What a fan fic writer needs is a good disclaimer, one that says she doesn't own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor does she make any profit from her writings. That's still the secret to not getting sued!
Secrets III
After examining the tablets, T'Sela concluded that they dated from the time of Surak. The symbols on the borders indicated their approximate date and place of creation, at the T'Kareth Sanctuary in the 4th century.
The scrolls were from the same era, and written in what T'Sela recognized as Surak's own hand. The writings were consistent with Surak's teachings, but contained some surprising revelations.
Some Vulcans might be shocked to read them.
T'Sela certainly was.
Surak told his followers:
"We must be wary, as the Vulcan people tend toward extremism. We can be extremely violent, extremely emotional, extremely passionate. I think it probable that even logic might be carried to extreme. Logic is an ideal to be embraced, a goal to be achieved. It is not a God to be worshiped."
and....
"We must remember Kol-Ut-Shan (IDIC), and be tolerant of others. For us, logic is the best path, but is not the only path in the Universe, as we are not the only people. We must grow and reach out to the stars. In turn they will reach out to us. Let us not turn away from others because of their differences, but rather accept these differences and rejoice in them."
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Spock moved to the large lounge chair on the patio. He motioned for Nyota to join him. She slid in next to him and laid her her against his chest.
"My family's old home on Vulcan had a patio much like this one, with a very similar chaise. On nights when the breeze was cool and my father was off planet, I would sit like this with my mother and watch the stars make their appearance. Sometimes I would speak to her of my dream to visit them. I never thought I would someday hold my own "star."
"You know, for a logical Vulcan, sometimes you can be such a romantic."
Nyota kissed him and the decided she had just been given the perfect opportunity to discuss what was on her mind.
"Speaking of mothers and sons, this mother thinks it's high time our son had a name. If nothing else, it might stop Len from calling him "hobgoblin junior." That really annoys me when he does that."
"Which is why he persists in doing it. I, too have been thinking on the subject of names for our child. It might be wise to follow in the footsteps of Rachel and Sirin, giving our son names from both our families."
"Ever since you shared the image of his energy signature with me, I've been reminded of the Modern African Art exhibit we saw at the Louvre. Especially the paintings by Azizi Uhura, my ancestor. The name Azizi means the mighty one, precious and beloved."
"That is indeed a good name and with a proud heritage. Solkar was my great-grandfather and the first Vulcan ambassador to Terra. He was the captain of the T'Plana-Hath and present for Terran-Vulcan First Contact. He also signed the UFP Charter."
"S'chn T'gai Azizi Solkar cha Spock. It's a mouthful, but I like it. Hopefully, the family will, too."
The USS Pasteur was passing close by Ebert's Planetoid, en route to Starbase 7, when they picked up a signal from an old style distress beacon. Further investigation revealed three life signs on the surface, most likely Vulcan. The Communications officer tried hailing them, but got no answer.
Captain Angela Martinelli decided to send a security team down to investigate. They returned a few minutes later with three Vulcan-Romulan hybrid females claiming to be refugees. They had quite a story to tell.
Martinelli ordered the Quartermaster to issue the women the standard refugee package, three sets of modern civilian clothing and undergarments,(gender appropriate), and toiletries. The ship's physician pronounced them healthy and disease-free, although a bit malnourished. She ordered vitamins and nutritional supplements for them. The sickbay medical scanners did not detect the transponders which had been subcutaneously placed in their wrists because they were covered by metal bracelets which the women refused to remove for "religious" reasons. That was their right, so the doctor thought nothing of it.
When the examinations were finished, Martinelli had the women meet her for meal in a small conference room. They chose Shirela to speak for all three.
"We were born to Vulcan women taken captive by the Romulans and held on Caldena. Our father was Verel, a Romulan Commander. We had three different mothers, all of whom died while serving as his concubines. When Verel was assassinated, the one who killed him, Dorist, became the new Commander. We became his concubines."
"Dorist was a brutal pig. All three of us have born him children. Some have died a natural death, others were taken away as slaves to a place called Hellguard. None of them have survived. We felt their deaths through the bonds of motherhood."
"Recently, Dorist fell out of favor due to some failure on his part. We believe that he was killed. Orinar, Dorist's second in command was promoted to Commander, and we became his property. He killed all the other concubines on Caldena. Only we three survived. He had two of his henchmen bring us to the place where you found us. They turned on the beacon and left us there. The purpose was most likely evil."
Captain Martinelli had no doubts about that.
"I expect that you three have been sold for a good price. Vulcan women are being kidnapped and ransomed or sold outright. There is a shortage of females of childbearing age on New Vulcan. Is that where you would like to go?"
"Yes. However, we are without means. Would it be possible?"
"Starfleet protocol is to take Vulcan refugees to the nearest starbase, which happens to be 7, for processing by the New Vulcan Immigration Ministry. When that is completed, they will transport you to New Vulcan. We were planning to go there anyway. We'll be arriving in about twelve hours."
"Captain, we will be forever in your debt."
Shirela had not lied to the Captain. Every word she had spoken was the truth. She had simply left a few things out.
Vilas and Hurev had followed in their cloaked vessel and been listening as per Orinar's order. They sent him an encoded message, "The package is on its way!" Then, still cloaked, they followed the Pasteur to Starbase 7.
Shirela, T'Luris, and T'Vora were given quarters to rest in. Once they were alone, Shirela melded with each of the others, explaining her actions.
"This is a small ship. I do not know if they have many weapons. The ship we came in is invisible to them. If I had revealed Orinar's plan, Vilas would have fired on us, destroying this vessel and its crew as well. We need to reach the Starbase to make our escape. They would not dare to reveal themselves there. We will find an opportunity or make one ourselves."
When Sarek and T'Sela finally returned home, they found Spock and Nyota still on the patio in the chaise. Nyota had fallen asleep and Spock was reluctant to move her. However, she stirred when she heard Sarek's footsteps.
"Oh, I guess I should really go to bed. I think your father wants to talk to you."
"You are correct, my daughter, but do not hurry on my account."
Spock rose from the chaise and helped Nyota to her feet. The odd position she had slept in made her stiff and a bit unsteady on her feet. Spock decided to scoop her up and carry her.
"I shall return in a few moments, Father, after I perform my nighttime ritual."
"I await your return, my son."
Nighttime ritual? For Sarek it had certainly been an evening of surprises.
It was quite late when Selek, Jim, and the Admiral returned to the Inn. Selek had been right about the site's suitability. It was flat and near a source of fresh water. A large starbase could be built there and connected to New Sura'Kahr and New Te'Rikh via rapid ground transit. Selek and Pike would present their findings to a meeting of the full Council of Elders in the morning.
Selek invited the pair for a late meal with him and T'Mardis.
"Ah, forgive my manners, Jim. We should invite the doctor as well."
T'Mardis gave them an amused look.
"Dr. McCoy dined hours ago in good company and then retired for the night. I expect that he would prefer not to be disturbed."
The Beta shift Communications officer had caught the encoded message. He decoded it and put it in his report to the duty officer. It was passed on to Captain Martinelli along with the Tactical officer's report of the strange energy signature that seemed to be following them from Ebert's Planetoid.
Captain Martinelli decided to put a little more distance between Pasteur and whatever that was. She ordered their speed increased to Warp Three, which would cause them to arrive at Starbase 7 several hours ahead of schedule.
Shirela dressed in the new clothing given to her by the Quartermaster. The jeans were really quite comfortable. She decided to wear the pendant she had found in Guresh's storeroom. T'Vora and T'Luris also opted for their new outfits. The women helped fix each other's hair, and T'Luris put in her mother's hairbroach. If they died this day, at least they would look good doing it!
Many people had heard and enjoyed Spock and Uhura's program of ancient Vulcan songs, plus a few that were more modern. The word had spread to other neighborhoods and communities. They agreed to sing twice more in the next few days, once in New Shannai'Kahr and again at the courtyard of the New Sura'Kahr Inn. They would finally get to meet Selek's wife!