Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last conversation. You are all absolutely lovely.

Day 304: Welcome to New Vulcan

From: NyotaUM

To: Spock's_cuddlebunny; Jim's_cuddlebear

Time arrived: 12/22/2260 00:00:01

Subject: I'm glad I'll be going home soon

I'm just going to send this to both of you. That way, Spock doesn't have to read this over your shoulder. Oh, we should definitely do a Vulcan night when we all get back. I'll pick up some movie chips to add to the database before I come back. You know streaming doesn't work right in deep space. Also, pretty much everything's in Standard, with universal translator subtitles.

I just survived another afternoon in Vulcan bureaucratic hell. Good news, not everybody that works in the New Vulcan naturalization office is an asshole. I had to do round two of my citizenship application. Things went so much better this time, not dealing with someone utterly hateful and xenophobic. Fingers crossed, I will actually be a Vulcan citizen by summer. I feel like my clerk today won't accidentally lose my paperwork. That happened with the first round. Thankfully the ambassador dealt with it.

Are you pushing this so it will be easier for me to become Peter's Guardian? I'm like 99% sure you're having Peter become a Vulcan citizen so his maternal grandmother can't touch him. The drawback is it will make it hard for Peter to live with Kevin or Winona. But by making me a citizen, that problem is dealt with. Or is there an exception for non-Vulcan family members of the Vulcan citizen? But if there is an exemption, then that would void the protections. We definitely need to talk about this.

It feels weird getting this email after we've had several rapid messages to do work stuff. I'm still happy that the asshole is in the brig. Fingers crossed, he does get court-martialed and off the ship before Josephine gets back. I don't want that pedophile anywhere near my daughter or the other girls.

It's not a bad idea to have the general ship population redo the training modules. I suggest adding a "how to tell the difference between shore leave and a mission" module. Do the cadets not realize this is not a shore leave? Because I don't think they do. Be on the watch on the 25th because it's another free day. Bad things will happen; I just know it.

You should definitely do the counselor certification. It would be good for you. Ashley said that she could not have gotten through these last few days without talking to you. You get it in a way the rest of us don't, unfortunately. You've helped her a lot, and I think you can help other people. It's always good if the people in charge actually have those skills. As you mentioned, a lot of captains don't do that.

Besides, you and Spock are probably always going to be a command team, even if you keep swapping out who's the captain. One of you needs to actually have interpersonal skills. Although Spock is my best friend, I feel you're a little better at it. He's trying, but it's hard to overcome a lot of cultural bullshit. After being here for a week and a half, I can fully appreciate that. Actually, I'm surprised Spock is as warm and affectionate as he is. The ambassador still goes stiff when Peter hugs him. At least for the first five seconds.

Can I have a video of Spock trying to explain the Vulcan birds and bees to Peter? Especially when the bees go into fuck or die mode. I feel like that's going to be entertaining. Although I just saw Peter blushing while reading his letter from Spock, I wonder if he did it in letter form.

I just got confirmation that he did, and Peter is very, very embarrassed. He let me read parts of the letter. Spock didn't even include anything about fuck or die. Which is appropriate for a letter to a 12-year-old. I don't even think Josephine was that embarrassed during our talk, and I told her that I had sex with Gaila after Marc died.

BTW, I now know how the Ashleys defused the situation with the evil classmates. They held hands. Peter has pictures. By Vulcan standards, it was considered quite vulgar. It was probably made worse because the girls in question come from a conservative Vulcan family. They are very against same-gender partnerships, especially in light of the Vulcan genocide despite alternative reproduction methods. The ambassador explained this to me. He was there even though I wasn't. I've been told he actually smirked during the incident.

I was shopping at the time. Yes, I picked up some things for Leonard. I will never tell you what I picked up. Of the three shops, I recommend you go to Paradise. It's the one that's the most high-end and will probably have the most stuff you're not allergic to. Bonus points, you won't run into your likeness on any of the products. Ashley one wanted me to let you know that you should consider legal action. Although most of the kids now know about the sex toys bearing your likeness. All of them are 100% sure it was done without your consent or knowledge. So, you should be really happy about that.

It's day two at the VSA, and there have been no major non-Chris 3 incidents. Josephine is still mad she's not in the same group as Peter. Thankfully, I did confirm that none of the actual VSA members refer to it as the stupid group. If they did, we would've had a problem. I've also successfully convinced her that she's not stupid for being in that group. But it took a meeting with one of the instructors to do so.

Although somebody did call Chris three a fucking moron. In Vulcan behind his back. Which, after what happened this morning, is completely deserved. He didn't follow instructions during a simple exercise to review the scientific method and almost blew something up. Thankfully my daughter stopped him. I rapid messaged his mom, and he's coming back up with me. I'm sure the kids are looking forward to two days without him now.

I'm just happy that he will be his mom's problem again. I'm also glad that his mom is not on my team because I do not want to deal with her full-time. I don't think she's the one looking at the sites, but I feel like she's completely over her head with Chris 3 and doesn't know how to handle him.

I get that. I was completely thrown into parenthood headfirst without any warning, and I think I'm doing relatively well. OK, I'm trying to undo the mountain of self-esteem issues caused by my predecessor. However, I am nowhere near as horrible as my own father. I consider that progress.

So I probably should take a moment to let you know what you need to know before arriving here. No work stuff because we cover that elsewhere.

I'm leaving my child with you. Do not screw things up. Please help her realize she is absolutely brilliant. Make sure she does not do anything she's not supposed to like cannabis-infused lemon bars. Keep the allergy hypos handy.

The ambassador's compound is huge, and it even includes a guest house. I think that's where the Sulu-Chen family will be staying. Although Liz and Kevin are taking over my current room. You and Spock have your own wing in the main house. The ambassador made the whole compound human-friendly. I think this might be the only house with air-conditioning. The dorms have it, but that's because they're Starfleet. The regular VSA dorms don't.

Ashley 2 is coming back with the other kids on the 24th. Although she'll be staying at the compound until then. However, Ashley three might be taking her place. Olivia doesn't want her in the dorms practically alone with just the cadets. She thinks they're a bad influence.

Bring lots of sunscreen. I think it's only a small miracle that Peter only got a tiny bit burnt. Also, I probably sound like my boyfriend right now but make sure you bring all your allergy hypos. I would hate for you to pull a Chris three.

Stay hydrated. I can't stress this enough. We had another heatstroke incident among the cadets. The cadets are supposed to have survival training before they do their semester on a ship, right? If not, that should change.

Anyway, I'll see you soon for our handover. Then you can be the one sending me messages from New Vulcan.

Xxxxx

From: kitten_loverJJMU

To: Doctor bones

Subject: greetings from the VSA

Time arrived: 12/22/2260 00:00:01

You will be happy to know that everyone in my group has stayed properly hydrated. There have been zero cases of heatstroke among us Enterprise kids. We've even used the hydration hypos you sent. I also scanned all the food at the restaurant. Which was for the best because one of the desserts contained a berry in the strawberry family. Dad, I promise we are all staying on our best behavior.

Oh, you're right. Chris three should come up early. Especially after I barely kept him from blowing himself up this morning. I think he is going to go up when mom goes up. Maybe he won't throw up with beaming back. One can hope.

Free day was great, especially because we didn't have to deal with Peter accidentally having a strawberry reaction. It was good to just hang out with my friends. Although Vulcan malls are severely lacking in things like arcades and really anything fun. Grandpa says it will eventually get better, but I still have my doubts.

We have now reached the VSA portion of our time here. I think I liked a lot of the other more hands-on activities better. Unfortunately, the afternoon was spent going through a lot of research data. Well, after Chris three tried to blow himself up anyway. My head hurts, and apparently, I am in the lower group. I don't even want to know what Peter's group is doing right now. Of course, we could be doing all this because of Chris's screw-up. Mom just confirmed that Chris is definitely leaving on the 22nd. So we will have a few days in class without him.

It's starting to hit me that I'm not going to be here without Ashley 2 and Jay for a week and a half. This is the first time we've really been apart since we've become this big friend group. But they want to spend the holiday with their family, and I can't begrudge them that. I am sad I will not be with you and mom, but I am looking forward to gingerbread house day. Also, apparently, somebody is sneaking in chocolate coins. This was another one of Amanda's traditions. I wonder how that worked with chocolate being a controlled substance on Vulcan. I have so many questions.

I apologize for my rant last time. I didn't think of the situation from a confidentiality perspective until you pointed it out. I should've known better because I grew up with a lawyer mother. Attorney-client privilege was pretty much a bedrock of everything she did. So I didn't know a lot about her job or the things going on. I accepted that.

However, maybe it was easier to accept that because she never told me anything. I didn't even know how bad grandpa was to her until things came out during the trial. As much as you tried to keep the worst of it from me, I still knew. So I respect you not telling me stuff because of your job. Your patients have a right to privacy. But don't keep things from me that you can tell me just because you think I'm too young to deal with it.

At the same time, I am doing kid activities. The sleepover went well. Ashley 2 had a full night's sleep which is all we really could ask for. We had so much fun, and I think we might do it again on the 22nd and have Ashley 3 come as well. I've successfully convinced Olivia to let her stay with us instead of the dorms by herself. Plus, Ashley 3 is going to be doing a ton of activities with us.

I will have you know that my vegetable consumption has gone up by 85% on New Vulcan. This might be because all the lunches on campus are vegan, but it's been good. Vulcan pizza is good but get actual vegetables, not the fake meat products. They still taste like vegetables. Unlike fake earth meat products, they're not really trying to pretend. It's weird.

Anyway, I miss you, and I promise I'll send more pictures. Especially at the banquet. Not as much from the VSA. A lot of stuff we're not allowed to take photos of because of "operational security." But I will whenever we can.

XXXX

From: Peter_K

To: Spock' s_cuddlebunny; Jim's_cuddlebear

Time arrived: 12/22/2260 00:00:01

Subject: let's hold off on that conversation for a few years

I am perfectly OK not knowing about the Vulcan fertility cycle. It was traumatizing enough when mom tried to explain human sexuality to me the first time. Without having a dad around, it was her job. It was ridiculously uncomfortable, and we didn't even have the full talk. That has so far fallen to Uncle Jim. The human version was enough, thank you very much.

Although thinking about how you and Uncle Jim figured out the latex allergy also makes me uncomfortable. I am pretty sure I know what trial and error actually involved. I would prefer not to know. At least at 12. Probably at some point down the road, I would want to read those papers for purely scientific reasons. But not at this time.

I love the VSA and astrophysics. We are studying stars. I still want to apply here when I'm old enough. I'm going over the curriculum requirements and adjusting what I'm learning on the ship to ensure I have all the prerequisites covered. I'm going to need more serious science time. Can I do lab hours? I love all of this.

Josephine is sad because she's in the other group. But she feels a little better now that she realizes there's not that much of a knowledge gap between the two groups. I think it's just so we can be in smaller groups and get to really interact with the projects. That backfired this morning in Josephine's group, but at least because of that, Chris three is going home early. How do you not follow directions that simple? We weren't even working with something that dangerous. It was just something to teach us the scientific method. Which his group was only doing because some people were severely lacking.

With him gone, Gina mentioned that we might merge for biology and chemistry days. Because he was really the only person who was far behind. Even if he leaves the morning of the 22nd, we will have two days of classes after leaving. Also, I think Josephine and I might have another day or two on campus after everybody returns. I wonder what we will be doing. I think it will be fun.

Dinner was good. The shopping center was OK. It was better than the last Starbase we visited, at least. However, they have no toy stores. What type of shopping district has no choice stores? Although they did have someplace called the Learning Palace, which had many junior science kit-type things. I made good use of my stipend. I may have purchased the Vulcan equivalent to Legos. Space is boring. I need toys. OK, these aren't actually toys, but they'll at least keep the boredom at bay.

I'm just going to go come out and ask, is my great-grandpa really a Spock variant? He's you but like in 100 years. Because all his stories that he told us did not match what you told us happened. They were just all off, and he was surprised to know that. So, either he lived a different life, or he has dementia. It is possible, but I don't like that possibility.

It's OK that you didn't completely explain the citizenship thing to me. I trust your judgment on this, especially if it will keep me away from the evil witch. I do not under any circumstances want to live with my maternal grandmother. She is a horrible human being, and I absolutely despise her. I did before she killed my aunt.

I should tell you that part of my reluctance to call you and Jim my uncles is because I had an aunt once. She was taken from me because they were so awful. She was like you and Jim, a.k.a. not that heterosexual. I don't want to lose more family. Maybe I'm trying not to get attached, but all of you make it very hard not to be attached. I now have a cousin. It's weird. But a good weird.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing you very soon. I miss you all.

Xxx

"Welcome to New Vulcan," Nyota said the moment they beamed into the transporter room of the VSA.

"At least their transporter rooms are pretty," Jim said as he stepped off the transporter pad. Spock followed behind his spouse.

"They went with a bit more modern architecture versus more traditional Vulcan styles. But I like it." Nyota explained.

"Because it was more expedient. I believed our crew helped with constructing this facility when we were here previously." Spock remarked.

"I think so too, but I kind of blocked out a lot from that trip," James added.

"The next section is going to be a bit more traditional. I got to look at the plans, and the next phase is going to be amazing." Nyota explained.

"I am glad to see that you have survived your time with teenagers and preteens well." Spock expressed.

"As well as can be expected. Although I am sad that the Admiral's ship is a day behind, and I'm not going to get to see the babies." Nyota remarked as they followed her out of the transporter room. Their bags would be handled by the ensign there.

"You know we're going to end up bringing the babies to the ship for at least a couple of hours. They should see daddy's workstation. It's the closest thing Enterprise will have to take your child to work day."

"And are you OK with this captain?" Nyota asked, turning to Spock.

"I have already filled out the paperwork, Acting Captain Uhura." Nyota smiled at the use of her new title.

"Don't I have the best husband," James said, leaning over to wrap his hand around Spock's.

"I know you two are used to making out Vulcan style all the time, but you're going to scandalize the locals. Maybe keep the hand PDAs down to a minimum," Nyota commented just as they passed two researchers in the hallway. Both had their eyebrows elevated. Jim and Spock quickly separated. Although Spock was reluctant to do so.

"You can make out once we get to conference room 1106. I have pastries, and you guys can get me up to speed on what I need to watch for."

"Our main project is going well with the team from the VSA." Spock supplied.

"However, engineering is still a hot mess. Scotty's illegal alcohol empire is what kept it from being worse. You have any idea how hard it is to keep that stuff out of the official record." Spock and James ended up writing the report together to make sure there were no inconsistencies in their modified explanation of what happened.

"I've heard. No more work talk until I get coffee. It's like 5 AM here, and I haven't even had breakfast yet." Spock looked down at his PAD to realize it was 5:03 AM local time. It was 8:58 AM when they left the ship.

"We apologize for not taking into account the time difference when we chose this time."

"It's OK. This just means I get to see Leonard sooner. I said goodbye to the kids last night because I know they don't want to wake up any earlier than they have to. The ambassador will bring them to the VSA today."

"I already got a text message about that," James said, looking at his device. "Oh, it looks like I just got a response from you overnight. And we got an email from Peter, who is ridiculously embarrassed because he got Spock's first sex talk via email. I knew I should've looked over your letter before you hit the send button." James commented.

"It is crucial for us to discuss these things."

"I think I wrote that two days ago after a slightly better day at the Vulcan naturalization office."

"I can't wait to read the whole thing in one of the many boring meetings we have this afternoon. We don't even get to take them together. We have so many meetings we're going to have to split up to cover more ground. They're taking advantage of the fact we are both captains. I hate meetings with ambassadors," James lamented.

"I am filling in for Admiral Chen at a few meetings. You are taking my place at the meetings I was to attend with you," Spock explained.

"This explains why I'm now doing the run-through for the dedication ceremony and banquet alone. There are going to be representatives from 20 different planets at this thing."

"Poor baby. I guess I won't hear from you guys for a few days."

"Probably not. We have a working lunch, and again we're not even together. Spock, how sad is that?"

"Quite unfortunate," Spock responded.

"However, I made sure that you and Spock will be able to pick Peter up from the program today at six and go to dinner together as a family. I did not make reservations, but I did leave recommendations." Nyota informs the couple.

"Thank you,"

"I know we're taking Josephine with us. However, how many Ashleys will be with us?" James asked.

"Two, Olivia said that it's OK for her to go over tonight, so she can have a bit of a sleepover. Although you are going to have to bring Ashley two back to the VSA on the morning of the 24th to get on the shuttle back to Enterprise."

"No problem, we are responsible adults, and Ashley 2 adores me."

Xxxxxx

From: Doctor bones

To: kitten_loverJJMU

Subject: I promise I'm doing well on New Vulcan

Time sent: 12/22/2260 19:23:01

Hey, sweetie. It's great to hear from you, and I'm happy to know that you're are taking care of yourself. According to your mom, she didn't have to remind you to stay hydrated and out of the sun. So that's good.

Just so you know, she got back here safely a couple of hours ago. Then went promptly to the bridge. I was hoping we could have more than 10 minutes together. However, Chris 3 did throw up when he got off the transporter. I didn't even get to kiss your mom. This might be why she resorted to texting me while she was on duty. A captain's work is never done. Better her than me, though. I would be horrible at it. I do not want to be in charge. I am much better off in sickbay.

Now that your mom is back here, Jim and Spock are in charge. Please listen to them. Well, listen to Spock. Your Uncle Jim is getting better at being a parent, but he still working some things out. I trust the Vulcan on New Vulcan, at least. You're less likely to cause an interplanetary incident that way.

I've enjoyed all your pictures so far. It definitely looks like you had fun at the dinner. It's OK if I don't get pictures from the VSA. Just be safe there. Although I've heard you kept Chris from blowing himself up, which is good. How did that happen with an experiment with no dangerous chemicals? I hope you and the other kids are having a good few days in class without him. I want to hear all about your projects.

I know you're going to be sad away from your friends, but you'll get to see Lizzy and Kevin and the babies. I know how much you adore the babies. You'll be so busy with them you won't even think about your other friends. Of course, you can write them. I think they would enjoy hearing from you.

Although don't forget to write your mom and me. We want to know everything going on. We still expect lots of pictures.

Xxxxx

Peter loves the Vulcan Science Academy. It was his happy place. He enjoyed discovering new things and actually getting to participate hands-on. Also, unlike the week before at the farm, nobody talked to him like an idiot. They were all in one group now that Chris three was gone. Josephine was happy about that. OK, they were all happy that Chris three wasn't with them. They were no longer counting down the minutes until class was over. Although Peter wondered who was picking them up today. They said goodbye to Nyota last night because she had to leave at 4 AM to meet Uncle Jim and Spock. Maybe grandpa was coming to get them.

"What experiments are you currently working on?"

"I am…" Peter began to say before he realized it was Spock standing behind him asking questions. "Uncle Spock, you're here. When did you get here?"

"At approximately 4:59 AM local time. Unfortunately, your uncle and I have been in meetings for most of the day." His uncle did not seem happy about that.

"That's too bad. But you're here now. Where's Jim?"

"Currently going through a walk-through for tomorrow's dedication ceremony. Thankfully, my attendance was not mandatory. I prefer to be here."

"You're always happier in the lab," Peter remarked.

"I prefer scientific exploration to unnecessary meetings that can be covered via an email. I would much rather learn about what you're learning than sit through another meeting regarding New Vulcan/Starfleet relations." At that, Peter began to explain to Spock everything that they've been working on that day. Josephine and his cousin quickly joined in.

Xxx

Group text message to Peter and Spock. [You are seeing it from the perspective of Spock cell phone/communicator.]

T'hy'la: Hey, I am sorry I could not be there for pick up. I really wanted to see you so badly. Peter, I miss you so much.

Peter: I miss you too. I'm having fun doing science with Spock, but when do you think you'll be done?

T'hy'la: I'm not entirely sure but maybe 30 more minutes? At a minimum. They screwed up the seating arrangements. We will have to redo some things to hopefully avoid an interplanetary incident. Or a fight breaking out at a table.

Spock: How did that happen?

T'hy'la: Protocol decided that they knew better than our civilian event planner, and they didn't. Actually, they most likely flunked history, which is really dangerous if you're protocol. The first rule is don't put planets fighting each other for a century at the same table. Don't worry, we are fixing it.

Spock: Good.

T'hy'la: As much as I want to try the cuisine of the shopping district, I think this is a pizza night. Spock, you know what I like. Will they deliver to your father's house? Please say yes.

Peter: They do deliver to grandpa's house.

T'hy'la: Thank the universe. Like seriously, it's after 10 ship time, and we've been on the clock since 7 AM. I really want to go to sleep, but since it's only 6:23 PM planet time, I'm trying not to yawn even though I really want to. This may have been why I read Peter and Nyota's letters during the last meeting so I wouldn't fall asleep.

Spock: You should be focusing on work.

T'hy'la: Me falling asleep would have been so much worse. I took meticulous notes, and I've already emailed them to you.

Spock: I will review them tonight.

T'hy'la: Peter, I really wish somebody would have filmed you when you were reading Spock's response. I bet you just had the cutest little blush.

Peter: Can we please not talk about anything I wrote in that letter. I think I had too much candy.

Spock: Not even the possibility of adding more lab time to your academic curriculum?

Peter: We can talk about that after dinner but nothing else.

T'hy'la: Agreed. However, I'm hugging you when I get out of here. Also, let me just say that I understand it being hard to let people in. Your uncle Spock and I danced around each other for months because we were both terrified. But we eventually figured it out.

Spock: Miraculously so.

Peter: You owe me the full story of how you guys got together.

T'hy'la: I promise you'll hear it but maybe not tonight.

Spock: We would prefer to tell you the story without all your friends there. Apparently, we are hosting a sleepover. I hope you will be leaving soon because you are better equipped to deal with teenagers.

T'hy'la: I think we have 20 more minutes. I hope. Please tell me you've ordered food?

Spock: The pizza has been ordered. We ordered you a separate pie with nothing you're allergic to. We felt this was the safest option.

T'hy'la: You are the best husband.

Peter: I can't wait to see you either. We also ordered lemon bars.

T'hy'la: Since we are getting them from the pizza place, I doubt that they are the special kind of lemon bars. Because honestly, I really could use a Vulcan headache lemon bar or Blondie.

Spock: Unfortunately, no, but I will give you a message when you get home.

T'hy'la: You really are the best husband. Please tell me you had time to get the massage oil from Paradise? I know your lunch meetings were in the shopping district. I ended up with cafeteria food.

Peter: Please remember I'm on this chain before you two start Sexting.

T'hy'la: Sorry.

T'hy'la: They're letting us out. I'll see you and your friends soon.

To be continued…