In the late 2250s, Lt. Commander James T. Kirk served aboard the Aeolus as second officer. The Aeolus had been pursuing Aldebaran pirates. A guest aboard the vessel, Cecilia Simons, became his lover, precipitating a romantic meal which caused Kirk to become violently ill. With the second officer incapacitated, the Aeolus night shift bridge crew botched the ongoing tracking of the pirates. Years later, Kirk still held onto the belief that Simons had a hand in the pirates being able to escape the Aeolus. (TOS novel: Enemy Unseen)