Stardate: 2227.68

Time: 0700

"The Terran Empire Technologies Trade Show located in Shi'Kahr, Vulcan was a success last night, and dignitaries from all over the Terran Empire were present."

Images of Sarek and Amanda walking into the main hall of the Maz-izh-kel flashed onto the screen. It was followed by a highlight reel of the Governor's Circle and other notable celebrities. People were laughing, dressed in their fineries and drinking the best wine the Empire had to offer. The scene changed to a drone shot of the building and a pan of the weaponry display.

"Faces of political leaders and celebrities were present. The technological developments of the Empire will allow for better control against terrorist groups and that was proven last night."

"Last night a small group of Ak'spar were able to infiltrate the trade show causing a small disturbance, but was quickly dealt with by the Imperial Starfleet."

The footage revealed Imperial officers gunning down a Vulcan man with an Ak'spar symbol. It was edited in a way that made it look like the Starfleet officers were saviors of the Empire, infallible from all misdeeds. They revealed the corpses of the dead Ak'spar troops lined up row by row. Missing from the footage was the screaming attendees and damage caused by the Ak'spar.

Amanda shook her head in frustration. The Terran Empire was constantly covering up their failures. People deserved to know what actually happened. There was a traitor who exploited a weakness in security for a major Terran Empire event.

Amanda did not support the Ak'spar she found them to be extreme in their approach. She wanted to see the Terran Empire fall but there had to be some other way. A knock on her door took her by surprise and she closed the holonews on her PADD.

"Lady Amanda," Zhi'rev approached timidly.

"Ah, hello Zhi'rev. I'm assuming you are here to help me get ready for the day?"

"Yes, that is correct. I have also been asked to deliver a message to you from Lady Reemmoxa Grax."

Amanda quirked her eyebrow with curiosity. She realized she was making an expression Sarek would have made. She had been spending too much time with Vulcans and their mannerisms were rubbing off on her. She took the PADD that Zhi'rev was offering her.

Lady Amanda,

I would love for you to join me for lunch in Shi'Kahr today. I realize that this is such a late notice, but it would seem my plans have changed because of last night's events. I have business to attend to on Betazed and must leave tomorrow.

I hope to see you soon,

Lady Reemmoxa Grax

Lady of Betazed

Amanda felt pleased that the Lady of Betazed wanted to befriend her. She wondered how well they would get along. Her first impression of the woman was great and she was sure she could learn many things from her.

"Zhi'rev, please send word immediately. I would love to join Lady Reemmoxa for lunch today. I don't have anything pressing."

"I will, Lady Amanda," Zhi'rev paused for a moment, "Also the governor would like to have breakfast with you. I'll help you get ready so you can go down."

Amanda's mouth slightly dropped. She felt her heart skip a beat and it surprised her. If she had to describe how she felt, it was almost giddy. It didn't make sense in her mind. She was still just riding off the strange feelings of the previous night when it was just them alone in the Vulcan forge. Sarek's eyes were so focused on her when he had his hand on her face caressing her lightly. If she knew any better she truly thought he was going to kiss her. She shook her head pushing away the fresh memory.

Her feelings were complicated in regard to him. She had greater ambitions than getting more and more involved with Sarek. Her survival and getting off this planet was more important. Wasn't it? She wanted to be friends with him but the thought never occurred to her that they could be more than that. A laugh escaped her at the irony of the situation because they were husband and wife. Suddenly, she was nervous to see him now. She didn't understand what she wanted from him and it scared her.

"Lady Amanda, should we go down?"

Amanda nodded as if she was completely paying attention to Zhi'rev. She took her time going down the stairs and walked to the kitchen. There he was sitting in his tailored shirt and relaxed trousers. His coat was resting on the back of the chair. The sun from the window was streaming on him and Amanda for a moment thought he looked like an elf. The ones she grew up reading about. Sarek turned to look at her as he noticed her presence. His penetrating eyes stared into hers and she felt ensnared by him. Amanda realized she saw him as a man and that made her nervousness increase. A remnant of light bruises brushed his face. The strands of his hair were in order and his facial hair was trimmed and neat. He looked almost a perfect picture of health and regalness nothing like the desperate tired young man she saw last night. The only thing left of the man from last night was the peculiar look in his eyes as his gaze met hers. It melted any apprehension she had at that moment. She watched as his eyes left her own and then trailed up and down her body. She almost blushed as his eyes came back to meet her own.

"You look well-recovered. Your youth and fine aesthetics still seem to be intact after last night's incident."

Amanda felt shocked. Who was this man? Was he flirting with her? Could Vulcans even do that? She couldn't deny that she appreciated his compliment, but two could play at this game.

Amanda gave him an easy smile. She walked closer to the man who was basking in the rays of the morning sun and sat across from him at the small table and leaned forward, "It would seem you still have some battle scars."

Amanda gently traced her finger over the bruise on his cheek. Sarek stared at her intently. She continued, "That being said you are still the same regal Governor of Vulcan."

Sarek's breath caught unwillingly in his throat. He was staring into Amanda's eyes and was thinking back on the previous night. A night that had little to no rest, even though his biology did not require much. He meditated briefly but spent most of the night planning a way to protect Amanda from any threats. When his time wasn't spent on that he was trying to figure out how to make her his bondmate in every way. He decided he could find a way to hide his own reservations about the Terran Empire and still be bonded to Amanda in the way he desired. He did some more research about Terran courtship and he found that he had to give positive validation or engage in "flirting" to start getting his point across. He also researched more into the whole subject of kissing and intimacy. He found that he would be willing to engage in kissing even if he found that it might be an unsanitary practice. If it pleased Amanda he would be willing to do that for her. He was very curious about the ritual and wanted to perform a few preliminary examinations before engaging in such activities.

His eyes moved from Amanda's and he studied her deep soft pink lips instead. He saw her breath intake sharply and her breathing became more rapid. Her jaw slacked slightly and her lips parted. He noted that was encouraging. Her face flushed slightly and he found that extremely appealing. His eyes met hers and lingered there a moment longer. He watched as her pupils dilated leaving her eyes more black than their earthly blue. Fascinated by his findings he moved closer to her for a moment to test his theories. It was met favorably but he did not want to rush into his experiment and get results that were detrimental to his success. If there was one thing he found in his research it was the importance of tact. Reluctantly, he reached for the fingers that were still lingering on his face with his hand. For a brief moment, he savored the euphoric connection of their fingers. He almost lost his resolve but he gently let go of her hand and placed it on the table.

Amanda felt like some sort of spell had been broken and she came to her senses. She blushed. With how hot her face and neck felt she knew Sarek could see it. If that was a game, Sarek had most certainly won. She had no idea what had just happened but she could not deny that there was a different kind of tension between them now. To her surprise she found that part of her did not mind in the slightest.

"You think I am regal?" Sarek said with an arched brow.

Amanda sunk back into her chair, "You have to be since you are the Governor of Vulcan."

"So you find me aesthetically pleasing?"

Sarek's face remained phlegmatic and Amanda was wondering what was going on in his head today. How was she supposed to respond? She couldn't deny that she found him attractive after the last 24 hours.

"That is an unfair question."

"It is just a question. I would not garner it as unfair."

"I choose not to answer it at the moment."

"I will respect your wishes then. I cannot promise that I will not ask in the future."

Amanda was shocked that he did not press her anymore on the subject. He respected her. Her growing discomfort helped her steer the topic away from her confusing feelings.

"Thanks. Did you watch the holonews?"

"I have."

"Don't you find it strange that they didn't report the events as how they occurred?"

"I agree with that observation. It was not an accurate account."

"Why does the OIH do that?"

"Amanda, I sense that you know the answer."

"The Empire needs to present a strong front."

"Correct. Any sign of weakness disrupts the whole structure of the Terran Empire. We cannot give any hope to dissenters and terrorists. "

"I understand the need for it, but it just feels strange that they do this. How are we supposed to know what is real and what is not?"

Sarek looked at her and wondered why she felt unsettled by the inaccuracy of the holonews.

"The holonews is intended for the subjects of the Terran Empire. Fear and control are necessary for law and order. The contents do not need to be accurate to get that point across."

Amanda didn't like the terms "fear" or "control".

"Fear...control, they are such strange words. To think that fear and control is the driving force for trillions of sentient beings is just perplexing to me."

Sarek was bemused by Amanda's comment. He did not want to live life in fear or control. Yet, he was a governor and still needed to present a strong front, even in front of her, "Fear and control is necessary for the longevity of the Terran Empire."

Amanda made a sad smile at Sarek, "You're right. I don't disagree with you."

Sarek could feel her sadness but did not want to push the issue, "What is your schedule today?"

"Oh, well, Lady Remmoxa reached out to me so we are going to have lunch today in Shi'Kahr. Then I have some more training with your mother in the late afternoon."

"Is it safe for you to go to Shi'Kahr after last night's events?"

"I will be fine. I can bring Saya with me and a few Imperial officers if that will make you feel better. I don't think Governor Grax would send his own wife into the lion's den."

"First off, as someone who personally works with Governor Grax I can attest to the fact that he would never allow his wife to be in a den full of lions. Second, I do not think there are any Terran lions on Vulcan"

Amanda laughed. Sarek was left confused by her response.

"Sarek, it is an idiom. A reference from a really old book called the Bible. It's rather silly that we still use the term now that I think of it. You still have a lot to learn about Terrans."

"It would seem that my teacher on Terran customs left out the particular history of this saying."

"And who would that be?"

"My own wife."

Amanda lightly blushed at the term 'wife'. He seemed to favor 'bondmate' in most situations, "You're using very Terran terms already. I'll make sure to educate you on all things Terran in the future, adun."

Sarek liked that term on her lips and in that unique accent of hers.

"I look forward to it, adun'a. I trust you will be safe at your lunch this afternoon."

"I'll have Saya with me so I'll be fine, Sarek," Amanda continued, "What about you? How busy is today looking?"

"I have various meetings with the Minister of Trade, Minister of Defense and the Admiral in charge of Starfleet on Vulcan. I will also be in a meeting with the Governor's Circle to discuss the matters of last night. It was unacceptable what the Ak'spar did. We will not tolerate it."

"Yeah you sounds very busy."

"I have a full schedule."

The conversation came to a companionable silence and they ate the rest of their breakfast peacefully. Sarek would stare at her from time to time as he absorbed her mannerisms and how she ate. His comm's buzz startled him and he picked it up to answer the call. He made a few comments in Vulcan and closed the comm shut and placed it back in his pocket.

"It would seem I have to go. There are many things that must be discussed today."

Sarek stood up and Amanda decided to see him off at the front door.

"Have a good day, Sarek. Good luck with everything," Amanda spoke.

He stepped closer to her and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "I look forward to reporting the day's events at end meal. Be safe, adun'a"

Location: Capital building

Time: 1630

Sarek's mind recalled the back of Amanda's slender neck. Calculations of the curvature of it filled his mind and the flawless of the skin that resided there. Her hair line had baby hairs that came out of her bun this morning. An irrational desire to–

"Governor Sarek," an older Vulcan man spoke. " I will not allow for any other security breaches. The members of my board have been running a counter hacking program. We have only been successful in locating one of their servers. Alas, the information was mostly destroyed and irrelevant to finding the Ak'spar's whereabouts."

Sarek recovered gracefully, "Unfortunately, we do not have the time. We need more resources on pinpointing the exact location. You will need to double your efforts with Admiral M'Fau."

Sarek looked over at the female Vulcan in her Imperial Starfleet uniform.

"Governor Sarek, the Emperor has deployed more troops to the planet for the time being. We can request more intel if necessary," replied M'Fau.

Sarek replied, "Admiral, I will let you oversee this. We will need more intel. I will not allow for the Ak'spar to harm any more innocent Vulcans."

"We only wish to serve the Empire, " replied M'Fau and Anauk dryly.

"Your service honors the Terran Empire," Sarek replied.

Sarek looked at his PADD on the table and noticed the time. He turned to Soran who had been taking notes the whole meeting.

"Soran, have the other governors arrived yet?"

"We are only missing Governor Gav. You have a few more minutes if you wish to discuss more with Admiral M'Fau and Minister Anauk."

Sarek turned to look at the two Vulcans sitting across from him. "As we discussed in this meeting, we will need to increase security and perform public executions and broadcast them to the planet."

"Yes, Governor," replied the two Vulcans. Sarek motioned for them to leave and they rose from their chairs and gave the Terran salute and exited the room.

Sarek looked over at Soran, "Will you greet the governors and tell them that I will be arriving shortly. I need to organize some files on my PADD."

"Yes, Governor Sarek."

Soran silently left, leaving Sarek alone in his office for a moment. He quickly organized his talking points for his next meeting. He opened up a drawer in his desk to look at another PADD when he saw the small black drive that Governor Grax had given him. He still needed to open it. It had to be important whatever it was. He did not have time to worry about it now. He had to find a way to protect Amanda and all of Vulcan from the terrorists.

Sarek elegantly stood and exited his office to meet the other governors in the Hall of Thought. As he entered he saw Soran standing in the corner giving the governors the agenda for their meeting.

"Ah, there you are Sarek!" Governor Grax said gleefully.

"Yes, I am present."

"I'm happy the Ak'spar didn't do any serious damage to you last night."

"I see everyone here is well," Sarek said as he scanned the room to see that everyone was present except for Fleet Admiral Kirk. Sarek could not say he missed his presence.

"Governor Gav almost got his arm ripped off by an Ak'spar member. He was lucky I was around to save him this time," chimed in Governor Shukar.

The Tellarite was not pleased with the response of his Andorian colleague, "It was your own personal body guard that was able to save me. You haven't faced battle in decades."

"Do not make a fool of me, Gav," Shukar hissed.

"Governors enough. We have a tight schedule, and I need to leave Vulcan in the next 2 hours," Governor Grax said calmly.

The tension in the room was immediately deescalated and Sarek suspected it was all because of Governor Grax's empathic abilities. He found it very useful to have a Betazoid in the Governor's Circle.

"As you can tell we are missing the presence of Fleet Admiral Kirk who was injured last night. He is on the road to full recovery but was called away to Deep Space 12. He is needed there immediately. Emperor Sato can not attend today's meeting but Soran will write up a report to send to her Majesty. Let's start with the most obvious point of decision, last night, " Governor Grax said.

Sarek chimed in, "I was just talking to the Vulcan Minister of Defense and Admiral M'Fau who is over Starfleet on the Vulcan. They are doubling their efforts to find the security breach from last night. We are also planning on airing public executions of any Ak'spar we capture."

"It seems you have things under control here, Governor," Andrus Grax said.

Governor Shukar frowned instead, "Yes, it would seem that Vulcan has all the resources it needs yet it was only brought to my attention this morning that the Ak'spar are teaming up with Orions and Coridanites on Coridan III in the Beta Quadrant. I will not allow such a threat to be growing there. The Imperial Starfleet has had trouble reigning in the planet for decades and it would seem the unrest there is getting worse. Who knows where these poisonous radicals will go next? Governor Sarek, we need Project Satev-tukh to be completed as soon as possible. If Cordian III is an issue now it will only spread its ideals until it reaches Andoria. I will not stand by and watch the Terran Empire fall."

Sarek's familiar feelings of doubt hit Sarek in his chest. He knew he did not want Projeck Satev-tukh to ever come to fruition. Yet here he was a Governor of Vulcan having to prove his loyalty to the Emperor and those in the Governor's Circle. He did not agree with the Ak'spar but what about the innocent lives on Cordian III?

"Since we last spoke of this a few weeks ago, there were no notable updates on the project."

"There should be!" growled Governor Shukar.

Sarek looked at the blue man and remained emotionless, "It takes time to develop complex technologies such as a weapon that can destroy an entire planet without using dilithium crystals. The amount of energy needed to destroy an entire planet is astronomical. Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed. I was an astrophysicist before I was governor and directly worked with the project. I do not see logic in impatience for a scientific process that takes time, Governor Shukar. Unless, I missed your credentials on thermodynamics in the Terran Empire Database?"

Shukar huffed, and looked at Governor Grax hoping he would have a different answer, "Governor Grax, there is major urgency here. Can't we always replenish our dilithium stockpile?"

"It's not that simple. The Terran Empire uses dilithium crystals to power all their fleets and more. It's out of the question. You are lucky that Empress Sato was not present to hear your foolish request."

Governor Shukar folded his arm and let out an agitated growl.

Sarek spoke evenly, "Governor Shukar, I want the Ak'spar eliminated as much as you do. I will not tolerate such a group that threatens to kill my wife, or my family. We will find a way to eradicate them. I will not rest until I see their leader Vorsil dead by my hands."

Governor Gav laughed, "I have not heard a Vulcan so dead set on vengeance. I like that. You're already a much better governor than your father. I only wish the Emperor was here to witness it."

Sarek did not know how to respond and the governors continued to debate after the comment. Any anger inside him was extinguished. He did not like the word vengeance associated with him. He wanted to keep Amanda safe but not at the cost of losing himself. He had much to mediate on tonight.

It was in this moment of introspection that Sarek felt that something was off. Something in his katra was telling him something was amiss. He did not know how to describe the feeling. He felt anxious for the meeting to end so he could investigate this more.

"Governor Sarek, what do you think about this?" Grax looked at him.

"Could you please restate your point?"

"Sure, I was talking about how Captain Georgiou was promoted last night to an Admiral because Admiral Abarca was killed. She is going to oversee the ISS Shenzhou for the time being while Kirk decides where to post her. Someone named Captain Achilles is taking over the ISS Forge now."

"That is fascinating news given the fact that Admiral Georgiou was only a captain for a few months."

"You know how gaining rank in Starfleet works. You kill the right people, you get the rank you want."

"I understand."

The meeting continued on as they discussed everything from labor camps on various planets and how they were building more correctional facilities on Vulcan. More and more citizens had been losing behavioral credit since the death of Skon and Admiral Grayson, and it needed to be met with force. As the meeting became more mundane Sarek kept feeling unsettled by something other than his own doubts. For a few moments his thoughts turned to Amanda and her safety. Was she alive? That question was illogical because he would feel their bond break if that were the case. This did not stop the unease he felt as he waited for the meeting to finish.

It was while they were reviewing the trade of various slaves, Sarek's comm buzzed loudly.

Sarek looked at the men in the room, "My apologies."

Sarek silenced the comm, and it buzzed again. He silenced it once more.

In the next moment, a ping came from Soran's PADD, "Governor Sarek, I do not want to cut this meeting short, but it is imperative that you answer your comm it appears to be your wife."

He knew Amanda would not call him randomly in the middle of a work day. She never called him. It had to be important.

"Sarek, just answer the call. We have talked enough for today. Do we agree, Governors?" Governor Grax said.

The Governor's Circle agreed and nodded.

"Thank you. Long live the Terran Empire. If you will excuse me," Sarek got up, gave the salute and exited the room at practically mach 5.

Sarek's comm buzzed again and he picked up.

Sobs were coming through the comm and he heard the muffled cries of his wife. Sarek was ready to find a way to teleport himself home in an instant. He logically could not remain calm with his wife in complete distress.

"S-S-Sarek! I'm so sorry."

"Amanda–" Sarek tried to interject but Amanda continued.

"I wasn't fast enough. It's all my fault."

"Amanda, what are you referring to?"

"T'Rama…is dead."

Amanda's sobs filled his ear for a moment as his comm slipped out of his hand and clattered onto the cold stone floor.