New Vulcan Generations

by NeshaTriumphs1

Set three years after Illogical Progression not a required read for this fic, however , Spock and Nyota, as husband and wife embark upon a new adventure together - parenthood. But, will things from their pasts and their surroundings make things easier or harder for them to take this journey together?

16. Under Arrest

Under Arrest

Sybok walked into Livingston's laboratory and said, "A change of plans is necessary." Livingston was monitoring the frequencies of a particular channel on his communications screen.

He totally ignored Sybok's suggestion to say, "I have found the link that is directly to her office communications line. I can contact her directly, with the right break into the system. It is being worked on, as we speak. Did you know that her system is protected more than that of anyone else's in the entire building?"

Sybok looked at the screen too as he answered, "I am not surprised. Spock probably set up her work area himself, to make certain that it was the highest attainable level of efficiency. He would never have his precious Nyota in any situation where she was not protected."

"He is overprotective." Livingston said, almost admirably.

Sybok retorted, "That is an understatement. The first night that I met her, he told me that he would fight me to the death for her safety, and I had no intention at the time of causing her any harm."

Livingston smirked and asked, "Why do I know that you must have done something to provoke him into speaking such a threat?"

"I read her mind without her permission." Sybok said shrugging his shoulders.

"It is a terrible shame that the act can not be performed through a transmission. When I have more time available on my hands, I must work on a way to make such a thing possible. " Livingston said, turning to face Sybok for the first time since he entered.

Sybok's face showed annoyance as he answered, "Until then, I will need her on the same area of land as myself, both to read her and to control her."

"And, how is that progress coming along? You have insiders to assure us that we will have her by deadline." Livingston faced the screen again as he talked.

Sybok sighed. Livingston was exhausting. He was a genius, but he did not listen very well. In fact, he hardly ever listened to a word coming from Sybok's mouth. Livingston once defended himself before, on this personality flaw, that he was listening to his own brilliant thoughts at most times and they simply outweighed the things being said to him. Sybok could believe that Livingston honestly felt this way. Still, he repeated, "When I entered the room, I told you that a change of plans is in order. Perhaps you should try listening, sometimes."

"I am listening, now." Livingston said with a smile, holding out his hands, graciously.

Sybok spoke, "The plan which we originally constructed will no longer work. One of the insiders that we assigned has been bonded to Ambassador Spock."

Livingston tilted his head at Sybok and asked, "Well, was that not a part of our plan?"

"It is not the insider which we assigned to bond to him. It is another." Sybok clarified.

"Can they not just switch roles?" Livingston asked. The solution seemed simple, to him, but to Sybok, not so much.

Sybok explained, "The other one will not do what was asked of the first... I have known of her for many years. She will not betray her family."

"Which one has been bonded to the Ambassador?" Livingston asked with a tone of voice that even Sybok considered evil.

"Tirza." Sybok said, "I do not think that she will be able to talk herself into what was initially expected of her, now that she is bonded to Ambassador Spock. Now, she will see it as a betrayal to her mate."

"Have him killed." Livingston said, plainly and took a seat, as though the issue had been simply settled at his word.

Sybok laughed slightly, at both the order and the manner in which Livingston had given it. He reminded him, "We have already agreed that no one in bloodline of Sarek shall be killed."

"This Spock is a hindrance to our progress. Should we allow him to live, we will not accomplish the very goal which brought us together." Livingston said, as though the solution were obvious.

Sybok tapped into his gifts of mental manipulation to reiterate, "He shall not be killed."

Livingston nodded and said, "Very well, we agreed to this. What do you suggest?"

Sybok responded, "Firstly, we must disengage Tirza from the assignment. I recommend exposing the formally blocked transmission, and the formally intercepted transmissions used to cover up her earlier transmissions."

Livingston smiled at Sybok, as though he were looking upon an amusing child who had just said something completely stupid, out of ignorance. Each time that Livingston did this, Sybok needed to remind himself that this partnership was temporarily advantageous. Livingston said, "If we do that, then they will realize that she has been conspiring against them, and she will tell them everything, including who your other insiders are."

"The only one she knows is T'Pring." Sybok said.

Livingston's smile quickly faded, "We can not lose T'Pring. T'Pring is crucial."

"She is most crucial." Sybok corrected. "T'Pring, for all of her protest against emotion is the only insider who can go against what she believes in, to try to protect what she believes in."

"When we are done with her, I can not resist studying her brain." Livingston said. He clasped his hands together, "As much as I like Tirza, and as qualified as she was to do what we needed, I believe that we must eliminate her. I already know how you feel about killing, especially killing the "innocent", as you put it, but... If we allow her to live, we could lose her AND T'Pring, and losing T'Pring will not do."

As much as he hated the thought of killing, Sybok did agree that it would not benefit anyone to allow Tirza to continue living. He said, "I will tell the clone to open up the communications line necessary to call the order."

"You have someone to perform the task?" Livingston asked.

"Yes." Sybok answered. He had every option considered. Livingston had every cover up available. The two of them together made for an extremely unfair fight, Sybok thought to himself. Their enemies did not stand a chance.

Livingston said, "I want a visible record of the event, and I wish to have Tirza's remains. I will adore having a small group of her present. When will you be on the planet?" He asked.

Sybok stated, "In four days. The prison ship is prepared and cloaked. I will take the clone and set off as soon as the order for Tirza's elimination is given."

"See you in eight days." Livingston said.

"Or more, depending on how smoothly things go on New Vulcan." Sybok reminded him.

"Not too many more, please, Sybok. I have not seen Nyota in years. I often wonder if she is still as beautiful as she was when I created the first, Firstborn."

A woman entered the room. She looked exactly like Nyota. Sybok, upon looking at her answered, "Yes, she is as beautiful as she was when you modeled this one. It looks enough like her to pass long enough for us to make the switch."

The woman smiled and asked, "When are we leaving for the trip?"

Sybok answered, "Soon after you open up a communication to the assassin. Have her eliminate Tirza."

The Nyota clone squinted her eyes and asked, "Why are we eliminating Tirza? She has to..."

"That was an order, Firstborn." Livingston said. She frowned and looked angry as she left the room. Livingston looked at Sybok and said, "i trust that you can handle everything on the shuttle and on the planet?"

"Better than even you, Livingston." Sybok answered and left the room to finish his preparations for his trip.

Firstborn, the clone came out of the transmission room and said, "Order has been given, transmission has been safely delivered, undetected." The two of them walked out of the prison and headed to where the prison ships were located. Sybok was unfamiliar with how to operate any ship, much less a prison ship, therefore, Livingston delivered into his custody one of the prison pilots. Sybok could maintain control over the man for the entire trip there and back. Firstborn was in charge of communications, as it was one of her genetic gifts. Sybok looked at the woman and said, "Do you think that you can be her?"

The clone tilted her head, slightly, in thought. She answered, "I have been created in her image. In many ways, I am her."

Sybok pressed his lips together. She was the spitting image, and she had the same skills, but she had been grown in a laboratory, and had not felt the same things as Nyota, nor had the same experiences. She did not have the bond to Spock, or the knowledge of all of the things that the connection to him had awakened within Nyota. He told her, "The good part is, you do not have to try to be her for long. Spock will know the difference. Styik will, too."

Firstborn widened her eyes and said, "I should not even have to get that far in. You should have her before then."

Sybok nodded and said, "I should. You better be prepared for a worse case scenario."

Firstborn gave him her most confident, determined Nyota look and said, "Nyota would be prepared for anything that she has to face, and I will too."

Nyota walked out of the mansion, onto the veranda, where T'Pring was seated, in a chair, alone. The Vulcan woman turned to look at her, and Nyota took in how pretty she was. Sometimes, it was rather distracting. T'Pring had her hair hanging down her back and she was wearing an evening gown that appeared to be made of silk. There was an empty chair on the simple patio, which Nyota took. When she did, T'Pring turned her head back to the portable computer on her lap. Nyota said, "You have not said a word since Ambassador Spock left."

T'Pring thought that if she were human, she might have done something silly like roll her eyes, smack her teeth or let out a sigh, but there was no logical equivalent to any of those actions, and she had no reason to show any emotion. She simply stated, "I have nothing to say. It would be illogical for me to speak without reason."

Nyota offered, "You have not even spoken to Spock. Usually you two at least share a meal and talk science talk, but recently, you have withdrawn from even him. It has been days since Ambassador Spock left for the ceremony. You seem depressed, to me."

Now, T'Pring turned to stare at her, "I see no need to insult me, My Lady. I can hardly even define the term depressed, therefore I find it ridiculous that it could be used as a description of me." She looked back out into the distance. "This place is not Vulcan. This place can never be Vulcan, and yet it is a place that I must carry out duty in. I must remain logical and let logic dictate my life and bring logical results out of all that I aim to do with my existence in this place. I have no time for any emotion, especially not one of the negative ones, which I have read that depression is."

She turned her attention to her wireless laptop and began to read science news. Science news was most of New Vulcan's news, and the New Vulcan news reports only gave out necessary news. T'Pring said, "I have read that starships may be sent to Torvon III, as communications with the terrorists occupying the planet have not been successful. Surely, the Enterprise will be involved, if that decision is met."

Nyota replied, "Spock is in correspondence with them. If they are to become involved, he has been ordered to board the ship for the mission. The only reason that I wasn't is the fact that I have an infant under six months old, and Starfleet has regulations against ordering a mother of such a young infant to starship duty."

Now, T'Pring admitted, "I fail to see the logic in such protocol. You have been regarded as the best communications officer in the fleet. You swore to duty for Starfleet. It would appear logical that your duty to Starfleet would take precedence over your duty to a child which came along after you vowed to certain responsibility for Starfleet, especially considering that such a crucial time in Starfleet would require the best of their personnel."

Nyota bit back her anger. Whether or not T'Pring knew it, she was depressed, and despite the fact that Nyota did not trust her and still wanted her gone from the house, she had a soft spot for those in need. She replied, "I do not expect you to understand the protocol, T'Pring. But it is the protocol."

"Humans are illogical." T'Pring stated.

"Vulcans are illogical too." Nyota replied, with a bit of bite in her tone.

"Only certain Vulcans are illogical." T'Pring corrected Nyota.

"The same goes for humans." Nyota said, plainly.

T'Pring took a deep breath. She did not know how quite to describe the reaction that the Lady Uhura was causing within her, but she did know that it was unpleasant, and that if she had not already been scolded for her tone with the First Wife, that she might have condescended to her. Instead, she found her steady voice to say, "Mistress, I realize that you are married to a noble Vulcan, and your position demands my respect of how I handle you, which includes my speech. I am letting you know of my understanding of our situation in relation to one another in order to provide a disclaimer of sorts."

Nyota spoke "Vulcan trying to speak human" well enough, now to be able to advise T'Pring, "Next time, just say "No offense, but" and make the statement. It will sound illogical to Vulcans with logic passing by, but you can always say that it is the only way to reach your next point in an efficient manner for my human brain to understand."

T'Pring lifted an eyebrow and Nyota narrowed her eyes at it. Did he rub off on everyone? No, only those that he mattered to. She hated the fact that T'Pring and Spock had been in proximity with each other closely enough and frequently enough, that she, a Vulcan of logic, would adopt any of his own mannerisms, as most Vulcans did not use their eyebrows as frequently as Spock. T'Pring told her, "Noted, My Lady." Then she gave the suggestion a try, "No offense, but... the same goes for humans is one of the most flawed statements which I have heard on today. Its first flaw is the fact that it is a fragment. Its second flaw is the fact that it does not accurately present the point in which you were attempting to make, as it seemed to be a completely different language from the one we had been previously speaking in. I fail to understand how humans can state fragments and expect other intelligent lifeforms to know what they mean."

"My correction to the statement is this: There are logical humans and illogical humans, just as there are logical Vulcans and illogical Vulcans. To point out that something is illogical will not make it any more logical, therefore to point it out..."

"Is futile." T'Pring said and turned to face Nyota. T'Pring's face showed a slight look of disappointment, "The number of times that I have made that statement in the course of my existence, especially since the founding of New Vulcan..."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone how futile your words are." Nyota smiled a bit, but the humor was lost on T'Pring and she simply returned to her computer, secretly wishing to refute what Nyota had said, but not wanting to overstep her boundaries as a servant. Nyota added, "You can sleep in the mansion tonight, by the way." T'Pring had been spending every night out on this very veranda patio and only coming in to collect Styik and report as his guard. As soon as she returned, she came back to this spot.

"I do not require sleep on tonight." T'Pring said.

Nyota arose from her chair and went back inside, "T'Pring, I am a good judge of character, usually, and I have to tell you, I hope that I have been wrong about you."

"Why, Mistress? What would it gain you to be proven wrong? Do humans not instinctively wish to be correct in all matters, no matter how incorrect they are?" T'Pring asked, not looking away from her computer.

"If I am not wrong about you, the logical thing for me to do would be to dispose of you immediately." Nyota said.

T'Pring considered the statement, briefly before replying, "I must say that although I see the logic in your train of thought, the final conclusion is not one that a respectable Vulcan nor their bond mates should ever take into consideration. It is against the teachings of Surak to kill."

This reply interested Nyota. Did T'Pring really feel, (or think, rather), that way? Nyota asked, "So you would not bring harm upon anyone?"

"I would, if it was necessary and unavoidable." T'Pring answered the question entirely too quickly for Nyota's liking.

She questioned, "How is it ever unavoidable? You always have a choice, T'Pring."

"Yes, I do. My choice will always be the logical one."

"Is it logical for you to withdraw from everyone and silently mourn over losing Ambassador Spock to your associate?"

T'Pring now stood up and walked past Nyota to head inside, saying, "I have no intention of debating with you on matters that you are ignorant about, My Lady. Good night." She attempted to keep going, but Nyota grabbed her arm, from behind. T'Pring stopped walking and looked down at Nyota's brown hand on her pale arm. "This is a violation of my personal space, Mistress."

Nyota stared at her for a moment, then said, "I am trying to help you sort out your emotions. You need to watch how you address me. I'm trying to be nice."

T'Pring wanted to point out that she had not asked Nyota for her niceness, instead she said, "I apologize, My Lady. I often do not realize when your fragile emotions are being treaded upon by my truth."

Spock looked at them from the table, where he was seated with Sarek, and he got up to walk over to them, "What is the problem, Nyota?" He asked, suspiciously looking at T'Pring.

Nyota let go of her and said, "We were just bonding, a bit." T'Pring looked noticeably angry as she walked away. She joined Sarek, at the table. Spock looked at Nyota and lifted an eyebrow. Nyota shook her head and told him, "I don't know what the hell I was thinking. I saw that she was not feeling well, and I tried to console her."

"For her to accept consolation, she would have to admit to being emotionally affected. This is not something that a Vulcan will easily do in the presence of friends, much less enemies. As you and she have not as of yet established any type of truce, it is safe to assume that you are enemies. If you would like, I could speak with her. I believe that a Vulcan approach to the issue would better assist in her consolation." Nyota folded her arms and gave him a daring look. He quickly stated, "Or, not." Spock went to the table again, and resumed his seat.

T'Pring looked at Spock and said, "I have been interested in your thoughts on the issue of Torvon III, for several days."

Nyota approached the table too and leaned over in Spock's ear to say, "I will be in our quarters. When Toimu stops by, send him over."

"I will do so." He said, and looked up at an angle to see her face looking into his and her hair flowing around her face. She gave him a bright smile and leaned down to kiss him on the lips, only a small smack. As she did, Spock reached out for her two fingers with his own. They usually did such things when it was a kiss good night... she knew that Spock had no intention of coming to bed tonight, and if he did, it would most likely be long after she was asleep.

Sarek stared at his son and daughter in law interact. It always caused his eyes to slightly glaze over in remembrance of his own deceased human wife. After Nyota kissed Spock goodnight, she rushed around the table to hug Sarek from around his back and wished him a good night, as well. She looked at T'Pring and saw a moment of nervousness. She said, "Goodnight, T'Pring. Do not worry. I fail to predict a day when I will think to hug you."

"Thank you, My Lady." T'Pring responded. T'Pring watched Nyota leave. Nyota was beautiful, and charming. T'Pring did not particularly care for the word "charming", but it fit Nyota so well. She thought that she was possibly spending too much time around these others, because on the patio, she had nearly opened herself to the human woman. She had to remind herself of logic, of duty. It took all of hers not to admit that she was not mourning over losing Ambassador Spock. She did not care about losing Ambassador Spock, when she compared it to losing Tirza... again. She noticed that Sarek and Spock were both staring at her. T'Pring stated, "I was simply focused upon a thought. My apologies."

Nyota left the three logical Vulcans to their discussions. Spock had already told Nyota that he had no intention of discussing certain things with T'Pring, however, whatever he would speak with her about tonight, she knew it would not be too delicate of an issue. Nyota walked alone, up the stairs and through the corridors until she reached Spock's wing of the house. She and Spock had their own common room, which had originally been very empty, unlike the extravagant bedroom, but she had made the common room more suitable to her liking.

When she entered it, Vulrak was seated on the couch with the boys: Styik, Suzak and Sytar. Styik immediately said, "If Ravalan continues this, you may as well adopt Suzak, too." Nyota did not even bother to comment. She did not mind keeping Suzak, at all, and she knew that even though he was Sybok's son, Styik adored the baby. He did not have the same affinity for him as he did Sytar, of course, but he loved him extremely. Nyota found that it was easier for Styik to love these babies than it had been to love her or Spock. She appreciated the fact that Styik had a love for children. Maybe that meant that he would want some of his own, some day... Styik stared at her and asked, "What are you thinking about Mother?"

"Sometimes, it hardly seems like I have only had you for ten months." She said, finding a place on the couch.

When she sat down, Styik cuddled next to her with Sytar on his lap and Suzak climbed onto Nyota's lap and said, "Hura."

She gasped and laughed, "Aww, you can say my name! Say U-hu-ra." She guided, enunciating her name to try to help correct him.

The boy repeated, "Uhura," and gave her a big smile as she nuzzled her nose against his.

"You are such a big boy. You speak like such a big boy, Suzak." She said to him.

Styik tilted his head, in thought, and said, "I wonder if Ambassador Spock and his wife will produce any daughters, as New Vulcan is in higher demand of girls than boys. It would seem that this bloodline generally produces males, but perhaps Lady Tirza has female creating genes in her bloodline." Nyota frowned and glanced at Vulrak, who stared at the child. He seemed to be trying not to react, but he looked pretty angry, to Nyota.

She said, smoothly, "Styik, that may not be the best subject to speak about right now."

Styik looked at Vulrak and said, "I was only passing the information through my mind when suddenly, it came forth from my mouth. Speaking out loud, if you will. I believe that I developed this habit from you, Mother. You have been telling me to speak my mind for ten months..."

"You should always endeavor to listen to your mother," Vulrak said.

"Well, since the subject of speaking my mind has arisen, I think that you should be on guard outside of the door, or at least not seated on the couch. I do not think that I like the thought of you in such close proximity with the family, namely, my mother."

"Styik." Nyota stated. Vulrak rose up from the couch and headed for the door. Nyota said, "Vulrak, we are going to watch movies. You are just as effective enjoying a movie with us, as you are posted at the door."

"If Young Styik makes an order that does not endanger the welfare of anyone in the house, I am obligated to follow it." Vulrak stated. The truth was that he really did not wish to be around anyone, at the moment. He wished to be alone, but knew that he needed to keep his work detail. He needed work. It helped him to feel that he had a purpose, even if his world was crashing around him, again.

Nyota broke into his thoughts, pointing out, "That is in the event that one of the adults is not present. Sit down. Toimu will be here in a moment, and we will watch movies." She looked at Styik and grabbed his hand, "You know that Vulrak is already feeling bad for losing his wife. I wish that you could be sensitive to that."

Styik glanced at Vulrak. He liked Vulrak, enough. Vulrak never came across as deceptive to him, but he had spoken his mind, and now, he was speaking to Nyota's mind, "I know that Vulrak, even if not a follower, was a friend of Sybok's and with Sybok possibly free on that prison planet, now, we can not trust him. We can not trust anyone, Mother. You, father, myself and the baby are all that we can truly trust."

Nyota repeated Spock's philosophy on the issue, "We do not have to trust them, but we do not need to be nasty towards them, either. And no more comments about Ravalan in front of Suzak. His cognitive system is developing well enough for him to understand exactly what you are saying."

Styik looked at his cousin and thought, "He will be one in another month. That means that in another month, Ravalan will have been whoring around the caves for a full year."

"Styik!" Nyota snapped out loud.

Styik laughed silently, and said, "I just had to get another one out. I will try to stop." He returned to mental speak to say, "I do not like the fact that Grandfather Sarek is allowing her to remain a part of his household. He did not raise Sybok, why Sybok's son?"

"Things have changed for Vulcans. Vulcans need each other, now. Fighting, casting out, judging, and all of those things are useless now."

"They certainly still do them." Styik pointed out.

T'Pring opened the front door for Toimu and he entered the mansion, with his brown, puffy hair not pulled back in its usual poof tail, but spread across his head as a full afro. T'Pring's eyes immediately went to his hair and she asked, "What has been done to your hair, Mr. Toimu?"

"I picked it out." He said with a smile.

"You picked it out from where?" She asked, still quite curious.

"I mean I used a hair pick to untangle it and teased it from the roots to the tips in order for it to spring forth from my head in this manner. It is the way that my hair grows, naturally." He informed her.

T'Pring thought that she might smile. His hair was unlike any texture of hair that she was familiar with. No Vulcan that she had ever met had such hair. It was interesting. He handed her a flower and said, "Here. This is from the garden that I am growing for my mother."

T'Pring looked down at the flower and back at Toimu, "What is it that you require of me to do with this flower, Mr. Toimu?"

"It is a present." He said.

She stared at it, then remembered something that she once read about human males giving flowers to females. She quickly handed it back to him and said, "I believe that Ravalan may find the present more appealing, Mr. Toimu."

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, then said, "I figured if Yo could snatch one up, I definitely could. I want a challenge Vulcan, not an easy one." He leaned forwards and whispered, "I gave Ravalan a present my first week on the planet." T'Pring looked at him, blankly, understanding the suggestion, and not appreciating it, at all.

"This is not something that I would engage in hearing about." She told him.

Spock came to the door and looked at T'Pring, "I do not understand why it has taken you so long to invite Lady Uhura's guest inside." T'Pring looked at Toimu as he walked in. Toimu slapped hands with Spock and gave him a slight, patted hug. Spock awkwardly accepted the gesture, but never actually reciprocated it. Toimu was just as affectionate as Nyota, in fact both Toimu and Nyota had described her younger brother as "more affectionate" than her. Spock said, "Nyota and the others are awaiting you in our quarters."

"I do not remember exactly where they are. Last time I came in here, I got lost." Toimu said. "T'Pring, you want to show me to the room?" He asked, giving her a seductive look that suggested to her that he may not be asking her for directions to the gathering place in which he was supposed to be headed.

T'Pring blinked and said, "I apologize, Mr. Toimu. I do not believe that I understood your request."

Spock volunteered, "I will escort you, Toimu." To Sarek, he announced, "Father, I will return shortly." Sarek nodded once.

Toimu, upon noticing him said, "Oh, my fault, Mr. Sarek. I didn't notice you sitting there. Good evening. How are you doing?"

Sarek replied, "I am well, this evening, Mr. Toimu."

Toimu let out a relieved sigh and nodded, "I'm glad you said it that way. I asked a Vulcan in the Embassy one day the same thing and he said, "I am functioning properly." That was just a strange thing to hear, for me. When I come around this house, it still feels somewhat familiar, except T'Pring. She is the strangest Vulcan that I have ever met. Makes me curious about her..." Then he mumbled, "Never seen an afro." T'Pring stared at him. Sarek and Spock both looked at each other and saw amusement in one another's eyes.

On the way to the room, Toimu asked, "How has she been?"

"Please clarify your question, Toimu." Spock replied.

Toimu said, "Nyota. She has not said anything to me about her current status. That always concerns me. The times when she stops talking to me are the times when I know that something is definitely wrong. How has she handled the news about Livingston's takeover of Torvon III?"

"She has not allowed it to cloud any of her judgment." Spock answered. After he said it, he realized that this answer was probably more suitable to a Vulcan. Toimu's questioning continued.

"Has he tried to contact her?" Toimu asked.

"It is not my belief that he even knows where she currently is." Spock replied. He secretly hoped that the Federation criminal did not know where she was.

Tirza stirred and felt something on her forehead. She opened her eyes. By the candlelight of the cave, she could see Ambassador Spock hovering above her. He was dabbing her face with a cloth, as she was sweating, greatly. She felt pain all over her body. She could hardly move. That was the most affecting bonding of bodies that she had ever experienced. She even believed that she had been rendered unconscious from the coming together. He gave her water to drink and she rested her head on his lap. "Are you in need, again, My Spock?" She asked, willing to ignore her pain for his sake, again.

"No, I am not. I have recovered quite well, thank you. Now, I am concerned about your own recovery." She sat up and laid her head against his chest. He placed his arms around her and cradled her. It was not uncommon for Vulcans to show each other affection in the privacy of a cave, after Pon Farr. Neither of them felt any embarrassment. He had on a pair of pants and a tunic, but she was still naked from their uniting. She was naked, and all over her body were scratch marks, bruises, bite marks, and friction burns. She knew that she had even had both of her knees violently scraped due to friction while he was taking her from behind. She glanced at her knees and winced a bit. He noticed her looking at them. "How are your wounds?" He asked.

She felt herself smile as she sighed and said, "They shall heal." She pulled back to try to look at him, despite the dim lighting, she could see him quite well. "It certainly is peculiar to see you in this way, so aged and refined. There was a time when I saw you as a small, cute boy who I thought was treated improperly by his peers, and others. I did not know, then, that I would someday know how such treatment could be, firsthand. I apologize, Spock. I am having trouble centering myself. I fear that I am too weak to do so."

"Tirza, in this union, you will not have to worry about showing emotion, or affection. I simply ask that when needed, to retain your logic. At this present moment, there is no dire need for you to utilize it. Besides, I realize that you are quite weak. I am afraid I treated you much more roughly than I would have wished to." Ambassador Spock stated.

She answered, "You did all that you needed to do in order to break the fever. I understand. I have been violated in no way. Will you climb back beneath the covers with me?" She asked. He listened and gathered her to himself. "Even though I realize that it is illogical to do so, My Spock, I must tell you that it will not perturb me if you shall want of me at times when you are not experiencing Pon Farr."

"As of right now, I simply want for you to recover safely, and as painlessly as possible." He said, stroking her temples, attempting to relieve the pain in her body and settle some calmness into her mind. He thought for a moment, then added, "However, the invitation seems an acceptable one for future reference." Tirza looked at him and gave him a slight smile. Ambassador Spock stroked the side of her face, "Tirza, I do wish to discuss what you shared with me... the information." She frowned, now. He continued to say, "I will have to tell my father and the rest of my house about it."

"My Spock, I will not betray your family. I will not do what was asked of me." She promised. "If you should tell them, I will be charged by the Federation for treason. I understand that you must do what is right, I simply ask that you at least allow me to recover, first." She asked.

After thinking on the subject for a while, he declared, "I must leave you here. If I am to warn my family about the conspiracy against them, I must act immediately."

"To warn your family, or to warn the Lady Uhura?" Tirza asked, feeling the jealousy settled upon her heart.

"She is my family." Ambassador Spock explained.

Tirza now sat up on her side to look at him and asked, "How is she your family? She is in the house of Sarek through Spock, not through you. You are not family with Spock. So, is it that you feel that she is your wife? If she is, then who am I to be to you?"

Ambassador Spock sighed and said, "Now is a time that I ask that you retain logic, Tirza. I understand your belief that this conversation is important, but it can wait until I have had the chance to warn my family." He climbed out of the bed to put on his robes and left her there, without another word.

Nyota giggled as Spock polished her toes with the nail enamel that she had handed him. The servants were keeping Sytar, as they often did since Nyota began working again, but for the moment, she was just enjoying a bit of time with Spock, while Styik was at the school participating in some extracurricular studies. Nyota kept giggling. Spock looked at her and said, "I have done this several times before, and prior to this time, you have not laughed so frequently. What is it that you are finding humor in?" She froze in place and stared at him seductively.

Spock lifted an eyebrow at her and she said, "Say humor again..." He suppressed a smirk, but before he could say anything, Vulrak rushed into the bedroom, unannounced. Spock and Nyota both leaped up from their bed; Nyota wrapped herself in the formerly open, short bathrobe to cover up the little nightie which she wore. Spock's eyes became angry as he stared at Vulrak. Vulrak lowered his face and said, "I apologize for my intrusion. I just received word from one of the guards that Young Styik is being delivered to the chamber." Spock's expression quickly changed, and he no longer seemed mad, but concerned.

Nyota looked confused. "Delivered to the chamber? What does that mean?" She asked.

Spock stated, "It means that he is being accused of a crime and will have to appear before the Vulcan Council, as soon as enough of the members are notified."

"A crime? He is only nine!" She exclaimed.

Vulrak informed her, "A nine year old Vulcan has a higher mental capacity than a twenty seven year old human. He is old enough to have had his kahs-wan, old enough to have been bonded to a mate. He is not considered an adult, by any Vulcan means, but he certainly is capable of being brought before the Council for his alleged crimes." She looked as though she might collapse, but Spock gently placed his hand on the small of her back, which helped her to stand and to calm down.

Spock asked Vulrak, "What exactly is it that Styik is being accused of?"

"Murder." Vulrak stated.

Now, Spock rushed out of the room, with an undressed Nyota rushing after him, "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I must go to the chamber and find out all of the available information concerning Styik's situation. You should wait here. Vulcans do not take nearly as long to begin court sessions as humans do, and I fear that I may already be late for the proceedings."

Nyota asked, upset and in disbelief, "I should wait while our nine year old is being accused of murder?"

Vulrak informed her, "Your presence would complicate the matter. You would bring emotion into the room, and it will distract those who are to listen to his case and sentence him. It is best that you do not go."

Nyota turned to face her husband's back and said, "Spock." He turned to look at her and she said, sadly, "Please, protect him."

"I shall endeavor to make certain that he is protected, Nyota." He quickly left and she began to get dressed. Vulrak waited outside of the bedroom door. When she came out, in her full Vulcan attire, Vulrak said, "You should remain here, as Sir Spock has requested."

"No, I will not. We are going to that place. Is there anywhere there that we could be where we could hear what is going on without me being in the actual room?" She questioned.

Vulrak replied, "There is somewhere that I can hear without being in the actual room, but your hearing is not keen enough that you will be able to hear."

"Then, I should be grateful that I have you there to share the information with me. Let's go." She said.

When Vulrak and Nyota entered the building, the portion of the court which they went into was elevated high above the chamber. They entered a small portion of the room, where T'Pring was already standing. She looked at them, and asked, "Is it wise to have the Lady Uhura here for this?"

"She ordered it." Vulrak said.

T'Pring stated, "Very well, while we are waiting for the child to be brought before the council, I must present the details of the ordeal to you. There are certain children who have been taunting Styik since his entry into the school. Usually, the child shows the greatest amount of restraint that he can. At times, he has failed at restraining himself, and at those moments, he removes himself from the presence of others to collect his logic. On this day, several of the older illogical Vulcan boys were ridiculing him for never having his kahs-wan. They claimed that he could never survive on his own, as he could hardly manage not to create a vegetable of a den mother. Styik became outraged that someone would bring the situation out, and he attacked the child. He hit him several times, then he took the boy's head into his hold and would not let him go. The other Vulcan children began to try to remove him from the boy's head, however, to no avail. The boy suffered from massive brain hemorrhages, and died as a result."

Nyota held her stomach and choked back tears. T'Pring said, "My Lady, if you can not restrain yourself, we will have to escort you out, when the proceedings begin, they will be able to hear you from this distance if you make too much noise." Nyota nodded her head and reached for Vulrak's hand.

He accepted it and told T'Pring, "I will make certain that she remains collected."

T'Pring asked, "I do not believe that Sir Spock would allow such contact and such... solace between yourself and the Lady Uhura." Vulrak simply looked at T'Pring, not saying anything to respond as Styik entered the chamber, surrounded by guards.

Styik walked ahead of the council, and T'Pau sat amongst the elders looking down upon him. The child stood still as one of the elders read out loud the charges and the description of the events of the occurrence. T'Pring left the area, and Nyota did not even glance in her direction when she did. Vulrak and she looked upon the scene below them. After the elder finished his words, he called forth a witness.

T'Pring walked out into the open and Nyota glanced around, for the first time realizing that T'Pring was not with her and Vulrak. Nyota whispered, "What is she doing?"

Vulrak placed his finger over his lips and responded, "She is obviously testifying."

"Against Styik?" Nyota asked, "How could she do that to him? Is she really that evil?"

"If Styik did what she said that he did, she is obligated to testify, just as you would be if you witnessed such a thing."

When T'Pring finished speaking, she looked at Styik and said, "I am sorry."

Styik smirked and said, "You are a liar." Several of the Vulcans present began to look around the room, and Vulrak knew that if they were to allow themselves reactions, they would all be in an uproar for the child's behavior. Styik added, "Her entire testimony is a lie." Vulrak repeated this to Nyota and she covered her mouth to suppress herself from reacting. Styik continued on to say, "I did attack him with my fists. I even attacked his brain, but I do not have within my scope of skill the ability to do onto him whatever it is which was done. I have never learned such a technique, otherwise, I would be on a killing spree all over New Vulcan, because I hate nearly every Vulcan that I meet." Vulrak shook his head in disbelief and concern. He looked at Nyota, "This is not going well. He is making statements that can definitely be used against him." She wondered what exactly Styik was saying, then she saw Spock approaching the council board.

Spock stood before them and said, "I have been responsible for this child for the past ten months. He is legally my son, and I will accept a logical verdict based upon facts. If he has done the crime he is accused of, I will need verification other than the testimony of the witness presented today. For the magnitude of the alleged crime, my son should logically be allowed a chance to be proven innocent against the accusations of the witness." Vulrak repeated the words to Nyota and she sighed. "Will they allow it?" She wondered. Vulrak shrugged his shoulders.

Now, T'Pring opened her mouth to refute Spock, asking, "Are you accusing me of perjury, Sir Spock?"

Spock replied, without looking at her, "I am not, I assure you. You very well may have seen exactly what you testified to seeing. However, Styik may be correct as well. As far as I know, my son does not have the ability to do what you described. An outside influence may have caused the damage to the child while Styik was in contact with the boy. If this is so, then Styik is innocent of the crime which he is currently accused of."

T'Pring practically became indignant as she said, "Young Styik has admitted to this court the desire to kill several Vulcans..."

"The desire to do something is vastly different from actually doing something, T'Pring. you should know that to be true above many of those present." Spock said. Sarek was in the audience. He looked proudly upon Spock when he said this.

T'Pring nodded her head, but her jaw clenched. She agreed, "That is logical. Shall the child be searched, then?" She asked. They all looked to the members of the council. Nyota watched, eagerly.

After exchanging mental messages, convening, the elders elected T'Pau to say, "The child will remain detained until an extensive searching can be performed on him. if he is found guilty of murder, sentencing will be handed down upon the discovery." She looked at Spock to say, "His sentence will be mental death." Spock took a swallow when she said it and looked at Styik.

Styik looked up at him and took his hand, despite all of the Vulcans watching, Spock did not retract his own. Styik told him, "Don't worry about me, Father. I am not afraid." Spock squeezed Styik's hand, then they let go of each other. Vulrak explained to Nyota what had taken place and she shook her head, trying not to cry. He held her hand, and kept her calm with his own reserve.

As the guards took Styik away, Spock and T'Pring began to exchange words. Nyota said, "Get me down there." She and Vulrak headed for the court. When they entered, Spock and T'Pring were still in their exchange. Nyota and Vulrack were close enough to hear, but still had a bit of a distance to walk to reach them.

T'Pring was saying, "If I witnessed another child murdering Styik, I would have testified to that as well."

Spock tried to keep his tone calm as he accused, "You have craved a proverbial "witch hunt" since the Vulcans without logic came to New Vulcan, because you realize that you sent so many of them away, and you never intended to have to live in harmony with them again. How is it that your own shortcomings do not appall you and theirs do? Is it not as bad for you to find yourself entranced by a female as it is for Styik to have trouble controlling his anger?" T'Pring reached out to slap Spock, but Nyota had reached her just in time enough to catch her wrist. Nyota gave her a glare that seemed penetrable enough to kill the Vulcan woman. T'Pring jerked her arm away from Nyota, and Nyota raised her own hand to strike T'Pring, but Spock and Vulrak pulled the two women behind themselves. Spock stated, "T'Pring is no longer your second in command, and she no longer works for the guard of my house." Vulrak nodded his head, but kept T'Pring behind him, mainly because he was worried about her hitting Nyota.

Nyota said, in the fiercest tone of voice, in High Vulcan language, "You are a dog eating the feces of her own body, as opposed to drinking water in the harshness of the desert. If my son is found guilty, on account of you, you will wish that you are exiled."

T'Pring responded, in the same language, "You do not scare me, My Lady. I am Vulcan. Fear is not in my nature."

"Death is in your nature, you vipor. You can be killed, and I promise you that if my son is executed, you will be," Nyota spat at her before turning to storm out of the court with Spock behind her. Vulrak followed the two of them, while T'Pring remained inside of the courthouse.

Spock began to advise Nyota, "It was not wise of you to threaten her life. Charges may be brought upon..." She silenced Spock's words when she faced him with her eyes as daggers.

She said, "She DID this! She set him up and I think that she killed that child, and I know that if she did not do it, that that BITCH had something to do with this! Why did you keep her near him? Why did you keep her employed after I told you that I wanted her gone? How did I allow you to rationalize that?" She was practically yelling at him.

Spock looked at the ground, sadly, and said, "Styik agreed with me that it was better to keep her near..."

Nyoya snapped, "It was better. Look at how goddamned much better it was to keep her near, Spock!" She turned and began walking past the transport. Vulrak gave Spock a pitiful look and went to follow Nyota.

"My Lady, you are passing up the transport." He said to her.

"I'm not going back to the mansion. I am going for a walk." She said.

Vulrak walked next to her and said, "Sir Spock feels badly enough for what has befallen your family. You should not have blamed him for this."

"He should have gotten rid of her." She insisted. That was how she felt.

"Perhaps you are correct. But, does it give Styik justice for you to turn against Sir Spock? Sir Spock must realize at this moment that if you are correct in your assessment, that he should have gotten rid of T'Pring, then he has failed you as provider of protection. Is that how Styik would want his father to feel for this situation? In fact, at this moment, would not Young Styik wish that his dilemma would not cause a rift between his parents?" Now, it was Vulrak's turn to be silenced by the piercing look of her glare.

She began with, "His dilemma?" Vulrak sighed. He had been with human women and Vulcan women of passion enough to know that this calm question fragment was about to crescendo into a vicious rage, "His dilemma, Vulrak? I had a choice of not wanting to begin work too soon, but not wanting to stay out of work for too long, and I called that a dilemma. My nine year old is facing the death penalty. It isn't a dilemma! It is a tragedy. It is an injustice. He did not do it!"

"We both know that he is capable of it." Vulrak observed.

"He said that he did not do it, and he did not." She said and kept walking. Vulrak looked at Spock and Spock nodded once to him. Vulrak nodded back and continued to follow Nyota.

Sarek approached Spock. Sarek looked at Nyota walking in the distance, then stared at his son for a fragment of time, before Spock said, "I realize that Nyota and I did not contribute to his genes, and that we have only been classified as his guardians for less than one year, but..."

Sarek finished his statement, "He is your son." Spock nodded his head. Sarek said, "Raising a son is not an easy task, not even for a man of Vulcan. In fact, raising a son is more difficult than any science that we know of. It is especially difficult when there are moments in which you must choose between your logic and your emotions. Spock you will never see a day on which I denounce the teachings of Surak, or logic itself; however, I must inform you that I always dealt with you in logic, up until your mother died. Styik is not the child that you were. Although it is a natural response for you to attempt to raise him in the same way in which you were raised, it can not be done."

"You are suggesting that I become emotional?" Spock asked.

"I am suggesting that you do not try to pretend that you are not emotional, at least for the moment." Sarek stated. Spock and he began to walk and Spock wiped from his face a tear. He hated when this happened, when he began crying. Granted, it had not happened many times in all of his years, the few times that it had happened, he definitely was not in the public view of Vulcans, and more importantly, not in his father's sight. He wiped a tear from his other eye as well. Sarek asked, "Why have you allowed my daughter to rush off in turmoil, without you?"

"She generally tends to want me to leave her some space when she is angry." Spock answered.

Sarek replied, "I certainly can empathize with that, Spock. But, I must warn you that it is my prediction that she is afraid and saddened. There may be some anger, but I lean towards the belief that there is mostly sorrow, in which case, your best option is to follow her to console her, not to allow her the space that she would require of complete anger." Spock looked at Sarek and Sarek said, "If it was out of necessity that I made an educated guess, this would be it." Spock lifted an eyebrow and decided to follow his father's advice.

As he walked upon Vulrak and Nyota, Vulrak backed away and allowed a deal of distance between himself and the couple. Spock began by reaching for Nyota's wrist to prevent her from walking any further. When she faced him, she inadvertently looked into his eyes, and the concern and sorrow in them caused her to immediately begin crying. He pulled her to himself and she sobbed softly onto his chest. "Tell me that he did not do it. You do not think that he did it, do you?"

"I know that he did not." Spock said softly. Neither of them cared at the moment of the fact that there may have been Vulcans watching, not while their son's life was being challenged.

She pulled away from him and looked into his face, no longer sobbing, but still with tears in her eyes, "How do you know that?" She asked.

"This may sound completely illogical, but I just know it." He said.

"Do you think that they will find him guilty?" She asked, her heart hurt to hear anything no the word no.

"If he did not do it, they can not possibly find him guilty." Spock answered.

Now, she wiped her face and said, "If you believe that enough to assure me, then I trust you." Something in the distance stole her focus and she asked, "Is that Ambassador Spock approaching?" Spock turned around to see the elder Spock walking through the sand, coming towards them. They decided to meet him a portion of the way.

When they met with him, he said, "I have some troubling news for both of you." Now, Vulrak approached as well. Ambassador Spock glanced at him, but continued with his words, "Tirza has been in contact with Torvon III." Nyota's lip dropped. He went on to say, "There was to be a set up. She was going to alert Vulrak that she needed him, urgently, and upon him leaving the Lady Uhura to check on her, Miss Uhura, you were going to be obtained."

Spock tilted his head, "How would that have worked?"

Vulrak answered, "If Tirza told me that she needed me urgently, I would have gone to her. My Lady would have been defenseless and prone to being attacked." Nyota stared at him, for a moment. He looked embarrassed to admit this, but he continued, "I believe in duty, but not more than I believe in my feelings for Tirza. My brain would have automatically assumed that she would not contact me and tell me that she needs me unless it was true and unless it was urgent."

Spock said, "Tirza has admitted to being in contact and in alliance with a terrorist."

Ambassador Spock said, "Technically, it was discovered through the meld."

Spock asked, "Were you able to discover anything else as it relates to the terrorists on Torvon III?"

Ambassador Spock said, "It would appear that her role has been kept minimal, however, one who she is familiar with being involved is T'Pring."

Nyota looked at Spock and said, "I knew it. I knew that she couldn't be trusted!"

Vulrak said, "T'Pring must have known that this information would be revealed through your meld with Tirza. She must realize that you now know that not only Tirza, but T'Pring herself are involved with the terrorists."

Nyota said, "Maybe that is why she was so depressed about you leaving to marry Tirza." Ambassador Spock did not respond or react.

Vulrak cleared his throat and said, "No, that is not the reason." Nyota stared at him and he looked at her and said, "T'Pring is in love with Tirza."

If there had not been a pile of tragic news for the past few hours, Nyota might have laughed upon hearing this. Instead, she stared at him, dumbly, then asked, dumbly, "What do you mean?"

Vulrak said, "It is common knowledge to most of the Vulcans who were around at the time that both Tirza and T'Pring were unable to complete the ritual of the kolinahr. It is also common knowledge that Tirza failed as a result of her emotional connection to me. What is not common knowledge, and has only been revealed to very few is that T'Pring failed hers as a result of an emotional attachment to Tirza... a one sided, illogical emotional attachment. She loved a woman, despite the fact that love in itself is considered illogical, to wish to be joined together with a mate that one can not reproduce with is practically unheard of in Vulcan culture, even amongst the passionate ones. Most Vulcans desire to have children of their own, as even T'Pring does, however..."

"She wants a woman." Nyota said. She looked at Spock and said, "You knew this. I heard you say it to her, I just wasn't really paying it much attention..."

Spock stated, "There is a melding process which serves as a background check for all appointed members of the High Vulcan Guard. Technically, I should not have mentioned it."

"Well, since we know that she is involved with terrorists, can't we bring her before the council in the chamber? Does that make her a less than credible witness against Styik?" Nyota asked.

Spock stated, "T'Pring is intelligent. I am willing to conclude that Styik faces the charges which he now faces as a failsafe for her not to be accused of treason."

"What do you mean?" Nyota asked.

"If any one of us claims that she is involved in treason, it will merely appear to the council that we are simply trying to discredit their principle witness against a member of our house." Spock said.

Nyota said, "I don't care. It's worth the risk of not being believed. Have her arrested." Vulrak looked at Spock and Spock nodded once. Vulrak headed back towards the court to follow the order.