Chapter Fifteen
Alta Venus
Captain's Log Stardate 58885.9
We are two days from our destination; the newly settled planet of Alta Venus. Our journey has been uneventful. We stopped to survey a Type 1 Nebula that proved to be receding slowly. Other than that we have had a smooth journey. We've encountered no other ships and have had no problems.
"So we'll be there in two days," Quinn said as they sat in Jim's private dining room having a late dinner. "I want to look around a bit."
"As do I," replied Jim. "Thinking of finding a house?"
"Something like that," said Quinn. "If the planet is half as beautiful as Tom and B'Elanna say it is I might just find us a house."
"I might like that," said Jim as he thought about settling on Alta Venus. They'd only be there during down time but from the way Tom and B'Elanna described it sounded like paradise.
"How was Chess with Commander Munro?" Quinn asked.
"We had a nice chat about his relationship with Lieutenant Commander Murphy," said Jim. "They're in love and are thinking about marriage."
"That's nice," said Quinn.
"He wants to wait until after you and I are married," Jim said, watching Quinn for his reaction.
"And why is that?" he asked, giving away nothing.
"He wants us to be the first marriage from Lexus," Jim replied, smiling.
"So it will look like the captain is setting an example for the crew?" laughed Quinn. "Jim we can get married any time you like. I'm ready to be your husband."
"Well then we should set a date," said Jim, smiling.
"Can it wait until after this mission?" Quinn asked. "I don't want to set a date and then end up having to postpone because of the mission going longer than we'd anticipated."
"Sounds reasonable enough," agreed Jim. "I don't think this mission is going to be extended, Quinn. We've seen nothing and no one since we left New Moon Station."
"Never say never, Jim," said Quinn with his patent smirk. "You know better than that."
"Right," laughed Jim. "God this mission has been boring!"
"Now, now!" cried Quinn. "None of that! You'll invite the Borg or something."
"To be honest I'd almost welcome them at this point," sighed Jim. "This isn't what I'm used to."
"Captain James R. Kirk needs an invasion to keep him from being bored," laughed Quinn. "You're time in Andromeda spoiled you, sir."
"I'm afraid you're right," he replied, smiling. "I suppose I'll have to get used to boring missions and grow old."
"Oh come on," laughed Quinn. "You're eighteen years old, the youngest Captain in Starfleet history. You can't grow old so soon my dear."
"Not before marrying you anyway," Jim said, smiling at him.
"Right," laughed Quinn. "I can't wait."
"We'll do it soon," he said, reaching for Quinn's hand across the table.
"I love you," said Quinn, a fond smile on his face.
"I love you, too," replied Jim. "What's say we get rid of these empty dishes and do some snuggling?"
"Can we watch one of your twentieth century movies?" Quinn asked.
"Sure we can," laughed Jim. "What are you in the mood for tonight? Horror? Drama? Science Fiction?"
"I think we'll leave the science fiction out," Quinn said, grabbing the dishes and putting them in the recycler. "How about a comedy?"
"All right," said Jim, taking him into his arms. "Alta Venus huh?"
"Maybe, Captain Kirk," said Quinn. "Just maybe."
* * *
0445 came terribly early for them when the computer woke them. Jim groaned and put his head under the pillow while Quinn stretched and yawned. He looked at his lover with one eye closed and started to laugh. It started as a silent chuckle and then built into a full belly laugh, waking Jim completely and against his will.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his tired eyes with the backs of his fists.
"I'm sorry," he said, calming himself with effort. "It was just the sight of you with the pillow over your head. You know we're not going to be late for school, Jim. We have jobs to get to now, important ones."
"I know that," he snapped.
"My, my," laughed Quinn. "Captain in a bad mood this morning?"
"I should paddle your ass for that one, Doctor," he laughed.
"Well if you think there's time," laughed Quinn. "I mean there are showers to take, breakfast has to be replicated, you haven't had your coffee . . ."
"Oh all right," he sighed. "Give me five minutes and then you can have the shower."
"I'll get your coffee while you're in there," said Quinn.
"I love you," he replied with a smile.
"You love me because I'll get you coffee," Quinn said, pretending to be angry.
"I love you for so much more than your coffee, baby," Jim said.
"Get in the shower before you hang yourself, Captain."
"Yes, Doctor," he replied, leaning over to kiss him before he got off the bed and went into the bathroom. Five minutes later he was dressed in his uniform and ready for the day.
"Your coffee is on the table," Quinn said as he passed him. "Please replicate breakfast."
"The usual?"
"Yes, please," came Quinn's voice from the bathroom.
At precisely 0530 the pair made their way to the lift having showered, dressed and eaten a breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. The made their way to the lift in silence, passing crewmen as they went.
"Have a great day, baby," Jim said when they reached the lift.
"You too," said Quinn, turning to kiss him. Their kiss ended as the lift door opened. Quinn kissed him one last time before stepping inside. "Deck five," he said as the door closed one he was inside.
Jim walked to the bridge. He got the report from the Gamma shift once he was there. There was nothing to report as usual and he sighed as he relieved Commander Tucker from his post and took his seat. Commander Munro joined him seconds later.
"Good morning, Captain," said Alex, smiling at him.
"Good morning," he replied. "Another day in the game."
"It appears that way," said Alex. "It'd be nice if we came across something."
"As Quinn told me last night," laughed Jim. "None of that."
They sat in silence for a while. Only the sound of the screens at stations being pressed as the staff went about their work. Annika watched the sensor grid while Telsia manned here security station. Chell had the science station while Chad sat at conn. There was nothing going on. This close to the galactic barrier there was absolutely not traffic and nothing unusual. He finally excused himself to his ready room with a sigh.
"Computer access all information on the planet Alta Venus," he said as he entered. "Route information to Captain's ready room console."
He thumbed through random factoids about the planets development from the twin stars shifting to the natural terra forming. He read about the Federation and Starfleet's efforts to develop the land on the planet. Then he saw what he was looking for. The real estate on the planet was expansive. There were houses of all sizes and shapes to choose from. Almost all of them were along a coast line. He found the perfect house along el Rio Beach and called up all of the information available on the property.
It was a two and half story house constructed of limestone and rock that sat on three acres of tropical land. He found the pricing information and scheduled a tour of the property for the following day. Quinn had said he wanted to look around after all. He went back to his seat on the bridge with a smile on his face. He couldn't wait to get to Alta Venus now.
"Anything to report?" he asked as he took his seat next to Alex.
"Nothing," replied Alex. "Smooth space."
"I figured," he said, suppressing a sigh.
"I think the entire crew misses the old days," said Alex with a lopsided grin.
"Yeah," Jim said. "I sure do sometimes."
"Well this is our first mission on the ship," said Alex. "Things will heat up as time goes by. You're a newly commissioned captain, Jim. Starfleet isn't going to send you into the thick of it just yet."
"Then how do they expect me to be a captain?" he asked. "We've faced things that are just as dangerous as the rest of Starfleet has seen. We're not incapable."
"Of course we're not," agreed Alex. "They know that, too. It'll get more interesting, Jim. We just have to be patient and wade through the boredom a bit longer."
"Well as it stands we don't have any other choice," said Jim.
They continued on in silence, waiting for something exciting to happen. Chad turned to look at Jim's bored face and smiled. He had a surprise for his friend and captain as soon as alpha shift ended. He couldn't wait to show him. With thoughts of the surprise floating through his head he turned back to his station and monitored the ship's speed and heading.
When alpha shift ended Jim gave his report and orders to Commander Williams and then followed Alex off the bridge. He went to sick bay and collected Quinn. They were on their way back to their quarters when Chad found them. He had a big grin on his face and looked excited.
"What's up?" Jim asked, smiling back at him.
"I've got something to show you that I think you'll be happy about," replied Chad. "If you'll come with me to Recreation Room 1 I'll show you."
"What is it?" Quinn asked as they headed for the lift.
"You'll see," said Chad.
"Deck fourteen," said Jim once they were inside the lift. "We've spent time in the recreation rooms, Chad."
"Not in this one you haven't," laughed Chad. "Just trust me."
They walked from the lift to Recreation Room 1 and stood outside the door. Chad turned to face them with a huge smile on his face. Jim was smiling too though he wasn't sure why just yet. Quinn just waited for what was coming.
"Well?" Jim asked.
"All right," sighed Chad, smiling still. "I know how boring this mission has been so I got together with Tom Paris and we created something in this room that I think is going to make things a bit more interesting."
He opened the doors to reveal a busy San Francisco street. There were shops and kiosks everywhere, twenty-first century vehicles drove up and down the street. One sign that caught Jim's eye made him smile wide. It took Quinn only a second longer to spot it and then he was smiling too.
"Murphy's!" Jim said as they walked into the room and waited for an opening in traffic.
"The computer is programmed to load this whenever you ask for Murphy's," said Chad. "We worked half the night on this."
"You've outdone yourself, Chad," said Quinn as they crossed the street and headed for Murphy's.
The old fashioned paneled walls of the bar and grill were a welcome site. Jim looked around and found several members of the alpha shift crew already in various spots. Tom was playing pool with Austin Chang and Chell was standing off to the side to watch. Telsia and Juliet were sitting at a table with Icheb.
"Jim Kirk!" cried a familiar voice that made Jim smile as he turned to face Maggie Murphy, the holographic owner of the place. "Where have you been?"
"I've been a little busy, Maggie," he said, hugging her. "How've you been?"
"Peachy," she said. "Come. Have a seat and I'll get the chips and salsa."
"Isn't it great?" Chad asked, smiling wide as they made their way to a table.
"This is good," said Jim, rubbing his hands together as they sat. Maggie placed a huge bowl of chips with a mote of salsa all the way around the outer edge on the table and glasses of ale in front of each of them. "Thank you, Maggie."
"Oh 'tis nothin'," she said, ruffling his hair.
"This is perfect, Chad," Jim said once Maggie went off to wait on more patrons.
"Tom wanted something to do so he came to talk to me about a bar in Paris," said Chad. "I told him about Murphy's and how much fun we'd all had here on the Leviathan and we started telling the computer what we needed and then Tom decided to do an entire strip. There's a movie theater across the street."
"We'll have to check that out some time," said Quinn, smiling at Jim.
"The food here won't leave you hungry either," said Chad. "It's actual replicated food."
"Perfect," laughed Quinn. "When you clowns eat hot wings Jim will really have the side effects."
"You're a doctor," laughed Chad. "Give him something for them!"
They laughed and bantered back and forth until the bowl of chips and salsa was gone. Then they migrated to their favorite bar pass times. Chad went to challenge Tom to a game of pool while Jim and Quinn went to the dart boards. By the time they decided enough was enough they'd had a great time and were happy.
They reached Alta Venus the next day and Jim transported to the surface with Quinn while Alex sat on the bridge. They promised to come back in a few hours to relieve him so that he could have a look around as well.
Everywhere they looked was beauty. Palm trees that looked like the same palm trees they'd seen all over Earth from a distance were everywhere. Up close they were strangely different. The trunks actually had fur while their bounty was not coconuts. They were strangely shaped pods of fruit.
Jim arranged transport to the house he'd looked at without telling Quinn where they were going. They met a human named Kayla when they got to the property. She showed them around while Jim explained to Quinn what he had planned.
"You said you wanted to find a house on another planet," Jim said as they walked from room to room.
The rooms were empty but the beauty of them didn't escape them. Hard wood floors ruled throughout most of the house. There was a fireplace in the den that was all brown stone. It was a nice contrast to the limestone walls. Bay windows in the den overlooked the beach. Quinn just kept turning around in slow circles to look at everything.
The kitchen was amazing and had actual appliances along with the standard replicator. There was a bar with stone stools in the center of the room and a nook for a table and chairs off to one side. The windows in the kitchen overlooked the tropical garden behind the house.
The bedrooms were upstairs and each had a walk-in closet with. The master bedroom had its own bathroom and two closets. There were computer consoles in every room of the house and Jim loved it. He kept smiling at Quinn as he looked at everything with a stunned look on his face.
"Can we buy this?" Quinn asked, smiling at him. Jim just smiled back at him.
Before returning to the ship they were given paperwork to fill out and Jim thumbed the pad to purchase the house. They were both smiling as they returned to the ship. Quinn was happier than he'd been in a long time and that made Jim happy. The house was perfect.
"Captain, there's a priority message from Starfleet Command for you," said Alex when they got to the bridge. "It's Admiral Hays."
"I'll take it in my ready room, Alex," he said. "Why don't you go have a look around the planet?"
"I think I will," Alex replied with a smile.
He walked into his ready room and sat at the desk, calling up the console as he sat. He entered his clearance code and the screen came to life. Admiral Hays was am older man with thinning light brown hair and fierce grey eyes.
"Captain, I have an important mission for you," he said when Jim bid him greetings. "This is going to be a bit strange."
"Understood," Jim said. "Go ahead, Admiral."
"Senator Donatra of the Romulan Empire has asked to speak with a Starfleet Captain," he said. "She has asked that a starship be dispatched to the NEZ-5 station. Once there she will contact you. Captain, this could be a dangerous mission. We're sending Lexus because she is the fastest in the fleet with the most impressive defenses."
"Understood, Admiral," he replied. "When do we leave?"
"As soon as possible," said Admiral Hays. "When you speak with Senator Donatra I'll expect a full report."
"Of course," he said.
When the transmission was terminated he sat for a second to think about what had been said. A Romulan wanted to speak with a Stafleet Captain. Everything he'd learned about the Romulans told him that this could be a trap, but he didn't know what they expected to gain from trapping one starship.
"Captain Kirk to Commander Munro," he said, tapping his comm badge.
"Go ahead, Captain," came Munro's voice from the surface.
"Commander, I'm sorry to cut your exploration short," he said. "Round everyone up and return to the ship. We have new orders."
"Understood," replied Munro.
"Senior staff to the bridge," he said as he walked out of his ready room and took his seat on the bridge.
Fifteen minutes later they were all at their stations. He sighed as he thought about how bored he'd been. Had he cursed them? He supposed he'd find out soon enough.
"Mr. Dodds, plot a course for NEZ-5 Station," he said.
"Course plotted, sir," replied Chad after a second.
"Engage, warp nine," he said.
"Aye sir, warp nine," said Chad. The ship went to warp and they were on their way. Jim just hoped it wasn't a mistake.
"Captain?" Alex asked, looking at him hard.
"Our orders are to go to NEZ-5 Station and wait," said Jim. "We'll be contacted by Senator Donatra of the Romulan Empire once we arrive. That's all I know so far, Alex."
"Understood," he said, turning to face the main viewer again.
It took two days to get to a point in space where there was no traffic or planets. Once there they utilized the slipstream drive and arrived at NEZ-5 Station the very next day. They docked and waited. It wasn't long before they were contacted. He took the transmission in his ready room and got his first real look at a Romulan woman when Senator Donatra's face appeared on his console screen.
"Captain Kirk," she said with a nod of her head. "I have intercepted a transmission that I believe is of importance to Starfleet."
"Why was this transmission not forwarded to Starfleet Command?" he asked.
"Captain, I'm giving you this transmission and defying the Empire," she said seriously. "I could not do this openly."
"Understood," he said. "Would you care to beam aboard the ship?"
"That would be a good idea," she said. "I'll be in a shuttle in an hour, Captain."
"We'll await your arrival," he said.
An hour later he was seated in the conference room with his senior staff and Senator Donatra. The staff was nervous. None of them trusted the Romulans at all. They greeted the senator professionally however. She handed Jim a data node and he placed it in the node slot of the conference console. A static filled transmission played through the computer.
"This is Captain Chakotay of the Federation Starship Voyager," came a familiar voice that made everyone at the table gasp. "We are under attack. Borg have taken over everything."
THE LEXUS CHRONICLES