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Yimasa, came on the bridge and took his position in the navigator's chair.
    "The Enterprise is responsive, Captain," Sulu said, turning to grin at Kirk.
    "Yes, indeed," Kirk said. His crew should have been on the edge, exhausted, ready for at least a month of shoreleave—yet here they were, seemingly eager, almost chipper. He felt a flood of warmth behind his eyes and blinked the emotion back.
    "Fix your bearings, Mr. Sulu, Mr. Yimasa. Await my command to exit spacedock."
    "Bearings fixed, Captain."
    McCoy stepped up behind Kirk's chair and laid his hand on his shoulder. "Jim," he said softly. "I want to talk to you about the Mason girl."
    "What about her?"
    "Are you sure it's best—"
    "Bones, she's a professional. Besides, Starfleet ordered that we should cooperate with the FNS."
    "Jim, she's an outposter. She wouldn't know her way around a small town, much less the Enterprise , much less the Enterprise on an emergency rescue mission."
    "I don't foresee any danger. Do you, Bones?"
    "Every time we go someplace there's that potential."
    "True enough. What makes you think she can't handle herself?"
    "Instinct. I may be wrong, but she just doesn't look comfortable. Have you seen the way she looks at Spock and Yimasa?"
    "There are no non-humans on Yalbo. They may be the first she's ever seen."
    "I suspect the FNS picked her because she was the only one they could slip on the Enterprise before the shakedown. So I'm making my suggestion for two reasons—"
    "What suggestion?"
    "That we put her down on Yalbo now. Two reasons, Jim. She's not up to it, and I'm not sure I'd want the responsibility if I were you."
    "I left it up to her. If I put her planetside now, both FNS and Starfleet would pin my ears back. She's FNS's choice. I must assume they know what they're doing."
    "Hmph." McCoy looked highly dubious. "Did you happen to read the last story FNS did on a Starfleet vessel?"
    "No. I'm not much for the dailies, Bones."
    "A correspondent from Mars spent two days aboard a heavy duty freighter. By the time he was through, he'd unveiled rampant corruption, the possible existence of an unknown space plague and the general incompetence of the captain. None of which charges, I might add, was regarded seriously by a special review board."
    Kirk sighed. "Bones, she doesn't want to leave. I can't make her go. She has a job to do."
    "Oh, she wants to leave; you just didn't give her any easy way out." McCoy's eyes widened. "Jim, you'd like her to stay, wouldn't you?"
    Kirk regarded McCoy with a level stare. "Doctor, I have a ship to take out of spacedock. We can discuss this later, if you … haven't caught on by then." He turned his chair forward. McCoy straightened, shook his head and backed away a few steps. It was the doctor's policy to be on the bridge for the first hour or so of any voyage, whenever possible.
    Nurse Chapel was in control of the sickbay, so he could indulge his little quirk.
    "Engineering," Kirk said.
    "Scott here, Captain."
    "Outfitted and ready to sail, Mr. Scott?"
    "Boilers at superheat, sir."
    "Strain your gaskets, Mr. Scott."
    "Aye, sir. Gaskets already strained."
    Kirk smiled. "Dead slow, Mr. Sulu. Lieutenant Uhura, send our sincere thanks to the spacedock crew, and our compliments to the orbital advisory committee on Yalbo."
    Mason came on the bridge, looking apprehensive.
    Her recorder followed at a discreet distance. She fixed her eyes on the forward screen and stood beside McCoy. "Are we leaving?" she asked.
    "Yes, ma'am."
    "How long before we use warp drive?"
    "Not long at all."
    "Impulse power, Mr. Sulu," Kirk said. "All ahead full."
    "Aye, Captain."
    The Enterprise , heir to three thousand years of human and Vulcan experience on sea, sand and in space, had exited the spacedock with majestic slowness. Now she gently stretched the gravitational bonds of Yalbo and spiraled outward, lining up with the corkscrew magnetic fields of Yalbo's small yellow sun. Kirk could feel the vibration of the impulse engines,