Chapter 4

Kirk put himself in Briscoe's path, relief doomed to a short existence. Another moment and he might have relinquished the responsibility, rightly or wrongly, he had taken upon himself for his new friends.

"Kirk, are you a fool?"

"What now, Doctor? I believe Doctor McCoy's proved to you beyond reasonable doubt that Siran is not infectious."

Briscoe's eyes landed on Gerry's comely form; he looked scandalised. "Kirk, you cannot send him out with her on that tiny ship."

Ah, that was what Briscoe was driving at. The thought hadn't entered his head. When Spock had gone through this, he had barely seemed aware of Enterprise's female crew. Although had Spock's… er… situation been disclosed to them, he'd bet his friend would have had offers from willing partners by the shipload. No, Spock had been imprinted on T'Pring, only T'Pring.

Tay drew himself up to his full height and bestowed the frostiest of stares upon the doctor. "Vulcans do not attack others."

Colclough's jaw tightened, but he made no comment about his injured crew. Now was probably not the time to bring up his own adventures in the gym, either.

"You've told me he is not himself," Briscoe countered. "Gloriana's two crewmembers that he put in my infirmary would also beg to differ." Well, of course Briscoe would spoil the party.

"My brother is no danger to Ms Kerrigan. We vouch for his conduct with our lives."

Well this was getting silly. Time was a passin'. "No need to go quite that far, I think." He caught Tay's eye and flicked his gaze toward the restraints that hung on the wall; never slow on the uptake, Vulcans. It helped that Tay shared his impatience to be gone.

"Doctor, if it will set your mind at rest, I shall place Siran in restraints and give Ms Kerrigan control of the number sequence for their release."

Briscoe sputtered, opened his mouth to argue more, and found the wind spilling out of his sails in the face of Vulcan reasonableness and a logical solution to a duly expressed concern.

Colclough sealed the deal. "You may have the restraints with my compliments," he said to Tay, giving the impression he would even carry the Vulcans aboard Isolde, perform the office of steward in by tucking them into their seat harnesses and lavishing upon their persons a comfy pillow and welcome aboard drink. Anything, just anything, to hasten their departure."

Briscoe, the battle lost, showed no desire to remain; he left in a snit. The aggrieved doctor's retreating form was his cue to let out a silent sigh of relief. By the time his attention turned back to the others, Colclough had already handed the restraints over to Tay. Colclough passed a data chip to Gerry, who stared at it a moment before realising it must contain the release code.

Tay was gentle with his brother, who appeared bewildered, eyes taking in the restraints on his wrist without comprehension. Tay nudged Siran in the direction of the open maw of Isolde. Siran looked dubious and balked, dissuaded by the assault on his olfactory processes.

"It's our means to get home, Siran."

And like that he tripped aboard without further demur. His cousins drew their robes closer about them, as though to gird themselves, before following Siran inside, which left only Tay.

"Live long and prosper, Captain Kirk." Tay raised his hand in the Vulcan salutation, to which he attempted a response in kind. No matter his practice in recent years, his efforts were still lamentable.

"Good luck, Tay." With the unspoken thought a challenge might lie in Siran's future, returning Tay's farewell with like for like was hardly fitting.

Tay nodded, thought a moment, and extended his hand in offer of a handshake. "Thank you, Captain." He shook the boy's hand, wondering what he made of this Terran custom. Tay only swallowed and added a stiff, "You have ensured my brother will have a chance."

"Remember, tell him not to leave himself open, when he feints to strike from his right." Tay accepted the advice with a thoughtful incline of his head, presumably contemplating his brother's ability with a lirpa in hand.

A current of air wafted something stomach churning out of Isolde and blistered his nostrils. The suggestion formed on the tip of his tongue that Siran required a very necessary dunking in the Vulcan equivalent of a horse trough before any marriage ceremony; it wouldn't do if Siran's intended were to take one sniff and decide a challenge was the only way to go. He stifled the attempt at wit; Tay had enough to concern him.

Tay entered Isolde, and Colclough sealed the hatch on his erstwhile guests with an urgency scarcely decent.

xxx

Kirk's arrival on Enterprise's transporter pad put a lid on his recent adventures. Home. He was glad for rescue from the shuttle pilot, who had not shut up the entire time of their journey together. He stepped down onto Enterprise's deck plating, noting immediately how his girl felt lifeless beneath his feet, her usual thrum of leashed power absent. He would be glad to see the refit completed.

Kyle, the Transporter Chief, smiled in welcome. "Welcome back, Captain. I'll have your gear conveyed to your quarters, sir."

"Thank you, Chief."

McCoy, rather than Spock, waited upon him.

Kyle noted his surprise at that. "Mr Spock's compliments, sir, he would have been here to update you, but he's assisting Mr Scott in engineering."

That sounded ominous.

"Then that's where I am bound." He levelled an impatient stare at McCoy, who plainly was going to dog his steps. "If you want to talk, Bones, you're going to have to walk with me." He gave Kyle a final nod and left the transporter room.

"How did the court martial go?"

"It went. Thrown out of Starfleet."

"Well, no surprise there."

"No."

"You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"

"Doctor?"

"You know I'm talking about what that lil 'ol demand for my services was all about."

"Long story."

McCoy scurried to keep up. "I'll take the highlights, then."

"Ever ask yourself if love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?"

"All the time, Jim."

He sighed. "Your report did the trick with Briscoe. After much grinding of teeth, and since Gloriana's captain had no interest in pursuing charges, he had no option than to let the boy and his companions go on their merry way."

"Even for a Vulcan, I doubt there was much to be merry about. I hope your new friend had more luck than Spock."

"Agreed." Whatever Siran's fate, by now it was decided; to enquire was unthinkable. They arrived at the turbo-lift and McCoy would likely have trailed after him and pestered him to start at the beginning, except that a ship wide call went out for the doctor to attend an emergency in sickbay. A welcome interruption; he had little desire to gossip on the subject, still curiously protective over the little band he had assisted and mindful of the fierce determination with which Vulcans guarded their privacy.

He hit engineering and the brutal workload of a refit in progress hit back. Hours later, he fell into bed, utterly spent, all thoughts of Vulcans and their harsh customs obliterated from his mind.

xxx