1. Uhura gains a friend
Nyota had had enough. Everywhere she went on this thrice damned planet which they chose for their first shore leave in their first star trek, the men were unbearable. Ogling her and making up dirty, cheap pick up lines... they were driving her up the proverbial wall!
Determined to make the best of her shore leave and get herself a nice spicy drink (preferably alcoholic), she went into the nearest bar; irritation palpable in her dark eyes.
After entering the reatively quiet barwith muted bass music she slid onto a stool with a discontent sigh and ordered her much anticipated drink. Infuriatingly, she saw the bartender give her the "eye" as well. If he so much as gives me another look…Uhura thought to herself venemously, slightly looking forward to letting out her frustrations via a good fight.
Uhura smiled a poison sweet smile at him. "I'd like it with some ice zhopa" she said while batting her eyelashes.
Confused at the strange word, but looking pleased and a bit smug, the bartender went to get her drink with a parting leer.
The same moment the green haired alien left with his begging-to-be-punched face a chocking noise came from her immediate left. Startled Nyota whirled on her stool to see...Ensign Chekov?!
Her brain started supplying her with information immediately. The 'Little Genius' of the fleet with the atrocious pronunciation problems and a supercompuetr for a brain, youngest to graduate Starfleet and more recently the one who beamed up the pilot and the now Captain while they were in free fall!
Said genius ensign, at the moment, was giggling like mad and had sloshed his fruity smelling drink all over his Starfleet t-shirt.
"You...You said bad word!" Pavel giggled, pointing his finger at her while sporting a face splitting smile. "Rubal in the Swear jar!" He said gleefully to a blushing Uhura.
"Pavel! What are you doing here! This is a bar! You're not drinking age!" A flustered Uhura stammered, trying to distract the young, junior officer from her unseemly behaviour on a Federation planet.
Still giggling Chekov shoved his half empty drink towards her. "Fruit juice! They von't give me any vodka. Both inwented in Russia you see!" He finished looking a bit glum at his obvious youth being a obstacle in his quest to get some vodka.
"Oh? Uh...good to know that..." Uhura stammered again, a bit unsure what to say. They were co-workers but they weren't that close. "You alone here? Didn't anyone come along?" Uhura asked a bit curious; as the Captain had taken quite a shine to the young wiz-kid and had sort of taken him under his wings.
To be honest, she wasn't quite sure if the young ensign's drink was completely alchohol free (if her memory served correct the ensign was not yet 20!) as Chekov looked a bit too...giggly. Was it his default anyway? Uhura thought quite amused.
"Da! I came vith Jeem and the doctor McCoy! But I slipped past them!" Chekov said happily. Looking around for apparent eavesdroppers he gestured her to come closer and whispered, "Dr. McCoy is weery scary. I like Jeem...I mean the Keptain! weery much, but the Doctor is wery scary! Do you know he carries hypos on him? All the time?! Zey are zis big!" Pavel showed his arm length with earnest wide eyes. "Zey were having fun but I wanted a drink. So I made distraction and escaped!" He ended his tale and held up his half empty glass in victory.
Relaxing and smiling at the young ensign's antics, Uhura was caught off guard by the Andorian that slided up to her from the other side. "What are you doing with this little twig beautiful? Come with me...I show you what a real man is like." The blue alien slurred, obviously intoxicated.
Giving the alien a steely smile and a firm "No thanks." Uhura turned back towards the young navigator, who was cautiously looking at the big alien….who apparently didn't really understand the word 'No'.
Angered at her dismissal, the Andorian took Uhura's shoulder in a tight grip and jerked her around with a snarl. "Listen here you little..." He spat out looking enraged but got no further.
A small figure darted around Nyota and jumped up, grabbed the shoulder length blond hair in a tight grip and slammed the alien's head on the bar counter with a crack; knocking out the alien and watched as the unconscious body fell down to the floor with a muffled thump.
Stunned Uhura looked at the assailant to see Chekov standing there with a disapproving frown directed at he limp blue body. "When a lady says nyet, it means nyet durak." He said scolded the unconscious man.
Uhura couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the brave little teenager. She could have taken care of it herself of course (self-defense was, after all, mandatory for all Starfleet personnel), and probably broke a few laws regarding shore leave, but it was the thought that counted, right?! Oh she could've kissed the little kid! Chivalry wasn't a 20th Century concept long dead after all! After the day she had had, a gentleman was a sight to her (very) sore eyes!
Jerking out of her shock she opened her mouth; to say what she didn't know, and at the moment didn't care as she spotted three other Andorians got up from a far table and start heading their way to...most probably avenge their fallen friend.
"Uh...Chekov..Pavel, thanks for that and all but uh.." she looked at her beaming companion nervously, "it's best if we left...like right now!" Chekov followed her gaze to the hulking aliens making their way through the crowd and looked...totally unconcerned! "We can take zem out!" He reassured her and tried to go ahead to meet them. Shocked at her colleague's (friend's?) reaction, she started to look for a way out with minimum damage.
Thinking fast and seeing an opening, she grabbed Pavel's unfinished drink and threw it at a hulking, and easily irritable looking, native alien, who was conveniently very near the path of the approaching blue aliens.
Jeering at Uhura for her, apparently, horrible aim the Andorians didn't pause.
But the glass flew true.
With a snarl of rage at being drenched in fruit juice, the green haired native giant got up and promptly punched in the nose of the last Andorian (who was the unfortunate suspect).
As an impromptu bar brawl broke out, Uhura grabbed on to a hand of the overzealous Russian, who looked quite happy to join in the growing brawl, and dragged him away from the flying chairs and shattering plates.
Laughing and giggling the two scrambled away from the small bar.
Nyota Uhura didn't get her much coveted drink that day; but she walked away from the dingy bar with a much more valuable thing: A friend (and eventually a little brother) and it was one of the most fondly remembered days of her life.