Soral had been astounded by the welcome he received on board the USS Enterprise. He had anticipated the warm familial emotions that would be showered upon Peter. He had not, however, anticipated the same behavior towards him.

The moment he stepped off of the platform he was overwhelmed with a stifling emotional barrage of relief, amusement, welcome, and joy. He recognized the CMO, who approached him without preamble. He asked about his health, and whether or not he needed something for pain. Captain Kirk released Peter from a strong embrace and began thanking him for taking care of his nephew. He had been unsure how to respond; since it was clearly Peter who had sustained him on the planet.

After the initial commotion, a crowd gathered around Peter for what, he was later told, is called a "group hug." He took a step backwards in fear that they would include him in the disconcerting breach of personal space. Fortunately, Commander Spock was quick to lead him away from the imminent threat.

The two had been given substantial quarters near the Captain and First Officer's. He had been unable to utilize the privacy for meditation, however, as Peter showed up moments later eagerly offering to give him a tour of the Enterprise.

The tour had impressed him. Not because of the technology or size of the vessel. Rather, it was the behavior of the crew that astonished him. As he and Peter walked through the crowded corridors, there were many curious glances, but none of them unfriendly. When he made eye contact with someone passing by, he was met with a smile instead of the usual awkward facial expression. Other crew-members had actually approached him to introduce themselves.

It was reasonable to assume that this particular crew was quite used to a Vulcan in their midst, but he still found himself intrigued by the level of respect they showed towards him.

"Those two are the spittin' image of you guys," Bones said fondly as he watched Soral and Peter engage in a rather epic chess-match, "Don't tell Spock I said that."

"My lips are sealed," Kirk smiled. He watched his nephew place the Bishop on Queens Level 3. His lips quirked as he recognized the move Peter was attempting. That same strategy had won him a match with Spock once. Might work again if Soral didn't notice his Queen there…

His revelry was interrupted by Spock's entrance, who glanced over at the board and gave Kirk a knowing look. Soral had not yet moved his Queen.

"You get my vials to Biopsy in once piece?" Bones asked.

"Affirmative. The only obstacle being your indistinct labeling."

"Hey, Anderson knows what "Green Stuff from Alpha II" means. It's my Department and my vials, I can label them however I dang well please."

Soral turned his head and stared wide-eyed at the CMO and First Officer's exchange. The Captain seemed wholly undisturbed by the apparent insubordination; in fact he seemed amused by it. He looked a question at Peter.

"They're actually friends of sorts," he grinned, "It's kind of a game they play. Kinda like when I stuff things under your mattress."

Soral raised his eyebrow in response; then moved his Rook. His attention was diverted back to the rather heated conversation between Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy.

"Hey! I wasn't the one who sat my scrawny butt on the eject button!"

"As I have mentioned before, the ejection of the cargo appears to have been accidental."

"Scotty was saying something about computer glitches and the Cargo Bay doors just the other day, Bones," Kirk interrupted, "You seriously don't suspect Spock of dumping that ore? After all, it would have been illogical to do so."

"On the contrary, Captain. The ore was released in a safe region of space where there were no gravitational bodies to affect it. Furthermore there is no regular starship traffic through that area. Had I deemed it necessary to eject the cargo (in the interest of releasing the Enterprise of her ineffectual duty) that location would have been the logical place to do so. However, as the blame for the accident is indistinguishable, it is reasonable to assume it was a computer malfunction."

Bones snorted in response.

Soral glanced over at Peter who had a rather… smug expression. It was then his eyes landed on the Queen.

"So what do you think of my Uncle and Spock, now that you have met them face-to-face?" Peter asked between mouthfuls of steak. He had eagerly requested every kind of meat the replicator could produce. After having eaten nothing but Vulcan meals for 3 days straight, he was dying for some animal protein.

"Mr. Spock has offered me some valuable insights into dealing with the never-ending complexities of a Human."

Peter grinned, "Was this before or after I owned you at chess?"

"Your victory, while impressive, was no doubt due to my own distraction at the time."

"Uh-huh… I don't doubt you'll beat me next time, but just remember who won first."

"I shall not forget."

Soral returned his concentration to the Plomeek soup which someone by the name of Christine had brought him. It was well made, and comparable to that of Lady Amanda's.

Once again, he had found himself puzzled at the amount of personal interest the crew showed towards him.

Peter shoved away his steak and began attacking the heaping plate of fried chicken, "I think this is probably my biggest downfall when it comes to Vulcan/Human diplomacy… not sure how well I'd survive not eating meat for any extended period of time."

"Your dietary preferences are of little concern, as long as you do not try to force your preferences on others."

"You seriously don't mind me being a carnivore over here?"

"I had anticipated it."

Peter reached over for the plate of bacon, "You know, back on the D'Vahl (whenever you were out cold) I had to fend for myself to get food. It took me three hours to find the Mess Hall, and when I did I accidentally messed up one of the replicators trying to make coffee."

Soral had learned of that incident from T'Enya. According to her description, Peter had successfully created the coffee, but had managed to damage three EPS conduits in doing so. Afterwards, he had replicated a feast for himself consisting of every kind of Vulcan dish he was able to conjure up. He spent the next 5 hours sampling every single one of them, completely ignoring the crowd that had gathered to observe his peculiar experiment.

"I finally figured out which card replicated those biscuit things Amanda makes. I tell you, I could live off of those."

"It is fortunate you were able to find a dish to suit your palate."

"No kidding," Peter grinned, "I'm a grump when I don't get to eat yummy food."

Soral had naturally learned that many months ago. Mr. Spock had informed him that it was a familial trait Peter and Captain Kirk shared. They had analyzed the peculiarity for 45 minutes without coming to a definitive explanation for the unusual emotional characteristic.

"Oh, did I tell you I heard back from T'Enya?"

"I was unaware that you had been in communication with her."

"Yeah well," Peter blushed, "Kinda felt bad for plastering her with a snowball… again… thought I'd better explain to her about the Human need for recreation. She seemed to take it pretty well. Anyway, she sent me a message saying she would be listening to our speech along with the Captain. No pressure huh?"

"I am sure your final analysis will be of great interest to both Earth and Vulcan."

"Hey Soral?" Peter's tone had sobered, "Do you think… well… the ending of my speech…. Think it could really work?"

Soral carefully weighed his words as he looked intently into the serious face of his roommate. It was a topic which he had given a great deal of consideration to.

"From your past," he began slowly, "I have learned that you are remarkably… resilient. Both to physical pain, and emotional distress."

It was a subject that had struck him from the moment he had learned of Peter's experiences on Deneva. He himself had experienced the trauma of discovering his brother's body in the Forge. It was a painful memory that had taken years of intense mental discipline to bring into control. The lingering effects had prevented him from fully accepting Vulcan tradition; hence his decision to study on Earth. Yet this Human… this very emotional and fragile being… had overcome the loss of his entire family in one appalling tragedy, and had only grown stronger for it. It was one of the reasons Soral had a deep respect for Peter. It was the very reason he had been willing to explore the idea that this Human could be a… friend.

"From your friendship," he continued, "I have learned that you are capable of astounding adaptability, and are uniquely in tune to the viewpoint of others."

The fact that Peter had been able to pick up the Vulcan language, with all its variables and complexity, had only impressed Soral. The fact that Peter had been willing to change his appearance and experience a Vulcan's perspective firsthand… had astounded him. No one, not even Soral's own parents, had made the effort to understand his thinking the way Peter had.

"From your family, I have come to the realization that a Human is capable of providing a Vulcan with the indefinable qualities that are needed to function in this universe."

When Peter had first told him about Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, he had had serious doubts regarding the interpretation of their association. He could not deny the evidence before him, though. These two very different beings had forged a strong friendship that went beyond duty and affection. He had been at a loss to understand the nature of it… until now.

"I have no doubt, Peter Kirk, that you can succeed in any field of endeavor you pursue, but in this… this proposal of yours…I not only offer my approval and confidence that you will succeed, I offer you my complete support."

A/N Okay know that was a tad shortish, but I am wrapping up the story here and speeding along towards the final speech. Please Review and let me know if there is anything you'd like to see. A little more Enterprise Crew Interaction? Shut up and get to the end already? Oh my gosh, don't mess this up by...? Let me Know :)