"What do we do now?" Uhura asked breathlessly, still holding the quivering Spock tightly.
"We tell the rest of the crew." Spock said, quickly wiping the tears from his face. He stepped towards the stairs of the transporter pad, but Uhura held him back.
"Spock, you don't have to tell them right now-" Uhura started, but Spock interrupted sharply.
"They have every right to know." Spock swallowed hard and pushed Uhura away from him. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched Spock turn on the ship-wide channel. Spock's finger lingered over the button as he struggled to find words in his brain.
"Mister Spock," Scotty warned, giving Spock just enough confidence to push the button.
"The is Commander Spock." Spock started, struggling to push his emotions back down. He couldn't think of anything to say. He had never dreamed of being this emotional in his entire life. "I have just returned from an away mission, where I was accompanied by Captain Kirk. I regret to inform you all that the Captain did not survive the journey back with me." Spock paused, his heart sinking like a stone. "I am now assuming the role of Captain." Spock lifted his finger from the transmission button, tears welling up in his eyes again.
"He's really gone." McCoy said nearly silently from the corner. "I don't believe it."
/
"What the hell are you talking about, Spock?" McCoy asked in disbelief.
"The eruption on the planet's surface was no accident." Spock said, forcing himself to speak, though it hurt him to his very core. He knew that it would hurt him more to keep this secret from McCoy. "The army of natives spoke to us upon our arrival." Spock paused and McCoy watched him intently, his heart racing. "This mission was no simple diplomatic dispute." Spock sighed, fiddling with his fingers nervously behind his back. "The army commander told the captain that they had intentions of detonating a weapon that would cause the inactive volcanoes that lie deep below the planet's surface to erupt."
"Wait," McCoy asked, trying to wrap his head around the situation. "Why would they bow up the damned planet they were trying to control?"
"They had transports lined up for escape." Spock explained. "It was supposed to be a show of power."
"I still don't understand why you think this was your fault, or why you kept this a secret." McCoy rubbed his throbbing head.
"The commander threatened to destroy our ship and the planet if we attempted anything at all." Spock continued. "So I made the suggestion to try something... slightly unorthodox."
"That doesn't sound like you," McCoy scoffed as he took another drink of whiskey.
"I simply follow the rules of logic." Spock shrugged. "And the most logical course of action was to execute the commander and disable his weapon quickly without a security support crew." Spock continued, tears forming in his eyes again.
"Why keep this a secret from all of us?" McCoy asked angrily, standing up from his couch shakily. "We deserved to know the danger you two jackasses were getting yourselves into!" McCoy demanded.
"That danger is precisely why we withheld information from the crew, doctor." Spock hurriedly wiped a tear that was escaping from his eye. "This mission did not follow regulation, and we both feared that if the crew knew, there would be consequences."
"You're damned right there would've been consequences!" McCoy threw out his hands in protest. "But those would've been better than what consequences you got!"
"The captain also feared you would attempt to dissuade him from taking this course of action." Spock said, his reserve growing weaker with every word he spoke.
"Well, he was right!" McCoy shouted and Spock shrunk slightly. "How could you come up with such a pea-brained idea and actually follow through with it?!"
"This is why I wanted to apologize, doctor." Spock said quietly, tears falling from his eyes.
"Jim is dead, because of you." McCoy snarled and the glass in his hand shattered, the glass slicing into his palm.
"Doctor, you are injured." Spock squeaked, taking a step forward to help McCoy.
"Get out of my sight." McCoy snapped as he pulled his hand away. Spock retreated to the hallway and shut the door behind him, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Jim is dead, because of you.
/
"Captain Kirk to Enterprise," Kirk's gravelly voice could barely make out the words. "Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise." Kirk tried again, adjusting the layers of blankets on top of him. "Enterpriseeee." Kirk moaned as he pulled the blankets tighter.
No one's home. Kirk thought angrily. Probably out celebrating my life or some crap. He sighed heavily and pulled the blankets tighter.
He adjusted the dials and switches on the control panel, then pressed the activate button once again. "Kirk to Starfleet command." A frown formed on his lips as the communicator remained silent. "Come in, command." Kirk tried again, but received only static for his efforts.
I see, Starfleet's too good to take calls from any old junk ship. He huffed and messed with the dials some more. Well, if I can't get a message through to Starfleet, I guess I'll just have to try to get it back to one Starfleet member... He smiled to himself as he twisted the dials and flipped the switches.
"This is Captain Kirk. That's right, it's me. Listen, I'm in a junker on Orthegiol, and I would really appreciate it if you could maybe pick me up? Yeah, that'd be great. I'm going to be looking around the surrounding systems for a better ship, but I'm expecting you to call on this frequency when you get this message. You'd better get this message, Uhura. Kirk out." Kirk finished his recording and picked his finger up off the button.
Come on, Uhura. You'd better get this. He thought hard as he pulled the blankets tighter around him. His entire body felt as though it was in a freezer. He figured that he must have some nasty burns, but he couldn't feel them. He realized that probably wasn't a good thing.
No sense in waiting around here. He thought to himself. I'm getting off this hunk of rock. He strapped the restraints around the mountain of blankets and peeked over his shoulder to make sure that his passenger was still secured in her seat.
"Enterprise, here I come." Kirk sighed and pushed the lever forward and pulled on the yoke. The engines roared and the entire ship shook and clattered as it slowly pushed itself forward, then upward. Kirk sighed in relief as the ship began to hover shakily, and he guided it into the planet's atmosphere.
He stared out into the abyss of space before him, longing to see his beloved ship and crew again. He would give anything to sit in his chair again, Spock to his right and McCoy to his left, bickering about nothing important as he gazed at the stars ahead. He wanted to go home.
The rapid beeping and blinking of a warning light tore him from his thoughts. He glanced down and saw the small makeshift screen blaring CRITICAL FAILURE WARNING. ENGINE FAILURE.
Shit. Was all he could think. He scanned the rest of the control panel for any sort of GPS system, but only found a stack of star maps in the corner.
"Really? Back to the stone age?" He mumbled to himself as he yanked out the maps and laid them out on the table in front of him. No sense in trying to fix this hunk of junk, I might as well just land it wherever I can. He thought to himself as he read through the star maps quickly, trying to find the location of the nearest planet. Once he located it, he threw all of the other maps to the side and pulled the yoke hard to the left, jerking the entire ship harshly. He could see the planet in the distance, a small, green orb coming into view.
CRITICAL FAILURE. The screen continued to blare the warning as Kirk forced the ship forward. Come on, don't die on me now. Kirk pleaded as the engine began to sputter and kick out.
"Come on, come on!" Kirk said out loud as the planet became larger and larger before him. He felt the sharp kick as the ship entered the planet's gravity, the entire ship suddenly jerking downwards. "Come on!" He repeated as he yanked up on the yoke, the ground fast approaching. "I didn't survive a volcanic eruption just to die on this piece of shit!" Kirk screamed as he saw the ground rush up on him. In a moment of adrenaline and fury, he grabbed the weapons yoke and pulled it completely downwards, then slammed his finger on the launch button, sending a blast into the plains below. The blast from the missiles hitting the ground send the ship lurching back up to the sky, then sending it skittering to the ground again. Kirk closed his eyes as the ship hit the ground with a hard thud, then flipped onto its side and continued to scratch along the surface.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ship finally finished skidding and came to a slow stop. Kirk quickly fiddled with the seat belt, releasing himself to hit the side of the ship. He struggled to get back to his feet, pulling the blankets around himself again. He shot a quick glance at his passenger, whose chest was still miraculously rising and falling rhythmically. He sighed in relief and kicked open the emergency door, bringing in the fresh air of the outside world. Kirk took a couple cautious steps out the door, squinting his eyes at the blinding light from the outside.
Kirk looked around and realized that he was on the outskirts of a small market. Small shanties stood in a circle, aliens from all walks of life bustling around, a few staring at the wreckage. Kirk turned to his right and saw two startled farmers watching him in horror. Kirk nodded in their direction and offered a small wave and smiled.
Kirk started toward the market, feeling the chill of the slight breeze blowing around him. He shivered as he struggled toward the center of the market, the occasional passerby giving him a sideways glare.
I need to find a doctor. Kirk thought to himself as he stumbled through the center of the market. God, as much as I hate to admit it, I could really use a good ole Bones check-up right now. He sighed as he scanned the small shops for anything that resembled a medical center.
Something prodded at his back and he spun around quickly, adrenaline flooding into his veins. He turn and was met with a rifle-toting alien creature that towered over him. Its slender body was covered in a thick leather armor from head to toe. It began spouting something off in a language that Kirk didn't understand, so Kirk put up his hands defensively.
"Listen, I have no idea what you're saying." Kirk said warily, a small smile present on his face to try and ease the tension. "But I need a doctor if-" Kirk started, but was interrupted when the alien jabbed him in the chest with the butt of his rifle. Kirk doubled back in pain, the sharp fiery pains shooting up his back once again. "Hey!" Kirk coughed, trying to catch his breath again. The alien shoved him to the ground and Kirk cried out in pain. The bystanders in the market watched carefully, not daring to interfere.
The alien pinned Kirk's arms behind his back and tied a rope tightly around his wrists. Kirk cried out again, tears forming in his eyes from the shock of being moved. The alien ripped the blankets from Kirk's back and the cold seeped into his bones.
"Listen, I just need to get to a doctor," Kirk shut his eyes tightly as the alien pulled him to his feet, holding a firm hand on his shoulder. "Please." He pleaded, but the alien merely shoved him along the path, the bystanders moving quickly out of the way. "I need to get back to my ship," Kirk said sternly, but the alien offered no response. "Come on!" Kirk yelled as a gag was forced into his mouth and a sack pulled over his head. Kirk was thrown unceremoniously into a carrier ship, once again engulfed in a world of darkness.
/
Thanks for sticking around and reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism that comes to mind. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks again! Stay tuned for much more to come!
-buckminsterbarnes