Stardate 2227.32
The Sch'gai Fortress
As Sarek walked out of his sonic he looked out through the window of his room to see that the Vulcan sun had yet to make it's journey over the horizon. Deep within him he felt troubled by the prospect of taking 2 days off from his normal duties. The Emperor 'gifted' him with what she called a honeymoon. Sarek did not understand why it was called such a thing but after doing some research he knew it was a time for couples to copulate and spend most of their time together. Based on the circumstances, he knew that was not how himself and Amanda would spend their time. In fact it was the opposite. She did not want to spend time with him and he did not want to spend time with her. The thought of copulating with Amanda was something Sarek did not dare to dwell on. He knew one day for biological reasons they would have to but at the present it was a dangerous train of thought to dwell on. Two days seemed like an unusually amount of time for relaxing , Sarek decided he would spend time familiarizing himself with current issues and settling into his new role as governor to pass the time.
The sound of animals crying in the desert caught his attention. He stared for a moment longer at the view. He turned his head and saw a notification pop up on his PADD. Sarek was not fully dressed but he walked to the PADD. He saw that there was a message from Fleet Admiral George Kirk. Sarek opened the message
Governor Sarek,
We need to push Project Satev-tukh's deadline to early next year. Which would give the team at VSA to have enough time to conduct research so we can move into the developmental phases of the project. Since you are governor, I am sure you are aware that Emperor Sato needs this technology to wipe out the planets the insurgents are hiding on.
Also note that the Empress expects Vulcan to host the Terran Empire Technologies Trade Show next month. She relayed to me that it would be best for Vulcan to host for obvious reasons.
As for the updates about the traitors from your family, T'Latya is still on Deep Space 12. The whereabouts of Salek remain unknown, but I'm sure my fleets will find that traitorous pointy-earred bastard very soon.
I assume you are enjoying your human whore. That is all she is to you. I bet you are already planning her demise. I will laugh the day you end her.
Fleet Admiral George Kirk
Sarek raised his eyebrow when he finished the vulgar message. There was this small annoyance that filled him, but he pushed it away. The Fleet Admiral referred to his bondmate as nothing more than a prostitute. He did not like that statement. He decided that he had an image to uphold and he would not let the Fleet Admiral comment further on his family or bondmate.
Sarek paused and set his PADD down. It was strange that he felt protective of her. He did not know her. Sarek could only logically place this uncharacteristic protectiveness on his impending pon farr. He pushed the uncomfortable thought away and continued to dress. Amanda had no desire to be amiable with him. He was going to keep his distance from her.
He walked out of his quarters to the main fortress and walked down the empty corridors. Not many of his clan members would be roaming the halls at this time. He appreciated the solitude of the desolate halls after the events of the week. He knew he would have little time in the future to enjoy such a luxury.
He stopped in front of an old engraving from pre-reformed Vulcan, and noted the intricate lines. It was fascinating. He was taken out of his thoughts on the piece when he heard a voice.
"I hypothesized I would locate you here. When you were a child this was a place I found you frequently."
Sarek turned around to see T'Rama. Sarek slightly nodded, "Mother."
"What is the current state of your Terran bride? I was informed Healer Leis visited her."
"Yes, Amanda is resting. Her biology does not agree with the Vulcan gravity. Though it was easily remedied by Healer Leis."
"I see. I performed a mind meld on her yesterday."
Sarek's eyebrows rose. His mother did not normally do such things especially when it was erroneous of her to force a person to mind meld with them.
"You purposefully broke one of our clan laws? Why?"
"I wanted to assess the mind of the Terran my son was going to be bonded too. No Vulcan has been bonded to a Terran before."
"I cannot disagree with that information. What did you assess?"
"I did not have sufficient time to assess her mental state."
"Elaborate."
"Amanda was able to release herself from the meld."
"That seems highly improbably. "
"It is."
"Then how?"
"Son, it would seem that even though she has no inherit talent for telepathic capabilities, her will to live is strong."
"I see."
"Your bondmate, Amanda, might be stronger than myself or T'Pau have calculated. We do not know if she is to be trusted fully. She could either be a great ally or our greatest foe. Only time will reveal that answer. Logically, as governor you must protect yourself."
"I see. I have made my decisions on the subject."
"It is only logical that you have concluded that on you own. You must become more familiar with her for the benefit of the clan, and all of Vulcan. She is now Vulcan according to our Emperor. Her genetic makeup is Terran and she is at a disadvantage with her emotional and intellectual state. She must be taught what her duties are as Lady to Vulcan. She is ignorant on all subjects regarding the history and culture that she is to be involved in. "
Sarek replied, "She is not educated in the true Vulcan way. I have only briefly mentioned parts of our history and culture. Her emotional instability and my position of governor will make it difficult to find sufficient time to educate her on such matters. I will educator her in my available time, but we may need to hire a private instructor or rely on your merits. You were the last Lady of Vulcan."
"The private instructor will be unnecessary. I can assist in her instruction of our ways. It will give me sufficient time to investigate her, and determine if she can be trusted."
Sarek nodded. His mother's face remained aloof yet he could sense she wanted to breach another topic.
"Son."
"Yes, Mother."
"Are you certain that she will be able to ensure your survival during your Time?"
Sarek remained silent for a moment as he let the words sink in. He felt slightly uncomfortable with his mother breaching this topic.
"I do not know."
"Neither do I."
In that moment, Sarek realized that he still needed to tell Amanda about pon farr regardless if he trusted her or not. He just did not know how to strategically do so when she thought of him negatively when it came to sexual relations. It was not wise for him to bring up the topic when she was not mentally sound. He wondered if this was a purely Terran characteristic. Logically, Amanda deserved to know, but based on his limited interactions he would refrain from telling her anything involving pon farr for now. Sarek knew that he would not be seeing her very often based on the nature of his position.
They stared at each other in silence before T'Rama turned from him to look at the ancient engraving on the wall and spoke.
"This engraving was made during the pre-reformation approximately 10.4 stardate years before Surak completed his teachings and distributed them. When the Terran Empire occupied Vulcan they demolished many pre-reformed cultural artifacts. This one remains due to the persistence of our ancestors."
'This intricate mural is not merely abstraction. There are 7 obvious sections to this work with a horizontal line running through the middle. The intricate lines in this piece were determined through a systematic and mathematical sequence based on the weather patterns on Vulcan. Each section represents the seasons, and the red circle on the top portion is repeated as a reminder of the passions that Vulcans carry with them until it grows and consumes them. With the bottom half of this work, the circle starts with small proportions than grows but at the end the circle returns to it's original proportions. This is a representation of the 7 year cycle of pon farr. The separate halves represent the 2 different outcomes of any Vulcan male's fate.
'Son, you are faced with two choices, life or death. Your Terran bondmate will be your demise if you do not properly take time to understand if she is an enemy or not. If she is not to be trusted we must ensure that she will help you during your time and dispose of her afterwards. You are the Governor of Vulcan and you must survive for the clan's sake but most importantly for all the people of Vulcan."
Sarek realized that his life was hardly his own anymore. His species was relying on him, "I understand, Mother. I will do my best to serve the Terran Empire."
T'Rama gave the Terran salute, and walked away. Sarek stood and stared at the piece of art in deep contemplation as the sun started to rise up more.
Amanda could feel a light source warm on her face. She was dazed and she started to panic as she opened her eyes and was greeted by a blinding light source. She winced as her eyes constricted in pain. She panicked and sat up. She realized she was on a big bed by herself. There were no restraints or Imperial Starfleet officers, no truth serums or agonizers. She was safe. Her hand reached for the eye drops and she put them in her eyes. She immediately felt better and her anxiety started to subdue.
Amanda recalled the events of the past day. Sarek said he would not bother her and she felt guilty for treating him in such a way.
In order for her survival she was going to play her cards right and apologize to him. She needed to get close to him in some ways so she could get the resources she needed to escape Vulcan. Amanda had no idea how she was going to plan such a thing but she would start figuring that out today.
Amanda stood up from her bed and took a hypospray and put it into her neck. She immediately felt the difference and no longer felt heavy. She decided it was best to get ready.
After she got out of the sonic she made her way to the closet in the room. She walked in and started to run her hands through the outfits. They were all Vulcan. She pulled each outfit out to inspect and she was left wondering how she was going to put this on. She thought, with Vulcans being so logical she would think that they would stray from superfluousness in their attire.
Amanda grabbed a gray and beige outfit and tried to put it on. The pair of pants was easy for her to put on. The top had this weird piece of fabric that was a couple feet long. She put her arms through the holes of the outfit and just wrapped the extra fabric around her waist.
"Computer, mirror."
Amanda looked at herself in the mirror and she looked very underweight and this outfit no matter how strange was probably one of the nicest things she had worn. She wondered why Vulcans dressed so heavily if they lived on a desert planet. She crossed her fingers that she put on the outfit correctly.
Amanda sat on her bed and watched the OIH and set down her PADD after she watched it. Her stomach started to growl and Amanda wanted to go outside of her room to find food, but felt nervous about seeing Sarek. She wondered if he would be angry at her and look at her with his cool gaze.
Amanda took a deep breath, she just needed to face this thing head on. It was the only way.
Amanda made her way carefully down the stairs and Sarek entered the front door as she made her way down the steps.
Sarek took a moment to look at her and started to walk away. He really was holding out on what he said about limiting his contact with her. Amanda felt nervous and another emotion that was not her own and spoke before he could escape.
"Hi"
Sarek turned around to look at her with a lifted eyebrow. His hair was perfectly in place and his facial hair was the same as yesterday.
"Greetings."
It was silent for a moment and the air felt awkward. Sarek turned a little and Amanda got her courage to speak.
"Um, could you show me where the kitchen is? I would very much like breakfast"
Sarek stood for a moment surprised at her civility this morning. She was the exact opposite of who she was last night. It confused Sarek. He wondered what was the real Amanda and which one he should trust.
"Yes, follow me."
Amanda followed Sarek through a hallway to a kitchen. It was different compared to Terran ones but it had the same basic appliances.
"This is the kitchen. You can replicate food or make meals here."
"Thanks."
Sarek looked like he was going to leave and Amanda didn't have a chance to apologize yet.
"Wait!"
Sarek turned to look at her again. Both his eyebrows were raised this time and part of Amanda wanted to laugh if it weren't for how serious his face was.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Sarek stared at her outfit for a moment, "I have not."
"Would you like to eat with me?"
"I can. Did Saya visit you this morning?"
"No. Why?"
"You have incorrectly dressed yourself."
Amanda felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as embarrassment took over her. She could feel her face getting hot and wished he did not point it out. She should have assumed as much since he was Vulcan. They were so blunt it was ridiculous.
"Why is your face pigmentation changing to a hue of red?"
Amanda felt like her blush of embarrassment grew. Her ears and neck felt hot. This Vulcan man was making it hard for her to get to the apology she was planning.
"Uh-ur-uh-Terrans blush for a number of reasons."
"What is the biological advantage to it?"
"I don't know. I focused my studies in Terran linguistics when I was in my undergrad."
"I see. I will research this phenomenon later. Do you require assistance with your outfit?"
Amanda's mouth went dry and she felt slightly scared. She spoke cautiously, " Assist in what way?"
"You wrapped this fabric incorrectly around your waist. You have correctly placed the pants and blouse on you."
"Oh!" Was all that Amanda could manage to say. This situation had gotten awkward really fast.
"You should not leave our quarters until it is fixed. You have an image to uphold as my bondmate."
Amanda felt that his tone was condescending even though it was monotonous.
"I understand that." That was all she could manage to say without letting anger get to her. She needed to stay level headed. She need him for her own plans.
"I can retrieve Saya to help you or I can assist you quickly."
Amanda knew that either option was mortifying. It would've been like being dressed as if she were a child. She thought it best to get it over with.
"You may fix it."
Sarek took cautious steps towards her and unwrapped the cloth from her waist while maintain as much distance as was possible from her. She felt incredibly female. It was distracting. Touch was not usually a thing Vulcans participated in. He rationally stated that she was his bondmate and such a thing was not inappropriate.
Amanda noticed that he had a masculine smell that was a bit spicy. She blushed a little as his hands brushed her waist.
He took the cloth and wrapped it around her head. Amanda was totally off on the whole wrapping the extra fabric around her waist.
He quickly stepped away from Amanda, gave her a quick full body scan, and turned from her to the replicator. She looked at his pointed ears and they were slightly green. She frowned and wondered what that meant.
Something in Sarek twisted when he saw his bondmate in normal Vulcan clothes. She looked almost Vulcan when her ears were covered. Her eyebrows and her pinkish complexion gave her away as a Terran. He had a strange impulse to mind meld since his fingers were so close to her face. He needed to keep his distant from her so she would not have an emotional outbursts. This morning she was rational and he did not want to disturb that.
Sarek spoke, "What would you like to eat?"
"Some thing Vulcan."
"That is a broad statement. Vulcan cuisine consist of a wide variety of dishes and ingredients."
"What do you like to eat for breakfast?"
"Plomeek soup."
"I'll have that then."
Sarek pushed some buttons and the plomeek soup appeared. He grabbed both bowls and walked to the table.
Amanda walked to the table and sat across from him.
"We will typically have a servant around to cook, clean, and assist with dressing you. She is currently not available, but will be in 4.5 hours. Saya and Tevik will be busy running surveillance on the outer parameters."
"I see. So..."
The words died on her lips, it felt forced to apologize at this moment. Maybe after they finished breakfast it would feel more natural.
Sarek was staring at her waiting for her to continue.
Amanda spoke, "What am I allowed to do here?"
"What are you referring too?"
"Can I leave this house? Or travel to sihi-car? Or however you say it."
"The correct pronunciation is Shi'khar. You are allowed to leave the fortress but you are to take Saya or Tevik with you. Though I would not go to Shi'khar soon, the social tension there makes it unsafe for you at the moment."
"I'm not a prisoner then?"
"No, you are my bondmate."
Amanda was surprised that he said that. "I'm assuming bondmate means spouse."
"Correct."
"So I won't be punished for taking a walk or going outside?"
"No, it would be illogical to do so."
For a moment, Amanda thought that this might work out. She did not want to be married to this man, but at least she wasn't a prisoner to this house.
"That's good to know."
"As my bondmate you have many responsibilities. I stated only a few of them in the message I sent to you."
"What are they?"
"You will first need to learn Vulcan."
Part of Amanda felt excited about learning a new language. The idea of the challenge pleased her, "I can do that."
"Human tongues struggle with pronunciation of certain words. Your biology puts you at a disadvantage."
Another jab was made at her being too human. She felt anger in her chest but tried to push it aside so she could focus on her goal of creating civility between them.
"I mentioned earlier that I have a degree in Terran linguistics. I speak 10 different Terran languages."
"You may learn the language more quickly than others, but you have yet to learn a language of another species."
"True, the law prohibits Terran citizens from learning a language of another species, since standard is supposed to be prioritized across the Empire. Now that I'm technically a Vulcan citizen I'm allowed to learn Vulcan."
"Correct."
"In school I always wanted to get more involved with xenolinguistics, but the option was not available. Only people joining Starfleet were allowed to do that, but I didn't want to deal with the dangers in Starfleet."
"Why did you change your occupation from a Terran linguist to an adolescents educator?"
"There is not much left to be done in linguistics on Terra. Most dialects and unique languages have already been recorded and archived by generations of skilled linguists. It is an old profession on Earth. My father was an admiral so he had connections to the Academy. That is how I started teaching 7-8 year olds everyday."
"Teaching is a noble occupation."
"It is. Not many people think so."
"You digress. I must explain the rest of your duties as my bondmate. You will at times travel with me on diplomatic missions on Vulcan and through out the Terran Empire. There will be instances where you will have to travel to different parts of Vulcan by yourself for various government programs that benefit the Empire. You must also learn the ways of what it is to be the Lady of Vulcan."
"What! Lady of Vulcan? No one told me I had some crazy title. I am definitely under qualified for this."
"I do not disagree."
Amanda frowned at his response.
"You will have my mother to mentor you on the nuisances of the role. She has agreed to help you in this matter."
"Ha! You are lucky. You probably have been training your whole life to be a political leader."
Sarek almost sounded irritated, "I have not. Even though the last governor was my father, I went to the Vulcan Science Academy to study astrophysics. I was working as one up until a month ago."
Amanda paused she had no idea he was a scientist. She just assumed that he wanted this position. The thought of a scientist becoming a diplomate was a strange career change, but so was her career path. The linguist and the scientist both in places that they never anticipated, how fitting. Part of her realized that this mystery man who was her husband might be more interesting than he let on. There was more to him than his stone mask. Maybe, just maybe, they could be friendly to one another.
Amanda pushed the thought away. She had to protect herself. She needed to get closer to him but only so she could escape. The silence grew and she needed to say something neutral that wouldn't scare him off, and she needed to apologize soon before she didn't do it.
"I need to tell you something, Sarek."
"Continue."
"I–"
A loud beeping noise came from Sarek's communicator. Sarek looked at Amanda waiting for her to finish her statement. Amanda lost her nerve and the words died in her throat.
Sarek turned from her and picked up his communicator. Amanda could only hear one worded replies from Sarek and he said something in Vulcan so she could not understand it. He hung up and looked at Amanda, "It would seem that our servant will be arriving sooner than anyone calculated. She will be here in the next hour."
Amanda found that the air felt awkward, and that it was no longer a good time to apologize. She managed to nod in reply.
"Very well." Sarek made the Terran salute and left the kitchen.
Amanda let out an exasperated sigh. Why was apologizing to an austere Vulcan so hard?
Author's Notes:
Hello! I wanted to get this chapter up since it has been sitting in a word document gathering dust for months. I hope to update a few more time between now and the end of the year. This chapter was going to be longer but I just wanted to get something up for those you who have been waiting for me to patiently do so. Forgive me for the errors. Please leave a review. Live long and prosper!