James T Kirk: The Next Generation
No V.I.P. Treatment
-make sure to check out the new cover art at my profile-
Admiral Kathryn Janeway's face dominated the large monitor inside Deep Space Nine's main conference room. The mood in DS9's conference room was very serious as the meeting with Janeway, who was on official business on Starbase 247, on the apparent theft of the Defiant began. On one side of the table sat Captain Kira Nerys, Commander Worf and Captain Benjamin Sisko. On the other side sat Commodore Jellico and Captain Picard. All stared up at the monitor.
"You mean to tell me," Janeway said, her tone was low, and stern, "that James T Kirk is in possession of one of our most powerful starships, has abducted three of our Starfleet personnel, and we have no idea as to why or even where he is now?"
"Exactly," Jellico said. "We are working on a general theory, but the details are somewhat sketchy at best. But one fact we do know is that the Defiant was recently fitted with one of the latest Romulan Cloaking devices which, at the present, is impervious to our current detection grids. I'm afraid, as of yet, we do not have much else to go on."
"Try me," Janeway said, as she shook her head in apparent disappointment. "What I want to know is why?"
"Admiral," Picard said, "You should know that Deep Space Nine's communication array detected the use of an inter-dimensional scrambler."
"Jean-Luc," Janeway explained, "That technology is top-secret, and classified. Who on DS9 even has access to such equipment?"
"Quark," Kira replied, with embarrassment in her voice.
"The Ferengi bar keep has top-secret Starfleet technology?" Janeway bowed her head in near defeat.
"Actually," Kira corrected her, "it's a Romulan designed."
"Even more interesting," Janeway said with a crooked smile. "How did he get his hands on it."
"We do not know," Picard explained. "However, while the scrambler makes detection of such communications difficult, it does not make it impossible to trace the origion of such signals. Our best data shows that the scrambler received no less that three signals, and that they originated," Picard paused, "from a planet in the Romulan Empire, and most likely, it was Romulas."
Janeway sat back further back in her chair.
"Romulas," she stated blankly, but then her eyes refocused as she connected the dots Picard way laying out for her, "Ambassador Spock," Janeway whispered, "He's still there."
"Yes Admiral," Jellico said, "he is still there. Perhaps his loyalties are being tested, and he has enlisted Kirk to obtain one of our most advanced ships so as to hand it over directly to the Romulan military machine."
"I vehemently disagree," Picard stated emphatically, "Ambassador Spock is not a traitor. I would stake my entire career on it."
"How else would you explain it?" Commodore Jellico put to Picard.
"Picard is right," Sisko said, in a deep voice that conveyed annoyance with Jellico's last comment and having watched the conversation unfold without participating. "Ambassador Spock is no traitor. About fifteen minutes ago I spoke with Quark myself, and I warned him that such endeavors as this would most likely cost him his business license in Federation space."
"They will; mark my words," Janeway stated quickly.
"Quark explained to me," Sisko went on, "that he had done business with Spock for many years. And, according to Quark, Spock had become aware of Starfleet assets being aligned against James T Kirk."
"What does that mean?" Jellico asked bluntly.
"Someone in Starfleet, or the Federation, or even both," Sisko explained, "wants Kirk dead."
"I don't believe it," Jellico said flatly.
"I do," Sisko came back with quickly, and just as bluntly. "On more than one occasion, while I commanded DS9, we came up against agencies that I didn't even know existed, such as Section-31. They certainly acted in ways that seemed to circumvent the liberties of Federation citizens. It wasn't right then, and it isn't right now."
"Believe me Ben," Janeway said to Sisko, "Section-31 has been dealt with and they are no longer a threat."
"Excuse me Admiral," Picard chimed in, "from what I have read about Section-31, they were able to stay under the radar for over a hundred years, perhaps even longer. Perhaps there are other such agencies. But more to the point; I know Ambassador Spock, and I do not believe he would act irrationally. If he believes there is a rogue element at work here, and it threatens James Kirk, I think we should step back and try to see the bigger picture he sees. If there is such a threat, then for all our sakes, we need to expose it."
"I will tell you the bigger picture," Jellico fired back. "If Ambassador Spock felt Kirk's life was at risk, then why not go through proper channels? And as for acting irrationally; I have read up on Ambassador Spock's military record. This isn't the first time the Ambassador has been involved in the theft of a Starship (The Menagerie)."
"Nor Kirk's first time either, (The Search for Spock)" Janeway added.
"Admiral," Commander Worf interjected, "that was the other Jim Kirk, the one that came back from Triskelion, not this one. I do not believe he would go through such measures unless he was certain his actions were honorable."
"Admiral Janeway; it doesn't matter what Kirk's motivations are," Jellico insisted, his anger becoming more apparent as each word was spoken. "Sure, it was the other Kirk that swiped the Enterprise to retrieve Spock's body on Genesis all those years ago, all that does is prove that it is in this Kirk's character to do the same, and as it happens to be, this Kirk has; that's why were here."
"You may see it that way," Sisko said from his end of the table, "but I do not. I agree with Captain Picard, I too trust Ambassador Spock's intuition, and I have told you about our dealings with rogue elements of Starfleet, which you seem to dismiss as being irrelevant."
"Didn't he save your daughter?" Jellico fired back. "Is that opinion of yours coming from a Starfleet officer or a thankful father?"
Sisko was about to fire back when Janeway cut him off.
"People," Janeway cut in, "What would you have me do?" Janeway asked. "Just let officers go off half cocked, breaking rules of protocol and challenge the Chain of Command, simply because of intuition? You know I can't allow that."
"His methods may be somewhat over-the-top," Sisko replied, "and I am sure he understands what will happen to him if he fails."
"Agreed," Picard said. "However, there is another aspect we must consider. No matter what we may think of Jim Kirk, to the public he is a historic icon from the past. Children read about him in schools, Starship Captains still look up to him, all this in the face of his being a rule breaker."
"What the citizenry thinks of Kirk is irrelevant," Jellico protested. "Kirk can not be treated any differently than you or I."
"And he wont be," Janeway declared. "However," she said in a more thoughtful tone, "I want you to use Quark's transmitter and send Ambassador Spock a message from me. You tell him that Kirk has two weeks…"
"Two weeks?" Jellico cut in, with a tone of disbelief in his voice.
"Two weeks," Janeway repeated, "to follow this hunch of his. At the end of those two weeks, Kirk is to turn the Defiant back over to Starfleet, and turn himself in for immediate disciplinary action. Those are my terms, and they are non-negotiable."
"And if he refuses?" Jellico asked quickly.
"Then," Janeway said, "I will order Starfleet to use every measure at its disposal to bring Kirk in, and I will assist Romulas in the apprehension of Ambassador Spock and his followers."
The screen went dark.
"Two weeks," Jellico said to Picard and Sisko, as he stood up, "I would have given him two hours. I should let you know," Jellico added, "I will insist to Janeway that I lead the," he searched his mind for the right word, "posse, that will be ordered to find Kirk. Unlike the two of you, I will not confuse the man with the myth."
And with that, Jellico turned around and left the room.
Kira waited for a moment.
"That was rather tense," Kira finally said. "Though, I kind of understand where Commodore Jellico is coming from. Jim is taking a big risk here, and I hope for his sake, it pays off."
"Is there anyway we can contact him?" Sisko asked.
"Perhaps, however," Picard said, "We need to be subtle. If we dig too deeply we may inadvertently tip off who ever it is behind this threat."
"For all we know," Worf added, "they may already know of our efforts."
The others knew exactly what Worf was inferring.
"Jellico may come off as by the book as they come," Picard said, "but even he would not condone such actions, if provable."
"So what do we do now?" Kira asked.
"The only thing we can do," Picard said finally, "we wait; for now."
The Defiant; cloaked, and traveling through space…
It had been one hour since the Defiant has vanished. Master Chief O'Brien, Commander Julian Bashir and Commander Nog sat patiently in the Defiant's small galley. The doors had been secured, but the replicator was active. Bashir was eating a chocolate sundae, while O'Brien was eating a piece of Cheesecake. Nog was pacing the floor.
"How can you two be eating at a time like this?" Nog asked, nervously. "We should be trying to escape."
"Nog," O'Brien said, "Someone went through a lot of trouble to do this, let's just let it play out before we over react."
Nog went back to pacing, to the amusement of Bashir and O'Brien.
"What's your guess?" O'Brien asked Bashir. "Section-31?"
"Oh I hope not," Bashir said with a look of regret on his face.
"I think we're about to fine out," O'Brien said as the door swished open.
Walking into the room was Bakooth.
"Commander Bakooth," Bashir said, "they abducted you as well?"
"No abduct," Bakooth replied, "volunteer."
"You volunteered?" O'Brien asked, "Just what exactly did you volunteer for?"
As soon as O'Brien's last words were spoken, Jim Kirk entered the galley. It was right at that moment when Bashir, O'Brien and Nog realized they had just entered the world of the bizarre.
-next time; Kirk meets his new crew! Meanwhile, on the distant world of Gamma Trianguli VI (do your research TREK fans) Spock's son faces an unexpected danger!