The message came suddenly, in a stream of coded binary that was quickly deciphered by the computer. It was a message typical of Starfleet command – formal, yet short. The Enterprise was to return to Earth. The five-year mission was over.
Kirk knew he should have expected this. He had known its end was coming near. Yet somehow the message had shocked him. He wasn't the only one. The looks on the faces of the bridge crew had shown the same shock he had felt.
The Enterprise arrived at Earth right on schedule. Crew members beamed down six at a time. Finally, aside from Scotty and a small team of engineers who would remain onboard for minor repairs, only Kirk was left. The captain gave the ship a final inspection. He took his time, longer than was necessary, but finally he could think of no more excuses to stay. He made his way to the hangar deck and boarded a shuttle to Earth.
Kirk flew the shuttle a kilometer away and looked back, through the viewport in the side. He saw the Enterprise, really saw her, for the first time in five years. He halted the shuttle, stood, and looked through the transparent aluminum at the ship. He saw her lights blinking gently, and the soft glow as her silver hull reflected the light from the sun. He was in awe of the beauty of his ship, but, he realized, it wasn't his ship anymore. His mind flashed back to the past five years – to the brightly-lit bridge, to the colorful lights, and to the soft beeps of the computer. He thought back to his crew and to the friends he had made. Now it was over.
He didn't notice the first tear slip from the corner of his eye, but his face quickly became damp. He leaned against the wall of the shuttle and sat silently. He had nearly lost the ship several times on the mission and he had fought with everything he'd had to protect her. It hadn't been simply because it was his duty, but because he had loved the ship. Still, it hadn't occurred to him that one day he would have to leave her forever, and he would have to let her go without a fight.
Kirk stayed where he was for a good ten minutes until the tears stopped coming. He gave the ship another look, then he restarted the engines and started towards Earth. As he reached the atmosphere, he switched the viewscreen to aft view. The Enterprise, in orbit around Mars was just a tiny speck. "Goodbye," whispered Kirk, and he descended into the atmosphere.