...

Spock left his meeting with Jim and strode to the turbolift, deep in thought. He and Nyota were due to report to the transporter room and travel to New Vulcan within a few hours.

What should he do?

He could tell Nyota everything, in violation of the Captain's order.

He could conceal everything, taking a calculated risk and accepting two possible outcomes:

a)she would find out that he had concealed the facts from her and ask him why he did not consider her capable of dealing with potentially dangerous situations (he could easily imagine the hurt expression in her large, dark eyes as she gazed back at him).

or

(b) she would never know.

He could cancel their visit and explain to Sarek.

He could drop "hints" to Nyota about the risk, but conceal certain details.

The turbolift glided to a stop. Spock decided upon the last option.

...

Unconsciously, Nyota echoed Spock's earlier words to Jim. "So our visit may be risky. What else is new? Starfleet life is risky in general. Honey, you know I think about that all the time. That's why I try to let you know every day how much I cherish you."

"Do you wish to travel to New Vulcan despite this unidentified risk?"

Nyota rolled over on her side and rested a hand on his chest. "You aren't saying it plainly, but it's those subspace transmissions, the messages mentioning Sarek. True?"

Spock's eyebrows rose. "I deliberately avoided mentioning my father's name when I described this situation to you."

"Do you think you're the only one who reads New Vulcan security reports? You didn't want me to worry, I suppose, but I like to be prepared for new situations. I have ways of accessing classified intelligence materials, too. A colleague heard that I was traveling to New Vulcan and suggested that I access recordings of certain anomalous, anonymous subspace transmissions."

"Yet you did not tell me."

"Don't be angry at me; I only learned two days ago. I assumed that you had already been informed. I was waiting for you to raise the subject with me. When you didn't, I thought that you weren't ready to discuss it yet."

He sighed. "I dislike it when we misunderstand each other."

"Next time, I will tell you as soon as I hear about any danger. I promise."

"Despite the risk...you wish to accompany me."

"I do, and I will try to help Sarek in any way that I can. I take my family ties seriously, you know that. Whatever's waiting on New Vulcan...I hope that we can face it together."

Spock folded her into his embrace. He said no more that night, but she sensed his gratitude. Thank you, ashayam.

Nyota slept fitfully during the few hours left before their departure. Spock stroked her back while her dreams shifted in and out of anxiety. He shut his eyes against the darkness and tried to meditate.

...

Sarek greeted them warmly. Although he did not embrace Spock, he briefly clasped Spock's shoulder and allowed Nyota to briefly clasp his hand. Although they had met several times before, she had previously refrained from physical contact when greeting him. Very likely, she came from a family of huggy, kissy people, as his beloved Amanda had.

When he showed the couple their semi-private, three room guesthouse at the diplomatic mansion, Sarek noticed Nyota press two fingers into Spock's palm as they walked around the small rooftop garden. His son went still for a moment, then opened his palm fully and pressed his hand to hers. The interaction took only a few seconds, but Sarek felt a sense of quiet relief wash over him. He'd once feared that Spock's choice of Starfleet doomed his son to a life alone. After learning about Nyota, Sarek analyzed the situation and deemed her a logical choice. Now he felt reassured that his son's choice of bondmate fit all of the illogical, unquantifiable requirements of the hidden places of his child's heart.

...

New Vulcan

Countryside outside the new capital city; late morning

Nyota adjusted the waistband of her long skirt and freed its hem from the buckles of her high desert boots. The loose fabric of her ankle-length skirt had twisted around her legs in a way that made it difficult to give the camel nudges with her knees and feet, blunt physical directions that emphasized her verbal ones. So she'd stopped and dismounted with the help of an aide, first wrapping the fabric of her sleeve over her hand to prevent impolite skin contact. The aide was a well-traveled Vulcan who had transferred his expertise from managing sehlats to Terran mammals and launched a fledgling tourism effort on New Vulcan. Privacy was still valued in Vulcan culture, but so was steady income. Some Vulcans did not object to assisting their few curious, wealthy alien visitors.

She and Spock had arrived only six hours earlier, greeted warmly by Sarek and later with somewhat more reserve by T'Pau, the surviving matriarch of Sarek's family. Nyota's natural curiosity and sense of adventure had made her accept the Vulcan diplomat's invitation for the following morning. Now she felt tired, reddish dust filmed the parts of her not covered by protective gear or clothing, and three of the most well-connected women in what remained of Vulcan society - also riding camels on the trail today - were snubbing her.

It wasn't as though she hadn't tried to be polite. Lifting her hand in the traditional VUlcan greeting, Nyota faced a woman standing near a group of other Vulcan women. "Moi loma (good morning). My name is Nyota Uhura. Wani ra Standard no Yakana ro konusha (I understand Standard and Vulcan). It is agreeable to join this group for this interesting excursion on such a pleasant morning. May I ask your name?"

The woman gave her a look cold enough to chill the morning sunshine, and said, "T'sai T'ober." She turned her back to Nyota and spoke to the other Vulcans.

Nyota tried again with the other three women in the group. A second woman spoke to her but avoided eye contact. A third addressed all of her remarks or questions to Spock or Sarek while looking Nyota up and down as though she were some kind of lab specimen.

T'voria, the fourth Vulcan woman in the group, was friendlier, flushing green with embarrassment at the others' behavior, then asking Nyota about herself and listening with genuine interest to the answers. However, she appeared intimidated by the stares of her friends and gradually fell into a nervous silence.

The Vulcan men in the group greeted Nyota formally upon her arrival and then conversed among themselves.

Though agitated, Spock was silent beside her, constrained by the rules of public conduct. Confronting anyone about their behavior might create problems. Some of the women had diplomatic and financial connections crucial to the rebuilding of Vulcan life, and both Spock and Sarek hesitated to offend them. Instead , both father and son graciously attempted to include Nyota in conversations with the others, and she responded politely and carefully in Vulcan.

Nyota thought of the holo images and African novels she'd saved on her padd, and the textiles she'd brought from her hometown to share with others during her visit. She'd hoped to make new friends. Now it appeared that she was destined for a lonely two weeks. Spock would spend much of his time working with Sarek and the New Vulcan governmental assembly. Although Spock was her friend as well as her lover, Nyota enjoyed women's companionship and the balance it gave to her life. Maybe she'd try again with T'voria. Later tonight, she could try calling Gaila on a semi-private communications channel. If there was one good thing about Vulcan close-mindedness, it was the likelihood that few spoke enough Orion to listen in on her chats with her outspoken friend.

"Ko-fu(daughter) Uhura ?" called Sarek. "Is all well?"

Certainly not; but it would have been impolite to call attention to the other Vulcans' comments, and she didn't dare reply with her true thoughts. Nyota didn't expect him to defend her, but some part of her wished that he or Spock would react.

"Yes, Osu Sarek. I am ready to proceed. Please, everyone, do not wait for me."

She looked at the camel, which appeared about as interested in befriending her as the three Vulcan society ladies.

"I think that I'll walk this part of the trail," she said to Spock. He handed over the reins to the aide, and the couple walked together, side by side, not touching.

"One might say that you have had a full experience of this trail, both on camelback and on foot."

"Yes, Mr. Spock," she said, attempting to lighten the mood by addressing him as she did when they flirted aboard the Enterprise. "I find such a method useful in making observations."

"What have you observed this morning, Miss Uhura?"

She switched to French. "A paradoxical phenomenon: the experience of being within a group, yet excluded," she said softly. Spock's step faltered slightly and he looked at her. "It is an experience familiar to both of us, n'est-ce pas?"

"We are not expected to acknowledge it," he replied in a low voice.

"Oui, je sais, mais...they agree silently among themselves that it is acceptable to exclude me in small ways. Perhaps I should be strong, but I am like anyone else; I feel small pains in difficult social interactions."

"As do I. This is my ninth visit to New Vulcan but some remain suspicious of outsiders, and of me. It is illogical that I would not be accepted here following the destruction of our planet and the reduction of our numbers. Defense analysts have suggested that opportunistic attacks on New Vulcan by Romulans or others remain a possibility. This is a time when we should work together for the good of all."

Our numbers. We. Us.

"I speak in a general sense," Spock reassured her, adding silently, I will not leave the world we two are making together. It is the only place where I am at home.

Sounds of shifting dirt and thumping camel hooves distracted them. Sarek and their host, Sancis had come back to check on them.

...

Nine Standard months earlier

A small city in the United States of Africa; an early evening in July, Standard time

Utendaji International Preparatory Academy Class Reunion Party

"It's not like real sex, is it?"

"Huh?" It was a terribly inarticulate response for a Communications Officer, but Nyota was so stunned by the invasive question that she couldn't form words.

"Sex with that alien, the Vulcan. You might as well do it with an animal! I know he's half-human but he doesn't look it. I heard about him and thought he'd be more man-like, but he looks like a demon in the pictures."

"How dare you? Spock is as human as you, probably more. He's a decent, honorable person - a good man - " Nyota pushed herself away from the table. The legs of her chair scraped loudly enough to be heard over the volume of the music in the hall where her high school reunion was being held. Furious, Nyota leaned over the table, eyes narrowed. "Is it fashionable to be prejudiced against aliens in this town now? You don't even know him. Why do you think I'd tell you anything about my life anyway?"

She didn't mean to do it, but her fingers moved swiftly toward a half-full glass. Reason prevailed. Instead of hurling it across the table at the sneering woman or throwing its contents into her face, Nyota knocked the glass over. Its alcoholic contents spread a dark stain over the tablecloth as she turned and left the banquet hall, leaving a trail of murmurs behind her.

Drunkenness wasn't behind the ugly words. Many whispered the same things, assuming that Nyota did not know that gossip about her Vulcan lover preceded her visits home. She hadn't really wanted to attend the school reunion anyway; she'd been unpopular and preferred to keep up with a few close friends and teachers on her own.

Fingers clasped her shoulder as she strode through the lobby and towards the front doors.

"Wait, Nyota. Remember what Mr. Kamya used to tell us? 'Great minds discuss ideas and solutions; small minds discuss people', or something like that," a gentle voice said. Her friends Chinedu and Adilah stepped in front of her, looking worried.

"It was so low, what she said," Nyota fumed.

"Yes. But you know that she has always been cruel. We had good reasons for nicknaming her 'Heart-Trouble'."

Nyota sighed. "She hasn't grown up much. Maybe I haven't either; I shouldn't have allowed myself to get so angry. I'm glad that Spock had to remain on duty and couldn't join me on this visit home - then we'd both be having a bad time at this party."

"Don't let it hurt you," Adilah said, patting her arm. "Are you all right? Don't leave the party yet. Stay close to us, we won't let her near you."

"Yes, come sit with us and talk about something else," Chinedu urged her. " We so seldom see each other, Nyota. Let's talk about what makes us happy. Tell us about your Spock and your adventures in Starfleet, and I will show you some new holos of my children, the adorable mischief makers. Is that a fair trade?"

...

New Vulcan

Countryside outside the new capital city; late morning

Unusually expressive for a Vulcan, Sancis almost smiled at Nyota. "T'sai Uhura, I will trade camels with you if yours is misbehaving. They are illogical, almost emotional creatures. Or perhaps the countryside of New Vulcan is better seen on foot?"

Responding to the diplomat's open, friendly manner, Nyota replied, "Osu Sancis, I think that both high and low views of New Vulcan are fascinating. You are correct; walking is a good way for me to appreciate the local plants, animals, and geological features."

"Please request my assistance immediately if you become tired," Sarek said. "Spock, I trust that you will take care of her?"

"Of course, father. You may always expect me to do my best." Spock preferred that Sarek did not continually remind him of things even a young man would know. It would have been agreeable to have his father treat him more like an adult during these visits. "I hope that we have not disrupted the progress of the rest of the group."

Like his son, Sarek had observed the Vulcan women's treatment of Nyota. "Apparently they prefer to set their own pace," he said dryly.

"We have nearly arrived at our destination," Sancis said, extending a hand - Vulcans did not aggressively point fingers - towards an area where the ground sloped down. "It is a most agreeable feature of this region. T'sai Uhura, allow me to guide you and Spock there myself." He dismounted from his camel with surprising agility and led them towards the head of the group, talking all the while.

"Special treatment for the human visitor," one woman muttered as the couple passed her.

Nyota fought back a purely childish impulse to turn around and raise a finger in a gesture understood on all planets.

Sancis paused at the top of the ridge.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Nyota gasped. A gleaming expanse of water cut through the valley below the ridge where they stood. Plants and trees grew along the banks of the river in clusters, then gave way to an expanse of small stones.

Lighting panels, benches, and a solar-powered information kiosk were visible signs of efforts to shape the land and make it like a park. In keeping with Vulcan unfamiliarity with water, the benches were set far away from the shore. The place looked unfinished, half wild. Housing and public buildings had higher priority on New Vulcan. Caves gaped open in several places along the river's banks; some appeared to have been reinforced by stone or metal beams.

The riders dismounted and the group approached the water's edge. Giving in to her tourist impulses, Nyota pulled her camera and communicator from the Starfleet utility belt she'd fastened over her skirt. Unfashionable, perhaps, but a handbag just didn't accessorize well with this terrain. She began to record images and sounds with both of them.

Musical sounds of water tumbling over stones were enough to soothe anyone, and the tension among the group soon disappeared. Sancis spoke to Nyota and a few of them men, providing a quick geological profile of the valley. Camels stretched out their long necks and legs, drinking. Spock and Sarek stood talking quietly and Nyota decided not to disturb them, chatting to Sancis instead. Eventually the calm beauty of the place put him in a meditative mood, and he fell quiet, gazing at the water.

Stones clinked together. Nyota turned around to face T'voria, the Vulcan woman who had been awkward, but open.

"T'sai Uhura. May I speak with you?" the Vulcan woman asked softly. A raised scar on one side of her face looked faintly lime green against her darker green blush.

"Please, call me Nyota. Would you like to walk along the water, this way?"

Silence stretched between the two women as they walked, until T'voria spoke hesitantly.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier. I am a married woman, and should be too mature to allow the prejudices of others to influence me. As a mother, I ought to have more understanding of empathy. My preference is to make you welcome among us."

"Thank you. I understand that many Vulcans aren't accustomed to the presence of humans," Nyota said diplomatically.

"Allow me to disagree. Before the loss of our home, those three traveled off-planet, and were invited to formal receptions, and parliamentary dinners." A slight bitterness in the woman's tone hinted that she herself had not been invited to such events.

"They met humans and many other races. Their husbands worked often with Osu Sarek. Lack of exposure is not the problem." She looked at Nyota. "You are truly bonded to Osu Spock, are you not? You are part of our history now and we cannot change this. Instead we should attempt to learn about you."

"I appreciate your perspective. It's only right to return your kindness; may I ask you about yourself? If it isn't too painful, too personal...what was your life like on Vulcan?"

T'voria moved her shoulders and head very slightly, in the equivalent of a Vulcan shrug. "My life there centered on my home. I was educated at a middle-level academy and learned to speak Standard and a few trade languages. I dreamed of learning more and perhaps working at the Embassy, or as a teacher, but my family found an advantageous match for me when I was young. I had this," she touched the scar on her face, " and although my family was financially comfortable we were not wealthy. My analysis of my situation at the time made me believe that I could not refuse. My bondmate is a diligent worker and we have two children. I am very attached to them. We only escaped because a trade mission allowed us to travel and live off-planet as a family. I have wealth now, and political connections, but I lost everyone on Vulcan," she said, her voice quivering.

"How terrible!" Unconsciously, Nyota reached out to touch T'voria's arm, but stopped herself. "T'voria, I grieve with thee. I'm sorry that you lost so many loved ones."

"I have accepted my inability to influence or avert the disaster. I must ask you to excuse me again for such an emotional display."

Nyota wished that she'd just hugged T'voria anyway. "There's no need to apologize for your emotional reaction to such a tragedy."

"But we do not know each other."

"Why should that matter? Anyway, as a Communications Officer, I frequently deal with emotions."

"I am not a proper Vulcan woman sometimes. I have difficulty controlling my...feelings. In school the others teased me, saying that I must have slipped through a time warp from the Pre-Surakian period because my behavior was so emotional and uncivilized. When I cried or became excited they called me a savage."

Nyota couldn't prevent a wry smile from rising to her lips. "Empathy and emotions are important elements of civilization, in my opinion." She looked over at T'voria, but the woman had closed herself off, her posture and words stiff and formal once more.

"If it is agreeable to you, I would like to extend an invitation. My bondmate works long hours and is often away from home. I would like to invite you to take a walk through our capital city. I have quickly become acquainted with it as it develops; it is a most unusual experience, observing streets and neighborhoods being established from...'the ground up', as the Earth saying goes. I would show you the neighborhoods and buildings I consider particularly interesting."

"That's very kind of you, I'd like that. When -"

A series of loud, percussive noises cut through the air. Whirling around, Nyota saw the Vulcans running toward the open mouths of caves along the river bank.

T'voria gasped and seized Nyota's sleeve. "Run!" Although shorter than Nyota, she was strong, and Nyota stumbled and slid on the shifting rocks as the other woman all but dragged her toward the dark mouth of a cave.

Spock! Her startled thoughts raced toward him across the bond.

Nyota, go! Take cover!

"What is it?" Nyota shouted, looking around. Spock and the other Vulcans also ran for a cave, many meters away.

"Emergency alert, it could be anything! Romulans, or -" T'voria pulled Nyota inside the cave. It was dark and smelled of unfamiliar minerals. The other Vulcan women stood inside the small space, looking out towards the light. Everyone was forced to stand close to each other, their limbs held stiffly to avoid skin contact. Whether they still wished to avoid eye contact or not, Nyota did not care; her Starfleet training kicked in, and she looked at each woman, checking to see if anyone appeared to be injured or distressed. The siren continued to sound its alarm, then stopped.

"Now we must wait for the all-clear signal," explained T'voria.

"Have there actually been any undocumented Romulan attacks on New Vulcan?" Nyota asked. Her research had indicated nothing of the kind, but who knew what the locals had observed?

"T'voria is hardly an expert on military intelligence," grumbled one of the women.

Nyota ignored her. "How about any other emergency situations? How often does that siren sound, and why?"

T'voria's eyes flicked toward the other woman in annoyance, but she answered, "No, there have been no actual Romulan attacks yet. A different siren is used to warn us of sandstorms. This siren warns us of external attacks or unidentifiable phenomena."

Anything could happen. Stifling her fears, Nyota opened her bond with Spock, sent him a feeling of pure love, felt his own love rushing back, and closed the bond, readying herself for action.

When she returned her attention to the women, they stared back at her as though they knew precisely what she'd just done. Telepathy seemed to be at work although none of them touched her. Involuntarily, Nyota pulled her arms closer to her sides, brushing against her utility belt.

Her arm touched her phaser.

Why not? I'm already unpopular around here. Might as well become even more unpopular and give us a fighting chance.

Nyota withdrew the weapon and faced the open mouth of the cave. Behind her, the women's voices rose in excitement.

... ... ... ... ...