specialist in telepathic therapy. Preferring to discuss the situation with him when and if he made a decision to undergo the procedure, Losha asked Naalem to wait outside.

"Dr. Dvir informs me that you have some questions regarding telepathic therapy?" Saya sounded calm, yet pleasant. He also sounded young.

"I didn't really have any specific questions. I was just wondering about how long therapy would be necessary, though Dr. Dvir says it can vary." Losha wasn't sure Saya could provide him with any more information than Dvir had.

"Yes, length of recovery certainly varies depending on the cause and extent of the damage. Though I have reviewed your records, I am uncertain as to whether I could give you an accurate estimate of the length of recovery in your case. Most of my patients have suffered damage as a result of traumatic brain injuries, a few from disease resulting from age or certain genetic factors. Your case is also unique in that you apparently had strong telepathic abilities yet little training in how to manage them. Is that assessment correct?"

By only those few sentences, Losha felt that Saya had more personality than any of the Vulcans he had spoken with all day. His speaking voice had natural inflections. Perhaps part of his job as a therapist was to be more relatable to his patients than a surgeon or technician.

Losha explained that unlike his mother, he had been able to perceive the emotions of others, and she had thus been unable to assist him in managing those perceptions. His father perceived not only emotions, but also thoughts, and seemed to control everything effortlessly. He had taught Losha how to push the perceptions aside and he had succeeded to some degree, but once Sybok had left, and the war began, he had given up altogether.

"What age were you when your father left and you found yourself unable to manage your telepathic perceptions?"

"My father left when I was ten, almost eleven. I was fine for a while, but I would say that it was within a year after that that I found I could no longer adequately block out the emotions around me."

"And this was prior to the methamphetamine use or concurrently?" Saya asked, a curious note in his voice.

"No, that wasn't until later. Several years later."

"That is not unexpected. Changes in the brain, including in the parts related to telepathy, occur during adolescence. Vulcans with average telepathic abilities will encounter more difficulties during this time - the brain is not fully developed until the early to mid-twenties in males. For females it is somewhat earlier. However, the most significant changes occur between the ages of twelve and sixteen. As I mentioned, even someone with average telepathic abilities will have a need to adapt during this time. When one has stronger abilities, the challenge may be greater." Saya sounded excited - it was clearly a topic he was passionate about.

"After adolescence," he continued on, "the mind becomes less flexible and learning mental disciplines more difficult. It is similar to learning a language. Perhaps that is an analogy you are familiar with?"

"Yes, I understand." Though he was no longer as proficient in Vulkhansu as he once had been, it was less a struggle and more a need to familiarize himself with the language again, to re-learn certain vocabulary. He had studied a few of the languages spoken in the Norkan, Tarod, and Algeron systems as those were the most frequent stops on his work routes, but they had not come as easily to him as Vuhlkansu, Standard, Hakaran, and others he had learned as a child. It had been more of a hobby than anything else - a universal translator was always available and most peoples the Hakarans traded with were either Federation members or traded with Federation planets and thus knew enough Standard to conduct business.

"But it is certainly possible to learn these disciplines when one is older. Most of my patients are not quite as young as you, though once one is an adult, youth does not confer any definitive benefit. It would certainly be easier for one who had extensive training in the mind disciplines as a child, but success is determined largely by the individual."

"So it's pretty much what Dr. Dvir told me - that it could be weeks or even months or longer."

"Yes. I would be surprised if it were a matter of weeks rather than months, but as I have not started working with you yet, it would be premature of me to make that assessment. I'm sorry that I can't offer a precise indication of the time frame."

"That's alright. That's pretty much what Dr. Dvir told me."

"Are there any other questions I can answer for you?" When someone asked this question, it was generally to be polite, but Saya sounded genuine.

"And I suppose there is no guarantee that therapy will work anyway?"

"I have never worked with a patient who has seen no improvement. Some see better results than others, but in your case, once the damage is repaired, there is no reason you wouldn't be able to master mental disciplines with enough time and practice. This would not be the case for someone with a degenerative disease, for example, but...well, that's a different scenario." Saya was clearly passionate about his profession. How funny, that a Vulcan should seem passionate to him.

"I may not be able to stay on Vulcan for therapy. If I just had this procedure done and didn't do the therapy, I suppose I'd just have to deal with it." Losha was thinking aloud rather than seeking any clarification from Saya.

"That is up to you, of course. If you were accustomed to your abilities without extensive training before, perhaps you will become accustomed to it again. But I am happy to help you as much as necessary, should you decide to work with me. Your case is intriguing, and I feel the experience of working with you would be a benefit to me as much as to you."

Saya entered his contact information into Losha's padd and instructed him to contact him if he had any further questions.

Losha had even more to think about. He hadn't expected Dr. Dvir to arrange for him to speak with a telepathic specialist. It seemed that Saya viewed him as a sort of test subject, but Losha preferred the healer's enthusiasm to the methodical approach of the other Vulcans he had encountered so far. Spending months on Vulcan training his mind wasn't ideal, but Saya was far more agreeable than he imagined someone who specialized in Vulcan mental disciplines would be. And while Saya had not been able to give him a definitive answer about the length of time therapy would be necessary, Losha felt somewhat reassured that perhaps some of his earlier struggles with his abilities had been due to his age. He felt even less able to make a decision than he had before.

"I know you don't want me to know," Naalem said playfully when he entered the room a moment later, "but what did the telepathic specialist want to talk to you about? Can they fix that too?" Losha should have known that Naalem would not have missed Dvir's introduction of Saya, even if he didn't hear their conversation.

"I will discuss it with you later, alright?"