Star Trek XV – Now and Forever

Chapter Seven

If Kirk and Sulu reacted badly to Carol's announcement, it was nothing compared to the blow she visibly took when they explained the terms of their rescue mission to her. Kirk watched her face as a series of emotions flashed on it until she seemed to settle for accepting her fate as gracefully as she could.

'I guess it was too good to be true,' she pessimistically said.

'Why didn't you wait for us?' Kirk asked her his tone void of any accusation.

'I tried,' she confessed, 'I wasn't holding my breath for it but, deep down, I allowed myself to hope. That's why I worked as slowly as I could,' she explained, 'but like I said, they didn't take that well.'

'What did they do to you?' Kirk asked her.

'You don't want to know,' Carol replied, 'suffice to say that it made me all the more resolute to do what I did. They were going to kill me anyway so I decided I wasn't going to go down quietly.'

Moving closer to her, Kirk took her hand in his and, without saying anything, he tried to convey everything he felt: his admiration, his sympathy, his encouragement and, above all, his love.

'Er…' Sulu said sounding a little awkward, 'I think I'm going to go out and…keep watch…okay?'

Kirk and Carol looked up at him as if they had just realised they weren't alone.

'Thanks,' the Captain muttered, Sulu was almost at the door when he added, 'hey Sulu...I'm sorry.'

'What for?' Sulu asked him.

'For the lousy situation I've put you in,' Kirk replied.

'Captain,' Sulu said offering him one of his rare but brilliant smiles, 'you didn't put me in any situation, remember? I volunteered.'

With that, he left the couple alone so that they could settle their own personal issues.

'You really shouldn't have come,' Carol said breaking the silence.

'Carol…'

'You don't get it, do you?' she asked him sounding devastated, 'it broke my heart to accept that I would never see Jimmy again but, at least I had the consolation that you'd be there to look after him, to raise him to be a great man, like you, like your father before you,' Carol said speaking as if she wanted to get it all off her chest, 'you see, the way you always put the wellbeing of the crew ahead of your own was what made me think you'd make a great father one day. That's the reason why I left you when I knew my presence would rob you of that experience. I know it broke your heart and I'll never be able to say sorry enough times to make up for it, but I…'

'Carol,' he stopped her by cradling her face in his hands, 'I love you. I never stopped loving you.'

Just in case this hadn't done the trick, Kirk lowered his face to hers, placing his lips on hers in what he intended to be a soft kiss but that soon became so much more. The realisation this could very well be the last time they'd be together made them lose their bearings and they grasped at each other as if their lives depended on it. Then, as abruptly as it started, they pulled apart feeling rather breathless.

'I refuse to think this is the end,' Kirk whispered while touching his forehead against hers, 'I will not believe it until it slaps me across the face because…we simply cannot let our son grow up without us.'

'You really don't believe in no-win scenarios, do you?' Carol asked him with a watery smile.

'Now more than ever,' Kirk replied firmly, 'look, I've had more lucky escapes in my life than I care to count, I'm alive when I should be dead and, somewhere up there, I have a beautiful son when it was deemed next to impossible. If anyone is going to beat the odds, I know it's going to be me.'

'If you put it that way…' Carol said sounding almost convinced.

'They'll do it,' he insisted looking at her intensely, 'Chekov will get us out of…'

Just then the air crackled with energy and widening their eyes in surprise, they saw tiny golden tendrils of energy beginning to surround their bodies. Smiling at each other, they understood what was happening to them.

'I knew it!' Kirk happily exclaimed.

Carol couldn't speak but her eyes shone with tears of joy.

Then, they dematerialised as the transporter did its job. Shutting his eyes closed, he prayed that when he'd open them again he would see the rudimentary but fully functional pads aboard the Reliant. Instead, he looked up and saw an overexcited man rushing to them from behind a console he knew like the back of his hand.

'CAPTAIN!' Montgomery Scott shouted seeing him.

'Scotty!' Kirk shouted back springing up on his feet, 'how…wha…'

'Hello to you too,' an incredibly familiar voice said coming from somewhere behind him. Turning round, he saw a scowling Dr McCoy together with Chekov. Both sported identical pairs of safety goggles and, in their hands, they were still carrying the tools they had obviously been using up to mere instants before.

'We were so close!' the Russian man said looking slightly annoyed.

'I'm sure you were,' Kirk said patting him on his arm encouragingly then, after briefly zeroing on Sulu who seemed to be too shocked to articulate the happiness displayed on his face, he focused his attention on Carol who looked like she also was too stunned to move, 'can you stand up?' he asked offering her his hand.

'Where's Jimmy?' she asked Scotty instead.

'The wee one is on the bridge,' the Engineer replied smiling at her.

Without waiting for anyone else, she scrambled back on her feet and rushed out of the room as if pushed by some extraordinarily powerful force. Kirk hurried to follow her while he asked Scotty, the only one who was up to date, to run with him and give him a full report of what had happened on his ship. McCoy, Sulu and Chekov were left with no option but to chase after the other three.

As they entered the bridge, they saw Carol rushing to her son who she found on Spock's lap while the Vulcan sat on the Captain's chair. The boy, sensing her presence, turned round and exclaimed:

'MUMMY!'

'I'm so sorry baby,' she cried while he threw himself into her open arms, 'I'm so, so, sorry…I will never leave again, I promise. I will never leave you alone again,' her words became sobs as she burst into copious tears.

'Sulu,' Kirk ordered him trying to concentrate on the work he still needed to do, 'get us out of here as quickly as you can.'

'Aye, Captain,' the helmsman said practically kicking Mitchell out of his seat.

'Jim…' Spock started rising from the Captain's chair.

This made Kirk look at him in the eye and, although they really didn't have time for such luxuries, the Captain still took a moment to reach out for his First Officer and, embracing him in a tight hug, he asked him:

'Are you alright?'

'I am,' Spock replied trying to be his usual stoic self, 'sufficiently healthy.'

'Okay,' Kirk said deciding to ask about those cuts and bruises later.

Before that, he returned his attention to his small family and, after gently guiding a still teary Carol on to the Captain's chair, he glanced over to Uhura and issued an order which took everyone by surprise:

'Hail the Klingon fleet.'

'Yes, sir,' Uhura said recovering fast.

'Captain,' he heard Chekov saying speaking from his own station, 'I read several incoming ships.'

'Romulan?' Kirk asked him.

'Yes, sir,' the Russian Ensign said.

'Broadcast our transmission to the Klingons to them, all channels, all frequencies,' he ordered Uhura.

'Captain,' Spock asked, 'what are you doing?'

'Ending this madness,' Kirk replied, 'for once and for all.'

'I have Captain Kang, sir,' Uhura announced.

'On screen,' he asked.

He saw that Carol was going to get up from his chair but, placing a hand on her shoulder, he stopped her and he stared at the viewscreen while he mentally worked on the speech he was about to give.

'This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise,' he started as soon as the Klingon's face appeared, without letting him speak, he carried on, 'as I understand it, you have a device onboard your ship which you have been made believe will help you destroy Romulus. I assure you the only thing which will be destroyed is you and your fleet, unless you beam it back to the asteroid where it was assembled. You have less than five minutes to comply and get as far away from the area as quickly as you can.'

'You're bluffing,' Kang said trying to sound unimpressed and unafraid.

'He's not,' Carol intervened glaring at her torturer who seemed to instantly recognise her.

'You can choose to believe we're lying and be destroyed,' Kirk offered, 'or you can try to trust me when I say that the Genesis device will destroy your fleet. This is my final warning: with it I have shown you compassion. I have shown you honour. I know your kind believes in those values, that you believe in the bonds of family. Yet your actions so far have shown no compassion, no honour and you almost destroyed both of my families: my crew and this one,' he said gesturing to Carol and Jimmy, 'you would have deprived my son of a life with both his parents. Because of you, he would not have had anyone to teach him what is right and what is wrong, he would have grown up angry and lost.' Kirk explained pretty much describing his own childhood.

'And what do you want in return for your generosity?' Kang asked sounding a lot more reasonable.

'In these past few years,' Kirk replied, 'history has been repeating itself and it's time we stopped this. It's time we truly ceased hostilities between your kind, the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation. I strongly believe we can make it happen so, I beg you, I implore you to consider a universe where all three of us can live long and prosper as equals. Today, as a sign of our faith in the wisdom I know your kind possesses, we will let you go. All I ask is that you don't make us regret this choice.'

'You won't, you have my word,' the Klingon finally said.

With this, the transmission terminated leaving the whole bridge in a stupefied silence.

'Captain…' Spock was the first to speak, 'what you've done…'

'Sir,' Uhura interrupted him, 'we're being hailed by the ChR Gal Gath'thong.'

'Well,' Kirk commented to himself, 'that was quick. Uhura, please put them on screen.'

'Yes, sir,' she replied, 'stand by.'

A moment later, the viewscreen filled itself with the video feed from yet another ship, only that, this time, it wasn't the dark and Spartan interior of a Klingon warbird. This time, it was the bridge of a much brighter and better equipped Romulan vessel.

'Commander Keras,' Kirk greeted him as cordially as he could.

'Captain Kirk,' the Romulan replied, 'we heard your…negotiations with the Klingon.'

Kirk just nodded to that.

'I am curious,' Keras said, 'as to what's driven you to pardon the Klingon rebels when you had…'

'My apologies, Commander,' Kirk interrupted him, 'I understand your concern but…'

'Do you?' Keras asked him.

Narrowing his eyes, Kirk counted up to ten before he replied.

'Commander,' he said his voice sounding a little harder than earlier, 'I believe not a lot of people have as many reasons to hate the Klingons, or even your own kind as I do but, tell me Commander, what do you think has fuelled the Klingons' desire to rebel against the oppressive humiliation they've been subjected to ever since the Nimbus III Peace Treaty was signed?'

'But…'

'Hatred will never cease if we don't grant each other the dignity we deserve,' Kirk continued, 'if we keep pushing each other into corners, is it not natural that our own self-preservation instinct will lead us to rebel? If we are to stop this madness, we need to stop the hatred and if it means taking a risk and letting the Klingons walk away today, then so be it.'

'The Klingons will retaliate,' Keras insisted.

'No they won't,' Kirk countered.

'You don't know that,' Keras challenged him.

'I do know,' Kirk retorted, 'and you know why I do? Because Captain Kang has given me his word and you know as well as I do that a Klingon would rather commit suicide than having to live with the dishonour of having gone back on his word.'

'But he's just one Klingon,' Keras tried to argue.

'He was the one leading the rebellion,' Kirk countered again, 'Commander, I know what I'm asking might be interpreted as unreasonable but I also know that you hate conflict as much as I do. It is for this reason that I am extending the same offer I made to Captain Kang: please consider a universe where we can all live together in peace. Just bring this forth to your leadership and ask them to carefully think about it.'

The Romulan Commander studied him for a moment before nodding once.

'I can't make any promises,' he said, 'but I will attempt to persuade them.'

'That's more than enough,' Kirk replied, 'thank you, Commander.'

'Captain Kirk,' Keras said making it clear he was no longer speaking as a Romulan commanding officer, 'it is fortunate you still keep your youthful compassion, in spite of everything that's been taken from you; I can only hope you will always guide your crew with your kindness.'

'I will,' Kirk promised.

'Then,' Keras ended, 'I believe we can all have the peace we dream of.'

Once again, the viewscreen went blank before the brilliant blue warp lines reappeared on it.

'I'll be damned,' this time, it was McCoy who spoke first, 'Jim, I think you've pretty much…'

'Mummy?' they then heard little Jimmy saying with a slightly panicked voice, 'Mummy!'

Turning their attention to Carol, they saw that the scientist had her eyes closed and that her head had lolled to one side as she sat limply against the Captain's chair. Feeling his heart at his throat, Jim sunk down on his knees while he started checking for a pulse trying not to scare the living lights out of poor Jimmy. In spite of that, the boy's blue eyes mirrored the terror which was starting to paralyse his father.

'Bones,' he wheezed.

The doctor was already there and, pulling out his trusty tricorder, he started scanning for her vitals.

'Please, Bones…please…' he found himself begging almost hysterically.

He couldn't lose her again.

He just couldn't.

To be continued…