I think it's time for me to write back stories for the non-Academy OC's that appear in my Spock/Zia stories. The character in this chapter is Caitlin, an OC that will appear in the third Spock/Zia story as well as feature in a chapter of Children of Two Worlds. For this chapter no prior knowledge of my other stories is needed, although knowledge of the 2009 and 2013 movies are.
I plan to pair this character with a certain member of the Enterprise crew. Who do you think it'll be?
Please read and review and let me know what you think about this new character!
o.O.o
Caitlin McFarland
Her world was what could only be described as dark. Once, she'd asked her mother what colour she was looking at, and her mother had replied with 'black'. She explained that black was a dark colour and that it would probably be the only colour that her daughter would ever see.
Blindness was something that could be cured in the year 2255. There were medical procedures, surgical equipment and vitamins could be taken to strengthen the pupils.
Not for Caitlin McFarland.
She stood alone on the balcony that stood above the hustle and bustle of London. The sounds of the vehicles and flitters echoed up the many storeys, even the voices of people. Just by listening Caitlin could discern five different languages being spoken – Tholian, Ferengi, Vulcan, Terran and Romulan. It was an odd combination of languages, especially since she wasn't in America. Wait, was there some French? Yes, someone was speaking French! 'There's so much more culture in France than here. Jacques, please let's go. I want to get back to the hotel and sleep.'
Caitlin smiled. Jacques replied in French too, obviously disgruntled at his wife's impatience. It was clear that it was his wife – no other woman could sound condescending, loving and thoroughly annoyed at the same time, not even a mother.
There weren't just sounds, but smells as well. It had rained the night before and their air was filled with moisture. She could smell sweet honey, strong coffee and the rose bushes from the balcony below her. It overloaded her senses, yet she couldn't prevent it. Her auditory and olfactory systems always worked overdrive.
Born in London, 2233, Caitlin had been blind since birth. Her father had died from cancer when she was just a baby and she had been raised by her mother. Then, when she was fifteen, her mother had died in a car crash and Caitlin had been by herself ever since, living on a Starfleet pension. It was difficult growing up blind, especially since most career paths required sight, and Caitlin hadn't seen much hope for her future. At least, until she realised that she had a gift with languages and voice recognition.
It was intuitive. If she heard a word from a language she remembered it. She could speak over twenty-five languages fluently, fifteen of those languages being of Terran vernacular, and she was only twenty-two years of age. That skill had opened a door for her at Starfleet. She had gone through the entire six weeks of the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Exam and finally submitted her entrance exam. It had been hard for her, as all the written parts had to be done especially for her in the blind language. The only problems were the sight tests and physical exams. She had hoped that her xenolinguistics abilities were enough to get her accepted.
And they were. Yesterday she'd received a call telling her that she had been accepted into Starfleet Academy. It wasn't the least bit overwhelming and she was looking forward to a challenge. Besides, London held the memories of her mother and father and she was ready to move on.
Now she could go to San Francisco and start the next chapter of her life. She would be halfway around the world in an unfamiliar place, with the scholarship she needed and her pension to pay her way through. It was the best opportunity and she was not passing it over.
With a laugh she retreated back inside and began her usual morning routine of speaking to the synthesiser, eating her breakfast while listening to the news, and getting dressed for the day. Before leaving she slid on a pair of black-lensed glasses and grabbed her cane. Her eyes unnerved some people.
o.O.o
Caitlin had her hand to the wall as she walked up the corridor, following the spoken directions of the woman who had handed over her map and timetable. She had no need for a map.
"Turn left," she muttered, running her hand around the corner and readjusting her hold on her bag. "It should be the seventh door on the right." She crossed to the other side of the corridor and touched each door as she passed, counting them and drawing the symbols with her finger. Her mother had taught her what each symbol looked like by making Caitlin's hand draw them. So she simply matched the symbols she'd been taught with the numbers on the doors, all the way up to 7.
Now it was time for the keypad. She knew that the numbers were three-by-three in chronological order. 6, 2, 9, 5 was her code and she entered the numbers carefully, matching each position with the keypad style she'd been taught. The door chimed as it slid open and she stepped inside excitedly.
"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there?" No one replied, so there was obviously no one there. She felt her way along the wall and further into this unfamiliar room. It was totally different to her apartment in London. There, she knew exactly where everything was and this place was alien to her. But it would soon become as familiar as her old apartment. Several steps in, she laughed as she almost tripped over a bed and put down her bag, opening it and feeling her way through all the items and organising them. It took several minutes to locate a wardrobe and put her new Academy uniforms inside. Really all she'd brought were clothes, her customised PADD from home, black-lensed glasses, walking cane and her wallet which had her identification, credit card and proof of her condition.
With her meagre belongings put away, she grabbed her cane from her bedside table and pulled it to its full length, standing. Then she heard the door chime as it slid open.
"Hey y'all!" came a loud, boisterous voice. Footsteps approached and the scent of farm animals wafted into the room. "I'm Monique, an' I guess I'm yer roommate." There was a pause. "Are ya retarded or somethin'? Ya gotta shake tha hand."
"Oh." Caitlin reached in front of her and moved her hand around clumsily, seeking Monique's hand. The other woman snorted.
"Yer so stupid," Monique moaned. "Ya really are retarded, aren't ya?"
"Excuse me?" Caitlin asked in shock, abandoning her feeble hand-shaking attempt.
"Oh great, an' yer a pom too," the other woman grated. "So yer a pom an' yer blind."
"I am from England, and yes, I'm blind."
"See ya, I'm gonna get reassigned. I ain't bunkin' wit' some retard."
Caitlin shrugged. "You don't have to be so rude about it."
The door chimed again. "See ya loser." Her footsteps faded away and Caitlin sat back down on her bed. Obviously Monique wasn't worth it, so she didn't want her coming back.
More footsteps sounded and Caitlin pursed her lips. "Who is it?"
This voice was gentler. "Hey, I heard what happened. My name's Nyota Uhura and I live in the dorm room across the hall. Are you a first-year too?"
"Yes."
The bed dipped as Nyota sat down too, the sweet scent of jasmine and coconut filling the air. "What's your name?"
"I'm Caitlin McFarland."
"It's nice to meet you." A warm hand grasped hers and she jumped slightly. "Sorry!" The hand let go. "I've never actually met a blind person before. Have you been like that all your life?"
Caitlin nodded. "Yes, ever since birth." She smiled. "You smell amazing."
Nyota chuckled a little. "Thanks! I'm glad someone finally noticed."
"So where are you from?"
"I'm from Kitui, Kenya in Africa. So is my family. My mum's name is M'Umbha, my dad's Alhamisi; I've got a sister called Makena and a brother called Kamau. What about you?"
"Both my mum and dad are dead."
"I'm so sorry!"
"Really, its fine," Caitlin smiled. "I'm really interested about you. When were you born? What institution did you attend?"
"Born in 2233, attended the Nairobi Girls Academy when I was younger and did my senior schooling at the Institute for Advanced Mathematics." Nyota chuckled. "Now it's your turn."
"Born in 2233, attended East London Special Academy until I was fifteen and haven't attended an institution since."
"Your family…?"
"My dad's name was Josh and my mum's name was Willow. He died from cancer when I was a baby and she died in a car crash when I was fifteen. No other family."
Nyota gasped. "How do you manage? How did you even get here?"
"I live off a Federation disability pension and I got here through a scholarship. The Preparatory Program and Entrance Exam were absolutely brutal. What's your major?"
"My major is xenolinguistics with a minor in communications."
"Just xenolinguistics for me; it's the only thing I can actually do." The bed moved and Nyota took a few steps forward, paper crinkling in her hand. "What's that?"
"It's your timetable," Nyota replied. "You're doing almost the same classes as me! You've got Introduction to Phonology, Introduction to Linguistics, Sociolinguistic Survey, Intergalactic Literature, Independent Study and History of Starfleet. I'm doing the same, but I've got Classical Vulcan instead of Independent Study."
Caitlin smiled and tapped her cane along the floor. "Do you know where everything is?"
"Yes. I got here a week ago."
"Would it be possible for you to take me around the campus? I don't know my way."
"Sure!" Nyota stood and walked away, the door hissing open. "Come on."
Caitlin held her arm out hesitantly. "I need to put my hand on your shoulder…"
The jasmine scent became stronger and Nyota took Caitlin's hand, placing it on her shoulder. The blind girl stood and followed her new friend out the door and into the corridor.
"Right now we're in the right wing," Nyota told her. "The Cafeteria is at the far end of this wing, opposite the entrance. Just around this corner… we're now in the second half of the wing. Half of the girls have their rooms in this half, while the other half are in our part. And here's the entrance! It smells like snow. You know, since I grew up in Africa and it was always hot I'll never get used to all this snow. Now we're in the Cafeteria. What can you smell?"
"I can smell coffee, hot chocolate, an array of perfumes and colognes, warm soup, porridge and quite a few foreign scents." Caitlin sniffed again. "Your jasmine and coconut is very strong."
Nyota chuckled and paper crackled. "Now our first class is in Block-A. We start in two days, so would you like me to take you to class?"
"Really, I don't want to inconvenience-"
"Hey, I know you'll need help. Besides if you want to get around on your own you'll need to download a map of campus and put in voice commands."
Caitlin smiled. "If you know anyone majoring in computers then that would be great!" She sniffed hopefully. "I'm starving. What kind of food is there?"
She followed Nyota and wound around what she supposed to be tables. People chattered around her and sharp objects repeatedly stabbed into her legs. They had to be tables. "It looks like soup and porridge. Hey, there's bacon and eggs at the end. What do you want?"
"Just some soup and bread will be fine." She was shocked. No one had ever been this nice to her, not ever.
"Wait here. I won't be too long." Nyota's footsteps moved away and Caitlin waited patiently for her to return. Someone came up behind her.
"Hey, could you please grab a tray and move a long? The line's up there."
"Just go past me," she replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm waiting for someone."
"Okay." Whoever it was moved around her and cursed. "I'm so sorry!"
"Really, it's fine."
"No I'm sorry!"
"It's fine!" Nyota had returned. "She was just waiting for food." Nyota gently took her arm and steered her away. "Wow, it's like we have to put a big neon sign over your head that says 'blind'."
"Probably," Caitlin chuckled. Nyota took her hand and put it on the back of a chair. Once touching it was easy for Caitlin to sit down. Nyota sat beside her and put a tray in front of her and a bowl in front of Caitlin. The pair began to eat breakfast and the Cafeteria slowly began to fill up. Loud noise made Caitlin's head hurt and a minor headache had formed by the time she and Nyota left.
"You should have told me," Nyota scolded as she led Caitlin through the corridors.
"I didn't want to bother you. You were enjoying your food."
"That's true. I love food, especially wine and chocolate." She was silent for a moment. "You wanna come over to my room sometime after term starts? We can have chocolate and wine?"
Caitlin grinned. "I'd love to!" She had to admit, having a friend was awesome.
o.O.o
On the first day of classes Caitlin was given her specialised textbooks with blind writing inside. Nyota walked her to and sat next to her in every class, which was incredibly good of her. According to Nyota, most of the cadets they passed stared, but that was something Caitlin was used to. She just shrugged it aside.
"They'll get used to it," she chuckled. "If I wanted to make them really uncomfortable then I would take the glasses off."
Nyota's roommate turned out to be an Orion who was a computer genius. Caitlin didn't know what an Orion was, as Nyota simply said that they were like humans but with green skin. She didn't know what green was.
Her name was Gaila and she was as sweet as Nyota, albeit far more focused on men then her studies. Caitlin welcomed Nyota and Gaila over in the afternoons to study, and during that time Gaila customised her PADD to contain a voice-activated map of campus so Caitlin wouldn't get lost ever again. Gaila did the same thing on Caitlin's door so that only the voices of the three of them would allow it to open. It made getting into her room a whole lot easier.
One week into the term Caitlin was sitting in the library with headphones on, listening to Klingon proverbs and murmuring the translations. She sat with her back straight and her walking cane rested in between her legs, black-lensed glasses on to lessen the awkwardness that some other people felt around her.
"BortaS bIr jablu'DI' reH QaQqu' nay'…"
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."
"QaStaHvIS wa' rams loS SaD Hugh SIjlaH qetbogh loD…"
"Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man."
"Wo' Qap veS Qaw' pagh yay, ghaH WO' pol may' qabna'Daj pagh jey…"
"Destroying an Empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an Empire is no defeat."
"HoS wej nej vay'vaD; jop 'oH ghaH chaH…"
"Great men do not seek power; it is thrust upon them."
"YIlo' ra'aI' HoHbe' che' 'ab 'ach pong decisions ghaH…"
"A leader is judged not by the length of his reign but by the decisions he makes."
The translation finished and she ran her hands down the side of her head, tugging the headphones off. Klingon was one of the ten non-Terran languages she could speak, the others being Andorian, Axanar, Ferengi, Risian, all three dialects of Romulan, Tholian and Vulcan. It was the most difficult to pronounce and if she didn't practice then it took a few tries to get the deep guttural sounds right. She hacked at the back of her throat to clear it, repeating the action until she felt the sound was perfect. For a moment the noise around her lulled but then started up again. Jasmine and coconut wafted over to her as the chair beside her was pulled out and Nyota sat heavily.
"You are fantastic at Klingon," the other woman said appreciatively. "I've been trying to get those sounds right for years!"
"Well, you've just got to use deep guttural tones and hack at the back of your throat. It helps to open your mouth more to get the ack sounds right, and make sure to roll your r."
"I know that. I just can't seem to ever get the correct pronunciation. Vulcan is the only language harder than this."
Smiling, Caitlin let off a string of flawless Vulcan, berating Nyota for her pessimism. Nyota let out a sigh.
"You're right. If I want to become a Communications Officer then I can't put myself down."
"If you want I can tutor you in languages that you need to brush up on. There's no point in learning languages so you'll forget them."
"How do you actually remember all the languages? I have to constantly study all the languages I know so that I remember them."
"Oh, I just talk to myself in an array of languages. I've even created my own hybrid language made up of all the ones I know. No one knows what I'm talking about, so I can say whatever I want."
"That is cool. So I should just talk to myself rather than study from books?"
"You can listen to recordings too. I find that helpful."
"I never thought of that… Great idea though!"
"That's great," Caitlin grinned. She straightened from where she had been hunched over while whispering with Nyota and felt around her table for her PADD. "I'll be off to dinner."
"Okay. I'll be down in a minute."
Caitlin grabbed her PADD and Nyota helped her gather her things. Then she left the library, her cane tapping along the ground, "PADD, trace route from Library to Cafeteria."
"Affirmative: continue forward. Turn left. Continue forward. Turn right. Turn right. Location reached."
"PADD, deactivate."
She tucked it under her arm and entered the Cafeteria, moving left to join the line. She grabbed a tray and moved forward slowly, sniffing. There was some kind of meat so she added that to her tray. Her nose detected apple pie and she took some of that too before walking forward ten steps and turning right. It was a table set aside specially for her since she was unable to navigate through the other tables on her own. She sat and ate quickly, her mind wandering to anything and everything. Really, she wasn't mentally there as she ate.
Once finished she noted that Nyota hadn't come to dinner yet. She was probably still in the library caught up with work. Caitlin took hold of her cane and felt around the table for her PADD. She frowned. It wasn't there.
"PADD, identify location," she ordered.
"Location identified."
It sounded clearly from several tables away. Caitlin abandoned her tray and stepped forward carefully, tapping the cane everywhere in front of her in an attempt to navigate through the Cafeteria to reach her PADD.
"PADD, identify location," she called again.
"Location identified."
It was even further away! The people around her were laughing and she realised that someone was making a joke of her. So she stood still and smiled, holding her hand out in front of her. The joke wouldn't be funny after a time and she had patience. One thing she didn't have was anger, and she just couldn't find it within her to get angry at them, so patience was her best option.
Farm animals hit her nose and Monique's voice could be heard, goading Caitlin to search for her PADD. She stayed where she was, ignoring the voices. A new voice entered the mix, louder than the rest, anger filling every syllable.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Nyota screamed. The shouting died down somewhat and Caitlin could hear Nyota marching over. "What is wrong with you people? Give the woman her PADD and be done with it!" A few moments passed and it was pressed into her hand. "You should be ashamed of yourselves! If I hear that anything like this happens again, I will hunt down the person responsible and that won't be pretty." Nyota grabbed Caitlin's arm and dragged her from the Cafeteria, letting out a string of curses in her native language.
They didn't speak as they hurried along, Caitlin having no idea where they were going until Nyota typed in a door code and it hissed shut behind them.
"Nyota, what's the matter?" Gaila cried in confusion from somewhere in the room.
"Basically the whole cohort was making fun of Caitlin because she's blind!" Nyota snapped. She let go of Caitlin and stormed away. "How could you just stand there? They were making fun of you!"
Caitlin smiled and tapped her cane along the floor. "Nam-tor RI thrap wilat nem-tor rim: There is no offense where none is taken."
"One of Surak's teachings," Nyota breathed. "I didn't even think of that."
"Nyota, I don't think you quite understand me. I don't get angry, ever. I am physically incapable of becoming angry."
Gaila clapped. "So that's why you're always so serene and smiling!"
"Yes. I've been blind long enough to know that taking offence at people who don't understand my condition is pointless. There's no point in getting angry at anything, so I don't."
"That's so weird," Nyota commented. She opened a door from somewhere and the tinkle of glasses sounded. "Well, let's have some wine and chocolate and celebrate being happy!"
"It's not so much happy, just… peaceful."
"Let's celebrate peacefulness!" Gaila exclaimed, moving around the room. Caitlin heard a crunching as Gaila sat on her beanbag chair and used that constant rustling as a guide to where she was sitting. Then she too sat and waited for wine and chocolate.
Nyota eventually handed out the wine and chocolate and sat down too. "I know you don't take offence at anything, but we do need to do something to stop them from making fun of you. I don't like it when my friends get teased."
"It's no worry. I'll just speak to them in my hybrid language and completely confuse them."
"What's your hybrid language?" Gaila asked. Nyota quickly explained and Caitlin sat back comfortably, taking off her black-lensed glasses. She felt comfortable around them, which was something she'd never experienced. They were the best friends she'd ever had.
Going to Starfleet was looking to be a real wise decision on her part.
o.O.o
"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian System I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar 1 immediately. You're dismissed."
The whole room erupted into chaos as third- and fourth-year cadets stood and fled the assembly hall. Caitlin stood, baffled by what had happened. One minute she was listening to a trial between a Cadet Kirk and Professor Spock – who happened to be Nyota's crush – and the next they were on some kind of mission. She stood and made to leave her seat, by Nyota's strong hand stopped her.
"Caitlin, you can't go."
"Why can't I? I'm a Starfleet cadet and I have a duty to go."
"I know, but I don't want you to go. It'll be dangerous."
"Starfleet is dangerous. What's the point in being a cadet if I can't go onto a Starship and do things that other cadets can do? I'm going."
"Caitlin!" Nyota grabbed both her arms. "I say this because I love you. I don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."
"What if something happens to you?"
"It won't. I'll be assigned to the Enterprise and Spock will be there too. He'll keep me and Gaila alive."
Caitlin grimaced and pulled her best friend into a tight hug. "Make sure you come back. Dakh pthak; Nam-tor RI ret na'fan-kitok fa tu dakh pthak."
"Cast out fear," Nyota translated quietly, "there is no room for anything else until you cast out fear."
"I'll be worried for you." Caitlin pulled back and let go. "Good luck."
And with that, Nyota was gone.
o.O.o
Caitlin spent a whole tense week waiting to hear from Nyota or Gaila. She sat in her room for the whole time, glad that it was holidays and there were no classes. To pass the time she walked around the Academy grounds. First- and second-years were still there and they were nervous too.
Then one ship arrived back, the Enterprise. The other six ships had been destroyed by Romulans and all on board had been killed.
A day after its return, Nyota came to Caitlin's room crying. Caitlin was so happy that her friend had lived, but she carried more distressing news.
"Gaila, she was on the Farragut," Nyota sobbed. "She was killed!"
They began to cry together, curled up in mourning for their friend. Nyota went to her room and brought back wine and chocolate. They chinked their glasses together and drank wine and ate chocolate until they felt sick. It was their way of remembering Gaila and her sheer delight in the world around her.
"I'm glad you didn't come," Nyota said sometime later. "You would have died too. You were assigned to another ship."
Caitlin hugged her tightly, woozy from the wine. "I'm so happy you came back."
Nyota had had her heart broken twice on that mission. The first was when Gaila died, and the second was when she discovered that Spock loved someone else. It tore the women to pieces and they began to cry harder, holding each other during the long nights.
For days they mourned the loss of Gaila and everyone else they knew. When they finished mourning, Nyota was due for graduation and deployment on the Enterprise under Captain Kirk. All the other cadets aboard that ship would graduate early.
Caitlin had to stay at the Academy. She was the only third-year. A special tutor was brought in to spend the day with her, teaching her six courses. It was lonely without Nyota. At the end of her third year, the Academy Board treated her as a special case and allowed her to graduate a year early with the full benefits of someone who had completed the whole four years. It was a quiet ceremony with just her, Admiral Barnett and her special tutor.
Even after she graduated she stayed on Earth working at the Starfleet Language Centre. She received top recommendations from her superiors but no Starship would hire her because of her disability. She accepted it quietly and kept on doing her job.
Whenever Nyota was on Earth she always came to see Caitlin and catch up. The meetings were often quiet – Nyota had become bitter since learning that Spock loved another and had not confided in anyone. So Caitlin constantly encouraged her to open up and share her feelings. Nyota sometimes reluctantly complied. It made Caitlin desperate, as she didn't want to lose her only friend.
But then the Enterprise was taken in for repairs and Nyota received word that Captain Kirk was looking for new people to replace the crew he lost while fighting a villain named Khan.
Caitlin was in her office, conversing with a client when Nyota barged in. She quickly transferred the line and nodded. "Yes?"
"Kirk is looking for new people to serve on board the Enterprise!" Nyota said in a rush. "You have to apply! Hell, I'll even force him to accept you."
The old spark had returned and Caitlin was determined to nurture it. "Okay. How do I apply?"
"Just give me your details and I'll take them to him. He's different to the other Captains."
"So you've said."
"I know, but I'm certain that he'll accept you."
Only a day later Nyota came with the news that Kirk had accepted her. This was it. She was going to space on a Starship! That was something that everyone told her wouldn't be possible but she had shown them. She felt no melancholy anymore and no regret. Her past scruples had been worth it – she had suffered and now she was ready to reap the rewards of that suffering.
The Enterprise was recommissioned in late 2260. When it went into Warp Caitlin sat in the xenolinguistics lab, a huge smile on her face. She was Starfleet's first blind cadet, and she was now Ensign McFarland of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
All thanks to her best friend, Nyota Uhura.