The following week had gone decently, though he found a few of the students were trailing behind, and he had noticed a rather large increase in students coming to his office at the end of the day, some lasting longer than others. When the class bell rang at the end of his Advanced Phonology II class at the end of the day, he placed his PADD down on the desk, dismissed everyone, but remained at his desk.
"Cadet Uhura, if you'll join me please." He said, causing a few of the girls near Uhura to start giggling and whispering.
Nyota ignored them, though lately even Gaila had evidently heard the comments that had been circulating around. It was irritating, but the classroom was no place to dignify that kind of immature chatter with a response. She nodded, gathering up her things as she went over to Mr. Spock's desk. "Yes, sir?" she inquired.
Once the class was emptied, Spock finally addressed her. "I have been recently looking into getting an assistant for my Phonology classes. I have a few candidates, though I must admit, despite your age, your work exceeds expectations." He said looking up at her. "I've chosen you to be my new assistant, if you'll accept the offer."
That had to be the closest thing to a compliment that she had ever witnessed Lieutenant Spock give. Though, given that he was almost as young as she was, the comment about her age seemed ironically amusing. Still, it was exactly the kind of experience that she wanted. "When do I start?" she asked.
"You'll start tomorrow during my regular office hours. I'm looking for someone to assist me with the students struggling to keep up. As well as possibly your assistance during a personal project of mine." Spock said. From any other instructor that may have come across as suspicious, but from Spock, it was just that. A personal project.
"I've seen the line outside your office door," Nyota said, mildly amused. This might have less to do with her accomplishments and more to do with Spock being swarmed with complaining students. "But what's this personal project?" She doubted there was any double entendre there. She couldn't imagine Lieutenant Spock illogically endangering his career. More likely, Spock was working on something potentially prestigious that, if she got to help, would gain her even more unexpected work experience.
"I will make arrangements for you to join me Friday night. If you are available that is. It will be outside my regular office hours."
Ordinarily, that arrangement might set off a few alarm bells, and Nyota supposed she should still be cautious. But Lieutenant Spock was a walking personification of professionalism. "I'm free Friday evening," she confirmed. Her only classes on Fridays were early in the day, and she'd had nothing social planned this Friday either.
"Good. I shall meet you by the front gate of sector C." He said. "I would advise wearing a pair of jeans, or some form of pants, instead of your regulation uniform."
Nyota looked mildly skeptical at that, but nodded. "I'll dress accordingly." She couldn't help being curious about what exactly Lieutenant Spock was working on. "Thank you for this opportunity, sir."
Spock simply nodded before turning back to his PADD to mark the assignments he got in today.
That Friday evening, not long before their agreed meeting time, Nyota was waiting at the front gate by sector C, wearing close-fitting jeans, black boots, and a long-sleeved black top, her hair back in a sleek back ponytail.
Right on the nose of their designated time, Spock pulled up in front of her on a hoverbike, wearing a Vulcan style black jacket with a high collar, and tight fitting black pants and boots. "Cadet." He said once the bike stopped in front of her.
"Commander," Nyota returned the greeting with a nod. She'd never seen him out of uniform before. The neat but slightly more casual look seemed to suit him. "Nice bike," she said, looking over it curiously. "Was this made on Vulcan?"
"It was, yes. My mother brought it for me when she came to Earth over the summer." Spock said wondering why he'd divulged that much information. Perhaps a growing habit from the week she'd spent as his assistant.
Nyota looked up from examining the hover bike. This was the first time she'd ever heard Lieutenant Spock mention his family. If his mother had come all that way to see him, it sounded as if they were close. "That's pretty far from home to visit. What did she think of Earth?"
"She has been here before." Spock said vaguely. "We must go, we don't want to be late."
"Of course," Nyota said, as Lieutenant Spock drew back into professional distance. She had enjoyed working with him over the past week; he was straight to the point and didn't waste time. But Lieutenant Spock was still something of a mystery to her. She often felt as if something about him lay just beyond her understanding. "Do you want me to get on the bike?" she checked for clarification. To anyone else, it might look unprofessional, but Lieutenant Spock probably just saw it as the most efficient and logical way to get them both from point A to point B.
"I see no other option, unless you were planning on walking. Though it would be a bit of a hike." Spock said. Coming from anyone else it may have been seen as a joke but from Spock it was just a statement of fact.
"True," Nyota said with dry amusement. She climbed onto the bike behind him, glad he had advised her beforehand to wear pants. Her heart quickened with an involuntary rush of nervousness at the unprecedented physical closeness between them. But there was no reason for it, she reminded herself. It was just transportation, nothing more.
The ride was smooth, and took nearly half an hour to reach their destination, pulling up in front of a very large building with large windows at its front entry. Spock waited until Cadet Uhura got off the bike before dismounting it himself. He stretched his legs briefly before heading towards the building.
Nyota followed him in, looking up at the building curiously. She still didn't know anything about this mysterious project of his. She quickly realized that building was a museum … a Vulcan museum, to be precise. Her interest grew. She knew that there was far more to comprehending a culture than just understanding the language, and aside from Lieutenant Spock, she'd had no direct interaction with Vulcan culture at all. "Why haven't I heard of this place?" she asked. It was only half an hour from base, and would have made a great resource. "Are we going to be working on one of the exhibits?"
"In a way." Spock said as they entered the building. As soon as they'd entered another Vulcan, much more severe looking than Spock, approached them. Both men held up their hands in the traditional salute.
"Lieutenant Spock." The man said in Vulcan, lowering his hand, as did Spock.
"Sodek." Spock said. "This is Cadet Uhura, she'll be assisting you for the evening." Both men spoke in High Vuhlkansu. The Vulcan looked at Uhura before turning back to Spock.
"I was under the assumption you would be assisting me in translating the manuscripts." He said. "I wasn't aware it would be a human."
"I have other business to attend to … Cadet Uhura will be more than capable in assisting you." Spock explained.
"In a language as advanced as this … and with a human so young, it would be illogical to assign her to a task she cannot accomplish, unless you are attempting to set her up to fail."
"That is not my intention … Cadet Uhura is more than capable." Spock said, easily seeing the insult in Sodek's words despite his outward calm.
"She cannot even understand what we are saying … She's looking at us peculiarly … Perhaps for her sake-"
"Thank you for your concern," Nyota said in smooth High Vuhlkansu, her tone respectful and straightforward as she made direct eye contact with Sodek. "But I have had no difficulty understanding this conversation thus far. If you would deem it more logical, perhaps Lieutenant Spock would be willing to look over my work from this evening and determine whether it is satisfactory."
Sodek tilted his head, almost as if it were somewhere between curiosity and the Vulcan equivalent of surprise. He glanced at Spock. "Very well, Khaf Brel." Sodek said in English, the last words he said lost on Uhura.
She made a mental note of the unfamiliar phrase, resolving to look it up later or, barring that, ask Lieutenant Spock. She relaxed slightly, glad of the opportunity to prove herself. She didn't want to miss out on this opportunity, nor did she want to reflect badly upon her instructor in front of another Vulcan. "Thank you," she said, appreciating that Sodek was taking something of a risk by allowing her to assist him.
"I will leave you to it then." Spock said before heading towards a set of stairs. The Vulcan regarded her for a moment before he started walking towards another room.
"Follow me." He said simply.
Nyota did as she was told, looking around curiously as she followed Sodek into the next room. He seemed even harder to read than Lieutenant Spock was, and even though he had agreed to this, she still couldn't be sure if he resented her being here.
"We received these three manuscripts this morning, imported from Vulcan. They were found in the Osana Caverns, accidentally as it were." He said leading her to a display case where the three manuscripts were held protectively. "I've translated it into Klingon, Romulan and Andorian, and parts of it in English but I don't have a strong enough grasp of the English language to translate the entire thing. This is why I had requested Spock's assistance, since he is fluent in the language."
"Fortunately, I too am fluent in English," Nyota said dryly, though she doubted Sodek would pick up on the humor. English was so prevalent on Earth that outsiders often didn't realize just how many languages Earth had. "How soon would you like the complete translation?"
"Preferably, as soon as possible." He said, unsure if Spock or herself would find the time to come again. "Please go directly off of the original, since going off of something already translated could entirely change its context." He said as if he were explaining it to a child. Or at least the Vulcan equivalent of an adult talking to a child. "You may put the information into this PADD. I trust you did not bring your own?" Sodek said more than asked. "None of this information is to leave this building." He said in a tone that clearly displayed distrust.
"I do have my own," Nyota said evenly, more irritated at the insinuation that she hadn't come prepared than that she might not be trustworthy. The latter, she could excuse. This was lost Vulcan history that he was putting into her hands, and as of yet, Sodek had no logical reason to trust her. But Nyota had never appreciated being talked down to. "If you would prefer, I can hand mine over to you while I am working here, so that you can rest assured that the information in these manuscripts will remain secure."
Sodek held his hand out for her PADD and waited for her to hand it over, before he went over to another display to continue his own work on another exhibit. It was nearly four hours later, nearing eight thirty PM when Spock came back downstairs, and entered the large sized display room.
"Cadet." He said. "I will likely be working much later than anticipated. If you would like I can take you back to the academy and return to finish my work." He said, though he was unsure if she had finished or not. By the looks of it, she wasn't.
Nyota looked up from her work, and shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, Lieutenant," she said. "But I could use more time to finish this as well." These manuscripts were a fascinating treasure trove of insight into Vulcan history and culture, and anyway, it was Friday. It wasn't as if she had class in the morning.
"I am glad to hear that. Though it is getting late. Perhaps you'd join me for dinner?" He asked earning a glance from Sodek.
Nyota was about to politely refuse, when it abruptly occurred to her that she was hungry. She glanced down at the time. When had she last eaten, anyway? "That's probably a good idea," she admitted. It wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten absorbed in her work and forgot to eat. But this project was too important to risk making sloppy errors due to low energy. "As long as we're back soon."
"Promptly." He said gesturing towards the door, ignoring Sodek watching them as they left. "There is a little diner across the street, if you would like to go there."
"Sounds perfect," Nyota agreed, accompanying him out, her confident stride belying her discomfort at feeling Sodek's eyes on her back as they walked out. Lieutenant Spock's suggestion seemed practical enough to her, but apparently Vulcans were not all in agreement about what should be perceived as proper.
Spock lead her across the street to the little diner, and picked a quiet seat in the corner. Within seconds a waitress came by and asked if they wanted drinks. Spock simply asked for water.
"Coffee, please," Nyota said, looking over the menu. Not for the first time, she wondered whether caffeine even affected Vulcans.
"Would you like time to decide on your meal?" She asked. Spock looked up at Uhura, allowing her to decide, since he always got the same thing when he came here.
Nyota shook her head. "I'll be ready by the time you're done ordering," she said, quickly narrowing down the selection.
"You're usual then, Lieutenant?" She asked. Spock nodded slightly and handed her the menu.
"Please." He said simply.
Nyota ordered a turkey sandwich combo that looked good and handed the menu over to the waitress. "You're at the museum often, I take it?" she asked Lieutenant Spock.
"I have been here on occasion. Also, the waitress is a cadet. She sits not far from me during meals on the occasions she's there for dinner." Spock explained.
"I thought she looked a little familiar," Nyota said. A lot of cadets worked jobs like this while they were at the Academy, though most worked a little closer to base if they could. "So, what have you been working on in the other room, if you don't mind my asking?" It must be very important, since he'd delegated translating the long-lost Vulcan manuscripts to her.
"I am upgrading their computer software." Spock said. "I would suggest for the remainder of the night to save your work frequently, as there may be some interruptions later in the evening. I will try to give you a warning before hand, but on occasion they are unexpected."
"Thank you for the heads up," Nyota said. "As much as I've enjoyed this project so far, I'd be furious if I had to start over at this point."
"Fury would be illogical, but I can see your point." He said. "I will do my best to inform you beforehand." He said as the waitress came back with their food. Spock's plate consisted of vegetables that appeared to be from Vulcan.
"No more than any other human emotion, I'm sure," Nyota said, mildly amused as she picked up her sandwich. She looked over at Lieutenant Spock's Vulcan vegetable medley. "That looks very healthy," she said. Which, she supposed, was inherently logical.
"It is … Though the sauce they put on it here is not Vulcan, and changes the texture quite a bit." He said. "And probably negates the healthiness of the meal if it were made the proper way."
"That's unfortunate," Nyota said. A lot of foods didn't seem to translate well from one planet to the next, which tended to result in disappointment for off-worlders a long way from home. Or whatever the Vulcan equivalent of disappointment was, anyway. "So, what would be the proper way?"
"Simply not adding the sauce. The vegetables are well enough on their own for a Vulcan … I suppose they add the sauce so that it would become appealing to humans as well, since they are their target consumers."
"Probably," Nyota agreed. "Let the customers think they're trying something different without actually leaving their comfort zone." Though admittedly, the original Vulcan version sounded a little bland. But then, in none of her readings so far had she found much Vulcan discussion of food, not in terms of flavour anyway. She guessed a strictly logical approach to food would be based more in nutrition than in taste.
"By a business standpoint, it is a logical choice. Perhaps next time I shall ask for it without the sauce." He said, wondering why he hadn't thought of that until now.
"That, too, sounds logical," Nyota agreed with a subtle smile before returning her attention to her sandwich for a few bites and taking a welcome sip of coffee, her mind musing from subject to subject. She looked back up at him, frowning slightly and asked, "What was it Sodek called you? 'Khaf Brel?' I haven't encountered that phrase before."
"Sodek and I attended the same learning facility when we were children. He had always derived pleasure in insulting me." Spock said simply, as calmly as he would discuss the weather.
"Oh," Nyota said, feeling awful as the implication sank in. "I'm sorry, I didn't… That seems illogical of him, though, since you're helping him."
"Not entirely. His logic is sound, from his own perspective, and many of my species." Spock said though he didn't elaborate.
"I see," Nyota said, though there was a tightness in her expression that betrayed her anger. No doubt there was cultural context that she didn't understand, but she didn't understand how it was logically in Sodek's interest to insult someone who was going out of his way to help him. "And it is also logical for you to continue helping him regardless?"
"It would be illogical to allow something as simple as an insult sway me from doing my job. You imply I am helping Sodek, when I am merely doing my job and assisting the facility in itself by upgrading its systems."
"And logically, he knows that you will continue to do work that benefits him, which gives him no logical need to stop?" She shook her head. Maybe she should distance herself from this. Lieutenant Spock clearly wasn't as bothered by it as she was, and she could be out of line, arguing what actions should be appropriate in his own culture. But Lieutenant Spock had very quickly established himself in her mind as someone worthy of respect, and it bothered her that his own species could deny him that. "Forgive me, Commander. I'm probably being presumptuous."
"I am afraid you do not understand the entire situation." Spock said. "And I would request for you not to pry."
"You're right," Nyota admitted, still feeling inexplicably angry about it. But Lieutenant Spock clearly didn't want to dwell on it. "I don't understand. I apologize for bringing it up."
They ate the rest of their meal in silence, and Spock couldn't help but feel as if the air had become tense. Once they had paid for their meals, and were on the way back to the museum, Spock broke the silence.
"Your silence suggests I have offended you in some way. If I have … That was not my intention." He said glancing towards her.
Nyota shook her head, looking up at him. "You haven't," she assured him. "And I was probably out of line by going on about it like that, when it's not my business. It's just … I highly respect you, and it bothers me when you don't get that same respect from others. So if anyone's offended me, it's Sodek."
Spock looked at her curiously. "Humans are very peculiar. The perceived offense was not against yourself, yet you feel offended when I do not."
The intent curiosity in his eyes gave her the impression that he was trying to figure her out too, just as she'd been trying to do with him. "When you put it that way, it does sound illogical," Nyota admitted. "But even if you're not personally bothered by it, that hardly excuses the action on his part. And I've never been overly fond of people who needlessly put others down."
"I have found that humans are quite illogical." He said as they reached the museum.
"That's true enough," Nyota said, smiling slightly. It was somehow comforting to know that humans could be as puzzling to Spock as Vulcans were to her. "But we have our reasons sometimes, from our own perspective."
