by Salvek
100801.0100
After Turning Over Stones – Part Two
-=Ministry of Justice, Vulcan=-
100801.0100
After Turning Over Stones – Part Two
-=Ministry of Justice, Vulcan=-
“You are late. I find you in contempt.” Savol announced smugly as the hearing reconvened. Despite having bounced back and forth to all corners of Vulcan as well as the Alchemy in a compressed amounted of time, Salvek and Zander had made it back to the Hearing Room at the exact time the hearing was scheduled to resume.
Give or take three minutes.
It was the “take” that proved to be their undoing. The two men had quite literally skidded to a halt before Savol’s dais as they hurried to make it back in time. The Vulcan was more than willing to overlook their well-intended attempt to not be late and slap on the misdemeanor on top of the serious charges Salvek was already facing.
Savol’s triumph was going to be short lived however. Little did he know, Zander and Salvek had returned to the hearing armed with information, and help. The doors to the Hearing Room opened, and an impossibly tall slender woman entered the room. Despite the marbled floor and impeccable acoustics of the room, she did not make a sound as she walked. Nor did her long flowing robes sway in any way. She simply seemed to glide across the floor.
Her features were as motionless as her clothing, yet still beautiful for a woman of over one hundred and fifty years of age. The Vulcan’s in the room seemed in awe, as if they were in the presence of a master conductor of a great symphony. Without making eye contact with anyone, she continued towards the dais, and then up it, executing perfectly measured ninety degree turns whenever it was necessary.
When she finally stopped, Savol raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“We are honored by your presence Minister P’arella.” He asked, more than stated.
“New evidence has been presented to me that necessitates your recusing yourself from this inquiry.” P’arella said flatly.
“May I ask why any such evidence would require me to step down?” Savol inquired, though he seemed to know the answer.
“If true, it makes you a suspect in the death of T’Dara, which makes your leading this inquiry illogical. Step down.”
P’arella stared through Savol as she waited for him to move. He was in no hurry, as he deliberately set down his gavel, and rose from his seat. Commander Jars was seated to the right, so he moved to the left to take an empty seat, but P’arella stopped him.
“You will stand with the accused.” She stated.
“Am I accused?”
“Soon enough.” P’arella said coldly as she lowered herself down into the seat Savol had previously occupied. He moved down the stairs to stand next to Salvek, who did not so much as move when Savol arrived. Blakeslee smiled and gave a little wave. “This hearing is once again called to order. Commander Blakeslee.”
Zander moved forward and handed P’arella a PADD, containing information she did not need to review, since she had already seen it a short time before.
“We would like to enter the following into the official record. Proof through financial records that Minister Savol used his influence at the Vulcan Medical Research Division to enlist the aid of a third party for a secret program intended to eliminate the Pon Farr cycle from the Vulcan species.”
Zander backed away from the dais and turned to face Savol. “Would you like to name the third party, or should I?”
Savol set his jaw defiantly. He had no intention of offering any information until required to do so. Something that would come soon enough.
“It would seem,” Zander continued, as he referred, just for a moment, to his own PADD for a few notes he had hastily jotted down before returning to the hearing, “That Minister Savol was once cited by the Medical Research Division for being too logical. Seventeen years ago he was reprimanded for being so obsessed with the obtainment of pure logic that his peers felt it was actually compromising his ability to perform his duties.”
“Pure conjecture.” Savol said.
“Oh really?” Zander chuckled. “Not according to the documents I obtained. You see, when I mentioned the name of that third party to some of your peers, they weren’t at all surprised, and they were quite willing to share with me any information I asked for. The authorities, at this very moment, are dismantling the office of the physician that led the research project on the Vulcan end that you were also a part of, providing all the legal protection they needed to perform their work in secret.”
“Of course the key to all this,” Zander continued, “Was Relanon. They offered the Vulcan’s the holy grail of logic, the elimination of the Pon Farr, the last vestige of pure passion pervading Vulcan society. All they needed was a few subjects to implement their trials on.”
Salvek turned slowly towards the back of the room, where he saw T’Dara’s family, listening to every word, as Zander brought Relanon’s involvement to light.
“Tucked safely away on Bajor they provided all the logistics, all the support, and all the medications needed to conduct these experiments on the Vulcan people.”
“Even if you believed Relanon was doing something good for the Vulcan people to start, how could you possibly continue once the events on Bajor came to light?” Salvek asked, unable to remain silent anymore. He stood before Savol, mere centimeters from his face. “Their lack of compassion coupled with their lack of intelligence led to the death and sickness of untold numbers on Bajor.”
Salvek could not help but think of little Tress, a child so much like his own. A beautiful girl that was an innocent victim of a plague that never should have been. And Tress was one of the lucky ones, in that despite her loss of hearing she would still live a full and healthy life. Many had not survived at all.
Savol glanced away, a look of frustration on his face now, as he cast his eyes on nothing in particular. “They were so close, it was too late to stop.” He looked back at Salvek, and regained his composure. “I am not required to answer your questions.”
“Indeed you are not. I would strongly suggest you exercise your right to remain silent,” P’arella stated from her position at the head of the room. “Your trial will be coming soon enough.” She added.
At the rear of the room, T’Dara’s brother, T’Far, stood up from his seat and exited the room.
“The bailiffs will place Minister Savol under arrest.” P’arella ordered.
Savol, to his credit, made no attempt to stop the arrest. The guards escorted him from the room. Once he was clear, Zander continued.
“Obviously Relanon could not fulfill their promises. Their experiments only accelerated the Pon Farr, rather than eliminating it. Given enough time, and guinea pigs, they may have accomplished their goals. T’Dara paid the ultimate price for what I will reluctantly refer to as research.”
Commander Jars stood up, and faced P’arella. “I move that this hearing be dismissed, immediately.”
P’arella banged her gavel, and turned towards Salvek. “I apologize to you, your shipmates, and Starfleet that you have been inconvenienced by these events. You are free to return to Starfleet. All charges against you are hereby dismissed. We stand adjourned.”
Murmurs began filling the room, as the spectators arose and began filing for the exits. Salvek placed a hand upon Zander’s shoulder.
“Thank you. I am in your debt.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Zander answered.
Salvek looked towards the exit. “If you’ll excuse me.” He had someone to catch before it was too late, and the Hearing Room was emptying rapidly. Hastily, he pressed through the crowd and out into the corridors. The person he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.
Salvek jogged out the building exit into the midday sun. He squinted and used is hand to shade his eyes. Behind one of the pillars at the entrance, he saw a single foot sticking out. He approached and circled the pillar, coming face to face with the person he was looking for.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You attacked Commander Blakeslee and I in the alley, and left the note telling us to follow the money.”
T’Far finally lifted his gaze to look at Salvek, through such indescribably melancholy eyes.
“I’ve seen the passion in your eyes. There is no hiding your love for her.”
“My group and I, we knew they were running tests. I knew my sister was one of the subjects. There just weren’t ever enough of us to do anything about it. Their security is impenetrable. The Pon Farr is all the Vulcan people have left of their hearts. Without it there is no difference between us and a Borg, or an android. I would have done anything to stop them, and save her.”
“You are a dissident.”
T’Far looked away. Salvek could quite easily turn him over to the authorities at this very moment. Salvek knew better than anyone the look of passion in a Vulcan’s eyes. He had seen it in T’Far from the moment of their first encounter.
“We only want our people to embrace the emotions they have been given. We are not terrorists, like some.”
“Yet you spoke of the Medical Research building’s security as if he had looked into it. As if you intended to attempt to penetrate it.” Salvek observed.
“We would have stolen or destroyed any research we could have gotten our hands on, to stop them. We never would have hurt anyone.”
T’Far looked down at the ground, and tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. “She just wanted the experience. Thought it would serve her well for getting into Starfleet.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger to try and suppress his sorrow, but the tears simply spilled over the edge anyway. “It should have been me. I should be dead. She was so intelligent, had so much more to offer then I did, could have saved so many people.”
He pitched forward, burying his face into Salvek’s shoulder. Salvek wrapped both his arms around the young man and simply let him cry.
“When we were children, father would give her medical devices, tricorders, empty hypos, to stimulate her interest in medicine. She would examine me and diagnosis me with some absurdly long named viral infection. I’d always laugh when she tried to pronounce it and she would raise her little eyebrow at me as a reminder that we weren’t supposed to be giggling. I loved her so much.”
T’Far began to sob again. His body would shudder as the ache of generations of suppressed emotions poured from the soul of one heartbroken young man. After several minutes, he composed himself to the point where he could stand. He examined Salvek’s tear soaked tunic.
“You must think me quite the fool.”
“Indeed I do not.”
“What am I supposed to do without her?”
“You say she had so much more to offer then you did, that she could have helped so many. If you truly believe that, then honor her memory by helping others, as she did. The dissident movements are always a dead end. Vulcan society is not going to change, but I am not so closed minded to emotions as most. If you cannot bear to live under these conditions, then leave this place, and live as you feel you wish to somewhere else. Somewhere where you can both embrace your emotions, and fulfill your sister’s goals of helping others.”
“You are saying I should join Starfleet Medical?” T’Far asked.
“I am saying exactly what I said. Starfleet is an option; you would most likely enjoy Betazed. And on Bajor, there are so many that could use the help of someone like you. You are a victim of Relanon’s crimes like so many of them. Give it some thought, and talk to your parents.”
T’Far nodded slowly, and cleared away the tears before anyone noticed. Salvek could tell he was still only just beginning to grieve for his sister, as anger over her death had prevented him from feeling sorrow before this point. His future was still very much clouded, which was why Salvek advised him to think his choices over before rushing to any conclusions.
“Thank you, Commander Salvek. Peace, and long life.”
”Live long, and prosper, T’Far, brother of T’Dara.” Salvek returned the Vulcan sign, and stepped away from T’Far. He found Zander Blakeslee waiting patiently on the steps leading up to the building.
“What now, Commander?”
“I wish to return to Earth immediately. I would like to know what has become of the Serendipity.”
“That makes two of us.”
-=Alchemy=-
“What is the status of the jump drive?” Salvek asked the moment he entered the bridge. Gira Lassiter surrendered the command chair, and returned to the helm.
“I got wind of the dismissal of the charges over the media wire, and I’ve had the jump drive charged ever since. We can be back at Earth as soon as you say engage,” Gira said. She was as anxious to leave Vulcan as everyone else, and had been wondering what was taking Salvek so long to return to the ship once he was cleared of any wrongdoing. As she spoke she double checked the coordinates one last time to make the transwarp jump to Earth, making sure she would not accidentally overshoot the planet and thus delay their return.
“Excellent. Then by all means, engage.”
*************
Commander Salvek
First Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commander Salvek
First Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012