Chapter 12 "Recollection"
Mid-March 2021
Tuvok
On a peaceful afternoon a month later, I fell asleep on Aurora's sofa before she returned from school. It had been a week since I had slept, and I felt depleted over the past two days.
Unfortunately, the dream that emerged was the opposite of relaxing; it was extraordinarily unnerving and only promoted more concerns.
During the dream, I recalled when I beamed down with my team to the class M planet. The area was a desert and a vast dust storm-induced low visibility. Cautiously, we searched the area and saw the pyramid in front of us. From behind me, I felt a needle pierce the skin on my neck. I promptly felt my reaction speed, and my thoughts slowed to an unbearable level. Then my eyes fastened shortly after, although I fought it the best I could. Regrettably, I never saw our assailants.
An unknown amount of time passed, and I woke up feeling dizzy. My hands and feet were bound, and I lay on a lab table. However, I was not triumphant when I attempted to wriggle out of the restraints. Each side of me was one of my team members on their tables, bound like me.
A pinching heaviness pulled on my right temple, and I detected an attachment. Suddenly, a female voice said in perfect Vulcan-
"Tuvok sa-fu, pehkayja. Ikap-tor ish-veh bezhun heh kal-tor ish-veh kashek tor czar"
"Tuvok, son, stop. Close your eyes and allow your mind to wander."
The voice was my Mother's, who had passed away three years ago.
"Ko-mesh (mother)," I called as everything faded into darkness. I felt myself tossing and turning restlessly. Someone seized my arm with long fingernails digging into the flesh on my right arm.
"Ow," I muttered, still asleep. The pain became more acute, but I thought I was still asleep.
"Tuvok, Tuvok," a Human female voice called.
"Aurora," I acknowledged, fluttering my eyelids to open them, but they seemed stuck. My mouth felt arid as sandpaper, and I attempted to swallow my saliva to bring some moisture there.
In a flash, my eyes opened to observe a concerned Aurora perched on the edge of her sofa.
"Not an unpleasant way to wake up," I drily surmised as I viewed her beauty. She wore a knee-length khaki skirt and a red collared buttoned-up shirt. Aurora's wavy hair framed her round face, although a frown was on her lips. When she called my name again, I couldn't respond.
"Ra nam-tor nash? (What is this?) " I contemplated to myself, stroking the right side of my head for the item attached to it in the dream.
Aurora discerned me with extra curiosity, with her green eyes narrowed, and she fidgeted her fingers.
Discombobulated, I was unsure if I was awake or my current location. I was happy that I wasn't alone in my confused state.
"Wilat am nash-veh? (where am I)?" I questioned her, shaking my head to rid the excessive sleepiness. My voice seemed to return now, but I exhibited dizziness.
" ha-kel (home)," Aurora replied, frowning at my inquiry. I was glad to begin teaching her Vulcan since I spoke it exclusively. Next, Aurora placed her dainty cream-colored hands on my arms to help me.
"Tun-bosh (Careful)," she fretted as she assisted me. Wiping the beads of sweat on my brow, I realized my heart rate quickened fifteen-point one time with her proximity. Despite Aurora's almost constant prodding for me to open up, I couldn't. As my brain processed everything, I excused myself and asked if I could meditate in her room alone. Aurora agreed, but she made it clear she was disappointed.
I spent two hours examining the dream In meditation until I realized it. The last thing my mind meditated on was the first Vulcan- Human interaction in 2063, as I had been researching it. My grandmother had a minor role in creating the plan that successfully returned the Vulcans to their home planet.
"Is this why I am here in 2021? It's forty two years before that," I inwardly contemplated. My mind rapidly fires a succession of questions such as
"Who captured my away team and hooked them up to the machines? And why?"
When I finished my reflection, I still had questions, but I was ready to talk to Aurora. She, however, had left to go to the gym according to a scribbled note in her handwriting. Retrieving her spare key, I left to join her.
Aurora was jogging on the treadmill with AirPods in her ears when I entered, and I observed her dressed in a black Nike bra and a matching pair of yoga pants.
"She was an excellent example of a human female," I longingly conceded in my head.
Aurora shrieked when I approached her from behind, touching the soft skin on her shoulder. In fright, she jumped for a moment, then regained her composure. Quickly, Aurora slowed the pace on the treadmill to a walk using the control panel.
"Sorry to frighten you," I apologized, my right lip upturned slightly.
Although she was sweating heavily and out of breath, the beautiful female exhibited a radiant attractiveness. Aurora's face flushed due to exertion, and I was intrigued by her. Her breasts heaved up and down as she caught her breath, but she didn't notice my staring.
I tried to avert my gaze as Aurora lowered herself onto the carpeted floor. Then she drank from her water bottle and questioned me about my dream. At the same time, she stretched her legs, and I told Aurora everything I remembered.
"Is that what happened to you before you arrived at my school," she demanded, wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Wow! I-I-I don't know what to say, but I believe you," Aurora stammered, pulling her left foot to stretch that leg with her left hand. Next, she bent over from her waist, and her voluptuous cleavage entered my eye line again. My pulse quickened as I attempted to look away but couldn't. Swiftly, I proposed,
"Maybe I am here because I was researching the initial meeting between humans and Vulcans. That was the last thought I remembered before I lost consciousness on the lab table."
Sipping her water, Aurora nodded her head in agreement and thoughtfully inquired,
"Mmm, that's strange. How does this all relate?" Who hooked you up to the machine?"
"I'm not sure, but maybe it will provide a clue later on," I admitted, raising an eyebrow. Aurora asked for details about the first interactions between our two species, and I informed her briefly.
"And this happens soon?" She incredulously commented.
"2063."
Shaking her head side to side, Aurora exhibited shock while exclaiming, " In forty-two years- I will be eighty-seven!"
Helping her up from the floor, she accidentally fell into me. Her workout enhanced her pleasing aroma, and the scents filled my nostrils as we gazed at each other. Aurora's breathing was rapid, and she impetuously lunged forward and kissed me, flinging her arms around my neck with pressing urgency. It caught me entirely off guard as I was thinking about returning to Voyager. However, I felt exhilaration run through my body as we kissed each other.
As our lips pressed against each other most pleasingly, I felt her heart beat fast in her chest.
The stunning woman's lips were soft, warm, and tasted like lemonade, one of her favorite drinks. Her fingers affectionately stroked the hair on my head, and it felt thrilling. Everything with Aurora felt like that, and my own heart skipped a beat at her action.
Before I lost control of my actions, a clamorous, noisy alarm went off in my head. I withdrew my mouth and hands from her swiftly as a result. Opening her eyes to search mine, Aurora instantly took my reaction as rejection, and I felt regret that I had pulled back from her until I recalled,
" I have to get back to Voyager."
After her mouth dropped open in disappointment, she strode quickly out of the gym. I redirected my thoughts, but I had a terrible time doing so.
Fifteen minutes later, I crept into Aurora's apartment quietly. She was in the shower, and her aura was red, indignant, and discomforted.
Sadly, the shower hadn't loosened my roommate's mood as Aurora was highly agitated when she prepared the evening meal. I wasn't purposely neglecting her , but I wouldn't give her my attention for throwing a fit like a small human child. Engrossed in my dream, I contemplated the possibilities ahead of me and how they could help me get back to Voyager.
"Perhaps I will remember something new that will provide more insight," I thought.
When Aurora offered me a plate of food, I gratefully accepted it. I ate in silence as I did not want to discuss what occurred in the gym. Fuming, she pretended to eat her food at the table next to me, and I observed that she pushed the nourishment from side to side on her plate instead of eating. Also, I knew Aurora would eventually be unable to control her curiosity or irritation.
Three-point- one minute later, she, in a coerced tranquil voice, inquired,
"Tuvok, I need to know. I care for you quite a bit. Do you feel the same way?"
She waited one minute before repeating the same spiel. Of course, Aurora would not let this go right now. Inwardly, I sighed at her poor timing.
"You are overly emotional right now. I would rather discuss this when you are calmer," I declared, not lifting my eyes from my work.
Her misery surged with my comment, even though that wasn't my intent, and a lengthy silence ensued.
"Aurora, I am trying to recall as much as possible from my vision to piece it together. It may help me get home quicker," I coolly explained.
"So you lied to me about caring for me?" Aurora accused.
"Vulcans do not lie," I sternly replied, finally meeting her eyes with my own. My cheeks flushed with a jolt of deep anguish because I did not like Aurora thinking I lied about my feelings for her.
" Quite the opposite. However, I can't let that stand in the way of returning to Voyager," I harshly replied, and her face transformed to a bright red color.
"Is that why you are so hot and cold with me," Aurora's voice became higher as her frustration rose, and she clenched her jaw tightly.
To her annoyance, I didn't understand the phrase "hot and cold," so I asked for clarification.
"What good could come from it? It would only create more difficulty," I flatly inquired after she explained it.
Perturbed by my comment, Aurora's mouth dropped open, and she crossed her arms across her chest. A moment later, she angrily demanded,
"What was the finger touching then? Why did you show it to me? I felt our bond, Tuvok. Didn't you?"
Choosing not to respond, I disregarded the touching moment in my memory when it presented itself. Aurora's face fell as she spoke, and her lower lip was now trembling.
"When I said I 'deeply cared' about you, I meant I am in love with you," Aurora stated and then stood up from the table to conceal her embarrassment. Her declaration made me feel euphoric, and I felt a lump in my throat. My hands began to sweat, and I wiped them on my shorts. Aurora put the dish in the sink and sat back down. With her lower lip trembling, she questioning me,
" Do those words mean anything to you, Tuvok?"
Outwardly, I paused for a minute as I attempted to lower my heart and pulse rate.
"Love is a complicated concept for Vulcans," I uneasily confessed.
"Aurora, I don't want to complicate things with you and cause you to suffer from my absence," I added.
"Isn't it already too late for that?" She sharply demanded, raising an eyebrow poignantly.
"The chances are ninety-nine point seven percent that you are right," I acknowledged.
Meanwhile, pain struck my heart at the thought of leaving Aurora forever. I had considered that possibility before, and I felt devastated. Tears streamed down Aurora's eyes as she wiped at them.
She abruptly rose from the table in tears and grabbed her car keys, announcing, " I am going for a drive. I'll be back later."
"I do love you, Aurora," I whispered a minute after she left her apartment.
How will Tuvok reconcile the dichotomy that Aurora presents in his life?