Spock doesn't "like" anyone, but he really doesn't like Kevin Riley.
Angry Young Man
Everyone thought Lieutenant Kevin Riley was the luckiest man on the Enterprise because he was dating one of the most beautiful women on the ship, Lieutenant Uhura. She was the finest thing on two legs aboard the ship according to a lot of the men and some women too. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was smart, talented, and friendly; the total package. So what was she doing with a guy like Kevin Riley a lot of people wanted to know? There was no way Riley was hitting that!
When Riley and his friends got together to hang out or have drinks, inevitably the conversation would end up on relationships and sex. Riley would smile and joke along with the guys and gossip about their dating life, but deep down inside he was not happy at all. Sure he was dating one of the prettiest girls aboard the Enterprise, but he was not hitting anything except the bottle of gin he was nursing at the ship's only pub.
Uhura was a beautiful and sweet girl, but she was not at all what he thought she would be like as a girlfriend. She was very hands-off and haughty. She liked to flirt and tease him but she was also gentle and caring too. When the water intoxication incident occurred and everyone on the ship turned against him, Uhura stood by his side and fiercely defended him against any detractors. That was just the kind of girl she was.
And damn she had a beautiful body! But she didn't know how to use it or rather she refused to use it on him. Basically, she was all looks and no action. Uhura was a good girl and that was just too bad.
Riley laughed to himself as he downed another shot, but deep down inside he was seething with resentment that his girlfriend would not even touch him or allow him to touch her other than to hold her hand. Sure she had kissed him on several occasions, but whenever he tried to move things further along, she backed away or found some excuse to stop. He didn't even know why he bothered with her. There were plenty of other women on the ship who were also pretty and he was willing to bet more willing and able to fulfill his needs.
Someone across the room shouted loudly, "Hey Riley! Sing us a song? One more time!" and the group raised a glass to toast him.
Riley jumped from his seat and ran across the room to dish out some justice for himself. He didn't know who said it, but it didn't matter. He was going to settle it once and for all. Maybe Uhura wasn't letting him 'hit it' but he was going to hit somebody tonight.
When Spock entered the ship's pub, a rare sight greeted him. There was a full-on melee going on between several officers, and Lieutenant Riley was in the thick of it all.
Someone must have called for security already because shortly after Spock's arrival the ship's security team swarmed in to subdue everyone. Spock did what he could to help by giving the fighters nearest him the neck pinch that knocked them out peacefully.
When the guards finally got the fight under control, Spock ordered the perpetrators to line up and stand at attention. He took a moment to stare at each and every one of his wayward officers. They looked a sight. The Captain would be disappointed if he saw his crew behaving in such a manner. Luckily Captain Kirk was on an away mission while Spock was 'minding the store' as Kirk often phrased it.
"Alright, gentleman. Who is responsible for this altercation?" he requested in his sternest voice.
No one stepped forward or volunteered a response. He looked down the line of men and women in their torn uniforms with their bruised and scratched faces. Some were wiping blood from their lips and noses.
"No one is going to be dismissed until I know who is responsible for this. And I can assure you I am capable of standing here all night. My patience is long and I do not require sleep."
Still, no one came forward. Spock knew humans well. Even in his academy days, there was the saying "snitches get stitches". He understood the desire to protect a fellow officer even one who had started a fight. But he was counting on his infinite patience and their self-preservation to win the day.
As the time ticked by and the maintenance crew arrived to put the pub back to rights, he could tell that some of the crewmen were starting to crack. It didn't take telepathy to know that they just wanted to go somewhere and lick their wounds. He rarely lowed his mental shields while on duty for fear of inadvertently picking up stray thoughts, but on this occasion, he made an exception and lowered them just enough to get a sense of who might crack first.
There were some sniffles from the female crew members, but he sensed they were more angry than hurt, and none of them were likely to have started the brawl with the more angry males. There was a lot more resentment coming from the men. Some were simply in pain and ready to be released to the sickbay, but some had revenge on their minds. They had not caused the fight but were just willing participants. It was just a joke, can't people take a joke anymore? Spock picked up the stray thoughts.
Spock also sensed a deep-seated resentment emanating from the end of the row, and his eyes fell upon Lieutenant Riley. Riley stared back at Spock with eyes ablaze and defiant. Spock instantly knew who his culprit was, but he didn't like to use his skills unfairly. He wanted his crew to trust him and obey his orders.
"If I do not get a confession, I will have to put all of you on report with the Captain and revoke your next shore leave," he said as an incentive for cooperation.
There were grumbles at this announcement. The Enterprise was scheduled to arrive at Wrigley's pleasure planet in a few days. Soon the eyes of the disheveled crew turned to the end of the row and toward Lt. Riley. They didn't say a word. They didn't have to as everyone in the pub looked at Riley. Spock nodded.
"Everyone except Lieutenant Riley is dismissed. Report to the sick bay and have Dr. McCoy check your injuries. Security, please see that your fellow crewmen arrive safely and without further incident?"
The red shirts gathered around the ragtag crew and escorted them to the nearest turbo lift.
"Mr. Riley, come with me please," Spock said turning his back in total confidence that Riley would follow. When he reached the pub door, he did not hesitate to exit and headed for a lift in the opposite direction from sickbay. Riley followed behind him like a wounded pup.
Spock had neglected to shield himself again and before he could do so he was hit with a wave of strong emotion from Riley. This was Uhura's fault. She was the reason he was a laughingstock of the ship! She owed him. Tonight she was going to pay up. When she saw his bruised and battered face, she would go out of her way to take care of him and nurse his wounds. He would ask her to spend the night in his cabin and when she did...
Back in his own office, Spock took a seat at his desk while Riley stood at attention.
Hearing Riley's stray thoughts about Uhura caused Spock's blood to boil in anger. He hadn't felt like this since he was a boy and his classmates were teasing him about being different. Back then he didn't have the discipline to control his quick temper and he was often caught in scraps with his classmates. In this regard, he and Riley were alike. He had often been the one to initiate a physical altercation after being goaded. However, unlike Riley Spock has learned to control his emotions before joining the Academy.
Spock always hated himself after he had calmed down from a fight and realized he had played right into his bullies' devious hands. All his life it had been that way while he lived on Vulcan. He thought if he tried living with his mother's people, it would be different, but it was even worse. On Vulcan, he was too human; on Earth, he was too Vulcan. His parents had told him he was free to choose his own path and decide his own identity, yet they constantly pulled him in opposite directions. In trying to please both parents he ended up disappointing both instead. It was this identity crisis that pushed Spock to decline the invitation from the Vulcan Science Academy and attend the Starfleet Academy on Earth instead.
But whereas on Vulcan he had his parents and clan members to rely upon for companionship, on Earth he was on his own. His first few weeks on his mother's homeworld had been a difficult change for his fragile self-esteem and his tenuous command of his emotions. His one saving grace had been meeting his mother's sister. Amanda's sister had welcomed him into her home once Amanda had contacted her and let her know that her nephew was on Earth alone.
Spock had not intended to meet or speak to his mother's family because as far as he knew Amanda and her parents were estranged. Spock knew his mother had a sister, but he was unaware that they still spoke to one another regularly. Back then Spock was an angry and isolated young man. He often ignored messages from his mother and his aunt. He declined invitations to join his aunt for dinners and preferred to stay on campus and study alone. Otherwise, he spent his days off traveling around the globe visiting the major major tourist attractions and landmarks.
It had taken Spock a long time to come to terms with himself. That he was a part of this green wet world just as much as he was a part of the arid planet of his father's people. Eventually, he came to think of the Earth as his second home, though he would never admit that aloud to anyone, not even his mother.
It took a while, but Spock had learned how to bend, how to compromise just enough to navigate the barrage of human emotions he had surrounded himself with while living among them. He allowed himself to meet new people and make friends with his fellow students. Ironically, it was among his mother's people that he finally learned to control his Vulcan emotions fully. The angry young Vulcan had grown up to be a calm Vulcan man.
Spock sat at his desk thinking of these memories as he practiced the skills taught to him by his father in order to get his emotions back under control once more. He did not dare speak to Riley until he could do so without revealing his anger.
He did not want to lash out at Riley in a rage as he often did when he was a child. And he could only discipline Riley for the pub fight, not his wayward and offensive thoughts about Uhura. He had no right to defend her honor, as she was not his woman. And he could never act on nor acknowledge information he had gained from another's private thoughts. That was why he must remain disciplined. That was why he had to maintain control and shield his mind from others at all times.
"Mr. Riley, do you care to explain what happened in the pub?"
Riley scowled. "Why do you assume I started it?"
"I did not say that you did. I merely asked you to explain what happened."
"I was minding my own business when someone across the room shouted at me and I took offense," Riley said sitting across from Spock with his chin poked out and arms crossed defensively.
"I see. What did they shout that would cause such a lapse in judgment?" Spock asked.
"You wouldn't understand, Mr. Spock, but ever since I barricaded myself in the engine room and stopped the engines, the crew have harassed me. They do it in the guise of jokes, but I don't find it funny! I'm the laughingstock of this ship! And why? Everyone went a little crazy that day. I am not the only one. But I'm the only one who cannot live it down."
Spock nodded. He knew about the heckling that Riley received, and he did not tolerate it in his presence. He didn't particularly feel any empathy for Kevin Riley, though. Most of the issues he faced were self-inflicted because of poor choices. However, regardless of his thoughts on Riley, Spock had a duty to the ship as the first officer and he had a crewman to deal with. He needed a solution that would be fair and advantageous to all parties involved.
"Mr. Riley, I think I have a logical solution to all of your problems." Spock made Riley an offer he would be a fool to refuse.
Note: I threw this extra chapter in here too since Riley might come up again in the future. Plus, it kinda fits in with secrets and lies. I haven't decided if Spock confessed to this one or not?