Jim Kirk and his crew had succeeded at their mission which was to take Chancellor Gorkon back to Kronos, the Klingon Home world. Gorkon had been at the peace talks on Pacifica when Jim and his crew arrived after a confrontation with a monstrous ship that kidnapped ships and stripped them of their value, and they were never seen or heard from again, nor were the crew members of those ships…at least until Jim and his crew were captured. They had escaped, and had then been sent on a mission to take the gigantic ship, but had failed because the Nausicaan, Heegat, had set the ship on self-destruct. Jim had been lucky to find the timer before they did not have any time to escape. They had had another run-in with Heegat on Pacifica, as he used Leonard McCoy as bait to get Jim out into the wilderness of Pacifica. However, Spock and the others had employed the help of the Klingons who were there, who had also helped them on their mission to take that big ship.
They had, surprisingly, not had any trouble on their journey to Kronos. Gorkon had invited Jim down to the planet to visit…
"I'm not sure I want to go down there," Jim said as he talked with Spock and Doctor McCoy.
"Captain, I believe it would show that you are accepting the treaty with the Klingons," Spock replied. "The chancellor has assured you that you will be safe, and I have seen no reason that we should not trust him."
"It's not the chancellor that I don't trust, and I know his word is trustworthy, but he's not the only one involved here."
"That's the truth," Bones agreed. "Even the chancellor doesn't know everyone down there. I'm not sure you should go. I mean, later on when everything is settled down and maybe he'll have all the kinks worked out and all the hostile Klingons at bay, or out."
Jim thought about that. He supposed there would come a time when the Klingons would be more accepting. "What am I supposed to say?" he asked. "I don't want to offend him."
"I would not tell him that you are uncomfortable with being there," Spock declared. "That could be seen as an insult."
"Well, maybe I could just go down there and greet them, say 'oh, what a lovely planet', talk a little while, and leave. I mean, I don't have to stay overnight."
"I'd leave off that part about the lovely planet," Bones said. "They'll know you're lying. And what if they want you to eat with them?"
"Bones, do you have to think of the worst?"
"You know that nobody in this galaxy can do anything without eating before or after it."
"I just think this is a disaster waiting to happen. There are too many ways to cause offense."
"Captain, you must simply be careful how you respond. You should take Lieutenant Uhura with you. She will understand everything that is said and can help you in knowing what to do."
Jim nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Jim was quite nervous as he accepted Chancellor Gorkon's invitation to visit Kronos. Uhura had assured him that she would help him with everything, and make sure they left without causing any offenses. He would just have to trust her.
Later that day, Jim was in his dress uniform, and Uhura met him at the transporter pad, also wearing her dress uniform. "Relax, Captain," she said. "This won't be as scary as you think."
"Scary?" Jim asked. "I never said anything about scary. It's just…" He paused a moment. "Yeah, it is scary."
Uhura smiled and walked onto the transporter pad. Jim stepped up next. He had already said goodbye to Carol and Alex, but she walked into the room just before Jim said "Energize."
Jim waved to her as he was surrounded by light, and soon, he was down on a planet that he thought he would surely never see again. The city they were in now was not what he had expected either, although it was rather dark. The buildings were constructed from black material that resembled black stone. A Klingon "troop", or that's what Jim would have called it, was waiting for them when they arrived. Jim knew he had to stop being so nervous when he saw Klingons, but they were intimidating. However, one stepped out from among the others. Uhura swallowed hard as this reminded her of the last time she was on Kronos, even though she knew this was not the same situation. She could hear the captain's nervous breathing and wished she could tell him to relax, but she would not be rude.
The Klingon who stepped out walked right up to them and then removed his helmet. Jim tried not to show how relieved he was that it was Grakar. Grakar looked rather amused…if a Klingon could look amused. "Who did you expect to see, Captain Kirk?" he asked with his booming voice.
Jim cleared his throat to make sure he still had a voice to speak with and it would not crack. He did not want to stutter here in front of this whole group of Klingons. "Friends," he finally said.
Uhura almost smiled. She thought that was the right thing to say, and it seemed to please the Klingons. Grakar slapped his fist across his chest and bowed slightly. "You will come with us," he said. "We will protect you while you are here."
"Good. That's good."
"There are those who would do you great harm because of your last visit to Kronos."
Jim thought his anxiety tripled with that statement. Great harm? Korax and Kor removed their helmets next to let Jim know they were there as well. He thought maybe he felt a little better now, because he knew they respected him. "You will see that there have been many damaging battles during the civil war," Grakar said as they walked. "We will be triumphant and the Klingons will become part of the rest of the galaxy."
Jim nodded. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked at Uhura. He had forgotten to even introduce her. "This is Lieutenant Uhura, my communications officer aboard my ship."
"I knew it was not Commander Spock," Korax remarked.
Jim had never been around a Klingon who tried to make jokes. Then again, he could not say that he had been around all that many Klingons. Most of the time, he had been fighting them.
Uhura was smiling as she looked at the captain. She thought he had made some true friends among these Klingons if they were now joking with him. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It's quite alright, Captain," Uhura replied. She knew how nervous he was when they arrived on this planet. "I can understand why you let that slip by."
"We're surrounded by Klingons," Jim said quietly. "This has to be progress."
"I agree."
"And you haven't had to speak a word of Klingon."
"We have been learning your language for several years now, Captain Kirk," Grakar said. "It is hard to communicate everything one wants to convey through an interpreter. It is not the same."
"I agree," Jim replied. "I would much rather hear what you have to say from your own mouth…no offense to Uhura."
"None taken, Captain," Uhura assured him.
Jim was starting to see some damage to buildings as they walked on toward the capital. He had not expected to have to walk the entire way, but he thought maybe they wanted him to see their planet's capital city, which was simply called "The First City". He could see that the sky was rather dark because of clouds that had a greenish tint to them, and some of them were blue. He had never seen anything quite like it.
They walked across what looked almost like a drawbridge, but was not. It was just an elaborate structure over a deep, dark chasm that Jim could not see the bottom. He could see down into it as they walked. He thought he would be glad when they got off that bridge. It looked sturdy, but after all, they had told him that some wanted to do him "great harm". He could not think of any greater harm that could be done to him that falling off this bridge into an abyss that the bottom was not even visible.
Once they were across the "bridge", they arrived at the rounded structure of the Great Hall which was taller than all the other structures around it with a point at the top, and he thought he could see something glistening on the sides as though it were shimmering. Jim admired the details of the construction. He thought the Klingons lived a rather simple life, but they lived on a rather barbaric planet which was probably the reason for their volatile nature. Jim thought his lungs and nose were starting to burn a little. He remembered that happening when he was on Kronos the time when they met up with Khan there, but they had not been there long. He knew the atmosphere had chlorine and some hydrogen in it which was what gave it it's blue and green colors. The one large ocean was even green. Jim wondered if there was water down under that bridge they had crossed, but he did not have time to think of all that at the moment.
Chancellor Gorkon was waiting for them when they all arrived. "Captain Kirk," he said, and his booming voice echoed in the Great Hall. "Welcome."
"Thank you, Chancellor," Jim replied.
"Come!"
Jim and the others followed him and they went into another room which was lit by what looked like torches. He thought the Klingons liked simple things whether they had advanced technology or not. The fire of the torches made the chamber have a reddish glow.
Jim forgot about the way the room was lit when he saw that there was a long table that expanded almost the full length of the room, and it was full of food. He swallowed hard. He knew the Klingons enjoyed lots of foods that were not so agreeable with the human anatomy. Uhura moved closer to him. "Captain, do you want me to speak to Chancellor Gorkon about the meal?" she asked.
"Maybe I can get away without eating anything," Jim whispered.
"I'm sure he'll understand that not all humans can eat Klingon dishes."
"Can you?"
Uhura smiled. "I don't prefer to."
"Well, at least I won't be alone then. Just help me know what might not send me to the medical bay, and I'll try not to eat anything else."
"Okay, Captain."
As the ceremony continued, Jim stood beside the table and he could not help but see the dish of Racht, which was live worms, and they were squirming and slithering around each other. Jim thought his stomach would turn over just looking at that, and he intended to avoid that for sure. Uhura stood beside him. She was not exactly thrilled about the worm dish either, but she knew it would not upset the captain's stomach.
Jim wondered how these meals usually went. He had never actually attended a Klingon meal. However, all the Klingons slapped their clinched fist across their chest and then sat down and dug in. "Have a seat, Captain," Gorkon said.
Jim sat down beside Gorkon. Why did the worms have to be right in front of me? Why? He thought.Jim looked at Uhura.
"Just don't look at it," she said quietly.
"That's easy for you to say," Jim replied. Not only did they squirm but their motions made noise like squishing, wet, slimy sounds.
Suddenly, a large leg of meat was placed onto his plate. Jim stared at it and then looked up to see that Grakar had brought it. "You would go hungry if you just sit there, Captain," Grakar said.
"Thank you," Jim replied.
Grakar slapped him on the back. "Do not be shy! Dig in!"
Uhura almost laughed. Jim looked at her. "This is not funny," he said.
"Maybe not from where you're sitting," Uhura replied. She stood up and grabbed a piece of meat herself, and then sat back down. "Like they said, dig in, Captain."
Jim just watched her a moment, and he could see how the Klingons ate, and they did not hold back. He supposed if they were going to associate with the Klingons, he might as well learn how to get along with them, but he could not eat like that. He was just glad when the dinner was over, and he thought that meat did not taste bad. However, he passed on the worms. They also had some sort of bread that he thought tasted better than any he had ever eaten. He did not want to ask what was in it because he was afraid it might be something he would rather not know.
Next, they followed the band of Klingons to another area where they had a fire built, and they all sat around it. "Tonight, we will hear the story of Korax," Chancellor Gorkon said as more Klingons gathered, with several children among them.
Jim sat down beside Chancellor Gorkon, and Uhura sat beside him. Korax stood in the circle so that everyone could see him in the firelight. "I will tell the story of my brother, Totrak!" he said. He looked at Jim. "And of my friend, James T. Kirk, a brave warrior!"
Jim did not think he had ever been called that. Korax began his story in Klingon, and Uhura told Jim what he said. Jim had not known that he had earned so much respect from Korax, but he supposed he should have known because they had helped him when he went after that Nausicaan ship, and they had also helped the others to rescue him. Korax told the whole story, even how they had triumphed over Heegat, the Nausicaan who had held Jim as a captive.
"It has already been told how you saved the Klingons," Gorkon said as Korax's story went on. "You will always be remembered."
Jim did not realize he had become a campfire story. When Korax was done, he called Jim over to him, and then he bowed. "Now, you will tell us a story of your bravery," Korax said.
Jim had not been expecting that. He did not know what to tell about. "I will interpret for you," Korax volunteered.
"But, I don't know what to tell about," Jim said.
"You do not tell of your travels to your son?"
Jim just stood there dumbfounded a moment. "Well, not yet. I mean, he's…"
"If you do not tell him, how will he know? You will tell our young ones, and then you will know what to tell your own son."
Jim looked at Uhura who just shrugged, but he could see she was amused by the whole thing. He looked at Korax who was waiting, but Jim was still trying to think of something to tell. Uhura came over to him. "Captain, tell about Krall," Uhura whispered. "I think they will like that story."
"Oh. Right," Jim said. He was not sure where to begin with that story, but he just began when they got to Altamid…
By the time Jim was done with that story, he had learned that the Klingons really took their storytelling seriously, and would even cheer at the one who was telling it when they told about something exciting. It was quite an experience, but he was glad when it was over, feeling like he had not done a very good job at that. However, all the Klingons seemed to be impressed as he went to sit down.
"You did very well, Captain," Uhura said. "Especially for your first story."
"Thanks," Jim replied.
When the storytelling was over, it was late. The chancellor invited Jim to stay on the planet for the night. "Thank you, sir, but we have to be on our way," Jim said. "I have definitely learned a great deal tonight."
"You are always welcome on Kronos," Gorkon replied.
"I hope we can visit again sometime."
Grakar, Korax, and Kor were waiting for Jim. "We will escort you back," Grakar said.
Jim nodded and they all headed for the same area where they were transported the first time. "Is there a particular reason why we have to be out there to be transported?" Jim asked, just giving in to his curiosity.
"Because the rest of the city is shielded," Grakar answered.
"Oh." Jim had not known that. He paid more attention around him this time as they walked, although it was dark. He could see the dim lighting in the windows of the structures, and he thought it looked very warm and…different than he had ever expected the Klingons to be. He thought he was not feeling nervous or afraid anymore either as he walked. However, his throat and nose still felt irritated and like they were burning.
They soon came to the place where they were transported the first time. Grakar, Korax, and Kor slapped their clenched fists across their chests as they stood in front of Jim and Uhura. "Be safe, my friend," Korax said.
"You too," Jim replied.
Just as Jim was about to call the Enterprise, a laser bolt hit his communicator, knocking it from his hand, and it almost hit Uhura. They both hit the floor, and tried to scramble for a place to hide as more laser fire came that way. Jim had no idea who could be there shooting at them, but the three Klingons who had escorted them were returning fire.
Jim could see his communicator which he had to have in order to contact the Enterprise. He ran for another cover, just barely avoiding getting shot. He got behind a pillar, and the communicator was about five feet away but he would be out in the open if he ran for it. He waited for his opportunity and then ran for the communicator, but he was almost hit by laser fire as he went, and could not stop to get it. He dived for cover again, trying to cause the communicator to skid that way. However, when he got where he was going, he met up with a Klingon.
The Klingon slammed his forearm into Jim's chest, knocking him to the floor on his back. Jim lay there a moment as he was addled, but then the Klingon started to grab him by the collars to jerk him up. Jim rolled away from him, and the Klingon tried to stomp his leg, but he missed.
Jim tried to scramble away from the Klingon and got behind what looked like a table. The Klingon yelled something at him in his own language. Jim could see Uhura moving that way, but he did not know what she would do because they had no weapons with them.
Kor was also coming that way while Grakar and Korax were still engaged in a firefight with the others. Kor finally made it over to the other Klingon and they faced each other. Jim just stayed where he was and watched the furious Klingon fight, which ended with Kor being victorious.
Jim came from behind the table. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Kor simply nodded since he could not talk. Suddenly, there was another Klingon who had a blaster in his hand. Kor grabbed Jim and jerked him in front of him so that he would be between Jim and the other Klingon. Jim was horrified as the other Klingon fired and the bolts hit Kor in the back, but then Korax took out the other Klingon.
Kor stood there a moment seeming to gasp for air slightly. He looked down at Jim and slapped his clenched fist across his chest and then fell. "NO!" Jim yelled. He fell beside Kor, but Kor died there.
Korax was there as well. Uhura had seen what happened, and she got over to them now that the firing had stopped where they were. She could see how upset Jim was about this turn of events. However, their worries were not over yet as another wave of Klingons came into the room. Grakar and Korax were overwhelmed by the numbers, so they grabbed Uhura and Jim and got them out of the area.
"I didn't get my communicator," Jim declared.
"I have sent a signal to security," Grakar said. "We will have help soon."
They started to go through another door but there were three Klingons there. Two of them engaged Grakar and Korax, and the other went for Jim and Uhura. He slapped Uhura across the face, knocking her to the floor. Jim tried to grab the bat'leth that the Klingon carried, but the Klingon grabbed him by the arm and then kicked both his legs from under him.
Jim landed on his behind and tried to get back up, but the Klingon still had him by the arm and jerked him up. He tried to punch Jim, but he managed to block that while the Klingon still had hold of his right arm, but the Klingon was fast and landed a punch to his stomach. Jim thought he might die, but then he was slammed against the wall and felt like he could not breathe for a moment. To his horror, the Klingon then held him off-balance and stomped his right knee backward.
Uhura heard Jim scream but it sounded like it was cut short, only being muffled. She was still addled from that lick she had received, but she looked to see what that Klingon was doing to the captain. She could see he was holding the captain by the throat. She was suddenly furious and got to her feet. She grabbed a bat'leth that had been dropped and charged at the Klingon. With a yell of rage, she swung the bat'leth at the Klingon but he managed to evade her and then tripped her causing her to fall. He dragged Jim from the room then, ignoring his cries of agony.
Uhura went after them, but she was cut off from leaving the room by blaster fire. She looked toward Korax and Grakar. "He's taking the captain!" she screamed. She looked for the communicator that Jim had lost, and saw it close to the table where Kor had died. She ran and grabbed it and hid. "Enterprise!"
Spock almost stood up from the captain's chair when he heard Uhura's desperate cry. "Nyota!" he said.
"Spock! They're taking the captain! Beam us out!"
"Mister Scott!" Spock said as he did stand up now. "Can you get a lock on Uhura and the captain?"
There was silence a moment. "I'm getting Lieutenant Uhura, but not the captain," Scotty replied.
"Uhura, where are they taking him?"
"I don't know!" Uhura answered. "Why can't you beam us out?"
"Mister Scott cannot get a lock on the captain. However, he is about to beam you out."
"NO! I'll try to find out where they're taking him!"
Uhura left the communicator channel open and ran out the way the Klingon had taken the captain. They had moved on, and she was able to follow them now. She got outside, but it was very dark now. She could not see any movement, but then she heard the captain cry out again. She ran toward that sound, and knew then that they were heading for a hangar. "Spock, I think they're about to try and take him off the planet!" Uhura said. As she got closer, she could see they were dragging the captain toward a Klingon ship. "They're taking him aboard a ship! Spock, are you reading me?"
"I am," Spock answered. "We are still unable to get a reading on the captain."
Uhura saw the boarding ramp on the ship closing. "I can't stop them!" she said.
"We are beaming you back to the Enterprise."
Uhura was soon aboard the Enterprise and she ran for the Bridge. Spock was relieved to see her, but they were both concerned about Jim. "Can you track that ship?" Spock asked.
Sulu was silent a moment. "They're taking off," he said. "And it looks like they're heading off the planet."
"We must stop them if at all possible."
Jim was taken aboard the Klingon ship and shoved down into a seat. He screamed again as his knee bent back its normal way again. The Klingon ignored his agony and strapped his arms and legs to the seat. Then he grabbed him by the chin. "Now you are ours, Captain Kirk," he said.
Jim did not know if he had ever been so terrified in his entire life. He was left sitting there alone, and he could feel his insides trembling as he could not stop tears from escaping his eyes. He finally felt like he was breathing normally again but that pain in his knee had not subsided. Where were they taking him? And what were they going to do to him? He had been tortured by the Klingons before, but he had the horrible feeling that that had been nothing compared to what they would do this time.
Suddenly, the Klingon came back in there walking fast. Jim had the instinct to try and move away from him, but of course, he could not. The Klingon grabbed Jim by the chin again. "You will talk to your people and tell them not to follow," he said.
Jim wanted to be defiant. "NO!" he replied trying not to look as terrified as he was.
"You will tell them, or we will destroy your ship. It will not escape this time."
Jim just stared at the Klingon a moment, and he could see that he meant what he was saying. "Tell them, you are lost to them," the Klingon said. "Unless you want to see them all die." He held the communication device up to Jim.
Jim did not know what to do but he thought these Klingons might have something that they did not know about. "Spock," he said trying to keep his voice from trembling.
"Captain!" Spock replied. "Are you alright?"
"Listen, Spock." Jim paused, trying to steady himself. "Don't follow…" He wanted to scream for them to help him. "Don't follow us."
"Captain, we will not let them take you!"
Jim swallowed hard and tried to put on his most authoritative voice. "You won't follow us!" he said. "That's an order!"
Spock was not sure what to say. He and everyone else around him were perplexed, and Carol had come onto the Bridge. "Jim!" she said.
Jim thought he would lose his composure when he heard Carol's voice. "I love you!" he said.
The transmission ended. "The captain would never order us not to follow," Uhura declared. "Unless…"
"Unless they threatened us," Spock finished.
"We can't just sit here and let them take him!" Carol said.
"We will not, but we will have to find a way to follow that they will not detect."
"Sir, we're receiving a hail from the planet," Sulu said.
"On screen," Spock replied.
Chancellor Gorkon appeared on the screen, along with Grakar and Korax, who were looking plenty like they had been fighting. "I am sure you know they have taken your captain," Chancellor Gorkon said.
"Do you know where they are taking him?" Spock asked.
"It is likely they will take him to Miridian Six."
"The one who captured him is Ja'rod!" Grakar said. "He and those rogue Romulans have come together on that planet because it is on the edge of the Neutral Zone."
Spock frowned at that information. He knew why they would choose such a planet…because if the Federation came into that area, they could be legally arrested by the Romulans, and their ship taken. He had to wonder if that was the goal of this action. He knew they hated Captain Kirk, and they would most likely try to get information out of him, but perhaps they had another agenda. They had to know that they would not just stay away and let them kill their captain.
"We will go with you!" Korax declared. "They killed Kor and they will pay for it!"
Spock was asking himself what Jim Kirk would do. He was certain he would not want to get the Enterprise captured by the Romulans. He could see that everyone on the Bridge was waiting for him to tell them what to do. "We will go after them," he said. "But we must not take the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone. We must form a plan so that when we strike, we will be sure to get the captain the first time."
Bones was just coming onto the Bridge. He knew that Jim had been taken by the Klingons, and he hated the thought of what they would do to him. He remembered the last time he had to treat Jim after their cruelty, and the aftereffects as well. It had taken time for him to get used to Klingons being around him, but he had finally accepted them.
"You may come aboard the Enterprise so that we can discuss our plans," Spock said to Grakar.
"I am ready," Grakar replied. He felt like they had failed, and Kor had even given his life to protect the captain, but then they had still lost him. "They will not kill another friend of ours."