[Discovery] -- [Kirk's Office] -- [Open for Official Business]

[kirktastic]

It was so heavily backlogged. Messages, paperwork, reports, news - all of it was backlogged. Kirk had holed himself up in his office, trying to get through it all. Okay, the paperwork was at least not seriously backlogged and he saw Spock's hand in that. Spock was good at that sort of thing, even if Kirk wasn't entirely surprised to see some things hadn't been done. The internal complaints and notices were personal touches that Kirk liked to do himself instead of shuffling it off to someone else and Spock wasn't the sort of person to do that.

So he sat at his desk, chewing on the end of a stylus as he read the latest complaint. It was someone going on about the lack of space on the ship and having to bunk up with someone else. He groaned to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Grow up, he thought at the officer in question and gave a quick reply back that was the professional version of 'suck it up'. The officer, Kirk had to admit, did have a point. There were just too many people on the ship now. They were over their short-term limit of crew, and he had already gone through several complaints from Starfleet itself about the rising cost of keeping the over-crewed Enterprise in food, supplies, and pay.

It was a choice he had to make. The stylus slid from between his teeth and he tapped it on the desk, staring down at the console in front of him. He nudged aside a report with a swipe of his finger and drew up a new document. This one would be going straight to the big wigs in Starfleet. He kept it short and sweet, without going into serious details.

It was a request to lighten the crew of the Enterprise by removing crew and transferring them to other ships. In a way, Kirk hated to do it. He knew people had signed on with the ship because of its fame, of him, of Spock, of Bones... and had stayed despite some serious issues already with the time-whatever was happening. There was just no choice. He figured the smallest amount of people he could get away with was about 80 people. It would free up a huge chunk of space and let people spread back out into single rooms instead of being forced to bunk up. It would also leave some more spare rooms, along with the twenty or so that were regulation to keep open for emergencies (which they seemed to be one giant emergency half the time anymore).

Sent, Kirk switched to the next document. One thing that he hated to do but he had little choice was in dealing with leave requests, either it was a straight out 'no' until they dealt with Nero and Ayel, or it was a 'request granted, but'. He wanted to be able to give them an 'of course, go ahead, you deserve it' but it was impossible right now with everything happening.

He had saved one set of documents for last, and with a sigh got to those. It was all stuff having to do with the Romulans.

What he started reading just about stopped his heart in his chest. What the fuck!? Nero had hurt himself (tried to kill himself!?) in his cell with a knife. How did the Romulans have any weaponry!? Kirk's fingers flew as he pulled up his orders to the head of security (dammit, Alex...) and he re-read it. There, down in the second paragraph. The Romulans were supposed to be searched, if security had to stun them to do it. Either Security had issues with knowing what a weapon was, or no one had gotten the balls together to search them.

Chapel had ended up going into the cell to save Nero's life (or heal him...). Kirk's eyes narrowed and he felt his teeth grind together. Immediately he sent out a message.

To: Christine Chapel (headnursechapel)
Nurse Chapel,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately unless you're in surgery.

Captain Kirk

He had to get more information on what had happened down in that cell. If he thought that was bad, it just got worse. He read about the Narada being on board, talking to her masters. Shit, shit... As if all of it couldn't get worse. He read Starfleet's orders for them to go straight to the New Vulcan Colony, and his brows vanished into his hairline. It made sense, of course, as the Vulcans were the ones the most hurt by Nero's actions.

There was someone on the colony he needed to talk to. Wanted to talk to. It made his heart beat flutter in his chest in a strange mixture of knowing, wanting. Spock, the one that had started it all, had never fully left him. Too many memories, emotions... left behind too many questions. Maybe he could get answers to them.

It would also be the site of Nero's trial, Kirk could only assume. He wondered how it would be worked out to try someone like this. Note, go back and read any history I can get on any sort of similar situation. He wanted to go into a trial prepared with what might happen, what they could ask of him, the story he would have to tell (again, with tons of additionals).

He already started to schedule a meeting with security for after his talk with Chapel. Heads would roll for what happened down in the brig. He saw a mention of Jim going down there with the Narada - he'd have to talk to Jim too.

To: James Kirk (original_fine)
Jim,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately about the Romulans.

JTK

He was going to find out what the hell was going on with his ship, before they got to the Vulcan Colony. How does a week as a kid end up with everything breaking down without me there? ...I think I need to talk to Spock.

To: Spock (cso_spock)
Spock,

As soon as you can, I need to talk to you in my office about what happened while you were acting captain.

JTK

Comments

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"I have no doubt you know why I called you up here," Kirk leaned in his chair, watching her, "So we'll get to business. Starting from when you first found out anything... what happened with the Romulans?"

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

Christine's expression sobered, and she nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath.

"Well," she said, "I was the ranking officer in Sickbay when we got a call from the guard down in the brig - Lieutenant Harris, I think, although that'll be in the report."

"One of the Romulans had held her knife up to the forcefield to heat it, and subsequently held the knife against her forearm, burning the skin away." She met Kirk's eyes. "Her knife, Captain - she still had it. They both..." She was getting ahead of herself, and stopped. "I believe the one who harmed herself was Nero; my captain thought so, when I told him what happened."

"I went down to the brig, and Lieutenant Harris - after expressing some concern for my safety - agreed to lower the forcefield so that I could treat the prisoner. Which is what I did. I healed the arm as much as was possible without the equipment in Sickbay, scanned her, and sedated her to check for weapons. I gave the knife to Lieutenant Harris."

She paused, giving Kirk a chance to ask questions before she continued. Treating Nero had been the easy part.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Was he in the farther part of the brig? Piece of his ear missing?" Kirk drew a line across his own ear, "Tattoos crossed on the bridge of his nose?" He'd spent too much time staring up at Nero's face not to know it intimately.

"Did he say anything to you?" Already he was writing. Harris... was in deep shit. In fact, all of security was. He would be going down there and checking it out himself.

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

Christine nodded. "Yes, she was in the cell farthest from the door. That's her." She paused, trying to remember. "She said a few things...but I don't think they were directed at me. It was all in Romulan."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Nero, then. "Security will have it on record..." He muttered to himself, writing a note to pick up and see what Nero had said. "Did Harris enter the cell with you? Did Nero do anything threatening towards you?"

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "No and no. The lieutenant stayed outside the cell and put the forcefield back up after me. He said he had orders not to keep the field down." She leaned closer. "He was very concerned with following orders, Captain. It was clear that he wanted to do the right thing."

"As for Nero...no. She was pretty out of it; she was in shock from the pain. I'm not sure she even really knew I was there."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Did Christine not know Nero was male, or was she just calling the body whatever gender it was at the time? He wondered if she called Jim 'her'. What a weird thought. Female or not, Jim would be male in his head. Similar to Pasha.

Harris had left Chapel alone in the cell with a killer. Kirk had to work to keep the anger from his face and voice, "Is Nero alright? What happened afterwards?"

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

"Nero is fine, as far as I'm aware," she replied. "I haven't been back to check, but the arm should be pretty much healed, by now."

She paused, studying the hard set of Kirk's face. "Captain...I want to make one thing clear before I continue. Lieutenant Harris didn't want to let me in the cell. I'm afraid I bullied him into it a bit. He stayed alert and ready to pull me out at the first hint of trouble, and was very professional." Bugfuck crazy aside. "But someone had to go in there and treat Nero. And that's my job."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"It isn't your job to go in there alone," Kirk shook his head, "I'll take it into consideration though. Is there anything else I should know about?" His eyes lifted to hers, his own very focused.

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

"With all due respect, sir," Christine replied carefully, "it is my job, to heal the wounded. It was an emergency, and there was no other choice. I took no unnecessary risks."

She met his eyes again.

"After I left Nero's cell," she continued, "I went down to see the other one. Ayel. I wanted to try to see if he would give up his knife, as well. We...talked."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Kirk just disagreed. It was her job, but Harris should have gone in with her. Now that was interesting. Why did she call Nero 'her' but Ayel 'his'? He tapped a finger, "About? Did he give it up?"

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "No," she said. "He didn't. But...he also didn't reject the request outright."

"He said that he'd show me the knife when he saw Nero. But of course, I couldn't do that. So I told him that I would talk to my captain about it. And that I would turn the lights down, on his request. I...don't think they're used to the brightness."

"He agreed, and showed me the knife." She looked at Kirk. "I know it doesn't sound like much, and that just seeing it didn't give us anything concrete. But it was a gesture of trust. He was careful not to promise anything. But I think, if we did allow them to see each other...I think he'd give us the knife."

"I'm still not sure exactly what happened there. What he was thinking. But..." She paused, wondering how to explain. "He listened to everything I had to say, and considered it," she said slowly. "He was willing to bargain. And he kept up his end of it. I'm not saying he's not dangerous. But...he may be able to be reasoned with. To an extent."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

The news didn't surprise him, in some ways. Willing to bargain, when he had no choice left. It told him Ayel could be kept in line by using Nero. At the same time... he already knew that. He knew a little about Ayel, more than his mind wanted to know.

He let out a slow breath and nodded, "Thank you for the information. I'll keep it in mind."

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

She nodded, and was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Captain," she said at last. "People don't injure themselves that way. Not if there's not something wrong with them. Nero doesn't have his knife anymore. But he could still hurt himself, if he chose to." She looked up, her expression solemn. "He could throw himself against the forcefield next time."

"My job is the preservation of life. All life. As a medical professional...I'm recommending he undergo a psychiatric evaluation, as a step towards psychiatric treatment. For his own safety."

She had no idea if a human psychiatrist would do Nero any good. If anything would help, at this point. But she couldn't sit by and do nothing.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

There was a lot she didn't know. "We have Starfleet on the way to meet us where we're going. From there, his fate will be decided. Trust me when I say there is plenty wrong with Nero."

He gave a little smile, "Trust me, I'm not dismissing what you're saying. This just goes beyond psychiatric treatment."

He wondered if it was against Vulcan logic to get into Nero's brain and just change things. Most likely. It wasn't a serious thought, only a passing one that people had sometimes.

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

She looked at him for a moment.

"I know who he is, Captain," she said at last. "And I know what he's done."

She'd read the history of what had happened in this universe. And she'd been there in Sickbay after he and his father had been rescued from Nero's ship. She'd seen firsthand how mad, and how dangerous, Nero could be.

"I'm not saying it will cure him. I don't know if it will help at all. But Captain, if we leave him down there alone, after he's already injured himself once - if we stand by and do nothing and he tries to hurt himself again, and succeeds -"

She paused. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, but no less intent.

"We've got to try something, Captain."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Even without the knife, even if he was naked and in that cell alone and without another instrument, he could find ways to kill himself," Kirk said quietly, trying to be gentle even with such a blunt statement. "He's a rabid dog, mad and dangerous to anyone around him."

He looked to her, then away. He tapped his fingers, thinking, before he nodded, "I'll do what I can about it. I want him in one piece when we get to the Colony." So fair they were being to a man that had destroyed a planet, giving him chances that Nero had never given the Vulcans.

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

Christine nodded. She was fully aware of Nero's potential for self-harm; it was exactly why she felt so strongly that if there was anything they could do to prevent that, they had a duty to try. It was, after all, what separated them from people like Nero; that capacity for mercy, even to their enemies.

"Thank you, Captain," she said, her gratitude evident in her face.

"Was there anything else you needed from me?"

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"No. Thank you for coming up to see me," Kirk gave her a tired but warm smile. "I'll see what I can do." He already thought of a new question he had to ask Jim.

[headnursechapel.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Christine said, smiling. She paused. She didn't know this Kirk well, and she didn't want to take inappropriate liberties. But her training as a nurse, her instinct to care for others, was difficult to overcome. And Kirk looked, frankly, exhausted.

"Take care of yourself, Captain," she said gently. "I know you've got a lot to do. But starship captains need sleep too."

She offered another smile, and slipped out the door.