AN: I do not own Star Trek.
Ch. 5 - Making it Personal
"...Therefore, may I have permission to enter the neutral zone, Admiral?" Captain Kirk finished.
Admiral Mayweather sighed as he looked at the image of Captain Kirk on his view-screen and Kirk, unseen by the Admiral, clenched his hands into fists. Sulu looked at the spot normally occupied by Chekov and swallowed hard.
It had been two days. Scotty had managed to find the warp trail of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey after as he said "a wee bit of adjustments and a whole lot of luck." They had discovered the unidentified transport ship about an hour later - the other Ferengi had been found dead inside. They'd turned over their Ferengi prisoner to a Vulcan transport ship headed for Earth and now they were parked on the Starfleet side of the neutral zone. The warp trail led inside.
Admiral Mayweather looked at Kirk and asked evenly, "If I say no, will you go after Ensign Chekov anyway?"
"Uh...I...a captain should never disobey a direct order from an Admiral, sir," Kirk replied.
Uhura turned to face her consoles so that no one could see her face. Of course they'd go after Chekov. Everyone was thinking it. Orders be damned they weren't leaving him to die.
"I see," said the Admiral. He was looking at Kirk but his eyes were distant, seeing another time, another place, another ship called Enterprise. "I see, because a Captain I once knew would not hesitate to disobey a direct order if a member of his crew was in danger."
Kirk breathed deeply, but did not reply. His hands were clenched so tight at his side that his knuckles were white.
"You have permission to enter the neutral zone but stay within regulation distance of Starfleet space and do NOT enter Klingon space no matter what happens. Understood?"
Sulu let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Kirk nodded; "Understood, sir."
"Promise me, Kirk," Admiral Mayweather said sternly. "No matter what happens - no matter how many there are, how much they throw at you, no matter if your young Ensign is in Klingon territory - you will NOT go into Klingon space."
Kirk's hands tightened again but he said, "Yes, sir."
"I'm not convinced," the Admiral said. "I will make this personal, Captain. My grand-daughter is aboard you ship."
Kirk knew that. He remembered the celebration after the Nero incident. He remembered talking to a young pilot, calling her June and having her laugh and reply "Close, Captain. It's a month but April not June!" He remembered being about the flirt when the legendary Admiral had appeared and thanked him for bringing his grand-daughter home.
"Make sure she makes it through your five-year mission, Captain Kirk," Admiral Mayweather said. "Do not enter Klingon space."
The Admiral had won. And April wasn't the only grand-daughter aboard his ship; nor the only daughter, sister, wife or friend. And the Enterprise was filled with men and women whose family was watching the sky, anxious for them to come home…like George Kirk never had come. Grudgingly, Jim Kirk promised, "I will not enter enemy territory, sir."
The Admiral nodded. "Good luck, Captain."
The screen winked out and once again showed the stars of the neutral zone.
Kirk went to stand behind Sulu and put one hand on the back of the pilot's chair. "Nice and easy, Lieutenant. Follow that trail."
"Yes, sir," Sulu said. Every man and woman onboard that ship held his or her breath as they once again crossed the invisible line into the neutral zone.
A few minutes later, April switched places with Sulu as the senior officers went to have a meeting in the conference room. April's heart was beating faster with every second that passed. She was more worried about Chekov than she had ever been about anyone.
"Hold on, Pavel," she muttered quietly. "We're on our way."
"I need ideas," Kirk said. He was pacing back and forth in the senior officer's meeting room. McCoy wondered if he would wear a hole through the floor.
"We should catch up to the ship in the hour," Spock said. "Their warp trail suggests that our ship is faster than theirs."
"What if they are in Klingon territory?" Scotty asked, his arms crossed, "What happens then?"
"We lure them out," Kirk said fiercely.
"What?" McCoy said.
"You heard me, Bones."
"Are you insane? The last thing we want is to get into a game of cat and mouse with Klingons!"
"That might actually be our best chance," Uhura said. "They won't be able to resist a crippled Federation ship on the edge of their territory."
"What if they just fire on us from Klingon territory?" Scotty asked.
"We lead them out," Kirk growled.
"I, regretfully, must raise the possibility that Ensign Chekov is dead," Spock said.
There was silence for a minute and then McCoy burst out, "You green-blooded goblin! How can you even say that?!"
"He has a point, Bones," Kirk said tiredly. He threw himself into the chair and looked at his bridge crew. "Chekov might be dead. But the Klingons made this personal when they took one of our own and we have to find him. If he is..." Kirk swallowed hard and looked down. "We can't attack the Klingons, so we sure as hell have to make sure we get there while he's still alive."
Spock stood. "I have an idea, Captain."