Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!in.100proofnews.com!in.100proofnews.com!prodigy.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newshosting.com!nx02.iad01.newshosting.com!yellow.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: <30.66feeb12.2ee14b32@aol.com> From: Istannor@Aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: New: TOS : A Higher Duty: 3/28 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 287 Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 05:55:03 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1102053303 209.198.142.218 (Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:55:03 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:55:03 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85893 X-Received-Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:56:00 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: A Higher Duty Author: Istannor Contact: Istannor@aol.com Series: TOS Rating: PG13 for violence=20 Part: 3/28=20 Codes:TOS Summary: This is set during the second 5 year voyage of the Starship=20 Chapter 3 Kirk bent over to put the last few items in his carrier for the conference on Cygni beta 1. He was looking forward to the spelunking trip afterwards, as a break from the routine of shipboard life. The information Sulu had given him showed lush mountainous forests with trees 150 to 300 feet high and caves that glowed with a rainbow of colors and were filled with fantastical rock formations. Hopefully, he'd have a chance to explore a few of them. He had already done a quick, but thorough, review of the major landmarks. He had even identified some caverns that he meant to explore that were closer to the diplomatic compound than the ones Sulu had seen. There were no large predators for him to worry about and many of the plants were edible. The water was even drinkable for short periods of time. It had an unfortunately high level of heavy metals that would become toxic over time, but he was not planning to be there that long. The conference was sponsored by the Cygnian Government, the head of one of the largest non-aligned systems. Starfleet had told him several planets had specifically asked for him to be the Starfleet representative no-one was really sure why they had=20 made the request, The latest theory was some baloney about=20 his military reputation having caused such a stir that some=20 of the representatives wanted to meet him. Another story said=20 they wanted to verify Starfleet's philosophy of peaceful exploration by seeing how far they could push him before he=20 exploded. He thought the latter was closer to being=20 accurate. So, he was suppose to go, smile, be nice, and try not to gnaw on the furniture, so he could prove he was civilized and not given to wiping out whole planetary systems. Kirk had to smile to himself over the thought that people feared him. A kid from the cornfields had a reputation as the Federations foremost military leader. He snorted,a=20 half disgusted and half bewildered sound. All he had ever wanted was to explore the stars. The only reason he fought so well was because he hated losing, especially when lives depended on his winning. Tarsus made him decide to never be on the losing side again. So, if he had to fight, he would be so good at it, his people lived, and the other side died. He sighed and thought briefly about how strangely his life had turned out compared to his expectations. At least there was an upside, and that side made it all worth it, most of the time. He put the last=20 bit of his camping equipment in the bag and closed it in=20 time to hear the cabin door open. He didn't turn; he knew who it was, "One moment,Spock, I just have one last memo=20 to do and I'll be ready to go. I'm starving. Maybe we can=20 stop and grab something first." Spock entered the cabin. He tooka relaxed stance, hands=20 clasped loosely behind him. "I am now able to detect Human=20 exaggerations and since I do not notice any evidence of=20 malnutrition, I must conclude you are stalling, not=20 starving." Spock walked over to Kirk who was now standing=20 over his desk terminal entering some last bits of data=20 into the computer. Spock knew Kirk enjoyed his Vulcan=20 sense of irony and indulged in it whenever possible. The Vulcan's relqtively new ability to accept=20 and share his emotions had been cemented,=20 after he rejected Gol, confronted V'Ger,and finally=20 found his own true self. Kirk leaned back and gave him am indulgent smile, then a look of pure mischief broke out on his face. "I have a dilemma." "And what is that dilemma, T'hy'la ?" "I'm not sure if I want to go to the conference, go get something to eat, or stay here and finish the especially brutal endgame I have planned for you. Hmm, do I eat, suffer with a bunch of diplomats, or kick your ass, what a decision." He rubbed his hands together with a dramatic=20 flourish on his face while Spock walked over to the=20 chess set and perused the board. "Indeed, and what makes you think this is the setup for a brutal endgame, as you so quaintly phrase it?" "Checkmate in three." Spock continued to look at the board. "I hardly think that will occur." His hand went to his chin, a sure sign of doubt. "Read 'em and weep," Kirk laughed, moved to stand companionably beside him, and then grabbed his own throat in a mock strangle hold. "Jim, I can call the planet and tell them your beam down will be delayed so I can convince you of the error of your ways." Spock felt his curiosity growing and he suddenly wanted to play the game to its logical conclusion. The teasing and humor he indulged in with his shield mate was satisfying, especially as he did not allow himself to engage in these displays with any other. Kirk's planned departure surged into the front of his thoughts, and he still felt a general sense of unease. Illogical fears flooded his psyche and he pushed them away. His lapse helped bring him back to reality. The mood in the cabin changed abruptly. Kirk looked at him quietly. "Stop worrying, it will be only two weeks and voila, there and back again like a damn Hobbit." A slight quirk formed on his lips. "I am a big boy after all. Sometimes, I have been known to take care of myself without either you, or that other mother hen looking over my shoulder." "You are supremely capable, Jim. I still do not have to meekly accept the fact that they want you there at the conference, not the ship. I especially do not appreciate the fact that the Cygnians are solely responsible for the conference security. It would be logical to have us provide additional assistance, even if that necessitates us doing it from outside of the system to make the Orions comfortable. It is more logical for our ship to remain in orbit, instead of the Ariadne. The Captain of the Ariadne is ... unimaginative." "Yeah, that nay be true, but he is a damn site more compliant=20 than I am. We both know the things we do have half of the=20 command staff cheering and the other half wanting to wring=20 our necks. He won't rock the boat.Paul Boudreaux is a rising=20 star and he can't ever get any face time in Command if he=20 doesn't get the key assignments. You know the game. Our=20 favorite Admiral wants this for his prot=E9g=E9 and neither=20 you nor I are on top on his list of favorites. He can always=20 say the unaligned diplomats don't want us there because=20 the Enterprise is: "the ultimate symbol of Federation=20 expansionist policy." I guess Starfleet is concerned that=20 the Romulans and the Klingons would take the Enterprise's=20 presence as undue provocation. So, I'm in and you're out,=20 my friend. You know as well as I do how touchy the unaligned=20 worlds are about their sovereignty. They just want to prove=20 they can go it alone. I bet they're counting on those=20 high-density mineral deposits on the home world discouraging=20 any mischief. Not even our sensors can fully penetrate the=20 interference, and it does make it difficult to attack=20 something when you can't target it. Anyway, they have a=20 defense shield over the whole conference; I checked it,=20 you checked it, Chekov checked it." Spock reached to touch the meld point on Kirk's face. They had matured enough to allow each other that level of intimacy. He sent through the meld all his worry that he felt for this human. Kirk allowed Spock to feel his acceptance of the unavoidable through the touch. "Please, be careful, Jim. I do not, for want of a better term, "like" this, and I must admit that I am concerned for your safety. Our link will only tell me if you are hurt. It is not a shield against trouble, unfortunately." Jim leaned back with an incredulous look on his face. "Who me? I never get into any trouble. Honest!" The look Spock gave him was so comical, Kirk couldn't help but laugh. He touched his friend's arm lightly and spoke softly. "You know I'm not trying to discount your concerns, Spock. I don't like this either, but I really don't have any grounds on which to question the assignment any more than I already have. All I can tell you is, I promise to be careful, just like always." Kirk looked up into Spock's face with a hopeful grin, only to find Spock looking at him with a stern expression. "Well, okay, how about I promise to more careful than always." The grin got larger and Kirk saw his friend's stern expression melt. "Now, come on and walk me to the transporter room, I will have to eat planet-side. The faster I leave, the faster you guys can get under way." He turned to walk away and Spock stopped him with a question. "You do have the Phaser as planned?" "Of course, Commander Spock, Sir," he saluted in amusement. Spock grimaced at him, "Very well, my Captain. Before you leave, I must inform you of something." He paused for dramatic effect. "I anticipate checkmate in two moves, and you are the one who will hear those words from me." He said this with his head tilted to the side and a Vulcan equivalent of a smirk on his face. "I believe that is what you humans call, something to remember me by." And with that he turned and walked briskly to the cabin door and picked up his friend's bag on the way. He stood briefly in the doorway waiting for Jim to review the board and heard Kirk whisper, "What the hell did I miss?" Kirk turned back to look at the Spock, and then back at the board. Kirk finally walked past him out into the corridor, but as Kirk did, he whispered through gritted teeth, "You're bluffing, revenge is sweet." "Indeed", was Spock's only reply. His smile was obvious to any that knew him. Bones met them in the transporter room. "Jim, I thought you might like this for all those lonely days down there, with those savage, wayward, diplomats." As he spoke he handed his friend a small unmarked flask. His lopsided grin was on full force. "In fact, Jim, my boy, I am thinking that you might really need this." "What is it, Bones, as if I don't already know?" He lifted the flask to his face to take off the top and take a sniff. "Oh, I wouldn't do that, Jimboy, wouldn't want those fine folks to get the wrong first impression of you, now would we? If you open that, they might mistake you for a drinking man, and that would just not do." Bones southern drawl was thick as he spoke to his best friend. "So, you go on down there and stay out of trouble, you hear, because you will not have me around to pick up the pieces." Jim's sigh of exasperation escaped audibly, "You guys are hopeless. First, you give me a bottle of illegal brandy. Then, you tell me to be careful. I really am able to take care of myself, you know." His pronouncement was met by knowing looks, "Sure you are, Jimboy", from Dr. McCoy and a quiet "Indeed' from Spock. He turned to look at both of them without a trace of annoyance, just fondness. The transporter beam shimmered around him and took him down to the surface below. Still on board the Enterprise, Dr. Leonard McCoy turned to Spock, who uncharacteristically stood watching the transporter platform. "You really are worried, Spock, and don't try to deny it, I can see the signs, Vulcan or not. What's the problem? He really is a big boy, as he likes to say." "I honestly can not isolate the source of my discomfort, Doctor. Something about this conference seems contrived to make sure that the Captain is isolated on the planet without adequate back-up." "The USS Ariadne is no slouch, Spock. Their Captain and crew are considered one of Starfleet's best, at least that is what Komack keeps saying." "Yes, you are correct, Dr. McCoy, that is what Komack says, but his motives are transparent. He wishes to supplant the Enterprise in the public eye with a more compliant Captain and crew. The simple truth, however, is that we are the best, and we are not there. I assure you I will be monitoring the situation closely." With that statement, Spock wheeled and walked towards the door. He waited for McCoy, who followed thoughtfully after him. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: