Insubordination (3/?)

[ahostilerainbow]

Title: Insubordination
Author: M.E.
Fandom: Star Trek: 2009
Summary: They said it was insubordination. They gave him twenty-four hours - he was gone in twenty. Captain James T. Kirk had been forced to leave Starfleet and little would ever be the same.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Characters/Pairing: Jim Kirk, Spock, Spock Prime, the Enterprise crew, the Admirals, OCs, pairing undecided
Warnings: minor violence
Rating: T

 

A/N: Uh...*brings up the impenetrable forcefield* You know if you kill me I can't write anymore, right? Sorry for the delay, folks. End of term was nuts.

Thank you, those of you who review, here, on FFN and on LJ. You're probably the only reason I could continue this. I've never written anything near so long, so this is a challenge. I'm actually really proud of this chapter for being over 3000 words, a personal best. But, I was saying, people, this isn't a hostage situation or anything, but reviews really really help me write. It sounds cliché, but it's true. When I get a review, it makes me very happy. A happy author writes more. Plus, reviews keep this fic on my mind, meaning more ideas and more writing. Just a hint.

Enjoy the chapter, folks! ^_^

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Insubordination

Chapter III

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Jim cackled as he did a last loop-de-loop and dropped gently to the landing dock. Alex was gripping the back of his chair rather more firmly than necessary, he thought, but then the man was looking a tad worn around the edges. The twins were over by the doorway, Ja'ugn looking distinctly green with Ja'uld gripping his shoulder much as Alex was gripping Jim's chair. After a moment's silence, Jim spoke up gleefully, "That impressed, huh?"

Alex attempted to respond, croaking, "Jim," but paused and cleared his throat to try again with a more normal voice, "Jim. That was…somethin'. But how about we don't get a repeat performance, alright?" When Jim put on an offended face, Alex continued, "That was certainly…impressive, but I'm not certain my little Excalibur will survive an encore. And clearly ya are a capable pilot. You've made your point."

Jim grinned broadly and agreed to tone down the acrobatics, kindly ignoring Alex's sigh of relief as a delayed response to his amazing skill. He twisted in the pilot's seat and spotted the twins, one muttering under his breath with his eyes shut tightly while the other glared at him balefully, still tightly gripping his twin's shoulder. Jim's grin widened as he rose and strode swiftly for the doorway, clapping the glaring twin on the shoulder, "Now, now, no need to be jealous. Besides, we're early but not so early as to be lingering, eh Alex?" Alex nodded from the console where he was fiddling with the com unit that was on the fritz again. He gave up quickly and shrugged sheepishly at the twins' state.

He passed Jim in the hall and continued to the kitchen. Pressing a round red button on the wall by the door, he spoke into the bastardized old PA system Kylie had rigged for him, "Alright, folks, our new pilot has gotten us here in record time. We've got half an hour before we're due to meet the client. Take your time but be ready to leave soon. And Kylie, the com's on the fritz again. That's all." He released the button and went to make himself some nice, stomach-settling coffee.

In his new quarters, Jim tucked what few possessions he had with him into a dresser drawer. The flight had been fun. He hadn't had the chance to fly such a little ship in a long time and he'd forgotten how much more maneuverable they could be. Understandable, he supposed, since the last time he'd flown such a little ship…well. He'd worked very hard to not remember that time in his life. He shook his head firmly and tucked the thoughts away. He couldn't be dealing with them now – or ever again, preferably.

He proceeded to the tiny bathroom for a quick sonic shower then packed the essentials in his bag. Hesitating a moment, he eventually shrugged to himself and decided to arm up as always and if Alex or the others had a problem with it, then too bad. Though, considering Kylie, he doubted there'd be an issue even if they noticed his additions. Quickly, he tucked a short dagger into his comfortably worn boots, another slightly longer one at the small of his back, and a covertly swiped phaser into a concealed holster at his waistline. He tugged a loose T-shirt over his head and shouldered his a last quick look around his quarters, he stepped out the door and checked his watch. Perfect timing. He walked quickly down the hall to the kitchen to find everyone gathered around the table, Alex once more at the head.

Jim dropped gracelessly into the only open seat, between Ruunga and Simone, and focused on Alex.

"Ladies and gents, most of ya are familiar with Bud and ya know the rules of behavior, so I won't bore ya with a refresher. Jim, you're a quick lad, just follow our lead and don't do anythin' stupid." Jim nodded his agreement to those terms and stood when Alex did. Everyone filed out and off the ship – Jim was interested to note that he and Kylie weren't the only ones armed by a wide margin. Each of the twins were openly carrying what appeared to be some sort of old Earth-esque alien long sword at their hips. Alex had his own phaser holstered at his hip and a monster of a machete strapped to his forearm beneath his shirt. Ruunga appeared unarmed and understandably unconcerned considering Romulan strength and his sheer size, though his position as a guard of sorts for Simone was clear. Jim was somewhat amused to note that he and Kylie were actually the least protected overtly, but then, he supposed it made sense. They were the ones who would need the element of surprise; Kylie with her size and her explosives, Jim being the unknown factor.

Jim pulled his attention back to his surroundings as the crew trudged across the landing zone to a middling-sized building off to one side that appeared to be constructed of some sort of shimmering, phosphorescent metal. He studied it thoughtfully – Jim could certainly think up a few ways such a material could be useful. And he'd bet it was expensive, considering the way Kylie kept glancing at it and how she'd practically growled at him when he scuffed his boots on the doorframe. It seemed almost familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he might have seen or heard of it before. Shaking his head, he made sure to stay at the back and appear utterly nonthreatening as a giant of a creature moved to greet Alex.

"Bud! Friend, it's been much too long." So this was Bud. Alex's greeting was enthusiastic, shaking what passed for a hand with cheerful vigor. Jim would bet they did business often and lucratively. He examined the massive figure thoughtfully, trying to recall all the information he'd gleaned about the Rutagen, Bud's species. He knew they were an alien race native to the edges of the known galaxy, recent members of the Federation, and known best for being relatively humanoid but having evolved from their version of cockroaches. Possibly spiders, it was a little uncertain. Besides that, they tended toward being oversized next to a human; though even for a Rutaga, Bud was an astounding size.

Bud waved four of his arms at the crew, Simone nodding politely while the men remained stoic and Kylie bounced over for a hug. Of course, Jim was noticed as soon as Kylie had been released and waved forward. He walked up confidently, though the very rarely acknowledged voice of self-preservation in his head was shouting not to draw attention to himself lest the massive Rutaga decide he was a threat. Jim figured he could take him if it came down to it anyway.

"And who is this, A'lex?" Bud's voice was a roar only slightly tempered by company and curiosity, the slightest accent present in his pronunciation of Alex's name. Alex introduced him politely, "Bud, this is Jim, our new pilot." Bud seemed to laugh at that, "Another one, A'lex?" He shook his head before Alex could respond and offered his hand to Jim, "Buddaganga Ba'lafor, a pleasure to meet you." Jim offered up his trademark grin and a firm shake, "Likewise, Buddaganga Ba'lafor." Bud laughed at his attempt, "Not a bad accent for a human, Jim." Jim's grin widened at the compliment. The Rutagen accent was notoriously tricky. He'd have to thank Uhura for helping him – Jim faltered for just a moment at the abrupt pang of grief, just managing to shake it off before Bud or any of the crew could notice anything off.

Soon, they got down to business and Jim forced himself to focus entirely on the present.

Bud pulled a slim datapad from somewhere inside his well-tailored suit and passed it to Alex for review while he spoke, "I was contacted recently by a man on Zheron IX who needed some help transporting goods to Vera II, an Earth colony in the same star system as the new Vulcan colony." Jim remained carefully expressionless at the mention of New Vulcan. He had never been more glad that he refused to play poster boy for Starfleet after the Narada incident. Not that the higher ups could have used him even if he'd agreed. His history becoming public would have been far too troublesome for far too many important and powerful people. Instead, Spock and Pike received the dubious honor of playing to the press. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of mocking the title Spock had been dubbed with: the Avenger of Vulcan. While technically accurate, it still sounded like a bad twenty-first century superhero comic and Jim never intended to let Spock live it down.

A hand on his shoulder forcibly jerked him from his spiraling thoughts. Jim carefully stepped out from under the hand as he glanced over his shoulder to see Simone, appearing completely unruffled, as seemed to be her mein, Ruunga a step to her left keeping a close eye on the medic and Jim. Realizing that the others were heading further inside the building, Jim tapped out a thank you on the blind woman's extended hand, trying not to cringe at the slip in attention. He knew better than to lose track of his surroundings, especially in an unfamiliar place.

Deciding to see how the Romulan took such an advance, he slipped Simone's arm through his own and offered a courtly bow once he knew she could feel it. She smiled at him and tapped upon his shoulder,I can take care of myself, you know. He grinned and responded aloud, "I have no doubts, my lady. This is merely for my own benefit. How could I not wish to enter with a beautiful woman on my arm?" She laughed at his antics and allowed herself to be lead after the rapidly disappearing group with Ruunga trailing behind them, observing silently.

The door they eventually followed the rest of the crew through was made of the same material as the rest of the building and Jim frowned at it thoughtfully. He could swear he'd seen this stuff somewhere before, but he couldn't recall any details. He shook it off as he, Simone, and Ruunga found seats in what appeared to be a moderately sized conference room. Bud sat at the head of a long, rounded table with Alex at his left and the rest of the crew spread around them.

"Here is your client, Benjamin Dor," Bud's voice was thankfully muted in the smaller space as a face appeared on a vidscreen opposite him. They all took a close look, wanting to make sure there were no mix-ups. Dor was human, male, with long black hair that curled wildly around his head and a grim mouth, thin-lipped and surrounded by lines of stress. "There isn't a lot of detail on the job, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the current political situation in the Zheron system. Some of you probably already know about the classes of Zheron society, but for those who don't, there are two very distinct castes. I won't go into the details of the division because then we could be here for weeks, but suffice to say the lower class Aabs are treated at best as second-class citizens. A rebellion among the ranks has been brewing for years and things have been coming to a head in recent months. As far as I know, they haven't reached the point of all-out battle in the streets, but it's close. For this job, you're going to want to move fast and stay under the radar. Neither side much appreciates humans so try not to be hungagens and draw attention. Vera II should be a nice break afterward, since it's about as peaceful as anyplace can get."

There was a pause as everyone absorbed the information before Bud finished up, "That's all I've got for you. Dor wants to be moving soon, understandably, so get going within the day. Good luck."

.:.:.:.

Three hours later, Excalibur was well on the way to Zheron IX and Jim was beginning to contemplate a quick break to grab a snack. The pilot chair was certainly one of the most comfortable he'd had the luck to lounge in, but he was James T. Kirk and sitting still had never been one of his talents. Standing and stretching, he leaned over to press a few keys to keep the ship on track for a while without his guidance and marched out the sliding door toward the delicious smell of something freshly baked in the kitchen. It would seem coffee wasn't the only thing this crew knew how to do right.

Jim strode into the kitchen with a wide grin on his face that only widened at the sight of a triple-layer chocolate cake on the table. Beside it was a thin-tipped tube of white icing and a dull knife already coated in the same dark frosting that coated the cake. Glancing around, Jim walked over to one of the cabinets in search of a fork, only to pause as he opened a drawer full of large knives and heard heavy steps behind him. He turned quickly to see one of the twins, Ja'ugn, he thought it might be.

After a fleeting look his way, the half-Vulcan seemed to dismiss him, picking up the tube of icing and beginning to carefully mold words on top of the cake. Curious, Jim moved over until he could read over the shorter man's shoulder. So far, only four letters were shaped, but they were enough for Jim's curiosity to be even further peaked: H A P P. Happy birthday? He drew the obvious conclusion which lead to the question of whose birthday it was. Not wanting to interrupt while the other man was working, Jim returned to his search for a fork, if only to occupy himself and get a little more familiar with the contents of the room.

When fifteen minutes had passed, he heard a wheeze of air and peeked over to see Ja'ugn, if that was who it was, squeezing the last of the icing onto the cake's top. Unable to resist, even if he would only be ignored again, Jim wandered over to see what was written. The letters were alternately blockish and curling for an interesting effect, but easily read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLIE. Jim's first thought was how old she would be, closely followed by a mental procession of jailbait jokes he hoped to put to good use. Then he realized the twin was watching him with the same utterly expressionless face Spock often presented. Jim determinedly dismissed the pang in his chest at the sight and grinned at the blank face before him, "That looks delicious! I can't wait to try some; I haven't had a homemade cake in years."

No change in the expression except for a raised eyebrow and alright, it took him a little more effort to bypass the fucking hammer to his chest that time. Jim continued stubbornly grinning, refusing to let the silence get to him. Soon enough though, his natural propensity for making noise reared its head and he continued his one-sided conversation with the living alien wall, "I don't suppose you know where the forks might be? I want to try a bite of that." Ignoring the unresponsive half-Klingon ignoring him, Jim returned doggedly to his search for a fork in one of the dozen cabinets. Abruptly, a voice spoke quietly from behind him, "It is my understanding it is impolite to eat someone's birthday cake before they do." Jim almost did a ridiculous cheer at managing to draw an entire sentence out of the guy.

"That may be true, but I've never much concerned myself with what's polite." Jim grinned at the dry rise of both eyebrows this time into the slightly ridged forehead, "Shocking, I know." The room fell quiet again, as Jim proceeded with his quest for a fork and Ja'ugn watched with bland curiosity. Within five minutes, Jim found himself bored again and decided to try questions to fill the silence.
"So, how long have you and Ja'uld been with Excalibur?" Ja'ugn cocked his head to the side in surprise that the odd human could tell he and his brother apart. It was not a skill many possessed or found easy to acquire. He decided to humor the man, if only to see where he was going with this line of questioning.

"We joined the crew two years ago." Jim nodded where he was kneeling on the floor, most of his arm shoved into a bottom drawer, too focused on not losing a finger to the ridiculous amount of knives in the place to register that he'd just gotten another complete sentence out of the taciturn half-Vulcan.

"What exactly do you guys do? I know Alex mentioned it when he introduced you before that whole business with Tink's insecurity, but I missed the specifics." Ja'ugn considered carefully as he observed Jim with some amusement at his predicament, "Security." Jim took a moment away from his attention to the sharp things surrounding his arm to frown at his companion, "Could you be a little more specific?"

"There is little to specify. Zheron is hardly the first warring planet we will visit for business and it will not be the last. My brother, Ruunga, and I ensure that both the goods and the crew complete the job safely."

Jim hummed thoughtfully in understanding as he at last extricated his arm from the predatory drawer. The more he learned about this crew and its work, the more suspicious he found himself. He knew that most shipping vessels these days were employed by major companies and the few independents on the right side of the law tended to avoid more risky areas. However, many independent operations weren't on the right side of the law. He was beginning to think Excalibur was among the majority, which meant Jim Kirk, former Captain of the Enterprise, was now a pilot for smugglers.

.:.:.:.:.

hungagens - Rutagen for idiots