Huge Thank You to Lone Wolf O'Neill for helping me write this next book. This is the third book in the series and if you are lost read The Day his Life Changed Forever and then Deneva connection. If you don't want to fine the basic plot in those is Kirk had a Jedi daughter he never knew about. Read and Review

CH 1 POOR DECISIONS

ENTERPRISE

The trip to Deneb was long. Too long in Kate's opinion for any civilized species to travel. Kirk's ship may have been fast but it was not like the Falcon that could make it from one end of the galaxy to another in a week. The Enterprise was only traveling across the Alpha Quadrant and it would take almost two weeks to get to Farpoint Station. The travel time did afforded Kate the ability to actually recover a little from her so called injuries at Khitomer. Bones, Reed and Kirk had fussed so much that she actually gave in and took it easy for the first day or so. Kirk had taken the time to revamp the Enterprise work shifts completely reworking Gamma shift team. Their performance over the Jedi incident required that they be integrated and re-trained to promote the most efficient and effective running of the Enterprise. Now Kirk had a Bridge command schedule of one shift on, one shift on call, and two shifts off in a 24 hour period. He would use the night on call shifts to run the drills he promised several weeks back to improve Gamma's proficiency so he could sleep through the night and not be worried he would awaken to Klingons in the mess hall.

Kate thought that the whole on call thing was a joke because if there was a problem he would have to take command anyways so what was the point. The schedule did allow her much more free time and to know exactly how long she had until he would be around to get into her business. For the first time since she had arrived the trip to Deneb was totally uneventful on the Enterprise. Kate used this time to vastly improve what she considered her lot in life. She now had coffee every morning because she either made in their quarters before he came home or told everyone the travel mug was filled with herbal tea to make her feel better after breakfast. She could stay up all night when he was on the Gamma shift and sleep during the day claiming that she was exhausted. Kate's grades were plummeting simply because she did not care about Federation history or English literature and did not do the assigned work claiming headaches. Life was going rather well from her perspective.

"So is Bones going clear you for the baseball game at Farpoint Station next week?" John whispers behind the PADD instead of reading the assigned Biology chapters.

"What game?" Kate's interest is instantly peaked. For a kid life on the Enterprise was turning out to be surprisingly dull.

"Baseball . Enterprise vs. Farpoint station?" John says quietly like it is a known thing. " Apparently Scotty bet Finney that the Enterprise's crew could kick Farpoint's crew ass and since one is a starship and one is a space station they settled on baseball," John explains in a hushed tone.

"Are you having difficulty with something Mr. O'Neill," Adam Reed's voice rudely interrupts Kate and John's conversation.

"No Sir," John says and pretends to go back to reading the stimulating chapter on chromosomal DNA.

"Who's on the team?" Kate asks

"Each shift is picking a team so it's the best two out of three games. Because Farpoint has some kids around our age we get to fill in because you need nine people for a game. Since Erika and Joanna aren't interested we need you." John states like it is paramount she finds a way to make it happen.

"Not a problem," Kate says with a smile and roll of her eyes.

"Will be if you don't stop sleeping all day and keep letting your grades go down the shitter," he says raising his eyebrows sternly at her. "How long do you thing you can keep pulling off I have a head ache every time you don't want to do something. Contrary to you delusion belief….you dad is not that dumb." John imitates a really bad imitation of a girl when he said I have a headache causing Kate to chuckle loudly. Dr. Reed shoots a stern glance their way and they go back to pretending to read. Kate opens up baseball on the GCN and spends the next two minutes learning about the sport.

"I think I would be a great pitcher or maybe first baseman," Kate announces confidently in a whisper staring at Reed to see if he can hear them.

"Nope they are taken. You can be left or center fielder," John offers like he is team captain.

"I am not sitting in the middle of the field picking daisies," Kate says indignantly a bit too loud.

"Miss Kirk if you do not stop talking you will be picking up ten minutes after class," Adam Reed says authoritatively. "Mr. O'Neill that includes you also." It probably would have been more embarrassing if it was a regular classroom but the threat of detention was a typical occurrence when you sat by Kate. Joanna and Erika flat out refused to sit next to her; Cameron avoided it when he could which left John or Ronin to fill the spot. Several times she had to sit at the teacher's actual desk to curb her socializing tendencies during class. Kate watches Dr. Reed from the back of the room. He is a tall and strikingly handsome man with a split personality. When on duty he reminds her of the 20th century actor Denzel Washington with his easy charm, quick wit, and nonsense work ethic. Off duty he is more Eddie Murphy/Chris Rock making you laugh uncontrollably with his stories from home and highly energetic hand movements. Kate definitely likes the Chris Murphy side more.

"Practice with me later," Kate whispers not caring about ten minutes of her life in order to be able to play the game. John nods and Reed just glares. The rest of the class is uneventful and when he dismisses them at 1300 hours Kate is the first to the door.

"Miss Kirk," Reed says before she bolts out the door, "ten minutes please."

Kate rolls her eyes, slumps her shoulders, and tells John she will meet up with them later.

READY ROOM

Kirk waits for his senior staff to arrive for the mission briefing. As soon as they arrive Kirk begins. "Our orders from Star Fleet have us arriving on Deneb V for the dedication of the new Federation Academy of Science building at 0900 hours. In case you were wondering Kate will not be attending." A ripple of chuckles and soft laughter erupts around the table. Although Kate did not purposefully cause trouble, her presence definitely made ripples at the Deneva conference. "I make a speech…yada, yada, yada…and then we kick Farpoint Station's ass at baseball at 1600 hours. Scotty we got the teams set?

"Aye Cap'n but I have left a spot open for Katie. I wasn't sure if the lass would be able to play or not and I didna wanna count her out unless I had to. Has she bin cleared by McCoy?" Scotty asks hopefully. He would never say it to Sulu or Bones but their daughters were a wee bit more girly than Kate and he had to win. He had bet three bottles of his best Scotch on the outcome of the game.

Kirk sits back, crosses his arms, and sighs deeply. No one is going to like his response especially Kate when she hears it but he is her father and has to do what is best for her. "Bones says she is off of all physical activity for at least two weeks assuming she has no post related concussion symptoms. Each symptom resets the clock so bottom line is if she is continues to be fine it is two weeks exactly to the actual day of the game and she can play." Kirk hates the fact he has to be the responsible adult in fun situations. If it was him he'd lie to Bones and not miss the game. He knows the minute Kate finds out she will try to do the same so he has taken himself out of the equation by agreeing to abide by the doctor's orders for probably the first time ever.

"Aye Sir but we got some slim pickins if ya cut the lass out." Every department has an Alpha crew leader and the Enterprise doesn't really have all that many departments. Kirk sees Scotty's worried expression and realizes that they could be in trouble if they have to pull from Operations, Diplomatic Detachment, or Intelligence for a ninth player.

"Work on finding someone but keep a position open for Kate just in case. Moving on," Kirk says happy to get off the subject. "After Deneb V we will be going to Deneb IV where we will investigate their geothermal reserves and try to set up a treaty allowing us to utilize their resources and get approval from the Bandi to build a new Farpoint Station. It will replace the outdated one around Deneb V. Our final stop will be on Deneb II to investigate the accusations of water rights between The Water Holders and the Water Sharers. That should be fascinating and stimulating but the Federation wants it resolved so that our ability to mine dilithium is not impeded by the local population. Get your requests for shore leave to me by tomorrow so that we can rework the duty roster. There are three habitable planets so I want everyone cycled off the Enterprise one time at least. Be generous with leave requests. Once we leave the Deneb system it will be into the unknown regions and who knows when we will be able to do it again. Any questions?

"Aye, does Katie really have any symp'ms that would prevent her from playin'?" Scotty asks and flips the PADD around with the possible players to replace her that he has spent the entire meeting listing. Kirk sees the slim pickings available and it takes all his self control not to run down to Sick Bay and demand Kate's release.

"Parker's not that bad," Kirk says extremely unconvincingly and grabs the PADD to see if Scotty has overlooked anything.

"Sir, you are not planning something stupid are you," Uhura asks leaning across the table locking eyes with her Captain. She knows how competitive he is but even he wouldn't try to get Kate to play if she was unable to just for bragging rights, would he?

"No," Kirk almost squeals indignantly knowing Uhura has read her mind. "Ok look it fucking sucks but she was the one who came up with a half baked plan to transport down to a planet unescorted during a terrorist incident where she got seriously hurt." Jim slides the PADD back to Scotty feeling like a total dick head for presenting the facts in such a manner.

"If she had not done so Captain then the Khitomer incident may have had a different outcome," Spock states defending Kate.

"Granted but if she had not left the Enterprise without permission she would not have sustained her injuries. Fucking tough lesson to learn but if she has to sit it out then she does." Kirk states firmly.

"God Damn you all put me on the roster," Uhura says annoyed. "Parker will not give up the spot if he hears about it but I will in a heartbeat." Uhura glares at Kirk menacingly. "I do not want to play so keep that kid calm, quiet, and have her get medical clearance. I'd hate to show all your asses up." Uhura flips her ponytail over her shoulder and reclines pissed back in the chair. Scotty is smiling because Uhura is a way better player even in heels than Parker.

"Any actual questions about the mission?" Kirk asks ready to close out the meeting. They are planning to practice batting in 30 minutes in the gym so he really wants wrap this up. When no one responds he says, "Dismissed," and they leave the ready room.

ENTERPRISE GYM

Kirk enters the gym and sees Kate attempting to hit a ball into the makeshift batting cage designed by Scotty. He laughs at the manpower his Chief Engineer has put into the Enterprise being successful for this game. Kirk doesn't doubt they will win but has altered the duty roster so that all three shifts can practice unimpeded by work obligations. As he walks closer he sees a male figure wrap his arms around Kate from behind. This completely obscures her body except for her head which the male appears to be either whispering into her ear or kissing her cheek they are that close. Kirk quickens his pace to find out who the fuck is stupid enough to be coming on to his daughter. "Whatcha doing there John," he says realizing once he had calmed down and gotten closer it was John O'Neill. It is obvious that he is teaching her to bat but to be honest Kirk has never seen such a hands on approach before.

"Hey Mr. Jim," John says happily and immediately goes back to talking to Kate. "Get ready and remember to stay tight here," he places a hand on her stomach, "and swing using all your upper body and not just your arms." The ball comes and Kate swings but slightly loses her balance. John is there to support her so the slip is slight but noticed by Kirk. It is enough though for him to break up the little snuggle fest between them.

"Ok you know you have to be cleared by Bones to even be in here," Kirk says taking the bat. Without a bat there is no need for John to be touching his daughter and the boy immediately steps back. Kirk realizes that John would not be that dumb to try and hit on Kate and expunges the incident from his mind. He moves them both out of the way to take the next pitch. The ball comes out and a loud crack indicates it was a solid hit.

"Nice one." John compliments.

"I am fine," Kate seethes at her father wanting to practice more. "Batting is perfectly acceptable. I am not running or jumping or throwing,"

"Fine get cleared and I'll give you the bat back," Kirk rationalizes and hears Kate groan and stomp away. He is glad to see that John does not care that Kate left. They both practice for a few hours because Kirk is the pitcher and John is catcher.

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS THAT EVENING

Kirk sits down on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and a stack of PADD's preparing for a long night of paperwork. Just as he goes to take a sip Kate walks up to him professes she is cured and demands he relay this information to Bones.

Kirk takes a small sip and looks into his daughter's green eyes. "Kate I told you at dinner that I can't just order Bones to let you play. I am the ship's Captain not a doctor." He tries to take another sip but Kate crawls over his outstretched legs and jumps on the couch Indian style bouncing him enough that coffee dribbles over the sides of the cup and onto his shirt. "Ouch," he says trying to balance the cup as the coffee burns his chest.

"But that is ridiculous. You are the Captain and you just tell them. Make it an order. I need time to practice or I am going to suck. And then who will feel bad if we lose the game." Kate commands believing her thought process is logical head bobbing from side to side for emphasis. Kate is annoyed that since Khitomer, Jim has treated her like some fragile doll. Han never stressed over her to this extent and yes she is having headaches, yes she gets dizzy, and yes sometimes can't remember for a second what someone had just said, but she is fine in her mind.

Kirk is amazed at how black and white Kate sees the world. Everything is yes or no, right or wrong, with no gray areas and one person always in control. Kirk figures this is as good a time as any to drop the bomb. He brushes the coffee drips from his shirt and turns one knee onto the couch between them to address her directly. Kirk switches the coffee mug to his other hand and sets it on the table. He knows Kate will not be sitting still long once she hears the next part and the coffee was hot enough to burn him. "Honey I know what happened on Khitomer was not your fault but if you had just stayed on the Enterpri,"

Kate stands up ram rod straight before him and places her hands on her hips defiantly. "This has nothing to do with Khitomer except for the fact that YOU won't let me play to teach me some stupid lesson about following your dumb rules. "

Kirk feels his temper increase every second he is looking at her staring down at him. "No but this has everything to do with consequences and actions. If you had stayed on the Enterprise you would never have been in a position to be kidnapped and shot." He says evenly without a trace of the anger he is feeling. "If you had followed the rules like all the other kids you would not be in this predicament right now."

"If I knew we were going to be playing baseball I would have stayed on the Enterprise." Kate gives a frazzled answer and instantly hears the ridiculousness in her statement. She curses herself for speaking to quickly but damn it Kirk is so fucking unpredictable. One time he yells, one time he grounds, and one time he uses corporal punishment. Kate actually is trying very hard to think about her words and actions because she can't always tell which offense equals which punishment. He can shake her off her game faster than anyone else on the ship including that Vulcan.

"That statement is asinine. You are just pissed because you are not getting your way right now. Yes you saved 36 people's lives. Yes I am proud of you for that but your actions ultimately ended in you being seriously hurt." Kate rolls her eyes and shifts her weight between both feet waiting for an opportunity to counter his claims. "I am not saying you can't play if Bones releases you, but he said two weeks," Kirk holds up two fingers as a visual support to his claim. "After you have stopped having any symptoms for two weeks your cleared. Tonight you almost fell hitting the ball. Your grades are slipping because you can't concentrate, you don't sleep well, and you are constantly having headaches." Kirk rattles off the list of reasons he knows Bones won't let her play.

Kate is beginning to see that maybe Kirk is paying more attention to her than she previously thought. "I am only sleeping in class because I am staying up too late. My grades have slipped because I just haven't wanted to do the work so I fake a headache to get out of doing it." Kate admits her recent scheme. She has nothing to lose. Kirk grounding her from the game is secondary to Bones clearing her for it. Kate knows Bones won't clear her unless Kirk makes it an order. She knows a snowball in hell has a better chance than that happening but she has to try. Kate has never been so unable to sway a group of adults before in her life.

"Then maybe you should have made wiser choices." He drinks another swig of coffee and sees Kate is not ready to end the conversation but he has work to do. "Katherine I told you I am not going to let you play if you aren't released by Bones and that's final." He sets down the mug of coffee and reaches for a PADD signaling the conversation in closed.

"I am playing." Kate says defiantly to him, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows in challenge. Kirk leans just slightly away from her body to turn on the telepresentor and ignores her. Kate stands there for five more seconds before she storms into her room closing the door behind her. Kate paces in her room pissed. Maybe she shouldn't have milked the headache thing like she had been doing for the last week. She flops on her bed trying to figure out a way out of this situation.

The next six days to Deneb V, Kate institutes a new plan. She has breakfast with Bones every morning so that he sees her eating. She goes to bed an hour early every night to try and get rid of the bags under her eyes, and never once complains about a headache even when she feels like her skull is about to split open. It is her only shot in playing in the game.