Starfleet Command

T'Ara sent a visual message to Admiral Ian Fitzgerald at Starfleet Command. He was at his desk coordinating fleet movements with his aides when his comm unit beeped. Seeing that the message was from Vulcan, he wondered what the Vulcans wanted this time.

"Greetings, Admiral Fitzgerald," T'Ara said. "On behalf of the Vulcan High Command and the Vulcan people, I salute you. Live long and prosper. We have a request of great importance concerning Commander Spock, who serves on the USS Enterprise. It is of the utmost importance that he and his bride return to Vulcan to complete the wedding ceremony, which is required by our tradition. This ceremony is an important part of our culture and must respected by Starfleet regardless of our differences. As well, on behalf of all of Vulcans, S'haile-Prince Spock will be recognized for his services to his people and the Federation as a whole. The Vulcan High Command will be satisfied with no less than Commander Spock's immediate return to Vulcan participate in these ceremonies. We thank you for your prompt attention to such an abrupt request. We will provide more information upon Commander Spock's return. Your service honors us."

T'Ara gave the salute and faded from the monitor.

Fitzgerald's eyebrows rose and his mouth fell open. He couldn't believe what Vulcan was requesting. He turned to his computer and searched for the Enterprise's current orders. He tapped in the secret code in order to access the file and read their mission. The ship was patrolling the Neutral Zone. "Damn!" :he thought, running his hands through his hair. "I can't pull a ship away from patrol for one guy to get married! What in the HELL is going on?"

Fitzgerald looked at his aide Simmons and snapped, "Contact Admirals Nagumo, Komack, Quinn, and Upton right away. I want them on a conference call within the hour."

Simmons began typing Fitzgerald's order into his Padd and trying to reach the admirals' aides.

Fitzgerald hated dealing with any diplomat, but Vulcans were the worst.Commander Spock seldom takes leave, except for that strange one a couple of years ago. To this day, no one knows exactly what it was about. Except that he was supposed to get married then; isn't he already married? Fitzgerald tried to call up the file on the incident and found that it was sealed and inaccessible to him, which made him wonder if it was some form of secret mission. Maybe for Starfleet Intelligence? "Simmons!"

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Get me Commodore Raja from Starfleet Intelligence as well."

"Yes, sir."

About an hour later, Fitzgerald was sitting at a conference table surrounded by eight large monitors, five of which showed images of his guests.

"Gentlemen, thank you for joining me at such short notice."

"Is there a serious situation, Ian?" Admiral James Komack asked.

"How can we help you?" Admiral Akito Nagumo asked.

"I received a message from Vulcan requesting that Commander Spock return to his home planet for some ceremonies," Ian explained.

"Isn't the Enterprise on a mission?" Admiral Trenton Upton asked.

"Yes, the Enterprise is patrolling the Neutral Zone. Several years ago, the Enterprise was pulled from a mission to Altair VI and rerouted to Vulcan," [1] Fitzgerald said.

"Yes, I gave the order for the Enterprise to travel to Vulcan at that time, and Kirk diverted his ship there, Komack said. They stated it was a medical emergency, but Kirk went to Vulcan against my orders." Komack had been fuming at the time, thinking Kirk was going against orders, at the time it was an important mission. He had been just about ready to kick both Kirk and Spock out of Starfleet.

"Do you think that incident is connected to this one?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know, but we have figure out what the Vulcans want and why they want me to pull a starship from its mission to go back to Vulcan," Fitzgerald said. He turned to Commodore Gotam Raja.

"Raja, I invited you to this meeting to give us the background to this situation. Do you have a clue what is going on Vulcan?"

"Admirals, remember that Vulcan is one of the founding members the United Federation of Planets, Commodore Raja said; his voice was soft, but each word was precisely enunciated. "I can only say that Vulcan has strong connections to the Federation. Ambassador Sarek has made alliances with many of its members and is highly respected. He was a key asset at the Babel conference and many other diplomatic missions. Not once has he has used his position for personal or political gain. Our knowledge of Vulcan in general is limited; the Vulcan people are almost considered a closed society. You know only what they want you to know. They are a highly intelligent people and are not to be second-guessed."

"The question is, admirals, do we want to pull the Enterprise off its mission?" Quinn asked, looking puzzled.

Upton looked at the other admirals and saw the mixed messages on their faces. "But we need a solid reason to make that decision; they say it's ceremonial! Is that a good reason to take a starship off patrol?"

"I don't know; it depends on how we look at it," Nagumo said. "Ian, can you play the original message?"

Fitzgerald punched a button on the com unit and played the recorded message; T'Ara appeared before them.

"Greetings, Admiral Fitzgerald," T'Ara said. "On behalf of the Vulcan High Command and the Vulcan people, I salute you. Live long and prosper. We have a request of great importance concerning Commander Spock, who serves on the USS Enterprise. It is of the utmost importance that he and his bride return to Vulcan to complete the wedding ceremony, which is required by our ceremony is an important part of our culture and must respected by Starfleet regardless of our differences. As well, on behalf of all of Vulcans, S'haile-Prince Spock will be recognized for his services to his people ..."

"Did she say 'Prince'?" Komack asked.

"Did she mention a bride? She indicated that Spock's bride is on the Enterprise!" Quinn remarked. "There's nothing in Commander Spock's file about being some sort of royalty, is there?"

Fitzgerald asked the computer to bring up Spock's file and project it split screen in front of them. They saw that he was the son of Ambassador Sarek and Amanda Grayson. Fitzgerald quickly flipped through Spock's records and awards from Starfleet Academy, as well as those from his time in Starfleet, including commendations from his former commanders, his rise through the ranks, and his many achievements in science and exploration. But there was nothing on his immediate family background except his birth.

"I don't get it? We have everything the man has done since he left Vulcan, but nothing on his people's history!" Upton said.

"I know there is some connection to T'Pau," Komack added. "She's the one who orchestrated the Vulcan High Command's appeal to Starfleet for us to pardon the whole incident and record it as a leave of absence in Commander Spock's records."

"Gentlemen, if that's the case, there is a possibility that T'Pau is involved in this request as well. If so, gentlemen, I highly recommend granting it." Raja stated.

Quinn looked at Raja and demanded: "Clarify that, Commodore!"

"We all know that T'Pau and her husband at the time were among the founders of the United Federation of Planets, even though she turned down a position on the Federation Council for herself. She still holds considerable influence among the peoples of the Federation. Raja chuckled: "It's like saying no to your mother. She doesn't have to say anything or pull rank to get the results she's looking for."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Upton exclaimed.

"Sure it does," Raja replied. "My sources say that T'Pau is about the last person in the galaxy you want to run afoul of; she is the most highly respected Vulcan on her planet. No one on Vulcan wants to tangle with her either."

"Should we pull the Enterprise off her mission to return to Vulcan?" Fitzgerald asked.

The admirals were quiet for a moment; they knew if they made the wrong decision, they would be risking early retirement.

Nagumo saw the lost looks on their faces: "I think the fleet admiral should have the final say; this concerns the Federation. A screw-up here could affect all sorts of policies and relationships. It is a serious decision to take a Constitution class starship from its mission for one person to go home. This would an easy decision if this were a crisis involving an attack or relations with another planet or even a natural disaster! But to take someone home? I believe we have more important situations to deal with. The Enterprise should continue its mission and offer the Vulcans other alternatives."

"I'm worried about the fallout if we DON'T send the Enterprise to Vulcan," Fitzgerald snapped, looking grim. He needed to make the final decision. Maybe it would best to involve the Fleet admiral; the man can be so intimidating. He punched the intercom for his aide.

"Simmons!"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Contact Admiral Nimitz right away! Tell him it's an emergency!"

"Yes, SIR!"

Quinn was looking through Spock's file and commented, "I note that Commander Spock has never taken any form of shore leave, just three stays on Vulcan of three days each over twenty years of service. How does the man do it?"

"The man is an enigma," Upton said. "He keeps to himself and does a DAMN good job! It's just strange that he is requested to return to Vulcan during a critical mission."

"Gentlemen, I remind you that taking a cruiser out of commission for any length of time is critical," Komack said. "I think we need more information from the Vulcans about why this is so important."

The com unit lit up, and Fitzgerald answered it.

"Simmons here, sir. I have Admiral Nimitz available now."

"Put him on, Simmons."

Fleet Admiral Nimitz appeared on a monitor next to the lower-ranking admirals. His face was taut. He was a man who had seen battle and conflict.

"Good afternoon, Admiral Nimitz."

Chester Nimitz saw all his admirals on his viewer, meaning something was up. He wondered if something had happened at the Neutral Zone. The Romulans had been a pain in his butt recently; they had a knack for making his life miserable.

"Gentlemen, how can I be of service?"

Fitzgerald cleared his throat. This is not going to be easy; Nimitz is not a man to play with.

"I received a priority message from Vulcan; the Vulcan High Command is requesting that Commander Spock return to his planet for a wedding ceremony. The Enterprise is currently patrolling the outer edge of the Neutral Zone."

"And?"

"We need a decision on whether the Enterprise should be pulled from patrol, Sir." At that moment, Fitzgerald sent the recording to Nimitz. The fleet admiral reviewed the message and turned back to the men.

"Gentlemen, I don't see a problem," Nimitz said. "Have Commander Spock returned to Vulcan."

"With all due respect, Admiral, a personal event is not a valid reason to pull a vital resource such as the Enterprise from its mission," Nagumo stated flatly.

"Gentlemen, you are not looking at the long-range aspects of this; refusing the Vulcan High Command's request will cause intergalactic friction, which we don't need at this moment." Nimitz said sternly.

"I am not aware of any friction among the Federation," Upton said.

Nimitz took a deep breath, showing his disappointment of his senior officers. Public relations had a high priority in both Starfleet and the Federation, and it was important for the two organizations to support each other's missions.

"Gentlemen, you may have your opinions about Vulcan and how they do things there. But I'm telling you that the Vulcans have been our strongest ally in all the campaign we have been in. Correct me if I'm wrong, Commodore Raja, but isn't Vulcan the primary contributor to the Interplanetary Treasury?"

"You are correct, Admiral."

"Ever since the Intrepid Incident, [2] the Vulcans have contributed their technology to our military and science divisions in Starfleet," Nimitz said. "The Enterprise was the ship that found the cause of the destruction of the Intrepid, and Spock risked his life to determine how to destroy the creature. Do you know what he did? You have my permission to review his report on the amoeba creature that wiped out the Gamma 7A system. This thing was in the process of reproduction; it had already consumed dozens of solar systems. That man saved most or all of the Federation from destruction; he and the Enterprise saved billions of lives. His father, Ambassador Sarek, has been the prime peacemaker in the majority of interplanetary disputes for the past 50 years. Since the Intrepid incident, the Vulcans have been downright supportive of Starfleet. Their technology has vastly improved our security systems. They have had more open communications with the Federation of Planets and are the first to send aid to any planet in need. That incident somehow triggered the Vulcans to become more open-minded about Starfleet. Whatever their reasons, I want that open dialogue to continue-Raja, didn't you explain that to them?"

"Sir, I advised them to grant the Vulcans their request."

"Gentlemen, if Spock or Vulcan wants to set up a picnic on Jupiter, on an asteroid, or on Alpha Centauri, then GIVE IT TO THEM!" Nimitz shouted.

The five men sat quietly, melting in their chairs from Nimitz's blowback.

"This man of science, who never took a day off, is the first Vulcan in Starfleet to accomplish the things he has done. Always refusing promotion, no personal ambitions, no ego to bruise. If Vulcan wants him to go home, send him home. Damn it! The man needs it. Who did he marry?"

Fitzgerald wiped his brow; he didn't know: "I will find out, Admiral."

Chester shook his head in disappointment. "Listen, one of you is going to replace me one day; you need to take a wide view of the ever-expanding Federation. Many new Federation citizens will join the fleet as part of our outreach endeavors. Give anything and everything that the Vulcans request. Nimitz out."

The five other men watched Chester Nimitz fade from their monitors and exchanged worried looks.

Fitzgerald paged Simmons.

"Yes, sir?"

"Check the records; find out who Spock married."

"I will represent Starfleet in any discussions with Vulcan about this. I've dealt with them before in a situation like this with Commander Spock. I will need more information about this ceremony before I call the Enterprise to Vulcan. I will need to speak to T'Ara about what they need." Komack said somberly.

He realized that Nimitz had been making sense when talking about working with the Vulcans. They had become more agreeable about working with Starfleet. He also felt a little guilty about how Commander Spock had been treated during his Academy days. Komack had heard of some incidents that stemmed from prejudice; if Starfleet were to continue its expansion, that needed to be put to rest.

Upton, Nagumo, and Quinn sat silently, thinking about what Nimitz had said. They were military men, accustomed to exploration and the occasional conflicts that came with it. But they had not considered that the Federation of Planets was expanding and incorporating new planets and citizens from scores of species. New species were being found each day, requiring First Contact protocols designed to uphold the Prime Directive. Protecting these new planets and species would require an enormous amount of resources and cooperation from the founding members of the Federation.

Meanwhile, Nimitz sat in his chair, nursing a headache after listening to his senior admirals. He couldn't believe they had almost caused an intergalactic incident by offending the Vulcans. Terrans have this idea that they should be running the Federation and Starfleet. But every planet, every culture MUST have a seat at the table. Commander Spock is a prime example of how the cooperation of Vulcan benefits the entire Federation.

Two days later, a message from Vulcan describing the reception planned for Commander Spock's return was sent to Admiral Fitzgerald:

"Greetings, Admiral Fitzgerald," T'Ara said.

"Vulcan is grateful for your consent to allow Commander Spock and his bride, who is also an officer, to return to his home planet for their marriage ceremony and wedding reception. Vulcan has established a pavilion on Altair VI as the site of the reception. This is an invitation-only event. Invitations will be extended to high-ranking personnel in Starfleet and the Federation. We will require notification of acceptance by stardate 2269.2. The reception will proceed on stardate 2269.8; the Enterprise should arrive at Vulcan on stardate 2269.2. Time on Vulcan is allotted to prepare for the event. Once again, all of Vulcan extend their gratitude for your decision to support our endeavor.

"Live long and prosper. T'Ara out."

A few moments later, Nimitz contacted Fitzgerald:

"Hello, Ian. How are you progressing on the Vulcan issue?"

"Well, Chester, Upton is in the process of diverting the Potemkin to replace the Enterprise on patrol," Fitzgerald said. "The Potemkin is almost done with its mission. Komack is trying to chase down a marriage license for Commander Spock. And Vulcan just announced that the wedding reception is about four weeks away and that the Enterprise has about three weeks to get Spock and his bride there."

"That's progress," Nimitz said. "I just received an invitation to attend the reception, and multiple members of the Federation have also been invited. With that in mind, we will have the Enterprise drop the couple off at Vulcan and then ferry delegates and dignitaries to the reception on Altair VI."

"Wow! It will be some reception!" Fitzgerald said. "Is the president invited?"

"Yes, he was the first," Nimitz said. "Do you now understand why this was permitted, Ian?"

"Yes, Chester," Fitzgerald responded. "I see it now."

"The Vulcan High Command has also requested that the Enterprise remain in orbit around Vulcan after the reception to have parts of the ship refitted."

"Excuse me, sir? Is it wise to keep the Enterprise out of commission so long?"

"I am aware of your concerns, Ian. This came from T'Pau herself, She says it's a wedding gift," Chester said, chuckling.

"Yes, sir," Fitzgerald replied, muffling a sigh.

Fitzgerald transferred the message and information to Admiral Komack, who was in the process of breaking radio silence to contact the Enterprise. They're going to take their time coming back. It is just ridiculous to remove the Enterprise from duty! He told his aide to send the Enterprise a priority one message.

[3] Meanwhile on the Enterprise:

Uhura adjusted her earpiece to better hear the alarming message. She turned to the captain:

"Captain Kirk, I have a priority one message from Starfleet."

Kirk jumped from his chair and walked up the steps to Uhura's station.

"What does it say?"

"Your eyes only, Captain. Priority one, sir."

"Send it to the Ready Room."

"Yes, Sir."

Kirk leaves to the Ready Room, where he coms Uhura to transfer the message.

"OK, Lieutenant Uhura, pipe it in."

"Yes, Captain."

Admiral Komack's image appeared on the monitor.

"Captain Kirk."

"Admiral Komack."

Kirk was looking at an unhappy man. Something is up. I hope it's not a secret mission, or worse, an undercover secret mission. [4]The last one almost provoked my crew to mutiny!

"We are aware that the Enterprise is on patrol, but we had to break transmission silence."

"It must be urgent then, sir."

"Starfleet Command requires some clarification and status report on a situation, Kirk."

Komack continued to look annoyed.

"Recently, Vulcan and the Federation have been giving us flack about one of your officers, well, actually two. Starfleet Command wants verification."

"Yes, Admiral, which officers and what do you want to know about them?"

"First, the Vulcan High Command claims that Commander Spock is married? Starfleet has no such record."

Kirk was shocked, but tried to keep his composure. He adjusted his tunic before answering the man.

"Yes, Admiral Komack. Commander Spock is married. The marriage has been registered with Starfleet."

Komack gave a sigh of relief and his face relaxed a bit.

"That explains some of the things that are happening here. Kirk, the Vulcans are requesting that Commander Spock and his spouse return to his home planet for some form of ceremony. At first, we were unaware that the Commander had married. Vulcan claims that he has. Starfleet Command is honoring their request. Kirk, your orders are to transport Commander Spock and his wife to Vulcan for a ceremony. Then the Enterprise is to report to Starfleet Command to ferry dignitaries to Altair VI for a reception. The Enterprise is now a representative of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet, and it will be at the disposal of Vulcan until after the ceremony is completed."

Kirk couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Enterprise is being pulled from patrol.

"Excuse me, Admiral. Could another transport ship rendezvous with the Enterprise and take Commander Spock to Vulcan?"

"Negative, this supersedes your current mission, Kirk. Since the Intrepid incident, Vulcan has become more open in their relationship with and in regard to sharing their technology with Starfleet. An improved relationship has been established, and we at Starfleet would like to continue it."

Kirk stood there, processing the information. He suddenly realized that there might be more to this request.

"Admiral Komack, Mr. Spock has been in Starfleet for over twenty years. Won't he find it strange to be dismissed from duty?"

"Kirk, Vulcan practically demanded that Starfleet bring Mr. Spock back to his home planet. Apparently, your science officer is some sort of royalty. His father, Ambassador Sarek, is considered a lord or something, I think Sa-halia or hail? As it was presented to us, Mr. Spock is a prince, and the Vulcans want to celebrate his marriage."

"A PRINCE!? SPOCK!"

Kirk's eyebrows did their best impression of Spock's as he realized there was more to his Vulcan friend then he knew.

"His family has strong connections to the Federation, especially to the president. The ceremony will take some time to arrange, so the Enterprise will have three weeks to arrive at Vulcan. Kirk, I want this to go smoothly. Make sure Commander Spock and his wife arrive safely."

Kirk let out a deep sigh, but was not entirely displeased that the ship was being pulled from the Neutral Zone.

"Yes, sir. I'll get him there."

"By the way, who did Commander Spock marry?"

"Our communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura."

It was Komack's turn for his brows to rise in surprise.

"Really? Lieutenant Uhura-our code breaker for the Klingon and Romulan languages?"

"Yes, sir. She's the one."

Komack knew of Uhura's record and her beauty. Many men were found her attractive, and now she had left broken hearts everywhere. Komack was surprised by the match.

"I've heard of her and her exemplary work for Central Intelligence," he said. "You have your orders, Kirk; see you in three weeks. Komack out."

Komack was amazed that Commander Spock had married the code breaker Uhura. He sent coded messages to the other admirals to let them know that the Enterprise had been contacted and was en route to Vulcan.

This is going to be an interesting reception, Komack thought. He was proud to have a man like Commander Spock in the service, despite the last encounter with Kirk diverted against his orders.