Chapter 10

"Commander V'Lar, may I have a word with you, please?"

Moments after her husband had left the shuttlecraft bay with Admiral Tapin, Captain Sulu, Commander Rand, and Ensign Tuvok joined her. She nodded to the humans who'd been shipmates with her cousin on the Enterprise. "Captain," she said with a bow to one of the men who'd risked everything to return her resurrected cousin to Vulcan to reintegrate his katra into his body immediately after the Genesis Device incident. Then she nodded to Rand. "Lt. Commander, you honor us with your presence on the Valkyrie." Then she raised her hand in the Vulcan salute to the dark Vulcan.

"Tuvok, how goes your assignment aboard the Excelsior?"

"V'Lar." Tuvok retuned the greeting. "It goes well."

She raised an eyebrow. "It seems as if you are comfortable with your position on the Excelsior."

"Yes. The working conditions are becoming … tolerable."

She nodded slightly. "Apparently, familiarity with a subject increases understanding. Although you and I may never fully understand Terrans, working with them has provided me insight about them."

"And how does your relationship with Captain Tynen increase your understanding of the Human condition, V'Lar?"

V'Lar paused momentarily. Then she said, "My association with the captain has amply demonstrated to me the nature of the best of humanity, as stated by Hamlet—'what a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god.'

Her quote from the Bard's immortal work truly represented her view of humanity in the form of her husband. When he risked more than merely his life to save hers when they had first become shipmates, she'd come to see, for the first time in her life, the beauty and honor in humanity. Soon after, her fascination with him, over time, grew to the point that a year later, she'd bonded with him, leaving the conventions of her people behind.

Janice Rand smiled at the Vulcan woman. "I see you are as well-versed on the classics of Earth as your cousin, Captain Spock!"

V'Lar nodded graciously at the other woman. "My esteemed cousin was an exemplary instructor in regards to the cultural aspects of his mother's home world."

"I am intrigued by the relationship you have entered into with the Terran captain. I would hypothesize there are many difficulties inherent in an association such as this."

"I do not find your speculation to be accurate, Tuvok."

Tuvok's control managed to slip slightly to show his astonishment. "How can you truly believe that, V'Lar. Are you not risking your family status, everything that you are, for Captain Tynen?"

"If so, it would not matter to me because my husband is my alpha and omega…he is everything to me."

"Even so, he has perhaps seventy years left in his life while you will have twice that. What will become of you when he is gone?"

"Ensign…" Sulu warned.

However, V'Lar waved the captain off. "Captain Sulu, I appreciate your gallantry. However, my colleague and I are engaged in a stimulating conversation and I shall answer his question. Tuvok," she said, turning her attention back to the younger man, "on that unwelcome day, I shall go on living, most probably alone or in the company of our children, time will tell. Even so, I would still have shared his life with him."

Tuvok nodded slowly. "Fascinating. You … feel … quite strongly in regards to Captain Tynen."

"Yes. To return to what I was without him is simply unthinkable."

Captain Sulu smiled and bowed graciously to the Vulcan woman. "I see that the wisdom of our esteemed colleague is also shared by his cousin. Ensign, the relationship these two people have formed is the essence of Starfleet. Associating with other cultures and species leads to acceptance, acceptance leads to understanding, understanding leads to friendship. And sometimes friendship leads to more … intimate bonds. It supports your peoples' belief in 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.'"

Tuvok nodded. "Indeed, captain." Then he turned to V'Lar and bowed graciously. "Thank you, Lady V'Lar, for the thought-provoking debate."

Just as she was about to respond to Tuvok, a voice called out to her over the din of the room. "Commander V'Lar!"

As the female ISN reporter approached the Starfleet officers, she greeted the Excelsior people and turned her smile onto the Valkyrie's first officer. "I just wanted to tell you I think my network's viewers will love the presentation you gave during the Pass and Review."

V'Lar nodded graciously. "I hope they will find it to be informative."

"Of that, I certainly have no doubt!" the reporter offered with a grin. Then, a brief moment later, the other woman's face grew serious. "V'Lar, I also wanted to apologize to you for the crazy things Doctor Khali said about your relationship with your husband when I interviewed him last evening."

The Vulcan's brow furrowed at that. "I am perplexed why you believe you must apologize for any reason, Ms. Torqueman. At no time did you say anything that was injurious to us."

"I know…it's just that most of my people are ecstatic that both the Federation and the Klingons are here to help us, yet there are a few who would use your visit to further their own ends. In that regard, I believe your husband did a wonderful job of providing information about the Federation and its views on diversity. Because of him, I think my people, for the most part, will view yours with fondness and appreciation."

"For the most part?" V'Lar asked as she stared at the woman.

"Yes. For some reason, I don't think the Psi-Corp would welcome you with open arms. Having telepaths from other worlds, some who appear almost Human, constitutes a threat to its power in its eyes."

Considering that Vulcans were telepathic, V'Lar thought it wise to avoid further discussion concerning the matter. "I see. Well, thank you for your kind words, Ms. Torqueman."

"Don't mention it, commander," the reporter offered with a sly smile. "And I truly mean that! Trust me, I wouldn't want my competitors to think I've gone soft," she quipped as she began to drift away from the Starfleet contingent to join another conversation. "It would be bad for my reputation!"

As the conversation continued around her, a portion of V'Lar's mind reflected on the reporter's words. Apparently, Jason's plan had succeeded, and with that realization, she felt humbled. While she'd allowed her emotions to get the best of her after that broadcast, her adun had implemented a plan to improve the Federation's position with these people, and had flawlessly executed it. Then he managed to comfort her as only he could.

That night, every centimeter of her body was kissed and caressed by her aisha. She'd cried out his name, more than once; something that Tuvok would probably say was impossible for a Vulcan to do. Jason Tynen had ripped away all the emotional control she'd possessed and she'd enjoyed the fact that he had the power to do so every time he made love to her. Indeed, if she had not grown used to it by now, the frenzy of their passion could have been frightening to her Vulcan sensibilities.

Suddenly, a boisterous male voice brought her reverie to a screeching halt. "Commander V'Lar!"

Now, she turned her gaze upon Senator Quantrell as he weaved through a small crowd of people to join her small Starfleet contingent. "Greetings to you, senator. I trust you are enjoying yourself."

The politician smiled broadly. "Immensely, V'Lar!" the man gushed. "I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed your presentation. I must say your warships appear to be most impressive!"

Although the Starfleet officers probably wanted to correct the man concerning his perception of the nature of their starships, they'd apparently determined it would be impolitic to do so at the moment. "Why, thank you, Senator Quantrell," V'Lar said. "I am gratified we managed to be adequately informative in that regard. I trust that your fellow citizens will also find that to be the case."

"I am certain of that, my dear, particularly considering the attractiveness of the source."

As her right eyebrow lifted nearly to the ceiling at his remark, Quantrell simply laughed. "Now, now, V'Lar, please don't take my comment wrong."

She narrowed her eyes at the politician then. "Senator, rest assured, I am incapable of taking anything you say 'wrong.'"

Apparently unruffled by her subtle dig, Quantrell added, "I merely wanted to compliment an extremely lovely woman. You know, until we'd met you people from the Alpha Quadrant, the aliens we've encountered have been radically different from my people. And we couldn't even imagine engaging in the kinds of interspecies cooperation that is common amongst you. Why, the closest example I could think of in our area of space is what had occurred during the Dilgar War. During those dark days, the League races and the Earth Alliance had worked together to stop the Dilgar threat. Even then, the races stayed on their respective ships. They never mixed crews. I seriously doubt the alliance would have lasted if the races had decided to mix at the level of you people."

"However," he said, continuing his point, "many of your species in your area of space are so close to Human, mixing may be easier for you. You know, based on the number of human analogs in your quadrant, one could believe that nineteenth century speculative writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs had gotten it right all along!"

"Fascinating," V'Lar purred. Although Quantrell couldn't know, she'd just expressed the most excitement a Vulcan would show in public. "Apparently, senator, my husband's home world also possessed an author named Edgar Rice Burroughs. Did your version pen a series of books about a man from Earth mystically transported to a planet he called 'Barsoom?'"

A wondrous smile suddenly dawned on the man's face. "He wrote about John Carter of Mars?" At her confirming nod, he said, "Why, that's simply incredible!"

"Indeed, senator," Sulu noted. "Edgar Rice Burroughs is apparently another example of Hodgkin's law of Parallel Planet Development between your world and mine."

"Why, that's remarkable, Captain Sulu, simply remarkable!" Then the senator shot a slightly puzzled look at V'Lar. "Just how did an alien woman come to know so much about Edgar Rice Burroughs?"

"My husband has collected the entire John Carter series. They were among his favorite books as a youth. After we began our life together, I read some of the works in his collection. In fact, I have completed the first novel in the John Carter series."

"Ah, yes," the senator said. "The Princess of Mars—that book is certainly a barn burner as I recall," he observed. Then he gave her appraising look. "You know, I could see how a man who'd cherished those books as a youth would gladly fight for the hand of a woman like you. Why, he may even have associated you with Burroughs' depictions of the incomparable Dejah Thoris herself!"

Although Commander Rand appeared to be somewhat flustered by the senator's comment, V'Lar simply took it in stride. However, although she would never show it, she was somewhat disturbed that the senator had inadvertently associated the fact that the fictitious John Carter had fought for Dejah Thoris just as Jason had fought for her during the ancient rites of the Kun-ut Kali Fi. Although V'Lar had already forged a bond with her life mate prior to Jason's battle with Captain Tevik, the ancient rites had strengthened the connection between Tynen and V'Lar and awakened a passion in her katra for her aisha that rivaled the ardor of her ancestors who'd lived and loved prior to the Vulcan Reformation.

Now, she turned her attention to the Earth Alliance Human and said, "Vulcans do not engage in comparisons on the basis of personal appearance, Senator Quantrell. Yet, on occasion, my husband has stated that he finds my countenance to be aesthetically pleasing to him."

While the senator sputtered as he tried to craft a cogent response to her remark, V'Lar suddenly realized that the politician had fortuitously provided a salient way for her to demonstrate to her adun how much she truly cherished him.

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A smile dawned on Janja Rad's face as he meandered through the small crowd and suddenly spied her petite form as she stood with her much taller comrades.

He'd only joined the gathering ten minutes earlier after he'd completed his shift in Engineering. He'd heard she'd done a wonderful job with her portion of the Pass and Review and was eager to tell her that until he saw her amongst her fierce-looking colleagues. Even so, as he prepared to screw up his courage so he could approach her, her piercing eyes locked onto him and she smirked in a way that caused his stomach to flip. "Janja, my friend! Come and meet the brigadier and the ambassador."

After he'd reached their side, she indicated the hulking Klingon and said, "this is Brigadier Kerla. He is our fleet commander and the captain of the C-7 heavy battlecruiser Deathgame."

Rad glanced up at the giant of a man and nodded politely. Then Gemma pointed to the older, thinner Klingon in her party. "And this is General Koloth, our ambassador to Alliance Earth. General, brigadier, this is Lieutenant Commander Janja Rad, the chief engineer of the Valkyrie."

"Ah, my dear Commander Rad, I have heard much about you," Koloth purred.

"Hopefully, you've heard good things about me, general," Janja said.

"Indeed, I have, Rad," Koloth confirmed. "Gemma told us that you ably assisted her by modifying one of your warp coils to fit her ship's nacelle. Then she said you helped her install it by skillfully piloting one of your auxiliary craft."

"Well, it was a team effort, sir. Major Gemma is a talented engineer and I enjoy working with her."

"Well, we are gratified by your willingness to assist and work in close proximity with the good major. You see, she isn't very fond of Humans, Rad," Kerla noted.

"Well, if that's true, her feelings shouldn't have any bearing on our working relationship. I'm not a Human. Humans aren't naturally blessed with the kind of lavender-colored hair that a lot of my people have. I'm Catullan. My homeworld is the sixth planet in the Theta Pictoris system and my people have been in deep space almost as long as yours."

Koloth smiled and Janja thought that, although it appeared to be friendly, it only had become so after years of practice. "A Catullan, you say? Your people are well-regarded in the Alpha Quadrant for their engineering expertise."

"Forget his race's expertise, Koloth. I'm much more impressed by the man's courage! Even the bravest Klingon warrior would think twice about being confined on a tiny craft for a substantial period of time with Gemma's sharp tongue. Why, it's as deadly as a d'k tahg!"

"Then we should accept him as the noble warrior he is!" Koloth boomed while Gemma feigned her annoyance at the brigadier's comment by slugging Kerla's impressively massive bicep. "Drink with us, Rad!"

Although most Catullans rarely drank alcohol, Janja gladly accepted the champagne when Gemma personally offered him a flute of the beverage she'd retrieved from a nearby table.

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What in the hell is she up to, Tynen asked himself once more.

After he'd returned to the party, he'd drawn V'Lar aside and told her about Tapin's decision to appoint him as a Fleet Captain while managing to keep the admiral's little secret about her promotion. Although she didn't smile, he'd noted the expression both of mild bemusement and pride on her face as she congratulated him on his appointment. Then as the festivities in the shuttlecraft bay had begun to wind down, V'Lar had excused herself, saying she needed to attend to other duties that required her immediate attention. However, before she'd left his side, she'd whispered in his ear, "Be prepared to respond to my call in one hour, forty-three minutes and thirty-seven seconds, aisha."

Then she'd gone.

Nearly a half hour later, he'd seen all of the dignitaries and the Klingons off. Once the last guest had left the ship, he retreated to his music room to study the information contained on the PADD that Tapin had given him earlier.

He'd just completed some notes that he'd run by the admiral during their briefing in the morning when he heard her call over the ship's intercom. "V'Lar to Captain Tynen."

He crossed over to the wall panel and punched the response button. "Tynen here."

"Captain, please report to our quarters. Barsoom awaits thee. V'Lar out."

After she'd terminated the transmission, Tynen simply stood silent beside the intercom. Then he blinked twice. A few seconds later, he slowly turned to regard the comm unit. He then blinked thrice.

Well, he mused inwardly, that was certainly unexpected.

Tynen started for his quarters, his mind grasping at straws as he attempted to analyze her cryptic words. He knew that she'd recently begun to read his Warlord of Mars books he'd treasured ever since his father had given them to him as a young boy. The lurid swashbuckling stories that featured nineteenth century concepts of 'advanced science' mixed with sword play and battles for the love of a beautiful, scantily clad Martian princess had always appealed to the dreamer in him.

Minutes later, he arrived outside the door that led into their quarters. As he triggered their entry code, the portal slid open and beckoned him to cross the threshold into another world.

A sirocco, dry and hot, enveloped him as he stepped inside the room. He detected a hint of something in the air itself, a fragrance that was exotic and ancient. As the door slid closed behind him, his eyes struggled to adjust to the surrounding twilight gloom. As he moved gingerly into the room, barely able to make out shapes in the low light, he heard a wistful sigh in the darkness.

"Welcome home to Helium, my noble champion. Your princess has need of thee."

A melancholy smile dawned on his face just then. Her 'noble champion' was what she'd called him when she'd awakened in sickbay from the beating she'd suffered at the hands of Captain Tevik, the Vulcan rival he'd inadvertently killed to protect his bond mate.

Now, he detected a hint of her fragrance in the air and the slight smile was transformed into a full-blown grin that threatened to stand out like a beacon in the darkness. Apparently, his Vulcan wanted to play! Would wonders never cease! "Your wish is my command, my princess!" he called out to the shadows.

Through their bond, he sensed her approval that he had quickly adopted the spirit of her little game. Then she spoke to him, her words regal yet sensual. "Remove the restrictive Jarsoom attire, my beloved, for I desire to see thou form unfettered."

He fought back a grin and said, "As you wish, your highness."

Slowly, provocatively, he removed his tunic, knowing that her night vision was superior to his and she could see everything he was doing. Tynen then carefully draped it over an armchair. He had thought about allowing it to fall to the floor; however, his wife was a neat freak and he didn't want to do anything that might distract her from their little game. Moments later, he drew his turtleneck shirt over his head and placed it on top of his tunic. When he bared his chest to the warm air, he heard a clipped gasp slightly to his left issue forth from a darkened corner of their room.

All of a sudden, he detected movement in the shadows. Then, she stepped out of the gloom and when he finally saw her, Tynen had forgotten how to breathe.

If Edgar Rice Burroughs himself could have described Tynen's wife at that moment in time, he would've said she was destitute of any clothing. Like Dejah Thoris in the Princess of Mars, V'Lar, save for the highly wrought ornaments she wore on her arms and ankles, as well as the attractive pendant around her neck, was completely, gloriously naked.

As his aduna padded toward the captain, mesmerizing in the way she stalked him like one of the great cats of Earth, he peered at the exquisite features of her beloved face. Her eyes were large and lustrous. Her head was surmounted by a mass of dark brown hair caught loosely in an exotic yet becoming coiffure. Her skin practically glowed and her perfectly molded lips beckoned to him like the flame to the proverbial moth.

Hopelessly enchanted by the ethereal creature that stood before him, Tynen was simply gobsmacked as she slowly closed the distance between them. Then, with a soulful growl, she drew him into her arms and molded her breasts into his chest.

"Thou devotion to both me and our unborn children was plainly evident in the way thou sought to protect us with thy words to these new Humans," she explained to her enchanted husband. "Now, I desire to prove the depths of my devotion to thee, beloved."

After that, she took him by the hand and led him to their bed.

Although she had crafted this fantasy for his pleasure, Tynen wanted to take things slowly and revel in her bringing this all to life in a manner that had appealed to the sensual male inside him. Instead of tossing her onto their bed, he raised his fingers up to press against hers like a Vulcan would have done and ran them slowly along the flesh of her arm while maintaining eye contact, resulting in the appearance of goose bumps on her skin.

In response, she stroked her fingers against his jaw, plainly reveling in the sensation of the tiny coarse hairs of his five-o'clock shadow while she appeared to drown in the depths of his dark brown eyes.

Soon, the tips of his fingers meandered across her shoulder, up her neck and came to rest lightly against her lips. She kissed them while she stared into his eyes. Meeting her gaze with the same intensity, he flicked his tongue between her fingers as she traced his mouth, indicating (to a Vulcan) he was aroused. She raised her eyebrow, apparently surprised by the skill he possessed in regards to her people's mating rituals. Then she reciprocated the gesture.

They spent nearly half an hour stroking each other's faces, ears, arms and necks while their mouths hovered near their lover's without touching. As time went on, she grew more daring as she trailed her fingers across his chest. He moaned into her open mouth, but teased himself by holding back from capturing her lips with his.

Soon, the movement of their fingers and the pace of their breathing escalated as their mouths inched closer and closer together. Moments later, when Tynen's tongue barely flicked out to hers, suddenly their mouths connected.

Waiting for that kiss and exploring his wife's mouth was both immensely satisfying and deeply erotic.

His teeth gently nibbled on her lips, before he broke away to explore the fold of her ears and the flesh of her neck with his tongue. Meanwhile, his index and middle finger traced the curves of her flushed breasts as he kissed her, giving tender love bites as he went along.

As each kiss grew more passionate and desperate, she writhed against his body, her passion akin to an animal's. V'Lar appeared ready to pounce on him at any moment as she mumbled something in Vulcan and nibbled on the flesh of his neck. Moments later, she grabbed his two fingers and wound hers around his as she rubbed her knee against the inside of his thigh.

Then she broke the awed silence the two had shared since she had guided him to their bed. "Aisha," she said, almost with a hiss, "Did thou not promise me my wish was thou command?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"Then it is my wish for thee to take me, my beloved, as many times as I desire." Then she cocked a sensuous eyebrow at him. "I do hope thou will not force me to resort to the doctrine of promissory estoppel to ensure that thou shall fulfill thy obligation to me."

As he pushed her gently down onto their bed and pressed his lips against one of her elegantly pointed ears, he whispered, "Oh, I'm certain it won't come to that, your highness; as you will soon discover, I am a man of my word."

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