Author's Note: Based on the TOS episode "Court Martial"

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Of Tea and Music

Chapter 54: Satisfying Actions

January, 2267

They had been through a severe ion storm. The ship was damaged and one crewman had been killed. They were glad to arrive at StarBase 11 where they could lay over for repairs.

The captain went to meet with the StarBase Commander, Commodore Stone, to file his report about what had happened. Spock was to bring the pertinent computer log to file with the report, but he did not appear when scheduled, so Kirk called the Enterprise.

Uhura was surprised when she received Kirk's call and quickly told him that Spock should have been there ten minutes previously. She worried about what might have happened to delay him as he was always so prompt.

***

Spock was aghast at what he found on the computer log and reran it twice before finally beaming down to the StarBase with it. He tried to warn Kirk about what was on it before handing it over, but Kirk did not listen. For some inexplicable reason, the log plainly showed the iod pod being jettisoned while the yellow alert was still in effect, before the red alert button had been pressed. It just could not have happened that way.

While he stood there, waiting to be dismissed, Jamie Finney came into the room, yelling at Kirk and accusing him of murdering her father. At Commodore Stone's request, he led her out of the room, trying to explain what had happened to her. It was just not possible the the captain would have murdered one of his own crewmen.

***

When Kirk refuses to state that he was exhausted and accept a permanent ground position, a court martial was convened, with the charge of probable negligence, resulting in loss of life. As expected, Kirk pleads not guilty. Spock is the first witness called. He testifies that he has run a mechanical check of the computer and that it is working properly, but that it is incorrect in what it shows. When he is accused of speculating, he emphatically states that he does not speculate, and that it is not in Kirk's nature to act out of spite or malice. He watched as the Enterprise's personnel director and Dr McCoy both testify, then as Kirk's lawyer calls him to the stand to testify. Again the damaging log is shown, with Kirk insisting that that was not the way it happened. He finds that he must agree with the captain. It could not possibly have occurred that way. As soon as the session is dismissed, he returns to the Enterprise to run more tests.

When he has run another megalyte survey on the computer, he calls Kirk, to inform him that nothing has been found. He cannot understand it. Kirk tells him that he may be able to defeat his next captain at chess. Tilting his head in thought, he thinks about chess. He has programmed the computer to play chess himself. He heads quickly for the rec room where the computer terminal is next to the chess board. He is on his fifth game when the doctor finds him and calls him cold-blooded. When he says that he has just won four games, makes three additional moves to checkmate, the doctor is astonished. He replies that although the computer is flawless mechanically, there is obviously something wrong with the program bank, as there should only have been a series of stalemates, the doctor becomes excited. Quickly they head for the transporter deck to beam down to the StarBase.

Unfortunately, they do not arrive until the defense has already rested. Lawyer Cogley must make an impassioned plea to get the board to consider the new evidence. Everyone beams up to the Enterprise and the court martial is reconvened. Spock states that he won five games in a row and that should be impossible, therefore someone or something must have reprogrammed the computer. He follows this statement with the names of the only three men in the crew who could have done this - himself, the captain - and Benjamin Finney.

Cogley then asks kirk to describe a phase 1 search and how someone might be able to evade such a search. The court martial board then adjourns to the bridge and all crew members except the bridge officers and one transporter technician leave the ship.

Spock sits at his science station and explains how the computer can hear all the sounds on the ship at once. When it is confirmed that all the crew members have left the ship, he turns the speakers on and the sound of multiple heart beats can be heard. McCoy takes his white noise generator and goes from person to person around the bridge, canceling out the sound of their heart beat. After he has eliminated his own heart beat, Spock uses his instruments to cancel out the heart beat of the transporter technician. There should now be no sound at all, however, there plainly is still a heart beat.

Quickly he localizes that heart beat to the Engineering section and Kirk orders that deck sealed off. Kirk orders him into the command chair and heads for Engineering. As they listen to Finney's taunts over the ship's speakers, it becomes apparent that the ship's orbit is decaying. When Finney says that he has tapped out the primary energy circuits, Kirk contacts the bridge to verify that the orbit is indeed decaying.

Spock works the controls at the tactical station while trying to get the court martial board to transport off the ship. Kirk finally get the jump on Finney and crawls into a Jeffries tube to pull out the jumper cables Finney has installed. Every time he breaks a connection, the ship lurches.

Uhura is working the controls on the left arm of the command chair unsuccessfully. Spock leaves the tactical station for the command chair and sends her to the tactical position, where she quickly seats herself and begins to work on stabilizing the orbit. With great relief, they manage to resume full control of the ship.

***

They sat on the couch in her quarters. She was on his lap, tucked under his chin, with his arms around her. He endeavored to tell her how exemplary her actions had been, how admirably she had functioned during a time of great stress, responding so quickly to orders, maintaining her calm efficiency.

"I was just following your lead. It is what I am trained for."

"Yes. And I can always count on you to do what you have been trained for, unlike some others. I need expend no time justifying orders, explaining what needs to be done. You are always there, doing exactly what I need you to do. I can depend on that, Nyota. It is quite satisfying." He paused and pulled her just a bit closer. "You are quite satisfying."

She turned her face against his neck, so that he could feel her soft breath on his skin. "As are you, Spock. Quite, quite satisfying."