Post 286: A Shock to the System

Stardate:70705.1400
Title: A Shock to the System
Author: February Grace
Scene: Holodeck Four/T'Ana Beach House Program
Time: Following "Into the Fire"

"I was only eight years old that summer, and I always seemed to be in the way- So I took myself down to the fair in town, on Independence Day." ~Martina McBride

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"Father, Mother," Lair Arie cried, approaching as Salvek and Kellyn continued to stare at February Grace, dumbfounded. Of all the things the flight controller could have said, neither one of them was expecting that.

"Sunshine ran off with Mr. Blane and Ashlyn," Arie complained, "and I'm hungry."

Salvek picked up a towel and gently began to pat the top of Arie's head. He dried her hair, which was dripping water down into her eyes. Then he wrapped her up tightly with the towel around her shoulders, squeezing her softly for a moment before hoisting her onto his lap.

February was taken aback by this tender display of fatherly affection, especially coming from a man who was supposed to have spent his life suppressing his emotions. He was so sweet and caring with the girl.

Her mind skipped back twenty years.

*Flash*

"See what you made me do? I missed my shot. Get over here." He held a domjot stick in one hand and an alcoholic beverage in the other.

He set the sweating glass bottle down on the edge of the game table, nearly dropping it as the condensation on the sides made it slip through his fingers. He pulled his hand back and let it fly, smacking her upside the head.

February stumbled backward, seeing stars. His hand had come up so fast she didn't see it coming or have a chance to get out of the way. Of course if she had tried to get out of the way, it would only have made her father angrier.

She trembled, cowering before him as he towered over her. "Stop crying, Feb," his jaw was clenched tightly as he spoke. His face glowed, bright red with rage.

"She didn't mean any harm, Lilam." her father's opponent said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "She's just a kid."

In fact, she was only four.

"If she'd stayed upstairs like I told her," Lilam Dai picked his beer back up and finished it in one long pull from the bottle, "she wouldn't be in trouble."

She'd been hiding at the top of the staircase, trying to stay out of her mother's way, just watching the game. She hadn't made a noise, even taking care to breathe as silently as she could.

Then, he missed his shot and she realized she better disappear because if he found out she was there, he'd blame her. Even though she had nothing to do with it. He heard the top step squeak as she climbed it, and she was discovered.

Now, her ears rang from the force of the blow and she just stood still, dazed.

"Now get back upstairs, before I give you something to really cry about."

*Flash*

*My father was a bitter, angry, violent man,* February thought. *He never got over the fact that he failed the initiate program, and mother sailed through. She was joined; he never was. He remained a bitter man to this day. It was little wonder that she never went home. It was no wonder that she never, ever let anyone call her "Feb". She'd heard the name spoken with such contempt, she never wanted to hear it again as long as she lived.

"Motherrrrrrr I'm hungryyyyyyyyyy." Arie repeated, clearly exhausted to the point of whining. She'd played the afternoon away, and Kellyn hoped that she would fall asleep soon after eating.

Recalling the delicate question Grace had just posed to them, it was Kellyn who now felt as if she'd been saved by the bell.

"Come on, little woman. Let's get you into some dry clothes and find you some grub." She took Arie's hand and led the way toward the house. "Have fun, Salvek!" Kellyn called back, not looking but giving both of them a wave of her hand.

"She's a lucky kid, to have a father like you." February remarked as she absentmindedly picked up a handful of sand and let it sift through her fingers. "Very lucky."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Salvek's thanks were sincere, he could tell the compliment came from the heart. He cleared his throat, and tried to think about how he should best proceed. "May I ask why you have this sudden interest in the subject of Vulcan mating rituals?"

"Oh, it's not passing curiosity, I assure you. I'd have done my research elsewhere if I could, but for some reason I can't get the computer to access the Indy's database at the moment and I need to know right away." She watched his expression change and added quickly, "for a friend."

"A friend," Salvek nodded. "Of course."

"No, seriously. I'm concerned about a friend."

"Well," Salvek took a deep breath, and put his sunglasses back on. "When a young Vulcan reaches a certain age, specific chemical changes begin to occur,"

"Oh god, no. Hold on a second." February chuckled a little. "I don't need a health class. I need to know, is it possible for someone with only, say, a quarter of their makeup being Vulcan, to experience blood fever?"

Salvek was intrigued. "It is unusual. With the majority of their DNA being. . ." he waited for her to fill in the blanks.

"Just for arguments sake, let's say this person was human on their mother's side and maybe, I don't know, Romulan and Vulcan on their father's."

"If that were the case," Salvek said thoughtfully, "It would be highly unlikely that they would experience significant Plak Tow. They may have slight biological fluctuations as they get older, but the rest of their DNA would effectively 'cancel out' most of the significant risks, and dangers of the Plak Tow."

"Whew! Is that a relief!" February said, exhaling sharply. "Cause I was really worried there for a minute. Thanks, Commander, you've been a big help." February was about to go, but paused.

"Say, just one other thing though. This is gonna sound crazy, but bear with me. If someone, say, suffered a shock to their system, oh, I don't know. Maybe an electrical poke of some sort, could that alter the equation at all?"

Salvek took his glasses off once more, his eyes widening. "Elaborate."

He began to wonder about the recent behavior of their host Lily T'Ana, taking into account that they had both been jolted by the electrical overload while their hands were touching the same work station yesterday.

"Well, if say, she was jolted really good could it activate that dormant Vulcan DNA and turbo charge it? My last host was a scientist, and well, I've been thinkin'."

A sinking feeling settled into the pit of Salvek's stomach. "In theory, it is possible that there could be some weight to that idea. Especially if, perhaps, she was part of a circuit of electrical current that also passed through someone who was fully Vulcan and-" Salvek looked down at the sand. "Approaching their appointed time for the return of the Plak Tow."

"Holy crap!" February exclaimed, her hands thrust out and she shook him by the shoulders.

"You mean to tell me that there could be some telepathic thingy going on along with the energy charge- between the shock, and her DNA, and yours?!"

Salvek looked like he wanted to crawl under the nearest rock and immediately die there.

"Yes, Lieutenant. There could be a "thingy", as you so eloquently put it."

He stood up.

"I believe that you and I need to have a discussion, first with Dr. Trind, and then perhaps with our friend, Lt. T'Ana."

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Lt. February Grace
Helm/Flight Controller
USS Independence NCC-90791