Full Circle – Part I

Author’s note:

1.  Author reserves the right to change this title.  I am not totally satisfied with it, but I cannot find a title that fits this story to save my life.

2.  I know what I said (famous last words) about posting this story in it’s entirety.   It’s not going to work because I A) did a MAJOR re-edit to it in the last two days and Part 2 is now where Part 1 was only two days ago; and, B)  I was going to hold off on posting it until after the re-edit was complete, but then I had to go and open my BIG mouth and say that I was posting it on Friday.  I cannot make you wait another week for me to get my act together, so I’m just going to put up Part 1 and sink or swim based on it’s reception.

BTW:  Before someone asks, the action of this story takes place several weeks after the action in SPAT.  You will need to be familiar with that story to understand who and what I’m talking about in this story.

Also, I’ve rated the story PG-13 (for innuendo only) Gaila finally makes her appearance so naturally along with her comes her own brand of mischief making.

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Part 1 – Girlfriends

“You are so dead, Nyota Uhura!”

The shout came from across the crowded tavern and Nyota glanced up from the shot glass of Jack Daniels poised at her lips.  The other three heads at Nyota’s table turned simultaneously at the loud, irritated voice.

Gaila.

“Why am I always the last one to find out everything?  I’m your roommate, for crying out loud.  A girl goes away for survival training on Mars for a few weeks only to come back to hear all about the hot Vulcan you’ve had attached to your hip for the last month.”

At the mention of “hot Vulcan” and “hip”, several other interested patrons in Bunkie’s Tavern now turned to regard the fuming Orion female.

Nyota’s heart instantly stopped beating in her chest.  OMG! She screamed silently in her head as she thought about the secret she had carefully kept hidden from everyone with the exception of Jenusia.  If Gaila knew about her and Spock then surely half of Starfleet Academy now knew.  If even half of the students in the Academy knew, then surely Admiral Barnett knew by now and if Admiral Barnett even half-suspected that she was carrying on a romantic relationship with an instructor and superior officer then there was no use even rushing back to her dorm to pack her bags, for the bags were bound to have been packed already and on their way to Tanzania.  And soon, very soon she would be joining them, most likely while riding out of San Francisco on a rail.

Strickened, she glanced at Jenusia, the silent scream, she was certain, having now immobilized her face.

Jenusia said nothing and merely slid her Bud Classic over in front of her friend.

Gaila, having now reached the table, slammed her handbag down and pulled up a stool.  She had another bone to pick with Nyota.

“When we landed an hour ago, I saw Cadet Ruta in the shuttle bay and you know how she likes to gossip; she was the first one who came at me with questions, asking me if I had met “him” yet” and what was “he” really like, and was it true that “he” could actually laugh.  It took me ten minutes to understand who it was she was raving about.  And when I left, I couldn’t even make it back to the dorm without every other female on campus stopping me in the quad to get the latest news, as they put it, straight from the horse’s mouth.  Not only am I extremely angry at you, Nyota, for keeping such a huge secret from me, but I am also mildly disturbed that everyone assumes I’m some sort of equine fount of knowledge!  Even though I haven’t seen him, I can’t believe you’re keeping such a gorgeous guy all to yourself!  I’d share all my boyfriends with you, if you went in for that sort of thing!”

It immediately dawned on Nyota who Gaila was actually referring to and she finally let herself breath.

“Oh!  You’re talking about my Vulcan friend, Selkek!”

Gaila regarded Nyota incredulously.  “Of course I’m talking about this Selkek person!  Who else would I be talking about?”

Jenusia slid her beer back.

Hanew, wanting to get in on the conversation, suddenly beamed enthusiastically, her eyes glazing over.

“Oh, yes, Selkek is extremely hot!  I’m talking about photon torpedo hot!  Tall and muscular with the body of a roman god.  I got the chance to go out with him last week.  We attended a modern art exhibit and I was the envy of every woman in the place.  Too bad we were not a very good fit, though–empaths and telepaths–there was a very strange sort of vibe in the room all night, almost as if we canceled each other’s energy out or something.  You’ll have to ask Sandra what she thought of him; she went out with him just two nights ago.”

Gaila’s face contorted.  “Wait a minute, Sandra’s gone out with him before I got my chance; Sandra doesn’t even like guys!”

“Hey,” exclaimed Sandra, not liking Gaila’s tone one little bit, “I like guys, so long as they are clean.  You grow up with four smelly farm boy brothers on an agricultural planet and see how much you like being around b.o.  Anyway, that’s beside the point, Vulcan’s are very sanitary, perhaps even more sanitary than women.   He was nice and I guess we had fun, but I don’t think I was his type, he didn’t mention anything about going out again.”

Gaila turned back to Nyota, the frown on her face hadn’t softened one little bit while counting off on her fingers.  “Sub-space radio, video-messaging, even antiquated postal service—I have a communications expert for a friend and she doesn’t even bother communicating such a vital piece of news to me.  Why am I just hearing about him now?”

“Because you were on Mars, Gaila, Mars!  Sheesh, cut me some slack!”

“Please tell me that I haven’t missed my chance to have a go?”

Everyone at the table knew exactly what Gaila meant by “having a go”.

“Gaila, I love you like my sister, but I have to say, I don’t think Selkek is your type.  He’s very conservative.”

“But Ruta says that he’s not one of these garden variety Vulcan’s like Commander Spock, always walking around with a stick up his–.”

Nyota, not wishing to hear the end of that sentence, cut Gaila off.  “Selkek is what other Vulcan’s call V’tosh Ka’tur and although he might let people see him smile on occasion and eat a piece of sushi now and again, he is still very reserved; too reserved for you.”

“You could at least introduce me to him and let him make up his own mind.  I promise I won’t bite… well,” Gaila smiled seductively, “not on the first date anyway.”

Nyota rolled her eyes.  “Give it up Gaila; he’s not the one for you.”

“Great!  You won’t let me anywhere near him, but you permit these three slags date him!”

Jenusia took issue with that.  “Hey, watch who you’re calling a slag.  And if you must know, I have not gone out with him nor am I likely to.”

Nyota grinned at the others around the table knowingly and nudged Jenusia with her elbow.  “But, I’m working on her.”

Jenusia looked heavenward.  “I keep telling you, Nyota, you can work on me all you want but I’m not going for it; I’m off men!”

Gaila was immediately scandalized at such a horrifying thought.  “Jenusia, you are such a little innocent.  Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you can be off men, but there’s absolutely no reason to be “off” men.”  She waggled her red eyebrows suggestively.

Jenusia scoffed while asking the appropriate Troyan deity for patience.  “Gaila, can’t you control yourself for ten minutes.  Look at you; you haven’t even been back on Earth for an hour and you are already scheming on some poor, defenseless Vulcan.”

“Vulcan males have the strength of three human males; hardly defenseless.”  Gaila suddenly thought about what she had just said for a second and what that could mean for her and momentarily lost her focus.

“I think you should go out with Selkek, Jen,” said Hanew, in her sensible, no nonsense sort of way.  “He’s so very polite and tall and with you being tall yourself and polite, when you want to be, I think you two would get along well.”

“And don’t tell him about your love of shopping or about your enormous shoe collection and I think you will be alright,” added Sandra, sagely.

Nyota had always thought that of her four good friends, Jenusia would probably get along with Selkek the best.  Selkek’s curious openness would be the perfect complement to Jenusia’s inquisitive and loyal disposition.

“And you know,” added Nyota for good measure, “Selkek really is very interesting.  Did I ever tell you that he has a double doctorate in both Astrophysics and Quantum Mechanics?”

“Only about eight times,” replied Jenusia rolling her eyes.

“And, when he returns to the Vulcan Science Academy next semester, he’s going to complete a degree in comparative psychology.  And since psychology is your minor, you two should have soooo much to talk about.”

“Give it a rest, Ny!”

“But the most interesting fact about him is that once he completes that degree, he’s going to concentrate on botany and agricultural terra-forming for the next several years; he’s very well rounded.”

“How delightful,” exclaimed Jenusia in full sarcastic mode, “Just who my uncle, the King, wants to see me bring home for the holidays, a farmer.”

“Hey!” cried Sandra, offended.

“See,” said Gaila pointing a green finger indignantly at the Troyan, “she doesn’t even want him and you have a great friend, sitting right here, ready and willing to devote her entire body to making sure that Selkek’s last weeks on Earth are–.”

“Stop it, Gaila,” replied Nyota, raising her hand to prevent her roommate from speaking any more nonsense.  “I told you; you and Selkek would be a complete disaster; apples and oranges, oil and water; Klingons and…and everybody else.” She turned back to Jenusia, putting just a hint of a whine in her voice.  “Come on Jen; what could it hurt to go out with him.  He has told me, on several occasions that he really enjoys meeting all of my friends and how would it look if my best friend, of all people, keeps avoiding him.”

“What am I, chopped rokeg blood pie?” said Gaila, annoyed at being so easily dismissed.

Nyota ignored her roommate.  “And I’ve told him all about you; how pretty you are, how intelligent–.”

“You could have at least mentioned my intelligence first.”

“Men don’t care about intelligence,” mumbled Gaila, petulantly.

“Vulcan males do; they like it and appreciate it.  Vulcan males have very discerning and discriminating natures.  They especially value women who take the development of their minds seriously.  Vulcan’s are highly evolved.”

“Sheesh,” snapped Gaila, peevishly, “who died and made you Vulcan expert all of a sudden?”

Nyota puffed out a great deal of air and chose to ignore that statement as well.  “Jen, I hope your bad experience with Jim Kirk hasn’t ruined all other men for you.  Believe me; Selkek and Kirk are not even in the same league.”

“Hold up,” said Gaila in a sudden flash epiphany, “that means that Jim Kirk is back on the market, doesn’t it?  I guess I don’t need to meet this Selkek after all.”

Nyota whipped around.  “You wouldn’t dare!”

“If she doesn’t want Jim, then why, may I ask, can’t I have him?”

“It’s too soon!” chorused Nyota, Hanew, and Sandra in unison, coming to Jenusia’s defense.

Gaila ignored them all.  “If I run back to the dorm right now, I can just catch him before he heads off to the gym.”  She slapped the table three times.  “Gotta run ladies! Luck favors the prepared!”  Gaila flew off the stool and dashed out, her bright, curly red hair disappearing out of the door.

“Unbelievable!” exclaimed Sandra.

“She has absolutely no sense of proper dating decorum,” added Hanew.

Nyota watched her friend, knowing that Gaila’s insensitivity had probably hurt Jenusia deeply.

Jenusia sat on her stool in silence for a full minute before surprising them all by shrugging her shoulders.  “She can’t help it; she is an Orion, after all.  We must make allowances.”

“Allowances, my Aunt Fanny; that’s no excuse,” replied Nyota, indignant.  “Old boyfriends are always off limits.  Everybody knows that!  You don’t see any of us running off after the likes of Jim Kirk, as if we would.  It’s just not done!”

Jenusia lifted her glass of Bud Classic and smiled contentedly, “But why should I care?  I have a hot Vulcan farmer waiting to meet me.”

To be continued…