2 years ago...

The buzzing of the hair clippers filled eighteen-year old Janice's ears as the Starfleet barber went about her work. The woman apparently held little regard for fashion or style, and in less than a minute Janice's once long, golden hair was mostly on the floor with the commingled hair of dozens of new Starfleet recruits.

"Next!" The petty officer barked.

Janice rose out of the chair and headed for the door, filing in behind the other recruits. She reached up to stroke her hand over her new haircut. What was left was chopped short, well off the collar of her new uniform. Marching back out to the parade ground, she counted herself lucky when she caught sight of the male recruits. They'd been left with nothing more than close crew cuts. A few of the female recruits had opted for that style as well.

Janice took a deep breath as she fell into formation. The sun was reaching its peak of the Starfleet Training Center in San Francisco. It was getting uncomfortably hot, and her new uniform didn't quite fit right.

Four petty officers marched out of a nearby barracks building and began to inspect the new recruits. As they neared her squad, Janice squared her shoulders and stood proudly at attention.

She was finally here.

The present...

Janice stood at attention at the Enterprise's port airlock. Despite the convenience of the transporter, the Admiral had chosen the traditional manner of boarding a ship for inspection, and her travel pod was just finishing docking procedures after making the trip from the nearby U.S.S. Valiant.

The loud clunks of the docking clamps echoed through the hull as the pod docked. The ship's senior staff lined one side of the boarding gangway, and department heads from every section stood at attention at the other. In the center, facing the airlock Captain Kirk stood with his hands behind his back.

The airlock started to cycle open, and Janice raised her electronic bosun's whistle to her lips, blowing three long notes to announce the new arrival.

Admiral Ciana stooped as she stepped through the airlock, then straightened up as Kirk came to attention far more smartly than Janice thought he was capable of, given his usual manner.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" the Admiral asked.

Kirk relaxed his rigid pose and stepped forward to shake the Admiral's hand. "Permission granted, Admiral. Welcome aboard the Enterprise. I'd like to introduce my first officer, Commander Spock-"

Admiral Ciana held up a hand as she started down the gangway. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for introductions later, Captain. Right now I'd like to get the inspection underway."

Janice noticed Kirk stiffening a little. He took a deep breath before following Ciana.

"Of course, Admiral. Enterprise...dismissed."

The assembled officers broke up, either returning to their duty stations or gathering in small groups to discuss the arrival of the flag officer. Uhura came up beside Janice, gazing at the door the Kirk and Ciana had gone through.

"Little bit of a cold fish, huh?"

Janice smiled in return. "She can be."

Two years ago...

Captain Lori Ciana leaned back in the chair behind her desk, taking in the slim young recruit standing at attention before her.

"At ease, recruit."

The recruit came to parade rest, hands resting behind her back as she stared resolutely ahead. Ciana let her hang for a moment before picking up a padd from her desk.

"Not at the bottom of your class, Recruit. But you're damn close."

The young woman said nothing and continued to stare straight ahead. Glancing back at the padd, Ciana continued to read.

"So far, you've failed to qualify for advanced training in engineering, helm, and even general operations. Am I right, Recuit."

Surprisingly, the young woman's stance became even stiffer.

"Yes, sir." she answered.

"And yet," Ciana continued, "I'm reading multiple excellent commendations in your file. Original thinking. Excellent organizational and logistical skills. Well-disciplined."

"Thank you, Cap-."

"I'm not finished speaking, Recruit." Ciana said quickly. The recruit's mouth quickly snapped shut. Ciana regarded her for a long moment before speaking again.

"Why are you here, Recruit?"

"Sir?"

"I said 'Why are you here, Recruit?'"

"I...to be a Starfleet crewman, sir."

"Mhm." Ciana tossed the padd onto her desk. "Try it again. Speak freely, recruit. The truth if you please."

The young woman was silent for a minute. Her posture relaxed a bit, and her gaze fell to the floor for a moment.

"I'm from Cygnia Minor, sir."

"I'm aware of that, Recruit. It's in your file. An agricultural colony, right?"

The young woman nodded. "Yes, sir. A farmworld. My parents are farmers. Their parents were farmers. Their parents were colonists who couldn't wait to get out to the stars and be farmers."

Ciana nodded, eyes dropping back to the padd on her desk as the recruit continued.

"I wanted something better, sir. I want to see the stars. I want to make something of myself, sir."

Ciana regarded the young recruit coolly for a moment, before swiveling in her chair to face her computer. "I'm recommending you for advanced training in logistics and command support services."

The recruit's jaw dropped. "Command, Captain?"

Ciana looked up sharply. "The other options open to you are ship's janitor or back to the farm. Is that what you prefer?"

"No, sir!"

"Good. Don't flunk out this time. Keep your eye on the prize. Dismissed, Recruit Rand."

The present...

Janice walked into the Enterprise's briefing room where Admiral Ciana had set up temporary shop. She stood at parade rest in front of the Admiral.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Ciana didn't rise from her chair. She was silent for a moment and didn't look up from her computer screen as she spoke.

"A long way from Cygnia Minor, eh Yeoman?"

Janice smiled. "Yes, sir."

Ciana tapped the screen thoughtfully. "You earned the rate of Petty Officer three weeks ago. Only three weeks, and efficiency ratings in the departments you work with are up 34 percent."

Janice's smile grew even wider. "Yes, sir."

Ciana nodded and finally turned to face Janice. "I'm assigning you as Captain Kirk's personal yeoman."

Janice's jaw nearly dropped to the floor even as her stomach flipped end over end. "Admiral...I don't know what to say...thank-"

A wave of the Admiral's hand cut her off. "Save it, Yeoman. This isn't exactly what you think it is."

The Admiral stood and began to pace around the conference table, hands behind her back.

"James T. Kirk is a cowboy. Barely three years in the Academy and Barnett and Pike decide to give him the flagship because he got lucky. He's undisciplined, inexperienced...not even two weeks out of Spacedock and he's taken this ship into a fight with two Romulan warbirds!"

"Sir, I-"

"I'm not finished," the Admiral snapped. She stopped pacing, and leaned forward, resting her palms on the conference table. "I'm assigning the Enterprise to patrol and survey duty along the frontier until I'm convinced Kirk is fit to assume regular duty. I know I can count on Commander Spock to make sure he follows regulations. What I need from you is to make sure he files his reports and logs properly, and keeps up with any new information from Starfleet Command. Can you do the job?"

Janice blinked at the Admiral, then straightened. "Yes, sir."

Ciana took her seat again at the conference table. "Very good. But that's not all. I'm well aware of Kirk's reputation, and it's cause for some concern. So I have to ask...Can you do the job and make sure your skirt stays on?"

Janice's eyes widened as she realized what the Admiral was implying. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. The Admiral leaned forward in her chair.

"Can you keep your eye on the prize, Rand?"

Janice squared her shoulders and looked Ciana straight in the eye.

"Yes Admiral I can."