Chapter Text
Septhera has never been able to recall a time where Spock was not by her side. Even as they matured into adulthood and Spock rejected the offer to attend the Vulcan Science Academy in order to join Starfleet, his numerous communications gave an illusion that he was not gone. It was only three years later that Septhera joined Starfleet herself, deliberately ignoring the Vulcan Science Academy, and was reunited with her brother.
The first day she had landed on Earth – a place she had not been since she was 16 – she immediately noticed how well life in the disciplined, refined science division of Starfleet suited her older brother. She had only been there a year when he was given the titles of Commander and Grandmaster as well as a teaching position at Starfleet Academy. Although she would not openly express such emotion to her brother, who would disprove such action, Septhera was bursting with pride as Spock was praised on his graduation day and ensured that she took pictures to send home to her mother.
Septhera discovered something she had long suspected since she was eight and first met a Starfleet officer – a sense of belonging. She enjoyed her time at the Academy. However, the first two years at the Academy were, in a sense, lonely. Experience with school on Vulcan taught her that socialisation with half-breeds was frowned upon, and communications with the human friends she had made during her school exchange were sparse, as they were all embarking on their own careers. The first person she truly came to know at Starfleet that was not her brother was Nyota Uhura.
She could not hide her surprise when a young, dark-skinned woman sat herself down across from her during a break time, looking up from her advanced theoretical physics textbook at the noise of the tray hitting the table. The two women looked at each other for a moment before Septhera decided that she would follow the old human saying and ‘break the ice’.
“I do not believe that we have been introduced. I do not recognise you from any of my classes.”
“We don’t have any classes together.”
Septhera risked letting confusion into her voice, “Then I do not understand why you are sitting with me.”
The woman smiled, not unkindly, Septhera noted, “My boyfriend has been dating me for about three months now and he neglected to mention that he had a sister so, it makes sense to me that he neglected to tell you about me. So I thought I might as well cut out the middle man and come and say introduce myself.”
With that, she extended her hand to Septhera, “Nyota Uhura. I’m Spock’s student and girlfriend.”
Looking back at this meeting, Septhera decided that her expression must have looked quite comical to make Nyota laugh as she did. Slowly, Septhera shook Nyota’s hand and responded, “Septhera. And you are correct, Spock is my brother and yes, he also neglected to mention your existence.”
“Hmmm. Thought he might have.” Nyota picked up an apple from her lunch tray and bit into it, “I understand he wants to keep us on the down low, for the sake of my future career as well as his, but if he wants to be serious, I think that someone who should know should be his sister, for god’s sake.”
Septhera watched Nyota thoughtfully, “There are four possible theories for why he did not introduce us. One would be disapproval, which is immediately void because I prefer to encourage emotions such as love. Two would be shame, which is possible but not out of shame of you or myself – it would be shame at admitting he has an emotional attachment to another being. Three would be that we would hate each other, that theory is yet to be proven or disproven or four, which to me seems the most likely, that we would end up liking each other too much to my brother’s preference and could conspire to, as humans say, ‘make his life a living hell’.”
Nyota watched Septhera rattle off her list in silence. Once she was done, Nyota swallowed her piece of apple and responded with questions.
“Democrat or Republican?”
“Irrelevant. I’m Vulcan.”
“Prejudices?”
“Hate is discouraged as a Vulcan. My personal prejudices, however, are against people who are prejudiced themselves.”
“Women’s rights?”
“Obviously.”
“Religion?”
“As previously mentioned, I am Vulcan.” Nyota shrugged, “We should get on fine.”
Septhera nodded, “So it must be theories two or four. We should speak to my brother together to discover this.”
Nyota smirked, “I like your thinking.”
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As they discovered, it was mostly theory two but there was definitely some theory four in Spock’s logic. Nyota became a sister-figure to Septhera, who grew up with only a mother as a female role model. She sat with her at lunch times, introduced her to some music – Septhera discovered that she liked the sound of her singing voice – and Septhera assisted her with her Vulcan pronounciation so that Nyota could impress Spock. However, he was not impressed when Septhera taught Nyota the Vulcan equivalent of ‘go to hell’, and when Nyota encouraged her to follow a career in Security and to look into joining the Starfleet Academy European Swordsmanship Club.
It took Septhera some convincing on Nyota’s part, but if Septhera was honest, she had often watched the club practice in the quadrangle with great fascination. So when semester started again, on the first day of the club’s practice, she sought out the leader, a young man of Korean descent, and said to him, “May I politely request that you teach me how to use a sword?”
Others laughed at the half-Vulcan woman standing determined in front of the astonished swordsman. Another, a man who, Septhera had learnt later, had many, many years of training in both arts of historical and modern swordsmanship, approached her and told her to ‘return to the sandbox’ where she belonged.
The leader turned to the aggressor, “Lothar, stop it.”
Septhera looked between the men, “How about a duel? Is that the correct term? If I am satisfactory according to your standards, you will train me. If not, I shall leave.”
Before the leader could intervene, Lothar laughed and grabbed a sword off a nearby table, tossing it at her feet, “Good luck.”
Septhera was no stranger to fighting. She knew both basic and advanced hand-to-hand combat techniques, and was an excellent marksman with her phaser. However, she had never used a weapon in hand-to-hand combat before and, if she was honest, did quite poorly. She was knocked down five times, each harder than the last, before the leader was finally able to make Lothar to stop. However, Septhera got back on her feet and insisted the fight continue.
He looked at her firmly, “No. This fight is over.”
Septhera’s face flared green, but she remained silent. The leader walked over to Septhera, looking from the sword she held back to her face, “What’s your name?”
“Septhera.”
He smiled, “Do you want to grab some coffee, Septhera?”
For the first time since Septhera walked into the room, she was at a loss for words, “Excuse me?”
He looked over his shoulder, “Break time. Ten minutes! And when we get back, I want us to do some weight lifting, 30 reps. You can thank Lothar”
Septhera heard unanimous groaning behind them as they left and headed towards the cafeteria on the other side of the quadrangle. She politely request water instead and sat with him as he waited for his coffee.
“I do apologise, but I never received your name.” Septhera inquired as he sat down
“Oh, Hikaru. Hikaru Sulu.” He smiled at her, holding out his hand, Septhera quickly taking it, “You okay? Lothar’s a big bastard and he’s also quite mean.”
“I am merely bruised. No dire injury was incurred.” She reassured Hikaru
Hikaru nodded, “Good. Listen, if I judged you based on your sword skills alone, you would have lost your deal. However, I’ve never seen any go three rounds with Lothar, let alone five, and still keep going. That means you’ve got a determination in you that our club definitely needs more of.”
Septhera raised an eyebrow at him, “Does this mean that you will teach me?”
At that moment, Hikaru’s coffee arrived. Taking a large sip, he stood up and looked down at her, “If you want to get started, I’m right over there.”
Septhera watched him start to leave and, after paying for her water, was quick to follow.
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Hikaru and Septhera became quite close during their time as student and mentor. She learnt that he started at Starfleet only a year after she did and that he was majoring in advanced botany, which Septhera found fascinating. He invited her to social events with the club, which she would attend once in a while between studies. The club itself even warmed up to her a bit. Lothar and Septhera developed a healthy rivalry once Septhera was able to knock Lothar down five months after she started training. It didn’t mean that Septhera liked him, but it was nice to not hear anti-Vulcan and anti-mixed race slurs muttered from behind her back whenever she entered the room.
Septhera only realised how close she had become with Hikaru when he introduced one of his boyfriends to her when she ran into them together in San Francisco. Septhera did not quite understand when he had been quite hesitant to tell her – on Vulcan, while relationships between people of the same gender was not promoted, nor was it condemned and was condemned less so with the introduction of incubators – she researched the history of such relationships on Earth and soon understood the significance of Hikaru’s honesty, feeling a little honoured that he respected her enough to tell her.
So when Hikaru came to have lunch with her two weeks later with a young dark-haired boy of around 15 or 16 years old, she was understandably confused.
“Hey, Thera” Hikaru greeted her with the nickname he created not long after they became friends, “What are you up to?”
“Studying tactical analysis to apply to the Kobayashi Maru examination. My turn is in three months and I wish to achieve the best possible result as my brother designed the scenario” Septhera looked over at the anxious looking boy, “I thought you were currently courting the young man from Midos V?”
The young boy turned red and spluttered while Hikaru’s cheeks tinged pink, “Um… he’s not my boyfriend, Thera. He’s a new fast-track recruit that I volunteered to show around campus…”
Septhera looked back and forth from them until she had a sudden realisation. She had just revealed his sexuality to a complete stranger and, in Earth customs, this was frowned upon. So she did as she had seen humans do in these situations: she gasped and covered her mouth before beginning her apology.
“I apologise profusely, Hikaru. I did not mean to reveal something so personal in front of someone you do not know!”
Hikaru looked her with a strange look on his face, “…Did you just gasp?”
It was Septhera’s turn to look at him strangely, “Is that not what you do when you wish to express realisation and apologise for a mistake?”
Hikaru laughed. Septhera noted that he did that often. But he wasn’t the only one that laughed. The young boy standing next to him laughed as well.
“Oh, vow, you veren’t kidding vhen you zaid that she vas an interesting character” the boy said in his first words to her, revealing a strong Eastern European accent, “My name is Pavel Andreievich Chekov. Hikaru zaid that he vanted me to meet you before he showed me around ze place.”
“I’m Septhera. Pavel Chekov? You are the new student coming into my theoretical advanced physics class.”
Pavel smiled, “Yes, zat’s me. I got in on a scholarship. I vas wery lucky.”
Septhera gestured to the table, “Please, come and join me. I have much to discuss with you. Hikaru, you too. I will repay my mistake with purchasing the food that you prefer the most.”
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They spent all afternoon talking and went back to Hikaru’s room for even further conversation. Although being quite young, Septhera found quite a mature mind behind Pavel’s youth and the three of them became quite close. At one point, they even had a ‘prank war’ which Septhera researched into and eventually won when Pavel was scared out of his room by a robotic dead mouse that she planted into his bed. Just as Hikaru had reassured her, they had found it quite humorous.
Spock, however, did not.
“You manipulated Ensign Chekov’s fear for your own amusement in the name of… ‘pranking’?” Spock’s face was neutral but Septhera could hear the disapproval in his voice. Ever since she had graduated from the academy and, after a semester on the USS Intrepid, her promotion to First Lieutenant, she made sure to arrange either video communications or in-person meetings at least once a week with her brother. She was glad to be back in person with him – the crew of the Intrepid, while tolerable in work, did not show much liking to her. The word ‘Kre'nath’ was definitely muttered about her once or twice.
“Pavel was not upset by this turn of events. He conceded defeat and proceeded to congratulate me before making me promise never to do something like that again.” Septhera responded, taking a sip of espresso. Nyota had introduced her to this beverage not long ago and she found the taste quite appealing after a while. She put it down to the addictive qualities of the caffeine in the drink and had become quite reliant on the drink when she had attempted the Kobayashi Maru, achieving the highest score on the test so far. She knew it was a no-win scenario – it was impossible to win – but she also knew that were numerous strategies that she could try that may work better the next time she tried.
Septhera put her coffee back down, “Have you spoken to Mother recently?”
Spock deliberately looked away, “I have been quite busy as of late. The flagship for the entire fleet is to be unveiled soon.”
Septhera watched him for a second before realising, “You have achieved the First Officer appointment that you have been seeking. Congratulations, brother.”
Spock nodded, “Thank you, sister. However, that is not what I need to tell you. I- I have requested to Chief Security Officer Sethi that she take you on as her second-in-command.”
Septhera ensured she put down her coffee lest she drop it in surprise, “On…on the Enterprise?”
“Yes. Please refrain from emotion. You will receive notice soon if she takes me up on my advice. Though, with your outstanding security record, she would be foolish not to.”
Spock was…complimenting her, Septhera realised. It took all of her childhood training to not express her surprise. Spock finally returned his gaze to her, “Would this promotion be acceptable to you, sister?”
“Yes, brother. It is highly acceptable to me.” Septhera responded, “Thank you for your recommendation.”
“It was unnecessary. You have proven yourself a strong tactician and combatant with outstanding leadership qualities. There was an 86.63% chance of your assignment to the Enterprise without my intervention.”
Septhera noted the time as Spock spoke – she had promised Nyota to check on her in the long –range sensor lab to ensure that she returned to her room at a suitable time and, if left unchecked, Nyota could remain there all night – and stood, ready to take her leave, “If that is the case, brother, why intervene?”
Spock paused, “I think the human saying is ‘That is what brothers do’”
Septhera farewelled her brother with the salute and allowed herself a smile once she was out of the room. This was a most pleasing outcome and she did not hesitate to inform Nyota, Hikaru and Pavel once she received confirmation of her appointment two hours and thirty three minutes later. Nyota had promised a celebratory drink and night out as a reward.
That never happened.
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Septhera heard from both Nyota and Spock separately that an impossibility had occurred: someone had successfully beaten the Kobayashi Maru examination. An error in the equipment had allowed the student to defeat the no-win scenario. Nyota’s tone while speaking of this student indicated disdain. Septhera had asked Spock who this mysterious student was that defeated the exam.
“A cadet by the name of James Tiberius Kirk.”
The name was familiar. She had read Captain Pike’s dissertation on the USS Kelvin as part of her studies at one point, and was familiar with the story of George Kirk and the 800 lives he saved, including his own wife and newborn child, at the sacrifice of his own. It was a story that had affected Septhera’s strategies in navigating her own Kobayashi Maru examination, although she did not share this information with anyone. She was unsure whether she should or should not be surprised that his only son became the first and only person to defeat the Kobayashi Maru.
During the hearing that was later called, Septhera observed the young man who walked towards the council podium when the name James Kirk was called. Nyota’s opinion of him being a cocky womaniser was not hard to believe, judging from his demeanour. She watched him get aggravated by the mention of his father and defend his action by not believing in no-win scenarios.
She did not have time to consider him further when the announcement of Vulcan’s attack arrived.
Septhera and Spock spared each other passing gazes as they went to battle stations. She had checked in with her new supervisor, Security Chief Sethi, and was grabbing her collapsible katana – a gift from Hikaru after a year in the Swordsmanship Club – and her specialised security armour when she noticed the two men attempting to enter the shuttle not far in front of her. James Kirk was using another as support as he seemed to be ailing with an illness that was not present during the hearing. Septhera was about to note the suddenness of his illness when she noticed the other man speaking to the assignor who was preventing them from entering the shuttle.
“-So, I'm taking Mister Kirk aboard. Or would you like to explain to Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis without one of its senior medical officers?”
He was older than Kirk, his dark hair finely combed and face freshly shaven. His voice had a strong Southern accent that Septhera was not sure she could pinpoint. However, she did note that he had a face that humans would describe as handsome. She could not accurately describe what she was experiencing but she wanted to speak to this man and learn more about him. Putting it down to curiosity and fascination, she stepped forward before the assignor could further deny him.
“Sir, the medical officer's logic is sound. Allow them onto the shuttle.”
The two men turned to look at her. The assignor recognised her and nodded while the older man, the medical officer, just looked surprised at her intervention. Septhera ignored his expression and awaiting the assignor’s response.
“As you were. First Lieutenant.”
“As you were,” The older man grumbled back before entering the shuttle, with Septhera not far behind him. She made sure to sit further back in the shuttle, away from the medical officer and James Kirk, but would occasionally glance in their direction.
She did not see them again until they were well into travelling to Vulcan. Captain Christopher Pike had personally requested her presence on the bridge, where Septhera had been surprised and pleased to see both Pavel and Hikaru helming the Enterprise, followed not long afterwards by the appearance of Spock as First Officer. Not long after they had taken off, Kirk, the medical officer and Nyota suddenly rushed into the bridge, Kirk first, through the door that Septhera stood guarding.
Out of both surprise and habit, Septhera grabbed the rushing Kirk by the front of his chest, used his momentum to lift him up before slamming him bodily into the ground. After realising who she had just assaulted, she pulled his arms behind his back and helped him to his feet, restraining him as per her training. Upon completion of her task, she observed the crew of the bridge observing her with expressions of shock. Septhera noted Spock’s raised eyebrow while she deliberately avoided the stare of the medical officer.
Pike looked bemused at them, “Nice job, Lieutenant. Kirk, how the hell did you get on board the Enterprise?”
“Captain Pike, we have to stop the ship” Kirk glanced over his shoulder, “Can- can you please let me go?”
Septhera lessened her strong grip but did not release him, “I apologise for the grip, but I am not permitted to release you until the Captain has granted such permission.”
The medical officer suddenly stepped forward, “Captain, this man’s under the influence of a severe reaction of a Melvaran flea vaccine, completely-“
“Bones…” Septhera realised Kirk was addressing the medical officer. Bones? That was an unusual name.
“-delusional. I take full responsibility.”
“Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster! It’s being attacked by Romulans!”
Septhera froze, Pike looked at her captive scornfully, “Romulans? Cadet Kirk, I think you’ve had enough attention for one day. Septhera, help Doctor McCoy take him back to Medical. We’ll have words later”
Oh, so Bones must be James Kirk’s term of affection for Doctor McCoy. Fascinating. Kirk, however, was quite resistant and Septhera was ready to use her nerve pinch when Spock suddenly interjected his own protests against Kirk’s presence and everyone was talking over each other before it became too much for Septhera’s sensitive hearing.
“GENTLEMEN!” She shouted, quietening all three of them, “I politely request that you allow Cadet Kirk to state the facts that have allowed him to deduce this hypothesis, with tone and volume appropriate for a civilised conversation. Captain?”
Pike looked at Septhera with surprise – in the many years he had known her, Septhera had never raised her voice around him – while Spock nodded courteously at her, realising the need for her outburst. Septhera looked expectantly at Kirk, who nodded as well, before continuing, “It’s not a rescue mission, listen, it’s an attack.”
After Kirk’s explanation, and with both Nyota and Spock’s reassurance that Kirk was making logical points backed up by accurate and sound evidence, she released him at Pike’s permittance and assumed a brace position. It was at this moment that she realised the doctor was no longer on the bridge, but had no time to comment on it as they reached Vulcan. Septhera, Hikaru, Kirk and Engineer Olson were selected to space-jump and disable the machinery that was affecting the communication and transportation technology on the Enterprise. Septhera’s protest against Captain Pike going to the Narada had fallen on deaf ears and was sitting in the shuttle, keeping her face neutral while worrying internally, when Kirk spoke to her.
“What the hell do you watch, WWE?”
Septhera looked over at him, “Excuse me?”
“I mean, what you did, with that slam? Seriously, I don’t think they teach that at the Academy.” Kirk looked at her in surprise.
There was a moment where Septhera considered telling Kirk, in great detail, about the knowledge of the ancient Vulcan warrior techniques that she possessed as well as the numerous non-Academy defence classes that she took during her time at the Academy. If she had met Kirk when she first started at the Academy, that is what she would have done. However, she had since met Hikaru and Pavel, and decided that manipulating his fear would be far more amusing.
Septhera raised an eyebrow, “You clearly did not qualify for the classified curriculum.”
“Classified curriculum?” Kirk stared at her, disbelieving, “There’s no such thing.”
“It would not be considered classified if it was widely known. It was widely agreed that only students of great accomplishment and adequate morality would be trained in such ways. It is logically that not everyone should learn nerve-focused techniques capable of killing grown humans in case of abuse. I have not even relayed such information to my brother, to whom I often inform most details of my life and he does likewise with his.”
Kirk looked at Hikaru, who just shrugged, before looking back at Septhera. She decided to use this opportunity to tie up her hair, revealing her pointed ears. The look of realisation on Kirk’s face almost made Septhera break her neutral façade but Hikaru let through a smirk when he wasn’t looking.
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Kirk earnt Septhera’s respect in the ensuing battle. While she was pinned down by a Romulan soldier and the drill began to retract, the sudden jolt caused to Hikaru fall from the machinery, and Kirk leapt after him. Septhera was quick to dispose of the Romulan soldier and was poised to jump after them when she was suddenly beamed back to the ship, followed quickly by Kirk and Hikaru. After ensuring that Hikaru was okay and her quick return to Vulcan with her brother, she later thanked Kirk afterwards for his foolish yet selfless attempt to save her friend and expressed that she was indebted to him, which she later repaid by defending him from the rage-induced attack by her brother. They later bonded over their mutual respect for their shared mentor, Pike, and she found in him a great friend and leader to whom she would later swear her upmost loyalty.
Much later.
Septhera had been beamed up first, with five of the Council members. She still remembers her mother’s hand on her shoulder as Septhera greeted her quickly and began ushering her out. She still remembers her hug as Septhera began to dematerialise. She still remembers Pavel’s screams of ‘I’m losing her! I’m losing her!’ and a dread settled in Septhera’s stomach as only five people began to appear in the transporter room. She still remembers the look on Spock’s face, his outstretched hand to an empty space in front of him, as he met her eyes. She still remembers her father’s face, blank at the sudden loss of his wife.
And she had left the room.
Septhera tried to recall how she came to be in the medical bay. She had been informed that she had sustained some cuts and bruises from her fight with the Romulans and some falling debris on Vulcan, and had been ordered to attend to them. Septhera discovered that Security Chief Sethi was also in medical – she had lost one of her arms in the attack from the Narada. She was now the head of Security by default. She let out her hair to let it cover her face, as she knew she was not capable of keeping it unemotional, especially not in front of the surviving Vulcan elders who were also being attended to. She strongly wished to remove herself from this environment and was mentally comprehending how she could do this when a familiar Southern accent addressed her.
“Well, if it isn’t Lady Bodyslam.”
She looked up into the large dark eyes of Doctor McCoy, the new Chief Medical Officer after the death of Doctor Puri. Handsome was not a word that could accurate describe the attractiveness that Septhera felt when she looked at this man, but it was the word that would have to suffice. He looked at her expectantly. For a second, it was impossible for her to recall what physical ailment afflicted her.
Whenever she tries to think of this moment later on, she couldn’t be sure what made Doctor McCoy react as he did. She had assigned the reasoning to be her inability to reply after he spoke. However, McCoy explained that he had simply looked her in the eye and knew that something was wrong.
The doctor looked up her medical record and then gestured to his office, “Lieutenant, could you please step into my office?”
Silently, Septhera complied and entered the office, sitting on the private examination table. Once McCoy closed the door behind him, he put his PADD on the table.
“Your medical records say that you have a confidential condition that I need to ask you about.” He tapped the tablet, “But I am a doctor and I need to assess both the physical and emotional wellbeing of my patients.”
Septhera looked up at McCoy. She knew that she was often mistaken for full human at first glance, but this man had heard her speak. Surely he realised by now? McCoy looked at the PADD again.
“It says here that you’re Vulcan.” McCoy glanced back at her, “But I have a strong feeling that isn’t all that you are. You don’t look the same as the others out there. So are you part Romulan? I need to know if I’m going to be your doctor.”
Septhera waited until McCoy was done before responding, “My genetic make-up is Vulcan and human.”
McCoy froze where he was and looked up at her. Septhera looked down. He was going to realise that she was related to Spock, this man who she had seen address her brother with dislike. The idea of him disliking her actually made her grip tighten on the edge of the examination bed. It was clear that was not a welcome outcome of this conversation.
Footsteps alerted Septhera. She looked up to see McCoy in front of her again. He looked at her with an expression that she recognised as sad but a different variation of the emotion. She also noted that he also seemed a little uncomfortable.
“Half human? Like First Officer Spock?” McCoy finally responded
Septhera nodded, “He is my brother.”
There was a pause. McCoy raised his hand, before freezing it in an aborted movement. Septhera watched him expectantly, waiting for him to look at her as he does Spock.
Instead, the doctor rubbed the back of his neck and, still looking sad, said, “I’m sorry about your mother. I, um, I’ve lost a parent too. Not like this, but I know how it feels.”
Septhera must have let surprise come through on her face, because McCoy looked at her alarmed, “God, was that not the right thing to say? I don’t know, how do you comfort a Vulcan? I don’t know, I’m a doctor, not a grief counsellor”
Septhera realised that he was now more speaking to himself than her as he got himself worked up and the whole situation just made her laugh. Actually laugh. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had outwardly laughed in her lifetime, let alone in front of another person. This just made the poor doctor gawk at her.
When she finished laughed, she gave the good doctor a sombre smile, “That was adequate comforting, Doctor. Thank you for your concern.”
McCoy stared at her for a moment, “…You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
Septhera raised a curious eyebrow, “I am unsure what messing means, but I assure you, if I am, it is not intentional.”
McCoy rolled his eyes, muttering something about ‘Vulcans’ but he said it in a different tone than she had heard people mutter about her before. It definitely wasn’t disdain. It was something she could not interpret.
She later learnt from Jim Kirk that it was good-natured exasperation.
“So, what is your condition you need to tell me about?”
Septhera relayed her condition to McCoy, who did the necessary check-ups and found that one of her hearing aids was actually broken – it was fortuitous that she had the foresight to attain her spare set prior to boarding the Enterprise. As he checked her out, she decided to continue speaking to him.
“Which parent did you lose?”
McCoy froze for a sub-second, Septhera only just picked up on it, before he continue, “My father. He had a disease and… well, it got him before the cure could be found.”
“My condolences, Doctor McCoy.”
“Thanks, Lieutenant.”
“Septhera. Or Thera, if you prefer.”
Curious. She had never corrected someone from Lieutenant to her preferred name before, and she had done it without prior thought. Is this what making a friend entails? She knew Nyota, Hikaru and Pavel prior to attaining her rank, so she had not needed to do that before. But she had only met the doctor today.
She turned to face the doctor, who raised an eyebrow at her, “Then you can just call me McCoy. Or Doc, if you prefer.”
“I think I would prefer Doctor.”
McCoy shrugged, “Whatever suits you, darling.”
Septhera would not recognise the fuzzy feeling that occurred whenever the doctor used that nickname for many years.
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Septhera was back on duty when Jim Kirk miraculously was discovered back on the Enterprise, accompanied by a new man, in his mid-thirties, dressed in warm weather gear and, as Septhera noticed, was dripping wet, due to somehow materialising in the water coolant system. Spock seemed to ignore his situation as he demanded to know how they were able to get back on the ship.
“Are you a member of Starfleet?”
“Um, yes, can aye get a towel, please?” the strange requested with a thick Scottish accent.
Septhera sent one of her guards off to grab spare clothing and some towels while she witnessed the exchange. She was forced to intervene when Spock began assaulting Kirk, removing Pavel from harm’s way and fighting to pull Spock off of the man pinned to the console board - a task which surprised Septhera in its difficult. It was only when their father finally intervened that Spock relented and, after realising his actions, relinquished command to James Kirk, the First Officer by appointment of Pike. And all the strange man could do was announce that he liked the ship.
She decided right then that she wished to know more about him.
Finally, her guard returned with the materials and she relieved the guard, ordering him to follow the orders of Captain Kirk and to arrange the other guards to battle stations. With that, she approached the strange man, who seemed fascinated with watching the stars.
“Sir, I took it upon myself to have some spare clothing and towels retrieved for your comfort. I recommend changing immediately to avoid ailments such as hypothermia and pneumonia, conditions which can be fatal to the human condition.”
He looked at her in surprise, before giving her a grin and taking the stuff, “Well, ah least someone was listenin’ tah me! Thanks for this! I’m Montgomery Scott, engineer, by the way! Mah friends all call me Scotty! Who, ah, who are you?”
“First Lieutenant Septhera, Chief Security Officer of the Enterprise. It was my men that apprehended you in turbine section three. I apologise if any of them were rough with you, they have not been in my command for long.”
Montgomery Scott’s eyes widened in what could only be surprised, “You – you’re in charge of those beasties? You’re so young… and tiny! My niece probably comes out to yah shoulder!”
“Don’t underestimate her. She body-slammed me into the ground only a few hours ago.” Kirk warned him from across the bridge
Septhera looked over at the new captain, “I apologise for my actions, Captain, but I have been trained to eliminate all threats quickly and efficiently. I consider myself surprised that my first instinct was to incapacitate and not neutralise, for that is my preferred method.”
Kirk grimaced at her neutral expression. She could tell that he did not wish to believe her confidential curriculum lie but he seemed inclined to believe her and this just amused her even more. When she turned back to Montgomery Scott, he was still – Septhera thinks the correct term is gawking.
“You body-slammed him? He’s like a head taller than yah! Dat’s – dat’s impressive! I betta keep mah eye on you, case you try some secret ninja stuff of me when I’m not looking.”
Without missing a beat, Septhera responded, “As long as you are not presenting yourself as a danger, I am sure that I will refrain from ‘secret ninja stuff’, Mr Scott.”
Montgomery Scott laughed, “I like you. Call me Scotty.”
Septhera allowed a small smile and responded, “You are permitted to refer to me as Septhera, or Thera.”
“I think Seppy sounds better.” Kirk walked past, guiding Scotty to the doors of the bridge, “It has a catchy ring to it. If you can’t find the bathroom, just ask anyone and they’ll help.”
Once Scotty had left the bridge, Jim turned to face Septhera, who had a very unamused expression on her face and a raised eyebrow, “Do not ever refer to me by such a name, ever again.”
But, as Septhera learnt, Jim Kirk doesn’t listen.
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Scotty became one of Septhera’s favourite people to visit. He always taught her something new whenever she patrolled the Engineering sections. One day, he taught her how to repair a coolant duct and another day, he taught her an interesting Earth game called poker, that no one wished to play her as she was too adept with her facial expressions and had won 6000 credits in her first game. The following year of Septhera's life had been an adequately happy one, until they suffered the loss of Christopher Pike at the hands of the fugitive John Harrison. She had broken her katana the next day during practice, striking a practice dummy too hard in her anger.
She was in Engineering, seeking a welding torch to mend her mistake, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult as Scotty had resigned his commission – Septhera was not speaking to Jim Kirk for this reason - and she did not know where he kept his tools, when she took notice of a young blonde woman scanning the photon torpedoes – the same torpedoes that had Scotty resigning his commission. For this reason, Septhera did not trust this form of weaponry and this woman’s actions were making her suspicious.
“Septhera.”
Septhera turned to face Spock as he approached her, who was also watching the blonde woman, “Spock. The blonde woman scanning the torpedoes is unrecognisable to me and I am familiar with everyone assigned to this ship. Are you aware of her identity?”
“She claims to be a science officer, Doctor Carol Wallace. She is an advanced physicist specialising in weaponry.” Spock responded, “However, I request your presence while I confront her with the truth of her identity and her purpose aboard this ship.”
“I approve such action and will join you immediately.” Septhera agreed, putting her katana aside in its casing to attend to later.
Spock confronted this woman, Carol Wallace, to actually be Carol Marcus, the daughter of Admiral Marcus, the man who had assigned them to hunt down John Harrison on Qo’noS. They had no time to interrogate her further when the Enterprise was suddenly dropped out of warp, and Septhera immediately comm’d the bridge to find out what she needed to do. She did not receive a chance to speak to Carol Marcus directly again until they were required to open one of the torpedoes on a nearby abandoned planetoid, for which she required the assistant of Doctor McCoy.
Septhera remained front and centre on the ship while they approached the planetoid and tapped herself into the comms.
“You know, when I dreamt about being stuck on a deserted planet with a gorgeous woman, there was no torpedo.” The doctor had protested
Septhera’s fist tightened as Kirk reminded him that he was not there to flirt, which McCoy proceeded to ignore. She ignored the sad feeling that filled her when he referred to Doctor Marcus as ‘sweetheart’, reasoning that he often referred to female beings by such terms. She had just forced herself to unclench her fist when Doctor McCoy accidentally armed the torpedo.
Everyone was shouting over each other. There was identifiable panic in Doctor McCoy’s voice, shouting that his arm was stuck in the torpedo, that made her fist clench again. Doctor Marcus was now responsible for his life.
So she contacted her directly, confidentially, through the comms.
“Disarm it. Now.”
She could hear Carol’s laboured breathing in her ear and continued before she could respond.
“This is a direct line between us, no one can hear me except you. Now disarm it. Pull out all the wires if you must”
“But if I do it-“
Septhera had now lost her patience. And her mercy.
“Doctor Carol Marcus, right now, one of the closest people I have in the universe is currently stuck to a live torpedo. In about 15 seconds, if you cannot save him, the Enterprise will beam you up and have no choice but to leave him there. If that happens…” she took a deep breath, “…I will make you wish that it was you stuck in the torpedo.”
Carol Marcus pulled out all of the wires, disarming the torpedo and releasing Doctor McCoy with 2.57 seconds left on the detonation countdown. When Doctor Marcus returned to the ship, Septhera merely gave her a nod as she walked past her in the medical bay, making the young woman freeze in her path as Septhera approached the doctor and ensure that he was not further injured by the incident.
It would take Septhera another two years before she could honestly warm up to the weapons specialist, but they would become like sisters. They would have an obligatory girl’s night with Nyota and discuss things from politics and their latest work to subjects of a sexual nature that Septhera was secretly curious to learn about and had to await their inebriation through alcoholic beverages before they would talk openly about it. Septhera would also comfort her over both the loss of a parent as well as the loss of respect in such parent, experiences that were mutual for both women, and feel ridiculous for the unfriendly feeling she initially had for the woman.
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“Septhera, what are you doing?”
She looked up from her PADD to see Leonard McCoy smiling at her. She returned his smile and responded, “Simply writing up a report about this morning’s patrol. I wished to get it done before I went to sleep.”
He grabbed the PADD off her and put it on the table, “C’mon, put work down and join us. It’s Halloween! Bet you’ve never tried a pumpkin pie pasty before.”
She raised an eyebrow, “I do not believe I have ever heard of such a thing. And are you inebriated, doctor?”
A smirk from the doctor created the pleasurable feeling in her stomach that often occurred when she spoke to him, “Only a little bit.”
“Septhera! Bones!”
They both turned to look at Jim, standing quite close to Spock, while Scotty, Uhura, Carol, Pavel and Hikaru set up a table in the corner of the cafeteria, which had been decorated in a manner suitable for the Halloween celebrations that most humans participated in. Septhera had found this holiday quite enjoyable, while Spock found it frivolous. However, he would not deny participation to his beloved t’hy’la, who was waving them over with a large goofy grin adorned on his features.
“We’re playing Texas Hold’em! Spock’s agreed to play and I want to know who would win outta him and Seppy.”
Septhera ignored his nickname and turned to the doctor, “I believe our friends wish us to join them.”
McCoy held out his hand, “Shall we?”
Septhera looked down at her PADD before looking over at the friends – no, family – she had been gifted with over the last three and a half years, before smiling at the handsome Georgian doctor and taking his hand.
“We shall.”