Potential

The Road to Hell

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Age: 12

Star Date:2245.81

Location: Tarsus IV

The man who will become the Devil

It never failed to surprise him how stupid government officials could be. He had presented the information to them, showed them irrefutable evidence of the danger the colony was in and still they ignored him. The fools were going to kill them all!

Trying to calm himself, he began reviewing the data in front of him again. At present the fungus was only affecting plants and wildlife native to Tarsus IV. The colonists would be safe as long as the cultivated crops remained unaffected. Once that happened, all would be lost. The bureaucrats in charge did not see a point story in enough food away to support the growing population for an indefinite point of time. They did not see the true danger. The lack of food would result in a slow and painful death for the inhabitants Tarsus IV.

He shook his head and tossed the report aside. There was no use tormenting himself. The mindless bureaucrats in power had dismissed his warnings and had ordered not to inform the public or leave the doomed planet himself. They were all going to die due bureaucratic stupidity and there was nothing he could do to prevent the upcoming catastrophe.

"What's wrong?" The small voice startled him out of his thoughts and made him smile. Jimmy Kirk was an amazing young man. He had seen the genius in the boy almost as soon as his aunt introduced him to the engaging young man. Jimmy had a great deal of potential and he had quickly taken the young man under his wing inviting him to spend time after school in his lap. Since Jimmy arrived this spring, he had come to think of him almost as a son.

"Don't worry Jimmy, I just had an unproductive meeting with a few very idiotic but important individuals." He made sure to keep his tone easy and light. There was no need to involve the boy now. He would learn about what was to come eventually.

"Can I help?" Jimmy asked him quickly.

The quiet innocence of the question tugged at his heart. This boy, this brilliant boy would never reach his potential because a group of powerful fools refused to see what was right in front of them. Jimmy did not deserve what was about to happen to him nor did he need to know about it now. Let him have his last few months of happiness before all he had come to love here was destroyed. "It's a trivial matter don't worry yourself about it. Come over here and we'll work on your studies."

He sat back in his chair and watched Jimmy finish the last of the calculus problems he had given him. It was almost time for the young man to go home. All that was left was the ethics question he always asked the boy before he left. A list of hypothetical situations ran through his head but he dismissed them. Jimmy had asked if he could him help maybe he would give the boy a chance.

"I am done!" The enthusiasm of the statement made him smile and he praised the young man as he took the PADD he had been working on. Such promise that was about to be wasted. It broke his heart.

"Are you ready for your Ethics question?" At the boys nod he posed his 'hypothetical' question.

"There is an outbreak of a deadly bacteria in a certain type of wildlife. Eventually this bacteria will contaminate the food supply of other animals and will make it inedible and will result in the death of all the animals due to insufficient food. The owners of the preserve have some food stored away but not enough to feed all the animals. What should they do?"

Jimmy mulled the question over for a few minutes. Quick answers were not accepted. "They need to get more food or move the animals to a better place. They need to call for help."

The answer was too easy under those conditions. "Help will not arrive in time to save the animals. There's not enough food in the reserves. What should they do?"

He let Jimmy work the problem over in his head as he thought of his own problem. How could he save the people of Tarsus IV? How could he save Jimmy.

"I got it!" The boy said as the smile disappeared from his face. "You're not going to like it but I think it's the only way under those conditions. If it is impossible to save all of the animals the people running the place need to figure out how many animals they can feed with the food that they have and then they should kill those they can't save, so they won't suffer. But their has to be another way to save all the animals."

"Jimmy that's…" The chronometer on the corner of the desk chimed ending the session. "It time for you to go home Jimmy. I'll see you tomorrow and we can discuss the problem more. Say hello to your Aunt for me ok."

"Ok, bye."

As his young protégé gathered his things and walked out the door, he mused over the boy's solution to the problem. Save those you could and put the rest out of their misery. It was a horrible and morbid idea but it was worth thinking about. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Star Date: 2246.76

He watched quietly as his guards dragged the broken body of Jimmy Kirk into the room. This was the great JT? The boy who had showed such promise, who had so impressed him and planted the seed of the idea that had enabled him to save half of the colony? The boy who had turned against him by hiding those that were deserving of death and fighting him at every turn? This was the child who had killed a number of his soldiers? He shook his head and looked deep into his eyes. A bright shocking blue glared back at him though the dirt, blood, and grime that covered him.

"You have betrayed me. I tried to give you everything and you turned away and spurred me. Why?" He asked bitterly

The voice that answered was surprisingly strong and full of venom. "You killed everyone and…"

"No! I saved everyone. Don't you understand, if I haven't done what I did we all would have died. There was no other choice." Anger was starting to bleed into his voice. How could the boy that he had nurtured and mentored doubt him this way? He thought that he was smarter than that. That he above all others would understand. "History will remember me as a hero, you'll see."

The boys shoulders shook silently at the words. "There are always other options. There are no absolutes. You're a monster not a hero. I hate you." The bloodied boy spat bitterly.

He could see the anger and hurt in the young man's eyes. Why didn't he understand? He was such a brilliant young man. He should know that what he did was the only way. He took a few deep breaths and decided to give Jimmy one last chance. "I know that you don't mean that. You're confused and hurt right now. You are just lashing out. I understand and I forgive you. The death of so many is hard on you. It's hard on me too but one day you will understand. The group of children that are hiding in the woods, tell me where they are and I'll forget your poor judgment." He said trying to reason with the child that once was so important to him.

"Fuck You!" James said angrily as he literally spat on him.

No, he had to get through to the boy. If Jimmy didn't tell him what he needed to know he would have to put his former protégé to death. He had taken over the colony in a bloody coup and issued the death orders so that people may live. He only killed those who were deserving of death like individuals with disabilities and those who engaged in unions that could not result in procreation. He saved the best and Jim was among the best or so he thought. The boy he thought of as a son was supposed to be among the survivors, not be a traitor to the cause. "If you don't tell me I won't be able to save you." He said pleading with the boy.

Before the angry young man could answer a guard burst through the door, coming to attention before him. "Governor Kodos, there's a ship that's just dropped out of warp. It's a Starfleet vessel sir."

He cursed to himself. It was too soon, they would not understand what he had done to save the people. He needed more time. He stopped and took a calming breath. It would be ok, he had prepared for this possibility. He turned to the guard and issued his orders before moving to kneel before his Jimmy. He had one last chance, he could not waste it.

"Jimmy, come with me. You are angry now but soon you'll see. I care about you. You are like my son. Let me take care of you." Again, he said it in a pleading voice.

Haunted, angry blue eyes bore into his own before the boy spit on him again. "You're nothing but an vile psychopath and I hope you burn in hell."

"Lock him up, I'll deal with him later." Standing up he made to move towards the door. When a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Kodos, you better hope that they kill you, because if they don't I will hunt you down and make you suffer until your last breath." Said the boy who once meant so much to him.

He didn't turn around only walked through the door and out of Jim Kirk's life. No matter what anyone said in the years to come, he had saved four thousand people and he had tried to save Jimmy Kirk. He did what he had to do. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.

Author's Note 2: Again, big thanks to my beta Misscar. She is amazing and always makes my works better. Go read her stories, they're wonderful!

Merry Christmas Everyone