Walking The Other Way
He had stood in this place at least a dozen times before, the shuttle terminal in San Francisco. His father's diplomatic missions had often ended with a trip to the Vulcan Embassy on Terra. They would walk down the shuttle's ramp and step onto a path leading to an official Embassy vehicle. A home-cooked meal and a comfortable bed would always be waiting for him at his family's "second home".
Every time he had come to this place, he looked at the scenery. There was the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay, leading out into the Pacific Ocean. He was three years old the first time he saw it. Now at eighteen, it was just as impressive. So much water, so blue, so different from Vulcan's red deserts.
There was another pathway, leading to a large, white building with many steps. Starfleet Academy was a place of learning that promised adventure, freedom, and a chance to be judged on his own merits, not his heritage. If he worked hard, proved himself, it would take him to the stars.
It was still not too late. He recognized the driver from the Vulcan Embassy. No one would question the Ambassador's son needing a ride there. He could claim his hot meal and his comfortable bed, say he had made a mistake. Surely his father would forgive him and take him back.
No, he had come this far. He would not change his mind.
He picked up his bag, walked down the other path and up the steps.