Acclimation (working title)

A/N: This'll be the last chapter for a while, until I can get off my lazy ass and finish writing chapter four. I still haven't gotten that elusive review...but the hits are, well, kinda okay. Okay, compared to the hits I got on another site, the ones here are fantastic. So, uh, much love? XD Haha, not really... But, hey, as long as I get a kick out of writing about Berry, and her Vulcan, Karek, screw the lack of people wanting to read it, neh?



...this makes me sad. Enjoy the last chapter for a long while.







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The initial welcome to the colony was unenthusiastic on either side, and the tension between Ron and Berry was nearly palpable. No one commented on it, for which Berry was more than grateful. After the initial introductions, they were directed to their living quarters for the duration of their time on the colony. It was a large building, already housing a couple hundred human workers, and included three rec rooms for off hours. Each worker was given a single bedroom, and was expected to head to the mess hall at 0700 every morning for breakfast. Lunch and dinner could be eaten at any time throughout the day, depending on the work schedule of the individual.



In her own bedroom in the human complex, Berry unpacked her clothes, setting them into the standard issue chest of drawers. There were hardly enough clothes to fit in the drawers, but it would have to do for now, she decided. After unpacking her clothes and books, she moved to the closet, where she was thankful to note that there were three uniforms, along with a lab coat. The lab coat amused Berry to no end, simply because she'd never had the chance to use one while working at her old job. Her last job had pretty much been spent behind a computer screen, double checking the work of the more experienced researchers.



Smiling, she took out one of the uniforms and changed her clothes, and on a second thought grabbed the lab coat and tucked it under her arm. The elders that had greeted them had told them that they would be briefed on their jobs once they made their way to where they would be working.



Exiting her room, she headed down to the mess to grab a quick bite to eat before finding someone to ask where the genetics lab was located. After getting directions, she set out at a brisk walk, humming lightly to herself. Despite the stress of the last few days, she couldn't help but be excited at finally being able to start her job!



Finding the lab proved to be quite a challenge, however, even with directions. All the prefabricated buildings that the colonists had set up looked alike, and there were no individual markers to designate which building was which. After stopping a Vulcan worker for directions, and getting a disinterested stare for her troubles, she was finally able to find the building with the genetics lab. By that time, she was more than a little sweaty from all the walking and the heat. And as she gratefully entered the building, and moved to the lab a few doors away from the entrance, she was thankful that the air was a few degrees cooler than it had been outside.



"Pardon me," she called as she entered the lab. "Is anyone here?"



A head peered out from behind a large microscope that was set up on a table in the center of the lab. "You are Dr. Slater?"



Moving further into the room, Berry smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's me. This is the genetics lab, right?"



"That is correct." The head disappeared back behind the microscope, leaving Berry a little confused. Was this person her coworker? After a minute of the head not coming back up, she moved to stand behind the microscope. There, she got a good look at him. A young Vulcan man by the looks of him, with the generic bowl-cut hairstyle, face devoid of emotions, and the pointy ears. He looked back up at her, and Berry could swear he was annoyed. "May I assist you, Dr. Slater?"



"Err, yea," Berry coughed, feeling shy and unsure. "I was told that someone would tell me exactly what my job would be, and explain... err... things?" She held up her hands lamely, the lab coat still tucked beneath one arm.



Turning back to his work, he told her over his shoulder, "Judging from your thesis paper, you are more than capable of discerning 'your job,' Doctor."



Frowning, she crossed her arms across her stomach. "Though that it is true, the mere fact that I am new here, and don't know my way around the lab, should be cause for at least a few explanations of proper procedures," she snapped.



He turned to look at her again. "Your station is over there," he gestured to the far side of the room. "Your PADDs and comm unit are laid out on the desk. Go over the data on the PADDs, and that will be all the explanation you shall need. Now, if you'll excuse me."



Once he had turned his back to her, again, Berry gave a heartfelt sigh and practically stormed her way over to her station. Just like the Vulcan had said, there were PADDs, and what looked to be a comm in the shape of a heavy metal bracelet. Convenient, since she was pretty sure that the PADDs would take up all her carrying space if she wasn't careful.



With an irritated sigh, she flopped into her chair, and slid the comm onto her wrist before grabbing the first PADD she saw. Over the next couple of hours, she carefully peered over the data that had been collected. There was plenty of data, the majority of which was the general information on the various genetic combinations in Vulcan DNA, and how they could be effectively used in making disease-immune children in later generations. By the time she had finished reading all the data, Berry had a twisted muscle ache in her shoulders, and she knew just about anything and everything she'd ever want to know about Vulcan genetics. She'd been a specialist before, but that had been nothing compared to the data that had been collected for her use.



Setting down the last PADD, she turned in her chair to look over at her coworker's station. He had long since left the microscope in favor of the computer, where he had typed in whatever data he had found in the slides.



"Hey," she called to him.



Glancing at her, he raised an eyebrow, his fingers never slowing from typing on the keyboard. “Do you require assistance?”



“Err, sorta...” She twisted her lips, the muscle ache between her shoulders lending her irritation a firmer hold on her usual calm demeanor. But she still attempted to hold on to her ire at this Vulcan male. “Can I at least know the name of my coworker, and the reason why there seems to be only the two of us in this quite large lab?”



“I am Karek.” He said without preamble. “For the work necessary to complete the Vulcan repopulation project set forth by the Federation, very few geneticists are needed, which thus leaves you and I, Dr. Slater.”



Berry bit her bottom lip, eyebrow twitching. “So...I was led to believe that this position was desirable and necessary, and yet they only bother to recruit two of us?”



“There had been three others,” Karek added. “However, they left, stating hazardous environmental conditions not conducive to cooperation.”



“Well, fuck, you're telling me that three other geneticists couldn't work with ya?” She snorted, absentmindedly rubbing her left shoulder. “Why do I get the feeling that you did nothing to alleviate the problem with the 'work environment'?”



“What they required in the name of 'cooperation',” he stated, “it is not my duty to provide.”



“Shit...” Berry groaned. “Flibbertigibbet in a porkchip, I sure do hope you work better than you're attitude.”



“My work ethic is not in question, doctor,” he nearly spat, for a Vulcan. “My 'attitude,' as you so termed it, is not in question, either. The other three human geneticists could not work effectively with what was provided, and so it was unnecessary for them to remain.The work has been divvied up between the remaining two―that is, you and I, doctor―into sufficient and manageable shifts."



“I'll show you manageable, right in the keister, if you ever pull any of that sorta crap on me, Karek,” Berry said in no uncertain terms. “Work is to be shared, not divvied up. Two heads work better than one, and it'd be easier to catch any potential mistakes.”



“I do not make mistakes,” Karek warned.



“Well, I do, but then again, I'm only human...” she ground out behind a forced smile. “Either you agree to work together, or you'd best hope that I don't make any...irreparable errors in my calculations, Karek.”



“...that...would be best, Dr. Slater,” he said after a pause. “Avoidance of errors should be our main priority, rather than logical management of the work load.”



“Glad you see it my way,” she grinned, standing from her chair. “In any case, I'm gonna head back to the human dorms for some lunch. You'd best take a break, too. Don't need a hungry Vulcan on the job,” she laughed, waving at him as she departed from the lab.



Behind her, muttered under his breath, Karek decided, “She is a most illogical human female.”