The Howard's of Star Base 12

Part Three of Shore-leave: Jim Kirk's fantasy

Captain James T Kirk was no different from any other red-blooded man when it came to his fantasies when he sees Lady Karissa Elizabeth Ann Howard, but then she is the wife of the most powerful Duke on Star Base 12.

One late evening James Kirk couldn't get to sleep, and he decides to walk around Beltane Manor, and he starts to walk around Beltane Manor looking for the library to borrow a book to read.

Jim Kirk gets lost walking around the corridors of Beltane Manor, and he comes across Lady Karissa's suite and her open is open and she is laying on her bed and he looks in and calls out "Excuse me, Lady Howard. I seemed to have gotten lost and I am looking for the library." 

'Why didn't you ring the bell by your bedside, Jim Kirk. The servant would have helped you to find the library. "Lady Karissa calls out.

"I didn't want to bother the servants while they slept. " Jim Kirk admits.

"It would be no bother. They are used to it. It is very considerate of you." Lady Karissa   tells him.

"Beg your pardon, Lady Karissa, but may I ask you a question?" Jim Kirks asks.

"Why of course, but not outside of my door. Come in please." Lady Karissa calls out and with that Jim Kirk walks inside of Lady Karissa suite and he looks at her as she is laying across her bed and he asks, ' Where is Lord Howard?" 

"Good Valhalla, I guess Andrew Charles is working late as he often does." Lady Karissa explains.

"Lord Andrew Charles comes to bed when he wants too." Lady Karissa states.

"I don't miss him, Jim Kirk. " Lady Karissa admits.

"We have separate suites and the only time we come together is when it is the next to have another child." Lady Karissa admits.

"We just had Lord Albert Edward." Lady Karissa states, "The next time Lord Andrew Charles will come will be in 2289."  

"It doesn't sound terribly romantic, Lady Karissa." Jim Kirk states.

"Our marriage is not based on romance, passion, love, Jim. It was based on convenience. " Lady Karissa explains " Lord Andrew Charles gave me my Elizabeth and I gave him his heiress to the Dukedom of Norfolk and in the bargain, I agreed to give him four more children." 

"Did you love Carol Marcus?" Lady Karissa asks.

"Why yes I did, but I loved my career more and she never told me she was pregnant with our son, David." Jim Kirk states.

"I had other girlfriends during my four years at Star Fleet Academy. I had girlfriend name Helen." Jim admits," It didn't work out." 

"I didn't have time for a long-term relationship with any of my girlfriends, but Carol Marcus and I had a good relationship, and I had no idea that she was pregnant." Jim admits, "She broke up with me before I knew it and I guess she didn't want to weigh me down." 

"Carol Marcus was very considerate in that way." Lady Karissa states " She was brave enough to raise your son by herself." 

"I really wanted a father and son relationship with my son, David but he didn't want one with me. " Jim Kirk explains.

"David resembled his mother, with her blonde hair and blue eyes." Jim Kirk states.

"David was killed by Klingons on Planet Genesis. " Jim Kirk tells Lady Karissa.

"What another one of The United Federation of Planet's Top-Secret Experiments that went wrong." Lady Karissa asks.

"I know only three of them that went wrong but I am sure there were a lot more of than three." Jim admits.

"The first was on Talos IV, Project Adam and Eve, and Project Genesis." Jim Kirk explains.

"The United Federation of Planets has it many dark little secrets like most governments and they need human guenna-pigs to experiment on." Lady Karissa states.

"I am sure the Germany under Hitler had it many dark, dirty secrets and they experimented on poor Jewish people and people they didn't find worthy. " Lady Karissa explains.

"I am sure there have been even more experiments on people that the government didn't think were of a value." Lady Karissa states.

"I heard of an experiment called " Project Handmaiden " and they would take fertile young women and place them into a household with a husband and wife and the handmaiden would be expected to copulate with the husband in front of his wife and with the hope he had impregnated the handmaiden, but the wife told the handmaiden that her husband had many handmaidens, and they became pregnant." Lady Karissa states. "They blamed the woman for not becoming pregnant and replaced her with a new handmaiden." 

"If the young woman became pregnant and once, she had her child. The child was given to what they call a "Proper family. " Lady Karissa states.

"The doctor who examined the young handmaiden told her it wasn't her fault, but the fault laid with the men, but no one ever told the men it was their fault." Lady Karissa explains.

"These poor women were using the wombs to rent and never saw their children again." Lady Karissa states.

"What about The Scottsboro Boys that were injected with syphilis to see how they were react." Lady Karissa states.

 "I am sorry that I bothered you, Lady Karissa." Jim Kirk tells Lady Karissa.

"You didn't bother me, Jim Kirk. I wasn't asleep and I was just laying here.' Lady Karissa tells him.

"Tell me, what kind of books do you like to read?" Lady Karissa asks.

"Mostly first editions of classics." Jim Kirk admits.

"I like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Samuel Clemens, Edgar Allen Poe, and many others. "Jim Kirk tells her.

"You, Lady Karissa?" Jim asks.

"I like Frances Hodgson Burnett, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Louisa May Alcott." Lady Karissa states.

"What kind of music do you like?" Lady Karissa asks.

"I like most types of music from the 20th century." Jim admits. "Big Bands, Rock and Roll, Soul Music, and some classical music." 

"I like Big Bands, Classical Music from the Romantic era, Rock and Roll, Soul, and Broadway Musicals." Lady Karissa confesses.

"I like some country music too." Lady Karissa admits.

"Does Lord Howard often work late may I ask?" Jim Kirk asks.

"Why yes. He is swamped with paperwork, and I tried to tell him he may have bitten off more than he could chew." Lady Karissa explains.

"Thank you for the conversation, Lady Karissa. I will ring for the servant to show me to the library." Jim Kirk tells her and with that he bows and exits her suite.

Finally, Jim Kirk servant shows him to the library and the servant turns on the lights and he departs and Jim Kirk walks over to the books and he starts looking for a book to read and he picks out "Tender Is the Night." By F. Scott Fitzgerald and he sits down in the library, and he starts to read.

Jim Kirk smiles and he thinks about Lady Karissa, but it was merely a fantasy that he knows that would have never worked out.