Kevin Riley sat alone at the crowded bar. He wanted nothing more than to drink to the point of oblivion, but he was on duty in the morning and the captain never looked kindly on anyone missing a shift due to a hangover.
He was nursing his third, and probably final, drink when he was dragged back into the present by the sound of a stool scraping against the floor. He turned, surprised to see Jim Kirk sitting next to him.
Kirk ordered two more of the concoction Riley had been drinking. "Wounds heal, but they leave scars," Jim said. "Sometimes you need to forget." He raised his glass. "To the victims of Tarsus IV." He and Riley downed their drinks simultaneously. Jim motioned the bartender to fetch two more. "You and I are both off-duty tomorrow, Kevin."
Kevin could only raise his glass in acknowledgment. Tonight was not a night for words.
A/N: This would take place immediately after The Conscience of the King. I have developed an extensive head canon around the events of Tarsus IV that someday may make an appearance here on FF.