Kirk slouched in the command chair, wondering how much longer they'd be on star-mapping duty. It seemed to him that, if the Enterprise was supposed to explore new worlds, they ought to be doing that. But every potential new world they'd discovered so far (two, to be precise) had been put on the hold list.

Kirk wondered why Starfleet Command wasn't sending them off to explore them. Maybe they had some other mission in mind for them, and they didn't want to commit the Enterprise to something the scale of mapping a new world. (Although why they couldn't do a fly-by, Kirk didn't understand. The closest planet would only take them four days out of their assigned flight path. If Spock could go explore his world, it seemed only fair that Kirk could explore one, too.)

Or perhaps they were waiting for Spock to return, so the Enterprise could enter that mission with its "proper" science officer. But that would mean they wouldn't go anywhere for another month; surely Starfleet wouldn't keep them out of the action for a whole month. It also seemed an unnecessarily harsh indictment against Mallory. If Starfleet didn't trust her qualifications, why did they assign her? What did the Lao-Tse do when it encountered a new world? Send constant reports back to headquarters so someone else could look over the data?

No, it couldn't be Mallory. True, it was hard to evaluate her abilities when all they did was cruise the sector. But she was prompt and focused and gave adequate reports (perhaps not highly adequate, not super-detailed the way Spock would have made them, but perfectly sufficient for their immediate needs).

Kirk made a face. He supposed he had gotten spoiled by having a Vulcan in that position. With Spock, every briefing, even if it was only on that day's star systems, turned into a thesis filled with more fun facts than Kirk would have imagined belonged to such ordinary stars. But perhaps that's what Spock did to keep himself alert on a routine mission; research every object to the nth degree, hunting for that one gem of data that would set it apart.

"We're coming up on an object, Captain," Sulu reported.

Kirk straightened in his chair. "Identification?"

Mallory had already jumped up to man her scanners. "Working."

Sulu and Chekov studied their respective boards. Kirk bit his lip, hoping they'd find something interesting. A time capsule from an unknown civilization. A mysterious craft with a shell impenetrable to their sensors. Something.

Then Sulu sat back. "Asteroid, Captain." He sounded almost apologetic.

"Confirmed," Mallory said a moment later. "Composition consistent with the last scanned system." She straightened to face Kirk's chair. "Looks like we found another rogue."

Kirk suppressed a sigh. "All right. Catalog its course and vital stats. Chekov, plot a course around it."

"Course already computed and... laid in, sir."

"Execute."

There was a pause. "Continuing course around object," Sulu reported.

"Acknowledged."

The bridge went silent again.

Bored, bored, bored. Kirk was bored, bored, bored. He had tons of administrivia to see to, but he wasn't in the mood for that. He wanted something exciting, something engaging, something that would alter human understanding for all time— or at least provide an afternoon's worth of distraction. Something way more intriguing than providing routine patrol services for this sector—which his uneasy gut told him was the real reason the Enterprise was stuck here doing next to nothing. He understood the need to provide a reassuring presence close to home in the wake of the Vulcan disaster; he really did. He just wished Starfleet would do it with somebody else's ship.

Mallory had returned to her chair. Uhura hadn't reacted to the previous exchange— no reason to— but Kirk could feel her tension. She positively radiated brittleness. Mallory seemed not to notice; at least, she gave the appearance of being fully absorbed in whatever project she had carved out for herself. Of all his senior officers, she seemed the most content; perhaps the novelty of being aboard a new ship was enough to keep her occupied. But Uhura had been growing increasingly restive for the past three days.

At the moment, for instance, she was sitting rigidly in her chair, taut as a wire except for her right leg, which jiggled rapidly in place. She kept glancing in Mallory's direction, but Kirk couldn't see what might be provoking Uhura's interest. Mallory was absorbed in some task, listening to something through her earpiece and intently touching various controls. She seemed completely engrossed in her own little world.

Kirk went back to staring out the main viewscreen. Perhaps he shouldn't have had Chekov plot a course around that last asteroid. He could have run battle drills—practiced flybys and phaser targeting until they blew the rock out of the sky, leaving nothing in its place a pulverized cloud of dust. He vowed not to let such an opportunity pass him by again.

Uhura's quiet snarl drew his attention to the back of the bridge. "That's the fourth time," she murmured venomously.

Mallory looked her way and removed her earpiece. "Pardon?"

Uhura faced her, giving Mallory much the same expression that she first gave Kirk in that Iowa bar ages ago when she was telling him, basically, to drop dead. "You've played that same recording three times already; do you really need to hear it four?"

Mallory looked amazed. "I have the volume on one. How did you even know what I was playing?"

Uhura's voice sounded as strained as her nerves. "I'm a communications specialist. I'm trained to pick up and decipher faint signals."

Mallory looked uneasy. "So, every time I play a tape, you can hear it?"

Uhura pushed a few buttons. "Every... single... time."

"Wow." Mallory looked uncomfortable. "I didn't realize you could hear that."

Uhura concentrated on writing down whatever vital message she was making up at the moment. Probably a list of ways she was going to hurt Mallory as soon as their shift ended. "Perhaps you'd like to play something else—some other favorite Spock tape to pass the time."

"I'm not just passing time. The fact is, I'm simply amazed at the sensitivity that Commander Spock was getting out of these instruments. His spectral analysis is as clean—well, more clean—than anything I'd seen recorded on a field vessel before."

"Really?" Uhura's cool response did not fool Kirk. Her tone told him that this was just another way of Uhura telling Mallory to drop dead.

"No question." Apparently Mallory was unable to recognize personal abuse when she was hot in pursuit of a technical topic. "Honestly, I haven't seen readings this clear outside of the Vulcan Science Academy."

Uhura's attention was finally genuinely engaged. "You visited the Vulcan Science Academy?"

Mallory chuckled self-consciously. "Hardly. A mere cadet like me? I wouldn't have got through the door. But I was able to hear T'Salik speak when she came over with the Vulcan delegation last year. They were doing amazing work over there, simply amazing." Mallory's voice trailed off. "I wonder if she was still traveling—you know, was off-world. When... it happened."

A silence descended over the bridge. Kirk shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Everyone else looked thoughtful... or depressed.

What a nice, cheerful shift. Perhaps he ought to get to that paperwork after all.

Mallory went back to her controls.

"Four times?" Uhura exploded.

Mallory blushed slightly, but answered calmly. "As I said, Commander Spock was getting amazing sensitivity out of these readings. I haven't..." Her blush deepened. "I'm not able to get quite the same results. I was hoping that, if I went through his last analysis and tried to duplicate the settings he was making in the order he was making them in, I'd be able to get that super fine-tuning he was achieving."

Uhura was merciless. "You were going to do all that... by listening to his taped report?"

"I'm sorry that this bothers you, Lieutenant. But I don't have any other resources available, and no one except Commander Spock has ever used this equipment."

Kirk rose abruptly. "Thank you, Ensign Mallory. That shows fine initiative on your part. By all means, keep up the good work."

Mallory nearly sagged with relief. "Thank you, sir."

Kirk stopped just short of Uhura's station. "Lieutenant, I'd like to discuss the message you got yesterday from... the Tellarite Embassy."

Uhura looked surprised, as well she might. "Captain, I've already relayed the entire contents of that message."

"I realize that, Lieutenant, but I have a few additional thoughts I'd like to share. Would you mind accompanying me to Briefing Room Two?"

"Certainly, sir."

Primly she locked down her station and collected her PADD. Her relief slid into the chair almost before she was out of it—whether out of trying to impress the captain with his promptness or because he was also excruciatingly bored and thought he might as well practice his turn-over efficiency, Kirk couldn't tell. He led the way to the turbolift and waited for Uhura to join him, which she did half a second later.

Kirk turned and gripped the control. "Briefing Room Two," he said blandly.

The doors closed and the turbolift started to move. Letting out all the exasperation he had held contained on the bridge, he growled, "What is it with you and Mallory?"

Uhura stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Kirk sincerely hoped Security was not scanning the turbolift at the moment; his animated gestures were bound to provoke interest. With an effort he damped himself down. "What I mean is that she can't say or do anything without drawing your criticism. Now, what is it? Has she insulted you in some way?"

Uhura looked away. "No, sir."

"Is she incompetent?"

"Not that I can tell, sir. It's nothing like that."

"Then what?"

Uhura simply stared at the panel across the way.

Kirk rubbed his eyes. "Look, Lieutenant, I know you. You aren't upset by trifles. Mallory has got your goat for some reason, and I want to know why."

Looking hesitant, Uhura opened her mouth to speak—and then the turbolift doors opened. Kirk gestured for her to precede him out of the lift. In silence they walked the few steps down the hall toward Briefing Room Two. Kirk made no attempt to speak until the doors were safely closed behind them.

He turned toward Uhura, looking stern. "Well?"

Cautiously, Uhura said, "She hasn't done anything overt."

Kirk felt his tolerance growing thin. "All right, what has she done that's subtle?"

Uhura looked away. "Nothing of importance."

Kirk's patience snapped. "So you're telling me that Mallory is a competent officer who was done nothing to offend you or any other wrongdoing worth mentioning. Do I have that correct?"

Uhura dropped her gaze. "Yes, sir."

"Then, as she seems perfectly capable of performing her function, and as no other member of the bridge crew has any problem with her whatsoever, the next time I hear you addressing her in the manner you used not five minutes ago, I'm going to put you on report. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

Uhura continued to study the floor. "Yes, sir."

Her meekness was infuriating. Uhura was not meek.

Kirk sighed, then took her by the arm. He pushed her unresisting into a chair, and then pulled up his own chair close to hers.

He leaned forward, so that even though Uhura kept her eyes downcast, he was talking into her face. "All right, Nyota," he said quietly, deliberately using her first name. "Spill."

Uhura hesitated for several heartbeats. Then, her face crumpled and she slumped forward with a sob, bracing her head against her knees.

Tears. Kirk was stunned. He hadn't expected tears. Shouting, sure; maybe a few PADDs flying through the air. But never tears. He stared in amazement.

Propping her head against her hands, Uhura wailed, "She loves Spock!"

Kirk stared, utterly at a loss for a reply.

"Lo thinks I'm crazy," Uhura sniffled, blotting her eyes with the back of a wrist. "But she doesn't watch her the way I do." She leaned forward, her tear-beaded lashes inches from Kirk's face. "She plays his log entries all the time. With the video on. Just... stares at them. And... she strokes his panel. A lot! Like this." Uhura demonstrated against the edge of the briefing room table. Kirk had to admit it looked pretty suggestive.

"She talks about him constantly, with this thrill in her voice. And her eyes get all googly. Not always, but enough. And sometimes—sometimes, when she's watching the video?" Uhura's eyes got wide, even as her voice sank into a whisper. "She wiggles."

Kirk winced. That much, he did not need to know.

Uhura made an inarticulate sound of frustration, balling her fists against her forehead, then slumped over in an excess of emotion.

Kirk tried very hard to collect himself. This was definitely not a problem he would have suspected. It would almost be funny, if Uhura weren't so upset by it.

He cleared his throat and said carefully, "So, uh, that's it?"

"That's it?" Uhura stared at him like he was crazy. She wailed into his face, "She wiggles in Spock's chair! She wiggles where he sits!"

Kirk scrunched up his eyes, hoping to offset the too-personal image. On the other hand, he really had to hand it to Spock. Not just anybody would be able to cause this much trouble when he wasn't even aboard the ship. Trust that crazy Vulcan to cause wailing and tears on the home-front while he was probably out sniffing the flowers in between taking geological survey readings. Clearly Spock simply had an excess of personality.

But the main thing was to get Uhura sorted out. Kirk was more than half convinced that this was just her personal method of missing her lover. Still, he felt obligated to point out the obvious. He didn't put an arm around her—he suspected how well that would fly—but he remained close to her, hoping to give some comfort by his proximity.

"Lieutenant, I can understand how your patience must have been tried. But, seriously, you can't for a moment believe that Mallory is a threat to you. I mean," he smiled weakly, "you got the gig. It's not like Spock is going to come back and decide to take up with whatever young woman has been playing the most log reports featuring his voice in his absence."

"But that's the point!" Uhura gushed with energy. Kirk found himself oddly distracted by the remnants of tears clinging to her lashes. She really was very beautiful. "She plays these tapes constantly—"

"Personal tapes?"

Uhura looked offended. "Of course not! No one has access to personal logs, Captain. You know that."

"Officials ship's entries then," Kirk persisted.

"Yes."

"Related to our mission."

"Well..." Uhura grew thoughtful. "Some of them are pretty old but... I guess you could say they are related. If she's trying to figure out the equipment, then she might have to go back a bit."

Kirk nodded, waiting for her to think it through. Which she did, even though her expression showed that she didn't much like the conclusion. Uhura said flatly, "You're going to let her keep doing this."

Kirk shrugged, trying to look sympathetic yet firm at the same time. "Mallory is playing official ships logs in support of an official mission. Lieutenant, I can't tell her not to view them. That would pose a ridiculous constraint."

"She doesn't need the video on," Uhura rebutted.

"The content often conveys more meaning when people can see the speaker. That's why official ship's records include the video option. Lieutenant, you know this."

Uhura shuddered and looked away. "I just don't like her staring at him all the time."

Kirk sighed. "Look, Mallory can't help the fact that Spock was her predecessor as Science Officer. If she's going to access the vaults, she's going to see Spock's recordings. Made by Spock, for official purposes, which is exactly what Mallory is using them for." He shook his head. "Lieutenant, you're just going to have to get comfortable with this. It's not Mallory's fault that your boyfriend liked to sit up half the night dictating detailed observations about star clusters. He put them in the official ship's log, and Mallory has every right to view them."

"But she's viewing them... salaciously."

"Can you prove that?"

Uhura hesitated, then looked unhappy. "No."

Kirk lifted his hands helplessly. "Well..?"

Uhura sighed heavily. "It's just so unfair that she gets to ogle him all the time."

Kurt grinned. "Fight back. Play a few old recordings of your own."

Uhura was not in a playful mood. "That's not the point. She's ogling him, and there's nothing he can do about it."

Kirk shrugged. "It's better than having her ogle him in person."

"No, it isn't."

Kirk blinked. "It's not?"

"No!" Uhura sounded convinced. "If he were here in person, he could defend himself."

"How?"

Uhura took on a remote expression that was doubtless intended to resemble Spock. And it did, sort of... if he was younger and way prettier. "Ensign Mallory," she said in a comically gruff voice, "you have been staring at me for approximately 14.75 seconds. This is roughly 11.38 seconds longer than is customary among humans engaged in routine conversation. Is there a problem with your eyesight? Perhaps you should report to Dr. McCoy."

Kirk burst into a laugh. "You're absolutely right. Spock in person would be able to pour cold water over any crush headed his way. I know hearing Spock say that line would certainly knock any affection out of me."

Uhura glowered at him, which at least was an improvement. He'd rather have Uhura angry and sarcastic then Uhura helpless and weeping. Funny how he'd just realized that.

He took a breath. "Okay, I think we've gone over this enough. As long as Mallory is playing official tapes in the line of duty, you have to let her proceed. I'm certain you'll let me know if you spot any infractions."

Uhura shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, sir."

"And... I might be able to find her something to do in the astrophysics section. Something that will get her out of your hair for a few hours out of every shift. Will that help... ease the strain, Lieutenant?"

Uhura's look of gratitude would be enough to sustain him through many an unpleasant task. "Yes, Captain," she breathed. "That would help immensely."

"Well, then!" Kirk slapped his thighs and stood. "Consider it done." He gave her a warm smile. "I'm always happy to help out my officers when they're troubled."

Uhura smiled as she rose. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it. Just keep your temper in check and try to find some other outlet for your energy."

Uhura gave him a wry look.

Kirk held up his hands. "Hey! That was not a salacious remark!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Wanna bet?"

"No way. I don't even want to think of what you'd make me do if I lost." Companionably, he guided her toward the door. "So, have you heard anything from the man himself yet?"

Uhura's face looked sorrowful, making him sorry he'd raised the subject. "No. But there's a three-day delay to Emagious III by subspace pulse—almost four days now. I'm not expecting him to report in until he reaches the system."

"Hmm. Three more days." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "You know, you'll just have to hang in there. Some distractions would be good about now. What did you do with yourself before you met Spock?"

Uhura gave him a sharp look. "Thank you for your help with Mallory, Captain." Hugging her PADD, she stepped out the door.

Kirk chuckled softly, and followed her.