Another Piece of the Action 24
Chapter Two
Relic
I
Captain's log, Stardate 6667.11. It was difficult to tear ourselves away from the derelict, but we have left a beacon for a Federation Science ship to pick up. In a way I envy what they will discover on the ship, but duty calls. As it is our "souvenirs" from it are faring well. Commander Scott is avidly studying the vehicle we took from the ship and the sleeper we awakened, Britt Reid, seems to be adjusting well to being suddenly thrust into the 23rd century. The remaining sleeper pod appears to be stable, but Doctor McCoy is keeping it under close observation in case anything should go wrong.
We were able to make up the time at the derelict very easily and will be arriving at the Sigma Iotia system within the next few days, well within schedule. The only problem so far is that Sigma Iotia II has not responded to any of our attempts to hail them. I am hoping that there is a harmless explanation for their silence.
Kirk heard the hiss of the bridge turbolift behind him and smelled the heavy scent of Alicia's perfume long before she came to stand next to him. He looked up at her. "You seem to be very satisfied with yourself," he commented.
She smiled a smoky, secretive smile. "Satisfied, what a wonderful choice of words, Captain."
"I heard that Britt Reid spent the night with you."
"He did indeed. I bet you're dying to hear how it went."
"Not really, but I'm sure that's not going to stop you."
Alicia's smile broadened as she seductively lowered her eyes, "Well, I can tell you that being in suspended in animation has had no bad effects on Britt's performance. There are a few differences between his time and ours when it comes to technique, but that's something that can easily be taken care of."
"And, of course, you're fully willing to make the great sacrifice to take care of that simple matter," Kirk replied, thinking that there were a lot of things Alicia could teach any man of any era.
"No sacrifice involved at all, my dear Captain," Alicia replied, "When you're dealing with superior equipment, it's always a pleasure."
"So Alicia," Kirk said gruffly, "Is there any other reason why you're on the bridge? Besides bragging about your latest conquest, that is."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I was wondering how long until we reach the nearest Starbase."
"We're less than a week out from Sigma Iotia II," Kirk answered, "We'll spend a few days there and Starbase 12 is about three days from there. Still in a hurry to get back to Earth?" he asked, noticing Alicia's frown in concentration.
"No, not really," she said lightly. Too lightly. "When is Doctor McCoy planning to revive Britt's friend?"
"I think he wants to wait until we hit Starbase 12. They have more advanced medical facilities than we have just in case there are any problems," Kirk explained.
"Sounds like a good idea," she said agreeably. She ran a finger across Kirk's shoulders. "I must be going now. Have fun," she said flippantly before flouncing off the bridge.
Kirk glumly watched the viewscreen for a few minutes wondering what Alicia had on her devious little mind. First she was extremely eager for them to reach Earth, now she's seems willing to bide her time. Probably figures it'll give her more time to wind Reid around her little finger, he thought distastefully.
He punched a button on the arm of his chair. "Working," announced an electronic female voice.
"Where's Britt Reid?" he asked the computer.
"Sickbay, Isolation room 3," came the reply.
Where Reid's friend is kept, Kirk remembered. "Is Alicia Meyers there?"
"Negative."
Good, Kirk thought as he rose out of his chair. "Mr. Sulu," he said aloud, "You have the Con. I'll be in Sickbay."
Kirk found Britt in the small control room just off Isolation room 3. Arms crossed across his chest, the big man stood watching through the window at the pod resting in the brightly lit zero g chamber. He hated to interrupt the man's solemn vigil, but this was might be the only chance he'll have to talk to him without Alicia around.
"Mr. Reid, I need to talk to you a few minutes," Kirk said.
Britt nodded, not taking his eyes away from the pod, "Sure. What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Spock has been finding some disturbing information that I need to discuss with you," Kirk began.
"What kind of information?"
"When you first woke up, you called him 'your man'. Would you mind explaining that? Is he a friend? An employee? A chauffeur maybe?"
Britt sighed as a muscle in his jaw twitched. "His name is Kato. He's my friend, and yes, he is my employee although that doesn't much matter now, and it sure as hell didn't matter much in the past. Kato's main job, besides keeping my household running was keeping me from making stupid mistakes. I think almost in a way he's like your Mr. Spock. He made sure of the small things, the details so that I could concentrate on the big picture. If it wasn't for him I'd be dead a hundred times over," he explained.
"And so the car..."
"It's called the Black Beauty, although a lot of people liked to call it a rolling arsenal."
"And you are the master criminal known as the Green Hornet."
"Was," Reid corrected bitterly, "That's all over now."
"So during the day, you played the straight arrow newspaper publisher and at night you were a vicious criminal."
His face bleak, Reid turned on Kirk. "I don't have to explain myself to you," he said harshly, "Anyway, what the hell does it matter to you? That's all over with. Everything, the Green Hornet, my newspaper, the Daily Sentinel, everything that I am, doesn't exist any more. Or do you plan of prosecuting us for crimes that were committed centuries ago?"
"I just want to figure you out," Kirk answered, "I want to know where you stand."
"Where I stand?" Britt echoed, "I don't stand anywhere. Do you honestly think that I want to be here? Hell, I'd rather be dust now, than here on this ship."
"And Alicia?"
Britt shook his head. "I'm not an idiot, Captain, I know damn well the woman's a user. She uses people for her own purposes and then discards them whenever it suits her needs. I had her pegged from the start."
"I see and has she told you why she's on the Enterprise?"
"She has, and you can rest assured that I definitely do not support her agenda."
"So you're hanging around with Alicia because..."
"Because I'm using her. Sometimes you can find more about something from people who're against it than from those who are for it," he explained. "I'm a newspaperman. Newspapers may not exist anymore, but that's what I am. Information is my meat."
"And the Green Hornet?"
Britt's shoulders sagged. "I take it that history has judged the Green Hornet to be a monster then."
"Yes."
Britt returned to contemplating the pod in the isolation room. He shook his head. "The Green Hornet wasn't a criminal," he explained, all emotion drained from his voice. "He was a crime fighter. He posed as a crime boss because that was the best way to get at the true criminals. Not the penny ante crooks, but those who operated behind them. Those people who cloaked themselves with legal mumbo jumbo to destroy others and then to escape justice. The Green Hornet worked to expose those people and their schemes to the full light of day, so that they would feel the full weight of the law."
"How very altruistic of you," Kirk commented cynically.
"Believe whatever you want," Britt replied with a shrug, "Like I said before, it doesn't matter. The Green Hornet's dead, just like practically everything else that was important in my life. Kato's all that's left."
One of the indicators in the overhead monitor slid down as a light started to flash yellow. Britt noticed just as it turned a solid red, "Captain..." he said.
Kirk slammed the intercom button with a fist, "McCoy, Isolation room 3, on the double." Alarms started squealing as more of the indicators started sliding into the red.
The pod was nearly transparent when McCoy and his medical team rushed into the room. "What happened?" he demanded.
"I have no idea," Kirk answered.
McCoy pressed a set of buttons while watching the telltales on the monitor. "Something must've happened." He shot a quick glance into the isolation room. Kato was starting to stir as the pod continued to clear. "It's happening too fast. Stable for three hundred goddamn years and it chooses now to go haywire," he growled. "Should've kept it under earth normal atmosphere and low grav," he berated himself, "Figured it was best to keep it under the same conditions as on that derelict." McCoy glared at the telltale as the air pressure in the isolation room began to slowly rise, "Can't have it go up too fast," he said more to himself than to Kirk and Britt, "Could cause more trouble than it fixes." McCoy slammed an open palm against wall. "Dammit," he cursed.
The gel inside the pod had thinned to a watery thickness as Kato was struggling desperately like a drowning man. The fluid was turning red and frothing from his efforts. The fragile skin of the pod writhed in sympathy.
"He can't breathe!" Britt exclaimed.
"I know, god damn it!" McCoy angrily retorted, "I can't make the oxygen pressure go up any faster than it's doing right now. It's on emergency already."
A light on the console flickered red then settled down into yellow. McCoy hit the door release, "Go, go," he shouted to his team as he closely followed on their heels. Air rushed into the isolation room sucking in pieces of stray paper left in the monitoring room.
Britt moved to join them. "No," Kirk said, grabbing his arm. "You better stay here."
"But..." Britt protested, pulling his arm free.
"You'll only be in the way," Kirk told him, grabbing the taller man by the shoulders, forcing him to face him.
Inside the chamber McCoy and his people were half-swimming, half-floating toward the pod. Kato's struggles were becoming increasingly weaker. Then the pod popped like a soap bubble, expelling the blood red fluid into the thin air in fat globules.
"The doctor needs to concentrate on your friend, not worry about you banging around in there," Kirk shot at Britt as he struggled to pull him into the main room of sick bay. "Your friend is in good hands," he tried to reassure Britt.
Britt bowed his head in defeat as he sagged into a nearby chair. He asked very quietly, "Do people in your time still pray?"
"Yes," Kirk answered gently, "Sometimes constantly."
II
A few days out from Iotia, Kirk found the time to watch Britt Reid and Kato as they worked out in the ship's gym. He was not the only one leaning against the wall as the two men sparred. In fact, leaning space was in short supply, but crewmembers quickly made room for him when he entered the gym. Good ol' RHIP. At times rank did have its privileges.
But, Kirk noticed, in this room there was one rank that outranked captain. Alicia sat on a folding chair, the only one present in fact, and still managed to present herself as regally as a queen on a throne. With a disgusted snort, Kirk turned his attention to the two men.
Kirk mentally shook his head in wonder. Despite his and Doctor McCoy's fears, Kato had quickly recovered from stasis. Judging by the first few days he would have expected the man to be an invalid for a very long time. Those days had been very bad indeed. Like a newborn born too early, Kato had emerged with a condition like hyaline membrane disease. Due to the pod's malfunction his lungs had not had the time to make the change from a fluid environment to breathing air. Even with all of McCoy's skills and the advantages of a starship sickbay, half of the time they weren't sure that he would even make it.
During that time Britt Reid had haunted sick bay. Denying food or orders to rest, he had stayed his companion's side until Kato was finally out of danger. Now he was fully recovered. In fact he was more than fully recovered, to watch him spar with the taller Reid, one would have never thought that he had almost died.
They were an interesting pair to watch. Reid was tall and built square with well-muscled shoulders and arms. He moved with little wasted motion, like a tiger with nothing to worry about. Kato was much smaller, almost a head shorter, but quicker and lighter. His movements were fast, sometimes blindingly so, but filled with a dancer's grace. The sound of his slashing hands or flying feet slamming into the padded mitts in Reid's hands were loud enough to make the watchers wince, but left the big man as unmoved as a solid block of granite.
Seeming to finally to notice that a crowd had gathered, Kato stopped in his tracks with a big grin on his face. Kirk knew a show-off when he saw one and the trim oriental was the consummate showman. He saw a quick glance pass between Kato and Reid, with a shrug and nod of agreement from Reid.
Kato gave a slight bow. "I see many people from many worlds here. You have seen my Kung fu," he said. "Can someone show me what martial arts you practice on your own homeworld?" he asked. His dark eyes fell on one of the newer members of the Enterprise, a young Vulcan male who had recently joined at Spock's encouragement. "I hear that Vulcan's martial arts are very interesting, maybe you could show me a few moves, maybe even teach me one or two?" he asked.
The Vulcan shook his head with an expressionless face that still managed to be as cold as stone. "The martial arts of Vulcan are not meant for mass entertainment. They are solely used for self defense or for disciplining one's mind and body."
"Kung fu is like that too," Kato replied.
The Vulcan glanced at the gathered crowd with a raised eyebrow, "Obviously," was his dry reply before he turned on his heel.
Kato's face fell under the Vulcan's cold reply as the assembled watchers murmured behind the Vulcan's retreating back.
A loud, brash voice broke through, "Hey, I heard you brag that you could take on a whole bunch of guys single-handedly."
Kirk realized it was "Chancy" Shaugnessy, one of Alicia's suitors after she had run through the command crew. Every ship has its troublemaker and Chancy was the Enterprise's. Worse, Chancy had gathered around him the prerequisite clique; a group of crewmen who felt that for one reason or the other that life had not dealt them a fair hand. They were also high on Kirk's list of crewmen to be left behind on the next Starbase.
Kato's grin blazed as did his black eyes, "I'm always ready for a challenge."
He cast a questioning look at Reid. Reid glanced at Chancy and his five cronies, shook his head with slightly wry smile. He shrugged a consent, moving out of the way. He knew what Kato could do. Then the big man's eyes fell on Alicia who was leaning forward on her chair, with a hungry, excited look on her face. Reid's smile quickly changed to a dark glower that he hid behind a towel as he wiped his face.
Not noticing Reid's reaction, Kato studied the men circling him with a carelessly confident look. Holding big ham sized fists clenched at his sides, the bull-sized Irishman faced Kato, towering over him by a good head and a half. Nonchalantly Kato rolled his shoulders, getting the kinks out of them as though the lengthy work out with Reid had been barely enough to warm him up. Then he rolled his head with loudly audible cracks. All the time a wide grin graced his face as he loosened his joints from head to toe. Chancy was starting to huff with impatience. Finally Kato crooked his finger at the Irishman.
Chancy charged with a roar. Kato danced out of the way, spinning lightly on the balls of his feet. Chancy stopped in mid charge, spun around, fast for a man his size. He slammed a fist at Kato, who quickly side stepped it with a contemptuous open handed slap. Chancy one-two'd a combination punch fanning the air near Kato's belly. Kato gave a big cat yowl, dodged, and spun low sweeping Chancy's feet out from under him. Chancy hit the ground hard, rolled, then growled at his cronies as he pushed himself off the floor. Kato caught Chancy's lunge, using the impetus of his charge to launch him into two of his friends, bowling the three of them toward a wall.
The three remaining men piled onto the small oriental, momentarily burying him. A yowl erupted under the mountain as Kato exploded, sending them flying in different directions. Chancy grabbed Kato from behind, lifting him a foot off the ground, massive arms threatening to crush the oriental's neck. Kato slapped his hands high against the Irishman ears, deafening him. Kato landed lightly on his feet, as another man rushed him. With a flying sidekick, Kato sent him sliding on his backside. Barely before his feet touched the ground, Kato launched another kick at a man who had refused to stay down.
"Son of a b..."Chancy roared, swinging a heavy steel baton, that someone on the sidelines had handed him, at Kato's unprotected back.
Without turning, Kato met Chancy with an elbow into the belly, then a fist into the nose, sending blood spurting in a fountain of red. As Kato's final yowl echoed, Chancy rolled on the ground cursing in his agony. There was no one left standing. No one spoke.
"All right, crew," Kirk said into the heavy silence as he walked next to the triumphant Kato. "Play time's over. Time to get back to work," he ordered.
The dam of silence broke as crewmen began filing out of the gym; everyone speaking at the same time about how Kato had so quickly taken down Chancy and his friends. Red-shirted security men filtered through the crowd into the gym. Kirk nodded at the beaten men groaning on the floor, "Take them to the brig. And while you're at it, get Dr. McCoy to take a look at them." He shook his head. "I don't think they're going to be reporting for duty for quite a while."
"Impressive," he said to Kato as he approached him. "Thinking of joining the space marines?"
"Probably too old," Kato replied with excitement bright eyes as he took the towel Reid handed him.
"I bet you two make quite a team," Kirk commented.
"Once, maybe," Reid answered, looking past Kirk.
Seeing the grim look in Reid's eyes, Kirk turned to see Alicia approaching them.
"Kato, you're absolutely fantastic!" she gushed, "I can't wait until we get you on the holovids. You'll be the hottest thing since the Space Racers!"
Kato's brows rose, not understanding.
"Never mind darling, you wouldn't know," Alicia laughed with a wave of her hand, "After we get you on the air, everybody and everything will be passe'. You'll be the best thing to have happened to Earth since warp drive. Maybe even better," she continued. "I can't wait."
"Great!" Kato said, joining in her enthusiasm.
Kirk noticed that while Alicia plied Kato with her glowing vision of his impact on the universe, Reid's face had gotten darker and grimmer. "I'm heading for the showers," Reid finally muttered before turning his back on them.
Not hearing, Kato continued to drink in Alicia's admiration as Reid walked away with bowed head.
III
"Where have you been?" Britt growled from his bed as Kato tried to creep into their darkened quarters. It was late in the night according the ship's hours.
"I was with Alicia," Kato answered as he started pulling off his shirt.
"Talking?"
"Among other things." Even in the dim light Britt could see the brilliance of Kato's grin.
"You know she's making a fool of you," Britt commented, pushing himself up on one elbow.
"Oh, C'mon."
"You believe all that crap she's been feeding you?"
Kato shrugged, replying, "She's got some good points you know. Earth has to keep it's own identity. It's a big universe out here. If the people of Earth don't stand up for themselves, they'll just become another part of the homogenized culture of the universe."
"Big words," Britt sneered.
"What d'you mean by that?" Kato challenged.
"Alicia tried to feed that exact same b.s. to me. I didn't buy it. I don't think you should either."
"You're jealous."
"The hell I am."
"You are," Kato accused, his voice rising. "You're mad because she prefers me to you."
"That has nothing to do with it," Britt retorted angrily, "She knew I wasn't buying her act so she found herself another sucker."
"Sucker? Me, right?"
"If the shoe fits..."
"Like hell. You're mad because Mr. Big Shot Britt Reid, is no longer the center of the whole goddamn universe. Get real. If you'd pull your goddamn nose away from that goddamn computer monitor once in awhile, you'd realize that there's a whole new reality out there. Quit living in the past."
"So I take it panting after the first skirt that's wowed by your blasted Kung fu is a hell of a lot better? Damn it, Kato wake up and smell the coffee. That woman's only interested in using you for her little campaign. Once that's over with she'll throw you in the gutter on the nearest little backwater planet she can find."
"The hell she will. She loves me," Kato paused, breathing heavily as he thought. "That's it, isn't it? I think you're damn jealous because for once in your life someone is actually paying a lot more attention to me than they are you. Hasn't it ever occurred to you that I'm sick and tired of living in your shadow?"
"Tired of living in my shadow? Damn it, Kato. Any day you felt that way you could've said so. Any day you could've walked. You didn't have to come back after you graduated from college. You could've gone out on your own any time."
"I came back because I felt I owed your father for everything he did for me. He needed my help. I wanted to serve him. And then when he died, I couldn't as well leave. Not then, not when everyone else was leaving. Then you became the Green Hornet. I had to stay on. If I hadn't you would've probably gotten yourself killed."
"Well, you sure as hell don't have to worry about that now, do you? That's all over and done with, isn't it? You might as well space the Black Beauty while you're at instead of trying to fix it."
"Now, Mr. Reid..."
"Don't Mr. Reid me," Britt shot at him. "I'm not your Mr. Reid, I'm not anyone's Mr. Reid anymore."
"I didn't mean it that way."
"I don't care how you meant it. You're free now. You don't owe me a goddamn thing. Go, do whatever the hell you want."
"Mr. Reid..."
"Go on," Britt growled bitterly, "The past apparently doesn't mean crap to you, but that's all the hell I have. So you go live in your future. I hope that you enjoy it."
IV
Kirk waited impatiently as Dr. McCoy filed into the ready room. "Glad you could make it, Doctor," he commented sarcastically.
"I got more important things to do than waste my time on a meeting," McCoy replied gruffly, knowing that Kirk had long ago learned to put up with his insubordination.
Once McCoy had settled himself next to Mr. Scott, Kirk nodded to Mr. Spock who pressed a button on the computer console in front of him. In the center of the table on a small multi-sided projector a series of pictures of the planet Sigma Iotia II appeared. "We've been to Iotia before so most of us should already be familiar with Iotia's history," Spock began, "The Iotians are a highly intelligent race that is also extremely adaptable. They're able to quickly duplicate any technology they come across and totally incorporate it into their society in an extremely short amount of time. This was illustrated by the fact that all it took was the crash landing of a survey ship and the leaving behind of a book to launch a society that is totally based on the gangland wars that existed in Chicago in the 1920's.
"Further studies have shown that they are a humanoid race that is close enough to Earth genetically that Iotian/Terran offspring would be totally viable and fertile." Spock nodded toward Dr. McCoy, "That has led some people including Dr. McCoy to theorize that they might be the survivors of a lost earth colony or even the result of some kind of seeding by an unknown alien species. At present there is no evidence supporting either theory.
"However it might be, commerce to Iotia is strictly regulated so that their society will be able to evolve at a natural pace instead of being suddenly thrust into modern society and technology. This is especially important since even though their society has evolved technologically to that of Earth in the 1940's, and they have developed a type of representative government based on gang affiliation, it is still in the long run based on gangsters who continue to fight violently for control of 'turf' when voting does not go their way. If those gangs, either all or one of them ever obtained modern weaponry it could lead to a blood bath, if not the total destruction of the entire planet."
Kirk picked up the briefing at Mr. Spock's nod, "Since everyone, men, women, and children above the age of eight go armed, planetside trips will be heavily restricted. That means that there will be no shore leave on this planet," Kirk shot a quick look around the ready room. "Most Iotians are peaceful, but many are quick to take offense and will resort to violence if they think they did not receive the respect they feel they deserve.
"We are basically here to 'show the flag', people. To show that the Federation is still around and still very powerful. Since they can only conceive of gangster based society, we have to maintain the illusion that the Federation is similar to their concept of the early 20th century Feds. We have been only able to deal with them peacefully because they think the 'Feds' have the firepower and the will to rub them out at any time." Kirk glanced at Mr. Spock, who as a Vulcan was strongly anti-violence. "Unfortunately, within their society weakness is little tolerated. Any sign of weakness is quickly exploited, sometimes violently. Force must be always met with force. At all times, a tough, threatening appearance must be maintained. Any show of force must be met with an equal amount of force and is best accompanied with as much bravado as possible."
Again Kirk glanced around. "Are any questions?" When no one raised their hands, Kirk nodded, "Good, then I expect everyone on ship to be fully briefed by the time we hit Iotia's orbit." A wry smile appeared on his face. "If anyone groans about no shore leave on Iotia let them know that we'll make up for it on Starbase 12. At least there no one will be shot at. At least I hope so," he added, his grin turning crooked.
Dr. McCoy grabbed Kirk as he stepped out of the ready room. "What's the matter, Bones?" Kirk asked.
"I want Britt Reid on the away team," McCoy answered.
"You've got to be kidding," Kirk replied, "The last thing I need is a civilian in the middle of a powder keg."
"Reid might be just the man you need," McCoy said, "He's had experience dealing with gangsters as that Green Hornet character. He knows how to talk their language."
"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't know if I can trust him. He might say that this Green Hornet of his was a good guy, but all I have is his word on that. History paints a very different picture. If history was right, an already touchy situation could explode right in our faces."
"What does you gut tell you about Reid?" McCoy asked.
"I don't know," Kirk admitted, "he's a hard man to nail down. There's always this undercurrent about him. I feel like I'm always missing something when I'm dealing with him."
"Could be that Reid's miserable. He's lost everything that meant something to him. I think being off ship on a planet that's similar to his own era could be very helpful in him adjusting to our time."
"What about Kato? I thought since we revived him, Reid would adjust."
"I thought so too. Unfortunately it's not working out that way."
"Why?"
"Two words, Alicia Meyers."
Kirk nodded his understanding. "Oh, jealousy. I thought I noticed she was paying a lot less attention to Reid. But I wouldn't think she'd have managed to break up a friendship just like that."
McCoy shook his head. "I'm thinkin' you're a lot more naive than you look, Jim," he drawled, a grin taking the sting out of his words. "That woman's managed to create a gulf between those two as big as the Grand Canyon. They're not even sharing the same quarters now. Alicia's moved Kato in with her. Being on the Iotian away team is just the thing to take Reid's mind off his troubles."
"I'm sorry, Bones, but I can't do that. It's too dangerous."
"It could be more dangerous if you don't."
Kirk frowned at the doctor. "How?" he demanded.
"Reid's keeping to himself too much. I'm afraid it's a serious case of depression that could get far worse."
"What about the psych people?"
"He won't talk to them," McCoy explained, "People of his time didn't believe in counseling. It was considered a sign of weakness if you couldn't handle your own problems. It was anathema to admit to having any kind of mental illness. It was like saying that you're an incompetent."
"But how could being on the away team help?"
"Like I said, it could help take his mind off his problems."
"I don't like it," Kirk said, "It could turn ugly very fast. I can't involve a civilian in something like that."
"Reid's no ordinary civilian. A small taste of danger might be just the thing to perk him up."
Kirk stared at McCoy for a moment. "I wouldn't think purposely exposing somebody to danger is a sound mental health technique," he said doubtfully.
"Tell me, Jim, when do you feel the most alive? When you're filling out paperwork or when you're in the middle of a firefight with the Klingons?"
"That's different Bones."
"Reid's a lot more like you than you think."
Kirk looked doubtful.
"Talk to him. Then tell me what you think."
"But Bones..." Kirk began to protest.
"Talk to him," McCoy said firmly.
V
When Kirk entered the darkened observation deck, it took him a few moments to get over the temporary disorientation. Everywhere around him was the star filled dome of space. Having lost the rainbow effect they had when the Enterprise was traveling at warp speed, they appeared to hang still in the eternal blackness of space all around him. It was both awe inspiring and frightening. Even though he knew that an impenetrable barrier of transparent aluminum and force field protected him from a horrible death, the experienced spacer in him still screamed for the reassuring womb of ship steel around him.
Reid was a tall, dark shadow against the blanket of stars. His features, nearly invisible in the darkness, seemed to be lost in thought, although in Kirk's mind it was more than that. He seemed to be lost in time too.
"Dr. McCoy wanted me to talk to you," Kirk began, his voice seeming too harsh, too loud in the silence that surrounded Reid.
"There's nothing to talk about," Reid answered curtly.
"He's worried that you've been keeping to yourself too much lately."
"What business of that is his? Or yours?" Reid asked sharply.
"It's Dr. McCoy's job as ship's doctor to be concerned about the emotional or mental welfare of everyone on this ship, both crew and passenger. He's concerned about you and he wanted me to talk to you," Kirk explained.
"I see," Reid answered, turning away from Kirk to stare out at the stars. "I never thought I would ever go out into space," he said in a very quiet voice. "It was the dream of every school boy in my time..."
"It's still the dream of school boys. And girls," Kirk said. "Some things never change."
"In my time, it wasn't possible. Now it is." Reid sighed. "A few years after Kato and I were abducted by that damn UFO, the first man walked on the moon. Now it's just a way station."
"I know," Kirk commented, "But no matter how far we go, the frontier keeps on expanding. There's always something new out there, and it's human nature to find out what it is."
Reid nodded to himself. "How will you be able to give this all up?" he asked, turning to face Kirk, watching him closely.
"I don't understand..."
"This ship, the people you command, being on the edge of the frontier... Do you think you will ever be ready to give this all up?"
Kirk frowned, "I don't understand what you're getting at."
"All that time I was 'keeping to myself', I was busy researching you, this ship, the Federation, everything I could find out." Then in a much softer voice he added, "And my past, or what should have been MY past."
"It's amazing," he continued, "Once computers took up an entire room and were only able to perform a few very simple calculations. Now they fit in the palm of your hand and contain all the knowledge of the known universe. The computer on this ship can quickly access information that once could only be accessed after years of study in many universities.
"According to my research, you're one of Starfleet's youngest captains and now you're going to be bumped up to the Admiralty. That must be quite an honor, but do you really think you will be able to adjust to flying a desk?"
"Actually, I'm looking forward to my new position. Flying a starship is not all that it's cracked up to be. The Admiralty will bring a lot more stability into my life. After all, it's hard to raise a family between the stars, you know."
Reid nodded. "I guess you're right," he said with a sigh. "I can understand that. I guess. But I don't think that you'll be able to stand 'the quiet life' for very long before you're eager to get back into action."
"You'd be surprised," Kirk answered. "Besides, there'll be plenty of challenges ahead."
"So you're looking forward to this promotion?"
"I am," Kirk answered, but wondered why he was not feeling as excited about it as he thought he should.
"I wish I had a future to look forward to," Reid said. He turned away, his face hidden in the shadows. His voice was very quiet, filled with grief. "I am 33 years old and I have no future. I have no family to look forward to raising. No home to go back to. No career. Nothing. I've been cast adrift in time and space and I have nothing to anchor my life on. Nothing whatsoever." Reid turned to face Kirk, the misery plain in his face. "Perhaps your Dr. McCoy is right."
"You can always start over," Kirk said, trying to sound encouraging. "There's always retraining. I'm sure you could find a meaningful vocation if you would just give it a chance."
"After all the hoopla of being a man from the past? Who could ever forget that? I'll never have a normal life. I'll always be an outsider no matter where I go or what I do."
"Not necessarily. Space is very large. A man who wants to, can lose himself very easily."
"And where would I start?"
"At the beginning, I would guess. It would take you some time to learn your way around, but I have a feeling that you would advance very quickly in whatever you chose to do."
"In other words I'd have to start at the bottom."
"Of course."
"Captain," Reid said. "How would you feel if you were told that you would have to start at the bottom of a new career? Oh, say, as an errand boy?"
Kirk frowned, not knowing how to answer the question, knowing that his reply would damn him.
Reid nodded, knowing the captain's answer without his ever saying it. "My point exactly. "I can't start at the bottom. No matter how hard I would try, I can't. I know it may sound conceited, but it's the truth. Like you I was one of the youngest men in my position. I owned and ran a newspaper and television station. I employed several hundred people, almost as many as on this ship. Everyday I made decisions that could affect not only their lives, but also those of the people of the city and once in awhile even the entire country. Just like you. Now you're asking me to start at the bottom where I would be subject to somebody else's decisions, where I would not even have the right to have any say on where my own life is going? I'm sorry, Captain, it's not possible. I don't think I can take orders from somebody else. I didn't do it very well when I was just starting in the newspaper field. It'd be impossible now."
"We all take orders from somebody," Kirk replied. "Even though it looks like I'm totally independent. I still have to take orders from those over me."
"Even when you disagree with them?" Reid asked pointedly.
"Yes. Well, most of the time," Kirk added with a wry grimace.
Reid snorted. "Yeah, right. I bet you're one of those who go head long with whatever you think is right, and then figure out how to pick up the pieces later."
Kirk shrugged, "Well..."
"And you have the uncommon luck of coming out smelling like a rose every time."
Kirk smiled, realizing that Reid knew him or men like him a lot more than he had thought.
"You were born to be a starship captain. You could never be anything else. Look around you. Ask your crew and you'll get the same answer from everyone here. There is no Captain Kirk if there is no Enterprise and there is no Enterprise without Captain Kirk."
"I can exist without the Enterprise," Kirk said, even though his words sounded false in his own ears. Was he really that sure he could live without the Enterprise? Without her crew?
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Things change. They all do. The Enterprise can exist without me. After all I'm her third captain. There'll be others, just like there have been other Enterprises, and there will be others long after this one is sent to the wreckers."
"Possibly," Reid replied, "But they won't be this Enterprise. This is the ship and you are the captain everyone will remember long after we're all dust."
"I think it'd be the height of arrogance to think of myself that way."
"Maybe," Reid said, "but my point is that we have a lot in common. I am a third generation newspaperman. My grandfather was a reporter when the West was still wild and my father was a foreign correspondent before he founded my newspaper, the Daily Sentinel.
"They say that people like me have printer's ink running through our veins instead of blood. I might have entertained thoughts of escaping my legacy once in a while, but that is what I was meant to be, by training and by my own nature. I couldn't be anything else even when I did try. Nothing else felt as right as when I held a newspaper in my hands and knew that it's mine. That I assembled and led the people who created it. Now that's all gone. Everything that has ever meant something to me is gone."
Reid paused thoughtfully, then continued.
"Once there was a woman, a girl, that's the way I'll always remember her. She had hair the color of red-gold and the warmest brown eyes you had ever seen. I still remember the way she used to move, the way she used to smile. It seems like it was only yesterday..."
"Sounds like you loved her," Kirk commented.
Reid nodded. "I guess I did." He shook his head, "No, I still do, but I never told her that. Maybe..." He sighed. "She was my secretary, but until now I don't think I ever thought how much she meant to me. Meant? Means? How can I think in past tense about a girl I was only talking to a few days ago." Reid grimaced, "And yet you tell me centuries have passed.
"Her name was Lenore Case, but everyone called her Casey. Your computer tells me that after Kato and I disappeared she took over running the Daily Sentinel. I bet that frosted a lot people to find out that my will had given her the paper. The mere thought of a woman not yet 30 running a major newspaper must have really ticked off a lot of people. But you know what, she did a great job of it. She built on what I had left and made it bigger and better. Hell, it looks like one of your modern news organizations is a direct descendent of what she started with the Sentinel. When newspapers were dying all over the country near the end of the 20th century she kept the Sentinel profitable without ever once betraying the principles on which it was built."
Reid's voice softened, "She came to be known as the 'Grande Dame' of journalism. When she..." his voice cracked, went silent for a moment as he fought for composure, "When she died," he continued, "Heads of state from almost every country in the world came to her funeral."
"You made a good choice," Kirk commented.
"Yeah, I did, I guess. Maybe one of the few good ones in my lifetime. You know she never married. When asked why she stayed single, she always replied that she was married to the Sentinel. And to my memory. Long after she passed on someone found one of her journals. In it she said that she never believed that I had died. She always thought I would come back.
"I'd give anything, even life itself, just for the chance to go back and tell her how much she really meant to me."
"I'm sorry," Kirk said reluctantly, "That's impossible."
"Time travel is possible, you and your ship have done it," Reid reminded him.
"I know, but in this case, we can't."
"Of course. Too much would be changed, but still..."
"I'm sorry, but we all have things we wished we could have done, things we wished we could go back and change. But we can't. Believe me when I wish there was a way. Unfortunately there isn't. We have no choice but to pick up the pieces and blunder on the best we can," Kirk said, wondering if his words sounded as hollow in Reid's ears as they did in his.
"Yeah, sure," Reid replied bitterly. "Come back in a few years after you've had a heartbreak or two and tell me if you still feel that way."
"Now wait a minute," Kirk said testily, "I'd like you to know that my life isn't always a bed of roses either. There's been rough times too, but I haven't made it a habit to wallow around in my own self-pity."
"Like I have?" Reid answered accusingly.
"Yes."
For a moment Reid's pale eyes flashed angrily and Kirk subconsciously braced for an attack. Then the moment passed.
Reid raised his hand, "I'm sorry. I was out of line." He turned his back on Kirk. "Please leave now," he asked. "I need to be alone."