A Matter for Ma'at

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

2258; Escape Pod, Delta Vega

 

“Aggh. Computer, where am I?” Jim winced at the stiff muscles that were spasming in his neck. ‘Note to self: Don’t let Spock pinch me again.’

Jim pushed himself up in his seat and tried to ignore the pain shooting up his neck and through his ribs. He hurt in so many places it was ridiculous. When this day was over Bones was liable to kill him for making them worry so much. He was sure there was going to be a long lecture from Bones and once Gabriel found out…well, crap his son would lecture him while Mr. Freedman just stood by and grinded. Sam would lecture him and Aurelan would certainly be yelling at him for risking himself and for getting tossed off the ship by his own fiancé. Jim really didn’t want to think about how Dr. Phlox would laugh at him before logically pointing out what he should have done before meandering into a story about something that happened while he served on the Archer’s Enterprise.

“Location: Delta Vega. Class-M planet. Unsafe. There is a Starfleet outpost fourteen kilometers to the northwest. Remain in your pod until ... summoned authorities.”

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.” Jim shook his head at the response from the escape pods computer. Like Hell he was going to wait in here while Spock and the Enterprise were going off in the wrong direction! He was not about to allow the fool to let his grief cloud his judgment enough that it would cost them their son and all the people Jim loved and called family. He didn’t care what it would cost to him but he was going to stop Nero and save Gabriel and the Earth. He would not let anyone harm his son!

Ignoring the computers warning he pulled on the survival jacket, grabbed his communicator and kicked open the door to the pod. “Holy shit!”

Jim gave a violent shiver as the freezing air hit him full on. It circled into the pod, wrapping around him in a deadly caress reminding him that he would need to take great care. This wasn’t Earth where is could get help relatively quick. This was Delta Vega, a fucking ice moon where there was only one damn outpost! It was like god damned Hoth! Jim let out a slew of curses as he closed the pod door behind him and began the long climb up out of the crater that his escape pod had made into the ice covered surface of the planet.

It took longer than Jim would have liked to reach the surface of the planet. The ice wall he had to climb melted under his hands, soaking into the fabric of his gloves and then freezing in the biting cold of the air, stiffening his fingers. It got progressively harder to keep a hold of the handholds he could find as he made his way up and on more than one occasion he lost his grip and side several feet down the wall before catching another hold. If the life of his son didn’t hang on him getting off this frozen waste of a moon he likely would have turned around and gotten back into the pod. But his son’s life was on the line and Spock didn’t know he had a son to save. That he was going to be throwing that life and billions of others away if he joined the rest of the fleet rather than chasing after Nero.

When Jim finally reached the surface he couldn’t help but collapse in the snow as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to lay there and just wait for someone to come along but he was smart enough to know that he would be dead by the time they did. So pushing himself back to his feet with a groan he gave the crater he had climbed out of a last look before Turning to scout out the area around him. Unfortunately the flat waste of an ice plane stretching as far as his eyes could see filled every direction. Groaning he pulled out his communicator before turning and walking into the white wasteland sprawled out before him.

It was hard to say how far he had gone from the escape pod since the landscape all look about the same and the wind and falling snow was hiding any trace of his passing. Becoming more and more irritated by the situation as a whole Jim had taken to ranting to himself. Perhaps an hour passed, maybe longer or maybe it was actually less, Jim didn’t know. But eventually the flat plains of ice began to shift into hills. Tall spires of ice and frozen rock began to dot the landscape. Still it told him nothing about how close he was getting to the outpost. Eventually he realized that if he was going to freeze to death here before he could reach the Starfleet outpost he wanted to leave a record of his statement as to what had really happened.

“Stardate twenty-two fifty-eight point four two, four uh, four whatever. Acting Captain Spock has marooned me on Delta Vega, what I believe to be a violation of security protocol forty-nine point oh nine, covering the treatment of prisoners aboard as starship.” Jim paused and looked around trying to get his bearings again.

“Why the pointy-eared bastard couldn’t let me explain why joining the fleet would doom Earth to Vulcan’s fate is unknown. As it stands if I live through this and can’t get Acting Captain Spock to listen to reason and head to Earth, I will likely end up arrested for killing him. He may have lost his Mother but I have lost both parents to Nero and I am not willing to lose my son and my planet as well--”

Jim paused to listen to the wind. He had though he had heard something. Squinting past the thick cover of falling snow he began scanning his surroundings as he heard it again. Still faint, but louder now. The sound was more easy to hear over the sound of the wind. It was high-pitched, almost girly sounding if it wasn’t for the fact it was raising the hairs on the back of his neck and making his heart speed up in his chest. Turning around, he looked back the way he had come.

He could just see something through the snow. Something moving fast. As it got closer the outline of the creature started to get clearer. It almost had the shape of a bear. Fear starting to become more noticeable Jim swallowed hard as the creature finally took shape. It was covered in dark fur with a long white, lion like mane and some rather long sharp looking teeth.

“Whoah!” Spinning around, Jim turned and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction from the strange lion-bear thing, a drakoulias his mind supplied unhelpfully. The snow was thick and cushiony beneath his feet, making running difficult but Jim didn’t care. As long as he could stay ahead of the monster he was safe. It would give him time to think of some way to escape with his life. He wasn’t going to die here. Gabriel would never forgive him and Spock would never get to meet his son!

“Agh!”

Jim turned to glance over his shoulder. Gulping he realized it had gotten even closer. Which shouldn’t have surprised him since an animal running on four feet that wa adapted for this environment would certainly have better traction and speed than a pitfull two-legged human. Looking back in front of him he barely managed to catch sight of a small frozen rock jutting up from the ground in front of him, before his foot connected with it and brought him crashing to the ground. Pushing himself back up as fast as he could Jim kept running, even as the drakoulias took a swap at his back, it’s claws just missing the back of his snow jacket.

“Ahhhh!”

Knowng it was a mistake, Jim looked over his shoulder again as the monster let out another of its high pitched keening cries. Stumbling foreward his eyes went wide as the ground underneath the drakoulias exploded upwards.

“Ahhh!” Jim crashed to the ground, the freezing snow going up his sleeves and down his back through his hood. Rolling over onto his back, Jim turned to see what had become of the monster hunting him down.

“Oh fuck. This is sooo not my day.”

A large red hengrauggi was standing about a hundred feet away, knowing on the bleeding corpse of the drakoulias. Jim swallowed and crab walked away from it as he watched it toss what was left of the drakoulias’ body away. Knowing that his chance of surviving this had just dropped drastically he fought to get up as the hengrauggi turned to face him.

“Oh.”

The knew beast leaned into his face, it mouth opening wide as it let out a loud roar, the force of which caused Jim to stumble back a few feet. This was not good. It was sooo not good! Not stopping to think it over further Jim turn away again and ran deeper into the frozen wasteland. Jumping and dodging the occasion jut of frozen stone and ice Jim barely managed to keep ahead of the hengrauggi’s long limbs.

“Oh shiiiittt,” scream Jim as the ground beneath his feet vanished. He barely managed to pull himself into a ball as he fell down the side of the cliff that had been hidden by the falling snow. He grunted and groaned as his body impacted the frozen ground, new bruises blooming all over his body.

Above him the hengrauggi bellowed in rage as it watched him fall further and further out of its reach. Suddenly the ledge it had been standing on gave way and it went tumbling down the cliff face along with Jim. Its limbs were twisting and waving in the air and the snow burst around it’s heavy body.

As Jim’s body slowed to a halt on the smooth flat surface of the ground at the base of the cliff he could still hear the hengrauggi screaming over the sound of the cliff face breaking apart. Groaning he leaned up on his elbow, watching as the creature crashed into the stone outcroppings. Realizing that its fall would cause it to land on top of him He pushed himself up the rest of the way and started running. Or at least he tried to. Slipping on the ground he realized that it wasn’t just snow he was standing on but a frozen lake. Screaming again he finally got some traction under his feet and just in time. Behind him the hengrauggi pierced the ice with it’s forelegs, pulling itself up to give chase.

Before him the veil of snow parted just enough for him to spot the edge of the froze lake and the black, gaping maw of a cave. Knowing this was his only chance for safety he made a beeline for the cave, darting inside as the hengrauggi got ever closer. Not knowing if the great red beast would be able to fit in the cave opening he kept running, trying to get as far into the cave as possible.

Behind him stone shattered. Shrapnel flying from the now shattered cave mouth, striking Jim in the back and shoulder as the beast plowed its way into the cave. Dodging arouns frozen stalagtites and stalagmites he barely managed to dodge the outstretched claws of the beasts front feet. Still, salvation wasn’t there yet. The hengrauggi opened its mouth and shot it’s tongue out like a lasso, wrapping around his right foot, yanking Jim’s foot out from beneath him. Jim groaned in pain as his chin smacked into the ground. He rolled onto his back and tried kicking at the hengrauggi’s tongues and legs, hoping against hope that they would release him so that he could escape.

From elsewhere a golden, flickering light began to shine against the hengrauggi’s red flesh, spreading to reveal more of the great beast as the light got closer. The beast cried out at the light, jerking away from Jim, its tongues releasing their grip on his legs. Gasping Jim jerked back against the wall as a man, dressed all in gray snow wear moved between him and the hengrauggi, waving a burning torch at the beast. The beast roared its anger but escaped out of the cave as the man moved closer and closer to it, the flames from his torch brushing the beasts red hide.

The figure stood there for a moment, his back to Jim, as he watch the monster retreat back over the frozen lake to vanish into the snowy waste. Jim blinked as the man turned around to face him. He was an old man. He looked to be at least in his eighties, but judging age on a Vulcan was never easy. He was also looking at Jim with wonder and perhaps even love. That was a new one.

“James T. Kirk.”

“Excuse me?” Jim looked the old Vulcan over again. There was something very familiar about his face and his voice… His voice was deep and rich, but the timber of it was so very familiar.

“How did you find me?”

Jim stood up, his eyes never leaving the old Vulcans. “How do you know my name?”

“I have been, and always shall be, your friend.”

“Wha... oh, look... uh, I don't know you.” Jim chuckled at little at the old Vulcan. He knew only two Vulcans. Sarek and Spock. And this man…well he was neither.

“I am Spock.”

“Bullshit.” Jim couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it, was actually trying not to. But, it made a lot of strange sense that this guy was Spock, or at least related to him. He looked a lot like what Jim imagined and old Spock would look like.

“So…Where’d you find wood for a fire?” He gets marooned by his own Spock and then gets fucking rescued by an older version of Spock! This day was going down as being completely bat-shit crazy all around.

The so called Spock raised at eyebrow at him the same way his own Spock had and ignoring Jim’s question, led Jim further into the cave where a small fire was burning. Jim watched the Vulcan slowly lower himself onto a stone ledge by the fire, placing the torch back into the flames. Jim moved oppissite, crouching by the fire to warm himself.

“It is remarkably pleasing to see you again, old friend. Especially after the events of today.”

“Uh, sir I appreciate what you did for me today, but, but if you were Spock you would know we're not friends at all. We, you know…uh…might have been friends at one time, but that was a lifetime ago. Now, well now you hate me, you marooned me here for mutiny.”

Old Spock looked at Jim, the confusion obvious in his eyes. “Mutiny?”

“Yes.”

“You are not the Captain?”

Jim shook his head and look down at the ground. The Vulcan sounded so surprised that Jim wasn’t Captain, as if Jim could be anything but that. “No, no. Umm... you're the Captain. Pike was taken hostage.” Jim turned away, placing his back to the fire as he gazed out at the blizzard through a crack in the cave wall.

“By Nero.”

Jim turned back around to look at old Spock. “What do you know about him?”

“He is a particularly troubled Romulan.” Spock stood and moved to stand by Jim. He raised his hand as he approached, the fingers spreading into a shape Jim remembered from a lifetime ago. “Please, allow me. It will be easier.”

“Whoah, whoah. What are you doin'?” Honestly, did every Spock want to mess with his brain? He didn’t mind so much the whole mind meld sex thing but it was a bit cold and they were in a crisis here, not good conditions for sexy times. Not that he would say no. It had been like five, maybe six years since he had gotten laid and honestly he wasn’t sure he could count the one time post-Spock, since he was so drunk at the time that he barely remembered going home with her.

“Our minds. One and together.” Spock slowly brought his hands to Jim’s face, watching to see if Jim would object. When he didn’t Spock placed his hands on Jim’s face.

“One hundred twenty-nine years from now, a star will explode, and threaten to destroy the galaxy.” With a sudden jerk Jim found himself pulled into a mental space he had not been in what seemed like forever. It was the same as when they were teens and yet…and yet it was also different. This was Spock, but not the Spock he knew and loved.

Suddenly a flurry of images where passing in front of him. Stars passed in a whirl of light, his mind sailing through them, past asteroids and planets until it hovered in front of a sun that exploded. Surging into a brilliant nova. This new Spock standing on Vulcan with a dark skinned Vulcan and looking worried and determined. A ship with a strange red ball inside, sailing away from Vulcan and deep into space. A planet so like Vulcan but so very different being incinerated by the waves of flames spreading out from the dying sun. Spock drawing out a bead of red from the large ball and launching it into the nova star.

Jim watched in horror as the star swirled into the gaping darkness of a black hole like the one that had consumed Vulcan. Watched as Nero began chasing Spock into the black hole. In his mind Jim screamed as he watched Nero destroy the USS Kelvin. His mind raged at the sight. Only to feel as if it was breaking apart as he watched Spock watch Vulcan swallow itself whole. His grief at failing to save Romulus and Vulcan, ripping through Jim’s soul like a rusted chainsaw.

He could feel Spock trying to draw away but the raw pain shared between them was pulling him deeper into Jim’s mind to where the fragile bond between younger Spock and Jim was fluttering and flickering as it tried to survive. Memories rushed around them again, but this time it was Spock lost to the memories in Jim’s mind. Lost in a sea of abuse and loneliness until a ray of light found him.

Spock saw himself, young. Younger than he had been upon first meeting Jim. But here he was, watching himself reach out to Jim. Caressing Jim, kissing Jim, surrounding Jim with all the love the affection-starved boy turned girl could want. He watched Jim lose his virginity to Spock countless times. Watched Jim talk and laugh with his Mother and Father. He felt the crippling grief as Spock got in the hovercar and drove away. He watched as Jim learned about his baby. Spock’s child. His child! He watched as Jim placed a hand over his belly as their child first began to move. He watched as Jim thought his stepfather had killed his child. He watched Jim’s family led him to his son. He watched as Jim named his son. Watched Jim hold his child for the first time. He watched Gabriel take his first step and say his first word, Daddy! He watched Jim sending out countless letter about Gabriel, never to receive a response. He watched as Spock stood in front of the Starfleet court and threw Jim’s father’s death at him like Jim and his family meant nothing. He watched as the last string of hope that Spock loved him faltered.

With a gasp Spock pulled back, yanking their minds apart even as Jim’s mind reached out for him. Jim stumbled away from him, his forehead coated in sweat and his eyes wet with tears.

“Forgive me. Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld.”

“So you do feel,” the words came out soft as if Jim was saying them more to himself than to Spock. He had begun think that Spock didn’t feel. That he had returned to Vulcan and whipped away all his emotions in regards to Jim and what had been forming between them back in Iowa. But here was an older Spock, his mind full of grief for his people and the Romulan people…and for his love of Jim.

“Yes.”

Jim looked away, not ready yet to face Spock. “Going back in time, you changed all our lives.”

“I saw as such in your mind.” Old Spock gave Jim a surprisingly warm look. This Spock…this Spock understood his pain. He could remember feeling it in Spock’s mind hovering over memories that they had shared in between the flashes of destruction and grief. This Spock had been in Jim’s place once. “Jim, we must go. There is a Starfleet outpost not far from here.”

Turning away from the fire, Spock walked back towards the cave entrance. Jim watched him go for a moment, remembering the life he had caught glimpses of in the meld. “Wait. Where you came from,” Jim paused suddenly unsure if he wanted to know the answer. But if there was one thing James T Kirk wasn’t it was a coward. “Did I know my father?”

Spock stopped and turned again to face Jim. “Yes. You often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise.”

“Captain?” Jim could hardly believe it. There was a reality out there where he had known his Father. Where he didn’t have to grow up with Frank and where he had been a Captain. Captain of the Enterprise, no less! Maybe there was hope. Jim might never get to be the captain of that fine lady in this universe, but maybe…just maybe he would still get to Captain another Starship.

“A ship we must return you to as soon as possible.”

The walk to the Starfleet outpost was just as fun as the walk from the escape pod had been before Jim had stumbled upon the drakoulias. The expanse of snow covered ground had to be one of the most boring sights Jim had ever seen, which said a lot given that he grew up in the middle of nowhere. Still it was going to be a long walk and if the looks old Spock was giving him then it was probably going to involve a lot of talking about the past.

Jim leaned his head back, allowing the snow to land on his face as he stared up at the sky. He couldn’t see the Enterprise of course but he could imagine her up there, soaring through the heavens as Spock drove her into to retreating. “You might as well ask.”

Spock arched an eyebrow. “Indeed? And what shall I ask?”

Jim dropped his head back down and turned to gaze at the old Vulcan. “Ask what ever it is that is floating around in that head of yours. Because there is obviously something on your mind.”

“Indeed.” Spock looked away form Jim and for several minutes neither said a word as they walked through the snow. “You have a son.”

“Gabriel.” Jim couldn’t help but smile. “He’s the most important thing in the world to me.”

“As he should be.”

Jim looked over at Spock. “Did the other me…did he have any kids?”

A sad look past briefly over old Spock’s eyes as he look at Jim. “He did. A son called David.”

“He wasn’t yours then?”

“No. My Jim and I never had the opportunity to have children together.”

“I’m sorry.” Jim couldn’t imagine not having his son in his life. Without Gabriel Jim was sure he would have ended up being the drunk asshat that Uhura always said he was.

“Do not be. It s something I accepted many years ago.”

“Still…” Jim reached out, taking Spock’s hand in his. “When this is over, if we’re still alive and Earth…” Jim swallowed, suddenly remembering that if they didn’t hurry Gabriel and the rest of the people on Earth would not be there to welcome them home. “And Earth is still there, you can come home with me to meet Gabriel. The other Spock, he doesn’t seem to want either of us, so if you do…if you want to be part of our family we’ll be glad to have you.”

“He is a fool to have tossed aside such an opportunity. Perhaps in time he will realize what it is that he has chosen to give up and at that time if he is anything like I am, he shall seek you out. Give him time, Jim. At his age I was not comfortable with being who ad what I was. It left me in a state where I was unprepared to accept much about myself and about the people most important to me.”

“Well, you seem to have worked through that.”

The corners of Spock’s mouth tilted up as he nodded slightly at Jim. “It many years of what you humans would call ‘soul searching; and during that time I made many mistakes which hurt those I care deeply for.”

“Well, that sucks.”

“Indeed.” Spock stopped and turned to face Jim. His gloved hands reached out, gently stroking Jim’s cheek. “Although the wait for me to understand was painful for both of us, it was worth it. We defined each other in ways you cannot yet fully imagine. I am not whole without Jim as he was not whole without me.”

“Wow. That sounds like something straight up out of old Grandma Kirk’s romance novels.” Jim smiled and leaned into Spock’s hand.

Spock’s lips twitched up again. “Indeed. Our tale has been turned into such a book numerous times since we served on the Enterprise.”

“Okay, that is not a comfortable thought. I don’t know how I feel about the idea of someone writing a steamy romcom about Spock and I.”

“There shall be time to think on it later.” Spock let his hand drop and the two turned back into the snow. They were close enough now to see the dark outline of the building ahead.

It would not take more than a few minutes to reach the outpost now and while Jim was sad that that meant they couldn’t keep talking, he was glad. Glade because that meant he could find a way back onboard Enterprise and with this old Spock at his side he could convince his Spock that they needed to get to Earth as fast as possible. He didn’t know what he could say to convince Spock. Would he have to tell him about Gabriel in front of everyone? Would he have to condemn Spock for letting everyone else onboard suffer his fate because he was scared? There were too many options and most of them would not lead to a positive outcome. Still, he would have to try. He wasn’t willing to give up so easily.

The door to the outpost screeched as it opened and before them all Jim could see was a long tunnel with flickering green lights showing off walls that looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in decades. Spock moved into the hall without hesitation but Jim couldn’t help but be reminded of all the horror movies he watched with Sam as a child. Pushing down the memories he stepped inside and pulled on the heavy metal door, closing them in. Panting he walked up to where Spock stood looking down at the end of the hall.

“Hello,” Jim called out.

The echo of a metallic object suddenly dropping to the floor was the only reply until a small figure appeared in the doorway. Jim glanced over at Spock, hoping the old Vulcan had some idea of what to expect, but Spock looked just as curious as Jim was and perhaps even a bit worried.

There was a room at the end but Jim wasn’t sure what all the pipes and panels he could see from here were for. There was a voice as were, loud in the otherwise silent building. Whatever the voice was saying it certainly sounded irritated. Together they watched the figure jog towards them, Spock finally pulling open his hood as the diminutive alien stopped before them.

Jim honestly wasn’t sure what species this…man…women…whatever, was. It looked like it was made out of stone. Its face was wide with flaring ridges of hard looking flesh spreading out from the center of its face. It eyes, which had been hidden behind protective goggles, were like hard obsidian nubs, pocking out from the deep-set eye sockets. Flicking its gaze between them it turn back to the open doorway at the end of the hall and waved for them to follow it.

They made there was through the doorway and took a right turn past all the pipes and panels into a large space filled with heavy equipment and leftover bits and pieces of other machines and even some old lockers and office furniture that looked to have been sitting there abandoned since the twentieth century. Steam was venting up through grates in the floor filling the otherwise cold room with pockets of warmth.

It was a short pocket past one of these vents that the alien led them to a small makeshift office space, lit up with a panel of florescent lights.  There were three tables covered in computers and machine parts forming a hexagon shaped space with some shelving and larger computer hard drives. In the center, laying back with his feet propped up on one of the desks was a man. He was covered in grime and soot and layered in worn out dirty brown clothing. In fact, it looked to Jim like the only clean piece of cloths he had on (that Jim could see anyway) was a knitted black skull cap.

“What?” The man pulled the cap up from over his eyes as the smaller alien moved to stand beside him. Without even glancing at the alien the an lifted his head from the back of the chair to look at them, his eyes telling them exactly how he felt about seeing them standing there. “You realize how unacceptable this is?”

Old Spock cocked his head to the side as he looked over the man. “Fascinating.”

“What?” Other than how one person could stand to be so dirty or how thick his Scottish accent was, Jim wasn’t sure what Spock found fascinating about the man.

“Yeah, I'm sure you're just doing your job, but could you not come a wee bit sooner?” The Scottish man dropped his feet to the floor, finally sitting upright. “Six months I've been here, living off Starfleet protein nibs,” here so upset, the man actually threw a bag of the protein nibs at them, “and a promise of a good meal. And I know exactly what's going on here, okay. Punishment, isn't it? Ongoing, for something that was clearly an accident.”

“You are Montgomery Scott.”

Jim turned to face Spock at the sound of obvious affection in the old Vulcan’s voice. “You know him?”

“Aye, that's me. You're in the right place. Unless there's another hard-working, equally starved Starfleet officer around.”

“Me,” chimed in the little alien in a voice that sounded a bit more male than female.

“Keenser, shut up! You don't eat anything. You can eat like a bean, and you're done. I'm talking about food. Real food. But, you're here now, so thank you. Where is it?” Mister Scott stood up and paced over to the chair at the second desk, before once again sitting down.

“You are, in fact, the Mister Scott who postulated the theory of transwarp beaming.”

“That's what I'm talking about. How'd you think I wound up here? I had a little debate with my instructor on the issue of relativistic physics and how it pertains to subspace travel. He seemed to think that the range of transporting something like a, like a grapefruit, was limited to about a hundred miles. I told him that I could not only beam a grapefruit from one planet to the adjacent planet in the same system, which is easy by the way, I could do it with a lifeform. So, I tested it on Admiral Archer's prized beagle.” Mister Scott raised his cup to them and took a long drink.

“Wait, I know that dog. What happened to it,” Jim didn’t like where this was going suddenly. From the look on Spock’s face they had just found their way onto the Enterprise but something told him this transwarp beaming hadn’t gone so well for it’s first test subject.

Mister Scott set his cup own and winched. “I'll tell you when it reappears. I don't know. I do feel guilty about that.”

Spock gave Mister Scott and affectionate Vulcan grin as he spoke. “What if I told you that your transwarp theory was correct? That it is indeed possible to beam onto a ship that is traveling at warp speed?”

“I think if that equation had been discovered, I'd have heard about it.”

“The reason you haven't heard about it, Mister Scott, is because you haven't discovered it yet.”

Mister Scott gave Spock a look like he couldn’t believe he was stuck here on this frozen moon for six months only to then be stuck with a crazy Vulcan, inferring he was from the future. “I'm a, uh, what... Are you from the future?”

Not wanting this conversation too take too much more of their precious time, Jim interrupted. “Yeah. He is, I'm not.”

“Well that's brilliant. Do they still have sandwiches there?”

A quick explanation later and the four of them were in another section of the outpost.  It looked to be the dumping ground for the whole place, which was somewhat worrying since most of the building looked like a dumping ground. But there in the middle was an old transport shuttle.

Approaching the shuttle, Scotty turned to face them, a crooked smile on his face. “Well, she's a wee bit dodgy. Shield emitters are totally banjaxed, as well as a few other things. In you go.” Scotty took one last look at its external power source before flipping his wrench in the air like a baton and waving Jim around to the side where the open hatch was. “So, the Enterprise has had its maiden voyage, has it? She is one well endowed lady. I'd like to get my hands on her ample nacelles, if you'll pardon the engineering parlance.”

The inside of the shuttle was cleaner than Jim thought it would be from the appearance of the outside. Still, there were exposed wires everywhere and some of the consoles were covered in a thick layer of dust. Spock ignored all of that and moved directly to the console he wanted as if he had spent years working on this small, broken down shuttle. It was both reassuring and worrying to Jim.

Scotty followed Spock inside and over to the far console, leaning against it as he started talking. “Except, the thing is, even if I believed you, right, where you're from, what I've done, I don't, by the way, you're still talking about beaming aboard the Enterprise while she's traveling faster-than-light, without a proper receiving pattern.”

Standing up Scotty walked over to where the alien, Keesner, was sitting on the safety handles for the small personal transport pads. “Get off there! It's not a climbing frame.” Shaking his head at his alien companion he walked back over to where Spock was finishing up with the console. “The notion of transwarp beaming is like, trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet whilst wearing a blindfold, riding a horse. What's that?”

“Your equation for achieving transwarp beaming.” Finished putting the information in and more than a little amused with the younger version of one of his closest friend Spock move awy from the console letting Scotty take his place.

“Imagine that. It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving.”

Jim looked away from where Scotty was sitting, excitedly going over the equations Spock had placed in the terminal, to where Spock was now working over by the transporters. “You're coming with us, right?”

Spock looked over his shoulder at Jim, an almost whistful look in his old eyes. “No, Jim. That is not my destiny.”

“Your dest... Fuck that! He... the other Spock is not going to believe me. Only you can explain what's gonna happen.”

“Under no circumstances, can he be aware of my existence. You must promise me this.”

“You're telling me I, I can't tell you that I'm following your own orders. Why not? What happens?”

“Jim, this is one rule you cannot break. To stop Nero, you alone must take command of your ship.”

“How? Over your dead body?” Jim looked at Spock, irritated beyond belief. How was he supposed to convince Spock of what needed to be done without this older Spock there as confirmation of what was really happening and what would happen if they didn’t chase after Nero right away.

“Preferably not. However, there is Starfleet regulation six-one-nine. Six-one-nine states that any command officer who's emotionally compromised by the mission at hand, must resign said command.”

“So, so you're saying that I have to emotionally compromise you guys?” Jim was confused. If the death of Amanda and the entire planet of Vulcan hadn’t caused Spock to break down sobbing before marooning him, what could Jim possibly do to change that?

“Jim, I just lost my planet. I can tell you, I am emotionally compromised. What you must do is get me to show it.” His voice, rough with age was suddenly rough with all the control it was obviously taking to hold back this Spock grief and guilt over the loss of his people.

“You’re not the same people, Spock. My Sp…the younger Spock, he doesn’t seem to feel anything anymore for me so I don’t understand how my confronting him will change anything. I tried before and it got me jettisoned here and nearly eaten by two rather ugly monsters!”

“Jim,” Spock reached out, placing his hand on Jims shoulder. “You must try. This reality may be different than my own but I am still Spock and he is still me. We are one in the same. You must trust me that he is barely holding onto the controls of his will. It is why he flees rather than confronting the man responsible for our Mother’s death.”

Jim sighed and leaned forward, his head resting against the older Spock’s collarbone.  “Please just come with me. I can’t do this without you. You don’t have to face him. You can…you can just blend in with the other refugee that were beamed onboard. Please, Spock. Don’t make me do this alone.”

For a long moment neither said anything. They just stood there leaning into each other and sharing their grief. “Very well.” The words the soft, barley a whisper against Jim’s ear, but they made him feel like this was going to be possible now. Even if he didn’t have his Spock on his side, he still had this other, older, wiser Spock waiting for him, believing in him.

“Aye then, Laddie. Live or die, let's get this over with.”

Jim stepped away from Spock and moved to take the empty transport pad next to Scotty. Spock gave him one last lingering look before joining him on the empty pad on the other side of Scotty. Keesner stood before Scotty, gazing up at his friend before trying to get onto the transporter pad as well.

Scotty looked down at Keesner, gently ushing him off the pad. “You cannae come with me. Go on.”

Jim leaned forward to look around the divider to where Spock was waiting to be beamed up. “You're coming back in time, changing history, it's cheating.”

Spock turned a soft little smile at him. “A trick I learned from an old friend.” Looking away from Jim to where Keesner was sadly sitting by the transporter controls, Spock raised his hand in the ta’al. “Live long and prosper.”

With a crackle and a surge of golden light they were swallowed up by the transporter, vanishing from Keesner’s sight. Sadly, now alone, Keesner whimpered.

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

 

Bridge, USS Enterprise

 

“Captain Spock, detecting unauthorized access to water turbine control board.”

Spock looked over to where Chekov was sitting and moved away from his Father. “Bring up the video.”

A small window popped up on the main view screen showing the slightly blurry image of James T Kirk and another unidentified man running through Engineering.

“Security, seal the engineering deck. We have intruders in turbine section three. Set phasers to stun.”

It took a surprisingly little amount of time for the security team to arrive on the Bridge, flanking Cadet Kirk and the still unidentified human male. Spock looked away from the console and his Father and strode over to stand in front of Cadet Kirk. There was a lurching feeling in his abdomen, where his heart was suddenly beating faster. Cadet Kirk looked even more beat up than he had prior to be left on Delta Vega. Why the Cadet had not obeyed the escape pods recommendation to remain safely inside it was a mystery. It was not logical. Behind him he could hear his Father moving closer and Spock knew he was watching Spock. Studying his son and how he was going to handle this sudden and unexpected interruption.

Deciding to go with the easiest option first, Spock looked to the soaking wet stranger. “Who are you?”

Looking a bit confused the man glanced over at Cadet Kirk. “I'm with him.”

“He's with me,” the cadet replied defiantly.

Ignoring Cadet Kirk for now Spock focused again on the still unnamed stranger. “We're traveling at warp speed. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?”

“You're the genius, you figure it out,” snarked Kirk.

“As Acting Captain of this vessel, I order you to answer the question.”

“Well I'm not telling, Acting Captain. What di... What, now, that doesn't frustrate you, does it? My lack of cooperation. That, that doesn't make you angry?”

Indeed it did frustrate him. He could not understand why Cadet Kirk did not understand that Spock was doing what was right. What was best for everyone onboard. Pushing away the strange feeling of hurt that thought caused Spock looked away from Kirk to the other man. “Are you a member of Starfleet?”

“I.. um.. yes. Can I get a towel, please?”

“Under penalty of court martial, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp.”

“Well...,” Began the stranger only to be interrupted by Cadet Kirk.

“Don't answer him.”

“You will answer me.”

The stranger glanced between the two of them, obviously uncomfortable with finding himself in this situation. “I'd rather not take sides.”

Cadet Kirk step up to Spock, so close that Spock could feel the soft brush of the Cadet’s words against his skin. His rich blue eyes, so very familiar, were piercing Spock, as if they could see into the very heart of his person. “What is it with you, Spock? Hmm? Your planet was just destroyed, your mother murdered, and you're not even upset.”

“If you're presuming that these experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken.”

“And yet you were the one who said fear was necessary for command. Did you see his ship? Do you see what he did?”

“Yes, of course I did.”

“So, are you afraid or aren't you?”

“I will not allow you to lecture me about the merits of emotion.” Spock wanted to growl, to press forward until they were touching, until he could feel the beat of Cadet Kirk’s heart against his chest.

Once again Cadet Kirk stepped forward, until they were indeed touching. Chest to chest and groin to groin. “Then why don't you stop me.”

Spock felt his body responding, growing hard and throbbing, his heart pounding in his side and the strangely familiar feel of Cadet Kirk’s body pressed against his own. He had never met Cadet Kirk prior to the Cadet taking the Kobayashi Maru sim for the third time, but each time he looked at the Cadet he felt as if he should know him. As if he had known him for a lifetime and beyond. More than a little uncomfortable Spock glanced away from the Cadet’s hypnotic eyes. “Step away from me, Mister...”

“What is it like not to feel anger or heartbreak or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman who gave birth to you?”

Shaking with desire and fury both Spock tried again to make the Cadet move back. “Back away from me...”

Anger now flashing like a storm through the cadet’s eyes he yelled back at Spock, pressing his body even closer. “You feel nothing! It must not even compute for you! You never loved her! You abandoned her! You left her as and never came back!”

Something snapped inside Spock at the words. At the declartion that Spock did not love his Mother. That he had abandoned his K’diwa!  He did not know how Cadet Kirk knew about his Jim, or about how much Spock ached for her but he didn’t care. At the moment all he cared about was hurting the Cadet as much as the Cadet’s words had hurt him. With a loud cry he swung his fist into the Cadet’s face, throwing him back into the security team and the console behind them before launching himself at the Cadet. Grabbing the Cadet’s shirt he flung him back towards the center of the Bridge and took aim at him again. This time the Cadet was quicker, launching his own attack at Spock. Blocking the attack he punched the Cadet past the Captain’s chair, slamming his fist down on the Cadet’s arms and punching at his now exposed ribs. With a cry of pain the Cadet fell back against the navigation console, trying in vain to stand before Spock was once more atop him. Punching him again and again, Spock knocked the Cadet over to the pilots console before reaching out to pin the Cadet down. His hand locked on the Cadet’s throat, squeezing down, Spock snarled and watched as Cadet Kirk struggled to breath. Some part of him enjoyed watching the pitiful human struggle against his superior strength while another part of him was screaming to release the Cadet, that he would never forgive himself if he killed this most special human.

“Spock,” his Father’s voice cut through the red haze that was taking him over. Realizing what he was doing, what he had nearly done, Spock realized Cadet Kirk and lurched away from him. Unable to look at the bruised and battered form before him.

Gazing up at his Father’s stern face Spock looked to the floor, stumbling away from the still wheezing Cadet. “Doctor, I am no longer fit for duty. I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship's log.”

Still shaken by his violent and sexually excited reaction to Cadet Kirk he stumbled past the Bridge crew towards the turbolifts. Uhura moved towards him, her face full of grief and sorrow, but she did not follow.

Hands still raised in a motion of surrender, Scotty looked around the deck at all the frightened faces. It was too quiet, the emotions too heavy. “I like this ship! You know, it's exciting.”

Bones looked over at the soaked Scotsman before turning to glare at his best friend. “Well, congratulations, Jim. Now we've got no Captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him.”

“Yeah we do.” Finally able to breath again Jim moved awy from Sulu’s battered console to sit down in the Captain’s Chair, Pike’s chair. His hands tightly gripped the arm rests and it took everything he had not to winch as Sarek looked him over, recognition in his dark eyes.

“What,” cried Bones.

From the other side of the Captain’s Chair Sulu piped up. “Pike made him first officer.”

“You've got to be kidding me.”

Jim glanced up at his best friend before looking away. “Thanks for the support.”

More than a little pissed off Uhura strode over to Kirk, glaring for all she was worth. “I sure hope you know what you're doing, Captain.”

Jim glanced up at her. She didn’t like him, hated him probably even more now, but he couldn’t worry about that. Right now he could only worry about whether or not the Old Spock and his plans would succeed in saving the Earth and all of Jim’s special people. “So do I.”

Glancing down at the Comm button on the chair’s armrest rest Jim sped onto the next part of the plan. “Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is James Kirk. Mister Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to Acting Captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in ten minutes. Either we're going down, or they are. Kirk out.”

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

 

Transporter room, USS Enterprise

Not knowing where to go for sollance, Spock found himself back in the transporter room, staring at the pad where his Mother should have beamed up to safety on. He knew it could offer only cold comfort but he did not think that anything more would be available to him.

“Speak your mind, Spock.”

“That would be unwise,” the words came out quietly almost fragile.

Sarek looked up at his son, standing before him like the lost little child he had once been. “What is necessary is never unwise.”

“I'm as conflicted as I once was as a child.”

Sarek realized that he could no longer behind his shield of Vulcanness. He son, his precious son was hurting and Sarek could no longer forgive himself for not saying the words that had been in his heart since he had first heard Spock’s heart beating over the health monitor so many years ago. “You will always be a child of two worlds. I am grateful for this. And for you.”

Stunned Spock turned to face his father. “I feel anger for the one who took mother's life. An anger I cannot control.”

Watching his son, Sarek moved up onto the transporter pad to stand beside his son. “I believe, as she would say, ‘do not try to.’ You asked me once why I married your mother. I married her because I loved her.”

“You loved her?”

Sarek looked at his son and allowed a small sad twitch of his lips to show. “I loved since I first saw her and I loved her more each day I spent with her. As I love you, Spock.” Sarek turned to step drown from the transporter pad. “Will you follow Jim Kirk and defend your Mother’s birth place?”

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

 

Bridge, USS ENterprise

 

On the Bridge the remaining Command team was working on coming up with a function plan on how to catch up to Nero and stop him before he could destroy Earth and any more Federation planets. At the back of the room Ensign Chekov was working out a complicated series of numbers and formulas, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“Whatever the case, we need to get aboard Nero's ship undetected,” stated jim.

Bones shook his head, looking upset. “And just go in there guns blazing, Jim. No...”

”I'm telling you the math doesn't support...,” chimed in Sulu only to interrupted by an excited Chekov.

“Captain Kork, Captain Kork!”

Jim turned around to face the curly haired Ensign. “Yes, Chekov. What is it?”

“Based on the fastest course from Wulcan, I have projected that

Nero will travel past Saturn. Like you said, we need to stay inwisible to Nero or he'll destroy us. If Mister Scott can get us to warp factor four, and if we drop out of warp behind one of Saturn's moons, say, Titan, the magnetic distortion from the planet's rings will make us inwisible to Nero's sensors. From there, as long as the drill is not actiwated we can beam aboard the enemy ship.”

“Aye, that might work.” Jim and the other turned to look at Scotty, now dressed in a Red unform and mostly dry. The Scotish man was watching them all with an impressed look on his face as hie shoved a towel into his ear trying to dry it out.

Bones shook his head at the Scotsman before realizing that they were basing their plan around something a kid, who barely looked to be out of dippers, was suggesting.  “Wait a minute, kid, how old are you?”

“Seventeen, sir.”

“Oh, oh good, he's seventeen.” Bones threw a look at Jim, like he couldn’t believe Jim was going along with this.

“Doctor, Mister Chekov is correct. I can confirm his telemetry. If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device, and if possible, bring back Captain Pike.”

Surprised to hear Spock’s voice Jim turned to face the now, calm and in control Vulcan. “I won't allow you to do that, Mister Spock.”

“Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Also, my mother was Human, which makes Earth the only home I have left.”

Realizing that Spock wasn’t going to back down, but not willing to lose him, Jim did the only logical thing. “I'm coming with you.”

“I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it.”

Chuckling at the whole situation Jim smacked Spock on the shoulder before heading off the bridge. “See, we are getting to know each other.”

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

 

Transporter room, USS Enterprise

 

“We are in position above Titan.”

Sitting at the Transporter Controls, Scotty began scanning for the proper beaming coordinates. “Really? Fine job, Mister Sulu. Well done.”

The door to the transporter room opened with a soft whoosh and Spock, Jim and Uhura march in. “How are we, Scotty?”

Scotty looked up at Jim and shook his head, amused. “Unbelievably, sir, the ship is in position.”

Stoping to lean over Scotty console, Jim hit the Comm button to the Bridge. There was one last thing to do before running off to play hero. “Whatever happens, Mister Sulu, if you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still onboard. That's an order.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Otherwise, we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back.”

“Good luck.” From the sound of Sulu’s voice it was obvious he thought they were all going to need it.

Turning the Comm off, Jim turned to take his place on the transporter pad next to Spock. Startled and more than a little broken hearted, Jim turned to see Spock and Uhura tenderly kissing. Flinching he looked away unable to stand the sight of the only person he had ever loved sharing a intimate moment of love with the woman who despised him. It hurt more than he would like to admit but it also confirmed for him that Spock had never meant to come back for him. That he had found a real woman to take to his bed and into his heart.

Resting his forehead against Uhura’s Spock quietly tried to comfort her. “I will be back.”

Uhura stepped back to look him in the eyes. “You better be. I'll be monitoring your frequency.”

“Thank you, Nyota.”

Taking one last stolen kiss Uhura turned to glare at Kirk. He might be her Acting Captain now and he might be going to fight alongside her Spock, but she wasn’t willing to care about him yet. He was still an perverted asshat and a douche bag for coming onboard and tearing Spock apart while he was still grieving. Jim nodded at her, accepting that she would never forgive him as she strode off the transporter pad to stand next to Scotty.

Not willing to pretend he hadn’t just seen Spock engaging in an illicit kiss with his student, and hurting, Jim turned to Spock trying to take one last jab. “So shacking up with your students now, how very logical.”

“I have no comment on the matter."

Watching the two with more than a little worry Scotty tried to interrupt them before they could break out into another knock-down-drag-out fight like they had on the Bridge. “Okey-dokey then. If there's any common sense in the design of the enemy ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay. There shouldn't be a soul in sight.”

Jim looked away from Spock and over to where Scotty stood more than a little surprised and pleased to see the older Spock stepping into the room, raising his hand in the ta’al at Jim, a smile loving smile on his lips. A warm smile spreading across his lips he spoke, “Energize.”