Anniversary Waltz, Chapter Seven
Title: Anniversary Waltz (7/?)
Rating: R (mature)
Characters/Pairing: Kirk/Uhura
Disclaimer: Characters and canon belong to Paramount, Roddenberry, Abrams and many others but not me. All rights reserved. No copyright infringement intended and no profit is made by the author.
Summary: One year prior, the Enterprise had shipped out for its first mission under the official command of James T. Kirk and the young captain had deemed it a day worthy of recognition
Chapter Seven
Stunned into silence, the only sounds on the bridge were the soft hum and whir of the computers and a single, stifled sob from the young officer manning the operations console. Uhura rose from her station.
“Do you need to be relieved, Ensign?” she asked kindly.
“No ma’am.” The other woman drew in a shuddering breath. “I would like to stay. It’s just… Ensign Delgado was a classmate, ma’am.”
Uhura laid a consoling hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I understand. But if you change your mind, there’s no shame.” Turning back to her own station, her eyes met Sulu’s who had assumed the command chair when Spock had vacated it to meet the captain. And though she had wanted nothing more than to abandon her own position and follow Spock to the transporter room, she remained at her post.
Sinking into her chair with a sigh, she did the next best thing and accessed the video feed from the transporter room on her console’s monitor. She pressed her knuckles hard against her lips as she watched.
The landing party was gathered at the base of the transporter steps along with several medical personnel. Only Kirk remained on the receiving pad, stubbornly refusing to release Delgado, whose body dangled limply in his arms, long, black hair streaming toward the floor.
Spock was a quietly supportive sentinel at the captain’s side while McCoy rested one hand on Kirk’s shoulder. His head close to Jim’s, he spoke so softly that only the three men on the platform could hear his words.
The captain’s head was bent, eyes locked on the face of the woman in his arms. He twitched as something McCoy murmured penetrated the red haze of anger and despair engulfing him. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet the doctor’s gaze. McCoy kept up a steady stream of chatter until Kirk finally nodded in response.
Spock motioned with one hand and the medics began to move up the steps but Kirk waved them off. He climbed down from the platform and gently transferred the burden he carried onto the waiting gurney, carefully arranging her limbs as if to make certain of her comfort.
The medics left with the body and Spock tipped his head toward the door to indicate that the others should also clear the area. He and McCoy remained behind for another few moments in silent support before they too quit the room.
Though Jim had no way of knowing, Uhura continued to watch over him as he lowered himself shakily to sit on the bottom step of the transporter pad. Alone, he folded his torso forward and pressed his face to his knees, clamping bloodstained hands behind his head. She knuckled tears from her eyes when she saw his back heave once, twice - until finally he lifted his head, blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Swiping the back of his arm over his face, he pushed up onto his feet, straightening his spine and tugging his uniform tunic into place. She watched his chest rise and fall as he drew in and released a long, bracing breath. And she was sure that she could feel her heart break as he settled his features into a remote mask before striding from the room.
x x x x x
Uhura remained on duty well beyond the end of her shift to handle the influx of subspace communications flooding in as a result of the day’s events. The ambassador had been beamed back to the ship with the rest of the landing party but had returned to the planet’s surface as soon as possible in his capacity as intermediary between the Federation and K’aranga.
Though she was not an active participant in any of the conferences which took place, Spock had requested that she remain on the open channel unless ordered otherwise.
“I need your ears.”
“Do you suspect this may have a negative impact on the captain?” she asked in disbelief.
He shook his head but there was a pinched look around his mouth.
“I cannot see how there would be any negative repercussion for the captain, but I would be more comfortable knowing that we have your meticulous notes to rely on, if necessary.”
She flushed and nodded in agreement.
“And Lieutenant… please see to it that we maintain copies of both the audio and visual components of any meetings which take place.”
“Aye, sir.”
xxxxxxx
“Gentlemen.” Admiral Chandra raised his voice to be heard over the others. “Please. Let us all try to remain calm.”
The newly appointed ambassador nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. We must allow for all points of view to be heard if we are to find any kind of resolution after today’s unfortunate incident.”
“Un- Unfortunate incident?” Kirk growled. “Is that politically correct-speak for murder, Ambassador?”
“Captain.” Remohe, the representative assigned by the Federation to the matter spoke. “Please.”
Kirk lowered his hands to his lap and clenched them into fists out of sight of the monitor. The split screen showed Chandra back at Starfleet headquarters, Remohe at Federation headquarters and the ambassador and Nobu on the planet’s surface.
His gaze wandered away from the monitor and traveled around the small conference room, lingering for a moment at the spot where Ensign Delgado had been seated earlier that morning. He winced as the bubbling and eager image he had of her was replaced in his mind’s eye with that of her vacant gaze staring sightlessly into death.
A movement to his right caught his attention and he blinked, returning to the present. Spock’s expression conveyed concern for his captain’s state of being and Kirk’s chin dipped in barely perceptible acknowledgment as he returned his focus to the conversation swirling around him.
“…misunderstanding.” The ambassador was speaking again. “The treaty is in jeopardy. The K’arangan officials are - ”
“I can’t believe we are even still considering moving forward,” Kirk bit out.
“Kirk.” Chandra’s expression was sympathetic but his warning note was firm. ‘Keep it together’ he seemed to urge.
“Captain Kirk,” Nobu interrupted. “There is no cause for such distress. I do not understand -”
“You… you don’t under…” Kirk stuttered. “Distress?” He barked out an enraged laugh. “You don’t understand why the cold-blooded murder of a member of my crew might distress me?”
“There was no murder, Captain. We accorded your Ensign a great honor in helping her to achieve her destiny,” Nobu explained patiently.
“By making her a sacrifice to your god?” Spock’s tone was measured as always, but Kirk heard the underlying bite of anger.
“Not a sacrifice,” Nobu countered. “We are not barbarians!” He sighed sadly. “I can see that you do not comprehend. The moment she arrived, we knew she was the One.”
“The one?” Chandra parroted. “Please explain.”
“Yes. As we told the captain and his party, she is the fulfillment of a great prophecy of our sacred texts. ‘She will come in a swirl of starlight - M’ylana, the dark goddess, handmaid and helpmate to the lord,’” he quoted reverently.
“We have been awaiting her arrival for an eternity.” A beatific look came over his face and he stared directly at Kirk. “We are indebted to you, Captain, for bringing her to us. You should rejoice. She now lives forever with our god.”
“Admiral, we are not going to allow them to get away with this, are we?”
Kirk’s jaw was stiff with rage at the implication that he had knowingly been a party in Delgado’s murder.
“She was pleased. A willing participant in our ceremony,” Nobu continued as if uninterrupted.
“So excited that you had to drug her to gain her cooperation?” Kirk snarled.
“I do not care for your implication, Captain,” Nobu objected. “She was given a special elixir - one meant to purify her spirit and provide clarity of mind and purpose. But yes, it also contained properties intended to eliminate the natural anxieties any mortal would experience upon facing such a transformation.”
“Yeah. Well your magic potion didn’t work,” Kirk said hotly. The sick recollection of the look of terror in Delgado’s eyes as she silently pleaded with him for salvation was fresh in his mind.
“I believe the heart of this matter is whether the Ensign fully understood the ramifications when she volunteered to take part in your ceremony,” Spock interjected. “And whether the drug she was given impeded her free will and ability to give or deny consent, even at the very end.”
“We have no doubt that she fully understood and embraced her destiny. But in matters of our faith, a woman has no voice.” Nobu’s expression showed genuine confusion. “Regardless, this speculation is pointless as we had already obtained consent.”
“From who?” Remohe demanded.
“From her male protector.”
He looked directly at Kirk and the captain’s head reared back as if absorbing a blow. The blood drained from his face and nausea burned a bitter path in his throat with the realization that he had, however unwittingly, delivered Delgado to her death.
TBC
A/N: The next chapter is fully written and just needs a final review and edit. It will be posted this weekend. And then, I think, only one final chapter to wrap it all up.
Rating: R (mature)
Characters/Pairing: Kirk/Uhura
Disclaimer: Characters and canon belong to Paramount, Roddenberry, Abrams and many others but not me. All rights reserved. No copyright infringement intended and no profit is made by the author.
Summary: One year prior, the Enterprise had shipped out for its first mission under the official command of James T. Kirk and the young captain had deemed it a day worthy of recognition
Chapter Seven
Stunned into silence, the only sounds on the bridge were the soft hum and whir of the computers and a single, stifled sob from the young officer manning the operations console. Uhura rose from her station.
“Do you need to be relieved, Ensign?” she asked kindly.
“No ma’am.” The other woman drew in a shuddering breath. “I would like to stay. It’s just… Ensign Delgado was a classmate, ma’am.”
Uhura laid a consoling hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I understand. But if you change your mind, there’s no shame.” Turning back to her own station, her eyes met Sulu’s who had assumed the command chair when Spock had vacated it to meet the captain. And though she had wanted nothing more than to abandon her own position and follow Spock to the transporter room, she remained at her post.
Sinking into her chair with a sigh, she did the next best thing and accessed the video feed from the transporter room on her console’s monitor. She pressed her knuckles hard against her lips as she watched.
The landing party was gathered at the base of the transporter steps along with several medical personnel. Only Kirk remained on the receiving pad, stubbornly refusing to release Delgado, whose body dangled limply in his arms, long, black hair streaming toward the floor.
Spock was a quietly supportive sentinel at the captain’s side while McCoy rested one hand on Kirk’s shoulder. His head close to Jim’s, he spoke so softly that only the three men on the platform could hear his words.
The captain’s head was bent, eyes locked on the face of the woman in his arms. He twitched as something McCoy murmured penetrated the red haze of anger and despair engulfing him. Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet the doctor’s gaze. McCoy kept up a steady stream of chatter until Kirk finally nodded in response.
Spock motioned with one hand and the medics began to move up the steps but Kirk waved them off. He climbed down from the platform and gently transferred the burden he carried onto the waiting gurney, carefully arranging her limbs as if to make certain of her comfort.
The medics left with the body and Spock tipped his head toward the door to indicate that the others should also clear the area. He and McCoy remained behind for another few moments in silent support before they too quit the room.
Though Jim had no way of knowing, Uhura continued to watch over him as he lowered himself shakily to sit on the bottom step of the transporter pad. Alone, he folded his torso forward and pressed his face to his knees, clamping bloodstained hands behind his head. She knuckled tears from her eyes when she saw his back heave once, twice - until finally he lifted his head, blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Swiping the back of his arm over his face, he pushed up onto his feet, straightening his spine and tugging his uniform tunic into place. She watched his chest rise and fall as he drew in and released a long, bracing breath. And she was sure that she could feel her heart break as he settled his features into a remote mask before striding from the room.
x x x x x
Uhura remained on duty well beyond the end of her shift to handle the influx of subspace communications flooding in as a result of the day’s events. The ambassador had been beamed back to the ship with the rest of the landing party but had returned to the planet’s surface as soon as possible in his capacity as intermediary between the Federation and K’aranga.
Though she was not an active participant in any of the conferences which took place, Spock had requested that she remain on the open channel unless ordered otherwise.
“I need your ears.”
“Do you suspect this may have a negative impact on the captain?” she asked in disbelief.
He shook his head but there was a pinched look around his mouth.
“I cannot see how there would be any negative repercussion for the captain, but I would be more comfortable knowing that we have your meticulous notes to rely on, if necessary.”
She flushed and nodded in agreement.
“And Lieutenant… please see to it that we maintain copies of both the audio and visual components of any meetings which take place.”
“Aye, sir.”
xxxxxxx
“Gentlemen.” Admiral Chandra raised his voice to be heard over the others. “Please. Let us all try to remain calm.”
The newly appointed ambassador nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. We must allow for all points of view to be heard if we are to find any kind of resolution after today’s unfortunate incident.”
“Un- Unfortunate incident?” Kirk growled. “Is that politically correct-speak for murder, Ambassador?”
“Captain.” Remohe, the representative assigned by the Federation to the matter spoke. “Please.”
Kirk lowered his hands to his lap and clenched them into fists out of sight of the monitor. The split screen showed Chandra back at Starfleet headquarters, Remohe at Federation headquarters and the ambassador and Nobu on the planet’s surface.
His gaze wandered away from the monitor and traveled around the small conference room, lingering for a moment at the spot where Ensign Delgado had been seated earlier that morning. He winced as the bubbling and eager image he had of her was replaced in his mind’s eye with that of her vacant gaze staring sightlessly into death.
A movement to his right caught his attention and he blinked, returning to the present. Spock’s expression conveyed concern for his captain’s state of being and Kirk’s chin dipped in barely perceptible acknowledgment as he returned his focus to the conversation swirling around him.
“…misunderstanding.” The ambassador was speaking again. “The treaty is in jeopardy. The K’arangan officials are - ”
“I can’t believe we are even still considering moving forward,” Kirk bit out.
“Kirk.” Chandra’s expression was sympathetic but his warning note was firm. ‘Keep it together’ he seemed to urge.
“Captain Kirk,” Nobu interrupted. “There is no cause for such distress. I do not understand -”
“You… you don’t under…” Kirk stuttered. “Distress?” He barked out an enraged laugh. “You don’t understand why the cold-blooded murder of a member of my crew might distress me?”
“There was no murder, Captain. We accorded your Ensign a great honor in helping her to achieve her destiny,” Nobu explained patiently.
“By making her a sacrifice to your god?” Spock’s tone was measured as always, but Kirk heard the underlying bite of anger.
“Not a sacrifice,” Nobu countered. “We are not barbarians!” He sighed sadly. “I can see that you do not comprehend. The moment she arrived, we knew she was the One.”
“The one?” Chandra parroted. “Please explain.”
“Yes. As we told the captain and his party, she is the fulfillment of a great prophecy of our sacred texts. ‘She will come in a swirl of starlight - M’ylana, the dark goddess, handmaid and helpmate to the lord,’” he quoted reverently.
“We have been awaiting her arrival for an eternity.” A beatific look came over his face and he stared directly at Kirk. “We are indebted to you, Captain, for bringing her to us. You should rejoice. She now lives forever with our god.”
“Admiral, we are not going to allow them to get away with this, are we?”
Kirk’s jaw was stiff with rage at the implication that he had knowingly been a party in Delgado’s murder.
“She was pleased. A willing participant in our ceremony,” Nobu continued as if uninterrupted.
“So excited that you had to drug her to gain her cooperation?” Kirk snarled.
“I do not care for your implication, Captain,” Nobu objected. “She was given a special elixir - one meant to purify her spirit and provide clarity of mind and purpose. But yes, it also contained properties intended to eliminate the natural anxieties any mortal would experience upon facing such a transformation.”
“Yeah. Well your magic potion didn’t work,” Kirk said hotly. The sick recollection of the look of terror in Delgado’s eyes as she silently pleaded with him for salvation was fresh in his mind.
“I believe the heart of this matter is whether the Ensign fully understood the ramifications when she volunteered to take part in your ceremony,” Spock interjected. “And whether the drug she was given impeded her free will and ability to give or deny consent, even at the very end.”
“We have no doubt that she fully understood and embraced her destiny. But in matters of our faith, a woman has no voice.” Nobu’s expression showed genuine confusion. “Regardless, this speculation is pointless as we had already obtained consent.”
“From who?” Remohe demanded.
“From her male protector.”
He looked directly at Kirk and the captain’s head reared back as if absorbing a blow. The blood drained from his face and nausea burned a bitter path in his throat with the realization that he had, however unwittingly, delivered Delgado to her death.
TBC
A/N: The next chapter is fully written and just needs a final review and edit. It will be posted this weekend. And then, I think, only one final chapter to wrap it all up.