Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Paramount and all those other sci-fi people. All characters and futuristic terms/technology copyrighted to whoever owns them.
Prologue
"What a waste. Him demoted, his son dead, and his reputation along with it. The Genesis Device was a failure."
"Yes, such a pity."
"He deserves better. He is too intelligent for this."
"But we cannot interfere! The Captain must choose his own path now."
"But it's too unfair to him. He needs better. He deserves to be an Admiral. He deserves to keep his son."
"I suppose we can interfere just this once...but only at the crucial time. He must choose."
"Agreed."
Chapter One - Kirk's Departure
The red emergency lights highlighted Kirk's face as he stared out the viewscreen at the Reliant. "Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead."
"There's no response, Admiral," Uhura said.
"Scotty! Do you read me? Scotty!"
Spock got a thoughtful look on his face. Kirk just happened to be looking over there at the time, having felt a very strange compulsion to do so. "Spock?" Kirk asked. And then he knew exactly what Captain Spock was thinking.
Spock began to step toward the turbolift doors, but Kirk stopped him. "No Spock, I'll go. Captain, you have the conn."
Spock began to object, but Kirk had a strange expression on his face. Nodding his agreement, Spock replaced Kirk in the command chair. The Admiral stepped off the bridge, and he knew it might be for the final time.
~~~~~~~
James Kirk felt like he was on automatic. He was on a mission to save his cherished Enterprise, and no one was going to stop him. He took a pair of thermogloves from the engineer's cabinet, and waited until McCoy was looking the other way. Slipping on the gloves, he entered a room full of radiation.
McCoy heard the rotating door engage and turned around just in time to see his best friend face certain death. "Jim, no!" he yelled, slamming a fist on the glass. Kirk ignored him, and began flicking switches and dials.
Now Scotty was screaming at Kirk too. "Admiral! Ye cannae stand the radiation much longer! Get out of there!"
"No human can live through all that," McCoy said, staring unblinkingly at Kirk. "Scotty, he's dying!"
Kirk stumbled, then shook his head to clear it and wrenched off the cover to the radiation chamber.
"JIM!"
~~~~~~~
Spock was uncharacteristically nervous, and it took all his willpower to stay seated in Kirk's chair. Jim's chair.
David stood to the side, gripping the railing for all he was worth. If only he knew...
"Sir! The mains are back on-line!" a new crew member shouted.
"Helm, maximum warp!" Spock ordered.
"Aye sir!"
The Enterprise cleared the nebula just as Reliant exploded from within, the Genesis Torpedo's power unleashed. Khan was dead.
'But Jim might be too,' Spock thought. "Lieutenant Saavik, take the conn," he commanded, then strode to the turbolift and headed for engineering as fast as he could.
~~~~~~~
Kirk could feel himself weakening, his vision blurring. Crewer voices babbled in his ears, all running together into one cacophony of noise.
McCoy's distinctive voice cut through all of them, but barely. "Jim! Answer me!"
And Scotty, too. "Admiral Kirk! Please respond!"
He was dying. He knew at least that much. And due to the glass separating him from his crew, he was dying alone. Just as he always knew he would. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
The blackness closed on Kirk's vision, and all the noise dimmed slowly. 'No...have to stay awake...see if ship's okay...' he told himself, fighting hard against the cold wave.
"Jim." Spock's soft Vulcan voice cut through the blackness, and Kirk forced his eyes open. He could barely make out his friend's face on the other side of the glass. "Jim."
"Spock," Kirk whispered, not even sure if he succeeded in speaking. "The ship..out of danger?"
"Yes Admiral," Spock said. "Khan is no more. He will not harm you again."
"Of course not," Kirk mumbled, feeling himself slip a little more. "Just another...Kobayashi Maru."
"Oh, Jim..." McCoy stammered. "Not that again. No simulator to reprogram this time."
Kirk didn't hear him. Nothing was real anymore. He was going to die, and soon. Kirk closed his eyes and coughed, feeling blood in his lungs from all the radiation poisoning. His entire body ached. If only he could rest...
"Jim...please, don't die."
Hearing the alarm in the Vulcan's voice, Kirk managed to meet his gaze. Through blurry, rapidly darkening vision, he thought he saw tears on Spock's face.
Struggling to move, Kirk raised a hand in the Vulcan salute, steadying his hand against the glass. "Live long and prosper, Spock..." he rasped, and could feel the hand mirroring it on the other side.
"And you, Admiral. May you have a safe journey."
His vision went black, and everything faded into nothingness. Spock's cry of denial would echo in his ears for a very long time.
Prologue
"What a waste. Him demoted, his son dead, and his reputation along with it. The Genesis Device was a failure."
"Yes, such a pity."
"He deserves better. He is too intelligent for this."
"But we cannot interfere! The Captain must choose his own path now."
"But it's too unfair to him. He needs better. He deserves to be an Admiral. He deserves to keep his son."
"I suppose we can interfere just this once...but only at the crucial time. He must choose."
"Agreed."
Chapter One - Kirk's Departure
The red emergency lights highlighted Kirk's face as he stared out the viewscreen at the Reliant. "Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead."
"There's no response, Admiral," Uhura said.
"Scotty! Do you read me? Scotty!"
Spock got a thoughtful look on his face. Kirk just happened to be looking over there at the time, having felt a very strange compulsion to do so. "Spock?" Kirk asked. And then he knew exactly what Captain Spock was thinking.
Spock began to step toward the turbolift doors, but Kirk stopped him. "No Spock, I'll go. Captain, you have the conn."
Spock began to object, but Kirk had a strange expression on his face. Nodding his agreement, Spock replaced Kirk in the command chair. The Admiral stepped off the bridge, and he knew it might be for the final time.
~~~~~~~
James Kirk felt like he was on automatic. He was on a mission to save his cherished Enterprise, and no one was going to stop him. He took a pair of thermogloves from the engineer's cabinet, and waited until McCoy was looking the other way. Slipping on the gloves, he entered a room full of radiation.
McCoy heard the rotating door engage and turned around just in time to see his best friend face certain death. "Jim, no!" he yelled, slamming a fist on the glass. Kirk ignored him, and began flicking switches and dials.
Now Scotty was screaming at Kirk too. "Admiral! Ye cannae stand the radiation much longer! Get out of there!"
"No human can live through all that," McCoy said, staring unblinkingly at Kirk. "Scotty, he's dying!"
Kirk stumbled, then shook his head to clear it and wrenched off the cover to the radiation chamber.
"JIM!"
~~~~~~~
Spock was uncharacteristically nervous, and it took all his willpower to stay seated in Kirk's chair. Jim's chair.
David stood to the side, gripping the railing for all he was worth. If only he knew...
"Sir! The mains are back on-line!" a new crew member shouted.
"Helm, maximum warp!" Spock ordered.
"Aye sir!"
The Enterprise cleared the nebula just as Reliant exploded from within, the Genesis Torpedo's power unleashed. Khan was dead.
'But Jim might be too,' Spock thought. "Lieutenant Saavik, take the conn," he commanded, then strode to the turbolift and headed for engineering as fast as he could.
~~~~~~~
Kirk could feel himself weakening, his vision blurring. Crewer voices babbled in his ears, all running together into one cacophony of noise.
McCoy's distinctive voice cut through all of them, but barely. "Jim! Answer me!"
And Scotty, too. "Admiral Kirk! Please respond!"
He was dying. He knew at least that much. And due to the glass separating him from his crew, he was dying alone. Just as he always knew he would. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.
The blackness closed on Kirk's vision, and all the noise dimmed slowly. 'No...have to stay awake...see if ship's okay...' he told himself, fighting hard against the cold wave.
"Jim." Spock's soft Vulcan voice cut through the blackness, and Kirk forced his eyes open. He could barely make out his friend's face on the other side of the glass. "Jim."
"Spock," Kirk whispered, not even sure if he succeeded in speaking. "The ship..out of danger?"
"Yes Admiral," Spock said. "Khan is no more. He will not harm you again."
"Of course not," Kirk mumbled, feeling himself slip a little more. "Just another...Kobayashi Maru."
"Oh, Jim..." McCoy stammered. "Not that again. No simulator to reprogram this time."
Kirk didn't hear him. Nothing was real anymore. He was going to die, and soon. Kirk closed his eyes and coughed, feeling blood in his lungs from all the radiation poisoning. His entire body ached. If only he could rest...
"Jim...please, don't die."
Hearing the alarm in the Vulcan's voice, Kirk managed to meet his gaze. Through blurry, rapidly darkening vision, he thought he saw tears on Spock's face.
Struggling to move, Kirk raised a hand in the Vulcan salute, steadying his hand against the glass. "Live long and prosper, Spock..." he rasped, and could feel the hand mirroring it on the other side.
"And you, Admiral. May you have a safe journey."
His vision went black, and everything faded into nothingness. Spock's cry of denial would echo in his ears for a very long time.