Tuven watched the small human child walk slowly through the halls of the Surak Learning Academy. She held on tightly to the hand of her mother, a short slim dark skinned human dressed in traditional Vulcan robes. Beside them walked a tall older Vulcan that Tuven knew as Ambassador Sarek, New Vulcan’s ambassador to Earth and an important member of the Vulcan council. The small child lacked the confidence of her mother and the Ambassador. She looked around at her surroundings with wide brown eyes filled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement that Tuven found fascinating. Tuven found everything about the small human to be fascinating; from the way her small figure swam in the school robes that were too large for her, how the slightest tinge of pink could be seen in her warm brown cheeks, to how the wild untamed dark brown spirals of her hair framed her face like a halo. Suddenly, the little girl turned and looked straight at him. Tuven found himself holding his breath as the small human smiled at him, a wide engaging grin that displayed the gap left from a missing upper incisor and a small depression in the flesh of her right cheek. The child waved at him energetically, only to be gently reprimanded by the ambassador. Tuven watched silently as the trio entered the schoolmaster’s office, the small human looking back over her shoulder to smile at him once more.

“It is regrettable that they are allowing a human to enroll,” Syvek intoned dryly as he came to stand beside Tuven.

“It is of no importance,” T’Lang replied. “It is impossible for a human to perform at the level required to sustain admission into the academy. She will no doubt be expelled before the end of the term.”

Soon the gong sounded signaling the commencement of the morning lessons. As Tuven followed his classmates to the instruction pods, he thought about the fascinating human child and hoped that T’Lang was incorrect.

**************

Tuven ascended from his instruction pod as the gong for the afternoon recess sounded. He was grateful for the break as his hunger was more pronounced than usual. He had neglected to consume sufficient nutrients when he broke his fast that morning and he found himself most desirous of the afternoon meal.

Tuven walked with his tray of bread and hot plomeek soup from the replicator to find a seat at a table amongst his peers. The room was filled with the chatter of school children and the clinking of glasses and utensils. Amongst the din, his keen ears picked up the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

“Is this seat taken?”

Tuven looked up to find the fascinating small human standing with her tray next to a table full of female students. All conversation at the table had ended, and seven pairs of dark unblinking eyes were trained on the small human.

“As you can see, human, this seat is unoccupied,” T’Lang replied for the table.

The human smiled and approached the table only to be halted by T’Lang’s next words.

“However, you may not sit in this seat. I suggest that you find table that is willing to accommodate primates.”

The seven pairs of eyes turned back to their meals leaving the small human standing with a look of bewilderment. Tuven watched as she approached another table only to be turned away once more. Tuven found the behavior of his fellow classmates to be most peculiar and illogical. He walked towards the small human who stood with downcast eyes in the center of the room.

“I would be most honored if you would sit with me,” Tuven said as he came to a stop beside the small human.

The small human looked up at him with wide eyes that were suspiciously wet despite the small smile that graced her full lips.

“Thank you,” she replied in a tremulous voice.

Tuven nodded before walking over to a half empty table in the rear of the room. He silently began to consume his meal as the small human sat down.

“I am Makeda Uhura,” the human began after a short time. “What is your name?”

Tuven set down his spoon and wiped his mouth with his cloth.

“I am Tuven, son of Swylek,” he replied.

“It is nice to meet you Tuven. Thank you for inviting me to sit with you,” Makeda replied, her voice bright. “You are very sweet, Tuven.”

“Sweet,” Tuven replied as he cocked his head to the side. “I am positive that I do not taste sweet, Makeda. Furthermore, as you have never tasted me, I do not know how you have come to this conclusion.”

Makeda giggled, a sound he found fascinating. “No, silly. I did not mean that you taste sweet, although I suppose that I could lick you and find out.”

Tuven’s eyes grew wide with alarm causing Makeda to giggle once more.

“Do not worry, I won’t lick you! I was just teasing you,” Makeda said after her laughter had subsided. “I meant that you are a nice person for inviting me to sit with you.”

Tuven exhaled in relief. Humans were very confusing.

“I simply felt that the behavior of my classmates was illogical. The afternoon recess is not long and we have but a brief time to consume our meals. It would have been difficult for you to consume your meal if you remained standing in the center of the room.”

“That is why you are sweet! The others did not care if I found a place to sit or not.”

Makeda flashed him another smile before reaching into her robe to pull out a small pink case and a black pouch. She took out two small white pills from the case and swallowed them with water before opening the pouch and sprinkling her plomeek soup with a mixture of herbs.

“Why did you ingest medication, Makeda? Are you ill?” Tuven asked, despite knowing that it was rude to ask such things.

“My Uncle Len prescribed me iron supplements to take with each meal so that I will have sufficient iron in my system to maintain my health,” Makeda replied with a smile. “Unlike my father, my blood is not copper based so I must take supplements when eating a strict Vulcan diet. When I am home with my sa’mekh’al, I do not have to take the pills.”

“You are part Vulcan?” Tuven asked.

“Yes,” Makeda smiled before tucking her hair behind her ears to reveal their pointed tips. “My father is half-Vulcan and my mother is human.”

“Your sa’mekh is Spock son of Sarek,” Tuven stated in awe.

“Yes,” Makeda replied with pride. “He is first officer of the Enterprise. They are patrolling the neutral zone, so papa could not get leave to live with us on New Vulcan. My mother lectures at the Vulcan Science Academy, but she is just staying here a year to see that I am well adjusted before she too returns to the Enterprise. Then I will stay here with mysa’mekh’al Sarek and my Uncle Spock who is really my other sa’mekh, but I call him uncle because it is not so confusing…”

Tuven listened in fascination as Makeda continued to talk in-between sips of her plomeek soup and bites of bread. Makeda was unlike any other child he had met before and he once again found the behavior of his classmates to be most illogical. He, Tuven, son of Swylek, a simple farmer and botanist, was sharing a meal with the daughter of Spock and Uhura, the saviors of Vulcan society and the Federation who were also the children of Ambassador Sarek descendant of Surak. Despite her lineage, Tuven detected no hint of human pride or conceit in her voice. She was all warmth and gregariousness and he soon found himself treated as if she had known him all her life. He made no protest when she reached across the table to sprinkle his soup with some of the herbs that she brought. While he had thought the flavor of plomeek to be adequate for consumption, he had to admit that the spice mixture made the soup quite delicious. She had smiled widely at this pronouncement and promised to bring him a pouch of herbs for his own the next day. It was the special recipe of her m’aih’al Amanda. By the end of the recess period when the gong to resume lessons had sounded, Tuven was surprised to look down to discover that he had consumed all of his meal although he did not recall doing so. As they lined up to walk back to their instruction pods, Makeda touched his hand, sending a warm feeling of contentment through him.

“May I sit with you again tomorrow, Tuven?” Makeda asked, her eyes hopeful.

“Yes, I would find that most pleasing.”