Author's Note: In Chapter 13, Uhura learns of her comprehensive exam results from her advisor, Dr. Greeley; and receives an offer from the Vulcan professor, Mr. Sevat.

Your comments are always welcome.

At 9 AM on a Monday morning, Uhura arrived at the office of her advisor, Dr. Margaret Greeley. The Cadet took a seat on the opposite side of the faculty member's desk, anxiously awaiting her mentor to speak the words she had worked so hard to hear since she entered the Academy three years ago.

"Congratulations, Cadet Uhura. You have now successfully completed all of your written and oral comprehensive exams. You are now officially a candidate for a doctorate in Xenolinguistics."

Upon hearing Dr. Greeley's pronouncement, the East African was so filled with joy she wanted to hug somebody. However, her advisor sat stiffly as if affixed to her chair. At age 49, she was not quite in the middle age range by 23rd century standards, yet Dr. Greeley dressed and spoke like someone much older than herself. Uhura had heard some of her classmates comment that being a Vucanologist fit Dr. Greeley, since she gave few outward signs of basic human emotions. She filled her life with her courses and studies with seemingly little interest in relationships outside of her narrow scholarly pursuits.

Yet, Uhura saw the matter quite differently. From her relationship with Spock, she learned most humans had a misperception that Vulcans were emotionless. Spock had shown her his race had a full range of feelings, but they strove to keep them under control so logic and reason could better dictate their thoughts and behavior. If Dr. Greely had gone to Vulcan to find a people who shared her outlook on life, she would have been sadly mistaken.

Nevertheless, Uhura felt one should not be critical of someone else's choices the person had made with their life, unless their actions harmed others. Being a Christian in the modern world, Uhura had been subjected to everything from off-handed slights to hostile insults. Even though United Earth's Constitution included an amendment protecting religious freedom, many still held the belief that religious conflicts had been one of the primary dynamics leading to WWIII that resulted in the death of over half a billion people. Only in the last 50 years had religious thought experienced a small, but growing movement on Terra. Still, lingering biases against such practices kept its resurgence somewhat underground. Consequently, few Terrans in Starfleet would admit being persons of faith as did Uhura. The East African thought, How could I disparage Dr. Greeley's life choices when I have needlessly experienced disapproval for mine?

"Thank you, Dr. Greeley." Uhura happily responded to learning of her success. "It means so much to me."

"Of course, we must now look forward to refining your dissertation topic and plotting a strategy to perform your research and write your thesis. After your mandatory five-year tour with Starfleet, I believe you'll have no problem being offered a position on the faculty of the Academy. I will personally see to that."

"Dr. Greeley, I appreciate your outlook on my career. However, I think I want to undergo, at least, two tours of duty. Hopefully, at least part of the time will be spent as a bridge officer."

"A bridge officer? Why place yourself in a position that will alternate between periods of great stress and bouts of sheer tedium. I believe the Communication Department on the lower levels of the ship would be a far better fit for someone like you."

"Dr. Greeley, I know thus far I've only had limited experience serving on a StarShip, but I think I'd like to be where the action is. While I realize there will be times of seemingly endless routine, I find myself attracted to the adventure of encountering new worlds while enhancing current relationships. And, if needed to keep the peace, I want to lend whatever talents and experiences I have to resolve any conflict that arises."

"Two tours of duty represents ten years out of your life. Perhaps, you'll find after your first tour you'll get all the adventure you'll want for a lifetime. You may want to settle down sooner than you think."

"I've thought about that, too. That is, settling down with the right man. Is that what you mean, Dr. Greeley?"

"Not necessarily. I don't think being involved with someone else is a prerequisite to having a full and satisfying life."

"Oh, I know it's not for everyone and do have other goals, too. For instance, I want to dabble a little more with my music and I've always had this secret desire to write fiction. But, after serving time with Starfleet I really have my heart set on starting a family. Now, I've enjoyed my time here on campus, but I don't think I'd like to return to teach here. I know some people have made it work, but I never thought of the Academy as being an ideal place to raise children. So, I thought I would try to get an appointment with an institution of higher education either here on Earth or somewhere else in the quadrant where they'll have me. Of course, I know it'll all be quite a balancing act for a while taking into account my career and that of my husband and the needs of my children."

Uhura could tell by the expression on her advisor's face that she was not pleased. "Sounds like you have your life all mapped out."

The Cadet laughed lightly. "I know its just a dream and no one can look into the future and know what hand fate will deal you. However, it's what I want."

"Yes, well, after undergoing your first mission, you'll probably want to reassess your plans." Greeley told her with a dismissive tone. "You'll learn that the only person you can truly count on is yourself. You can't look to others to bring you happiness."

Uhura did not understand why Dr. Greeley's disposition suddenly had soured. She always thought her advisor had her best interests at heart. Why did she appear to meet my aspirations with so much disdain? The Cadet thought it best to return to present matters.

"Dr. Greeley, do you have time this week for us to begin refining my dissertation topic?"

The faculty member turned to the computer console and clicked on her calendar. "Looks like I can squeeze you in at 8:15 AM on Wednesday."

"That'll be perfect, ma'am." Uhura told her as she placed the appointment in her iTablet. "Is there anything else, Dr. Greeley?"

"Two items. Ironically, they both have to do with Vulcans."

Her comment piqued Uhura's interest. "Yes, Dr. Greeley."

"Late Friday afternoon, Mr. Sevat came by to see me. I must say I was a bit surprised by his presence. I've found Vulcans rarely show up unexpectedly."

Uhura nodded slightly knowing her statement was certainly true for Mr. Spock, but in contrast T'Lau had demonstrated a more impetuous behavior.

Greeley continued. "He inquired about the outcome of the exam you had retaken. Luckily, I had just finished reviewing the exam and could give him the happy results. He then told me about a Directed Study opportunity he had for you."

"Directed Study? On what topic?"

"Mr. Sevat explained to me he would like to share the details with you, himself."

"But isn't he a Visiting Professor at UC-Berkeley? How could he extend such an opportunity with me."

"Uhura, I am surprised you are not aware we have several exchange programs with Universities within the region, including Berkeley. The trip to their campus is only 15 minutes by SkyBus. He's willing to meet with you three times a week for sessions lasting 60 minutes."

"Three times a week? It is my understanding when scholars take on these Visiting Professor appointments they do so with the expectation of having time to carry on their own research. Why would Mr. Sevat be willing to give up that amount of time to work with me?"

"Cadet Uhura, I do not know why you are questioning it. Mr. Sevat is one of the most highly esteemed scholars in our field. I thought you of all my students would be thrilled to take advantage of this opportunity."

"I don't mean to appear be ungrateful. However, I can't help thinking back to some of the disparaging comments he made toward our program during my oral examination. I thought they were both rude and offensive. I don't know if I would like to study with someone who feels our department is somewhat . . . subpar."

"His comments did, indeed, ruffle the feathers of some of my colleagues. However, if you had lived among them the way I did for five years, you would learn to not take such slights to heart."

"Dr. Greeley, I don't know if I want to do this."

"Cadet Uhura, you are posturing as if you think I am giving you a choice in the matter. I am your advisor and in my judgment there should be no doubt what is the best course of action for you. Moreover, how would it look if you were to turn down this generous offer? Mr. Sevat may very well think you do not feel yourself capable of such a challenge. We both know that is not the case, don't we?"

Uhura was never one to care what other people thought about her actions. However, she was curious why her advisor appeared so adamant about accepting Sevat's offer and why she appeared so secretive about the course content. Still, she could not afford to displease the woman who would head her doctoral committee.

"Yes, ma'aam." She finally replied. "It is an honor to have been considered for this proposed study." Whatever it is, she thought to herself sarcastically.

"Then, you have ample time to head over to the SkyBus stop for your first lesson. He is expecting you at 10:30."

"This morning, Dr. Greeley?" Uhura questioned. "I had planned to continue my work of honing my dissertation topic."

"I personally checked your schedule and found nothing to hinder this appointment. Since we will not meet to discuss your dissertation until Wednesday, surely you can find another suitable time to deal with that matter before seeing me, again."

"I suppose so." Uhura conceded reluctantly. She began to rise out of her seat, but then hesitated remembering her advisor had mentioned there was another item for her concerning Vulcans. The East African was almost afraid to inquire about it.

"Dr. Greeley, I believe you told me you had one other matter to bring to my attention."

"Oh, yes." She said as she reached into a desk drawer. "This won't take long." She pulled out an envelope and held it in her hands. "I've kept this for you since your first semester at the Academy."

Uhura recognized the envelope as soon as she saw it. While a first year student, Spock had served as a Guest Lecturer for an Introduction to Vulcan course the East African had taken with Dr. Greeley. During the session, the Cadet had attempted to impress the Vulcan with her use of the language. However, the still fledging speaker confused two similar words that had striking different meanings. Her use of the word, "lok" (penis), instead of "lakh" (language) became legendary among Cadets.1

Following the faux pas, Spock wrote a note to the Cadet that he had placed in the care of her advisor to pass along to Uhura. She learned of the note only by coincidence as one day Dr. Greeley had sent the East African to her desk drawer to retrieve a bottle of eye drops. Since the envelope had been addressed to Uhura, she felt the urge to take it but decided against the action deeming it wrong to do so. With the incident happening nearly three years ago, she had forgotten about the envelope until now.2

"Mr. Spock gave this to me after your unfortunate experience with the Vulcan language in one of your first year courses. Do you remember the incident?"

"Yes, ma'am." Uhura said with a smile.

"I'm glad you now remember it fondly. I recall you were quite distraught at the time."

"I know it only has been a couple of years, but I now feel much more confident about speaking the language and I know I will never make that mistake, again."

"That's good to here. I know it may appear a bit paternalistic of me, but I was afraid if I gave this note to you at that time it might serve to inhibit the spirit of one of our most promising students. I couldn't let that happen." She passed the envelope to the Cadet.

Holding it in her hands she asked, "Do you know what's in it, Dr. Greeley?"

"No, but from someone who knows them well, I am sure what Mr. Spock may have intended to be a compliment, may mistakenly be read by a human as a backhanded comment. They just don't understand human social interactions and we should not expect they will change anytime soon, should we?"

Dr. Greeley looked a little disappointed when Uhura slipped the envelope into her bag without sharing the contents. However, the East African was not about to give her the satisfaction of being right in case what she predicted happened to be true. Also, Uhura did not like the way Dr. Greeley had characterized Vulcans. The East African now realized her estimation of her advisor was starting to erode.

"If I may be excused, Dr. Greeley." The Cadet said as she rose from her seat and picked up her jacket. "I better go now if I want to catch that bus to Berkeley in time for my appointment with Mr. Sevat."

Uhura walked down a corridor of Berekely's Dwinelle Hall on the Berekely Campus searching for Room 1217 - the office of Mr. Sevat. Although she had arrived on campus at 10:08 AM and had found the building quickly, the huge maize-like structure did not bear an intuitive layout that would allow her to easily locate the Vulcan. As she walked through the hallways, Uhura knew she attracted stares on the civilian campus dressed in her red Academy uniform, jacket and black boots.

Just when she thought she would just swallow her pride and ask someone for help, the Cadet spied the desired room number before her. She moved forward toward the open door and saw Sevat at his computer console. Uhura knocked lightly on the door frame to get his attention.

Sevat looked up and upon recognition rose from his seat and came around his desk to meet her. "Ms. Uhura."

He did not extend his hand, but Uhura knew the gesture was not common among Vulcans.

"Good morning, Mr. Sevat."

"Please sit down." He told her as he motioned to one of the chairs situated about a small table. She removed her jacket and set it and her bag on the back of her chair. The East African watched as the tall Vulcan moved back to his desk to retrieve an iTablet. In turn, she fished her device from her bag and set it on a table. Uhura then noted how a long sleeve blue tunic and black pants covered Sevat's wirily frame. Although more slender than Spock, she could tell by his strong, agile movement he did much more than sit behind a desk.

Sevat joined her at the table and commented. "Ms. Uhura, on your way to my office, did you notice a lobby area on this floor."

"Yes, sir, I believe I did."

"In the future, you will wait there until the appointed time of your lesson which is 10:30 AM. You will note you arrived today at 10:24, so we will end our period together at 11:34. Is that understood?"

Uhura had to use every ounce of her self-control not to roll her eyes in response to his comments. "Yes, sir."

"If you arrive later than scheduled, our session will be canceled whether due to your negligence or an occurrence beyond your control."

"Yes, sir."

But, there was more.

"You will be on probation for the first week. If my evaluation indicates satisfactory progress, you may continue your lessons with me until the end of the semester."

Uhura swallowed before she could find a somewhat civil tongue. "Sir, with all due respect and I am a bit taken aback by your expectations. My advisor only informed me of this opportunity to study with you an hour ago. Yet, I am still at a loss as to the topic of these lessons."

"Dr. Greeley did not reveal the subject to you, because I did not provide her with that information."

"I don't understand why Dr. Greeley would agree to such an arrangement when she was not entirely sure of its benefit."

"I can be quite persuasive, Cadet Uhura."

Although she could feel his eyes on her, Uhura did not back down from his stare. "Then I ask you to convince me why I should remain, sir. After hearing your argument, it will be I who will decide to continue this arrangement."

Sevat realized he had underestimated this human. She would not be so easily to manipulate as Greeley, who did not question his proposal once confronted with the allegation of plagiarizing part of her dissertation. The only possible coercive information he had on Uhura was her relationship with Spock, but Sevat was not ready to reveal his knowledge of their affair . . . not yet.

Sevat told her, "During your oral examination last Thursday, I was impressed by your display of oral dexterity and command of alien syntax coming from the mouth of a human. I am currently working on an intercultural pedagogical treatise and believe my experience with you may inform my work."

"But sir, you certainly have no shortage of human subjects in your current position."

"I have found this department to be as short-sighted as your own when it comes to the teaching of the three major Romulan dialects. While there are a precious few who understand the significance of this study, most feel they can . . . What is the human term? Ah, yes . . . make do. Otherwise competent Xenolinguists believe they can make do by learning only the primary dialect."

"Because of the hostile relationship between the Federation and Romulans, we rarely have contact with that race. Therefore, the time is spent learning other languages that demand a higher frequency of utilization."

"This is true for the average scholar drawn to this field, but not for those with greater ambitions. That is, those who would like to distinguish themselves in ways that will support their drive to meet their own potential."

Uhura knew this to be the case if she wanted to increase her chances of becoming a bridge officer. She could spend her entire Starfleet career translating mundane messages in the lower levels of a StarShip if she did not find a way to stand out among her peers as well as more experienced Starfleet Officers.

Back on the SkyBus, the East African reflected on her decision to accept Sevat's offer to provide lessons on the Romulan dialects. The Vulcan had made it clear she would still have to undergo a weeklong probation period; however, the session appeared to go well that morning. For most of their session, Sevat concentrated on phonetics as he corrected slight problems with some of the letters of the Romulan alphabet that Sevat said would expose her human identity to a Romulan with expertise in the field. As Uhura practiced and modified the sounds under his correction, she quickly became to appreciate his skill. Yet, she wondered how Sevat had become such a master with the language. While she knew Vulcans and Romulans were genetically related, How could he have gained such mastery of a speech from a people who for hundreds of years had closed itself off to all alien races until the Romulan Wars of the 22nd century? Still, despite this gnawing question, she looked forward to her next session with Sevat.

Uhura recalled after her oral examination, she had seen Spock speak briefly with the Visiting Professor. She wondered if he had known him previously or had greeted him out of professional courtesy. During her lesson with Sevat, he had given her no sign he would tolerate inquiries beyond their academic activities. On the one hand, that was fine with her, since they were to study Romulan dialects, not Vulcan thought and behavior. But, she thought, if Mr. Sevat would allow it, such discussions might be a blessing to gather further insight on being Vulcan that may assist me in deepening my personal relationship with Spock.

The East African checked her bag for Spock's envelope once more. She had decided to wait to open it when she would see the Vulcan again at their scheduled rendezvous on Tuesday evening. She wanted so badly to see him that night, but there really was not a good enough excuse she could give her friends for not celebrating her exams with them that would not raise unwanted suspicions.

Settling back in her bus seat, she thought. Well, I suppose the wait will just make Tuesday's tryst all the more sweeter. I'm sure this two-year-old message will be good for a laugh, even if I have to laugh for the both of us.

Then a large grin spread across her face with the next thought. And, I can't wait to tell Spock I'll be taking lessons in Romulan from Sevat three days a week. I just know he'll be so pleased!

Author's Note: In the next chapter, Spock receives DNA test results from McCoy and then decides to meet with T'Lau later that evening.

Your comments are always welcome.

1 The episode is dramatized in Chapters 4 and 5 of my story, "Needs."