HIKARU
The first weeks on board the Enterprise are a trial by fire for the whole crew. Never before in the Fleet has a crew been so young and inexperienced. Everyone's trying to find their place on board, from the captain to the crewmen.
It may be harder for the few experienced officers on board who find themselves forced to obey a bunch of untested young men and women. They never thought they would take orders from an officers' team whose average age is around twenty-four, including a small gifted of seventeen and a loudmouth of had a hard time to accept that only the youngest officers would get a promotion.
On the first day, Chekov gives an order to an officer three times his age. The young man stammers, blushes, and adds a "please" at the end, making Captain Kirk laugh. Sitting at his console, Hikaru barely suppresses his own burst of laughter. It's like seeing a baby cocker spaniel trying to prevail against a mastiff. The officer is livid, but obeys the ensign's orders. Hikaru understands well how difficult the situation must be for this man and others on board. The problem is that they soon decide to make life a living hell for their young superiors.
Hikaru laughs a lot less when an ensign ten years his senior on the beta team makes him repeat an order three times because she refuses to see beyond his lack of field experience. Everyone on the ship knows the Enterprise is still whole only because Hikaru made a mistake the day Vulcan was destroyed. Their ship left Earth a few minutes after the others because of him. It was tragically comical that they were alive because of an ensign's mistake. One day, maybe, he will laugh about it. For now, he's increasingly annoyed by those officers who're checking his work ten times in a row because "he doesn't have their experience".
The group of young officers let it happen for the first few days. They still struggle to find their way around the ship, regularly make mistakes, and are actually a little relieved to have someone check their work. Gradually, relief turns into annoyance. Hikaru, Chekov and Uhura are the prime targets of criticism from the oldest officers on the ship: they are the youngest and do not have Scott and McCoy's rank or experience. Being on the alpha team at such a young age doesn't get them many friends.
To Hikaru's surprise, the first to explode is Lieutenant Uhura at the end of their first week on board. He didn't know her before the Nerada's incident, and they've all been too busy learning their roles on the Enterprise to get to know each other. She seems to be an intelligent woman. Maybe she's a little cold with others. Hikaru has heard someone refer to her as "a Spock woman impersonator", and she indeed shows some Vulcan impassivity.
So it is a surprise to see her appear in the restroom, looking exasperated. She heads straight for Karchiekan, one of the ship's linguists, and violently places a pad in front of him.
"Do you know what that is?" she asks him in an icy voice.
She's well past anger. The restroom quiets instantly. They all understand what it is: the confrontation between senior and junior officers. It will not be pretty. Karchiekan looks at the pad with boredom. In his corner of the room, Hikaru smiles. It's going to be good, and he's glad he's there to see it. Karchiekan does not know what's going to happen to him.
"This is a transcript of the Klingon transmission we intercepted yesterday morning."
"Exactly. And below?"
"Its translation. Listen, Uhura, is there anything you want to get at? Because..."
"For you, it's lieutenant," the young woman cut him off coldly. "I don't believe I allowed you to use my name. And can you tell me who did this translation?"
"You. Is there..."
"Me? Strange, because I know how to turn a sentence, and those are not mine. Of course, I could be wrong, but I'm sure I never translated Kal'Hyah as "meeting". Funny, you would think that someone reworked my translation. If I hadn't proofread my work a last time, I would have sent it like that."
"It needed corrections. I made them. There is no need to react like that."
He doesn't say she should be thankful, but they all hear it. Uhura freezes, her mouth open for a good ten seconds. Hikaru isn't sure she remembers how to breathe. Then, finally, she takes her pad back. Karchiekan smirks. Most people in the room believe that she accepts Karchiekian's scolding before she speaks again.
"It would be acceptable behavior if my translation needed to be reviewed. However, this transmission was in a particular Klingon dialect, featuring expressions not found in others. You don't know that dialect's particularities. Don't deny it! You made three approximations, two misinterpretations and a massive error that changed the text's meaning. High command could have made terrible strategic errors if they read this."
Karchiekan's smile disappears.
"I know my subject," Uhura says. "And when I don't, I look for a specialist or a good dictionary. If you cannot stay up to date on a language's changes, I wonder what you are doing in xenolinguistics. Therefore, as your superior officer, I remove you from diplomatic missions until I can verify your capabilities."
Karchiekan goes white. He opens his mouth but can't find his words. Uhura doesn't smile, but everyone can see her satisfaction. Victorious, she leaves the battlefield with a perky step, followed by some appreciative whistles. Hikaru wants to applaud, but refrains himself.
After that scene, tension increases brutally, but not for long. The situation improves gradually. Driven by Uhura's example, the young officers confront the senior members of the crew and set things straight. Both sides are more accepting of the situation. With this tension easing, Hikaru notices that he, Chekov, and Uhura aren't the only targets of the older crew members.
He can understand. Their inexperience disrupts the ship's operations. But having a captain as young and inexperienced as Kirk is worrying. Soon, Hikaru hears some discussions in the corridors and the officers' mess. Many fear that Kirk is not ready to be a captain. They say the intelligence and ingenuity he showed during the Nerada incident is just pure luck. It won't happen again. People will die.
The new captain is nearly a stranger to Hikaru. After the Narada's destruction, their small team of officers had a few drinks. They attended funerals and commemorations together. And during that time, Hikaru had little time to talk to Kirk. The captain spent most of his time working with Scott on the Enterprise's repairs and with Spock on reports. Hikaru realizes he's been uncomfortable since the departure because he doesn't know how reliable this young captain is. Kirk has charisma, resolve, a touch of genius and madness, but the lieutenant is still determining if that will be enough to make a good captain. The next day, he sits next to Uhura at dinner time. She doesn't smile but greets him and pushes aside the documents she was consulting to make room for him.
"Good evening, Lieutenant," he says. "I was wondering..."
"What I can tell you about Kirk, I guess", she sighs. "You're not the first to ask me that since we left. Nor the last, I suppose."
"You studied together at the Academy."
"McCoy too, yet it's me they come to question. But, unfortunately, I don't look as threatening as him."
Hikaru ignores the sarcasm. He starts to eat, leaving the young woman the choice to answer or not. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, she speaks.
"The first time I met Kirk, he shamelessly hit on me, started a bar fight and put his hand on my breasts. Despite his intelligence, I spent the next three years convinced he wasn't worth anyone's time. I was sure he would never become an officer because of his lacking sense of responsibility. I admit we didn't start our relationship the best way, but his behavior after did nothing to prove me wrong."
"The Kobayashi Maru..."
"Is only his last achievement. Ask anyone in our class. They all have great stories to tell. Irresponsibility is a word you would often hear in their mouth."
Silence settles between the two lieutenants. They continue to eat in silence. Hikaru must admit he's even more worried than before. He hoped Kirk's lack of experience was their only problem. Now he feels like it will be the least of their worries. Uhura finishes quickly and gathers her things to leave. Before she goes, she looks Hikaru straight in the eyes.
"I met Kirk three years ago. Today I understand I never knew him. I don't understand him better than you. What I know is that I was mostly wrong. I'll give him a chance to prove himself. You should do the same."
Hikaru is left wondering. In the following days, he observes Kirk. He's one of many to do so on the bridge. Spock and Uhura are doing it too, but not Chekov, never. Everyone else is waiting. They know Kirk can manage an emergency, but it's not the only duty of a captain. Hikaru wants to know how he would perform more trivial tasks.
Their first mission brings them to Kazor, a planet on its way to joining the Federation. Kirk gathers his team in the meeting room the day before they arrive. Everyone is concerned about what he'll do.
The young man sits in the captain's chair, letting his pad slide to a corner of the table where it remains precariously balanced. Uhura frowns. Once everyone is seated, Kirk poorly conceals a yawn.
"In sixteen or seventeen hours, we'll arrive on Kazor, where we'll teleport for the mission. Unfortunately, I haven't read the file. Does anyone have any information?"
For a long second, Hikaru's heart stops. On his right, Doctor McCoy sights.
"Damn Jim," he grumbles, "did you have to do this?"
Kirk gives him a bright smile and sits up in his seat.
"Kazor is a peaceful planet that asked three years ago to join the Federation. The planet is rich in minerals and has been subjected to pirate raids and a few Romulan attacks over the last few centuries. Kazor only has a few spaceships. They count on the Federation for better protection and patrols in the area. Negotiations were going well. Both governments only had to sign to make things official. But now, they doubt the Federation's capability to bring order to the sector. After all, we lost a part of our fleet. The Admiralty thought that the appearance of the fleet's flagship and the heroes of the day could change the minds of the government and the people of Kazor. So we'll go in full uniform to a reception where we must convince them to change their minds."
"The Federation didn't send us a diplomatic team to help?" Uhura wonders.
"Nope. Not to pressure anyone, but the Admiralty wants to ensure we're a cohesive, capable team and not a bunch of kids out of the sandbox. There's a more experienced team ready to take over near us. Even if we fail, the Federation can still win. But I still want us to prove we're an efficient team. I want everyone here to do their best. Fortunately, we won't have to use diplomatic language, Kazorians revere honesty and frankness to a rare degree. Once on the planet, we'll have to be sincere with them. Honesty over diplomacy, I like that. Questions?"
There are. Everyone speaks at the same time. Kirk raises his hand to silence them, then answers questions one at a time. He has an answer to everything, even if it's to say he does not know the answer, and he'll look at the file later. Soon everyone is out of questions and knows what to do. Finally, the captain rises to put an end to the meeting.
"One last thing before we leave. Since everyone here is descending on Kazor tomorrow, I need names to take the helm in our absence as soon as possible. Think about it and send me your proposals within an hour. I'd like to see both old and new officers. Let's not upset anyone if we can. »
Well, Hikaru thought as he left, Kirk might make a good captain in the end.
…
The next day, the officers gather in the teleportation room. They're formally dressed and ready for what should be a difficult evening. Hikaru is wearing his parade uniform for the first time, and he doesn't feel comfortable in it. Near to him, Kirk scratches his neck and tries to widen the narrow collar. He curses those who designed this uniform. Uhura rolls her eyes, but does the same behind his back. After a brief inspection, Kirk gives the order to beam them down.
An impassive-looking welcoming committee welcomes them on Kazor. Kazorians are physically very similar to humans and Vulcans, but the few differences are enough to make their faces challenging to read. For example, their noses are almost non-existent, and their eyes disappear in their sockets. In addition, they only have three very long fingers on each hand. The two groups observe each other for a few moments. Then a middle-aged woman bows ritually before the captain. Kirk returns her salute.
"I welcome you, Captain Kirk, but you're wasting your time. Our government will probably decide to stay out of the Federation business."
"We are here to convince you otherwise."
"Then we'll talk. I look forward to hearing your arguments. I am quite curious to hear about your adventures. We'll eat together tonight. Of course, the food will not be exceptional: we knew of your coming, but since we have almost decided not to join the Federation, you understand that we have not burdened ourselves with outstanding expenses."
The group of diplomats motions for the officers to follow them. Following the protocol instructions they have received, they maintain a space of a few meters between the two groups. While advancing, Hikaru listens with one ear to the conversation between Kirk and Spock.
"Tell you what, Spock, after all these meetings with the Admiralty, I enjoy meeting politicians who say what they think for once."
"I must confess I agree with you, captain," Spock replies to the captain. "However, I do not think it makes this diplomatic mission easier."
Internally, Hikaru agrees with the lieutenant commander, but the Kazorians' outspokenness wins him throughout the following meal. Unfortunately, it is also challenging to show the same honesty. Humans and Vulcans learn politeness from childhood, and now he realizes how courtesy is linked to menial lies. When Hikaru tries to force himself, out of politeness, to eat some infamous mixture put under his nose, Uhura, seated in front of him, hits him under the table. Hikaru pushes the plate away with some relief. A Kazorian leans towards him.
"You dislike the food?"
"Sorry, but ye. It's a bit strong for my taste."
"Really? It's one of our delicacies. But I imagine your people's tastes are different."
Uhura approves with a slight nod and returns to her conversation about the intricacies of Terran and Kazorian languages with her neighbor. The two people around Hikaru are not very talkative, allowing him to listen to the surrounding conversations, especially between Kirk and Talmari, the Kazorian minister who welcomed them.
He thinks Uhura et Kirk are doing better than the rest of them. They know how to abandon surface politeness for complete sincerity. It's a talent. Kirk explains the benefits of joining the Federation while acknowledging its current weakness. It's harder when Minister Talmari asks how many ships the Federation still has. Kirk tenses.
"I have no right to reveal such information to you. We respect your customs of honesty, but certain information must be known only by Federation's members, for our sake."
"You are afraid we could spread the information to your enemies."
"Me? No. It's just our rules. Maybe we can trust you, but be honest with me. Can you be sure no one is listening ?"
"You're right," the politician acknowledges gracefully. "We had some problems with pirates in the past. They eavesdropped on official conversations to find out when and where we would transfer our ore to our warehouses."
"Thank you for your understanding. I am, however, authorized to tell you how many ships Starfleet can lend to help you at the moment."
Uhura's sigh of relief does not escape Hikaru as the conversation resumes between Kirk and the Minister. Their captain avoided a diplomatic incident before their eyes. Now, they're talking about the help that the Federation can provide. Finally, after a few hours, the team returns to the Enterprise. They're all relieved it's over. This isn't Hikaru's first diplomatic mission, but he certainly wouldn't rate it as easier than the others. Being sincere is as exhausting as having to use diplomatic language. Harder, perhaps.
They remain for three days in orbit around Kazor. During these three days, Kirk constantly goes back and forth between the planet and the ship, usually accompanied by Spock or Uhura. For the crew, it's an opportunity to get to know each other better. Hikaru talks with Uhura, Scott and McCoy. A friendship begins between him and Pavel, even if the teenager is still embarrassed to call him by his first name.
On the morning of the third day, the negotiations are at a standstill. Finally, the Kazorians propose a break and ask the captain to tell them about Nero's defeat. Kirk doesn't seem happy, but he can't refuse. It would make the Federation look bad, so they sit cross-legged on cushions overloaded with embroidery, sipping a fantastic drink with the thickness of melted caramel and a creamy taste, like they're not about to talk about something deeply traumatic.
Hikaru witnessed most of the events from his console, except during the attempt to disable the drill in time, but, to use Spock's words, it's fascinating to hear Kirk recount their fight against Nero. The captain confesses his fear and glorifies others' part in the victory. It must be hard to be sincere when you don't want to talk about your emotions to strangers. The Kazorians seem doubtful when he says he joined the Enterprise mid-flight, but Kirk asks for their forgiveness, saying it's another person's secret. They must like him because they say nothing.
When his tale is over, the Kazorians stay quiet. Kirk takes a few sips. His mouth must be dry. As soon as he's finished, the youngest Kazorian politician asks him a question, one that every present member of the crew asked themselves the last few weeks. None of them had the gut to ask, so Hikaru is curious.
"Why did you offer the Romulans to surrender?"
Kirk doesn't hesitate.
"An old Earth proverb says "if you want peace, prepare for war". I never agreed. To achieve peace, one must be strong so as not to tempt one's enemies. But you also have to be indulgent and compassionate. Peace is not built on fear and hatred but on understanding and mutual aid."
"But you were dealing with dissidents, not the Romulan Empire. You could have done anything you wanted to them. They were your father's murderers. Most civilizations would have accepted if you killed them with no warning."
"It's true," Kirk says with a new harshness in his voice. "But I would still have grown with no father. And if I killed him, with all of his men, what's next? Should I have taken revenge on other Romulans? Nero was mad, but I can understand his rage. It came from despair. If I had to go on a revenge crusade against anyone, it wouldn't have been him."
Kirk stops talking. His eyes are fixed on his drink, his hands clutching around it. His complexion is slightly greenish, like he is close to vomit. Hikaru turns away. The captain has said more than he wanted, and they have no right to be curious right now.
Uhura coughs, and attention turns to her. She asks a particularly pointed ethical question. When she gets her answer, the Kazorian asks something about how the crew reacted during the crisis. McCoy rushes to answer, and then Hikaru, Scott, and Pavel. Even Spock. They don't even need to look at each other to distract the Kazorians from Kirk. None of them hesitated to protect their captain, even if they still had doubts about his capabilities. Maybe their blind trust during the Narada incident lasted longer than he thought.
When the day's over, all the officers are exhausted by their last attempt to convince the Kazorian. They get back to the Enterprise, and Kirk sends them to bed. They can sleep before they contact Starfleet and admit their failure. The captain immediately leaves, followed by McCoy. Hikaru, who follows them closely, hears the doctor enjoining Kirk to eat a little before going to bed. Now that he thinks about it, the lieutenant does not remember his captain eating anything since the morning pause. While he opens his door, he hears an angry Kirk urging the doctor to leave him alone, and then his door closes. The rest of the conversation is lost to him.
The next day, when Hikaru arrives to take up his post on the bridge, Kirk contacts Starfleet. He looks tired, bags under his eyes showing his lack of sleep. As Hikaru settles down at his console, Admiral Pike's face appears on the screen.
"Captain Kirk here."
The Admiral's face lights up.
"Kirk, we were expecting your call. Congratulation!"
"Sorry, what?"
No one on the bridge seems to understand Pike's enthusiasm either.
"You call to tell us about the mission's success, don't you? It took you a long time. The Kazorians contacted us four hours ago to let us know they agreed to join the Federation."
They're all gaping now, from the Captain to Chekov, except Spock, of course.
"I'm surprised, admiral," Kirk says. "When we left, the Kazorian government's representatives did not seem determined to fall in bed with us."
"It looks like their parliament met this night and voted to join. Minister Talmari told us you convinced them yesterday morning. You've impressed them. As the Minister said, "as long as the Federation has men with this courage and this ethic, we will trust you to ensure our protection."
"I'm honored. I guess."
"Some were surprised here, at the Admiralty. Some weren't."
Obviously, Pike belongs to the second group
"Do we have new orders?" Kirk asks.
"Stay in orbit for now. Another ship will come to take your place and patrol the area. It should be a matter of a few days. Meanwhile, you can grant permission to your crew. Next, you'll take a delegation of Kazorian diplomats on board and bring them back to Earth. They'll sign an official treaty, showing that many people maintain their faith in the Federation. Their example is likely to be followed by others. Again, excellent work."
The communication ends shortly after. They all stay quiet, and then Pavel lets out an exclamation of joy, soon followed by others. Old and new officers all agree to praise the captain's work. Kirk's smile widens more and more when even Uhura deigns to acknowledge he did well. Then, he turns to Spock, the only one still seated at his post, impassible as always.
"Well, Mr. Spock," he asks with a cheeky little smile, "do you think you can trust me to keep this ship in good order, or should I be wary of a mutiny?"
Spock raises an eyebrow. His mouth betrays something between irony, incomprehension, amusement, affection and exasperation.
"In either case, it would be my duty to let you know, captain. Naturally, my opinion is not yet made on the subject, but I will keep you informed."
At their post, Hikaru and Pavel smile at each other. They're thinking the same thing. During the Enterprise's tragic first voyage, Kirk and Spock were ready to kill each other. During this first week in space on this new mission, they observed each other carefully. Now, a semblance of friendship seems to begin between them. Suddenly, Hikaru feels he can trust their unbalanced and inexperienced team. He doesn't know it, but he's almost ready to follow Captain Kirk to hell if the man asks.
PAVEL
It is not the same for Pavel. Since the first day, he respects and trusts Kirk. The captain's one of those rare people who treat him like an adult. He never makes fun of his accent. Instead, he listens to Pavel's opinions and takes them into account without asking someone else to check his calculations.
For Pavel, things are different. From the start, he deeply respects Kirk. He's one of those rare people who immediately treats him like an adult. He doesn't make fun of his Russian accent. Instead, he listens and takes his opinions into account, asking no one to check his calculations. Pavel loves being on the bridge, and he's so used to being snubbed because of his age that the "war" between older and newer officers doesn't disturb him. It's not so different from his Academy experience. Or school. So, while the other officers are tearing each other apart verbally, he's doing his job, observing them from afar.
That may be why he's the first to notice how seriously captain Kirk takes his job. Spock is too busy for that. He has to be the buffer between the two groups of officers. The captain asked him to do it, arguing he was already a lieutenant commander before the incident. Kirk himself doesn't get involved in that mess. Instead, he's always working or studying. He, too, observes what's happening on the deck. Sometimes Pavel exchanges amused glances with him.
Kirk acts like the perfect captain, learning how to do his job and how his men work.
Well, he does when he's not sticking his tongue out at Uhura and Spock when he thinks they're not looking.
Their first official mission is a success, and Pavel's admiration for Kirk grows. That man is his captain and a hero. He wouldn't serve under anyone else. So now, he waits for others to see things as he does.
A heavily armed Federation-deployed ship arrives after a five-day wait in Kazor's orbit. The same day, a shuttle brings the delegation from Kazor. They impressed Pavel, those twenty almost human-faced men and women, all dressed in long flowing gray and black robes, veiling all but their necks and faces, walking to their quarters. Along the way, Kirk explains to them how the ship works as simply as possible. The Kazorians have sophisticated technology but have never developed flight in space, not even in their atmosphere. They still made first contact by themselves, hearing space communications taking place several solar systems away. That technology impressed the Federation very much.
Minister Talmari, the delegation's leader, turns and graciously thanks the captain as they enter their quarters. Two other diplomats do the same.
"I think it would be best if we stayed here for the time being," she says, apologetically.
"Adjusting to your ship's atmosphere and gravity may take some time," a second diplomat says, with a thicker accent.
"No problem. The first trip to space is a trial for some people. If any of you suffer from space sickness, our doctor can help you. He has a lot of experience in this field."
With that, the Kazorians withdrew inside. Then, finally, the Enterprise can leave the planet's orbit to begin its journey back to Earth. Once they're in warp four, Sulu yawns, throwing himself back in his seat.
"A week of boring travel behind. Everything we love.", he whispers.
"I don't think it will be boring. We'll still have to play tell the truth with our guests. I should be entertaining enough. Please, Sulu, do not invoke Murphy's law."
Spock looks up with interest.
"I do not think I've ever heard of this scientific law."
"It's a twentieth-century thing. Basically, it says, "everything that can go wrong will go wrong".
"Ridiculous superstition," Spock concluded, turning back to his console.
Superstition it may be, but the Enterprise crew will quickly learn that Murphy's Law applies to them in proportions yet unmatched. But, for now, Pavel laughs when Kirk grimaces at his second and goes back to his equations.
The same evening, some diplomats join the officers for the meal. The conversation once again turns to how spaceships work. Pavel senses Uhura is eager to continue her questions about how Kazorian languages work, but she restrains herself, saving her questions for another time. The meal goes off without incident but is very dull and one-sided. The Kazorians ask many questions but answer few.
The next day, as he leaves one of the laboratories, Pavel finds himself face-to-face with Captain Kirk. He apologizes, but the captain smiles.
"Don't you have the day off, Chekov?"
"Yes, sir. I was doing some equations. For pleasure."
"You need to redefine your definition of free time. Not that you're the only one on board."
"And you, captain? Is it not your day off?"
"It is, but Minister Talmari asked to see me. I want nothing more than a nap, but duty calls! I hope it won't be too long. See you later, Chekov."
Pavel salutes and leaves the captain there. He has other things to attend to. His day off went quickly. On his way to the mess, he meets a communications officer who stops him in his tracks. No one has seen the captain in a few hours, and Spock is looking for him. Pavel figures he's still stuck with the Kazorian delegation and takes a detour to check, just in case.
He knocks on the door of the delegation quarters. After a few moments, Minister Talmari greets him at the door, a tall woman standing close to her.
"Excuse me, is the captain still here? He's wanted on deck", asks Pavel, intimidated by the coldness of the two women.
"He's not there. Your captain left several hours ago. He said he wanted to rest."
"Sorry, I thought he could be here. I..."
Pavel stops. He tried to avoid the two intimidating women's gazes and looked at the floor behind them. That's when he sees the small stain of red blood. He remembers a piece of information from the meeting before the contact with the Kazorians: their blood is a few shades deeper than human blood. When he sees a boot near the blood, his eyes widen and he searches for another clue. He doesn't have the time to call for help. Something knocks him out, and the young ensign falls like a stone.
When he wakes up, it feels like a drum is beating inside his head, worse than when he first tasted vodka. He takes a few seconds to collect his thoughts, remembers, and tries to get up. He's in a small wardrobe room in the ambassador's rooms, with several crates and complicated clothes hanging above him. Kirk is unconscious on the floor next to him. Pavel worries when he sees dried blood on his forehead in disturbing quantities. Worse, the captain's livid and covered with sweat. Pavel grabs his arms. Kirks immediately opens his eyes.
"Chekov. They got you too?"
"Yes, captain. Sorry. Mr. Spock was looking for you, and I thought you might still be here."
"Did you tell anyone where you went?"
"I should have. I just said I would look for you. Sorry. What happened?"
"Most of the so-called ambassadors are smugglers. They're holding Minister Talmari and the others to force her to signify the Kazorian's refusal to join the Federation. They want their mines for themselves and wear some sort of electronic device to give them Kazorian's appearance.
"You discovered all of that?"
Chekov is impressed, but Kirk shakes his head.
"No. Those bastards drugged my tea.
"Nope. Those bastards drugged my tea. When I started having an allergic reaction to their mixture, I knew something was wrong. I tried to defend myself, and they knocked me out. I think I have a concussion, and for once, I would love to have Bones and his vaccines here."
Kirk wiped the sweat and blood from his face.
"We have to get out of here to warn everyone. And I need to get to the infirmary before my throat swells too much. I should move as little as possible. Chekov, search these crates. Look for any weapon or anything that can help us open this door from the inside."
Nodding fervently, Chekov gets to work. The crates are full of explosives, but too powerful not to hurt them in the door blast. There are no weapons, but Chekov finds long hair needles. Kirks smiles and grabs them. He goes to the door, trying not to collapse.
"I was a juvenile offender. Learned a few things that aren't in the officer's manual. Let's see what I can do..."
He uses his hands to pull the security plate protecting the door opening system and carefully moves the needles inside.
"Why is there a security lock on this side? It's just a wardrobe."
"I found the answer in a book full of Starfleet anecdotes. A captain had his wife and mistress on the same ship fifty years ago. One day, they crossed paths at the wrong time. Rather than tear themselves apart, they allied themselves against him and locked him up in the storage room. He was stuck for thirty-six hours until someone heard him knocking on the door. Starfleet has put safeties on both sides of every door since. Of course, our stowaways have jammed the door, but I hope... yes!"
The door opens just enough for Pavel to pass a hand and finish the work. Fortunately, the small living room behind is empty. Unfortunately, the door leading to the main lounge and the exit is also blocked. Pavel can hear a man on the other side. Kirk devours a large glass of water. He's still sweating and shakes uncontrollably.
"Look for weapons in the other room. We'll do something with the sentry later."
Chekov finds Minister Talmari tied to her bed in one bedroom. He rushes to free her and comforts her as best he can. When he brings her to Kirk, she loses her politician's coldness and profusely apologizes as she explains what happened. She's the only real Kazorian onboard. The nineteen others are part of a pirate crew using Kazorian technology. She heard their plans. They intend to drug the officers during the next meal and seize the ship. Such a bold act is likely to frighten any planet wishing to join the Federation and would put the Kazor sector under the thumb of pirates and smugglers.
"It should not work," says Kirk. "But let's be honest, the Enterprise is not working well. It's the first assignment for about two-thirds of the crew, even worse for the officers. Kazorian are known for their pacifism, and no one would imagine twenty people taking a ship like ours. And with their explosives, they can create a major diversion. I don't want to say that, but they could succeed. How long since Chekov's capture?"
"Thirty of your minutes."
"So they're already in a mess for the meal planned in your honor. If the drug they gave them is as effective as the one I received, we can't count on those men. We must contact the bridge, the infirmary, and the machinery to tell them to barricade themselves inside and get ready for a pirate's visit."
"They didn't leave any communication device, captain. So you'd have to force the door and get through the guard. But he's probably armed."
"Are you any good with a weapon or hand-to-hand, Chekov?"
"Not very good, captain," he blushes.
"We'll have to do something about that later."
Pavel nods. Truthfully, he's more worried about the captain's health than the man behind the door. His tremors are getting worse, and his breathing is uneven. He's drinking continuously. Only McCoy can help him.
"I'm going to force the door. Minister Telmari, hide in your rooms. When the doors open, I stun the guard. Chekov, you do not help me. Instead, run to the nearest communicator. Alert the machinery first, then the bridge, then the infirmary."
"No general alert, sir?"
"No. We want to keep those pirates from knowing we're onto them. They could already have placed explosives on the ship. When you're done, get a security officer. Order him to send men on deck and in the engine room to prevent sabotage. Then, help the officers in the mess and send me a medical team.
"Excuse me, captain", says Pavel with a thicker accent caused by the fear. "But you're sure you can..."
"I've got a better chance of knocking that guard down than you, and I can't run right now." Kirk scolds him. "It's my ship and my men who are in danger."
"You're shaking, captain," says the Minister.
"Just an allergic reaction. I'm used to it, and if I'm not dead yet, I should be all right for a few minutes more. Now, let's move."
Kirk's determined gaze shut all Pavel's contestations. He's right. The ship must be but first, and the captain's condition will get worse if they wait for help. They must try and pray the swelling in Kirk's throat doesn't get critical at the worse time. Pavel must be quick enough to send help. He nods. Kirk gives him the pins he used to open the door.
"I'm shaking too much. You'll have to do it, and I must jump on the guard quickly. Follow my instructions. You can't make mistakes."
With his recommendations, a minute suffice to open the door. Kirk rushes on guard, who reacts immediately and sends Kirk to the ground with a punch. At first, Pavel froze with fear. But then, he pulls himself together and runs at top speed to the door, opens it and races in the corridors.
He knew there was a relaxation room for the crew not very far. So Pavel rushes there, goes straight to the intercom and calls the machinery, the bridge and the infirmary, in that order. When his interlocutors try to ask questions, he stops them and repeats that the order comes from the captain, so they should obey right now. When he's done, he turns to the crew members, out of breath.
"Should we also launch a general alert?" ask a big, burly man in a red shirt the captain nicknamed Cupcake.
"No, captain's order. He wants us to send support to the bridge, the machinery and the officer's mess. He's going to need a doctor, too."
"Ok. Take me to him. Is he hurt?"
"Maybe. He had an allergy attack and was fighting one pirate when I left him."
The security officer gives another man the order to fetch a doctor and escort him to the captain. They run back to the room where Pavel left the captain. Cupcake enters first with his phaser, then lower it immediately and rushes to the captain's side. The Minister is here, too, trying to keep blood inside Kirk's body. She's terrified.
"The pirate had a knife. I don't know what to do, I don't know how the human body works!"
"Chekov, improvise a bandage."
Pavel grabs the nearest tablecloth and follows Cupcake's orders while the security officer takes back the pirate's weapons and ties his hands. The man is already unconscious, thanks to the captain.
After a worrying time, the captain moves. He opens his eyes and breathes with great difficulty.
"Cupcake," he whispers. "Are you coming to arrest me again?"
"Not this time, captain. Hold on. Help is coming."
"My ship?"
"Don't worry about it."
Kirk nods and sinks into unconsciousness again. When doctor McCoy and some nurses come, Pavel is so relieved he can't find the word in English to explain what happened. He watches the nurses placing him on a stretcher. He wants to go with them, but it's not what the captain would want. Pavel needs to learn what happened in the officer's mess and to talk with Mr. Spock. He leaves the room in the other direction.
When Kirk opens his eyes on an infirmary bed a few hours later, his first words are to ask where Pavel is. The young Russian, who slept on a chair, immediately jumps to his side.
"At your orders, captain." Pavel salutes. "The ship is intact. The crew too, and the pirates have been apprehended. Mr. Spock is in the middle of his report to the Admiralty. Unfortunately, most of the officers were drugged and fell asleep. It didn't work with Mr. Spock, who was fighting two pirates in the mess when I arrived. The others were trying to force their way onto the bridge."
Kirk sights. Before he can ask another question, doctor McCoy rushes to his side and checks his vitals.
"Damn you, Jim, and damn your allergies. Thirty people drugged, ten of them non-human and more likely than you to react to a human drug, and of course, you're the only one swelling and sweating. We almost lost you."
"I didn't do it on purpose, Bones. I never ask to be drugged. Or stabbed."
"However, you seem to attract trouble," Spock says as he joins them. "Does your Murphy's law apply particularly to you?"
"I think it's even worse." Uhura smiles. "He looks for trouble so much that it comes to him even when he doesn't want it. Good job with those pirates, captain."
"And we slept through the whole thing," Sulu groaned.
"Next time, I'll let you handle all the trouble. I'll stay in the corner and count the points while eating peanuts."
"Certainly not. You're allergic to that too, Jim."
Only Spock can hold back his smile. Everything is back to normal, and there's a new respect for the captain in everyone's voice. Kirk lies back with a satisfied sigh as the Enterprise purrs on its way to Earth.