The Universe According to Nyota
Beta Reader: ivedonestranger
Totally Tribbled-Chapter 2
Tribbulation
My heartbroken, shocked overwhelmed me, those feelings guarantee my situation.
Totally alone
and… broken.
Spock was married
MARRIED!
I felt guilty for falling in love with a married man, wow, imagine how that looked. I felt lower than low.
T'Pring was beautiful, even I had to admit that!
Christine took it bad too, we felt awful about how we acted. We took a leave of absence and binged dranks in her quarters, singing off-key, crying on each other's shoulders of the love lost between us, and sharing stories of our glory times.
Spock was off the market; we didn't even know he was married.
After that embarrassment of love and desire and wanting companionship, I stayed focused on my duty. I completely shut down my personal life and tried to make loneliness my friend. I was by myself most of the time, I had friends, yes, but love was missing. I wanted to have someone to love me back, I know I get any man, I mean any man on the ship. I don't know about you, using people to get what you want is selfish.
So, I just stayed in my lane for months.
alone
loneliness-is a hurtful thing.
Then one day, an emergency distress call from Space Station K-7, was the beginning. The whole sector on [Red-Alert!] As part of the elite bridge crew, we were ready! Then it turned out to be a false alarm, and Kirk had steam coming out of his ears at the Undersecretary of the Federation Baris. Then Captain Kirk said the magic words "Shore leave!" and I was first on the list. I smiled for the first time in months, I needed a break from the slump I was in, I needed a change, I was ready!
So, when Pavel and I went into the bar, I deserved a stiff drink and some shopping. I needed therapy.
But when Cyrano Jones pulled out this light-brown, fluffy ball at the bar, it was … instant love.
It purred
it cooed
it practically called my name
My heart melted
I found a friend, a companion, my mind opened up as well as my eyes. It melted the loneliness I was in.
I wanted him so bad I was willing to pay any price- and I tell you ANY!
Then Cyrano hit me with his slinky flirting smile, I knew I had him. My tribble was free!
Free love!
When he gave him to me, I forgot about drinking and shopping and rushed back to the ship. Just holding the little guy made my day. When I got back to my quarters, I sat him down on the desk and watched him waddle across. Oh, it was a sight to see, my tribble that saved my miserable life.
Did I need a name? In memory of the man I loved, I was thinking of 'Spock or Spocky or Little Spock."
Not a good idea, naming your pet after your commander, plus it was a dead giveaway. Duh.
This was my child in a way, the tribble started purring again. I picked him up and rubbed the top of it.
My pet was here with me to love and express my thoughts! It was great to feel loved. I decided to feed it again with my stashed granola bar. I went back on duty. What I didn't know was that the 'fuzzy little' was growing.
When I got off duty, my little furry friend was resting on my bed, purring. I got ready for bed, fed my tribble again, kissed his fuzzy body, and placed him in the bathroom. I liked my tribble with no name, I could leave him and not worry. I remember reading my technical journals with him snuggled in the crook of my neck.
I thought I had it made, so I put Fuzzy-(it was a safer name than Spock,) in the bathroom with food and went to bed.
When I woke up and entered the bathroom, there were ten tribbles TEN! All purring and cooing, waddling around.
WHAT THE HELL!
Realization hit me, was it a girl? How can you tell a boy tribble from a girl one? It was small the day before?
I wondered how that happened? Then I was pissed. While I was sleeping, somehow during the night that little pervert, that Fuzzy tribble had sex with itself and had babies. It had more action than I did in two years!
Now [Fuzzy] not alone, had a whole family, and I was still alone, how bad was that!
I gathered them up and put them in a tote bag and completed my grooming. I brought them to the break room later on during the day and spread them out. Everybody was interested in Fuzzy's family, they were rubbing, stroking, tickling, and smoothing them. Everyone complimented me on Fuzzy and his family, they fell in love too!
Hey, this could be the start of something, an entrepreneur idea!
I watched everyone play with a tribble and they were hypnotized by their cooing, even the men were cuddling them.
They all asked where I got Fuzzy, and they wanted one too. Then Kirk and Spock joined in, and Kirk asked how did it happen?
Duh?!
Did he have a mental lapse?
The birds and bees? DUH!
Of course, I gave a straight answer, what shocked me was Mr. Spock's response to the tribble, he was hooked too! He liked them as much as the next person. Maybe he needed a companion since his wife's not here, celibate much?
After that everyone wanted one and I gave them away. I became the hero of the ship, it was the talk of the town or ship that is.
"Uhura saved the day!"
I was on cloud nine, everyone wanted a tribble, I was thinking of packaging them in a glass jar or container with a backdrop and selling them in the ship's store. I became more popular than before, tribble, tribbles galore!
I was getting praises
hugs, kisses
applauses
thank yous
for the gift of a lovely tribble.
Everyone wanted their own personal pet to keep in their cabins.
There were tribble races
Tribble clubs
Tribble dress up-I don't know how, but it was different types of bows.
How long did my reign last?
Take a guess?
Two days?
24 hours?
Not even close, it was exactly 8 hours 8!
Fuzzy's family didn't quit multiplying
I went from hero to zero so fast that I didn't get a chance to make it to my next shift.
I got stares,
glares
snarls
hisses
Tribbles were everywhere imaginable, under everyone's foot, clothes as well as the food. I tried to play it off, but when I got to work, there were all over the bridge, four of them on my console. I had a little one stuffed in my uniform collar where he purred.
Then I got blasted by Kirk for them being on the bridge and the whole ship, what made things worse was the stupid comment I made as my defense.
"Cyrano Jones said a tribble is the only love that money can buy!"
When those words fell out of my mouth, I knew I was in more trouble, my foot was inserted. Me! With a masters in computer software and communication.
DUH blah, blah, blah.
Kirk's face told it all, he was disappointed in me, that this had happened and gotten out of control.
I didn't know how to get hundreds of thousands of tribbles off the ship?
Later on, I was sitting in the briefing room with all the head departments, I could hear them murmuring about the whole thing on how to remove the tribbles. Some stared at me with a "This is your fault" look. While others complained that the tribbles were interfering with their jobs. I felt bad, but I held my head high-I knew I was at fault- help a girl out!
McCoy took me to heart, that I didn't know the anatomy of the tribble.
But Mr. Spock said something more endearing, and he said "Miss Uhura" again the way he says my name just moves me. He told everyone that it wasn't my intention to have the creature populate the ship, unaware of the outcome.
He stood up for me!
I was shocked, I looked at the married man with gratitude. They say marriage makes your heart fonder, it was weird, and he looked at me with sincerity and more.
I felt strange, then Mr. Spock and Scotty came up with the plan and directed everyone to execute it. I was touched, and couldn't think why Spock would do that.
Why you say?
Well, I could have been written up for transporting Fuzzy onboard without clearance and the fact of unbecoming an officer on the bridge with the tribbles interfering with everyone's duty.
Mr. Spock then told me that this event was a learning experience and to check with him first next time a creature finds my interest. If you know Mr. Spock, the no-nonsense by the book commander was soft. I was surprised.
And confused- he did that for me.
I stared at him with starry eyes, like a lovesick puppy and I wondered why a married man was staring at me like his last supper.
I couldn't figure it out, I didn't want Spock that way, but I couldn't help it. He was walking sex and attractive.
I had to shake myself out of the dreamland- Spock was married. It hurts, being in love and lonely for someone you can't have.
Plus I had to say goodbye to Fluffy, my little love.
Who just happens to cause a major jam on the ship!
Well, Mr. Spock coordinated the transport in intervals, while Scotty and the other technicians laughed as they moved the tribbles from the Enterprise to the Klingon ship.
While Dr. McCoy stated that Jim would be happy. Plus, Fluffy would be at least with his family, crowded on a Klingon ship, with those fuzzy brows and tinted dark skin.
I wish I was there to see them hissing and screaming,
The Klingons I mean.
Yep! The captain did laugh and said he would miss them because they saved Sherman's planet's food supply.
But in the end, it would be my butt joke for eternity. The story would be my legacy to remember; "Uhura and the Tribbles" or "How the Tribbles overran the Good ship Enterprise" at every drinking binge, bars, clubs, and Christmas party.
But I had to say, Fluffy was a brief friend. I learned something about myself and love. It's never promised, but I believe it will happen naturally.
But in the end, I am just the way I started alone, and loveless. So, there you have it. I just continue with my dreary life and face looking at Mr. Spock daily, suffering and dying.
Uhura's com-link beeps.
What?
What's that?
Are you sure?
Don't f#ck with me! Are you sure?
Not MARRIED!
He's not married?
Is the source reliable?
Doe's Chapel know?
RATS!
Thanks for telling me.
Well, I have to go and get ready to go to war. I need to put on my war paint and perfume,
I'm going on a manhunt.
Mr. Spock is back on the market, go figure, single as can be.
You see, the next time I ask Mr. Spock about the moon on Vulcan on a cool evening I will have a comeback. How is Vulcan on a cool evening when two sister planets are on the horizon? Plus, I will add by saying again how beautiful I am. Won't mess that up!
Bye!
I need to go get my Vulcan!
A/N:
Star Trek TOS:
The Trouble with Tribbles
The Man Trap
This was my favorite episode of all time LOL.
