Chapter 13

Amanda settled into the plush leather seats of first class. This was going to be one very pleasant trip back to Earth. Plenty of leg room, a window side view of the stars and a refreshing drink topped up whenever she liked. It felt like a well-deserved rest after being up on her feet and rushing after the Ambassador like a lost puppy. The only downside was that the Ambassador would be sitting next to her for the next three hours. Without any immediate work to be getting on with she was planning on having a nap. However, she wasn't sure the Ambassador would feel the same way. It would either be work or another in depth talk about some key issue in politics and truth be told, she didn't have the strength for that right at this moment. She had secreted her PADD so that if he did try to give her some work she could claim she had put it in her handhold luggage. Oops.

As he settled down next to her, she noticed he was no longer wearing his Ambassadorial robes. They must have some kind of wardrobe in here she thought. Who knows what trivialities they had hidden in this section? She was glad she wasn't in standard class though. On her way to the space station she had had to chat with the lovely old lady, which was fine but there had been a small child that had delighted in kicking her seat throughout the entire journey. Thankfully, there was no one sat behind her.

The Ambassador diligently worked away at something on his PADD. Enjoying the peace, Amanda sipped her fizzy drink and looked out the window. She gripped the arm rest tightly as the shuttle undocked from the station. The vibration always sent a shiver up her spine. The Ambassador looked at her curiously. She let go and returned her attention to the window as they slowly began to drift away from the myriad of cylinders and domes that was the space station. Feeling the shuttle propulsion system kick in, she relaxed a little. Now there was nothing to worry about until they had to breach Earth's atmosphere. You know… asides from the odd asteroid or two. She winced as her imagination filled in the gory details. This was always a problem when she was tired. She breathed a deep breath out trying to relieve some of the tension she was feeling.

"Are you in distress?" the Ambassador enquired.

"No. Not at all Osu," she said airily. I could just do with another night's sleep but it doesn't look like I'll be getting it soon, she thought. She resisted the urge to rub her eyes. "Do you require any assistance?"

"No," he said simply, eyes glued to his PADD.

Seeing as she was off-duty, she began to move the chair into a more horizontal position, but alas, he wasn't finished.

"Tell me, what was your profession before you started working as my assistant?"

Her brows furrowed as she answered his question.

"Uh… well I didn't have a profession exactly. I had just finished my teaching qualification. I was supposed to start work at a school that was located nearby but…" She bit her lip.

At her pause, he looked up to consider her.

"But?" he encouraged.

"Well it just didn't work out." She huffed. "Plans change." She shrugged.

As he enlarged a graph on his PADD he continued to speak:

"Would I be correct in saying that that these plans may have changed because of… Charlie?"

Amanda gasped.

"How did you know about that?" she whispered, glancing around to see if anyone heard.

"Logical deduction," he said coolly. "Why is it that you are whispering exactly?" he asked.

"Because I don't want it to become common knowledge." She fumed.

"Surely whispering will only draw more attention to it?" he said, nonplussed.

Conceding the point she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out of the window. Infuriating Vulcan.

"What happened then?" he continued.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"I'm assuming you did not appear out of thin air with the express purpose to work at the embassy," he said dryly. "What events transpired so that you could acquire such a position?"

For some reason she had an odd sense that he found this rather amusing.

"Why are you so interested in my previous employment history?" she asked curiously. He cocked his head. She knew he wasn't going to answer. She sighed.

"Well, I went home and stayed with my parents for a bit. I decided on a fresh start and I moved to San Francisco. I had a couple of job applications that were dead-ends. Then out of the blue I'm being interviewed by Se'tek and then I got the job."

"You sound surprised," he commented.

"Well… I was. I had no political experience. Nothing to really make me stand out. I mean… I still have no idea why Se'tek hired me," she said thoughtfully.

"He believed you would be a good teacher."

Amanda blinked. She hadn't expected that.

"That's true. That is what I've always wanted to do." She gazed out to the stars for a moment. "But who am I supposed to be teaching?" she said flippantly.

"Me." He stated.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Oh… I see." Although not too clearly, she thought to herself. If she was really meant to be teaching the Ambassador she had managed to land herself the most difficult student in the world.

"Who better to give insight on human culture and society than a human teacher given the challenge of raising young children to behave acceptably in such an environment?" he elaborated.

"I suppose that makes sense," she agreed.

Time passed as they thought to themselves. Amanda was about to curl up to try and sleep again but the Ambassador had other plans.

"Ambassador Ingri has just sent me a revision of my proposed policy. I have sent it to your PADD for review," he stated.

She sat up stiffly.

"I'm sorry Osu; I packed my PADD in the hold," she said innocently.

He looked at her sternly.

"Indeed… You may borrow mine for the present."

He held his PADD out to her, but pulled it back before she could take it. "Next time, be sure to keep it on your person. Do I make myself clear?"

She ducked her head.

"Yes Osu."

Finally relenting, he handed it to her. Taking it in both hands, she accidentally brushed one of his knuckles. Her face went white.

"Ambassador, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…" She covered her mouth with her hand. What had she done? She had broken the first rule of meeting with Vulcans: Never touch their skin, especially not their hands.

The Ambassador shuffled uneasily in his seat and consciously placed the affected hand on his knee before turning to her.

"Be more careful next time Miss Grayson," he admonished. "The next Vulcan you meet may not be so forgiving," he said quietly.

Pulling out another PADD he silently returned to work. Amanda turned to the document on the PADD before her but she couldn't read a single word. She was still horrified by what had just happened. She thought she might die of shame.

Calming herself down, she slowly began to make her way through the article. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of him carefully examining the knuckle she had brushed. She had no idea why it was such a social taboo, but she knew that as soon as she got home she was going to call Se'tek. She had to know the significance of what had just happened.