*Nyota*
'Stephanie! Hey, Stephanie!' Nyota gave James Kirk as much attention as she would a fly.
Hand to Hand combat training was exhausting enough without him pestering her. Lord knew he could not take a hint. She positioned herself and let her partner toss her neatly onto the mats.
They'd only been in class ten minutes, long enough to go through their usual warm up exercises and start practising basic moves and already she was longing for a warm shower and bed, if only to get away from Kirk. She did not understand the way girls seemed to fall at his feet when he walked by. It was plain he had many positive qualities – he was attractive (if a little short in her opinion), was very intelligent and had scored extremely well in the few classes she had taken with him, but he was such an… ass.
His persistence in 'flirting' with her was having the opposite effect he was probably aiming at. She found him increasingly less attractive rather than more so. There would be zero chance of her succumbing to those particular charms. If they could be called that. Meanwhile he probably thought he was wearing her down. Idiot.
Her irritation led to her throwing her partner a little more roughly than she intended.
Her instructor's voice interrupted their sparring. 'Cadets. Assemble at the demonstration ring.'
Dutifully the twenty cadets in the evening class assembled at the central ring in the training room. The Instructor, Lieutenant Sato, was accompanied most unusually by a Vulcan dressed in the same regulation training uniform as the cadets. Nyota tried very hard not to wish or picture Lieutenant Commander Spock in his place. This Vulcan seemed to be of similar age but nowhere near as attractive in her opinion.
'During our studies we have looked at many different forms of martial arts, their strengths, weaknesses and counters when dealing with them. Ensign Tyrek, a former pupil of mine, has graciously volunteered to provide a demonstration of suus mahna, a highly effective form of martial art practiced on Vulcan.' Nyota looked over at the Vulcan, Tyrek, with interest. 'Of all disciplines I have encountered, suus mahna, when practiced correctly, provides the most effective - an almost impenetrable - line of defence. Later on the Ensign will assist us in learning a few of the central movements of the style. But first the Ensign will demonstrate exactly what I mean when I talk of an impenetrable defence.'
The Lieutenant and the Vulcan Ensign took up position in the demonstration ring. Nyota watched with great interest. She knew very little about suus mahna. She was aware of its existence, but beyond that, nothing. She was however, intimately familiar with Lieutenant Sato's expertise in dozens of martial art disciplines. He'd won more or less every single tournament that had been held at the Academy during Nyota's time there, in dozens of different disciplines, as well as many tournaments outside of Starfleet. He was something of a legend.
Normally she'd have bet on the Vulcan purely due to the physical advantage he would have over her human instructor, but Sato had taken on Klingons and won. So she was half expecting to see the Vulcan on the mat in short order.
The actually sparring was less exciting then she had hoped. Sato provided a thoughtful commentary as he ran through a dozen of the more popular hand to hand disciplines in the federation and the Vulcan easily countered them. Although it was interesting to see Sato unable to get a hit in, it was hardly the same as seeing him getting his butt handed to him.
Sato and the Ensign then slowly demonstrated a few important moves from the Vulcan discipline so the cadets could repeat and learn them. The next half an hour was then spent sparring and practising the new moves with Sato and the Vulcan ensign walking among them helping them with their form.
Nyota was attempting to perfect a kick block when she noticed him.
Spock entered the training room dressed in his usual grey instructor's uniform and made his way over to Lieutenant Sato and discussed something quietly with him. Nyota's distraction cost her. She found herself flat on the mats, her partner looking down on her in amusement. When she regained her feet and looked around Sato was alone once more. It took a little effort but she pushed the distraction from her mind. She had almost managed to get the form more or less right for the kick block when Lieutenant Sato called their attention once more.
Now also dressed in a regulation training uniform, Lieutenant Commander Spock was standing beside Ensign Tyrek. Nyota tried not to stare, but Spock filled the training uniform in an extremely pleasing manner.
Sato sounded excited. 'You are in for a treat this evening cadets. Lieutenant Commander Spock has agreed to help Ensign Tyrek provide a proper demonstration of suus mahna for you.' The Lieutenant waved a hand in the direction of his Vulcan guests. 'Now you saw I was unable to penetrate Ensign Tyrek's suus mahna earlier, but owing to the differences between human and Vulcan physiology that little demonstration was a bit one-sided. Seeing two proficient Vulcan practitioners will give you a much more accurate representation of the form.'
He walked off the demonstration mats and stood off to the side to watch.
The Ensign nodded to the Lieutenant Commander who politely returned the gesture. They then took up position opposite each other. Spock raised an eyebrow and the Ensign tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment of… something. Then the Ensign rushed the Lieutenant Commander. It was quite different to watching Sato and the ensign spar. For starters the ensign seemed to be moving about twice as fast as he had been previously, and the sounds of the blocks and blows as they hit were much louder. It was evident that the younger Vulcan had been holding back considerably with the human instructor.
Nyota watched in fascination. Both Vulcans moved fluidly and surprisingly athletically. Since he was on the defence, Spock wasn't doing anything particularly flashy, (apart from apparently teleporting out of the way of blows), but ensign Tyrek was jumping and flipping and kicking with almost acrobatic skill. It was quite exhilarating to watch. After five solid minutes the two Vulcans stopped at some invisible signal and returned to their former positions. Tyrek was breathing a little heavily but Spock had barely broken a sweat. Which was unsurprising since she belatedly recalled Vulcans didn't actually sweat. His hair was slightly mussed and there was a green flush to his cheeks, but otherwise there was no sign he'd been sparring. Nyota's traitorous brain instantly wondered if he looked similar after sex. She closed her eyes and frowned, cursing her hormones and banishing the thought from her mind.
Instructor Sato sounded positively gleeful as he pulled her from her self-castigation. 'Wonderful! Just wonderful! You see how effective suus mahna is for defence cadets.' He looked over at the Vulcans. 'I wonder if you might now give them a demonstration of actual sparing rather than pure offense vs defence?'
Ensign Tyrek glanced at Spock. 'That would be acceptable.'
Spock nodded. 'Very well.'
Again ensign Tyrek attacked first. For the first perhaps 30 seconds Spock remained on the defensive, then he retaliated. He flipped to the side of the ensign and landed a kick which sent the other Vulcan stumbling several steps backwards. The watching cadets gasped as one. Nyota felt heart jump in excitement. Neither of them showed the slightest hint of emotion on their faces, but it seemed to Nyota that the ensign, who had probably been holding back on account of Spock out ranking him, began hitting harder. She wondered if that had been Spock's intention.
The entire class watched enraptured. It was the most impressive demonstration fight Nyota had ever seen, and that included a demonstration by a Klingon defector in the same class a few weeks earlier. Spock and the ensign flipped and jumped and kicked like the laws of gravity were being bent. Nyota found herself gasping whenever one of them did something spectacular, which was basically all the time. They seemed to know where the other would be or what he was planning and Nyota had an inkling that they were both calculating their opponent's likely moves with the same level of detail Vulcan's dedicated to everything. The fight seemed almost choreographed.
It became apparent after the first few minutes that Spock had the advantage. Although the ensign showed no sign of tiring, Spock was the only one actually scoring hits of any sort, although it was plain he was purposely avoiding hurting the ensign and not attacking his vulnerable areas such as the head.
Nyota thought it might have been her imagination, but eventually the ensign seemed to get angry. Or at least his style of fighting changed. He began attempting to score hits on Spock's head for one. After blocking a leaping kick aimed at his temple Spock raised an eyebrow at the ensign. Having spent a lot of time in Spock's company Nyota was pretty sure Spock was giving him the Vulcan equivalent of a 'What was that?' look.
Thrice more Spock blocked or countered quite 'dirty' attacks from the ensign. Then the ensign performed an impressive jumping kick which proved to be a feint and grabbed at Spock's shoulder. The move was bizarre, Nyota couldn't see how grabbing Spock's shoulder would achieve anything, but Spock reacted instantly and violently. He flipped the ensign and kicked him directly in the chest while he was still mid-air. Judging from the distance the ensign went flying, Spock had been holding back quite a lot. Nyota felt almost dizzy with adrenaline. She suddenly understood why people liked watching contact sports. She wanted to watch Spock beat the snot out someone. His strength and superiority delighted her. She felt like bouncing up and down and cheering. She was certain he would not have approved however.
The ensign landed on his back but flipped up onto his feet in seconds and was dashing across the mats towards Spock with a full burst of Vulcan speed. They exchanged blows rapidly, the floor of the room vibrating with the strength of them, until the ensign again attempted to get his hand near Spock's neck. This time instead of kicking him across the room Spock twisted behind the ensign and gripped him on the right side of his shoulder with one hand in a similar move. The effect was instantaneous and shocking. The ensign crumpled to the mats unconscious as if a switch had been thrown inside him.
The assembled cadets gasped as one. Nyota stared at the ensign in shock, wondering what the hell had just happened.
Spock lifted his head to Lieutenant Sato calmly. 'It appears ensign Tyrek also wished the cadets to see a demonstration of a form of tal-shaya which uses nerve manipulation to render unconsciousness,' he glanced down at the crumpled Vulcan as if he were an interesting puzzle. '… although I do not see why, since such a move cannot be performed by humans as it requires the transfer of telekinetic energy from the fingertips.' He looked back at Sato. 'He will awaken shortly.'
Sato nodded but looked put out none the less. 'Er. Thank you Lieutenant Commander. That demonstration was most... illuminating.' He looked down at the ensign again. 'Should I call medical?'
Spock shrugged ever so slightly. 'I anticipate the ensign will regain consciousness within two standard minutes. However if you wish to seek a second opinion I would not fault your logic.'
Spock calmly made his way to the locker rooms as if he hadn't just left a man unconscious on the floor. Nyota made a conscious effort not to look at his butt. Sato directed them to continue their sparring. A few minutes later the Vulcan ensign was suddenly on his feet. Nyota thought he looked pretty embarrassed or angry for a Vulcan.
She smiled a little at his expense.
*Spock*
Spock had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to spar with a Vulcan. The partners he usually encountered at the Academy were usually far weaker than he and none were trained in suus mahna. It had been satisfying to be able to utilise his full speed and strength without fear of accidently breaking bones or causing serious injury to his opponent.
He was in the process of drying himself after a quick shower when ensign Tyrek entered the Academy gymnasium locker rooms. Spock glanced up. 'Ensign Tyrek. It was most enjoyable to be able to spar with a Vulcan instead of a human. You are very proficient.' A Vulcan would not have bothered to make such a statement, but his interactions with humans had apparently left Spock prone to irrelevant conversation and stating the obvious. He supposed the ensign, as a member of Starfleet, had probably likewise adapted his social interactions if Cadet Uhura's observations about Vulcans were correct.
Rather than responding however. The ensign gave him a slight Vulcan frown that a human would not have even noticed. Spock realised he was irritated that he had rendered him unconscious. He supposed he would not have enjoyed it had their roles been reversed. He was confused however. 'I apologise if you did not intend to demonstrate a nerve pinch for the students. I assumed that was your intent.' He raised an eyebrow in query. After all, the ensign had attempted twice to use the same move on himself. To be angered that Spock had done the same was illogical.
The ensign recovered his Vulcan calm immediately. 'Of course Lieutenant Commander. I was thinking of an unrelated issue. Sparring with you was indeed enjoyable. You are also very proficient.' He met Spock's eyes calmly and without any trace of his earlier irritation. 'I will be planetside for a further 5 days before my next deployment should you care to spar further.'
Spock inclined his head in acceptance. 'That would be most satisfactory ensign.'
*Nyota*
The semester progressed smoothly for Nyota Uhura.
Not only were her studies going well, she found time for a few extracurricular activities including the Academy Choral group. Her position as Lieutenant Commander Spock's aide also continued to provide her with interesting and challenging work in her remaining spare time.
She had a standing invitation to accompany him on visits to the shipyard and she looked forward to the trips. Not only did she get to see the Enterprise slowly taking form and assist in work pertinent to her studies, she enjoyed her instructor's company. The Lieutenant Commander, once she had adjusted to his Vulcan mannerisms, was extremely easy to be around. He did not require conversation and she could be as blunt as she liked without him taking offence. He was also surprisingly trusting for someone so intelligent. She had to be careful using sarcasm or hyperbole around him since he would occasionally, even after years living among humans, take her at face value.
If they were still at the shipyard after 17:00 hours, they would by unspoken agreement share a meal at the diner. If either of the technicians Lena Nilsson or Stephen Lee were at the bar, they would stay for an hour or two and Spock would play pool or converse with her and the technicians. Nyota suspected that Spock considered the experience a learning one - that he was attempting to better understand human social interactions. She could practically see him taking mental notes during the exchanges and adjusting his behaviour accordingly. Any subtle hints or advice she gave him with regards to his interactions were soon tested on Lena or Stephen.
It appeared to be working. Although she realised that he was more or less 'pretending' and it made her feel a little uncomfortable knowing he was being less than genuine, he was able to hold conversations without offending anyone for ever increasing periods of time.
However when he used her own advice on her, she reacted quite differently.
The first time he had inquired as to her activities over the weekend on a Monday morning, she had responded briefly in the manner she would to anyone who made such an inquiry. Spock was not as adept as others at looking interested however. He stopped blinking, his head tilted to the left and he focused on the empty space over her right shoulder instead of her face.
When the following Friday he made a similar inquiry as to her plans for her weekend and Nyota observed the same disinterested tells, she decided to call him out.
Mid-way through reciting her plans for study and practise with the choral group she started ad-libbing. 'And then I was planning on a brief trip to an Orion spice den downtown with Gaila.' Spock nodded thoughtfully. 'Of course we'll be too high to return to our dorm until Sunday afternoon but Cadet Kirk has a hotel booked for the weekend and said we could share.'
'That is very thoughtful of Cadet Kirk.' Spock replied neutrally.
Nyota raised an eyebrow and continued. 'Yes it is isn't it? Unfortunately the room only has one bed, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Perhaps Gaila and I will take turns with Kirk. Then again, Orions don't mind sharing.'
Nyota lapsed into silence and waited for Spock to catch up. His head suddenly snapped straight and he meet her gaze in shock. He looked utterly scandalised. Nyota sniggered and had to raise a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed at him.
'Cadet Uhura, were your previous comments in jest? If not I must remind you that not only is the stimulant colloquially referred to as 'Orion spice' a prohibited substance on Earth, it can be highly toxic or even fatal to humans.'
Nyota smothered her laughter. 'Are you aware that when you aren't paying attention to someone you to this sir?' She mimicked his earlier pose, staring off into space with a glazed expression.
He frowned slightly. 'So your plans for the weekend do not involve imbibing in illegal substances and sexual experimentation with Cadets U'Aidat and Kirk?'
She had to purse her lips to stifle more laughter. 'No sir. I was just checking to see if you were paying attention.'
Spock blinked. He seemed to be at a loss.
Nyota took pity on him. 'Sir, you don't have to make polite conversation with me. I am aware that you are a Vulcan and I don't expect you to act like a human just to put me at ease.'
'I apologise if my lack of interest caused you offense cadet Uhura.'
Nyota smiled at him brightly. 'Not at all sir. You looked kinda funny actually. Like you were doing calculus in your head while I prattled on.'
Spock's ears and cheeks took on a distinct greenish hue.
Nyota's eyes widened playfully. 'You were!'
He cleared his throat. 'I was using linear algebra in contemplation of an algorithmic issue in a computer program I am currently working on.'
Nyota shook her head and smiled ruefully. 'On that note I will leave you to your ruminations.' She shouldered her bag. 'I will see you on Monday sir.'
'Indeed cadet.' He offered no hollow platitude that she enjoy her weekend or similar and the absence pleased her.