Assimilation
by Tamara W. Bennett

Based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Created by Gene Roddenberry

PROLOGUE

Dusk fell on Vulcan.

The planet's red sky turned magenta, its twin suns sinking into the horizon, offering relief from their intense heat to the logical inhabitants of the hot, arid world. A slight breeze blew, stirring up small dust clouds and ushering the suns to a night of rest. Light became dim on this side of the planet as two figures sat on the ground behind a magnificent Terran style chateau, deep in a mind meld and oblivious to their surroundings.

One, a Vulcan male, had been born there, the other, a human woman, had been born light-years away on the blue-green planet where the architecture for the chateau had originated. The two had little in common save for a single Vulcan ancestor long dead who would have been forgotten had she not been the purpose for their meeting. The human in fact showed little of her mixed ancestry; the only outward hint was her long, black hair and eyebrows that arched a bit higher than usual for a full- blooded human. She lacked the pointed ears typical of many Vulcan descendants and her blood was red rather than green. They were cousins, distant blood relatives who had happened to become friends over the last few years as a result of the human's desire to seek out her Vulcan heritage for answers to a most perplexing problem.

"My mind to yours," Sokan murmured as he pressed his fingers to Tresana's temples. She shivered, not from cold but from the slight shock of having another's consciousness enter hers for the first time. She had allowed Sokan to try this only out of desperation; under any other circumstances she would never have consented to a meld. The thoughts that circled through her head constantly were things that she did not want to reveal to anyone, least of all her cousin and her friend. But she trusted Sokan, and more importantly, Tresana needed an answer. More than she needed her privacy.

It was a clear, warm night as the two who would have been strangers sank deeper into each other's thoughts, not noticing the stars beginning to appear in the sky. Tresana loved nights on Vulcan, and she wished that she were visiting for some other purpose. Any other purpose....

Abruptly, Sokan began to tremble, then shake as he began to utter some sound that was unintelligible. Tresana could not tell what he was trying to say; the meld had been broken and she leaned back on her hands, watching Sokan with some degree of worry. She worried because Sokan was crying.

"I do not know what to say. How do you live with such pain?" Sokan was regaining his composure as quickly as he had lost it but his distress still showed in spite of his Vulcan discipline. "I must apologize for my outburst. I...do not have a solution for you. The Kolinahr is out of the question, and training you in the mind techniques of our people would not likely be successful."

Tresana breathed deeply of the warm Vulcan atmosphere. "I understand. I am sorry I upset you so with the meld. But I know now that I am making the right choice, and I thank you." Tresana rose to leave, but Sokan was not finished; he stood and followed her into the chateau where she gathered her few belongings.

"You mean to do this." It was not a question.

"Yes. I do." She faced him now with the same apologetic expression that she had worn when she had first arrived that day.

"You will be dead to us. In fact I would almost prefer to assist you in ritual suicide than stand by and watch you do such a horrible thing." Sokan was angry; it showed even through his stoic speech, but he did not care. "This disease is so difficult for our people, and for you it has made itself even worse in that it will not show you mercy and kill you."

"My physician has been working on a solution, so there is still hope." Tresana paused. "But very little. I still have to go to Deep Space Nine, you know."

"You speak to reassure me, but you are not succeeding. What of Captain Picard? Will you be content to leave him behind as well?" Sokan's statement hit home then; Tresana began to feel the first twinges of guilt and panic . "Does he know of your plans? I doubt if he would approve. Think carefully, for what you do will be as irreversible as death itself, and you will never see Jean-Luc again."

"I don't want to talk about him now!!" Tresana scrambled for the hypospray in her pocket and gave herself a long injection. She trembled and labored to breathe. "I'm sorry, Sokan. I have to leave; the Enterprise will be in orbit in an hour and I have to be ready for transport." She raised her hand in the Vulcan salute.