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Chapter 3

There was a problem

"I'm sorry, sir," said one of the guards at the gate to the shipyard to T'Spock. "The locking mechanism is broken and the gate won't budge."

Noyoto looked up at the several-meter-high obstacle that stood between him and the stretch of dark road that led to the Enterprise. The ship's lights were on, and in the distance he could see service vehicles buzzing around beneath it. Construction of the flagship was a 24 hour job.

No gate was going to keep him from getting his hands on the Enterprise's UT.

Putting his hands on a pair of parallel bars, he shook the gate.

"We can jump it." He nodded to himself. At the bottom of the gate the bars were only vertical, but just above his head there were horizontal bars set less than half a meter apart. "With a running start and some momentum, it would be easy enough to get to the first cross bar. From there we could use the other crossbars as a ladder to climb up over the top and slide down the other side."

Turning to the security officers he said, "You can turn off the electrical pulse at the top, right?"

Nodding, one of the guards said, "We already did. We don't want that sort of current running through the thing while we try to fix the lock."

He turned to T'Spock. She was staring at him.

Meeting her gaze Noyoto said, "What? Technically it isn't breaking and entering. We're allowed in, we just can't get in."

He tilted his head. "Of course if you're not strong enough..." He wasn't actually sure. He knew a Vulcan male was three times stronger than a human, but T'Spock was female, and smaller than him. He wasn't sure how that equation worked out.

Putting her hands behind her back she said, "I am at least as strong as you, Cadet. Vulcan muscle mass is denser than humans'.

"But...It is unorthodox," said T'Spock, looking up at the gate.

Oh-no. No Vulcan sense of propriety was keeping him away from his baby. "Look," he said licking his lips. "We have a problem, we have a solution. Isn't it logical to solve the problem, no matter how unorthodox the solution?"

T'Spock didn't turn her gaze from the top of the fence. "Your reasoning is sound."

"Great," said Noyoto, backing up for a running start. "Let's go."

"You first, Cadet," said T'Spock.

Did she sound a wee bit intimidated? Well, good. He was still just a little mad at her for questioning his actions at the bar.

From a few meters back, Noyoto ran and leaped at the fence. Even with the jolt of hitting the metal mid-leap, he easily caught the first horizontal bar with one hand and then used that hand and what little remaining moment he had left from the leap to grab the second. From there it was easy. On of the gate top he looked down and said, "There. Do you think you can do that?"

Eyes narrowing, T'Spock said, "Get out of the way."

Noyoto grinned and slid down.

T'Spock looked a hell of a lot better hopping over the fence than he did. Like one of the female characters in a holo games, she was too beautiful and just a little too strong. She leaped as high as he had and climbed the fence with too much ease - a human woman wouldn't have been able to do it as easily.

In a few minutes T'Spock was dropping to the pavement beside him. The guards clapped and cheered. Noyoto nodded at them and turned with T'Spock towards the glittering lights of the Enterprise. The ship was so close now, just a few hundred meters across the North American plain. Without preamble T'Spock began walking down the access road in the ship's direction and Noyoto fell into step beside her, fighting the urge to grin like an idiot.

From behind he heard one of the guards say, "You don't see that every day," and then all of them laughed.

"Why are they laughing?" T'Spock asked, wind buffeting her short bob, black strands sticking to her full lips.

Don't look at those lips, Noyoto. Tilting his head, he said, "They're just surprised. It's not everyday you see a Vulcan breaking and entering."

Pulling her hair back from her face, T'Spock said, "As you pointed out, we are not breaking and entering. We have permission -"

Noyoto grinned.

Eyes narrowing, she said, "You are teasing me."

Trying to stifle the grin, Noyoto shrugged.

Looking ahead again, T'Spock said, "They might be even more surprised if they knew I participated in bar room brawls."

Noyoto blinked as they stepped from the road into the shadow of the scaffolding holding the ship aloft. A maintenance vehicle honked impatiently at them, but Noyoto barely heard. Did his straight-laced commanding officer just tell a joke?

He might have asked, but at that moment they stepped in front of a large construction turbolift. As its doors opened maintenance crew from all around rushed in and he and T'Spock were separated.

When they exited the lift in the dimly lit communications department, Noyoto forgot almost everything. The equipment was half hidden beneath drapes of protective plastic, but Noyoto could well imagine the technological wonders underneath. It was a far cry from the permanently malfunctioning subspace simulators he and T'Spock made do with in the lab.

Finding his way to a console, he lifted the plastic shroud. Materializing beside him, T'Spock said, "You will need me to give you the access code." Bending forward, she pressed a long sequence of numbers into the key panel and the console screen lit up.

Noyoto whistled as he scrolled through the system properties. "How can you want to stay planet side when this beautiful thing will be in the stars?" he said.

"The science station is even more impressive," T'Spock said, her voice getting quiet. "It would be fascinating..." She tilted her head and silently stared at the monitor.

"It would be exciting," Noyoto said without looking up at her. "Imagine being the first to be there when new life and new civilizations are discovered." He pressed a few more keys to access the language banks.

"It is not logical to crave excitement," said T'Spock.

Noyoto turned to look at her and found her face suddenly too close to his own. Heat rushing to his face, he turned back to the monitor. "Whether it's logical or not, it's a job someone has to do."

"That is true," said T'Spock.

Noyoto pressed a quick sequence across the control board. "Earwax isn't listed as a profanity in Ferrengi...and...prude isn't listed as being rude in Orion." He smiled daring to turn his eyes to hers. She'd pulled back a little. Noyoto wasn't sure if he was sorry or glad. "Luckily, I know every swear word in every known language," he said.

"I doubt that is a matter of luck," T'Spock said.

Noyoto's mouth dropped open. "Sir, is that a joke?" He said turning to catch the back of her head as she walked over to another draped console. Pulling back the plastic sheet, T'Spock looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You do not seem to be laughing."

"Well, it was -"

"I have noticed that 'joking,' idle banter and discussions of a personal nature decrease efficiency in human workplaces as much as 50% on some occasions," T'Spock said, turning her attention to the new console.

Noyoto could take a hint. "Sir, may I suggest we start with Klingon? There are rumors of trouble in the neutral zone at the moment. Misunderstandings in that sector could have galaxy sweeping repercussions."

"Agreed," said T'Spock.

x x x x

"Hikaru, Cadet Sulu, is going to bring my gear to the shuttle," Noyoto said rubbing his eyes. He and T'Spock were walking in the Enterprise's shadow. In the east early morning light was rising above the plain. There was no use going back to the barracks; T'Spock had called to excuse him from check-in and he was closer now to the departure point anyway.

They had worked until some technicians had turned off the power in their sector for some diagnostics of their own. But not before he'd left his mark on his ship. His name was next to diagnostic testing results and modifications from today's date, and there it would remain until she was decommissioned. He was part of the Enterprise's history.

He had the slow burning energy of someone who hadn't slept in over 24 hours. He didn't have anywhere to be in the next hour or so. Rubbing his head he paused, "Do I smell bacon?"

Next to him T'Spock raised her nose. "Yes." Tentatively sniffing the air she said, "I wonder if it is made from tank tissue...There is a cantina over there." She pointed to a spot not far from the shuttle yard.

"I am hungry," said Noyoto. Actually...he was famished. He'd been too caught up in working to notice. He looked at T'Spock. They weren't exactly friendly, but after hopping security gates and bar room brawls it didn't seem to out of line. "You want to get breakfast?"

To his surprise, T'Spock's lips actually smacked. Okay, it was a quiet smack, but it was there, just barely discernible. "That would be acceptable."

He was even more surprised when they ordered. T'Spock ordered as much as he did, and except for eggs, she ordered almost exactly the same items. "I thought Vulcans were vegans," he said, "But you just ordered bacon."

T'Spock blinked. "It is bacon from tissue culture, it never had the consciousness of a living organism attached, nor even been alive in the strictest definition of the word. It is not amoral."

Noyoto tilted his head. "I'm not going to argue. Bacon is delicious."

Leaning forward as though about to tell Noyoto something confidential of great import, T'Spock said quietly, "I agree."

It was just too charming. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but Noyoto laughed.

"What?" said T'Spock, tilting her head.

"No disrespect, sir. It's just not how I would have pictured you a day ago." Shaking his head he said, "A bacon-eating, fence-hopping, bar room brawl starting -"

T'Spock straightened as soon as he said "bar room brawl."

Noyoto stopped. "I'm sorry, you didn't start it, not really. And..." What kind of world must this seem to her? "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that those guys...that those guys are even the same species as I am."

"It is illogical to apologize. Their behavior is hardly your fault."

Noyoto sighed. "Yeah, but I bet they don't have that kind of violence on Vulcan."

T'Spock straightened. A hand that she had resting on the table clenched but she said nothing. It was such a small thing - and yet. The moment suddenly felt too heavy, and Noyoto suddenly felt like he knew too much.

"We do not have the type of violence we experienced last night," T'Spock said. And with that what was unsaid confirmed what Noyoto had just been thinking. Not that type of violence, but another. He felt like he'd just glimpsed another world he wasn't supposed to see. He was curious; but T'Spock's eyes had gone to the window, and something in that simple act of evasion made him think more than offending Vulcan proprietary made it wrong to ask.

x x x x

I'Chala whimpered at T'Spock's feet. T'Spock knew that whimper, the sehlat was hungry. She looked down at the sehlat crouched on her feet as she worked at her desk on a PADD. I'Chala whimpered again hopefully.

I'Chaya, the family's original sehlat, had died when T'Spock was nine. For years afterwards, T'Spock had begged her father and mother for another. They resisted, saying that sehlats weren't supposed to live in places like the urban apartment they dwelled in most of the time now; they only visited the desert house where T'Spock was born on school holidays.

At last T'Spock gave up asking. Then after the incident with Desalvic, when things between her and Sarek were still awkward, her father brought home I'Chala, a squirmy cub, all fangs and paws, completely unexpectedly. T'Spock felt terrible that Sarek felt the need to give her a cub to make amends for something that was not his fault. But she was charmed by the little creature and didn't protest.

That was two years ago. Now the tiny ball of fangs had grown to a full-grown animal who came nearly to T'Spock's hip. To make up for the fact that he didn't have a proper desert to roam, Sarek and Amanda had T'Spock take him with her when she went jogging every morning through the park lands of Shi'Kahr. T'Lana, the family's maid, insensitive to urban sensibilities regarding pets being confined, often let the animal follow T'Spock to the hover bus stop that took her school. More often than not, I'Chala was there when she came home, too. T'Lana was on good terms with all the local merchants; no one complained.

Now T'Spock scratched the animal beneath the chin, even though she was a little irritated to be torn away from her studies. She had difficulty saying no to I'Chala. Her mother said it was proof that T'Spock had 'some maternal instincts after all.' As much as that annoyed her, T'Spock could not resist doting on the creature - although she might say she merely had a fascination and respect for all living things.

"Come," she said to I'Chala now wiggling excitedly. "Let us get you something to eat."

I'Chala's had just finished her bowl in the pantry when the doorbell rang. T'Spock lifted her head. Her father and mother were out. It was T'Lana the maid's day off. She was the only one home.

Curious, she gave I'Chala a synthesized bone to gnaw on. It would keep the animal occupied for at least 20 minutes. Then she went to the door and turned on the monitor. Outside were her great aunt T'Sammick, her great aunt T'Dowel - a white haired old woman T'Spock had only seen once before, and T'Pau. She resisted the impulse to frown and for a moment considered not answering the door.

Surely they'd heard her? For a moment she hesitated. She did not like any of the old dowagers, especially T'Sammick after the incident with Desalvic, but it would be illogical not to respond. Opening the door she said, "May I help you?"

"Is your father home?" said T'Pau.

"No," said T'Spock.

"We will wait for him," said T'Sammick.

There was only one proper response to that. "Please come this way," said T'Spock. A strange prickle ran up the back of her neck as the ladies walked in the direction she had gestured. She shook her head and it was gone.

"The maid is off today," T'Spock said, "but if you require refreshment I will make you some tea myself."

"No, thank you," said T'Pau.

T'Spock nodded, and stepped quickly to lead them into the small sitting room.

As they arranged themselves on the sparse chairs, T'Pau said, "I hear that you are on track to be admitted to the Vulcan Science Academy."

"Yes," said T'Spock. "Within the next two years, I believe."

"And what will you study?" said T'Sammick.

"Astrophysics, most likely," T'Spock responded. Though she liked all the sciences and math, that was her strong suit.

"Sit down," said T'Dowel.

T'Spock was conditioned to obey her elders, and she felt strangely...at peace. She sat down on the last hard-backed chair without comment. The dowagers said nothing. T'Spock felt warm, comfortable...she shouldn't, should she?

"You are a valuable member of our family," said T'Dowel.

That's right, they were family.

T'Spock met T'Dowel's eyes and noticed they were gray with cataracts. Still, the old woman gazed straight and true, not seemingly blind at all. For a few more moments they were silent...no, minutes...T'Spock's internal clock registered it as now fewer than 3 minutes and 47 seconds.

"It was a shame about Desalvic," said T'Pau.

T'Spock straightened for a minute, the heat of old anger rising in her, and then the heat evaporated, slipped from her as though a window to her emotions had been opened.

She had no reason to get upset, did she? She didn't know where T'Pau was going with this. It was logical to hear her out.

"Every woman should have a choice," said T'Sammick.

"Yes, Great Aunt," T'Spock said, surprised that they were in agreement.

"He tried to take your choice away," said T'Sammick.

T'Spock nodded.

"But he could not help himself," T'Sammick said. "Men cannot in that state, of course. It is illogical to hold them responsible to their actions during the Time."

T'Spock blinked. Yes, of course it was illogical. The dowagers were silent for another 2 minutes and 13 seconds. A stream of memories coursed through T'Spock's mind. Desalvic, her parents' reaction, and then the loss of her friendship with Valen...that hurt so much more than Desalvic's initial attack.

"It was a shame about your friend, Valen," said T'Dowel.

T'Spock looked up. Should she be surprised that T'Dowel knew about that? No, of course, these ladies would have their finger on all the bondings that occurred in the major families. And yet...

"If Desalvic had bonded to a stronger telepath, his xenophobic views would not have been able to hold sway," said T'Dowel.

"Those ideas are dangerous to Vulcan," said T'Pau. "Things are happening in the larger galaxy. Vulcan's alliance with the Federation matters more than ever."

Yes, xenophobia was wrong. She felt a tiny tension she hadn't realized still remained ease away.

These dowagers, they were on her side.

And the rest...

"I have heard," T'Spock said softly, "my father talking with other ambassadors. There have been strange occurrences in the neutral zone, ever since the discovery of Romulans when the Kelvin was destroyed."

"You have heard correctly," said T'Pau.

"Blatant xenophobia is not logical," said T'Sammick.

For a moment the word blatant made her uncomfortable. T'Dowel raised her hand as though signalling for attention. T'Spock stared as T'Dowel put it slowly down upon her knee, her discomfort gone.

"If Desalvic had bonded with someone with more enlightened views...someone who was a stronger telepath...she could have protected Vulcan," said T'Pau.

"And protected Valen," said T'Dowel.

"Someone like yourself," said T'Sammick.

T'Spock met T'Sammick's gaze. She should be bothered by that, shouldn't she? Her eyes slid inexplicably to T'Dowel's. All T'Spock felt was a rock solid certainty. She could have saved Valen, protected Vulcan...

"Your parents took your choice away," said T'Dowel.

They had. They had robbed her of her right to speak for herself. Make up her own mind.

"Every woman deserves a choice," said T'Sammick. "And you are strong, T'Spock. And logical."

Yes. She was strong, and logical, and she deserved to make up her own mind.

"We can offer you another choice," said T'Pau.

"A chance to be logical," said T'Dowel.

"To be strong," said T'Sammick.

"To save a life, and protect Vulcan," said T'Pau.

"I..." said T'Spock. She did not know. Something inside of her was rebelling. She remembered her mother saying long ago, "she deserves a chance to get to know the man she spends her life with..."

"We can tell you all about him," said T'Dowel.

"Yes, come with us," said T'Sammick standing slowly, "We can show you his credentials, his life history."

The other ladies stood up.

"You will always have a choice, T'Spock," T'Dowel said.

Could there be any harm in looking? It was a radical idea for her and yet...She was at the sort of peace she only felt during meditation.

From the room's doorway came a low growl. Spock started, as though a window had been opened to a cold breeze. She looked and saw I'Chala, in a low crouch, hair upraised, all teeth bared.

"I'Chala," T'Spock said, "heel."

Instead of heeding her words, I'Chala dropped into a lower crouch and inched forward, his growl increasing in volume.

"No, I'Chala, no," said T'Spock, jumping to her feet and going to the animal, suddenly worried he might actually attack. What had come over the sehlat? He had never done this before.

As soon as T'Spock was close to I'Chala, the animal lunged at T'Dowel's chair, stopping just .25 of a meter short. The animal whimpered, and then as T'Spock pulled him back he began to growl again. T'Spock could feel him getting ready for another lunge. "I am so sorry," she said. "Let me take him to another room."

The three women stood silent and cold-eyed, staring at the growling sehlat.

"I'Chala, what is wrong with you?" T'Spock whispered.

She did her best to pull the animal back, but the sehlat weighed almost as much as her and with four feet planted on the ground it was nearly impossible. T'Spock had just barely managed to pull the animal from the room, still growling, with bits of foam flying from his mouth when she heard her parents at the door.

Her father must have heard the growling because he was in the hallway a minute later. "T'Spock, what is wrong with I'Chala?" he said staring at the writhing animal, still snarling and trying to get back into the sitting room.

"I do not know. He just started growling and tried to attack T'Dowel. Father, please help me, I can barely -"

To her surprise her father walked past her and I'Chala and into the sitting room.

"Leave now and I may not press charges," she heard him say, the coolness of his tone running contrary to the anger flashing across the family bond.

"Charges against what? You cannot prove anything occurred," said T'Pau.

"You know what can happen in these cases," Sarek said. "You can find an older woman who will meet your needs just as well even if she is not as advantageous to family prestige."

"T'Spock is stronger than T'Yavi, Sarek," said T'Dowel.

T'Yavi...Sybok's mother, what did this have to do with her?

"Do not let your illogical shame keep you from seeing the strength in your own daughter," said T'Dowel.

Beneath T'Spock's arms I'Chala began growling even louder, dragging T'Spock towards the doorway. Amanda was suddenly on the other side of the animal, adding her light weight to T'Spock's own. I'Chala still struggled to go forward.

"Leave now," said Sarek. "Or I will tell T'Spock to release the sehlat. You may kill it, T'Dowel, before it touches you, but it will show what you are capable of."

T'Spock heard...no felt, a sigh of frustration in her mind.

I'Chala began to relax; his growling dropped in volume. From the sitting room, T'Spock heard the rustle of robes. She and Amanda managed to pull I'Chala from the doorway and allowed the women to exit. As T'Dowel passed, I'Chala whimpered and then hissed.

As the door closed behind them, T'Spock looked up to see Sarek following their retreat with his eyes. He stood so calmly. His face perfectly composed, his hands so neatly pulled behind his back. But she could feel his fury, and even though she knew it wasn't towards her it was still frightening.

She hazarded a glance at Amanda. Her mother's face looked pale and drawn. She was absently stroking I'Chala's head.

"T'Spock," said Sarek, "you are under no compulsion to let those women enter the house ever again. And stay away from T'Dowel."

T'Spock still had her arms wrapped around I'Chala. She suddenly had a feeling that the sehlat had been more than a gift to make amends. As that realization clicked she felt a sense of satisfaction from Sarek. He reached a hand down and scratched I'Chala's snout.

"Father," said T'Spock, "what happened with T'Yavi?" As far as she knew T'Yavi and Sarek were bonded as children. They married, conceived Sybock, and then T'Yavi had joined the V'tosh ka'tur. At some point T'Yavi had died and Sarek and Amanda had gotten custody, but she didn't know the full story.

The satisfaction vanished and Sarek pulled so quickly from her mind T'Spock almost gasped.

"Another time," Amanda said as Sarek left the room.

A/N:
Some of my readers may find this flash back redundant, but I wanted to show that the compulsion could have logical basis.

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