Chapter Eleven

SPOCK

                “I still don’t know why you refused to participate as part of the staff. I mean, Uhura and Bones are both singing tonight.” Jim said, for the third time, as we walked into the auditorium. The ‘talent show’ had already begun by the time we arrived and I was mildly surprised that all the seats had already been filled.

                “I have already explained this to you, captain,” I started before he cut me off.

                “Jim.”

                “Jim. As I have already explained, every staff member has the choice to participate in this event. I choose not to. It is…unsatisfactory enough that my attendance is required at this unnecessary event.” The human traditions of such events was still confounding. I did not understand why such an event as a talent show was traditional for Starfleet Academy, as it had no bearing on the academic process whatsoever.

                “Oh, come one, you can’t stand there and tell me you didn’t enjoy it when Uhura sang at it a couple of years ago.” Jim accused, his arms folded over his chest.

                “I found her performance of pre-surakian Vulcan music to be agreeable.”

                “Agreeable my a*s, Spock. That performance she gave at the end of our second year was the final catalyst that started your relationship and you know it. She only sang that song to impress you and it worked.”

                “Nyota and I did not enter into a romantic liaison while she was still a student of mine. You know this.” I protested, refusing to admit that she had held attraction while she had been a student of mine still. Although the news that she had sang that particular tune in hopes to impress me was not a fact I was previously aware of before now.

                “Bullshit. You were pinning after her well before you didn’t have her as a student and you know it. You might not have acted on your feelings until after she was no longer a student, but you know you liked her before-hand. It’s okay, I don’t care. I know you guys are just friends now.” I thought about this for a moment, my silence apparently enough of an agreement for Jim who chuckled. While Nyota Uhura and I did indeed have a romantic liaison for some time, it had ended over a year ago. I realized, as did she, that I would never be able to give to her what she needed, and in return, while she accepted me as I was, she would need more than that in a romantic partner. It was a mutual agreement.

                “OH! Bones is up! I bet he’s going to be singing another one of those 21^st century country songs he likes so much.” Jim exclaimed. It was true, Leonard McCoy was particularly fond of 21^st century music in the genre entitled country. Many times when visiting the Medical Bay I found that he listened to his country music when writing reports or editing medical records.

                I listened to Dr. McCoy sing. He did in fact have an agreeable voice. It was not perfect, but it suited the style in which he sang. His song was titled ‘Your Man’ originally sung by the artist Josh Turner. He was looking at one member of the audience during his entire performance, I assumed it to be Cadet Tasha Rayn. They had begun their own romantic relationship as soon as she was no longer under his tutelage. The situation was not dissimilar to when Nyota and I first began our relationship. However, I assumed, that they may have secretly been in communication, not all of which was precisely professional, well before their official romantic endeavors began.

                He finished his performance, blowing a kiss to the same member of the audience. This made me realize my speculation was most likely correct. He then announced the next person to perform was another member of the staff, Nyota Uhura. I looked up in anticipation. Nyota had an uncommonly pleasing voice for a terran female. Her voice was best suited towards the genre styles of jazz/blues, but she did well singing in the pre-sarakian style of Vulcan as well.

                “I told you Uhura was going to sing!” Jim exclaimed. He was particularly excited due to Nyota having chosen a love song as well, and she was singing to Jim as Leonard did to Cadet Rayn.

                Nyota had chosen to sing a jazz tune titled “Crazy He Calls Me” originally sung in 20^th century human history by the artist known as Billy Holliday. I had become used to her singing jazz/blues tunes often. She had, even once, decided to perform privately for me after the destruction of my home planet. I believe she thought it would to ‘lift me from my grief’ so to say. I was merely pleased at her performance.

                The performance she was giving currently was just as agreeable as any other performance she had ever given. Jim, in particular, seemed to be enthralled by it. I never did understand the emotional state of humans and how certain works of music could alter them so easily. Music, for Vulcans, was just another form of logical exercise and practical use of the precision of mathematics. While Vulcan music of this era was not unpleasing, I had begun to notice it lacked the emotional quality that terran music held. This is why I had taken an interest in terran classical music when I first came to earth. I did not admit it at the time, but there was a part of me that recognized the emotions speaking through the technical and mathematical mastery of those early terran artists.

                “You know, Spock, I don’t know how you let her go. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you did, but I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.” Jim said softly, as Nyota had finished her performance.

                “No, Jim, I do not believe you will.” I offered. As close as Jim and I had become, fighting Nero and Kahn alike, there were still certain aspects about me he either could not, or chose not to, understand. I was perfectly amenable about this fact. I did not expect Jim to completely understand me, and he did not expect me to completely understand him. We simply accepted each other for who and what we were. This mutual acceptance was the foundation for our friendship.

                “Well, I think the staff have hogged the stage long enough. It’s time for some of the cadets to show off their talents.” Nyota announced after her performance concluded. “The first cadet to grace us with her performance will also be offering us to witness her vocal prowess. And boy does she have a voice! Let’s welcome third year Cadet Aila Mor who will be graduating early next week!” I looked up towards the stage, seeing a slightly nervous Aila step onto the stage.

                “Your favorite student is singing and you didn’t want to come and support her? Bah!” Jim exclaimed as he lightly slapped my shoulder.

                “Jim, I knew she was performing. She told me herself tonight.”

                “Yeah, well, I think she will surprise you.” He said, a large grin growing on his face.

                “I hardly think that a simple song will do anything to alter my current state of being.” I countered. While I had never heard Aila sing, I was not unaware of her peers’ evaluations concerning her vocal talent.

                “Like I said, I think even you will be surprised.” He replied and looked towards the stage. Nyota had left the stage and was now joining at the back wall of the auditorium.

                “That girl has quite the voice.” Nyota whispered. I noticed a piano had appeared on the stage. “And she can play piano pretty well too. When she auditioned for the show, I was pretty impressed.”

                “I am going to be singing a song by Christina Perri, a 21^st century female artist. The song is a favorite of mine called “A Thousand Years.” Aila announced as she sat down on the bench in front of the piano. Her roommate and proclaimed best friend stepped on stage beside her, holding a guitar. “Tasha Rayn is going to be accompanying me playing the guitar.”

                “Am I too late?” Mr. Scott, called ‘Scotty’ by the majority of the Enterprise crew said, breathing quite heavily, as he entered the doors of the auditorium.

                “Nope. She’s just now starting.” Jim offered. Mr. Scott had a unique relationship with Aila Mor. It had begun as normal as any other relationship between a cadet and professor. Soon, he had realized the potential she had, as she was quite the engineer as well as linguist, though she preferred engineering to any other study. Quickly, Mr. Scott had become some-what of a father figure to Aila. Who, as an orphan, was very accepting of the relationship. Over the past year the two had grown quite close, and Mr. Scott had even supplied that he wanted her to work as her second in command of the engineering section on the Enterprise. This fact was common knowledge now, and would be accepted. She would be assigned, unanimously, to the Enterprise, given the position Mr. Scott deemed appropriate.

                As soon as Aila began to sing the auditorium fell into silence listening. My attention, was focused solely on her. Her voice, if it was possible, was more pleasing to my ears than even Nyota’s. Aila’s voice, while not the jazz powerhouse that Nyota’s was, was pure, innocent. It was very fitting for her. As she continued to sing I started to feel. I felt the emotion laced in her voice, her eyes closed, her fingers playing astutely on the piano in front of her. Her voice carried through the auditorium and filled my soul in a way I had never experienced before. It was startling, confusing, and awe inspiring all at the same time. My Vulcan control could not combat the power she held over not only me, but it seemed every other single member of the audience as she sang.

                I stared at the stage even after she had finished, barely registering the applause of the audience. Her performance had shocked me, as Jim said, but it was more than that. Her voice had affected me. Her voice had affected my emotions. My emotions that were locked tightly down under a glass pane of strict Vulcan control and logic. It should not have been possible. It couldn’t be possible. Yet, it had happened. She held a power over me, that until today, I would not have thought possible. I had felt what she desired me to feel. I could only assume that the audience had as well. But what was that single emotion I felt, the one that registered above the rest? What was that profound emotion her voice had called out to and dug up from the sea of my soul? I couldn’t name it. I couldn’t understand how such a thing could be conceivable.

                This was another power.

                She had exhibited another power spoken of in the ‘prophecy’ of the Sealtag.

                This realization seemed to pull me out of my stupor. Just in time to hear her voice sounding in my mind.

                Spock! Help! He’s back here! It’s Kayden. He’s attacking- Her voice in my mind cut out suddenly. I stiffened.

                Aila? Aila, can you hear me? I reached out to her mind, I felt nothing. I could not even feel her consciousness.

                “Jim. He has her.” I looked to my friend, to my captain, worry evident in my eyes.

                “Spock, what? What are you talking about? You’ve just been staring off into space for about five minutes!”

                “Jim. Kayden Ross has attacked Aila Mor and has knocked her unconscious, if not killed her. She attempted to reach out to my mind and tell me of his attack, but the communication was cut off suddenly and I can no longer sense her mind.”

                “Wait, what? You can sense her mind?” Jim asked as Nyota and Mr. Scott just turned to me, their mouths open in shock.

                “An agreement between us. She was to maintain an open link to my mind. I would be able to communicate with her, over a distance by this. Otherwise, I would have had to establish a bond with her to do so.” I attempted to explain in the quickest manner I could. Telepathy, to a non-telepath, was a difficult subject to explain the intricacies of, due to the varying facets involved. “I cannot feel that link right now. This means one of three things. Either she has broken the link, which is the least likely due to her contact being abruptly cut off and our agreement, she has been knocked unconscious, or she has been killed.” I didn’t add that either of the latter two were mutually possible in probability. “I do not believe she has been killed, but she mentioned Kayden Ross.”

                “Wait, just who the heck is Kayden Ross?” Mr. Scott yelled, attracting the attention of nearby audience members.

                “I do not believe this is an appropriate venue to discuss this.” I said. Heads nodded in agreement and we walked out of the auditorium towards my office.