Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, even despite my attempts to hijack the transporters and beam onboard the Enterprise. Sigh.
Author's Note 1: Okay. I will admit to watching way too much M*A*S*H before writing this one particular chapter... with one particular scene at the end. Don't worry, you will never ever have to watch an episode of MASH to understand the scene... but if you have seen the TV show, then you'll understand what I mean.
Author's Note 2: Anyway... I'm on a serious roll with this story. I think I've updated this one more often then I've updated any other story in the span of ... a week? Hope you all are enjoying it. The updates might slow down a little bit at the end of November... but seeing as it's barely ten days into November, I don't think you have to worry about that quite yet.
Author's Note 3: Pikeru's Angel, I just wanted to inform you that you have disabled your private messaging feature, which makes it very hard to respond to your awesome reviews. Just saying.
Author's Note 4: Expect two or three more chapters in this arc and a random interlude (more information will be coming soon) then we're off to Angelus IV (more details about that will be coming soon to an author's profile page near you).
So, without further ado:
The Voyages of the USS Enterprise
Arc 1: The Journey to Babel
Summary of arc: For it's first mission, the Enterprise is assigned to see foreign ambassadors of different planets to Babel, a neutral planet in the middle of the solar system. What should be an easy mission goes drastically wrong as the ambassadors decide they don't like each other, a murder occurs, and the Enterprise is nearly destroyed by an enemy ship.
Chapter 7: Of Threats and Propositions
If Jim's side hadn't been killing him and if he wasn't trying so hard to keep this fact from Doctor McCoy, he might have laughed out loud at the sight of his first officer's look of utter surprise as Jim hobbled onto the bridge.
"Captain, although it is good to see that you are conscious, I do not think the bridge is the right place for you at this time," Spock said.
"I know. I was stabbed," Jim said, rolling his eyes. "But Doctor McCoy has declared me fit for duty."
Spock shot a raised eyebrow in Doctor McCoy's direction, who did his best to ignore it.
"I see," Spock said suspiciously.
"You are hereby ordered to report to sick bay to save Sarek's life," Jim said, clutching the arm of the captain's chair for support as an explosion rocked through the ship.
"Captain," Spock began.
"That was a direct order," Jim said. "Now go."
Spock's mouth tightened into an impossibly thin line before nodding once. He got up and strode off the bridge.
"Be careful," Doctor McCoy muttered to Jim. "You know as well as I do that you are not up to this."
"Save Sarek," Jim said, sitting in his chair. He tried not to sigh too loudly with relief.
McCoy grumbled something incoherent before following Spock off the bridge.
"Sulu, put the enemy ship onscreen. Prepare to fire photon torpedoes. Convert all unnecessary power to the engines and deflector shields. Alert Mr. Scott that his presence is needed on the bridge. Uhura, have you had any luck in contacting these people yet?" Jim asked.
"No, sir," Uhura responded. "They are ignoring all of our hailing frequencies."
"Keep trying. Chekov, report on the other ship," Jim ordered.
"They are fast, Keptin," Chekov said. "We cannot get a lock on them long enough to fire our torpedoes. They keep ewading us."
"How big is the ship?" Jim demanded.
"We're not sure yet," Sulu said.
"Why the hell not?"
"They are using a strong cloaking device," Chekov said. "It's impossible to get a scan on it."
"Speculation?"
"From the rate at which it is moving, I'd say it's very big," Sulu said. "It has to be to maintain that speed and still fire on us."
"Indeed," Jim muttered. "Get the prisoner from the brig up here. He is bound to know something about this."
"Sir, the communication frequencies are jammed! All of the ambassadors want to know what's going on," Uhura said. "I can't get through to security."
"Tell the ambassadors to figure it out themselves," Jim said. "I'll issue a formal notice when we aren't on the verge of being blown to bits. But clear the lines!"
Another explosion rattled the Enterprise. Jim swore as he was knocked out of his chair, blood seeping from the bandaged wound and beginning to stain his shirt.
"Captain," Sulu began, concern coloring his voice.
"I'm fine, Mr. Sulu," Jim said through clenched teeth. "Mr. Chekov, take over Spock's station, will you?"
"Aye, Captain," Chekov said, getting up immediately.
The doors to the turbo lift opened and security hauled in the Andorian prisoner. He was missing one of his antennae.
"Captain Kirk," the prisoner said with great disdain. "I see that you have recovered from our little chat."
Jim rolled his eyes, feeling faintly smug about the glares the prisoner received from his crew.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said. "But today will not be the end of James Kirk."
"And I am sorry to disappoint you, Captain," the Andorian look-alike said. "I know what you want from me, but I will not give it."
"We'll see about that," Jim said with a faint smile. "Chekov, what's the status on the ship's weaponry?"
"As I told you before, sir, ve can't—vait," Chekov said, looking confused. "I can scan them! They have standard issue phasers!"
"Huh," Jim said, feeling confused. He longed to stand up and pace around the bridge—he always thought better on his feet—but figured his side would refuse to let that happen. "So this ship isn't as advanced as we think it is. That rules out any time warp possibilities."
The Andorian prisoner looked bemused, as if he couldn't figure out Jim's strange logic. Jim smiled again, the expression disappearing as another bolt of phaser fire rocked the Enterprise.
"Sir, we've lost shield two!" Sulu reported.
"Damage reports coming in from all decks," Uhura reported.
"All decks, damage crew, commence with repairs immediately," Jim said pressing the ship-wide intercom button.
"Your end will come, Captain," the Andorian prisoner said, looking pleased. "And I will gleefully watch your destruction."
Doctor McCoy swore as yet another explosion rocked through the ship. The surgery he was performing was difficult enough without a freaking war going on.
"Damn it, Jim, what the hell are you doing up there?" he shouted, even though he knew no one except for Chapel would hear him.
"Here are the mayo scissors you asked for," Chapel said, handing him the instrument. "The Captain will pull us through."
McCoy sighed.
"I know," he muttered. "I know. He's a damn genius."
Chapel smiled in response, handing him another surgical instrument.
"He managed to save us from Nero," she said. "I don't see how one small ship from our timeline is going to pose any problems to the great Captain Kirk."
"Have you ever been around Jim for any period of time?" Doctor McCoy growled as he activated another round of sterilization. He heard Spock stirring in the bed behind him.
"Must," Spock whispered. "Tell. Captain."
"Chapel, find out what he's babbling about," McCoy ordered. "And then sedate him. I can't have him coming around and leaving during the middle of the operation. That will surely kill Sarek more than that damn ship or the heart attack."
"Yes, Doctor McCoy," she said. She disappeared from his line of sight for a few moments. Doctor McCoy heard the telltale hiss of a hypo being injected and then silence.
"He said that he has just realized something," Chapel reported as she walked back over to the surgery table. "And he had to tell the Captain immediately."
"Did he mention what that fact was?" Doctor McCoy asked as he carefully navigated his way around the Vulcan ambassador's heart, searching for the damage. He simultaneously cursed every known xenophysiology professor he ever had and every single Starfleet Academy hospital for never allowing him to oversee an operation on a Vulcan. He knew about as much about Vulcan physiology as he did about quantum mechanics.
"No, he forgot to mention that fact," Chapel said. "But I told him it would have to wait until Sarek was better."
"You're a good nurse, Chapel," Doctor McCoy said. "Maybe, when all this crap is over, we can have a nice quiet dinner someplace."
"Quiet dinner? Onboard the Enterprise?" Chapel asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"Yeah, that is too much to hope for," McCoy growled. "Idiot starship captains and nosy gits of a command crew.
"Maybe on a shore leave," Chapel said with a smile.
"Maybe," McCoy conceded. "If we live through this, that is."
"I think the chances of that are pretty good with that idiot starship captain at the helm," Chapel said.
"Provided he doesn't kill himself," McCoy muttered darkly.
As if to prove the good doctor right, the lights went out.
"Damn it, Jim!"
