Disclaimer: not mine!
The cat was there, but it wasn't alone.
Holding it in his arms was an older Vulcan; he was kneeling on one knee, and wore an expression as close to shock as the race got.
Pavel and Scotty both stared, but Jim immediately sprung into action. "Pavel, Get Captain Pike; Scotty, Admiral Archer. Now."
Both men moved immediately, neither one hesitating as they raced off to fetch the officials Jim had requested.
The Vulcan stood up slowly. "James T. Kirk." It wasn't a question.
Jim furrowed his brow. "Do I know you?"
The Vulcan almost smiled. Which was incredibly strange, as Jim knew that Vulcans did not normally openly show emotion. He had spent some time on the planet during his travels, and had acquainted himself with the subtleties of Vulcan subtext, but to see a Vulcan showing emotion was something completely new to him.
"Not yet, I would imagine," he replied. "My name is Spock."
Jim nodded thoughtfully. "There's an Instructor Spock here," he commented idly. "He's set to become First Officer for Captain Pike when the Enterprise ships off in June."
He knew he wasn't imagining the wistful look that crossed the Vulcan's face at the name of the ship. "And that was Mr. Chekov, and Mr. Scott, you sent from this room," he clarified.
Jim nodded slowly. He shifted his stance, keeping his weight balanced, just in case, but he didn't think he needed to worry. He had pretty good instincts, and they were telling him that this Vulcan wasn't a threat. "You said we weren't acquainted yet. Are you telling me you're from the future or something?"
The Vulcan nodded. "It would be simpler if I showed you. Would you consent to a mind meld?"
Jim hesitated. Mind melds were pretty intimate. It was practically like mind rape, if the person initiating it didn't take care.
The Vulcan – Spock – seemed to understand his hesitation. He gave a small half smile and took another step forward, letting the cat that was still in his arms go. It moved off to a corner of the room and proceeded to wash itself, seemingly not feeling clean after having been beamed across multiple systems. "I will of course maintain discretion. What I must tell you cannot be shared simply with words."
Jim sighed, and nodded, tilting his head slightly and baring his psi points.
It was impossible to describe what he saw. A star, bursting earlier than predicted. A grief-stricken Romulan blaming the Vulcan Ambassador who had promised them he would solve the problem. Coming up with the solution, red matter, that would solve the issue, but not being fast enough. A black hole, being sucked into an alternate reality. The Romulan, Nero, following him through the black hole. His ship being damaged in the trip, unable to go anywhere, caught by Nero. Coming face to face with the Kelvin immediately on the other side of the black hole, unable to do anything but watch as Nero destroyed it. Klingons catching them, fleeing in the scuffle, having to leave his ship behind, but escaping on a shuttle, managing to land on Delta Vega. Living in solitude for many years. Seeing the cat, picking it up, feeling confusion, and then being beamed back here.
It was impossible, as he watched, not to see other flashes; memories from before, a different James Kirk, sitting on the Bridge of the Enterprise, surrounded by another Command Crew; people he knew, and yet he didn't. He felt the emotions – sorrow, happiness, grief, joy.
Spock pulled back, apologizing. "Mind melds transfer emotions as well, I do apologize, Jim, but it was necessary, to inform you of the situation."
Jim was still processing. "So that's why," he breathed, his expression glazed over.
Behind him, the door opened, as Chris, Jon, and Richard burst in, phasers drawn, quickly followed by Scotty and Pavel, who were still confused.
The officers looked startled by the appearance of an elderly Vulcan, whose attention was completely focused on Jim.
Chris moved forward cautiously. "Jim?" he asked quietly.
Jim wasn't paying attention to the new arrivals though. His thoughts were far away as he thought about his childhood – his mother, Frank, Tarsus, all of it. Everything he had suffered, it could all tie back to his father's death. And the reason for it… "Nero," he whispered softly.
Spock nodded minutely.
Jim shook himself off, trying to pull himself together. He looked back at Spock and tilted his head to the side. "In your world, did I know my father?"
Chris inhaled sharply, and Jon and Richard shared a look.
Spock studied him for a moment before nodding again. "Yes," he replied. "You often spoke of him as your reason for joining Starfleet."
Jon stepped forward. "Excuse me, sir, but would you mind introducing yourself, and explaining how you got here?"
Spock looked over at the Admiral, and then his gaze shifted along the line. His eyes misted up a little as he saw Chris standing there on two legs, rather than in a wheel chair, before he replied. "Perhaps, Admiral, we could take this conversation somewhere a little more comfortable? What I have to discuss is not something that should be overheard."
Jim nodded, snorting. "I'll say," he muttered.
Jon agreed, though he clearly wasn't happy to be out of the loop, and pointed them in the direction of a conference room at the end of the hall.
Jim pulled Pavel and Scotty back. "This is one of those 'the fewer people who know, the better things. It's not that I don't trust you guys, it's just…" He shrugged helplessly.
Scotty nodded understandingly. "Aye laddie, fewer people have a chance at overhearing. I got it. I'm curious as all get out, but I got it."
Jim smiled weakly. "Thanks, Scotty. I promise, some day, you'll understand."
Scotty nodded and walked away. Pavel looked at him. "Are you all right?" he asked earnestly. "You look like you saw a ghost."
Jim shrugged again. "I'll be fine," he replied. It was nice that the kid was growing up, but being seventeen now, he was more perceptive than he had been when he was younger.
Pavel didn't seem to believe him, but he nodded, and left Jim to follow the officers and Spock into the conference room.
Once inside, it took considerable amount of effort to convince Jon, Richard, and Chris that the Vulcan was, in fact, from an alternative timeline.
"What makes you so sure that he's telling the truth?" Jon asked, looking at Jim.
Jim bit his lip, unable to really put into words what he had seen in the mind meld.
"He showed you," Chris realized, knowing that look. "What?" he asked, when the Admirals looked at him. "If he's to be believed, the younger version of him is going to be my First Officer, or at least, he will be as soon as I ask him. I know what a Vulcan mind meld is. You better have asked permission first," he growled, looking suddenly pissed off.
Jim rolled his eyes. "Relax, Chris. I told him it was all right. Aren't you at all curious as to where Nero is now, or what he's been doing for the last twenty five odd years?"
Richard sighed. "We'll monitor feeds, and do what we can, but really, that's the best we can offer. We have no idea where he might be."
Jim nodded. "Keep an eye on Klingon transmissions. They were captured by Klingons, so if something happens, you'll probably hear about it through them."
Jon nodded. "We'll do that. In the mean time, Ambassador Spock, I would appreciate it if you could tell us exactly what happened to bring you to this point."
Jim really didn't want to hear it again, so he stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I trust you to see to all the details. I've got some studying to do."
Jon nodded. "We'll talk to you later, Jim."
Jim nodded tightly, and left.
Chris watched him go worriedly. He wasn't sure how the kid was taking all this, but he didn't think it was well. He turned back to look at the group and saw that the older Spock was also watching Jim leave.
He raised an eyebrow, and Spock showed an almost smile. "It is a pleasure to see him again. I hope you do not take offense when I say that he is without a doubt the best Captain I have ever served under."
Chris tilted his head to one side. He felt like he was reading a story in which every other page was missing. "I'm guessing this means you served under me as well," he commented.
Spock nodded austerely. "Do not misunderstand me, it was a time I enjoyed immensely," he replied. "Jim was… different."
Jon snorted. "Understatement," he muttered under his breath.
Spock turned to look at the Admirals, something like confusion on his faces. "I will admit to some puzzlement though. The Jim of my time was not as close to Admiral's Archer and Barnett as your Jim is to you. And I know he was not familiar with Captain Pike in my timeline. Clearly, the divergence is more than just minor events."
Chris sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. "When Nero destroyed the Kelvin, I think it created something of a domino effect. Or a Butterfly effect, if you will. Honestly, I think Jim's probably the person you want to be having this conversation with. He loves these theoretical debates." The Admirals nodded, agreeing. "You mentioned something about knowing Chekov and Scott too? But you met them later?"
Spock nodded. "It would appear that Jim has met his future colleagues earlier in this life than he did in mine. It took another ten years for our crew to come together."
Chris shook his head, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of alternate realities and the space-time continuum. "Who else? McCoy? Uhura? Sulu?" He pictured those he knew Jim spent most of his time with at the Academy.
Spock nodded again, the smile on his face much more pronounced this time. "I will admit that I have missed Doctor McCoy referring to me as a hobgoblin." His eyes twinkled.
Chris felt his eyebrow climb back up to his hairline. This Spock was so much more… human, than the one he knew. It seemed incredible, that years of serving with Jim would bring out such a side of him, and yet, here he was.
Jon cleared his throat. "I think we should keep what we've learned here under a need to know policy for now," he said, looking at the others. "It's not something that should get out, you agree?"
They all nodded. "I'll have a few trusted officers in the Communications lab monitor the feeds," Richard said. "We should try to come up with some sort of plan, but I'm not really sure if there is a way to plan for this. Do we even know what Nero wants?"
"Vengeance," was Spock's calm reply. "He wants revenge on those who failed to save his wife, his family, and his race. It will not matter to him that Romulus still exists in this timeline. He will want to make me pay. He will want to make Starfleet pay." He turned his gaze to Jon. "I will, of course, understand if you feel it would be more beneficial to the Federation to turn me over rather than see the deaths of innocents."
Jon spluttered for a moment, but it was Richard who replied, his voice calm and hard. "Starfleet does not negotiate with terrorists. We have a score to settle with this Nero, and you can bet your ass we'll be collecting."
With that, he left the room, and Chris followed him out, intending on finding Jim and making sure he was all right.
Jon was left alone with the elderly Vulcan. He sighed. "George Kirk was a good man, and Richard still feels guilty that it was his recommendation that placed him on the Kelvin in the first place." Spock nodded in understanding, and Jon stood up, gesturing for Spock to follow him as they made their way out of the building. "With Chris… he and George were best friends, George was like an older brother to him. And I know he sees Jim like a son, even if he won't admit it. We're not going to turn you in, Ambassador. Nero's going to pay, if only for what he did to Jim."
Spock nodded in understanding. "His features are the same, and yet, he is not the man I once knew."
Jon looked over sharply.
Spock lifted one shoulder up slightly. "A mind meld is, I believe the human expression is, a two way street. I am able to keep the transference to a minimum, but it is impossible to block it all out." Despite his best efforts, a shudder wracked his frame. "His childhood was not a happy one."
Jon swallowed harshly. He had never really asked, and though Chris had told him and Richard a little, he had kept most of the details to himself. Still, though, it clearly hadn't been sunshine and daisies, for the kid to take off at fourteen, and to get himself emancipated at sixteen.
The Admiral sighed, and changed the subject. "We'll have to figure out how to explain your presence. It might be best if you were to get an apartment in the city, rather than stay at the Academy. We don't want people asking questions we can't answer."
Spock nodded, understanding. "I trust that you will inform me of any updates?"
Jon agreed readily, and they separated outside. Fortunately, even with the separate timelines, the Academy was still the same, so Spock was able to navigate his way around with little fuss, and made his way off the campus with no disruption.
XXX
With the spring semester now underway, fourth year Cadets were now starting to think about putting in requests for placements after graduation.
Chekov and Hikaru were panicking, just thinking about it. Both, of course, wanted the coveted spots on the Enterprise, but so did every other Cadet at the Academy.
Cadets weren't able to request placements on specific starships, but they were able to request positions on space stations, or assignments on Federation outposts, if they would rather that than be posted on a starship. If they had significant others on specific ships or assigned to specific stations or outposts, they could request to be assigned there, but only then.
Jim didn't tell any of his friends, but he knew they would be happy with their placements. He hadn't even had to convince Chris of anything; they were all at the top of their class in their chosen fields. Now if only he could convince Bones to join him in space.
Jim tried not to think about the arrival of the alternate timeline Spock. He wasn't really sure what to think, to be honest, but it was strange, after all these years, to finally know why his father had been killed.
He took all the feelings he didn't know how to let out, and threw it into his studies. He was reaching the end of a long tunnel, and ready to see the light. Chris tried to talk to him about it, but Jim just pasted a fake smile on and told him he was fine.
Chris didn't buy it for a second, but he knew there was no chance of getting Jim to talk if he didn't want to.
Jim and Gaila had a working plan for his third go around at the Kobayashi Maru, and were looking forward to it; Gaila would be with several others monitoring the test from above, and Jim was happy that Nyota and McCoy would be among the Cadets who would be on the Bridge for the simulation. He still couldn't believe the brass was so stupid as to have potential Captains sit a simulation that gave them no possibility of winning, but he was ready to show them all up.
XXX
The night before Jim's third attempt at the test, Nyota was taking a shift in the Communications lab. She wasn't expecting to hear anything outside the ordinary; the frequencies she monitored were all pretty dead for the most part – they encompassed a good deal of the Federation-Klingon border of the Neutral Zone.
Sometime around midnight, she was surprised to actually hear words. Grabbing her PADD, she began to make notes, scribbling down the Klingon as best she could for translation later. It was a language she was still working on learning, so she didn't catch everything, but what she did hear sounded like a prison break, with the majority of a Klingon Armada being destroyed in the process. They couldn't be happy about that.
She wondered if she should tell someone about what she had heard. Would anyone be interested? Deciding that it would be best to let her supervisor know, just in case, she headed off to find Lieutenant Forester.
Forester was one of those officers who thought that Cadets were there to be seen but not heard. That they should be relegated to the background, but were not capable of giving any useful information themselves.
"Thank you, Cadet, for your opinions. I will take it under advisement," the Lieutenant sneered. "Your shift should be over now, that will be all."
Nyota nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir," she replied, before turning around and heading back to her dorm.
Unfortunately for Starfleet, Forester was not one of the trusted officers Jon and Richard had informed of the situation, so he did not see the significance of the prison break, and the officers they did have were spread thin and were not monitoring that particular area of space.
XXX
Gaila took a deep breath as she waited for three o'clock exactly. Below her, Jim sat comfortably in the Captain's chair in the simulation room, a smirk on his face as he watched the Klingon Birds of Prey fly at them.
"Captain, we are receiving a distress signal from USS Kobayashi Maru. The ship is stranded and has lost power; we have orders to rescue them," Nyota remained professional, successfully hiding her lack of sleep from the night before. She hadn't been able to settle down after returning from her shift, still thinking about the prison break, and whether or not Lieutenant Forester had the right idea, or if she should have tried to go to someone else.
"The Klingon vessels are locking weapons on us," McCoy informed the room, observing his computer.
"That's OK," Jim replied.
McCoy looked over, startled. "That's OK?"
Jim shrugged. "Yeah, don't worry about it."
McCoy stared. "Do you, I don't know, want to fire back?"
"Nah, don't waste the torpedoes," Jim replied, smirking.
Up on the observation platform, Gaila was also smirking, as she listened to several Instructors comment.
"Did he just say don't worry about it?"
"Is he not taking this seriously?"
She looked down at her watch. Three o'clock. Showtime. She moved over to a computer console, and entered an equation.
Down below, Jim also checked his watch. Seeing that it was time, he looked over at Nyota. "Alert Medical bay to prepare to receive all wounded crewmembers."
Nyota stared at him. "And how do you expect to beam them out when the ship is surrounded?" her voice was probably more sarcastic than it would have been if she had had a full night's rest.
"Alert medical," Jim repeated, somehow managing to sound both Captainly and mocking at the same time.
Nyota sighed, rolling her eyes and turning around to do that, knowing that she was being graded on her performance as well.
"Three more warbirds decloaking," another Cadet informed them.
Jim nodded.
"They're firing." The simulation caused the room to appear to rock around them. "Shields at seventy percent," one of the Cadets reported.
McCoy looked at Jim. "I don't suppose this is a problem?"
Jim shook his head. "No."
The room 'rocked' again. "Forty percent," the same Cadet relayed.
McCoy rolled his eyes. "Should we, I don't know, fire back?"
Suddenly, the machines all glitched and powered down briefly, before restarting.
Jim straightened in his chair. "Armed photons, prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds."
"Yes, sir," one of the other Cadets replied.
McCoy looked over at him. "Jim, their shields are still up."
Jim glanced over at the doctor. "Are they?"
McCoy turned back to the console. "No," he sounded disbelieving. "They're not."
Jim pointed at the Cadet who was manning the weapons station. "One photon per warbird, let's not waste ammo."
"Yes, sir," the Cadet said again, chuckling.
And as the Cadets in the room watched, each warbird was systematically destroyed.
In the observation room above them, Gaila watched the Instructors with amusement. They were all amazed, shocked, surprised. Spock was harder to gauge, but she could see the disbelief in his eyes.
"How the hell did that kid beat your test?" she heard one of the Instructors ask him.
"I do not know," Spock replied.
Gaila smirked. You showed 'em, Jim, she thought. She hoped the fallout wouldn't be too bad, but as she watched him be congratulated by all the Cadets in the simulation room, she thought it might just be worth it, no matter what.
And if there were any repercussions, she'd readily admit to her involvement. She wouldn't let him take the fall alone.
XXX
Jim was celebrating his win with his friends at dinner that evening when he got called into Chris' office. By the sound of his advisor's voice, he knew the Captain was pissed.
Chris did look really ticked off when Jim walked in, and barely waited for the door to close before he laid into the Cadet.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Chris was furious. He knew that Jim had issues, but to deliberately cheat on a simulation like this… he wasn't sure he could help the kid out of the mess he had landed himself in.
Jim shrugged, avoiding Pike's gaze as he looked around his advisor's office.
Chris slammed a hand down on his desk. "I know you like to do things with a bang, Jim, but you've gone too far this time. I don't think I can help you with this."
"I didn't ask for your help, Captain," Jim replied curtly, clenching his hands into fists.
Chris almost growled. "Jim, that test –"
"Is wrong," the Cadet cut in, eyes blazing.
The Captain shook his head, standing up. "Cadet Kirk, that test has been a staple in the Command track for years. It is not for you or me to question."
Any normal person would shut up and accept punishment. Any normal person would apologize, and hope to hell that the consequences weren't too severe. Jim wasn't normal though. He was as stubborn as a mule, and he just plowed on, his voice rising slightly as he lost some emotional control. "Well, maybe somebody should. Because something needs to be done about it. Honestly, have you even thought about what that test does?"
Chris made to interrupt, but Jim spoke over him. "Is the brass really stupid enough to try and teach potential Captains that they should give up before they try? No matter what you do, you fail. That's the test, isn't it?"
Again, Chris tried to talk, but Jim was on a roll now. "And as for the rest of it, it doesn't work. You can't just order someone to be afraid and expect them to follow through. There's always a second chance, a reset button. No simulation can legislate fear." Jim was getting into stride now, and either didn't realize, or didn't care, that Jon and Richard had entered Pike's office, knowing that they would find the Cadet there, hopefully being reamed out by his advisor, and hoping to get a chance to add their own admonishments.
They arrived in time to hear the end of his tirade. "Fear doesn't work that way. It's unbiased, crippling, and gives you only two options: to give in, or fight back. It doesn't care about worlds ending or people dying. And you can let it win, or you can refuse to bow down. Fear is a choice. A decision you make. To let it in, to let yourself be overcome, or to rise above. It's not about not being afraid, it's about knowing the risks, knowing what the worst is, and not letting that stop you from doing what needs to be done. And no simulation can teach that." He swallowed harshly, his eyes flashing with anger. "Frank taught me that. Kodos taught me that." He ruthlessly ignored Chris' wince, and didn't even register the shocked looks on the Admirals' faces. "So don't you dare sit there and tell me what that test is supposed to do. Because everything I learned about fear comes from real life experiences. And you can't teach that."
Jim turned around abruptly and left the office, still not completely aware of the presence of Barnett and Archer beyond the haze of pain and anger he felt.
Richard collapsed into one of the chairs sitting across from Chris, on the other side of his desk; Jon still seemed to be in a state of shock.
Chris also sat down, burying his head in his hands as he forced the memories of the teenaged Jim Kirk lying so helpless in a biobed on the USS Seymour.
"Chris?" The Captain looked up, eyes red. He grimaced, but Richard moved forward, needing to know. "There's no hope that what we just heard was fabrication, was there."
Though it was phrased as a question, Chris knew it wasn't. He shook his head dejectedly.
Jon finally snapped out of his trance and took the remaining seat in the room. "He was on Tarsus." This also wasn't a question. Archer sighed. "How long have you known?" he asked, resting one arm on the armrest as he observed his friend.
Chris sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I recognized him when I found him," he admitted quietly. "You won't find his name anywhere, because he never told anyone. He used his aunt and uncle's surname on the planet, and I went back and looked at transport records later. There's no record of Jim Kirk arriving on the planet. Kid's smart enough to have been able to erase his name from the manifest, if he didn't want it known. He didn't want me to say anything, so I didn't. I really didn't care about Starfleet's regulations. It was George's son, the boy in any other circumstances I would have known as a nephew. My keeping his confidence got him to open up to me on other things, and we kept in touch."
Richard nodded, understanding Chris' reasons. He had liked George Kirk, a lot. He had seen in the young Lieutenant a desire to grow and learn, a determination to match his spirit, and a thirst for life that far outstripped anything else. When he had met Jim, he had been struck by just how much like his father the younger Kirk was. It pained him greatly to learn how much they had all failed George's son. Why had he been on Tarsus in the first place? Where had Winona been?
Well, that could be answered easily. She had been off planet, on a mission, like she had Jim's whole life. Leaving her sons with their stepfather, an asshole who shouldn't have been given a license to breathe, according to Chris. He had never met Winona's second husband himself, though looking into Jim's past history had painted a rather intriguing, and rather disturbing picture. Hospital visits, reports of delinquency, school records showing a rather disruptive young child.
He remembered now, seeing a gap of several years, from the time Jim was twelve, where there was no information to be found. When he was fourteen, his name began to appear once more, but the records were rather spotty – signs that he had traveled around Earth a little, and then his name appeared on transport ship records to several systems across the universe.
That gap now had a new meaning to it, as Richard reflected on what he had just learned about their young friend.
Jon sighed again, rubbing his face with one hand. "All of a sudden I understand why the kid had to take the test three times."
Chris nodded, grimacing. "I don't think he really gets the Kobyashi Maru, to be honest. I mean, on an intellectual level, he understands what it's supposed to accomplish, but he can't comprehend the idea of a no-win scenario. He's been in that position, and he's won." He smiled just a little, his eyes growing reminiscent as he thought about the young man he knew was the future of Starfleet. "I told you once that that attitude was something Starfleet's lost, and I stand by that. He's got this unique perspective of not even knowing the box exists to think outside of. If he thinks it's possible, he'll make it work."
Jon nodded his understanding. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "Commander Spock is certainly irritated that Kirk managed to beat his test." He paused for a moment. "Well, I assume he's irritated. Sometimes it's hard to tell with him."
Chris snorted. He could certainly understand that. His First Officer, despite being half human, definitely tended to lean towards the Vulcan side. He looked at the two Admirals. "Did he bring the issue to your attention?"
Richard nodded. "He wants us to carry out an investigation. I told him I'd speak to Jim's advisor, and get back to him."
Chris sighed. "I don't know. Technically, did he break any rules? Do we even know what he did?"
Jon shook his head slightly. "We think he inserted a subroutine, but we have no idea how. It would have had to have been done in the middle of the test. We think he probably had an accomplice. You should probably talk to Spock though. If he wants to press charges, we have to follow through with a review board."
Chris nodded. "I'll talk to him. And I'll try talking to Jim again. I think there's more to this than just beating the test."
Jon raised an eyebrow. "It was a pretty obvious thing to do. The kid's a genius. Even if I hadn't known it before, after having him in my class last year, it's even more evident. If he had wanted to do it subtly, we wouldn't have known it had been done."
Chris leaned back in his seat, nodding in agreement. "He could have done it without anyone realizing what had happened. I think he wanted us to know what he was doing, to get our attention. And he has a point."
"What do you mean?" Richard asked curiously.
Chris sighed. "The test. There's no way to win, and I can understand why we feel the need to test potential Captains' reactions to fear, but it's like telling them to give up before they try. Because they can't win. It just seems so wrong when you look at it through Jim's eyes."
Jon shrugged. "It's the way it's been for years. I don't think I've really thought about it like that. It takes on a different meaning if you've actually been through something real, though."
Chris rubbed his hand across his face. "If you'll deal with the rest of the brass, I'll deal with Spock."
Jon and Richard shared a look. "Commendation for creative thinking?" Jon suggested.
Richard nodded. "It definitely was out of the box," he agreed.
The Admirals left, and Chris immediately commed Spock, asking him to come to his office.
The Vulcan arrived five minutes later, coming to rest in front of the Captain's desk and refusing the offer to sit down.
Chris held in a sigh at the sight of the Vulcan. He thought about the other version he had met several months earlier. The other Spock was now living in the city, keeping out of sight, acclimating to an earlier time, a time he had lived once before.
"Commander Spock, thank you for coming so quickly. I wished to formally introduce you to someone." He held out a PADD, and Spock took it, hiding his confusion.
He looked down at the file that Chris was showing him.
Chris held in his smile. "Allow me to introduce you to Cadet James Kirk."
He waited a few minutes for Spock to read the file. Once the First Officer was finished, he set the PADD back down on the desk. "Captain, may I inquire as to why you are showing me this?"
Chris nodded slightly. "I know you're annoyed at what Jim did this afternoon." He ignored Spock's eyebrow raise at his choice of words. "I know you want to call him up before a review board, to determine whether or not he should face academic charges. I just want to acquaint you to the man before you do any of that. James Kirk is so much more than you realize, Spock. Even beyond what you see in that file. He didn't try and beat your test just to show you up."
Spock shifted in his stance slightly, clasping his hands behind his back. "Captain, are you suggesting that there is an acceptable reason for a Cadet to cheat on an academic test?"
Chris snorted lightly. "I think this falls in a gray area, Spock. I'm not sure if he actually straight out cheated. I think he used that loophole to his advantage, so I really don't think he could be punished. But yes, I think in his circumstance, it's acceptable. I'm not trying to play favorites," he rushed on when it looked like Spock wanted to say something. "But Jim is different. Your test can't beat him, Spock, because he's already faced down his own Kobayashi Maru and he's won. I really can't give you details, because it's not my story to tell, but I'm asking you as your Captain, and as his friend, to just think about it, before you go ahead and bring him up on charges."
Spock didn't give anything away as he nodded austerely and left Chris' office.
Any recognizable lines are from the movie.
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