Disclaimer: Anything you're likely to encounter in any other Star Trek story is not mine. Anything that's unique to my alternate universe is mine. Simple, no?
School is insanely busy, Easter break cannot come too soon. That said, I have two new chapters to post and will hopefully have another one (or two) within a week or so. So, onto the story. Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As Kirk headed towards the bridge, he was not in the best of moods, and understandably so. As he arrived on the bridge, his mood only went downhill. The bridge, even under current circumstances, was always a haven of quiet and order.
Except for today.
As Kirk stepped out of the turbolift, he found that pirates had overrun the bridge. The fact that they were his pirates hardly reconciled him to the fact.
Mostly because he was closest to the turbolift, it was Harry who caught Kirk's attention first. The valiant Mr. Mudd was engaged in one of his usual pursuits.
"Y'know, if I'd known there were beautiful girls like you in space, I might've joined Starfleet."
Uhura looked at him with contempt. "They never would have taken you."
Harry smiled winningly. "I'd get in on charm alone."
"Yes, you obviously have nothing else," Uhura agreed.
Harry frowned. "If you were a little more friendly, we could have some fun."
"Do you enjoy being slapped?" she asked incredulously.
"Alright, I think we're having a miscommu—"
"That's enough, Harry," Kirk interrupted. "She's not interested."
"Now wait a minute, Jim, I'm just starting to get somewhere," Harry protested.
"No. You're not." Kirk nodded to Uhura, grabbed Harry by the arm, and pulled him away.
"You spoil everything," Harry complained.
"What did I tell you about Starfleet women?"
"You know, you never went into detail on that," Harry commented, casting a glance back at Uhura. "Why shouldn't I try for—"
"Harry!"
"And how do you know, anyway?"
Kirk sighed. "Remind me to tell you about Ruth some time. Not now."
In the process of hauling Harry along, Kirk had struck out along the path of least resistance. This had been along the back of the bridge, staying on the upper ramp. This brought them, naturally, to Spock's station. This also brought them to Reeves.
"I can too," Reeves was insisting.
"I highly doubt it," Spock said calmly. "No one can."
"I can," Reeves said confidently. "If, of course, I could connect to it."
"Ah," Spock said, imparting great significance to the single syllable.
"I mean it! I'll just get—" Reeves glanced around at that, and noticed Kirk. "Cap'n, I need to use the Enterprise systems to connect to the Vulcan High Command's computer network."
Kirk looked at him suspiciously. "Why?" he asked warily.
"So I can prove to Mr. Spock here that I can hack through their security system," Reeves answered promptly.
"It has never been done," Spock put in.
"If he tries, can I try?" Harry asked.
Kirk was saved from having to answer that by a sudden outburst.
"I ain't no Cossack!"
Kirk ran for the navigator's station, narrowly managing to grab onto Carl's arm before he drew his phaser. "Carl, no!" Kirk snapped, in much the same tone he would used on a dog caught in the wrong.
"Aw, come on, Cap'n!"
"What did I tell you?" Kirk asked sternly.
Carl grimaced. "Can't I kill him a little?"
"No, not even a little!"
"But he keeps calling me a Cossack," Carl complained.
Kirk turned an exasperated look on Chekov. "Will you stop doing that?"
"He deserves it," Chekov said, unrepentant.
"Apologize," Kirk ordered.
"I don't vant to," Chekov said sullenly.
"Do it anyway!"
Chekov frowned. "I'm sorry." It was a grudging apology.
"That's alright," Carl muttered.
Kirk felt reasonably safe releasing Carl's arm. Freed from immediate disaster, Kirk glanced around the bridge. Along with the three pirates he had talked to, there were also five more. They were scattered around the bridge, and, by the looks of things, were poking into everything. Kirk felt rather as though he were reading a mystery novel and had accidentally skipped a chapter, rendering all that followed a hopeless, disjointed muddle.
"What's going on? Why are you all here?"
It was, to no one's great surprise, Harry who answered. "Well, we knew you were spending a lot of time here, so we decided to come see what the attraction was."
"Kind of a nice place," Carl put in, good humor already restored. He flared up fast but calmed fast too.
"It has certain attractions," Harry agreed, casting a glance at Uhura. She glared at him.
"Nice chair, too," Carl added, and, with absolutely no ceremony, walked over to the command chair and plunked down into it. He leaned back, legs stretched out in front of him, hands gripping the arm rests. "Hmm. I like the armrests, but it's got rotten back support."
Something in Kirk snapped. "Out," he said tightly. "Get out. All of you, out!"
Carl blinked. "What?"
"Out! Everyone not in uniform get off this bridge! This isn't a bar, this is the bridge of a starship and I want you out!"
When Kirk got like that, there was nothing to do but obey. That doesn't mean the Sharks were happy as they silently entered the turbolift though. As soon as they were gone, Kirk reclaimed the center chair, expression daring anyone to comment. No one did.
The bridge was silent for almost five minutes. Then Kirk spoke.
"God, that was stupid." His tone was half regretful and half amused.
"It appeared justified to me, though unduly emotional."
"You don't understand, Spock. Gang leaders who shout down their gang for no reason the gang can see don't stay leaders. They either get voted out or shot in the back some dark night." He paused. "It's about as bad as having your luck turn."
Spock nodded slowly. "I believe I see what you mean."
Kirk shrugged suddenly, deliberately putting his worry aside, something he had learned to do long ago. Had to, in this business. "Well, I'll make it up to them somehow. And if I can't…this is my last run anyway. I'm getting out of the business."
"That is admirable," Spock commented.
Kirk just grinned, a roguish grin that effectively belied Spock's assessment of the situation. "You don't need the gang once you strike a fortune. And this ship is mine."
~~~***~~~
Not particularly long, I know. That's why there's two of them. But first, replies to reviews:
Cryogenie: [eyebrows rise] An actual published Trek book that takes place in an alternate universe? I need to look into this… Thank you!
Wedge: Hee, the schizophrenia line seems to have gone over remarkably well. And thanks for commenting that it's believable, since that's the trickiest part!
Samantha: Yeah, I'd noticed the Gary Mitchell-appearance thing, which was definitely an influence at least in getting him on my mind. And it allows for, as you mentioned, the irony of both universes' Kirks killing poor unfortunate Gary. (Which reminds me, have you read the "My Brother's Keeper" trilogy? Basically devoted to Gary. And Kirk, of course.) As for the schizophrenia line, I'm glad it was humorous, and you latched on to the original reason for its existence: it sounds not unlike our universe's Kirk. Prime Directive and Best Destiny—both good books, though I thought Best Destiny started a bit slow, then got excellent farther in. Which was unfortunate for me, as I got pulled away from reading on the very line where it started to get very good. And of course I got back to it, but I didn't enjoy that at all.
Hanakin: Yep, I like irony. "That's what you call ironic." Sorry, random Pirates quote…
MySchemingMind: Over…a…hundred. That's got to be nearly all of them. Which leaves me very impressed. Relaxment: I think it's relaxation…though relaxment isn't a half-bad word, really. I'm glad the connection is coming off well, since it's based on practically nothing tangible, seeing as they're on opposite sides. But I figure everything about them that makes them friends in the regular universe is still there, but with a surface tension due to circumstances. And I've tried all throughout to base it on that, not on any "Hmm, do I know you from somewhere, cough cough, hint hint" instinct thing. Re: the Kirk and Gary fight scene. I love love love it when reviewers (in this case, you) describe the emotions they got out of a scene. Because what you got out of it was exactly what I was trying to put into it, and I don't always know if what I'm trying to get across is coming across or not. So…thank you! And I don't even like writing action scenes…so thank you about that too! And I am definitely considering writing as a career. Time will tell if I'm crazy or not.
Alania: Gary Mitchell is kinda remembered as being bigger than he really was. He got killed in the first episode, so that's the only one he was in. But the whole back-story of being Kirk's best friend makes him more important, I guess.
PearlGirl: Thanks for the comments on Trekkie Soul, FF's just screwy I guess. I'll assume you know about Gary Mitchell by now, presumably by way of Alania. And Lowell would probably make a pretty good historian. Or the commodore of a starbase or something.
Alicia: I believe the penal colony is in New Zealand, and I definitely believe it would be very sad for Kirk to go there, though he has committed enough crimes to warrant it, in this universe. But we like him anyway. Sulu and Chekov I am making sure not to forget, and I can promise that Chekov will be back with a big part in another chapter or two. Uhura…I can't get a hold of her character somehow. Dunno why.
Mimi: Yeah, that is one similarity Kirk has to Jack. Nature of their villainy. They're pirates, and they're good men.
Unrealistic: More McCoy? May have to look into Preserver then. The other two books always seemed unnaturally grim without him. The universe was out of balance without the Big Three to, well, balance each other out. And I'm glad you liked the chapter!
Emp: Catching up in newspaper…I always liked to read Fanfiction during my computer classes, when I had a computer class. Or look at pictures of Johnny Depp, that was nice too. Glad you're liking the scope of the alternate universe, it's lotsa fun to add little pieces here and there to make it all fit together.
Whatshername: [Idea dawns] Hey…somebody in Trek (probably Kirk) could develop real schizophrenia with little voices that sound like Spock and McCoy…that could be very entertaining…
Mzsnaz: I'm seeing definite softening here. Well, not in these chapters, exactly, but soon.
'Tis all. More soon. Like now, in fact, since I've got two.