~1 week later~
LONDON 2259.55
Kiya's P.O.V.
I shot up gasping for breath, but then a surge of pain hit me. Someone then said
"Woah, take it easy. You need to take things slow" I looked to my left and saw Bones standing next to me. I looked around and saw that I was in a hospital room of some sort. I put my head back on the pillow and said
"What happened?" He sat down on the side of my bed and said
"What's the last thing you remember?" I closed my eyes and thought back...
The second we ran onto the bridge Chekov spoke
"Captain on the bridge!" Jim then said
"Lieutenant, do we have an open channel to Mister Spock?" We all looked at Uhura, who was on the verge of tears as she said
"The heat's frying his comms, but we still have contact"
"Spock?" seconds later Spock's voice echoed across the bridge
"I have activated the device, Captain. When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert" Bones then spoke
"Yeah, and that's going to render him inert" Jim turned to Sulu and said
"Do we have use of the transporters?"
"Negative, sir" Chekov then said
"Not with these magnetic fields" Jim then said
"I need to beam Spock back to the ship. Give me one way to do it."
"Maybe if we had a direct line of sight. If we got closer" Scotty then stepped forward and said
"Hold on, wee man. You're talking about an active volcano. Sir, if that thing erupts, I cannae guarantee we can withstand the heat" Sulu then said
"I don't know if we can maintain that kind of altitude" Spock then spoke once more
"Our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud, but the Enterprise is too large. If utilised in a rescue effort, it would be revealed to the indigenous species" Jim glanced at me before saying
"Spock, nobody knows rules better than you, but there has got to be an exception"
"None. Such action violates the Prime Directive" Bones then said
"Shut up, Spock. We're trying to save you, damn it"
"Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"
I then yelled
"Spock, we're talking about your life!"
"The rule cannot be broken…" Jim then said
"Spock!..." after getting no answer he turned to Uhura and said
"Try to get him back online" she immediately turned and went to her station. Chekov then said
"Ninety seconds to detonations" Jim then said
"If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?" Bones replied
"He'd let you die" I hesitated for a second before saying
"There's one thing we haven't thought of…"
I then opened my eyes and said
"We were on the ship. Spock was in the Volcano. His coms went dead. I then suggested…" He cut me off by saying
"You suggested projecting a shield around the ship so we could fly into the volcano and beam out Spock"
"Did it work?"
"Yes, it did. However, you blacked out shortly after releasing the shield. You used so much power you used all your energy. you scared us"
"How long have I been out?"
"Long enough for us to get back to earth and you settled into Starfleet medical facility"
"Bones, How long has I been out?"
"You've been in a coma for a week"
"Wheres Jim?"
"We're back on earth, where do you think he is?"
Meanwhile in Kirk's apartment
An old-style turntable leaps into life and wakes up the sleepers. A communicator then started beeping. James Kirk sprung up in the bed and began searching for his communicator. He's only wearing a pair of boxer shorts. As he searches for his communicator a girl sits up and said
"Oh Jim, let it go. Jim!" A second identical female with a long tail then sits up and says
"You're not actually going to answer that, are you?"Jim just ignored the twins...
SAN FRANCISCO STARFLEET HQ
Jims P.O.V.
"Spock, I'm telling you, this is why he called. I can feel it" Spock and I walked through the Plaza of the Starfleet HQ, side by side. It was Admiral Pike that had called us for a meeting, it can only be good though, right? Anyway, Spock then spoke
"Your feeling aside, I think it highly unlikely we will be selected for the new programme"
"Why else would Pike want to see us? Forget about seniority. They gave us the newest ship in the fleet. Who else are they going to send out?"
"I can think of numerous possibilities"
"A five-year mission, Spock. That's deep space. That's uncharted territory. Think how incredible that's going to be" A couple of hot cadets then walked by. I turned on my heels, looked at them and said
"Hey, ladies. Jim Kirk"
10 minutes later we were up in Admirals Pikes Office stood in front of his desk.
"Uneventful" I looked at him and said
"Admiral?" He looked up and replied
"It's the way you described the survey of Nibiru in your captain's log"
"Yes, sir. I wanted to waste your time going over the details"
"Tell me more about this volcano. Data says it was highly volatile. If it were to erupt, it would wipe out the planet"
"Let's hope it doesn't, sir"
"Something tells me it won't"
"Er, well, sir, volatile is all relative. Maybe our data was off…" He cut me off by throwing the file on his desk and saying
"Or maybe it didn't erupt because Mister Spock detonated a cold fusion device inside it right after a civilisation that's barely invented the wheel happened to see a starship rising out of their ocean. That is pretty much how you describe it, is it not?"
I looked at Spock as he looked up at spoke
"Admiral…" I cut him off by saying
"You filed a report? Why didn't you tell me?" he looked at me and said
"I incorrectly assumed that you would be truthful in your captain's log"
"Yeah, I would have been if I didn't have to save your life"
"A fact for which I am immeasurably grateful, and the very reason I felt it necessary to take responsibility for the actions that…"
"Take responsibility, yeah. That'd be so noble, pointy if you weren't also throwing me under the bus"
"Pointy? Is that a derogatory reference to"
Pike then sat forward and said
"Gentlemen. Starfleet's mandate is to explore and observe, not to interfere" Spoke then said
"Had the mission had gone according to plan, Admiral, the indigenous species would never have been aware of our interference"
"That's a technicality"
"I am Vulcan, sir. We embrace technicality" He looked at Spock before saying
"Are you giving me attitude, Spock?"
"I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, sir. To which are you referring?"
"Out. You're dismissed, Commander" Nothing else was said as Spock left the office.
Once Spoke had left Pike stood up and said
"You have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?"
"I think so, sir"
"So tell me what you did wrong. What's the lesson to be learned here?"
"Never trust a Vulcan"
"Now, see, you can't even answer the question. You lied. Not only did you lie on an official report, but your decision to save Commander Spock also caused Commander Tano to go into a Coma for over-exerting herself with her abilities. You think the rules don't apply to you because you disagree with them" My eyes dropped as he mentioned Kiya, I feel responsible for what happened to her, I should have said no.
I then said
"That's why you talked me into signing up in the first place. It's why you gave me your ship" He turned to look at me as he said
"I gave you my ship because I saw a greatness in you. And now, I see you haven't got an ounce of humility"
"What was I supposed to do, let Spock die?"
"You're missing the point"
"I don't think I am, sir. What would you have done?"
"I wouldn't have risked my First Officer's life in the first place. You were supposed to survey a planet, not alter its destiny. You violated a dozen Starfleet regulations and almost got everyone under your command killed"
"Except I didn't. Do you know how many crew members I've lost since I took command?"
"That's your problem. You think you're infallible"
"Not one. Not one."
"You think you can't make a mistake. It's a pattern with you. The rules are for other people"
"Some should be"
"And what's worse is you're using blind luck to justify your playing, God. Given the circumstances, this has been brought to Admiral Marcus's attention. He convened a special tribunal, to which I was not invited. You understand what Starfleet regulations mandate be done at this point. They've taken the Enterprise away from you. They're sending you back to the Academy" I stood there in disbelief for a second before speaking
"Admiral, listen…" He cut me off
"No, I'm not going to listen. Why should I listen? You don't listen to anybody but yourself"
"I understand regulation, but every decision I've made…"
PIKE: No, I can't listen. You don't comply with the rules, you don't take responsibility for anything, and you don't respect the chair. You know why? Because you're not ready for it. Just be grateful that Commander Tano has pulled through"
"Excuse me, sir?"
"I just got word, She woke up. You didn't know?"
"No, I didn't"
Starfleet medical facility 20 minutes later
Kiya's P.O.V.
"When were you going to call me?!"
"Jim we did call you! About 5 times! You don't answer your communicator!" After yelling my ribs began to ache. He saw pain spread across my face before sighing and saying
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. I'm healing slowly but I'm healing nonetheless" I sat down on the bed. He then said
"I should never have let you do what you did!"
"Hey, like you could have stopped me. If you said no I still would have done it, just not in front of you"
"You could have died!"
"But I didn't!"
"No, you just put yourself in a Coma instead!"
I looked at him for a second before saying
"Okay, what's wrong with you?"
"What?"
"I've known you my entire life. I know when something is bugging you. So spill" I sat back against the pillows and he sat down in the chair by my bed before saying
"They took her"
"Who?"
"Not who… they took the enterprise away from me after what happened on Nibiru" I pushed myself up best I could, reached out to hold his hand and said
"Ow James. I'm so sorry. I know how much that meant to you"
He gave my hand a brief squeeze before looking up, smiling and saying
"I could do with a drink. Jailbreak?" I went to respond but we cut off by Bones walking into the room saying
"No chance. Sorry Kiddies but Kiya still has to heal more before I even consider letting her out of here" I sat back and simply said
"Spoilsport"
2 hours later
Jims P.O.V.
I went straight from the medical facility to a nearby bar. Suttle blues music is playing in the background. A glass of whisky is sat in front of me. I took a swig of the drink before looking around. As I looked around I saw a really hot woman not that far from me. I was about to go over to her but stopped when Pike sat between us. I looked down at the glass in front of me and said
"How did you find me?"
"I know you better than you think I do" I smiled before saying
"So Kiya told you"
"Yes, Kiya told me...The first time I found you, you were in a dive like this. Remember that? You got your ass handed to you" I then said sarcastically
"No, I didn't"
"You don't?"
"No, that's not what happened"
"That was an epic beating"
"No, it wasn't"
"You had napkins hanging out of your nose. Did you not?" I smiled and said
"Yeah, that was a good fight" Pike smiled and said
"A good fight. I think that's your problem right there…" He then changed the subject
"They gave her back to me. The Enterprise" I dropped my eyes and smile before saying
"Congratulations. Watch your back with that First Officer, though"
"Spock's not going to be working with me. He's been transferred. USS Bradbury. You're going to be my First Officer. Yeah, Marcus took some convincing. But every now and then I can make a good case" I looked up at him and said
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth. That I believe in you. That if anybody deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk"
"I don't know what to say"
"That is a first. It's going to be okay, son" His communicator then beeped, he took it out, looked at it and said
"Emergency session, Daystrom. That's us"
"Yeah" I finished off my drink as he said
"Suit up" We then got up and left the bar.
15 Minutes Later
After I got changed back into my uniform, I headed back to Starfleet headquarters. As I walked into the building a voice echoed through the building
"All personnel are advised new security protocols are in effect" I began walking to the lift. As I did a familiar voice called out
"Captain" I briefly looked behind me and saw Spock walking up to me. As he got closer I said
"Not any more, Spock. I'm First Officer" The pair of us then got in the lift.
As we began moving I said
"I was demoted and you were reassigned"
"It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe" I rolled my eyes and said
"Oh, you got to be kidding me"
"Captain, it was never my intention…" I cut him off by saying
"Not Captain. I saved your life, Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship"
The lift then came to a stop. As we got out Spock said
"Commander, I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report" I turned to face him and said
"I'm familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules, but you see, I can't do that. Where I come from, if someone saves your life, you don't stab him in the back"
"Vulcans cannot lie"
"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of you. All right? Do you understand why I went back for you?" Another Captain then approached saying
"Commander Spock? Frank Abbott, USS Bradbury. Guess you're with me" Spock looked at him briefly before looking back at me and saying
"Yes, Captain" Captain Abbott then left. After he left I looked at Spock and said
"The truth is, I'm going to miss you" I waited for him to respond but no response came. I rolled my eyes, sighed and walked away to find Admiral Pike.
After meeting back up with Pike, everyone gathered around a large round table. As we sat down, Admiral Marcus began speaking
"Thank you for convening on such short notice. Be seated. By now, some of you have heard what happened in London. The target was a Starfleet data archive. Now it's a damned hole in the ground. Forty-two men and women are dead. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer who confessed to carrying out this attack, that he was being forced to do it by this man, Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own. And he is the man responsible for this act of savagery. For unknown reasons, John Harrison has just declared a one-man war against Starfleet. And under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. And in the name of those we lost, you will run this bastard down. This is a manhunt, pure and simple, so let's get to work. Earth's perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system, so we know he can't be far. You will park your ships in a blockade formation then deploy search vehicles and landing parties to run down every lead…" I began looking through the images on the screen in front of me until I found one of Harrison holding some sort of bag
"This man has shown willingness to kill innocent people, so the rules of engagement are simple. If you come across this man and fear for your life or the lives of those nearby, you are authorised to use deadly force on sight" I leant over to Pike and said
"What's in the bag?" He glanced at me and said
"James, not now"
"It doesn't seem odd to you that he'd target an archive? It's like bombing a library" Admiral Marcus then said
"Chris, everything okay there?"
"Yes, sir. Mister Kirk is just acclimating to his new position as First Officer"
"You got something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow's too late" I hesitated for a second before saying
"I'm fine, sir. My apologies"
"Spit it out, son. Don't be shy" This time I didn't hesitate as I said
"Why the archive? All that information is public record, and if he really wanted to damage Starfleet, this could just be the beginning"
"The beginning of what, Mister Kirk?"
"Sir, in the event of an attack, protocol mandates that senior command gather captains and first officers at Starfleet HQ, right here. In this room…" Spock then spoke as I stood up
"It is curious Harrison would commandeer a jump ship without warp capabilities…" He stopped talking when a bright light filled the room. I shielded my eyes to try and see what was going on but when I saw the pilot of the jump ship I spun around and yelled
"Clear the room!" All hell then broke out...
Gunfire brokes the windows as everyone doves for cover
"No!" I dove behind a pillar just as Marcus yelled
"We need an air defence team. Daystrom conference room!" Armed guards ran in and immediately got shot down. I ran over and picked up one of the phaser rifles. I then looked back at the remaining guards and said
"Go, go, go! Cover me!" and they did.
I ran around the corner to a side view of the attacking ship and opened fire, I quickly hid behind a pillar when the ship turned on me. I glanced around the pillar and noticed the engine intake is sucking in debris. I then looked over to the back wall and immediately thought of a plan. Without a seconds hesitation, I ran over to the back wall and pulled out the fire hose, tying it around the riffle. I ran back over to the shattered and launched the riffle into the ships intakes. Eventually, the hose runs out and the wall panel goes too, disabling the craft.
As the ship began to spin out of control I noticed Harrison beamed away before it cannons into the side of the building and goes down. However, before the ship hit the ground an all too familiar red energy shield blocked its fall into the plaza. The debris was then lowered to the ground as I turned around and ran back into the meeting room.
When I ran back into the room, I immediately spotted Spock in the corner of the room. I ran over but as I got closer, I saw he was with Pike. I crouched down next to Spock and reached out to try and find Pikes pulse. However, I couldn't find one. Admiral Christopher Pike is dead...