Chapter 4: Bare Branches
…
Exercise or dancing usually helped Nyota handle stress. She'd felt that way most of her life. Schoolyard bullies and loneliness were forgotten when she raced down the track at Utendaji Junior Preparatory Academy, all of her adolescent energy focused on a goal. Dancing at town celebrations or weddings made her feel that she shared joy and humanity with others.
At Starfleet, where she'd made other lasting friendships, dancing might begin as a seductive call at the beginning of the evening, but it always changed to an expression of pleasure in movement, of being alive, comfortable, happy in her body and in her very self.
Spock made some remark about her fondness for dancing being a mere response to endorphins early in their relationship, while both were still pretending to each other that they were only friendly colleagues. Then she'd seen him watching her as she danced at a winter holiday party. He looked at her as though they were alone. Teasingly, she'd made eye contact and sketched a little circle with her hips; his mouth actually dropped open. It was only about a centimeter and a half but enough to confirm that more than endorphins were at involved. The mistletoe hung in a secluded alcove at the Starfleet Ballroom was artificial – real mistletoe was a protected species, now found only in nature preserves – but the soft, slow kiss they shared beneath it later that night was real, as was everything that followed.
The landing party and the Vulcans were safely aboard, but Nyota wanted to work off the residual stress of the day. 'Good stress', Sulu would call it, the energy needed to respond to and resolve a crisis. She changed into athletic gear, braided her hair so that it wouldn't catch on anything, and went to the ship's gym.
The large, brightly lit space was busy; people ran along the small elevated track, practiced martial arts on padded flooring. Enterprise crew carefully avoided the appearance of staring at Serranstivlen and Stelendos, the Vulcan apprentices, as they self-consciously tried out the weight machine and exercise equipment. The taller of the two, Serranstivlen, wore a sleeveless shirt; his muscular arms flexed as he lifted weights of several hundred pounds, causing soft gasps of amazement to flutter around the room. He looked up and half-smiled, causing purring sounds of admiration. The other Vulcan, Stelendos, wore more modest short sleeves but this did little to hide the well-defined musculature of his arms and chest. He clasped a climbing rope and nimbly ascended to the ceiling using a hand over hand grip. Pausing at the top, he clasped the rope with his strong legs and turned himself upside down, then right side up. Men and women alike made admiring sounds.
A cluster of crew from Logistics giggled nearby. One woman grinned at Nyota.
"Lieutenant, just between us – are the Vulcans off-limits? Those guys look good, and I like having some new blood aboard."
"Ladies, you know the answer to that. Intimate fraternization with guests isn't encouraged, but they're adults. I should warn you that Vulcan hearing is powerful, beyond the human range. Please be careful about what you say."
"Come on, we're off duty here," another woman said. "There's nothing wrong with our Enterprise crew but mmm! Those shoulders! Can't blame us for noticing, right?"
Nyota persisted. "I know the Vulcans attract lots of attention, but please, let's not make them feel uncomfortable. Vulcan culture is socially conservative, quiet; staring isn't acceptable. Flirtation may be misinterpreted. Imagine this situation with the positions reversed. Do you want to be that creepy person who just doesn't know when to leave somebody alone?"
Serranstivlen stretched, looked towards the group of women, and ran a hand through his hair, then lowered himself to the floor and began a series of one-handed pushups.
"Lieutenant Uhura, those are men. Guests, not enemy combatants. Of legal age. Are you sure it isn't okay?"
"Cross-cultural training specifies the appropriate response to such situations…remember?" Nyota sighed. "The decision's up to you." She sighed and began to warm up, ready for a round on the exercise machines, then a sparring session.
…
After completing his landing party report, Spock set off to find Donstelralth. The older Vulcan man sat on a bench in the observation deck, a square of cloth spread out on the floor to catch the shavings from a small block of wood he shaped with a woodcarver's knife.
Unsurprised by Spock's proposed topic of conversation, Donstelralth motioned for Spock to sit beside him.
"Osasu Spock, you may have noticed a great number of unattached men during your recent visit to New Vulcan. The more cynical among the Vulcan population have begun to refer to them as 'sei-fam gel', or 'bare branches'."
For a moment, Spock thought, Donstelralth's face held an exasperated expression he'd seen on his own father Sarek's face. "I have asked my apprentices to behave themselves when traveling away from New Vulcan, but they are young men," Donstelralth continued. "Sometimes there is a lack of connection between what I say and what they choose to hear."
"Understood." During his adolescence, Spock had occasionally 'listened' to Sarek with similar attention. "Have the local authorities addressed this problem? The presence of a surplus of men unable to find bondmates or to establish lasting, mutually beneficial social and familial ties could lead to social unrest."
Donstelralth replied, "There is much private discussion, but few are willing to publicly propose solutions. When questioned, many Vulcans might say that they prefer to maintain the old tradition of bonding on our new planet. Unbonded Vulcans are encouraged to make themselves more appealing to a potential bondmate. However, not all of these unbonded males have wealth, political connections, strong social ties, or other advantages. Diasporic Vulcan women are not always willing to leave their homes on other planets behind to begin new lives on New Vulcan. Some of the 'bare branches' express a certain...reluctance to bond with non-Vulcans."
Donstelralth averted his eyes, and then looked at Spock. "Personally, I disagree with them – I have enjoyed the companionship of non-Vulcans - but I know that mine is an unpopular opinion...I do not mean offense, Opidsu Spock."
"No offense is taken." He'd dealt with such attitudes for his entire life, and it took more than this to surprise him. "The curiosity and ambition of these young Vulcans does not necessarily make them irresponsible, does it?" Spock asked rhetorically.
"Not to my knowledge, but I am surprised by what my apprentices do. Stelendos is quiet about his activities but during Earth visits he consistently visits the same types of restaurants and food markets, which suggests to me that he patronizes foreigner-managed businesses on New Vulcan. Some of these foods sold by Non-Vulcans may be contraband...chocolate," he said, lowering his voice as he pronounced the Standard word.
"Understood," Spock said as neutrally as possible. Forty-one days earlier, he and Nyota had programmed the 'do not disturb setting' on the door to his quarters, where they shared two chocolates: one milky piece, one dark. Behind closed doors, Spock felt safe experiencing the chocolate's psychoactive and aphrodisiac effects on Vulcan physiology. At the time, Nyota was premenstrual and quickly aroused, craving both chocolate and Spock. Energetic, unclothed, and mutually satisfying activities followed their consumption of the hard-to-obtain treats. Both smiled a lot that night.
Spock calculated the likely results of combining chocolate and two young, single, lonely Vulcans and frowned. He must contact the ship's catering services to ensure that all chocolate settings were removed from the ship's replicators for the duration of the Vulcans' visit. In addition, he would ask Mr. Scott to suspend his usual mysterious deliveries of the sweet, dangerous stuff, which the Chief Engineer obtained through his shadowy interplanetary trade connections.
Donstelrath looked relieved to have a sympathetic ear. "Opidsu Spock, I expected that you would understand their situation. A desire to learn about off-planet life is natural. I have reason to believe that my apprentices are even reading books from Earth, books by and about humans...fiction, not simply useful histories. I believe in intellectual freedom, but I am concerned for the young men who work with me. Many on New Vulcan dislike change. My apprentices have not yet established themselves professionally. A reputation for un-Vulcan behavior will make it difficult for them to find work in some Vulcan businesses; they may also be socially ostracized."
Spock looked at Donstelralth's long hair.
"Yes, I know," Donstelralth sighed. "As someone with his own questionable reputation, I understand. If my skills in carpentry and artwork were not appreciated, I would not have my own shop on New Vulcan. Many call me a rebellious eccentric because of my interest in Pre-Surakian Vulcan culture – thus, my hair. I believe that a more open interpretation and application of IDIC will allow Vulcans to better adjust to our new life."
He looked out at the passing stars and spoke carefully. "If you do not find it offensive, Opidsu Spock, I should mention...several of my apprentices on New Vulcan have shown a...personal interest in observing and interacting with female and male off-worlders. Before Osasu Scott beamed us aboard, I warned my apprentices to behave carefully with people aboard the Enterprise. The Enterprise is not only the crew's home, it is their workplace. "
Spock's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Sir, I hope that you will warn the young Vulcans in turn that they, themselves may be the object of inappropriate advances made by certain members of Starfleet. It is of course unacceptable to sexually proposition guests of Starfleet, but not everyone follows the rules."
Donstelralth blinked. "Ah...yes. During my youth I myself was often the object of prurient curiosity when working and traveling on colony planets." He brushed away loose shavings from the piece of wood. " Surak reminds us that we cannot control the actions of others. However, I will do my best to assure that no problems occur during our brief residence aboard the Enterprise."
…
"I hate sparring with chicks," sneered Steap.
Other people in the gym paused in their combat and exercise, staring.
Nyota's shoulders stiffened. She didn't know Steap well, but his response to her invitation to join her and others in combat practice startled her. He could have just said no.
"Really?" Suddenly she felt angry. "Someday a woman may surprise you with an attack during an away mission. A woman brought you into this world, and a woman can take you out of it."
"Is that a threat, Uhura?" He crossed his arms defiantly. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt despite the warmth of the busy gym.
"Of course not, it's sarcasm. What's your problem? This is a routine exercise. A person would think you'd never studied Gender Relations or hand-to-hand combat at Starfleet Academy. Don't spar with me if you don't want to, but ditch the 'chicks' crap."
Serranstivlen's deep voice broke the tense silence. "Okosu Uhura, may we assist you?" The apprentices had moved quietly across the room to stand next to Nyota. Stelendos, who was a bit shorter than Steap but lithe and strong, stepped in front of Steap and gave him a measuring look. Serranstivlen took a protective half-step in front of Nyota.
Steap smirked, but spoke no more as he turned and left.
Uneasy, Nyota turned to the apprentices. "Thank you both," she said in Vulcan.
"I do not understand," Stelendos said. "You are officer, but he speaks to you in this way?"
"Anyone else who spoke that way would have been joking, even though I dislike such jokes…but we are not friends." Nyota realized that her hands were clenched into fists, and she relaxed them. "I do not understand either, but I appreciate your willingness to help me."
Nyota saw that Chekov and Ensign Miranda, a woman from engineering, had also crossed the room to stand close to her in a show of support.
"Lieutenant, zat was wery unprofessional of him," Chekov said quietly. "I understand that all genders are equal here, but I must say he did not behave like a gentleman. I am younger than he is and I do not speak of women zat way."
"Gender aside," Miranda said, "that's no way to address an officer. Has he ever spoken this way to you before?"
"No, never. We barely know each other." Nyota lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. "We've worked on teams a few times, and he never did anything like this. I'll speak to him later. If here's a problem, I'll take it to Command. Thanks for the backup." She smiled at them, a little tightly; then she leaned down, picked up a weighted ball, and took several steps back. "Let's move on. Who wants to partner up? "
Vulcan glossary for this chapter:
Okosu = honored lady, or madam. Honorific / form of formal address.
Opidsu = Lord.
Osasu = honored man, or gentleman/sir.
Source: thanks to the Star Trek Online Geekipedia.
The term "bare branches" is borrowed from 21st century Chinese references to unmarried men.
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