About a day and half later, Saana peered down at a very red-orange planet. She could see a continent-sized cloud swirling at one of the poles and wondered if it was some form of storm. The planet was bright; she glanced up to see two suns burning and shaded her eyes. "This is Vulcan-wow! It's huge and bright red." A beep came from her Padd, and she answered the page. It was about the article she had sent to a wedding channel several days ago. There was a comment:

Dear Professor Saana Uhura:

On behalf of Forever Love Weddings we congratulate you on the wedding of your daughter to Commander Spock of Starfleet. Thank you for considering our channel to represent the true meaning of love and marriage. For centuries, our company has represented diversity, not only within Terran cultures but also including other cultures throughout the Alpha Quadrant. It is most unfortunate that prejudice is still an issue within the Terran and some other cultures as well. Our company sees only the love of beings dedicated to each other. We have honored your request and published the article you sent. The vid alone speaks well of the couple and their joining, symbolizing diversity throughout Starfleet and the Federation and giving us hope for our all our peoples. When the vid was posted galaxy-wide, the overwhelming sentiment changed to happiness about the unification of the two and curiosity about their romance and their marriage. News media throughout the galaxy have requested information from us and permission to rebroadcast the vid. We have declined to provide any further personal information. We at Forever Love Weddings respect your privacy. I do have one request: Please let me know who designed Ms. Uhura's wedding dress. It was part traditional and part modern. We would like to provide contact information for Ms. Uhura's designer for our fans and future brides. At this very moment there are many requests for the designer to fulfill future orders. Here is the posted article and vid of the wedding of the century. We hope we have honored your request. Please do not hesitate to respond and make any adjustments. We send best wishes for you and for your daughter's marriage.

Michelle Combs

Editor-in-Chief

Saana smiled with satisfaction after reading the comments from the editor. "Finally! Satisfaction for those disapproving skeptics!" She included her mean old Great Aunt Chandis, who had blasted her. "I will never forgive or forget that! That's my daughter; no one insults her or me for no damned reason!'" Saana closed her eyes trying to calm herself. Things were better now, and she decided to block those negative thoughts.

Then two Vulcan aides approached her.

"Excuse me, Professor Uhura, my name is T' Sri. On behalf of Vulcan, welcome. I am here to assist you with your adjustment and transportation down to the planet. She turned to the Vulcan man behind her:

"The Healer Adu must assess your health and address any needs."

T'Sri stepped aside, and the healer came forth. He pulled out his scanner and ran it over Saana. It instantly reported her health levels.

"According to Terran standards, you are performing at optimal levels for a female of your age and weight. I will inject you with tri-ox compound to compensate for our planet's lower oxygen levels. It may also help somewhat with your adjustment to Vulcan's gravity, which is 1.4 Gs."

The healer went into his medical pouch and pulled out a hypospray, Saana looked at the syringe and took a deep breath. Shots were not her favorite thing.

He administered the shot:

"This is a temporary injection and will take effect in 5.30 minutes. You may feel dizzy, and your vision may be affected, but your body functions will adjust quickly. I have notified the chief healer of the S'chn T'gai clan; he will install a transponder in your arm so that he can monitor your health for the duration of your stay. Professor Uhura, it has been an honor to serve you and the house of S'chn T'gai."

The healer bowed his head and left with his bag.

Saana was taken aback by his statement: "Spock's family really must be some sort of royalty." She has never been treated with such respect.

T'Sri continued:

"Professor Uhura, we will be docking soon. I have already started the clearance process with Vulcan Space Central [1] and notified Ambassador Sarek and Lady Amanda of your arrival. I am honored to serve you, Professor Uhura, and the House of S'chn T'gai." T'Sri bowed and left.

Saana sat there trying to register what had just happened. "WOW! This surreal!'" she thought. Saana leaned back in her chair and waited for the next step in her adventure. While she waited, her thoughts wandered back to the two interesting men in her life. She wondered how they would fit in with her busy schedule:

Reuben was not only handsome but showed kindness and had become close to her, something she had not had or permitted in a long time. He was a hard-working man. It touched her heart that he had taken the time to entertain her and had even followed her across Earth. The simple things he did for her made her smile.

Then... there was Chester-they way he would look at her, like a wolf hunting for his prey. "Those eyes of his!" Saana remembered how they sparkled and seemed to pierce her mind. He was tall with a strong, chiseled jaw; his hair was silver with dark streaks. Thinking of Chess prompted a soft moan.

Two days earlier, after Saana had left Earth:

Michelle Combs was sitting at her desk, looking over the latest wedding fashions and wondering how she would address the declining viewership of the Forever Love Weddings website. "People don't take weddings seriously anymore. We're considered last of the dinosaurs," she thought, wondering if her business would survive another five years. Her com-link beeped, and Michelle saw it was a communique from someone named Professor Uhura.

"That name sounds familiar; do you recognize it?" Michelle asked her assistant, Everett Taylor, who was sitting across from her.

"What name?" Everett asked, looking up from his screen.

"A Doctor Saana Uhura?" She turned her screen toward him so he could see.

Everett leaned forward to look at the name and jumped out of his seat.

"Uhura? Girl, don't you know who that is?" Everett asked.

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Her daughter is all over World Entertainment News (WEN); she's the one who married a Vulcan!"

Michelle gasped and stared at the beeping com-link: "She sent me a message; I wonder why?"

"Quick! Open it, girl!"

Michelle clicked on the message, and a picture of Saana appeared: "Greetings! I am Saana Uhura. I have a request that is kind of old school. But my desire is to correct misinformation on behalf of my daughter and her husband. I hope you can do me the honor of posting my statement. If you do this, I will give you exclusive rights to use the information I have provided. I hope you can help not only me but my new family-in-law; they are not here to defend themselves. I hope this information will silence the skeptics and critics who have been having a field day at my family's expense. I thank you in advance for your assistance in this endeavor. Please contact me on this private com-link for an exclusive interview with Commander Spock and my daughter, Nyota. I ask only that you protect their dignity. If you agree, please let me know, and I'll give you permission on behalf of the married couple to use one of their wedding vids.

Thank you on behalf of the S'chn T'gai clan, as well as the Uhura family.

Michelle and Everett looked at each other and their mouths dropped open in shock. Everett started jumping up and down, and Michelle started screaming. The story of a lifetime had just fallen into their laps. She ran around the desk and grabbed Everett by his shoulders and then they started dancing. Michelle pressed a hand to her chest; she was breathing heavily:

"I can't believe it! She-she saved us!"

Everett waved a hand in the air: "Think of the credits, the status-we'll put the competition on their knees!"

"Let's read her article," Michelle said, going back to her desk.

"Skip that-I want to see the vid!"

Michelle projected the vid on the large monitor on the wall and was taken aback by what she saw. The two of them were mesmerized by the view of the Enterprise crew.

"Oh my! She is gorgeous, a sexy thang, isn't she-that Nyota?"

"Oh yeah! And the man in the gold uniform is kind of cute," Michelle said, referring to Kirk.

"Wow! Look at the Vulcan-whooh! He looks likes a predator," Everett said, fanning himself. "That robe is to die for-look at the exquisite embroidered Vulcan script! It appears to have been done by hand-it must have taken days. It's subtle, but I wonder what it says? And that dress Nyota is wearing looks like an original!"

Everett zoomed in on the wedding dress: "Oh my! That dress is fine-and it fits her perfectly, as if it was custom-made for her. I'm jealous of her designer!"

While Everett was critiquing the outfits of the crew, Michelle read the article, which brought her to tears. She looked up at Everett; "Rett, you need to read this."

He took the time to read the article and sighed:

"Girl, that is deep! You need to give this piece justice by anchoring it to the top of our page and using all our resources to point viewers to it. This is missing from the world!"

"You're right! Let's grab 'em by the balls!"

"OUCH, girl! Take it easy!" Everett said, laughing.

"Okay, I'll introduce the couple and do mini-bios of both while you focus on their wardrobes. Dig in and find out who that mystery designer is, as well as the man in the traditional Scottish kilt. Cover all the angles about the combination of Earth traditions with those of the Vulcan culture," Michelle said, waving her hand in the air to indicate the myriad prospects.

"OK, Mich! Let's get to work on the most fashionable wedding of the century!"

The two attended to their tasks, using all their resources to research the couple, their families, and their clothing and accessories.

A few hours later, Michelle premiered the only public vid of the newly married couple. But first she read aloud the commentary that Saana had written on how the media had treated the couple and their families. Saana belittled the media for their handling of the whole situation and stoking prejudice by rehashing the poor first impression the Vulcans had made a couple of centuries back as well as the racist coverage of Sarek and Amanda's courtship. Then she played the vid of the married couple while her and Everett's commentaries focused on the twin themes of unity and diversity.

Then Everett took over, discussing the history of the Scottish kilt and the African motifs worked into Nyota's designer dress. The gold-beaded headdress was a work of art that complemented the meticulously executed design of Spock's more subtle robe. Together they demonstrated unity and diversity among the stars.

Everett ended his fashion statement: "I give my compliments to whoever designed Ms. Uhura's wedding dress! It was made with finesse and was a perfect fit for her hourglass body. KUDOS!! Hook a brother up and contact us at Forever Love Weddings. Congrats on your marriage!!"

The combination of their reports shifted the tone of the conversation about the wedding to that of the "Wedding of the Century." High-status people who had heard of the upcoming reception on Altair VI began scrambling to see if they could obtain a last-minute invitation, and those who had spoken disparagingly of the wedding were overcome with shame. An outpouring of good wishes for the couple from all corners of the Federation washed away the memory of the recent weeks of unsympathetic coverage.

Everyone wanted to know how Forever Love Weddings had gotten access to the wedding vid. No one wanted to know more than Kim Kelly, who paid a visit to the company. Everett escorted her into Michelle's office, giving Kim stink-eye the whole time.

"Michelle, darling! How are you?"

"Kim Kelly! To what do I owe this honor?" Michelle asked, giving her suspicious look.

"Mich, I can't believe you stole my thunder! I thought I had the whole scoop on the Uhuras."

"I didn't steal anything, Kim, girl. Come on!"

Kim folded her arms across her chest: "Then how did you get the scoop of the century?"

Michelle took a deep breath:

"All I can tell you is that when the news broke of the nuptials-Kim, you have to admit-it got out of hand. Then when all the negative stuff about both families started being broadcast, that was the last straw. According to Professor Uhura, the harassment did her in; she felt disrespected."

Kim waved a hand in the air dismissively: "We all know that's just a casualty of the news media."

"Yeah, for you; what Everett and I saw was a woman being stalked at her job and home. And what made it worse is that you were the leader of the pack!"

"Michelle, I didn't mean for it get out of hand; the other news media took it to the deep end."

"That's true, but you could've done more to intervene. The poor woman was mobbed so badly that she took refuge at the Vulcan Embassy."

Kim took a deep breath: "Yeah, you're right about that. I didn't get to interview her at all, and then you beat everyone to the punch. I want to know how and why?"

"Are you kidding, Kim? We focus on weddings and fashion; we are not cutthroats willing to crush anyone for a story. We are into love and happily ever after," Michelle said sweetly. "So how do you like the vid of the wedding?"

"Much better than those old vids we found-it made them look like a storybook couple. But seriously, Michelle, how did you come by it?"

"I don't how she found me, Kim, but a couple of hours ago she sent a com-link to me directly, along with an article stating how WEN had caused her grief."

Kim started thinking furiously: "Maybe I can use their resources to get my own exclusive."

"Do you think I could use your com-link to reach Saana Uhura for more information?"

Michelle looked at Kim, shaking her head and folding her arms across her chest:

"I'm sorry, Kim. Saana will continue give me more information about the married couple and exclusive reports from the wedding reception on Altair VI. That's the agreement I had to make, so I can't help you."

Kim's mouth dropped open in disbelief: "You mean she will share information about the wedding reception only with you?"

"Yep. We at Forever Loving Weddings will honor her request; that's the deal, Kim."

"Are you invited to the reception?"

"Oh no-I might get a live vid if we play our cards right and don't break her agreement. So I'm not risking it."

"LIVE VID!" Are you serious?! You gotta let me work with you!"

"NO WAY, GIRL!" Michelle said, shaking her head.

"I've been trying for weeks to get an invitation to Altair VI" Kim snarled, giving Michelle a vicious look.

Michelle shrugged her shoulders: "I'm honoring my client's request."

"I guess I'll go back to the Vulcan Embassy and try again to get an interview."

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Professor Uhura left for Vulcan sometime today; she's on her way to Vulcan as we speak!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO! My story of the century left Earth?"

Kim huffed loudly and stormed out of Michelle's office mad as a hornet.

Everett came in after the very angry Kim Kelly left Michelle's office:

"I've never seen that woman so mad-I guess she didn't like your answer."

"No, Rhett, she didn't. Kim is quite mad at us. If we play our cards right, our company will get exclusive rights to cover the reception and be back on top again."

"I hear you, girl! I hope this marriage brings romance back to this world-and better yet-to the universe!"

It was half an hour later when the dizziness from the hypospray wore off. T'Sri returned to Saana's cabin:

"Professor Uhura, Vulcan Space Central has processed your credentials, and Ambassador Sarek and his wife are ready to receive you."

"Thank you, T'Sri. The view of your planet is magnificent!"

"I am here to serve. Vulcan is a unique planet. May your stay here be pleasant. Please follow me," T'Sri said, before leading Saana through the ship's corridors to the transporter pad.

Meanwhile Sarek and Amanda were at Vulcan Space Central awaiting Saana's arrival. Sarek looked at his Padd and saw the clearance notice for Professor Saana Uhura:

"Professor Uhura has been cleared to arrive; she will appear momentarily."

"I can't believe she's here! I hope she will enjoy her stay on Vulcan." Amanda spoke excitedly.

"I expect that you will entertain Professor Uhura during her visit," Sarek said, tilting his head toward his wife.

Three Vulcans from the Vulcan High Command Department of Transportation and Immigration approached the couple and gave the proper greeting.

"Vulcan Space Central has given clearance for Dr. Uhura; we are here to welcome her formally."

Amanda looked from them to Sarek: "That's different!" she opined through their marital bond.

"Yes. They are curious about the diversity of skin color among Terrans."

Amanda's eyes widened, and she glared at the two men and one woman.

"Aduna, Vulcans are aware of the genetic variations among their own species, but Terrans possess an array of differences that many Vulcans have never yet encountered in person."

Amanda returned her gaze to the transporter port and saw Saana materializing before them. Beside her were two aides with her luggage; they stepped down from the platform toward Sarek.

Saana recognized the couple right away and clasped her hands together to keep from jumping up and down. She remembered that Vulcans were somber people with little facial expression or body language. Saana was escorted to them and noticed three Vulcans standing beside the ambassador. They were wearing long, gray robes and appeared to be in their late 80s. But Saana suspected that they were much older, given the difference in average life spans between Terrans and Vulcans. She stopped in front of Amanda and Sarek, held up her hand to perform the ta'al with difficulty and focused on the pronunciation:;

"Dif-tor heh smusma" [Live long and prosper].

Amanda and all the Vulcans gave the standard response, "Sochya eh dif" [Peace and long life], with a small bow.

The Vulcans Saana did not know exchanged glances with raised eyebrows, obviously surprised (for Vulcans) that she had spoken with proper pronunciation.

The eldest, Suter, addressed Saana in Standard: "Professor Uhura, on behalf of all of Vulcan, welcome."

Saana responded in Vulcansu: "Thank you for your generosity in allowing me to stay at your Embassy on Earth and to visit your beautiful world."

The three elder Vulcans were impressed with the clarity and precision of her Vulcansu.

The female commissioner, T'Dess, observed Saana's demeanor and pronunciation, and gave the Terran credit for learning the language:

"Profesor Uhura, you honor us with your presence. We are pleased that your daughter is bonded to a s'haile of the S'chn T'gai clan."

Amanda stood wide eyed, shocked that three of the commissioners from Vulcan High Command had come to greet Saana and had spoken to her with such high regard. Sarek gently touched her fingers to give her support.

Then the third commissioner, Avarak, spoke up: "If you have need of our service during your stay, Ambassador Sarek will act as liaison."

"Your greeting and service honor me," Saana responded.

Suter spoke again: "May I ask how you learned Vulcansu? Your diction is correct, and your phrasing has clarity."

"I was honored to be assisted in my learning by your aides on Earth and the modules that I trained on for the past several weeks."

Suter's brow rose: "Impressive; not many can accomplish such a feat in so little time."

Sarek turned to the commissioners: "Professor Uhura's daughter has a distinguished record in xeno-linguistics; according to Starfleet personnel files, she has become proficient in more than 75 languages or dialects, many of them alien to Earth."

"Lieutenant Uhura has much in common with your bondmate, Sarek. Lady Amanda continues to contribute to the linguistic banks of the Federation of Planets," T'Dess noted.

Amanda stared at the three Vulcans, still shocked by their praise. Never in her years on Vulcan had she heard such compliments. "I'm feeling a bit queasy from the overwhelming comments. I wonder what brought this on?"' she thought to herself. She decided that she had had enough of the fanfare:

"Professor Uhura, you must be tired from your journey. Please accompany my husband and I to our estate so that you can rest before end meal."

"Quite true, my Aduna. We will attend to her comfort, and she will partake in end meal with us," Sarek agreed.

Saana remembered that "end meal" meant dinner. She turned to the three commissioners and performed the ta'al:

"Sochya eh dif, commissioners of Vulcan."

The commissioners returned the salute and left Ambassador Sarek and his wife to their guest. As Sarek led the ladies and the aides to a hovercar, Amanda turned to Saana: "Oh my, Saana! That was wonderful! They are intrigued with you."

"Really?"

"Yes. They rarely appear to visitors to Vulcan. They nearly always send an aide in their place."

Saana didn't know what to think. She walked out of the building into the thin, hot air. The increase in gravity hit her immediately, and she almost lost her balance.

Amanda grabbed her arm, saying, "It will take a little while to adjust to the atmosphere and the gravity."

Sarek took note of her near-fall: "Did receive your tri-ox compound?"

"Yes. The healer on the ship said he notified your family healer of the injection."

"Good. That will help your body adjust to the differences. I will notify the chief healer of the S'chn T'gai clan of your presence in our home."

"Thank you."

"I'm so glad you're here, Saana!" Amanda said, finally breaking out into a smile when they reached the car.

They loaded into the vehicle and headed out to the clan's estate. During the drive, Saana took note of the buildings they passed. Although the architecture was quite different from what she was familiar with, the buildings were gorgeous and impressive. She saw people walking around in long robes, but it strangely quiet for such a large city.

"This is beautiful; it's different."

Sarek explained: "Our capital, ShiKahr, is the home of our primary facilities for higher education and our political system."

The drive took about half an hour. On the outskirts of the city, there were fewer buildings or houses. Soon there was just desert vegetation, and Vulcan's two suns dominated the horizon.

"I never saw two suns like those," Saana said, attempting to block the glare with her hand.

"The Vulcan people have evolved to adapt to the sun's intensity."

"I have to wear special contact lenses for my eyes, I will order you a pair so you will be able withstand the glare," Amanda said.

Saana took in the view as best she could; then she saw a dwelling that looked like castle or mansion. It was huge and appeared to have been partially built into a cliff. She took it all in. "Sarek's family must be like the Rockefellers or Rothschilds on Earth," Saana thought.

As they entered the house, Sevel, steward of the estate, approached them: "Welcome, Professor Uhura. May your stay be a peaceful one," he said with a slight bow.

"Sevel, can one of the servants prepare tea for Professor Uhura? She has had a long journey."

"As you request, T'Amanda," Sevel said before bowing and leaving.

Sarek came and stood next to his wife: "Professor Uhura, we have prepared a room for you in which to rest; we will honored if you join us for end meal at 1800 hours."

Saana replied in Vulcansu: "I would honored, Ambassador Sarek."

" ‘Sarek' will suffice."

"Then you must call me ‘Saana'."

Sarek raised a brow and looked to his wife for permission.

"Of course; we are family now, Sarek," Amanda said graciously.

"Until then, Saana," Sarek said with slight bow of his head before leaving the room.

"What was that all about?" Saana asked.

"Sarek didn't want to offend you by addressing you by your first name. Among Vulcans, it's considered intimate, Amanda said. "I have to teach you more of the Vulcan social norms. They are very different from those of Earth."

"It's okay; I am a professor of anthropology, and it's all about culture!"

Amanda wrapped her arm around Saana's and led her toward her suite: "It's good that you have an open mind; it will come in handy when dealing with the local Vulcans. They can be a challenge. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have another Terran female to chit-chat and share womanly things with. Vulcan women don't do girl time as we do."

"Well, I've been out of action for some time. I know Nyota and her best friend Charlene would often have ‘girls night out' before she was married. I wonder if they still do?"

"I hope so. Vulcan women don't socialize as Terran women do. So here's your room."

Amanda stopped in front of a double door that swung open to reveal a large suite.

"Oh my! Vulcans do like things spacious! This is nice."

"Thank you."

Amanda closed the doors, and the women sat on a loveseat and began chatting about current events. Outside the suite, standing nearby, Sarek quietly listened to the hum of conversation between his wife and Professor Uhura. The sounds rose and fell, frequently punctuated by giggling, a sound he would never become used to. It disturbed his sensitive ears, and he raised a hand to cover one of them. Sarek would never understand the human need to talk excessively, which he referred to as "non-constructive conversation" and Amanda called "small talk." She had tried to explain to him that is was a form of social bonding, but he had difficulty with the concept. The people of Vulcan generally eschewed that type of communication; they were concerned with the facts, no more and no less.

Sarek suddenly realized that his home would be filled with this type of chatter for the duration of the run-up to the celebration and beyond. He was aware that Terran females tended to engage in this type of conversation more than males. He also understood that his wife needed this for her well-being. But the thought remained that his home would be noisier than usual; even with the door to the suite closed, the sound filtered through it and filled the space where he was standing. He realized that it would interrupt the tranquility that he sought each day when he came home from the Academy or the Vulcan High Command. Sarek sighed quietly and resolved to increase his meditation time by 15.5 percent to accommodate the disruption of his household. He stood there for a few more minutes, noticing an increase in his wife's contentment through their bond. Thinking of the saying his wife had used several nights previous, "Happy wife, happy life," he was satisfied with the situation.

Sarek continued down the hall to his study, wondering about what the two Terran females would do as the days proceeded. Sarek wondered how long Professor Uhura would be staying. He continued into his study and realized that he had found the temporary sanctuary he would need until the noise of female conversation subsided. He com-linked the S'chn T'gai healer Shath to confirm the appointment for Professor Uhura's transponder implant.