[2005: AUG-SEP] Isolated amongst the irrational...

[Salak]

VERY EARLY DRAFTING. ALL YET TO BE EDITED/ADDED TO

The year is 2376 and the Dominion War is still waging. On a moon near the heart of Federation space, a family of Vulcans live as practically the only official connection between the Vulcan High Command and the moons government... A government historically hostile towards Vulcans.

The embassy was a daunting place for a 6 year old, almost alone amongst aliens on a foreign moon. Apart from her parents and her brother, she was practically alone on this world, her pointed ears, straight eyebrows and fair skin standing out amongst the natives. She knew no other children like her, not even on Vulcan... a world she'd never visited yet which was the home of practically all of her family.

As if T'Pel would have had enough trouble settling in peacetime, but she could not remember a time of peace in the Federation. The Borg had been a constant fear, but it was the Dominion with which her home was at war. The moon she stood on was anticipated as a major target, similar to Vulcan, Betazed and Earth. With the xenophobia caused by the war, her presence was even less welcome by her peers outside the embassy...

T'Pel was a curious child. She'd grown up at the Vulcan Embassy and knew the buildings well. However, there were always a little knook or cranney of which she found she hadn't known...

(More to add here)

"T'Pel?"

Who was it? A tall silhouette stood in the doorway, the persons identity unclear in the dim light... T'Pel lifted her bedcovers over her hea as if trying to hide from the figure.

"T'Pel?" the voice repeated... the voice of her own brother... She replaced the bedcovers so as to reply.

"Salak? What are you..." But she was cut off mid-sentance, her brother not willing to answer her questions, but that was to be expected at this late hour.

"Father wants to see you, now preferably."

T'Pel climbed out of her bed, and walked towards Salak who remained in the doorway. The two walked through a long unlit corridor, a stark contrast to it's daytime appearence. During the day, when T'Pel normally saw this corridor, it was brightly lit as light from the star shone throught the Ice ceiling which was the roof of the building. Looking up now, all she could see were the comparatively dim stars of the Alpha Quadrant and a narrow cresent of the Gas Giant around which the moon orbited, it's rings faintly distinguishable aginst the equally dull backdrop of deep space.

(Add more in here)

"Back to bed now, T'Pel."

Upon thier fathers instructions, Salak also turned towards the door but was abruptly halted as he was called back.

"Salak, I want to discuss the acadamy with you..." Vorak paused as T'Pel left the room. The young Vulcan waited outside and attempted to overhear the conversation, hearing references to both Starfleet and the Vulcan Science Acadamy before her double eyelids grew so heavy that she could not bear them.

Sleepily, T'Pel attempted to retrace the steps she'd taken with her brother.

- 2376

- from viewpoint of T'Pel

- Salak is about 17 at the time

- Emphasise small size of Vulcan ambassadorial team

- Towering figure at least twice her height, "horns"/antennae waving from a fairly bald forehead....

- Why in the corridor so late at night? Sent for by Vorak? Salak guiding her but held back to talk about Science Acadamy and Starfleet application leaving her to return on her own?

Edited August 5, 2005 by Salak

[Salak]

It is early 2375 and the Dominion War is going badly for the Federation. On a moon near the heart of Federation space, a small family of Vulcans live as practically the only official connection between the Vulcan High Command and the local government... A government historically hostile towards Vulcans.

The embassy was a daunting place for a 5 year old, amongst aliens on this foreign moon. She was practically alone on this world, her pointed ears, straight eyebrows and fair skin standing out amongst the natives. She knew no other children like her, not even on Vulcan... a world she'd never visited but yet was home to practically all of her family. Due to the lack of Vulcans around her, her emotions were more like the natives than her ancestors... open and visible for all to see for the majority of the time...

As if T'Pel would have had enough trouble settling in peacetime, but she could not remember such a time in the Federation. The Borg had been a constant fear, but it was the Dominion with which her home was currently at war. The moon she stood on was anticipated as a major target, similar to nearby Vulcan and Earth. With the xenophobia caused by the war, her presence was even less welcome by her peers outside the embassy...

Despite, or perhaps because of the environment she was in, T'Pel was a curious child. She'd grown up at the Vulcan Embassy and knew the buildings well. However, there were always a little nook or cranny of which she found she hadn't known... ranging in size from rooms she'd never noticed before to listening devices behind the portraits in the grand entrance hall.

For a person of so few years, she had good reason to be here. Her Father was a diplomat, the official representative of Vulcan High Command on this desolate, frozen world. Her mother was an exobiologist, studying the different methods of adjusting to the climate used by the flora and fauna of the moon in their bids for survival. Her brother? Well, Salak had been considering his path for a while now. He wanted to be up in the stars, yet with the war, their father disapproved, requesting he give more thought instead to an application for the Vulcan Science Academy. She did not want him to go...

"T'Pel?"

Who was it? A tall silhouette stood in the doorway, the persons identity unclear in the dim light... T'Pel anxiously lifted her bedcovers over her head as if trying to hide from the figure.

"T'Pel?" the voice repeated... the voice of her own brother... She replaced the bedcovers so as to reply.

"Salak? What are you..." But she was cut off mid-sentence, her brother not willing to answer her questions, but that was to be expected at this late hour.

"Father wants to see you, now preferably."

T'Pel climbed out of her bed, and walked towards Salak who remained in the doorway. The two walked through a long unlit corridor, a stark contrast to its daytime appearance. During the day, when T'Pel normally saw this corridor, it was brightly lit as light from the star shone through the window of ice which was the roof of both the corridor and the building. Looking up now, all she could see were the comparatively dim stars of the Alpha Quadrant and a narrow crescent of the Gas Giant around which the moon orbited, its rings faintly distinguishable against the equally dull backdrop of deep space.

At the end of the corridor was an archway, leading into the ambassadorial reception lounge. The siblings walked in together, T'Pel walking towards her father who was sitting in the corner in a chair made of [a frozen bamboo?] whilst Salak simply stood near the wall a few metres from them. The room was dimly lit, as the rest of the embassy was. There were no fire places, as it would melt the Ice, and with no sun, there was no natural light. The only real light in the room was that of candles, just three placed on a table in the centre of the room.

It was her father who started talking first. "T'Pel, our home is not safe anymore..." the man paused, "You know I said we had gone to war with the Dominion?" The young girl nodded. "Well they've taken Betazed..."

"But we're not on Betazed!" his daughter protested

"Betazed is only a few light years away from here, this system may be the next to fall and I don't want you or your mother here if that happens."

Voraks response, though sounding emotional, was of no such sort. His daughter was a part of him, as was his son. He was incomplete without them, just as they would be without him. The safety of his children was paramount to him; logic required the needs of the many, his children, to outweigh the needs of his own one life. His families’ departure was required logically, although he doubted T'Pel would understand this...

"But..." T'Pel was in no hurry to leave the moon which had been her home for her entire life. Besides, where would they go? If her current home was under threat, so would be Vulcan, and Earth...

"No arguments, I want you at least ready to leave by the time I finish my meeting with the Tellarite ambassador tomorrow morning."

The room fell silent as her father paused, perhaps waiting for a response. She was too tired to give him one, and so he broke the silence

"Go back to bed now, T'Pel."

Upon their fathers’ instructions, Salak also turned towards the door. T'Pel had almost forgotten he'd been standing in the room and hoped to talk to him on their way down the corridor, but he was abruptly halted as their father called him back.

"Salak, I want to discuss your future with you..." Vorak paused as T'Pel left the room. The young girl waited outside and attempted to overhear the conversation, hearing references to both Starfleet and the Vulcan Science Academy for not the first time in recent months. Before long, her double eyelids grew so heavy that she could not bear them.

Sleepily, T'Pel attempted to retrace the steps she'd taken with her brother. The journey was so much more difficult at night without the lighting which she always had seen this corridor. She tread slowly and nervously through the long hall, constantly thinking of the words her father had said to her. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt halt.

Before her stood a menacing figure, towering over her at twice her height. She glanced up at his face, more coloured than her own, but she could not tell which colour in this light... She thought he looked almost Blood Green in such dark light, the look on his face somewhere between concern and displeasure, his mouth slightly open and his forehead shrivelled up, his curved horns twitching.

Not wanting to know who this figure was, T'Pel turned and ran, the monster calling after her, "T'Pel! T'Pel!?"... How did it know her name?

Edited August 30, 2005 by Salak