In the Family

Chapter 2

"Sailors on a becalmed sea,

we sense the stirring of a breeze."

Carl Sagan

Jim woke as he usually did just before his alarm went off. Alpha shift wouldn't start for another couple of hours. Of course, a Captain was never really off duty, but when things were quiet as they had been for the last ten days, he could indulge himself with an occasional hot shower and a more leisurely breakfast. He and Bones had planned to meet up for breakfast this morning…if nothing came up in Sick Bay during gamma shift. A CMO, like the Captain, was never really off duty. If Bones was needed he worked regardless of his shift schedule.

This morning Spock would join them for breakfast. There were many times when he wasn't able to sit with them for a meal, his position as both First Officer and Science Department Head left him little time for leisurely meals. Jim had offered to get him a yeoman to help him with routine paper work, but Spock, a faint furrow on his forehead, had just looked blankly at him. "Unless you think I am not fulfilling my duties adequately, Captain, I see no reason for me to have a yeoman."

"Of course I don't think that, Mr. Spock," Jim assured him hastily. "As always your work is exemplary."

"Control freak," Bones had muttered when Jim had been refused in no uncertain terms.

Jim had just laughed. "Takes one to know one, Bones."

After his shower, a sonic this time, and putting on his uniform, he knocked at Spock's side of the door of their shared bathroom.

The door opened promptly. "Ready for breakfast Mr. Spock? Bones is probably already waiting for us."

"Waiting impatiently. Of that I am certain," Spock quirked a smug eyebrow at him.

"Probably. How was Alpha shift yesterday, Spock?"

"Uneventful, Sir. However, there was a communique for you from Admiral Boyce."

"For me, not for Bones?" Admiral Phillip Boyce was head of Starfleet Medical, and also a good friend of McCoy's. The doctor considered the Admiral a mentor as well as a friend. Dr. Boyce's communications were usually for Bones in his capacity as the ship's CMO, or for Spock as Science Officer. If Jim needed to know anything from SFM, Spock or Bones filled him in and kept him in the loop.

"It is most definitely for you, Captain. Lt. Uhura gave me the message at end of shift, and since it was not marked urgent, and because it was your mandatory day off, I took the liberty of waiting until this morning to give it to you."

"Good call, Spock," Jim said, walking into the mess. "There's Bones waiting for us, lets enjoy our breakfast and I'll open the message after we eat."

Their conversation was random and desultory until Jim told Bones about the message from Admiral Boyce. Bones raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Are you sure the message is for Jim and not for me, Spock?"

Spock gave him an irritated glance. "As the message is plainly marked for the Captain and not for you, Dr. McCoy, I can assure you that it is indeed for the Captain."

"Well," Jim said hastily, wanting to forestall any wrangling between the two so early in the morning, "let's see what Admiral Boyce has to say." He read silently for a few minutes while the impatient Bones fidgeted.

"Well, what does Phillip say, Jim?"

Jim turned slightly puzzled eyes to him. "Admiral Boyce is asking me for a personal favor, Bones. Actually he's asking both of us, with, I may add, the full approval of Admiral Barnett."

"Richard's in on this too?" Leonard asked curiously.

Spock raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Most unusual, Captain. What is the request, Sir?"

"Since things are unusually calm, and our patrols have been uneventful, the Admiral wants us to go to the planet Nara 7ZF in the Tau Zeti system. The planet was first colonized 85 years ago by Terrans who began terra forming it, and according to the Admiral, it has been flourishing ever since."

"And?" Leonard asked impatiently.

"There's a mining company that wants an exclusive contract with Nara to mine the ryetalyn that's been found there. Apparently it's a gigantic deposit. However, one of Nara's top scientists has raised concerns about what ryetalyn mining could do to their now flourishing ecosystems and the water table," Jim said, reading the Admiral's missive. "The Admiral wants us to investigate the situation and find out if there really is going to be a danger to the ecosystem should the Federation sub-committee approve the prospectus and the Federation Council formally signs the mining contract."

Bones' blue eyes took on that keen focused look they did sometimes when he was conducting research about some particularly thorny medical problem.

"And just what concerns does Doctor Boyce have, Jim?"

"He doesn't specify, but apparently they're concerns that the rest of the Federation subcommittee and the Admiralty don't share with him. They're very eager to award that mining contract. The company is willing to share profits with the Federation, a 60/40 split, which would be quite a hefty addition to Federation coffers. There hasn't been a vote yet…some sort of procedural delay, but there's little doubt that when it's time for a vote the contract will be approved. That's why Dr. Boyce is asking us to investigate as a personal favor, off book, so to speak, and Admiral Barnett has okayed his request and our detour to Nara."

"Hmm, Richard must be concerned too, then," Leonard mused. "Even if he and Phillip Boyce are good friends, he wouldn't order the ship to Nara unless he was also worried about the mining company."

"Admiral Barnett didn't make it an order, Bones. It's just a request from Boyce that Admiral Barnett agreed to forward to me."

"A request from an Admiral is pretty hard to refuse, Jim, so what are you gonna' do?"

Jim didn't hesitate. "We're going to Nara. It'll be a lot more interesting than just cruising around empty space." Jim smiled his sunshine smile at both of them. At last! He thought. Something to do! It would be a good break for everyone from the monotony of the last ten days. He also decided that he'd give orders, if the Nara authorities approved, for the department heads to schedule some R and R for the crew. They deserved it.

"Let's go mind the store, Spock, but first I'll give Dr. Boyce my response from my briefing room. Have Mr. Sulu plot a course for Nara, and inform Scotty and Chekov we'll be traveling at warp 2. No need to stress the engines."

"Mr. Scott will in agreement with your decision, Captain." Spock rose with his usual cat like grace. "I will report to the bridge, Sir, and give Mr. Scott and Mr. Chekov your order."

"I'll be there after I speak with Dr. Boyce. I'm anxious to see if there's anything else he'd like to share about Nara with me...maybe he'll even tell me what exactly his concerns are about that mining company."

After Spock left, Jim and Leonard finished their coffee at leisure. "Time to report to Sick Bay," Leonard sighed mournfully at seeing his empty coffee cup. "Christine and Geoff said if we didn't have any patients, they'd help with inventory, and I may take them up on it just for the company."

"Bones, why don't you get the techs to do your inventory. You know they're trained for that, right? It's grunt work and your time could be much better spent." Jim looked at him in fond exasperation. As CMO, Bones had almost as much work to do as Jim did. The only one who had more, was Spock in his duel role as both XO and Science Department Head.

"I know you think that, Jim," Leonard explained, "but knowing precisely the number of meds and medical supplies I have on hand as well as knowing exactly where they're stored, gives me peace of mind. When we go to Red Alert, or we're in a fire fight, I know what I have on hand, how much of it we have, and where it's located. That way we don't waste any time searching for anything when we need it." He looked at Jim, blue eyes gleaming, "especially for a certain Starfleet officer who we all know and love, but who shall remain nameless, and who seems to visit the Sick Bay a bit too often for my peace of mind."

"Alright, alright, Bones. I get it. I won't nag you any more about it, but don't be throwing stones at Spock for being a control freak, especially when you're exactly the same way."

Leonard huffed, but let Jim have the last word. "See you at lunch, Jimmy. You can fill me in on what else Phillip had to say."

"Will do."

Jim made his way through the mess, smiling and greeting his crew, stopping to chat with one or two. Leonard smiled at the many admiring glances that followed their handsome Captain as he exited the mess. Jim's crew, his officers, the enlisted ranks, and lower deck personnel, were all devoted to him, and would follow him anywhere. They knew the Captain would never ask them to do anything he wouldn't do himself in the service of Fleet and the Federation.

Back on the bridge Jim greeted his Command crew who were already in their places. "Good morning, all. Mr. Spock, please hold down the fort while I speak with Admiral Boyce. Mr. Chekov, have our new coordinates been inputted and implemented?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Steady as she goes then. Mr. Sulu, warp 2. We're in no big rush," Jim said, striding into his briefing room.

"Aye, Sir," Sulu called to his retreating back.

Once in the briefing room, he toggled his comm. "Lt. Uhura, please connect me with SFM, Admiral Phillip Boyce."

"Yes, Captain. It will take me take a few minutes."

"Understood." Jim leaned back in his chair to wait. He had to admit he was very curious about this mission. It was unheard of for Admiral Boyce to invoke personal privilege. To his certain knowledge it had been never happened before.

"Admiral Boyce for you, Captain."

And there was the Admiral on the large screen attached to the briefing room wall. He was an imposing figure with his silver hair and blue, blue eyes. Jim knew Bones thought the world of him. "He's a brilliant doctor, and an equally brilliant teacher, Jim, compassionate and caring, but there's not an ounce of vanity or entitlement about him," Bones had once told Jim about his mentor. Jim, with admirable self control, passed on the opportunity to say the same thing about Bones. He knew Bones would have been hideously embarrassed.

"Captain…Jim, good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Admiral. Just wanted to touch base and say hello, and let you know we're already on our way to Nara. Course plotted at Warp 2."

"Excellent. And I'm sure you have some questions about this assignment, Captain. I hope I can answer them for you." The keen blue eyes looked at Jim knowingly.

"Yes, Sir. I do have some questions. First and most important, is there any possibility of our encountering hostilities on Nara? I'm sure you can understand that I'd like to be prepared for any such eventuality to ensure the safety of my crew on the planet."

"Of course." The Admiral nodded his silver head. "I would expect nothing less. Let me assure you, Jim, that I don't expect any kind of hostilities. Nara is a peaceful thriving colony planet. There is local law enforcement, but no military presence. It is remarkably free of aggression or disputes. Your mission is more of a fact finding one, and you'll have Carte Blanche to ask any questions you deem pertinent and hopefully you'll get some truthful answers."

"Who is the scientist that has raised concerns about this ryetalyn mining enterprise, Admiral?"

"Her name is Dr. Doris Grayson Stemple. She's the head of the Terra Forming/Botany Department on Nara and she and her colleagues have done remarkable work in modifying Nara, it's temperature, it's topography, and it's ecology to make it as habitable and hospitable to all different species of Earth and Earth-like life that reside there.

Her specialty is Terra Forming and since Terra Forming is a Science specialty, she and her department are under my command. All the founding colonists and the present inhabitants of Nara were, and are humanoid, so all plant and animal life introduced there must be able to sustain humanoid life. Not all the inhabitants are Earth humans, but all of them are humanoids. The "greening" of Nara has proceeded without incident for the last 85 years without incident. Dr. Stemple took over the reins of the Nara Terra Forming department 15 years ago and has achieved remarkable results during her tenure. We've been very impressed with all that her department has achieved."

Dr. Boyce's enthusiastic expression sobered and changed to one of concern. "Dr. Stemple voiced a vehement protest to the Admiralty and the Federation subcommittee about this ryetalyn mining operation being approved. She feels that the ecology of the planet is still too fragile to tamper with it in any way. The mining that would take place there would be largely unregulated and not restricted to just one location. She's very concerned about possible contamination of Nara's water resources and the destruction of green spaces. Apparently her protests fell on deaf ears…due, I believe, to the power of the promises made by the mining company about the incredible wealth from the ryetalyn deposits on Nara. And, as you know, Captain, the Federation and Fleet are always looking for additional credits to fund its myriad projects across the quadrant, and of course to build more ships."

"I see," Jim said, although he really didn't see. If the subcommittee said no to Dr. Stemple's concerns, why was Admiral Boyce still asking for help with an investigation of the mining company?

The Admiral sighed. "Captain…Jim. Ordinarily a no to Dr. Stemple by the Federation subcommittee would have been the end of things. However after the vote, which, I may add, was a close one, because not every being on the committee was positive about the mining company's prospectus, I received a request for assistance in this matter from someone I absolutely could not refuse."

"And who was that someone, Admiral?" Jim asked, wondering if he'd get an answer to his question.

The Admiral's steely blue eyes met Jim's. "Sarek of Vulcan," he told Jim.

"Sarek?" With an effort, Jim kept the shock off his face. What in the world? "Isn't that highly unusual, Sir?"

Unusual was an understatement, thought Jim. For Sarek, the President of the Federation Council to invoke personal privilege from Admiral Boyce, to ask him for a personal favor, was unheard of!

"Unusual?" The Admiral snorted. "It's unheard of! As far as I know, it's never happened before. So of course you can understand why I couldn't ignore this request."

"Of course, Admiral, I completely understand." And Jim did. You just don't turn down a personal request from the President of the Federation Council. "Did Ambassador Sarek say why he was taking a personal interest in this matter?"

"As a matter of fact, he did, Captain and I appreciated his candor in the matter since his request took me aback to say the least. It seems that Dr. Doris Grayson Stemple is Lady Amanda's first cousin on her mother's side. Lady Amanda's mother and Dr. Stemple's father were siblings. The two women are very close, grew up together. Dr. Stemple first expressed her concerns about the mining company plans to both Ambassador Sarek and to Lady Amanda back when the mining company first showed interest in the rytalyn. Ambassador Sarek told me she is an eminently logical and rational scientist and that if she was so vehement in expressing her concerns, then it would behoove us to investigate the mining company, it's history, it's methods, and any past legal issues they may have had. The Ambassador then left the matter in Admiral Barnett's and my hands."

"I see. Well, sir, my crew and I will do our best to sort things out. May I ask if Mr. Spock has been made aware of the situation?"

"Not from my end, Captain, and not by Ambassador Sarek. He and I both feel the sharing of this information is entirely in your hands. This mission must be handled with the utmost discretion…we certainly don't want the rest of the Federation Council to be disaccommodated in any way. Apprising them of what we're doing would bring the metaphorical roof crashing down on all our heads. Therefore, all of your findings, your reports, will come directly to either Admiral Barnett or myself, no one else, and encrypted, Jim, encrypted to the highest level. Understood?"

"Understood, Admiral." And thank God for that, Jim thought. The reports wouldn't be seen by Admiral Komack who was now off his back permanently thanks to the sector chief, Admiral Richard Barnett. "Of course, you can count on our discretion, Admiral. My Command crew is entirely trustworthy. We'll be as discreet as possible about the nature of our visit to Nara."

"Thank you, Captain. I think that's all for now. I will notify the Ambassador of your agreement to investigate the situation, and I'll also let Dr. Stemple know you'll be contacting her once you arrive to Nara. Please send me your ETA and keep me informed as often and as discreetly as possible. If for some reason I'm unavailable Admiral Barnett is entirely in the loop on this one. Ambassador Sarek has a high regard for Richard Barnett, as do I," Boyce added.

"And as we do also, Sir."

"We'll talk soon, good luck Captain. Boyce out."