"We should send down," he had started.
"First Officer, under no circumstances are we sending down anybody else. It would not only endanger them but also be a clear breach of the Prime Directive. We cannot interfere. Do you think Kirk would?"
Only for a moment did he contemplate commenting but then remained quiet, the Commodore was right and could, if pushed, pull rank. Best to wait and see what his next action was before taking any direct action. The man was right abut one thing, Jim would not interfere, at least not immediately. He could not, would not, tell the Commodore that he was sure Jim was alive, that they had a bond and he would know if that bond were broken by death.
"I will be on the bridge. As per StarFleet regulations I am now in command of this ship." Halls looked at him as though expecting a challenge, "I guess my first duty is to inform the crew."
"I shall tell them." for some reason it had been said with more of an edge than he had intended. He had nodded to himself, he would tell the crew what the Commodore would expect but in a way they would understand he did not believe it nor accept it.
"Good. I am sure that the adjustment to having me as the new commanding officer will take some time but I know that Vulcans are respected for their loyalty to their commanding officer so I know we will maintain a superior bridge crew as the others, I have noticed, tend to follow your lead. To give the right impression I will not sit in my command seat until after you have informed them of my command status."
"If you will excuse me, Sir, I must prepare the message I have to deliver to the crew."
"That's fine, I understand you will want to make sure the wording is exact so there can be no misunderstanding about the present status. That I am now in charge. They need to know Kirk is dead and I am now in command of this ship."
He had looked at the Commodore sitting in Jim's place. "There will be no mistaking the meaning and content of my message."
"Good." Halls had smiled at him, "I would not want there to be any disruption to the smooth running of my ship. No insubordination or vain feelings of betrayal. Kirk died in the line of duty."
"As did Officer Baylance, Sir."
"Oh, oh yes him too."
In his quarters he had sat for a long time trying to think of the words that would say what the Commodore would want said and yet would let the crew know he did not believe it. Something brief yet to the point. Slowly the words came to him and he called for a meeting of the senior bridge crew and, when they had all gathered, he had Uhura put them on shipwide. Only having known and studied the crew for as long has he had enabled him to see the resentment of Commodore Halls sitting in the command chair.
"This is First Officer Spock." the Vulcan looked for and met the steady blue eyes of Doctor McCoy and held his gaze, "It has been reported that both Officer Ty Baylance and Captain James T. Kirk have died on the planet. As per regulations upon the reported death of a commanding officer of any ship an officer of higher or equal rank will take command." he saw the doctor slowly comprehend what he was really saying and give an almost imperceptible nod.
He glanced around the bridge and looked at Uhura and saw a slight uncertainty about her eyes, "With the reported death of Captain Kirk, Commodore Halls will be in command of the Enterprise. I know I can rely on all of you following procedure and orders. Officer Baylance was with Captain Kirk. Spock out."
Commodore Halls nodded with satisfaction and slowly looked around him with a barely hidden smugness. Spock saw how the others looked at him and at McCoy and saw, unsurprisingly, that it was Uhura who nodded first in understanding as she had obviously seen the look the two of them had exchanged.
He had heard the Chief Engineer start, "I'd nae think ye'd give up on the Captain like,"
"Scotty, I came up to get you and Chekov and take you to Sickbay for your checkups." the doctor put a hand on the arm of the engineer which seemed to silence him and just looked at the young helmsman. "Not a word of your usual protest." The doctor had turned and looked at the Commodore, "They are usually the last for the quarterly check-ups."
"I do not see how it is necessary. The standard is annual."
McCoy had momentarily rock on his heels, something he had noticed the doctor did when annoyed and trying to be diplomatic. "That is true but the Enterprise and its crew are better than standard, Sir, and I intend to keep it that way." It was almost a challenge and he wondered if this time McCoy had met his match as he had already discovered Halls knew the regulations, and was not afraid to use them.
"Others manage very well on,"
"Others, Sir, are not the Enterprise. However, if you want to lessen the standards and efficiency of the Enterprise to the level of all the others, if you want to make this crew mediocre and are content to be in charge of just another ship in the fleet instead of letting me do my job of maintaining the high standards that make the Enterprise THE ship of the fleet with the crew many strive to be a part of I will not stop you. Miser Spock, if I am needed I will be playing cards in my office. You may like to join me later for a game or two."
McCoy had taken two steps towards the turbolift on his own when Halls said, "No. No, no, that is a good practice. Mister Scott and Mister Chekov will go with you. Continue." fortunately Halls had turned away before McCoy did an imitation curtsey, gave him a smile, and herded Scott and Chekov away.
Uhura had linked arms with Sulu, "And I want your help with that problem on the Communications console in the main Briefing room"
He had momentarily closed his eyes as he realized Commodore Halls was right, the senior bridge crew would follow whatever direction he led them him. He had no doubt that both McCoy and Uhura were explaining to the others that something was afoot even if they had no idea what. They had noticed he had said reported deaths.
After the senior bridge crew had been gone twenty-one point eight minutes he had walked up to the Commodore, "If I may I would like to ensure that Engineer Scott goes directly to Engineering after his examination as he has a tendency to imbibe a small amount between the examination and returning to work."
"But, but I thought he was one of the top,"
"You will find no better engineer in Starfleet, Sir. He is always able to preform his duties but on these occasions he has been up to six point eight standard minutes late in reporting but his work and standards are always of the highest standards."
"Go and tell him I will not tolerate the same slackness Kirk clearly did."
As he walked away he had regretted that he may have told of the Engineer's one weakness. "A swallow to steady me nerves." was what Scott said it was for and it was only ten milliliters and only after what the human crew found extremely stressful situations.
When he walked into Sick Bay he found the five of them there as he had suspected.
"What is going on, Sir?" Uhura looked at him and he knew she was asking what the others wanted to know as well.
"I am not entirely certain, Lieutenant. I need to ask you, Chekov, two questions and you need to think before you answer them,"
"Sir."
"How long after you beamed down were you attacked and did anything unusual happen before you were attacked ?"
"There was nothing wrong on beam down, we were starting to use our tricorders," Chekov looked at him, "Commodore Halls asked me to assist him, I took four maybe five steps from the Keptin then remember nothing."
"What were you to assist the Commodore with?"
"He only said 'Chekov, assist me now''", there was the dawning of understanding the officer's eyes. "He knew they were there, didn't he?"
"Everything points to the fact that the Commodore is behind this and is after the Enterprise."
Sulu had looked at him, "Ty would not go easily, Sir. He would not have let them kill the Captain while he had a breath in him. Why in his instruction to beam up was it only for a lock on him? If they are dead,"
"We do not know the circumstances but I firmly believe Captain Kirk and Officer Baylance are alive on that planet and I believe that the Commodore is behind this." for a moment he looked at Sulu, "Perhaps my belief in the Captain and Officer Baylance being alive is incorrect but I am going to do everything in my power to find out."
"No you are not, Spock!" McCoy had flared at him and then seemed to calm, "I am sorry but you are wrong there, Spock." McCoy had walked over to him and looked at him, "You are not going to do everything, we are. Just tell us what we can do."
Although he had suspected it would be like that he was heartened to hear that he would not be acting alone. Time and time again he had seen this band of his shipmates, of his friends, work together. "Right now I require Mister Scott to drink some whisky before he returns to Engineering."
"Lad, have ye gone mad."
From a cabinet he knew the doctor kept an emergency supply McCoy poured a little in a glass and handed to the Engineer who had just looked at it for a moment.
"I apologize, Mister Scott, but in order to leave the bridge I fabricated that just a sip of an inebriant steadied you after an examination by Doctor McCoy and that I would come down and deal with you."
"Oh," Scott looked levelly at Spock as he raised the glass, "Consider me dealt with and may your plan succeed, soon."
After the others had gone McCoy looked at him, "Want to tell me what that was about?"
"A deception, Doctor. I had to get off the bridge to talk with you without the Commodore around.."
McCoy smiled, "You sure come out with schemes almost as harebrained as Jim's. Do you really think there is a chance?"
"The Captain and I have linked so many times, Doctor, that there is a residual effect. I would feel his death, Doctor. Also I have seen Officer Baylance in action many times. If they are alive and together, I am certain no harm will come to the Captain."
"Baylance is not in security, is he?"
"No, when you read his file it seems he is a routine crew member with many skills but one who does not like specializing nor staying in one department too long. You and I both gave him very high ratings when on rotation in the science departments and Mister Scott wanted him to stay in engineering." He remember he had paused and how concerned McCoy had been,
"What, what's wrong, Spock?"
"It seems illogical but he seemed to openly distrust computers and used to prefer to physically or mentally work through a problem."
McCoy had smiled, "Ah yes, the time he broke his little finger after slamming his fist down on a fluctuating display unit you were having some difficulty fixing. It did fix the problem."
"In a highly suspect manner, yes. He is, when you really delve into what his records do not show, one of Starfleet's rare officers, a Situation Adaptive Specialist . If memory serves there are only five highly trained and skilled specialists in the Fleet and he has the highest rating in the application of practical knowledge under all tested conditions in six fields."
"Jim's never mentioned that. He's told me about the other crew and their special fields."
"I doubt if he knows, Doctor. It was in his records but in an encrypted file. I could only access a very small portion of it but it seems he was one for years before he joined the Enterprise and joined the Enterprise at Captain Pike's request. His time on the Enterprise has been as a what is termed an all-arounder as he can fill almost any position on the ship with a notation he is not to be put in a security role."
"He beamed down with them as a science officer with Chekov as security." As he had watched he could see McCoy was understanding his line of thinking.
"That is why the Commodore ensured that he had Chokov."
"A scapegoat. Leave Jim and Baylance in who knows what condition and get the ship. He does have a ego problem." McCoy shook his head and had looked at him,
"But the Captain does not know the truth about Baylance's abilities."
"And that's why you are so certain that he will make sure Jim is safe." McCoy had nodded.
"That and that through the subtle link I have with Jim. The awareness of his being. I would know if he were dead."
"Migawd, no wonder you Vulcans don't get emotionally involved. If you have an awareness of the being of those closest to you it must be hell when," McCoy had stopped and looked at him, "I'm sorry Spock, I,"
"It is quite alright Doctor. Just as you do not understand the Vulcan way there are many, many of your ways that are just as , if not extremely more perplexing to me."
During the night Ty was feverish and he kept wiping his face and as much of Ty's chest as was possible with a dampened cool cloth. At his core he knew he should be as his officer was as he was the commanding officer, he had sworn to be not only be fully responsible for his crew but should have reacted as his officer had. Ty was not even a Security Officer. Uphold the Prime Directive. Protect crew and ship. Some unbalanced Commodore with delusions of omnipotence had his ship.