I'm sorry it took so long to update.
Chapter Three
The following morning dawned, and with it Starfleet Lieutenant Ari Tresina rose. She ate the Gairana fruit that she had packed for this very purpose before leaving her quarters. Outside of the dorm, many members of Starfleet, mostly human Cadets, walked about. Most were heading to their first class, just like Ari.
A quarter of an hour later, Ari walked into a classroom. Sitting at the desk at the front of the room was that same Commander Spock she had met the previous night. "Good morning, Commander," Ari called in Vulcan.
"Hello, Lieutenant. I believe you were sent the lesson plan for the coming week. As you can see, today is an overview of the course," Spock said, turning to face her.
She nodded, showing her understanding. Then, she looked up and asked, "What, precisely, could you use my assistance with in this course?"
"You may assist me in the answering of questions, the grading of assignments, and other such tasks," Commander Spock said.
Ari nodded, concealing her disappointment. She had hoped that she would be able to teach if even a little. Instead, she was stuck with these simple tasks that even a student could do easily.
"And of course, you may teach some of the lessons a little later in the semester," he finished.
Ari's head snapped up, and her eyes focused straight on him for a second. She mentally reached out for any emotions. He had sensed her disappointment and had felt...put out? It was hard to tell, for Vulcans buried their emotions deep within themselves. She could not help but smile at this. It was a comfort to know that Vulcans did, in fact, have emotions.
Suddenly, she realized what she was doing and looked down again at the data pad she had brought with her. Quickly, she skimmed through the list of main topics they would be studying. She had no reason to worry about this class because she already knew everything they would be covering. After all, she spoke Vulcan fluently.
By the time she had finished this task, students were arriving, filling up the seats quickly in the lecture hall. Seeing this, Ari quickly took a seat behind the desk, carefully crossing her legs and arranging her skirt.
A minute later, Spock stepped forward and said loudly so all of the students could hear, "Hello, Cadets, and welcome to Vulcan 1. I am Commander Spock, and this is Lieutenant Tresina." She nodded in acknowledgement.
From there, Spock proceeded to explain what was expected of the students and the main topics of study for the class. Ari listened intently for the whole of the time, analysing his speech and making notes on it. She would need this for when she was a teacher until the Enterprise was ready. According to the reports, she would teach for at least a semester before the ship was fully operational and space ready.
Ari sat quietly while Spock finished the introduction. He was so precise in his timing that just as he finished, the class was over. The students hurried out while Aila moved more languidly, taking her time as she strolled out. As she passed Spock, she said to him, "I'll see you at the other class."
This precious time between classes, Ari spent sitting outside in the sun reading over more carefully the course guidelines of both courses with which she was to help. Quite honestly, they were far from challenging. She would have little trouble helping and answering questions.
After an hour, Ari left her sun-drenched spot in the grass for the physical education building of Starfleet, ready to give the students of the next class a lesson in agility.