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Hikaru Sulu walked briskly down the corridor to the turbo lift, brushing past a few Andorian crewmembers. He smiled and greeted them “Good Morning,” as he stepped into the lift beside his friend Nyota Uhura. Uhura smiled at him, “Good Morning Hikaru. How are you today?”“Oh you know, a little tired from the Captain’s birthday party last night. I drank too much Antarean brandy. How about you?”“I feel fine. But then again I didn’t have any brandy, unlike everyone else. I expect I’ll be the only one who doesn’t look like I’ve been beaten up by a Klingon today.”“Well, except maybe Mr. Spock. I don’t think he drank any either. Or his alien biology kept him from getting too inebriated.” “I think the Captain will be the worst. He was practically slurring his speech when we all left last night.”The turbo lift doors opened up to the bridge, cutting the conversation short. Commander Spock already stood at his position on the starboard side, glancing over his shoulder at the Captain’s chair with a judgmental eyebrow. The Captain himself sat in said chair, slumped over and looking like he’d been hit with a Photon Torpedo. “Good Morning Captain,” Uhura said as she cheerily made her way over to her work station. Sulu chuckled at the nearly incoherent “Mornin’,” that left Kirk’s mouth in response. He made his way to the front of the bridge and sat in the pilot’s chair. Glancing over to the navigator's chair, he noticed a distinct lack of navigator. “Anybody know where Chekov is?”Spock turned his chair to face Sulu. “Mr. Chekov is late. Assuming he had anywhere near as much to drink has the Captain last night, he may be suffering from the effects of the brandy, thus resulting in his tardiness.” It was true, Chekov loved a good drink. Ever since he’d turned eighteen, he’d started having the occasional vodka off duty, his drink of choice. He tried not to make a big deal out of it, him being the sweet young man he is, but it was well known he could down liquor spectacularly. This meant whenever there was a celebration, he’d drink with the rest of them. If he’d drunk enough last night he’d probably be just as uncomfortable as Sulu, and if he’d gotten carried away, he was probably miserable. The Captain glared at Spock. “I didn’t drink that much, and besides, it was my party, I can do what I want! Ow!” Kirk grabbed his forehead as the volume of his own voice made it pound harder. “Captain.” Uhura looked sympathetic. “Maybe you should go see Dr. McCoy and ask him if there’s anything he can give you for your headache.”“No, because then all Bones would do for the rest of the day is nag me about how I should take better care of myself. I don’t need that when we’re leaving port today.”The Enterprise had been docked at Deep Space Two, refueling and replenishing supplies for the last three days, and the crew was anxious to get underway. As much as they enjoyed getting a chance to stretch their legs off of the ship, they all felt the pull of adventure and the unknowns of space. The bridge crew could not set off yet however, because a certain ensign was still missing. After a few more minutes of waiting, Kirk finally sighed and asked Uhura if she could give him a call and tell him to hurry up.“Uhura to Chekov, the Captain wants to know if you’re on your way-” Uhura was cut off by the Viewscreen coming to life, displaying the image of a masked person against a white background. The bridge crew startled at the sight. “Uhura,” Kirk asked, “What is going on?”“I don’t know Captain. His signal wasn’t there a few seconds ago. I didn’t grant him access to communicate. He’s just broadcasting.” The masked man spoke. “Enterprise, by now you’ve all probably realized that a valuable member of your crew is missing. Last night, during your festivities, my people were able to abscond with him to our ship. He is currently alive, but will not stay that way for long if you do not do what is asked of you. We want one hundred Photon Torpedos and two hundred phasers. If you do not comply, we will be forced to take out our anger on your crew member. In addition, we want a guarantee that we will be allowed to leave the quadrant without any one firing on us or incapacitating us in anyway.”The bridge sat silently as the masked figure leaned in on the communication feed. "You have seventy two hours to deliver what we want, or we’ll kill your precious Captain Kirk." Without warning, the feed cut off, and the screen was replaced by the dark space around them. Sulu turned around in his seat."I'm sorry, but he just say he had Captain Kirk hostage?"Kirk looked back at Sulu with an equally confused expression from his Captain's chair. "Yeah, he did. Which is quite a claim considering I'm sitting right here."Spock’s eyebrow rose again. “I have scanned the ship to determine how many crew members are on board. There are four hundred and twenty-nine lifesigns on board. There should be four hundred and thirty.” “So someone is missing then. They could be telling us the truth,” Sulu spoke.“Yes but Captain Kirk is right there, so whoever is missing isn’t the Captain. Either they kidnapped the wrong crew member or they are trying to scare us for some reason and someone is just still on the station.” Uhura swiveled in her seat. “I’ll check with Commander Collins and see if any member of our crew is still there.”After a few moments conversation, Uhura turned back to the rest of the bridge. “They detected no extra lifesigns on the station Captain. These people must have really taken someone thinking it was you.”Kirk sat up in his chair, expression stern. “Uhura, open a comm to the whole ship.” Uhura complied.
“Enterprise, this is the Captain. There seems to have been a breach in security last night. We don’t know the extent as of yet, but I want all non-vital personnel to return to their quarters. If you can’t leave your post, please radio up to me or Lieutenant Uhura, so that we can account for your whereabouts. A security team will be doing a head check, so stay put, and relay any emergencies to me. Thank you. Kirk out.”
Kirk turned to Spock. “Mr. Spock, have a security team check each personnel quarters for the crew. I want to figure out who it is that’s missing. In the meantime, we have to figure out whether we’re going to comply to the demands of these supposed kidnappers.” “Of course Captain.”Sulu sighed. He didn’t know if the strange masked man on the viewscreen had been bluffing or not, but with their luck, someone had really been kidnapped. Which meant they would probably not be leaving port today. He rubbed his temple. Hopefully, at the very least, Chekov would arrive soon.Pavel Chekov’s head was pounding to the beat of the song that had been playing at the party. He groaned and shifted his shoulders, a sharp pain stabbing into the back of his neck. His back felt like he was laying on something hard, like the floor of his quarters. Through his eyelids, he could tell the room was dark, but had no sense of what time it might be. He just hoped he wasn’t late for his shift. “Computer, lights.”
Chekov layed there for a moment, but nothing happened. “Computer, lights.”
Still nothing. Great, Chekov thought, zomething is vrong vith zee computer, or zee lights. He opened his eyes a crack, and was mildly confused to find himself staring up a metal beam on the ceiling. There were no metal beams on the Enterprise. Suddenly, the implications of that thought hit Chekov. His eyes widened as he shot up into a sitting position, looking frantically around the dark room. There was no furniture or decorations, just a small dim lamp on the wall, a window, and a big, heavy metal door. He was definitely not on the Enterprise. His feeling of alarm began to grow. Where was he?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Eight Hours AgoThe music was blaring loudly into cargo bay four, the biggest room on the ship, perfect for celebrations. The Captain was dancing in the center of the room with Ensign Reynolds, Scotty and McCoy were standing off to the side at the makeshift bar, chatting over their drinks, and Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were standing near the door, excitedly drinking their brandy while discussing their return to space scheduled for the next day.“I love the station, but I can’t wait to get moving again!” Uhura shouted over the pounding beat. “Tell me about eet! I cannot vait to be back out zere! Eet has been wery dull here!” Chekov lamented. “Hey, Pavel! Is it just me or has Ensign Marshall been looking at you all night?” Sulu asked with a wry grin. Chekov and Uhura glanced over their shoulders at the young brunette Ensign that had recently been transferred onto the Enterprise. She blushed from getting caught staring, and looked away. “Aw, you should go over there Pavel. Melissa is sweet! I think you two would really hit it off!” Uhura smiled. “Do you zink zo?”“Sure,” Sulu exclaimed. “At least introduce yourself. She’s a junior pilot, so you may end up taking shifts with her at some point. It would be nice to have her as a friend.”“Alright, but remember Hikaru: You are my favoreet pilot friend!” “Thanks buddy.”Sulu and Uhura hung back as they watched Chekov go over to Ensign Marshall. When they saw him strike up a conversation they shared a fond look. “They grow up so fast.” Uhura said.“They sure do. Wanna grab another drink?” Sulu asked.“Don’t mind if I do,” She replied, and the two walked off to the bar, arm in arm. Chekov stepped up to Melissa Marshall and took a deep breath. “Hello, I’m Pavel. I zaw you moving your stuff een yesterday. How are you liking zee sheep so far?” “Oh hi, it’s great. It’s much bigger than I expected.”“Da, zee Enterprise is wery big. I vas amazed ven I first came aboard too.”“I’m sorry, what? I can’t hear you over this music.”“Vat? I didn’t catch zat.”Melissa laughed. “Maybe we should get away from this music so we can actually hear each other!” “Da, zat zounds like a good idea!”The two made their way towards the door, stumbling out of the crowded cargo bay into the corridor. The volume of the music dropped dramatically as the doors shut behind them. “That’s better,” Melissa turned to Chekov. “I was starting to think I’d go deaf from that noise.” Chekov chuckled. “Zee Keptin loves old Earth music. He loves to play eet wery loudly. Thankfully, ve only have to endure eet on his birthday. Doctor McCoy yells at him eef eet gets too loud zee rest of zee year.”“That’s good to know. Hey, do you know where the mess is? I’m starving, and I haven’t quite figured out the layout yet.”“Da, I’ll walk you there.”Chekov gestured forward, and the pair began strolling forward. They walked in companionable silence together for a few moments, until Melissa spoke up again. “So any tips for my first day in space tomorrow? As a crew member of the Enterprise that is.”“Vell, vhich department are you vorking in?”“I’m going to be in engineering, with Lieutenant Scott? I’m hoping to work on the warp core and internal functions. I really enjoy it.”“Ah, Mr. Scott ees great! You vill like vorking vith him. As for zee rest of engineering, they are wery nice people. I help out down zere zometimes vhen Mr. Scott needs eet.”“Maybe I’ll see you there sometime! Now, anything I should or shouldn’t do on my first day? I want to make a good impression.”Chekov thought for a moment, as they rounded the corner, coming to a stop in front of the mess. “Zere ees really nothing you can do to make a bad impression, other zan disobeying orders. Oh, but you must always ask before you change zee temperature control. A lot of people get wery cranky when the temperature changes.” Melissa laughed. “Aye aye Captain!” she mock saluted. “I’ll try to steer clear of the temperature controls.”The doors to the mess slid open, and Chekov gestured for Melissa to step forward in front of him. “Ladies first,” he commented. Just as he was about to step into the mess, a large hand came down onto his shoulder. “Vat zee hell-” Chekov could only get in the short explicative in before another large hand came around his mouth with a damp cloth. He struggled against the arms that entrapped his body, grabbing and scratching at the wrists. His eyes, squeezed shut in panic, opened slightly, and he caught a glimpse of Melissa rushing towards him. Suddenly, he was swug away from the mess, now facing down the corridor. Standing in front of him, was another large man, of a species Chekov had never seen before. He didn’t have time to dwell on it however, as he was slowly becoming aware that his kicking legs were becoming heavier, his arms moved like jelly, and his eyelids were too hard to keep open. As he struggled against the fatigue, he faintly heard phaser fire in the distance. Finally, he found he could no longer keep his eyes open, and succumbed to darkness. Present The senior crew, minus Chekov, sat around the conference table, as Lieutenant Baker announced the only crew members not accounted for were Ensign Marshall and, of course, Ensign Chekov himself. “Thank you Mr. Baker. You may return to your post.” Kirk dismissed the security officer. “So two of the crew are missing, and we have a mystery man claiming he’s kidnapped Captain Kirk and demanding a hefty ransom. Thoughts?” He addressed the room.“Captain,” Spock began. “Although I am sure Lieutenant Baker is correct, we are only missing one crew member. I am certain the other must be on board.”“Spock is right Captain,” Uhura said. “And I’d be willing to bet that Ensign Marshall is the one still on board. The man referred to the hostage as “he,” meaning that if he has anyone, he probably has Chekov.”“But why would they think Chekov is me? We don’t exactly look like twins.” Kirk asked.“No, but if they had very little information about your appearance, perhaps they made a mistake. You are both young human males and you both wear gold. If that’s all they were going on, they could have grabbed the wrong person. Chekov could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”Spock tilted his head down in a half nod. “Lieutenant Uhura is correct. Any intruders on board would have to be particularly fast in getting on and then getting off the Enterprise, therefore rushed. Without a proper description, they may have made an error and taken Ensign Chekov.”“Captain,” Sulu interjected. “Pavel went to talk to Ensign Marshall last night at the party. I think I saw them step out into the corridor together. If we find her, she might be able to tell us what happened to him.”“Jim, if she was with Chekov last night when he was taken,” McCoy began. “She could be hurt. It’s probably why she didn’t follow your orders to go back to her quarters. I’d like to go with security team in case she needs medical attention.”“Good thinking Bones, Sulu.” Kirk pressed a button on the display before him. “This is Captain Kirk to Lieutenant Baker.”“Baker here sir.”“Mr. Baker, I’d like you to take Dr. McCoy and a security team and do a sweep of the ship. We need to find one of our missing Ensigns, and they may be hurt, so we have to do it as fast as possible.”“Aye sir.”“Thank you. Kirk out.”Kirk leaned back in his chair. “Bones, you should go meet him. As for the rest of you, you’re dismissed. Please return to your posts until we get any further updates from security and Dr. McCoy.” The officers stood up and filed out of the room, a grim mood having fallen over them. Had Chekov been taken? If so was he hurt? Was Melissa Marshall hurt?It wouldn’t be long until they found the answers to their questions.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Seventy One Hours Left
“Captain Kirk, it is good to see you awake.” Chekov took a step back as the tall figure stepped into the small cell he’d woken up in. Captain Kirk? Chekov was confused. Where is the Captain? Did he get taken too?
“It was very fortunate that you stepped away from your festivities with the female last night, as it made find you so much easier. It’s always nice when we don’t have to resort to unnecessary violence and bloodshed.”
Now Chekov was puzzled. Wait, did this alien think
he
was Captain Kirk? Why in the world would he believe that?
“I’ll admit, myself and my men were a little surprised by your appearance. You are a tad smaller than I expected. If it weren’t for the female calling you Captain, we would have never guessed.”
Suddenly, events from the night before slammed into Chekov’s mind.
“Aye aye Captain! I’ll try to steer clear of the temperature controls.”
Good grief, had these people overheard Melissa call him Captain and assumed that she was serious? She had been joking! Clearly, these people did not understand humor. But what had they done with Melissa?
“Vere is Ensign Marshall?”
“Who?”
“Zee female officer I vas with. Vat happened to her?”
“Oh she’s still on board, don’t worry. Your crew must’ve found her by now. At least, I’d hope so. She may be in need of medical attention.”
Anger washed over Chekov. “Vat did you do to her?”
“We just shot her a little bit, not too badly. She should make a full recovery, granted she’s seen too sooner rather than later. Really I must say, you are as passionate about your crew as the stories say. How… refreshing.”
“Who are you? Vere am I?”
“You’re on our ship. As for who we are, that’s a rather long story I don’t have time to get into right now. I have business to attend to.”
The figure began moving back towards the door. “Vait!” cried Chekov. “Vhy have you brought me here?”
The figure turned back. “I’m afraid you are a hostage Captain. If your crew doesn’t deliver what we want in less than seventy-two hours, I will be forced to kill you. Now, I really must be going. If you need anything, just shout.”
As he moved through the threshold, the figure slammed the heavy metal door behind him. “Vait!” Chekov yelled, but it was caught off by the click of the lock.
Dr. McCoy’s day started off dull. He had arrived to Sick Bay early that morning, only to have seven different patients in need of fluids from a long night drinking. He and Nurse Chapel had administered hyposprays to each patient, and sent them on their way with a suggestion of not going to work; a suggestion that most certainly everyone ignored. It seemed that Jim’s stupidity was catching. Not that McCoy was complaining per say; he enjoyed dull, relaxing days because it meant he could kick up his feet and catch up on paperwork, and not have to go traipsing around an alien planet treating wayward security officers. Better yet, it meant that Jim wasn’t crowding his Sick Bay with some sort of injury or allergic reaction. McCoy considered himself a good doctor, but his job was made infinitely less stressful when there wasn’t anyone to treat. He figured the day would continue on as dull and relaxing as the morning, as they were leaving port today to resume their exploratory mission, and there were no plans to visit strange new worlds or seek out new civilizations for the rest of his shift. And then, Chekov had to go and get himself kidnapped.
Dr. McCoy wasn’t mad at Chekov for getting snatched, to the contrary: he was worried for the young man. And worried for the other missing Ensign. Yet, his worrying meant no relaxation, no paperwork, and most definitely at least two patients. This surprise workload on a day where he had planned on doing hardly anything was frustrating, which was a fact he didn’t mind grumbling under his breath as he, Lieutenant Baker, and Ensign Nayudupalli made their way around the ship in search for Ensign Marshall.
The doctor continued grumbling all the way throughout the ship, ignoring the concerned glances the security team was sending his way.
“Nayudupalli, go check the mess. Dr. McCoy and I will check cargo bay four.” Baker ordered.
“Aye sir.” The Ensign hurried away to the mess. Baker turned back to the doctor. “Doctor, are you alright?”
“What? Oh yeah, I’m fine. It’s just never a dull moment around here. Always seems someone is running off and getting themselves hurt.”
Baker laughed. “That’s true. Last week, I had nine officers out of commission because of that away mission to the uninhabited green planet. I had to recruit Sulu when he was off duty to help. He was a big help though.”
“Sulu? Really? I would've thought you’d ask Uhura.”
“Well, I was going to, but I’m pretty sure having her run around the ship looking for people disobeying rules would make everyone unnecessarily nervous. Not that she would hurt anyone, she’s just especially scary when she wants to be.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” The doctor nodded.
Just then, a comm opened in the cargo bay. “Nayudupalli to Dr. McCoy. I found Marshall, and she needs medical attention!”
McCoy and Baker took of sprinting down the corridor to the mess. When they arrived, the doors slid opened to reveal Nayudupalli leaning over Marshall’s prone body. McCoy’s steps faltered when he got close enough to see them clearly. Marshall’s eyes were wide open and unseeing.
“Baker to Captain Kirk.”
“Kirk here, did you find Marshall?”
McCoy leaned down and placed his fingers against Marshall’s neck, feeling for the pulsing beat of her heart. There was nothing.
“Bones? Baker? Is she alright?”
McCoy sighed and stood up, away from the body. “No. She’s dead Jim.”
A heavy tension filled the room. Kirk’s voice crackled back to life. “How?” he asked in a somber tone.
“It looks like she’s been shot with a phaser, or something like it. She’s probably been dead for a few hours.”
“Wait, a few hours? No, are you sure? We picked up four hundred and twenty-nine lifesigns an hour ago. Could she have died since then?”
“I don’t think so. Her body is already in rigor mortis. She’s been dead at least four hours. I don’t know what to tell you. I won’t know for sure until we get back to Sick Bay for scans, but I’m positive she’s long dead.”
“Okay, thanks Bones. Kirk out.”
Kirk looked around the bridge. All eyes were on him. Sulu’s eyes were filled with alarm, Uhura’s with sadness, Spock’s stoic yet ever so slightly feeling.
“Mr. Spock, please scan the ship for lifesigns. I want to double check the readings.”
“Aye, Captain.” Spock turned to the controls in front of him. “There still appears to be four hundred and twenty-nine life signs aboard the ship. Only one crew member is missing.”
“But if Chekov’s missing and Marshall’s dead…” Uhura began.
“Then who is the four hundred and twenty-ninth lifesign?” Sulu finished.Kirk leaned forward in his chair. “It seems that there is an intruder on board.”
Deep in the bowels of the Enterprise, a Ynatek sat, listening to the footsteps of the crew rushing around above him. He knew that they would consider his situation an act of cowardice, but he knew what was best for him in this case. Hiding on board a federation starship was the way to go to stay alive, and by god, he was going to stay alive. Who cares if he was running away from danger instead of facing it head on? Running away was what his people did best. Well, second best. After all, the 20th Rule of Acquisition stated “He who dives under the table today lives to profit tomorrow,” and Ynatek was never one to stray from the rules. So here he would stay until it was safe to come back out again, angry Romulans be damned.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sixty-Nine Hours LeftChekov paced the small, dark room. He had already tried the door after the alien left, but it was locked, and without tools or weapons it would take a small miracle to pry it open. The locking mechanism seemed to be ancient, akin to what humans might have used in the 21st century to lock doors, requiring a physical key instead of a digital passcode or DNA. A small tapping sound was reverberating on the wall, annoying him to no end. Chekov’s mind was reeling. Why did these aliens choose to kidnap who they thought was Captain Kirk? Why target the Federation? To Chekov’s knowledge, these aliens looked very little like any species the Federation had ever come in contact with, so he could think of no reasons why they would randomly choose to kidnap Kirk. From what he’d seen so far the aliens had light, lavender skin but no other defining features, other than being freakishly tall. The tapping on the wall became louder as he began to piece together a plausible reason these aliens had taken him. The only possible theory he could surmise from what he knew was that these aliens had somehow heard of the Enterprise and decided to target the crew because of their reputation for being compassionate, and trying to use that to their advantage. The only problem with that plan was they grabbed the wrong officer, and the Federation would be unlikely to have traded anything for the real Kirk, let alone a navigator with the rank of Ensign. No, there was no way these kidnappers would be receiving what they asked for. Chekov’s only hope was the Enterprise, and the Captain performing one of his famous rescue missions. Otherwise, Chekov was dead. “It’s what I thought Jim. She was killed by a high power phase blast to the abdomen.” Dr. McCoy stood in the infirmary, having just finished performing the autopsy on Ensign Marshall. “But why Bones? Why kill her? And why take Chekov?” “I stopped questioning the senseless violence of men a long time ago. As for Chekov, they thought he was you.”“Well yeah, but why did they want to take me? They must’ve known there would be no way I’d let them use me as a bargaining chip, and that the Federation would never allow the Enterprise to trade with any hostile aliens.”“I don’t know what you want me to say. Maybe they had another plan. Or maybe, they could just be that stupid.”“But Bones, why did they want all those weapons? You said so yourself, Melissa was killed by a high power phase blast. It certainly seems like they have adequate fire power.” The door slid open. “Captain, I have a theory about that,” Spock began. “Perhaps the ransom is a cover up for another motive.”“Like what?”“There are many cultures who will incite violence to assert dominance over another race. Perhaps they are trying to prove their superiority over the Federation.” “Hey, now that’s an idea,” McCoy interjected. “They kidnapped a tipsy nineteen-year-old and murdered another to prove they are better than us. Real class acts they are.”“I did not say this motive was logical Dr. McCoy. I am merely hypothesizing based on recorded observations of other species.”“Here we go with the logic again! Spock, when are you going to get it through your big pointy-eared head that not everything has to do with logic! They probably thought they could make a quick buck by selling off some Federation weapons, and didn’t know how else to acquire them without taking on the whole damn ship.” “Dr. McCoy, I was merely suggesting--,” “Enough you two!” Kirk stopped Spock with a hand. “I have one dead Ensign, another missing, and a possible intruder on board that we can’t seem to locate. The last thing I need right now is the two of you arguing over what the other meant. I’ve got to go contact the station commander to find out who was docked at or near the station last night, and try and find out who took Chekov. If you two could kindly get along, that’d be great.”“I am perfectly capable of maintaining a professional and calm conversational pattern with Dr. McCoy. However, it seems that the Doctor often finds what I say disturbing. Perhaps he is too emotional to act professionally.”“I’ll show you ‘too emotional’, you green-blooded freak -- !” “Sulu to Captain Kirk!” The chirp of the computer cut off Dr. McCoy’s attack.“Good timing Sulu. What do you need?”“We found the intruder, sir. He was hiding in the port nacelle.”Kirk shared a glance with McCoy. Spock just raised an eyebrow.“Well at least that’s one problem to scratch off the list. Any idea who he is and what he’s doing on the Enterprise?”“Well, he won’t say sir. He keeps refusing to talk to us. We keep asking him who he is and why he’s on the ship.”“What is he saying?”“Well sir, the only thing he has said thus far is that he’ll only answer our questions if we tell him what we will give him in return.”“What? He wants to make a deal?”“No sir, I think it’s more like he wants to make a profit.” Chekov sat in the dark room, waiting. He didn’t know how long he’d been there. He guessed somewhere around two or three hours since the aliens had left. His stomach growled and his head ached. Perhaps the aliens could get him some food and water? Afterall, he was their prisoner for the next three days. The alien had said if he needed anything, to shout, but was he kidding? Well, Chekov thought, I guess it’s time to find out. “Heello! Pleaze, I need to eat zomthing! Humans cannot go for wery long vithout food!”There was silence, save for the annoying tapping noise. “Please! Eef I die, you von’t get anything from my crew!”A few more moments passed, and Chekov sighed in defeat, slumping back down against the wall. It was no use. The aliens didn’t seem too interested in his comfort. But suddenly, just as all hope was draining from the young Ensign, the door swung open. “Here,” the alien from before marched in with a tray of clear liquid and gray mush. “I anticipated your need for sustenance, and had a special dish made up for you. Afterall, you are our guest.” The alien spoke with a teasing voice and evil gleam in his eye.“How wery kind of you.” Chekov quipped. “Yes. I suppose you would be no use to us dead. Therefore it is within our best interests to keep you alive.”“My crew vill not negotiate.”“So you say.”“No, zee Federation does not pay ransoms vith veapons. Zey vill let you keel me first.”“Then you just might be out of luck. Unless they can be convinced to cooperate, I’m afraid I’ll just have to kill you.”Chekov looked at the floor. He had an idea, but it would require his friends back on the Enterprise to be willing to be open-minded and cooperative with the aliens. “Let me talk to my crew. Tell zem I am okay and I vant zem to give you zee veapons Zey vill listen to me.”“Oh, and do you want me to let you out of this cell while I’m at it? Maybe give you the keys to the shuttle? Hang a sign out my window alerting to your ship that this is where you are, to stage a rescue mission? Do you think I’m stupid?” The alien got closer and closer to Chekov’s face, his voice getting dangerously low. “No. I do not zink you are stupid. Zat is vhy you vill let me speak to my crew. You know zey vill not cooperate. Eef you vant zee veapons, you vill let me contact zem.”There was a long pause, in which the alien’s eyes bored into Chekov’s. But he refused to squirm, though every nerve in his body shouted in protest of the way it was being held so rigidly. This is what Captain Kirk would do, he thought to himself.“Very well. You may contact your crew in a few hours, if they have not made a decision yet. But, if you make one mistake, say one wrong word, I will take pleasure in watching their faces as I slit your throat.”“I understand.”“Good.” The alien stood straight, and turned towards the door. “Vhy von’t you tell me who you are?” Chekov asked the man’s retreating back.The alien stopped, and turned, smirking. “My apologies, Captain. We are the Gret’ets. I will be back to collect you in a few hours.”He marched out the door, and Chekov was alone again, in the dark.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sixty-Five Hours Left“You happen to sneak on board the same night one of our officers is murdered and another is taken and you somehow have nothing to do with it?” The human female’s face was barely inches away from Ynatek’s, so close he could feel her breath. “I have already told you, hoomon, that I will only talk to your commanding officer. I do believe that is my right.”“Oh I’ll show you your rights-”“Uhura!” The door slid open to reveal a man in a gold shirt with light hair. Not as attractive as the female, in Ynatek’s opinion. “Let’s try not to kill the intruder before we figure out if he has any idea where Chekov is, okay?”“Of course, Captain.” The female backed away slowly, her eyes never leaving Ynatek’s. He shivered. The light haired man came closer to Ynatek, grabbing a chair and then swinging his leg over it, so that he was sitting on it backwards. Leaning forward, he rested his arms casually on the back of the chair. “I’m Captain Kirk, commanding officer on this ship. And you are?”“I’m Ynatek. I am merely a traveler.” “Ferengi, right?”“As a matter of fact, yes.”“I hear you are refusing to cooperate with my officers.”“Yes, well, I don’t see how telling your officers anything will do any good. You’re not going to kill me.”“Oh really? And what makes you so sure?”“You are a Federation vessel. You are not in the business of killing people without ‘just cause’. So I won’t tell you anything. Unless…”“Unless what?”“I’ll tell you everything I saw on the ship, including what I know about your uninvited guests, if you allow me passage on your ship to the Beta Quadrant. Unharmed.”“And what’s in the Beta Quadrant?”“A lucrative business opportunity.”Kirk leaned back, contemplating. “If you tell us everything you know, we will take you to the Beta Quadrant. But only after my officer is back on this ship safe and sound. And,” Kirk leaned back towards Ynatek, getting as close as Uhura had been, “if I find out you lied about anything, I will let Lieutenant Uhura throw you out the nearest airlock.”Ynatek gulped. “Of course Captain. As the 100th Rule of Acquisition says, when it’s good for business, tell the truth. And staying alive is very good for business.”Kirk smiled. “Good. Now start from the beginning.” Chekov stood in the corner of his dark cell, contemplating. He didn’t really have a plan, outside contacting the ship and maintaining his mistaken identity of Captain Kirk. He knew that if the aliens found out who he really was, he was dead. He also knew that by contacting the ship, he was giving the Enterprise the best chance they would receive of rescuing him. If he could maintain the call long enough, before the aliens cut them off, Uhura would be able to track the signal through subspace. He also wanted to know what had happened to Ensign Marshall. It was upsetting that he didn’t know, hoping to any diety out there that she hadn’t been killed in his kidnapping. Chekov sighed, leaning against the wall. His head still pounded, and the mush the Gret’et had left earlier had been repulsive and unfilling. He began daydreaming of replicated pasta and stew from the mess, when suddenly, his door opened. Springing from the wall, Chekov tried to look as dignified as possible, conjuring an image of what Captain Kirk looked like from one of the missions where everything had gone wrong. And it wasn’t as if he had to think too hard, as Chekov honestly couldn’t remember a mission where anything had ever gone right. But we digress. To his surprise, it wasn’t the large alien from earlier that stepped into his cell, but a petite one. They looked timid as they moved into the room, glancing nervously up at Chekov as though he would strike them down at any moment. This alien looked much like the other: grayish skin, light hair, dark red eyes. But in the aliens small stature made them seem slighter, as though a strong wind would blow them away. Chekov was small himself, and he wondered if the alien was truly afraid he’d attack them. The Gret’et bent to collect the now empty food tray, and upon standing up again, paused, as though just noticing Chekov staring at them. They shifted uncomfortably. Good, Chekov couldn’t help but think, they should be uncomfortable. I’m the one who’s been kidnapped. Suddenly, the alien did something surprising. “Are you okay?” The grayish figure asked, uncertain and hesitant. Chekov blinked.“Vhy do you care?” Chekov asked, wincing at the harshness in his own voice. The alien looked alarmed, but went on.“Olean said you’d been drugged. I know that people have had adverse reactions to the drugs in the past. A pounding headache, I believe.”“Vell, I zuppose my head does hurt a leetle…” “I can help, if you want.” The alien looked almost shy now. Chekov didn’t know what to make of this. The alien seemed to be concerned for him, whereas the others couldn’t have cared less about his physical health. On the other hand, this could all be some elaborate trick. Chekov may look like he was born yesterday, but he certainly wasn’t, and after years of dealing with untrustworthy aliens, he knew that they could use faux concern to lower your guard before an attack. He wasn’t so sure that wasn’t the case right now. “Vhy should I trust you? You and your people hawe taken me from my crew, and hawe locked me in a teeny cell. You vant veapons for who knows vhat, and I had to beg to be fed. Vhy vould you help me?” The alien sighed. “My people are brutal. They are criminals for hire, and they don’t act upon their own volition. I am very sorry for their behavior towards you and your crew. They don’t ever share with me why they do what they do, or who pays them to. I am a healer, the least respected position on the ship. It is my job to heal those who are sick or injured. I don’t pick and choose based on species. I became a healer to help all life forms, without compensation. They think that I am weak, but I heal their wounds just as well so they keep me around. I want to help you because that is what I do. You don’t deserve what the Gret’ets are doing to you.” Chekov was surprised by the admission. There was so much to take in! The Gret’ets were hired? By who? They had a class structure that valued brutality over compassion, much like the Klingons. Would that be useful information later? Should he believe this person? Should he let them heal him? “Alright.” Chekov said. “Eef you are a healer, you can help me. My head ees keeling me, and I vould be grateful eef you could make it ztop.” The alien smiled, and place the tray back on the ground. They stepped forward, and placed their hands on either side of Chekov’s face. “Relax, this will only take a moment. I am using my energy to heal you.” Chekov, who had tensed upon the touch, relaxed a bit. “Your energy?”“Gret’et healers have an instinctual use of life energy, that allows us to heal our patients.” “Zat’s remarkable. My chief medical offeecer vould find you wery fascinating.” “They said you were the captain of a Federation starship.”“Da. I am the Captain of the Enterprise.”“I have heard of the Enterprise. You’re Captain Kirk?”“Da.”“You’re a bit shorter than I would’ve imagined. And younger. And you have an interesting accent.” Chekov internally rolled his eyes. These were all true, yet here he was masquerading as Kirk anyway. He channeled his inner James Kirk for his reply. “Many people say zat, but I make up for eet vith my ruggedly handsome good looks, and my natural charisma. Not to mention my vay vith zee ladies.” “Do you have many spouses?” Chekov choked. “Um nyet. I hawe not met the right person yet.” “Hmm. Humans are interesting. Olean, our captain, has 13 spouses back on our home planet, one for every year he has been captain. His weddings serve as a celebration of the anniversary of his promotion. His rank attracts many.” Thirteen spouses? Good grief! Chekov was lucky enough to be flirted with most of the time. He couldn’t imagine thirteen separate people being interested in him. But Kirk did have women throwing themselves at him all the time… maybe it was the rank, like with Olean. It would be an interesting thought to discuss with Sulu and Spock, should he ever see them again. “Vhat about you?”The alien chuckled. “I do not have any spouses. I generally do not attract many, my rank is so low, but I do not want to distract myself with romance. My work is too important to me.” Chekov made a noise to acknowledge the alien, but remained quiet. He was still reeling over the information he had been granted with about his captors through his interaction with the alien. Soon, the alien let go of his head and stepped back. “There, good as new.” He stepped away from Chekov, and turned to pick up the tray again. “I would get some rest if I were you, Captain Kirk. They will be collecting you to make the call back to your ship shortly.”“Vait.” The alien turned back to Chekov.“You know my name, but I do not know yours.”“I am Faze.”Chekov smiled. “It ees wery nice to meet you, Faze. Zank you for healing my headache.”Faze smiled back. “You are quite welcome Captain.” They turned back to the door and were gone, the locking clicking in place behind them.