DEGUELLO - Chapter 19
by Trish Bennett
James Kirk had spent the better part of an hour studying the computer logs from the past several days, but to no avail. If there was something in this mass of information that could save his First Officer, Kirk was having a definite problem finding it.
Unfortunately, the most curious facet of this entire ordeal had not been recorded by any computer. Spock himself was the only person with first-hand knowledge of the Organians' surprising intervention, and when questioned he had been stubbornly evasive.
Kirk had known at the time that Spock was holding something back, but he had been far too preoccupied to force the issue. He realized now that it had been a grave error in judgement.
"Come," he called when the door buzzer sounded, and he reached to snap off the viewscreen before him. He raised his eyes to watch his senior staff file through the doors one by one and position themselves in a row in front of his desk.
McCoy, in a typical display of stubborness, was the only one to avoid the military protocol. He moved to perch himself comfortably on the outside corner of the desk. Kirk ignored him as he spoke.
"I'm sure you're all aware that Mr. Spock has been taken into custody for his actions during the recent crisis."
Suddenly even Kirk was impressed by his own display of calm objectivity. It was hard to believe the past few days could be summed up in a few short, dispassionate words.
"A general court martial is scheduled to convene in five days. Spock has declined a preliminary hearing. He has also declined counsel, although for the life of me, I can't imagine why."
Kirk looked into the faces of his officers one by one. "I've called you all here because I need to find a way to clear Mr. Spock of the charges that have been leveled against him. And to do that, I need to ask each of you for your help."
He received a chorus of affirmative responses, as if they were surprised that he even felt the need to ask. The clamor stopped abruptly, however, when he raised his hand to silence them.
"Before you make a hasty decision, I need you to understand something. What I'm about to ask of you does not fall within your obligations as Starfleet officers."
Montgomery Scott stepped forward without a moment's hesitation. "Captain...you should know us all well enough by now to know that you just have to say the word, and we're with you."
Kirk gazed at him steadily, and suddenly he felt a rush of pride in each of his senior officers. Unfortunately, he did not have time to dwell on it.
"I'm going to Organia."
The statement evoked a startled response from the entire senior staff.
"Jim, you can't go to Organia," McCoy protested. "No one's allowed to go to Organia. It's a stipulation of the treaty."
"I know that, Bones, but I have to try. It may be the only chance Spock has."
"Why?" he persisted. "What's on Organia that could possibly make a difference?"
"I don't know," Kirk confessed softly. "Maybe nothing. But maybe I can find some answers there that I can't get anywhere else."
He finally looked back to the expectant officers before him.
"Mr. Sulu, I need a ship...the fastest one you can find. I don't care what it costs. And I need a pilot to take me there."
"I can get you a ship, Captain," Sulu said without hesitation. "But you already have a pilot. Me."
That was exactly what Kirk had been counting on. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned his attention to his Communications officer. "Lieutenant Uhura...I need a special coded channel so that I can stay in touch with the Enterprise. But it has to be something that won't be detected by Station Operations. Can you do it?"
She considered the request briefly. "Yes, Sir," she replied at last. "I can do it."
"Good. Mr. Chekov..." The Russian stepped forward expectantly. "Ensign, I need you down on the Station. Snoop around. There's more going on here than we are aware of, I can feel it. And I want to know what it is."
"Aye aye, Captain."
"Mr. Scott...I'll be leaving you in command of the ship. You'll also be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the others. If there's a problem they come to you, and you...fix it. Understood?"
"Aye, Captain."
"And Bones..."
McCoy looked at him as if he thought his role was obvious. "I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. You have to stay here and cover for me. If Admiral Fitzpatrick finds out I'm gone, we'll all be joining Spock in the stockade."
"Jim," the Doctor protested. "You are in no condition to be running off halfway across the galaxy..."
"I know that, Doctor," the Captain assured him. "That's why I'm taking a pilot."
McCoy looked as though he wanted to argue the point, but surprisingly he remained silent. Even he must have seen they had very few alternatives.
"All right," Kirk said finally. "Let's get to it. And thank you...all of you."
Each of the officers gave him a nod and a smile of assurance as they filed out of his quarters to begin their assignments. Only Doctor McCoy remained behind.
Kirk gazed at him curiously a moment as the doors slid closed behind the others.
"Something on your mind, Doctor?"
McCoy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned himself comfortably in the doorway.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"I thought I just explained that."
The Doctor continued to gaze at him steadily, and it was making the Captain extremely uneasy.
"I'm not talking about Spock," he said.
McCoy was obviously fishing for something, but frankly Kirk was in no mood for it. "Then what are you talking about?"
"You put on a very good show," McCoy said at last. "Calm...confident...issuing orders as though nothing had happened..."
Kirk looked away from the Doctor's probing eyes. "Get to the point, Doctor."
"Jim..."
McCoy finally moved back into the room, and when Kirk looked back into his face, he saw an expression of poorly masked sympathy. He had no idea what the Doctor was leading up to, but Kirk got the distinct impression he was not going to like it.
"I have no idea what really happened out there," McCoy continued finally. "But if the physical results are any indication of the psychological results..."
"Bones, I don't have time for this," Kirk snapped. He was right. He didn't like it. Not at all.
"When will you have the time?" McCoy persisted, finally dropping himself into the chair across from Kirk's desk. "Jim, you've been through a terrible ordeal, but surviving it is only half the battle. You can't just ignore the emotional impact of that experience and expect it to go away, because it won't."
Kirk tried to maintain a calm appearance to hide his flaring temper. "There's nothing to ignore, Bones. It happened, it's over, and I'm fine."
"Nothing's ever that easy," McCoy admonished. "You know better than that."
It was clear the Doctor had no intention of dropping the subject. Kirk was angry now, and made very little effort to hide it.
"Sulu is out there right now trying to find me a ship," he said sternly. "If I know Sulu as well as I think I do, he'll be back within the hour. You want to analyze me, Doctor? Fine. Go right ahead. You have that long...you can play psychiatrist to your heart's content. But when he gets back, you're done. Understood?"
McCoy gazed at him in stubborn silence, which infuriated the Captain even more.
"Go ahead, Doctor," he snapped. "Ask your questions. Satisfy your curiosity."
McCoy remained incredibly patient and calm. "Why are you so angry with me?" he asked quietly.
"Because I don't understand what you want from me," Kirk replied quickly, although once the words were out of his mouth, he was not entirely sure that was true. He breathed deeply. "If there's something you want to know, then ask me. I'll answer you to the best of my ability. I don't know what more I can offer you."
"All right," the Doctor conceded. "Who's Tina?"
Kirk's head snapped up in surprise. "Lieutenant Girard," he replied, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"
"You asked for her a couple of times in Sickbay." McCoy suddenly seemed reluctant to press it, but did anyway. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, not particularly."
He finally allowed himself to look back into the Doctor's face, knowing that McCoy would not be satisfied with that response. He was right. Kirk's anger came flooding back as he threw up his hands in concession.
"You want to know about Lieutenant Girard?" he snapped. "Let's see...how can I describe her? She was...beautiful...very feminine, very compassionate, but at the same time, very strong. She was probably one of the bravest people I have ever met."
And suddenly he was no longer in his quarters on the Enterprise grudgingly baring his soul to his Chief Medical Officer. He was back in a cave, deep in the bowels of an alien planet. And when he closed his eyes, he could see her face clearly in his mind. Her tears and her smile. Her fear and her ultimate contentment.
"She was bright and energetic..." Kirk continued gently, and finally allowed himself a small smile. "And she was funny. How she kept her sense of humor through all that is beyond me. And she liked Shakespeare..."
"You were in love with her, weren't you?"
Kirk looked deep into the Doctor's face. at that moment, all his anger and defensiveness were replaced by a genuine sense of relief. It actually felt good to be able to say it out loud.
"I could have been," he confessed. "Very easily. Carol Marcus was the first person I ever really loved...you know what I mean, Bones? After that, I thought I could never love anyone that way again. I may have been wrong."
Kirk shook his head ruefully.
"You know, it's ironic...I lost Carol Marcus because I wanted to command a starship. And Martina Girard lost her life because I got that wish."
McCoy appeared indignant. "Jim, you didn't kill Martina Girard. The Klingons did. You can't blame yourself for that."
"I know," Kirk said softly. "It's just so senseless."
McCoy inhaled deeply before he spoke. "Jim, I think everything happens for a reason. I don't know...maybe some good did come out of all this. Now you know you can love someone that much again."
Kirk looked at him solemnly. "That doesn't make it any easier, Bones."
"It wasn't supposed to."
Kirk and McCoy gazed at each other in silence before the Captain finally allowed himself to smile.
"So, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" he asked. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Just the tip of the iceberg," McCoy replied lightly, rising from his chair. "But it's a start. Just do me a favor, Jim. Don't deny your feelings. One Vulcan aboard this ship is quite enough."
Kirk found himself smiling even after the Doctor had gone.
by Trish Bennett
James Kirk had spent the better part of an hour studying the computer logs from the past several days, but to no avail. If there was something in this mass of information that could save his First Officer, Kirk was having a definite problem finding it.
Unfortunately, the most curious facet of this entire ordeal had not been recorded by any computer. Spock himself was the only person with first-hand knowledge of the Organians' surprising intervention, and when questioned he had been stubbornly evasive.
Kirk had known at the time that Spock was holding something back, but he had been far too preoccupied to force the issue. He realized now that it had been a grave error in judgement.
"Come," he called when the door buzzer sounded, and he reached to snap off the viewscreen before him. He raised his eyes to watch his senior staff file through the doors one by one and position themselves in a row in front of his desk.
McCoy, in a typical display of stubborness, was the only one to avoid the military protocol. He moved to perch himself comfortably on the outside corner of the desk. Kirk ignored him as he spoke.
"I'm sure you're all aware that Mr. Spock has been taken into custody for his actions during the recent crisis."
Suddenly even Kirk was impressed by his own display of calm objectivity. It was hard to believe the past few days could be summed up in a few short, dispassionate words.
"A general court martial is scheduled to convene in five days. Spock has declined a preliminary hearing. He has also declined counsel, although for the life of me, I can't imagine why."
Kirk looked into the faces of his officers one by one. "I've called you all here because I need to find a way to clear Mr. Spock of the charges that have been leveled against him. And to do that, I need to ask each of you for your help."
He received a chorus of affirmative responses, as if they were surprised that he even felt the need to ask. The clamor stopped abruptly, however, when he raised his hand to silence them.
"Before you make a hasty decision, I need you to understand something. What I'm about to ask of you does not fall within your obligations as Starfleet officers."
Montgomery Scott stepped forward without a moment's hesitation. "Captain...you should know us all well enough by now to know that you just have to say the word, and we're with you."
Kirk gazed at him steadily, and suddenly he felt a rush of pride in each of his senior officers. Unfortunately, he did not have time to dwell on it.
"I'm going to Organia."
The statement evoked a startled response from the entire senior staff.
"Jim, you can't go to Organia," McCoy protested. "No one's allowed to go to Organia. It's a stipulation of the treaty."
"I know that, Bones, but I have to try. It may be the only chance Spock has."
"Why?" he persisted. "What's on Organia that could possibly make a difference?"
"I don't know," Kirk confessed softly. "Maybe nothing. But maybe I can find some answers there that I can't get anywhere else."
He finally looked back to the expectant officers before him.
"Mr. Sulu, I need a ship...the fastest one you can find. I don't care what it costs. And I need a pilot to take me there."
"I can get you a ship, Captain," Sulu said without hesitation. "But you already have a pilot. Me."
That was exactly what Kirk had been counting on. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned his attention to his Communications officer. "Lieutenant Uhura...I need a special coded channel so that I can stay in touch with the Enterprise. But it has to be something that won't be detected by Station Operations. Can you do it?"
She considered the request briefly. "Yes, Sir," she replied at last. "I can do it."
"Good. Mr. Chekov..." The Russian stepped forward expectantly. "Ensign, I need you down on the Station. Snoop around. There's more going on here than we are aware of, I can feel it. And I want to know what it is."
"Aye aye, Captain."
"Mr. Scott...I'll be leaving you in command of the ship. You'll also be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the others. If there's a problem they come to you, and you...fix it. Understood?"
"Aye, Captain."
"And Bones..."
McCoy looked at him as if he thought his role was obvious. "I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. You have to stay here and cover for me. If Admiral Fitzpatrick finds out I'm gone, we'll all be joining Spock in the stockade."
"Jim," the Doctor protested. "You are in no condition to be running off halfway across the galaxy..."
"I know that, Doctor," the Captain assured him. "That's why I'm taking a pilot."
McCoy looked as though he wanted to argue the point, but surprisingly he remained silent. Even he must have seen they had very few alternatives.
"All right," Kirk said finally. "Let's get to it. And thank you...all of you."
Each of the officers gave him a nod and a smile of assurance as they filed out of his quarters to begin their assignments. Only Doctor McCoy remained behind.
Kirk gazed at him curiously a moment as the doors slid closed behind the others.
"Something on your mind, Doctor?"
McCoy crossed his arms over his chest and leaned himself comfortably in the doorway.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"I thought I just explained that."
The Doctor continued to gaze at him steadily, and it was making the Captain extremely uneasy.
"I'm not talking about Spock," he said.
McCoy was obviously fishing for something, but frankly Kirk was in no mood for it. "Then what are you talking about?"
"You put on a very good show," McCoy said at last. "Calm...confident...issuing orders as though nothing had happened..."
Kirk looked away from the Doctor's probing eyes. "Get to the point, Doctor."
"Jim..."
McCoy finally moved back into the room, and when Kirk looked back into his face, he saw an expression of poorly masked sympathy. He had no idea what the Doctor was leading up to, but Kirk got the distinct impression he was not going to like it.
"I have no idea what really happened out there," McCoy continued finally. "But if the physical results are any indication of the psychological results..."
"Bones, I don't have time for this," Kirk snapped. He was right. He didn't like it. Not at all.
"When will you have the time?" McCoy persisted, finally dropping himself into the chair across from Kirk's desk. "Jim, you've been through a terrible ordeal, but surviving it is only half the battle. You can't just ignore the emotional impact of that experience and expect it to go away, because it won't."
Kirk tried to maintain a calm appearance to hide his flaring temper. "There's nothing to ignore, Bones. It happened, it's over, and I'm fine."
"Nothing's ever that easy," McCoy admonished. "You know better than that."
It was clear the Doctor had no intention of dropping the subject. Kirk was angry now, and made very little effort to hide it.
"Sulu is out there right now trying to find me a ship," he said sternly. "If I know Sulu as well as I think I do, he'll be back within the hour. You want to analyze me, Doctor? Fine. Go right ahead. You have that long...you can play psychiatrist to your heart's content. But when he gets back, you're done. Understood?"
McCoy gazed at him in stubborn silence, which infuriated the Captain even more.
"Go ahead, Doctor," he snapped. "Ask your questions. Satisfy your curiosity."
McCoy remained incredibly patient and calm. "Why are you so angry with me?" he asked quietly.
"Because I don't understand what you want from me," Kirk replied quickly, although once the words were out of his mouth, he was not entirely sure that was true. He breathed deeply. "If there's something you want to know, then ask me. I'll answer you to the best of my ability. I don't know what more I can offer you."
"All right," the Doctor conceded. "Who's Tina?"
Kirk's head snapped up in surprise. "Lieutenant Girard," he replied, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"
"You asked for her a couple of times in Sickbay." McCoy suddenly seemed reluctant to press it, but did anyway. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, not particularly."
He finally allowed himself to look back into the Doctor's face, knowing that McCoy would not be satisfied with that response. He was right. Kirk's anger came flooding back as he threw up his hands in concession.
"You want to know about Lieutenant Girard?" he snapped. "Let's see...how can I describe her? She was...beautiful...very feminine, very compassionate, but at the same time, very strong. She was probably one of the bravest people I have ever met."
And suddenly he was no longer in his quarters on the Enterprise grudgingly baring his soul to his Chief Medical Officer. He was back in a cave, deep in the bowels of an alien planet. And when he closed his eyes, he could see her face clearly in his mind. Her tears and her smile. Her fear and her ultimate contentment.
"She was bright and energetic..." Kirk continued gently, and finally allowed himself a small smile. "And she was funny. How she kept her sense of humor through all that is beyond me. And she liked Shakespeare..."
"You were in love with her, weren't you?"
Kirk looked deep into the Doctor's face. at that moment, all his anger and defensiveness were replaced by a genuine sense of relief. It actually felt good to be able to say it out loud.
"I could have been," he confessed. "Very easily. Carol Marcus was the first person I ever really loved...you know what I mean, Bones? After that, I thought I could never love anyone that way again. I may have been wrong."
Kirk shook his head ruefully.
"You know, it's ironic...I lost Carol Marcus because I wanted to command a starship. And Martina Girard lost her life because I got that wish."
McCoy appeared indignant. "Jim, you didn't kill Martina Girard. The Klingons did. You can't blame yourself for that."
"I know," Kirk said softly. "It's just so senseless."
McCoy inhaled deeply before he spoke. "Jim, I think everything happens for a reason. I don't know...maybe some good did come out of all this. Now you know you can love someone that much again."
Kirk looked at him solemnly. "That doesn't make it any easier, Bones."
"It wasn't supposed to."
Kirk and McCoy gazed at each other in silence before the Captain finally allowed himself to smile.
"So, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" he asked. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Just the tip of the iceberg," McCoy replied lightly, rising from his chair. "But it's a start. Just do me a favor, Jim. Don't deny your feelings. One Vulcan aboard this ship is quite enough."
Kirk found himself smiling even after the Doctor had gone.