Kirk frowned as he reviewed Admiral Archer's communique. The older man didn't seem any happier about the news than he himself was. Federation Day this year, the President had decided, would be celebrated with the First Annual Intergalactic United Federation of Planets Space Race. Participants would pilot a small craft along a predetermined course. The first craft to cross the finish line would win. The prize-honor and glory.
More surprising was the fact that he, Spock and Uhura were among Earth's twelve semi-finalists. A qualifying race would be held to narrow down the field to one team-the team that would compete in the Intergalactic race representing United Earth.
He looked up from the report at the sound of the door chime. "Come in," he ordered.
A moment later, the doors parted and both Spock and Uhura entered, each carrying a PADD that Kirk assumed contained the same communique as his. Each slid into one of the two chairs he offered.
"So," Kirk began. "We're going to need a ship."
Spock arched an eyebrow. "Indeed. Might I suggest a design similar to the craft my counterpart piloted?"
Uhura nodded her agreement. "Mr. Scott could help with the engine design," she suggested.
"We don't know the course much less the obstacles we'll run into," Jim murmured. "So we'll need to be prepared. The ship will need to be able to withstand just about anything. Spock, consult with Scotty on possible designs. Uhura, you and I are going to do a little research on the candidates. We need to know who we're up against-any strengths, weaknesses, piloting styles-all the information we can get."
# # #
Kirk took a sip of his coffee, his reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose as he studied the profiles of the other candidates. He chuckled softly as he came across one name in particular.
"Finnegan, you son of a bitch," he murmured. At Uhura's frown, he explained. "Gave me hell during Command training at the Academy. He was constantly trying to sabotage me so I'd quit. Still can't get over the fact that I got command of the fleet's pride ship over him."
Uhura grinned. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. What do you know about him?"
Kirk paused thoughtful. "He's arrogant and self-righteous, but he's a clever bastard. Every time I tried to get him back, he always somehow figured it out. The only problem is he relies on the element of surprise. I know him well enough that a lot of what he does isn't much of a surprise to me anymore. You recognize anyone?"
She nodded. "Marcella DiFalco. We had a few classes together, but she has a reputation for being one of the best pilots in the fleet. She could give Hikaru a run for his money. But she's so convinced that she's the absolute best that she never double checks her calculations."
Kirk raised an eyebrow. "Plenty of room for error there. Gary Mitchell. He was my best friend back at the Academy. He helped me with a few assignments. He never did forgive me for picking Spock over him for the XO spot here on Enterprise. He's a master at strategy, but is always looking over his shoulder waiting for someone to stab him in the back. He's so paranoid that he sometimes misses what's right in front of him."
"Sounds like you have a lot of personal history with some of these people," she observed.
A lopsided grin crossed his lips. "Yeah. But are you really surprised?"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "Ilya Nikolaievich."
"I think Chekov mentioned her once," he replied thoughtfully. "She was entering her final year when they gave me command of the Enterprise. I'll have to see what else he knows about her."
With a nod, Uhura moved to the next name on the list. "Matthew Decker."
"Another guy I pissed off by getting Enterprise," Kirk murmured. "He was the prime candidate until I came along. They weren't going to promote him at first because the Admiralty said he was subordinate and didn't follow orders. He took command of the Constitution last year I think. He's a cunning son of a bitch. His unconventional tactics make him a real challenge to pin down, but he tends to underestimate the power of conventional methods."
He studied the list again, grinning. "Benjamin Finney. I had a few classes with him at the Academy. According to his record, he was one of the youngest officers to serve as an instructor at the Academy. We were friends for awhile until I pointed out an error in his equation in class one day.
"Naturally, he didn't like a student correcting him so he failed me and I had to re-take the class with a different instructor. They took the grade off my record, though, when I presented them with evidence that he'd only failed me because he didn't like me. Honestly, I'm surprised he's on this list because they stripped him of his teaching position and last I heard, he was serving on some backwater deep space assignment."
Uhura raised an eyebrow. "So basically another arrogant 'I can't possibly be wrong' asshole, right?"
Kirk nodded. "Karen Archer." He froze. "The Admiral's daughter? Well, I'll be damned. I thought she'd resigned her commission to care for her dying husband."
Uhura shrugged. "I don't know much about her. Do you?"
Shaking his head, Kirk made a mental note to ask around. He smirked at yet another familiar name on the list. "Lee Kelso. Another friend from the Academy. I was planning to add him to the Helm rotation when he graduated, but Decker scooped him up before I could. Smart kid, if not a bit naïve."
"Janet Hunter," Uhura continued.
Kirk blushed. "We had a bit of a fling at the Academy," he murmured. "Nothing serious." Clearing his throat, he added, "She had her first command at 15. She's a bit of a hardass, but everyone likes her. Downside, she's kinda frigid and sometimes just doesn't get it. She wouldn't do well in a team scenario. And last but not least, David Bailey."
It was Uhura's turn to blush. "We were involved for a bit before Spock and I-" She swallowed roughly. "He graduated this last May and got assigned to the Carolina. He's a great pilot, but he's easily distracted."
Kirk smirked, causing her blush to deepen. "Is that an objective analysis, Lieutenant, or a personal one?"
She glared at him. "Objective, Captain," she ground out.
Kirk chuckled. "I don't recognize the rest of these. We'll have to dig a bit deeper into their personnel files. For now, let's go see what Spock and Scotty have come up with for the ship."
Both stood and exited the Mess, heading toward Engineering.