Spock landed the shuttle in a
small clearing and shut down the engines. Saavik scrambled out of her
seat and started for the door. She knew Spock watched her, but she
didn't care. Her fingers had almost touched the controls when Spock
asked, "Where are you going?" She sighed and dropped her hand.
"Nowhere," she muttered sullenly. Spock looked at her, and she returned to her seat. Scowling, she took the padd he offered her and began to read.
Several hours later, Saavik threw the padd onto the console in front of her, kicked off her shoes and socks, put her feet up on the console, and slumped in her chair, scowl firmly planted on her face. She was bored. More than that, she was trapped. It had been several weeks since she had last roamed on a planet's surface, and she was feeling caged.
None of this had been her idea in the first place. Spock had suggested she take a break from her formal schooling and visit him for a month. He had arranged a two-month break for her: a week's travel to meet him, another week's travel to a planet he'd chosen, a month on the planet, a week spent traveling to meet the Enterprise, and another week to get back to the school. Everything had gone wrong from the start. Her first transport had been delayed at a resupply stop, and she'd been forced to spend three days on Deep Space 12 before continuing her journey. The route Spock had chosen brought their shuttle through half a dozen ion storms, knocking out their navigational computers and somehow deleting all the star charts while leaving the rest of the database intact. They had been flying manually for nearly a week, looking for something only Spock knew how to find. Saavik was tired of being in space, of being indoors, of not being outside. And now that they had finally landed on a planet, he wasn't allowing her to so much as open the door! Instead, she had to study. Study! As if her studying would get them anywhere faster. She wanted to be outside, scouting around, exploring, not sitting here in this cramped, stuffy shuttle doing homework!
Having gotten no response from her mentor at her defiant, sulky posture, Saavik stood and began to pace the confines of the four-man shuttlecraft. More spacious than its predecessors, it was still tiny compared to a starship – or a planet. She prowled the cabin unpredictably, opening every storage space, going through everything. Spock continued to ignore her for nearly an hour, until her restlessness began to grate on his nerves.
"Saavik, please be still. You are distracting me." She ignored him and continued pacing, out of spite rather than a desire to continue. "Saavik. Why will you not be still?"
"I need to stretch."
"Fine. Please do not move quite so much as you do so." Saavik growled and continued her endless pacing.
Saavik crouched in the shadows, watching the hunters as they carried their small game into the village. She had been observing the villagers for two days now, and while they seemed primitive - hunting and farming for food, using simple tools, with no obvious technology more advanced than absolutely necessary – they were clearly more sophisticated: their clothes were stain- and tear-resistant, they made use of radio communications, they had electric lighting, and their tools were made of high-quality plastics and metal alloys.
Saavik froze, her senses on high alert, as a footstep rustled the leaves behind her. The hunter seemed to sense her, but was apparently unable to locate her, as he moved on. She waited several minutes more, then crept back toward the shuttle.
Spock didn't even glance up as Saavik entered the shuttle, the door closing quietly behind her. She settled in her seat and picked up her padd and stylus, her mind already back on her studies. Spock had finally allowed her to wander outside, as long as she returned within an hour. After dark, however, he refused to let her outside. He insisted she sleep, but she could not. There was too much to see, to do, to explore. There was no time for sleep. And with sleep came the nightmares. She hated the nightmares, so she did not sleep until her body forced her to, and even then sometimes she did not sleep.
Saavik squirmed in her seat. Something was wrong. What, she could not be sure. Spock seemed oblivious, his eyes closed in meditation or sleep. She waited, holding her breath, then determined Spock was asleep. Rising from her chair, she crept stealthily toward the door panel. Just as she reached the controls, Spock cautioned, "Do not open the door, Saavik." She cursed silently. How did he do that? No matter how sneaky she was, no matter what she did, he always knew when she was about to disobey him. She would have to work on that.
"Why not?" she whispered.
"Because I said so." Saavik cursed him again. He was being deliberately difficult! He knew perfectly well such an answer would only cause her to open the door. Her finger hovered above the switch. "There is something out there, Saavik. Do not open the door." He was asking for it, he really was. She pressed the button and the door slid open.
A startled hunter spun, leveling his hi-tech spear at her. Saavik launched herself at him, leaping over the spear and knocking him to the ground. He called out as she pinned him to the forest floor, one hand around his throat, poised to kill. Spock stood just outside the shuttle, phaser held loosely in his hand. The phaser fell to the ground as half a dozen spears were leveled at the occupants of the clearing. A guttural voice ground out a few syllables. Saavik stood and offered her hand to the hunter. He took it and stood. He spoke, a long string of syllables. The universal translator digested this for a long moment, then said, "You welcome are, warrior noble. I Hachsem am. You to village ours come. You there welcome are."
Saavik blinked, then shook her head. She opened her mouth to refuse, but Spock spoke first. "We are honored, Hachsem." He bent down, picked up his phaser, and slipped it inside his robes. As he passed Saavik, he grabbed her arm and hissed, "Just act like you belong, Saavikam. And next time, do as I say!" They walked in silence to the village.
"Nowhere," she muttered sullenly. Spock looked at her, and she returned to her seat. Scowling, she took the padd he offered her and began to read.
Several hours later, Saavik threw the padd onto the console in front of her, kicked off her shoes and socks, put her feet up on the console, and slumped in her chair, scowl firmly planted on her face. She was bored. More than that, she was trapped. It had been several weeks since she had last roamed on a planet's surface, and she was feeling caged.
None of this had been her idea in the first place. Spock had suggested she take a break from her formal schooling and visit him for a month. He had arranged a two-month break for her: a week's travel to meet him, another week's travel to a planet he'd chosen, a month on the planet, a week spent traveling to meet the Enterprise, and another week to get back to the school. Everything had gone wrong from the start. Her first transport had been delayed at a resupply stop, and she'd been forced to spend three days on Deep Space 12 before continuing her journey. The route Spock had chosen brought their shuttle through half a dozen ion storms, knocking out their navigational computers and somehow deleting all the star charts while leaving the rest of the database intact. They had been flying manually for nearly a week, looking for something only Spock knew how to find. Saavik was tired of being in space, of being indoors, of not being outside. And now that they had finally landed on a planet, he wasn't allowing her to so much as open the door! Instead, she had to study. Study! As if her studying would get them anywhere faster. She wanted to be outside, scouting around, exploring, not sitting here in this cramped, stuffy shuttle doing homework!
Having gotten no response from her mentor at her defiant, sulky posture, Saavik stood and began to pace the confines of the four-man shuttlecraft. More spacious than its predecessors, it was still tiny compared to a starship – or a planet. She prowled the cabin unpredictably, opening every storage space, going through everything. Spock continued to ignore her for nearly an hour, until her restlessness began to grate on his nerves.
"Saavik, please be still. You are distracting me." She ignored him and continued pacing, out of spite rather than a desire to continue. "Saavik. Why will you not be still?"
"I need to stretch."
"Fine. Please do not move quite so much as you do so." Saavik growled and continued her endless pacing.
Saavik crouched in the shadows, watching the hunters as they carried their small game into the village. She had been observing the villagers for two days now, and while they seemed primitive - hunting and farming for food, using simple tools, with no obvious technology more advanced than absolutely necessary – they were clearly more sophisticated: their clothes were stain- and tear-resistant, they made use of radio communications, they had electric lighting, and their tools were made of high-quality plastics and metal alloys.
Saavik froze, her senses on high alert, as a footstep rustled the leaves behind her. The hunter seemed to sense her, but was apparently unable to locate her, as he moved on. She waited several minutes more, then crept back toward the shuttle.
Spock didn't even glance up as Saavik entered the shuttle, the door closing quietly behind her. She settled in her seat and picked up her padd and stylus, her mind already back on her studies. Spock had finally allowed her to wander outside, as long as she returned within an hour. After dark, however, he refused to let her outside. He insisted she sleep, but she could not. There was too much to see, to do, to explore. There was no time for sleep. And with sleep came the nightmares. She hated the nightmares, so she did not sleep until her body forced her to, and even then sometimes she did not sleep.
Saavik squirmed in her seat. Something was wrong. What, she could not be sure. Spock seemed oblivious, his eyes closed in meditation or sleep. She waited, holding her breath, then determined Spock was asleep. Rising from her chair, she crept stealthily toward the door panel. Just as she reached the controls, Spock cautioned, "Do not open the door, Saavik." She cursed silently. How did he do that? No matter how sneaky she was, no matter what she did, he always knew when she was about to disobey him. She would have to work on that.
"Why not?" she whispered.
"Because I said so." Saavik cursed him again. He was being deliberately difficult! He knew perfectly well such an answer would only cause her to open the door. Her finger hovered above the switch. "There is something out there, Saavik. Do not open the door." He was asking for it, he really was. She pressed the button and the door slid open.
A startled hunter spun, leveling his hi-tech spear at her. Saavik launched herself at him, leaping over the spear and knocking him to the ground. He called out as she pinned him to the forest floor, one hand around his throat, poised to kill. Spock stood just outside the shuttle, phaser held loosely in his hand. The phaser fell to the ground as half a dozen spears were leveled at the occupants of the clearing. A guttural voice ground out a few syllables. Saavik stood and offered her hand to the hunter. He took it and stood. He spoke, a long string of syllables. The universal translator digested this for a long moment, then said, "You welcome are, warrior noble. I Hachsem am. You to village ours come. You there welcome are."
Saavik blinked, then shook her head. She opened her mouth to refuse, but Spock spoke first. "We are honored, Hachsem." He bent down, picked up his phaser, and slipped it inside his robes. As he passed Saavik, he grabbed her arm and hissed, "Just act like you belong, Saavikam. And next time, do as I say!" They walked in silence to the village.