I apologize for my delay in updating this and everything else. I'm back in school now, so I've got less time to party. :P Oh well. XD Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek!
Breakfast consisted of pancakes and Danishes. With no Spock to greet him in the morning, Kirk needed something to improve his mood. He took a bite of a jelly donut and contemplated his plan for the day. If he was lucky, he could get work started on his ship. Then he… Well, maybe he shouldn't plan anything after that until he had finished. It would probably take a while.
"You look happy."
Kirk glanced up to see Uhura taking the seat across from him. She was dressed in civilian clothes, jeans and a suede jacket. The colors set off her skintone well. Her face was vibrant under her dark hair. He made a noncommittal noise and took another bite.
"Don't worry. The Enterprise will pull through." She started to peel her banana. "A bit of leave time won't do us any harm, either." She gave him a reassuring smile.
"I know that." Kirk brushed the powdered sugar off his hands. "I'm more concerned with the attack. Why were there Klingons in this quadrant? How did they get here? I have to make a report to Starfleet in twenty minutes. What am I supposed to tell them?"
Uhura frowned and thought. "I don't know. I would guess that they were here on some kind of raid. Are there any merchant vessels scheduled to be in the area?" She set down her fruit. "Then again, that Klingon captain, the one who hailed us? He seemed…"
"He seemed crazy, is vhat," interjected Chekov, sliding in beside Kirk. "Vhy you guys start eating vithout me?" He poured a cupful of granola into his yogurt. "Anyvay, zat Klingon vas obwiously off the deep end. He made moves zat are completely contrary to standard strategy of engagement."
"I agree," said Sulu, joining them. "I couldn't tell where those ships were going to be! Usually, you get some idea, you know? Klingon battle strategy was required reading in almost every class I took at the Academy." He took his place across from Chekov. "Itadakimasu. Anyway, those ships were flying counter to many Klingon patterns."
Kirk considered this. "I'll be sure to put that in my report, and you be sure to put it in yours." What did this mean? Something bad, is what. "Spock, speculation."
There was a second of silence.
"Um, Keptin… Mr. Spock iz not here." Chekov looked around, just to make sure, but he didn't see the Vulcan. "Perhaps he iz still asleep?"
Kirk sighed. "Yeah, maybe." He finished his food and stood up. "I'm going to make that report. If you see Scotty, tell him to meet me in Conference Room 12 as soon as he's got a moment."
"Aye, sir."
Kirk left the table and headed for his quarters.
-aaa-
"If that's all then," said the imperious figure of Admiral Schmidt on the viewscreen before him.
"I'm afraid it is," replied Kirk, barely keeping his frustration in check. "I'll report back if the situation changes." He exchanged nods with the Admiral and just managed to keep the scowl off his face until the screen went dark.
Really. Starfleet could demand more information from him if they wanted, but it didn't mean he was going to be able to provide any. Kirk slouched down in his chair. Now he was going to have to look into this further, perhaps launch a full investigation despite the Enterprise being an exploratory vessel. Starfleet had all but demanded him to. He did have to admit he was curious, though. And hey, maybe he could get some vengeance out of it.
…Nah.
"Weeeee-oooo…" The boson's whistle on his desk alerted him to an incoming message, and he hit the switch.
"Kirk here."
"This is Bones." The doctor sounded a little more irritable than normal.
"Is something wrong with Spock?" Kirk sat up, suddenly on edge.
"Nothing serious. I'm taking care of it."
Kirk sighed in relief. "Well, what is it? Can I help?" He wanted to get back into Spock's good graces. Maybe then he could find out what had gotten him out of them…
"Doctor-patient confidentiality, Jim. But you can try talking to him. That might work." McCoy was obviously ticked, which meant he was worried. Kirk felt the back of his neck prickle.
"Bones…"
"That's all I can say. Spock isn't in danger…" Bones sighed. "He'll be all right."
"You're beginning to worry me." Kirk tried to settle himself in his chair and dispel the bad feeling that was burgeoning in his gut. "Can't you tell me anything?"
"Sorry, Jim. Just try talking. It's helpful, communication. Anyway, I've got work to see to. McCoy out." The call cut off, leaving Kirk feeling just a little bit more helpless than he generally liked.
-aaa-
The Starbase had woken up since Kirk had left to make his report. No longer were the early risers clustered around the cereal bar in the cafeteria. Instead, they had flocked to the labs or the library or the viewscreens to fill their day. Kirk imagined the scientists booking lab time to continue their experiments, the younger crewmembers finding a rec room somewhere to spar or play games. Of course, engineering was busy, but he imagined they enjoyed what they were doing. He'd never seen Scotty happier then when he was working on the Enterprise.
"We've worked out a deal, Cap'n," said the Scotsman when he saw Kirk come into the conference room. Storr was absent, but then Kirk hadn't asked to see him. "Th' Vulcan's takin' th' interior systems and I'm takin' th' hull. O' course, I'll have to go through th' whole ship when he's done, just t' make sure he didn' do anything, but it'll work for now."
"If that works for you, it works for me. I'd just like to get started." Kirk shook his head, but he was pleased that the two had finally created a schedule. "Did you file a damage report?"
"Yes sir. It's all right there in th' computer. …It's not as bad as it looks," he added.
"How long?" Kirk asked the question ironically, not really expecting the answer to have changed. He was surprised.
"Well, it's gonna take a little longer than I first thought." Scotty seemed slightly put out by this. "About forty days, give or take a few for calibrations and the like."
The captain sighed. "Understood. I'll let you get back to it, then."
"Thank you sir. I'll make sure Storr doesn' mess anything up while he's at it." The chief engineer nodded to Kirk and exited the room, swinging a wrench in a jaunty fashion as he did so. Kirk followed him out, turning the lights off as he went, lost in thought.
He ran into Spock.
"Jim, are you all right?" The Vulcan steadied his captain briefly, but withdrew his hand before Jim could take it in his own. "You seem distracted."
"What about you?" Kirk studied Spock's face but couldn't detect any evidence of illness. Well, Bones had said he was okay, but… The Vulcan's eyes betrayed only curiosity. "You were a little… odd, yesterday." He spoke carefully, afraid to provoke another outburst.
"Yes, I regret my lack of control." Spock offered the kiss gesture to his lover in reconciliation, and Kirk accepted it readily. He pressed his fingertips to Spock's warmer ones and tried to will his concern away. The pleasant buzzing sensation at the joining comforted him in a way he didn't know he'd been missing.
"Why were you so upset?" Now that their equilibrium had been reestablished, Kirk began to walk. Spock fell in beside him as he always did, folding his arms behind his back in a wordless sign of respect.
"I was experiencing fluctuations in my hormone levels. I didn't realize in time, or I would have corrected the problem before it began." Spock's tone turned a bit flat at that, but his relaxed manner didn't change.
"Are you going to be okay now?"
"Yes."
"Good."
They walked in silence for a few moments before reaching the turbolift. "Computer Lab Seventeen," said Kirk, stepping into the lift. Spock followed him. "I need to do some research on Klingons. Care to join me?"
"Of course, Captain."
The lift doors closed behind them with a pneumatic hiss and the pull of gravity increased slightly as the room shot upwards on its way. Kirk let the quiet persist for a few moments before slyly reaching over and stopping the lift between floors. Spock raised an eyebrow, not in confusion, Kirk suspected, but in anticipation.
"I was worried about you," said the captain, moving closer to his lover. He gripped Spock's arms for a brief second before slipping his arms around Spock's waist and pulling them together. "Do you feel sick? Is that what that was about?"
"No, Jim. I feel well." Spock didn't exactly return the hug, but he pressed his lips to Kirk's cheek. The touch sparked a flash of affectionMine between them. T'hy'la, said Spock's gentle caresses as he laced his fingers with Jim's.
"I want you to stay in my room," muttered Jim, burying his face in the crook of Spock's neck. He inhaled the cinnamon-like scent of the Vulcan's skin and fought down the temptation to lick it. "I have a double bed."
"That is fortunate," murmured Spock. He had placed his palms on Jim's chest now, and had backed him up to the wall of the turbolift.
"Mm," agreed the captain. He drew Spock into a deep kiss and ghosted his hands down Spock's hips. "I can't wait." His mind filled with images of Spock beneath him, Spock's dark eyes, his tongue… "Woah, woah. Nn." Jim gently pushed Spock away, his face betraying the reluctance he felt. "Duty first. Have to remember. Duty first."
"…Yes." Spock breathed for a moment to steady himself and then managed his usual transformation: sexy to stoic in about five seconds. "The Klingons must come first," he mused wryly.
Kirk cleared his throat and started the lift again. "Right. So, it's really rare for them to be in this part of space, and it's certainly a hazard to the fleet and the Federation. As we know." Spock nodded in assent. "I'm going to run a search to see if there have been any other attacks in this system and the ones nearby. I'd like you to check for merchant vessels and other possible targets."
"A practical idea, Captain." The lift hissed open and the two of them stepped out and made their way to the lab.
-aaa-
"This is ridiculous," breathed Kirk, scrolling through the readout before him. He frowned. "How is this not already in a huge report labeled 'Things Starfleet Captains Should Know'?"
"What have you discovered, Captain?" Spock leaned over from the adjacent chair and scanned his lover's screen, apparently not noticing or not caring that this brought them into quite a bit of arm-to-arm contact. "This is most distressing information."
The document Kirk had compiled detailed twenty Klingon attacks in the area in the past two years, a staggering amount for so far from the neutral zone. In a seemingly random array of locations, Klingon ships had challenged and destroyed, or been destroyed by, Federation ships when they shouldn't have been able to get that far into Federation space. It was extremely disconcerting,
Spock was silent for a moment, concentrating, before both of his eyebrows shot upward. "Jim, this is more serious than we first supposed. If I correlate this data with the searches I have done, a trend emerges."
"And what's that?" Kirk felt a sharp stab of dread in his stomach.
"The attacks were each staged on days when the passenger ship Poseidon was in the area. That ship is registered to one Hester Davidson. She runs a transport service for foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, and occasionally royalty. Thankfully it seems the Klingons were waylaid by less eminent quarry before they could take the Poseidon, however, their intention seems clear."
"They're after someone on that ship." Kirk buried his face in his hands with an exasperated sigh, and Spock softly touched his arm. "God dammit.
"Why didn't we know about this?"
Dramatic cut is dramatic! o.o Yeah. So, the adventure-plot had been introduced. I hope to keep a fairly good balance between it and the domestic-plot as we go along. In other news, this fic just keeps getting longer and longer as I plan! You guys are going to be in for an epic (in Verg terms)!
Reviews are like food for starving writers like myself. Please don't let me go hungry. :D