Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, Paramount does.
A/N - This is a story that I wrote a long time ago, focusing on what Spock thinks of Surak's teachings.

Spock awoke as always at exactly 5:00 AM Ship's Time. Immediately he was completely conscious, and wasted no time in getting dressed in his normal blue uniform and walking to the dining room.

As Spock sat down at his usual table, he found himself wondering about humans. It was 5:04, a time late enough that everyone should have been already in the dining room if they wanted to be at their posts by 5:28. But, it was most likely that the majority of the humans aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise were still asleep, and would not wake for at least another 21.542 minutes. He did not understand it. The humans had set the rule that stated each person was to rise at 5:00 Ship's Time, yet they did not follow their own rule. It was highly illogical.

As Spock began to gingerly eat the strange Earth food called , the silence was overwhelming. He could hear the sound of his own breathing, which Spock was not used to, even though his ears had a higher capacity for doing such a thing. Humans did not value silence for the logical thing that it was, as Vulcans did.

Instinctively, Spock let his mind blank and focused on the soft sound of his own breathing. Soon not only the room was silent - Spock had joined the silence which gathered around him like a flock of birds eager to be fed.

He was now part of the traditional Vulcan meditation which he had studied for many years. Spock remembered when he was a young child and this meditation had been part of his schooling, part of Kya'shin, the teaching of logic over emotions. Hopefully when Spock reached the customary age he would receive the Kohlinar, the certificate of complete logic.

In just thinking this, Spock felt a small wave of excitement travel up his throat. Immediately he punished himself. He would not sink that low. It was against the teachings of Surak.

Spock remembered the chant he had been taught while being schooled, a basic asset of Kya'shin. I am in control of my emotions, Spock began to mentally repeat, I am in control of my emotions. At once, he felt the shield of logic fall over him, and ceased the chant. It was time to eat. Only 16.78886 minutes were left until he was due on the bridge.


Hey, you green-blooded hobgoblin! A voice called from beyond the depths of the silence Spock was engulfed in. He looked up at the sound of the wavy human voice. It was the doctor. He had a fascinating habit of calling Spock odd things that were not his name or his position. Yet another illogical aspect of human life.


Hello, Doctor. Spock greeted the man. The Doctor, Mr. McCoy, was grinning, a curious movement of the mouth that, when moved to create various shapes, displayed a number of Terran emotions.

I see you're finally trying flapjacks. said the Doctor, setting his replicator tray down next to Spock's.

This was odd; Spock had thought that the Doctor disliked him. Obviously he had to study human emotions more.

I believe they are called Pancakes', doctor. He corrected, raising an eyebrow. Humans were fascinating creatures.

Doctor McCoy did not respond, as he was now hungrily attacking the Earth food, something quite nauseating to watch. Spock concentrated on the meditation until his captain arrived.

If Captain Kirk disliked Spock as the doctor supposedly did, he did not vocalize this. The captain was also human, yet illogically he was a person that Spock was considered to look up to. Perhaps it was easy for Spock to get used to the idea of having an emotional human as a captain because Spock himself was half-human.

At the mere thought of this, Spock would have gone rigid had he not still been chanting. Being half human was not something he usually talked about. Spock himself knew that if he were capable of possessing human emotions, the only thing he would feel for his human mother would be hatred.

It was 5:21. Time to report to the bridge. Slowly, Spock picked up his tray and began walking, calculating the distance to the nearest star traveling at Warp 7 as he went.