Chapter 2

Stardate 8390, 2286

Lieutenant Saavik

Service Number D153-311 DC

PERSONAL ACCOUNT

The Genesis project was created by a team of scientists who spear headed an attempt to develop a lifeless planetoid into a living-breathing planet capable of supporting life. Their plans however were destined for failure the moment they were conceived due to a dangerously unstable substance called Proto Matter.

The experiment was unsuccessful. A genetically engineered human from the late twentieth century took the torpedo, Khan Noonian Singh. He planned to detonate the Genesis torpedo as a method of revenge against Admiral James T. Kirk.

I shall proceed onto the events that followed. Khan and his fellow people hijacked the USS Reliant and abandoned her crew on the barren surface of what the Reliant crew thought was Ceti Alpha six.

The only remaining officers left aboard the ship were Captain Clark Terrell and his first officer, Commander Pavel Chekov.

Unbeknown to Terrell this was the very world that the admiral had marooned Khan on fifteen years ago. Ceti Alpha six had been destroyed six months earlier and the shock wave from the planet had led to Ceti Alpha five becoming a wasteland.

The Relient's mission was to assist the Genesis scientists in a search for a sterile planetoid devoid of life to complete their experiment. They wished to test detonate the torpedo on a suitable planet.

The Reliant was taken over by Khan who intercepted the USS Enterprise. It was undertaking a training exercise with a group of young cadets including myself. Captain Spock, our instructor was commanding at that time.

Visiting Admiral Kirk was forced to take command of his old flagship because he was the highest-ranking officer aboard.

Khan took the Reliant to Deep Space Lab Regula One orbiting a lone seemingly barren planet. The orbiting laboratory was where the Genesis scientists dwelled and worked during their experimental creation of Genesis.

A landing party comprising of Doctor Leonard McCoy, Admiral Kirk, and myself beamed down into the station and discovered that Khan had killed all the scientists. The team co-ordinators Carol Marcus and her son David were however not aboard. The torpedo was nowhere to be seen.

We shortly discovered Captain Clark Terrell and Commander Pavel Chekov. Khan was controlling them by the use of a Ceti eel. A creature indigenous to Ceti Alpha V. Together we beamed down to the centre of the planet where we had suspected that the Genesis torpedo was being kept ready for final stage of the experiment.

Our suspicions were correct. The torpedo was indeed being kept down there. We also discovered both David and Carol Marcus.

Khan abruptly stole the torpedo and ordered Terrell to kill Admiral Kirk. Instead the captain killed himself.

In the centre of the planet we discovered a sample of what the Genesis formula could achieve. It was a subterranean cavern rich in vegetation.

Shortly we beamed back to the Enterprise and we were driven into the Mutara nebula where a space battle commenced. The Enterprise was crippled.

Khan detonated the Genesis torpedo and the Enterprise was unable to escape the energy wave due to a critical imbalance with the warp engines. Thus Captain Spock gave his life to protect those aboard. The ship escaped just as the new world was beginning to form from the nebula. Khan and the Reliant were destroyed in the process.

The planet flourished despite the cost of deaths surrounding it.

Concerning the events, which followed. I must point out that Admiral James T. Kirk not only risked his life and career for two comrades, he saved me and prevented the Genesis information from being released into enemy hands. If that happened the results could have been catastrophic. The Federation would have been in grave danger from fractions of the Klingon Empire who spurn the peace movement.

As for the Genesis planet it rapidly evolved, aged and disintegrated within a matter of days. I hear by close this communication.

Saavik finished her assessment, stopped the recording, and removed a transparent disk from her computer. She stood up turned off the machinery and proceeded outside. The young Vulcan would hand it to Kirk ready for him to give to Admiral Morrow as her personal statement about the events, which had previously unfolded three months ago.

Saavik had noticed that the humans had done the utmost to avoid contacting Earth. She wondered why. She still failed to understand the human mind. Finally after a long period of time they were faced with an encrypted message from Starfleet Command demanding why there was no response concerning their last little trip.

Saavik exited the room and stepped outside into the refreshing desert heat. It was midday. She court sight of James T. Kirk crossing over the landing field from the captured little ship and proceeded towards her.

Jim smiled at her when he saw her. Saavik stopped midway and waited for him to catch her up. Finally he stopped in front of her.

"Hello Saavik, "he said cheerfully. "How is everything?"

"Everything is as it should be." Jim nodded and smiled warmly.

"That's great." He caught sight of something glowing in her hand. It was the cassette she had just recorded. "Are you bringing me your report Lieutenant?"

"Correct, Admiral." She handed it to him. "I have included all necessary information to help you during your trial."

"Why, thank you. I didn't know you cared."

"I fail to understand you sir."

"A joke."

"Oh, I see. I believe the correct response to you Admiral is that I with you luck on your return voyage."

"I thought that you people didn't believe in luck." Saavik straightened.

"We don't." Jim frowned.

"Well thank you any way. We sure the hell need it."

"If you will excuse me Admiral I have tasks to complete." Jim guessed that the young officer was about to find her teacher.

Following three months of intensive training and relearning everything he previously had known, Captain Spock was baffled.

Not an hour had past when his human mother, Amanda had visited him in the training chamber earlier that morning. He had been posed with a most difficult concluding question by the computer for the final test.

The question was simple in human terms yet as a Vulcan he was considerably baffled by it's content.

"How do you feel?" The message had said as it blinked bright yellow against the black translucent screen with a female monotonous voice repeatedly asking the imposing final question.

Spock could master the relatively simple temporal physics questions and play a three-dimensional chess game against the superior intelligence of the computer at the same time without any concern, but the question was simply unanswerable.

He had turned when he heard the soft rustle of fabric against the stone floor and his mother dressed in soft blue chiffon robes had stood quietly at the entrance with her hands clasped loosely in front of her.

"I do not understand," he had said frowning at the computer.

"You are half human. The computer knows that."

"The question is irrelevant."

Amanda had come and leant over his shoulder glancing at the blinking screen. "Spock, the retraining of your mind has been done in the Vulcan way, so you may not understand feelings, but you have them. They will surface."

Spock had been bewildered and did not begin to comprehend what she had said was the truth. In fact during the long stay on Vulcan he had felt nothing. Nothing since that moment when he had recognised James Kirk.

Perhaps the Vulcans had completely wiped his memory of any feelings he previously had within him and made the Spock he once was into a complete unemotional Spock. After all wasn't that what he had always wanted?

Perhaps Amanda was wrong because there was no evidence that what she believed in was true. Yet for some unseen reason he trusted her judgement. For one fleeting moment he had wondered what it was like to feel, but he had dismissed it the moment it came into his head.

"As you wish," he had said to Amanda. "As you since deem feelings of value, but I can not wait here to find them."

"Where must you go?" Amanda had said a little surprised.

"To Earth. To offer testimony."

"You do this for friendship?"

"I do this because I was there." He had frowned with confusion. What she had said did not make any sense. Not at all.

Amanda had tried to pursue the question from another angle. Perhaps he could fathom it out that way. "Spock does the good of the many out way the good of the one?"

"I would except that as an axiom."

"Then you stand here because of a mistake. A mistake made by your flawed feeling, human friends. They have sacrificed their futures because they believe that the good of the one - you was more important to them."

Was friendship an emotional connection? Spock had wondered. He did not know, but what he did understand was that emotions were distasteful and illogical. Spock had considered that. "Humans make illogical decisions mother."

He remembered Amanda looking at him sadly for a moment. He stopped in the middle of the large corridor on the top floor of Sarek's house and remembered Amanda's final confusing words.

"They do indeed." Spock had frowned puzzled by her emotional words. He had glanced down at the flashing question that was demanding a response, but it was something that he could not answer. Not yet anyway.

Spock looked up and saw Saavik proceeding towards him from down the corridor. She appeared to look worried. Spock knew that it was illogical to waste valuable energy on things that could only be resolved in time.

"Lieutenant Saavik?" He said. Saavik gazed up at the tall man who was still her teacher. For a moment she actually felt herself flush from embarrassment. It confused her. She had learned bio control years ago. Why was it now failing?

Spock stepped past her and proceeded towards his room. Everyone was staying in Sarek's residence since they had arrived here. Saavik followed and paused at the entranceway. Spock sat down in a chair near the large almost gothic shaped window. He folded his hands, palm to palm and looked towards her.

"What may I do for you Lieutenant?" Saavik paused and wondered whether to step into the room or not. Finally she did, but the words she needed to say did not come. Saavik tensed and hesitated. She felt uncomfortable in his presence. This confused her. She had never felt this way before.

She swallowed and struggled to resume her normally passive facade, but she didn't entirely succeed. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry sir, but I am unable to proceed with the conversation." Spock abruptly got to his feet and frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could reply Saavik quickly departed. She felt a complete fool the moment she stepped back out into the corridor.

The landing site

Dr Leonard McCoy slammed the bay doors of the captive Klingon Bird Of Prey behind him. That thing was their ticket home. McCoy would have preferred to return home in something else. In fact anything else, but that Klingon ship. He hated it and detested everything about the ship. In his opinion it stunk and he would be damned glad to get off the 'flea trap' he had so descriptively called it as soon as possible.

For many weeks he had begged, scrounged and paid good credits for decent medical equipment even out of his own pocket. McCoy couldn't afford to let anything happen to them now. Not after all that they had gone through to bring Spock back from the clutches of death.

McCoy made it to the cockpit and plopped himself down in one of the bridge chairs, appropriately Jim's. He had always fancied himself having ago at that chair, but it wasn't the chair he really wanted to sit in.

That chair was destroyed along with everything else on the Enterprise. Doctor Leonard H. McCoy was being foolish. A chair's a chair, he thought. What's the difference? He sighed.

McCoy had been the first passenger to come aboard the Bounty as he cryptically called her. He had even gone so far as to scrawl 'Bounty' across the little ships hull in bright red paint he'd picked up somewhere.

He heard the bridge double doors swoosh open, but it was more of a screech sound and it offended his ears. He gritted his teeth at the offending sound. He simply could not put up with screechy doors during their voyage home to the Sol system.

They need oiling, he thought. Better tell Scotty. There he was again. Why am I so critical and comparing everything to the smoothly operating graceful contours of the USS Enterprise?

A group of Vulcan technicians stepped onto the small bridge. McCoy glanced at them as they headed off to their stations just behind the doctor. "Hi," he said in a low voice. They responded by nodding then going back to their various final tasks.

McCoy then wondered how on Earth poor ol' Scotty was coping after the death of his beloved ship. The Enterprise had been his pride and joy. Scotty had nurtured those engines of his as if they were his children.

Perhaps this little rust bucket isn't so bad, McCoy thought. Just as long at she gets us through our little voyage home. Then the Bounty might even make it into a museum. Just think of the headlines. Klingon Bird Of Prey captive. It wasn't every day you bought home a stolen Klingon Bird Of Prey. He smiled to himself.

Jim entered the bridge. Then following behind him the other crew, all but Captain Spock. Everyone knew Spock would be staying on Vulcan. It would be for the best, McCoy thought.

Everything was now operational thanks to Scotty and Sulu and they were virtually ready for take off. Just the few Vulcan technicians remained and were making their last few adjustments. McCoy pulled himself out of the chair almost with difficulty, ready for Jim.

Everyone took their designated stations.

"Systems report, communications?" Kirk said smiling.

"Communications systems ready as she'll ever be," Uhura replied cheerfully.

"Weapon systems?"

"Operational Admiral...," said Chekov smiling up at Kirk. Jim was now towering up above the others as if he was some monarch on his throne. "...and cloaking dewice is now awailable in all flight modes." Kirk nodded at the Russian who was sat just in front of him at the navigator's station.

"I'm impressed Mr. Chekov. A lot of effort for a short flight."

Chekov broadly grinned. "We don't want to be shot down on our way to our own funeral." Jim made a slight chuckle sound at the back of his throat. He then pressed down a button on his chair arm for onboard communications.

"Engine room. Report, Scotty."

"We're ready sir, I've converted the dilithium sequencer into something a little less primitive. And, Admiral I've replaced the Klingon food packs. That gagh gi' me a sour stomach."

"So that was what it was," muttered Jim and he closed down the transmission. "Prepare for departure." Jim turned to the Vulcans.

"Everyone not going to Earth better get off." The admiral looked around at everyone. They were busy at their stations then he saw Saavik. She stood at the door way as if waiting for something. Jim wasn't at all sure how long she had been standing there. He smiled in her direction then stepped down from his throne and approached her.

"May I speak with you sir?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes Lieutenant of course?"

"It's about... David," she said quietly. "He died most bravely, sir. He saved Spock. He saved us all. I thought you should know."

"Thank you Saavik. Thank you for everything." Kirk reached out and lightly placed his hands on her arms. She bowed her head. "You will be well cared for Saavik," he said kindly. "Vulcan is where you belong."

Saavik's expression was grim and she felt an overpowering need to reveal something of great exigency, was experiencing terrible guilt and needed to tell someone.

Her secret was deeply felt and she had tried over and over again to tell Spock. Whenever she tried he seemed almost like a complete stranger to her. Saavik wondered if he even knew who she was. Words failed her time and time again.

Jim noticed that she looked remarkably pale. He wondered whether morning sickness affected Vulcan woman the same terrible way it affect some humans.

Saavik decided that perhaps Kirk was the best and most understanding person to tell. She knew that the admiral was closer to Spock than McCoy was and she felt more comfortable in the presence of James Kirk. She found that McCoy was so overly emotional that it came to the point that he annoyed her. He didn't know about the pregnancy so it made it a little easier. She imagined he'd be all over her like a mother hen.

"About Captain Spock. It is my responsibility to tell him," she said finally gazing down to the floor. She knew Kirk would understand. "It is very difficult and I... feel so guilty."

"You mustn't feel that way," Jim said.

For the last few months no one had spoken much of Genesis least of all Saavik.

"Are you going to..." She interrupted him. Jim already knew what she was going to say even before she opened her mouth. Besides it wasn't any of his business to question her further. He had no right to interfere with her decisions.

"I don't think he is ready to know the truth."

"Saavik you are right as always. I also think he's not ready for it. Not yet. Maybe later when he has found out who he is again properly."

Saavik finally managed to release a little of the long felt guilt deep within herself. Admiral Kirk's words gave marginal contentment.

"Yes, Admiral," she agreed solemnly.

"Well I guess this is goodbye then," Jim said smiling. He noticed something in her eyes.

Saavik nodded. "Yes Admiral." Beneath her feet she felt the distinctive rumble of the engines as they were being powered up ready for take off.

Mr Spock quite unexpectantly walked though the double doors and onto the bridge. And if Jim wasn't mistaken he could have sworn that Saavik was a little nervous.

"Good day, Captain Spock," she said in a tone as emotional as a stone.

"Live long and prosper Lieutenant," said other Vulcan in a timbre equally as calm.

"May your journey be free of incident." Her expression was remarkably placid, but inside she felt if she would break apart. Jim then noticed the slight tremble of pitch in her voice. Spock hadn't. For a second she gazed at him intently then turned on her heel and departed.

Spock stood dressed in his long white robe. He turned to Jim and spoke. "Permission to come aboard Admiral."

"Permission granted, but we're preparing for lift off Captain."

"I request permission to return with you to Earth Admiral." Jim's expression was of deep concern. What of Saavik? He thought to himself.

"To Earth...what about your education?"

"My training is complete Admiral Kirk," said the Vulcan. Jim smiled. He almost seemed overjoyed to have his friend coming with them, but he was still worrying about Lieutenant Saavik.

"Permission granted."

"Thank you Admiral."

"Jim, Spock, Jim. Don't you remember?" The admiral reminded him. Spock arched his right eyebrow.

"It would be inappropriate for me to refer to you as Jim while you are in command Admiral." Spock frowned down at his apparel. "And Admiral I must apologise for my attire. I seem to have mislaid my uniform." Kirk smirked. Considering the majority of the Enterprise crew were also without uniform it hardly mattered.

"That's all right Mr Spock. Station please." Spock headed across in the direction of the science station.

"You sure this is such a bright idea Jim?" McCoy retorted as he glared up at Jim. McCoy quietly had been eavesdropping the conversation.

"What do you mean?" McCoy creased his nose and pointed in Spock's direction.

"I mean him, back at his post as if nothing has happened. I don't know whether you got the whole picture, but he's isn't exactly working on all thrusters."

"It'll come back to him."

"Are you sure?" Jim gave the good doctor one of his looks. "That's what I thought," he said and sat down next to the Vulcan at the rear of the small bridge at the station grumbling quietly to himself.

Kirk straightened in his chair. "Mr Sulu take us home."

Spock sitting beside McCoy at his science station gave the doctor a sideways glance and McCoy suddenly grinned, not very convincingly.

Saavik took her place beside Amanda on the landing field. She has no idea what the future would bring. Unwittingly she lay her hand against her stomach. Against Spock's unborn child with whom he may never know.

She watched transfixed as the alien ship took off with hot sand swirling around it. She experienced a vivid memory on the Genesis planet and her Vulcan teacher as she helped ease the terrible burning of Pon Farr, which had inflamed him. Suddenly she heard Amanda's voice and there was pure concern on her face.

"Saavik dear are you all right?" She nodded at her.

Saavik said, "Yes Amanda, I am quite well," as they watched Bounty accelerate then turn behind the peak of Mount Seleya. Then she was gone. Saavik of Romulas and Vulcan gazed up at the red and orange sky and wondered whether she would ever see Spock again.