3 years later
"NOOOOO" John awoke shouting grasping his head as images of his Earth flashed before him, a dark sinister world full of Borg.
"Computer lights" a warm voice uttered from beside him as a comforting hand reached around to encompass his shivering body. "It's all right, you're safe" the warm voice of Azani Troy soothed him as her hand's reached up to his face and pulled it towards hers. "It's coming isn't it, your last chance at saving your home" she whispered.
John nodded, he had waited for this time for 13 years, but now as it drew closer he felt fear. Fear that the moment would pass, that Vulcan would be destroyed and that his last chance at preserving the future would be forever gone. John looked into the deep green eyes of Azani, feeling her mind press against his own, absorbing his fears and diminishing them. He leaned in and kissed her, the rush of emotion sending what felt like an electric shock, through his body.
Azani broke away "you're thinking of her again" she remarked and sighed deeply.
John nodded as the stunningly beautiful women slipped out of bed "I have to go, I have an early class tomorrow" she stated flatly as she picked up her uniform from the bedroom floor.
"Please don't go" John begged.
"I'm sorry" Azani replied as she left the room, leaving John seeped in thought.
It took several hour's for John to wane back to sleep, and after what seemed like only a minute of slumber, he was awoken by a knock on the door.
"Come in" John yelled in an annoyed voice.
Jim and Bones both barged in standing around the very tired John.
"Today's the big day!" Jim shouted, "I'm taking the Kobiashi Maru test again"
"And he's going to fail, AGAIN" Bone's added.
"Well that's what I was thinking about, you know there are rumours going around that you beat the test already" Jim looked anxiously at his godfather.
John shook his head "I only won because I knew the parameters of the test, it is after all supposed to be a no win scenario" John pressed.
"I don't believe in no win scenario's, I mean look at dad, staring down at a ship a hundred times more powerful yet he was still able to take it out and save over 800 people, and live to tell about it" Jim shouted.
"He cheated, he had me" John replied absent minded, then froze as he realized what he had just said. Both Jim and bones stared at him with surprise.
"What do you mean he cheated" Bones asked.
John shook his head "Nothing, never mind, let's get back on topic" he stammered.
Jim looked at him curiously, there had always been some things about the encounter that never made sense to him, such as how multiple reports had indicated that his father had remained on the bridge during the encounter, yet somehow he managed to get aboard the emergency shuttle in time. He cheated John thought curiously to himself, and then a thought occurred to him. "I'll be back guys I just need to do some... studying" he paused for effect then left the room.
It was several hours later when John found himself at the observation window to the scenario room, flanked on each side by the supervising instructor and the Vulcan.
"Considering your relationship to the Cadet, I would not be surprised if he attempts the same manoeuvres that you followed" the Vulcan commented.
John shook his head "Don't worry Mr Vulcan, I didn't give him any pointers, he's on his own on this one" John affirmed.
Spock raised an eyebrow, surprised that the human would not help his godson pass, considering that there was only one means of beating the scenario.
"So let's get this show on the road" The instructor smirked then pressed the start button, triggering the scenario.
John looked intently as his godson sat playfully at captain's chair holding an apple, and laughed inwardly at the incredulous stares he was getting from Uhura. John was aware for some time that Uhura and Spock had entered into a private relationship, having spent so much time over the years working with the man.
"That's okay" he heard Jim say as the Klingon vessels fired on his ship. John raised an eyebrow puzzled
"Is he not taking this seriously?" the instructor question as Jim had turned to Uhura and ordered her to prepare to receive all the survivors from the injured ship.
And then it happened, and instantly John knew what Jim had done. The computer systems began scrambling, compensating for a new parameter that had been added into the scenario. John shook his head.
As the scenario ended in victory and everyone on the observation area scrambled to figure out what had happened, John closed his eyes not knowing if this turn of events would end his godson's career or make him a legend.
"You can't do this Spock, he could be expelled" John shouted at an irate Spock.
"Then he should not have cheated" Spock defended as he continued his charge through the corridors of Starfleet headquarters heading straight for the dean of disciplines office.
"Spock stop!" John shouted causing the Vulcan to turn around and raise an eyebrow. "If you do this, you're going to ruin his career" he pressed.
Spock looked pointedly at John "Honesty, Integrity, Trust, that is what we expect in a Starfleet officer, if someone were to brazenly cheat as cadet Kirk has, then he does not deserve to become a Starfleet officer" He replied then turned and continued on his way.
John ran after the man, following him into the dean's office.
"What can I do for you gentlemen?" the dean greeted.
"I would like to inform you of a violation to the ethical code of conduct" Spock announced "Cadet James Tiberius Kirk, added a subroutine to the Kobiashi Maru scenario, changing the parameters, thus allowing him to beat it. This was clearly a violation of the ethical code" he replied.
The dean stared at the Vulcan intently "This is a serious situation which could end the Cadet's career in Starfleet" he remarked.
"I understand" Spock replied.
"Sir you can't expel him for this, the Kobiashi Maru itself is a no win scenario, in fact cadet Kirk showed ingenuity in successfully winning" John defended.
The dean looked from one commander to the other deep in thought. "I'm afraid I am going to have to call a meeting of the disciplinary council in decided the cadets fate. But be assured both of your arguments will be taken into consideration during our deliberation" he stated.
The Loaded Hog filled with cadets all celebrating Kirk's victory over the no win scenario. The music was loud, the drinks flowed freely and Kirk was having a celebration of his own with a very green cadet in the corner of the Bar. Bones, having sworn off women, at least until he stopped having to pay alimony to his ex wife, had taken up residence at the bar.
John walked in, concern deep on his face as he made his way to the bar and took a seat next to McCoy.
"Line them up" He ordered to the bar tender.
The bar tender nodded in affirmation and pulled out seven shot glasses, then filled them with a dark liquid. John took the first shot and downed it, then continued down the chain until he had consumed all seven shots. The bar tender then placed a glass of jack and coke before him.
"Something on your mind?" McCoy questioned.
John looked at the man, pain in his eyes "I'm going Vulcan in 3 hours" he replied.
"So you're going to miss the assembly?" McCoy remarked, wondering what could be so urgent and so nerve wrecking for the man.
"I'm afraid so" he nodded in confirmation "I need you to do me a favour, tomorrow morning there's going to be some kind of disaster on Vulcan, they're going to call for help and Starfleet is going to send you cadets in the only ships available. Whatever you do, I want you to make sure that Jim is aboard the enterprise"
Bones shook his head "I don't understand"
John looked the man dead in the eyes "Just make sure he's aboard the Enterprise tomorrow!"
Bones nodded and watched as the nervous John left the bar.
John walked out into the night sky, he could feel the warmth of the alcohol consume him. It was time, and he knew what must be done.
"Computer transport" he ordered as his body dissolved to appear seconds later aboard a star ship that was no bigger than a standard shuttle craft yet far more powerful.
John had spent the last 3 years building the Excalibur from the ground up, utilizing a myriad of technology from the 24th through to the 45th centuries. He knew it would be no match for a 45th century ship, but he also knew that he would only be going up against 24th century technology. The outer hull design was inspired by the Delta flyer, a ship John had viewed a hundred times at the Smithsonian. Infused into the technology was Johns own nanites, almost making it a living being able to regenerate on the subatomic level.
"Computer set a course for Vulcan" he ordered.
The ship responded to his wishes, however, instead of jumping to warp, a gravimetric charge tore apart the fabric of space before it, opening an instantaneous conduit to the Vulcan star system through which he passed effortlessly.
"Vulcan orbit established" the computer responded.
"Engage stealth mode, launch sensor drones" he ordered.
Outside of his vessel, stars emerged and sped off into stable positions orbiting the planet. John looked out on the desert world with wonder, Vulcan he thought to himself. In his time Vulcan mirrored Earth in its complexity, cities that spanned the globe, satellites and space stations that encased the world in an artificial aura, and the only trans planetary bridge that spanned between Vulcan and its neighbouring sister world of Delta Vega. It was an awesome sight to see it in its original glory days.
John watched for a few more hours before drifting off into a deep sleep.
"Warning unidentified vessels detected" the computer screamed as a dozen behemoths decloaked in orbit of Vulcan.
"Computer analysis" he yelled as the majority of the vessels took up orbit on the opposite side of the planet from the other.
"Vessels outer haul designs conform to Reman Scimitar class destroyers first encountered by the Enterprise in the late 24th century" the computer replied shocking John. Obviously whoever had damaged the timeline had managed to create a fleet of the most powerful ships of the twenty fourth century.
"Why are they drilling?" John questioned "They have enough power to lay waste to the entire planet from orbit"
The answer soon came as warning alarms rang throughout the ship "Red matter detected, most probable reason for drilling would be to allow passage of red matter into the planetary core, result of which would be a singularity that would consume the planet"
John could not let this happen; he could not let the planet be destroyed. In haste he decloaked the vessel and charged towards the nearest scimitar. Quickly he deployed his armour and powered his weapons targeting the ships main reactor core. However the vessel had taken note of his approached and bared down on his tiny ship with full weapons.
His vessel shuddered under the bombardment, though he utilized superior technology he knew he couldn't take on all 12 ships simultaneously, and already the other ships were moving in to aide their ally as they saw John's vessel absorb the impacts with little effort.
John returned fire, hot beams of phased plasma ripping through the scimitar's shields and ripping off its arms. While he engaged the remaining ships John watched in horror as six federation ships warped into orbit and almost instantaneously met their demise at the hands of the one of scimitar on the far side of Vulcan.
John closed his eyes in silent prayer for the dead, hoping that his godson was not among them, while he returned his attention to the swarming scimitars.
"Shields at 84 percent, armour at 92 percent" the computer announced as his ship shook at the impact of almost a hundred simultaneous torpedo strikes coupled with a greater number of disrupter fire.
John returned fire severing the arms off another scimitar while splitting a third vessel in half with a round of torpedoes, but he knew his time was dwindling as sensors reported the drilling had almost penetrated the planets core. He tried to manoeuvre his way clear of the scimitar's hoping to make a dash for the drilling vessel but found that every avenue was blocked as the scimitars began launching fighters of their own. His shields now permanently flared absorbing the constant stream of disrupter fire and torpedoes. He then realized that this had been planned, the scimitars where only there to distract him while their leader bore into the planet's surface and proceeded to destroy the planet.
As another scimitar vaporized in a miniature super nova, taking out a squadron of its own fighters, John detected the arrival of another ship, this time it was the Enterprise. John's eyes grew wide, he still could not navigate out of the enclosure, he could not save the Enterprise. But then something curious happened, the drilling vessel stopped its assault on the federation ship. John looked on in confusion, and was broken out of his shock by the sound of the computer warning "Shields at 32 percent, armour at 43 percent, recommend immediate disengagement and recharge" it warned.
John shook his head in defeat, but knew there would be one way, and one way only to stop this fleet. "Computer set core to self destruct, t-minus 2 minutes, auto helm take over" he ordered and then walked over to the transporter. The drill that was used by the scimitar had disrupted communications and transporters of the federation ships, but his ship utilized quantum based teleporting that was unaffected. Activating his transporter John was instantaneously transported to the bridge of the Enterprise where to his shock he found his godson, a little worse for the wear, but alive.