Your office

?Deck three.? you tell the turbolift.  The doors hiss open after a short ride.  You step out into a short corridor.  There are doors to either side of the turbolift.  At the other end of the corridor there are three more doors, one to either side and one that leads to the head opposite the turbolift.  You turn to the right.  The door marked Captain Kirk slides open.  You note that the room is empty.  There is nothing on desk in the middle of the room.  You consider crossing the hallway to Spock?s office to see if Yeoman Carson knows where Yeoman Rand is.  However you figure Janice is most likely out running down some piece of data that isn?t in the computer.  There is no sign of where she may have gone or when she will be back.

You cross to the other door and enter your office.  Unlike Yeoman Rand?s desk, yours is piled high with data chips.  Each one of those data chips represents a report that you need to finish.  The Enterprise may be the fastest ship in the galaxy, but even she can?t outrun the bureaucracy of Starfleet.  You may command the pride of the Federation, but you don?t command your own destiny.  Most of those reports are routine things like fuel consumption, but they are also overdue.

You sit down with a sigh.  You pick up the nearest data chip.  You flip it over a couple times before you set it back down.  The reports may be overdue, but they can wait.  There is nothing Starfleet can do to you until you get back to Starbase 12 in a couple weeks.  Besides, you have more important things to do.  With a touch of a button, you put the view on the main viewscreen on one of the overhead displays.  You frown.  The nebula seems different.  You can?t put your finger on what it is, but something has changed.  

You call up the rest of the data on the Quickeness Nebula. It is sketchy at best. Twenty years ago a freighter with a malfunctioning warp drive dropped out of subspace and noticed the nebula. Too busy trying to repair their engines, the crew of the freighter did nothing more than record a couple visuals and make a single entry into the log. Fifteen years ago, an unmanned probe was sent through the nebula. The probe sent out the results of a single unimpressive result before it was destroyed by a rogue asteroid. Ten years ago a survey ship made a quick scan of the area. Shortly after transmitting their scans, the ship was destroyed in a freak accident. Since the nebula was well off Federation trade routes and appeared to pose no real danger, Starfleet Command ignored it.

?What?s that?? Yeoman Rand asks as she looks over your shoulder. With a start you look up. You are surprised to find the tall blonde standing next to you. While the doors on a starship are designed to open and close quietly, you normally hear their soft whoosh when someone enters your office.

?The Quickeness Nebula.? you answer, ?We received a distress call from the area and are going to investigate it.? You find yourself looking at the young woman and the way her red tunic clings to her shapely chest as she stares at the image of the nebula on your viewer.

?Was there something else?? you ask as she continues to stare at your monitor. The Yeoman shakes herself and turns to look at you. You notice her blue eyes work their way down your fit and trim form. She shakes her head again and flashes you a slightly embarrassed smile. It is obvious what she had been thinking. You give her a reassuring smile.

?Lieutenant Garvey?s report on the phaser recharge rates with the new flux circuits.? Janice tells you as she holds out a data chip.  You notice her eyes were still focused on the nebula.  You take the ship and insert it into the reader on your desk.  The image of the nebula is replaced by the text and graphics of the weapon officer?s report.  Yeoman Rand looks at you and hands you a second data chip.  ?Lieutenant Sulu is requesting additional computer time to validate his model for simulating Denebian solar flares.?

?Thank you.? you tell her as you take the second chip.  Your eyes follow the Yeoman as she turns and walks out the door.  You can?t help but wonder if she isn?t adding some extra sway to her hips as she left.  You sigh as the doors close behind her.  You turn your attention to the many reports sitting on your desk.  You manage to get five of them done before you need a break.  Almost as if you planned it, the intercom whistles.

?Kirk.? you say as you hit the button.

?Captain,? Uhura starts hesitantly, ?Could you come up to the bridge??  Eager to get away from the reports, you thumb the intercom off and are out of your seat before you think to ask Lieutenant Uhura what was going on.  You figure you?ll find out soon enough.  You barely notice that Yeoman Rand is staring at the image of the nebula as you pass her desk.  It is a short trip back to the turbolift and bridge.  As the doors open, it is obvious why Uhura called.