April 2386
Stardate 63284.9
The Vulcan male sat
in the office of Lt. Commander Marie Quintero, hoping to get a chance to speak
to the Starbase’s commanding officer, Rear Admiral Val’ri Raiajh. He had last seen the admiral in 2280 when she was
19 and had left the
Val’ri had just
finished up her morning meeting with Commander Cathryn Pearson, the starbase’s executive
officer and entered Marie’s office to go over her schedule for the day. She
noticed the Vulcan male sitting in the office but did not pay much attention to
him at first.
“Marie, what is
my schedule like for today?”
“Relatively
quiet. Two subspace meetings with the
Admiralty back on Earth, one at 1100 and the other at 1400 our time. Mostly just reports you need to go over. You also have your daily appointment at
1530. Professor Tolek, who is from the
Val’ri really looked
at the professor for the first time since walking in. She remembered Professor Tolek. He had taught at the
Val’ri simply
stated, “Marie, as my schedule currently permits it, I will speak to the
Professor now. Professor, follow me
please.”
Professor Tolek
followed the admiral into her office and the door closed behind them.
Space,
the Final Frontier…
Star Trek: Starbase
719
“A Visit” By Nadine
B. Bach
Val’ri walked
over to the replicator and ordered a raktajino for herself. She turned to the professor and politely asked,
“Would you like something, sir?”
“Water will be
fine,” was his reply. She replicated the
drink, handing it to the professor and motioning him to sit on the couch that
lined part of the wall under the windows that framed the rear of the office.
She quired, “What
brings you all the way to the Typhon Sector from Vulcan, Professor? It’s been over 100 years since I was at the
Academy.”
“I have come to
see you,” was his reply.
“I don’t
understand, sir.”
“I am here on a
personal mission, not on behalf of the Academy.
I’ve kept it to myself all these years, but back in the 23rd
century, during Earth years 2261 and 2262, I was on the planet Nisus while your
mother, Karinara Raiajh, was there.”
“I see,” Val’ri
said, sensing the direction the conversation was going in. “You had more than four years to tell me this
when I was actually on Vulcan before I left for Starfleet. You knew I was at the Academy. I was in several of your quantum physics
classes. Why wait until now to tell me
this?”
“Your mother
asked that I not disclose the information.
And then late in 2288 your ship disappeared.”
“We re-emerged in
2367, nineteen years ago.”
“I never knew if
you were on the Arcturus or not. Your
mother’s ship had disappeared shortly before and I was led to believe that you
were with her. It wasn’t until recently
when I was doing some research at the Academy that I came across your name and
realized you were alive and still with Starfleet. An article you authored with a Betazoid
doctor named Sylvan Xaran about the Leviathan Project in the Starfleet Medical
Journal.”
“That article was
published in 2373 after the year Sylvan and I spent on the Besiege,” she replied.
“I only came
across it recently when I was doing some research. I was looking for another article when I came
across your name in the index.”
“I see. Professor Tolek, Sylvan Xaran has been my
husband for the past nineteen years and we have six children.”
The statement
caused Tolek to raise an eyebrow. “I apologize.
I did not think to look. I’m here
because… Val’ri, I am your father.”
“Please, call me
Val. And as far as my father’s identity,
Mother always told me she didn’t know and wasn’t able to find out.”
“She wanted it
that way. She found out shortly after
you were born. I visited with you once
before you were three months old, and didn’t see you again until you came to
the Academy fourteen years later. She
had her children the way she did because she didn’t want to know who the
fathers were of you and your brother. If
it wasn’t for the fact that you were part Vulcan when you should not have been,
your mother would never have known. She
asked me to keep the information from you, at least until after her death.”
“So you are not
surprised later, you will find that I may not maintain cthia to your satisfaction.”
“This would be
because of your husband?”
“No. It is because I am more like my mother than
you realize. I found the Vulcan
disciplines of logic too restricting for me.
At the same time, I don’t subscribe to certain Deltan customs either, which was something my Mother
strove to change during her life with no success. I am my own unique person and I had to find a
balance between my two heritages.”
“There is certain
logic to that, considering I have found that Deltans tend to be more emotional
than even humans.”
“If you are
willing, sir, we can head down to Infirmary One, where Doctor Jack Simmons can
run a test to confirm your statements.”
“I cannot
question your logic for wanting proof of my claim, so please, lead the way. And you may call me Tolek. I don’t expect you to call me Father.”
The two of them
left Val’ri’s office and headed down to the Infirmary where they found Dr. Jack
Simmons behind his desk, which was piled high with padds, each padd containing the
medical information on each of the new officers that had reported to the starbase
in recent weeks. In the last week alone,
the starbase had received one-third of its eventual crew compliment of ten-thousand.
“Jack, you and
Sylvan appear to be up to your eyeballs in paperwork. Can you take a break for a moment? I need you to run a test for me.”
“For you,
Admiral, anytime. If it was anyone else,
I’d ask them to see one of the other doctors.
What can I do for you today?”
“Dr. Jack
Simmons, I’d like to introduce you to Professor Tolek of the
Jack did his best
to display a proper Vulcan salute.
“Greetings, Professor Tolek,” he said.
Val’ri lowered
her voice and continued, “Professor Tolek says that he is my father.”
“I see,” Simmons said,
trying to hide his unexpected shock. “Professor
Tolek, for the test the Admiral is talking about I need to extract a sample of
blood and run a genetic profile. I
already have the Admiral’s genetic profile on record so the test should only
take a few minutes.”
Jack placed a
hypo against Tolek’s arm and extracted the needed sample, then set the computer
to running the test. Minutes later the
computer completed its program. “Test
complete. Results are displayed on the
monitor.”
All three looked
at the monitor. Based on a
cross-reference of the genetic data, there was no denying the fact that Tolek
was indeed telling the truth.
“Thank you, Jack,”
Val’ri said. “You may amend my medical records
to reflect this information. But please
leave it to me to tell the CMO and the XO.”
“As you wish,
Admiral. Have a good day.” The doctor then looked back at the professor
and said, “Peace and long life, Professor Tolek. It was… interesting meeting you.”
“Live long and
prosper, Dr. Jack Simmons,” was Tolek’s reply, as the pair left the infirmary. Once out in the hall, Val’ri spoke.
“I apologize for
putting you through that. I wanted the
confirmation for my own satisfaction.
Once I looked at you in Marie’s office, I suspected I knew what brought
you here. Of the six children I
mentioned, two are adopted, and were the children of my husband’s older brother
before he and his wife died. The other
four are the biological children of my husband and myself. The oldest of those four, Katrina, actually resembles
you closely.”
“Are your husband
and children here with you on the starbase?”
“My husband and
the four youngest live with me.
Jonathan, the oldest boy, resides on Betazed. Our oldest daughter, Charissa, is also a
member of Starfleet and splits her time assigned between this starbase and the USS Besiege.”
“Will I get a
chance to meet them?”
“You can meet my
husband, and possibly Charissa, but decisions regarding the other children must
be made by Sylvan and I together.”
“I understand.”
As they were
standing outside Infirmary One, the station’s CMO, Dr. Sylvan Xaran walked up
to the pair.
“Good morning,
Admiral. I need more doctors.”
“Good morning,
Doctor. I am aware of that fact. I will bring the matter to the attention of
Starfleet Command again when I speak to the admirals during my meeting at 1100
hours. It is at the top of the
agenda. Until then, you will need to
make due using the civilian doctors and Marine medics temporarily aboard. If things are really bad, each infirmary has
its own EMH as well.”
“Thank you,
Admiral.”
“Doctor, I need a
moment of your time.”
“It’s extremely
hectic right now.”
“Is it now? It’s so hectic that you don’t have a moment
to meet someone important?” Val’ri said with a smile. Sylvan looked at the older Vulcan man who was
standing there and immediately saw what Val’ri had noticed when she had looked
at him earlier; the resemblance to Katrina was unmistakable.
“Of course I have
time.”
“Sylvan,” Val’ri began. “I’d like you to meet…” She paused for a secnd before continuing,
“…meet my father, Professor Tolek of the
Sylvan thought
for a moment before replying, “Dor-tor kup-ragel-tor du. (It is an honor to
meet you.)” Tolek was surprised.
“You speak
Vulcan? Most who are not of Vulcan do not make the effort. Nowadays even many Vulcans do not bother.”
“I’ve been able
to learn some phrases in Vulcan, but not much more than that. I’ve been trying
for years to learn. I was able to learn to speak and write Deltan. Mastering Vulcan is much harder. I’m still learning,” Sylvan replied.
“I commend you on
making the effort.”
“Thank you. I wish I could talk further, but I do need to
get back to my work. Like I said
earlier, we are understaffed and in need of additional doctors. Please stop by for dinner tonight so we can
talk further. Now if you will excuse me? Peace and long life, Professor,” Sylvan said,
nodding to Tolek.
As Sylvan turned
to leave, Val’ri heard him speak to her telepathically, ‘Taluhk nash-veh k'dular.’
Val’ri replied, ‘I cherish you too, my love.’
* * *
Shortly after her
1100 meeting with Starfleet, her Chief Medical Officer walked in and sat down
in one of the chairs in front of her desk.
“Stand up,”
Val’ri ordered. Sylvan looked confused.
“Excuse me?” he
asked.
“Stand up. I don’t recall giving you permission to sit
down, Doctor,” she replied.
Sylvan relented
and stood as Val’ri continued.
“Apparently you
have forgotten that this office is not our personal quarters, nor is it an
extension of your office. This is my
office, and I would appreciate it if you respected that. You know I’m a bit more relaxed in my command
style, but it doesn’t mean you are to take advantage of it. Even Cathryn doesn’t come in here and just make
herself at home. If you do that again, I
will have Cathryn assign you a shift in Ops during Gamma Shift. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Admiral,” Sylvan
replied formally. “Permission to speak
freely?”
“Permission
granted. Please, sit down,” Val’ri replied,
and he returned to the seat.
“I
apologize. I didn’t mean for it to seem
as if I have been taking advantage of our relationship outside this
office. I truthfully don’t think about it.”
“Sylvan, on the Besiege
we were there in an equal capacity, to observe the crew interaction during the
shakedown period and back on Earth you were not under my command; you were
attached to Starfleet Medical. Here, you
are a member of this crew and a member of the senior staff. You may be the only person on this base that
can relieve me of duty but that doesn’t make you my equal. I need you most of all to set an example and
follow the rules. I also apologize. I should have corrected your behavior
earlier. But I was hoping you would remember
proper procedure on your own.”
“You’re
right. I should have remembered proper
procedure on my own; I’ve been in Starfleet long enough,” was his reply before
continuing. “What did Starfleet have to
say about our shortage in the medical department?”
“They are working
on it. Some support is due in the next
few weeks, after the recent graduates are finished with their post-graduation
leave. However, I don’t think you came
all the way here to ask me if I asked Starfleet for more doctors.”
“No, you’re
right. Do I actually need an excuse to
visit?”
“A few hours ago
you were telling me that you had more paperwork than you can handle. I don’t think you suddenly developed
exceptional paperwork processing skills.
You’ve always hated doing paperwork.”
“I haven’t, and I
still hate doing it. I still don’t know
how you did it as Quartermaster on the Arcturus. It will take a few days to get through all
the padds on my desk, even if I get someone to help me. Professor Tolek’s visit just adds to the chaos
right now.”
“He made an
effort to show up, I’m not going to turn him away. He knew about me from the beginning and
respected my mother’s wishes and stayed away.
He didn’t contact me after the Arcturus
appeared in 2367 because he was told that I was not on board. Holed up at the VSA one doesn’t hear much
about the outside world, unless one chooses to.
He found out that I was alive while he was doing research. He found that article we wrote together for
the Starfleet Medical Journal that was published while we were attached to the Besiege.
For someone who does research he certainly didn’t research much more
than where to find me.”
“Sometimes it’s
better to ask the personal stuff in person.”
“You’re
right. But he would have been better
prepared if he had done some research.
He did seem a bit surprised, for a Vulcan, when I told him we were
married and had a family.”
“Because I am not
Vulcan. Or were there other reasons?”
“He didn’t state
a reason, but probably age and the size of our family. Even by Vulcan standards we have a large
family. I am aware that many Vulcans do
not marry until they are older than I am now, but at the same time, I am not
fully Vulcan. I can understand where he
is coming from because even if Deltans do choose to take a life partner, it’s
not necessarily an exclusive relationship.
I’m not saying my mother displayed typical Deltan behavior either. She certainly did not,” she stated, before
continuing. “As for Tolek I think you
impressed him. He certainly did not
expect such a greeting, especially in Vulcan.”
“That’s a good
start, considering impressing a Vulcan isn’t easy.”
“We are going to
have to decide if we are to introduce him to Katrina, Julian, Elayne, and
Corrine.”
“I don’t have an objection. Did he express an interest in meeting them?”
“He had, and I
told him that I had to discuss the matter with you first, and he understood.”
“Val, how are you
feeling about all this? You seem
remarkably calm about this, but it has to be affecting you in some way.”
“It is. I certainly never expected him to show up,
nor to be someone I actually knew. He
was my quantum physics teacher. It was one
of the few subjects I actually enjoyed while I was there, as much as one can
enjoy droning lectures by Vulcan professors.
Until I get to know him, I cannot articulate my feelings any better.”
“That is
understandable.”
“Other than that,
it is good to know that he is alive and well.
I have so many questions I want to ask him.”
“I know you
do. I’m sure you’ll find many of your
questions being asked by the kids. If
you wish, I can cancel their activities and he can meet them tonight.”
“Sounds like a
good plan. I’ll let Tolek know that
dinner is going to be at 1900. And you
get to tell Katrina that she can’t go to her mok’bara class tonight.”
“Gee, thanks. I at least deserve some kind of compensation
for that,” he said with a smile. Val’ri shook
her head.
“I just
admonished you for not following protocol, yet you ask for a hug and a kiss to deal
with a twelve-year-old?”
“What can I
say? She’s a tough one, just like her
mom. Besides you know how she hates to
miss classes.”
“She knows that
family is more important.”
“Can I have the
hug and kiss anyway?”
Telepathically, Val’ri
replied ‘Later, after you tell Katrina
she can’t go to class.’ Then verbally
she replied, “Get back to work, Doctor.”
“Yes, Admiral,”
Sylvan replied and left the office. And
to her telepathic message he replied, ‘You
drive a hard bargain.’ The door
closed behind him and she went back to preparing for her next meeting after
sending a message to Tolek and one to Charissa and Ashari Pel that dinner was
at 1900 hours.
* * *
After her 1400 meeting,
Val’ri contacted her brother at his home in the city of
“Well, how is my
sister this evening?” Ja’al Raiajh asked.
“Fine,” Val’ri replied
in a tone that indicated she was not happy with her brother. “Guess who came to visit me today? Professor Tolek, from the
“Val’ri, Mother
told me never to tell you. She also told
Tolek the same thing. He visited the
Embassy on Earth after the Arcturus
disappeared. I did my best to make him believe
you were on the ambassadorial transport with Mother. I don’t know how he found out differently.”
“He came across an
article I wrote with Sylvan that was published in the Starfleet Medical Journal
several years ago while conducting research for something else.”
“I see. So he told you, did he?”
“Yes, Ja’al, he
told me. And I had a doctor here confirm
it. He’s telling the truth. So why keep it from me? He is my father after all. Don’t you think I had the right to know?”
“Mother didn’t
think so. I agreed with her decision. I still do. There’s no reason for him to
interfere in what doesn’t concern him.”
“Ja’al, how can
you say that? He is my father, how does
that not concern him? That’s like saying
the welfare of my children doesn’t concern Sylvan.”
“If Sylvan wasn’t
in your life, then the welfare of the children shouldn’t concern him.”
“That’s a
narrow-minded view. You can’t tell me
that Ilona’s mother never had anything to do with her.”
“She didn’t. And she still doesn’t. You know that. It’s just the way it is.”
“That’s your
answer? It’s just the way it is? You know what? I’m sorry I contacted you.” Ja’al was about to protest until Val’ri
terminated the link. A few moments
later, her combadge chirped.
“Admiral,” Lt.
Korolov stated, “Ambassador Ja’al Raiajh of Delta IV is on subspace for you.”
“Fine,” she said.
“Put him through.”
The screen
activated, showing first the Federation emblem, then the emblem of the Deltan
Union, and finally the image of her brother.
“What?” she
demanded.
“Val’ri, there is
no reason for you to act this way. You
know how Deltan law is.”
“Yes, Ja’al. I know exactly how the laws in the Deltan
Union are. Now, if you will excuse me, I
have an appointment I need to keep.”
Val’ri terminated
the link again and the screen went dark.
* * *
As was normal,
Charissa and her companion, Ashari Pel, stopped by a few minutes early to help
keep Elayne and Corrine busy while Katrina and Julian helped set the
table. As was expected, Katrina was
still upset about having to miss her mok’bara class.
“I still don’t
see why I need to be here. He’s just another stuffy old Vulcan windbag,”
Katrina said quietly to herself hoping Val’ri wouldn’t hear, but it did cause
Julian to start snickering.
“Stop it, you
two,” Val’ri replied. “There is
something I need to tell you about our visitor tonight. He’s not just another stuffy old Vulcan windbag,
as Katrina so eloquently put it.” The
twelve year old girl blushed with embarrassment. “Professor Tolek is your grandfather, and my
father.” Charissa looked at her mother
in shock.
“I thought you
said you never knew who your father was?”
“Until today, I
didn’t, Charissa. Tolek has come from
Vulcan to rectify that. I expect
everyone to behave themselves. Is that
clear?” Everyone mumbled some sort of
affirmation and Katrina walked over.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I should not have called Professor Tolek what
I did.”
“You are part
Vulcan too. I don’t think you would
appreciate it if someone called you a ‘stuffy old Vulcan windbag’ one day.”
Quietly Val’ri added, “He was one of my teachers at the
Val’ri continued,
“I’ve been working to get a Fleet Space Cadet Corps Unit up and running on the
base. Would that be something you might
be interested in?”
“You know that I
am. I expressed interest in joining back
on Earth just before you left for your assignment here.”
“I knew that you were. However, I also don’t want you to be
overburdened between school and other activities. It would mean that you would no longer be
able to visit with myself or your father at 1530 hours everyday.”
“I will miss the
visits, but I’m sure Elayne would enjoy them as much as I have.”
“I will let you
know once everything is set up. For now,
finish helping your brother set the table.”
As Katrina left, Corrine
came over to Val’ri and tugged on her skirt.
“Mommy?”
Val’ri crouched
down so she was eye-level with the girl.
“Yes, Corrine?”
“I love you,
Mommy.” The four-year-old gave Val’ri a
quick kiss on the cheek. Val’ri gave the
four-year-old a hug and returned the kiss.
“I love you too.”
Corrine asked, “Where’s
Daddy? Is he going to be here for
dinner?”
“He is. In fact, he should have been here by now. You want to ask him where he is.”
Corrine nodded in
the affirmative and Val’ri tapped her combadge.
“Raiajh to Doctor Xaran.”
“Xaran here.”
Corrine spoke up
at the sound of Sylvan’s voice. “Daddy,
where are you? You’re going to be late
for dinner.”
“I’m right
outside the door, along with our guest.”
Corrine replied, “I
love you, Daddy,” as he closed the com line and the door opened. She turned to the opening door and upon
seeing Sylvan she ran over to him and was rewarded by him picking her up and
giving her a hug.
“I love you, too. Were you a good girl at school today?”
“Yes,
Daddy.” She looked up at Tolek, making the
Vulcan salutatory hand greeting as best she could, and spoke, “Hello. My name is Corrine.”
“Greetings,
Corrine. I am Tolek.”
“Are you my
grandfather?”
“That would be
correct,” Tolek replied.
“What do you
think of my Mommy’s starbase?”
“The fact that
your mother is in charge is an impressive accomplishment.”
Corrine looked at
Sylvan with a confused look on her face.
She whispered in Sylvan’s ear, “Is that good?”
Putting her down,
he replied, “It is. Now go play with
your sister.”
Val’ri nodded,
acknowledging his compliment. In fact,
she was speechless.
Sylvan looked at
her. ‘Are you alright?’ he projected
to her.
‘Fine.
Other than you or the children, I’ve never had a family member say they
were proud of what I had accomplished, particularly a parent.’
Aloud, Sylvan
spoke, “Allow me to introduce you to the rest of our family.” Walking over to each one in turn, he stated,
“This is Katrina and Julian.” Each
nodded and greeted Tolek. Walking over to
the living room area Sylvan continued, “Over here we have Corrine, whom you’ve
already met, and Elayne, our second youngest.
And this is our oldest daughter Charissa, and Lieutenant Ashari Pel, her
telsu.”
Ashari commented,
“Although telsu is appropriate, I
think tersu would be a more correct
term.” Tolek raised an eyebrow, but
didn’t comment further.
“Let’s sit down
to eat,” Val’ri stated. “I’m sure
everyone is hungry.”
As they were
starting to sit around the table the door chimed. Val’ri called out, “Enter.” As the door swished open, in walked Ayana
Xaran, Val’ri and Sylvan’s ten-year-old niece.
“I’m sorry, Aunt
Val. Mom didn’t know you had
company. She got called into work and
sent me here. If you would prefer, I
could go stay with Jack and Cathryn.”
“No, it’s
fine. Ayana, this is my father,
Professor Tolek of the
“Yes, Mom,”
Julian replied and set up the place setting for Ayana right next to his own.
Sitting around
the table, the children started calling out what they wished to eat, thinking that
it was going to be dinner as usual. Val’ri
disappointed the children by saying, “Tonight we are all having the same
thing.” Tolek then spoke up.
“What is this dish
called macaroni and cheese the children are talking about?” Val’ri proceeded to explain to him about the
Terran staple food and finally offered him a taste. After tasting the dish, the Vulcan said, “This
would be acceptable as a meal.”
“Very well,”
Val’ri replied. She replicated enough
for everyone along with some vegetables and they enjoyed the meal quietly.
As everyone was
finishing up, Katrina asked, “Does Mom have any other brothers and sisters?”
“She does not.”
“Mom introduced
you as a Professor. What do you teach?”
was Julian’s question.
“I teach Quantum
Physics at the
Ayana asked, “Are
you going to be living on the starbase with us?”
“No, I will be
returning to Vulcan in a few days. I
came to introduce myself to my daughter.
I also got to meet all of you.”
The evening
progressed for several more hours, with everyone, including Tolek, trading
questions and answers.
* * *
A few days later
Val’ri and Sylvan were on the docking level saying their goodbyes to Tolek.
“Your visit has
been agreeable. Please don’t stay away,”
Val’ri stated to Tolek.
“I will endeavor
to keep in touch with you, Val’ri,” Tolek replied.
“You are always
welcome, sir,” Sylvan stated.
“My daughter
chose well in choosing you as her husband.
You two complete and compliment each other.”
“I am honored,
sir. I consider Val’ri and our children
my greatest blessings.”
“I must take my
leave of you now. Peace and long life,
Sylvan and Val’ri.”
Sylvan replied,
“Peace and long life, sir.”
“Live long and
prosper… Father,” Val’ri replied,
surprising both of them. Tolek then took
his leave of the couple and turned to board the transport. Sylvan and Val’ri watched as Tolek boarded
the transport, Sylvan slipping his arm around his wife’s waist until the door
closed.
The End
Return to 2386.
Return to Stories Archive.