THE PURVIEW OF THE DIPLOMATS

Hon. T'Aalis:

Allow me to begin by offering my sincere condolences during this trying time for your family. I regret not communicating with you sooner, but the situation regarding your daughter Val'eris has affected me deeply as well, and only recently have I felt sufficiently in control of my emotions to be able to address this topic with others.

But that is my weakness, and not of your concern.

You have no doubt heard unflattering and derogatory remarks about Val'eris and her comrades during and following her trial. Whatever her actions may have been, undeniable though they be, I can tell you that she acted with what she perceived as the best interests of the Federation in mind. In her heart, she has always been truly Vulcan. This was apparent to me since the first time I met her ...

*****

A brilliant pulse of violet light flashed meters above Ensign Saavik's head. Already prostrate on the ground, she pushed her cheek harder against the dirt, seeking shelter. A plasma grenade detonated behind her, showering her with more dirt and debris. Having dived to the ground amidst a hail of sudden phaser-fire, she was caught in relatively open ground. She quickly realized she needed to gain better cover. As explosions continued around her, she began crawling toward a rock outcropping.

She reached relative safety just as another Starfleet officer crawled into the shelter from the opposite direction. It was another Vulcan female. She had short black hair and a severe expression.

"Did Vulcan Intelligence know all these Andorians would be here?" asked Saavik sarcastically, her Romulan ire getting the better of her.

"Doubtful," replied her new companion, taking up position and aiming her phaser. "But the Andorians have always been wily adversaries." She fired several times in quick succession.

"I'm Saavik -- Science Officer for the U.S.S. Sonak," continued Saavik as she cleaned sand from her own weapon.

"Valeris -- Helmsman aboard the V.H.C. Xon. We had search parties on the ground looking for you when this assault started."

"I'm afraid they attacked my ship too swiftly for us to put up an adequate defense. We crashed nearby."

Valeris scanned the area with a tactical eye. "This assault seems to be coming from that small ridge to the east. It would be useful," she said, pointing with her weapon, "if you took up a position there, to prevent them from flanking us."

"Yes, of course. Basic Training was quite a while ago for me," said Saavik apologetically.

From overhead, mortars and phaser bolts rained down around them, blasting rock into flying shards. Saavik aimed and fired as best she could, but could only shoot in the general direction of the enemy fire, since she rarely actually saw any enemy soldiers to take aim at. Behind her, she was vaguely aware of Valeris' communicator chirping.

"Valeris," Saavik heard her new partner answer. "Yes, sir. Myself and one other, from the Sonak ... Coordinates 8-7-5 mark 4-9-2 ... Acknowledged." Valeris turned to Saavik. "That was my commander. The Xon cannot get a transporter lock, and we're outgunned here. They're going to fire ship's phasers -- danger close!"

Suddenly, the turquoise alien sky lit up a brilliant white. "Look out!" cried Valeris. She shoved Saavik to the ground and spread herself on top of her. Along with the flash, a horrifying crackle filled the air, and a wave of static electricity washed over them -- feeling like a million crawling ants. As both women shut their eyes tight, the shockwave from the blast hit them as from a furnace.

After a few moments of calm, they both crept up to the edge of their hiding place. Peering over the top, they glimpsed the distant tree line where, moments ago, their enemy had been hiding. All that was left now was a landscape as barren as any moon.

*****

"I don't believe it." Saavik was pacing anxiously in front of Spock.

"The evidence is irrefutable," her mentor responded. He remained seated in the darkened room they were meeting in. His protégé had recently contacted him, requesting -- nearly demanding -- to discuss Valeris' situation.

"But we've both known her for years. She wouldn't do such a thing. She graduated first in her class from the Academy ... Completed advanced tactical training ... She flew T-40 Quasars and T-55 SuperNovas during the Andorian Incursion. She's loyal -- to Vulcan and the Federation."

Spock sipped from a glass of wine, allowing the silence to build and lend weight to his words. "I believe Valeris was loyal -- or at least trying to be. I believe she had the best interest of the Federation in mind -- that she acted as she thought she should to preserve it. But intent does not excuse consequences. Many a villain down through history has believed they were in the right, and that the rest of society was wrong." He took another sip, still pensive. "And when one can find others who believe in the same delusion, as she did, then the belief becomes all the stronger."

"Villain?! You're calling her a villain? You yourself just said 'delusion' -- at worst, she's sick. She needs help, not imprisonment." Saavik knelt beside Spock with un-Vulcan-like moistness in her eyes. "She needs her friends, Spock -- to tell everyone else that she's not a monster."

"She's worse!" Spock brushed Saavik aside and stood roughly. He could barely contain an anger that last showed itself in a darkened sickbay, with Valeris pointing a phaser at him. "What is a monster? A beast, a creature. A misunderstood animal acting on instinct, with no malice." He turned to face Saavik, a frightening darkness in his eyes. "Valeris knew what she was doing. She may have let her fear overrule her logic, but she knew what she was doing. And it cost lives -- Federation lives, Klingon lives. It nearly plunged us into war. Murder, treason -- these cannot be ignored."

Saavik tried to counter his argument. "I'm not saying ignore them, but ... Can't you see that you're hurt by her too? She betrayed you, your trust. You saw your own future in her, and then she chose a different one."

"Yes," agreed Spock readily.

"Don't let that hurt stop you from helping her now."

"I'm afraid your own relationship with her is likewise affecting your emotions." At Spock's words, a cold shiver ran down Saavik's back. Her shock was apparent on her face. "Yes," Spock continued matter-of-factly. "I am aware of the history between you two. I do not judge it. I bring it up only to show that your own feelings are clouding your judgment." His tone took on a sense of finality. "It is no longer up to you or me. Valeris' fate now resides in the purview of the diplomats."

*****

Saavik stirred beneath Valeris, waking her sleeping lover. Valeris blinked in the darkness of the bedroom. The room had a slight chill, but beneath the heavy blanket, it was warm and musky. Valeris pressed her bare skin into Saavik's back. She wrapped her arms around Saavik's shoulders and breathed deeply the familiar scent of her hair.

Their clandestine affair had begun almost immediately after their battlefield meeting. They both acknowledged that the intensity of their introduction most likely contributed to their initial attraction, but there was no denying the connection they each continued to feel.

They were not assigned to the same ship, and they worked hard to keep their relationship secret. Therefore, rendezvous were few and far between. They were breaking no rules or laws -- and sexuality of all sorts was generally accepted among the Vulcan public -- but old prejudices died hard. The Vulcan High Command was not as open-minded, and the mere rumor of impropriety could permanently damage a career.

Valeris rested her chin in the crook of Saavik's neck. She slid her hand down Saavik's side, feeling soft skin as she traced the curve of a hip and reached around, crossing a smooth belly. As Valeris pressed her hips into Saavik from behind, she slid her hand lower, between her lover's legs.

Her eyes still closed, Saavik smiled. Valeris smiled as well. "Stop pretending to be asleep. You're not fooling me." She kissed the nape of her neck.

Saavik's smile gave way to giggles as she twisted under Valeris' soft form, turning to face her. "And what has you awake at this hour."

"You. You toss and turn in your sleep." Valeris leaned down and kissed Saavik on the lips. Saavik readily returned the kiss, and their hands began exploring each other's bodies once more. Their motions disturbed the blanket on top of them, and swirls of cool air danced across their warm bodies.

Valeris had just begun to kiss her way down Saavik when the door-chime sounded. Val's body grew tense, and she looked up. "Shhh," she said, with a finger to her lips. "I'll be right back." She wrapped a robe around herself and left the bedroom.

Saavik sat up in the darkness and listened as Valeris answered the door in the other room. She recognized the voice of Sub-Commander Spiron of the High Command. It was common knowledge that Spiron was courting Valeris, and much to Saavik's disappointment, Val was playing along. On the surface, Saavik considered such dishonesty in contention with Vulcan philosophy. Deeper down, she recognized it for what it was -- simple jealousy.

"What are you doing?" she heard Valeris ask from the other room. There was an edge of desperation in her voice.

"I left my cloak here the last time I visited. It's in your closet." The door to the bedroom slid open, and Spiron stood silhouetted in the doorway. Saavik tried to sink down into the shadows.

"No, uh ... it's not there anymore." Valeris stepped in front of Spiron and pressed a button, closing the door. "I brought it to the office the other day ... to give to you ... I'll drop it off tomorrow."

A few more minutes of defensive small talk, and Spiron was ushered out the door. Valeris returned to the bed and breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. "That was close." She snuggled up against her true lover, but this time it was Saavik who grew tense. "What's the matter?"

"This is getting old, Val." Saavik slipped away from Valeris' embrace and out of the bed, wrapping a sheet around herself. "Bad enough that we're hardly ever together. But to have to sneak around when we are. And you're hardly being fair to Spiron."

"We've talked about this. It's difficult-"

"Yes, talked and talked, and never resolved anything. Are you so afraid of what others will think? Too weak to admit your true feelings, for fear they might not live up to some oppressive and outmoded Vulcan standard."

Valeris' voice was pure acid. "What do you want from me?"

"At the moment, simple acknowledgment. I don't want to have to go into hiding every time there's a knock at the door. IDIC is supposed to be a cornerstone of our society."

"How many lesbian couples do you personally know about in the High Command? ... Three? ... Four?"

"About that."

"And how many are open about it?"

Saavik only stared silently.

"That's right, none! Logic is also part of our society, Saavik. And the truth of the matter is that not everyone embraces IDIC as much as they say they do. If you want to be completely open about everything, then I hope you're satisfied as an ensign, because you'll never get any higher if you tell about us."

Saavik picked up her clothes from the back of a chair, turning to leave. "Well, at least you've finally made a decision. I hope you can live with it."

*****

Saavik entered the sterile visitors' room of the Federation prison, sitting down before a transparent aluminum window. A few moments later, Valeris sat down on the other side of the "glass". An intercom was turned on between them.

"It is good to see you," said Saavik, disappointed that she could come up with no better platitude. "Why have you refused my visits until now?"

Valeris' head was down. She seemed to be studying her hands, folded in her lap. She slowly looked up. "I didn't see the point."

"The point? The point is, I wanted to see you. I was concerned."

"You needn't be. I am well treated here."

"Damn it, Val, that's not-"

"You've always been quite emotional for a Vulcan, Saavik. It is no wonder that we grew apart the way we did. We each chose our own way -- now we must accept our choices. Mine has brought me here. I do not regret my decision. And I hope you do not regret yours."

"I wish I'd known, Val. That night you visited -- if I'd only known what you were planning ..." Saavik stopped. To continue down this avenue was pointless now. "So, why did you finally agree to see me?"

Having studied her hands earlier, Valeris now turned her head toward the ceiling -- studying the lights, perhaps -- or fighting back unacknowledged tears. "It occurs ..." Her voice wavered. She cleared her throat and began again. "It occurs to me that I may not have another opportunity to see you."

"Don't think such things. I'll always be available for you. When your appeal process-"

"There won't be any appeal process. In fact, I've already dismissed my counsel."

"But-"

" 'Why?' Really, Saavik. Your logic is severely lacking." Valeris' mouth twisted into a slight smirk -- this "friendly jibe" was her best attempt at humor. "To appeal, in an attempt to be found innocent, is pointless. My guilt in this matter is obvious. The evidence is overwhelming. And even if it were not, I would freely admit to it."

Valeris' expression grew stern, and she leaned close to the window, resting her hands on the counter before her. It seemed as if she were going to make one final attempt to win Saavik over to her point of view. "I say again, Saavik, I do not regret my decision -- the results, perhaps, but not the decision. To claim innocence now would be folly. To recant or plead for mercy would heap more shame upon me than any guilty verdict. No, Saavik. No appeal."

Saavik drew a deep breath. "Well, then ... Is there anything I can do for you?"

Valeris seemed to ponder a request.

"What is it?" asked Saavik.

Valeris fairly choked out the words. "Can you contact my mother?"

Saavik paused before beginning the obvious question. "She hasn't-"

"No." Valeris let out a sigh. "No, she has not visited -- not that I blame her. I would have been surprised if she did. If there is one thing I regret most of all, it is the pain I have brought her. But still, I'd hoped ... just once, before ..."

"Before what?" Saavik was beset by the thought that there was something important Valeris was not telling her.

Wordlessly, Valeris placed her hand flat against the window, fingers separated in a V. Saavik placed hers against the glass as well, mirroring her action. "Please tell her ..." Tears finally broke free from Valeris' eyes, streaming down both sides of her face. "Tell her I love ... Tell her ... Tell her I'm sorry! …"

As messy, illogical emotion finally overtook her, Valeris rose from her chair and hurried away, leaving Saavik, her hand still pressed against the glass, without a chance even to say goodbye.

*****

With more trepidation than she expected, Valeris stood before the door of Saavik's quarters. It had been several years since they'd gone their separate ways, and nearly as long since they'd even spoken to each other. Saavik had indeed left Valeris, and soon after was posted to the U.S.S. Enterprise.

When, several years later, Valeris was assigned to the same ship, it seemed appropriate that she share the news with her former paramour. Saavik seemed thrilled to hear both from Val in general, and her news in particular. They immediately made plans to get together.

As she hesitated, Valeris wondered if she might be able to confide in Saavik her own fears for the future of the Federation they both served -- a future others seemed intent on giving away, but she was actively seeking to preserve.

She pressed the buzzer and waited. The door opened momentarily, and Saavik greeted her with a smile. Valeris' look of Vulcan disapproval quickly wiped it away. "Hello Val." Valeris entered the modest government-furnished quarters. "We have to keep our voices down. David's asleep in the other room."

Saavik stepped into the kitchen, and Valeris heard her clinking glasses. Valeris herself stood awkwardly in the center of the living room. She had so much to say, but couldn't find the words. "We'll be leaving soon," she began.

"I know," replied Saavik, reentering the room with two glasses of Vulcan tea and a very human smile once more. "It should be quite a rewarding experience. You will quite literally be a part of history."

Valeris took the drink offered her and sat down. "So you ... support the initiative?"

Saavik looked at her in surprise. "You don't?"

"I am not unsupportive. But there is cause for concern."

"Caution, yes. But concern?" prodded Saavik. Just then, a muffled noise was heard from the next room. "I'm sorry. Just a moment. I think David is awake." She went into the adjacent bedroom.

Valeris heard Saavik speaking softly in the next room as she nervously took a sip of her tea. Saavik returned moments later with a toddler in her arms. "Look, David. Your Aunt Valeris is here to see you."

Valeris rose, brushed the sleepy boy's curly brown hair back from his eyes, and even smiled. "Hello, David."

Saavik kissed her son on the cheek before putting him down on the floor. "Why don't you get one of your toys and play quietly. Mommy will be along shortly."

The two women finally sat down together to begin their visit in earnest. "He looks like a fine young boy. You should be proud."

"Thank you," said Saavik. "I am."

"And yet you still support this peace initiative with the Klingons? Considering what they did to the boy's father?"

The light in Saavik's eyes dimmed slightly. "The Klingons who killed David are dead."

"They're all the same!" hissed Valeris. "Do you really want to open the border to them? Have Klingons coming and going as they please? What have the last forty years been about, if we're just going to give in now?"

"Give in? We're not ... It's the Klingons who ..." Saavik took a sip of tea. "It doesn't sound like you support this mission. Why go on it?"

Valeris raised an eyebrow. "I'm a Starfleet lieutenant. Am I supposed to tell them no, I don't want to go on this mission?" She paused. "I'm a Starfleet lieutenant," she repeated. "I follow orders." She paused again. Saavik sensed she was not done, and waited in silence. "But I'll be quite satisfied to follow the orders I have for this mission -- orders not necessarily given by Captain Kirk."

"That sounds ... ominous."

"You still have your commission." A gleam appeared in Valeris' eyes. "I could get you assigned to this mission. You could be part of history, Saavik. You could honor David's memory by helping to stop this travesty ..." She stopped, wondering if she'd said too much too quickly. Saavik was never as decisive as Valeris could be -- she often needed to be wooed. But that was a skill Valeris severely lacked.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Saavik flatly. "David needs me here. That's why I gave up field assignments." Saavik put her tea aside and stood up, apparently dismissing her old friend. "I wish you well on your mission, Valeris. I hope you know what you're doing."

*****

... I wish that I had not been so quick to send her away. I wish I had realized what she was alluding to during her visit. She was in fact reaching out one last time, trying to make her fears known, if not understood. That was the last I saw of her before the mission, T'Aalis. I then saw her only once more, in the penitentiary. I believe it is important for you to know that her last thoughts there were of you.

The next morning, she was found dead in her cell. Although the cause has been kept out of the public media, it has been ruled a suicide. Somehow, she was able to have a Felodesine chip smuggled in to her. Small consolation though it may be, her death was painless and nearly instantaneous.

I regret that she could not find a way to come to terms with our burgeoning future. She graduated first in her class at the Academy, and I fear that she learned our ideas too well -- so much so that, despite her young age, she could not leave them behind and embrace new ideas.

I cannot help but feel that I failed -- failed her and you. As some small penance, I can at least see that her final wish is carried out. It was simply for you to know how much she loved you. And the depth of Val'eris' devotion is something that can never be questioned.

Peace and long life.

end