The Court of Justice, Qo'noS, 2375
Late Evening, Trial Day 5
The courtroom that was not a courtroom but actually the employees' canteen, was silent as Chrissie paused in her tale. It was a silence that unfortunately, did not last long. Very slightly drunk, and caught up in the story, the chancellor let out a bellow of appreciation, lifting his mug of warnog and taking a swig before slamming it down with enough force that had it not been almost empty, would have sent the amber liquid flying in every direction. "Footprints in the snow! What a dramatic moment! Carry on, woman, you can't stop there!"
A second mug slammed down with equal force. "Agreed!" Krahl said loudly and somewhat inappropriately. "It is a fine tale and I would hear the rest of it!"
"This is not a party!" Chrissie let out a very Klingon growl that clearly indicated her anger at their attitude. "And our lives are not a story for your entertainment." She did not know it but, tired and irritated, she appeared every inch the Line-Lady. Despite themselves, the Klingons around her were impressed.
"You speak truly," Krahl conceded, slightly chastened and for the first time, truly beginning to see just what had drawn Krang to this small Terran woman. He raised a hand, peremptorily summoning one of the guards standing by the doorway. Speaking to the soldier in a low voice, he listened to the reply before dismissing him. "I am informed that the storm is dying down and that the 'shelter in place' order will be lifted in an hour." His momentary embarrassment forgotten, the judge continued, "I have heard how the alleged treason came to happen and legally, that is enough for a decision to be made. I wish to hear, however, how it is that you came from Earth's twentieth century into the twenty-third and from there to the current time-period. There is much that remains untold, but which may be of relevance. It is very late, but since we have the time, you will continue."
USS Enterprise NCC-1701
Monday 14th February 1994
Finally, the day had come, the day that was the culmination of everything they had been working for here on Earth. Above Earth actually, Captain Kirk corrected himself wryly. Once the courier ship had departed, Enterprise had returned to its original hiding place behind the moon, almost four hundred thousand kilometres from the surface of the planet.
It was still early, and his shift was not due to begin for a couple more hours, but too restless to sleep, or even just relax over breakfast, Kirk decided to head to the bridge. The corridors were quiet, and for once, he did not have to wait for the turbolift. Its door obligingly opened as he approached and he stepped inside, took hold of the nearest handle and instructed the computer to take him to the bridge.
Waiting for the turbolift to reach its destination, Kirk allowed his mind to go back to the conversation he'd had with the Klingon leader, Krang, when they'd met for one final briefing. They'd covered everything of importance – how the withdrawal would happen, when the transport ship would leave, what route it would take, the final plans for the continuing protection of Earth, and many other small but important details. It was only when the meeting had broken up and he had been escorting both his Vulcan and Klingon guests back to the transporter room when Krang had asked for a private discussion with him and Doctor McCoy. Intrigued but a little wary, wondering what else there was to discuss, Kirk agreed, leaving Spock to see off his Vulcan colleagues and diverting Krang and McCoy into a nearby office.
"My mate, Qis'ta Martinez…" Not wasting any time in unnecessary pleasantries, Krang laid out his request as soon as the door had slid shut behind them.
Kirk blinked in surprise. "You want me to offer her asylum?" he asked carefully, wanting to make sure he had understood what was being asked of him. "I have no problem with that, but I had thought that she would be going with you."
The Klingon shook his head. "What I have done is an act of treason. I am sure that even in your Federation, such a crime would not be treated lightly. No Kirk, she cannot come with me."
The human captain frowned. That was probably the understatement of the year. He'd realised back in the restaurant that the Klingon was sacrificing his own life for Earth's freedom. "No, I imagine not. But would it not be better for her to remain here with her family and the people she knows?"
Again, Krang shook his head. "I wish that were possible, but she is pregnant with my child. Without advanced medical intervention, she will not survive to give birth."
Shocked, Kirk turned to McCoy. "Bones? Is that true?"
The doctor sighed. "If Klingon genes are dominant – and I am guessing they will be – then yes. Over the few years, the Federation has made a lot of progress in the area of interspecies reproduction. That is especially true with Vulcan/human crossbreeding, but from a medical viewpoint, the species of the father makes little difference to the required treatment. At the very least, she'll need placental filters and anti-rejection drugs. Even with constant monitoring, it's going to be a high-risk pregnancy."
Something undefinable flickered in Krang's eyes as the Starfleet doctor confirmed what Grapok and Koreth had told him. He had hoped that they might be wrong, that McCoy would tell him that he was worrying unnecessarily. Chrissie's life was in danger and it hurt that he could not be there to protect her. "But you can do it?"
McCoy was silent for a moment as he worked out what would be required. "Even with medical intervention, there are no guarantees," he said finally. "But yes, I believe we can bring her successfully through this pregnancy."
Krang took a deep breath. "I understand." He turned back to Kirk and the intensity of his gaze was such that the human almost stepped back. "Will you do this, then? Take her with you… keep her and the children safe?"
Meeting the Klingon's dark, hawklike gaze, Kirk was able to identify pain… grief… even fear. The couple might have been together for only a very short time, but the Klingon really did love his Terran mate and he was frantic with worry for her. Soberly, Kirk nodded. "I will take personal responsibility for her," he promised. "You have my word on that."
Just before the Klingon had beamed back down to the planet, Kirk had thanked the Klingon for what he had done, impulsively, adding an offer of asylum and assuring Krang that should the opportunity arise, he would be welcome to defect to the Federation.
The offer had caught the Klingon by surprise and for a while he was silent, not knowing what to say. For a moment he was tempted, seeing in his mind a beautiful vision of life with Chrissie, the children, and the new baby. It could not happen. He might be a traitor, but he was not a coward, and to run would mean leaving Koreth and Kay'vin to face the consequences. He would not save his own life at the expense of theirs. Eventually he shook his head, thanking Kirk for the offer but declining before stepping up onto the transporter pad.
The Federation captain shook his head as the transporter beam whined and the Klingon disappeared into nothingness. What a shame, he thought regretfully; Krang was a good, honourable man and the Klingon Empire would be a better place if there were more like him.
It was perhaps lucky, Kirk reflected, bringing his attention back to the present as the turbolift drew to a halt, that neither of the two twentieth century women would need to remain onboard his ship for more than a few days. In all honesty, he was not best pleased at the situation in which he found himself. The American woman had been very vocal in her opinion of Chrissie and Kirk had no doubt that she would react badly to the news of her ex-friend's pregnancy. However, he owed both Krang and Chrissie; without them, this withdrawal would not be happening. He sighed. It would only be for a short time and if Sarah could not be civil, then she would be confined to quarters. Breathing out another heavy sigh, he resolved to have another talk with her.
It was a shame, he thought, that her relationship with the doctor had not worked out, but even without their conflict over Chrissie, the couple's long-term goals were just too different. A trained agent – even if she was currently allowing her anger and grief to negatively impact her performance, Sarah would never be content to remain as a housekeeper when the stars beckoned.
David on the other hand had an important and fulfilling role in the present time, and his insistence on staying behind had come as no real surprise to Kirk. The question as to whether he should force the issue was one that the captain had pondered several times. The DTI would insist that no future knowledge was permitted – either the surgeon must go into the future or have his memories wiped… something that did not sit well with Kirk. Besides, it was true that the Klingon chef would need access to medical care and David's extensive experience of working with Klingon patients made him the logical choice. There was also… and McCoy had confirmed this… the small matter of scientific papers still to be written. Had David read his own paper, Kirk wondered inconsequentially? And if so, did that count as some form of temporal plagiarism?
Loire Valley, France
Monday 14th February 1994
Not for the first time that morning… and probably not even the tenth or twentieth time… Chrissie looked out the window, hoping against hope that she would see a Klingon shuttle approaching. Grenn had told her that he would come for her mid-morning. It was past that now and still nothing. What if he wasn't coming? Had he forgotten? Had something happened to stop him? Fear gripped her at the thought.
"Is it here yet, Mama?" Typically, both children were overexcited and hyperactive. She'd been worried about how they would take the news that once again, they were packing up and leaving, but apart from a few initial tears, when they'd thought that their Vavoy had left them forever… which he had, Chrissie thought bitterly… but they'd quickly perked up at the idea of going into space on a real spaceship. Fina had quickly announced that she would help Marla in the engine room, an ambition at which her brother had scoffed, telling her importantly that he was going to sit in the captain's chair. Chrissie had quickly shut that line of reasoning down, reminding both children that it was going to be a big surprise for their vavoy and that they would have to hide for a few days. Both children had quickly agreed that they could do that, and whilst she knew better than to trust in the longevity of that promise, Chrissie had wisely decided to take her victories where she could and let it drop for now.
Both Toni and Fina had insisted on helping their mother pack, resulting in what should have been a simple job taking about three times longer than it should have done. Still, Chrissie reflected ruefully, their excitement was keeping her occupied and preventing her from thinking about the bigger issues. Finally, it was all done. Everything they needed – and quite a lot that they didn't – was all packed and ready to go.
Her final task had been letter writing. The first, written in careful French, was to Marie-Claire, thanking her for her kindness and legally transferring ownership of the house into her name. The second was to Captain Kirk, explaining that she had chosen to leave with the Klingons, thanking him for his offer of protection and apologising for the deception. The third letter was to Sarah. This had been the hardest one to write and in the end she had said very little, simply telling her old friend that she would always value the years of their friendship, that she would remember her with affection and wished her well for the future. A fourth and final letter was written to her brother. It was not really necessary; they'd already said their goodbyes and said everything else there was to say, but she wrote it anyway.
Leaving the letters on the kitchen table, Chrissie went back to the pile of boxes and bags, eyeing them worriedly. Grenn had told her that the shuttle could accommodate whatever she considered necessary, but still, it looked a lot. It didn't help that she had no idea what they would need and so she'd packed all the things she'd brought from London, adding in the new clothes, books and toys that had been purchased since they'd moved to France, and making sure that she had all the documentation relating to their birth and identification. The gifts that Krang had given them were safely packed. Another bag or two contained food supplies and remembering what Krang had told her about Klingon ships, she'd included some pillows and blankets for the children. She sighed. If Grenn said it was too much, she would just have to make a decision about what to leave.
"Mama!" Not impressed at being ignored, her son's voice was louder this time.
"No, Antonio," she said patiently, turning her attention back to her son. "The shuttle isn't here yet."
Hearing a faint sound, the boy rushed to the window. "Yes, it is," he said triumphantly, pointing skywards towards a tiny black speck that was rapidly getting bigger as it approached. Just for a moment, Chrissie hoped it might be Krang's shuttle, that he had changed his mind and come back for her – and then she hoped it wasn't because she knew he would never change his mind and if he'd returned it would be because he'd forgotten something he needed and she'd have to say goodbye to him all over again… and the children would never be able to keep the secret… and… and… and it wasn't him. This was not the big black shuttle with the Imperial Intelligence logo on the side, but the smaller vessel that had been assigned for Grenn's use, something that left her feeling both disappointed and relieved at the same time.
Fina had joined her mother and brother at the window and together the three of them watched as the shuttle descended quickly, coming down to land on the snow-covered lawn in front of the house. Chrissie let out a nervous giggle, thinking that Jean-Pierre would not be pleased if it damaged the grass. Luckily, that was no longer her concern. The hatch slid open revealing Grenn's familiar figure. As she'd known he would, he'd kept his promise and come for them. A mixture of fear and optimism filled Chrissie's heart and for the briefest nano-second, she considered telling him she'd changed her mind and sending him away. She looked at her children, seeing their happy, excited faces and knew she would not. Her mate was waiting for her, even if he did not know it. The future was waiting and it was time for them to go.
Author's note: I caught a major mistake in the last couple of chapters. I wrote in chapter 129 that Chrissie told David the truth about where she was going. In chapter 130, I wrote that she lied to him. Ive fixed it now and no, she didn't lie in the end. Apologies for the stupid error.
Anyway, hoping you've all had a wonderful Christmas and as always my thanks to the usual suspects - you know who you are... Solasnagreine, JDC0 (Sorry, I will get to review your new story and I loved the guest appearance of Inigan bloodwine in it... and of course, RobertBruceScott. Not to mention my lovely Beta, Linny. The mistake was all my fault, I published the last chapter before she'd proof read it. Naughty me.
Wishing all my readers a happy new year. May 2022 be a good year for us all! Qapla'