Episode: The Galileo Seven

Summary: Scotty has one or two things he'd like to talk through with the Captain before submitting his report on First Officer Spock's first command.

Scotty had been putting off filing the report for a week, and he knew the Captain was bound to notice now the Makus III mission was finished. If it had been Mr Spock waiting on the report he would already be on the receiving end of Vulcan discipline. Of course if it were Mr Spock waiting, there wouldn't have been a problem with the report in the first place.

"Come in!" Kirk called when Scotty buzzed for entry to his quarters. "Ah Mr Scott, I was just about to chase you up about-"

"Aye, Captain," Scotty cut across him, and Kirk's brow furrowed. "That's why I'm here to see ye. Have ye had the chance to read any of the other reports yet? Mr Spock's or Dr McCoy's?"

Kirk's lips quirked into a self-indulgent, slightly guilty smile. "I'm afraid not. I don't really have any excuse other than I really wasn't much looking forward to the paperwork." The smile faded. "I should though. Latimer and Gaetano's families deserve to know the full details."

"The thing is Captain, there are a few things I wanted to talk through with you before filing my report."

"Oh?"

"I have a wee inkling that Doctor McCoy and Mr Spock will have written something different from what I will." Scotty chose his words carefully. He trusted the command team of the Enterprise a great deal, far more than he had during Pike's captaincy, and he didn't want to upset the effective balance that was forming between his fellow senior officers. Nevertheless, there were issues that needed to be addressed. "I think both will have written that the mission's failings were down to Mr Spock's command decisions."

Kirk's demeanour transformed immediately into that of a Starfleet captain, and he gestured for Scotty to sit at the small table across from him. Once Scott was seated, he asked, "What has led you to this conclusion, Mr Scott?"

"I don't want to be bandying accusations about," Scotty said, shifting uncomfortably under the Captain's earnest stare. "But in my opinion, Mr Spock made all the decisions that you would have done, but with none of the support you would have had. None of the support he, or any commanding officer, deserved. He was undermined at every corner and I'm sorry to say I didnae do much to stop it."

Kirk's brow furrowed. "Undermined in what way?"

"Well for starters I believe Lt. Boma needs to be written up for insubordination. Gaetano too. Though of course that doesnae matter now, Captain," he added, regretfully. "They were questioning Mr Spock's command decisions, complaining about him behind his back and I heard Mears making several xenophobic remarks too."

"What remarks?"

"Oh, the usual. Pointy ears, unthinking computer," Scotty listed off. "Things about the innate inability of Vulcans to lead with intuition and the like. I should have intervened, but in all honesty we were working to such a time limit that I couldn't concentrate on much else but the Galileo."

"And did Dr McCoy act in a similarly insubordinate manner?"

Scotty was gladder than ever for Kirk's quick intuition. This was the crux of what he'd wanted to make clear and the thing he'd been most worried Kirk wouldn't want to hear; he knew, like everyone, how close McCoy and Kirk were. "I know Dr McCoy likes his little joke at Mr Spock's expense, and I know he means no harm by the things he says in Sickbay or on the Bridge. But I do think that he has a certain...predisposition of thinking, when it comes to Mr Spock."

"Can you give me an example?"

"On the planet, we were attacked by natives." Kirk nodded; he already knew this. "Well there were discussions about how to deal with them, after they killed Latimer. Boma, Gaetano and McCoy were all for killing them outright, and were angry when Mr Spock suggested an alternative action might be available."

"He tried to scare them away, is that right?"

"Aye. Then later they came back and it was then that Dr McCoy said- well, I can't remember the exact wording sir," Scotty apologised. "But it was something along the lines of blaming Mr Spock's 'precious logic' for what was happening. Of course what he failed to say was that it was also Mr Spock's logic that got us out of the situation, when he told me to electrify the outside of the Galileo."

"So he verbally undermined a command officer in front of junior crewmen?"

"Aye, and later he and Boma disobeyed Spock's direct order to leave him behind when he was injured. Not that I'm not grateful!" Scotty added hastily. "But, well... if it hadn't been for Mr Spock's own quick thinking with jettisoning the fuel, then we may still be drifting out there."

Kirk let out a long sigh. He had expected this mission to be a way to ease Spock into the pressures of command, but instead it turned out more of a trial by fire. What made it worse was that Kirk knew Spock had been against the concept of leadership before this - it had taken weeks to persuade him to accept the post of First Officer. Heavens knew how this latest experience would have curbed his ambitions.

Scotty seemed to read his thoughts. "It's a crying shame, really Captain. Spock didn't do anything wrong, did everything you would have done I reckon, but because of the way McCoy and the crew expects him to be, they feel threatened by the way he presents his ideas."

"And you said you think he will have written the same as McCoy in his report?"

"Aye, sir. He'd never show it, but I think it all got under his skin."

"Hm." Kirk chewed on this for a while. "Thank you, Mr Scott. If you could write your report with everything you've just told me, I would be grateful. Thank you for bringing the issue to my attention and I'll do my best to follow it up."