James Kirk woke naturally again. He had had many nights with restless dreams as he could not accept that he would just have reacted as he did and yet he had. He could not recall anything more about what had happened while on the surface, what, if anything, he had seen. He had jolted awake one night as he was sure he had heard Spock call out his name in an odd voice that sounded full of pain yet victory. For a moment he had lain still and waited for his heart to slow. He had no idea where the Enterprise was apart from on a shakedown run and was sure he would be advised if anything had happened. Just another dream. He had had one in which he had heard Spock so clearly say, "Jim, I will find the truth." but knew it was a dream as he knew that nobody was to go to Hyterra Four till the next officially approved approach was made. They were just dreams.
Dreams like being back on his. No. The Enterprise was no longer his ship. Although he knew he would never serve again with his friend he hoped that they would stay in contact. Over the years he had come to realize just how important both McCoy and Spock were to him but how Spock seemed to be his other half, his better half. He took a deep breath and stood up. He would not let himself think of how much he was going to miss so much about that silent figure that had always been there. He shook his head, maybe not always but it had been so comfortable he could not think, did not want to think of the time before it was there not what life would be now without it there.
Still one day away from the scheduled hearing. He had been told that all the senior officers had arrived and were preparing for the hearing. Nothing about the Enterprise nor. No. He stopped himself. He had to forget all that. He had to accept that in that millisecond when he had fired his phaser he had broken the Prime Directive. Showing advanced technology. All those other times when he had come close but had stopped. Why this time? It had been a crossbow and not a rifle. How could he have confused the two and reacted like that?
The door opening had surprised him and to see Captain Alliness was not all that unusual as he had visited a few times but always with a guard. "It seems the hearing is to be on the Enterprise. Seems your Engineer can be extremely persuasive." As they walked along the corridors and Kirk tried to think what Scotty would be up to and why it was him and not Spock, Alliness looked at him, "Do you believe your Engineer would really destroy the ship?"
That made Kirk stop and look at Alliness. He had never given all that much thought as to what the crew really would do if they collectively thought of doing something so outlandish as this. Obviously they believed he had not broken the Prime Directive and were going to prove it before a trial. But destroy the ship? For a moment he was quiet as he realized the truth and looked at Alliness, "I have known for some time I had a loyal crew but until now I had not realized what they were willing to do for me. While it is difficult to admit I do believe that if he believed it was an action he had to take for some reason Miser Scott would be party to destroying the Enterprise."
"For some reason your Communications Officer has asked to see me." Allines smiled at him, "I will not allow her to get near enough to me to plant a listening device on me."
The more he thought about it the more he realized that Uhura would possibly have that in mind and that Spock would be in the background assisting, possibly directing, but using Scotty as the spokesman. Kirk nodded to himself, that odd feeling of unease that he had when he thought of what Spock would be doing still there, still faint but there, Spock would, he nodded to himself, would let Scotty deal with the emotional Humans while he directed from the side.
In Sickbay on the Enterprise McCoy looked at his patient and heard again that call for, "Jim." He had heard it twenty-two times when he had told Spock that Jim was coming. It was getting fainter and not so often. There had been a moment, just after the operation when Spock had been lucid enough to understand he was in Sickbay and that Jim was coming, when the Vulcan had gripped, firmly gripped, his hand, looked at him, undeniably recognized him, and said, "You, McCoy, my good close friend. Jim, my T'hy'la.", there had been another squeeze, then the Vulcan had closed his eyes and lapsed back into the void. For a moment McCoy just stood, aware of nothing but what had just happened. He had stayed with him, holding his hand, sometimes half dozing as he sat beside the bed holding that long-fingered hand. If they were going to lose Spock he would not be alone. If he lost Spock how would he face Jim? When they found whoever did this he wanted time alone with them, with them strapped down and fully conscious. He had been angry enough about whoever was behind what had happened before to Spock but after he read the communiqué he had received from the Vulcan healers about what he had found in the metal he had felt a fury he only just contained. Those projectiles had not only torn so many organs, had done so much damage, almost too much damage, but also been of old metal blends not used in over a century and had released microscopic mercury chips into the Vulcan's blood, a factor the healers had said could prove fatal. Gently McCoy reached out and brushed the dark hair into placed as he silently whispered, "It's gonna be a very long time before you are on full duty but come hell or high water, as they used to say, if you get it through this I will make sure you regain enough fitness and health to get back to full duty."
In the transporter room Kirk had seen the three senior officers, First Officer Koprah and knew the other security officer was not there as he had already been questioned before the Enerprise had left. He was not sure why First Officer Koprah was there but there had to be a reason why he had been asked for.
"We have been told that your officers have a briefing room prepared. This is most unusual but not unheard of. This is, after all, just a pre-court martial hearing to ensure all the facts are presented. We have read and reviewed in front of the two officers concerned the reports from the two security guards. We will go directly from the transporter room to the briefing room."
Kirk had tried to calm himself as he was looking forward to seeing Spock and McCoy as well as his bridge crew. Even if he could not speak to them it would please him to see them both again. When they materialized in the transporter room there had only been Scotty and one of his officers. At first Kirk had felt uneasy but then realized that Spock would be waiting in the briefing room just to make sure everything was exactly as it had to be. He noticed how as they went through the door the officer with Scotty accidentally bumped into Koprah who had to reach out with a hand to stop himself from falling. The officer apologised and Koprah just looked at him.
The corridors were all empty and when he looked in the room it was also empty. He had hoped that somehow McCoy or Spock would have found a way around the restrictions he had placed on him about contact with his crew. The room was set up as per regulations for hearings. It would just be those there now. At the court martial there would be more, it would be far away from the ship, and he would be more alone than he was now. While McCoy and Spock were not there he knew with everything in him that they had a hand in arranging this but he could not understand why. There had to be a reason.
Captain Alliness had gone to see Uhura and caught up with them in the briefing room and he could see something had been said that was making him look at his First Officer in a strange way. Once they were all settled Kirk looked at the three on the panel, the three to decide why he had broken the Prime Directive. How would they have reacted? When had they last been, No, he stopped himself. That did not matter. He had reacted without thinking. He had been so sure he had seen or heard something just before the arrow struck his officer.
"Officer Korpah, you are here to tell us if there is anything you saw when you first went down to Hyterra Four that you may have forgotten, anything out of the ordinary you might have done."
"There is nothing."
"Is there a secondary reason for you to request being here?"
"I do know of how loyal Mister Spock has been as a First Officer and how he also has often publically stated that he has no desire to command, to be Captain. I am also aware that the Enterprise will need a Captain should Mister Spock still feel that way and decide not the take the position, even as an acting captain till there has been a formal appointment, and I have put my name down for consideration. I also am aware that should he decide to accept the promotion he rightfully deserves and is made the Captain of the Enterprise I am the best qualified to assist him as First Officer." There was no disguising the surprise on Captain Allines's face that was slowly blending with the earlier look into almost an incredulous inquisitorial stare.
Kirk just sat looking between Korpah and Alliness. It was obvious that while Korpah had thought this all through he had not mentioned it to Alliness. He realized that his own face and posture must be reflecting his own thoughts as well. While he was having some trouble accepting he had lost his captaincy he was finding it more difficult to think of Spock as another's First Officer.
"You are aware that such matters are not the preview of this hearing?"
"I do not mean to distract from the hearing. I merely wanted it known that there would be no need for a delay in fully utilizing the Enterprise while waiting for a full command crew."
"Duly noted. We have not yet spoken with Mister Spock."
"Is that not unusual? He is the senior officer on the ship."
The three on the panel looked at one another and Kirk saw Alliness look at him in question. It was unusual but as he was sure that Spock would have a good reason for not being there. They then looked at Kopah, "Find out where he is and why he has not reported. Even though he is not required for the hearing he is the senior officer of this ship and should be preent."
Kopah had only been out the door for less than two minutes when he walked back in with Scotty right behind him. Kirk slowly stood as he saw the look the Engineer gave him before he turned and looked at the panel, "Mister Spock can nae be disturbed. I would ask ye to follow me to see why it t'was necessary for you to come here."
"We are having a hearing."
"Aye, I know that but ye need to know the truth. Now will ye please follow me."
Kirk relaxed. Spock clearly had found something. 'The truth.' That was why he and McCoy were not there. They clearly had found something but that would mean. He looked at Scotty as he mathematically calculated the time to and back from Hyterra Four, as he knew how Spock would have found some obscure reason to return, some ambiguous regulation that would allow him to investigate. As he kept looking at Scotty he tried to relax yet there was just something about the way the Engineer was looking back that made him uneasy. Spock often would take time away to think if he felt he had done something human.
Slowly they followed Scotty to a room and he had the three from the panel, Captain Allines, Koprah, and then him enter. At first it seemed just another office and they look at each other. Kirk could tell the others were as puzzled as he was. Chekov walked in carrying a rolled blanket. For a moment there was silence as Chekov and Scotty looked at one another then Scotty looked at Koprah, "I must apologize for my lad knocking into you earlier but it was necessary."
Kirk was aware that the others, like him, were taken aback by that as it had clearly been an accident.
"Ye see where ye put your hand we had some special adhesive so we got your finger prints and some DNA."
There was a slight change about Koprah's eyes that bordered on fear as Chekov unrolled the blanket and an old earth semi-automatic rifle was revealed.
"I think when the experts look at this they will find your prints match those on the bullets and the only way your prints could get there is if you put them there."
It was clear that the others also had seen the uncertainty on Koprah's face as he looked at the rifle. "What, what would I be doing with such a museum piece?"
