Queen for a Day

Disclaimer, this is just a little oddball situation that Spock
probably got himself into.  Hope you like it.  As usual, they ain't
mine...

"Mr. Spock, may I sit here," Captain James Kirk asked as he approached
his first officer.  The Vulcan looked up from his soup with the
expression he termed as a wary, caged animal expression.  He froze
his features and only allowed his eyes to move.  He didn't trust anyone.
But, he was the captain and could order Spock to allow him to sit
there.  He nodded.

Ever since the crew had decided that it was going to be necessary to
create a diversion from the most dismal are of space they'd surveyed
since setting out, Spock had been inundated with propositions:
food, money, alcohol, sexual favors, and anything else the crew could
think of.  He had even been sent nude photographs to view on his desk
comp.  This entire idea of a "queen" pageant to pick the most
beautiful woman on the ship was ludicrous to him.  Still, they had
picked him because he was the only one who was considered totally
impartial.  At times, he wished he'd somehow been stricken down with
a disease for the duration.  He was trying to chose one out of 183
crewwomen.  It was proving to be an impossible task.

"So, how's it going Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked after he started on the
dietary salad he was once again ordered to eat.  Every time he got
saddled with a boring ship's survey detail, he gained weight.

"If you refer to the mapping and survey mission, all is according to
schedule.  If you refer to the queen pageant, that is not going as
well as the crew expects."  Perhaps Jim Kirk could help with this
situation.  He knew women and what was considered pretty among
humans.

"Both really.  So you're at a loss huh? I don't envy you the task.  I
mean, you have to judge 183 lovely, young females.  And if I do say
so, we seem to have our share of beauties..."he said just as Ensign
Kamaritz walked by.  She was new to the ship, and according to the
one who knew her, she was hot.  The dark tan and the dark brown hair
along with the crystal green eyes completely outshone everyone in the
room.  It didn't help that she was wearing a bathing suit.  Kirk shook
himself out of his reverie.  Spock was regarding him with a slightly
cocked head and upswept eyebrow.

Spock steepled his fingers in his customary thinking mode; "It is not
that Vulcans do not recognize aesthetically pleasing features, it is
that we pay no attention to them.  I am now asked to judge someone
simply on the basis of a personal preference when I have none."

Kamaritz walked past again.  She was certain to make her rounds about
the room slowly. She smiled at the captain, or rather toward the
captain but aimed at Spock.  He sighed, "I have been bombarded with
physical features."

Kirk tried not to laugh into his tea, "I can see that.  Like I said, I
don't envy you one bit.  Perhaps if you could give them some sort of
rating system.  You know put a number to a feature and then evaluate
each female.  The one with the most points wins," Kirk suggested.  It
wasn't precisely accurate, but it was a start.

Spock thought a moment, "Yes...if it were an equation that I could
simply solve.  That is the solution, thank you Captain."

He left so suddenly that he nearly ran smack into Kamaritz as she
started to walk past him again.  He simply said, "Yes, I have seen you
Ensign, please dress yourself."

Spock frantically tried to work out an equation to find the most
beautiful woman on the ship.  He had tried rating physical features.
That ended up with a draw between 20 women.  That would not do.  He
considered the one most liked by the crew.  There was no way to
discover that unless he went by the BBS messages, some quite lurid
and lewd.  He had no stomach for them after a particularly graphic
account of a menage a troi between Lt. Palmer, Lt. Dandridge, and Ensign
Johns.  It was too much for him.  He then decided to take the
definitions of 'queen' and 'beautiful' and use them as his basis.  A
queen was simply someone who was a female head of a monarchy and had
queenly virtues.  Beauty was defined as the quality of being very
pleasing.  So, he needed someone who most exemplified queenly virtues
and was pleasing.  He started with the junior crew.

The night of the announcement of queen of the ship arrived.  Spock
had his person chosen, but he knew it would be a scandal.  After all, it
would be said she worked too closely with him. But, he had to make a
choice.  The announcement was being piped through the ship and a
large gathering of the girls most likely to be chosen had arrived in the
large dance area on deck 11.  There was going to be a mixer and dance
afterwards.  All the women were dressed in revealing or even nearly
nude conditions.  They crowded around the stage intent upon letting
him get another look before his decision.  At precisely 1900, he
stepped up to the microphone.  "If I may have the  crew's attention.
Last week it was put upon me to decide who the "most beautiful" woman
on the ship is.  I have done so.  I wish to explain how I came to
this conclusion before I announce the winner."

The room was hushed and everyone was waiting for a pin to drop.
Leonard McCoy was standing back in the back with Kirk and Sulu.  They
all figured that Uhura would probably win.  She was the one Spock
seemed to get along with the best.  She was also very popular among
the crew.  Spock continued, "Vulcans do not judge people on their
appearance as do humans.  Therefore, I had to devise a way to judge
someone without personal bias.  I first considered the qualities of a
queen.  A queen is one who considers duty to her people and country
over and above all else.  She must consider others before she even
thinks about herself.  She must do what is best for the whole, not
the individual.  Using this as a basis, I began to disqualify people.
Using only crew records, I found that out of 183 women on board,
there are only 25 who have been here since the beginning of the five year
mission.  With these 25, I cross referenced and found that only 5
have no blemishes on their records.  I used these 5 women as my
candidates.  Only one of these five women fit the next qualification, duty time
logged in.  That one woman has worked more hours, logged more lab
time, and contributed more to both off and on ship research than not
only all the other women, but all the male crew as well.  She is also
the only woman out of 183 who has not presented herself to me in the
last week as a possible candidate.  She did not parade in front of me
scantily dressed or tried to bribe me.  I was not sent her picture, I
was not given her name as a suggestion.  In fact, the time that I
have seen her during this week she neither asked nor suggested anyone to
be picked.  She has been steadfastly working at her duties.  I do not
believe she is in this room."

That popped the balloon.  Most of the women knew it wasn't going to
be them, but they'd hoped against hope.  Grumbling started.  Finally
Sulu asked, "So who is it Mr. Spock?"

He stared at the top of his boots before raising his head to answer
succinctly, "Lt. Christine Chapel.

He could hear at least two versions of 'foul' and a few other words
he didn't care to register.  He knew there would be difficulties if he
chose her.  Leonard McCoy was agog.  Kirk started chuckling, "Well,
I'll be..."

Before there was a clash at the microphone, Spock left and the music
started up to try to get people onto the dance floor.  He joined his
fellow officers.  McCoy was shaking his head," You never fail to amaze
me.  I didn't think you even saw Chris?"

"As I said, I picked her due to concrete data.  I did not choose her
on looks or even personal bias.  Where is she by the way, I believe
she is supposed to perform some duties here?"

"She's in lab #2.  She's been so worked up over that new line of
Vanadium that she hasn't peeked her nose out of that room in days.  I
doubt if she even heard your announcement.  Why don't you go inform
her?" McCoy urged.  He wished he could see Christine's face when she
was told.

Spock considered a moment.  Nodding to the men, he retrieved the
small rhinestone tiara that was to be presented and went out to seek the
'queen' of the ship.

Christine Chapel blinked trying to get the moisture into her eyes.
She'd been staring into a holo micrometer for an hour now and was
getting bleary eyed. Stifling a yawn, she checked the time.  Oh,
she'd missed the queen contest thing.  She figured Uhura would win.  She'd
hear all about it at breakfast.  Right now she had more important
things to think about.  The door slid open behind her, and twisting
the lab stool so that she could see who it was, she was surprised to
see Spock, "Aren't you supposed to be on deck 11?"

"I have already been there and announced the winner," Spock stated
hands behind his back.

She turned back to her work.  With a little laugh, she said, "So, how
did Uhura look in the tiara?"

Spock came up behind her and placed the tiny thing in front of her on
the lab table, "I do not know.  She is not the one who should wear it."

Christine allowed her eyes to travel from the datapadd to the piece
of costume jewelry.  Looking at him in complete stupefaction, she
uttered, "But, I'm not..."

"I deemed you to be the queen of the ship due to quantifiable data.
If you were there you would have heard.  As it is, allow me to say
that according to my calculations, you are the most beautiful woman
on board," his voice was soft, tender, and sincere.

She considered the statement.  It was something she'd wanted to hear
for a long time," Thank you.  I'm flattered."

"As I said. I used data I could quantify.  You are the most dutiful
person on this ship.  You spend more time working than anyone else.
If that is not what a queen should be doing, then my definition is
incorrect."

Christine picked up the tiara.  After all these years, it wasn't the
smiles or the food or the concern she'd shown him that got his
notice.  It was her love of duty and devotion to work.  It was something they
both shared.  What she did by second nature without thinking twice
was what he considered beautiful.  Funny....  Spock removed the
tiara," May I?"

She nodded and sat so that her head was easily accessibly from his
height.  He secured the jewelry in the platinum locks.  She looked a
little odd in her uniform and the sparkly ornament.  Standing back to
look at her, he said, "May I escort you to the dance Miss Chapel?"

She smiled, "I can't.  I have an experiment in process, and it will
need checked in half an hour."

At her statement, Spock was a little taken aback.  He had assumed
she'd leap at the chance.  "As you wish, perhaps later?"

"Well, maybe about 2200?  It should be in a more stable condition by
then.  After all, if you chose me for my honor to duty, isn't it only
logical that I remain on duty until my experiment is done?" she
countered.

Spock nodded.  Yes, it was logical.  "I shall return then."

"All right.  I'll try to finish," she answered and smiled.  As she
returned to her work, the ridiculous tiara on her head, he couldn't
help but realize that she was beautiful, very beautiful indeed.  He
left to go about his own duties until 2200.

FIN