Spock plots a ridiculous plan that only makes matters worse and Uhura is not happy.

Plot? What Plot?

The Enterprise arrived at Starbase 11 in good time, and Captain Kirk made it his first priority to visit Spock and enlighten him on the plans that were in motion to save him. He found Spock in his cell meditation and he wasted no time getting down to business.

"Good news Mr. Spock, I've found an excellent lawyer to represent you during your hearing."

"Captain, I am grateful for your continued support and help during this troublesome time. However, I do not require a lawyer because I waive my right to counsel. Furthermore, I have waived my rights to a hearing and have requested immediate court-martial. I intend to throw myself on the mercy of the court, and simply tell the truth and accept the consequences of my actions."

"Nonsense, Mr. Spock. This isn't going to be like your staged court-martial for the Talos incident on the Enterprise. This is real life and death we're talking about. There's nothing simple about the truth. I've been in your place, remember? I know what it feels like to have the full force of the Starfleet command barreling towards you at warp speed. Star fleet will pull out all the stops to convict you, for the so-called 'good of the service'."

"Captain, we both know that I am indeed guilty of the charges levied against me."

"It's not a matter of guilt. You're entitled to defend yourself against the charges, to present your side of the case. Your defense is not only a right, it's a necessity. Unlike me Spock, Star fleet cannot afford to give you a quick trial and brush you under the rug to maintain their image. You're one of the few non-humans in a high-ranking position. If they push you out without a fair trial, it will give Starfleet a black eye and look bad to the non-human federation members. So they'll be careful to make sure this looks legit. They will throw everything they can at you and they will be thorough to make sure the charges stick and remove any doubt that you're not fit to wear the uniform. We need to plant that doubt."

"Contrary to what you may think Spock, there were extenuating circumstances for your actions. You were ill and not of sound mind and body when you absconded to Vulcan. You may be guilty of the act but you're not responsible for the actions you are accused of while in that medical state."

"I beg to differ Jim. I am responsible for my actions both before and after the incident and must be held accountable for them. It is time I paid for my sins."

Kirk drew in a long-suffering breath. Spock was forever willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the many. "Don't argue with me, Mr. Spock. You're not a sinner. What happened was an unfortunate series of events, but nobody was harmed, and the potential punishment does not fit this particular crime. We have all done crazy things while under the influence of something or other."

"Captain, I appreciate the sentiment. I understand you are trying, in your own way, to help me. But we both know I am guilty, extenuating circumstances or not. I took Nyota and the shuttle illegally from this ship. I did bond with her unknowingly and without her consent. She had no choice but to marry me. I cannot let her be harmed by my actions."

"Spock that is not how it happened-"

"Starfleet cannot afford to look the other way every time I decide to commit mutiny and kidnapping. I am guilty twice over." Spock said.

"Spock, you're facing twenty years of hard labor on a penal colony if found guilty. You have to fight this!" Kirk tried to persuade his best friend.

"I am sure the guilty never believe their punishment fits their misdeed. I accept what I have done and am prepared to face the consequences."

"Well, I am not prepared to see you disgraced. I've hired you a defense attorney, and a brilliant one I might add." Kirk said stubbornly.

"Captain, I do not need a defense attorney," Spock said and then he changed his tone. "Jim, you have been a good friend, and you have proved your loyalty to me time and time again. It is my wish that you continue to be the exemplary commander that you have been to me. It has been an honor to serve you but I must inform you that I hereby resign my commission effective immediately."

"Absolutely not! I refuse to accept it." Kirk said, anger dripping off every word.

Spock calmly continued anyway. "You cannot refuse Captain. It is my right."

"Spock you can't do this. You're throwing in the towel before the first round is fought. We can beat this rap-"

"Captain, WE cannot do anything. I must face this so-called 'rap' alone. I refuse to involve my friends and family any further in my disgrace. I resign."

Kirk was so angry he was seeing red. Spock was just throwing his life away, the life that he and Bones and Sarek and T'Pau and Amanda and most especially Uhura, had sacrificed and fought for? He was just going to resign? Tuck tail and let Komack and his goons win? For the first time in his life, Jim Kirk did something that went against every bit of training and self-control he had. He punched Spock in the face.

"You coward!" he yelled at Spock. Then he stormed out of the cell before he could do or say anything else he would regret.

Once Jim was gone, and Spock was alone in his cell once more and rubbed his jaw. The punch did minimal damage to his flesh but the sentiment behind it was painful. He had hurt Jim badly, so he supposed it was only fair that Jim have his pound of flesh.

This was not what Spock wanted. He would gladly fight back against Komack and expose him and his cohorts, but this was the way it had to be. To protect those he cared for, he had to act alone and not wait for their consensus or approval. He hoped they would understand why he did what he did someday. For now, he had to endure their disappointment.

"One down, one to go," he thought as he sat on his bunk and awaited his fate.

*/*/*

Spock rose from his bunk when the cell door opened once again. Uhura marched in with murder on her mind. "You self-sacrificing son of a bitch!" Uhura hurled at Spock as soon as the door closed behind her in his holding cell. "What were you even thinking? Were you just going to let them take you away from me without a fight?"

"Nyota," Spock said her name as if it pained him. "I did not want you involved in my troubles."

"Didn't want me involved? Oh well, too damn bad. I'm involved, Mister. I'm involved up to my neck. I'm your wife, remember! I'm the woman you're accused of kidnapping and raping!"

Spock flinched at the intensity of her anger. "That is true. But remember very few people on the Enterprise or even in Starfleet are privy to the fact that we are bonded. I hope to keep it that way indefinitely."

All the anger from a moment ago had drained out of Uhura, leaving nothing but a hurt expression on her face. "What? Why? Are you ashamed of us? Of me?" she asked.

"Of course not Nyota. I could not be more pleased to be married to you. I only wish to protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me. In case you haven't noticed I'm a big girl and I'm not the one in the brig facing 20 years of hard labor!"

"Precisely. I want you to remain separate from this affair. I will stand in judgment for my crimes. Alone."

"Spock, you are not standing alone. You are my husband, of course, I will stand with you. We'll fight this together." She said, with some of the spark back in her voice.

"No," he said stubbornly.

"No? How dare you? How can you do this after all we've been through to be together?"

"Nyota, please understand. I do not want you tainted by my crimes. A trial will be invasive. They will investigate every aspect of my life. There is an element in Starfleet that is out to destroy Vulcan's image and turn sentiment within the Federation against us. And they are going to use me and this trial to do it. Everyone connected to me will be brought under fire to achieve that goal. The fewer people who know about you and about us, the better for you. When I am convicted, I want you to have nothing to do with it. I want you to continue your career and your life. I want you to be happy, and you cannot do that if you are tied to a criminal." Spock took a deep breath. "I want you to be free, therefore I release you from your bond."

"No." She said stubbornly.

"Nyota-"

"No Spock! I am so tired of you making unilateral decisions that affect both of our lives. We agreed we were going to make this marriage work. We are a team, remember? There is no more I or you, only us and we," She pleaded with him.

"I know what we agreed, but circumstances have changed-"

"No, they have not. Nothing's changed. Just because someone in Starfleet has decided to take leave of their senses doesn't mean anything has changed between us. I know you don't love me but can you really just walk away from me so easily?" she cried.

Spock's heart crumbled with the knowledge that his wife thought he did not love her. There were no words in either of their languages that expressed the depth of feeling he had for her. That was why he must protect her at all cost. "Nyota, how little you understand the Vulcan male. How little you understand me. Do not believe for one moment that I will ever allow hardship to befall you. It is not within my nature to let my wife suffer where I am able to prevent it. I will protect you with my very life, even from myself. Your suffering is the greatest punishment I could ever receive. Therefore, I am formally releasing you from your promise and our bond."

"No! I don't believe you! You have been trying to push me away from the moment we stepped out of that damn cave on Vulcan. And do you know what? I give up? I am tired of trying to hold on to a man who doesn't want me." Uhura wiped the tears that were freely flowing from her eyes.

"You're a fucking liar, Spock." She said with a shaky breath. "You promised you'd never leave me, but you lied!"

Uhura walked back to the cell door, but she turned back to Spock before she left. This time her voice was like steel when she said, "You're going to regret lying to me," and then she left him alone.

"I already do," Spock said to himself. I already do.

Uhura stormed out of the brig in an angry huff. She didn't know what to do now that she was alone. Spock didn't want her anymore. She stood there in the waiting area and her eyes welled up with tears. What was she supposed to do now?

"Uhura?" Dr. McCoy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close. "What's wrong?"

She let loose a torrent of pent-up tears. "Spock," was all she could say before she broke down. McCoy pulled her away from the guards standing in front of Spock's cell.

"What's wrong with Spock?" He asked urgently.

"He... he... He broke up with me. He doesn't want me anymore," she sniffled.

"Oh, hush now. Spock wants you. He's crazy about you." McCoy tried to reassure her.

"No. He told me. He doesn't want anyone to know we're married. He wants to go to jail."

"That's crazy talk. Why would Spock say something like that?"

"He says he's protecting me. Fuck him!" She said, suddenly trying to pull away from the doctor.

"Now, now, don't be like that. That just proves he loves you. He's just being stupid. I'll have a talk with him."

"Don't bother. Jim told me Spock resigned his commission and intends to plead guilty. He doesn't care about anybody but himself."

"Uhura, you know that's not like Spock. If he's done something stupid, it's probably for a damn good reason. Just because we don't understand his Vulcan logic doesn't mean his intentions are bad. He's just not human."

"Don't make excuses for him, Doctor! He's hurt me, he's hurt you, he's hurt Jim. He's an asshole."

"Yes well, I can't argue with you there. I've been saying that for years. But he's our asshole and sometimes he doesn't know what is good for him." McCoy told her as he tried to blot away her tears. "He may have a human mother but he still hasn't learned what it is to be human."

"I don't care anymore. I'm so tired," Uhura said, her voice sounded defeated. "I'm going home." She pulled away from the doctor and headed back to the transporter.

She got back to their quarters and was ready to call it all off and pack her shit when she noticed a message was waiting on the viewer from Vulcan.

Probably from Amanda. How did she know already? Did Spock tell his parents he was 'releasing her'? Nyota wasn't in the mood to talk to Spock's mother, but maybe she could talk some sense into her son before Nyota killed him. Besides, what did she have to lose?

It surprised her to see Sarek appear on the viewscreen, not Amanda when she played the message.

"Greetings, my daughter. I hope you are well and are not suffering any ill effects from recent events with Spock? Your Captain and I have arranged for Spock to be held on Starbase 11 for trial, but there is little else I can do in an official capacity without suspicion of favoritism. Therefore, I must recuse myself from any further involvement in this matter."

Uhura rolled her eyes. Typical. Spock was just like his daddy. She was about to shut off the annoying message when Sarek continued.

"However, I wanted you to know that you have our clan's unreserved support and anything you should need outside of Starfleet's purview is at your command. I know that my son can be stubborn, a human failing, unfortunately. He will not accept any assistance from me, therefore it will be up to you, his matriarch, to make arrangements for him."

"Remember, my child, you are the head of your household, and Spock must comply with your wishes in matters of family. It is an interesting quirk of Vulcan culture, is it not?"

"Live long and prosper my child." Sarek made the gesture and then said, "Sarek out."

Nyota sat in stunned silence for a moment. What the hell... She ran to the bookcase in Spock's bedroom and pulled out the huge tome that Amanda had given her to study. She hadn't had a chance to read it since her trip to Vulcan. Life had been moving at warp speed since then, and she had forgotten all about it. But she recalled seeing something about family matriarchs in there.

She carefully thumbed through the pages. It was an old book and probably worth her life savings in credits if she damaged it, if it even could be replaced or repaired at all. But she finally found what she was looking for. She read the passages pertaining to matriarchs at least three times to make sure she had it all sorted in her mind.

"Ah-ha! Sarek you old devil!" She closed the book with a triumphant thump. Vulcan was indeed an interesting and highly illogical culture.

She left the book on the shelf and headed back out to find the captain.

People got out of her way as she marched through the decks of the ship on her way to the captain's ready room. She heard hushed whispers behind her back in her wake, but she didn't care. She was on a mission to save Spock, whether he liked it or not.

The captain had been holed up in his office since the ship docked in orbit around the starbase 11. He had been making calls and wheeling and dealing on Spock's behalf for the past few days. And even though Spock had resigned his commission, the captain had refused to accept it and was still trying to save Spock's bacon.

Uhura entered Captain Kirk's office without announcement and declared, "Captain, I hereby invoke my rights as Spock's guardian according to Vulcan laws and clan traditions."

"Uhura, what's this all about?" Kirk asked.

"I withdraw Spock's resignation and I am pleading not guilty to his charges."

"Uhura, you can't do that. I know you want to help him, but Spock's a grown man and as he reminded me, he has the right to waive counsel."

"Well according to Vulcan law he doesn't." Uhura went to the captain's computer console and pulled up the relevant code.

"There, see for yourself." She pointed at the screen. "In the absence of his clan matriarch Spock is subject to the decisions made by the highest-ranking female relative. Me."

"But-" Kirk began

"No Captain, no buts. The federation and Starfleet must recognize Vulcan law. I will make the legal decisions for Spock from now on, just as I did on Vulcan."

She went to a 3d chessboard that was set up on a table in Kirk's office and moved the queen piece next to the king. "Checkmate, Mister smarty pants!" she declared.

"Uhura, that's not where that piece goes," the captain informed her.

"I'm not playing by the rules anymore." She said to him stubbornly.

"Alright then," Kirk said. "Let's get to work."

Note: Every time I try to get out, they pull me back in! I was going to end this story and start a new one but I keep finding new things for the characters to say to each other. There is no plot here, just drama, but my Spock and Nyota are drama queens.