Star Trek 1

When the Captain of the Enterprise can't be found, Spock tends to worry. He flags down Checkov in the corridor. "Have you seen Captain Kirk?" he asks.

Checkov grins. "Well, actually - "

"Dammit, Jim!"

"Does that answer your question?"

Spock can't help a small smirk at that. "Thank you." He heads down to the med bay, Checkov following him.

"I'm fine! No, put that hypospray down, I didn't do anything wrong!" Jim held McCoy off with one arm as he edged around the side of the bed towards the door. "Put that damn thing down!"

"Then stay still for your exam!"

"I don't need an exam! I'm perfectly healthy!"

There was a second of silence before McCoy lunged and got Kirk with the hypospray anyway. Kirk dropped like a ton of bricks. McCoy cleared his throat, and straightened his shirt before looking over at the nurse. "He's just sedated. Can you put him back on the bed so I can finish my exam?"

Spock and Checkov walk in just in time to see a sedated Kirk flop back on the table. McCoy looks up at them. "Ah, just in time, Spock."

The Vulcan pinches the bridge of his nose. "What did he do?"

"Eh, he just won't sit still for a damn exam." McCoy shakes his head. "Give me about fifteen minutes and I'll wake him up." Spock nods and goes to stand by the door, out of the doctor's way.

Checkov laughs. "You know he does it to annoy you."

"Teach him. I knock his ass out, and he no longer annoys me."

McCoy pointed at Spock. "Once I'm done with this idiot, you're next."

Kirk groaned and lifted his head to stare at McCoy. "You're an ass, Bones." he grumbled, his head dropping back onto the bed.

"And you're a child." McCoy continued his scan, ignoring the faces Kirk made at him. "You're done. See how long that took? Two minutes. Maybe next time, you'll stay still."

Kirk snorted. "Yeah, don't hold your breath, Bones." he flinched as McCoy pressed another hypospray to his neck, knocking the sedative from Kirk's system.

McCoy glanced at Spock. "Get over here."

Kirk grimaces. "I am so sorry, Spock. Honest."

"See, this is what happens when you randomly vanish. I come down here to find you, and the Doctor makes me stay for an exam." Still Spock takes his place on the exam table. Kirk quickly retreats to stand by Checkov. McCoy just rolls his eyes.

"Babies. The lot of you." He quickly does his exam. "See? Two minutes. That's all I ask." He waves Spock away. "Go, shoo. Do whatever it is you two do when there are no emergencies going on."

Kirk groans. "Don't jinx us, Bones."

"Checkov - you're next."

Spock glances at Checkov. "I apologize."

Chekov grinned and waved them off. "It's all right - better me than Sulu. Sulu's about as bad about the exam as Kirk."

Kirk gave him a grin. "Good luck!" he called before following Spock out of the medbay, cracking his neck and rubbing where he'd gotten the hyposprays. "Ow." he muttered once the doors closed.

"For someone who doesn't like medbay, you spend a lot of time there." Spock commented, giving Kirk a slight grin.

"Bones needs someone to lighten him up. He's too uptight." Kirk said cheerfully. "Though, I could just send him a bottle of Scotty's whiskey instead."

Spock rose an eyebrow at him and Kirk grinned. "Oh, come on, Spock. It's not like you didn't know Scotty's got a distillery back behind the warp core anyway."

"I get paid for my silence." Spock says, and Kirk bursts out laughing at that. A few of the ensigns stare at them oddly, but they don't pay attention to the looks. Kirk grins at him.

"How much?"

"A bottle on occasion. Whenever he makes a new batch."

"That's better than I'm getting paid."

"Yes, well, I actually follow the rules." He pauses. "Mostly."

"Whenever you know it'll drive me nuts." Kirk laughs.

"When I know you're about to do something foolish." Spock retorts. "Which reminds me - what section of space are we heading to this time?"

Kirk considered. "We're headed in a general. . " he pointed to the left. "that way direction."

Spock gave him a deadpan stare. "You don't know where we're headed?"

Kirk huffed. "No, I don't. I got a datapad from command basically telling me to pick a direction and keep going until I find a planet or something interesting. Here. Look for yourself." he passed the datapad he'd been carrying to Spock.

Spock reads the orders. "That is illogical."

"For once, we're on the same page." Kirk replies. "With this being unchartered space and all, I figured they'd at least give me a set of coordinates to keep in range of for the time being."

The Vulcan frowns. "Perhaps there are no outposts near here."

"If we get into trouble, that's going to suck."

"You mean when. We attract trouble, Captain."

"I know. So what I'm considering doing is using the coordinates of this outpost as kind of our guideline. When we go into warp, we keep these coordinates in the system, that way, if something does happen, we have an idea of where to go." Kirk said with shrug. "It's the best I could come up with."

Spock considered it. "It is workable. Not entirely logical, but it is something."

"Oh, good. Thanks for that vote of confidence." Kirk said wryly as the doors to the bridge opened.

"Captain on the bridge!"

Kirk nodded once to everyone in the room while Spock took his seat at his console. "Alrighty, people. We've been cleared for takeoff, so I want you to run one last check before we do." He sat down in the captain's chair and hailed Scotty. "How're we doing down there?"

"Everything is cleared for take off." Scotty announces. "I do not forsee any problems."

Kirk and Spock exchange looks. Kirk nods. "Then prepare for warp. Uhura, mark the coordinates of this outpost in our emergency files. If anything happens, I want to be able to find this place." Uhura nods and goes to work on the console. Kirk continues to give out directions. Spock simply watches the proceedings, waiting for his own orders.

Somehow, the idea of not having a predetermined safe haven does not sit well with him. He files the thought away for later consideration. Maybe with some time, he'll learn why.

Kirk twists in his seat to glance at Spock. "Ready for five years in space?"

"Yes." Spock nods once, and Kirk eyes him. Something about his response was off, but he'll pester the Vulcan about it later.

"All right then! Sulu, let's get out of here."

"Aye, Captain." There's a pause, and the engines come to life, blasting them forward and away from the outpost.

They've been cruising for about an hour before Kirk stands and walks over to Spock. "I need coffee. Come with me?"

Spock makes a soft sound that might be a scoff, but he nods and follows the captain out into the hallway. He glances at Kirk. "I believe I agree with Dr. McCoy's assessment of you."

"Which one?"

"That you are addicted to coffee."

Kirk grins. "It's an addiction I feed happily. And don't talk - I know you like the French Vanilla stuff."

"Not as often as you do." Spock retorts gamely.

Kirk grins. "Liar. I've seen you stagger onto the bridge a time or two with a giant cup of it clenched in your hand. You can't trick me." They step onto the turbolift. He grows serious. "Okay, what's wrong?"

Spock blinks once. "Nothing."

"Don't give me that. Something is bothering you. I can tell." Kirk says, leaning against the wall and eyeing his First Officer. "I want to help, but I don't know how if I don't know what the problem is to begin with."

Spock sighs. "I dislike not having a predetermined safe haven." he admits. "After everything that has happened recently, it is not logical for Starfleet to send us off with no destination and no rendezvous point." He can't bring himself to meet Kirk's gaze.

The captain nods. "Yeah, I know. My gut is telling me the same thing." He sighs. "Nothing we can do about it, though. Just keep a close eye out, I guess."

The Vulcan nods. "And that's the part I dislike the most." he says. "That there is nothing to be done."

Kirk sighed. "I know. That's why I had Uhura program that outpost's coordinates into our system. It's the best I could do, and if we come across an outpost with better supplies and more weaponry, I'll have those programmed into our system as well. I don't like flying blind, but I've only got so much I can do." He thunked his head against the wall. He cracked an eye to stare at Spock. "I still want that coffee, though."

Spock actually smiles at that. "So I was correct in assuming that this was an attempt to make me open up."

"Well, you'll only talk to me." Kirk points out dryly.

"I do speak with Dr. McCoy on occasion."

"About what?" Kirk teases. The turbolift opens and they step into the mess hall. "Medical stuff doesn't count."

"I confide in him!" Spock protests. "Maybe not as much as I do you, but some."

"See? I still have to pry things from you." They head to the coffee machine.

Kirk grabbed a mug and stuck it under the dispenser. The machine hissed and he gave a grin. "I love this machine. Can I have one in my quarters?"

"I thought you did."

"Nope. If I want coffee, I have to drag my sorry carcass out here to get it. Bones' words, not mine." Kirk said with a laugh.

"Probably because he suspects you'd never leave your quarters otherwise." Spock deadpanned. "And I suspect he's right."

Kirk snorted and sipped his now full mug of coffee. "He's not far off the mark." he grinned and waved the mug at Spock. "Want some?"

Spock grabs a cup and presses a button on the machine. A different kind of coffee fills his mug. "As you said, I prefer a different flavor." he points out.

"Eh, at least you drink it." Kirk says, happily nursing his own coffee. "Never did like the sweet stuff, though."

That earns him a small smile. "All Vulcans enjoy sweets."

Kirk grins. "Really?" he drawls. "Now that is handy information."

"Do I dare ask?"

"Probably not."

Kirk innocently sips his coffee while Spock gives him a suspicious stare. "What?"

"I do not believe you." Spock said flatly.

"I'm hurt. Deep down in the cockles of my heart, I'm weeping. Really." Kirk said with a grin as he pulled a chair out and sat down. Spock gave a quiet huff before joining him at the table.

"Somehow, I rather doubt that." he said, a grin crossing his face. It faded when Kirk's communicator beeped. Kirk pulled it out with a sigh.

"Yeah?"

"Captain? There's something you should see." Sulu's voice was tense.

Spock closes his eyes for a moment. The last time someone said that . . . well, things didn't end well. Kirk nods. "On my way. Kirk out." He glances at Spock. "Looks like we're taking these to go." he mutters, but the Vulcan can tell he's worried. He just takes Kirk's cup and sets both aside.

"We'll come back for them. Let us see what Sulu has."

Kirk nods. "Fine. Damn it all." They hurry back to the turbolift.

Kirk and Spock hit the bridge and froze. They didn't have to ask what was wrong, because it was painfully obvious. There were a dozen or so warships with lots of weapons pointed at them. Kirk turned to Uhura.

"Do you know who or what those belong to?"

"No, sir. They're not speaking in any dialect I can understand." Uhura frowned. "If I had to hazard a guess, they're asking who we are, and what we want."

Kirk nodded, and took his seat, Spock moving to his left. "Hail them. Let's see if we can try and communicate without the guns."

Uhura nods. "Hailing now. Looks like they're willing to talk."

Kirk nods. "Go visual." The alien face appears on the screen. It interests Spock that it is another bipedal humanoid race - apparently evolution favors that one - but the face cannot be mistaken for human, not like a Vulcan's can. The alien smiles, showing rows of pointed teeth.

"Humans." it says in heavily accented English. "Should have known."

"I am Captain Jim Kirk of the USS Enterprise." Kirk introduces himself. "We are an exploratory vessel that means you no harm." Spock wonders if the alien captain will take the hint and back down. Exploratory vessels are never armed beyond basic self-defense, and the Enterprise is no different.

The alien considered them for a long while before giving a sharp gesture over his shoulder. The numerous guns retreated, but the look on the alien's face wasn't reassuring. Kirk tensed slightly. "So what brings you to our part of the galaxy?"

"We're a research and exploration vessel. We've never been to this part of the galaxy, so we were sent to chart it." Kirk said, meeting the alien stare for stare.

"And if we decide not to let you pass?"

"Then that's your right. We won't force you." Kirk said.

Spock watches as the alien smiles. "We are a guard for this portion of space. We will not allow you to stay, but we will escort you through our space - for a price."

"Why would we accept your escort?" Kirk asks cautiously.

"We are not the only ones out here with guns. The others shoot first, Captain Kirk."

Spock suddenly realizes where this is going. He's heard enough stories about scavengers to know these are pirates. He glances at Kirk, but the captain appears to be coming to the same conclusion. Kirk frowns. "What price?"

"I collect exotic species, Captain." the alien replies. "Tell me, do you have any aboard?"

Not pirates then. Smugglers. Spock doesn't particularly want to think about what happens to the aliens they take.