Chapter 12
The table stretched on and on, people converged at both ends. It was white. The chairs were white. The ornate ceiling of ice had lost its intrigue within the first half an hour of the meeting commencing. Jim was flanked on both sides by Spock, Uhura, McCoy, the geologist Ensign Mirans and Jim's favorite SG Buttercup. He was letting Spock and Uhura handle the meeting and was merely there for political purposes. McCoy said it was because he couldn't keep his nose out of anything.
Jim snorted at the thought. McCoy kicked him under the table. "You're the one who wanted to come down here."
"I was expecting something else…"
"A line of women to woo your every need?" McCoy rolled his eyes. "It's a treaty Jim. Not a mysterious banquet put on in our honor."
Jim looked at him pointedly. "I am not that self centered."
"Right…" McCoy glared back. They both dissolved into snorting laughter. Uhura kicked McCoy under the table.
"We're taking a break and learning about their culture," She ground out through her faked smiled. "If you two would be so kind as to do your jobs."
McCoy scowled at her while Jim looked cockily sheepish as they followed the group out of the room. Jim pulled his jacket around him and looked around the street they stepped out onto. The streets were clean and he was reminded briefly of some of the suburban area surrounding San Francisco. Except… there were no people. Jim stopped and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He furrowed his brow as he looked up towards the grey sky, snow twittering down to land on his face.
"Jim?" McCoy had stopped and turned to look at him.
"Go on without me, Bones," Jim smiled reassuringly. "I'm gonna go check out the place."
McCoy looked ready to protest when he shrugged. "Try not to get in trouble."
"Yes, mom," Jim rolled his eyes, waved over his shoulder and trotted off into the street.
"Where'd Kirk go?" Nyota whispered as McCoy caught up with the group.
"Note the time," McCoy muttered. "Jim's gone off to explore."
Coms beeped simultaneously as they all set an alarm.
Jim had gone into the closest building. He brushed his hood off his head and looked around the bar. A bar. Of course he would end up in a bar but a deserted bar was wrong. Jim raised an eyebrow as the bartender came out yelling at a young girl. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"
"There are people on the outskirts who need this," She yelled back and strapped on her coat and pack. "I am not going to sit around just because my father thinks it's within his power to control an entire planet and trick Starfleet. It's the flagship, Marty. There is no way that- What are you doing here?"
"Taking a walk," Jim said smoothly, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shrugging. "Looking for the elusive middle class of this place."
"It's too cold for us to be out this time of year," Jim raised an eyebrow at Marty the bartender.
"I may be disinterested in diplomatic matters but I do know that the Hielo people are able to withstand below freezing temperatures so…" Jim smiled charmingly at the girl's calculating look. "I'm Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise."
"Desde," The girl said and brushed past him to shut the door. "Come with me. I can't go to the main street."
"Why's that?" Jim fell into step next to her as they exited out the back door and onto a side street layered with fresh snow.
"Vardan and the General are looking for me and my special package," She patted the pack at her hip.
"Special package?" Desde stopped at the corner and looked around the snow and ice covered building. They slipped out into the small street and headed for the northern outskirts.
"It's a stimulant that helps blood flow. Specifically latching onto the blood cells and spreading oxygen faster and more effectively to the body," Desde explained. "It counteracts radiation poisoning in our people. I need to get it to the people out here."
"Why are they out here then?"
"Because they have been thrown out of the capital for exposing the corruption and threatening to hand it to Starfleet," She stopped and turned to Jim. Her mouth was open slightly with aghast bemusement. "I have no idea why I explained all of this to you."
"I have that affect on people," Jim winked. Desde rolled her eyes and began to walk onward. "So… the corruption?"
The ice and stone buildings had dissolved to rolling hills of frosty white before dipping into a caldron. Jim stopped at the slope to stare at the city nestled in the center of the crater, forgetting his unanswered question. "Wow…"
"It has that affect on people," She smiled, stopping a few steps down the incline. She turned to him, her green eyes watching him with a fiery determination. "If you want to see something head east of here."
"What kind of something?" Jim asked intrigued turning his attention to look at her. "Desde?"
She was gone. A silver figure disappearing into the whistling snow, her brown hair flaying to one side, was the last he saw of her before she disappeared down into the canyon.
"Guess I'll head east then," Jim muttered walking in the direction she had indicated. "Should have gotten her full name."
"You have no evidence but your word," Iago smiled cynically. "And even if you're word carries weight it is not enough to overthrow my entire planet's word."
Jim smirked. "We have radio transmissions between you and a third party. They talk all about staging a coupe against Vardan. Some very nice implications pertaining to Mystral as the third party. It's only-" Jim glanced at Spock. "Logical that you would seek out a head researcher to help you, Caldwell and the only way you can gain anything, Mystral is if you go to someone with enough power. Knowledge and power usually make a nice pair."
"Usually," McCoy scoffed.
"But it is yet again, your word versus ours," Mystral supplied evenly, anger resonating in her eyes.
"We've still got an ace in the hole," Jim grinned. Mystral and Iago looked at him blankly.
"It is a term used in human communication that portrays an advantage kept hidden until the most advantageous time," Spock supplied the explanation. McCoy and Jim were tempted to look at him for an eye roll with how much annoyance his voice held.
"And this… advantage…What is it?" Mystral asked mirth written into her wrinkled face. She and Iago both looked skeptical and triumphant.
Jim tapped his ear. "You got it?"
"Yeah… That Marty guy was happy to help us," Sulu said over the radio. "All the stuff we need is packed and ready for transport. We've sent the people on ahead."
"How did you do that?" Iago asked taking several steps down towards them. His face was bright with possibilities.
"Give me Desde and I'll tell you," Jim smirked challengingly.
"Iago… The ace in the hole…" She reached out for him. Iago batted her hand out of the way.
"It doesn't matter," He snapped, jabbing his finger at Jim, McCoy and Spock. "That is the thing I need to get off this planet."
"We," Mystral stood and floated towards him. "We need that to get us off this planet."
"Yes. We," Iago said carefully. He turned to his daughter. "Release her."
The shackles were almost torn from Desde's wrists and she was shoved forward, tripping on the last stair and into Spock's waiting arms. She flinched at the heat from his skin scalded her. She stood up and quickly maneuvered out of his grip. "Sorry… You're just a bit too hot to handle."
"He's taken by Uhura at any rate," Jim waved his hand in the air and leaned to the side. McCoy straightened him.
"The communications person who yells at you continually?" Desde raised an eyebrow.
"That'd be the one," Jim looked at McCoy. "I think my fever is back."
"What makes you think that?" McCoy almost snorted, muscles tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Really nasty headache,"
"Captain!" Iago demanded their attention. "Explain to me what this thing is. Now."
The whir of weapons echoed around the hall as men in army uniforms appeared and aimed at them. McCoy glared at Jim. "This better be a part of your plan, Jim."
"It'll be fine," Jim murmured. He took a step closer to Iago and Mystral, pulling them towards him like a fisherman reeling in a fish. "It's really simple. I just tap my ear and wala."
Fireflies began to swirl around them. Iago's face flushed. "Stop them! Fire!"
Mystral stared, wide eye and mouth as the fireflies spun faster and faster around them, multiplying in number. "No…"
Desde stared at her father's flustered face as he ran towards her. Fear and disbelief danced in her eyes, a relieved smile ghosting over her face as she closed them. They snapped open when a gun went off.
"No!"
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A/N: Who to shoot? Who to kill? Who to save? These are the questions. Hope you like the answer. :D I just love cliffhangars!!!!!
And i updated early! I love being able to write :D Please review! They make the world go round! Thanks for reading! :D
Iluvwind