Incognito in Sausalito, Or Whatever Happened to George and Gracie – a story about whales, in two parts
Gillian looked at the tank with the single whale swimming through it. She put a hand up on the transparent aluminum. "Oh Jimmy, this wasn't what we expected, was it, boy?"
"Excuse me, Dr Taylor?" The Starfleet officer came up behind her. "Your transport shuttle has arrived to take you San Francisco."
Gillian glanced back at him. "Give me just a minute, will you?"
With a nod, the officer headed out. Gillian put her other hand on the tank as the humpback whale swam by. "I'll find an answer, I promise."
Tiberius the whale, or as Gillian called him, Jim, swam to the surface of his tank and blew water from his blowhole. Gillian tapped the tank and with a deep breath, headed out to save the future yet again.
"Isn't anyone going to tell us why the hell we've been called in?" Captain Kirk looked around at the assembled group. Spock, McCoy, and Scotty.
"Just what I expect after all this time. You'd think we'd be used to it by now," McCoy quipped.
"I heard rumors of some tests on a new ship," Scotty said with optimism.
"Don't get your hopes up. Those young whipper-snappers get the good launches these days. We're relics now and you know it." McCoy's deep-seeded frown seemed deeper than normal.
Kirk looked over to Spock. "You are suspiciously quiet. What do you know?"
"Only that my services were requested here at this exact date and time," Spock responded.
"Ah good, you're all here." The admiral walked in, with Doctor Gillian Taylor following behind. "I trust you all remember Doctor Taylor."
"Hello, Doctor. It is a pleasure to see you again." Spock responded.
The smile on Kirk's face answered for him. However it immediately turned into a frown. "What's wrong with George and Gracie?"
"And hello to you too," Gillian replied. "Nothing's wrong with them now, Captain. But our concerns are about the future. George and Gracie are past the point of being able to reproduce. Which means the species dies out yet again once they're gone."
"I thought your whale was pregnant when we brought them back." McCoy crossed his arms.
"She was, and Tiberius is flourishing."
Kirk coughed in shock, and Spock raised an eyebrow. McCoy and Scotty simply smirked. "Is that really his name?" Kirk asked, even as he failed in stifling his smile.
"Well, we shortened it to Jim, but yes."
The Admiral stepped in. "We've called you together because want you to go back and get another whale. Perhaps even up to three more. We can't take a chance on a repeat visit by that probe."
"The Enterprise is long since retired, Admiral, as are we. Isn't there a younger group you think would be better suited to make that sort of trip?" Kirk asked.
The Admiral shook his head. "No one is better equipped than you. We'll provide you a ship. We trust Captain Spock's calculations more than anything our computers can come up with."
"We'll need transparent aluminum tanks in place for the whales." Scotty noted. "And something to hide the ship from 20th century eyes."
"The tank specifics were ordered by Doctor Taylor and are being installed as we speak. Additional ship specifications will be disclosed when you arrive. A skeleton crew with proper security has been assembled, and you're free to leave as soon as you're ready. A shuttle is standing by to take you to Utopia Planetia. Naturally, all the details of this mission are on a need to know basis."
Kirk nodded. "Understood. Well, there's no time like the present."
"Or the past," McCoy added.
Kirk glanced over at him while Spock raised an eyebrow and finally spoke. "Fascinating."
As the shuttle approached the shipyard, Kirk, Spock, Gillian, and the others stared out the front screen, waiting to see what ship they'd been assigned to.
"Well, I'll be damned," McCoy said with a smile as the ship came into view.
"Oh, isn't she a beauty!" Scotty exclaimed. Even Spock looked on with appreciation.
"That she is, Mr. Scott," Kirk smiled.
They watched as the full expanse of the Enterprise – B came into view.
Kirk let out an appreciative whistle as he stepped on the bridge of the Enterprise – B and headed towards the captain's chair. Spock headed straight to the science station, with Gillian following to provide information for his calculations.
A few minutes later, while Kirk chatting with the bridge crew, McCoy came on the bridge. Kirk glanced at him. "Did everything meet with your satisfaction, Doctor?"
"Jim, this ship is loaded with all the latest in technology."
"Did you expect anything less?"
"Well, not really. But given we're still at the shipyard, you never know when the full complement of materials will be installed." McCoy glanced over at Spock. "What is he so in depth on?"
"The calculations for time warp."
McCoy sighed. "God help us. I can't believe we're going to do this again. At least we're not on that old Klingon bucket of bolts."
Scotty arrived on the bridge, beaming. "She's got a cloak!"
Kirk smiled. "We've got to hide from the natives somehow."
Spock walked over to them all. "Thanks to the information provided by Doctor Taylor, I've completed the calculations for time warp. We can be on our way whenever you're ready."
"Good work, Spock." He looked around the bridge. "All right people, let's go save the whales, again."
"Once more into the breach, dear friends," McCoy mumbled.
"Where are we?" Kirk asked as the crew regained consciousness after the time warp.
Spock scanned the coordinates. "It's appears we've arrived over Sausalito, 2017."
"Are we too late to find any whales?" Gillian asked.
"Scanning now." Spock stared at his equipment for several moments. "There appears to be a 80,000-strong global population. There are several showing together around Hawaii that would be easy to collect."
Gillian sighed in relief. "Those population numbers are encouraging. Now let's make sure we get a couple of females." She turned to Spock. "Are you able to tell the sex from your scans?"
"Yes, Doctor. We can target specific individuals as needed."
Kirk smiled. "All right then, let's get it done."
Gillian stood in the cargo bay of the Enterprise looking into the tank at the small pod of whales they'd transported.
"Do they meet with your satisfaction, Doctor?" Kirk asked as he walked into the cargo bay to stand next to her.
She smiled. "Yes, absolutely. Having this many new members to introduce to Tiberius will go a long way in making sure we can continue the species in our time."
"Our time?" Kirk asked.
"Well, to paraphrase something you once said to me, I may be from the 20th century, but I work in the 24th."
He smiled. "It suits you. When we get back, we should grab some dinner and catch up."
"I'd like that. I think you need to come and meet your namesake. Tiberius would love you."
Kirk regarded the whales for a moment. "You aren't serious about his name, are you?"
"Of course! While you may not be responsible for his being alive, you certainly have a lot to do with him being the first humpback whale born in captivity in the 24th century. That's pretty remarkable."
"I'm certainly glad you think so."
Gillian pushed into Kirk's shoulder. "You're embarrassed. Don't be."
"We should've stayed in better touch after the last time," Kirk said.
"I had 300 years of history to learn, a whole new set of societal norms to experience, and a baby whale to monitor. I certainly didn't have time for much of a social life."
"And now?"
"Let's just see what happens, shall we?"
Kirk smiled. "Sounds like fun."