CHAPTER TEN
"We're being hailed, Sir. Starfleet shuttlecraft," Uhura said, turning in her chair to give Kirk a surprised look. "Sir, it's the Jules Verne."
"Jules Verne?" Kirk repeated, narrowing his eyes. The name felt familiar, other than for the obvious literary reasons, but he couldn't remember any ship on the active duty roster with that designation. "Wait a minute," he said, turning to look at Spock. "Isn't that one of the Defiant's?"
"Indeed," Spock confirmed. "And since the shuttlecraft is matching our speed, the rumors of a warp integrator are apparently true."
"When have you listened to rumors, Spock?" Kirk quipped, then shook his head. "But to even reach us at this point, even if they left Earth the moment Starfleet received our transmission, they would have to travel at speeds . . . " Kirk's voice trailed off. He couldn't finish the thought. It was impossible. The shuttlecraft must have been at a closer location.
"The Defiant's other shuttlecraft is called the Nautilus. Supposedly it can dive nearly one thousand kilometers into a PKM Gas designated planet." Kirk looked at Chekov and could almost see the drool forming at the edge of the Ensign's mouth.
Kirk let out an indignant snort despite having heard similar. At the time, he'd chalked it up to an engineer's wet dream. Still, he doubted it had anything comparable to the Enterprise. Kirk swiveled in the command chair so that he was facing Communication. "Contact codes check out?"
"Affirmative, Sir," Uhura said, then admitted. "I double checked them. They're shiny and new, but they are listed as active."
Kirk nodded. The Defiant's official launch date was still several weeks away, but it was good enough for him. "Mr. Sulu, bring us out of warp."
"Aye, aye, Captain."
"Open a channel, Lieutenant."
The stars that had been streaking past the main viewscreen quickly slowed until they became pinpoints of light once more. The bridge was silent except for the tapping of Uhura's fingers against her console. A moment later, the image of space was replaced by the impassive face of a Vulcan.
"Captain Kirk. " The Vulcan tilted his head respectfully. "I am Commander T'Pok of the USS Defiant."
"Greetings, Commander," Kirk replied smoothly, rising from his chair. "I apologize for not responding to your hail immediately. We were taken aback by the presence of your transport," Kirk continued, then added innocently. "I wasn't aware there were any federation ships in this vicinity."
It was an obvious probe for information about the shuttlecraft's hidden capabilities, but instead of avoiding the topic, a flicker of amusement crossed T'Pok's face. He tilted his head slightly. "That's because outside of the Enterprise, Captain, there weren't."
The words hung in the air for only a moment before T'Pok continued. "It is my understanding that you are heading for Starbase Seven to meet with a Vulcan healer." It wasn't a question, and Kirk did not answer. He suddenly felt wary regarding how much this young pup knew. He knew Vulcans aged slower, but he doubted T'Pok was older than twenty-eight. Kirk's lips flattened slightly as he waited in silence for the Commander to continue.
"There is no need to go further out of your way, Captain. I am here to collect our Dr. McCoy. Captain Hunt is eager to have his crew together to go through pre-launch procedures. Maggie McCoy is the last of them."
Kirk held up his hand. "Commander, I'm afraid you don't quite understand the situation. The report clearly states—"
"I've read the report," T'Pok interrupted. "And so has my Captain and Admiral Archer. They are in agreement that these Hunoi body modifications may be researched better onboard the Defiant. The medical staff is the best in their fields, Captain, and I can assure you she will receive the best care."
Kirk bristled. Admirals had power, but it seemed Archer had more than most. Apparently he would let nothing get in the way of his pet project, even the wellbeing of a crewmember. Kirk felt like he was tossing Maggie out an airlock, but what could he do? His hands were tied.
The hiss of the turbo-lift doors opening broke the tense silence.
"What in blazes is going on here, Jim?" McCoy demanded, stomping up to the captain without glancing around. "We've come to a full stop! Maggie needs to—what? Why are you jerking your head like that? Something wrong with your neck?"
Kirk cleared his throat. "We have company, Doctor."
McCoy turned so he was facing the screen. He stared at T'Pok for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes as he obviously took in the young commander's flared eyebrows and pointed ears. Although McCoy's face was worn with fatigue, his mouth suddenly split into a goofy grin. He glanced at Kirk. "For Maggie?"
"Yes, but—"
"I can't believe it! Just what the doctor ordered!" McCoy said with a laugh. It was the ragged, slightly hysterical sound of a man being tossed a lifeline a moment before imminent death. He wrung his hands together as though reassuring himself what he was seeing was real. "I've never been so happy to see a Vulcan in my entire life!" He twisted to shoot Spock a pointed look. "First time. Seriously. So happy. And you can help her? The block in her mind?" The last part was addressed at the main screen, and Kirk found himself holding his breath. T'Pok had never said anything about healing Maggie himself.
The corner of T'Pok's mouth lifted infinitesimally. "I see no doubt in the matter."
McCoy laughed again and turned on Spock. "You see that, Spock? Not a single point-something statistic in that sentence. Just a simple 'I see no doubt in the matter.' See how simple that is? So why the hell isn't he onboard already?" McCoy turned to glare at Chekov. "Open the shuttle bay doors, boy!"
Chekov's young face looked slightly panicky as he stared at Kirk.
Irritation and something akin to jealousy sat uneasily in Kirk's gut. If T'Pok was so confident he could remove Maggie's mental shield, was he the reason for her telepathic abilities? Repeated, long-term exposure? Kirk studied the young Vulcan again with fresh eyes. Black hair that was long enough to brush his shoulders, pointed ears just visible, a pale and slender face with keen black eyes and a straight nose. He looked more like Vulcan royalty than a wet-behind-his-pointed-ears commander.
Then again, perhaps he was simply jealous. Maggie's telepathic abilities could have happened innocently enough. Hadn't he himself developed some rudimentary skills after a few interactions with Spock?
McCoy's voice, unusually soft, broke into his thoughts. "Jim, please. The doors."
Kirk blinked, realized he'd been lost in thought, and waved a hand. "Yes, yes, of course. Mr. Chekov, would you be so kind as to open the bay doors."
"No need, Captain," T'Pok answered quickly. "We simply require your permission to board."
"You've got it."
T'Pok nodded his thanks. "We will meet you in your Critical Ward. T'Pok out."
The main screen switched back to a live feed of space, but before it did, T'Pok and another figure, hidden in the depth of the shuttlecraft, had been encircled in a swirling blue light.
Kirk was already in the turbo-lift, doors about to close, when he remembered to shout: "Sulu, you've got the conn!" As soon as the doors closed, he whirled to face Spock. "Have you ever heard of a shuttlecraft having beaming technology?"
"Indeed not," Spock replied swiftly. "The technological abilities in these ships are far more advanced than previously theorized."
"So why all the secrecy? Makes me wonder what else they're hiding. I understand keeping things classified, but when Archer is involved, it makes it ten kinds of shady. It's more than just idle gossip that he's the head of Section 31. And the Defiant's captain, he's what—twenty-six? Twenty-seven? Inexperience can turn you into someone's bitch real quick." He gritted his teeth, remembering Archer's attempts to manipulate him when he was younger. To Archer, people were tools to be used and then disposed of when their usefulness ended.
Spock looked thoughtful. "Captain Hunt may be young, but be graduated command school with degrees in both chemistry and advanced coding. He speaks seventeen languages, including several Klingon dialects, and he has outmaneuvered every battle hardened officer in simulated combat, often beginning with a disadvantaged position. To use a human phrase, 'he's been around the block before.'"
Kirk let himself be impressed for a brief moment. "And that's what bothers me, Spock. Why all this simulated combat? Isn't it just a little suspicious?"
"What are you sayin', Jim?" McCoy asked, clearly troubled. "That the Defiant's more than a deep space exploration ship? That it's a . . . war ship?"
Kirk pursed his lips, wondering how much he should say. He didn't want to alarm his friend by suggesting Maggie was going to be healed just so she could be sent to the frontlines. "No, no, it's not a war ship, Bones. That's against everything Starfleet stands for. I'm just saying there's been a lot of tension along the Klingon border and negotiations have gone to shit. I've been getting reports every few days that the Klingons have been increasing patrols along the neutral zone. It's most likely all for show. I just hate that Archer is involved. The man's as slimy as a Fluvian turd."
McCoy's face relaxed slightly. "Well, I don't know about any of that stuff. I'm just an old, country doctor, not a political strategist. All this guy can handle right now"—he poked his narrow chest with a thumb—"is taking care of his baby girl."
When they entered the Critical Care Ward, Kirk was startled to see T'Pok already leaning over Maggie. The fingers of one hand were positioned at the temple in a traditional Vulcan mindmeld, the other gently cradled her face.
T'Pok's hair had swung forward, hiding his face, but Kirk could hear him humming. It was a strange and somewhat sad tune, like a cherished dream that slips from memory upon awakening.
"Can you sense anything, Spock?" McCoy asked quietly. "Any idea on how long it might take?"
"Eh, I wouldn't imagine it'd take too long," a feminine voice answered. Startled, the three men turned in unison to see a young Asian woman. She was sitting in a chair with it leaned back against the window. Her feet, encased in thick rubber boots, hovered off the floor several inches until she leaned forward, tipping the chair forward with a thunk. She hopped up and strolled over. "Nice to finally meet you, Captain. Heard a lot. Mostly good, little bad. But even the bad was good, if you know what I mean." She shot him a wink.
Kirk nearly choked on his words. "And you are?"
"Oh, sorry! I'm the Defiant's Chief Engineering Officer, Louisa Lou." She gave a smart salute that sent Kirk's eyebrows into his hairline. Surely this was some sort of joke? He could identify pieces of a Starfleet uniform but . . . . The sleeves of the red Engineering shirt had been sheered away to reveal dark, muscular arms, and the black pants had been cut off just above the knees. The thick-soled rubber boots were more for rugged terrain than a Constellation class starship.
"Chief Lou," Kirk said, stressing the title as though not quite willing to commit to it. He couldn't tear his eyes from the thick earring in her left ear. Was that a flux bolt? "Aren't you a little out of uniform?"
"Huh?" Lou frowned then glanced down at herself. "Oh! Well, it gets pretty dang hot in Engineering even with the coolant for the—" She stopped abruptly, as though she'd said too much. She turned quickly to flash a grin at McCoy. "Oh, man! So good to see you again, Doc! How ya been?"
McCoy gave her a polite, if confused, look. "Have we . . . met before?"
She rolled her eyes. "Helloooo? I've only been your daughter's roommate the entire time we were at the academy!"
Inhaling sharply, McCoy looked her up and down again. "LuLu? Is that you?"
She clicked her tongue in pleasure. "One and the same, Doc!"
"Why, you've . . ." McCoy said, smiling at her while obviously fumbling for something to say. "You've changed your hair!"
LuLu grinned and patted the shaved area on the left side of her head then held out the jaw-length hair on the other side. The spiky ends were dyed a bright red. "I think these were purple when you visited last. Or maybe yellow? Anyway, I figured since I'm officially the head of Engineering, I ought to look a little more professional, you know? Matchy-matchy."
Kirk covered his snort with a cough before stepping away. McCoy and LuLu had slipped into easy conversation.
"Please tell me this is a joke, Spock," he murmured, rubbing a finger beneath one eye. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. If this was the Defiant's Chief Engineering Officer, what kind of mockery was her captain?
"What are you referring to, Captain?"
Kirk glared at him, daring him to play ignorant.
Spock let out a contemplative breath and clasped his hands behind his back. "I have read many of Chief Lou's articles on harnessing multi-point singularities and they are, simply put, quite brilliant. I believe Chief Lou is responsible for the advanced capabilities of the Jules Verne."
He considered Spock's answer for a moment then dropped the topic with a noncommittal grunt. He jerked his chin toward T'Pok and Maggie. "Can you sense anything?"
"Not at this time."
"Damn," Kirk muttered, but Spock shook his head.
"A positive sign, Captain," he said. "Commander T'Pok has a created another shield around his activities, offering McCoy privacy. The rejoining of body and mind, as well as dealing with any residual trauma from the accident, can be an intensely emotional experience for humans."
A faint chirping drew their attention. LuLu excused herself from McCoy and walked deeper into the Ward, pulling a chunky communicator from her utility belt. It looked absolutely antiquated next the flip-open units onboard the Enterprise, but Kirk noted that the call hadn't been routed through Communications. Apparently, it didn't need to. Kirk turned his head discretely so that he could eavesdrop.
"Hey," Lou said quietly into the communicator. She listened for a few seconds then responded. "Yeah. No, it's good." She walked back to glance at the life function monitor—brain activity was steadily rising—then ambled away. "Anytime, I imagine. Yeah, I know." She shifted from one booted foot to the other. Kirk caught her glance in his direction. "Hm-mm, not too far. Okay, okay. Yeah, that'd be stellar. Bye, John."
"Your captain?" Kirk inquired, his mild tone hiding his irritation.
"Yeppers," Lou said, returning the communicator to her belt. "He's really looking forward to meeting you."
Kirk gave her a polite smile. "Perhaps someday. It's unfortunate that the Defiant will have her maiden voyage before our final dock."
"Actually . . ." Lou scrunched up her face. "He'll be here in a few hours. He wants to pick up Mags personally, and to be honest"—she waved her hands around indicating the ship—"who'd miss the opportunity to set foot on the legendary Enterprise? Like hello—am I right?" Kirk blinked in pleasant surprise, taken aback by Lou's genuine enthusiasm and admiration.
"Will Captain Hunt be arriving on the Nautilus?" Spock inquired, clearly curious about the other shuttlecrafts abilities.
Lou opened her mouth but a moan from the biobed stopped her.
"Maggie?" McCoy cried. He ran to the biobed as T'Pok sagged into a nearby chair. "Baby, can you hear me?"
A groggy, "Dad?"
McCoy's sobs filled the room as he hugged his daughter. Lou watched them for a moment, clearly pleased, before turning back to Spock. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. "No, Commander. Definitely not on the Nautilus."
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