The Card

Amanda just turned off her terminal only to take attention on the pile of papers delivered today morning and just placed between the cafe pot, the plate with donuts and Vulcan equivalent of biscuits: San Francisco Daily Post, Times, the new linguistic bulletin... Suddenly she stopped, the bulletin still in the hand and looked little puzzled at a small white piece of paper, just on the top of the Vulcan Messages. With her free hand she picked it up.

It was an old fashioned letter, a rare thing in the time of electronic post. An envelope with a hand-written address:

Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan
and
Amanda Greyson

Vulcan Embassy
Divisaderostreet 6A
San Francisco

Inside was a card made of white hard paper. Both ends of it folded together formed an IDIC-symbol. "It's an announce card," she smiled on her husband. "And who wants announce what?" Asked Sarek back.

Amanda opened the card and then gasped in astonishment.

The commkanal on the table of Admiral Nogura beeped three times at first, until the old man hit it:

"Nogura here!" He snapped in more than I'm-disturbed-tone.

"Komack here. Hirachiro, I just got a card..."

"I too," Nogura looked at this piece of paper neatly placed before him. It looked here on the horrible tidied table more as inadequate.

"Hiro!" Blurted trough the comm.

Nogura stirred: "What!"

"You don't listen to me. I ask you for the third time, what do you think about it? I mean..., right..., they are adults and they have their rights to do it, but ..."

"There is no regulation against it, Jeff."

"But they serve on the same ship and they are the highest ranking officers there!"

"As I said," Nogura snapped back, "it didn't happen before, but on the other hand, there are no regulations against it" And with those words he hit the comm and cut this silly conversation off.

He looked on the card again and sighed. There is something, Starfleet forget to think about. Perhaps he should make some plans how to pretend those things in the future.

The special agent of the Imperial Rihansu Security smiled. This was probably a good day for him. Today was the last day of his long undercover mission in the HQ of the Federation Starfleet. And he had allowed himself to add the word successful.

Not only he has gathered all, what the bosses of IRS required from him as necessary to get. The last information as a special juicy tidbit made the crown of his work.

He taped satisfied with his fingers on the tape with stolen informations plus the secretly recorded dialogue between Nogura and Komac and then he turned his attention to the card.

What a souvenir he smiled again, and saw himself on the party on Ch'Rihan, staying in the middle of the crowd, the card in the hand as an ultimate proof of the top highlight of the Federation gossip.

The evening on Vulcan was the hottest T'Pau could remember in her long life. She recognised a slight impatience with she waited for the cold night wind from the desert. She left the comfortable bank on the window and sat again to her table.

The card arrived only 15.73 minutes ago. She opened resolutely the letter (Vulcans don't waste any time), a thing she has seen for the first time in her life.:

James T. Kirk
And
Spock cha'Sarek
announce...
...they had married on the board of the Enterprise...

T'Pau drank some tea and tried to relax with a simple meditation mantra. But somehow it was impossible today, also for the first time in her life.

She looked on the small white piece with such astonishing information, but what she saw was red sand, two friends fighting against each others, the death of the human, the pain in Vulcan's eyes.

'Live long and prosper, Spock.'

'There is no prosper for me, T'Pau, I have killed my friend.'

How big was her relief thereafter as the death James Kirk appeared on the screen obviously alive. An another human trick to save their Vulcan friend.

T'Pau took both ends of the card and folded them together, until they formed the IDIC-symbol again. And then she allowed herself a thin satisfied smile.

Kaiidth, what a universe.

And as the cold wind from the desert came, she was still sitting there.

"They are so quiet," whispered Jim in a pointed ear just under his lips.

Spock lifted his eyebrow a calm what-do-you-mean-question.

"I mean our crew, they are planning something." Jim loosed his embrace just a little to get a better look at his bondmates face.

"They are behaving too calm. I thing they are planning something." Spock smiled a bit. "No wonder, t'hy'la, after we announced, we want to marry each other, right now, and no one has had any idea about us..."

At this memory Jim laughed aloud. It was a funny breakfast indeed. Scotty almost stifled himself at his porridge and Sulu at his green tea and McCoy... Heaven, the face of the good doctor was simply indescribable. Only Uhura reminded herself on good behaviour and simply said congratulation.

"What do you insist to do, Jim?"

Jim in a very good mood waved generous with his hand: "Whatever they insist to do, let them do it." 'And meanwhile...,' he added through the bond and gave Spock his look, the Vulcan couldn't resist.

'A good idea t'hy'la,' and he claimed Jim's mouth.

The Enterprise was only an hour away from Starbase 1, moving just on the impulse, greeting the ships, whose passed her by.

"Are you ready son?" Scotty asked ensign Chekov.

"Aye sir," the young man radiated energy and enthusiasms like just exploded supernova, his fingers impatiently ready to hit the button.

"Boys, I don't know this is a good idea," Uhura shook her head.

"It is a wonderful idea," snorted McCoy back and gave Chekov a look, daring him to do it for god's sake.

And Chekov did.

Men and their silly toys, signed Uhura toward Janice Rand and she gave an affirmative sigh back.

Between the warpgondels of the Enterprise hung a big white sheet with big black letters:

JUST MARRIED