Title: After the Rescue

Part: NEW 52/73

Author: Karmen Ghia, karmen_ghia@yahoo.com

Series: TOS

Romance Code: S/Mc and then some.

Rating: NC-17

Appendices: http://members.tripod.com/karmen_ghia/atrappendices.html

See part one for disclaimers, etc.

Jir turned, suddenly all business: "No bail, bro, sorry. Since Maja and Ling pulled in, there are too many of your crews here and everybody is nervous that you'll run for it."

"I'm crushed by the Federation's lack of confidence in me."

"Aye, me too. The good but expected news is that FMOJ ..."

"The what?"

"The Federation Ministry of Justice has dropped their ridiculous request for the death penalty if you are convicted."

"Was that ever serious?"

"I think it was a politically correct maneuver on Terra to ask for it. Smoothes down the xenophobes that think you're responsible for everything that's gone wrong everywhere for the past twenty years." Jir opened his battered briefcase and rooted around in it. "So now they've asked for it and the spoil-sport Vulcans have refused it. And on very solid constitutional grounds I might add - really a lovely and irrefutable argument T'Pnov presented, I was all jealous - and those what don't like the decision can blame them awful Vulcans and everybody is happy happy happy."

"But no bail."

"No. I'll keep trying."

"Jir, does Maja know what defense you're planning?"

"I haven't told him but I'm sure he'll hear about it eventually."

"Will you please tell him."

"No time! I'm all over your case like a cheap suit. I've got complete confidence in myself here. Possibly complete confidence squared."

"Oh, yeah? When do you shave your head?"

"Oh, a week or so! Unless I can convince the court that since I'm being holoed in and not actually IN the court but I really doubt they'll buy it. Who cares? Fuck my hair. Anyway. We start the trial in fifteen days. I objected to a longer continuance on the grounds that you were denied bail and the Judges caved in like rotten fruit."

"They what?"

"They denied the longer continuance."

"Ah. Have you been to see the Sas and the children?"

"No."

"JIR."

"Hobie." Jir clenched his fists but his voice was calmly passionate. "When this is over, I'll have, we'll have the rest of our lives to play with the babies and split infinitives with the Sas. This trial is all I'm willing to think about right now and that's just how it is."

Hobie backed off. He'd never seen Jir in super legal mode and hot on the trail of victory. He found the intensity a little hard to take. He then remembered that his future was on the line and decided it was a good thing Jir was on his side.

"All right," Hobie said, quietly. "How do my chances look?"

"They look marvelous, darling, simply marvelous!" And Jir proceeded to tell him in detail.

* * *

"We don't have a case." Sarfati said, pacing in the borrowed offices in the Star Fleet mission in Shirkar. "Or at least, not much of one. And Jir knows that, that's why we're in court in two weeks."

Lapham and Charbon exchanged unhappy glances. It was true they had a rotten case and no time to build a better one.

So far they had heard from their three rape victims that they, in fact, did not consider themselves raped. All three said their experience with Hobie Talljet was a beautiful and treasured memory.

"How did Star Fleet misunderstand that?" Lapham had asked his colleagues.

"Knowing Star Fleet, somebody read the reports that Albany, Tikel and Grushinkev had sex with Talljet on Talljet's ship and leapt to the conclusion that it was forced." Charbon found herself beginning to admire Hobie for the loyalty he obviously and easily inspired.

"Grushinkev was under age... let's see he was what? Fifteen?" Lapham was grasping at straws.

"According to his affidavit, all they did was sleep in the same bed."

"Hm."

"We could proceed on the grounds that Hobie altered their memories of the event." Sarfati offered.

Charbon: "We would need witnesses and we have none."

Lapham: "No but we can put them on the stand anyway and see if the court will decide they were coerced."

Charbon: "Dangerous. I think this would insult the court and I don't know how these Vulcan judges would take it."

Sarfati: "We got very sympathetic judges."

Lapham: "Let's do what we can to keep them sweet. I think we can dispense with Albany's testimony - Talljet rescued him and it probably was a spontaneous thing between them."

Sarfati: "Well, I wouldn't say no."

Charbon: (Laughing)

Lapham: "Nick, let's stay focused. Please."

Sarfati: "All right, all right. So we go with Tikel and Grushinkev and drop down to two counts of rape. What about our murder witnesses?"

Charbon: "For Gatshira, we have two prisoners from the Osta prison being brought in: DveKrit and Lii. They claim they saw Hobie break Gatshira's neck on Fobda, in the Miska system."

Lapham: "What are they in for?"

Charbon: "DveKrit for smuggling and drug trafficking and Lii for murder and racketeering. Apparently they knew Hobie early in their careers."

Lapham: (Nodding.)

Charbon: "For Hypz, we have one witness, Ibri Adniz, willing to trade her testimony for immunity in the matter of the Meza 6 riots. She says she saw Hobie blast Hypz on Meza 6, also in Miska system."

Lapham: "Immunity for what?"

Charbon: "As you know, Hypz was the dictator of Meza 6. His murder, or assassination if you will, set off the riots, which Ibri Adniz might or might not have choreographed for her own benefit. You will recall, she had complete control of the system for several months afterwards, before Star Fleet was able to restore order and bring those planets into the Federation. She pretty much looted as much as she could before we ran her off."

Sarfati: "What wonderful witnesses, Lise."

Charbon: "They are very convincing to listen to."

Sarfati: "I bet they are."

Lapham: "The downside here is that Sarek of Vulcan negotiated the final treaty with the Miska system for the Federation. It's given the Federation an unbeatable position in that quadrant. The Klingons are still livid. Jir intends to argue that Hobie did not kill either of them and was only there at the Vulcan Interplanetary Ministry's request which is, by default, at the Federation's request."

Charbon: "However, the Vulcan Interplanetary Ministry would never send an operative to assassinate anyone. They simply don't operate that way."

Lapham: "As far as we know. Jir will try to prove that Hobie didn't do it, not that he did it on orders from the VIM."

Sarfati: "We have a better case for the four piracy counts. We can place Talljet in or around each incident and we have witnesses and lots of visual evidence. I'll take them in order:

"1. Talljet boarded and took the cargo, Mezian ore, off a transport ship in orbit around Meza 6 during the riots there.

"2. Talljet attacked, boarded and looted an Ithintian private freighter carrying dilithium crystals en route to Yksta 8.

"3. Talljet laid siege to the port of Griza on Frinta and stole the contents of several warehouses there. No records of what he took survive the attack because he leveled the port when he was done. And,

"4. Talljet engaged in a prolonged skirmish with the USS Praga en route to Meza 6 to quell the unrest there. The captain, Captain Nesi, has visual evidence that it was Talljet's ship. I believe Talljet was stalling so he could finish up some business in that system before moving on."

Lapham: "And all four incidents took place in the Miska system."

Charbon and Sarfati nodded at him.

"We have good witnesses and physical evidence," Sarfati said. "All we need is for the judges to agree that Talljet was acting on his own initiative."

"We need the Vulcan Interplanetary Ministry to deny that he was an agent, as well," Lapham said quietly.

"Do you think they will?" Charbon asked.

"I would have bet money on it two weeks ago but they haven't exactly answered either our or Jir's subpoenas," Lapham said quietly.

"How can they not?" Sarfati was scandalized.

"They say they are 'gathering the information'," Lapham told him.

"I hope that doesn't mean destroying it." Charbon was now concerned.

"No, I doubt they'd do that. This is Vulcan after all. But I'm curious as to what they will give us. Some of it they might deem a state secret and then we're all stuck," Lapham said. "I can tell these judges don't like the way this is shaping. It might be easier all the way around simply to toss it out for lack of evidence one way or the other."

"And all the warrants to Talljet would void," Sarfati said. "What a shame."

"Maybe not," Charbon said. "Warrants can always be reissued. Reputations cannot."

"I don't want to see Sarek of Vulcan damaged any more than you do, Lise," Sarfati said defensively. "But this is the first chance we've had to put Talljet away and I'd like to do it."

"Have you something personal against him, Nick?" Lapham asked.

"Only that I've seen the border destabilized again and again by pirates fighting each other over plunder." Sarfati frowned. "It's true, the pirates do open up and develop planets we would not get to for decades but the damage they do is considerable. They loot the natural resources, they take the best and the brightest inhabitants to work for them and have been known to lay waste to their own outposts in wars with other pirates over them. Pirates are rootless marauders and Hobie Talljet is no exception."

"I see," Lapham said. "Well. I have good news for you. We can call Maja Talljet as a witness."

"Good. Then the DNA scan confirms they are not biologically related?" Charbon asked.

"Yes. Maja and Ling are biological siblings. Hobie and Jir are not biologically related to either of them or to each other, for that matter," Lapham told them. "Maja has often been in the vicinity of Hobie and Hobie's activities since they left Vulcan. There was some speculation that Maja might be Hobie but it was dropped so as not to antagonize the Klingons anymore then they already are."

"Why are they in it at all?" Sarfati asked.

"Apparently there was an informal arrangement with Hobie. Hobie opened the planets and the Klingons developed them and held them jointly with Hobie's Tossarian pirates," Lapham said.

"Oh, shocking!" Charbon sang sarcastically.

"And of course the Klingons deny every particle of it," Lapham said. "Vehemently deny it. If we tried to press charges against Maja the Klingons would swear he was in church every second and that we are persecuting one of their most precious religious figures. No one in the Federation wants to take the Empire on over this. It'd be a messy messy suicide."

"Then we go with what we've got." Sarfati nodded at them.

"Yes." Charbon said. "Barring some shocking surprise, I think we're in better shape than we thought."

"I certainly hope so."

* * *

"Welcome, Maja Talljet," Sredia, Sarek's ancient major domo, who'd always liked Maja better than Spock, said warmly to the MageCheq.

"Hullo, Sredia." Maja stepped over the threshold. "How's your back?"

"As always." Sredia was not shy about complaining when given the opportunity.

"Ah, well. Let's see." Maja put his palm in the small of the elderly Vulcan's back and sent in a low jet of healing energy. "That might help. They ought not work you so hard, Sredia."

"I work, it is necessary," Sredia intoned as he hung Maja's Klingon Master cloak on a peg in the entry hall. "No one is at home, however, you may wait and have some tea. Lord Sarek is expected within the hour." He turned stiffly to lead Maja into the front room.

Maja followed, remembering how intimidated Spock was by Sredia. Justifiably too, Sredia took every opportunity to intimidate Spock. Spock had once told Maja that Sredia had let up on him after Maja began to visit the house. Thereafter, Maja took every opportunity to butter up the old hellhound. The result was that Maja was one of the old hellhound's favorite beings of all time.

Sredia and Sredia's ancestors had been with the House of Surak since time beyond memory. He considered the failure of Sarek's first marriage to a Vulcan princess a tragedy and to be Sarek's fault due to some inadequacy in Sarek. Sredia considered Amanda an upstart and Spock a terrible mistake. He had let them both know this in one way or another. Amanda, when informed there was no way to get rid of him, simply ignored him but Spock was less well armored. Sredia was pleased to see Maja turn up and hoped that Sarek would install him as his consort because Maja was a master Sredia would enjoy serving.

Maja looked around the room. It was the same: stone floors and furniture (it was a mystery to Maja why the nouveaux families felt it necessary to sit on such torturous furniture; perhaps it was connected to the cult of logic or something), bare walls but lots of windows. He looked out at the late afternoon sun slanting through the garden. It was a spare and elegant garden he only partly appreciated. He preferred more ornate and varied vegetation but Sarek seemed to like it the way it was. Or perhaps Sarek was just being diplomatic because it was Amanda's garden. Of course, this garden looked like Sarek's rather severe but elegant taste. But, then again ...

'You're nervous, aren't you MajaYaja?' the MageCheq thought ruefully. 'Oh, well, so the worst is he throws you out and you land on your head. Life would go on, eventually, somehow. Right?'

"How is Jir? No one has seen him since he and Hobie arrived." Sredia tottered in with the tea tray, breaking into Maja's meditation.

"Oh, seems fine." Maja rushed over to take it from him. He slopped some tea into two cups and handed one to Sredia. Since the Vulcan had never sat in this room in his life they both remained standing while drinking. "I only saw a flash of him at the prison when I visited Hobie. He's on level ten; all revved up about the trial. You know, he hasn't even seen his children since he's been back."

"Ah, that's interesting." Sredia sipped some tea and decided he'd done his usual excellent job mashing it. "The school age JetCheqs and Communists are all at your old schools."

"No! Really?" Maja exclaimed. "'JetCheqs', eh? D'you know what it means?"

"Of course. Those with half Talljet parentage. A very succinct method of identifying them."

"So glad you approve. Wherever d'you hear it?"

"From Strin, do you remember him?"

"Oh, yes, Shirkar Middle School #7. Taught us math and chemistry. Was very nice to me and Ling."

"He and I still have tea now and then. He says he's very impressed by what he's seen of the Talljet, Commune, etc. children. He wonders why they speak such beautiful Standard and nearly perfect Vulcan."

"Well, I don't know about Jir's children, he always kept them with him. But the Commune found some Standard speaking tutors because we Masters thought it was a good language for us to know."

"Prescient."

"Indeed. And the Vulcan, I suppose Amanda got them up to speed when it was decided to come here. It's damn close to Rom so she probably only had to tweak everybody's vocabulary and pronunciation a bit." Maja sipped some tea. "You know, Sredia, I haven't seen the Commune in months."

"And yet your first stop is here, Maja." Sarek said from the doorway. "I am honored."

"Well, of course," Maja said quietly. "Where else would I go?" He hardly noticed Sredia taking the cup out of his hand and withdrawing.

Sarek closed the distance between them and caught Maja up in his arms. Or so it seemed to him. To Maja it seemed that he flung himself into Sarek's arms, which closed around him. Either had the same result and they simply stood embraced for some time.

"My Maja," Sarek murmured into his Maja's hair. "Are you well?" He leaned back to look at him.

"Yes; now I am." Maja looked up. "You? You've not had anymore health problems? I don't feel any." Maja laid his head back on Sarek's chest.

"Only your lack, Maja."

"Oh! What a nice thing to say." Maja bumped his forehead against the Vulcan's chest. "I'm so glad I came here first. Can I sleep here?"

"Of course. I would not allow you to leave before morning." Sarek tightened his arms. "Perhaps you should let the Sas know you are here."

"Ummm." Maja frowned at him. "I'd like to enjoy a peaceful evening with you, Sarek. If I talk to the Sas it might ruin my good mood. I know, let's send Sredia in a taxi to tell them where I am. I'll write a note for them. They'll invite him to dinner and everybody can get caught up on 'news'. How's that?"

"It sounds like an excellent plan. There are writing materials in my office, go. I'll call Sredia and a taxi."

Maja stepped into Sarek's severely elegant office and sat at the huge desk to compose his note.

"But what will you do for dinner?" Sredia, in his cloak, was asking as he came in.

"We will manage, Sredia," Sarek assured him.

"Here, Sredia, please give the Sas this note for me." Maja asked politely. "You may read it of course."

Sredia opened it on the spot: "Maja, this is not the proper declension of this noun and I would use a more formal verb here. Also break this sentence into two or you'll have the Sas here in an instant to correct your grammar." He handed the note to Sarek, who made a few more suggestions. Maja stomped back into the office, rewrote it and stomped back.

"Thank you," Maja said politely.

"You are welcome, Maja." Sredia moved to the door.

"Make them give you some dinner." Maja waved at the taxi pulling up.

"I'm sure they will. Good evening." Sredia nodded. He tottered to the taxi, climbed in and was gone.

"More tea, Maja?" Sarek asked.

"Yes, please. Perhaps we could go sit in bed and drink our tea," Maja asked innocently.

"An excellent idea." Sarek led the way to the bedroom he'd previously shared with Amanda.

Maja kicked off his boots and sat cross-legged on the bed: "Never been in this part of the house before."

Sarek kicked off his boots and sat next to him: "No reason why you should have been."

"True." Maja curled into Sarek's arm and they sipped their tea for awhile.

"Listen, Sarek," Maja began abruptly. "I wanted to tell you about what happened on Hzabeda: I wasn't running away from you but from the situation."

"I suspected that might be the case."

"I'm glad you suspected that. For all the good it did. Running away, I mean. Everything still went straight to hell."

"Maja, you could not have known that the Yhets were going to try to create a combined empire."

"Oh, that. I'm not talking about that. I wish we'd thought of that."

"I do not. It might have worked with you Talljets behind it."

Maja chuckled serenely. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Sarek's lips: "Flatterer," he murmured, moving to Sarek's neck.

"It is as you say, Maja." Sarek slid his hands to Maja's hips and began to pull up his cassock. "How does this come off?"

"Very simply." Maja undid the fastenings at the waist and neck and pulled it over his head. Naked, he reached for Sarek's robe and began to pull at closures.

Sarek removed his hands and stood. "I will do it, thank you."

"Hurry up." Maja growled, slipping under the covers where Sarek soon joined him.

For awhile they just held each other. Maja could feel Sarek's intensity; in another being it might be called urgency but Sarek held himself too much in check. Realizing that Sarek was waiting for him to set the pace, Maja rolled on top of him and caressed their erections together.

'I wonder how this will be without the link,' Maja belatedly thought.

Sarek lifted his hand to initiate a meld. Maja stopped him.

"We can't meld, Sarek."

"Why not?" The Vulcan's cock wilted slightly.

"I'll tell you later." Maja bent and kissed a trail down Sarek's powerful furry chest and rubbed his cheeks over the Vulcan's erection. He slowly licked up the sides before engulfing the head. Wrapping his hand around the root, Maja tightened his grip in small pulses. With the other hand, he stroked Sarek's flanks. He let his mouth descend, impressed that Sarek was allowing him to go on so long. Usually the Vulcan was impatient with such frivolous activities.

Sarek, although enjoying Maja's mouth on him, was ready for deeper union. He reached down and took hold of Maja's heavy braid - something Maja never wore on Imk or Gyvrre - and tugged Maja up his chest. Undoing the braid, Sarek kissed the half Mage deeply. He rolled Maja onto his back.

"I want to be on top!"

"No."

Sarek rolled him forward and centered his cock.

"Hey!"

Sarek covered Maja's mouth with his own to cut off whatever commentary the half Mage had to offer as he eased into him. Sarek lifted his mouth once he hit bottom.

"You may be on top next time."

"However you want, Sarek," Maja panted. "Just fuck me now."

Sarek almost smiled in his mind and began to move slowly and gently. Maja eased up to meet each thrust as they grew longer and harder. So hungry for each other, neither held back, and after a few more convulsive thrusts Maja cried out and thrashed against his lover. Sarek plunged in twice more and clamped Maja in his arms and buried his face in the half Mage's neck as he came.

They lay dazed and spent for a few moments. Sarek lifted his head and pressed a long kiss onto Maja's lips.

"Why wouldn't you let me meld?" Sarek asked.

"Well, two reasons: I'm linked to my brothers and you would have had all four of us in bed if you'd melded with me because I'm too fatigued to shield from them right now. Also, there are some recent memories from Klingon you needn't see."

"Were you tortured?" Sarek asked looking for marks.

"Yes, but the Vulcan healing trance is a wonderful thing, is it not?" Maja ran his hands over the Vulcan's broad shoulders. "Was it so terrible without the meld?"

"No, not at all." Sarek decided he'd get Maja to talk about the events on Klingon homeworld another time.

"Well, that's good." Maja smiled at him.

"Would you like to take a bath, Maja?" Sarek asked in a neutral voice.

"I SHOULD LOVE TO!"

* * *

end of part 52

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Appendices: http://members.tripod.com/karmen_ghia/atrappendices.html