Pawn - Part III
by T.S. Taylor and Jane Skazi

The ensign woke up on a diagnostic table. The first thing he noticed was that he had a splitting headache. The second thing he noticed was that there were several security guards stationed in
his immediate vicinity. One of them was Ensign Greaves - once more in possession of her phaser and looking in a less than forgiving mood. The third thing he noticed was that there was a restraint across his chest.

"No, you don't." The ensign could hear McCoy before he could see him. "You had quite a blow to your head. Even though you seem to have an exceptionally thick one, Ensign, I don't think you're going to want to make an sudden moves for a while, so just lay down."

"Kuznetsov," he said, as Captain Kirk came into his field of vision. "Hayward tried to kill..."

"We know," Kirk interrupted unsmilingly. "Thanks to you, Mr. Chekov, we have a lovely piece of footage documenting the entire incident."

"But the professor..." Chekov struggled to sit up despite McCoy and the restraints. His spinning head quickly convinced him this was a bad idea. "Is he...?"

"Lt. Hayward administered a lethal dose of a stimulant to Kuznetsov," McCoy reported. Chekov got the feeling the account was directed as much to the Captain as it was to him.
"He had picked up a multiple-dispenser from the treatment room. If Nurse Chapel hadn't been there to neutralize the injection, Kuznetsov would undoubtedly be dead. As it is, he is recovering as well as can be expected."

Chekov was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Kirk said, "None of which goes to explain what you were doing in sickbay with a stolen phaser, Chekov, when you were supposed to be confined to your quarters."

"Lt. Hayward," the ensign asked instead of answering, "where...?"

"Lt. Hayward is sleeping off the effects of a heavy stun on the other side of sickbay," Kirk replied. "As soon as he's able to travel, he's going to be transferred to the brig. Can you give me any good reason why the same thing shouldn't happen to you, Ensign?"

"Depp," Chekov said urgently. "She's also involved."

"Shelton," Kirk ordered without turning around. "Locate Lt. Depp and confine her to her quarters. Until she's found, I want triple security on Kuznetsov."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

"Now, Mister," Kirk said as the bulk of security guards scattered. "I believe you were about to do some explaining. For instance, how did you know that Hayward was going to try to kill Kuznetsov? And if you did know, why didn't you tell someone?"

"I..." Lying flat on one's back in restraints, with Security, one's captain, and the threat of going to the brig looming over one's head, certainly put an individual in the mood for confession. However, Chekov stopped the words from spilling out of his mouth. "Doctor, have been I unconscious for a long time?"

"No. Ten minutes or so."

Chekov bit his lip. Kuznetsov had said the message wouldn't arrive for a few more hours. It seemed stupid not to trust the Captain at this point, however... "I suppose speaking with the professor is out of the question?" he appealed to the doctor.

McCoy shook his head. "He's not fully conscious. He won't be speaking to anyone for several more hours."

"Ensign..." Kirk warned.

"I need more time, Captain," he pleaded.

"Chekov, if you make me wait a minute longer, you're going to be spending the night in a security cell."

The ensign sighed resignedly. "I hope I get a comfortable bed."

Chekov was sitting on the foot of his bunk with his back turned to the security force wall when Kirk approached the next morning. The ensign was intent on a chessboard projected on a screen in the back of his cell. He moved a rook forward by dragging his finger across the screen. It was one of the few powerful pieces he had left.

"You seem to be losing, Ensign," he said as the guard deactivated the shield between them.

Chekov turned. Kirk could almost see the young man's heart sink down to his boot-soles. "Yes, sir. It would seem so."

Kirk stepped into the small cell. "You're playing against the computer."

The ensign didn't rise. "No, sir," he said, moving to resign from the match. "Against Lt. Meyers - via the computer."

"Don't quit," Kirk said. "It looks as though the game is almost over any way."

"Yes, sir." The computer reported the move of the absent lieutenant. Chekov's rook was captured. "I noticed that Lt. Hayward was released."

"Not exactly released, Ensign." Kirk replied. "We are now in orbit around Starbase 17. At eight hundred hours this morning, officers from Star Fleet Intelligence came and took both Lt. Hayward and Lt. Depp into custody. Dr. Kuznetsov has also been transferred to the superior medical facilities available at the starbase."

Chekov shook his head slowly. "I don't understand, sir."

"No, Ensign," Kirk said, sitting down on the bunk next to him. "I think you understand much better than any of the rest of us do. You see, I have just been instructed by Star Fleet Command to drop any charges against you. It seems you were acting under covert orders."

Chekov blinked. "I was?"

Kirk frowned. "You mean, you weren't?"

The screen behind them buzzed.

"I believe it's your move, Mr. Chekov," Kirk prompted him dryly.

"Yes, sir." The ensign did a rapid re-evaluation of the status of the game and made his choice. "Several months ago, I received a letter from my father. He spoke of Dr. Kuznetsov -They had worked together briefly almost fifteen years ago. He reiterated things I'd heard him say often. He believed Kuznetsov was the victim of a conspiracy. The professor had uncovered a financial scandal at the highest levels in Star Fleet and the Federation Council. However the evidence he released was not conclusive. My father thought Alexandr Gregorovich had suppressed certain important details so as not to implicate an individual he was close to. My father happened to mention that that individual died three years ago." Behind him, a bishop moved across the computer screen, manipulated by an unseen hand. "I almost forgot about it, sir. Then, suddenly, I am face to face with Dr. Kuznetsov giving him this information. He told me that he was convinced that certain people in Star Fleet were obstructing negotiations with the Charex in order to keep him out of the way. He thought that if he managed to escape or persuaded the Charex to release him, the stalemate would be resolved almost immediately."

Kirk marveled at Chekov's confidence that he knew the white from the black in the game he was caught in. "Why didn't you tell me this right away?"

"I would have brought the matter to you, Captain, but Dr. Kuznetsov felt it was possible that you might be involved in the conspiracy." The ensign looked suitably embarrassed, but stuck to his guns. "I disagreed with this most adamantly, of course, sir, but he was convinced his life was at risk. Out of respect for his concerns, I promised to say nothing until it was certain the message to Earth was delivered."

"And that message was...?"

"Instructions to his lawyers to release additional evidence of corruption among certain officials involved in allocation of Federation funding for military projects." Chekov turned in response to the computer's buzz and made his next move seemingly without thinking about it. "I knew there was something peculiar about the situation on Charex. There was no reason for the delay in the negotiations. No reason for Depp and Hayward to be so angry that I had obtained Kuznetsov's release."

"Then you believe that were sent to watch him, make sure he didn't return to the Federation?"

"Dr. Kuznetsov told me the lieutenants were under the control of people involved in the conspiracy. I dismissed this at first, but their behavior tended to confirm his suspicions. Hayward knew that my father had worked with Dr. Kuznetsov briefly. There was no reason for anyone to recall that unless they were fully briefed."

"That letter from your father..." Kirk watched another piece move across the board. "Do you believe it really was from your father?"

"I'm no longer certain, sir."

Kirk wondered if the two of them would ever find out who the controlling players were. "So Kuznetsov was only pretending that he'd fooled you into getting him out to protect you."

"Yes, sir. Just as I had to remain silent..."

"...To protect me?" Kirk finished for him.

The ensign nodded as he turned back to his game. "And the other members of the crew. Until I was sure the message had been received, anyone who knew of the conspiracy was at risk."

"But, Chekov..." As the ensign moved his chess piece, Kirk could see that somehow Chekov had been able to trap Meyer's king between two pawns. "What if you were wrong? What if it had all turned out to be a lie?"

The ensign shrugged as the word "checkmate" flashed on the screen behind him. "Sir, it was my duty to take the risk."

*** The End ***