Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek
Jim had been dealing with the dreaded anniversary for long enough that he had learned how to stuff it back in the box, and not let it continue to affect him after the fact.
Ship life continued to pass peacefully as the Enterprise drifted closer to the Klingon-Federation border of the neutral zone.
Until they got a real mission, they were just exploring, and providing a little extra support to a potentially hostile area of space.
They had been there for three weeks, when a new mission came in. A nearby planet had contacted Starfleet to begin the process of entering the Federation. The planet had achieved warp capability, and Komack wanted the Enterprise to visit. Apparently, the planet was rich in dilithium, so the Admiralty was very interested in moving the process along.
It did seem like a straightforward case: the planet wanted to join the Federation, and Starfleet wanted the dilithium. Win-win. Looking back later, Jim should have known right then and there that something would happen. Missions were never that cut and dry. Not for the Enterprise.
Jim beamed down with an away party – him, McCoy, Uhura, Carol, Chekov, and two security officers – Ensign Hill and Lieutenant Hendorff.
They were greeted immediately by a contingent of locals; there were around ten of them, with one male in front who, by the state of his dress, appeared to be high up in their government.
The well-dressed local greeted the group of Starfleet personnel warmly, placing a fisted hand over his heart. From the briefing Uhura had given them before they beamed down, they knew that this was the way these locals said hello.
After they copied the gesture, Jim and Uhura stepped forward, while the others stayed back slightly. They knew that the locals spoke a limited Standard, but their native tongue was similar to Andorian, so they were able to communicate by adapting their knowledge of that language.
Uhura wondered idly why she was even here, as she watched her Captain converse with the man who identified himself as Emperor Kleiman. She was surprised, and then angry with herself for being surprised. She knew that Jim was intelligent. She had managed to put together a list of languages he was fluent in over the course of their time at the Academy, and it was impressive. And she was fairly certain her comprehensive list was still incomplete. So it would make sense that he would be able to converse with the locals. He was intelligent enough to be able to detect the differences between Andorian and the unknown language, and she would definitely request his inputs when she was cataloguing the new language for the universal translator after they returned to the ship.
After a few minutes, Jim turned back to his crew and smiled. "Emperor Kleiman is going to give us a tour," he informed them.
Half of the entourage with the Emperor left, but the rest remained; body guards, most likely. Only one appeared to be dressed in a high-class manner, indicating his status as above the rest of the entourage. The rest were wearing a rougher fabric, signifying that they were of a lower class, or perhaps security guards.
That theory proved to be true, when the Emperor introduced the better-dressed male as one of his Advisors.
As they wandered through the streets, the Emperor explained various sights – places where locals, who called themselves K'miri, could buy food, clothes, and get medical help.
The last one had McCoy asking about the quality of their medical care. When the Emperor informed them that they mostly used herbal remedies, Jim asked if he minded them sending a team of botanists down to collect samples of their plants.
The Emperor was intrigued, and agreed, so Jim commed Sulu to bring down a small science team, before explaining to the Emperor what botanists did, and why they were interested in the plant life.
They continued on through the city, and met up with Sulu and two science officers on the outskirts of town, heading down to the fields together. Jim stayed back with the Emperor and his Advisor, while the others moved into the field to look at the plant life. Sulu hadn't technically needed to escort the botanists down to the planet, but Jim knew that, even though he had focused on flying as a career path, he had studied botany before enlisting in Starfleet, and it continued to be a passion and hobby for the young man; Sulu always wanted to be involved in new plant discoveries, so if they could swing his inclusion, Jim would do it. He liked making his friends happy.
Uhura wasn't exactly interested, and Chekov really only pretended to be to please Sulu, but McCoy was definitely intrigued, and the two security officers interspersed with the Emperor's bodyguards to provide protection.
They spent the rest of their visit out in the fields, the scientists and Sulu gathering samples, and Jim and Uhura questioning the Emperor about his culture while Carol listened interestedly. When the sun started to go down, one of the Emperor's bodyguards interrupted to speak briefly with his leader, and the Emperor nodded understandingly, before turning back to the Starfleet officers.
"My bodyguard is correct," he informed them in broken Standard. "It is getting late and we must return to the city. We have prepared a feast for this evening if you would care to join us?"
Jim inclined his head quickly. "We would be honored," he replied.
He instructed the science officers to return to the ship with their samples, and gave permission for Sulu to stay behind to attend the feast when the pilot asked.
The two officers beamed back to the Enterprise, and the rest of the group started back down the road towards the city.
During the walk, Jim and the Emperor discussed the K'miri's request to join the Federation. Emperor Kleiman ghosted over a portion of malcontents they had in their city, K'miri who didn't want to deal peacefully with outsiders, believing themselves to be superior. But he assured Jim that they had the situation under control, and quickly moved on to happier topics.
Jim was concerned, but he didn't want to offend the Emperor by suggesting that he wasn't being entirely truthful.
As they walked through the city, Jim's keen gaze immediately picked out less than happy faces in the crowds, and he made a subtle hand gesture for his security officers to be on their guard.
Slowing his pace just slightly, he fell into step with Sulu and Chekov, and gave them a muttered warning as well. Besides Security, they were the only ones with combat training, since both the Navigations officer and the pilot had taken a few Command Track courses at the Academy.
All of them subtly moved their hands to rest near their phasers, ready to act at a moment's notice.
However, none of them were prepared for the series of explosions that went off as they neared the steps to the palace that stood at the center of the city.
All Jim saw as he was knocked to the ground was a blurred mess of screaming and running, but before he could attempt to help or see where his crew was, blackness encroached on his vision, and he lost consciousness.
XXX
When Jim woke up, he was momentarily confused; glancing around revealed that he was in a cell of some sort. Several other bodies appeared to be unconscious members of his crew. Moving his head revealed a headache, and Jim suddenly remembered what had happened.
He sat up quickly, one hand flying to his side, where his phaser usually rested. Unfortunately, the weapon was gone.
"They removed all our weapons before bringing us here." Jim glanced over and saw Sulu sitting against the far wall.
"What happened?" Jim asked, leaning back against the wall as he forced the pounding in his head to recede. It didn't quite work, but he was able to function around it. His left hand drifted over to where Carol was lying next to him, checking her pulse to make sure she was all right. He was relieved when he felt it beating strongly against his fingers.
Sulu grimaced. "Those malcontents the Emperor mentioned. They set off a series of bombs to cause confusion and incapacitate us. I was the only one still conscious by the end of it. I thought it would be best not to fight them when they took us hostage." He shrugged. "Didn't seem like the best odds. There were about twenty of them."
Jim nodded slightly. "Good choice. How long have we been here?"
Sulu sighed. "About two hours," he replied. "I was getting worried, but you all had strong pulses, and that's about the only medical thing I know how to check."
Jim chuckled slightly while making a mental note to speak with the doctors on the Enterprise about offering mandatory first aid training to all members of the crew, just in case, but any further conversation was cut off as a low moan came from the corner where McCoy was lying. A few seconds later, the others began to move and sit up, everyone clutching their heads as they looked around the cell.
"What the hell happened?" McCoy growled, his eyes immediately searching for Jim.
Before the Captain could respond, a click from outside indicated the door was being unlocked.
A second later, it opened, and several K'miri entered. The one in front looked to be the leader. He was wearing a purple robe and a large scowl as he glared at the group of Starfleet officers.
Jim glared back. "You have carried out an act of terror against Starfleet and the Federation," he informed them brusquely. "Let us go now, and we won't respond in kind."
The K'miri laughed harshly. "Starfleet pigs aren't welcome here," he sneered in a halting Standard. "You will be treated like the scum you are." The two K'miri behind him – guards, if Jim had to guess – glowered.
Jim didn't allow himself to react to that. "Where's the Emperor?" he asked instead.
The K'miri straightened slightly, his chin tilting up as he stuck his nose in the air. "I am the Emperor now. And you will give us the information we want."
"And what is that?" Jim challenged, knowing that nothing this asshole did would make him talk, but he worried about his crew. Not everyone could withstand harsh questioning the way he could.
The K'miri leered down at him. "You will tell me about your starships. You will tell me how your warp cores work, and your weapons. We will use your technology to further our noble race."
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Fuck off," he said calmly.
The K'miri lost his smug expression, and glared. "Consider your options carefully, Captain. We are not afraid to take more direct action."
The trio of K'miri left the cell, locking the door behind them, and Jim settled back against the wall, looking for all the world like he had nowhere better to be.
McCoy couldn't believe him. That asshole had just come in and basically threatened him with torture, and Jim didn't even seem to care. Wasn't he afraid? Did Jim actually have any fears?
McCoy was terrified, and the K'miri had barely even looked at him.
He wanted to demand answers from the Captain, but Jim had closed his eyes, and appeared to be meditating.
Not exactly true, but close enough. Jim was using the time he had to gather himself together and prepare for what was to come. He meticulously gathered every piece of himself that he could, and thrust it all into the back of his mind.
He didn't know how much time had passed before the lock clicked again, and Jim opened his eyes. "Whatever happens, just stay silent. Whatever you see, don't make a sound."
McCoy frowned, while the others looked at him in confusion. "Jim –"
Jim shook his head, cutting the doctor off. "I mean it, Bones. Whatever happens, don't do anything. Promise me." He looked at all of them, his gaze demanding their cooperation.
Though they didn't quite understand, each one of them nodded quickly, agreeing with his demand. Carol and McCoy didn't look happy about it, but there wasn't any more time to argue.
A moment later, the door flew open, and the leader reentered the cell, four other K'miri following behind.
The leader glared at Jim. "Have you changed your mind, Captain?"
Jim just glared back, not saying anything.
The K'miri gestured to two of the guards, who moved forward and grabbed Jim by his arms, dragging him over to a corner of the cell, where a set of chains was dangling from the ceiling. They shackled him and used a lever to lift the chains up so that Jim was standing upright, the chains taught. The other two guards held their weapons up, aimed at the rest of the crew, stopping them from attempting to rescue their Captain.
Using a knife, one of the K'miri cut Jim's shirt off, not seeming to care when the knife left a shallow gash on the human's chest. Jim didn't even react to the cut, his conscious thought back behind the barrier that he had built in his mind. Besides, he had definitely had worse.
The leader circled around him, asking him questions about Starfleet's warp technology, and the weapons the Enterprise had on board. When Jim didn't respond, the other two K'miri began punching him.
It went on for about five minutes, before the leader gestured for the guards to stop. He stood directly in front of Jim. "Will you cooperate, Captain?" he sneered.
Jim's only response was to spit in the K'miri's face. He wiped the blood and saliva off, before gesturing for the guards to leave. Near the door, they hit a button, and the chains released, dropping Jim to the ground.
The door had barely closed behind them when McCoy was at Jim's side, Carol right behind him.
"Just give me a minute," Jim mumbled, picking himself up and forcing his mind to relax slightly, now that the immediate threat was gone. He had to remind himself that he wasn't on Tarsus anymore, that that the one hurting him this time wasn't Kodos. It was just easier to shove his mind back into that place he had gone when the former governor of Tarsus had been torturing him. That place he had built to remove himself from the physical agony being forced upon his body, so that his mind wouldn't react. He needed a minute to remember where he was, and that he wasn't fourteen years old anymore.
When he was certain he had himself under control, Jim looked up and offered his girlfriend and best friend a shaky smile.
McCoy didn't wait for an invitation, and immediately began probing his bare chest, searching for injuries.
Carol just held in her tears and grasped his hand tightly, hoping to offer whatever support she could.
Behind those two, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov all gathered, wanting to support him but leaving some room for the two they knew Jim would need the most.
Hill and Hendorff stayed in their spots, knowing that the others were all much closer to the Captain than they were. They both felt furious at themselves for failing at their jobs. They were supposed to protect their Captain.
After a few minutes, Jim wearily batted McCoy's hand aside. "Nothing's broken," he assured his friend. "Two fractured ribs, tops."
McCoy glared at him, but there was no real heat to it. "Who's the doctor here?" he asked gruffly. "How do you know what's broken and what isn't?"
Jim just shrugged apologetically, his gaze shifting over as he began to assure Carol that he was fine.
McCoy unwillingly thought back to many incidents over the years where Jim had been right about his injuries. How many times had the kid been hurt, that he could tell when something was serious, and when a bone was just fractured, as opposed to actually broken? It made him feel sick, to imagine the circumstances that would lead to such knowledge.
Jim broke off his quiet murmurings as the door banged open once more, giving the K'miris a glare as they roughly shoved Carol and McCoy aside, dragging him back to the corner and trussing him up on the chains once more.
They had apparently decided to up their game, using whips this time to punctuate the leader's questions.
Jim grit his teeth as each blow came, closing his eyes as his mind retreated behind the wall.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he did know that the grayness behind his eyelids wasn't natural. He didn't try to fight it as the gray turned to black, and he passed out.
The K'miris stopped soon after, and with another press of the button, dropped Jim unceremoniously to the ground once more, before they left the cell.
McCoy was at his side almost before the door had even closed behind the bastards, his fingers gentle as he probed the bruised and bloody gashes on Jim's back.
Carol wasn't far behind, kneeling next to her boyfriend with an anxious expression, grasping his hand tightly and carding her fingers through his hair. "He didn't make a sound," she whispered, shocked. "How…"
McCoy took a shaky breath, not knowing how to answer as he continued to assess the injuries. He noted the blood on Jim's lip, and realized that he had bitten through the skin, to keep himself from screaming. Goddamn it, how the hell had he managed to stay silent? McCoy had had a hard enough time keeping his promise, and he wasn't being whipped bloody.
Everyone crowded around behind the doctor, watching him silently, waiting for his judgment. If anyone could determine whether or not Jim was seriously injured, it was the irascible CMO of the Enterprise.
Uhura had tear tracks on her cheeks, but she didn't seem to notice or care as she focused all of her attention on her friend.
Sulu had a vice grip on Chekov's arm, while Pavel was practically shaking. Of all of them, he was probably the only one who knew how Jim had managed to say silent through all of that. He had known, in the abstract sense, that Jim had gone through hell on Tarsus. He had known, if vaguely, that Jim had been tortured because he had refused to turn on the other kids he had been hiding with. But that knowledge certainly didn't help him feel better when he watched someone he thought of as a hero, a brother, and a friend, be brutally beaten by a bastard without a soul.
McCoy ignored all of them as his fingers continued to probe the injuries down Jim's back, attempting to feel for internal injuries, and cursing his lack of access to a tricorder.
Even though he was focused on the current issue at hand, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the older injuries he could feel underneath the blood and bruises.
There seemed to be what felt like raised ridges, and McCoy had been a doctor long enough to know what old scars felt like.
How had he never noticed that before? Sure, he had seen some scars, but he hadn't realized how many there were. Many of them seemed to be invisible to the naked eye, only perceived when they were felt with bare hands.
While it hadn't been said in so many words, McCoy had known that Jim's stepfather was abusive. He knew that Jim had not had a great childhood. But the number of scars he could feel was alarming, even knowing what he did.
Those scars told him that this wasn't the first time Jim had been tortured. This wasn't the first time he had had to stop himself from screaming as a whip – maybe a belt? – rained down on his back. Was he able to keep silent this time because he had learned how from last time? It was not a pleasant thought.
A soft groan interrupted his thoughts, and McCoy pulled back slightly as Jim opened his eyes and tried to push himself to a sitting position.
Carol was immediately there helping him sit up, but Jim didn't seem inclined to meet anyone's concerned gaze as he got his feet under him.
Though she was clearly holding back tears, Carol just gently maneuvered Jim so that he was leaning against her, knowing that he probably didn't have the strength to sit up on his own.
Jim wanted to protest, but knew that he wouldn't be very convincing, so he just leaned into her side gratefully.
He appreciated the way none of them were asking questions. He wasn't sure what he would tell them if they asked, so he was glad to not have to figure it out just yet.
McCoy sighed and moved to Jim's free side, knowing that he couldn't do anything to help, even if the kid did have any serious injuries.
The others moved a little closer, not comforted when Jim attempted a shaky smile that fell far short.
Nyota sniffed lightly. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked, defeated, wishing she knew what would help.
Jim shook his head slightly. "Just keep doing what you're doing," he assured her calmly, not seeming to care about the blood running down his back, or the bruises that covered a significant portion of his torso. "And be ready." He turned his attention to Sulu, not elaborating on that cryptic statement. There was an unreadable emotion in his bright blue gaze. "Just like I taught you," he told the pilot.
Sulu didn't quite understand, but the K'miri were back before he could elaborate, roughly shoving everyone out of the way as they shackled Jim to the ceiling once more.
They had a three-pronged whip this time, to cause even more damage. Jim knew he let out a couple soft grunts, but he refused to make any louder sounds, and just smirked at the K'miri, much to his annoyance.
It was about ten minutes into this session, when a loud sound echoed down the hall outside the cell.
The K'miris stopped what they were doing, as the leader ordered two of them to investigate. As soon as they had left the cell, Jim took advantage of the confusion, pulling his feet up to his chest so that all of his weight was on his arms. He kicked out, causing the leader to fall towards Sulu, who wasted no time in grabbing the K'miri in a chokehold, realizing what Jim had been talking about earlier. Jim had been giving him some pointers in hand-to-hand combat lately, in exchange for the pilot teaching him how to fence.
The other two K'miris attempted to intervene, but the two security officers and Chekov quickly jumped in, subduing them with ease. Uhura got in a few good kicks when it looked like one of them was close to freeing himself.
Jim was still smirking as McCoy moved to his side and told Uhura to release the chains. The doctor grasped his arm and helped lower him gently to the ground, following him down as he tried to determine what new injuries had been added to the ever-growing list. Jim rubbed his shoulder to alleviate some of the ache, even as he attempted to regulate his breathing. That pronged whip definitely hurt more than the regular one.
"Nice job, Sulu," he congratulated, his voice winded. The pilot nodded slightly, smiling at the praise, as Jim glanced from McCoy to Carol, who had followed the doctor over. "Help me up," he instructed.
Both appeared to be hesitant to do so, but Jim's expression clearly told them he would do it with or without their assistance, so they complied.
Once the Captain was on his feet, they all turned towards the door, uncertain if they should venture outside without knowing what was going on.
A moment later, there was a muffled shout, and then Spock burst in, three Security officers behind him, all four with phasers ready to fire.
Jim grinned wearily at the Vulcan, jerking his fingers in a facsimile of a wave, even as he slumped even further into McCoy's steady grasp. The doctor tightened his grip around Jim's shoulders.
Uhura glanced at the Captain, perplexed. "How did you know that was going to happen?" she asked.
Jim looked at her and gave a one-shouldered shrug that sent ripples of fire up and down his arms and back. "I left Spock in charge," he said dismissively. "Did you really think he'd just leave us?"
Spock cut in at that moment. "Captain, we are securing the malcontents. We have located the Emperor four cells down. He is unharmed."
Jim nodded slightly. "Good work." He glanced around at the group. "I don't suppose I could borrow a shirt."
They all looked startled by the change in topic, and McCoy glared. "You should just sit down," he said brusquely, trying to hide his worry.
Jim rolled his eyes. "You know the transporters won't be able to lock onto our signal until we get outside." He nodded gratefully at Sulu as the pilot took off his own command gold shirt, leaving him in just the black undershirt, and passed it to the Captain. "We should get going though," he informed them as he pulled the shirt on slowly, trying not to gasp in pain as the movement pulled at his injuries. "We've probably got about five minutes."
"Why?" Uhura asked, not knowing why the timeframe was needed.
Jim barely spared the Communications officer a glance as he immediately began limping towards the door, not waiting to see if anyone was following. "I'd give it about that long before I pass out, and I'd like to avoid the humiliation of having someone carry me."
Everyone else hurried to catch up, not understanding why he thought it would be humiliating, after what he had just gone through. Just the fact that he was still conscious right now was impressive.
It took about five minutes to make their way down the hall and to the exit, due mostly to the slow pace Jim needed to conform to, not being able to walk much faster than he was already going.
And true to his estimation, the Captain had barely taken three steps outside, when he stumbled, his knees buckling, and he dropped as if a string had been cut.
Fortunately, McCoy was at his side, and caught him before he hit the ground. Spock already had his communicator out, informing the Enterprise that they had the Captain, and to beam the liberated crew back to the ship.
Spock remained behind with his team to assist the Emperor in regaining control, something the K'miri was grateful for.
He appeared to be very contrite as he greeted the Vulcan outside the prison they had been held captive in. "Thank you very much," he said in his broken Standard. "I do apologize for all this trouble. Guivare has been able to turn many to his way of thinking," he spoke of the leader of the malcontents. "They do not believe in peace or exploration. Guivare would rather conquer and control."
Spock frowned minutely, an expression so small that anyone who didn't know the Vulcan would miss it. To the Emperor, he appeared to be just as stoic as always. "The reports we received did not indicate any discontent amongst your people," he commented idly.
The Emperor looked embarrassed. "We thought it might negatively impact our chances," he admitted. "And none of us thought Guivare would go this far. Is your Captain going to be all right?"
Spock inclined his head, just once. "I will inform you of the prognosis as Doctor McCoy gives it, but I believe he will recover adequately."
The Emperor smiled. "Thank you. We would like to postpone our welcoming banquet for when Captain Kirk has recovered."
"I will forward the invitation," Spock replied.
The Emperor nodded quickly. "I do hope that this has not destroyed the negotiations. We are still very eager to join the Federation, and we understand there are resources the Federation has use for, out in our mountains. I am very hopeful that we can come to a satisfying arrangement."
"Indeed," Spock said neutrally. "We will remain to assist in the cleanup of your city square, if that is agreeable to you."
The Emperor nodded again, and led the Vulcan and the team of security officers back towards the city, to help the locals clear up the destruction the bombs had caused.
Spock wanted to beam back to the ship and ensure his Captain's health and wellbeing, but he knew that his duties required him to remain on the planet for now. They would take custody of the main group of malcontents, including the leader Guivare, but the others would be dealt with by the K'miri justice system.
The ones who had participated in the kidnapping and torturing of a Starfleet Captain would be tried by the Federation; the Emperor was quick to agree, wanting to help smooth over the problem however possible, so that the Federation wouldn't have any reason to deny their request to join.
It was hours later that Spock felt his presence was no longer required on the planet, so after assuring the Emperor one last time that he would send word on the Captain's health once he had checked in with Doctor McCoy, he and his security team returned to the ship.
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