Chapter Text
Previously:
“Never mind that!” Jim shook his head, “We don’t have time! We’re about to warp into a trap!”
Bones kept nagging him to slow down and rest since the attacking ship had escaped after his plan to destroy Vulcan failed, but Jim just couldn’t let it go. He wanted revenge. It felt… wrong of him to stop now.
“Remember…” a familiar voice whispered softly.
Could Kirk really be described as “Justice’s Child”?
Could the man from his dream be correct?
“The fate of Justice’s Child depends upon The Scholar’s Pupil, and only together they can rescue the Heavens from the Serpent’s Coils. The path of logic is not always meant to be taken alone, and emotion is not always the antithesis of logic.”
Now:
“Chekov, Sulu, any ideas on how to sneak up on Nero’s ship?” Captain Kirk asked from the captain’s chair.
“Aye, sir! If we go to warp soon, we can hide behind one of Saturn’s moons. I think the Romulans should pass by Saturn on their way to Earth,” said Chekov.
“Excellent!” exclaimed Kirk. “Let’s punch it, Mr. Sulu!”
“Aye, sir! Warp 6!” Sulu acknowledged.
The ship’s engines flared to life and its body swirled through the vacuum of space, leaving behind nothing but a flash of light blue streaks. As the Enterprise dropped out of warp, the turbo lift doors hissed open.
“Permission to resume my station, Captain?” called Commander Spock.
“Mr. Spock! Welcome back!” Kirk smiled. Spock’s lips briefly twitched upwards as he made eye contact with his captain.
“So, here’s the plan: Bones, I need your surgical skills to change my face so I can sneak around once I’m on-board Nero’s ship. Uhura, I need you to quickly teach me a few key phrases in Romulan. Scotty, I need you to transport me into an empty cargo bay or something so I can avoid any guards. Any questions?”
“Captain, you have not selected any away team members,” Spock interrupted.
“That’s because I want to do this alone, Mr. Spock. I’m not willing to risk anyone else!” Kirk replied.
“I am coming with you,” Spock insisted. “It is logical. I am Vulcan, therefore my external physiology is similar enough to the Romulans that I could easily hide amongst them.”
Kirk took in his stubborn expression. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he had a gut feeling that he needed Spock to come with him. He could somehow feel that he wasn’t supposed to go alone.
“Alright, Mr. Spock. Please wait for me in the transporter room. Everyone else, get to your stations! Oh, and Mr. Sulu?”
“Yes, sir?”
“I want you to fire on that ship the second it arrives. I don’t care if we’re still on it, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Sulu agreed reluctantly. Jim looked at the view screen and observed his stars silently for a moment, then headed down to Sickbay.
“Well, Jim, I did my best. You look like a right ugly hobgoblin now,” Dr. McCoy said gruffly.
“As long as it looks good enough to fool them, I don’t care if I’m the ugliest guy they’ve ever seen, Bones,” he joked as they walked to the transporter room.
“Captain, are you ready?” Spock asked. Kirk nodded and stepped onto the transporter pad.
“Energize, Mr. Scott!”
“Aye, sir!” snapped the Scotsman as he activated the transporter console. The two men disappeared in a swirling beam of gold in seconds.
The beam reincorporated them inside a dark corridor of Nero’s ship. Unfortunately, it appeared that they had also beamed directly in front of a small group of Romulan guards. Jim fired his phaser at the first man, knocking him out cold. Spock wrestled against another guard and swiftly delivered a Vulcan pinch to the pressure point where neck and shoulder meet. Another guard met the same fate as Kirk’s first but the fourth guard escaped and pulled the alarm.
“Shit!” yelled Jim. “They triggered the alarm!”
He turned towards Spock.
“Spock, we have to split up,” he stated
“Why?” asked Spock, his right eyebrow raising.
“I need you to try to find a small craft stuck inside this giant monstrosity of a ship while I find Pike. It’s called the Jellyfish. I know I’ll owe you an explanation later but trust me, please!” Jim said as he ran down the corridor.
Spock shook his head lightly and reached down to touch the unconscious guard’s face. He quickly melded with him and found the location of the ship Kirk mentioned.
‘How did he know about it? ’ he thought. Kirk had no logical way to know about a specific craft on Nero’s ship, so how did he know? Did someone tell him? Was one of the Romulans secretly a spy? But that idea did not make sense. Kirk would have no access to anyone from the future. Spock continued this train of thought as he snuck through the bowels of Nero’s vessel. He finally reached his destination and approached the Jellyfish. The doors hissed as they released the air trapped in the pressurized flight cabin.
“Fascinating,” Spock stated as he noted how futuristic and sleek the ship's interior was. He found his way to the pilot’s chair.
“Now, how do I operate this?” he wondered aloud.
“Greetings, Ambassador Spock,” a soothing electronic voice greeted.
‘Ambassador? Perhaps he met up with Kirk and told him about this ship. An alternate version of myself… Fascinating!’ he thought. Spock grasped the controls tightly and commanded the autopilot to engage.
The Jellyfish’s engines started with a low purr and quickly shot out of the internal void of Nero’s ship and into space.
Jim watched from the shadows as a pair of golden-domed Romulans approached the guarded door at the end of the hall. The new guards nodded to the previous ones as they accepted the shift change. Jim silently trailed behind the two that had left and quietly stunned both of them. He stole the helmet and the red sash from the chest of the shorter one and placed both bodies into the hidden corner before he approached the door again. The guards stared at him suspiciously.
“It is not your shift. State your purpose!” snarled the first guard.
“Your position here is unnecessary. Nero ordered everyone to report to their battle stations, quickly! I am to take your place as one puny human is no match for one of us and I am the most expendable,” Jim stated.
The two guards looked at each other and then nodded.
“If our Commander has ordered it, we shall go,” the second guard said as they both left down the corridor. Jim watched them leave and hurried inside the chamber. He gasped when he saw Captain Pike strapped to a table. It was immediately obvious that he had been subjected to torture, as his bloodied uniform was in tatters and one of his eyes blackened. A few loose teeth littered the floor and he appeared to have had his left leg broken as well as the majority of his fingers. Jim ran towards him and quickly unlocked the restraints. Pike’s blue eyes fluttered open as he awoke. He blearily glanced at Jim as he struggled to lift him up.
“Who?” he said groggily.
“Chris! It’s me, Jim. I’m here to get you outta here,” Jim replied.
“Jim? Oh, am I glad to see you, son,” Pike smiled as he leaned heavily on the other man. Jim pulled his communicator out of his pocket.
“Scotty, one to beam directly to Sickbay. I’ve got Pike!”
“Aye, sir. We await your and Mr. Spock’s return, Captain!” Scotty replied.
Spock piloted the Jellyfish with ease after the first few moments. It was as if the design was made specifically for him: perfectly logical in every way. He flew gracefully away from Nero’s monstrous mining ship and contemplated warping back to rendezvous with the Enterprise. He knew it would be logical, but a small piece of doubt wiggled its way into his thoughts. He did not wish to abandon Kirk. The prophetic dreams of his young self pointed towards a life where they were supposed to work together to defeat Nero. Should he return to the Enterprise and try to help Kirk from there? Or was he supposed to use the Jellyfish itself to defeat the evil Romulan? He set his new ship on impulse and drifted towards the Enterprise. He hoped he had made the right decision.
Jim felt a pull in his sternum as he jogged down the dimly lit empty corridors with the occasional flash of red light overhead. As he approached a well-lit area crawling with guards and what appeared to be a room full of computer screens, he felt the tug becoming stronger. He followed it and found its source: a giant ball of red, pulsing liquid energy suspended in a forcefield above a dais. The ball gave off the same feeling as his stars, if a bit more intense. He unconsciously found his hand reaching upward to touch it when his wrist was grabbed harshly.
“You! Are you insane?! Touch that and we’ll all be sucked into oblivion, idiot!” shouted a tall Romulan in a black robe with a large embroidered red serpent on the arm.
“Sorry!” Jim cried as he internally winced at the enemy’s strong grip.
“What are you doing in this area to begin with? You are unauthorized! Who is your commanding officer? Tell me!” the Romulan demanded, slamming his fist on a nearby console.
“Uh…” Jim stuttered as his mind blanked on a reasonable explanation.
A blaring red alert saved him from having to answer as everyone’s attention was drawn back to the main monitor in the room. Nero appeared on the viewscreen, his pale bald head and red serpentine neck tattoo glinting in the fluorescent Bridge lighting.
“Attention all units! Attention all units! We have spotted a pair of hostile ships. It is the Enterprise and the Jellyfish! Battle stations everyone! Prepare to die, Spock~!” Nero hissed as the monitor went dead.
‘Spock! I have to figure out how to self-destruct this thing or he’s toast!’ Jim’s thoughts raced as he quickly tried to think of a plan. ‘Think, Jim! Is there a way I can trigger that big ball and beam out of here alive?’ he pondered as he glanced around the room. He spotted something that appeared to be some sort of high-tech syringe on the other side of the glowing ball. ‘That’s it!’ he thought as he sidled over towards the object. He snuck around to the other side of the ball where it would hide his movements and he pocketed the syringe. He walked over to an unoccupied console and fiddled around with the controls until he finally found what he was looking for.
FORCEFIELD DEACTIVATED
“Yes!” he hissed silently as he quickly plunged the syringe into the orb and withdrew a small amount. The red liquid energy pulsed in his hand. Jim felt odd holding it, almost as though it was an excitable puppy and he was its owner coming home from work.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Guards! He’s stealing the red matter! Seize him!” called the suspicious scientist from earlier. The guards rushed him and tried to tackle him but he managed to get out the door and ran for it. Jim ran as fast as his legs would carry him as the guards nipped at his heels. He found the room where he rescued Pike earlier and attempted to contact Scotty.
“Scotty! This is Kirk requesting a beam up! Please hurry!”
The other end of the call crackled with static.
“Damn it! They must be jamming all signals. I have to try to steal a small shuttle or something. Hopefully, I won’t be blasted right out of the sky!” He grumbled. Jim peeked around the edge of the doorway and ran when he saw that the coast was clear. After several close calls, he finally found what looked like a shuttle bay.
“Yes! Now to get the hell out of here!” he smiled. Out of nowhere, a large object collided with Jim, sending him to the ground.
“Oof!” he shouted. He leaped to his feet and dusted himself off quickly.
“Captain James T. Kirk. I know you. One of the greatest Starfleet captains in history. Too bad you won’t get the chance this time!” sneered Nero as he punched Jim in the face. Jim reeled back as the bright blood sprayed into the air, tinting it scarlet. He felt the crunch as his nose broke and twisted off to the side. He spat out a small amount of blood that had begun to pool in his mouth.
“Nero!” Jim growled, his eyes illuminated with an otherworldly xanthous glow. He jumped onto the man and repeatedly punched him as hard as he could. Nero was taken by surprise and merely grunted as the air was forced out of his body. After a few moments, he struck out like a cobra, clutching Kirk by the throat. He squeezed tightly and wrapped both hands around the human’s neck.
“Any last words, Captain~?” he smirked. Jim coughed and said, “I’ve got your gun.” He fired the phaser directly into Nero’s exposed abdomen and his eyes widened in shock. His mouth gaped open as his body was flung backward onto the floor, highlighted in a sickening green. Jim coughed again and rubbed his sore throat. He was not looking forward to having Bones nag him about the bruises later. He hopped into the nearest shuttle and jettisoned out into the stars, the small red vial in his pocket jolting with happiness at his closeness.
“Captain! So glad you’re back!” cried Scotty as he hugged Jim tightly. Jim patted him on the back.
“Indeed, Captain. I am… pleased that you have returned,” stated Spock. Jim smiled at him.
“Everybody get out of the way! CMO coming through!” yelled a distinctly Southern tone.
Dr. McCoy brushed past the celebrating crew as he ran up to Jim and started to scan him with his tricorder.
“Bones, I’m alright,” Jim said hoarsely.
“Alright my foot, Jim. The bruising on your larynx is going to require a lot of time with the dermal regenerator so I’m taking your ass to Sickbay!” he scoffed and dragged Jim by the arm. Jim looked back at Spock and Scotty and shrugged before being led away.
Jim drifted off to the sound of the biobeds beeping and medical staff shuffling around. He felt someone petting his hair soothingly and he melted into the gentle touch.
“You did well, my son,” said a soft, feminine voice. Jim mumbled nonsensically and turned on his side, clutching his feather pendant underneath his Sickbay gown.
“I wish I could spare you this pain, but your purpose is not complete yet. Farewell, my son. I shall be watching over you,” the voice continued as the hand stopped its stroking. Jim’s sleepy sigh turned into a lingering smile as he fell deeper into the darkness.
Jim woke feeling well-rested. He stretched his arms out and let out a loud yawn before rubbing at the hint of stubble growing on his chin. He found the red vial sitting atop his dirty laundry from the day before. He wanted to present a clean image for the rest of the crew so he requested a change of clothes from a nearby yeoman and quickly got dressed and headed to the Bridge.
“Mr. Spock, I would like to talk to you in the conference room. Commander Sulu, you have the conn,” said Kirk.
“Yes, sir,” replied Sulu.
Jim and Spock walked into the conference room together and sat across from each other at the long table.
“Mr. Spock, do you have any ideas for how to deal with the Romulan threat before they try to attack again?”
Spock steepled his fingers in thought.
“I believe that their shields are too strong for something the size of the Enterprise to penetrate,” he stated.
“Are you implying that the Enterprise is too large or too small for such a task?” Kirk asked.
“Too large, sir. It has the necessary firepower, but its large size prevents us from getting close enough,” said Spock.
“Hmm…” Kirk muttered. Then he had an idea.
“Mr. Spock, if we used the Jellyfish, do you think it would be small enough?”
Spock nodded.
“Then if we had a weapon powerful enough to attach to it, do you think it would work?”
“Yes, but there is not any weapon powerful enough on hand at this time.”
Jim paused, then pulled the small red vial out of his pants pocket.
“We can use this. I have no idea what it actually is, but right before I stole this small sample I was told that it is strong enough to destroy a large vessel. Do you think if we attached this to say, a torpedo body it would work?”
“I calculate that that plan has a success rate of 40.6287%,” Spock replied. Jim smiled.
“Sounds like good odds to me…”
As Jim was finalizing the details of the plan with Spock, the red alert sounded. They both ran to resume their stations on the Bridge.
“Chekov, Sulu, status report!”
“We are experiencing a series of small explosions on our port side, Sir,” replied Sulu.
“Shields are holding, Keptin,” answered Chekov.
“Captain, we are being hailed by the Romulan vessel,” said Uhura.
“On screen,” declared the captain.
An angry-looking Romulan glared from the viewscreen.
“Enterprise!” he hissed, “You have killed Captain Nero, but I will not let his plans lay unfinished! You will pay!”
“To whom are we speaking?” Kirk asked.
“I am Ayel, former first officer, now captain. I seek your death, Kirk!” Ayel seethed before disconnecting the call.
“Enterprise, gather at battle stations. Chekov, prepare to disengage the lock on the shuttle bay doors. Mr. Spock, you have the conn,” said Kirk.
“Yes, sir!” chanted the Bridge crew. As Kirk turned to leave, Spock gently grabbed his shoulder.
“Spock?” Jim questioned.
“Sir, I do not think you should be the one to do this. You are the captain, the most important person on the ship,” he argued.
“Spock, we’ve talked about this! I refuse to be a captain who would put his needs before those of his crew. I have to do this,” Jim replied. Spock shook his head but returned to the captain’s chair to await further orders. Jim walked to the turbolift.
“Shuttle bay 2,” he ordered the lift. The lift unexpectedly stopped.
“What the hell?”
Then the doors opened, and the elderly version of Spock stepped onto the lift. It resumed.
“Spock? How and why did you stop the lift?” Jim asked, confused.
“I had the access override codes memorized from my universe, Jim. I needed to speak with you urgently,” he said.
The doors slid open onto the shuttle bay floor and the two stepped out.
“I’m kind of in a hurry, Spock. Are you sure whatever you have to tell me couldn’t wait?”
Spock shook his head.
“No, Jim. I am afraid I have realized a flaw in your original plan. If you fly the Jellyfish close enough to fire off the small portion of red matter, you will be destroyed as well. I cannot allow you to do this!” he insisted.
“Spock, I know…” Jim confessed.
Spock’s eyebrow raised.
“I do not think you do,” he stated.
“I know that I probably won’t come back, but it will be worth it to save the lives of my crew and everybody on Earth,”
“Oh, Jim. I wish I didn’t have to do this…” Spock said sadly before swiftly neck-pinching Kirk into unconsciousness. He gently placed the body of his friend against the walls of the corridor and touched his face lightly.
“Farewell, old friend,” he whispered. Spock walked to the doors of the shuttle bay and climbed into the pilot portion of the Jellyfish. He exited the shuttle bay and flew on a collision course for Nero’s ship, the Narada, narrowly bypassing its spiked tendrils. He locked the photon torpedo loaded with the red matter syringe onto the center mass of the ship and fired. The small tube was virtually undetectable by the large vessel and passed through the defenses easily.
The Enterprise watched in horror as the small ship was swallowed by the eruption. Spock felt his heart drop out of his side as he watched the explosion form into a black hole as it swallowed up the enemy ship. The lower crew were cheering and celebrating but the main bridge crew were not. For them, it was a pyrrhic victory, for they had beaten their enemy, but lost their captain and friend. Spock closed his eyes as the grief washed over him. A soft woosh alerted him that someone had arrived at the Bridge, but he was too exhausted to care. Suddenly, a hand found its way onto his shoulder. Spock opened his eyes abruptly and turned to glare at the intruder when his mouth fell open with shock.
“Jim!” he cried and hugged the other man, smiling widely. Kirk was rubbing his neck but smiling as well. Spock quickly resumed his token blank expression.
The rest of the crew heard Spock’s outburst and turned around, shocked. They all swarmed him and battered his body with hugs and shed their tears.
“Keptin! We thought you were dead, Sir!” cried Chekov. Jim patted the bawling officer on the back.
“I thought I had lost another friend, Kirk! Don’t ever do that to me again!” sobbed Uhura.
Jim hugged her tightly.
“It’s over now. Let’s go home,” he whispered. The crew nodded in agreement and Sulu set a course back to Earth. After all the emotional outbursts had settled, Spock asked, “Captain, if you are here and well with us, then who was flying that ship?”
“I’ll explain later,” Jim promised. He watched the stars from the viewscreen and allowed a sad smile to cross his face.
“Rest in peace, old friend,” he muttered. A slight warmth was felt and the scent of Vulcan spice tea drifted towards him for a moment. He could picture the elderly Vulcan smiling as he was reunited with his lost friends and family. It was a good death if there ever could be such a thing.