Title: After the Rescue

Part: NEW 22/73

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

Legend: * * * separates events in time; ~ separates events that are more or less simultaneous.

See part one for disclaimers, etc.

Maja opened his eyes and shifted Sarek onto his side about five minutes before the guard came to the bars and beckoned to him. He dropped his cloak over the Vulcan and winked at the very observant gypsy girl. 'Sarek's gypsy' Maja'd begun to think of her. He glided through the sleeping prisoners like a shadow and didn't much care for what he scanned from the guard as he got closer.

The guard had five friends waiting for them in a secluded corner. Maja could cope with two, possibly three rapists at a time but certainly not six. Slipping through the cell door, he sidled up to the Ristian male and stroked the guard's temples seductively.

/o, no no no, ve vant to be alone...!/

Never much of a vamp, Maja hoped he'd changed the guard's mind and was gratified to see a new plan forming. Maja was delighted to be lead into a deserted corridor where he promptly pulled the guard into a dark doorway and began to seriously examine the contents of the Ristian's mind.

~

Sarek's gypsy crept over to be near him. Her husband had died in the round-up on Rovirin and in her grief she had formed some tender feelings for Sarek. Also, he had tried to defend her in the melee during the feeding. This was something she would not soon forget.

The Vulcan woke and looked around for Maja. He beckoned to the gypsy girl when he noticed she was waiting for a sign to draw near.

The gypsy caught his thought and stroked Maja's cloak and gestured at the cell door.

"With guard," she whispered in Patois. She looked at him carefully and knew he could understand but not answer because he had no words. She pointed to herself: "I am Boda."

Sarek hesitated and then pointed to her and repeated: "Boda."

"Yes. Boda," she pointed to him. "You are?"

Sarek lowered his eyes, not wishing to say his name but not knowing what to say.

After a moment Boda tried another tack: "I am a girl. Yes." She pointed to him, "You are a girl. No."

Sarek found himself absorbing the words in a way he'd never experienced. It was as if he was remembering them instead of learning them.

"I am a girl. No," he whispered.

"I am a man?" Boda pointed to herself.

"No, Boda, I am a man." Sarek corrected.

Boda smiled. "Yes. A man. A Sait (old man)."

"Sait," Sarek murmured. "I am Sait." He pointed at the girl, "You are Boda. I am Sait."

Boda gave him a big smile for his cleverness and pulled three intricately carved flat stones from her pocket. They were fortune telling runes and the only things she still possessed other than the clothes on her back.

She gestured for him to take the stones and rub his hands together. He did so and tried to hand them back to her. Boda gestured for him to drop them. He did and she bent down in the dim light to study them.

"I see you in a city. In a fine house and wearing fine clothes. You have a beautiful lover and lots of money and lots of friends."

Sarek thought this was a very strange prediction under the circumstances but he didn't have the vocabulary to tell her that.

"In a city?" he asked.

"Yes. A big city."

"A beautiful lover?"

"Yes. Very beautiful and younger than you, much younger."

"A younger girl?"

"I do not know. Maybe a young girl," she corrected gently, "maybe not. Hochofedra," Boda shrugged. "If you have a beautiful lover and you are in love, what difference does it make if it's a man or woman?"

"Hochofedra," Sarek shrugged awkwardly; he wasn't much of a shrugger usually. Spock had picked up the expression from the Talljets and Sarek had once reprimanded him for using it in his hearing, which was vast. Sarek had never before realized what a thorough and satisfying word it was to say.

They looked up to see Maja slipping through the field of sleeping prisoners. Boda scooped up her runes and regained her place with the gypsies. Maja smiled at her and held out the piece of bread and cheese the guard had tipped him with. He stood watching her, shaking what remained of the guard's energy out of his hands.

Boda wolfed it down as if she were afraid someone was going to take it away from her. The sight of her pulled on something inside Sarek. She reminded him of a starving kitten he had seen on Terra that kept its claws extended when it ate because it had had to fight for every morsel of food it could find. Amanda's sister had given it a home but it was too weak to live and died after a few days. He turned to look at Maja, also watching Boda.

"Why is that girl here?" Sarek mixed his Patois words with Vulcan.

Impressed that Sarek was picking up the lingo so quickly, Maja answered in Patois: "The gypsies are considered asocial nomads of no redeeming value to Rovirin society. They beg, they steal but they can also fix any engine in the physical plane, work metal as well as a Klingon master, train and ride or drive any beast of burden, and some say they have the second sight. They also love life and all creation with a gigantic passion. But all the bosses on Rovirin see is the begging and stealing so periodically they round them up and ship off whatever they catch."

"That is barbaric," Sarek said flatly.

"Hochofedra, Sait," Maja shrugged, wrapping his cloak around himself and sitting next to the Vulcan. "The strong make the rules and the weak suffer from them in this part of the galaxy."

"Well, begging and stealing are not admirable traits," Sarek mentioned after a moment of thought.

"So. You give them your small change and watch your back and life goes on for everyone." Overall, Maja had a very live and let live attitude.

Sarek found no immediate reply he cared to share and they fell silent, watching the restless sleepers in the cell.

"I think we're in trouble, Sarek," Maja said finally. "That guard knew some interesting stuff." 'And had some truly sick sexual fantasies, too,' he put in for himself. "This ship has got four tonnes of dilithium crystals on board. The Captain is going to deliver them to Rist 3 and the quickest, but stupidest, way there is through, not around, the Tziviian Autonomous Zone. So, that's where we'll be in a few hours - the Tziviian Autonomous Zone...." Maja trailed off distractedly, watching one prisoner roll on top of another, the ensuing struggle and submission.

"What's in the Tziviian Autonomous Zone?" Sarek prompted.

"Well, mainly the Tziviian entrepreneurs, I suppose. Nobody I know knows much about the planets in the Tziviian Autonomous Zone because they're so afraid of the Tziviian entrepreneurs."

"Why is that?"

"Well, these entrepreneurs are slavers and they practice a religion that requires a lot of sentient being animal sacrifice. That's how they became slavers; they got so good at catching ships for sacrificial animals they started selling off the overflow."

"They sound more like pirates than entrepreneurs, Maja," Sarek said.

"Well," Maja sighed, "if the Tziviians were in the Federation, the things they do would be illegal and, therefore, they would be pirates. Here, however, their actions are not illegal so they're entrepreneurs. Since we're in their space, however temporarily, it would be prudent to see things their way. It will save us from making serious cultural errors that might get us killed or worse."

Sarek digested this for a moment: "Maja, do you think these pirates ..."

"Entrepreneurs."

"...are going to attack this ship?"

"The guards think so. They've loaded up the shuttlecraft with supplies and plan to abandon their idiot captain when the entrepreneurs attack."

"But do you think they will?"

"I don't know. This ship is heaven sent for them. Lots of loot and they can sell off the strong prisoners and sacrifice the weak ones. I wonder that they can't smell this tasty morsel about to fall into their fetid maw right now." Sarek damped down his impatience at this superfluous observation and Maja continued: "The captain of this scow thinks the entrepreneurs are all off celebrating some festival on the other side of the zone and so he can get across their space if he kicks it. But I think these entrepreneurs will know the nanosecond the ship enters their zone. This space has a funny feel to it, like it's made to conduct telepathic energy. The Tziviians are a conglomeration of powerful telepathic tribes. They were in psychic contact with each other before they had spaceships. In their isolation, they thought they were in contact with the multiple minds of god. They never really recovered from their disappointment that they were, in fact, not in contact with god, just other planets. So, they developed the sacrifice religion, hoping they could contact the real multiple minds of god...."

"Maja, why do you know this?" Sarek interrupted.

"Oh, everyone knows this," Maja waved a dismissive hand. "Where was I? Oh, yes; anyway. Because the Tziviians are really scary, really dangerous telepaths, I think they can feel when the fabric of their space is disturbed by uninvited non-Tziviians. Like us."

Sarek was sorting through this information, trying to find some part of it he could formulate a plan around. He was unsuccessful and turned to Maja: "What happens if ..."

"When."

"... the entrepreneurs attack?"

"We get out of this cell, go to the shuttle bay, steal a shuttlecraft and escape." Maja fell silent.

"Maja?"

"Hmmm?"

"How do we do that?"

"I've no idea but it's the only plan I have right now." Maja fell silent again.

Sarek was silent for a moment then said: "Maja, do you know how to fly a spacecraft? Because I don't."

"Well, no, but I think I gleaned enough from the guard to get us off the ground, so to speak." Maja lapsed back into silence. He sent one last cry for help to his brothers along their link and raised his remaining shields. Knowing the very telepathic Tziviians would find his link to his brothers far too enticing, he preferred not to give them a beacon to follow. He was relieved that his link to Sarek overrode Sarek's link to Amanda because the pirates would have found that energy enticing as well.

Sarek had no further comment. He wondered, but preferred not to ask, exactly how Maja had 'gleaned' his information. He knew that all the Talljets were powerful telepaths and he would be dismayed to know Maja was abusing his gift and the careful training he had received on Vulcan for it. After a while of feeling Maja's telepathic energy pulsing in a rhythmic wave pattern, he asked the MageCheq what he was doing.

"I'm praying we can get out of this cell, get to the shuttle bay, steal a shuttlecraft and escape." Maja was silent for a moment. "Am I bothering you, Sarek? I don't wanna bother you. I can raise my shields if you want me to."

"That will not be necessary, Maja," Sarek said, momentarily musing on the concept of prayer. "I do have a question for you, if I may disturb you further."

Maja raised his eyebrows in a very good imitation of the Vulcan fashion.

"Why did you come find me, heal me and protect me in the prison and here as well?"

Maja dropped his Vulcan pose and scratched his nose abstractedly: "It seemed," he said at last, "like a good idea at the time."

"And now?"

"Now? Yes, still. Still, yes."

* * *

"Dear merciful god why the hell are they going into the Tziviian Autonomous Zone?" Hobie looked at his First Mate, Neria-Tza, who had been about to inform him of the Shilo's latest course change.

'Oh, Maja, start praying for divine assistance,' he added to himself.

"Close the distance between us and the prison ship now, Neria-Tza, and pray god we can ambush them before they attract the Tziviian pirates."

Hobie had hoped to catch them at the edge of the Trza system, collect Maja, and nip across the tip of the Xochitarian Autonomous Zone and home. A really excellent plan; now trash.

Neria-Tza loved the Talljets but was never in the mood to fight the Tziviian pirates. They frightened him too much. He exchanged worried glances with his shipmates.

Hobie, catching their worry, sighed. "How many of you am I going to have to kill because you're thinking negative thoughts?" he asked quietly.

Everybody looked guilty and felt bad; they all really did love the Talljets and owed them much.

"None of us, Captain," Neria-Tza said. "We were just adjusting to the idea that we might all die horribly because Maja-anas (he added the Klingon honorific) was so fucking stupid on Rovirin. That's all, sir," he finished politely.

Hobie looked fondly at his crew. They looked back with equal fondness.

"Well, true," he said at last. "But if we turn back so the Tziviian pirates don't kill us for trying to rescue Maja-anas the stupid, Ling and Jir will kill us for not trying. Understand? A rock and a hard place; a charging targ and an abyss."

"We could run," suggested Qwuushi from the helm.

"No, Ling and Jir would find us. Maja's ghost would haunt us. We would have bad luck forever and no one would love us for being cowards." Hobie sighed again. "So, will it be necessary to convince any of you," he paused, "to death?"

They all murmured no and became very engrossed in their work. Hobie knew his crew well enough to know their faith in him was greater than their doubts, even though they needed to be occasionally reminded of it.

Hobie was not looking forward to fighting the Tziviian pirates himself. They scared him as much as anyone. He turned to Mizat, at the communication board and opened a hail into Star Fleet frequencies. He then turned to the helm.

"More speed, Qwuushi, more speed."

* * *

"Stop image. Sector image. Close on sector 3. Magnify. Close on sector 3.4. Magnify. Close on sector 3.4.3. Magnify. Stop." Spock's voice was flat with the shock of recognition.

They had been viewing the prison ship loading when Spock stopped the tape. The bridge crew and McCoy beside Kirk's command chair held their breath. None, except perhaps McCoy, had ever heard the Vulcan's voice so close to raw emotion. They wrongly attributed it to Sarek's situation. After a moment, Spock released the image and sat down. They watched the loading dissolve into chaos, the ship lift off and the tape ended.

They stared at the stars for a while in silence.

"What's wrong, Spock?" Kirk asked at last.

"The vulcanoid male supporting my father was Maja Talljet."

Kirk thought about this for a moment: "What's he doing on Rovirin?"

"Unknown."

"I understand the Shilo is in pursuit. Hopefully, they can recover them both," Kirk tried to sound more optimistic than he felt. Although he had bottomless respect for Captain Norris, how a sloop was to take a transport, he couldn't imagine.

"It is also possible that one or more of the Talljets are in pursuit of Maja." Spock said.

"Contact one and find out," Kirk suggested.

Spock sent messages to the two addresses he had for Jir and Ling, wondering when and if they would answer.

"Well, I guess there's nothin' I can do up here .." McCoy began when every frequency on Uhura's station lit.

"Captain! It's Hobie Talljet," Uhura said, shocked.

"On screen, Lieutenant, and find the point of origin."

Hobie's beautiful vulcanoid face filled the viewscreen. Kirk was nonplused, he'd thought Jir was gorgeous, this was Jir multiplied by three, possibly five.

'KirkaFara (Kirk the beautiful), well, not bad if you like blondes.' Hobie thought and drawled: "My compliments, Captain Kirk," he glanced around the bridge, pausing to admire Chekov and Sulu. 'Ah, so many to do, so little time,' flashed through his mind. His eyes fell on Spock. "I'd like a word with your First Mate, if you don't mind."

"Not at all Captain Talljet, not at all," Kirk drawled back, watching the transmission trace show the origin to be Delta sector 7.334. Then Sector 9.657 at the opposite end of the galaxy. Then Alpha sector 1.0 which was Terra and therefore impossible.

"I assume you know your father is on his way to a prison colony on Rist 8," Hobie said.

"Yes and Maja is with him," Spock replied.

"Bit of luck for your old man, that. I'd never done it."

"Why, then, did Maja?"

Irritation passed over Hobie's classical features: "I've no idea. I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time," he snarled, thinking: 'Because he still loves you, you VulCheq asshole, and wouldn't leave your dad in jam even to the point of insanely walking into a death ship. That's why, fuckhead.'

"Hobie," Spock was hesitant. "Hobie, can you..."

"I will try, Spock, I will try. I won't risk anything for Sarek but if I can get him when I grab Maja, I will."

"My mother will appreciate your efforts."

"I'll try not to take that into consideration."

"And I appreciate them."

"Ditto."

"I assume they still live..."

"They did 2.361 minutes ago when Maja hoisted his shields."

"My mother says she cannot feel my father in the bond," Spock informed him blandly, his usual tone when he had to say something he found embarrassing. "She thought he was dead."

Hobie, recognizing the tone and knowing Spock and Amanda would plotz if they knew Maja and Sarek were linked, sighed and prepared a version of the truth they all could live with: "Maja's temporarily undone that bond so it doesn't attract attention."

"Whose attention?" Kirk suddenly asked, hoping Hobie would give his location away. Concerned though he was for Sarek, his blood was up for the chance to chase this notorious pirate.

"They're in the telepathic Sargasso Space, Captain. A bond radiating back to Vulcan or to us Talljets is like a kilometer wide tracer laser to the pirates in that space. The prison ship is hoping to cut through it and save themselves some time, fine if they make it and I'm prayin' they do, but I'm also hoping to catch up to them and the Shilo, before they get too far inside the zone." He looked hard at Kirk. "Captain Norris and her crew are the bravest Terrans I ever see. She'd make a helluva pirate."

"I'll tell her that next time I see her," Kirk smiled. He had a similar opinion of Maria Norris himself. He glanced at the tracer to see that Hobie was currently in orbit around Vulcan and Klingon at the same time. 'Remarkable location jamming you have, Captain Talljet,' he thought wryly and turned the tracer off with a sigh.

"I know you're bound for Rovirin, Spock." Hobie turned back to the VulCheq. "You'll see Jir there, perhaps Ling if he's not on his way to me with reinforcements." He paused to notice what only a Talljet or old friend of Spock would see, that, in spite of his studied calm, Spock really was distressed by all this. "Spock, tell your family that we'll do our best to get him back alive."

"Thank you."

"Godspeed," Hobie said, then added, thawing a little more, "Noli (little brother)."

Spock went very still, no one had called him that since before he left Vulcan. He'd never forgotten how pleasant the syllables were on the elder Talljet voices.

Hobie looked pleasantly around Kirk's bridge and smiled: "Adieu, KirkaFara, Dr. McCoy, Chekov," Hobie bestowed one of his sexy 'let's fuck' smiles on the navigator, "y'all." He nodded and was gone.

"Does he know you, Chekov?" Kirk asked sharply.

"No, sir."

"You met Ling on Omega 12, Chekov, perhaps he mentioned you to Hobie," McCoy helpfully supplied.

'Meeting Ling puts you in the Talljet communal memory so of course Hobie knows you,' Spock was thinking.

"Time to arrival on Rovirin, Mr. Chekov." Kirk snapped.

"20.53 hours, sir," the ensign replied smartly.

Uhura's beta watch relief, always a few minutes early, arrived, closely followed by the helm and navigation relief. It was dinner time for Kirk, Spock and McCoy as well and they left the bridge together.

end of part 22

This story also lives at http://members.tripod.com/karmen_ghia/

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