Chapter 37 - Lexington

The USS Lexington hung in powered orbit just above Starfleet's main earth station. The ship's transporter technician looked Spock up and down in his first year cadet blues.

"I was ordered to report to Captain Sulu," Spock said.

The technician touched the comm, got this confirmed. An ensign came in, stated that Spock should follow her. She led Spock to the hanger deck, where three members of engineering and the captain and captain's yeoman were discussing deck operations and parts supply.

The ensign led Spock to within four meters of the group and stopped and waited, hands behind her back.

Captain Sulu looked over. "Is it fourteen hundred already?" He turned back to the group. "Work out and agree on an plan and write it up. I promised someone a tour."

Sulu took Spock in with an inviting lift of his hand, and Spock followed him out of the hanger deck.

"Ever been on a Constitution Class ship, Cadet?"

"No sir."

"Admittedly, this doesn't give the best impression. It's quiet while we're in orbit. Only one shift on board."

They took the lift up two levels, exited crisply. On the way aft, they stepped into Botany.

Sulu stopped beside a plant on a front table with leaves like swallowtail butterflies.

"Lepidarus Nostrodamus from Signus Seven. Ever seen it?"

"No sir." Spock kept his distance, even as Sulu leaned in close enough to almost touch his forehead on a black and gold leaf.

"The natives think the leaves come to life and alight on whoever is supposed to be the next chief. This one is either still immature, or that doesn't really happen." He stood back. "Lovely though, isn't it? On time lapse it does look like a butterfly convention."

Sulu stepped along between tables, tilting his head one way, then the other, checking soil meters as he went. He stopped before a pink flower, said hello to it. The flower emerged from a fat bud like a hand, waved finger-like protrusions.

"Hello, my lovely. Her name is Gladys." He looked back at Spock. "She gets angry if you don't say hello."

Spock felt a prickle in the muscles that ran horizontal across his upper back, an unfamiliar sensation. "I cannot discern what is a jest in your interactions, Captain."

The flower screeched, not just audibly, but psychically. Spock restrained himself to a flinch with great effort.

"Hello, Gladys," Spock said, in perfectly logical self defense.

The flower cocked its bloom, the way one would if dubious of someone's sincerity.

Captain Sulu was smiling to himself as he passed Spock. "She's very sensitive."

Spock needed time to recover. He followed slowly, looking ahead for hazards among the greens and blues that he had no means of discerning. The remaining plants on the tour were less sentient, more extraordinary for their chemical properties and environments. Spock had not studied much botany and greatly increased his estimate for how much one would need to learn to conduct research on such a vessel.

Captain Sulu still wore a private smile when they reached the far door of the department. "Anything in particular you'd like to see other than the engine room, which everyone wants to see?"

"The computer core. The sensor arrays."

"We'll swing by both then while were in this hull. Come."

Sulu pointed out some details as they passed, clearly warmed to his topic.

In the central corridor leading aft, Spock slowed. The bulkheads was narrower here than the specification, odd for such a critical passage of the ship. Sulu turned on his toes and walked facing backward until Spock caught up again. Sulu's steps were unusually light for a human.

"Something of interest?"

"A major conduit must have been added here beyond this bulkhead that was not on the ship's original diagrams."

Sulu looked around. "It's always been like that. I could get someone from engineering to accompany us for the tour. If you are going to have questions of that sort."

"It's not that important, sir. It will have been documented and I can review that rather than use your time or anyone else's."

"You studied this class of vessel before the tour?"

"I did not have an opportunity to do so in depth given the abruptness of your invitation, Captain." The narrow section ended at the next intersection. Spock looked around, noted access panels with extra wear on edges and clips, others beside them were pristine. His back still prickled from Gladys's psychic cry. "My current working knowledge stems from directing the technicalities of the attack on the USS Potemkin."

Sulu turned to Spock, considered him. "Hm." He nodded to himself. "Touché."

In Engineering, Spock attracted attention which Sulu ignored. Spock found the sensor bay more interesting, the way equipment was clearly temporary, clearly hacked together and repeatedly altered.

On the way to the officer's deck in the lift, Sulu said, "Did you talk to Kirk about this interview?"

"Yes. I asked him which uniform was appropriate."

"Duty uniform was the right decision."

Sulu triggered open the door to his quarters.

"Discuss anything else?"

"He said I should be myself."

Sulu took the seat behind his desk and gestured that Spock should take the visitor's chair. The suite was spacious and contained numerous superfluous built-in decorations. Spock wondered at their presence given the additional cost and maintenance complications on top of the complications of such a large ship to start with.

"Are you being yourself?" Sulu asked kindly.

"I am. It is why I asked about the impact of various design decisions on your experience and opinion of this vessel."

"Most of which I've never thought about or barely noticed or haven't noticed in months. She's my ship. I love her for what she is." Sulu hesitated, rubbed the tip of his nose. "But onto other things, Cadet."

Sulu rocked back in his chair. "I'm concerned. Which is why you are here."

"So I was informed. I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Captain."

"Youth always mistakenly believes that. How do you refer to Commander Kirk? Jim?"

"James."

"I expect you are going to protect James as much as possible in this conversation. I'm still trying to suss out the most workable approach out of many possible doomed approaches. I want you to trust me, but I have to give you a reason to."

Spock raised a brow. "If I may, Captain. It was my understanding that you wished to assess my developmental level. And you now have a sample of data from which to do so from our tour of the ship."

"That was my plan originally, to simply talk to you. And while you have impressive technical knowledge and curiosity, that says nothing about your personal maturity." He rubbed the tip of his nose again. "I'm hampered now by what is appropriate to discuss with your race."

Spock raised both brows, spoke firmly. "I am half human, sir. I intend to spend my career around humans, most of whom will not follow said guidelines. If it is possible to, I give you my permission to ignore protocol." Spock bowed his head, found his core of quiet and settled over it. "I apologize if I sound impatient, sir."

"You are remarkably un-nervous for someone of your rank in this situation."

"Emotion is something I separate from my behavior as much as possible."

"I can see that. That include decisions about lovers?"

"Yes. Especially so."

"Why didn't you tell James you were underage?"

"I did not understand that I was."

Sulu sat forward. His broad face grew broader in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"My people never discuss such things without extreme necessity. And such a question about maturity-dependent consent would almost never occur. It is biologically determined and of no matter before that point."

"That still doesn't excuse Kirk from not knowing our rules. His job is to uphold rules."

"Indeed, sir."

Sulu relaxed at Spock's concession. "Do you regret things?"

"Only that I am causing James difficulty."

"If you were following his lead, the fault lies with him, not you. That's important for you to remember."

"Can you clarify that statement for me, Captain?"

"When you were on the Ranger. You would have been following his orders."

Spock raised a brow. "By no means was I following his orders. He complained often that I did not."

"You didn't obey him even though he'd rescued you and was in charge of the ship, which was patrolling far out of contact with stations or inhabited planets."

"I had never formally agreed to be under him, rescue or no."

Sulu's eye narrowed. "When you disobeyed him, did he get angry? Change your privileges?"

"He did get angry. As to privileges I had few to start with. As one might expect given the circumstances."

"What happened when you disobeyed him? I'm having a hard time imagining he'd let that stand." Sulu sat back again, shuffled his shoulders around against the chair back. "I know I wouldn't."

"I can provide an example. He ordered me to bring him a stimulant shot from the dispensary so that, despite blast shock, he could remain upright a time longer. I refused. I told him he could wait for treatment or rest, but whatever his choice, I could wait him out as circumstances were on my side. This was after the raid on the bot factory, but before the second battle with the USS Sanchez."

"You were willing to interfere in the middle of a battle. You didn't care that he got angry?"

Spock shook his head. "Not when his wellbeing was at stake, and therefore the safety of the ship."

Sulu's lips pulled taut. "Hm." He looked down at his hand on the desk. "I remember what a mess Kirk was when we arrived." He slid his hand back and forth over the desk edge. "Your records aren't put together properly, you realize? Your contractor records don't come up automatically with your Starfleet records."

"I prefer that, sir."

"You should put them together. The experience is more than relevant. It puts you far ahead of your peers."

"I'll consider it, sir."

Sulu stared ahead of him at the table with a distant focus.

"It's important to me, Cadet, to ensure that Starfleet doesn't harbor any predators. In the command line, for certain. We have, now and then, let one or two slip through. My second ship assignment when I was a Lieutenant." Sulu's distant gaze didn't change.

"You have met Commander Kirk, sir. I do not see-"

"Predators are almost always exceedingly charming." Sulu said. "Very well liked. That's how they gather allies. Which helps to isolate their prey." Sulu ran his hand over the table edge again. "I've had Gladys since that assignment. She hated the ship's first officer." He smiled fondly. "She was the only one. It's amazing how much damage one officer can do before enough suspicion piles up to make it impossible to ignore. As a result, my tolerance for anyone I even slightly suspect is very low, less than zero if that's possible."

"James is charming because he desires others to enjoy being alive as much as he does," Spock said. "Although. I do see it also as part of inspiring his crew. Which is a not dissimilar to your example, except that he uses that power over others to order them into highly dangerous situations against their instinct for self preservation. I assume you rely on this as well. Captain?"

"Hm." Sulu exhaled audibly, looked away. "I'm tangling with you in a mode reminiscent of your father. You certainly aren't striking me as vulnerable. I admit I was concerned you were."

"I am very vulnerable, Captain. But it is due to the questionable legality of my relationship with James. Not because of James."

Sulu glanced over Spock's shoulder with a frown, a hint of impatience. "How's that?"

Spock gathered himself. "In order to have my application to the Academy processed I was subject to blackmail and mental torture at the hands of Starfleet Intelligence. For six hours I had to make myself a cooperative subject for an experimental interrogation method for hostiles, or I my application would be scuttled. James attempted to halt the experiment, but he too was blackmailed, with this very issue you are pursuing. It is this issue which brings me to harm."

Sulu said, "That shouldn't have happened. If you are portraying it fairly, that is."

"I believe I am, sir." Spock was pleased at how level he sounded. He almost didn't sound like himself.

"Do you have proof?"

"Captain, I still fear either myself or James being injured by administrative action."

"Only James is at risk. Unless he's holding something over you."

"Every aspect of James's wellbeing is my concern, sir. I am not skilled at aiding a human who is struggling emotionally, and James has just now been returned to his optimum situation. I have no desire to harm that by provoking others who can damage it."

"So, I'm going to order you to answer me, Cadet. Is there proof?"

Spock considered that he should have expected that. He needed far more practice at this kind of interaction. "Commander Iona of Starfleet Security stated that he was going to obtain the full records of that session from Intelligence for his own records, but I do not know if he succeeded. The Ranger's CMO, Chapel, recovered several hundred of the neurobots from my brain. They had malfunctioned and become lodged rather than getting filtered out when the session was terminated."

"How did the Ranger's CMO get involved?"

"Against regulation, admittedly, James took me to the USS Ranger. Dr. Chapel did her residency on Vulcan and is more qualified than most physicians to see to my care."

"You required medical care as a result of this . . . session?"

Spock couldn't help dropping his gaze in annoyance. "Yes, sir."

"Hm."

Sulu slid his hand over the desk again. "You know the names of the people in Intel you dealt with? I can again make that an order."

Spock summarized the events with dispassion. His retelling was interrupted twice by communications from various ship's officers. Each time, Sulu immediately returned his full attention to Spock, a skill Spock had noticed few humans possessed, but if they were in command, it was requisite.

"That really shouldn't have happened," Sulu said when Spock concluded. "And I see what you mean by this issue leaving you vulnerable."

"I have also noticed, Captain, that I am not always deemed worthy of humane consideration."

"Don't take it personally. It happens with other humans too. Full humans."

"I see."

"Nonetheless, I feel compelled to follow up on this."

"Captain, I do not expect to be protected. It is not the Vulcan way. We are supposed to survive and prosper, no matter the difficulties. We are supposed to remove the difficulties or remove the impact they have on us. And I am very concerned about the repercussions, sir."

"I'll be careful. You aren't as vulnerable as you think. Any leak from Intel is considered a severe failure of their mission. They know all kinds of damaging things that they keep under wraps every day."

Spock resisted arguing further, looked away. "I understand, sir, that I am supposed to put my faith in you."

"You are. That's the point, actually." Sulu leaned forward, put his elbow on the desk. "I tell you I'm hunting predators and you tell me about one in Intel. You are supposed to have faith it will be dealt with."

Sulu's voice grew softer. "The experience still bother you?"

"Must I answer that, Captain?"

Sulu tilted his head to the side. "Well. Yes, I prefer that you do, or I wouldn't have asked."

"Yes. At times."

"And it bothers you that it bothers you."

Spock centered himself, this time successfully. "Indeed."

Sulu smiled faintly. "You think I don't know your type? You might feel the outsider, but you are very much like half the crew of this ship. Beings most brutal when criticizing themselves."

Sulu sat back with a sigh. "At the Academy, Cadet, is there someone you can go to for help? Someone not your parents, for whom pride is guaranteed to get in the way of open consultation."

"Captain Chanel."

"No, specifically not her. She worships Commander Kirk."

Spock raised a brow. "Lieutenant Grange of Student Services whom I frequently work with. He does not worship anyone."

"The gruff sort?" Sulu talked around a smile.

"Yes. But has demonstrated an annoyingly stubborn level of concern for me."

Sulu's lips wrinkled fully into a smile. "That's perfect. Will you promise me if you have any issues, any at all, you'll go to him with them? Let him assist?"

Spock resisted raising his eyebrow again. "Yes, Captain."

"You're promising me, correct? Vulcans are supposed to be as good as their word."

"Yes, sir. I am promising you."

"All right then. That makes me feel better abandoning you when we get final orders to depart. I might send him a message in a few weeks. Check up on you."

"I cannot object, sir."

"The more I talk to you, the more I want to ensure sure you succeed. When you graduate, I'll see if we have a place for you here on Lexington. We don't usually take on NUBs."

"I am flattered, Captain, but I am hoping to be assigned under James."

"Yes, I guess you would be." He appeared to suppress a deeper smile. "Does James fence?"

"I do not believe so."

"I was thinking a friendly or perhaps not so friendly match to see who gets you." Sulu pushed to his feet, leaned over the desk. "Tell him to learn. Okay?"

Spock stood also, waited to see if this was a jest, received no hint it might be. "Yes, sir."

Sulu nodded to himself, came out from behind the desk. "If I take you to the bridge, someone will remember you from the Ranger. Would you like to do that?"

"It is not necessary, Captain."

"No reason to be shy. We don't bite." Sulu waited, raised his hand in invitation. "Come on. It's nearing the end of alpha shift and I should check in anyway."

Spock followed, steeled himself for what, he could not predict. The bridge was quiet when the lift doors opened.

"Captain on the bridge," the yeoman standing beside the center chair announced.

A commander in red vacated the seat, spun it straight again and waited beside the yeoman at attention. Spock thought this an unusually high level of formality.

"Thank you, Opo, you can hold the Conn. I'm just checking in."

Spock remained by the lift doors. The lieutenant at communications looked up at Spock, and kept looking as he talked over the comm about stowing supplies. Spock studied each of the stations in turn. Not much was happening except at engineering, where systems were being calibrated and at nav due to the heavy traffic in low earth orbit.

The bridge was spacious, the lighting done with thoughtful care toward the emotional impact it had. The deck levels were carpeted, in three different colors. Captain Chanel's derision aimed at 'expensive showpieces' was beginning to seem more logical and less emotional.

Sulu spoke to engineering for three minutes, moved to Nav. He looked up at Spock, deep in thought, asked Nav if there was any issues with getting to their next destination. Nav split her screen to pull up courses and hazard notices.

Communications pulled his earpiece, said to Spock, "You decided to make your service official, Cadet?"

"Yes, sir."

Helm turned while keeping his hands on his station, looked Spock up and down.

"That the Vulcan from the Ranger, Captain?"

Others turned.

"Yes. I thought he'd like a tour. Now that we're all patched up again. Can't say he didn't try to prevent us getting hit."

Spock sensed a tensing of the bridge crew.

From where Sulu stood before the Nav console, he gave Spock a wry smile. He came aft, stepped lightly up to the lift doors. He glanced around the bridge over his shoulder. "You've already done simple simulations of all the stations, correct? You know something of what's going on."

"All but scanner, sir. Or I believe it is Sciences on this vessel."

"You were running scanner on the Ranger."

"Tertiary, sir."

"You weren't trained?"

"No, sir. I used the raw data feeds and programmed appropriate filters to the circumstances. There wasn't exactly time to learn the interfaces."

"Hm." Sulu looked around the bridge again as if checking for more reactions from his crew. Nav and Helm were looking sideways over their shoulders back at them.

Sulu said, "One more stop, Cadet, and I'll let you get back to your studies."

They stepped across the otherwise empty observation deck to where the space station and a dizzying multitude of ships were hanging in orbit visible through the lower half of the large, curved porthole.

Sulu said, "I do believe you had better instincts about my bridge than I did. I was hoping to get you to look forward to joining us."

"I observe that they are a tightly-knit crew, sir."

Sulu nodded, seemingly to himself as usual. "Well, Cadet. I'm worried much less about you. But I am going to check in on you."

"Yes, sir."

"And in turn, keep an eye on our missions, okay? I think you'll find we have the most interesting assignments going. We're not stuck at one of the DMZs often like Enterprise is. Unless you prefer battle. I may be misreading you."

"Battles are an illogical waste of resources, sir."

"I thought your sentiment would run along that line." He nodded again. "Well, James is safe from me. Intel might not be. Nevertheless, I'll be careful of making waves. Your father's comments about James made quite an impression."

Spock hesitated. "I do not know to which comments you refer."

"James didn't tell you? Well, I suppose it was spoken during a closed panel, but it wasn't pertinent to the reasons it was closed. I'm surprised he didn't mention it."

"He did not."

"Interesting. Your father lauded James in no uncertain terms. Said he wouldn't replace him in your life with anyone, human or Vulcan."

Spock felt his brows pinching together without his will. "My father said that, sir?"

"Yes. That and Kirk's point about not considering that a nineteen year old who is four times smarter than a human of the same age could possibly be underage is also working on me. He does have a point. Even though it doesn't wholly excuse his sloppiness with the rules." He looked Spock's face over in detail. "I got the sense today that you were holding back. Trying not to show off in order to blend in."

Spock hadn't consciously done so, but wondered if he hadn't been finding that led to easier interactions and had been gravitating to that behavior at the Academy. "Perhaps, sir."

"Shows maturity." Sulu tilted his head away from the observation port. "Come, Cadet. I'll show you out."