Chapter 15 - Fierce Andor, Steadfast Tellar....After being warned by Doctor McCoy, that, enhanced physiology or no, he should limit himself to two shifts, Peter Kirk returned to sickbay to check on his pregnant wife. The visiting children were becoming more and more self-reliant, and Sophie Tanabe surprised them all by stepping up to the bat. But she enjoyed it, and, knowing all their tricks, she was good at keeping the younger ones in line.
This self-reliance would prove critically important, very soon. Peter had felt Qo'noS die, and knew that Ghidorah would soon be in Federation space. When the battle came, none of them would be able to spare a second for the children. At McCoy's suggestion, they left the Rec area and moved to the heavily shielded Shuttle Bay. Best to have them as far away from battle as possible. In fact, the Shuttle Bay Doors were a deliberate lure in battle, one many enemies had fired upon, thinking them flimsy and vulnerable.
"Wife?"
"Here, Husband."
Saavik sat before a terminal, one that had been given a subspace link.
"Peter, I am calling Amanda. I mean to tell her the news, and I wish you to be by my side as I do."
As much as he out-and-out loved Amanda and Sarek, Peter just wasn't sure in his heart how they would react to Saavik's pregnancy. He wondered how he would react to finding out that the young man he had taken in had "knocked up" his dear granddaughter. He hoped to find that out someday.
Amanda appeared onscreen.
"Saavik, Peter! Is there anything wrong?"
Peter whispered in his wife's ear, then kissed it.
"It's your show, 'Mommy'."
Saavik gathered herself.
"No, Amanda. Except for the current crisis, all is well. Better than well, in many respects."
"Is it true what they're saying? That Romulus and Qo'noS are destroyed?"
"Sadly, that is true. But Peter and I have good news. As adults now, we have re-bonded. We are Husband and Wife again. And there is more. Peter's mother Aurelan was Half-Romulan, as I am."
Amanda was a trifle surprised by this, but she cared enough about her "third son" not to care at all about his heritage. Over eight years, she had seen him go from rage-filled and incoherent victim to Cosmic Defender. She knew her love and care had a hand in this. More, she had seen what his presence had done for Saavik. They had become each other's hearts so rapidly, it was almost frightening. More, Peter had used his own telepathy to buttress Sarek's deterioration, even when it left him exhausted. So it was that Amanda's heart was glad to hear that Saavik and he had overturned T'Pau's dismissive decree of dissolution. The odd thing in all that had been that T'Pau always liked the human Peter better than Saavik. Peter could never bring himself to tell the old busybody he only put up with her to remain on Vulcan.
"It's wonderful that you two have remarried. Sarek will be delighted, and I'll - make T'Pau aware of this. Was there anything else, dear?"
Saavik felt her husband's hand in hers, and drew as much strength from this as she could. This moment was too important. Too fragile.
"In my time in your house, I have called you Amanda, which is your name, and Mother, an honorific you well deserve. Now, with your permission, I wish to give you two more titles."
Amanda nodded.
"Of course. Say, Peter, you're awfully silent."
"My Wife speaks for us both, Mother."
Peter very rarely called Amanda that, feeling that to do so showed disloyalty to the deceased Aurelan Kirk. So her smile was an especially tender one.
"What are the two titles, Saavik?"
He had other things to do, but nobody was pushing McCoy away, so he watched, not wanting to miss this. Saavik spoke.
"Grandmother - and Great-Grandmother. I am with child, and I have learned who my true father is."
Of course, Amanda started to cry.
"Do you hate us? For keeping the truth from you? Saavik-kam, Spock's sanity was at stake. He's blocked out Hellguard."
Saavik shook her head. The smile on her face said it all.
"To hate the people you love the most... is not logical, 'Grandma'. You took care of me and protected Spock. Like my Peter, you have done what you could. We both love you dearly, and could not resent you if you tried to make us do so. Tell Grandfather of my words."
Free of a huge burden, Amanda suddenly registered as to Saavik's second piece of news. Her eyes lit up.
"A baby? My little Saavik is going to have a baby? Young Man, I could kill you... if I didn't love you so damned much. I see you lurking there, Doctor! Smooth delivery, or else."
McCoy threw his head back.
"Madam, I have delivered Kings into this galaxy! I can certainly deal with the most stubborn rugrat in all of history."
"Stubborn, Doctor?"
"Genetics, Mrs. Ambassador. This child will be the combination of the genes of the two most pigheaded men in all of creation. This - will be interesting."
Every eyebrow in view was raised at McCoy. He left, somewhat disconcerted.
"Saavik, one last thing?"
"Yes?"
"Call me Grandma again. I've waited so long to hear it."
"As I have waited to say it."
As the two women talked and talked, Peter heard the ship's intercom.
"Lieutenant Kirk to the Briefing Room, as soon as possible."
"Aye, Captain."
Seeing that Saavik and Amanda had a lot to talk over, Peter left Sickbay, feeling that she would get some rest while there.
He arrived in the Briefing Room to find only his father and Uhura there. Wisely, he did not scan them, despite his worry at the looks on their faces. Jim spoke first.
"Peter, I know you just got off your second shift. But I need you here, now, son. There's news from Earth. Bad news."
His childhood crush was long a thing of the past. But Peter reasoned he would have to be dead a century not to notice Commander Uhura's beauty as she spoke.
"Peter, Sophie's mother - my cousin - is dead. You... better take a look at this list. It was obtained from a raid on an Order of the Ancient Destroyer stronghold, during the three days of chaos."
Many names, Peter knew. Joanna McCoy, elder and junior. His own great-aunt and uncle who owned a ranch in Idaho. Mrs. Preston, mother of Jess and Peter Preston, sister of Scotty. Sergei Sergeivitch Chekov, father of Pavel. The list was long. One and all, the people on it were the Earthbound family members of the USS Enterprise, plus some who were just friends of the family. His heart sank when he saw about 300 Graysons on the list, all relatives to his wife and unborn child. He didn't need to ask what he did end up asking next.
"They targeted our families, didn't they? All these people are dead. Dead because they were related to us. Bastards probably drew up this list, years ago. Very, very thorough. It lists who gave birth recently. Did anyone survive? Anyone at all?"
Uhura was still smarting from the loss of her infuriating but well-loved cousin. She just couldn't figure out a way to tell Sophie.
"Not so far as we know. Lieutenant, we would like your help in breaking this to the crew. Your experience in such matters would prove invaluable."
Jim nodded.
"Especially to the children. Peter - a lot of them are orphans, now. They look up to you, admire you for what you've been through. Will you help us?"
Peter shook his head. "Not again!" rang through his brain. He had killed the Admiralty. Should he have been more thorough? Did he and Sarek make a mistake keeping the Ghidoran conspiracy a secret? How many more lives would be lost before the monster even set taloned claw in Federation space?
"No. I won't do it. What do you want from me?"
Jim's response was that of a Captain.
"Watch that tone, Mister! Especially when you are addressing two members of the senior staff. Got me?"
Peter was appropriately reminded of why his father had a cosmic reputation for toughness.
"Yes, sir. I offer my apologies, and of course, what help I can give. I just don't know how much I can do. There is no way to deliver this news gently. There is no good way to deliver it, period."
Captain Kirk reached out his hand and squeezed Lieutenant Kirk's hand. Jim knew his son was the right one to help with this. He just wished to hell he didn't have to ask it of him. Uhura tried to cheer him up, as well.
"Peter, perhaps if you told everyone how you got over your family's death, that would help them deal with their grief."
Peter almost smiled at the naiveté of the two Command Crew members.
"Dad - Nyta - I'd be happy to tell people how I got over my family's death on Deneva. Problem is, though - I never have. May I make some concrete suggestions?"
"That's why you're here, son."
"Alright. First, gather an extended version of the senior staff. Don't take more than fifteen minutes with them - people will wonder what's going on. That is the last thing we need. Have Doctor McCoy list any crew who are likely to handle this news very badly, and tell them separately. Once each crewmember knows, have them inform their children. I can speak to them as a group, later, if you want, but it's not going to be much help. Have security at the ready. Mutiny is a possibility."
Jim's head turned.
"Mutiny? Lieutenant, are you certain?"
"Sir, your son is alive, married to the beautiful daughter of your best friend, who is expecting your grandchild. Now, while that was a tough road to hoe, some people may not see it that way. Just be ready. Just run your ship as you always have, but be prepared for the reaction from those who are simply not prepared for this - because there is no preparing for this. Whenever possible, use the three-headed threat that lays ahead of us as a rallying point. I cannot emphasize enough - this will not go smoothly."
Jim nodded in appreciation.
"I have a feeling it will now go a bit more smoothly than it would have. You're dismissed, Lieutenant Kirk. And thank you."
"Thank you, Captain Kirk. And you, Commander Uhura. This horrible news, especially, makes me glad Saavik and I didn't wait. Baby or no, if we had waited to re-bond, we might never have had the opportunity. Sorry, Captain. I'm babbling."
With that, the young man left, uncertain as to whether or not to call Amanda back and tell her of the fate of her family. All in all, he would have rather fought Ghidorah.
In the Briefing Room, the two senior officers considered his suggestions.
"Well thought out, to be sure. Anything to add, Commander?"
Peter's words about not waiting had stuck with Uhura. She now found it amusing that the boy who followed her around when he was eleven was married, expecting, and showing the first signs of Command potential. She cared for the Captain's son. But she had always cared for someone else even more. Their love was not inevitable, like Saavik and Peter's, but it had deep roots, and deep respect and affection. Praying that she could for one minute be as brave as Peter, she spoke her mind.
"I believe Lieutenant Kirk's suggestions should be implemented without amendment, except for the children. Jim, you've always been good with kids. Having you speak to them would reinforce the thought that everything will be all right. There's one other thing."
"Another proposal?"
Uhura started, but then caught herself.
"Of sorts. You know, with this madness about, I've had a lot of time to think. I thought about what the worst day of my life was. You know what I came up with?"
The intercom beeped. It was Decker.
"Captain, StarFleet has just confirmed, via spy stations. Sir, heading to Qo'noS...is a moot point."
Kirk's stomach turned.
"Maintain course, Number One. We'll offer aid to any survivors. Kirk out."
Uhura's eyes darted downward, as though that could help her turn away from what she just heard.
"Nyta?"
"Huh?"
"Worst day of your life?"
She then looked at Kirk with a longing that said she could easily live without him, but might prefer not to.
"The worst day of my life was when they told us you were lost in interphasic space. Years may pass, Jim, and some nights may count more than others, and a kiss can be forced. But real feelings remain real feelings, like I have for you and I think you have for me. Not because we're getting older, or because it seems like it might all soon be over. Not to be obvious, or to be with someone comfortable. I ask this of you because it's what I want, nothing more. James Kirk: Will You Marry Me?"
So it was that a man never at a loss for words fell completely silent. After five minutes, he spoke, completing a cycle he had begun in his academy days, when he perhaps first realized that Carol Marcus and he would never be truly together. He didn't need to wonder about his answer, only about why in hell he had never asked this himself. She was right, they were not inevitable. For that, he merely loved her even more. They didn't have to be. But it was what they both wanted.
"Yes."
The grim task ahead still waited. But now, so did something else. Something made all the more wonderful by the fact that it didn't have to happen. It wasn't what they needed. But it was going to happen, anyway. Jim Kirk didn't trust happiness, much. But he allowed himself this moment in time, and it's sweet memory would carry him through when all seemed lost.
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ENTERPRISE POSITION RELATIVE TO QO'NOS SHOCKWAVE: 2 HOURS
In the greater Andor-Tellar systems, two races that never agreed on anything both put up a unified front against the Federation President. His pleas fell on deaf ears.
"Gentlemen, please! We've destroyed the Orions as a power in this quadrant. Now, we ask that you release the ships you hold, as per our agreement."
Normally, the Andorian representative would bristle at letting a Tellarite speak for him. But the look on the UFP CE's face was worth it.
"Ha! These ships remain here, with us. When the Federation dissolved, we took them as our property. Just compensation, considering the bigoted remarks that Earth's government put out, not to mention our world's citizens, murdered as they slept in their beds, by thugs of THE Order."
Not wishing to be completely silent, the representative from Andor capped off the conversation.
"Relax, Mister President. If the Ancient Destroyer should attack a major world, these Starships of ours - and they *are* ours - will be sent out immediately. That is all."
He flicked off the screen.
Ravt, the Tellarite nodded to his counterpart.
"I know we will come to blows, Nern. But even with Andor and Tellar at war with each other, it will feel good too have power resting in this part of the galaxy, for a change."
Nern, the Andorian, agreed.
"I could forgive what happened when the Order took over. Most humans are not bigots. But they dismiss us, take us for granted. If you aren't Terran or Vulcan, you're just there for them to show off. We are in a unique position, Ravt. Someone will surely find a way to stop Ghidorah. But our distance from his projected point of entry into the Federation means that we might never see action. Translation: these ships we hold mean a re-writing of the UFP Charter - not to mention our non-mutual borders."
Ravt banged his fist.
"The Earthers brought this upon themselves. Plus, is it our fault we are on the side of the Federation farthest from King Gidrav's approach?"
These were not arrogant, evil men. But they and their governments had been badly shaken by the efforts of the Order of the Ancient Destroyer. To be fair, a good many of the Federation starships they now held had been taken from 'Enforcer' crews, meant to keep 'Aliens' in line. Though that crisis had passed, the crisis of confidence had not. The United Federation Of Planets existed only on paper, as was demonstrated by the unheeded call of the President.
But they had made a fundamental error. Years ago, when James Kirk barely defeated a world-killing device, its seemingly-dead carcass was towed as far away from the Klingon and Romulan Neutral Zones as possible. But the device wasn't dead. It had reactivated, upon sensing its opposite number. For where travels the Ancient Destroyer, so must come the Maw Of Hell. Where there is King Ghidorah, there must be - the Doomsday Machine. Because it had been located far away from what would soon be Ghidorah's entry point into the UFP, that meant that in its path lay - Andor and Tellar. It seems they would need those ships, after all. Whether they would keep them, though, would be another question.
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His name was Willard Decker, and he was First Officer aboard the USS Enterprise. Since the Ghidoran disaster began, he had been working shifts that were hellish even by Starfleet Emergency standards. But then, he wasn't one for backing off from a challenge. To find that out, one merely needed to ask his Captain - James T. Kirk. Though now friends, they still butted heads over policy matters -and personal ones. His brain fried, he flashed back to a mere six hours ago, and a 'conversation' between XO and CO.
"State your business, Will. My son just got past a nervous collapse. He's out of sickbay, but I'd like to be with him, now."
"Captain, permission to speak freely and quite frankly?"
"Granted."
Will took in a breath. This had to be said.
"Jim, how DARE you bring your son aboard? That's against just about every recommendation they make in command school. My god, he's a good man, but he and his wife are months away from giving you your first grandchild. Sir, your objectivity must be placed in question here. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel."
Kirk nodded, then spoke.
"My objectivity is not in question, Number One. Not at all. When it comes to those two kids, I have NO objectivity. Did you know that Spock was so thrown off by Saavik's feral rages when she first came on board, it fell to me to have her ready for Ambassador Sarek and Amanda? I have dried both their tears, and been a father where I was able. NO ONE is EVER touching them again. As soon as we've killed that monster, I'm going to sue Starfleet for harming my boy, and use the proceeds to purchase a planet for them and my grandchildren to live and be let alone. Can you imagine, though - me and Spock, playing grand...".
The Captain caught himself too late. Will's intuition was strong.
"The grandchild of Captain James T. Kirk and Ambassador Spock. Captain, find a safe world and put them off the ship."
But Kirk just shook his head.
"One, I'd like you to define what a safe world is right now, Number One. Two, listen to this recording of my final conversation with Q."
Back in the present, Will considered what he had heard after the Captain left. Both Peter and Saavik were vital to Ghidorah's defeat. But of even greater interest were the details of Ghidorah's origins and first rampage. These details he had relayed to the other members of the Standard Away Team, Science Officer Xon and Decker's once and possibly future love, Navigator Ilia.
"Of course, I cannot discount my own personal feelings in this matter. The Doomsday Machine is a personal boogeyman. It killed my father. That said, it and Ghidorah are of a pair. I am certain that the way to take down one will at least be a help in taking down the other. Mister Xon?"
Since Xon's 'conversion' by Chekov, he was used to giving answers that were much more concise. Providing the logic in their triangle, his job was to discard bad options.
"An Alexandrian solution is out. In legend, no 'super-weapon' has ever worked against Ghidorah. Add to that, the Doomsday Machine obviously is capable of regeneration. It may have only been waiting for its enemy's arrival to awaken. Also unwise is any military strategy. By stealth or by frontal assault, Ghidorah seems invincible in that regard. Bioweaponry takes time to develop that we do not have, and would require the creature's virulent, adaptive DNA for analysis. The Ghidoran spores that killed Lieutenant Kirk's family on Deneva have never been able to be fully analyzed."
Now, Ilia. Her task was to offer up yet more solutions, which Will would talk out and Xon would talk down til they had something viable.
"If we could recreate the DNA of the Terran prehistoric hybrid that was meant to slay Ghidorah, it could either be cloned and set against the monster or used as the basis for a bio-weapon. To obtain this, we need merely reverse gears. Instead of cutting the knot, as Alexander of Macedon did, we need to trace it back to where it was first tied. To move forwards, we need to move... Backwards."
Xon was already working on the calculations as Will Decker snapped his fingers and said the solution out loud.
"Time Travel."
They were the Professional Away Team of the USS Enterprise, and they had done it again. Solved the unsolvable. Will decided to inform the brave young man whose burden had now been lifted that he and his wife could live in peace with their children. Their battle would be done before it began. A gift to Will's Captain.
"Lieutenant Kirk! Please report to the Bridge."
As Xon and Ilia worked the figures, and as Will Decker checked ship's readiness for the grueling time-warp, Lieutenant Kirk did indeed report to the Bridge. Just not the right one.
"I am here, Commander. Captain Scott just completed the shield upgrade. Here are the specifications."
It was Saavik. Will had forgotten that, working in Engineering, she actually had more reason to be on the Bridge than her new husband. She would have assumed the call was for her, and did.
"Sorry, Lieutenant. I meant Peter Kirk. I didn't realize you had chosen to take your husband's name."
Saavik's smile unnerved Xon. But he had heard tales of Hellguard, where she was born, and of what the Order had done to her husband as a boy. That either of them were sane and functional was flatly remarkable, and a testimony to Vulcan strength and mental discipline. Her more and more openly emotional nature was therefore allowable. Almost.
"It is a name I wear with honor, Commander. You see, Peter and I were 'Klaefthe', long before we were bonded."
"Klaefthe, Lieutenant? I'm afraid -"
Xon spoke up.
"A rarely used term, Will. It means, 'Created Together'. Is your bond that deep, Lieutenant? I mean no personal intrusion."
"I take no offense, Lt. Commander Xon. Right now, my Peter is thinking of... NOOOO!!!"
Saavik shook.
"On Earth, our - families have been targeted. Oh. Pop has asked Peter to break the news to the children. He is torn. Commander, may I go to him?"
"First things first, Lieutenant. Tell your husband that we intend to use time travel to somehow destroy Ghidorah. He won't have to fight the creature, after all."
Saavik nodded.
"Then you have overcome the Anti-Chroniton problem?"
Their hearts sank. Ilia was the first to speak.
"Saavik, Anti-Chronitons are merely theoretical. Their existence has never been verified in real-time."
Suddenly, the young Vulcan's eyes glowed, and remained lit as she spoke.
"If Science Officer Xon will broadcast two simultaneous chroniton sensor sweeps, he will find anti-chronitons in the dead zone between them. Upon his entry into our galaxy, King Ghidorah was attacked by a race known as the Krenim. They used a chrono-weapon, which of course failed to destroy him. The creature has since exuded massive amounts of strong anti-chronitons. But you have overcome that problem?"
Xon showed no outward emotion as he re-checked his findings. Inwardly, he raged, though. Time travel was now - a thing of the past. Ghidorah's mere presence in their quadrant assured that.
"Commander, my apologies. Time travel is not an option, in light of this new information. Thank you, Lieutenant Kirk. That will be all."
Saavik left almost unperturbed. She knew that in the battle against Ghidorah, there were no loopholes. But for the Professionals who had grown together as a team, it was a hard slap in the face.
"Will, Xon? Should we not prepare Shuttle X? It may be needed."
Decker felt something like a man lost. Suddenly, the prime frustration of Command was upon him. There are no easy solutions in war, and this was war.
"My love, we're going to need everything we've got. Because the legends are all real, and soon we might be the myth."
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In the Greater Andor-Tellar system, three score worth of colonies living on the planets' disputed mutual border were casually erased.
The Doomsday Machine was seeking Ghidorah, and needed fuel for that journey. The great irony for the dead was they had trusted the opposite colonies more than their own governments.
The people on those colonies were the people across the way. The government was a busybody from over on the next block. So, while they were sliced to ribbons, those busybodies threw up their planetary shields and sent a fleet of 40 Federation Starships at the world-killer.
One ship, the Magnus, was evacuated, and slaved into a suicide run.
"Magnus is Clear! Send it forward!"
It was the simplest of ideas: Just repeat what Kirk had done. Blow up a starship in the monster's maw, killing it again, maybe this time for good. To keep the thing from firing on the kamikaze, the other ships kept making it turn towards them, by which time they had moved out of firing range. Still, the Magnus stayed on target.
"Uvi of the Tellarite Hoof's Mark to Tha of the Andorian Outer Ear. Why did the Terrans ever have a problem with this thing?"
Tha laughed.
"Because they are Terrans, Uvi. Tellarites smell, and Andorians brood, but Terrans dither in committee. Myself, I'd rather smell and brood than be small and indecisive."
With much of the chatter going that way, the strategy continued. The Magnus, one of the few ships not to be renamed upon confiscation, was not only set to overload its warp core, but was laden with four times the usual complement of photon torpedoes. Tellarites and Andorians cared not for one another, but shared a love of thoroughness.
With the machine dancing to their tune, the other ships reversed their tractor beams and nudged the Magnus in. Once inside, the over-shielded bomb traveled all the way to the machine's rear core, and detonated. A great cloud of energy was released, and the device stopped dead in its tracks. On board, there came cheers.
"Ha! Look! Even its neutronium shell is cracking! Falling away to nothing!"
"Er - is that even possible?"
"No, the shell is not falling away. Its just peeling back. The Doomsday Machine - is reconfiguring!"
As the outer shell peeled back, all the way to the core, it formed gigantic spikes. When the shifting was done, the core was exposed, and barely a kilometer of shell stood between it and the new maw. It now looked like a sun that cast out stone rays.
The crews looked on in horror as three ships were erased. The now lightning-fast device sprayed its focused beam straight at them, with no time to turn. Worse, the core was shielded, and the spikes precluded any close maneuvers. Even the analogy of the long rifle made into a sawed-off shotgun did not apply, for the damned thing still had range.
"This is Captain Uvi. We face a whole new battle. May we all forget our pride and do as we must. And may Creation forgive us our hubris."
As he saw the transformed Maw Of Hell in the distance, the Tellarite wondered if Creation hadn't already passed final judgement upon his people.
It hadn't been a battle. The reconfigured neutronium spikes on the Doomsday Machine were tougher than ever. In one instance, a ship had been destroyed by its own fire, which bounced harmlessly between the spikes until it returned to its source, with an accelerated, shield- ripping impact. Worse still, five ships had been impaled when the spiked circle moved out suddenly.
"To any and all ships that lack working weapons systems! Set your warp cores to overload, and fly for the maw!"
Twenty years ago, such cooperation between Andorian and Tellarite would have been nigh-unthinkable. Now, fifteen ships flew unhesitatingly in a hard arc toward the Maw Of Hell. The other nineteen fired at the exposed rim. It was maneuvering hell, but it worked. The bleeding, bursting ships all gave up the ghost in the Doomsday Machine's opening. But the device merely took in those energies, and fired them back at the supporting ships. The fleet that was supposed to rewrite the Federation Charter was now completely written off.
Captains Uvi and Tha had each the same last thought.
"How did the Terrans ever beat this thing?"
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Planetary positions of Andor and Tellar had long meant that each could see the other through moderate powered telescopes and satellites. Of course, they had been somewhat disappointed with finding the other race was so different.
But neither of them were petty races, nor very acquisitive. They had long been backbones of the Federation, actually competing to see who could claim to support its altruistic goals better. All had benefited from this. Anyone who didn't want an Andorian or Tellarite by their side in battle or administration was either a fool, a liar, or a bigot. Then, the fools, liars, and bigots of the Order of the Ancient Destroyer took over the UFP, causing its dissolution.
Nothing could have shaken Andor, Tellar, or a hundred other worlds any further. The Sweet Truth was a lie. Ghidorah was real. Worlds were dying around them. Big worlds. Enemy worlds. Even the most boastful Tellarite would never have said that Qo'noS or Romulus could be taken. But Romulus had been sliced to ribbons. Qo'noS was being crushed by its own moon. There were still Klingons, and Romulans, just as there would still be Andorians and Tellarites, after today. There just wouldn't be as many.
"Move our shield's strongest point to wherever that thing moves!"
The order was given on both worlds, and the device almost seemed to be waiting for it to be enacted.
For the Andorians, this was hell. There was no possibility of hand-to- hand combat, their specialty. For the Tellarites, there was no one to bluster to, no calculation whose angle could be worked. Both races had many aspects beyond their stereotypes. But neither stealth nor thunder could do them a damned bit of good. Spinning like a suspended compass, the Doomsday Machine fired two nearly simultaneous beams at the opposite worlds.
But these beams simply bounced off, since the planetary shields had been re-set years ago to try and deal with the pure anti-proton beam of the dead monster that slept nearby. The two worlds cheered almost as one.
"Is that your best, Machine? Tellar laughs in safety, while you are drained."
"Readings indicate no more discharge. The device has lost the power it gained from shredding our inner colonies. Andor prevails!"
The beams should have then dissipated. They did not. Instead, they crossed the void, and struck the opposite worlds. Not once, or twice, but many thousands of times.
"Send out a rad-absorber! Take some of the edge off that beam."
But to do that, they would have to lower shields. The beams defied the law of entropy by losing no power as they crossed back and forth. The planetary shields, though, slowly but surely were obeying all the laws of physics. First the shields cracked, and then the two worlds.
Sadly, the shields provided time to scream. Most saw their death coming, and felt themselves die, felt limbs coming off, saw loved ones fall to ash. In the end, the shields as they fell were prisms, casting the beams wide like a razored net.
As the beams crossed one last time, they were re-absorbed by the Doomsday Machine. Its tractor beam casually sucked in all loose matter within the system. having suffered no net energy loss, the Doomsday Machine sped off to a path that would take it to Ghidorah's ultimate destination: Sector 001. Earth. As one might suspect, this was not a clear path, but sadly it soon would be.
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On board the far distant USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk sat with his fiancée, Commander Uhura, and tried to finalize the useless words that would provide no comfort. Telling Scotty about his sister would be the hardest.
"Nyta, is it arrogant to presume that I should be able to protect those I love?"
Uhura touched the hand of the man she was now to marry.
"You love too well, Jim. You love too much. You've never forgiven yourself for what happened to Peter. But I've some good news, lover. When we rendezvous with Reliant, we're to have company. The staff of Regula 1 is aboard. Should I be jealous?"
Despite the nightmare, Kirk smiled.
"Of Carol? Of the woman whose mantra was 'Accept that it's over, Jim'? I don't think so. Without being crude, I do believe I've traded up."
Uhura batted those eyes.
"Permission to be crude granted, Sir."
The briefing room doors opened. It was Lieutenant Peter Kirk, Jim's son.
"Captain? Are you ready for the - staff meeting?"
The moment that Peter beheld was so tender, that mental shields were no barrier to what had obviously occurred. Peter's telepathic mind saw things as plain as day. Smiling, he walked over and kissed the first woman he ever proposed to on the cheek.
"Can I call you Mom?"
Despite his size, Uhura grabbed him up, and hugged him hard.
"Consider it an order, Lieutenant!"
Peter, who once couldn't stand to be touched, held his father tightly.
"Dad - I don't know whether to say 'Congratulations' or 'It's About Time'."
"Oh, Peter, there's something I have to tell you. I'm not trying to play with you, but - it's about Doctor Carol Marcus. She and her son will be coming on board. David Marcus..."
"We met on Vulcan, sir. Carol - uh, didn't have her shields up. I didn't mean to read her. But apparently, I look like you, and that brought back some memories. *Intense* memories."
Peter blushed, which worried Uhura just a bit. Then, Peter sat down against the wall on the floor.
"Peter? Son, what's wrong?"
Peter's overworked mind had just made a connection.
"I have a brother."
Almost as dramatically as it had shrunk when he was a child, Peter Kirk's family was now expanding. Then, his eyes began to glow.
"Captain, we have one hour to tell the crew and the children about our families being destroyed."
"Why an hour, Peter?"
As she had since he was a boy, Uhura helped the young man up.
"Peter, what is it?"
"We have two problems. One, Andor and Tellar were just torn apart by the Doomsday Machine. It's more powerful than ever. Two, in an hour and a half, this position will be struck by the shockwave from Qo'noS destruction. Riding that shockwave - will be King Ghidorah. I suggest we be elsewhere when that happens."
Jim cursed the Machine, and the Dragon. The time for gentle delivery had passed. As though they were bonded like Saavik and Peter, Uhura knew to open a ship-wide channel.
"All hands, and all guests. Please stop what you're doing, and listen to me. I'm afraid I have the grimmest news possible...."