Star Trek: Time Keeper

Silent Recall

Previously…

Starbase-16

Kirk, McCoy and Scotty materialized inside of the warehouse. As reported by Spock, there were several old computers lined up in neat rows.

Scotty looked at some of the old equipment as they headed for the offices.

"Why do they eve'n bother sendin' some of this stuff," Scotty scowled. "And I certainly can see no use for it in terms of the Romulans."

"I see your point," Kirk replied. He was slightly irritated at Spock for even suggesting Scotty come down to look at the old machinery. "Just check the computers out Scotty; maybe they left useful data behind."

Scotty nodded and remained to look at the old computers as Kirk and McCoy entered the main office. They found Sean Landis and a security detachment from the local authorities.

"Ah, Kirk, and Dr. McCoy," Sean Landis said. Landis came closer to Kirk, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Look, I know you're just as worried as I am about Carol and David; so I'm sorry for any attitude I gave you earlier."

The chief investigator came over. He was an oriental man in his later years, and seemed very official.

"Jim," Sean Landis said, "Inspector Hoshimoto is a former Starfleet Officer and I trust him and his judgments."

They made it over to the window; the one Spock said he had made his escape through. Hoshimoto pointed at the window.

"There is an issue with Commander Spock's accounting of what happened here," Hoshimoto said.

"A window," Kirk said. "In Spock's report; I believe he said that he escaped through this window so what's the problem?"

"He did indeed, Captain Kirk," Hoshimoto agreed. "However; the windows were given advanced locking ridges and the only way the ridge can be opened, is via a switch, which is through that door where he said his captors where holed up, and to be sure, we found proof of that. However, if that is the case then…"

"Then they let him escape?" McCoy asked.

"Or," Jim Kirk said, as he looked at the window, "Spock was never a captive at all."

A look of worry came over Kirk's face…and McCoy's too.

Our story continues…

USS ENTERPRISE; orbiting Starbase-16.

With Kirk and McCoy, as well as Scotty, removed from the Enterprise, Spock was finally in a position to do what Commodore Mendez had ordered him to do; to remove the Enterprise's shielding regulator switching device.

Once he had done so, Spock would get it to Charvon and Linav, and then the three of them would head into Romulan space to make the exchange; for what, Spock still did not know.

With Scotty no longer aboard, Spock was able to re-direct the engineering teams to other tasks so that he could remove the regulator switch without being noticed. Part of the complex system was actually housed in a Jefferies-tube. Spock also knew that he had little time to accomplish the task, knowing full well that Jim Kirk would soon find very little clues on the plant surface and return to the ship; as would McCoy and Scott. Spock climbed up inside the Jefferies-tube to do what had to be done there.

At that moment, on the bridge, Lt. Uhura was doing her duties when suddenly Kirk called from the surface of Starbase-16.

"Kirk to Enterprise," Kirk's voice said.

"Go ahead Captain," Uhura replied.

"Lt. Uhura," Kirk said, "put Spock on." Kirk said.

"Captain," Uhura said in response, "Mr. Spock is not on the bridge; he went down to engineering to see to some matter."

There was a pause, and then…

"Then contact him, and patch him through," Kirk told her, "I must speak to him now."

Elsewhere on Starbase-16…

Commodore Mendez was sitting in a comfortable chair and was listening to Kirk's communication with the Enterprise. He was sipping from a glass of wine, and the moment Kirk asked Uhura to patch Spock through, Mendez knew it was time to interfere, or Spock's efforts could be thwarted by Kirk, and that would ruin the covert the mission immediately. He stood up from his chair and walked over to a panel of controls and switches and then he reached out and pressed one of the buttons. Mendez then pressed another button.

U. S. S. Enterprise…in orbit of Starbase-16

Spock was finishing up what he had done inside the Jeffries-Tube when suddenly his communicator chirped. He reached down to his pocket, and flipped open the communicator.

"Spock here," the Vulcan said into the device.

"Mendez here," the voice of Commodore Mendez said, "how long until you are done?"

Spock did not like the fact that Jim Kirk was being kept in the dark, but, Mendez had made it clear that not involving the famous Starfleet Captain was paramount to their efforts.

"I have the switch, I have concluded the re-directing of the flow sensors," Spock reported. "You can inform Charvon and Linav that I will be at the coordinates in ten point seven minutes."

"Good," Mendez said, "Kirk is already trying to contact you; that must not happen."

"Logically," Spock said, as he closed his communicator and climbed down and out of the Jefferies-Tube.

Starbase-16

Inside the warehouse from which Spock reported he had escaped from…

Jim Kirk, with McCoy and Sean Landis to either side of him, watched impatiently as Scotty tried to surmise what was preventing the communicators from working.

"Well," Kirk asked.

"Capt'n," Scotty said, with a bewildered look on his face, "all three of them are sending signals. If I had to guess," Scotty said, "they are being jammed."

"That's impossible," Inspector Hoshimoto suddenly said, "I have my office, which is several miles from here, on my communicator right now."

"Then perhaps," McCoy said, "whoever is jamming our communicator is only jamming the frequencies we use with the ship."

A look of anger came over Kirk's face.

"If you're right, Bones," Kirk said, "then there's much more going on here than the kidnapping of Carol and David," Kirk said, "and I won't stop until I find out what it is."

U. S. S. Enterprise…in orbit of Starbase-16

Spock had made his way down to a secluded area of the ship's shuttle bay. There was only one thing to do, and that was to wait. Suddenly the com-device on the wall whistled.

"Mr. Spock, to the bridge," came from Uhura's voice.

Spock wanted to answer the hail, but from the moment Commodore Mendez had contacted him moments ago, he was precluded from doing so. From this moment on; Spock was now under the direct orders of Commodore Mendez and the protocol of; silent recall.

Continued…