"So there is no meat here," Kirk asked for the forth time.

"Jim," Ari said firmly, a vien fluttering in her forehead. "If you ask that one more time I swear I'm going to throw you through the wall."

"That's a little violent for a Vulcan, Ari," Kirk said, ready to dive behind Bones or Spock for protection.

"Yes, but it does not mean I won't do it." Ari kept her eyes trained on the menu in front of her. She was sitting with the young captain, the Enterprise's main bridge crew and Sivok. Syrik sat at the table not far away with several of his classmates and T'Pye.

"I do not understand dis menu," Chekov said, frowning as he turned the menu in his hand clockwise.

Uhura took the menu from him and tapped at the screen a few times before handing it back. "There you go, Pavel."

"Ah," the young navigator said his face brightening. "Russian! Thank you, Uhura!"

"Not a problem," Uhura said, looking down at her menu which was still in Vulcan.

"Ah Pok Tar," Chekov continued. "Russians invented those!"

Ari lifted her eyes from the menu and stared at the young human, along with the other members of the crew.

Sivok, who only spoke sparse English, noticed everyone looking at the young human with the strange accent and leaned sideways towards Ari. "What is it he said," he asked softly.

Ari shook her head slightly. "He has a habit of saying that his nation invented things," she replied. "He claims Pok Tar was invented by them."

Sivok frowned slightly. "Pok Tar is a Vulcan dish," he said, confused by the human's claim.

"Hence the funny looks," Ari said looking down again. "Pok Tar does sound good," she muttered to herself, tapping the item twice to select her order along with a chilled plomeek tea and set the menu before her.

Sivok glanced at the curly headed human once more before tapping his own selection.

"There's nothing but veg-" Kirk started.

Spock calmly took away Kirk's menu and tapped at it for a moment before placing it down before his captain. "There you are, Captain," he said formally, returning to his own menu and tapping his own selections.

"God dammit," Bones muttered tapping at his own menu. "I don't want the stupid salad! I want the fish!"

"Bones," Ari sighed, holding out her hand. "Give me that before you throw it across the room."

Bones handed her the menu and sat back in his chair. He crossed his arms and muttered darkly to himself as Ari tapped at the menu, fixing his order.

"What is a ge-spar," Sulu asked baffled.

"You know that plant in my quarters," Ari asked him.

Sulu thought for a moment and nodded.

"That's a Gespar."

"Ah," Sulu said. He tapped at the menu and set it aside.

"Humans are a strange people," Sivok commented to Ari, glancing around at the humans.

"That they are," Ari agreed as a waitress came to take their menus. "But you get use to their strange ways."

"You do," Sivok said raising an eyebrow as Chekov and Sulu laughed at something Kirk had said.

"After a few years of have daily interaction with them you do," Ari conceded.

"Is that true, Spock," Sivok asked the older Vulcan. He had noted that the human female, Uhura, had remained at Spock's side constantly.

Spock glanced sideways at Uhura. "I have found that, though humans have... traits," He said carefully, "that are strange to Vulcans, one gains a tolerance towards them."

Sivok's eyebrows came together slightly but before he could inquire further their food arrived.

Bones stared at the food in front of him, poking at it with his fork. Next to him, Kirk was staring at an identical plate of food. "What is this," Kirk said.

"Its a mollusk," Uhura said, rolling her eyes. "Just eat it, you two and quit acting like children!"

Ari picked at her Pok Tar. The tour around the Klingon exhibit had reacquainted her with several other old classmates. She learned that Spirk had went off planet shortly after Ari with his mother, and not been among them, for which she was thankful for. Her meeting with the others had been pleasant enough. With Spock and Uhura standing so close no one could really do anything but be pleasant, though Ari sensed that most of them wished for her to disintegrate right there. Of course, none of them would ever admit to the wish but she knew she was only tolerated as a classmate and since they were not obliged to deal with her they did not.

Ari had offered for Sivok to join the others when they left. But Sivok refused her offer to leave her, saying that he would rather spend time with her since she would only be on planet for a short time. Ari was surprised by his decision. She knew he had meant it when he apologized to her for not stopping the others for teasing her but she had not expected him to stay with her when the others rejected her presence.

"Is there something wrong with your dish," Sivok said her interrupting her thoughts.

"No, it is fine," Ari said stabbing at the dish with her fork. "I just got lost in thoughts."

"The humans do not seem to agree with their food," Sivok said.

Ari looked up at Bones, Kirk and Uhura, who sat in front of her with Spock. Uhura was eating her Pok Tar without any issues but Kirk and Bones were still eying each fork full of food carefully as if the mollusk was going to suddenly come back to life and attack them. Next to Sivok, Chekov and Sulu picked out the ingredients they did not recognize and ate what was left. "They aren't use to our food is all," she said with a shrug. "Humans find Vulcan dishes bland in flavor."

Sivok looked down at his plate. "I do not find it so," he said thoughtfully.

"You have lived off it your entire life," she pointed out. "After 8 years of eating human food, even I find certain dishes tasteless."

"Sa-kai," a small high voice said from behind Ari.

Ari's muscles tensed and she twisted around to see who was behind her. A small child, about 7 years old, stood there with an adult next to her.

"Ko-kai," Sivok said turning towards the little girl. "Are you well?"

"I am," the little girl said.

"She wished to return to you," the adult told him. "She insited upon it."

"Ko-kai," Sivok said gently, "there is still other things to see in the museum. Do you not wish to see it with your classmates?"

The little girl's eyes moved from her brother to Ari for a moment and then back to Sivok. "I wish to be with you, sa-kai." Her eyes flicked back to Ari.

Ari raised an eyebrow slightly at the scene unfolding before her. Forever preservative of the emotions of others, she could sense something from the child aimed towards her. She had felt something like it before, usually from teenaged humans towards each other when the other was too close to the firsts chosen mate, temporary or otherwise. Feeling the defensive emotion from a child, a Vulcan no less, was highly amusing to Ari.

Sivok "sighed." "Very well, Ko-kai. We will go back to the museum as soon as I am done with lunch. You have eaten?"

"Yes, I have," the child said and climbed into her older brother's lap, much to his surprise. She looked over at Ari again as she settled deeper into Sivok's lap.

A smirk lifted Ari's lips as she felt the challenge from the small child and returned to her food. During Sivok's conversation with his sister, Uhura seemed to be have an argument with Kirk.

"Kirk, tell her," she snapped at the blonde man.

"I don't think now is a good time," Kirk protested.

"There is no logical reason for you not to tell her, Captain," Spock said in his calm even voice.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Bones muttered, "but I agree with Spock, Jim. Just tell her and get it over with! What's the worse that she can do in a public place?"

"I-" Kirk started.

"Kirk," Ari said suddenly. "Just tell me whatever it is and quit acting like I'm not here."

Kirk flushed suddenly. "Well, you see. Uh-" Kirk glanced at Spock.

Spock glanced at him and down at his plate, making it clear that this was not his job.

"You see, Ari," Kirk started again, very nervous for some reason. "There are-" he hesitated.

Ari inhaled deeply and looked at Bones. "What is going on?"

"Command says that you have to go to the Academy," Bones told her.

"I see," Ari said evenly. "Is that it?"

"No," Bones said and looked at Kirk.

Kirk glanced at Bones and then at Spock. Neither one showed any signs of bailing him out of this part. He took a deep breath. "Command also says that if you are unable to complete the physical fitness test by the end of your first year at the Academy, then your career with Star Fleet will end there."

Ari stiffened. Though she may have been reluctant to join the crew of the Enterprise at first, she had grown to enjoy, even love, being part of the crew. As a minor, her father had signed a release form that had forced her to remain with the Enterprise crew until she turned 18 and could decide on if she wished to stay. But she had told Susan several times that she wished to remain with Star Fleet even after she turned 18. She had never had a direction for her future before now and it seemed to be slipping away from her.

"I see," she said in an calm, even voice.

The officers eyed her with sympathy, even Spock had a certain glaze in his eyes when he looked at her. Each of them knew of Ari's decision to make Star Fleet her life, knew how much she loved the ship and the knowledge she gained in the short time. And they could also see her mask slipping into place as that dream was in danger of being destroyed.

"Ari," Uhura said softly.

Ari blinked slowly and then more rapidly as if coming out of a trance. She grinned suddenly at them. "I guess I'd better get ready to return to school," she said lightly.

Ari's bravo did not fool the officers. Though she smiled brightly at them, the smile did not reach her eyes and as she drew Sivok into conversation, they could see a change in her body language. They could see the pain just under her skin.

Kirk dropped his eyes and pushed away his half eaten mollusk. He wished more then anything that he hadn't needed to give Ari those news. She had been through a lot in the last month. As if being kidnapped, tortured, witnessing the murder of her best friend and losing the ability to walk without aid, now her career with Star Fleet was thrown into a grim light. Bones had kept near constant contact with the Vulcan Science Academy, and the Vulcans there had no idea how to fix her knee. If they didn't figure something out then Ari would be unable to complete the mile run for Star Fleet's physical fitness test.

Sivok had no idea what the Star Fleet officers had told Ari nor did he notice a change in Ari. The only strange thing he noticed was the behavior of his little sister, who gripped his tunic with on hand. She was acting quite illogical in his eyes.