Disclaimer:

This story is based in the "Star Trek" universe. The use of anything related to "Star Trek" in this series is not intended to infringe upon the rights of Paramount
Pictures. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.

All other content or otherwise are works of my own imagination. All events are fictitious in nature.

Any similarities to persons living, dead, or otherwise are purely coincidental.

This story contains strong themes of homosexual content, if this offends you in any way, please refrain from reading further. If you are not of legal age to read this, please leave now.

A/N: I'd like to thank TalonRider for editing this chapter. His unparalleled brilliance and tireless effort applied to my work is greatly appreciated. Thank you.



A Vulcan’s Love
-By Emulated




Chapter 21: Family


I watched Alex curiously as he sat there, chewing on a small pain au chocolat. Most of the time he kept his eyes on the food, but he’d occasionally look up and steal a glance at Trey, before he looked back down again, blushing. In itself it would have been cute, but with Trey doing the same thing to Alex, it was nothing short of adorable. The subtle looks that they’d give each other, the small smiles which they shared, it reminded me of when T’Luk and I first started dating. Of course, I was the one doing all the smiling, but it didn’t matter. It was all love.

“So where are you guys off to?” I asked, causing them to look across the table at me.

“Huh?” They asked in unison, causing them both to blush.

I giggled, “I asked where are you two going, for shore leave? I hear Risa is nice this time of the year.”

T’Luk turned to me, “The climate on Risa is the same throughout the year.” He paused, looking at me, “You were being sarcastic.”

I nodded and grinned at him, “Well, I can’t be serious all the time.”

“Erm, we were kinda thinking about going to Betazed.” Replied Alex, glancing at Trey again.

I raised my eyebrows, “Really? I’ve been there a few times, it’s a lovely place.”

He nodded, “I’ve never been, but I’m sure it will be great.”

I glanced at Trey and then back to Alex, “I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

Alex nodded and looked at us, “I’m going to get another drink, you guys want anything?” He asked.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.” I replied, as the other two shook their heads.

I watched as Alex stood up and walked over to the replicator. Trey tried to be subtle, but I noticed as his eyes shot over to Alex and roamed his body. It wasn’t a sexual stare, but more of a romantic, caring type. There was no denying that there was love brewing between the Human and Betazoid. Hell, I could
feel it.

Trey looked at me, noticing my smile, “…what?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You two. You’re so cute!”

“Shut up…” He replied, blushing.

“It’s true!” I said, smiling, “It was quite a surprise, you know, on the bridge.” I paused, “I never knew you liked Alex in a romantic way.”

He smiled again and shook his head, “Neither did I…” He looked at me, “But yesterday, when everything was happening, with the ship being hit and stuff…” He glanced over at Alex, “All I could think about was Alex. I kept hoping that he was alright.” He turned to me, “I could sense him, feel his stress, his fear, but I just…I wanted to make him feel better.”

I nodded, “And you did.”

“Yeah, when I saw him on the bridge, everything seemed to make sense. Nothing else mattered. Only Alex.”

I grinned, “I’m sure you were the only thing on his mind too.”

He seemed to drift into a daze, before Alex sat down.

I looked over at him as he settled in his seat, “So Betazed, huh? Trey was just telling me about how he plans to take you to Lake Oliah.” I said, keeping a straight face, but causing Trey to blush and cough.

“I didn’t say that!” He cried, looking at Alex, “Honest!”

Alex frowned, “What’s Lake Oliah?”

I glanced at Trey, “Well, are you going to answer him?”

Trey blushed again, “It’s…erm…a lake, and it has one of the longest beaches on Betazed.”

“And…”

“It’s really warm, and the water is nice and cle-“

“It’s a nudist beach.” I finished.

Alex’s eyes widened slightly, “Nudist beach?”

I nodded and took a sip of my drink.

“I didn’t say that we were going there.” Said Trey quickly, “I won’t take you there…I mean, I will, if you want to go…but I won’t if you don’t want to.” He stammered, causing Alex to giggle.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

Trey shook his head, “Talking is so overrated.” He said, as he focused in on Alex, communicating with him telepathically.

I turned to T’Luk, “I bet you’re ‘hacking’ into their conversation.” I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow, “I cannot ‘hack’ into a private telepathic exchange.” He paused and gripped my hand. I felt a warm rush before I found myself standing next to T’Luk in that cloud-like place. “No more than Trey can ‘hack’ into this.” He finished.

I looked at him, “How did you do that?” I asked.

He glanced down at our joined hands, “I have been studying some Vulcan texts and have found that it is possible to invoke the bond by touch.”

“Cool.” I replied.

“Indeed.” He said, looking at me closely, “I love you, Kai.”

“I love you too.” I replied, before I glanced about, “I really like this.”

“The bond?”

I nodded, “It’s like our own little paradise that’s just for us. It’s perfect.”

“Yes. It does also have a certain spiritual quality.”

I beamed at him. While the Vulcan species never ceased to amaze me, I must admit that it was their beliefs towards spirituality that really intrigued me. From the bond to the commonly known mind meld, it was all special, and all something that I was now part of, thanks to T’Luk.

“Would you like to disconnect from the bond?” He asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, we have to leave in under an hour, so we better not hide away in here.” I said, grinning at him.

I could feel myself ‘returning’ to my body before I heard someone clear their throat, “Ahem.”

I looked up to see H’Jan standing there, arms folded, “H’Jan!” I called out.

“Oh, so you guys are alive.” He remarked, looking at me.

I glanced at Alex and Trey to notice that they too had ‘emerged’ from their telepathic state. I smiled to myself, seemingly we must have appeared to all be sitting there, not moving and in complete silence. It must have been a confusing sight, “Sorry, H’Jan. It’s just that…” I looked at him, “Talking is so overrated.”

He smiled and sat down, “Sure, whatever you say, Kai.”

“So how you doing?” I asked.

“Not bad myself. How are you guys?” He asked.

“Yeah, we’re all ok.” I replied, “Have you heard from Laura and Casey yet?” I asked.

He nodded his head towards the replicator, “Laura came in with me, and Casey’s on his way. He said he needed a lie in. Laura kept him busy in the sickbay yesterday.”

I glanced over at the replicator, noting that Laura was replicating something, before I looked back at H’Jan, “Have we heard anything from sickbay, I mean on casualties?”

“Fortunately we haven’t lost anyone else. There were a few critical, but they’re recovering nicely, last time I heard.” He paused, “The Titan’s pretty much abandoned now, along with the Intrepid. Only people on those ships are damage control teams, the Captains and some of the senior staff.”

“So you’re not itching to get back over there?”

He shook his head, “Not at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I’d go over there at any moment, but in the state that she’s in, she needs a dry dock. They both do.”

“Hey guys.” Called out Laura as she pulled up a seat next to me, “It’s good to see that you’re up and about.”

“Unlike a certain someone, right?” Asked H’Jan, implying Casey.

She nodded, “I did put him and those muscles to good work yesterday. He’d make a pretty fine nurse if he ever gave up security.” She said, as she drank some of her coffee.

“So how are you doing?” I asked, “H’Jan was saying that it was hectic yesterday for you lot in sickbay.”

“I’m fine, and yeah, it was quite bad for us. We had over thirty people in at one point, that’s why we called for a security team to come down and help. Most of them have basic – advanced medical training.”

“Yeah, you’re lucky that you had the extra people-“ I began, before I was interrupted.

“Bridge to Ensign Suder of the Titan, you have an incoming hail from Betazed.” Came a male voice out of the comm system.

Trey turned to Alex, “Must be Mom and Dad.” He said, before he reached up to tap on his combadge, only to realise that he weren't wearing one. He glanced about at us, but seeing as none of us were dressed in uniform, or on duty, we weren't wearing any combadges either. With that in mind, he stood up and walked towards a panel on the wall. He tapped on the comm and spoke, “Ensign Suder here, I will take the hail in my guest quarters.” He said, before he looked over at us, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Alex nodded and watched as Trey walked towards the doors. His eyes drifted down Trey’s body, before he quickly faced forward and blushed deeply. Seemingly Trey caught him, telepathically. I laughed at the exchange.

“I bet that never gets old.”

He cocked his head at me, “What?”

“Trey, being a telepath.”

He blushed again, “Yeah…well…” He said softly, as he took a sip of his drink.

I looked at him, “But you two together? Who would have thought?”

He shook his head, “I still can’t believe it.”

H’Jan and Laura looked at me, “What?”

Alex turned to them, “Trey and I…we’re kinda together now.”

H’Jan reached over and shook his hand, “Hey, congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Replied Alex, grinning madly.

“Awww, I’m so happy for you.” Called out Laura, before she leaned over and gave Alex a hug. She pulled back and looked at him, “I thought there was something going on between you two, from the way that you were looking at each other a while ago.”

Alex blushed, causing Laura to giggle.

“No wonder Trey likes you,” She said, “You’re just too cute.”

He blushed again, “Oh jeez…”

We all laughed at his expense, save for T’Luk, but we quietened down.

I looked at Alex, “He certainly surprised me yesterday, on the bridge.”

He nodded quickly, “I know! I was shaking like mad from the attack and stuff, and then Trey comes over, pulls me up and…” He blushed, “I thought I died…” He finished softly.

I smiled at him, “Yeah, it’s always the first kiss.” I said, as I squeezed T’Luk’s hand.

“Yeah…” He said trailing off, his mind somewhere else.

“Wait! He kissed you, on the bridge?” Asked H’Jan.

Alex nodded and grinned, “Yeah.”

I was about to say something, but then the doors slid open, revealing a very familiar Gorn walking in. I cleared my throat and looked over, “Here he is, the real hero himself. Raylis of the Gorana!” I called out loudly, before I stood up and clapped.

The other guys quickly joined me, along with the entire
Enterprise mess.

“Here! Here!” Called out someone from behind us.

Raylis smiled at everyone, bowing his head and thanking us for our kindness, “Thank you.” He called out, “Thank you very much.” He said, as he headed over towards us.

I reached out and shook his claws as he reached us, “It’s great to see you again, Raylis.” I said, as the clapping died down.

“Like wise, Kai. Thank you for welcoming me aboard.”

Alex looked at him, “You’re the hero. People will be talking about the illustrious Raylis for years to come.” He said, as he shook his claws.

“Indeed, your intervention yesterday was very much appreciated. Thank you.” Said T’Luk.

They shook hands, “Anytime for you guys.” He said, before he sat down, “So how are you guys? I didn’t see you much yesterday, after everything that happened.”

H’Jan nodded, “Yeah, we’re all fine. Things became a little hectic yesterday, I mean, while the Romulans were gone, we still had a failing ship on our hands, so we all had to get busy patching her up.” He glanced over at Laura, “Raylis, allow me to introduce you to Laura. Laura, this is the famous Raylis.”

She reached out, “It’s good to meet you Raylis, Casey’s spoken about you quite a lot.”

He shook her hand, while I explained who she was, “She’s Casey’s girlfriend.”

He nodded, “I see. It’s nice to meet you.” He said, before he looked over at H’Jan, “I bet you’re not happy with what those warbirds done to your ship.”

H’Jan shook his head and gave a small smile, “I have a few words I’d like to say…”

Raylis smiled, “Yes, the damage is very extensive. It will take many weeks to repair.” He paused, “If it was any other ship it’d be unsalvageable, but the Federation doesn’t cut corners on these wonders.” He said, glancing about.

“No, they certainly build them to last.” Replied H’Jan, “So what about you? The last we heard you were spending time with the family, but that was many weeks ago.”

“Yes, once I left the Titan, I went to the Gorn home world, Gorana, to see my family.”

“I thought your ship was called Gorana.” Said Alex.

“Yes, the ship was named after the planet.”

T’Luk nodded, “It is quite an impressive class of vessel. Our computers did not recognise it.”

“They are of a new class. They were designed with the idea of stealth and firepower in mind.” He paused, “After the Dominion war, it was decided that if were to defend our space, we would need new ships.”

“With cloaking devices.” I added.

He nodded, “Unlike the Federation, we did not sign a treaty to prohibit use of cloaking devices on our ships.”

“So how did you get to serve onboard one of those ships?” Asked Laura.

He turned to her, “A long time ago I wanted to join the Goran Space Fleet, but before you can join, you need to have experience with space travel. That was why I was serving aboard the cargo ship, to gain experience.”

“So once you returned home, you applied?”

He shook his head, “They approached me. They said that they were impressed with my service record on the Slar, along with the fact that I had spent time onboard a Federation starship.”

“So we invite you as a guest, and then you’re off revealing our secrets?” Said H’Jan, grinning at him, “I’m a broken man.”

Alex and I laughed, while Raylis smiled, “Of course not. I signed a Non-disclosure agreement with your government, one that I haven’t broken.” He paused, “My superiors did ask, but they didn’t press the issue once I told them about the agreement.”

I sat back in my chair, “So you landed yourself a place as an engineer aboard the Gorana?”

“Not quite. I’m working in Tactical now.”

T’Luk raised an eyebrow, “That is quite a different field of study. What changed your mind?”

“I had been thinking about transferring over for several months, but it was when the warbirds attacked the Slar did I really make my decision.” He replied.

“What about your rank?” Asked H’Jan, looking at Raylis’ uniform.

He pointed to two white stripes on his uniform near to his neck, “I am still a Second Lieutenant, which is equivalent to Ensign.” He said, as Casey finally entered through the double doors, followed closely by Trey.

“Hey, Raylis my man, how’s it going?” Asked Casey, as he approached Raylis.

“I am very well, how are you?”

Casey smiled, “Not bad, not bad.” He said, before he sat down next to Laura

“Hi, Raylis.” Called out Trey, as he shook his claws, “I hope these guys are treating you well.”

Raylis smiled, “Yes, very well.” He said, as Trey sat next to Alex.

Casey looked up at us, “How are you guys? All doing well?”

T’Luk turned to him, “We are all satisfactory. How are you?”

He nodded, “Oh, I’m fine. Still a little tired though.” He glanced at Laura, “It’s being off duty, I get tired and restless.”

She looked at him, grinning, “Oh, you poor thing.” She said, causing him to laugh at her.

“Have you seen Captain Riker yet?” I asked, looking at Raylis.

He smiled, “Yes, I’ve spoken to Captain Riker. He was pleased to see me. In fact, I have just come from a meeting with him and Captain Picard.”

“Really? Just you?” I asked.

He shook his head, “It was my Captain and myself. Riker asked for me personally.”

“Yeah, what did he say?” Asked Alex.

“They both expressed their gratitude in the matter, and also informed us that Starfleet will not overlook the generosity and bravery of the Gorn Hegemony.” He said proudly, but then he paused, “Before I left the meeting, I asked the Captain for a certain request.”

H’Jan leaned forward, “A request?”

“Yes.” He looked at us, “I’m going to enlist. In Starfleet.”

That silenced us for a second.

“Really?” Asked Alex and Trey together.

He nodded.

It all became a bit chaotic after that, with each of us trying to congratulate him and shake his claws. Casey sat back and was clapping and whistling loudly, while T’Luk sat there quietly, awaiting his moment to congratulate him. After we had all gotten over the initial ‘shock’ of Raylis telling us that he was going to enlist in Starfleet, Alex turned to him.

“But I thought you just got accepted into the Gorn Space Fleet.” Said Alex.

“Yes, I did, but ever since I returned to Gorana, I had been thinking about Captain Riker’s offer from before. I’ve spoken to my family and they’re all supportive.” He replied, but paused, “I just think that Starfleet can offer me so much more than our own Space Fleet can. Not that I’m belittling them, but it is a simple fact.”

“So what happens now? I mean, in terms of going to the Academy.” I asked.

“Captain Riker told me that he’d get me into the academy within a month, providing that I pass the entrance exam.”

H’Jan nodded, “So you’ll be starting late in the term?”

He nodded, “I would miss the first semester, but I can make that up.”

“Yeah, it was mostly about code of conduct…” I glanced at T’Luk, “And interspecies relations.”

Casey grinned, “Yeah, that stuff ain’t so hard.”

Raylis opened his mouth to reply, but a chirp emanated from a small unit around his waist. He tapped on the device.

“Gorana to all crew, we are making preparations to depart in ten minutes. Gorana out.” Came a female voice.

“This is Second Lieutenant Raylis, message received.” He replied, before he tapped the device again. He glanced at us, “I guess that’s my call.”

“Already?” Asked Trey, “Well it’s been great seeing you again.”

Raylis stood up, “Likewise, it has been a pleasure to see all of you again.” He said, standing up.

We all stood up and walked over to say goodbye, while I turned to T’Luk, “Do you know what the time is?”

He shook his head, “I am not sure.”

I looked over and stole a glance at H’Jan’s PADD,
12:37.

“It’s twelve thirty-seven. We had better leave too.”

“Indeed, the USS Archer is due to depart at thirteen hundred.” He replied.

Everyone else had finished saying goodbye to Raylis, leaving T’Luk and I, “Well, it looks like we’ll be escorting you to the transporter, as we need to get our stuff ready to go.”

“When you gotta leave?” Asked Casey.

“The ship leaves in about twenty minutes, so we gotta get going now.” I replied, causing the guys to stand up again to say goodbye to us.

H’Jan reached out with his hand, “Hey, take care of yourself.” He said.

I nodded, “I will, anyway, where are you off to? Please tell me you aren’t sticking with the Titan.”

He shook his head, “I’m not that crazy! Yeah, I’m going to home to Trill, at least for a few of the weeks.”

“Yeah,” I glanced at the others, “Hey, why don’t we all meet up or something, before we get back to Titan?”

The others nodded, “Yeah, that’d be good.” Called out Laura, she looked at Raylis, “Try to come along too, if we have it on Earth, then you can sneak away from the Academy for a few hours.”

“I would like that.” He said, grinning.

Alex came up to me, “See ya, Kai.” He said. While he was happy to be with Trey, I’m sure he wasn’t so happy about having us all branching off in different directions. And to be honest I couldn’t blame him. I felt a slight uneasiness too.

I reached out and hugged him, “See you, Alex.” I said, before I moved my mouth close to his ear, “I know he’s your new toy and all, but try not to break Trey.”

He pulled back and blushed, “Hehehe, I won’t.”

Trey came forward and hugged me too, “Bye, Kai.”

“Yeah, see you Trey. And take care of Alex.”

He pulled back and gave me a smile, “You know I will.”

I quickly shook hands with Casey and Laura, “So where you guys headed?” I asked.

Casey stood behind Laura and had his hands on her shoulders, “Well, I wanna take this prize home, show the ‘rents what I discovered out here.” He said, before Laura slapped him lightly.

“Oh, behave Lieutenant!”

“Yes, Nurse.” He replied, feigning sadness.

I laughed at them, “I’ll see you guys later.” I said, before I turned to T’Luk and Raylis, “You guys ready?”

They both nodded, so we began to file out of the mess.

“See you guys!” Called out Casey.

I turned around, “Bye!” I called out, before we stepped through the double doors and out onto a corridor, “That was fun! All of us together like that.”

“Indeed. We are quite a diverse…group.”

I nodded, “Four Humans, one Vulcan, one Gorn, one Betazoid, and one Trill. We’re Starfleet at its finest.”

Raylis smiled, “Yes. It will certainly be interesting to be Starfleet’s first Gorn.”

“I’m sure it will, and who knows, perhaps more Gorns will choose to enlist, following in your footsteps.”

He nodded, thinking for a moment, “And if I’m very lucky, perhaps I’ll even get to serve on the Titan, with you guys.”

“There’s no question.” I said, as we approached the transporter room, “I don’t think Captain Riker would have you anywhere else.”

“I agree, you would be a great asset to the Titan crew.” Said T’Luk, as we entered the room.

“Thank you guys. I really mean it.” Smiled Raylis, as he reached out and shook my hand.

“No, thank you for being our hero. You and the rest of the Goran fleet. We owe you our lives.” I replied.

“Yes, thank you for your valuable assistance.” Added T’Luk, as he shook his claws.

“You are very kind.” Said, Raylis, before he walked up onto the transporter pad, and looked across to the crewman standing behind the console, “One to beam to the Goran ship Gorana.” He said, as he looked at us, “See you later guys.”

“Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

Raylis nodded and looked at the crewman, “Energise.”

*

USS Archer

I walked around our assigned guest quarters aboard the USS Archer, marvelling at the extra space. The USS Archer itself was a relatively new ship. It had only been in service for around two years, so everything was practically new. It was an Akira class ship, which meant that its interior was very similar to that of the Sovereign class (like the Titan), as they were designed in the same period. But one thing that it didn’t share with the Sovereign class, was it’s size, the Archer was around 440 metres long, but they still managed to cram a lot into this smaller space. Either way, I wasn’t expecting to be treated like royalty, but given the generous size of our quarters, we certainly were treated to some luxuries.

T’Luk said that the larger quarters were because we were travelling together, so they put us in a larger room. I agreed with him, but still, it was nice to have the extra space. I mean it wasn’t like my quarters on the Titan were small or anything, but on the Archer, we had a living area, which was separated from the bedroom by a door. But the best feature, one that both T’Luk and I were particularly fond of, was the window. Yep, we had a window! And it was quite a big one at that. We were on the outside of the fleet, so we couldn’t see many of the other ships, only a few that I didn’t know.

After a short discussion with T’Luk, I managed to persuade him that I would unpack our suitcases, while he relaxed. There wasn’t even that much to unpack, as anything could be replicated, but I figured that a few pictures, and a change of clothes might make our short stay feel a little more ‘homely’. Once I finished unpacking I walked back into the lounge area and noticed T’Luk standing next to the window. I walked up behind him and snaked my arms around his waist, before I kissed him gently on the neck, “Hey, babes.”

He turned to me, “Hello, Kai.” He replied, before he looked out of the window again.

I glanced out too. It only took me a few seconds before I started to pick out the individual stars, and trying to mentally map our position. T’Luk pointed against the window, “Can you see that Red Giant?”

I nodded, “I think it’s Alpha Tauri.” I said, recalling some star charts that I had looked at earlier in the week.

“Yes, now below that, can you see that dwarf star?” He asked.

I noticed it, “What is it?”

“Forty Eridani A. The Vulcan Sun.”

“Really?” I asked as I inspected the astral object.

He nodded, “Yes. However, what is fascinating, is the star that it almost obscures.”

I looked closer, I could make something out, but it was very close to the Vulcan Sun to properly distinguish it, “What is it?”

He turned to me, “Sol. Earth’s sun.”

I glanced back out the window, “They look so close together from here.”

“Indeed.”

I looked at him and smiled, “Like partners.”

He looked at me closely, before he reached out and held my hand gently. “Yes, like partners.” He said, as he leaned in closer for a kiss. I inched forward and pressed my lips against his, relishing their softness. I pulled back and looked at his face. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but he seemed calmer somehow. More relaxed. Perhaps he was simply basking in the fact that we had so much shore leave. Of course, we were travelling to Vulcan, so that might have added to his ‘happiness’.

After a few minutes of standing there, we watched as the ship came about, and entered warp, heading towards Vulcan. According to the computer, we had a journey time of around two days and twenty-two hours. Long enough for us to settle in, but short enough for us not to become too irritable.

T’Luk and I walked over to the sofa and sat down, with me lying my head on T’Luk’s chest. “I really like Vulcans.” I said, looking at T’Luk, “They’ve always fascinated me, but before I met you, I’d never really taken the time to get to know any on a personal level.”

He thought for a moment, “Many Vulcans prefer to remain in solitude. But as a species, we do value long-term friendships.”

I smiled, “Do you think of me as a friend?”

He nodded, “I think of you as a friend, and as a partner.”

A warm surge flowed through me, as I rested my head against him, “What do you think about when you think of me?”

“Your personality.”

I shook my head, “No, I mean is there one part of me that you really like?” I asked.

“Your smile.” He replied, after a few seconds.

I turned around and smiled at him, “My smile? You like my smile?”

He traced his thumb lightly over my grinning lips, “Indeed. It is a clear indication that you are ‘happy’.”

I smiled again.

He cocked his head, “What do you think about when you think of me, Kai?” He asked.

I opened my mouth to reply immediately, but he cut me off.

“Aside from my ears.” He stated.

I giggled, “Aww, but I do like them a lot.” I paused, “Ok, then it’d have to be…your eyes.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Intriguing.”

“Why?” I asked, “You have lovely eyes.” I said, leaning closer, “A nice dark brown.”

“Yours are darker.”

I giggled again, “My eyes are practically Betazoid. No, yours are nicer, you can actually see them.” I commented, as I stared into his eyes.

I watched them closely, before I saw a light film flick down from behind his eyelid, and back up again.

“Whoa!” I jumped back, startled.

He sat up, “What? Is something wrong?”

I looked at him timidly, “I…erm.” I paused, “I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“Do what?” He inquired.

“Your inner eyelid. You’ve never…blinked with it before.”

He leaned closer, “I did not mean to frighten you, Kai.”

I smiled sheepishly, “I know, it just…surprised me.” I looked at him, “I know Vulcans and some other species have inner eyelids, but I’ve never been close enough to actually see it.”

He nodded, “From a distance it is hard to notice.” He reached out and stroked my arm, “I am sorry.”

I smiled again, “Don’t be.” I said, leaning closer, “I was just surprised.” I repeated, looking into his eyes again.

We stared at each other for several seconds, and I was half expecting him to blink again, but he only blinked ‘normally’. Seemingly he didn’t want to alarm me.

“Do it again. But keep them closed.” I said.

I watched intently as the thin, almost transparent film came over his eyes. I looked at them closely, before I moved back for a moment. He was right, you could only really tell when you were up close. Even then, if you hadn’t seen them close, you probably wouldn’t have known.

“Can you see me clearly?” I asked.

He nodded, “Yes. However it does appear to be a lot darker in here.”

“They work like sunglasses, right?”

“Indeed. In bright environments they help to shield my eyes from the sun.” He said, before he ‘opened’ them up again, “However they can also help when swimming.”

I smiled, “That’s so cool!” I exclaimed, before I grabbed his hand, “So what other super cool ‘features’ do you have?” I asked, looking at his wrist, “Where does the web come out of?”

“I am not a superhero, Kai.” He stated, almost humorously.

I giggled, “But you do have super strength, a second pair of eyelids, and the ability to stay up for a long time. I think you’re a superhero.”

“Perhaps I should replicate myself some red underwear and a cloak.” He replied.

I laughed aloud, “That’d be awesome.”

He watched me as I calmed down.

“You’re so funny sometimes.” I said, as I laid my head on his chest.

He reached down and ran a hand through my hair, “I only follow your example.”

I smiled at that and buried my face closer against him. Relaxing against his body and enjoying the closeness of my Vulcan beauty.

*

Earth, San Francisco

"I don't want those warbirds in our space." Demanded Admiral Hayes, "And definitely not in orbit of Vulcan.

Admiral Brooks nodded, "Starfleet Tactical is in full agreement. The Tal Shiar needs to recall them now."

"I am in agreement with both of you." Said Ive, "And I was just about to hail Kozarr momentarily." He paused, "You may remain here if you wish."

The two Admirals shook their heads, "That will not be necessary, Ive. I just wanted to voice my concerns." Replied Hayes.

“Very well.” Said Ive, as he watched the two men.

They took the hint and walked out of his office. While they were all of equal rank, they knew that trying to make small talk with Ive was out of the question, so while he couldn’t dismiss them, they left on their own accord.

Ive pressed a button on his computer console, “Computer open a channel to Chairman Kozarr.”

The computer chirped a response and relayed the necessary commands.

Ive glanced at Becker, "Take a seat if you wish, Admiral.”

Becker nodded and sat down. ‘This will be interesting…’ He thought to himself.

*

USS Archer- Two days and twenty-two hours later

I glanced down at the PADD, “Ten seconds.”

T’Luk nodded and continued to stare out of the window. We were in the
USS Archer’s mess, standing next to some forward facing windows. Seeing as this would be the first time that I would see Vulcan with my eyes, I wanted to watch as we came into orbit. T’Luk didn’t mind, if anything he found the idea ‘fun’ as well.

I looked closely out of the window and watched the stars fall back into place as we dropped out of warp. We had arrived relatively close to the system, with the Vulcan sun being about the size of a golf ball if you held it out at arms length, but akin to Starfleet procedure, we would do the rest of the journey at impulse. But even at this distance, the light would have been quite blinding, but we were protected from the harmful rays by the glass and its polarising properties.

Vulcan wasn’t noticeable at this distance, yet I could already feel some excitement brewing inside me. I was there. Finally, after what had seemed years of being with T’Luk, I could at last visit his planet of origin. The planet where his species evolved. His home. Vulcan.

About three minutes passed before a small pin-prick of red could be seen across the system. A cool rush flowed through me, tickling my nerves. It was Vulcan. As we approached closer, at quite a speed I must add, I could begin to make out the various continents, and the oceans. It was amazing. No book, or computer image could prepare me for the sight before me. Sure it had the orangey/red tones, but it was there, it was real, and it was stunning.

“Do you like it?” Asked T’Luk, looking at my smile.

I glanced up at him, “I think it’s beautiful.”

We remained near to the window until we entered a low orbit, when we quickly hurried back to our guest quarters and picked up our suitcases. I walked out of the door and headed towards the left, but T’Luk stopped me.

“This way, Kai.” He said, as he gestured to the other direction.

I faced him and shook my head, “No, the transporter is this way.”

“We are not going on the transporter.” He said, as he tugged on my arm.

“Where are we going then? We have everything with us.” I replied, as I followed him down the corridor.

“We are taking a shuttle.”




I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of A Vulcan's Love.

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Emulated