Title:  AFTER THE CREDITS-A Taste of Armageddon
Author:  Ster Julie
Genre: Drama?  Angst?
Rating:  PG
Code:  Spock, Ambassador Fox, Sarek, Amanda
Part 1/1

Number 21 in the ATC series

A/N:  Thanks to those people who thought that this story wasn't a blah as I thought, but that it needed to go a step further.  So, here's that step.

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"You must be Sarek's son." 

Spock turned and looked into the pasty face of Ambassador Robert Fox.  Spock didn't respond.  No one aboard knew his parents, nor were their names listed in his personnel files.

"Mister Spock, you are the son of Ambassador Sarek, correct?" Fox continued.  "He told me that he had a son in Starfleet."

"I am Spock cha Sarek," Spock confirmed.

"I have worked with Sarek on a number of occasions, Mr. Spock," Fox confided.  "He is a formidable person."

"My father is an accomplished negotiator," Spock stated. 

Fox nodded. "I am certain that he practiced those negotiating skills on you as you were growing up."

/The ambassador oversteps,/ Spock thought.  "Why were the two of you discussing me?" he asked.

"We were on another mission gone awry, such as this one on Eminiar VII," Fox explained.  "Sarek recommended that we call in Starfleet to help bring order to the chaos."

"Indeed," Spock said noncommittally, struggling to keep his eyebrow from betraying his surprise.  /Father 'called in Starfleet' for assistance!/

"Sarek knew just the right people to contact, knew all the correct terms and phraseology," Fox maintained.  "I was curious and asked your father how he was able to get such a rapid response from Starfleet.  He said, 'My son is an officer.'"  Fox gave Spock a friendly smile.  "Your father seems very proud of you."

"Since pride is an emotion," Spock stated, "I find that highly unlikely."

Ambassador Fox didn't know what to make of Spock's statement.  He seemed much colder and more distant than Sarek.  /Probably because I have developed a rapport with Sarek,/ Fox reminded himself.

Since there seemed to be nothing more, Spock dismissed himself from the ambassador's presence by saying, "If you would excuse me.  I have mission reports to file."

Fox thought a moment, then went directly to his cabin and requested a secured subspace channel to Vulcan.

-

"Sarek!" Amanda called in a panic.  "It's a subspace call from the Enterprise!"  She clutched a hand to her chest in fear.  /Oh, what's wrong?/ she fretted.

Sarek took a moment to slip into a robe before answering the call, using the brief time to center himself more firmly. "Sarek," he said simply.

"Sarek!" called the friendly voice of Robert Fox. 

Sarek felt half of his well-hidden tension seep away.  /Not an official message, it seems,/ he thought.

"Robert," Sarek replied. 

"I hope I didn't call at a bad time," the human ambassador said.

"It is good to hear from you," Sarek replied.  "Is this call of a business nature or purely social?"

"Well," Fox started, "perhaps a little of both.  Before I give you a report on Eminiar VII, I thought I mention what a pleasure it was to work with your son."  Fox moved nearer to the screen.  "In fact, if it wasn't for Spock, I would not be taking to you now.  He saved my life."

"Indeed," Sarek responded, his internal red alert system standing down.  Amanda also visibly relaxed.

"Spock's a good man, Sarek," Fox stated. 

/The ambassador oversteps,/ Sarek thought. 

Amanda smiled.  /Oh, you're a sly one, Foxie!/ she thought.  /You're always chipping away at the animosity between my two men./

"You said you wish to report, Robert?" Sarek prodded gently.

"Oh nothing formal as yet.  Just some preliminary observations," Fox said.  Then the ambassador began to describe the events on Eminiar VII, careful to mention each of Spock's actions.

/Keep chipping away, Foxie,/ Amanda thought as she listened to their old friend.  /You'll have these two speaking to each other in no time./


-FIN-