(Hello readers! At long long long last, I have for you all the final chapter of this fanfic. Now I am thinking of an adding an epilogue, but this is the last real chapter in I, Katarina Kirk. I have also thought about writing a prequel story about how Kat and Spock met at Starfleet Academy, but I'm not sure if that will ever come to anything. In anycase I hope you enjoy this last chapter. It didn't turn out exactly as I hoped all the way through, but as a whole I'm pretty pleased with what I came up with and I hope you guys like it too. Thanks for coming on this ride with me. It's been great and it was nice seeing all of your nice reviews on this story. It really encouraged me to keep going with this even when some parts got frustrating to write. Hopefully you guys will decide to check out another fanfic of mine after this, but if not that's cool. I hope you all have a great one! Thank you so much once again for following this story all the way to the end. I own nothing but my OC.)
...
"Whoa!" Kat gasped as she tried to gently shift the fighter shuttle toward the swarm and the vessel jerked roughly to the side nearly throwing her and Spock off balance.
"Sorry Love! Are you getting any readings on the enemy ships?" She asked as she gently squeezed on the control and steered the shuttle closer to the bees.
Nodding, Spock flicked at the view panel just above the trigger controls. "I am indeed and it seems my theory was correct. Attempt to keep the vessel as steady as possible. I am hailing the Captain now." He reached for the communicator.
Kat nodded.
"Spock to Franklin!"
"Spock! We read you."
"Captain, according to the scanning reports, I can ascertain that the ships do indeed share a cybernetic link which coordinates their actions. Patching it through now." Spock reported hitting a combination on his panel to transmit the cyber code he was picking up from the swarm.
Kat sighed and eased up on the controls a bit as they got close enough to nearly be a part of the enemy fleet.
"Holy Crap! That's what that signal was!" Kat heard Uhura's voice echo through the COMM speakers as Spock finished setting up the transmission.
"They weren't jamming us earlier! They were talking to each other!"
"To coordinate a joint swarm attack on us." Kat finished, looking up at what she could see of the bee swarm through the narrow view pane of the shuttle.
"All right, then how do we get them to stop talking?" Jim responded, his tone nearly a murmur.
"We need something that would disrupt their communication pattern. Throw them off balance!" Uhura suggested.
"Well what about electro-magnetic focusing? We could use the transporters to disrupt their network!" Scotty chimed in with a suggestion.
Spock shook his head. "Their focus might be too specific. If we could plant some sort of disruptive signal directly inside the swarm it could adversely affect their ability to coordinate." He retorted.
Kat glanced at her husband worriedly. "Well what kind of signal could we transmit from the ship to do that? That thing barely had the capacity to get us up here."
"Whatever it is, it will have to be a frequency they would not anticipate! Otherwise they would try to block us before we get in!" Chekov's voice crackled through the speakers.
"Our transporting capability is limited and with the kind of disruption you're talking about it would cause a chain reaction that would wipe out the whole swarm and do us some damage if we're too close." Sulu added.
Kat and Spock exchanged quick glances at that.
"It's our only shot and the transporter capability has been enhanced! I haven't been sitting on my haunches here while you lot were prisoners, ya know! Captain! A closed circuit like theirs may be susceptible to very high frequencies! We must take the shot!" Scotty retorted, his voice climbing with urgency.
Kat bit her lip. "High frequencies...like a radio wave..." She thought aloud.
"Yeah something that's...loud and distracting!...Sis, you're a genius!" Jim's answer came quickly and Kat shrugged, unable to help a slight smug smile.
"Well thank you, Jim."
"Loud and distracting you say?" Scotty squealed back into the speakers excitedly. "I think I've got just the thing!" There was a noise then as if the Chief Engineer had gone running off across the Engineering deck.
Spock glanced back over at his wife as the communication line went temporarily out. "Prepare to make quick manuevers to the side, Katarina. It would not be logical to get caught in the middle of the swarm when the crew sends in the disruption signal." He quietly instructed.
Kat nodded in understanding. "All right." Carefully she turned the steering nozzle in her hand, looking up with a worried frown at the fleet of enemy ships which were continuing to attack the Yorktown defense system even as they waited for Jim and the rest of their friends on the Franklin to begin the attack.
"Spock," She began hesitantly, wondering if this was the right time to bring up the topic, but desperate to stay calm as the seconds seemed to stretch on forever.
"Once this is over...we need to pull Jim aside immediately and tell him about our plans after the five year assignment."
Furrowing his brows, Spock nodded his head. "I agree. Greysam will need to begin his education soon and given the nature of the events surrounding the mission into the Nebula, it is highly likely he will require some time and the appropriate place to heal from the mental and emotional trauma he has likely suffered from his experiences in the prison camp. Furthermore, it is not logical to continue to risk his life by bringing him up in Starfleet."
Kat gnawed on her lip. "We should never have brought him along in the first place." She agreed and Spock finally glanced over at her.
"We could not leave him and we had no way of anticipating the events that would occur." He insisted and Kat shrugged.
"Maybe...but I'm still so sorry for what he went through. While we were being held, he kept crying and saying that it hurt and asking for you...I'd give anything to never go through that again." She mumbled, shaking her head as if to shake the memory. Spock suppressed a sigh.
"I would as well. I am sorry I could not protect you both as I ought to have, Katarina." He apologized.
Kat shot him an incredulous look. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides our son is lot stronger than you think." She smiled slightly at Spock's light confusion.
"You should have seen the way he fiercely tried to stand up to that guard for me when we first got captured. Despite the result it was pretty impressive for a four year old." She shrugged.
Spock lightly arched an eyebrow. "Be that as it may, I will be glad of it when he heals and no longer has to constantly be in harms way while he grows."
Kat nodded in agreement. "Can't argue with that, Love. How long do you think-?" She started to ask and stopped when the sudden blasting sound of banging electric guitars, drum beats and screaming vocals shot across the previously quiet hum of space.
Spock peered through the view pane just as the nose of the Franklin came into view bring the loud music with it.
"Is that classical music?" Kat asked, shouting to be heard over the noise that was already making their shuttle shake while the members of the swarm near them began to veer of course and crash into each other due to the disruption caused by the U.S.S. Franklin's radio signal.
Spock looked around and nodded his head. "Yes Dear, I believe it is. Manuever fast now. We risk getting caught in their trajectory of decay! Evade!" He warned.
Kat quickly turned the steering more to the right. "I'm on it!"
"Lieutenant Uhura!" She heard Jim shout through the speakers as they zipped out of the way of the Franklin and the exploding vessels around them.
"Make sure to get a transmission of this signal to Yorktown base! Tell them to amplify!"
...
"All right! I think we're all clear! Are you two all right, Spock? Kat?" Jim's voice came booming back through the COMMS just as the explosions started to fizzle out.
Spock quickly responded first. "We are fine, Captain! But there are still three ships remaining from the swarm and they are headed straight to Yorktown!"
"It's got to be Krall! Keep on them you guys! Do whatever it takes to keep him from using that weapon!" The Captain's order came ringing back and Kat nodded.
"We're on him, Jim! Meet you inside!" She tilted the control forwards a bit and sent the shuttle zooming away after the largest of the swarm vessels that had just entered the atmosphere of Yorktown base.
As they continued their pursuit, Kat took a second to look down at Yorktown, just spotting the little dotted crowds of people who were all rushing to get to the designated shelters.
"Do not lose him, Katarina! Accelerate speed!" Spock barked from the gunner station, taking aim at the remaining two vessels as he spoke.
Kat huffed. "I'm already pushing it, Spock!...Plus I think the other two bees are catching on to us! They're starting to weave to try to throw us off!" She nearly growled just before one of the swarm dove dangerously close to a window closest to her side of the shuttle causing her to collide into the building next to them in surprise.
Kat glared at the ship as it zoomed back to rejoin its leader and partner.
"Spock, at this rate we'll never catch them! We need a new approach! I can't promise we won't have disaster on our hands if they pull something like that again!" She grumbled.
Spock frowned. "Captain, intercepting all three vessels is an impossibility!" He reported back to Jim.
For a while only silence answered him.
"Okay!..Give me the full schematics of Yorktown!" Jim ordered.
"Aye Sir!" Chekov responded. Kat bit her lip as they kept up their pursuit of the three rogue enemy ships.
"There! The Yorktown Headquarters! Mr. Chekov give me a bio-scan of the central plaza!" Jim's voice came back again a few agonizing moments later.
Kat chanced another glance in Spock's direction. "Are you doing all right? How's your wound?" She asked.
Spock did not bother facing her as he tried to take down one of the two flanking ships. "I am functioning perfectly well thus far. Do not worry!" He answered quickly just as Jim came back on the COMM.
"Hey Kat! There's a central plaza coming up you got to make sure Krall heads straight for it! You copy? All the civilians are on their way out!"
Kat furrowed her brows. "Why?"
"Just do it! I'll meet you there!" Jim barked back. Kat sighed and shook her head. "You better not be planning something stupid again, Jim!" She snapped, shifting to maximize speed on the shuttle before turning to angle towards Krall's ship.
"Use caution, Katarina! Krall's vessel is pursuing us fast!" Spock piped up as they began zooming towards the entrance of the central plaza.
Kat gritted her teeth. "I got it!" She glanced around looking for any sign of the Franklin. As they got within twenty yards of Yorktown's large central plaza courtyard, the larger starship zoomed past their shuttle and collided with Krall's ships sending them crashing into the ground by the bay.
Spock hit the trigger and took down the remainder of Krall's flank just before Kat swerved the shuttle out to avoid getting in the middle of the collision.
Kat breathed a sigh relief and eased off the accelerator controls once they got into safety just as a large crowd of people came running out towards the plaza to survey the damage.
"Spock?"
"I'm all right. You?" Spock reassured her, meeting her gaze with a slight soft smile.
Kat returned it. "I'm good."
"Great job, Guys! Good work! Stand by for confirmation that the weapon is neutralized and Krall is dead." Jim's approving voice echoed back through the speakers. Kat shook her head as Spock turned back around in his seat.
"Thank you Captain. Status in the med bay?" He responded first.
"We're fine back here." McCoy chimed in almost instantly. "Your boy's still sleeping soundly and I'll try to keep him that way until I can get him to a proper medical facility somewhere in this hamster ball." The Doctor grumbled.
Kat suppressed a chuckle at his choice of words. "We're counting on you, Bones. Take good care of our boy until we can get back to him." She readjusted her hands on the shuttle steering controls.
"Will do. And ya'll take care of each other too! I'm only watching him until you both get back here now, you hear me!? I'm a Doctor! Not a dad-gum Nanny!" Bones signed off and Kat shared another amused glance with Spock.
"All right. Now let's see if I can land this thing without crashing it." Kat added, looking around for a suitable place to bring down the shuttle.
...
"There's too many civilians out still." Kat sighed with frustration as she slowly took the shuttle around another building. "This place wasn't built with a lot of open spaces."
Spock lightly pressed his lips together. "We will need to land soon and make our way back to the Franklin to continue assisting the crew." He flicked a section on his panel.
"Still awaiting confirmation on Krall's status and the status of the weapon."
Kat frowned. "I'm trying, Spock. But I'm not Sulu and I'd rather not decimate a building or a courtyard in the attempt to get back on solid ground." She huffed, flinching when she nearly scraped the side of a towering structure.
Spock took a quick glance over his shoulder at her then quickly scanned the area of ahead of him as he kept his hands on the trigger control.
"There! Just a few miles ahead. There is an open area, ideal for a landing with minimal chance for civilian injury or destruction." He nodded ahead at the nearly barren area that seemed to be a yet undeveloped area of the base and Kat started to turn the shuttle towards it when the COMM speakers crackled back to life.
"Commander Spock! Ambassador Kirk! Are you still in the air?" Scotty's voice suddenly boomed through and both Spock and Kat whirled towards the sound of the Engineer's voice in confusion.
"Yes, Mr. Scott. What is it?" Spock responded first, furrowing his brows.
"Captain Kirk is en route to stop Krall from deploying his weapon in the reactor shaft! The gravity could start getting weak the higher he climbs and the more hatches that are open! Might be a good idea to follow him in case the worst happens and he can't get out in time!" The Chief Engineer explained, his voice only slightly muffled by the sounds of unknown others speaking in urgent tones in the background.
Kat heaved a soft sigh, but readily shifted control on the shuttle to change course. I swear Jim if you open that last hatch before we get there...
"Circle wide around the building, Katarina." Spock ordered, cutting off Kat's thoughts. Nodding, Kat tried her best to keep a wide enough distance from the reactor plant where Yorktown's main life support systems were all located.
"I don't see him yet." Kat furrowed her eyes, squinting to try to catch a glimpse of anyone wearing a gold Captain's uniform.
"There! He has engaged someone in combat!" Spock used one hand to point quickly out the window towards the tower where he and Kat could barely see two figures wrestling with each other while bouncing around in the weaker gravity. Both were clad in gold starfleet shirts.
Kat gasped when one of them got flung into the windowed wall and she caught a vague glimpse of his face.
"It's Krall!" She said aloud, not knowing how she knew it was him when the man didn't look much like the horrible, mottle grey, alien monster that had held her and her crewmates captive in the Nebulus.
Yet still she knew it was him.
"Are you certain?" Spock furrowed his brows in confusion.
Without replying, Kat drew the shuttle closer towards the shaft. As she caught a closer glance of the man Jim was struggling desperately against, she grew even more certain that she was right.
Although he appeared much more human than before, there was no mistaking the malice and coldness in his dark slitted eyes or the animalistic snarl on his mouth.
"Kat pull away!" Spock directed and Kat quickly obeyed, nearly losing her grip when the sudden movement almost threw her off balance.
"It's him! He's just changed somehow! The atmosphere it must've...!" She gasped, feeling her fingers shake on the steering controls. Without hesitating, Spock left the turret control and rushed to her side, using one hand to help steady the shuttle while reaching towards his wife with the other.
"Kat, you must not allow him to compromise your focus. He cannot harm you and after today, he will never harm another being ever again." Spock gently urged, pressing a hand carefully to the side of her face to try to ground her.
"Jim needs us." He reminded her when she remained quiet.
Feeling a sense of calm begin to wash over her panic as she listened to his words and felt Spock carefully begin a partial mind meld with her, Kat slowly nodded and straightened her posture, gently grasping her husband's arm after a moment to let him know she was okay.
Nodding back, Spock slowly broke their physical connection about to return to his original post when Kat looked back towards the reactor tower and let out an alarmed gasp when she saw a familiar small dark cloud floating through the glass shaft towards what appeared to be a giant fan.
"He's activated the weapon! Jim will never get there in time!" She gripped the steering control again and started to turn the ship towards the tower.
Spock quickly leaped towards a window. "Steer the shuttle around towards the exit hatch and maintain a fair distance from it until I give the word. Should the worst happen, I will attempt to catch Jim and pull him into the shuttle to safety." He explained while hastily moving into position by the top emergency hatch of the shuttle.
Kat nodded and bit her lip in concentration, keeping one eye on a frantically wrestling Jim while doing her best not to accidentally crash into the side of the large glass building.
"Hold it steady, Kat. Do not move too close until I give the signal." Spock continued to instruct. Kat lightly tightened her grip on the control.
Bringing the shuttle almost to a pause, Kat brought her gaze back up only to wish she hadn't when she saw the terrifying familiar dark cloud of Krall's weapon growing gradually bigger as it floated closer and closer to the air shaft where it would soon swallow up all life in Yorktown just like it had Syl.
For a moment she felt the panic return to her as images of her late crewmate's terrified and pain-filled face flashed through her mind mixing with echoes of her desperate pain-filled cries and the cries of her other former crewmates whose horrible deaths she had been forced to witness.
No more...No more people will die because of this Monster.
She clenched her jaw, peering as best she could at the frantically floating figure of her brother who was seemingly trying to open all the hatches so that the deadly weapon would get sucked into the vacuum of space instead entering Yorktown's atmosphere.
"Draw the shuttle closer to the exit of the chamber, Katarina. Our timing will have to be precise if we are to intercept the Captain before he is sucked into voids of space." Spock started to move towards the top hatch of the shuttle.
Kat started to nod her head when she noticed a familiar dark shape wounded crawling towards Jim as he worked to open the final switch.
For a moment her blood turned to her ice then she steeled herself, concentrating on bringing the shuttle around to just the right place so that Spock could grab the Captain before it was too late.
Just as they were nearing the exit of the chamber, the hatch doors flew open sending both the deadly dark cloud and Krall screaming into the lifeless void beyond.
"Closer Kat! Closer!" Spock barked, scrambling up to the top hatch as Jim struggled not to get sucked out next.
Clenching her jaw, Kat carefully turned the shuttle more inward, keeping one eye on her brother until suddenly before Spock could get the hatch open, he lost his grip and went hurtling towards the exit into space.
"Spock!" Kat cried out, nearly crashing into the wall of the chamber until she heard something thump against the top of the shuttle.
With a final exertion, Spock shoved the top of the escape hatch open and lunged out, catching Jim by the arm before he could go sliding off towards the blackness beyond.
After a minute struggle, both men tumbled down into a clumsy heap onto the floor of the shuttle, the escape hatch door slamming shut just as Kat gunned the engines to get away from the chamber.
Glancing first at his sister then at Spock, Jim took in another desperate gulp of air before pulling himself clumsily into a seated position on the floor.
"Seriously...what would I do without you guys?" Kat shook her head, fighting against the urge to jerk the shuttle suddenly to the left as Spock slowly picked himself up from the floor.
"You are an idiot, Jim." She muttered half to herself.
Jim merely smirked in response. "Yeah well this idiot just saved a whole civilization from being disintegrated so you're welcome." He said with a touch of smugness.
With a sigh, Kat turned to exchange looks with Spock who merely raised an eyebrow consideringly. "Jim does make a valid point, Katarina." He said calmly, but with a hint of playful sarcasm in his tone.
Kat re-averted her gaze back to the view in front of her. "Let's just find somewhere to land."
...
Three weeks later
"Yes Bones. I've kept it under wraps. Jim has no idea and I'm on my way now to meet Spock and get ready for the party...No Grey's already there with Sulu's family. He and Tris are really..." Kat started and trailed off as she entered her and Spock's suite and saw her husband sitting at the foot of the bed, the lights completely down and a frown on his face as he stared at the lid of a large metal box.
Stepping closer, she read the words etched on the lid and turned to speak softer to Bones back into her COMM. "Hey Bones, I have to go. Make sure Jim doesn't get there before we do, okay?"
She waited for his response then shut her COMM off before slowly coming around to sit at her husband's side.
Glancing up at her, Spock reached with mostly steady hands to open the lid of the box revealing a faded old red journal with Vulcan writing on the cover, a set of High Vulcan order robes and a small metallic case of some sort.
Grabbing the case, Spock carefully popped it open to reveal an old photograph of a Starfleet crew all wearing the same crimson red uniforms.
Grace furrowed her brows as she studied the image for a minute until she realized...it was their crew. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise led by Captain James T. Kirk.
She gaped, almost letting her jaw drop open as she found herself in the picture. Well...an older version of herself with visible gray strands showing through the familiar dirty blonde. Spock was at her side of course with his usual almost stern yet unreadible Vulcan expression on his face.
Even he looked older though not as aged as the rest of his more human companions.
Kat let out a soft chuckle as her eyes fell next on Jim.
"We look so old. Especially Jim. Look at that hair." She joked, hoping to make Spock crack a smile.
Spock merely tilted his head to one side, eyeing her. "Our lives have divulged from the path that Ambassador Spock and his crew took years ago." He said thoughtfully, returning his gaze to the picture.
"And yet it...it is my deepest desire to live as he did. To lead as he did...To care for others as he did." Spock reached a finger to trace the images of a different version of himself and Kat. Kat grasped his hand at this and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You already do, do all that. Remember you were captain of the Enterprise before Jim was and it was your idea to save the Nibirians by dropping a cold pack down into the volcano." Spock averted his gaze at this, but Kat felt him squeeze back a little on her hand.
"And...you're a great Father to our son." Kat continued. "You may be part Vulcan, but you never forget your humanity." She let go of Spock's hand and cupped his cheek in her hand instead, coaxing him to look at her.
"That's something both you and Ambassador Spock have in spades...that Krall didn't." She sighed remembering both the last time she saw Krall and what Jim said about the whole Nebulus Incident a couple weeks back during the debriefing meeting.
Though it still made her feel upset and angry to think about the lives that Krall had senselessly taken and was planning to take before they stopped him, there was a tiny sliver of her that felt sad for him and what had remained of his crew since their attempts to survive a horrible situation had ultimately led to them losing their humanity.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Spock turn and take her hand, pressing his own against it in a Vulcan Kiss. "I will never forget my humanity. Logically speaking it is a part of me I cannot ever ignore or neglect, especially since it is a part of you and our son...and I cannot ever forget you."
Kat smiled at that. "You old romantic." She teased lightly, leaning forward to press a loving kiss to his lips which he reciprocated.
A sharp beep from her COMM interrupted the moment.
Kat sighed after checking the notification. "We should get ready and go. Everyone else will already be gathered and we can't be late to my brother's surprise party." She smirked, getting up to go put on the dress she planned to wear to the event.
Spock stood and placed the box of Ambassador Spock's belongings onto the bed beside him, closing the lid before moving to get changed as well.
"No, that would not do at all."
...
"Grey!...Greysam be careful. Those are Tris's toys." Kat gently called over to her son, watching with a smile as he and Sulu's daughter acted out a scene from their imaginations with a figure clutched in both their hands.
Spock nodded, watching alongside her as Grey briefly acknowledged his parents before continuing to play with his new friend.
"It is encouraging to see that recent events have not too heavily impacted him." He commented, watching as Grey and Tris pretended to make their characters fly.
Kat nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm so glad too that his head injury wasn't scarring. I was so scared that there might be some part that he'd always live with even if most of it healed." She chewed on her lip briefly, fiddling with her vokaya pendant and turning when she felt Spock subtly place a hand at her side.
"But he healed. And with our request to take temporary leave from the fleet being approved, he will continue to do as well as he is currently doing." Kat nodded in agreement though a part of her felt sad about not being a part of the crew anymore for awhile.
To be leaving something that was such a big part of hers and Spock's life since she left her Mother's house and they both graduated as top officers at the Academy was not a decision they had both come to lightly, but it was one they knew they had to make when they thought about the child they both had a responsibility for.
"All right everyone! Places! Dr. McCoy says they're just around the corner. Quiet now!" Scotty suddenly swept around the little lounge area they had chosen to have Jim's belated birthday bash at.
The conversation began to die out and everyone turned in earnest towards the automatic doors as the faint sounds of footsteps and murmuring voices drew closer to the room.
Kat tightened her grip on the handle of the gift bag she was holding and Grey and Tris even stopped playing when Sulu and his husband came to tell them that it was time for the surprise. Grey hurried to stand with his parents while Tris eagerly jumped into Sulu's arms.
"Happy Birthday!" Everyone cheered near simultaneously, raising a glass in a toast when the double doors opened and the Captain escorted by the good Doctor himself entered in with a surprised yet happy grin on his tired face.
"Mr. Sensitive?" He gave Bones a playful stink eye. Bones shrugged in return as Scotty appeared to hand both of them a drink as well.
"Oh come on. Did you really think we were going to let your big 3-0 go by without celebrating?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother as Grey ran to greet his Uncle.
"Happy Birthday Uncle Jim!" He threw his little arms around the Captain's neck, causing those around to "aww" at the scene.
Jim chuckled as he bent to give his nephew a hug, trying not to spill his drink as he hoisted him up onto his hip.
"Aww, thanks Buddy. Thank you guys. Really this is..." He trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what he was feeling as he looked around at all of his friends and crewmates.
Bones cut in to the moment with an abrupt clearing of his throat. "All right then everybody! Let's raise a glass to Captain James T. Kirk!" He raised own drink first and the whole room minus the children who couldn't drink followed his lead.
"To Captain Kirk!" The crew echoed causing Jim to grin again as he raised his own glass. "And to the Enterprise!" He added on, his smile falling a bit as the crew echoed this sentiment as well.
"And uh...to absent friends." He murmured and the crew raised their glasses again some calling out names of a fallen comrade or simply echoing the Captain's words before taking a sip of their drink.
"All right! Let's get this party started." Scotty began to cheer after the toasts were over. Chuckling, Jim bent to put Grey down before following his friends towards the bar.
Grey scurried back to his parents. "Mommy? Dad? Can I give Uncle Jim his present now?" He asked, looking from his Mother to his Father with soft child-like inquiry in his eyes.
Spock and Kat exchanged glances before nodding. "Sure Honey." Kat gently handed over the gift they'd prepared to her young son.
"Just be careful." Spock chimed in. Grey nodded and scampered off to find his Uncle again, making Kat laugh again as she and Spock watched his excitement.
Exchanging another look, the couple began slowly making their way across the room, greeting and briefly conversing with some of their fellow crewmates as they went until they came upon a familiar white haired woman sitting in front of a table that was littered with empty glasses.
Kat raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Did you drink all that yourself?" She asked, getting a pointed look from her newest acquaintance for the remark.
"Someone told me it would take my edge off. But I think this worked better." She stood and showed off a document that approved Jaylah as a new Starfleet Cadet. Jim's signature was at the bottom. Kat grinned, pleased at this.
"That's great Jaylah. You deserve it after what you've done for all of us." She said sincerely, remembering what Jim and Spock had told her about what this woman had done to help them all escape from Krall. The other woman tried to shrug it off.
"It was nothing."
"On the contrary, you performed a great service to us." Spock argued. "I am sure you will do well at the Academy and excel in your field of interest."
Seeming unaccustomed to receiving such high praise, Jaylah shuffled her feet. "Thank you."
Kat tilted her head to the side. "Mind if I give you a piece of advice before your first day?" She asked. Jaylah gave her a silently imploring look.
"Don't listen to everything my brother told you, okay? He was just lucky he didn't get expelled for half the things he did." She half joked, causing the other woman snort a laugh in return.
"I...heard you two are to leave your positions." She said slowly.
Kat and Spock exchanged glances. "Yes. We will be relocating to New Vulcan for awhile to take care of our son. It's only temporary though. Spock and I won't be staying away from Starfleet for too long." She responded assuringly and Jaylah nodded.
"That is good. My family was all destroyed by that Monster." She looked away, her jaw clenching for a second as if she were unintentionally revisiting a painful memory.
"I am glad that your family was not." Jaylah finished sincerely if a bit stiffly.
Both Spock and Kat nodded gratefully to her. "Thank you." They glanced up when they spotted Jim walking up on them.
"There you two are. Just the ones I wanted to see." He smirked and Kat rolled her eyes. "Hello Jim. Are you enjoying your birthday a little?" She asked and Jim chuckled.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Thanks for the present by the way. I love it." He bent to to check his COMM when it beeped and grinned even wider when he saw the notification.
Spock raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Katarina and I thought it..would be appropriate given that we have both been contemplating a temporary leave." He explained and Jim nodded, still smiling as he put his COMM away.
"Yeah, it is appropriate. I'm uh...I'm really going to miss you guys though. The Enterprise won't be the same and...it especially won't be without Grey running around being a little light on the bridge."
Kat and Spock nodded before another beep drew Jim's attention back to his COMM. "Well we won't stay away forever...Who is COMMing you?" Kat asked when the device beeped again.
Jim shrugged dismissively. "Oh, it's just Carol. She's going to be dropping in soon and we're planning on getting together to talk over a few things...including what her new responsibilities will be when she comes to take Spock's place for awhile." He looked up to clap his brother-in-law in the shoulder.
Spock sighed acknowledging the stated fact with a tiny nod.
"Aww, so the old man is finally thinking about settling down. I must say though, I thought you and Uhura had something going on for a bit." Kat joked, giggling as her brother gave her a look.
"Old man? First off, you're older than me Kat and second, Uhura? She can do so much better than me." Jim shook his head, laughing along though when Kat chuckled at his reaction to her silliness.
"Yeah yeah. I was just kidding, Jim. Seriously though, I hope things work out with Carole...in more ways than one." She said mostly sincerely though Jim saw the grin she was attempting to hide.
He sighed, turning to face the window where a view of the work being done to rebuild the Enterprise was visible. "Thanks Kat."
Kat nodded her head and turned to follow her brother's gaze, feeling her husband join her, placing his arm about her waist again.
"So uh...I heard about Ambassador Spock." Jim spoke after a moment, turning to glance at Spock who in turn shifted his gaze meet his Captain's.
"Is...is that what you guys tried to tell me about? That day on the turbo lift?" Jim asked with a slightly concerned furrow of his eyebrows.
Spock tilted his head briefly to one side in a thoughtful manner. "More or less. It is one of the things that has led me to decide on taking a temporary leave with Kat." He turned to look upon his wife as he spoke.
"Along with working together to raise Greysam and any other children we may conceive, I intend to take Ambassador Spock's place and continue his work in rehabilitating the livelihood of New Vulcan." Kat smiled at this and snuggled a bit into her husband's side.
Jim chuckled. "You guys thinking about having more kids? As I remember it, there is still a risk involved."
Kat nodded her head. "Yeah but...we figured it might be nice for Greysam to have a sibling one of these days. Think how well it turned out for us." She smirked at her brother and Jim playfully rolled his eyes back at her.
"What of your earlier meeting with Commodore Paris? I trust it went well with no complications?" Spock inquired, returning his gaze to the view of the shipyard.
Jim nodded. "More or less. She offered me the post of Vice Admiral, but I turned her down." He grinned, missing the confused look his sister shot him through her peripherals.
"You turned it down? Why?" She asked.
Jim shrugged. "Well...being a Vice Admiral sounds amazing on paper, but...there's no fun in sitting in an office approving missions you can't actually go on."
Kat nodded at this. "I see." She turned her gaze forward again, looking down when she felt a tug on her dress.
Seeing Grey had returned to her side, she beamed and wrapped her arm around him, feeling Spock extend the arm he had wrapped around her to hold their son as well.
Jim chuckled and affectionately ruffled up the boy's hair as more of their friends and fellow crew members both new and old came to join them.
Though the U.S.S. Enterprise was being rebuilt and the crew was beginning to heal from all they had been through, there was a sense of both loss and triumph brimming in everyone's hearts as they focused on celebrating their Captain's birth date and looked forward to things to come.
They all knew that some things would never be the same again. That some faces would no longer be a constant as some lives were irrevocably lost and others found their paths diverged from the one they'd been on and known so well for so long.
But one thing would always tie everyone in the room together. A bond that could never be broken no matter the time, distance or circumstances surrounding each individual life.
Even if it would likely be years before Spock and Kat could rejoin the Enterprise, they would always be part of the crew and they would never forget where they always belonged.
In Space...the Final Frontier...for these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise...
And it's continuing mission to explore strange new worlds...to seek out new life...
And new civilizations...
Where boldly go where no one has gone before.
