Star Trek XIV – Tomorrow is Now

Chapter One

Captain's Log, Stardate 2262.53

'After nearly two years scouring the galaxy, we have found traces of a brand new civilisation. In truth, we almost bypassed them but thanks to Lieutenant Uhura's exceptional aural sensitivity, we intercepted what clearly were multiple radio transmissions. The language spoken in them is unknown to us and does not match any existing records in our database but both of my Science Officers on board have concluded that the source of the broadcast must be a technologically advanced society. Needless to say, the crew and I are all very excited about this discovery and we shall investigate it further in the upcoming days. Our hope is that this new species will turn out to be eligible for a potential First Contact. Kirk out.'

Pressing the button on his armrest, he got up and walked to the Communications station to continue listening to the constant audio feed that the scanners kept picking up. He smiled remembering Chekov's candid comment when hearing all the incessant chatter: 'they talk more than my nana!'

'Anything new?' he asked Uhura.

'Yes,' the Lieutenant replied, 'I'm trying to decode it as we speak but I think I got some sort of visual.'

'Visual?' Kirk asked, his interest piqued.

'Yes, sir,' Uhura replied smiling at him, 'the frequency is similar to our ancient VHF signal.'

'They have television?' Kirk asked her.

'It looks like they do,' Uhura replied sharing his enthusiasm.

'It'd be great if we managed to see what they look like,' the Captain commented.

'Yes, it would,' she agreed, 'I'll do my best to make it happen.'

'I'm sure you will,' Kirk replied offering her one of his winning grins. Predictably, she proceeded to roll her eyes, something she knew made him feel oddly accomplished. It was one of those habits the two of them had developed over the years they'd known each other, one they particularly enjoyed.

'Captain,' they both heard Spock's voice coming from the turbolift.

'Spock,' Kirk said turning round to face him. The Vulcan looked impeccable as always and, to others, his face conveyed nothing but Kirk knew better and he could see the longing in those deep brown eyes when he looked at the Communications Officer. The emotion was gone an instant later.

'Captain, it is the end of your shift,' the First Officer announced sounding matter-of-factly.

'Already?' Kirk asked with genuine surprise.

'Affirmative,' Spock replied, 'I am here to relieve you.'

'Ah, okay,' Kirk said glancing at Uhura, 'time does fly when one is having fun.'

'It sure does,' Uhura agreed, but her smile had dimmed a little bit since Spock's arrival.

'Well,' Kirk said trying to keep an upbeat tone, 'we'll need to continue this later, won't we?'

'Aye, Captain,' Uhura replied, 'with your permission, I'll take my leave as well.'

'Granted,' Kirk replied, 'in fact, let's head down to Deck 5 together.'

The Communications Officer hesitated only for a fraction of a second before nodding once.

'Sure,' she added for good measure.

Getting up, she waited until another member of the crew manned her station and then, without exchanging a single glance or word with Spock, she closed the short distance to the turbolift, standing by while she waited for her Commanding Officer to join her.

'Spock,' Kirk said, 'I don't expect any news but…'

'I shall keep you informed of any developments,' Spock reassured him.

'Thank you,' Kirk said holding his gaze with him for a moment. He was going to say something else but, changing his mind, he briefly smiled at his First Officer and said, 'I'll see you in a few hours.'

'Yes, Captain,' Spock confirmed then, in one of those rare, thus extremely precious, human moments of his, he added, 'good night, Jim.'

'Thanks, Spock,' Kirk replied, his smile widening, 'you have the conn.'

'Aye, Captain.'

Kirk joined Uhura and as they boarded the turbolift, they saw Spock primly sitting on the Captain chair, ready to start the Gamma Shift. Kirk waited until the doors slid closed to speak his mind:

'Uhura…'

'Please sir,' she warned him practically stabbing the button to take them down, 'don't.'

'Humour me,' he gently requested.

'I know what you're going to say,' Uhura blurted, 'and I don't want to hear it again.'

'I understand that,' Kirk reassured her, 'but I still think you're making a mistake, the both of you.'

'All due respect, sir,' Uhura said looking at him in the eye, 'but that's none of your business.'

'That's debatable,' Kirk countered.

'Captain…'

'I'm not your Captain now,' Kirk stopped her, 'I am your very concerned friend and, as such, I would really like you to understand that regardless of the Vulcan bond that links Spock and I, he is still in love with you as much as you're in love with him.'

'I know that,' Uhura quietly admitted.

'Then what's wrong?' Kirk asked her, 'it's been nearly a year and yet…'

'You know what t'hy'la means, don't you?' she asked him.

'Of course I do,' he replied, 'it's a bond that transcends all others.'

'Then you should be able to understand why I can't be with him anymore,' Uhura said resolutely.

'I must be pretty slow then,' Kirk deadpanned, 'because I don't get it.'

Uhura stared at him for a moment before taking a deep breath, then, just as the turbolift arrived at destination, she pressed the button to keep the doors closed and, looking very dejected, she said:

'You're right, I love Spock, I always have and always will and I know that, in his own way, Spock loves me too. For the longest time, I was fine with what little emotion I could get from him but, seeing him interact with you, especially in the past year, has made it painfully obvious to me that I was fooling myself. I want more than what Spock can offer me, I also want to share with someone a bond that will transcend all others. Is it wrong of me to aspire to that? Am I asking too much?'

It was Kirk's turn to remain silent for a bit then, shaking his head once, he conceded:

'No, you're not asking too much.'

'Then there's nothing else we can discuss,' Uhura said with a finality that was only punctuated by her opening the turbolift's doors and with a quick, 'good night, Captain,' she just left him standing there.

Sighing, he stepped out of the turbolift, allowing the doors to close with a swishing sound while he watched Uhura turning around a corner and disappearing from his sight. Kirk then made his way to the entrance of the Captain's quarters, absentmindedly inputting his code while he thought of his conversation with his Communications Officer. Now he understood the point she was trying to make, he could not help but to think of a certain very intelligent officer who was now sleeping in his bed.

Did Carol also feel insecure because of his special bond with Spock?

If she did, she had never shown it. In fact, Carol had been very happy when he'd asked her if she wanted to share quarters with him. Even if the quarters in question were the Captain's, Kirk was quite sure that she had accepted to be with him, not because of the extra comfort they offered.

'Jim?' her soft voice took him out of his reverie.

'Sorry,' he whispered while he walked into the sleeping area, 'I didn't mean to wake you.'

'It's okay,' she said sitting up on their bed, 'I was just half asleep anyway.'

'Are you feeling any better?' Kirk asked her sounding a tad concerned.

'Not really,' Carol replied.

'You should go and see Bones,' Kirk told her sitting down by her side, 'you've been poorly for days.'

'I'll be fine,' Carol insisted for the umpteenth time, 'it's just a cold.'

'Okay,' Kirk conceded, 'but if this continues, I will ask Bones to put you on sick leave and you will have to get a full check-up. You know that's what Starfleet regulations mandate.'

'And of course,' she teased him, 'you're so into Starfleet regulations.'

Taking her hand, he kissed it once and said:

'Contrary to popular belief, I find that some Starfleet regulations actually make sense.'

'Oh wow,' Carol gasped feigning the utmost astonishment then, lowering her voice to a conspirational whisper, she added, 'don't' worry, I won't tell a soul you said that, for a price…'

'A price?' he asked her sounding intrigued.

'Well…'

She couldn't name the cost of her silence because, right at that moment, the room's intercom buzzed asking for their attention. Kirk got up immediately telling her to, 'hold that thought,' he then closed the short distance to the wall and, pressing the button, he said, 'Kirk here.'

'Captain,' it was Spock, 'my apologies for disturbing your rest.'

'It's fine, Spock,' he reassured him, 'I wasn't sleeping. What's up? Anything new to report?'

'No, Captain,' Spock replied, 'we have received a transmission from Starfleet Command. Admiral Barnett wishes to speak to you.'

'Oh,' he said then, a beat later, he added, 'like, now?'

'Yes, Captain,' Spock replied and only Kirk noticed the Vulcan's slight amusement.

'Okay then,' Kirk said, 'have it transferred to my private viewer. It must be pretty important for him to contact me directly, so I'll call you as soon as I'm done to tell you what he said.'

'Yes, Captain,' Spock replied, 'please stand by.'

Kirk moved around the thin wall that separated the sleeping area from the small living room where the private viewer was installed. Taking a seat in front of it, he waited until Barnett's face appeared.

'Captain Kirk,' the man said offering him a smile.

'Admiral,' he replied with a sheepish look, 'I hope I'm not in trouble.'

The Admiral laughed softly before becoming his usual serious self.

'Actually Kirk,' he said, 'for once I come bearing what I hope will be good news for the Federation,' Kirk remained quiet allowing his superior officer to continue, 'an emissary speaking on behalf of the Klingon and Romulan Empires has contacted us requesting us to hold talks with representatives from both Empires, regarding a long-term peace treaty between them and our Federation.'

'Really?' Kirk couldn't help but to ask.

'I was as surprised as you are,' Barnett said, 'and more than a tad suspicious if I'm to be honest.'

'Tell me about it,' Kirk muttered almost to himself, 'you didn't buy any of that, did you, sir?'

'I had a bit of trouble they would be so generous all of a sudden,' Barnett admitted, 'but their terms, albeit unusual, were convincing enough to persuade both the President and Starfleet Command.'

'Can I be made aware of those terms?' Kirk asked cautiously.

'Yes,' Barnett replied, 'in fact, your presence there is part of those terms.'

'Our what? I…'

'Kirk,' Barnett interrupted him, 'the emissary suggested we'd meet at our earliest convenience on Nimbus III. He insisted they were open to our own proposals but the President and I agree that it makes sense to meet there since it's exactly in the middle of the Neutral Zone. Their only requirement is that, as a sign of good will from all three parties, each of their fleets must have their flagship there representing them. I find it difficult to argue with that, after all, the Enterprise is more than just a flagship, she is the symbol that embodies everything the Federation stands for.'

'That's right,' Kirk agreed wholeheartedly, 'but we're basically on the far edge of the quadrant, sir. It will take us a week to reach Nimbus III. Furthermore, we've just made our biggest discovery yet.'

'Kirk,' Barnett said with the sort of tone that warned he was running out of patience, 'whatever you've discovered, it will still be there by the time we're done. I don't need to explain what a peace treaty would mean to Starfleet, let alone the Federation. We have nothing to lose and all to win.'

'I can't argue that, sir,' Kirk accepted, 'but I still find it hard to believe that…'

'Irrelevant,' Barnett cut him, 'your orders are to present your ship to Nimbus III in a week from now.'

Kirk bit his retort and, instead, he nodded and making an effort to keep a neutral tone, he said:

'Yes, sir.'

'Good,' Barnett said looking clearly relieved, 'I'll be there too with the Hope so, I'll see you soon.'

'Yes, sir,' Kirk repeated.

'Kirk,' Barnett said, 'I know it's a pain and I know I promised you'd be able to explore the galaxy…'

'Admiral,' Kirk dared to interrupt him, 'I understand, this meeting is very important and the Enterprise and her crew be there ready to do whatever it is required. You can count on that, sir.'

'Thank you,' Barnett said, 'I'll see you in a week, Barnett out.'

'So,' Kirk heard Carol's voice coming from behind him, 'we're off to Nimbus III.'

'It looks like it,' Kirk said turning on his chair, 'Spock is going to love this,' he added sarcastically.

'Yeah,' Carol replied matching his tone, 'I'm not crazy about the idea myself.'

'I'm sorry,' Kirk said taking her in his arms so that she would come to sit on his lap, 'I wish I could do something about it but, orders are orders besides, with a bit of luck, this might actually be the real deal. Who knows? Maybe the Klingons and the Romulans need this treaty as much as we do.'

'You really think so?' Carol asked him.

Kirk stared at her beautiful eyes for an instant and, shaking his head, he admitted:

'Not for a moment.'

Carol shared a worried moment with him before saying:

'Well, in that case, let's prepare for the worst while we hope for the best.'

Kirk just nodded his agreement trying not to think of what "the worst" could mean for his crew.

To be continued…