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Sulu had his hands more than full. Comm point was only minutes away. Two Klingons had jumped ship and possibly wreaked havoc before leaving. Four crewmen were in sickbay, one was critical and he was recently rescued from the Romulans.
Well, hopefully nothing else could go wrong.
Koord was busy at the weapons console with Chekov; whatever they came up with would be helpful, Sulu was sure of that.
David Bailey was still pulling double duty on the computers, trying to run a complete check on the entire system. So far, no further sabotage had been detected but Sulu was certain that evidence of Kef's incredible talents would surface elsewhere.
Both M'Ress and Uhura were working on the comm board. M'Ress was checking all of the Romulan ship-to-ship communications in an effort to locate Kef and Dar, or at least, the results of their actions. Uhura was occupied with searching for a signal from Spock and Saavik, so far without much luck.
Right now, Sulu would give his retirement pay and Scotty's bottle of five hundred year old Scotch, just to get through the next hour unscathed. Well, maybe his retirement pay...
Bailey's tired voice broke Sulu's train of thought. "Admiral Sulu, sir? I've got something."
Jumping out of his chair, Sulu asked, "What is it?" He tried not to sound too hopeful, but it was difficult not to.
The science officer's face was glued to the viewer. "It's not good, sir. It looks like the revisionist half of the Romulan fleet is coming back."
The admiral groaned audibly, "Are you sure?"
M'Ress answered for him. "Confirmed, sir, the subspace channels are now becoming jammed with ship-to-ship chatter. It sounds like they really mean business this time around."
"So it can get worse," Sulu said to no one in particular. "Okay, Chekov, we better bring our full defenses on-line: let's go to red alert."
Now Sulu began to pace around the upper level and stopped at the auxiliary engineering console. With Kyle manning the transporters, Beth Palmer was holding the position.
The admiral questioned the engineer, "How are things in engineering, Palmer?"
She turned with half grin, "Don't worry, sir. Mister Scott and Riley will keep us out of trouble."
It was hard not to believe her bright outlook, but Sulu wasn't totally convinced. He tried to remain optimistic, but maybe nothing else could go wrong... no, better not say --
Once again his thoughts were broken by someone calling to him.
"Engineering to Admiral Sulu."
Sulu returned to his command chair as the two communication specialists had their hands full. Hitting the intercom button as he sat, he responded. "What is it, Riley?"
"We found a problem, sir. Hope you're sitting down."
That didn't sound promising at all. "Go ahead, Riley, I'm sitting."
"The silent stalker has been set to fail."
The entire bridge crew froze at Riley's revelation.
Sulu recovered quickly, "Is that correctable, Kevin?"
"Well, yes and no, I'll let Scotty explain."
In less than a heartbeat, the familiar burr of the Scotsman came over the intercom. "Admiral, we hae a choice ta make. Th' main power coupling ta th' cloaking unit is deteriorating. 'Twill fail completely in abou' twenty-one minutes. When it does, we'll be visible ta every Romulan within half a parsec."
Ready to kill Dar and Kef, Sulu put his anger aside. "What are the choices?"
"Either we wait for the unit to fail on its own or we shut it down long enough to switch over power relays."
"How long will we be visible Mister Scott?" Sulu asked tentatively.
"Just abou' fifteen seconds, sir," Scotty replied.
"Great!" Sulu was beginning to wonder if there was an invisible albatross hanging around his neck. "Okay, Scotty, can you pinpoint our 'debut' to a precise time?"
"Aye, sir, just a moment." He was silent for a few heartbeats and came back with an answer. "If we let it fail on its own, it should go completely in twenty-one minutes and fifty seconds."
Switching his attention to the comm panel, Sulu asked almost fearing the answer. "Uhura, how long to the next comm point?"
"Twenty-one minutes and thirty seconds, sir." Uhura's voice sounded disappointed. "That's from Scotty's mark, sir, so we have a twenty second gap to deal with."
"Even if Spock is a bit early, which is very doubtful, we have a very big problem." The ship's captain turned to his weapon's officer. "Mister Chekov, can our new shields and screens take a pounding for that amount of time?"
Chekov almost swallowed his own tongue, "From the entire Romulan Fleet?"
"Not the whole fleet," Koord interrupted, "Most of them will be too busy fighting each other!" The Klingon ended on a hearty laugh.
Kirk gave an 'ahem' from engineering. "I think if a Federation starship suddenly appears over their home world, they'll forget their differences for at least a while."
"A safe bet," added Chekov.
"If you dinna' mind, I'll be gettin' back ta my work, sir."
"Understood, Mister Scott!" Sulu knew Scotty would be under a lot of pressure to finish the work to repair the cloaking unit and let him get to it.
"Sulu, I'd like to join you on the bridge. I'm only in the way down here. My knowledge of current technology is... limited."
Smiling at the hint of obsolescence, Sulu agreed with the offer enthusiastically. "I'd welcome your help right now. Perhaps with you and General Koord, we can extricate our posteriors from this rather unsatisfactory predicament."
The intercom and bridge became silent until Kirk came back with one more statement, "I thought Spock was still planetside."
Uhura and M'Ress giggled at the comment and Chekov shook his head with mild disbelief.
After Spock had managed to bring Saavik out of her medical crisis, the two had run headlong into another, less manageable one, discovery and retention by palace guards once again.
They could neither talk nor shoot their way out of the difficult situation. And, within minutes they found themselves in 'protective custody.' This time they were on the other side of the palace. However, this room was a bit less secure than the previous room. Nevertheless, Spock decided to remain until the next comm point. Saavik protested vehemently, but Spock's logic eventually won out.
He explained, "Why should we leave and risk capture, or even death, at the hands of less friendly forces?" Spock continued, "Here we can wait in relative safety. Since this room has no security screen of its own, the ship should be able to locate us quite easily."
Another distinct advantage was the larger room with fewer occupants. It allowed them to converse freely without risk of discovery. Although Spock would have preferred to remain silent, he understood Saavik's need to occupy herself in some manner. Such was the way with more emotional beings. It seemed to ease the tension and Doctor McCoy had once commented that it made the time go by faster.
Saavik's face still had a look of deep concern. "Ambassador Spock, may I ask a personal question?"
Spock arched his eyebrow just a fraction. "Commander, I would prefer you just ask the question without the unnecessary preface. If the question is too personal, I will decline to respond."
Saavik nodded silently to acknowledge the ambassador's wishes. "Sir, what made you leave Starfleet?"
Secretly relieved by the question, as it was not exactly personal, he responded. "It became apparent that I could best serve the Federation in a capacity of negotiation and solution."
A surprised look came over Saavik's face. "Was Starfleet really so bad? I thought you welcomed the opportunities that first contact could bring. It was one of the reasons I decided on a Starfleet career."
"My years in Starfleet were filled with many rewarding experiences. In fact, were it not for those many years of work on board the Enterprise, I would not have been so well prepared for my work as ambassador. Saavik, each must strive for their own sense of purpose. It is quite true that my scientific curiosities were amply rewarded by shipboard duty. However, I realized there was more, much more.
"Just before leaving Starfleet, I had achieved all I hoped for including command of a ship which was dedicated to training a new generation of explorers and seekers. What I now seek is to bring together all my past experiences and knowledge to help preserve what we have already discovered. If I can, in my own personal way, foster a better understanding between the Federation and the rapidly expanding universe that we know of, am I not serving to my fullest ability?"
Saavik responded to the question by asking another. "Were you not serving to your fullest ability in Starfleet?"
"Yes," came Spock's surprising answer. "But the scope was somewhat... limited. As an ambassador at large, I have far more opportunities, time and fewer restrictions to devote to the primary Vulcan philosophies of peace and the understanding of I.D.I.C."
"Understood, sir." She shifted her position a bit and then made another inquiry. "Ambassador, why is it you have never bothered to conclude our bonding?"
Spock's eyebrow hit a new high. "I believe you have reached an area which I deem as personal."
"I would agree, except for the fact that you brought the topic forward."
If it were at all possible, Spock's eyebrow achieved another new high. "I was not aware that I had."
"Earlier, when you did the mind meld with me, you left more than a stronger physical being behind. I was also left with a sense of incompleteness. If what you say about your current career is true, your lack of fulfillment can only be due to one other thing. Your mind meld may have saved me, but it also caused me to see you in a different light."
He now was visibly uncomfortable. "Saavik, I think it is best not to --"
"No, sir, I have been carrying a piece of you with me for some time, since our initial bonding on the Genesis planet, it all needs to be resolved."
She was adamant and Spock sensed her resolve, still he attempted to head off her persistence before it could cause any undue discomfort. Worse yet, it might raise suspicion with the Romulans. "Commander, when the Genesis planet 'died,' it was symbolic in many respects. Not only was it indicative of David's death and the demise of the original Enterprise, but it also signaled an end to our bonding as well."
"Not so, Ambassador, our recent meld showed otherwise."
"What you sensed, Saavik, was your own pain and discomfort, not mine."
Her face registered surprise and shock.
"I know of your --" he searched for the word that was so unfamiliar to him "-- feelings for me."
Now Saavik was embarrassed and Spock sensed it. "It is quite understandable, as your decision to bond with me on Genesis was commendable. It saved my life at a great personal cost to yourself. No Starfleet officer could ask for more... nor could any friend. I am truly sorry that as a result of your unselfish act, you were hurt by its long term effect. You must know that I cannot be more than a mentor."
She was crushed by the revelation, yet it was not totally unexpected. "I was sure... there was more to it."
Spock cocked his head to one side. "There was not, nor could there ever be. If you wish, we can return to Vulcan for the formal ceremony of Tir farr, to officially end the bonding. I would both understand and honor such a request."
Saavik stared into the eyes before her and smiled weakly. "That will not be necessary, sir. Now that the situation is clear, I will deal with it in my own way."
"As you wish, Saavik. However, if you change your mind, I will be at your service."
The two sat in silence for the remainder of their time in the security room, until an unpleasant surprise occurred.
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© 2024 Brad McDonald / U.S.S. Kitty Hawk
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