James T Kirk: TNG
You're Alive…now run!
James T Kirk stood outside of Holosuite-4 when, finally, Quark arrived on the scene. The Ferengi bar scurried over to Kirk and then handed him a small triangle shaped object.
"What is this?" Kirk asked.
"It will activate the signal, some sort of inter-dimensional scrambler." Quark said. "Now, listen carefully. There is a special filter on this device, as well as the one Spock has on Romulas."
"Romulas," Kirk cut in, "he's on Romulas?"
"Yes, and that is why I know your Vulcan friend." Quark said. "He's been smuggling things on and off of Romulas for almost two decades, and he's paid me very handsomely to arrange many of those transactions. In fact, he has over paid several times so as to build up credit with me; which remind him, he is taking advantage of now." Quark added. "This filter," Quark said pointing at the device in Kirk's right hand "will shut down the signal if it detects any attempt at surveillance, so there is no telling how long you have to converse."
"What do you mean converse?" Kirk asked. "He's on Romulas, I'm here."
Quark rolled his eyes.
"I don't have time to nursemaid you," Quark came back with. "Just go in there, and press the button on that device. Spock has bought fifteen minutes of holosuite time, so don't waste it. Now," Quark said, as he pressed a button on the holosuite's door, and opened it. "Get in there, and oh," Quark added, "I have a feeling you'll want to see me when it's over. I'll be at my bar. It seems I have two new Dabo girl applicants, and I need to be there so that I can measure their," Quark paused, "body assets to make sure they are qualified." Quark turned, and scurried back down the corridor, which led to the bar.
Jim Kirk, with a little apprehension, entered the holosuite. The door swished shut behind him, and he found himself in the cold confines of an un-activated holosuite. Kirk had never been inside of one, though even in his time he had seen early schematics for such devices on Starships, mainly for training purposes. He looked down at the device in his hand, and then pressed the main button.
And then almost instantly, and to Kirk's bewilderment, the cold metallic surroundings of the holosuite were replaced by a beautiful awe inspiring view of large mountain range in the distance. Waterfalls could be seen cascading down the largest mountain. A massive lake was in the foreground, and reflected the large mountains; it was a most beautiful sight to behold. He turned to his left and saw what appeared to be a man, nearly twenty feet away, and he was wearing a dark brown cloak, and facing the other way, away from Kirk.
The person in the cloak turned around, and slowly pulled back the hood of the cloak, revealing an aged face, but with stoic features. And though age had indeed weathered his face, Kirk recognized the person instantly; it was Spock. And, to Kirk's further surprise, a lone tear made its way down Spock's face. Spock, wiped the tear away, and then raised his hand in the familiar Vulcan salute.
"It pleases me to see you again, Captain Kirk." Spock said.
"Spock," Kirk said, with bewilderment in his voice, "are we really talking? Or is this a recorded message."
"We are conversing in real time, if that is what you mean," Spock said. "The device in your hand is converting the signal into a form that your visual and audio senses can then filter through. I have a similar device here, on Romulas. In both our perspectives, we are here on Romulas."
"This place," Kirk said, as he marveled at the spectacular view before him, "is Romulas?"
"It is indeed," Spock said as he came closer to where Kirk stood. "Jim, Romulas is a beautiful world, with a wondrous and proud civilization. I have spent the better part of my life trying to unify the Vulcan and Romulan heritages. Each has much to offer the other."
"Wow Spock," Kirk said, "I wouldn't believe it possible. What about Sarek? I read of his passing on an old news-data chip I came across on Timus. Was he in favor of this endeavor of yours?"
"In his advanced age," Spock explained to Kirk, "Sarek became rigid with many of his views. Jim," Spock said, "according to what little information I am in possession of, you have been in this era for nearly three years. Why have you kept your existence shrouded in mystery?"
"It wasn't my choice, at first," Kirk explained. "I was contacted by representatives of the Federation and was asked to live a normal, uneventful life, for a myriad of reasons. At first I didn't want to just fade away, but then I met the woman who would become my wife, and my perspective changed. Spock, I had been instantly transported a hundred years into a future, a future I had little connection to. So," Kirk went on to say, "I decided to do what they asked; live a normal life."
"This may sound like a selfindulging statement," Spock said, after a moment, "however; I wish you would have at least contacted me. Why didn't you?"
Kirk, who was now walking along side Spock, took in the beautiful surroundings, and thought about his answer.
"I don't know," Kirk replied. "When I read about what the other Kirk went on to accomplish, after he returned from Triskelion, I Just felt like a man on the outside looking in. This era, this time, was one he had helped to shape and I didn't want to alter that legacy in anyway. As for not contacting you; it may sound," Kirk searched his mind for the right word, "illogical; but I felt that you and the other Kirk had shared so much, it would have wrong to inject myself into that as well."
"The other Kirk, as you refer to him," Spock said to Kirk, "was absent for nearly eighty years himself. So, in actuality, you both ended up circumventing most of those years, and have managed to bypass the results of the aging process. I no doubt look very old from when you last saw me on Stardate 3211.8."
Kirk looked at his much older friend.
"Older, yes," Kirk said, with a smile, "but from what I have recently heard, still very much alive; you have a son? Who is his mother?"
"A most logical choice," Spock replied, "T'pring."
Kirk gasped once he heard the name spoken.
"You have to be kidding me," Kirk said, with doubt in his voice. "Just knowing her, for the short hour or so that I did, almost cost me my life, and yours. If Bones hadn't had slipped me that neural paralyzer, things might have ended up much differently."
Just ahead, as they walked along a dirt path, Kirk saw an interesting looking animal scurry across. It looked like a cross between a chip monk and a small cat. Kirk had to remind himself that he was actually still on DS9, inside a holosuite.
"Yes, one of the good doctor's many ingenious improvisational moments." Spock said, as he thought back on the events on Vulcan, which from his point of view, had happened a century ago.
"So, your son, what is his name?" Kirk went on to ask excitedly, "what is he like? With Sarek's blood and T'pring's blood floating around in him, and yours too, he must be a very," Kirk paused for affect, "interesting Vulcan."
"His name is S'vath, and" Spock added, "he is far too independent minded for my taste. It seems as if following the rules and regulations of a society has no meaning to him at times."
Kirk chuckled.
"As I recall," Kirk said, "your own streak of independence is what kept you and Sarek distant from each other."
For a brief moment, the entire surrounding flickered.
"The filter," Kirk offered.
"Yes," Spock said, "it would appear as if someone has become interested in the signal. I had hoped we would have had more time to share," Spock said. "Jim, listen to me," Spock said in a more serious tone, "When Captain Picard brought the other Kirk out of the Nexus, there were rumors you had survived. I became aware of communiqués inquiring about details of your whereabouts. Though the rumor of the other Kirk's survival was false, I still investigated further, and concluded that had the other Kirk survived, there were forces converging on the Veridian system to change that; they were coming to kill him."
"And you think the same will happen to me," Kirk concluded.
"It is happening again already," Spock said. "I have detected the same sort of communiqués, and I believe your life is in peril."
"Spock," Kirk said, "This Captain Picard I keep hearing about will be arriving on Deep Space Nine very soon. I'm to be taken back to Starfleet to be debriefed by Admiral Janeway herself."
"Jim, trust me when I say, Captain Picard is a very honorable Starfleet Officer, as is Admiral Janeway," Spock told Kirk. "I do not believe they, by themselves, are a threat. However, I do believe there is an element of Starfleet that does not want to see James T Kirk live again. I believe it is up to you, and I, and others I will contact, to expose this threat from with-in Starfleet."
The surroundings flickered again, and for more than two seconds.
"We're running out of time," Kirk said. "Spock, I wasn't born yesterday. I know the way orders work; I'm not going to be able to refuse Picard's insistence that I return with him to Earth, and there isn't much I can do about it."
"Actually there is," Spock said. "As you recall, I once stole the Enterprise, risked both of our careers in the effort, so that I could pay a debt of honor to Captain Pike."
"I do remember," Kirk said, with trepidation in his voice. "It not only almost cost us our careers, but your life."
Then Spock stopped walking, and turned to face Kirk head on.
"Jim," Spock said, "I will use every, as you would say, trick in the book to ensure that no harm comes to you. When you leave the holosuite, find Quark. He is going to give you a special program that was encrypted with this communication signal. By now he has transferred it to a data file; take it. For now, until I can find passage to the Federation, this is all I can do for you."
"What exactly am I going to do with this data file?" Kirk asked, with no clue as to what Spock wanted him to do.
Spock arched his eyebrow, in true Spock fashion.
"You're going to steal," Spock said with a matter of fact tone, "the Defiant."
Continued….