(Star Trek) The Lieutenant

Chapter 22

I let out a sigh as I worked on smoothing my dress out. It felt as if nothing I did worked and it was becoming difficult to straighten my dress up.

"Are you having trouble?" Jo asked as she walked up to me and leaned against the wall.

"Yes, Spock's parents are coming aboard and I want to make a good impression on them." I said as I moved a strand of hair out of the way.

"Haven't you already met them before?" Jo asked with a huff.

"Yes, but I haven't seen them in over five years." I said as I spun around to look at her. "Do I look fat?"

"You look hot, Spock is going to have trouble keeping his hands off of you." She said as she sent me a wink.

"I can assure you that won't be a problem." I said as I pinned my hair up.

"Just you wait and see."

I finished getting dressed and then left to find Jim and Bones.

"Dress uniforms, spit and polish. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to stand this. I feel like my neck's in a sling." Bones said as I walked up to them.

"The Vulcans are the last delegates we have to pick up. As soon as we get them aboard, we'll be able to relax." Jim said with a sigh as he adjusted his shirt collar.

We made our way into the hallway and met up with Spock, who was already dressed up.

"Sure. A formal reception tonight, a hundred and fourteen delegates aboard for two weeks, thirty two of them ambassadors, half of them mad at the other half, and the whole lot touchier than a raw antimatter pile over this Coridan question." Bones said as Spock walked beside me.

"You look beautiful." Spock thought.

"You don't look to bad yourself, Commander." I thought as I sent him a gentle smile.

The Intercom whistled and Jim walked up to it.

"Kirk here." Jim said calmly.

"Shuttlecraft approaching with Ambassador Sarek's party. Estimate arrival one minute." Chekov said calmly.

"Bring them aboard, Mister Chekov." Jim said as I pulled my dress down a little.

"Standby to recover shuttlecraft. Honour guard to the hangar deck."

I watched as the guard lined up, and I let out a sigh.

"How does that Vulcan salute go?"

I turned around and forced myself to not smile as I watched Spock showed Bones how to do it.

"That hurts worse than the uniform." Bones said with a frown.

I turned back around and watched as the ambassador and his wife were escorted from the shuttlecraft.

"Captain James Kirk." Jim said softly.

"Captain." Sarek said calmly.

They walked up to us and Jim motioned to Spock.

"My First Officer, Commander Spock." Jim said calmly.

Spock gave him a Vulcan salute and I shook my head.

"Vulcan honours us with your presence. We come to serve." Spock said calmly.

Sarek looked at Spock and then over at Jim.

"Your service honours us, Captain." Sarek said calmly.

"Thank you. Chief Medical Officer Doctor McCoy." Jim said calmly.