Chapter 14

The Klingons wasted no time taking Nan Rushmore away. They came for her less than an hour after they had dumped the prisoners in their cell.

"It's time for your interview with K'traz." The guards laughed as they pulled her from the cell.

Jamie spent the rest of the afternoon in dread, wondering when Nan would return, and wondering if she would be next in line for "questioning."

The sudden clatter of determined footsteps propelled Jamie from her bunk. She scrambled into a dark corner of the cell and held her breath.

Maybe they'll think I'm in a different cell, she decided, shaking.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulled them close to her chin, and huddled in a small, tight ball. And waited. She heard the force field power down. The sound of footsteps drew near. Suddenly, they stopped.

Jamie saw a pair of black boots only inches from her face. She hadn't fooled anyone.

"What are you doing?"

Jamie looked up.

Commander Kor towered over her, hands on his hips. With one swift motion, he scooped her up and carried her back to the high metal shelf that served as a cot.

"Sitting on the floor of a detention cell is not dignified," he said, setting her on the bunk. "Besides, you might catch a chill. It's better for me and my ship if you stay healthy."

Jamie sat with her legs suspended over the edge of the cot. She clasped her hands together to keep them still and stared at her lap. "Where's Ms. Rushmore?" she whispered.

"That is not your concern. However, I can tell you that she is alive and well and should be returning to your cell soon. I came to see how you are faring."

Jamie lifted her head in surprise. Why did he care? "I'm not faring well at all. I don't like your brig."

Kor sat down beside her and folded his arms across his chest. He seemed amused. "Indeed? In what way is it lacking?"

"There's nothing to do. It's cold and dark and lonely. You shouldn't put children in a place like this. It frightens them."

"Are you frightened, child?"

Jamie swallowed. Terrified! But aloud she said, "No."

Kor chuckled. "You do not lie very well, Jamie Kirk."

"Okay. Maybe I'm a little bit frightened." She scowled. "But I know my father would never lock your little girl or boy in the Enterprise's brig. Even if somebody like Councilor Grayson kidnapped him and brought him aboard. It would be"—she eyed the Klingon carefully—"dishonorable."

Kor looked uncomfortable.

"Do you have a little boy or girl?"

Kor's eyebrows shot up. "Yes. A son. He is five years old."

"What's his name?" Jamie asked.

"Kallin."

"Can I see a picture?"

"No. I do not carry pictures with me."

"Would you like it if Kallin was stuck aboard the Enterprise?"

Kor shifted in his seat and scowled. "I would not like it, no. But if you were back on Earth where you belong instead of flying around the quadrant on your father's starship, you would not be aboard my ship."

Jamie winced. He is so right! "Wouldn't you want Kallin back?"

Kor frowned. "What sort of question is that? Of course, I would want him back."

"Wouldn't you be grateful if my father helped you get Kallin back? Even if a bossy diplomat said no?" Jamie didn't wait for the commander's answer. "I'm sure my father wants me back, and he'd be really grateful if you helped him. I haven't done anything wrong."

"That is entirely true," Kor said. "You seem to have made an enemy of the female renegade, Marrid." He leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed. "Tell me, Jamie Kirk. What did you do to earn the wrath of such an evil creature as Marrid?"

Jamie shrugged. "She's never liked me, not from the minute she met me." She went on to describe the past couple of weeks. When she finished, she looked up.

Kor's lip was twitching in amusement. "Yes, I can see how Marrid would be annoyed with you. You made a fool of her and thwarted her carefully laid plans. Klingons do not easily forget such insults."

"Did you know she planned on killing people?"

Kor let out a long, deep breath. "I was told there would be an accident aboard the Enterprise that would scare the Jovitians enough to insist they complete the voyage on the Korbin. I suspected there would be deaths, but I want no part of outright murder."

He reached out and laid hand on Jamie's arm. "Look at me, child."

She looked into his dark eyes. Commander Kor sounded almost nice.

"I believe Captain Kirk would free my son if he were trapped aboard the Enterprise for no good reason. And since I prefer to fight your father with photon torpedoes rather than using small children, I will try to find a way to send you home." He paused. "But it won't be easy."

Jamie's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back.

At last! A Klingon who wanted to help her. "Thank you, Commander," she whispered. "Maybe someday I can meet your little boy and we can play together."

Kor smiled. "Perhaps you can, Jamie Kirk. I would like that." He rose and saluted her. "Until then, survive and succeed."

With that, he left the detention cell without a backwards glance.

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The sound of the force shield cutting out and the loud thump of something heavy falling to the deck woke Jamie from a troubled sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes then jumped from the bunk.

"Ms. Rushmore! Nan!" She fell next to the figure sprawled on the floor and shook her.

The woman didn't move.

The guards laughed, activated the force field, and marched away.

Jamie shook Nan again, but there was no response. "Are you okay?"

Nan groaned.

Jamie rolled the newswoman onto her back and studied her. Huge, dark circles stood out under her eyes. Her face was chalk white. There was not a mark on her otherwise—no scrapes, cuts, or burns.

The only difference Jamie noticed was the addition of an intricately cut necklace. It was fastened tightly around Nan's neck like a collar. The jewels sparkled.

Jamie reached out and shook her friend. "Nan, please wake up."

No response.

Had they used an agonizer? Jamie had felt the agonizer before. She saw it in her mind's eye, a small, round disk that caused excruciating pain but no permanent damage. It hadn't left a mark on her, but two years later the memory was still fresh. She hoped Nan hadn't been subjected to it.

Jamie pulled a blanket from her bunk, gently covered Nan, and sat down beside her. It had been awfully lonely since Kor had left, and scary. She wanted some company.

Besides, she had an idea, and she needed Nan's help.


"Captain Kirk."

The captain swung his command chair around and eyed Councilor Grayson warily. "Yes?"

Grayson cleared his throat uneasily. When he spoke, his words were tinged with remorse. "You may find this difficult to believe, but I had no idea Ms. Feldman was a Klingon operative. She has served me faithfully for eight years." He swallowed. "She and I . . . I mean . . . we were involved personally."

His confession came as no surprise to Kirk. After all, Marrid Feldman—Klingon or not—was a beautiful woman. He waited. Whatever Grayson wanted to say, it was not coming easily.

"I'm trying to tell you how terribly sorry I am, but it's not easy for me. I will cooperate in any way I can in order to see your little girl and Ms. Rushmore safely returned to this vessel."

Kirk regarded Grayson thoughtfully. The events of the past two weeks played over in his mind: the councilor taking control over the mission; his ridiculous insistence that Jamie stay away from the princess; the man's demanding manner toward Kirk and his crew; his overbearing and uncooperative attitude regarding the bio-scans, just to name a few.

At every turn, the councilor and his aide had blocked Kirk's attempt to find the spy quickly. He now realized that Grayson himself had been a pawn in Marrid Feldman's hands.

He almost felt sorry for the man. Almost.

"Sir," he finally suggested, "I only ask that you stay out of my way."