Jim set his glass carefully on the table. He met the eyes of each man seated with him in the mess. All of them held his gaze, no hesitation; willing to follow wherever he led. It bothered him still, sometimes, this unswerving loyalty they gave. He nodded once, sharply.

"Then you all agree?" he asked keeping his voice low enough that his words carried no further than their table.

"Aye, Commander," Scotty said. "You know as well as we that these bastards have got to be stopped."

"You can count me in," Sulu agreed. "We aren't getting anywhere like this."

"Its stupid, crazy and we'll likely end up killed, but yeah, Jim, I might as well," Bones drank deeply of his glass. "Ain't like there's going to be a world to go home to at this rate."

"Ok," Jim sighed softly. "There's a definite chance that Bones is right and we'll all end up dead."

"Commander, we're headed that way anyways," Scotty said, his face grim. Then his eyes twinkled. "As long as we have thermite and sandwiches, I'll be happy."

"There will be plenty of that where we're going, Scotty," Jim chuckled. He lifted his glass, rolling the amber liquid around in it. "More than plenty, if The Old Man has his way."

"So, Jim, who exactly came up with this grand plan?" Bones asked.

"Some Admiral over at Starfleet."

Sulu groaned and ducked his head. "Perfect. Those guys couldn't find their asses with both hands, a flashlight and a star map with directions."

Jim scowled. "Hikaru, I want you to hand pick the pilots for this," he continued, ignoring the remark. Sulu nodded. "Scotty, same for you. We'll need the best you can find." He finished off his drink. "Once this thing starts, we'll need to move quickly."

"Yes, sir," they stood, tossing their drinks back, then grinning widely, sauntered out the door. Jim watched them go, eyes grave. Bones waited for a few minutes before speaking.

"Jim you know the odds of this succeeding are…"

"What else can we do, Bones?" he said. "If we don't change the rules, we're finished. You know it, I know it and Command knows it." He tossed back the brandy in his glass. The two shared several minutes of silence between them, the sounds of the mess hall filling their ears. He looked around the room. "Look at them Bones, green as grass. They have no clue."

"Jim, don't do this to yourself." Bones warned softly. "Just don't." He laid his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You can't change it, so don't even try."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe this is our chance." Jim said just as softly as he stood. "Night, Bones."

Leonard watched Jim wend his way through the tables, back arrow straight, shoulders tense. He sighed and shook his head. "Damn fool idea." He swirled the whiskey around for a second, then slammed it back. "Damn fool idea."