Chapter 6
The cherries reflected the yellow light of the room as they sat in their crystal bowl looking fresh and inviting. Long, slim feminine fingers approached them like a predator moving in on its prey. They closed around the stalk of one and lifted it delicately. It soared through the air and then slowly entered a mouth, blue teeth cutting off the light as they held it in place and the fingers ripped the stalk away. The tongue pressed the innocent cherry to the roof of the mouth and squashed it mercilessly, letting the juice flow like blood down the hungry throat. The whole mouth convulsed as the cherry followed with a swallow. The blue lips parted slightly to let air pass through them and they curved into a small smile. The form that was near the blue lips lying across a golden bed watched in hungry rapture. This form was a perfect counter to the first. It was small and dark and hairy, the first one often mused that he was no doubt the missing link between humans and their ape ancestors. She on the other hand was beautiful and sensual, her long white-blonde hair cast about her, emphasised all the more by her lovely, smooth blue skin. The monkey moved closer to her and opened his mouth, exposing yellowing teeth and a disgustingly pink tongue. She obliged the unsaid request and once again the long fingers sought their prey to deliver them to their fate. As the monkey chewed loudly the blue goddess repressed a grimace. When he was finished a hairy knuckled hand reached out to stroke her cheek. She leaned into it, fighting the urge to shudder.
�Ah my Lissiel,� sighed the monkey. �You are such a comfort after such struggle as these last few days have been.�
�Struggle? You haven�t even left the building in that time, what would you know about struggle?�
�Has the Resistance been bothering you my emperor?� she purred.
�Like a swarm of wasps.� he agreed rolling over onto his stomach, exposing his bare back. There was more hair there than on his head! She nevertheless reached out and used her skilled fingers to massage his back. She wanted him to speak, to tell her of the Resistance, about what her baby brother had been up to.
�What have they been doing to pester you so?� she asked as she pressed a finger against his spine and moving down it slowly, making his back convulse under her touch. He enjoyed that.
�They have destroyed the fourth fleet.� he grunted, �And took many ships. Who�d have ever thought a bunch of sub-humans would be such a pain to the great Terran Empire?�
�It�s inconceivable.� she agreed, �Non-Terrans belong at the feet of Terrans, it is the way it was meant to be.� She bit her tongue in punishment for her treacherous words, drawing a cobalt taste. Blood. Blood she no longer deserved to have in her veins. She moved down his back slowly, her nose slightly wrinkled, the only sign of her distaste.
�You are right my beauty.� the monkey said in what was a terrible attempt at seductive, �Terrans are the superior race; you know that, I know that, and all the others are the inferior in everyway. If they would only accept this fact then things would be better for all.�
�Good luck convincing the non-Terrans of that.� she thought wryly even as her lips betrayed her soul by saying
�Oh absolutely, how true my emperor, things would be so much better.�
�Enough! I don�t care, tell me about the Resistance!�
�What else has happened with this silly little Resistance?�
�They�ve been creating all kinds of technology that we can't defend against.�
�That�s my baby brother!�
�I�m sure you�ll come up with something in no time, you are such a clever man.�
�You don�t even know what half the things on your own ships do.�
�Of course I am, you need to be to be Emperor.�
�Oh please! You need to know who to kill to get the spot!�
�Mm-hm. I know, I know. Now what else has that Resistance been doing?� He stiffened under her touch and slowly lifted his head. He turned suspicious eyes on her and she managed to look innocently confused, which was no mean feat. He narrowed his brown beady monkey eyes at her and asked lowly
�Why the sudden interest in the Resistance?�
�Oh, no reason, no reason except I know talking about it helps you feel better.� she assured him. Those eyes were sharp and cruel as they regarded her, no longer were they dulled by pleasure and champagne. He suddenly approached her dangerously, now he was the predator and she was prey and nervous prey at that.
�It wouldn�t by any chance have anything to do with that brother of yours that joined the Resistance? Would it?�
�Of course not, he stopped being my brother when he joined those traitorous fools, besides he is dead, I told you so months ago.�
�Well he�d better be! If I find out you have lied to me�� he let the threat hang in the air letting her own mind fill in the blanks. If he found out she�d lied then he�d kill her and it would probably be a public execution too. Her only hope was if Thy'lek kept his head down and didn�t let himself be seen by Terran operatives. She smiled placating at the monkey and used her goddess like skills to sooth him. She stroked his cheek and then she began to use her lips on his horrible skin. She kept her eyes off him as much as she could, the cherries with their reflected yellow light held her gaze as she began moving over his body. They looked so innocent those cherries did.
Someone could have cut the tension with a knife it was so thick between the two Vulcan women. They avoided speaking to each other as much as possible, despite how illogical it was to do so. Finally one stood up and said
�Would you like some camomile tea?� The other looked up and said
�Thank you but no I find my stomach doesn�t agree with camomile tea while I am pregnant.� The first shifted slightly and then said more stiffly, hiding her annoyance behind her logic,
�Then may I get you something else?� The other looked up and fixed her with a firm gaze and said
�Perhaps you could give me an explanation as to why you are so angered by my pregnancy.�
�I am Vulcan, I cannot be angered.�
�I am also Vulcan, I am well aware of our ways, I was merely using the words to get my desire across.�
�Desire is an emotion.�
�That did not answer my question.� The other stood up and instantly the first�s gaze moved to the bump of her stomach and the eyes flickered with something. �You disapprove of my child.� The other concluded �You believe it is an illegitimate child because that is the way you think all people conduct themselves here and you disapprove of that.� The first�s reserve began to crumble under the other�s stern gaze.
�It is not like that.�
�Then tell me what it is.� The other approached her and stood so that they were only a foot apart. They seemed to stare each other down. Finally the first sat back down as if weighed by something. She looked up at the other and said
�I do not disapprove of your child, but it is� difficult for me to see this since you are me from another reality.�
�Why is that?� the voice was emotionless as it should be but it was softer and kinder. Finally the first looked up and said haltingly,
�I recently lost a child, my daughter.� There was a faint look of surprise on the other�s face then she leaned against the consol they�d been sitting on.
�I see.� The first looked uncertain then plunged ahead,
�She was not conceived with mine or the father�s consent, she was a binary clone, created to die.�
�I don�t understand.�
�On Earth were people, a small faction of xenophobes, they called their organisation Terra Prime. They wished to isolate humans from other species and they created my child to demonstrate the diluting of human D.N.A. They created her with a deliberate genetic default so that she would die. Seeing you with child so soon after is distressing for me. I apologise for my behaviour.�
�It is alright. You have no need for apologies now that I understand why you are behaving that way.� The first looked up at the other and she continued, �However I will not regret being with child.�
�I don�t wish you to.� the first insisted. �Please sit back down.� The other did, this time sitting beside the first and the first asked curiously �How far along are you?�
�Two months, three weeks, four days and twenty hours.� That was surprisingly accurate even for a Vulcan.
�Are you aware of the child�s gender?�
�My husband insists it�s a girl but we have yet to find out.�
�Your husband?�
�Thy�lek Shran.� The face of the first took on great shock despite that it was an emotion. She stared at the other for many moments and then said
�I didn�t think it would be possible for Andorians and Vulcans to be able to procreate.�
�It is easy to loose the child in the early months, but the Andorians have an intriguing ability to conceive. You may not be aware that they require time to form a proper bond with their future life mate before they are considered married.�
�By bond do you mean telepathic?�
�Yes, they gradually merge minds slightly through physical contact over a period of months or years. The beginnings of this trigger a change in both genders causing them to be able to reproduce, before the trigger they are what you would call sterile, able to copulate but not procreate. When they begin the courtship stage, the bond between the two is able to use it to create gametes that are as close to genetically compatible with the other as possible. When Thy�lek and I began our courtship he began his change to ensure that his D.N.A was compatible with mine as much as possible. It did not guarantee that we would conceive but it certainly improved our chances. You may also not know that the symbol of marriage among Andorians is the first pregnancy.�
�I did not but it is logical, as it would prove that this bond is fully formed.�
�Exactly.�
�So you and Shran have been married for two months?�
�No, we�ve been married a Terran year.�
�But you said that the symbol of marriage is pregnancy.� The first frowned slightly in confusion. The other quirked an eyebrow in what seemed to be amusement.
�We already have a son, he is five months, ten days old. His name is Soval.� Once again the first was surprised. She regarded her counterpart evenly then said
�How were you able to convince Shran to name him a Vulcan name, particularly that one?�
�Are you asking that question based on your own experiences with the Thy�lek from your universe?�
��I suppose I am.�
�Well I do not know anything of him apart from that he exists. However can I assume that he would not wish to wed a Vulcan or name a child of his a Vulcan name.�
�You may, he once detested our kind however through negotiations between him as a representative of his people and Vulcans and myself I believe he has come to� accept us, however I doubt that he would ever wed a Vulcan or name a child after one, particularly Soval.�
�They do not approve of each other?�
�They respect each other but� they have a tedious relationship. They work with each other in maintaining the peace with Vulcans and Andorians, however this makes any hope of proper friendship unlikely. The last time they met Shran was ordered to torture Soval and he did so to confirm information that Soval had given.� The other raised an eyebrow and said
�In this universe Thy'lek and Soval were extremely close. Soval, as is the expression, �took a shine� to Thy'lek when he arrived on the I.S.S. Avenger when he was eighteen years old. They had a mentor/student relationship for many years then it evolved into a strong friendship. They were very close when Soval, whom I�d made an acquaintance of when I was still a child, introduced us.�
�It was my belief that Vulcan females were only fertile during Pon Farr. Is this not so?�
�Not exactly, we are at the height of our fertility when we enter Pon Farr, however like many other things to do with Vulcans the mind affects the body far more than other species can appreciate. Therefore if we were determined enough about something we could will it to occur.�
�You mean you were able to make yourself more fertile in your desire to uphold Andorian tradition.�
�And appease my husband. Although I must admit part of the reason I�m already with child again is to do with the bond and Andorians instinctive desire for many children. Thy'lek wasn�t the only one to� change with the formation of the bond.�
�The bond itself caused you to also become more fertile?�
�Correct.�
The first seemed to be uncertain of something; perhaps she wondered how familiar her questions could be. It was one thing to speak of facts like this, but there was a question that burned her curiosity.
�May I ask you a personal question?� The other hesitated, Vulcans were by nature a private people and she�d never spoken so openly with someone she�d only just met before. Then again, this was herself, just a different her. So she nodded
�Of course.�
�What made you mate with Shran?� She�d anticipated the question but was unsure if she wanted to answer. �Was it Pon Farr?� The first was expecting that to be the reason.
�Why do you wish to know?� The first hesitated this time,
�I am� curious and confused as to why you would marry him. While he seems much calmer and controlled than his counterpart he is still a very emotional person, as all Andorians are. I cannot fathom why you would wish to marry someone like that when our own people suppress our emotions.� The other suddenly turned away and said, her voice less kindly,
�I�d actually prefer not to answer that.� Taken aback by her sudden change the first nonetheless nodded and said
�Of course, we ought to be getting back to work at any rate.�
�Agreed.� They worked in silence again, but when they spoke they were much warmer to each other, at least for Vulcans. Suddenly the other jumped and pressed a hand to her abdomen.
�Are you all right?� The first asked in concern.
�My child is kicking.� There was almost joy in her words, making the first raise an eyebrow.
�So soon?� she wondered
�It will be the Andorian blood.� If the first didn�t know better she would have sworn that was a joke. The first hesitated and then asked, holding out her hand,
�May I?�
�Of course.� The other took her wrist and pressed her hand to her stomach. The first jumped at the feeling of movement.
�Andorian gestation must be short.�
�It is five months long, although with Soval my pregnancy lasted seven. Would you like to see him?�
�Your son?�
�Yes, if you wish you may see him.� Did she want to see him? The first was not sure if she did, could she bear to see another child with her blood in its veins after loosing one before? �If you do not I will understand.�
�I will consider it, thank you for the offer. I will admit I wouldn�t expect it.�
�Because of our behaviour towards the rest of your crew?�
�Yes.�
�That cannot be helped, no one here trusts Terrans, but you are Vulcan and I believe we can trust you.�
�Thank you.� The other released the first�s hand and they continued with their work again.