Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 15, 2009 23:52:04 GMT -5
((Every other week. I die!))
"I understand your curiosity," Spock said. What he did not understand was Kirk's attendant emotion, especially regarding the relationships between their various counterparts. He didn't understand why what their counterparts thought of each other in his universe was so important. Spock knew Kirk felt a friendship toward that Spock, but because this Spock was not a part of that friendship this Spock did not understand its significance. "And I agree that there is merit in examining the differences. As you point out, since we are made of the same 'stuff', contemplating my own counterpart's behavior has given me insight into of what I am capable, and what I seek to be.
"I am similarly interested in my own counterpart in your universe, especially as I am presently denied further study of the counterpart in my own. You yourself, as a counterpart of your younger self with whom I am familiar, would be a point of interest, even if you did not possess other fascinating traits.
"As we profess to be mutually curious, I propose we attempt to answer each other's questions. Though you must understand, unfortunately, my attempts may dissatisfy you. I am ill-equipped to speculate as to the nature of others' feelings for each other, Captain." Spock hoped Kirk took this to mean he had not been dismissing him with his previous answer. He had already made that mistake too often.
And for some reason, the captain feeling dismissed, or that Kirk's conversation was not just as interesting to Spock as it was to Kirk, did not sit right with Spock at all. Spock guessed it was because it had not been his intent for Kirk to feel that way. Thus for Kirk to feel that way would be illogical. Thus Spock's discomfort. That was it.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 0:03:41 GMT -5
((Poor little Spock!))
Kirk smiled again, warm and delighted.
"You think I possess fascinating traits, Mr. Spock?" he asked, though he wasn't really looking for an answer; his tone was playful, though he realized this Spock might be ill-equipped, too, to respond to that sort of thing from him. Unused to it.
Though if he knew him in any capacity, in any dimension, he figured Spock would have to get used to it. But he smiled again, with a little shake of his head as if clearing away the previous question.
"Of course, Mr. Spock. I should know better than to ask about their feelings, though it's one of my first instincts to do so--I tend to rely as much on those instincts as intellect. A quality that no doubt my counterpart has baffled you with already. And since my relationship with Mr. Spock has taken on many of the dimensions of friendship, above and beyond our professional relationship, I confess to a great deal of interest in those dynamics. Surely you can understand that any close relationship between someone like yourself and... someone like myself... poses many interesting questions that cannot be addressed without looking at the feelings involved. Even so, I will take your warning into account. I couldn't be dissatisfied with any observations of yours, Mr. Spock. They are as they are, and they cannot help but be astute.
"But it's your turn," he offered, sitting back slightly, his posture unconsciously open as if ready for questioning. "Ask whatever you like."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 2:09:16 GMT -5
The captain was not dissatisfied. Spock's intention had not been misunderstood, then, and to this extent they were operating on a mutual basis of reason. Only that, Spock felt fairly certain, could account for the loosening of the tension in his inexplicably tight jaw.
On the other hand, Spock was slightly mystified at the apparent rhetoric--facetious?--nature of Kirk's initial question. Spock could have enumerated with ease several of Kirk's traits he found fascinating. Perhaps the captain already knew which of his characteristics aroused interest. Almost undoubtedly they interested the Spock in this Kirk's universe, too.
There were a myriad of other things which intrigued Spock as well, however. Some of them he had discarded earlier as conversational topics because he had deemed them irrelevant. However, the captain's point about learning from other versions of themselves was valid. Kirk had said he had made a home aboard the Enterprise. He had also implied the environs had had some influence on the Spock of his universe as well. Knowing those environs could provide insight to this Kirk's Mr. Spock which might prove useful.
"Very well, Captain," Spock said finally. "You mentioned Dr. McCoy, with whom your younger self and I are mutually acquainted in my own universe also. He is the CMO aboard the Enterprise in my universe. I do have many questions, but I confess an interest as to whether there are other commonalities in our personnel, and who the senior officers are above your Enterprise."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 9:08:14 GMT -5
(( Perhaps the captain already knew which of his characteristics aroused interest.
Yes, he catalogues them daily.))
He was glad he'd managed to put Spock more at ease. He wasn't certain exactly what was bothering him, or why it was so totally important to make this stranger version of his friend more comfortable in his presence, but he didn't like seeing Spock tense. It didn't seem natural. He wondered if he was somehow doing what the older M.r Spock in this Spock's universe was trying to--that somehow he was making an erroneous assumption about the other man in order to further his own comfort and social needs. But the thought was fleeting, because he knew he'd act in a similar manner without the prior tenuous connection--this just made it all the more interesting.
He did think he should come up with nicknames for the different Spock's, but he was worried he might say them aloud if he got too comfortable and there probably wasn't a way of saying either "old Spock" or "my Spock" or "wee Spock" without sounding condescending.
"Well, as you say, there's Bones, who's CMO aboard my Enterprise as well. And Scotty, my chief engineer; Uhura, our chief communications officer; our chief helmsman is Sulu; and our primary navigator is ensign Chekov. Ring a bell, any of those?"
The thing about Spock, Kirk reflected, was that there was no way of telling from his words what "mutually acquainted with" meant. He'd never had to guess, with his Spock, about these relationships. They'd grown organically and within the parameters of Mr. Spock's emotional relationship with the world, Kirk could read the signs and interpret subtle tells. Did those work now? Was this man similar enough--despite what Kirk saw as additional rigidity--for him to guess that this man didn't stand in the same position relative to the other himself and Bones as he did in his world?
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 11:35:30 GMT -5
((wee Spock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<--that is my delight. That whole paragraph slays.))
"Yes, all of them. Fascinating." It supported the theory that alternate universes tended towards mirroring each other. "Those are the same senior office as aboard the Enterprise of my universe. It is intriguing our circumstances so wholly mirror each other, when had I met you when you were the age of your young counterpart, our circumstances would be more dissimilar. You would not be captain, for instance.
"I wonder how much of our circumstances paralleling now--not then--is a direct result of your younger self becoming captain at an earlier age. I would be first officer in any case, as I was aboard the Enterprise; Sulu was helmsman, and Checkov was among our navigators. However, Uhura's and Scott's positions are a direct result of your young self's commission as captain. He appointed them, replacing the previous chief of communications and engineering. Did you appoint your officers, captain? Or did the crew build more organically, based on who already served aboard the Enterprise?"
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 11:54:42 GMT -5
((Yay!))
Kirk's brow furrowed slightly in thought. "Interesting," he said. "No, I wouldn't even have been on the Enterprise. For the most part, though my officers are people assigned to the Enterprise by Starfleet, though some of them were subsequently appointed to their positions by myself. I hadn't met McCoy, or you--er, Mr. Spock, yet. Sulu I transferred from astrosciences to the helm, at his request when the position became vacant. There was some shifting around as I learned the crew's capabilities and strengths and put together the core officers, but no, I was not more than passingly familiar with them before. How did my younger self know Uhura and McCoy?"
He'd been friends with Gary, who was no longer with them. None of that was his fault, nor Gary's. But it had taught Kirk something about the line between friendship and command. Though he hadn't taken the lesson to heart.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 12:30:25 GMT -5
"I was referring to the others already serving on the Enterprise, not yourself, naturally."
Spock gave the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug, the small hitch of a brow. "It appears your younger self and McCoy have had an amicable relationship for some time. I am not sufficiently acquainted with either of them to know further details. The doctor admires the young Kirk," Spock added, because McCoy had made that quite clear, and because this Kirk appeared to appreciate the way others felt about each other, even when unconnected with himself. "He is willing to risk much for him.
"As for Uhura, your younger self had relations with Gaila, a cadet, who shared accommodations with Uhura. Your young self and Uhura were also both members of the xenolinguistics extracurricular organization on the Academy campus." Uhura had actually mentioned Kirk eight times before Kirk hacked the Kobayashi Maru, twice to Spock directly and six other times in Spock's hearing. She talked about enough of her different classmates that it had never seemed significant at the time, but because he had a perfect memory Spock knew she had used the words "smug" "smart ass" "slag" "annoying" "genius" "bastard" and "childhood trauma" all in reference to Kirk, as well as equivalent terms in other languages.
"How long has the Uhura of your universe served aboard the Enterprise?" Spock asked back. There was fondness in his tone, although he did not realize it.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 13:01:16 GMT -5
((Umm, I'm just making stuff up assuming Kirk didn't know anyone, because I can't find mention that he did.))
"Gaila," he said, momentarily distracted by the name. Sounded Orion to him, and he didn't know any free Orions. He shook his head. "I didn't know her at the Academy, though she might have been there at the same time. She was assigned to the Enterprise shortly after I took command, so that would be a little over two years." He had not, of course, missed the affection Spock had himself. "You knew her at the Academy," he said, the question implied.
Spock... and Uhura. Kirk thought about this. He was absolutely certain that nothing existed between them in his world beyond some friendly banter--Uhura seemed as devoted as Bones to breaking through that Vulcan stoicism, and they shared a love of music. They worked well together--all his bridge crew did. But the thought still seemed utterly alien to him.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 13:40:13 GMT -5
((Ha, I assumed you'd have to. I didn't mean to put you on the spot with questions!))
"Yes. She was one of my students."
He had been going to say 'one of the best', but refrained. He took pride in Lt. Uhura's accomplishments. To do so was incorrect, because the only logic behind such an emotion would be if he was the cause of her intelligence. Although he had guided her as an instructor, her mind was wholly her own. Exceedingly quick, but he had nothing to do with it.
It would not be incorrect to discuss Uhura's abilities, but Spock didn't know if Kirk would be interested in discussing identifying sonic anamolies in subspace transmissions. Although he had gained an appreciation for the young Kirk's instincts, Spock was 72.5% certain such a discussion would beyond that Kirk's technical understanding. With this Kirk, the odds were less clear.
However Spock was used to most things being beyond others' understanding.
Instead he broached a topic he deemed more suited to Kirk's interests. "Does she--the Uhura of your universe--sing?"
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 13:49:04 GMT -5
Perhaps the topic was more suited to Kirk's interests, but what Kirk heard was Spock inquiring after Uhura's singing after implying (with his tone only, but still) that there was something between them. Indeed, the fact that his course of conversation had stayed on Uhura was telling in itself, and that it was not a topic of professional interest was even more so.
Not that Kirk minded talking about Uhura. But the juxtaposition was frankly a little baffling. It was possible Spock just had an instructor's pride in his students, but no, that wasn't what Kirk was picking up.
But he smiled, because he was fond of Uhura, and she did her job well, and when she sang at inappropriate times he often said nothing because it was pleasant and spontaneous and just filled with joy. And an officer who could do her job, and who felt the need to express herself so while doing it, was something rare. It reminded him of the way he still thrilled to the sight of the stars.
"She does," he said, watching Spock. "Very well. Sometimes, Mr. Spock, with your counterpart accompanying her on the Vulcan lute."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 14:45:40 GMT -5
"That is something the Uhura of my universe and I have never attempted. When I return to my time I will suggest it. I appreciate her songs," Spock explained. This was something humans usually understood. While he did not need most humans to understand his interests, the fellow comprehension promoted cultural harmony, which was another interest of Spock's. Furthermore, he was interested in this human understanding his interests.
"Uhura's tone quality and rhythm suits Vulcan demands of mathematical precision and pattern-creation in music-making. Her emotion and spontaneity do not." They reminded Spock of his mother, who used to hum to him. "They do suit human demands. I have often regarded Uhura's singing as representational of qualities prized from both worlds, though obviously far more heavily representative of Earth. To play in harmony with her would be a more accurate representation of the duality."
Spock was pleased with this thought. He liked accurate representations.
In this regard, anyway, it seemed the Spock of this Kirk's universe must be like himself. "Since you know my other self plays the lute," Spock added, "are you aware of whether he also plays chess?"
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 14:55:31 GMT -5
((Oh my god. Why is "He liked accurate representations" so adorable?))
Kirk listened with great interest to his analysis of Uhura's singing. He'd never thought about it, naturally, but Spock was right. Dead on, in fact. As he often was. It was easy, not to dismiss him, but to assume that his Vulcan reserve indicated a lack of appreciation for beauty. It never had, and Kirk knew that, but even so it made Spock's interest in anything interesting in and of itself. And he felt glad to suggest something that seemed destined to please him, because not only was this Spock, whom he cared for, but a sadder, lonelier version of him, to whom Kirk's heart went out.
He forbore to point out Spock's own representation of duality, which Kirk himself prized, both because he thought it would be rude to acknowledge it and because he thought this Spock was even less receptive to the thought than the other one. Perhaps it was losing Vulcan, Kirk reflected. Despite having left to join Starfleet, its loss must weigh on him with whatever the Vulcan equivalent of guilt was. Or perhaps it was youth. Spock's balance was hard won. Kirk hadn't known him then.
But at the mention of chess, Kirk couldn't help but smile and straighten, unconsciously telegraphing his interest and excitement. "He does," he said. "We play chess frequently. It's something of a mutual favorite pastime of ours. Do I take that to mean you do, as well?"
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 15:12:02 GMT -5
((HEE.))
"I do," Spock said, surprised. The surprise was not without reason. "It seemed highly unlikely your younger self would play, much less be interested." In fact, it still seemed unlikely. "Of course, you are not he. Still, it had not occurred to me you would play." Or be so obviously excited by it.
Spock considered the captain. Spock did not think it was not something he would attempt with the counterpart in his own universe when he returned, not as he planned to attempt music-making with Uhura. However, this Kirk was thoughtful in ways that Kirk had not yet proven himself to be. He had a clever mind Spock with which it was pleasant to engage, Spock had already decided.
And this Kirk could sit still.
"Would you like to play a game, Captain?" Spock asked.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 15:53:13 GMT -5
(( Wee!Leonard. Okay, well, 20 year old.)) Spock was surprised. This was both gratifying, since it was hard to surprise Spock, and a little bit insulting, as it implied that either his younger self was not a chess player (or considered a suitable partner in the game) or that something about him made chess playing seem out of character. Why were people sometime surprised that he actually knew what he was talking about? But Kirk wasn't really insulted; the thoughts flew by and then dissipated at the invitation. "I should warn you, you'll be at a disadvantage," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I've been playing you for a few years, now." ((Also, lol at weird metaphor forming with music-making with Uhura and chess-playing with Kirk and Spock's relative desire for both.))
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 18:03:00 GMT -5
((There are a couple wee!Leonards in I Am Spock; I'll have to show you. And yep, the chess/music parallel was definitely on purpose...))
Spock was surprised again, on several accounts. For on thing, he had never understood why humans used the verb 'twinkle' with 'eyes' as its subject. With reference to stars the word meant the image of the light actually changed, due to the turbulence in the atmospheres of various planets. The light refracted onto the retina should not change in appearance unless the light absorbed were actually changing. Therefore the term 'twinkle' was inaccurate with reference to the optical organ.
But the captain's eyes twinkled.
Spock was also surprised at Kirk's implication that being at a disadvantage could possibly reduce his chance of winning. He had assumed Kirk, if he and Spock's counterpart played frequently, must be used to losing. But now that Spock reviewed their conversation, Kirk had termed playing chess a 'mutual favorite pastime'. If that were so, Kirk must present a challenge to the other Spock, or else continual play would not be interesting to him.
Maybe the other Spock was not as good at chess as he was.
Still, Spock felt something in him thrill at the idea of a challenging opponent. He also felt a small buzz of shame, since exhilaration was mostly likely an illogical response, but he quelled it by reasoning that stimulation of the mind was important; therefore excitement over the opportunity of said stimulation made sense.
"You have not been playing me," Spock corrected. "However, I look forward to the opportunity to see his technique, as revealed by your own methods. As I said, it is possible to learn from one's self." Spock considered his surprise again and the reasons for it, and added, "And, it appears, from you as well."
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