...In the process of closing the door behind Bado, Spock did not get to opportunity to receive a full view of the woman, although he did hear her polite greeting. Her English, much like Bado's, was very well formed and pronounced.

"Miss Uhura? I am Christopher Pike. And this is my associate, Commander-"

"Spock?"

Momentarily startled, Spock turned towards the group. The young woman was not visible to him from his currently position, her smaller frame being partially blocked by Commander Pike. Side stepping slightly, he stood with his back straight and his arms folded behind his back.

The woman in front of him seemed as perplexed as he, although the emotion was plainly visible on her face. Her head was titled slightly to the side, eyes narrowed as she observed him. As Spock focused on her, the smallest traces of an old memory seemed to push itself from the back of his mind.

He frowned, his memory was impeccable. He remembered what needed to be remembered. He did concern himself with any memory that invoked an emotional response or would prove to be an illogical addition to his mind.

Although...

"Have we met?" Spock asked, genuinely curious. There did seem to be something familiar about the woman, granting he could not place where he may have gained her acquaintance before this point. Spock mentally made a quick assessment of the features. Her face was slim. High cheekbones, mocha coloured skin and large dark eyes. As a human, she was admittedly aesthetically pleasing.

Yet, Spock was certain that if he had met her before, he would have remembered her. Particularly given her obvious interest in xenolinguistics.

She seemed to hesitate slightly at his question, and her eyes flashed with concern. Perhaps she had mistaken him for another? Improbable considering he was the only Vulcan currently residing on Earth.

Pike and Bado were watching their interaction with interest. He noticed the woman's eyes dart quickly in their direction. She seemed to hesitate once more, before slowly raising her hand, her fingers spread into the na'al.

"Tonk'peh Spock..." She said softly. A blurry image suddenly made itself know in his mind. A small girl. Her hair uncombed and tangled. Clothes askew from a sudden fall to the ground, a fall he himself had been responsible for. She was-

"Nyota"

He spoke her name without fully intending to do so. And, like it had been over twenty years ago, his response seemed to be the correct one; for a wide smile broke across her face, and she looked relieved.

As he had spoken her name, Pike's eyebrows had shot up. It was very rare for Spock to have any relevant interaction with a human, let alone acknowledge it.

"Oh? You two know one another?" He asked. Nyota, Miss Uhura, Spock mentally corrected, turned towards the other man, her smile softening.

"We made a short acquaintance when I was younger. I hope I have not been to outspoken...I was just surprised" She said. She then turned back towards Spock and bowed respectfully.

"Commander Spock"

Spock nodded. He was impressed. Had another possible candidate expressed a familiarity with him, his choice to accept them into Star Fleet could been portrayed as favouritism. Something that was not against regulations, but was frowned upon. His prior meeting with her would not affect his decision.

Yet, it was strangely warming to see the young woman that unkempt little girl had grown into.

Pike smiled and assured Uhura that no insult had been taken, and gestured for the two students to take a seat at the table.

It would not be very beneficial to sit opposite the two, as the distance between each side of the table was just under two metres. The two officials chose instead to pull two of the chairs from their original places and place them opposite Uhura and Bado. This was only for the introductions of course. When he conducted their interviews, he would relocate to another room, or to a suitable distance away.

Unzipping his duffel bag, Spock removed his PADD and sat in the chair Pike offered him. He had uploaded the two students application forms onto the portable device, as well as the appropriate educational records, and the requested character references for each of the candidates.

Then, folding one leg neatly over the other, he sat quietly as Pike informed the two opposite him of the interviewing procedure and what to expect.

"Right. You two have both been informed of why you are being required to take an interview for a place in Star Fleet?" He asked. They nodded.

"Commander Spock will be the one who will be interviewing you. But before we start, you should both know that if you are not given a place this year, it is not a personal insult towards you. Spock will be assessing you on your knowledge of Xenolinguistics, your personal goals and your dedication to Star Fleet overall. In short, he will not be closing his eyes, spinning around in a circle and saying 'that one' to whoever he is pointing at when he opens his eyes again" Pike laughed. This earned small smiles from the two students, where as Spock frowned.

"Commander, I do not see how forcing myself to lose my equilibrium would benefit my selection of the best candidate" He said, titled his head slightly. Pike shook his head with a self-suffering smile.

"It was a joke Spock. A joke"

Spock raised his eyebrow slightly, clearly not understanding the instalment of humour. Bado let out an amused sounding snort, his stiff posture relaxing. Uhura gave a small giggle, covering her mouth with her fingers in an attempt to hide her amusement.

"Well then! Now that all the formal stuff is out of the way, lets get things started. The sooner we get the interviews out of the way, the sooner we can all relax. And ultimately, the sooner one of you will be put out of your misery" Pike smiled. He leant forwards slightly, and placed his hands firmly on his knees.

"As we are all gentlemen here, lets allow Miss Uhura to go first" He said. Uhura nodded and climbed to her feet, Spock following shortly after.

"Officer Abasi said there is a small office at the back of the room we can use if you desire privacy" She informed then, turning slightly to point out the cream coloured door in the far left of the room.

"Very well. Lead the way Miss Uhura"

The 'office' was in nothing more than a two metre squared room that had a desk and two plastic chairs inside it. There was no window to allow in any light, just a standard light strip upon the ceiling.

Whilst the room would afford him with the privacy he desired, the conditions would be cramped and awkward, particularly for Miss Uhura, as she would have to physically climb over the desk to seat herself.

Putting his PADD back inside his duffel bag and leaving it open for instant accessibility, Spock stepped into the room. He leant over the desk to pick up the chair with one hand, and pushed the desk against the far wall with the other.

He then put the chair back on the ground opposite the other, and gestured for Uhura to take a seat.

Then, seating himself, he took his PADD from his duffel once more, and made himself comfortable.

Usually, he would instantly begin with his questions. However, as he observed the young woman sitting opposite him, he had the implausible urge to start their conversation in a softer manner. He was not completely sure how he should do that however. If he complemented her on her appearance, he could be considered to forward, even inappropriate. He also did not want to comment on the time that had passed since they had last met, as he knew from the small experiences he had had with human woman that they did not to be reminded of their age. A trait he had not, and still could not understand.

Aware of Uhura watching him expectantly, he settled for a comment that he deemed suitable.

"It is both pleasing and unexpected to see you again, Miss Uhura"

The small signs of nervousness that she had been showing disappeared, and she gave him a wide smile. For some illogical reason, he felt pleased with his choice of a less formal conversation.

"You too Commander. I am sorry if my...outburst earlier was inappropriate. I am not used to seeing faces from my past"

"It was not inappropriate. Although, I shall warn you that showing over familiarity with superior officers, particularly those who are meeting with you under such circumstances could be seen as an unbefitting portrayal of your suitability"

Uhura paled slightly, and her gaze lowered to her hands.

"I'm sorry If I offended you in anyway" She looked genuinely distraught. Spock frowned. He had not intended to upset her. He had simply been stating facts.

"No offence was taken Miss Uhura"

Uhura looked up slightly, those dark eyes taking in his passive features. She then gave a small nod, as if she was mentally confirming he was not upset or angry with her and sat herself upright, releasing a calming breath.

Spock felt a glimmer of amusement at seeing that familiar gesture. The self-confirming nod she had used when she was a child. He was strangely comforted that he could still see parts of the small girl who had briefly fascinated him when he was a boy. He then mentally berated himself, his behaviour was most irregular. He needed to focus upon why he was here.

"Before we start, do you have any questions?" He asked. Uhura thought for a moment.

"Only one, sir" She said. Spock nodded, telling her to continue.

"The unsuccessful candidate, the one who does not take the last place at the academy. Will they be able to apply next year?"

"As Commander Pike stated earlier, the unsuccessful candidate should not feel any personal victimisation for not being given a place. They shall be able to apply for the next academic year without any problems"

"So there will not be a message, or a note on their records stating that they were 'refused' a place I Star Fleet during an interview with a Commander?"

Her phrasing confused him.

"May I ask what bought you to this assumption?"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. He noticed the very quick flicker of her eyes to the closed office door. She paused for a second, and let out another deep breath.

"I tend to over analyse small details. I am sorry"

"Do not apologise. It is an admirable trait to have, particularly in xenolinguistics. It is the smallest details that are the most important"

She nodded, and awarded his comment with another one of her smiles.

"If that is the only concern you have, let us continue. Your application states that you originally applied for Advanced Phonology. You recently changed your desired area of study to Xenolinguistics. May I enquire why?"

"When I was a student at the Institute for Advanced Mathematics, I was given the opportunity to complete a Phonology course under the guidance of Hoshi Sato. After completing this, I thought that progressing onto a more in depth and complicated subject would be beneficial"

Spock knew of Hoshi Sato. She was considered to be the most gifted exolinguist that Star Fleet had known. He also knew that the Uhura's character reference had been written and signed by Sato herself. In printed word, Nyota Uhura seemed to be a very intelligent and gifted woman. He was admittedly impressed.

They spoke for another nineteen minutes. Listing each language Uhura was able to speak, conversing in each one to test her pronunciation and phonology. He inquired about her hopes for the future, what she wished to achieve after leaving Star Fleet. She impressed him with her desire to learn languages that were not on the syllabus, and her knowledge of the few that he himself did not know.

When the soft knock on the office door bought an end to their interview, Spock had already made his decision.