Chapter Text
Epilogue
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Rand was discussing her final four days of apprenticeship, and why she would like to spend them shadowing someone in Security, when the door to the small meeting room whisked open.
Captain Kirk still looked like he’d been in a fight, even more than Mr. Spock did. The shadows of bruises he hadn’t had time or patience to have regenerated marked his face and hands, and he didn’t move with quite the smoothness Rand was used to admiring, but he had on one of his best smiles. His eyes were mischievous.
“I’ve scheduled the yeoman for an hour every gamma shift with me, until we get to K-2,” he said to Spock, and turned the smile on her.
They both said, “Yes, sir,” but Rand pinked a little when Kirk kept smiling at her while Mr. Spock consulted his PADD.
“You have given the yeoman from 2030 to 2130 on your schedule, Captain. I have resolved any conflicts.”
“Thank you, Mr. Spock.” Kirk was still smiling brightly. Definitely at her. Mr. Spock started looking at the captain, too. Rand had worked around enough late night chess matches and conversations that she knew what Mr. Spock’s “I am amused by you but refuse to say so” expression looked like, and this was it.
She began to get suspicious.
“Sir, may I ask what the project is?” she dared. What would he do to her for impertinence at this point? Put her off the ship? The tightness in her throat reminded her she’d be gone in a few days anyway.
“No, Yeoman, you may not,” Kirk scolded her lightly, but couldn’t seem to keep that smile away from her direction. She was getting really suspicious.
“Also, Yeoman, during your final shift on duty there is going to be a private presentation ceremony in rec room 4.”
“Yes, sir,” Rand said, adding another entry to her towering pre-departure to-do list. “What time exactly, sir? I’ll begin the preparations–”
“Oh, no, don’t do that,” Kirk interrupted. “I have volunteers doing that. It wouldn’t be fitting for you to arrange your own presentation ceremony.”
After a too-long beat, she said, just, “Sir?”
The captain went on in a quietly confiding voice, “Yeoman, after close study of Lt. Uhura’s mission report on the landing party on Etheri, I decided you were due some formal recognition for your performance there. Starfleet didn’t take long to agree with me. I was afraid they’d drag it out, but the circumstances and your conduct made commendation clearly necessary in this case, even to Command. Make sure you’re there on Tuesday, and not sleeping off whatever last whirlwind this slave-driver has you pushing through.”
“Captain, I do not–” it was Spock’s scolding voice, full of humor, and she would have been fascinated to hear it on another day. At the moment she was feeling something that was very much NOT about her superiors, though, their moods or thoughts or anything.
Despite the captain's gentle teasing, this was something she had earned.
Part of her wanted to squeal and hug the captain and thank him.
Another, still awakening part of her knew she had put in the work to realize the reward. She straightened up, met his eyes and said, only, “Yes, sir.”
Captain Kirk looked delighted. He excused her to her duties with only a slight tilt of his head, and she went.
Something quiet in Rand felt fierce and confident, not, not – honored and flustered, as she sort-of expected of herself. She’d earned some real recognition on that landing party, the kind that would speak for her as her career advanced.
If the Erethi survey had accomplished nothing else, as Lt. Uhura had told the captain very formally during their debriefing, it had proven that Janice Rand would make a damn fine officer.
That hadn’t been a compliment. This was evidence.
It was starting to settle in.
That had been an acknowledgement.
Four days to K-2. Ten days to Sol and Terra and the rest of her life.
Yeah, she could do this.
~~end