It had, on reflection, been a rough mission; they had gone to Starbase Eight for some minor repairs to the Enterprise and a much needed period of shore leave for the crew. Admiral Billings had requested a meeting with both Commodore Fallet and himself, scheduled to take up to four days starting the day after arrival. Captain James T Kirk knew it would be a taxing four days so had spent the day of arrival going over files and resting. When he had asked what it was about all he had been told was it was to do with the events that had happened aboard the Enterprise while Commodore Fallet was aboard and when he was in command.

As though that was not bad enough Kirk had no idea where any of the bridge crew were or what they were up to. Upon arrival they all seemed to have just vanished. It was most unlike them but, Kirk shrugged his shoulders, it had been a very trying mission. Some had found it worse than others as Commodore Fallet had relieved them all of their duties by the end of the mission claiming they were all incompetent. Kirk knew he should have stood up for his crew but it was Commodore Fallet, Commodore Theodore Harold Fallet. For so many years Kirk had read about the man and was mildly in awe of him. When the chance had come to transport the man from Station Z-24 Kirk had been almost ecstatic. Command let him know that on the fourteen day trip Fallet would be in command of the Enterprise as it would be his last time to command a starship before he was base-bound. Commodore Fallet had many commendations and was known throughout the galaxy as a man of action. There had just been something about the man that Kirk found totally mesmerizing. As soon as they were free to go on leave not one of the bridge crew remained on the ship and none had told him of their plans. Only McCoy had said he was going to get away for a few days but gave no specifics. He had not heard from nor seen Spock since he left the bridge days ago.

When Kirk arrived at Admiral Billings' office he was shown in and saw Commodore Fallet already there, sitting back and enjoying a drink. "Ahh, Kirk. I am sure you will be able to set the record straight on what happened out there at Bannet Base as we have two very different versions of what happened: Commodore Fallet's report and that from the relieving Base Commander. Briefly, what happened?"

"It was a bad experience in garbled communications. We did not fully understand their message and they did not fully understand ours. We mistook their warning shots to be an attack on us and we returned fire."

"Isn't sending two photon torpedoes a bit excessive?"

"At the time it was believed we were under direct attack, Sir."

"And this was your decision?"

"No, it was Commodore Fallet's but I agreed with it."

"Did your First Officer agree with it?"

"No but he had opposing ideas to how the Commodore saw the situation, even to how the Commodore operates."

"On the recordings of your communications with Bannet Base he can clearly be heard saying it was a highly illogical and reckless action and that more details were required to ascertain why you were fired upon. You, his Captain, were completely, almost contemptibly, dismissive of his comments and said something along the lines of Commodore Fallet being in command and not to question him. What was your reasoning for that and why did you not agree or at least wait until you knew why they had fired?"

"Because Commodore Fallet said it was the best way to deal with the situation as they had fired on us and he was in command at the time."

"On reflection would you still use photon torpedoes?"

"No, but at the time,"

"Did you ever find out why they fired at you?"

"No, they just told us to leave, that they wanted no help."

"And you left?"

"Neither the Commodore or I were willing to risk the ship or the crew so we left."

"Did you feel the ship was at risk?"

"The Commodore,"

"I am asking you, Captain Kirk. Setting aside what the Commodore thought - did you, as the Captain of the Enterprise, feel the ship was at risk?"

Kirk thought for a moment and remembered how torn he had been between what Spock was telling him and what the Commodore was saying. "Judging from the weapons and the analysis of my First Officer I did not feel the ship was at immediate risk and I would have waited. I would have tried to get through the static, tried to find out what those missing words were."

"That is what I thought as you sent your ship's Chief Medical Officer, Communications Officer, and Science Officer to Bannet Base to assist with a Gainine epidemic and to get started on the repair work. That was a very wise and commendable decision on your behalf. Did you stop to think what you were sending them into?"

"Gainine?" Kirk's mind raced as he knew it was a very serious disease but that was about all. It was one of the few that would have any planet, base, or station with an outbreak be listed as out-of-bounds till the outbreak had been cleared. Total quarantine.

"Yes. They have had an outbreak of Gainine there and their communications system is not working to full capacity which is why they fired warning shots. They fired warning shots to keep you away, to stop it spreading. Most of the deaths have been of the very young and the old but it has, as that disease seems to do wherever there is an outbreak, also decimated a third of the adult population. That photon torpedo did a lot of damage as well. When I asked about what you have sent them into I was not referring so much about the disease as the hostility they will encounter. Your First Officer said he was aware of the possibility of conflict."

Kirk stood, "I have to go there."

"Sit down, Kirk. Lieutenant Uhura and Doctor McCoy told me that they wanted to go and Mister Spock assured us he would see no harm came to them. He said he will let those at the base know that he is the senior officer and therefore the one to take the consequences of the action. Doctor McCoy has officially quarantined the base."

"But," Kirk looked at the Admiral then at the Commodore as he realized the possible danger Bones, Uhura and Spock had put themselves in and slowly sat down. "We, we could have sent them aid without,"

"The base needed medical help and help getting their communications relays fixed as it was and after that attack they will need a lot more. I am sure, knowing your First Officer's record, we will get a most comprehensive assessment as to what is needed. Your First Officer gave us the barest of outlines of the situation and requested we have a fully loaded medium range craft ready for their arrival. He pointed out that it was our error that had worsened the situation and that is was therefore our responsibility to do something about it: that the people to go there had to be from the Enterprise. We agreed. He informed us that you two were the ones to ask about the reason for the actions of the Enterprise, that you two would be best to explain what exactly transpired. He estimates they will be back shortly before the Enterprise is ready to ship out. Till then you two are confined this facility, you will now be escorted to your quarters on the Enterprise to get what you will need for the next four days and then taken to your new accommodations. We will discuss this matter more fully over the coming days as you both review your reports. We will address the matter again when the three officers return."

Only then did Fallet speak, "There really is no need for all this. As stated in my report we were traveling with our shields down, thereby indicating we were a non-hostile vessel, we had open channels and received no communication from them and we were fired upon by those on Bannet Base without warning. To let them know that we would fully engage with them it was necessary to show our superiority and while a single photon torpedo might have been sufficient I knew two would let them know who had the power. It has always proven effective for me in the past and it did in this case."

The Admiral looked at Fallet with annoyance, anger, and disgust, "Somebody with your experience and rank should know that there are bases throughout the galaxy where, for any number of reasons, there are no weapons that could damage any craft. You should have seen that Bannet Base only had the standard warning weapons. If you had paused to think long enough and listen to others you would have known Bannet Base has no major weapons and that you were not under attack but were being warned away. They have only what they fired at you to use as a warning. A," he turned his attention to Kirk, "Captain is responsible for all actions on his ship. A good Captain listens to his bridge crew and senior officers before taking action when there is time. An outstanding Captain who knows that an error was made does as you did, sends, again as you did, a core team to assess what his error caused so that repairs can be made."

Fallet said, "We did not receive the standard radio warning. We are not in error."

"You mean there was total radio silence?"

"Yes, the Communications Officer did not report any message from the Base."

Kirk's mind raced back to just before the photon torpedo order was given. Fallet had seemed to become enlivened and then was highly annoyed when Uhura had said something. What was it?

"No," Kirk looked at the Admiral puzzled by why he had not remembered it before. "No, Lieutenant Uhura, the Communications Officer, advised us that there was a lot of gibberish, a lot of static. She reported that she could not get through the static but she could make out the words 'out' and 'gain' being repeated." He looked steadily at Fallet as his mind filled in the possible missing parts, a warning of an outbreak of gainine, "She asked if you wanted it on speaker and you said no, that it would only be a stall tactic of theirs. She asked again and you told her that you were in command. You told her you were going to show them in control and that if she," An odd numbness took over his body and he just looked at the Commodore as the numbness turned into anger, "was so incapable of fulfilling the duties of her position she could leave the bridge."

"Somebody had to, Kirk. If we had not shown our authority we could not be sure they would not fire something more substantial at the ship. I did not need to know there was only gibberish and if she had been as good an officer as I was led to believe she would not have wasted time telling me that."

SilentlyJim Kirk cursed himself for allowing himself to have been so mesmerized by Fallet, for trying to experience how Fallet commanded. He had read of all Fallet had accomplished and had wanted to feel what it was like, a way so different from his own. There had been moments of exhilaration but it had been so different and now he realized the cost of that experience. Anger started to grow in him as he remembered all the times Fallet had accused his crew of not knowing how to do their jobs, the many times Fallet had dismissed them from the bridge for the slightest of reasons. The anger turned to self-loathing as he remembered he had not once spoken up for his crew, he had just let Fallet be in charge. Even when Fallet had verbally attacked Spock he had remained silent, apart from the last time when he had openly supported Fallet and had. No. No he would not think of that now.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me I think I will go to the Enterprise and get what I will need." Kirk stood and started to walk to the door then turned and looked at the Admiral, "You mentioned an escort."

"They are right outside the door."


A/N Thought I would finish 2013 by starting something. . . Hope you enjoy it and have a good 2014.