POP GOES THE WEASEL
STARFLEET ACADEMY
STARDATE 2257
"So, Cadet McCoy, please enlighten me as to what you and Cadet Kirk," Professor Sollan's nasal tone of dislike indicated previous trouble with his friend, if Leonard could still read people right. "Were doing in this…house of ill repute?"
"Well, we were only there..."
"Cadet, are you aware that this establishment is a front for prostitution and illegal narcotics?"
"Yes, but..."
"Cadet…McCoy. I do not tolerate citizens joining my Starfleet to corrupt the younger generations. You should know better."
The smugness in the man's tone made Leonard lock onto him like a laser target, setting off a tic in his jaw. "That's Doctor McCoy, Professor, since we're discussing my ability to be professional." This asswipe was barely older than Leonard himself. "Cadet Kirk and I were there in an official capacity, having received information that led us to believe one of our fellow classmates was in trouble. Does Starfleet not require all medical personnel to give aid under the Good Samaritan Act of 1974?"
"Yes but... "
"Then that's why we were there. What happened later was not our fault..."
Well not entirely, Jim Kirk thought.
***
"Okay…okay…Lisel…Lisel, honey, come inside. Sit down...." Leonard set his hands on the shoulders of the Hydarian female standing at his door before ushering her into the room he shared with one James T. Oh you're his roommate Kirk.
"Thank you, Leonard McCoy, thank you. I am very worried. Mishala was terribly distraught after she received that message from her home. And when Commander Trev denied her emergency leave request... I am afraid she has gone to do something untoward and our people do not look upon dismissal from the Academy lightly. They will exile her…"
He knew enough about the Hydarians to know this was no ruse. Lisel's dorsal ridge that could pass for a uni-brow was flushed with color and she was wringing her hands together fit to wear the delicate scales off. "Alright, Lisel, alright," he said, using his best bedside manner. In the back of the room, Jim was snoring away. "Just give me a minute."
Getting to his feet, Leonard moved to the back of the room and gave Jim a nudge. "Jimmy…wake up..."
James Kirk was having a good dream.
Like most good dreams that James Kirk had, this one had to do with women. In this case many women, a whole harem in fact. In this dream reality, he was a trader of Orion flesh - the only kind of slave trading where the slaves didn't mind so much where they went. Orion women had pheromones so strong it was reputed to be able to telepathic exert control over anyone they were attached to so while you might own an Orion slave girl, chances were she was the one in charge.
In any case, Jim was wrapped in a dreamscape of soft sighs, tangled limbs, roving lips where he was the star attraction, blissfully on his way to unrepentant wet dream when suddenly…
Bones showed up.
And then it just got weird.
"WHAT?" Jim mumbled and realized that it was Bones shaking him out of sleep when he flipped onto his back, thanking God that McCoy’s appearance in his dream was due to the older man waking him up and not because he had some secret desire to see Bones in his harem.
As a chick would say….ewwww.
Leonard eyed Lisel, giving her a reassuring nod before he leaned down, punching Jim in the arm. "Get up, we got trouble," he said, grabbing Jim's sweatshirt off the floor where he'd left it and tossing it at him.
"And cover up... Lisel's here." The Hydarians were very particular about how much skin was shown and the age and all that and Jim just in his boxers would probably send Lisel straight to a Hydarian convent.
"Hey you know the rules..." Jim grumbled, still not entirely awake as he grabbed his favorite grey pullover.
"If you make a date this late in the game, you're supposed to go back to her place and not interrupt a man's dreams that involve Orion slave girls and harems..."
The gasp from behind him made Leonard roll his eyes. "This isn't a date!" he said in exasperation. "It's her roommate…something happened to her mother and..."
"Her mother's second cousin..." Lisel interjected, eyes averted. Were it not so dire a situation, she wouldn't be caught dead in a room alone with two males.
"Her mother's second cousin," Leonard continued smoothly as he grabbed his boots. "On Hydaria and Trev won't let Mishala go home and now she's disappeared," he explained, sitting on his own bed to pull his boots on. "Right, Lisel?"
"Correct."
"Trev? Who?" Jim sat up, more alert now. "He won't let her go home? Whose Mishala, do I know her? I didn't date her and forget did I?" He rambled on because Jim Kirk had a habit of doing that, a lot. However neurons began processing a little better and Jim understood Bones in proper context. "Okay, she's gone. Would she try and go home on her own? Are there any flights out Hydaria tonight?"
Leonard grumbled as he shook his head, eyes skyward in a vain approach for patience.
"She did not have the money to go home by herself. She said she was going to talk to a Mr. Squiggy at The Blue Iguana. She claims she overheard you speak of him on occasion, when you needed funds?"
"Christ.... Squiggy..." Leonard glared at Jim. "As in your favorite bookie..?"
Jim was fully awake now. "WHAT? She didn't. " Jumping to his feet, he practically ran out of the room past Bones and Lisel. The door had only just whooshed closed when Jim ran back in, grabbing his boots before glaring at Bones impatiently. "Move your ass! Squiggy does favors for girls in return for ONLY ONE THING."
"Oh no…this is terrible..." Lisel shook her head, hands washing together fiercely.
Watching his friend go out…then in... Leonard swore a colorful streak of something about pond scum and biogenetic ethics as he lumbered to his feet. "Lisel, don't worry okay? We'll find her..." And then go throw the good commander over a bridge. "Just go on back to your room, try and rest and we'll get her back to you, okay?"
"Oh please do, I fear the outcome is not favorable!"
She wasn't the only one. Ushering Lisel out, Leonard had to run to catch up with Jim, who was hopping along as he got his boots on. "Jimmy, you better hope that girl is okay or this could be a serious diplomatic incident!" he grumbled, one hand going out to keep his friend upright. "Sit down before you fall over and hurt something...”
"ME???" Jim looked up at Bones and then tripped. Landing with a thud he let loose a stream of expletives that ended up someone's mother. "How is this, my fault?" Jumping to his feet again, this time in boots, he declared with a little more composure. "Okay, we'll have to go Squiggy's place and hopes that he hasn't already gotten to first base."
"I hope so because on Hydaria, first base is grounds for murder or marriage and not necessarily in that order. Look, I know it's not your fault... but you're the one that's gonna have to talk that bastard outta whatever he's got planned. Unless...." Leonard stopped, eyes lit up under his disheveled hairline. "I could knock him out! I just need a hypo," he said, finger shaking as he thought about it. "Yeah, that would work... How'd you meet that horse turd anyway?"
Hurrying down the Academy hallways, Jim tossed Bones a look at the question. "Well we met through a mutual friend." He cleared his throat. "I sort of dated his sister. Well date isn't the right word. There was her, there was me, there was booze and a park bench…" He let his voice trail and figured Bones would figure it out, after all, the guy was a doctor.
"I should have known..." Leonard grumbled. "Well, for Mishala's sake, I hope it didn't end with her slapping you," he told his friend as they hurried out of the dorms and towards the entrance to the academy. "And which sister? The tattooed one? L’Verne?" Or was it Sh’arlie... Leonard frowned, wondering why no one had ever set rules for naming human children in the entire history of naming children. Even the Vulcans had naming conventions to ensure no child got stuck with a name like Snock or Hock or something like that.
"Joanie," Jim retorted, "...and there was slapping but in a good way." he gave McCoy the trademark ‘Jim Kirk scored’ grin.
"There are some things I don't need to envision," Leonard retorted dryly, forehead furrowing at his friend.
"So. Joanie... she's Caichi’s twin, right? Who the hell names their kids things like that...?" He shook his head. "Tell me it ended good and that she's not gonna deck you when we walk in there..."
Jim winced. "Well it ended as well as it usually ends with me but me and her brother are tight." Tight in the sense that Jim was his client and he was Jim's bookie. "He won’t shoot us on sight...that's a plus."
"He'd better not or so help me, Tiberius; my ghost will sic Jocelyn on you!" Swearing, Leonard nodded to the gate guards as they strode past. Two, maybe three heartbeats went by before Bones realized Jim wasn't with him. Backtracking, Bones found his friend...flirting with the cute red-head Marine standing the guard. Rolling his eyes and grumbling about stallions and geldings, Leonard knuckle-tagged Jim in a bicep. "Hey..! Sorry to interrupt," he growled, the eyeball he gave him very hairy.
Turning to the red head (alright, she WAS hot), he pointed to Jim. "Cadet Kirk, Quad 360, Room 220. Make sure I'm not there," he growled, grabbing Jim at the elbow to haul him away.
"I'll call ya," Jim hollered out to the girl as he was swept away by Bones. "Bones calm down. I'll talk to Squiggy or maybe his pal Ly’ne’ and we'll sort this mess out. Besides, Mishala won't give it up easy so he'll probably have to do a bit of sweet talking to get her to… you know." Jim offered Bones a reassuring grin.
Something snapped inside Leonard H. McCoy. Maybe his eye twitched. Could have been a last nerve (he
either had many last nerves.. or one really, really strong one). He fixed a dark glare on Jim. "Just because you, thank god, believe that no means no, doesn't mean that pond scum does! And Mishala's father is a high-ranking diplomat here on Earth." He ran a hand through his hair, serving to make it even more disheveled.
"Hey this isn't our fault you know," Jim wanted to make that clear. They arrived at the establishment in question and upon entering Jim and Bones were greeted by a chorus of girls who were more than happy to see him back in the place. Other cadets were present as well, taking full advantage of the licentious activities being offered.
"Jim!" A sexy redhead in not very much clothing asked haughtily. “What the hell are you doing here?"
"Hey Joanie," Jim poured on the charm. "Now I know you're still pissed at me because of Sh’arlina..."
" Sh’arlie," Joanie said frostily. "My FORMER best friend..."
"Okay, okay," Jim winced and gave Bones an embarrassed smirk "Look, I know you're pissed but have you seen Squiggy around? He might have taken off with a Hydarian chick."
"Yeah," Joanie retorted. "Why?"
"Well unless he wants to be married, he's about to make a serious mistake."
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Leonard sighed. "Joanie, could you take us to him? Please?" he asked. "Or do you know where he went?" Bedside manner wasn't just for hospitals.
Joanie was still glaring at Jim so she didn’t notice his friend until he spoke and then she burst into a come-hither smile. “Jim, aside from being a cheating slime devil, you don’t have any manners. You haven’t introduced me to your friend.”
Jim shot a look between Bones and Joanie and gruffed. “Bones McCoy, Joanie or rather J’Nee of Celev. You’ve met. Now where’s Squiggy?”
As sexy as J’Nee (or Joanie) was, she was way too toxic for Bones who despite being married to the Queen Bitch of the Known Universe, was too much of a gentleman for a man-eater like her.
“He’s in the back room,” J'Nee retorted, “and you better hurry, I heard him whistling ‘Pop goes the Virgin’ when he took her out there.”
“You mean weasel,” Jim corrected automatically.
“No,” J'Nee smirked, “I meant virgin.”
Jim gave Bones a look. “Oh hell…”
"Hell will be nice compared to what's going to happen if she does get 'popped'. Let's go and nice to meet you..." With a nod and one of those smile-but-smiles he was good at, Leonard pushed past J'Nee to head to the back room.
“Don’t be a stranger McCoy,” J'Nee waved back at him with a look of clear invitation.
Jim rolled his eyes and hurried into the corridor leading to the backroom. The corridor was wall papered with garish maroon and the floor striped black and white. As they approached the door, Jim could hear voices.
“Are you sure it’s supposed to go in there?” A decidedly female voice asked.
“Trust me,” Squiggy’s voice replied. “It fits perfectly. You just have to jam it in.”
Jim exchanged a look with Bones and burst through the door. “DON”T JAM ANYTHING IN ANYWHERE!”
Both Mishala and Squiggy looked up from the game of Mastermind they were playing.
"Squiggy, you get your..." Leonard's yell behind Jim's died mid-sentence and it took him a minute to process the situation. "That's not first base!" Rolling his eyes, at himself no less, he stepped forward and found himself face-to-chest with a biiiig (we're talking BIG) Celevian bodyguard who's name badge read
'Ly'ne'. "Uh.. Jim...?" Dragging his eyes off the mammoth, he looked back to his friend.
“You remember first base is?” Jim whispered to Bones as they were faced with the mountain of a man that was Squiggy’s pal. “Hi Lennie.” Jim looked up at the Celevian.
"Do I.. what??!" Leonard gave Jim a horrified look "Of course I remember what first base is!!!!" he hissed as Squiggy stood up. "Oh for the love of Pete..."
“Not that I’m not thrilled Jimbo,” Squiggy, better known as Squay’Gi, stood up from the sofa glaring at Him.
“For the visit but what the hell do you think you’re doing barging in here interrupting me and my guest?”
“We’re here to make sure you don’t play ‘pop the virgin’.” Jim blurted out without thinking and winced. He couldn’t believe he just said that.
"Is that another game, Squay?" Mishala blinked from where she sat, hand still poised in mid-air, holding the Mastermind game piece.
"Squay?" Leonard choked, giving the man an incredulous look. "Your name is Squay...." He'd almost laughed until a meaty hand wrapped itself into the collar of his jacket and he felt his heels leave the floor.
"Whoa.. okay.. just.. a little shocked, that's all. Nothing wrong with it..."
"James? Leonard? What are you two doing here?" Mishala wasn't the fastest greyhound on the track or judging from the layout of her pegs, the best Mastermind player either.
"Well what are you doing here?" James countered, thinking that a best defense was a good offense. "This isn't the kind of place that nice virg...I mean GIRLs go." Glancing at Bones, he replied, trying to sound cool.
"He was worried about you."
"You were!?" Mishala's purple eyes went wide and doe-like on Leonard. This was obviously the best news she'd had all day. "Oh, Cadet McCoy, I am so very flattered but..." She affected something of a pout, having hung around too many Earth girls (which the entire universe knew were easy). "I am betrothed however I am allowed a second husband if you so pine for me..." she said with an earnest nod. "I would be most happy to have an Earthman."
"Second hus... WHAT!!!" Leonard's neck snapped so fast from Mishala to Jim and back to Mishala, it would have made a Ping-Pong Champ jealous. "I don't want to marry you!" he declared, eyes rolling as he belatedly realized how rude that sounded. "I'm not…I'm…I'm…What ARE you doing here? What happened to your second cousin??"
"Oh I’m sure she’s fine," Jim dismissed the question and looked back at Mishala, enjoying immensely the deer in the headlights look that Bones had on his face right now. "Second husband did you say?" He smirked. "Oh come on Bones - second husband, how bad could it be? I mean you remember what first base is and then there's pop goes the weasel."
He was going to get hit. He knew that but Jim Kirk didn't believe in the no win situation and he didn't see any way to lose here. This was just too much fun.
"Tiberius...." Leonard replied witheringly, glaring at his friend side long.
"Tiberius???" Now it was Squiggy's turn to chuckle, as Lenny giggled.
His gaze now doubtfully on Lenny, Bones figured, okay. A seven foot Celevian was giggling. NOW he'd seen it all. "It's his middle name..." he began, distracted when Lenny all but collapsed heavily into a poor chair, laughing loudly. "What...?"
Chuckling, Squiggy shook his head. "It's just.. " He laughed, looking at Jim. "In our language, that is exactly the word for...." Laughing full on this time, Squiggy had to recompose himself in the shadow of his pal's amusement. ".. tiny, blistered... " Beside Bones, Lenny howled with laughter, slapping a massive column thigh with a meaty paw. ".. penis...."
Leonard actually choked on that as Lenny fell off his chair.
Jim's smile faded. For a second. "Yeah real funny, " the cadet thought to himself and realized he was never going to come in here again without hearing the guffaws of these people. For that matter, he was never telling anyone what his middle name was if he ever went to Celev. "It’s a family name." He threw a similarly scathing glare at Bones for opening that can of worms. "You know that don't you...SECOND HUSBAND?"
"The term for second husband..." Mishala now gave Jim an indignant look, glittery scaled hands stuck to her hips as she stood up. "Is Krahtch!" Shaking her head at the men and at Squiggy, she gave another pout.
"I do not understand this. What does baseball.. and names.. and this game..." The Mastermind game came under her violet glare. "Have to do with the assistance you spoke of? Stop laughing!!" she demanded of Lenny, who was on the floor, one hand slapping the purple shag carpet.
Outside, their conversation was eclipsed by the sound of commotion and for a moment Jim swore inwardly, thinking the place was being raided but it was actually worse than that. A travelling circus had opted to visit the cathouse facilities of Squiggy's establishment. The combination of circus folk and drunken Academy cadets was a dangerous one. It had only taken one remark to a fire breather such as 'it must be easier to light farts when your asshole is on your face’ for the fight to break out.
"What in the blue cross of Nixos..?" Squiggy exclaimed as Lennie finally composed himself and hurried out the door.
Jim saw the man had gotten no further than the door way when suddenly, he toppled backwards, a wooden ball rolling off his forehead as he hit the floor.
"What the hell...?" Always the doctor, Leonard hurried to Squiggy, fingers going under the man's chin.
"He's alive... " Outside, someone was singing, a deep, loud stentatorian bass that carried over the entire melee.
"On top of OLD Smookeeee... all covered in cheeeeeeeeeee....!!"
Looking behind him, Leonard didn't need to look far to find the singer. A dwarf, wearing one of those silly antler headbands, tumbled into the room, crashing into the coffee table holding the Mastermind game. In a colorful burst of pegs, the dwarf let out a bellow and rushed back out to the fray.
"So," Jim took a deep breath, the epitome of cool despite all the chaos, and turned to Mishala. "So you're a virgin?" Sometimes when things got crazy, you just had to go with it.
*SLAP* The sound of scaled flesh on flesh was covered by Mishala's gasp and her huffy growl as she stomped off into the main room.
"Situation normal, I see..." Leonard retorted dryly.
"Hey wait your turn SECOND HUSBAND," Jim grinned hurrying after her. "Uh Mish babe, you don't want to head out there."
However she wasn't listening and when he emerged into the room was treated to the sight of Ensign Krastev from Ulan 3 throwing a punch at a guy only to be hit by a jugglers pin. Elsewhere, another cadet was spinning around the dwarf (with antlers) clinging to him in a neck lock. An acrobat was using the boost from another to leap into the fray while elsewhere, Jim saw the bar lit up as a fire breather took a burp after a particularly large swig.
"This party keeps getting better."
Later, Leonard would realize he should have taken Jim's statement as a warning.. because the guy had a tendency to understate things. Above the noise - Leonard thought it was Ballroom Bash - another sound hit him. Glass breaking and a heartbeat later, he cursed as smoke began to billow up above the fighters and the lights went out with a hard loudness.
"ATTENTION IN THE CLUB!!!!!"
Leonard looked at Jim. That wasn't inside the building. It was a bullhorn. From outside. On cue, someone heard the voice. "SECURITY!!!!!!"
If things had been crazy before, the chaos that ensued ensured that single call made the dwarf and the acrobats look like a Vulcan funeral. Around them, cadets were freaking out, hurriedly gathering up their money (or clothes), all of them scrambling for a back entrance.
"We better split..." he told Jim just as he spotted the dwarf being launched into the air from the crowd. Naked, the little man grabbed a hold of the chandelier.
"Didn't I tell you Bones, there's just not enough naked dwarf chandelier acts these days," Jim grinned as he wrapped a hand around Mishala's wrist and tugged the girl out towards the back entrance. With any luck, they could escape this melee without being grabbed by security.
Hurrying past a contortionist wrapped around one cadet, crotch in the other man's face, hands in highly inappropriate places. Jim paused long enough to ask. "Do you have a sister?"
"JIM!!" Leonard bellowed, taking Mishala's other hand as he reached for his friend. "This way, the both of you...!" he yelled. Mishala came along in a huff, still insulted that Cadet Kirk would dare question her virginity.
Snapped out of visions of girls who were double jointed, Jim followed Bones down the corridor leading out of the building. When the door opened and the cool night air flooded in to replace the stench of booze, smoke and god only knew what else, Jim took a greedy breath until suddenly they both heard a stern authoritative voice shout.
"HALT CADETS!"
Aw....crap.
"Oh dear.... " Mishala's eyes went wide as Leonard's world lit up into a blinding circus (pun absolutely intended) of flashing spotlights against his now closed eyes.
"Stop that! Unhand me...!!" The Hydarian's cries were indignant and Leonard opened his eyes again, cursing more as he tried to see. "Alright.. alright.. she's not giving you any trouble..."
"Stand down Cadet!!!"
"Hey let the lady go!" Jim tackled the security officer manhandling Mishala and shoved him away from the girl. Over his shoulder, he threw at Bones. "Some second husband you are!"
"Fuh.... JIM, watch it!!!" Too late, the stun gun from another officer sparkled into Jimmy, buckling his friend like a sack of potatoes. "Stop that!!" he shouted, pushing Mishala behind him.
Well, there went hell in a pretty hand basket. Coming to a stop, Leonard focused on the woman walking towards him out of the light. "Commander Pike?"
"Yes...." Blonde, in her late thirties, it was easy (very easy for most of the male cadets) to see why Captain Pike of the Enterprise was so taken by his wife. She was hot.
She was really hot... good god, Jimmy was rubbing off on him. "Yes ma'am...." Leonard winced.
"Cadet McCoy.. I thought that was you.. and Cadet Hy'Rashovdarren...." Miranda Pike frowned at them both. "What are you...." She caught sight of Kirk at that instance. "Oh..." Everything made sense now. "Check on him, Cadet."
"Thank you..." Hurrying to Jim, he knelt beside the younger man. "Jimmy? Kirk... wake up..." Slapping Jim's cheeks, he pushed up his eyelids to check the pupils. "Jimmy!!"
"Get out of my harem....Bones." Jim muttered. "I'm not that into you..."
"Well, I can't quit you neither," Leonard retorted, slapping Jim's face again for the hell of it. "Commander Pike's here..." He glanced up, catching sight of the woman's thighs. No wonder Captain Pike was always in a good mood.
Jim stood up shakily and the only things that registered were Pike…then legs…and great rack. "Captain Pike...you sure have changed."
Both eyebrows went up and Miranda knew she was going to have to tell Christopher about this. "Well, you know.. I felt the need for a change..." she retorted. Once a cop, always a cop - it was how she'd met her husband. She'd arrested him once... back when he was a bit like Cadet Kirk here. Had James T. Kirk ever wondered why Chris had taken a shine to him? Because here was Cadet Christopher Pike all over again.
"It's Commander Pike... the -police- commander..." Leonard emphasized. "Mishala, are you alright?" The Hydarian appeared none the worse for the wear.
Jim stood up shakily, "do you have a loud whistle too?" He offered her a grin, hoping that older women were just as susceptible to it as the younger variety. "They're engaged," he tossed Bones a smirk.
"Oh..." Casting a dubious eye on McCoy and Mishala, Miranda looked over Jim Kirk, not at all phased by the smile. Oh yeah. Christopher Pike, at your service ma'am, please handcuff me... Kirk didn't appear drunk though. "Look, I don't know why the three of you .. okay, I don't know why you're here McCoy or you Mishala. Kirk, I can guess.. " she added dryly. "Sergeant Evans!"
One of the men stepped forward. "Yes ma'am?"
"Escort these three to the precinct, please... separate from the others. I've got a phone call to make."
"So this thing between you and Captain Pike," Jim said as security escorted him away. "Is it serious?”
Laughing, Miranda shook her head, not answering as she sauntered away.
Leonard cast a dubious look in the police commander's direction. "Well. At least she didn't order you shot again..."
"I'm telling you," Jim said confidently, head still aching. "If she ever decided to give Captain Pike a miss - I'm so in."
"Uh huh..." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I have a feeling this night isn't over."
******
"This is the story that you expect me to believe?" Professor Sollan stared at Bones after the recital of the night's events? "That you were somehow caught in the altercation with the Aldarian Circus and half a dozen of the senior class as victims of circumstance?"
"Absolutely Sir,' Jim piped up, "We saved Hydarian honor." He reminded.
"And therefore diplomatic relations between the planets. Mishala's father is a diplomatic envoy to Earth," Bones chimed in, nodding. He stopped that though, made his head hurt even more.
"Besides, if you discipline us," Jim reminded, "it would stain family honor since Bones is her second husband." Jim tossed his friend a grin.
"We are NOT married!" Bones growled, shoving him.
"Boys..." An eyebrow went up on the stoic professor's face. "Did you ask her about her virginity, Cadet McCoy?"
"Uhh.. no, sir...."
"Then you are not married, so thankfully we'll avoid that diplomatic dust up."
Jim was puzzled. "What about the virginity?" He was starting to get a bad feeling about this...
Making notes on a padd, the professor looked up. "If you ask her about her virginity, it's considered an offer of marriage.. I don't understand the race that well." He shrugged. "I understand if they kiss you, it's acceptance of your offer. If they slap you, they've turned you down."
Leonard, also worried, heaved a sigh of relief.
So did Jim.
"Oh thank God." Jim thought he didn’t know what fear was until that moment.
With a barely amused laugh, Leonard held back a yawn. Despite his effort, the professor must have seen it.
"I shall let this incident slide for now, seeing as it was an attempt, however misguided, to maintain diplomatic relations with our allies." A wry look was sent to Jim. "Please ensure that you stay away from such establishments in the future. Now, both of you, go back to your room. This will not excuse you from the Kobayashi Maru test tomorrow."
Jim had no intention of missing it. He was going to pass.
One way or another.
THE END