Chekov turned to Sulu again, and saw that the lieutenant was just as stunned by the Goeg’s reaction as he was. Sulu then said to Satrav, “Captain Kirk would certainly agree to the delay.”
“Captain Kirk does not command this vessel,” Satrav snapped back.
Chekov and Sulu exchanged another look. There was something surreal about the situation, trying to convince the Domain officer to undertake a rescue of his own people, and having him insist that his priority was to help the Enterprise, regardless of what the Enterprise’s officers suggested. Sulu gave him a small shrug, which Chekov took as a sign to drop the matter, and let Satrav do as he saw fit. Chekov realized there was little else they could do under the circumstances, but the idea of doing nothing rankled him.
“But if there are people left alive,” Asmar interjected tentatively, “and they were to die because—”
“Code 10,” Satrav snapped at her, and gestured to a pair of security guards who then moved from their posts at the sides of the room toward her. Asmar meekly rose from her seat, and Chekov gave her an apologetic look as he stepped back to make room for the approaching soldiers.
He was caught by surprise, though, when one of the guards, a big Rokean who stood at least half a meter taller than him, grabbed hold of the back of his collar. “Huh?” was all he could manage to say before he found himself elevated closer to the Rokean’s height.
Sulu, being similarly manhandled by the other soldier, managed to be a bit more articulate. “What are you doing? You can’t just put us off your bridge like this!” he shouted as the guards, preceded by a compliant Asmar, ushered them toward the exit.
“I cautioned you before about causing disruption of this vessel’s orderly operation,” Satrav said. He then turned away to face the main display wall again and tapped his ear-mounted communicator. “Laspas to Command Center,” Chekov heard him say before they were taken out into the corridor and the door slid closed behind them.
The toes of Chekov’s boots scraped along the deck as the guard assisted him and Sulu back up the four deck levels to the airlock. “Our captain will hear about this,” Sulu vowed the entire way back to the Enterprise. If the guards cared anything about this threat, they gave no indication. For his part, Chekov kept his mouth shut, wondering if it might have been better if he hadn’t looked so closely at the sensor data. He wondered about a people who could heartlessly turn away from a helpless, stranded ship.
They reached the security checkpoint, where the same Abesian was still on duty. “What’s happening?” he asked the guards when he saw them approaching with the Starfleet officers in tow.
“Code 10. Both of them,” the Rokean said, sounding terribly amused, as he dropped Chekov back onto his feet.
“Is that why we’re changing course?” the Abesian asked, as he held the thumbprint scanner out to Sulu.
“What?” Chekov blurted.
“We are?” asked the Rokean guard behind his back.
The Abesian nodded as he held his scanner to Chekov. “You don’t feel it?”
Chekov paused, and tried to make himself aware of the feel of the Domain ship. On the Enterprise, he could usually detect the shift in ship’s power that accompanied a change in direction or speed; apparently the same held true for the crew of this ship, too, because the Rokean was nodding now in agreement.
“Huh,” Chekov’s guard said, giving him an oddly impressed look.
“Guess you convinced Second Commander Satrav after all,” Sulu’s guard said, and then the guards pushed the Starfleet officers into the intership connecting tunnel.
* * *
“Changing course?”
Kirk stood up from his chair and stepped forward, leaning over Lieutenant Kyle’s shoulder to check the astrogation board for himself. “Are you certain it’s not just a course correction?” he asked.
“No, sir,” Kyle answered as he reviewed the data coming through the helm station.
“Sensors aren’t picking up anything that would require a correction,” Lieutenant Arex added from his position to Kyle’s right.
Kirk moved back to his chair again and hit the comm panel. “Kirk to Sulu: report.” He got no answer. “Kirk to Chekov, come in.”
Again there was no response, and Kirk looked to Uhura at her station. “Our signal is getting through,” she told him, having already anticipated his question.
“Then why aren’t they answering?” Kirk asked, more to himself than to the communications officer. “Get me Commander Laspas.”
Uhura nodded as she turned to her board, and a moment later said, “Commander Laspas is responding, sir.”
“Good. Open channel, and put him on the main screen,” Kirk said as he walked around in front of the astrogation panel and faced the image of his Domain counterpart. “What’s going on over there, Commander?” he asked before the other man could say a word. “Where are you taking my ship?”
Laspas’s eyes went wide in shock. “We’ve discovered a vessel in distress, and have initiated rescue procedures,” he told Kirk. “Your officers told Satrav you would be amenable to this.”
That stopped Kirk cold. “A rescue mission?”
“Yes, a civilian transport vessel that’s suffered a warp core breach,” Laspas said. “Under ordinary circumstances, with a vessel of this class and size, we would be severely limited in what we could do. But with the Enterprise and its resources?” The Goeg’s voice took on an unmistakably pleading tone. “James, there may be as many as two hundred and fifty people aboard that vessel . . .”
Kirk put up a hand and said, “Of course, we don’t object to undertaking a rescue mission. You offered us your help when we needed it; we’d be more than happy to do what we can for you now.”
“Thank you, James,” Laspas said, a smile of relief crossing his face.
“Where are my officers, Laspas?” Kirk asked. He knew neither Sulu nor Chekov would have signed off on a course change, even for a crisis situation, without reporting it back to the Enterprise.
Laspas’s smiling expression turned more serious. “It seems that in advocating the change of mission, they incited at least one act of insubordination amongst my crew. Satrav had to have them removed before he could brief me on the situation.”
“You had them removed?” Kirk asked, feeling his ire rise again. “We had agreed that we would have those liaisons aboard your ship as my observers and advocates at all times.”
Laspas explained, “From what Satrav tells me, they were quite impassioned, on the verge of inciting a mutiny.”
“I . . . find that difficult to believe,” Kirk answered, keeping his tone neutral.
Laspas shook his head slightly and said, “I’m certain it was simply a case of misunderstanding, and your men’s unfamiliarity with our protocols.”
The captain appreciated that the commander was attempting to appease him without expressing any doubt in the motives of his officers. But he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what the nature of this latest “miscommunication” was. “And where are Sulu and Chekov now?” he asked Laspas.
“They should be back aboard the Enterprise,” Laspas answered. “But now that the confusion has been resolved, they are welcome back aboard.”
Kirk weighed his next words carefully. “I think perhaps, for the duration of the rescue mission, it would be best if you and I were to communicate directly rather than through intermediaries. As to avoid any more miscommunication.”
“That may be for the best,” Laspas agreed. “Though I do want you to know that we are immensely grateful to Mister Chekov for his invaluable insights. You have a fine young officer in that man, James.”
“Thank you,” Kirk said neutrally as Laspas signed off. He remained where he stood, and wondered what Chekov had done to be singled out for such praise, so shortly after being ejected from the 814. There was far too much miscommunication happening of late, and Kirk worried that he and Laspas were not as immune to it as either might have thought.
“Sir?”<
br />
Kirk shook off his reverie, and turned to the navigator. “Yes, Mister Arex?”
“I’ve received the coordinates of the crippled transport from the 814,” he answered. “I’ve calculated that our arrival at the Wezonvu Repair Facility will be delayed by approximately fifty-nine hours at minimum, not including the time required for the rescue operation itself.”
“Thank you, Mister Arex,” Kirk said as he circled back around the astrogation station. “Uhura, intraship,” he said as he settled back into his chair.
She nodded as she turned to her workstation, keyed in the proper sequence of commands, and then turned back. “Go ahead, sir.”
Lifting his head toward the bridge audio receptors, Kirk said, “Attention, all personnel. This is the captain speaking. The Enterprise and the 814 have been temporarily diverted from our journey to the Goeg Domain’s repair facility in order to assist our new allies in a humanitarian mission. This will mean at least three additional days of joint operation of our two ships. Your efforts thus far during this joint mission have been noted and are greatly appreciated, and I know I can rely on each of you to continue your exemplary performance as the Enterprise helps in this rescue mission. Kirk out.”
The captain gestured to Uhura to close the channel, and as she acknowledged, Lieutenant Arex reported, “Course change completed, Captain. Now on an intercept course with the transport’s coordinates at warp four.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Kirk said, acknowledging the execution of an order he had not given, and watched the stars warp by, his ship out of his control.
* * *
Scotty felt a tap on the heel of his boot, and heard what he thought was someone saying his name. He switched off the sonic decoupler he was using and peered down to the lower opening of the Jefferies tube. “Hello?”
“Mister Scott?” he heard clearly now. “Chief N’Mi asked me to report to you.”
“Ah, yes.” Scotty climbed back down to the main engineering deck, where one of the 814’s Abesian technicians was standing waiting for him. “Lieutenant Fexil, isn’t it?”
“First Lieutenant Fexil, yes,” she said.
“Right. I heard you the other night, playing with Uhura in the rec hall,” Scotty said, giving her a smile and a wink. “Lovely performance.”
Fexil dipped her head modestly and said, “Thank you, sir.”
“So then, lass,” Scotty said as he crossed to the worktable where he had laid his open toolkit. “I was talking with your chief, telling her that, seeing as we’re going to be spending a few more days together than first planned, we could maybe get a few more of our repairs started before we lay in at your repair base.”
“That would be an efficient use of time.”
“My thinking precisely.” Scotty put the decoupler back in its appropriate cutout in the kit, and then picked up the data slate he had laid on the table beside it. “I would really like to get some people up and inside our damaged warp nacelle pylon and see just how deep those microfractures go.” He handed the slate to Fexil, and said, “I hope you don’t mind that N’Mi volunteered you.”
“Oh, no,” she answered, unable to contain a small grin. “I’m actually thrilled to have the excuse to work on the Enterprise.”
Scotty tilted his head, considering the woman and her reaction. “It’s not going to be any day at the beach, you realize.”
Fexil looked up at him, momentarily confused by his metaphor. “No, sir,” she then assured him. “I understand this is work, and I will treat it as such.”
“All right, good,” Scotty said, then added, “Though if you wish to linger here a bit after the work is done, I won’t deny you that.” Fexil’s smile returned on hearing that. “You know, lass,” Scotty continued, “I get the impression . . . and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way . . . but it seems the 814 isn’t the most pleasant place.”
Fexil reacted as if slapped. “Well, being an officer in the Defense Corps isn’t meant to be pleasurable,” she said. “It’s one of the most important jobs in the entire Goeg Domain.”
“Well, yes, of course it is,” Scotty said in response. “But still, as hard and as serious as any job is, you’ve got to be able to take some pleasure in it.”
The Abesian looked ready to dispute that, but instead said, “I’ll review these requirements, and have a duty schedule prepared before the end of this shift, sir.”
“Aye, thank you, lass,” Scotty said, dismissing her, and shook his head sadly at her retreating form before grabbing another tool from his kit and climbing back into the Jefferies tube to continue his work.
* * *
“To ensure the record is clear as to the sequence of events,” Spock said, leaning back in his chair and looking across the briefing room table to where Sulu and Chekov were seated, “when you initially pointed out the possibility of survivors to Second Commander Satrav, Mister Chekov, he opted not to investigate and to continue on to Wezonvu, is that correct?”
Ensign Chekov, sitting erect with his eyes straight ahead, responded, “Yes, sir.”
Spock shifted his gaze then to take in both men. “And you questioned his decision?”
“He was using the Enterprise as an excuse for not investigating,” Sulu said. “I felt that we had to make it clear to him that Starfleet would never prevent them from undertaking a rescue mission.”
Captain Kirk leaned forward in his own chair beside Spock. “That’s when Satrav told you, ‘Captain Kirk does not command this vessel’?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Sulu answered.
“At that point,” Spock continued, “you say there was a single member of the 814 crew who spoke in support of a diversion, prompting Satrav to eject her and you from their command center.”
“That’s correct, sir,” Sulu said. “And it wasn’t until we were almost off the ship that we found out that Commander Laspas had reversed Satrav’s decision.”
Spock nodded, satisfied that this debriefing was now complete, if not entirely satisfied with the questions that still remained unresolved. The first officer turned to Kirk, who seemed momentarily lost in thought, but caught Spock’s look and said, “Thank you, gentlemen. You’re dismissed.”
As Sulu and Chekov both stood to leave, Spock continued to observe the captain’s face, trying to get a read on whatever thoughts were currently going through his mind. Spock was once again struck by how well the typically emotional human captain was able to repress any outward indications of his mental status. “Well, Spock,” Kirk finally said once the doors had slid closed, “your thoughts?”
Spock tilted his head and said, “It would seem that Commander Laspas’s claim that Misters Sulu and Chekov were in danger of inciting mutiny was an exaggeration, at best.”
“Well, Satrav’s claim, as related by Laspas,” Kirk countered.
Spock inclined his head, acknowledging this distinction. “We’ve seen that the Domain Defense Corps is more strictly authoritarian than Starfleet. Clearly, Second Commander Satrav perceived a challenge to his authority where there was none.”
Kirk nodded, and then sighed. “I suppose misunderstandings are almost inevitable early on in any association between two different cultures. We need to find a way to minimize these problems, especially now, as we head into what is potentially a dangerous situation.”
Spock steepled his hands in front of his face as he considered his response. “Captain,” he said at length, “I would suggest that the problem we currently face is not one of misunderstanding.”
“No?” Kirk asked, raising one eyebrow.
“No, sir,” Spock said as he turned to face the captain. “Satrav did not misunderstand Sulu and Chekov; he refused to listen to them, or to accept their input as valid. This incident, as well as others, illustrate the Domain’s propensity for unilateral action, and a seeming unwillingness to engage in the type of cooperative effort we had agreed to.”
“That’s a rather broad condemnation, Spock,” Kirk said. “Don’t forget it
was a Domain officer who offered us their help in the first place.”
“My memory is intact,” Spock assured the captain. “However, we have had several instances now where the Domain crew has shown they consider our interests to be secondary to their own.”
“There are always conflicts of interest, Spock,” Kirk said. “It’s all but unavoidable. What’s important is that we’re able to resolve those conflicts peacefully and amicably.”
“The interests of individual persons or groups will inevitably be in conflict with the interests of others,” Spock allowed. “But actual conflicts can be avoided, if both parties are willing to do so.”
“Are you suggesting the Domain is not as interested in avoiding these conflicts as the Federation is?” Kirk asked.
Spock nodded. “I believe the evidence to date supports that contention.”
Kirk shook his head. “No, Spock. You’re suggesting that these people will turn on us, that we were wrong to ever trust them. The Federation was built on trust. There would be no Federation if humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites hadn’t all learned to trust each other.”
“This is true,” Spock admitted. Indeed, there had been numerous times prior to the formation of the Federation when the trust among the founding members had been severely tested. “But as one of your countrymen once advised, ‘Trusting too much to others’ care is the ruin of many.’ I am only advising that you not give them more trust than they have earned.”
The captain did not immediately say anything in response, and Spock turned and left him to the privacy of his reflections, trusting he would make the proper judgment.
* * *
Deeshal had commented more than once about the size of the Enterprise’s sickbay, but it wasn’t until McCoy visited the medical facilities aboard the 814 that he understood how drastic the difference was. “My freshman dormitory room at Old Miss was bigger than this,” he joked as he got his first look at Deeshal’s examination and emergency treatment room.
Star Trek: The Original Series: The Shocks of Adversity Page 12
