"Greetings, Sarek. Greetings, Captain Pike, Doctor McCoy. Welcome, James Tiberius Kirk," said a particularly regal Vulcan with dark red robes and beady black eyes.
"I am Sulak and this is T'Pau" (a equally regal woman bowed slightly) "I trust the Ambassador has made your stay on Vulcan pleasant?"
"Yes, he has," confirmed Pike. "Very hospitable. Thank you for allowing Jim to stay here for awhile. It's clearly been good for him." Jim felt their eyes on him and didn't know where to look.
"It is good to see your health improving, James, but it is very concerning to discover slavery within our allies. We intend to have very serious discussions with Federation officials about this issue."
Jim managed to collect himself to say "I'm grateful, Elder Sulak. My stay here has been very conducive to recovery. I hope my testimony can help to bring about change in the Federation, because I was just one of thousands of illegally purchased slaves by species that claim to be against it, yet frequently support the Orion Syndicate."
"Indeed. It was most disconcerting to discover that certain species chose to express their gratitude by offering a human as a gift," spoke T'Pau, looking at Pike intensely. Jim noticed the Captain looked somewhat uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
"He was kind of being a cheapskate, honestly," Jim admitted. "He couldn't get any value for me, since my master Girdon had pretty much worked me to a skeleton."
Bones agreed. "You can say that again," he muttered, looking at Jim with a frown.
"Had you been with that master long?" asked Sulak, with a Vulcan eyebrow raise that boggled Jim's mind.
"Three years, sir," Jim replied. "Before that, I was in an Orion household for seven." He didn't have to say anymore about what THAT had been like. The Vulcans looked even more sober and presently indicated they should sit down and commenced the meeting.
It was long, dull, and Jim spent most of it answering questions between trying not to doze off.
He was glad they were pressing Pike and inwardly rejoiced to see the captain concede to logic. He told the Vulcans it was out of his hands and their stance to not sanction a planned agreement with Orion that looked beneficial on the surface (more trade and options to put more Starfleet outposts on the planet) but also would end up profiting rich lords with ties to the Syndicate, would speak quite loudly to the Admiralty.
"The Tellarites are already showing signs of being very unhappy with the agreement and when two of the founding members of the Federation stand in opposition to this, that will sober them up a bit." Pike finished.
"It is alarming that the testimony of those whom have already been rescued from slavery by Starfleet vessels has not already moved them to take action," said T'Pau.
She had a severe, but majestic dignity about her that made Jim convinced he was in the presence of royalty. But did Vulcan's have royalty? He filed that away to ask Spock about later.
He didn't do much more talking that day. Jim just sat and listened as the Elders questioned Pike and McCoy about Starfleet happenings and what they thought would be the best way to handle Jim's case.
At last they all agreed that it would be best for Jim to stay on Vulcan and continue his recovery and that he could testify from the safety of Sarek's home if Starfleet asked for his story.
Jim and Bones were glad to finally leave the solemn chambers and exit into the cool Vulcan night. "Well, they can sure talk the hind leg off a donkey when they want to," the doctor said under his breath.
"While saying the same thing twenty different ways," Jim thought, remembering how they'd
As they sped back to the house in the hovercar, he gaped at the stars twinkling in the night sky. Somehow, they seemed much more friendly than the stars he'd seen from Orion, even though many of them were the same he'd stayed up late with his friends Gaila and Mona when they had a rare free day or the master and mistress were away.
He rather missed Gaila and her unbreakable spirit that was as vibrant as her red hair. She'd been a great comfort to Jim in those days and he hoped wherever she was, she'd found freedom, too.
She'd been sold abruptly in the middle of Jim's fifth year, evidently having done something to anger the master. He'd barely had a chance to say good-bye before she was taken away by some ugly giant lizard/toad-like creature and his minions.
"You're quiet tonight, Jim," observed Bones. "You okay after all that grilling?"
"Sure, Bones," he sighed. "I'm just thinking about my old friend from Orion and wondering where she is now. I lost touch five years ago and I hope she's been able to get free from the pleasure slave industry. It's a nasty world, though." He held up his wrist, where his ID was tattooed clearly on the inside.
Bones shook his head sadly. "Man, Jim. Your stepfather was a complete sicko to sell you like that . If George could've risen up and throttled him, I bet he would've."
"Don't think I haven't imagined doing it myself," Jim admitted. "But someone beat me to it apparently and he's been dead for years."
They climbed out of the car as it stopped in front of the ambassadors house, which Jim viewed as home now. Spock and Amanda were busy setting the table for supper and Jim's spirits rose at the smell of food (and the sight of Spock, if he was being honest.) He devoured the bean and rice dish with surprising zest. Vulcan dishes had an incredible flavor and spice to them that more than made up for the lack of meat. Bones made sure he took his supplements-by hypo unfortunately-
"How was your experience with the Elders, James?" Spock asked him as he helped her wash up afterwards. He insisted on being allowed to do odd jobs now that he was on the mend. He may not be a slave anymore, but Jim didn't want to be a total bum while he was at their house.
"Very interesting, Spock," he said, carefully drying an elaborately glazed bowl. "They're so old and wise, I felt like a mere infant compared to them. They're going to put pressure on The Federation to clean up their act, so I'm glad I went. T'Pau was giving me these searching looks like I was under trial or something."
"Vulcan lifespans are twice that of humans, so yes, you would be merely a child in their eyes," Spock informed him, brown eyes holding a touch of mirth. "T'Pau is an important member of our clan and she was likely gauging your intentions and honesty. She has not met you before and wanted to be certain you were trustworthy."
Jim nodded, setting the bowl down and picking up a plate. "That's understandable. A lot of slaves learned to do some shady things to survive and it's hard to break the habit when they get free. They don't trust people anymore."
"But you are different, James," Spock observed. "Your character clearly outlasted your captivity. I do believe that T'Pau was satisfied with what she saw."
"I hope so," Jim shrugged, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "because I've got so much more to study before the test and I wouldn't want to get kicked off another planet now, would I?"
"No, you certainly wouldn't," she agreed. "Speaking of which, I will help you with the next group of equations if you are amenable."
Jim was VERY amenable to that suggestion as Spock was fabulous at explaining math concepts and he discovered he enjoyed learning by logic better than he could have ever imagined.