He decided he liked Leonard McCoy. The man had no regard for other people's feelings when he was stressed. "Oh, thank god, solid ground," he said as they prepared to land in San Francisco. Jim smiled and fully decided to get to know the guy. Leonard said he had nothing and Jim felt the same way. What was there to loose?

Rigging the dorms were easy. Besides, Leonard was supposed to be paired with the cheerful Allaas that kept on smiling at everyone. Leonard would definitely like him better than the red guy. He arranged it all from his PADD as they were giving the tour of the grounds. They then were immediately shepherded into the testing facilities. Jim passed the tests with easy and he came out of the rooms hearing, "I'm doctor man, not a god damned astrophysicist!" Jim snorted.

Leonard came up to him growling. "I already have huge, awful feelings about this place. It going to end awfully and horribly. Mark my words Jim, it's gonna be awful." Jim was still smiling as he took the flask and got another drink. He really liked this guy.

Passing the mental health assessments were harder. They didn't have to take them until the next day, there were too many people to take them all at once. Leonard and him were departed into the second group with two more after them, Uhura was out of luck, though she looked calm and just as confident, she had hers today. "Well, at least that's okay. Now they don't have to mark down how I'm depressed and slightly homicidal until tomorrow." Jim chuckled and clapped the older man on the shoulder. "C'mon Len, we're in San Francisco. Let's explore."

The older man took him up on it. Together they found parks nearby and Len stopped at the statue and said, "So that's your dad, huh?" Jim held back a sigh and said, "Yup." Leonard looked at him and raised his brows before saying offhandedly, "Well damn, your year might be worse than mine. I'd hate to have to be reminded constantly of my parents accomplishments." Jim looked up at him and grinned. "I promise to tell you all about it, whenever it comes up." Leonard scoffed and smacked him on the shoulder playfully. "My mom's a teacher and dad died long ago but he had been a MACCO solider. Not too shabby of a life but they were both proud when I turned eight and said I wanted to be a doctor."

They walked into the park and looked at all the red shirts. People were still having classes to get to even though it was still a week until the term actually started. Jim would have to take summer courses in order to graduate early, but that was doable. "So you always knew you wanted to be a doctor?" Jim asked as they roamed into the busy walkways. Leonard nodded and said, "I experienced death early in my life. Aunt had a car accident in front of me, now I was only seven at the time, but I watched her bleed out without being able to do anything. When I was nine, dad died on a mission. I wanted to be the best damn doctor on Terra. I went to school, got into the best resident program in the world and then met my crazy, devil-spawn of a wife. We married and my last few years of residency went to shit. I just got my license last year, even had plans to open up a joint private practice with my best friend there."

Leonard shook his head and nodded in a general direction. Jim looked and nodded in response. A bar sounded nice right then. Jim put an arm around his new buddy and said, "Well man, I feel for ya. I've never loved anyone really. Not in that sense. Way too much trouble." Leonard laughed and they both ordered whiskeys. "Too god damned true." They clinked glasses, both smiling.

By the time evening set, Jim was surprised that he was still talking and listening to Leonard. The man truly had a shit time of it lately and he knew there was more to the story than the older man let on. "So, why are going to this disastrous hell-hole of a school?" Jim shrugged, "I guess I wanted to show my old man up." Leonard snorted.

They crashed in their maybe future dorm room that was surprisingly spacious and airy. They had their own bathroom which Jim loved. It even had a water setting. He sighed when he saw it, turning he looked at Leonard and said, "You know I'm beginning to warm up to the place. A few homey touches and it could be great." Leonard lifted a brow at him and replied, "You've got to be kidding me."

Leonard was made slightly better by a good night's sleep and Jim let him, playing around on his PADD he research Doctor Kate Nandry and Doctor Ke'k Gouthbr Kell. He got Nandry's information almost immediately, and she was a bad, bad doctor. Jim smiled as he read over the incident report, supposed to be sealed three years ago. As for Kell, he came up empty handed and would have to pray the man was like most Fayra Aliens. Hopefully, his inner being wasn't so compromised by human moralities. Doctor Teagan Morgan however, he took of right away.

While Leonard slept, Jim hacked into the surveillance cameras throughout San Francisco, most being upgraded by Sana Kor's technology. Finding her out was a gold star of luck. Finding her out and at a lovely old fashioned pub at two in the morning was even better. Jim glanced at a sleeping Leonard, stood up, grabbed his jacket and silently walked out.

The next morning, before dawn, Jim turned onto his side and whispered, "Good morning." The brunette stretched and turned, her eyes widening when she saw him. He grinned, "You look lovely in the morning. Do you want to do this again or should I just quietly leave? I'm still getting the hang of this." For a few moments, shock made the doctor silent, of course she didn't remember what happened (or didn't happen) thanks to Jim mixing her drink with the foreign hasha syrup not recommended for human consumption. "Um...oh god." She covered her face and Jim knew exactly where her thoughts went, to her fiance in London. He nodded, still smiling and said, "Okay. See you some other time."

He was back in bed at his dorm before Leonard even started to grumble in his sleep. A trait Jim would come to recognize meaning he was coming to and waking up. Leonard blinked and said, "Damn. It wasn't a nightmare." Jim chuckled.

At exactly oh-eight hundred they were in a large waiting room with thirty-three other hopeful future cadets. One woman was mumbling to herself, trying to practice answers, another guy looked calm and bored. Jim turned to Leonard and asked, "What's the big deal about this?" Leonard, head back and his eyes closed said, "Just choose the mind meld. It takes like three seconds and they know you're okay and not crazy."

And indeed, many people chose that option. They came out shaky but smiling. Leonard went in first and contrary to his own advice took twenty minutes before he grumbled on out. He nodded at Jim and said, "I'll meet you at the bar." Jim nodded back and stood as his name was called. The five others that were left all looked up at his name.

Jim sat down and smiled. Doctor Morgan's eyes went wide and she immediately excused herself. Kell took her place by coming in through a back door. Well, here it goes, Jim thought. "James Kirk, you have the option for a mind meld done by our newest instructor-"

"I won't be taking that option."

Both Morgan's and Nandry's brows raised but Nandry pressed a button on her PADD. The voice reconnection came on and Kell spoke, his voice rough and thickly accented, "You are going to be recorded for any future references. Is that acceptable?" Jim spoke clearly, "It is."

"Then let us get started."

The questions were simple at first, was it okay if they used the pulse reconnection? Yes. His finger held clear band-aid looking device. Was it okay for them to use the CTP to monitor his brain activity during certain questions? Yes. Then he got another little circular, clear band-aid on his temple and the questions officially started.

"Please state your name and age."

"My name is James Tiberius Kirk and I am twenty-two years old."

"Why do you wish to join Star Fleet?"

"I want to make a difference and do something both meaningful and good. I believe that this is truly the best way I could accomplish that goal." Doctor Nandry took a small opportunity to check a message binging from her comm. Her brows went up and she quickly composed herself. Kell was the one who spoke. "Do you have any bias against any type of race? Has anything happened in your life to affect how you would conduct your duties?"

"No. I have no bias of any race. Nothing has happened in my life to affect my duties concerning any one type of being." Jim controlled his heart rate, he breathed calmly but he knew something went off because Kell's eyes blinked at the same time.

"What do you believe you could contribute to future positions in Star Fleet?"

"I will be taking the command track to hopefully one day Captain my own ship. I believe that I can offer Star Fleet out of the box thinking and dedication to everything that I work on and toward."

Jim watched as Kell got a message on his phone and excused himself for a short while. Nandry looked uncomfortable being alone with him and tensed when he gave her a bright smile. She shook herself and asked, "The command track is a five to six year term. Some, however, are capable of completion in four years with extra classes and study makeups. You are required to take nine piloting classes that deter in length from a semester to a year. There are three corresponding classes, seven classes involving navigation, as well as a semester on board a ship learning the practical side of your studies."

Kell came back in looking paler than his normally dark purple complexion. He spoke next, much more calm than he had been, "As a cadet taking command track you are also required to take at least one linguistics class and four classes involving diplomatic studies, ethics, as well as management of both people and official documents. There are a minimum three survival strategy courses in which you have to take. "

Jim beamed at Kell and Nandry, even eyed the two-way window that he knew Doctor Morgan was behind and said, "That sounds excellent. But I want to do all that in three years, with a minor in engineering. I also want to take more than one linguistics class as well as the five survival courses, in which you offer, if that's possible."

Both doctors glanced at each other and then away, all the while, Jim kept on beaming.