Jazz

Author's Note: This dedicated to Honeybee as she expressed a desire to see a Fic conncerning Jazz and T'Pol plus she is an Animal rights type and I am too. My thanks to two Betas: Linda and JustTrip'n. They have guided me and helped curb my excesses. I don't know if this story could have ever been finished without them.

There was some discussion about whether libraries would still keep physical copies to check out. Linda, a former librarian, has suggested that they might, especially local libraries: "People would like the way their favorite authors put information together, explaining and summarizing it in "book" form . . . When you search the internet, you often get piecemeal and contradictory information, which is frustrating.  A book (padd) by a respected author would have great appeal to people, so that is why I think old fashioned shelving in libraries would survive.  What do you think?" 

This story is related to my story "The Gift"

T'Pol had been transferred from the Science Directorate to Vulcan's Earth Embassy as assistant science Officer. She had been listening to Earth broadcasts on the video in her quarters: the news and various programming. Now studying Earth Music, she happened on a form she never heard before called "jazz." It sounded like a piece composed by a man named Bach. She liked some of the works she heard of his, one in particular that was mathematically perfect. But this jazz intrigued her. It was different. Each of the performers had a turn to improvise. The Alto Sax was her favorite instrument in a Jazz group. She decided she wanted to a lot know more about this music.

T"Pol learned that there would be a Jazz concert held at the San Francisco symphony hall. She attended the concert wearing a head scarf to hide her ears and bowl haircut. She came away convinced that she desired to hear more of this music and groups, so she began to sneak out of the Embassy, disguised, and going to decent jazz clubs.

Wanting to know more about jazz history, she went to the main San Francisco Library. She asked the information clerk where she could find books on jazz and was directed to a section on an upper floor in the back. There was an older man at the desk. She approached and saw the name plate Dickenson.

"Mr. Dickenson, I would like . . ."

"Jonas," the man smiled.  "That is what my friends call me. I am not formal here. Not many people are interested in this kind of music so I don't get may inquires about it. Anyway, call me Jonas,"

T'Pol hadn't been prepared to exchange names. She thought for a second and said, "Polly, Polly Legate."

"Pleased to meet you Polly. What can I help you with?"

"I have grown interested in Jazz and would like to know more about it and the history behind it."

"I am a jazz enthusiast too. That is why I took this section," replied Jonas. "I know a great deal about it. I certainly can help."

"That is good," said T'Pol, "but where do I Start?"

As Jonas started to reply a woman walked up.

"Oh, Polly, this is Doris Appleton. She is a jazz lover too. Doris, this is Polly Legate."

Doris was about the same age as Jonas.

"Doris, Polly wants to know more about Jazz."

"Really, that's wonderful. Great music," said Doris.

"Doris can you find a small selection of books to start Polly out with?" asked Jonas.

"Of course" Just give me a short while. I know just the padds you need," said Doris and walked off.

"You know, perhaps you might like to go to our favorite jazz club?"

"Where would that be?" asked T'Pol.  She was certain that the two older people were trustworthy.

"Well if you are really interested, we are going two nights from today we could meet you at the Club or even at the Library and go from here."

"The Library would be best. I am not too familiar with San Francisco yet as I am new in this city," said T'Pol.

Doris came up with a small stack of padds in her hands."Here you go, I hope you like them."

"Doris? Polly would like to go with us to the new club. She is going to meet us here, and we can show her some of San Francisco along the way to the Club," said Jonas.

"Polly, do you have a number that I can call if the few padds that are checked out come in?" said Jonas.

"I am in no hurry," replied T'Pol.

T'Pol thanked them arranged a time to meet at the Library then departed for the Embassy.

The padds were very interesting and she hoped that Jonas and Doris would provide her with more.

"The night of the visit to the club proved satisfactory. The group was very good and Jonas and Doris had shown her around while on the way to the club. T'Pol later returned to the club alone to listen to that group and other groups that appeared at the club.

T'Pol did not meet the older couple too often as she did not want to form a friendship but to keep the relationship as acquaintances only. She did return to get some more padds when she knew she would have some extra time at night to view them.

Jonas said, "I know just the ones you should view next," and moved to the stacks.

Doris smiled and then asked, "Do you have a young man?'

"My schooling and my work has kept me too busy."

"But you are so pretty, you should be dating," said Doris.

"My family does not want me to," said T'Pol. "There is a young man they think would be right for me."

T'Pol was thinking of Koss, her betrothed, who she had just seen a few times in her life.

"Please," T'Pol said, "this is very personal"

"Oh, of course, I am sorry, I didn't mean to pry," said Doris.

Jonas came up with three padds in his hand. You should find these worthwhile. I have been meaning to tell you: Saturday mornings at eight, on occasion, a collector plays a selection from a mid 20^th-century artist. Unfortunately the way it is broadcast it cannot be copied. You should try to catch a few programs." He gave her the name of the broadcast station.

On Saturday T'Pol tuned in to the station but no collector was on. It was only after three weeks that she heard a selection played. This was how jazz was meant to be, she thought, when she heard it. She listened to it with excitement. Not even Vulcan technology would allow her to copy the broadcast, she lamented.

One night some weeks later they had been to a club the older couple knew very well and T'Pol had visited alone before she had met them.  Jonas said, "How about meeting us Saturday afternoon for an hour or so?  It is the weekend. We want to show you some of the San Francisco Zoo. We won't have too much time as Doris and I will have to meet with some others afterwards."

Vulcans don't have weekends, T'Pol thought. Of course she could make up the time that night.

"Zoo?" said T'Pol.

"Yes," chimed in Doris. "San Francisco has a very large zoo. Lots of animals. It would actually take two complete days to see the whole thing, but we are only going to show you our favorite animals."

T'Pol was interested. She was trying to learn as much about Earth as she could. "When and where shall we meet to go to the Zoo?" she asked.

"Library, as usual," said Jonas, "we can go from there to the Zoo.  About noon."

 "I will meet you then," replied T'Pol.

When they got to the zoo, Jonas led them to a section. The sign said it housed big cats. He stopped in front of a cage with a large orange and black striped animal.

 "Tiger, my favorite animal."

 T'Pol looked at the tiger. It was magnificent. It paced with a grace that belied the strength that was evident in its body. The power of the animal showed clearly.

"Killing machine. It stalks its prey, runs it down, kills and eats it," said Jonas.

T'Pol was appalled that such a beautiful animal killed for its food. She remembered the sehlat did the same on her planet. The sehlat was built only for the hunt and the kill, but it was not such a graceful, lovely animal as the tiger.

"Lets go look at my favorite animal," said Doris with excitement in her voice.

She took them to a section where the sign said 'Large Apes'. She stopped in front of an enclosure with a small plaque that said 'Mountain gorilla, extinct in the wild'.

"So strong but so gentle," said Doris.

T'Pol examined the animal. It was large and apparently had great strength in its body. Then she looked into soft, gentle, brown eyes that had sadness in them.

"This animal and the tiger should not be in an enclosure.  They should be in the wild." remarked T'Pol.

"Can't," said Jonas. Too damned many humans in the world. Many animals have gone completely extinct. These have been saved by keeping them in zoos."

The group moved on. As they were passing a section that housed birds, Doris exclaimed, "Look they have let an eagle out to fly free for a while." She pointed to a speck in the sky.

 "You gotta look at this, Polly." said Jonas. He took a coin out of his pocket and put into a slot attached to a pair of binoculars. He handed the binoculars to T'Pol. The glasses were very powerful. She looked at the speck and it became a large bird, soaring and flapping its wings. Suddenly it dived toward the Earth at a great speed.

"Must have spotted a pet wandering loose. They will stop the Eagle and bring it back here," said Doris.

Sure enough the bird was halted in mid dive and it returned to a perch. T'Pol marveled. The piercing eyes, the proud way it held its head as if knowing it was the king of birds. It obviously too wanted to be free. T'Pol felt a kind of bond with it. She often felt confined by her Vulcan traditions and customs.

"My favorite animal, the eagle.  It has been for a long while," T'Pol said.

"Not an animal, it's a bird." said Doris.

"It is very pretty and I like it very much," said T'Pol.

"I doubt if its prey would think it is pretty," laughed Jonas.

Doris looked at her chronometer. "We have to leave," she said to Jonas.

"I too must return to my work. I have to make up for this afternoon, so I will be working tonight." T'Pol replied. "Thank you for showing me the zoo."

"Not at all. Happy to do it." said Doris.

They left the Zoo and were standing outside at the entrance.

"Can you find your way back? Doris and I have to hurry," said Jonas.

"Yes, I will take a conveyance," said T'Pol.

"Goodbye then, drop by the library when you can," said Doris. Then she suddenly said, "Don't you ever smile Polly?"

"My family never smiled, and I guess I never picked up the habit. Does it offend you?" said T'Pol.

"No, No, not at all if that is the way you were raised. It is all right. You are such a nice person," Said Doris.

They parted then.

T'Pol did not go back to the library for some weeks. There were no new concerts scheduled and she was visiting the jazz clubs she knew, on occasion, when her work permitted it.

T'Pol sometimes, but rarely, visited areas of San Francisco she had not yet seen to get a flavor of the city. One evening she was walking in what she regarded as a less savory area. She was not worried about her safety, with her Vulcan strength and her expert knowledge of all Vulcan Marital arts.  She could easily defend herself.  Still, she was going to leave the area.  She walked by a street, more of an ally actually, and her Vulcan hearing picked up some interesting jazz. The group was very good. She looked down the alley and saw a sign with the name of the club and below the name, 'Jazz'.  Intrigued, she walked down the alley and entered the club. It was crowded. The smell was awful and the smoke overpowering. T'Pol fled the club, walked back up the ally to the street and breathed deeply. The jazz coming from the club roused her thirst for new jazz and groups. She made her way back to the Embassy.

The next night, T'Pol had returned to the same area at dusk.  She stood back in a doorway where she could not be seen, watching the ally. She saw people coming to the club. When the club began to get filled, she noted how the people were dressed. The only common thread seemed to be that an individual could dress in any manner the person wished. The clothing was very diverse. That pleased T'Pol. She again returned to the Embassy.

The following night, she slipped out of the Embassy wearing a loose jacket, baggy trousers, a scarf to cover her hair and ears, and a muffler to cover her nose and mouth. The way people were dressed in that club she would not attract any attention. She had taken a very strong nasal inhibitor. She was not planning on staying too long but she did want to hear as many sets of jazz by the group as she could.

T'Pol got the club early so it was only partially filled, but enough so she would not draw notice. She walked into the club and saw a small table sat next to the doorway. Perfect. She could sit in back, enjoy the jazz, and not be bothered. She sat down. More people came into the club and it was filling up rapidly. A waitress approached her table.

"Yeah?" the waitress said.

T'Pol knew she couldn't order water. The only thing she could remember was Scotch. "Scotch," she said.

"Only got whiskey and beer," retorted the waitress.

"Whiskey then," said T'Pol. She had no intention of drinking it anyway.

The waitress walked off and returned five minutes later with a small glass of dark liquid. She told T'Pol the amount owed.

T'Pol thought it very expensive for such a seedy place but drew out a bill of Human currency, giving it to the waitress saying, "Here."

The waitress took the bill but made no effort to return any change and walked off.

The group came on the small stage and began to play. They were good and T'Pol enjoyed the sets they played. She stayed until the group had played for about an hour, then got up and left. I will have to come back here some time, she thought.

T'Pol again began to meet with Jonas and Doris, attending concerts occasionally, and going to a club once in a while. She was working very hard at the Embassy and continued to study Humans quite a bit.

One afternoon she was with Doris in the Stacks. To make conversation she said, "You and Jonas are friends."

"Yes, we have known one another since we were younger." replied Doris. Then she flushed a bit. "You won't tell Jonas or anybody? Promise?"

"I promise," said T'Pol, wondering what Doris was going to say.

"I love him, I have for years. I believe, hope, that he feels the same way about me, but I don't know. We have our dinners, our group, books, love of Jazz. I see him and am nearby every day. I am so shy.  What if I said something and he rejected me?  I would be so embarrassed; I couldn't look at him again. I would have to leave the library forever.  No, it isn't perfect this way but it is enough."  She reddened.  "I have dreamed about him making love to me. I am shameless. Please excuse me for telling you this, but I don't want to tell a close friend, and you have been so nice I feel I can trust you not to reveal anything. I can, can't I?"

"Yes, I am adept at keeping secrets," T'Pol replied.

"Thank you, I had to tell somebody I have been holding it in so long," said Doris.

T'Pol was flattered that Doris had confided in her, but she didn't know what to say to her. So she left Doris and walked to the desk where Jonas was standing.  She asked him whether there would be a collector playing music from a 20th century Artist in the near future.

"Not sure, you sort of have to listen every Saturday morning," said Jonas.

T'Pol took the padds that Jonas had selected for her, thanked him, and walked out of the Library.

T'Pol continued to work hard at the Embassy. She had not been back to the library in weeks. There was some kind of excitement in the embassy, she knew. One day she was called into the Ambassador's Office.

"You are going on assignment," said Ambassador Soval. "You will be joining the crew of the new Human starship as liaison and observer. The assignment will only be for a few weeks at the most. Then you will return to this Embassy. You will be receiving further instructions and briefings later. You will leave for the ship in two weeks. Why you? Your background: you are somewhat familiar with Humans and you are here on Earth."

T'Pol had hardly expected this. She did not know if she wanted to be confined in a space ship with a bunch of smelly Humans. She couldn't, of course, turn down the assignment.

That evening T'Pol went to the library to return the padds she had since their due date was only a few days away.

"Hello, Jonas, here are my checked out padds," said T'Pol.

"Fine," said Jonas.

"I am going on assignment and will be gone for a few weeks. I am not sure when I will return but will let you know when I am back."

"Oh, where is your assignment?" asked Jonas.

"I don't know yet exactly," replied T'Pol.

"Have you heard any of the broadcasts I told you about? The old 20th Century jazz?" said Jonas.

"I have heard four so far," said T'Pol.

"Bet you wish you could copy them don't you?" laughed Jonas.

"Yes, I do," said T'Pol ruefully.

"Look at these," said Jonas holding out his personal padd.

"What is it?" said T'Pol.

"A list of my own favorite 20th century artists. I have heard most of them on those broadcasts." Why don't you download the list to your personal padd. You can listen for them when you come back," said Jonas. "Maybe a rich uncle will die and leave you a very rich girl. Then you can afford to buy all of these from the collectors," he added, laughing.

T'Pol downloaded the list to her padd. "Thank you."

She waited for Doris to walk over, said goodbye to both Jonas and Doris, and left the library.

After T'Pol returned to the Embassy, she was curious about the list and what it would cost to buy from private collectors. She searched the data she had collected on jazz and then searched the Earth information data bank. What she found was that a collection of this jazz by the original artists would be more expensive than she ever imagined. At her salary, if she was frugal and saved for five years, she might be able to make a modest offer.  Very modest.  No collector would ever consider such an offer.  She looked at the list and then regretfully erased it. Why hope?  She would never have a jazz collection like this.

Finis