Chapter 19 – Massages, Calculations and Wrestling
Four hours of sleep, that's all Sen needed to start his day. Somehow his Uhaii guards always managed match their schedule with his. Bahar, Urdu, Pinel, Nils and Meka awaited him. "Today I wish to speak with Dr. M'Benga."
"Zelipe anticipated this and has scheduled for you to meet him at eleven," replied Bahar.
"Right now it's exercise time so go get your swim trunks," replied Urdu.
Within the gym which contained an Olympic plus size pool, matted fighting area, weights, gymnastic equipment and everything in between, pulsating techno music blared from some of the intercoms. Bahar turned up the heat to the pool. Many of the crew exercised as well including a certain Vulcan female that Meka noticed.
"One hundred laps with every other one underwater," Urdu ordered.
"Why don't you have to exercise?" asked Sen.
"While you're swimming which you haven't done in ages, we're lifting weights." Since Alawa died, Sen hadn't swum at all. Urdu worried that the essential skill might be rusty.
While Urdu stood guard, Sen swam his laps. With a low danger level, the other guards lifted weights a short distance away. In no time a few of them noticed T'Pyre while some of the female crew members arrived in swim suits and noticed the Praetor. Once he finished his laps, Sen overheard mutters of "handsome like Vulcans but with emotions" and "who knew he'd be so young."
"So did I swim fast enough?" Sen asked.
Urdu looked at his comm link. "You did well but I know you could do better."
Some of the female crew members swam nearby. Sen heard giggling. "Do you think bikini clad human females present a danger?"
"Nothing you can't handle," replied Urdu. "They're not carrying weapons."
Suddenly one of the women yelped. "Help!"
Sen dove back in and scooped her up, holding her as he swam towards the shallow end. From the insights he gleamed touching her, he knew she purposely pulled a stunt to check out a Romulan and the Praetor. She clung to him. "I had a cramp in my leg. Thank you for saving me."
"Glad to help. If your leg is still cramped, I suggest you massage it." Sen carried her out of the pool and placed her on one of the lounge chair near some of her companions.
"My name is Beth by the way." She handed him a bottle of sandalwood scented oil. "I have some oil. Will you show me how to massage out that cramp?"
"Pleased to meet you Beth. Now let me show you how to massage out a cramp." As he massaged the non-existent cramp, he felt her excitement and curiosity. In the back of his mind, he remembered the silky feel of Alawa's skin and longed for her. For a moment, he remembered but then he brought forth the part of him that had to forget so he could live the rest of his five years in an illusion of happiness. For now, through a touch, he would just enjoy being admired.
"My back hurts a little."
"Let me massage your back then." Because of Alawa, he had plenty of experience in sensual massage and being massaged. The little moans of pleasure let him know that human females enjoyed it just as much as Orions.
A few of the girls' friends inched closer. "Would you mind my shoulder aches a little? I'm Melissa by the way."
"I don't mind at all. To be fair to your friends, I should give them a massage as well." Pretty soon, Sen found himself surrounded by pretty young scantily clad female crew members. It seemed like a good idea to uphold the Hiro-Ang reputation. "On Romulus, we have a tradition; massages are reciprocated."
Mary smiled coyly. "Since you're our guest, we'll gladly honor your traditions."
After the ladies started reciprocating the massages, everyone turned to the commotion not too far away. The punk Vulcan female and the male Vulcan sparred with a few of his guards using the holographic blades. "Oh look, they're playing."
T'Pyre lifted weights with some human male crew members who seemed intimidated by the fact that she could lift just as much as they could and more. One male grunted loudly on the bench press trying to lift as much as she could. Safak joined her in the lifting but she refused to speak to him and moved on to the punching bag. Some of the Romulans hovered nearby while Safak kept a close eye on her. The Romulans practiced fighting in a style similar to her own. One opened a valise that looked like it might have weapons in it. T'Pyre meandered over to take a closer look.
Meka noticed. "These are holographic blades. The hilt leaves fake blood for the affect." He stabbed it into his hand with it. The blade dissolved and some green realistic fake blood remained. When he withdrew the hilt, the blade reappeared. "Do you want to play?"
"Sure," she replied.
"Care to make a wager?"
"Alright, name your terms," she stated.
"If I win, you let me kiss you," Meka stated.
"If I win, you kiss him." T'Pyre nodded towards Bahar.
"Alright," Meka replied. "Let's do this. You're not like what I read about Vulcans."
On the large matt they circled each other. T'Pyre lunged and Meka dodged. Meka lunged and T'Pyre dodged. Round and round they went furiously stabbing at each other but never landing one. Nearby the other guards trained together pausing occasionally to watch them. After several futile attempts, Meka thought about other forms of fighting. "How about wrestling?" Both cast aside their holographic knives. After a few grapples, T'Pyre pinned Meka beneath her. "I win," declared Meka.
"No, I won. You're pinned." She straddled him and held his arms at his side.
"Winning is having your opponent exactly where you want them." Meka glanced down to their interesting but clothed position. "I won."
"I never expected logic from a Romulan." T'Pyre folded her arms. "Only deceit," she added.
"We are tricky bastards." Meka flipped her on her back. "Now for my kiss," he said.
Safak saw the big Romulan pinning his intended and repressed his fury. Then he saw the Romulan kissing her. The only tenuous control he had due to his time of Ponn Farr creeping near snapped. Instantly, he grabbed one of the blades they cast aside and lunged.
Bahar and Nils looked over at the fray. "Let's join them. It's been awhile since we've practiced an old-fashioned brawl."
Bahar pointed at the Vulcan. "Great acting. I can almost believe he is showing genuine emotion."
"Doesn't fool me at all," replied Nils.
Pinel wandered back to guard the Praetor since bikini clan females surrounded him.
T'Pyre and Safak who seemed angry along with three Romulan guards fought in a free for all. Spock rushed over to discover that the blood was fake from its smell. "Kroikah!" They stopped except for the large bruised Romulan who glared at Safak ready to strike.
T'Pyre maneuvered between Meka and Safak who looked like he had been punched a few times as well. "Leave him alone," she stated. "If anyone is allowed to hit him, it's me."
"Everyone to their respective corners," Spock ordered. The group dispersed with the Romulans walking towards the pool and T'Pyre and Safak wondering off together. "T'Pyre a word please," he said. "I believe our chef is being held hostage in Rishley's ship."
"No, she is jogging and wished to be alone. Rishley allowed it."
"Very well," he replied.
By the pool, Spock observed the Praetor recruiting mistresses. Since the captain touted himself as a ladies' man, he decided to let Captain Kirk handle the situation. In the meantime, he headed for the shuttle bay.
In the shuttle bay, near Rishley's ship the Renaissance, Spock found his father practicing Kareel-ifla in steady controlled movements. "Father, Autumn is not being held hostage but merely jogging. She wished to be alone and Rishley assured her of her privacy."
"Very well, I found it odd that there was no answer from that ship and it was under a lockdown of sorts," Sarek replied. "Human females are most illogical."
"Indeed," Spock answered. "Sometimes they anger for no reason."
"Sometimes they avoid their future bond-mate for no reason." Sarek's movements became a blur of kicks.
"In those instances, patience is rewarded." Spock turned to leave so his father could handle the situation. "Flowers help," he added.
Sarek went to the botany department to get a red and white rose. Instead of returning to the shuttle bay, he suspected that the moment he left, Autumn bolted back to their quarters for a shower and that's exactly where he found her, freshly showered and in a fluffy pink towel. "Haje, you have been avoiding me. Why?"
"Sarek, I love you but this won't work. Amanda was so perfect. She spoke Vulcan. She kept your history but many of your people never accepted her." Autumn sniffled. "I plan to keep my career and I don't pick up other languages at all. Not to mention that my personality is the opposite of every Vulcan out there. I'll never be accepted. You shouldn't have to deal with that."
"Some Vulcans do hold prejudices which no one can change. It is their problem not ours. As to the language barrier and your career, both are fine." Sarek hugged her. "You once told me that two flavors that are opposite of one another bring out the best in each other. Logic dictates that the same holds true with personalities." He trailed his fingers from behind her ear down her shoulders. "No one is perfect but you are perfect for me."
"Are you sure about that?"
"It is logical." Sarek raised his eyebrows. "Are you still amiable to our relationship?"
"Of course," she replied. "Even though I love and trust you, the thought of a bond makes me a little nervous still. I mean you may not like what you see."
"I doubt if that will be the case. Would you like to try a tiny step towards a bond?"
"I guess. Will it hurt?"
"Haje, would I ever hurt you?" Sarek brushed a lock of hair from her face.
"No," she replied. "How do we do this tiny step?"
"Since everything you just told me troubled you. Let's start with that." Once she closed her eyes and relaxed, he touched her temples in a light telepathic touch to see who she got the information from. An image of Safak appeared but Sarek felt it wise to keep the information to himself. Instead, Sarek stepped in after that conversation and hugged her in her mind. "Everything will be fine." Gently, after she calmed down, he broke their telepathic link.
"That was nice." For a little while, Autumn rested her head on his shoulder. Awhile later, she brushed her lips to his. Sarek held out two fingers and she touched her fingers to his. Love and lust flooded through that touch as Vulcan emotions overwhelmed her. A smile came to her lips. "Sarek I'm wet."
"Of course, you just showered."
Autumn pushed him back on the bed and started to remove his clothing. "Time to please your future bond mate," she purred.
"I will maintain control this time." He cast her towel aside.
"Oh no you won't," she countered.
In Rec Room Three, a partially grey large room with tables for three d chess and the like, several crew members watched as Rishley painted one of the walls while a beautiful human female with shoulder length brown hair held some supplies for him. "Excuse me but what do you think you're doing?"
"Creating art on a vacuum of imagination," Rishley replied. "This room looks like the rest of the ship. How can anyone relax in here?"
"I tolerated your initials on various spots on the ship but now you're blatantly defiling Federation property."
"I maintain a Federation citizenship among several other citizenships. Since I paid a tax for that citizenship, I own part of the Federation and I have decided to paint my part." Rishley continued to paint a beach scene of crystal water and a purple sunset.
"You do NOT have free reign on this ship."
Rishley looked up furious and slightly green. Moments later he began to shake and he threw down his supplies. "Alice," he called. The young woman joined him and helped him to leave. "Give the Praetor my best."
Fifteen minutes after Kirk entered the bridge, Sulu addressed him. "Sir, the Renaissance is requesting permission to leave."
"Permission denied," Kirk replied. "Tell them that it's for their own safety now that we're within the Neutral Zone."
After seeing to the ship's normal functions, Kirk looked at the duty roster and noted a brief meeting between the Praetor and Dr. M'Benga, a meeting he planned to attend. Once that was finished, their tour would resume.
In a small conference room, Dr. M'Benga, a very distinguished African man, sat with Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, the Praetor and his political advisor, Zelipe. "Dr. M'Benga, I understand that you are an expert on Vulcan physiology."
"Yes, I am."
"Vulcan physiology is similar to Romulan; that is why I have requested to speak to you. I understand that you are researching a cure for Bendii Syndrome."
"I was but that research has halted. Why do you ask?"
"In Romulan elders, there is a similar condition known as Zhimer's Disease. I thought any research or cure could apply."
Kirk noted the Praetor's unease during his banter with Dr. M'Benga. "Why do you have such an interest in the disease? You seem too young to be concerned."
"My father was stricken with it recently so I put him in stasis."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Kirk studied the Praetor closely. "Rumors had circulated that your father was...."
"Murdered by his own son," the Praetor replied. "My father and I are close. I started those rumors so my father could maintain his dignity."
"Dr. M'Benga, would you be opposed to your research being completed by Romulan scientists?"
"No as long as credit is given where it is due and the end results are shared with the Vulcan people," Dr. M'Benga replied.
"Mr. Spock, would you review the research and ensure that there is no breach in security by sharing it?"
"Yes Captain," Spock replied.
"Thank you Captain," the Praetor replied. "Your generosity and cooperation mean more to me than you realize."
And so the tour began where it left off. They toured the engine room, observation decks and then the various science labs. In front of the physics lab where complex equations covered every bit of its slick opaque walls, the Praetor halted; handed Zelipe's his regal robes and entered. After scanning the equations, he grabbed a red marker and an eraser and began correcting the cadets' work. Spock watched in fascination as he jumped from one wall to the other, one set of equations to another. The computer downloaded the new information and added more of the equations.
"Captain Kirk, would you mind if one of the guards brought some lunch for the Praetor?" Zelipe nodded towards Sen. "I'm afraid he won't leave until about two-thirty."
"That's fine." Kirk watched Spock join in on the equations. "It looks like the Praetor has a new friend."
"Zelipe, can you have someone bring my padd?"
Once the equations were corrected, Sen linked his padd to the screens on the walls so that all four walls and a large table showed the equations. "Based on these equations, I am trying to theorize the impact of the event variable of Pshaa within this set of equations with the time factor of five. There are a multitude of variables which can be solved using forty-three complex correlations. We have several unknown multipliers that have to be applied to these ten other equations to get this known result." Sen brought up some calculations done in blue. "This is what has been done so far."
Spock studied the equations and then watched the Praetor work on five different equations at once on his padd which synched up to the screens on the walls. "Fascinating," he muttered. Later Spock noted the time that the Praetor suddenly left.
That evening after dinner, they resumed their ciphering until nearly eight in the evening. "We can do this tomorrow sometime. I have to go now."
The Praetor's guards awaited him. "Sir, we should proceed to Deck Eight. They are showing several channels. Sallad will be on the biggest screen."
"Excellent," the Praetor replied. "Tonight I'll find out who shot RJ."
Normally Spock didn't join his wife to watch her favorite soap opera but his curiosity about the Praetor grew. In a slightly darkened theater setting, the Praetor sat surrounded by a few female crew members and his guard. They introduced the Romulans to popcorn. The front of the theater had a large screen showing the soap opera with two smaller screens below it showing sports and the other news. Earphones and closed captioning allowed viewers to listen to whichever show they pleased. Once the show was over, Spock eavesdropped to hear the Praetor discussing all three shows with his various advisors. Then he compared the Praetor's schedule where he noted black-out times where he wouldn't allow anything to be scheduled and they coincided with various soap operas. The ability to calculate several equations at once and watch multiple shows coupled with various eccentricities lead Spock to believe the Praetor to be related to the Vulcan Risvitan Kash-Tok clan.
While Nyota slept that evening, Spock reviewed some of the tapes on Vulcan history and the Hiro-Ang line of Praetor-ship. The resemblance between Sen and Dai lead him to believe that Dai definitely fathered Sen. Also, considering Dai's age and the importance that the Hiro-Ang line be true to itself, they certainly performed a paternity test but what of the mother. Spock pulled up a couple of pictures of her and checked her background which revealed nothing out of the ordinary but Romulan. If it did, the Romulans certainly would have found out but perhaps to keep the Praetor-ship line going said nothing.
Pulling up the history of the Risvitan Kash-Tok, Spock looked up all females born in the last one hundred years. T'Vala of that clan matched the picture of Sen's mother. Her history showed that she disappeared fifty years prior and that she believed in unification with the Romulans. The Praetor definitely inherited Risvitan Kash-Tok abilities. Spock thought about the Risvitan Kash-Tok male's difficulties with finding a bond-mate and his wife's observation about love at first sight between the Orion female and Sen. They met when the Praetor turned thirty-five. Now two years later, the Praetor worked on equations which tried to predict how specific events brought about broad societal changes.
In a flash, Spock knew what the Pshaa variable in the Praetor's formulas meant. The conundrum before him presented several questions. Should he perform his duty to his sister clan which would reveal the Praetor's secret? OR Should he simply let events unfold? Starfleet rules and regulations bound him. Unlike his captain, Spock followed the rules. However, he knew someone not bound by those laws with much more experience in political matters. Promptly, he left for his father's quarters.
A/N - Please let me know what you think. Can anyone guess what the variable Pshaa means? It relates to the five years.