A New World
“This room is lovely. Thank you for bringing me here,” said Hari.
Spock nodded.
“The doctor called you Spock. Is that your last name?”
“No, it is my first name. Vulcans are not referred to by their family name, traditionally.” said Spock.
“I’m Hari.”
“Our parents named you T’Aria.”
Hari wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“We have parents?” is what her mouth decided to say.
“Indeed.”
“Two?”
“Yes.” One of Spock’s eyebrows was slightly raised.
“Well, you said we’re not human. Maybe reproduction happens differently with Vulcans,” said Hari.
“Indeed,” said Spock. “Although our mother is human.”
“Our father is Vulcan?”
“Yes,” answered Spock.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
“So we’re half human?”
“No,” said Spock.
They stared at each other for a few more seconds.
“May you please explain?” asked Hari.
“Vulcans and humans cannot reproduce naturally. Our conceptions were possible with medical aid. Genetically, we are approximately 97% Vulcan and 3% Human.”
“Hmmm.” Hari wanted to ask every question that had been swirling in her mind her whole life. But the newness and uncertainty of the situation made her jaw clamp shut.
“What year is it?” asked Hari.
“2258.”
Holy Merlin. Hari was about 250 years in the future. Was the magical community still hidden? What had happened in all of that time?
________________________________________
Hari was staring at items she simply couldn’t figure out. She poked her head back in the other room.
“Spock?”
Spock said nothing but raised an eyebrow and slightly tilted his head.
“Errrr…May you please tell me…errrr…how to use the facilities?”
The future was embarrassing.
________________________________________
Spock took Hari on a walk in a park with leafy trees. Being near nature made her feel more settled.
“What color is your blood?” asked Hari.
“Vulcans have green blood,” said Spock.
Hari raised an eyebrow. But he didn’t seem about to share more. “Why?”
“Our blood has a copper-based hemocyanin, which produces the green hue.”
“Huh.”
It was nice to take a walk with Spock. Hari wasn’t sure which was more rambling – the walk or the conversation. But Spock seemed willing to answer any question without hesitation.
“Vulcans do not shake hands or have any casual touching,” said Spock.
“Why?” asked Hari. She was on edge. This could explain so much…
“We’re touch telepaths,” said Spock calmly. Spock said everything calmly.
But how could he say this so easily?
Hari thought for a few seconds. “Are you recording this conversation?”
“No,” said Spock, with a raised eyebrow.
Hari was beginning to think a raised eyebrow was the Vulcan equivalent of yelling.
“Do you think anyone else is recording or listening to this conversation?” asked Hari.
“No.”
The silence stretched. “Saying something like, ‘this person is a telepath’, seems like a good way to send that person to a human lab to be experimented on for the rest of their lives,” whispered Hari.
Spock was silent for a few steps. “We know of many species with a vast range of abilities. Humans are psy-null, meaning they have no telepathic abilities. But several other sentient beings, such as Betazoids, have a form of telepathy. Non-consensual experimentation is a legal violation that would not be tolerated anywhere in the Federation.”
Grindelwald. Voldemort. The Witch Burnings. For over one thousand years, the wizarding world had been plagued by the differences between muggle and wixen. Muggles feared and hunted wixen. Some wixen wanted total isolation from muggles. Extreme isolationists like Voldemort wanted extreme solutions to the “muggleborn problem” that threatened to expose the magical world. Others, like Grindelwald, chafed at having to hide their magic, and wanted to live openly in the world. And many of those wanted to control muggles so they couldn’t harm the magical world.
And Spock just very casually said that 250 years was all it took for humans to be perfectly fine with multiple alien species. Like it was the expected outcome.
“Which aliens did humans meet first?” asked Hari.
“Vulcans made first contact with humans after a human man successfully traveled faster than light.”
After a pause, Hari asked, “Did the humans and Vulcans fight each other? Was there a war?”
“No. The Vulcans are a peaceful people. We do not believe in violence.”
“Violence exists and can come for you, even if you don’t believe in it,” whispered Hari.
What was this bizarre world? It was feeling more like a trap. How nice it must be to simply say, “We don’t believe in violence.” Dumbledore would love it here.
________________________________________
It took less than one day for Hari to decide that Spock was awesome.
After a restless night, Spock was answering Hari’s questions patiently as she jumped from one topic to the next.
The door opened.
“T’Aria!”
A woman wrapped herself around Hari, who focused on her Occlumency shields as a torrent of emotions slammed into her. The woman was elated, confused, and had a deep undercurrent of sorrow. Hari gently untangled herself and took a step back.
“I’m your mother,” the woman whispered.
“Hello,” said Hari, with an awkward wave of her hand. “I’m Hari.”
There was a pause. The woman looked like she wanted to hug again. Hari looked over to the man. He was tall, incredibly tall. He was slender and still. Their eyes met, and Hari felt she was looking in a mirror. His eyes. His eyes were her eyes. Their hair was the same shade.
He stepped closer to her and started to raise his hand. Hari thought, Ok. Hugs. I can do a hug. It will be quick and awkward, but I’ll know to prepare my shields in advance this time. Taking the initiative, she leaned in.
And was amazed. She felt the material of his shirt against her cheek and under her hands. She felt his body’s warmth through his clothing. She felt his chest rising and falling with slow, even breaths. After a few moments, she felt his arms softly wrap around her.
She didn’t feel his emotions jabbing into her mind.
Hari clung tighter and didn’t let go.
“Oh,” whispered Hari. “It doesn’t hurt. I’ve never touched someone without it hurting before.”
She felt something inside her relax.
After a few breaths, an awful thought came to mind. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No,” said Sarek.
Hari felt his voice vibrate through his chest.
“I am not in pain,” he said.