"Chekov, fire everything we've got!" I yelled. I didn't care about the safety of my ship, or my life, at this point; all I cared about was that that ship wasn't harmed. No, it couldn't be fired on. It couldn't be damaged, and it couldn't be destroyed. The President of the Federation was on that ship; and he couldn't be put in harm's way.

But then again, everyone was in harm's way now.

The story's simple; the President was making a much needed visit to Andoria, and the Romulans heard about it. They decided to take action. We were unprepared. The Enterprise was escorting the ship back home to Earth when we received the transmission; the Romulans were invading Federation space. It all had happened so quickly. Time seemed to disappear as I saw the first Romulan fleet enter into view. We had been given one command, and one command only.

Defend the President at all costs.

Before we knew it, we were right in the middle of a war; Romulans versus the Federation. It wasn't that bad- not nearly as bad as the war Captain Archer had to fight against the Romulans. But things weren't the same; he didn't have a President to protect. I did. We did.

"Captain, there's nothing left to fire!" Sulu responded. It seemed like years had passed since I'd given the command. I stared blankly at the scene before me; half of my Bridge crew was on the floor, unconscious. The view screen was barely working, but I could see ship after Romulan ship firing on starships. I could see the President's ship, being fired on.

"No…nothing…to…fire…?" I asked, not expecting an answer this time. Two seconds of silence passed. Sulu announced the shields were out. Gone. More silence.

"Captain, incoming-" Spock started, but was interrupted by a loud blast on the ship. I watched as his console exploded, showering sparks and green blood. Spock fell out of his chair, and landed on the floor with a loud thud. I quickly jumped out of my seat to go take Spock's place- and to check to make sure he was alright.

You see, Spock and I had this special relationship. We'd been friends for more than 15 years, serving together for even longer than that. Spock had helped me out when I needed help. He had been there for me when I needed him. I'm sure I failed on my part, but I at least tried to be there for him when he needed me. When that pointy eared Vulcan got himself into trouble –which wasn't as rare as you may think- I always went after him, to help him out.

I flipped Spock onto his back. The air around me smelled like smoke, fire, blood, and burned flesh. I rapidly scanned Spock, checking all of his major injuries, which were bountiful. The side of his neck was burned heavily. His hands were also scorched; but nothing that Dr. McCoy could repair. He seemed to have escaped without anything too dangerous…

That's when I saw it.

That part of the console plunged into his lower rib cage couldn't be missed. It didn't appear to go all the way through, but it went in several inches. That was enough to kill a human, but Spock was in even more danger than a human would be in this situation.

That piece of console was plunged right where Spock's heart was.

I took out my communicator, hoping that I could reach Bones in time.

"Bones, this is Kirk."

"What is it, Jim?! I'm a little busy down here."

"Bones," I said. "Spock's been injured. Badly."

"Well, Jim…Ugh…Err…" He let out an irritated sigh. "Can you give me a little bit more details?"

"Sure, sure. His neck's been burned pretty badly, so have his hands. But the worst thing I can find is a piece of his console that's been jammed into his lower rib cage."

"My God, Jim. I'm on my way."

Before I had a chance to respond, the signal died. I checked what was left of the console; there weren't any incoming phasers or torpedoes. I ran back to my Captain's chair.

"Sulu, how's the President's ship?" I asked impatiently.

"Sir, the ship has taken heavy damage, but it's still in one piece. The Romulans seem to be retreating." Sulu reported in his low, calm voice.

I let out a sigh of relief, glad that the madness was over; for now. I heard the turbolift doors open and close. Bones must be here. I stood up, and returned to where Spock was laying unconscious.

"Bones…how bad is it?" I asked. The entire Bridge seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the answer.

McCoy shook his head. "The console's stabbed his heart; he's bleeding internally. The burns alone are serious enough to kill. I'll try my best, Jim, but there's really not much I can do."

"Take him to Sick Bay immediately."

"Alright," Bones said quietly. Whether he was just being considerate of me, or if he really felt that much pain towards Spock's condition, I don't know. Whichever reason it is, Bones didn't say a word about the possibility of Spock not making it. The idea seemed impossible; of all the things Spock had lived through, surely he wasn't going to be taken out by a stupid blown-up console.

The hours passed. I had Scotty and his team working on the most needed repair; our warp drive. With that, we could make our way to the nearest starbase, and hope that the Enterprise could be fixed. Uhura had given me the reports; 9 dead, more than 30 seriously wounded.

I was kept busy on the Bridge, signing reports, reporting to Starfleet, checking constantly on the condition of the President. It wasn't until I got a call from Sick Bay that I remember about Spock.

"Sick Bay to Captain Kirk."

I froze, half of me wanting to answer, half of me wanting to just ignore the call. I answered it.

"Kirk here. What is it, Bones?"

Silence.

"Bones?"

"Jim, I think you best get down here."

"I…ah…I'm a little busy now, Bones."

"Jim, it's Spock."

Of course it was Spock. I jumped out of my chair and ran to Sick Bay, feeling guilty that I had waited this long to make it down there. Some friend I was. Some captain I was.

The doors to Sick Bay opened, revealing a stomach-turning scene. All of the beds were full. People were laying and sitting on the floor, patiently waiting for a nurse or doctor to attend them. I scanned the room, searching for Spock. I half expected him to be sitting on a bio-bed, arguing with Dr. McCoy about how illogical it was for him to remain in Sick Bay when he was needed on the Bridge.

Boy, was I wrong.

There Spock was, lying on a bio-bed, almost completely still. His eyes were open. That was a good sign, right? I could see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed; it was irregular.

"He's been waiting for you, Jim. Even though he won't admit it, he can't hold on much longer." Bones half whispered to me. I nodded in understanding, and forced the tears back as I walked over to stand by Spock.

"Spock, can you hear me?"

He slowly rolled his eyes towards my direction. "Yes, Captain. I can hear you." He croaked. "There's something…I need to tell you. It has been…an honor…serving with you."

I couldn't help it. The tears came. I tried to smile, for both of our sakes.

"No, Spock. It has been an honor serving with you. You couldn't imagine what my life would be like without you, Spock. I don't want to imagine. I just want to remember…" My voice broke. It felt like my heart was ripping.

Spock's hand lifted ever so slightly, forcing his third and fourth finger to slant away from eachother.

"Jim, I have been, and always will be, your friend."

I sniffed, and smiled. "Same here."

Spock let his hand fall gently back onto the bed by his side. He closed his eyes slowly.

"Spock, don't…" I said eagerly.

He opened one eye. "I'm not finished with my farewell, Captain."

Of all the times he could have gotten a since of humor, it had to be on his death bed. Of course. It was only logical.

"Continue."

"Jim, I don't want you to grieve. I want no emotional response from my passing." Spock breathed.

"Spock, you're not going to die." I protested.

"Then why are you shedding tears, Captain?" Spock raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. He had a point.

"Captain, don't grieve. There will be other Science Officers, other Commanders. Other friends, other Vulcans."

"But none as great as you, Spock."

"That is not the point, Captain. Don't grieve. Just…remember me."

The tears came again, along with the silent sobbing. I wasn't about to stop it. He was my best friend, my second in command. He wasn't going to die without a tear being shed. I could see the tension in Spock's face relax as he exhaled deeply. I waited for him to inhale again.

He never did.