James T Kirk: DS9
We'll Find Her; They know
Jim Kirk had now visited Deep Space Nine twice in the same day. After briefly meeting his wife's family on Bajor, and leaving her safely there, Kirk rejoined Captain Ben Sisko who had dawned his own modern Starfleet uniform and had honored Jim Kirk's request by bringing along a regulation uniform from his own era. While he had no issue with the 24th Century uniforms, it just didn't seem right to be wearing one. And even though his uniform seemed antiquated, it didn't matter to Jim Kirk; he felt comfortable wearing it and that was all that mattered.
Both Captain Kirk and Captain Sisko were beamed up to a Transport vessel orbiting Bajor, and were whisked off into space. They arrived to an honor guard on the massive space station, and were greeted by its Bajoran commander; Captain Kyra Nerys, who had once been a Bajoran resistance fighter, and was now an officer in Starfleet, proudly serving as DS9's commander.
The three Captains entered Kira's office, which had once been Sisko's office as well. Sisko smiled at Kira as she sat behind the desk that had once been his; Sisko and Kirk took seats across from her.
"You should be very proud," Ben Sisko said, his deep voice conveying pride in his former first officer, "command suits you very well Nerys."
"You should be sitting here," Kira replied. "Deep Space Nine just isn't the same without you."
"Well," Jim Kirk said to them both, "I find this space station of yours quite," Kirk searched his mind for the right word, and found one he missed hearing on a more regular basis, "fascinating."
"It is an honor to meet you," Kira said to Kirk. "Your name is highly regarded in this time."
Sisko was appreciative of the pleasant meeting, but he and Kirk had arrived on DS9 for an urgent reason; trying to find clues as to who abducted his daughter and why.
"Were you able to check the sensor logs of the Bajoran system?" Sisko asked. "There had to have been a vessel in orbit of Bajor that Rebecca was beamed to."
"I have Commander Nog checking the logs as we speak," Kira said. "And you may find this quite interesting as well; Chancellor Martok will be here very soon. Apparently he and his staff were on their way back from a conference in the Gamma-Quadrant when he got word or Rebecca's abduction. Apparently he has taken custody of the three Klingons you managed to apprehend on Bajor, and he is questioning them while heading to DS9."
"Do you think that is wise?" Sisko asked. "He's liable to kill them in the process."
"I have my worries about that as well," Kira admitted, "but how does one deny the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire?"
"Chancellor Martok," Kirk said, "I guess you know him well?"
"He is trusted ally," Ben Sisko explained to Jim Kirk, "and a good friend. And I might point out; he holds you in high regard, which is saying a lot."
"I have never met him," Kirk said to Sisko, "though I guess it is quite possible that Klingons from my time have lived into this era."
"Actually, Jim, he is from this time, and without his strategic guidance, I am quite confident the Federation would have lost the Dominion War," Sisko added. "But, during the war, we often would talk about," Sisko smiled before he went on, "the escapades of Captain James T Kirk and your dealings with the Klingons in your time."
"Oh, by the way," Kira interjected, "Commander (Thomas) Riker will be arriving with the Defiant sometime in the next hour or so. I know you requested usage of the Defiant, but Admiral Janeway would only permit it as long as Riker went along with you. She was quite adamant about it."
"It is rather ironic," Sisko said softly, "that the man who stole the first Defiant from us, and nearly started a war with the Cardassians all those years ago, is now in command of the second Defiant. And," Sisko said looking at Kirk, "he too was created by a Transporter accident not unlike the one that created you and the other Kirk."
"In the regard of Captain Kirk," Kira said, "Admiral Janeway requested that James T Kirk only be given the rank of commander, and that he should wear a modern uniform with three pips denoting his rank. She also was quite clear that she wanted Commander Kirk to return to Earth for debriefing as soon as Rebecca is rescued."
"Who is this Admiral Janeway?" Kirk asked, seemingly annoyed by a woman he hadn't even met yet.
"She may go by the book, perhaps too much so," Ben Sisko explained to Kirk, "but she is one of the most courageous Starfleet officers I have ever had the pleasure to know."
"Ben," Kirk said, with a skeptical grin, "I'm not going to wear one of those uniforms."
"I didn't think you'd go along with that," Sisko said with a wink. "We'll keep it our little secret."
The door to Kira's office slid open and her first officer, Commander Nog, came in.
Nog was visibly nervous as he noticed the legendary Captain Kirk sitting in one of the chairs. He was so nervous in fact; he stood as if frozen in the doorway.
"Commander Nog," Kira said, smiling at the Ferengi's admiration of Kirk, "can you please make your report."
"Ummm," Nog said, looking directly at Kira, and flustered at looking flustered, "the sensor logs of the Bajoran system," Nog made a quick glance in Kirk's direction, "tracked a Klingon vessel that departed Bajor around the time of the abduction of Captain Sisko's daughter."
"And it wasn't cloaked?" Sisko asked, questioning the conclusions of the report Nog was giving, "that seems rather odd."
"Actually, sir," Nog said directly to Sisko, "the vessel was cloaked but it was employing an out dated cloaking device that the Leforge Tachyon field, which is employed throughout this sector of the Alpha-Quadrant, could easily detect."
"They had to have known that," Kirk interjected from where he sat. "Whoever it was who kidnapped your daughter would not let a simple item like that slip by."
"Agreed," Sisko said to Kirk. Sisko turned his attention back to Nog. "Did you get the heading the Klingon ship was taking?"
Nog motioned to the monitor on the wall next to Kira's desk. The image of a solar system appeared, and it zoomed in on the fourth planet from the system's star.
"Where is that?" Kira asked.
"The Koralis system," Nog replied. "That is the course the Klingon ship was on when it left the Bajoran system."
"That's where you sent Laas," Sisko reminded Kira.
"You don't think he has anything to do with this do you?" Kira asked Sisko.
"I doubt it," Sisko replied, after thinking about it for a moment.
"Well," Kirk said to the others, "if I read this correctly, the Koralis system isn't that far from here."
"And, as you said before," Sisko said, "they know that we know where they went. It's almost as if Rebecca's abductors are daring me to go there."
The intercom system chirped and Lt. Ra'v, the male Bak'u who manned the communication post on Ops, spoke.
"Captain," R'av said, "you asked me to inform you when the Chancellor's ship was arriving. His ship will be docking in approximately fifteen minutes."
"I will see to it," Nog said, as he marched out of Kira's office.
The door to Kira's office slid open and Nog left.
"He has turned out to be a great officer," Sisko said, proud of how far Nog had come since the first day Sisko had stepped foot on DS9.
Kira looked at Kirk, who had been surprisingly silent, as if he were taking it all in as some kind of VIP visitor.
"Benjamin tells me you have been in our time for the past three years or so. What do you think of our time?" Kira asked.
"I am quite impressed," Jim Kirk said with a smile. "The political landscape is somewhat different, Klingons as allies for example, but, all in all, from what I have been able to read over the past couple years, I think the Federation is as important now as it was in the 23rd century."
"Well," Sisko said, "Martok will be here in soon. I only hope he was able to get information out of the three prisoners."
Kira chuckled lightly.
"If I know Martok," Kira said with confidence, "I'm quite sure he was able to get some information out of them. If he didn't," Kira added, "I can always send for Ambassador Garak."
"Ben," Kirk interjected, "there's something else we have to consider."
The tone in Kirk's voice was cautious. And if Kirk was cautious, Sisko thought to himself; then it was well worth hearing.
"Go ahead," Sisko said.
"Whoever kidnapped Rebecca," Kirk began to explain, "Has to know everything we know. They have to be aware of the fact that we know where they are, and that we have three prisoners to get information from. They must also be aware of how influential you are, and that you will go through any lengths to get your daughter back."
Sisko pondered what Kirk had said.
"You're right Jim," Sisko finally said. "Everything we are doing is exactly what they expect us to do. By following a predictable path, we might be playing into their plan."
Kirk nodded in agreement…
The massive Klingon Negh'var battleship approached Deep Space Nine. In moments it had docked, and its special passenger, Chancellor Martok, was prepared to disembark.
Next time: Martok has some very important information; he knows who abducted Rebecca Sisko!