Chapter Eleven: Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer
Kate and Philippa ate in silence in the Mess, neither woman wanting to disrupt the little bit of peace they had finally gained. It had been two days since Dr. Sagan kidnapped Charlie and both women were wondering when Captain Kirk was going to rescue her. They knew he had been injured in the blasts that rocked the starship, but the pair had seen him the next day, a little worse for wear but obviously doing his job. Philippa had wanted to march straight up and demand to know what his plan was to get Charlie back; however, Kate wisely pointed out that it had only been twenty-four hours. It was not as if they could come up with a plan of action instantly.
Now that two days had passed, even Kate was becoming slightly agitated. She really did not want to bother such an important officer, but Charlie had done everything she could to help her and Philippa; it was time they returned the favor. Both Kate and Philippa were torn with anxiety, terrified for Charlie and struggling to hope that she would come back. The man they encountered was unlike anyone either woman had come in contact with before in their lives, and neither knew how to handle the situation they found themselves in. Charlie was always the one with the answers and the plan, but now that she was gone, Kate and Philippa were having to rely on each other and themselves.
Seeing both the Captain and Commander Spock enter into the cafeteria, Kate quickly nudged Philippa, nodding her head in the direction of the two men. Pursing her lips, Philippa gave a curt nod and quickly stood- a mission evident in her blue eyes. Kate followed as the blonde-haired woman made a beeline toward the commanding officers.
"Captain Kirk, may I please speak to you?" Philippa said as soon as she was by his side.
Jim turned, surprised to see Philippa behind him, with Kate standing a little behind her. Looking to his First Officer who merely raised a brow, Jim turned back to the women, crossing his arms and saying, "Sure. What's on your mind?"
"We — that is Kate and I — are wondering when you're going to get Charlie? Or if you even have a plan to get her. It's been two days."
Jim just stared at the Brits for a moment before he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let me get my lunch and I'll meet you at your table, alright? We can talk there."
The women looked to each other before they nodded and returned to their seats.
"It is not illogical that they are curious, Jim," Spock mentioned as he and the captain continued down the lunch line.
"No, I know," Jim sighed. "I was just hoping to have more to tell them before they came asking."
"We have a working theory on the reasons behind Dr. Sagan's interest in their friend. And Mister Sulu and Mister Chekov have narrowed down the direction of the ionized trail."
"Yea, toward Klingon space," Jim added bitterly.
He was not upset by the work his helmsman and navigator had completed. In fact, after only five hours from leaving sickbay they had isolated and analyzed the trail found off their port side nacelles. The only issue was it headed toward the Federation and Klingon Neutral zone at the far end of the Beta Quadrant. There were at least three deep space starbases and four large planetary systems for them to search, which could take weeks if they wanted to be thorough. And that was on the assumption that Dr. Sagan kept Charlie in Federation space. If their destination was within the Klingon territory, Jim didn't think even he could get her back there.
Gathering his tray, both Jim and Spock turned, finding the booth Kate and Philippa were occupying on the far side of the room. They made their way over, sliding in across from the worried women.
"So what's your plan?" Philippa didn't even wait for the men to be settled.
"Impatient?" Jim asked. He was surprised to see Philippa's blue eyes harden against his.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I am. Charlie did everything she could for me and Kate, and now when she needs us, I expect to be there for her." Her conviction caused a knot to form in Kirk's stomach. It was the same conviction Charlie had when she was onboard, and he should kick himself for his calloused response. He was just as impatient as they were.
"You're right, forgive me," he apologized. "We're working on a few theories, but it's difficult right now."
"Why is it so difficult?" Kate asked, her calm demeanor similar to the Vulcan sitting in front of her.
"We believe your friend was taken onboard a Klingon ship," Spock said. "Klingons have the capability of cloaking their vessels, effectively rendering them invisible to our sensors. It took several hours to isolate the ionized trial they left behind and even longer to judge the general direction. We do not know more beyond that at the moment."
"So you don't know where they are going?" Kate continued, her stomach dropping in despair.
"Not—"
"We will," Jim interrupted, sending a pointed look toward the Vulcan. "We've obtained significant information on Dr. Sagan and what he was working on. We think we know why he took Charlie."
"Which is?" Philippa prodded.
"It appears he is in need of her molecular biology," Spock said. "For what purpose, I have yet to develop an appropriate hypothesis."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kate questioned, her eyes pleading with both Spock and Jim. Sitting around worrying was absolutely torturing both women.
Jim looked to Spock, not sure what to tell them. The Vulcan showed his customary facial expression back, indicating it was for the captain to decide.
"Well, maybe one of you can help Mister Spock go through his mountain of research?"
"I can do that," Kate quickly spoke. "I had to help my step-dad with this huge project he was working on. I'm really good at organizing and categorizing anything you need me to."
Spock sent Jim his version of a glare, but told Kate, "That would be satisfactory."
"What can I do?" Philippa interjected.
Jim sighed as he thought. There was not much Philippa could do for him on the Bridge, most of duties for the command crew only. However, there was a possibility she could help his yeoman, who at the moment was handling several of his minor obligations while he focused on the recovery of Sagan and Charlie for Starfleet. "I think my yeoman could use some help," Jim told Philippa. "I've put a bit on her; she might like to have some backup and it'll get her out of my hair."
"I'd be more than happy to help," Philippa said, pleased to have something to do. They had now spent a month on the Enterprise, and both women were fast becoming bored with the little amount of work they had.
"Good, I'll talk to Janice for you," Jim said. "This will keep you both in the loop, too. So you both know what's going on."
Kate and Philippa gave Jim dazzling smiles, some of their biggest worry stemming from the lack of information. While it was unusual for a captain to involve civilians as Jim was, he knew that these women were as much a part of the issue as Charlie was. It was what she would have wanted, and that gave him the idea.
Both women left after that, agreeing to meet the men at the beginning of Alpha shift on the Bridge. Once they were gone, Spock said, "I am not sure it is wise to include them, Jim. They are both severely compromised emotionally."
"I know, Spock," Jim agreed. "But I know how hard it is to just sit and wait. Even if it's just paperwork, they feel included and that will go a long way to keeping them happy. I think Charlie would have wanted that."
Spock merely stared, his mind beginning to connect some fascinating dots.
The next morning, Kate and Philippa were anxiously awaiting the arrival for Jim and Spock, speaking quietly between each other trying not to disturb the crew already present. Sulu and Chekov were curious why the women were on the Bridge, but they did not vocalize their confusion. Spock had already informed Uhura, and she was more than happy to chat with the women while they waited. Uhura was interested in their past, and asked a variety of questions of their lives back in England. While Uhura wasn't sure giving the pair tasks on the Enterprise was a good idea, she understood their need for productivity. She didn't just understand the spoken word, but body language as well. As excited as they were to help the bridge crew, Uhura could see the underlining tension in their frames, and the tightness around their eyes. They were worried for Charlie, and Uhura could not blame them.
Finally, Spock and Jim arrived on the Bridge, along with Jim's yeoman Janice Rand, an older blonde woman already affiliated with Kate and Philippa. She had been very helpful when they were permitted to leave sickbay, and she had provided them with every necessity they required. Smiling, Janice followed behind Kirk and Spock as they approached the women.
"Good morning, Ladies," Kirk said and they politely answered back. "Kate, if you could follow Mister Spock, he'll have you get started." Kate nodded and hurried behind the Vulcan as he led her over to his station, quietly informing her of his parameters. Kirk then turned and regarded Philippa, who was blushing slightly under his gaze. "Philippa, you've met my Yeoman, Janice, right?"
"Yes," Philippa answered. "She's very helpful to us. It's good to see you again, Ms. Rand."
"You too, Philippa, and please call me Janice. The Captain has informed me you'll be helping me out for a while," Janice smiled, a bit of sympathy in her eyes.
Philippa hesitantly returned her smile. "Yes. I've done a bit of reception work at my dad's office, so I can help you with any of that."
Janice laughed and said, "Oh there's plenty to be done. Come with me and I'll get you started."
The two women headed into Jim's private office as he headed to his command chair. Once inside, Kirk turned to Sulu and said, "Status, Mister Sulu."
"No change, Captain," the navigator replied. "I can still detect the trail, but it continues to indicate a path toward Klingon territory."
"Damn," Kirk swore softly.
"Mr. Scott has gotten the warpcore back online, but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep track of the trail if we go to warp."
Kirk sighed, flexing his fist. Warp would make it quicker to get to Charlie and Sagan, but they needed the trail to follow where they went. It was a damn Catch-22. "Understood. Get us going as fast as you can without losing the trail."
"Aye, Captain."
His hand was beginning to really bother him. Unable to sleep the night before, he had thoroughly abused himself in the gym on deck sixteen— the punching bag taking the brunt of his frustration. It was thirty-six hours since Sagan had hopped aboard the Enterprise and Jim's frustration was growing every hour they were not in pursuit. His crew was working as hard as they could and he was grateful. They seemed to understand that this was not just a search-and-rescue as Starfleet had been told. No, this was now personal for the captain and in many ways for the crew. Someone had beamed aboard their ship and taken an innocent civilian without a care. While the crew did not have as much interaction with Kate, Charlie or Philippa, it was the principle of the matter. They were a solid unit, and when one person was in trouble, they all were.
Several hours passed, Kirk's anger growing each passing minute. Dammit, he was not someone who could sit and wait. He needed action, to do something. After the sixth pass by Spock's station where Kate was diligently arranging the research and typing away small summaries of long articles, Spock suggested he retire to Ready Room. There he could pace without putting more stress on himself or more importantly the crew. With a nod and a promise to get him if anything came up, Kirk entered his ready room, where Janice and Philippa had assiduously organized several stacks of PADDs.
"Captain, it's good you're here," Janice said, noticing his presence. Standing up from her desk chair, she gestured to the first stack. "Here are the requisition forms for you to review and approve, and here," he gestured to another, larger stack, "Are the crew evaluation forms. We're two weeks late, but I think regarding the circumstances, Starfleet understands."
"You seemed to have gotten a bit done," Kirk commented dryly as he walked over and took the first stack.
"Many hands make light work," Janice shrugged. "And Philippa had an ingenious assembly line going that organizing everything was done faster than ever."
Philippa flushed at the praise, sending a sheepish look toward the captain who smiled kindly. The three continued to work silent for another hour before Janice stood and stretched. "I'm going to go get the new timetables from the department heads. I'll be back in a bit."
She hurried through the doors on the bridge, leaving Philippa and Jim alone. Philippa went back to her task, her cheeks heating up the longer the now awkward silence continued. Finally sighing in annoyance, she spun around on her chair, addressing the captain.
"Captain Kirk, how long do you think it'll be until we get to Charlie?"
Kirk sighed, rubbing his eyes as he finished the signing off the last form. "I'm not sure, Philippa. We're doing all we can."
Looking down into her lap, Philippa exhaled slowly. "I know. I just can't imagine what they're doing to her and –"
"Stop," Kirk interrupted. "You can't think like that. It only makes it worse."
"I can't stop thinking about it though," Philippa argued, looking back up. "When he just showed up out of nowhere, and was demanding to see Charlie, he just . . . he seemed like he would do anything to get her. And then when we told him we didn't know where she was, and he started yelling at me and Kate for ruining his plan, I couldn't stop thinking I was going to die."
"That wouldn't have happened," Jim said forcefully.
"But it could have," Philippa argued. "And Charlie did what she always does. She never stops to think things through; she just rushes headlong if she feels someone's in trouble."
"I know a few people like that," Kirk smirked.
"I just want to save her," Philippa went on ignoring him. "I need to save her."
Kirk sat there as he regarded Philippa, an interesting idea entering into his head. "You blame yourself, don't you?"
Philippa's round, blue eyes widened before she dropped them down shamefully, her accent thickening as she spoke. "If I hadn't gotten her so upset, maybe she would have been thinking clearly, and found another way than leaving with him. I was selfish and rude, and I never got to apologize."
"You can't blame yourself for the deranged motives of a psychopath," Jim asserted forcefully. "You had nothing to do with Sagan getting a hold of Charlie. If anything, her being out of your quarters may have saved her. It gave us time to get there, to hear what he was saying. I'm the one who should be blamed. I let him kidnap someone off of my ship, and I was unable to stop it."
"But he shot you. What could you have done?"
"I don't know," Jim ground out, running a hand through his hair. "But I could have — should have — done something, anything. His damn ship on just on the port side, and we couldn't even see it to destroy it."
The pair lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by Philippa's random sniffling. Finally, she said, "I know you'll get her back, get us all home. Charlie has so much faith in you and your crew, and I do too."
Jim smiled, although there was not much feeling behind it. While Philippa had the ability to lean onto him for support and comfort, he was the one with the responsibility of the whole ship. He had his crew to support him, but in many ways, being a captain was a lonely job.
"Thanks, Philippa."
Just as the two returned to their work, Spock's voice filtered into the calm atmosphere.
"Spock to Captain Kirk."
"Yes, Spock," Jim answered.
"It would be advisable to join Miss Aldridge and I on the Bridge. We feel we have uncovered something significant."
"On my way," Kirk said, practically leaping out of his chair. "Come on, Philippa. You're coming too."
Both Jim and Philippa were on the Bridge in seconds, hurrying over to the station where an excited human and stoic Vulcan stood waiting.
"What have you found, Commander?" Jim asked the minute he was within speaking distance, bounding up the stairs.
"We believe we have possibly located the reasoning behind Dr. Sagan's interest in Miss Noland."
"Which is?" Kirk asked impatiently.
"Well, when I was grouping together the information on Dr. Sagan," Kate began, spilling out her words in a rush. "I noticed he seemed to mentor a lot of young physicists. Every year he would take on one or two, and by the next year, they were replaced. He was very vocal in praising his students, going so far as to provide them with jobs and research positions all over the place. He held this pattern for ten or so years."
"So what's the big deal?" Philippa interjected. "He liked to mentor students. He was a professor, wasn't he?"
"Yes, but that's not caught my attention," Kate said. "He stopped taking on students about eight years ago. The last student he sponsored was, at the time, a master's student who went on to gain his doctorate under Sagan."
"Alright, but what's so special about him?" Philippa asked.
"His name was Edward Noland-Spear."
"You don't think a student having the same last name as Charlie is a coincidence, do you?" Jim said, his mouth firming into a hard line.
"I do not feel it is coincidental, Captain," Spock said shaking his head. "Once Miss Aldridge alerted me to the similar surname, I was able to link back Dr. Noland-Spear's family records to that of a General Bryan Douglass Noland of the former United States Army, born January 22, 1985."
"Charlie's brother," Philippa said.
"It would appear so," the Vulcan agreed.
"Similar DNA, just like I thought," Jim nodded. "But why not take her brother? He was obviously a direct descendent."
"I can only speculate, Jim," Spock said with as much of a Vulcan shrug as he could do. "But it is possible that his involvement in the military provided an unavoidable hindrance for Sagan to retrieve him. When Dr. Sagan went to the 21st century, General Noland was only a Major, but the rank indicates a heavy involvement on an active military base. The youngest Noland was also in a heavily secured location at the United States Air Force Academy in 2013. In fact, reading through the records of Miss Noland's family, it appears they all were involved in the military in one way or another."
"Accept for Charlie," Jim concluded.
"Yes, accept for her. She would have been the easiest target to locate and recover."
Jim flexed his fists, his energy for action heightening. "Alright, so know we know why she was picked. But what about this Dr. Noland-Spear? What does his file say about him?"
"That is the reason why I summoned you. Dr. Noland-Spear, who was a Lieutenant Commander in Starfleet, was a revolutionary physicist in quantum mechanics. He had piloted several test programs into deep space travel, and was rumored to have found a way to re-create Red Matter."
"Oh great, like we need that again," Jim growled.
"Indeed," Spock replied with no humor either. "He had patented several new formulas, none of which proved successful. He was also the inventor of a new security system which uses mitochondrial DNA as the access code."
"Let me guess, you need living DNA in order to unlock the information," Jim remarked.
"Yes. He was a brilliant mind in his field."
"You keep saying 'was'," Jim pointed out. "Where is he? What happened to him?"
"Dr. Noland was reported M.I.A. when the deep space research station he was assigned was attacked by Klingons several months ago. Everyone on the base made it to the escape shuttles, except for him. Starfleet sent an investigative team, but the station was too far damaged to search properly. They believe he was either captured by Klingons or killed."
Jim could practically feel the tension in the air. But then something in the way Spock continued to stare at him made something click in Jim's brain.
"This research station. Where is it?"
"The Boradis system."
Kirk about gave a whoop of delight. One of the star systems in the path of the ionized trail was the Boradis system. Spinning around, Kirk snapped out, "Sulu set a course. Maximum warp. Uhura, contact Starfleet and inform them of our destination. It couldn't hurt to have a bit of back up."
"Aye, Captain."
"Aye, Captain."
"How long until we reach the station, Lieutenant?" Jim asked his helmsman.
"Approximately five days, Captain."
"Damn," Kirk swore. "They already have three days on us."
"Jim, I am afraid I must apologize," Spock voiced. "I had been researching Dr. Noland-Spear with only the surname Spear. I did not connect him to Dr. Sagan or Miss Noland until Miss Aldridge noticed his full name among the list of former research students."
"Don't worry about it, Spock," Jim said, slapping the Vulcan on the shoulder. "The point is you've connected the dots. Now we just need to get there. As for you two," Jim said, bringing his attention to the two silent non-crew members. "You should be proud. Because of you, by next week we'll have Charlie back."
The women smiled, demonstrating the energy and excitement Jim could feel racing through his system. Now he could work, he had action. It was time to get to the station and get Charlie back. I'm coming, he thought as he stared into space.
