McCoy stared at him, grinning. “I thought you didn’t want my services as a matchmaker anymore.”

The admiral glowered. “I never wanted them in the first place. And my interest is professional. What she’s saying about the Warborn could stir up trouble.”

That was a sobering choice of words. “She has a right to protest.”

“Of course she does. But with every right comes a responsibility. In this case, a responsibility to get her facts straight about her subject. Her misrepresentation of Starfleet’s intentions toward the Warborn could undermine the program before it has a fair chance to succeed.”

The doctor narrowed his eyes. “And that’s your only intention? Just to share your side of the story with her?”

“Naturally.” Kirk glanced down at the image on the slate. “I admire her passion for her cause. It’s obvious that she believes strongly in peace. Naively, perhaps, but I can’t fault her principles. I just want a chance to show her we’re on the same side. This is about remaking the Warborn in Starfleet’s image, not the reverse.”

McCoy thought it over. “All right. I’ll contact her and see what I can do about arranging an introduction. But there’s a catch.”

Kirk looked at him warily. “There usually is. What did you have in mind?”

“Make sure the listening goes both ways. Don’t close your mind to the possibility that she could have a point.” He glanced down at Kirk’s heavy maroon jacket. “She’s certainly onto something about the uniforms. They make me feel like I’m dressing up for a reenactment of the Battle of Trafalgar.”

Ignoring the crack, Kirk studied him. “Do you think she has a point?”

“Let’s just say I can sympathize with her opinion about the military side of Starfleet. But it’s not my reaction that matters here. Just go in with an open mind.”

Kirk tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Only fair, since that’s all I want from her.”

“Is it?” He gestured at the still image of Janith-Lau’s lovely, passionate face. “You’re slipping.”

“Are you going to finish eating?” Kirk asked, annoyed.

“Okay, okay.”

As the doctor resumed his lunch, he mulled over the possibility. Ashley was smart, beautiful, close to Kirk’s age, and a firebrand activist with a deep commitment to peace and compassion, not unlike Kirk’s lost love Edith Keeler. McCoy might have made a play for her himself eight years ago, but she had been too driven by her work to have room for romance, and he’d been looking for something more relaxed and low-stress at that point in his life. But a woman like her could be the perfect match for Kirk after all.

U.S.S. Asimov