Human, s/u, s/g friendship, 5/7, prompt #25
Pairing: Spock/Uhura, Spock/Gaila/dictionary friendship (yeah, friendship people)
Summary: It only takes them three years, two hundred fifty-nine days and eight-point-five-sixths of an hour to get it right.
Rating: PG-13 (for uh, nudity)
Author's Note: Response to Prompt #25: “Lost in Translation” (Apoptygma Berzerk)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by those associated with Star Trek. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 5 - Midnight Counsel
Subspace communication had never left her wanting before. But that was prior to Spock. Prior to meeting him, prior to befriending him and prior to his relocation in distant space light years away. The Exeter was so far into deep space that it took two Terran weeks for Spock’s messages to reach her. Soon enough, the starship would enter further reaches of the quadrant and it would take nearly a month for any message to travel the distance.
Gaila sighed as her PADD showed nothing more than invites to this party and that party. Oh, Gaila liked a good party but she preferred reading an amusing message from Spock. Sometimes, his inability to grasp human nature made his letters unintentionally funny but at other times, she was certain he was wielding his acerbic wit like a well-aimed tractor beam.
As for tractor beams, Gaila frowned at her PADD - she had received a sub par score of 86% on her latest paper. She had argued that a tractor beam could be used to force an external object out of warp speed if both the vessel that initiated the beam and the object that was the target of the beam were traveling at the same speed. Her instructor had admitted that he was impressed with her bold thesis but told her that it was simply not possible - that such a notion was romantic and not worth wasting her time on.
It was true - such a thing was not possible with current technology but she didn’t see why it wouldn’t be possible one day. And sure, her argument was romantic - “having no basis in fact: imaginary; impractical in conception and plan; visionary; marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious or idealized” - but someone had to envision it first. Someone had to imagine a world that could only exist beyond their lifetime and then be nutters enough to pursue it even without tangible results. Zeos, wasn’t that what the Federation was? Officially, it was an interstellar republic based on universal principals of liberty, rights and equality with a peace-keeping and humanitarian mission. But if that wasn’t a romantic dream, she didn’t know what was.
Gaila decided to write to Spock again even though she had not received his response to her last communiqué. Thinking about the paper had made her feel frustrated again. Her instructor had been small-minded and unwilling to listen to her counterarguments about why her paper deserved a higher mark and why it shouldn’t have been dismissed as merely “romantic.” She knew Spock would understand the logic of her arguments - and even if he didn’t, he would pursue the matter further until he understood or had persuaded her of the logics of his arguments.
Early on in their relationship, Gaila had learned that Spock was quite open-minded and she had been ashamed to realize that she was so prejudiced that she had been surprised by it. She had voiced her consternation - as she was wont to do - but he had assured her that they all had weaknesses. “Recognizing them is the first step towards rectifying our flaws,” he had said at the time. Maybe Spock had some advice for helping Instructor-Small-Mind see the light.
As Gaila laid on her bed composing her message, Nyota came in. “Hey, how are you doing?” she asked absent-mindedly. Nyota and she had hardly become best friends but ever since they returned from the break, they had tried to be at least civil to each other. This was all Spock’s fault, of course.
“I just came back from the long range sensor lab.”
Gaila hummed in response. She wasn’t really listening. She was getting to her explanation of sheering forces on vessels being towed by tractor beams and was busy typing out her equations.
“Gaila.”
“I’m sure it was really interesting.” And of course, each equation had to include a component for frictional forces which varied considerably depending on the size of each object and the environment in which this would have to take place… She also had to reduce this to universal…
“Gaila,” Nyota interrupted again.
Gaila put her PADD down in exasperation, wondering if Spock would frown if she dispatched her roommate through the window. “Nyota, I’m trying to compose a message to Spock. If you don’t mind -”
“This is about Spock.”
“Are we seriously having this conversation again?” Gaila pushed her fiery hair out of her eyes. “Look, I consider Spock to be more than a mentor. He’s my friend and I care about him. So, I -”
“Gaila, please.”
Gaila paused. Nyota never pleaded. “Well, that’s a first,” she muttered softly under her breath.
Seeing that she had the Orion’s attention, Nyota forged on. “I know you care about Spock. So when I came across the message at the long range sensor lab, I knew…I had to come back and tell you myself. I didn’t want you to learn any other way.”
Gaila felt her stomach drop as though it had just pulled out of warp. “What happened to Spock?”
***
Gaila did not understand why humans would refer to the activity as a “midnight vigil” when clearly, one did not merely pack up and go home at midnight. At least, she wasn’t going anywhere. Not until she heard about Spock, not until she knew he was safe.
By now, news about the Exeter’s encounter with two Klingon warbirds had spread throughout the Academy. As expected though, Starfleet had released little information about the incident. They indicated that the Exeter was intact, causalities were undetermined but updates were forthcoming. Everyone knew that such updates would be delayed and glossed over. And Gaila was not the type of girl to put up with such bullsh*t. Definitely not when it involved Spock.
Instead, she had camped out at the long range sensor lab to ensure that she would get all the latest and most detailed information. Because of whatever all-so-important work that was done in the lab, they didn’t censor incoming transmissions. Gaila didn’t know how Nyota got her permission to enter the lab, but it didn’t matter - all that mattered was ensuring Spock was alright.
“How long have you been here?”
Gaila blinked. She didn’t notice that Nyota had reentered the lab.
“Since I first came in.”
“You mean, since Tuesday? That was three days ago!”
“I am aware of that,” Gaila replied as she suppressed a yawn. She had been keeping tab on the passage of time so she knew to the exact millisecond how long she had been waiting for more news on Spock. Still, the days seemed to have blurred together in the grey room. The only thing that had color in the lab was her. And the Easy Cheese. She reached for it.
“Don’t give me that Spockian response,” Nyota frowned, hands on her hips.
Gaila paused in her movements to look at the other woman. “You mean, don’t give you an honest response?” Humans were really baffling sometimes. If Nyota didn’t want an honest response, why even ask her?
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant, that, oh never mind.” Nyota threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. “I just wanted to see if you were okay. You haven’t been around.”
“I have been here.”
“So, I’ve gathered. Anyway, I just…you know…” Nyota trailed off, looking downward and to the side.
Gaila frowned at her roommate’s lack of coherency. “Nyota, you are a communications major, aren’t you?”
Nyota’s head snapped up. She leveled a fierce glare at the Orion. Gaila merely tilted her head in return. Nyota’s look was rather impressive. Gaila was sure the other woman practiced it in the looking glass, but she didn’t have time for this. She didn’t want to miss a transmission while they had another illogical argument. And she really wanted some cheese! She leaned forward again to retrieve the can.
“What are you eating?” The disgust was evident in Nyota’s voice.
Gaila looked at the can in her hand. She put the nozzle in her mouth and squeezed the processed cheese into it before replying, “Eaffy Zhese.”
“Could you please not talk with your mouth full?”
“You didn’t have to ask me a question while I was eating,” Gaila replied after she had swallowed.
“Well, that canned cheese is disgusting.”
Gaila frowned. Easy Cheese was Terran food, after all. And it was even more convenient than a replicator. All you had to do was pop the nozzle in your mouth and press - presto, cheesy goodness. As it said on the can, you can ‘make anytime cheesy time.’ “Have you even tried this before?”
Nyota’s eyebrows shot up. “Of course not.”
“You can’t knock it until you try it, you know.” She shook the can in front of Nyota’s face.
“You can’t get me to try that.”
“It’s Terran food!”
“It’s like two centuries old! Are you even sure it’s edible?”
“It has a nice tangy taste to it,” Gaila sniffed. “And there’s got to be a reason why these things have survived for so long.”
“Yeah, they are not biodegradable,” Nyota mumbled.
Gaila choose not to rise to the bait. Instead, she dug in her bag for more snacks. She pulled out a yellowish brick-shaped confection labeled “Twinkie” and tapped it smartly against the console. “Now, this is probably two centuries old.”
“Where did you even get all of this?”
“From the vending machine in the basement.”
“The vend -” Nyota’s eyes went comically wide. “They probably haven’t restocked that for a century!”
“Hmm,” Gaila murmured, looking at the “Twinkie” in her hand. “That’s impressive. So these really aren’t biodegradable? “
“We need to get you some real food.”
“I can’t leave.”
“Okay, I’ll get us some real food then.”
Gaila’s eyes snapped over to Nyota. “Why would you do that?”
Nyota looked away again. She didn’t answer immediately but finally, she looked up again. “Because someone needs to make sure you’re okay. And if something happened to the Lieutenant…you know…” She shrugged slightly, trying to seem nonchalance, but the moment was in fact too heavy for such gestures. “I want to be there for you.”
***
After the dictionary, Vek obtained engineering reports in Standard for her to read. Then trading contracts, inventory lists, treatises and inter-galaxy reports. He only picked up a novel once. Gaila had turned it in her hands. “They apparently don’t make these anymore. That is, they still write novels but they are all electronic now. It’s a shame. I like the book format. And they have a picture of a girl on the cover. It reminded me of you.” Vek was nearly blind by then so Gaila knew that he couldn’t really make out what was exactly on the cover, other than a girl with fire-red hair. She knew that he didn’t see what she saw - the human woman’s head thrown back, her dress slipping off her shoulders and a muscular companion in the background. “The trader I got it from called it a Romantic novel.”
“An artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe. It was a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature,” Gaila supplied automatically.
“Yes,” Vek had agreed. “I hear those novels are meant to provoke strong emotional responses by forcing their protagonists - and the readers - to confront the sublime. It should make for an interesting read.”
“I’m sure it will.” Gaila tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “Thank you, Papa.”
Later, when Vek was asleep and all the rewiring had been completed, Gaila’s curiosity lead her into the world of a Harlequin Romance novel. It wasn’t exactly a memorable read and there were a number of preposterous situations - but what stood out for Gaila was the relationship between the main character, Rita, and her best friend, Bunny. Rita and Bunny discussed everything - things Galia intuited that only females could discuss with each other. Prior to reading this book, Gaila never felt the need for a female confidante. Back on Orion, your fellow clan sister was not your support but your competition. Gaila had welcomed the opportunity to have a confidante in Nyota. But that was not to be.
Especially since Nyota seemed to be a drooler. She tried to gently nudge the woman off her shoulder but Nyota only snuggled closer and murmured, “Hmmm…warm.”
Gaila rolled her eyes. Didn’t she tell Spock that humans were attracted to warmer species? Gaila had been trying to expand the sensor’s range - seriously, wasn’t this supposed to be top-of-the-line equipment? - and she was able to do most of the reprogramming with Ms. Drool on her shoulder but now she had to reach under the console to reboot it.
Gaila tried pulling away again but Nyota only held on tigher. The Orion sighed - she felt bad about waking Nyota up but there didn’t seem to be another alternative. She poked her firmly in the shoulder but Nyota only giggled, “Oh stop it, Spock.”
Gaila arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting.” She didn’t peg Nyota as a giggler. Dreaming about Spock - well, that happened.
She tried another tactic. “You know, I’ve seen Spock naked.”
“What?” Nyota sat up so fast she slipped off the chair.
“Whoops.” Gaila tried not to laugh but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she got up to help her roommate.
“What happened?”
“Sorry, I was trying to wake you up so I could reach underneath the console. I didn’t think you would fall out of your chair.”
Nyota blinked sleepily at her and ran a hand through her for-once less-than-perfect hair. “Did you say something about Spock?”
“Oh yeah, just that I’ve seen him naked,” Gaila shrugged and reached under the console to do a manual reboot.
“Seriously?” Nyota squeaked behind her.
“Uh huh. And boy, is that something to drool over.”
“So…you and him have been…intimate?”
Gaila felt around for the right switch. “Hey, could you hand me a laser light? I can’t see anything down here. And isn’t ‘intimate’ an old-fashioned phrase for sex?”
“Oh…so you and him…I guess it makes sense.”
No laser light seemed to be forthcoming. Gaila slid out from under the console. Nyota sat slumped in one of the lab chairs, the nozzle of the Easy Cheese canister in her mouth. “Are you actually eating in Easy Cheese?”
Nyota didn’t answer. Instead, she tipped her had back and squeezed the processed cheese in her mouth.
“You know, the design of the can does not require you to invert it.”
“It’s more pleasurable this way,” she mumbled around a mouthful of processed cheese.
Well, Gaila knew shouldn’t judge anyone on where they got their kicks from - but seriously, Nyota could use some more excitement in her life. Gaila grabbed her PADD and used the light from it to complete her task. After she was finished, she slid out from under the console again and checked the readings range.
Gaila frowned - “I was only able to increase the range by 600 light years. I was going for 800, though I supposed they wouldn’t even be that far out.” Gaila ran some calculations through her head but she was unexpectedly interrupted by Nyota.
“How long have you two been together?”
“Who?”
“Oh c’mon.” Nyota put down the now empty Easy Cheese canister. “You and Spock!”
“We’re not together.”
“But you just implied you’ve had sex with him.”
“No…” Gaila was pretty sure she never made such an implication. Moreover, she had no reason to - Spock and her were purely platonic. “I said I’ve seen him naked.”
“How’s that different?”
Gaila opened her mouth to respond but she stopped herself. Spock was really becoming too good of any influence, even when he was not around. Usually she would have blurted out exactly what she thought and that had gotten her in trouble with Nyota before. She really thought humans received sex education in their adolescence but if Nyota didn’t know the difference between seeing a person naked and sex - obviously, she hadn’t been educated about this. Well, Gaila thought, she may not know everything about humans but she understood how sex worked between them. “I think in your parlance, you call it ‘the birds and the bees,’” she began. “I read this in a romance novel - the character, Bunny - she’s not actually a ‘bunny,’ she’s just named one… Well, she tells her friend, Rita, about the birds and the bees. See, when you have sexual intercourse -”
“Gaila, what are you talking about?”
“I’m trying to explain sex to you. This is harder than I thought it would be,” Gaila frowned, scratching her head. “Especially since I can’t physically demonstrate it.”
“No, no, no,” Nyota cried, standing up and waving her hands. “No physical demonstrations.”
“Didn’t I just say I can’t?”
Nyota let out a deep breathe. “Sorry, I overly reacted.”
“Yeah…” Gaila was amazed how different Nyota seemed to her these past few days as they sat here, waiting for news about Spock. She was not sure if Nyota was actually different or if she was just getting to know the human female better. Last semester, she could never imagine Nyota admitting any fault but she supposed, some journeys weren’t always obvious.
“It’s just that…I didn’t realize you and Spock were an item.”
“Item. Object of attention, concern or interest. A couple in a romantic or sexual relationship. A separate - Sorry!” Gaila said, stopping herself abruptly. “It’s a habit.”
“I’ve noticed,” Nyota replied, arching an eyebrow.
“Are you a compulsive eater? I think we are learning a lot about each other. Well - maybe I’m learning a lot about you.”
“What do you mean?” Nyota asked, looking at Gaila. “No, I’m not a compulsive eater.”
Gaila arched her own brows. “Honey, you just ate that two hundred year old Twinkie.”
Nyota blinked and looked at the empty wrapper on her lap. “Oh.”
“This is about Spock.” It was a statement, not a question, and Nyota did not deny it. Gaila leaned back in her chair and pressed her lips together. She loved Spock - contrary to what the Vulcan himself believed. And she could not ask for a better mentor or friend. But Nyota knew very little about Spock. “Why are you so interested in him? I mean, I know his language abilities would be useful to you but you seem more invested in him than that.”
“I…” Nyota began but trailed off as she looked around the lab, at anything but her. “Look, there’s almost no one as excited about languages as I am. I mean, the rest of the xenolinguists love languages, love learning them, love talking in them, but they don’t quite appreciate the stories behind them, the culture, the meaning of each and every nuance. When I first spoke to Spock, he understood. And he had so many interesting things to say. Do you realize how much he knows? I mean, his brain!”
Gaila blinked. Nyota’s eyes were glazing over as she thought about Spock’s brain. That was one serious brain crush. Gaila, of course, appreciated Spock’s intelligence but there were many other things she appreciated about Spock - his dry humor, his abs, his own brand of adventurism, his abs. She supposed Nyota would have appreciated these aspects of Spock too, if only she had allowed it.
“Hey, Nyota…”
“Look, I know now that Spock is…yours…I just didn’t realize. I didn’t think that Vulcans and Orions were compatible. I apologize.”
“You know,” Gaila said, smiling as she thought of her outburst when she first found out Spock was supposed to be her mentor, “I didn’t think Vulcans and Orions were compatible either. And we aren’t - in that way, at least. Spock and I are just friends; we’re not involved in either a romantic or sexual relationship.”
“But you’ve been intimate,” Nyota replied slowly, cautiously.
“No, no, honey, seeing someone naked is not the same thing as having sex. Let me explain, so, the birds and the bees…they…well, so the bees, you know, pollinate -”
“Hold on, hold on, I don’t need sex explained to me.”
“Are you sure?” Gaila doubted this. Nyota seemed quite confused a few moments ago.
“Yes, I’m sure!”
“But why do you keep thinking I’ve been ‘intimate’ with Spock?”
“Well, how else did you see him naked?”
Gaila leaned back and laughed. Recalling what Spock had said about humans and rules of common decency, she asked, “Do humans only see each other naked to have sex?”
“Well, not always, I guess, but usually.”
“Oh! Hmm, that explains a bit.”
Gaila continued thinking about this but Nyota apparently wasn’t interested in considering it. “Spock?” she prodded.
“Oh, yes, how I saw him naked!” Gaila grinned. “Because he’s a stubborn fool! He told me that Vulcans weren’t concerned with modesty and when we were backpacking in Brazil, we got caught in a rainstorm. He was going to change into a different set of clothing but I told him there was no need to be modest. I may have phrased it in a way so he couldn’t back out of it,” she finished smugly.
“Oh.”
Nyota’s face didn’t exactly brighten but it relaxed. Zeos, she must have some crazy crush on Spock, Gaila thought.
Just then, they both heard static on the receiver. Gaila swung around and tapped into the transmission.
“Starbase 12 - Medical Bay. Reporting on crew of the Exeter.”
Gaila and Nyota crowded the console, leaning in close, as though it would bring them closer to the news they wanted to hear. The report started top-down and it took a while to reach junior-grade officers.
“Maybe he’s alright. Maybe we won’t even hear his name at all.” Nyota whispered in the room, as though the sound of her voice would shatter an illusion of safety.
“Lieutenant Spock.”
Gaila and Nyota shared a look before turning back to the console - the sound emitting from it somehow writing a fate for them, even from so far away. Even though fate had perhaps been written already.
“Critical condition. Radiation exposure. Severe laceration to the chest. Lacerations on face. Still unconscious.”
Gaila took in a sharp breath. “I’m going to Starbase 12.”
“So am I,” Nyota said beside her.
***
When Spock surfaced from his healing trance, he thought perhaps the medical team had treated him with medication that did not agree with his system. Because on the side of his bed sat Gaila and Nyota Uhura, heads close together, holding hands. He could not fathom how he would even unconsciously come up with such a scenario. However, as he pondered this, the girls started talking and Spock thought the possibility this was not some medicated-induced dream was less than 3.8 percent.
“I appreciate how Spock looks at my face - not my legs.”
“Oh, he looks at your legs as you walk away.”
“He does not!”
Gaila snorted. “And I’m sure the only thing you check out on the Lieutenant is his brain scans.”
“Well, I can’t help it if he is…fit.”
“You know we can see how fit he is if we lift up this blanket.”
Gaila made an exaggerated motion with her hand. It did not matter if this was simply a dream - Spock would not allow this. As he struggled to sit up, Gaila turned to him with a sly smile. “Oh, you’re finally awake.”
Spock blinked at her. She didn’t seem to be a figment of his imagination. He peered over Gaila’s shoulder at a stunned-looking Cadet Uhura. “You knew I was awake,” he stated.
“Nothing gets by you, sunshine. The doctor said you’ll need plenty of rest but you should be fine. Though, you’re on the inactive duty list for a while. Four months without me and this is what happens to you!” Gaila patted Spock gently on his blanket-covered leg. She wanted to take his hand but knew that his mental shields were probably down and handling her jumble of emotions would be too much for him.
“It is eleven-hundred hours. You should be in class.”
Gaila rolled her eyes. “So, we missed a little class.”
“You enjoy class.”
“No, I love class. And so does Nyota. But you know, you are more important to both of us. And if you think playing hooky - that is, skipping class - was something -”
“We have permission,” Nyota interrupted. She held up her PADD.
Gaila placed a hand in front of Nyota’s face without turning. “Well, Nyota here ate a two-hundred-year-old Twinkie for you!”
Spock blinked again, not sure how to process this information. Maybe this was not real after all.
Gaila winked at him and stood up. She took Nyota by the hand and pulled the other woman towards Spock.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to get us pancakes but don’t worry about being caught in an intimate position, I’ll be awhile - Spock needs his cut into squares.” With those parting words, Gaila exited Sickbay.
Once she was past the doors, Gaila sighed - Spock was going to be okay, Spock was going to be okay. The doctors eventually came to this conclusion but she refused to budge until she knew for sure. Now that she knew, she was so happy, she could fly. Like a squirrel.*
*Gaila sees a squirrel go up a tree in Chapter 2 and thinks it is “flying.”
***
Btw, I am auctioning off fanfic for help_haiti. The details are below but you have to bid on the thread here.
I am offering: fanfic of at least 1,000 words (under 10,000)
Fandoms: Star Trek XI (Spock/Uhura - but I will try my hand at Pike/Number One, Sulu/Rand, Spock/T'Pring and gen about any character), Harry Potter (Draco/Astoria, Draco/Ginny, gen about any character)
What I do not write: smut, incest, rape, slash (I have nothing against it, but you'd probably not want to read my attempt at it)
Starting Bid: $5
Thanks!
Summary: It only takes them three years, two hundred fifty-nine days and eight-point-five-sixths of an hour to get it right.
Rating: PG-13 (for uh, nudity)
Author's Note: Response to Prompt #25: “Lost in Translation” (Apoptygma Berzerk)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by those associated with Star Trek. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 5 - Midnight Counsel
Subspace communication had never left her wanting before. But that was prior to Spock. Prior to meeting him, prior to befriending him and prior to his relocation in distant space light years away. The Exeter was so far into deep space that it took two Terran weeks for Spock’s messages to reach her. Soon enough, the starship would enter further reaches of the quadrant and it would take nearly a month for any message to travel the distance.
Gaila sighed as her PADD showed nothing more than invites to this party and that party. Oh, Gaila liked a good party but she preferred reading an amusing message from Spock. Sometimes, his inability to grasp human nature made his letters unintentionally funny but at other times, she was certain he was wielding his acerbic wit like a well-aimed tractor beam.
As for tractor beams, Gaila frowned at her PADD - she had received a sub par score of 86% on her latest paper. She had argued that a tractor beam could be used to force an external object out of warp speed if both the vessel that initiated the beam and the object that was the target of the beam were traveling at the same speed. Her instructor had admitted that he was impressed with her bold thesis but told her that it was simply not possible - that such a notion was romantic and not worth wasting her time on.
It was true - such a thing was not possible with current technology but she didn’t see why it wouldn’t be possible one day. And sure, her argument was romantic - “having no basis in fact: imaginary; impractical in conception and plan; visionary; marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious or idealized” - but someone had to envision it first. Someone had to imagine a world that could only exist beyond their lifetime and then be nutters enough to pursue it even without tangible results. Zeos, wasn’t that what the Federation was? Officially, it was an interstellar republic based on universal principals of liberty, rights and equality with a peace-keeping and humanitarian mission. But if that wasn’t a romantic dream, she didn’t know what was.
Gaila decided to write to Spock again even though she had not received his response to her last communiqué. Thinking about the paper had made her feel frustrated again. Her instructor had been small-minded and unwilling to listen to her counterarguments about why her paper deserved a higher mark and why it shouldn’t have been dismissed as merely “romantic.” She knew Spock would understand the logic of her arguments - and even if he didn’t, he would pursue the matter further until he understood or had persuaded her of the logics of his arguments.
Early on in their relationship, Gaila had learned that Spock was quite open-minded and she had been ashamed to realize that she was so prejudiced that she had been surprised by it. She had voiced her consternation - as she was wont to do - but he had assured her that they all had weaknesses. “Recognizing them is the first step towards rectifying our flaws,” he had said at the time. Maybe Spock had some advice for helping Instructor-Small-Mind see the light.
As Gaila laid on her bed composing her message, Nyota came in. “Hey, how are you doing?” she asked absent-mindedly. Nyota and she had hardly become best friends but ever since they returned from the break, they had tried to be at least civil to each other. This was all Spock’s fault, of course.
“I just came back from the long range sensor lab.”
Gaila hummed in response. She wasn’t really listening. She was getting to her explanation of sheering forces on vessels being towed by tractor beams and was busy typing out her equations.
“Gaila.”
“I’m sure it was really interesting.” And of course, each equation had to include a component for frictional forces which varied considerably depending on the size of each object and the environment in which this would have to take place… She also had to reduce this to universal…
“Gaila,” Nyota interrupted again.
Gaila put her PADD down in exasperation, wondering if Spock would frown if she dispatched her roommate through the window. “Nyota, I’m trying to compose a message to Spock. If you don’t mind -”
“This is about Spock.”
“Are we seriously having this conversation again?” Gaila pushed her fiery hair out of her eyes. “Look, I consider Spock to be more than a mentor. He’s my friend and I care about him. So, I -”
“Gaila, please.”
Gaila paused. Nyota never pleaded. “Well, that’s a first,” she muttered softly under her breath.
Seeing that she had the Orion’s attention, Nyota forged on. “I know you care about Spock. So when I came across the message at the long range sensor lab, I knew…I had to come back and tell you myself. I didn’t want you to learn any other way.”
Gaila felt her stomach drop as though it had just pulled out of warp. “What happened to Spock?”
***
Gaila did not understand why humans would refer to the activity as a “midnight vigil” when clearly, one did not merely pack up and go home at midnight. At least, she wasn’t going anywhere. Not until she heard about Spock, not until she knew he was safe.
By now, news about the Exeter’s encounter with two Klingon warbirds had spread throughout the Academy. As expected though, Starfleet had released little information about the incident. They indicated that the Exeter was intact, causalities were undetermined but updates were forthcoming. Everyone knew that such updates would be delayed and glossed over. And Gaila was not the type of girl to put up with such bullsh*t. Definitely not when it involved Spock.
Instead, she had camped out at the long range sensor lab to ensure that she would get all the latest and most detailed information. Because of whatever all-so-important work that was done in the lab, they didn’t censor incoming transmissions. Gaila didn’t know how Nyota got her permission to enter the lab, but it didn’t matter - all that mattered was ensuring Spock was alright.
“How long have you been here?”
Gaila blinked. She didn’t notice that Nyota had reentered the lab.
“Since I first came in.”
“You mean, since Tuesday? That was three days ago!”
“I am aware of that,” Gaila replied as she suppressed a yawn. She had been keeping tab on the passage of time so she knew to the exact millisecond how long she had been waiting for more news on Spock. Still, the days seemed to have blurred together in the grey room. The only thing that had color in the lab was her. And the Easy Cheese. She reached for it.
“Don’t give me that Spockian response,” Nyota frowned, hands on her hips.
Gaila paused in her movements to look at the other woman. “You mean, don’t give you an honest response?” Humans were really baffling sometimes. If Nyota didn’t want an honest response, why even ask her?
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant, that, oh never mind.” Nyota threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. “I just wanted to see if you were okay. You haven’t been around.”
“I have been here.”
“So, I’ve gathered. Anyway, I just…you know…” Nyota trailed off, looking downward and to the side.
Gaila frowned at her roommate’s lack of coherency. “Nyota, you are a communications major, aren’t you?”
Nyota’s head snapped up. She leveled a fierce glare at the Orion. Gaila merely tilted her head in return. Nyota’s look was rather impressive. Gaila was sure the other woman practiced it in the looking glass, but she didn’t have time for this. She didn’t want to miss a transmission while they had another illogical argument. And she really wanted some cheese! She leaned forward again to retrieve the can.
“What are you eating?” The disgust was evident in Nyota’s voice.
Gaila looked at the can in her hand. She put the nozzle in her mouth and squeezed the processed cheese into it before replying, “Eaffy Zhese.”
“Could you please not talk with your mouth full?”
“You didn’t have to ask me a question while I was eating,” Gaila replied after she had swallowed.
“Well, that canned cheese is disgusting.”
Gaila frowned. Easy Cheese was Terran food, after all. And it was even more convenient than a replicator. All you had to do was pop the nozzle in your mouth and press - presto, cheesy goodness. As it said on the can, you can ‘make anytime cheesy time.’ “Have you even tried this before?”
Nyota’s eyebrows shot up. “Of course not.”
“You can’t knock it until you try it, you know.” She shook the can in front of Nyota’s face.
“You can’t get me to try that.”
“It’s Terran food!”
“It’s like two centuries old! Are you even sure it’s edible?”
“It has a nice tangy taste to it,” Gaila sniffed. “And there’s got to be a reason why these things have survived for so long.”
“Yeah, they are not biodegradable,” Nyota mumbled.
Gaila choose not to rise to the bait. Instead, she dug in her bag for more snacks. She pulled out a yellowish brick-shaped confection labeled “Twinkie” and tapped it smartly against the console. “Now, this is probably two centuries old.”
“Where did you even get all of this?”
“From the vending machine in the basement.”
“The vend -” Nyota’s eyes went comically wide. “They probably haven’t restocked that for a century!”
“Hmm,” Gaila murmured, looking at the “Twinkie” in her hand. “That’s impressive. So these really aren’t biodegradable? “
“We need to get you some real food.”
“I can’t leave.”
“Okay, I’ll get us some real food then.”
Gaila’s eyes snapped over to Nyota. “Why would you do that?”
Nyota looked away again. She didn’t answer immediately but finally, she looked up again. “Because someone needs to make sure you’re okay. And if something happened to the Lieutenant…you know…” She shrugged slightly, trying to seem nonchalance, but the moment was in fact too heavy for such gestures. “I want to be there for you.”
***
After the dictionary, Vek obtained engineering reports in Standard for her to read. Then trading contracts, inventory lists, treatises and inter-galaxy reports. He only picked up a novel once. Gaila had turned it in her hands. “They apparently don’t make these anymore. That is, they still write novels but they are all electronic now. It’s a shame. I like the book format. And they have a picture of a girl on the cover. It reminded me of you.” Vek was nearly blind by then so Gaila knew that he couldn’t really make out what was exactly on the cover, other than a girl with fire-red hair. She knew that he didn’t see what she saw - the human woman’s head thrown back, her dress slipping off her shoulders and a muscular companion in the background. “The trader I got it from called it a Romantic novel.”
“An artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe. It was a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature,” Gaila supplied automatically.
“Yes,” Vek had agreed. “I hear those novels are meant to provoke strong emotional responses by forcing their protagonists - and the readers - to confront the sublime. It should make for an interesting read.”
“I’m sure it will.” Gaila tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “Thank you, Papa.”
Later, when Vek was asleep and all the rewiring had been completed, Gaila’s curiosity lead her into the world of a Harlequin Romance novel. It wasn’t exactly a memorable read and there were a number of preposterous situations - but what stood out for Gaila was the relationship between the main character, Rita, and her best friend, Bunny. Rita and Bunny discussed everything - things Galia intuited that only females could discuss with each other. Prior to reading this book, Gaila never felt the need for a female confidante. Back on Orion, your fellow clan sister was not your support but your competition. Gaila had welcomed the opportunity to have a confidante in Nyota. But that was not to be.
Especially since Nyota seemed to be a drooler. She tried to gently nudge the woman off her shoulder but Nyota only snuggled closer and murmured, “Hmmm…warm.”
Gaila rolled her eyes. Didn’t she tell Spock that humans were attracted to warmer species? Gaila had been trying to expand the sensor’s range - seriously, wasn’t this supposed to be top-of-the-line equipment? - and she was able to do most of the reprogramming with Ms. Drool on her shoulder but now she had to reach under the console to reboot it.
Gaila tried pulling away again but Nyota only held on tigher. The Orion sighed - she felt bad about waking Nyota up but there didn’t seem to be another alternative. She poked her firmly in the shoulder but Nyota only giggled, “Oh stop it, Spock.”
Gaila arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting.” She didn’t peg Nyota as a giggler. Dreaming about Spock - well, that happened.
She tried another tactic. “You know, I’ve seen Spock naked.”
“What?” Nyota sat up so fast she slipped off the chair.
“Whoops.” Gaila tried not to laugh but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she got up to help her roommate.
“What happened?”
“Sorry, I was trying to wake you up so I could reach underneath the console. I didn’t think you would fall out of your chair.”
Nyota blinked sleepily at her and ran a hand through her for-once less-than-perfect hair. “Did you say something about Spock?”
“Oh yeah, just that I’ve seen him naked,” Gaila shrugged and reached under the console to do a manual reboot.
“Seriously?” Nyota squeaked behind her.
“Uh huh. And boy, is that something to drool over.”
“So…you and him have been…intimate?”
Gaila felt around for the right switch. “Hey, could you hand me a laser light? I can’t see anything down here. And isn’t ‘intimate’ an old-fashioned phrase for sex?”
“Oh…so you and him…I guess it makes sense.”
No laser light seemed to be forthcoming. Gaila slid out from under the console. Nyota sat slumped in one of the lab chairs, the nozzle of the Easy Cheese canister in her mouth. “Are you actually eating in Easy Cheese?”
Nyota didn’t answer. Instead, she tipped her had back and squeezed the processed cheese in her mouth.
“You know, the design of the can does not require you to invert it.”
“It’s more pleasurable this way,” she mumbled around a mouthful of processed cheese.
Well, Gaila knew shouldn’t judge anyone on where they got their kicks from - but seriously, Nyota could use some more excitement in her life. Gaila grabbed her PADD and used the light from it to complete her task. After she was finished, she slid out from under the console again and checked the readings range.
Gaila frowned - “I was only able to increase the range by 600 light years. I was going for 800, though I supposed they wouldn’t even be that far out.” Gaila ran some calculations through her head but she was unexpectedly interrupted by Nyota.
“How long have you two been together?”
“Who?”
“Oh c’mon.” Nyota put down the now empty Easy Cheese canister. “You and Spock!”
“We’re not together.”
“But you just implied you’ve had sex with him.”
“No…” Gaila was pretty sure she never made such an implication. Moreover, she had no reason to - Spock and her were purely platonic. “I said I’ve seen him naked.”
“How’s that different?”
Gaila opened her mouth to respond but she stopped herself. Spock was really becoming too good of any influence, even when he was not around. Usually she would have blurted out exactly what she thought and that had gotten her in trouble with Nyota before. She really thought humans received sex education in their adolescence but if Nyota didn’t know the difference between seeing a person naked and sex - obviously, she hadn’t been educated about this. Well, Gaila thought, she may not know everything about humans but she understood how sex worked between them. “I think in your parlance, you call it ‘the birds and the bees,’” she began. “I read this in a romance novel - the character, Bunny - she’s not actually a ‘bunny,’ she’s just named one… Well, she tells her friend, Rita, about the birds and the bees. See, when you have sexual intercourse -”
“Gaila, what are you talking about?”
“I’m trying to explain sex to you. This is harder than I thought it would be,” Gaila frowned, scratching her head. “Especially since I can’t physically demonstrate it.”
“No, no, no,” Nyota cried, standing up and waving her hands. “No physical demonstrations.”
“Didn’t I just say I can’t?”
Nyota let out a deep breathe. “Sorry, I overly reacted.”
“Yeah…” Gaila was amazed how different Nyota seemed to her these past few days as they sat here, waiting for news about Spock. She was not sure if Nyota was actually different or if she was just getting to know the human female better. Last semester, she could never imagine Nyota admitting any fault but she supposed, some journeys weren’t always obvious.
“It’s just that…I didn’t realize you and Spock were an item.”
“Item. Object of attention, concern or interest. A couple in a romantic or sexual relationship. A separate - Sorry!” Gaila said, stopping herself abruptly. “It’s a habit.”
“I’ve noticed,” Nyota replied, arching an eyebrow.
“Are you a compulsive eater? I think we are learning a lot about each other. Well - maybe I’m learning a lot about you.”
“What do you mean?” Nyota asked, looking at Gaila. “No, I’m not a compulsive eater.”
Gaila arched her own brows. “Honey, you just ate that two hundred year old Twinkie.”
Nyota blinked and looked at the empty wrapper on her lap. “Oh.”
“This is about Spock.” It was a statement, not a question, and Nyota did not deny it. Gaila leaned back in her chair and pressed her lips together. She loved Spock - contrary to what the Vulcan himself believed. And she could not ask for a better mentor or friend. But Nyota knew very little about Spock. “Why are you so interested in him? I mean, I know his language abilities would be useful to you but you seem more invested in him than that.”
“I…” Nyota began but trailed off as she looked around the lab, at anything but her. “Look, there’s almost no one as excited about languages as I am. I mean, the rest of the xenolinguists love languages, love learning them, love talking in them, but they don’t quite appreciate the stories behind them, the culture, the meaning of each and every nuance. When I first spoke to Spock, he understood. And he had so many interesting things to say. Do you realize how much he knows? I mean, his brain!”
Gaila blinked. Nyota’s eyes were glazing over as she thought about Spock’s brain. That was one serious brain crush. Gaila, of course, appreciated Spock’s intelligence but there were many other things she appreciated about Spock - his dry humor, his abs, his own brand of adventurism, his abs. She supposed Nyota would have appreciated these aspects of Spock too, if only she had allowed it.
“Hey, Nyota…”
“Look, I know now that Spock is…yours…I just didn’t realize. I didn’t think that Vulcans and Orions were compatible. I apologize.”
“You know,” Gaila said, smiling as she thought of her outburst when she first found out Spock was supposed to be her mentor, “I didn’t think Vulcans and Orions were compatible either. And we aren’t - in that way, at least. Spock and I are just friends; we’re not involved in either a romantic or sexual relationship.”
“But you’ve been intimate,” Nyota replied slowly, cautiously.
“No, no, honey, seeing someone naked is not the same thing as having sex. Let me explain, so, the birds and the bees…they…well, so the bees, you know, pollinate -”
“Hold on, hold on, I don’t need sex explained to me.”
“Are you sure?” Gaila doubted this. Nyota seemed quite confused a few moments ago.
“Yes, I’m sure!”
“But why do you keep thinking I’ve been ‘intimate’ with Spock?”
“Well, how else did you see him naked?”
Gaila leaned back and laughed. Recalling what Spock had said about humans and rules of common decency, she asked, “Do humans only see each other naked to have sex?”
“Well, not always, I guess, but usually.”
“Oh! Hmm, that explains a bit.”
Gaila continued thinking about this but Nyota apparently wasn’t interested in considering it. “Spock?” she prodded.
“Oh, yes, how I saw him naked!” Gaila grinned. “Because he’s a stubborn fool! He told me that Vulcans weren’t concerned with modesty and when we were backpacking in Brazil, we got caught in a rainstorm. He was going to change into a different set of clothing but I told him there was no need to be modest. I may have phrased it in a way so he couldn’t back out of it,” she finished smugly.
“Oh.”
Nyota’s face didn’t exactly brighten but it relaxed. Zeos, she must have some crazy crush on Spock, Gaila thought.
Just then, they both heard static on the receiver. Gaila swung around and tapped into the transmission.
“Starbase 12 - Medical Bay. Reporting on crew of the Exeter.”
Gaila and Nyota crowded the console, leaning in close, as though it would bring them closer to the news they wanted to hear. The report started top-down and it took a while to reach junior-grade officers.
“Maybe he’s alright. Maybe we won’t even hear his name at all.” Nyota whispered in the room, as though the sound of her voice would shatter an illusion of safety.
“Lieutenant Spock.”
Gaila and Nyota shared a look before turning back to the console - the sound emitting from it somehow writing a fate for them, even from so far away. Even though fate had perhaps been written already.
“Critical condition. Radiation exposure. Severe laceration to the chest. Lacerations on face. Still unconscious.”
Gaila took in a sharp breath. “I’m going to Starbase 12.”
“So am I,” Nyota said beside her.
***
When Spock surfaced from his healing trance, he thought perhaps the medical team had treated him with medication that did not agree with his system. Because on the side of his bed sat Gaila and Nyota Uhura, heads close together, holding hands. He could not fathom how he would even unconsciously come up with such a scenario. However, as he pondered this, the girls started talking and Spock thought the possibility this was not some medicated-induced dream was less than 3.8 percent.
“I appreciate how Spock looks at my face - not my legs.”
“Oh, he looks at your legs as you walk away.”
“He does not!”
Gaila snorted. “And I’m sure the only thing you check out on the Lieutenant is his brain scans.”
“Well, I can’t help it if he is…fit.”
“You know we can see how fit he is if we lift up this blanket.”
Gaila made an exaggerated motion with her hand. It did not matter if this was simply a dream - Spock would not allow this. As he struggled to sit up, Gaila turned to him with a sly smile. “Oh, you’re finally awake.”
Spock blinked at her. She didn’t seem to be a figment of his imagination. He peered over Gaila’s shoulder at a stunned-looking Cadet Uhura. “You knew I was awake,” he stated.
“Nothing gets by you, sunshine. The doctor said you’ll need plenty of rest but you should be fine. Though, you’re on the inactive duty list for a while. Four months without me and this is what happens to you!” Gaila patted Spock gently on his blanket-covered leg. She wanted to take his hand but knew that his mental shields were probably down and handling her jumble of emotions would be too much for him.
“It is eleven-hundred hours. You should be in class.”
Gaila rolled her eyes. “So, we missed a little class.”
“You enjoy class.”
“No, I love class. And so does Nyota. But you know, you are more important to both of us. And if you think playing hooky - that is, skipping class - was something -”
“We have permission,” Nyota interrupted. She held up her PADD.
Gaila placed a hand in front of Nyota’s face without turning. “Well, Nyota here ate a two-hundred-year-old Twinkie for you!”
Spock blinked again, not sure how to process this information. Maybe this was not real after all.
Gaila winked at him and stood up. She took Nyota by the hand and pulled the other woman towards Spock.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to get us pancakes but don’t worry about being caught in an intimate position, I’ll be awhile - Spock needs his cut into squares.” With those parting words, Gaila exited Sickbay.
Once she was past the doors, Gaila sighed - Spock was going to be okay, Spock was going to be okay. The doctors eventually came to this conclusion but she refused to budge until she knew for sure. Now that she knew, she was so happy, she could fly. Like a squirrel.*
*Gaila sees a squirrel go up a tree in Chapter 2 and thinks it is “flying.”
***
Btw, I am auctioning off fanfic for help_haiti. The details are below but you have to bid on the thread here.
I am offering: fanfic of at least 1,000 words (under 10,000)
Fandoms: Star Trek XI (Spock/Uhura - but I will try my hand at Pike/Number One, Sulu/Rand, Spock/T'Pring and gen about any character), Harry Potter (Draco/Astoria, Draco/Ginny, gen about any character)
What I do not write: smut, incest, rape, slash (I have nothing against it, but you'd probably not want to read my attempt at it)
Starting Bid: $5
Thanks!