James Kirk downed an unheard-of twenty-fifth biscuit. Chuckling, Uhura finally broke her silence."Is this some sort of Admiral's prerogative that no one ever told me about?"
Kirk nodded, wiping away the gravy that was all over his mercifully short lived Sam Kirkesque moustache.
"Yes. But its your own fault for making me exercise it, Commander. This gravy--is excellent. Is it really Vegan?"
Spock, who had been conspicuously consuming himself, nodded clearly in the affirmative.
"It is. After many decidedly unsuccessful attempts--all of which I was made to endure--she has, through use of spices, peppers and nuts--created a true, tasty non-meat brown gravy."
Brandt would pay for her indulgence, but Jim was good for working off those extra calories. Even so, she created a mental firewall of fifteen biscuits. It was a wall that would not hold.
"Maybe I'm slightly dense--but did it have to be Vegan? Spock, I could've sworn I heard you saying that simple vegetarian was strict enough for you."
Uhura, creator of the rich gravy, fielded this one.
"Oh, this wasn't done just for him. One of these days, when I prepare this gravy for ----certain members of his family---- and one of them starts talking about proper preparation and savage carnivorous humans—I want to completely shut them down. Quickly."
Kirk was still dunking his multi-grain biscuit.
"Just tear out their Communications Console. Worked wonders on me."
Both Spock and Uhura winced at that. Their relationship with their Captain varied from close friendship to that of edgy crewmembers. But Kirk would probably, never, ever completely forgive their spore-induced mutiny from the first five-year mission. It was one quirk that Brandt utterly backed him up on. No matter the cause, born Captains found any mutiny to be a personal affront.
Spock looked over, and saw that Saavik had not even touched her first biscuit.
"Are you well, Saavik-kam? I think that you would be wise to begin your meal, before Admiral Kirk forces Nyota to invest in wheat futures."
At a raised eyebrow, Kirk knew that he had been paid back in full for the console remark. But now he also took note of the younger Vulcan's quietitude.
"Cadet? Yoo-hoo!"
Saavik seemed to be glazed over. Her response was further evidence of this.
"I am sorry, Daddy. I will find my center."
Since this was damned odd, but likely something Saavik would explain later, Jim and the others decided to take it as a harmless attempt at humor. The young woman had more than once declared it a difficult concept. Apparently it still was.
Jim decided to change the tack.
"I can't believe Suzanne here allowed me to forget this little bit of news."
Brandt put her biscuit down, wiped her chin, and nodded.
"Yeah. Tell them. Its great-big news."
Trying to regain her composure, Saavik listened to Kirk's announcement. He clapped his hands together.
"Remember my nephew, Peter? Sam's boy? Well, he and his one and only childhood sweetheart are finally tying the knot! The wedding is on July 29, and its invites all around."
Spock nodded.
"Since it was only 5 years ago that his nervous system collapsed, this is further positive evidence that his post-Deneva Rehabilitation has taken hold."
Brandt picked her biscuit back up.
"You two didn't see Jim here, when that happened. To find out those parasites still had tentacles in PJ's system? It was all Bones could do to keep our illustrious hero from offering up his own nervous system as a replacement."
Uhura shuddered.
"I still think of PJ. He was the only kid who ever came on the Enterprise without being possessed of some kind of powers. Good, normal kid. A rarity in those days."
Spock saw his best friend's continued silence. This was not an uncommon occurrence, when Jim was reminded of those times when he failed to protect a loved one. Even if the circumstances would never have allowed him to. So he spoke to Saavik again, til this usually brief mood passed.
"You would like Peter Kirk, Saavik. Much like yourself, he was bereft of his immediate family at an early age. In fact, before hearing this news, I had thought of arranging a social meeting between the two of you."
When Saavik actually chuckled quite audibly, it broke Jim's mood. It also proved that something was at least amiss with her.
"A blind date? Perhaps leading to our eventual bonding?"
Saavik stood up, and now glared at Spock.
"Leading further on to you summarily annulling that bond? No-thank you. Once is enough!"
As Saavik left to go to the room she was staying in, she felt ill. She had maintained none of her composure, and lost much of her dignity. But this Spock was simply too casually concerned about and attentive to her. So unlike her Spock, who had to be forced to see her at phaserpoint.
With Jim clueless and Spock and Uhura gasping for mental air, it fell to Admiral Brandt to brave the knock on the door.
"Kiddo?"
"Come in, Admiral."
"Everyone just wants to know--are you gonna be all right?"
Saavik shook her head.
"No. I will not. Admiral--I am a fraud."
Brandt smiled.
"Cadet---everyone feels that way, from time to time."
Saavik got up.
"But few I think have my proof of fraud, so to speak."
Going back to the dining room, Saavik offered up her explanation.
"First, my apologies to Captain Spock. He deserved none of my venom. My apologies to all of you, as well. This peaceful dinner, I fear, has brought out the very worst in me."
Spock gently took Saavik's wrist, and this casual, supportive contact again reminded her that she was not where she was supposed to be.
"Saavik-kam--whatever distresses you is my concern as well."
Kirk chimed in.
"All our concerns. There is no casual member of this extended family. We may lose touch, or not see eye-to-eye, but we are always us."
The ladies in this instance were more interested in Saavik's words, and so kept quiet to speed things along. She began her bizarre story.
"My name is Saavik Brianna Kirk. I am the adopted daughter of Captain James T. Kirk, and wife of Peter, who is his son."
Despite herself, Brandt stopped her.
"Jim--didn't you have a crazy aunt named Brianna?"
Kirk nodded, but kept it quick, so as not to distract Saavik.
"Yeah. Winona's twin sister. The nutcase tried to kill Winona when George wouldn't pay her any attention. Not one of my favorite people, you understand."
Saavik continued.
"As you may have surmised by now, I am from a different quantum reality than this one. For example, Brianna, while still highly mentally unstable, is Captain Kirk's mother."
Uhura held up a small device.
"Nothing to surmise, kid. When my efforts to coax this subspace transceiver back to health failed, Spock tracked down a quantum anomaly as the source. We were just wondering which of us it was."
"As always, Commander. This crew is ahead of almost any problem. But I present no threat. I am merely a traveler upon the infinite paths, seeking a way back to what I call normalcy."
Spock took this one.
"And what, Saavik, constitutes normalcy for you--and your absent husband?"
She now sat down.
"In my world, a great evil approaches. It is called King Ghidorah. In some worlds, it is merely a poorly-designed fiction. Trust me when I say that such is not the case in my world. Worse in some ways than the eventual threat this dragon poses are its mortal followers. Bigots all--and engaged in a conspiracy that has not left a single aspect of our lives untouched. Many of those we all love have been corrupted, killed, or both. Without going into unending detail, suffice it to say that my Peter and I have been locked in a war against evil, almost since birth. We have both changed. Not all those changes were positive. We are killers. We are good at it. We are also paranoid. This quiet dinner, this peaceful gathering--would require a mental scan of all concerned, and the readiness of mind to kill all here."
The night had been an enjoyable one. But this other Saavik had lent it an air of joy, by her grim words. Biscuits And Gravy. So simple a thing. But in the harsh realm she described--likely an impossibility. She looked them all over.
"Thank you for this evening of peace and pure camaraderie. It shall sustain me, and through me, my bondmate. You have given us air to breathe in a place that is almost pure vacuum."
Just then, Uhura's transceiver came to life. Saavik looked around. The other Saavik, the one who had showed them all what they really had, was gone.
"Oh, Nyota. How very wonderful. My favorite."
A bit playfully, she snatched two unused pieces of bread from Kirk's plate, and began to dip.
"Mmmm. Biscuits and gravy. Why does it taste so good this night?"
Spock shook his head. They would try to explain what happened to her, later.
"Each evening is a world unto itself, Saavik. And each world has its own unique flavor."
Brandt was smiling, and Kirk asked the obvious of her.
"Something on your mind, pretty-lady?"
"Yeah. An actual apocalyptic dragon. Up against that, your problems with putting down the toilet seat seem picayune."
Joy or no, Kirk wisely did not expect this attitude to last very long.
THE END