This is a shorter chapter, but I hope you like it!
What they ended up doing with the Klingon was putting him in a cell to wait while the Federation tried to not only connect with, but negotiate the release of the Klingon soldier. Alex, being the only person on the ship aside from McCoy who seemed to care about his well-being, would bring him meals and she would sit and talk with him while he ate.
It was during one such visit that he looked somewhat preoccupied. "What is it?" She asked.
"I do not think my people will negotiate with your Federation," he admitted as he looked at his food.
"Why wouldn't they?"
"It is distasteful to fall to the enemy," he explained. "And I have fallen to the enemy."
"What do you think will happen?"
"If left in the hands of the federation and the empire, my fate will be to die in this cell," he stood and stared at the wall, his hands clasped behind his back. She watched with a slight frown before she bit her lip in thought.
"What if the decision were left to just Kirk?" She asked and he turned to look at her.
"Then I may have a chance at getting home," he explained. "Kirk is bound by the Earth Federation, but he is known to take matters into his own hands at times," he explained before he sighed deeply.
"You could join the crew," she offered as she wrapped her arms around her knees and he looked down at her with an amused look.
"You humans are known for their sense of humor," he commented, earning a grin from her.
When she left the cell she made her way to the bridge where Kirk was talking with McCoy. When she approached they stopped talking and looked at her. "What?" She asked, looking between them.
"We were just discussing our guest," McCoy told her and she nodded.
"That's what I came to talk about," she told them, making the two exchange looks. "What?"
"The federation was able to reach the Klingon empire," Kirk told her slowly. "They're refusing to work with us to get him home,"
"We thought that might happen," Alex said with a nod.
"But," McCoy continued. "Thal's ship reached out to us on a separate frequency,"
"Okay," Alex said slowly. "What's the plan?"
"The plan is, we find out what the Klingons want from us," Kirk stood up and gestured for them to follow him, which Alex did.
"Maybe what they want from us is their man back," Alex suggested and Kirk shook his head.
"They're not sentimental Alex," he told her as they walked. "They believe-"
"They believe falling to the enemy is a blight against them, and shameful," she cut him off. "I know,"
"So, why did they agree to meet with us in exchange for Thal?" he asked and Alex bit her lip before following Kirk out of the elevator.
When they got back to the prison cell, Thal stood and looked at them, distaste crossed his face as he looked at Kirk and McCoy. "What?" He asked Alex who looked at Kirk. He nodded and she sighed.
"The Empire is not willing to work with the Federation at this time," she explained, not surprised when his face remained stoic. "But your ship did reach out to us on a private frequency,"
"And?" He asked and Kirk stepped forward.
"They are willing to meet in the neutral zone," he explained. "It'll take us four days to get there,"
"And?" Thal pressed.
"And I want to make sure this isn't some sort of Klingon ruse to get us to the neutral zone to blow our ship up," Kirk said as he stared at Thal. "Klingons aren't known to be sentimental, why would they agree to meet with us?"
Thal was quiet as he considered what to tell Kirk before he glanced at Alex who frowned slightly. He turned away and let out a sigh before he nodded. "I will speak to Rameriz," he said and then glanced over his shoulder at Kirk. "Alone," Alex glanced at Kirk and McCoy before she nodded to them. "And without the cage between us," Thal added.
"Now hold on a minute-" McCoy started to say, but Kirk held his hand up to stop him.
"Thal would not hurt Alex," Kirk assured him. "He owes her a life debt,"
"Now, just because he says that doesn't mean he means it- for all you know he could be lying and waiting to kill her!"
"Dr. McCoy, that's enough," Alex said as she looked at him sharply. The two human men looked surprised, and Thal had turned to watch how she spoke to him. "I trust Thal, I spent days keeping him alive when I could have very well killed him- twice. I understand that humans are known to fuck each other over as much as they can, but Thal will not do that to me," she told him and he stared at her for a long moment before he threw his hands up and left the room. She looked at Kirk and then nodded. "I can handle myself,"
"I know you can," Kirk said softly before he glanced at Thal and then back to Alex. He took the phaser off of his belt and handed it to her before he went to the wall and tapped the computer system, after punching in a code he stepped back as the cell door slid open. Kirk stood there for a moment before he looked at Alex. "I'll be just outside," he told her and she nodded before he stepped out of the room and the door slid closed. Alex looked at the phaser and then clipped it to her belt and then stepped into the cell with Thal.
"What's going on?" She asked and he stared at her for a long moment before he gestured to the bench in the cell for her to sit down.
When she stepped out of the cell she nodded to Thal and then closed the door to Thal's cell before she opened the door to the hallway. "Kirk," she said and he stepped into the doorway. She nodded and he stepped into the room and closed the door.
"The Klingon Empire," she said slowly. "Is failing,"
"What do you mean?"
"It means what you heard," Thal spat and Alex looked back at him, making him fall silent again.
"There have been some… Problems," she explained slowly. "I-" she looked back at Thal and he looked away from her before nodding. "Over mining caused a great loss to the Empire, they pulled out of all of their other mining operations because of it," she said softly before looking at Kirk. "They know that they will die off if they don't get help," she explained.
"So what happens when we get to the neutral zone?" Kirk asked and she sighed before she shrugged.
"The representatives of the empire who are still in contact with the Federation aren't going to be in control much longer from what I understand," she explained gently. "Thal is very much needed by his people," she could see the gears working in Kirk's head before he looked at Thal.
"When your people take over- what is your intention going forward?" he asked and Thal lifted his eyes to look at Kirk.
"It remains to be seen," he replied and Kirk shook his head.
"Not good enough,"
"Jim," Alex said and he looked at her sharply. "Captain," she said gently and he sighed before looking at Thal and then back to Alex.
"Alex, give us some space,"
"No," Thal spoke up. "She will remain."
"I'd like to talk to you, Captain to Captain," Kirk told him and Thal glanced at Alex before looking back at Kirk.
"Very well," Thal said slowly and Alex moved to the door.
"Wait just outside for me," Kirk said softly to Alex as she passed and she nodded before stepping out of the room. When the door closed behind her she leaned against the wall and sighed.
It was close to forty five minutes later when Kirk came out, Alex was still leaning against the wall, but when the door opened she stood up and looked at him with rapt attention. "Well?" she asked and he looked at her.
"We're making our way to the neutral zone," he told her as he started to walk down the hall. She followed him and then stepped into place next to him.
"What happened? What did Thal tell you?" she asked.
"We worked out a deal," he said simply. When they got to the bridge, she couldn't help but hover near Jim while he spoke softly to Mr. Sulu and then he returned to his chair, finding her standing right next to it. "Alex," he sighed and then looked at her in exasperation. "You're dismissed for the rest of the day,"
"Captain?"
"I want you to rest- you're going to need it."
When Spock came to Alex's room later that evening she was sitting on the floor, she had been working out and she was covered in sweat, her knees were bent and her elbows rested on her knees while her head hung forward while she breathed heavily. "I'm going to take a shower." she said when she looked up at him and he watched as she stood and moved to her bathroom.
After undressing and getting into the shower she heard the bathroom door open again, and then the door to the shower opened and Spock joined her. "You are upset,"
"I am,"
"This has something to do with the Klingon,"
"Yes," she turned around and looked at him. "This entire time he's been with us, Kirk hasn't cared to speak to him, he's sent me to do it, and now he won't tell me the deal he made with Thal?" she asked and huffed. "I understand that relations with the Klingon Empire are strained, but-"
"The Klingons are on the verge of a Civil War," Spock told her and she looked up at him.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"This afternoon, after your talk with Thal and the Captain, the Captain had me go interrogate Thal. Find out if what he was saying was true, or if he was lying and planning an elaborate way to kill as many Federation soldiers as possible in some sort of suicide mission,"
"How did you get him to talk?" she asked softly and he stared down at her before lifting a hand to brush his fingers over her temples.
"I didn't," he replied. "I looked into his mind,"
"What did you see?" She asked hesitantly, and then put her hands on his chest. "Actually- don't tell me. Thal will tell me when he's ready," she told him before she picked up the soap she'd found she liked and started to wash herself. "So in four days we get to the neutral zone, and then we meet up with Thal's people and we- what, we give him back? What do we get in return?"
"The Klingons asked a very similar question," Spock pointed out as he watched how she cleaned herself.
"And what was the answer?" She replied simply.
"The Captain and Thal have made their arrangements- that is all I know," Spock said simply.
After the shower Alex and Spock got into bed and Alex lay there, listening to Spock breathe until she was sure he was asleep. When she was sure she got out of bed and slipped out of the room and down the hall. There were fewer people around, it being night- though technically since the Enterprise was in space, it was always dark outside, they kept to Earth time to make it easier on the crew.
She moved down the hall and took the elevator down before she got to the floor Thal's cell was on, and when she slipped into the room, she found he was awake, sitting with his back to the bars, deep in thought.
"It's me," she said softly and he looked over his shoulder at her.
"I knew you would come."
"I want to know what's going on," she told him. "Everything that's going on,"
"I told you what's happening within the Empire," he said as he turned around to face her and Alex sighed and nodded as she sat down on the floor in front of Thal.
"I know," she replied. "But I want to know what else is going on," Thal stared at her for a long moment, a crease on his forehead as he thought before he looked away.
"Your Vulcan did not tell you?" he asked and Alex kept her face impassive as she stared at him silently. "When the Vulcan looked into my mind, he searched a lot of my memories regarding you," he explained. "If you are not already together- he is very interested in you."
"I see," she said simply and the two silently stared at each other.
"I will become the Klingon High Chancellor," he told her and she nodded slowly.
"And you intend to do this by killing the current high chancellor," she said and he nodded in response. He had told her much about the way Klingons took control. "But what do you intend to do with us?" she asked softly. "The Enterprise, the Federation- all of that? What do you intend to do?"
"No harm will come to your people," he told her and she relaxed a little. "The Vulcan?" he asked and she couldn't help but smile slightly.
"We are together," she admitted and he nodded.
"Shame," he commented and she looked at him curiously. "You would make a fierce fighter in my war,"
"Well," she said simply, a small smile playing on her lips. "Sorry to disappoint,"
"Are you?" he asked and she grinned before shaking her head.
"No," she said and he smiled in return.
The next few days Alex was stressed, stressed because she was afraid for Thal's safety, but the Enterprise's safety as well. It was when they were on the edge of the neutral zone that she was called to the bridge one afternoon, and after getting there she stepped onto the bridge before she froze, seeing the display. Pieces of debris were floating around and she turned to look at Spock who stood and watched her as she glanced back at the screen.
"What happened?" she asked softly and Kirk turned around to see her there.
"We believe these are the remains of Thal's ship," he told her and she stepped forward, walking over to his chair where he looked back at the screen. "We've been trying to make contact with the ship, hailing them on the same frequency they contacted us on- but there's no reply."
"Didn't you say the Klingons had a cloaking device?" she asked. "Could that be hiding them?"
"We don't think so," Kirk replied. "I'd like you to bring Thal up here,"
"Okay," she agreed before she went down to his cell. After wordlessly opening the cell she gestured for him to follow, and when he did she took him back to the bridge. People around were getting out of the way for the Klingon, and when they got to the elevator she couldn't look at him. Images of her dead friends and fellow soldiers crossed her memory and she couldn't help the clench in her heart as the elevator stopped and they walked out onto the bridge.
Thal stopped, much like Alex had done and stared at the screen with wide eyes. The Enterprise had gotten closer to the wreckage and he stared at the screen before he dropped to his knees and let his head fall back as he let out a loud bellow to the ceiling of the ship. Alex jumped and Spock stood but she shook her head at him and he slowly sat down again as Thal let his head drop forward and his shoulders slump.
She watched him before shaking her head at the two guardsmen who had also stepped forward and Kirk, seeing their movements, also shook his head.
Alex finally stepped forward after a long moment and laid her hand on Thal's shoulder, the one that she had cauterized, and after a moment he lifted a hand and wrapped it around hers. "I am without a people," he looked up at her and then over at Kirk. "I am at your mercy Kirk," he told him and Kirk stared at Thal for a long moment before he stood up and walked over to him.
"There is an old quote, from long before Alex's time," he said as he looked down at Thal. "In helping others we benefit ourselves, we heal our own wounds in binding up those of others." Kirk quoted before he held his hand out to Thal who looked at it a little warily. "If we come upon a Klingon ship, we will do what we can to get you home- this I promise you. But until then Thal, you are under the supervision of Ramirez," he said as he looked at Alex and then back to Thal. "If she thinks we can trust you, I'll do so. If you break that trust, you're breaking your life debt,"
Thal stared at Kirk's hand a little more intently and then glanced at Alex before he looked back at Kirk, determination on his face as he took Kirk's hand and then stood, still holding Kirk's hand for a long moment as he stared down at the Captain. "Remember what we spok e of," Thal said and Kirk stared up into Thal's face before he gave him a nod. The two men stared at each other for a long moment and then Thal turned and looked at Alex. "I am in your service," he told Alex who looked back at Kirk with surprise on her face.
"Alex," Kirk said. "Thal now reports to you. If he does anything you find distrust worthy, I trust you, as a soldier, will report it to me immediately."
"I-" Alex glanced at Thal and then at Spock who merely raised an eyebrow and then back to Kirk before she straightened her back and nodded. "Yes Sir," she said and Kirk gave her a level look.
"Good," he finally said. "The room next to yours is free, give him that room, and take him to get his uniform," he told her before he turned his chair around to face the screen again. "Mr. Sulu, get us out of here, warp three,"
"Aye Captain," Mr. Sulu said as Alex led Thal off of the bridge and to the elevator again.
When they were in the elevator she looked up at Thal who stared at a wall. "You will see them again in Sto-vo-kor," she told him softly and he nodded. She remembered him telling her about the Klingon afterlife while they were stuck in the cave, she had wondered if he would need to dig up his companions to give them a proper funeral, and he had explained what the Klingons do for someone who dies.
"I will," he agreed and then looked at her. "And you will meet them in time in Sto-vo-kor," he told her and she smiled slightly.
"I'm not a Klingon," she reminded him and he placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"You are as fierce as one," he reminded her before the elevator stopped. When she took him to the room next to hers she opened the door and programmed his name into the computer system for him before she showed him where everything was.
"I'll let you settle in," she told him. "I'm going to explain the situation to personnel and then I'll show you where you can pick up some new clothes," she explained as she started to turn away.
"Ramirez," he said and she turned back. "Do you think there will be a time when this war between our people will end?" She thought about the question for a moment before she sighed and leaned against the wall.
"I think it can," she said slowly. "I would like it to," she smiled at him slightly. "But I think it will take much work, I think it will take much communication and willingness to compromise from both people," she said before giving him a level look. "That means you too Thal," she told him and he gave her a slight smile before he nodded slowly.
"I am thinking, with the death of my people," he said slowly. "That perhaps, ending this war is something inescapable,"
"Why do you say that?" she asked with a slight frown. It wasn't like the Klingons to back down from a war, in fact they reveled in it, but Thal's thoughtfulness was somewhat concerning to her.
"Without the help of the Federation, the Klingon Empire will kill itself," he explained and then looked at her. "We have lost much already Ramirez," he told her and nodded. "We have lost even more today, if things continue on this way, I believe there will be nothing left," Alex stared at Thal for a long moment before she nodded and then sighed.
"I hope you'll use this as an opportunity to see if a trust can be struck between not just myself, but the people on this ship and yourself," she said and he stood, placing his hands behind his back as he looked around the room slowly.
"There is a name for people who chose diplomacy over fighting," he said and she smiled slightly.
"A diplomat," she provided the word and he gave a slow nod.
"Perhaps you will be one between our people," he offered and she smiled slightly.
"I never thought about it," she said before she turned to go to the door and then hesitated to look back at her friend. "Is there anything else I can get you Thal?"
"No Ramirez," he told her gently. "I will be alright,"
Okay, I know not a lot of Spock in this chapter, but I wanted to show a little more of the timeline I'm working on- I'm not working with the official timeline of the series, I'm kind of having my own fun with the timeline, which will definitely be evident in the next chapters, but I hope you still enjoy this story!