(Author's Note: I am SOOOOOOOO sorry that I haven't written any more since June, please forgive me, but for the first time in a long time, I have actually HAD a social life and had not had time to write. Also, I've been devouring Star Trek novels. Anyway, on with the story!)
Chapter 6: Harker, Rhinar, and Midori
"Not again!" Jim Kirk sighed heavily as the report came in. Apparently, another shuttlecraft from the U.S.S. Europa had been found drifting dead in space, halfway on the Enterprise's course to the Europa's current location. This time, however, there were three life forms aboard.
"Sounds like the Europa should be running out of shuttlecrafts," McCoy said dryly. "Who did you have in mind for the reception committee this time?"
"Just you, Mr. Spock, and T'Kaia, Bones. Now shouldn't we head down to the shuttlecraft bay?"
"Yes, but where is T'Kaia?"
Dr. McCoy did not need to wait long for the answer to his question. T'Kaia walked onto the bridge; she was engrossed in conversation with a yeoman carrying a clipboard. She turned to Captain Kirk. "Looking for me?"
Kirk explained the situation to T'Kaia who frowned slightly.
Spock turned from his work station to face them. "The question is," he said, "Why does Captain Ghol continue to put his victims, seemingly alive, into shuttlecrafts? Wouldn't it be more suitable for his purposes and consistent with what we know of him to have them killed? With what we know of the character of Captain Ghol, there is no logic in this behavior."
Kirk nodded, "A good question, but one we can reflect on later. Right now, we should find out who is in the shuttle this time." He rose from his command chair and crossed to the lift, with Spock, McCoy, and T'Kaia following.
While they were on the lifts, T'Kaia muttered something incoherant, followed by a soft chuckle. "What was that all about?" McCoy asked her, a confused look crossing his features.
"Nothing. I just think I have a good idea of at least one of the people who will be on that shuttlecraft," she said with a smile.
"A friend of yours?" Kirk asked. T'Kaia just shook her head, smiling.
Kirk's communicator beeped suddenly. He took it out and activated it. "Kirk here."
"Shuttlecraft bay here, sir. We've all ready broken into the craft, sir, and taken the three occupants into sickbay. All of them were unconscious but one, and she was very...vocal, sir."
"Good work. We'll go to sickbay from here, Kirk out." Kirk closed his communicator and T'Kaia smiled triumphantly. "I was right," she said. "It's got to be her. 'Vocal' is the perfect way to describe Ensign Midori."
"Who?" Spock questioned.
"You'll see, trust me." T'Kaia said nothing else until they got to sickbay.
When they arrived, T'Kaia rushed over to a bed in which a human male with shoulder length brown hair and a youthful face lied unconscious. "Eric!" She whispered softly, kneeling by his side. Then, suddenly remembering where she was, T'Kaia stood up as though she had never spotted Eric.
A whiny, feminine voice interrupted this quiet moment. "Commander Jackson? T'Kaia? What are you doing here? We thought you had been killed!" They whipped thier heads around to spot a pretty woman with coppery hair and skin the color of Spock's blood sitting up in the next bed over. She suddenly winced and lifted a hand to the back of her head. Dr. McCoy walked over to her and injected a hypo into her arm. "There, that should do something about the pain. I'm Dr. McCoy, Chief Medical Officer." He smiled at the green-skinned woman reassuringly.
"I am Ensign Midori of the U.S.S. Europa, communications officer in training. And if you don't mind my asking, where the HELL am I?"
"You are aboard the starship Enterprise. I'm Captain James T. Kirk," Kirk said warmly, "Welcome aboard, Ensign. You're an Orion?"
"So what if I am?" Midori replied.
"Midori," T'Kaia snapped, "You're speaking to a superior officer!"
"Ah yes, I forgot about you being Miss Perfect, T'Kaia. I'll rephrase that: So what if I am, SIR?" Midori replied sarcastically.
"I meant no offence, Ensign, I was merely curious. It's just that I've never heard of an Orion in starfleet before," Captain Kirk said, in an effort to calm Ensign Midori down.
Midori looked at Kirk scathingly. "My species has nothing to do with my interest in Starfleet, Captain."
Kirk walked out of earshot of the others and motioned for T'Kaia to join him. "Did I hit a nerve or something?" He asked as soon as he was sure that Midori couldn't hear.
T'Kaia snorted. "No. Midori's always been like that. I suspected that Ghol would have dispatched her just to get her to shut up," T'Kaia said, only half kidding.
"Who is that Eric fellow you were so drawn to?" Kirk asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Lieutenant Commander Eric Harker, our chief engineer...and my best friend. I can't imagine why the captain would get rid of him, without him I don't know how Ghol will keep the ship running. Your Mr. Scott would enjoy a long talk with Eric once he wakes up." T'Kaia said, with a poorly concealed smile.
Kirk smiled, "No doubt he would. Who is the other officer?" He said, gesturing to where an elderly human man with a crisp white beard lied in a comatose state next to Ensign Midori (who continued to complain loudly about the pain in her head where she'd been knocked out).
"That's Commander Joseph Rhinar, the Europa's historian."
Captain Kirk nodded and he and T'Kaia made thier way back to where they had left Ensign Midori with Spock and Dr. McCoy. Midori had fallen back to sleep.
"Why did you let her fall asleep, Bones? I had a lot of questions to ask Ensign Midori!" Captain Kirk protested.
"I put her out myself, Jim. Her whining was becoming unbearable. It's probably better for all of us if you can wait for one of the more...agreeable officers to wake up. I don't think that Miss Midori liked you much," McCoy said with just a hint of dry humor.
Jim sighed and started to leave. "I want answers!" He exclaimed in frustration, slamming his fist down on the table in front of him. "Mr. Spock, return to the bridge, you have command. I'll be in my quarters. Bones, call me the second either of them wakes up." Jim Kirk practically yelled this command as he left the sickbay in a hurry.
Spock, McCoy, and T'Kaia exchanged glances. "Now where did that come from?" T'Kaia asked in bewilderment.
"The captain has been under a considerable amount of stress as of late," Spock supplied.
"Yeah," Dr. McCoy said, "But not that much stress. This can't be good. Maybe Lieutenant Commander Staitaka was giving him trouble again this morning."
T'Kaia shook her head. "That can't be it. I spoke with Staitaka this morning, he seemed downright remorseful that he had ever bugged Jim."
Spock excused himself and left to take command of the bridge, while T'Kaia and McCoy continued to wonder what had set Kirk off like that.
(Author's note again: I shall try to write more in the near future, but it might be awhile, so I apologise in advance)
Chapter 6: Harker, Rhinar, and Midori
"Not again!" Jim Kirk sighed heavily as the report came in. Apparently, another shuttlecraft from the U.S.S. Europa had been found drifting dead in space, halfway on the Enterprise's course to the Europa's current location. This time, however, there were three life forms aboard.
"Sounds like the Europa should be running out of shuttlecrafts," McCoy said dryly. "Who did you have in mind for the reception committee this time?"
"Just you, Mr. Spock, and T'Kaia, Bones. Now shouldn't we head down to the shuttlecraft bay?"
"Yes, but where is T'Kaia?"
Dr. McCoy did not need to wait long for the answer to his question. T'Kaia walked onto the bridge; she was engrossed in conversation with a yeoman carrying a clipboard. She turned to Captain Kirk. "Looking for me?"
Kirk explained the situation to T'Kaia who frowned slightly.
Spock turned from his work station to face them. "The question is," he said, "Why does Captain Ghol continue to put his victims, seemingly alive, into shuttlecrafts? Wouldn't it be more suitable for his purposes and consistent with what we know of him to have them killed? With what we know of the character of Captain Ghol, there is no logic in this behavior."
Kirk nodded, "A good question, but one we can reflect on later. Right now, we should find out who is in the shuttle this time." He rose from his command chair and crossed to the lift, with Spock, McCoy, and T'Kaia following.
While they were on the lifts, T'Kaia muttered something incoherant, followed by a soft chuckle. "What was that all about?" McCoy asked her, a confused look crossing his features.
"Nothing. I just think I have a good idea of at least one of the people who will be on that shuttlecraft," she said with a smile.
"A friend of yours?" Kirk asked. T'Kaia just shook her head, smiling.
Kirk's communicator beeped suddenly. He took it out and activated it. "Kirk here."
"Shuttlecraft bay here, sir. We've all ready broken into the craft, sir, and taken the three occupants into sickbay. All of them were unconscious but one, and she was very...vocal, sir."
"Good work. We'll go to sickbay from here, Kirk out." Kirk closed his communicator and T'Kaia smiled triumphantly. "I was right," she said. "It's got to be her. 'Vocal' is the perfect way to describe Ensign Midori."
"Who?" Spock questioned.
"You'll see, trust me." T'Kaia said nothing else until they got to sickbay.
When they arrived, T'Kaia rushed over to a bed in which a human male with shoulder length brown hair and a youthful face lied unconscious. "Eric!" She whispered softly, kneeling by his side. Then, suddenly remembering where she was, T'Kaia stood up as though she had never spotted Eric.
A whiny, feminine voice interrupted this quiet moment. "Commander Jackson? T'Kaia? What are you doing here? We thought you had been killed!" They whipped thier heads around to spot a pretty woman with coppery hair and skin the color of Spock's blood sitting up in the next bed over. She suddenly winced and lifted a hand to the back of her head. Dr. McCoy walked over to her and injected a hypo into her arm. "There, that should do something about the pain. I'm Dr. McCoy, Chief Medical Officer." He smiled at the green-skinned woman reassuringly.
"I am Ensign Midori of the U.S.S. Europa, communications officer in training. And if you don't mind my asking, where the HELL am I?"
"You are aboard the starship Enterprise. I'm Captain James T. Kirk," Kirk said warmly, "Welcome aboard, Ensign. You're an Orion?"
"So what if I am?" Midori replied.
"Midori," T'Kaia snapped, "You're speaking to a superior officer!"
"Ah yes, I forgot about you being Miss Perfect, T'Kaia. I'll rephrase that: So what if I am, SIR?" Midori replied sarcastically.
"I meant no offence, Ensign, I was merely curious. It's just that I've never heard of an Orion in starfleet before," Captain Kirk said, in an effort to calm Ensign Midori down.
Midori looked at Kirk scathingly. "My species has nothing to do with my interest in Starfleet, Captain."
Kirk walked out of earshot of the others and motioned for T'Kaia to join him. "Did I hit a nerve or something?" He asked as soon as he was sure that Midori couldn't hear.
T'Kaia snorted. "No. Midori's always been like that. I suspected that Ghol would have dispatched her just to get her to shut up," T'Kaia said, only half kidding.
"Who is that Eric fellow you were so drawn to?" Kirk asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Lieutenant Commander Eric Harker, our chief engineer...and my best friend. I can't imagine why the captain would get rid of him, without him I don't know how Ghol will keep the ship running. Your Mr. Scott would enjoy a long talk with Eric once he wakes up." T'Kaia said, with a poorly concealed smile.
Kirk smiled, "No doubt he would. Who is the other officer?" He said, gesturing to where an elderly human man with a crisp white beard lied in a comatose state next to Ensign Midori (who continued to complain loudly about the pain in her head where she'd been knocked out).
"That's Commander Joseph Rhinar, the Europa's historian."
Captain Kirk nodded and he and T'Kaia made thier way back to where they had left Ensign Midori with Spock and Dr. McCoy. Midori had fallen back to sleep.
"Why did you let her fall asleep, Bones? I had a lot of questions to ask Ensign Midori!" Captain Kirk protested.
"I put her out myself, Jim. Her whining was becoming unbearable. It's probably better for all of us if you can wait for one of the more...agreeable officers to wake up. I don't think that Miss Midori liked you much," McCoy said with just a hint of dry humor.
Jim sighed and started to leave. "I want answers!" He exclaimed in frustration, slamming his fist down on the table in front of him. "Mr. Spock, return to the bridge, you have command. I'll be in my quarters. Bones, call me the second either of them wakes up." Jim Kirk practically yelled this command as he left the sickbay in a hurry.
Spock, McCoy, and T'Kaia exchanged glances. "Now where did that come from?" T'Kaia asked in bewilderment.
"The captain has been under a considerable amount of stress as of late," Spock supplied.
"Yeah," Dr. McCoy said, "But not that much stress. This can't be good. Maybe Lieutenant Commander Staitaka was giving him trouble again this morning."
T'Kaia shook her head. "That can't be it. I spoke with Staitaka this morning, he seemed downright remorseful that he had ever bugged Jim."
Spock excused himself and left to take command of the bridge, while T'Kaia and McCoy continued to wonder what had set Kirk off like that.
(Author's note again: I shall try to write more in the near future, but it might be awhile, so I apologise in advance)