LtCmdr Salkath - Overbearing Parents Are So Much Fun

[Salkath]

((Personal Quarters, Deck 3 - USS Artemis))

Fortunate enough to have been assigned quarters on the Artemis that had a viewport, Salkath sat at the desk in the corner and gazed out upon the majesty of Deep Space 224. As an engineer, the Vulcan could appreciate the technological marvel that went into the massive construction efforts to build and maintain one of Starfleet's distant outposts. Support craft flitted in and out of his limited view, and the vestiges of movement could be discerned from counterpart viewports on the station if one looked hard enough.

The Artemis had arrived at the station 36 hours ago, and though Salkath intended to visit the station at least once during their resupply period, he had not done so yet. There was always work to be done on a starship for engineers and operations personnel, shore leave or no. Despite some of the benefits that rank afforded him, Salkath found it distasteful to expect subordinates to sacrifice their free time while he enjoyed such benefits; he ensured he was scheduled for as much or more maintenance duties than even the greenest petty officer in the department. Besides, routine maintenance and diagnostics could be cathartic, even meditative. What more would your average Vulcan want?

Now, however, he was forced to take time from his duties for a personal matter. A cryptic message received from his parents on Vulcan advised him that he needed to hold a video call with them, and the appointed hour was finally upon him. Typically, Salkath would liaise with his sister Evoras, as his parents' disdain for his mid-life career shift was ever-present in their frosty relationship. Most news, or constant messages of disapproval, from the family would be channeled through her. Therefore, a request for direct contact from his father T'Edril and mother Sreil was cause for intrigue and perhaps even a little consternation.

At precisely the agreed-upon time, the terminal on his desk chimed with an incoming transmission. The UFOP logo on the screen, once he accepted the call, was replaced with the severe visages of two elder Vulcans framed by the austere furnishings of Salkath's ancestral home in Kwil'inor.

Salkath: Father. Mother. It is amenable to greet you.

Sreil: Salkath. Greetings.

T'Edril: We have made arrangements on your behalf. We are here to advise you of them.

Straight to business it was to be, then. Salkath did not expect effusive affection (or any affection, really), but his father had eschewed even basic courtesy. He wished he could say he was surprised, but that was one emotional response he could not claim in this case.

Salkath: Intriguing. Please elaborate.

His two parents paused uncharacteristically long, glancing at each other as if daring who would speak first. Finally, his mother broke the silence.

Sreil: We have been made aware that Starfleet has a program to facilitate the joining of lifemates. We have taken the liberty of enrolling you.

Salkath was stricken silent and dumbfounded. What illogical nonsense was this? Starfleet forging personal bonds between couples? That was so far removed from anything he had ever encountered that it simply did not compute.

Salkath: Huh?

Salkath's father tsked disapprovingly.

T'Edril: Do not resort to unintelligent grunts in your attempt to communicate. That is unbecoming for one of your station. Use your words.

Sreil: ::admonishing:: T'Edril, at peace.  ::then, to Salkath::  Ever since you broke your childhood betrothal to squander your life among the stars, we have given you as much patience as we could spare to find your own way to a lifemate. Our patience is finite, however. Your family has advised you time and again to take a spouse, and you have not heeded our request. So we are choosing to accelerate your efforts with our assistance.

By this time, Salkath had somewhat regained his composure, though questions still fogged his cognitive thoughts.

Salkath: That is not the part I do not understand. You have made your displeasure in my life decisions clear again and again. The part I do not understand is that you believe the military and exploratory arm of the Federation would actively facilitate bonding between its officers. That simply does not exist, as a program or otherwise.

T'Edril: We have conferred with our peers who also have likewise reticent children. There is a program called Starflirt, which pairs Starfleet officers in romantic endeavors. Others here have signed up their children, and in the interest of repairing the dishonor you have brought our family, we have done the same.

Salkath: ::raising his eyebrow savagely:: Dishonor? I was not aware that we were members of a Klingon house now, Father.

Slightly furrowed brows indicated the scandalous affront that his parents took by Salkath's wildly emotional facial expression.

T'Edril: Do not seek to obfuscate the issue at hand. You will partake in this program, and you will find yourself a suitable Vulcan mate.

If Salkath had any experience with the dominant cultural norms in Starfleet in general, much like the Federation at large, then when it came to courtship and romantic endeavors, much of it was casual and temporary. This 'Starflirt' sounded like a natural extension of that; a way for officers to meet individuals who share common interests for friendships, perhaps trysts, but hardly a scientific method of finding a lifemate. Whatever misinformation his parents had been exposed to, he highly doubted that this program would accomplish their intended goal.

Salkath: I do not believe that Starflirt is a viable means to find a compatible lifemate. You do not have the exposure to the cultural norms of the majority of Starfleet officers like I do. Most of the Federation's member species choose to date for recreation, and this type of program facilitates that goal and not the goal you are inferring.

Sreil: That is your subjective opinion, Salkath. This is an option that others of our social standing have chosen to employ, and you have left us little choice short of compelling you to resign your commission and return home for more direct matchmaking efforts.

The engineer had no intention of such an upheaval to his life. He was content with his roles and responsibilities in Starfleet, and balked at the notion of regressing back to the staid, traditional lifestyle that would greet him should he return to Vulcan. Though he was much more progressive than the rest of his family, however, he was honor-bound enough that if his parents pressed hard enough, he would feel obligated to do just that. It had been scandalous enough for him to arbitrarily break his arranged betrothal when he was young, and again as much when he decided to join Starfleet. This was as far as he could push his family, no further. To reject their formal entreaty on such a matter would be tantamount to betrayal of his core beliefs and mores. It now appeared that Salkath would need to appease their unreasonable request in order to stave off an impossible one.

Salkath: ::shoulders slumped::  It would appear that I must acquiesce to your request, then. Though do not forget that I raised logical objections when your plan inevitably fails to net your intended results.

Both parents raised an eyebrow of relief in mirror-perfect unison. Such things happen with a couple who had been married for 87 years.

T'Edril: You will receive a notification presently of a scheduled meeting with a local Starflirt representative.

As if on command, a PADD on the desk before Salkath pinged with a calendar alarm. He glanced at it momentarily, taken aback that this had been already prepared as if there was to be no discussion on it. Truth be told, there really wasn't. Salkath's protestations with his parents were always going to be merely academic, such was the dynamic with families.

Sriel: We have taken the liberty of filling out the majority of your profile for the program, highlighting the traits that would make you suitable to a potential Vulcan mate and downplaying your... idiosyncrasies. You will complete your profile in person.

T'Edril: Your meeting is with Ms Nadevia Virtavi-Yaros, who apparently is on your starship already. This will simplify the procedure for you and expedite the efforts of meeting your future bondmate.

The meeting details on the PADD indicated that his parents were certainly wasting no time, Salkath noted wryly. The appointment was very soon, and it would certainly be interesting. It would likely do Salkath no good to sabotage the meeting with a more reticent-than-usual demeanor, as he was certain word would get back to his parents if he did. He only hoped that Ms Virtavi-Yaros was experienced with accommodating Vulcans... for her sake.

Salkath: ::resigned::  I will comply with your demands. 

Both parents nodded, once. Their faces were impassive to the casual view of anyone other than another Vulcan, who could read the relief of their micro-expressions. Their usually intractable son had just surprised them. Truth be told, he was plenty surprised himself.

Sriel: Ensure you are prompt to your appointment then. Fare well, my son.

T'Edril: Peace and long life, Salkath.

Salkath: ::returning the Vulcan salute his parents initiated:: Live long and prosper, Father, Mother.

The screen reverted back to the UFOP logo, and Salkath was left to sit and contemplate this latest twist that the fates had served him.

TBC

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Lieutenant Commander Salkath

Engineer, USS Artemis-A

A239111MT0