While Jim goes off to save Captain Pike, McCoy remembers a time when neither he nor Kirk were very disciplined. But that helped cement their friendship.

I do not own Star Trek.

Big Brother Part 10

The crew waited. It was all we could do. Jim and Spock were on the enemy vessel, looking for both the weapon and Captain Pike, if he was still alive. Sulu was in command now, and he and Chekov kept tabs on the Narada, as we drifted just outside sensor range.

I would have liked to have had the time to implant sub-dermal transponders into Jim and Spock, but they had to rush off with little time to make actual plans. So we basically had no way to pull them out of trouble. They were on their own.

Sulu noticed instantly when a strange ship exited the Narada. The assumption was it had something to do with the planet killing device. Life sign scans detected a Vulcan aboard. Spock!

The smaller ship warped off, with the Narada in pursuit. Sulu set a course following the two vessels. I'm no helmsman, but I imagined it was difficult to keep up with the warp signatures of two different ships, while staying out of sensor range. But Sulu only wanted to keep up, not overtake.

I found myself pacing the bridge, arms folded, counting the minutes. Still, we'd heard nothing from either Jim or Spock. Maybe they were successfully defeating the Romulans, taking the device and rescuing Captain Pike. Or, maybe they were dead.

I decided to return to Sick Bay. I couldn't spend all my time pacing. At least I could get ready for the possible eventuality of the captain's rescue. He could be injured, so I made sure the surgical bay was primed and ready. The staff were gathered, talking amongst themselves. Everyone was talking about the past day and a half. Circumstances had been so unbelievable, no one could even predict what would happen next.

***********************

While waiting for Jim to get back with Spock and the Captain, and I was wishfully thinking, I thought of a time when my reckless roommate and I had a little fun at the academy. I didn't usually get involved with such nonsense, but this time, Jim convinced me it would be fun, good harmless fun. I fell for it....again!

Jim was bored, and decided he wanted to play a prank...on the entire first year class. He asked me to help him out. I should have said no. But he was my friend, and who knew, it could have been fun. Of course, who thinks of crimes and punishment when they're pulling a prank on someone?

Jim knew people in high places. Well, they weren't really in high places but they worked in high places, and had access to, well, just about anything. It was to these people that Jim Kirk went for assistance. I wish I had hidden away in the halls of Star Fleet Medical, but I didn't. Just my luck.

Jim had decided his prank would be played on everyone in the first year cadets quarters, including us. "We can't appear to be the only ones unaffected. We would be suspected in that case," he stated.

"I guess you have a point," I said, reluctantly. " So what have you in mind?" He relayed to me what he had planned. It was bold, would take a lot of work, and hell, it would require devices we didn't have. But he gave me that little boy smile and I knew nothing was going to discourage the kid from having his fun.

It began with the planned cadet assembly out in the sports arena. That would leave the dorms empty. After Jim had contacted his friends, and we made sure no one was left who might see what had happened, we executed our plan, or I should say Jim's plan. I give him full credit for doing what we were doing. I would back him, of course, but the plan was his alone.

We finished up quickly, and waited for the cadets to return from the assembly. As everyone entered their quarters, we heard murmuring, expletives and even some yelling. Accusations flew from room to room, all the while Jim and I holding in our laughter. We eventually went to our room, and played our parts well. There were loud voices, all asking the same things in various ways. Who the hell moved everyone's belongings and where to?

Jim and I had a hard time keeping the smirks off our faces. But we had had our belongings moved as well, so who would suspect us of the deed? Jim had gotten his friends in Transporter Control to use site to site transport to switch everyone's stuff from their rooms to someone else's. In a way, it was an exercise in quick and precise use of the transporters in emergency situations. At least, that's what the friends behind the scenes said to justify their help. I didn't think that the Star Fleet Academy Board would agree.

For the next few days, everyone spent time getting things back to normal. An investigation was conducted and speculation ran rampant on who was responsible. We waited for the shoe to fall, but it never did. I think after things were normal for the next few weeks, no one cared anymore. There were classes, exams, and so much more to divert the cadets.

Jim was a crazy, reckless sort, with whom I had experienced things I never would, had I not been acquainted with him. I wondered if his recklessness would translate into being a good leader. I thought it would. I hoped his instructors would think so too.

"Jim, you have to be careful, ok? Showing ingenuity is one thing. Creating havoc for havoc sake is another."

He put his arm around me as we walked to the quad. "Bones, I won't do anything to get myself kicked out. I'm going to admit this once and only once, and only to you. I need this place. And I want what it will give me."

"And that is?" I asked with curiosity.

"Purpose," he said, before walking off, with me in tow. The Kid and the Old Man. That's who we were. Eventually the appellation stuck.

***********************

An alert reached Sick Bay, knocking me out of my reminiscing. Jim and Spock had beamed back onto the Enterprise, ...with Captain Pike! I took a med tech and a nurse, and we ran for the transporter room. They were just stepping off the pads when we got there. Pike was standing, with Jim's help. That encouraged me to believe he was better than I had expected. I told Jim I had him, and as he and Spock headed for the bridge, my staff and I got the captain to Sick Bay for a thorough exam.

While we were in the middle of our exam, the ship took on a dizzying tilt. We didn't know what was going on up there; we only hoped that the crew would manage to keep the ship intact. And we had a patient who needed our full attention.

The ship rocked and rolled, with only the inertial dampers and gravity field keeping us on our feet. As long as we had power, I would be able to help Captain Pike. Things must have been getting worse, as the ship seemed to actually be groaning. But soon, that passed, and everything steadied.

Later on, I decided, I would go to the bridge, make my report and find out what we had just gotten out of. With Pike disabled, I was sure that we had survived because of Jim and his crew, acting in concert to save the ship. In that brief moment of thought, I felt proud of my friend. He had done it, despite the initial objections of quite a few people, and the First Officer in particular. Maybe there was something to my belief that he was command material.