Chapter Three
Spock walked up to his dorm room. It was small and cramped. A bed nestled against each wall, a desk at the end of each bed. There was one closet beside the door. A window with no curtains was on the wall opposite the door, letting light flood in. It had a view of the quad, and all the raucous humans who congregated there. This would take some getting used to.
He unpacked his things and looked over his class schedule. When he was properly informed of how his life would proceed for the next semester, he put the information packet on the desk he claimed as his. He wondered in passing where his roommate was. Kirk, the woman had said.
At that moment, the door flew open and youngish-looking man swaggered in. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and a cocky smile on his face. He took one look at Spock and did a double take. "So you must be Spock, huh?" he asked, giving him a lopsided grin.
Spock nodded. "Yes. And you must Kirk."
He tossed his bags carelessly on the floor and extended his hand to Spock. "The name's James Tiberius Kirk, but you can just call me Jim," he said.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "I am honored to meet you, Jim," he said, shaking the man's hand.
Kirk flopped down in bed extravagantly. Spock stared at him. Kirk caught Spock's look and said, "You're not from around here, are you?"
"What gave me away?" Spock asked dryly.
Kirk laughed. "Where are you from?"
"Vulcan."
Kirk looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Oh, yeah. I've heard of Vulcan before. You guys are the ones that all have permanent sticks shoved up your asses, right?"
Spock's face grew hot. "Excuse me, but that is entirely inappropriate—"
Kirk held up his hands innocently. "Relax, it was just expression. It means, like…you guys are humorless. You don't have feelings or whatever."
"Does this amuse you?"
"Who am I to judge?" He laid back on the bed, arms behind his head.
Spock bristled. "My ancestors thought that it would be wise to get rid of the fetters of emotion. They deemed that it was only logical. Without emotion, there is no anger or greed or jealousy. Without anger, greed, and jealousy, there is no violence."
"Without emotions, there is no love, happiness, pleasure, or friendship. And without those things, life isn't really worth living, is it?" Kirk said.
Spock narrowed his eyes at Kirk. "Are you saying that my life isn't worth living?"
Kirk shrugged. "It's your life; to you it probably is. So," Kirk said. "What are you here for?"
"It is my desire that I become a Science Officer."
"I'm going to be the Captain of my own starship," Kirk said proudly.
Spock smiled faintly, and that meant that he found this to be very funny. Luckily, Kirk didn't know Spock very well yet; otherwise he would have been offended. "Good luck with that," Spock commented, sitting at his desk and turning on his computer.
Spock was enjoying his classes so far. At least, he was enjoying them as much as a Vulcan could really enjoy anything. His instructors were all very impressed with him, and he was passing his classes with flying colors.
The other students mostly avoided him because they were intimidated by his intelligence and his lack of emotion. They weren't sure how to communicate with him. So, as always, Spock didn't have any friends.
Spock never saw much of his roommate because they were taking completely different classes and because Kirk didn't come back to the room until very late at night, for some strange reason that Spock had not yet deduced.
Spock was lying in bed one night, books and notes spread out around him. He was putting the finishing touches on a chemical formula that was sure to get him top marks in class. He was almost done, and then he would go to bed.
The door burst open, a bedraggled Kirk coming in. He slammed the door closed behind him and flung himself into bed. He rubbed his face and groaned dramatically. Spock arched an eyebrow at his roommate. "What is the cause for that strange noise you are making?" Spock asked.
"Bad night," Kirk grunted. "Headache. Tired."
"Fascinating," Spock commented. "It appears that whatever you did tonight has taken away your ability to speak in complete sentences. Although I must say, that even before now, your aptitude in this area was sorely lacking."
"I think there was an insult wrapped up inside those big words somewhere," Kirk said with a sigh.
"Your presumption is correct," Spock replied. He completed his chemical formula and stacked his books and papers neatly on his desk. He gave Kirk a sidelong glance. "Do you mind if I ask a personal question?"
"Whatever," Kirk replied lazily.
"When do you do your homework?" he asked.
"Who says I do my homework?" Kirk replied with a devilish smile.
Spock looked at him, aghast. "And you want to be Captain of a starship?"
Kirk shrugged. "I'll make it somehow. If I can pass the test, I'll be good. I think I've got what it takes to be a Captain, and I don't see why I have to drown myself in homework to prove that to Starfleet." He gave Spock a pointed look.
Spock ignored him.
The next day, Spock went to Xeno-linguistics class. Technically, he wasn't required to take this class to make Science Officer, but it was recommended because most Science Officers should also be able to double as Communications Officers if the need called for it.
Today, the students were supposed to give speeches explaining the technical structure of any alien language of their choosing. Spock was not allowed to give his speech on the Vulcan cultural language because he was from Vulcan, just like every other alien in the class was not allowed to give their speech on their own language. Spock didn't understand why this rule applied to him, though; because the official language of Vulcan was English, and the cultural Vulcan language was very rarely used, except to describe Vulcan cultural practices, but the teachers didn't see it that way.
Spock gave his speech, and then he got to sit back and listen to everyone else's. Cadet Uhura was the last person to give a speech. She spoke on the Tamarian language, focusing primarily on the Tamarian myths. She spoke about many of them, and then she got to Darmok and Jalad, the most well-known out of all of them.
"And so, Darmok on the ocean means that Darmok was alone. Jalad on the ocean means that Jalad was alone. Both Darmok and Jalad were great Tamarian heroes. Tenagra on the ocean means that Tenagra was an island. Both Darmok and Jalad arrived at Tenagra and both of them fought some kind of creature that lived on the island. After this conflict was won, Darmok and Jalad left the island of Tenagra together.
"So, in the Tamarian language, Darmok on the ocean and Jalad on the ocean have both come to mean "alone". Tenagra on the ocean has come to be the Tamarian word for islands in general. The beast of Tenagra has come to signify a challenge that must be overcome and Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra means "cooperation".
"Tamarians construct their language using metaphors from their mythology in place of words and phrases. It would be like saying "Juliet on the balcony" instead of saying "love". Now, you and I all know who Juliet is, and so this makes sense to us. But to someone who didn't know who Juliet was, like that guy over there," she said, pointing to Spock. The rest of the class snickered. "This would be gibberish to them, and so that is why we have encountered so many problems in translating the Tamarian language."
The bell rang then, and so class was dismissed. Spock had been very intrigued by Cadet Uhura's speech. She was very knowledgeable and had definitely researched her subject matter well, and had presented the information intelligently, unlike most of the other students in class. Spock respected her for this.
Spock later saw Cadet Uhura on the grounds, sitting at a picnic table and doing homework. She was tall, just a little shorter than Spock himself. She had dark skin and long, black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a lot of mascara to accentuate her warm, chocolate-colored eyes.
"Cadet Uhura," Spock greeted.
She looked up, startled, and then she smiled brightly at him. "Hello!"
"I don't believe we have been formally introduced yet. My name is Spock. I am in your Xeno-linguistics class," he said, extending his hand to her. "I'm sure you knew that already because you mentioned me in your speech. I know who Juliet was, by the way."
She shook his hand. "I'm Nyota Uhura," she replied, still smiling at him.
"I know," he replied. "I wanted to inform you that I found your speech on the syntax of the Tamarian language fascinating."
She blinked. "Thanks. I liked your speech on Romulan. I'm fluent in all three dialects of Romulan, and I thought you explained its structure really well."
"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry; I thought it was only logical if I did my project on Romulan," he replied with a shrug.
"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you want to be a Science Officer, yes?" she asked.
He nodded, casually putting his hands behind his back. "Yes, that is my goal. And I presume that you are intent on becoming a Communications Officer?"
She laughed. "How did you guess?"
He raised an eyebrow. "It was the logical conclusion."
"I was just kidding, Spock," she said. "You need to loosen up a little." She patted the spot on the bench beside her. "Come on; sit down."
He shook his head. "I apologize, but I must decline. I have a lot of things that must be completed. Goodbye."
She raised her hand in the Vulcan sign. "Live long and prosper," she said, her eyes shining.
Spock did a double take. "Where did you learn that?" he asked.
She shrugged. "In Xenology, we had a class on Vulcan because they are one of earth's greatest allies. That is the way people say goodbye to each other on your planet, isn't it?"
"Yes, I just…I just didn't expect anyone here to know that," he said, still slightly in shock. He hadn't experienced anything remotely Vulcan since his arrival on earth.
"You must be terribly homesick," she remarked. "It must be hard for you, being here with all of us."
"I am not familiar with this phrase of which you speak, but it is rather difficult getting used to the way things are done and the way people behave here. I thought I had a reasonable understanding of human behavior because of my mother, but I do not," he explained.
"You don't know what it means to be homesick?" she asked curiously. "You don't know what it's like to miss the place you grew up at and to miss the people you left behind, your friends and family?"
He blinked. "I have no emotions, Cadet Uhura," he replied thickly. In reality, he longed for his home. He had quickly grown tired and impatient of earth and its inhabitants. He missed his mother and father, but mostly his mother.
"I don't think so," she replied lightly. "The look on your face tells me that you do. What did you mean that you thought you understood humans because of your mother?"
"My mother was a human. My father was a Vulcan. He is an ambassador to earth. He met her and married her on one of his trips here. She returned to Vulcan to be with him. She is ostracized by my people, and my father is viewed as a traitor for his lapse of judgment."
Uhura raised her eyebrows. "You think that your father's decision to marry your mother is a lapse of judgment?"
"I do not," he said quickly. "Please believe that I do not. I was merely reiterating what my people think of them, and of me."
"What do they think of you?" she inquired.
"I have said too much already," he said. "Live long and prosper," he said, before turning and hurrying away.
Uhura jumped up and jogged after him. "Spock, wait!" she called. He ignored her and continued walking towards the dorms. "Wait!" she called again. She finally caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder.
He stared at her impassively. "Yes?"
"Look," she said. "I know it must be hard for you here, and that the humans probably don't make it any easier on you. If you ever want to talk, just swing by my dorm. I'm in G17."
"You speak of the humans as if you weren't one," Spock remarked. Uhura ignored his comment. "Goodbye, Cadet Uhura." He turned and walked away.
School began to lose its luster for Spock. He was no longer allowed to answer questions in any of his classes so the other students could have a chance to answer, for a change. He was not allowed to participate in any of the extra-credit projects the classes did. It's not like he needed extra-credit, but it was rather humiliating to have all your teachers forbid you from doing them in front of the whole class. He was also often assigned extra homework in an attempt to make school more challenging to him. He didn't mind the extra work, but it all boiled down to one thing again. He was being treated as if he was different than everybody else.
To make matters worse, the other students mocked him constantly, for a plethora of different reasons. His emotionless-ness, for one thing. His intelligence, for another. The fact that he had no friends. The fact that he was completely ignorant of human popular culture. And the fact that the teachers treated him differently. Kirk was the closest thing he had to a friend, and that was pretty pathetic.
Spock was walking down the hall to his next class. The hall was crowded and he accidentally bumped into another guy. The guy and his friends took one look at Spock and started laughing. Spock ignored them. "I am in control of my emotions," he muttered under his breath, beginning to clench his fists. "I am in control of my emotions."
The teacher was handing back math tests today. The teacher handed Spock back his test and gave him a disapproving frown before moving on. Spock hurriedly turned it over to find a fat, red F glaring back at him. Spock's eyes widened. How could this be? This was simply…illogical!
The moment class was over, Spock made a beeline for his teacher. "If I may," he said, trying to sound patient. "I do not understand why I received the grade I did on this test. I answered all the questions correctly."
"You did," the teacher replied evenly.
"You must forgive me, but the complexities of human pranks escape me," he replied, folding his arms over his chest.
The teacher sighed. "It's not a prank. You got an F because you didn't show your work."
Spock stared at him incredulously. "I didn't…show my work? I didn't need to. There was no work to be done."
"Yes, there was," the teacher replied slowly, as if Spock was an idiot. "They're very complex equations. I made it clear that you had to show the work you did."
"I didn't need to write it down; I can do the equations in my head," Spock explained.
"That's impossible!" the teacher snapped. "Either you didn't show your work because you were careless, or you cheated."
"Both of those things would be illogical, and I thought I have made it clear that I do not do illogical things," Spock argued.
"What you're saying is impossible. I can't even do those types of equations in my head, for goodness' sake!" the teacher exclaimed.
"So, you gave me an F on the test because I am smarter than you are?" Spock said slowly.
"Get out of my classroom right now," the teacher said firmly.
"I do not understand," Spock muttered as he was shooed from the classroom. This was the first grade that wasn't an A+ that he'd ever received in his life. He dropped his things off in his room and decided that he would take Uhura up on her offer for a talk.
Spock walked up to Uhura's dorm. He wandered the halls of the building until he found the door marked G17. There was a tie hanging from the door. Spock stared at it curiously. What kind of strange human custom was this?
He knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He knocked on the door again. Nobody answered again. He knocked louder. And still, nobody answered. He decided to knock one more time, and if no one answered him, then he would leave. He knocked, and an extremely annoyed female voice replied, "GO AWAY!"
Bewildered, Spock said, "I'm looking for Cadet Uhura. Is she there?"
"No, now leave us alone!" the female voice yelled.
Confused at this turn of events, Spock turned to go. Uhura was coming down the hall towards him! "Spock?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Cadet Uhura," he replied, strangely relieved to see her. "I came to find you, and your roommate said that you were gone, and she told me to go away."
"She told you to go away? That's rude of her," Uhura remarked. She looked around Spock and saw the tie on her door. She reddened.
Spock followed her gaze and then asked, "What does the tie on the door mean? Is it a human tradition?"
"Uh, I guess you could say that," she replied evasively. "You're roommates with James, right?"
"Cadet Kirk? Yes, he is my roommate," Spock replied.
"You should ask him what it means," Uhura said. "Anyway, how are you?"
"I am well, I suppose," he mused. "Human behavior is puzzling me greatly as of late."
"How so?" she asked. Spock then proceeded to explain the conversation he had with his math teacher that afternoon.
"I believe you," she said.
"You do?" Spock asked, raising an eyebrow.
She nodded. "I do. Ask if you can retake the test. If he lets you, just write out the equations this time."
"I shall do this," Spock said. "The teachers are not as troubling as the students, though. I thought that since I was not like the other Vulcans, then I must be like the other humans. It is only logical. But I am not like humans at all. It seems that I do not fit anywhere in this universe. I am as conflicted now as I once was when I was a child."
Uhura took his hand, much to his surprise. She smiled at him. "Look," she said. "You may not be like the other humans or the other Vulcans, but that doesn't matter. You are you. Once you figure that out, you'll be a lot happier." Spock gave her a curious look, so she rephrased her statement. "Okay, maybe not happier, but at least not conflicted."
"If you say so," Spock replied dubiously. He was still completely focused on the fact that Uhura was holding his hand. He wriggled out of her grasp and flexed his fingers experimentally. If she was offended, she gave no sign.
"So, you're half human, right?" she asked.
He gave her a look. "I thought that I had made that fact clear already."
She reddened. "Well, yes, but I just said that so that what I'm about to say won't sound as random, you know?"
"No, I don't know," he replied.
"Well, anyway," she said hurriedly. "Have you ever…you know, done anything human before?"
"I do not understand what you mean," Spock replied, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Well, I don't really know how to describe it," she said. "Like, have you ever gone out to eat, or been to the ballpark, or played a board game or…or, I don't know."
"I have not done any of those things," he replied, looking confused. "As far as I know, I haven't done anything human, as you call it."
"But you're half human," she argued. "If you've only ever done Vulcan things, you're ignoring part of yourself. Here, I have an idea. Why don't I take you out for a night on the town?"
He looked bewildered. "I am not familiar with this earth expression. What do you desire to do to me?"
"I'm going to take you out. We can grab dinner and maybe have a drink and then we can take a bus down to the stadium and we can watch a baseball game. Baseball is a human pastime, a staple of earth culture."
"I must decline your offer," he said politely.
She shook her head. "No, you don't get to decline my offer. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. You need to get out, Spock. Have some fun, loosen up. I'll pick you up tonight at six. You'd better go get ready." She gave him a bright smile.
Spock stood in front of the mirror, making sure his bangs were straight. He wasn't sure what Uhura meant when she told him to get ready. He wondered if there was some kind of ceremonial clothes he needed to wear if he were to participate in the human ritual.
Kirk entered the room and started at Spock. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm preparing myself to engage in a human recreational ceremony that a female member of your species invited me to," Spock replied.
Kirk winked. "I've got you. You're not wearing that, are you?" he asked, motioning to Spock's Vulcan clothing.
"These are the only casual clothes I brought with me," he replied defensively.
"You can't meet a lady dressed like that," Kirk argued. "Here, borrow some of my clothes." Kirk started rummaging through his closet. He grabbed a pair of dark-wash jeans, a pinstriped dress shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. "Put these on," Kirk instructed.
Spock obliged begrudgingly. "I am not comfortable wearing your clothes," he said awkwardly.
"Get used to it," Kirk replied callously. He changed the subject. "So, who are you going out with?"
"Cadet Nyota Uhura from my Xeno-linguistics class."
Kirk's eyebrows flew up and he let out a low whistle. "Nyota," he breathed. "Player."
Spock didn't know what Kirk meant, and he didn't really want to know. But there was one thing he desired to learn. "May I ask you a question about human culture?"
"Sure," he replied. "Shoot."
"What does a tie hanging from a door mean?" he inquired.
Kirk's eyes bulged and he bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Well…why do you want to know?"
"I saw one today, and I was curious," Spock said, fiddling with his shirt collar.
"Uh…" Kirk thought of how to explain it to Spock. "Would you believe me if I told you that there are just some parts of human behavior that you don't want to know about?"
"Yes, I would believe that."
"This is one of those things. So, Spock. Uhura? You're reeling in quite a big fish, my friend. Here, try this." He held up a bottle. "This is cologne. It makes you smell good."
Spock automatically assumed he meant that it would make him smell good to humans in general, in a friendly way. It never crossed his mind that it was just to smell attractive to women. Spock took the bottle and examined it. "I believe I understand how this works. It simulates certain pheromones to make me more pleasing to humans. Is that correct?"
"I guess," Kirk said with a shrug. "Rub some on your neck and cheeks."
Spock did as he was told, and he blanched. He actually looked nauseous. "This smells repugnant," he gasped, his eyes watering.
"When are you meeting her?" Kirk asked.
"We agreed to meet on the steps at six," Spock said, wrinkling his nose from the smell. He really was disgusted.
Kirk gave him a hearty slap on the back. "You'd better get going, tiger," he said with a laugh.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." He briefly contemplated not showing up for his arranged meeting with Uhura, but he decided that would be rude, and she had been very kind to him so far. And so, Spock trudged from the dorm and to his impending doom.