Hey everyone! Sorry I've been really busy these past few days... Here's a new chapter to make up for it!

Hope you all like it :)

-Spock-

For the next 3 days I confined myself to my quarters to complete my selection of beta testers for the Kobayashi Maru program. As my duties had been shirked during the days prior due to social obligations, it was necessary to put all my efforts into finishing the task. The work was menial and time consuming, but I found it to be a sufficient distraction from cadet Uhura. The large amounts of reading required to finish the task numbed the bond to a dull roar. However, I would find my mind drifting towards cadet Uhura during any of my unoccupied moments. Oftentimes my thoughts would wander due to the level of intense emotions sent over through our bond. Since she was in such close proximity it was difficult to dull the link. Thankfully most of the emotions I felt from her were positive. Every time a burst of happiness came from her I wondered what had caused it and how I could create such a reaction. I had never felt this way towards T'Pring. Although this was all fascinating, it disrupted my work. The selection process was completed 4 hours, 37 minutes and 12 seconds later than my original planned completion time. I reevaluated my beta testing group to my satisfaction and decided that it would be refreshing to go for a light run. It was nearly dusk, my preferred running time. I changed into my black regulation tank top and running pants and departed from the staff building.

The temperature outside was still quite warm due to the summer heat. It was quite enjoyable to run in a climate that was slightly closer to that of my home planet. While I was running though West campus I thought about the beta testers I had chosen for my project. The cadets were ideal for creating the perfect simulation, however I did regret not being able to choose a few of the more interesting candidates. Take for example cadet James Tiberius Kirk. He was a brilliant cadet whose father was the man I was basing the project on. However, his personality tests did not go over as well as they were projected to. He was prone to narcissism, risk taking and lacked subordination. Cadet Leonard McCoy was an interesting candidate as well. An experienced medical doctor would be an asset on a real ship as well as a simulation. His personality profile did not check out either though; the doctor was highly prone to confrontation and emotional outbursts. Even Cadet Uhura had to be ruled out due to her reported temper issues. However that did not stop her from being exemplary assistant material. I would need to think of an opportunity to ask her about the position as soon as possible. I stopped and took a break. I had run 16.2 miles. I was no longer on campus.

-Uhura-

Having my academy issued PADD has made these past few days pure bliss. I was able to see my class schedule, practice my linguistic skills and set up my email account. Since I hadn't checked it in over 4 days the inbox was flooded. Surprisingly, nearly all of the emails were from my family members. The majority of the messages were scornful and informed me that my decision to defy my father and join Star Fleet had dishonored the family name. I browsed through these quickly since they all began to sound repetitive. Blah blah, come home, blah blah, shame on you for disobeying your father, blah. They all said the same things save for three outlier emails. My grandmother from my mother's side of the family had sent me an encouraging note. She agreed with my decision to follow my dream and said that she wished that she had had the courage to defy her family when she was my age. I remembered my sweet old grandma reminiscing to me about her dreams of becoming an actress. Sadly those thoughts had been demolished by her mother. If memory serves she was told that her career would never take off and that would in turn tarnish the family name. Grandma was quite the beauty in her prime and could have made it to the top if she had the chance. It was bizarre that her mother would rather oppress her then run the risk of failure.

The next letter was from my sister Makena. She applauded me for my choices in life and informed me that she would be cheering me on from the sidelines. Makena had apologized for not coming to my aide during the confrontation between my father and I. She had been torn in two during the whole affair and was paralyzed. I believed her. Makena had always been a kind and gentle person who avoided conflict at all cost. I'm sure she was shocked by the whole situation. Her email ended with an apology that she could not get my brother to write to me. He had sided with my father. Figures, he was always a yes-man.

The last email was from my mother. It was short since I'm sure she couldn't write very easily with my father and his staff constantly hovering over her shoulder.

Nyota,

How are you? I miss you. You are so strong. Don't believe what anyone else tells you. What you did was right.

-Mom

I exited out of the message and let her words sink in. I was so happy that she was proud of me. My mother was my biggest hero. Now how on earth she ended up with someone like my father was beyond me. After my announcement, I had made it my personal mission to make sure that father's treatment towards her changes drastically or that she leaves him for good. Darn, that meant travelling back home during breaks if I could afford to. Before signing out of my PADD I decided to link it to my bank account as well, even though I knew it wouldn't be pretty. After uploading the account I checked into my balance.

YOU HAVE 250,074 CREDITS IN YOUR ACCOUNT.

Excuse me? I was sure I would have fewer than 75 credits at the most. My fingers raced across the screen to see who had made the deposit. My grandmother and Makena had thoughtfully given me 5,000 credits each. The other 240,000 credits came directly from my father's savings account. I nearly bust a gut laughing. My mother had actually smuggled father's own personal stash into my account. If he ever found out about the unauthorized transfer he would be livid. Mother really was quite devious.

"Ny are we going to go to that bar or are you going to keep sitting there laughing at your PADD?" Gaila was yelling at me from the closet.

I had forgotten that she had invited me out again. How often did she need to socialize with strangers? Quickly… think of a way out of this.

"Uhm... Sorry Gaila but I need to… exercise! Yeah that's right. Cafeteria food isn't suiting me and I need to drop a few pounds before we have to wear those tight red uniforms all the time. So sorry, you'll just have to make do without me this time." I made an exaggerated pouty face at her.

She gently shut the closet doors and glared over her shoulder at me. "…Fine. Have fun exercising. See you tomorrow then!" She stormed out of the room and slammed the door on the way out.

What a baby. Oh well, she may be mad but at least I got out of it. Thankfully some exercise did sound pretty good. Maybe a light run? I pulled my hair up and put on some running shorts. It was already dark outside, the perfect time to run.

-Spock-

After running 16.2 miles off campus I decided to walk home. The academy looked rather serene at night so it was a pleasurable experience. Thanks to the run my mind was completely free of any and all distractions. As I passed by the academy track field and knew that I was approximately 6.1 minutes away from my quarters. A lone figure was using the track. They completed one lap as I walked by and then spun 360 degrees before falling onto the turf. Were they ill? Should I continue on and return home? As an instructor it was my duty to care for the students. If this person was injured and I did not call for assistance I may get reprimanded. I glanced cross the field and could clearly see my building. What a shame that I should be impeded so close to my destination. As quickly as I could I walked to where the lone runner had fallen. They were sprawled on their back and had their face covered with their arms. Even with my Vulcan eyesight I could not discern who it was.

"Are you in need of assistance?" I asked.

The runner shot up and threw their arms off of their face and onto the ground. It was cadet Uhura. While I did not believe in fate, it did seem as if we encountered each other quite frequently.

"Commander! What are you doing here?" she stammered. My presence was as shocking for her as hers was for me.

"I was returning to my quarters after a light run. You collapsed and I responded by checking to see if you were in need of medical assistance." Quickly, I observed the area. Cadet K'allos was not present. I felt relieved. Now there was time for me to try and develop our friendship further.

Cadet Uhura's eyes narrowed and she lay back down upon the turf. "Thanks for your concern but I'm fine." Her right hand patted the ground to her right. "Well since you've completed your duties by checking on me, would you care to join me in my cool down?"

I felt a dose of playfulness emit from her.

"What recovery activities do you speak of?" I asked her.

Her eyes closed and she placed her arms behind her head to form a makeshift support. "Well if you don't join me you'll never know."

Due to her knowledge of alien species I assumed that she knew she was toying with my innate Vulcan curiosity. "I will be forced to partake in your activities then Cadet Uhura." I sat on the turf approximately four feet away from her to keep a sense of professionalism.

"Y'know if you don't lay down you're going to miss it." She said in a brash tone.

How she knew I was not lying down escaped me. I followed her orders and placed myself flat upon the ground. I could not recall the last time I had performed such an action. The sky above me was expansive and clear. The time was exactly 10 o'clock.

"You made it just in time commander." Cadet Uhura mumbled quietly.

I enjoyed her soft tone and feelings of enthusiasm that burst forth from the bond. At 10 o'clock most of the campus lights were extinguished. This made it the ideal time slot to view the night sky. Countless stars revealed themselves, as well as several planets. We sat in silence for 14 minutes marveling at the summer astral bodies. If I were fully bonded to cadet Uhura verbal communication would not be necessary. However a full bond was deemed out of the question by my mother. This meant that I needed to think of a topic of conversation that might help our friendship advance.

"Do you enjoy viewing the night sky Cadet Uhura?" I asked.

She laughed to herself for a moment before addressing me. "Why yes I just so happen to enjoy it. Do you like viewing the sky as well commander?"

"It would be illogical for me to dislike seeing some of the elements that make up the galaxy. However I do feel most at ease when observing the stars. I feel insignificant, yet whole." I answered her honestly.

"Well that wasn't quite as dry of a response as I was expecting. I agree with that feeling as well commander. But I also see so much potential when I look up there. The sky has no limits and is just waiting for me to explore it." She rolled onto her stomach. "Point out Vulcan to me."

My hand shot up to Vulcans exact coordinates. To my eyes the planet was nothing more than a red dot so I doubted that she could see it. Although I wanted to point out the illogical manner of her request I could not bring myself to.

"Well I sure can't see it, but I' sure it's beautiful."

I glanced over at her. She had her head in her hands and was smiling upwards at the sky. I contemplated how I could inspire such an expression in her. This sort of desperation was a new feeling to me. With the slight glow of the moon shining on her she looked so pure. I made sure to imprint the image into my mind.

"You sure stare a lot commander. Are all Vulcans like that or just you?" Cadet Uhura rolled 90 degrees onto her side to face me. I resisted the impulse to avert my eyes.

"My memories are best stored visually. If I do not record them accurately my retention may become faulty." I managed to keep my eyes focused on hers.

Cadet Uhura furrowed her eyebrows and laughed. The sound was pleasant, but I was unsure of its nature. Was she mocking me?

"Wow. That is just the kind of answer I expected from you." She smiled at me. "You know… you stared at me a lot on the day we first met too. It was pretty weird."

"I did not intend to unnerve you. I was merely observing you to the fullest extent of my abilities."

She tilted her head 30 degrees to the left in a sarcastic nature. "Mhmm. Okay whatever you say commander. All I know is that our encounter at the convention has made it so that all other alien life forms aren't nearly as interesting as you."

I pondered what she had said. What did she mean by this? "What other life forms have you encountered?"

"Well in college I was in a study group with a bunch of Deltans, my best friend was a Tellarite and I even dated a Betazoid, an Orion, a Catian and an Andorian. After meeting you I thought all aliens would be fascinating, but I was wrong…" She rolled onto her back again and sighed deeply. "…They were kind of boring. Even the Vulcans I met didn't compare."

I stared at her incredulously. Cadet Uhura had just informed me that I was the most interesting extraterrestrial being she knew. Also she had quite the relationship repertoire. I decided that it would be in my best interest to focus on the compliment.

"Oh don't stare at me like that commander! Y'know everybody had a crazy streak in college though." She paused and tilted her head 25 degrees to the left. "…I'm sure you did too?" Her tone hinted at skepticism.

"Negative. Vulcans are paired together and forced to bond to one another at a very young age." I replied.

Cadet Uhura was silent for a moment. "So you're bonded to someone? How old were you when it happened? What does that even mean?"

Hesitation polluted me. I did not wish to bring up this subject matter so soon. However I could feel expectancy radiating from cadet Uhura. As honesty was a desirable trait in friendship, it would be best to tell the truth. "In human terms the bond is likened to that of a betrothal. An arranged marriage if you will. I was 7 when my father forced me to bond to T'pring."

I did not enjoy talking about her to cadet Uhura. T'Pring was not my favored topic of conversation no matter whom I was talking to. I did not want T'Pring and I did not want to that bond to put a distance between myself and cadet Uhura.

"Wow. That's rough. You don't even have a say in it? Is she at least nice this, T'pring?"

I felt genuine feelings of interest arise from Cadet Uhura. "T'pring finds me detestable and rejects any form of contact with me. She finds my mixed bloodline to be inferior to hers as she is of Vulcan royalty."

Cadet Uhura sat up. "Seriously? She sounds like a total troll commander." Her eyes widened at the realization of what she had just said. "Oh man, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to talk about your fiancée like that. I was totally out of line."

Her sudden outburst of negative emotion towards T'pring was rather pleasing. If it were not for social conventions I might have been obligated to agree with her on her statement. "There is no offense where none is taken cadet. I feel indifferent towards T'pring. She is merely someone I am faintly connected to."

"Oh" She paused for 3 seconds. "I see. Good luck with that kind of predicament… Anyways… I looked at my schedule and I am in your Xenolignuisitcs 200 level class! That should be fun." She smiled gently at me and stood up.

I nodded. "Indeed. The class should prove to be most satisfactory to you."

"Well I should hope so! I'm looking forward to it." A small laugh escaped from her. "Anyways commander it's getting late. I better head back to my dorm."

I stood up to meet her eye level. "I must return to my quarters as well, I have a project to begin preparations for."

Hopefully my baiting would bring her to inquire about the project. I was well aware of her high levels of inquiry. Although it seemed deceitful, her involvement with the Kobayashi Maru program would benefit us both. Cadet Uhura appeared to be battling the urge to question me further on my project. After 16 seconds she gave in.

"What project would that be?"

"The project is classified to all uninvolved parties." I answered quickly.

She pursed her perfectly symmetrical lips in disdain. "Well how does one get involved in such a project?"

"I am in need of an assistant with your capabilities. If you would like I can assign you the duty. The assistant position is given all the details of the project and is paid for their time." This type of vague description should pique her interest.

She crossed her arms in contemplation. "Is the project interesting?"

"It is quite fascinating."

"Fine. I'll think about it and let you know after class on Monday commander."

"That would be satisfactory, I look forward to your reply."

Cadet Uhura nodded and bid me goodnight. As she left I could sense her feelings of confusion and pride. My proposal had apparently been unexpected, but she felt pride that I had asked her. By Monday I should know the results of this test of friendship.

-Uhura-

It seems like everywhere I go, he shows up too. I go to a club, there he is. Breakfast? There. Now even on a late night run he manages to find me. I couldn't decide if fate was causing us to run into each other, or if he was some kind of nice stalker, or just a strange cocktail of the two. I was back at my dorm and contemplating the talk I had with the commander on the turf. Gaila was gone so I was able to think in peace. I crawled under my comforter and enjoyed its darkness and warmth.

My mind kept flashing images of the commander hovering over me with almost a look of concern. He scared me at first since I wasn't expecting to run into anyone that I knew at that hour. Howeve,r his strange reason for approaching me was so genuine that I couldn't help but be intrigued. Since Gaila wasn't with me I had decided to invite the commander to join me in my traditional cool down viewing of the stars. Maybe some more exposure could help me figure out why we kept popping up in each other's lives.

After the stars came out we began some light conversation. I noticed that he was considerably less rigid than he had been at our last breakfast encounter. Maybe this had to do with the lack of hyper green girls constantly poking him. With the commander being less uptight, I found myself relaxing around him as well. Talking with him was more like how it had been at the convention. This I enjoyed immensely.

Everything seemed to be going much smoother this time around. He wasn't avoiding eye contact and had only stared awkwardly at me once. Maybe he was actually having fun chatting with me now. The conversation carried on until we hit a touchy subject, relationships. As always with the commander I confided in him more than I had ever told anybody about my personal life in college. His superior ranking didn't change my openness with him. The commander seemed shocked by the number of guys I had dated, but I guess it made sense after he told me about Vulcan relationships. Although I was nearly fluent in Vulcan, my knowledge of the culture left much to be desired. In college all they ever taught us was enough to get by diplomatically. Vulcans were very private with many aspects of their lives so I was lucky that he was sharing them with me.

At first I was fascinated by the whole bonding process; but as the commander began telling me more about this T'Pring girl the more exasperated I felt. The commander had escaped one injustice by his father, only to be subjected to another. Not being able to choose who you were bonded to seemed extremely unfair. The idea left a bad taste in my mouth. Besides the fact that it was unjust; did that mean that the commander had absolutely no experiences with women? She was still his fiancée and Vulcans seemed to be pretty uptight about their marriage practices, so I would assume that he didn't. I bet that he hadn't even experienced his first kiss yet. How surprisingly juvenile.

I chuckled to myself before realizing what I had just thought. My heart stopped beating for a couple seconds and my face flushed. Why was I thinking about stuff like that? I had better things to think about… like whether or not I would accept his assistant position. Three other professors had offered me assistant positions based on my recruit application form. Their projects all seemed equally interesting but something about the commander's mystery project just seemed so appealing…

I totally bet that he hasn't had his first kiss yet.

"UGH STOP THAT!"

I burst out of my comforter and shook my head in a futile attempt to rid myself of those thoughts. My legs flew off my bed and I began to run vigorously in place.

"He's going to be your professor Uhura! Don't think about silly stuff like that! You are here to work and learn. That is all." I said to myself while transitioning from running to doing pushups on the floor.

"…Ny? What the hell are you doing?"

I froze and looked for the source of the question. Of course it was Gaila and I had no idea how long she had been there. I stopped doing pushups and sat on the floor.

"It's uh, well past midnight Ny. Shouldn't you be sleeping by now?" She said in a scolding tone.

I scowled at her. "When did you get back Gaila?"

"Oh, I've been back long enough to see you run for a couple seconds before doing like, 85 pushups. That's how long I've been here." She grinned and slipped off her pumps. "Man I am pooped! Constantly getting drinks from guys can be exhausting."

"I bet. Well I'm glad you made it back home safely. Good night Gaila." I crawled into my bed faster than ever.

"Mhmm… Goodnight Ny." She replied drolly.

Surprisingly I had made it in the clear. Maybe she really was tired for once.

"So anyways Ny what professor were you talking about? Cuz there's only one I can think of."

Damn.

"I wasn't talking about anyone. Now goodnight Gaila." I rolled over to face away from her. She was silent. I was unsure if this was a good or bad sign.

"I am currently holding your coveted PADD. If you don't tell me who you were talking about I will spam everyone in your contact list with a virus that will constantly bring up images of Ferrengi pinup girls. Be it staff or student, no one will be safe!"

"…You wouldn't"

"I so would. Now tell me Ny!" She was getting a kick out of bullying me.

"Fine." I mumbled, "I was talking about Commander Spock. Happy?"

"You mean tall, dark and pointy? What about him?"

I stalled thinking of a white lie to tell her. "Uhm, well he offered me a pposition as his assistant. But I'm afraid that people will judge me because I knew him previously. I don't want people to think that I got the offer just because I know him."

Gaila was quiet for a moment. "Is that all Ny? Well that's boring, but certainly the kind of thing I expected to hear from you. Take the position you want and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"

I heard her get into bed. "Ny, sometimes you are such a letdown. I expected juicy gossip."

I swallowed hard. "I guess you just pulled the short straw when they assigned roommates."

"Naw, I just pulled the slightly boring straw. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Gaila." I breathed a sigh of relief, with that tiny lie I had narrowly dodged an embarrassing bullet. Or perhaps dodging a photon torpedo would be more comparable in this situation.