If you recognise it… I don't own it.

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"Star Trek 2009" – Middle

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"Right." Jim looked at his Commanding people. The people the universe always thought of as the crew of the Enterprise.

Jim placed a shot glass in front of each of them.

"Captain," Spock spoke up, "We are here for an explanation. To drink instead would be illogical."

"The alcohol is for the explanation." Bones sighed, "And you're going to need it."

Then Bones pulled out a bottle of bourbon and filled his glass, draining it with one gulp. Then he refilled it again.

"I think I found everyone's favourite," Jim carried on, "Pavel, I was told this was a good vodka. Was I decieved?"

"No Keptain." Chekov looked at the bottle, "It is a great wodka."

"Good, pour yourself a glass." Jim declared, "Sulu, I know you're a scotch man, so here. Scotty, here's a whisky. Uhura, I wasn't sure what you'd like. So grab what you want. And Spock, I found you some good chocolate."

"Captain," Uhura sighed, "This is completely unnecessary."

"Lieutenant," Jim almost snapped, "Do you know what I am going to tell you?"

"No, Captain."

"Then let me be the judge of what is necessary. The only way I'm going to get through this is with alcohol... Now, let's begin. Uhura, as you seem to know the best, tell us the story of Tarsus IV."

"Everyone knows it, Captain."

"Humour me." Jim's voice was flat.

"Tarsus IV was started as an agricultural colony. However in the second year a fungus destroyed most of the crops. Riots over food broke out. Half the population died in the riots. The other half formed a small government to restore order and managed to survive until Starfleet arrived, five months after the riots. Though they were severely emaciated. Since then the colony has been re-established."

"Short but concise." Jim nodded, "However fifty to ninety percent of what you just said was a lie."

"Impossible," Uhura countered, "That's exactly how it occurred."

"Aye laddie," Scotty agreed, "I read Starfleet's report."

"They're right, Captain," Sulu nodded, "I studied that report in great detail, as part of my botany coursework."

"Tasrus IV is the reason that all new colonists undergo the logical step of a physiatrist's evaluation, Captain." Spock added.

"Let me tell you a story," Jim ignored the comments, "If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Once upon a time, there was a boy called JT. Now JT had a mother, as every boy does. And he had a father. But his father died before JT was old enough to remember him. JT's mother had remarried. A man called Frank. Now Frank was not an intentionally cruel man, but he loved the mother, not JT. JT he tolerated.

"Unfortunately for both Frank and JT, the mother loved her job… Starfleet… The stars more than she loved either or both of them. So she was gone for months at a time.

"Frank had never intended on being a semi-permanent babysitter. To relieve the loneliness he drank. And when he drank he became irritable.

"JT wanted his mother. Wanted her love. He tried being good. But she didn't come back and stay. So he was bad instead. He fought. He stole. He cheated. He ran away… But still she did not return.

"However the…"

"Captain, I hardly see how this is relevant." Spock spoke up.

"Shut up, ya green-blooded hobgoblin!" McCoy snarled, "He'll get there!"

"However the worst thing JT did…" Jim continued as if Spock hadn't spoken, "The most dangerous was he became irritating. In response Frank lashed out. Later, due to shame, he would drink more. While JT became more irritating to get some form of revenge. It was a vicious cycle that neither of them knew how to break.

"Things came to a head after JT crashed an antique vintage sports-car off a cliff. The mother finally stepped in. But she still loved the stars more. So she contacted her sister-in-law, JT's father's sister, and asked her to take JT.

"It seemed like a good idea. The aunt was married and had a son of her own, only a little younger than JT. They had recently moved to a new colony… Tasrus IV."

Jim had been staring at his glass almost the whole time he had been speaking. He hadn't drunk a drop, but merely rolled the amber liquid around the glass. That, more than his words, had convinced most of his officers to remain silent and listen. Usually Jim wouldn't even glance at his drink while he was talking to someone.

As he spoke the name of the colony, he looked up and around the table. They were surprised… But not alarmed. Then again, they didn't know what came next.

"For several months," Kirk continued, "Things went well. JT stopped being an angry boy. He started to love the life he was living. He stopped caring that his mother was never there… He hadn't seen or heard from her since she had sent him there.

"Then one day the crops started to fail. People didn't panic though. There were the stores, after all. They would survive.

"One morning some soldiers came to JT's home… They said the council had decided that due to the crisis there should be a new Governor. So a man named Kodos had been chosen.

"Kodos wished to address the whole colony in person. So he had sent people to bring the colonists to him.

"The family went. They didn't take anything. They were assured that it wouldn't take long. So there was no need to take anything.

"They were told to wait in a large warehouse. It made sense to JT. It was a large area, and it wasn't being used at the time. They waited. Other people had been there before them, and more came after… But even to JT's eyes it wasn't anywhere near the full eight thousand people of the colony.

"Again, it made sense. There wasn't a place large enough for eight thousand. The warehouse was nearly full with only about a couple of hundred. JT recognised some of them. His best friend Tom and family. Young families with kids he'd played with. Neighbours. Tradesmen. Even Hoshi Sato was there. Though JT only knew her as Hoshi, his sometimes language teacher."

Uhura opened her mouth to speak, but Kirk carried on.

"Then the soldiers announced that the Governor had arrived. JT stared at the man Kodos. He didn't look like much. Then he spoke. Most of the speech was long and boring. Laying out things JT already knew. The crops were dying. Starfleet was nine months away. He described how he had claimed power. As if it had been a struggle.

"Then he said some words that chill JT to the bone.

"'Survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few.'"

Spock couldn't hide the look of horror and disgust that his eyes flashed as the Vulcan saying was spoken.

"He wouldn't dare!" Uhura shouted.

"He would and he did." Kirk countered softly, "Only it wasn't just the people in that warehouse. You see in his speech he stated that there was enough food for four thousand people to survive until Starfleet arrived… There were eight thousand on the planet… Half needed to die."

Chekov downed his vodka and poured a new glass.

"Was that for the story? Because you figured it out? Or for the alcohol, Pavel?" Kirk asked gently.

"I figured it out, Keptain." Chekov replied softly, "Hov?"

"I really don't know." Kirk shrugged, "Now, JT didn't want to die. But for a few seconds he watched as the soldiers started shooting the people in the room. They spared no one. And the people couldn't fight back. They were unarmed.

"JT didn't want to die. So he looked for a way to hide. But there was nowhere to hide. Then he saw a hole in the wall. He could escape… Just. He would be just small enough to fit through. His younger, smaller cousin would easily be able to slip out. JT grabbed the boy's wrist and moved towards the hole.

"However things weren't that simple. JT spotted other kids small enough to escape… Like his friend Tom. He started to make choices. He couldn't rescue those too near the front. Some were making too much noise. Some clung too tightly to their parents. Some were held too close by their parents. JT had to make choices about who to save and who to leave. And he didn't have much time to make those choices in. The soldiers were quick and efficient.

"He managed to save thirteen kids… It would have been eleven. Only a mother had seen what he was doing and forced her baby into his arms and wrapped his hand around her three year old son's wrist. She had hugged JT tightly and told him to keep them safe.

"It wouldn't have been any… Only Hoshi had spotted what was going on. She had grabbed JT, handed over her great granddaughter, and murmured into his ear 'Tell our story and don't look back'. Then she had caused chaos to cover their escape. To buy them time. Ninety five years old… And she still could fight.

"JT disobeyed. He looked back. And watched Hoshi died. Cut down mid insult… In High Vulcan.

"JT and his group ran. And ran. And ran. JT knew of a cave where they could hide. It had a spring, so they would have water.

"For a while, a few hours, they didn't move. Then JT realized that four thousand were to die… And he had saved thirteen… But there might be more he could save.

"JT didn't know whether his had been the first or the last group. He didn't know how many more groups had met their death since he had escaped… But he went back anyway. He tried to rescue more.

"Again he made decisions… Who lived and who died. In some ways he was no better than Kodos. But he saved them. And then went back again. And again. Until he went back and there was no one there.

"By the time he was finished he had about forty kids looking to him. For a while they coped. Yes, they didn't have crops. But there were plenty of forests. And between them the kids knew enough about the local plants and wildlife to feed themselves… If not until they were full. At least until they were no longer starving."

Sulu gasped slightly. Then gulped his drink. Immediately pouring a new glass.

"Figured it out?" Jim asked. His words were light. But his tone was dark.

"How?" Sulu breathed.

Kirk just looked at him. Then the story continued.

"Some of the kids couldn't cope. Some had accidents. Some JT wasn't sure if they were accidents or suicides. All he knew was that they were dead. After about a month he had lost some of the kids. They just couldn't cope with the knowledge that their parents had died.

"Then some of them got too weak. For all their scavenging… There wasn't enough food. After the first simply didn't have the strength to eat… JT knew he had to do something. They were his responsibility.

"JT did the only thing he could think of… He took some of the older kids and led small raids on the food storage… Homes… Anywhere that might have food.

"I won't say it was wrong. I won't say it was right… But what it did do was alert Kodos and his men to the fact that there were some survivors from the Massacre. They didn't really bother hunting. The fact that kids had survived wasn't really worrying. They wouldn't survive long. They'd be dead before Starfleet arrived.

"However they couldn't let the children steal the food. Other people… More important people needed it after all.

"So they set guards… With weapons… Set to kill the kids.

"JT it turns out was both sneakier and smarter than they gave him credit for. They expected the children to die after a week. But they were still robbing them a month later.

"So they started to hunt the kids down.

"JT had to pull some pretty stupid stunts to keep one step ahead. It wasn't as if they had a lot of technology to help them. The kids had a datapad. One of them had been carrying it at the time of the Massacre. Contained their homework. Maths. Science. And for some reason the complete works of Shakespeare… Not exactly something that could really help.

"They got hurt a few times. One of the kids, Tom, he got hurt real bad. He doesn't have a left eye, or much of a left half of a face anymore. But he lived. Some weren't so lucky. Some got hurt worse than half a face. Half a leg. Half an arm.

"Eventually JT's luck ran out… It took a while or so. It was on a raid. He'd lost a few kids before. But they'd always died straight off. He got captured.

"He got taken to Kodos. They demanded to know where the other kids were. JT wouldn't tell. They threatened him with death. And he laughed. Said they would kill him anyway. They threatened pain. He laughed. They told him that he was in a no-win situation. That he should just do what would hurt him the least. After all, he was facing certain death.

"They laughed at him. Said he was trying and failing to hide his fear of certain death. And that eventually he would loose control.

"That stung… That really stung. JT, for the first time since he crashed the car off the cliff, declared his name, his full name, proudly and loudly and defiantly. He had nothing to lose. He was dead. So he'd go down fighting.

"Only it turned out… His father was pretty famous. Kodos had chosen people to survive based on links to influential people and how easily he could influence them not to say anything. He hadn't known about JT's father. Kodos reckoned it would be pretty easy to cow a child into saying and doing the right thing at the right time… Including telling where the others were.

"Only JT didn't crack. He didn't tell. Not matter what they did.

"When Starfleet arrived a month later, they found him chained, in a cell, with a jug of water and an apple, just out of his reach. He hadn't even tried to go for them. He was just waiting to die… Though Kodos wouldn't let him.

"Starfleet decided to go with the story of a riot… It would be more acceptable than the truth. Kodos was presumed to be dead. The adults wouldn't tell anyone. And who would believe the kids?

"JT never saw the others again. He didn't even speak much for a while. He just got returned to Frank. His mother never even checked on him. He doesn't know which kids survived and which ones died. He doesn't think that they know he's alive.

"He only knows a few things. Of those that Kodos chose to spare, not one lost so much as a single pound in weight. The kids were severely emancipated. Some of the kids are alive. And they all swore never to return to Tasrus IV… Ever."

"Captain," Uhura spoke up, "I am afraid you have been misled. JT was just a child. He created a fantasy to explain everything. I'm afraid he lied to you. Probably unintentionally."

"No, Uhura," Chekov shook his head, "JT could not lie to the Keptain."

"Not intentionally," Spock declared, "However I have noticed the ability for humans to alter the truth to what is more suitable for their beliefs. Children are particularly prone to this habit. It is quite illogical to distort the truth. However it is completely human."

"Shut up you damn hobgoblin." Bones jerked to his feet, "You have distorted the truth. JT didn't lie to Jim. Because JT never spoke to Jim. JT never needed to."

"James Tiberius Kirk," Kirk murmured, "My name is James Tiberius Kirk."

For a minute there was silence. Kirk was staring back at the amber liquid in his glass, turning it to watch the movement.

"JT." Chekov stated clearly, "The Keptain is JT. He speaks the truth. Ve beliewed the lie."

"We've all been lied to." Sulu breathed, "Because a lie told often enough becomes the truth."

"No." Uhura shook her head, "Some of the people down there are the original colonists… They never would have stood by and done nothing. That's not who they are."

"Lien Chung?" Jim stood up, "The current council leader? He was one of my guards. Quite inventive with a whip."

Jim was slowly pulling his gold tunic over his head as he spoke. No one interrupted or objected.

"Lola Estévez? Now in charge of education? She taught me science… Of course, she also had some pretty painful punishments if I didn't make progress fast enough for her liking."

Now he was pulling his under-tunic over his head. Bones downed another shot.

"And what about Toshiya Maekawa? Currently on the short list to become part of the ambassadorial staff of the Federation… You'd never know he took particular pleasure in entering my cell every day, and laying down the fresh apple and jug of water… Just out of my reach. In the evening he'd come and drink and eat them in front of me. Just for kicks."

Now his torso was bare. Uhura breathed in. She'd heard plenty of stories about Kirk's build and his muscles… But she'd never heard any about the scars that littered his body.

Slowly he turned around. Revealing that his back was in a worse condition.

"Why do you think the rumours say that I never agreed to have sex, unless the lights were off?" Jim laughed bitterly.

"I…" Uhura stumbled over her words, "I… I heard that it was because you thought dimmer lights were more romantic. I never saw those scars when I walked in on you and Gaila."

Jim reached behind him, and unclipped a small device from the small of his back. He casually tossed it to her.

"I usually have this switched on." He replied.

"I don't recognise the design." She frowned, handing it to Spock.

"Nor do I, Captain."

"I would be surprised if you did." Kirk shrugged, "It's a prototype. Still not perfected or patented. But it provides a limited holo-projection. It's programmed to show perfect skin on my torso. Doesn't enhance or hide muscles. It's too primitive for that. Still being worked on. But it suits my purposes... Only I can't wear it all the time."

"Why didn't you have dermal regeneration?"

"By the time I got treatment they were more worried about the effects of malnutrition than my physical appearance. I had an appointment made, but Frank never took me. He was too drunk. After three goes, Starfleet and the Federation decided not to fund any more missed appointments. I never saw the point. Reminders for myself as to how I failed."

"How did you survive?" Scotty spoke up.

"It's amazing what you can do, when you have to." Jim said, "I had to survive. At first, because if I didn't… The others wouldn't. Then Kodos didn't give me a choice. I'd be starved, until I was nearly unconscious with hunger, then force-fed something to keep me alive. Then starved again."

"Why?"

"Because what would be a better propaganda tool than the son of the Hero of the Federation? The Captain of the Kelvin? I was useful. And I knew where the others were. Break me. And use me."

"Captain," Spock frowned, "There is no record of your presence on Tarsus IV."

"There wouldn't be." Jim shrugged, "Your Kobayashi Maru wasn't the first time I hacked Star Fleet and Federation files. About a year after the rescue, I hacked in and removed all records of my presence there. The only records left are the memories of those who were there. Those involved don't talk about it, for fear of their actions being revealed. The Star Fleet personnel were sworn to secrecy. And the Survivors don't talk at all. I don't even Pike knows."

"You should not have been ashamed of surviving." Spock stated.

"It wasn't shame… Not really."

"What was it?" Uhura frowned.

"I survived something that I shouldn't have had to go through. But at least I earned it. If I hadn't done what I did… I wouldn't have ended up there. There were others who hadn't done anything wrong who died. They should have lived. Not me. I could have saved more. I should have saved more. I don't even know how many survived."

There was shocked silence for a moment. Spock was just opening his mouth to argue with Kirk's declaration, when the man in question spoke instead.

"Pavel?" Jim looked up from his glass.

"Yes, Keptain?"

"You can hold your alcohol, right?"

"Yes, Keptain. I am Russian."

"Good. Because I am about to get plastered. Once you've drunk me under the table, take me to my quarters. Then do what you like. I don't think I ought to be found here drunk later."

With that Kirk downed his glass, quickly pouring another one. It quickly became clear that the Captain had serious drinking intended for that night.

Spock was of the belief that he was the only person who saw McCoy slip a small capsule into the bottle that Jim was drinking from.

"Doctor…" Spock started to murmur to Bones.

"He'll thank me in the morning." Bones sighed, "He's serious about drinking himself under the table. How do you think I got the story out of him in the first place? He only talks about it if he's completely sloshed or going to get sloshed. This'll just save him the hangover from hell. He doesn't need it right now."

"The Captain would not be so illogical…"

"Hobgoblin," And how Bones made that sound like an endearment, Spock wasn't sure, "This is the equivalent of your mother's death. Only he doesn't have your damned mental discipline to control himself."

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Please Review.

Basic plot line up to this point:

Enterprise has been sent to check up on Tarsus IV.

Kirk point blank refuses to set foot on the planet.

A colonist sends a cryptic message to Kirk (one of the survivors).

Kirk intends on removing all the survivors from the planet.

The Command Crew insist on an explanation.

Story continues from this point forward.