A Pragmatic Theory of Truth - 10/25
Jun. 15th, 2010 07:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leandraholmesTitle: A Pragmatic Theory of Truth
Chapter: 10 of 25 (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9)
Word count: 1222 (~ 55,000 in total)
Authors:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
petbubble and leandralocke
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG - NC-17
Summary: One and a half years before the destruction of Vulcan, Spock meets an extraordinary young cadet during a lecture at Starfleet Academy. Their initial encounter is brief but intense, and affects both of them in ways they could never have imagined.
Authors' notes Thanks toblueeyed_secret for beta-reading.
This is our first multi-chapter Spock/Uhura fic, but it has been completed for a while. We are currently already working on follow-ups, so there's no need to worry that this might never be completed. We're just editing it chapter by chapter and having it beta-read now and should post a new chapter every few days.
The story is also online at Fanfiction.net
Spock walked through the sliding doors to Captain Pike's office exactly seven minutes after having received a message from him. The corridors in the building that hosted the private quarters and offices of the senior officers were unusually busy that day, personnel filing in and out to deliver messages, lead officers to their temporary quarters or to attend meetings with the executive staff. All in all no surprise regarding the circumstances.
"You wanted to see me, Captain," Spock said as he spotted Pike, standing by one of the windows, overlooking the grounds.
"Yes. Sit down, Spock," Pike replied, taking a last look out of the window before turning around to face into the office. Normally displaying a relaxed posture when off the bridge, there was a noticeable tension in his shoulders as he picked up a PADD, glancing at Spock as he scrolled down. "I take it you know that the Achilles has still not been in contact?"
Spock nodded as he took the offered seat although, except for politeness, there was no reason for him to sit down. "Yes, sir, I received a report of the Admiral's briefing half an hour ago," he replied then. "I presume you wish to discuss the possible consequences of the conflict?"
Pike sat on the edge of his desk, nodding as Spock spoke. "Starfleet has had intelligence that two Klingon warbirds were seen in the same region of space hours before contact was lost. Now the ‘men upstairs'…," he rolled his eyes slightly as he said this, continuing: "…are anxious that there's been some kind of incursion by our old friends." Although he was captain of a starship, and thus the sole voice of authority on the bridge, when in private with his officers, Pike displayed a more relaxed attitude. "Word is – if the Achilles hasn't been in contact by oh-seven-hundred hours on Thursday, the fleet is being gathered."
Spock realized what the possible conclusion to this conversation would be. He was, after all, a Starfleet officer and had only taken the job as instructor temporarily until further notice because the peaceful and uneventful times allowed it. If the conflict with the Klingons, however, would turn into a war-like scenario, then of course he would have to resume his duty on board of the Enterprise, unless Pike gave him a choice. He had to think of his students in that moment, wondering if they would get an adequate substitute that would allow for them to continue their course without any negative consequences. Nevertheless…
"I will be ready to serve as your first officer if you want me to, Captain," he said as he looked back up at Pike.
"Good," Pike said firmly, as if there had been no question that he would have picked anyone other than the Vulcan. "I don't agree with this over-reaction of the admirals, but we go where we're told, don't we?" He didn't wait for a reply to his question, which Spock realized was rhetorical in nature. Pike leaned forward, resting his forearm on his thigh as he spoke: "It's a shame that this will mean you have to leave your position here at the Academy. I hear reports that you've been a fine instructor. You thinkin' of leaving me for life as a teacher?"
Spock's brow furrowed for a moment as he looked from the captain to some place in the general direction of the adjacent wall. When he had left Vulcan to enlist in Starfleet Academy, his ambition had always been serving on a spaceship as science officer one day, and he had successfully managed to get his desired post within much shorter time than most of his fellow cadets had. He had always thought, and mostly still did, that the position best fitted his talents and abilities. However, over the past months he had found out that he did in fact perform well as an instructor. His students were making remarkable progress, he made contributions to several research and development programs, and he even was often consulted by older colleagues – all of which were signs that he was a suitable person for the profession of an instructor. However, up until this point, he had always just seen it as a temporary assignment.
Searching Pike's eyes, Spock's eyebrows briefly twitched upwards and he tilted his head slightly. "I admit I have not yet thought about it. Do you think it would be advisable for me to pursue this career path instead of serving on a starship?"
Pike surprised him by laughing then, an unusual response though not totally unexpected. "Spock, for purely selfish reasons I'd say no. You're a damn good science officer, and a first-rate second in command. Your logic has been a grounder more times than you probably realize. However, young man…" and Pike smiled slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting as he said this, knowing that Spock would not take offense at the familiarity, before continuing in a more serious tone. "…this is your career, and as much as I believe you're an asset to the fleet, you have to make your own decision in this matter. Is it something you want to do for the rest of your career?"
"What I want is irrelevant," he said, logically, as ‘wanting' implied an emotional attachment to a job, which in itself was illogical. However, it had been purely for such reasons that he had rejected the Vulcan Science Academy, not wanting to spend the rest of his professional life with people that saw him as something flawed, that regarded his mother as a ‘disadvantage'. At that moment he had almost even wanted to tell the council something entirely different than what he had, if polite, reasonable and respectful behavior hadn't been drilled into him from his early childhood days on so deeply.
Suddenly and unsought for an image came to life in his mind, and he asked himself why, in this context, he would think of cadet Uhura. Maybe just a trick caused by pleasant memories and the fact that she was one of his most distinguished students. One that working with clearly had its rewarding aspects. Would he ‘miss' passing knowledge to young and promising students and seeing the progress they made – due to his work and his ability to teach? He probably would. Same as he ‘missed' – even if he would never express it like that openly – his home world. But that alone didn't suffice to shape important decisions that would have a severe impact on his entire future.
"However, I would welcome another opportunity to serve on board of the Enterprise," he then concluded, knowing that in the long run this was where he wanted to be.
Watching him carefully, Pike merely nodded before standing, a shadow of a smile on his face, and returned to the large window, his back to Spock as he looked out across the Academy grounds. "Very well, Spock. I won't waste breath telling you to stay alert, but let's hope this thing gets sorted before we're needed, huh?" Folding his arms behind his back, it was clear that the conversation was over, more so when Pike's internal communicator beeped loudly, and he turned to look at Spock, nodding a dismissal.
For the moment, everything was clear.
~ TBC ~
Chapter 11
A/N: As you can see we're posting two chapters again because they're so short ;-) Please let us know if you like them.
Chapter: 10 of 25 (1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9)
Word count: 1222 (~ 55,000 in total)
Authors:
petbubble and leandralockeGenre: Romance
Rating: PG - NC-17
Summary: One and a half years before the destruction of Vulcan, Spock meets an extraordinary young cadet during a lecture at Starfleet Academy. Their initial encounter is brief but intense, and affects both of them in ways they could never have imagined.
Authors' notes Thanks to
blueeyed_secret for beta-reading. This is our first multi-chapter Spock/Uhura fic, but it has been completed for a while. We are currently already working on follow-ups, so there's no need to worry that this might never be completed. We're just editing it chapter by chapter and having it beta-read now and should post a new chapter every few days.
The story is also online at Fanfiction.net
Spock walked through the sliding doors to Captain Pike's office exactly seven minutes after having received a message from him. The corridors in the building that hosted the private quarters and offices of the senior officers were unusually busy that day, personnel filing in and out to deliver messages, lead officers to their temporary quarters or to attend meetings with the executive staff. All in all no surprise regarding the circumstances.
"You wanted to see me, Captain," Spock said as he spotted Pike, standing by one of the windows, overlooking the grounds.
"Yes. Sit down, Spock," Pike replied, taking a last look out of the window before turning around to face into the office. Normally displaying a relaxed posture when off the bridge, there was a noticeable tension in his shoulders as he picked up a PADD, glancing at Spock as he scrolled down. "I take it you know that the Achilles has still not been in contact?"
Spock nodded as he took the offered seat although, except for politeness, there was no reason for him to sit down. "Yes, sir, I received a report of the Admiral's briefing half an hour ago," he replied then. "I presume you wish to discuss the possible consequences of the conflict?"
Pike sat on the edge of his desk, nodding as Spock spoke. "Starfleet has had intelligence that two Klingon warbirds were seen in the same region of space hours before contact was lost. Now the ‘men upstairs'…," he rolled his eyes slightly as he said this, continuing: "…are anxious that there's been some kind of incursion by our old friends." Although he was captain of a starship, and thus the sole voice of authority on the bridge, when in private with his officers, Pike displayed a more relaxed attitude. "Word is – if the Achilles hasn't been in contact by oh-seven-hundred hours on Thursday, the fleet is being gathered."
Spock realized what the possible conclusion to this conversation would be. He was, after all, a Starfleet officer and had only taken the job as instructor temporarily until further notice because the peaceful and uneventful times allowed it. If the conflict with the Klingons, however, would turn into a war-like scenario, then of course he would have to resume his duty on board of the Enterprise, unless Pike gave him a choice. He had to think of his students in that moment, wondering if they would get an adequate substitute that would allow for them to continue their course without any negative consequences. Nevertheless…
"I will be ready to serve as your first officer if you want me to, Captain," he said as he looked back up at Pike.
"Good," Pike said firmly, as if there had been no question that he would have picked anyone other than the Vulcan. "I don't agree with this over-reaction of the admirals, but we go where we're told, don't we?" He didn't wait for a reply to his question, which Spock realized was rhetorical in nature. Pike leaned forward, resting his forearm on his thigh as he spoke: "It's a shame that this will mean you have to leave your position here at the Academy. I hear reports that you've been a fine instructor. You thinkin' of leaving me for life as a teacher?"
Spock's brow furrowed for a moment as he looked from the captain to some place in the general direction of the adjacent wall. When he had left Vulcan to enlist in Starfleet Academy, his ambition had always been serving on a spaceship as science officer one day, and he had successfully managed to get his desired post within much shorter time than most of his fellow cadets had. He had always thought, and mostly still did, that the position best fitted his talents and abilities. However, over the past months he had found out that he did in fact perform well as an instructor. His students were making remarkable progress, he made contributions to several research and development programs, and he even was often consulted by older colleagues – all of which were signs that he was a suitable person for the profession of an instructor. However, up until this point, he had always just seen it as a temporary assignment.
Searching Pike's eyes, Spock's eyebrows briefly twitched upwards and he tilted his head slightly. "I admit I have not yet thought about it. Do you think it would be advisable for me to pursue this career path instead of serving on a starship?"
Pike surprised him by laughing then, an unusual response though not totally unexpected. "Spock, for purely selfish reasons I'd say no. You're a damn good science officer, and a first-rate second in command. Your logic has been a grounder more times than you probably realize. However, young man…" and Pike smiled slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting as he said this, knowing that Spock would not take offense at the familiarity, before continuing in a more serious tone. "…this is your career, and as much as I believe you're an asset to the fleet, you have to make your own decision in this matter. Is it something you want to do for the rest of your career?"
"What I want is irrelevant," he said, logically, as ‘wanting' implied an emotional attachment to a job, which in itself was illogical. However, it had been purely for such reasons that he had rejected the Vulcan Science Academy, not wanting to spend the rest of his professional life with people that saw him as something flawed, that regarded his mother as a ‘disadvantage'. At that moment he had almost even wanted to tell the council something entirely different than what he had, if polite, reasonable and respectful behavior hadn't been drilled into him from his early childhood days on so deeply.
Suddenly and unsought for an image came to life in his mind, and he asked himself why, in this context, he would think of cadet Uhura. Maybe just a trick caused by pleasant memories and the fact that she was one of his most distinguished students. One that working with clearly had its rewarding aspects. Would he ‘miss' passing knowledge to young and promising students and seeing the progress they made – due to his work and his ability to teach? He probably would. Same as he ‘missed' – even if he would never express it like that openly – his home world. But that alone didn't suffice to shape important decisions that would have a severe impact on his entire future.
"However, I would welcome another opportunity to serve on board of the Enterprise," he then concluded, knowing that in the long run this was where he wanted to be.
Watching him carefully, Pike merely nodded before standing, a shadow of a smile on his face, and returned to the large window, his back to Spock as he looked out across the Academy grounds. "Very well, Spock. I won't waste breath telling you to stay alert, but let's hope this thing gets sorted before we're needed, huh?" Folding his arms behind his back, it was clear that the conversation was over, more so when Pike's internal communicator beeped loudly, and he turned to look at Spock, nodding a dismissal.
For the moment, everything was clear.
~ TBC ~
Chapter 11
A/N: As you can see we're posting two chapters again because they're so short ;-) Please let us know if you like them.
