Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Logic in. Feeling out. His parents had drilled this into him from the moment he could last remember. The time he spent among the humans made it almost necessary to meditate every day. He didn’t always have to sleep, but he needed to focus himself. He had always found them fascinating just like many of the other races. They were all always so … animated. Vulcans used to be an incredibly emotional species until they began to suppress their feelings for science and logic. Growing up he had an affinity for the sciences and mathematics and it was embraced in the Vulcan Science Academy. Unlike most Vulcans he didn’t really mind a slight bit of emotion. In ways it felt kind of .. exhilarating to feel such depth, granted he would never tell a soul that he didn’t trust with such knowledge.

A voice from in front of him slightly broke his concentration. “Umm .. Lieutenant T’Kam sir, we’re about 5 minutes out from the USS Challenger.” T’Kam was sitting on the floor of the shuttlecraft, crosslegged, with his hands resting on his knees. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the Ensign who was piloting the shuttle. “Thank you Ensign. Please ensure that we follow proper Starfleet protocol for docking procedures. I will ready my belongings.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on the floor to shift his legs out from under him and stood up. He had a small bag of personal belongings, mostly religious relics to focus on during his meditations along with a PaDD containing his orders.

Once they had entered the docking bay and touched down he looked down at his uniform to ensure that everything was in order. Shirt tucked, everything aligned, pips in place. He stepped off the shuttle followed by the Ensign who would be taking the rest of the day off to recover before departing back to the ship he had originally came from. He abruptly stopped and turned towards the Ensign. “Ensign. I would like to thank you for the safe transport and..” He tilted his head slightly, “.. company. It was good to learn more about you. Safe travels on your way back as well.” He held up his hand and in Vulcan custom with his index and middle finger together split in the middle with his ring finger and pinky joined on the other side. “Live long and prosper.” With a small nod and a thank you from the Ensign he stepped through the door as it hissed into the hallway of the Challenger. It had been only a short while since he entered the Officer Exchange Program with Starfleet, but every day he spent was always more interesting than the last. Now he just had to get things started by meeting with the XO, checking in at medical, and be evaluated by their counselor. He stepped off to the left and started on his way.

Lt. T’Kam (Oncoming CSO)