Joining in the Game
150 Greenleaf Street, San Francisco, 2282.119, 1118 hours. "Come on, 'Tak; you never go anywhere anymore!"
Se'tak stayed stretched out on his bed and again shook his head in the negative. For the last ten minutes Aaron had been pleading hard with him, trying to get him to go to a ball game that afternoon, but he just didn't feel like it…and his lack of a social life (or really a life in general) was just one of many major changes that had taken place over the last four months.
In the aftermath of the Enterprise disaster Starfleet chose not to re-build the ship and Mama and Sa-mekh were given their pick of assignments. After so many years working together with much of the same crew neither one liked the idea of joining a new crew and going on another deep space mission and chose instead to teach at the Academy. Sa-mekh wasn't due to start until the Summer term as he'd been busy working towards regaining his former strength, but Mama was already assisting part-time in the communications department—"getting herself acclimated", as she liked to say—and would start as a full-fledged professor in the Fall.
With no ship of his own to command Uncle Jim was promoted to Admiral and spent most of his time behind a desk. To hear him talk of it being an admiral was pure bureaucratic hell; all he did was settle petty political squabbles and shuffle the proverbial paperwork. Mama said that he was getting so out of control that the 'Fleet higher ups finally sent him on his first diplomatic mission just to get him out of the office and get some peace. He and his family left last week to attend some convention or other on Rigel VII; and while it wasn't his ship it was a ship and that's all Uncle Jim seemed to care about at the moment.
Se'tak almost wished he could've gone with him. Even though he didn't relish the thought of getting on anything larger than a local transport it still would've been an excuse to miss school and that alone would've been worth it. The Starfleet-operated Lily Morgan* High School was so far removed from everything he'd grown up with that it was hard to cope. The school was large and loud and he just didn't know how to deal.
Things might've been easier if he'd had more friends around from before but the only ones that went to school with him were Aaron, Valerie and Robin, and he was never terribly close to the girls to begin with. Tilk and his family went home to Andor at the end of January, and while they still kept in touch it just wasn't the same. Tabby was gone too; her father had been head-hunted by the Centers for Disease Control not long after they'd returned to Earth and the idea of returning home to Georgia was too strong a temptation for his uncle to resist. The whole family relocated there back in March and Mama and Selas were absolutely devastated.
True, his current relationship with Tabby was the complete opposite of friendly, but if she'd stayed he reasoned her catty attitude would've at least been familiar.
So yeah, everyone was pretty much scattered to the wind, and while San Francisco wasn't entirely new to him he still felt like a Displaced Person. He didn't go anywhere other than school or home and didn't feel particularly compelled to change that now—especially not by going to a baseball game.
"Dude, you're killing me here! These are primo tickets!"
Se'tak shrugged. "I just don't feel like it."
His friend was irate. "I…you…I just…" Aaron spluttered. His face was turning bright red. "You suck, dude, you know that!" He stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him and Se'tak was secretly relieved to watch him go.
Fifteen minutes later there was a soft knock at the door—that was another thing he had to get used to, actual knocking since the house was old and had wooden doors—and soon Mama let herself in without waiting for a reply. She pulled out his desk chair and took a seat. He shrugged but didn't take his eyes off the book he was reading. Mama let loose a sigh. "Sweetie, talk to me."
Se'tak rolled his eyes and resisted his own urge to sigh. Knowing she'd never be satisfied 'til she said what she came to say he set his PADD off to the side and sat up, giving the pretense that he was actually listening.
"So how come you didn't want to go with Aaron to the game?" He looked at her sharply. "He told me about it on his way out and he sounded pretty upset. So, what gives, kid?" Mama nudged him playfully in the shoulder. "You used to love watching games with the guys."
He hadn't planned to respond but something about the way she so casually said that last part set him on edge. "Yeah, Mama, the guys. Tilk's back on Andor and Egil's…"
Her face crinkled in concentration. "Is that why you refuse to go out, because you think you don't deserve a life because your friend died?"
Se'tak leapt up from the bed. "You say that like it's no big deal!"
"It is a big deal!" Mama shouted right back at him, "But refusing to move forward with your life and look past your grief is not the answer!"
He stopped pacing and looked at her. "And what do you want me to do, talk to Geoff? Like that went so well the first time."
"I suggest," she replied coolly, "That you take a few steps out of this house and maybe try doing some of the things you used to love doing. It will get easier, Se'tak; I know from personal experience."
"Yeah, yeah," he flippantly retorted, "Everybody says that."
Mama had already gotten up and turned on him with a fierce look on her face despite her eyes glimmering with moisture. "Not everyone lost a Gaila." Se'tak winced, his guilt immediate, but the damage was already done. "If you change your mind," she added, "You can borrow the flitter and catch up with him."
Well great, now he really felt like crap. For several long minutes after she left all he did was pace the floor completely unsure of himself. Should he apologize to Mama? Talk to Aaron?
Go to the game?
He stopped and stared out the window a long time looking up at the sky. It was, he just realized, a pretty decent day. The sun was shining behind a handful of scattered clouds and a light breeze was blowing through the tops of the trees. Suddenly he heard wild shrieks and peals of laughter and looked down to see a bunch of little kids playing in the front yard across the street. He hadn't stopped to take much note of the little things lately. Maybe Mama was right, maybe he should get out a little bit more.
1136 hours. Spock sat at his desk in his home office reviewing the current required course material and editing his syllabus accordingly. He was looking forward to returning to teaching; if Nyota were not installed as a professor in her own right and was instead allowed to be his teaching assistant it would have almost been 'like old times'.
He had kept the door to his study open and was fortunate he had done so as he would not have believed the truth if he had not first verified it with his own two eyes. Se'tak strode past the door so hurriedly and with such determination that Spock's curiosity was instantly aroused and he called him back.
Se'tak stuck his head. "Yeah?"
Spock took in his son's attire: dark wash blue jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a baseball cap emblazoned with the word "Giants" in black and orange stitching. It was not only unusual to see him thus adorned but also to see him up and about. "You are going out. Where?"
"To a baseball game. With Aaron."
His eyes flicked up to the cap on his son's head again. He had always found such headwear unnecessary and did not appreciate the way it chafed the skin of his ears; apparently Se'tak held no similar such aversion. "Very well. Do not stay out past curfew."
"I won't."
Spock lingered at his desk for a further 12.4 seconds contemplating Se'tak's departure, all the while sensing that Nyota knew more about the outing than he did. He was prepared to wait until she happened upon him to uncover the particulars regarding their son when he heard the flitter start up and take off.
He immediately rose from his seat and went in search of Nyota for clarification.
1142 hours. Se'tak maneuvered the craft easily through the traffic and headed in the direction of the stadium, Aaron grinning in the passenger seat. "You have NO idea how glad I am you changed your mind—and that your mom let you borrow the flitter."
"So you've said," Se'tak replied, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Three times." He continued to look straight ahead and monitor their airspace. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat before the game?"
"Sure," Aaron replied, "After we pick up the girls. Maybe Chili Jon's?"
He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Girls? What girls?"
"Jenna and Kelly?" Aaron balked beside him. "You seriously don't remember me telling you about Jenna and Kelly?"
"Um…"
His friend smacked him in the arm. "Dude, PAY! ATTENTION!" Se'tak rubbed the sore spot and Aaron looked temporarily mollified. "Ok, so you know who Jenna is at least, right? She's got 2 classes with you, I think—3 with me. She's tall, tan, and has that long, wavy, brown hair that she keeps half-pinned up in the back with that hair clip…"
Se'tak grinned. The way he was talking about her, it was almost as if…"You really like her, don't you?"
Aaron chuckled. "Yeah, I do. Have practically since the first day of school. Geez, 'Tak, you honestly haven't noticed 'til now? Welcome back to the land of the living, man."
No kidding, he thought to himself, I wonder what else I missed?
"Anyhow, Kelly's an old friend of hers in from out-of-town; I think they went to summer camp together or something. The thing is I finally got up the nerve to call and invite Jenna to the game and she said yes, but only if her friend could come too. I figured you could be my wingman…"
"Yeah, sure, no problem. So how much do I owe you for my ticket?"
Aaron smiled wide. "Nada, bro; it's on me."
Se'tak glanced over at him, eyebrow raised. He might've been out of it but he knew his friend well enough to know that he never had more than 5 credits to his name and he never treated anybody to anything, even if he owed them a favor this huge. "What else aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing, it's the truth!" Aaron threw up his hands in mock surrender. "My uncle got them from his company; he couldn't go so he gave them to my dad, who gave them to me and told me to go have fun with my friends—hence you, me, and the ladies all get to go."
"Nice!" He high-fived him out of reflex, the ensuing brush of telepathic contact too fleeting to bother worrying about. Aaron gave him step-by-step directions to Jenna's house where she and her friend were discovered waiting on the front stoop. Se'tak immediately recognized her from class (and began to wonder just how out of it he'd been these last few months not to notice her himself) then took a few seconds to study her friend.
Although they were kitted out in similar Giants gear the two girls could not have been more opposite. Where Jenna was tall, Kelly was petite; where Kelly was fair-skinned and freckled Jenna was extremely tanned. Kelly also had short blond hair in a cut that could almost be described as boyish (but which on her he thought looked kind of cute) and after another few seconds Se'tak began to think he wouldn't mind playing wingman for his friend…
…that is until Kelly opened her mouth.
1216 hours. The four of them placed their orders separately at Chili Jon's then stood near the counter waiting to pick them up. Se'tak's was the first one called and when Kelly heard what it was she scrunched up her face in disgust. "You're a vegetarian? Personally I think that is, like, so gross…" She turned to Jenna. "Wait, vegetarians are the ones that only eat fruits and vegetables and things that have, like, 'died' or some weird rule like that—right?"
He shot Aaron a glance and resisted the urge to face palm.
1405 hours. They actually had really nice seats at Skynet Park; apparently Aaron's uncle's company kept a small, private box with a pretty sweet view of the field. It wasn't too far from the concession stands either.
Around the third inning he started getting thirsty. "I'm going to go get something to drink," Se'tak said as he took off his hat and scratched his head, "Anybody else want anything?"
Aaron barely took his eyes off the field. "Would mind getting me a lemonade, bro?"
"Oh yeah," Jenna exclaimed, "That sounds good. May I have one too?"
He smiled at her. "Sure. Kelly, you want any—?" Se'tak let the thought trail off as he caught her openly gawking at his ears.
"Oh my G-d!" she squeaked. She tugged on Jenna's shirtsleeve to get her attention and pointed at him. "He's a Vulcan!"
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, so?"
"I thought 'Tak was just a nickname!"
He rolled his eyes—it was bothering him how she was talking about him like he wasn't even there. "It is a nickname," he coolly replied, "My full name's S'chn T'gai Se'tak."
"SAY WHAT?"
At her squealing Aaron finally tore his eyes away from the game. "What's the matter?"
Jenna just rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the two of them. He didn't miss Aaron's questioning glance but held him off with a small shake of the head; he didn't need his buddy to run interference. He'd been getting questions about his heritage all his life, this wasn't anything new.
Kelly half-rose out of her seat, one hand stretched out toward the side of his head. "Did it hurt?" she gasped out.
Se'tak stared at her quizzically. "Did what hurt?"
She snapped out of her stupor and stared back at him as if he was the crazy one. "When they forced your ears into that shape, did it hurt, or do you not remember because you were so little?"
"What the—"
"Oh my G-d, Kelly!" Jenna declared, "You are such a total ditz! Vulcan don't mold their ears like that, silly! They're born that way!"
His eyes bugged out of his head and Aaron started laughing so hard he was choking for breath.
1723 hours. So help him, if Aaron did not wrap things up with Jenna soon…
Se'tak was about 5 seconds away from nerve-pinching Kelly just to shut her up when his friend finally strolled back to the flitter. She scooted out just as Aaron got in, with Kelly looking a little sad that they weren't invited to hang out longer as she went. Se'tak didn't care; the crazy girl was gone.
After the revelation at the ballpark Kelly just would not stop talking. Everything was 'Vulcan this' and 'Vulcan that'—you'd think he was full-blooded the way she kept going on and on! And the misconceptions! Among the more stupid things to come out of her mouth she actually thought the ozh'esta* was how Vulcan babies were made! It took everything he had not to chuff her upside the back of the head at that one.
No doubt about it, Kelly was the epitome of a ditz. She made him start to believe that all those dumb blond jokes were actually true.
On the flip side, he felt bad watching Jenna squirm at her friend's ignorance, even though he was the one under interrogation. She really was a great girl so far as he could tell and he was happy for Aaron (since it looked like he'd sealed the deal…that is if the lip gloss on his cheek was anything to go by), he just didn't know how she could associate herself with someone as out of touch as Kelly.
"You owe me," Se'tak reminded Aaron as soon as they were airborne. "Big time. Huge."
"Yeah, man." He looked over and saw the awed and dazed expression on his friend's face. "Whatever you say."
* I named the high school after Alfre Woodard's character in the movie "Star Trek: First Contact". As no surname was given I created my own.
* ozh'esta = Vulkhansu for finger embrace, similar to a kiss