I don't own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings. Now that I am freed from the pressure of writing the disclaimer, I proudly present the chapter!
Pride And Pressure
When Nyota awoke in the morning, she could feel the change in the atmosphere. The outside air temperature was at least ten degrees cooler than the morning before. The humidity had risen. The rainy season was about to start.
After the family had eaten breakfast and T'Pela had made her daily visit for the blood tests, Nyota convinced Spock that it was a good morning for a walk. Though this was their fourth visit to New Shi'Kahr, there was still much the couple had not seen. New buildings were constantly being built, businesses started up, and people immigrated from other colony worlds.
Spock helped Nyota tie her comfortable sneakers and then took her arm. They walked out of Sarek and T'Sela's front door and onto the pavement outside. Turning left, they toured the residential neighborhood.
Spock saw a few faces he recognized. Telen, an old schoolmate who had once taunted him was outside working in his yard with his wife. He and Spock exchanged slight bows, but did not speak. Telen had recently made an apology to Spock for his ill-treatment, however the two were not quite ready to be friends.
The young couple moved on, passing the school building and the Public Works Department. Trekell, a young immigrant from Melenia V stopped his labors and went to greet them. Spock and Nyota had assisted Trekell on the last leg of his journey to New Vulcan, when he had found himself stranded at Starbase 7. Despite his lack of higher education, Trekell had found great success in New Shi'Kahr. He had just been put in charge of maintaining all of the city's vehicles. His eyes shone with pride as he told Spock and Nyota of his wife, small son, and daughter on the way. They congratulated him and went on their way.
Spock noticed that Nyota was getting a bit winded. It was also important that she stay well hydrated. A break was definitely in order.
"Nyota, shall we take mid morning tea? There is a shop not far from here."
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. I'm thirsty and a bit hungry, too."
Nyota was content to let her husband steer her in the appropriate direction. They walked a few blocks to the merchant's district and took a seat at one of the tables outside the tea shop. Spock was a bit surprised to be waited on by another person from his past.
Karel, another of Spock's classmates had not fared so well since the Genocide. His family had once owned a chain of tea shops, at least one in every large city on Vulcan. Karel's father reinvested most of his profits into the business, not diversifying. There were no off-world holdings and little money in the bank when the Genocide happened. Karel lost his entire family, including his bondmate.
Anther female had been found for him, one far below Karel's social class and education level. Spock recognized her when she refilled their teacups. Sonoli was the daughter of one of T'Pau's former house servants. She was strong and hard working, but not particularly graceful or attractive. Karel's first bondmate had been beautiful, a student healer.
As Spock and Nyota sipped their tea and ate honeycakes, a wizened male with a cane sat at a nearby table. His hands shook as he arranged his robes. Thorgal, the ancient healer who had declared Spock sterile!
Thorgal felt Spock's gaze upon him and looked up to meet his eyes. There was no mistaking the identity of the young man before him or the condition of the young female next to him. Thorgal had been wrong.
Through their bond, Nyota felt her husband's pride. Spock was proud of his beautiful bondmate and her accomplishments. He was also proud of the child she carried and grateful to her that she was willing to do so. Spock was grateful for other things, too. He had succeeded in his chosen career, made peace with his surviving family, and found friends who accepted him for who he was. He was more fortunate than most of his people.
The Council of Elders had made rapid progress through its meeting agenda. There remained only one item to be dealt with.
Elder Tovorek stood and read it for the benefit of all present.
"Elders T'Pau and Tauril make a request on behalf of Healer S'chn T'gai Sirin, that the declaration of V'tosh ka'tur be vacated. Elder T'Pau will speak in Sirin's defense."
T'Pau stood and addressed the Council.
"Healer Sirin was declared V'tosh ka'tur due to his excessive grief after the death of his bondmate and child. His parents sought this declaration in the hope that it would make him see reason, that he would seek help for his depression and take another mate. I believe that this was an excessive measure, which did not produce the desired response."
"Sirin left Vulcan and became an esteemed surgeon on Terra, repairing the injuries of many of our people who were injured as a consequence of the Genocide. Now Sirin desires to be reconciled to his people and his family. It is time for this to occur."
T'Pau resumed her seat.
Selek stood.
"I move that a vote be taken."
Ten minutes later, the pronouncement of V'tosh ka'tur was vacated. T'Pau and Tauril hurried home to contact Sirin and relieve Sarek and T'Sela of their babysitting duties.
T'Sela was the next person to find a way to reach Saavik. T'Sela had read extensively about how art therapy helped individuals deal with emotional issues such as anger and fear. Having recently discovered sidewalk chalk as a medium, T'Sela brought a large bucket of it along to T'Pau's cottage. Sarek had told her of the large concrete slab that had been poured the day before. It would be ready to carry the weight of two pre-fabricated housing modules by afternoon. Surely it could handle two small children at mid morning.
While Sarek rocked Baby T'Shana to sleep, T'Sela carried the chalk bucket out onto the slab and began to draw. The curious children followed her.
T'Sela held a piece of blue chalk as she made a large blue rectangle. Inside the rectangle she drew two people in bathing suits. Saavik tiptoed over to see what she had done.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It is a swimming pool. The first time I got inside one, I was very frightened. Sarek helped me with my fear."
Orange flames appeared next to the sketch of a small cottage.
"I was concerned that the fire might spread to our town."
T'Sela took the broom from T'Pau's patio and literally swept away the things that had distressed her.
Next, T'Sela drew the flowering tea bushes that grew around her patio.
"These have a pleasant smell and help me relax when I am anxious."
T'Sela handed Saavik a piece of chalk. At first the child drew representations of soldiers and weapons, then a forest. These were her memories of Hellguard. She then drew an empty bowl and a small being with bound feet.
Following T'Sela's lead, she swept those images away and replaced them with more pleasant ones. Saavik drew a plate full of honeycakes and a ka'athyra.
Little Senar contented himself with making lines, circles, and representations of birds.
When Saavik went for the broom to sweep everything away again, T'Sela stopped her.
"Let us keep the pleasant images to become part of your new home. You will always know that they are in place."
Saavik agreed that this was a good idea.
While the Enterprise had been rescuing the Hellguard survivors, T'Ameela had received a communication from an uncle, Kerosh, her father's brother. Though her father had acknowledged his paternity and given T'Ameela's mother financial support, he had never participated in their lives in any other way. This was usually the case when a consoler bore a client's child. However, since the Genocide, Vulcans had begun to try to connect with any relatives they had, regardless of the circumstances. Kerosh had offered to support T'Ameela while she was at university, and even encouraged her to change her course of study from nursing to healer. T'Ameela was a good candidate for Healer's School, as she was a strong telepath. Her instructors were in favor of this idea.
However, Kerosh was also pressuring T'Ameela to take a bondmate, Vorel, who was studying to become a healer. Vorel was intelligent, handsome, and from a wealthy family. The only thing about Vorel not in his favor was the fact that he was not Leonard McCoy.
Even though she knew it to be the middle of the night in San Francisco, T'Pau decided to contact Sirin anyway. She was certain he would be awake and waiting for her news.
"Greetings, Grandmother."
"Greetings, my child. I have done as thou hast requested. The Elders have vacated the pronouncement of V'tosh ka'tur. Perhaps it would give thee a further measure of peace to know that the original decree was never officially recorded, nor was it ever spoken of outside of our family. There is no record of thee ever being declared without logic in any database."
"Thou art free to come and go on the colony as thee sees fit, to seek employment, or apply to adopt a child. Know also that I am proud of thee and thy family and would welcome a visit."
Sirin's relief was profound, even if not expressed out loud.
"I thank thee, Grandmother. Live long and prosper."
"Peace and long life, my child."
When Rachel woke up an hour later, she found Sirin seated at his terminal. She stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders and kissed the top of his head.
"What are you doing, my love?"
"I am completing our adoption application. All that is lacking now is your signature."
Rachel signed her named and Sirin sent the forms off to the orphanage on New Vulcan.
Kyvel would never admit to being nervous, however he was certainly feeling pressured. Using all the skill he possessed, he maneuvered the crane, first picking a module up off the flatbed on the street, turning it in midair, and then gently placing it on the foundation. His helper on the ground indicated that the positioning was perfect. Kyvel waited while the installers secured the module to the foundation and then got clear of the structure.
He then repeated the process with the second module. This time the procedure was even more difficult, as there was now less room to work with and a smaller margin for error. It would not do to damage Elder Tauril's home in the process of adding on to it. However, Kyvel knew his job well and accomplished his task perfectly. He backed the crane away from the site and returned to the company's vehicle storage facility.
Now it was the installers' turn to feel the pressure. The modules needed to be completely secured in place and the seams sealed before the rains arrived sometime that evening.
With his shaky hands, Thorgal could no longer practice the Healer's Arts. Instead, he had been given the task of maintaining the colony's sperm bank and its associated database.
On his tea break that morning, Thorgal had seen S'chn T'gai Spock cha Sarek and his obviously pregnant bondmate. Obviously the young male was not sterile. Thorgal knew that Spock was an active duty Starfleet officer, most likely visiting his father's house on leave. The old healer checked his database to see whether Sarek's son had made his "donation." He had not.
This oversight needed to be corrected. It was up to every son of Vulcan to do his duty. Thorgal consulted his directory and located the code for Sarek's residential comm unit.
The installers completed their task with barely half an hour to spare. The modules were in place and sealed. The openings for the connecting doors would be cut and finished the following day. Tauril and T'Pau's family would need to spend only one more night in cramped quarters.
Saavik was a bit concerned that she would no longer be sharing a room with Senar, but also thrilled at the prospect of having more space. The little girl was very proud that she had been permitted to select bedding and curtains for her new room. She insisted that Tauril show her the plan for it several times.
The function of the space labeled "closet" eluded Saavik until T'Pau showed her the closet in her parents' room. Then understanding dawned.
"Mother, I will need more clothing to fill such a space."
The heavy rainfall was another reminder for Spock that this was not the home of his birth. The family watched the downpour from a kitchen window as they completed their dinner preparations. They were interrupted by the chime of the comm link.
Healer Thorgal wanted to speak to Spock about a personal matter.
Spock took the call in his father's study.
He could not believe what the old healer was asking him to do.
"I must consult my bondmate and my father. I will speak with you on this matter tomorrow."
"It is expected that you will do your duty."
"There are factors you are unaware of, Healer, and that I am not at liberty to discuss."
"Very well."
Annoyed with Spock, Thorgal cut off the communication without proper farewells.
Spock would need to seek counsel from both Sarek and Selek. If Selek had already made a "donation,"
Spock's would be redundant. How could he explain the situation to Thorgal without revealing Selek's true identity? If Spock refused to comply without an explanation, Thorgal would no doubt continue to pressure him. Also, Spock felt certain Nyota would not care for the idea of another carrying his child.
TBC