The Captain and the Cadet
2- THE JEWEL OF CORTINA
Chapter 1
"Boy, is that ever a long way down."
Jamie Kirk leaned her forehead against the space station's transparent aluminum view port and shivered. Station T-12 hung above the swirling red and orange planet like a spider from an invisible thread. Jamie knew in her head that the station orbited Planet T-12 just as securely as the starship Enterprise orbited the station, but her heart disagreed. It was pounding like a hammer.
Any second that ol' planet might suck us down into its poisonous atmosphere. Then—
"Jamie, come on!"
Jamie jumped, startled. Heart thumping, she turned and peered past the crowd of tourists.
Lieutenant Sulu was leaning against an educational display filled with scientific equipment, arms crossed. A bored expression covered his face. Next to him, Ensign Chekov was yawning.
"Haven't you seen enough of that frozen ball of gas?" Sulu hollered. "This place is filling up from the ship that just docked. Let's go." When Jamie didn't move, he barked, "That's an order, Cadet."
Jamie knew better than to ignore the helmsman. After all, if it wasn't for Sulu and Chekov, she would still be back on the Enterprise. Instead, she'd managed to sweet-talk the two officers into taking her around the station in exchange for extra shore leave. Her father had quickly agreed—too quickly. Captain Kirk seemed relieved to have Jamie off his hands for the morning.
Jamie pushed herself through the closely pressed bodies and stumbled into the open corridor. "Reporting as ordered, sir," she said. Then she glanced back toward the view ports and scowled. "You made me lose my place."
"Can't you find something better to do than stare out a window?" Chekov groused. "If you want to look at the planet, do it from the bridge."
"Just as you called me they were lowering a sphere from the station into the planet's atmosphere. It's an experiment. I want to watch. Please can I stay?"
Sulu threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. You can stay here ten minutes more. Then we head back to the ship."
"But I get shore leave all day," Jamie reminded him.
"Not with us, you don't. The captain asked us to show you around for a couple of hours this morning, and then we'd have the rest of the day to ourselves."
"But—"
"No buts, Jamie." Chekov added his voice to Sulu's. "We'll finish up here and see that you get back to the ship—safe and sound. The captain should have that inspection team off his back by lunchtime, and he can beam over with you then."
Jamie scuffed at the smooth floor with her shoe and sighed. Those two have extra-sharp memories.
"You don't have to wait around for me, you know," she said sweetly. "Tell me where you'll be, and I'll come find you in ten minutes. I promise."
Chekov's expression brightened, but Sulu punched him. "I don't think so, Cadet. If you get lost"—he made a slicing motion across his neck—"there goes our shore leave."
Lost? Jamie burst out laughing. "How can anybody get lost on a space station? It's just one big circle. If you walk long enough, you end up back where you started. We've seen most of the lower promenade already. The other levels can't be much different. I won't get lost. It's not like I can take a wrong turn and end up on another planet."
"T-12 may be a circle, but it's very big circle," Sulu said. "There are plenty of places you could disappear into."
"Not in ten minutes," Jamie insisted.
Sulu gave in. "All right. Ten minutes. We'll be at the Black Hole. It's on the gallery above the main promenade."
Jamie grinned. I can talk those two into anything!
"One final word, Cadet," Sulu warned. "If you decide to wander off and disappear, I'll send Commander Perry's security team after you. I don't think you'd like that one bit. Clear?"
"Very clear, Lieutenant. I won't get lost." Jamie waved as the two crewmen disappeared into the crowd. Then she turned back to the view port, determined to regain her advantageous position. Scrambling through the sea of legs as only a small child can, Jamie arrived at the window just in time to watch the device from the station fall into the atmosphere. She listened while the loudspeaker explained what was happening and watched as the sphere exploded in a ball of orange.
"Awesome!" A boy's voice rose over the murmuring crowd.
Jamie totally agreed.
Ten minutes later, she pulled herself away from the sightseers and headed toward the Black Hole.
Sulu and Chekov are sure good sports, she thought happily. Now, I just need to talk them into a little more time on T-12.
After all, she hadn't shopped for her birthday gift yet.
Jamie's smile turned to a frown. "Some birthday," she muttered, strolling down the promenade. As usual, her carefully laid birthday plans had gone awry.
The unexpected but joyfully received layover on Deep Space Station T-12 had been a bad joke from the moment the Enterprise established orbit. Base commander John Perry was still offering apologies when the Federation's Quality Control inspection team from Daran V beamed aboard the Enterprise for an unscheduled inspection of the ship.
Captain Kirk had responded with tightly controlled anger to the orders the men shoved in his face.
Engineer Scott had lost control of his temper when the inspection team demanded access to the warp core and anti-matter pods.
Ship's surgeon McCoy fussed and fumed every time one of the inspectors stepped foot in his Sick Bay.
Requests for immediate shore leaves flooded the recreation chief's office.
No one wanted to be around the inspection team, least of all young Jamie Kirk. Staying out of an important person's way was a skill she'd acquired almost a year ago, not long after finding herself "temporarily" aboard her father's starship. She figured if she kept a low profile and didn't interfere with the ship's operations, perhaps Starfleet would forget all about her.
So far, it had worked.
Maybe that's why Sulu and Chekov let me talk them into babysitting, Jamie decided. I'm better company than those grouchy paper-pushers taking over the ship.
She shook herself free from the memory of the past two days and stepped into the open lift to the upper gallery of the station. She did not want to go back to the ship just yet.
Jamie stepped from the lift and hurried down the promenade toward the Black Hole entertainment center. The noise streaming from the establishment gave Jamie her first inkling of uncertainty. How would she find her companions in such a maelstrom of activity?
Cautiously, she approached the entrance and watched a steady flow of customers enter and leave—humans, Orions, Denebians, Rigellians. So many different species! Jamie's heart beat a little faster when she noticed a large neon sign flash a warning:
NO ONE UNDER 16 STANDARD YEARS ALLOWED
Jamie scowled and took up a waiting position just outside the entrance. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with a sigh. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Jamie glanced at the chronometer, peeked into the entrance of the Black Hole, and then back at the timepiece.
Where are you guys? Indecision etched a frown on her face. Do I go shopping or do I go in there and get them out?
Remembering Sulu's threat of sending station security after her if she disappeared, Jamie decided that disregarding the warning sign was the lesser of the two evils. She glanced around then slipped into the darkened area.
The noise was deafening; the sights garish. Jamie covered her ears and stared at the screaming images flashing from hundreds of video monitors lining the walls and ceiling. Phaser fire from holo-games whined. Harsh laughter and alien cursing assaulted her ears. She glanced around for Sulu and Chekov, but they were nowhere in sight.
A huge Orion brushed past Jamie, and she tumbled to the floor. He stopped, looked at what he'd done, and grinned, exposing a mouthful of jeweled teeth. With a meaty hand, he helped Jamie to her feet and patted her on the head.
"Forgive, please." He slurred his words and stumbled toward the bar.
Jamie scurried past the crowd of humans and aliens and ducked into another alcove blaring with the sounds of weapons firing and ships blowing up. Except for a few surprised expressions, nobody seemed to care she was here. She let out a sigh of relief when she spied the Enterprise's helmsman and navigator engrossed in an elaborate video game. She tapped Chekov on the shoulder.
Chekov jumped. He banged his head on the hood of the game and bellowed his shock and pain. When he saw Jamie, he slapped a palm against his forehead. "What are you doing here?" He glanced nervously around the room. "This is no place for kids. The captain'll put us on report."
"Not to mention what Perry's security will do to us if they see her," Sulu added. "We'll get tossed in the brig, the captain will have to bail us out, and then we'll be put on report."
"I waited and waited, but you never showed up," Jamie shouted over the noise.
Sulu brushed aside her accusation and turned to Chekov. "Let's get out of here, on the double. I'm getting nervous."
"Not as nervous as you're going to be, mister." A firm grip on Sulu's shoulder spun him around. The hand belonged to a Ferengi, and he wasn't smiling. Two huge human males—no doubt his personal security guards—flanked him.
The Ferengi snapped his fingers, and the security men each pulled out a neural stunner. "I don't want any trouble, boys, so I suggest you keep still until we're finished here."
Jamie swallowed and backed into Sulu, clasping his hand as she did. "Sulu?"
Sulu didn't answer. He was staring at the Ferengi and his two henchmen.
The Ferengi manager looked at Jamie and sighed. "Personally, I couldn't care less who comes into my establishment. The more business, the more money I make, and on truly free ports this is how it's done. However, the Federation has some very narrow-minded regulations concerning minors and I'm obliged, if I want to keep my license, to go along with them."
"Of course," Sulu agreed quickly.
The Ferengi waved a careless hand at the men's uniforms. "I see you boys are from the starship. Perry is one strict base commander, especially when it comes to Starfleet officers. Bringing an underage child into my place will get you locked up and your captain fined."
Neither Sulu nor Chekov replied.
The Ferengi turned on Jamie. "And you, hu-man child. Do you realize what will happen if Perry's security patrol finds you in my place? I'll lose my license for a month. I could be put out of business."
Jamie hung her head.
"I don't know why you're mixed up with these starship boys," the Ferengi scolded. "But it's time to find your parents and—"
Jamie's head snapped up. "Oh, please don't! It wasn't Sulu or Chekov's fault. We'll leave. You can't tell my dad."
The Ferengi frowned. "Why not?"
"Because," Sulu sighed in resignation, "her father is the captain of the starship."
The Ferengi studied the trio with new interest. He raised a long, slender finger to one of his huge ears and began to stroke it in thoughtful contemplation.
"About those fines," Sulu said. "I don't think we need to be hasty. How much will it cost to forget you ever saw us?"
The Ferengi's eyes lit up. He took on the expression of a sympathetic friend. "Indeed. Why should Starfleet get the payment of the fines?" He smiled suddenly. "I'm sure we can work something out that will be mutually beneficial to all."
The Ferengi motioned his personal guards to leave then ushered the three offenders into his private office.