Summary:
Sarek buys Amanda some rose seedling guaranteed to grow on Vulcan. They have
all the characteristics of the rose except one…their scent.
By Bert
The
paunchy human smiled at Sarek. "These I promise will grow any where."
His dark eyes twinkled as he moved the small seedlings across the counter.
Sarek
found the human to be quite fascinating; he noted the man had a gift for talk.
Amanda would say he could sell light to a blind man. "Am I to assume you
are going to guarantee they will grow?" He looked at the tiny plants. They were large enough to have stems and a
few leaves, but had yet to bud. The tiny thorns could be felt as he brushed a
finger up the stem. Even the leaves held the look and texture of the plant it
claimed to be.
"Watch,
Vulcan, and you will see." He set one of the seedlings in a casing. As he
turned a few dials, the interior went from a clear light to a bright
orange one that simulated the Vulcan sun.
Sarek
watched as the heat rose to that of Vulcan midsummer. Slowly, the tiny buds
opened their eyes. His eyes were drawn to the colors; he had never before seen
a rose that held these colors. The bottom, a brilliant red, merged into a pure
white, with tips that looked as though they had been dipped in metallic
blue. "How much water will they require?"
"No
more than an inch a season," he told him as he turned from the casing to
the Vulcan. He knew he was close; this Vulcan would be hooked soon.
After
studying the seedlings, Sarek focused on the plant in the casing. It showed no
sign of withering. It appeared, quite interestingly enough, to thrive on the
heat and color of its environment. Finally satisfied, he locked gazes with
the seller. He asked, "To whom do
I transfer the credits for the lot?" He would buy all eighteen of
these beautiful plants; Amanda was sure to find enjoyment out of them.
"Harry. Harry Mudd," he said with an
egotistical smile.
The high
price that this Mr. Mudd wanted was steep; the amount was 2500 credits per
plant. However, for Sarek, it would be worth all 45,000 credits to see the
smile on Amanda's face.
Harry was
careful to turn the casing off and save that seedling to be packed away last.
~-~
Sarek had
arrived back on Vulcan from Altar 7 well after Amanda had gone to sleep. Using
just enough lighting, he set out and planted each of the tiny seedlings. He
arranged them in the pattern of the IDIC, using four for the inner
circle, and eight for the outer. The triangle that shared its
form with two plants from both inner and outer circles, also had four plants
of its own. The tip set inside the circle was made up of one
seedling; the outer edge was made up of three. Pleased with his work he
walked into his home, into his room, and readied for bed.
~-~
Amanda
awoke early to see her husband sleeping beside her. She smiled, remembering he had just returned home only hours
before. She touched her cheek were his soft lips had brushed
her. Getting out of the bed, she just had to see what surprise
Sarek intended for her. Grabbing her silk robe, she made her way to the
garden. Everything looked normal;
nothing out of place. However, when she stepped further into it, her eyes
beheld the new symbol and the tiny plants that made it up. Only a single
plant had a blossom, the tip of the triangle show the beauty of red, white,
and blue. Bending down she studied the plant. A rose!! Here on Vulcan there was a rose.
Everything was there thorns, leaves even the delicate petals. She inhaled its scent deeply. What was that scent?
~-~
She
awaited her husbands awakening patiently, watching out the window, as the buds
blossomed, filling the design fully. She still couldn't get over how near
perfect they were. Just that scent.
What was that scent?
"Amanda,"
she heard his familiar voice call her.
With a
gentle smile she turned, holding up two fingers to him. "Oh, Sarek,
they're beautiful." She tried not to let the 'but' be heard in her voice.
He looked
out to see that the eighty-seven buds had bloomed. "They
are pleasing to look at, my wife." He reached for the door that would
take them out to the garden.
"NO!"
she said, placing her hand over his. "No, please. Their scent is overwhelming. I am sure you
would find it quite...distasteful."
He raised
a brow as he opened the door ever so slightly only to slam it shut
seconds later. "That is not possible.
There must be something out there?"
"No,
Sarek, I looked. We've had that happen
before but I could always find the intruder.
No Sarek, it's the blossoms. As the heat rose so did their
scent." She shook her head. "How can something so beautiful, smell
like that?"
"I do
not know." His controls were
now firmly in place. He had been cheated. The roses he had so thoughtfully
bought for his wife now smelled like decaying flesh.
Strange he
did not remember this smell earlier. However, the plant that had bloomed in the
casing had closed up once again at the time of his purchase. The thought came
to him that the sun and heat had caused this.
At night, he could hopefully remove the plants. Boxed up in their
original container, he could take them to the Vulcan Science Academy to have
their DNA analyzed, hoping that somehow they could be rid of their stench.
The plants
themselves were highly pleasing, and set off the hole in their garden. Yet, it
was not so pleasing to view flowers behind glass. Flowers were meant to be smelled, but this profound order was too
much to bear. No doubt it was an aroma that
traveled beyond the garden walls.
The End