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If it weren't for the situation, Jim would have found the free fall from space beautiful.
It was exhilarating, and the sun sparkled over the planet. The one downside was the gigantic drill that marred the view.
Back on the ship, Spock watched the progress from the Captain's chair, keeping his emotions in check. His parents were on that planet. His race, his history.
"The Away team is entering the atmosphere, sir," Chekov informed him. "Approaching the platform at twenty thousand meters."
Jim and the others continued to fall for another thirty seconds or so. "Kirk to Enterprise, Distance to target, five thousand meters."
"Forty six hundred meters," Chekov reported, feeling his heart beat painfully in his chest. Jim and Hikaru were both out there. His friends. They had to come back.
"Forty five hundred meters to target," Hikaru chimed in almost immediately after Pavel spoke.
All three of them were breathing heavily by now.
"Four thousand meters," Jim informed them.
"Three thousand meters!" Olsen shouted, sounding giddy.
"Two thousand meters," Jim called out.
"Pull your Shute!" Hikaru said, doing so himself.
Jim complied, but Olsen was caught up in the rush, and continued to fall.
"Pull your Shute Olsen!" Jim yelled.
"No, I've got this!" the Engineer cried out, laughing.
He continued to fall, the adrenaline pulsing through his veins. "A thousand meters. One thousand meters!"
He pulled his Shute, but it was too late. He didn't have enough time to slow down, and ended up bouncing off of the platform; unable to grab hold of anything, he slid down and fell over the edge.
"No!" Jim gasped, watching him fall and unable to do anything.
On the ship, Chekov saw Olsen's signal blink out. "O-Olsen is gone, sir," he reported, looking at Spock.
Jim grimaced as he watched the engineer disappear over the edge of the drill, but reminded himself that there was still a job to do.
When he landed, he almost went the same way. The wind was so fierce, it grabbed at his Shute and knocked him off his feet. Fortunately, he was able to grab a hold of a vent to stop himself from actually going over the edge. He retracted his Shute, and breathed out a sigh of relief.
It was short lived, however, as a Romulan appeared out of a door at that moment. Jim immediately engaged, but Romulans, like their cousins the Vulcans, were much stronger than humans.
Jim took several hits, and vaguely noticed Hikaru landing as well, though it involved cutting off his Shute to avoid being roasted in one of the exhaust fires. He thought it may have something to do with him and the Romulan grappling for the high powered phaser the extraterrestrial was carrying, and the weapon discharging, firing holes in the parachute, but he'd let Hikaru blame him later. That would mean there was a later, and he'd take it.
And then he was falling over the edge, holding on for dear life, and looking up at the smirking Romulan above him.
The Romulan stomped down and he moved his hand just in time to avoid it being crushed.
The Romulan lost his smile and stomped again. Jim moved his hand, but the third time, he wasn't so lucky. He let out a cry as the Romulan's foot met its target, but he didn't let go of the drill.
Suddenly, a shiny bar of metal protruded from the Romulan's chest. Jim looked on in wonder as the Romulan's expression changed to shock, before he fell forward. Jim let go of the drill with one hand to avoid being struck by the Romulan as he fell to the planet's surface below.
Hikaru was standing above him, looking decidedly smug. "Fencing," he said simply, before reaching down with one hand to help Jim up.
Once back on the drill, Jim nodded, breathing heavily. "I'll never doubt you again."
Hikaru smiled shakily. "I figured it was about time I saved your ass, you know." He looked around. "What do we do? Olsen had the charges."
Jim looked around as well, and then moved over to pick up one of the heavy phasers the Romulans had been carrying. "This," he replied, and then began firing it at the drill.
Hikaru followed his lead, and roughly thirty seconds later, their success showed as the drill spluttered and died.
Back on the Enterprise, Uhura fiddled with the buttons at her station. "The jamming signal is gone," she reported. "Communication and transporter capabilities are reestablished."
"Chekov, run gravitational sensors, I want to know what they are doing to the planet," Spock ordered.
"Yes, Commander – sorry, Captain, sorry, Captain," the Russian corrected, flushing as he forgot to use the proper term for the now Captain of the ship.
Spock raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, as the Russian typed away.
Down on the drill, Jim and Hikaru were catching their breath. Jim opened up his comm. to tell the transporter tech to beam them back up, when he saw something fall down from the Romulan ship. He furrowed his brow, and spoke to the Bridge instead.
"Kirk to Enterprise, they just launched something at the planet, into the hole they just drilled." He had a bad feeling about this. From what he had learned from the older, alternate timeline Spock, they had captured both him and his ship when they had come through the black hole. And on his ship was a very dangerous, very advanced piece of technology, capable of destroying an exploding star. Who's to say it couldn't do the same to a peaceful planet as well?
On the ship, Chekov gulped, unable to believe the readings he was getting. "Captain, gravitational sensors are off the charts. If my calculations are correct… they are creating a singularity that will…" he turned around and looked at the Vulcan. "… consume the planet. "
Spock froze. "They are creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?" His voice was soft and nearly emotionless, though they could hear a hint of fear in it.
Chekov nodded, wide eyed. "Yes, sir."
"How long does the planet have," Spock asked, still in a state of shock.
Chekov shrugged helplessly. "Minutes, sir."
Spock stood up immediately and turned to Uhura. "Alert Vulan Command Center to signal a planet wide evacuation signal, all channels, all frequencies."
Uhura followed him as he rushed to the 'lift. "Spock, wait."
"Maintain standard orbit," Spock ordered.
"Where are you going?" Uhura asked as Spock reached the 'lift.
"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council," Spock replied. "They are tasked with protecting our cultural history; my parents will be among them."
"Can't you beam them out?" Nyota asked, fearing for him.
Spock looked down briefly, and shook his head. "Impossible. They will be in the Katric Ark." He looked behind her at the Bridge. "Chekov, you have the con." He then turned back to Nyota, and paused for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how, so he let the 'lift doors close, taking him to the transporter room.
XXX
The drill began to retract.
Jim barely had a moment to think, shit, before Hikaru stumbled and fell over the edge.
"Jim!" the pilot cried out.
"Damn it," Jim muttered. He didn't even have to consider his options. Hikaru didn't have a Shute anymore. He had no chance.
Jim took two steps and he was jumping off the platform after his friend. "Hikaru!" he called, looked around, trying to get a lock on him.
He saw his friend further down, arms and legs spread out, trying to get enough air resistance built up to slow his fall.
Jim smiled slightly, and angled himself so that their paths would intersect. As he neared Hikaru, he called out to the transporter tech. "Enterprise, you're gonna have a really short window here to beam us up, so I hope you're ready."
He collided with Hikaru at that moment, and the older man held on for dear life.
"Got you!" Jim cried. "Now pull my Shute." It wouldn't hold both of them, but he hoped it would slow their fall down long enough for the Enterprise to get a lock on their signals.
Of course it didn't work that way. It barely held for a second, before the Shute ripped off.
"Damn it," Jim cursed. "Enterprise, we're falling without a Shute! Beam us up! Where the hell are you!"
Back on the ship, Chekov was watching the descent with fear in his gaze and his stomach. His friends. Jim, his brother. He forced himself to push it all back, and looked at it solely from a mathematical view. Feeling the hope outweigh the fear, he jumped up in excitement. "I can do that!" he cried. "Take the con," he called out, not sure who he was talking to, before he ran flat out for the transporter room, repeating the words, "I can do that," over and over again, like a mantra.
Jim and Hikaru kept spinning towards the planet, and Jim was trying really hard not to panic. It wasn't that he was afraid of dying. He'd been in that position before. What he was afraid of was his friend dying. Hikaru had to be all right.
Barely a second before their impact, he felt and saw the telltale swirling of bright lights surround them, and both he and Hikaru disappeared from the plains of Vulcan, to reappear on a transporter pad on the Enterprise. Well, technically, they smashed into the pad, but Jim wasn't complaining, since both of them were alive to tell the tale.
He got up on his hands and knees, wincing as the hand the Romulan had crushed throbbed in pain.
Next to him, Hikaru also moved slowly, breathing heavily. "Thanks," he said shakily. "You didn't have to do that."
Jim shook his head. "Yes I did."
At the technician's console, Chekov was beaming, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "I did it!" he grinned.
Jim looked up. "You used the gravitational fluctuation of the planet to lock onto our signal?" he guessed.
Chekov nodded forcefully, still grinning happily.
Spock entered the room at that moment. "Clear the pad," he ordered tersely. "I am beaming down to the planet to evacuate the Vulcan High Council."
Jim swallowed, and did as he was told, pulling Hikaru with him. He knew not to argue. He had spent some time on the planet when he was traveling, several years earlier, and he knew that when there were times of extreme stress, the High Council would retreat to the Katric Ark, a place not accessible to transporter beams. In order to evacuate, they would need to be informed personally. The High Council was also tasked with the preservation of the culture of the very race. Leaving them behind was not an option.
"Be careful," he said simply.
Spock looked at him strangely, as if he wasn't sure what to make of the Cadet, but didn't say anything beyond, "Energize," before he disappeared in a whirlwind of bright lights.
Jim pulled Hikaru back behind the glass wall, where they waited for their Acting Captain to return.
He glanced over at Pavel and smiled tightly. "Nice job, Pavel. Never doubt a math prodigy, right?"
Pavel grinned, happy with the praise. He had had to deal with a lot of teasing growing up, but Jim had just told him that one day, they'd all be working for him.
Jim reached over and commed the Bridge for an update. With Spock down on the planet, technically, he was in command. "Kirk to Bridge." There was a moment's pause where no one replied, and he looked over at Pavel. "Who's in charge up there?"
Pavel shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know who I handed the con to," he admitted.
Jim shook his head. "Uhura, what's the status on the Bridge?"
Uhura replied quickly, giving him an update, telling him that they were maintaining standard orbit, and awaited further orders. Jim nodded decisively. "You've issued a planet wide evacuation, correct?" She replied affirmatively. "Make sure shuttle bay knows to prepare for any vessels. For now let's put any survivors in guest quarters, and maybe we can segregate Observation Decks. Monitor frequencies, and don't hold back if you hear anything."
"Yes, sir," Uhura replied, not even realizing that she was calling him 'sir'. No one had been informed of his change in status to First Officer at this point.
Jim sighed. "And since Chekov didn't officially hand it over, Uhura, you have the con."
"Yes, sir," Uhura replied again, smiling slightly.
The transporter technician looked over at Jim. "Sir, we're getting multiple requests for beam up from the planet."
Jim nodded. "Do it," he ordered. "As many as you can. We'll deal with capacity issues later. For now, let's get that planet evacuated."
XXX
On the Bridge, Uhura notified the shuttle bay to prepare to receive multiple vessels, and handed the station back over to the Communications Lieutenant she had taken it from, so that he could monitor frequencies for requested aide. She would be there to assist, but as she had been given the con, she needed to be free to issue orders.
XXX
Spock materialized outside the Katric Ark, and wasted no time in heading inside. Already, the planet was shaking from the device the Romulans were using to destroy it. He had no idea why they were doing it, or what he had done – or perhaps would do would be a better way to put it – to make them so angry, but there was little time.
The Elders were all circled around in the middle of the room. He ran up to them, searching for his parents.
"Spock!" his mother cried out, startled.
"The planet has only minutes left," he informed them brusquely. "We must evacuate."
They recognized the need for haste, and followed him quickly out of the chamber. His mother took his hand as he held it out for her, and they dodged falling rock as they ran.
One Elder was crushed by a falling beam, and another was separated by crumbling boulders, but the rest made it out, to see the devastation being wrought by the enemy.
Amanda Grayson, wife of Sarek, mother to Spock, looked around at the shaking planet with wide eyes. How could so much destruction be caused by so few? The ground beneath her began to shake, and she turned quickly, trying to make for more stable ground, but it was too late.
Spock reached, crying out for his mother, but was unable to grasp onto her as the ground beneath her fell away, even as the transporter locked onto their signal, taking them to safety.
XXX
In the transporter room, Pavel felt his heart jump into his throat. "I'm losing her!" he cried, trying to lock onto her signal the same way he had caught onto Jim and Hikaru's. But he couldn't get it to work again.
The rest of the Council appeared, along with Spock, but Amanda was gone.
Chekov looked up, his angelically young face pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Jim watched Spock lower his hand slowly from its position, still outstretched, reaching for his mother. He couldn't even imagine what the Vulcan must be feeling right now.
He didn't want to do it, but they were still maintaining orbit over a planet that was seconds away from imploding, and if they didn't leave immediately, they would be taken along with it. He knew Spock was in no position to make the call, so he leaned over to comm. the Bridge. "Kirk to Bridge, get us out of here."
The Council began to file off the transporter pad, but didn't go far.
Spock was the last to step off. "If you will excuse me," he informed the group. "I must return to my duties on the Bridge."
He sounded emotionless, but Jim knew he was trying very hard not to break down.
Once Spock had left, Jim sent Hikaru to check in at Medical, and Pavel back to the Bridge.
Hikaru gave him a look, and Jim shrugged. "I promise, I'll stop by as well, but it's not that bad." Hikaru continued to glare, and Jim grimaced. "Hairline fracture," he protested.
Hikaru shook his head, but left.
Jim turned to the Vulcan High Council. Several of them were looking rather ill, and Jim knew that was from the planet imploding. As an empathic species, they would have felt it as the majority of their kind died when the planet did.
He looked at them compassionately, and spoke in Vulcan. "I grieve with thee." He said sympathetically. Sarek was the only one to snap out of his state of shock enough to look at him, but the others appeared to hear what he was saying. "We are doing our best to see to the needs of the survivors we were able to save. I will have an Ensign show you to a private Observation Deck, where you will be left alone. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask."
Sarek nodded austerely, and Jim beckoned one of the transporter techs over. A whispered conversation later, and he was having the man show the Council to a private OD where they would be able to be alone, without anyone bothering them.
Once that was taken care of, Jim, as promised, stopped by Medical to see to his hand. It wasn't that bad, he had definitely had worse. But he had told Hikaru he would, and he knew Bones would throw a fit if he found out that Jim had been hurt and hadn't come to see him.
McCoy glowered at him as he entered and pointed at a biobed. "Sit down," he ordered.
On the next bed, Hikaru smiled slightly.
Jim looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd show up?"
Hikaru shrugged. "I had my doubts," he replied. "You're not exactly the medical-loving type."
Jim grimaced. "Hypos," he shivered.
McCoy slapped him lightly on the arm. "Hold still. No needles if you're a good boy. Now what did you do this time?"
Jim shook his head. "It's just a fracture," he protested.
McCoy raised an eyebrow, and took the hand Jim was holding out, prodding it gently. "How the hell did you know that?" he muttered.
Jim shrugged with one shoulder. After you were injured enough times, you got to know the difference between fractured and broken bones.
McCoy shook his head. "I'll wrap it for now. I'm guessing you don't have enough time to sit under the osteoregenerator at the moment."
Jim replied negatively. "We need to get back."
McCoy nodded, and wrapped the limb. "Where's the hobgoblin?" he asked. "He's been through a lot, I need to give him a check over too."
Jim shrugged. "He went back to the Bridge, and he's a Vulcan, Bones. Not a hobgoblin."
McCoy growled. "God damn it. I'm coming with you two. If he wants to stay in that chair, he better consent. And I'll call him whatever I damn well want."
Jim smiled. He always liked it when the doctor directed his ire at someone else.
McCoy bellowed down Medbay for someone named M'Benga, whom Jim gathered was an intern by the way the doctor spoke to him, to take charge while he was gone, and soon enough, the trio was making their way up to the Bridge.
When they arrived, most of the officers were quiet. Spock was sitting in the Captain's chair, still looking slightly shell-shocked.
Hikaru's replacement immediately stood up as soon as he arrived, as did Jim's.
Jim didn't return to his station, though. He stood next to Spock, wanting to say something, but knowing that the best place to do so wasn't in public.
He sighed mentally. "So what's the plan?" he asked.
Spock looked at him, standing up so that they were on the same level.
"The most logical thing to do in this instance is to regroup with the rest of the Fleet in the Laurentian system," he stated calmly.
Jim shook his head. "Based on what we know, Nero is from the future; if he already knows what's going to happen, then the logical thing to do would be to be unpredictable."
"You are assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold," Spock replied. "On the contrary, I believe that Nero's very presence here has in fact precipitated an event that no one could have predicted. A divergence from the time stream, beginning with the attack on the Kelvin, and leading up to this very moment, that indicates a timeline independent of his actuality."
"An alternate reality," Uhura realized, eyes widening.
Several officers gasped, but Jim just stepped forward before anyone could say anything else. "Captain, could I speak with you in private for a moment?" he asked courteously, but the look in his eyes said quite clearly that he would not take no for an answer.
Spock nodded austerely. "Mr. Sulu, you have the con." And then he followed Jim into the Captain's ready room.
As soon as the door was closed and locked, Spock immediately continued his arguments from the Bridge. "Cadet Kirk, I understand that you are unfamiliar with the nuances of ship life, but I am –"
"I grieve with thee."
Spock stopped midsentence; surprised not only at the interruption, but the fact that Kirk had just spoken in perfect Vulcan. He also seemed to possess knowledge of Vulcan customs, since the Cadet had offered up a phrase used by his people in times of grief.
Jim sighed and leaned against the desk. "Spock, I understand your conclusions, but it won't work. There simply isn't enough time." He shook his head, overriding anything Spock might have said. "Spock, you're emotionally compromised. And before you start spouting something about how emotions are illogical, don't. Just because you don't show them, doesn't mean you don't have them." He leaned forward, crossing his arms, his eyes warm and compassionate. "There's no shame in admitting that you miss her, Spock. There's no shame in feeling pain."
Spock needed a minute to be certain his emotions were under control. "If you are presuming that what happened to Vulcan will inhibit me from captaining this ship, then you are –"
Jim once more interrupted. "What happens if Nero gets to Earth first?" Spock blinked, closing his mouth. "Based on the trajectory, that's where they're going, isn't it? Spock, what happens if Nero reaches Earth, and then does the same thing to Earth that he did to Vulcan." Spock almost flinched, but Jim continued, unrelenting. "We're their only chance, Spock. The rest of the Fleet is too far away to help; by the time we regroup, there won't be an Earth left. No Starfleet, nothing. And then what's to stop Nero from moving on to destroy every other planet in the Federation?"
Spock shook his head. "We cannot hope to counter Nero's attack as we are. He has the advanced technology and weaponry; we are of no threat to him."
Jim smirked. "Of course we are, Spock. Why didn't he immediately destroy us when he had the chance?"
Spock wasn't sure where the Cadet was going with this. "He miscalculated. The most logical move would have been to destroy the Enterprise at first opportunity." The words hurt, but he forced them out.
Jim shook his head. "It's strategy. You make sure your enemy is broken before you move in for the kill. But you are right when you say he miscalculated." Jim smirked. "He gave us an opportunity to fight back. His mistake. He apparently knows us from his Federation's history. Clearly, we are a threat to him." Spock didn't seem as convinced, so Jim just plowed on, needing to get the Acting Captain to understand.
"Spock, I understand what you're going through. And truthfully, I should probably consider myself compromised as well, but one of us needs to lead this ship, and I've been through this before." Spock quirked an eyebrow, and Jim sighed. "Do you know how I first met Chris?" The Vulcan shook his head, choosing not to comment on the Cadet's familiarity with their absent Captain. There were more important things to worry about right now than using the respectful title. "I was fourteen. Starfleet had just shown up six months late to the worst massacre in Federation history, and it was a shit show, to be perfectly honest. Things had gone to hell in a hand basket, and I was more than a little out of it by the time Starfleet did arrive." Jim shook his head. "I can't tell you exactly what I said to the Captain who asked me these questions about who I was and what had happened, because honestly, I don't remember all that much." His eyes were hard as he vaguely remembered tearing into the Captain about how he had no right to demand anything, considering he and his crew had shown up six months too late to do anything useful. There was definitely something about Starfleet only showing up for the condolences and funerals in there, but he had been sort of out of it at that point, drugged to the gills to counter the torture he had endured.
Spock's brow furrowed as he listened. Though Kirk hadn't told him where this was taking place, he didn't need to hear the specific name to know what the Cadet was talking about. Captain Pike had told him that Cadet Kirk could never be beaten by his simulation because he had already faced down his own Kobayashi Maru and won. Given what he was hearing now, it wasn't that hard to put it into context. And if what he was hearing was true… yes, there was no way any simulation could teach the Cadet how to remain calm in the face of fear. Not when he had already learned by feeling the real thing. By knowing that the alternative was death, not a reset button.
Jim sighed again, his eyes overly bright as he stared at the empty space beyond Spock's left shoulder. "Chris was the one who found me on that planet, unconscious and more than half dead. He didn't ask me any questions. He already knew who I was. He and my dad were best friends, and he recognized me. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but Chris never told his superiors what he knew. They continued to pester me all the way back to Earth, but Chris was just there. We talked about stuff, and he never treated me like an invalid. But what got me to trust him was that he never told anyone that he knew who I was. All these years, and he's never told anyone I was there. We kept in touch afterwards, and he's the one who convinced me to join Starfleet."
Jim straightened up, clenching his hands as his jaw tightened, his gaze hardening as he looked at the Vulcan. "Nero took him, Spock. The closest thing to a father figure I've ever known. I know I'm emotionally compromised, but I don't care. I need him back. This isn't about Starfleet, or Captain Pike. This is about me, and Chris. And I need him."
Spock nodded slowly, shifting his stance. He suspected Cadet Kirk had not intended to share so much, but he was strangely… honored, that the younger man had parted with so much information. That the enigmatic man trusted him enough to share such a sensitive topic.
Jim slumped again, leaning back against the desk, his eyes bright and determined as he observed the Vulcan. "Spock, we're Chris' last hope. We're Earth's last hope. We're the Federation's last hope. You know it's true."
Spock thought it over for a few moments in silence, considering. Truthfully, without the haze of grief hanging over him, he knew the Cadet was right. He was shamed that he hadn't come to the conclusion himself, but he wasn't too proud to concede his mistake. He met Kirk's gaze head on. "I trust you have a plan, Captain?" he asked blandly, acknowledging the change in leadership.
Jim grinned. "I might have an idea or two," he replied impishly.
Spock nodded, tilting his head to the side as they made their way back onto the Bridge. The two might never talk about what had happened in that ready room again, but both knew that their relationship had changed. While before, it had been nonexistent, simply two people who had chosen the same profession, a bond had been forged between the pair in that conversation, a new friendship had been formed. Jim had trusted him with a secret he had kept for years, and Spock would hold his confidence. He was somewhat startled to realize that he wanted to endeavor to earn the now Acting Captain's trust.
The pair returned to the Bridge, drawing every eye to them.
Spock ignored all the questioning gazes, and instead turned to McCoy, who was still standing behind the Captain's chair. "Doctor McCoy, please note for the logs that I am resigning my commission, and returning to my post of First Officer. Pursuant to Starfleet regulations, due to the field promotion given to him by Captain Pike, Cadet Kirk, as the acting First Officer, will assume command in my place." Everyone continued to stare, but Spock offered up no further explanation, and simply turned to Jim, waiting for orders expectantly.
Jim took a deep breath to steady himself, and faced what was now his crew with a steely determination. "All crew to your stations. We need to use every means capable to catch up to that ship. Either Nero's going down, or we are."
With that, he immediately headed over to Pavel, and the two put their heads together, coming up with theories and equations as if it were just another theoretical exercise. Hikaru listened to them with half an ear, though he really didn't understand most of what they were saying; McCoy gave his best friend one last look full of worry, before he reluctantly returned to Medical; he had his own duties to carry out, as Acting CMO.
Spock returned to the Science station, listening to Chekov and Kirk as he performed his own duties. He was inwardly amazed at what he was hearing; those two appeared to have an inherent grasp of physics and engineering, coming up with theories that seemed impossible at first glance, but he had no doubt that they would find a way to make it work.
After a few minutes, Chekov and Kirk decided that they had a working idea, running off the theory that Nero would be heading towards Earth, so they separated, Chekov and Sulu laying in the course, and Kirk went back to his new chair, leaning against the armrest as he communicated with Scotty, now acting as Chief Engineer, as their Chief Engineer had been killed over Vulcan.
For a while, business continued on the Bridge. Jim moved from station to station, checking in with each officer to receive an update, an act which convinced Spock, more than anything else, that Kirk was a good man to have in charge. He hadn't even sat down once in the chair he so coveted.
It was as they neared their destination – and wouldn't this be a feat in itself, dropping out of warp in precisely the correct location without crashing into the planet Saturn – that Kirk and Spock were once more conversing on what they would do when they caught up to Nero.
"Is this what humans would call a 'plan B'?" Spock asked curiously, looking at the Acting Captain.
Jim shrugged. "Technically, this is more like plan K."
Hikaru turned around incredulously. "Plan K? How many plans do you have? Is there like, a plan L?" Beside him, Chekov also looked back at his friend.
Jim glanced at the pilot and nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think you'll like plan L."
"Why not?" Hikaru asked.
Jim coughed. "You die in plan L."
Hikaru flushed, and turned back to his console, getting back to work. Chekov paled briefly, but caught the small twinkle in Jim's eyes, and smiled slightly as he returned to his console.
Spock cleared his throat, calling the Acting Captain's attention back to him. "Captain, while I commend your planning so far, need I remind you that Nero is –"
"I don't need you to remind me of anything, Commander," Jim cut him off, voice clipped. "I know exactly what Nero is capable of." The unsaid he's the reason I don't have a father was clear, even to Spock.
Any conversation on the Bridge stopped as they all turned to look at their commanding officers.
Jim sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he forced himself to let go of his anger for the moment. Spock didn't need or deserve it. Instead, he turned to the other officers, seeing their fear and anxiety. He sighed. "Look, I know this isn't what any of us expected. I know you're scared. We don't know what might happen in the next few hours. I know Nero's got the advantage; he's got the advanced technology, and the weaponry. He's got this plan, and he thinks he's figured for everything. But there's one thing he didn't account for." His eyes were blazing as he looked at each officer in turn, his own steadiness reassuring them. "We are Starfleet. And right now, we've got an entire planet depending on us. What separates us from the rest is that we won't let our fear incapacitate us. We may be bent but we are not broken. We will do our duty. We will do our jobs. We are Starfleet." He shared a significant glance with Spock, before he once more surveyed the rest of the crew on the Bridge. He nodded decisively, and then without another word, went back over to Chekov, grasping his shoulder lightly as he guided him back around to face the computer console in front of him, and the pair went back to evaluating equations, double checking to make sure everything would work when they needed it to.
Spock watched and listened to his Captain, fascinated by the leader in the young Cadet. He also noted the way the rest of the crew straightened up at his words, their own determination hardening. He knew that, had he been in Kirk's position, he wouldn't have been able to inspire the crew nearly as well. Captain Kirk definitely had a way with words.
Uhura was still monitoring frequencies, listening for significant chatter, but she heard what Jim had said. She had known him for several years, and considered him one of her best friends, though their relationship could be trying at times. She never understood why he always tried to downplay his intelligence. But at that moment, watching him inspire and encourage his crew, she saw the Captain in him. In that moment, he was a Captain, more than just in title. It was in his very fiber of being. She heard it in his words, and saw it in his stance, in the way it flowed off of him. In the way he tilted his chin up and kept his head high. The way his eyes caught and held each of their own worried gazes. In that moment, she saw the same thing Captain Pike must have, all those years ago, when he convinced Jim to join up. She saw a leader. She saw her future. Standing beside this man, following him willingly, knowing that he would do his absolute best to see them through every challenge, every hardship, because he would rather die than fail them. Nero had better watch out.
Sulu and Chekov both felt their resolve harden, hearing their friend speak. Jim Kirk was above all else, a leader. Even if most of Starfleet had only seen the devil-may-care attitude, the kid who really didn't have a concern in the world, those two had always seen underneath the mask, the act he had put on for everyone else.
Pavel remembered the teenager who had helped him when he had been separated from his parents in the village square in Russia, all those years ago. He remembered the boy who had told him of his sister, and how she had died; how her last words had been for him. He remembered telling the younger Jim not to tell his parents, as they didn't want to remember anything about their oldest child. He remembered how Jim had told him that Anya had been a big sister for him, so the least he could do was to be a big brother for the now only child Pavel. And when he remembered the caring and compassionate big brother he had gained all those years ago, he couldn't help but compare that teenager with the man in front of him. Though they hadn't seen each other much after that first meeting, and before Starfleet, they had kept in touch, and he had been able to talk about things with Jim he had never been able to discuss with his parents. He had grown up, they both had, but he knew that Jim would be an excellent Captain, and he would follow the older man anywhere.
Hikaru hadn't had as much of a relationship or connection with Jim before Starfleet, but he had enjoyed getting to know the younger man through surfing, and their three years at the Academy together had seen the two cultivate a close camaraderie. Jim was always up for an adventure, whether it was surfing the killer waves brought about by a storm, or rock climbing without proper safety equipment. Sulu had always had a bit of a propensity for danger, and he had found in Kirk a kindred soul. Their relationship had gone both ways, with Sulu teaching Jim how to fence, and Jim helping the pilot out in hand-to-hand combat.
But even beyond the danger, Sulu could see that Jim was a born leader. It was that attitude that had come out, the moment he had stepped on the Bridge of the Enterprise at the beginning of this… well, clusterfuck seemed to be an appropriate term to use here.
A few minutes later, Sulu looked up. "We're arriving at the coordinates. All stop in three… two… one…" The ship came to a stop, and everyone jolted at the quick decrease in speed.
Jim held his breath as the ship dropped out of warp, incredibly close to Saturn. This was a rather impressive feat, he had to admit, and one of his and Chekov's crazier schemes… and considering all the things they had gotten up to at the Academy, that was saying something. But the math was sound, and if it worked, the atmosphere of the moon Titan that they stopped behind would leave them blind to Nero's sensors.
Hikaru took a deep steadying breath. "Give me one quarter impulse burst for five seconds, I'll do the rest with thrusters. On my mark… fire."
Chekov complied, and the two worked together to get the ship in position.
A few moments later, Hikaru let out a sigh of relief, and looked over at Pavel. The two shared a grin at their success, before the pilot turned to face the captain and first officer. "We're in position above Titan," he reported.
Jim nodded, and looked at Spock.
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. "Vulcans and Romulans share a common ancestry. It would be logical for me to beam aboard and ascertain the information we need."
Jim nodded. "I'm coming with you."
Spock tilted his head slightly. "I would site regulation, but I know you would simply ignore it."
Jim smirked. "See, we are getting to know each other."
He spent another moment looking over his impromptu command crew – it was strange to think that in a normal situation, of all of them, Spock was the only one who would actually be allowed on the Bridge. If the situation wasn't as fucked as it was, none of them beyond the Vulcan would be here in these positions of power. It was weird to think about, but Jim was doing his best to keep his emotions in check, steady behind the façade he was so used to portraying.
It was something he was really good at, having had a lot of practice over the years; on the outside, he could remain calm and collected, knowing that others were depending on him to lead them out of danger, while inside, he was simmering with anger, fear, regret, worry, or any combination thereof. In Jim Kirk's world, things could go from one: steady like the sea on a calm day, to ten: you just lost the element of choice, moron, you're gonna decide to stop breathing in the next three seconds. Right now, he was hovering somewhere between five: get the fuck out of my way, and six: never piss off an already pissed off Captain.
His steely and determined gaze turned to face Spock's calm and composed one, and an understanding passed between them. Those Romulan bastards were going down. He nodded once, and bent over the armrest on the Captain's chair. "Scotty, meet us in the transporter room."
He looked back up. "Sulu, you have the con."
He then jerked his head, and Spock and Nyota both followed him out into the 'lift.
When they reached the transporter room, Jim noticed with some surprise that Gaila had followed Scotty to the room. He raised an eyebrow, but the Scotsman just shrugged. "Lass wouldn't take no for an answer," he said by way of answer.
Jim nodded, and bent over the console to comm. the Bridge. "Whatever happens over there, Mr. Sulu, if you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still on board. That's an order."
There was a pause, and then Hikaru answered, sounding like he really regretted it. "Yes, sir."
Jim swallowed. "Otherwise, we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back."
"Good luck," Hikaru said, sounding a nervous even over the piece of technology.
Jim pulled Gaila aside, and gave her a quick kiss, smiling softly. "Thanks for coming," he said softly.
Gaila nodded. "You be careful over there," she implored. "And you better come back."
Jim nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not allowed to die." He chuckled lightly, remembering the words Chris had spoken just before he had space jumped onto the drill.
Gaila nodded again, forcefully.
Nearby, Nyota gave Spock a swift, forceful kiss.
Spock replied in kind. "I will be back, Nyota," he whispered.
"You better be," she replied, trying not to cry. "Please, be careful."
Spock nodded, before he stepped onto the transporter pad.
Gaila stepped back behind Scotty, leaving Jim to make his way behind his First Officer.
"Take care of yourself, Jim," Nyota called after him, as he stepped onto the pad.
Jim smiled. "Always," he responded.
Scotty nodded at the pair. "All right, if there's any sense to this ship, I'll be putting you somewhere in the cargo hold. There shouldn't be a soul in sight."
Jim inclined his head. "Energize," he ordered.
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