An Orion's Uncle
Title: An Orion's Uncle
Author: bookdragon01
Characters/Pairing: Giotto, Gaila, Kirk
Bingo Card: babel.crackerboxpalace.com/stbingo/bookdragon01card1.jpg
Bingo Progress: [8/8 needed to complete bingo]
Genre: Humor/Friendship
Summary: It's a small universe, especially in Starfleet, as Kirk is about to learn...
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 (for references to past Kirk/Gaila)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but if I did Gaila would come back somehow
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Note: in TOS Giotto was a lot closer to Pike's age than Kirk';s, so the Giotto here is NOT Cupcake (a rookie guard who does nothing but drag Kirk around being jumped to CSO redlines my suspension of disbelief). My version is a 50-something career officer, the 'old veteran' on a ship full of 20-somethings.
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Cmdr. Giotto escorted the Captain through the outpost. Of course, Kirk would probably object to the concept of an escort, so technically he was joining him to have a look around a new Federation commercial center on the borders of Orion space. Civil station or not, Starfleet would be responsible for security measures and Giotto had dealt with Orion pirates and the Syndicate more than few times during his years in Starfleet.
So far, the more obvious defenses and security systems appeared to have been well-designed. Later, when he got a chance to come back on his own, Sam would try to contact someone in the SI contingent that was undoubtedly present. The most serious threats here would come from within and if something did go wrong, it would be good for the Security Chief on the ship most likely to be called to have a feel for who would be operating on the inside.
For now, on a station filled with nearly all of the temptations Orion had to offer, it wasn't the worst idea to make sure the Captain was accompanied by someone with a fair amount of experience at resisting them.
Kirk skidded to a stop as they passed a shop window. "Hey, hold up Chief. I want to check this out."
Sam fixed a neutral expression firmly in place before turning to look at the window - and still narrowly avoided a double-take. The Captain would never cease to surprise him. The window was filled with books, and of a distinctly non-erotic variety.
"A whole collection of blueprints from pre-warp FTL drives across five systems! - Scotty would give his firstborn for that." Judging by the light in the Captain's eyes, his inner tech geek was itching to get his hands on it too.
"Tellarite shopkeeper," Giotto observed, looking further through the window. "If I go in with you, he'll think he can ask a lot more for it."
"Then wait here. I promise not to get dragged into a backroom and kidnapped," Kirk gave him a look that was probably supposed to mean 'I can take care of myself', but never failed to remind Giotto just how young his captain really was.
"Yes sir." He stepped back. "And remember: barter firmly, no flirting."
Kirk shook his head, chuckling at the reference. "I'll be right out."
As the Captain entered and picked the book from the display, Giotto moved to a position where it wouldn't be too obviously that he was watching through the window. He tracked a blonde head winding through stacks to the counter. Another book had been added by that point. One hand rose in a gesture of 'just a minute' and a trace of blonde hair disappeared down an aisle, returning after a bit with four more books. Another gesture of 'wait', another side trip, more books...
Sam sighed. He'd spent a lifetime training himself to patience, but at this point in his career he really shouldn't have to deal with anything resembling a stake-out. He was just considering whether it would look too suspicious if he went in and browsed too when a flash of green and red rounded the curve of the hallway and bore down on him.
"Commander!" Gaila halted just in front of him. She was the only person Giotto had ever met capable of bouncing to attention, but somehow she made it work.
"At ease," he smiled. "And congratulations 1st Lieutenant - the stripe looks good on you."
"The smile looks good on you," she replied with grin.
Their first meeting hadn't gone so well. It hadn't been that long since Sam's wife had been killed in action when he'd been asked to 'babysit' one of Pike's favorite recruits and he hadn't been much inclined to smiling. Since he also hadn't been much inclined to explain that to a freshman cadet, Gaila had taken it personally.
"I've been working on it." He rubbed the edges of his mouth. "The smiling muscles are almost back."
"Have you had any help with that?" She smiled slyly.
Giotto gave her a look. "You know -"
"You don't discuss your personal life," she finished for him, adding a small eye roll. "You're still no fun at all. How am I suppose to gather intel?"
"By which you mean gossip." Sam arched an amused eyebrow. "If you're free, maybe we can have dinner and discuss actual intel."
Gaila gave him a mock pout.
"...Alright," he relented, chuckling. "Maybe whatever gossip you haven't pried out of Uhura already."
"Definitely. I'm here to meet Bill, but I'm sure he'll agree to a joint dinner," she grinned mischievously, "if you promise not to smack him in the head."
The last time Giotto had been on Orion, Bill had been a wet-behind-the-ears rookie suffering from the delusion that being in SI meant that he knew something. Hopefully he'd matured a lot since then. "I do need to talk to him. How about if I promise not to smack him too hard?"
"Or I could smack him for you." Gaila looked upward coyly. "He seems to like that sort of thing when I do it."
Oh God. Sam spread a hand over his face. "I could've gone a very long time time without knowing that..."
Gaila laughed. "But it'll be a lot easier to resist hitting him now, won't it?"
"Sneaky," Giotto said approvingly. "Glad you're on our side."
"Me too. And that you're on mine." She raised her eyebrows a little. "Does being on duty mean that hugging is completely off-limits?"
Giotto was not, to put it mildly, a touchy-feelly person, so for most people a hug was out of the question whether he was on duty or not. But Gaila had probably saved his life once, so he was willing to make a few concessions to Orion custom. "I think a cultural concession might apply."
The kind of hug Gaila reserved for friends and family was closer to a tackle than an embrace. Orions had denser bones than humans, so Sam had learned to let himself turn a little on impact - which was why he didn't know the Captain had emerged from the store until he heard a gasp and a carton of books hitting the floor.
"Hi Jim!" Gaila called over his shoulder. She didn't seem inclined to let go just yet.
"Gaila?!"
Once he'd extricated himself from the hug, Giotto turned to find his Captain staring in disbelief. He cocked an eyebrow at Gaila. "I thought you were done with payback for the Kobayashi Maru?"
"I am," she folded her arms, "but that doesn't mean I don't just love seeing that look on his face."
"I...," a worried crease formed between Kirk's brows, "You two know each other?"
Gaila smiled smugly. "Samuel's practically my uncle."
"Practically...?" Kirk cast a flummoxed look at Giotto. "Samuel?"
Giotto suppressed a smile. He couldn't deny that he kind of enjoyed that look on Kirk's face too (and he definitely preferred 'practically my uncle' to 'I tried to fix him up with my mother').
"A proper given name is the polite form of address among Orions." And in Gaila's home region, 'samm' was apparently local slang for a throw pillow. However Sam had no intention of mentioning that.
"Okay," Kirk said. "But Uncle Samuel?"
Giotto lifted the box and let the Captain reorder his books while he explained. "I was asked to escort Gaila back to Orion a few years ago when there was concern about the safety of the travel lanes. Her family was kind enough to allow me to stay with them during the trip."
"It was a little awkward at first, but he convinced my mother that Starfleet wasn't all bad." Gaila gave him a warm smile.
Sam shot her a warning look. There were details he'd really prefer not mentioning to the Captain.
"Gaila's mother is an outstanding cook," he continued. As well as a kind woman and a good nurse, for which he'd owed her a lot. "So I asked my grandmother to offer some advice on starting a restaurant. As it turned out, Grandma took a liking to Navesh and fronted her the money to open what's now a pretty successful Orion cafe."
"So your grandmother gave a loan to her mother," Kirk repeated incredulously. "And that makes you her uncle?"
"Grandma Giotto only asked for 5% interest. Ama couldn't have gotten a deal like that from clan." Gaila nodded firmly. "By Orion standards, that's practically adoption."
"Alright," Kirk conceded and gave her a crooked smile. "I guess I'm lucky you didn't ask him to beat me up for using you to hack the Kobayashi Maru."
"I'd never have done that." Gaila smiled sweetly. "Payback is so much better when it's delivered in person."
Kirk blushed clear to his hairline. "I really was just trying to leave you 'plausible deniability'," he pleaded, giving her big, puppy-dog eyes.
"Save it. I've forgiven you." Gaila waved a hand. "And if I ever need more payback, I still have the pictures."
Kirk shook his head as he reclaimed the box and gave her a fond look. "Is there enough forgiveness plus blackmail potential to consider transferring to the Enterprise now?"
"Maybe someday, but I've just started the best project." She looked at Giotto. "Thanks again. I don't think I'd have gotten it without Granger's recommendation."
He shrugged. "I didn't do much. You already had an admiral on your side and Granger knows your skill set."
"She wanted to court martial me before I'd even been commissioned," Gaila arched an eyebrow. "Someone twisted her arm and I know it wasn't the admiral."
"I just pointed out that recommending the best person for the job, despite any personal issues, would look really good on her record." And that Dahlia had once been 20 herself and not exactly immune to mouthing off or to ignoring orders she didn't like. He looked over at Kirk. "And it's not as if Starfleet has never rewarded people for bucking orders when their initiative saved lives."
Kirk looked from one to the other. "Sounds like a good story. Any chance I could hear it over a couple drinks?"
"Sorry," Gaila shook her head. "Classified."
"I'm a Captain," he said widening his eyes. "And I'll buy."
"After buying all those rare books?" Giotto raised an eyebrow. "Even Captains have credit limits."
The Captain considered the box. "Dinner in my quarters? There are a lot of people on the ship who'd love to see you, Gaila."
"I know," she grinned. "In fact I'm meeting Nyota and Christine in few minutes," she held up a hand, "Girls only. And I've already got a dinner date."
"You always were popular," Kirk teased.
"Different reasons this time ...well, mostly." She winked and walked around the box to give the Captain a relatively gentle sideways hug. "Now go back to the ship before your arms fall off. I promise I'll drop by to visit before I leave."
"I'll look forward to it."
She looked at Sam. "I know: one hug's your limit. I'll see you later too."
Gaila gave a quick wave and disappeared down the corridor.
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Jim stared wistfully after Gaila's retreating form. The last time he'd seen her as a cadet, she'd stormed away angry, leaving him trapped with rose stems stuffed in some very uncomfortable locations. He'd resolved to choose different flowers next time but imagined that once her anger was spent it'd just take a little charm, maybe a little more groveling, and in no time they'd be back to good friends with great benefits.
A lot of things about the Narada incident had changed him, but thinking Gaila was dead had probably changed him most of all. He'd never be straight-laced, but he'd never again use a woman to get what he wanted figuring he could sweet talk an apology later. The weeks he'd spent thinking Gaila was gone had shown him just how easy it was to never have a 'later'.
When he'd heard that she'd been found alive, it had felt like the universe was giving him a real second chance. Gaila had still been in rehab when the Enterprise relaunched, but Jim had left a standing offer. As long as he was Captain, the flagship would have a place for her.
He hadn't realized at the time that she had so many other options.
Jim hefted his books and headed toward the transporter station. "So, is this new job another AI project?"
"Security-related." Something pulled at the corner of Giotto's mouth. "We tend to prefer real intelligence."
The last droids Starfleet had developed to replace security had been complete disasters, but the statement was also as much of a hint as Giotto was likely to give that Gaila would be working with SI. It was progress. Font of information his Security Chief was not, but a year ago Jim would've gotten even that much.
"You know it's kind of weird finding out the two know each other. I mean, you've never mentioned her."
Giotto shrugged. "I know a lot of people. I don't mention most of them."
"But she never mentioned you either."
"I was the one who insisted that the engineers take the full SERE course." Sam gave a him a wry smile. "Most people don't mention their connections to 'Satan Incarnate'."
Jim snorted a laugh. "She still could've told me. All those computer geeks just made me look better."
"Except for Gaila."
"Yeah, okay, but she had natural camoflague. Plus, she's Satan's niece," he teased and then flashed a grin. "Hey, Satan's Niece - that'd be really cool on a leather jacket."
"Uhura probably knows her size," Giotto offered casually. "In terms of making amends, nice clothing generally goes a lot further with Orion women than roses."
Jim paused and looked at him sidelong.
Giotto tipped his head thoughtfully. "I'd recommend a jacket without chains."
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AN: Startrekbingo at LJ challenged me to come up with a Giotto & Gaila story, so yes there is a back story (maybe two) and someday I may finish writing it. However, this story actually began with the idea of tech books being Jim's other porn and then Gaila up and decided to pop in and take over (sometimes I have no control over my characters).
SI = Starfleet Intelligence
Ama = Orion for 'Mom'
SERE = Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (a course otherwise known as 'hell')
The reference to Kirk flirting with Tellarites is from my first series of Giotto stories (on ff.net). The idea that losing Gaila would make Jim re-evaluate the way he treated women came after a 9/11 reflection reminded me of Spockchick's 'They dropped like stars, like petals from a rose'.
Please r&r
Author: bookdragon01
Characters/Pairing: Giotto, Gaila, Kirk
Bingo Card: babel.crackerboxpalace.com/stbingo/bookdragon01card1.jpg
Bingo Progress: [8/8 needed to complete bingo]
Genre: Humor/Friendship
Summary: It's a small universe, especially in Starfleet, as Kirk is about to learn...
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 (for references to past Kirk/Gaila)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but if I did Gaila would come back somehow
--------------------------------------------
Note: in TOS Giotto was a lot closer to Pike's age than Kirk';s, so the Giotto here is NOT Cupcake (a rookie guard who does nothing but drag Kirk around being jumped to CSO redlines my suspension of disbelief). My version is a 50-something career officer, the 'old veteran' on a ship full of 20-somethings.
--------------------------------------------
Cmdr. Giotto escorted the Captain through the outpost. Of course, Kirk would probably object to the concept of an escort, so technically he was joining him to have a look around a new Federation commercial center on the borders of Orion space. Civil station or not, Starfleet would be responsible for security measures and Giotto had dealt with Orion pirates and the Syndicate more than few times during his years in Starfleet.
So far, the more obvious defenses and security systems appeared to have been well-designed. Later, when he got a chance to come back on his own, Sam would try to contact someone in the SI contingent that was undoubtedly present. The most serious threats here would come from within and if something did go wrong, it would be good for the Security Chief on the ship most likely to be called to have a feel for who would be operating on the inside.
For now, on a station filled with nearly all of the temptations Orion had to offer, it wasn't the worst idea to make sure the Captain was accompanied by someone with a fair amount of experience at resisting them.
Kirk skidded to a stop as they passed a shop window. "Hey, hold up Chief. I want to check this out."
Sam fixed a neutral expression firmly in place before turning to look at the window - and still narrowly avoided a double-take. The Captain would never cease to surprise him. The window was filled with books, and of a distinctly non-erotic variety.
"A whole collection of blueprints from pre-warp FTL drives across five systems! - Scotty would give his firstborn for that." Judging by the light in the Captain's eyes, his inner tech geek was itching to get his hands on it too.
"Tellarite shopkeeper," Giotto observed, looking further through the window. "If I go in with you, he'll think he can ask a lot more for it."
"Then wait here. I promise not to get dragged into a backroom and kidnapped," Kirk gave him a look that was probably supposed to mean 'I can take care of myself', but never failed to remind Giotto just how young his captain really was.
"Yes sir." He stepped back. "And remember: barter firmly, no flirting."
Kirk shook his head, chuckling at the reference. "I'll be right out."
As the Captain entered and picked the book from the display, Giotto moved to a position where it wouldn't be too obviously that he was watching through the window. He tracked a blonde head winding through stacks to the counter. Another book had been added by that point. One hand rose in a gesture of 'just a minute' and a trace of blonde hair disappeared down an aisle, returning after a bit with four more books. Another gesture of 'wait', another side trip, more books...
Sam sighed. He'd spent a lifetime training himself to patience, but at this point in his career he really shouldn't have to deal with anything resembling a stake-out. He was just considering whether it would look too suspicious if he went in and browsed too when a flash of green and red rounded the curve of the hallway and bore down on him.
"Commander!" Gaila halted just in front of him. She was the only person Giotto had ever met capable of bouncing to attention, but somehow she made it work.
"At ease," he smiled. "And congratulations 1st Lieutenant - the stripe looks good on you."
"The smile looks good on you," she replied with grin.
Their first meeting hadn't gone so well. It hadn't been that long since Sam's wife had been killed in action when he'd been asked to 'babysit' one of Pike's favorite recruits and he hadn't been much inclined to smiling. Since he also hadn't been much inclined to explain that to a freshman cadet, Gaila had taken it personally.
"I've been working on it." He rubbed the edges of his mouth. "The smiling muscles are almost back."
"Have you had any help with that?" She smiled slyly.
Giotto gave her a look. "You know -"
"You don't discuss your personal life," she finished for him, adding a small eye roll. "You're still no fun at all. How am I suppose to gather intel?"
"By which you mean gossip." Sam arched an amused eyebrow. "If you're free, maybe we can have dinner and discuss actual intel."
Gaila gave him a mock pout.
"...Alright," he relented, chuckling. "Maybe whatever gossip you haven't pried out of Uhura already."
"Definitely. I'm here to meet Bill, but I'm sure he'll agree to a joint dinner," she grinned mischievously, "if you promise not to smack him in the head."
The last time Giotto had been on Orion, Bill had been a wet-behind-the-ears rookie suffering from the delusion that being in SI meant that he knew something. Hopefully he'd matured a lot since then. "I do need to talk to him. How about if I promise not to smack him too hard?"
"Or I could smack him for you." Gaila looked upward coyly. "He seems to like that sort of thing when I do it."
Oh God. Sam spread a hand over his face. "I could've gone a very long time time without knowing that..."
Gaila laughed. "But it'll be a lot easier to resist hitting him now, won't it?"
"Sneaky," Giotto said approvingly. "Glad you're on our side."
"Me too. And that you're on mine." She raised her eyebrows a little. "Does being on duty mean that hugging is completely off-limits?"
Giotto was not, to put it mildly, a touchy-feelly person, so for most people a hug was out of the question whether he was on duty or not. But Gaila had probably saved his life once, so he was willing to make a few concessions to Orion custom. "I think a cultural concession might apply."
The kind of hug Gaila reserved for friends and family was closer to a tackle than an embrace. Orions had denser bones than humans, so Sam had learned to let himself turn a little on impact - which was why he didn't know the Captain had emerged from the store until he heard a gasp and a carton of books hitting the floor.
"Hi Jim!" Gaila called over his shoulder. She didn't seem inclined to let go just yet.
"Gaila?!"
Once he'd extricated himself from the hug, Giotto turned to find his Captain staring in disbelief. He cocked an eyebrow at Gaila. "I thought you were done with payback for the Kobayashi Maru?"
"I am," she folded her arms, "but that doesn't mean I don't just love seeing that look on his face."
"I...," a worried crease formed between Kirk's brows, "You two know each other?"
Gaila smiled smugly. "Samuel's practically my uncle."
"Practically...?" Kirk cast a flummoxed look at Giotto. "Samuel?"
Giotto suppressed a smile. He couldn't deny that he kind of enjoyed that look on Kirk's face too (and he definitely preferred 'practically my uncle' to 'I tried to fix him up with my mother').
"A proper given name is the polite form of address among Orions." And in Gaila's home region, 'samm' was apparently local slang for a throw pillow. However Sam had no intention of mentioning that.
"Okay," Kirk said. "But Uncle Samuel?"
Giotto lifted the box and let the Captain reorder his books while he explained. "I was asked to escort Gaila back to Orion a few years ago when there was concern about the safety of the travel lanes. Her family was kind enough to allow me to stay with them during the trip."
"It was a little awkward at first, but he convinced my mother that Starfleet wasn't all bad." Gaila gave him a warm smile.
Sam shot her a warning look. There were details he'd really prefer not mentioning to the Captain.
"Gaila's mother is an outstanding cook," he continued. As well as a kind woman and a good nurse, for which he'd owed her a lot. "So I asked my grandmother to offer some advice on starting a restaurant. As it turned out, Grandma took a liking to Navesh and fronted her the money to open what's now a pretty successful Orion cafe."
"So your grandmother gave a loan to her mother," Kirk repeated incredulously. "And that makes you her uncle?"
"Grandma Giotto only asked for 5% interest. Ama couldn't have gotten a deal like that from clan." Gaila nodded firmly. "By Orion standards, that's practically adoption."
"Alright," Kirk conceded and gave her a crooked smile. "I guess I'm lucky you didn't ask him to beat me up for using you to hack the Kobayashi Maru."
"I'd never have done that." Gaila smiled sweetly. "Payback is so much better when it's delivered in person."
Kirk blushed clear to his hairline. "I really was just trying to leave you 'plausible deniability'," he pleaded, giving her big, puppy-dog eyes.
"Save it. I've forgiven you." Gaila waved a hand. "And if I ever need more payback, I still have the pictures."
Kirk shook his head as he reclaimed the box and gave her a fond look. "Is there enough forgiveness plus blackmail potential to consider transferring to the Enterprise now?"
"Maybe someday, but I've just started the best project." She looked at Giotto. "Thanks again. I don't think I'd have gotten it without Granger's recommendation."
He shrugged. "I didn't do much. You already had an admiral on your side and Granger knows your skill set."
"She wanted to court martial me before I'd even been commissioned," Gaila arched an eyebrow. "Someone twisted her arm and I know it wasn't the admiral."
"I just pointed out that recommending the best person for the job, despite any personal issues, would look really good on her record." And that Dahlia had once been 20 herself and not exactly immune to mouthing off or to ignoring orders she didn't like. He looked over at Kirk. "And it's not as if Starfleet has never rewarded people for bucking orders when their initiative saved lives."
Kirk looked from one to the other. "Sounds like a good story. Any chance I could hear it over a couple drinks?"
"Sorry," Gaila shook her head. "Classified."
"I'm a Captain," he said widening his eyes. "And I'll buy."
"After buying all those rare books?" Giotto raised an eyebrow. "Even Captains have credit limits."
The Captain considered the box. "Dinner in my quarters? There are a lot of people on the ship who'd love to see you, Gaila."
"I know," she grinned. "In fact I'm meeting Nyota and Christine in few minutes," she held up a hand, "Girls only. And I've already got a dinner date."
"You always were popular," Kirk teased.
"Different reasons this time ...well, mostly." She winked and walked around the box to give the Captain a relatively gentle sideways hug. "Now go back to the ship before your arms fall off. I promise I'll drop by to visit before I leave."
"I'll look forward to it."
She looked at Sam. "I know: one hug's your limit. I'll see you later too."
Gaila gave a quick wave and disappeared down the corridor.
---------------------------
Jim stared wistfully after Gaila's retreating form. The last time he'd seen her as a cadet, she'd stormed away angry, leaving him trapped with rose stems stuffed in some very uncomfortable locations. He'd resolved to choose different flowers next time but imagined that once her anger was spent it'd just take a little charm, maybe a little more groveling, and in no time they'd be back to good friends with great benefits.
A lot of things about the Narada incident had changed him, but thinking Gaila was dead had probably changed him most of all. He'd never be straight-laced, but he'd never again use a woman to get what he wanted figuring he could sweet talk an apology later. The weeks he'd spent thinking Gaila was gone had shown him just how easy it was to never have a 'later'.
When he'd heard that she'd been found alive, it had felt like the universe was giving him a real second chance. Gaila had still been in rehab when the Enterprise relaunched, but Jim had left a standing offer. As long as he was Captain, the flagship would have a place for her.
He hadn't realized at the time that she had so many other options.
Jim hefted his books and headed toward the transporter station. "So, is this new job another AI project?"
"Security-related." Something pulled at the corner of Giotto's mouth. "We tend to prefer real intelligence."
The last droids Starfleet had developed to replace security had been complete disasters, but the statement was also as much of a hint as Giotto was likely to give that Gaila would be working with SI. It was progress. Font of information his Security Chief was not, but a year ago Jim would've gotten even that much.
"You know it's kind of weird finding out the two know each other. I mean, you've never mentioned her."
Giotto shrugged. "I know a lot of people. I don't mention most of them."
"But she never mentioned you either."
"I was the one who insisted that the engineers take the full SERE course." Sam gave a him a wry smile. "Most people don't mention their connections to 'Satan Incarnate'."
Jim snorted a laugh. "She still could've told me. All those computer geeks just made me look better."
"Except for Gaila."
"Yeah, okay, but she had natural camoflague. Plus, she's Satan's niece," he teased and then flashed a grin. "Hey, Satan's Niece - that'd be really cool on a leather jacket."
"Uhura probably knows her size," Giotto offered casually. "In terms of making amends, nice clothing generally goes a lot further with Orion women than roses."
Jim paused and looked at him sidelong.
Giotto tipped his head thoughtfully. "I'd recommend a jacket without chains."
----------------------------
AN: Startrekbingo at LJ challenged me to come up with a Giotto & Gaila story, so yes there is a back story (maybe two) and someday I may finish writing it. However, this story actually began with the idea of tech books being Jim's other porn and then Gaila up and decided to pop in and take over (sometimes I have no control over my characters).
SI = Starfleet Intelligence
Ama = Orion for 'Mom'
SERE = Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (a course otherwise known as 'hell')
The reference to Kirk flirting with Tellarites is from my first series of Giotto stories (on ff.net). The idea that losing Gaila would make Jim re-evaluate the way he treated women came after a 9/11 reflection reminded me of Spockchick's 'They dropped like stars, like petals from a rose'.
Please r&r