2250

"The shuttle from Paris will be landing at the San Francisco Flight Terminal in approximately ten minutes. All passengers, please gather buckle your safety belts, gather your luggage, and brace yourselves for any possible landing turbulence. Thank you for your patience."

Having heard the intercom, a tall, well-built figure, who had long blonde hair and was dressed in a Starfleet Diplomacy uniform with an ensign's pip on the collar, slowly sat up and let out a yawn.

Arianne sighed, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes as she gazed out the shuttle window.

It had been a long five years, but all the education she had received had certainly been worth the time spent on her assignment.

After the year spent in Paris, learning the finer points of both civilian diplomacy and inter-planetary crisis management, among other things, Arianne had joined several other students on a cultural trip to Vulcan.

Though the students were supposed to stay in a dormitory specified for human use during their stay, so they wouldn't be a nuisance to the locals or get into any legal trouble, Arianne, whose arrival on Vulcan had not gone unnoticed, had been met at the spaceport by Amanda, who was overjoyed to see her.

During that first day, while Arianne registered her travel information with the planet's inter-travel service, which took a great deal of time, Amanda had explained that because of her constant contact with Earth, she had learned of Arianne's coming and, after conversing with Sarek, she was invited to stay with them.

Because of her genuine love and respect for Amanda, whom she had looked upon as a surrogate mother during their time together on Earth, which had relieved her father greatly, Arianne had remembered accepting the offer and moving into the home of Sarek for the duration of her stay.

When she had told her group mates that she would not be joining them in the dorms, but rather staying off-campus among the Vulcans, the response was one of shock, as nobody could understand why she would want to do that. To them, Vulcans were best observed from a reasonable distance.

Of course, when they had arrived, Sarek was not there, as he was on the Vulcan High Council and, consequently, he was off attending to governmental affairs. Arianne had known, by Amanda's letters, that her and Sarek's son, whom she had never met, was now older, more mature, and an accomplished scholar.

Well aware that the shuttle would soon land, Arianne closed her eyes and reflected on the day that she had arrived at the Sarek home for the first time and had consequently met Amanda's son for the first time.

"Spock?" Amanda's gentle voice sounded out, as she and Arianne moved through the open front door, into the home of Sarek. "Spock, are you here? I would like to talk to you."

There was silence, perhaps Spock was not home, Arianne thought, as she watched Amanda close the large door, shielding them from the harsh Vulcan climate. Suddenly, there was a gasp that came from nearby.

Arianne turned just in time to see a tall, but youthful looking, black haired Vulcan man, who had the customary pointed ears, coming towards them. He was dressed in a dark sweater, dark pants, and black, knee-high boots. He regarded his mother with a strange hand salute and studied both of them briefly.

"Spock, this is Ensign Arianne Pike from Earth," Amanda explained, smiling at her son. "She is part of a cultural study group that is here to learn about the Vulcan way of life."

Spock gave a nod, while continuing to study Arianne intently, "If it is the wish of my parents that you stay here during your visit to Vulcan, I welcome you," he spoke, a firm tone in his voice. "Please, if you have settled in, join my mother and I for some sustenance. You must be considerably famished after your journey."

Arianne nodded and moved forward to join them. However, she blinked, suddenly feeling like she was going to become sick and pass out into nothingness. Her body suddenly felt like a heavy burden.

"I feel strange," Arianne heard herself mumble, as she suddenly felt herself falling backwards.

The last thing she remembered before passing out is Spock hovering over her. After he and Amanda exchanged some unintelligible words, Arianne felt a cool hand pressed to her face.

Several days had gone by before Arianne had awoken, only to find herself alone in a large bed, dressed in Vulcan clothes. Amanda had been at her side and had quickly explained that she had become suddenly ill and after Spock performed life-saving measures, there was little to do but allow her rest.

After several days of resting, Arianne had been allowed out of bed and although she was curious about how Spock had saved her life, he had never divulged it, only promising to reveal it at a more appropriate time. This answer she had accepted and there seemed to be a firm friendship built between them as a result.

There was really not much time spent with Sarek, as he was rather busy, but he did send along a pendant, via Spock, which signified her as an adopted daughter to his family, which she would always cherish.

Soon enough, it was time for the group to return to Earth and report on their findings.

On that day, which was unusually cold, Spock and Amanda had accompanied her to the spaceport and after Amanda had given her a fond farewell, she had retreated to mingle among the others in the study group. Spock had given a strange hand salute and merely told her to live long and prosper.

For two days, which was the travel time between Earth and Vulcan because of the slow, poorly maintained shuttle that the group used, Arianne had reflected and documented her time on Vulcan in a personal diary.

Hopefully, someday, Arianne thought, as the shuttle landed, she could return again to Vulcan for a visit.

"Passengers, please gather all your belongings and, after you have disconnected your safety belts, please exit the shuttle in an orderly fashion. Any oversized luggage will be stored in the terminal for collection and passengers may also find refreshment there. Thank you for flying with Starfleet." the intercom sounded.

Sighing, Arianne grabbed her shoulder bag and backpack, which carried many important items of a personal nature. As she stood, her fingers brushed the pendant that was securely around her neck at all times.

Remaining silent, she quickly wove her way through the disembarking crowd and as she exited the shuttle, Arianne could see her father lingering at the gate, along with, to her surprise, Dr. Boyce.

"Arianne, I didn't think that I would be able to come today," Christopher said, smiling as Arianne hurried over and embraced him. "Phil, however, told me that I would always regret it if I didn't come see you."

Arianne smiled, "It's absolutely wonderful to see both of you," she exclaimed, as she quickly hugged Dr. Boyce and stepped back so both she could see both of them more clearly.

Chris smiled, "I've missed you terribly," he said, putting an arm around her. "Welcome home."

Nearly two hours later, after being given a brief medical checkup by Dr. Boyce at Starfleet Medical, Arianne was walking the streets of downtown San Francisco with her father. Of course, they could have taken a shuttle, but, as Arianne had just spent a lot of time on a shuttle, walking was more preferable.

It had not taken long before the need for food had set in and, after a brief discussion, Arianne and Chris ducked into a diner and after choosing a booth, they had given their orders and were now waiting for food.

"After years of being a token captain teaching at the Academy, Starfleet has finally decided to grant me my very own ship without some senior authority like Robert April constantly looking over my shoulder," Chris explained, as he picked up a small salt shaker that looked like a miniature ship. "It's going to take some time to build, of course, but they are going to be calling it the Enterprise."

Arianne grinned, "That's wonderful, Father," she replied, her voice full of excitement. "You've sacrificed so much to raise me and now you're being given the reward you deserve. It's what you've always wanted."

Swallowing, Chris sighed, "I don't think that I've sacrificed anything to raise you, Arianne," he stated, suddenly reflecting on how he first met the young girl as a baby. "I was actually quite relieved to suddenly become a father nineteen years ago, as it took all the pressure of being a starship captain off of me."

Nodding, Arianne studied the placemat for a moment before looking back up at her father, "Look, what I'm about to ask will probably offend you, but I have to ask it," she said, suddenly remembering that she had always wondered about her early childhood. "What happened to my biological parents?"

Chris suddenly froze, "Well, I always expected you to ask this question, as I figured that you'd someday be smart enough to figure it out with your knowledge of biological sciences," he replied, a gentle tone in his voice. "I'm afraid I don't know the entire story, but I am willing to show you what I do know about them."

Tears suddenly welled up in Arianne's eyes, "Father, please don't be offended by my strange request," she said, her voice full of anxiety. "I always felt like a part of me was missing and it felt even more so after my visit to Vulcan…."

"I remember being told by Ambassador Sarek in a communication that you had become ill," Chris reflected, as he remembered the letter that had sent him on a sudden trip to Vulcan to visit his daughter years ago.

Arianne nodded, "When I first became ill, I felt as if something was exploding within my mind," she explained, remembering how she felt when she was ill on Vulcan. "When I woke up days later, I felt as if some life-threatening burden had been removed from my mind."

Frowning, Chris, who realized that a mind meld must have been performed to save her life, took his daughter's hand, "I will help you to uncover the mystery surrounding your past, Arianne. I promise."

After more pleasant conversation and a hearty lunch, Chris hailed a hover-cab and took Arianne across the city to a grove of oversized trees that was at the edge of the Starfleet Academy grounds.

There was silence as the two walked across the grass and stopped before a marble headstone, which had faded and weathered with time, that lay embedded in the grass.

"On New Year's Day 2232, I was walking the grounds, reflecting on the potential within the new year," Chris explained, as he watched Arianne kneel to look at the tombstone. "As I walked, I suddenly heard a cry come from this grove of trees. My curiosity got the better of me and as I entered this grove, I saw a woman laying there, dead and frozen. Beside her, I saw a small, but very beautiful baby alive and crying."

Placing a hand on the cold stone, Arianne nodded, "That baby was me, wasn't it, Father?" she asked, gazing up at Chris with curious eyes.

"Yes, it was," Chris replied, his voice solemn. "I couldn't very well leave you there, so I brought you to Doctor Boyce and after you were found to be okay, I decided to adopt you legally. Once you were legally mine, I left you in Doctor Boyce's care for a few hours and took the liberty of burying your mother here."

Nodding, Arianne brushed her fingers across the stone briefly, then, mentally putting the past behind her, she stood and, with tears in her eyes, she embraced her father, the one who had always been there for her.

"Father, when I suddenly became ill on my last visit to Vulcan, I saw Amanda's son place a hand on my face right before I passed out," Arianne explained, as she pulled back. "Why did he do that?"

Chris gave Arianne a thoughtful look, "Although I don't know much about Vulcans, I can only assume that he knew some sort of ancient healing ritual, as you became well soon after," he replied.

Arianne sighed, then, as a thought suddenly came to her, she changed the subject, "Father, all my recent experiences have helped me to decide what I want to do with my life," she stated, turning her back to the tombstone. "I want to spend my life being of help to others, Father, as I truly care about all beings."

Chris smiled, "I think that's a very noble ambition, Arianne," he said, as they walked out of the grove and on to the grounds of Starfleet Academy. "Are you wanting to be a volunteer or acquire a degree of sorts?"

"Well, I was thinking of going to the University of San Francisco and majoring in Psychology and getting a minor in Peace and Justice Studies," Arianne stated. "I also want to take basic, and perhaps, intermediate field medic courses so that I will be able to find work in many different fields later on in life."

Letting out a contented sigh, as his daughter was super-ambitious just like he was, Chris nodded, "Well, I know, as you are so much like me, that you'll do well," he stated. "How long do you think it will take?"

"Well, I'm planning to take the accelerated learning track, so I'll be fully qualified in about five years," Arianne said, excitement in her voice. "After that, maybe I'll find some work in the area."

Nodding, Chris took Arianne's arm and led her towards Starfleet Medical, "I know you'll soon be busy, but I wonder if you'd be willing to spend some time assisting Doctor Boyce and Doctor Puri at Starfleet Medical?" he asked. "They've been short on help ever since David McCoy took sick and went back to Georgia."

Arianne said nothing, so Chris continued, "They actually mentioned it to me awhile back and said that if you could help them out, they'd arrange for you to become qualified in both basic and intermediate field medicine. You don't have to agree to it, but it might give you some insight into helping others."

Smiling, Arianne nodded, "I would enjoy helping Doctor Boyce and Doctor Puri out," she replied, now feeling extremely excited that her ambitions would come to pass. "I can always take the first year or so of courses through distance learning while I work. I was having some apprehension about attending school with others, anyway, as I've never truly forgotten what happened last time I tried to do that."

Briefly remembering the pain that was brought upon Arianne as a child because of the poor civilian school system, Chris nodded, "I've always remembered that my little girl almost died," he said, feeling uncomfortable that it was again being discussed after so many years. "Anyway, let's go and let the people at Starfleet Medical know that you'll be on staff there. I think Doctor Boyce is working alone this morning, as Puri's off on some backpacking expedition in Europe."

Arianne smiled, "All right, Father," she said, smiling at Chris as they walked up the steps and towards the Starfleet Medical complex. "I'm excited to learn new things now that I'm back home."

"No matter what you do, Arianne, this will always be your home," Chris stated gently, as they entered the massive Starfleet Medical building.

As they walked down the main hallway to meet with Dr. Boyce, Arianne prayed in her heart that no matter where she traveled to and what she became, that she would never forget that her heart was in San Francisco.