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Just after finishing up his shift, and before taking a much needed rest, Sulu paid a visit to Koord. As before, it fell on the Admiral to inform the General of the K'Chor'da. This time, though, the news would be a little better.
As Sulu entered the suite, Koord seemed preoccupied and uncharacteristically quiet. The two sat on opposite sides of the large desk centered in Koord's outer room.
Sulu broke the silence by coming directly to the point. He knew that was the best way to deal with the Klingon. "General, I have some news for you. Just before we detonated our shuttle engines, our science officer picked up an interesting surge, an explosion. It came from the K'Chor'da. She self-destructed, sir. I hope that's good news."
Koord nodded slowly, "Yes, to a degree. If only Dar and Kef had not dishonored themselves, the Empire and me in the process."
"General, what you and the Empire did was to make this whole operation possible in the first place. I see little room for thoughts of dishonor. I agree that is was regrettable that they forced our hand by disabling the silent stalker --"
The Klingon held up his hand in a now-familiar gesture. "Admiral, when this ship returns to Terran space, I will make myself available to the Klingon High Council and its court for disciplinary action. It will mean discommendation, but it's appropriate."
"General, please, reconsider."
"We will speak no more of this for now. Thank you for the courtesy of keeping me informed, Admiral. Throughout this mission, you have commanded with intelligence and honor."
Sulu smiled at the compliment. "It is easy, General, when I'm surrounded by good people."
The Starfleet Admiral turned and left the room without any further comment, but was concerned about the old Klingon.
In sickbay, McCoy and Tavar concluded a brief consultation on the conditions of Kirk and Rameriz. Although Rameriz was the more seriously injured, he seemed to be recovering quicker. The wounds were healing, albeit at an understandably slower than average rate. For some reason, the Spaniard seemed so much stronger, but wasn't that much younger than Kirk.
Kirk was resting, but it was a troubled and unsatisfactory sleep. The indicators on his diagnostic bed were disturbing to McCoy. The only levels not low were those of the brain and they were abnormally high. Just what in God's name had the Romulans done to him?
Chapel strolled in and greeted the two with a surprising amount of energy. "I've certified Rand fit for duty, but I'll check up on her later. As for Ensign Berkley, he's coming along nicely. We can release him from sickbay in a day or so, but will be restricted to light duty. Sobar is doing fine as well."
After she finished her report, McCoy took about fifteen minutes to brief her regarding the condition of the two men. Then he and Tavar retired for the day, leaving Chapel on duty. McCoy was adamant about one thing, though: above all, Kirk and Rameriz were never to be left alone.
As McCoy walked out he thought to himself, 'Tomorrow, Jim, you and I will talk. If I don't find out what is disturbing you, you may not survive.'
Scotty was sitting on his bunk when the call sounded on his door. "Not now," he said quietly to himself. He thought a moment and added, just in case it was important, "Come!"
The door snapped open and Uhura strolled in, quietly.
"Lass, tis good ta see ye, but really, it hae been a long day --"
"Don't worry, I just came to check up on you."
The engineer was more than a little confused, "How's that?"
She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a look that said, 'Just who are you trying to fool?' "Let's start with the Romulans damaging your brand new 'bairn,' just when you had it all put together."
The Scotsman rose slowly and laughed loudly at the remark. "Ye're one for th' books. There's nae another aboard who'd think o' that but you." He gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. "Would ya like ta hae a wee night cap? I got a bit 'o Scotch whiskey here."
Uhura smiled warmly, "I'd love it, Montgomery, and could we talk a bit, too?"
"Aye, that we can."
Just recently released for duty, Rand reported in, but there was little need for her transporter skills at this time. Instead, she made use of her newfound freedom by making visits to the other patients, but mostly to Miguel. Chapel watched the two and smiled. It was good for both of them, but mostly Rameriz. He really seemed to rally every time Rand appeared. Even if he was tired, he made a point of greeting Janice and brightened considerably.
Regretfully, Chapel had to insist on reducing their time together, mostly due to Miguel's weakened state. She informed McCoy of Rand's positive effect on the Spaniard's recovery and encouraged Rand to continue the visits. It was obvious the two were good for each other and, in a way, Chapel was a bit envious of the pair. But she knew that Rand was overdue for her own happiness. Hopefully, things would work out for her.
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© 2024 Brad McDonald / U.S.S. Kitty Hawk
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