Authors note: This story features OC Lily-Lee again. If you don't know her, you can picture her as an Australopithecus with a good brain and a four-nostriled sense of chemical analysis. The picture of our heroes in wigs and 1700-clothes is by KalleJ. Don't they look adorable?

–***–

Chapter 1 - Journey to Babel, I presume?

"Dress uniforms… spit and polish… I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stand this. Feel like my neck's in a sling."

"What's the matter with you, Bones?"

"Hmf. Been sleeping lousy. But even when I'm rested, I've never been a fan of formal receptions."

"Well, I'm ready if you are. We need to be on time to meet the shuttlecraft with the Vulcan ambassador and his wife."

– *** –

"Spock, how does that Vulcan salute go?" McCoy tried to do the hand salute and failed. "That hurts worse than the uniform."

"Nothing to it, look at me! Open, close, open, close."

"That is formally correct, Lily-Lee, but it would improve the dignity of the salute if you could refrain from doing it synchronised with your foot."

"Oh! Sorry, Spock." Lily-Lee slapped the long toes of her left foot over the right foot to keep it from moving. "I'll stay over here in the background, maybe? Don't want to make a bad first impression. Perhaps someday my people will take part in conferences like this."

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit if this matter is still debated fifty years from now."

"If you don't cheer up I'll start calling you Grumpy instead of Doc."

"Where do you pick up bad old jokes like that?"

"Reading. Here they come now."

– *** –

Later, at the reception, Spock took a look around the room and saw his father standing and talking to some members of the andorian delegation. He startled when he also saw Lily-Lee, standing behind Sarek's tall back, sniffing at his robe. Neither he nor the andorians had seen her yet. If Spock were to rush over, he would be noticed. He calculated the maximum velocity with which he could move to the other side of the room without attracting attention and chose the best angle. He had to be physical, nothing else would be as fast. Passing behind his fathers back, he grabbed Lily-Lee by the shoulder and moved her away.

"Hey, what...?"

"Have you had the opportunity to meet the Tellarites, Lily-Lee? I think you may have some things in common. This is assistant Naarg." Much better. The Tellarites are also easily insulted, but not as likely to take offence at displays of animal behaviour. "Naarg, this is Lily-Lee from Vovaror Poplolanonetot."

"That is SUCH a new! I must say that I really admire your snout, assistant Naarg. Is it a very effective organ, olfactory I mean, or do you use it for sound resonance? Sorry if I'm being too forward."

"Not at all, not at all. A pleasure to meet you. I don't believe I've seen your species before?"

"No, we're just newly discovered."

"What is the major export from your planet? Minerals?"

"Um. So far, I suppose we're mainly exporting chemical analysts."

Spock felt he could safely leave. If they got into an argument, Naarg would probably enjoy it. He looked back at them out of the corner of his eye and saw that Lily-Lee had already received permission to sample by licking the tellarite hoof. Deciding to deal with the next crisis, Spock walked to where his mother was standing, talking to doctor McCoy.

"Mrs. Sarek, I know about the rigorous training of the Vulcan youth but tell me: Did he ever run and play like the human children? Even in secret?"

"Well, he did have a pet selat he was very fond of."

"Selat?"

"Sort of a fat teddy bear."

"A teddy bear?"

Ambassador Sarek came over to lead his wife away and retire to their quarters. Lily-Lee, grinning and looking as if she had something funny to share was coming in the opposite direction. Spock noticed that she took a deep breath as she crossed paths with Sarek but that she was discreet about it. Only the flaring four nostrils betrayed her interest in his chemistry. McCoy was still cheered from hearing about Spock's childhood.

"Teddy bear…"

"Not precisely, doctor. On Vulcan the teddy bears are alive and they have six inch fangs."

"Six... inch... fangs... Excuse me, I think I want to be somewhere else." Lily-Lee had just come up next to them but when she heard those words she stopped and turned away with a pale face. Spock saw her walking towards the bar. It would appear that descriptions of large predators upset her. Logical for a prey species.