Once again, any recognizable lines are from the movie
Disclaimer: not mine
Jim took a seat near Nyota. He nodded to her as he sat down, and threw a smirk in the direction of the scowling Cadets a few rows down. He buckled himself in, before looking back up at the young woman he had met the night before. She was watching him with a look somewhere between amusement and confusion.
"I didn't really figure you for the Starfleet type," she commented.
Jim shrugged. "Someone talked me into it," he replied vaguely.
Nyota raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. She couldn't quite put into words why she was pleased to see Jim on the shuttle, but she wanted to get to know him better.
A commotion in the back of the shuttle drew their attention for a few moments, as they watched an older man argue with a woman Jim assumed was Lieutenant Collins, the other officer in charge of this training exercise.
"Sir, for your own safety, sit down or I'll make you sit down!" Collins finally ordered.
The man scowled but obeyed, taking the only available seat, next to Jim, grumbling about diseases and danger and space. There was something about death in there too, Jim noted with amusement.
"I might throw up on you," the man informed Jim straightforwardly as he strapped himself in.
He and Nyota shared a look, before Jim turned back to the newcomer. "You know, these things are pretty safe."
The man glared at him. "Don't patronize me, kid. See if you're still sitting there so pretty when your eyeballs are bleeding. One crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. And don't even get me started on what happens when the life support systems fail. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."
Jim looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I hate to break it to you, but Starfleet operates in space."
The man shrugged. "Got nowhere else to go. Ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce." He took out a flask and took a swig. "Crazy Lieutenant over there stopped by the clinic with a Cadet last night, somehow convinced me this was a good idea."
Jim snorted, and the man gave him a sharp look. Jim shook his head, holding up his hands peacefully. "No comment," he said. "Name's Jim." He held out one hand.
The man looked at it for a moment, before he shook the offered limb. "McCoy. Leonard McCoy."
XXX
Jim wasn't surprised when he and McCoy were called out as they disembarked from the shuttle in San Francisco. Neither were officially enrolled at the Academy yet, so there were a number of things they would need to see to before classes began the following week.
"Kirk!"
Jim looked up, and rolled his eyes at the beckoning gesture Chris was giving him. He turned back to McCoy, who was looking around with a scowl on his face. "I guess I'll see you around," he commented.
McCoy nodded, before he too was called away, by a man wearing a white doctor's coat.
Jim hurried to catch up with Chris, who was waiting for him by the exit to the shuttle bay. The two walked across the campus together.
"So, can I ask what made you change your mind?"
Jim shrugged. "You can ask," he replied impishly.
Chris shook his head. "You'll have to get squared away with Admissions. You'll also need to go through the entrance evals."
Jim hid his wince. He knew the typical entrance evaluation included a psych portion as well as an interview. He hated doctors, and psychologists were the worst. He didn't want anyone trying to mess around inside his head.
Chris left him at the Admissions building, and headed back to his office.
He wasn't completely surprised to find Jon and Richard waiting for him outside the door.
They followed him inside, and barely waited for him to sit at his desk before they were asking him questions. "Did you know he was going to enlist?" Jon asked curiously.
Richard jumped in as well. "Weren't you the one who said not to bring it up? I thought he wouldn't even consider it."
Chris shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea what changed his mind," he replied. "I had to break up a bar fight when we stopped at Riverside last night, and the kid was there." Both Admirals looked interested and concerned, so Chris told them what had happened. He sighed. "I busted a few asses, handed out a few demerits, and it's all taken care of. But we left Iowa with two more Cadets then we arrived with."
Richard took a seat, letting out a sigh as he rested his hands on his legs. "I like the kid, Chris, I really do. He's smart, and charismatic, and from what I could tell when I met him, he's got a bright future. But tell me honestly, do you think he can pass the psych evals? From what you told me, and what I observed, Winona, his childhood, it really did a number on him."
Chris bit his lip, considering. "Honesty or politeness?" Richard just looked at him, and Chris sighed. "Jim's good at bluffing. Sometimes, he's so good I think he actually believes the lies himself. Yeah, his childhood screwed him over a bit. Don't ask me details, I promised him a long time ago I wouldn't say anything." He didn't need to bring Tarsus into this, the crap Frank put Jim through was enough to screw anyone up. "But Jim Kirk could be just what Starfleet needs. That attitude to leap without looking, to dive off a cliff just to feel what it's like to fly, that's something Starfleet's lost. It's something George had."
Both Admirals nodded, as they remembered the deceased Captain. George Kirk had been a bit of a daredevil, himself, an attitude his son had clearly got from him.
Jon chuckled. "I have a feeling things are going to get interesting around here."
Chris snorted. "I was thinking the same thing," he admitted. "Though I'm not altogether certain I convinced him of anything."
Jon leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
Chris shrugged. "It's like… while everyone else is playing checkers, Jim's playing chess. He always thinks five or six… or ten moves ahead. If I had to guess, I'd say he's probably been planning on joining since he was sixteen or seventeen at least, and everything he's done has worked towards that goal. Everything he does, he does for a reason. I'd keep that in mind, just for future reference."
Both Admirals nodded thoughtfully as they considered Chris' words.
XXX
With a resume like Jim's, enrollment was a breeze. As he had already consulted and contributed to the Enterprise, they didn't have to do a background check, and with his aptitude scores, the recruiter handling him was practically salivating as he processed his paperwork.
He scheduled a psych evaluation for the next day, but it was simply a formality, in the eyes of Starfleet. For all intents and purposes, James Kirk was a Starfleet Cadet, Command track with dual focuses in Tactical and Engineering. The Admissions officer had looked doubtful when Jim had told him he would focus in both and planned to graduate in three years, but fortunately hadn't protested. Honestly, the Engineering focus would be a breeze, considering he already had an advanced degree in the field.
XXX
The next time Jim ran into McCoy, he was trying to navigate his way through the throng of Cadets to get breakfast. He grinned as he saw the grumpy man scare a few younger kids out of line. He followed McCoy as the doctor made his way over to an empty table. He dropped his tray down as he slid in across from his fellow Cadet.
McCoy looked up and scowled.
Jim just grinned. "Morning Bones."
McCoy furrowed his brow, still managing to maintain the scowl. "What did you just call me?"
Jim kept smiling. "Bones. Like Sawbones. Like they used to call doctors back in the nineteenth century. 'Cause you're a doctor."
McCoy shook his head. "Stupid name," he grumbled. "What do you want?"
Jim shrugged. "Saw you sitting alone. Thought I'd say hi. I think your scowl is scaring everyone else away."
"What do I care what everyone else thinks," McCoy glowered. "Bunch of young idiots."
Jim chuckled, shaking his head as he dug into his breakfast.
McCoy huffed. "I'm here to work. Get through training and get stationed somewhere. Preferably somewhere on solid ground."
Jim smirked. "Where's the fun in that?" he asked. "Never go anywhere, see anything?"
McCoy shook his head. "God help me, you're one of those people," he muttered. He attacked his breakfast as if it had done him a personal injury. "Don't try to convince me to take to the stars, kid. Space is disease and danger –"
"– Wrapped in darkness and silence," Jim finished, smiling as he quoted the doctor's words from the shuttle ride.
McCoy glowered, but didn't have a chance to respond, as Jim chose that moment to stand up suddenly, his gaze fixed on something – or someone – across the mess hall.
"Pasha!" he called out, grinning as he hurried towards a group of Cadets.
McCoy watched him leave, before sighing and turning back to his meal.
Pavel heard a familiar voice call out, and tilted his head to the side. Pasha was a term of endearment, a nickname his parents had used when he was younger, and he remembered his sister using it as well. But he hadn't been called that in years. He looked around, confused, and then a wide smile broke out across his face as he saw Jim walking towards him.
"Jim!" he launched himself at the older man, hugging him tightly.
Jim clutched him back just as fiercely. It had been several years since they had last seen each other, and he had missed the energetic kid – teenager, now.
They pulled apart a few moments later, and Jim guided Pavel back to his table. He sat the kid down next to him and introduced him to McCoy. "Bones, this is Pavel, Pavel, Bones."
McCoy shook his head, still scowling. "It's Leonard. And how old are you kid?" The innocent looking Cadet in front of him looked like he wasn't even allowed to cross the street without holding someone's hand, let alone cross galaxies.
Pavel was still beaming. "I just turned fourteen." His accent was still as strong as ever.
McCoy was now startled that someone so young could actually enlist. "How…"
Jim shook his head slightly at his over-excitable 'little brother'. "Starfleet courted him personally because of his aptitude scores and after he completed a University degree a couple of years ago. His parents gave their consent, and he enlisted last year."
"And how do you two know each other?" McCoy asked, looking between the two.
Pavel sobered a little, as he and Jim shared a look. It was Jim who answered once more. "I… knew his sister. We met about six years ago."
McCoy nodded, thankfully not pushing, and the three stood up together, exiting the cafeteria in order to head off to their first classes.
As McCoy and Jim were in their first year, they both had to take the standard introductory classes, and had several overlaps in their schedules, even though McCoy was in the Medical track, and Jim was overloading himself taking Command, Engineering, and Tactical courses. Pavel had taken a few of the classes the year before, but he would be joining them for the Morals and Ethics class every Cadet had to take by the end of their second year.
They all said their goodbyes before separating for the morning.
XXX
Jim spent the hour he had for lunch outside on the quad with Pavel, enjoying the sun. They ate sitting on the grass and caught up on what they had missed since last seeing each other. Pavel told Jim how glad he was to see him at least six times, but Jim just took it all in stride. He had missed the kid.
"Jim?"
Jim turned around slightly, and smirked, waving Hikaru over.
The older man took a seat next to his friend, and started in on his lunch. "What in the world are you doing here? How did I not know you joined up? And how do you know boy genius here?"
Jim laughed. "Captain Pike talked me into it. I just got here yesterday, so I'm not surprised you didn't know, and Pavel and I have known each other for years."
Hikaru nodded agreeably, and they spent the rest of the hour talking and catching up. Jim had some great stories to tell about surfing in South Africa, which made Hikaru more than a little jealous.
The rest of the afternoon passed by with Instructors easing the Cadets into the new year.
Jim had his psych evaluation after his last class, and was able to bluff his way through with no problems. He had built up a persona that felt and acted so real, it was impossible to tell where the mask ended most of the time.
By the end of the day, Jim was officially a Starfleet Cadet. He received a message that afternoon confirming it, with his official class schedule, his room assignment, and his advisor. That last one threw him for a moment, since as far as he knew, Chris didn't have advisees, but then he just shrugged and figured the Captain had bullied Jon and Richard into allowing it.
Speaking of… he had put it off long enough, it was probably time he go say hello to the Admirals.
Jim made his way in the direction of Cochrane Hall, where most Admirals had their offices. He smiled a greeting at the blonde woman sitting at the welcome desk as he made his way down the hall to the 'lift and up to the fifth floor where Jon and Richard both had their offices. Chris' office was in this building as well, but on the third floor.
As expected, both Admirals were in Jon's office. Jim sometimes wondered if those two were attached at the hip or something, from what Chris said, they spent so much time together. Jim knocked lightly on the doorframe to announce his entrance before he walked in, smirking widely.
Jon looked up from his computer and Richard turned around; both smiled and gestured for him to enter, something of a moot point, since Jim had already done so.
"Gentlemen," Jim drawled.
Jon shook his head, but his smile didn't diminish as Jim dropped unceremoniously into the unoccupied seat next to Richard. "Shouldn't I be afforded more respect?" he commented, looking at Richard.
Jim's smirk was unyielding. "Don't you get bored of all the 'yes, sirs'? I'm just trying to bring a little color into your day."
Richard snorted. "You bring the whole fucking rainbow, Jim."
Jim had to resist the urge to stick out his tongue as he looked over at the Admiral. Of course, he lost the battle when Jon just had to add, "Really bright colors, too. Reds, and oranges. Little splashes of purples. Artful, truly."
Fuck it. Jim resorted to acting like the child he had never really had a chance to be, and stuck his tongue out. Both Admirals laughed, and after a moment, so did Jim.
Jon cleared his throat. "I'm glad you decided to enlist, Jim. You did some really great work on the Enterprise, I'm not sure if I told you that." Jim shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. Jon smiled. "Well, you did. I'm no slouch in Engineering, but I'll readily admit to needing help understanding all the new technology upgrades our new Flagship will have. Enterprise is Starfleet's future, and you had a hand in that. You should be proud."
Jim didn't really look it. He looked uncomfortable and embarrassed, and the Admirals could tell he wasn't used to people praising him, or telling him they were proud of him.
Richard sighed. "Well, I know I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll accomplish. I looked at your entrance paperwork. Seems a bit steep, but I figure you wouldn't have done it if you couldn't handle it. And besides, you've already got the degree in Engineering, concentrating there only makes sense. The Tactical track makes sense for Command as well. You'll be busy, but I get the feeling you like that."
Jim nodded, smiling slightly.
Richard returned the gesture. "Don't be a stranger, kid. Chris is your advisor, which is unusual, normally advisors are Instructors in the tracks Cadets are focusing in, but Chris wouldn't take no for an answer, and I figured you wouldn't have any objections." He paused for a moment, and Jim shook his head slightly, smiling. Richard chuckled. "For a Captain, he can be pretty insubordinate. We're both around as well," he indicated himself and Jon, "if you ever want to talk."
Jim nodded again, standing up. "Much obliged," he said with a hint of his earlier drawl. "Just thought I'd drop by and say hi. I'm sure I'll see you around. It's not that large a campus." He nodded to them, and turned around, exiting the office in search of dinner.
XXX
It was strange, considering how much of the last eight years he had spent traveling, how easily Jim settled into Cadet life. He fell quickly into the old friendships with Pavel and Hikaru, and made new ones with Nyota and McCoy – or as he kept insisting on calling the doctor, Bones. The man grumbled and complained, but he never forced Jim away or really tried to get him to give up using the nickname. That act said so much more than Jim thought McCoy realized. He suspected the moaning and groaning was all more for show than anything else. He also thought he may be growing on the older man.
Indeed, though he may hate to admit it, McCoy was coming to enjoy the company of the surprisingly brilliant Command track Cadet. He didn't know what to make of Jim Kirk. He was intelligent, amazingly so, and yet he seemed to hide that part of himself. He hardly ever spoke in class, though McCoy knew, at the halfway point in the first semester, Jim had been firmly cemented in the top three percent of their year. He was taking a crazy amount of classes, too, in order to graduate in three years with two focuses in a track that had a reputation for chewing up and spitting out more Cadets than all the other tracks combined.
Beyond his brilliance, he was also a people person. There were very few classmates that didn't like him. Well, maybe the ones who had gotten into that bar fight with him the night before he had joined up, but they didn't count. He had friends practically everywhere, in every year, and in every track.
Jim was friendly with many, but there were only a few that McCoy thought he was actually friends with. The doctor wasn't sure where he ranked, somewhere between acquaintance and friend at this point.
Jim was growing on him. His attitude was bright and sunny most of the time, which clashed with the doctor's disposition for seeing the blackness and despair in the world, and yet, he couldn't help but be drawn to the kid. Something about him just made the grouchy man want to stick around.
It was interesting to watch Jim with Hikaru and Pavel. Interesting, and more than a little frightening, if McCoy was being honest with himself. Sulu seemed to have been born without a fear gene, and unfortunately, so had Kirk, so when those two got together, it just spelled trouble. McCoy had had to deal with the two of them needing to be patched up after a hang gliding adventure one time, and another, they had gone rock climbing without the proper safety equipment.
Unfortunately, his agreeing to patch them up when they refused to go to the clinic had resulted in them coming to him for everything from there on out, and he had become the de facto doctor for all three. After seeing Jim's medical file, he had to admit, it was safer to just take on the kid as a patient, rather than let him go to another doctor, only to have some incompetent moron kill him through sheer idiocy. Seriously, how was it possible for one person to be allergic to that many medications? And the fact that the kid hated doctors and was more likely to try and hide any injuries didn't help matters at all.
Pavel was the baby of the group, much younger than the rest, but still just as eager for a bit of danger. And with a brain his size, that was just asking for trouble.
Of course, put Chekov and Jim together, and their brains spelled disaster for anyone in a two planet radius. McCoy didn't even want to know what those two were talking about whenever he caught them plotting. More often then not, he and Sulu would be lost listening to them sling equations back and forth, but something about their gleaming eyes was not comforting.
Still, after his divorce, having to leave his whole life behind in Georgia, and having nothing else to live for, it was nice to actually have friends again. To be included. And with Jim, he really felt like it was for more than just his skills as a doctor. It wasn't just that the kid needed someone to patch him up after his reckless stunts. He actually felt like Jim wanted him around. And he liked it.
Perhaps it was because he actually had something of a social life, more to do than just study, but the first semester wrapped up before McCoy knew it, and soon enough, he was starting a new one.
There was a short break in between the semesters, where most Cadets went home to their families. McCoy and Jim were some of the few who stayed, along with a few others whose family did not live on a nearby planet, or who, like those two, did not have any family to go home to.
Jim seemed a little happier over the break, and McCoy, who still wasn't quite close enough to call a friend yet, knew that he was glad to have the room to himself, as his roommate had gone home. He didn't know what was going on, but figured it was the typical roommate issues.
He was therefore surprised when Jim turned up late the first night of the break with a pillow and a blanket; he smiled tightly and pushed passed McCoy, tossing the pillow and blanket onto the floor of McCoy's single room, following quickly behind.
McCoy went back to his bed and lay down, confused, but he shrugged it off. He didn't really mind having the guest, and it wasn't like Jim had tried to steal his bed.
When the new semester started, McCoy expected Jim to go back to his own room, but he couldn't admit to disappointment when on that first night of the new term, Jim was there with his blanket and pillow, same as he had been for the last week and a half. He wondered occasionally if Jim got tired of sleeping on the floor, and he more than once quoted the issues that arose from sleeping on hard surfaces, but Jim just smiled and told him not to worry about it. It gave McCoy the impression of a story that he wasn't sure he'd want to hear, so he let it go.
XXX
Jim scowled at the rain as it drove down in sheets on the washed out campus. Fortunately, as harsh as the Instructors could be, even they wouldn't make the Cadets train in this weather. His hand-to-hand combat class had been moved inside that afternoon; he had considered skipping, but he liked the class too much to actually follow through. Normally, he wouldn't even think about it – despite what some may think, Jim worked hard for his top of the class rank. But today was a day he really hated.
The recognized end to the Tarsus IV tragedy. That's what they called it. Tragedy.
Fuck tragedy. It was a god damned massacre.
Jim hated that Morals and Ethics was a year long class, since that meant it met today as well, and, as they had been doing all week, he knew today would involve more debating about the decisions made by Kodos and the colonists. It took everything Jim had just to make it through each class this week without breaking down, but today, on the actual day… he didn't think he could do it.
Jim sighed, and pulled out his comm. He sent a message to Pavel, telling him he wouldn't be in class that afternoon, before he gathered up his bag and headed out into the torrential downpour.
He didn't have a real destination in mind, and barely noticed as he quickly became soaked. He just walked, wandering away from the Cadets hurrying to and from their classes. He left his classmates behind and in his memory-induced haze, found a slightly covered square that had escaped the worst of the weather. The grass was damp, but little rain found its way to him as he dropped down to the ground.
XXX
Chris sighed as he labored his way through the pile of work on his desk. He had agreed to take this position while waiting for the Enterprise to be completed, but all the paperwork was a real downside. He briefly contemplated on their continuing to refer to it as paperwork, considering the fact they hadn't used real paper in over a hundred years, before rubbing his hand across his face and deciding he just hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before.
He had to deal with paperwork as a Captain, but a lot of that was just signing off on his command crew's reports. And the rest of it he was actually interested in. Plus, as a Captain, he had much better scenery around him – he would much rather look at the Andromeda Galaxy than the washed out quad of Starfleet Academy.
Chris looked up, thankful, as someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he called out. He was surprised to see Flynn walk in. He hadn't seen the Lieutenant since their service on the Seymour, years ago. He smiled. "Flynn, I didn't know the Seymour was docked at Earth."
Flynn nodded, taking a seat in front of the desk as he returned the smile easily. "We arrived last night. I thought I'd stop by to say hi, and personally congratulate you on your appointment. Flagship, and all that, it's really great Chris."
Chris' smile widened. "Thanks, Flynn," he replied.
Flynn shifted in his seat. "I was wondering if you were planning on going to the Ethics class this afternoon," he hedged, looking for a sign from the Captain.
Chris just looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you get a message from Instructor Lewis? He sent one to several of us on the Seymour who were on Tarsus, since we were going to be back on Earth today. You know they're talking about the massacre in class this week, right? 'Cause it's the anniversary and all?" He waited for Chris to nod, which he did, slowly, still looking a little confused. Flynn took a deep breath. "Lewis asked me if I'd be willing to come in and talk to the class about what I experienced. I'm surprised you didn't get the same message, since you're already here."
Chris furrowed his brow, typing away on his computer. He didn't remember seeing any message of the sort, but he got so many, it was possible he had deleted it without even realizing it. He felt his stomach drop down to his feet when he saw the message Flynn had been talking about; he had apparently deleted it, several days earlier. He looked up, and grimaced. "I must have accidentally deleted it," he acknowledged.
Flynn shrugged with one shoulder, and chuckled lightly. "Happens," he said. "You going to come anyway?"
Chris bit his lip, thinking. After a moment, he shook his head. "I have something else I have to take care of this afternoon," he said, standing up. "I don't mean to push you out the door, but I should get going."
He grabbed his comm., and followed Flynn, as the Lieutenant also stood and made his way out of the office. The two separated in the hallway, and Chris knew he would have to hurry. He couldn't believe he had forgotten what today was.
How could he have been so stupid? Morals and Ethics was a yearlong class, which meant Jim was still taking it. Which meant he had spent the whole week talking about Tarsus without telling Chris. Damn it, the Captain wished Jim had come to him. He could have made some excuse for him to pull him out for the week.
Chris tried to call Jim, but the Cadet didn't answer. With no other options, Chris headed out into the pouring rain and started searching.
XXX
It was Pavel who found Jim first. When he had gotten Jim's message, he immediately abandoned Hikaru with a feeble excuse, and headed for the Navigations lab. The week had been hard for him as well, though of course, not as hard as it had been for Jim. If Jim wasn't planning on showing up to class today though, well, Pavel had better things to do than sit around and listen to a debate waged by people who really had no idea what they were talking about. He'd rather be there for Jim.
He didn't know where his 'big brother' was, so he headed to the Navigations lab to track his location from his communicator. Unless Jim really didn't want to be found, Pavel knew he would be able to use the comm. to find him.
It seemed to pay off; Jim was staying in one spot, an out of the way location in between two buildings on the west side of the campus, near Cochrane Hall.
Pavel quickly deleted all signs of his search before exiting the building and making his way to the location Jim's signal was coming from.
Pavel was glad to see that the older man was still there when he arrived; he made sure to make noise as he walked up, but wasn't sure he succeeded over the rain, as Jim jumped slightly as he sat down.
Jim looked over and raised an eyebrow; Pavel was shocked to see what looked like tears in his friend's eyes. It was a startling truth to realize that Jim was still human. A human who had been through an unspeakable tragedy. Who had seen the worst of humanity, and somehow come through to the other side.
He realized that this week had been harder for Jim than he had even realized. Jim probably hadn't ever thought he'd have to think about it again, or at least, he hadn't thought he'd have to talk about it, discuss it, debate it. He'd worked so hard to move on, to make something of himself, and now here he was, having to listen to people sit in a classroom, talk about his life as if it were just a simple exercise in theory.
Pavel didn't say anything, but just his presence was soothing for Jim. He took comfort in the younger teenager's company, as the two listened to the rain drive down on the pavement beyond their little protected covering.
I was going to keep going, but I think I love cliffhangers too much! Please review!