Unfinished Business

Chapter 50 : Strange Duties

October 2277

Chekov looked at the captain blankly. "Do vhat, sair?"

"You heard me, get to it." And Kirk turned around and stomped off, leaving one very confused navigator behind him.

Chekov turned to Sulu, who refused to look back at him. He turned to Spock for backup, but the first officer had his back turned. Sighing, he rose from his station and proceeded to the transporter room, where his presence had been requested to escort their visiting dignitary to her quarters. It seemed she had fallen in love with his accent when she heard him speak from the bridge while she was conversing with the captain.

/

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you know more about plants than anyone else on the ship and that ...ambassador … is half plant."

"But that's so far out of my line…"

"Just shut up and get going."

"Yes, sir." But Sulu stomped his feet all the way to the improvised quarters of the being they were escorting to its first Federation conference. Change his rooting soil, indeed! He wasn't a housekeeper!

/

"But, But...I canna do that, captain! Tis… tis too strange."

"But Scotty, you're the only male crewmember who's used to wearing a skirt."

"Tis nae a skirt! Tis a kilt, mon! Skirt me bloomin' arse!"

"Scotty! That's an order!"

"And ye can take your order an…"

"Scotty!"

The highly indignant Scotsman stomped off in the direction of his quarters to change into full dress regalia to welcome aboard a very strange dignitary who he certainly hoped would never come on board again.

/

"But you're the only one on board who can speak that language!"

"I don't care! You can't make me stay in the room with that insufferable bully another minute! Find someone else and give them a universal translator! I'm not going back in there and you can break me back down to ensign if you want to!"

He would have gone after her, but Spock was standing there, and somehow he just didn't think it would be a good idea to take out after Spock's woman and threaten her. No, not a good idea at all. He turned back toward the conference room and Spock held out his hand. There was a universal translator pin in it. Dejected, Kirk took the thing and stuck it to his shirt. Bracing himself, he opened the door and went back into the roaring mob inside.

/

Spock looked at Jim incredulously. Surely he was not serious. "Vulcans do not indulge in that sort of behavior."

Jim looked at him helplessly. "I'm under orders. I have no choice but to order you to accompany me. It won't really be that bad. It's only one day."

"Show me the orders."

"They're secret. I had to destroy them after reading."

"You are lying."

"I swear to you that I'm not. This is direct from StarFleet Command. Ask Uhura."

Spock turned his head in her direction. "There was a message. It was encoded and marked Secret. I just passed it on to the captain. I have no idea what was in it."

Spock looked back at the captain, arms folded across his chest. "I refuse to wear that ridiculous costume, and I will not dance. The entire idea of a masquerade ball is offensive to my very nature."

Kirk turned to Uhura, a helpless look on his face. "Talk to him. Make him understand."

She got a very pensive look on her face. "Perhaps it would be helpful if I went along."

Spock raised one eyebrow at her.

"Well, if I was there, you would only have to dance with me. I would keep everyone else away from you."

He thought about it for several minutes before grudgingly agreeing. And that was how Jim Kirk wound up insulting the Majarini of Kapor. But that's another story.