A/N: It's been a while since I've updated but I think I did pretty well in writing a majority of the chapter in one day. Surprised even myself.

Thank you all who have favourite this fic and/or following. If you reviewed thus far, that makes you guys even more awesome. Enjoy and let me know how this chapter is!

Warp Factor 10: Boarding and Greeting

Standing up from his bed, already clothed and ready to go, Spock put down his PADD. He had sent his application for First Officer earlier that morning and then he had just finished emailing his father and Pike about his plans to board the Enterprise. As for Uhura, who had sent him an email last night, Spock wasn't too sure how to reply. She wanted to know when he would be arriving on the starship. Since Spock wasn't too sure himself, he did not reply.

He had not realized it but if Spock decided to go to New Vulcan, he would have left Uhura. The woman had already assumed that he would be part of the Enterprise crew. Spock felt slightly guilty that he hadn't informed her of his earlier decision—it would mean to leave her behind and that he hadn't thought about their relationship.

But Spock wanted to board the Enterprise after all; it did not take the Vulcan long to pack his belongings just in case he was accepted.

Spock took his lyre, his PADD, two pairs of clothing for duty, sleep, formality, ceremonial purposes, and meditation—all made from a durable and synthetic material that was antibacterial and would require little maintenance. He also packed basic hygienic products, a holographic photo projector, a mat, incense, several undergarments and two pairs of socks of the same fabric as his clothes.

Taking one last look around his room that he had lived in for the last two years, Spock realized that he would not miss this place one bit. Its sterile walls, cold floor, and functional furniture left little to no impression on Spock. The only positive aspect of the room was its balcony and the vista it provided. All in all though, this was the last and closest place he could call home. Yet, he was so willingly abandoning it for the Enterprise.

After several seconds of glancing around, Spock pulled his luggage with him. The echo of the rollers against the hard floor was the last sound he heard before the door silently slid shut behind him.

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It was a rough ride. The shuttlecraft doors hissed open and as light poured in, Spock's stomach did tiny tumbles. It hadn't been that way when he boarded the smaller ship, but as he gathered his belongings and filed to exit the shuttlecraft with the rest of the official ship members, the tumbles just came.

At first, Spock ignored it. He passed several officers of the Enterprise crew, heard Kirk's name pass between conversations and the tumbles changed to swells. Again, he ignored it. Leaving his luggage with an ensign until further notice, he walked out of the shuttle bay area.

Then it happened again, only the swells turned into waves when he heard Kirk's voice itself. It broadcasted all over the ship welcoming aboard the last of the Enterprise crew members. As Spock made his way to the bridge, Kirk continued to announce that they would also be welcoming Vulcan guests as soon as everyone else was settled in.

By that time, Spock realized that he was actually nervous. The last time he had experienced such a feeling was when he had met T'Pau, a priestess and one of Vulcan's great leaders, for the first time when he was a child.

The hands behind Spock's back tightened around each other. Of course it made sense to be nervous, especially when he was on a ship that had not approve of his application. Not yet anyways. Spock was perfectly qualified for the position, and he knew that, he just didn't understand why it was taking so long for his application to be accepted on the day the starship was leaving. For sure a captain would need a first officer. So, Spock made it his mission to confront Kirk himself.

It wasn't as easy as he had originally thought.

What if Kirk rejected his application? What if Spock was too late and someone had already filled in the position as First Officer? But Spock knew there was a vacancy when he applied. So, he had decided that he would personally ask Kirk himself and secure the position.

Spock paused in front of the turbolift doors and stood aside to allow people back and forth.

Before meeting Kirk, he just needed to calm himself down first.

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"Permission to come aboard, Captain," Spock requested when he entered the bridge. He didn't have as much trouble as he thought he would have in addressing the man. To his surprise, Kirk looked more subdued than usual, as if fatigued. Nonetheless, the man stood up with a strained smile.

"Permission granted," Kirk said with the same cheerless smile. It was definitely not the one in which Spock had grown accustomed to the previous day.

Confused about the sudden change in the man's attitude, but not deterred, Spock approached Kirk and met him halfway. The Vulcan could feel the bridge members watching their every movement, but Spock did not look anywhere save for the man in front of him. It was he that Spock wanted approval from. So, he got straight to the point. "As you have yet to select a first officer, respectfully, I would like to submit my candidacy." Not wanting any room that would allow for refusal, he added, "Should you desire, I can provide character references."

Again, there was that smile that the Vulcan couldn't quite name. "It would be my honour, Commander."

In a second, Spock's worries disappeared and he gave a subtle nod in acknowledgement. The tickling in his stomach subsided; nothing was left but confidence. He briefly glanced around the bridge and saw many familiar faces as he stepped down. Chekov remained the helmsman, Sulu was the pilot, Doctor McCoy was for some reason on the bridge, and…where was Uhura?

Spock walked around a pillar to get to his station and saw the woman. Slowly he passed her, giving her an expression that implied "does that answer your question?" Shaking her head with a wide smile, Uhura returned to her station.

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It did not take long for the thirty or so Vulcans to board the Enterprise. Spock was surprised to learn that Kirk had already organized their accommodations. Supposedly, for the first week, some of the crew members would be bunking with each other so that their Vulcan guests would have a place to sleep. Spock double-checked the list of accommodations on his PADD to make sure everything was in order just in case. This was going to be the Enterprise's first mission after all and Kirk's as well. To his surprise once more, Spock found nothing wrong with the Captain's plans.

The guests were paired in to fifteen rooms, displacing thirty others who would be pairing with their fellow officers, but even then, those few were also adjusted quickly. Each officer had to report their status and so far, all was well. Vegetarian meals had already been programmed into the food replicators, and even the average temperature of the ship rose by seven degrees. In addition, the crewmen had to memorize a minimum list of Vulcan etiquette such as no physical contact. There were a few others as well, but Spock was genuinely impressed already.

Kirk was taking a lot of consideration for their guests. It was too perfect, however, as if he had outside guidance.

"Commander Spock."

Spock glanced sideways to the man who was walking in step with him. They were heading to the meeting room on deck two. "Yes, Captain?"

"You've been looking at your PADD for a while now," Kirk asked with a curious look. "Is everything in order?"

In the first two hours that Spock was on the bridge, Kirk had not been as open as he had been yesterday. The man was easy-going in general, true, but he also knew his responsibilities. Now that they were in the halls, Spock thought Kirk had loosened up considerably.

"So far that is the case. All accommodating officers have reported successfully settling into their temporary quarters."

"And your people?"

"You have been extremely considerate to their needs. They too have reported the same success. Did you consult with someone else before making these arrangements?"

"What, you didn't think I'd be able to plan all that by myself?" Kirk asked with a small frown.

"I do not doubt your intentions, Captain. I am just curious to know how you arranged all this in such a short period of time." Without a First Officer, Spock added in his mind.

"Well, since I didn't know when I would be getting a First Officer, I just thought about this ahead of time and…alright—I did have a few pointers," Kirk admitted.

The two continued to walk down the corridors, casually greeting the crew members who acknowledged them. "From whom?" Spock wanted to know. He could have helped, but oh wait…Spock didn't apply as First Officer until today.

Kirk spoke warmly. "Just an old fellow I met recently."

Spock almost stopped walking. "A Vulcan?"

"Yes, actually," said Kirk, but before Spock could inquire any further, Kirk suddenly asked something else. "By the way, how do you do the Vulcan greeting?"

No choice but to demonstrate, Spock held out his right hand as he walked and instructed Kirk to do the same. Spock's pinky touched his ring finger while the middle and index did the same; his thumb stood apart. Then the Vulcan watched, amused, as his Captain tried to mimic the gesture.

After a few seconds, Kirk swore. "Damn my stiff fingers—they just don't part that way!" He shook his hands, assumingly to loosen them up.

Spock had seen many people attempt the Vulcan greeting. Some got it after a few tries, others gave up, but Kirk was persistent. It was all a little too amusing to watch. "Captain, I am sure you are capable of such coordination," Spock stated. He repeated the gesture slowly but it did not help. Kirk clenched and unclenched his fingers and even tried to hold his fingers together with his other hand. However, when he released his hold, the paired fingers snapped back into their original natural position.

Kirk swore again that attracted a few stares.

"What's wrong with my fingers?" the man muttered shaking it again. "They're rebels, the lot of them!"

Spock wasn't even going to try to understand the last sentence. "You do not have to offer the Vulcan greeting," he pointed out. "It is not expected."

"But I want to," Kirk insisted stubbornly, but he did not clarify why. "We're going to be meeting the Vulcan High Council soon. I don't want to butcher this gesture." After several more attempts, which yielded the exact failed result, Spock pulled the man aside.

They stood close but not against the walls. Increasing his mental barriers in order to not be sensitive to touch, Spock looked Kirk in the eyes and asked, "May I assist you, Captain?" He held out his hand in invitation.

Spock watched as Kirk eyed him with caution. "Are you sure about that? I mean you are a touch telepath from what I've gathered," the man asked.

"I assure you your emotions will not transfer to me. Vulcans are capable of desensitizing our ability for a period of time."

"...Fine, if you say so. What do I need to do?" The man held out his hand in a sigh. "I've done more complicated things than this. Why is this so hard?"

"I believe it is because your hand is too stiff," Spock answered, reaching for Kirk's hand.

"I think I've already established that," the man ground out.

When Spock's skin made contact with Kirk's, a small jolt passed through his fingertips; he quickly withdrew confused.

Kirk looked quizzically at him. "What's the matter, Mr Spock?"

"Nothing…" Spock reached for the hand again, this time maximizing his shields completely. When his fingers curled over Kirk's, the Vulcan only felt a faint buzz. Nonetheless, he did not let go, even though it troubled Spock that he had felt anything at all. "Do not tense, Captain," Spock instructed. Despite the unexpected experience, he was determined to see Kirk through. The man himself was determined and it was Spock's people that Kirk would be meeting. As First Officer to this captain and being a Vulcan himself at that, Spock wanted to contribute to the man's efforts. He would not be selfish at a moment like this.

When Kirk's hand seemed to draw away, Spock tightened his hold by just a fraction. "Kirk, relax your fingers," Spock said more firmly. Unconsciously addressing the man by his last name, for a moment, the Vulcan saw his captain as a cadet again.

"I'm trying to," Kirk muttered, but Spock was not looking at him. He focused on the hand in his palms.

As Spock explained what he was doing, he pressed his thumbs all along the inside of Kirk's hand trying to relax it. The palm felt rough, slightly callous; Spock wouldn't be surprised if the man himself was a laborious or hands-on individual. Slowly but surely, the hand lost its tension as it became limp. Then Spock began to work away from the palm to Kirk's fingers. He felt skin pinching together, thick joints and knuckles, the same callousness, and rounded-squared digits that were flatter. All the while, the same buzz flitted through his hand, but when they reached Kirk's fingers, the buzz transformed into pin pricks.

Spock casually let go, not wanting to appear disturbed.

The whole exchange happened in less than a minute.

"I believe your hand is now relaxed enough," Spock stated, hands behind his back and looking at his captain. "You may attempt the gesture once more."

Kirk raised a brow and flexed his hand. "By the way, it's not like I don't think you're not capable, but…was I suppose to feel anything?"

At the man's words, Spock stiffened. "…Did you feel anything?"

"Yeah, some kind of tickle," Kirk replied. At the same time, he successfully separated the ring and middle finger so that they were rightfully paired. "I did it!" He held out his hand in the vertical position and grinned.

The Vulcan didn't realize before, but he may have been waiting the whole day to see an expression like that on Kirk. "You learn quickly, Captain."

"Learn what?"

Spock turned around to see Uhura coming to a pause in front of them. She had a PADD under her arm and looked interested in what they were doing. "Captain Kirk, you do know that the meeting is just a few minutes away."

"Ah, Lietenant Uhura, I was just practicing the Vulcan greeting," Kirk said with a smug look. "See?" He held out his hand to face the woman.

She effortlessly did the same, to both Kirk and Spock's surprise.

"Did you practice that?" Kirk asked, suspicious.

Uhura smiled. "Actually, I haven't. That was my first time."

"I must commend you Lieutenant," Spock interjected. "Most humans are incapable of such a gesture in the first attempt."

"Thank you, Commander Spock, but I must return to the bridge now. I'll see you later," Uhura said beginning to walk. She nodded her head to the captain and left.

Kirk huffed. "How did she get it so fast? Never mind, let's go Mr. Spock."

The Vulcan swiftly followed. Secretly, he was relieved that the captain did not mention the greeting any further. In fact, he would not know how to answer Kirk if the man asked why he felt the tickling sensation. To begin with, Kirk was not supposed to feel anything at all.

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Undoubtedly, when Kirk came into the meeting room, he impressed the Vulcans with their greeting. Spock saw his father and a few other Vulcans that he had evacuated from his planet, but he did not see his elder self like he thought he would.

All in all, the meeting went smoothly. After making sure that the Vulcans had settled in comfortably, Kirk discussed their trip. They would be making stops to a few other planets to pick up Vulcans and equipment. After that, they would be heading towards New Vulcan. Estimated time would be approximately a week.

Kirk also made it clear that as guests, the Vulcans would be able to travel freely on the ship as long as they kept away from certain areas like Engineering. If they wanted, a tour of the ship would also be provided. Spock even volunteered to make the tour himself. He had studied the blueprints before, although, at that time he had been expecting to be under the captaincy of Pike.

"Any more questions?"

Spock looked around to see if anyone else had more to say, but if Spock knew the High Council, it was that they were efficient and straight-forward. Any questions they had would have already been answered.

"There are no farther questions to discuss, Captain Kirk. We appreciate the generosity you and your crew member have demonstrated thus far," an elderly lady stated.

"Very well, then our meeting here is at an end."

Just as Spock was about to leave, his father called out to him. "Father," Spock said with a nod. "I assume you have read my email?"

"I have," Sarek answered. He looked his son in the eyes. "I will not question you further about your career choice. It seems that you are quite adept in your duties. So, I merely ask you to continue to perform admirably."

The words echoed in Spock's mind. They were the same words he spoke to Uhura in the turbolift after his mother had died. Yet, he was the one who was emotionally compromised and failed to follow his own meant something different now. Before, Sarek had disapproved of his path and they grew estranged for the past six years. To continue to perform admirably…it suggested that Sarek had always seen Spock do just that, despite the Enterprise Incident.

The younger Vulcan nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Yes, I intend to do so, Father."

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It was 2100 by the time Spock was heading towards his quarters on Deck 5. It had been a long, eventful, and enlightening day. He was returning from the bridge along with Kirk, Uhura, Montgomery Scott, and McCoy. While the latter kept glaring at the Vulcan, in which Spock could still not figure out why, Uhura did the opposite. Her glances were subtle but Spock knew better than that already.

In less than seven minutes, the travelling group dropped from five to two. The hall they walked in was empty. Beside their footsteps, there were no other sounds.

"So everything turned out better than expected," Kirk commented. After Spock agreed, the man glanced at him. "So, what took you so long to apply anyways?" he asked. "I thought I was going to be without a First Officer."

Spock did not want to explain the trouble he went through to get to the point where he was now. "I merely needed more time to think, Captain."

"Call me, Jim," Kirk insisted. "We're off duty now anyways. No harm in doing that. By the way, "Spock" is your last name. How do you pronounce your first name?"

Spock said his full name and earned a baffled look from the man beside him. Not ready to call Kirk by his first name, Spock decided he would just not address the man whenever possible. "You may refer to me by surname. That is always acceptable," Spock stated.

"Yeah, I think I will."

As they continued to talk, Spock unconsciously passed his quarters and stopped at 3F 121, where Kirk's was. The man turned to face Spock with anxiousness in his voice. "By the way, is it common for you to say just two-words as farewell after spending time with someone?"

"…Are you referring to last night?" Spock did recall himself doing something like that. The way Kirk asked and the way Kirk had acted earlier when he had entered the bridge…was Spock responsible for Kirk's attitude? The Vulcan did not anticipate that. "I…may have been brief with you but it was in no way meant to offend you. In fact, I must express my gratitude for your company. In addition, if you needed a First Officer, why did you not ask me?"

Kirk blinked. "It didn't seem appropriate at the time. Besides, I thought you would've applied yourself earlier, I mean we did work well together."

It was true, but again, Spock did not want to explain himself. "I am here now, is that not suffice?"

"No, it's great!" but when Kirk did not say anymore, Spock slightly bowed his head and backed away.

With nothing else to say, the Vulcan said, "You must rest for tomorrow, Captain."

"It's Jim," Kirk smiled tiredly and entered the code for his room. "Thanks for walking me to my room I guess. Goodnight Spock."

Hesitantly, the Vulcan nodded and watched Kirk enter his room before he turned around and entered the room just beside the Captain's.

Did you know? Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, introduced the Vulcan salute. The original T'Pau from "Amok Time" could not do the salute in one hand but could do so with the other. In Star Trek: 2009, Zachary Quinto could not do the salute. They had to glue his fingers together during filming.

Interesting stuff, huh? Do you guys have any tidbits I should know about?