I do not own Star Trek, any of the canon characters, nor do I make any profit from my writing. I would never be so rash as to post a chapter on this site without such a disclaimer!
Wardrobe Issues
Week sixteen of Nyota's pregnancy was off to a terrible start. Spock was in sickbay.
Eden III was a beautiful planet, uninhabited, lush and green, just teeming with undiscovered species. These types of planetary surveys had always been Spock's favorite. He and Hikaru excelled at the time honored grid-search method. An area to be surveyed would be marked off into grids and monitored at regular intervals to determine the number and variety of wildlife it contained. If the survey party found nothing dangerous, they would then engage in a visual observation. Sulu liked to hide behind a bush. Spock preferred to sit under a tree.
Unfortunately, the tree he sat under was surrounded by plants he was allergic to.
Luckily for Spock, Sulu had aced his Academy basic first aid course, and recognized the symptoms of anaphylactic shock. He gave Spock an adrenalin hypo and another of antihistamine and ordered them both beamed directly to sickbay.
Dr. McCoy initiated a decontamination procedure and when the cycle was completed, put both Spock and Sulu in quarantine. After twenty-four hours, Sulu had developed no symptoms, and was released. Spock would have to remain a while longer.
He was covered in an angry rash, the skin so inflamed and sensitive that it bled if touched. The ointment Bones had ordered had to be thinned and sprayed on. Two days spent in a healing trance had only partially relieved the symptoms. Clothing was out of the question. Extra-soft sheets were replicated for the bed and Spock was given a private room so that the temperature could be adjusted for his comfort. After five days, he was finally able to put on some custom-replicated, seamless cotton pajamas.
Bones called Nyota down to Sickbay.
"You can take your hobgoblin home now. I'll write medical orders for two more sets seamless pajamas and some of the special sheets. Spock, I'll also give you a requisition for a new uniform and boots. You had such a violent allergic reaction that we just don't dare chance your wearing that stuff again. Continue with the medications and ointments. I'll come by every day and assess your condition. Obviously you're not gonna report to the bridge until you can get properly dressed."
"That is quite true, Doctor. May I work from my quarters?"
"Just a few hours to begin with. Those antihistamines will keep you pretty sleepy, anyway. Nyota, I'm depending upon you to make him behave."
"Don't worry, Len. I'll enforce the rules."
When the couple left sickbay, Spock was walking very slowly and carefully. The rash had even found its way to the bottom of his feet!
"Ooh, these are soft sheets. We'd use these all the time if I wasn't afraid that you'd shred them. Spock, are you comfortable?"
"As much as can be expected, Nyota. Do not concern yourself. I am pleased to be in our quarters again and alone with you."
Nyota gave Spock his nighttime meds and settled down next to him, taking care not to touch any inflamed areas of skin. She found a rash-free area behind his left ear and kissed it.
Spock shifted slightly in the bed and performed his nighttime "ritual" of telling their unborn child just how much he was loved and wanted. Then he kissed Nyota's belly six times, one for this night and five for the nights he had spent in sickbay.
Nyota smiled at him and turned off the light. Both of them were asleep in minutes.
Nyota was working from her quarters this day and keeping tabs on Spock. He had spent the morning catching up on reports until she confiscated his PADDs.
"Len said just a few hours to begin with. If you don't behave yourself, I"ll get him down here with a hypo full of sedatives."
"That will not be necessary, as I will comply with your orders. I am feeling much better today, however. Nyota, we have not yet told any of the family about the pregnancy. We will need to do this soon."
"I know, Spock. I would just like to wait a few more weeks. I don't want them to be disappointed if everything doesn't work out. It will be hard enough with the crew knowing. I'm going to have to start wearing maternity uniforms in the next few days. People are already starting to wonder. Nobody's been brave enough to ask, though."
Bones and Jim came, bringing the couple lunch. The doctor gave Spock a quick once over and pronounced him much improved. Jim helped Nyota set up the food so they could all eat together. When they were all comfortable, Jim had news for them.
"Starfleet has ordered us to the edge of the Neutral Zone. The Romulans have been attacking colonized planets. They've killed every living thing on two worlds, and left just a handful of survivors on others. Apparently they are looking to move all of their people well in advance of their planet's destruction. They don't seem to care who they hurt in the bargain, though."
"We are to spend two weeks assessing the situation and then proceed to New Vulcan via Starbase 7. It's time to bring volunteers again. They've had enough immigrants lately that they're starting a fourth settlement. It seems that the Elders have underestimated the number of surviving Vulcans."
"Yes, Jim. My father has said the same thing. There are now close to fifty thousand in the three settlements founded so far. Gender inequity is not quite the issue that it was before, though there are still more males than females. Now the Elders are more concerned with the diverse culture and customs the immigrants have brought with them from other worlds. Vulcan society is definitely not as homogeneous as it once was."
Bones raised his coffee cup.
"I'll drink to that, my friend. That means they're likely to be more tolerant of those of mixed heritage."
"I believe that will take some time, Doctor. Perhaps a few generations, when some of the immigrants become Elders themselves. We shall see."
When looking for maternity wear on a starship, nothing is sacred. At around fifteen weeks, Nyota had started to show. She had always been quite slender, so she got away with her regular clothes for almost four months. There was no place to buy maternity clothes on board, and it had been a while since they had visited a starbase or even a planet with a store! There had been a few other pregnancies on board recently, but none of these ladies were the same size as Nyota. She and Spock only got so many replicator credits to use, so she was trying to be frugal with them. She had already used quite a few for maternity uniforms.
She and Spock were going to take some leave on New Vulcan in a few weeks. Perhaps she could find something there. In the meantime, Nyota needed something to wear when off duty.
The first thing Nyota did was check the "orphan box" in the Rec Room, the place where everyone put items they no longer needed but were still usable. She found a pair of black shorts and some stretch pants in a hideous purple color that would probably work for a month or two.
All the shirts sold in the ship's store had Starfleet logos or "USS Enterprise" on them. She had enough of those already. So did Spock, and she could wear his. No point in spending money on those.
Nyota returned to her quarters and started rummaging around. She looked in the closet first.
Spock's cousin Johnathan's wife Sarah had given Nyota a maternity top that had been in the family for a few generations. Spock's mother had even worn it when she was expecting him. Nyota would save that for special occasions.
Spock had two denim shirts that Sirin had given him, freebies from a drug company representative. They had the company logo on the pocket.
Spock had been napping on the bed, still subject to the effects of the antihistamines Bones had given him. He woke to find Nyota holding the shirts.
"What are you doing, beloved?"
"I'm trying to find something to wear that is not a maternity uniform. I don't plan to put one of those on until I get dressed for shift this afternoon. You never wear these shirts. Would you mind if I make some alterations?"
"Do whatever you please to them. I only accepted them from Sirin so I would have something I could wear for messy activities such as working with the plants."
Nyota carefully removed the pocket from one of the shirts. She went looking in her accessory drawer for something to disguise the pocket of the other. Ah, a purple hankie and a brooch. She folded the hankie and placed it in the pocket in such a manner that it covered the logo. Nyota pinned it in place with the brooch.
She put the shirt on over a tank top and the horrid purple stretch pants, which were suddenly not so horrid after all.
"What do you think, Spock? Do I look presentable enough to accompany you to lunch?"
"I would be a poor judge of fashion, Nyota. I always find you to be presentable. Let us go to the Rec Room. I am looking forward to an outing. Perhaps the doctor will allow me to return to work tomorrow."
After lunch, Spock went to sickbay for a check-up. Most of the rash had subsided and Bones pronounced him fit for half-shifts. The antihistamines were still needed and would likely continue to make him drowsy, so he would not be working full shifts until the drugs were no longer needed.
It seemed that Spock and Nyota encountered the entire crew on their way to the bridge. Everyone noticed the standard Starfleet issue maternity uniform, a long tunic over black leggings. Many congratulatory hugs and smiles were given, and more that a few shipmates said "Atta boy, Commander. Good work!" Spock pretended not to be affected by this, but Nyota could sense his pride and pleasure.
Hey, you didn't make this baby by yourself, you know. I get some of the credit, too.
Nyota, I suspect that as things progress, you will get all of the attention and I will be forgotten.
Probably true. Enjoy your moment in the sun!
When the couple exited the turbo lift onto the bridge, their shipmates broke into applause.
Pavel nudged Sulu and whispered.
"I told you so. That is ten credits you are owing me."
Three hours into Beta shift, all hell broke loose. The Enterprise had reached the area bordering the Neutral Zone that Starfleet wanted investigated.
Tragan V was a desolate looking place, even before the Romulan attack. Now it was merely an orbiting rubble pile. They almost passed it by, but when he scanned it more closely, Spock had found a few scattered life signs. There might be survivors in need of assistance.
Kensed and Lorven were ever vigilant. They had no sophisticated weaponry, just homemade bows and sharpened flint knives. The Romulan military had raided and attacked them regularly, regarding them as a plague to be eradicated. These rebels had wanted to return to the ways of logic, and had begun to seek reunification with their Vulcan cousins.
The last Romulan commander to visit Tragan V, Dorist, had taken sadistic pleasure in declaring that reunification would no longer be possible. Vulcan had been destroyed by a Romulan.
The rebels would not be dissuaded. If Vulcan no longer existed, they would establish their own home world, away from the Romulans on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone. It was risky, as the Federation and Romulans were undeclared enemies. Starfleet occasionally paroled the area and had no reason to trust any Romulan, especially after the destruction of Vulcan.
Kensed and Lorven had only ever seen one Human, the slave boy Chernal had purchased. His name was Karl Logan, and he had been captured by pirates who had killed his parents. Chernal had taken pity on the child, bought him and educated him to the best of her ability. Chernal's granddaughter Chavela had taken Logan as her mate. They had a daughter together and a second child had been conceived.
The Romulans considered this to be an abomination. They killed Logan and seriously wounded Chavela. Dorist had thought to take Chavela for himself, until he had discovered the pregnancy. Disgusted, he left Chavela with her mother. After the commander and his troops had gone, Kensed and Lorven went looking for the child, Saavena. They could not find her, but they found her father's body.
Chavela never recovered from her wounds. She died shortly after giving birth to a pre-mature son she named Karl. She knew that Saavena still lived, but was convinced that the Romulans had enslaved her.
Nyota tried to make contact with any survivors on all frequencies, using every known language. There was no response. Either the survivors did not understand the messages or they had no equipment capable of receiving them.
Jim had no choice but to send a landing party down.
A site was chosen close to a significant number of life signs and a team of six security personnel was dispatched to the planet's surface. Immediately after beam down, one of them switched on his universal translator.
Unfortunately, Kensed observed this and thought that the man had detected his position from behind a rock and was going for a weapon. The brightly colored uniform shirts identified the intruders as Starfleet personnel. Kensed had heard the Romulan troops describe their clothing once. He shot his bow, piercing the "redshirt's" heart. Lorven killed another with a thrown knife and Kensed seriously wounded a third before the team manged to contact the ship for transport.