Some of you may
already know my 'Fateful Meeting' series. It's in the archive.
This is the 4th part.
Part 1: Fateful
Meetings
Part 2: Nocturnal
Visits
Part 3: The
Morning After
T'Sia
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the
characters of Star Trek. The story is mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opportunities
The ride to the University seemed to take up
an eternity and she arrived only five minutes before her lecture was scheduled
to begin. She thought about telling the driver to let her out a few hundred
meters away from the University to avoid causing a stir but there had been an
accident on the road and they were not allowed to stop. Numerous gazes of
students followed the black limousine when it stopped in front of the main
entrance.
Amanda cursed silently and opened the door
before the driver had an opportunity to leave the car. She smiled at him and
nodded thankfully. Then she exited the limousine and cringed at the numerous
stares she received. She hurried away from the limousine and rushed up the
stairs to the main entrance, careful not to step on the fine robes she wore.
A female voice caused her to stop.
"Amanda?"
Amanda sighed. Just what she needed now. She
turned slowly. "Jill, good morning.If you'd excuse me, I have to give a
lecture now." She turned and resumed her steps.
"Wait," Jill called and caught up
with her. "My, was that you who got out of that limousine?" She
looked back and noticed the small flags on the limousine as it drove off. Why
did Amanda come in a limo from the Vulcan embassy? She noticed the small
scratches on Amanda's forehead and hands. "And what happened to your face
and hands? Did you have an accident?"
Amanda smiled hastily. "Yes and it is a
long story. Look, I'm really late. I will tell you later okay?"
"I take your word for it." Jill
said and waved her off. She noticed the soft flowing robes Amanda wore and
wondered how her friend had gotten into a Vulcan robe. The blue fabric
disappeared inside the university and Amanda was gone.
~*~
She hurried to the lecture hall and saw the
lecture had already started. Her tutor, Professor Carter, acknowledged her with
a deadly glare and her hopes for getting a scholarship for Andoria sank. She
watched her opponent on the podium who had already begun her lecture despite
the fact that Amanda should have gone first. This lecture would be the final
contest between her and Maureen Wilson.There would be several people in the
audience with decision-making powers for the scholarship. They would decide who
was going to Andoria.
Maureen looked over and smiled sweetly when
she noticed the angry stares Amanda got from her tutor. The scholarship was
hers. Amanda glared at her but she knew her late arrival had been her own fault
and would probably result in her losing the opportunity to continue her
linguistic studies.
She felt slightly dizzy and sat heavily on a
chair nearby. She closed her eyes and concentrated to will the vertigo away.
She didn't need that on top of everything else. Maureen's lecture went by in a
blur and she couldn't concentrate on it. She also missed the reaction of the
audience to see what she could make better than Maureen. Only the enthusiastic
applause at the end of the lecture came through to her.
Carter sent her up without another word and
she started her lecture on shaky legs which could not only be attributed to the
fact that she was afraid of losing the scholarship by being late. The lecture
did not go well. She missed some of the pictures she wanted to use. She must
have lost them during the accident. She had to improvise and stammered and
faltered several times when her world began spinning again. She gripped the
lectern tightly to keep her balance and small pearls of sweat appeared on her
forehead.
Startled murmurs arose from the audience,
when she stopped talking and swayed. Suddenly the sounds in the hall seemed to
come through a thick wall of cotton wool and an instant later, her world went
black.
"Oh no," she moaned. She had
fainted in the lecture hall. 'Well done Amanda,' she chided herself. 'If you do
something, you do it most efficiently, even when screwing up all your future
chances.'
She heard steps behind her and turned her
head carefully because of thethrobbing pain.
Amanda took a careful sip of the water.
"You got it, didn't you?" she asked in a small voice.
Amanda closed her eyes. "Yes, a car
accident last night."
"Oh, maybe if you tell Carter about
it," Maureen started but Amanda lifted a hand.
"Forget it. I will get another
scholarship." She tried to make her voice sound firm but it didn't sound
convincing. What would she do now? Her parents couldn't afford the money to
send her on off-world studies. But this was what the labour market wished to
see now when people applied for positions.
The door opened and Carter came in. Maureen
stood and at his meaningful gaze, she left the room. Carter retrieved a chair
and placed it beside the couch. He watched Amanda for several minutes until she
made eye contact with him."What happened in there, Amanda? I have never
seen you perform this bad. Notto mention your blackout."
Amanda swallowed hard but she knew he was
right. He had always told her the truth and she appreciated it even in moments
like this one.
"I had a car accident last night."
She drew in a shuddering breath.
"Why didn't you call and notify me that
you could not attend. You could have given the lecture at another date. Now, it
is too late. The decision is made."
"I had no time to call earlier.
Besides, I didn't wish to postpone the lecture. I was well prepared."
"Mentally perhaps, but you were
obviously not in a physical state for doing this."
Amanda didn't answer and Carter sighed. She
was one of his most promising students. To see her getting cut off from the
opportunities for improvement was a shame. But it could not be helped. He
didn't notice that she was in such a bad physical state earlier. He had been
too angry about her late arrival.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Maybe
you can apply for the next one?"
Amanda shook her head and tears welled up.
"I don't have the money to stay here any longer and the studies are so
time consuming that I don't have time for a job."
Carter laid a reassuring hand on her arm.
"Don't worry. We will find a way. You may have the rest of the day
off." He patted her arm gently.
Amanda shook her head and sat up. The
dizziness didn't come back but she had a king-sized headache. She rubbed her
temple."I'll go home now."
"Are you sure you are already recovered
enough? You should see a doctor."
"No, I…"
"I will take you to the hospital."
Carter decided. "You are certainly suffering ill after-effects of the
accident."
"Really, I'm fine," she started
again but Carter cut her off once more.
"No arguments, young lady. You forget
you fainted in the lecture hall. This is nothing you should take lightly."
She didn't feel much like eating when she
sat down with her tray but the doctor had assured her she would feel better
after eating. She tried the toast with honey and washed it down with orange
juice. Slowly, the headache vanished and she felt stronger. She thought about
visiting the Vulcan whose life she had saved last night but the question of
what she whould do now after losing this great chance to get a scholarship
nagged her too much. She looked outside and saw people strolling through the
hospital park outside. This whould be a good opportunity to calm down before
she met the Vulcan.
She disposed of the tray and went outside.
The air was fresh and warm. Not one cloud disturbed the serene blue colour of
Earth's sky. She took a narrow path and wandered through the park, her thoughts
relaxing. Maybe there was still another way to get a scholarship. If she made
some more time in her schedule and studied at night she could get a job. She
stopped when she reached a clearing with a circular pond in the middle. A
fountain in the shape of a huge flower was splashing sparkling water into the
pond. She smiled at the relaxing sight and sat on a bench in the shade to watch
the glistening water.
A movement on the other side caught her
attention and she saw a small, dark-haired child running to the pond. Her eyes
widened when she recognized the boy from the car accident last night. This was
Sarek's son. He must be somewhere near. Didn't he say he had an appointment?
She could not spot him anywhere and redirected her attention to the child.
Maybe the boy had wandered off while Sarek visited his brother. The child had
stopped some steps away from the pond and was watching the sparkling liquid in
open wonder. Amanda smiled. He had probably never seen such waste of water that
was far more valuable on his home world.
She got up and went over to him. He drew
back several steps upon recognizing her. He looked back to where his father
must be just around the last corner of the way he had come. But he was nowhere
to be seen."Hello little one," Amanda said in heavily-accented
Vulcan. "So, we meet again."
Sybok didn't react but watched her warily.
She seemed to wish him no harm and he remained where he was instead of going
back to his father.
"Try it, it won't hurt," she said
to the boy, but the child clasped his hands behind his back. Amanda smiled
again and much to her surprise, he smiled back at her. Again she put her hand
into the pond and caused more waves, which the boy watched in fascination.
Slowly, he put a hand on the stone rim of the pond. He looked at Amanda and she
smiled and nodded. Cautiously, the boy touched the water surface with one
finger and drew back quickly. "Cold," he said in Vulcan.
Of course this water would feel cold to a
Vulcan, even if it felt pleasant to Amanda's hand. "Yes," she said,
creating more waves with her hand.
"Sybok," he answered and put a
second hand into the water.
Sarek entered the clearing just at this
moment, catching up Amanda's question. "He is here," he answered.
Sybok drew back his hands from the water quickly and hid hem behind his back.
Sarek raised an eyebrow at the startled reaction. Amanda stood and for a moment
she didn't know what to say. She had certainly not thought to see him again
after such a short time.
"I see you have already introduced
yourselves," Sarek said and approached. "Miss Grayson, I am pleased
to meet you again." He inclined his head and his dark shiny hair gleamed
in the sun.
"Ambassador, it seems I found your son
for the second time," was the only thing she could say. She bit her lip.
Stating the obvious would not help her to engage him in conversation.
Sarek watched her place a strand of hair
behind her ear in a gesture of embarrassment. He noticed her eyes seemed to be
an even more sparkling blue in the natural light of her home planet although
they were red rimmed, as if she had cried recently. He felt the illogical urge
to ask her if she was all right but Vulcan privacy law forbade him from intruding
into her private affairs."Yes," he said instead, and cast a glance at
the boy."He went ahead."
Amanda smiled. "I guess it is difficult
when a child is his age."She gestured at Sybok. "They want to
investigate every secret."
Sarek raised an eyebrow. "Not a Vulcan
child. However, he is still young." He reached into the pocket of his robe
to retrieve a tissue. Then he bent down and gently took the wet hands from
behind the child's back. He dried them with the tissue and lifted the chin of
the boy to look him in the eyes."Nevertheless, thee must not go off so far
ahead without my permission, Sybok," he said in a calm voice. The
reprimand was gentle but the advice clear.
"Yes, sa-mekh," Sybok
answered. Sarek nodded satisfied.
Amanda thought desperately hard about a
topic she could discuss with him. She could certainly not ask him about last
night now. "Are you visiting your brother?" she finally asked.
Sarek noticed her shifting her weight and
wondered what could be the cause for her nervousness. Maybe he would have time
to speak with her alone. After the appointment with the Andorians had been
cancelled at the last minute, he had the day off. He found the prospect of
spending time with her most appealing. "Yes," he answered.
"May I accompany you? I wish to see how
he is doing."
"Of course," Sarek answered. Again
he wondered if she would mention the link between her and Silek and he could
not help but think of the pleasant mind touch they had shared as well. He tried
to dismiss the thought and led her back to the hospital.
Chapter 2
Silek frowned and tried to remember where he
had seen the woman. She seemed vaguely familiar but he could not place her.
"No, I do no,: he finally replied.
Amanda stepped forward. "The accident
last night," she said softly, remembering the meld with the injured man.
The Vulcan in the bed did not look like the person she remembered from the
accident although he closely resembled Sarek. But it had been dark and his face
had been covered with blood.
"Ah, I remember only fragments of the
last night. You are the woman who saved us, then."
"Yes, that was me," Amanda
replied.
"Then I owe you my life." He
inclined his head. "My name is Silek."
"I'm pleased to meet you," she
answered formally. "You do not owe me anything.It was, like your people
would say, the logical thing to do."
Silek shook his head. "I beg to differ.
A mind meld in this situation could have endangered your life. Your offered
assistance was most generous."
"I am surprised that you seem to cope
with the meld so well. Do you suffer any after effects?" Silek's voice
snapped her out of her thoughts.
Amanda shook her head. "Only some
echoes and memory fragments once in a while.They are already fading."
Silek raised an eyebrow. The meld had
obviously been deeper than he thought.That she was able to cope with it so well
deeply impressed him and he felt almost regret about not being able to remember
the contact with her mind more clearly."Shall I remove the memories?"
he asked.
"No," answered Sarek and Amanda at
the same time. Both Amanda and Silek looked at Sarek in confusion. Sarek
cleared his throat, wondering what had caused him to say that."I made sure
she would not suffer any strong after-effects of the meld when I transferred
the link. The echoes should be gone shortly. I am sure a second meld is not
necessary," he said, trying to explain his behaviour. "Do you not
agree, Ms. Grayson?"
"Um, yes. The images are already fading
as I said," Amanda replied, wondering why Sarek was trying to prevent a
second meld between her and his brother. She saw the same question mirrored in
Silek's eyes.
Sarek shifted uncomfortably under the
scrutinizing gazes he received from his brother and Amanda. What had caused him
to object to a second meld? He needed to meditate about his strange behaviour
towards this woman, but a logical cause for his objection was the more pressing
matter at hand.
"Besides," he turned to his
brother, "you are not healed completely yet. A meld in your condition
bears a 79.45 percent possibility of causing further complications."
Silek had no other choice but to agree. He
was indeed not healed and was still recovering from the deep healing trance he
had been placed in. Sarek was right about this but that did not explain why he
seemed most insistent in preventing a meld between him and Amanda.
Silek decided to play along for now but he
would not let Sarek get away with this so easily. His brother was going to
explain himself regarding Amanda Grayson. "Thank you, I feel much
better," he answered in human fashion and slightly emphasized the word
'feel'.
At first Amanda thought he was about to
lecture her that Vulcans did not 'feel' but then she saw the humorous twinkle
in his eyes. 'This is a very special Vulcan family,' she thought. 'The child
smiles and his uncle is actually teasing me.' Only Sarek was the exception. He
neither smiled nor teased her. He was absolutely what she expected according to
text-books about Vulcans, except his weird objection to a meld between Silek
and her. She watched him, and the lack of warmth in his behaviour and gaze
should have caused her to feel uncomfortable in his presence but she did not.
Again, a picture flashed in her mind and showed his face hovering over her
while he carried her carefully to his room. There was more to him than what he
let people see. What had happened last night? She had to know. She shook the
thought off when she noticed Silek watching her and Sarek in turn. The twinkle
in his eyes seemed to get even more obvious.
"Uh, how did you heal so quickly?"
she asked in attempt to cover her embarrassment.
"It is called a healing trance. It is a
deep meditative state which allows the body to concentrate on the injured
regions to accelerate healing," Silek answered.
"I see," Amanda said and wished
she had a similar technique handy when she started to feel dizzy again after
remaining standing for so long. She swayed slightly and closed her eyes.
Instantly she felt a pair of warm hands steadying her. When she opened her
eyes, she looked into Sarek's concerned eyes. She had never seen his eyes this
expressive, but again, the image of him carrying her flashed in her mind. The
same concern showed in his eyes now. He led her to a chair near the bed and she
sat down carefully."Thank you," she murmured, embarrassed about her
weakness.
"It seems you are not as well recovered
as you claim to be. We should call a healer," Silek remarked.
"I agree," Sarek said and
straightened.
"Indeed?"
Amanda still held his hand and she released
it quickly when she realized what she was doing.
Silek watched the interplay between the two
with a mixture of concern and amazement. Not only did Sarek seem almost openly
alarmed about Amanda's condition, but he even allowed her touch him. Most
curious.
Amanda lowered her gaze. "Yes, I did.
This morning of all times."
"Are you certain you do not require
medical assistance?"
"Yes," she said. "The doctors
released me from the hospital. I only needed some food and rest."
"Then I shall accompany you home,"
Sarek said.
Amanda wanted to decline the offer but at
this moment the door opened and a nurse entered the room.
"Visiting time is over," she
announced and set a tray with medication down on the table beside the bed.
"You'll have to come back later."
They took their leave of Silek and exited
the hospital a few minutes later. Amanda noticed Sarek walked closely beside
her all the time, obviously holding himself ready to catch her if she fainted
again. She smiled slightly.
When they neared the apartment complex
Amanda lived in, they could see a police flitter parked in front of it. Amanda
craned her neck to see more but only the vehicle was visible. She looked at
Sarek with a questioning gaze but he didn't offer an explanation. When the
limousine stopped, they exited the car, leaving the boy inside.
A police officer approached them. His face
showed open surprise upon seeing the embassy limousine and most of all the
Vulcan ambassador beside a petite woman dressed in Vulcan robes."Mr.
Ambassador, sir," he greeted Sarek.
"Ms. Grayson?"The officer
addressed Amanda.
Amanda stepped forward. "Yes, that's
me. What is going on here?"
"You'd better come with me,
ma'am."
They followed inside and to the second floor
where Amanda's apartment was located. They could instantly see the door had
been opened forcefully.
"Oh, no," Amanda exclaimed when
she saw the chaos inside her apartment. Her weakness forgotten, she waded
through the clothes, papers, and discs strewn over the floor. "What
happened here?" she asked.
"Obviously a break-in during the early
morning hours," the police officer said. "Ms. Grayson, where were you
this morning?"
"I was at the Vulcan embassy, after
having a car accident last night," Amanda replied."I'm sure you can
request the report from your department."
The officer nodded to one of his colleagues
who went down to the flitter to access the files. "Very well. Do you have
an idea what the intruder could have been searching for in here?"
Amanda looked around. "No, you see this
is a small apartment. I had no money or other things of value in here. Who
called you anyway?"
"Your neighbour did, ma'am. She saw the
door to your place had been opened forcefully. We have dusted the room for
fingerprints, but so far we found nothing that could tell us about the identity
of the intruder."
At that moment the second officer returned
with the report about last night's accident. He gave it to his colleague and
proceeded to write more notes about the current incident.
"I see the driver of the other car has
not been found so far," the man who had greeted them said, upon studying
the report.
"Do you think the two incidents could
be connected?" Sarek spoke for the first time.
The officer shrugged. "Possibly."
"But this would imply that the accident
my brother and son had may have been caused on purpose," Sarek concluded.
Representing a whole planet often made him a target of attacks, so this was a
valid possibility.
"If someone wanted to harm you and Ms.
Grayson thwarted his or their plans by rescuing your brother and son, she might
be a possible target now as well."
Amanda paled slightly. "Do you think
that is possible?" She looked at Sarek.
"The given facts are too sparse to make
an accurate statement at this time," he said to calm her. "I would,
however, recommend that you do not stay in this apartment until the issue is
resolved," Sarek answered.
"But where will I go?" Amanda
asked.
"We have numerous guest rooms at the embassy,
Ms. Grayson. You are welcome to stay there until you have found other
accommodations," Sarek offered.
Amanda hesitated. "Well, it seems I
have no other choice right now. Let me pack some clothes." Sarek nodded
and she began searching through the piles of strewn clothes to find the items
she wanted to take with her.
The police officer motioned Sarek outside
and they walked far enough away so that Amanda could not pick up their
conversation. The officer wore a concerned expression."Sir, do you think
it is wise to let her stay at the embassy?"
Sarek raised an eyebrow. "I see no
reason for complications," he answered.
The officer squirmed uncomfortably.
"Well, isn't it strange that she was just there in time to rescue your
brother and son? She could be involved in some kind of infiltration
operation."
Sarek frowned lightly. Somehow it annoyed
him that this man accused Amanda of such chicanery, although he had a valid
point. He could not know that both he and his brother had melded with her. If
she had had anything to do with that accident other than she happened to pass
the same route at the same time, they would know it.He suppressed the feeling
of annoyance and smoothed out his features."I assure you she is no threat
to me or my family."
"As you wish, sir," the officer
answered. Who was he to argue with an ambassador? Nevertheless, he made a
mental note to inform his superior about his theory.Maybe higher authorities
could persuade the ambassador that his actions could be a risk to him and his
family.
At this moment Amanda appeared in the
doorway of the apartment carrying a small travel bag. "I'm ready to
go," she said, and looked at the officer and Sarek in turn, wondering
about Sarek's posture that seemed to be even more formal than usual. He nodded
sternly to the officer and led her outside.
Amanda sank on the
bed in the guest room she had been given. It was the same room she had spend
the last night in, at least half of the night that she remembered. The other
half was still a mystery to her except the short memory sequences when she
remembered Sarek carrying her to his room. Where had she gone during the night?
Did she walk in her sleep? Her eyes opened wide. She could have done something
embarrassing and didn't remember it!
She leaned back and covered her eyes with
her hands. When would she ever bring order into the chaos of the last
twenty-four hours? She felt like her whole world had turned upside down.
Yesterday she had been only a step away from a great linguistic career and today
she was a stranger in the Vulcan embassy, ripped off a scholarship for Andoria
and her apartment was a mess. Then there was the disturbing blank space in her
memory regarding last night. Somehow she had made it into the private living
quarters of the ambassador. 'If the media gets to know of this…' She stopped
the thought.
Then she sat up straight. She had promised
to call home when the lecture was over. Besides, the news had surely showed the
crashed vehicles after the accident with the embassy limousine involved. What
if her parents had recognized the car? They would fear for her life and try
everything to find her. She searched her travel bag for her mobile communicator
but she could not find it even after placing the contents of the bag all over
the bed. She was sure she had taken it with her when she left her apartment.
She flopped back onto the bed. 'Just a little additional detail to this mess,'
she thought. She covered her eyes with one arm and didn't even notice when she
fell asleep.
He jumped slightly, when the communicator
vibrated against his thigh a few minutes later. Again he was tempted to answer
the call but laid the communicator aside to focus his attention back on the
trade agreement.
---
The ride took longer than expected. The
streets where full of groundcars and Sarek regretted not having taken the
flitter for the official visit. Kaiidth. The communicator buzzed for the
seventh time and Sarek wondered who was so insistent to reach Amanda. Maybe it
was an emergency.
He opened the communicator and read the
identification code that appeared on the display. It simply read 'Dad'. 'Ah,
this is a Terran idiom for father,' Sarek remembered. He pressed the accept
button on the device and immediately after the connection had been established
a male voice came out of the communicator.
"Amanda? Is that you?"
"No," Sarek replied but said
nothing further.
"Who is this?" barked the faceless
voice.
"Is this Mr. Grayson?" Sarek
asked. "I…" He was interrupted before he could finish his
sentence.
"Yes. Hell, I know who I am. I want to
know who you are!"
"I am Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan,"
Sarek replied calmly.
'Santa Claus?' Sarek mouthed silently.
"Am I not speaking to the father of Ms. Amanda Grayson?"
Grayson thrummed his fingers on the desk.
"Of course you are," he barked. 'This guy is not only impertinent but
stupid on top of it,' he thought. This was probably some other student who had
found Amanda's communicator. 'Vulcan Ambassador. Sure. I'll help you,' Grayson
fumed. "Listen. I have no time for your games. This is an emergency.
I got a call from my insurance company this morning that my daughter's car has
been destroyed beyond repair in an accident. I have tried to reach her all
morning, but to no avail, so don't pull any jokes on me. Tell me where
she is, if you know! Otherwise quit wasting my time!"
Sarek raised an eyebrow about the strong
emotion of this human. On the other hand, he was a father himself, and if
something happened to his son he would be as inquisitive as Amanda's father.
"She is at the Vulcan embassy, sir. She suffered a slight concussion and
is resting at the moment," he said.
Grayson was silent. The given information
calmed him but could he believe this weird story? For a brief moment he
pondered the possibility that he was indeed speaking to the Vulcan ambassador.
The strange accent was noticeable. This was absurd. He dismissed the thought
and decided to pretend to buy this guy's story, if only to find and speak with
Amanda to make sure she was unharmed. "All right. Assuming you are
telling the truth, you can certainly provide me with a number to contact
her."
Sarek frowned. A flicker of annoyance
crossed his face upon the veiled accusation of being a liar but was controlled
quickly. He gave Grayson the communication code for the main embassy
switchboard. They would call Amanda if she was available.
"Thank you," Grayson said and
severed the connection without another word.
Sarek closed the communicator with a
startled frown. He attributed Grayson's rudeness to the concern this man had
for his daughter. Nevertheless, human emotions were something he would have to
get used to. Traffic had finally cleared and he used the remaining time to read
the trade agreement.
"Yes?" she asked.
"This is T'Par from the main office.
Ms. Grayson, you have a call from your father."
Amanda froze for a second. How had he found
her?
"Ms. Grayson?" T'Par asked upon
the silence in the connection.
"Oh, yes. Please relay the call. Thank
you," Amanda answered and waited anxiously for the connection.
"Very well," T'Par replied and a
clicking sound could be heard when the connection was established.
"Amanda?" came the voice of her
father from the com-phone.
"Yes, Dad, it's me," she answered,
wondering what to expect.
"Jesus, child, am I glad to hear you.
Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier.
It was all a mess since yesterday evening."
"No matter child. The most important
thing is that you are not injured."
"How did you find me?"
"That's not important. Tell me what
happened?"
Amanda told him about the events since the
last evening. She left out the part about her raided apartment so to not alert
him further. Her disappointment was obvious in her voice when she reached the
part about the lost scholarship.
Grayson's heart sank for her, even if he
missed her when she was away from home, not to speak of the possibility of her
staying on another planet light years away. "Ah, honey. Look, I'm sorry
for you but maybe we will find a way to let you stay a few months more."
He stopped a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, what about the ambassador,
can't he do something for you?"
"Sarek? Did you speak to him?"
"Yes, I think I did. So it's true you
stay at the embassy." Her father said, his voice sounding a bit strange.
Amanda wondered what could have transpired between the two men but she could
well imagine how her father had reacted to the weird story. Who would expect
having an ambassador answer the communicator of his daughter?
"Well, can't he do something?" her
father repeated his question. "After all you rescued his son and brother.
There should be more than a couple of days accommodation and a thank you."
"Dad, I don't want to get paid for what
I did. If he offers something I will take it but I won't beg," she
answered.
"You know, your pride could prevent a
future." He heard her drawing in a deep breath for what he knew would be a
protesting comment. Quickly he added, "It's your choice but before you
deny it, think it over carefully."
"I will. Let mom know I'm well and
sorry about the car."
"Will do. Forget the car, honey. And
come home for a visit soon."
"I will think it over carefully,"
Amanda replied in a teasing tone.
A slight chuckle could be heard over the com
link, "That's my girl. Have to go now. Hear from you soon?"
"Yes, I will call."
"Promise?"
Amanda sighed, "Yes, Dad."
Her father laughed. "All right. We love
you."
"Love you too, Dad. Bye."
"Bye, honey."
The connection was closed. Amanda sighed and
began packing the clothes back into the travel bag. Maybe she left the
communicator in the limousine. This could explain why her father had spoken to
Sarek. However, she had to call home and relay the whole story in detail soon.
Her parents would burst with curiosity over how she came to stay in the
embassy. She laid back on the bed after removing the clothes and surrendered
willingly to sleep.
END OF OPPORTUNITIES