The New Science Officer Stardate 2258.32+

That night, Scarlett had dreamt about Spock and their time back at the Academy. She dreamt about their first meeting and then the night their relationship had changed forever. She dreamt about the time spent in Spock's apartment discussing anything and everything. Spock hadn't just been the man she was in love with, he had also been her best friend and she missed his companionship. However, she still wanted more. She couldn't help it and she couldn't wait forever for him to make her his mate or tell her he loved her. When she woke up the next morning she knew what her answer was to Captain Kirk, but she still didn't know what Spock's answer was to her. She wouldn't allow that though to get in the way of building her career. 

She communicated with the Captain and informed him of her answer. He seemed quite pleased that she was going to be joining his crew. She had to get a new uniform made and she began to pack her belongings. She didn't have a lot with her, as she hadn't needed a lot of items for the research she was doing. The Captain was sending over a few crew members to pick up her belongings for her though. As she waited for them to arrive the last thing she did was to publish the scientific paper she had been writing. The publication of the paper symbolized the end of one journey and the start of the next.

Nathan had ofcourse seen Scarlett's file. 'Scarlett' Now that was a name to make any man's heart sing. And one photo wasn't enough once he saw what she looked like. He did a complete background check upon her. And she was drop dead gorgeous! Even if she didn't go for him, just knowing she was coming on board was going to lift every man's spirits. He decided to be part of the security detail that brought over her things. Since she had to rescind all of her security clearances for the station, she would come to the enterprise by shuttle.

He hit the chime on her door and waited. Nathan was probably the most fit man on the ship and the only man with a beard. He was tall, with a lean musculature packed with tight muscles over most of his body. Anything physical Nathan was into it. He was intelligent as well with a knack for being able to survive in a harsh environment. He was a mountain climber, and a marathon runner. He even had a climbing wall installed in one of the cargo bays. He ran a Mixed Martial Arts class twice a week and also an exercise class among his other, various duties. He was a busy man but, he was also a very lonely one.

"Lt. Nathan Quinn, we're here to escort you to the Enterprise Lt. Wright," Nathan said when she came to the door. Those photos and video clips did not do Scarlett justice at all. Gorgeous? She was beauty perfected and the room felt 10 degrees warmer all of a sudden as he followed her to where her bags were. He had the two men who were with him, they were trying to be professional just like he was, with difficulty. After a good look at her backside which was amazing, he found he had to ask them twice to get her bags. He expected there to be more but the three of them would still have their hands full.

Scarlett found she was actually a little bit nervous to be joining a Starship crew. This was going to be extremely different to what she was currently used to, which was working on her own. She was an officer which meant she was going to be giving orders in addition to receiving them as well. And she would be working very closely with Spock. This time though, not as his student, but as an equal. 

She heard her doorbell chime and she walked over and opened the door. She smiled in greeting to the three men that were there to take her bags. Lt. Quinn was quite handsome and there was something about his slightly scruffy appearance that was appealing to Scarlett. However, thinking about Nathan made her then think about Spock. She shook him out of her head and she looked at the three men as they went to pick up her bags.

"Oh, please be careful with those two," she said as she pointed to two of the bags. "They have very delicate equipment in them."

Nathan gestured and her bags were picked up. A couple of them were not light and Nathan took one himself, one of the delicate ones. "I bet doing field work was nice. Open spaces, an entire landscape open to you. Changing seasons, sunrises and sunsets, winds and rains," Nathan said envious of her time spent down on the planet. "If you get cabin fever, the Enterprise can get a bit stuffy at times, I usually go to one of the Cargo bays. The ceilings are very high and if you go late at night, there's no one there. I had a climbing wall built in the Forward bay. Or there's the Shuttle bay," Nathan said as she was collecting her things and taking a last look around. The other men had already left her apartment.

Scarlett double checked the room to ensure she had grabbed everything. She smiled over at Nathan when he gave her some suggestions for curing cabin fever. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you. I'm actually looking forward to this," she admitted as she and Nathan left the room. "I've been doing this research for the last 2 years so I need a change of scenery. What I think I'm excited most about is because this is a deep space mission we may discover new species of plants and animals."

"Oh I think that's a guarantee. Our task is going to take us way beyond the borders of the Federation. You likely be discovering all sorts of flora and fauna never before seen by the eye of a human. And I'll be there to watch your back...incase that fauna decides to get hostile," He said. "Or the flora, for that matter," he added belatedly. 'And a nice back it is too!' He thought with a smile as they began to walk down the hall to the turbo lift. His men had already gone up to the landing pad.

"Landing pad 'C' please," Nathan said when they were both inside the lift.

Scarlett smiled at Nathan. His British accent was pleasing to hear and just looking at him she could tell he could hold his own in a fight. They got onto the turbo lift and she looked over at him. "So, how long have you been serving on the Enterprise?"

"Oh not long, but Starfleet didn't want an older crew. They wanted younger Officers that aren't set in their ways. Or, Captain Kirk did perhaps," he said with a grin. "Most of us are new to the ship like yourself so you'll be in good company. And, if you find yourself wanting a friend. Well, jus give me a call and I'm certain we'll find something fun to do," Nathan said with a full blown smile. "I teach a martial arts class and exercise classes as well. I also train everyone on our newest hand weapons. You'll need to get rated on them before the Captain will allow you out on an away mission. But we can get that done pretty quick," He said. Just looking at her made his insides turn into jello.

Finally, the turbo lift halted and he escorted her onto the shuttle. That was new too. State of the art just like the Enterprise was. He stowed her things and made a hand gesture for his co pilot to move out of the co-pilot seat. "You can sit there if you like," Nathan said. He waited for the green light to take off and he turned on the engines. This was no Military shuttle. It could be configured for hauling more people but this one was designed for 8 people. 6 Passengers and 2 crew. Inside the seats were all plush and comfortable. There was even an emergency transporter on the shuttle though it hadn't been configured yet. There was a weapons locker, emergency rations and equipment trunk even 2 space suits with jetpacks. He lifted off and decided to let her see the Enterprise before they landed. It was very likely she had never seen a Heavy Cruiser from this vantage point and he did a slow, flyby for her.

Scarlett listened and smiled at Nathan. She knew there was a bar onboard the ship and she knew she could get in trouble there if she wasn't careful. "I've been trained on hand to hand combat, but I could likely use a refresher course or two," she admitted as the turbo lift came to a stop. She followed Nathan onto the shuttle and she was surprised to see just how state of the art it was. Starfleet had clearly spared no expense when it came to the Enterprise. She had only seen a little of it inside and had not really gotten a good view of it from the outside. She sat down in the co-pilot's seat and she looked out the window as the Enterprise came into view. It was an incredible sight to behold and it glistened in the mid-morning sunlight.

"This ship really is beautiful," she said as she took the opportunity to study the ship from the outside as Nathan did a slow flyby.

Nathan pointed out a few new things to her that were not on older ships but eventually they landed in the shuttle bay. They brought a grav cart to put all of her things on and Nathan took up the wristband that controlled it. Together, with the cart filled with her bags in tow, they stepped away from the shuttle bay toward the Turbolift. I had recordings of your voice and bioprint so I already entered them into the ship's systems according to your security status. There is an officers meeting this evening at 1800 hours," he said. "And our departure is set for 0800," he added. "Deck 5," he said once the cart made it into the turbolift. On deck 7 the turboift stopped and Elyse and Kaia got onto the lift. Elyse had never seen Scarlett before and she saw how beautiful the woman was right off.

"Oh, hello, I'm Lieutenant Commander Turner," Elyse said and shook the woman's hand. Her cheeks flushed slightly as Scarlett made her seem plain and common and Elyse knew it. By how Kaia hadn't spoke yet, Elyse knew Kaia felt it too. They were both fairly confident women, Kaia especially but Scarlett was just gorgeous and she had a bod that was just amazing. Elyse had a strong desire to look down at her own chest but she knew she was lacking in that department and she didn't want to do that in front of everyone else, especially Nathan. The man was very handsome, maybe too good looking in her opinion. And she wondered how Leonard would react to their new Science Officer. He would have to give her an examination and that made Elyse suddenly feel...jealous though she knew it was just all in her head. Leonard was hers though she suddenly had the desire to go see him and reconnect with him in a very romantic fashion. Only moments had passed.

"Deck 5," Elyse said as Kaia and Scarlett looked at one another.

Kaia had spent the past night in Kirk's room. She had snuck out early that morning so no one would see her though. Kaia was still thinking about the day they had had together yesterday. It had been...perfect in her opinion. Kaia was starting to feel more and more that perhaps the Romulans were wrong about other species (especially humans). Kaia didn't remember much of her life before being taken in, and her opinion of other species was formed solely by what they told her. However, she was already in deep and if she turned away now they would come after her and kill her. How could she ever tell James? 

These thoughts were all swirling around in her head as she and Elyse stepped onto the turbo lift. Inside she saw Nathan, but with him was a woman she had never seen before. The woman was, in a word, gorgeous. She had champagne blonde hair and porcelain skin and blue eyes. Kaia was confident in her looks and her body, but this woman had a body that made even her feel a little jealous. She suddenly began to wonder if Kirk's attention was going to get pulled away from her and onto this woman. She desperately hoped that wouldn't happen. Just the thought made her heartsick. 

"I'm Lieutenant Kaia Fox, Communications Officer," Kaia said as she shook the woman's hand. Scarlett smiled at them both. "Lieutenant Scarlett Wright. I'm the new Science Officer."

"Really?" Kaia asked and then realized what she had said. "I'm sorry. I just meant you don't look like the Science Officers I've seen." 

Scarlett smiled and laughed. "I get that a lot actually. But yes. My background is in Life Sciences, but I'm also trained in Physics and Mathematics."

The turbolift stopped and everyone got off. Scarlett and Nathan bid them goodbye and the two women saw her heading for the larger rooms. Elyse had a promotion and she was still in her tiny room where the Air conditioning machines were right behind her back wall in her bedroom. Elyse looked at Kaia. "Well damn, I'm...I'm going to go see Leonard," Elyse said watching them move further down the hall. "I'll catch up with you later," he said and then stepped back toward the turbolift.

The door opened for Scarlett. She had been given one of their remaining rooms. One of the more spacious rooms the ship had. There really wasn't anything to that, that's all they had left. They kept a certain amount of rooms like these for Ambassadors and Dignitaries. Nathan and the cart followed in after her. "There's a wall intercom there and this room has a small kitchenette. It also has a deluxe replicator. This one can replicate more than just food upon need. "Is there...anything else you require of me Scarlett?" Nathan said. They were nearly the exact same rank but she had the edge on him by a few months. "You can call me Nathan...we're trying to keep things casual. Mainly for the crew," Nathan explained. That and he just wanted to call her by her first name.

Scarlett looked around her room as she and Nathan walked in. She was surprised by how spacious it was. It was nice and she could see herself being comfortable there. She listened to Nathan as he showed her the wall intercom and led her through the small kitchenette. Having lived on an alien planet for 2 years she was used to eating replicated food. She smiled over at Nathan when he told her she could call him by his first name. 

"And I'm fine if you call me Scarlett. No, Nathan there is nothing else. Thank you for all you've done. I'm probably just going to get unpacked and then go find the lab."

Spock was in the lab with Ensign Hicks and Crewman Thromal, a Tellarite female. They were building test kits which included sample containers and other things to test rocks, water, plants and organisms. Having a lot of these ready to go was important but he wanted Scarlett to take over for him in this. Since Ensign Laishon died, they had gotten behind and each kit took a while to build. Chemical compounds couldn’t be replicated, only pieces and parts and so they had to fill test tubes and other things themselves.

Spock knew Scarlett was just settling in so he really didn’t know if he’d even see her today at all. He would tomorrow for sure, there was an officers meeting and Kirk wanted every officer to attend.

After she got unpacked, Scarlett put on her new uniform and then left her room. She had memorized the layout of the Enterprise and knew where the lab was located. She used the turbo lift to take her to the appropriate level and then headed down the hallway. The lab doors opened for her and she stepped inside. She looked over and saw Spock there with two others. They appeared to be putting together test kits. She walked over and introduced herself to Ensign Hicks and Thromal. She then looked at Spock. Even now, every time he looked at her she felt her heart skip a beat. 

"What can I do to assist you?"

Spock had decided that a clean break was for the best. Not easy considering they’d be working together but he felt he needed to give a Scarlet some space to get her career moving again. He was looking forward to reading her paper but if she was going to be a starship officer she needed time to adjust. Every time he looked at Scarlett he felt his heart skip a beat though his face retained a completely neutral
Look.

“Ah, Lt. Good. These test kits need to be completed soon. Ensign please help the Lieutenant get orientated to what each kit requires,” he said blandly. They were used to Spock like this, Scarlett used to be but this was her he was talking to.

“Thank you,” he said and exited the lab without another word.

Scarlett and Spock had a complicated, but passionate history. She knew Spock well enough to know that he was going to try and keep her at arm's length, although he didn't want to. However, she had no intention of easily letting him go. They belonged together and she knew that they both knew that. Spock could be frustrating, but she loved him. 

She watched him leave and she sighed a little to herself, but she helped complete the test kits. It took a few hours, but once Scarlett knew that each kit needed she moved quickly and efficiently and they soon had more than enough kits to start. She dismissed the Ensign and crewman and then left the lab to head to the Officer's meeting.

Nathan purposefully made sure that Scarlett had a seat next to him. Spock was near the end with Elyse across from him. Between them the Captain would sit and everyone else would either sit or stand. There were not enough chairs so the chairs were by rank for the most part. Elyse would have preferred to sit near the doctor though she had managed to pull him into a room and remind him that they were 'a thing'. Nothing too much just alot of kissing and touching. Enough to get his blood pumping and Elyse's as well for that matter. It only made what was yet to come between them all that much sweeter. But then Scarlett entered the room. Every male and, most of the females watched her as she entered then moved and sat down next to Nathan. Spock had noticed that as well and though he held no expression, he didn't much care for the way Nathan had looked at Scarlett nor the smile she had for him either. 'Did they know one another? How?' He wondered as Kirk stepped in.

"Well, I see our new Science Officer is here. Everyone, this is Lt. Scarlett Wright. She will be taking over for Ensign Laishon. Now there is alot to get through and not alot of time to get through it," Kirk said as he sat and then began. The Enterprise was not going to go in one direction, there was a set pattern based on the liklihood of running into 'M' class planets and civilizations. They were going to go in a circle for the most part based on the possible planet locations. He went over the Prime Directive again, just incase anyone had forgotten about it. He officially made Elyse third in command with Nathan fourth. From there he had a list down the line but for the most part, bridge officers had command experience and that was who would take charge should they begin to lose top officers. He went over fraternization between the crew. He did not forbid it, but he wanted everyone to be discreet. Again Spock saw Nathan glance at Scarlett and this time his brow did shift a little though he didn't notice it.

"Any questions?" Kirk asked. "Good, I want department readiness reports by 1000 hours. We will leave the station at 1500 hours. So go and have a nice lunch, whatever you want but everyone is to be on board by 1400 hours, no exceptions," Kirk said. "Dismissed," he said. Spock's unhappy look persisted as he stood and headed out with everyone else. As Scarlett stood Nathan stood too. "Hey, did you want to go get lunch?" Nathan asked quickly.

Scarlett knew she needed to talk to Spock. She saw him leave and she stood up to follow him. However, right at that moment Nathan stood and asked her to lunch. She looked at him. "Normally, yes, but I have something important I need to take care of. Perhaps we could get a drink later instead." She could see Nathan looked a little disappointed, but she couldn't stay. She excused herself and followed Spock. She caught up to him and found an empty room and pulled him into it and closed the door. 

"Spock, you and I need to talk. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to keep me at arm's length because you 'feel it would be best for me'. But I love you Spock...I never stopped loving you and you're what's best for me."

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Kaia and Kirk had arranged to "accidently" run into each other for lunch in the station. They didn't have time to change out of their uniforms, but that was fine with her. Kaia left first. They had already decided on a restaurant. She was shown to a table and she took a seat. She looked over the menu as she waited for Kirk to "happen" to walk in. They didn't have a whole lot of time since they both had a lot of things they needed to do, but they didn't know when their next chance would be to have non-replicated food.

Spock was surprised by Scarlett's forwardness. But he was used to it by now. He let himself get pulled into a room. He wasn't unsurprised by what Scarlett had said. He had played out this conversation a hundred different ways. To hear her say that she loved him though. He did not expect that! She just didn't understand. Spock decided on tactile awareness. He put his hands on her upper arms.

"Scarlett, you are a beautiful, young woman. I respect you as a colleague and as good Officer with a keen mind. I will always be your friend and I will always have a space for you in my heart. You have your whole career ahead of you. The only thing this relationship can do, is harm that. You could have your own ship after this mission. Or So could I," Spock reasoned. "Vulcan societies are more or less a caste system. My family is well respected even though my mother is human. She went through alot being the wife of my father in Vulcan society. I would not wish that upon you. And once we are bonded, there would be no stepping back from that. The bonding...affects us both. I do not want to tie you down Scarlett. You deserve the freedom to explore other relationships. To find what you truly want. Please, let this go," Spock said. Just saying that hurt him physically but he managed to keep his face neutral.

Scarlett sighed and shook her head. "Spock, you can be extremely frustrating." She looked into his eyes. "I already have what I want with you. I'm an adult and I am fully aware of Vulcan customs. Nothing worth truly having is easy Spock. I know your feelings for me are still there. Why push me away so we're both unhappy when we could be happy together instead?"

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Kaia glanced up as someone walked into the restaurant and she saw it was Kirk. There was no one in the restaurant that she recognized from their ship, but they continued to play the game just in case. She saw him approach her table and she looked up. "Hello Captain. I didn't know you were going to be eating here as well. Would you care to join me?"

Spock said nothing at first, he just looked at her. He had to commend her on her stubbornness. Her perseverance. He let go of her arms and his hands moved to his sides. "I think we need to test this by spending sometime emotionally apart. This is going to be a very long mission Scarlett. I do not want you to get hurt if things don't work out between us," Spock said.

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"Kaia...well, I didn't think I'd see you here? Sure, why not," Kirk said and sat down across from her this time so he could look at her. "What do you think of our new Science Officer?" he asked as he perused the menu. "Spock recommended her, and she seems quite capable," Kirk said with a grin. He was thinking about her large breasts and her nice, curves. But Kaia had nice curves too and his eyes looked up at her from the menu.

Scarlett had invested way too much time and effort into their relationship to just let it go and she didn't plan to. She stepped up to him and she noticed he didn't step away. She leaned up and she kissed him. She felt him struggling not to kiss her back, but eventually he did. The kiss was gentle and loving and did not last very long. She slowly pulled back and looked into his eyes for a moment and Spock would be able to see that she was far from letting him go. She didn't say anything though. She just turned and walked out of the room.

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Kaia looked up from her menu at Kirk when he mentioned Lt. Wright. She frowned a little at him when she saw him grinning. "I think all the men on board are going to like her. But she seems nice and very capable of doing the job well. And if Spock personally recommended her I think that says quite a bit about her."

"Are you anxious to get going on the mission? For myself, I would love another day with you at the spa. I...liked what you did...in the shower particularly," He said in a soft voice. Kaia did things to him...sexual things that no one had ever done before. He looked back at the menu. "I think about you all the time, you know. No matter where I am or what I'm doing...you're always there. You're always there and I know if you weren't, I would be miserable," Kirk admitted. "I can't make love to you enough times or ever get close enough to you to suit me," he said and saw the pleased grin on her face as she looked at her menu. He waited for her to respond but she just looked up at him. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Even now...I look for places, indecent or otherwise just so I can be with you. I don't even care about food right now," Kirk said but he knew she was hungry. Images popped into his head of taking her in the bathroom from behind. He needed to get a grip on himself, he knew that. But Kaia...she had infected his sanity and replaced his sense with an insatiable lust for her.

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Spock was about to grab hold of her but he just let her go. When he left the room he straightened his uniform, and moved toward the turbolift. "The Bridge," he snapped in a very unfriendly way.

Kaia felt her cheeks flush as she listened to what Kirk said. She knew in that moment that even if Scarlett was curvier than she was that Kirk would not stray from her. That knowledge pleased her and she found herself grinning a little. They were young and in love and that fueled their passion for each other. Somehow, the act of keeping it a secret also added to that fuel. 

"Captain," she said with a grin, knowing just how much he loved it when she called him that with passion in her eyes. "I think you need to gain control of yourself." However, she had started rubbing her leg up against his under the table in a teasing way. She didn't stop even when the waiter came over to take their orders.