Unfinished Business

Chapter 3 : Necessary Work

November, 2270

Rear Admiral James T Kirk, Chief of StarFleet Operations at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, sat at his desk, his head cushioned in his hands, his elbows planted firmly on the desktop. He looked at the piles of paperwork and PADDS that covered said desk in despair. He really, really needed a break from paperwork, the never-ending paperwork. Even more, he needed an aide, someone who understood him, who knew how he worked. He needed a friend to talk to. With that thought, he straightened up. He knew exactly who he needed to talk to. And he lost no time in activating the comlink on the corner of his desk and calling that person.

"Bones, Bones, it's so damn good to see your ugly face."

"Well, hello to you, too. What the heck is the matter with you, anyway? You look downright pathetic, Jim."

"Paperwork! Unbelievable amounts of paperwork! I'm drowning in it. I never get out of this chair! It's going to kill me." He groaned loudly for extra emphasis.

Bones cackled. "I told you not to accept that promotion."

"And just how did you think I was going to get out of it? It certainly wasn't my idea. Why the hell did you bail out on me, Bones? I need someone to talk to out here or I'm going to go bonkers."

McCoy's face got much solemner very suddenly. "I just couldn't do it anymore, Jim. Every time I turned around, something happened to that damn ship and I remembered just how precariously we were situated. It finally got to the point where I just had to get back on the ground for a while."

Jim nodded at his friend, and then heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know. It was hard, all right. But it was a damn sight better than all this stupid paperwork! I'm not kidding, this job is going to kill me."

"Well, hell, man, surely you can get a handle on it."

"I need an aide. Really, truly. Someone who understands me and can help me make some sense out of this mess." He sighed again. "You wouldn't know anyone that fits that description, would you, Bones?"

The other man was quiet so long that Jim wondered what he had said that caused the other man to think so hard. And then he spoke again.

"I do, Jim. I really do. I think I have just the person for you, right here in my house." He cocked his head and his eyes bored right into his former captain's. "But I'm telling you, you're going to have to handle her with kid gloves for a while. Somethin' bad happened to her, and she's still reelin' from it. You have to not be your obnoxious self for a while, and keep your lip buttoned up. NO questions. I mean NO QUESTIONS. You got that?"

Jim looked at him in amazement. "What are you going on about, Bones? Who are you talking about?"

"Uhura."

"Uhura is at your house? Why?"

"I said no questions. What part of that didn't you understand?"

"You're dead serious."

"Never been more serious in my life."

"Is she okay?"

"She will be. But right now she really needs something to focus on, and I think just maybe tons of boring paperwork could be that something. Are you interested?"

"Interested? I'm salivating here. My best communications officer as my full-time aide? I never even considered that possibility. What do I have to do?"

"Let me talk to her. Her leave time's almost up, but I don't think she's gotten any new orders yet. I'll get back to you." And he signed off.

Kirk sat there for some time, thinking. Something serious had happened to Uhura, and Bones wasn't about to tell him what, and had warned him severely about asking questions. He could do that. He could.

The following week, when she appeared in his doorway, he jumped up out of his seat and rushed forward, stopping just before he got to her. She surely did look like something dreadful had happened to her. Tactfully, he did not mention that, just took her orders and welcomed her to her new position, and showed her where her office was. He gave her an hour to familiarize herself with the equipment, find the coffee room and the ladies' head, and then brought her an armload of stuff off his desk. They were in business.

After that, the control over the retrofit of the Enterprise went a whole lot smoother. And he actually had time to deal with the really important stuff, because she was handling all the routine paperwork for him. But she was so quiet, so unlike herself that he worried. And once a week, he talked to Bones, and they both worried.

On top of a mountain, in the middle of a vast desert, there sat some simple buildings, where the adepts of kolinahr resided. In those simple buildings also lived those who were attempting to learn this discipline, to completely purge their minds of emotion, setting them free from their body's influence entirely, leaving their minds pure and free, totally ruled by logic. At least, that was the goal.

One student there was there, who continued to struggle. For hours each day, he meditated, trying to force his mind into submission, trying to find peace. It did not come. Mind and body both were racked with pain. The adepts watched him, but did not interfere. This was his own battle. He could not begin the teachings until his mind was ready to accept them.