Uhura's Song Read Online Free PDF

medical officer would use Bones's office in his absence- but it made Wilson's presence seem that much more of an intrusion.
     
     
Time to do some intruding of my own, he thought with some satisfaction, but the sound of an angry voice stopped him on the threshold.
     
     
Her back to Kirk, Dr. Evan Wilson bent ominously over her communication screen, McCoy's image before her. "The Enterprise has the best quarantine facilities I've seen anywhere," she said sharply, "and Starfleet Command has the unmitigated gall to ask us to transfer her crew to some other ship, state of facilities unknown? Dammit, Leonard, there's no excuse for it!"
     
     
She takes it personally, too, Kirk thought with some surprise. He liked her for that. Still.
     
     
McCoy said it for him: "That's the pot callin' the kettle black, Evan."
     
     
She cocked her head to one side, clearly puzzled, for McCoy elucidated, "Starfleet sent you, madam, in case you'd forgotten." He said it without the acidity he customarily reserved for Starfleet orders not to his liking, and Kirk realized that McCoy did not object to Wilson nearly as much as he.
     
     
Wilson seemed to scrutinize the image. After a moment, she gave a merry laugh and leaned back, shaking her head. "Don't 'madam' me, Leonard. And don't take offense at me - I cut my own orders for the Enterprise. I expected to be working with you, not filling in!"
     
     
"Ask for a second opinion and get an invasion," McCoy said.
     
     
She laughed again and leaned forward, this time with an air of conspiracy. "I leave it to you. I can stay where I am, or I can shift the invasion to give you a hand planetside."
     
     
"You've been exposed to ADF?"
     
     
"No, but Starfleet doesn't know that." Her voice was light, almost mischievous, but from Bones's expression Jim Kirk knew her offer was genuine. He also knew he was not about to find out how easily his senior officer could be subverted.
     
     
"You'll do nothing of the sort, Dr. Wilson," he said firmly, stepping into the office as he spoke.
     
     
He had been off watch when Evan Wilson arrived and, aside from a perfunctory greeting via ship's intercom, he had not spoken to her. He got his first good look at his acting chief medical officer- as she swung her chair toward the sound of his voice, rose and advanced on him, all in one smooth motion.
     
     
She had a shock of short chestnut hair that would ordinarily have been described as "wavy," although in her case it conjured an image of a wave breaking against rocks with force enough to shatter them. Her eyes were the blue of a very hot flame. Striking, he thought, then added, in more ways than one! But by the time he realized he had braced to defend himself, she had stopped, only inches away, to look up at him. She stood barely as high as the insignia on the breast of his tunic.
     
     
An impish smile crossed her face. "Well," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "just the man I wanted to see...."
     
     
Her manner was pure impudence, but the words pricked Jim Kirk's conscience. "I must apologize for my behavior, Dr. Wilson. I see the past few weeks have affected my morale as adversely as that of the rest of the crew."
     
     
"I beg your pardon?"
     
     
"My snubbing you," he explained, "Childish of me, I know." He shook his head and gave her his best boyish grin. "In this case, not welcoming you in person entailed its own punishment."
     
     
She grinned back. "Business first, Captain, flattery later. There is no reason to transfer Enterprise crew to the Flinn."
     
     
"I'm afraid there is, Dr. Wilson: Starfleet orders. If the decision had been left to me..."
     
     
She returned immediately to the screen. "How about a formal complaint to Starfleet?" she suggested.
     
     
"They'd accept it. They might even read it. But they won't countermand the orders. Now before you go flyin' off the handle again, Evan"- this was McCoy at his country-doctor best- "and you too, Jim, Micky Mickiewicz is the best