I can't express my thanks enough for the people who sent me messages about continuing this story. Know that I never had any intention of abandoning it. But please please review! It's the lifeblood of the writing process.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Star Trek
Spock's quiet contemplation of the various scenarios possibly facing the landing party was cut off by the blaring of an alarm from the helm. Sulu's head snapped to the offending panel before his sharp voice cut through the tense bridge.
"Sir, the Muk'tong is locking disruptors on us!"
"Red Alert." Spock's calm tone belied the urgency with which the crew snapped to their stations as the klaxons began to blare.
"Shall I arm Phasers, sir?" Chekov asked from his Navigation station.
"Negative. Maintain maximum shields but keep weapons offline until I order otherwise. Lieutenant Palmer," Spock turned to Uhura's second-in-command who currently manned the Comm station, "hail the Klingon vessel."
The tall blond officer worked her panel for a moment before turning back to Spock.
"I have them, sir."
Spock rose from the command chair as the view of the Klingon Battlecruiser was overshadowed by the image of its apparently extremely angry commander.
"Captain Kang, our agreement stipulated that you would not arm your weapons."
Even the emotionally untrained Vulcan eye was quite able to discern the increasing signs of anger on the Klingon's face.
"You dare to continue to claim the rights provided by our agreement after your cowardly attack!?"
Spock was somehow oddly cognizant at that moment of the fact that were he fully human there would most likely be a chill going down his spine at that moment.
"To what attack are you referring, Captain?"
"To think we considered allying ourselves with those that would deal in such treachery as to come in under a flag of truce carrying a bomb and then deny it!"
The entire crew tensed at the pronouncement. Spock swiftly moved around the helm to stand before the viewscreen, locking gazes with Kang. Despite the burning urge to inquire regarding the welfare of the captain and Lieutenant Uhura, Spock knew the Klingon would give no answers unless he could be convinced of their innocence.
"Captain Kang, our landing party carried no explosive device."
"So the explosion within the Great Hall was our imagination?!"
"I did not say that, Captain. But consider this: you posit that Starfleet Command sent their flagship to certain destruction in order to attack your world. They did so using the pretense of resolving a dispute which began because that same ship was sent on a mission to attack your world with impunity. Why not simply do the same once more if our intention was hostile?"
The bridge seemed to be collectively holding their breath as Kang stopped short and actually appeared to consider Spock's words.
"Mr. Spock!"
Spock's sharp rebuke at Dr. Marcus's choice to interrupt at this critical juncture died on his lips at the next word out of the blond scientist's mouth.
"Romulans!"
The heads of both commanders snapped around to her.
"Please specify, Dr. Marcus."
"The reading we picked up from behind the Klingon moon. My analysis indicates it is the same one we detected from the cloaked Romulan ships shadowing us, only significantly more intense."
Spock's eyebrow raised at the last part of her report. "More intense?"
"Probably meaning quite a few more of them."
Both eyebrows were up now. "Dr. Marcus, the Enterprise was accosted by three Romulan ships at the time. Are you suggesting a significantly larger force is currently hiding behind one of Qo'nos's moons?"
"Yes, sir."
Spock studied the woman for a moment. Though the very beginning of their professional interaction had been somewhat tense, Spock had come to respect her skill and attention to detail. If Carol Marcus was that confident there were Romulans hiding behind that moon, Spock did not believe it would be a wise financial decision to wager that there were none. Still, he wasn't the only one who needed convincing….
"Doctor, send your sensor readings to the Muk'tong for their science officer to verify."
Marcus nodded, working her controls. Spock turned back toward the viewscreen where Kang was currently conferring with an officer out of visual range. Apparently satisfied with whatever the officer had said, he turned back.
"Very well, Vulcan. We will go see if these ghosts of yours are real. You are to remain here. Under no circumstances leave this area. If you do, I will order the Imperial fleet to destroy you on sight. If there are Romulus'ngan out there, we will handle them. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly."
Kang nodded to an officer on his bridge and the transmission cut out, the screen becoming dominated by the view of the Klingon Warship turning and thrusting away at high impulse. Spock turned away from the screen and headed back to the command chair, where Dr. McCoy was waiting.
"That's it!? What about Jim and Uhura down on the planet? He said they were in some kind of explosion! We have to something for them!"
Spock stopped short just in front of the chair and met the angry Georgians gaze with his own. "Doctor, what precisely would you suggest we do? At this point the Klingons have every reason to distrust us. All of the circumstantial evidence would seem to indicate we are responsible for an attack on their high council, and they have only our word for the significance of those sensor readings. We are deep in Klingon territory. Should we make any attempt to launch a rescue effort I have no doubt the Klingons would immediately destroy us. If you have another suggestion I would welcome it."
McCoy opened his mouth to retort, but something held him back as he and Spock stared each other down. He finally nodded gruffly and turned to glare at the viewscreen. Spock meanwhile sat down in the Captain's chair. Had it been anyone aboard other than three particular people, two of whom were currently missing in hostile territory, Spock would have been disturbed that they had been able to read what he knew McCoy had read in his eyes.
For the doctor had stopped his argument upon seeing that outward behavior to the contrary, Spock was just as worried and even more helpless than he was. For despite having all the power of this great starship at his disposal, there was absolutely nothing Spock could do for his missing friends.
Jim's entire being burned with hatred as he gazed upon the tormentor from his youth, the monster who'd stomped on the last vestiges of his childhood and snuffed them out violently.
"What are you doing here?" he finally spat.
The man had the audacity to grin.
"Come now, JT. Don't you mean what am I doing still alive?"
"I figured I'd save that part for later. Wanted to keep it fresh in my memory so I'd know how to make sure you stayed dead next time."
Kodos the Executioner threw his head back and laughed. The sound was not pleasant.
"Still the same old JT. I remember how stubborn and headstrong you used to be, and apparently still are." Kodos turned to address the other occupants of the holding cell "Did you know that for three days he refused to scream? Nothing I did to him, not the whip, not the phaser burning, nothing could get a peep out of him. Eventually I managed to break that little slice of resistance out of him, of course, but still… it was quite something for anyone, but a malnourished fourteen-year old? Quite impressive indeed."
Uhura had to clamp her teeth down hard to keep from making a sound. She knew it was the last thing Jim needed right now. But… ever since she'd heard about the incident in the mess hall, had put together that Jim was actually the famed to the point of quasi-mythical survivor JT, she had firmly instructed her mind NOT, under any circumstances to replay any of the rumors that had floated around the campus when the story had been discussed following history classes at the academy. Some of the hearsay had been enough for her to lose her lunch, and then to learn that it had been Jim… And now to hear this monster talk about it like he was telling amusing anecdotes about a friend he'd lost touch with… she couldn't decide if her first desire was to hold Jim in her arms or to rip this perversion of humanity limb from limb. With her bare hands. Slowly.
"So JT, you are now a trained Starfleet officer. That being said, I have many new toys to try. Tell me, how long do you think it'll take?"
"Longer than you still have left to breathe." Jim spat. "Besides, why even bother to torture me now? It's not like I still have the locations of innocent children hiding in the forest from your death squads."
"True, true." Kodos waved a hand as if dismissing his point. "But you do know some things my new friends here are very interested in."
Both officers' blood froze. As the Captain of the Federation flagship, Jim was privy to a large amount of classified material which would be extraordinarily beneficial to the Romulans in the coming war.
"It'll never happen, Kodos."
"We'll see, JT. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some arrangements to make before our proper reunion can begin."
With that, the mass murderer turned and leisurely walked away, whistling as he went.
Less than an hour ago the tension on the bridge had been palpable. There was no word to describe it now. Every station that had a link to the sensors was practically buckling under the intensity of the stares it was receiving. Mr. Scott could be plainly heard at his Engineering board swearing in his native tongue at the sensors' refusal to tighten their focus any further. And in the midst of this hurricane of activity sat Spock, watching and waiting with inhuman patience. And even that was becoming strained.
"Mr. Spock!" The entire crew snapped around to Marcus, several necks cracking. "The Muk'tong has revealed a large number of Romulan vessels. They are engaging the Klingon forces."
"Over the Klingon homeworld! Are they daft?!"
"They are not 'daft', Mr. Scott. The Romulans have been waiting here for quite some time. Mr. Chekov please look for any inconsistencies in the battle area which may skew the likelihood of victory in favor of the Romulan forces."
It took the Russian less than a minute to spot it. Admittedly, it was a rather gaping problem.
"Meester Spock, ze Klingon planetary defenses are not actiwating!"
Silence filled the bridge as the implications of Chekov's report sunk in.
"Mr. Sulu, given the tactical situation, what is the likelihood of the Klingon defenses successfully repelling the Romulan offensive?"
Sulu took one more glance at his display as though hoping he'd see something which had miraculously changed drastically since his last look. Apparently disappointed, he turned wearily to look at his commanding officer.
"Sir, the Klingon fleet has been spread extremely thin ever since the losses inflicted by the Narada. Qo'nos has extremely heavy planetary defenses, so the Klingons have only been keeping a handful of warships in the system at any one time. With the defense grid down, the Klingons are outnumbered and outgunned. They don't stand a chance, sir."
All eyes on the bridge swiveled to Spock in the silence that followed.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's give them a hand!" McCoy was the first to blurt out.
"It's not that simple, Doctor. Captain Kang ordered us not to move under any circumstances-"
"You think he might change his tune if we're moving to, oh I don't know, ride to his rescue?" McCoy cut Sulu off sarcastically.
"On the contrary Dr. McCoy. Given the nature of Klingon pride and honor codes, it is very possible Captain Kang will find that to be an even more grievous offense than if we were to simply flee."
McCoy looked at Spock like he'd sprouted a second head.
"You mean the Klingons might actually get insulted enough to fire on us for trying to help them!?"
"There is historical precedent for such a reaction from a Klingon military commander."
"But, sir!" Scotty broke in. "Jim and Nyota are down there!"
"Ve hope." Chekov replied softly.
The melancholy from the normally upbeat young navigator did little to soothe the bridge crew as they turned back toward the center seat.
"Well what happens if the Romulans win, huh?" McCoy demanded. "Then we have to deal with them, and they'll definitely be angry at us!"
"Maybe," Sulu replied, looking almost queasy at the thought of what he was about to say, "but the Romulans will be busy securing the planet, and in the chaos of a Romulan takeover of the homeworld, we might have a chance to make a run past the Klingon fleet for Federation space."
"Leave zem behind!?" Chekov gasped.
"It won't help them if we end up getting ourselves killed in an attempt to save them, whether the attempt succeeds or not." Sulu responded helplessly.
Spock sat there, staring at the viewscreen, his mind furiously reviewing all of the factors of the situation, one small corner idly wondering if this was anything remotely like what Jim had experienced making the decision to go back for him on Nibiru.
Meanwhile the crew just stood there in silence, watching the Vulcan. Waiting for the decision that might spell their deaths, the deaths of their friends, the death of a world, or all of the above.
Jim and Nyota sat in the holding cell, each deep in their own thoughts. They had explained to the councilors who Kodos was, how he had been the governor of a colony world, how he had poisoned the food source in order to implement a eugenics initiative which began with ordering the execution of half of the colony's Eight Thousand strong population. How Kirk had been the leader of a small group of children who had escaped the purge and stayed hidden for weeks until Starfleet had arrived. The rest they could figure out from the conversation between Kodos and the captain. A copious amount of growling had followed, but the councilors seemed to sense that Jim needed a moment of peace just then and apparently had gained enough respect for him, either from his speech in the council chamber or this new information about his past, to oblige.
Nyota was trying as hard as she could to keep her thoughts from wandering to what might be facing Jim. She wanted to do something to comfort him through the gut-wrenching revelation of Kodos' continued existence and his control of their captivity, but she knew that in this situation it was just too dangerous. The lunatic she had just met seemed to want desperately to break Jim's spirit, and if he even suspected that Jim had feelings for her, he would try to use that against his intended victim.
Had Uhura been able to hear Jim's thoughts at that moment though, she might have found herself surprised. Jim was angry and afraid to be sure, but the shock she would've anticipated was simply not there.
When Jim had first heard that Kodos had been killed after he woke up on a Starfleet hospital ship, he was elated. The one time in his life he had ever been truly happy to hear of another being's death. But then he had asked how, and they had told him about the intentional destruction of the compound and the body they had found burned to a crisp but with identifiable markings. His bubble of bliss had burst to be replaced with a terrible foreboding.
Jim had spent days in Kodos' dungeon being interrogated for the location of the children he had been caring for. If there was one thing he had learned, it was the truly unfathomable size of the man's ego. Kodos believed he was the key to the future of humanity, and he never would've killed himself. And now to hear that the body wasn't easily identified? No, that was too convenient. He had tried to tell the officers on the ship, but nobody had listened, assuming him to be a teenager in shock from a traumatic experience. But Jim had known. He'd felt it in his bones. The monster hadn't been slain, it had simply retreated into the darkness. And nobody had been willing to listen.
Jim had kept his ears open for any hint of the man's whereabouts, but he'd had nothing to work with for the first few years. One of the deciding factors in his decision to accept Pike's offer to go to Starfleet was the possibility of being able to do something, but even with the resources of being a hero turned Captain, it had been too long. There was no sign of him anywhere.
Until now.
Now Kodos was back. And he was working with the Romulans. That was the one thing that surprised Jim. Kodos had always been obsessed with what he saw as the future glory of the human race, and helping the Romulans conquer it? Didn't sound very glorious, not even from Kodos' twisted perspective. So what was he up to?
At that moment, everyone looked up as the forcefield shut off. Two Romulans stood there with disruptor pistols at the ready, with the two guards who had already been on duty maintaining their position flanking the opening.
"Get up, Kirk."
Jim's mind raced as he took in the situation. They weren't in the best position, but this was likely to be the only shot they had, and they did have a slight advantage.
Jim curled up on the ground, grabbing his boots to pull his legs in until his knees were hugging his chest and gave the Romulan who had spoken the patented condescending smirk which tended to drive most recipients to the point of murder.
"I'm good here, thanks."
The guard was startled for a moment before narrowing his eyes, hands tensing over the butt of his pistol. But rather than using it, he simply took a moment to calm himself before gesturing to his companion. The two stepped forward menacingly, both pistols pointed at Jim's head.
"On second thought, I might be more comfortable standing up."
Jim slowly got to his feet, silently hoping his girlfriend had gotten the message, but he trusted her enough to be pretty confident. He pushed himself to his feet. The Romulans guarding him gestured with their pistols for him to start walking. Or at least they tried to.
They never finished the gesture because as soon as the muzzles were no longer pointed at him Kirk threw the knife in his left hand at the right-side guard still just outside the cell, catching him right in the neck. Kirk didn't stop to watch more than the flash of green blood as he threw his full weight forward at his two escorts, his left shoulder catching the disruptor pistol of one of them and knocking it away just before he barreled into the right-hand guard and threw them both back against the wall.
The left hand cell guard, being the only Romulan still possessing his weapon, attempted to bring it to bear as soon as he saw the commotion, but he stopped short at the knife which appeared in the right side of his abdomen, square in the location of the Romulan heart.
The escort who remained mostly unmolested spun toward where the flash of the knife had come from to be met by a vicious kick in the face courtesy of Uhura. He staggered backwards out of the cell, clutching his throbbing face for a moment before steadying himself to take in his opponent, squared off in front of him in a combat stance. He noticed his disruptor pistol lying on the ground in his peripheral vision, but chose not to go for it. It might give his opponent an advantage when he turned, and it was a Romulan man against a human woman. How hard could it be?
The poor fool would never find out just how stupid a mistake he had made.
It could be argued that his mistake as understandable. He had never heard of Lieutenant Nyota Uhura of the Starship Enterprise. Romulans were far stronger than humans, and the Romulan had a good six inches and fifty pounds on the enemy he faced. One could almost argue that his mistake could be forgiven.
However, the other mistake he made instantly labelled him as simply being too stupid to live.
After all, it was one thing to make a choice to not go for ones weapon when facing a tiny woman of a species three times weaker than his own. It was quite another to deliberately choose not to go for ones weapon when facing said woman backed up by a horde of angry Klingons just waiting to clear away the shock of the battle they had not been expecting.
With an angry war cry, the councilors surged into the fight. Being involved in Klingon politics, they had to be well prepared to defend themselves physically. Maybe not well enough to go up against a trained Romulan soldier one on one, but twelve on two? Much different story.
As they all stood over the bodies of the guards, the Chancellor turned to Kirk with an eyebrow raised in a manner that reminded the Captain disturbingly of his first officer.
"And just where did those knives come from, Captain?"
"Let's just say, I wasn't one hundred percent certain of the reception I would get from the high council."
Kravell's gaze turned distinctly wry. "And you thought to battle your way out of the Great Hall with a knife concealed in your boot?"
"Chancellor, I learned long ago the value of having a knife at the right time."
Kravell seemed to miss the bitter tone of harsh memories as he bellowed out a laugh. Uhura didn't.
Jim shook off the mood and bent to grab the discarded disruptor pistols, keeping one for myself and handing one to Uhura and the other two to be distributed amongst the Klingons.
"Now, I believe we have a madman to hunt down and a throne to reclaim?"
This provoked a feral grin from Kravell and several growls from behind him.
"Indeed we do, Captain."
With that, the party of two Starfleet officers and a dozen Klingon High Councilors stalked off down the hall, the positions of hunter and prey once more reversed. But this time things would be different. Kirk was determined on that.
After all, after fourteen years, he finally knew where to find his prey.