STAR TREK: PHASE ONE
Home Coming
(Three weeks have passed since last issue…)
EARTH
The large conference room at Starfleet Command was packed. Captain James T. Kirk, in his dress uniform, sat in the center of the room and gave the most incredible mission briefing. A large monitor on the wall displayed, among other things, the encounter with the Gorn and the Romulans.
The President of the United Nations, Nathanial Churchill, a descendant of Winston Churchill no less, had also come to the briefing. The meeting was of the most top-secret variety, with the entire crew of the Enterprise quarantined from any interaction with anyone, most especially the media, until Kirk's briefing had been completed and policy had been declared.
The image on the screen froze, at the order of Colonel Pike, on the image of the Gorn. The gathered crowd murmured at the image on the screen.
"Captain Kirk," Pike said, "would please report to us what you know of this being, and your encounter with them?"
"Yes sir," Kirk said, who was flanked by McCoy to his right. Kirk was also wearing the wristband interface with the SPOCK unit as well. "That being was referred to us as a Gorn. The Enterprise came under attack by three Gorn vessels."
The President spoke next.
"Captain Kirk," Churchill said, "why did these vessels attack you?"
"No reason was given, sir," Kirk responded. "Both the Enterprise, and the Gorn ships, scanned each other. Upon our attempt at peaceful dialog, which the Gorn never responded to, we came under attack."
McCoy felt it important to add one piece of information.
"They did not attack any sensitive areas of the Enterprise. They could have, but they didn't," McCoy stated.
Pike continued, "Thank you for stating that for us, Doctor McCoy. Now, Captain Kirk, you say this being is called a Gorn; how do know who or what they are?"
Kirk took control of the images on the screen, via a remote control, and then fast forwarded to encounter with the Romulans, and then froze the screen as it first showed the image of the Romulan that Kirk had first spoken to.
"The Enterprise may or may not have been destroyed by the Gorn, in the end, we will never know," Kirk said, "but thankfully six vessels from a race called the Romulans came to our assistance and fought the Gorn off."
"Were you able to make contact with the Romulans?" The President asked.
"Yes sir," Kirk replied.
He let the scene play out on the screen.
The instant the alien's image came on the screen, Captain Kirk, and the entire bridge crew who saw it as well, knew that their known theories of humanity and history had just been obliterated. Although the alien wore a helmet over part of his head, it was clear that the alien was... human.
Even though the alien began to speak in an unfamiliar language, it was obvious to all that some of the words were not too alien as they seemed. The audio translation began seconds after the alien began to speak.
"I am Praefectus'alae Gnaeus, in command of this scouting party," the very strong voice said, "though we have shielded your vessel from attack, it would be wise for you to put as much distance between yourselves and the Gorn hunting party. To stay in the general area would be to do so at a great risk to your lives."
"I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise, we are explorers," Kirk said, "and do not wish to cause offense to either you or the Gorn. We thank you got for the assistance. But can I ask you;" Kirk added, "from what world do you hail?"
The Romulan's expression had remained stone cold the entire time.
"These matters can be discussed if future encounters are to come," The Romulan answered. "For now, I suggest you return to your star system, and to your home world called Earth."
Kirk froze the image. The entire conference room became bathed in a loud murmuring of voices as the implications of this encounter took hold.
"This is most incredible," Pike said to Kirk.
"Yes," Kirk replied. "I must add that after that conversation, I, along with Doctor McCoy and Lt. Uhura, visited a large city in space that was in orbit of the fifth planet of the star system. While there we encountered two more Romulans."
Kirk let the images move forward, and froze the screen again, this time on the incredible image of the city in space. Again the gathered audience gasped at what they saw.
"What else did you find on that city in space?" President Churchill finally asked.
"Our stay was rather brief," Kirk replied. "What we saw was a variable sea of life. At least fifty or sixty different sentient life forms walking around what essentially appeared to us to be a giant city, and more precise to where we were, a mall if you will, with hundreds if not thousands of visitors. It was there when the doctor and I encountered two more Romulans."
"How did that go?" Pike asked.
"I initiated contact with these two," Kirk continued, "because just like you are doing now, I wanted to know where they came from. They were obviously human, just as we are, and if they weren't coming from Earth, then just where were they coming from, and more importantly, were our two species related?"
"What did they tell you?" one of the Admirals, Jenkins, asked.
Jenkins was known to be the most hawkish of the Joint Chiefs.
"His answer was vague, at best," Kirk said. "He told us that we came from the same stock, and to consider them cousins."
"Seems harmless enough to me," President Churchill said.
"I must also state, Mr. President" Kirk said, "that these Romulans knew of Earth, and they knew we came from Earth. They also mentioned something about a Prime Directive that they adhered to that kept them out of our system for now. He also suggested that by traveling beyond our star system we were possibly endangering this off limits policy that they, and other species, abide by as well."
"Do you think we should curtail any missions beyond our star system?" President Churchill asked Kirk directly.
Kirk thought for a moment. Then he continued.
"No sir," Kirk replied, "I do not. I would suggest caution, but this is our neighborhood. Alpha-Centauri, in terms of the size of the galaxy, is really our backyard. The Romulans, and Gorn, have to know we can't be expected to just stay inside our star system like sequestered children. We are a race of explorers," Kirk concluded, "and space is the final frontier."
"Very poetic, Captain Kirk," President Churchill said. "But that peaceful nature of ours didn't seem to help here, did it?"
Kirk nodded. "No, it didn't," Kirk admitted.
Soon the briefing was over. Policy was voted on and the crew of the Enterprise was ordered not to discuss anything they encountered beyond the Earth system until the President made an official address to the people of the world in the days to come.
A couple hours later, James Kirk was walking through the very impressive park near the new Starfleet Academy which was located across the Golden Gate Bridge in the San Francisco. The briefing had taken place at Starfleet Command, which was also situated in the same complex. He had come to meet up with an old friend; Gary Mitchell.
Kirk followed the directions Gary had sent him, and then found Gary sitting on a bench throwing bread crumbs to a gathered flock of seagulls; all very eager to eat the bread crumbs.
"Well," Kirk said as he sat next to Gary, "I can't believe it; Captain Gary Mitchell of the USS Reliant."
"A good man died in order for me to take command of the Reliant," Gary said. "Not the way I wanted to gain command of my own ship."
"I know, but regardless, you will make a fine Captain, which is all I meant," Kirk said. "I read your report before coming over here to meet you. It is amazing that no one knew that there would have been any survivors after that laser fired upon the colony?"
"That's just it," Gary said, "they knew. They all knew, accept for us."
"What do you mean?" Kirk asked.
"Jim," Gary said, "I didn't put everything I found up there on Mars in that report. Starfleet would have you believe they didn't know there were any survivors from Khan's group. But trust me when I tell you, they did know."
Kirk sensed something different about his good friend Gary Mitchell. Gone was the youthful way in which Gary had carried himself for so many years.
Before Kirk could respond, another person sat next to the both of them: Carol Marcus.
"Carol," Kirk said with a broad smile, "what are you doing here?" Kirk asked. "Did you bring David?"
"Jim, I don't have a long time to talk, now listen;" Carol said in a nervous manner. "They took David, they took our son."
Suddenly a look of concern came over Kirk's face; and Gary's as well.
Although Gary found himself being pulled in ways he didn't want to go, and the darkness was more and more filling his soul, he still felt loyalty to his friend Kirk, and the woman who Gary had helped set Kirk up with, Carol.
"Who took our child, and why?" Kirk asked Carol.
Both Kirk, and Gary, anxiously listened to Carol tell them who took the baby. As she told them both the story, Kirk found himself becoming angrier after each of her words; Gary, internally, vowed to kill whoever it was who had kidnapped the child.
Continued…