Nyota kept her ears open, so she was ready when she heard the turbolift doors part and Kirk's voice announce, "Here we are!"

Nyota turned in her chair to take in the newcomer's appearance. What she saw mildly surprised her. Science Officer Margory Mallory was tiny. She had a trim figure and short red hair, with just enough length to give it softness. Her eyes were wide and light in color, and she had a scattering of freckles across her button nose. Her youthful face was bright with excitement.

Kirk had his hand on her back as he directed her toward the forward consoles. Nyota's gaze slid from the new arrival to their commanding officer, searching for the telltale signs that Kirk had made yet another conquest. Thankfully, she didn't find any overt evidence of such. Ensign Mallory did seem enthusiastic to the point of palpitations, but her excitement seemed more related to her merely being on the bridge than due to any specific person's company.

Nyota turned back to her station, moderately satisfied. In her view, it spoke well for Mallory that she hadn't instantly fallen for the captain's reputed charms. Still, it was early to leap to any conclusions. Nyota intended to be patient and see how the next few days developed.

Kirk guided his charge near the forward viewscreen. "I'd like you to meet our chief helmsman for the Enterprise, Mr. Sulu."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Mallory."

"Sulu is also filling in as First Officer while Mr. Spock is away. So you'll have to tread carefully around him."

"I don't expect to be a problem, sir," Mallory responded, with a deeper voice than Nyota had anticipated. She had expected something more light and girly. "I generally get along well with everybody."

"Well, that's good," responded Kirk, "because, as you've seen, we can be a pretty touchy bunch."

"Yes, ve do touch each other sometimes," Chekov interjected, misunderstanding the idiom. "But, but—" Nyota sneaked a glance over her shoulder, to enjoy the stunned look on the others' faces. "It is alvays appropriate touching. As in, 'Hello, Ms. Mallory!'" He gave her a light punch on the forearm in poor imitation of the shoulder slap that Kirk was always giving everybody—much to Spock's annoyance.

Nyota spun back to her station, covering her mouth to hold in her laugh. Two seats down, Ensign Lo was collapsed over her station in silent giggles.

Kirk's voice was filled with amusement. "And this is our navigator, Mr. Chekov."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chekov." Mallory sounded as if she, too, were keeping in a chuckle.

"Chekov is seventeen," Kirk added quietly. Nyota peeked over her shoulder to see him giving an apologetic look to Mallory.

Mallory took it in stride. "So I've heard." She smiled at the navigator, who continued to squirm with embarrassment. "Well, Mr. Chekov—" She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "It's good to be aboard!"

Chekov visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Science Officer."

Kirk put a hand on the small of Mallory's back to guide her toward the rear of the bridge. Hmm, Chekov had been right about the touching. There seemed to be an excessive amount of it concerning the new arrival, compared to the regular staff. Kirk said (in a gentler voice than he ever used with Nyota), "I'd like you to meet some other officers you'll be working closely with."

Behind him, Sulu was murmuring something to Chekov, but only the navigator's whisper carried. "But he said ve vere touchy. I didn't vant her to think she'd landed in a ship full of sexual deviants."

With their backs safely to the navigator, both Kirk and Mallory hastily put up a hand to cover their laugh. Biting back her smirk, Nyota turned partly in her chair so that Kirk could see she was in the same agonized condition. He acknowledged her difficulty with a twinkling eye, and then directed Mallory toward the engineering station.

"Ensign Lo," he said, "our Engineering liaison." The words were professional enough, but Kirk still sounded as if he were trying not to laugh.

Lo could hardly speak. "Pleased to meet you," she giggled, shaking Mallory's hand.

"Likewise," Mallory responded, fighting laughter of her own.

Kirk next approached Nyota. "And, of course, you'll be working with one of the finest communications officers in the fleet: Lieutenant Uhura."

Mallory actually blushed slightly as she shook Nyota's hand. "I'm very glad to meet you, ma'am."

Nyota smiled. "Thank you." She found herself liking Mallory more and more.

"The work you've been doing is just fantastic. I look forward to discussing it with you in detail."

Nyota was puzzled. "I thought your specialty was astrophysics."

"Oh," Mallory laughed and blushed again. "A science officer is interested in everything."

Nyota relaxed. "Of course. I should have realized." She and Mallory exchanged smiles.

"And in between your two charming crewmates," Kirk continued, "is what you're really here for: the science station."

Mallory's eyes lit up. She placed a hand lightly on the panel, almost caressing it. Nyota hid her amusement. There was no question that Mallory was well-suited to her job. Only a true science geek would get that love light in her eyes simply by gazing at an instrument panel.

"So," Mallory murmured, running her fingers lightly along the edge of the console, "this is where he sits."

Nyota's smile froze. A prickle of alarm crept up her spine, issuing a Red Alert.

"Yes, that's Commander Spock's station," Kirk replied, apparently not noticing anything unusual in the phrasing of Mallory's observation. "Now, it's yours." He smiled. "Don't tell me, you want to change a few things."

"Oh, no!" Mallory looked at Kirk as if he'd just uttered blasphemy. She actually moved (consciously or not) to stand protectively in front of the panel. "I'd read about the enhancements Commander Spock ordered for the Enterprise. He was there for the initial design all the way through final delivery. I wouldn't dream of altering any improvements he made. In fact…" She chuckled self-consciously. "I'd been trying to implement some of them aboard the Lao-Tse, based on the diagrams on file—with indifferent success, I'm sorry to admit."

"Well, well, Ensign Mallory." Kirk gave her an appreciative gaze. "I had no idea you were such a technophile."

"I'm no engineer. Not really," she added, with an apologetic glance at Lo. "But something like this, because it so directly affects my work, is different. A science officer's results are only as good as the data they're based on. So instrument sensitivity is crucial. And everyone who's attended the Academy knows that Commander Spock is the best."

Nyota was doing her best to control her irritation. Interested in everything, indeed! Mallory's tone, particularly the reverential way she spoke the words "Commander Spock," set Nyota's teeth on edge. She kept her gaze fixed on her own instrument panel, seeing nothing.

"He does have that reputation," Kirk said equably. "But you have a few qualifications of your own."

Mallory laughed. "Oh, I'm not remotely in Commander Spock's league—as I'm sure you're aware. But, as long as you don't mind working with a mere human—"

"Ensign Mallory," Kirk said sternly, "everyone presently aboard this ship is a 'mere human.' Please don't apologize for what you are—or who you aren't."

Mallory dropped her gaze. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Kirk straightened. "Well, would you like to see your quarters now, or settle in here?"

The eager light was back in Mallory's eyes. "If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather stay here. Being able to see and touch the panel in person is different from just reading about it. I'd like to take some time and really familiarize myself with the Commander's setup."

I'll bet that's not the only thing about the Commander you'd like to familiarize yourself with, Nyota thought harshly. Her annoyance caused her to stab a button harder than she'd intended.

"Fine," Kirk said, and raised his voice to address Nyota. "Lieutenant, would you transfer the orders to Ensign Mallory's station?"

Nyota replied with professional restraint. "Yes, sir." She hit the appropriate transmission controls.

Mallory climbed into Spock's chair with unseemly haste, in Nyota's opinion, watching the screen tensely. The orders appeared almost instantly. Mallory read aloud, "I, Commander Spock, relinquish command of this station to Science Officer Margory Mallory, transfer to be effective Stardate 2258.133." She stopped, then looked over her shoulder at Kirk with a puzzled expression. "That's it?"

Kirk quirked an eyebrow. "You expected something more?"

Mallory hesitated. "Is there any more? I mean, this is the whole transfer order? No… mission parameters, summaries— that kind of thing?"

Nyota gave the captain a knowing look, but Kirk affected not to notice. "I don't see any other matters mentioned on the transfer order, Ensign. Do you?"

Mallory stared at the terse message. Then she slumped back in her chair and clapped a hand over her heart. "Thank God!"

Nyota froze.

Kirk suppressed a smile, but his eyes shone. "Yes, Ensign?"

"What a relief!" Mallory literally caught her breath, then straightened in her chair to face Kirk. "All the way here on the shuttle, I was worrying about this. I kept imagining that the Commander would have left me some hugely complicated project that would have gone on for page after page. I was terrified that I'd spend the entire mission trying to make sense out of his half-finished notes, only to thoroughly embarrass myself upon his return. But this—" She waved her hand at the screen, still displaying the concise message. "This is the easiest transfer order I've ever seen. I wouldn't have expected that from a Vulcan. I mean, from a half-Vulcan. I mean, from Commander Spock. He had this killer reputation at the Academy."

Kirk gave Nyota an I-told-you-so smirk. "Well, Commander Spock can be quite accommodating of human needs, once he understands the situation. He wouldn't dream of burying you under reams of notes."

"Still, that was unexpectedly sensitive of him," said Mallory. "He sounds like an excellent officer."

"One of the best," Kirk drawled, as Nyota turned abruptly away. His smugness was insufferable.

Having sufficiently amused himself, Kirk pulled himself upright. "Well, I'll leave you to your scientific explorations. When you're ready, perhaps Lieutenant Uhura would be kind enough to walk you down to your quarters."

Nyota's heart skipped a beat. Not that! she mentally screamed. She could take sitting next to Mallory— she really could. Or rather, she thought she could. She could be as professional as the next person. But to take the woman to her quarters, to listen to a string of "What is Commander Spock really like?" questions— that would be beyond her. She'd never get through it without ripping Mallory into a thousand sarcastic ribbons.

Before Nyota could respond, Ensign Lo piped up. "I'll do it, Captain."

Kirk looked surprised, then turned her way. "Thank you, Ensign."

"No problem." She smiled winningly at Mallory. "I'm always happy to help my fellow shipmates." Her smile appeared genuinely welcoming. Nyota couldn't have pulled off such a look in a million years. She wondered how much Lo's suspicions had been awakened in the wake of Mallory's gushing; regardless, Nyota felt immense gratitude toward her.

Although Lo's interjection was most likely an act, Mallory fell for it. She gave Lo an equally warm, and probably truly genuine, smile back. "Thanks so much! I'll be happy to know all of you better, too."

Some of us more than others, Nyota growled mentally.

"That's great," Kirk said, his gaze drifting uncertainly from Lo to Nyota. She kept her eyes fixed on her panel. "I'll just leave you then to… carry on."

"Thank you, Captain!" Mallory beamed at Spock's console, stroking the nearest control panel with a fingertip. The motion put Nyota in full revulsion mode. "I'm going to be in heaven for days."

And I'm going to be in hell for weeks, Nyota silently added. If she weren't on the bridge, she would have shrieked from frustration.

Beyond Mallory, Lo sneaked Nyota a sympathetic look. Nyota nodded briefly, acknowledging it, and attempted to pull herself together.

"So."

It took a moment for Nyota to realize that Mallory was addressing her. She started. "Yes?"

"I hear that you and Commander Spock are pretty good friends."

Nyota gaped. But Mallory didn't seem put off by her reaction. Her expression was open, questioning... interested.

Nyota briskly turned back to her panel. "Yes, we are."

"He's pretty cool, huh? I mean, once you get to know him. I never did at the Academy. We were in the same college, but our schedules never lined up. I'd see him, of course, marching here and there in his gray uniform, looking so intent. But that's different from knowing somebody personally."

Nyota started writing down some figures at random, to give her hands something to do.

"Like this transfer order," Mallory said. "I wouldn't have expected that."

Nyota could contain herself no longer. "As a matter of fact," she said quietly, "the commander had intended to leave you detailed notes. But Captain Kirk overruled him."

"Oh." Mallory sat back, then ran a finger down the edge of her panel. "Well, notes would have been good, too."

Nyota sighed, then spun in her chair to face Mallory. "Look," she said softly. "Commander Spock and I have a good, working relationship. I'm sure that you and I can have a good, working relationship. The common denominator here is that we will have a working relationship. Not a personal one, not one where we gossip about our colleagues." She held Mallory's gaze, trying to emphasize her point without being unkind. "Do I make myself clear, Ensign Mallory?"

Mallory blushed so her face was as bright as her hair. "Yes, of course! I'm sorry. It's just that... well, never mind. It's not important. Don't worry. It won't happen again."

Nyota nodded tersely. "Thank you, Ensign. I appreciate that."

"Because I really want to do well here. This is such an opportunity." Mallory looked truly contrite. "I don't want to screw it up."

Nyota softened a little. "Don't worry, you haven't. Not yet. And I know how you feel. I felt that way when I first came aboard, too."

"Then you do understand." Mallory sighed. "I'm glad."

Nyota felt mildly guilty. Perhaps Mallory just had a little trouble with the interpersonal bit. That was hardly unknown among technical people. Kindly, she said, "Why don't you take a little time and go over your station? I'll be happy to answer any questions you have related to the equipment."

"I will. Thank you, Lieutenant."

"My pleasure."

Mallory turned back to her array of settings and readouts. Relieved, Nyota resumed her own work.

For a while. Mallory began throwing toggles, hopping up to read the result, sitting back down, changing position, doing it again. Finally, after standing and sitting and adjusting and turning at least six times, she asked Nyota, "So, does Commander Spock usually sit or stand at his station?"

Nyota put a hand to her face.

Thirty-five more days until Spock returned. How was she going to last?