"Hello everyone, I am Captain Kirk. I trust you are comfortable so far with the amenities of the Starship Enterprise. It is my understanding that you have spent the past week shadowing your mentors at your prospective stations. Today I will choose which of you will be able to continue on here as full members of the crew. I apologize for not having been able to visit you all before now, but I trust my crew has given me an accurate report on your talents."
The Captain shifted around in his chair, and for the first time I could see his appearance without having to strain around the man standing in front of me. Kirk was a rugged looking, and undeniably handsome, blonde, twenty something male. Despite his youth, he looked quite confidant and at home in his Captain's chair.
The man who was in front of me scooted a bit to the left, and I lost sight of the Captain again. Though the small crowd I was standing in would soon form a line so that he could size us all up properly, I silently cursed my short stature, and the momentarily cramped bridge which made it necessary for all of us rookies to stand so close together and render me blind to everything but the shoulder blades of some random guy.
After the Captain explained why he had called us all to the bridge, and lined us up, with me on the end, he began speaking to each of us about our jobs here. He would ask what we thought about the job and, other crew members, if we thought we were right for the positions. Then he would consult the Commander on what our mentors had said about us. That was when I first took notice of Mr. Spock. I had heard he was a Vulcan, and he looked very much a Vulcan, with his severe haircut, strong build, slanted eyebrows, and pointed ears, but something was off about it.
By the time the Captain had reached me I realized what it was. Mr. Spock's eyes looked nothing like the eyes of a Vulcan. It was a subtle difference, but certainly caused him to appear more human to someone familiar with the Vulcan race. Before the Captain began to ask me questions, I turned my head slightly towards the Commander.
"Excuse me sir, I don't mean to sound impertinent, but I would like to know if you have any human heritage in your bloodline."
The captain looked surprised and slightly insulted, that I had not addressed him first, and that I had asked so seemingly random a question as that, but the Commander merely stared blankly at me for a few moments with an eyebrow raised in a "what are you getting at exactly?" sort of expression.
"Yes, in fact, my mother was human." He answered eventually.
"How did you guess that?" asked the Captain, causing me to face forward and look at him again.
"His eyes aren't Vulcan, sir." I replied simply, trying not to say anything that may insult the Commander further. "I apologize for speaking out of turn, but I thought it might be my only chance to ask, in case I am not chosen for the position. My name is Rose Monett, and I am one of the people who applied to be an assistant engineer to Mr. Scott."
"Well, Rose, I'd prefer you to not speak out of turn, though I admit I'm often guilty of that myself." The Captain reprimanded with a playful glint in his eye.
"Why do you want to be a member of the Starship Enterprise?"
"I liked the idea of recruiting planets to the Federation. I think it's a noble cause to unite the universe."
"Fair enough. What makes you think you'd be good for the job?"
"Besides my extensive training at Starfleet Academy, my father was an engineer on the USS Republic. He taught me everything he knew. I want to work in engineering so I can live a life surrounded by something he helped me to accomplish."
"And are you certain you can respect the orders of your superiors, primarily Scotty, Mr. Spock, and Myself?"
"Yes sir. You all seem quite agreeable. Mr. Scott especially, since I know him the best."
"Good, because Spock and I have reviewed your resume, and Scotty's notes. You were accepted for the job."
"Thank you, Captain." I said joyfully. I bobbed my head respectfully at both the Captain and the Commander. The Captain then turned and retraced his steps back to the beginning of the line, choosing the other applicants who were accepted along the way.
"You are all dismissed. New recruits are to return to their mentors, applicants who were denied will return to their quarters and pack. We will soon arrive at a federation post where you can all catch a ride back to where you came."
Before leaving the bridge, I stopped to talk to the Commander.
"I apologize again for asking you something personal in front of all the others. Perhaps I could make it up to you?"
"You are forgiven, Ensign. What is it you had in mind?"
"Well, I had always wanted to learn chess. If there's a board on ship, we could spar a bit. I know there's no better teacher in a logic game then a Vulcan." I very much wanted to keep off the bad side of the Commander, so I made sure to keep my face as friendly looking as I could without being disrespectful.
"Very well, Ensign. I will teach you if that is what you wish. It has been a long time since I last had a chess opponent, but I was once quite proficient." He turned to leave, and for the most fleeting of seconds I could have sworn I saw him smile. What I hadn't seen, however, was the steady gaze of James Tiberius Kirk, quietly absorbing all that had been said between us.