Author's Note: I do not own these characters and I am making no money from this.
I recently started a book called A Love No Less: More than two centuries of African American Love Letters. The letters contained in it are so poignant and heart wrenching I was inspired to write this story. This is my first story not based on a prompt. I'm not sure how long it will be, so please bear with me. I'm expressing my sappy side. I hope you like it.
Spock knew that he had done the logical thing. Although New Vulcan was progressing it was in need of all of the best minds that it had left in order to rebuild. Spock's father, Sarek, had asked Spock to contribute to the new Vulcan Science Academy's curriculum and the teachings of Surak said that it was logical to offer one's talents when able to. Still, Spock thought of Nyota often. He had taken a leave from the Enterprise and committed to 8 standard months to assist in reestablishing the academy. Spock thought that he might not have considered Nyota so often if he could talk to her more frequently, but as it happened, Nyota and the rest of the Enterprise had warped into a new system that interfered with Starfleet's subspace communications devices. Spock could still feel Nyota in his head, but at best, the glimpses of her were fleeting and they were no substitute for Nyota's voice, laughter and touch.
Spock meditated more frequently than was thought necessary on New Vulcan; however, most people who were on New Vulcan meditated more often than what had been previously accepted. Losing one's homeworld and the lives on it required additional measures to maintain emotional control. When he was not meditating, Spock spent most of his time in meetings with the remaining members of the Vulcan council. The matters discussed were not restricted to the courses at the new academy as Spock had hoped; instead, the meetings discussed a number of topics that Spock was wholly disinterested in. Specifically, Spock had no interest in the council's nearing a mandate that would require all Vulcans to return to the new home world, to bond with an acceptable assigned Vulcan mate and reproduce. It was not simply that Spock found the idea to be illogical from a personal perspective but communally, he thought that the greater good would be served if Vulcans were able to select their own mates. Indeed, Spock and his father both cited the significant data that existed on a number of planets that indicated that increased bio-diversity enhanced most species making them more adaptable in a changing universe and had the added benefit of contributing certain evolutionary defenses. Sarek had to look no further than his own son, he argued, to show that Vulcan genes and those of another species would not only produce viable offspring, but offspring that would ultimately shape the future of Vulcan. After all, it was Spock who had the foresight to save the council when the Romulan ship Narada attacked and he was instrumental in the destruction of the ship.
The counter arguments were predictable. Although the remaining elders on the council had to concede that Spock was indeed responsible for their continued life they also pointed out that Spock had failed to act in a manner that would have saved the planet. They pointedly stated that if there had been a full blooded Vulcan aboard the Enterprise, the likelihood that Vulcan would have been destroyed would have been reduced by 63.671 percent. Sarek argued against this number, indicating that it was baseless and the council elders responded that Sarek's assertions were similarly baseless since Spock was his son and Sarek was obviously biased. The Council went on to state that it was they that were charged with preserving Vulcan culture and that continued interspecies mating would simply diminish Vulcan traditions. One elder frankly argued that Spock's refusal of admittance to the Vulcan Science Academy and his seeming fascination with a common human subordinate was evidence enough that Vulcan-alien hybrids were not the path that New Vulcan should take. Sarek was spending much of his time meditating as well. The openly insulting nature of the conversations with the council and their insinuations of Sarek's illogic tested his control.
In this environment, however, Sarek found certain comfort in Spock's presence and Spock in Sarek. Sarek knew that the council was operating based on fear of change and the unknown, and that Spock was an exceptional man. Sarek reasoned to Spock over an evening meal that it was illogical to cling to fallacies about change when one's planet had been destroyed. Such a tragedy required change. Most of the time, however, the two men ate together in silence. Sarek wished to inquire about Spock's friend Lieutenant Uhura, but after the insulting manner in which the council described her, Sarek thought it illogical to bring her up. There was no need to unduly stir any emotions in Spock. He had recently lost his mother and home world only to return to an ungrateful council. Mentioning Nyota Uhura would unnecessarily remind Spock of something that he wished to have, but could not.
Spock did, however, find the work of rebuilding the science academy's academics quite agreeable. The work was challenging and rigorous and Spock found the idea that he could influence the studies of the next generation of Vulcans rewarding. He never said so explicitly, but he intended to pare down the Vulcan dogma of superiority to all other species. He found that it was not helpful and that any Vulcan who believed this would be at a disadvantage should he or she ever leave New Vulcan. Spock had found that other species had their own strengths and could not be compared directly to Vulcan abilities. He also found that other species had their own ideas about being deemed inferior. Spock's new curriculum incorporated more information from off world and was more considerate of difference as an asset instead of a frailty. Spock thought that Nyota, is she knew what he had been doing, would have been proud of him. It would have been more than acceptable if he could contact her and tell her about the meetings with the council and his work with the new professors of the Academy.
It wasn't until four months had elapsed without a word to or from Nyota that the Federation diplomatic vessel landed. Sarek informed Spock that the federation had been regularly assisting New Vulcan in acquiring building materials and funding for construction. Spock met with the vessel's communications officer, a man named Ernesto Gutierrez, and bluntly inquired about the Enterprise. Ernesto told Spock that as far as he understood, the Enterprise was fine. The ship sent a regular shuttle craft to the edge of the system to communicate with Starfleet on crucial matters, the status of their mission and to order supplies. Ernesto informed Spock that the shuttle left the Enterprise and took 24 standard hours to emerge at the edge of the system and 24 standard hours to return, so the shuttle was only sent every eight weeks or so, staying at the edge of the system for two to three weeks until any pressing matters were resolved. When Spock asked Ernesto how he was aware of such detail the Lieutenant explained that the diplomatic vessels, like the one that he served on, were the ones in charge of meeting the small shuttle craft on the edge of the new system. The diplomatic vessels responded to the Enterprise, or any exploratory vessels, and took information or action, depending on what was required in relation to the lifeforms in the system. Ernesto told Spock that after they left Vulcan, they would be restocking supplies on Earth and heading to meet the Enterprise's shuttle in approximately 10 weeks.
Spock began to pace in the small structure that was his father's temporary home. He had left his father conversing with the council again. He would have stayed, as it seemed that the council needed more logical arguments to rebut their fearful clinging to the past, but Spock found that he could not quiet his mind. He wanted to get word to Nyota but was unsure how to do so discretely. He certainly did not want anyone upon the diplomatic vessel to read anything that he said to Nyota in confidence. Nyota was not well practiced in the art of mental communication and, although she tried, she was never able to communicate any details to him. He occasionally felt her sense of longing for his presence, or her sadness but that was unsatisfactory. No, Spock needed a quiet way to communicate with Nyota, something secure and not cumbersome. It was not until Spock was reviewing a history PADD that he wished to base a syllabus upon, that the answer occurred to Spock. It was so logical it should have been obvious. Spock would write Nyota a letter. The letter was small and portable, it would be secure if he could find the right vessel for it and Nyota would be able to keep it with her and read it at any time. Spock found this to be a more than adequate solution. Spock began to pace again. What would he say in his letter? Spock went to meditate. He had much to ponder.