Small Forest
Amanda Grayson was holding her husband's hand so tightly that Sarek thought that she'd inherited his Vulcan strength. She watched with parental pride as her son saluted the Admiral and received his Starfleet diploma. She clutched her heart and looked from Sarek to Spock, tears of joy spilling down her face.
"Look at our son, Sarek. He's all grown up," she allowed the tears to fall. Sarek never liked it when Amanda cried, even if it was happy tears. He reached his free hand over to her face and wiped the tears away.
"Children tend to age, Amanda, that is the nature of living," he responded. She could see his chest swell in something that she would call pride, despite his stoic tone and face.
"Oh Sarek, I'm so proud of him," she responded, leaning into his shoulder. They were in public, but Sarek allowed Amanda the human impulse of resting her head on his shoulder. He couldn't deny that he found the experience pleasurable. Watching his wife's emotions spill out in such a human way made him, strangely, content. Hearing his son's name being called, albeit mispronounce, over a large intercom, made the Vulcan Ambassador puff up with satisfaction. Sarek allowed his posture to relax and enjoyed the ceremonies of Starfleet graduation as much as any Vulcan could allow himself to enjoy something.
"Spock, I am so proud of you," Amanda said, running up to her son after the graduation and wrapping her arms around him tightly. He didn't blush, but he didn't pull away either. Amanda was pleased to see that in his twenty-second year on earth, Spock was growing accustom to human interaction. Spock was, however, a true scientist, a participant observer in the cultures and species that he wished to study.
"Thank you, mother," Spock responded. She smiled up at her son and squeezed Sarek's hand.
"What is it that you have decided to do next, Spock?" Sarek asked.
"I was told yesterday before graduation that I am to commission as a Commander. I think I shall stay on earth to conduct more of my research in the sciences, father," Spock responded succinctly.
"Commander? That is such an honor," Amanda was speechless. Sarek bowed his head in acknowledgement.
"Mr. Spock," Captain Christopher Pike said around the crowd of people that had gathered outside of the graduation hall. Spock, Amanda and Sarek all turned to acknowledge him. Spock stood straight and saluted the Captain.
"At ease," Pike returned the salute.
"Yes Captain?" Spock queried.
"I have just received word of your commission grade from Admiral Perry. We both seem to be of the mind that you would be the perfect addition to my new unit," Pike said, his lips turning upwards in a smug smile.
"The Enterprise, sir?" Spock queried.
"I would like to offer you the position of Chief Science Officer. The Enterprise is still under construction. So, for the next four years, this position should give you ample time and security clearance to conduct your other experiments for Admiral Tipton and Admiral Horiuchi. I have looked over the concepts for this new addition and test for the Command Curriculum and I very much approve of its worth. You are a very special student, Commander Spock," Pike said, saying the word Commander, allowing Spock to try it on.
"I will consider it, Captain," Spock said saluting again. Pike saluted.
"You have a very talented son, you should be extremely proud. Good day, Spock, Ambassador, Lady Amanda," Pike said. He then meandered thru the rest of the crowd congratulating students.
"What is this new addition to Starfleet Command Curriculum that he was speaking of, Spock?" Sarek asked.
"Nothing is confirmed as of yet, but I am formulating an exercise that will test cadets in Command training on many things, such as: command under pressure and when facing certain death. It is based on my research of a Terran book that I read called Catch22. "
"Will you be staying on earth?" Amanda asked.
"If I decide to accept Captain Pike's offer, then I believe the answer is evident," Spock responded.
"Is this something that will be beneficial for you?" Amanda asked.
"I do not see why it would be any other logical outcome other than a benefit, mother," Spock responded.
"Then, Rabbit, I think it would be beneficial for you to take the position," Amanda said, calling Spock by his term of endearment and cupping his face in her hands.
"Amanda, I do not think it necessary to call him by that particular epithet," Sarek responded, sensing Spock's slight embarrassment at the nickname.
"Oh, let me have my time with my little boy, before I only get to see him on Vulcan holidays," Amanda responded, pulling her tall child down to her and kissing his forehead. Spock looked over to Sarek's stern eyes and then looked down to his feet.
"What do you surmise about the situation, father?" Spock asked.
"In this state of affairs, I can only comment about the logic of the matter. There is no pressing need for you to return to Vulcan at this time. It would only be logical for you to continue your research here on earth and continue on the path that you've chosen," Sarek said, his eyes betraying only to Amanda some of the sentiment that raged in his heart. Spock nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Spocko!" Spock heard his roommate of four years, Brandon, call him by yet another moniker. His ears quirked and he turned to see the short, burly, blonde Texan running towards him, with his girlfriend Becka in tow.
"Brandon, this is my mother, Lady Amanda, and my father Ambassador Sarek," Spock introduced his family.
"Nice to meet y' all," Brandon said, his Texas twang getting the best of him in his excitement.
"Brandon graduated in the top five of his Interstellar Intelligence classes. He has also been assisting me with my research for the Command Curriculum," Spock explained. Sarek and Amanda nodded.
"Admiral Tipton approached me and said that she wanted me on the USS Lincoln with her. She wants me to take a year and finish the research concepts for the test, but I'm as good as her Chief Intelligence Officer. But that's not the good news," Brandon stopped and held up Becka's finger.
"Oh, Spock, me and Brandon are getting hitched!" she squealed in delight, hugging him. Spock blushed at this, only slightly remembering the strange situation she and Becka had been placed in four years ago. Becka pulled back quickly, remembering what both Spock and Brandon had told her about Vulcans.
"I apologize for probably the eightieth time, Spock, but I am so emotional right now" she said, flushing red.
"As I've explained before, there is no need for apology. I quite understand about the need for humans to express their emotions of joy," Spock responded. Amanda looked at Becka and smiled.
"Oh, this is your mother that you've told me about. Your son is just the sweetest thing," Becka raved, "maybe one day he'll find the perfect girl, human or Vulcan, for him. There have been times when I've threatened Brandon with leaving him for Spock."
Brandon tugged on Becka's hand, pulling her towards another heap of people.
"Well honey, we gotta go tell Matt," Brandon said to both Becka and Spock.
"Bitch-Face?" Spock responded, calling Matt by his nickname.
"After four years it's still a trip to hear you say that nickname. Congratulations!" Brandon said, pulling Becka along with him.
Amanda was aglow with delight at seeing how her son had morphed into a charming, fascinating, and astute young man. He was interacting admirably within human society, but still staying true to his Vulcan heritage.
Later that night when everything was quiet and the rush of graduation had subsided in the dorms, Spock considered his choices. He thought about the things that had happened in the first twenty-two years of his life and wondered about what would happen in the next twenty-two. He thought about his mother's happiness and his father's acceptance and about the choices that he'd made along the way to achieve these things. Not all of them had been logical. Most of them had been full of reason, but three percent of those decisions had been made using another portion of himself.
In that night's meditation he envisioned himself wading thru the tall trees of a small forest. No matter how strong or how large he was the trees were always larger and formidable. Even though the forest was small compared to the grand scheme of life and the universe, the obstacles of that forest always seemed to overwhelm him. He had to accept that he was never going to be a more dreadful force than those trees within the small forest.
The willingness to suppress emotion and to override that emotion with the peace of logic was like trampling thru that small forest. Sometimes logic was not clear. There were moments of wading thru the heavy woods of emotions and trampling down a forest to reach the light of logic. And then, there were times where he couldn't see the forest for the trees, no matter how small; a no-win situation. It was in this instant of meditation that Spock decided to call his new Command Curriculum Test the Kobayashi Maru.