Chapter Text
Vulcan, Stardate 2344.5
Fourteen year-old Spock tried his best to keep his emotions in check. He truly did. But he couldn’t help the rage that burst out of him every time one of his colleagues insulted his mixed heritage or his Human mother.
“ – the Human whore –” Spock didn’t give Stonn the chance to finish insulting his mother, he attacked with a shout and knocked him down, hitting him over and over again, not caring that he had all his emotions on display, that he had ruined whatever hope he had of passing as a true Vulcan.
When his father picked him up from his school he didn’t seem disappointed, almost like he expected Spock to react this way, to lose control because of his disadvantage – because of his mother and her contribution to his frustrating existence.
“Why did you marry my mother?”
“As the Vulcan ambassador to Earth, it was only logical I take a human wife to solidify my ties with the planet.”
Of course it was logical. Was it logical for him to be alienated based on his father’s diplomatic decision? Was it logical for his pure Vulcan classmates to smugly mock and insult him regularly?
There was nothing logical about it, and if this was how the people of Vulcan viewed logic then he had to wonder how his mother’s people lived without depending too much on it.
Spock sought out his mother when he arrived home, he found her in the sitting room with I-Chaya, their saber-toothed pet sehlat, and reading Terran news on her PADD.
“Mother, do I have cousins on Earth that I might be put in contact with?”
Amanda set down her tea mug and faced him. “No, I’m afraid not, sweetie. Why, is there something you wanted to know about Earth?”
“I wanted to conduct a brief study on the difference between Vulcans and Humans in my age-group, but through regular contact.”
Amanda smiled. “A pen pal, you mean?”
“What is a pen pal?”
With quick few swipes across the screen of her PADD Amanda brought out the website of Starfleet and handed it to Spock. It was open on a particular page called Starfleet’s Intergalactic Pen Pals.
“It’s a system set up to encourage interaction between countries or planets and to try and lessen xenophobia,” she explained, anticipation in her dark eyes, ones so much like his own. “You enter your information, interests and planet and the planet or country you’d like to be connect to and you’re matched with a pen pal. You exchange messages back forth, getting to know each other, learning about each other’s homes, customs and lives. I really advise you try it.”
Spock couldn’t help it, he was excited and scared at the same time. He carefully typed in his name, age, planet and interests, chose Earth and his mother’s country of America and submitted.
Within a minute the screen lit up with his match, a James T. Kirk.
-
Half a day later, full of expectant glances towards his PADD and slight worry, Spock’s brief “Greetings, James Kirk, I am Spock of House Surak and I wish to establish a mutually beneficial and regular exchange of messages with you,” got a loud, beeping response.
Hey!
When I picked Vulcan on the SIPP page I didn’t think somebody would actually answer me. Not that I’m not glad you did, but, dude, why are you so formal? You kinda sound like an AI. It’s okay, I’m not an English teacher so you can drop all the vocab words.
Unless that’s how you actually talk, then never mind!
Anyway…Hi, I’m Jim, I’m from Riverside, Iowa, it’s this cold, empty, backwater farming land. I actually grew up on a farm (I still live there, sorta). Do you have farms on Vulcan? What’s the Vulcan version of a chicken or a cow?
Hope you answer before Frank gets home so I can get back to you just as fast!
Talk to you later,
Jim
Spock quickly responded.
Hello, James
I didn’t believe anyone would respond to me as well, and I shall try to ‘drop all the vocab words’ as you say.
I am from the city of ShiKahr, it is what you would call a capital city, it is more industrial than the rest of Vulcan and has all the major governmental outposts and embassies. My father is the Vulcan ambassador to Earth, that is why I chose your planet.
We do not have farms on Vulcan as we do not eat animals, we are strictly vegetarian in our diet and I don’t believe there is a Vulcan version of a cow but we do have a few flightless birds in the Grand Desert.
Who is Frank?
Best regards,
Spock
Almost ten minutes later, a response arrived with a loud beep and Spock’s rush of excitement increased.
Call me Jim, only my teachers and the police call me James.
Cool, your dad is an ambassador, but, if he’s Vulcan’s link to Earth how come you guys don’t live on Earth? Do you live there on and off or is like your mother or your dad’s mother human to keep with the whole linking-the-two-worlds thing?
You’re all vegetarian? Damn, that sucks, I mean if some people want to be vegetarian or vegan or whatever, that’s fine, but everyone?
If you ever visit I’m taking you out for a burger, deal?
‘Best regards’, how formal, I guess I could be down with that, so…
Best wishes?
Jim
Spock felt himself smile at the message but he stopped himself before anymore of these calm but interesting emotions did more than make his heart pound just a bit faster.