Title: [Star Trek] These Are the Continuing Voyages of the USS Enterprise
Author: RX_Sith
Fandom: Star Trek 2009 and Beyond
Characters: All of the crew of the Enterprise and more
Genre: Action, humor, and bromance
Summary: The Enterprise crew that was created with the Kelvin timeline continues its voyages of discovering strange new worlds and boldly going where no one has gone before.
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, but I can still at least kick the doors.
A/N: This will be more than a retelling of certain episodes, stories and ideas from both TOS and the movies with now the Star Trek 2009 crew as altered by the timeline.
Also: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha will be collaborating with me in this story as well. Her contributions I will not count towards my word count.
Also: This will continue the thread that I started almost 10 years ago: https://boards.theforce.net/threads...s-of-the-uss-enterprise-updated-1-3.31162307/ To Boldly Go: The Continuing Adventures of the USS Enterprise
Also: For the https://boards.theforce.net/threads...-colors-—sign-up-now-through-jan-31.50053036/ WIPuary! Challenge


***
The Corbomite Bluff

"Part 1: Contact with the Unknown

"One degree to overlap, "Spock stated as the USS Enterprise maneuvered into position, "Stand by to photograph. Now."

"We've been out here three days," Lieutenant Bailey complained, "Other ships must have already made star maps of this area of space."

"Negative, Mr. Bailey," Spock explained, "No one else has ever made it out this far."

"Contact with an object, sir," Sulu interjected, "It's moving towards us at an incredible amount of speed. No visual yet."

"Deflectors on full intensity," Spock ordered.

"It's coming at us too fast!" Sulu exclaimed.

"Collision course!" Bailey shouted.

"Evasive maneuvers," Spock calmly interjected trying to calm his crew on the Bridge, "Mr. Sulu."

"The object is changing its course to match ours," Sulu openly worried, "It keeps coming at us."

"I cannot contact the vessel," Uhura reported, having attempted hails as soon as the object came into typical range.


"Thank you, Lieutenant." Spock acknowledged, knowing she would continue to send greeting hails.

"It's going to collide with us!" Bailey shouted urgently, "Deflectors are not stopping it!"

"Sound Red Alert," Spock ordered his crew, again trying to calm their nerves.

"It's slowing," Sulu reported.

"Countermand Red Alert," Spock answered, "All engines full stop."

"Visual contact with it," Bailey stated nervously.

Spock said, "Ahead slow. Steer around it, Mr. Sulu."

"It's blocking us!" Bailey exclaimed, "It's not going to let us go any further!"

"Quite unnecessary to constantly keep raising your voice, Mr. Bailey," Spock once again tried to calm his over-anxious Lieutenant, "All engines stop. Order Red Alert."

Sulu complied, speaking via the shipwide intercom, "Bridge to all decks! Red Alert. All decks, red alert. Captain Kirk to the Bridge."

Captain's Log: Star Date 1512.2. On our third day of star mapping, an unexplained cubical object has blocked our vessel's path. On the Bridge, Mr. Spock immediately ordered Red Alert. My location, Sickbay for a quarterly physical checkup.

"Just a few seconds more, Jim," McCoy stated as he was monitoring Captain Kirk's physical checkup progress.

The Captain continued to pump some foot pedals extending from the wall. "Just a few more seconds, eh."

"That's a boy," McCoy encouraged him, "I bet you could wrestle the ears off a Gundark in your current condition." (McCoy noticed the Red Alert opposite the direction Kirk was facing).

"A what?" Kirk openly complained, "I swear, Bones, that you will be the death of me."

"Stop whining," McCoy patted him on his head, "There, there, don't you feel better now."

Kirk got up and saw the Red Alert light flashing. "Care to explain, Bones?"

"If I stopped a physical every time that light flashed, I would never complete them," Bones stated boldly.

"Bridge. What is happening?"

"Have a look, Captain," Spock showed him the cubical object, "It's some kind of device blocking our way."

"For what purpose?" Kirk wondered.

"Unknown, Captain," Spock reported.

"I'll be right up," Kirk stated, "As for you Bones, if you ever blatantly ignore to inform me of a Red Alert in the future, I'll have you Court Martialed, you hear me?"

"In a bird's eye," Bones boldly stated, "You never would do that and you know it."

The Red Alert continued to flash in the corridor as he entered his quarters to change quickly.

"Any changes yet?" Kirk queried Spock.

"Negative, Captain," Spock responded.

"I'll be up shortly," Kirk stated as he starts to change into his uniform.

Jim met Audrey in the turbolift on the way to the bridge. As chief of Security, she had begun monitoring the situation as soon as the Red Alert sounded.

"I wonder what this enigmatic object is," she wondered aloud.

"I haven't the faintest."

"You like the unexpected, don't you?" she teased.

"Got me out of a physical, didn't it?" he winked.

They kissed each other on the lips passionately as Kirk halted the turbolift to give himself and Audrey the extra time to express their intense passions before the exact nature of the situation with the object could be determined. Kirk then resumed the turbolift and they both stepped onto the Bridge, with unabashed happy smiles.

Nyota glanced over. "Fun in the 'lift, Audrey?" she asked with a low laugh.

"You know it," Audrey replied.

To Be Continued...

***

Total Word Count for my Input: 617

 

I love the mixture of excitement/mysteriousness with snark with the Doctor and warm coziness with Audrey.

 

love to see this in the new timeline with the lovely couples

 

The Corbomite Bluff

"Part 2: The Unknown becomes more Sinister

"Sensors show that the object is solid, Captain," Spock reported as Kirk and Audrey took their respective positions on the Bridge.

"Lieutenant Uhura."

"Hailing frequencies are open, Captain," Uhura replied, "No message from the object."

"Navigation."

"It is 1593 meters away from us, Sir," Bailey reported, "It's position is constant."

"Each of its edges measures 170 meters," Sulu chimed in, "Mass of object is a little under 11,000 metric tons."

"Scotty."

"You've got me how it works, Cap'n," Scotty stated flabbergasted.

"I'll buy any speculation that you have."

"I wish I had some, Cap'n," Scotty told him truthfully, "It's a solid cube. How it moves when we move, blocking us from progressing beats the heck outta me."

"Life sciences."

"Same report, Jim," McCoy chimed in, "I'm a doctor, not an intelligence expert."

"Sir, are we just going to let it keep us here," Bailey suggested, "We have phasers. Let's use them. Please, pretty please."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey," Kirk basically ignored his suggestion, "When this becomes a democracy."

"Audrey."

"Jim, you just need to trust your own instincts on this one," she told him as she flashed a smile of trust in whatever his decision would be.

Captain's Log: Star Date 1513.8, Star maps reveal no indication of any habitable planets near our current position. Origin and purpose of the cube is still unknown. We have now been held motionless for 18 hours.

(In the Briefing Room)

"Anything further?" Kirk queried his officers.

"I believe that we have two options, Captain," Spock told him, "First, some kind of space buoy."

"And second?"

"Flypaper," Spock stated simply.

"And you don't recommend that we just stick around?"

"Negative, Captain," Spock recommended a course of action, "We must take action."

"And action is exactly what we will do," Kirk ordered Bailey now, "Plot a spiral course away from the cube."

"What?" Bailey complained, "We aren't go to open fire on it?"

"You have your orders, Mister."

"Aye, Captain," Bailey lamented, "We will try to pull away."

The ships engines strained heavily as it tried to pull away from the cube.

"Radiation is starting to spike from the short end of the spectrum," Spock reported.

"Damn," Kirk slammed his fist on the console, "All stop. Hold position."

"It's still coming at us," Bailey told him, "Range 170 meters away."

"Radiation increasing," Spock reported.

"Power astern, Half speed," Kirk ordered.

"Half speed," Sulu acknowledged his order.

"Radiation levels are nearing tolerance levels," Spock reported.

"It's still coming at us," Bailey worried.

"Full speed astern," Kirk ordered.

"Full speed," Sulu acknowledged.

"Radiation levels passing tolerance zone and entering lethal zone," Spock reported.

"Phaser crew, standby," Kirk ordered.

"Phaser crew ready," Bailey acknowledged.

"Lock phasers on target," Kirk ordered.

"Phasers locked, Captain," Bailey reported.

"Fire phasers."

Captain's Log: Star Date 1514.0, The cube has been destroyed, Ship's damage minor, but my next decision, major. Probe ahead or turn back.

To Be Continued...

Total Word Count: 485 + 617 = 1,102

 

Wonderful action and swift thinking to come up with viable solutions. Now is definitely the time for a difficult choice.

 

great action with the episode coming to life

 

The Corbomite Bluff

Part 3: Finding Out the Truth About the Unknown

(On the Bridge)

"So far there is nothing in any direction, Captain," Spock reported, "No contacts of any kind."

"Speculation on what we will encounter if we go on ahead?"

"Logically," Spock started, "We will find out the intelligence that sent out the cube."

"Intelligence that is different from ours," Kirk summized, "Or even superior."

"Probably both," Spock truthfully acknowledged, "And if you are asking the logical decision to make."

"I'm not," Kirk remarked, "The mission of the Enterprise is to seek out new life and contact it."

"Has it occurred to you the certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things that you have already made up your mind on, Captain," Spock told him, "It's quite illogical."

"It gives me emotional security," Kirk then turned to the Navigator, "Lay in course ahead."

"Plotted," Bailey acknowledged, "Laid in, sir."

"Engage."

"Warp One, Sir," Bailey reported.

"Mister Bailey, Phaser crews were sluggish the last time," Kirk broke down the last battle with the cube, "You were slow in locking them into your directional beam. Helmsman, engineering decks could have been faster too, Program a series of simulated attacks and evasion maneuvers. Keep repeating until we're proficient, gentlemen."

"Yes, Sir," Sulu acknowledged.

"Yes, Sir," Bailey acknowledged.

"Your timing is lousy, Jim," McCoy pointed out, "Your men are tired."

(Kirk and McCoy enter the turbolift)

"Captain's Quarters," Kirk tells the turbolift, "Aren't you the one who always says a little suffering is good for the soul?"

"I never say that," McCoy states, "I say I'm a doctor, not a psychoanalyst."

[OC] This is the Bridge," Bailey reports, "Prepare for a simulated attack."

"I'm especially worried about Bailey," McCoy laments, "Navigator's position is rough enough for even a seasoned man."

"I think he'll be alright," Kirk tells him.

"Oh, really?" McCoy now starts to really engage Kirk, "How are you so sure? Because you spotted something that you liked in him, something familiar, like yourself say about, oh, a few years ago?"

[OC] On the double, deck five!" Bailey orders, "Give me a green light."

"Why, Doctor," Kirk toyed with him, "You've been reading textbooks again?"

"I don't need textbooks to know that you could've promoted him too fast," McCoy truthfully told him, "Listen to that voice."

[OC] Condition alert," Bailey ordered, "Battle stations. Engineering, deck five, report. Phaser crews, come on, let's get with it. Phaser station two, where's your green light."

(Kirk and McCoy enter Kirk's quarters)

"What's next?" Kirk lamented, "They're not machines, Jim?"

"Well, they are not," McCoy truthfully told him, "After what they've been through they really should be."

"Doctor McCoy," Kirk now was getting formal with him, "I've heard you say that man is ultimately superior to any mechanical device."

"No, I've never said that either," McCoy gawked at him, "More like, I'm a doctor, not a computer nerd."

"Computer nerd, eh? I could've sworn that I heard the latter, not the former."

[OC] "Exercise rating, Captain," Spock reported, "94 percent."

"Let's try to get 100 percent," Kirk ordered.

[OC] "Agreed," Spock acknowledged.

"What are you going to do with that six percent when they give it to you, Jim?" McCoy wanted to know.

"I'm going to take it, and I'm going to..."

(the door opens and Audrey walks in)

"It's time for him to eat, Doctor," she boldly pushed him out the door," Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out."

"You were a little abrasive with the Doctor there, Audrey," Kirk smiled beaming at her.

"You want me to ask him to come back in here?"

"No, no, I am sure that we can come up with better alternatives," Kirk winked at her.

"I'm sure we can," Audrey kissed him and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sure we can."

Jim sighed as she massaged the tension away from his shoulders.

"You don't drive the crew any harder than you do yourself. Which translates, cut yourself some slack once in a while, too." She grinned.

Jim smirked, liking her brand of coaxing better than the Doctor's.

To Be Continued...

Total Word Count: 1,102 + 624 = 1,726

 

Very much in character ffor all concerned, efficient and concise handling of tasks.

 

McCoy is telling the truth in his snarky way

 

The Corbomite Bluff

The Unknown Shows its True Intentions

(A much larger object approaches the Enterprise)

"Captain, to the Bridge," Spock reported, "We're picking up a much larger object coming towards us."

"I'm on my way," Kirk motioned to Audrey, "Let's go."

They both got on the turbolift and then entered the Bridge.

"It is an exceptionally strong contact," Spock reported, "Nothing visual yet. Distant spectrograph. Metallic, similar to cube. Much greater energy reading."

"There it is, Sir," Sulu motioned at the viewscreen.

"Half speed," Kirk ordered, "Prepare for evasive action."

"Reducing to warp two, Sir," Sulu acknowledged.

"Tractor beam, Captain," Audrey reported, "Something has grabbed us hard."

"All engines stop," Kirk ordered, "Phaser crews standby."

"All engines stopped, Sir," Sulu acknowledged, "Phaser crews report ready."

"What's its mass, Spock?" Kirk wondered.

"Reading goes off the scale, Captain" Spock reported, "Must be a mile in diameter."

"It's over five thousand meters away and it still fills the screen," Bailey stated, in utter astonishment.

"Reduce image," Kirk ordered, "Let's see all of it."

"Magnification two five, Sir," Sulu reported, "Magnification one eight point five, Sir."

"Ship to ship," Kirk ordered.

"Hailing frequencies open, Sir" Uhura acknowledged.

"This is the United Earth ship Enterprise," Kirk stated, "We convey greetings and await your reply."

"There's a message coming over the navigation beam," Bailey reported.

"Switching, Sir," Uhura switched the frequencies.

[OC] "You have trespassed into our Star System, This is Balok, Commander of the flagship Fesarius of the First Federation," Balok, the unknown lifeform started, "Your vessel, obviously the product of a primitive and savage civilization, having ignored a warning buoy and then destroying it, have demonstrated that your intention is not peaceful. We are now considering the disposition of your ship and the life aboard it."

"This is the Captain of the Enterprise speaking," Kirk tried to explain his intentions, "The warning nature of your space buoy was unknown to us. Our vessel was blocked. When we attempted to disengage..."

"Captain, we are being invaded by exceptionally strong sensor probes," Audrey interrupted, "Our electrical systems, our engines."

[OC] "No further communication will be accepted," Balok warned, "If there is the slightest hostile move, your vessel will be destroyed immediately."

"They are shutting off some of our systems, Captain," Spock reported, "Brilliant. Extremely sophisticated in their methods."

"Does the recorder marker have this on its tape?" Kirk asked Spock.

"Enough to warn other Earth ships," Spock told him.

"Mister Bailey, dispatch recorder marker," Kirk ordered, "Mister Bailey?"

"Recorder marker dispatched, Sir," Bailey acknowledged.

"Marker on course," Spock reported, "Heading back the way we came..."

(The marker is destroyed)

[OC} Your recorder marker has been destroyed," Balok warned the ship again, "You have been examined. Your ship must be destroyed. We make assumption that you have a deity or deities or some such beliefs which comfort you. We therefore grant you ten Earth time periods known as minutes to make preparations."

"It might be interesting to see what they look like if I can locate where that voice is coming from," Spock said thoughtfully.

"Balok's message was heard all over the ship, Jim," McCoy told him as he stepped on the Bridge.

"Captain to crew," Kirk started, "Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien lifeforms. You know that the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood. In most cases we have found that intelligence capable of a civilization is capable of understanding peaceful gestures. All decks stand by. Captain out. Ship to ship."

"Hailing frequencies open, Sir," Uhura announced, feeling a surge of pride for the Captain's encouraging message to the crew.

"This is the Captain of the USS Enterprise," Kirk told Balok, "We came seeking friendship but have no wish to trespass. To demonstrate our goodwill, our vessel will now return the way it came. Lay in a course back, Mister Bailey."

"What?" Bailey was confused. "A course?"

"Plotted and laid in, Sir," Sulu reported.

"Engage, Warp factor one," Kirk ordered.

"All engines show dead, Sir," Sulu told him, "Weapons systems as well."

"Impulse then," Kirk ordered.

"No response, Sir," Sulu reported.

"Switching to viewscreen," Spock stated as the image of Balok now appeared on the viewscreen.

"You are wasting time and effort," Balok warned them again, "There is no escape. You have eight Earth minutes left."

"I was curious to see how they appeared," Spock stated to the Captain's unspoken curiosity as to his motivation.

Uhura glanced over to Spock and affectionately winked as if to say: Purely scientific curiosity, right.

"Yes, of course you were," Kirk smiled at him.

"I don't understand," Bailey threw his arms up in the air and stood up, "Spock's wasting time. Everybody else is just sitting around. Somebody's got to do something."

"Easy, Bailey," McCoy tried to calm him down.

"What do they want from us?" Bailey wondered, "Let's find out what they want to do with us."

"They want us to lose our heads," Kirk told him

"We've only got eight minutes left," Bailey complained.

"Seven minutes and forty-five seconds," Sulu reported the true time remaining.

"He's doing a countdown!" Bailey whined some more.

"Practically the end of watch," McCoy joked.

Bailey openly expressed his bewilderment in sharp tones:
"What, are all of you out of your minds? End of watch? Really? It's the end of everything. What are you, robots? Wound-up toy soldiers? Don't you know when your dying? Watch and regulations and orders. What do they mean?"

"Bailey, you're relieved," Kirk ordered, "Escort him to his quarters, Doctor."

"Let's go," McCoy grabbed Bailey's arm.

"Ship to ship," Kirk ordered.

"Hailing frequencies open, Sir," Uhura reported, suppressing a frown for Bailey's melodrama.

"This is the Captain of the USS Enterprise speaking," Kirk tried to explain to Balok again, "It is the custom of Earth people to try and avoid misunderstanding whenever possible. We destroyed your space buoy as a simple act of self-preservation. When we attempted to move away from it, it emitted radiation harmful to our species. If you've examined our ship and its tapes, then you know this to be true."

"You now have seven minutes," Balok warned them again.

Uhura and Audrey exchanged a glance.

"This Balok appears to be offering an ultimatum." Audrey said. "We cannot ignore it yet we cannot capitulate automatically, either."

McCoy now reentered the Bridge. "Bailey may have been out of line in how he put things, but he's right. We can't afford to be a sitting duck."

Spock suggested: "This reminds me of a game of chess. Once your opponent is outmaneuvered, the game is over."

Jim thought about that for a moment, then said, "No, not chess. Actually poker."

The Captain then glanced to Uhura. "Open a channel to Balok, please." Once established, he said, "I need to make you aware of the fact that our ships are made of a material called corbomite which forms a protective shield. If we are attacked, the enemy vessel will immediately explode."

This has the immediate and welcome result that Balok relents and withdraws to a seemingly safe distance.

To Be Continued...

Word Count: 1,726 + 1,035 = 2,761

 

Super update as Bailey vents and Spock gives way to "scientific curiosity" and Jim handles the situation with tact and quick thinking.

 

Kirk and his poker face

 

The Corbomite Bluff

Does the Bluff Work?

[OC] “This is the Commander of the Fesarius,” Balok starts, “The destruction of your vessel has been delayed. We will relent in your destruction only if we have proof of your corbomite device.”

“No reply,” Kirk told the crew, “Let's see now if the tables are turned.”

“Tables turned?” Spock wondered.

“Another human expression, Mr. Spock,” Kirk told him, “Now we have the upper hand.”

[OC] “We will inform you soon of our decision regarding your vessel,” Balok informed them, “And having permitted your primitive efforts to see what I look like, I trust that it has pleased your curiosity. And now, another demonstration of our superiority.”

(In the Galley)

“I thought that the power was off in the galley,” McCoy remarked.

“I used a hand phaser and zap,” Rand explained, “Hot coffee.”

"Terrific," McCoy commented, "Now for a cherry donut."

(Back on the Bridge)

“Something's happening, Captain,” Sulu informed him.

(A small vessel leaves from the Fesarius)

“It's a small ship,” Kirk remarked.

“About two thousand metric tons,” Spock informed him.

[OC] “It has been decided that I will tow you to a planet within the First Federation,” Balok told them, “It is a planet that is capable of supporting your lifeform. There you will disembark and be interned. Your ship will be destroyed, of course.”

“Engine systems coming back online, Captain” Audrey reported.

[OC] “Do not be deceived by the size of the small pilot vessel.” Balok informed them, “It has an equal potential to destroy you if you try to do anything.”

“Tractor beam has us, Captain,” Audrey reported.

[OC] “So that you can sustain your gravity and atmosphere, your systems are now open,” Balok told them, “Any attempt to escape will be met with your immediate destruction.”

“We are being towed, Sir,” Sulu reported.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1514.1. The Enterprise is in tow. To this point, no resistance has been offered. My plan? A show of resignation. Balok's tractor beam has to be a heavy drain of power on his small ship. Question. Will he grow careless? Mr. Bailey has resumed his duty station and seems to be more subdued, not as volatile.

“Captain, he's starting to pull a little bit more ahead of us,” Bailey informed him.

“His power has drained slightly,” Spock reported.

“Our speed is down to point six four of light,” Sulu told Kirk.

“I want a right angled course,” Kirk told the Navigator, “Sheer away from him no matter which way that he turns.”

“Yes, Sir,” Bailey acknowledged.

“Alright, let's do this,” Kirk ordered, “Sheer away, now!”

“The engines are superheating,” Spock reported, “Intermix temperature is seven thousand four hundred degrees. Seven five, seven six, eight thousand degrees.”

(The ship starts to shimmy and shudder as the exertion from the towing vessel become stronger.)

“More, more,” Kirk ordered, “We have to break free!”

“Two thousand degrees above maximum,” Spock reported, “Eight four, eight five, eight six. She'll blow soon if we keep this up.”

“Now, Mr. Sulu,” Kirk ordered, “Impulse power two.”

“We're breaking free, Sir,” Bailey reported.

“All engines stop,” Kirk ordered.

“All engines are stopped, Captain,” Sulu acknowledged.

“Thus'a engines be'in bad shape, Cap'n,” Scotty told him, “Canna you hold it here for a wee bit.”

“That may not be wise,” Audrey cautioned,” He got a signal off to the mother ship.”

“Then we need to do something fast,” Kirk remarked, “And soon.”

“A signal, Captain,” Uhura reported,” It's very weak. It's Balok. It's a distress signal to the Fesarius. His engines are out. His life-sustaining system isn't operating. The message is repeating, Sir.”

“Any reply?” Kirk wondered.

“Negative, Sir,” Uhura reported, “The signal is growing weak. I doubt the mother ship could have even heard it.”

“Plot a course toward it,” Kirk ordered, “We must prepare to board it."

He paused for a long moment to consider the next course of action, then signaled Uhura to open a shipwide channel.

"This is the Captain speaking. The First Federation vessel is in distress. We're going to board it. There are lives at stake and we will rescue them. Even though it acted in the manner that it has towards us, we must rescue it despite any negative feelings. They could have been misinterpreted.”

“Course plotted, Sir,” Bailey reported.

“Mister Scott,” Kirk ordered, “Ready the transporter.”

“Aye, Sir,” Scotty acknowledged.

“Mister Sulu,” Kirk ordered, “Bring us to within one hundred meters. Ahead slow.”

“Jim,” McCoy started, “Don't you think.”

“What's the mission of this vessel, Doctor?” Kirk cut him off, “To seek out and contact alien life. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that we mean no harm. Any questions? I'll take two men with me. Doctor McCoy to examine and treat the aliens if necessary, and you Mister Bailey.”

“Sir?” Bailey wondered what he wanted him on this mission for.

“The face of the unknown,” Kirk explained, “I think I owe you a look at it.”

“Yes, Sir,” Bailey smiled, “Thank you, Sir.”

“Captain, request permission to...” Spock started.

“Denied,” Kirk cut him off, “If I'm wrong. If it's a trap. I want you here.”

(Kirk went over to Audrey and gave her a quick kiss)

“I'll see you soon," he said softly, his smile confident.

“You better be right, Jim,” Audrey openly worried, “Otherwise...”

“I'll be fine. We'll be back before you know it,” Kirk kissed her again, “Alright, let's go.”

To Be Continued...

Word Count: 2,761 + 881 = 3,362

 

Excellent as Balok attempts to display superiority, but Jim isn't fazed, nor does he hold back from a compassionate response when the other seems to be in distress.

 

Jim has to go into danger (or not)

 

The Corbomite Bluff

Let's Be Friends

(Transporter Room)

“Is the transporter ready?” Kirk hoped.

“Aye, Cap'n,” Scotty told him, “Itsa gonna be a wee bit cramped over there though.”

“Thank you,” Kirk replied, “What do you suggest then?”

“Just bend low,” Scotty told him, “Ready to transport.”

“Energize,” Kirk ordered.

(Balok's ship)

“It's a dummy,” Kirk remarked as they spun the puppet of Balok around from the chair that it was on, “Nothing but a fake puppet.”

“I'm Balok,” a short looking man walked up to them grinning, “Welcome aboard.”

“I'm Captain Kirk.” Jim answered, hiding his astonishment and puzzlement.

“And McCoy and Bailey,” Balok introduced the other two, “Sit. Be comfortable. Go ahead, be seated. We must drink. This is tranya. I hope that you relish it as much as I do.”

“Commander Balok...” Kirk started.

“I know, I know,” Balok comforted him, “You have a thousand questions to ask. But first, the tranya. Gentlemen.” (he drinks the tranya) “Ahh. Quite refreshing if I say so myself.”

“Commander, that puppet?” Kirk questioned him.

“That's my alter ego,” Balok explained, “In your culture he would be Mister Hyde to me Jekyll. You must admit that he's quite effective. You would never have been frightened by me. And I thought that my distress signal was very effective in finding out your true intentions. It was my way of testing you to make sure that you were truly peaceful.”

“Testing us?” Bailey wondered.

“I see,” Kirk replied, “But you probed our memory banks.”

“You could have put in false information,” Balok explained further, “You could have been deceiving me from your true intentions.”

“And your crew?” McCoy questioned him.

“I have no crew,” Balok told him, “Doctor, I run this entire complex from the comfort of this small ship. But I do admit that I miss company; even conversation. Even an alien would have been welcome. Perhaps, one of your men, Captain, can spend some time with me. An exchange of information, of different cultures.”

“Yes,” Kirk agreed, “Both of our cultures would benefit from such an exchange. Do you know where we can find a volunteer, Mister Bailey?”

“I would like to volunteer, Captain,” Bailey beamed with a happy smile, “It would be an honor to learn about Balok.”

“Ah, then you represent the best of Earth,” Balok wondered.

“Oh no, not me,” Bailey truthfully responded, “I will make many mistakes.”

“But, you'll find out more about us that way,” Kirk interjected, “And I'll get a better officer in return.”

“I see,” Balok laughed, “We think much alike, Captain. You and I could really become good friends. But, I am sure that Mister Bailey will do just as well. Now, before I bring back the Fesarius, let me show you the rest of my vessel. It is not often that I have this pleasure. Yes, we are very much alike, Captain. Both very proud of our ships.”

(Kirk and McCoy beam back onto the Enterprise)

Kirk went to his quarters to relax and Audrey was already waiting for him there.

“I missed you,” she hugged him close and kissed him gently on the lips.

“I know,” Kirk smiled back returning her kisses and affection.

“Next time I'm going with you,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Yes, I believe that you will.” Kirk told her about Balok.

"I never would've expected that to be the explanation!" she observed when he concluded.

"Me, neither." He went over to the bed, “Care to get more comfortable.”

“I'd thought you'd never ask,” Audrey teased him, “With pleasure, Captain. With pleasure.”

The End...

To Be Continued.... in the Next Episode.... Court-Martialed....

Word Count: 3,362 + 588 = 3,950

 

Great wrap I adore how seamlessly you tweaked that.

 

Great to see the conclusion of that episode. And now waiting for the next one

 

Court Martialed

Something Terrible Happens

Captain's Log, Stardate 2947.3. We have been through a severe ion storm. One crewman is dead. Ship's damage is considerable. I have ordered a non-scheduled layover on Starbase Eleven for repairs. A full report of damages was made to the commanding officer of Starbase Eleven, Commodore Stone.

[Stone's Office]

(Kirk is not in his usual gold shirt, but a green one with gold braiding.)

"Maintenance Section Eight," Commodore Stone ordered, "The section is working on the Intrepid. I need you to reschedule as the Enterprise is on a priority one schedule. That makes three times that you've read it, Jim. Is there an error?"

"No," Kirk remorsefully replied," But the death of the crewman, Finney, was tragic."

"Regulations, Captain," Commodore Stone told him, "And the extract from your ship's computer log confirming your sworn disposition?"

"Kirk to Enterprise," he flipped open his communicator to talk to the ship, "Where's Mister Spock with that computer extract?"

"He should have been there ten minutes ago, Sir" Uhura reported.

[Stone's Office]

"Kirk out," he stated as he slammed the communicator shut.

"It's a great tragedy, alright, Captain," Stone told him, "The service cannot afford to lose men like Lieutenant Commander Finney."

"I feel the same," Kirk agreed with his assessment, "I waited until the last possible moment. We were on Red Alert. The storm got worse. I had to jettison the pod"

(Spock and Audrey beam in)

"What took so long, Mister Spock?" Kirk openly wondered why his First Officer and even more strangely Audrey had also beamed over.

"Jim, you won't like this," Audrey remorsefully told him as she held out the computer extract which Commodore Stone immediately snatched away.

"I'll take that," Stone tore the computer extract from Audrey's hands.
She glowered.

He put the data card into the computer. The door opens and a teenage girl dressed in blue enters.

"Jaime," Kirk instantly knows her as Finney's daughter.

"There you are!" she looks upon him with an angry expression, "I just wanted one more look at you. The man who killed my father!"

"That's not so," Kirk tried to explain, "He was my friend."

"Your friend?" Jaime exclaimed, voice choked with grief, "You hated him all of your life! That's why you killed him, you murderer! You murderer! You murderer!" (she continued crying through her tears)

"Mister Spock," Stone ordered, "Would you please?"

"Miss Finney," Spock took her arm, "Come with me, please."

"You may go as well, Audrey," Stone ordered.

She cast a pleading, apologetic look in Jim's direction.
She was quite upset at what the computer extract revealed.

"But, you have my sworn disposition," Kirk tried to explain to Stone.

"Then, unfortunately, for you, Captain," Stone sentenced him, "I hereby put in the record that you have willfully just committed perjury as well. The extract from your computer log says that you jettisoned the pod before going to Red Alert. Consider yourself confined to the base. If you tray anything reckless, then I will have no choice but to imprison you as well. Official inquiry will determine whether a court martial is in order."

Captain's Log, Stardate 2948.5. Starship Enterprise remains in orbit around Starbase Eleven. Full repairs in progress. I've been ordered to stand by on Starbase Eleven until the inquiry into the death of Lieutenant Commander Finney can be conducted. I'm confident of the outcome.

[Starbase Club]

(Kirk and McCoy enter, and go to the bar.)

"Timothy, I haven't seen you since the Vulcanian expedition," Kirk tried to make some conversation with old friends, (No reply). "Well, I see our graduating class from the Academy is well represented. Corrigan. Teller. How you doing, Mike?"

"I'll get by, Jim," stated Mike who was an older man in a gold shirt.

"I understand that you're laying over for repairs," Timothy notes the Enterprise in the repair bay, "Big job?"

"Couple of days tops," Kirk told him.

"You moving out, then?" Timothy asked.

"Are you in such a hurry to see me go?" Kirk openly wondered.

"Oh, I was just wondering how long it will take to get a new records officer," Timothy now sounded resentful.

"You can talk plainer than that," Kirk challenged him.

"I can," Timothy stated, "But I think the point's been made. Ben was a friend of ours."

"Let's go, Jim," McCoy tried to leave with Kirk.

"No," Kirk stood his ground, "Go on. Finish. Ben was a friend of yours, and..."

"Why don't you tell us?" Mike sneered at him.

"What's the point?" Kirk tried to calm the mood, "You've already made up your minds. Excuse me, Bones."

(Leaves, just as a lady in a floaty green dress enters.)

"If you have any doubt, that was indeed Captain James Kirk of the Enterprise," McCoy boasted.

"Yes," Shaw stated," I know. Are you a friend of his?"

"In these trying times, one of the few," McCoy introduced himself, "Doctor Leonard McCoy. And you?"

"Areel Shaw," Shaw introduced herself, "And I am a friend, too. An old one."

"All of my friends look like doctors," McCoy made conversation with her, "All of his look like you. Well, you might as well join me for a drink. With this inquiry coming up, he's going to need all of the friends that he can get."

Areel sighed. "The Jim I always knew would never flagrantly lie, especially with a crewman's life on the line, never! The computer extract has to be wrong, although I can't see how."

McCoy nodded. "I don't much trust the transporter, either. Looks like the computer is also unreliable."

[Stone's Office]

COMPUTER: Recording inquiry. Matter. Captain Kirk, James T. Subject. Circumstances of death, Lieutenant Commander Finney, Benjamin.

"This inquiry is to determine whether a general court-martial should be convened against Captain Kirk on charges of perjury and culpable negligence," Stone read the charges against Kirk.

"Ready," Kirk acknowledged.

"Let us begin with your relationship with Commander Finney," Stone started, "You knew him a long time, didn't you?"

"Of course, I did," Kirk told him, "He was an instructor at the Academy when I was a midshipman, but that didn't stand in the way of our beginning a close friendship. His daughter Jamie, who was here last night, was named after me."

"It's common knowledge that something happened to your friendship with him," Stone informed him.

"It's no secret," Kirk explained, "We were assigned to the same ship years later. I relieved him on watch once and found a circuit open to the atomic matter piles that should have been closed. Another five minutes, and it could have blown up the ship."

COMPUTER: Ship nomenclature. Specify.

"United Starship Republic, number 1371," Kirk responded with that ship's registry number.

"Continue," Stone ordered.

"I closed the switch and logged the incident," Kirk further explained, "He drew a reprimand and was sent to the bottom of the promotion list."

"And he blamed you for that?" Stone inquired.

"Yes," Kirk told him truthfully, "He had been at the Academy for an unusually long time as an instructor. As a result, he was late in being assigned to a starship. The delay, he felt, looked bad on his record. My action, he believed, made things worse."

"Comment," Stone told the Computer, "Service record of Lieutenant Commander Finney to be appended to this inquiry."

COMPUTER: Noted.

"Now let's get into the specifics of the storm, Captain," Stone ordered.

"A weather scan indicated an ion storm dead ahead," Kirk reported, "I sent Finney into the pod."

"Why Finney?" Stone inquired.

"His name was at the top of the duty roster," Kirk explained, "It was his turn."

"If he blamed you," Stone wondered.

"He may have blamed me that he never rose to command a ship," Kirk explained further, "But I don't assign jobs on the basis of who blames me. It was Finney's turn, and I assigned him. He had just checked in with me from the pod when we hit the leading edge of the storm. Not too bad at first. I signalled a Yellow Alert. Then we began encountering pressure, variant stress, force seven, the works. I finally signaled a Red Alert. Finney knew he had a matter of seconds. I gave him those seconds and more. But apparently it wasn't enough."

"Then why, Captain, does the computer log from your ship, made automatically at the time, indicate that you were still on Yellow Alert when you jettisoned and not on Red?" Stone openly questioned him.

"I don't know," Kirk truthfully told him, "There's obviously been a mistake."

"It would seem so," Stone mused, "Could the computer be wrong?"

"Mister Spock is running a survey right now," Kirk told him, "But the odds are next to impossible."

"Stop recording," Stone ordered the Computer," Now look, Jim. Not one man in a million could do what you and I have done. Command a starship. A hundred decisions a day, hundreds of lives staked on you making every one of them right. You're played out, Jim. Exhausted."

"Is that the way that you see it?" Kirk asked him.

"That's the way my report will read if you cooperate," Stone told him plainly.

"You are saying that I had a physical breakdown," Kirk openly wondered if he possibly could have, "Or even a mental collapse."

"It's possible," Stone told him.

"I would be admitting that a man died because..." Kirk started to say.

"Admit nothing," Stone told him, "Say nothing. Let me bury the matter here and now. No starship captain has ever stood trial before, and I don't want you to be the first."

"But if what you suspect is true, then I'm guilty," Kirk almost resigned himself to admitting now an admission of his guilt, "I should be punished."

"I'm thinking of the service," Stone told him, "I don't want it to be smeared by this."

"By what, Commodore Stone?" Kirk openly wondered.

"All right," Stone told him truthfully, "by an evident perjurer who's either covering up his bad judgment, his cowardice, or..."

"That's as far as you go, Sir," Kirk interrupted him, "I'm telling you I was there on the Bridge. I know what happened. I know what I did."

"It's in the transcript," Stone explained to him, "And computer transcripts don't lie. I'm telling you, Captain, either you accept a permanent ground assignment, or the whole disciplinary weight of Starfleet Command is going to land up right on your neck."

"So, that's the way we do it now?" Kirk questioned him, "Sweeping it under the rug, and me along with it? Not on your life. I intend to fight this."

"Then you draw a general court," Stone wanted to make sure he understood what Kirk was saying.

"Draw it?" Kirk told him forcefully, "I demand it. And right now, Commodore Stone. Right now."

To Be Continued...

Word Count: 3,950 + 1,737 = 5,687

 

And I hope Kirk gets all the help he needs

 

Fantastic opening

 

This next part was inspired by my song selection from: 21.The Safety Dance— Men Without Hats (1982) @RX_Sith in the One-Hit Wonder Challenge https://boards.theforce.net/threads/one-hit-wonder-challenge.50048198/. I hope that you like it.

Court-Martialed

One Last Night of Dance and Romance

[Starbase Club]

Kirk and Audrey walked into the Starbase Club holding hands. Kirk kissed her hand and asked her to join him in a dance on the dance floor.

“Mind if we do some dancing, and romancing, Miss Pearce before I am sentenced to being the disgrace of the quadrant?” Kirk asked Audrey who was wearing a red dress that exposed her backside.

“Don't mind if I do?” Audrey accepted the hand that Kirk was offering her and they started to slow dance to the current song playing.

“I wish that this would last forever,” Kirk remarked as he kept her close to him, “This might be the last time that we can do this for a while.”

“I hope not, Jim,” Audrey rested her head on his upper chest, “I do miss doing this though.”

Suddenly, Kirk got the urge to go ask for a more up-tempo song. “I'll be right back,” he told Audrey, “Don't go anywhere.”

He went to the maestro and whispered a song in the man's ear. The music changed to “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

Kirk grabbed Audrey and they started to dance wildly to the song. “Now this reminds me of old memories,” Kirk whispered in her ear.”

Audrey laughed as they spun around and moved in sync to the music which was now entering the second verse, “I really like this song,' she remarked to him, “It brings out the craziness in you.”

“We can go when we want to
The night is young and so am I
And we can dress real neat from our hats to our feet
And surprise 'em with the victory cry

Say, we can act if we want to
If we don't, nobody will
And you can act real rude and totally removed
And I can act like an imbecile

And say, we can dance, we can dance
Everything's out of control
We can dance, we can dance
They're doing it from pole to pole
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody look at your hands
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody's taking the chance
Safety dance
Oh well, the safety dance
Ah yes, the safety dance

I say, we can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Because your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well, they're no friends of mine

I say, we can dance, we can dance
Everything's out of control
We can dance, we can dance
We're doing it from pole to pole
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody look at your hands
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody's taking the chance”

The song neared the end but they kept dancing as if it was still playing, just moving and swaying with wide hips and long dips. Kirk dipped Audrey almost all of the way to the floor and then pulled her up close to him again as the song started to repeat again.

“You did that on purpose,” Audrey blushed as the rush of the dancing made her face almost as red as her dress.

“Yes, I told the maestro to play it more than once,” Kirk teased her, “After all, this is our night of dancing and romancing and I don't want it to end.

“Neither do I,” Audrey responded, “Neither do I.” She held him closer as the song now ended a second time and they swayed in rhythm to the song even though it had now stopped.

“Care for a nightcap?” Audrey asked sincerely wanting to continue the mood and savoring the fact Jim was so lighthearted; it was due to the fact that her love and confidence was rubbing off on him, making him feel he could leave the next day's worries for tomorrow.

“I'd thought you'd never ask,” Kirk obliged her as he swept her off her feet and he whisked her away to his quarters for more romantic interludes.

To Be Continued...

 

Delightful bit of relaxing and romancing

 

some relaxation before the trying times