Title: After the Rescue
Part: NEW 56/73
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.
"Sarek! What do you want? Do come in. How long has it been?" SerNera called out the kitchen door in Klingonese.
"Quite some time," Sarek said, also in Klingonese. Even Vulcans were allowed to be vague in Klingonese.
"Yes, obviously. Your accent is bad." SerNera was stacking up the dinner dishes. "Well, come in anyway. We have a genuine Klingon you can talk to for a while." He had been Sarek's Klingon tutor many years ago.
"You have an entire Klingon Commune here, SerNera." Sarek stepped into the warm, Relan tea scented kitchen.
"Oh, no. It's even worse than that, Vulcan. SoLri has a full blooded Klingon who speaks perfect Vulcan and wants conversation and composition lessons," SerNera divulged with a twinkle as he put the tea things on a tray.
"Why is that?" Sarek asked, ignoring the twinkle but noticing that no two cups matched.
"Well, this Klingon, Major KzinivDhalk, a diplomat, currently assigned to the Klingon Mission here," SerNera paused to give Sarek time to digest this. Sarek, he recalled, was a quick study but sometimes lost the thread of a story if one went too fast, "was born and grew up in the Klingon garrison on Wryztian Four that was right next to the Vulcan research station there and in that time the entire Wrystian system was so remote that nobody really cared what went on there." He tossed some Relan tea leaves into a chipped teapot. "So, I don't know if it was a Vulcan or a Klingon - probably a Klingon, they can be so innovative - suggested that since, due to some political turbulence, no more teachers could be imported from Vulcan or Klingon, that they pool their resources and send their children to the same school. There were only four Klingon children and ten Vulcans and the Vulcans were very unkind to the Klingons as we know Vulcan children can be to non Vulcans." SerNera paused again to give Sarek a piercing look and see if he was attending. Satisfied, he continued: "And this had the effect on Kziniv of a challenge to out Vulcan the Vulcans and he is perfecting himself in all things Vulcan, just to show up his old classmates, who all died of fever on the next planet they were assigned to. Isn't that fascinating?" He poured hot water over the tea.
"That they died?" Sarek asked dryly.
"All of it." SerNera plonked the teapot onto the tray.
"Yes, fascinating, all of it. Tell me, how is the major's Klingonese?"
"Terrible. Worse than yours." SerNera handed Sarek the tea tray and led him into the big room, which had not changed since Sarek's last visit, over twenty years ago. Except now it was occupied by a variety of interesting people, none of them wearing shoes.
Sarek set the tray down and pulled off his boots. He walked across the room and dropped them on the crowded rack by Svurek and his front door. He nodded to Svurek, who nodded back.
"Is this door being repaired?" Sarek asked, noticing the construction.
"Yes. Soon it will be the only way in here." Svurek said with a gleam in his eye.
"Ah." Sarek had never come in or gone out this door but had heard stories from T'Pau that to enter the Sa mansion through the front door, it was necessary to endure insults from Svurek. "Indeed." He was distracted by a pleasant buzzing in his ears.
"Sarek, come and sit down. We're speaking grammatical Vulcan and trying to teach these little savages something," SoLri called to him.
Sarek took a seat next to Hraja and surveyed the little savages. Tien he recognized from the Rovirin cathedral. Prince Strig, seated next to a lovely youth, was also known to him but the rest were strangers.
"Sarek, This is Major KzinivDhalk, undersecretary to the Klingon Ambassador, Admiral KahbreKyrit," SoLri informed him.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Sarek," the Klingon nodded urbanely. "I have heard much about you."
"Major." Sarek inclined his head, thinking that if you closed your eyes, Kziniv's Vulcan accent was so perfect you would not know he was not a native speaker. "SerNera tells me you are interested in our ways."
"I find the Vulcans fascinating, sir. However, I have lately developed a new appreciation for the Gozshedrefreingin Commune and all its works." The Klingon smiled at Tien and the Klingon seated next to Tien glared at him. Kziniv transferred his appreciative gaze to Hraja, who stared blandly back at him.
Tien smiled politely and rolled his eyes. "I remember you from Rovirin, Lord Sarek." He gestured to each person as he made the introduction. "This is Kalzat, he's a Klingon too, although not as high falutin' as the Major. Next to you is my younger brother, Hraja. Over there is Hraja's younger brother, Farro. Next to Farro is our cousin Polmira. Next to him is Strig. Over here by Kalzat are our cousins Lyra and Hobiea."
Sarek took in each of the JetCheqs in turn but could not keep his glance from returning to Polmira, who was astonishingly beautiful. There was something very familiar about him to Sarek as well, but the Vulcan could not place what it was.
"We were just discussing Tien, Hraja and Farro's fountain design, sir," Kziniv broke into his contemplation of Polmira. "Farro, why not show it to Lord Sarek, he might know what your chances of winning the competition are."
Farro leaned forward and pressed the sensor on a holopic in the middle of the low table. An animated three dimensional fountain design sprang up. To Sarek, it resembled an upended tree, with its roots swaying in the wind. At intervals a jet of water shot up and dripped off the shiny bronze tendrils. Sarek found himself mesmerized by it.
"What do you think?" Hraja asked softly.
"Fascinating," Sarek murmured. "Where would it be installed?"
Hraja named a courtyard not far from the new suburbs.
"I hope you win. It is an excellent design. When will you know the results?"
"In a few weeks," Tien told him. "I wonder if we will win. We've looked at other fountains in Shirkar and you Vulcans like lots of water in your fountains."
"Is that not the point of fountains?"
"YES. But this is a desert." Farro blazed in. "It's high time you people admitted that."
"What?" SoLri asked.
"A desert." Farro repeated. "All I've seen in Shirkar are lots of fountains in enviro bubbles to keep the water from evaporating. That's ridiculous and unnatural. This is a desert and the only sensible art is art that reflects that. Dry art."
Sarek and Strig exchanged puzzled looks.
"But, cousin," Polmira said in his low mellow voice. "Your fountain has water."
"The minimum to qualify, Polmi. If I'm to change the aesthetic thinking around here, I've got to get on the turf," Farro asserted.
"Of course we had nothing to do with it," Tien drawled at Hraja. All three of them had all designed the fountain, something Farro kept forgetting.
"TIEN. I know you and Hraja disagree with me..." Farro began.
"Farro, I simply don't care how much water the Vulcans waste in their desert. Unlike you, I haven't made this incongruity into a crusade."
"But it is illogical, isn't it, Strig?" Hraja turned to the Vulcan youth next to Polmira. "To live in a desert and have your public art be so alien and fragile that it must be in a special environment to survive?"
"We Vulcans are attracted to the rare and precious, as all beings are," Strig said, glancing at Polmira. "I do not find it offensive that we wish to spend our resources on something as exotic and beautiful as special environments for our fountains, if they are pleasing to the eye and ear."
Farro groaned. "Denial. You're all in denial about who you are."
"Now that I think about it, it is illogical to waste so much water in a desert." SoLri put in.
"See! See!"
"Farro, calm down," Tien chided. "Well, let's see if we lose before we go to war, okay?"
They drank their tea in silence for a while.
"What brings you back to us, Sarek?" SoLri asked.
"I am looking for Maja."
"We thought he was with you this evening. SerNera!" That Vulcan looked up from his reader. "Do you know where Maja is?"
"No idea whatsoever." And continued his reading.
"I saw him this afternoon at T'Paga's," Tien said. "He went off with Spock."
"'He went off with Spock'?" Sarek repeated. Sredia had told Sarek of Spock's visit but somehow it had not occurred to Sarek that Spock might seek out Maja.
"Yes." Tien related the entire afternoon to his rapt audience and only had his Vulcan corrected half a dozen times by SoLri in the process.
"I see." Sarek sat back, sipped his tea.
"So where are they?" SoLri asked.
"I have no idea." Sarek answered.
"How can we find out?"
"They are adults, SoLri, they may spend the night elsewhere if they choose."
"They are idiots, Sarek. How can we find them?"
"May I use your comm line?"
"Of course."
Sarek rose and made a call to Commander Ma, the Star Fleet Mission's liaison to the Vulcan Interplanetary Ministry, and asked him to have the call put through to Spock's communicator.
~
"What is that annoying sound?" Maja asked sleepily as Spock rummaged through his clothes for his communicator.
"Spock here."
~
"Where are you?" Sarek asked.
~
Hearing Sarek's voice, Maja sat up in surprise.
"I am in a hotel in the new suburbs, father."
~
"Why?"
~
"The garden pleased Maja and so we stayed."
~
"Is Maja with you now?"
~
"Yes."
~
Sarek turned to SoLri and the wide eyed guests. "Is there anything you wish to say to Maja, SoLri?"
"When is he coming back?"
~
"In a few days, IF nobody minds," Maja snapped into the communicator.
~
SoLri shrugged.
"Nobody minds, Maja. Good evening." Sarek terminated the comm.
~
"Hmmmm. Well, that was interesting. You'd never know we were grown up adult people, would you?" Maja snarled, wondering what Sarek was thinking right now.
"Indeed."
~
"How long have you lived on Vulcan, Major?" Sarek said blandly, resuming his seat.
"Two years. I enjoy it."
"And our public fountains do not offend you?"
"Hardly. However, I find the architecture rather bland."
"Indeed."
* * *
Maja spent the next two days painting and sketching the garden. They had the inn all to themselves and spent most of their time in the garden. Or in bed.
Maja found the late morning light most becoming to the garden and preferred to paint then. He looked over at Spock dozing on a chaise. That was a good sign; Spock only let down his guard enough to doze off with people he trusted.
'But so what?' Maja thought. 'We've made peace and had some fun and soon it will be back to reality. Hochofedra.' He mentally shrugged and tried to focus on his watercolor. It was futile so he gave up and reviewed his earlier conversation with Spock.
"Why did you join Star Fleet?"
"To leave here."
"Leave Vulcan? I thought you loved this place."
"I do not 'love' any place. I did not consider my prospects here as attractive as those Star Fleet offered."
"No, I suppose being under Sarek and T'Pring's thumbs would not have seemed attractive."
Spock stretched out on the chaise.
"Was it worth it?" Maja asked.
"Worth what, Maja?"
"Leaving. Sarek not speaking to you for eighteen years. Getting dumped by T'Pring, although you really dumped her first..."
"That is debatable."
"Let's don't and say we did. Was it worth it?"
"Yes."
"No regrets?"
"Only that I caused you and my mother pain."
Maja winced at being bracketed with Amanda but said nothing.
"Have you any regrets, Maja?"
"Many."
"Why?"
"Because I've made more decisions than you have." Hitting back for bracketing him with Amanda.
"What do you mean?"
"You just follow orders, Spock. I've had to guide the destiny of empires, as well as raise children and make art."
"In that order?"
"Actually in the reverse."
"What empires?"
"Well, I've helped out the Klingons and then we Talljets have made some progress for ourselves."
"I see." Spock decided not to remind Maja that Hobie was in jail, their putative Talljet empire was in ruins and the Klingons had just finished a war with the Roms that could have been avoided.
"True, Spock, avoided at the cost of leaving my child, my partner and your mother on Romulus and to god knows what fate," Maja snapped. "Fucking shield if you're going to think negative thoughts at me."
"My apologies. I am tired and we have grown close again. I have grown lazy around the humans about shielding."
"That must be a luxury," Maja observed, relenting. After all, Spock had only thought the truth. What was annoying was that he put the worst possible cast on it. "Shielding wears me out whenever I have to do it."
"Certainly it was not necessary with the Klingons?"
"No. But sometimes in the Commune when I want to work or pray in private I'd use those old techniques I learned here."
"Maja," Spock said after a short silence. "Do you love my father?"
"With all my heart."
"Then why are you here with me now?"
"To get it out of my system."
"I see."
"Why are you here with me now, Spock?"
"For the same reason."
"Ah." Maja had turned to his painting and Spock nodded off.
~
"Here?" McCoy had looked dubiously at the bland little structure before him. "Why would Spock be here and not with his family or at the Star Fleet Mission?"
"His communicator is here, Bones," Kirk said. "I assume he's with it. Let's go see, shall we?" He ushered the doctor up the steps.
"I still think we should have called first," McCoy grumbled.
"It'll be a surprise."
"I hate surprises, Jim."
"I love them."
They were greeted by a middle aged Vulcaness, who directed them onto the patio where they found Maja painting and Spock sleeping.
"Oh ho, Spock! We're caught by your CO and doctor," Maja laughed, rising to greet the humans. "Let's see, how's it done again?" He made an elaborate pantomime of trying to split his fingers into the Vulcan salute.
Spock rolled off the chaise and gave him a stern look.
"Captain. Doctor." Spock nodded to each in turn. "May I present Maja Talljet."
"Hiya." Maja waved.
"A pleasure to meet you, Master Ghet," Kirk said formally.
"Enchanted," McCoy observed.
"What brings you out Vulcan way, gentlemen?" Maja asked in his flawless Standard.
"Captain Talljet's trial," Kirk told him.
"Are you a witness?" Maja asked.
"No. We just delivered one."
"Oh, now you're an errand boy," Maja said innocently. Like his brothers, he was not a fan of KirkaFara.
Kirk let it pass. "And we're here to keep an eye on the eighty pirate ships you and Ling pulled in with two weeks ago."
"And every man jack, woman and child aboard 'em a Federation citizen in good standing with a valid Vulcan visa, sir," Maja informed him. "I'd say they need less watching than your ensigns on 'whore leave' after a few drinks."
"T'Pala," Spock said to the innkeeper who'd drawn near at the sound of hostile voices. He interposed his body between Kirk and Maja. "Perhaps you will bring us some tea and mineral water."
"That would be nice," McCoy said, supportively. "What an interesting garden." He took Kirk by the elbow and steered him to a seat away from Maja's easel. "This is lovely." He gestured to the finished water color.
"You may have it when it dries, Doctor." Maja frowned at a warning look from Spock. "I have made other studies since I've been here." He handed McCoy the sketch book, noticing T'Pala at the window beckoning to him. "If you'll excuse me for a moment." He went in to find out what she wanted.
"Have you dined?" Spock asked and offered to arrange lunch when they said they had not. He disappeared into the house as well.
McCoy said nothing about Kirk's wrangle with Maja and concentrated on turning pages. Not many had ever looked through one of Master Ghet's sketch books and he knew it and intended to enjoy every inch of it. He came to a two page nude of Spock sleeping in a rumpled bed. He glanced up to find Kirk scowling at it.
"Well, it's anatomically accurate at least," McCoy observed before moving on to a study of the parlor.
~
".... Kirk and McCoy have just arrived. Why don't you come and have lunch with us. It will help me control myself with KirkaFara," Maja said into the comm unit as Spock passed by.
"Whom are you inviting to lunch, Maja?"
"Your father. D'ya mind?"
"No, not at all. Tell T'Pala there will be one more." He returned to his shipmates, rather relieved to have someone to distract Kirk and Maja from one another.
~
end of part 56
This story also lives at http://members.tripod.com/karmen_ghia/
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Appendices: http://members.tripod.com/karmen_ghia/atrappendices.html