I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited, alerted and placed this story in their communities. Thank you everyone!! I am so glad that people liked it. Thank you!! I made a little change to the story, instead of Doris being the youngest, it will now be Amanda. It makes much more sense to me now. I also have another thing to say, let's just say for the sake of argument that in the future people get through school a lot faster.
It wasn't until Amanda heard the computer voice speak over the P.A. that she noticed that she was almost in San Francisco, and that much closer to Starfleet Headquarters. She placed the light metal device on the chair next to her, and stretched. The past five hours were taking a toll on her and she couldn't wait to get off the train. The countryside whizzed by at a dizzying speed making the green foliage blend together. The sky stayed the same light blue throughout the trip, only once the sky darkening with thunder.
She hardly noticed; she couldn't tear away from the device containing her data files in her hands. She picked it up again and touched the screen, continuing what she was doing. In the beginning of the trip, she began reading a book she liked but half way through the trip she switched to reading about Starfleet and its origins. She also read the newspaper article where her family is mentioned.
Pride swelled in her chest as she read the article. It spoke of how her father started out as the underdog, and came out on top in a matter of years. Little by little he made shipments for different countries until he was given permission by the Federation for interplanetary shipment. It was then that his name became unanimous with shipment. Starfleet had seen this and when they had a shipment of precious antiques from different planets, they could think of no other man to ship this for them. There was to be a celebration at Starfleet where Ambassadors from the different planets of the Federation and even the President of the Federation was to attend. Admirals and their families would be there, not to mention some captains. Amanda had never been so proud in her life.
As she scanned through the data files she continued reading and came up on the encyclopedic article of Starfleet. Amanda had learned in school how the Federation and Starfleet first started, how Zefram Cochrane's flight in 2063 changed the course of human history. It was then that the Vulcan race made First Contact and everything else, like the saying went, was history.
She could only imagine how Starfleet had evolved since then, wondering briefly how Starfleet had evolved since then. She had only ever seen the Headquarters in pictures or on the news. She knew of the impressive structure; how large it was and how it dominated most of the skyline in San Francisco. She once imagined herself in the massive buildings, taking classes to one day go out into space and make history herself. The idea had faded for her when she found out that she couldn't leave the ground without feeling nauseous.
Her family now was making history in a different way. They were one of the first humans to be trusted with a mission of this importance. The Federation had only been formed forty years prior and they knew that there was no room for error.
She knew her father wouldn't let them down with something this important.
Amanda clutched at the pendant hanging around her neck, he never let her down. The necklace had been a promise to her to always come back safe. The pendant was large, half as large as her ring finger and a bright gold color hanging on a black thick string. The pendant had different carvings in it, and it reminded her of the carvings on the walls of the ancient monuments in Egypt. She didn't know if there was a message on it, she just liked looking at the intricate patterns on the gold object, reminiscent of a key.
Her father had given it to her on his first off-planet expedition, promising that he would come back no matter how far he would go. It was an antique, she knew that. She didn't know where he got it or from when it was, all she knew that it was her father's promise to come back no matter where he would go. She would wear it every time that he would leave the planet, thinking the worst if she didn't wear it.
It now hung proudly around her neck, taught in the middle of her chest for all to see.
The female computer voice of the train came up on the intercom. Her cool, neutral voice broke Amanda from her reverie, and she straightened in her chair. "Now arriving to Veritas Train Station, San Francisco, California."
Amanda felt a pang in her chest, excitement bubbling in her as she finally made it to San Francisco.
It didn't take long for her to get off the train with her luggage, as she took the escalator up to the main floor from underground platform, her view was met with incredibly blue sky from above. This station was larger than the one at home and the roof was made of panels of glass held together by metal bars.
The sun shone in through the glass and she knew that it was going to be a very hot day outside the station. She had only seen the platform and the escalator that went up to the main floor but Amanda could see that it was a very busy city. People packed together in groups and on the escalator each step had three people. It looked like a sea of people.
If the train station was packed full of people, she couldn't imagine how the city could be.
As the top came into view she saw a very distinct figure looming over the crowd of people.
There was a lone figure in the crowd of people that grabbed her attention. That he was tall wasn't what made him stand out or that people when they passed by him stared. It was the uniform.
The uniform was impeccably pressed with no creases on it, the deep red fabric tight to his body. The shirt was separate from the pants; she could see that in the way the shirt hung over them but it wasn't at all long. The long sleeves reached right to his wrist, the pants just above his perfectly clean shoes. It wasn't only his uniform that was perfect but his posture too.
He stood perfectly still, unmovable in a sea of people.
He had a high collar over his neck and she saw the unmistakable gold Starfleet insignia glinting in the light.
Of course he was military. His eyes, the only thing that moved, scanned the crowd and landed on her as soon as she came into view.
As soon as she stepped off the escalator, she spoke, not a moment sooner. "Miss Amanda Grayson."
Amanda's suitcase plunked down heavily on the floor, her hand red from the heavy load. "Yes."
He didn't move as he spoke even with the busy people moving around them at dizzying speed or the cries of joy from the families being reunited. "Miss Grayson, I am Cadet Lario, I was sent from Starfleet to take you to Headquarters."
Amanda's brow furrowed. "My father couldn't come himself?"
"He is unable to come as he is in a meeting with the Ambassador of Vulcan and Admiral Nelson," he explained detached. "I was sent to bring you in."
She was surprised that her sister or her mother couldn't go to pick her up, it felt weird, she had never had an escort. She was hesitant at first but knowing she had no other choice, she gave in. "All right."
He picked up her bag without her noticing and began to walk to a vehicle where he placed her bag in the trunk. He then opened the door of the backseat for her.
Starfleet, she noticed, had the latest in technology. The vehicle he drove had a sleek black exterior, reflecting the scenery. The windows were tinted an extreme black so that she could see out but no one could see in. Just like a diplomat's car should be. The city went by in a dizzying speed and before she knew it, she was on the Golden Gate Bridge crossing over to Starfleet Academy.
Amanda watched how the large building grew in size as she grew closer. The pictures really didn't do the building justice. As they were waved past the entrance and the cadet drove up to the main building, Amanda watched the cadets walk from building to building in their red, tightly pressed uniforms.
Each building was larger than the last, and they had a mix of old and new architecture each as beautiful as the other.
They were, to her opinion, no match for the main building. The large columns in the entrance of the first floor were massive, reminiscent of the Ancient Parthenon in Greece. Though no longer standing being destroyed in the Third World War, she had seen enough pictures of it to recognize it. The alabaster columns towered over the Starfleet alumni taking the large staircase down to the garden in front of it.
If the first floor reminded her of the architecture of the past, the second reflected the present. Glass plated the entire length of the wall but she knew it wasn't glass, it was transparent aluminum.
"What building is that?"
Even though they hadn't spoken the whole ride, the cadet spoke up immediately. "Starfleet Auditorium."
It was that same building that they pulled up to. He parked the car in front of the Auditorium and got out quickly, making his way around to open her door. "Please follow me Miss Grayson, I will take you to the Auditorium where your family is waiting for you."
Though the Auditorium was in front of them, in order to get into it, they had to go through a large maze of corridors until they finally met with the door they needed. They were double doors at least fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide, enough for four people to go though without having to be squeezed through. As they walked in, she saw that they were on a raised platform that led down to the main floor where groups of people gathered around boxes, opening them and even organizing the sculptures and paintings in strategic places all over the floor.
The ceiling had to be at least fifty feet above their heads but that didn't stop the cadets from decorating it for the gala. There were lights that twinkled and hung, others that hung and attached themselves to the columns on the walls. Across from where she stood, she could see the San Francisco Bay behind the full wall of transparent aluminum.
It was almost sunset.
As the cadet moved down the stairs and towards a group of people with their backs to them, Amanda recognized two of them immediately as her father and her sister. Two others in the group had their hands behind their back and were dressed in robes, she couldn't get a glimpse at who they were because they had their back towards her father, looking at the statue in front of them. The remaining person in the group she knew had to be a Starfleet Officer, she could tell by the infallible uniform.
"As you can see this is the Karika, the representation of the goddess of War of the Geneva people," her father's voice carried through the auditorium as he spoke to the people examining the sculpture of a round emblem, measuring at least five feet in height. "It is to be placed here next to a piece found on Earth late in the 19th century."
"Impressive," one of the robed men said, not turning.
Amanda's father watched her as she approached and spoke once again to the men. "Will you excuse me for a moment, please?"
The ebony colored man in the Starfleet Officer uniform, in a warm comforting voice, extending a hand in Amanda's direction, "But of course, Mr. Grayson, greet your family member."
"Please," he said before turning to her. "Call me William."
As Amanda caught up with the group, she was received by a massive hug from her father.
Amanda grasped as she felt her middle being caught in a death grip. "Dad! I can't breathe!"
She could tell that he missed her, he had been away for weeks preparing for the shipment and the gala only a few days away. "Thank you for coming Amanda. It means a lot to me that you're here too."
He let her go and Amanda coughed air into her lungs. "Thanks, Dad."
Doris turned to her too. "It's about time you got here. I was afraid that you would show up in a couple of days." She had changed into a more professional suit, Amanda realized.
Amanda only smiled. "How are things going?" She watched as the cadet she had been with spoke to the dark colored man and quickly took off again, breaking out into a brisk walk.
Her father placed a warm arm around her shoulders. "Everything is great. We're doing everything we can to have these antiques out before the gala."
Doris interrupted. "They're going to be displayed for everyone to see during the gala."
"That's great," Amanda said enthusiastic. "Wonderful idea."
William nodded. "How was the trip?"
"Long and tiring, I'm exhausted."
"We have quarters here in Starfleet, Mom is there now. I can give you the directions, where's your Data Device?"
As Amanda reached in the purse over her shoulder to give it to her, she heard the Officer speak. "William, we have already met your wonderful family except this daughter. This is Amanda, I presume?"
William nodded and nudged Amanda a little closer to the group that had been looking at the sculpture previously. "Amanda, I want you to meet Admiral Nelson."
Amanda extended her hand and he shook her hand vigorously. "I have heard a lot about you, young lady. You are a schoolteacher, aren't you? You are awfully young."
William interrupted Amanda. "She's a genius."
Amanda gave a short laugh, uncomfortable. She hated when people called her a genius. "Thanks for the modesty, Dad."
He laughed. "Don't be shy, Amanda." He turned to the Admiral. "Graduated early and top of her class in the university back home."
The Admiral continued, "Then, Miss Grayson, did you apply to Starfleet?"
Amanda answered truthfully. "Space makes me nauseous, sir."
The Admiral laughed pleasantly, apparently he hadn't heard that before, and said, "Did you hear that Ambassador Sarek? Space makes her nauseous."
The two robed figures finally turned and Amanda froze.
Of course, she knew that there were other species living among humans ever since the Federation first started. She just had never seen them. Now that she did, she was taken aback by their appearance. Their eyebrows were swept upwards too much, too far for a human, their skin looked like porcelain. She could see a small tint of green on their fair faces. The men, she could see under the robes that covered their heads, had very pointed ears. Apart from that, they appeared human with one nose, two brown eyes and a set of lips.
They were good-looking aliens, at least, she concluded, though one was better-looking than the other. They appeared to be young, not much older than Amanda herself but for one of them to be Ambassador, he had to have been much, much older.
They wore robes that reached to the floor in a brownish hue.
The Admiral spoke but Amanda couldn't stop staring. "Ambassador Sarek, Silek, meet Amanda Grayson, William Grayson's youngest daughter."
They stared at her, scrutinizing, their faces set in stone, almost expecting.
Amanda couldn't move, couldn't form words, she had never seen anyone so particular in her life, she couldn't react. She didn't know what to do so she did the first thing that came to mind. She extended her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
It would have been better if she had done nothing at all.
Her father froze, she couldn't feel him breathing anymore, the Admiral gave a chuckle and the Vulcans just looked at her hand. Amanda's cheeks were flaming.
Thankfully, Doris grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. "Sorry Ambassador, it's been a long day for Amanda. I'm going to take her to her room. Come along, baby sister."
Amanda followed obediently, preferring to be anywhere than there at that moment.
Out of earshot, Doris hissed, "What's wrong with you? They're Vulcan. They don't shake hands."
Amanda gulped. "Doris, please tell me where there is a hole I can crawl into and die."
Thank you again for your encouragement. I have big plans for this story and I have no plans on slowing down, I need reviews, tell me what you think!! I started to do some more research on Amanda Grayson and the more that I read the more I realized that no one has their story straight. So. I will make up my own thing, so there. Also, Sarek though being more than 60 years old at this time would look rather young. T'Pol from Star Trek: Enterprise was in her 60's during the series and looked to be in her mid-twenties.
Okay, thank you again.
Take care everyone!