Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!news.glorb.com!postnews2.google.com!not-for-mail From: kdj2020@msn.com (Kevin Johnston) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW TOS "STAR TREK II: THE VENGEANCE OF KHAN" 1/10 (PG) Date: 11 Aug 2004 22:09:24 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 1105 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.214.131.19 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1092287390 7975 127.0.0.1 (12 Aug 2004 05:09:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 05:09:50 +0000 (UTC) Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative:160362 X-Received-Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 22:09:54 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: "Star Trek II: The Vengeance Of Khan" Author: Kevin Johnston Series: The Original Series Rating: PG, for mild violence and language Archive: Yes for ASC Feedback: Wanted and welcomed. Author's Note: Many thanks to those responsible for the original source material- Jack B. Sowards, Harve Bennett, and Nicholas Meyer. Special thanks to the late DeForest Kelley, who, according to Bennett, had a major impact on how the film developed. And of course, thanks to Gene Roddenberry, for giving us a universe to play in. In the 23rd Century....... "Captain's Log, stardate eighty-two twenty-two. Starship Enterprise now preparing to enter sector eleven from sector twelve, on routine patrol of the Neutral Zone. Captain Saavik, commanding." The bridge of the Starship Enterprise was calm, as her crew tended to their tasks. In the center seat, Saavik, newly commissioned as successor to James T. Kirk. Half-Vulcan, half-Romulan, she knew that the eyes of Starfleet Command were upon her for this first real test of her capabilities. "Now entering sector eleven." "Thank you, Mister Sulu." Smiling in acknowledgement of her politeness, the helmsman turned in his seat just long enough to flash a look at Doctor Leonard McCoy. McCoy, standing near the rear of the bridge by the portside turbolift, smiled back at Sulu. Sensing Uhura's reaction to something, Saavik turned to face the communications officer. The older woman's finger was pressed up against her earpiece, with a look of concentration on her face. "Commander?" "Captain, I'm getting a distress signal, very weak." Saavik's face reacted to that, with a look of questioning. Was this what the mission was all about? "On speakers." "Aye, sir." Uhura moved to comply, doing so swiftly. Sound washed across the bridge, static crashing up against the words of a male voice. "This is the Kobashi Maru, seven parsecs out of Altair Six. We have struck a gravitic mine, heavy casualties and need assistance at once, life support failing." Saavik thumbed her intercom control, called out, "This is the Starship Enterprise. What is your location?" Relief flooded the voice. If there was any hope for the damaged vessel, the name Enterprise carried that hope. Static filled the air, cutting off the first few words. "----sector ten. Can you assist us, Enterprise?" "Damn." The lone word escaped Saavik's throat at a low volume, heard only by Spock at his science station. Bending over to his readings, he confirmed the news. "Vessel is in sector ten, Captain." "The Neutral Zone.", Sulu added, ominously. "Can you assist us, Enterprise?", the voice asked, near panic. "Our life support is failing. Please assist us, Enterprise." "Mister Sulu, display information on Kobashi Maru." Calling up a diagnostic of the vessel, Sulu transferred the image to the main viewscreen, where it replaced the star field. Spock picked up from there. "Vessel is third-class Neutronic Fuel Carrier. Crew of ninety-three, current passenger manifest listing two-hundred-seven passengers being evacuated from the plague at Dealis Prime." Finishing the words, Spock gazed at Saavik, waiting for her decision. Making up her mind, she took the risk. "Mister Sulu, plot an intercept course." Sulu turned to face her, voicing his concern. "May I remind the captain that if a starship enters the Neutral Zone...." "I'm aware of my responsibilites, Mister." "Aye." Turning back to his work, he brought up an image of the ship and the space around it, with a series of dotted lines projecting a course into the Neutral Zone. "ETA, two minutes at warp nine." "Engage warp speed. Kobashi Maru, this is Enterprise, two minutes from your location. Please respond." That response came quickly. "Acknowledged. Please hurry, Enterprise." "Neutral Zone barrier in thirty seconds." That, a new voice, masculine, the ship's computer, sounding a warning, as the stars reappeared on the screen. Gripping her armrest, Saavik leaned forward, unknowingly echoing the behavior of Jim Kirk. Seconds raced by as she counted them off in her head. "Warning- We have entered The Neutral Zone.", from the computer. That, followed by, "We are now in violation of treaty.", from Spock. Behind them, McCoy was hunched over a speaker, calling to Sickbay for medical teams to be ready and waiting for the injured. "Kobashi Maru, this is Enterprise, ninety seconds from your location." Saavik finished her words. waiting for an answer. This time, there was no response. Uhura, worried. "I've lost the signal." Spock, deadly calm as he added, "Three Klingon vessels, ahead, decloaking." On the screen, they shimmered into view, three deadly looking ships. "It's a trap. Mister Sulu, get us out of here." "I'll try, Captain.", the helmsman replied. "Evasive!" "Too late.", Spock said, as photon torpedo fire struck the ship hard, breaching her shields. The blast triggered an explosion at the helm, killing Sulu instantly. "Prepare to return fire." Spock transferred weapons control to his station. "Ready." "Target the lead ship, full spread of photon torpedoes." Enterprise's own torpedoes shot out, streaking away. "Miss. Second and third cruisers have broken formation and are firing." "Brace for impact!" Fire hit the ship a second time, targeting the Bridge directly. Explosions erupted to Saavik's right, killing McCoy, who fell forward to the deck, screaming in pain as he pitched forward. "Second spread, fire." "Torpedo launchers are off-line.". As he spoke, Spock turned to look at his protege, sadness in his eyes. "Fire all phaser banks." "Useless against their shields." Calling below to Engineering, Saavik hoped for a miracle. "Mister Scott, I need warp speed, now." A long sigh proceeded the engineer's words. "Sir, we're dead, in space." Saavik turned to her mentor again, imploring him for an idea, any idea. As he began to speak, another torpedo hit, and his station blew up in his face. Three of the senior officers were dead, now. Hoping for mercy from the Klingons, Saavik gave her final order. "All hands, abandon ship." A voice mingled with her words, the voice of experience. "Open her up." A set of double doors slid open, and the darkness of the dead Bridge was filled with light, surrounding a lone figure. Admiral James T. Kirk stepped out onto the "Bridge", aware that more than once, his own bridge back on the real Enterprise had almost suffered such a fate. Stepping over shards of shattered metal and plastic, with the stench of burnt insulation in his nostrils, Kirk strode to the command chair. Still seated in it, Saavik had a look of disbelief on her face. "Staying with the sinking ship, Lieutenant?" Only then did she rise and acknowledge his presence. "Recommendation, sir?" Kirk smiled, wondering if she would be one of the stubborn few who insisted on taking the test over and over, certain that they could find a way to win. He himself had been one of the stubborn ones. "Prayer, Liuetenant. The Klingons have decided to stop taking prisoners." Turning his attention to Spock, he nodded towards the younger officer next to Sulu, who had been silent throughout it all. Spock rose from his seated position on the floor, straightened his uniform as he did so. "Trainees, to the Briefing Room. MIster Scott, please have your trainees report at once, as well." "Aye, sir.". came the Scotsman's voice. Spock followed his students out, giving Kirk a quick nod of the head as he departed the simulator room. Saavik stopped briefly, as if she wanted to speak to Kirk, moved on when he gave her a look, and said, "Not now, Lieutenant." That made one down, one to go, Kirk told himself. As he moved towards the back of the "Bridge", Leonard McCoy was resting comfortably, propped up on one side. "Physician, heal thyself." Rising with a grin on his face, he asked, "What about my performance?" "I'm a Starfleet Admiral, not a drama critic." Behind him, he heard the sound of Hikaru Sulu clearing his throat. "Begging the admiral's pardon, but I am on a very tight schedule." Turning back to face Sulu, who was flanked by Uhura on the right, Kirk answered back. "She's not going anywhere without you... and by the way, thank you, both of you. I know you're busy people these days." Uhura. "You're welcome, sir, but I have to ask. Why all this? Training a new crew for the Enterprise when there's an experienced one ready to go?" "More like half a crew, Commander. With a Security Chief turned First Officer off on another ship, and a helm officer about to take command of the Fleet's newest ship...besides, galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young." That, Kirk thought, was that, and so, he stepped through the fake lift doors and out into the corridors of Starfleet Academy. Turning to look at Kirk's oldest friend, Uhura asked of McCoy, "What is that supposed to mean?" To which the good doctor could only reply, "That means he's looking for a reason to stay put where he is, and his age gives him one." And, with that, McCoy left them as well, two old friends, alone in the fake version of a place they knew and loved. "Hikaru, does that mean Scotty and I are the only ones left? Pavel, off, on Reliant, you taking over the Excelsior....the three of them here on Earth..." Sulu gave his friend a sad smile. "I'm afraid that's exactly what it means." Watching her there, amongst the shattered remains of the simulator room, he felt sorry for her. His friend seemed lost, like a daughter whose family had scattered to the winds, leaving only memories. She caught the way he was looking at her, and for his benefit, forced herself to smile. "Go. You don't want to miss your own funeral." Sulu returned the smile, thankful for her being so considerate. "You'll be there, right?", he asked. Her smile grew larger as she answered. "I've waited a long time to see Starfleet Command, give you what you deserve, Mister. I might not have the rank to grab a seat in the front row, but I will be there." Outside the simulator room, Jim Kirk walked briskly through the main corridor of Starfleet Academy. As Dean of Students, he made it a priority recognize as many faces as possible, made a point of being able to greet almost any cadet by name. Today though, he was in no mood to be the friendly face that people took for granted. The time of year worked in his favor, with almost all of the Academy's cadets already gone for the summer. The only ones left were those assigned to the Enterprise's upcoming training cruise. And with some of them already aboard ship, and the rest undergoing Spock's debriefing, the corridor was empty. Deep in thought, he nearly ran Spock over. Startled, he covered his bad mood with a quick recovery. "Aren't you dead?" As his friend arched one eyebrow up ever-so-slightly, Kirk continued speaking. "I suppose you're loitering around here, waiting to see what rating I finally wind up giving your cadets?" The eyebrow lowered as Spock replied, "I am understandably curious." Motioning to Spock to start walking with him, Kirk responded. "They blew the simulator up, and you with it." "The Kobayshi Maru test often wreaks havoc with both students and equipment. You, yourself, took the test three times, as I recall. Your final solution was, shall we say, unique." Kirk smiled tightly at that. "At least it had the virtue of never having been tried before." "Indeed. Your cadet ratings?" Jim sighed. "My cadet ratings will be posted outside my office tomorrow morning." Changing the subject then, he shifted the book he was carrying under his right arm into his left hand. "By the way, thank you for this. First-edition, no less." "I am aware of your fondness for antiques." Opening the book, Kirk read the opening lines, ones he knew by heart. " "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"...message, Spock?" Shaking his head, the Vulcan fleetingly wondered if the gift had been a bad choice. Recovering, he answered the question asked of him. "None that I am aware of, except of course, Happy Birthday." "Captain Spock, please report to shuttle launch pad. Captain Spock, please report to shuttle launch pad." The voice was female, Vulcan, crystal clear, ringing through the emptiness. "Off again?" "Yes. I must report to the Enterprise before your arrival. And you?" "Captain Sulu's command ceremony, then...home." ************************************************************** Jim Kirk relaxed in his chair, a fire warming the coolness of the night. His apartment, with its view of the bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge, lay just minutes away from Starfleet HQ,and Starfleet Academy. The ceremony for Sulu had drained what little energy he had left. Watching his protege, he knew, should have been a pleasant experience, if not exactly a happy one. Seeing him ascend to the rank of captain, and posted to command of the fleet's newest and finest ship, that should have made him happy, but again, did not. Going over it in his mind, as he eased further back in the chair, he closed his eyes... He had, to his own relief, felt happy for Hikaru, and for Hikaru's oldest friend, Nyota Uhura. She had shown up early, hoping to get a decent seat, only to find a security guard waiting for her, ready to escort her to the front row. Once there, she saw the look on Kirk's face, and knew he had saved places for each member of his former crew. Twenty minutes later, the ceremony had begun. Commander, Starfleet, once again the person of Nogura, had given a short speech about the responsibilities and rewards of command, as prelude to the main part of the ceremony. Though short in length, it made an impact on those listening to it. After finishing his speech, he strode to one side of the podium, and motioned a tech to activate the screen at the back of the stage. The vision of the new Excelsior came into view, hanging in her berth in SpaceDock One. The view panned down her hull, giving a glimpse of her nearly finished structure. Her primary hull, elongated, her connecting strut ribboned, with twin engine nacelles resting at her side. On the secondary hull, her deflector dish was dark, but her decks were lit up, as her construction crew went about their tasks. Docked on her starboard side, a travel pod was visible, and at Nogura's nod, the view changed to the interior of the pod. The front part, with its control panel mounted on a support beam, was all that could be seen in the dark. Nogura called out. "Commander Sulu?" The viewer's angle spun around, showing him standing, at the back of the pod, as the lights came on. "Admiral." "You, Commander Hikaru Sulu, of the Starship Enterprise, are hereby formally notified of Starfleet Command's intent to promote you to the rank of Captain. Furthermore, you are to be assigned command of the Starship Excelsior, NX-Two-Thousand. Do you understand the burden I am about to place on your shoulders, as well as the power you will soon wield?" "Yes, sir, I do." "Very well. Raise your right hand, and repeat after me." Sulu raised his hand, and the tiniest smile spread across his face. "I, Hikaru Sulu, do swear to uphold the Constitution of The United Federation Of Planets, and to obey the Prime Directive as laid down in that document. I also swear to uphold all rules and regulations as they are laid down by Starfleet Command." Sulu repeated, "I, Hikaru Sulu, do swear to uphold the Constitution of The United Federation Of Planets, and to obey the Prime Directive as laid down in that document. I also swear to uphold all rules and regulations as they are laid down by Starfleet Command." "I formally accept my rank of Captain, and its responsibilities." Sulu repeated that as well, softly saying, "I formally accept my rank of Captain, and its responsibilities." "Then, I hereby do,", and as the crowd watched, Sulu dematerialized, then reformed two feet in front of Nogura, as Nogura finished, "officially promote you to the rank of Captain, and to the command of the Starship Excelsior." All present rose to their feet, clapping, as Sulu made his way to the lectern. They took their seats again, as he began to speak. "Well, for someone who started out in AstroPhysics...", he began, hearing warm chuckles greet his words, "I guess this isn't too bad an outcome." Pausing, he looked everyone over, nodded to Kirk, and smiled at Uhura, then McCoy next to her..On Kirk's other side, Spock acknowledged Sulu with a slight tilt of his head, as Hikaru nodded at him. Turning around, he motioned someone to come out from behind the curtain. Montgomery Scott did so, standing at the back of the stage, near the transporter console that had been his pleasure to operate. "I think Mister Scott would just like to get back to his trainees' preparations for Admiral Kirk's inspection tomorrow." More laughter, warmer still, as Scott retreated back behind the curtain. "Speaking of which, I've been drafted to fill in at the helm, so this will be a short speech, as Admiral Kirk has set my alarm clock for oh-seven-hundred.. Seriously though, I want to thank Admiral Kirk for his wisdom over the years, and the rest of the Enterprise Bridge Crew as well, for their friendship...as regards Commander Chekov," and here, Hikaru raised his right hand as if about to take a drink, "absent friends are still remembered. I would also like to thank Admiral Nogura for his words of wisdom that he offered late last night, and finally, I want to thank Admiral Wesley for his having put up with me when I was a cadet, and, he, my instructor. I can't, for the life of me, think of anything profound to say at this time, but I will say that I pledge to do my best, and to learn from my mistakes, which is something Admiral Kirk never, ever, had to do." The laughter had died down, now returned. "I've worked hard to get here, today, and will work even harder to insure the chances of those under my command to one day stand here, as well. Thank you." Kirk opened his eyes, satisfied that it had gone well. Reaching over to his coffee table, he picked up the book Spock had given him. At the ceremony, the two had spoken only briefly, and Kirk chastised himself for the way he had treated his friend. Resolving to make it up once he was aboard the ship, he began to read. Only problem was, the damned print was too small. Placing the book in front of his face, he moved it back and forth, trying to find just the right distance. Hearing the door chime, he put the book down and walked to greet this expected visitor. "Come." It was McCoy, naturally, who had wished him a happy birthday while waiting for the ceremony to begin. He had, at first, faked ignorance of what day it was, then made a show of not having a gift. His friend, of course, saw through the whole thing, as intended. "Well, bless me, Doctor. What brings you to this neck of the woods?" "Beware Romulans bearing gifts. Mind if I come in?" Wary, Kirk nodded his assent, led "Bones" to a couch kitty-corner from the chair. Noticing a gift bag in the doctor's hands, he asked, "What have we here?" Handing the bag over, McCoy answered, "Just a little something I picked up." Reaching in, Kirk found an oddly-shaped bottle, with deep blue liquid in it. "Romulan ale is illegal in the Federation." With a shrug of his shoulders, Leonard reached for a pair of drinking glasses. "I've got a freighter that brings me in a case or two, every now and then, across the Neutral Zone. Strictly for medicinal purposes, of course." "Of course." Gingerly sipping the ale, Kirk felt its bite as he swallowed. "Well, go on, there's more." Fumbling with the bag, Jim quipped, "What have we here? Klingon aphrodisiacs?" "Sorry, not even close." Coming up with whatever the hell it was, Kirk smiled, unsure as to what it was. "It's...wonderful." "Here, give me those. See that? Glasses." "This, in my hand, is a glass." "No, eye glasses. For your vision. Normally, I prescribe Retinax Five-" "I'm allergic to Retinax." With a "there-you-go" gesture, McCoy spoke one word. "Exactly." "I don't know what to say." Sensing his friend's unease, the older man offered a joke. "You could say "Thank you'. " "Thank you." Not caring anymore about bruised egos or hurt feelings, McCoy let his anger erupt. "Damn it, Jim, other people have birthdays. Why do you expect everyone to treat yours like a goddamned funeral?" Sinking into the couch, Kirk sighed, swallowed more ale, spoke. "Don't mince words, Bones, tell me what you really think." Sitting next to him, McCoy did just that. "I think, that on your fiftieth birthday, you see life as passing you by. You're mad, because you want your ship, want to be hopping star systems, but the only chair you have is that one by the fireplace." "We all have our assigned duties." Snorting at that, "Bones" continued. "Bull. You can have any damned assignment you want. So why are you running Starfleet Academy?" "It's where I'm needed the most... Dammit, Bones, I feel old." Swirling his ale around in the glass, McCoy spoke softly, firmly. "Jim, if you really want my advice, this is it, offered as coming from your doctor and your friend. Get your command back, before you turn into part of your own antique collection. Before you really do grow old." ************************************************************************* "Ship's Log: Stardate eighty-one, ninety-one, point three. First Officer Pavel Chekov recording. We are now entering the Ceti Alpha system, enroute to the fourth planet, in our continuing search for a Project Genesis test site." Starship Reliant sailed towards her destination. One of the older Miranda-Class vessels, Reliant was small but tough. With a saucer section only, and warp nacelles trailing behind and below, she made for a difficult target when engaged in battle. With twin photon torpedo launchers placed on top of the hull on support struts, and phaser banks on the hull itself, she had the ability to strike back swiftly, as well. She bore her name proudly, with her registry number NCC-1864 emblazoned for all to see. On her Bridge, Pavel Chekov, formerly of the Enterprise, sat in the command chair. Around him, the Bridge Crew, including his former crewmate, Winston Kyle, once Enterprise Transporter Chief, now Reliant's Security Chief. At the helm, a human male called out, "Now entering orbit", as a reddish planet swam into view on the screen. As he finished the words, Chekov's mind drifted off for several long seconds. Ceti Alpha...his mind kept repeating, over and over. Ceti Alpha...the name sounded ever-so-vaguely familiar. He'd never been here before, not that he could remember. No starship had ever been here, according to the records. Only an automated probe had traversed the system, noting each world's atmospheric classification and age. Letting go of it, Pavel concentrated on why they were here, now. Moving over to the Science station, he heard the hiss of the lift doors opening, a single set of them on this ship, not two sets, as on the Enterprise. Sensing that it was his captain, he quickly began running his sensor scans, once again grateful for all the times Mister Spock had assigned him extra shifts to learn the Science station. On Reliant, everyone did double, or sometimes, even triple duty. Even Captain Terrell. Singing out, Chekov ran through the results. "Class-M atmosphere, just barely, magnetic storms in the upper part. Krayton gas...incapable of supporting life." "You're sure about that?", Terrell asked, as he took his seat. "Absolutely certain- damn!" Clarke Terrell knew that word "damn" meant trouble. Hell, trouble was all Reliant had known, for six long months, now. Moving from system to system, with no shore leave, all on a hunt for the seemingly impossible. A lifeless world. Not "lifeless" in the usual sense, as in, "no life present". No, something all together different, as in "no precursor to any form of life, or possibility thereof." They needed a planet that was deader than dead. Moving from place to place, with disappointment after disappointment, was weighing them down. Terrell had already asked for his ship to be relieved of the mission twice, and was very close to making a third request. "What is it?", he sighed. Watching as his second-in-command ran a fast diagnostic, he saw the look. "There's a minor fluctuation on one dyno-scanner." "Malfunction?" A sigh, in return. "No. I suppose it could be just a particle of pre-animate matter, caught in the matrix." "Let's get Doctor Marcus on the horn and see if that's a solveable problem." Moving in tandem to the Comm station, they waited for a middle-aged human male to make the call. "Reliant calling Regula One, please come in. Regula One, please respond." Over his head, a viewer came to life, with the image of a human female, her blonde hair cut short. She seemed out of breath, as if she had run to answer the call, and everyone present heard the tension in her voice. "This is Regula One, we read you." And all knew from that tension that the wait was getting to the scientists as badly as it was to themselves. "We may have good news, Doctor." "I'd enjoy getting it, Captain. Go ahead, please." Folding his arms, Terrell explained. "We've found what we believe to be a lifeless world, but there may be pre-animate matter present." "Pre-...where are you, now?" "Ceti Alpha Four." Nodding as if that made sense to her, Carol Marcus replied. "I remember the specs. How much matter are we talking about? Give it to me, straight." "A single particle, Doctor. Something we might be able to transplant." " "Transplant"? "Transplant"?", Marcus asked as if afraid Reliant's crew had finally gone around the proverbial bend. "Yes, move it elsewhere. If it is only pre-animate, the regs state it can be moved, right?" "I don't know about that...I suppose so, but- listen. You boys have got to be clear on this. If there's so much as a single microbe down there, the show is over . Got that?" Enthused, Terrell answered. "We understand, Doctor. I'll have a team down there in five minutes, and we'll know for sure within the hour. Reliant, out." "Regula, out." "Come on, Pavel. Let's get down there." "Sir? Permission to lead the landing party?" "Any other time, I'd say "yes", but, this is different. I can feel it, and I want to be there when we prove it. Can we beam down?" Unsure, Chekov deferred to Kyle's experience. Choosing his words carefully, the oldest of them answered. His deep voice and Australian accent echoed across the bridge. "I'd say, "maybe". If we can find a hole in the storms to punch through, and keep a lock on you, then it can be done, but I insist we send down a test object first. That's the Security Chief talking, as well as the transporter expert. Otherwise, I'd prefer Commander Chekov pilot a shuttecraft." "Fine. Have Chief Rand test it right away, and tell her we're on our way down." "Aye, sir." Five minutes later, Terrell and Chekov shimmered back into existence on a world that looked as dead as the sensors claimed it was. Swirling reddish sand blew around them, slapping against the faceplates of their enviromental suits, dirtying the clean white fabric. Silently, Chekov activated his tricorder, taking readings as it beeped. Finding what he was looking for, he pointed towards a sand dune direcctly in front of them. Finding himself tensing up for no easily explained reason, Terrell quipped, "Not exactly a prime vacation destination." Going along with the humor, Chekov replied, "This is the garden spot of Ceti Alpha Four." Smiling at that, he followed as his captain led the way. Moving slowly, the two of them stayed within less than a foot of each other. Their eyes could see no more than a few feet in any direction, and they walked cautiously. Reaching the dune, Pavel stopped, suddenly, unsure as to why he felt a sudden sense of terror.Doing his best to hide it, unbidden thoughts raced through his mind. The name of this forsaken world still sounded somehow familiar, but if he had any memories, they were beyond reach. Moving again, he kept his eyes focused on where they were going, and moving down the other side of the dune, a ship came into view. Clarke Terrell stopped to ponder whose journey amongst the stars it was that had ended here. Stating the obvious, he felt foolish, but the words were the only ones he could come up with. "They must have crashed." Chekov nodded his head in agreement as the tricorder's beeps grew louder, more insistent. His composure partially regained, Reliant's captain continued, "This is no pre-animate matter. There are people in there." Nodding again, Chekov spoke. "Human life signs, number...impossible to tell. Sir, recommend we call for a security team." "I don't see that being called for just yet. Do you?" Chekov ticked his points off on his fingers, counting as he went along, a habit learned from his days under Spock's tutelage. "One, this is a world charted decades ago. Two, there are no reports of a missing vessel being lost in this area. Three, we can then assume that when this ship disappeared, no one wanted it found." "I suppose so...look, though, you can see those are cargo containers, not a whole ship. Maybe whoever it was found themselves being stranded here, on purpose. Maybe they've been waiting for rescue all these decades. You said it was charted, but did a survey team ever actually touch down on the surface?" "Nyet. The environmental suits of the day could never have taken the pounding ours are taking right now." Satisfied with his reasoning, but wary at Chekov's use of his native Russian, Terrell nodded firmly. "How about we go in, now, and if we don't see anyone in, say, the first five minutes, we get Kyle and his people down here?" "Agreed." Chekov stepped forward, and his captain followed. Reaching the containers, their paint worn away to bare metal, the two men came to an airlock. Reaching over, Terrell gripped its lever, pulled it, surprised at how little effort the task had required. In the back of his mind, he began to wonder if the people marooned here had really been here for decades, or centuries. As the lock slid open, they walked into the space between the twin sets of doors.. Consulting his tricorder, Chekov proclaimed the presence of breathable air on the other side. Moving through the second doorway, they entered a small room that was clearly meant to serve as living quarters. Stunned into silence, both men lifted the helmets off of their heads, breathed in stale, dank, air, coughed before catching their breath. Terrell stated calmly, "This is no ordinary cargo container. Look there, a sofa, bookshelves in the corner. And an aquarium...filled with sand? You're right about one thing, Pavel. These people were marooned here by someone else. Someone who wanted them gone, but didn't want to see them dead." "The air..." "I know. Smells like a room that's been sealed up for years. Look, here." As he spoke, Terrell moved to the center of the room, where a hot plate, of all things, rested on a wooden table. On the hot plate itself, a frying pan, with bits of fried onion scattered about in the pan. "But who'd abandon them without modern technology? A hot plate...and onions, they must have a hydroponics bay for growing vegetables." Chekov, speculating, a habit that Spock had tried, without success, to break him of. "The aquarium only makes sense if you fill it with water, to raise fish. But sand?" "I know. You take a look at the books, try to get a sense of what time-frame these people are from. I'll check out the aquarium." Doing so, he came to it, noticed a pair of metal tongs resting alongside the table the aqaurium sat on. Like the first table, this one was made of wood. Leaning over and taking a look to see what the glass held, he jumped back when the sand rippled violently. "What the hell? Pavel, come get a look at this." What he did not see, behind him, was his First Officer, his face gone tense. The books were classics, all. "Moby Dick", "Paradise Unbound", the collected works of Shakespeare, in several leather-bound volumes, the Holy Bible, King James translation, amongst other works. The shelf was clean, spotless, as it someone cared a great deal about keeping the books in good condition. Running his fingers along the shelf, Chekov found a safety belt, ripped but intact. Raising it to eye-level, he whispered the words on it. "S. S. Botany Bay...Botany Bay...no", and then he screamed. "Captain, we must go, now!" Not wanting to waste so much as a second, Pavel ran over, grabbed his captain by the arm and pulled him towards the door. Reaching it, he slammed his helmet back on, as Terrell did the same. "What is it?" "No time to explain!" Slapping the comm panel buiilt into the suit, he yelled out. "Landing party to Reliant! Emergency beam-out!" When silence was the answer, he swore. "Damn! Keptain, now! Go!" The accent was thick, as it was only when Chekov felt himself to be in mortal danger, and Terrell, knowing this, ran into the space between the doors. Out, into the sand storm, Chekov and Terrell both calling the ship, still no answer came. Where he was waiting for them. Wrapped in leather and with a cloth covering his face. Chekov knew, Chekov remembered, as he slowly unwrapped the cloth from around his face. Several bedraggled figures stood around him, male and female both. They stood, quietly, and their silence scared Terrell more than anything else about all this did. The features, older, a few wrinkles, but the eyes, they were the same. "Khan." Moving towards the two men, the figure lifted his arms as if to welcome them. Peering into the younger man's eyes, the figure spoke. "I see that you remember me,and I, of course, remember you. I never forget a face.... Mister Chekov. I, of course, am touched that you remember me." Turning to his left, he studied Terrell, taking his measure of the man. Star Fleet, Khan told himself. Good enough to be one of their mighty starship captains...but no Kirk. "You, I don't know." "I'm Captain Clarke Terrell of the Starship Reliant, and I demand to know the meaning of this." Chucking softly, with no real humor, Khan swirled around, facing his people. "He demands." Turning back, he answered softly. "I would like to know why you are here, now, Captain." Bluffing, Terrell used his best poker face, the one that had won more than a few hands, over the years. "We're here on a survey mission. Strictly routine." Spitting on the ground, Khan repiled. "Don't insult my intelligence. This world is off-limits to all, by order of Star Fleet." "I'm not aware of those orders." Spitting in his enemy's face this time, Khan then swung his attention back to Chekov. "Why are you here, now? After all these years?" "Why are you here, on Ceti Alpha Four?" Khan started to lose his temper, then thought better of it. His mind racing, he asked a question. "You think this is Ceti Alpha Four, don't you?" "It is. The Enterprise left you on Ceti Alpha Three." Gripping Chekov by the arm, Khan whispered. "This, this is", raising his voice as he went, "Ceti Alpha Three. Ceti Alpha Four, my dear Mister Chekov, exploded six months after you left us here. The shock wave shifted our orbit, closer to the sun, laying waste to our newfound Paradise." Terrell, trying to regain some measure of control of events. "What are you people doing here?" Khan, perplexed, a rare sight. "You...you never told him, never told your new captain, the tale? The story of how, fifteen years ago, the U.S.S. Enterprise encountered us, lost, in space, from the late twentieth-century? How James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise, marooned us as criminals, never to check in on us, or our safety?" "Pavel, what the hell is he talking about?" Chevov's words were measured, solemn. "It's true, Keptain. The Enterprise rescued the S.S.Botany Bay, launched from Earth, in secrecy. We saved their lives, welcomed them into our time. But Mister Spock found out the truth, how they were criminals who fled. They were-" An interruption. "We were better than the others. We tried to build a better tomorrow." And then, Chekov spit, on the ground. Forcing his fear down, he found his accent dropped away. "We made our own tomorrow, without you. Captain Kirk treated you with kindness, and you returned it with hatred. You tried to steal his ship, tried to kill him." The calmness that came from Khan as he replied, worried both officers. "My dear captain, Mister Chekov speaks from emotion. I do not. What you see before you is what's left of the ship's company and crew, of the S.S.Botany Bay. We departed Earth after the so-called Eugenics Wars, which we were part of. We were, simply, the losers." "I don't know what to make of this. Pavel has never told me any of this, and I''ve never even met Admiral Kirk." "Admiral...Admiral...", the word rolled around in his mouth, as Khan Noonien Singh let that sink in. "Yes, Admiral Kirk." "Promotion, no doubt for valiant deeds, such as he performed on us. I will ask again, Captain, but one more time. Why are you here?" "Go to hell.", Terrell answered. Swiftly, without warning, Khan lifted Chekov by the seal of his suit, raised him off the ground, as if about to toss him like a sack of potatoes. Despite his best efforts, Pavel could not stop himself from showing the fear he felt. Gazing into Khan's eyes, he knew that something very basic about him had changed. Once confident in all things, Khan was now unsure of himself, though his people clearly did not know that. Lowering Chekov back to the ground, he spoke, again. "When our sister world exploded, this world became a wasteland, and only the fact of my superior intellect saved us...those of us who survived the first few weeks." Motioning four of his people forward, Khan led them back into the living area. "You seemed quite curious about the aquarium, Captain Terrell. Please, let me educate you." Removing his gloves, slowly, Khan then grabbed the tongs, dropped their end into the sand. Ripples played across the surface, as before. Suddenly, an ugly small creature emerged and Khan grabbed hold of it. "Please, allow me to introduce you to Ceti Alpha Four's only indigenous life form. This is a Ceti eel, and before the destruction, they prayed upon other animals. When their prey was removed from the ecosystem, they turned on us." Violently, he pulled the eel out of the tank, ignoring the closeness of its pincers. "The adult is harmless, its young,are anything but." Turning the eel on its side, he pulled two tiny creatures from its underside, dropped them into a metal mixing bowl. Almost absent-mindedly, he went on with his words. "They killed twenty of my people, including my beloved wife." Pavel Chekov gasped at that. While he had barely known Liuetenant Marla McGivers, he had, thought of her as someone who, in dreams come true, could be the love of his life. "At first, they are relatively benign." Somehow knowing where Khan was going with this, Chekov began to strugfle, hoping against hope to break free. As Khan's people shoved he and his captain forward, Terrell played a card that had no value. "You people, I can get you off of this world, to somewhere safer." Dismissively waving his hand, Khan went on. "Captain, these men and women swore to stand with me, almost three hundred years before you were born. Now, as I was saying, they enter their victim through the ear, working their way to the brain. When they reach it, they wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex, causing a most exquisite pain. As they grow, madness follows, then death. There is a benefit, though. Before the madness comes, the victim is quite unable to control his or her own will, and are quite receptive to, shall we say, suggestion." The four lifted the helmets off, handed them to their leader. Khan gently lowered the infant eels down, as if feeling their confusion, their pain. Placing one in each helmet, he handed one helmet to one of his men. The other helmet, he continued to hold as he nodded, and watched Chekov be forced to his knees. Terrell, as he had said,he did not know, but Chekov, he knew, and Chekov he wished to punish, personally. He noted with little surprise that neither Star Fleet officer begged for mercy. Lowering the helmet, he placed it on Chekov's head, as he bade his man to do so to Terrell. "Now, Joachim." Both men were on their knees, and the abject terror in their eyes pleased their captor. The universe, Khan believed, did sometimes offer second chances, and today, he had been granted his. As the infant eels crawled across human flesh, blindly sensing their way to the ears, both men began to sob. Reaching the ear canal, both eels slithered inside, and both men screamed from the depths of their souls. Seconds later, both were still crying, but as they lost their own will, gazed up at Khan, waiting for his next words. "There, much better. Now, you will tell me. Why are you here, and where may I find James T. Kirk?" NewMessage: Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!news.glorb.com!postnews2.google.com!not-for-mail From: kdj2020@msn.com (Kevin Johnston) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW TOS 2/10 "THE VENGEANCE OF KHAN" (PG) Date: 22 Aug 2004 23:47:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 952 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 4.140.231.188 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1093243674 18843 127.0.0.1 (23 Aug 2004 06:47:54 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 06:47:54 +0000 (UTC) Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative:160533 X-Received-Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 23:47:59 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) TITLE: Star Trek II: The Vengeance of Khan AUTHOR: Kevin Johnston SERIES: The Original Series RATING: PG, for mild violence and language ARCHIVE: Yes for ASC FEEDBACK: Wanted and welcomed at all times. As he began reading the third chapter of his book, Jim Kirk reclined back in the right rear seat of his personal shuttlepod. Earth lay beneath he and his companions, Sulu, and Uhura in the front seats, McCoy seated next to Kirk. As they came up on Spacedock One, a smile formed on Hikaru's face. Sensing his former officer's excitement, Kirk put the book down as he spoke. "Dying to take a detour?" The smile widened, as Exceslior's master replied, "Absolutely." Stretching out as he continued the conversation, Kirk went on. "I know the feeling. When Komack gave me the orders for Enterprise, I almost died waiting to step aboard." "But, you'd been on the ship, before, hadn't you?", Uhura asked. "Years earlier, when I was assigned to assist with the Vulcanian Expedition, under Captain Pike's command. But, that was diferent." Smiling as he remembered, Kirk turned to his right, where the Enterprise would soon be visible. "That was about a year after Spock and I met when he attended a seminar I gave at the academy." McCoy, with his own memories of that mission. "And you dragged me along, convinced that I had something to contribute." "As I recall, you did, by the time it was all over." "I remember, now,", Uhura put in, "I was on duty on the Lexington's Bridge, when Captain Wesley gave Enterprise her orders." Sulu, with his own remembrances of Bob Wesley. "Before that, it was Commander Wesley, and he taught advanced command theory. He was the one to convince me to take any assignment aboard a good ship, just to get my foot in the door." Thoughts of times past flowed through each of their minds, until Kirk returned them to the present. "Well, I for one, am glad you agreed to take the helm for the next two weeks. I don't think these kids know how to steer." Kirk delivered the words, deadpan, but smiled broadly as he did so. "My pleasure, sir. Even with my own ship waiting, I'll take any chance to go aboard the Enterprise." The exchange between the two men added to the lightness of the general mood, and McCoy wondered if Kirk's change of mood was real, or a show, put on for the benefit of the others. Resolving to corner Jim at his first chance, "Bones" relaxed back in his seat, as he spoke. "Never mind the helm, I'm glad Chapel agreed to help out in Sickbay. These so-called doctors that Starfleet Medical keeps turning out may know how to work the newest gadgets, but I'd bet a month's pay none of them can perform the kind of medicine Chris and I can." The other three smiled, at that, as the latticed framework of a work bay came into view. Angling the shuttle pod up slightly, Sulu deftly moved it into position. Entering the structure from the rear, he slowed the pod down, dimmed the interior lights, letting the banks of lights on both sides of the bay shine into the pod. Doing her part, Uhura signalled the ship. "Enterprise, this is Admiral Kirk's shuttle, on final approach. Request permission to dock?" Saavik's voice answered back, "Permission granted. Enterprise welcomes you. Port docking bay is ready for your arrival." Four sets of eyes watched, as the great ship came into view, her hangar doors lit up, red and green running lights dimmed. The words "U.S.S. ENTERPRISE- NCC-1701", were inscribed under the doors, backlit in white. As they passed the hangar deck, rows of interior lights on the secondary hull flashed by. Sulu spun the shuttle pod around, with the rear coming to face the docking port. Easing in with a gentle hand on the thrusters, he cut them as he heard the clang of the docking ring meeting the pod's own ring. As air pressure equalized between the pod and the ship, Kirk stood, and the others rose. On the other side of the door, Spock stood, his trainees assembled behind him. Nodding to Scott, he motioned the ensign next to him to stand ready. "Now, Mister Scott." The ensign lifted a bosun's whistle to his mouth, blew as the admiral and his party stepped through the entryway. "Attention.", the ensign boomed as he dropped the whistle back to his side. Eighty young men and women stood to, motionless, as their captain stepped forward. "Permission to come aboard?", Kirk intoned, as he handed his book to Uhura. Spock came as close to smiling as decorum permitted, answered. "Granted, Admiral, and welcome aboard. I believe you know my trainees. Certainly, they have come to know you." Kirk moved towards them, looking them over, and finding Saavik in the front row, glanced at her as he quipped, "Yes. We've been through death, and life, together." Moving towards Scott, he looked the engineer over. Feeling a twinge of guilt at how little he knew of Scott's recent personal life outside of Starfleet, Kirk spoke. "Mister Scott, you old spacedog. You're well?" Scott coughed nervously before answering the question. "I had a wee bit of something, but Doctor McCoy pulled me through." Confused, Kirk turned to the physician. "Wee bit of what?" McCoy glanced at Montgomery before responding, saw from the look in his eyes that he did not want the admiral to be aware of how close a call it had been. "Shore leave.", he answered. "I see.", though he clearly did not. Spock, taking the situation in hand. "Admiral, if you'll be so kind as to proceed, as we are due to launch within the hour." "Of course, Captain. Mister Scott, are you ready for me to give the Engineering Room a good once-over?" "Ye'll find all in order,sir." Grinning, Kirk talked as he walked, headed for the turbolift at the end of the corridor. "Mister Scott, that'll be a pleasant surprise." Spock took a few seconds to compose himself for the benefit of his crew. In his most normal voice, he intoned, "Dismissed." As the trainees moved away in twos and threes, Spock waited where he was, waiting for Saavik to approach him as he knew she would. Letting her speak first, he noted that she spoke in Romulan, something she did only when ill at ease. "He's never what I expect him to be." "How so, Saavik-kam?" Saavik was proud to hear him use the Romulan suffix for "sister", as she was indeed, Sarek and Amanda's adopted daughter. She answered, "He's so...human", pronouncing the last word "koman". Spock repressed a smile as he replied. "No one is perfect, Saavik-kam." Leaving her standing there,as she was still bemused at Kirk's behavior, Spock moved towards the end of the corridor, and the lift. His mind on many things far more important, he nonetheless put his conscious efforts into making final preparations for departure. ******************************************************************************** "Landing party, please respond. Captain Terrell, Commander Chekov, come in, please." Worried, almost frantic, Winston Kyle held down the command chair on Reliant's bridge, speaking into the intercom panel on the chair's right arm. At the Science station, Lieutenant Winter stood, having shifted over from the Communications station. Shaking his head, he continued to stare at his sensor readings, as he addressed Kyle. "We still have the transporter lock. I say we beam them up, now." "I don't know...it's only been just under an hour." "And the captain said to give him just that long, before taking action." A shake of the head, and an answer. "Let's give them a little longer. Ten more minutes." Winter nodded his assent, as Kyle began to call out, again. "Landing party, please respond. Captain Terrell, Commander Chekov, come in, please." ******************************************************************************** Enterprise Main Engineering, dusted and cleaned to within an inch of its life. Commander Scott, proud of the trainees under his tutelage. Mingled in with the dozen trainees wearing duty uniforms, white with maroon trim, similiar to environmental suits but less bulky, and without the helmets, were as many cadets, wearing standard uniforms. The absence of rank pins on their sleeves did not lessen their excitement at being selected to fill out the crew roster for the soon-to-begin voyage. Equipment noises filled the silence, as they watched Kirk move around the chamber, intently studying here and there. Reaching into his breast pocket, he removed a white cloth. Stunned, the trainees and cadets, watched as he actually placed the cloth on the Emergency Power console, to see if he could find any dust. Reaching the end of the console's edge, he lifted the cloth, inspected it, satisfied to see it still spotless. Studying the cadet behind the console, he pulled his glasses from the pocket, unfolded them, placed them on his face. Peering at the instrument readings, he noted with satisfaction that they were exactly as they should be. Speaking, he startled the cadet, who flinched just a tiny bit. "Mister Scott, who do we have here?" Beaming with pride, Scott moved the few paces between them, answered. " 'Tis my sister's youngest." Lifting his gaze to the younster, Kirk addressed him directly. "And your name, cadet?" "Peter Preston, sir!" "Mister Preston, I see that these readings are in order. Tell me, when was the last time emergency power was called upon?" Sure of himself, Preston quickly replied, "Twenty-two months ago, sir." Enjoying the exchange, Kirk went on. "Mister Preston, do you have any idea how many times I've called Engineering from the Bridge, desperately needing emergency power?" "No, sir." "More times than I care to remember. I'm glad to see that if I should find myself in need of it, I can count on you." Without warning, Kirk moved swiftly towards a service lift,leaving Preston still stunned. Speaking as he went, he addressed Scott, putting on a show for the benefit of the youngsters. "Mister Scott, are your engines up to a minor training cruise?" Knowing the expected answer, Scott provided it. "Ready to go, Admiral !" "Make it so, Mister Scott." Moving to catch up with him, McCoy, who had been standing silently, waiting to see how his own trainees would handle the stress of Kirk's visit, called out. "Admiral, what about the rest of the inspection?" As the lift, enclosed in glass, began its upward ascent, Kirk made a slashing gesture across his throat, and mouthed a single word. "Later." Half an hour later, Kirk stepped out of the portside turbolift. It was Saavik who noticed first, called out, "Admiral on the Bridge!" "At ease, people." Swinging around in the center seat, Spock gazed upon his friend and commanding officer. Cutting through the silence that fell, the sounds of crew members checking in with each other. Their words came fast, each sentence following the other almost immediately, to where only an experienced Comm Officer coold possibly hope to make sense of it all. "Aux power availabilty confirmed- flux intercoolers ready- life support ready- weapon systems and shields ready-" Spock's voice drowned the rush of words out. "Admiral." "Captain. I see we're ready to go?" "Indeed. Commander Uhura, please signal flight control that we are requesting final departure clearance." "Aye, sir." As she spoke,Spock stood and approached Saavik, at Navigation, next to Sulu at the helm. Placing one hand on her right shoulder, he asked, "Liuetenant, have you ever commanded a starshiip out of dock?" "No, sir.", she answered. Allowing himself a small grin, Spock spoke again. "For everything, there is a first time, Lieutenant. Wouldn't you agree, Admiral?" Uneasy but not wanting to let it show, Kirk nodded quickly. Gesturing towards the captain's chair, Spock motioned Saavik to take it. Looking for all the world like an uncle who has just witnessed his brother turn over the car keys to his niece, Kirk tensed up. Behind him, and to his right, McCoy whispered softly. "Would you like a tranquilizer?" Quickly shaking his head "no", Kirk forced himselt to a state of calmness. "Take her out, Mister Saavik.", Spock finished, as his protege eased into the chair. No-nonsense, Saavik looked at Sulu. "Helm, thrusters at one-quarter power." "One-quarter, aye." As Sulu slid the control up in its slot, the great starship began to move forward, controlled energy lighting up the thruster ports on the rear of the saucer section. As they glowed reddish-orange, Enterprise gained momentum. "Clearing dock in fifteen seconds.", Sulu reported. All waited, as the ship continued its departure. "We are free and clear." "Increase to one-half on thrusters." "One-half, aye." The work bay fell behind them, as Enterprise sailed over the planet Earth, continents racing by below them. Reaching the point of orbital departure, Saavik yielded the chair back to her captain. "Thrusters holding us in orbit. Heading, sir?", Hikaru asked. Glancing at Kirk, Spock saw him shrug his shoulders. Smiling, the Vulcan intoned, "You may indulge yourself, Mister Sulu." Smiling in return, he answered, "Aye, sir." Enterprise accelerated to full impulse, leaving Earth behind her. ******************************************************************************** "There, that's the last of it." The words came from a human male, in his late twenties, seated at a computer station, as a display flashed "Memory Download Completed." Shutting the screen off, he continued speaking. "And if you think we can cram in any more data, think again." "Then next time, we'll design a bigger storage system." "Assuming there is a next time." He was exchanging banter with Carol Marcus, who stood over his right shoulder, backing away as he stood up. "Oh, trust me, there will be a next time." Moving in tandem down a corridor to an open circular room, Carol went on. "Teaming up with me for bridge tonight?" The question was a ritual one, one she asked every Wednesday night. Expecting his usual quick answer of "Yes.", she stopped when he failed to answer. "What is it?" Troubled, he answered, knowing she would consider his concerns unfounded. "It's just, now that we're almost done...what we're doing has the potential to do a lot of harm." Breathing deeply, his mother considered her words carefully before going ahead with them. "I know, but we don't even know that Genesis is going to work." Shaking his head, her son responded, "Oh, it's going to work, all right. And when it does, you'll be remembered along with Einstein, Cochrane-" Interrupting, she joked, "Great- I can't even get any respect from my own son." "Seriously, though, Genesis could easily be perverted into a terrible weapon. That boy scout you used to hang around-" "Listen, kiddo. Jim Kirk was many things, but he was never, a boy scout." Resuming their short walk, they entered the main lab area. Work stations ringed the circular edges of the lab, with a comm station in the middle of the room. A Deltan male moved towards them, motioning for the elder Marcus' attention. "Doctor Marcus, it's the Starship Reliant, calling." "Thank you, Jedda.", she answered, moving towards the comm station. Sitting down, she touched the response button, spoke. "Reliant, this is Regula One, we read you." Seeing the smile on Commander Chekov's face, she smiled back, feeling uneasy as she did so, and not knowing why. "Good news, Doctor. Ceti Alpha Four checks out." Cheers of joy rang out through the lab area, as Marcus motioned for silence, they died down. "I'm glad to hear that, Commander. We can have Genesis ready for testing in two weeks." "Is Genesis close to being ready for final programming?" Not liking the direction the conversation was taking, Marcus stalled. "Close, yes, but naturally, I'd prefer to finish final lab testing before we finish the programming sequence." "Good, then you can have Genesis ready when we arrive." "When you arrive?" "We are enroute to your location, Doctor, and will arrive in three days." Enraged, but controlling herself, Marcus responded. "Enroute?" Chekov's smile weakened, and Carol knew that something was dreadfully wrong. "We will arrive in three days, and take possession of all Project Genesis materials." "Like hell.", Jedda said, in the background, as the younger Marcus reached out, proclaiming, "Shut him down, Mother.", as he turned the screen off. "Quiet, everyone.", Carol said as she reactivated it. "Commander Chekov, this is highly irregular. Are your orders confirned?" "The order is confirmed, Doctor. I am sorry but...", Chekov trailed off, waiting for her next words. "Who gave the order?", asked as her voice raised with each word. Smiling more convincingly, Chekov answered her. "The order comes from Admiral Kirk." Taking precious seconds to digest that news, Carol Marcus decided to bluff. "I will not turn over so much as a single page of notes, Commander." "The order is confirmed. We will arrive in three days. Reliant, out." As the screen went dark on Reliant's bridge, Khan reached out, gripped Chekov's shoulder. Behind him, Terrell still held the center seat, Khan's way of humiliating him. "Well done, Pavel...well done." Moving to the helm, Khan then placed the same hand on his friend's shoulder. "Joachim, set course. Make our speed to arrive in two days." "Yes, my lord." Reliant slid out of orbit, sped up, and leapt for the stars. Regula One exploded into emotional overload, as its staff tried to deal with their worst nightmare. Letting them run on for well over a minute, Carol Marcus gathered her thoughts before rising to her feet, and they quieted down. "All right, people. Options?" No shock to any of them, that David spoke first. "Tell them to go to hell." "I meant something of a more practical nature." "Well, seeing as how I've been warning you about this from day one, I do have one suggestion." Accepting his anger, she waited for him to continue, as he stood behind her, his arms folded. "Yes?" "Destroy it all. The torpedo, every page of notes, all of it, before Starfleet uses it as the perfect solution to dealing with the Klingons." Letting her own anger show, Carol retorted, "That is not a valid interpretation of these events, and you know it. Starfleet has kept the peace with the Science Council for over a century. If Captain Terrell's decided to go rogue, you can not blame all of Starfleet for his actions." Knowing when to step in between them, Jedda did so, literally, coming to stand in front of Carol. "That may be so, but there's no denying the timing is dead on. With everyone gone for the holidays, there are what? Eight of us, the core staff?" Cooling down as she listened, Carol admitted he was right, with a nod of her head. "Well, we know there's no way our deflector shields will stand up to a starship's phasers, so, we need to plan. Jedda, double-check Reliant's soonest possible time of arrival. David, take everyone else and block off every bit of data in the computers. Find some way to keep it intact, but inaccessable, even to us. Reliant's Science Officer is probably someone not too experienced. We'll worry about recovering everything after this is over." Jedda nodded as she finished her words, let her son speak for the rest of them. "And you?" Taking in a deep breath, Carol spoke as calmly as she could manage, even smiling a tiny bit, for their benefit. "I'm going in search of my favorite Boy Scout." ******************************************************************************** Leaning against the wall for old time's sake, James T. Kirk spoke a single word. "Bridge." Feeling the lift move sideways, then upward, Kirk was mildly surprised when it stopped. The lift was coded for the personal use of senior officers only. Doors slid open, he saw it was Saavik, and he remembered that she was designated as First Officer for the duration of the training cruise. Motioning her in, he tried to disregard the perfume she was wearing, failed. Silence fell as she stepped in, spoke. "Recreation deck." Moving sideways again, and downward, the lift went on its way, as Kirk broke the quiet. "Lieutenant,are you wearing your hair differently?" Twisting one of the braids, she answered, "It's still regulation, Admiral." "Of course." Seeing her uneasiness, Kirk called out, "Stop." As the lift did just that, Kirk looked at the younger officer. "What's on your mind, Mister Saavik?" Fidgeting just enough to be noticeable, she responded plainly. "The Kobashi Maru. I received a final grade of ninety-two." "That's right. Are you considering exercising your option to take the test again?" "No, sir, I am not." Surprised again, Kirk asked, "Then how can I help you, Lieutanent?" "The test. It is unfair." Sensing where she was about to go with that, Kirk offered, "The Klingons' weapons, the weakness of Enterprise's shields..." "Precisely. The conditions of the test were unrealistic." Nodding his head in agreement, Kirk waited until she was finished. "That's the point. The test isn't designed to test your command capabilities. It's designed to test your character." "And my character was worthy of a grade of only ninety-two?" Feeling the need to assert his authority, Kirk answered, "I haven't given you permission to speak freely, Mister." "May I, Admiral?" Taking in a breath, Kirk nodded. "You may, but, listen to me for just a moment. Your grade reflected your hesitation." "Sir?" "You hesitated to fire weapons, just a few seconds too many. And, you hesitated when it became clear that you needed to give the "abandon ship" order. I don't have a problem with your tactical skills, but I do have one with your belief that you're not ever going to run into a no-win situation." "A situation which any commander may face, eventually." Nodding again, Kirk led her along the path he knew she must take, if she ever was to succeed him. "That's the standard line, but have you ever really thought about it?" "No, sir, I do not believe so." "How we face death is just as important as how we face life. Have you ever considered, that, Lieutenant?" "As I said a moment, ago, sir, I have not." "Then you have something new to think about." Kirk let that sink in before commanding the lift, "Resume." Seconds later, hearing her hold in a breath, he knew she still had more to say. "Something else on your mind, Lieutenant?" "The test. May I ask how you handled it?" Feeling the lift begin to slow down, Kirk decided to temper his earlier words with a bit of levity. "You may ask." His words fell flat, and he laughed, nervously. "That was a joke, Liuetenant." Concentration showed itself on Saavik's face as she answered her superior officer. "Humor. It is a difficult concept." "We learn by doing." Before Kirk could say any more, she stepped out onto the deck, where Leonard McCoy stood, arms folded. "Who's been holding up the damn elevator?" "Doctor.", Saavik said, as she passed him. Stepping in, McCoy glanced at her backside as the doors slid shut. The scent of her perfume lingered in the air, and he took a guess that his friend had been, in spite of his position, intrigued by Saavik's sexuality. "She change her hair?", asked, his eyes glancing towards the doors. "Hadn't noticed." "Mmm-hmm. Wonderful stuff, that Romulan ale." "How so?" "Every time I wake up hung-over from it, I remember why I drink it about only once every year or so." Before Kirk could respond to that, McCoy spoke again, a single word. "Sickbay." As the lift changed direction yet again, Kirk tried to supress his impatience, failed. "Something wrong, Admiral?", McCoy questioned. "I'm trying to get to the Bridge, but I keep getting sidetracked." "Sorry." Waving the apology off, Kirk smiled before speaking again. "Satisfied with the performance of your trainees?" "Yes, I can honestly say that I am. You didn't rattle them one bit, you know, with the white glove routine." "Mmm-hmm. Still, I had to try." "Naturally. Headed for the Bridge...any reason in particular?" "Just checking in on Spock's trainees. I've been dropping in on them every few hours, since we left dock." "Which was, what, a day and a half ago?" Leonard McCoy knew perfecty well how much time had passed since their departure, and both men were aware of the fact. "Something like that." They were tap-dancing around the real issue, and McCoy was tired of it. "You're just making it worse on yourself, you know." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Bull. You're trying to pretend nothing's changed, when you know it has. Tell me, Admiral, is this your last trip into space? " Kirk ignored the question, as the lift moved on. "Stop.", McCoy commanded, and the lift stopped, as it had when Kirk had given the same order. "It is, isn't it? You're making the most of this training cruise because you don't ever expect to go out into space, ever again." "Resume.", Kirk ordered, and the lift obeyed. "Damn it, Jim-" "Bridge to Admiral Kirk." "I'm here, Uhura." "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's an incoming transmission for you." "From where?" Confusion, evident in Nyota's voice, as she answered her former captain's question. "It's from the lab facility at Regula One, sir. It's Carol Marcus." Seeing the look on McCoy's face at hearing that name, Kirk answered back quickly, "I'll take it in my quarters." "Aye, sir." "Well, it never rains but it pours...". McCoy let his words die out, as he saw the look on his friend's face. Kirk reached out to the controls, stopped the lift manually, responded to McCoy as he stepped out onto the deck. "You, of all people, should appreciate the danger of reopening old wounds." "Sorry.", McCoy answered, knowing the apology was to be unheard. Almost racing to his cabin, Kirk slid through the doorway, headed for the large comm console at the rear of the room. This was the captain's quarters, but Spock had remained in his old cabin when he took command, leaving Kirk's room for Kirk. Little had changed since he had last occupied it on a regular basis, save for the comm unit, placed there so that he could reach anyone he might need to, on a direct line. Powering it up, the screen resolved itself into a grainy picture of Carol Marcus, clearly agitated about something serious. Kirk sat, staring at her. "Carol, I'm here." Peering into her own viewer, Marcus concentrated, unsure if what she was seeing was real, or faked. "Jim, is that you?", she called out, hoping. She had had no idea of her former lover's whereabouts, had tried calling Starfleet Command without success, had then asked Jedda to run sensor sweeps of the sector, hoping to find any starship other than Reliant. Upon his having located the Enterprise, she had thanked the universe. If anyone could clear this mess up, he was the one. "I'm here, Carol.", Jim repeated. Static covered her words as she spoke. "Why are you taking Genesis?", she demanded. Her words chilled Kirk's soul, terrified him. "Taking Genesis?" "Jim, did you give the order? Tell me the truth, please.", she implored of him. "What order?" "Damn it Jim, they told me they're taking Genesis, on your order. You don't have that authority." Raising his voice, hoping to cut through the noise, he spoke as he clearly as he could. "No one has that authority! Carol-" "Jim, please, help me. I will not allow anyone to take Genesis!" As she spoke, the static worsened, and Kirk, by habit, raised himself from his seat, putting all his energy into his words. "Carol, who's taking Genesis?" The static filled the screen, as Uhura cut in over it. "Sir, I've lost the signal. It seems to be jammed, at the source." Kirk pounded the comm unit with one fist, as he answered her. "Uhura, get me a priority channel to Headquarters. I want to talk to Starfleet Command." Worried, Uhura answered back, "Aye, sir, on the double." Five minutes later, Kirk signalled for entry into Spock's quarters. The Vulcan's voice came through the intercom next to the door. "Come." Entering the room, Kirk's eyes adjusted to the darkness, broken only by the dim light of dying embers in the meditation firepot. Still clad in his meditation robe, black with white trim, Spock rose from the floor, unclasping his hands as he did so. "We have a problem.", Kirk stated, wasting no time. "Of what nature?" Moving further into the cabin, Jim sat on a corner of a stone bench, looking his friend in the eyes. "Trouble at Regula One." Steepling his fingers together, Enterprise's captain spoke, his tone of voice level, calm. "If memory serves, Regula One is a civilian lab facility, under control of the Federation Science Council." "Memory serves correctly. Starfleet Command wants us to investigate. I told them all we have is a boatload of children, but we're the closest ship...". As his voice faded, Kirk debated whether or not to tell Spock the whole story. Not for lack of trust, but for Spock's own safety. If someone really was trying to steal Genesis, Spock could not be tortured for information he did not possess. Waiting, patiently, the Vulcan watched emotions play over his friend's face. "Regula One is working on a highly classified project, one which needs to be kept safe at any cost." "Indeed. You will, of course, be assuming command." It was statement, not question, yet Kirk waved it off, trying to play the seriousness of things down. "It may be nothing. A garbled transmission-" Interrupting, Spock smiled, knowing the display of emotion would remain private between them. "You need not fear bruising my ego, Admiral. I command the Enterprise as one who teaches, but, if we are to go on active duty, you are far more suited to command the ship." Sighing with relief, Kirk began to move towards the door, Spock's next words stopping him where he stood. "Were I to invoke logic, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Yet, I need not invoke logic, for you know that this is your place, still." Turning back to face Spock, Kirk waited, knowing more words were to follow. "If I may be so bold as to speak my mind, it was illogical of you to surrender your command, to once again accept promotion." "I won't presume to debate you on matters of logic." "That is most wise. Commanding a starship is your first, best, destiny. Anything else is a waste of your talents, and your experience." "I...", and as Kirk realized he had no answer for what had just been said, he exited the room. Spock beside him, silent as they made their way to the Bridge, he thought about it, trying to find words to express his feelings, and still failing. ******************************************************************************* NewMessage: