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Special thanks to beta Notes from the Classroom, she reviewed this Chapter TWICE! Check out her latest "Crossing the Equator" in my faves for Pike/#1 and Spock/Uhura goodness.

Chapter 3

"Hikaru, Cadet Sulu, is going to bring my gear to the shuttle," Noyoto said rubbing his eyes. He and T'Spock were walking in the Enterprise's shadow. In the east early morning light was rising above the plain. There was no use going back to the barracks; T'Spock had called to excuse him from check-in and he was closer now to the departure point anyway.

They had worked until some technicians had turned off the power in their sector for some diagnostics of their own. But not before he'd left his mark on his ship. His name was next to diagnostic testing results and modifications from today's date, and there it would remain until she was decommissioned. He was part of the Enterprise's history.
He had the slow burning energy of someone who hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Rubbing his head he paused, "Do I smell bacon?"

Next to him T'Spock raised her nose. "Yes." Tentatively sniffing the air she said, "I wonder if it is made from tank tissue...There is a cantina over there." She pointed to a spot not far from the shuttle yard.

"I am hungry," said Noyoto. Actually...he was famished. He'd been too caught up in working to notice. He didn't have anywhere to be in the next hour or so.

He looked at T'Spock. After she pointed out the inadvisability of his helping her, and questioned his principles he'd been genuinely angry at her, for the first time ever. But then she'd taken him aboard the Enterprise...

Why eat alone if he could help it? "You want to get breakfast?" he said, not really expecting her to say yes.

To his surprise she said,"That would be acceptable."

He was even more surprised when they ordered. T'Spock ordered as much as he did, and except for eggs, she ordered almost exactly the same items. "I thought Vulcans were vegans," he said. "You just ordered bacon?"

T'Spock blinked. "It is bacon from tissue culture; it never had the consciousness of a living organism attached, nor even been alive in the strictest definition of the word. It is not immoral."

Noyoto tilted his head and smiled. "And it's delicious."

Leaning forward as though about to tell Noyoto something confidential of great import, T'Spock said quietly, "I agree."

It was just too charming; Noyoto laughed.

"What?" said T'Spock, tilting her head.

"No disrespect, sir. It's just not how I would have pictured you a day ago." Shaking his head he said, "A bacon-eating, bar room brawl starting, head butting -"

T'Spock stiffened as soon as he said "bar room brawl."

Noyoto stopped. "I'm sorry, you didn't start it, not really. And..." What kind of world must this seem to her? "I'm sorry that those guys are even the same species as I am."

"It is illogical to apologize. Their behavior is hardly your fault."

Tilting his head he said ruefully, "Yeah, but I bet they don't have that kind of violence on Vulcan."

T'Spock straightened. A hand that she had resting on the table clenched but she said nothing. It was such a small thing - and yet. The moment suddenly felt too heavy, and Noyoto suddenly felt like he knew too much.

"We do not have the type of violence we experienced last night," T'Spock said.

Noyoto's grandfather used to say what was unsaid was more important than what was spoken aloud.

Not that type of violence, but another. He felt like he'd just glimpsed a world he wasn't supposed to see. He was curious; but T'Spock's eyes had gone to the window, and something in that understated act of evasion made him think something beyond Vulcan propriety made it wrong to ask.

x x x x

T'Spock turned her head away from Uhura towards the window. She'd said too much. And Uhura's sudden somber silence made her think perhaps he understood.

Their food and T'Spock watched silently with Uhura as the waitress placed it on the table.

"So," said Uhura, a tightness between his brows dropping away, "Number One is your mentor?"

It was a change of topic and a kindness. T'Spock felt her shoulders relax.

"Yes," T'Spock said.

Uhura was ignoring his food, elbows on the table, long tapered fingers steepled beneath his chin. He was just slightly taller than T'Spock. Unlike many of the male cadets, it was obvious that he didn't spend excessive time at the gym building up upper body strength at the expense of his core and lower body. He was perfectly proportioned in T'Spock's mind, long and lean, strong in the most functional way. The early morning sun was casting a beam across him that made his brown skin and eyes appear nearly orange, so different from the bright white light bulbs in her lab that gave him a chalky pallor.

"I see you in a new light this morning," she said, tilting her head.

Uhura blinked and straightened, moving his hands beneath the table, and T'Spock realized the ineptness of her non sequitur. On Vulcan what she was made associations awkward. On earth who she was made her social interactions just as clumsy. Her father called her a child of two worlds. She thought bitterly what that really meant was she did not belong to either.

"As I see you," Uhura said.

His echo of her gracelessly worded observation washed over her like a balm. And made her strangely uncomfortable at the same time. How much did he see?

Uhura smiled and picked up a fork, "But don't worry, I won't let it negatively impact my efficiency in the lab."

It was a life raft if T'Spock had ever seen one. She grabbed hold with both hands. "I would not expect so," she said, picking up her own fork feeling herself go warm. His neat smoothing of her social ineptitude made her feel...safe.

"Have to prove you wrong about that Romulan visitor," Uhura said.

Whatever her feelings, T'Spock could not let that bit of illogic stand. "Might I remind you that the odds that recording is anything more than a human prank are nearly one million to -"

"Everybody wins the lottery sometime," said Uhura. He put a piece of bacon in his mouth and smiled.

"- to one." T'Spock tilted her head. "And the statement is illogical. Not everyone wins the lottery. Sometimes no one wins the lottery."

Swallowing his bacon, Uhura said, "Okay, slip of the tongue. Sometimes somebody wins the lottery." He smiled again. "Is that better?"

"It is factually accurate, yes." He didn't seem perturbed at all by her observation of his illogic. Which was rather a relief. Sometimes people become annoyed. As much as she realized that, she felt nearly unable to help herself. Sloppy thinking was as uncomfortable to her as a stone in her shoe.

Of course, that made his motivation to become her assistant a bit unsettling. He'd found an odd 20th century radio transmission with what sounded like a Romulan saying "switching to subspace" amidst the static.

T'Spock had discovered that subspace chatter could be found in regular radio waves if one had a wide range of frequencies layered them upon one another. However, before any sentient sounds could be heard in the subspace range, naturally occurring subspace noise—the "chatter" of the planets and the stars—had to be teased out. Unfortunately, each system's naturally occurring noise was distinct, it's own particular language. Learning that language was a matter of time-consuming observation; only one solar system could be decoded at a time.

Raising an eyebrow as he speared a piece of bacon with unconcealed gusto, T'Spock said, "Might I further remind you, that we have not received orders for which system we will begin working on next. It would be far more advantageous for us to study a system in the neutral zone, or near a remote outpost so that Starfleet has alternate means of communication in such strategic areas."

T'Spock took a bite of her own bacon. It was very good, salty, greasy, savory with just the right of crispness.

"Yeah, I'm working on that..." said Uhura gazing out the window.

Swallowing, T'Spock blinked. "Working on that?"

"I remind Commander Sharpton of our Romulan friend," said Uhura picking at the food on his plate with a fork. "You know, whenever I bump into her."

T'Spock resisted an urge to roll her eyes. "And then I'm sure you've convinced her you are quite mad. It would be quite illogical for Starfleet to decode a system where multiple subspace stations exist."

Uhura brightened. "But we are an illogical species!" He put another piece of bacon on his fork.

"So I have observed," said T'Spock.

"This is some fine fake piggy," he said eying the morsel on his fork. Smiling at her and meeting her eyes in a way that strangely threatened to flush her ears green, Uhura popped the piece of bacon into his mouth.

x x x x

"Cadet," said T'Spock, as they neared the shuttles on the tarmac on the western side of the Enterprise's construction area, "This is where I leave you."

Noyoto drew to a halt and turned. It was now nearly 08:00. He was wired from lack of sleep, he felt like he could run a 5K easily, but at the edges of his consciousness there were the threads of deep exhaustion. As soon as he fell asleep he wouldn't be able to wake if a supernova hit him.

"Sir..." He straightened. "Thank you."

T'Spock tilted her head.

"For the chance to go aboard the Enterprise," Noyoto said.

"You are welcome," said T'Spock. She hesitated for a beat, as though there were something more she wanted to say. Abruptly nodding, she turned and headed towards the officers' shuttle.

Noyoto rubbed his head and watched her go, the morning light turning the charcoal gray of her uniform a fiery red. She was so beautiful, courageous, brilliant...and odd. He shook his head. Alien, not odd. How much did he care either way? Not much.
He winced. Not that he should be thinking about this. T'Spock was off limits. Completely off limits.

He tilted his head as she rounded a corner in the distance, her perfectly proportioned frame briefly in profile.

Off limits...for now. There was nothing that said he couldn't be friendly. Perhaps plant a seed for later...

"Uhura," called a familiar voice. Noyoto jumped. Turning, he saw Sulu coming in his direction, two bags of gear over a shoulder. Swinging one around, Sulu threw it in his direction, "Catch."
Noyoto caught the soft projectile. "Thanks."

Noyoto was stowing his bag when Sulu said something.

"What?" said Noyoto.

"What was so important that you couldn't make it back to the barracks last night? And I've only asked it three times."

Rubbing his face, Noyoto said, "The Enterprise; had to test her UT. Sorry, man, no sleep."

Sulu huffed a laugh and said something that may have been, "That's awesome." They ducked to enter the shuttle. As they strapped themselves in between two cadets, Noyoto's comm chimed.

Flipping it open, Noyoto blinked in surprise. It was a message from Commander Sharpton, forwarded from T'Spock. The subject was "Research priorities for fall semester." In the body, before the forwarded section, T'Spock had commented, "Humans are illogical." Noyoto scanned down to Sharpton's message.

In light of the possible historical significance of certain transmissions recorded in the late 20th century, I have decided that the first solar system to be decoded should be Sol.

Grinning ear to ear, Noyoto tapped a reply to T'Spock. Very illogical. I promise not to gloat, Sir.

Just as he pressed send a loud thump caught his attention.

"Ouch, that had to hurt," Sulu said.

Glancing up, Noyoto's jaw dropped. Standing under the first low beam of the shuttle's frame, Jim Kirk rubbed his head with one hand. Something red was clasped tightly in the other. He looked rougher and more unkempt than ever, dark circles under his eyes, his face bruised and bloody.

"Whoa," Sulu said, "they must be low on their recruiting quota."

Seeing Noyoto, Kirk saluted with a cocky smile and threw the red thing he was clutching in Noyoto's direction.

Catching the red thing automatically, it took a moment for Noyoto to register that it was his coat smelling of alcohol and tobacco in his hands. "Thanks, man," Noyoto said. "You joining us?"

"Looks like it," said Kirk, settling in across the aisle a few seats down.

Noyoto's brain was just digesting this response - when Giotto, the security officer who'd decked Kirk the night before, leaned out of his seat. "Are you alright? I am soooo sorry. I just got carried away."

"I'm okay," Kirk said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"See, he's okay, Cupcake," said one of the other security track cadets.

"Your nickname stuck," said Giotto.

"Uh..." said Kirk.

Noyoto's eyes widened.

Smiling, Giotto said, "I like it...it'll confuse my enemies. When I was a kid we had this Rottweiler named Fluffy -"

He was interrupted by an attendant chasing a man down the aisle, "You will take a seat sir."

"I had a seat," the man protested. He wasn't as bloody as Kirk, but he looked about as worn out - unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes. Noyoto would have pegged him in his mid thirties.

"Definitely low on their quota," said Sulu under his breath.

Noyoto lay his head back as the man sat next to Jim. Closing his eyes he was vaguely aware of the guy going off on Kirk about various space diseases. Poor Kirk, he just seemed like a magnet for trouble and weirdness.

The last thing Noyoto heard as he slipped into unconsciousness was that old guy saying, "I think I may throw up on you."

A/N:

No fence hopping sequence. I felt like it wasn't really needed. Other than that this chapter is just a little smoother (I hope). T'Spock reflects that being a child of two worlds means she's really a child of none, and thinks that she likes that Uhura smoothes over her awkwardness.

If you read and enjoyed, please let me know! Next chapter is where things take off in a really different direction!