Chapter Text
September 24th, 2242
Dear Penpal,
I’m James T. Kirk. The T stands for Tiberius. My teacher said we have to write our full names. But I go by Jim and not James. No one calls me James except for my mom when she's mad. I live in Riverside, Iowa, on Earth. I'm in third grade at Riverside Elementary (Earth school goes from grade 1 to grade 12), and I’m eight years old. I like to play Fizzb’in and ride my bike. I want to get a hoverbike when Im older, but my brother Sam says my mom will never allow it. I told him to go away. I live with my brother and my mom and dad. I have a dog named Butler. He's a Great Dane, my mom says. He's a big dog.
My favorite subject is math and science. Mrs. Greene said to pick just one, but she's stupid. Math just makes so much sense because it's always a pattern and always either right or wrong. And science is awesomely cool.
My favorite color is yellow, like a dandelion, and I love the stars. Constellations are so cool. I bet you have different ones from where you are, don't you? Mrs. Greene said these are going to lots of other planets so we can have ‘cross-cultural experiences,’ whatever that means. She also said she would send them to kids a little older than us so you could be our mentors. I don’t need a mentor, so just write back to get Mrs. Greene to stop bothering me.
My best friend is Tommy from down the street. He’s the only one whos allowed to call me Jimmy. He lives with his parents and two twin brothers, Nick and Jeremy. They’re friends with my brother, which means they're mean and like to throw acorns at Tommy and me when we climb trees. Tommy and I ride our bikes around town every day, and sometimes I stop to collect rocks and sticks for our fort in the forest. My house is just up against the woods, so we go there every day, too. With help from our dads, we made a lean-to against a big tree, so now we have a fort!
I like to go to the ice cream shop. I usually go with my dad when he’s home. He’s a Lieutenant in Starfleet and is away a lot. But he sends us old-fashioned letters and video calls us every week when he can.
My mom is also in Starfleet, but she’s taking time off to raise Sam and me. I think she will go back when Sam turns 18 and can take care of me, but that's a long time to go. Sam hates that idea, though. He doesn't want to take care of me. I even promised him I’d be extra good, but he says he doesn't care and wants to do what he wants. He acts like such a grown-up. He’s fifteen, which is pretty old but not grown-up old.
My favorite food is Italian food! I like pizza and pasta. Sam says that pasta isn’t Italian food, but I think he’s dumb. Pizza is good because you can put anything on it and I like noodles a lot. Especially ones you can slurp into your mouth, even though my mom says that's bad manners. Do you have pizza and pasta on your planet? If not, you are missing out. They’re very tasty.
Be sure to write me back soon! Mrs. Greene said we should just answer a few questions from our penpal activity sheet, but I had a lot of fun typing this and got a little carried away. I’m the best writer and reader in my class, and I sometimes get to go and study with older kids because they're on the same level as me. Not to brag or anything. Mom says it's mean to brag.
I hope we will be great friends!
Your Penpal,
Jim
To Jim.
Hello. My name is Sch’nn T’Gai Spock. My name is unpronounceable to most humans, so you may call me Spock. I live on the planet Vulcan. It is a desert planet. I live in Shi’Khar, which is the capital of Vulcan and a well-inhabited city.
I understand the appeal of a “fort,” as you call it. I myself have a cave in the nearby desert where I go to meditate. My father disapproves, but I do my best work there.
I am eleven Vulcan years old. This is slightly younger than I would be if I were Earth years old. Vulcan school is separated into a first and second phase of schooling. Within these stages are levels, and I am in the 6th level of phase one.
I live with my mother and father. My mother frequently helps me with schoolwork, as she was a teacher. My father is the ambassador to Earth. I also have two siblings, Michael and Sybok. Sybok is my half-brother, and Michael is my adopted sister. I am not close with either of them.
On the topic of pets, I have a pet sehlat. It is like a bear, if I understand Earth animals correctly. It also has large fangs. But it is not a predator species anymore, as it has adapted to domesticated life. My sehlat is named Fonn’es, and she is still a cub. Her name means loyalty in Vulcan. She is mainly loyal to my mother and often follows her around the house. I had another sehlat before her, but he died when I was seven.
Favorite colors are illogical. It is illogical to favor one wavelength of light over another. Even so, blue is most appealing.
I am happy to be your mentor, Jim. I understand you feel you do not need one, but I could provide you with important information that may aid your academic endeavors. I am three years your senior, and Vulcan education is far more rigorous than Earth schooling. I can also tutor you in the study of Vulcan constellations if you would like.
“Best friends” and friends, in general, are not logical. However, I spend most of my free time with a girl called T’Pring. She is my betrothed, and my father wants us to get along very much. She and I study together often, and I find her company soothing because of our mental bond. Mental bonds are how Vulcans are pulled together, and allow us to communicate in extreme circumstances. There is also a bond that connects all Vulcans to one another, but it is faint. My bonds extend to my family members and T’Pring.
I also enjoy math and science, but primarily science. I find it fascinating and plan to join the Vulcan Science academy someday. In school, we are currently learning about the life cycle of Le-Matyas, which are a feline species that live in the L-langon foothills and Vulcans Forge and on Mount Seleya, all of which are near Shi’Khar. They begin their life cycle a dull grey color with black markings on their backs and tails, but as they age their hide turns bright green and their markings become yellowish. They also develop the ability to create venom on their claws and fangs.
There is no such thing as Italian food here on Vulcan, but my mother sometimes makes pizza for my siblings and me as a treat. I eat mostly Vulcan food, and my favorite is Gespar pastries. Gespar is a fruit and is both tart and sweet. I prefer it to most other foods, though it has little nutritional value.
As said before, friends are illogical, so I hope to be an adequate mentor to you and a satisfactory acquaintance.
Live long and prosper,
Sch’nn T’Gai Spock