Title: The Making of a Triumvirate
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek TOS
Characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Disclaimer: Never mine. Introspection purposes only.
Summary: Very short one-shot about our three favorite characters; title says it all.
There comes a time in a man's life when he must choose his fate. Will he accept the responsibility of his talent, or will he deny himself a true calling, yet possibly save his own life in doing so?
Leonard H. McCoy has never been a man to back away from a challenge. People tell him that he has a God-given capacity for healing. Not just through science and study, but with his heart of gold. He sees the best in Man and loves Him; he sees the worst in Man and forgives Him. There is not a soul in the universe that would be denied the help of Leonard McCoy, should that soul only ask.
The truth is this: Leonard may be brave but that does not exclude him from being frightened by his gift. Where others fear to tread, he will throw himself heedlessly down the path—if it means the saving of a life. This scares him deeply, because he knows that he won't be able to stop himself, should he choose a career that puts him face-to-face with people in need. If he should be unable to succeed, to not heal, it will break pieces of him.
Leonard is a brilliant, caring man. Is he a selfish one?
He likes to pretend that he is, but no one takes his pretence seriously. It's as if they can see inside his soul. When he makes harsh demands, his grip remains gentle. When Leonard offers something as trivial as his seat to the weary, on the basis that his legs work perfectly fine, he will argue that it's his good Southern breeding; friends know that it is just Leonard himself. A man who marks others with priority; a man who loves with sweet kisses and warm blue eyes.
This man, this Human, of many thorns and a soft skin that hides beneath.
Is he selfish? No.
Thus Leonard goes to medical school—not because his family and friends say "yes, you must"; not when a pretty woman named Jocelyn (that he secretly pines after) caresses his arm, says, "for me, Len; for our future." No, he does it because he knows he will always have a fear in his heart of failure—that it will push him to fight every battle as if it is the last—and this is the instinct of a good doctor. He cares too much for the people of this world (one day, worlds) to deny them a chance to be saved.
Jimmy is going to be a Captain of the Stars. This he knows as soon as he crawls out of his bed late one night and sneaks onto the porch of his Iowa home. There are many, many shining stars in the sky, ones that he can explore, should he so wish. And oh, how he does!
It's on his mind even when he carouses with friends through fields of tall golden wheat; it seeps into his dreams at night. It whispers in his ear after he loves a girl—and so he slips off into the dawn without telling her goodbye.
Jim (no longer Jimmy) grows into a solid man of confidence, passion, and drive. It never changes, though, his fantasy. This is why he joins Starfleet. Not as another Kirk in a long line of Kirk's; not for the need of command or control. It's the desire for the stars and the open black sea of space. He wants that most of all. The Captaincy of a beautiful starship is only the icing on the cake.
(He gets his wish in record-time.)
Spock, son of Sarek, knows little about wishes or desires of his own; he is well-aware of those of his people, however. He comes into adulthood as a properly raised Vulcan—one of logic and calculations—one that is exceptionally good at both, despite a drawback of heritage. His father has detailed the plans for Spock's career as carefully as an engineer draws schematics. The plan is sound, functional, and most of all, advantageous to the majority.
Spock has never considered himself to be "the majority." (He has always known that he is unique.)
He enlists in Starfleet. It breaks the tie binding him to his father, and they will not speak for years to come. At this moment, though, when he trains in the Starfleet Academy—graduates with the highest honors—and takes his first assignment aboard Pike's Enterprise, he knows that he has made the correct choice. Science is his forte, feeds his fascination for unusual phenomena. At the Vulcan Science Academy, there is a plethora of high-quality research to engage his mind, but there is little experience of science-in-action.
This, Spock concludes, is a desire of his very own. To actively seek out that which changes the universe, those infinite combinations; to study, categorize, and memorize each new occurrence. He will deny that it excites him, as he is still Vulcan and does not (willingly) feel such emotion. But being in space, with people unlike himself and worlds more to explore, he admits contentment.
This is the life of Spock, Starfleet science officer.
These three men must meet, Destiny decides. They will function thus:
Spock yields to the hand of Kirk; Bones pushes back. The Captain accepts the wisdom of Mr. Spock; the Doctor sharpens its potential. Jim and Spock protect the heart of McCoy.
So it happens. They are brought together on this starship Enterprise in suitable capacities, all with status and necessary strengths. They, each in his distinctive way, are gravity—pulling one another into orbit. It is not sudden, but a gradual and strong summons. And, in the final moments, before they form a whole, each recognizes his fit—tailored perfectly—to the design.
Leonard is compassion; Spock is temperance; Jim is ardor.
And a triumvirate is born.