A Parent's Choice
Jun. 19th, 2009 07:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iceminkTitle: A Parent’s Choice.
Characters: Sarek, M’Umbha and Alhamisi Uhura
Summary: Spock and Nyota’s parents both make choices for their children.
A/N: I was thinking about the fact that in Amok Time T’Pring talks about not wanted to be married to a legend, which would seem strange if she had grown up in a family with the same status of Spock’s. Which got me to thinking about how did she end up getting chosen for Spock. Anyway I think the first part as a prelude to Someday, and the Rest of Your Life, and the second part as a prelude to The Middle Way the sequel I’m writing to it.
Rating: PG
Normally when Sarek sat at his desk, he sorted the through the problems of a dozen illogical races. The task he had now seemed much more daunting. The faces and information of dozens of female vulcan children scrolled across the screen. It was his job as a father to find the one that would make the most logical mate for his younger son, Spock.
It was not the first time Sarek had wondered about the wisdom of having a half-human child. He only wished that he had fully considered the matter before Amanda had conceived. And yet she had wanted a child. Sarek doubted that any argument, no matter how logical, would have dissuaded her.
It was not until Spock was born, and Sarek first saw his son, that he realized the mistake. Spock was so human, and how would a half-human child thrive on Vulcan? He knew in that moment how difficult Spock’s life would be. A child of two worlds, and yet none. Sarek had even considered bringing his family back to Earth, but Amanda had insisted that children everywhere could be cruel, and that it would be easier for a vulcan child to choose to be human, than a human child to choose to be Vulcan.
It was too late to dwell on such decisions now. And the truth was Sarek could no longer imagine his life without Spock. His son was bright, eager to learn, and showed an early aptitude towards the sciences. Sarek was sure that his son would someday follow in his footsteps and join the Vulcan Science Academy.
Other less pleasant duties than his son’s education now occupied Sarek’s mind. Spock was nearly eight and it was imperative that Sarek find an appropriate mate for his son. The problem lay in the candidates. They were all girls from some of the finest families on Vulcan. Families of equal status to Sarek’s. That was the problem. No matter Sarek’s own accomplishments and renown, he doubted the parents of these girls would consent to have their daughter’s bonded to a half-human. They would not see Spock’s intelligence, or spirit. Only the red blood of his mother.
Perhaps he was being unfair, assuming too much. But were he to offer such an arrangement and have it turned down, how could he ensure that Spock never hear of it? His clever young son understood too much, was perhaps too wise for his age.
Sarek knew firsthand how troublesome a bad bonding could be. T’Lea had been the mate his father had selected for him. Although their bonding had produced a son, Sybok, they had never been successful as a couple. Of course T’Lea had been a vulcan princess. It put her a slight step above Sarek in vulcan social circles. She had never been quite satisfied that he was her equal.
Sarek had worried when T’Lea’s death had forced him to take Sybok in. He had not been sure how his eldest son would react to his half-human half-brother. But Sybok showed no disdain towards his younger sibling. In fact Spock often followed Sybok around, curious as to whatever new project Sybok had embarked upon. And Sybok seemed to be infinitely patient with his younger sibling. It was unexpected, but Sarek could only be glad that his outcast son had a friend at last.
Again his mind was forced to return to the problem of a mate. Thoughts of T’Lea gave him an idea. Rather than seek a girl of equal status to Spock, why not seek one from a good family, but of lower status? Sarek quickly adjusted his search parameters and new list of candidates filled his screen. One of them quickly caught his eye; T’Pring was her name. Her parents were wealthy and successful farmers, in fact as he looked through their biographies he was impressed to see the improvements they had made that had spread quickly to other surrounding farms. It spoke of a clever mind, and as he examined T’Pring’s test scores he was impressed by her high level of logic for such a young child. Of course there was much more research to be done, but Sarek felt for the first time he may have found a mate for his son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You want to take my daughter from me?” M’Umbha nearly yelled at her soon to be ex-husband.
“That’s not what this is about,” Alhamisi told her. “I just think Nyota deserves a chance to be normal.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” M’Umbha asked.
“It just means that every year or two, some new discovery comes along, some new dig, and we all pack up and go to some new alien world so you can dig up their past.” Alhamisi said.
M’Umbha crossed her arms defensively. Their jobs had often been a point of contention between them, until it had finally ended the marriage. It was strange considering they had met in college, both students in the Anthropology department. But whereas M’Umbha had gone into xeno-archeology, Alhamisi had been interested in the old tribal cultures of their African homeland.
“I’m not saying there haven’t been wonderful opportunities for our daughter,” Alhamisi continued. “I mean she’s almost twelve and she’s fluent in thirteen non-Terran languages. She’s always adapted wonderfully whenever we’ve taken her to a new planet, but don’t you think she deserves the chance to be a normal girl? To live in one place and not to wonder when she’s going to move next?”
M’Umbha softened a little. Her husband did have a point. Although Nyota had her mother’s adventurous spirit, she knew that her daughter often missed the friends she was forced to leave behind. Now that she thought about it, she worried that her daughter was beginning to be afraid to form real attachments.
“Besides,” Alhamisi continued, seeing that he was beginning to sway her. “She’s growing up. She’s going to start noticing boys, and do you really want her running off with the son of an Andorian trader?”
That made M’Umbha laugh, even though he had a point. “I can handle Andorian traders. With my luck she’d find some nice young vulcan boy who would be only too happy to point out the ‘flaws and wild speculation’ in my work.”
They smiled at the shared joke. It was after all the one thing they shared in the professional interests. They both liked to learn and tell the stories of other people, they just went about it in different ways, and were interested in different stories. Vulcans were not interested in stories, or ‘wild speculation’ as they called it. They were interested in facts.
“Do you really think it’s been that hard on her?” M’Umbha asked.
“I think she’s had an amazing childhood,” he told her kindly. “But she needs some stability. She needs to be among other humans, and get into trouble in a safe place like Nairobi, not some space dock.”
M’Umbha thought it over. Letting go of Nyota was the hardest thing she could think of, but that was selfish. It probably was in her daughter’s best interests to have a stable environment for her teenage years.
“Okay,” she said at last. “But how do I tell my baby that I’m letting her go?”
“You’re not letting her go,” Alhamisi told her. “You’re saying goodbye for a little while. It’s not like you can’t come to Earth and visit whenever you want.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s just what I’ll do.”
Characters: Sarek, M’Umbha and Alhamisi Uhura
Summary: Spock and Nyota’s parents both make choices for their children.
A/N: I was thinking about the fact that in Amok Time T’Pring talks about not wanted to be married to a legend, which would seem strange if she had grown up in a family with the same status of Spock’s. Which got me to thinking about how did she end up getting chosen for Spock. Anyway I think the first part as a prelude to Someday, and the Rest of Your Life, and the second part as a prelude to The Middle Way the sequel I’m writing to it.
Rating: PG
Normally when Sarek sat at his desk, he sorted the through the problems of a dozen illogical races. The task he had now seemed much more daunting. The faces and information of dozens of female vulcan children scrolled across the screen. It was his job as a father to find the one that would make the most logical mate for his younger son, Spock.
It was not the first time Sarek had wondered about the wisdom of having a half-human child. He only wished that he had fully considered the matter before Amanda had conceived. And yet she had wanted a child. Sarek doubted that any argument, no matter how logical, would have dissuaded her.
It was not until Spock was born, and Sarek first saw his son, that he realized the mistake. Spock was so human, and how would a half-human child thrive on Vulcan? He knew in that moment how difficult Spock’s life would be. A child of two worlds, and yet none. Sarek had even considered bringing his family back to Earth, but Amanda had insisted that children everywhere could be cruel, and that it would be easier for a vulcan child to choose to be human, than a human child to choose to be Vulcan.
It was too late to dwell on such decisions now. And the truth was Sarek could no longer imagine his life without Spock. His son was bright, eager to learn, and showed an early aptitude towards the sciences. Sarek was sure that his son would someday follow in his footsteps and join the Vulcan Science Academy.
Other less pleasant duties than his son’s education now occupied Sarek’s mind. Spock was nearly eight and it was imperative that Sarek find an appropriate mate for his son. The problem lay in the candidates. They were all girls from some of the finest families on Vulcan. Families of equal status to Sarek’s. That was the problem. No matter Sarek’s own accomplishments and renown, he doubted the parents of these girls would consent to have their daughter’s bonded to a half-human. They would not see Spock’s intelligence, or spirit. Only the red blood of his mother.
Perhaps he was being unfair, assuming too much. But were he to offer such an arrangement and have it turned down, how could he ensure that Spock never hear of it? His clever young son understood too much, was perhaps too wise for his age.
Sarek knew firsthand how troublesome a bad bonding could be. T’Lea had been the mate his father had selected for him. Although their bonding had produced a son, Sybok, they had never been successful as a couple. Of course T’Lea had been a vulcan princess. It put her a slight step above Sarek in vulcan social circles. She had never been quite satisfied that he was her equal.
Sarek had worried when T’Lea’s death had forced him to take Sybok in. He had not been sure how his eldest son would react to his half-human half-brother. But Sybok showed no disdain towards his younger sibling. In fact Spock often followed Sybok around, curious as to whatever new project Sybok had embarked upon. And Sybok seemed to be infinitely patient with his younger sibling. It was unexpected, but Sarek could only be glad that his outcast son had a friend at last.
Again his mind was forced to return to the problem of a mate. Thoughts of T’Lea gave him an idea. Rather than seek a girl of equal status to Spock, why not seek one from a good family, but of lower status? Sarek quickly adjusted his search parameters and new list of candidates filled his screen. One of them quickly caught his eye; T’Pring was her name. Her parents were wealthy and successful farmers, in fact as he looked through their biographies he was impressed to see the improvements they had made that had spread quickly to other surrounding farms. It spoke of a clever mind, and as he examined T’Pring’s test scores he was impressed by her high level of logic for such a young child. Of course there was much more research to be done, but Sarek felt for the first time he may have found a mate for his son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You want to take my daughter from me?” M’Umbha nearly yelled at her soon to be ex-husband.
“That’s not what this is about,” Alhamisi told her. “I just think Nyota deserves a chance to be normal.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” M’Umbha asked.
“It just means that every year or two, some new discovery comes along, some new dig, and we all pack up and go to some new alien world so you can dig up their past.” Alhamisi said.
M’Umbha crossed her arms defensively. Their jobs had often been a point of contention between them, until it had finally ended the marriage. It was strange considering they had met in college, both students in the Anthropology department. But whereas M’Umbha had gone into xeno-archeology, Alhamisi had been interested in the old tribal cultures of their African homeland.
“I’m not saying there haven’t been wonderful opportunities for our daughter,” Alhamisi continued. “I mean she’s almost twelve and she’s fluent in thirteen non-Terran languages. She’s always adapted wonderfully whenever we’ve taken her to a new planet, but don’t you think she deserves the chance to be a normal girl? To live in one place and not to wonder when she’s going to move next?”
M’Umbha softened a little. Her husband did have a point. Although Nyota had her mother’s adventurous spirit, she knew that her daughter often missed the friends she was forced to leave behind. Now that she thought about it, she worried that her daughter was beginning to be afraid to form real attachments.
“Besides,” Alhamisi continued, seeing that he was beginning to sway her. “She’s growing up. She’s going to start noticing boys, and do you really want her running off with the son of an Andorian trader?”
That made M’Umbha laugh, even though he had a point. “I can handle Andorian traders. With my luck she’d find some nice young vulcan boy who would be only too happy to point out the ‘flaws and wild speculation’ in my work.”
They smiled at the shared joke. It was after all the one thing they shared in the professional interests. They both liked to learn and tell the stories of other people, they just went about it in different ways, and were interested in different stories. Vulcans were not interested in stories, or ‘wild speculation’ as they called it. They were interested in facts.
“Do you really think it’s been that hard on her?” M’Umbha asked.
“I think she’s had an amazing childhood,” he told her kindly. “But she needs some stability. She needs to be among other humans, and get into trouble in a safe place like Nairobi, not some space dock.”
M’Umbha thought it over. Letting go of Nyota was the hardest thing she could think of, but that was selfish. It probably was in her daughter’s best interests to have a stable environment for her teenage years.
“Okay,” she said at last. “But how do I tell my baby that I’m letting her go?”
“You’re not letting her go,” Alhamisi told her. “You’re saying goodbye for a little while. It’s not like you can’t come to Earth and visit whenever you want.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s just what I’ll do.”
