Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!
Here is a new chapter for your enjoyment.
Once again, Nia and Wena found themselves seated in front of the desk in the captain's ready room.
This time though, only Spock and the captain were present. This was in accordance to Wena's request, which Kirk would speak to the others after speaking with Wena.
Both men were actually standing, bent over the data tablet laying flat on Kirk's desk. The women waited with baited breath while Kirk would delicately touch the screen to bring up another page. And another.
And another.
It seemed to take forever, but eventually the captain looked at his first officer.
"Mr. Spock," he breathed. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" Kirk wasn't sure what answer he wanted to hear.
"Captain, while many of these equations are recognizable, I must admit a significant portion of the information contained in this document is unfamiliar to me." Spock replied.
"So, no. Not really." Kirk surmised. "What is this word that is referenced several times? Rolium? Is it some kind of material?"
Nia frowned, confused. "It's a mineral heavily abundant in Paladian soils. It's like… the quartz, on Earth." She leaned forward. "It's mentioned there? In the document?"
Standing straight, Kirk replied "It's the star of this thing."
"You are not aware of the information inside this document?" Spock asked Wena.
The half-Paladian snorted. "I'm a doctor, not a chemist. My job deals with living and breathing things, not rocks in the ground." She crossed her arms and raised her chin defiantly.
Kirk leveled her with a stare. "Alright, Bonesette. How did you get a hold of this data then? And where is the scientist who originally collected it?"
"The scientist was a friend of mine. He-" Her voice broke and Wena's eyes dropped to the desk. The brunette's voice was thick with emotion as she continued to speak. "His disappearance is what made me leave Palad with some of Nia's family. He gave me this copy of his data barely a week before the office was destroyed. A malfunctioning extinguishing system flooded his office and then-" She paused to clear her throat, yet again. "His family reported him missing." Wiping furiously at her face, Wena continued. "An official report was issued that he died en route to NiPila and the ceremonial burning was held there as a courtesy to the family."
Kirk shook his head. "Hard to cry foul when you have ashes in lieu of a body." He produced a handkerchief from somewhere and passed it to the half-Paladian. She used it to vigorously wipe away any remnants of tears from her face, using the small lull in questioning to pull herself together. Nia gently rubbed her shoulder.
"What caused the colony ship to crash on the desert planet?" Spock asked.
Nia assumed he was attempting to get the conversation back on track.
"I believe the pilot was attempting an emergency landing. It's something Paladian colony ships are capable of." Wena told him.
"Under the right circumstances, of course." Nia butt in.
"Right. Unfortunately, the pilot was one of the more severely injured from the crash and he died a few days after." Wena said. "But the reason, the reason…" This was it, this was the line. Anything more, anything further was a death sentence in the wrong hands. She was acutely aware of the lives other than hers that were at risk. "Council member Chancellor Narsow apprehended myself and the two head engineers on suspicion of treason."
"Narsow? One of the two Federation Council members from Palad?" Kirk clarified.
"Yes." Wena replied.
"Oh boy." He sat back and sighed. "I'm going to call Pike. Then, you are going to tell us everything. And I do mean everything."
"Now listen to me. The men will probably greet you by a simple gripping of your forearm. If they do that, respond by gripping theirs. Paladians can be affectionate though, so don't be surprised if you get hugged by even some of the men." Nia was trying to give Kirk the crash course in Paladian customs, just in case he forgot something that was taught at the academy. "The women, on the other hand, may press their cheek against yours. That's the same thing as a kiss on the cheek to a human, so you should not worry about that."
"I'm not." Kirk assured her, chuckling.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not done. The thing that may startle you the most is if you are asked if you can be touched. This is not in reference to physical touching, it's in reference to-"
"Sharing emotions, right? Spock told me about that." Kirk grinned. This was going to be fun.
Blushing, Nia stared at him for a moment. "He did?" She asked. Clearing her throat, she tried to move on. "Ok, well don't feel pressured if you are asked. It's probably only joy or gratitude they want to share, but either way if you say no, it won't happen."
"Then why-?"
"Special situation."
"Is that what it's called?" He laughed openly at her responding glare. Her buttons were easy to push when she was tense.
Nia opened her mouth to respond when the walking pair reached the transporter room. Sighing, Nia gave up her argument and decided to join Wena and the others on the transporter pad. It didn't escape Nia's notice that her friend had positioned herself as far as she could from the captain.
Kirk gave the order "Energize!"
This time Nia's reaction to her arrival to the planet was considerably different. This time, the cold damp that immediately assaulted her skin was a welcome caress to the unusually warm skin of the Paladian. This time a deep, resonating calm soaked through to her core as the presence of her people thrummed against her heart. Her deep breath and quiet sigh were replicated by every arriving member of her people. Nia's eyes were also shut as she enjoyed the moist air against her skin and the peace that radiated around her.
"Feels like home." She murmured.
Spock, standing next to her, watched her relax and then took in his new surroundings. A few of the shuttles were in their vicinity and were being unloaded by both individuals he recognized and those he did not. Temporary shelters were already in the process of being set up and there were many Paladians and Starfleet crewmembers aiding in that endeavor.
Those who were not setting up were reuniting with family. The leader of the colony had stepped forward and was conversing with the captain. The blond man did not seem to mind when the Paladian male wrapped his arms around him in an affectionate gesture. Spock quietly hoped he would not receive the same treatment and planned an appropriate reaction in case he did.
Realizing the captain and other ranking officers had arrived, more Paladians began to flank to new comers, several gripping Spock's forearm in what the Vulcan knew to be a sign of respect. Nia's arms and cheeks were brushed lightly while she kept her eyes closed. Some also gripped her hands, and pressed their cheeks to hers. The Paladian woman returned the embraces as best she could while still soaking in the comfort of her surroundings.
Finally, she opened her eyes and smiled at the captain. "Alright, let's get to work. Where are we needed first?"
Setting up shelters and families in them was only a small portion of the work to be done. Those Paladians still ill from their time on the desert planet were placed in the small, yet fully functional hospital that both McCoy and Wena felt the need to fully inspect.
It was when the afternoon began to transverse into the evening that crew from the Enterprise began to notice what some of the colonized Paladians were setting up in the center under a modified steel tent. As far as Kirk could tell, they colony was setting up for a party of some sort.
As soon as the work day started to wind down, Nia found herself hauled off by some of the other women. Wena watched her disappear around a corner with a roll of her eyes.
"Don't worry." She told Spock, who had also watched her leave. "She'll be back shortly and in time for dinner."
A short period of time passed before Spock found himself ushered into a seat next to Kirk and Nia's quieter cousin Grego. A quiet conversation ensued until it was time for the evening meal.
A small distance away, Nia had returned and was filling two plates with food. "No, no Maman, he's Vulcan. No meat."
"What do you mean, no meat?" Came the baffled reply. "No wonder he is so thin, he's not eating right." At Nia's look, Drella huffed. "Fine, but you are going to eat meat. You've lost weight since last I saw you, Niniane."
Nia grimaced. "Alright, but only a little. I don't know if it will offend him or not."
Narrowing her eyes, Drella corrected "A little for now. If it offends him, he will have to get over it. I will not have my daughter wither away to a pile of skin and bones." With that being said, she dropped a greasy drumstick on Nia's plate.
Ignoring the fact that her stomach rumbled at the sight of the juicy and sure to be well seasoned hunk of meat, Nia looked up at her mother with a sneaky grin. "You do realize that with our current advancements in GMO's, I am perfectly capable of having a balanced diet without the presence of meat."
"Is this the way you speak to your mother? I know best how to take care of you. Or did you forget that time you-"
"Ok, enough, I'm out of here." Nia interrupted. "I am not going down memory lane with you."
Drella's look at her daughter was smug. "Because you would lose."
"Yes, I would." Nia had no problems admitting it.
Drella chuckled as she watched her daughter walk away, the crow's feet at her eyes accentuated by her growing grin. After the expected tears at seeing her girl again, the older woman had proceeded to wheedle out every detail she could of her daughter's life. All the while, she was meticulously 'fixing' Nia's mess of hair. Hearing about Spock had been a surprise and Drella couldn't resist chastising Nia for not sending a message at the least.
The other women present had grasped on to the piece of gossip and asked as many questions as they could about the new man in Nia's life. Enough time had passed since Henry, and it was expected that she find someone new.
What Nia wouldn't admit was that she had enjoyed the delight in the women's actions and the giddy conversation. A couple of the girls had questions about the captain (who'd single-handedly rescued the stranded settlers, according to them), to which Drella and Nia had shared a knowingly look.
With a small smile, Nia shook her head as she walked to where both Kirk and Spock were sitting. Seeing her approach, Kirk shifted over on the bench to allow room for her. She gave him a grateful nod and settled down next to Spock.
"Here. I grabbed a variety, since I don't know what you prefer." Nia set down the plate in front of Spock.
Kirk looked surprised. "Where's mine?" He asked.
She gave him a look. "The food is over there. I'm sure if you just ask you'll find there's plenty of help available if you need it." And plenty of young women wanting to do the job. "On second thought, I'll just ask my maman to bring you a plate. It'll please her." Nia got up and walked over to her mother.
While she walked away, McCoy sat across the table from Kirk. He had his own plate of food and smirked at the sight Spock's plate. The food had been piled very high.
After Nia engaged in short conversation and returned, McCoy noted "You changed your outfit."
She glanced down at herself in surprise. "I did, but it's really not that different than what you might see on Earth."
Truly, she didn't see that her outfit was anything significant. The pants were knee length and a comfortable dark brown wash that matched the vest covering the short sleeved, dark green blouse. It was her hair that was truly different.
The white mass was pulled back and bundled against the back of her head with a piece of brightly colored green mesh. The top portion of her hair appeared looser than the sides due to the many small braids present, the ends of which were tucked into the bundle at the back of her head. It was style not commonly seen on humans, but one that the crew had already noticed many variations of amongst the colony women.
Quickly, Nia sat down before they could notice the change in her footwear.
"So, did you leave Wena at the hospital or were both of you kicked out?" Nia asked.
McCoy shrugged. "The latter, I suppose though I don't know where she disappeared off to." His eyes drifted to something behind her.
Not noticing, Nia replied "I think I see her in line for food with Uhura."
Suddenly, Nia felt something very cold pressed against the back of her neck. Yelping, she reached a hand around to connect with the one holding an icy glass to the sensitive skin of her neck. As soon as she made contact, she knew who was behind her.
"Papio!" She exclaimed. Nia stood up and hugged the man as tight as she could. Pulling back she glared at him, "Not funny."
He laughed at her, tongue in his cheek as he saw the baffled faces of McCoy and Spock and the uncertain grin on Kirk's face.
Nia turned with a grin. "Guys, this is my father, Makol."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Captain Kirk of the Enterprise. This is my CMO, Dr. McCoy and this is my first officer Commander Spock. I'm sure you've heard about him." He started as a woman set a plate down in front of him.
"Yes, I assure you, we have." The older Paladian female told him.
"And this is my mother, Drella." Nia told them.
Drella grinned. "If you need anything, just…" Her smile dimmed slightly. "What's the phrase?" She asked Nia.
"'Just holler if you need me.'" Nia supplied.
"Yes, that's it." Drella waved a hand. "Well you heard what to do." Then she left to return to where she was needed.
Makol huffed good naturedly, pressed his cheek to his daughter's temple. "Do good, Niniane." He said.
Nia rolled her eyes. "Be good, Papio. It's 'be good'."
She shook her head as he laughed and went to join his wife. With a blushing glance at Spock, Nia retook her seat. No one spoke for a moment.
"So," McCoy said. "Those were your parents?"
Spock looked at him. Did he not hear Nia's introduction?
"Yep." Nia answered the awkward question meant to break the awkward silence.
Kirk was poking his utensils at his plate. "What is this?"
The current item he was questioning was a clearly a vegetable, but one he had never seen. Or really imagined, the shade of pink was very bright.
Nia gestured with her own utensil. "Well that is going to be like a beat with the consistency of a carrot. That right there is just another variety of peas, and it always goes great with the poultry my mother also dished out for you. You should feel honored," Nia smirked. "She gave you some of her best recipe. Everyone tries to get a piece of it." She turned to Spock. "And you should thank me. She tried very hard to get me to give you some meat, something I highly doubted you would appreciate."
"Indeed, it seems I am in your debt. Though it was only logical to do so." He replied.
She snorted. "You don't know my mother very well. You are so in my debt. Anyways," She proceeded to point to his plate. "There is a little bit of everything so that you can try and get more of what you like." She smiled at him, a faint blush dancing across her cheeks again. This was food from her home, things she was used to and maybe a little proud of.
Looking back at her plate, Nia froze. "Uh," She leaned closer to Spock and quietly asked. "Do you mind if I eat a little meat?" Realizing it was an odd question to ask, since she'd eaten meat in front of him before without him commenting on it, she stumbled into a hasty explanation. "If you do, I totally understand. It just means I have to find a way to sneak it on to Kirk's plate without my mother noticing."
Spock followed her gaze to find Drella watching them. The older Paladian gestured for them to begin eating, head bobbing with overly expressive encouragement.
Nia muttered something in Paladian.
"It would be prudent not to offend your mother." Spock advised.
"Yeah, she's watching me a bit closely, isn't she?" Nia asked.
Spock agreed. "I believe the expression is 'like a hawk'."
A/N: So sorry for the delays in updating, but I'm glad someof you are still enjoying this, and/or finginding it and enjoying it. It really warms my heart when I get emails saying some else has favorited or followed my story, or even better, has reviewed.
My heart goes out to you all and I pray you all have a very blessed holiday.
Special thanks to ilovemedia18 and fallenfaeangel for your reviews, and thank you to everyone who has favorited or decided to follow this story.
- Spirit