The BLTS Archive - Giving Up the Stars First in the Cherry Blossom Suite by Artemis (ArtemisOK@aol.com) --- Disclaimer: Paramount/Viacom own Star Trek. No infringement intended, no money being made. Author's Note: I reinvented Rand's origins. Clephus was my grandfather's name. Criticism is not welcome, but will be tolerated. Archive: My place & TOS HET FAN FIC FORUM! --- DATE: 2270.08.21 PLACE: The Ganymede Hilton, Suite11337 --- Hikaru and Janice lay in bed gazing out at the giant red storm of Jupiter. As it swirled, Hikaru circled Janice's bellybutton with his finger. She giggled. "Cut that out, it tickles!" she squealed. He kissed her stomach instead. "Better?" He raised his eyes to meet hers. She sighed contentedly. He kissed his way down, asking better with every other kiss until he got the answer he was looking for. Later, replete and languid, they settled down to pillow talk. "June Bug, I'm going to miss you," he said "Wasabi, I will miss you too." She snuggled closer. "But you must admit, it was nice not to have to sneak around." Hikaru laughed deep in his throat. It made Janice feel all warm and gooey. "Yeah," he admitted. "I did enjoy walking though the lobby with the prettiest girl in the solar system by my side. Did I mention that I'm going to miss you?" "But not tonight and not tomorrow. I refuse to be sad until I have to." She raised her face and they kissed. They fell asleep in each other's arms. --- After "Miri's World" is was difficult for Janice to step on the bridge. Dr.' McCoy had said their actions were a result of the disease, but still she could not forget the things that had been said and done. She really did not want the Captain to just notice her legs (Okay, well sometimes, maybe, when he was wearing that green shirt), she wanted him to notice her as a person, not just as a service droid. What, or rather who, made the bridge bearable was Lt. Hikaru Sulu. They had been having a quiet affair for about a year. She stood at the door to the bridge and looked past Captain Kirk to find Sulu, who was engaged in conversation with Lt. Uhura. Lt. Uhura was bent over the nav console, talking with Sulu and unconsciously displaying her assets to their fullest advantage. Not that her uniform did not do that on a daily basis. Janice sighed inwardly. She was wearing the same red uniform, but it didn't look half as good on her. It hugged the lieutenant's frame and the scarlet that left Rand looking pale, added warmth to Uhura's complexion. Janice heard both lieutenants laugh; Uhura's a sultry soprano and Sulu's a knee-melting baritone Rand shifted uneasily. The sight of the two of them made her feel envious and jealous. She began to step down into "The Pit," when she saw that Captain Kirk was uneasy as well. He was studiously staring at the view screen and not, not, at Lt. Uhura's back side. Jan smiled and tapped the railing on her way down so as not to take her commanding officer by surprise. Lt. Uhura stood up, graceful as a cat, and smiled at her. Hikaru glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a grin. She had to take this in with her peripheral vision because Captain Kirk was her primary focus. She handed him the electronic clipboard so he could sign the monthly "necessaries" as they were called down in the Yeoman's Office. Sandy, the woman Janice had replaced, had said getting Kirk to review and sign these was almost as difficult as getting him to take his physical. Sandy had dated a couple of Med Techs and deeply sympathized with them. "Thank You, Yeoman." Kirk took the clipboard and glanced over it to see that the items he had flagged had been corrected. He signed and thumb printed it. He retuned it to her along with a couple of diskettes. "Yeoman Rand," he snapped. "Please bring me some real coffee this time and not that decaf, lukewarm water Dr. McCoy thinks I should be drinking." "Aye, aye, sir." She turned and started up the stairs balancing the clipboard, the diskettes and the half filled coffee cup. Her mind was on how to circumvent the CMO's orders when she heard her name called. "Yeoman Rand, do you have a minute?" Lt. Uhura asked from her comm station. "Yes, ma'am," Rand went over to her taking care to keep the cup away from the console. "How can I help you?" "Actually, this will take longer than a minute. Can you meet me in Rec Room 3, after shift change?" Uhura's voice was controlled and professional. Janice felt as though the gravity had doubled. She managed to nod and Uhura turned back to the world of subspace frequencies. Ten minutes later, Janice was back with a thermos cup of coffee. "Here you are, sir." "Why is it in a flitter cup?" "Astrometrics says it's going to be getting bumpy soon," "And you were in Astrometrics, because. . .?" "It's getting harder and harder to get around Dr. McCoy's decaf-for-the-captain program. I had to go all the way down there to get you some decent coffee." She smiled and looked a trifle smug. "Ahh, I see." He took a sip." Yep, that's the real thing." About 20 minutes after she left, the solar winds from a nearby binary star system hit the ship. No real damage was done. However, Kirk did hear two or three people complaining about spilt coffee. He sipped his and smiled. I'm going to miss Rand when Sulu marries her, he thought. --- 1605 hours --- Lt. Uhura and Chief Kyle were sitting together when Yeoman Rand entered the Rec Room. She hesitated, but Uhura motioned her over. Janice perched on the edge of her seat. Taking a deep breath, she asked; "You had something you wanted to tell me, ma'am?" "Yes, Hikaru and I were talking. . ." Uhura started, but Janice's sigh cut her off. "I understand; he'd rather be with you than me." Why won't Kyle leave? she thought. "No, Great Bird no, not even if he brought Ensign Chekov along." Uhura laughed, took a sip of her coffee and refocused. "What we were saying, and the reason the chief is here, is that you are very intelligent and talented. CPO Garcia says you have a way with machines and Sulu is always saying you have a way of thinking outside the box, like the coffee this morning." "Oh." Janice blushed as red as her uniform. "I'm sorry. I wasn't prepared for good news." She shook her head ruefully. Gigi, uh, Chief Garcia, does she know you're trying to poach me?" "She will after we talk this afternoon." Kyle finally shoehorned his way into the conversation. "I was hoping that you and I could talk about the Transporter career field and whether I win you over or not, I will tell Geri." Uhura stood getting ready to leave. "Why don't I get you both a cup of coffee?" "Tea, please." Janice and Kyle said together. Nodding their thanks to the lieutenant, they both sipped their tea. "I'm English, I'm supposed to like tea." Kyle said, "What's your excuse?" "I spend eight hours a day, reports and coffee, coffee and reports. Sometimes I feel like a star bound stewardess." "How about being a particle flight attendant instead?" His face was serious, but his eyes held a glint of humour. "I've never heard that one." "It's pretty common on star bases where there are more female Transporter Technicians. I heard a newbie leut call Commander Scott, that last week." "He did. . . Oh, that one. The one who arrived on the planet's surface in his birthday suit?" They both laughed. "I thought Transporter Tech was an Engineering field? 'Boys Only'." "Truth be told, women are better at this in most cases than men. I believe it has something to do with their hearing, but you would certainly fit under the panel better than I could. The engineers who design those things never think of anyone having to do maintenance on them." Janice nodded, "Like fixing a Ford-Citroen Papillion. I was always tinkering with our old flitter at home." The conversation turned to flitters, ground cars, and aero cars. Across the room, Sulu and Riley watched them talk and laugh. "Hey, Sulu, it looks like Kyle is tying to steal your personal yeoman." Kevin thought he was a great wit. "I don't have to keep her on a leash," Sulu explained. "As long as I have her in sight." After Kyle left, Hikaru joined Janice at her table. He had both their meals on his tray. Once they had taken a couple of bites, she asked, "Did you set that up?" "What?" "Lt. Uhura and CPO Kyle were trying to talk me into cross training. I know we discussed it privately. Now, I'm asking you: Did you set that up?" "No, I was surprised as hell when Nyota asked me if you had thought about transferring to Engineering. It was quite a coincidence that she was thinking the same thing I was. That's why we were laughing when you entered the bridge," he explained and went back to his meal. A few minutes passed before Rand got the courage to say that she had thought Sulu and Uhura were having an affair and that the meeting today was going to be the big dump. Hikaru nearly choked. "June Bug! How could you even think that?" Pepper and strong emotion both brought tears to his eyes. He reached across the table and took her hand. "Miss Uhura is so beautiful and poised. There are times when she makes me feel like that awkward kid fresh from Clephus IV just starting basic training. I had never even seen a moon in the sky and the sea lions terrified me." She laughed in self-depreciation. "Never fear, my lady. I shall protect you from all sea monsters, lions or otherwise." He kissed her hand. They continued their conversation in Sulu's cabin. Mr. Jeffries, his current roommate had consented to spend the night elsewhere. There was no need to draw a line down the middle of the floor; each roomie had his own style. Hikaru's side was indicative of him; a mixture of botanist and pilot, with rapiers securely mounted over the bed. There was also a bonsai tree, a present from his grandfather for getting into Star Fleet Academy. Janice liked to stare at it closely, so that it filled her entire vision and she could pretend it was a real tree in a real garden. In her mind, Sulu and she walked there hand in hand. He sat beside her, remembering his family's garden. "Junie, when we get to Earth, I can take you to my parent's place. Their garden is beautiful. I would love for you to see it." "We're going to Earth?" "Yes, Engineering school is there." He paused and took her hand." I had hoped that you would let me accompany you." "Hik, I haven't even applied yet." She kissed him long and deep. "I would love for you to come with me, but you don't need my permission; you need the Captain's." "No problem, I'll just sob into my console until he gives in." He knelt in front of her. At first he pretended to sob into his console. Then he slipped off her boots, kissing the tops of her feet. She returned the favour and rested her head on his thigh. His heat and his scent at once turned her on and made her sad. Oh, Hikaru how can I leave you? "Hikaru, if you love me, why do you want me to go away?" She looked down at him, kneeling at her feet, the reduced lighting in the cabin causing her blue eyes to appear large and dark. He pulled her up onto the bed with him. "Janice, part of me wants you to stay and part of me. . .." She put a finger to his lips. "Can you phrase that another way?" He kissed that finger and her palm. "The test of true love is when you place someone else's welfare and happiness above your own. Janice Elizabeth Rand, you matter more to me than my own happiness." He paused, choking back tears. "If you want to go, I. . ." She ended the his sentence with a kiss. They embraced. Words do have power. Now that he had said it aloud, that they could, would be parted, they could not get enough of each other. Hands stripped uniforms, mouths only parted to removed articles of clothing. Coming up for air, Janice collected her thoughts. "Wasabi, I love you and cannot thank you enough for giving me the boot. You know, I would have stayed just to be near you. But I do need challenges, more than 101 ways to make coffee under Red Alert. I'll make you proud." "No, June Bug, make yourself proud." His voice was a deep purr that made her melt inside. "That's not what I meant." She slid down his body, licking, nibbling and teasing along the way. "Proud flesh, swollen and erect. I (kiss) will (lick) make (stroking his inner thigh) you (thumbs pressing on pleasure points) proud." Her mouth was full. --- 0745 --- The next day, Chief Kyle found Chief Geri Garcia in her office. Her shift didn't start for another fifteen minutes, but she was always there early. She looked up and smiled as she offered him a seat. "So, you've finally come to ask me for Rand's hand." Her voice was solemn, but her face was happy. He nodded. She continued. "I knew this day would come. You know that she is a damn good yeoman." "Of course, she has got be. Only the best of Star Fleet go to the starships and the Enterprise receives the cream of the crop." He added, "No small part in thanks to you and Lt. Commander Haines of Personnel." "Maybe we should transfer you to the Diplomatic Corps." "After Rand gets back from tech school." Commander Scott was not as easy to persuade as Chief Garcia. Lt. Uhura did eventually get him to come around. Whether it was her charms or the half bottle of Risan Panther Sweat left over from their last shore leave, neither would say. Still at 1700, Yeoman Janice Rand reported to Main Engineering to take an Enlisted Engineering Entrance Exam (EEEE). Commander Scott stopped her as she entered the conference room. "Lass, ye did na come prepared." He glowered and shook his head. "Ye've not got a calculator, a left handed spanner, or a stylus. And what do ye mean wearing that wee, rud cutty sark?" Janice drew herself up to her full five feet two and a half inches. She looked him straight in the eye. "Sir, with all due respect; if I needed a calculator, I shouldn't be here. A left-handed spanner. . . Well, I'm right handed and if I can't make do with an issue manga-wrench, then I shouldn't be here either. And as for the stylus." She bent down and pulled one from the top of her boot. "A good yeoman is never without a stylus." Scotty blushed, Rand had inadvertently flashed him retrieving the pen, but then he laughed. "Well, said. Set ye doon at yon desk and begin the EEEE. I'll see if I can find a coverall in your size so ye can take a proper tour of the heart of the Enterprise." The test and the tour went well. Scotty told Uhura that young Rand was as bright as a new dilithuim crystal and agile as an Aberdeen otter. She had happily followed him all over Main Engineering, never once expressing a fear of heights or worrying about breaking a nail. --- Janice all but floated down the corridors looking for Hikaru. He was with his other girl, Gertrude. Janice slipped up behind him and put her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" "Rear Admiral Hornetz? "Try again." "Rear Admiral Cummings?" "Nope." "Read Admiral. . .Ouch" She slapped his butt, playfully. He caught her hand and spun around to face her. She was still wearing the red coverall. His face split into a wide grin. "Hey, I like the new look. I'm guessing things went well?" "Well, I'm not dressed like this because I have extra duty." She held her composure for another two beats, then began to hug him fiercely. "Yes, I did it! I did it! I passed. Mr. Scott was so impressed he gave me a personal tour of Engineering. He gave me a lot of recommended reading. We're going to talk to Kyle tomorrow. Oh, oh, Hikaru. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She punctuated each thank you with a kiss. He spun her around and they danced around the arboretum. Gertrude waved in time to the invisible music. --- Janice was still on cloud nine the next day when she was at lunch. She looked up and saw her roommate, Yeoman Kathy Turner, standing over her. Kathy was statuesque with a trim figure and long legs. She wore her dark chestnut hair in a short-feathered look that framed her face, emphasizing her high cheekbones and sea-green eyes. Janice smiled up at Kathy. "Hello, traitor," Kathy said. Her contralto voice was tight with tension. "Oh, Kathy. Gosh, please sit down. I've got so much to tell you." She cleared her new Particle Physics disks out of the way so her friend could put her tray down. Kathy sat. Her resolve to stay mad at Janice vanished when she saw the sincere look of anguish on Rand's face. Turner held out her roll. Janice took it and broke it in two. They each took a bite and smiled. "I'm sorry, Jan. I didn't mean to come on so strong. But all day long, I've been bombarded with your good news from everyone but you." "I left you a note. Well, a letter actually, working different shifts means it's hard to share news." Janice shrugged. "Yes," Kathy nodded. "Especially when we both have steady beaus." "Do you really think I'm a traitor?" Janice searched Turner's face. "That's was sort of a half joke, half vent. It just seemed like every time someone came into the Yeoman's Office today all they could talk about was Yeoman Rand and how wonderful it was she was moving up. If one more person asks me when I'm going to 'get a real job', I'm going to transfer them to the Romulan Neutral Zone." "A real job! I like that," Janice sympathized. "Four of us for 430 of them, I'd like to see Lt. Reynolds try to get to go on shore leave back on Alpha Prime without our help." She snapped her fingers contemptuously. "Or Security get the new phaser II updates." Kathy began ticking off on her fingers. "Personnel, Finance, Quartermaster, Education, Administration, Paralegal. I don't need a real job; I have several jobs." She regarded her friend. "And so do you, Janice. Why do you want to switch careers?" "Just lazy, I guess. Seriously, I want more of a challenge. You know I like doing things with my hands, taking things apart and putting them back together." Janice laughed. "As a Transporter Tech, I'll be doing plenty of that." Kathy laughed also. "This is what I wanted to do when I joined Star Fleet, but the recruiter said it was Admin or nothing and I disparately wanted off Clephus IV. Did you know that I'm the first person in my family to leave Clephus since we settled there over 150 years ago?" "Yes, I think you mentioned that once or twice. It's okay. I'm the first person in my family to join Star Fleet. My Uncle Jarvis was afraid to speak to me for almost a year." Kathy had finished her lunch and was picking at her fruit salad. She continued, "I'm look for challenges too, but inside my profession. My goal is to take Gigi's place. I love this work; I feel I was born to do it." "Or programmed," Janice quipped. "Kathy, I have never met anyone as proficient at yeomanry as you are. I don't care what last year's citation said; we would not have been Star Fleet Yeoman's Office of the Year if you hadn't kept us on our toes. You're the best." Janice reached out and took her friend's hand. "Then why aren't I the Captain's Yeoman?" Janice looked around and lowered her voice. "Strictly, off the record?" Kathy nodded; "Off the record" "You are too tall." Kathy considered that. "Ah, of course. I wonder if Mr. Spock needs a personal assistant?" --- After lunch, everyone was back on the bridge. Kirk, sitting in the command chair, could feel an expectant buzz. It had been there at the staff meeting this morning. No one could quite meet Lt. Uhura's eyes. There was a slight smile on everyone's lips, but no one was talking. Probably one of Miss Uhura's surprise parties, Kirk decided. He glanced up at the screen, still star mapping. Boring, but vital. Mr. Spock had reported that there were some M class planets that no one had ever been to that could be worth closer scrutiny. Jim promised himself he would go over their stats after he had taken care of the daily paperwork. With a sigh, he activated the electronic clipboard. Supplies, boring; Engine efficiency ratings, mildly interesting; Physicals due, why did Bones keep sending this one? Good conduct medals, boring, Transfers, old news; Application for cross training by Yeoman Rand, bor. . . Hey. Jim looked up and caught Janice's eye. She nodded. "Yeoman Rand, You didn't really think you could slip this past me, did you?" He fixed her with a steely glare belied by the golden glint in his eyes. "Sir, no sir." She sat bolt up right in her chair. "Let go to Conference Room A." He rose to leave the bridge. "Ah, sir." She swallowed hard. "Ah, sir, before you go could you look at the next request." Puzzled, he picked up the board and accessed the next request. Lt. Sulu was requesting 30 days personal leave to coincide with Yeoman Rand's leaving the Enterprise. He chuckled. "Both of you with me, now. Mr. Spock, you have the bridge." Kirk tucked the EC under his arm and, without waiting, headed for the lift. He heard the bridge crew let out a collective sigh. This was what the buzz had been about. Someone, he thought, someone could have told the captain. Hikaru and Janice joined him in the lift. They stood facing forward, side by side, not quite touching, not quite holding hands. Kirk was behind them. He couldn't help thinking they made a cute couple. In the conference room, Captain Kirk sat at the head of the table. The two young people stood at rigid attention. "Sit, sit. This is the Enterprise, not the Academy parade grounds." He gestured to a pair of seats to his right. Sulu pulled out Rand's chair for her. She smiled up nervously at him. He quickly sat beside her. None of this was lost on Kirk. "Well... " he coaxed them. "Sir," Sulu began, "Yeoman Rand is a brilliant young lady. She has the potential to be much more than just a yeoman, not that being a yeoman, your yeoman in particular, is not an honour, not that being your yeoman is..." He trailed off, his voice muffled by a Star Fleet-issued boot. "If I may, sir," Janice began. Kirk nodded. "I want more of a challenge, both physically and mentally. I like doing things with my hands, taking things apart and putting them back together. As a Transporter Tech, I'll be doing plenty of that." She managed to get though the rehearsed part of her speech. "Serving aboard the Enterprise has taught me to think on my feet more so than any other assignment I've ever had. However, it seemed the more that I grew here as a person and as a Star Fleet professional, the more I felt I wasn't doing enough, that something was missing. A girl can only repair so many clipboards and food dispensers before people begin to think she belongs in Engineering." Janice indicated Hikaru with an incline of her head. Sulu fixed his eyes on her as she spoke. He thought his chest would burst with pride. Great Bird, he was going to miss her, all of her. Her hair, her smile. . . ". . . Mr. Sulu. Enterprise calling Mr. Sulu." Kirk was trying to get his attention. "Yes, captain?" Hikaru jumped and blushed. "You recommended that Yeoman Rand cross over to Engineering?" Kirk asked, a slow, sad smile crossing his face. "Why? I thought you two were getting married?" "Yes, captain, I do love Yeo- Janice. But as I said before she is a brilliant young lady. I could not admire her, all of her, and not see her potential. It would be the worst kind of selfishness if I did not let her have the chance to succeed, to thrive out there. She offered to stay here with me and, even if I could pretend that it was completely her idea, it would amount to the same thing." Hikaru's voice was earnest. He had unconsciously taken hold of Janice's hand and, when he finished talking, his eyes and hers were both bright with unshed tears. Janice squeezed his hand and tried to break the tension. "Captain, sir, you thought we were going to get married? She laughed nervously. "Yeah, with Gertrude as your flower girl." They all groaned. "But you wouldn't waste your time learning a new complex job if you were just going to throw it all away and get married." Janice straightened in her seat. Fearlessly she said; "Sir, with all due respect, things are changing in Star Fleet, going forward or back depending on your point of view. Star Fleet will now allow women to be married and stay in if they will consent to be grounded. As a Transport Tech, I could serve Star Fleet from a major space station or Alpha Prime, or even Earth." "But you would be giving up the stars," Kirk interjected. He felt claustrophobic for her. Grounded, safe and sound, while the real action was happening light years away. He shook his head. "Not that we would be parted, Janice, but that you would miss the stars." Sulu said with a hint of irony in his voice. "Sir," Janice said gently, "I may not have the stars for a while at least, but I will still have adventure and romance." She smiled at Hikaru. "You've obviously worked this out between yourselves. Yeoman Rand, why don't you see if you can still work some Personnel magic and arrange for the lieutenant to accompany you without using up all his leave. Have it to me by the morning." He stood. They sat there, staring at him. He smiled benevolently at them. "Dismissed." --- Three months and two farewell parties later, Janice and Hikaru walked into the lobby of the Ganymede Hilton. Two days later, Lt. Sulu accompanied Yeoman First Class Rand to the Administration building for Star Fleet technical training on Earth. She stopped giggling after the fourth recruit saluted her fiance. "I've got to remember my dirt side manners," she firmly reminded herself. They stopped at the door. He handed her the carryall. "You've got my parent's address and comm code?" he asked for the hundredth time. "And yours. I will write and send you Zen kisses and hugs." She stuck out her right hand. "Au Revoir, Wasabi." They shook hands for much long than necessary. "Au Revoir, June Bug." They took a step apart. She saluted him and he retuned it. Then she stepped though the doors and began the next chapter in her life. --- The End