Ugh school has started in full swing so updates might take even longer! I apolgize in advance! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I tried to do Chekov's accent. And by try I mean attempted poorly. lol :)
-Uhura-
"So Ny how are you liking your classes so far?"
"I'm loving it Gaila! I never knew how satisfying it would feel to learn how to break a man's thumb!"
Gaila and I were on our way to our second of three daily classes. We were sporting our red cadet uniforms and had our hair neatly pulled back. I loved looking this official. After completing our early morning self-defense class it was time for us to momentarily go our separate ways.
"Man I don't wanna go to my next class." Gaila wailed loudly.
I strategically ignored her. "My next class is subspace communications! How cool is that?" I beamed at Gaila and she reciprocated with a foul grimace. "…Gaila, you're going to a coding class right?"
"Yup, a coding class level 100." She grumbled loudly. "Being in a level 100 class is ridiculous! If the placement tests had been administered by a less attractive man then I could've focused and aced the it."
"…You failed your placement test because the administrator was too handsome? That's just awful Gaila."
She elbowed me in the arm and shushed me. I glared back at her.
"Ow! Watch it Gaila or I'm going to fight back."
"Well just keep that story to yourself okay? I'm easily capable of being in the coding 300 level class so there is nothing to be ashamed of. I guess I'll just breeze on by this semester."
"Alright whatever. Have a good day and try to stay focused."
"I will okay! Stop badgering me!" She yelled and ran off towards her classroom.
I watched her shove through a crowd of cadets to get through the building's doors as quickly as possible. I sighed loudly and pretended I didn't know her as I headed towards my own class. How could someone so ditzy be so gifted?
As I took my seat in subspace communications I noticed a few familiar faces. A number of the cadets who had ridden the same shuttle craft as mine were in this class. I felt a little more comfortable knowing this.
"Well if it isn't miss just Uhura!"
Dear lord, who was behind me? I was afraid to turn around and look.
'Hey you can't ignore the great James Tiberius Kirk can you?...or can she Bones?"
"Well how the hell should I know? I'm a doctor not a mind reader!"
I knew it was that meat head. I whipped around in my chair to face the two of them. Kirk and Bones from the shuttle craft were standing in the doorway bickering like an old married couple.
"Hey! You two." I pointed at them as menacingly s I could. "This is a classroom. Sit down and zip it."
The two of them stopped fighting and looked at each other.
"Well Bones seeing as there are only two seats left, I will do you a favor and allow you to sit next to the brutally lovely cadet Uhura. I'm gonna go sit by Gary. He's nice."
McCoy's eyes looked like they were about to explode from his head. He slowly followed after Kirk and took a seat next to mine. Very quietly I might add.
"Sorry about all the racket Uhura. Ever since we landed he's been dragging me around like this. I don't know where he gets all the energy." He sighed and began unpacking his materials.
"It's fine, you'll just need to learn to train him better." I saw a hint of a grin flit across McCoy's face. "So what are you guys even doing in this class? You're a doctor and I'm sure Kirk is going for command line."
McCoy sighed. "Jim had a little…altercation before the placement tests so I had to fix him up before we could go. We missed the communications portion of the test, which gave us each a zero in that department. So now we're a credit behind and this was the only class that fit our schedules. Joy."
That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. "So neither of you really wanted this class? It's not going to be easy you know."
"Yeah yeah, you're preaching to the choir. I don't know about Jim, but I'm definitely gonna need some help. You wouldn't mind lending me a hand every once in a while would you?"
Something about that crass southern way of speaking made it hard to turn him down. "Of course I can help you Leonard. If we work together you should pass this class no problem!"
"Well alright then missy! Let's get to this…?"
"Subspace communications class."
"Yeah that's it!" He shook my shoulder and began furiously copying down the notes that were already on the board.
Well this seems like it's going to be an interesting class. I'm sure I can get along with McCoy just fine, but that idiot Kirk was a different matter entirely.
The rest of the class went by far too quickly. The subject was so interesting that I couldn't get enough of it. I just wanted to get the preliminary work done so we could start doing labs. As I packed up my PADD I glanced over at McCoy. He had a dead look in his eye that indicated that he did not feel the same way about the class as I did.
"Leonard? Are you going to be okay?" I leaned over closer to him. His deadpan expression never changed.
"I'm doomed Uhura. I didn't catch a lick of that."
"Oh you'll be just fine! I can help you out-"
"Heeeeey! Bones, Uhura wanna catch some lunch now? I'm starving."
Of course it was Kirk. I glared maliciously at him. He had to interrupt me for a lunch invitation?
"That actually sounds pretty damn good right now Jim. You're welcome to join us Uhura. Also I'm sure that I'm going to need some tutoring. I feel about as helpless as a kitten stuck up in a damn tree."
"Alright, I can tutor you. Just tell me whatever time is good for you." I answered.
Kirk slammed his hands on the table. "Guys are we gonna get lunch or not?! This is a serious issue here!"
Every fiber of my being wanted to punch him in the face. However I was pretty hungry and Gaila's class was an hour longer than mine. Hmm, eat alone or eat with McCoy and Kirk?
"Fine, let's go eat." I said obstinately.
McCoy stood up to go to the cafeteria and walked a few steps before doing a double take back at me.
"Wait hold on, you're actually going to eat lunch with us?" McCoy asked loudly.
"Surprisingly, I am."
-Spock-
The time was 5 am exactly. I had 3 hours until my first class of the day. After performing my morning routine and ingesting a light breakfast of fresh fruits I decided that I had enough time to call my mother. I sat down on my couch and proceed to call her on my PADD for a holovid discussion. After 2 rings she answered my call.
"Spock? Why are you calling me at this absurd hour?" Her holovid face grimaced at me with perfect detail.
"Mother as you know it is 6 am on earth, on Vulcan it is 4 pm."
She puffed up her cheeks and waved her right hand in front of her face. "Goodness Spock at least try to humor me a little. You and your father both require so little sleep that it can be rather unnerving… Anyways what did you want to talk about sweetheart?"
I never understood her pet names for my father and I. I was not a vascular organ constructed out of confectionary items and my father was not an earth mammal with antlers.
"Mother, I would like to inform you that I have successfully secured continuous private time with cadet Uhura and myself. I have requested her services as my assistant and she has accepted."
My mother's face stretched into a wide smile. "Oh my Spock that is good news! I knew you could become friends with her if you put a little effort in. I'm glad to hear that."
"I am pleased as well. Now may I ask you a more personal question mother?"
Her eyes narrowed and I could feel that she was on the verge of teasing me. "Oho! What could I possibly help you out with now Spock?"
I resisted the urge to hang up. "When you and father were in the courtship phase did he ever feel his emotions becoming unmanageable, or his desire for physical contact increase?"
My mother pondered the question for a moment. "You know I don't think any of that happened to your father while he was dating me. Heck I didn't even know he liked me until we were bonded and by then it was too late."
I raised an eyebrow at my mother.
"Oh come on Spock that was a joke. I was taken with your father the moment I walked into the Vulcan embassy. He was always so cool and collected. Sarek knew exactly what to say to win me over. Now I'm going to take a guess and say that things haven't been as smooth for you Spock. I can call you a lot of things sweetheart but cool would not be one of them."
"Yes I do find myself to be rather flustered around cadet Uhura. Almost to the point of paralysis. The symptoms worsen due to close proximity or actual physical contact."
My mother sat up and came so close to her PADD screen that she became nothing more than an enlarged eye. "Oh wow, you've touched her even more? Your father never once touched me before our bonding."
"Yes, I have held her hand. Twice. And when her face was close to mine I felt the strong urge to…"
The word would not leave my mouth.
"You want to kiss her? Big whoop Spock!" my mother was now back in her regular seating position. She rolled her eyes. "Everyone wants to kiss a beautiful girl like her, not just you."
"I have noticed others taking an interest in her and I feel excessively violent towards them."
"Well that's perfectly normal. Vulcans are very territorial. You should have seen your father when someone tried to sit next to me at last Tuesday's diplomatic banquet." She flappd her right hand at me. "Anyways Spock, that type of behavior usually doesn't happen to couples who aren't fully bonded. The only explanation I have for your 'STRANGE' behavior Spock is that your human side is more in control of you then you thought, or…"
"Or what?"
"OR, this unusual bond you have with her may be affecting you more than you'd like it to. I suggest meditating more to try and keep that in check. Have you told her about the bond yet?"
I was silent for 3 full seconds. 'No, I have yet to inform her of the bond. I wish to inform her of it once I have built a stronger friendship with her."
"Well okay, just be careful Spock. You're treading on thin ice. But I am proud of you and I think you are going in the right direction of becoming better friends with her. Do you have any more questions for me before I go? Your father and I have an embassy lunch to attend."
"Thank you for your assistance mother. I have but one more question. Have you ever heard of a district entitled the 'Friend Zone'?"
-Uhura-
Lunch was interesting to say the least. I was seated in the cafeteria at a large cadet table with Kirk, McCoy, two other male cadets and a blonde girl.
"Everyone meet Uhura! Uhura meet everyone." Kirk announced as the three of us sat down.
The blonde girl was the first to speak up when I arrived.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Christine Chapel. I have a number of classes with Leonard. We're both aspiring medical officers." She smiled at me and invited me to scoot over next to her. She seemed like a warm, gentle person. It was great to meet another woman who was so genuinely dedicated to their craft, as opposed to Gaila who really couldn't care less.
"I am Pavel Chekov. Eet iz Nice to meet you m'am." The younger boy held out his hand to me and shook mine firmly. He seemed extremely young to be in the academy.
Now the other guy reached over the table and shook my hand as well. "My name is Hikaru Sulu, welcome to our menagerie of a lunch table. Chekov and I take strategy classes together and we met Kirk and McCoy in a umm…"
"A goddamn bar fight...OUTSIDE of the bar of all things. Jim got caught making out with some gang member's floozy girlfriend. Chekov and Sulu here were nice enough to help Jim out in his time of need." McCoy quipped in.
"Yeah Bones about that night… Why the hell weren't you the one backing me up?!" Kirk yelled flabbergasted.
"I'm a doctor not a street fighter Jim! Give it a rest will ya?"
I watched the two of them quarrel for a moment before turning my attention back to the other three cadets.
"So Sulu! I saw your plant in the staff labs! That was beautiful." I told him.
He replied happily "Oh you saw Gertrude? Nice! Glad you like her. She was my first attempt at genetic engineering for my assistant project."
"That's so cool! What exactly are you doing for your project?" I asked.
"The botany department's head is developing plant life able to sustain itself in space. They're hoping to modify certain species to make them last for some of the five year missions."
"Wow. That's amazing! Are you two doing assisting with any projects as well?" I pointed at Christine and Chekov.
"I'm just assisting with some of the medical lab work, but Chekov over here was recruited straight out of high school to work on a huge transporter redevelopment project. He's some kind of wonder kid!"
"You flatter me Christine. But eet iz really just program writing and math. I am honored that they asked me to do eet." He said proudly. "What about you Uhura? Any professor recruit you for zeir projects?"
"Yes actually. Commander Spock asked me to assist him with his project." I immediately regretted saying that. The commander hadn't sworn me to secrecy but I was sure I wasn't supposed to mention it.
The entire table, including Kirk and McCoy, went silent and stared at me.
"Professor Spock asked you to be his assistant? How lucky." Christine sighed.
"Yeah how'd you manage that? I heard he gets along with people like Kirk gets along with other women's boyfriends." McCoy huffed.
"Woah woah there Bones. Let's not make this about me." He smirked at me. "This is about Uhura. So how did good ol' uptight pants get a gorgeous girl like you to be his assistant."
"He just came up and asked me…" I omitted his rather stalker-ish way of approaching me about it. The commander did not seem to act in this manner with anyone other than me so I decided to keep the matter private. Plus he had been fairly hospitable in his lab so I felt a little more obligated to protect his image.
"Oh I see I see." Kirk mumbled sarcastically. "So what's this project all about? It must be pretty important. Everyone says that he never takes assistants. Right?"
"Yes that iz correct." Chekov replied seriously.
"Well the project is classified. I'm sorry but I'm not able to tell you guys much about it. I really shouldn't have even mentioned it. Once it's done you guys can see it though!" I shrugged my shoulders. Too bad, it is a really cool project. I wanted to tell them everything about it.
"Ohhh now I really see what this is about! I'm gonna take a guess…" Kirk put a hand over his face in concentration. "The commander is using you to…. Practice his infamous Vulcan hand techniques!" His hands shot out in front of my face so he could wave his fingers mysteriously.
The entire table groaned.
"Gross." I said and made a face of pure disgust at him and swatted his hand away.
"Now y'see Jim this is why many people don't like to sit with us."
We all finished eating and then headed our separate ways. My next class was Xenolinguistics. The class was in the same general area as the medical labs, so Christine decided to walk with me.
"I'm so jealous that you get to be the commander's assistant. What I wouldn't give!" Christine sighed listlessly.
"Uh yeah it's pretty okay. I haven't done much yet."
I could not understand his appeal to the cadets here. All I could picture when I thought of the commander was a slightly gawky Vulcan staring at me from beyond a glass wall. If I was Christine I would be more curious as to what the project was than jealous of working with the commander. Although her jealousy did give me a slight sense of pride. I hadn't realized that the commander was so choosy with his assistants.
"So what's he like?" She asked with a bright gleam in her eye.
"The commander is uh… Pretty standard Vulcan. Stoic. Doesn't say anything except for what's necessary."
Once again I left out his immense discomfort towards me. I should be getting an award for this act.
"I really like his bangs." She said as if she hadn't heard anything I had just said. "Oh and his shoulders. He came into the medical labs last semester and let us take x-rays of him to study his umm.. anatomy. We were all impressed to say the least. Vulcans have such nice proportions." She squealed like a school girl. "Oh and his ears! They're to die for."
I was shocked to say the least. Never in my wildest dreams could I even begin to think that the commander could inspire this kind of reaction in anybody. Especially in a girl like Christine who seemed so tidy and logical herself.
"What's your favorite feature of his Uhura?" She asked in a silly voice.
I wracked my brain for an answer. "Uhmm…oh..I don't really have an answer to that question Christine."
Christine cocked her head to the side in confusion. Was it unnatural for me to not be attracted to the commander in that way? Was I the weird one?
"Ny-o-taaaaa!" a familiar voice erupted from behind us.
I turned around fast enough to see that it was Gaila before she clamped onto me like some sort of baby monkey.
"Oh Ny, I've missed you all day. But now we have language class together! Yay!"
"Gaila let go of me! You're going to smother me!"
"Oh sorry. I was just so excited to see you. Who's this?" She slid off of me and began to inspect Christine.
I recomposed myself and introduced the two. "Gaila, Christine. Christine, Gaila."
Christine shied away from Gaila's intense gaze.
"It's very nice to meet you Gaila. But I had better be on my way. Don't want to be late for class you know." She waved at us and then strode quickly on to the Medical labs.
I turned to Gaila. "Way to scare her off Gaila."
For once though I was glad for Gaila's off putting nature. I honestly did not know how to answer Christine's question.
"Oh please. I just wanted to let her know that I'M your best friend. She best not be moving into my territory."
She linked arms with me and proceeded to lead us to class, whereupon we sat next to each other. Gaila bounced up and down in her seat and recounted to me her day so far. About halfway through her story the commander came into the class room and took his seat behind his desk. I felt some sort of odd invisible pull from him. I glanced over at him for a moment and as usual he was staring at me with his intense Vulcan eyes.
For some insane reason I now knew my answer to Christine's question.
-Spock-
As soon as I took my seat in the classroom, cadet Uhura's presence overcame me. Thanks to my meditation I was able to immediately silence all information coming to me through our bond. She was now the same to me as any other cadet. Now that I was under control I began to mentally take roll. As I went through the rows I knew that my eyes lingered on cadet Uhura twice as long as they had on the other cadets. My resolve was still not as strong as I would like it to be.
I stood up an addressed the class. "Good afternoon. Please locate the file I have sent you all containing the readings for this class. Find file 362.115 and open it."
The class began to rifle through their bags to take their PADDs out. Unsurprisingly cadet Uhura was already prepared. For the rest of the two hour class I lectured about the subtle differences in Vulcan and Romulan, how to enunciate Klingon to make the accent believable and various ways to evoke diplomacy through speech. The class ended and the cadets evacuated the classroom as if their lives depended on it. Cadet Uhura remained seated much to the chagrin of cadet K'allos who was violently insisting that she walk her to her next class.
"No Gaila I have to report my work to the commander. I will see you later okay?" Cadet Uhura told cadet K'allos this in a calm manner.
Cadet K'allos placed her hands on her hips in an imposing movement. "Fine. You owe me a dinner date tomorrow then!"
"Alright fine, but me staying after class is going to be a regular thing you know."
"Is it? Ugh. Okay. See you later." Cadet K'allos huffed loudly and then exited the classroom.
Now it was just cadet Uhura and I. She was still seated three rows back and I was at my desk. She looked at me expectantly and I met her gaze not knowing what to say. It was a stalemate; one of us had to make a move.
"…Commander would you like to see the scenarios I have written out?" she said after what felt like infinitely more time than it really had been.
"Affirmative." I walked up to her seat and held out my hand to accept her PAAD.
She snorted, "You can just sit down next to me and read it. That way we don't have to keep talking from halfway across the room."
I felt my heart stop pumping. Would sitting next to her be too difficult at this time? However it would be unnatural for me to refuse.
Cadet Uhura cleared her throat loudly "…Commander?"
My heart jump started at her call. I immediately sat down next to her and retrieved the PADD from her hand. We sat together in silence as I read through her 25 scenarios. Cadet Uhura waited patiently for 45 minutes. Thankfully I did not know how she was feeling so I could focus on her writing. They were all excellently written and were indeed no-win scenarios.
"So what do you think commander? I had to rack my brain to even come up with 25. It's actually surprisingly difficult to think of a situation with absolutely no possible way out."
"I have experienced the same problem. So far I have written 102 no-win situations and now I appear to be stuck. Your scenarios are excellent cadet Uhura. I see no reason to not use them in the Kobayashi Maru."
Cadet Uhura smiled broadly at me. "Thank you commander. I am glad to hear that."
Thanks to my extensive mediation I was able to respond quickly instead of being dazzled by her.
"You are most welcome."
Cadet Uhura leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. It was beginning to become dark outside so no light was coming through the skylight.
"So now what are we going to do? We're both stuck and we can't really do anything else before the scripting is done right?"
"That is correct. However I believe I may have a solution to this."
"And what solution would that be?"
"The academy library is equipped with archives of every Star Fleet mission that has been recorded. We could search the database for all failed missions and modify them to ensure that they would indeed be hopeless."
Cadet Uhura slammed her fist into her open palm. "That would be perfect."
"Indeed. We can start searching through the archives at your earliest convenience."
Cadet Uhura nodded again and then proceeded to stand up. Her arms reached above her head to stretch out her shoulders and back muscles.
"Why don't we go right now?" she said and put her arms down.
"At this moment? It is already 5:53 and searching through just half of the archives will take a minimum of two hours. I do not wish to take up more of your free time."
"Please commander." She folded her arms in front of her chest. "Do you really think that I have such poor planning skills? I have allotted four hours a day to be dedicated to you and this project. I will not allow myself to do anything half-heartedly, be it my classes or the Kobayashi Maru."
I was impressed by her preparation skills. "Very well. We shall depart for the library immediately."
After an 2 hours and 16 minutes, we had gone through 54% of the star fleet archives. All the failed missions we had found were recorded and transferred onto both Cadet Uhura's and my own PADD.
"Well that should help us crank out a good 100-something scenarios, right commander?" Cadet Uhura said this as she was boxed in between a large database computer and 43 personal report folders the library had provided us. She would be indistinguishable from the mounds of information if it were not for her high ponytail.
"Affirmative. I believe this information will assist us in our efforts." I replied as I began to return the files and books to the information receptacle.
There were quite a number of items to return which made the turn in become quite tedious. Cadet Uhura and I completed the task in 12 minutes, much more efficiently then I could have done on my own. As she placed the last book into the return slot her stomach emitted a loud gurgling noise. She slammed the slot shut and spun around to face me.
"Excuse me commander, it's just that I usually eat dinner about now and…"
She mumbled a string of excuses for her gastric system. Mother had told me that I should to be more aware of human needs to continue building my friendship. There was only one logical course of action.
"Would you like to eat? I know of a restaurant that serves sandwiches and other sustenance at this hour."
I had researched popular restaurants in the area after mother had warned me of situations such as this. Cadet Uhura's pupil's dilated and she appeared to be taken aback by my request.
"Uh sure.,, Why not! Sandwiches sound great commander. Lead the way." She held her arms out towards the library's doors.
I nodded and held the door open for her as we exited the building.
"Thank you commander." She said with a look that I hoped was approval.
We continued to our destination, the restaurant known as 'Red Dwarf', walking next to one another. Red Dwarf was a mere two blocks away from the academy's library. Partaking in a stroll with cadet Uhura was exceptionally relaxing. Neither of us spoke and I could make quick observations of her when she wasn't looking. I now knew that her ponytail swung a full 165 degrees with every two steps she took. Due to our height differences I had to slow my usual pace by 33%. I did not mind this for I wished to be next to her for as long as feasibly possible. Reaching our destination was almost disappointing. Cadet Uhura came to a full stop in front of the restaurant's entrance.
She stepped closer to their door and read their sign. "The Red Dwarf: A café for the hungry explorer." She looked to her left and graced me with her smile. "I'm starving! Let's go and 'explore' this place commander."
Once again I simply nodded and held the door open for her. As we entered the building I noticed that the restaurant had very few customers. It must be due to the time, as it was rather late. A waiter immediately seated us at a table near the front window.
"Well this is a neat place I must say… I've never been to a restaurant that uses all red décor."
I had made a similar note upon entering the place. "I have not as well. If the color offends you we may leave and go to a more suitable venue."
Cadet Uhura laughed and shook her head. "No, no it's fine. I like it quite a bit." She glanced around the restaurant once more. "Do you like the color red commander?"
This question harkened back to my interrogation by cadet K'allos. However this time I was inclined to answer in a more thorough manner.
"I find red to be a comfortable color. As Vulcan is a dessert planet I grew up surrounded by shades of red. Earth's greens and blues make for a stark contrast."
"I understand that! Growing up in Africa made San Francisco seem like some sort of water world."
I was amused by her comparison. I had nearly the same interpretation. Our menus arrived and we both began to search through their selection of items. As we decided, we continued to talk idly about any subject matter that cadet Uhura could think of. The conversations would range from the academy, to the project to completely unrelated topics as well. For the first time since my childhood I was enjoying speaking to someone for the sheer act of it.
"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked us after 15 minutes of choice making.
"Yes, just one more moment please." Cadet Uhura looked up at our waiter and then back at me. "Commander I hope even my asking this doesn't offend you, but would it be alright if I partook in meat at this meal?"
"I see no reason why I must bar you from it based on my own practices." I replied.
She let out a breath of relief. "Okay good because this meatball sub sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G."
Cadet Uhura handed the waiter her menu. I ordered a sandwich consisting of grilled Vulcan produce and did the same. 23 minutes later we were served. As per Vulcan customs I did not touch my food with my hands, instead I ate with the cutlery provided. Cadet Uhura did not do as such and proceeded to consume her engorged sub with her bare hands. In a span of 34 seconds her face was blotched with tomato sauce. She had only taken one bite. Her eyes met mine as she proceeded to take her second bite. She froze.
"Oh god. It's all over my face isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I am so sorry commander, this must be so weird! I guess I just got too comfortable around you. I'll fix my behavior immediately." She sounded flustered.
I held out a napkin to her. "I do not expect you to change your behavior in any way when you are in my presence cadet."
She took the napkin and began to wipe her face. If it were any other human eating with me I would have been mildly repulsed. But I was not with just any human. Throughout the course of the night I found my boundaries were slipping as well. I was receiving full emotions through the bond again. Cadet Uhura was feeling cautious, nervous and an unidentified warm feeling. The warm feeling was an emotion I had never encountered before, but I was glad that she was experiencing it in my presence. If it meant watching her eat ten more meatball subs, I would do so if it meant that this warm emotion would continue.