Sorry this update took so long, there were some technical difficulties and much mental flailing and fatiguing on my part for this chapter.
4.
"So, what? You've got class twice a week with him?" Gaila was lounged across her bed painting her toenails with frightening concentration. Unfortunately for Uhura her roommate had been in the room when she'd received Spock's message notifying her of the time and place of their next engagement. Normally the Orion wouldn't have cared about her e-mail but apparently Uhura had reacted 'weirdly' when reading it.
"Yeah," Uhura didn't look up from her Kinetic-Lingustics research, " Something like that." She pushed her hair out of her face trying out the wrist rolls depicted in her text, trying to get them to snap just so, to indicate peace and not danger. She was working on a paper to be submitted for extra credit that integrated the information she'd learned at the conference…with Spock.
"I don't know how you can stand it," She muttered darkly into one kelly-green knee, " Vulcans are…" there was a huff of breath that didn't sound like it was meant to be drying her nail polish.
"Vulcans are what? They're just different, like every species in the universe. Different." Uhura frowned looking at the text's flashing changing diagram and then her hand. It didn't look right, " I thought you liked differences,"
"Yes," Gaila flopped back and wriggled her toes to dry them, " But Vulcans just…" she wrinkled her nose, " They just rub the wrong way. They are not natural. They fight their biological programming and as a result they're…they are riddled with faulty code," she nodded triumphantly.
"You need to stop relating everything to computers. Vulcans are not computers, Commander Spock is not a computer, he's a living being and I can stand him just fine," she mused scrolling back to check if she'd missed anything in the directions on how to hold one's wrist.
"Well obviously. If you can stand to be around a Vulcan for longer than absolutely necessary… you're going to make an exceptional communications officer," Gaila now finished with her nails grabbed her own PADD to set up her homework.
"Thank you." Uhura looked up at last deciding it was high time for a break, "So, you just don't like all Vulcans? Is this a Gaila thing or an Orion thing?"
"A bit of both." She shrugged obviously unwilling to commit to any sort of prejudice she may possess. No matter how peaceful the federation proclaimed to be, sometimes interplanetary antagonism was just too old, too biological to smudge away with negotiations and treaties. Orions and Vulcans were the very least of the problems they potentially had.
Gaila shifted again onto her belly, her head and shoulders propped up by her elbows, facing Uhura where she sat at her small desk, " So what's in these lessons for you?" She asked without looking very interested; instead still reading something upon her viewscreen.
"What do you mean?" Uhura turned back to her work, straightening consoles and picking her stylus up to twirl it through her fingers, " I told you, he's teaching me how to drive a hoverbike."
Gaila lowered her PADD and raised one eyebrow. " Right. Okay, lets say I believe that Commander Spock can actually drive a hovering motor vehicle, and has offered you these lessons," Uhura frowned, Gaila insisted hard evidence was needed before she believed that Spock could actually drive and own a hoverbike- then again, it had only been a few short weeks ago that Uhura would have scoffed at anyone who suggested it as well.
"So lets say I believe all that," She spread her fingers widely, their pads the colour of green grapes, " Why did you agree? You've already got a full course load, and you don't need to know how to drive a hoverbike." She said flatly, " So what is Nyota getting out of this deal?" She pressed her hands together and tapped them against her pursed lips in thought.
"First, it's not a deal, I'm not offering him anything back," Uhura crossed her legs uncomfortably, what was Gaila getting at? Couldn't she just do something spontaneous because she wanted to? " And it was fun when we went to the conference, I just want to do it again." She said with a shake of her head, that sounded fine, truthful even, she did want to feel the exhilaration of the ride again.
"You want to ride on a potentially lethal piece of heavy machinery mostly associated with law enforcement, or you want to go on a pseudo date with a Vulcan again?" Gaila looked unimpressed and Uhura pressed her lips together in frustration.
"It wasn't a pseudo date, he was chaperoning. Also, the hoverbike was fun, and more people have them than law enforcement." Gaila didn't look convinced.
"Women?" Uhura cringed inwardly, no not to many women liked things like hoverbikes. Not that that completely wiped out the female market, it was just a general trend, the bikes are fast, sleek, named after women and aimed for male purchasers. The pure mechanics of operating the bike, the need to push the boundaries of speed and physicality... the whole thing was a bit reminiscent of why there was such a lack of female pilots in the fleet. The adrenaline fueled need for speed just didn't seem to affect the double exes the same way. Uhura had mused the point multiple times in the past few weeks. Why weren't there more women taking advantage of this mode of transportation? Maybe it was a lack of general targeting, a missed market.
Their loss. Uhura wasn't going to let a bit of fluffy stereotype get in her way.
"Point? Have I ever been anything other than exceptional?" she asked primly causing Gaila to laugh and sigh.
"You're right I guess. You are weird… hanging out with Vulcans," she scoffed and made an exaggerated face. Uhura blew a raspberry and threw her stylus at her in retaliation. Who needed roommates anyway?
JRJRJRJRJRJRJR
She received a second missive from Spock a few hours before their latest lesson was scheduled to take place. She was in the largest lecture theater for Xenobiology 202 when the notification beeped that she had a new message. There were only fifteen minutes left in class, the lecture winding down in revision of what they had covered so Uhura discreetly accepted and opened the communiqué.
Weary of others reading who the message was so clearly from she covered it with her arm and scanned his words frowning at what she found.
Cadet Uhura,
An unforeseen engagement requires my presence at our previously scheduled time of meeting. Alternately I propose a new time of rendezvous in the same location at 1300 hours.
Uhura frowned, that was almost immediately after class! She wouldn't have any time to return to her dorm to change into something more riding appropriate. Either Spock knew and didn't care because they once again would not be encountering the hoverbike, or he wasn't thinking at all. Somehow she figured she wouldn't be seeing the purring metal beast this week.
If this is to your satisfaction please send reply.
– Commander Spock
Uhura sighed down at the simple message and rolled her eyes before tapping out and sending off a reply:
I'll be there. – N
She wasn't going to put off whatever new assignment he was going to give her, and she definitely wasn't going to avoid him just because things were confusing and awkward and all sorts of strange on her side.
Now that she had something pressing for her to do straight after class the duration of the instructional time dragged by. Each minute that progressed seemed to be like that of the speed of a glacier. When the instructor finally released the class, they rose as one red wave of cadets talking and stretching edging their way out of the theater style seats.
Elbowing people out of the way and mumbling apologies Uhura checked the time as she stowed her class materials in her bag and pushed out of the wide doors. If she hurried and cut across some grass she might be able to beat him to their meeting spot.
The spot in question was Campbell's Diner on 14th only a few blocks away from campus. When she had expressed wariness of the cliché in 'meeting at an old fashioned diner', Spock had sent her an entire list of reasons why it was an ideal place of meeting and the cliché had obviously been made out of the most basic common logic.
She didn't feel like it was very logical now as she strode in her quickest and most dignified way across the lawns. She waved and smiled to various friends that called out to her but she was on a mission not to be late.
By the time she reached the edge of campus and checked the time she frowned feeling like she had seriously underestimated the time it would take to get to the diner and began to run, giving her skirt a modest tug every once in a while when she felt it migrating up her legs.
Finally she burst into to the diner, leaning her weight heavily on the push door to get it to move, startling when a bell above her head chimed loudly. She swallowed thickly, panting a tad, now all there was to do was straighten up and find a sea-
There appeared to be no need, Spock sat in one of the booths looking unblinkingly at her. Obviously he had already chosen her a seat. She tried to slow her breathing, ignoring the burning in the bottom of her lungs as she discreetly adjusted her sweater and walked as calmly with as much dignity as she could to where he waited.
His attention turned from her to the table, he probably had a PADD or some other work to occupy his wait for her. She pursed her lips as she slid onto the vinyl-covered bench across from him.
"You are early," he said as she eyed the mug resting by his elbow and how he slipped what had indeed been a PADD out of the way. He folded his hands on the table before him.
"I suppose so," She shrugged, "How long have you been here?"
" One hour, three minutes and forty five seconds." Upon her quizzical look he cocked his head back at her, " I too require sustenance to function with full mental and physical capacity,"
"You were having lunch," she nodded and reached for the menu stashed behind the napkin holder by the window, " That actually sounds like a very good idea." Her stomach made its opinion known with a gurgling growl.
"You don't mind if I get something, do you?" She looked up at him from her perusal of the list of dishes, some had pictures that flashed and sparkled. He looked the same as always, perfect as always. She dropped her eyes and clutched the menu a tad tighter.
"On the contrary I scheduled our meeting imminently from your lecture course with the assumption of your inevitable hunger," she hummed flipping the laminate gel sheet over and checking the backside.
"Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you," she furrowed her brows, " What's good here?" It all looked well, like diner food; common, highly caloric, comforting, but in the end not appropriate for everyday consumption. Her nose scrunched as she considered her options. She wasn't expecting to get an answer but Spock pulled the menu out of her hands and gestured down the page.
"The Family Vegetable Lasagna is adequately balanced in nutrition as well as pleasing to the humanoid palate." She scrutinized him for a moment before pressing her order into place and letting Spock put the menu back from where she'd taken it.
"Cadet," he turned his head to look sharply back at her, his tone was all business "It has come to my attention that you do not possess proper validation to learn the operation of any motor vehicle let alone the class 4-B you require for my hoverbike."
Uhura looked at him uncomprehending for a moment. Of course she didn't have a license, she didn't require one for Starfleet as she wasn't training to be a pilot or helmsman, and besides the process of getting one involved learning how to operate the bike.
"You will be required to pass a short government issued exam to gain such a learners permit." He continued, fishing a small standard disposable screen from where he'd stashed it somewhere under the table and slid it across to her. She accepted it flipping it on and scanning the information that was stored within. It appeared to be basic road rules, what certain signs meant, how traffic laws applied in three dimensions, along with a plethora of other motor vehicle related factoids. Overall it looked like really, really dull reading.
"All of the standard information to be memorized is contained within that data storage device." He gestured to what she held now as she flicked it off.
"This shall take the place of the previous planned examination of your cursory knowledge," she looked at him unsure if she should be happy or disheartened by this news. His features gave nothing away, he didn't seem to have much emotional opinion on the matter either.
"Oh," she folded her own hands atop the screen in a mirror of his pose, " Alright, I see where we'd want legality to be on our sides. When and where is the test?" She asked neutrally without any other comments or thoughts on the matter.
"The organization and scheduling I have left at your discretion as you know your study habits and course load requirements far more extensively than what anyone including I could predict. The location of the facility where you may make your appointment and proceed with the testing is credited in the information provided," he nodded his head again to where the screen rested under her hands.
"So no interaction with the bike until I get this?" she asked with a small smile, perhaps a tease lingering about her mouth. Spock's look only darkened.
"Affirmative. It would be wholly inappropriate and potentially dangerous in any other circumstance,"
Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Uhura's lasagna, which admittedly did look and smell incredibly appetizing. As she took up her knife and fork she noticed Spock gathering his things and accepting a bill issued to him.
"You aren't staying?" she tried not to sound disappointed although she had hoped he would stay for a while longer. She did have more interesting things to talk about than just their lessons, like how her paper was coming along.
"No. As I informed you before my presence is required elsewhere." He stood, tugging on his jacket to straighten it out. He didn't look very pleased with the situation, disdainful underpinnings in his speech leaking through to the surface. She took the moment to shoot him a cheeky smile.
"Well, have fun,"
He merely cocked his head at her, raised an eyebrow and strode to the far counter to settle his bill before leaving. Uhura chuckled to herself pushing the screen out of the way and dug hungrily into her lunch.