Chapter 10
"Is that person in here?" Jamie asked warily, coming to stand beside McCoy's desk.
McCoy snapped off his viewer and looked up. "What person?"
"Commander Varst."
"No, the coast is clear." McCoy grinned. "So, what brings you down this way?"
"Ship's rumors. They say there's a smuggler and pirate on board." Jamie craned her neck toward the other room. "I've seen his ship. It's shiny and black. Just the kind of ship to avoid sensor sweeps, and I've heard he has to have a guard and—"
McCoy cut off her chatter. "Where do these rumors originate?"
"Rec Room. Gamma shift. I sometimes eat breakfast with Riley and Tyler."
McCoy rolled his eyes. "That's all it is, gossip. We have a guest—an injured freighter pilot—and his small, wrecked ship. Scotty and the boys in engineering are fixing it up. He'll be leaving in a few days."
"It was more exciting the other way."
"No doubt. Would you like to meet the pilot?"
"Does he even look like a pirate?"
"Nope."
Jamie sighed, disappointed. "I guess I'll meet him. Maybe he's seen a pirate or two."
McCoy crooked his finger and stood up. "Come along with me." Then he noticed the puzzle cube in her hands. "Are you still working on that impossible thing?"
Jamie nodded and held it up. "I've almost got it solved. I'm on the last layer—but Daddy says the last layer's the hardest."
"I've no doubt," McCoy agreed. "Jarid," he called as they entered the isolation ward. "I've got a visitor for you."
Jamie peeked around the doctor and grinned at the handsome young man sitting up in bed. "Hi. I'm Jamie. I was hoping to meet a pirate. Your ship's a beauty. Did a pirate try to blow it up?"
"One did, indeed." Jarid switched off the viewer and held out his hand to Jamie. "I'm Jarid, master of the Mon Ami. It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady."
Jamie beamed. She set her puzzle cube on the bed and shook Jarid's hand. "Welcome aboard the Enterprise."
Jarid's eyes opened wide. He reached out a tentative finger to touch Jamie's cube. "Will you take a look at this!" he exclaimed. "These little Aldarian Puzzle Cubes are sure popular items these days. Every kid in the quadrant must have one."
"Really?" Jamie scooped it up. "I got it for my birthday a couple weeks ago. It's called a Rubik's Cube." She gave Jarid a keen look. "Do you know how to solve it?"
Jarid laughed. "You would think so. I've shipped enough of them from the Federation to the Rim Worlds and beyond. Take a look at this. " He reached into a leather bag and pulled out a cube identical to Jamie's, holding chain and all.
Well, almost identical, Jamie thought. His cube is hopelessly mixed up. She giggled.
Jarid gave Jamie a mock frown. "Are you laughing at my attempt to solve this thing? If so, you're right. I can't figure it out. Every time I try to get a third side, the rest of them get mixed up."
Jamie held her own cube toward Jarid. "I'm solving it by layers. My dad said it would be easier that way."
Jarid took the cube and studied it. Two layers were solved. There remained only the last one. With shaking hands, he returned the cube and smiled. "You've certainly given me something to think about. Thanks. You must spend a great deal of time with your cube if you've only had it two weeks."
"That's an understatement," McCoy put in. "She carries it around all the time. I suspect she takes it to bed and works on it after lights-out."
Jamie gave the doctor a sour look. That was exactly what she did, and if her father found out, he'd take away her cube for good.
McCoy saw her look and laughed. "Come along, Jamie. That's enough for now. I don't want you wearing out my patient."
"I'm not tired," Jarid protested. "We can work on our puzzle cubes together if you let her stay. She can show me a trick or two."
"I'll be quiet," Jamie added. "Please may I stay?"
"Sorry, no," McCoy said. "Doctor's orders, I'm afraid."
"I'd like to visit with you again, Jamie," Jarid invited. "Perhaps you'll show me around when I'm on my feet. That is, if it's okay with your dad." He nodded at McCoy. "How about it, Doc? Can she visit me again?"
"I'll check," McCoy promised. "But I believe the captain will agree you're harmless."
"The captain?" Jarid asked, puzzled.
Jamie smiled. "My dad."
. . . . .
As Jarid got a starship education through the eyes of this precocious young girl, he couldn't help but think how complicated this whole situation was becoming. Kornish had gotten a message to him:
CUBE DELIVERED. STARSHIP.
It had been little enough to go on. There were over four hundred crewmen aboard a starship. How could he track down one puzzle cube? He was elated when the cube miraculously fell into his lap.
But now he knew he had been . . . oh, so premature with his joy.
Jarid understood how Kornish would have thought it a good idea to sneak the jewel aboard the starship in a child's toy. Adults, especially travelers, paid little attention to what their children bought as souvenirs, and children paid little heed to affairs of state.
It was obvious Jamie knew nothing of importance about the starship's vital mission, nor of the devastation the loss of the Jewel of Cortina had caused. To Jamie, Commander Varst was just another unpleasant guest aboard her father's ship. Soon he would be gone, and life would go on as before.
When Jarid casually questioned Jamie about the Jewel of Cortina, she shrugged and told him what she knew: it was a gemstone of great value, and someone had stolen it and taken it to T-12. There were a lot of angry people on the space station, she remembered. Her new friend, Mr. Kornish, had been arrested because Commander Varst thought he was involved. She knew nothing more than the fact that the Enterprise had spent two long, boring weeks looking for one tiny jewel.
"They're never going to find it," she finished. "I think Commander Varst will have a heart attack when he finally figures out it's gone for good." She frowned and fiddled with her cube. "It's a huge galaxy and such a little jewel."
Seeing the cube never out of Jamie's hands, Jarid wondered how he would manage to switch cubes. It's as though, he thought miserably, the Jewel has acquired a watchdog in the form of one little girl. He cursed Kornish and his idea.
It didn't take long for the Enterprise crew to become accustomed to seeing the threesome—Jarid, his guard, and Jamie—exploring the ship together. Jarid was friendly and enjoyed talking. He had a keen sense of humor, and it took the crew no time at all to become interested in his stories.
Jarid gladly told tales of his exploits in the Outer Limits, as the traders called it. His stories were full of excitement and adventure, narrow escapes and stranger-than-truth events. Each evening the crowd around the half-Orion grew as word circulated throughout the ship.
It was not difficult to find the reason. The crew was weary of chasing imaginary jewels and entertaining antagonistic guests. Jarid was a breath of fresh air. He could have the entire rec hall roaring with laughter or quiet as a tomb as he wove his tales.
Jarid was good medicine for the crew of the Enterprise.
He was good medicine for Jamie.
Jarid won their hearts.
. . . . .
Jamie listened, wide-eyed, as she sat across from Jarid at the crowded table, enjoying his latest tale. She rested her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands, hanging on every word. She stifled a yawn and hoped nobody would notice how late it was. It was Jarid's last night aboard the ship, and Jamie wasn't about to miss it. Not for anything.
"And there I was, kid"—he winked at Jamie and grew more animated—"right in the middle of the biggest card game of my life. I had a pile of jewels and credits so huge it was impossible to guess its value. My worthy opponent had no more to wager. He was getting nervous, as the entire casino was watching our game. He wanted to make a bet so badly you could see his eyes bugging out. So, do you know what he brought out?"
Jamie sat up straight. "A phaser?" Most of Jarid's stories involved weapons of some kind.
Jarid grinned and ruffled her hair. "Nope. He snapped his fingers and a gorgeous Orion slave dancer weaved her way over to my side. Before I knew what was happening, she . . ." He paused a moment, as if reconsidering what to say.
"Yeah?" Jamie urged.
The rec hall grew deathly quiet.
Lt. Miller cleared his throat in warning.
"Well, like I was saying"—Jarid scratched his chin—"Maybe you don't want to hear this story."
"But I do. What happened?"
"Okay, okay. You know about Orion slave dancers, don't you? They simply can't be resisted. She came weaving over to my side. My mouth fell open, and I nearly became hypnotized. Never did I think a Dancer would be a wager. It was my moment of opportunity. Beyond my wildest dreams."
The doors to the rec hall slid open. Captain Kirk, followed by a couple of off-duty bridge personnel, strolled through the door. He caught Jarid's friendly wave and nodded. Then he wandered over and stood behind Jamie. "So, what's going on?" he asked cheerfully.
"I'm just relating some of my exploits from the hind end of space, Captain. Your crew seems quite interested."
Jamie leaned back and gave her father an impatient look. "He was just getting to the interesting part when you walked in and interrupted."
"Really?" Kirk folded his arms across his chest. "Well, don't mind me. By all means, finish your story."
Jarid took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Where was I?"
No one said a word.
"You were just getting to the part where your opponent was putting up a beautiful Orion slave dancer as a wager and you were thinking about—" Jamie broke off when she saw the look on her father's face.
Jarid saw it too. "Well, perhaps the rest of that story needn't be told right now."
"That's a wise choice," Kirk agreed. He nudged Jamie. "I think you've heard enough of our visitor's tall tales for one night. Better get yourself to bed."
"But it's the middle of the story. Can't I wait until he finishes it?"
"Sorry, Jamie, but it's getting late."
"I'm not tired. Please let me stay up. It's Jarid's last night."
"Say 'good night,' Cadet."
She pushed back her chair and stood up "G'night," she said without enthusiasm. "Will you finish the story tomorrow before you go, Jarid?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
"Will I at least get to say good-bye to you?"
"I don't know the answer to that, either."
Jamie sighed and shuffled out of the rec hall. The doors whooshed closed behind her.
. . . . . .
Kirk sat down in Jamie's recently vacated seat. "Really, Jarid, I don't think I appreciate my daughter hearing some of your more colorful tales about life on the Orion frontier."
"Forgive me, Captain. I got carried away. I would never purposely expose your little girl to anything that hinted at being in poor taste."
Kirk favored the man with a genuine smile. "I want to thank you for letting Jamie tag along after you the past few days. I know she's been pestering you about her puzzle cube, and I appreciate your patience."
"She's a charmer," Jarid admitted. "I've enjoyed her company."
"She had quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. Varst terrorized her back on the station and again aboard ship not too long ago. Since you arrived, she's happy again and seems to have forgotten about Varst. I'm grateful."
Jarid smiled. "It's the least I can do to repay your hospitality."
Kirk rose to leave. "Your ship is repaired, and Dr. McCoy has given you a clean bill of health. You're free to go. Just notify my watch officer if you leave tonight. The guard will accompany you to the hanger deck, and"—he shrugged—"I guess that's it."
His gaze came to rest on the puzzle cube lying on the table. He picked it up. "Jamie must have forgotten her cube," he remarked, tossing it in the air. He caught it and grinned. "I'll drop it off on my way to bed."
Jarid stood up. "Uh, Captain, that one's mine."
Kirk's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Well, no wonder Jamie enjoys your company. I guess you two have had plenty to talk about the past few days." He turned the cube around and around. "Doesn't look like you've gotten very far on it."
"I'm further along than I was when I came aboard, thanks to Jamie."
Kirk stifled a yawn. "I'm turning in, Jarid," he said in way of farewell. "You can probably finish that story now."
The rec room doors closed.
Jarid was left with the disturbing thought that he liked the captain of the Enterprise. He liked him a lot. He liked the kid too.
This is not good, he told himself as he turned back to his rapt audience.