Disclaimer: I don't own nuttin', not no way, not no how.


Chapter 11: Aftermath

Giotto and Nyota strolled toward her quarters at a leisurely pace, talking about the party and the gathering they had just left. He could hardly believe his luck. The most beautiful, brave, and bold woman on the entire ship was on his arm, laughing at something he had just said.

When they arrived all too soon at the door to her quarters, she turned to him and said, "Thanks for walking me home, Barry." She paused and lowered her gaze for just a moment, then looked up directly into his eyes, blushing ever so slightly as she said, "You know, it isn't really all that late, and the walk woke me up, so if you'd like to, uh…come in for a little while…"

He appeared to hesitate (in actuality his brain had simply locked up in shock), and before he could stammer his acceptance, she went on, "I have a French press and real coffee beans that I grind myself, so I could offer you honest-to-goodness real, not replicated, coffee…"

His brain had started up again, and he smiled and managed to say, "Thank you, Nyota. Yes, I'd like to come in for coffee; I'd like that very much."

"Good!" she replied as she turned to open the door. Once inside, she continued, "Come on in and have a seat over there," waving toward a small space where there were two easy chairs with a small table between them. The space also housed a desk, with the requisite computer, an office chair, and a small book case.

"I'll get the coffee going," she called over her shoulder as he sat down. After a few steps, she turned back toward him and asked, "Do you want sugar or creamer? Sorry, I don't have any actual cream, although I can replicate some." He answered, "No, just black is fine." She nodded and went on getting the coffee things together. Soon he heard the sound of water running as she filled up the carafe in the small bathroom followed by the sound of the coffee grinder, accompanied by the wonderful aroma of the fresh-ground beans.

While Nyota was busy, Giotto was reevaluating what he thought he knew about her. He had always thought highly of her, but now his admiration for her was more-or-less through the roof. He'd known she was brilliant, conscientious, compassionate, capable, funny, loyal, talented, and a host of other complimentary descriptors. But tonight, he'd seen a totally different side of her personality, one that he hadn't suspected even existed.

He was delighted to find out that she had such a salty sense of humor, and that she really wasn't the delicate little flower one could so easily assume she was. Perhaps he should have suspected as much, from what she'd said to Jim in the Shipyard Bar—he'd heard the whole story of that long ago—but on that occasion, she wasn't trying to be funny, she was trying to put a stop to a man hitting on her.

Tonight was very different from that. He didn't think he was likely to run into anyone else, man or woman, or both, or in between or neither, sober or tipsy, who would make a crack about stump-broke cows (or that planet's equivalent) to their highest-ranking superior officer, in front of the executive officer, who also happened to be her ex-boyfriend. At the very least, it meant that she wasn't prudish, nor one to take offense easily, and there was a good chance a man could be himself around her. And what that meant was that there was also a good chance for a true partnership, where pretense was unnecessary.

He realized then that she was one in a million; no, one in a billion; no, make that one it ten billion, at least! And he resolved to do everything in his power to win her love. Things seemed off to a good start. Now, if he could just avoid blowing it…

Nyota was now back with the coffee, and she handed him one of the cups. As she sat down next to him, Giotto said, "Thanks, Ny-chan; this smells wonderful."

She blushed slightly and smiled as she replied "You're welcome, Barry. It's something I can do to thank you for walking me home from our after-party." She paused just a moment before continuing, "It was fun watching Jim and Spock together tonight."

He recognized this as the invitation to talk that it was so he answered, "You know, I've been wondering what we're going to do about those two. Do we let them bumble around until they figure it out on their own, or do we give them some help?" This was true, he had been wondering exactly that.

She said, laughing, "Oh, I think it will be much more fun to let them bumble." Nyota briefly turned serious as she went on, "But there's another reason to let them realize their feelings for each other on their own. That gives them time to figure out if this is something they both really want." She smiled again and said, "Well, we can try that. And if it looks like they might not figure it out, we can always intervene later."

Giotto became serious in his turn at that, saying, "Ny-chan, are we doing the right thing by wanting to encourage this relationship? Are you at all worried that Jim will break Spock's heart? As much as I like and respect our captain, I have to say he hasn't exactly had a reputation for constancy in romantic relationships."

Nyota had actually spent some time thinking about this very question since breakfast that morning, so she was able to answer, "Well, this surprised me at first, and it might surprise you, but no, I don't think I am worried about that." Giotto looked at her questioningly, and she elaborated, "At one time, I would have dismissed the very notion that Jim could sustain a committed, monogamous relationship, but I've had to reevaluate that opinion."

He smiled broadly and said, "I'm glad to hear you say that, because I think I'm coming to the same conclusion. But, I'd like to hear your reasons, if you don't mind talking about it."

She smile in return and answered, "Barry, do you really think there's any woman who would turn down an invitation like that? Of course I want to talk about it!" (Yes, off to a good start, indeed!) It would be nice to use him as a sounding board, to talk over her still-forming opinions, and to see if her reasoning held up. And it would be nice to hear what he thought, too, where he agreed or disagreed with her. She paused to gather her thoughts and went on, "Well, this doesn't relate directly to Spock—well, maybe it does, but not in a real obvious way—but anyway, I've been really impressed with how Jim has handled being captain of this ship. He's not the cocky, lazy asshole I thought he was at the Academy. He's taking this seriously, working his butt off, always trying to do his best instead of taking the easy way out of things. And I've seen a constancy and dedication in him that really surprised me at first, but it doesn't surprise me anymore. And I know he cares, truly cares, for all of us on the crew."

Giotto nodded and said, "Yep, I've seen all of that myself."

Nyota continued, "For another thing, I'm absolutely certain that he hasn't been trying to get into the pants of anyone on the ship."

He said, "Yeah, if he had, it would have been all over the ship within a day at most! Plus, I've seen him brush off an ensign who was trying to flirt with him. And while you were gone, one of the new yeomen was more-or-less throwing herself at him, and he pretty much just ignored her until she gave up and left him alone."

Nyota's eyes widened, remembering something she'd dismissed at the time. She said, "Oh yeah! I saw Jim turn down a fairly plain, uh…suggestion from one of the lieutenants, just a couple of days before the ship left Star Base 4. I didn't think much about it at the time, just that it seemed a bit out of character, or maybe that he didn't feel right about taking up with a member of the crew. But now it makes more sense, if it's true that the person that Jim is really pursuing is Spock."

His look turned very serious and he said, a little hesitantly, "Umm, there's something else that happened while you were gone." She blushed a little, thinking she knew what was coming next. He went on, "I'm a little reluctant to bring it up, but it's one of the reasons I've been coming to the conclusion that I have, so I'll tell you." He paused and took a breath. "You might already know this, but they had some kind of a falling out while you were gone, and they were both walking around looking completely miserable until they managed to fix it. And then it was like the sun came out again. Most people don't think that Spock's face ever changes, but he's actually pretty expressive if you know what to look for, and of course Jim is pretty much an open book in that regard. So it was really obvious to me when there was a problem between them and it was obvious when they'd solved it."

Nyota's face had been getting redder as he spoke, and he now looked at her curiously. She cleared her throat and said, rather sheepishly, "Yeah, I heard about that when I got back. And I, uh…kind of went ballistic over it…" she trailed off. Had that really only been yesterday? Time was relative, indeed.

Giotto's eyebrows shot up and he prompted her, "And?"

She decided she might as well tell him. She replied, "And I came close to decking the captain." He blinked at her, practically in shock, and mentally added "Fiercely protective" to his list of adjectives that described her. She continued, "Fortunately, I didn't, but in the aftermath of that, I found out a bunch of stuff I hadn't known—sorry can't tell you what, it's confidential—and of course, then I had to apologize to Jim. But anyway, it convinced me that he really cares about Spock. Well, he cares for all of us, but it's different with Spock—Jim really cares for him."

Giotto smiled inwardly and mentally added "And able to change her mind and admit she was wrong" to the list of her attributes. He then said, "Well, we all make mistakes." She nodded vigorously to that and he went on, "But now their friendship is on a really solid footing again and from what I can see, the captain is back to spending almost all of his spare time with Spock. And I know I'm not the only one to have noticed that. I heard one of the crewmen asking another if he knew where the captain was, and his friend answered, 'I don't know, but I bet you that wherever he is, Mr. Spock is with him'."

The mood in the room had lighted again, and she laughed a little at that and said, "And did you notice, tonight in the officers' lounge, when Spock tried that chocolate, the captain was completely focused on him and was looking about as pleased as Punch at how much he liked it? That was just almost too sweet! I tried, but I never could get Spock to eat chocolate, but Jim got him to do it. And apparently that's only one of many new things the captain's gotten him to try. Well, like tonight; even just coming to a big party or our little gathering afterward and relaxing and enjoying himself—that's almost unbelievable progress. And I would never in a million years have thought that Spock would be one of the main players in making a surprise party come off, but again, Jim got him to do it."

The security chief commented, "You've got to hand it to the captain; he knows how to draw people out." He was quiet for a moment and when she didn't continue, he said, "And you saw them at the party, right, just after Spock arrived with Chekov?" Nyota nodded, and he went on, "Jim looked so protective there when Spock was so rattled and leaning up against him, just keeping his hand on Spock's back until he calmed down. And Spock had the most open expression I've ever seen on his face; he looked like he was more-or-less blissing out, too." Nyota's look turned slightly odd, and before he could think about it and stop himself, he asked, "Ny-chan, does it bother you that Spock's so willing to be, well… affectionate with Jim in public?" the implication of "…more than he was with you?" hanging in the air unsaid.

Giotto cringed inwardly. He hoped he hadn't just blown his chance with her—this might be a really sensitive topic—but the question was out now. Oh, well, if nothing else, he'd find out what kind of a person she really was.

Nyota was silent for a moment and then answered, "Barry, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a pang or two over it, but really, I can't begrudge him that. It's not so surprising, really. Spock needs some physical contact, I'm sure of that now, and this is where and how he can get it at this point. He grew up largely without it, I think. From what he's told me of his childhood, I know he was actively trying to be as Vulcan as possible and so he probably didn't let his mother touch him very much after the age of four or five. But having a relationship with me made him realize that this is something he needs, even if only at a subconscious level, and I don't think it's so easy to put that genie back in the bottle. Not that I think he would be grabbing random crew members for physical contact if Jim hadn't started touching him. He'd just have sucked it up and done without, but it wouldn't have been healthy for him."

She paused again, remembering, and then went on, "And you have to keep in mind that he'd become accustomed to having to conceal our relationship when I was still a student, and that habit of secrecy wasn't an easy thing for him to change. But then there wasn't really any need for him to change it because of how we were in private. This might surprise you, but he was extremely affectionate when we were alone. In fact, it's easily the most affectionate relationship I've ever been in, and I loved that part of it."

Giotto was glad to hear this, as he himself was a very tactile person, and he had had a wonderful example in his parents, still openly kissing and doing things like playing footsy under the kitchen table long after many of his friends' parents had practically stopped speaking to each other, if they weren't actually divorced. This had definite possibilities—yet another reason to try his best with her!

She continued, "But, Spock doesn't have that kind of private relationship with Jim, not yet anyway," sharing a grin with Giotto before continuing, "So the only way he can get the physical contact he needs is in public. And I suspect he's more willing to do that sort of thing with the captain because he's thinking that what he's got going with Jim is a friendship rather than a romance, and that makes it different in his mind, somehow. Course, I think he's wrong about this not being a romance, but well, I guess I can't expect him to be brilliant at everything!"

Giotto laughed then and said, "Yeah, neither of them see this as a romance, from what I can tell. I'm certain that Jim is completely clueless, too." Nyota nodded agreement. Giotto's look turned thoughtful and he said, "Ya know, it's a little funny really; the captain's got this reputation as being a touchy-feely kind of guy, but the truth is that he rarely touches anyone else that I've seen, it's pretty much just Spock. Well, except for that manly shoulder-punch thing that he does with his other guy friends, and I don't think that counts."

Nyota looked thoughtful at that and replied, "Huh! I hadn't consciously noticed that, but now that I think about it, I really haven't seen him touch anyone else like he does Spock. And I know for a fact that it was Jim who initiated the physical part of their relationship. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I just don't believe he would ever have done that if he were only interested in Spock in a platonic way. But at the same time, it's not just physical attraction, since Jim's also really trying to get to know him, to have an actual friendship. And somehow, I don't think this is his normal pattern. From what Gaila told me, Jim had a habit of rushing into bed with his partners and then finding out he didn't really like them or that they didn't really like him, or both. So that's probably why he had 'relationships' with at least a dozen women with we were at the Academy, and none of them worked out."

He said, "Well, ya know, maybe part of the reason was because he was just trying to hook up with the wrong gender and didn't know it. Or maybe he's really bisexual and it just happens that the person he's finally actually fallen for is another guy." He stopped for a moment and just shook his head. "Who would have thought it—the supposed ultimate ladies' man falling for another man! But, I suppose weirder things have happened!"

She started then and said, "Barry, I just remembered. I'd totally forgotten about it, but once there was this rumor going around the Academy that Jim was dating a guy. I usually didn't much listen to stuff like that, but I guess this one got my attention because it involved Jim. Even after the way our, uh…encounter at that bar ended, he tried to flirt with me every time he saw me, so I was aware of him, whether I wanted to be or not!" She laughed a bit ruefully at that and then continued, "So anyway, I dismissed the rumor at the time, thinking it was probably a vicious story started by some girl that he'd dumped. But now I have to wonder if it was true."

She was quiet for a moment and then said, "But it doesn't really matter if Jim ever dated a guy before or not. What counts here is what he feels for Spock, and somehow, I think this is the real deal for Jim Kirk, maybe for the first time in his life. Certainly for the first time since I've known him."

Giotto gave her a slow smile then and said, "I don't know about 'for the first time in his life', but I have to say it does look like the real deal to me, too." He paused and then asked, "So, Ny-chan, are we agreed this is a good thing and we should do whatever we can to encourage it?"

She returned his smile and answered, "Yes, I think so. They're both good men, and they deserve whatever happiness they can find. And if we can do something to help, well, I'm happy to do it."

His smile widened as he said, "Good. But for now, we just let them bumble through," she nodded, and the security chief continued, "And if it looks like they aren't going to get it on their own, we can step in and help." She nodded again.

The two were quiet for a moment before Giotto looked at his chronometer and said, "Well, it's getting pretty late and I should probably go and let you get some sleep, Ny-chan." She had started yawning again, as coffee can only combat exhaustion to a certain degree.

She looked a little sheepish, and somehow briefly disappointed, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea, Barry. Thanks for coming in and talking this over with me. I feel better about encouraging them now." They stood at the same time and headed toward the door.

Giotto had noted that swiftly hidden look of disappointment and made a quick decision as they stood at the door. Before he could change his mind, he took a deep breath and asked, "Um, Ny-chan, would you, uh, like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? At The Starlight?" This was the one actual restaurant on the ship, and it served real food whenever possible, not replicated. When necessary, the chefs would replicate raw ingredients, but these were then cooked by hand in the old time-honored ways.

Off and on there were, and would be, a surprising number of visiting dignitaries on the Enterprise—it was the pride of the fleet, after all—and the primary reason for The Starlight's existence was to provide such people with a more pleasant place to eat than the mess hall, which could be a boisterous place, as the officers and enlisted crew all ate in one mess on Starfleet vessels. But the crew took advantage of the ambience and good food the restaurant provided, and any number of shipboard romances had been, and would be, furthered at its quiet tables.

Nyota looked a bit surprised but she smiled and quickly answered, "Thank you, Barry. I'd love to," blushing just a little.

He couldn't control his broad grin at that and said, "Great! Pick you up here at 1700 hours?"

She replied, "That sounds perfect. Good night, Barry."

Giotto said, "Good night, Ny-chan. Sleep well." With a friendly wave, he walked off down the corridor, barely containing his elation. She gazed after him for a few seconds before closing her door, smiling softly to herself.


The next morning, Jim awoke later than usual but feeling fine—he'd taken the precaution of downing a hang-over remedy before going to bed—but he had an uneasy feeling he might have said some things it might have been better not to say, or strayed into territory better left alone. He lay thinking over the events of the previous night and suddenly jerked bolt upright as he remembered what he'd asked Spock when they had been left alone in the officers' lounge. Oh my fucking gods, he'd initiated a conversation about sex with his reserved, Vulcan first officer! He'd managed to pry into the man's private relationship with his ex and ask him about Vulcan sexual behavior in general, all at the same time.

He thought, Way to go, Kirk! Let's just show this new friend what an insensitive, jerk asshole you can be. Yeah, that's the way—be all you can be! He realized with a groan that that wasn't actually the worst of it, though. Spock had then gone on to actually answer his questions and had told him things about Vulcan sexuality which until very recently had been closely-held secrets. Not that he was sorry he now knew those things—no, not at all! (for some unknown reason)—but what must his first officer think of him now?

Oooh, this was going to be unbelievably awkward! But he couldn't put it off. Best to find the man as soon as possible and apologize for so thoroughly violating every possible boundary of proper decorum and hope he could somehow repair the damage he was sure he'd done to their friendship. And he now understood that his friendship with Spock was more important to him than anything else except the Enterprise herself, and he needed to fix this as soon as possible, or at least try to. He dressed hurriedly and left his quarters to head to the mess hall where the computer told him Spock would be. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had slept in that morning.

Fortunately, the half-Vulcan was alone at a table, so at least Jim would be able to get this over with immediately and wouldn't have to wait until later to get the man off by himself. Spock saw him as he came in and waved in a friendly manner. Not stopping to get anything other than a cup of coffee, Jim headed over and sat down across from his first officer.

Spock looked askance at the captain's lack of food and was about to say something about his need for nourishment when Jim blurted out, "Say Spock, about last night, I, err…I was way out of line asking such, umm, personal questions and all, and I, uh…I know I shouldn't have been asking you all that stuff. See, I was kind of drunk—which I'm not saying is an excuse— but well…otherwise, I think I would have known better than to do that. But anyway, I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you, and so I, uh…just hope you can forgive me somehow—jeez, I have to do this often enough that I should be really good at it by now—and anyway, it won't happen again…" He trailed off when he realized that the half-Vulcan was gazing at him with barely suppressed amusement hovering around his eyes.

Spock then asked mildly, "Jim, are you referring to the conversation we had last night about Vulcan sexual behavior?"

Jim was so stunned by his friend's response that all he could do was nod. The half-Vulcan reached across the table and laid a hand on his captain's forearm; there was a clatter off to the side as someone dropped a plate. Spock then said, "Jim, we are friends, are we not?" At the captain's nod, he continued, "And in human society—in which I can now be said to reside, as the crew is 97% human—sex is something that friends discuss from time to time, is it not?" At yet another nod from Jim, Spock said, "Then I do not see the problem. Please do not concern yourself," as he removed his hand from the captain's arm. He paused then, looked pointedly at his friend's lone cup of coffee, and said, "Captain, I believe you need actual nourishment…"

After another moment of stunned silence Jim managed to regain his voice and he grinned as he said, "Yes, Bones," and got up to comply.

Spock raised an eyebrow at him in response, and Jim's grin got a little bigger. For a moment, the first officer watched his friend walk toward the serving area before turning once more to his food. He thought back to their conversation from the previous evening. Did he regret it? Hmm…well, no, he really did not. Somehow, he found that he simply did not mind that Jim now knew these things (for some reason). And really, it was only logical, as the man could have found them out on the Web on his own, and as he had decided the previous night, it was far better for the captain to get the information from a reliable source, such as an actual Vulcan.

Without the chocolate, though, he almost certainly would not have been so forthcoming, and he thought, Truly, 'In cioccolata veritas,' playing off of the old aphorism, "In vino veritas" and approximating what chocolate would have been called by the Romans if they had somehow made it all the way to the Americas. But he had said what he had and there was no changing it now. In any case, there was no point in being embarrassed. With a firm resolution to take his own advice and cease to be concerned over it, he went on with his breakfast.

Feeling enormously relieved, Jim marveled at what had just happened as he walked back to get some food. Spock had not been upset in the least, had not been affronted at all. Nor had his first officer exhibited any of the embarrassment that he would have expected in the wake of their unusually frank conversation. It was surprising, but it was good…well, very good, actually. He breathed another sigh of relief that their friendship had apparently survived his insensitive poking about intact.

The captain was in the process of getting all of the stuff he wasn't supposed to eat for breakfast when Uhura came into the mess hall. She had a sudden wild idea when she saw him, and she grinned wickedly. Should she, or shouldn't she? Hmm…yes, she should! Walking up behind him in the serving line, she said, "Moo-oo!" The captain's shoulders drew together briefly in apparent embarrassment, and he spun around expecting to see Bones or Scotty, a sharp retort on his lips. But his voice died and his mouth dropped open when he saw his communications officer behind him instead, looking back at him with a sweetly innocent expression. So he did the only thing he could think of in this situation: he stuck his tongue out at her. At that, she burst out laughing, and well…he then found himself simply unable to be upset over it and he grinned back at her. Once again, he thought how incredibly lucky he was to have these people on his crew. No other captain in all of the fleet could possibly have a better! Yes, this was definitely going to be a good day.


After second watch was over, Spock decided some quiet contemplation of the passing stars was in order, and he headed for the observation deck. They had left orbit around Mori during his watch and they were now on their way to their next stop at Haight-Ashbury in two days time. They could have been there in mere hours at a higher warp factor, but part of their mission was to survey anything interesting they spotted on the way, so they were taking it relatively easy. This was also an area of the Alpha Quadrant that had several spectacular nebulae, so the view was more interesting than it had been in recent days, and if not exactly crowded, the deck was not as quiet as it often was.

A crewman spotted him as he entered the room, and the man bolted to attention, saluted, and said, "Commander on deck!" Everyone made to scramble out of their chairs or up off the floor, but Spock quickly raised his hand and said, "As you were," and they all settled down. He noted that there were several soft conversations going on in amongst the star gazers and the scattered readers. He smiled inwardly at the number of books he saw in eager hands. He had always had a fondness for printed books, and he was glad that this part of the publishing industry had survived the temporary crisis brought on by the popularity and convenience of ebooks, and that humanity had resumed its love affair with the printed page. Ebooks persisted as well, of course, and the periodical literature of the world was now almost entirely published solely as ejournals and such things as online newspapers, but printed books were experiencing a strong resurgence.

It helped that ecological concerns over disappearing forests were no longer an issue, as forests were no longer being cut down for this purpose. In the last century, some far-sighted bioengineers had managed to create several strains of bacteria that produced different kinds of fiber for everything from toilet paper to high-quality printing paper, all from various kinds of manufacturing waste. The process itself produced very little waste of its own, and this was then further recycled back into soil conditioners. These so-called fiber farms were now a vast industry on Earth, and many people who in former times would have been employed in logging or other aspects of producing paper from trees were now working at such places.

The paper made from the fiber that was produced for books was pH neutral, with superior fold resistance, the perfect porosity for absorbing the proper amount of ink, and the perfect qualities for setting and retaining that ink. It could be made in a wide variety of colors, brightnesses, and thicknesses and was used for everything from trade paperback novels to archival-quality art books, depending on the mineral coating that was applied to the surface. As a result, the print industry was flourishing once again. And there was just something about the immutability of the printed page that still attracted people, as did the simple pleasure of holding a well-thumbed copy of one's favorite novel in one's hands, to relish the smell of the ink and the feel of the paper.

Spock had put his hands behind his back and was walking toward one of the large view ports when his attention was caught by a soft chuckle. He turned in time to see Chekov lay a book on his chest and laugh out loud with his head back. Curious as to what he was reading, the commander went over to him and began, "Good evening, Mr. Chekov…"

Before he could ask his question, the young man quickly straightened up, blushing slightly, and said hurriedly, "Kommander!" and after a short pause stammered, "I, umm…I'm wery sorry about last night…"

Spock interrupted then, unwinding one arm from behind his back and raising his hand with his index finger pointed straight up in a "Stop" gesture, and he made a kind of "Ehh" sound in his throat to highlight his intent. Chekov abruptly stopped talking, and the half-Vulcan fixed him with a somewhat stern look as he said, "Now Ensign, I thought we agreed to put that incident behind us."

The young man's blush deepened and he replied, "Aye sir, thank you sir." Seemingly bent on apologizing for something, though, he then said, "I am wery sorry if my laughter disturbed you…"

Spock repeated his gesture and small sound, tilting his head sideways for emphasis, and he answered, "You did not disturb me, Mr. Chekov. I was merely curious as to what you were reading. It appears to be quite humorous."

Pavel stared at him a moment but then replied, "Umm, yes sir, it iz wery humorous; it iz All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. It iz a true story about being a weterinarian in Yorkshire, England in zthe 1930s. I hawe read all of his books, and zthis iz one of my faworites. "

Spock nodded once and surprised the ensign by asking, "How far are you in the book?"

Chekov blinked at him, thinking, Why iz he asking me zthis? He could not possibly have read zthis book!, but he decided to humor his commander, so he answered, a bit hesitantly, "Well, it iz zthe part where Mr. Herriot has just made a successful prank telephone call to Tristan Farnon, his employer's brother."

Spock could not keep a twinkle from his eye as he said, "Ah, yes, I believe the call involved a certain cow uterus."

Chekov's mouth fell open and he gaped at the commander in clear shock. After a moment, he stammered, "But, but, but…you're Wulcan!" as Spock tilted his head and raised one eyebrow at him, while touching the pointed tip of one ear as if to say, "You are only now noticing?"

The young man recovered enough to say, "What I mean iz, I did not zthink zthat you would hawe read zthis book."

Spock put his arm behind his back again as he nodded and replied, "I read his books when I was growing up, as you did. I found them quite fascinating, for they provided a window onto a world that has now utterly vanished, one that was fast disappearing even as Mr. Herriot was starting to practice in Yorkshire and which was almost completely gone by the time the books were first published." He could have elaborated further by telling Chekov that he had read them because they had been among the books his mother had brought with her to Vulcan, and which he had read in secret (being uncertain whether his father would approve), along with all the others she had taken into her new life. But he did not want to bring any sadness over her death into this bright place, and so he let his statement stand as it was.

Chekov stared at him for another moment, and then he asked, "Umm, Kommander? Would you, uh…like to sit down?" as he gestured to the empty chair next to him.

It was Spock's turn to be surprised, but he recovered quickly and replied, "Thank you, Ensign. That would be quite acceptable." He took the offered seat, and soon they were deep in a discussion of Mr. Herriot's books, with their vivid descriptions of the people and the stunning landscape of the Yorkshire Dales; of his obvious affection for these tough and practical men and women, with their sometimes simple ways, and their frequent kindness and their growing hospitality as he had changed from suspiciously-regarded newcomer to trusted vet and friend; of the difficulties and joys of working with the animals; and of Jim Herriot's own initially stumbling but ultimately successful courtship of Helen Alderson.

During a lull in the conversation, a look of sadness filled Chekov's open face, and Spock asked, "What is troubling you, Ensign?"

The young man looked slightly chagrinned that he had been so obvious but then he answered simply, "I miss my cat, Kommander. I do not know if she misses me, but I miss her…"

The half-Vulcan raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Why do you not have her with you? It is permitted by regulations, as long as you file the proper paperwork and agreed to accept responsibility for her upkeep and care."

Chekov sighed and replied, "Zthat last iz zthe problem. I was going to train as a wet if I had not been accepted at Starfleet Academy, and so I have some idea of how much can go wrong. We do not have a weterinarian on zthe ship, and zthere are so many things she could die from, and I cannot expect Dr. Bones, as brilliant as he iz, to be able to treat her. I would never forgive myself if she died, being here with me, from something zthat could easily be treated on Earth."

Spock said, "Ah, I understand." He himself had had a pet sehlat as a child, and he would not have wanted to keep it in a situation where there was no access to professional medical care for the animal. After a brief silence, he asked, "Are there others on the crew who do not have their companion animals with them for that same reason?"

The ensign replied, "Da. Janice, err, that iz, Yeoman Rand…she gave away her cat, and Crewman Voltaire wouldn't bring her dog. And, Ensign Bishara decided to leawe his African grey parrot with his sister, because of that. Some people hawe brought their pets anyway—I know of two people with hamsters and one who has a pet rat—but…" he trailed off and shrugged.

The commander said thoughtfully, "I see," and then their conversation moved on to other things.

Since the moment he had asked Spock to sit down, Chekov had been continuing his ongoing reevaluation of the first officer that had started up in his brain almost as soon as the rec room door had closed behind them the previous night. He didn't think he had ever been more surprised in his entire life than when that same door had opened and his commander's role in delivering him to the surprise party had been revealed. The surprise party had been a surprise alright, but Spock being the person who delayed him? Now that had truly shocked him.

So it seemed the half-Vulcan was not just the rigid martinet he had previously thought the man to be; well, the first officer could be like that, it was true, but there was obviously so much more to him than that. As they continued to talk, Chekov marveled at how different Spock seemed to him now, and he wondered if it was the man himself who had changed or if it was just his own view of the commander, or both. He finally decided it was both.

As they talked, Chekov almost started as he came to another realization. Other than Sulu, and the captain to a small extent, none of the other senior officers had bothered to just sit and talk with him like this, and he felt a sudden unexpected rush of fondness for the man seated beside him. At the umpteenth time of Spock addressing him as Mr. Chekov or as Ensign, he suddenly blurted out, "Umm, Kommander? Y…you can call me Pawel off duty…if you wish zthat iz…"

Spock sat back in surprise and stared at Chekov for just a moment before replying, "That is acceptable. Thank you…Pavel," feeling quite pleased somehow, but still keeping his neutral expression. He then asked, "And what do you wish to call me, when we are off duty?" He knew this was a bit of a risk—one never knew what might come out of a human's mouth—but it seemed the right thing to do in this situation.

Pavel was surprised that Spock had asked him this—he had not expected anything like this response—and he was momentarily taken off guard. But he then had a sudden inspiration and he decided to follow through with it before he could change his mind. He colored again but he plowed ahead and asked, stammering a little shyly, "Well, just 'Spock' doesn't seem quite right, somehow—I don't know why, but it just doesn't—so, w...would it be alright if…if I called you 'Sempai'?"

The half-Vulcan blinked at him, once again completely surprised by a human utterance, despite being mentally prepared for such a thing. He understood that by asking this, by designating him as "senior," the young ensign was more-or-less asking to be his kohai, his "junior," to be someone who would look up to him and to be someone he would look out for. It was somewhat similar to the Western tradition of the mentor, but it was different in that the persons involved were generally fairly close in age and of similar experience and social standing, such as with a first year and a third year student at the same school.

He knew this, being familiar with the Japanese system of honorifics (though unlike Jim and Bones, not from animé but from an interest in the culture), and he also knew their situation was rather out of the norm for this kind of relationship—being the first officer and quite a bit older, he was more like a sensei, a "teacher"—but he somehow knew that Chekov did not mean any disrespect at all by asking what he had. It was, he thought, simply that the sempai/kohai relationship carried an implication of closeness and familiarity, while a sensei was automatically at more of a distance. As he realized this, he suddenly understood that Pavel was basically asking him to be his friend, while still making clear the younger man's great respect for him. No one had ever approached him in quite this manner before—it was very different from the way his other friendships had happened—and he found himself feeling quite touched by the gesture.

Spock regarded the ensign thoughtfully for a few seconds before saying, "You wish to be my kohai, then." Chekov blushed a little again, pleased that the commander understood, and he gave a quick nod and a short, "Da," The half-Vulcan got an odd feeling at that—something in his chest felt very warm indeed—and one side of his mouth tipped up as he inclined his head. He had intended to say, "That would be acceptable," but somehow, what came out of his mouth instead was, "It would be an honor, Pavel. I accept." His eyes widened a little in his surprise at himself, but he quickly forced his expression back to its normal neutral.

Chekov however, was under no such constraints, and he grinned hugely as he stammered, "Z..zthank you, Sempai," before he ducked his head a little in pleased embarrassment.

Spock replied, "You are welcome, Pavel," and after a slight pause, went on, "But I do have a question for you. Please do not misinterpret my query, but why not Mr. Sulu? Why me?"

Chekov looked up then and smiled at the half-Vulcan and answered, "Hikaru iz more of like my aniki, my older brother." He paused for just a moment and then said simply, "And you are Kommander Spock," as if that were the only real explanation needed for his choice. He was glad once again for having had a Japanese best friend while he was growing up, so he knew about these relationships and how they could enrich the lives of both of the people involved. Plus, he suspected this childhood friendship was one reason that he had gravitated towards Sulu, who had turned out to be about the best friend he had ever had.

The half-Vulcan inclined his head in assent and said, "Thank you, Pavel; I believe I understand." Their conversation then turned to how each of them knew these things and spread further to Japanese culture in general, and they were soon engrossed in this new topic. After a time though, Spock's internal clock told him it would soon be time for he to check on the progress of an experiment, and at the next lull in the conversation, he said, "Pavel, I must be going now, but I thank you for the fascinating conversation…and for what you asked me," flushing a little in his own turn at his sudden renewed awareness of this unexpected friendship.

Pavel smiled broadly, feeling quite at ease now with his new friend—he was one of those happy people who make friends quite easily—and said, "You're wery welcome, Sempai…and thank you."

The two men said good evening to each other, and Spock headed for the door. Chekov picked up his book again and was soon transported back to the life of a country vet in Yorkshire, England in the 1930s.


Spock walked away from the observation desk deep in thought, a radical idea starting to take shape in his brain. He went to tend to his experiment and ate a quick light dinner in the mess hall. He then returned to his quarters to get to work seeing what it would take to make his idea a reality.

After two solid hours spent in researching and compiling the information he would need, he spent another half hour getting the plans in order. He made a quick trip to one of the ship's print stations—there were still things that worked best presented as a hard copy—and then called Jim.

The captain was working in his ready room, as he often was. Grateful for an interruption from his paperwork, he answered his communicator, "Kirk here."

Spock said, "Captain, this Commander Spock. Would it be convenient for me to talk to you now about an idea I have had?"

"Sure, Mr. Spock. What's up?" Jim replied.

The half-Vulcan answered, "I would prefer to speak to you in person, if you do not mind, Captain."

Mind? Would he mind?! Hell, no! Any distraction would be good at this point, but for that distraction to be his first officer, and in person? Well, that was about the best distraction he could think of. He managed to contain himself as he replied, though, "That would be fine, Mr. Spock. Come on up whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Captain; I will be there momentarily. Spock out."

A few minutes later, Spock walked into the ready room through the corridor entry so as not to go through the bridge when he was not on watch. He was carrying a PADD and a large sheet of paper rolled up into a cylinder. After the two men exchanged greetings, Jim joined the commander at the conference table, sitting down across from him.

The captain saw that his first officer was looking at him rather speculatively and he wondered what was up. He was almost certain that Spock wanted to talk to him about something to do with the ship, so when the man spoke, what he said seemed to come out of left field.

"Captain, am I right in thinking that you do not have any allergies to animals?" Spock asked.

Jim blinked at him in surprise but managed to answer, "Uh, no…no allergies to animals, just to vaccines and shit like that."

Spock nodded. This was the answer he expected, but it was good to have his hunch confirmed. Pet allergies were now largely a thing of the past, as allergists and immunologists had finally made the connection between antibiotic use in childhood and the development of allergies when the antibiotics killed off the beneficial intestinal bacteria as well as the bad germs they were intended to treat. This problem was now easily remedied by restoring the body's beneficial bacteria with the appropriate probiotics, and as a consequence, very few people had pet allergies.

The half-Vulcan now felt free to go on with what he really wanted to say. He cleared his throat and began, "Captain, it has come to my attention that a number of the crew have companion animals with them on board the Enterprise." His expression was his normal neutral one, and it gave away nothing of his thoughts.

Jim was taken aback, wondering where this had come from and hoping that Spock wasn't going to complain about the practice. He answered, "Yeah, but it's OK according to regulations, you know."

"I am aware of that, Captain. But did you know there are a number of crew members who do not have their animals with them for fear of not being able to treat them appropriately in the event of illness or injury?'

The captain replied, "Well, no, I didn't know that. Actually, I never really thought about it before." He narrowed his eyes at his first officer and asked, "Where are you going with this, Mr. Spock?"

The half-Vulcan colored slightly and answered, "If we had a veterinarian on board, more people would have their companion animals with them."

Jim's mouth fell open and he stared at his commander for a moment (humans weren't the only species that could say utterly surprising things) before asking, "Are you saying that we should have a vet on the ship? So more people can have their animals with them?"

"Yes, sir," was the succinct reply.

The captain shook his head, completely surprised by what Spock was saying. Bu then he grinned at his friend and said, "And I bet you've got all the relevant information here with you, ready to show it to me."

Another "Yes, sir," followed and Jim said, "OK, show me what you've found out, Spock," and the first officer proceeded to go over what he estimated they would need in the way of equipment, supplies, and civilian personnel. Next he unrolled the cylinder of paper he had brought with him—it was actually two sheets rolled up together—to show the captain how the lab facilities could be rearranged to gain the necessary space for a veterinary operation, with no loss of functionality for the labs. The other sheet contained a plan for converting a little-used observation deck next to the C Deck rec room into a sort of day-care facility for animals like dogs that would not do well if left alone in a small room for eight hours at a time.

The last thing that he showed Jim was the cost estimate that he had worked out, which included a very rough estimate of the cost for converting the spaces and a rather more firm one of the salary amounts needed for the personnel. As his lists of equipment and supplies were almost certainly incomplete, he had built in a hedge factor to account for such oversights. He knew it was only an approximation of the actual expenses, but the estimate was as accurate as he could make it.

Jim whistled at the start-up costs. He said, "Spock, this is a really sweet idea, but I'm worried about the cost. Starfleet almost certainly isn't going to want to pay for this, and it seems kind of a lot for the interested crew to cough up."

Spock replied, "I plan on funding this myself. There would be no cost to Starfleet or to the crew."

The captain couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "But can you afford it?" He'd wondered before about Spock's apparent wealth. How did he have anything after the destruction of Vulcan?

The first officer replied, "I can." He then went on to answer Jim's unspoken question, saying, "I was fortunate enough to inherit a substantial number of credits from several relatives when I was growing up. My father initially saw to it that these were invested wisely, but I took over this activity when I was fourteen. When I declined to attend the Vulcan Science Academy, I moved all of my investments and financial accounts off of Vulcan. Most of these are now on Earth."

Jim colored a bit—damn, was he that obvious?—but he just smiled and said, "OK, good." After a short pause, he went on, "We'll have to work out things like restrictions on size and number of pets and stuff like that. Oh, and if they're not small animals confined to cages or if they can't just be left by themselves in someone's quarters, we'll probably want to have rules like they'll have to be sociable and play well with others. And of course you know we'll have to get approval from Starfleet Command. "

Naturally, Spock had that aspect covered, too, and he said, "Of course, Captain. I was thinking we could pitch it as a pilot program…" he stopped abruptly when he noticed that Jim was now gaping at him.

His friend asked incredulously, "Wait…did you just say we could 'pitch it'?!"

The half-Vulcan looked slightly surprised, but he soon regained his neutral expression and said, "I suppose I did say that. It is rather colloquial, but it does accurately reflect the situation." He paused for a moment and then with a small gleam in his eye, he repeated, "Yes, we could pitch it as a pilot program. One aspect of the pilot would be to assess the effect on crew morale if more people had their animals with them as a result of there being a veterinary service on the ship. If the effect is positive, as I expect it will be, then perhaps such things could become standard facilities on ships in the fleet. I could provide seed funding for such an expansion, but full funding would need to come from some other source." Spock's eyes were positively shining now in his enthusiasm.

Jim gazed back at him, still somewhat surprised by what his first officer wanted to do. He then made one of those sudden intuitive leaps, realizing that there must be a very particular motive behind all of this, something other than just crew morale in general. He regarded the half-Vulcan speculatively and said, "OK, Spock. Time to spill it. I know you care about the crew, but why do you really want to do this? What's this really all about? "

Spock almost started—once again he had failed to take Jim's intuitive sense into account—and he actually did sigh a little. Flushing slightly, he replied, "My kohai misses his cat." He was looking down, not quite wanting the meet Jim's eyes, caught out once again with an emotional response.

Jim asked, momentarily astonished, "Your kohai?!" But he recovered quickly and gave his friend a slow, wide smile and when Spock didn't say anything else, he went on, "Let me guess—Chekov?"

Spock looked up into Jim's eyes, flushing a little more, and then replied simply, "Yes."

The captain's smile turned into an enormous grin. Getting Spock to participate in the surprise party had paid off far beyond his wildest expectations. He had been hoping it would bring his first officer closer to the crew, and at least in Chekov's case, this is exactly what had happened. He reached toward his friend then and when Spock nodded, he laid his hand on the man's forearm and said, "Spock, this is about the sweetest thing I've heard in a very long time." He was actually thinking it seemed like an incredibly human thing to do, but he decided not to vocalize that thought. He went on, "I heartily approve, and I'll give you all the support I can in firming this thing up and then taking it to Starfleet Command. As you know, we're headed back to Earth after our stop at Andoria. I think it would be a good idea for us to run this by Admiral Pike first, so I'll see about setting up a meeting with him . If we can get his support, that's half the battle." He gave Spock's arm a friendly squeeze before removing his hand.

The first officer could not quite keep a tiny smile from his face as he replied, "Thank you, Jim. With the two of us pitching it, how can they say 'No'?"

Jim laughed and replied, "Well, they won't...not if they have a lick of sense!" He got up then and walked around to the other side of the table so he could sit next to Spock instead of across from him. He said, "Here, let's take a look at those plans again. I think I saw something else we could rearrange in the labs that would give a vet facility a bit more room…" As they worked, he spared a brief thought to what a terrific team the two of them made, and once again, he marveled at his luck. Yes indeed, the very best crew in the entire fleet, and it was his.


Author's note: Future business first. I have to let you know that it will probably be three weeks or so before I post the next chapter. I'm going to take a small break from writing this story so that I can get some other things done. And this is a good place to pause because we're heading into something darker again in the next chapter or two (it's just in my head at this point, and I'm not sure if how long it will be). But don't worry, it's not going to involve more conflict between our two favorite boys, rather it will be something that brings them closer together. But more than that, I'm not sayin'.

Now on to this chapter. Probably everyone got this, but just in case, "in vino veritas" is Latin for "in wine [there is] truth."

If I got stuff wrong about the sempai/kohai relationship, I apologize for that. And I'm using the spelling "sempai" instead of the more common "senpai" because I like the way the word sounds when spelled that way. Plus, spelling it with an "m" makes it less similar to "sensei."

The bit about allergies possibly being triggered by antibiotics wiping out the beneficial bacteria in our systems is a relatively new idea, but I think it's gaining some adherents. I think our beneficial intestinal fauna are going to turn out to be much more important for our health than anyone ever thought.

(This next paragraph isn't related to the story in any way—feel free to skip it—and I'm just telling you folks because, well, that's what we humans do: we share information. Anyway, another connection between the lack of good bacteria in our digestive tracks and health is my own experience with craving sugar and sweet things. I have had fairly intense sugar cravings almost my entire life. But when I started taking a particular kind of probiotic called Primadophilus Reuteri Pearls, made by Nature's Way, my sugar cravings disappeared after about six weeks. I can have one brownie now and not want to eat the entire pan. And I'm not resisting an urge to eat sweets; I simply don't even want them most of the time. I didn't change anything else about my diet, nor did I change the amount of exercise I (don't always) get, and from this one single change, I've lost 15 pounds in six months. FYI, I have no financial stake what-so-ever in the company that makes this probiotic nor in any of the outlets that sell it. I'm just sharing the information for the sake of sharing it. Maybe it will help someone else, too.)

Anyway, thanks for reading, and check back in about three weeks.