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Return from Anckzinar - Star Trek TOS - sequel to The Anckzinar Snare

Summary:

James Kirk is back on the Enterprise. But the consequences of and revelations from his disappearance from a boundary world called Anckzinar just keep coming. Meanwhile, an old, vengeance-seeking enemy is not yet done with the Captain and crew of the starship Enterrprise

Chapter 1: Chapter 1/12

Chapter Text

Return from Anckzinar   a Trekfic, sequel to Anckzinar Snare, by Rielle
Thou knew'st too well
My heart was to thy rudder tied by th' strings,
And thou should'st tow me after.
Antony and Cleopatra Act III, Scene 11

Part 1  An Unseen Danger
Time Line 11-15 standard months after the evacuation of Anckzinar

It had been a long few weeks, as Jim Kirk became reunited and reacquainted with  his crew. It would be longer still before he walked onto the Enterprise bridge again, much less take command of that starship. For now, he was still working on his memory and the blocks that remained to it, in the Base10 hospital on Alpha Eridan II..The Captain remained seriously underweight, still suffering loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. He had less nightmares now, but more waking moods of grief and despair over events that could never be changed. And Kirk's slow recovery, slower than McCoy or Travissier had expected, was further delaying their plan to operate on his optic nerves, in hope of restoring Jim's sight.

When Leonard McCoy walked into Jim's hospital room on a morning two and a half weeks after Jim regained a large part of his memory, the Enterprise CMO, still on leave here, found the Captain talking with acting-Captain Spock, and Lt M'ress, both of whom had been with him almost a year ago, in Anckzinar. They had new information for Kirk that both saddened and relieved him.

"So, you were finally able to ...you found what there was of ..."

"We found Lt Corlin's effects, sirr." M'ress said, gently. "And we believe, .."

"The spot where she died." Kirk finished, his bright eyes brightening more with tears.

"Aye, sirr."

"Spock, I asked you to bring me the file you prepared to send Teyla's family, and Robbie's, since they were ... engaged."

"Yes, Captain. I have it."

"I want to hear it." Kirk insisted. "And then I'm ...I'm going to sign it. I ...I was Teyla Corlin's  Commanding Officer when she died...It's my job, not yours, Mr. Spock."

''I don't like that, Jim. You don't need the extra stress, right now." McCoy objected.

"You don't have to like it, Bones. I don't like it, much, myself. And it's still my job, she was under my command, in....." Jim's mouth worked for a long moment before he could frame the word. "Anckzinar. Go ahead, Spock."

"Yes, sir. I'll amend this before it's sent. Presently it reads:

From Spock, Acting-Command Enterprise NCC-1701, To: Micaela and David Corlin, Johanna and Robert Kelley, Sr.

It is my regrettable duty to inform you that a determination has finally been made regarding the status of Lt Teyla Corlin, last reported as missing during the evacuation of a Boundary World city called Anckzinar. We have been able, after long investigation, to determine that Lt Corlin gave her life there in the performance of her duty, and in a manner showing grace under pressure and a genuinely self-sacrificing honor, for the sake of her ship and her crew. StarFleet HQ has already notified me that Lt Corlin will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor for her meritorious service to the Fleet and the Federation, in its constant pursuit of the peace and safety of the galaxy.

Lt Corlin acted with no regard for her own safety, but rather for the safety of her commanding officer, and her crew. In a difficult and dangerous situation, she showed courage, resourcefulness and a keen intelligence, all of which would have made Lt Corlin a clear candidate for promotion, in the event she survived. In that light, StarFleet has also chosen to give Lt Corlin the posthumous rank of Lt. Commander, as her due, with all benefits and privileges accruing to that rank.
Dated StarDate 6221.06, Signed: ... "

"Signed James Tiberius Kirk, Commanding Enterprise." Kirk finished, stiffly. "And I want you to add this ...phrasing. Having served with Lt Corlin, Lt Commander Corlin for three years, I am glad to tell you that she served with honor, dignity and a genuine love for her work. And as stated, she freely gave her  life for the safety of the ship and its crew. May her memory, be a blessing. Have you got ....."

"Yes, captain." Spock answered and then reached for Kirk. "Jim!"

The human was doubled over on his left side, gasping, grimacing and almost twitching in pain.

"McCoy!" Spock shouted, startling everyone but Kirk who was nearly fainting at this point.

"I'm standing behind you, man. Now, lay him down and get the hell out of my way." McCoy growled. "Deena, call code, Now! Jim, Jim, listen to me, boy. You've had more stress than ten men could easily handle and I'm only talking about less than the month past. You're gonna be okay, Jim, this is nothin' more than  a reaction I would have expected anytime since we found you...It'll be okay, now. Breathe as easy as you can, Jim."

Obediently, Kirk breathed as deeply as he could, and turned his head towards McCoy. "I I think ...I think it has ....."

"Has what, Jim? Now, lay on back down there."

"hurt .......like ..."

''Before now? Do you remember when, Jim? How long ago?"

"Dunno. Pretty bad ...sometimes....though."

"More than once? Okay, okay... breathe in and out, just take it slow."

"Ye Yeah... I ... Bones ... I don' ...I don' thin...k.... I ..."Kirk was grasping McCoy's hands with what strength he had and still seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

"Jim, this seems pretty rough, I can tell. So, if you need to pass out, I'm not gonna worry about it, cos I can't give you meds before I know somethin here."

"Oh okay. Bones I ." Kirk was clearly fighting to stay conscious but another wave of pain twisted his features, and then another and the captain fell still again.
Leonard McCoy almost sighed with relief, in that at least for a moment, Kirk was out of pain. But then his blunt hands, moving over Kirk's chest wall, found something McCoy couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before now. This was a bruised looking slight bulge in the area close to Kirk's heart. And the bruising was not new. But the yellowish-green tinge around the site seemed to be.

"If it hadn't been keepin' Jim alive I'd damn them all to the lowest circle of hell for this!" he swore.

"What, what is it, Len?" Ari Travissier asked, running in.

"Some kind of implanted defibrillator." McCoy said, looking up. "And if it's been in Jim's chest as long as it could have been, nine or ten months ... then its corroded and causing an infection. It's effectively shorting out, and shocking his heart in a way it was never intended to do. And it probably has generated a new heart murmur to go with the one Jim has had all his life, after getting scarlet fever as a boy."

"Then we have to get it out!" Ari said.

"And risk Jim's life in thoracic surgery, when we haven't wanted to risk his life to restore his sight?"

"Is there a less ..invasive means of removing the device, Doctors?" Spock asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But we have to try something. Jim can't take this kind of punishment, now."

Ari turned and left as quickly as she came, calling back. "I'm getting the Chief Surgeon, Len. No matter what's done, you're not doing it. You're exhausted yourself."

"McCoy, are you certain that an implant is causing the Captain's ...difficulty?" Spock asked.

"Without opening the man up and seeing, yes, Spock. As certain as I can be. And I can at least ease Jim, now. He doesn't have to be in this much pain. At least I can do that for the man. Deena, I need a hypo with the lightest possible dosage of lortapEL6 and a bolus of  vancomycinG, stat, to start to take down this infection."

"Yes, Doctor" the Captain's day shift nurse nodded and rushed to obey his order.

By the time that was administered, Travissier was back with Chief Surgeon Jeanne Meredydd. She was a tall brunette with clear features and a sharp intelligence, vivid in her dark bronze eyes. "What's the captain's status?" she asked at once.

"The pain meds have begun to ease the spasms an implant seems to be causing. The vancomycin won't get a toehold for another quarter of an hour." McCoy told her, without taking his gaze from Kirk for a second.

"And Kirk's medical records show he has a mild heart murmur from a fever in childhood?" the surgeon asked.

"Scarlet fever, although how a schoolboy in Iowa ever picked up a strain that should have been obliterated a century before ..." Ari answered, also watching Kirk closely.

"Kids are pretty amazing that way. They can find anything, even nearly extinct diseases. Is that part of Iowa swampy at all, I've never been there?" Jeanne Meredydd went on with her questions.

"Not so much that as there were floods, every other year, Jim told me. And that would have brought mosquitoes, wasps, ... disease carriers by the ton." McCoy took his turn answering.

"So there's no chance his family doctor gave Kirk this implant?"

"No." McCoy shook his head. "Jim's murmur was never serious enough for something like this. What's your thinking, Dr.?"

"Well, clearly, we need to stabilize the captain as much as may be possible, and remove the disfunctioning device. Then we might be able to determine whether Kirk needs a new implant, or not." Meredydd told him.

"I'd like to take a look at the chest wall on some scans before I agree to surgery." McCoy insisted.

"Naturally. What are you giving him now?" the surgeon asked.

"VancomycinG, and a low dose of lortapEL6, for pain."

"No... no wonder ... I feel ....loopy..." Kirk whispered, awake again ."That's serious hype, Bones."

"No, not yet." McCoy grinned.

"Oh, oh good, that means I get to be really ...tripped out, later." Kirk chuckled.

"Maybe." the CMO agreed.

"Where'd eve...everybody go? I..I didn't scare them away?" Jim asked.

"No, Jim, Len did that." Ari laughed.

"Oh, thanks, doctor."

"Don't mention, it, Please."

"Who else is there?" Kirk asked, with a gift for sensing that seemed to have almost replaced his sight.

"Jeanne Meredydd, Captain, sorry to meet again in these circumstances." the surgeon answered, taking Kirk's hand.

"Yeah, well, I'm a ... I'm a lousy patient. Ju...Just ask these two, or Chris Chappell, for that matter, you know ... our Dr Chappell?" Kirk asked, shaking the surgeon's hand.

"From school, yes. She's fantastic. She's teaching again, you know." Meredydd said, studying the E's renowned commanding officer intently.

"I heard. And you're .... right. She's the best. They all.... they all. are." Jim nodded.

"So, flattering the crew is the secret to your success, Captain?" the surgeon asked.

"Pretty much. And its ... nearly ..near...never failed. You folks, want to cut me again? Hey, I don't know... I had a rough time... last year...." Kirk shook his head.

"I'm only here to consult, right now Captain.''

Ah hell, call me Jim, I'm not on the bridge. Haven't been ...in awhile. How... how much you wanta bet they took out my chair?" Jim asked.

"And replaced it with a pool table." Ari joked.

"Good, good idea, you can catch some z's on a pool table...when the watch slows down." Kirk laughed and then began spasming again, the pain seeming to choke off his breath.

"Easy boy," McCoy soothed taking the hypo Ari handed him and adjusting the dose. "There, that's better, isn't it?"

"Captain," the surgeon asked. "When the spasming passes, again, can you describe the pain?"

"It ... it .... it squeezes ..."Kirk groaned. "Like a baby's fist."

"It's making your heart contract harder than it needs to, Jim" the surgeon told him. "Possibly a lead has corroded, and none of that is healthy for you or your heart."

"Yeah, hey, I've got a great idea, Bones, if you're gonna surgerize me anyhow... you can ...you know check the oil and fix the alignment, change the battery and the fan belt,  and rotate the tires ... give me my damned eyes back, what .. what do you say?"

"I say, I'm not the one to ask this time. Dr Meredydd's Chief Surgeon, Jim. And two surgeries at once, even followin' each other isn't necessarily the best idea."

"Len's right, Jim. We don't have the right to risk your life that way." Ari insisted.

"But I do." Kirk snapped at her. "Unless your medical wisdom still has me down as incompetent, Doctor."

"Well, there's certainly not anything wrong these days with your verbal skills, Captain." the Quebecois physician noted.

"Trav ...I..." Jim Kirk reached for the woman he'd been friends  with longer than anyone else in the room. "I'm -I'm such a complete jerk. I wouldn't be here, to bitch about being here, if not for you. I know that, And I'm sorry."

"No kidding. Jim, nobody in this hospital or on this base or this planet wants you back where you were more than a year ago, before Anckzinar did this ...more than I do. And nobody ..on that list wants to mourn you, again, less!" Travissier reprimanded him.

"Fair point."

"I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking, sooner or later." Ari half smiled and shook her head.

Jim laughed, as the pain finally began to subside in his chest. "Just looking out to duck that roundhouse punch,"

"You never could see it coming, when you had 20/20 in those big baby hazel eyes, Jim Kirk." Ari laughed, and leaned in to kiss her long time friend.