CH 33 DISSENSION AMONG THE RANKS
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TURBOSHAFT
"Sir we caught your daughter attempting to hijack shuttle. When we tried to stop her, she attacked. She also had John O'Neill as a possible hostage," Hyden voice hangs in the air as the men enter the turbo. Jim looks at Jack with an expression of disbelief. There is no way she could be stealing a shuttle Jim's mind reasons. First off, she has nowhere to go and second off she can't fly the damn thing. Kate is impulsive not stupid. She has to know that they would catch up with her.
"I don't buy it. That is not the way Kate works and John can take care of himself," Jack says answering Jim's concerned look. "Every time she has tried to escape, she has done it alone and on the sly. There is no way she would try to get a shuttle out of a hanger full of crew." The whole situation feels off to Jack. Yes, she tried to take him and McCoy hostage in Sick Bay but that was a purely defensive reaction. She needed to get out of Sick Bay and in theory; a hostage would have made the process simpler. The reason she got caught so easily was Kate is a defensive fighter not offensive. She could have used the lightsaber as a weapon complicating the situation dramatically. Instead, she tossed it aside to avoid hurting anyone. In every instance Kate has fought someone on the crew she only did it as a last resort. Hyden's claim she attacked them makes no sense.
"Are you sure about that?" Jim responds with a calm but deadly tone as he watches the levels descend in a blur.
"John do you have eyes on Kate," Jack asks. The entire event can be reviewed from the security monitors later, but he needs real-time information.
"Dad, Slayton has," John's voice is muffled as Slayton rips the comm badge off his son's shirt.
"Colonel your son is safe but is unclear as to the event he is witnessing. We have him secured outside the shuttle," Slayton says into his hand holding John's comm badge looking at the boy tumbling down the ramp.
"Sir I believe she was attempting to make contact with her Jedi Masters. I witnessed that and her at the controls. If she had attempted to take off she would have killed everyone in the hangar blowing the seal to space," Hyden reports.
Hearing Kirk on the comm, Kate claws at Hyden's shirt comm. If she can just grab it, she can call for help. Jim might not be the help she is looking for, but any help right now would be a good thing. Finding the edge of the device, she digs her nails into Hyden's uniform ripping the fabric and the device free. "I was...na," Kate cries out before Hyden adds enough pressure to make her stop talking.
"Have you detained her," Jim bellows hearing Kate's strangled words. He flashes a look of frustration at Jack. "Come on, come on, come on," Jim says in a low voice staring at the turbo doors. Every muscle tenses as he waits for the doors to open. If either man has laid a hand on the kids, he will rip them to shreds. As the doors open to Deck T, Jim and Jack leave the turbo at a full sprint for the shuttle hangar bay.
Inside the shuttle, Kate stops struggling as she processes Jim's question to Hyden. Her chest is on fire from the inability to breathe and Captain's words. The pain of realizing Jim's immediate response was to detain her and not ordering them to let her go hurts worse than Hyden's knee in her back. Her mind has again proved her heart wrong. Kate thought Jim cared about her, but Zala Tsu's promise that he would leave her the first chance he got has been proven true. She fights back burning tears brought on not from the pain in her body, but from the pain in her heart.
As the doors open in the shuttle bay, Jim and Jack head towards the commotion around one shuttle with long purposeful strides. Several men from the hangar crew gesture widely as they appear to be trying to board the craft. Neither man can make out specific words but the message is clear. The men from the flight deck are pissed about something. Luckily, John is not in the middle of it but safely on the outskirts as Slayton reported. Jack finds John jumping to see what is going on over the men's shoulders. At least now he can direct his attention to finding Kate.
"Hyden… Slayton stand down. Make a hole. Captain on deck," Jack's voice thunders throughout the hangar causing the shuttle crew to separate snapping to attention. As they part, the scene is worse than Jack had imagined. The reason for the mob scene at the ramp to the shuttle was Slayton holding a phaser at the men. "Dawson, Michaels, Paulson I need you in the shuttle bay hangar ASAP. This is not a drill," Jack says into his shirt comm. "Lower your weapon Lieutenant. That is an order," he barks striding up the ramp. The instant they begin to ascend the ramp, Jack sees why the hangar crew is ready to storm the shuttle and why Slayton needed a weapon. Behind him, near the cockpit, Hyden is crouching over a small figure. It takes both men a half second to see Kate is pinned to the ground under the 180-pound man. "What the hell do you think you are doing," Jack's voice thunders flying up the ramp.
"Jim," Kate squeaks out seeing her Dad and Jack entering the shuttle. For better or worse, they will make Hyden stop hurting her.
The sight of his daughter on the shuttle floor sends Jim into a blind rage. His only thought is to get to her and Lt. Alec Slayton is the first obstacle in his way. "Sir she is o," Alec says lowering the phaser. Now that the Captain is here, he will handle the crew and this freak claiming to be his daughter.
"You son of a bitch," Jim says decking Slayton. The punch sends the man into the wall as the phaser flies from his hand. "Don't you ever touch her again," Jim balls up the front of Alec's shirt slamming him hard into the shuttle wall.
With Jim handling Alec, Jack's sole mission is to get Dewitt Hyden off Kate. Once he has gotten Kate out of the shuttle, he will make sure Dimwitt pays double for every second he was hurting her. "Get the hell off her," Jack pulls Hyden to a standing position by the top of his shirt. If Kate wasn't lying face down on the deck, Jack would knock out Hyden's teeth. "I gotcha honey," Jack reaches down pulling Kate to a standing position by the elbow. She pitches forward as he lifts her. It is then that Jack realizes her hands are bound.
"You cuffed her," Jack says in a murderous tone. The sound of Jack's voice draws Jim's attention back to his daughter. Jim resists the urge to shoot Hyden on the spot seeing the beaten, worn look on her face.
"I had to restrain her sir," Hyden glares at Kate. "She was attempting to take a shuttle and no one knows what she is capable of. I was not taking any chances with the lives of the crew."
"Get these fucking cuffs off my daughter now," Jim throws Slayton into a seat as he advances on Jack and Hyden. The look in Jim's eye informs Jack his CO is not thinking clearly. As mad as he is, Jack has to calm everyone down including the Captain, which is why he pushes Kate into Jim's body. Instinctively he wrap his arms around her kissing the side of her head. Before Jim can voice the words to match his expression, Jack intervenes. He has to make Kate Jim's focus and not Hyden. When things have settled the Captain can spend all the time in the world with Hyden. "Take care of her Captain," Jack says in a steely tone pulling a magna-key from his pocket.
Jim glances at Kate who is standing between the two men looking at the ground. As much as Jim is ready to take a swing at Jack for not letting him tear the men apart responsible for this he now understands why. He needs to get Kate clear of the situation before he deals with his men. "Come here baby," Jim spins her around gently so he can undo the restraints on her wrists. Ugly red marks show where the bindings were cutting into her flesh. "They do not leave the hangar," Jim roars throwing the cuffs at Jack as he pulls Kate to his body and down the ramp. The crowd parts as Jim and Kate descend. She can feel everyone's eyes on her adding to her humiliation. The whispers and sad looks make Kate feel anxious. She feels the room spinning around her. All she wants to do is run anywhere but this place. Her eyes dart about looking for a way to escape as her pace slows. Her chest constricts and she feels like she can't breathe as Jim bends slightly to examine her. He can hear his breathing is becoming more ragged and her body stiffening. "Kate…Katie bug…baby," Jim says trying to make eye contact with her. "Look at me. Are you okay?" Not getting a response, Jim gently tilts her chin up to make her look at him. The second their eyes meet Jim knows Kate is having a panic attack.
Yanking her head back, Kate tries to bolt like a cornered animal but Jim holds her arm pulling her into a bear hug as he lowers them to the deck. He won't have her dislocating her shoulder again. She has already been though enough. "Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go," Kate hiccups each word struggling but not enough to get free. She has to run and find a place to hide but there is nowhere to go. This thought of being trapped pushes her over the edge. Her breathing turns into short raspy gasps as she begins to panic again.
"Hey, baby girl calm down," Jim says softly in her ear while kissing the side of her head. Kate starts to hyperventilate in his arms wiggling to get free. "Can we get some room," Jim says to the crowd knowing everyone around her is making the situation worse not better. Long ago, he has been where Kate is now. Crowds of people, even ones who wanted to help, only made his panic attacks worse. The crewmen working in the hangar move away but form a subtle line blocking her view of the ramp with their backs. A small whimper from Kate brings his attention back to her as she squirms to get free. "Honey you need to calm down for me. You are safe. They are not coming near you ever again. Listen to my voice and try to breathe for me okay," Jim holds her tighter to his body rocking her gently. He exaggerates his inhaling and exhaling to give Kate a rhythm to match. Slowly her raspy gasps turn into long breaths that, although shaky, mimic his breathing pattern. Kate leans her head back on his shoulder spying John. She makes him her focus as she tries to regulate her breathing. "That's it, baby. Catch your breath nice and easy for me."
Kate vaguely hears his words as she watches Samantha come rushing into the hangar. It is only then she remembered John was with her on the shuttle. She watches Sam take John in her arms, kissing his head and rocking him slowly back and forth. John may not like the public show of emotion but Kate wishes her mom was here now. The image of John and Sam makes Kate realize that the Sith took more than just her home in this mission. They took any chance of happiness for her here. No one will believe her after everything she had done. John tried to help, but in the end, he was gone from her side when she most needed help. This situation is like all the other times in Kate's life. She knows the drill. This crew will close ranks and Kate will be alone again. Her mind drifts back to the few brief seconds she was happy playing in the shuttle with John. It felt good to be silly. It felt good to be a kid but now it is gone just like John leaving with his mother. As the pneumatic doors sweep John from Kate's sight, she turns her attention to Kirk. She can tell Jim is mad by his body language and barely control tone. She just isn't sure if he is mad at her or them. Feeling Kate settle, Jim lets go of her arms to get some much-needed answers. "Kate…honey, you need to understand that no matter what happened in that shuttle, Hyden and Slayton had no right to do what they did to you." His loud, confident response fills Kate with hope. Maybe she was wrong about Kirk. She has to make at least him see the event was a horrible misunderstanding and not something malicious.
Spinning around Kate throws her body onto his chest as he strokes her hair and kisses the top of her head. She is about to explain everything but the soft shushing sound coming from his lips reminds Kate of her mom long ago on Sernpidal. Explanations can wait she decides. She closes her eyes taking all the comfort he is giving her until he runs his hand down her arm. His touch causes her to wince back in pain startling them both. Jim looks at the spot but can't see anything under her long sleeved shirt. Their eyes meet but Kate hastily lays her head back on his chest. If Jim were Han she would tell him he hurt her, but Kate keeps her mouth shut. She has no one to blame but herself for her injuries. If she fought harder in the shuttle there was a good chance she could have gotten past Hyden, but where could she have run too. It was better to take her licks and fight another day.
Jim lets the incident slide for now. As soon as Kate is calm enough, he will take her to Sick Bay. Any injuries can be treated there. There is no need to put on any more of a public show. "Walters, Becker, Skelton," Jim says in a gentle but firm tone to the three men gathered at the ramp of the shuttle. "I want to know what you saw and heard." Kate stiffens slightly as if she is scared of their response. This is not something Jim would normally do in the presence of Kate but he need his daughter to know that no matter what is said, he will not leave her side or stop holding her. He needs his words and actions to show that he will stand by her no matter what.
"We saw John and Kate enter the shuttle sir but Becker here snuck in and they were just talking. The shuttle was broke so we didn't think anything of it," Chief Walters starts the story.
"Yeah, Cap. I could see them the entire time in the cockpit through the glass. They were doing nothing but laughing and sitting in the seats," Skelton adds. "So we decided to leave them alone."
"Things were fine until those dickheads came out of the space disposal room. The caught a glimpse of the kids in the shuttle windshield and made a beeline for it," Chief Walters looks at the deck and rubs his forehead leaving a greasy smear. "I never thought they would hurt the kid's sir. I swear to God if I had known what was going to happen I would have taken on the Lt. even if it landed me in the brig."
"Then what happened," Jim nods encouraging the enlisted man to continue talking.
"We saw John come out the back of the shuttle on his ass. It was clear he was thrown and didn't fall because that kid was on his feet and running back up the ramp before he even stopped rolling," Petty Office Becker cuts in. "Walters, Skelton and I dropped what we were doing and beat our ass to the back of the shuttle. Seeing Kate on the ground we said screw rank but Slayton pulled his phaser when Walters here screamed he was going to rip his head off and shit down his neck if he didn't let Kate go." Becker's face falls slightly realizing he should have toned down his language in front of Kate. Kneeling down he turns his attention from the Captain to Kate rubbing her back. "Next time honey he had better shoot because I won't stop coming up that ramp."
"There ain't ever going to be a next time," the chief says in a deadly tone. "And you are welcome anytime in my hangar Kate. I heard you are one heck of a mechanic and Becker here could use and assistant."
As happy as Jim is his men are trying to comfort Kate, they aren't telling him anything about what went on inside the shuttle. "So what happened inside the ship," Jim asks for specifics.
"Don't know Captain. We only caught the tail end," Chief Walters admits.
"Thanks, guys. I will need you to make a statement in security later," Jim informally dismisses them. "Okay baby bug your turn," Jim says softly. "I am not going to get mad but I need to know what happened in that shuttle." Kate licks her lips and shrugs. There is no way she is going to rat out the two security men. Regardless of what Jim says, they are his crew and a Captain always backs his crew. Her silence sends off warning flags in Jim's mind. For Kate not to be spouting off the situation had to been bad. Glancing at her red wrists where the restraints were sends a hot rush of anger through his body. Working to keep a calm voice Jim tries again. "No, Kate. You can't shrug this off. I need to know what happened. Tell me your side."
"I have no side," Kate says quietly into his shirt. She has done enough to drive a wedge between the Captain and his crew. There is no way she will make it bigger. Jim is a Captain first and then a father: That is the way it was with Han and Leia, that is the way it is in the Jedi order, that is the way it will be on the Enterprise.
"Yes, you do," Jim states firmly. "I am not blindly accepting one version of the story. What were you two doing in the shuttle in the first place?
His words make her feel warm inside. Back home, everyone had a say no matter how important you were. She takes the chance he is not lying. "I..I just wanted to pretend I was flying," Kate stammers. "We were pretending to fly around Sky River. It was just a game. A stupid silly childish game that got out of hand." It is obvious to Jim that whatever occurred in the shuttle will have to come from John, Hyden and Slayton. For some reason, Kate doesn't want to talk about it which concerns Jim greatly. So far, he has not found a topic she has been afraid to talk about.
"Hey sweetheart," Uhura appears as if from thin air at their side. "Why don't you come with me? I can take you to your quarters and your Dad will be there shortly…huh." Kate closes her eyes as Uhura sweeps her hair off her face. "Bones is there," she mouths to Jim.
As usual, his senior staff is on target. "Go with Uhura, Kate. Daddy's about to make those two knuckleheads wish they never joined Starfleet," Jim says as he stands helping Kate up with him. Kate looks at him and nods walking silently out with Uhura's arm around her shoulders. His blood boils as he makes his way to the shuttle.