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Though Spock was loath to admit to vexation, among all of his mother’s illogical Human traits, there existed one that was most likely to cause undue stress, travail and, often, embarrassment: Spontaneity.
Vulcans by virtue of culture, in adherence to the teachings of Surak, did not engage in spontaneous action. In fact, much of a Vulcan’s early life development was spent mastering control over the id to avoid such things; even in thought processes, there was no such thing as sudden revelation because all thoughts followed traceable, logical steps from beginning to end.
Amanda Grayson was not a Vulcan, however. And it seemed to Spock that she found humor that bordered on sadism in forcing her husband and son to participate in her impulses. It benefited her, then, that both Spock and Sarek were obedient, if not entirely indulgent, to her whims.
As such, it was with little argument that their home was opened up to receive an orphaned Tarsus IV survivor for the purpose of rehabilitation and reintroduction into civilized society, which Amanda interpreted to mean “to provide love and care.” Neither Spock nor Sarek disagreed with this interpretation. If there were a creature in all the universe equipped with an abundance of love and care for others, it was Amanda Grayson.
And so, 3.286 Standard weeks after the discovery of the fate of the Tarsus IV colony, Sarek, Amanda and Spock gathered on the recipient platform of the central port in Shi’Kahr to await their new ward.
The massacre that was Tarsus IV was uncovered by a freight ship that, after an unanticipated meteor shower, was in need of repairs before continuing its route and happened upon the colony soon thereafter. The ship’s captain alerted Starfleet, and the Federation quickly took over. There was little known about the specifics of what occurred on Tarsus IV, only that within 3.256 Standard days of arrival, publicly accessible Federation reports began to use the descriptor “genocide.”
Spock, even with his limited knowledge, could only agree that “genocide” must be the correct term. Of the 8,000 original settlers, only 135 remained, all under the age of 40 (and 65.185% of those under the age of 20).
Sixty-two of the survivors were both minors, by Federation standards, and orphaned. Of those, 35 were found to have relatives with suitable homes to which to return. The names, ages and species of the remaining 27 children were compiled into a list and sent out to all Federation ambassadors, and within 4.846 Standard hours of receiving the list, Amanda replied with a query about the eldest of the three listed Human survivors: a 12-year-old male named James Tiberius Kirk.
The Federation sent back a six-page report detailing Kirk’s physical and mental wellbeing, of which 1.342 pages were dedicated to allergens.
According to the Starfleet medical team tasked with Tarsus IV survivor intake and examinations, Kirk was both underweight and small for his age, and severely underweight for his height. He exhibited behaviors typical of those who experienced similar traumas: Food was a point of obsession. Additionally, he was both aggressive and skittish toward strangers – particularly adults, specifically males – though the medical team was unable to determine if this was entirely due to experiences on Tarsus IV or if existent behaviors were exacerbated.
The report concluded with recommended therapies and trauma-informed parenting techniques to mitigate long-term mental fragility and deterioration. After a private conversation between Sarek and Amanda that lasted 0.564 Standard hours, an official request and application to foster James Tiberius Kirk was made.
And thus, 1.429 weeks later, Kirk arrived on Vulcan.
As they awaited the shuttle bearing Kirk, Spock stifled the urge to frown. While he did not question his father’s logic – indulgence did not mean a loss of reason – he believed several factors of Sarek and Amanda’s argument were not met with the appropriate consideration, as those without a certain peerage could only recall their own experiences in a similar, but different, group versus the lived reality of those currently within it. Had they deigned to consult Spock, he was sure his parents would have been less quick to invite a Human to Vulcan.
But, as it were, a Human was nonetheless coming. Perhaps, for the sake of everyone involved, Amanda might be taken up with the sudden desire to personally homeschool Kirk until he and the Vulcans in his age group were well outside the throes of puberty.
Given the IQ he’d seen on Kirk’s medical report, however, Spock did not think it likely.
He wondered briefly if he would be expected – by Amanda, Kirk and/or himself – to intervene, should Kirk receive similar treatment to that of Spock’s own from Vulcan schoolchildren, but then dismissed the thought as conjecture and therefore illogical.
Kaiidth. What is, is – and what would be, would be. Spock, at that moment, was not obligated to Kirk and would not take any responsibility that did not exist.
Exactly 35 Standard minutes and 47 seconds after Spock and his parents’ arrival, the shuttle docked in the port. The shuttle doors opened, and Spock could see that it was empty save for a single small figure dressed in oversized clothing that must have belonged to a Starfleet crew member, as the legs of the pants dragged against the floor as Kirk shuffled forward to meet his caretakers.
Kirk stopped several feet away and swiped a hand over his bent shorn head. Every few seconds, he’d tilt his head just enough so that he could eye Sarek warily, before glaring and then cutting his eyes away. Spock could hear his heartbeat – 110 beats per Standard minute.
Twenty-point-six-four-six Standard seconds passed in silence before Amanda stepped forward and bent her knees to bring herself to Kirk’s height.
“Hello, James,” she greeted, smiling. “My name’s Amanda, and this is my husband, Sarek, and our son, Spock. We’re very glad to meet you.”
Kirk did not respond, continuing to stare at the ground. He brought his right hand to his mouth and began to chew on the fingernail of this thumb.
“It’s about supper time, here,” Amanda continued, “and Spock and I thought it’d be nice to have a real Terran feast to celebrate your arrival – well, as close to Terran as we could get. Vulcans don’t eat meat, and the replicator didn’t have all the ingredients, so we had to supplement with some local alternatives, but I think it should still be pretty good. How does that sound?”
This time, Kirk’s eyes – a bright, almost neon blue – flickered up to Amanda’s face before lowering once more, and the boy shrugged in clearly affected indifference.
Once more, Amanda was undeterred by the non-answer. “It’ll be about a 45-minute drive back to the house from here, but when we get back, I can show you the sonic shower and your new room.” She leaned in and lowered her voice, as if to impart a secret (illogical, given Vulcan hearing). “Vulcans really like their privacy, so your door will have a lock on it, if you’d like to take a nap before dinner. You could also eat in your room, if you prefer.”
At this, some of the tension lining Kirk’s body released, and he nodded his head slowly.
“Jim,” he said quietly around the finger in his mouth. “My name’s Jim.”
Amanda’s smile softened, and she returned Jim’s nod, offering her hand. “OK, Jim,” she said, quietly still, “you ready to go?”
Slowly, as if afraid, Jim placed his noticeably smaller hand in Amanda’s, though he kept his eyes turned away as he was led closer to Spock and Sarek.
“I’ll go fetch the vee,” Sarek said, sparing a nod of greeting toward Jim that went unseen and walking off.
Suppressing a sigh, Spock stepped forward and offered a ta’al before clasping his hands behind his back.
“Hello, James Tiberius Kirk. I am Spock. I am currently 14.734 Standard years of age and will be your senior when you inevitably join me at the learning center. I shall endeavor to make your transition here on Vulcan pleasant, should you require anything of me.”
He had not expected acknowledgement of his greeting, though he did not show his surprise when Jim dropped his hand from his mouth to return Spock’s ta’al. When bright blue eyes looked up to meet his own for the first time, however, he could not help the way his jaw loosened.
“Dif-tor heh smusma,” Jim said in near-perfect Golic.
And for a single moment – the exact amount of seconds and split seconds, Spock could not name, for this moment seemed, illogically, to stretch an eternity – there was only one thought in his mind, spontaneous in origin:
James Tiberius Kirk was it.