The Enterprise Incident.
The Enterprise had crossed the Neutral Zone and was safely back in Terran space.
The mirror Kirk, still in his "borrowed" Romulan uniform and pointed ears entered the interrogation room. The Romulan commander, her arms bound behind her back, stood stoically.
"Well," Kirk said, "quite a haul today. A cloaking device and a warbird commander." Kirk slowly circled his captive, looking her up and down, as if inspecting a new recruit. He stepped in front of her.
"What should we do with you? Ransom? What would the Empire give for your safe return?"
"After my failure today," she said, "I doubt they will even acknowledge my existence."
"You're probably right about that. You have secrets. I could make life easy here, if you share the right secrets."
"I would rather die. And don't bother with torture. We're trained to resist."
"I know. I have supervised the torture of several Romulans. They all died before we could break them."
He reached up and caressed her cheek. "As my concubine, you would be an impressive status symbol for me." With his finger tip, he traced her left ear. From the top to just below the lobe. There he dug his finger nails into her flesh. "But, I have no desire to wake up with my jugular slashed.". He looked at the two security guards standing behind her. "Albright, Baldwin, escort our guest, to deck 31, throw her out an air lock."
The two men grabbed her and dragged her from the room. Kirk turned to the bearded Spock, "Anything to say?"
"You are logical. She is of no use to us."
"Good. For a moment there, I thought you were starting to like her." He rubbed his pointed ears. "Time to have McCoy clip these things."
The two guards and their prisoner stood in front of the air lock. Albright opened the inner hatch. The Romulan felt more fear than she expected. Death or torture, she did not fear. But to simply be tossed out an air lock like a piece of trash, was an indignity no Romulan should suffer.
Albright grabbed her and pulled her close.
"Oh, not yet," he whispered, "first we're going to throw you a little going away party."
Suddenly, Baldwin collapsed from a Vulcan nerve pinch. Then Albright found himself staring down the muzzle of Spock's phaser. Spock disarmed him and shuved him through the hatch. With one hand he picked Baldwin up by his belt and slung the unconnsiouss man into the air lock. In one motion, he struck the control panel, the inner hatch closed the outer hatch sprung open. And the two men met a fate that had be fallen many a Redshirt.
Spock dragged the Romulan down the corridor and opened a hatch to an escape pod.
"What are doing?" The Commander demanded.
"Saving you."
Spock removed her restraints, picked her up and placed her in the pod. He began reprogramming the pods computer.
"Seconds after the pod is launched," Spock explained, "the ships phasers will fire and destroy it. Or at least that's what the ships sensor log will show. I'm setting your emergency beacon to a secret frequency that is only monitored by Vulcan ships. We have a colony nearby. There is a small population of Romulan defectors. You will be safe there. When you're picked up, tell the Captain you're a civilian and you are fleeing the Empire. He will know where to take you."
"What about you?"
"Don't concern yourself with me. In reality, I command this ship."
He kissed her and whispered, "When the time is right, I will come for you."
He stepped back and rendered the Vulcan salute. "Live long and be ruthless."
The hatch closed and the pod launched.
Kirk sat on the edge of a bed in sickbay. His normal appearance had been restored. He looked up from the data pad he had been reading and shook it at Spock.
"Do you expect me to believe this garbage?"
"I care not what you believe, just that you accept the conclusions of my investigation. But considering that you're two most loyal bodyguards are dead. Killed by an escaping prisoner and that I have friends scattered across the Empire, and on this ship. Friends who would be... displeased if I were to just disappear. I expect you to sign off on my report."
Kirk's face was twisted into a scowl, it morphed into a wicked grin.
"Well played, Spock. What do I care that you have some Romulan concubine squirreled away somewhere. It'll be you waking up with your jugular slashed." He signed the report and threw the pad at Spock. "Remember this, soon I will regain the upper hand."
"Perhaps. But, remember this:. I have no desire to command the Enterprise, my ambitions lay elsewhere. A very fortunate circumstance for you." Spock made an about face and walked away.
"Very fortunate for you."