A/N: Now we're getting into the movie action. I'm trying my best to keep the dialogue as close to the movie as possible, which is SUPER hard. I'm having to watch and rewatch and rewatch scenes for dialogue, so obviously, anything you see (ESPECIALLY dialogue) is not mine. I make no claim. Don't shoot me!

The transition into the next semester went smoothly. Almost smoothly. Jim became more reckless in her personal life. She began spending more night hours with Gaila, an Engineering cadet her age. She still ate lunches with McCoy, but most nights were spent at Gaila's, to the fascination of McCoy and the irritation of Cadet Uhura, Gaila's roommate. Jim never brought Gaila to their room, however, which made Bones curious- to a point. There were some things he knew he was better off not knowing.

One day, about halfway through the semester, Bones knew that Jim had completely lost it. They were leaving their one class together, and as they were going down the stairs outside the building, she said it.

"I'm taking the test again."

"What?" he growled.

"I'm taking the test again. Tomorrow. I want you there."

"No, Jim. I've got better things to do than watch you make a fool outta yourself."

Jim turned to greet a couple of cadets then stopped in front of McCoy. "Bones, it doesn't bother you that no one's passed the test?"

McCoy sighed. "Jim, it's the Kobyashi Maru. Nobody passes the test. And no one goes back for seconds, let alone thirds." He stared at Jim, hoping to push her into some common sense.

Jim just smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. "I gotta study," she said as she left.

McCoy glowered and muttered, "Study my ass."

The next morning at the test, Uhura was frosty at best towards Jim. McCoy had heard she'd banned Gaila from bringing anyone back to the room, and this only confirmed his suspicions as to where Jim had been all night.

"We're receiving a distress signal from the USS Kobyashi Maru," Uhura said with a roll of her eyes. "Their ship has lost power and they're stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them."

Jim rubbed a smudge off her apple. 'Seriously, who brings an apple to the test?' McCoy thought.

"Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them…Captain," Jim said spinning in her chair. McCoy rolled his eyes.

An alarm sounded in the background. "Two Klingon vessels have entered the Neutral Zone and are locking weapons on us," Bones stated, reading his screen.

"That's ok." McCoy could hear the grin. He spun in his chair.

"That's ok?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

McCoy received a new readout on his screen. "Three more Klingon warbirds decloaking and targeting our ship. I suppose this is a problem either?"

Cadet Lucas at the weapons station next to him announced that the Klingons were firing.

Jim ignored him and turned to Uhura. "Alert Medical to prepare to receive all members of the stranded ship."

Uhura scoffed and crossed her arms. "And how do you expect us to rescue them while we're still surrounded by Klingons, Captain?" she sneered.

Jim leaned over in the chair and said firmly, "Alert Medical."

The Red Alert siren went off. McCoy pressed his screen. "Our ship's being hit. Shields at 60%."

"I understand."

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, fire back?" he asked, seriously questioning Jim's sanity.

She took a bite of her apple. "Nah."

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "Of course not."

Suddenly the screens flickered and went off. The sirens fell silent and the lights went to minimum. And as silence fell, everything came back on.

"Hmm," Jim said thoughtfully. She turned to weapons. "Arm photon torpedoes and prepare to fire on the Klingon war birds."

"Jim!" McCoy exclaimed, looking at Jim. "Their shields are still up!"

"Are they?" She took another bite of the apple.

McCoy turned back to his screen. He pressed a button. "No. No, they're not." He turned back to Jim.

"Fire on all enemy ships!" She turned to Lucas. "One photon each should do. Let's not waste ammunition."

Lucas shook his head in amazement. "Yes sir! Target locked and acquired on all warbirds. Firing." There was a pause and everyone turned to look at the view screen. "All ships destroyed, Captain."

Jim grinned. "Begin rescue of the stranded crew." She stood from her chair. "So, we've managed to eliminate all enemy ships, no one on board was injured," she said, slapping McCoy on the shoulder, "and the successful rescue of the Kobyashi Maru crew is underway." She sighed and took one last bite of her apple. Jim cocked her him and stared up at the mirror hiding the adjudicators.

Behind the glass, a human male turned to Commander Spock. "How in the hell did that kid beat your test?"

Spock's face was emotionless, but he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I do not know."

Later that evening, Bones and Jim both received notifications that there was to be a hearing in the auditorium at 0900 hours the next morning. Attendance was required for all cadets. Jim didn't comment, but he could see the smug look on her face. She was the first person to beat the test, and he was damned if he wasn't a bit worried about how she went about it. Try as he might, she wouldn't say.

The next morning, they dressed in their cadet reds and made their way to the auditorium, finding seats four rows from the floor. The admirals that governed the Academy all filed in, with Admiral Barnett, the Academy Head, in the center.

Barnett cleared his throat. "This hearing has been convened to discuss a troubling matter. Cadet Kirk please come forward."

McCoy stiffened beside her. Jim stood slowly, straightened her uniform, and made her way to a podium on the floor.

"Cadet Kirk," the admiral continued, "evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting that you violated the Ethical Code of Conduct pursuant to Regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet Code. Is there anything you wish to say before we begin, Cadet?"

Jim swallowed. "Yes. I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly?"

He heard rustling behind him, and turned to see a Vulcan standing and heading to the floor. Barnett called him forward. "This is Commander Spock, he is one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobyashi Maru exam for the last four years. Commander?"

Spock and Jim stared at each other for a moment. Then he began to speak. "Cadet Kirk, you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine in the programming code thereby changing the conditions of the test."

Jim locked her hands behind her back. "Your point being?"

Barnett interjected. "In academic vernacular, you cheated." The room began to chatter.

Jim searched for words. "Let me ask you something, I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, is it not? I mean, you've programmed it to be unwinnable."

The Vulcan did not flinch. "Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario."

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios."

"Then not only did you violate the rules, you failed to understand the principal lesson."

Jim's posture shifted into attack mode. This was not going well. "Please, enlighten me."

"You of all people, Cadet Kirk, should know that a Captain cannot cheat death."

The room fell silent, and Jim chuckled derisively. "I of all people," she scoffed.

The Vulcan straightened even more, which McCoy hadn't thought possible. "Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in battle, did he not?"

Jim interrupted him. "I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test."

The Vulcan wasn't backing down. "Further more, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test-"

"Enlighten me again," she sneered.

"The purpose is to experience fear." Spock paused. "Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is a quality expected of every Starfleet Captain."

Jim said nothing. She stared at the podium in front of her, gripping it as if it were a lifeline. McCoy looked on from the audience with concern. She never fared well after her father was mentioned. A chime sounded and a lieutenant walked up and handed a PADD to Admiral Barnett.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan," Barnett began. Spock listened intently. "With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian System, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hanger 1 immediately. Dismissed."

McCoy made his way down to Jim and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She followed Spock with her eyes. "Who was that pointy-eared bastard?" she muttered.

"I don't know," he replied nonchalantly, hoping to get her mind off of her father. "But I like him. Come on."

They followed the stream of cadets to the hanger, and stood with their assigned group receiving ships assignments. When they reached McCoy's name, she knew something was wrong.

"Commander, you didn't call my name. Kirk, James T."

The commander continued working. "Kirk, you're on academic suspension until the Academy Board rules. You're grounded." He turned and left Jim standing in shock.

McCoy walked up to her. "Jim, the board will rule in your favor…"he paused. "Most likely."

Jim looked at her feet and McCoy looked to some higher power for help. He sighed. "Look, Jim, I gotta go."

Jim straightened her shoulders and turned to look Bones in the eye. She stuck out her hand for a firm handshake, trying to be as supportive as she could be. "Yeah, you go. Be safe." His hand tightened on hers and Jim threw her arms around him, pulling him into a grounding hug. This may be the last time she would ever see her best friend, the man she… She shook her head, not allowing herself that thought. McCoy turned and walked towards his shuttle with a nod.

Of all the cadets, he thought, she should be the one there. Not him. She was made for this, while he was just a doctor, not a soldier. His combat instructor would affirm that. He was about ten meters away from the shuttle when a thought hit him. He turned and saw her standing in the same place he'd left her. 'God dammit,' he thought.

McCoy turned and walked briskly towards Jim, grabbing her arm and instructing her to follow him. He dragged her into a cargo hold for medical supplies. Forcing her into a chair, McCoy went to a cabinet and pulled out a hypospray. When she asked for a tenth time what he was doing, he said, "I'm doing you a favor. Couldn't just leave you there looking all pathetic."

Jim eyed the hypospray hesitantly.

"Let me give you an injection of the vaccine against the viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas." He jammed the hypo into her neck.

"OW-what for?"

"To give you the symptoms. You're going to start to lose the vision in your left eye."

Jim blinked hard. "Yeah, I already have. What'd you do to me?"

"You're going to get a really bad headache," he stated as Jim held her head in her hands. He caught her as she tried to stand. "And flopsweat," he added.

Jim groaned. "You call this a favor?"

"Yeah, you owe me one." He pulled Jim through a crowd of cadets back towards the Enterprise's shuttle. An officer scanned them both.

"Kirk, James T." He looked at his PADD. "She's not cleared for duty aboard the Enterprise."

McCoy bore down on the shorter man. "Medical code says the transport and treatment of a patient is at the discretion of his attending physician, which is me." He adjusted his hold on Jim's arm. So I'm taking Cadet Kirk aboard. Or would you like to explain to Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis without one of its senior medical officers?" He glared at the officer with a raised eyebrow. If Jim hadn't been focused on not throwing up everything she'd ate in the past three months, she'd have been proud.

The man pursed his lips. "As you were."

Bones looked him up and down. "As you were. Come on, Jim." He ushered her up the steps and helped her into a seat. He assisted her with the straps and she groaned.

"I may throw up on you," she said, reminding him of himself three years prior. McCoy took a moment to marvel at how things had changed since then.

The shuttle jolted its passengers as it lifted up. The Gilliam joined a long procession of shuttles, rising through the atmosphere, on their way to the space dock in orbit around Earth. When they breached the top of the atmosphere, the shuttle turned and allowed the cadets a view of their new home. The Enterprise. It took McCoy's breath away. He hit Jim with his left hand. "Jim, you gotta see this."

She leaned over, and all thoughts of illness flew away. The Enterprise was beautiful, highlighted perfectly against the black of space. The sun flared against the crisp white hull, and while she looked almost identical to the other ships beside her, something about the Enterprise called to Jim. This was meant to be.

The Gilliam pulled into the hangar bay and landed with another jolt. McCoy and Jim unfastened their belts and he helped her out of the shuttle. Jim's legs still weren't working properly and McCoy steered her through the crowd, swiftly avoiding the "pointy eared bastard".

Jim scrunched up her face. "I don't feel right, I feel like I'm leaking."

McCoy just patted her back. "Come on, we gotta get you changed."

They found a supply of unused uniforms, and McCoy thrust a black under uniform at her. After she'd changed in a small closet, he helped her to the Sick Bay. Leading her to a bed, Bones made her sit down and he prepared another hypospray.

"My mouth is itchy. Is that normal?" Jim whined.

God, sometime she was worse than Joanna when sick. "Those symptoms won't last long. I'm going to give you a mild sedative."

Jim groaned loudly, attracting the attention of several nurses. "I wish I didn't know you!"

"Don't be such an infant," Bones said with a shake of his head. He jammed the hypospray in her neck. If she only knew how much trouble he'd be in for doing this, she wouldn't be complaining. Then again, this was Jim.

Jim began to sway. "Ah! Ow. How long's this supp…" She fell back onto the bed.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

He left Jim on the bed and located his own Medical uniform. He swiftly changed and packed away his cadet reds. McCoy reported for duty with Dr. Puri, the Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise. A middle aged man with an English accent, Puri was a no nonsense sort of doctor, which McCoy appreciated. He went about his duties, organizing a quick inventory of supplies and getting his station in order. A Russian ensign made an announcement, stating the facts of their current mission. McCoy rolled his eyes, in slight disbelief that they'd have someone with such a strong accent giving shipwide announcements.

When he was finished, and at the same time the Russian kid finished the mission broadcast, he made his way back to Jim. Right on time, too, it would seem as Jim shot up with a gasp. "Lightening storm!"

"Ah, Jim, you're awake. How do you feel?" McCoy's eyes grew big. "Good God!"

Jim followed his eyes and saw that her hands had swollen to almost three times their normal size. She raised them and stared in shock. "Ah!" she screamed. "What the hell is this?"

"A reaction to the vaccine, dammit!" He ran to his station, calling for a large dose of Cortisone. Jim got up from her bed and went to the screen where the Ensign had broadcasted. She punched the screen clumsily and pulled up the message, replaying it. McCoy hurried back with a tricorder and scanned her body.

"Lightening storm," Jim repeated. She reached up and grabbed Bones by the face. "We gotta stop the ship!" She tore out of Sick Bay, McCoy hot on her heels.

"Jim!" he yelled, running after her. "I'm not kidding, we need to keep your heart rate down!" When Jim stopped at a console, he fumbled with a med kit. He found what he wanted, mumbling about her severe reaction. Jim ran away again. McCoy growled in frustration and ran after her. As soon as he caught up with her, he stabbed her with a hypo.

"STOP IT," Jim screeched.

Jim walked quickly down a corridor, past consoles and computer terminals, looking for Uhura. McCoy followed right behind, scanning her again.

Uhura was shocked to see Jim on the ship. "Kirk, what are you doing here? And, oh my God, what's wrong with your hands?"

Jim waved them to get her attention. "The transmission you intercepted from the Klingon prison planet the other night. What exactly did it say? Who is responsible for the attack and was the ship Robyulat?"

"Was the ship what?"

Jim turned to Bones. "Whaf habbenink do by mouf?"

McCoy grimaced. "You got numb tongue?"

"NUM TONK?"

McCoy ripped through his kit to find the correct hypo. "I can fix that!"

Jim turned back to Uhura and motioned at her mouth. "Waf da sip Rob-yul-mm?"

Uhura stared intently. "Romulan?" Jim nodded emphatically, and Uhura responded with an affirmative. The ship was Romulan. They were warping into a trap.

McCoy jabbed Jim with yet another hypospray. "OW! DAMMIT!"

Jim raced to the bridge, focused on bringing her conclusions to the Captain. Bones and Uhura raced after her, trying to stop her. They all ran onto the bridge.

"Captain Pike, we have to stop the ship!"

Pike stood up. "Kirk! How the hell did you get on board the Enterprise?"

McCoy reached for Jim's arm. "Sir, this woman is under the influence of a severe reaction to a vaccine. She's completely delusional and I take full responsibility."

Jim shrugged off his hand. "Bones! Vulcan isn't experiencing a natural disaster. It's being attacked. By Romulans."

"Romulans?! Cadet Kirk," Pike said firmly. "I believe you've had enough attention for one day. Dr. McCoy, take her back to medical, we'll have words later."

McCoy grabbed Jim. "Aye Captain."

She stepped out of reach. "That same anomaly-"

The Vulcan from the hearing stepped from behind a station. "Mr. Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel-"

Jim spoke over him, "Look, I get it, you're a great arguer, I'd love to do it again."

"I can remove the cadet from the bridge."

"Try it! This cadet is trying to save the bridge," Jim shouted.

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?" Spock asked.

Jim ignored him and turned to Pike. "It's not a rescue mission. It's an attack."

"Based on what facts?"

"That same anomaly- a lightning storm in space- that we saw today also occurred on the day of my birth before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin." She turned her full attention to the Captain. "You know that sir, I read your dissertation." She looked at Spock. "That ship, which had formidable and advanced weaponry, was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space and at 2300 hours last night there was an attack. Fourty-seven Klingon warbirds were destroyed by Romulans, sir. And it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship. One massive ship."

"And you know of this attack how?" Pike demanded.

Jim turned to Uhura, the first time her presence had been acknowledged. "I intercepted and translated the message myself, sir. Kirk's report is accurate."

"We're warping into a trap, sir. There are Romulans waiting for us, I promise you that."

Spock stared at Jim for a moment. Turning to Pike, he found her logic credible. "The cadet's logic is sound, and Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics. We would be wise to accept her conclusion."

Pike sighed and turned to his communications officer. "Scan Vulcan space, check if any transmissions are being made in Romulan."

The man's eyes widened. "Sir, I'm not sure I could distinguish Romulan from Vulcan."

Pike looked to Uhura. "How about you? Do you speak Romulan, Cadet?"

She nodded. "Uhura, sir. All three dialects." He nodded at the comm officer and Uhura took his place.

Pike called for contact with another ship. He was notified that all the Federation ships had dropped from warp and that no Romulan transmissions could be found. No transmissions at all could be found.

"It's because they're being attacked," Jim stated firmly.

The bridge fell silent, and all eyes turned to the Captain. "Shields up. Red alert."