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Despite the attempts to block or interfere with it, the Khitomer Conference was a great success. The Federation and the Klingon Empire were now on the road to ceasing hostilities with the possibility of becoming allies. There would be many details to work out and, no doubt, there were individuals on both sides who would not take well to the idea. Many still regarded the alliance as an ill-conceived arrangement and the events at Khitomer had illustrated that particular issue in a frightening example. However, it was progress and there was hope on both sides regarding the new agreement. Over time, attitudes and old ways of thinking might just change for the better.
Now, almost a month after that historic event, it all seemed like a dream. Soon Enterprise-A would be heading for home, or at least that's what the crew was hoping for. It was expected that the 'Grand Old Lady' would either be assigned a new crew or retired once and for all. Regardless, an Enterprise-B was rumored to be in the planning stage and might be rushed to completion and service.
Accelerating the building schedule for the 1701-B was due to the excessive pounding the Enterprise-A had taken by the rogue Klingon Bird of Prey. Due to its age, and projected replacement, it was felt that major repairs to the starship would not be necessary. Therefore, rather than undergoing a complete refit, Scotty was tasked with getting 'his bairn' back into service as best as possible. In his words, he had just got everything working when it took a savage beating and he had to do it all over again, one more time. It sounded familiar to everyone aboard the ship and raised a smile as well.
While waiting for the inevitable recall notice, Enterprise was performing normal patrol duties. It was boring work, but it afforded Scotty a chance to put the ship back into a reasonable semblance of a fully functional starship. It kept the chief engineer busy which was more than Captain Kirk could say for himself.
Right now, the ship's commanding officer was 'bored to tears.' Almost thirty days of nothing following all the excitement at Khitomer, Kirk was pacing the bridge aimlessly, causing a few smiles amongst the crew. Before anybody had a chance to actually comment on his atypical wanderings, he decided to leave the bridge and put command in Spock's capable hands.
Taking a walk through the ship, the captain finally wound up in sickbay. Once there, he visited the few remaining casualties who were still under the doctor's care. The more serious cases had been transferred to Starbase Sixty-Seven, but McCoy had insisted on retaining a few just to 'keep his hand in medical practice.'
After a few friendly conversations with the injured crewpersons, Kirk noticed McCoy watching, arms folded across his chest, waiting patiently. Excusing himself from the injured crewpersons, Kirk moved from the main sickbay to the doctor's side. Speaking quietly, he inquired about the casualties. Nodding toward the patients, he asked, "How are they doing?"
Now smiling, the doctor reassured his friend. "Just fine, Jim. Actually, all but one will be back on duty by tomorrow."
"And the other?"
"Ensign Hope Taylor, she needs a few more days. I want to keep an eye on her burns. Don't worry though, she'll be fine." McCoy finished on a cheerful note and a reassuring smile. "Maybe by then we'll be home."
Kirk sighed, "I hope so. I know Spock is anxious to start work as a diplomat, perhaps join his father. Scotty's ready to retire, Uhura has several options open and Chekov is in line for a command of his own. Frankly, I'm bored. Starfleet put us on patrols along the Neutral Zone, thinking the Romulans might try something following the Khitomer accords."
"And you?" McCoy became serious. "I know you have a few options of your own, anything sound good to you?"
"I haven't decided yet, but maybe... an Academy posting."
Now McCoy smiled and patted his friend on the back, "Perfect! You'll be very happy there."
"I'm not so sure, Bones. The idea of working in one place... no deck under my feet..."
Serious, the doctor admonished his friend. "You could wind up behind a desk again. Don't forget your short stint as the Chief of Starfleet Operations."
Now smiling at the thought, Kirk gave in, "Touché!"
The intercom whistled and Uhura's voice interrupted McCoy's response. "Captain, I have new orders from Admiral Pearson."
Taking a few steps to the intercom, Kirk tabbed the control, "Go ahead, Uhura."
"We're to report to Starbase Sixty-Seven, ASAP. Shall I respond, sir?"
"Tell the admiral we will be there and have Mister Spock provide an ETA; Kirk out!" He tabbed the intercom off and turned to face McCoy with a smile of satisfaction. "Looks like I need to make a decision, quick. This is probably our official recall notice." After a moment's thought he studied his friend closely. "What about you? What are your plans?"
Somewhat indignant, McCoy explained, "Well, if you will recall, I had retired once before to be a country doctor back in Georgia. However, somebody, we won't mention any names, interrupted those plans by having me drafted and joining some damned fool mission to find something called V'Ger, remember?"
A very sheepish Kirk apologized quietly. "Guilty as charged, Bones and I am very sorry about that."
"And what about everything after that?"
Kirk looked defeated, "Sorry about that as well, but only to a point."
Just as McCoy was about to protest, loudly, Kirk explained, "I couldn't have done it without you."
After a moment, McCoy smiled back, "And touché to you, too."
With Scotty's help, Enterprise set a new record getting to Starbase Sixty-Seven. Kirk granted everyone a twenty-four hour pass to enjoy the facility but reminded them to be ready for another recall notice. He left the details to Spock and rushed to meet with Admiral Pearson.
Not wanting to take any more time than necessary, he transported directly to Pearson's office. No sense in delaying the good news!
Upon appearing in the admiral's office, he found the man waiting for him, grim-faced. It was not what Kirk was expecting. Extending a hand, the elderly officer stepped forward. "Glad you could get here so quickly, Kirk."
Accepting the handshake, Kirk commented dryly, "My chief engineer 'poured on the coals,' sir."
Pearson moved around his desk, sitting hard and indicating a chair for Kirk. "Please, Jim, we've got a lot to discuss."
Following directions and just a bit confused, Kirk sat. He was uncomfortable with the admiral's attitude and the situation. After all, it shouldn't take a lot of time to give orders to go home. "What's the emergency, sir?"
Staring at Kirk, he adopted an apologetic tone. "You're in trouble, Captain, and it's partially the fault of Starfleet."
Now Kirk was really confused. Just what was going on? "How so, sir?"
"There's been an escape from Starfleet's maximum security facility. It's inexcusable and more than a few people will lose their jobs over this; even more will answer to a board of inquiry."
"But how --?"
Pearson held up his hand. "I'm coming to that. A few of your 'old friends' were the ones who escaped, people you've had trouble with before."
"Unfortunate, but I don't see how they can be a threat to me. After all, I'm on a class one starship patrolling the Neutral Zone. I'd be able to see anybody coming long before they could get to me."
The admiral leaned forward, "Normally I'd agree, but Starfleet Intelligence suspects that the Romulan Empire was involved in the escape."
Kirk was stunned by the news but recovered quickly, vocalizing his surprise. "How are the Romulans involved, sir?"
"We think they financed and planned the escape."
Now Kirk was really taken aback. "Financed it? How?"
Once again, the admiral sounded apologetic. "By providing a ship, crew, intelligence, weapons, supplies... you name it. All for one purpose; get James T. Kirk."
Stunned to silence, Kirk was in thought, "When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago, but we just recently started putting the pieces together and realized you were the target."
"Can you bring me up to speed?"
"Security guards remembered seeing a number of prisoners together on a regular basis. Not unusual, prisoners tend to group like that. Since they were mostly former Starfleet personnel, their grouping seemed natural, so nobody thought much about it."
"Just who is involved?"
Pearson activated his console and turned it so Kirk could read it for himself aloud, "Ron Tracy, Ben Finney, Admiral Cartwright, Dr. Richard Daystrom, Dr. Janice Lester, Lenore Karidian, Valeris and even more. They all blame their problems on you. More than that, they're obsessed with getting rid of their common enemy, James T. Kirk."
Kirk nodded in understanding, "It's an old story with me, Admiral. That's quite an impressive group of people. With Valeris and Cartwright, they could cause a lot of trouble, especially if they are working with the Romulans. How did you find out the Romulans were involved?"
The admiral returned his console to its normal position, leaned back in his chair and became comfortable. "We found the connection by accident. An Orion operative that we use had Romulan contacts and Starfleet Intelligence had been keeping an eye on him. He was working through a lawyer who represented Tracey and Finney. He must have been the contact. The escape was well planned and had a lot of outside help, chiefly the Orions. Since no ship was detected in the area during the escape, we assumed it was either a Romulan --"
"Or an Orion ship with cloaking technology, probably a payment for services rendered. Any hard evidence to support the assumptions?"
Shaking his head, Pearson explained, "No, it's mostly circumstantial, but more than enough to raise red flags all over Starfleet and the Federation. Add to it, their lawyer disappeared at the same time that the Orion did, which was right after the escape. I'd say it's a pretty fair assumption."
"Too many coincidences, right, sir?"
"Absolutely. One more item, we noticed a marked increase in Romulan signals. We're still trying to decrypt them, but no luck so far. Just to be safe, we've increased monitoring and patrols along the Neutral Zone."
"Maybe the Romulans are counting on a distraction."
Pearson studied Kirk and made an offer. "Command is willing to reassign you. We can put the Enterprise in some remote, unspecified sector until this is resolved."
"Thanks, sir, but I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible. We have a slight edge, knowing about the Romulans and maybe we can crack the codes. In the meantime, I can prepare my ship and crew. There may be more to this and we need to find out sooner, rather than later. After all, I can't retire with this hanging over my head. These people could show up anytime."
"You're probably right. I'll inform Command of your decision and tell them to forward any additional information directly to you. What's the condition of your ship, Captain? I heard it took a real beating at Khitomer."
"Not to worry, Admiral. My chief engineer has the ship in good working order. We're not one hundred percent as there are a few areas which are out of service. However, all the important sections are fully functional including shields, screens, weapons, sensors, communications and more. Just don't look too closely at the paint job. Really, though, all I am missing is the main conference room, some crew's quarters and a few non-essential sections."
Kirk stood and headed for the door, "As soon as my people get a brief respite at your facility, we'll return to our patrols."
"I thought you wanted to get started sooner rather than later."
Smiling, Kirk paused, "Admiral, we just came by for some R&R." More seriously, he added, "Better to put in an appearance at a few social venues just in case we are being watched. No sense in tipping off the Romulans, right?"
Before Pearson could respond, Kirk exited quickly. "He's probably right about that, too."
Kirk allowed the crew to enjoy their fair share of a twenty-four hour R&R, then recalled them and headed back out to space. It was quite evident that most of them were disappointed. After all, it had been expected, even by their own commanding officer, that they would be heading home and not back to the Neutral Zone.
A meeting was called, but due to the condition of the conference room, Kirk used the officer's mess room. Present were Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Chekov, Security Chief Ivo, the new helmsman, Lieutenant Litvak, and the new navigator, Ensign Knox.
After explaining the situation, Kirk paused for a moment before closing. "That's all the information Command has at present. Before we determine a course of action, I'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas. Mister Knox, ETA to our patrol assignment."
The petite, dark-haired girl was all business-like. "Eight hours, twelve minutes, Captain, at present speed of warp six."
"That should give us enough time to prepare."
Ivo, the ship's chief of security was confused. Moderately tall but well-muscled, the fair-haired, green eyed man spoke quietly. "I'm relatively new here, sir, but shouldn't we be at red alert? If the Romulans are involved, they could de-cloak at any time and attack."
Responding for the captain, Spock explained, "Your suggestion is not without merit, Chief. However, if we are being monitored as you suggest, it would alert the Romulans to our having been informed of the situation and being suspicious of their involvement. I believe the captain wishes to retain an element of surprise, if at all possible."
The security chief nodded in understanding but still looked unconvinced as if he doubted the decision.
"Thank you, Spock, anybody else?" Kirk was anxious to move things along. The crew was still showing signs of disappointment regarding their return to patrols rather than going back to Earth. Combined with the shock regarding the current situation, he needed them to refocus.
"Wouldn't it be more typical of the Romulans to use the escapees to make the first move?" Chekov was thinking out loud but it struck a note of logic.
Scott chimed in, "Aye, if the prisoners did make any progress, the Romulans could move in and take advantage of the situation. If the escapees are not successful, then they simply become sacrificial lambs and the Romulans lose nothing."
"They can claim they had nothing to do with it," Uhura said. "And even test our reaction, tactics and defenses in the process."
Spock was now caught up in the discussion. "That is a very astute observation and typical of the Romulans. They furnish the provocation, and then claim a new war had been started by the Federation."
The statement raised eyebrows all around the room.
McCoy was deeply agitated and did little to hide it. "Sneaky as usual; got to hand it to the Romulans; they sure know how to create trouble."
"Providing that is indeed their plan, there are other options."
"What about the Romulan transmissions?" Litvak was genuinely interested.
"Mister Spock and I have been working on them," Uhura offered. "They are new and very difficult to decode which makes me believe the Romulans are definitely up to something. The introduction of new codes and their involvement in the escape can't be a coincidence."
"Are there other reasons for assisting in the escape?" Litvak's question was legitimate.
Kirk sighed and addressed the question personally. "Former officers Finney and Tracy plus Admiral Cartwright and Valeris, possess a wealth of useful information. The Romulans may hope to gain intelligence regarding me as well as Starfleet in general."
"What ever happened to that Romulan Commander we captured?" Chekov asked innocently.
Kirk smiled at the question, "We, Commander?"
The embarrassed Russian corrected himself, "I was speaking figuratively, sir."
"No doubt, but last I heard, the Romulan Empire had disowned her and she was being held... somewhere." Kirk was genuinely at a loss.
"At the same facility with the escapees, sir," Spock offered.
Completely taken by surprise, Kirk commented, "She's not listed as one of those who escaped."
"She died, quite recently," Spock offered.
"Care to explain how you knew that?" McCoy's voice was tinted with a mix of surprise and doubt.
"I've been monitoring her... situation, Doctor."
McCoy gave Spock a knowing look and grinned. "Really?"
Kirk glared at McCoy. He was now very interested, "Do you know how she died?"
"Apparent suicide, Captain."
"But not positively, right?" Ivo now took an interest in the conversation's direction.
"Correct, Commander."
"The plot thickens," Uhura commented.
As a former security chief himself, Chekov expanded on the thought. "Another coincidence; now that's too many for me to believe in."
"I agree, but if she was killed, then why?" Kirk was looking at Spock, but the answer came from his security chief.
"By one of the people who were planning to escape, as proof of their worthiness to the Romulans or as payment of sorts to be 'rescued.'"
Uhura added another possibility, "Maybe she was the reason for the escape and she didn't want to go back for fear of assassination."
"And one of the escapees killed her to prevent her telling the guards," Chekov added.
Spock was nodding in agreement, "All distinct possibilities."
Ivo vocalized a reasonable assumption, "So the escapees are working for the Romulans."
"But I wonder if they know the Romulans are behind this?" Kirk was caught up in the conjecture. "After all, they were contacted by their lawyer and he only talked to an Orion agent."
"I agree," Scott added. "No matter what those ex-Starfleet officers may have done, I doubt seriously that they'd knowingly betray the Federation."
"I would agree as well, Engineer, but only to a point. We cannot be absolutely sure until it can be proved one way or another." Spock was adamant.
"Maybe we should look deeper into motivation. Doctor McCoy, any ideas on this?"
"I'll need to check their psychological evaluations from prison records, Jim. However, I'm pretty sure it's not very good, otherwise they'd be in a minimal security center and not in a top security facility."
"Any other thoughts?"
"Captain, do we proceed as normal and wait for something to happen or do we, at least, maintain a yellow alert?" Ivo was still concerned. It was part of his job and he was pressing the point.
Chekov endorsed the security chief's suggestion. "I believe that would be wise. In addition, we should set scanners and sensors to maximum."
Spock explained, "That should not alert anyone unduly. After all, we will be approaching the Neutral Zone within a few hours. Recommend we commence Mister Ivo's suggested measures upon approaching the Niran asteroid field. Extra caution in the vicinity of an asteroid field is not without precedent. Also, it is close enough to the Neutral Zone so as not to cause undue concern by anyone who might be monitoring our situation, yet far enough to prevent any... surprises."
"Agreed! If there's nothing else... dismissed!"
Very quickly, everyone filed out, but Spock remained. Kirk approached him, "Something else, Spock?"
"I am... troubled with our situation, Captain. There are too many variables and unknowns. A logical and meaningful course of action is difficult, if not impossible, due to our lack or facts. Speculation is only marginally useful, at best."
Concerned, Kirk asked, "Any way of obtaining more facts?"
"Uncertain at present, however, I believe Doctor McCoy's research may be of use." A moment of silence was followed by an unexpected question. "Are you doing well, Captain?"
Kirk was surprised by the question, "I've had people after me before, remember? I just don't like the Romulan connection. The situation could get... complicated."
With an extremely arched eyebrow, Spock replied, "Unquestionably."
McCoy was deeply engrossed, studying the console at his duty desk when he became aware of Spock's presence. "What brings you to sickbay, Spock, got another 'seven year itch?'"
A slightly irritated Spock replied, "If you do some basic math, it should be quite evident that I am not due for some time."
Somewhat embarrassed by Spock's retort, the doctor changed tack. "Then it's about our current predicament, right?"
"Precisely. Were you able to ascertain if there was any useful information regarding the escapees?"
The ship's chief medical officer refocused and became caught up in his findings. "I'm not sure how useful all this will be, but Jim could be in real trouble."
"How so, Doctor."
"Let's start with Ben Finney. He still blames Jim for his failures, all of them. There's an added issue, too. It stems from the moment when Jim brought Jaime aboard Enterprise as the orbit was decaying. It put her in jeopardy. Finney now blames the captain for that, too. There are other issues, like not being able to see Jaime and her children. Basically James T. Kirk is enemy number one. Forget the Romulans, Klingons or anybody else. He's driven and focused. I don't think he'd care who helped him as long as he can get Jim."
"And the others?"
The doctor studied Spock for a moment. "Have a seat, this could take a while."
"I prefer to stand."
Shrugging, he continued. "Ron Tracey is another problem. Since Jim stopped his... treachery on Omega Four, he's been in a downward spiral. He's gone from a starship captain to a disgraced and humiliated man. His sole purpose in life is probably centered on revenge. The Romulans have provided him with a means to do so. He'll be a force to recon with."
"What about Valeris?"
"She's a real question mark. She wasn't in custody long enough to receive a formal evaluation. But why are you asking me? Didn't you discover anything during your meld?"
"Very little other than what I related to you and the others during the meld. I could discern no indications of any future conspiracies or connections to the Romulans, at least at that time. I failed to detect any latent hostilities towards the captain or any other similar problems. However, my meld was directed to the discovery of who was involved in the conspiracy and where the peace conference was to take place. The situation was not... ideal for a meld."
A sympathetic McCoy nodded, "I understand."
Spock refocused as if recalling the meld had been distasteful. "What about the other women?"
"From the reports I read, I'd say Janice Lester is little more than a lost soul and unsure of herself. She probably went along simply because it was something to do and she wanted to be part of a group; something to belong to, nothing more than that. She's not motivated by anything, neither purpose nor focus. It's a shame Doctor Coleman couldn't help her, but he gave up a long time ago. It could be that she's not even aware of what she's caught up in.
"As far as Lenore Karidian, she's an unknown factor. No one was able to get a real read on her. She hasn't spoken a dozen words since leaving the Enterprise. However, if she does become a problem, it could manifest itself without warning. She may be as much of a danger to the other escapees and Romulans as she is to Jim, or even herself."
"Please continue, Doctor." Spock was caught up in McCoy's analysis.
Looking back at his console, McCoy continued with his review. "Well, there's Doctor Daystrom, a real strange case. He's been tortured by the guilt from his computer causing the deaths of almost five hundred crewpersons. His idea of the M-5 was to prevent deaths and I can't figure out why the others took him along. He's completely insane, Spock. There's no way of telling what he'll do or why he'll do it."
Taking a breath, McCoy looked at Spock. The Vulcan appeared to be in deep thought as if he were formulating a course of action or theory. "You want me to continue?"
Spock simply nodded in agreement.
"Low man on the totem pole is Arne Darvin, at least that's the name he used. He was the Klingon agent we caught on Space Station K-7. Evidently the Klingons disowned him when he not only failed in his mission, but managed to get caught in the process. If the Romulans are involved, I'd bet they'll kill him out of hand. There's no love lost between the Romulans and the Klingons. He's a weasel, tried to commit suicide several times and that's one reason why he was in maximum security. The other reasons, well, he was a Klingon and an agent. Starfleet Intelligence questioned him several times, but failed to learn anything of consequence.
"I'd say Admiral Cartwright is the most stable of them all, just... misguided. I'd bet he's regretting his actions already. I'm not sure why he went along. Maybe he didn't go by choice. That's a real possibility but just a supposition as the Admiral didn't receive an evaluation either."
"And Nanclus?"
"Again, he hadn't been evaluated, but that was due to claiming diplomatic immunity. However, I'd say he'd do anything to redeem himself in the eyes of the Romulan Empire. If that includes killing Jim, then so be it. He's lost face, prestige, power and respect. That's a real plateful of motivation if I've ever hear it, especially for a Romulan."
Spock's eyebrow rose significantly at McCoy's words. "I believe you are essentially correct, Doctor. The captain may be in considerable danger, especially considering the possible connection with the Romulans."
"So, Spock, what do we do now? How do we protect the captain?"
"Excellent questions, Doctor."
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© 2024 Brad McDonald / U.S.S. Kitty Hawk
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