Another chapter! enjoy~

I do not own Star Trek

Once Jamie and Spock were in the lift, Jamie found that her mind was clouded with questions.

Why would Admiral Marcus want a war? Why would he risk so many lives for a military operation? Why would he do such a thing…? Only savages lived to fight for a war. But Admiral Marcus wasn't a savage, right? Surely, as an officer of Starfleet, he would know to do the right thing?

Jamie wouldn't have known. She had never met Admiral Marcus anyway, so she wouldn't have expected this side of him anyway. She would never expect an action like this from Pike.

Pike. Pike would know what to do in this situation, he would know just what to say to her. Damn, if Admiral Marcus hadn't pissed off Khan, then Pike would still be alive. She wouldn't even be in this situation, she would be out in space on her five year voyage.

"Jamie." Spock said, interrupting her thoughts. "Breath."

Jamie looked up to him, not realizing she was holding her breath in the first place. She was glad that Spock managed to point it out. However, before she could say anything, the doors opened and she resumed her gait and moved onto the bridge. "Captain on the bridge!"

"ETA of the incoming ship." Sulu announced. "Three seconds…"

Jamie dusted herself off and composed herself in front of the screen, which currently only showed the confines of deep space. She lowered herself down in the Captain's chair and ordered for shields to be activated, just in case things got messy.

One moment it was just empty space with colorful dust clouds, the next a large, dark starship appeared right in front of them. "They're hailing us, ma'am." Uhura announced.

"On screen." Jamie said. "Broadcast ship-wide, for the record."

Sulu glanced at her for a moment, as if he questioned her rational. However, knowing that this was Jamie T. Kirk, they both knew that she knew what she was doing.

Admiral Marcus's face flashed onto the screen, making Jamie's stomach twist. "Captain Kirk."

Jamie took in a shaky breath, but flashed a smile. "Admiral Marcus. I wasn't expecting you. That's a hell of a ship you've got there."

"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders."

"Well, we… we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned. But you already knew that, didn't you, sir?"

"I don't take your meaning." Marcus raised his eyebrow.

This two-faced personality of his was so annoying to deal with. "Well, that's why you're here, isn't it?" Luckily, Jamie also knew how to play his game. She was known to be one of the best at chess, after all. "To assist with our repairs? Why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?"

Admiral Marcus pursed his lips into a thin line.

"Captain, they're scanning our ship." Sulu pointed out.

"Is there something I can help you find, sir?" Jamie asked, her voice cold.

"Where is your prisoner, Kirk?"

"Per starfleet regulation," Jamie explained. "I'm planning on returning Khan to Earth to stand trial."

Marcus started, and then he pinched the bridge of his nose much to her chagrin. "Well, shit. You talked to him. This is exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and I woke the bastard up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next."

Marcus leaned in, and Jamie fought the urge to lean away, finding comfort in knowing that he was miles away. "But I made a mistake and now the blood of everybody he's killed is on my hands. So I'm asking you, give him to me so that I can end what I started."

Jamie hesitated. She wasn't going to believe a single word this man said. "And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir?"

If you asked her, every life was precious. Everyone deserved a second chance. She even gave the men who murdered her father a second chance. "Fire them at the Klingons? End 72 lives? Start a war in the process?"

As Marcus was lead of Starfleet, he should value exploration more than any war effort. "He put those people in those torpedoes, and I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside of them.

You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew? What else did he tell you? That he's a peacekeeper? He's playing you, kid, don't you see that?

Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before anybody else dies because of him."

Jamie switched a quick look with Spock, who only nodded. Sometimes she was glad that Spock was so understanding of her, after all, he was the one she trusted the most.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again! One last time, girl. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."

Spock's hand was on her shoulder, and she welcomed the contact, slightly leaning into his touch.

Girl. That was a word that simply undermined her authority. Something that made her seem weaker before other men. She was going to teach Admiral Marcus that she wasn't just a girl. She was captain of the USS Enterprise.

"He's in engineering, sir. But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away."

"I'll take it from here."

Once the screen flickered off, her mask also fell off. "Keep those shields up, Mr. Sulu."

"Aye, Captain."

Jamie rose, Spock's hand flying off as she moved away. "Captain, given your awareness of Khan's true location at med bay, may I know the details of your plan?"

"I told Marcus we were bringing a fugitive back to Earth." Jamie explained, turning to face the Vulcan. "That's what we're going to do."

She moved back to her dashboard, flicking on the com. "Mr. Chekov, can we warp?"

"Ma'am, if we go warp, we run the risk of seriously damaging the core!"

"Can we do it?" Jamie repeated.

Chekov hesitated on the other end. "Technically, yes, but I would not advise it, Captain."

"Noted." Jamie replied, flicking off the com. "Mr. Sulu, set a course for Earth."

Sulu raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

She sat in her chair. They were going to do this. "Punch it."

Sulu pushed the warp lever forward, and suddenly stars were brushing past them in blue streaks of light. Finally, they were moving again.

Jamie should feel safe again, now they were on their way back home. However, she just couldn't shake off this sinking feeling in her gut. "Lieutenant Uhura, contact starfleet. Tell them we were pursued to the Neutral Zone by an unmarked Federation ship."

"Comms are down, ma'am."

Jamie muttered a curse. Why would this be happening?

She looked to Spock for any type of support. Spock put his hand on her shoulder again, and squeezed it. She smiled.

Just the support she needed.

"Permission to come on the bridge."

Carol woke her from her thoughts.

"Dr. Marcus?"

Carol seemed to take that as a yes, and ran toward Jamie. "He's gonna catch up with us, and when he does the only thing that's gonna stop him destroying the ship is me, so you have to let me talk to him."

Jamie shook her head in denial. "Carol, we're at warp. He can't catch up with us."

Carol pursed her lips. "Yes he can. He's been developing a ship that has advanced warp capabilities-"

"Captain! I'm getting a reading I don't understand."

Her sinking feeling confirmed, the ship shuddered and jolted, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.

As they were being attacked, Sulu worked controls to force them out of warp. Jamie's eyes went wide like planets, she couldn't believe that the leader of Starfleet attacked them. A Starfleet Officer going rogue? Just to start a war that he thought had already been brewing.

Still. Would Admiral Marcus not listen to reason?