Your Captain

Part 1

You had to admit, sparks would fly whenever you and Captain Pike engaged in conversation, both on and off duty.

There was a peculiar magnetism between the two of you. But given his rank as Captain and his age being twice yours, you figured any chance at igniting those sparks were slim to none.

You waited in front of the Captain's quarters with your hands dutifully clasped behind your back, which you forced into a ramrod straight, 'pet officer' posture as your roommate called it. You had announced your presence only about twenty seconds ago, and yet it seemed like an eternity of time for your hands to fidget nervously behind your back.

The door suddenly opened with a whoosh, and you clamped your hands back together.

"Ensign Y/N." Captain Pike smiled.

"Captain Pike. You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yeah I sure did, come on in." He stepped aside as he casually invited you into the luxurious Captain's quarters.

You stepped inside and stood by the bar as he finished pouring himself a drink. "As part of your communications training program, you are required to observe how many diplomatic meetings with non-allied or newly allied races?"

"At least three are required to graduate Captain, which you already know. Are you just in the mood to quiz me today?" You offered a playful smirk, hoping you weren't being too bold.

Captain Pike generally encouraged candid and personable behavior, and this encounter was no exception. He scoffed playfully with his handsome smile. His classic good looks made your eyes wander for a second before you snapped back to attention.

"Not only do I feel like quizzing you, I also feel like assigning you to the task. Mr. Spock thinks that you're ready and so do I."

"Well that's...thank you sir. I am ready."

"Good. Because Cadet Uhura is on sick leave and I need you to fill in for her at our next diplomatic meeting."

"Of course."

"There is a catch."

"There always is with you." You smirked.

He chuckled. "The meeting is tomorrow. I realize it's not a lot of time to prepare, but you would only be observing and taking official notes for the ship's log. Can I count on you?"

"Aye Captain."

"Excellent. I'll send you the details in a moment. Impress me, and I'll sign off on the meeting as a credit towards your training program."

You blushed. "Thank you sir."

"You're very welcome, Ensign. Dismissed." He sipped his drink casually.

The things this damn silver fox did to you when he gave you orders like that. You felt a rush of heat.

You turned on your heel and exited with military precision.

***

As promised, you didn't really have much time to prepare for this diplomatic meeting. You still had to finish your shift in comm's training, and then there were your other xenolinguistic research assignments to attend to. By the time you got around to opening your tablet in your pod-sized bed to read about the details that the Captain sent you, it was past midnight. You were already struggling to stay awake.

You whispered to yourself as you squinted at the screen, "The Beta Annari...a reptiloid species differing from the Delta Annari in a few key ways..."

Your reading only got as far as to the next explanation that the Beta Annari were from the Beta Quadrant while the Delta Annari were from the Delta Quadrant.