"Are you sure you want to do this, Jenn?" Dr. Leonard McCoy, or 'Bones' as Jennifer called him so affectionately, asked while trying to keep up with her almost jogging down the hall of the linguistics department of the academy.

"Why not? I know a bit of Federation languages? Plus, I just have this feeling that it's going to be really fun." She beamed at him, pausing just on the outside of two closed 20th century styled wooden doors. Bones could tell she had an ulterior motive, her smile wasn't the genuine and kind one that she sometimes displayed, although he wouldn't tell her that. She would outright deny it. It was a mischievous and cunning smile.

"This isn't about that Cadet Uhura is it? The one who is majoring in Xenolinguistics and Intergalactic Communication with a specialty in subspace anomalies?" Bones asked, grabbing her shoulder lightly and turning her to face him head on.

"Bones, can't I just join a club for the fun of it?" Jennifer smiled, her eyes twinkling playfully.

"If it was anyone but you, I'd say it's possible. But this is you we're talking about here Jenn." Bones lowered his voice slightly, leaning into Jennifer's ear.

"Bones, I'll be fine. I'll tell you all about it later. Besides, don't you have a shift to be getting to?" Jennifer turned into his ear now to whisper.

It'd been like this for them, especially since Bones had gotten back from holiday leave. They flirted constantly back and forth. Never once had they actually graduated into anything beyond intense flirting, it was… cathartic, for both of them.

For Leonard McCoy it was because of his ex-wife. The disenchanted and horribly gone wrong relationship that had existed with her well before it ended. And when it finally had ended, there was less than no love lost, and Leonard McCoy was drained. It was part of what added to his cantankerous personality.

For Jennifer Kirk, well, it was a multitude of things. By flirting with Bones, she was getting close to him as a friend, while not getting too close. It was her way of keeping people at a distance. Especially men. There had been many events during Jennifer's life already that could be described as disenchanting, and she didn't trust people. Bones, well, him she was beginning to trust, maybe even like, but regardless, the flirting was fun.

It just seemed that maybe she was beginning to like him more than she had planned on. The flirting couldn't be described as purely harmless anymore.

"Don't cause too much trouble." Bones said as he stepped back from Jennifer winking.

"Later, Bonesy!" Jennifer said, stepping up to Leonard quickly. She left him with a kiss on his cheek before she hurried to disappear behind the double doors.

Leonard McCoy shook his head with acute awareness before walking off to his shift at the academy clinic. "That woman's gonna be the death of me, I swear."

Jennifer walked into the room, which could only be described as one of the academy's more historic rooms. It was a restored 21st century study, outfitted for the purposes of club gatherings. Clubs such as the xenolinguistics club which Jennifer had decided to join.

Contrary to Leonard McCoy's ascertains, Jennifer Kirk did not want to join the xenolinguistics club purely to annoy Cadet Nyota Uhura. Although, she had to admit, at least to herself, that it would be one of the better bonuses of joining the club.

Normally, those in xenolinguistic tracks, commonly referred to as X-ling, were the only people who decided to join the extracurricular X-ling club. However, every few years or so there were the odd members, usually some sort of science major or command track cadet to join. Jennifer Kirk decided that she would be such a person.

While Jennifer Kirk did not have the command of as many languages that Cadet Uhura did, she was by no means lacking in knowledge of alien languages. She could read several different languages, including Klingon and even some Romulan. Thank you MACO for the crash courses. The one language she did know, however, was Vulcan. She didn't understand her ability to not only read Vulcan, but understand and communicate in the spoken language as well. There were even some ancient Vulcan texts that she could read, but they were not written in the modern version of Vulcan.

Jennifer supposed she had to thank Hoshi Sato a lot for her command of alien languages, but she knew that her understanding of Vulcan, at least, went beyond Hoshi's teachings, though she didn't understand why. The language was just easy for her to learn, almost as if she had a connection of some sort to Vulcan itself. Which was extremely absurd to conclude.

Still, she wasn't about to play all of her cards. Maybe only a few. Jennifer had learned, through experience, that usually it's best to play dumb and surprise everyone later. People, of every race, had a tendency to underestimate opponents, whatever the arena. It would only assist her opponents, or adversaries in the academic arena for now, if she helped them to underestimate her. It wasn't hard, though, at least at Starfleet Academy. Most of her peers had already established a stereotype for Jennifer Kirk and, whichever one it was, smart and capable did not fall under any of them.

Which is why, among other things, she thought it would be funny to join the X-ling club. Not only did she want to keep her command of the languages she currently knew, but it was an, albeit backwards, way to keep up a pretense while still continuing her education and involving herself in an extracurricular.

That it would annoy Uhura was merely a bonus.

"…so I know that not everyone made it to the first meeting, which is why I would like to introduce myself." Jennifer took a seat at the back of the room, knowing she was a couple minutes late to the meeting, hoping to go unnoticed at the beginning. "I am Cadet Uhura, president of the Xenolinguistics club this year. I am a second year student on a Xenolinguistics track. To my right, as many of you may know, is Commander Spock, the professor in charge of the Xenolinguistics club. Since I know not all of us here today were here last week for the first meeting of the club this semester, let's go around the room and introduce ourselves again. Cadet Michaels, how about you start?" Jennifer noticed that Uhura looked at the small pale woman on her right, who was sitting in a chair next to Commander Spock.

Jennifer didn't really listen to the introductions as they went around the room. She would learn names later, if she wanted to. Her eyes were fixed on Commander Spock. She hadn't counted on him being at the meeting. In fact, she was surprised that he was. It didn't, to Jennifer's mind, seem like his scene. She realized, a bit too late, that he had caught her staring.

She tried to look away, really she did. Or so she told herself anyway. But she couldn't. His eyes were fixed on hers. Locked. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only about 15 seconds or so, the commander raised a silent eyebrow at Jennifer. She didn't understand why, after all, she was at war with him. A staring war.

"Uh, I think you're next." The person sitting next to Jennifer whispered, breaking her out of the staring war she was in with the commander.

"Oh, uh, yeah, right, thanks." She whispered back, noticing that the male cadet she had completely disregarded up to this point was actually quite…well he was hot.

He stared at her in mutual silence before she understood that she still had yet to stand up and introduce herself.

"Uh, right. I'm Jennifer Kirk," she cleared her throat, "sorry, Cadet Kirk, I guess I'm technically a second year here too, although I just started this year. I'm on the advanced track for Command."

Uhura had locked eyes with her in both open shock and disgust.

"You are not a linguistics track, Cadet Kirk. Why'd you join the x-ling club?" Uhura asked, barely containing her rising anger at having Jennifer join her club.

"Uh, I thought it could be, I don't know, fun?" Jennifer replied back, instantly switching into sarcastic and unserious mode purely for the benefit of one Cadet Uhura.

Neither one of the women realized that they were being intently watched by just about everyone in the room now. Especially by one Commander Spock, who decided he might end up having to intervene for the sake of the club continuing on with its planned activities if the…. Catfight were to go on much longer.

"Fun? It's Xenolinguistics. How could it possibly be fun for you? You don't even know any other languages other than Standard." Uhura returned hastily, pausing before she considered that possibly Jennifer Kirk did know any other languages, but she seriously doubted it. "Do you?" She insisted hesitantly.

Jennifer thought about this for a minute, testing Uhura and everyone else's patience for a response. How should she respond? She desperately wanted to respond in a language that Uhura did not know, but she doubted she knew any language that escaped Uhura's knowledge and command ability.

"Warriors with closed eyes become blind.Blind warriors know not what they fight. As knowledge is the true key to victory, and victory is the key to honor. Blindness leads to dishonor." Jennifer said calmly in perfect Klingon, which, not surprisingly got a lot of attention. For those that knew anything about Klingon language and culture, knew that Jennifer had basically told Uhura that she was underestimating her. However, it also meant that if Uhura would consistently underestimate the value and abilities of her peers she was only doing herself a disservice.

It took Uhura a moment to respond. Jennifer could see that she was calculating exactly what she had said. Had understood it, and was deciding what to say in response to such an old Klingon wisdom. Especially coming from Jennifer Kirk. Uhura seemed to grow from affronted to… something else in the space of mere seconds.

"Blindness is akin to arrogance. Both may be considered disadvantages to a warrior." Uhura replied, although she did not hold the same tone of exasperation and anger as before. She was simply stern.

"Is it not the height of illogic to assume any being is perfectly created?" Jennifer replied quickly, however in Vulcan this time. It was as much as acquiescence as it was a challenge, suggesting that perhaps both women had faults that hindered them both. Jennifer knew it was a long shot, and while she did derive pleasure out of frustrating the young woman sometimes, she couldn't deny that Cadet Uhura could a good friend, given time.

"Perhaps." Uhura responded simply in Standard once more. The entire sequence of conversation had been followed by the whole room of about fifteen cadets and one extremely perplexed and intrigued professor.

Who was at the time looking at Jennifer with a raised eyebrow and a questioning all his own.

"So, as you've seen, language can be used in multiple ways, but Xenolinguistics is not just about the study of the languages of each species known in the galaxy, but just as much as the culture in which each language originates." Uhura had decided to take this moment which started as an argument of sorts and use it as a teachable event. Jennifer had sat back down smiling to herself. "For those of you who do not know much or any of Klingon or Vulcan each phrase was at the very least a spinoff of each culture's philosophy. The aim of this club is to enrich ourselves not only in the study of the alphabets and words of the languages of other races, but to truly be able to communicate with them. To do so effectively more than mere words are required."

Jennifer thought about this. It was true, Uhura had a point. The switch between using Klingon culture to Vulcan culture in a 'discussion' with her had proven one thing. They had communicated more effectively within the span of five minutes than they had in any of the time of previously knowing each other.

All in all, Jennifer thought that maybe she would actually enjoy being involved in the x-ling club more than she had originally hoped for.

Two days had followed without incident. Which may have been a record for Jennifer Kirk, as she could always find some sort of trouble. Although she would insist that trouble found her more often than not. Classes had been exactly as she thought they would be. Stimulating to some degree in some, tedious and boring in others. However, when forced to choose, or rather she had chosen without force anyway, her favorite classes were the basic warp design and advanced hand to hand combat.

Jennifer showed exceptional skill in the advanced hand to hand combat course, enough to draw the attention of the instructor, Lt. Commander Jaisan. Lt. Commander Jaison, or as he requested to be called by all his students, either sir or just Jais, could tell right away that Jennifer Kirk had previously had training without even needing to look into her record. He'd let her get by the first week without giving away his observations, but today's lesson had presented the perfect opportunity for him to really size her up.

Jais had requested a special session to be co-lead by Commander Spock, who would prove to be a formidable opponent and also an excellent instructor. It was not only because he was Vulcan, and therefore three times stronger than the average human with the quickness of mind to outmatch most, but that he was well versed in the disciplines of the Sush-mana, or Vulcan martial arts.

He wanted to see how his students would react faced with the reality that they were outmatched in just about every way. He also wanted to see if Jennifer Kirk would, as she was prone to sometimes, 'go in guns blazing' or as she was equally as prone to, seriously assess her opponent. He may have also wanted, although he would never have told anyone, to see how the logical Vulcan commander would react to his fast becoming favorite student's wild use of multiple martial arts and other interesting not widely taught sparring techniques.

"Okay, so, today is a special day." Jais started the class officially after everyone had finished their warm up stretches and cardio exercises. "With us is Commander Spock, which some of you may know." He gestured to the Vulcan standing beside him clad from neck to toe and hand in loose black clothing. "He will be assisting the class today in various functions. One of which is to teach you a few basics of the Vulcan Sush-mana. The lesson will be longer than most because, after we are done teaching basic moves, you'll each end up sparring, either alone or with a partner or two, against the commander or amongst yourselves. First, however, a demonstration."

Commander Spock had not moved from his position in the slightest since Jais had begun to speak. He had his hands clasped crisply behind his back and his posture gave nothing away except that he was a cool and collected as ever.

Jennifer, for the first time, realized that Lt. Commander Jais wasn't the only attractive older male in the room. She didn't understand it, but for some reason, she thought that all black suited the Vulcan commander very well. She physically shook her head at the thought and turned her attention to the beginning demonstration.

Jais and Commander Spock had taken opposite sides of the circular mat in the center of the room and bowed to one another, a sign of both respect and the beginning of the match. Neither attacked quickly. Jennifer noticed how the commander's attention seemed to mostly be directed at Jais' feet. He rarely seemed to make contact with Jais' eyes at the start and Jais' was paying special attention to the commander's midline it seemed, so that they ended up only circling each other. Testing the waters.

Jais moved in first, at the side of the commander, but didn't make any contact whatsoever. Commander Spock simply side-stepped him quickly, having surmised his intent by watching his feet, causing Jais to end of on the opposite side of him.

The room was silent, all eyes on the pair of experienced fighters, all wanting to know who would land the first strike, but none daring to interrupt the ambience of the room with normal whispers of bets.

Jennifer silently guessed that the commander would allow Jais to land the first strike in order to use it against him. It seemed to be what he would do, based on his attention to his feet. A lot of people, Jennifer noticed, even in this advanced class, tended to watch the eyes and the hands. Hands weren't dangerous, well that dangerous. Feet were. Feet told the direction and the path. The only reason to watch the eyes was to unnerve your opponent, and maybe occasionally see the giveaway what they were thinking about before their feet moved.

She was proven correct in her theory. Jais decided he'd had enough of the circling around each other and moved in for an attack feigning a leg swipe when he realistically was going for a kick to the commander's middle. Perhaps his airway system. It was usually affective against humans, who, would at the very least be stunned by getting the wind knocked out of them if you could correctly land a kick in the diaphragm. Jais' attack, while making contact with the commander's body, was not successful in its attempt to hit the correct target. Commander Spock had allowed the contact to hit so that he could grab Jais' ankle just before hitting his middle and use the momentum provided by Jais' attack to fling him aside and knock him off balance.

Commander Spock and Jais shared a look with one another, one that Jennifer realized had nothing to do with them actually sparring, but was almost like a quick conversation, in which Jais had told the commander to attack instead this time. To prove something.

It happened so fast that if Jennifer had not been paying extreme attention she would have missed everything but Jais landing on his ass and getting pinned.

Commander Spock had, after Jais regained his circling stance gone in for a direct attack in which the Jais had attempted to block a high kick from the commander. However, Jennifer could tell that the commander had never intended to actually kick Jais. He had wanted Jais to defend such a kick so that in a fluid like motion, which actually consisted of more than one maneuver just done very quickly and very precisely Jais was now pinned on the matt under Commander Spock with no ability to move.

It was quick, effective, and Jennifer realized that the commander could have taken Jais out within the first thirty seconds, well, if Jais was going to play nice anyway. Jais probably could have, if he'd been doing anything other than teaching, held his own for a while against the commander.

"And that is a demonstration, albeit a quick one, on how Sush-mana can quickly render an opponent useless. The motions you saw at the end which lead to the commander over taking me were done quickly, efficiently, and logically. He had deduced how I would react to a move and in keeping with the basic of movements taught in Sush-mana used that reaction against me." Jais explained. Commander Spock simply took up his former position clasping his hands behind his back with a neutral expression on his face.

"Alright, so for the first part of class we're going to break into two groups. The first group is going to be taught some of the basic structure movements of Sush-mana and the second group is going to review the last lesson, which will help to counter the Sush-mana movements you'll be learning today. We'll then switch groups after about 30 minutes, so pay attention, so the other group can be taught the Sush-mana. After that we will spar. Alright so left half of the room, you're with Commander Spock, right half you're with me. Kirk you'll stay with Commander Spock's group the whole time." Jennifer realized that Jais had called her out specifically. He'd only done so once since she'd started the class with him and it was a simple thing. He hadn't wanted her to spar with him, instead choosing another cadet to do so.

She thought for a moment that maybe he wanted her to get extra time learning the Sush-mana. But then, she realized, she really didn't need to review the last lesson.

Commander Spock had informed the group that he was only going to teach the most basic of movements, but assured the group that they would quickly tire regardless. He was correct.

Each movement looked relatively easy, and doing them was almost akin to yoga. But Jennifer realized, to get the precision Commander Spock was exhibiting it took a great deal of concentration. He was only teaching four movements. Each started out simply, a single pose, but morphed into another pose, and Jennifer realized that it was the action between the poses that granted the user the best result. It was the movement, the space in between that mattered most.

Jennifer was almost glad that she didn't have to review the last class, because, well, she was happy to spend the extra time spent on practicing the Sush-mana movements. She would have better control than the rest of her classmates, but she also knew she needed no refresher of what was obviously meant to be counter movements.

The movements also offered a secondary purpose. Practicing them, getting the fluidity down, making the four movements seamless as a choreographed dance was almost meditative. Although Jennifer knew, because she had tried when she was younger, that pure mediation would never be something she could do, physical exercise, given the slow repetitive nature of the movements she was learning now especially, helped her to clear her mind.

By the end of the hour, Jennifer had felt more relaxed than she thought she had since starting at the academy.

"Alright, so now it's time to spar. Alright, so we're going to break off into pairs for rounds. Each round will be five minutes, so put your learning of the new Sush-mana moves to use. You are not required to only use what you have learned today from Commander Spock, but you are required to use the lesson during each round. Choose your partners. Commander Spock and I will observe you." Everyone hurried and paired off. Jennifer realized that she had been so relaxed that she hadn't paid attention. As the class had an uneven number of students, she did not have a partner. "Kirk, get over here." Jais said quickly and Jennifer rushed over to his side. "Begin." He instructed.

"Kirk, you'll practice what you've learned against me and Commander Spock since you don't have a partner." Jais started to circle Jennifer, signaling the round between the two had already begun.

"But aren't you guys supposed to be watching us, sir?" She replied humorously, circling her instructor.

Jais went in for an attack and Jennifer applied her practiced Sush-mana movements to deflect the attack easily.

"Yeah, but I feel like you've probably got the hang of what you've learned. Besides, we can observe you better if we're sparring against you." He laughed in response as she lunged at him and he easily deflected her attack.

"Wait. So I'm not sparring against anyone else then? I'm not switching it up with anyone else?" Jennifer was taken by surprise by his statement and opened herself up to the attack from Jais. He had effectively swiped under her legs causing her, not to fall, but to stumble off balance. She quickly recovered though.

"You really think I need you beating up my cadets this early on? Give me a break. It's only been about a week and I already know you could help teach this class." She attacked again, this time landing a blow to his side before being deflected. "Besides, I've gotta tire you out so you can get your ass good and kicked at the end of the lesson."

Jennifer stared at him letting his message sink in. He intended her to spar against Commander Spock as the final demonstration. She was, she decided, not happy with him. She lunged again, this time feigning to the right and going for his low center, effectively knocking him off balance enough that she used the new motions she'd been taught to pin him.

"You can't be serious, Jais." She said looking at her instructor, feeling somewhat awkward that she was straddling him.

"Oh knock it off." He said, getting out of her hold on him and pushing her away. Both were back on their feet once more. "We both know you're pretty good, Kirk. You'll be fine. Plus, take it as a lesson in humility when you get your butt kicked. Or are you too afraid to test out the waters of combat with a Vulcan?" He smiled devilishly at her, challenging her. He knew she would accept just because of that.

"I'm not one to back down from a challenge, Jais. You know this." Just as she finished saying this she attacked again, finally getting the better of him and putting him into an effective hold.

He took the whistle he had around his neck with his free arm and blew into it. Jennifer got up from the hold and shook her head at the sound, it having been so close to her ears.

"Couldn't warn a girl first Sheesh?" She laughed flirtatiously.

"Nope. Where's the fun in that? Commander Spock, would you mind taking over while I observe the next round?" Jais called out. The commander walked over.

"Of course." He replied in a cool even tone. Jennifer tried not to think about the embarrassment that she was about to suffer at the hands of the Vulcan, remembering the challenge issued to her by Jais.

"Begin." Jais called out for everyone to begin their second round.

Commander Spock bowed to Jennifer and she bowed in return. At least he gives a girl a warning. She thought to herself. However, she quickly changed her mind when he sprung for the attack first. She had barely registered his movement and almost allowed a blow to hit.

"You must absolve your mind of all distractions." Commander Spock warned, which just infuriated Jennifer. But she took it to heart anyway, he was right, she couldn't afford to be distracted. Especially not against someone who had at least three times her strength and probably speed too.

Jennifer flashed her eyes from his feet to his own eyes, catching his gaze for a moment. She realized, that he hadn't been prepared for her eye contact, and decided to use this to her advantage. Instead of moving her feet to either side, which she knew would give away the attack, she decided to do something which would look incredibly foolish to anyone watching. She moved her hands in a mock version of something she'd seen done in an old 21st century Asian film which proved enough to distract the commander for her to get low and basically tackle him.

He was indeed caught off guard with her brazen attempt to attack. It'd worked.

"I'd say right back at you, commander." She flashed a wide smile at him for her success as he got back on his feet, only to be equally thwarted in his next attack which rendered her footing useless and knocked her to the ground as well.

Jennifer was unsuccessful at landing anymore attacks for the rest of the round. In fact the next two times she faced the commander she was unable to use any of the Sush-mana movements against him, which she tried to do, because, well, she was told she had to.

"Alright class, gather round." Jais said after he blew the final whistle. "For the end demonstration Commander Spock will spar with one of you. The rules are this," he started, having the attention of every cadet in the class, "pretty much, anything goes, within reason of course. Attack and defend as needed. Try not to break anything, we don't need a medical visit and I'd really hate to explain to the admiralty why one of my cadets is broke." He finished staring at Jennifer. "So, Kirk here has been chosen to prove herself against Commander Spock." Jennifer stepped up to stand on his left, while the commander was standing on his right. She heard some of the students moan in displeasure at the fact that she was going to spar against the commander, while some students laughed. She took both separate and different responses to mean the same thing. None of them were happy to see her sparring with Commander Spock.

To be honest, she wasn't either. She knew Vulcans were strong. Stronger than humans by a factor of three. But this was Jennifer Kirk. She didn't believe in no-win scenarios. There had to be a way to win, even if she was outmatched and outgunned.

Commander Spock took a position directly across from her on the mats and bowed in a sign of respect to begin the match. Jennifer barely noticed, her attention focused inward. She bowed in return to effectively begin the match and brought all of her attention to the commander. She would need it.

To be fair, the match did not last as long as it seemed it had.

Jennifer decided she would attack first, knowing that Commander Spock was both expecting it and ready for it. He was not, however, ready for her actual yet unintended attack.

Jennifer lunged for the commander in the most obvious of ways, knowing that he would see exactly what she expected him to see. She knew that she didn't stand a chance against the Vulcan at his own game unless she surprised him. The best way to surprise him, she figured, was to, in fact, touch him. Bare skin-to-skin contact.

Which would be difficult at best. Commander Spock had been garbed in full coverage athletic gear. He had a black tight long sleeve shirt and black regulation Starfleet work out men's pants. The only bare skin the commander had were his face, hands, and feet. Face, because it would be difficult to operate in a mask, and completely ridiculous. Hands, because he needed to be able to feel what he was doing. Jennifer supposed he could have, in fact worn gloves, MACO members did on missions, but he was probably used to sparring without them. The socks, well that was an easy thing to explain. The commander wasn't wearing socks, like any other cadet or even Jais, because, well, that would make it extremely difficult to maneuver on the slick mats in slippery socks.

So, his feet it was. Jennifer didn't think it would be easy, nor a good idea to touch his face. Comparatively, it would be just as difficult, if not more so, to touch his hands. She had therefore concluded the best way to surprise him was an unexpected jolt to his bare feet with her bare hands. She just wanted to jolt him long enough to take his attention away from her actual attack so that way she could do something. She didn't think it would affect him that badly. Her mind was incredibly focused on the task at hand.

So it was an amazing surprise that after he had attempted to use her momentum from her direct lunge to move her aside and prepare for his attack that she crouched at the very last moment and quickly, touched his foot with her hand and scurried out of the way while he froze in shock.

Commander Spock had not expected the pull of Jennifer Kirk's mind to be so… strong. Her mind was not full of anger or fear, as he expected it to be. Most humans he had the occasion to spar with had given off these emotions. But he could feel neither. What he did feel in that brief moment of contact was… elation. It was completely confounding. He had not expected her to touch his bare foot either. It seemed a very illogical move to make, as she could derive no benefit from it during their match. It did not signify a lethal hit, as would be customary of a light touch to the correct place in such a match, but he then did not see her shift of movement until he was suddenly on his back on the mats.

Her fierce clear blue eyes locked with his unyielding brown eyes. When he raised an eyebrow whilst pinned he heard the most illogical yet somehow pleasing sound. Jennifer Kirk was laughing with abandon.

"Commander, it seems I have the match." She said, still pinning him effectively. Although Commander Spock knew he could easily break her hold on him, using his Vulcan strength. But for this class, it was not the purpose of the match. She had, although in a much unexpected manner, used the correct Sush-mana movements against him. After the almost too brief to be noticeable, to anyone except Commander Spock, touch to his right foot, Cadet Jennifer Kirk had used the Sush-mana to pin him while he had been distracted. Her use of the movements he taught her was flawless. He was in awe of her.

"It seems you are correct, Cadet Kirk. I concede the match." Commander Spock replied, still pinned to the mat.

A curious array of emotional expressions crossed over Jennifer's face so quickly that the commander could not understand what they were, nor did he have time to decipher them before she quickly jumped back as if she was scalded by boiling water. The only thing that he could pick up from the cadet was when she accidently brushed his bare hand with hers in the process of removing herself from straddling him.

Excitement/fear/dread/longing/confusion

Commander Spock did not understand what to make of the quick and gone too soon contact with Cadet Kirk's emotions, nor did he have time to dwell on them, as Lt. Commander Jaison began to speak.

"A very unexpected and quick outcome. Well done, Cadet Kirk." Both Jennifer and Commander Spock righted themselves. "I see you remain an enigma." An enigma was the correct description, Commander Spock thought. Sush-mana was inherently a logical martial art, yet Cadet Jennifer Kirk had used the movements he taught to the class quite illogically.

Jais was smiling as he clapped Jennifer on the shoulder. The class applauded. "Alright, class dismissed." The class, eager to hit the showers and be on their way did not waste any time in scurrying out of the exercise room. Jennifer had started to walk off, but Jais grabbed her shirt and pulled her back.

"Just a minute, Kirk, I need to speak with you." Jennifer turned around and looked at him with her face scrunched in confusion. "Just stay put, Kirk. I'll be right back." Jais walked off without waiting for a reply towards Commander Spock who was also in the process of walking out of the room.

Jennifer waited for a good five minutes before Jais came back into the room, looking a more disturbed than he had left.

"What the hell was that, Kirk?" Jais asked, annoyed, coming mere inches from her face.

Jennifer popped straight to attention, MACO training taking hold. She knew from his tone and his body language she was getting chewed out, although for what, she didn't understand.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to, sir." Jennifer replied, not daring to look at him but instead looking past him.

"Cut the crap, Kirk. You know exactly what the hell I'm talking about. That match." Jais almost spit in her face

Jennifer risked a look at Jais. He seemed… extremely angry. "Sir?"

"I don't know what game you were playing, Kirk, but I don't appreciate it. I'm sure Commander Spock didn't either." The look Jais gave her was… scary. But Jennifer really didn't understand what he was so upset about. He seemed fine just when before class ended, yet, now, he was completely the opposite.

"With Commander Spock. You know what I mean!" Jais all but howled at her.

Jennifer finally broke her bearing. Now she was truly confused and, well at least mildly irritated that Jais kept on insisting she knew what he was talking about.

"Lt. Commander Jais," Jennifer hissed backing up from him, "I assure you I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps you would care to explain yourself so maybe I could give you an explanation."

"You touched him. Skin-to-skin contact. On purpose. You attacked him with your mind. A most vile act. I wish to know why. In fact, I wish to know how it is possible!"

"Wait, what? You're pissed off because I touched his foot?" Jennifer asked incredulously.

"Yes. You deliberately touched him with the intent to make contact with his bare skin. You don't even deny it?"

Jennifer shook her head. There must be a reason that Jais was so uncharacteristically upset with her. Something she wasn't understanding.

"No, I meant to touch his bare skin. To shock him into distraction. I didn't attack him, though."

"Yes. You did. It would be the only reason to initiate such an attack. I had to, of course keep up appearances for the rest of the class, but I want you removed. Today."

"Jais, I swear. I didn't attack him. I don't even know how I could have. I'm not telepathic. At all."

Jais looked at her, heard her pleading sound, her sincerity and faltered a moment.

"Bullshit. Why else would you, and it looked it, deliberately touch the only place you very well could have to initiate a telepathic contact?"

"I already told you. I wanted to shock him. Distract him. I knew I didn't stand a chance any other way. I just wanted a second. A second was all I needed. Or two. I guess technically it was about two there. But you and I both know any Sush-mana I could have used would not have worked against him. And he's obviously trained in everything the Academy has to offer and whatever he got trained in on Vulcan. I needed an advantage. But I didn't attack his mind! I would never…" Jennifer trailed off, recalling an event while she was in MACO. The very reason she left MACO and they had let her leave MACO.

'Your mind will submit to me. Just as your body will. You are weak. I can sense your fear when I touch you, oh little one. Do you know how intoxicating your fear is, especially from one as scintillatingly sensual as you, Jenny dear?'

A look and feeling of deep terror washed over Jennifer as the man she thought she could trust descended down upon her once more. He kissed her body as though he were receiving a virgin gift to the gods, and she felt bile rise in her throat. She couldn't move. He had taken her by surprise that night, using his telepathic abilities to paralyze her effectively for his needs.

'Ah. Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Where would be the fun in that? I know you won't tell anyone, because, well, I won't let you my beautiful Jenny. Oh, I am going to have so much fun with you. I just love the feeling of your despair and helplessness. It is such a turn on!'

Jennifer fought the bile. She would not give this man the satisfaction of her fear any longer. If he wanted someone helpless and afraid, she wouldn't be that. Yet, Jennifer knew that the harder she fought against him the better he would like her. So, with only one thing under her control, her thoughts, as he had yet to break that particular barrier in her mind, since he wanted his victims, liked them, conscious and aware. She would give him the one thing he didn't want. A willing…victim.

Tears ran down Jennifer's face silently as she recalled the painful memory. How anyone could think her capable of using telepathic abilities to attack someone in their own mind? She'd been subject to that, and more. She simply wasn't capable. Even if she had telepathic capabilities.

"Jais," Jennifer whispered, finally turning around to face him, swollen red eyes and all, "I promise you, it was only meant to shock him. I know Vulcans detest physical contact. I purposely kept my mind clear during the contact. I would never, never, subject anyone to that. I would never intrude or force myself on anyone. If you had read my file, really looked into it, you would know that. What did the commander say to you for you to think that?"

Jais looked at Jennifer then, really looked at her. Looked at the tears falling down her face. Looked at her reddened crystal blue eyes. And realized he had made an error in judgement. Perhaps, maybe he'd allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment. Seeing her touch the commander willingly, seeing he straddle him and laugh at the end of their extremely quick match. Commander Spock having said he was confused at her last emotions, the combination of them. The way he seemed stoically perturbed by her contact and the pull, he said, although mostly to himself, that he had felt from her mind.

Jais realized he was jealous. Because, well, being a human that wasn't strictly psi-null, he was jealous of her mental contact with him and could only come to one conclusion. That Jennifer Kirk was not psi-null and that she had attacked the commander mentally in order to win the match.

Jais could see now that his assumptions were wrong. And all too brought on by the…. Jealousy he felt?

"I'm sorry, Kirk, I guess, well, it just didn't make any sense to me. What he said. About your mind calling to him. But, well, I believe you. And he didn't outright say you attacked him mentally, but it was the only thing that made sense to me. I'm sorry."

Jennifer looked at him, hard.

"Apology accepted." Jennifer sighed. "But you owe me dinner, and I don't care what regulations say, it's not fraternizing with a student if it's professional. Which this will be. Because, well, we will talk about class, about how you really want me to help teach your class because I'm so illogically irrational I think of new and crazy ways to win a sparring match against a Vulcan."

Jais looked at Jennifer with an odd expression that she just couldn't identify. After a long moment of what seemed to be consideration he replied, "sure, just uh, can we shower and change first? Cause, not to sound like a dick or anything, but, you're sweaty as hell."

Jennifer laughed boisterously. "Yeah. Yeah. Sure thing, Jais."