Chapter IV.

"The Memories"

Personal Log: Stardate 6603.7, Lieutenant James K. Starska recording.

This may be it. I am standing over the body of Commander Davis. It looks like 'Operation Pushover' is on a hold. At least until my court-martial. But I hope not. After all, I was acting on my training as a medic. Commander Davis needed a sudden shock to get out of his dilemma with the Romulan Ale. But does Davis know that? Will all my dreams and everything I have worked for, for so long, and so hard end? Here? Right now?

End Log.

Starska was standing over the broken glass of Davis' drink, wondering if he should help Davis or stay back. Davis then opened his eyes and looked at Starska coldly. Starska came slowly to attention, knowing full well, that if he did not, he'd be in bigger trouble.

Davis got up off the floor and walked up to Starska. But, he didn't stop, he walked on by and went to the desk. Starska was puzzled.

"Where in the devil did you get this stuff?" Davis asked, as he picked up one of the bottles of Romulan Ale.

Starska turned in shock. "Wh... what?"

"Where did you get this?" Davis repeated.

"Well... I... I... I... uh..." Starska could stand it no more. "...Sir, .... are you not going to court-martial me?"

"No, I realize you did what you thought was right. That was a good idea. I never saw a right cross in the manuals, though." Davis then put down the bottle and walked up to Starska.

"However, if you do that again, I will wring your neck."

"Yes, sir."

"I never saw anyone so lucky, Lieutenant. It was the fact that you are a medic that saved your career right now, do you know that?"

"How did you know that I was a medic, Commander?"

"I ran a computer check on you before I came down here." Davis said.

"You would." Starska commented, under his breath.

Davis walked around the office. "You were born on Earth, but was raised on Vulcan. Your father was Ambassador Sarek's personal pilot. The ambassador got you into the Academy. Your first assignment was a shuttle pilot, you then became the weapon's officer of the U.S.S. Carson, then Captain Spock ordered that you be placed on the Enterprise."

"Yes, sir." Starska said, with a little shock, and pride in his voice.

"Where you were Chief Medic, due to the fact that he already had a weapons officer."

"Yes, sir."

"You also got on Ripley's Pleasure Planet, a case of..."

"I get the picture, sir. Did you come down here to tell me my life story, sir?"

"No, just to find out if this is real." Davis looked at the bottle again. "Where did you get this?"

Starska again felt like he had the upper hand. "I... can't tell you that. You know I can't, Commander Davis."

"Call me Tom." Davis said, with a smirk.

"Oh, no, you don't. I can not tell you. I was ordered to secrecy by a Commander with higher standing than you... Tom." Starska started to put the bottles away, but slowly as if something was deeply wrong, but he was trying to hide it.

"You can trust me, Lieutenant. I will not tell a soul."

Starska slowly turned from the safe after he closed it.

As he turned, his face was beet red, as he yelled, "I SAID NO!!!"

Davis was shocked. "Hey... take it easy, Lieutenant."

Starska realized what he had done and sat down in his chair. "I'm sorry, Tom. You did not need that."

"What was that?" Davis asked, with concern.

"It's just that when I try to think where I got the Ale, it brings back some... well, bad memories."

"Want to talk about it?"

Starska looked up at Davis. "Why, Mr. Davis. I didn't know you were a psychiatrist."

"Listen, you do not make Commander without caring." Davis said, looking into Starska's eyes.

"I'll remember that." Starska said, as he took a deep breath and he began. "I got the stuff on my last ship."

Davis sat down in the chair, after he picked it up. "The Enterprise?"

"Yes, it was given to me by Doctor McCoy. It was all he had."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Pity, I guess. I found it in my quarters after... I..." Starska started to drift. "After... I..."

"...what? After you what?"

"After I... removed... Captain Spock's body from Engineering."

"The word of Captain Spock's death affected everyone in Starfleet. But you act as though there was something more."

Starska continued with some difficulty. "Yes, Spock was a friend of the family."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I did not know you were that close to him."

"Yes. We lived with Spock's parents when my father worked with the Ambassador. It was hard telling him that Spock died."

Starska got up, slapping the table with his hands, telling Davis he did not want to talk about this anymore. "Anything else I can do for you, sir?" Starska asked.

"No. That is all I wanted to know." Davis said, as he got up to leave. But he saw something in the corner of the office.

"What the..." he said, under his voice as he walked towards what looked like a black box on top of a large viewscreen, but this was not a standard monitor. "What is this?"

"What is what?"

"This." Davis said, as he pointed with both hands.

"Oh... you found my toy, eh?"

"What do you mean, 'toy'? What is it?"

"It's an antique." Starska said with pride as he walked over to Davis.

"How old is it?"

"About two hundred years. It is... and or... was a V.C.R."

"A what?"

"A Video Cassette Recorder." Starska said, laughing. "It was a form of entertainment on Earth, which is a hobby of mine."

"Well, I think I can guess what it does. Does it work?"

"Yes. Want to see?"

"Yeah. Might be interesting."

"Okay." Starska looked for a tape and put it in. "I have to rewind it first." Starska stood back with a box in his hand.

"I love these old TV shows."

"What? You have old tapes, too?"

"Of course."

"How did you get it to work?"

"It wasn't easy. I had someone from Engineering help hook it into the ship's power system, with an adapter Spock made for me."

There was a click from the machine.

"What was that?" Davis asked.

"It is time."

Starska pointed the box in his hand at the machine like a phaser and pushed a button. The screen came on. Davis almost jumped when he heard the sound of wind come from everywhere. Starska had audio outputs everywhere in his office. The screen slowly lit up as the sound turned to a low thunder. On the screen, Davis saw what he knew to be an old Earth aircraft, a 'helicopter' rise out of a mountain. Then there was a loud blast of music and fast scans of the craft flying around. Then the word 'AIRWOLF' appeared on the screen.

"This is one of my favorites." Starska pointed out. After a couple of minutes passed, Starska turned it off.

"Fascinating?" Starska asked.

"Fascinating." Davis replied. "I must see more sometime."

"Anytime."

"I have to get back to the Bridge." Davis turned toward the door. "Good luck, Lieutenant Starska." he said, as he left.

Lt. Commander Smith was at the door. "Lieutenant Starska?" Smith said, from out in the corridor through the open door.

"Yes, sir." Starska said, as he turned toward him.

"Will you come with me, please."

A shot of cold chills went down Starska's spine as he thought, "What now?"