Thankyou for the reviews! I'll do my best to add all your suggestions into the next chapter/chapters. Apologies in advance; I have a couple of really big tests coming up that I need to study for, so the chapters probably won't be uploaded daily like they normally are - hopefully I'll be able to upload them every few days.

Leonard 'Bones' McCoy slumped miserably in his seat as his instructor droned perpetually about the different types of Alien life forms originating from the Beta quadrant. His Exobiology class normally didn't have this effect on his mood but Bones was still recovering from a recent ordeal. He had felt immensely guilty and shocked when the news of the hallway incident reached his ears. Guilty because he hadn't been there for his friend and shocked that Kirk was one of the traumatized kids from Tarsus IV. Sure, he could have his glum moments but Kirk was normally a cheerful person – if not excessively. For the past few days Bones had been getting somewhat unsubtle stares from the other cadets and could inadvertently silence his peers whenever he got within 5 metres. After the media had broadcasted Kirk's past on every padd and screen, word had spread like wildfire that cadet McCoy was the alleged friend of cadet Kirk – hence his current privacy status. And so, a mix of conflicting emotions; he had dragged himself through class after class without anyone to confide in. Naturally, the whole academy had thought that Bones – being Kirk's friend and physician – had known about his history the entire time and so came to the conclusion that they should tread lightly around cadet McCoy. It was ridiculous; the gossip that people would spread – exaggerated to eventually make out Bones to be an accomplice in some unexplained atrocity Kirk had committed by concealing a secret that was rightfully his. There were a few that had grown warmer to Bones after hearing the news, but they were all individuals who had lost loved ones on Tarsus IV and Bones knew they weren't kind for his friendship – only for the hypothetical knowledge that Kirk had shared with Bones about the fates of their friends and family. So he was suspiciously surprised when cadet Uhura joined him under the shade of a drumstick tree he had been studying under. Inwardly, he sighed, either she's here to blubber to me about another stranger, or she's trying to exploit some of my supposed knowledge that she'll spread around the school… you never know with women – they can take the tiniest piece of information and transform it into a blown-out-of-proportion fairytale. Instead, cadet Uhura made no effort to start a conversation with him but took out her padd to read her textbook. Dumfounded at her unusual actions, Bones stared for a few seconds before dropping his gaze back down to his padd. Uhura was the first to break the silence.

'You shouldn't blame yourself,' she said, he eyes still fixed on the textbook.

Bones looked up sharply.

'What do you mean?' he queried.

'Kirk,' she said simply, 'and don't bother listening to what anyone else says about you either.'

'Do you believe them?' Bones asked.

Uhura looked up from her padd thoughtfully while she pondered his question.

'No,' she said eventually, 'no one who's gone through what Kirk has experienced would be likely to ever tell anyone else.'

Bones regarded her curiously.

'And yet... you knew?' he concluded.

Uhura watched a hummingbird flit through the foliage of the tree and land upon a branch. It hopped over to a flower growing on the tree branch and began to extract its nectar.

'He never told me, but I guess…. I've sort of known since we the day we went into that forest… for the assignment, you know?' she told him, 'I wasn't sure whether to ask him about it in case my assumption was correct and he got upset. There is a possibility to damage a person further if you prod them too much.'

Bones noticed the hummingbird and began to watch at it as well. Satisfied, the small bird propelled itself off the branch and into the sky in a matter of seconds.

'I wished I'd seen it before… I mean, he didn't even say anything when the teacher told us we'd be to studying Tarsus IV. Didn't act any different… a bit more withdrawn perhaps, but other than that I didn't notice any indication that he was upset. I just wished I could've have talked to him about it – let him know that he didn't have to go through it all alone,' said Bones, 'but… how did you know?'

'He didn't have to say anything,' murmured Uhura, 'I could see it – In his actions, in his face… in his eyes.'

They both fell silent, each consumed in their own thoughts and regrets. Then Uhura swiveled her head around the field they were sitting in, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

'Do you hear that?' she asked Bones.

'Hear what?' said Bones blankly, 'I don't hear anything.'

Uhura nodded.

'Exactly,' she swept her hand around the now empty field, 'it's like everyone has just vanished.'

Bones had chosen a secluded place to study; yet when he had first arrived the lawn had already being occupied by two small groups of cadets. Now he noticed the distinct absence of sound that he had missed during his brief conversation with Uhura. Picking up his padd he got to his feet and walked over to a footpath near the edge of the turf. Uhura watched him leave and quickly gathered her belongings to catch up to Bones. Bones followed the pathway until he came to an intersection and turned right. Looking up, he slowed his pace considerably until he came to a stop. Uhura rounded the corner hurriedly and almost ran into Bones who had blocked the path. She frowned in annoyance at the back of his head.

'Wha-,' she began before catching sight of his facial expression and turned to see what he was staring at.

80 metres away from the entrance of Starfleet Academy, clusters of Starfleet cadets were spread along the lawn – their attention was focused on something near the entryway. In unison, Bones and Uhura made the decision to investigate and walked towards the other cadets.


Kirk eyes darted furtively around the academy that he had grown to know and love as his home. It had finally given him a purpose for the dead end life he had been living before Starfleet Captain Christopher Pike had challenged him to a dare – something he'd never say no to. In his peripheral vision, Kirk could see a small crowd forming. He could feel dozens of their eyes burning into his side and he resigned to concentrating on something else in hope that it would distract him. Recalling last week's events, he smiled at the fondness his memories brought him. Most of his time had been spent with Kevin, talking about his life during their 4-year separation and vice verses. Kevin had been bouncing around the foster care program for the past few years and told Kirk a saga of stories from his time with different families. His most recent 'parents' were two druggies whom had only took in Kevin for the foster money. Kevin had run away a week ago and they hadn't even bothered contacting the authorities to find him – he'd had his fair share of runaway experiences and for majority of them he'd been caught within a few days. At first Kirk was concerned for the well-being of his friend but Kevin had easily waved it off, assuring Kirk that he was content and reinforced his point by comparing his life on earth to the one they shared on Tarsus IV. Then Kirk had told Kevin about his reckless activities upon his arrival to Earth and a certain Starfleet Captain whom had dared Kirk to supersede his father's achievements. Inevitably leading to Starfleet academy and his recent encounter with Mitchell. He had admitted his dream to become a Starfleet captain, as well as his reluctance to return to the academy after loosing his control and almost strangling Mitchell. Kevin had looked Kirk straight in the eye and told him – very clearly – otherwise. 'A coward like Mitchell should never be the downfall for someone with as much potential as you,' he had said to Kirk, 'One day, you'll be Captain - and when you are you better save me a seat on your ship.' And with that cheeky remark Kevin had hugged his friend farewell and walked off to join the outside world, confident that Kirk would heed his words and pursue his dream... Which brought him back to his current dilemma. The dozens of eyes had now turned into hundreds and he began calculating the metres left until he and his escort would reach the front door. 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and ... finally!


Bones and Uhura shoved through the crowd to see what had captivated their attention. Uhura felt a strange sense of deja-vu as she recalled a similar confinement issue in the hallway when Kirk had attacked the soldier. Eventually, they broke through the front of the crowd and were presented with a front-row-seat of a cadet walking towards the front building, accompanied by 3 Starfleet officers. It took Bones a moment to realize that the cadet was his closest friend. As thrilled that Bones was to see Kirk, he couldn't help wondering why he would return to Starfleet academy after his incident in the corridor. He turned to Uhura for an explanation but noted her dumfounded expression and knew that they were thinking in sync. The cadet walked into the closure provided by the building and the crowd began to dissipate when they didn't have a visual on Kirk anymore.

'Do you know what he's doing?' Asked Uhura.

Bones shrugged.

'He's probably gone to talk to the commandant and secure his enrolment,' he guessed, 'but once he's done it's likely he'll head for his dorm - if I were him I'd want solitude.'

Uhura nodded at his reasoning.

'I think it's best we don't bother him, It wouldn't be helpful to invade his privacy on his first day back,' she advised.

Bones nodded in agreement and checked the time on his padd. He had a class in 10 minutes.

'I'll see you sometime tomorrow then,' he said waving goodbye as he retreated towards the east side of campus.

Uhura raised her eyebrow at his sudden departure. Glancing down at her padd she was startled by the time and began to mimic Bones panicked movements as she hurried to get to her next class.