Challenge: write a Star Trek fanfic that contains 1701 words, the first word beginning with N, the middle word (851) beginning with C, and the last word beginning with C. Here is my first, hopefully they'll get better. Please let me know if you take the challenge!
"Name?" A deep, scratchy voice asked.
The room was pitch black, with only a spotlight centered on him. He was nearly blinded by the reflection of the light off the table and squinted in response. Soon, he saw a table was at arms length away. It was a metallic silver, with three large, slate-gray poles for support. The chair he sat in was cold, and as shivers ran down his spine his rumpled golden shirt did little to warm him. There was an overwhelming smell of metal and a foul breath. Most disturbing of all was his lack of recent memories. He could remember the Enterprise and her crew, but the events leading up to this were a blank. Why was he here? Where was here? He didn't feel the familiar vibration of a ship, so was he on a planet? How long had he been there? Were there other members of his crew that were there with him?
"Name?" The voice asked again. Who was his interrogator?
He could not think of a reason not to answer the question, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. Had he sustained a head injury that had caused this short-term memory loss? As he reached up to check, he realized for the first time that his hands were bound. He stared at the knot, which looked like the handcuffs from his old earth history class, but were made of a strange material. It seemed like a thick coil with a viridian tint that was flexible, but strong.
"Name?!" This time there was a tone to the voice that clearly hinted at danger if he did not cooperate.
"Where am I?"
"Name." The being was nothing if not persistant and stubborn.
"James T. Kirk." He said, allowing his tone to reveal his frustration.
"Rank?" Annoyed, Kirk sighed loudly.
" Captain- USS Enterprise."
"Serial Number?"
"What is this the spanish inquisition?" Kirk asked, using an old earth reference. Of course his companion didn't care to answer his question.
"Serial Number?"
"SC 937-0176 CEC."
"Open this." A rectangular case was slide over to him. It was a persian orange color, with three thin terra cotta stripes along the top and sides. On the front was a small keypad that he could type on, but no screen.
"How?" He asked, wondering what on earth the password could be for this.
"You know the codes."
"I don't."
"You will not leave until you can open that case." Kirk got the feeling that the other being (for he was fairly sure by now that the other being wasn't human) was leaving.
"But what if I can't?" Kirk asked.
"Then you will stay."
"That's out of the question."
"Then I would get busy if I were you."
"Thanks for the help." Kirk said, hearing his companion leave.
He sat back, wishing they had at least removed his bonds. He tried to think of every possible password for the container, but couldn't think of one that he might actually use. His identification code for the computer? His password for his personal communications? The name of his ship? The name of one of his family members? The name of his most admired teacher at the academy?
The list could go on and on. He decided he would start with some of his official passwards.
Serial number? No.
Codes? No.
Enterprise? No.
Sam? No.
Nothing worked. He tried the names of every officer or friend he could think of. The names of pets, including a puppy he had watched over when he was a boy. Nothing worked. He was getting nowhere, and the case just sat there, mocking him with its refusal to open.
He sat back with another sigh, tilting his head back and letting the light hit his face. It warmed him slightly, but his legs were still cold.
"What could it be?" He whispered to the air. Not surprisingly it didn't whisper back. If he had been the one to make the password for this case, when had he made it? He certainly couldn't remember it, so had he made it sometime recently and couldn't remember?
He reached for the keypad and typed in the most simple code he could think of.
J-A-M-E-S T K-I-R-K.
A snap was follow by a click and he slowly opened the case to reveal a communicator, a phaser, and a datapad.
The datapad was the most interesting item. He considered calling his ship, but curiousity provoked him to look at the datapad first. Did it contain the answer to all this?
He picked it up and opened the only file on it. It was a long file, but Kirk was soon fascinated by the message. It was his voice that echoed around the chamber.
"You are probably reading this wondering what has happened, why you can remember so little, and why you are here. You may or may not remember this, but you are the captain of the Enterprise, a starship. You have to go back to it, but here is what happened to bring you here.
"During an away mission, we were captured, and two men were killed because they struggled. You and one other were brought here by the inhabitants of this planet. We did not know there was anyone even living on this planet, so we were fascinated by the discovery. You were offered the choice to die, or allow your recent memory to be erased so you could only remember being here, but nothing of the inhabitants. Your crewmember underwent the same treatment.
"Your orders are to return to the ship and put the planet on a quarantine status forever. The inhabitants have spared your life, and only want to see that they aren't forced to kill others to protect their isolation. Your officers may question your decision or what happened down here, but you are ordered not to answer any more then absolutely necessary."
So, that was why his memory was gone. His cuffs suddenly slipped off, as if someone was watching and had release him. The door swooshed open and a security officer walked in, looking around with fearful eyes.
"Captain?" The man asked. Kirk believed his name was Peterson.
"We're leaving now Peterson. Your under orders not to talk about this incident to anyone, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" The man nodded sharply in respect.
Kirk reached for his phaser and straped it to his belt. Grabbing the communicator, he moved to call his ship when another door, opposite the one Peterson had walked through opened.
They blinked and through up their hands to block the light that streamed in. Once their eyes had adjusted, Kirk noticed that they'd been released outside. Glancing at Peterson, Kirk walked out the door and heard his comrade follow.
The sun was rising over distant ochre platueas and the dusty mahogany ground. Small, twisted trees with sepia bark were scattered over the ground. Stalks of olive grass poked up by the roots of the trees, casting long, thin shadows towards them.
"It's beautiful." Peterson whispered.
"Take a good long look, it's the last you'll get." Kirk said.
"Yes sir."
Kirk flipped the top of his communicator up and called the ship.
"Captain? Are ye alrigh`? We `ave bin worried sick about ye." A familiar scottish voice said.
"Two to beam up Scotty." Kirk said. As the landscape around them faded, Kirk took one final look at the gorgeous landscape. Too bad his stay here couldn't have ended happier.
As he appeared in the transporter room, he smiled as he noticed Spock and McCoy there to great him.
"Captain, we lost communication with you fifteen hours and twenty-two minutes ago." Spock said.
"What happened Jim?" McCoy said, pulling out his scanner and running it over Peterson.
"Spock, can you see to it that this planet is put on a permanent quarantine?" Kirk asked.
One of Spock's eyebrows rose with curiousity, but he nodded obediantly. Kirk stepped towards the door to leave, but McCoy stopped him and ran the scanner over him as Kirk stood giving his first officer a look over the chief medical officer's head.
"Peterson, you go to your quarters and get some rest." McCoy told the ensign, who saluted smartly and left the transporter room.
"I'd recommend the same for you Jim." McCoy said, a bit less forcefully. He knew demanding something was not the way to get Kirk to comply.
"Do we have anywhere to go Spock?" Kirk asked, wondering if they had been scheduled for anything else while he had been on the planet.
"No, but I will contact Starfleet and ask them where we should go." Spock said.
"Thanks Spock." Kirk was glad to have an officer he could count on to take care of things. He yawned and knew the doctor was probably right about needing some rest.
Spock and McCoy walked with him back to his quarters, but when Kirk laid down, sleep wouldn't come to him. He felt exhausted, but couldn't sleep. He got up and made his official report, making sure to praise the fallen officers and Peterson. He also mentioned the quarantine and said it was due to the unnecessary risk that the planet posed to the safety of those that beamed down.
Hopefully that would discourage any further missions to the planet.
He still couldn't sleep, so he finally gave up and headed for the bridge. As he waited for the turbolift, he was surprised to meet Spock coming off of it.
"Captain." Spock said in greeting. "You're not thinking of going to the bridge?"
"I was Spock, why?" Kirk asked.
"Because Dr. McCoy claimed he would 'have my ears on a silver platter' if I allowed you to work before you had sufficently rested."
"Spock I can't sleep." Kirk said, rubbing his temples.
"Then I recommend one of Dr. McCoy's sleeping potions." Spock said. Kirk looked at his first officer in surprise, but decided to do as he said. Spock followed him to sick bay and conviced him to sleep there instead of walking back to his cabin.
When Kirk woke twelve hours later, he saw the Vulcan leaving. He suspected Spock had been there the whole time, which McCoy confirmed.