"The 'Les Mesdemoiselles Federation' Affair": Chapter ONE, part one

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Ensign Shirley Dayton stood on a chair in the center of the recreation area that took up a fourth of deck 8 aboard the starship Lexington and surveyed her handiwork. The large room, normally decorated in a haphazard mélange of styles from the prosaic to the whimsical, had been transformed into a large cocktail lounge in deep orange and rich red especially for the guests of honor, the thirteen members of the Vulcan delegation to the 'Les Mesdemoiselles Federation' Pageant being held on Babel. Cmdr. Branfield, the Lexington's first officer, who served as both chief navigator and chief of security (at least temporarily), had suggested the color scheme and the greeting now emblazoned across the banner fastened to the curve of the inner hull. Immediately below it was a buffet table groaning under the vast selection of Vulcan delicacies, also programmed by the commander, who had apparently spent some time on Vulcan. Nearby were tables laden with foods from Tellar, Andoria, Schillia, Earth, and Cait, home of the Mrraneti.

Deciding everything was as ready as it was ever going to be, Dayton took a deep breath and hopped down, returning the chair to its place along a bulkhead. What a monstrous task it was trying to keep the contestants out of each other's hair -- or fur, as the case might be. Twenty-four hostesses, the maximum number allowed by the voluminous order sheaf, just wasn't enough to handle any rough stuff. Fortunately there hadn't been much -- yet.

“Gather 'round everybody,” she called. The other girls, of all colors, sizes and shapes, all wearing the red dress uniforms of ship's services, hurried over to form a huddle around the senior ensign. “Okay, we all know how much Bran's depending on us to keep things quiet and calm. Are there any questions on our orders?”

“Well, it's not exactly about our orders,” spoke up Ens. D'kura, a dark skinned girl with a medium Afro and large gold earrings, “but why isn't he going to be here?”

“I don't know Cassu. But he sounded awfully tired. Could be he's hoping to get in a little extra shut-eye. Any other questions?” asked Dayton. “Okay, let's not disappoint him.”