Title: Family
Time Setting: At the end of Star Trek IV.
Codes: Kirk, McCoy and the rest of the original crew.
Summary: The crew contemplates their fate prior to the Court Martial.
Disclaimer: Star Trek and characters are Paramount's property, I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, situations, and story are the property of the
author.
Copyright 2005
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Chapter 3
With some trepidation, Commander Nyota Uhura entered the room. "Please have a seat, Commander." Admiral Webber smiled and Nyota took an immediate dislike to him. She had dealt with the leering looks of men all her life and that is exactly the way Webber was looking at her now. Uhura decided to ignore Webber and sat in front of the panel with no comment.
Webber began by asking some initial questions. "Ms. Uhura, could you tell us how many years you served with Admiral Kirk."
"We have served together, off and on since 2263, the beginning of the Enterprise's five year mission." Uhura had decided to answer any questions with the bare minimum of information.
Webber continued with his questions, "What is your impression of Admiral Kirk?"
Nyota continued to be cautious in her answers. "You will have to be more specific. Do you want my impressions of him as an individual or a Commander?"
Webber sighed as he realized Kirk's crew would not be forthcoming with the information he wanted. Webber put on what he considered his best smile and said, "Let's start with your impression of Kirk as a Commander."
"Well, I lost track of the number of times he saved our butts and pulled victory out of defeat. Is there any other Commander with a record to parallel his?" She wasn't able to keep the defensiveness out of her voice.
Webber smirked to himself, if he could get Kirk's crew angry he hoped they would tell him something he could use against Kirk. "Now, my dear, there is no reason to get upset."
Uhura felt her face beginning to burn, she took a deep breath and in her best condescending voice replied, "And, Admiral Kirk never called me, my dear. He held a great deal of respect for all of his crew and we respected him as well." She enjoyed the small victory of watching Webber's face turn red from the neck up.
Admiral Stevens jumped in with his question. "Commander Uhura, why did you think so many crew members have shown such loyalty to Admiral Kirk?"
Uhura turned to face Stevens, "Admiral, as Captain of the Enterprise, James Kirk always put his crew first. He was first to face any danger, first on away missions, and last to take shore leave."
"Sounds like a case of being a workaholic to me," stated Captain Edwards. "As a CMO on a starship, I saw more than one Captain who nearly worked himself to death."
Uhura countered with, "Admiral Kirk did not crack up but he did feel responsible for his crew. Starfleet put him in command of a ship of more than 400 people and sent him out into unexplored areas of the galaxy. We were sometimes weeks away from communication with Starfleet. We were truly alone for weeks at a time. I'm not surprised only one ship returned from that first five-year mission. The only ship to return would be the Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk."
Admiral T'San leaned forward and asked, "Why do you think the Enterprise was successful in returning from that first five-year mission?"
"Admiral Kirk is the reason we returned from the five-year mission. But, do not think he is proud or arrogant about his success? We celebrated with nonstop parties once we were three days out from Earth. While we were celebrating, the then Captain Kirk was writing letters to the families of the last two crew members who died on our last mission. I'm not sure he considered the five-year mission a success due to the many deaths we incurred. He felt he could have, should have, prevented every death." Uhura regretted saying so much as she was uncertain how the panel would use the information she provided.
Captain Edwards jumped in and said, "Taking so much responsibility on your shoulders can lead to psychological issues in some individuals."
Uhura glared at him and responded by saying, "That was never an issue with Admiral Kirk."
"I believe Admiral Kirk's recent actions may question your statement." Admiral Webber smirked to himself as he was starting to get some of the information he was after.
"I know Dr. McCoy's reputation and I'm confident he would not let a captain's mental instability go unreported," replied Captain Lewis. Uhura was grateful for his support.
Admiral T'San decided to pull the discussion back on track. "Commander Uhura, why did you choose to help Admiral Kirk defy orders?"
"I know enough about Vulcans to realize you value family and hopefully you will understand when I say there was no other choice. There are times family supercedes my duty as an officer with Starfleet. Captain Spock is a part of our family and if there was any chance he could be rescued we had to help. There is no other answer I can give you." Nyota addressed her comments to Admiral T'San and watched his face for a reaction but could not tell what he was thinking.
The room was very quiet until Admiral Webber cleared his throat and said, "That will be all Commander Uhura. Lieutenant Spears please escort the Commander to the waiting area, give us ten minutes and then we will see Commander Scott next."
Lieutenant Spears stepped forward to escort Uhura from the room. Nyota stood and paused as she considered whether she could make the board understand why they all needed to help Jim Kirk. She looked at their faces and only saw doubt or indifference. With a sigh, Uhura left the room.
Admiral Webber waited until the door closed before bringing up a subject which he hoped would put the nails in Kirk's coffin. "I think we have overlooked an area we need to explore. We need to take a look Kirk's last psych scan as well as those of the rest of his officers."
Captain Lewis leaned forward to gain eye contact with the head of Starfleet medical services. "Admiral my understanding of our orders is that we have the authority to interview Kirk and his officers only."
"Captain, we have been given the duty of determining why these officers disobeyed orders, we can explore any area needed to gain that information. I'm authorizing a look at their psych scans." Webber's tone was enough to silence the captain.
Before the Admiral could continue, Admiral T'San interrupted, "Admiral Webber, I have had considerable experience analyzing psych scans, specifically scans of star ship personnel. I will have my aide obtain the scans for my review after we are done with the interviews today. I will be ready with a report tomorrow by 0700."
Admiral Webber was not pleased as he had hoped to review the scans and put his own slant on the report. But, he could not find a legitimate reason to refuse to allow T'San to obtain the scans. He was well aware the Vulcan Admiral's qualifications surpassed those of everyone in the room. "Very well, Admiral T'San, I will look forward to hearing your report." Webber pushed the button to summon his aide. Spears entered and the Admiral ordered him to request Commander Scott's presence for the next interview.