Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 107: The Doctor is In

"So... Open it?"

Enterprise sat on her bed with a box in her lap, and sitting in a chair opposite her was Dr. Anzeel, who was smiling at her. "...Is this allowed?"

Anzeel sat back in her chair. "I mean, it's not like there's any rule against it. I probably couldn't get you a pony or anything like that, but this is just fine. And it'd be kinda weird if you went through your first Christmas without getting a present from someone."

"Oh..." Enterprise looked down and began to unwrap her first present. The doctor watched with fascination as Enterprise handily undid the ribbon and paper without tearing anything, and the carrier slowly lifted the box lid. "...Clothes?"

"Winter clothes, too! I mean, it is snowing outside, even though it hasn't done that around here in a really long time."

Enterprise looked at the winter dress, and then back at the doctor. "Would you mind if I put it on right now?"

"We both have some time off, so you can go right ahead if you want to."

Enterprise nodded, and unbuttoned her shirt, causing Dr. Anzeel to blush profusely. "W-Wait, you should at least warn me first!"

"Oh..." Said Enterprise, and she continued changing. "...I don't have a separate changing room in here."

"Right, this is your room, and we don't give you that much privacy, so... Hm." The thought distracted the doctor enough that she didn't pay attention to Enterprise getting undressed and re-dressed in front of her.

"Doctor, I'm done."

Anzeel then looked at Enterprise who was still putting on the hat with the little plush snowman attached to it, and the doctor's eyes widened. those fluffy earmuffs. The soft cape and long scarf, and... "Ah, Enterprise..."

Enterprise finished adjusting her outfit. "...It fits very well, but what do you think, doctor?"

"Ahhh..." Anzeel shook her head. "I'm sorry, and it probably isn't the most professional thing to say, but I just can't get over how cute you are!"

Enterprise was caught short and blushed at that. "I... See."

"I don't mean it in a bad way, obviously. Just... I had an idea of what to get you, because I thought you should at least have one set of clothes other than your uniform, which you wear just every day. There'll be a time when you don't have to be a weapon anymore, so we should just get you ready for that, right?"

"Doctor..." Enterprise said quietly. "...I am the carrier USS Enterprise. I spent my entire past life as a weapon to serve a country. Do you think it's possible that I won't have to live this entire life the same way?"

"Of course!" She said, without any hesitation whatsoever. "I absolutely believe that you're more than just a ship. I can't really say what you are yet- Maybe I'll have some kind of clever acronym later."

"I see..." Enterprise looked down a bit.

"That's something we'll have plenty of time to talk about, but there's something else we need to do right now." Anzeel put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "Me and a few of the other scientists are having a little Christmas party, and I think people would like to see our very own Santaprise." Anzeel went to the door. "Coming? You don't have to."

"Huh? No, I will." Once Anzeel had left her room, Enterprise took a moment to process all of this. "...Santaprise...?"

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In the present, Alexander Cochrane was sitting across from someone whose stature greatly exceeded her height. The commander had lived through many unbelievable things, and this was up there with the others he had experienced.