Chapter 12 – Etiquette Challenged
The Enterprise received a list of rules for Rishley a day before he arrived.
The care and feeding of Rishley.
1. No one is to enter The Renaissance except for when Rishley conducts a tour of his ship. During that time the tour must NOT deviate from the areas in the tour.
2. No one is to scan the ship or Rishley for any reason.
3. Visual surveillance devices must be turned off except in areas deemed critical by the Enterprise which will be made clear to Rishley so that he may avoid them.
3. Rishley must be entertained.
4. Rishley can make or change any of his rules at any time.
An hour before the Renaissance rendezvoused with the Enterprise.
T'Pyre of the Thur'Undlan Clan
By New Vulcan High Council Emergency Order Three Hundred Fourteen, all un-bonded Vulcan females must accept a Vulcan bond-mate. The female may choose from potential mates if several offers are presented.
In lieu of the aforementioned order, I hereby request to bond with you once you are aboard The Enterprise. At the earliest convenience, we will depart to New Vulcan and establish residency there.
Safak of the Kutus Quod Pecun Clan
Rishley's periwinkle eyes scanned the transmission wondering if it was a joke. However, it was Vulcan. With an hour before they rendezvoused with the Enterprise, he brought the message to T'Pyre. In her room of various shades of blue and pink, Rishley found Betty touching up T'Pyre's hair. Long tendrils of deep purple and black hair spiked up around her pointed ears and cascaded down below her shoulders.
"So you won't try neon," he drawled.
"Neon just isn't for me," she replied.
"You're breaking my heart." Rishley laughed. "Finally over pink and blue," he added.
"Yes, I am."
"I wonder what your future husband will think." He handed her the transmission. "Isn't that the guy who teased you during your childhood?"
"It is."
"What do you plan to do about it?"
"Contemplate it," she replied. "Since I can tell that someone likes to keep secrets from me."
Rishley stomped off to the kitchen and ate a slice of toast and drank a glass of water before going to his room. In his room, decorated with splotches of various colors on the walls and floor but with plain tan furnishings, he put on a white suit with splashes of red and black on it before he spiked his neon orange hair. Then he put a bronze dog chain around his neck and closed it with a small padlock with an engraved R. On the floor at the foot of his bed, he pressed the green splotches of color going counter clockwise and pressed him palm in the middle of them all. The floor opened to reveal a secret compartment from which he removed a hypo. Then he cleaned it off before he attached a small container of clear brown liquid also from the secret compartment and waited.
Alice's voice rang throughout their ship. "Fifteen minutes until we dock with the Enterprise," she said.
Rishley injected the hypo into his forearm and quickly put it back into the hidden compartment before the tremors shook his body. As the ship hovered into the shuttle bay, they subsided. He straightened up and left his room.
On the deck of the Enterprise, everyone waited in dress uniform for the ship's hatch to open. They curiously stared at the UFO looking craft with a spinning multi-colored light at the top and bottom like in the very old movies. The hatch opened to become a ramp. A petite Vulcan female exited wearing a iridescent maroon body suit with spiked long maroon punk hair to match. Safak lost his composure momentarily and gasped. A human looking male with neon orange hair and a multi-colored suit walked out next. "Good afternoon Enterprise Crew," he yelled. "Rishley is here!" Then he motioned to his right. "This is Hottie. He's really a Klingon but the miracles of modern surgery."
Everyone studied the apparently Vulcan female closely but she looked around absently oblivious to it all while she looked around absent-mindedly.
"I'm Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise." Then he motioned the line of officers. "This is my first officer Commander Spock, Chief Medical Dr. Leonard McCoy and Communications Officer Lt. Uhura."
Rishley nodded to each of them. "On behalf of the Milky Way, thank you all for saving a lot of lives." Everyone looked around at each other not knowing how to react.
Then Kirk motioned to the other guests who stood in the non military line-up. "This is Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan." Sarek raised his hand in the Vulcan salute.
"Pleased to meet you," Rishley replied. The he lowered his eyes in sincere sadness and looked to both Spock and Sarek. "You have my sincere condolences." Then he focused on Sarek. "Ambassador Sarek, are you or were you ever on the High Council?"
"Briefly and a very long time ago," Sarek replied.
"Recently, they've passed some interesting laws and I just wondered who was responsible."
"I can assure you I had nothing to do with them," Sarek replied.
Then Kirk guided him to the next person in line. "This is Chef Autumn Beaumont."
Rishley nodded to both of them. "Pleased to meet you," he said.
"And you," she replied.
Giving Autumn the once over, a smile crossed his lips. Slowly his gaze went from Autumn to Sarek and back to Autumn. "Congratulations," he said.
"Thank you so much. I'm flattered to think that someone as famous as you knows me because of the Wolfgang Award."
"I wasn't talking about the award but congratulations on that." Rishley shook his head and leaned in close to her ear so no one else would hear him. "You're glowing like a light bulb."
In almost slow motion, Sarek watched as Rishley leaned in too close to his Ha'ge. Immediately, his thumb and forefinger formed a circle but the dogs didn't budge or make a sound. Then Autumn sagged. Somehow Rishley hurt her. Rishley grabbed Autumn blocking Sarek from helping his future bond-mate. As Sarek attempted a nerve pinch, Rishley twisted slightly so he could avoid the contact. With one arm Sarek grabbed her just before she collapsed and with the other he pushed Rishley out of way causing him to take a step back.
During the commotion, Safak slumped down seconds before T'Pyre stood next to Rishley. Both stepped away from the commotion. T'Pyre rubbed Rishley's chest where Sarek had pushed looking oblivious to everything.
Immediately, security rushed into the fray surrounding everyone. "Halt," commanded Spock. "Everyone step away from her." Spock motioned towards T'Pyre. Kirk and everyone else looked at him confused. "T'Pyre is actually a Kareel-ifla and Ponn-ifla adept who is mentally unbalanced."
Rishley put his hand on her shoulder. "That's not a nice thing to say about Hottie. Besides, who are you to judge if she's unbalanced?"
"Excuse me," yelled Dr. McCoy. "I need to examine these two." Dr. McCoy removed his medical tricorder and moved toward Autumn since she was nearer.
"No scans anywhere near me," Rishley almost growled as he grabbed it from McCoy and smashed it.
Security moved in and T'Pyre noted each one and their weapons. Behind them one of the shuttle bay personnel used the comm panel to order some medical personnel to come immediately.
"Everyone stop," commanded Kirk. He motioned for security to ease off and Rishley along with T'Pyre did as well. "What did you do to Chef Beaumont?"
"Not a damn thing, unlike someone else," Rishley replied. "I just whispered in her ear."
McCoy looked over Autumn who Sarek held. "It looks like she fainted but I can do a more thorough exam in sickbay." Sarek carried her away while McCoy examined Safak.
"Is Safak dead?" asked Spock.
"No, just unconscious," McCoy replied. After Sarek left carrying Autumn, the medical team entered.
"What's going on?" asked Kirk.
"T'Pyre is trained in Vulcan assassination techniques. Clearly, she no longer follows the teachings of Surak nor does she follow any of the Vulcan ideals. That much is obvious." Spock's eyes roved to her hair.
"Safak invaded my personal space and I taught him a lesson. Don't worry I'm not here to hurt anyone, just protect him." She looked up to Rishley and then to Spock. "Just because I don't conform doesn't mean I'm insane."
Everyone glared at each other for a bit before Rishley spoke up. "Now that we have that cleared up, entertain me before I get bored.
Everyone looked at each other and nodded since it was best to leave this incident behind them. Kirk walked next to Rishley. "Would you like a tour of the ship?"
"Yes, I want to see the bar, the nightclub and the pool."
"We have a pool and an officer's lounge." Kirk started to exit the shuttle bay.
"Well then I'm leaving." Rishley snapped his fingers.
Spock wondered if this was more humor that he didn't comprehend as did most of his crew but he knew that in order for the peace talks to start, they needed Rishley. Kirk knew this as well. "We are converting some areas into a bar and nightclub. However, the conversions are not complete. Further, we wanted to solicit your advice on music."
"No problem, I have the latest of everything."
"Spock, would you see to those conversions?" asked Kirk.
In sickbay, McCoy examined Chef Beaumont while Dr. M'Benga tended to Safak. Sarek stood next to Autumn as McCoy finished. "What is her condition?"
"Well, I have to respect doctor patient confidentiality. With all due respect, seeing as how she and the Captain are together and he is the Captain of the ship, I can only disclose that information to him."
"Only as Captain of the ship is he entitled to that information. However, since Autumn has been my female for several months, I can assure you that she and Captain Kirk are not together unless he challenges me to a fight to the death. Now, how is she?"
Earlier that day, McCoy recalled some rumors he heard but when he questioned Kirk, he shrugged and became evasive. In all his years, he would never have guessed Sarek to be the culprit of those rumors. "In that case, I guess you're entitled to know."
After Spock left, he ordered an engineering crew to convert one of the bulkheads to a bar and dance club. Since they had more experience than he did, he proceeded to sickbay. Outside sickbay, the two dogs sat at attention. In sickbay, Safak lay on a biobed unconscious but with strong vitals. From the readings, Spock deduced that T'Pyre hit the exact nerve clusters to knock him out and that he would awaken in a few hours.
"Where is Chef Beaumont?"
"She's in the back. Your father is taking care of her. She should be waking up any minute." McCoy grinned ear to ear and chuckled.
"Doctor?"
"Even this country doctor gets surprised every now and then," McCoy replied. "I can't wait to tell Captain Kirk."
When Spock glanced to the back biobed, his father removed his hand from Autumn's face. Her eyes fluttered open. Sarek put a straw in a bottle of water and turned to her. With his Vulcan hearing, Spock heard something that made him desperately fight to keep control.
Oh my! This can't be. Rishley told me I was glowing and congratulations. I can't be pregnant. I read that children were only possible between humans and Vulcans using genetic engineering so I didn't bother with the contraceptive shots. Oh my God!
Near the end of his tour with Rishley, Kirk thought his day couldn't get any worse. Everywhere they went the crew would stop to see the mysterious Rishley. The man had already laser etched his signature to one of the tables in the crew lounge which the crew argued over who would get it. In the turbo lift back to the shuttle bay, Rishley whipped out his laser pen and etched an antique R. Then the tour ended at the pool as requested. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, you can raise the temperature of the pool by fifteen degrees so Hottie and I can skinny dip." Rishley elbowed T'Pyre. "You lost that bet on Delta."
"Sure," replied Kirk. The lifeguard did. He has to be joking. He's not joking. Vulcan females have great bodies! Look away or she'll kill you! Then Kirk recited his orders from Starfleet in his head. Since Rishley is the key to these peace talks, let him do whatever he wishes as long as security isn't compromised.
"Just joking Captain," stated Rishley. "We're leaving our skivvies on."
"Thank you," replied Kirk. "That is very considerate of you."
"Cannonball!"
When Rishley jumped in, a huge splash erupted from the pool covering Kirk with water. Can my day get any worse? The bridge paged him with an urgent communication.
The message read: The Romulans are due to arrive in three hours.
A/N Did anyone think a Vulcan would go punk? T'Pyre is unique. Can you guess Rishley's superpower? What did you think overall?
OK – Need some feedback. Next we're getting back to Sen/Alawa to get their full story to this point. Some politics will ensue. Another site gave me feedback that the steam bogged the story down. Well, along with the politics I was going to have some steam as Sen/Alawa visit an alien planet. Steam or no?