Open Secrets

“What would you like to know?” he prompted.

After pausing for a moment, T’Lon finally asked, “Has she ever spoken of our village?”

“No, I can’t say that she has,” Pe

T’Lon did not frown, but her expression shifted just enough that Pe

“That’s an excellent question, my dear,” the journalist replied, sighing as he reached up to wipe perspiration from his forehead. “I guess you could say that our relationship is…complicated, but I’ve recently come to care a great deal for her, for reasons I’m not really able to explain.” Shaking his head, he added, “I truly hope she recovers from her illness, so that we can talk about it.”

T’Lon asked, “What will you do if T’Pry

Releasing a small, humorless grunt, Pe

T’Lon took the seat, setting the water pitcher on the table. “It is tradition that residents not speak openly about those who have chosen to leave the village. I know only that she was dissatisfied with life in Kren’than and left the commune in order to seek answers to questions that could not be found here. She is not the only one to have done this; there have been stories of others following similar paths.”

“Have any of them ever returned?” Pe

“A few have returned,” T’Lon replied. “The commune has never turned anyone away, but when someone requests reentry, the village elders proclaim that person ri-gla-yehat,what you would call ‘the Unseen.’ They are admitted back into the commune, but they serve a probationary period where they are never approached or addressed by other members of the village. It is as though they do not exist.”

Shocked by what he was hearing, Pe

“Compassion is an emotional response,” T’Lon countered.

“Damned right it is.” Catching himself, Pe

T’Lon paused, then replied, “In human terms of time measurement, approximately twelve of your years.”

“Twelve years?” Pe

“It is believed that one who has left the village and then returned must first demonstrate a renewed commitment to our way of life,” T’Lon replied. “The probation is a means of cleansing the mind and body of any remnants of the society they chose to embrace at the expense of the commune.” After a moment, she said, “I must confess, I do not understand the logic, myself.”

Before saying anything else, she looked around, as though verifying that their discussion was not being overheard. “I, too, have grown curious about what lies beyond the village. I wish to visit the cities, perhaps see the science academy, the temples of Gol, Mount Seleya. I may even wish to travel to other worlds. I admit to being intrigued by your planet, Mr. Pe

“Nothing says you can’t do all of that,” the reporter said. “My understanding of Vulcan culture is that it’s based on self-determination. It’s your choice what you do with your life, right?”

Obviously nervous at the turn the conversation had taken, though doing her level best to maintain her veneer of stoicism, T’Lon replied, “Such questions have troubled me. If the Vulcan way is enlightenment and expansion of the intellect through the pursuit of logic, why must I then be punished for what to me seems nothing more than natural curiosity? I was born in this village, and I have lived my entire life here, and yet if I choose to leave, I will be ostracized and openly shu

It was an odd dichotomy, Pe

Then a disturbing thought struck him.

“T’Lon,” he said, growing more troubled as he considered the notion that had so abruptly manifested itself, “do you know what will happen to T’Pry

“Should she choose to remain here, she likely would be proclaimed ri-gla-yehatby the elders.”

“Even if she doesn’t decide to stay here,” Pe

T’Lon replied, “She will not be denied any required medical care, but any other interactions will be subject to the elders’ proclamation.”

“So, for all intents and purposes,” Pe

“Correct.” T’Lon looked up as the sound of a bell chiming echoed across the courtyard. “I must go now,” she said, rising from her seat. “It is time for afternoon studies. Thank you for your time, Mr. Pe

“Indeed, it was, my dear,” the journalist replied. “Thank you.”

As the girl departed, stepping down from the veranda and heading across the courtyard, Pe

No one deserves that,he thought. Not even the person who made your life hell.

Finally, it seemed—and assuming that she ever recovered to the point where it became an issue—that Pe

Dust clogged her lungs, but she forced herself not to cough lest she give away her location. Feeble light offered by the string of luminescent bulbs hanging along the jagged stone wall made pathetic attempts to cut through the odd, luminescent fog permeating the tu

Recalling the warnings her parents had given her about the dangers of coming here, T’Pry