Eriecho - Star Trek Kelvin Timeline fanfiction

Recessive - A Fourth

Things proceeded in this fashion for a few months. Eriecho and Sollastek would see each other at their adjoining garden patches, and would weed or harvest, mostly in silence and without touching.

They would sit together at their evening meals, usually with Saddik. When Saddik was the one getting the three seats together, he inevitably tried to be as close as possible to the woman who the matrons had disdained as a mere Pon Farr comforter. As for the matrons, when they showed up for the evening meal at all, they would continue their none too subtle disapproving ways, and would often make cutting comments, secure in the knowledge that they would be overheard, and that their pre-formed opinions were the only ones that were at all logical.

It continued past a Thanksgiving gathering, and even an imported Earth holiday that Shaw and Carter and the other attendant humans had explained was called Christmas. Then there had been New Year's, even though it was only the year change on Earth, and even then it was only in accordance with the old style calendar. On Mars, the year was 687 days to Earth's 365. Since it was not quite twice an Earth year, 21 days were lopped off the middle of every Martian year, with one extra subtracted day every other year. This more or less was the correct adjustment needed so as to support illusions that the two planets were in perfect synchronization and the Martian year was simply double that of Earth.

Sollastek could count the times on one hand that he and Eriecho had so much as touched hands. There had been that time in the garden in October, and then at Thanksgiving, and at Christmas, and again at New Year's. Every time, his touch telepathy had been engaged, and he could feel a maelstrom of emotions coming from her, much like heat waves. Neither of them initiated any additional contact, but they weeded together, and they harvested together, and they sat together, and so he was fairly well content, for she did not spend as much time with anyone else, not even Saddik or Carter.

It was March of 2263, the seventeenth to be precise, and they sat together at the evening meal, as always. This time, Saddik had saved their seats, and he had secured for himself the plum position of being right next to the object of his attentions.

After the moment of silence, the woman explained, "I am Valeris."

"It is agreeable to know you," Saddik explained. "I am Saddik, and this is my daughter, Eriecho. And this is Sollastek."

"I know," Valeris stated, "but it is agreeable all the same to be properly introduced. So many do not deign to speak with me, due to my earlier profession, when our planet yet existed."

"Few speak with us as well," Eriecho commiserated. She gave the matrons a sidelong glance. "I suppose they fear that our stints in Canamar Prison will somehow reflect poorly on them if they were to so much as wish us a good morning on occasion. Sollastek here is very brave indeed to be associated with us, and risking his good name."

"My name," Sollastek stated, "it is far from a good one, for I was not destined for a life in science or diplomacy, but rather for a life of industry. It should not matter now, yet I suppose it somehow does, at least, it does to some. Perhaps it does even more, as our number here is so small. There seems to be an increase in reactionary behavior." He, too, briefly favored the matrons with a quick glance.

"I do not know," Valeris said, "but as of now, my existence and my profession are perhaps even more logical than before. I provide a necessary service to the unattached of the male and heterosexual persuasion, or to the female and lesbian preference." She looked Saddik up and down. "Is that service the nature of your interest?"

Saddik cleared his throat a bit. "I, it was so originally, I confess. But you are very comely to look at, and I am learning now that your frankness of speech is most agreeable to my old ears." He, too, glanced at the matrons. "It is far preferable to backbiting and sniping. It is most logical for our community to pull together as a whole, yes?"

"That is true," Valeris concurred. "Kindness and understanding are most reasonable. The Colonel has been the instrument of the humans' generosity. Yet there are those who are so very unappreciative and overly critical of some small errors and even some attempts to introduce us to rather tiny aspects of their culture, as a means of fostering better understanding between our two species. I have manners enough to thank him and his fellows. And I wonder, at times, at the manners of those who would disdain him and his fellows' efforts."

The old biddies all looked at each other. "Being lectured at by such persons is so very distasteful," one of them complained.

"Yes," agreed another, "it is as if Nero's behaviors turned our society upon its own head. I am certain it is the influence of the humans, and their more flat society, when it comes to class. Why, at that Thanksgiving meal, when we were introduced to many of the human surrogate mothers, it did not escape my notice that many of even Ambassador Sarek's own children are being carried by human women who appear to be of little breeding. It is most fortunate that they provide no genetic contribution."

"Do you fear," Eriecho asked them all rather loudly, "that the Vulcan genetic contribution would prove to be recessive?"

The matrons were quiet for a while, as they thought over their response. "There is no reason," one of them stated to the others, "to deign to answer such inquiries or favor such persons with responses. Recessive! As if that were at all possible! Our genetic material would never be inferior. Not even if it came from a day laborer, or a Pon Farr comforter, or even from former convicts." They returned to their salads, satisfied that their points had been adequately made.

"They mean to insult us all, and to snipe and to carp every day, I suspect," Valeris stated. "You are most correct, Saddik, that we should pull together as a community. Yet aside from our human hosts, you are the only ones here on Mars who have spoken with me in a manner that is neither insulting nor is it condescending. At the Andorian sanctuary, they were all so very self-righteous, when they bothered to engage me in conversation at all. And this was even when they sought out my services. I had, it was my intention and my wish that there would be an improvement here."

"It would be most logical," Sollastek offered, "for you to join us at our evening meals, from this day forward. I do not believe any of us shall ever treat you in such a manner."

"That is most agreeable to my ears," Valeris replied.

"Then it is settled," Saddik declared. "I have many agreeable friends," he stated loudly. Then, more quietly, he asked, "Valeris, I am not accustomed to strolling after the evening meal. But I think it would be a means of assisting our digestion of these unfamiliar human foods. Would you deign to join me?"

"I will join you. Can you identify the stars?"

"Very few, I must admit. But I could study them tomorrow, and provide you with more information tomorrow evening as well, if you so wished."

"Even a limited education," she decided, "would be superior to my own, for I have not yet learned much in this area. Perhaps you could indicate to me which of Mars's moons is Phobos, and which is Deimos, for they often confuse me and I am unable to keep them straight."

"We could conjure up a memory device," Saddik suggested, "and create it together, even if it was a poem or some such."

"That would be most agreeable," she said.

Eriecho turned to Sollastek. "There is a human film, Theo Carter gave me a copy for my PADD and I have it transferred to the small viewer in our meditation room. It is from the holiday called Christmas, and it is a story of an alternate reality. It is titled It's a Wonderful Life. Perhaps we could view it this evening."

"Would that be in your home?" he asked. She nodded. "That would be most agreeable."

The old biddies were quietly and more or less emotionlessly scandalized.