The Enterprise arrived at Earth on schedule. Jim and the others going down to Earth with him boarded a shuttle. "I'll await my next mission, Admiral," Spock said.
"I'll talk to you later, Spock," Jim replied. "Take care."
The shuttle was soon on its way down to the Earth. Jim was ready to be back on the earth. They had been on that long vacation and then the four day trip back on the Enterprise. He almost felt like he had been on another long space mission.
"This planet reminds me of Naboo," Padme said as she looked down at the Earth.
"It is a lot like it," Jim replied. He had not been thinking of the fact that Anakin and Padme had never been to the Earth yet. "There are definitely some beautiful places."
They descended down to the landing pad where they were expected. Jim was surprised to see Admiral Winston waiting. He could not help but think of the fact that he was not even wearing a uniform…but he had been on vacation. That was an excuse…right? He landed the shuttle and just sat there a moment while everyone else got up to exit the craft.
"Jim, aren't you coming?" Carol asked.
"Yes," Jim replied. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing."
Jim followed the others out of the shuttle making sure he was standing up straight as he knew he would be meeting Admiral Winston. He could not help but wonder if the admiral was going to chew him out for taking three more days on his vacation just for a wedding and meeting his best friend's child. He had not been expecting the admiral to be waiting for him so he thought there must be something.
Jim got down the ramp and saluted Admiral Winston. "Good morning, Sir," he said.
"Good morning, Admiral Kirk," Winston replied as he returned his salute.
"I wasn't expecting to see you right away, Sir."
"I want you to ride to the office with me, Kirk. We have something to discuss."
"Yes sir."
Jim looked at Carol. "Can you help Anakin and Padme?" he asked.
"Sure," Carol replied and kissed him. "Good luck."
"Thanks."
Jim got into the transport with Admiral Winston. He could not imagine what this was about. "Did something happen?" he asked. "Sir."
"Yes," Admiral Winston replied. "I suppose I should have come to Pacifica for this meeting, but I was not aware that the Enterprise was going to be there."
"Well…Doctor McCoy was getting married and we…"
"I know all about that. I also know about his daughter. How did that meeting go?"
"It went fine, Sir. She seemed to be happy to be with her father. She was sad about her mother, but I think she and her father will get through that together."
"That's good to know. I'm sure that means Doctor McCoy would not want to go on any missions with you."
Jim scowled slightly at that. He wondered where this conversation was going. "I don't know," he said. "He's newly married as well."
They were silent for a moment, and Jim waited to see what Admiral Winston would say. "Sir, is there trouble with the Klingons again?" he asked. "I haven't heard anything from Chancellor Gorkon or anyone."
"It's not the Klingons, Admiral Kirk. It's Kuaya."
Jim frowned. "Kuaya? I haven't seen him since he arrived at Earth."
"He wants to return to his planet."
"What?"
"You heard me right. He contacted me two days ago. He says he wants to go home."
"Why? I thought he was escaping. And what does that have to do with me? Don't you think it would be too dangerous for us to try and take him home?"
Winston considered that a moment. "Actually, I do, but not if they didn't know you were coming. You could let him out and take off immediately."
Jim could imagine what Carol's reaction would be to that. "And you want me to do it?" he asked.
"You did bring him here," Winston replied.
"Not really by choice, Sir."
"We'll talk about this more tomorrow, Kirk. Right now, you should get to your duty roster."
"Yes, Sir."
The transport stopped at Starfleet Headquarters. Jim got out after Admiral Winston who was quickly making his way into the building. Jim wondered if he was angry at him for not simply taking that mission without question. He went to his own office.
Ajah was sitting at his desk when Jim walked in. He stood up. "Admiral, it's so good to have you back, Sir," he said, sounding enthusiastic.
"It's good to be back," Jim replied. "Did anything fall apart while I was gone?"
"No, Sir."
"Good. Did anything crash?"
"No, Sir. How was your vacation?"
"Peaceful…and long. I enjoyed it but I think I was glad to get on the Enterprise and come back home."
Just then, Solan came in. "Admiral," he said. "I am so glad you're back." He shook Jim's hand vigorously. "Please make out the duty roster before you leave again."
"What?" Jim asked.
"I had to deliver supplies to Pluto. You know I don't ever go out that far. But I don't get to argue."
Jim smiled. "Well, I may soon need you to take me somewhere," he said.
Solan and Ajah followed Jim into his office. "Where are you going?" Solan asked. "You just got back."
"Admiral Winston met me at the landing pad," Jim said. "You remember Kuaya, don't you?"
Ajah's eyes glowed slightly. "How could we forget?" he asked.
"He says he wants to go home."
Solan was flabbergasted. "And he wants us to take him?" he asked. "I don't believe it."
"Well, we can't give him a ship. We can't transport him down to the planet. It's just a no-win situation."
"You can say that again."
"I haven't decided that I'm doing it yet."
"Jim, there's something else I have to tell you," Solan said.
"What?" Jim asked. "Please don't let it be more bad news. And to think, I was tired of my vacation."
"I had to make a run to Caleb Four while you were gone. You know, there's a lot of beings there who like to talk and we all hear things."
"Yes, and what did you hear?"
Solan leaned forward. "You remember Mac?" he asked.
"Of course," Jim said. "He's serving a prison sentence."
Solan shook his head. "Not anymore."
Jim sat up from leaning back in his chair. "What?! How did he get out?"
"I don't know, but he's out. That's what I heard on Caleb Four. You know what else I heard?"
Jim pressed the bridge of his nose. "Is it worse than that?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Go ahead and tell me. What are you doing, trying to build suspense?"
"Maybe. I thought I'd not just throw it all at you at once."
"You're failing."
"He hasn't forgotten our little meeting on Ogus One. He still knows people who will pay money for you, namely those rogue Klingons."
"Is that all?"
"Cax told me Mac hasn't lost any of his strength, but probably gained some."
"Yeah…big, mean, and strong. That's all we need."
"Sounds like a Klingon, doesn't it?"
"Might be worse. At least Klingons come at you directly. Mac's like a ghost. I guess it was a good thing you went out there for a delivery."
Solan frowned. "Don't make me go back out there," he said.
"I thought you liked doing recognizance work," Jim replied with his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Solan folded his arms. "You're enjoying that, aren't you?"
"You know you love going out on missions snooping."
"Not on Caleb Four!"
Jim leaned on his desk and became serious. "Too many things going on," he said. "I think I'm going to refuse to take Kuaya back home. I don't want anything else to do with that planet."
"I don't blame you," Solan replied. "Don't forget those people have weapons that could bring down a ship if they hit it just right."
"I remember." Jim paused a moment. "I would like to know where Mac is though. You think you could find out?"
"Maybe. But I don't think I have to go all the way to Caleb Four to find out."
"Okay. You'll be on your usual route. I haven't even looked at the schedule yet. I just got here a few minutes ago. I feel like I'm in a whirlwind already." Jim picked up the pad with the roster on it. "Do you know how difficult it is to schedule this many ships?" he asked as he was beginning his schedule.
Solan stood up. "Well, just let me know what you want me to do," he said.
"I will later. Right now, I'm busy, and I don't want to think about all that." Jim stopped what he was doing. "Wait a minute," he said as Solan was about to go out the door.
"What?" Solan asked.
"Why don't you find out how Mac got out, and make sure he's not on Earth?"
"I'll do what I can." Solan went on out the door.
Ajah was still sitting in the office. "What do you want me to do, Admiral?" he asked.
"Right now, just do what you normally do," Jim replied.
"Yes, Sir."
Ajah left the office, and Jim was alone. He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He felt like this was the first time he had been alone in years. He thought about what Solan had told him. He had not thought Mac would be out of prison this soon, and he had to wonder if he escaped. After all, he was an escape artist and whatever else he needed to be. He had been able to get them out of a Klingon prison, even sneaked in without being seen.
Jim lay the pad down and leaned on his desk. This was definitely something he had to be concerned about. He had no idea what Mac's thoughts were on the situation, whether he wanted revenge, or maybe he intended to disappear into the galaxy, find his brother. He hoped that was what he intended to do. He had no desire to tangle with anymore bounty hunters or any other people who made it their lot in life to torment others.
Ajah was sitting at his desk when someone came into the office. Ajah's eyes glowed slightly when he saw who had walked in. It was none other than Kuaya. "What do you want?" Ajah asked, trying not to sound menacing, but he thought he was failing.
"I would like to speak with Admiral Kirk," Kuaya answered.
"What for?"
"May I speak with him?"
"I'll ask him if he wants to see you," Ajah said. He pressed the com button. "Admiral."
"Yes," Jim answered.
"There's someone here to see you…it's Kuaya."
Jim was silent a moment. "Did you say Kuaya?"
"Yes. Do you want me to throw him out?"
Jim shook his head. "No. I don't want you to throw him out."
"I could shock him real good first."
"Ajah. Send him in, and you come with him."
"Yes, Sir."
Jim thought Ajah sounded just a little too pleased about that. He just sat behind his desk as Kuaya came in followed by Ajah. Kuaya was definitely not a being who could hide his presence walking down the street. He had great wings that Jim thought would span nearly 30 feet if they were spread out all the way. Kuaya also had feathers instead of hair and bluish skin. He was quite a sight to see since he was also quite muscular. Not only that, but he was tall as well.
Jim stood up. "Kuaya," he said. "Admiral Winston told me you were wanting to go home."
"That is correct," Kuaya replied. "I am quite lonely here, except for my wives."
Jim was surprised by that. "Your…wives?"
"Yes. I have taken three."
Jim frowned. "What do you mean 'taken'?" he asked.
"I mean…how do you say…married?"
"Wait a minute. You married three wives? How?"
"We live in the great forest."
Jim considered what he wanted to ask next. "You didn't…force these women into this, did you?"
"No. We met."
"And they agreed to live in that forest with you?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And now you want to take them and leave this planet? How do I know you didn't manipulate them with some pheromone? Your people are known to do that."
"The females, yes."
Jim was not sure what to make of this situation. "I'm not sure how I would get you home," he said. "I can't go down to your planet because it's too dangerous."
"Perhaps I could use a ship," Kuaya replied.
"What good would that do? You don't know how to fly one…do you?"
"One of my wives knows. She learned."
"I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here for now. I can't risk anyone's safety to take you back there, and we can't give you a ship."
"You do not trust me, although I have lived on your world for so long?"
"Doesn't matter. I know what happened before, and how it was told to me that I couldn't believe anything you or your people say because you're all manipulators. They capture humans and keep them on that planet. What do you expect me to think?"
"I have done nothing threatening since I have been here."
"Trouble is, we can't just beam you down to the planet, we have to go down there."
Kuaya seemed to consider that. "How do you return others to their world who have a hostile environment?" he asked.
"Well, to tell you the truth, you're the first we ever encountered with an environment like the one on your planet," Jim said. "Why are you suddenly wanting to go back there? I thought you didn't like it there. Why would you want to go now? Do you think something has changed?"
"You have been on what you call a…vacation. But you wanted to come back home, did you not?"
Jim scowled at that. "Okay, I get your point, but you'll have to give us some time on this," he said. "We will have to talk to your wives as well."
"How much time?"
"I don't know. We'll let you know. Where are you living?"
"In the great forest."
"Well, what forest is that? There are a lot of forests in this world."
"I believe it is called the Amazon Rainforest. I was told this by other inhabitants there."
"You're living in the rainforest?"
"Yes. We have children now."
Jim was surprised by that. "Children? How can you raise children in a rainforest?"
"Just as we would raise them if we were on my world."
"You've built structures?"
"One must have shelter."
"Right." Jim was a bit flabbergasted. "Just give us time. We'll find you."
"You may visit our home if you wish."
"Maybe I will."
Kuaya turned and left the office. Jim sat down at his desk and turned toward the window. It was not long until he saw Kuaya take flight and head back to his home. He could hardly believe what he had heard. Kuaya was living in the rainforest with three wives?
Ajah came back into the office with his eyes glowing. "Did you hear that?" he asked.
"Yes, I heard it," Jim replied.
"You're actually going there? How do you know what he's doing down there in that jungle?"
"I don't, and neither do you…but I sure am curious. Besides, we wouldn't have to leave Earth to do that."
"I am not familiar with rainforests. Does it rain there a lot?"
"Yes it does."
"Then it would be dangerous for Helek and me."
Jim scowled at that. "Relax, Ajah. If I go there, I'm not going alone."
"Do you trust him?" Ajah asked.
"I don't know," Jim replied. "He hasn't caused any trouble while he's been here. I haven't even seen him again until today."
"I do not like him. He is very arrogant."
Jim thought that was true. "I guess we're all arrogant in some sort of way," he said.
"I do not consider myself arrogant," Ajah replied.
Jim chuckled at that. "Okay, well, not you." He could not imagine Ajah being arrogant. Ajah was one of those men who was attractive and did not know it. Jim sat down at his desk. "I have to get this done. I'll talk to you later."
"Yes, Sir," Ajah replied and went back out to his own desk. He supposed he could tell Mister Spock about this, or he wondered if he already knew. He was certain Doctor McCoy did not know. He would just send a message to Spock and let him know.
Jim finished his duty roster and then sat thinking about the other two situations that had been dropped in his lap. He was not sure which was worse. A bounty hunter or Kuaya? At least Kuaya had not sneaked in. He was sure Mac would sneak in if he got half the chance…if he was even on Earth. Jim paced back and forth in front of his desk. He wondered what Solan was doing. How would he go about finding out where Mac was? He certainly did not want Solan putting himself in danger, but he knew he could not stop Solan from doing what he could. He took his job as security very seriously. He was not sure why Admiral Winston thought he was responsible for Kuaya. He had not even known the guy was coming with them until he woke up on the Enterprise. They had turned Kuaya over to Starfleet when they got back to Earth, so why did they think he was Jim's responsibility now? He figured no one else wanted the responsibility of taking him back home. Well…he did not either, and he figured Carol would be quite angry if he even considered it.
Jim walked over to the window and looked out at the sky. He could not remember much of anything about the planet, Garresant. After all, he had been "intoxicated" while he was there, according to what he had been told. Of course, he did not remember. He had tried to remember but he only remembered some things that happened before he was fully affected by that fragrance. He would have to go and tell Admiral Winston what he had found out and see what he thought about it, or he supposed he could call him. He pressed the com button. "Ajah."
Jim did not get an answer for a moment, but then Ajah answered, "Yes, Sir."
"Get Admiral Winston for me. Just send it on through when you get him."
"Yes Sir."
Jim leaned back in his chair to wait. He never knew whether Admiral Winston would answer him right away or take a while. He was curious about Kuaya and his living situation in the rainforest. He thought that deserved a visit just to see what Kuaya was doing…after all, he had invited him to come there. Jim thought that was rather odd because they had not exactly been friends, but he hardly knew Kuaya and wondered if he was really what he claimed to be. Three wives? He definitely wanted to know whether they were truly happy or not. After all, Kuaya was from a planet where it was "normal" to be forced to be a mate. He was sure Bones would have something to say about this situation if he knew about it. Jim had no intention of him finding out. He was starting new chapters in his life, and that was more important.
Admiral Winston's reply soon came through and Jim turned on the com. "Admiral Kirk, have you heard something new?" Winston asked.
"Kuaya paid me a visit this morning," Jim replied. "He asked me to take him back to Garresant…but Admiral, there is more that we didn't know about."
"Like what?"
"Kuaya has made a home in the Amazon rainforest, and besides that, he has three wives there…and even children."
Winston was visibly surprised by this news. "Three wives?"
"Yes, and he says they all want to go home."
"Do you believe him?"
"Well, I don't know. You know about their culture on their planet."
"Are you saying you want to go down there and investigate?" Winston asked.
Jim considered that a moment. "I'm saying…someone should," he replied.
"I think that should be you and your usual entourage. At least you can beam down."
Jim wondered if he should tell Admiral Winston about Anakin and his family. He certainly did not want to tell him over an open channel. "Is there something else, Kirk?" Admiral Winston asked.
Jim considered what he wanted to say. "Some friends came with us from Pacifica," he said. "They've been living on Triona the last three years, and they would like to join Starfleet."
"So, they can join. Is that all?"
"Yes."
Winston was silent a moment. "You know, I always think you're hiding something from me, Kirk," he said.
"Me, Sir?"
"Just find out the situation down there in the rainforest, Kirk, and we'll go from there."
"Yes sir."
The transmission ended. Jim had figured that conversation would turn out like that. Now, he would be going to the rainforest to see what Kuaya was up to these days and whether those wives of his were actually cooperating or if he had won them over with some pheromone. He smiled as he thought about telling Solan they were about to go to the rainforest to visit Kuaya. He supposed he could leave Helek in the ship since he could not go down into the rainforest, but he knew Kuaya was the only one of his kind, even if he did have three wives and some kids. It would be nothing like the situation had been on Garresant. But he would have to tell Carol first. He figured she should not be too upset about this mission since he was not leaving the planet.
Ajah did not like the situation when Jim told him about that mission. He and Helek would not be able to help them if something happened. Carol thought it was better than many missions he had been on, but Anakin also declared that he was going on the mission when he found out about it. "You didn't tell the admiral that we're from another galaxy, did you?" Anakin asked.
"No," Jim said. "I thought I should floor him with one thing at a time. Right now, I just told him you guys wanted to join Starfleet and that you had been living on Triona. I think he suspected there was something else but I didn't tell him."
"So, when are we going on this mission?"
"Soon. I'll let you know."
