Chekov is delighted, both to see his captain again, and because of Hunter's choice of gift. He may not know the man quite as well as some of the other crew, but he was more than happy to help be a part of Hunter's holiday plans to bring the captain a little cheer.

"Your partner has wery good taste," he tells Jim, admiring the matching set of famous novels. "Everyone knows the best authors come from Russia. It's where the novel was first inwented, you know."

Jim is pretty sure that's not true, but far be it from him to step on Chekov's regional pride by pointing that out. "Then I hope you're bringing some of your own along. I might need some recommendations once I'm done with these." Not entirely true either, but he knows how much the young navigator likes to help, and seeing his face light up like that makes it worth it.