Jim Kirk stood on the Bridge of the Enterprise once again, looking out at the glowing tunnel of warp. It would take five days for them to get to Voca Five. He had not been to that planet, but he had heard some about it and had read a lot about it in the last week. He had even brought Carol and the kids along so maybe they could enjoy the planet a little after they found that admiral. He could not stand the thought of leaving them that long…five days just to get to the planet, ever how long it would take to find Admiral Simmons, and then five days back. No, he could not be away from Carol that long right now. He just could not stand the thought.

Solan came onto the Bridge and walked over to Jim. "Admiral," he said.

"Solan. Did you need something?"

"Well, I would like to talk to you."

"Okay. Go ahead. I'm definitely not busy."

"I'd like to talk to you in private if that's possible."

"Oh. Sure. The conference room okay?"

"Yeah."

They went to the conference room. "So, what's so important?" Jim asked.

"Uhm, well, you know I talked to you about getting married one day," Solan said.

Jim nodded. "Yes. I remember."

Solan put his hands in his pockets and paced a moment. Jim smiled at Solan's nervousness. "So you proposed?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, I did," Solan said. "Priscilla wanted me to ask if you could do our ceremony today on the ship."

"I don't see why not. You got a setting in mind on the holodeck?"

Solan just stood there dumbfounded a moment. "Well, she may have an idea."

"Okay. Just get ready and I'll be there when you tell me."

Solan nodded. "Right. Thanks."

Jim could hardly keep from laughing after Solan went out the door. He had no idea why Solan was so nervous…then again, he had been surprised by Leonard McCoy's reasons. He supposed he would tell Carol about this ceremony.

Solan went back to his quarters and paced back and forth. A few years ago, he thought he would always be single, running around the galaxy, taking care of his ship, doing what he wanted. Then that one call changed his entire life. He could remember Mac calling him saying he needed a favor: I know you make deliveries to the Klingon prison world. I'm trying to find a way to get in there. I figure there's no better way than right under their noses.

Solan remembered accepting that when he found out they were trying to rescue Captain James T. Kirk from that prison world, Rura Penthe. He remembered thinking about what kind of reward he might get and maybe he could stop working and smuggling. He would never have thought he would become Jim Kirk's bodyguard, one of his most trusted friends. That was what Jim had said before: one of my closest friends. Wow, the trouble they had been through since then…and then he met Priscilla. He smiled thinking of how she was at first. She had a huge attraction to Doctor McCoy. However, he was taken, and then she had taken up with him. When she had come to Earth, he had met her at the port. The rest was history. He thought maybe he had fallen in love with her the first time he heard that feline-like laugh of hers.

The door chime sounded. "Come in," Solan said. Priscilla came in. "I was just thinking about you."

Priscilla smiled and put her arms around his neck. "Really? What were you thinking?"

"I was trying to figure out exactly when I fell in love with you. I can't even remember when I didn't love you."

"Solan, that is the sweetest thing you've ever said."

"Well, when a man is about to get married, he thinks a lot."

They shared a long kiss. "I won't promise that I won't bite," Priscilla whispered.

"I might bite back," Solan replied.

Priscilla laughed that laugh that he found so attractive. "So, are you going to tell Admiral Kirk your real name?" she asked. "Will I take your last name?"

"No," Solan said. "I told you, my name is only Solan."

"Yes, you told me, but your other name is not bad."

"It is to me. It has nothing to do with my life now, or you."

"I will never tell it. This I promise."

"Thanks. So, do you have a holodeck program picked out for our wedding ceremony?"

"What would you like?"

"I'm not sure. I think I want something in a field full of flowers and mountains in the background. You know, Garresant was not a good place, but there was beauty there."

"You search for this place and I will get ready for the ceremony."

"Okay. You'll love it. I'll even create us a little place for our honeymoon if Spock will let us use the holodeck for…maybe three days?"

"Am I the animal, or are you?"

"Don't say that. You're far from being an animal."

Priscilla caressed his face as she made what he thought was the equivalent of a purry meow. She let her nails touch his skin. "You're gonna cut those, right?" he asked. "You're not gonna injure me, are you?"

She laughed again. "Never, my love."

Priscilla went to the door. "I will see you later."

Solan blew out a breath as he stood there a moment. He thought he and Priscilla would roam the galaxy together. She liked his ship and had even helped him work on it from time to time. He knew exactly which program he wanted.

Bones walked onto the Bridge. "Jim, I figured I'd find you here," he said in his usual sarcastically annoying way. "Can't you ever come to the medical bay for a pre-trauma exam so I don't have to hunt you down?"

Jim rolled his eyes at that. "Bones, why do you think I need an exam?" he asked. "And how do you know there will be any trauma involved in this mission?"

"Well, let's see…I've been around you ever since you joined the academy, and I've run through jungles at full speed with spears being thrown at my head, flown an alien ship, crashed, rescued you from being sucked out into space, saved your life numerous times from certain death…"

"Okay, Bones. I'm not expecting any of that."

"I am just because you're here."

"Give it a rest, will ya?"

"I'm your doctor. I wanta make sure your old ticker can take it."

Just then, Jim's communicator beeped. "Yes," he answered.

"Admiral, could you come to the holodeck?" Solan asked.

"Already?"

"No. Not for that yet. I just want your opinion."

"Sure. I'll be there momentarily."

Bones followed Jim from the Bridge. "So, what's going on with Solan?" Bones asked.

"He's getting married," Jim replied.

"He is? When?"

"Sometime today."

"And he wants you to do the ceremony, right?"

"Yes."

"Does he know what he's getting into?"

"Bones, Priscilla is a nice woman."

"Oh, I don't mean that. I mean letting you do the ceremony."

Jim arrived at the holodeck and pressed the button to enter. "You're a piece of work, Bones," he said.

"Thanks," Bones replied.

They walked into the holodeck and were in a field of red, yellow, and orange flowers, green grass, and mountains in the distance. Solan was standing in the middle of it. "How's this?" he asked.

"This is your wedding site?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"It's nice. What does Priscilla think?"

"She told me to pick it. I just wanted something like this that we could remember."

"This is really beautiful," Bones said. "It's not what I would have expected you to choose."

"Well, what did you think I would choose?" Solan asked.

"I thought you might get married on your ship."

"Why? I want something that she's gonna remember that makes her feel special."

"So, when is the ceremony?" Jim asked. "And what are you wearing?"

"I really haven't figured that out yet."

"You best get busy. Carol told me Priscilla is getting ready for this."

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking. I'll let you know when. Just wear a uniform or something."

"Don't worry."

Solan left the holodeck. Jim and Bones stood there a moment. "Do you think this looks like Garresant?" Bones asked. "I didn't see that field, but I read Ajah's description."

"You think maybe this is one of Ajah's holonovels?" Jim asked.

"I don't know. Maybe one of the settings. Just so long as bird people don't start attacking us."

They left the holodeck. Jim wished they could get to Voca Five quicker, but he supposed they would all just have to find something to do for the time being. A wedding. He supposed that was something to do. He had to ask Carol what to wear to this.

Jim entered his quarters, but Carol was not there. He figured she was helping Priscilla so he chose out his dress uniform which he always brought along in case he had to go to a meeting as soon as he got back home. He got into that and then went back to the Bridge.

"Admiral," Spock said. "If you would watch the Bridge, I will get dressed for Solan's wedding as well."

"I'd be happy to, Spock," Jim replied. He sat down in the captain's chair as Spock left the Bridge. He thought of what he wanted to say in that ceremony as he looked out at the warp field. He remembered the first time he met Solan, and the first time he met Priscilla. She had been quite forward when they first found her and rescued her from Nervala IV. He was not sure he would have thought she and Solan would end up together, but he had noticed that Solan was attracted to her not long after that. Without Solan, he did not think he would be sitting there. He had come into that prison intending to betray those who trusted him, risking his life. Jim knew if those Klingons had thought Solan was deceiving them or helping someone to escape, they would have killed him right there. Mac had also come in there, but he had betrayed them afterward.

Later that day, Jim went to the holodeck where Solan and Priscilla were already waiting, along with Bones, Andrea, Spock, Carol, Uhura, and Scotty, and even Alex and Joy. Solan pulled at his collar as Jim walked over to them all. "I didn't know I was late," he said.

"You're not late," Solan replied. "We're just already here."

"Oh. Well, I guess we can get started then." Jim cleared his throat and stood there a moment. He thought it was always difficult to make a speech in front of one's friends. "I've been thinking about what I wanted to say for this, and sometimes it's hard to get in front of your closest friends and make a speech because they know all your flaws and everything. I feel like I'm making a speech, but…today one of those friends is starting a new journey even more complicated in ways than our five-year journey through space, but similar too. I've thought about when I met Solan. He was actually trying to save my life…and since then, he's saved it too many times to count. He is a true and trusted friend, and I'm glad to get to be where I am for him today, and the lovely Priscilla." Jim smiled as he thought of what else he wanted to say. "I suppose I could have written down a speech and just read it, but I didn't want to be bound by that in this moment. Marriage is really something you have to think in the moment. You can't always plan everything perfectly because something's liable to happen."

"Especially with you," Bones murmured.

There were a few snickers and giggles at that. "I do wish our two friends here happiness and adventure," Jim said. He paused a moment. "Solan, do you take this lovely woman to be your wife?"

Solan nodded as he looked at Priscilla. "I do," he said.

"Priscilla, do you take this man for your husband?"

Priscilla smiled. "I do," she said.

"Rings."

Scotty gave Solan the rings and they exchanged them. "Then I pronounce you husband and wife," Jim said. "You can go ahead and kiss her now."

Solan and Priscilla kissed, and then the ceremony was over. Everyone congratulated them, but when Bones came to Priscilla, she grabbed him and kissed him like she did when they first met. "I will always remember you as my first big crush," she said.

Priscilla laughed, and Jim was standing beside Bones and could not help but chuckle at the look on his face. "All my kisses will be for Solan now," Priscilla said.

"That's good," Bones replied.

Jim took Carol's hand. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Where to?" Carol asked.

"Well, they're gonna have a small reception. You wanta eat cake?"

"Sounds good." She was holding Joy in her arms.

Jim put his arm around her. "Afterward, you and I can go back to our quarters and…you know."

Carol smiled. "No, tell me."

Jim grinned his mischievous grin and then whispered the dirtiest thing he could think of in her ear. Carol could not help but laugh out loud. "Jim Kirk!"

Jim was laughing too until they realized everyone else was staring at them. Jim cleared his throat, and Carol pushed her hair behind her ear, but she did not dare look at Jim or she would burst into laughter.

"So, where's the reception?" Jim asked.

"It's in the mess hall," Solan said. "Why don't we go on down there?"

"Right. That's a good idea."

They all left the holodeck. Jim and Carol looked at each other and laughed quietly as they followed the others. "How about we get some of that cake, find a baby sitter, and go back to our room?" Jim whispered.

Carol wanted to giggle but she tried not to. "You're trying to make me laugh again," she whispered.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

As they got to the door of the mess hall, Bones was waiting for them. "Will you two stop all that mush?" he asked. "You'd think you'd get over each other a little after all these years."

"I'll never get over Carol," Jim said. "Why? You think you're gonna get over Andrea?"

Bones rolled his eyes at that. "Not a chance."

Jim almost laughed when he saw the cake with red roses on it. "Hey, why don't we get a piece with some of those red roses on it?" he whispered to Carol.

"And do what?" Carol asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Eat it off each other?"

"Stop."

Everyone got some cake, and Jim purposely got a big piece with about three of the red roses on it. "You hungry?" Bones asked.

"Starving," Jim replied.

Carol could not help but laugh when she saw the piece Jim had on his plate, but she refrained from laughing out loud. "I'm not sure Andrea wants to babysit right now," she said. "Besides, they may want to spend time with Mia."

"There are other people on the ship," Jim replied. "Just give me time."

Jim left the mess hall, and Carol just mingled with everyone else. "Alex, come along, and we'll sit down so you can eat some cake," she said.

"Do you need some help?" Andrea asked.

"Yes. Alex wants a piece of cake."

"I'll get one. Just go ahead and sit down. Do you want a piece?"

Carol paused a moment. "I don't think so. Jim and I are gonna eat a piece together later."

"Okay."

Carol got Alex into a chair and then sat down. Joy was awake but she was not crying. Her blue eyes seemed to get bluer all the time. They were much lighter now than they had been when she was born.

Later that afternoon, everyone drifted from the mess hall, including Priscilla and Solan. They walked hand in hand to the guest quarters. "My place or yours?" Solan asked.

"We will soon be in one," Priscilla said. "Which?"

"You can definitely move in with me."

Priscilla smiled and kissed him. "Will we roam the galaxy together?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. I can't wait."

After five days, the Enterprise arrived at Voca Five. Jim had decided on his team which would be: Ajah, Helek, Solan, Priscilla, and Bones. "We don't really know what to expect," he said. "Who knows whether he has anyone else down there with him? We don't know what he's doing or where he is, but we'll try to find out in the town. Otherwise, we could be here a long time waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Solan asked.

"For him to come to town. I wanta find out what he buys when he comes for supplies. It might give us an idea of what he could be doing out there."

"You mean, you think he could be preparing for someone to come out here after him."

"If it was me, I would. Let's try to blend in down there as much as we can."

"You? Blend in?" Bones asked. "That'll be the day."

"At least there are no bounties…right, Solan?"

"Not that I've heard of," Solan replied. "That's the good thing."

"Right. So this is a Federation world, and we shouldn't have any trouble down there…maybe we can see why it has the widest sky in the Federation."

Jim had decided that they would all dress casual to go to this planet as though they were on vacation. "Let's try not to stay together too much," he said. "We'll try to pair off. Ajah, you're with me. Helek, you go with Bones, and Solan and Priscilla can go together."

They all stepped onto the transporter pad. "Energize," Jim said.

They appeared down on the planet at the edge of the town. "I'll try to find out what he bought when he came into town," Solan volunteered.

"Good," Jim replied. "I'll try to find out if anyone knows where he's living. Bones, you and Helek kinda roam around and if you see him, let me know."

Jim and Ajah headed on into the town as did the others. "Where would we find that information, Admiral?" Ajah asked.

"Don't call me admiral right now," Jim replied. "Maybe he's made acquaintances in this town. As you've discovered in your research, we know he likes drinking, so he's bound to visit the clubs around here."

"Right. What if you go in there and someone tells him you're asking about him?"

"Ajah, let's try to have a little optimism."

Jim found a club, or he would call it more of a bar, and went inside. He thought it smelled rather musty inside, but he went over to the bar which was the longest bar he had ever seen. He thought they must get quite busy at times. He could see there were also several drink stations.

The bartender came over to Jim. She leaned on the bar. "So, what'll you have, handsome?" she asked.

"No drinks," Jim said. "I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"I'll answer all the questions you want to ask if you have a drink with me."

"I don't drink."

"How about a soda? We do have soda."

"Fine. We'll both take one."

The bartender came back with three drinks that Jim thought he was too suspicious of. "So, what did you want to ask?" she asked as she sipped her drink through a straw.

"I'm actually looking for someone," Jim said. He showed her a hologram of the admiral. "You seen him around here?"

"Sure. I've seen him. He comes in here every Friday night. Can't think of anything better to do on this beautiful planet than get drunk and stagger out of here."

"Every Friday, huh? And what's today? We're new on this planet."

"It's Thursday."

"Okay. So, tomorrow night, he'll likely show up?"

"You could set a clock by it."

"You got any idea where he lives?"

"Nope. I just know where he comes to."

"Thanks. You've been a big help. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone we were asking questions."

"I'm not a gossip except when someone asks me to be."

"Good."

Jim and Ajah walked outside. Jim looked down the street at the different buildings which were mostly the same color…gray or glass, like everything else in the Federation. "So, what do we do?" Ajah asked. "Get a hotel room and wait or go back to the Enterprise and wait?"

Jim considered that. He supposed they could stay in the hotel there. He thought he might even bring Carol and the children down…then again, he did not know what would happen when they confronted Admiral Simmons. "I think maybe we'll stay in the hotel," he said.

Solan and Priscilla went into a shop there in the town that was just about the biggest place there. "Would anyone in here recognize him in all this?" Priscilla asked.

"Well, they might," Solan said.

As they walked around, they saw several people in the place. There were also several people who were running the place. "This has to be where he came to get supplies," Solan said.

"Not necessarily," Priscilla replied. "When one is wanting to hide, they go where there are fewer people."

"Or they go where there are large crowds. People are more distracted in large crowds and are not as likely to notice one person."

"You could be right, but I would not dismiss the smaller places. If he came to this planet, he must have thought he could find refuge here. No?"

Solan scowled at that. "That makes sense too," he said.

"I think maybe he has a friend here."

"He might, but if he does, that's the last person we want to ask any questions."

Solan saw a young woman who worked in the store so he went over to her. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," Solan replied. He showed her a picture of the admiral. "Have you seen this man?"

The woman stared at the picture for a moment and then looked at Solan. "Why do you ask?"

"We're looking for him."

"I haven't seen him here."

"Have you seen him anywhere else?"

"Ask someone else."

The girl walked away from them. "I think you found the right person," Priscilla said. "But I also think she may warn him that someone is here looking for him."

"I think you're right. I have to tell Jim about this. I wonder if the admiral has a daughter."

Solan and Priscilla left the store and Solan took out his communicator. "Admiral."

Jim heard his communicator chirp. "Yeah," he answered as he opened it.

"I think we found a live one."

"What do you mean?"

"Does Admiral Simmons have a daughter?"

Jim considered that a moment. "Yes, I believe I read about that in my research. Why?"

"I'd like to see a picture of her," Solan said.

"Where are you?"

"Over here at this department store. The biggest one. She works in there."

"I'll be there in a moment."

Jim and Ajah walked over to where Solan and Priscilla were waiting for them. Jim showed Solan a picture of the daughter. "That's her," Solan said. "She's in there. I asked her if she had seen him. I guess I asked the wrong person."

"Actually, if she tries to go to him, we can follow her," Jim said.

"Would she really fall for that?"

"I don't know, but it's what we'll have to try now. Although, she'll probably warn him."

"I've messed things up again," Solan said.

"No, you haven't," Jim said sternly. "Don't you even start that. We don't know anyone on this planet."

"Right. So what are we gonna do?"

"We'll get a room down there tonight. We found out he comes into town to that bar over there every Friday night and gets drunk."

"So, maybe we'll catch him there…if he wasn't gonna be warned."

Jim was looking through the information on the admiral. "He also has two sons but there are no names mentioned," he said. "And there are no pictures either."

Bones and Helek walked up then. "What's going on?" Bones asked. "I know something's going on or you wouldn't all be standing around over here gabbing."

"Solan found the admiral's daughter," Jim said. "She works in there."

"So, instead of friends, he has family here."

"What do we do about that?" Helek asked.

"I don't know," Jim said. "He also has two sons and they have no pictures here and no names."

"They could be around here too," Bones said.

"Exactly."

"Chances are, we'll never find him because now, he's aware."

"He can't stay hidden forever," Jim declared. "And everyone around here can't like him."

They all nodded slightly about that. "You have to admit that's true," Ajah said. "No one can have an entire town who likes them. Someone doesn't."

"But who?" Helek asked. "It'll be like hunting a needle in the haystack."

"Well, we've dealt with haystacks before, so it's a challenge we're gonna tackle," Jim said. "Maybe I should go back and talk to that bartender some more. People who get drunk usually rub someone the wrong way."

"Good idea," Bones said. "I'll go with you."

"The rest of you go and check into the hotel. Stay out of sight. I'll talk to you later."

Jim and Bones went over to the bar and went in. The bartender noticed Jim right away. "Not more questions," she said.

"Yeah," Jim replied.

"What now?"

"When that guy we're looking for gets drunk, does he ever rub anyone the wrong way? Does he get in any fights?"

The woman considered that. "If there was anyone who hates him, it would be Chetuk. He's a Romulan that lives around here."

Jim frowned. "A Romulan?"

"Yeah. Admiral Simmons seems to like to harass Chetuk when he gets drunk. He likes getting in fights."

"And he thinks Chetuk is a challenge?"

"Yeah, but Chetuk likes to be left alone. He's a Romulan, but he isn't interested in fighting. He just wants to live in peace. That's why he's here."

"You think he would talk to us?" Jim asked.

"He might. He lives right outside town in a stone structure that he built himself. You can't miss it. There are no caves near here, so he created the next best thing."

"Oh. How does he feel about visitors?"

"He isn't very welcoming, but I'm sure he won't shoot you on sight."

"That's reassuring," Bones murmured.

"Thanks for your help," Jim said.

"Any time, Handsome," the bartender replied.

Jim and Bones went outside. "Handsome?" Bones said.

"Forget that," Jim replied. "Let's see if we can find this Romulan."

"I never thought I'd see the day when we would be depending on a Romulan to help us."

"Well, there was a time when we'd never have depended on a Klingon to help us either."

"I wonder why this Romulan is here."

"Maybe he doesn't like the regular Romulan way of life."

Jim and Bones walked to the edge of town and stopped as they saw the stone structure. "That's incredible," Bones said. He looked out at the horizon. "I guess we can see now why it's said to have the widest sky in the Federation."

"Definitely," Jim replied as he looked. "I want Carol and Alex to see this."

They moved on out toward the stone building which looked rather like a cave. Jim thought the size of it was a sure sign that this Romulan was a true builder. "What do we do?" Bones asked. "Knock?"

"I'm sure it has a door," Jim replied.

They walked around to the front of the structure, and Jim knocked on the door. The door was jerked open, and Jim almost reached for his phaser. The Romulan stared at them. He was not bald nor tattooed like the Romulans he had met before, and he had a great resemblance to Spock's species.

"What do you want?" Chetuk asked.

Jim was rather dumbfounded for a moment. "I wanted to ask if you know where we can find Admiral Anthony Simmons," he said.

Chetuk walked closer to Jim, making it obvious just how much taller he was than Jim's 6 foot frame. "Why would I care where he is?" he asked.

"I know you don't care, but do you know? We're trying to find him."

"I don't know where he lives. He lives far out of town out where no one bothers him. You realize two of his kids live on this planet, don't you?"

Jim scowled at that. "Two?"

"He has a third, but he's in prison now…captured by…you, I think."

Jim frowned. "How do you know who I am?"

"There used to be a big bounty on you. I hear he collected it."

"Who are his kids? And why is it such a secret?"

"I don't know. His kids go by assumed names, not using his last name."

"Assumed?"

"Yeah. One of them is called Mac."

Jim's mouth dropped open, and Bones thought he might not be able to talk for a moment from that shock. "What?" they both said at the same time.

"Mac is Admiral Simmons's son," Chetuk said.

Jim thought it was no wonder that admiral had hated him. He could not figure out why he had not killed him. "Jim, we need to let someone else handle this," Bones said.

"You said two of his kids lived here?" Jim asked. "Zander."

"Yeah, that's the other one," Chetuk replied.

"And his daughter."

"Mira."

Jim shook his head. He had never put that together at all. He had no idea that Admiral Simmons was Mac's father. "Thank you, Chetuk," Jim said. "Do you know where Zander lives?"

"No. I moved here to be left alone," Chetuk replied. "But I know Zander works in town at the communication center."

"Thanks."

Jim and Bones walked away from there still feeling stunned. "What are you gonna do?" Bones asked.

"Bones, this doesn't change anything. He's still wanted by the Federation, and I'm here to take him back for trial," Jim declared. "Just don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"So where are we going now?"

"We're gonna visit Zander and see where he stands on this. I know he most likely knows where his father is."

"He's not gonna tell you."

"Probably not but I'm asking anyway."

They were silent a few moments. "Jim, you know what we're both thinking," Bones said.

"I know what we're thinking," Jim replied. "It can't be."

"Oh yes it can! You know it can!"

"We'll contact the Enterprise and have them find out."

"Great."