Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last conversation. You are also wonderful. Sorry, this chapter is late. I was really busy this weekend. Thankfully because I had doctor's appointments Monday morning, I took the whole day off. Hopefully, all will be well, and I have more time to devote to writing.

The rules for the story are we only see emails from the perception of the Enterprise email server. The only time we broke this rule before was during the Yorktown chapters. So while the kids are on New Vulcan, we won't see emails from them until they arrive on the Enterprise, for the most part. We will break the rules a couple of times when the children respond to emails from their outside family members. But I'm going to try to limit that.

Also, please note that New Vulcan is four hours behind Enterprise. This will come into play until we reach January.

Day 295: Greetings from Grandpa's house

From: kitten_loverJJMU

To: Doctor bones

Subject: We are now safe on New Vulcan

Time arrived: 12/13/2260 00:00:01

Hey, Dad, we got here fine. Only Chris 3 got sick on the shuttle ride. Poor Pav lost a pair of shoes. His girlfriend was not amused, probably because she had to give Chris 3 an anti-nausea hypo.

Dad, you will also be happy to know that nobody passed out from heatstroke on the way to the VSA or grandfather's house. Although mom did reminisce about her childhood around various deserts. Although I have been told that New Vulcan is slightly more tempered than the original planet. This is more tempered? It's worse than Atlanta in summer. I thought Atlanta in summer was god awful. It's 10°C hotter, and it's not going to rain once during our entire three weeks here.

Thankfully, grandpa has central climate control. I don't think the others staying on campus are going to have that. I am grateful we are at grandpa's house, which he designed for humans. Anyway, we're going to have dinner and then go to sleep. We have a really big day tomorrow. I'm going to get to see a real version of Annie at the animal conservation center. It's going to be so much fun.

Love you

PS: I promise to be on my best behavior and not cause an international incident.

XXXX

From: Peter_K

To: Spock' s_cuddlebunny; Jim's_cuddlebear

Time arrived: 12/13/2260 00:00:01

Subject: greetings, from grandpa's house

Hey, Uncle Jim and Uncle Spock. We made it safely here. Although I really regret that we couldn't just all take the transporter. Chris 3 threw up because he got so sick, which was a little funny. Unfortunately, he threw up on Chekov's shoes. His girlfriend was annoyed. Ashley 3 is OK with that because now she gets to buy her future stepdad new clothes. She has completely accepted that her crush is more into her aunt than her and will focus her energy on getting him to dress better.

Grandpa did inform us that there is a shopping district. It just opened a couple of months ago. Most of the stuff is prefab from off-planet, but the Vulcan textile industry is slowly coming back. He hopes Vulcan fashion will not be that far behind. On our free day, he's planning to take us shopping. Is this the appropriate time to ask if I get an allowance? Because I would like to buy some stuff in the shopping district.

Grandpa mentioned the shopping trip during dinner. Which was very late because Nyota had to help check in the others before we could leave. Grandpa made sure that most of the foods were of earth origin. He didn't want to scare me off until our third day, when we are scheduled to visit one of the farms responsible for providing food for the colony. He made for us his signature grilled cheese and tomato soup. This caused Josephine's mom to start crying. Why would tomato soup and grilled cheese make her cry?

I'm not sure if I will write every day, but I will send pictures. But know that I'm safe here, especially with Annie by my side. She's a very good pet. Grandpa says that she'll keep the nightmares away. Nyota looked like she wanted to giggle and was trying not to when he said that.

XXXX

From: NyotaUM

To: Doctor_bones; Spock' s_cuddlebunny; Jim's_cuddlebear

Time arrived: 12/13/2260 00:00:01

Subject: I'm so glad I'm just in charge of my own kids

Hey, sorry for writing you all in the same email but getting all the kids and science interns settled was exhausting. We did not get back to the ambassador's house until 8 PM planet time which I think is midnight ship time.

I am also thankful that I will not be staying on campus. The shuttle ride was exhausting enough. Although Chris 3 was the only Enterprise kid that got sick, two of the interns did as well. How can you get motion sick after living on a starship for months? Thankfully nobody threw up on my shoes. However, I did have to help clean up because I was one of the responsible adults.

When I went to get cleaning supplies, I found Jay and Ashley 2 making out in the ship supply closet. We are all happy that Ashley's comfortable enough to engage in such activities after what that poor child had to deal with. But I really didn't want to walk in on a nervous 16-year-old trying to figure out how to unfasten a bra in a really tight space. I promised not to tell their parents if they would agree to go on contraceptive hypos. Anyway, they are Gina's problem now.

Spock, your father's house is lovely. The pictures he has sent did not do it justice. It's about twice the size it was when we were here last time. Actually, everything is more developed. It's less like a temporary development and more like an actual city. Which is good. The shopping district opened a couple of months ago. We're planning to go on our free day. I'm hoping to maybe pick up some presents.

Anyway, I have my meeting at the University tomorrow after dropping the kids off for their program. They're going to the animal conservation center. Hopefully, all will go well.

I will send more updates as time allows.

XXXX

From: Spock' s_cuddlebunny

To: Jim's_cuddlebear NyotaUM

Time sent: 12/13/2260 06:43:35

Subject: Re: I'm so glad I'm just in charge of my own kids

It's weird, we're in the same system, and I think there's about a 24-hour delay. Also, the emails are pushing at midnight like all outside messages. Starfleet email servers are weird. Although I now know why I have dozens of pictures of various children feeding various animals once indigenous to Vulcan.

I also would be very thankful for not being a chaperone. Although I am encouraged that Ashley 2 doesn't have the intimacy issues I did due to my sexual assault. I couldn't even consider sex without being slightly drunk until Spock. Honestly, having them take contraceptive hypos is probably the best course of action. I prefer not to be the ship known for having teen pregnancies. At least now that Pav is now in his 20s. Are we taking bets on when he's going to officially be a stepfather? It has to be serious if he volunteered for chaperone duty.

I got emails from Gina already. Chris 3 was even more of a dick than normal because he was embarrassed and let's just say Jay refuses to share a room with him. Yes, I really hope Chris three's mom goes somewhere far, far away from us. Although not the colony because I don't want him going to school with my sister-in-law.

I have to ask, did grilled cheese actually make you cry? That's OK because Peter's description made me cry, and Spock bear got a little misty-eyed. He claimed it was allergies. I'm the one in this marriage that is allergic to everything, not Spock bear. Universe forbids my husband actually acknowledges an emotion; my spouse can't do that. But he found it touching that his dad remembered his mom in this way. That must be one of the few earth dishes he knows how to cook. So you might need to take over food prep or see if there is an earth cuisine restaurant.

Are there any restaurants yet? There weren't that many there when we were there last time. Although you just said it's starting to look more like an actual city, so maybe they do. It would make sense if they already have a shopping district up and running. Apparently, there's only one place to teach self-defense. They won't take my sister-in-law because of her "unfortunate heritage." That's some next-level bullshit.

Anyway, good luck with your assignment. Rapid message me if anything goes wrong. Also, let Gina know that she can punish the interns if they do something truly stupid. Even though she's a civilian, she's one of their commanding officers right now. I will kick them all out if I have to. Spock seconds that. Actually, he'll be the one doing the kicking out. He's a good husband like that.

Xxx

From: Jim's_cuddlebear

To: Peter_K

cc: Spock' s_cuddlebunny;

Time sent: 12/13/2260 06:46:01

Subject: Re: Greetings, from grandpa's house

Thank you for writing to us. We appreciate it. James and I have decided we will take turns being the one to respond to you. Please note that he is providing me with feedback and reading everything you write to us.

My mother used to make me grilled cheese and tomato soup all the time. It was one of her best dishes. Nyota was aware this is one of my comfort foods, which may explain why she experienced an outburst of emotions. Please do not hold such a display against her.

James wanted me to inform you that, yes, you are receiving an allowance. Because of the circumstances of your mother's passing, you are receiving a benefit payment from the Federation. Most of that money is going into a trust fund. However, we are providing you with 100 credits per month to spend as you please. You can access the funds from the banking app on your PADD.

Additional money will be added to your account when we visit starbases and planets where you're allowed to spend money. This is one of those occasions. You have an additional 1000 credits to spend during your time on New Vulcan. If you need additional funds, please let us know. It is your money, and you should have access to it.

James did not want me to inform you that you are receiving money because of your mother's death because you may see it as blood money. I do not understand how any type of money could be bloodied, but I am sure it's an earth colloquialism. Please note that if you prefer funds from a different source, we will always provide whatever you need. Including currency to buy presents or other souvenirs.

I hope you enjoyed your time at the animal conservation center. It looks highly probable because we already received images of you feeding an actual baby sehlat. What other activities did you get to do there? Did you find your experience enriching? We do want to know more about everything you are doing. Please write to us when you have time.

Xxx

From: Doctor bones

To: kitten_loverJJMU

Subject: Re: We are now safe on New Vulcan

Time sent: 12/13/2260 23:23:01

Hey, sweetie, thanks for writing.

There is a one-day delay on these emails, and the time difference on New Vulcan probably isn't helping things. I'm sorry I won't get to write to you every day, but I am looking forward to hearing from you and your mom.

Yes, New Vulcan is worse than Atlanta in summer. There's a reason why we didn't want the Sulu wedding to take place there. Jim's wedding was enough. We are all very grateful he did not turn that into a destination wedding.

I'm glad you all got there safely. I heard one of your classmates threw up. Apparently, they were susceptible to motion sickness. This doesn't surprise me. I may have thrown up on your mom's shoes when we first met. It wasn't the best first meeting ever, but somehow she loves me anyway.

I want you to have a good time on the planet but be safe. Remember to listen to your mom and the doctor. The good news is the oxygen levels on New Vulcan are closer to Earth, so you won't need any medication to mitigate that. However, stay hydrated and wear your sunscreen at all times. Also, don't try any foods you're not familiar with without scanning them first.

Write me when you get a chance. I also expect lots of pictures. Actually, I've got some already because, like usual, images get here first. Maybe you should also avoid petting things with sharp claws. At least there's only a one-day gap with these messages. Although I still think it is bizarre that they push at midnight.

Tell your mom that I miss you both and I will write her tomorrow after shift. I love you both. I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted. There was an accident in engineering. I don't want to talk about it. We have too many idiots on the ship.

To be continued…