Having triple-checked his look before leaving his quarters, Capt. James T. Kirk strode into the transporter room expecting to find Bones waiting.
"Where's Dr. McCoy?"
"He's gone on without ye," Scotty replied. "Said something aboot bein' too auld to wait for ye to moose yer hair. Sir."
"Huh. Well, I'll just have to catch up to him there, Scotty. Energize."
Kirk materialized just outside the reception hall and swaggered in a fashionable 10 minutes late. He quickly spotted Uhura and an older human man surrounded by a small crowd of mildly purring Trubese. Spock was hanging back a few yards away, and clearly trying to exude an air of calm and logic in the face of an Aolian and Trubese who were displaying some aggressively emotional body language. Jim briefly considered going to help out. Ambassador's son, remember - he'll cope. He continued scanning the room. Selina was nowhere in sight, but Bones was standing next to a slightly shorter, balding man who was also wearing Starfleet medical dress blue. He headed toward them.
"Hey, Bones!" he called.
"Finally decide to show up, did you?" McCoy replied. "Jim, this Dr. Frank Costellano, the station's CMO. Used to be on the Yorktown with Spock - probably the reason he transferred here from shipboard duty, in fact."
"Not the whole reason, but definitely a contributing factor." Frank nodded. "Nice to finally meet you, Captain. Len here complains about you almost as much as Spock, which is an accomplishment in itself."
"Nice to meet you, Doctor. Bones just likes to complain. Giving him something to grouse about is sort of a favor really." Jim turned to Bones. "Hey, have you seen Selina around?"
Dr. Costellano frowned and Bones beamed. "She was here to greet us when we came in - on time." McCoy smirked. "A lady raised on Vulcan is bound to appreciate punctuality."
"Apparently not all she appreciates," Frank muttered.
"Huh?" Kirk looked at his friend for clarification, but Bones was looking up at the ceiling and sucking his cheeks in, the way he did when he was trying not to look too happy.
"Your friend here is playing with fire," the other doctor warned. "She may only be his cousin, but the only time I've ever seen him literally break a man's neck, it was someone who hurt her. Now, I should really go and impress some Aolians with my latest discoveries. That is what we are here for." With that, he stalked off.
"Bones? Just whose cousin is he talking about?"
Bones was chuckling to himself. "Spock's. Apparently he and Selina were only calling each other cousins when he was on the Yorktown."
"So what did you do her? Stab with her with a hypo?" He was glancing over at Spock, who didn't seem to be making any hostile moves in their direction.
"No - of course not. She just said she wanted to talk to me later ...and she sort of mentioned us having breakfast together," he said innocently. "People seem to be taking that the wrong way."
.
.
Nyota excused herself to the ladies' room, as much to get away from playing goddess as out of any need. The Trubese might not consider her an avatar, but every single one them wanted to touch her and get a picture standing as close to her as possible. None of them seemed willing to admit to noticing a resemblance to Prafali - and she certainly wasn't going to let on that she was aware of it - so she had gotten various excuses about the novelty of meeting humans/human women/Starfleet officers. Except, of course, that no one else falling into those catagories seemed to be garnering this kind of attention. Not that it was entirely unpleasant. Their language seemed to be composed of a sequence of hums, which was fascinating, and their downy copper fur was extremely soft. Still, she needed a moment's break.
When she walked in, she found Selina leaning against the back wall with her eyes closed. They opened as soon as she realized someone had entered.
"Are you alright?" Nyota asked.
"I am well. But something is amiss. I cannot identify exactly what, but I sense... I... I catch glimpses of very unsettling thoughts. I believed that if I could take a short time alone to open my mind and listen, I might be able to isolate the source or sources." She shook her head wearily. "But there is much hostility between the parties. It may only be personal animosities between individual representatives."
"Do you want me to play look out so you can concentrate?"
"No, but thank you. There are too many mental voices in the hall. We are better served with you returning to goddessing and I will resume my role providing background music."
"Background music?"
"The ambassador's term for it. I can project as well as receive, so on nights such as this, I mingle through the crowd and try to project thoughts of calm, peace and cooperation," she gave a small ironic smile, "while also verbally twisting arms in those directions. It is quite taxing. But if all goes well, I should sleep very soundly tonight."
"Let me know if there is anything I can do."
"Just remain alert and convey the ambassador to safety if anything does go wrong," she said. "It is a comfort to know a trained fleet officer will be beside him."
.
.
Lacking his primary target, Jim Kirk had begun to circulate and schmooze with the delegates. He quickly came to understand why the two species did not get along. They were as different in temperament as appearance. While the Aolians were stockier than most humans, probably owing to the stronger gravity of their homeworld, they could nearly pass for human, except for an odd forehead ridge and a slightly blue tint to their skin. But they were generally stiff and stand-offish. The Trubese, on the other hand, were so slender and graceful that their delegation made Jim think of a ballet troupe that had improbably been covered in red-brown fur. They were curious and friendly. Very friendly. And warm. He glanced down at the hands of one of female Trubese delegates, now lightly stroking his bicep.
Mindful of the admiral's orders, Jim dutifully had one hand tucked behind his back and his drink firmly clasped in the hand attached to his captive arm. He was keeping his hands to himself. It wasn't his fault if the delegate wasn't doing the same, and he was reasonably certain it would be terribly undiplomatic to ask her to remove them.
Close by, Bones was showing off the stuff in his medical kit to two other delegates. It was the only instance Jim had seen so far of Aolian and Trubese showing a common interest. At least it was something. Halfway across the room he could almost hear the argument that had been brewing between the two in front of Spock. Just when he had started to wonder if Spock was going to just give up and nerve pinch both of them (Jim certainly would have been considering it, if he were in Spock's place), Selina arrived and within a few moments the two just ...quieted down. Not just stopped shouting. There would have been some anger still in their stances if that had been the case. They actually relaxed and almost looked friendly, or at least neutral. Wow. Well, he guessed if she could push Spock around, she could hustle just about anyone into anything. She was definitely going to be a challenge.
Having calmed the delegates, she made her way over toward Kirk and McCoy. Kirk was suddenly wondering just how undiplomatic it would be to disentangle himself from the Trubese lady on his arm. But she stopped near Bones first, chatting with the delegates and the doctor. Then she nodded as if taking leave. But first, she took Mccoy's hand for just moment. McCoy looked at her earnestly and nodded. Hmm. Jim was beginning to wonder if people had been taking the breakfast thing wrong after all. He decided to let the Trubese lady hold on to him.
Selina wandered over to Kirk and his companion. "Humlaalu, I see you have met our Capt. Kirk. I hope he is making a good impression?"
"He is quite an interesting creature. Unlike many of you, he does not seem to object to being petted," she purred. "It is almost like having an intelligent version of my crommari, and his eyes are most intreging. Does the color occur naturally?"
Selina half-raised an eyebrow at Jim. He smirked back at her. "The color is natural and not uncommon, but not as common as darker shades," she explained to the Trubese. Then tilting her head toward Jim, "If I might have a moment of your time, Captain?"
Jim gently disengaged from his admirer and stepped aside with Selina. "What's a crommari?" he whispered.
"A hairless doglike creature that many Trubese keep as lap pets." She looked at him hard. "They generally have them neutered before taking them as pets, so I suggest you avoid crawling into her lap."
"Jealous?" he grinned, which earned him a sharp look. "Hey, she's the one who grabbed me." Jim held his hands up innocently. "I didn't think it would be polite to object."
Selina nodded skeptically, but casually took his arm as if simply leading him to meet a different delegate. "I am about to do something that you may find surprising. I am asking you not to react in any way." Jim gave a fractional nod. Suddenly he both heard and felt her voice in his mind.
Someone in this room is thinking of murder.
Okay, he knew she was a telepath. He tried to think back to her. SEEMS LIKE HALF OF THESE PEOPLE ARE THINKING OF MURDER.
Her hand tightened on his arm. There is no need to shout. Until a moment ago I was not certain it was more than general hostility. But I am sure now. Someone is contemplating deliberate, cold-blooded killing.
who?
I do not know. There are too many mental voices. But be alert.
With that, she released his arm as they approached the buffet table. "Thank you, Captain. And now I must join the ambassador to formally welcome our guests."
Jim watched her cross to the low central dias where she joined Ambassador Pak, who tapped his glass for attention. "Gentle beings, it is our pleasure -"
He saw Selina's head snapped around. "BOMB!" she yelled, shoving the ambassador toward Uhura. "Get dow-"
And then everything seemed to go sideways.
to be continued...
A real cliff hanger this time. But no character deaths, I promise.
Sensing thoughts of murder is shamelessly ripped off from Is There No Truth in Beauty? which gave me the premise for Selina to begin with. I'm going to posit that she can receive/transmit broadband, but unless she already has a telepathic rapport with someone she has to be in close proximity for private telepathic communication (we see this with Spock in a few TOS episodes). Since she was trained by touch telepaths, she may feel more in control of transmission when in physical contact with the other person.
And I just had to have one of these alien races look human except for forehead ridges (thank you TNG).
