Disclaimers, etc. in Teaser

Author's Note: Thank you, kind reviewers.

I should note my constant gratitude to the magnificent resource provided by Chrissie's Transcript Site. I am feeling rather nervous because it is not up as I write this. I hope that is not permanent!

T'Pol took a calming breath. "My prognosis is excellent. During my last visit to Vulcan, I was cured."

Trip looked a fraction relieved, but also suspicious. "Of what?"

"Pa'nar Syndrome."

"Which is?"

T'Pol met blue eyes that had turned unusually steely. "A debilitating neurological syndrome caused by a badly performed mind meld. I contracted it from one of the V'Tosh Katur. Phlox was able to keep the symptoms under control, but until the Syrannites came to power it was widely considered incurable. My status also became quite problematic among any Vulcans who knew of it. As you know, mind melding was considered deviant behavior at the time."

"And you didn't think this was something you should share with me?"

"I felt it would needlessly distress you. There was nothing you could do about it."

He sank down on his bunk next to the open duffle. "But the captain knew."

"Eventually. Phlox was barred from a medical conference because of his somewhat surreptitious attempt to find out more about it. The High Command then attempted to recall me. Both situations entailed the captain's involvement."

He swallowed. "So … even though mind melding was a big no-no … you still melded with … who? Tolaris?"

"Yes."

He made a face. "Voluntarily?"

"Yes, initially. I was curious. It was a mistake."

"As I recall, you spent some time in a coma."

"Tolaris did not respect my wish to end the meld."

"I remember that you were ill, and they had to leave in a big hurry, and the cap'n was very hush-hush about it." She could sense his anger flaring. "So did that rat-bastard ever get punished for what he did?"

"I don't know what, if anything, the V'tosh Ka'tur might have done about it. But I had a great deal to lose if my condition became known."

"Maybe then, but what about now?"

"Trip, I don't wish to pursue the matter. I am cured. I was at least partly at fault. I should have known better."

"What if he tries the same thing on someone else?"

"No other Vulcan would be so…" Stupid was what she wanted to say. "…undisciplined."

He shook his head. "You know, you always seem to think you're the only curious or adventurous Vulcan in the universe, but I find that very hard to believe. You Vulcans are out here in space, after all. And there was a whole ship full of those V'Tosh Ka'tur. Look at your mother. Hell, even Koss was willing to break the rules for a good cause."

"Still, most Vulcans confine their curiosity to a far less risky range of behavior." She was quite sure, for example, that she was the only Vulcan in the universe to allow herself to become addicted to Trellium-D.

Should she tell him about that, too, as long as she was sharing secrets?

But that was so much worse, on every level. She'd never told the captain, either, and still hoped she'd never need to.

Trip had gone back to his unpacking, obviously still thinking about what she had told him. "You know, I was kind of wondering if you were ever gonna try a mind meld with me."

In truth, she sometimes had the urge to attempt a meld with him when they were mating. But she dreaded what he might discover in her mind during an unguarded exchange – or what she might discover in his. It didn't help that Trip was generally so fond of pushing her boundaries. "I am not well trained, and you have no training at all."

"You did it with Hoshi."

"In that case there was a need, and the captain drew on Surak's knowledge to assist me. Would you want the captain to assist us?"

As she expected, Trip quickly said, "No!"

"Then I don't believe it's worth the risk."

"You said Pa'nar Syndrome is curable now, so what exactly IS the risk?"

What, indeed? "You might not like it."

"So?" His face suddenly grew intent. "T'Pol, why do I get the feeling you're still hiding something?"

x x x

"It's quite an impressive facility," Jon said. Gral and the young Tellarite engineer in charge of the effort, Shev, were giving him and Trip and Malcolm a tour. Although Gardner and Columbia were already on their way back home, Enterprise was sticking around until the rest of Earth's team had arrived.

Malcolm added, with obvious approval, "This far underground, it should be quite secure as well."

"And so it will remain," Gral said, "If you Humans can resist your tendency to blab secrets to everyone in the galaxy."

Shev said, "The shuttle engine will be examined in an especially secure sub-section. This way."

As they followed him down a long hallway, Trip said, "Gral, I'm curious. I've been told you won't allow any women on this project, no matter how capable they may be. Why is that?"

Jon noticed Shev's head swivel towards Trip, perhaps in shock. Jon had already briefed Trip and Malcolm about this issue, but since Gardner hadn't suggested the Tellarites were particularly sensitive about the matter, he hadn't warned them to avoid the topic. It didn't surprise him that the ever-curious Trip had asked; indeed, he waited for Gral's answer with rather keen curiosity of his own.

Gral frowned. "Few of our engineers are trained in cross-species contact. They would find your free-ranging females very distracting."

Free-ranging?

"Then you do have women," Reed said.

Gral chuckled. "Of course. Who will bear the young if not them? As a matter of fact, I believe I may have contributed a litter to the next generation just last night. It was quite glorious!" Gral stabbed a celebratory elbow into the younger and shorter Shev, who looked irritated but said nothing.

Archer said, "So you have a wife at home?"

"A wife?" Gral said blankly.

"A mate?" Trip suggested.

Gral snorted. "When I wish to mate, I simply avail myself of a receptive female. It is the right of all men who contribute to society. One has to do without in deep space or on foreign worlds, of course, but a man finds ways to get by."

Jon saw Trip and Malcolm exchange quick, amused glances.

Trip said, "If you don't have your own mate, how do you see your children?"

"Oh, we see them once a year on Father's Day. Once they are weaned, the boys go into their academies and the girls go into their schools. It is a very orderly system. Far more civilized than your own patchwork business."

Jon said, "You don't grow up in your own family?"

Gral puffed his chest out. "I was fortunate, in that my litter included a number of brothers. There is even one working here on this project. But family must never compete with citizenship. Right, Shev?"

"Right," Shev said, though his response seemed a little subdued. He punched in a number of codes and endured two scans in order to open a door to a large, nearly empty room. "We're still equipping this room, but you can see how secure it is."

"I don't know about that," Malcolm said. "It accepted your code and scans without requiring the same from the rest of us. What if we had ill intentions?"

Shev looked taken aback. "You couldn't have gotten into this facility in the first place without going through security. But I'll look into whether that needs more attention."

Jon sighed. Malcolm could find a weakness in any security arrangement that fell short of embedding a project in carbon and burying it in solid rock – which this project practically did. Jon turned to Gral. "I can't believe you only see your father once a year. Even when you were growing up?"

"Especially then," Gral said. "That's when a youngster is most impressionable, after all. But I believe rural Tellarites or those out on the colonies often see their fathers more often – in small towns it's rather hard to avoid. You, Shev - you're from a colony planet, aren't you? Did you often run into your father?"

"I saw him quite often, Ambassador," Shev said. "Even my mother and sisters, sometimes."

"Sisters!" Gral sounded appalled. "In the city here, we don't have that problem. Once a year is enough for one's parents, believe me. I'm sure they feel the same."

"It sounds about perfect to me," Malcolm said.

Jon and Trip exchanged bemused glances. Jon couldn't imagine who he would be without his father or mother, and he knew Trip was fond of his parents as well.

"Our teachers and our classmates are the ones who truly form us," Gral continued. "They are the ones we maintain ties with. The ones we like, anyway." He grunted.

"So … where do you live, if not with your own family?" Jon asked.

"Oh, I live in the capital when I'm not off-planet … as an ambassador, I have a private room in a prime building. The younger men share communal quarters. It's far more efficient than on Earth."

They had continued on to another, smaller room. "This is the weapons lab," Shev said. "The advanced phase pistols we recovered will be studied here. Notice the new blast shields."

"I'd love to help with that project," Malcolm said.

Shev said, "Unfortunately, I don't have you on my list."

"Yes, I know," Malcolm said. "Enterprise won't be here long enough."

"So where do the women live?" Trip asked.

Shev looked sharply at him once again.

"They have their own areas," Gral said vaguely. "The women take care of their own affairs … until they have need of us!" Once again, he elbowed the young man, who looked distinctly nonplussed.

"What do you do for entertainment, then?" Malcolm asked.

"Oh, whatever we like." Gral snorted happily. "Right, Shev?"

"There are mud baths," Shev offered, without much enthusiasm.

"Yes, yes," Gral said. "And eating and drinking … having a good argument … watching a good argument … playing sports … watching sports … mating with available females … watching available females mate. What else does a man require?"

"What indeed?" Malcolm said, smirking.

"Love?" Trip said.

The two Tellarites stopped dead. Once again, Shev turned to stare in fascination at Trip.

Gral's snout wrinkled up. "After spending so much time on your planet, I realize that you Humans like to make a fetish of romance. But here, I must tell you, that is simply not tolerated at all."

x x x

Maraala sighed. It was young Shev's third night in a row. "Again?" she said. "You're certainly quite an energetic young man."

"Where is Patania?"

"She's not here anymore."

"Why not? Is she pregnant?"

"I have no idea. You will be notified in due course if you become a father. I had to have her transferred to another sty. You have only yourself to thank for that. You know quite well that personal attachments are not allowed."

"Where did you send her?"

"I'm hardly going to tell you that."

Suddenly squealing in rage, the young man surged forward and pushed her back against the red-draped wall. "I said where did you send her?"

"Shall I report this behavior to your superiors?" she asked between gritted teeth, trying not to let her very real fear show. He was not the first young man she had seen go berserk with possessiveness.

He snorted angrily, but let her go.

Fortunately, they almost always backed down.

She swallowed. "There are plenty of other women to serve you here," she said calmly, and a room full of women's ears swiveled towards them.

"I don't want any other women!"

"You say that now, but you'll get over it," she said. "At least, you will if you know what's good for you."

He panted angrily. "I will find her!" he said, and stalked out.

Reenie ran up to her with a squeal. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Maraala said, smoothing her clothing and regaining her calm.

"Are you going to report him?"

"I probably should," she said, and sighed. "But he is so young. And it's not as if he could ever find her."

To be continued…