BEGIN TRANSMISSION

Destination: Starfleet Command, United Federation of Planets

Starship: USS Enterprise

Sender: Ambassador Sarek, Vulcan II

Recipient: Commander Spock, First Officer

Recent events have prompted me to contact you, as it is my duty to inform you of any developments that will have a significant impact on our lives, especially those pertaining to our extended family.

As you are aware, your mother was the eldest of two children. Her younger brother, Jonathan Grayson, is an individual you knew, but had little interaction with throughout your life. Our families occasionally visited one another for brief periods at a time on Earth, where Jonathan lived with his wife, Sarah Reed, and their daughter, Lauren Grayson-Reed. There, he and Sarah had established successful careers as Starfleet chemists, specializing in the manufacturing of components and fuels for Federation starships.

As of late, I was informed of the untimely deaths of Jonathan and Sarah. There had been an explosion at the starship facility where they were stationed, an unfortunate accident that occurred while they were experimenting with potential new fuel compounds for space vehicles. Their losses are tragic, as their intentions were to create safer and more energy efficient means for transportation purposes, but their memories and contributions to science shall be honored by their colleagues.

The loss of Amanda's brother will be a void felt by many, and I am sure you can reciprocate those feelings. However, I must inform you of my current objective, which has unexpectedly arisen due to this very situation. Their daughter and your cousin, Lauren, is fourteen years of age, and now an orphan. I am certain you remember how fascinated she was with our culture, even in her youth. You worked diligently to teach her how to properly give a Vulcan salutation, including our gestures of greeting. With the death of her parents, Lauren has no remaining family on Earth, and therefore has no means with which to support herself. As Amanda was her aunt, and I am her uncle—as it is referred to by humans—it has become clear that I am the only individual who can be appointed her legal guardian. After much careful consideration, I have agreed to this, and made the decision to take care of Lauren Grayson-Reed. She is family, and I believe it is what Amanda would have desired; she loved our niece dearly, even from afar.

I am en route to Earth as I complete this transmission, and am sure you can deduct my ultimate intention: to bring Lauren to Vulcan II to reside with me. I consider this logical, as it will give me the opportunity to further study human behavior while at home. Whether or not this will be met with hostility by our people remains to be seen, but it is my opinion that Lauren will display strength of character. This has been evident in the few times I have met with her. In fact, I have seen her display many strengths that were evident in you during your own childhood. She will be cared for under my guardianship, and that is what remains relevant.

Do not concern yourself with these matters yet, as I will see to them myself. Your duties to Starfleet are critical and take priority over all else. We will meet again when you are given leave from your duties.

Live long and prosper.

Ambassador Sarek

END TRANSMISSION

Even though it was written to his son, he always ended his messages with "Ambassador Sarek" as opposed to "father." The formality was seen as more respectful in their culture. With the press of a button, the transmission was sent to the starship Enterprise, one of the finest ships that had been built for Starfleet. Spock would receive it soon, and no doubt be contacting his father immediately after reading it. Sarek would be ready, knowing the full weight of what his decision could potentially entail.

Were his intentions going to be for the best? He didn't know. Sarek had caused a stir when he'd married Amanda Grayson so many years ago. A woman—he later admitted in private—he had truly loved. The union had brought taunts from young and old alike, ridicule, anger at his actions, confusion, threats, caused him to be the brunt of numerous jokes...

Pushing the thoughts aside, he reached down and pressed a button to re-activate his transmission screen. Keying in a short sequence, a digital representation of Lauren automatically appeared, one that captured footage of her practicing her violin during her most current year of school. Sarek tilted his head. At fourteen, she still bore no physical resemblance to Amanda. With her light hair, blue eyes and fair skin, she was almost a replica of Sarah, her mother. A rather uncanny resemblance, actually. This was nothing that bothered Sarek, of course; merely an observation. She had grown significantly from their last visit, and much of the childish roundness had melted away from her face. That very face was intently focused throughout this footage, all concentration channeled into running her bow fluidly over the strings in order to produce the pleasant musical sequence that resulted from her efforts. In the simplest of terms, the human girl pictured before him possessed an appealing quality to her, both physically and in her impassioned endeavors.

He sighed discreetly. If there was one thing that Sarek was well-versed in, it was how to turn a blind eye to the ignorance of others. Sometimes, this was not easily achieved by Spock, especially when he was a conflicted child. Sarek had to admit the guilt he felt over this; it was not the difficult experience he wanted for his son.

Would this be a similar situation for Lauren? Would she face the same mental and emotional torment from a race that did not understand her own? Could she endure? Would she?

Despite his multitude of questions, one fact remained clear: Lauren Grayson-Reed was alone in the universe, and she needed her family. He was going to be the one to fulfill that need.

In his shuttle, Sarek switched off his transmission screen and glanced at the stars that passed by in the dark sky of space. As he adjusted his navigation controls, he felt a peculiar sensation spread from within, one he had not felt since…since the day he was informed that Amanda was preparing to give birth to Spock. It was akin to a growing sense of what could only be adequately described as anticipation. Now the experience for him was being replicated as he began the journey to retrieve Lauren. While not necessarily the same as welcoming his own child, this was going to bring his niece into his life permanently, and the effect on him was equally as powerful.

Returning his attention to the control panel, he prepared to switch engines into warp-speed. At this velocity, he would reach Earth's orbit in only a matter of hours.