Gratitude
Disclaimer ~ I do not own Star Trek
*The one where Jim gives a speech about being a captain*
Jim sometimes wonders what he got into when he ended up captain of the Enterprise. Okay, so getting to explore space was really cool. So was having his own ship. But this? This was just plain torture. He had to give a lecture to a bunch of cadets about what it was like being a captain. Thankfully he wasn't alone. He had his friends with him to join in the suffering...I mean lecturing. Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, Bones, and Spock stood behind Jim, waiting until it would be their turn to contribute to the lecture. Each one had various hidden displeasure at being here. Spock and Uhura being the best at masking it, Bones and Scotty weren't even trying, and Chekov and Sulu were doing okay but they weren't the best at it.
"Let's be honest here guys, my promotion to captain wasn't normal in any sense of the word," Jim said, going with his method of Winging It. That usually worked out best for him. "I joined starfleet on a dare from Admiral Pike, who at the time was the Captain of the Enterprise. I hated starfleet with a passion and yet, here I am. I bet you are wondering how does a guy go from hating starfleet to becoming a captain of their flagship? It was the people." Jim noticed that every single person in the room was hanging off his every word. Teachers, students, and crewmates alike. "First Uhura, who I met at a bar then who witnessed me getting my ass kicked by some other cadets. Then Bones, who's first words to me were that he might puke on me. Then Sulu, who after knowing me for all of twenty minutes saved my skin with his ninja fencing skills. And Chekov, who beamed two people falling through the air back onto the ship. Scotty, who was stranded on Delta Vega for an accident involving Admiral Archer's beagle. And lastly Spock, who somehow became my best friend despite our rough beginnings. And there were a few of them, starting with the Kobayashi Maru. I'll be the first to admit, I don't know how I became friends with any of them. It just sorta happened one day. If I had never joined starfleet I would have never of met any of them and eventually I would have self destructed and burned myself out. Without them...without them I am a nobody. Just a farm kid from Iowa. But with them? I am Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise." Jim paused to sigh and run a hand through his hair. "Being a captain isn't about sitting in a comfy chair and watching people work under him. It's hard. When things go wrong, it's the captain that has to notify the family of those that lost their lives. It's the captain that makes choices which could hurt the people he cares about. It's the captain who makes sure things are running smoothly in a day to day environment. But it's the crew that keeps the captain going. Bones is always there with his terrible bedside manner to patch me up when things go wrong. Uhura is always ready to banter and is fully prepared to keep my ego in check. Sulu is always ready to spar or just to talk to about the most random things. Chekov is always bouncing around and can keep up when I start talking advanced coding to myself. Scotty makes amazing sandwiches and can go on for hours at a time talking about the enterprise mechanics. Spock is there with a chess board every night and his sunshine disposition for company. Each and every one of them keep me going. If any of you students are trying to become captain then don't give up. Yes. Being a captain is hard. But at the end of the day, when the captain knows his crew is safe and watching his back, it's a feeling that makes every single struggle worth it. On any starship, the crew becomes your family. It may sound cliche but it's true. Before starfleet I had nobody. Now? I have my entire crew as a family. All 937 members of the enterprise are important to me and it is my job as captain to make sure they are taken care of while in space." Jim paused to look over the crowd of cadets in front of him. So many of them were staring at him with determined, awed, and slightly somber faces. He smiled. "The only real killer is the paperwork. I'm telling you guys now, if it weren't for Spock helping me I wouldn't be able to sleep if I wanted to get all the forms signed before their deadlines. Whoever decided it was a smart thing to send the captain a hundred and fifty forms that need to be looked over and signed in the next two days needs to get some sense knocked into them. But other than the paperwork, I'm glad to be the captain of my ship. There's no other place I'd want to be than in space with my crew," Jim ended his speech, looking over at his cre- no friends with a wide grin. Bones was the first to come over and clap Jim on the shoulder.
"Don't let this idiot sell himself short. He does so much for our ship that none of us could ever hope to repay him," Bones announced. He held up a hand when Jim went to protest. "Zip it! You said your part now it's our turn."
"Dr. McCoy is right Captain. You say that we keep you going but you have to realize you do the same for us. You are always there to help us when we need it, and sometimes even when we don't," Uhura continued.
"You got us a shore leave just so I could be home for my daughter's birthday. You didn't have to do that and I don't even know how you knew, but that doesn't change the fact that you did do it. Most captains wouldn't go that far for their crew," Sulu spoke with absolute certainty.
"Aye lad. You even spend yer free time in engineering when you could be relaxing," Scotty chimed in.
"Ze Keptin has been learning Russian so he could conwerse with me. Ozer members of ze crew have mentioned ze same zing," Chekov added next.
"The Captain tends to overwork himself 19.73 percent more than other captains in order to assist the crew. Additionally, the Captain is more likely to do something himself than ask someone else to do it. The likelihood of this increases 71.98 percent if there is a chance the crewmember would risk being harmed," Spock added his two cents causing Jim to sigh.
"Guys. Seriously, I don't do that much," Jim tried to protest again but Bones wasn't having any of it. The doctor was quick to smack the back of Jim's head. There were shocked gasps from the crowd, many waiting to see McCoy get in trouble for attacking his captain. Except Jim only let out a whine and rubbed the back of his head. "Bones! That hurt," Jim pouted. Bones simply rolled his eyes.
"Then stop underestimating how much we care for you, idiot," Bones announced. Jim smiled sheepishly and nodded. He seemed to remember there were spectators in the room and turned his attention back to the crowd.
"As you guys can tell, this crew is certainly special. I may make mistakes but I know these guys won't let me be an idiot. Or at least, won't let me be an idiot by myself. They have my back just as much as I have theirs. And I wouldn't have it any other way," Jim finished his speech with a wide smile towards his crew, amidst the roaring applause coming from cadets and their teachers.
Whew. Been working on this one for awhile. I'm happy that I finished it. I'll admit, this wasn't at all what I was going for. But hey, that's what happens in writing.
I chose to update this because this was the only thing I was close to finishing. My other stories have chapters started but I've been busy this week since I had to babysit so I didn't get to write as much. If all goes well, I'll have several updates for you guys next week!
Please review! Reviews are fun!
