Episode Two: This Arena of Death
It was late past Lieutenant Warren's shift when she received an unexpected visitor. "Come in," she spoke to whoever it was that stood outside her door.
Much to the Lieutenant's surprise, it was Captain Kirk who entered her room and he was holding a gleaming, white ceramic pot decorated with red and black kanji symbols. "I have a present for you, Lieutenant," he said, holding out the pot towards her.
The Lieutenant, who was in a long nightgown that hugged her curved features, took the pot from her Captain, offering him a sideways glance. "What's this?" she asked, staring into the dirt held within the fine container.
"It was left for you at starbase 473," Kirk went on to explain, although he found himself momentarily distracted by Warren's appearance. "Yenay had asked about you; she wanted to know how you were doing. And she reminded me that she sent you a gift."
"Yenay…" her prior Captain's name trickled from her lips as she placed the small pot onto her bedside stand. "Did you talk to her? How is she?"
"She misses having you on the Luna," he mentioned, his eyes wandering around her small room and taking notice of the haphazard stacks of textbooks that sat upon a bookshelf and in clumps on the floor. "But she seems to be doing well."
"I'm glad to hear it," the Lieutenant replied with an accidental sour expression.
"Is everything alright, Lieutenant?" Kirk asked, concentrating the stare of his green eyes on hers.
"Of course, Captain," the corners of her mouth twitched up in response.
Kirk wasn't convinced by Warren's response, but he could sense her discomfort and wished not to push it further. "Is there significance in the pot she sent you?" he asked instead.
"Back on the um- the Luna-" Warren stammered, unsure if the Captain would truly be interested in her boring life on the Luna, "-I would bring alien flora to the arboretum or science labs. That would uh- depend on the needs of the plant. My intention was to study their growth rates and program algorithms that could predict the growth rates of other possibly related species."
"That sounds very interesting," Kirk said, not knowing much about botany himself. "We have an arboretum here on the Enterprise as well. Feel free to use it and the science labs to continue your research."
"I never did much on the Luna," she shrugged. "I never did as much as I thought I would. You have this idea in your mind about how productive you're going to be and then it just doesn't happen. I'm not sure I'm going to bother continuing my research."
Kirk absently lifted one of the textbooks that was stuffed with dozens of page markers. The title read: Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. How very specific, he thought. But then again, all of the textbooks in her room seemed to be of that nature.
"Are you doing something else with your free time, Lieutenant?" he pointed the cover of the book to her. "Some light reading?"
"I do sometimes- but I-" she stopped herself to grab the book from his hands. "I like reading. I don't do much else right now."
"Even more reason to continue your research here on the Enterprise." Kirk cupped his palms together and flashed her a charming smile. "I'm sure Spock would be interested in assisting you."
"Mr. Spock, sir?" she replied, clutching the book in her arms.
"He is the chief science officer. Depending on how intensive your research is, you will probably need his permission to do so first." Kirk paused to chuckle to himself. "And he does prefer to be as involved as possible."
Beginning to feel weary after a long day, the Lieutenant lowered herself onto the foot of her bed. "Sure," she sighed, sounding exasperated. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"I want you to remember that the Enterprise isn't just a ship, she's your home." The Captain sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "And her crew members; they're your family. We're all here to support each other."
"Aye, Captain," the Lieutenant nodded.
"Well, I'll leave you here to continue your-" the Captain stood up, waving his hands at the absurd mounds of texts, "-Reading. Unless you'd like to join me and some other officers for a drink? I think everyone is anxiously waiting for a first-hand telling of the Romulan attack on the Luna."
The question caused the Lieutenant to immediately perspire from nervousness. "Uh, no, thanks," she said. "I'm very tired; it's been a long day. But maybe some other time?" she forced a smile.
"Of course, Lieutenant," Kirk bowed at the officer. "But there is one last thing I'd like to mention."
Warren's anxiety persisted and she perked her head up to the Captain. "Yes?" she asked.
"I want you on our next away mission," he asked, his charming and comforting smile remaining. "You seem like an entirely different person when you're under pressure, Lieutenant. It seems that you are at your most capable when you are thrown into a stressful situation."
The Lieutenant's eyes and nose scrunched in apprehension. "I don't think that's a good idea, sir. I was never a part of any of the shore parties on the Luna, and I really just prefer to stay on the ship."
"Unfortunately, Lieutenant, you don't have a choice," Kirk spoke, approaching the door to head out of her quarters. "This is an order that comes directly from your Captain."
It was only when the Captain finally exited her room and the doors slid close behind him, was she able to breathe again.