Stardate 2227.67
S'chn T'gai Fortress
A fierce determination filled Amanda the past week. She was going to prove every Vulcan wrong about their assumptions about her. The hurt feelings she had would not stop her from proving herself. She was going to speak Vulcan fluently and succeed as Lady of Vulcan. Sarek was practically nonexistent to her; she hadn't seen him all week. She did not care to. He was gone for work before she woke and she was in her room by the time he would come back. Did she feel an increased loneliness while being here? Yes. Was she disappointed they could not be friendly? Yes. She would be lying to herself if she did not express that she felt hurt by Sarek's lack of trust. Everything was a motivation for her to get off this planet sooner and away from the Terran Empire and even Sarek. It might be a year or two before she could successfully pull it off but she had found some small leads that she had stored away on an encrypted PADD in her dressing room. She was brought back to the present moment when she saw T'Rama look down at her.
"You must present yourself in the proper way at the Terran Empire Technologies Trade Show tonight. Name all the attendees and associate them with their images."
Amanda was in a room with T'Rama going over hologram images of important high ranking officials. Many of them Amanda was familiar with because of her upbringing and also because of the Official Imperial Holonews. She had memorized all the basic information about the Governor's Circle and their wives. Most of the Starfleet personnel she was familiar with, Admiral Abarca was even on the list. Amanda continued to list off the names and T'Rama looked at her when she was finished.
"That is correct, Amanda. Has your outfit for tonight arrived?"
"Yes, it has."
"Good. I wish to discuss a certain topic with you."
It was Amanda's turn to be intrigued by this conversation. She always felt that T'Rama tolerated her.
"Yes?"
"It has been brought to my attention that an unknown enemy has tried to assassinate my son. I have also been relayed information about my son's conjecture and his grave error."
Amanda raised her brow, "How would you know about him falsely accusing me? Did he talk to you?"
"No, he did not."
"Then how?"
"A mother can recognize such things by deductive reasoning and studying the atypical behaviors of her own son. Additionally, you just confirmed my suspicion."
Amanda let out a nervous laugh, "I just revealed myself. Was it a mother's intuition that led you to question me?"
"If that is how you want to describe it then yes."
"Why are you talking about this with me and not your son?"
"Over the past 3.5 weeks you have surpassed my initial expectation for how fast Terrans can learn Vulcan customs and the Vulcan language. You have proven yourself as a skilled linguist as you suggested with your credentials. You have shown me that Terrans are hard workers when focused on a goal. There are Vulcans on this planet who will never prove themselves as you have. With that I trust my son will be safe with you."
Amanda opened her mouth in shock. T'Rama had given her a compliment. To say she was flabbergasted was an understatement. A Vulcan was giving her a compliment. Not only that but her own mother-in-law.
"So you trust me?"
"For now I do. Unless you do anything to the contrary."
"Why? I haven't said anything that would make you think otherwise."
"There is the Terran saying that says 'actions speak louder than words.'"
"I'm still shocked by this."
"I mind melded with you the day you married my son. You have a strong will and presence of mind. Only someone like that could stand next to my son. You have Terran disadvantages with your emotional control but I recognize your strengths. I have spent almost everyday with you the last 3.5 weeks observing you and cataloging these attributes that you have."
Amanda realized she felt relieved that T'Rama approved of her. She thought she was just tolerated but maybe that was how Vulcan mothers were in general.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me. Everything I have learned has been so invaluable to me. I know I have much more to learn but what you said to me means a lot. It feels good to have you as an ally."
"No gratitude is required. It also benefits me since it will protect my son in the end. You have many enemies already, Amanda. I cannot speak for others in the clan such as T'Pau who are vocal about their distain for you. There is only so much I can do for you expect educate you on matters in regard to Vulcan. As for what my son has accused of you I suggest you breach the topic with him soon. Even marriages between two Vulcans can have miscommunications such as these."
Amanda gave a sad smile at the elegant woman, "I would say Terran marriages tend to have disagreements too. I'll try."
"Good. It is time for you to prepare for tonight."
Amanda was about to walk away when T'Rama pulled something out of her robe. Amanda looked at her questioningly. T'Rama offered her a beautiful golden clip, "Use this for your hair. I used it when I was Lady of Vulcan. Now I pass it on to you in hopes you will succeed in your task."
The hair clip was carefully place into her hands and Amanda let out a big smile, "Thank you."
T'Rama silently nodded, "I only wish to serve the Terran Empire."
They both exchanged the salute and Amanda hurried back to her quarters feeling more confident in herself for once. She was surprised that T'Rama approved of her but it felt good to be making progress. The list of people she could rely on was slowly growing and for once she felt that life could be bearable here on Vulcan.
She got home and hurried to her bedroom, commed Zhi'rev for help, and started to quietly practice her Vulcan.
"Wuhkuh, dakuh, rekuh, kehkuh, kaukuh, shehkuh, stehkuh, oh-"
"You are counting."
Amanda was startled when she saw Zhi'rev walk into her dressing room unannounced. She nervously laughed, "Ah, yes I'm practicing my Vulcan."
"I can see. I have not met a Terran who can speak Vulcan. It is illegal for citizens of Terra to learn other languages. Now that you are a Vulcan citizen you have improved, Lady Amanda."
"Thanks."
"You called for my assistance?"
"Yes, I need help with this outfit. T'Rama had this specially ordered for me last week."
"This is exquisite. The material is made from the finest craftswomen in Lyr Zor."
"I had no idea. It is very fine. Will you help me put it on?"
"I only wish to serve the Empire, Lady Amanda."
Zhi'rev helped Amanda into the elegant outfit, Amanda spoke, "Computer, mirror."
An image of Amanda appeared in front of her. She was finally able to see her whole outfit. She was shocked to see how she looked. The robes were an emerald green with gold details. Amanda could see now that the symbols embroidered into the clothing were markings for the clan, S'chn T'gai.
"It looks beautiful. Could you quickly help me with my hair and place this pin there?"
Amanda sat down at the vanity and Zhi'rev did her work quickly and professionally. Amanda looked at her herself in the mirror more closely when she was done. Her hair medium length hair was curled, it was half-up and half-down. The beautiful pin was keeping her hair up. Amanda also wore some conservative gold earrings. Her make up was simple but brought out her beauty. She was looking more like herself, but she still needed a few more weeks to be at a weight that was considered normal for her.
Zhi'rev spoke, "You are dressed as the Lady of Vulcan."
Even though Zhi'rev stated it as a fact, Amanda took it as a complement, "Thanks, Zhi'rev. You may leave, I'll be fine getting everything else finished."
"As you wish, Lady Amanda. Your Terran Empire pin is on top of your dresser. I recently polished it for the occasion."
"Thanks, Zhi'rev."
The young maid left her room, and Amanda walked to grab the Terran Empire pin. It felt heavy in her hands. She did not believe in this symbol anymore. Honestly, she didn't know what she believed in anymore. Her whole life had morphed into something she didn't even recognize.
She hadn't gotten very far with her escape plans. The knowledge she was gaining with her sessions with T'Rama was invaluable and she felt very fortunate that T'Rama of all people now trusted her. Still she did not have the social connections or allies necessary to pull off what she needed to do. This escape plan was going to take time and she needed to use her status as Lady of Vulcan to her advantage. This event tonight would be a perfect way to network and get to meet new people. She was going to put aside her own anxieties, fears, and even her own hurt feelings for the night and work towards her ultimate goal.
Amanda would say that she was nervous to go to the event with Sarek tonight. He had not apologized to her and she suspected that with the conversation she had with T'Rama she would be required to breach the topic first. Was she ready to forgive him? She did miss having normal conversations with him. That was a strange feeling for her to have. She sighed and looked at the Terran Empire pin in her hands. She attached it to her robes. The last thing she did was attach the dagger that Saya gifted her under her clothes.
She walked out of her dressing room and looked out the window. The sun was setting and she felt grateful that the temperature would cool significantly. Nerves were bubbling up inside of her. She did not want to mess up this opportunity to meet other important members of the Terran Empire and she needed to get Sarek to apologize to her. Both of those were big tasks for her to fulfill in one night and she was unsure if she would be able to accomplish both. She took a deep breath. If she could survive being blind, tortured, and shipped off as a "mail order bride" then she could handle this.
Amanda opened the door then exited her room, across the hall from her Sarek also stepped out of his room. Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't seen him physically in a week. She felt her heart sink and the aching was back. Shocked by her own powerful emotions, she froze for a moment. She didn't know what to say as the feeling of pain filled her chest making her feel raw. Part of her wanted to bitterly laugh at herself for thinking that if she ignored her own feels for long enough they would just fix themselves. Turns out she was wrong. Amanda was now unsure if she could do this.
The stoic man was carefully scrutinizing her outfit with his critical gaze as he cataloged her appearance. Her own eyes scanned his own attire and physique. He was wearing a dark fitted coat with a high collar and green accents, that fitted him well and showed off his physique. His trousers were slightly textured but a neutral color. He had an identical Terran Empire pin on the right side of his chest. His hair was perfectly in place and his facial hair was trimmed and clean. There was a silence between them for a moment longer, and Amanda felt awkward from his lack of response and his observation of her appearance. They stepped towards each other slowly and then paused. Amanda decided in that moment she was going to act as normal as possible, even if Sarek ignored what had occurred between them.
Amanda felt awkward but spoke first, "Long time no see. Uh, it looks like we are matching."
Sarek looked over her again and down at his coat for a moment, "You are referring to the green in both of our outfits?"
"Yes. I wondered if T'Rama had any say in your outfit?"
"She ordered this outfit 6.5 days ago."
There was a pause and Amanda couldn't shake the pain she felt talking to him. She tried her best to respond and be cordial with him.
"That makes sense because she placed an order for this one at the same time. Your mother has good taste."
"She has attended numerous Terran Empire events in the past. She understands the nuances of these things."
"I know, she has been hounding me in the ways of Lady to Vulcan."
"She has only been serving the Terran Empire in the process."
"I agree, " Amanda didn't know what to do in this awkward situation. She needed to get out of this situation quick, " I guess we better get going to this Trade Show."
She forced a fake smile at Sarek, and she walked away before he could respond appropriately. He was feeling a sadness coming from her now and it was hard not to notice when Sarek was working on controlling his own confusing emotions of guilt and regret.
Location: The Maz-izh-kel in Shi'kahr
"Lady Amanda, do you understand the protocols I have just stated?"
Amanda was feeling more amused than nervous as she relaxed into her seat in the hover car. Saya had just laid out emergency protocols in the case of a disaster with everything from a freak accident to a shuttle crash at this event. Tevak even gave a run down of the convention center. Amanda was still shocked by how husky Tevak was for a Vulcan. He filled up most of the hover car; he was someone you would not want to get in a fight with. Luckily, he was friendly in Vulcan terms at least when it came to Amanda and Sarek.
Tevak spoke and pointed to the hologram of the facility, "These side exits will be your main objective in case any incident were to occur. Saya and I will follow you discreetly throughout the night. If either you or Governor Sarek find yourselves separated from each other because of social engagements, Saya will cover surveillance for you, Lady Amanda, and I will cover for the governor."
Sarek spoke, "Thank you, Tevak. Your service honors the Terran Empire."
"I only wish to serve the Terran Empire."
"That was a thorough briefing, Tevak," replied Amanda.
"As I intended it, Lady Amanda."
A nervousness started to bubble inside of Amanda. This was actually happening. She was Lady of Vulcan even though she was a prisoner only weeks ago. This still felt like some fever dream. The hover car stopped in what looked like the entrance to this massive building in the middle of Shi'Kahr. It had a beautiful garden and a grandiose walkway to tall ancient doors made of what looked to be glass. The whole structure was made of glass and supporting rods. It was beautiful and enchanting. Then her eyes saw the crowds and the hover cameras. She gulped.
Sarek looked at the woman next to him. Amanda was looking pale and he could feel her trepidation. "Amanda, are you prepared to leave this hover car?"
Amanda put a smile on and lied through her teeth, "Yes, I am. Let's do this."
A person came to open the door of the hover car for them and Sarek stepped out of the car first then Amanda stepped out next. She was not mentally prepared for what happened next. A flood of flashing lights assaulted her.
"You bitch. Tell us the truth. You aided your father with the Klingon insurgent groups at Andromeda IV," spoke the cruel lieutenant.
"I did nothing. I am not a traitor. Please don't."
"Wrong answer, Grayson."
Another flash filled her vision and blinded her eyesight.
Tears formed in her eyes, "No don't. Please no."
The man turned on the agonizer again, and she screamed for a long time until she felt that her throat was raw and bloodied.
She coughed on the blood in her throat when he turned it off. "Are you ready to talk?"
A hoard of voices were asking her questions. She didn't know where to look. It was disorienting.
"No."
"Petersen, give her another dose."
She shook her head but they did not care. She was grabbed forcefully by the collar of her prisoner jumpsuit and the hypo was in her blood system again. The hallucinations were going to come back anytime now.
"I have an idea let's take her to the light chamber again."
Amanda had tears streaming down her face and she sobbed, "No, anything b-but..that please...no. I can't–not again."
The lieutenant grabbed her by her hair and yanked it, "Too bad."
She was dragged to the chamber and strapped down to the cold metal chair. She tried to yank herself out of the restraints to no avail, and the humming started again then her eyes were forced to stay open. Adrenaline and anxiety rushed through her and she started to hyperventilate. She was going to go blind this time. This was it and she knew it. The light consumed her vision and all she saw was that deathly white that led her to her own personal hell.
"Amanda."
Sarek was lightly touching her elbow, a feather touch, and Amanda was brought back to the present moment. There were some beads of sweat on her forehead but she quickly wiped it off and smiled to cover up her anxiety.
Sarek saw Amanda freeze into place and he felt overwhelming feelings of panic and anxiety fill her. This had happened the last time they were surrounded by holocameras. Part of him wished he knew what was exactly going through her mind so he could be of assistance to her. He had to act fast in order to curb anyone from thinking something was amiss and all he could think of in the moment was physical touch and to project some of his calmness to her.
Amanda smiled at Sarek for a brief moment, grateful that he grounded her back to reality. It had been a while since she recalled any of those horrible events in prison. She mentally beat herself up over her own weakness. She had spent all this time training with T'Rama and she refused for it to go to waste. She was going to prove all these people wrong. She stood up taller and smiled dazzlingly at the holo camera flashes she feared.
Sarek raised his eyebrow curiously but walked by her as they entered the building.
In the main portion of the hall there were many people gathered around a presenter giving a demonstration on the latest warp core. Everyone was dressed in the finest evening wear she had seen. Live music played lightly in the background as the sound of different languages added to the symphony of noise. With a quick scan she could see Admiral Abarca in the crowd talking to the owner of the Terran Empire Weapons Co. Bernadette Wright. She also noticed Governor Gav walking with his spouse to a different section of the Trade Show. There were also various Androians, Tellarites, Betazoids, Vulcans, Klingons, and many more species Amanda was not familiar with. Amanda was still feeling light headed, anxious from the holocamera flashes, and saliva was starting to pool in her mouth. Her eye started to scan for a restroom, she was going to throw up. It was then an android male dressed in a suit with a name tag stepped in front of them.
"Welcome to the Terran Empire Technologies Trade Show, Governor Sarek, and Lady Amanda. I am F9. I will be your guide for tonight. If you have any questions I can take you to the various stations you are interested in. We have everything from the Imperial Starfleet's updated phasers and agonizers to advancements in commercial grade starships. How can I be of assistance?"
Amanda didn't know how much more small talk she could bear, "Thank you, F9, first could you point me to where the bathroom is?"
"Certainly, it is located on your left of the main hall. I will show you."
Sarek followed in suit towards the restrooms, but lingered away from them and was immediately approached by 2 Vulcan men that were in his VSA class.
Amanda tried to rush into the bathroom gracefully but partially failed. She zipped past the bathroom attendant and the various ladies at the mirrors, into a private stall and immediately threw up. She was shaking. She almost wanted to cry but held back her tears. She felt mad because every time she was making progress she felt like that was taken away from her. How could something so random trigger her anxiety like this?
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand stood up and the toilet automatically flushed. She got out of the stall and went to clean her hands. The other ladies who were Vulcan looked at her curiously.
One of the older Vulcan woman spoke in Vulcan to her friends, "The Lady of Vulcan looks weaker than expected."
The other woman replied, "She was relieving herself. Female Terran exhibit that kind of behavior only when they are pregnant?"
"No, the Governor would never touch her. She is mostly likely offering herself to Terran men and became pregnant that way. Terran woman are biologically inferior."
Amanda felt enraged. She might not have perfectly understood every single word they were saying but she was proficient enough in Vulcan to understand that they were insulting her and that made her really mad. The group of Vulcan woman left the restroom and Amanda followed behind them as they exited and approached them.
Amanda controlled the reaction on her face and spoke to them in even Vulcan, "Greetings, I'm Lady Amanda of the Schn T'gai. I'm sure you are familiar with my bondmate and his work as governor."
Sarek's ears picked up Amanda's voice and he turned to locate her. She was talking to 3 Vulcan females from the Alar-sen-dasmeen clan. Sarek was unsure of the intent of these women so Sarek politely ended the conversation he was having with his former classmates and started to walk closer to her and could hear her speaking Vulcan fluently. Sarek raised his brow. Amanda's Vulcan was improving rapidly. Even though he had not been around her in the last week she was able to hold conversations with more ease. Her tongue could not handle all the nuances; it left her with an accent that he illogically found charming and did not mind in the slightest. He continued to watch from afar and listen to what Amanda was saying.
"I want to assure you that the Lady of Vulcan is a perfectly healthy and strong Terran woman. If you are curious about the status of my life the logical decision would be to ask me questions directly. I'm sure I could prove some of your hypothesizes wrong. Now if you will excuse me. I must depart. I only wish to serve the Terran Empire."
With that Amanda gave them the Terran Empire salute and walked away from the almost visibly shocked Vulcan women. She could stand her ground. Now she felt mad and her anxiety had completely left her.
Sarek saw her walking away and he quickly was able to catch up to her and she almost ran into him, but Sarek stabilized her with his hand briefly. "Oh, Sarek it's you. Sorry, it took me moment but I'm ready to tour the stations now."
"You were speaking Vulcan fluently to those woman from the Alar-sen-dasmeen clan."
Amanda blushed a little, "You saw that?"
"I heard the conversation you were having with them."
"I do not regret how I spoke to them. They said these horrible things in Vulcan about me in the bathroom."
Sarek felt slightly annoyed, "What did they say?"
Amanda relayed to him the things that she heard. Sarek felt anger and he tried to subdue it, "Amanda, I will personally speak with them. As Governor I will not allow anyone to speak of my bondmate in such a way."
Amanda was shocked at how quick he was to defend her today. It was a very different tone than the one that he had a week ago. What had changed? It was giving her some emotional whiplash, "Sarek, don't worry about it I handled it myself."
"I understand but I want them to know the consequences of their actions against my wife."
Sarek started to walk away but Amanda grabbed his hand to stop him without thinking. Sarek stopped dead in his tracks and Amanda's eyes went wide open. It almost felt like an electric current passed between them and it gave Amanda a euphoric feeling. It reminded her of what happened on their wedding day except this time around the feeling was much more potent and almost overwhelming. She let go of his hand and blushed. Sarek was now turned to her and staring at the hand that Amanda was once holding, almost mourning the loss of contact.
He looked at her and there was an intensity in his eyes that she wasn't used to. It almost scared her, "I will not speak to them if you do not wish me to Amanda."
Amanda could smell his naturally spicy smell since he was still close. Who was this man? He could accuse her of trying to poison him one moment and then be protective of her the next. She was unsure of how to handle him, "I don't want you to waste your time on them."
Sarek spoke, "Any nanosecond I spend on you is not a waste of my time."
Amanda was stunned that he said that. It took all her will power not to let her jaw drop. Her heart raced a little bit with that response. It meant nothing she reassured herself. The skeptical feeling she had about him kept her grounded. She was unsure of him at the moment, and she honestly was still hurt from his past treatment of her. Sarek was probably worried about his image since they were now tied together. He obviously had not apologized yet and it wasn't a good idea to breach the topic in public.
Amanda was feeling uncomfortable with the intensity of their conversation, "Let's go tour some of those stations. Time is of the essence. Hurry before that android finds us."
Amanda started to walk, and Sarek raised his brow but obliged and followed her. They continued to walk and Amanda was amazed by the types of technological advancements that Terran Empire was able to achieve. There were various sections, and Amanda knew it was impossible for them to view it all in one night. One section was focused on weaponry, others were focused on home improvement, and transportation. Amanda had somehow persuaded Sarek to go view the section for technology in extreme climates that the Imperial Starfleet developed. They watched a demonstration of a new climate tech tent that could protect troops from scorching temperatures but also keep them warm on planets like Andoria.
While Amanda was intrigued by the trade show, Sarek was deep in thought about what had happened when they arrived and reviewed the instances in his memory. He had noted that Amanda had strange behavior in front of the holocamers. She was paralyzed when the flashes were going off. The emotions she felt at that moment were that of someone in a life or death situation. Then that was related to her reason to go to the bathroom which was to relieve herself of the contents of her stomach.
That was followed by the insults addressed to his bondmate. Those comments unsettled him and he found an irrational anger inside of him when he dwelled on it too long. He would not tolerate such behavior. Why would he be so angered by this? He hardly knew Amanda. In fact he had only just accused her of poisoning him, something he felt guilt about. Something he knew he did not have to apologize for, but it was something he wanted to apologize for. Yet when she touched his hand and he felt the strength of their bond through that connection he wanted to do it again. Why? She tested his emotional control in every way. Yet he wanted to be closer? He did not understand the logic in this.
"Sarek, don't you find it fascinating the type of mechanics it took to develop this compact of a warp drive?"
Sarek was only quite for a slit second and responded to Amanda, "Yes, it is impressive that such a thing exists. Should we visit the weaponry wing?"
"Yeah, we should."
The pair made their way through the crowd. A few Vulcans gave the Terran salute to them as they passed by and Amanda had to shake her head when she heard a few remarks about her being unfit for Lady of Vulcan. She knew now was not the time to fight anymore battles. She needed to network and meet more people who could become potential allies with her or help give her the information she needed to get off of Vulcan for good. Amanda grabbed some food and a drink from one of the waiters wandering around. It was then that Sarek's attention was taken away from Amanda by a few Vulcan elders that wished to speak to him. Amanda stood awkwardly by herself and sipped on her champagne. This was the moment that she wanted; it was time to meet new people. Amanda saw another woman standing by herself who seemed quite. As she got closer to the woman she began to recognize her. It was the lady who sat next to her on the night of the delegation.
Amanda tried to put on a smile, the woman seemed intimidating in her gold Imperial Starfleet uniform, "Hello, Captain Georgiou."
The lady looked at her with a spiteful smile but obliged her, "I did not think we would meet each other in these circumstances. Remind me of your name?"
"Amanda, Amanda Grayson."
"Yes I see that you are now the Lady of Vulcan."
"That's true."
"It would also seem that you aren't much of a Terran anymore either, maybe you should start speaking like one of them."
Captain Georgiou nodded to the group of phlegmatic Vulcans having a discussion from across the hall. Amanda felt attacked, but kept her calm, "I can speak Vulcan now if that is what you are referring to."
"It would seem you tainted your Terran tongue with their language."
Amanda wanted to drop her jaw but did not do so, "I would say my Terran tongue is still intact."
"Ha, I don't know about that," she gave a devious smile, "Good day, Lady Amanda. I have more important business."
The captain gave a proud Terran salute and left Amanda on her own. Amanda watched as the woman sauntered over to a group of Orions. She felt insulted and infuriated at the woman for treating her in such a way. She wasn't accepted by Vulcans, and now the Terrans were completely disregarding her. Part of her felt hurt and some loneliness because of the isolation that her position entailed. No one respected her because her father was a traitor and that she was an ex-prisoner. Amanda could not wait to get off this planet. She took a deep breath and walked over to a different group of individuals. She was able to superficially join their conversation but it was only about the profits of casinos on Rigel IV. Amanda met a few of them but she politely left the conversation after they continued to talk about trafficking Orions.
Another waiter came by with wine and Amanda grabbed a glass to help calm her nerves. She was scanning the people near her to see who would be interesting to talk to when a rather drunk man started to approach her. She could deal with this. She was a social drinker back in university. If there was one situation Amanda could handle this was the one she was prepared for.
Sarek had been keeping a watchful eye on his wife throughout the evening. He respected her independence and was impressed with the ease she had in meeting new people and holding conversations with them. She was doing well as the Lady of Vulcan. Sarek again felt guilt for accusing her. He was determined to apologize when he could have a private moment with her after the festivities of tonight. It was when an inebriated rival male started to walk towards Amanda that he felt he needed to go to step in.
Amanda was staring at the man for a second and then blinked. Before the man could even walk to her, it was as if Saya and Sarek appeared out of thin air. Amanda was a little startled at seeing them.
Saya looked at Sarek, "I will handle the inebriated individual."
"Your service honors the Terran Empire."
Saya then proceeded to grab the man away by his collar and set him down in a chair and talked to other security detail. In minutes the guy was getting dragged out of there. Amanda wondered what Saya told them?
Sarek stood a little rigidly, "That male was inebriated. He should not have approached the Lady of Vulcan in such a way."
Amanda wanted to laugh. Why was this man so strange? "Believe it or not I have handled many drunk Terran men. This is nothing compared to what I had to deal with in college."
"You have subjected yourself to these situations before?," Sarek replied almost incredulously.
"Just like any other young Terran in college. I was young and I actually was able to protect myself more than once. I'm might look weak but I was the daughter of an Imperial Starfleet admiral. I had to learn a thing or two when it came to self-defense. I'm sure you had to as well being the son of the last governor."
"That is correct. I learned Suus-mahna."
"Vulcan martial arts?"
"Yes."
Their conversation was cut short by a jovial voice, "Are those the S'chi T'gai's?"
Amanda was not used to being referred to with the clan name. It was Governor Grax with his lovely wife. Amanda had stared at her picture quite a few times when T'Rama was instructing her.
Sarek turned to the man and offered the Terran salute, "Governor Grax, it is acceptable to see you."
"Sometimes you are so stuffy," Grax laughed.
Amanda laughed to herself. Governor Grax was not wrong about that. She looked over at Sarek and she could tell he was not familiar with the term but Governor Grax could sense that as well. "Don't worry too much about the contextual meaning of that word, Sarek. All Vulcans are like that. I wanted to introduce you to my wife, Lady Reemmoxa of Betazed."
The woman standing next to Governor Grax was a regal woman who had aged quite gracefully. Her hair was mostly jet black and her pupils were just as pitch black as her husbands. The woman wore a long deep purple gown that hugged her figure.
Sarek responded, "It is a pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Lady Reemmoxa. This is my bondmate, Lady Amanda of Vulcan."
Both the women looked at each other and Amanda was surprised that she felt at ease with her. She wondered if the woman was manipulating her emotions. Amanda found that she didn't mind if it helped her be in present with the current situation. Amanda spoke, "Lady Reemmoxa, I'm happy to meet you. You are more elegant in real life than what holovideos can provide."
"Lady Amanda, you flatter me. It is nice to meet you and Governor Sarek. Andrus has told me much about you. Positive things I assure you."
Sarek and Amanda looked at each other for a moment. Amanda continued you to speak, "Governor and Lady Grax, what displays have you visited so far?"
Governor Grax replied, "Only the weaponry one. The Imperial Starfleet has developed an advanced cloaking device that can hid a moving vehicle as well as shield it. It is similar to the technology that is use for starships shield."
Amanda felt intrigued by the idea, "Amazing! Sarek and I have yet to look at it. I'm sure that is where we will go next."
Sarek had no objections to the idea, "We will Amanda."
Governor Grax scanned the room before looking at the newlyweds, "It would seem that it was nice chatting with both of you but I have just spotted Fleet Admiral Kirk. He keeps looking at me and I can feel his annoyance with me from across the room. I think it's time to pay a visit and calm him down. It was great talking with you."
Grax looked at his wife but she nudge him to go talk to Kirk so she could continue to talk to Sarek and Amanda, "Andrus is determined to teach the Fleet Admiral the importance of respect amongst colleagues."
Sarek spoke, "I find that agreeable. Governor Grax has taken on an enormous task. He is doing the Governor's Circle a great service."
Lady Reemmoxa laughed, "It is indeed a service according to the stories that Andrus has relayed to me."
The Betazoid woman looked at Amanda and addressed her, "I do not want to leave the governor to the devices of the Fleet Admiral for too long, but I would love to dine with you before I leave Vulcan next week Lady Amanda. Does that sound good to you?"
Amanda looked at Sarek for approval and he did not say anything, "I would love that. Please just reach out to me and I will make sure my schedule is open for that."
The woman smiled, "Lovely. Goodnight to you both."
The Lady of Betazed gave the salute to them both and walked away.
Sarek looked at Amanda, "It will be beneficial for you to form relations with other high officials in the Empire. The Grax's are important allies to have."
"I completely agree and I actually really like the woman. I feel like I could become friends with her."
"Perhaps. Should we visit the weaponry wing?"
"Yeah, let's do it."
The both of them walked over in companionable silence. Amanda felt nervous when she saw the weapons. She heard the familiar sound of an agonizer and felt cold sweats at the haunting humming. Sarek looked at Amanda and noticed a similar shift in her emotions to when they first arrived. "Amanda."
The voice of Sarek brought her back to the current moment and she felt weak. "It's nothing Sarek."
Sarek raised a brow as Amanda continued forward and practically ran past the agonizers to the phasers. Sarek took larger strides to keep up with her. Amanda turned around and looked at him with a fake smile and he tilted his head.
That was when the lights went off. The chatter of the people around them paused and turned into gasps. The backup generator kicked in and filled the crystal halls with red light. Sarek scanned the room and did not see Saya or Tevak, but he could sense something was not right. He heard a beeping sound and looked at Amanda who seemed unnerved and was staring right at him with concern in her eyes.
"Aman–," was all that Sarek could say as a blast went off 100 feet away from them in another wing. The glass was shattered and there was screaming. The seconds felt like minutes as blasts continued to be heard throughout the whole facility. Hordes of people were running past them and Sarek struggle against the mass of people to grab onto Amanda's arm. Another blast went off and it sent people flying towards the display of agonizers. Sarek could smell burning flesh hit his nostrils, and the sound of wailing add to the cacophony of noise. He started to run with Amanda right next to him. He did not let her go for fear that they she would be separated from him.
As they weaved through the crowd he could not maneuver himself and Amanda fast enough to miss the next blast. He looked into the blast and the bright flash burned into his retinas and blinded him as he started to feel that blast throw him and Amanda off their feet and toward the phaser display. In order to protect Amanda from the explosion he place himself in front of her and held onto her as they flew towards the wall. Sarek slammed his head hard against the floor and he could feel Amanda pinned in-between himself and the wall. If there was ever a time to use pre-reform Vulcan expletives in his lifetime he wished to do so now. He could only see black spots for a moment and the ringing in his ears made him loose sense of his surroundings.
Air was forced out of Amanda's lungs as she was slammed into the display wall and felt ringing in her left ear. She took a moment to look at Sarek and he was hardly responding. He was groaning in pain and Amanda could see a trickle of green blood drip from his temple. She touched his face briefly to see if he was okay. He opened his eyes but he could barley focus on her. That was when she saw them, the Ak'spar. Four Vulcan men were approaching them. Amanda recognized one of them from the propaganda the Ak'spar would use to override the holonews.
Sarek's vision was becoming less hazy and he turned to look at the culprits. He knew who was walking towards them. He horsely spoke his name, "Vorsil."
The group of Vulcans lifted their hands in the forbidden ta'al. Sarek started to cough on his own blood as they got closer. Amanda's adrenaline was at an all time high. She didn't want Sarek die and she wasn't going to let these terrorist kill him or her. The men began to point phasers at them and the humming of their weapons started to get louder. Amanda grabbed the phaser rifle that was right next to her calf and started to shoot at the men. She was able to successfully shoot 3 of the men and watch them turn to dust. All that was left was Vorsil, but before Amanda could shoot more Ak'spar reenforcement appeared. Amanda did not think she could shoot her way out of this one. Not when Sarek was partially injured. Panic started to set in. She did not want to die, not yet. She didn't want Sarek to go this way either.
It was in that moment that Amanda saw two bodies come crashing down into the crowd of Ak'spar. There were grunts and shouts as Amanda saw Saya and Tevak with phaser and daggers. Saya spun around off of Tevak and was launched at a group with a dagger in her right hand and a phaser in her left. The people that stood in her way were down in seconds. Tevak was a huge mass amongst the Ak'spar. He was able to plow through them with ease and throw people out of his way. They tried to nerve pinch Tevak put he was able to use his brute strength to keep them from even laying a finger on him. They were able to kill off the small group of Ak'spar in a matter of only a minute or 2. Amanda was impressed and now understood why they were hired as their body guards.
Tevak spoke, "I managed to eliminate 6 of the enemies."
Saya had a gleam in her eye but remained stoic, "I exterminated 8."
Tevak nodded, "It would seem you were able to achieve a higher number this time. In the next altercation, I hypothesize I will obtain the higher number."
"That will depend on the probability and the frequency of these situations. For the safety of the Governor and his wife I hope these attacks will be limited."
"I agree. It appears Vorsil escaped. I do not know where he has relocated too."
Saya looked at him, "That does not matter now. Our main objective is the Governor and Lady Amanda."
Saya looked at Amanda and the Governor who were still on the ground and ran towards them as Tevak stood guard, "Governor Sarek and Lady Amanda, are you physically able enough to flee via our Alpha 4 escape plan?"
Sarek managed to get up and stand but felt his head spin, "We will be able to do so. The situation requires it. We do not have much of a choice"
Amanda looked at him and subconsciously wiped some of the green blood that was trickling down his face. "Sarek, are you sure you are okay?"
"I find that with the definition of that word that I am quite the opposite, but I am coherent enough to escape this place as soon as possible."
"Okay,"
Saya grabbed a hypospray from her pack, "Governor, with your permission?"
Sarek nodded. He felt the light sting of the hypospray but found that his pain was gone and the spinning had subdued for now.
Saya spoke, "That will aid you for 1.3 hours until we can get you properly examined by a healer."
The sound of screams and explosions started to fill their ears. Amanda looked at all of them, "I think we need to run, but before we do we need to arm ourselves."
Sarek raised a brow at her suggestion but agreed. Amanda ran towards the cloaking device and grabbed it along with a photon grenade and the phaser rifle. Sarek grabbed a phaser off the floor and Saya and Tevak also grabbed weapons. She activated the cloaking devices as they moved through the hallway.
Saya led ahead as Tevak tailed behind in the back to cover them as they made their way into the main entrance hall. It was a war zone. Amanda had never seen anything like it. Amongst the chaos were Imperial Starfleet officers starting to surround the Ak'spar troops. Phaser fire was going back and forth between the 2 groups creating a never ending stream of red beams flying through the air. There was yelling and photon grenades were being thrown around.
They made their way up the stairs to the second floor to the maintenance entrance they were supposed to enter. As that happened a photon grenade was thrown towards them and Saya immediately grabbed it and threw it towards the Ak'spar. It detonated in the air and the explosion disrupted the cloaking device. Two Ak'spar approached them and soon 7 other Ak'spar were heading their way. Amanda felt the adrenaline in her veins and was ready to fight if needed. Sarek noticed that Amanda trembled lightly but when he looked at her expression he noticed she looked determined.
"Governor Sarek and Lady Amanda you need to go through the maintenance entrance now. Saya and I will defend you as you escape. You know the route, Governor. We will call you soon. Do not go back to the fortress at this time, I do not know if it is compromised. My recommendation is to go to the Forge and wait for our call."
Saya looked at them, "Through this path you should be able to find a vehicle to use to escape. Most of the personnel here use that area to park hover cars and hover cycles when they come to work."
Phaser fire started to increase on them as the cloaking device and shield started to glitch from the heavy fire. Amanda looked at the device and at Tevak and Saya who were calculating their next offensive move. That is when Saya looked at he and nodded. A photon grenade was thrown at them again and Saya pushed them into the maintenance entrance and started to punch codes to seal the door.
As the door closed Amanda was able to get one more look at Saya. She was in her element. This is what she lived for. She almost seemed feral. The door slammed shut as the fight continued on between them and the massive metal door. It was silent and Amanda could only hear her panted breaths along with Sarek's labored ones. She looked at him.
"They sealed the door, we can only go forward." Sarek spoke.
Sarek started to lead them but was holding his phaser ready to fire at any enemies. The stillness of the maintenance hallway was eerie. Amanda had a hard time focusing when all she could hear was their uneven breaths as they cautiously made their way down the dimly lit corridors. Voices stared to grow louder as the turned one corner. Sarek looked at Amanda and she nodded. Sarek held his phaser ready to fire and scanned around the corner. They were Ak'spar troops. There were 5 of them. They must have been monitoring any exits to the Maz-izh-kel. He got close to Amanda and spoke quietly in her ear.
"There are 5 of them. I will go around the corner to shoot the first 2 then you will need to use your phaser to get the remaining 3. Can you do this?"
"Yes." Amanda felt nervous, she had no choice but to be brave. She had made it this far and she planned to continue to survive.
"On my count. 1, 2, 3."
Sarek turned the corner and shot down 2 of the unsuspecting Ak'spar members and then they started to fire back. It was then that Amanda made her way around the corner and used her phaser rifle to shoot down the remaining terrorists.
Amanda was shocked that they actually did it. She looked at Sarek and gave him a smile of relief. Sarek was continually impressed with Amanda, she had exceed every expectation he had of her. He spoke, "Let's continue, we must not get caught by the Ak'spar."
They continued down the corridor and took a few more turns until they reached a landing bay full of hover cars and hover bikes. The problem was there were at least 15 Ak'spar in the hangar. Amanda looked at Sarek," I don't know how we are going to get out of this one. We are heavily out numbered."
"The odds are not in our favor. I have only this hand phaser. What weapons did you take?"
"I still have a photon grenade and this rifle but the cloaking device is out of sorts."
"Let me look at the cloaking device."
Amanda handed him the device. He held it and opened the bracket into and reconnected a wire he took from another part of the device and closed it.
"The connection was disrupted, it should work now."
"Are you sure?"
Sarek turned on the device and the humming started. "Our cover will be blown once we get in a vehicle. We will be cloaked but the sound of the vehicle will be apparent and alert everyone in the hanger of our location."
"We will just have to use the photon grenade when we leave the hanger and hopefully that will buy us enough time to escape."
"I was contemplating such a strategy as well."
"Well, you know what they say?"
"No, I do not what 'they' say"
"Great minds think alike."
"A Terran saying."
"Yup."
Sarek looked around the hanger and saw that the easiest vehicle to override would be a hover cycle. There was one located on the Southeast part of the hanger and there was no one near it. They carefully made their way to the hover cycle and Amanda looked at him with a raised brow.
Sarek secured the cloaking device to the hover cycle and Sarek sat down in the seat. Amanda could tell he was in his element for a split second she imagined what he would look like as a teenager on one of these things. Sarek titled his head at Amanda wondering why she was not on the hover cycle yet. Amanda shook her head realizing she need to move with haste and hopped on the back of the hover cycle. She did everything in her power to try and keep as much space as possible from herself and Sarek.
"You will need to securely hold onto me. I will be accelerating out of here faster than I normally would. I do not want you to fly off."
Amanda felt nervous and got closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso tightly. She found the physical contact comforting given the current circumstances. Sarek turned on the hover cycle. "You will need to drop the photon grenade at the entrance of the landing bay."
Amanda nodded against his back. It was silent for a moment and everything felt still until Sarek turned on the hover cycle. She held onto him tighter as he took his foot off the ground and they started to accelerate towards the maddening crowd. The sound gave them away as the Ak'spar shot relentlessly towards their cloaked hover cycle. Sarek maneuvered them through the vehicles and Sarek even plowed over a few Ak'spar members that were in his way. As they approached the exit of the hanger Amanda pushed the button on the photon grenade and dropped in the exit.
After a few seconds she could hear the blast and she let out a sigh of relief. As they left the hanger, Sarek started to wildly navigate through the streets away from the massive amount of Starfleet ship that were approaching the Maz-izh-kel. Amanda felt some relief as she felt they were getting further away from danger. Subconsciously, she nuzzled her face into Sarek's back to protect her face from the wind. He still had that naturally spicy smell about him and Amanda found it grounding in a moment when she was unsure if they were going to survive or not.
A phaser beam almost brushed past them and Amanda looked behind them. There were 2 Ak'spar on hover cycles behind them.
"Sarek, there is more of them."
"Amanda you will have to eliminate them. I will do my best to make sure they lose our trail. Grab my phaser."
Amanda grabbed the phaser and started to aim as Sarek dodged the shots behind them. Amanda struggled to aim at them properly. She fired but missed. The next shot came from the Ak'spar and hit her hand and she screamed and the phaser fell from her hand.
Sarek felt panic as he heard the phaser beam that hit his bondmate's hand. "Amanda, hold on. I'm going to try to out maneuver them."
A small cry came out of Amanda as she went back to holding Sarek tightly. Sarek felt terrified. His instincts where telling him to flee. Another part of him was angry that Amanda was in danger. He would not let them die tonight. Sarek immediately stopped the engine and turned the hover cycle around 180 degrees and grabbed the phaser rifle and started to fire with adrenaline in his veins, this was it. He was able to gun down one of the vehicles but missed the other. Sarek felt an overwhelming need to protect Amanda at all cost. Right as Sarek was trying to calculate his next option, an Imperial Starfleet ship shot down the Ak'spar right in front of them. As that happened an unregistered starship started firing at the Imperial Starfleet. Sarek did not want to be near this battle. He needed to get Amanda to safety.
Sarek turned on the hover cycle and started to speed towards the outskirts of the city. They rode into the vast dark Vulcan desert hopping to find some refuge there.
Author's Note:
This is a long chapter. It took me awhile to finesse, and I still feel like I missed plenty of typos and other edits. So sorry about that. Either way, leave a review and follow. Thanks!