STAR TREK: TIME KEEPER

Field of Dreams

Starbase-16

Jim Kirk never thought he could feel happier than when he sat in the command chair of the USS Enterprise; until now.

He was standing in a field, which was covered with short grass, and he looked down at his left hand; it was wearing a baseball glove. In his right hand he was hold a ball; more specifically, a baseball. It was a simple deduction, Kirk realized; he was playing catch but…with whom?

It was then that he heard a voice calling to him, and then he looked at where the voice was coming from; a boy. The child was, at best, seven years old and had blond hair. Kirk instantly recognized the kid; David Marcus. Again, Kirk let the warm feeling of that phrase runabout his mind like a herd of wild horses; his son!

"Dad," the boy pleaded, "Don't just stand there looking at me; throw the ball!"

Inside Kirk's mind, he could hear his own heart beat and he could hear each breath he was taking. And as he put his arm in motion so as to throw the ball to his son, yes his son, Kirk realized it was all just a dream; and he didn't care because he didn't want it to end. Yes, being a Starship Captain was a great feeling, the best. But now, for the first time in his life, that sensation had competition. And as they threw the ball back and forth, Jim Kirk knew one thing; he loved his son.

So again, he threw the ball, and the boy caught it and threw it back. Kirk looked to the left and saw that they were being cheered on by people they knew. Carol was there, but so were Spock and McCoy and…so was her; the little who had destroyed his kite; Sajah.

Kirk opened his eyes; he was in his bed aboard the Enterprise, and was in a cold sweat. He was enjoying the dream of playing catch with his son; but what had just happened? How did Sajah, who was killed when the Lost Condor exploded into the compound, suddenly appear in his dreams?

In fact, it was more than that. Jim Kirk recalled how, when he believed himself to be Kirok, Spock initiated a mind-meld to bring him out of it; that's what the dream felt like moments ago. It felt like his mind was paired with another.

Kirk got out of bed and went over to the sink and splashed his face with water. He decided it was all just a dream and decided to just forget about it, to forget about her; Sajah.

It was at that moment when the high pitched whistle came from the intercom on the wall next to him. He looked at the chronometer on the wall; 0235 ship time. What could possibly be going on at this hour he wondered?

"Kirk here," Kirk replied.

"Lt. Uhura here on the bridge, sir," Uhura's voice replied, "I just got back to the ship, and as I always do, I checked the status on all personal approved for shore leave. Two crewmembers have not checked in as they are supposed to do after the seven hour benchmark has been met."

Kirk smiled; no doubt it was two young officers enjoying their R and R and had lost track of time while either gambling or…

"Well," Kirk said, "give them another hour. If they don't check in by…"

Uhura cut Kirk off.

"Sir, the two crewmembers are Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy," Uhura said.

Now that was different. Officers followed stricter shore leave protocols due to the fact they were also tactical assets and, with that, they could be targeted.

"On my way," Kirk replied as he reached for his uniform, and once having it on, headed for the bridge.

Elsewhere on Starbase-16

David Marcus was dreaming. And in this dream he was standing on a grassy field, holding a baseball in his left hand; and a baseball glove on his right hand. He was being cheered on by a bunch of people, some of them he knew, like his mom, Carol Marcus, and his dad, Sean. But there were others he didn't recognize and one of them was a Vulcan wearing a Star Fleet uniform; most notably a blue shirt.

But who was David playing catch with? He looked at the man; his strong featured face hidden by the glare of the sun which was in a position directly behind his head. Who was that man, David wondered?

And then, he saw a young Vulcan girl. She was staring directly at him, at David. And then, under her spell, David was compelled to speak words; they came out of his mouth but he did not speak them, and they were aimed at the man with the baseball glove.

"Dad," David's words pleaded, "Don't just stand there looking at me; throw the ball!"

Sajah smiled…

Continued…Try my new story "STAR TREK THE REPLY" which takes place in our universe. It's about a teenager who accidentally broadcasts Earth's first sub-space signal!