The howl of the sandstorm faded behind the basalt walls of the monastery until the rough rock stopped and meters of a dull gray alloy began. The broad corridor reminded Juliette more of a hangar with its machinery curled up like dead insects in a staggered row along the walls separated by light blue banners with delicate Vulcan script.

The corridor became dimly lit segmented hallways. After several junctures, the walls returned to rough-cut stone, as if the builders had taken a puzzle of building and mountain and jammed them together. One such corridor opened into an irregular cavern. A tarnished projector ring circumscribed the ceiling, matched by a similar ring that rose from the floor. Juliette sighed. Ring projectors were antiques. Most of her friends had newer projectors in their homes.

Master Surot took to the squat console at the edge of the ring. "There may be some interference from the storm, but the reception should be serviceable. The receivers are on the inside of the ring, so you'll have to step into the ring to be seen."

"Yes, I know," Juliette said. Papa had called models like it pieces of history. Students and faculty assigned to use it by an irritated communications chair called it something else entirely - something Papa had made her promise not to repeat.

It took several attempts, but finally, her family materialized,flickered, shifted, and settled into being. Papa, Mother, Kanara, Lara – all dressed as they had been when Juliette had—her stomach churned even thinking about that moment at the shuttle port. She stepped into the ring. The air prickled against her skin. She expected them to smile when she came into view - and they did - though those smiles faded to astonishment. Kanara cupped her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide. Lara burst out laughing.

"Jul! What happened to you?"

Juliette could only imagine she was a sight: the outline of the goggles on her dirty face, the mask dangling around her neck, her dust-caked clothing. She ran her hand through her static-charged hair to smooth the strands that splayed out from her head, only to realize just how grimy the bandages on her hands were. Wasn't it matron who said any impression was better than none? She shrugged. "Nothing. There was a storm."

Mother's brows were knit as she knelt in front of Juliette. How strange to see her expression so and not feel her worry. Her hug felt wrong, like being wrapped with cold plastic tubing. She held Juliette out at arm's length with a perplexed expression.

"It's the only projector they have, Mother."

Her mother's frown deepened as her gaze went to Juliette's eyes.

"You are supposed to be resting and healing. Why are your eyes red, daughter?"

"There was a sehlat, Mother."

"A what?"

Lara's fingers flew across the screen of her PADD. "A Vulcan pan-ursoid, matron. They're about fifteen centimeters…"

"Juliette, you were told-"

Lara continued. "Oh, sorry. Their fangs are fifteen centimeters-"

Sedna's eyes went wide as her gaze shot to Lara. "What? Fangs?"

"Let me see!" Juliette barged forward and lunged for the PADD in Lara's hands, leaning back as she yanked on it.

Lara pushed Juliette's hands away so she fell backward. "Hold on, you grubby beggar!"

"But I want to see!" Juliette snapped, hearing something snarl at the back of her mind. She prepared to lunge when her mother's voice cracked like a whip.

"Juliette Sedna Lynn Deidre Sri!"

Juliette flinched away from the PADD. Mother only used her entire lineage when she was very, very angry. She looked at Lara apologetically, unsure why she'd lunged so. Lara shook her head, her expression torn between worried and amused. Juliette backed up until she was stopped by another form. He looked up at Lars' face.

"Come Jul, leave your Matron to her duties." They shuffled off to the side of the ring. She hugged him tight. It felt like squeezing a mannequin.

"I'm sorry Papa, I didn't mean to make Mother so angry."

"Not exactly angry, Jul - You cannot feel her. We thought we would find you quiet and bored at the Vulcan Science Academy. This is all quite a shock. And your behavior - what was that, in front of your hosts? You know better."

"Yes Papa, I'm very sorry. It's just-"

"Are you alright? Be honest."

A chill wormed along Juliette's spine at the seriousness of his tone. "I'm tired, and my head hurts, and I burned my hands a little, but it's not too bad. But Papa, how long do I have to stay here? It's so sandy and dusty and old." She took a shuddering breath and wiped her face.

Lars sighed. "I don't know." He smirked and tousled her already frantic hair. "Old? You will be old too, little matron." His form briefly flickered, and the console whined an alarm. "So you have seen a lightning storm in the Forge."

Juliette gripped her Papa's arm as the words gushed out. "We had to sit on a mat to keep from getting hit by lightning, and the wind nearly blew me over and the sehlat would have eaten us if P'nem hadn't shot it and I reached out to it and scared it away. Maton will be pleased I didn't let it get killed."

"Perhaps it would be best to let me tell her," Lars said as he glanced toward the women on the other side of the ring. They were not talking, which meant the conversation was very intense. She couldn't tell if Papa was part of the conversation or not. Talking about one thing while having an entirely different telepathic conversation was something he was very good at.

Juliette bounced on her heels. "Papa, may I please see what a sehlat looks like?"

Lars held his PADD between his hands flat, like a plate. A hologram rose from its surface. There was a small figure of a person next to the image of the sehlat for scale. Even on all fours, the arch of the sehlat's broad, powerful back topped the figure. Its head was long and narrow and the fangs dipped well below the chin. Under the deep ridges of its brow blinked pupil-less eyes with not one, but three sets of eyelids. The sehlat image rose on its hind legs and slashed at the air with broad forelimbs that ended in long obsidian claws.

Lars swallowed and tried to keep his voice upbeat. "Well, it seems many Vulcans have them as pets."

Juliette grasped the edge of the PADD and stared, wide-eyed. "This was no pet, Papa."

"I know, Jul." He caught her wrist and examined her hand. His deep frown spoke volumes; his expression was almost dour, then softened as he cupped her cheek. "Promise me you will be careful."

Juliette grimaced and squirmed away from his fingers. "Papa, this projector is terrible. The one at the Vulcan Academy will be better, right?"

Lars glanced toward the cluster of her mother and sisters. Kanara met Lars' gaze. "Juliette. We must have a discussion with your hosts, and you must attend. Do you understand?"

The request surprised her. Attending was something older people did for formal meetings between Houses, and negotiations - things that affected house standing. Juliette was rarely required to attend - usually, she was told to find other things to do. She nodded once all that she was being asked sunk in.

"After you have apologized to your sister, go tell the Vulcans we wish to speak with them."

Juliette shuffled to the other side of the ring where Lara sat with her PADD.

"Sister," Juliette said.

"Sister." Lara's tone was aloof, as she cast a brief glance over the top of her PADD.

"I am very sorry for yelling at you, and grabbing at your PADD."

"And snarling," Lara added, wrinkling her nose.

"Did I snarl?" Juliette tried to remember.

"Oh yes, you were quite ferocious. It was though you'd been raised by Rachat Cats. I might have gotten Vulcan rabies."

Juliette clutched at Lara's arm. Lara, who was her older sister, but not so old she wouldn't rummage around the creeper trellises with her. "Sister, I-"

Lara prodded her with the corner of the PADD. "Oh shush and let me be jealous of you." Her smirk pulled her freckles into a tight constellation across her cheeks.

"Jealous? Of what?"

"You're on Vulcan."

"It's hot. Everything is heavy."

"You're in a Vulcan Monastery. And not just monks, but Syrrannite Monks. I bet even Lars is jealous."

"Are Syrrannite Monks different?"

"It was hard to find any information on them in the Vulcan sources, but through the University on Betazed, I could get to Federation knowledge bases." Lara leaned in close, her voice sinking to a conspiratorial whisper. "They're very traditional. Many of them refuse to speak Federation Standard, since their founder, Surak, didn't speak it."

"What was wrong with Federation Standard?"

"Nothing, except that he died almost two thousand years before it was developed. Many of the Syrrannites think modern Vulcan is too - I don't know - modern. So they go back to the old ways, and live close to where Surak found logic."

"But nothing works here. My PADD died."

"Your PADD died? M-wave propagation?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure. The replicator died too."

Lara squeezed Juliette's shoulders. "I can't wait to tell Bleys. His Matron is the Chair of the Physics Department. Do you know her last project was about M-wave propagation on Vulcan? She would just die for the chance to do a live study. You'll be the envy of the University. It must make you feel a little better to know how jealous everyone will be."

Juliette felt herself smile. "A little."

"Just don't go feral on us, okay?"

"Lara, I'm so sorry."

Lara kissed her forehead. "Tell me everything about Vulcan and I'll forgive you."

"I can't. Papa says I must tell the Vulcans we wish to speak and I must attend."

Lara's smile was replaced with a pensive frown. "Attend?" Her gaze went to Lars. She was talking to him telepathically, Juliette realized with a pang of jealousy of her own. When Lara's gaze cut back, her smile didn't return. She pulled Juliette into a tight hug. "Sister, I miss you already."

#

Juliette found the P'nem and Lorot outside the projector room. Had they been listening? Where was Danek? The shift in Lara's mood made her anxious.

"Matron wishes to speak to you," Juliette announced with what she hoped was the appropriate amount of importance. It must have been, as the Vulcans exchanged glances before following her.

Lara stood close to the periphery as she idly flipped through her PADD. Lars waved Juliette over to Lara as Matron cast a brief smile. Their casual demeanor was a sign. Attending was a full-family sport. Of course they were communicating amongst themselves telepathically. Kanara stayed connected with house staff outside the projector while Lara did research through her PADD. Papa, of course, was feeling the surrounding mood and listening for lies.

As she settled next to Lara, Juliette was amazed at how casual - even disjointed - they could make themselves appear. The first time Juliette had been able to sense the communication between them had left her reeling.

Lara tilted her PADD toward Juliette. The screen showed a porcelain mask, opalescent and edged with latinum. Its ties were long silken trains of russet and gold. The mask looked familiar - out of one of the passion operas, but … its name escaped her. And the ties - colored in House Sri's colors, must have been Lara's modification. But what did it mean? Juliette responsed with a small shake of her head. Lara sighed, rolled her eyes, and placed her arm around Juliette's shoulders.

"Normally, we have tea before discussing anything of importance," Matron said, then added in a dry tone, "but your holoprojectors are not up to the task of sharing."

Master Surot said, "Our equipment is serviceable."

"I imagine the storm, which you saw fit to drag my daughter through, is not helping with the quality of the transmission."

P'nem cleared her throat. "We had promised to let Juliette contact you as soon as she was able. I misjudged her ability, and we were not able to outpace the storm."

"Or avoid being hunted by beasts," Senda concluded with a pointed stare.

"She was as protected as my own family," P'nem said. "We do not control the creatures in the Forge."

"How unusual. My daughter was to be a safe guest enroute to the Vulcan Science Academy. Not in the Sas-a-shar desert. Remind me again - how is it that she is now in the Forge?"

"It is a temporary arrangement while the Vulcan Science Academy makes preparations," Master Surot said. "It is a suitable environment for one of Juliette's condition."

"Suitable? Perhaps there is something wrong with your translators as well as your projectors. And how are those preparations?"

Surot folded his hands in his robe. "They are not yet completed."

Matrons frown became a hard line. "That is clearly the case. Let me rephrase my question. Are they even started?"

Juliette felt surprise from both P'nem and Lorot as they glanced to each other briefly before looking at Surot. Surot ignored them, and continued. "The Vulcan Science Academy is in discussions about Juliette's case-"

"I did not ask-" She was not mother at the moment. She was Sedna, Matron of House Sri, 433rd House of Betazed. A house perhaps untrusted with any artifacts as such like those in the top ten houses, but a member of the Pentahectad, nonetheless. "I did not ask about discussions around her case. I am asking if they have begun preparations to receive my daughter?"

Juliette looked with panic at Lara. If there was no room at Vulcan Science Academy, what was she doing here. Lara's jaw was set, her face pale as she squeezed Juliette's shoulder. She looked to Papa. His face was calm but strained as he gave her a small nod.

Surot started to respond, but P'nem cut him off. "Master Surot, I was under the impression that Juliette Sri would stay for a day or two with Lorot and myself, and then be sent to the Vulcan Science Academy. Why was I not informed the Vulcan Science Academy is still debating whether to take her case?"

"Just as you misjudged the storm, I have misjudged the turbulence in the academy. If I had taken time away from arguing Juliette Sri's case to explain to you that Juliette Sri may be with us for a few days more, would you have refused your hospitality?"

"I would have perhaps studied more Betazoid culture," P'nem said.

"Now is our chance. There are those on the academy board who are adamant Juliette Sri is beyond our help. In the face their obstinate certainty, only facts change their minds. If she stays on the monastery on Vulcan, we can acquire those facts. When we have acquired enough data to sway the board-"

"The Vulcan Science Academy does not know Juliette is here?" Lorot asked.

"If the Vulcan Science Academy knew, they would demand her immediate return to Betazed until the matter was settled.

"But the monastery-"

"I will attend to matters of the monastery," Surot said as he focused her attention back to Sedna. "Tell me, Matron of House Sri, are the doctors on Betazed still considering pithing the paracortex as a solution to your daughter's condition?"

Surot earned scowls from the entirety of House Sri, save its Matron, whose expression - Vulcan logic may have cooled the Sas-a-Shar, but Sedna's look would have made it tundra.

Juliette tried to remember what the paracortex was - somewhere in the brain, highlighted in a holographic display at the university museum. Its title in gold: THE GIFT OF TELEPATHY. She'd seen the word pithing there too. On a label In somber letters beneath a long rod tapered to a crooked, tarnished point that still looked sharp. PITHING NEEDLE. That needle. Her brain. Attending or no, she gripped her Lara's hand.

"At least we are clear," Matron said, "that the third Scion of House Sri has been brought to Vulcan under false pretenses."

Matron's words froze in Juliette's veins - a message for her more than the Vulcans.

"There really is only one solution in front of us," Surot said. "We shall do our very best to accommodate any requirements Juliette Sri might have while she stays at the monastery."

Sedna shook her head. "We are not entirely settled. There will have to be arrangements made if she is to stay at some dust-covered cave in this Forgery."

"It is actually called the Forge-" Lorot interjected before P'nem squeezed his elbow.

The hologram of her family flickered, blinked, then disappeared as the lights in the room dimmed. The pressure on Juliette's shoulder remained a phantom sensation, until it too, faded. The console on the wall scrolled red script. Master Surot left the circle to prod at its surface. "The storm is interfering with the signal. I shall have to get Initiate Pylkau to help."

Juliette did not wait to see if the signal would return. She leapt over the ring of the holo projector and ran down the hall, back the way they came, running until the gravity and atmosphere forced her to a panicked stagger. She looked back frantically as she ran, but she neither saw nor felt anyone following her. She punched the buttons on the door, half expecting it to be locked.

The door slid open. She was blown back by a gritty blast. Lightning crackled along the courtyard. She could only shield her face with her sleeve and stare out at the storm.

Trapped.