Many thanks to my beta, TheWindowView.
I am sorry for the long(ish) period between updates. I tried to type up the next chapter as fast as I could, once I got home from the Pacific coast. The upside is, after spending time hiking in a near desert, I can now accurately describe the symptoms of heat exhaustion and totally sympathize with Paladian settlers. Not that I didn't before, but still.
Now that I've rambled enough that you've probably skipped ahead to the story, please read and enjoy!
"Don't worry, Kirk. We're looking into it." Admiral Pike's eyes were reassuring. "I'm looking into it." He stated more firmly. Another disaster was not going to happen again so soon on his watch.
Kirk's shoulders dropped. "I don't know whether to be glad or not that Sargent's and Verde's claims were true."
Pike snorted lightly. "I know what you mean. It's good that they aren't crazy, but it means something got screwed up in the process of things." He leaned forward. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out. It may take a few days, but it'll get taken care of."
"Thanks, Admiral. I can always count on you." Kirk stated with a small smile.
"Take care, Kirk." Pike told him, just before transmission ended.
Turning away from the screen, Kirk rubbed his face and sighed. Both women's claims had been confirmed. Sargent's data had been retraced and confirmed along the proper pathways, and Verde's news reports were also confirmed. According to Palad, there was only five years until the agricultural system crashed and left Palad unable to support its current population. Hence, the large upswing in colonizing NiPila.
Now, the captain just had to find a way to tell Sargent.
The door opened and his first officer walked in.
"Ah, Spock. Just the man I was looking for." Kirk straightened up in his seat.
The Vulcan in question raised a single eyebrow at him.
"How are things going between you and Dr. Sargent?" Kirk asked.
No sensing the hidden agenda, Spock responded "I am uncertain as to your meaning. Are you meaning to ask how our relationship is progressing?" If only humans would speak with greater clarity.
Smirking, Kirk said "Yes, I am."
"Then, 'things' are progressing well." Spock informed him, though he wasn't sure why the captain was inquiring.
"So you wouldn't mind telling her that the news Dr. Verde gave her is correct according to Paladian officials? And that it was confirmed that the data sent to her is the data that was sent?"
Kirk's smile was… off. Spock wondered if the captain was planning something. "You do not wish to inform her yourself?" Spock shrewdly guessed.
"Not really." If it were possible, the eyebrow rose higher. "It may be better for the information to come from you. Or I can tell her, but I want you to be there."
"As a source of comfort?"
"Yes, in short." Kirk flushed a little bit at Spock's stare. "I know she was upset by the news before, and I really can't give her any good news. Besides," the blond man tried to smirk "the worst that can happen is that you lose a goodnight kiss or two if she's angry."
Both of Spock's eyebrows rose at this.
"You have kissed her, haven't you? You can't say it isn't a Vulcan thing, I saw you and Uhura." Kirk was surprised.
If Spock could have looked sheepish, this would have been one of those times. "My attempt was interrupted."
"Interrupted? How?" Then the light bulb clicked. "When Dr. Verde walked into a doorjamb?"
"Yes, that was the interruption."
"That sucks. You guys haven't had an opportunity since?"
"Captain, I fail to see the significance of this conversation."
"Easy, Mr. Spock. I'm just trying to be a friend, you know?" Kirk snapped his fingers. "Movie night." He pointed at Spock. "Tonight is a movie night in the mess hall. I think a musical is being planned. Something romantic. Ladies love romantic." Kirk told Spock with a wide grin.
For Nia, the day couldn't end soon enough. She'd wrapped a few other tests that she had wanted to get through, and had begun drawing up the genetic profile of the carnivorous fungus. Once she had the full genotype, modifications would soon follow. It was a lengthy process, but one that could be worth it.
It will be worth it. Don't go there now. Not now. Nia told herself. If she started second-guessing her decisions now she was going to be useless to her people. Her experiments were either important or not important. She needed to decide that now and not waste time.
Time. That's something she didn't have nearly enough of.
By the time Michaels contacted the commander to forcibly removed the Paladian from the lab (apparently she was still enforcing her imposed curfew on Nia), Nia was in no shape to argue with Spock or Michaels. And she was incredibly hungry.
It was during the evening meal that Spock gave her the information from the captain. By that time, Spock also had the benefit of telling her that Starfleet reassigned a group of scientists to reform the aid effort for Palad.
"That's good." She said and then shook her head in what appeared to be anger.
"This information does not please you." He stated.
Nia shook her head negatively. "Not really."
"Why?" Spock asked. Knowing her reasoning would help him better gage her reactions in the future.
She sighed. "I receive data from the finding of every exploration vessel in the Federation. I was told that, and yet, it isn't until I am onboard of Starfleet's glory child that I get access to all the data." Her words were strangely clipped by the end of her statement, like she holding back. "I am very mad that this kind of error was allowed to be made."
Wisely, Spock just listened to her. He had no solution for her and so did not try to offer her one. The gesture would be meaningless.
Rubbing her face, Nia realized that both Spock and she had stopped eating during their discussion, something her stomach was not happy about. She gestured to the plates and said "Please, keep eating. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react and take away from the meal."
When her fingers grazed his wrist, he returned the gesture. Feeling the flash of appreciation, Spock looked up to see the brief smile flit across Nia's face.
At some point, Uhura and Jacek had joined the pair for the meal.
"Wena will be here soon," Jacek told Nia gruffly.
Knowingly, Nia asked "Layla?"
Jacek merely snorted in response and then turned his gaze to eye Spock. "I am told you are a man of science."
"That description is correct." Spock replied.
Nia watched Jacek suspiciously. Her cousin was behaving too… politely. It sent up a red flag in her mind.
Across from Nia, Uhura cleared her throat. "So, are you finally going to join us for movie night?"
Nia shrugged. "I'm not usually a fan of the kind of movies usually played at those things."
"You haven't even been to one!"
"Not true, I went to the first one. 'Pirates from Hell' just wasn't my thing."
Uhura laughed. "Yeah, that one was pretty bad."
"What's playing tonight?" Nia asked. If it was anything good, she just might drag Spock –
"I have been told that a romantic musical will be featured tonight, one that you may enjoy." Spock's voice in the conversation surprised Nia.
Nia smiled at him slyly. "Now who told you I might enjoy it?"
"The captain."
Out of the corner of her eye, Nia saw Jacek's expression grow very dark and he muttered something to himself.
Oh yes. Her cousin was behaving very oddly indeed. According to both McCoy and Wena, Jacek had a clean bill of health so Nia knew it wasn't any remaining 'heat madness'.
With a frown, Nia mentally set aside the event to think about later and turned back to the conversation with Spock.
A rather powerful force hit Nia's side and threw the Paladian's torso forward as she was violently pushed aside in her seat. Spock's firm hand caught her shoulder and kept Nia's head from colliding with the table, his expression nearly baffled as he took in the sight of Nia now sharing a chair with Wena.
"What?" The woman asked innocently. "I was too lazy to grab another chair."
Nia rolled her eyes and Uhura asked Wena if she was going to watch the movie.
"Oh yeah. I've heard pretty good things about tonight's movie. I don't think I've seen it before though." Wena answered.
In the end it was Nia that was convinced to participate in movie night, not Spock. She had a sneaking suspicion he was going to suggest taking part in movie night at some point, and would have done so sooner if she hadn't been upset by his other news.
For movie night, the mess hall was converted into a small theater. Of course, Nia chose a seat next to Spock and sat close enough to feel his body heat. She knew he could definitely feel hers, since her core temperature was significantly higher that his.
About thirty minutes into the movie, Nia started looking around as if searching for something.
Leaning closer to her, Spock softly asks "What do you require?"
"A phaser so I can shoot myself." She replied. Nia almost started giggling when Spock's chin jerked back. He gave her a reaction without a change in expression.
He recovered and spoke again. "I must have misunderstood. What do you require?"
Nia snorted and Wena glared at her. Turning to Spock she whispered "Get me out of here, and we can forget about the phaser." Within moments Nia found her wrist in a dry and firm grasp as she was pulled from her seat and then from the room.
"Thank you so much. I don't know how much more of Love's Lovely Love I can take."
"Then you did not find the movie enjoyable?" Spock asked.
She shook her head no.
"Were you truly intending on attempting to harm yourself, or were you merely being humorous?" If she was being serious, then there was cause for concern.
Nia took one look at his stoic face paired with his somewhat tense body and started laughing. "No, I was just playing around. I wouldn't kill myself over that. Maybe injure or feign illness so I could escape to the medbay, but nothing serious like that."
The imperceptible tension in his shoulder dissolved and Nia's laughter subsided. It was oddly sweet that he took her words so seriously. Nia knew she should probably make an effort to be more literal when she spoke.
She looked at him with a small smile. "Come on." Nia said as she tugged on his sleeve. Taking a step, she turned around and saw that he wasn't following her. "Come on." She said again, this time more insistently and Spock allowed himself to be led back to Nia's quarters.
Once back to her shared room, Nia gestured for Spock to make himself comfortable as she rummaged through her case of books. Grinning mischievously to herself, Nia pulled a memory chip out from between the pages of a book.
When she glanced up and saw the inquisitive tilt to Spock's head, she froze and realized just how odd it was to have a memory chip stored in such a place. "It's a joke between Wena and I." She told him. "We kind of share this movie, so whoever is in possession of it hides it from the other person."
"What movie is it?"
"A true Terran classic, V for Vendetta." In short time, Nia had the computer screen set up and the pair was settled in to watch the movie. "You are likely to find this movie highly illogical," She warned "but it is one of my favorites. And there is a sense of logic hidden within all the illogic."
"I shall expect nothing less."
Taking that to mean, 'ok play the movie' Nia promptly did so, and resisted the urge to snuggle against the man next to her. Instead, she curled her feet up against her and tilted her body until she was just barely touching him. This way, both she and he were comfortable.
About halfway through the movie, the Paladian felt eyes on her. Looking at Spock, she saw him staring at her. Mocking him, she raised one eyebrow and tilted her head in askance.
"I was not aware it was beneficial to watch the movie with an echo to the dialogue."
Nia's eyes nearly bugged out as a pink flush rose from her neck to her cheeks. Getting caught up into the movie, she had fallen into the habit of quoting the movie that both she and Wena had developed. "Sorry." Nia near squeaked before turning back to face the screen. To prevent any more mishaps, she tucked a small pillow between her chest and knees, and pressed her mouth against it.
Deciding not to comment on the rather childish position of his partner, Spock turned back to the screen to watch the movie.
At the end, Spock found himself unsettled.
Without looking at him, Nia spoke "I've found that this movie offers a rather remarkable insight into the human perspective. Of course, it has changed some in two centuries, and yet the parallels are still present."
"That is what you meant by a hidden sense of logic." He stated.
She agreed with him anyways. "I suppose it is."
"I was under the impression that protagonist of Terran stories lives a happy life following the conclusion." He wanted her thoughts on why this one was different.
Nia's lips twitched in a very faint smile. "You're talking about heroes. Tell me, Spock. How exactly was V a hero? He was a victim, and a villain. He took revenge on those who hurt him. He incited an entire country into rebellion and anarchy. He arranged for the murder of that country's leader when in reality democracy would have called for the Chancellor to be put on trial then executed." Sighing, Nia met Spock's gaze. "No, I don't believe he was a hero. He was a necessary monster, who had no place in the world he desired to liberate."
"I do not follow your logic."
"V was a catalyst for change. Once that change occurred, he was no longer needed. Only the idea, the thought he was trying to invoke in the population was still needed. I think the crowd present at Parliament was a good indicator that he succeeded."
The subtle nod of his chin was an acceptance of his answer. Yet, Nia could tell he was still troubled. She waited for him to speak.
"The protagonist was correct in stating that the citizens were also to blame. I do not question his logic. However, I must question the logic of the citizens in allowing such events to take place. What could possibly be their reasoning?"
The Paladian tilted her head in consideration. "Fear. V said it. The citizens were afraid and allowed that fear to blind them to what was going on. When it didn't blind them, they used it as justification for why they allowed such terrible things to happen." She gestured with one hand as if presenting her point upon it. "Human history has more than one example of this and one of their 'world wars' resulted because of that mentality."
"Humans would greatly benefit from the thorough integration of logic into their society."
Nia shrugged. "They're getting there." Squinting, she glanced at the still rolling credits on the screen and then back at Spock. "I'm surprised you didn't question the logic of the rebellion."
Expression blank, he informed her "'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable'."
Recognizing the sound of a quote on his lips, she asked "Who said that?"
"A Terran ruler nearly three centuries previous by the name of John Kennedy." Spock answered.
Recognition flickered in Nia's eyes. "Yes, I think I have heard of him. He was an American president, right? One of those who had been assassinated?"
"That is correct."
She nodded and shrugged, not noticing the slight tensing of his arm as her shoulder brushed against it. "It's a good quote." She told him. "And matches how a lot of humanoids think, you know it? How they work, even." Smiling, Nia lightly bumped Spock with her shoulder. "I'm glad Vulcans made it possible. Peaceful revolution, I mean."
"It is indeed fortunate." Left unspoken was just how needed the capability of peaceful revolution was needed. Currently, the Vulcans were near dependent on aid from other planets. Making enemies would not be beneficial to their population numbers.
Sighing, Nia relaxed against the cushions and reached out to delicately touch Spock's hand, despite it being laced with the other in his lap. Lightly, she dragged her finger tips along the back of his hand and across his wrist. Her touch was as light as the connection she initiated between them.
Comforted by what she picked up from him, Nia pulled away. What she didn't expect was for him to reach out and grab her hand as it retreated.
Surprised, Nia didn't reconnect with him and stared at his face instead. Once the surprise had passed, Nia wanted to know what was going on behind his controlled expression. She wanted to know what he was feeling when he reached up to softly brush her hair behind her shoulder, grazing his fingertips against her cheek while doing so.
With the greater physical contact, Nia was unsure how much control she'd have over the bond, what with Vulcan emotions being much stronger than Paladian ones. Fortunately, she found she was still able to start it off slow and gradually let it grow.
As soon as the connection between them had been re-established, the pale eyed Paladian grinned.
As usually happens with a stronger bond, the pair's emotions came into tune and the differences balanced out between them. Still grinning, Nia leaned forward as Spock's fingers caught in her hair.
The first touch was light, almost as light as her fingertips had been against his hand.
Since there was no interruption this time, Spock increased the pressure of the second kiss, pressure which Nia gladly returned as she lifted another hand to gently brush through the smooth, shorter strand of his hair.
This time, when Wena saw the open doorway to Nia and hers quarters, she stopped long before reaching it.
Rolling her eyes, Wena sighed retreated down the hall to one of the rec rooms. It was enough for Wena to know what wasn't going on in that room. She didn't care to know what was.
Maybe she could get someone to play her in a game of 'Go Fish'.
A/N: A little bit of mystery, a little bit of sweetness, and a little bit more of humor. Sorry to those who haven't seen V. It's amazing and yes I had to watch it after writing about it.
Thank you, thank you to SerenityAngels and ilovemedia18 for your reviews. I really appreciate hearing your opinions.
Thank you to those who had decided to follow this story and/or added it to their favorites list. :)