Author's Note:

So this story started out as a Bones love story because I've loved him for forever, but after re-watching the original series, I always felt so bad for Kirk, so it's kind of about him too. It's mostly based off the original series, but it has some new moments too, as you see in the beginning. Special thanks to 98° for the title, and to Richard Marx and Donna Lewis's 'At The Beginning' for the chapter 1 title. I'm really just posting this for my own amusement, but I hope you enjoy. I own nothing but the OCs and the random stuff I make up. :P and by the way, if you've read PyroQueenofFire's stuff, the last name Stelloc, was something I made up all by myself.

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Chapter One: At the Beginning

"Mira Stelloc. You have shown great prowess in every division of study; command, xenolinguistics, fencing, gun play, engineering, communications, science, medicine, and tactical strategies. Therefore, we are allowing you to choose your crew for the Kobayashi Maru test."

"With all due respect, Admiral, I can make it work with any crew you give me. Please, surprise me…but I do have one request."

"Speak it."

"I wish to take the exam with Cadet Chapel."

"It shall be done."

"Thank you, Admiral. I will see you at 0800 hours."

I bowed low to Admiral Lombak, and exited the audience chamber, to be greeted by my best friend, Christine Chapel, who had been waiting for me to finish my appointment with the admiral.

"How'd it go?" She asked, linking arms with me.

"Perfect. You are a part of my crew for the unbeatable test, which will happen at 0800."

"Excellent. But explain something to me."

"I'll try. Shoot."

"Why have you been putting yourself through all this? I mean, why study every area? I focused on medicine; why didn't you focus on your real love: engineering?"

I sighed. "I guess I'm just trying to prove myself to my parents."

"You never really talk about your parents, or your family for that matter. Are they that awful?"

I shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it. If deciding my future for me is awful, then yes. Anyways, I come from the planet Kridelin, where my father, mother, and two younger twin brothers reside. No one has ever left the planet before, but I did."

"You've never opened up this much before. I had no idea you were even from another planet. Is there any other reason why you left?"

I nodded. "I didn't want to rule! I wanted adventure! I wanted a life free of structure and a life to run on my own as I saw fit! So when an Andorian Diplomat passed through on his way to Earth, I stowed away on his ship when he left the planet. He was the first alien any of us Kridelins had ever seen."

"You ran away?"

"Yes. He found me, and when I begged him not to take me back to Kridelin, he took pity on me. He brought me to earth, and taught me everything I know. Marthos, that was his name, let me stay with him, got me a job, and enrolled me in Starfleet, where I met you."

I started tearing up, unsure of if I could go on.

"Why are you crying? Did something happen to him?"

"We were here less then a year, when he got his captaincy. He'd already been through his eight year training, so the U.S.S. Heartstring was his to command. One day, his ship drifted into the Romulan neutral zone, and it was so badly damaged it couldn't be steered. He didn't make it out alive. No one did. He left me everything…including this fan." I touched the fan where it had hung at my side for four years. "That's why I use it all the time, and always carry it with me. To be reminded of Marthos, and what he did for me."

"What's up with that fan anyways?"

"It's made of natural steel. It's been molded and shaped to act and look just like a fan, but it's deadly." I pulled the fan off my belt and opened it. "See how the steel has been stretched between the metal ribs where cloth should be? The image painted on it has cracked and been worn away a little, but it's still there, and distracts people from the fact that it is in fact a weapon."

"I always wondered why you always carried that fan with you—wait. Back way up. You said that you left because you didn't want to rule? Are you some sort of princess or something?"

"That took you way too long to pick up on. Yes I was. My name and title were Princess Mira Aurelia Josephine Stelloc. But that's behind me. I'm just plain Mira Stelloc now. Let's go get something to eat, okay?"

"You're always thinking about your stomach." Christine giggled.

I shrugged. "It's what I do."

"It took forever to get out of those hallways."

"Well it is lunchtime in my book."

We walked down the large steps of the academy, giggling when my stomach rumbled.

"Shhh, tummy! I'll get you some food real soon I promise." I told it.

We giggled harder, and then stretched when the warm sunlight hit our faces. We passed by two really cute boys talking about the Kobayashi Maru test…otherwise I would've walked up to them and started hitting on them. I stopped to listen.

"The test is unbeatable! I've never heard of anyone going back for seconds, let alone thirds." The taller and older of the two boys exclaimed to the one with dirty blonde, semi-curly hair.

Christine leaned over to me. "Mira aren't you taking it for the third time?"

I nodded. The younger boy had finally caught sight of us, and wandered over. Although he was cute, I could tell that he was a total skirt-chaser

"Hellooo ladies!" He said checking each of us out in turn.

"Hi. Sorry but we couldn't help overhearing your conversation, that you're going to take the Kobayashi Maru test for a third time." Christine said to the boy with dirty blonde hair.

"Yep. At 0900 hours." He replied proudly.

"I'm taking it for the third time as well." I smiled.

"I think you're both nuts." The older boy said.

"My name's Mira. This is best friend Christine Chapel. She's going to be a nurse."

"James T. Kirk, at your service. This is my best friend Leonard McCoy. He's a doctor." The younger boy said.

"You don't know what you want to do either?" I asked.

"I didn't say that. I'm going to be a captain." James said confidently.

"You're very sure of yourself. I'm stuck in limbo." I sighed.

We all laughed and when we shook hands, I finally really looked them over. Leonard had Brown hair, and the most beautiful silver blue eyes I'd ever seen. Jim's hazel eyes and dirty blonde hair were a pale comparison, but I did note that I wished I could play with his semi-curly hair. I noticed Leonard was staring at my eyes too. I blushed and pulled away my hand and my gaze. His eyes were enchanting. I turned to James.

"So are you trying to prove it's not actually unbeatable too?" James asked before I could say a word.

I nodded. "The first time I took it I had no idea what to expect. I took it a second time in order to gather information about it. I figured out everything and Klingons and there vessels as I could, and I am ready to take it on for the last time." I turned to Christine. "Have you looked at what time it is?"

"I'm late!" She cried.

"Me too! See you later Jim!" Leonard called as the two of them ran to their class."

"Medical personnel." I scoffed, laughing, but then stopping when I felt my empty stomach turn over. I'd totally forgotten about my hunger. "God I'm staving!"

"Let's go grab a bite to eat, that is, if you don't have a class to jet off to." James offered.

"I'm totally finished because of the test tomorrow morning."

"Good. Follow me: I know this great place."

I shifted uncomfortably. Was he only asking me to go with him to talk strategy? Or was it because he was objectifying me earlier? I bit my lip.

"I'm not going to discuss my strategy…except to tell you to think outside the box." I said, getting my worries out in the open.

"I wasn't planning on talking strategy at all…maybe not even talking at all. But thanks for the tip."

"Slow down, skirt-chaser. Let's get to know each other first, and then we'll see where we go. And you're welcome."

He offered his arm to me. I took it, and we walked off for an early lunch.

xxxxx

"Captain, we've been hailed by the crew of the Kobayashi Maru. They've lost power and they're stranded. They need our help to rescue them." Christine said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Please alert medical to begin the preparations to receive the stranded crew."

"But Keptain! Klingon wessels are decloaking. Ve're surrounded." A cute boy, with a very heavy Russian accent which made me giggle, said.

It was going to be hard to take this seriously when he talked like that. I couldn't take my mind off of it.

"I just want medbay prepared if we make it out alive." I clarified.

"Keptain! Dey are charging der veapons!"

"Cut power to all non-vital systems, and put the weapons at 1/3 impulse power. Let them think we're helpless."

"Mira, are you crazy?" Christine cried.

"They're Klingons, Christine. Not plain cold-blooded murderers. Even if this is a simulation, they should still be all about the chase, the honor, and the fight. There's no honor in annihilating an unarmed opponent. And as sure as the simulation is still going, I was right."

Christine shrugged and returned her attention to her console. "Captain, they're advancing on us…probably hoping to claim our ship as one of theirs."

"Wait for it…Wait for it…" I muttered. "Hail them now!"

"Hailing on all frequencies…Nothing."

"Ensign, can you put this on screen?" I asked handing a diskette to the Russian boy, who nodded and did as he was told. "I want you all to look closely at this blueprint." I pointed to three different parts of the ship. "These are their weapons banks, cloaking devices, and shield generators. I want them targeted, and when I give the order I want them taken out." I started to return to my chair. "Prepare a tachyon burst and also an EMP."

"They're within transporter range. I think they may try to beam aboard." Christine said.

"Emit the tachyon burst, wait one second and then send out the electromagnetic pulse."

"Yes Keptain. Ve haff disrupted der shields!"

"Fire phasers now! The disruption will only last 20 seconds."

"Captain?"

"Yes Lieutenant Chapel?"

"We've disabled the Klingon warbirds."

"Take out their transporters and warp engines."

"Yes sir."

"Dey are completely defenseless. Should ve destroy dem?"

"No Ensign—what is your name? They still have communications. Leave them there to rot and begin the rescue of the stranded crew. I'm still waiting on that name."

"Dreykowich. Ricter Dreykowich."

"Dreykovich, okay. Good job and thank you." I said, touching his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You are velcome."

"Mira! You did it! You beat the unbeatable test!" Christine cried hugging me.

I let my knees buckle finally, and Christine being the great friend she was, guided me to the captain's chair and sat me in it.

"I was so nervous I was going to fail again. They shouldn't have given me a cute Russian helmsman. I spent two months trying to figure out the secret to this test. You had no faith in me, did you?"

"Well…no. I mean, it was supposed to be unbeatable. You don't hate me do you?"

"No. I had no faith in me either."

"Where did you get that blueprint?"

"One of Marthos's books. He had been a Klingon prisoner once, and kept a journal…including a map he stole from them one day."

"It sounds like he had a lot of adventures."

"He did. Hey look! It's James and Leonard. Hi boys." I stood up from the captain's chair, and allowed James to take it.

"Hi Mira. How did it go?" James asked.

"I did it. I won."

"What?" Leonard cried. "How?"

"I can't tell you that until James takes it."

"Cadet Stelloc. Come with me."

"Yes Admiral. Bye Boys. Bye Christine."

"Bye." They all said in unison, and watched me leave.

xxxxx

"How did you beat the test?"

"I didn't cheat if that's what you're asking. I spent two months preparing for that test. It was my third time taking it. I gathered all the information I could during and after the second time I took it. I studied everything I could about Klingons and their habits and traditions. I studied a bird of prey blueprint that my caretaker had stolen when he was a Klingon prisoner. And the most important thin I learned was how to disrupt shields. I was amazed that I beat it."

"This is unprecedented."

"Admiral Lombak, with all due respect, you saw how researched I was. You saw my knees buckle, and how genuinely surprised I was. If I'd cheated, you'd know it. I've never been a good liar, and I've never cheated in my life. May I go watch Cadet Kirk's test?"

"Report back here afterwards. We're not yet done."

I sighed. "Fair enough."

I ran from the conference room to the glass booth above the testing area, in time to see every instrument fizzle out for a second, then come back on.

"Fire on all enemy ships." James ordered.

"But Jim, their shields are still up!" Leonard cried.

"Are they?" James asked.

Leonard looked back at his console. "No they're not."

"Fire on all enemy ships. One photon apiece. Let's not waste ammunition."

I giggled. Even though he cheated, it was actually really smooth. The people in the overlooking booth with me didn't seem to think so; they stormed out to talk to Admiral Lombak. I hurried into the examination room.

"That was the smoothest cheating I've ever seen."

"So you did see. You can't tell me YOU didn't cheat." James said as he turned and smiled at me.

"Actually I can. I prepared for two months and succeeded the good, old-fashioned way." I turned to Leonard who I hadn't really said 'hi' to that morning, although it was implied, and got lost in his eyes for a second. "Oh shit! I need to talk to the admiral some more…James, you should probably come too."

The two of us waved goodbye to Leonard, and ran back to the conference room.

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