CHAPTER 2

Something inside me was rather exictable as I strode down the corridor towards the computer lab. I didn't want to call it eagerness, but I was vaguely aware that it was caused by spending another day in the company of Susan.

The doors opened before me, and there she was, typing away skittishly.

"Afternoon, Mr. Spock."

She continued typing as I took my spot beside her.

"Ensign Perry." I responded.

There was nothing but the sounds of our fingers clacking against the buttons for a few minutes.

"Spock?"

"Yes?"

"What is it like on Vulcan?" she asked, not moving her eyes from the screen.

I stole a glance at her, approvingly.

"Vulcan is a Minshara-Class planet orbiting the star 40 Eridani A. It is hot, has a strong gravity, and a thin atmosphere."

Susan smiled softly as she typed.

"Is it pretty?"

I allowed the pictures of my home to be collected out of the recesses of my mind.

The only thing pretty about Vulcan was the sky. Always a misty red, allowing the reflection of their sister planet, T'Khut, to shine through much like the earth has it's moon.

"At some times more than others."

There was more clacking and tapping as the typing took over the conversation. Susan pushed back in her chair to reach for another file.

"What was it like to grow up there?"

More memories seeped their way out of repression, leaking into the front of my head like water from a pipe.

I remembered being a young boy, playing dice games and drawing pictures in the red Vulcan sand. The way my mother would kiss and cuddle me when my father was out of sight.

With a pang of distaste I recalled the insults thrown at me from my classmates.

Half breed.

Blood traitor.

Human.

I remembered not being able to cry about it, even though deep inside me the human Spock was miserable.

"I grew up like all other Vulcans, practicing the philosophies of Surak and the ideals of logic and strict emotional control."

Susan looked over at him intently, "Emotional control? So you can feel emotions, you just control it?"

I shook my head.

"Apart from natural instincts, no, because we have such control over them we can choose to not use them at all. It took more work on my part being half human, but I did find losing them to be quite profitable."

"Why?"

I turned my head, and spoke matter of factly: "All human moments that I have ever experienced were highly unpleasant. It was only logical that I overcame them in time."

Susan stopped typing. She was in an arguing mood today, I could sense it. However it did not worry me, she always did have a tendency to leave logic out of her arguments.

"Sure, sure, Vulcan. But there are emotions that feel good, too. It doesnt seem logical to deprive yourself of something as enjoyable as a joke. Or love...."

Our eyes met for a moment. She put her hand on my arm, "Or friendship."

"In my defense, growing up on Vulcan did mold me to Vulcan ways, much as living on Earth would have enhanced my emotional behavior. It is a common psychological theory."

She rolled her eyes at me and turned back to her screen.

"I know better than to argue with you, Mr. Spock. I might as well argue with this computer, at least I can shut it off when I please."

I also turned back to my screen, quite unsure as to whether I had been complimented or insulted.

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I adjusted the tricorder around my neck. Picking another one up off the table, I handed it to Ensign Perry.

There were 3 more ensigns beaming down with us, as well as Jim and Dr. McCoy.

I stepped into the transporter, ready to be beamed down. We were exploring the area of Beta Cassius. Being almost caught up with all the cataloguing, both I and the captain thought a day could be spared to record some new files.

The beeping buzz shortly ceased and I found myself looking at very lush, dense foliage. The majority of it was green and full, however there were so many varieties of colorful plants and fruits that the whole scene seemed staged. The air was full of their sweet scent, and the breeze that kissed our faces made the leaves rustle.

There was a brief pause as the landing party gained their footing and was taken away by the beauty of the planet.

"It's beautiful." McCoy muttered.

"Beta Cassius. Also known as Haven." Ensign Perry recited, her big cerulean eyes hungrily taking in all she could see, "It's certainly not a lie."

I looked over at Jim, who was also temporarily distracted by the immense beauty surrounding us.

"Captain, I suggest we break into small groups to survey and record the area." I stated, setting my tricorder to the correct setting. "The air is breathable, there is no immediate human life, no change in radiation."

Jim looked at me and smiled.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment, Spock." He sighed and looked back at the landing party, "Spread out as evenly as you can, try to cover as much ground as you can without missing any primary readings."

There was a chorus of "Yes, sir" as we all dispersed.

I headed east in direction, sweeping my tricorder into as many areas as I could reach.

I made my way slowly around a large shrub of some variety, aiming the device at it to make a proper log.

Something near the roots of the bush glinted, and I bent down to inspect it.

Traces of thin rock, closely resembling Earth's Mica, was creating the glint. I recorded it.

"Anything interesting, Mr. Spock?" Perry's voice asked.

I stood up quickly, turning off my tricorder.

"Nothing of immediate significance, Ensign Perry."

I looked over at her.

She was laughing, her little hand covering her mouth.

"May I enquire what you find so amusing, Ensign?" I asked.

She continued laughing as she stepped closer to me, and reached up to pick a flower that had gotten caught in my hair. It was orange and yellow, with a purple center.

"Haha, I'm sorry Mr. Spock. It just isn't your color." she laughed, putting it into her own hair, like an ornament.

I shook my head slightly.

"We are on a mission, Ensign."

"I know." she said airily, running her tricorder over the smooth bark of an amazingly twisted tree.

She leaned her cheek up against it, closing her eyes and breathing in the beauty of this planet.

"It's the closest I can get to shore leave, Mr. Spock."

I was caught off guard.

I blame the planet, it did have it's way of making everything feel good and light.

For a moment, all of the logic I knew grew quiet, and all I could see was Ensign Susan Perry.

The yellow light illuminated her from behind, causing her skin to glow in the most radiant way. Her deep blue eyes sparkled, looking like 2 galaxies filled with glistening stars.

All I could see, all I could hear, all I could feel was her.

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