Destined From the Start - Part Two

Chapter Fifteen - First Posting

June, 2289

When the shuttle landed, and he stepped out, it was almost as if he had never left. Here he was again - on New Vulcan. The location of his first posting had come as a complete surprise to him. When he had opened his orders in his cabin on the transport ship he had been astounded. He was assigned to assist in the construction and staffing of the new hospital StarFleet was building on New Vulcan! He would be here from the very beginning, interacting with the local people and seeing just how a field hospital was set up. It was a very exciting challenge he had been given. He wasn't sure just how he had managed to get this assignment, but he wasn't going to complain in the least.

When he cleared the shuttle landing area, he was not at all surprised to see his uncle Sybok there waiting for him. Of course Baba would have passed on his news, and of course Sybok would be the one to welcome him, for he was here, at the shuttle landing site every day. It had been too long since they had seen one another, and they had many things to speak of, but first Grayson must find the temporary headquarters and check in, and find out where he would be sleeping and eating. Sybok led him off, and pointed out the building where he needed to go, and told him that he would be expected at the clan house for end-meal that night, unless he was ordered to do otherwise. Grayson grinned. He hardly thought that whoever was in charge here would be willing to displease the matriarch of one of the most prominent clans by refusing to allow her grandson to have dinner with her. Unless they didn't know, of course.

He shouldered his duffle again after saying goodbye to his uncle and struck out across the red-brown ground towards the small building. When he opened the door, it was to an icy blast of air-conditioning. Someone was over-compensating for the heat! He found a board mounted near the door, with the room numbers with names next to them.

Off down the hall he went, following the numbers, until he came to the door with the small sign on it : Commanding Officer. He wasn't sure exactly what to do next, the door was closed, should he just open it or knock first? He was about to raise his hand to knock when the door opened in front of him. Startled, he took half a step backwards to escape being run over. A young woman wearing a StarFleet medical uniform teetered to a stop, just barely missing running right into him. "Oh, my, I wasn't expecting anyone to be on the other side of the door!"

He was a bit puzzled. Surely they had his paperwork and were expecting him on this shuttle? "Dr S'chn T'gai Grayson, reporting for duty."

"Was that today? For some reason we were expecting you tomorrow." She looked flustered. "We don't have your billet ready yet."

"I don't think that will be a problem. My grandmother is expecting me for end-meal and I'm sure my uncle can put me up in his spare bedroom for a night - or even longer if there's a problem with space."

That seemed to make her even more flustered. "Your grandmother? Your uncle? You have relatives here?"

He simply nodded. Surely this wasn't the commanding officer. Surely not. And then he heard a voice from further back in the room behind the young woman. "Is our new doctor here already? Send him on in."

The young woman stepped aside, and motioned him into the room and he stepped in, moving far enough to be out of her way, and she scurried out the door, closing it behind her. At the far end of the room was another door, and through that apparently another office. He moved in that direction and saw, behind a desk, and large middle-aged man in a StarFleet uniform. This must be the Commanding Officer then. He came to attention before the desk and repeated what he had said earlier. "Dr S'chn T'gai Grayson reporting for duty, sir."

"Glad to have you aboard. Set down that duffle and have a seat. We're just getting organized here. The construction contract's already been let to some local group - Builder Varun."

At that, Grayson almost smiled, but then remembered where he was. So Uncle Varun had won this very lucrative contract, then. Well and good for him. And he would be easy to deal with, too.

"I don't suppose you speak any of the local language at all, do you? We really need to find some translators."

"I do speak Vulcan quite well, actually. My parents taught it to me when I was quite small. And we spent a year here on sabbatical when I was ten, so I got lots of experience."

The man behind the desk stared at him. And then things apparently clicked. "You're Spock's kid!"

"Yes, sir. Commander Spock is indeed my father."

The Commanding Officer leaned back in his chair. "Well, that's going to make things a lot easier." He leaned forward over the desk then. "Your grandmother - that's T'Pau, isn't it? And the man that runs the cargo facility here - he's your uncle, isn't he?"

"One of them, yes. I have several."

"This is going to make things run along much smoother here." He sighed in relief. "I have to tell you, I wasn't prepared for the environment here. All the other construction projects I've run have been on Earth or one of the Earth colonies, where everyone speaks Standard. I had no idea I would be expected to learn this language they speak here. Just sounds like babble to me." He sighed. "I guess I'll get used to it eventually. If they'd just let me use that Universal Translator thing I'd be okay." He shuffled things around on his desk and came up with a small PADD. "Here's all the information you'll need. We'll have a barracks up by the end of the week. Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to live off the local economy."

Grayson took the PADD, suppressing the grin that wanted to escape. "I don't think that will be a hardship, sir."

"Well, off with you then. Report back here at 0800 tomorrow and Lt Hampton will show you where you'll be working. Since you speak the local language, I'm making you the go-between to that building contractor. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?"

"No, sir, not at all." Just wait until he told Uncle Varun! He stood up and shouldered his duffle once again, and headed back out towards the hall, almost running into the young woman again. He supposed she must be Lt Hampton. Back outside he went, and headed straight towards the clan compound, his steps light.

When he reached the gate in front of the clan house, he was spotted by the children playing in the yard. Someone went running inside the house immediately, and the others came to greet him. These children were too young to have ever met him in person, but they all knew exactly who he was. After all, there was only one member of the clan in the StarFleet medical department. In no time at all, he was seated in the solar, with T'Pau and Parik and Sesuk and T'Pena seated around him, and a cup of tea in his hand and a plate of dainties on the table at his elbow. And nothing would do but that he explain everything to them all. And then his grandmother stood, and indicated that he should follow here, and led him to a small room, with a desk with a comlink sitting on it.

"Your parents will wish to know that you have arrived safely. And your bondmate as well." And then she turned and walked away, leaving Grayson standing there, his mouth open.