Disclaimer: Simply put - not mine.
a/n - I'm back with a new story, and a longer one than the others I've written so far. Before I get into this story, I feel the need to issue out a warning. This story will eventually contain slash,. As in yaoi. Also probably not all the characters will survive. So don't expect something lighthearted.
Special thanks goes to my AWESOME beta, Cable69 :) you're the best!
He was falling. Struggling with disbelief his mind rebelled against that fact. The pain in his leg where he had been shot and the platform where he had been seconds before were compartmentalized to deal with later. Assuming that there was a later - an assumption Ayel wasn't going to make.
He saw the water below him. He recalled, from what might as well be a former life, when he had just signed on, wondering why so much water was needed, before learning that it was used in the refinement process for some of the rarer ores they mined. He knew the water was by no stretch of the imagination potable, but he was grateful for it now. Make sure you fall feet first, he heard the voice of his first captain – the one Nero had replaced – telling him as he watched the water creep closer. He tried as best he could to position himself so that he wouldn't get hurt, but felt the jarring pain beginning in his feet and traveling up through his body on impacting the water. Ayel wasn't sure exactly how far he descended into the water, only that he never hit the bottom, and that he couldn't breathe. He felt the pressure building in his lungs as he fought to regain the surface, which loomed above him, a deep green in the dim light.
He finally regained the surface, gasping and tried to remember the way out. He wasn't the first person to fall like this. There had to be a way out. He looked around, but as he suspected didn't see any shallow places. On the far wall he saw the rungs of aladder, leading up to a deck a few meters above the water. He swam over to it, and, ignoring the pain, made his way up the ladder and onto the deck. He then made his way limping, listening to the creak of the deck plates beneath his feet. The air was suddenly stale and musty, like that of a tomb, and the soft creaking of the deck plates became a death rattle. He paused, wondering if he should make his way to the bridge or to the escape shuttle. Nero would give the order to abandon ship He would have to protect his crew especially if he couldn't protect his ship. Stopping momentarily, he focused his attention on the mental link that the crewmembers shared with one another. He felt the remaining five crewmen's thoughts turn towards the shuttlecrafts. And so, with full confidence that his captain would give the order within seconds, he turned down the corridor towards the shuttle bay.
What seemed like hours later – perhaps because of sheer exhaustion, he sat in the shuttle, waiting for Nero to arrive.. He began the work of bandaging his leg. He hoped that he would get it done before Nero arrived. He didn't want to show weakness in front of his captain. Still, he had been hurt a lot less than he could have been had his disruptor not been on minimum setting, and had he not used his free hand to redirect it when he felt Kirk aim it at his heart. That he had somehow managed to survive was only a little comfort as he worked to stem the blood oozing slowly from the wound.
As he finished tying the bandage He felt the escape shuttle suddenly lurch forward, saw the shuttle bay of the Narada slide past, the instruments on the shuttle flashing their various colors. He pressed bloody fingers to the controls smearing them with green in an effort to halt the shuttle's momentum. Screaming denial in every fiber of his being, he was unable to make it stop.
Even after the pod was jettisoned into space, he felt comfort in the thought that he would soon join the Narada in whatever doom awaited her. He watched the instruments register the escape shuttle moving closer towards the black hole and made no effort to stop it. He noticed the Enterprise being sucked into the black hole as well, and felt a smug sort of satisfaction. He watched as the Enterprise unleashed its weapons on the Narada, and thought briefly of how futile that was in the end - until what he had assumed were bombs exploded in a flower of light. The bright crystalline explosion pushed the escape shuttle forward, even as the Narada got sucked further into the black hole. He could only watch as flashes of light engulfed the ship he had called home for many years. As he watched the ship break apart and the final fragments get sucked into the black hole, he felt something he had not felt in years – silence. Usually, at a minimum, the emotions and sometimes the thoughts of the crew of the Narada were his constant companion, but no longer. The result was a complete isolation. In the darkness and solitude of the cramped escape shuttle, something within him snapped. Words came to him, cold, angry words, tying him to a tinted reality.
"To create a Romulus that exists ... free of the Federation." Now, through the anger and pain, he understood. Understood why Lord Nero had wanted that, why he was not content to simply kill the one who had been responsible for the destruction of their home, why his vengeance had taken on a bigger scope.
But it had all come to nothing- somehow, they were beaten, bloodied, dying. Maybe there was a way - maybe he could still be of service to Lord Nero. Maybe he had been in the escape shuttle for a purpose. Maybe he could still avoid the destruction or Romulus, and maybe, just maybe, he could wreak vengeance on one James T. Kirk.
The twin suns sunk into the horizon, even in the evening their combined brightness more intense than the Vulcan sun Spock was used to. The air was warmer and drier, but the heat, as well as the lack of water and significant vegetation made it seem a bit more like the home they had lost exactly one month ago… had it been so long? Spock walked up the rocky path, the evening suns reflecting off the partially finished aquifer as they sunk behind a horizon of jagged red mountains. In the valley below, lights from the temporary houses flickered on. Reluctant to return home, where his father would no doubt be waiting, and knowing that the path down from the aquifer would be lit, he did not turn back as logic might have dictated he do had the circumstances been different. Instead, he stayed, watching the dying rays of the suns paint the sky with vibrant colors as he walked further along the path.
"Spock!" a familiar voice broke his solitude.
"Ambassador Selek," He began, addressing his counterpart with the name he had adopted. "I trust you are well." The older man nodded in response.
"I spoke with Ambassador Sarek today."
"Indeed." Spock tried to turn away, unwilling to have the conversation he suspected would follow.
"He was most puzzled by your … illogic, I believe he put it."
"The use of such a word merely implies that he failed to comprehend the logic involved."
"Perhaps you should enlighten him."
"Lt. Uhura was unhappy. Therefore, while I know Sarek does not view the situation in the same manner, ending our relationship was the logical conclusion that we mutually arrived at." Spock saw his counterpart nod in agreement as he spoke. "There are facts of which I am unaware; facts which you are hiding from me."
"Yes. It is necessary for me to continue to do so. This is something you will have to discover on your own." Spock had barley opened his mouth to ask for further clarification when a tall, red headed human – the new Terran ambassador, came up to the two of them, with a blonde child, who Spock recognized as his daughter Perrin in tow.
"Ambassador Selek," said Ambassador Milner "I was told I could find you here. I am sorry I am interrupting, but this is a matter of some urgency."
"Very well. I will take my leave, then." Spock raised his hand in the traditional Vulcan gesture "Live long, and prosper."
The moonlight was pale, rendering Jim's field of vision a mix of silver and shadows. He stepped out of the pool of light around the library and into the darkness beyond. The moon, while not quite full, was enough to illuminate his way. There was no wind. The clouds, in strange bright relief against an inky sky, were still, and the shadows the trees cast on the sidewalk and the walls of buildings were unmoving as he passed. Few of the windows of the dorms were still lit - cadets up late, presumably studying for end of term exams. He looked up at the windows, half expecting to see someone looking outside. He finished crossing the campus and turned down one side street and then another, forcing himself not to stop, as the sense that he had ever since he left the library got stronger, making the street seem crowded. He didn't stop as the light flooding the sidewalk in front of him flickered and went dark. Instead, with eyes as adjusted to the darkness he looked around and listened as closely as he could to the quiet crunch of footfalls as they echoed in the darkness. He could distinguish his own and … and … whose? He stopped, and the sounds of footsteps persisted, then, in the space of a few seconds, stopped as well. Jim spun around, his whole being tense, a hundred different scenarios speeding through his head. But he saw … no one. Berating himself for blowing this out of proportion, he turned and headed towards the pool of light ahead. Seconds later, a figure moved out of the shadows, following him as he moved towards the pool of light.
Jim eventually reached the apartment he shared with Bones. He turned the key in the lock and the door opened with a quiet creak. He flipped on the light, intending to get his textbook and return to the library. Then as he walked into the main room he came up short. Before him on the couch lay a young woman, no more than fifteen. Her eyes were closed in sleep, so he couldn't make out their color. Dark curls fell around her face, tumbling down to her shoulders. He stared at her for a long moment before turning as silently as he could and making his way out of the room. Once outside he flipped open his communicator.
"Bones."
"What is it, Jim? Couldn't you find ..."
"Bones, I think you should get back to the apartment. Now."
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a/n - anyway, hopefully you enjoyed it. And yes, there will be more :) and don't forget, reviews are inspiring!