It was amazing, what almost a year of hard work and studying could do to a young man dead set on a mission. By the time the eleventh month of Jim's sentence rolled around, Starfleet as a whole was enamored with Admiral Archer's new protégée.
Not many knew the circumstances that had driven young George Kirk Jr. to the Admiral's house, but the determined young man charmed everyone around him until many had to just go and congratulate the man for such a fortunate discovery.
Samuel, as it turned out, was highly intelligent and had finished his last two years of formal education within the first three months of his stay and was now engaged in an intensive Xenobiology course reserved only for remarkable students like himself.
Sam Kirk was going to be a doctor.
Each and every day he wrote a journal addressed to his brother, and sent the file to Jim's terminal as per their agreement. Tarsus IV was far deep in space and normal PADD to PADD communications took almost a month to arrive. Sam and Jim had agreed the, that each would write a monthly account of their lives to the other and send the file as regular mail. Sam encouraged Jim on his studies and showered his little brother in praise every time the younger boy sent him his grades. Jim always made sure to tell his brother about the friends he was making, the fun he had and the little trouble he got in whenever someone wanted to push him down. He made sure to tell Sam to eat his meals and not to push himself too hard.
'I know you are older, but I worry,' Jim often wrote. 'I take care of myself, but you gotta do the same, ok?'
Sam would smile and reply that yes, he was eating correctly, and yes, he was healthy. Admiral Archer wouldn't have it any other way.
Despite his earlier reservations, Sam did have to admit the colony was a good place for Jimmy, or so the little boy told him. He was confined within the correctional, of course, and of course, he missed home terribly, but for the first time in his life he didn't have to wait for his classmates to catch up with him, he didn't have to waste his time with subjects he couldn't care less about, and the library! From what Sam had read, Jim was in love with the Tarsus IV library and would spend most of his free time hole up there, devouring each and every book he could get his hands on.
Life was good for both Kirk siblings it seemed.
As he was still a minor and his emancipation was not as complete as he had hoped since his errant mother had not showed up for the audience nor did she contact court to reschedule, he realized he could not purchase any significant property at the moment, Sam thought it would only be fair to wait and weight his options. He still had a few months to think about before he could ask for his half of the farm back home, maybe he could purchase a small house for them both up there in Tarsus, so Jim didn't have to miss his schooling. The colony seemed prosper enough and as ar away from their heroic father's memory as it could.
Yes, he knew Jimmy would be delighted with the news.
Jim had told him, a month ago, that he had gotten his first kiss. A girl from the center had chased him left and right until she had cornered him against one of the tables in the library and stolen a quick kiss on the mouth form him. The whole ordeal, Jim wrote, had made Jim's best friend, David, become so angry that he had practically dragged Jim away and kissed the lights out of him.
Sam had laughed for hours, teasingly asking his brother which kiss he had liked better, if Irkana, the girl's, or David's the boy's. He guessed that by now one of them had managed to convince Jim to go out with them, and he was almost sure it was David, the one Jim had chosen.
He couldn't wait to go back to his room, log onto his terminal and curl in his chair to read Jim's mail that was surely waiting for him on his inbox. Schoolwork, his part-time job, even Jonathan's urgent message beeping madly on his PADD could wait.
That sunny day in August, however, Sam never made it to his desk.
Admiral Archer was waiting for him on their door, no dog in sight. A traveling bag rested at his feet and a grave, almost pitying expression marred his aged face. By the dark bags under his eyes and the red rim they had around the irises, Sam could easily tell the old Admiral had not had a decent night of sleep in a while.
"Admiral?" he asked, stopping in front of him worriedly.
Jonathan stared at him sadly.
"Samuel," Archer said. "We need to talk. Officially, it is my duty to stop you, but as I know it would be futile, I have decided I'd rather help you out on your new adventure."
Instantly, the teen knew something was wrong. He also knew it had to do with Jim.
"What happened to my brother?" he asked faintly, feeling dread pool in his stomach.
Wordlessly, the Admiral handed him a PADD, eyes solemn.
"We'll take a shuttle towards docking point as soon as you want," he said, sitting on the steps of their porch. "A ship is waiting for us."
Sam nodded, his eyes scanning the PADD frantically, devouring every word hungrily, desperately. A fungus had whipped out all the crops in Tarsus IV, food was scarce, people were lining in front of the Governor's house to plead for help. Kodos had declared martial law all over the settlement, and prepared for rationalization.
A month later, citizens had started to disappear, or so the report read, people were dying, chaos reigned, the anonymous informant had followed Kodos' guards and found the death camps. Some twisted idea of eugenics were being employed to select citizens that would not need to survive. A group had taken it upon themselves to break into one of the guards' comm. Posts and hacked into their systems to send for help back on earth.
'He's gonna kill us all,' the message said. 'Please send food, troops and doctors, he's killing us all, we need you!'
Attached was a copy of the Governor's speech, and maps of all camps the rebellion had discovered.
The PADD fell from Sam's limp fingers, the words ringing in his ears.
'People are dying, children are being slaughtered.'
"Jimmy…" he whimpered, rushing to take his terminal out of his bookbag and logging frantically. It was already past noon, Jim's mail should have arrived hours ago. Trying to get his shaking limbs to work, Sam checked his inbox.
It was empty.
Black spots filled his vision, the air rushed out of his lungs and refused to come back. People in Tarsus IV were dying, Jimmy could be dying right now.
An arm wrapped around his back, holding him upright. Admiral Archer was rocking him back and forthwhispering in his ear.
"Samuel," he said gently. "Calm down, come on, breath in, that's right, now out."
The teen nodded, eyes wide.
"I need to go there, he's a boy, he's starving and frightened, I know Jimmy."
Archer nodded.
"Let's go to the shuttle," he said. "Three ships full of supplies and personnel left for the colony a week ago. All ships near the colony have been alerted and are on their way. And a second group of aid is ready to sail out today, we will go in one of those ships."
Sam nodded again, slowly picking up the bag the Admiral prepared for him, later on, when he was calmed, he would feel grateful he had found an friend and confidant in the old Admiral, and that the man knew him enough to know he would have gone with or without him to that blasted hellhole.
"How… long?" he whispered as they walked towards the shuttle.
"Four months, Tarsus IV is too far away from us, I'm sorry."
Sam shook his head mutedly.
Once they were safely riding the shuttle towards San Francisco's Space Port, he finally allowed the tears pooling in his eyes to fall.
Due to his area of studies, Sam was grouped with the rest of the medical personnel on the ship. He shared a small room with seven other doctors and nurses, all volunteers. Sam couldn't care less, he was going to get Jimmy, he was going to protect his little brother, it was all that mattered.
He spent his days leeching as much knowledge as he could form those around him and his nights re-reading Jim's comms. It was torture, the doctors said, he had to stop it before he went mad. There was no guarantee his brother was still alive. Sam knew all that, yet he couldn't stop even if he had wanted to. He needed to keep his brother alive, if only on his head.
He could still remember clearly his Jimmy's chubby face the first and only time he had commed him from Admiral Archer's home, a birthday present of both, the old man had said, and Sam knew he was using a very private and important equipment, if the Admiral had to get the Comm Unit into their home hidden under his jacket.
Jim had stared at the screen in confusion for a moment before his eyes widened and filled with enormous tears.
"S… Sammy?" he asked.
"Hey, Jimmy, are you ok?" he said with a small smile, fully away that the Admiral was watching them.
"Of course I'm ok! I'm a big boy!" the younger boy said confidently, trying to fake bravado.
"I want the truth, Jimmy," Sam sighed. "I won't get angry."
Jim's shoulders slumped instantly.
"I'm scared, Sammy," he admitted finally. "What's gonna happen to me?" Sam's heart broke, guilt eating his insides. He'd really tried to leave his baby brother behind.
"You need to be strong, Jimmy," he said. "You need to last a year in there, then they'll take you home. I promise I'll be there to pick you up. I'll have a house ready for us both by then, a new house just for us!"
Jim's tears rolled down his still bruised cheeks.
"We won't have to live with Frank anymore?"
"We'll never see him again, I promise," Sam assured, placing a hand on the screen. "But you need to be strong for me, Jim, can you do that?"
Jim nodded, placing his hand on top of his brother's on the screen.
"I swear, Sammy," he said in a half whimper. "I'll be a strong boy,, you'll be proud of me!"
"I'll write to you everyday, Jimmy, we won't lose eachother again."
Jimmy nodded again, letting his hand fall back when the officer behind him told him his time was up.
"Gotta go," he said sadly.
"Love you, kiddo," Sam said, trying to smile.
"Love you too, Sammy."
He replayed the conversation over and over in his head, hands tight, chin trembling. He knew jimmy would do anything in his power to stay alive. They had promised, and Jimmy never, ever, broke a promise.
Jimmy would not leave him behind like their Dad had done.
Admiral Archer placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him.
"The first group landed on Tarsus IV," he said. "It's not good."
Sam continued to star at the start outside.
"A week left, then?" he asked. "Jimmy promised. He's waiting for me."
Man and boy kept silent from then on, until it was time to bid eachother goodnight. None of them knew what to say in such situation.
To be Continued.