Chapter Two - Mourning
Captain Spock stood on the bridge of the Enterprise as the photon tube containing Jim's body was launched into space. It soared among the stars, toward the Genesis Planet. A fitting place for the Admiral to spend all eternity.
The entire crew was still in denial. Admiral Kirk, the invincible commander in Starfleet, was gone forever. Even Spock would not have believed it if Jim had not died before his very eyes, had he not faded from Spock's mind forever.
Doctor McCoy had locked himself in his quarters and absolutely refused to come out. It was understandable, considering the circumstances. His only explanation had been a tirade directed at Spock. "This isn't the first time I've had to pronounce him dead, it's the fifth, but dammit Spock it's definitely the last!" he had shouted.
Five times. Five times Jim had died, or been left for dead. In the Tholian Web, on Vulcan, on a Romulan ship, and during that encounter with Sargon. And this last encounter with Khan made it five.
A few hours after Jim died, Carol Marcus surprised everyone when she abruptly announced that David was Admiral Kirk's son. No one was more surprised than David himself; the boy had never known his father and now knew that he had died a few decks away without the presence of his son.
The comm system was down. Starfleet Command and the rest of the galaxy might not know for days, perhaps months. And once the news got out, then what? What would the Federation do, now that one of their top commanders was dead?
Spock glanced at the human next to him. "I never knew him," David said sadly. "Not as I should have. And now it's too late. I'll never know him."
"Your father was a brilliant man, with strong feelings," Spock said. "I'm positive he was very proud of you. He could be illogical at times, but he would never betray his family or his crew. And he could always find a way to win, even if there was no training simulator to reprogram."
David smiled a little as he remembered Kirk's short story down in the Genesis Cave of Regula. "He cheated," David quoted himself. The smile disappeared. "But he said he didn't believe in the no-win scenario. The Kobayashi Maru or whatever it was."
"Admiral Kirk was a very resourceful human. But all good things must come to an end," Spock stated. "He knew one day he would lose. We never assumed it would be his life."
~~~~~~~
McCoy stared at the walls of his quarters, as if trying to see a hidden picture of Jim in the scorched area of the far wall. His room had been hit by a phaser blast from Reliant, and no one had the time to repair it. But Leonard didn't care. He just wanted Jim back.
'Dammit Jim, why'd you have to be first?' he grumbled mentally. 'You could've let someone else do it for you...I know how much the Enterprise meant to you, but was that really necessary?'
"You know, Jim," McCoy said out loud, under some insane hope that his friend would hear, "I never got to say good-bye. I watched you die and didn't say a word. Did you know I was there, Jim? Could you even see me? You saved the ship, but why did you die for it?" He paused, the chuckled for a moment. "You hate all this, don't you? All the sadness, the good-byes said by everyone. I bet you'd have been driven up the walls five times now and going back for another round."
As he thought about Jim, one word got stuck in his head. 'Genesis. Why the hell can't I forget that word?' McCoy grumbled. 'Damn device. If it wasn't for Genesis, you'd still be alive, Jim.'
A sudden thought struck him then, and Carol's words came back to him. "Genesis, simply put, is life from lifelessness." And Spock, "It literally is Genesis."
Genesis... McCoy thought. "Genesis...THAT'S IT! Thank you, Jim!"
He ran from his quarters toward the bridge.
~~~~~~~
McCoy burst from the turbolift doors, practically bouncing off the walls. "He's not dead, Spock! Jim isn't dead!"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
The doctor gestured to the planet on the viewscreen. "What is that?"
"A planet, Doctor McCoy."
"No dammit, I mean the name!"
"The Genesis Planet. Doctor, is there a point to this rather illogical statement?"
David got it first. "Since he was sent to Genesis *after* the new matrix formed, you think the Genesis effect may have resurrected him? It is...possible."
"Load your phasers men, we're off to the garden of Eden!" McCoy crowed.
Captain Spock stood on the bridge of the Enterprise as the photon tube containing Jim's body was launched into space. It soared among the stars, toward the Genesis Planet. A fitting place for the Admiral to spend all eternity.
The entire crew was still in denial. Admiral Kirk, the invincible commander in Starfleet, was gone forever. Even Spock would not have believed it if Jim had not died before his very eyes, had he not faded from Spock's mind forever.
Doctor McCoy had locked himself in his quarters and absolutely refused to come out. It was understandable, considering the circumstances. His only explanation had been a tirade directed at Spock. "This isn't the first time I've had to pronounce him dead, it's the fifth, but dammit Spock it's definitely the last!" he had shouted.
Five times. Five times Jim had died, or been left for dead. In the Tholian Web, on Vulcan, on a Romulan ship, and during that encounter with Sargon. And this last encounter with Khan made it five.
A few hours after Jim died, Carol Marcus surprised everyone when she abruptly announced that David was Admiral Kirk's son. No one was more surprised than David himself; the boy had never known his father and now knew that he had died a few decks away without the presence of his son.
The comm system was down. Starfleet Command and the rest of the galaxy might not know for days, perhaps months. And once the news got out, then what? What would the Federation do, now that one of their top commanders was dead?
Spock glanced at the human next to him. "I never knew him," David said sadly. "Not as I should have. And now it's too late. I'll never know him."
"Your father was a brilliant man, with strong feelings," Spock said. "I'm positive he was very proud of you. He could be illogical at times, but he would never betray his family or his crew. And he could always find a way to win, even if there was no training simulator to reprogram."
David smiled a little as he remembered Kirk's short story down in the Genesis Cave of Regula. "He cheated," David quoted himself. The smile disappeared. "But he said he didn't believe in the no-win scenario. The Kobayashi Maru or whatever it was."
"Admiral Kirk was a very resourceful human. But all good things must come to an end," Spock stated. "He knew one day he would lose. We never assumed it would be his life."
~~~~~~~
McCoy stared at the walls of his quarters, as if trying to see a hidden picture of Jim in the scorched area of the far wall. His room had been hit by a phaser blast from Reliant, and no one had the time to repair it. But Leonard didn't care. He just wanted Jim back.
'Dammit Jim, why'd you have to be first?' he grumbled mentally. 'You could've let someone else do it for you...I know how much the Enterprise meant to you, but was that really necessary?'
"You know, Jim," McCoy said out loud, under some insane hope that his friend would hear, "I never got to say good-bye. I watched you die and didn't say a word. Did you know I was there, Jim? Could you even see me? You saved the ship, but why did you die for it?" He paused, the chuckled for a moment. "You hate all this, don't you? All the sadness, the good-byes said by everyone. I bet you'd have been driven up the walls five times now and going back for another round."
As he thought about Jim, one word got stuck in his head. 'Genesis. Why the hell can't I forget that word?' McCoy grumbled. 'Damn device. If it wasn't for Genesis, you'd still be alive, Jim.'
A sudden thought struck him then, and Carol's words came back to him. "Genesis, simply put, is life from lifelessness." And Spock, "It literally is Genesis."
Genesis... McCoy thought. "Genesis...THAT'S IT! Thank you, Jim!"
He ran from his quarters toward the bridge.
~~~~~~~
McCoy burst from the turbolift doors, practically bouncing off the walls. "He's not dead, Spock! Jim isn't dead!"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
The doctor gestured to the planet on the viewscreen. "What is that?"
"A planet, Doctor McCoy."
"No dammit, I mean the name!"
"The Genesis Planet. Doctor, is there a point to this rather illogical statement?"
David got it first. "Since he was sent to Genesis *after* the new matrix formed, you think the Genesis effect may have resurrected him? It is...possible."
"Load your phasers men, we're off to the garden of Eden!" McCoy crowed.