2269: Starfleet Court Building, San Francisco

"I put it to you, gentlemen, that Arthur Coleman was not the instigator of the Enterprise hijacking but went along with it out of his obsessive love for the true instigator, Dr Janice Lester. Being a civilised society we don't hold Dr Lester responsible for actions taken while the balance of her mind was disturbed. But this leaves us in the strange position of prosecuting the accomplice while letting the instigator go free. This is doubly unfair when you consider the obsessive love the defendant feels for Dr Lester is itself a form of madness. Oh, it might not be recognized as a clinical condition but there's no doubt Arthur Coleman would have done anything Dr Lester asked of him, regardless of the consequences. She may not have been in her right mind, but in many ways neither was he."

"So you don't think we should punish him, Captain Kirk?" said Admiral Nogura, the head of the military tribunal.

"I do, but I'm saying that punishment needs to be proportional. As the aggrieved party I can't see that incarceration would accomplish anything. Both Doctors Lester and Coleman have already been confined to Earth with no possibility of going into space again. I would argue that this is punishment enough."

I watched from the gallery, still surprised that Jim Kirk had decided to testify on Arthur's behalf. Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Pavel Chekov and Hikaru Sulu had all given evidence before the tribunal as had Lt. Lisa, who had been temporarily standing in for Uhura during the mission to Camus II and was now stationed on Earth. Jim Kirk was the last to speak, and he had spoken for Arthur. Exile on Earth was better than him being sent to some hellhole of a penal colony world, especially for me. I wanted to make a life with Arthur, so I needed him here.

The members of the tribunal conferred with each other, weighing up Jim's words. Sitting beside me, Janice Rand squeezed my hand.

"I've got a good feeling about this," she said.

"Let's hope things go well for you both," said Uhura, who was sitting on the other side of me.

Uhura had taken a temporary break from her trek across the Serengeti to attend the hearing. One of the advantages to being a serving officer in Starfleet was that it gave you 'beaming privileges', meaning you could be beamed up from any point on the planet by an orbiting installation and down to any other on request, sometimes within minutes. Like Janice, Uhura wanted to be there for me. Our friendship might be newly stuck, and surprising, but it already meant a great deal to me.

When the three tribunal members had finished conferring, Admiral Nogura turned to deliver their verdict.

"After considering the testimony of all concerned, this tribunal is minded to agree with Captain Kirk that in this case exile on Earth is punishment enough. Accordingly, the prisoner is now released and is free to go."

In the dock, Arthur's shoulders slumped with the release of tension while I let out a small gasp of relief. Janice and Uhura - the only ones to hear it - patted me on the back.

"Before you all leave," said Admiral Nogura, "I have to inform you that Camus II has now been declared off-limits and those of you who are aware of the device there and what it is capable of are ordered to tell no one about it. We will be requiring you to list anyone you may have already told so that they too can be sworn to secrecy. The nature of the device is such that if knowledge of its existence got out it would inevitably be destabilising. That is all."

With that the tribunal filed out, Arthur was taken into a back room so that release papers could be signed and his effects returned to him, and we three made our way down to the courtroom chamber floor. Janice immediately rushed into the arms of Lt. Lisa, and the two women kissed.

"Lt. Jamie Lisa," said Uhura, seeing my surprise, "Janice's current girlfriend."

"Then Janice is..."

"Bi, yes; always has been. Her tastes seem to run to macho men and feminine women, although since transferring off the Enterprise she's definitely been leaning more towards women."

Jim Kirk wandered over.

"Ladies," he said.

I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for getting Arthur off, Jim," I said. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

"It was my pleasure. So what are your plans now that Arthur's free?"

"I'm going to take him back to my apartment and straight to bed. We have a lot of lost time to make up for."

"I approve," he said, grinning. "I think that's exactly what you should do."

""""""

2269: Starfleet Academy ballroom, San Francisco

It had been a beautiful ceremony before a Justice of the Peace in the old Mission District, and I looked and felt like a princess in the dress that had been Jim Kirk's wedding present. With all its silk and lace and fine embroidery, it was a stunning creation. Not only had Jim supplied my bridal gown, he had also got us this room for the party and had agreed to give me away, since neither Arthur nor I had any family. Janice Rand had been my maid of honor and now, dancing here in Arthur's arms, I smiled as I watched her and Jamie dancing together a few feet from us.

I'm sure everyone thought this was all very sudden, Arthur and I getting hitched barely three weeks after his release, but we were more than ready and I wanted the wedding to take place before Enterprise headed off on the final two-year leg of its five year mission so that my friends could celebrate our union with us.

"May I cut in?" said Jim Kirk, tapping Arthur on the shoulder.

"Of course, Captain," said Arthur.

Jim took my husband's place, sliding his hands around my waist.

"So, Janice, how does it feel to be Mrs Coleman?" he said.

"Wonderful, but I'm keeping my own surname. This is the twenty-third century, after all."

"Quite right, too."

"How about you? Are you looking forward to getting back out there?"

"Like you would not believe. I was born to be the captain of a starship. Adventuring out among the stars is where I belong."

"I've got an adventure of my own coming up in nine months."

"Nine...does that mean?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant."

"Wow, that was quick. I'm impressed."

"I told you Arthur and I had a lot of lost time to make up for, and we have been."

"Good for you," he said, looking at me thoughtfully, "good for you."