"Get those torpedoes out of here!" Scotty said.
"Mr Scott," Spock said. "I have done everything in my power to prevent these from being taken but it is very paramount they are allowed in. They are an optional-"
"Then I QUIT!" Scotty said.
There was silence in the room.
"Very well then," Spock said, clearing the air. It took a minute for Scotty to realize what he had just said. "Mr Scott, you are relieved of your duties."
Spock looked over toward the recently assigned science officer, Carol Marcus, studying one of the vessels in a manner as though she were a child. It was fascinating, least Spock could say. Not many humans like her had a distinctive 'I want to dissect this torpedo and make science with it' look in their eyes staring at a torpedo. Spock knew if Kirk were in his shoes, he would have done the same to avenge Pike and acquire the killer. Seventy-two torpedoes in total. They had a new first officer, David Wallace, assigned to the ship. Admiral Chester had insisted that Spock be the lead after Spock had let him in on what the chief engineer had found.
"Where are you going, Scotty?" Chekov asked, holding a crate of bottles in his arms and Sulu was taking the extra luggage that Scotty packed.
"Where I goin'?" Scotty said. "Preferably somewhere that does nae have those oversized torpedoes in my engineering!"
Sulu and Chekov exchanged a glance.
"What torpedoes?" Sulu asked.
"The captain has nae told you?" Scotty asked.
"No, he has not." Sulu said.
"SEVENTY-TWO highly advanced torpedoes being taken on a mission tae cut off the head of a nasty snake," Scotty said. "Seventy-two torpedoes is OVER-KILL! I do nae know where they come from or what is in them, but highly advanced missisles? Not on my engineering bay!"
"We will miss you." Sulu said.
"First Kaptain Kirk, then Kaptain Pike, and now you?" Chekov said. "It is like the domino effect taking hold on the Enterprise to the most important people!"
"Well, everything changes on its own accord." Sulu said.
"I don't like how khange around here is being taken," Chekov said. "Being a red shirt? You know how the red shirts get killed off in the landing parties. The red shirt kurse could get me!" Sulu laughed, shaking his head. "I am too young to die."
"You are not going to die." Sulu said.
"Tae experienced tae die," Scotty added. "You are tae valuable tae be killed, lad. Long as you are on the ship, nothin' goin' tae happen tae you."
"Safe for you to say." Chekov grumbled.
They went through the doorway leading to the transporter.
"Thank you for the help." Scotty said.
"You are welcome." Sulu said.
"We would do it, again, for you." Chekov said.
Freenser came with one luggage into the transporter room. Chekov placed the crate of bottles on the transporter pad and Sulu put the two luggage on the third rounded sphere. Chekov politely came over to the engineer at the console then requested to be the one who did the beaming. The engineer stepped aside allowing the young Russian to place his fingers on the two bars placed on the screen. Sulu got off the transporter then came to Chekov's side.
"Beam me down, Chekov." Scotty said.
Chekov slid the bar up, slowly.
In a golden flash Scotty vanished before the two's eyes.
Chekov's shoulder's sulked and his head lowered down toward the dark console.
Jim, long ago, after the proceedings, had immersed into the novels that Kirk had left around. This kid read a lot of stuff. He didn't pay attention to what was going on around him. The room fell dark growing his attention upwards. Jim placed the novel on the counter beside him. He came down the stairs where he saw the living room. He could see Kirk's figure standing in the middle of the living room on his knees, his shoulders going up and down, and what sounded like crying coming from the poor boy.
Jim flipped the lights on and off.
Nothing worked.
"Kirk?" Jim called.
No reply.
"Kirk?" Jim repeated, coming down. "Come on, kid, what is wrong-" Jim tripped and fell down the stairs landing on his back. His eyes stared at the ceiling, blinking. "That would have hurt."
No response.
"Kirk?" Jim called, getting up.
Jim went into the living room where he approached the boy.
"The ship. . ." Kirk cried. "She is gone!"
"What ship?" Jim smoothly asked, placing one hand on the man's shoulder. "Was it the Enterprise?"
"No," Kirk shook his head. "My Klingon ship." Jim took his hand off Kirk's shoulder stepping back and his eyes faced toward the TV screen that showed debris all over the place in space including some bodies of Klingons. "A large Star Fleet vessel fired at us, we negotiated, Swarol knocked me out, and then I am sent out through a escape pod. THEY DESTROYED MY SHIP!" Kirk stood up. "My ship."
"You work with the Klingons?" Jim asked. "Are you nuts?"
"They were the only ones I could trust." Kirk said.
"And you are in a escape pod." Jim said.
"Yes." The screen turned to black, sizzling various images, of replaying the events that lead to the situation they were in. "Swarol was the only one I could trust." Kirk looked up toward Jim. "Those who I call? Someone finds me and then I have to skip the hell out of dodge. I had to ditch my life as James T. Kirk behind and become Warren. Warren Montegrio. Criminal, rogue explorer, and Klingon leader. I have been practicing on my Russian. But the ship I lead? It was reformed. Purely for exploring purposes. We were just coming back to Earth for a quick visit behind the moon and beam me down to Earth to visit my mother in Iowa."
"I am sorry," Jim said, then he sat down into a chair. "Perhaps you can fill me in what kind of hell you got into."
"We caught a pod, made of gel, a new type of escape pod," Carol reported. "There is a human being inside of it." She turned away from her science station. "Captain, I believe you may know this man."
Lieutenant Judson looked up from his station raising an eyebrow as did Sulu.
"Mr Judson, what is the pod in?" Spock asked.
"Warp six, captain." Judson replied.
"Mr Sulu disable their warp abilities with a phaser blast." Spock said, his fingers tapping on the arm rest.
"Aye captain." Sulu said.
A phaser blast struck the gel stopping it in warp.
"Beam them to med bay," Spock stood up from the chair. "Mr Wallace, you have the conn."
The Vulcan walked out of the bridge, hands behind his back then he went into the turbo lift and muttered, "Deck five."
Sulu looked over toward Judson.
"How many men do you think Mr Spock knows?" Sulu asked.
Judson shrugged.
"A lot," Judson said. "Over nine hundred."
Wallace sat down into the captain's chair.
McCoy nearly dropped what he was doing seeing a familiar figure encased by what was some form of water. This wasn't the first time he had seen a gelled figure. In five minutes, with a machine that removed the gel, the figure was fresh on the table with a growing bruise along the side of his head. Kirk had on a leather jacket, dark shirt, jeans, and large boots. Kirk also had forehead ridges that were not there before making it seem that he underwent genetic surgery. It was obvious because Kirk still had hair. Kirk's left hand appeared to be organic based.
Spock came into the med bay.
McCoy noticed around Kirk's neck was a necklace that had the shape of a familiar starship but it was different. It didn't have the sleekness that it had as known by most of the crew. It looked like a prototype of the original Enterprise. In fact it had the distinctive little text lettering reading 'USS Enterprise 1701'. It was the Enterprise! A different version. There were dents, scratches, and it seemed to be the victim of time. It still had a shine to it.
"Spock, where did you get him?" McCoy asked.
"In space, Doctor McCoy," Spock said. "Heading in Warp Six in the direction of Qo'noS." He looked over toward the man then back to McCoy. "I would like a word with him."
"We have no idea if he is going to be happy about it." McCoy said.
"Doctor McCoy, there is no chance that we will get the reaction we both want from him," Spock said. "As he is armed with a Klingon dagger."
McCoy placed the hypospray against Kirk's neck.
"Nooo!" Kirk screamed, drawing the attention of Nurse Chapel as he lunged forward with eyes wide and Spock put forth his arm blocking the man from attacking the doctor.
"Jim, you are safe now." McCoy said.
"My name is Warren," Kirk said. "I do not know anyone by the name of fucking Jim." Spock stared at Kirk, in shock. Kirk was acting unlike himself. But his acting was familiar, pretending but more executed well that it seemed he was a totally different person and very wary. "Let me go, you Wulcan!"
"Jim, it is illogical to claim you are someone else." Spock acknowledged.
Kirk's eyes narrowed at Spock's direction.
"My name is Warren Montegrio," Kirk forced Spock to take his hand off his chest. "And who the hell is Jim?" McCoy looked over toward Spock, startled, then back to Kirk. "I know no one by the name of Jim."
"He can't have dementia this early." McCoy said.
"The man who single handedly raided a science starship with Klingons in order to retrieve specimen being a crossbreed of falcon and human last month, disturbed a treaty between Romulus and The Federation, went against the prime directive multiple times, and the temporal time directive as well among other things?"
"I newer went against the temporal time directive," Kirk said. "I do not recall doing it."
"You were there during the first contact with Vulcans and humans," Spock said. "You crashed their meeting seeking for a Vulcan named Spot and claimed he was a shape shifter along with numerous Klingons under disguise surrounding you. You were also in 1964 when a documentary regarding the possibility of starships. Your contribution was concealed further by the governmental authorities. I can list countless others of your influence in human history."
"No, I distinctiwely remember being off planet," Kirk said. "My landing parties kocumented kountless Class M planets that diwerged off Earth timeline, about siwty-three. But since they did not fit the kriteria of making kontact, we stayed low and ewentually returned to the ship after retriewing our kommunicators."'
"You have made more infractions than any other captain." Spock said.
"On the Wulcan kontact, we had to interfere," Kirk said. "Much as I hate the federation, my own history would hawe been erased and quite possibly yours. That shapeshifter was intending to fire at the man and start a war. We kould not stand around that. It goes against ewerything I believe in!"
"There are people who can fix things discreetly." Spock said.
"But we never met them, Mr Wulcan." Kirk said.
"My name is Spock." Spock said.
"Kid, maybe you should drop the act and just tell them." Jim said, softly.
"No," Kirk said. "Get too close, and I might just kill them."
"That is logical." Jim noted.
"Your complains are duly noted." Kirk said.
Jim looked over toward Kirk in shock.
"You talk like your Captain Spock." Jim said.
Kirk looked over with a smile.
"Sometimes using his example of leading a life helps me," Kirk said. "It has really helped."
"Damn it, Jim, stop it!" McCoy said, grabbing Kirk by the collar right toward him. "I know you are acting-"
"This is nothing compared to watching my entire ship blow up." Kirk cut him off.
McCoy let go of Kirk's collar.
"Can you speak Klingonese fluently?" Spock asked.
Kirk grinned then spoke in Klingonese.
"You know a 'I can' would just do." McCoy said.
"That would hawe been more konvenient for you." Kirk said.
Kirk had said in Klingonese, "Yes, Mr Spock, I can."
"That is the only thing that matters," Spock said. "You may be of some use to us."
"I don't like the idea of using someone we know," McCoy said. "It is like he is on a self destructive path."
Spock was dressed in a dark uniform while Kirk was still in the attire he came in waiting in the starship that was confiscated last month from a Bajoran-human hybrid with the last name Mudd. It was known as the Mudd incident as it involved former Captain April. Spock was walking down with McCoy to the hangar area. They had already sent a threat down to Qo'noS on the readings where John Harrison had last beamed himself to.
"Whatever purpose he has and believes he is doing," Spock said. "He will tell us. Until then, we are dealing with a highly intelligent criminal who wouldn't give a second thought ditching federation officers."
"How do you know so much about Warren Montegrio?" McCoy asked.
"Pike had some dealings with him," Spock said. "When I wasn't there. I took the liberty of searching him up."
"And you weren't there?" McCoy asked.
"Negative." Spock said.
"Why is it that?" McCoy asked.
"I do not know," Spock said. "He requested I stay on the bridge the first time around and afterwards he made it mandatory whenever he made these visits."
McCoy sighed.
"I can't believe I am going to say this," McCoy said. "But I miss when he was just James T Kirk. When he trusted us and in the federation. It seems like everything changed when we came across Nibiru. I wish we never came across it! Maybe he is a different man but he has those crystal blue eyes that see through your soul. So it has to be him. Jim is the only kid who has those bright blue eyes from anyone I ever met. And what did we do with him? We lost him!"
Spock got in the way of McCoy.
"Doctor McCoy," Spock said. "Rest assured,we will get him back."
"When you put it that way," McCoy folded his arms with a sharp grin. "I am assured you won't die on it. I know this is going to give me nightmares of you dying but don't die on me you pointy eared hobgoblin. Bring our friend home."
Spock nodded.
"I will." Spock said.
Spock went through the doorway leaving a worry striken McCoy.
"And bring yourself back in one piece," McCoy said. "Spock."
"-those red shirts off, if we are going to Qo'nos, there should not be any ties between us and Star Fleet." Kirk said.
Spock was surprised to see Kirk ordering two men.
Wallace was glaring easily through Kirk's forehead.
"That is logical." Spock said.
The two officers took their red shirts off then Kirk went into the starship with hands in his pocket.
"Captain," Wallace said. "Why are we bringing the most well known criminal in the galaxy to Qo'nos?"
"Commander, I understand your concerns regarding Mr Warren's character but he will be handled after we get Khan," Spock said. "And he will be prosecuted once we return to Earth for his crimes."
"I feel much better now about it." Wallace said,then he got in following the two security officers.
"Christopher Pike died yesterday on a attack in Star Fleet HQ as did Captain Braveheart," Spock said, shortly after the ship had gotten out of Enterprise. "This attack was posed by John Harrison. The very man we are going after on the planet surface of Qo'noS."
Kirk looked over toward Spock, clearly in dismay and hurt.
"So that is why you are captain?" A accentless voice came from Kirk.
"Affirmative." Spock said.
Kirk turned his head away.
"Hey, aren't you Russian?" Wallace said.
"I thought Pike would hawe left the ship to you by then. . ." Kirk said. "So, Mr Wallace, hawe you ewer fought a Klingon?"
"Negative." Wallace said.
Kirk had a short laugh.
"You are wery unfortunate," Kirk said. "It is quite fun."
"Lieutenant Uhura and I broke up last year." Spock said.
"Poor you." Kirk said,
"I am not unfortunate to have known the lieutenant." Spock said.
Kirk sighed.
"Was this your first time breaking up, Spock?" Kirk asked.
"Affirmative." Spock said.
"Was there krying involved?" Kirk asked.
"There was no tears." Spock said.
"I meant about you." Kirk said.
"I did not have any tears." Spock said.
"Captain, I do not understand why you are sharing personal information with a criminal." Wallace said.
"Making conversation on a ride that has ninety-six point thirty-two percent chance of death is logical," Spock said. "I prefer to have the last word."
"I am not surprised." Kirk said.
Jim briefly closed his eyes, thinking back, to the memory of Spock dying behind the window. It hurt, god, it hurt as the Vulcan passed away. It hurt him deeply by the inside. It was like watching his other half be yanked away forcefully. The hours afterwards that passed were slow even the minutes, it was like being hyper accelerated in time again. There was a void inside his heart. Sometimes what people said came out as 'yadah yadah yadah' or 'blah blah blah blah, Spock, sorry, Kirk, captain, damn it Jim! blah blah blah blah, Enterprise, blah blah blah, Spock's katra,Spock's body alive.'
The last part when it came out brought the man alive and his hoped brightened.
"Are you okay, old man?" Kirk asked, placing a hand on the counterparts shoulder.
"I have to tell you something," Jim said. "About how my Spock died."
"But he is not dead." Kirk said, puzzled.
"Spock was, but he came back," Jim said. "I will tell you when we're not busy going down to Qo'noS." Jim sighed hearing the conversation being exchanged between Spock and Mr Wallace. Spock was not in his yellow shirt or in a Star Fleet uniform like his first officer. "Your Russian accent is remarkable." Kirk took his hand off Jim's shoulder. "Did you use Chekov's accent?"
"I did a bit of research on my own." Kirk said, beaming with pride.
"And Chekov is the new chief engineer." Spock continued.
"Chekov?" Kirk said, alarmed.
"Affirmative." Spock said.
"You are pulling my leg." Kirk said, turning his head away.
"I do not kid." Spock said.
"Then why is Scotty not the chief engineer?" Kirk asked.
"He quit." Spock said, quite bluntly.
Kirk raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" Kirk asked.
"He did not like the idea of seventy-two vessels resting in his engine room nor the fact that Star Fleet insisted we take to take out John Harrison," Spock said. Kirk's right eyebrow lowered down. "For now, they are optional and trained at the coordinates that John Harrison last beamed down to."
"Hey, how does Montegrio know Mr Scott's nickname?" Wallace asked.
"I met Scotty in person," Kirk said. "He helped us out a few times when we came across the Enterprise and went our separate ways. Swarol did most of the view screen talking."
Suddenly three Bird-Of-Prey Patrol starships appeared.
"Being hailed, captain." Wallace said.
"On screen." Spock said.
There was a Klingonese reply, "This is Captain Putok of the Klingon Patrol Force, what brings you here?"
"We are here to retrieve a traitor who has no honor in killing others unjustly." Kirk replied in Klingonese.
Putok's eyes glowed at the familiar voice.
"Ah, Captain of the New Kelvin," Putok's voice was thick in Klingonese. "You lack your Klingon friends."
"They were murdered." Kirk replied.
"By whom?" Putok asked.
"The USS Vengeance." Kirk said.
The Klingons on the screen recoiled. Spock and Wallace looked over to the stoic faced human male who had one hand wrapped around the silver dangling ship to his necklace. They were puzzled as to why Putok reacted the way he did. Putok briefly closed his eyes, visibly disturbed, then he reopened them. A sly grin spread on his face recognizing the faces of the two other officers.
"You are working with Star Fleet, aren't you?" Putok asked.
"I am a temporary translator." Kirk said.
Putok smiled.
"Your friends cannot help you now." Putok said.
"They are not my friends." Kirk said.
Putok's smile faded.
"I have admired your captaincy with your Klingon Warriors and been in awe how they defended you from the other Klingons," Putok said. "Can't be saved by them now."
The screen turned to black.
"DRIWE, NOW!" Kirk resorted to English.
The starship flew through the air chased by the three Klingon Crusiers.
"What the hell?" Wallace said. "Aren't you supposed to be helping us?"
"SHUT UP, WALLACE!" Kirk said, sending the force-field up reflecting the laser strikes.
"We have to turn the ship sideways." Spock said, nonchalantly.
"We're going to lose a majority of the ship if we do that, captain!" Wallace said.
"I don't believe in no-win scenarios." Spock said, earning a look of shock from Kirk's face.
"In short, we'll make it." Kirk said.
"That's my line." Kirk and Jim said.
"I suppose you rubbed off this Spock more than I did with mine." Jim said.
Kirk turned his head away then shook off the look of shock. The ship turned sideways going through a large crack of the sorts made by two towering mountains. One of the Klingon Crusiers, idiotically, crashed against the wall. Kirk had a grin on his face. Wallace had a horrified expression set about his face while Spock seemed to be not-so-emotional one among the bunch. The two security officers clung to the handle. It was a chase that was commenced. Spock relied on the fuel cells to make their escape evading the other Klingon patrol. The electrical storms in the area made the flight turbulent.
Eventually they came to a clearing that was foggy and out of the storms reach.
"I believe we have out ran them." Spock said.
"They are likely jamming our sensors." Wallace said.
"True,true." Kirk said.
"And there is a good chance we are surrounded by them." Wallace said.
Kirk looked over toward Spock.
"Got any last words, kaptain?" Kirk asked.
"We should land the ship and attempt to negotiate by giving you over to them and searching for the terrorist," Spock said. "Logically, Klingons outside of your community of Klingons do not share the same respect and fondness toward you as the ones you have served." Kirk wondered, did Swarol attack the Vengeance first in the name of some one they knew to grant them entry to Sto-vor-kor? Or someone else, for that matter? Swarol had already granted T'Vell entrance to Sto-vor-kor last year. "I can only estimate Klingons do not like you."
"That makes the two of us." Wallace said.
"You are wery human, Spock, for a Wulcan." Kirk said.
"I will not sit here and be insulted." Spock said.
Kirk fought back a smirk.
"Let us land this little baby." Kirk said,revealing a small smile.
"Mr Montegrio," Spock said. "This ship is not a baby."
"Kompared to the Enterprise," Kirk said. "It is."
"I agree." Wallace said.
The sphere shaped starship with uneven edges landed on the ground with the large smooth shaped landing gear coming down. There was a thick cloud hovering above the small cargoship. Kirk was the first to get his seatbelt off with a small metal 'click' ending the temporary silence that befell the inside.
"If we don't get our exchange with you then we will get tortured, interrogated, and killed," Wallace said, warningly. "You better be that worth it."
Kirk flashed a smile.
"Wallace, I am worth two ships when it komes to making enemies and doing what is preferably right," Kirk said, pressing a few buttons at his station getting up. "You better use those redshirts-" He gestured over toward the men. The side door to the cargoship opened followed by a small metal staircase leading up. "To either fire or get the hell back to the ship and take your khances."
"Your advise has been noted." Spock said.
Of all the adventures Kirk has embarked onto, he has gone on a journey and he has found the inner captain inside. He has found the inner Captain James T. Kirk. Danger, women, going against the rules, and creatively using the prime directive at times. He got a kick out of it! It was thrilling. Fun! Kirk headed toward the doorway hearing from Wallace, "I detect Klingon cruisers surrounding us." Of course finding himself had come with challenges. Nearly getting himself killed in the process. His confidence and character had grown over the past three years. Sure he made himself some enemies. Many of the planets they had discovered were in the neutral zone along the alpha quadrant. Henry Mudd was a fateful encounter where he learned of a drug that supposedly made women 'beautiful' when in reality they were beautiful just the way they were. Kirk saw no difference. The men, however, had seen the difference and so did the women. Selling something that was harming the liver system of the women and make them become dependent? That was wrong.
Lieutenant Jeri Kotigan stopped Montegrio in his tracks. Kotigan had blue skin, brown eyes, and he lacked any assortment of hair. He had ridges along the side of his cranium that did not form the familiar center faced ridges normally seen on Klingons. He had four fingers, that felt relatively human, but otherwise felt cold. Kirk recognized Jerry as a Verhuman: a skilled fighter. His fingers had small odd dark shaped dots.
"You might need this." Kotigan said, handing the man a communicator in a language that was new to the other three men.
Kirk raised an eyebrow.
"Did we meet on Planet 44-74 Verhamu last year?" Kirk asked, in a fluent yet fluidly different language.
Jerry nodded.
"I still have the scar you gave me to save my life from a death match." Kotigan said, in the same language.
"You giwe me too much kredit." Kirk replied, shaking his free hand and put the communicator into his pocket.
"I owe you my life." Kotigan said, in his native tongue.
"You do not." Kirk said, narrowing his eyebrows.
"Good luck." Jerry said in his native tongue, stepping out of Kirk's away.
"Thank you." Kirk said, in English.
The conversation that would ensue outside would be in Klingonese. Kirk walked out of the cargoship then he pressed a button to the side of the machine making the door close behind him with a light woosh. The weather out here was contrary better than how it seemed. The wind was generally forceful in the sky. The loud cackle of the thunder storms above echoed through. Kirk walked five feet away from the cargoship with one hand on the handle to his dagger.
"Captain Montegrio." Came the hiss of Putok.
"Captain Putok." Came the icey reply as Kirk came to a stop.
"Step aside." Putok said, with a flail of his hand.
Kirk stared back at the Klingon with a birthmark on his forehead.
"Negative," Kirk replied, earning a raised eyebrow from the Klingon. "They may not be my friends but I am sure as hell willing to die for them to get a traitor who is attempting to get a war between Earth and Qo'noS. A war we do not need."
Putok stepped forward then picked up Kirk by the neck.
"Your Klingon half does not sway my hatred for your Terran ancestry. I have gone again and again facing you and your pathetic 'reformed' team of Klingons. For once I will do the universe a favor."
Kirk smiled.
A genuine smile.
The cargo ship floated into the air firing at a nearby cruiser sending the gigantic ship crashing down. The cargoship flew into the air disappearing into the clouds above.
"Don't kount on it." Kirk applied the Vulcan Nerve Pinch to the side of Putok's neck.
Putok let go of Kirk's neck collapsing to the ground. Kirk took out his dagger dodging the phaser blast that came next from the nearby Klingon. He stabbed the dagger into the Klingon's chest then used the Klingon as a body shield. Then he pushed forward the Klingon toward the following group. The third Klingon raised his dagger up lunging toward Kirk. A sudden blast from afar stopped the third Klingon dead in his tracks ending up falling forwards toward the ground. Kirk saw a man standing at a ledge wearing a hood and a canon of sorts strapped along his shoulder.
The Klingon's attention shifted immediately to the man.
The man lowered his hood revealing a hot jaw dropping man with dark hair and blue eyes that stood out (but less than Kirk's eyes did).
John. Fucking. Harrison.
At least that is what Kirk immediately assumed. There was a look of recognition in the man's eyes on the ledge almost on the dime. Some of the Klingons attention returned to Kirk. In five minutes flat most of the Klingons were dead. Kirk and Harrison were hiding behind the boulders. Kirk stared at the man long and hard, rage building up, knowing this man was responsible for the death of someone he in fact looked up to. Kirk looked over the boulder to see the Klingons were fleeing in numbers. Kirk had a sigh of relief then took out the communicator.
"Thanks for sawing my ass back there." Kirk said.
"Do they have seventy-two missiles?" Harrison asked.
"That they do." Kirk replied, taking out his communicator.
Harrison's eyes bore into Kirk.
"And you are working with them," Harrison said. "I surrender to you, unconditionally."
Kirk nodded.
Impressive, how Kirk worked with a terrorist and made him surrender.
"Who do you think I am?" Kirk asked.
"James T. Kirk," Harrison said. "Your current identity that you have assumed is by far the most . . . Lack of better words: sophisticated and well crafted. I am interested in who gave you genetic surgery. I have seen the admirable court performance you did to seal away the fate of Admiral Marcus." Kirk briefly closed his eyes. "You have met him, haven't you?" Kirk nodded. "I have very important information that your captain-"
"I am not in Star Fleet!" Kirk said.
"That your Vulcan friend will be particularly interested in," Harrison said. "Do you care about family?" Kirk nodded. "What would you do for your family?"
"Anything," Kirk said. "I would do anything." He moved a switch on the communicator. "Montegrio to Spock. Prepare to land, Mr Harrison is willing to come."
It surprised Kirk just how well he was keeping back his anger for the unrightful death of Christopher Pike.
Impressive really.
"We will be down," Spock said. "Spock out."