Pride and Logic Chapter 8

“I think that you should wear this outfit. It would show off your bottom rather nicely,” Gaila chirped happily as she laid out yet another outfit on Nyota’s bed.

“For the last time, Gaila, I am not going on a date. It is just drinks with Len and the boys,” Nyota sighed as she picked up the offending outfit to hand it back to her roommate.

“But, this isn’t just the regular group of guys. This is the boys plus one smoking hot Vulcan man who is completely into you! Wear the red mini-skirt with the fishnet tights,” Gaila replied as she pushed the outfit back into her roommate’s hands.

“I don’t want to give Sybok the wrong idea, Gaila. I am not interested in him, whatever your nose may have detected. I am wearing my jeans and that purple tunic. Nice, normal clothes that cover my body and won’t have me mistaken for a Xenubian street walker!”

“Fine, fine. Be boring. I was just trying to spice things up,” Gaila pouted as she plopped onto her bed.

“Anyway, enough fussing over me. I’ve got hours to spare but if you don’t hussle you will surely be late for your date with Shuran.”

Nyota was pleased at the slow smile that spread over Gaila’s features at the mention of Shuran.

“I’ll put the curry in the warmer while you get showered and changed,” Nyota said as she made her way towards the small common room of their quarters.

“Never mind that,” Gaila called as she made her way to the sonic shower. “I’ve decided to be open minded and give Shuran’s food a proper trial.”

Nyota laughed. “Well, you must really be well on your way to being in love if you are willing to rely on Andorian food for sustenance.”

“I know,” Gaila groaned as she leaned in the doorway of their common area. “What is wrong with me? I’ve been living among you humans for way too long. Who could imagine such a thing as a monogamous Orion!”

********************

Colbert’s Pub was packed, as was normal for a Friday night. The place was filled with Academy cadets in civilian clothes winding down from a long week of classes and reconnecting with friends after the winter break. Nyota weaved through the crowd waving to colleagues and hugging friends as she made her way towards a booth in the back of the pub. Scotty waived her over with one hand as he motioned for the waitress with the other to order another round of whiskey.

“Hey, dollface,” McCoy greeted her as he rose and gave her a hug. “I’ve saved you the best seat in the house.”

Nyota smiled as she slid into the booth and settled into the spot he had just vacated next to the wall. Nyota always preferred the inside seat as it offered her an unobstructed view of her friends and the entire pub. Scotty and Hiraku greeted her with a wide smile while Kirk offered his usual leer. McCoy resumed his seat next to Nyota, draping one arm around his friend in a casual manner.

“So, where is Sybok,” Uhura inquired as she looked around the crowded bar.

“Our new friend has proven quite popular with the ladies. He’s out on the dance floor with some blonde draped around him,” McCoy laughed.

“He is rather charming,” Nyota replied.

“Whatever,” Kirk snorted before taking a swig of whiskey that promptly sent him into a coughing fit.

“Easy there, mate. That there is high quality genuine Scottish whiskey, not that milky stuff you usually chug,” Scotty warned.

“As I was saying,” Kirk continued once he had regained the power of speech, “The girls just like something exotic. Who has ever heard of a Vulcan that dances or laughs? It’s kinda freaking me out.”

“Perhaps he is V'tosh ka'tur,” Nyota murmured.

“Vish kosh ba what?” Scotty exclaimed.

“V'tosh ka'tur,” Nyota repeated. “It means ‘Vulcan without logic.’ We were reading about them in Commander Spock’s Vulcan culture seminar this week. They are Vulcans that rejected Surak’s teachings of logic. So, they don’t suppress their emotions or feelings like other Vulcans do. It’s actually how Vulcans evolved to behave.”

“Doesn’t that make them little more than snarling Romulans?” Hiraku asked with concern.

“Did Sybok act like a snarling Romulan today?”

“Well, no. But then, we don’t really know him,” Hiraku went on.

“What is there to know?” Kirk interjected. “He seems like a swell guy, despite his irritating ability to charm any woman he meets.”

“He hasn’t charmed me,” Nyota sniffed.

McCoy let out a loud guffaw. “Sure, keep telling yourself that. I thought you were going to dissolve into a puddle of goo this afternoon. I’ve never seen you so moonfaced over a guy before.”

“I was not moonfaced,” Nyota challenged after giving McCoy an elbow to his side.

“No, you’re right, darling,” McCoy apologized once his laughter had died down. “You were just drooling like he was a big piece of key lime pie.”

The rest of the table laughed heartily as Nyota fumed at McCoy.

“Did I miss something amusing,” Sybok asked with a smile as he sauntered over to the table.

Nyota’s cheeks grew warm. She was grateful for the noise and music of the club that hopefully masked their conversation from Sybok’s sensitive Vulcan ears.

“It was nothing,” Nyota replied. “These guys will just laugh at anything.”

“Nyota, it is a pleasure to see you again,” Sybok greeted her with a warm smile that made her stomach flutter strangely.

“How are you enjoying your introduction to Starfleet Academy?”

“Starfleet seems like an exemplary institution. The instructors and cadets I have met today have all been welcoming and polite, as have these fine gentlemen. However, my introduction has only been wanting in one aspect.”

“And what is that?” Nyota asked.

“I have yet to have the pleasure of a dance with you, Nyota,” Sybok answered as he held out his hand to her.

Nyota laughed shyly before gently urging McCoy to slide out of the booth to allow her exit.

“How does he do that?” Kirk asked as he watched Sybok lead Nyota to the dance floor.

“Like Uhura said,” Hiraku replied. “He’s charming.”

“I’m charming, but Nyota has never danced with me,” Kirk pouted.

“There’s a difference between being charming and unctuous,” McCoy replied before taking a sip of his whiskey.

Nyota followed Sybok to the dance floor, her hand grasped in his overly warm hand. Nyota was still surprised by Sybok’s ease with casual touching. However, Nyota supposed that as a V'tosh ka'tur he would have little reserve about broadcasting his emotions to others or being on the receiving end of them.

“As you have so astutely deduced, Nyota, I am not your typical Vulcan,” Sybok spoke to her mind.

Nyota gasped lightly before tugging her hand from his grasp.

“I apologize, Nyota,” Sybok said as he turned and placed his hands on her waist to position them for a slow dance. “I realize that it must be disconcerting for non-telepaths to communicate mentally.”

Uhura smiled nervously at him. “Yes, it is a bit uncomfortable. I also do not like the notion of someone being able to so easily read my mind.”

“Again, I apologize, Nyota. I did not mean to intrude on your thoughts. Normally with skin-to-skin contact with non-touch telepaths I am only able to sense vague feelings when not engaged in a mind meld. I am unusually receptive to your thoughts. Is it possible that you possess some telepathic abilities?”

Nyota looked up at him with wide eyes. “No, I am quite sure my gifts don’t include telepathy.”

“Perhaps you possess some latent talents of which you are unaware. It is possible that your talent with languages can be attributed in some part to your predisposition for telepathy.”

“My ‘talent’ for languages is a result of extensive study and hard work,” Nyota replied defensively.

The grin slipped momentarily from Sybok’s face as he tilted his head in study of her. “I did not mean to offend you, Nyota. If you indeed were telepathic, your ability to master languages would only be slightly enhanced. The gift of telepathy would be no different than having perfect pitch or a photographic memory. It is a neurological attribute that aides but does not guarantee success in the mastery of language.”

They swayed to the music in silence for a few moments. Nyota pondered what Sybok had told her. She was curious to know if she were indeed telepathic and how she might improve upon her unknown talent. However, she found that her curiosity over Sybok’s reaction to Commander Spock was greater.

“This afternoon when we met, I couldn’t help but notice your reaction to Commander Spock. Are you acquainted with him?”

Sybok redirected his amber gaze from Nyota’s face to a point some distance behind her. Nyota could not help but note the resemblance to another Vulcan when she has posed a similarly innocuous question.

“We are brothers, Nyota.”

Nyota gasped. “Brothers? Does that mean that you are half human as well?”

Nyota felt Sybok stiffen beneath her fingers at the question. Before she could wonder at his reaction he continued.

“No. I believe the term that humans apply is half-brother. We share the same father, however my mother was Vulcan. When she passed away, our father took on a human wife who gave birth to Spock.”

Nyota looked at Sybok in amazement. Their reaction to each other that afternoon had been anything but brotherly.

Sybok’s intense amber eyes slid back to Nyota’s face. “As you might have deduced, we do not have the most brotherly of relationships. Indeed, there exists great enmity which, despite my best overtures, we have been unable to overcome.”

Nyota looked up at him with wide sympathetic eyes.

“This may be presumptuous as we have not long been acquainted, but I sense that you are a trustworthy woman in whom I can confide. May I share with you a story, Nyota?”

“Of course,” Nyota murmured.

Sybok smiled sadly before lifting one of her hands from his shoulder to bring to his lips.

“My mother, as I have already told you, was Vulcan,” Sybok began, retaining his hold on her hand as they danced. “Her name was T’Lyng. She was married to my father Sarek for only a year before she died shortly after giving birth to myself.”

Nyota squeezed Sybok’s hand in sympathy.

“I was raised alone by my father until I had attained fifteen years of age. Sarek was the best of fathers. I was doted on as a child, which was rare for a Vulcan child as we are taught to be independent from our parents at a young age. Our home was a happy one and I was well loved by my father, in his way. I was given the best education and was expected to become a preeminent scholar. Then he took a human wife, Amanda Grayson, who soon after gave birth to my half-brother Spock. I soon found that the attention given me was now given exclusively to Lady Amanda and her son. I was almost forgotten and lived in my own home as a stranger. Lady Amanda had taken an instant dislike to me and saw me as competition for her son. She began to poison my father’s mind against me until I lost the favor due to me as the first son of Sarek.”

Nyota shook her head in disbelief. “That is awful, Sybok.”

“Please do not think that I blame my father,” Sybok continued in an earnest voice as he pressed Nyota’s hand. “Although my father would never admit it, he was blinded by his love for Lady Amanda. You see, the death of T’Lyng was devastating to my father and it was feared that he would fade. He was urged to take another bond mate, but he refused suffering through the Time alone until he met Lady Amanda during one of his missions to Earth.”

“What is ‘The Time?’” Nyota asked.

“It is unimportant. You do not need to know,” Sybok replied as he brushed the back of her hand with his thumb. Nyota nodded her agreement and Sybok favored her with a small smile before continuing.

“I grew to become accustomed to my neglect and strove to be an excellent brother to young Spock. When he was very young, our relationship was a good one. He looked up to me as an example and loved me in his way. However, as he grew older he began to resent my place in the household. He strove to prove to my father that he was a better son than I, even completing the kahs’wan at the youngest age of any Vulcan child.”

“What is the kahs’wan?”

“The kahs’wan is a survival test inn which Vulcan children on the cusp of puberty are sent into the wilderness without food, water or weapons to survive on their own for a Terran week. Spock ran away from home to undertake the kahs’wan at the tender age of six. I was so angry with him when he returned, even though we were all thankful that he returned unharmed. He could have died from exposure or been torn apart by wild beasts. His pet sehlat died defending him from a wild beast, but Spock cared nothing for this. He dismissed my concern as illogical and a sign of mental weakness. All that mattered was success.

“However, the true break in our relationship came many years later when Spock was sixteen years old. Spock had decided to undergo the ritual of kolinhar and expunge all emotion in favor of the path of pure logic. This is a state to which all followers of Surak aspire. I counseled Spock against this path. In my study I had learned that the path of pure logic was detrimental to Vulcan society and health. The way of kolinhar leads to insanity. Vulcans were meant to feel and express the full range of emotions, not expunge them. Logic, I told him was meant to guide the emotions, not to replace them. I shared this with my brother in confidence, as there exists a great prejudice on Vulcan against my kind. As you deduced, I am what they call V'tosh ka'tur. I resent that label, as it is the equivalent of a curse in the Vulcan language. I risked exposure by sharing this secret with my brother because I could not see him unwittingly choose the path of madness.

“Seeing this as his chance to cement his place as my father’s favorite once and for all, he told my secret to my father and to the high counsel. As I was exposed, I used this chance to tell the high counsel of my research findings and of the dangers of kolinhar and how the teachings of Surak had been corrupted. They dismissed my findings. Spock and Lady Amanda testified before the counsel against me, concocting stories about my erratic emotional behavior and how I was a danger due to my lack of logic. The counsel believed them and me banished from Vulcan society. My father was shamed and had no choice by to expel me from of the House of Sarek. So now I am a vagabond, traveling the galaxy without a home planet or a house name.”

Nyota shook her head in disbelief as she fought to hold back tears. A surge of sadness and anger swept through her.

“How could your own brother betray you?” Nyota asked.

“I do not know. However, I do not hate my brother. I forgave him years ago for his treachery. I believe that there is still hope for him to be a good man. Perhaps he turned down the Vulcan Science Academy for Starfleet as a means of atonement. With Starfleet and their goal of peace and discovery, he may yet prove himself worthy of the House of Sarek,” Sybok smiled sadly before bringing Nyota’s hand to his lips once more.

“Please do not be angry with Spock on my behalf, Nyota. Anger poisons the mind and corrupts the heart.”

Nyota smiled sadly as she regarded him. Sybok was so noble and good. She could not imagine having such forgiving thoughts towards someone who had so completely ruined her life.

“Do not be sad, Nyota. I am at peace and I think that I too may find a new home and life with Starfleet,” Sybok replied. “I hope that I have also found a friend in you, Nyota.”

Nyota smiled, no longer as unnerved by Sybok’s telepathic communication. “I would be honored to be your friend, Sybok.”

Sybok smiled and kissed her hand again before pulling Nyota closer so that her head rested against his shoulder for the remainder of the dance.

He looked over Nyota’s head and was surprised yet pleased to find Spock standing stiffly by the bar with Captain Pike, whom Sybok had met earlier, and several other officers. Spock’s dark gaze was fixed on the figures of Sybok and Nyota. Sybok noticed the tightness of Spock’s jaw and the quiet rage in his eyes. Sybok simply smiled at his brother, before pulling Nyota closer to his person and dropping one hand lower on her hip. He was rewarded with the sight of Spock taking a step towards them, a visible frown on his face.  Sybok’s grin grew larger revealing a row of bright white teeth. Hoping to antagonize his brother further, Sybok dropped a kiss onto the top of Nyota’s head. He had to swallow the laugh of triumph that almost escaped his lips at the fierce look that crossed Spock’s face before he abruptly left the pub.

So, his brother had an attachment to the small human presently in his arms that was so strong that he allowed emotions to crack his stoic facade. Sybok had to admit that Spock had a good eye for the human female, a better eye than their father. Sybok could hardly believe his good luck in his choice of plaything. He had thought the lovely Cadet Uhura would merely make a pleasant bed companion during his time in San Francisco. Now he could accomplish an additional goal: revenge.