Chapter Twenty six
When You Wish Upon A Star
Back to the Future
Nyota now acted as teaching assistant to Professor Irma Robinson, the longest tenured instructor in the Academy's Xenolinquestic Department. She was a no-nonsense female with over forty years teaching experience in that specialty. Most of the students she taught stood in awe of her, not only because of her great skill as a teacher, but also because she opened her home at least twice a month for a select group of students to get away from the stainless steel and hard plastic that so identified life at the Academy. She lived alone not too far from the campus in a large Victorian style house that overlooked the bay.
Nyota had just been working under her for about a week when she was dubbed 'Dearie' Amazingly the professor could perfectly mimic the Vulcan singular raised eyebrow. This ability was explained by her biography which informed all that she had lived many years on that planet where she taught Vulcan diplomats about Terra and Terrans. Certainly it would have to be viewed as 'a feather in one's cap' to have been able to teach Vulcans on their home planet.
On an extended call to Vulcan, Nyota questioned Amanda, "Did you know her?"
"…Irma Robinson…Yes, professionally. She was always present at diplomatic affairs. She taught at the Vulcan Science Academy. I believe her focus was on Terran communication, ethics, history…She was an amazingly beautiful woman, tall and elegant. She left quite suddenly, I had wondered if she had left to get married. But here on Vulcan, a person's personal life is rarely discussed, so I never did find out what happened to her. I eventually did hear she became chief communication's officer on a star ship under then Captain Archer."
Nyota added, "She also headed the first non-Terran language studies at Harvard University before coming here to the Academy. She is a real trail blazer. An amusing thought came to Nyota mind…"To boldly go where no WOMAN has gone before…"
The professor was finalizing her postings for Monday's classes when she said,
"Dearie, how about spending the weekend at my house." Gesturing broadly she continued, "Get away from all this stuff. You could help me set up for the kids coming on Saturday for the Quadrant Bowl. Not even realizing, Nyota tilted her head to the right, thought, and then answered,
"I have to pick up some clothes."
The professor shooed her away and said,
"I'll wait for you outside in my vehicle."
As usual for a Friday night, Gaila was getting ready for a date, or dates as the case may be.
Shaking her red curls she said, "Don't think I'll be back tonight."
Nyota said, "I'll be at Professor Robinson's house."
"Is that a promise?"
Nyota knew immediately what that meant.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow night."
Nyota then envisioned Gaila leaving the professor's house with a gaggle of males. She would be sure to change her bed linens as soon as she returned to her dorm room.
Sighing she said, "That was just Gaila…"
As she approached the building she saw that, as promised, her instructor was waiting outside the Science Building.
"Dearie, would you mind picking up a few things for me. I have placed the order," reaching into her purse she handed Nyota a unit chit as she slowed down and parked in front of a food supply warehouse.
Nyota responded, "I can do that, then I'll put the food away. Don't worry I will even set up the tables for tomorrow night."
Her professor smiled, ":A domesticated genius, how rare."
When they entered the house Nyota thought that it was an unworldly experience. Every piece of furniture, picture, decoration, wall hanging, floor covering was Vulcan. Nyota followed Robinson to the kitchen and put away the purchases. She noticed that even the granite counter tops was made from a stone indigenous to Vulcan.
Noyota thought, 'Her time on Vulcan had affected her deeply.'
She then heard these instructions,
"There are three bedrooms upstairs, take your pick. When you come down we will have some tea, flat bread and stir fried veggies. It is just a heat-up, I prepared them fresh yesterday. She then headed toward a door on the far wall that Nyota imagined was her bedroom. Nyota then went upstairs, changed into Star Fleet regulation sweats and a tee shirt and returned to the first floor. Before descending the steps, for just a second she caressed the ring Spock had given her that she now wore around her neck, suspended on a gold chain.
It was almost 1800 hours and her professor had placed two table trays in front of chairs so she could indulge in one of her few pleasure, the viewing of a show entitled, 'The Stars Are Forever,' hosted by a young reporter named, Bettie Flippin. Robinson's guest had placed her plate and silverware on the table and then her napkin dropped. When she bent forward to retrieve it, her ring managed to come dislodged from it's secure moorings between her breast and was visible swinging outside of her white tee shirt. Within a second her hand attempted to hide it from view, but not before it caught the attention of the only other person in the room.
The older lady stood, looked at Nyota and said, "Excuse me, I will be right back."
With that she again walked toward the door in the rear of the house. When she returned she opened her hand and said,
"I know what it is-a Vulcan Fire Stone, very rare, extremely expensive, mined from the rock of their sacred mountain and never exported. She held hers up to the light so the darting flames from deep within the stone could be viewed.
Her eyes were narrowed as she said,
"Dearie, this is show and tell…You've shown first, but I will tell first."
She walked to the far end of the room, head bowed, then returned and stood before Nyota.
"His name was So'nan, son of the head minister at the Vulcan Science Academy. He was part of the diplomatic training group's supervisory. My job was to teach Vulcans about Terra and Terrans; his job was to study me.
"You are aware of how awe inspiring they are. Look Dearie, I have put two and two together. There is only one Vulcan at the Academy, Spock, son of Osu Sarek, of the family Surak. He has the resources and contacts to secure the fire stone that adorns your neck. Well, back to me…
"We were thrown together by circumstances, drawn together by our passion, and separated by nature, I became pregnant, carrying his son-something that was and is, an anathema on Vulcan, I fled. He never knew and because of copper poisoning I miscarried at three months. So you see, Spock was not the first human/Vulcan hybrid, just the only one who surviveed. The non-secretive nature of his parent's relationship, his family's wealth and connection made that happen. She walked to her mantle and lifted a small urn.
"Here are our son's ashes."
"After what I have determined was my own worse personal tragedy, I was determined to drown my grief in work. It was then that I escaped into space. Upon my return I taught, I researched, I refused to get caught up in my memories. Perhaps you have not discovered this yet, but once your have been loved by a Vulcan there can be no other. If you have not experienced it, think of what I am saying when you finally experience your Vulcan's intimate touch. His every touch to your body will morph into a cosmos experience. It was only because So'nan and I had bonded at the most basic level instead of the intense full bond that I did not simply abandon life. Self-murder is very much a by-product of the sudden break in a Vulcan marriage or familial bond.
"Later I heard that he and his bondmate had been killed in a shuttle accident. He left no children. My grief intensified."
For a moment she stared into space, and then continued,
"If I had to do it all over again, would I have done it the same way? I have asked myself that question many times and truly I do not know. The only thing that I know is I wish I could changed the things that had to do with our son, So'nan.. I named him after his father, he deserved that much…I so much wanted him to live.
She sat down next to Nyota and then met her eyes,
Nyota could observe the presence of unshed tears and turned away.
"Okay Dearie, now it is your turn. What is said here, remains here. It has nothing to do with me being an instructor at the Academy or you being a student. This is just two friends talking."
With hands clasped, Noyota's thumbs were working in orbits around one another as she sighed and started, "You are right, it is Spock. It all began quite innocently. We met anonymously while I was working on a research papers. He provided me with information about Vulcan and its people. Neither one of us knew each other's name or even that we were male and female. In that masked communication we discovered that we were 'soul mates'. He discovered my identify when he was looking over the records of new entrants to the Academy and introduced himself the first day of classes. I am seventeen, he is nineteen, too young to follow through on our wishes.
Fingering the ring she said, "He gave this to me the day he left for his two year mission. He proposed to me…I accepted. We will not marry until I graduate. When he has returned he will again work as an instructor, so once again we must be very cautious. One question Ma'am, What is a bondmate?"
Her instructor had an 'uhh ohh' moment and said,
"At seven years of age, traditionally Vulcan parents telepathically bond their children to be prospective mates. Much later is the actual marriage, at times there are decades between the one and the other. There is a reason for such action that is rooted in the traditions of Vulcan. Spock never mentioned this to you?"
At that moment their was a change in the bonds' frequencies which caused a question to form in her mind from Amanda and Spock. "Are you safe?" was asked from two sources.
"Amanda, I am physically well, and in no danger."
To Spock she sent, "K'diwa, I am well."
Robinson scrutinized her facial expression and then pointed to her head. Nyota nodded and continued her narration,
"We did not plan this, we have kissed once, just before he left and his shields were up. It was deeply emotional but extremely reserved. Professor Robinson, we have been so very careful."
"I sympathize, during the time of our secret attachment to remain guarded was an exhaustive experience. When I left Vulcan, I resigned from the VSA position, was given wonderful references and fled to my sister's home in Arizona. It was there I lost our baby. He had no idea where I had gone and he would have met a dead end once I had gone into space. I did not know that the human body could create that many tears. In addition, I created a lie that I perpetuated to my family…the baby's father, my husband had been killed on some kind of secret 'away mission' ."
Smiling she said, "It is my lie and I have stuck to it."
"Are there many Terrans and Vulcans involved romantically?
"What do you think?" was her instructor's question. With an amused look on her face, she nodded as she said, "You know, they are sort of irresistible. And after continued exposure, as we can attest to, they can be attracted by human passion. But remember, the Vulcans that we have been exposed to, are first attracted by a person's mind."
Jabbing Nyota side she said, "Your k'diwa is extremely good looking, even for a Vulcan."
She again goes to her room and returned with a holo vid player. For around one half hour she shared her memories as she gently fingered her beloved's handsome face.
Her secret was safe with her star student, just as her student's secret was safe with her. These joint experiences established a common bond for them which would reward them both.