Two Sides of the Same Coin

Synopsis: On a mission to retrieve pieces from an alien excavation site for study, the crew of the Enterprise meets an unusual woman who challenges Spock's identity as a Vulcan.

Author's Note: A per tradition, I am obligated to inform you that Star Trek is not my creation. A number of supporting characters, locations, and the introduction of Tria Meyers are the only aspects of this work I can take credit for. Comments are welcome. I'm a Trekkie, but I am not a super-fan. Just a storyteller with a lifelong crush on Spock.

3/10/2009 - Updated with a chapter break to make it easier to read. Thanks for the suggestions! I'll be adding more soon!

3/14/2009 - The story rating has been changed to M. I should have done this from the beginning.

4/6/2009 - The draft is finished, some minor changes will be made as I edit it down to semi-perfection. Ah but this is not the end! I have a number of followups planned, so ... stay tuned ^_~

Chapter One

[b]Two Sides of the Same Coin[/b]

Synopsis: On a mission to retrieve pieces from an alien excavation site for study, the crew of the Enterprise meets an unusual woman who challenges Spock's identity as a Vulcan.

Author's Note: A per tradition, I am obligated to inform you that Star Trek is not my creation. A number of supporting characters, locations, and the introduction of Tria Meyers are the only aspects of this work I can take credit for. Comments are welcome. I'm a Trekkie, but I am not a super-fan. Just a storyteller with a lifelong crush on Spock.

[i] 3/11/2009 - I split up the first chapter after a reader suggested I split it up for easier reading. It was a good point. ^_~ [/i]

[b]Chapter 1[/b]

Brondus V was small moon colonized just five years before in an attempt to establish an agricultural and botanical research station. The colony had been deemed successful, but the colonists recently discovered a group of ancient alien ruins unidentifiable by current historical records. The researchers sent to study the ruins have discovered a technology that appeared to act as an infinite power source. Though the team had been unable to determine how the technology works, they had found a number of new facts about the species that once inhabited Brondus and it's moons. The Enterprise was sent to the moon to aid in their study of the ruins with orders to bring back samples of the power source, if possible, for further study by the Federation.

The area where the colony had been built was just north of a low-lying mountain with very little vegetation on its slopes. The valley at it's foot, however, was rich and dotted with small forests. The colony was built mostly from clay and wood gathered from the nearby forest. It had been well planned in a series of dirt streets radiating out from the meeting square which was marked by a small herb garden that was planted mostly for show.

The colony's leader, Sal Leon stood waiting in the colony's meeting square for the Enterprise's Captain Kirk to beam down with an away team. One of the colonists walked out of a nearby building and approached him with a green and blue leafed branch, presenting it to him with a question on his lips. "Is this the sample you were looking for, sir?"

Leon took the branch, examining it. He rubbed the leaves between his fingers and nodded. "Yes, this is the one I was thinking of, Johnson. Please take it back to the lab and have them examine it's structure." Just then, four beams of light appeared behind them and began to hum. The Starfleet away team had arrived. Leon handed the branch back to Johnson. "See if they can find out how the plant reproduces as well. I would like to see if we can harvest these. I'm hoping the sap can be used as a new antiseptic." The colonist disappeared back into the building he came from, as the away team fully materialized on the planet's surface.

Captain Kirk stepped forward, recognizable by his yellow uniform. "Sal Leon, I presume?"

Leon greeted the captain with a warm smile. "Yes, Captain. I am the colony's manager as well as lead botanist. Welcome to Brondus V."

"Thank you, Mr. Leon," the Captain replied. He motioned to the men behind him. "This is my first officer and science officer, Commander Spock, our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor McCoy, our engineer, Mr. Scott, and Ensign Grayson."

"It's good to have you here, gentlemen. I hope that you find our colony hospitable. I'm sure you'd like to get right down to business." Leon gestured south, toward a group of mountains. "The ruin site is only a few miles walk from the colony."

"How is it," Spock asked, "that your colony did not discover the ruins until so recently?"

"Ah," answered Leon. "We didn't spend much time exploring the mountains the last few years. Our largest concern upon arrival was to build our colony, start farming, and studying the plants in the plains and forests nearby. We had determined that the most beneficial plants and soil were in the low lying areas, so we did not pay much attention to the mountains. It wasn't until some of the children started to play in the area did anyone notice the ruins. They're concealed in a cavern at the foot of the mountain."

"Interesting," remarked Kirk. "I assume the research team is in the ruins?"

"Yes Captain," said Leon. "They arrived about two weeks ago. We were glad to have them. I'm quite interested to learn about the previous tenants of this moon." Leon laughed. "You never know if it could help us with our own goals here." The group was now starting to walk out of the edges of the colony. "The research team hasn't left the ruins much since they arrived. Although their head anthropologist, Tria, comes up at least once a day to give updates on their progress."

Kirk nodded. "Ah, yes. Ms. Meyers is supposed to return with the Enterprise to transport any samples, that is if we can find a way to safely remove them."

"She's surprisingly congenial. Just a few days ago she was kind enough to bring us a few root samples, just because she thought we would be interested." Leon laughed again.

McCoy shot Kirk a confused look. "Surprisingly congenial? I didn't realize anthropologists had a reputation for being rude." he muttered. Kirk shrugged, not sure what Leon meant either.

They arrived at the excavation site within the hour. A rough steppe of rock layers created a climbable way to the bottom, but stairs had been built for a safer decent. Roughly ten men and women busied about the site trying to uncover the stone and metallic structure buried under centuries aggregate and debris. Most of them noticed their visitors and only glanced up briefly to greet them as they passed. Leon asked one of them where Tria was and he pointed him in the direction of a small cavern opening.

Inside they found a young woman, eyes fixed on what appeared to be a control panel with alien script surrounding it. The room was small, but had a faint blue glow coming from both the panel and small slits in the walls of the opposite side of the panel. Her hand covered her mouth pensively as she analyzed the script. She bent suddenly over the small table set up next to the console and wrote something on a tablet. Picking up the tablet, she compared what she had written with the console.

Leon coughed, to get her attention. "Tria," he called. She turned, looking surprised. When she recognized Leon, she smiled.

"Oh Leon, I'm sorry." She set the tablet back down and walked over to the entrance. "I remembered they were arriving when I woke up but go so busy translating this thing that I forgot." She brushed the stray tendrils of brown hair out of her face. She wore a dusty pair of pants with a black tank top. Her cheeks had a few smudges of the rusty brown dirt that covered everything in the cavern. She looked as though she spent more time working than worrying about her appearance. She looked at the captain. "You must be Captain Kirk," she smiled brightly and shook his hand. "I'm glad the federation sent you. I've been able to decipher a great deal of the script in these ruins but I have little scientific background and I have no answers for Starfleet about how it works." She sighed with relief. "They keep asking me about how it functions and I really couldn't tell you." She laughed. "I mean, I'm an anthropologist, not an engineer."

McCoy laughed. Kirk shot a look at McCoy while Spock cocked an eyebrow at the doctor's sudden outburst. A mutual look of confusion covered the others' faces for a moment, but Kirk broke the awkward silence by introducing his away team once again for her benefit. "Why don't you start by telling us what you have found, Ms. Meyers."

"Of course." She led them over to the panel. "Well, I believe that this device was used to generate some sort of water line, probably for the inhabitant's homes or maybe even irrigation. I can't tell though. I'm having some trouble understanding a few of the controls." She pointed at areas of the panel. "Here, and here seem to be instructions on its' different functions. This one I'm positive is for water. We discovered that there used to be a latent spring running through this cavern, but it has since dried up. This one, however, I'm not sure about. The grammar structure is strange..." she trailed off.

"Have ye been able to learn anything about the way the thing works?" asked Scotty.

She shook her head. "My best guess would be geothermal, but I can't be sure. There's a structure over here that looks like it used to move, but we haven't been able to do anything with it." She showed Scotty where a piece of rusted metal bowed out from the wall. She carefully moved it aside and revealed it was a bulkhead. She motioned for him to take a look. The engineer dived into the small alcove that it revealed, poking around with his instruments.

"Mr. Scott and Spock can examine the device and see what makes it tick," said Kirk. "Then perhaps we will be able to determine if this thing would be useful anywhere else."

Leon agreed. "If it is an irrigation system, it could help us here a great deal. I'm sure it could do a lot for other colonies too, if they could find a way to use its methods on other planets."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," the captain responded. "Now, is there anything that we can do for your colony while we are here."

"Ah certainly," said Leon, leading the Captain back out of the cavern. The doctor followed, while the Ensign stayed behind to help Scotty and Spock examine the device.

"Miss Meyers," called Scotty from inside the alcove. "Do ye have some notes on these symbols in here? Or have ye not translated them yet?"

"I have a little, Mr. Scott. I'll grab what notes I have, just give me a moment."

Tria stepped outside to where Leon was explaining what supplies the colony could use. The doctor was examining a researcher with a sprained ankle. The two sat next to the excavation's collection station in the center of the site. Tria walked over to them, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Getting that looked at finally, eh Eli?" He looked a little embarrassed, but nodded.

"The colony has a medic, why didn't you have them come look at it, boy?" Asked the doctor.

"I didn't want to loose track of the pipe system we found yesterday."

Tria chortled. "Like it would have moved." She rifled through a stack of papers and data pads, looking for her notes. Her hair hung down over her face and, frustrated with it, she reached into her pocket pull out a small thong of leather to tie it back at the nape of her neck. "Eli did you see those notes I had about that little alcove in the cavern? I thought I brought it out here."

"Look under the records logs," he responded, and pointed. The doctor instinctively followed the man's gaze and watch Tria move a stack of data pads to find a piece of paper with he alien script on it.

"Ah ha," she said, turning back to Eli. "Thanks." Doctor McCoy was staring at her, mouth open. Tria looked back at him, concerned. "What's wrong, doctor?"

Eli looked up at the doctor as well, and realized what was wrong. "Oh, Tria, no one told them about the ears." He laughed.

"Oh," she sighed and touched her ears. They were pointed, like a Vulcan's. "I thought I had some weird rash or something."

"Well I'll be damned!" McCoy said, dumbfounded. "You're a Vulcan!" The doctor shouted loud enough that Leon and Captain Kirk heard him a few yards away and looked to see what the fuss was about.

Eli and Tria laughed. "Half," Tria corrected.

"You're not like any half-Vulcan I've met either. Ya got the pointy ears but here you are laughing at me."

Tria swallowed and looked down at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, Doctor, I apologize for laughing at you, but I'm afraid I probably won't live up to expectations for being very Vulcan. My mother raised me on Earth and I never really, ah, took, to what little chance my father had to teach me about my other half." Tense, she gave a weak smile, excused herself, and walked away.

McCoy frowned and looked at his patient. "Well I didn't mean to upset the girl. Just threw me off guard, that's all."

Eli shrugged. "She doesn't really like to talk about it much. I think it upsets her when people point out that she's not very logical." He rotated his ankle.

"You can try standing on it now," McCoy told him.

Eli stood up, approving of the feel of his ankle. "It's funny, really."

"What's funny?"

"Oh, well; when people meet Tria, everyone acts so shocked that she doesn't act like every other Vulcan they've met. I think she has to work harder sometimes because people expect her to be some sort of methodical genius or something. Really, though, she's pretty smart. As that whole logic thing...she's logical...she just likes to laugh too."

"Well, wouldn't it be nice if they all were like that," mused McCoy.

Eli laughed. "Maybe. Thanks Doc." He headed back across the site to return to his work.

Kirk approached him shortly after. "McCoy," said Kirk, "Leon suggested that you talk to the colony's medic and see if she needs any assistance while we're here."

"Sure," said the doctor, distracted. They followed Leon back up the staircase.

"What was that all about," asked Kirk.

"You didn't notice?" Kirk shook his head 'no'. "Well, it would seem that their anthropologist is a half-breed Vulcan just like Spock."

"Really? Well, that will give them something to talk about, won't it?"

McCoy looked doubtful. "Sure, I bet Spock would have plenty to talk about with her."

Tria walked back into the cavern to find that Scotty, Spock, and one of the excavators had already removed a piece from inside the alcove. It was a large disc that glowed faintly blue in the groves that traced it's edge. "Well, that didn't take very long."

Scott beamed at her. "Just took a little professional encouragement, lass. Do ye mind if I take it back up to the ship to examine it?"

"No," she said, handing him her notes. "That's what I've deciphered so far from the script in that area. It might help."

"Aye, lass. I'll let ye know what we find." Scotty and the ensign picked up the disc together and took it outside to beam it back aboard the Enterprise. Tria watched them leave, looking a little anxious about the sudden movement of a piece of the excavation site.

Spock took out his communicator. "Spock to Captain Kirk."

"Go ahead Spock."

"Mr. Scott is beaming a piece of the device back to the ship for further examination. It could provide clues on how the rest of the structure works."

"Excellent, Spock. I've invited Mr. Leon up to tour the Enterprise. Ask Ms. Meyers if she would like to come as well. We've received orders that she should return to Alpha 1 Space lab with anything we find to brief them before anything is transferred to their care."

"Acknowledged, Spock out." Spock glanced up to see Tria standing in the cavern entrance watching Scotty beam away with the disc. It was then that he noticed her hair was pulled back.

Before he could catch himself staring at her, she looked back at him. "Does that mean we'll be going up shortly too?"

Spock blinked and collected himself in an instant. "Yes. I expect that arrangements will be made for temporary quarters for you on board the Enterprise. The journey will take approximately two weeks, you will want to collect any notes you have so you may brief the officers at Alpha 1."

"Okay. I'll let the team know." She sighed. "I've had some quick pickups before for artifacts, but this certainly takes the cake. I'll only take an hour or so to get ready." With that, she left Spock standing alone in the cavern to contemplate what he though he had seen.

Spock received word from the Enterprise that they were ready to receive Tria and any other useful artifacts as soon as they were ready. The excavators gathered a collection of interesting parts of the device that they were able to remove in the past few weeks without damaging the entire structure. All of their notes and records were transferred into a single data pad and Spock determined that everything was ready. The rest of the team would remain behind to continue their excavation until Starfleet could decide if it was necessary to send further aid to uncover the device, or if simply studying it's origin and not it's function would be sufficient.

Spock saw to it that the pieces now stored in cases were beamed safely aboard the ship. He then climbed the carvern's stair to see if Tria was ready to leave. She had spent most of the last hour at the row of tents at the top of the canyon set up for them to live in during the excavation. He found her standing outside talking to one of the team about procedures while she was gone. Spock decided from observing them that Tria was not so much in charge of the team, but simply one of the most senior researchers among them. It seemed that the team did not have an established rank order, just that they worked together as a group. They saw him coming, said their goodbyes, and the other left.

"You are ready to leave, then?" Spock asked.

She nodded. "I didn't come here with much, so I've got everything I need."

Spock nodded and called the ship to be ready for transport. They informed him it would be a minute while they cleared the transporter of the artifacts. Spock stood next to Tria in an awkward silence. She looked down at the canyon floor reflectively, watching her colleagues work. Spock stared unconsciously at her. Finally, he said; "You're Vulcan," flatly.

Tria didn't meet his gaze. "Half," she corrected automatically.

"Fascinating."

She shot a shocked look at him. "What do you mean by that," she said defensively.

Spock raised an eyebrow, thrown off by her reaction. "I find it interesting to meet another half-bred Vulcan. I wasn't aware there were others."

She softened a little. "Where did you meet another half-Vulcan?"

"I did not meet one." He said, as though that were obvious. "I am half-Vulcan."

"What?" She didn't believe him.

"I said..."

"No, no," she interrupted. "I heard you. I just...I don't believe you."

"Vulcans do not lie," he replied automatically.

Tria appeared to find the statement ironic, but didn't challenge the claim. Instead, she tried to decide if he was lying, or playing a cruel joke on her. She looked straight into his eyes for a long moment, studying him. "No," she confirmed, "you wouldn't. You're not." She looked away, biting her lip.

"I am sorry if I offended you."

"No," she sighed. "You didn't offend me, you just surprised me. The possibility of there being others never occurred to me, either"

"Indeed."

Spock's communicator chirped. "Ready for transport, Commander," said the disembodied voice on the other end.

He opened it and responded, "Energize."

The light surrounded them and Tria's belongings as they were beamed across space up to the ship. Reappearing on board, two crewmen waited in the transporter room. One walked up and took the bag sitting next to Tria's feet. "I have Ms. Meyers' assignment, Commander," the other said. "Would you like me to escort her to her quarters?"

Spock watched Tria step down off the transporter pad. "That won't be necessary, Lieutenant." He looked at the assignment and took the bag from the other crewman. "I will show you the way, Ms. Meyers." Spock led her down the hall, to a turbolift. They stepped inside and he ordered the lift to the correct deck.

"Your name," he began, "it isn't Vulcan."

"No," she said. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Usually she had no trouble looking someone in the eye, but it was always different with most Vulcans. For some reason they made her feel guilty. "I was born on Earth. My mother...my human mother gave me my name."

Spock didn't skip a beat. "Did your father live on Earth with you and your mother?"

"My father never lived on Earth. He lived on Vulcan." Now she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She could sense that he was as curious about her origins as she found herself curious about his. "We don't really talk about it much," she said before he could ask her another question; "my mother and I. I usually tell people that the circumstances surrounding my birth were … unusual. My mother had no desire to allow my father to take me to Vulcan to learn about my heritage and he respected her wishes as much as possible."

"I see," he replied.

The lift doors opened and they stepped out into a hall. Spock turned right at an intersection and led her a short distance to a door. He punched in a security code and ushered her inside. The quarters were small, but sufficient. They were certainly more comfortable than a tent. Spock set down her bag near the door, which closed behind him. "I believe the Captain is giving Mr. Leon a tour of the ship. We will return to the colony after our rendezvous with the Alpha 1 lab to bring them supplies and deliver you back to the excavation site. If you would like, we could meet up with the Captain and you can accompany them for the remainder of his tour."

Tria sat down next to the small breakfast table. "Maybe later."

Spock nodded. "Is there anything else you will require?" She shook her head 'no' absentmindedly. "I should return to the bridge then." He turned and the door hissed open.

"Wait," she called. Spock looked back from the open door. She hesitated a moment. "Would you mind, later, having dinner with me? I would like to continue our conversation." Spock looked back at her, stoic. "If that's okay," she said quickly.

"I will return at 18:00 hours," he answered evenly.

"Thank you, Commander."

He left, the door closing behind him. She sat at the table for a moment, gazing at the door. She then sighed, cradling her head in one hand, feeling like the situation was more than she could handle.

As the afternoon waned the only thing Tria had aboard the Enterprise to indicate time had passed was a clock set into the wall above her door and her stomach starting to ache from hunger. She found her way to the ship's galley and prepared a gazpacho, a very leafy green salad, and had the replicator produce some bread to make up their dinner. She secured it on a tray, and brought it back down to her quarters to set out on the table. She made a pot of green tea and was just setting it out on the table when the door chimed, Spock arriving promptly at 18:00 hours.

"I hope you like gazpacho," she said, letting him in. "I don't usually make Vulcan dishes, but, it's vegetarian, so..." she trailed off.

"It is a good choice, for a Terran dish," he said.

They sat opposite each other at the little table and ate mostly in silence. Tria was feeling extremely curious about him, but wasn't sure where to start the conversation. She hoped a little that maybe he would start it for her. Instead, she asked about his duties, which he explained in as much detail as she could manage at the moment. As a way to break conversation, she cleared the table when he finished eating and made a fresh pot of tea.

Tria filled the cup sitting in front of Spock. He thanked her and took a drink. He held out the cup, turning it in his hands and examining the design. "Chinese, I presume?"

"Korean. One of the many sets my mother has given me. She started my tea set collection when I was old enough to not break them. Every time she would go somewhere to examine pieces for a museum she would bring me one back."

Spock set the cup back down, sat back slightly, and steepled his fingers on the table. "Your mother works for a museum, then?"

"Many different ones, but most all of them on Earth. She really only ever leaves home to collect pieces, but her expertise is essentially Terran art history." She poured herself her own cup of tea.

Spock considered her for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Meyers, I'm curious what made your mother decide to raise you exclusively on Earth."

"Please, call me Tria." She took a sip of her tea and smiled into her cup. "Usually I do. As I said before, it's not something my family talks about much. But, if you tell me a story in return, I'll explain the whole thing."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "A story?"

"Yes. I'll tell you the story about why my mother raised me on Earth and then I would like you to tell me what it was like growing up on Vulcan." He continued to give her a quizzical look. "I didn't ask you to come so that I could talk about myself," she joked.

"I didn't realize you would be interested."

"Well," she set her cup down, "I have only actually visited Vulcan three times."

"I see. You had no interest in visiting your father, then?"

She shook her head. "That wasn't it. Why don't I answer your question," she suggested. "The circumstances surrounding my conception are...sensitive. She only told me how it happened once and I never pressed for any more information than she gave me. Honestly, it's a little embarrassing to talk about, you know?"

"I would not."

Tria looked back at him skeptically. "Of course you wouldn't," she smirked. "The easiest way to put it is that I was an accident. My mother did not even know that she was pregnant until after she came home to Earth and she was not certain if my father would even care to know. She told me that she decided when four weeks before I was due to send a message to Vulcan so he would know." She took a deep breath.

"She thought that he would not care?"

"He had no interest in continuing any relationship with her after the incident and the way he acted afterward gave her a bad impression of him."

"A bad impression?"

She took a drink, trying to think of a better way to put it. "He pissed her off."

Spock looked surprised at her bluntness. "Why?"

She shook her head. "Anyway," she continued, ignoring his question, "she had decided that it was wrong to keep it from him and he showed up a few weeks after I was born to see me. Mom told me that he wanted to take us both to Vulcan so that I could grow up there, learn the philosophies of Surak, and eventually achieve kolinahr. But, she wouldn't have any of it. She told me that, at the time, she had not met many Vulcans, and judged them based on my father's behaviors, especially on the way back to Earth. Since she'd decided she didn't like him, she had decided that she didn't want me to be like him, so I would not be raised on Vulcan or like a Vulcan."

"Her reaction is very illogical. If she had given him the opportunity to raise you on Vulcan, it would have been highly beneficial for your education."

"My education was perfectly fine, thank you," she quipped. "My mother taught me more about Earth history than any classroom could have done and I traveled as much as any child on board a starship would have."

"Regardless of how much you learned on Earth, I suspect that you don't know much about Vulcan history and culture. There is little you can read about our heritage in books. A great deal of Vulcan philosophy is passed on orally."

She shrugged. "Like I said, I have been to Vulcan a few times. Mom let my father take me there twice when I was a child and I visited him after I graduated from university. It is true I don't know nearly as much as I wish I did about Vulcan culture, but my father essentially gave up on trying to teach me anything after my second visit when I was twelve. I just didn't think it would be tactful to ask him to teach me anything after I was grown. Besides, things never go...well...while I'm on Vulcan." Her eyes dropped to her cup.

"What do you mean, things don't go 'well'?"

She pursed her lips. "Being Vulcan comes with certain...expectations. People I meet are always thrown that I'm not completely emotionless and stoic. With Vulcans, those expectations are magnified a great deal and I become very...self conscious. As much as I would love to spend time there and learn about my other half, I'm too afraid of what the pressure would be like. I always think of the day my father took me sightseeing in ShiKahr and I kept telling him how beautiful the city was. I remember people on the street staring at me, and me realizing that I was out of place and that I was probably embarrassing my father."

"I highly doubt that your father was embarrassed. A Vulcan does no experience such an emotion."

Tria shook her head and sighed. "Regardless of whether he was actually embarrassed, I was embarrassed for him. It was clear that I couldn't live up to Vulcan standards of behavior, so I've always been too afraid to go back. I only visited him after graduation because I felt that I should see him. At the very least, I know that he approved of my choice of career." She smiled, "And he told me that my Vulcan accent had become practically flawless since the last time we spoke."

"You speak Vulcan?" Spock looked intrigued. Tria couldn't help but smile at the slight light in his eyes.

"Of all the things that I could learn from tapes and books on Earth, it was the easiest. He started to teach me when I was eight, but I really didn't start to pick it up until I was a little older. It was my first second language."

"Fascinating."

"Lesek," she replied. Thank you.

He sat up a little straighter, clearly absorbed in the opportunity. "How long did you study Vulcan?"

"I started formal classes when I was thirteen. I would estimate almost ten years." Spock started to say something else, but Tria interrupted, saying; "You still have to tell me what it was like to grow up on Vulcan."

Spock cocked his head slightly to one side, considering her a moment. "Describing my entire childhood would take a very long time, Tria."

She smiled at the use of her first name. "Then answer my questions, as I have answered yours."

"Very well."

She sat back, amused. Tria questioned him for the better part of an hour, asking what games he played, what he did with his parents, and what school was like. When she asked him if he did anything for leisure, Spock revealed that he often played chess against Kirk and McCoy but also spent his time practicing on his Vulcan lute, or ka'athyra. Their conversation was interrupted when Spock was called to the bridge.

"We will have to continue this conversation tomorrow," Spock said, excusing himself as he stood. Instinctively, Tria reached across the table to stop him, lightly grasping his wrist.

"You must play for me," she said, her eyes beaming. Her heart was pounding, the conversation had put her in an incredible mood. He lingered a moment, as though something were keeping him there. A faint bit of creasing appeared at the corner of his eyes, as though her request amused him, but his discipline dare not allow him any more signs of it.

"When I am off-duty," he confirmed. She let her hand slip from his arm, smiling warmly.

"Good. I look forward to it."