A Riverside Christmas Mystery
Chapter two
"Do you hear what I hear?"
Jim Kirk sat in the main briefing room with his chief engineer and his helm officer. Mr. Scott and Mr. Sulu looked at their Captain kindly and attentively. They realized that Jim was having a tiny bit of difficulty with the idea of leaving his ship (even in their very capable hands) for a month while he was on Earth during his Christmas furlough. All of the Enterprise crew was in agreement that they wanted their Captain to have a wonderful Christmas shore leave with his family and leave his ship without any worries. After all, it was the first time since taking over as Captain of the Enterprise three years before, that the Captain had been given Christmas leave.
"Scotty, you shouldn't have any problems. The next two missions on our schedule are milk runs, simply a matter of logistics. Enterprise is to pick up medical supplies from the Regula Space Station and deliver them to the Proxima colonists, then after completing that mission you do the same thing again; pick up medical supplies from Star Base 11 and deliver them to Deneva. After that you'll report to the Jupiter Space Station for maintenance and repair of the Enterprise's exterior letters and numbers. She's looking a bit worn and shabby in that area, Scotty, and that won't do for our beautiful silver lady," Jim said a slight frown on his face.
"Aye, Captain, t'won't do at all. Our lady must always look her best as befits the flag-ship of the Fleet, sir. After all, she is the pride of the Terran Fleet. I'll see to everything, dinna' worry yourself, Captain. Just have a grand time with your Mother and the wee lad."
"Thank you, Scotty. I plan to, and Mr. Sulu, I know you will do your best as First Officer. Did you find a good helm replacement for yourself?"
"Yes, sir, I did, sir. Mr. De Paul is well qualified to replace me for the month."
"Good choice, Mr. Sulu. Mr. De Paul will do admirably."
"Captain, Mr. Scott and I will take extra good care of your ship, just enjoy yourself, sir. We'll keep in close touch with you." Sulu put as much reassurance as possible into his voice.
"I know you will, Mr. Sulu. I'm very much looking forward to spending time with my family. Well, that's it, gentlemen. I hope you and the crew have a very happy Christmas. I'll see you in four weeks. You're dismissed, gentlemen."
Jim made his way back to his quarters. He knew he was being irrational. His ship was in excellent hands; he had the best crew in the Fleet after all, but it was still difficult for him to give up command of the ship for that length of time. Resolutely, he put ship, crew, and command in the back of his mind and began to pack.
His comm console rang and he went to answer it. "Jim boy, are you ready yet?" McCoy's blue eyes were brighter and bluer than usual, a big grin on his face. He had just finished his general medical staff meeting by informing them with great glee that he was going to be away from 'this tin can' for a whole month, glory hallelujah!
"I'm packing, Bones. If you've finished come over and keep me company. Do you know if Spock and Uhura are ready?"
"Uhura was still packing a while ago, and I don't know about Spock. The hobgoblin is probably still packing his test tubes and science tricorder. The man has no conception of fun."
"Bones don't start! I want you to behave at Ma's. Don't bait Spock, she won't like it. I better remind Spock to pack two sets of thermal underwear; Iowa in mid winter is damn cold. Although the farm-house is always cozy and warm, I do want us to enjoy some out-door activities and Spock will be miserable unless he's warm enough. Did you pack enough warm clothes, Bones?"
"Yep, special ordered them from one of those catalogs that specialize in cold weather clothing. I'm all set, Jim. Have to admit I haven't looked forward to a shore leave quite as much in years. It'll be damn good to see your mom and Peter again." Bones' Georgia drawl was thick as honey; it was always more pronounced when he was happy. "I'll be there in a few, Jim. Just want to give Chapel and M'Benga some last minute orders before I leave."
Jim smiled as he clicked off the comm unit. Seems I'm not the only one having a little problem letting go, he thought ruefully. Let's see, Ma's gift is in my duffle bag, Peter's gift already arrived and Ma is hiding it, Spock's Bones' and Uhura's are being delivered to Ma's. What else? My cords, moleskin jeans, sweaters, heavy coat, scarf, gloves, hat, flannel shirts, pajamas,, hiking boots, heavy wool socks, thermal underwear, t-shirts, briefs, slippers…think I got everything. If not, too bad, I'll make do.
He got out his Starfleet issued carrying case, put in his phaser and an extra communicator and locked it to voice command only. He stuffed it in at the bottom of his duffle bag. Jim never went on shore leave without this case. It had come in handy more times than he could count.
His door chimed and he opened it to find Uhura and Bones both weighed down with their luggage. He noticed with amusement that Bones had his full medic kit with him, and Uhura had her lyre case. It seemed that both had essentials they were not willing to leave behind.
"Come in, both of you. I'm almost ready." He glanced pointedly at Bones' medic kit and said, "Bones, this is shore leave at my mom's house. I don't think you need a full medic kit for this visit."
"Listen, Jim. We've gone over all this before. Never again will I leave this ship without my full medic kit. Going anywhere with you, even shore leave, is iffy at best, 'cause as we all know, you are just a magnet for trouble, so I'm gonna' be fully prepared no matter what."
"Leonard is right," said Uhura. She looked lovely in casual brown slacks and a red sweater. "It's best to be prepared." She gave Jim a mischievous look. "I'm bringing my lyre. I thought Peter would enjoy some music and we can sing Christmas carols."
"Perfect. We'll enjoy that."
The door chimed again, and McCoy opened it. Spock stood there, as impassive and serene as always. He carried only one bag with him and nothing extra as far as Jim could see.
"Come in Mr. Spock, we're about ready to go. Did you remember to pack two sets of thermal under wear?"
"Of course, Captain. I accessed the mean temperature in Riverside, Iowa for the last five years for the month of December and the temperature seldom rises above freezing, so two sets of thermal wear is a sensible precaution."
Jim hid a smile and glanced at his best friends. He was very happy they could share this furlough with him, and his mother was thrilled. There was nothing she liked better than a houseful of company, especially at Christmas. Jim remembered all the Christmases of his growing up years, the houseful of friends and relatives, the noise, the food, the fun, the gifts and his mom in the middle of it all enjoying it as much as the kids.
"Ok folks, I'm ready. Let's head for the transporter room."
Jim had planned this trip carefully to reduce travel time. They would be beamed directly to Alpha Centauri BB. Then at the main transporter terminal which only served in-coming transporter traffic, they would be able to buy tickets for a public transport shuttle to Chicago. McCoy was very happy they would only use the transporter once on this trip. The shuttle company Jim had chosen had warp 3 shuttles, so the trip to Chicago would only take about 7 hours. They would spend the night in Chicago and then Jim would rent a shuttle and fly them first to Riverside and then on to the farm. Uhura had requested she be dropped off in Riverside to do some Christmas shopping and Jim said one of them would pick her up later in the day.
Mr. Scott was in the transporter room. "I'll see you off me self, Captain, and here is a little somethin' for your mother for Christmas Day dinner, sir, with my compliments." He handed Jim a wrapped bottle with a bow on top. "I hope she enjoys it."
Jim smiled at his CE. "Thank you, Mr. Scott. That's very thoughtful of you. My mother will be very pleased that you thought of her and I know we'll all enjoy it on Christmas Day."
They all stepped up to the transporter pad. Jim said, "Energize," and Mr. Scott did his magic.
They materialized in the main transporter room of Alpha Centauri BB. It was filled with beings from many planets scurrying to and fro looking for transport. The cacophony of many spoken, clicking, grunting, warbling tongues made their implanted universal translators give up the ghost and they were silent. This area was the central beam-in site for many planets and ships. That there were no beam-out facilities at all was annoying to everyone who had business on the planet, but commercial and rental shuttles going off planet provided most of the income for the residents. The Alpha Centauri BB government and merchants knew a good thing when they saw it.
They made their way out of the central beam-in hub to the map and directory located in the outside corridor.
"I think we should buy our tickets before we do anything else, don't you think so, Spock? It's so crowded here and the lines may be long."
"I concur, Captain," said Spock.
"Jim, Spock, call me Jim. We're on leave now, so please refrain from using rank for all of us for the entire shore leave." He grinned at his First, "I know it's hard for you, but you can do it if you try."
Spock's eyebrow rose to an alarming height. "Of course I can do it, Captain, uh, Jim."
McCoy cackled his disbelief. "Sure you can, Spock. And what are you gonna' call me, Leonard, Doctor, McCoy, Bones? And what about the Lieutenant here? Nyota, Uhura, Miss Uhura? Decisions, decisions, Spock. You're gonna' have to decide. It may be too much for even that Vulcan brain of yours."
Spock gave McCoy an annoyed glance and opened his mouth to retort when they heard, "Jim! Jim! James Kirk! Is that you?"
Jim turned toward the voice and saw Captain Simon Thompson of The Essex striding toward him.
"Simon! How the hell are you? Didn't expect to see you here!" Jim beamed at his friend.
"Jim, great to see you. Didn't expect to see you here either. It's been a while, since the war games."1 That was quite a battle, wasn't it? Enjoyed the hell out of it. What brings you to this sorry excuse of a planet?"
"We're on the way to Earth, Simon. Christmas furlough at my mother's farm in Iowa. I'm trying to arrange transport to get us there as quickly as possible."
"Lucky you! I haven't had Christmas leave in three years," said Captain Thompson. "This is a stop over for us, we delivered some diplomatic pouches yesterday, and we're on our way to Earth. If you're going that way, I can offer you a ride to San Francisco. It will save you time and you can take a shuttle to Iowa from there. How about it? We're leaving in an hour."
"Simon!" Jim's smile lit up the corridor. "That's fantastic. We accept with pleasure. Let me introduce you to my friends. My XO Mr. Spock, my CMO, Dr. Leonard McCoy, my CCO, Lt. Nyota Uhura. This is Simon Thompson, Captain of The Essex."
"A pleasure." Simon shook hands with McCoy and Uhura and mindful of Vulcan touch protocols, nodded at Spock. "Shall we go? My shuttle is down this way."
They followed him down the long corridor to one of the large shuttle bays filled with shuttles of all sizes and models. Captain Thompson led them to a Star Fleet shuttle much like The Copernicus. He opened the shuttle doors and they settled in with their luggage and strapped themselves in.
Jim sat quietly in the co-pilot seat until they took off. Simon Thompson glanced at him. "Guess you heard, that Todd Campbell lost his XO in some freak accident.2 He took it hard."
"Yes, I heard," Jim said, his memory going back to that terrible night, the night Spock had almost died. The terror of that night was still too vivid in his memory. That mission was strictly classified and details redacted by the C in C himself. "Hard thing to get over. They were close, weren't they?"
"Yeah, close friends I heard." Simon sighed. "He's found another XO and things seem to be working out well. Real hard to replace a good XO though, especially if you've worked together for years. I've heard that this guy is excellent though."
"That's good," said Jim quietly. "I'll have to comm Todd, haven't talked to him in a while, since the War Games actually. Not good that, we get too busy to stay in touch with friends." Jim did not share with Simon that talking with Todd Campbell was very difficult for both of them for many reasons.
"There's my ship." The Essex was docked at the main orbital arm of the docking stanchion. "Thompson to Essex. I'm coming in, open shuttle bay doors, and I'm bringing company so everyone put away your poker chips and be on your best behavior, people." He laughed that hearty belly laugh that was known across the galaxy and made his crew love him.
"She's a pretty ship," said Jim, knowing how much all the Fleet Captains, including himself, wanted admiration for the beauties they commanded.
"Yes she is," said Captain Thompson with deep satisfaction in his voice as he brought them in through the shuttle bay doors.
The trip on The Essex to San Francisco was relaxed and uneventful. Jim was able to catch up on Fleet and Federation news, and Spock, Bones, and Uhura talked with their respective counter parts and compared notes with them.
At the Essex transporter pad, Jim thanked Simon. "I owe you one. Thanks for the lift."
"Any time. Have a great time with your family. Hope it's my turn next year," he said.
At the San Francisco main terminal, Jim rented a shuttle and Spock sat in the copilot seat entering the navigation protocols to Riverside. Jim could hear Bones and Uhura in quiet conversation behind him. He glanced over at his friend and thought Spock looked pensive. "You all right, Spock?" he asked softly under cover of the engine noise. "Something bothering you? You seem to be deep in thought."
"Yes, Jim. I am well," answered Spock equally softly. "Indeed, I have been thinking. You may not know, that I do not have any experience with this type of gathering; I have never had interactions with a family in their own home nor stayed in someone's home for any length of time. I hope that I will comport myself adequately and not do anything that you or your mother might find unacceptable or disagreeable, Jim."
Translation, thought Jim, deeply touched by Spock's concern. I've never been invited to stay in anyone's home before and I hope I don't do anything to embarrass you or your family.
He gently touched the blue sleeve beside him and patted it softly. "Just be you, my friend. All of us, Ma, Peter, me, Uhura, even Bones, we all love you just the way you are. So stop worrying." "And," Jim said with his sunny smile, "Don't tell me that Vulcans don't worry, because that's just what you've been doing."
"Yes, Jim." Satisfied, Spock sat back and relaxed. He wondered how Jim always knew exactly what to say to him to allay his concerns. He thought of what Jim had said; that everyone loved him just the way he was. Love was not an emotion with which he was familiar, at least love the way humans described it. But he was gratified to know that these few who were his friends, gave him their love, affection and acceptance; and all of it freely given. No one tried to change him, (except McCoy of course) no one told him how he should live his life, no one told him he was not good enough. It was no wonder that the Enterprise had become his home, and these, his friends, had become his family.
"We'll be in Riverside in a few minutes. Uhura, I'll drop you off at the main shuttle parking where you can get public transport to Riverside down town. Just comm me when you're ready to be picked up and one of us will come get you."
"That's fine, thanks. I do need to do quite a bit of Christmas shopping. I just didn't have time to get to it before this. It may be late afternoon before I comm you."
"No problem. Take as much time as you need."
Jim dropped Uhura off and piloted the ship straight to the farm. His mother and Peter would be surprised when they arrived a day earlier, but his mother would also be thrilled to have them for an extra day.
He saw the farm house below and brought the shuttle in to the back field. His father had always parked his shuttle there and it was still used for that purpose.
Jim, Spock, and McCoy picked up all the luggage and hopped out of the shuttle. Snow was on the ground and it was very cold and they were glad of their heavy winter coats.
Jim led the way to the farm house back door. "We always use the kitchen door," he explained, "and it's hardly ever locked." Sure enough, he tried the door and it was unlocked. They walked in to the kitchen. The warmth of the old fashioned kitchen was welcomed, especially by Spock, but it was eerily silent. The kitchen with it's real wooden cabinets, the large country sink, the deal table covered with a red checked cloth, the tile floor, and the curtained windows, had looked the same since Jim's grandparent's time, and they all resisted the thought of modernizing it in any way.
Jim put his fingers to his lips. He wanted to surprise his mother and Peter. He put his luggage down and walked into the living room, Spock and McCoy behind him. No one was in the living room either. No Ma, no Peter, but from the dining room, he could hear a faint noise. It sounded like gurgling and cooing.
Jim walked through the dining room double doors and stopped abruptly. McCoy right behind him, bumped into him, and Spock narrowly missed bumping into McCoy.
"What's up?" McCoy peered around Jim.
In the middle of the large dining room table sat a baby carrier and in it was a baby, well strapped in and covered in a blue blanket. The three men looked at each other and walked over to the baby. Jim looked dumbfounded as he inspected the child. The baby looked back at him and gurgled happily; a big dimpled smile, showing two tiny upper teeth, broke over the little face.
"Jim, whose baby is this?" asked Bones.
"I have no idea, Bones. I've never seen this baby before in my life! And what is he doing on our dining room table all by himself? And where the heck are my Ma and Peter?"
1 See "Ring of Treason"
2 See "Ring of Treason
Please review...thanks.