Author's Note: Once we complete First Adventure, the next will be Space Seed. After that I will likely skip all the way to Wrath of Khan then skip to TNG. Once I start TNG though I am wondering what to do with Buffy and Dawn. With TOS while Spock was officially First Officer, it was not really mentioned much in the series if at all. So it was easy to leave him as science officer, since he had a second job. Riker and Troi are not going to be that easy to replace though. Neither has secondary jobs. So should I give Buffy and Dawn a position demotion or just slide them into other jobs. One of them I could slide into helm when Geordi is promoted to Chief Engineer as Wesley is the only replacement for him and he actually leaves half way through the series and isn't seen in every episode anyways. But what to do with the other.

Chapter 21: Yeoman Rand Part 2

The turbolift opened and Lukarian bounded out.

"Hi, Jim, I brought—"

An unbelievable noise drowned out Lukarian's voice. A horde of tiny animals rushed past her, yapping and whining and barking, tumbling over and around each other as they invaded the bridge and nosed into every nook and cranny.

"Fifi! Toto! Cece! Come! Sit! Stay!"

An enormous person stood just outside the lift, calling orders in a great deep voice.

Completely ignoring him, a tide of poodles rose around Jim's feet. The tiny creatures snarled and yipped at each other and snapped at Jim's boots. One buried its teeth in his bloused right pants leg, then shook its head and growled and jerked at the fabric.

"Let go—go on now—ow! Damn!" He snatched his hand away. The dog had tried to bite him! His finger smarted all around the red teeth marks.

"Pay no attention, he means nothing by it." Lukarian's companion picked up the offending animal. "Fifi, evil puppy! You know you mustn't bite!"

Jim stood up.

"Get ... these ... animals—" Jim refused to dignify them with the word "dogs"—"off my bridge!"

"Don't worry, captain, they won't hurt anything. They've never been on a starship before. They're just excited." Fifi, a pink miniature poodle wearing a spangled blue sweater, nearly vanished in the massive hand.

"Jim," Lukarian said as Buffy moved beside her, "this is my friend Newland Yanagi-machi Rift. You missed meeting him at dinner last night."

The poodles clustered around Jim, Buffy, Lukarian, and Rift, barking and whining and jumping and getting poodle hair and glitter on Buffy and Jim's uniform pants. They were surrounded by a whirlpool of pastel fur, spangles, sharp little white teeth, beady brown eyes.

"How do you do, captain," Rift said.

Jim looked at Lukarian, who was trying not to laugh.

"And what do you do with the vaudeville company, Mr. Rift?" Jim asked. "Do you sing?"

"Why, no, captain. Philomela is the singer in the family. I work with my puppies. They never cease to amaze me—I hope you have a chance to see us perform." He put Fifi on the deck. "Fifi, sit! Stay!"

Fifi scampered between Sulu and Cheung and vanished beneath the navigation console.

Sulu dived under the console. "Hey, come out of there."

"They're overexcited by the change in environment," Rift said fondly. "On stage, they're hardly the same dogs."

"Are those things housebroken?" Jim said.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course, they are, captain. You really think Ame would allow them to roam free if they weren't?"

"Pardon me a moment, captain." Rift went to help Sulu and Cheung extricate Fifi from the underpinnings of the console.

"There's some question, though," Lukarian said so only Jim and Buffy could hear, "about whether the puppies are starship broken."

At Jim's expression, she barely managed to keep herself from laughing.

Newland Rift returned with the errant Fifi cradled in his enormous hand.

"Bad puppy," he said. "Say you're sorry." He held the pink poodle up to Jim's face. It growled, baring teeth easily the size of wheat grains. "Fifi!"

"Mr. Rift," Jim said, "get these animals off my bridge."

Rift looked both hurt and offended. "All right, captain, if that's the way you feel about it." He whistled and called to the poodles, who responded with another paroxysm of scampering and barking. But as Rift left the bridge, they formed a bouncing, furry swarm and followed him, the last little puffed tail vanishing just as the lift doors closed.

Both Lukarian and Buffy gave up trying to keep a straight face.

Jim heard muffled giggles all around him. "Doesn't anybody have any work to do?" he snapped.

Spock glanced up. "Yes, captain. But if something requires attention—?"

"Never mind, Commander Spock! Did you have business on the bridge, Ms. Lukarian?" Jim said coldly as she and Buffy laughed.

"I came to introduce you to Newland."

"You've accomplished that."

"And I came to give Janice the first-off-the-press poster." Lukarian stifled giggles and unrolled her paper. "She did a terrific job. You've got a treasure, Jim. Even if she can't juggle. Think Starfleet would come after me if I shanghaied one of its people?"

Jim looked at the poster. "It is eye-catching," he admitted.

"Janice designed it practically from scratch," Lukarian said. "I brought one for both of you, too, but the first one is for her. Where is she?"

"With Dawn," Buffy said as Lukarian looked at her. "Ship's Counselor stuff. She should be back soon."

"Okay, I'll wait. And I have one more small favor to ask. It's Athene, Jim. The deck's too hard—"

It was then that Janice stepped out of the turbolift. She was in the correct uniform and had combed her hair; she looked fragile and unhappy, but she had retreated from the brink of tears. Without a word she took her station.

"Speak to my yeoman about any problems you have with your company, Ms. Lukarian," Jim said. "Or your pets. Now, I do have work to do—even if nobody else does."

Lukarian smiled at him. She and Buffy joined Janice.

"Captain, excuse me." Janice spoke almost too softly for him to hear her.

"Whatever Ms. Lukarian needs, within reason, please take care of it."

"I will, sir. But you asked me to arrange your schedule, too. Computer has it now, if you want to review it to give me any changes." She hesitated. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding about Dr. McCoy. He expects you in ten minutes. Shall I call him and cancel for you?"

"No, yeoman, never mind."

Pretending to be busy, he brought the schedule up on his notepad and glanced through it. He stood up, "I'll be in sick bay for the next half-hour, Commander," he said with a glance at Buffy.

"Yes, Captain," Buffy said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

When Dawn arrived at Janice Rand's old cabin, the crew member who had admitted her glanced up with disinterest, then noticed Dawn's officer's stripes and jumped to her feet.

"Commander!" she said. "Um—"

"You are—?" Dawn said, deciding to let her stand and sweat.

"Uh, Roswind, ma'am."

"Roswind, I believe Yeoman Rand left some of her belongings behind when she moved."

"Uh, yes, ma'am. They're right over there."

"Thank you." Dawn collected the possessions, thinking, Well, Roswind, you're not such a bully when you're outranked, are you?

"How is Janice doing, ma'am?"

"Captain Kirk is obviously impressed with her," Dawn said, reflecting that, from one point of view, the claim was no stretch of the truth. "Oh, by the way, Roswind, do you have any allergies? Hay fever, particularly?"

"No, ma'am, not that I know of. Not hay fever."

"Excellent." Taking her own good time, she rearranged Janice's belongings and tied them up in a scarf. She regarded the parcel critically, picked it up, and started for the door.

"Uh, ma'am?"

"Yes, Roswind?"

"Why, ma'am?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you want to know if I had any allergies, ma'am?"

"Because of your new roommate."

"I don't understand, ma'am."

"Some human beings react adversely to her species, but the reaction correlates almost a hundred percent with hay fever. So you mustn't worry."

"What species is she, ma'am?"

"Why? You aren't—" Dawn lowered her voice. "You aren't xenophobic, are you?"

"No, ma'am, of course not! I get along with everybody! I was just—curious."

"I see. I'm sure you'll get along with her, too. Her people are intelligent and soft-spoken. Just one thing."

"What's that, ma'am?"

"Their planet rotates about every sixty hours, so their circadian rhythm is different from ours. She'll stay awake longer than you do, and sleep longer, too. Her people are known to react badly if they're awakened, so you'll want to be cautious."

"What do you mean, 'badly,' ma'am? You mean she'll jump up and hit you?"

"No, no, she'd never hurt you. Her people are quite timid. But shock might put her into hibernation. If that happens, she'll sleep for weeks. That wouldn't do her career any good."

"Oh," Roswind said. "I see. I'm sure we won't have any trouble, ma'am."

"Good. Well, Roswind, thank you for your help." She started for the door again.

"Commander?"

"What is it, Roswind?"

"What does my new roommate look like, ma'am? Just so I'll recognize her, I mean."

"You won't have any trouble recognizing her," Dawn said. "She's green."

Dawn managed to keep from laughing in Roswind's face, but as soon as the turbolift doors closed safely behind her, she dissolved into giggles.

Halfway to officers' territory, the lift paused.

Captain Kirk joined her.

"I could use a good laugh, Commander," he said. "You wouldn't want to tell me the joke, would you?"

"The reason for Janice's appearance was in regards to her old roommate," Dawn said. "I played a slight joke on the old roommate to teach her a lesson. An informal reprimand that won't go on her record as long as she remembers she is a Starfleet officer."

Jim nodded. "Dr. McCoy read me one riot act about Yeoman Rand, and I can't say I'd blame you if you read me another. If I promise to apologize, will you spare me?"

"For what?" Dawn wondered. "For what you were feeling at the time. She doesn't know. I'm under strict confidentiality on what I feel. Like Dr. McCoy I can't reveal details of your medical health except to your superiors at Starfleet Command."

"I would still like to apologize, anyways," Jim said.

"Alright," Dawn said.

She Uhura got out of the lift in officers' territory. Jim returned to the bridge alone. Janice glanced up from her conversation with Lukarian and Buffy, then looked away, afraid to meet his gaze.

"Ame, would you excuse us?" Jim said. He spoke loudly enough for everyone on the bridge to hear him. "Yeoman Rand, I was prepared to speak to you in an unpardonable manner this morning. I would have criticized you when I should have been complimenting your dedication. I apologize."

Janice stared at him in silence.

"Would you come with me, please?" He had no particular destination in mind; he simply found a corridor in which they could walk. "Yeoman, when's the last time you had any sleep?"

"I ... I ..." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, sir, I overslept. That's why I was late."

"Maybe the question I need to ask is how long did you work." She remained silent. "All night?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I tried to finish ..."

"Yeoman, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you aren't very useful if you're too tired to—to get the right size uniform out of the synthesizer—"

"I didn't—!"

He heard protest and anger in her voice, but she cut herself off quickly.

"You didn't what, yeoman?"

"Nothing, sir."

He sighed. She was still flinching. "There's such a thing as being too conscientious. There's such a thing as wearing yourself out before you've even gotten started."

"I'm sorry ..." she said.

He felt like cringing himself. He could not figure out how to talk to her. "You don't need to apologize for being conscientious. I don't think I'm a tyrant—I don't try to be. But sometimes you'll have to work two watches straight. Maybe even work around the clock. I won't apologize when I ask that of you. I'll hand you trouble-shooting jobs that I expect you never to mention again, and like as not I'll forget to give you credit because I'll forget I gave them to you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," she said, her voice feathery.

"There are times when you'll have to work harder than you've ever worked before." He noticed her ironic smile, which she repressed almost instantly. "But outside those times, you're going to have to use your judgment."

"I did use my judgment!" she said, flustered.

"Your judgment told you to stay up all night working on a job that didn't have to be finished for three months?"

"You said, 'As soon as you can, put together an appointments schedule for me.' My judgment told me that I have to answer to your judgment. Whether it's poor or—I mean, I'm not familiar with your judgment."

"I see." They reached the observation deck. Jim idly opened the shield to reveal the stars.

Janice gasped.

"It is quite a sight, isn't it?" Jim said. "Sit down, we'll talk for a few minutes." He gestured toward a chair where she would be able to see outside.

"But your schedule—"

"I still have a good fifteen minutes left of my appointment with Dr. McCoy. I shouldn't have snapped at you about that, either." He grinned. "He thought he'd found a clever way to get me in his clutches long enough to make me take my physical. Sit down."

She obeyed.

"I was thoughtless yesterday," Jim said, "and if not for Dawn I would have been unnecessarily harsh with you this morning. I apologize, and I hope you'll forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, captain."

"I think there is—and I think you ought to convince yourself that you have the right to be treated as a sentient being. Your feelings matter, too."

"I'll try, sir." She answered quickly, firmly: he suspected she was saying what she thought he wanted to hear.

"Did you make an appointment to talk to me?"

Her pale face burned. "No, sir. I ... forgot."

"Tell me a little about yourself."

She gazed at him, straightforward, deliberate. Then she looked away and said quickly, "There's nothing to tell, sir. I got out of school, I joined Starfleet."

"Your family?"

"They're just ordinary people, with ordinary jobs."

"Sisters? Brothers?"

She said nothing.

"Pet goldfish?"

She nearly smiled.

"That's better. Well, yeoman, you're an enigma. Too bad the Foreign Legion was disbanded."

"I don't understand what that means," she whispered.

"Ask either Commander Summers, I'm sure they know," Jim said. "And could explain better than I can."

She looked away, partly to avoid his gaze, partly to see the stars. The orientation of the Enterprise turned the galaxy into a great diagonal slash, eerie against the blackness.

"You're an adult; you have a right to your privacy," he said. "But if you ever feel you need someone to talk to ..." She did not reply. Jim rose. "We'd better get back to the bridge."

She followed him out, pausing to glance back one last time.

The shield closed over the viewport.

"By the way," Jim said, "Ame complimented your work in the strongest terms. Where did you learn design?"

"Here and there. About Ms. Lukarian, sir—"

"What did she want this time?"

"Dirt, captain."

Chuckling, he entered the nearest turbo-lift; Rand followed. "Dirt?"

"Yes, sir. The deck is too hard for her horse's hooves, and the corral doesn't give Athene enough room to move around. She'd like to put a layer of dirt on the shuttlecraft deck—"

"We don't have any dirt!" Jim exclaimed. "What does she want me to do, deplete molecular storage to synthesize—dirt? No, it's out of the question. A layer of dirt—on the shuttlecraft deck? It's ridiculous!"

"I've spoken to Mr. Sulu and Mr. Spock and Commander Summers—Dawn. We could do it." She outlined the proposal as they rose toward the bridge.

"No," Jim said. "I want to stay in warp drive."

"But Athene—"

"Athene will have to wait. A starship is no place for a bunch of animals in the first place!" The turbo-lift doors stood open. His voice had carried all the way across the bridge.

Lukarian stood next to the center seat. It was obvious she had been talking to Buffy when she glanced back at him.

"Oh, hi, Ame," he said. "Er ..."

"Jim, I've found us a juggler."

On the viewscreen, five blazing torches circled furiously, obscuring the juggler behind them.

He caught one, two, three, four, spun the last torch high out of range of the screen, and caught it as it tumbled into view. He extinguished the flames. He turned his head and pulled loose the length of blue ribbon at the nape of his neck. He shook his golden hair free as he bowed.

"You're in!" Lukarian said.

The long, ascetic lines of his face broke into a brilliant smile. He put down the torches.

"Can you meet us on Starbase 13?" Lukarian asked.

He frowned. "That's a good long shot for my ship. Why don't you stop and let me piggyback?"

Lukarian glanced back. "Jim—?"

"I know these drifters," Jim said, annoyed. "He just doesn't want to pay for his own fuel."

The juggler smiled without offense. "I don't want to pay ransom to the Klingons, either, if they stray into the Phalanx when I pass by. I might get out of it, but I'd never get my ship back. Isn't that part of your job—protecting us civilians?"

"He is correct," Buffy said.

Jim sighed. "Very well," he said. "Give my navigator your coordinates."

"Thanks," he said. "You are—?"

"James Kirk. Captain."

"You can call me Stephen." As he shook back his hair, light glinted from the ruby earring and Jim got a good look at his ears.

Stephen was a Vulcan.