The Vulcan's Fury glided back into realspace. They had been traveling for nearly sixteen hours to reach this remote location on the opposite side of the Bajoran Wormhole and, now, here they were. The sector of space designated as GQ-S38, catalogued by ancient Earth probes as 'Abyss'. There was little here but stars and a rogue asteroid.
Admiral Kirk stepped onto the bridge, uncomfortable with his dress uniform. The grey and white fatigues had been adopted in remembrance of the Starfleet officers who had sacrificed their lives to turn the tide in the Cardassian War, but Kirk still missed the looser, flashy uniforms they'd worn before. Unlike when McCoy had intruded on his quarters, he was composed now, hair styled and his shadow shaved clean. Still, he couldn't quite hide the anxiety and unconsciously fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.
Kirk paused briefly to take in the command bridge for the first time.
Roughly circular, as most Starfleet designs, it almost reminded him of the Miranda-class bridge. Unlike most ships, the turbolift was at the front right of the bridge. The captain's seat was in the center, with two standing stations flanking him. The helm and navigator's stations were just a couple of steps down in front of the captain, facing the viewscreen head on. Behind all of that were the three-section control and science stations, with the tactical officer's standing terminal hidden away in its own little alcove in the center. The engineering officer could sit to the captain chair's rear right, and the communications officer to his rear left.
Spock sat in the captain's chair, stiff as ever. His focus was on the viewscreen, but he inclined a subtle brow as the admiral entered. Sulu was busy with the helm controls, working to put them in an orbit of the rogue asteroid. A Vulcan female with a bouffant of dark hair sat at the navigator's station. Her stern features were betrayed by the youth in her cheeks.
Scotty had taken up residence at the engineer's station, but he appeared rather glum, absentmindedly tapping at a few buttons that only seemed to turn on or off. The automated systems rendered chief engineers a moot point, Kirk remembered, but he was certain that hadn't stopped the old Scotsman.
Kirk recognized Lieutenant Castell'uchi from the Enterprise chatting with Juvia at the tactical station. She maintained that same intense bravado that Kirk had seen in all female Andorians, a trait he both admired and found grating, and even now he could see that dangerous challenge in her eyes and playful smile. Juvia, as seemed to be the case with Bajorans, easily matched it.
Lieutenant Uhura gave Kirk a friendly smile and wave before returning to her work at the communications console.
To Spock's side, Kirk was quite chuffed to see Doctor McCoy.
A clean-shaven Doctor McCoy.
Kirk stepped up next to them, arms folded behind his back, and favoured McCoy with an amused smile and a needling silence. Spock was oblivious, but McCoy could feel Kirk's gaze. He tried to ignore it, before grunting and rolling his eyes.
"Not a damn word."
Kirk held up his hands in mock surrender, "Far be it from me to say anything, Bones."
"Admiral, it is agreeable to see you," Spock said without turning back, his fingers still steepled as he gazed out at the empty space.
Something in the Vulcan's tone caused Kirk gave him a look, "What do you mean, Spock?"
"You share the same unique parfume of Earth whiskey as Doctor McCoy does."
Kirk and McCoy shared a look. The good doctor rolled his eyes as if to say 'don't ask me'. Kirk shrugged it off.
"So, we're here on time I assume. Where is the Dominion?"
"That is what we are currently attempting to ascertain, Admiral," Spock answered, handing Kirk a padd, "Our presence was requested at these precise coordinates for the meeting. However, there are no reported ships within the system."
Kirk glanced at the padd, it was a report of readings by the ship's sensors when they had entered the area. He was about to ignore it entirely when he noticed the fluctuation in neutrino particle emissions.
"Mister Spock, I believe I can tell you where the Dominion are."
He handed the padd back to the Vulcan, "They're cloaked, and they've had us surrounded from the moment we dropped out of warp."
Spock studied the readings again, a look of agreement crossing his features. He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other.
"I concur. However, there is little we can do that would not constitute as a hostile action. Thus, we must wait until the Dominion choose to reveal themselves."
Kirk agreed with that, but he was still surprised at the relaxed position Spock was taking. As if reading his mind, Spock added, "I am attempting to appear tranquil so that the Dominion will not see me as a threat. I have read your reports on them, Admiral, and I do not wish to give off an intelligent impression."
The position looked so unnatural on Spock, and the lines around his mouth were crossed with concern. Or maybe that was discomfort, Kirk was surprised Spock could even bend enough to slouch, let alone recline. Opting not to comment on it, Kirk dismissed his smile with a shake of his head and joined McCoy and Spock in the waiting game.
Another few minutes, and the first Dominion ship decloaked.
Kirk and Juvia immediately tensed upon seeing the vessel. Their last encounters had not been pleasant, and the sight of a Dominion warship only brought grim feelings to mind.
It was shaped like a beetle. Its purple and pink energy gave shape to the otherwise grey hull. Roughly the size of a Klingon bird of prey, they were just as dangerous- perhaps even more so. The Dominion warships were unmistakable, that was for certain.
"First actual visual contact with the Dominion," McCoy commented, "And it's the old Enterprise crew who are here to do it."
"Save one, Doctor, save one," Kirk replied.
The hailing whistle sounded off, and Uhura patched it through to a visual communication. The viewscreen warbled, like the unsteady waves of turbulent seas, and replaced the warship with their first look at a Dominion representative.
Instinctively, the entire crew, save Saavik and Juvia, recoiled at the sight.
Onscreen it appeared a nightmare from the past had come back to life, but it was impossible.
Years ago, the Enterprise crew had fought off the maniac known as Krall on an isolated planet known as Altamid. A former Starfleet officer who had gone mad with vengeance and had been slowly transformed into an entirely new creature by alien technology, he had tried to destroy the Yorktown space station. He had been thwarted by the Enterprise and the scrappy but resourceful alien known as Jaylah. Yet something so similar to that twisted enemy now appeared before them.
Mottled grey skin, imposing and jagged ridges across the face, and thick, padded armour. Yet where Krall's eyes seemed to only radiate calculated rage, the creatures before them appeared eerily calm. Little teeth-like horns encircled their faces and arched back to behind their heads. A tuft of short black hair jutted from the back of their heads. Some sort of crystalline yet viscous white liquid was constantly moving via tube from their armour directly into their necks.
Despite those differences, the resemblance was nearly uncanny.
There were three of them. Somehow the angle of projection made them appear to be standing above the Vulcan's Fury bridge crew, making them even taller than they looked. The bridge behind them was well lit, and yet obscured from view.
"I am First Omekla," The center being spoke, "I represent the Dominion in these matters."
Spock swallowed his shock better than the others, and, after a moment's pause to slouch further, he stood to greet the newcomers. So much for a charade of tranquility, though, as his rigid Vulcan movements shone through the moment he stood.
"I am Captain Spock, commander of the U.S.S. Vulcan's Fury, representing the United Federation of Planets."
The aliens looked him up and down, the slightest hint of a sneer on their faces just barely hidden.
"Well met, Captain Spock," Omekla said stiffly, "I am joined by Second Goran and Third Ixt, of the Dominion."
Neither alien moved.
Kirk and McCoy stepped up beside Spock, flanking him.
"This is Admiral James T. Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy," Spock motioned to each of them respectively, "Also of the Federation."
It was easy to miss, but Kirk saw it. A flash of recognition in Omekla's eyes. It was… Admiration? Or perhaps hatred? It was gone before Kirk could analyze it, and he tried to hide the fact that he had seen it.
"We are the Jem'Hadar," Omekla announced, "We defend the Dominion in all space."
Spock didn't miss the intonation, but he did not show a response.
"The Federation comes before you today to ask for your assistance," Spock said, "We have heard great tales of your strength, and wish to offer a treaty of sorts."
Flattery and a request, the typical beginnings of any Federation diplomacy. If there was one thing Spock was, it was by the book. Omekla did not respond, so Spock continued.
"A great war has been waged upon our people, throwing our side of the galaxy into chaos. Peace can be re-established, but only with your aid. The Federation is a nation which can bring you great technological advances, economic opportunities, and a place among the galaxy, if you choose. We are also not a nation unwilling to acknowledge the infinite diversity that creates our universe, and if you do not wish to speak to us or associate with us we will honour that decision."
"You say you are at war," Omekla said, "How does the Dominion know you did not start this war?"
"The Federation is a nation focused on peaceful exploration, on gathering scientific knowledge, and expanding our understanding of reality. War is not something we take to."
"And yet your ship has heavy weapon emplacements," Omekla's armour squeaked slightly as he leaned forward, like a rubber tube being bent, "And our scans detect no less than two hundred small arms across your ship."
Spock, ever graceful, didn't even flinch.
"We do not take to war," He said, "But we will not abide the killing of friends or allies."
Omekla seemed to consider those words, and then the transmission abruptly ended.
McCoy was immediately on edge, "Well, that went great."
"Patience, Doctor," Spock replied, "The cessation of contact does not indicate failure."
McCoy rolled his eyes. Kirk leaned down to whisper in Spock's ear, as if they were still being watched by the Dominion.
"Spock," He said, "You didn't miss that little syntax error, did you?"
"I did not. Defenders and representatives are rarely mixed in pre-arranged matters."
Kirk nodded and stood back at attention, "These men are not the ones making the decisions. They likely have to go confer with the real leaders."
A heavy silence settled over the bridge, with only the soft hum of the computers and whirring of the instruments for sound. McCoy fidgeted with the edge of his sleeves, but Kirk and Spock stayed impassively still. Kirk's tactical mind was working now, the depression and anger left behind in the shadows of the previous night, attempting to discern what was going on aboard the Dominion ship. The longer he'd spent on the frontier the more he turned to his thoughts than his fists, and this Dominion presented an interesting challenge indeed.
Juvia surprised Kirk when she said his name for the second time, gesturing him over to a more private corner of the bridge.
"What do you make of it, Admiral?" She asked when they were isolated.
"It's certainly not what I expected them to look like," He answered, "They bare a startling resemblance to a mutated human we encountered years ago."
Juvia glanced back to the ship on the viewscreen, "I don't like it."
Kirk followed her gaze and said nothing for a moment, then, "Neither do I, Major. Seeing that… Thing only reminds me of the last time we encountered them."
"The monitoring station."
"Indeed."
"They had us surrounded three to one. If that Starfleet scout hadn't been wandering by, we would've really been done for."
"And even then, Captain Arex had to sacrifice himself and crew for us to escape. All we did was stumble upon one of their subspace transmitters. If they're so easily provoked, I'm surprised they agreed to this meeting at all."
Kirk stroked his chin, contemplating.
Juvia looked up at him, that same intense fire burning in her brilliant blue eyes. Her face was set with that look of determination she usually reserved for when she was about to disobey orders. Which meant Kirk could already predict her next words.
"The Karemma said we should never trust the Dominion, and just from looking at these guys I think it's all the reason we need to back out of here," She said, casting furtive looks back at the crew, "The Karemma trader we met described them as smooth, faceless beings, not these Jem'Hadar. And these guys seem way too willing to talk. Last time they wouldn't even answer our hails!"
Kirk nodded in agreement, "I know, Major. I don't trust them either, but the Federation asked us to handle this meeting in good faith. We have our orders, plus, Spock's the captain. I can't just force him to leave."
"If your orders bring us to ruin, when you knew better, then what good were they to follow in the first place?"
Kirk didn't have an answer for that one. He'd been forced into similar positions before, and while he may have carried out the orders he'd still fought and doubted them every step of the way, so why wasn't he doing the same now?
Kirk caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby monitor and found his answer.
He wasn't a good little soldier anymore. The James Kirk in the reflection was an older man now, haggard by age and experience. The cadet who rigged the Kobayashi Maru test would've done it better, smarter, now. He certainly wouldn't have been so obvious about it. The insolent officer who snuck his way onto the Enterprise would've appealed in different ways now. The young man who was stranded on Delta Vega never would have let it come to that now. All that virile cockiness of youth had faded behind his own greying hair into a slow, contemplating old man.
Orders were orders, and after a while you simply stopped questioning them. Especially when your own choices just seemed to lead to the deaths of others.
Sam, Chekov, the Enterprise…
Could he really allow himself to follow through with this? These orders from Starfleet were ridiculous at best and reprehensible at worst. The Dominion was dangerous, untrustworthy, and here he was overseeing a parlay with them. What in the hell was he doing?
Kirk looked back to Juvia and then over to Spock. Two friends he never could have imagined having, each on polar opposites of this issue- and each other. Yet he valued their opinions equally. Spock and Kirk had forged a brotherly bond through years of toil and sweat. Juvia had proved herself to him in less than a year, and her advice, confidence, and voice had been his strongest strength to lean on when those times on the frontier had gotten tough. He knew Spock's thoughts on this mission and could practically hear the Vulcan's voice reciting the orders in his head. Juvia had made her feelings clear. And yet…
"Thank you for your input, Major," He sighed, "But I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."
She blinked, incredulous.
"Admiral Kirk, you can't be-"
He held up a hand.
"I am, Major. Back to your station."
Kirk left her in the corner and resumed his spot next to Spock, waiting for the Dominion to return.
"Is everything alright, Admiral?" Spock asked.
"Yes, its fine, Captain Spock," Kirk straightened out the bottom of his uniform and left it at that.
Spock didn't pry, but McCoy, who had gone over to talk with Uhura, tossed him a look. Even if the doctor hadn't heard what they said, he'd certainly been watching their expressions. The man knew what it looked like to leave a women spurned, and he knew what Jim's stiff attempts to hide his feelings looked like.
Not comfortable with the resettling silence, Kirk spoke up.
"I hear they had you posted to the Academy."
Spock peaked a curious brow at Kirk, "Yes. I have spent two years as the leading professor of the command-track cadets."
"Hopefully no one like me waltzed into your classes, I hope," Kirk gifted his old friend with a cheeky smile.
Spock, as true a Vulcan as ever there was one, remained impassive.
"No, I did not find many cadets 'waltzing' to class. Many chose to march, or walk, or crawl in the case of the Zhadaran cadet, although he ended up transferring to engineering courses after two months."
"C'mon, Spock, you know what I meant."
"I do not. The waltz is a classical Earth dance, or the adjective with which one would describe a particularly defined walking style. Neither of which I believe I have ever seen you do, Admiral. So, I believe your hope is based on a fallacy."
Kirk licked his lips and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, at a loss for words. Sometimes Vulcans could be incredibly dense, even ones like Spock.
"I presume, Mr. Spock," Kirk said with overemphasized directness, "That you have not yet encountered a cadet who was similar to how I behaved at the Academy."
Spock nodded once in understanding.
"I see, Admiral. In that case, no, I have yet to encounter a cadet who regularly sleeps with his classmates, infects himself with an allergic reaction just to get aboard a starship, or who routinely finds exorbitant ways around both classwork and exams."
The Vulcan navigator cast a side eye back at Kirk, but quickly resumed her duties.
Kirk, meanwhile, was trying to shut Spock up, his hands raised in mock surrender as the Vulcan kept talking.
"Alright, alright, alright, Spock, yes, I understand you've made your point. I'm glad to see the Academy is back to churning out good old rule followers and strictly track-driven officers again."
"I did not say that it was, Admiral," Spock corrected, "Merely that no student has behaved similarly to your own actions."
"Oh?" Kirk asked, now desperately trying to get off the subject, "Well who has caught your attention, then?"
Kirk minded his academic history being brought up very much, especially on a bridge where everyone could overhear their conversation. He was a foolhardy young man back then, and the mistakes and choices often made him cringe out of regret now. He could've been a walking, talking stack of books on legs and instead he was the hotshot who flaunted his disdain for the Starfleet way.
His father had gotten killed following the Starfleet way, what good would it have done him to do the same?
Kirk spared a brief look around at his friends. They'd all come a long way since those days. A touch of pride hit him so strongly he had to force himself to listen to what Spock was saying. He must've looked worlds away as he turned back to conversation and replayed Spock's words in his head.
"Not many students were able to capture my true attention. I have learned through many years that there will only ever be certain exceptional captains and officers. Captain April and Pike were two men who I have yet to see the likes of again. Emulations, of course, but no true match. However, recently I believe I have found a cadet so promising I actually helped fast track her through the Academy."
Kirk was impressed, it wasn't like Spock to get so involved.
"Really? How did that come about?"
"She had been with the Academy for a year before I joined. By the time she left, suffice to say, Admiral, I have never had higher hopes for a Vulcan to carry on my legacy."
"Legacy, Spock? You, of all men, concerned with a legacy?"
Spock blinked in surprise, as if he somehow didn't realize this was shocking to his former captain.
"Of course, Admiral. Vulcans and Starfleet mix mostly through a combination of convenience and tradition, dating back to Commander T'Pol of the original Enterprise. However, very few have lived up to the same standards she set forth for good Vulcan officers in the fleet. Fewer still have managed to take and pass all the accelerated courses in the Academy and graduate early."
"That's right, you were one of the only Vulcans in the last fifty years to do so, weren't you?" Kirk asked, remembering Spock's old personnel file.
"Indeed, Admiral," Spock answered, "Most Vulcans who take to the stars prefer to remain in our own internal security or exploration fleets, as this allows them to remain distant from humans. I took to Starfleet for similar reasons, in order to escape my Vulcan heritage. I was so determined to escape it that I took every advanced course I could and graduated a year and a half prior to the rest of my class. Few have the drive, or the desire, to leave such a lasting legacy on the Starfleet."
"And, so, you wanted to find someone who could carry on that legacy for you?" Kirk asked, putting the pieces together.
Spock nodded, "Indeed. A Vulcan fasttracked through Starfleet is no common occurrence, and I intend to make their legacy greater than mine by shepherding them towards that end."
"I must admit, Spock," Kirk clapped his old friend on the back, "I never thought you had it in you. This must be one special cadet, eh?"
Spock, momentarily startled by the sudden contact, relaxed back into chair and agreed with Kirk.
"Well, who is she, Spock? You've at least got to let me meet the young lady."
"She is actually several-"
Kirk waved his words off, "Yes, yes, I know, she's probably two decades older than a hundred. I know the whole Vulcan lifespan thing. Who is she, Spock?"
"Ensign Saavik of Vulcan, sir."
Kirk nearly somersaulted backwards at the sudden appearance of the Vulcan navigator. She hadn't made so much as a scuffle on the carpet on her way over to them. It took a moment for his heart to calm back down.
She was a stern faced woman, but the innocence of youth was as permeating in her eyes as it was in all children across the cosmos. Her distinctly non-Vulcan hairstyle, long and curly, caught the older man's attention as well. Spock was right, she was different.
"Well met, Ensign," Kirk said after he swallowed the lump in his throat, instinctively reaching to shake her hand before remembering it was a bit of a taboo among Vulcans. He withdrew his hand and merely gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement, "I see you are our navigator for this voyage. Are you familiar with that role, Ensign Saavik?"
"Affirmative, sir. I excelled in stellar cartography and found the challenge reasonable enough to count it among my strengths."
She was looking directly at Kirk, but she wasn't really looking at him. A furtive look that could be construed as rapt attention masked her face. Saavik was searching him, but for what?
"Good to hear, Ensign. Although I'm not sure what good your cartography will do in uncharted space."
She didn't miss a moment, studying him and answering with ease, "The Vulcan's Fury is equipped with state-of-the-art Tellarite sensors. Utilizing them I have already charted the most optimal routes to and from the wormhole. I have also spent this time not in contact with the Dominion recording the locations of three nearby nebulas and two uninhabited dwarf planets."
"Impressive, Captain Spock was right to place his faith in you," Kirk commented, forcing her to lock eyes with him. They could not hear each other's thoughts, not without speaking them or resorting to the Vulcan mind meld, but Kirk had found you didn't need to hear thoughts to know what they were. He searched her as she did him, silently asking what it was she wanted to know. The Vulcan didn't answer, but she did cease her efforts when she recognized she was caught.
"Faith has nothing to do with it. Captain Spock simply recognized the facts laid before him, based on my academic merit and interpersonal interactions, and made the decision using those facts," Saavik said.
Kirk tossed a look back to Spock.
"Very well, back to your station, Ensign Saavik."
"Understood, Admiral."
She turned on a heel and resumed her duties. No betrayed emotion, not even the subtlest hint of her intentions. Kirk was about to ask Spock what that meant when the viewscreen warbled back to life and First Omekla re-appeared before them.
"Federation, we accept your terms," He announced gruffly, "Lead, and the Dominion will follow."
The communication ended abruptly, and the Dominion ship turned away slowly before quickly disappearing into warp speed.
"I'm tracking five other warp signatures in the area, Captain," Castell'uchi said, "They've all left the system."
Kirk and Spock simply stared at each other.
"I did not offer any terms, did I?" Spock asked bewilderedly.
"No," Kirk said slowly, "No, Spock, I don't think we did."
He turned to look out at space, at the blank patch of stars where the Dominion had just been. They'd disappeared just as they'd arrived, leaving the Vulcan's Fury conspicuously alone once more. He couldn't help but feel that Juvia was right, and a pit hard as a rock settled deep in his soul.