James T. Kirk

To: All Officers of the Enterprise

We have our next assignment. We will leaving Starbase 69 as soon as our supplies and transfers have completed, meaning we'll be here about half a day. Feel free to enjoy, and let your underlings enjoy, the Starbase for the few hours we will be here, but return to the ship ahead of time. From the urgency of this report, we'll need to be out as soon as we can.

Captain James T. Kirk

Jim sat back in his chair, sighing. Starfleet was giving them no more than a half a day to get everyone off the ship, their supplies off and new supplies on, then they were gone. They had two days to get to their assignment, and from what little information was provided on the situation there, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. A great start to their five year mission already.


(OOC: For those staying on the Enterprise, most if not every one of you have gotten a hold of me or I've gotten a hold of you about our upcoming mission - well here's the beginning of it! :3 If you haven't and want to be a part of it, please send me a PM to find out some details! I have only one person that hasn't said if they are staying or going and that'd be TOS!Chekov - can you send me a PM and let me know?)

Soon, the place they had called 'home' for a month would be light years behind them, just captured in memories and photographs and records. Things would be left behind, things would be taken. Not just the physical things, but so many mental things, and worse, people. So many of the people that Jim had come to know would be either be staying behind on the planet, transferred to new ships, or would be on the last day or two of transport to the Starbase where things had all began.

Jim sat on the beach, toes smushed into the wet sand, staring at the sunrise reflecting off the warm sea waters. It reminded him of Risa in a lot of ways, except Risa seemed almost cool compared to Sha'Kwai's constant heat and it hadn't rained once in the month they had been there. He wondered how it would be different, without many of the displaced people staying behind. It was too early in the morning to try to remember those that were.

He hadn't seen Sam in days, and even a little nosy peek around had revealed Sam wasn't only not there, he hadn't been for a while. Maybe Sam had played it cool and was really freaked out by what had happened. The idea of Sam, who while he had a temper didn't nearly have one to match his, being freaked out a little made Jim laugh quietly to himself. Maybe they were more alike than expected, even being brothers.

He had thought a lot about Sam's words that day when they had woken up together, when Jim had definitely freaked out, his fight with Bones... he hated that fight. Every part of him did. Not like couples didn't fight, but not normally like that. There was a lot of him that didn't understand things that was happening between the three of them, a lot of confused feelings, but... Sam had said that they had shared Bones without a problem. It had been fun (even if when morals kicked back in slightly wrong) and... Sam had a good point. They had shared Bones. Jim looked down at the sand, trying to remember more, understand it, but time was starting to fuzz things into half-memory.

Didn't matter after all.

He and Bones had done a lot since then. Come together in powerful ways to learn about the bond, about shielding. Something going on with Sybok... Jim couldn't entirely put his finger on it though, and he wouldn't ask Bones about it unless Bones wanted to talk. Then Sybok wanted to join them on the ship...

He rubbed his brow, and smiled. Maybe, just maybe, things were coming together. Spock would have his brother, which was good for the two of them Jim was pretty sure. Bones would keep Sam as his yeoman... and... share him. Was it possible? Was it really possible? If it made Bones happy... If it made Bones happy. Share him. They would all need to talk. Calmly, without any liquor involved, and figure it out. That'd be nice, or at least helpful, once they were back out in space and things were starting to look more like normal again.

His dad was going to get married to Christopher Pike of all people. Asked him to officate. That meant learning what he was supposed to say over these things, and Jim made a mental note to do it. The concept of them getting married still made his head swim but Jim approved of it. It made him think of his mother, sending a little twinge through his chest. He had thought... that after what had happened, when he was a kid again... that maybe they could be closer. How she had protected him...

Jim smiled sadly. Wasn't meant to be, it seemed. Too much past not just between him and her, but between her and George. If it made her happy to be elsewhere, all he could do was wish her the best and put it behind him. He had lived more than ten years without her, without knowing her voice, he could do another ten years. Still, he had her comm number safe and secure in his PADD. A note now and then... maybe she could manage that? He'd find out in a while, when he found out her assignment on another ship.

He stood up, dusting sand off his robe, and started to walk indoors.

While the idea of going to a baby shower didn't settle well with his manhood nor his mood after having talked to her, that didn't mean he didn't care about what she was going through, and the little girl that would, sort of indirectly, be the only one to ever carry on the Kirk name. His gift had been small and came with a set of pens to actually use it. He couldn't wrap to save his damn life, so he didn't bother. He hoped it would be okay, to her tastes. It took only a bit of quick hackery the night of the babyshower to get into her room and leave it laying on her bed with a little note so she could find it come morning.

Tina,

Keep every memory alive long after it's been lived. Sometimes, a physical reminder can be a thousand times more powerful than any image on a PADD.

JTK

Indoors, he stripped of his robe and took a fast shower, then pulled on some comfortable clothing. While he had a chance, he was going to go buy a few things and have them taken up to the ship. Reports had come in that the last of his requested changes to the ship had been finished. For the sake of his crew, he wanted it to be home, and a damn well comfortable home, for the next five years.

The changes were small but many. Larger beds - at least queen - in each quarters. It had taken some design work, but that was why everyone was supposed to take everything of theirs. He had put in a got a request for some very specialized medical officers to be added to Bones' line of nurses to replace Chapel and Chapel. New technology since the Enterprise had been made had been added. Every replicator and transporter was functioning at normal, and the replicators had thousands of new choices in apparel, food, and drink. The bar was under way - not in a rec room as he had first thought, but instead in an observation deck like Bones had suggested (a damn good suggestion at that). Jim had gotten a report about the sheer amount of liquor Guinan had managed on five thousand credits and was damn well pleased by it; he liked her already.

With a little smile on his lips, feeling good about the day, Jim left his room and went to go see what he wanted to take back to his home in the stars.

By the time Jim was awake, dressed quickly and a fast kiss to Bones in his excitement (and ignoring that quick in Bones' lips that he got when Jim got excited about something), they were just about in orbit of Sha'Kwai. He went up to the bridge and was grinning from his sense of timing as he saw the mostly blue planet in the distance. The navigator nodded a hello to his Captain when Jim came up behind him, gesturing. "Is that it?"

"Yes, Captain. We'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Are we in contact with the space dock?" Jim asked, eyes not leaving the forward viewscreen.

A young man in red nodded from the corner of his vision. "Yes, Captain."

"Good!" He clapped his current helmsman on the shoulder, "Take us up to the dock, going to talk to them in my office." With Nero and Ayel aboard, this would not be a standard, simple docking. He was sure of that.

Jim nodded to the communications officer and stepped into his office, accepting the linkup to the space dock with a grateful thought the man had been smart enough to put it on a private line. "This is James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. We're minutes from the Sha'Kwai Space Dock, looking for our instructions on docking procedure." Subtle, and meant to be. What would Starfleet have decided to do with them?

"Captain Kirk, this is Admiral Lanlass. We've been waiting for you. Have the Enterprise come into docking bay 7. We received your report on the prisoners, and have dispatched a special security team to meet your ship there. Is the Romulan ship known as the Narada still in pursuit?"

"I wouldn't say in pursuit, sir, but she's still following us yes."

"How far back is she?"

Jim did a fast check on the console beside him, frowning. "A just under 2 million kilometers behind us. But... like mentioned in my last report, a part of her is still here on the ship. I've no doubt that she's going to want to stay with Nero and Ayel."

"Can she be transported down with them? What containment is being provided for her?"

This wasn't going to go well, Jim was sure of that. "...None, sir. So far, she has done nothing to injure us," other than damaging the paint job on the ship... "and considering her firepower--"

"We've been reading the reports you've sent us, and understand. Can we trust her to stay with the other prisoners?"

There was only a moment of hesitation. He thought about Jim's words, right here in his office, about the various reports he had gotten throughout the ship. If she ended up killing someone, or started even more... it would be on his word. Jim let out a slow sigh, "Yes. Have anyone who speaks with her be cautious in their words. No one should show any anger or disgust about the prisoners or her."

"And the ship itself?"

"Going to try to request that she stays out of the system, but that's no guarantee. Harder to keep an eye on her as well, and make sure the Romulans and anyone else stay away from her. Gives us a warning if she's going to come here." Jim was fairly sure he wouldn't need to explain just how bad that could be. He could hear Lanlass speaking to several others off screen before the Admiral turned back to him.

"Have her keep orbit around the farthest moon in the system. Any ship that attempts to come within the system will be under heavy surveillance."

"I'll make sure it's done." Jim just hoped like hell she would cooperate in this. He equally hoped this was a sign that Starfleet understood even the basics about what they were getting into with all of this.

"Have your crew stay on ship until 12 hundred hours, then they will be allowed to start beaming down to the planet. We will have completed the last of the arrangements for your crew and be able to begin the maintenance as soon as the ship is cleared."

Jim had a good feeling that meant powering down parts of the ship like their air cyclers and the artificial gravity. "How long should I tell the crew that they'll be forced off ship?"

"Not more than two days off ship, then we'll allowed scheduled transports up to the ship for the next few days, then it'll be cleared."

"Thank you sir. We'll get this underway. Kirk out."

Jim sat back in his chair with a slow sigh. He pulled up the image from the forward view screen, smiling tightly. There it was... the new Vulcan homeworld.

He leaned over, pressing a button on the console in front of him.

"This is your Captain, letting you know we're in sight of Sha'Kwai," Jim hoped like hell he had the pronunciation down right, "and we're just about ready to hit the space dock. At 12 hundred, crew will be able to start beaming down to the planet. Unfortunately, all crew will have to vacate the ship for two days while the ship goes under testing and maintenance. So pack your bags, we're heading down to the planet's surface. I need everyone off-ship by 24 hundred tonight, so they can begin their work. If you check your comms, you should have information about where you're temporary quarters on the planet will be. Make sure any living creature is removed from the ship as well, since I know somehow we've picked up a diverse group of pets over the last few months, since the artificial gravity as well as the air cyclers will most likely be turned off as testing occurs. If you have any questions about any of this, don't hesitate to contact your superior officers about it. Keep an eye on your comms for further updates about what is going to be happening. Enjoy your stay on Sha'Kwai."



(OOC: So here we are! This is considered an open post for anyone who wants to discuss things, RP out their reactions, or whatever! Also, if you have any OOC questions feel free to post it with an OOC in the title of the comment. <3~ Please, this is just meant to have some fun... not rush any threads currently going or anything. ^^;)