There are always wars and rumors of wars. However, to prevent any possible legal battles, I will inform you all of the following: I do not own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writings.

The Jorian War IV

The Enterprise was now en route to Nalthus. The journey was actually quite short, but the diplomatic party needed a rest. Their meeting with Guran, the Nalthusian leader was not scheduled for another thirty-seven hours.

When contacted, Duke Germish, the Jorian Ambassador agreed to supply T'Vessya with all the information she had requested about the Jorian religion as it had formerly been practiced.

"I do not what use this would be to you. Only a few elderly diehards still keep the old ways."

T'Vessya thanked him for his cooperation and enlisted Nyota's assistance in sifting through the wealth of information Duke Germish sent. They would begin their task in the morning.

Spock had been cold all day long on the surface of Erdrusia. He was looking forward to his nice warm quarters. However, once he got there, he encountered a problem. Nyota had adjusted the temperature downward at least five degrees. She was asleep on the couch, so Spock figured he could warm the place up again.

"Computer, raise temperature of these quarters by five degrees."

Nyota's eyes flew open at the sound of his voice.

"Computer, belay last command."

"Spock, I'm roasting in here. This little part-Vulcan baby has really heated things up for me. You can always put on more clothes. There's a limit to what I can take off."

Spock considered the logic of Nyota's words. Also, as her bondmate, it was his duty to insure the comfort of his pregnant wife. Sarek had reminded him of this in a long-winded speech. Dr. McCoy had been much more direct.

"As my ol' daddy used to say, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" Keep Nyota happy, Spock!"

Spock walked over to his bondmate and while kissing her lips, put a hand upon her belly.

"Azizi has been very active all day. I think he's going to be a soccer player."

Spock sent his son calming thoughts.

"You must settle down and allow your mother her rest."

After a moment or two, the baby settled down. Nyota seemed exhausted. The strain of the pregnancy was beginning to take a toll on her. Spock helped Nyota over to the bed and arranged the pillows for her comfort. The he took a sonic shower, put heavy Starfleet issue sweats, thermal socks, and a hoodie. There were likely no more than nine weeks left in Nyota's pregnancy. Spock could manage cooler quarters for that long.

King Gerlhu was quite concerned about his brother-in-law, the prophet Issow. Issow had been ill for some time with breathing difficulties. Before he had been declared Prophet of the Faith, Issow had been a dilithium mine supervisor. His "enlightenment" had occurred not long after his sister Janna married the King.

Issow began to have "episodes" in which he saw the Creator and was spoken to by him. These were always accompanied by jerky body movements and a brief period of unconsciousness. As every good and faithful Jorian knew, these were the signs of true holiness.

The episodes were coming more frequently since Issow developed his breathing issues. He was not concerned by this at all, even finding comfort in the fact as he explained it all to his family.

"The Creator knows that my time is short. He simply wishes to be certain that I have told you everything before I join him. We must try to make peace with Erdrusia and Nalthus. However, they must discontinue their heresy."

King Gerlhu agreed that he would sent no more troops to Nalthus for the time being.

Director Tranil gave Sirin and Rachel the last of the documents to sign and then pronounced their adoption of Torel as final. T'Vedna brought the boy's belongings out to the family. Torel bid his fellow orphans farewell and joined his new family.

Sirin decided to carry his new son back to the Inn. Torel was clearly having difficulty inflating his lungs. Sirin wanted to monitor the child's breathing and other vitals closely before increasing his medication.

After the family ate dinner in the Inn's dining room, Sirin and Rachel allowed the children to watch a few animated holovids. Torel was absolutely enchanted by them, especially those with animals. This led to Jason describing the family pets, which included a parrot, two pouch rats, a guinea pig, and assorted fish. Rachel groaned inwardly, wondering just what type of critter Torel would be wanting.

When the movies were over, there were showers and pajamas, followed by a bedtime story. Nana Esther told them all about when she and her mother had been lost in Yosemite and scared by a black bear. They ran onto a main trail and were able to find their way back to camp.

This led to Jason reciting the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and then to Rachel giving Torel his own teddy bear, a gift from Jack, Lewis, and the rest of their family. When the kids were all calmed down and in bed, Sirin scanned Torel's lungs. Even at rest, they worked too hard.

Torel had grown a bit since Dr. McCoy had started him on bronchodilator therapy. This only made sense, as he was eating regularly, no longer working in the mines, and enjoying fresh air and sunshine. Sirin would slowly increase his dosage, while monitoring him for harmful side effects.

Torel bravely accepted his hypo spray and a goodnight hug and kiss from Rachel. When the little boy was sound asleep, Rachel joined her husband and Esther in the living room of the suite. Sirin was having a conversation with T'Pau.

"...I will need to obtain more of the medication from a hospital or a local healer. Otherwise, there will not be enough for our stay on New Vulcan and the return journey to Terra."

"I will contact Selek. He lives in New Sura'Kahr, where there is a new hospital and a healer school affiliated with the new university. He will know someone who can help thee. Please keep me advised as to the situation."

"I will do so, Grandmother. Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life, my child."

Spock was not surprised to find most of the diplomatic party in the Officers' Lounge later that night. Kirk had offered them all free access to it. Sipel and T'Vessya were absent, but all the others were there, in addition to Jim, Bones, and Scotty.

Sarek noted the hooded sweatshirt his son was wearing, which Korem and Kehel were also eying with envy.

"My son, would you happen to have another such garment? I find myself chilled when not in my quarters."

Korem and Kehel nodded in agreement. Rigelian physiology was very similar to Vulcan, so they also found themselves a bit cold whenever they were in the common areas of the ship. Spock was about to return to his quarters to fetch a hoodie for Sarek but Jim stopped him. Instead, he contacted Lt. Sanchez, who ran the ship's store, and arranged for complementary USS Enterprise hoodies for the whole diplomatic party. Sanchez delivered these herself so that she could get back to sleep.

Kehel's was a bit tight around the middle, but it was the largest size the ship's store carried. Kehel shrugged his shoulders and continued to work on the plate of nachos before him.

Korem shook his head, disgusted. He, Shras, and Sarek were all sitting at the far end of a table, observing the younger males. Korem spoke in a whisper.

"That boy thinks too much of food. If he gets much larger, he will have difficulty attracting more wives. He has just the one, you know. Three is the typical number for our clan. He is a hard worker, though."

Shras sighed and nodded.

"The same can be said for my Shrelb. His trade negotiation skills far outshine mine, but he has yet to settle down. He and his fiances have not found a second male to their liking. I think that they have set their standards far too high. I would like to see my grandchildren before I die. Sarek, you must be quite proud. As the Terrans would say, Spock seems to have it all together. He is physically fit, successful in his career, and has a wife and a child on the way."

"It is as you say, Korem. My son has given me much to be proud of. However, no situation is ever perfect. The dangers of Starfleet service are ever present. That my children and grandchild will be constantly exposed to them is a matter of some concern to me."

At another table, the other males were exchanging tales of their youthful misadventures. Jim had told the story of driving a valuable antique ground car off a cliff. Bones related how he and a girlfriend had gone skinny dipping in a leech infested pond. They had to confess their sins to Bones' father, also a physician, in order to get the more stubborn creatures removed.

Admiral Pike had them all in stitches as he reminisced about the time he and his friend Bob Ames had to participate in a nude folk dance as a condition of securing a peace treaty on Erebax IV.

"I got no less than twelve marriage proposals."

Jim was howling with laughter. When he finally calmed down, he slapped Scotty on the back.

"Hey, what about you? What kind of trouble did you get into?"

"Well, there was the time mah friend Angus and I snuck into a holo peep show. Mother saw us go in and hauled us back out by the ears. Five credits wasted!"

Jim and Bones were laughing again, but Korem and Shrelb were confused. Spock took pity on them.

"A peep show is a presentation considered to be pornographic. There is often partial nudity and suggestive acts of a sexual nature are performed."

"Ah" sighed Shrelb. "So it must have been much like that time at Rhona's Pleasure Palace on Risa."

Suddenly Shrelb had the attention of everyone in the room. Rhona's Pleasure Palace was legendary, both for the type of entertainment offered there and the fact that it was located next to the largest conference center in the known galaxy. The old-fashioned neon sign on top of Rhona's was 15 stories high.

They all waited, but Shrelb said nothing. Kehel was looking at his shoes and Spock's ears had turned an almost fluorescent green.

Sarek cleared his throat.

"Are we to assume that the three of you actually visited Rhona's Pleasure Palace at some point?"

Korem snorted.

"I bet it was during the Federation Trade Symposium of 2250, when you disappeared for several hours on your eighteenth birthday. As I recall, your mother could not find you when she went to remind you of your birthday dinner. Spock said he knew where you were and volunteered to retrieve you."

Spock shifted rather uncomfortably in his chair and looked up to discover that Nyota had joined the group at some point. She was listening most eagerly.

Shrelb also spotted Nyota and decided to make certain the story was told correctly.

"Lady Nyota, please understand that you husband was the only innocent party in the tale I am about to tell. However, his innocence did not save him from great embarrassment."

"All of our families had made the trip to Risa for the Federation Trade Symposium, along with that of Hans Braun. Hans and Kehel both turned eighteen within a few days of each other and I thought that the four of us should all go to Rhona's and celebrate in style. Spock declined the invitation, claiming that he needed to review for his entrance exams for the VSA. The rest of us went to Rhona's and had a fabulous time. Hans was getting a lap dance when Spock came and interrupted us, telling us that Kehel's mother was looking for him. That's when the situation got really interesting."

"One of the dancers spotted Spock and yelled out "Ooh, a Vulcan, and a cute one at that! We don't get many of your kind in here, honey. Come and dance with Zixa." Then she proceeded to grab him and wouldn't take no for an answer."

Kehel nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that Zixa was something. I don't know what species she came from, but she was topless and had four large breasts. She was really angry when Spock refused to slow dance with her. Shrelb had to give her fifty credits to make her leave Spock alone. It caused quite a stir, but we all got out of Rhona's undamaged."

Sarek's eyes were twinkling and the rest of them were nearly rolling on the floor with laughter, all except for Spock, of course.

Pike had to be the first to comment.

"I would have loved to have seen that."

Kehel gave Shrelb an elbow to the side.

"Do you still have the photos?"

"Are you kidding? You really think I'd erase something like that? I keep one in particular on my comm unit for whenever I need a good laugh."

Pike put out his hand in front of Shrelb.

"Got that comm unit on you?"

Shrelb reached into his pocket, pulled out the unit, pressed a few buttons and handed it to Pike. The others gathered around him.

The image was very clear. A very young and embarrassed Spock was backing away from a very well-endowed topless dancer.

When the laughter died down, Pike encouraged everyone to get to bed. They had important work to do in the next few days.

Sirin was up early in the morning, checking Torel's vital signs, which were much improved. He held the child and allowed his affection to flow to him gently, the first step in establishing a familial bond. Hannah and Jason had already begun the process.

Rachel was psi-null, so any bond that Torel made with her would be one-sided and require actual physical contact, the same as with the other children.

When his comm unit beeped, Sirin placed Torel in bed with Rachel, who was just waking up.

"Greetings, Cousin. I am Selek. Grandmother said that you were in need of assistance."

"Greetings, Selek. Yes, the child my wife and I have adopted is in need of medication, more than we brought with us from Terra. I need to contact another healer who has access to a pharmacy."

"Currently the largest pharmacy on New Vulcan is here in New Sura'Kahr, part of the university and hospital complex. Perhaps the best course of action would be for me to arrange a meeting for you with another healer and to bring your family to New Sura'Kahr. My wife owns a small ship and the local inn. You would be welcome to stay with us."

Sirin looked at Rachel, who nodded in agreement.

"Selek, that would be most helpful. We thank you."

"No thanks are necessary, Sirin. I shall contact you later today with the details. Live long and prosper."

"Peace and long life, Selek."

After breakfast the next morning, Nyota and T'Vessya set to work reading over the copious amounts of Jorian religious texts that Duke Germish had sent. It soon became obvious that in times past, the predominant Jorian faith had been one of moderation and tolerance. All of this had changed with the anointing of the prophet Issow.

The Jorians were mostly monotheistic, worshiping a deity known only as the Creator. This reminded T'Vessya greatly of the one Vulcans called the Source, also worshiped by some Romulans. Religion had fallen out of fashion thousands of years ago on Vulcan, with most only paying the Source a token respect.

There were some Vulcans, mostly survivors of the Genocide, who believed that the Source had used Nero to get their attention and remind them that Logic was not a god. Others sought to silence such opinions. Surely the one who had created them would not be so jealous and petty. The majority of the remaining Vulcans called for religious tolerance. There was no advantage to be gained in division.

Religious tolerance was definitely what was called for in the Jorian/Erdrusian/Nalthusian situation.

Selek arranged for Sirin, Rachel, and Torel to meet with Healer Sertok, the Dean of the Healer's School and family healer for Selek and T'Mardis. Sertok would see them in the late afternoon.

Selek contacted Sirin, who was expecting his call. The family had eaten breakfast, gotten dressed, and their bags were all packed. Selek would pick them up at the shuttle port near the Inn.

Spock had, of course, informed Sirin, Rachel, and Esther of the existence and origin of Selek. Sirin knew that they would meet eventually.

It was a very strange sensation for Selek. He recognized Sirin right away, as he had remembered him from his childhood. Sirin was nearly nineteen standard years older than Selek, and had been declared V'tosh ka'tur when Selek was just a child. Sirin had left for Terra and was never seen again.

Sirin also recognized Selek, though it was akin to seeing a ghost. Selek greatly resembled Skon, their grandfather and late husband of T'Pau. T'Pau had said that Sirin resembled Skon even more than Spock. Sirin wondered if he would look like Selek in his old age.

Rachel realized that left to their own devices, Selek and Sirin would stand there and look at each other all day. She had a sick child to worry about. There was no advantage gained without boldness, so she decided to introduce herself.

"Greetings, Selek. I'm Rachel. Thank you so much for your assistance. Let me introduce you to the rest of the family. Children, this is your great-great uncle Selek."

Jason and Torel gave Selek proper salutes or ta'al. Hannah was more of a hands on person and gave Selek a quick hug before her parents could stop her.

"Oh, I like you. You smell nice, just like Uncle Spock."

Selek nearly chuckled. Hannah was a very perceptive creature.

Guran had agreed to meet with a smaller diplomatic party, just Admiral Pike, the three ambassadors, and four security people. He felt that any larger a party would make the Nalthusians nervous so soon after the incident with the Jorian invaders. Jim didn't like being excluded but he could see Guran's point.

Guran lived in a cave next to the dilithium mine. He made no pretense about the place being a palace. It was as warm and comfortable as the Nalthusians' limited resources could make it. Guran the leader had no more luxuries than any of his people. They had just begun trading dilithium to the Federation and had made food, clothing, and safety equipment their priorities. Anything else would just have to wait.

The party listened as Guran told his tale of woe. He and about eighty Erdrusians had departed that planet when Guran's wife Queen Viella began trading dilithium to the Ferengi for what Guran considered worthless baubles. Her trade had also violated the exclusive agreement Erdrusia had with the Federation. This disgusted Guran, as he had been raised to always keep his word. His parents were among those who still kept to the original Jorian religious traditions.

Guran and his followers were also horrified by how the Erdrusians were raising their children, almost completely without discipline. When Guran had spoken with his wife about this, she made it clear that she intended to raise her child in an atmosphere of freedom and acceptance. Guran had been born a commoner and felt that he would have no support from either the Erdrusians or the Jorian royal family should he try to oppose Viella and take the child to raise on his own.

He and his followers came to Nalthus to make a fresh start. Others had joined him, Erdrusians who were disgusted with Queen Viella's rule and Jorians who were seeking a return to their former ways of moderation. The Jorian zealots had seen the establishment of the Nalthusian colony as a further heresy, one their Creator would hold them responsible for. Despite Duke Germish's counsel against this, King Gerlhu sent troops to Nalthus to stop the "contamination" from spreading further.

The diplomats concurred that they needed to get all three parties talking to each other. Each leader was contacted, all agreeing to such a meeting as long as it was held on their own home turf. None was willing to risk a journey to one of the other planets.

Finally, Sarek recommended a neutral site. After securing permission from Admiral Pike, he suggested that the negotiations take place aboard the Enterprise. All three parties accepted this, though somewhat hesitantly.

However, none of them had as many misgivings about it as Captain Kirk.