Chapter 3

by Starsinger

Charvanek knows her guests don't read Romulan, so she makes it easy for them to know which areas are off-limits. McCoy goes exploring, while Spock does what Spock does. Don't own them.

Charvanek told them that the places that were off-limits would have guards in front of the doors. That, theoretically, would keep everybody out of trouble. McCoy, fortunately, wasn't Jim, and didn't normally go looking for trouble. So, he stayed away from rooms with guards in front of them, didn't enter rooms that were obviously for personal space, found the mess or the Romulan equivalent (and the ale, illegal in Federation space), and found the equivalent of Sickbay.

THAT made McCoy very happy. All the crew on the Blood Wing spoke Federation Standard, it was why they were picked for this mission. The Dohrev was more than happy to show McCoy around his domain. It hadn't occurred to Charvanek to make Sickbay off-limits to the humans, and she probably wouldn't have if it had occurred to her. Dohrev was a petite Romulan with reddish brown hair and unusually green eyes. Like humans, brown was the dominant color for eyes in both Vulcans and Romulans, but other colors popped up occasionally. She and McCoy hit it off immediately, and would spend many hours with their heads together in her office or in the mess.

Spock, on the other hand, found himself in the science section almost immediately. Unlike the Klingons who considered Science a necessary evil, Romulans actually pursued science with a diligence not unlike their Vulcan cousins or many humans. After introducing himself to Borest, head of Sciences, he found himself discussing Quantum Singularities in a way that would have had Kirk's attention. He even showed Borest Jim's paper on the Gagarin Incident, as it had become known as.

"Outside the Sol system, you say? Hmmm. They usually don't approach suns with planetary bodies. I'm surprised that ship didn't have more holes in it."

"No more so than its captain. One of those holes was near her quarters," Spock commented.

Borest smiled, "She wasn't changing clothes for a while, I take it?"

"Much to her dismay, no, she wasn't."

What Charvanek hadn't counted on was the penchant for these two to snipe at each other. Their close quarters made things even worse. Occupants in nearby rooms were actually starting to complain about the noise coming from the room. One night had Charvanek actually standing outside the door listening to the two argue. "Green blooded hobgoblin," was apparently a favored nickname for Spock by McCoy.

McCoy stormed out only to be confronted by the Commander, "Commander."

"Please, Doctor, call me Charvanek," she said smoothly.

"Call me Leonard," he said with a smile. McCoy could be just as charming as Jim when he wanted to be.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in my quarters?" Charvanek asked with a quirk of her arched eyebrow. He bowed in acquiescence as they entered the lift. She stopped the lift between decks, "Look, Leonard, I'm going to be blunt. This is the only place I know a bug won't work, and who knows who is Tal Shiar on this ship?" Charvanek muttered, "Tal Shiar are kind of like the KGB on old Earth, the USSR I believe."

"Ah," McCoy commented before nodding his head.

"Your captain is going to try and slip a 'slave' on board, a Rihannsu. Yes, I know, it's barbaric that we have slaves, but our people simply don't know what else to do with the original inhabitants of Ch'Rihan and Ch'Havran. Sorry, Romulus and Remus," Charvanek replied. "My aunt, the Empress Ael, is agreeable to letting this charade take place, but we can't guarantee her safety."

"Terise is a Starfleet officer," McCoy said, getting closer to her. He dark hair and eyes made her almost intoxicating. He couldn't believe he was… "She knows the danger."

Chavanek nodded before ordering the lift to resume its motion. "I find you alluring also, McCoy." He turned to her and nodded his head, they both headed off to her quarters. Spock would have to find himself another roommate.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise

Kirk mused through another report as Uhura sat in front of him in the mess, "Jim, eat, you know what McCoy would say if he were here. Don't make me sic M'benga on you." Jim winced, he didn't want any doctor sicced on him, especially M'benga. He picked up his fork and absently started eating. "What are you studying?"

"The profile intelligence has on Commander Charvanek. She's the Empress' niece. She seems to have developed a taste for human men or women, depending on her mood. McCoy might be in less danger than we thought."

"I'm sorry, Jim, can you imagine McCoy with…" Uhura started laughing.

"If it keeps Spock and Bones from killing each other, or getting thrown out an airlock, I'd lock the door behind them myself." Another officer joined them, Jim was still getting used to seeing Terise looking very much like a Romulan. "Are you ready for this, Commander?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. "Is the plan in ready?"

"As ready as it'll ever be," Kirk replied. "Charvanek has agreed to this, Commander. Others may not be as understanding."

"I'll do my best, Captain," she replied. Jim believed that she would.