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By: Lalaith Quetzalli
Some believed fate was written in stone, James believed each person wrote their own destiny. He might have failed in the past, but that didn't mean he would do so again, especially not when it came to protecting his family. He'd protect them, from danger, from darkness, from cruelty and, if necessary, from fate itself.
Part 1. Fate
It began with a trial, of sorts. And a part of Jim couldn't help but enjoy the irony. Yes, he was in trouble, a hell of a lot of trouble. But then again, it had been the same when he was put on that Academic Hearing for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru, and things hadn't exactly gone bad for him following that… Of course, there were people who just wanted an excuse to get rid of him, from those murmuring about sending him back to the Academy, all the way to those who'd rather he be dismissed from Starfleet entirely. A part of James couldn't help but wonder what their reactions would be if they ever learned their threats didn't really scare him.Don't take him wrong. He loved Starfleet, very much, but it wasn't his life, not anymore. There might have been a time when he believed he'd live and die in Starfleet, much like his Father and his M… Winona did. And he liked it, he took great pride in being a Captain, loved the Enterprise and every single member of the crew… but if they were to tell him he couldn't go back, he would not die. Because Starfleet wasn't the 'be all, end all' for him anymore. Spock was.He was quite certain that at least Amanda would love it if they were to spend more time in Vulcan, as would the children… even if not everyone liked them, the youths definitely did. And T'Pau would no doubt be eager (or as close to eager as Vulcans got) to have both Spock and James attend the New Vulcan Science Academy (apparently James's results when testing for the Shi'Khar Institute during their somewhat eventful last visit to the colony were really good, among the very best on record even, much like Spock's own).So, Amanda would be happy, Sarek would probably be happy (for Amanda being happy if nothing else), T'Pau would accept them (and quite possibly find a way to, in a very Vulcan way, stick it to those who'd once doubted Spock, how talented both of her great-grandsons were), and James was reasonably sure that the teenagers and children would help them win the rest of the adults over if necessary.He would miss the crew, they were his family, almost as much as Spock was, as much as M'aih had once been, certainly more than Winona, Frank or even Sam (and thus his own wife and children) had been in a very long time, if ever. He only hoped that, if it did come to that, Chris would take back captainship himself. He probably wouldn't want to, not now that he'd finally gotten his head out of his ass and married Numer One (it was about time!). Also, the baby was expected to be born any day… but James would so hate for someone like Komack or Barrows to take over the Enterprise and ruin the crew. They were all so amazing, but they well knew they weren't exactly orthodox, not many would be able to be their captain and not try and make them be the generic, boring, Starfleet officers they simply weren't meant to be…"K'diwa (Beloved)?" Spock called quietly.Of course, since some bastard had decided that, despite the fact that the two of them were the topic of the trial (the 'accused' as Komack insisted on referring to them), the Trial was to be behind closed doors, and they didn't have the rank to be present. In James's opinion it was absolutely ridiculous. How were any of them expected to clarify any details if the two involved weren't present at all? Besides, most of the panel was formed by idiots who hadn't been in Space for decades, if ever, what did they know about the choices Starfleet officers like himself and Spock (like their crew) had to make when out there? Yes, he'd technically violated the Prime Directive, but there was just no way he'd have left Spock, his bondmate, down there. And before that, they'd made each choice seeking to protect a young, primitive species that deserved the right to live, as all sentient beings did. Why exactly was that wrong? (Also, if anyone thought there was any chance any of them would have stood back and done nothing, after everything, after Vulcan -and they may not have been able to stop Vulcan from being destroyed, but it sure as hell hadn't been for lack of trying-, then they didn't know them, at all)."I'm alright ashaya (love)." James reassured him."No, you're not." Spock knew him too well to believe that. "You worry about what the Admiralty might decide.""Not as much as I thought I would." His telsu (bonded) admitted. "And nowhere near as much as I'm sure Komack would want me to. No, I'm more… annoyed, that they would judge us without even knowing us, without learning why we did the things we did.""You know I've been guilty of that too." Spock reminded him softly.And he was, when he'd chosen to pursue Jim's 'crime' of cheating on the Kobayashi Maru, rather than go to him and ask why he'd done it."You understood, even if it took us a while to get there." James face showed a small smile. "I don't think the Admiralty is interested in doing that.""If they don't, that'll be their loss." Spock did his best to console his telsu.It was at times like those that he was so very thankful for the depth of the bond they shared. For it allowed him to comfort his mate even when he couldn't find the right words to say; and what's more, he didn't doubt himself for he could feel as his beloved brightened."Yes, it will." James agreed.
xXx
Hours later James was having his second (and last) drink of the night. The first he'd had in the company of his Command Crew, who'd insisted on going all together to the bar to celebrate that Sulu had finally decided to pop the question. The best part? Ben had said yes. Everyone was very happy for him, and thus, ready to celebrate.Spock had left early on in the celebration, as he wasn't the kind to enjoy places like bars and such. Though he'd insisted that James stay as long as he liked, he was planning on doing some long, deep meditation. So James stayed.The crew had just left and James had turned down the third person to attempt to seduce him Was there no respect for people's marriages anymore? And they knew he was married, the whole galaxy had found out when he and Spock got married! (And that one wasn't even on him, it had been all Starfleet, trying to give the public something good for them to focus on instead of the tragedy of the loss of Vulcan, as if a wedding could compare to the loss of millions of innocent lives at the hands of a madman… though of course Starfleet just hadn't wanted people to begin asking why, if the deed had been done by the very same man responsible for the loss of the Kelvin, why hadn't Starfleet found him before he destroyed Vulcan?) In any case, James was considering just taking off, despite the fact that Spock would still be in deep meditation and therefore unavailable, when none other than Chris made his appearance. Apparently his Number One was becoming crankier the closer she got to the end of her pregnancy and Chris had pretty much high-tailed it out of there at the first opportunity. Jim couldn't stop cackling over that one, especially at how put out that made his old mentor.So the two shared a drink. Talking about how different married life was from what each of them had imagined. Chris had avoided it for the longest time, mostly because he had been terrified of Number One telling him no. She'd told him once that she intended to never marry, believing that her husband would want to ground her, and she simply refused to allow that. Also, before James and Spock, Starfleet had had very specific rules about two people in Command Structure being allowed in a relationship together, believing that they'd be compromised and liable to put the life of their paramour above their duty, and that simply couldn't be allowed. At the same time, they also had rules that kept them from separating Vulcan telsu (bonded), and the whole crew of the Enterprise, when submitting their reports after the 'Nero Incident' had expressed their desire to serve in the Enterprise, with James Kirk and Spock in charge, and no one else. So Starfleet had allowed it. And it had worked pretty well, at least until the mess in Nibiru."It's not your fault kid." Chris told Jim quietly."I don't think it is." Jim assured him. "I promise you Chris, I'm not drowning in guilt here, or anything like that. I was celebrating with the crew, Sulu just got engaged. Then I was making time, Spock is in deep meditation and I didn't want to interrupt him. What happened in Nibiru… I don't regret it, and nothing the Admiralty say or do will ever make me do so. The things I did, that we did… we did to save a civilization that deserved better than utter annihilation, and to keep a brave officer safe after he risked his own life to achieve that. Even if it hadn't been Spock in that volcano, I'd have done the exact same thing.""I know kid." Chris nodded. "It's one of the things I like about you. You make the hard choices and you stand by them." He exhaled. "I did my best to make them understand that, not sure I managed. In the end they sent me out, said I was… too invested."Jim snorted before taking a last sip from his drink."Yeah, you tell me." Chris scoffed himself before kicking back the remains of his own drink.The rest of the Admiralty had no idea. Even those who said such things, who believed that Chris and Jim cared too much about each other, they didn't understand. They didn't know, and didn't care too either. They hadn't been there, on that ship, all those years ago, when nine small, emaciated children had been brought on board, each of them barely hanging to life and to sanity by a thread, and by their own shared bonds…Neither of the two men ever spoke about it, about their first meeting. Most in Starfleet believed that the two had met in Riverside, following a certain drunken brawl. That their connection originated from Pike's research into the Kelvin for an old paper of his, and the fact that he'd been the one to convince Jim to join Starfleet. Less than a handful knew that hadn't been the first time the two had met (even if the first time Jim had been hardly a teenager, and Chris himself so very young, on his very first mission as a Captain…). And no one other than Chris remembered what a young Jim had looked like, emaciated and yet so very strong, almost feral as he stood guard before his friends, before the kids he'd managed to keep alive against all odds. The look in his eyes when he'd finally accepted, finally believed that they were safe, that He was safe… Number One could barely catch him the moment the kid let go and collapsed as his body was finally allowed to shut down."So… One driving you completely crazy then?" Jim asked with a smirk.Chris knew the kid was changing the topic, and why he was doing it, but it was alright. It wasn't like talking about the 'closed doors trial' neither of them were allowed into was going to change things any. Better to focus on better things, like their respective spouses."Absolutely." He agreed. "No idea why I married her in the first place."That was a lie of course, and they both knew it. Chris loved his Number One, had for a very long time… even if he hadn't dared act on it until he was so high on pain drugs following the Narada incident he could barely tell up from down, and he certainly couldn't remember why exactly he hadn't said a thing to her before. Also, discovering that she was miraculously alive, after having spent hours believing her to be among all of those lost to space and the Narada… the relief of that discovery had been a high all on its own."Cause you love her like crazy." James stated in a very no-nonsense tone. "And she's a goddess who's decided you may just be worth it to bless you with her love.""You are way gone kid." Chris was no doubt that the kid was speaking from his own experience."You've no idea." Jim snorted into the glass of sparkling water the bartender had placed wordlessly in front of him.He'd connections in all the bars he frequented in San Francisco, they knew to never give him more than two drinks, even if none of them knew why exactly. Some might suspect he was a recovering alcoholic, others that he was simply a conscientious man, it didn't matter.They were interrupted by the ringing of Chris's comm, his personal comm. It had been James's wedding gift to him, so One would always be able to reach him, even if his official comm was tied up with an official call (it was also encrypted to hell and back so no one, not even the highest ranked in Starfleet, would ever be able to hack into his personal calls; he'd given one to Number One as well, for that matter).Because the bar was getting louder as more and more people arrived, Chris took the comm and walked towards the hall leading to the bathrooms, the quietest spot in the place, to take the call. Jim kept drinking his water as he waited, deciding he'd be leaving the bar once he'd finished it; he had no doubt Chris would be leaving soon as well. The one on the comm could only be Number One, and there was no doubt Chris would be going back to her immediately.James was pulling out some credits to pay when a ringing distracted him. He hadn't even noticed that Chris had left his Starfleet comm when going to answer his personal one. Jim didn't even stop to think about it before flipping it open. Didn't get the chance to say his name either, and the message was a recording (which was probably good, considering that they'd taken his comm and he wasn't sure if there wouldn't be orders to keep him out of whatever was going on):"To all Admirals, Captains and First Officers, an Emergency Session has been called at the Main Conference Room in Daystrom. Priority 1."Jim could only stare at the comm unit as the message cut off. Priority 1 basically meant: 'drop whatever the hell you're doing and get here now!'. The last time there had been a Priority 1 situation at Starfleet… it had been about Nero. Jim had a very bad feeling all of a sudden."Jim!" Chris called right then.Jim opened his mouth, he had every intention to tell Chris what he'd just heard. The man was an Admiral so of course he had to be at that meeting. Jim himself was still considering if he should go, with or without an invitation… but Chris didn't give him a chance, he just kept talking:"My baby is about to be born!" The man cried out, an exuberance in his voice Jim had never heard before, not even when he was about to get married (though that was probably because back then he'd been absolutely terrified, convinced One was going to change her mind and choose not to marry him)."Then what the hell are you still doing here Chris?" Jim asked, unable to hold back his own laughter. "Go! Go, I'll cover your tab."Chris just nodded, probably half lost in his own thoughts already."Jim!" He called back as he was already beginning to leave. "You'll come, won't you?""As soon as One says it's alright." Jim assured him. "I doubt very much she wants anyone but you right now, and I don't wish to intrude.""You wouldn't be intruding kid." Chris assured him. "You know you're family."Jim just nodded, not quite able to find the right words to reply to that. He knew that both of them had considered him family for a while, probably ever since Tarsus. One had been so protective of him since that very first day, and the fact that she was the very first person he'd allowed to get anywhere close to him and his kids… It had been significant, very much so, even if he'd never explained to anyone what exactly made him trust her before anyone else (or the fact that the only reason he began trusting Chris was because she convinced Jim he was a good man).Truth was that One reminded Jim of M'aih, with the way she held herself, seemingly so cold, aloof, almost emotionless. But it was just a facade, she felt, a lot, and he could see it in her eyes. Jim could see how she worried about them, yet she didn't treat them as children; she could see that after everything they'd been through they couldn't really be children anymore. One wasn't Vulcan, of course not, she was from Ilyria; she was basically a human, though with some differences. According to history, some alien race had abducted hundreds of humans over a lapse of decades, had used them as slaves, until eventually either said race had died or simply lost interest in the humans, leaving them in Ilyria, where they'd evolved as a separate species. They looked perfectly human, and were mostly the same, except for the fact that they were a tad stronger, faster, more enduring, all because of how their ancestors had to adapt to living in a different planet. They had also learned to conceal their emotions, at a time when showing emotion made them vulnerable; and that was something that had stayed with them. Ilyrians for the most part kept to themselves; far as Jim knew One was the only one who had ever chosen to serve with Starfleet, and only two people knew why she'd chosen to do so…Jim waited until Chris left before finally pulling out his credit-chip, covering both their tabs then, after thinking about it some more, he pocketed Chris's official comm. He'd made up his mind: he'd go to that meeting, find out what the hell was going on. He briefly considered calling Spock and letting him know what was going on, then decided not to, from what he could sense through the bond his husband was still deep in mediation and James did not want to interrupt. In any case, it was only a Command meeting, what was the worst that could happen?
xXx
Less than an hour later Jim was revising that opinion. Things had gone to hell in a hand basket so fast his head was almost reeling.He'd known from the very start something was wrong. 1) Who the heck was Harrison? Jim couldn't remember hearing so much as a whisper of him ever before, and if he was that good, he should have; Jim had made it his business to know the names of everyone that was considered gifted, important, etc., in Starfleet (and that had been even before joining!). 2) Why attack an archive? Of course Jim had considered the possibility that there might be something more than an archive there, he'd heard the whispers (and more) about secret divisions of Starfleet, though he'd never gotten definite proof of anything. And yet, if there was more going on, why were they only being told about the archive part? Also, he was fairly certain there was indeed something off going on there, otherwise why had Harrison hung around; he clearly was there to make sure the place blew, which meant it was important for him that it did. 3) What the hell was in the bag? There was clearly something because the man wouldn't let go of it for anything. But what was it? 4) What was coming next? A man with the talents Admiral Marcus claimed Harrison had… there was no way he'd stop at blowing up an archive (or, alternatively, a top-secret base), there had to be more, but what? What else was he planning? And 5) Why the hell was no one asking all those questions? It seemed as if no one other than him even noticed that such questions needed to be asked in the first place. And Jim was keeping himself to a corner of the room, mostly out of sight, suspecting at least some of those present wouldn't like him being there. So he said nothing and just observed… At least until the lights came, and the explosions and, yeah, all hell broke lose.*T'hy'la!* James's head was still ringing when he heard his husband's voice calling."I'm… fine…" He murmured, not quite noticing that he was talking out-loud. "Spock…"*Fine has a myriad of connotations, and you're most definitely not fine…* Spock replied mentally, in a tone that showed how on edge he was.*You're using contractions.* James noticed, which also served to show him just how badly his beloved was taking everything. *I'm alright Spock, I promise. Just give me a second to get this bastard…*Even as he spoke Jim was already working on taking down Harrison. He shot at him from one side, and when that proved not to be enough, James made a half-baked, crazy plan and, his insane luck holding, it worked. The problem? Harrison somehow managed to beam out of the transport he'd been on before it crashed, and Jim hadn't the slightest idea how he'd managed that exactly. He hated not knowing things.*I'm heading home.* He informed his mate mentally. *Be there in a few minutes. Don't go out, and if anyone asks, tell them that as far as you know, I'm still at the bar.**James…* Spock knew something was very, very wrong.*This was not the end Spock, it was just the beginning.* James informed him grimly even as he made his way out of the building, dodging everyone. *As of this moment I trust no one but you.**You can always trust me k'diwa.**I know ashayam. Be there in a few minutes.*Spock stayed deep in the bond, practically inside his telsu's head, until James arrived to the apartment. Then, once they were sure the other was okay James stood in front of his husband, a quirk of his brow enough to signal what he wanted. With a nod of acquiescence Spock went into his telsu's mind, they didn't even need to touch, their bond was so deep, so strong, they were the clearest example of the old Vulcan mantra: 'Parted and never parted. Never and always touching and touched.' All they needed was to wish it, and they could go into each other's minds. They each knew how to shield, definitely, yet they never did, each believing that a bond such as theirs deserved the most absolute trust, and thus they never tried to shield any part of themselves from the other, instead they embraced all each of them were.Spock saw everything then, beginning with the drink James had shared with Christopher Pike, the call he got when One went into labor, the call Jim himself intercepted, and then the meeting at Daystrom, and everything that had happened there. Spock agreed with most of James's thoughts, though he had nothing further to offer. In the end they decided they might as well get some sleep. They wouldn't be able to do anything for the time being anyway.
xXx
They were woken the next morning by the ringing of Spock's personal comm. It was Scotty, he'd somehow managed to get involved with the team who'd secured HQs after Harrison's attack, and he'd been the one to find what he'd used to get out of there. He told Spock everything, before warning him that the information would be reaching the remaining members of the Admiralty very soon. Which meant things would be happening soon.The call had just ended when the phone rang."Kirk speaking." Jim answered automatically.They were in a Starfleet-issue apartment, so it wasn't like the number was exactly personal. But since Starfleet had assigned them that apartment, it wouldn't be hard for anyone there to know how to reach them. Even then, their friends all knew their personal comms, and no one else had any reason to contact them so…"Captain Kirk." The man on the other end of the line spoke. "I want to talk to you and your Fist Officer, come see me at my office at your earliest convenience."Which was a polite way of saying 'come here right now'."Of course sir." Jim replied automatically. "We'll be right there."Spock arched a brow. The bond meant that, of course, he knew exactly what had been said, and just what his telsu was thinking about the whole thing. Marcus's words, after what Scotty had just told them made them both reach the exact same conclusion at pretty much the same time: Something was very, very wrong.
xXx
To say that the meeting with Marcus went badly would have been a huge understatement by both human and vulcan standards. Jim was quite sure that the only reason he didn't go off at the man was that his husband was helping him keep his temper in check. The way the man 'offered' Jim the chance to go at the insane bastard who'd fired upon Starfleet HQs… no capture, no trial, Marcus wanted Jim to pretty much murder the man, and not only that, he expected Jim to agree, no questions asked! His offer to 'ensure' he would keep his captainship, and Spock as his first officer… as if either of them would have ever allowed anyone to separate them! And how could he have called himself captain when he was expected to go against both the rules and the very spirit of Starfleet! It was absolutely ridiculous. And the thinly veiled threats that had been made against Chris… that was right about when Jim would have snapped, if his personal comm hadn't rang right then.The distraction gave Spock the chance to very stiffly (and with barely enough politeness) to remind Admiral Marcus that he and his Captain were both under suspension pending the ongoing investigation and trial over their actions in Nibiru, and taking the Enterprise could be considered as insubordination at the very least, outright treason at worst; as thankful as they both were that the Admiral was willing to aid them, they just couldn't ask such a thing of him, as all Admirals should remain completely objective and unbiased.In the end Marcus had dismissed them, claiming to have 'prior engagements' and making a not-small dig at their refusal to take on his 'mission', especially when it'd have given them the chance to make justice for their loved ones…They were halfway through the plaza outside HQs when James abruptly froze mid-step. Spock stopping a second later, staring at him."Holy Shit…" James gasped in absolute disbelief."James…? K'diwa?" His telsu's mind was firing in so many directions at the same time Spock was having trouble following his line of thought."The bastard actually believes Chris is dead." James breathed out.Spock's eyes widened, as abruptly every thought in his mate's head became crystal clear, and then the half-vulcan could see what had lead his human husband to that conclusion and its implications (some worse than others)."That's why he expected me to take the mission, and not just that but probably to even convince myself it was all my own idea." James began speaking out-loud even as he rushed down the path. "Chris… he was supposed to be at Daystrom for that meeting. He would have been if I hadn't intercepted the message. And since it was a recorded message, one that required no reply, chances are no one knows he never got it, that he was never at HQs last night. Furthermore, the comm was destroyed during the attack, so there's quite a big possibility that Chris is among those considered MIA, likely dead. No one would know to search for him in the maternity ward of Starfleet Medical… he probably doesn't even know the mess everything's become out here and…" Jim broke off, freezing again."T'hy'la…?" This time Spock could follow his telsu's line of thought, and they horrified him, both in how true they sounded, and how terrible the consequences…"Spock..." When James spoke next he was extremely serious. "Find Uhura. Tell her… as much as you think is necessary to tell her. Warn her that things are going to get worse before they get any better, and that it might be safer for her to make herself scarce. Give her one of our encrypted comms. Then… ask her how much does she trusts Gaila, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov. If you agree, warn them as well. Then do the same with your mom. Remember, always use encrypted channels, or speak in person and away from any Starfleet building." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to go see One and Chris, and their baby. Make sure they'll be safe before anyone finds out Chris wasn't at Daystrom last night. Then I'm going to find Bones and warn him as well."Spock didn't even ask his telsu if he really thought things were so bad that such actions were necessary, it was obvious he did, and while a part of Spock did not want to believe that Starfleet could be thus compromised, that they could all be in the kind of danger that made it preferable to hide… he trusted his mate's intuition. Also, and while nothing had been said about it, Spock had no doubt that ensuring their friends' safety could only be the first part, James was planning something, and Spock would be right there to help ensure both the success of the plan, and the welfare of his t'hy'la.
xXx
It was ridiculously easy to get inside Starfleet Medical, even without using his ID (and he most definitely couldn't, if he wanted to make sure there would be no trail that could be used to track him, or the Pikes, down). Jim would have cursed all the supposed security to kingdom come if it hadn't been oh so convenient for him right then.The moment he reached the waiting area for the maternity ward, the blonde confirmed that Chris had no idea of what was going on outside the hospital (for that matter, he wondered if anyone in the hospital knew at all). The moment his eyes laid on Jim Chris smiled, big and bright."I have a son!" He cried out in absolute delight.Soon enough the Admiral was practically pulling Jim down the hall and inside a room, where One was sitting up in a bed, holding a baby in a green blanket (because she refused to follow the 'old paradigms' and use a blue one just because it was a boy)."Hello James." She nodded at him, her eyes smiling even if the rest of her face didn't, she twisted just enough for her half-sleep baby to become visible. "Meet Jamie."Jim was quite sure something had lodged into his throat the moment he heard that."Are you… are you sure?" He asked, not knowing what else to say."Completely kid." Chris assured him clapping his back enthusiastically. "James Euan Pike.""Christopher also hopes you might agree to being the child's godfather." One added for good measure. "You and Spock.""We'd be honored." James didn't even hesitate. "Anything for the little Number Two."One actually smiled at that, while Chris chuckled. Jim knew Number One wasn't her name, of course he did. Though Ilyrians were so private that their first names were only shared with those they considered family. It was why Starfleet records only had her last-name: Robbins. Which she still went by, considering that taking the husband's name was 'an outdated and ridiculous tradition she had no interest in taking part of' (her words). Jim was half-sure she only chose to keep her original surname because it was easier. Though most people called her Number One anyway, since Chris did most of the time.A nurse came into the room right about then, announcing that it was time for the baby's check-up. One had no intention of staying in the hospital longer than absolutely necessary, being Ilyrian meant she recovered from labor faster than normal humans, which might allow her to leave that same day… as long as the doctors agreed that she and the baby were both healthy enough to be discharged. So she allowed it, though not before giving Chris specific instructions to go with the nurse and never let their baby out of his sight. He shook his head, probably thinking it was all unnecessary, but it wasn't like he wouldn't have gone anyway. Already he was very much attached to his son and didn't want to leave him out of his sight any longer than absolutely necessary, and since the nurse had no problem with Chris accompanying her…One waited just long enough to make sure the others were really gone and not coming back before staring straight at Jim, dead serious:"Tell me what the hell is going on." She ordered.Even dressed in a hospital night-gown and sitting up in a bed with way-too-fluffy pillows behind her back, she made an imposing figure and Jim had no doubt she'd find a way to force any and all answers out of him if he so much as thought about refusing… not that he would ever do something that idiotic…"What gave me away?" He asked, unable to help his curiosity."You look like you're preparing for war." She informed him."Chris didn't seem to notice." He couldn't help but point out."Christopher is still lost in the joy of becoming a father. He probably doesn't see anything's wrong because he doesn't want to, doesn't want anything to break into his joy."Jim had to admit she was probably right. So he went into the story. Beginning with the call he'd intercepted without quite planning it, the meeting at Daystrom, the attack, and ending with the meeting with Marcus earlier and his talk with Spock on the way to the hospital. One had reached pretty much the same conclusions as him by the time they came to the end, and something more:"Thank you…" She whispered, taking Jim's hands in hers.For a few seconds, James had no idea how to react to that, he'd never seen and heard so much emotion coming from her."What for?" He eventually mumbled."For Christopher." She explained, finally letting him go. "If you hadn't done what you did… he would have been there. He'd probably be dead right now…"And she'd be a widow, Jamie would have lost his father before ever getting a chance to know him, much like Jim himself did. James could only be thankful such a thing hadn't happened; and he had to make sure it wouldn't."How soon can you get out of here?" He asked One."A couple of hours if I press the right buttons." She knew where he was going already."You need to go to ground." Jim said it anyway. "All three of you. Get out of San Francisco, tell no one where you're going, nothing at all. Whatever you need to tell Chris, just make sure he doesn't report to anyone. As long as he's still considered MIA, you're safe. If you need anything, call Nyota Uhura, Bones, or Amanda Grayson.""They know what's going on?""Spock is with Nyota right now, and then he'll get in touch with his parents. I'm going straight to see Bones once I'm out of here.""What are you going to do James?"He couldn't give her any details because, to be honest, he himself had no idea. All he knew was that something was very wrong, and he needed to find out what it was. Something was rotten in Starfleet, aside from the Pikes, Nyota, Bones and Spock's family James wasn't sure he trusted anyone at the time (his crew was a maybe, but he hadn't known them long enough to be certain). He needed to know what was going on exactly, and how to stop it, before those he loved ended up hurt. He had no idea how he was going to do that exactly. Though one thing he did know: Harrison was the clue for unraveling the mystery, so that's where he'd start."It's like you said." Was all he said in the end. "I'm going to war."
xXx
Jim was on his way back to the apartment. It had been a headache, convincing Bones of how serious things were, without telling him so much he'd be irremediably in danger. In the end he played the family card. One of Jim's oldest friends: Josef, was a lawyer, one of the very best, James had gotten him interested on Bones's case, his daughter's custody. Of course Bones could not get full custody, not when he spent so much time in space, but he certainly got a better deal, and much improved visitation rights.It was supposed to be a surprise for his birthday in a few weeks, but Jim decided he might as well get the cat out of the bag already. Also, putting the new deal into effect would effectively get Bones out of San Francisco at least for a while, which was perfect.Spock had already warned him through the bond that Nyota had refused to go into hiding, though she'd very publicly agreed to teach a seminar about adapting into new languages and new races, as well as joining two intensive courses for a couple of the newest languages to be learned by Starfleet. Gaila was with her. Hikaru had filed for some slightly extended leave in order to spend time with his fiancée, while Chekov had agreed to go visit his family in Russia for a little while. Spock was still on the comms with his mother, trying to instill on her the importance of staying in New Vulcan, of not listening to any news that might come from the Admiralty or Starfleet in general in the coming days (because there was no doubt that the moment Marcus, and whoever else was with him, realized they were interfering, things would get bad, fast), without causing her to take the first shuttle to Earth and try and help (they definitely did not want her anywhere near that mess). Which left only Scotty…Jim was about to turn a corner to the building where his current apartment was located, when he unexpectedly found himself being pushed back and into some bushes. He reacted instinctively, taking hold of the arm of the person manhandling him, twisting, spinning and then pushing said person against the nearest wall, arm twisted behind his back."Hey!" A voice cried out in distress."Scotty?!" Jim so wasn't expecting that one.He let go of his Chief Engineer immediately, watching in silence as the Scotsman shifted this way and that, trying to relieve himself of the pain Jim's actions had caused. Really, it was his fault for 'attacking' the blonde like that!"What the hell man?!" Scotty snapped."You attacked me first Scotty." Jim retorted, eyes narrowed."I wasn't attacking you, I was saving you." Scotty replied, self-satisfied."Saving me?" Jim was puzzled by that."From the very suspicious men loitering like vultures outside your apartment."That made the blonde react. As he hurried to the very edge of the building they were by, peeking out very carefully. Scotty was right, there were two men, dressed like Starfleet officers, except they moved nothing like anyone at Starfleet did, more like…"Mercenaries…" Jim practically spat in realization.It appeared things were escalating faster than he'd expected."What the hell is going on Jim?" Scotty demanded. "I mean, I just got notice that the Enterprise is officially grounded until further notice. Most of the crew has been temporarily reassigned, Chekov, Sulu and McCoy left San Fran hours ago, and you're skulking around like… like… I've no idea but it's mighty suspicious man!""It's bad Scotty, it's really, really bad." Jim admitted grimly. "Remember what you told Spock and I this morning about the attack on Daystrom?""Yeah…" Scotty hesitated, he'd a feeling he really wasn't going to like it.So Jim told him. Not everything. Not how deep he thought things went. The fact that he was sure Marcus wasn't acting for the good of Starfleet. Instead he let Scotty believe that his refusal came from a desire to keep his crew safe, which was the same reason why they'd all been temporarily reassigned, so no one else could send them out after Harrison (Jim hadn't actually planned that far, but he was sure either Spock or someone else in the Command Team had thought of it and made sure it got done, his people were that awesome). He told Scotty that he was planning on doing some digging himself, find out who was behind it all, without revealing that he suspected the ones responsible were Starfleet themselves (and that it wasn't just Marcus). Chances were, Scotty would arrive to the same conclusion himself, sooner or later, but Jim would rather not put that kind of burden on him, not yet."Well, I've been waiting for an excuse to make several adjustments and improvements to our fair lady sir, if you allow me…" Scotty offered."Send me the paperwork and I'll sign on it before I leave." Jim agreed instantly.That would definitely guarantee that the Enterprise stay grounded, as well as give Scotty and whoever was left, something to do."You know how you're going to get off-planet without Starfleet finding out?" Scotty inquired, curious about what Jim might be planning."Oh Scotty…" Jim actually smirked.If Scotty just knew the kind of things Jim had planned, the things he was capable of.Thanks to the warning, Jim managed to avoid the vultures. It's not like there was anything in the apartment he really needed. And a quick mental message to Spock would ensure he stayed away too. They'd be meeting in the outer-districts, on the very limits of San Francisco, an area that was mostly abandoned factories and old warehouses. In one of those Jim kept a bike and a cache with clothes, food and money, in case he ever needed to run. After Tarsus… Jim had made a point of being ready for anything. Granted, he never expected to end up using it while working to reveal a conspiracy at the heart of Starfleet (and possibly the Federation itself), but he'd make do."Good luck Captain." Scotty wished him with a dramatic salute."And to you Scotty." Jim nodded, he pulled off his jacket, turned it inside out (to change the color), messed up his hair a lot more than usual, and changed his posture into a slouch. "Good luck to us all."
xXx
Things worked mostly as planned. James and Spock met on the warehouse and from there they rode on James's bike to a transport (an unofficial one) which got then got them to Portland."I thought the purpose of our unannounced departure was to ensure we wouldn't be followed." Spock commented. "If we're on a Starfleet dock…""We're not going to the Starfleet dock." James cut him off calmly.He lead Spock to a gym, saying a quick thanks to someone on the way in, before opening one of the lockers and pulling out two bags. Inside, he knew, there were clothes for both him and Spock, credit chips, and more importantly: papers. Fake papers, the good kind (it paid to know the very best on both sides of the law)."Leelee is a smuggler." James explained. "I made arrangements and my ship will be ready for departure. By tonight we'll be off planet with no one being the wiser."Spock didn't comment about James knowing a smuggler, though James could sense his thoughts about it. He wasn't being judgmental, not really. He was mostly curious. He also knew what his telsu thought about having connections everywhere. And really, as long as Spock didn't see anyone smuggling things that could hurt others, he was willing to, as humans would say, turn a blind eye to it."It's nothing like that." James assured his husband. "For the most part, Leelee smuggles luxury items into places where they're not so easy to obtain. Also, she's a great help to Kat where it comes to smuggling escaped slaves, prisoners, and the like."Spock blinked at that, clearly not having considered that possibility.James was walking fast, so much Spock was barely managing to keep pace with him. Until all of a sudden he froze mid-step:"K'diwa…?" He asked, confused.But James was paying no attention to him, he was completely tense, and looking around, as if seeking an escape route…"Don't even think about it!" A female voice snapped.Spock's eyes turned in the direction of the voice immediately. What he found was a petite girl with long, curly hair that seemed to have been dyed every color of the rainbow, her eyes were small and dark and she was dressed in a black jumpsuit and platform black boots.James deflated all at once, not quite in defeat, but in resignation. Spock believed the newcomer wasn't dangerous, though his mate clearly hadn't expected to see her there."Leelee…" He began."Don't Leelee me JT!" The woman retorted, then proceeded to throw her arms around him in a very exuberant hug.The most surprising to the vulcan though, was the fact that, despite his apparent misgivings, James returned the hug just as strongly. And then Spock focused on what she had called him. JT… his dark eyes widened as he remembered that only a very specific group referred to him by that particular nickname."It's good to see you." Jim murmured quietly."Don't try those tricks on me mister, I know you tried to avoid me." She retorted. "Not sure how you thought it would work though. I mean, you sent Riley away. You called Katja and asked her for a favor! You! Did you really think I wouldn't do something when learning you were planning on getting the Suvwl' out?""I didn't want to get you involved." James admitted."Things really are bad then." She exhaled, shaking her head. "So… you going to introduce me any time soon?""Right. Leelee, this is my telsu, Spock. Spock, this is Leelee.""Live long and prosper." She offered the vulcan a greeting, though in Standard, as she knew no Vulcan. "I offer you my name, Leah Walter, though the brat likes to call me Leelee.""Peace and long life Leah." Spock greeted her. "My name is Spock.""It's a pleasure to finally meet you Spock." Leah assured him, before turning once more to Jim. "You should know, Thalia is liable to kill you. You got married and didn't even introduce your hubby to us?! She's not happy with you. Nayda of course has been trying to remind her that we usually keep our distance for a reason, while Grant reminded her that she wasn't even on the planet when you got married, so even if you had told us, it's not like she was here to meet him anyway. None of us were."Which James had been oh-so-thankful for. He'd worried enough with the stakes as they'd been, he couldn't imagine focusing on the mission if he'd had to worry about his children getting killed as well. They'd survived Tarsus, and did not deserve to end up killed by another madman. Then again, the vulcans and all his former classmates hadn't deserved it either, it hadn't changed a thing in the end."What is really going on JT?" Leah finally asked, softly but strongly, she clearly wasn't going to allow for any evasions.So James told her the truth. All of it. More than he'd told anyone else except Spock; more than he'd told even One."You need us?" Was the first thing Leah asked once he was finished. "You know we can all be gathered in less than 48 hours.""No, I actually want you as far away from this shitshow as you can get." James answered bluntly. "It's why I was trying to avoid you. I know you want to help, I know all would come if I just called. But I don't want to involve you. I don't know how bad this is going to get, but it will be bad. Also, you know I've experience in space none of you have."And he wasn't talking just about Starfleet, even Spock knew that, even if he wasn't aware of all the details. Close as they might be, strong as their bond might be, there were just things he didn't know about his telsu yet. They'd come in due time, he was sure. It wasn't like James was keeping secrets from him, some things just hadn't come up yet."Very well." Leah clearly didn't like it, but she did not press. "But if things do get worse you better let us help. In any way we can.""If something happens I believe you can help with, I'll call you." James assured her.It was why he'd called Katja, told her about the Pikes and what might be necessary if at any moment One decided they just weren't safe on Earth anymore…"Go then." Leah waved them past. "Go and save the galaxy, or whatever it is you're doing now."She said it in a teasing tone, though a part of Spock couldn't help but think she might not be that far off. John Harrison was an unknown, but Admiral Marcus's actions showed there was a lot more going on than just a rogue officer turning against Starfleet, possibly joining the Klingons against the Federation. In any case, that was why they had to leave Earth, and travel to Qo'noS. They'd find Harrison, and hopefully get the answers to their questions. Insane as it might seem, it was likely to be easier than trying to find out things on Marcus's end; and not just because if they so much as tried to investigate the man they were liable to be seen as the traitors… A part of Spock couldn't help but wonder when his life had gotten that insane: treasonous officers, an attack on an archive that was actually more of a secret base, an attack on HQs, assassinations, a possible conspiracy inside Starfleet… insane just wasn't strong enough a word.
xXx
A few hours later all pre-flight check-ups had been finished and Jim settled on the pilot's chair of his little ship. He knew it didn't look like much from the outside (little more than a hastily put together piece of scrap, was how Thalia had described it once; but that was just aesthetically. On the inside, his ship was probably one of the very best in the quadrant, certainly the best privately owned machine by someone who wasn't a rich bastard coughThomascough). Jim had personally seen to everything that made it work, rebuilt the engine a piece at a time, and even added some things that weren't exactly 'usual' for ships that size (or ships that weren't from Starfleet for that matter). All in all, Jim was really proud of his baby."Warrior this is Control." A voice called through the radio."Control this is James Ravanok from the Warrior, requesting permission for take-off." James spoke into his head-set."Permission granted Warrior." The person in the Control Tower replied. "You have a two minute window starting… now."James had never known what it was they did exactly to keep Starfleet off their asses, and he honestly did not care to find out. It'd allow them to get off planet without anyone finding out and that was enough for him. It took a minute or two but soon they were out of the atmosphere and James was putting in the coordinates for a planet in the edge of the Neutral Zone, where they'd re-group before going to Qo'noS.Spock, sitting on the one other chair in the cockpit, waited until the coordinates had been entered to speak, though James knew he'd been pondering a great many things for a while:"Okay, that's done." Jim announced, turning towards him. "Shoot.""I see no reason at present to injure you, k'diwa…" Spock stated."No reason at present?" James repeated with a snort. "Should I be watching over my back then? In case you someday decide there might be a reason?" He knew, of course, that his husband was teasing, even if he didn't do it often. "I know you have questions, many of them.""Miss Leah… she's one of the Nine." Spock stated rather than asked."Yes, as are her wife Katja, Josef, who's married to Nayda, and Riley, who's part of our own crew." James enlisted."You told them more about what's going on and what you… we suspect, than most of the crew, even Dr. McCoy." It wasn't an accusation, Spock was just curious."I did. Much as I might care for our crew, see them as family, especially Bones, I don't know them as well as I'd like. My kids and I… we went through hell in Tarsus, I know you've seen more than a little about that in my head. I trust them with my life, with all our lives. Only you I trust more than them."Spock said nothing to that, just offered two fingers to his telsu for a vulcan kiss, which James was delighted to correspond to."You really think Admiral Pike and his family to be in danger?" Spock inquired next."I'm probably being paranoid on that front." James admitted with an exhalation. "But I'd rather err on the edge of caution than have my namesake grow up too much like me… not that I think One would ever be like Winona; she's more likely to be like M'aih… but I'd rather spare the kid from growing without a father, and One from being without her husband.""And yourself from losing another father figure." Spock added softly.He was right of course, though they both knew that James would have done exactly the same even if he hadn't cared for Chris as he did. Though, chances were, if that kind of connection hadn't existed, Chris would have been in Daystrom during the attack, and the rest bare not thinking about."Is that all?" The blonde human inquired, though he had a feeling it wasn't."The name you and Control used for this vessel, it wasn't the same Miss Leah and you used earlier when talking about it." Spock pointed out."Indeed." James had known that part was coming, though he still had no idea how to go about it, exactly. So he decided to do what he did best: he winged it. "Control prefers to use the Standard translation of the name, as its easier for them. Suvwl' isn't exactly an easy word for them to pronounce you know?""Suvwl'..." Spock repeated slowly, as if tasting the word. "James, isn't that…?""Klingon?" His telsu finished for him. "You bet it is.""Why would you give your ship a Klingon name?""On the one hand, because I won it off a Klingon, or at least the original ship, before I fixed it up and added a few things myself. On the other… I suppose it seemed right, considering where I was at the time." He knew the natural follow-up question and answered it before it was even made: "Remember how I told you that after returning from Tarsus, I spent years traveling around? Well, eventually Earth just wasn't enough for me, I decided I wanted to see more. So I hopped on the first transport going off planet. As luck would have it we ended being attacked by pirates, and then later on saved by another ship… A Klingon ship."Spock could only blink, mentally wondering just how it was possible for his mate to have had such a life. Were it anyone else it'd seem just too impossible, but it was James Kirk, and his James was a most extraordinary individual, as Spock himself and many others could attest to. So not only Spock did not doubt it was possible, but he was sure his telsu hadn't just survived such a life, but he'd managed to thrive."I know, sounds insane." James nodded with a smirk. "And that was just the start of it! Most of those who got rescued left as soon as they could. Me? Well, it's not like I had anything better to do. Tsernono Qern, that was the captain of the ship, the Bat'leth was its name; he apparently had seen me join the fight when they infiltrated the pirate ship, offered me a place in his crew. Apparently they were all outliers, members of Minor Houses who had no interest in Klingon politics, who instead chose to satiate their usual bloodlust by fighting pirates and the like on the edges of the Empire, and sometimes in the Neutral Zone.""A very noble pursuit." Spock stated, even as it was obvious he'd a hard time comprehending assigning such a description to the actions of Klingons."Precisely, so I said yes. Like I said before, I had nothing better to do. Also, I liked the idea of helping others. It was during my time with them that I learned Klingon, all its dialects.""And why you can speak it like a native."Spock had noticed that of course, the one time they'd had trouble with Klingons during one of their missions, early on their comission. Things had been complicated, though surprisingly enough, they hadn't lasted long. Still, there being any trouble at all had caused a delay on them making it to their next destination, which made it necessary for them to hurry, once they were sure the Klingons would not trouble them further. The need for speed had distracted them and later on Spock had somehow forgotten to inquire about the lack of his husband's accent when speaking Klingon. He knew it took even Nyota some effort to keep any accent from slipping in as she spoke such a complex language, yet James seemed to do it so naturally…"Indeed. Not many people know I speak Klingon, and even those who do, do not know that I am fluent in all its dialects.""I will never understand why you insist on keeping so many of your talents hidden.""Safety, my own, and that of those I care for. See it from my point of view Spock. As long as people don't know all I'm capable of, they underestimate me, which in turn gives me a better chance to protect myself. Like with Marcus for example. If he'd known all I can do, all I'm capable of, he would have never let us out of his office after I refused his offer of taking the Enterprise and going after Harrison."It was, indeed, the truth, Spock knew. Though he'd never considered things in such a light. He knew his telsu found it easy to keep parts of him concealed until necessary, that it was natural for him; yet he'd never stopped to consider how he'd come to be that way, just being happy that James never did it with him."There's one thing I fail to understand." The vulcan admitted eventually. "Klingons are known to be a quite insular society. Much like vulcans, they value history, tradition and clans above all. So I find it… curious, that they would so easily take to an outsider. Enough to offer you a place in their crew.""Ah, but you sort of answered your own question, in a way. It's all about the clans.""I do not understand.""Clans aren't just blood family. Adopted family counts as well.""Your M'aih was Vulcan.""Indeed, but her husband… he was something else. It doesn't matter that I never met Van. He was M'aih's telsu, and that makes him family. And Van? He was half human… and half Klingon."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Part 2. Destiny
His ears were ringing when he woke up. He hated that, ringing in his ears never meant anything good. The last time… well, the explosion of that shop in Marrakesh had been bad, but at least no one had been badly hurt. No, what usually came to mind when he thought about awakening with ringing ears, after explosions, it was a time he'd rather not remember.
Upon first awakening the last thing he could clearly remember was getting wasted in San Fran. Not exactly the best of memories, but he'd been with someone he could trust, which was really the only reason he allowed himself to become inebriated at all (nevermind that he wasn't really at an age where he should be drinking alcohol, either no one noticed, or no one cared, it was all the same to him). Except, he was quite sure he'd woken up following that with a hell of a hangover, been dosed with a hypo with enough force he probably still had a hell of a bruise at the side of his neck (and no doubt some people would be thinking up entirely more… 'interesting' reasons for such a bruise). But he'd recovered from that, had been in complete control of his faculties when deciding to get on that transport to Themys. Really, it was the first transport he could find leaving the planet, and it had seemed like a good idea at the time. At least until… until fucking pirates boarded the transport!
Just like that Jim remembered what had happened. The way the pirates took over the ship, killed those who resisted. Jim himself knew better than to play hero, though he did try to protect a young girl when one of the pirates tried to take her, no doubt for insidious reasons. It seemed that Jim just couldn't help protecting children, regardless of their race. He'd been knocked down (and out) quite forcefully. That explained his need to 'awaken' as well as the ringing in his ears.
The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the young girl (early teens) with dark hair and pointy ears; he'd thought her to be Vulcan at first, but as she sat beside him and he was able to see under the scarf on her head, he could see the ridges on her forehead that gave her away as Romulan. He still had no idea how a romulan girl had ended on Earth, or in that particular transport, but he cared not.
"Are you alright?" She asked him softly."Fine." He answered simply, pushing himself to sit up, pushing the vertigo and nausea back and forcing himself to focus as much as possible."That was an illogical thing you did." She stated. "I am not your responsibility.""I have a thing about people abusing children, as long as it's in my power I will not allow it." Jim stated evenly."It might get you killed one day." She pointed out.
Jim just shrugged; it's not like he hadn't considered it already. He could have died in Tarsus, and a few times since. He still wouldn't do anything differently, except… he would have tried harder to keep his children safe. Especially Mattie… he'd been so young, barely more than a baby, Jim would never stop regretting that his life was cut short so soon.
"My name is Cilaun." The girl introduced herself."Jim Ravanok." He stated in return.
Jim had known even then that sooner or later, something would have to give. He had no doubt that, whatever the pirates might be planning to do with them, it could not be good. He never did find out what they might be planning exactly though as, on the third day since the arrival of the pirates, they were attacked… again. This time by a vessel with a distinct advantage.
They were forcefully boarded by armed individuals. Jim could tell immediately that they were trained. Though he also suspected they might not know the kind of weapons the pirates had on board. So he made an abrupt decision:
"Keep your head down and tell the others to do the same." Jim ordered.
The transport had been big enough that all the pirates were on board, they had also made a point of keeping all the passengers together in the mess-hall. Making them sleep there and everything. They were taken so by surprised by the attack that Jim found the door opened after the two left on guard duty hurried to see what was going on with their colleagues.
Jim arrived to the thick of things right on time to see one of the pirates, an Orion, pointing a phaser at one of the newcomers, the smallest of the group. Jim didn't even think about it. He had no weapons on him, so he did the best he could and tackled the Orion to the ground. The figure in black that had been about to be shot turned in time to see their would-be attacker fall.
What followed happened so fast and in such a chaotic manner Jim didn't fully follow everything. Only that he suddenly found himself on the floor, on his back, a phaser pointing straight at his face even as the small figure yelled something at the one holding the phaser. Something in Klingon… Jim briefly feared that they might just have exchanged one danger for an even worse one. And then he met Captain Tsernono Qern and the crew of the Bat'leth.
The Klingons got the transport to Organia, where everyone disembarked and made their own way. No one except Jim had even noticed their rescuers were Klingons, and they seemed to prefer it that way. Even Jim had only noticed it because he recognized the language, even when he did not speak it.
And then there was Cilaun. She was an orphan. Half Romulan, half human, she'd been sent to Earth when her parents in the colony had died, but her extended human family did not want her. They weren't abusive, like Jim had originally feared, but they weren't kind to her either, so she'd decided to escape, make her own way in the world. Of course, she'd never expected pirates to take over the transport. Or for Jim to defend her so staunchly… she'd become attached to him. Refused to leave unless forced to; and she reminded Jim so much of his own kids that he couldn't find it in him to send her away, so he let her stay.
Which was, more or less, how they found themselves in a pub in Organia, having the first decent meal since leaving Earth. Jim noticed the exact moment when their rescuers entered the pub but didn't mention it. Instead focusing on his meal, and on making sure no one suspicious was looking too much at either him or Cilaun.
Of course, because such was their luck, someone definitely was looking at them. Jim knew, the moment the male began approaching them (he was sufficiently covered up the blonde couldn't deduce race just by looking at him), that he was going to be trouble.
"How much for the girl?" He asked in heavily accented Standard."She's not for sale." Jim answered evenly."Come on man, in these parts, everyone's for sale… even you." The man's tone turned cold.
The moment he reached into his clothes, Jim went into action. He took hold of the man's arm and spun, twisting it, forcing him to let go of whatever weapon he'd reached for, then kicked the male's ankle, dropping him. The move sudden enough, and with Jim still holding onto his arm, that his shoulder dislocated with a loud pop.
Another male came close and Cilaun screamed even as she broke the half-empty bottle of the beverage she'd been drinking over his head hard enough to knock him out.
"Nice." Jim complimented her."Jim beware!" She cried out.
Because apparently the idiots had friends and they were beginning to approach with threatening gestures. Until a voice called in harsh, guttural tones for them to stop. Jim almost winced, he knew that voice, it was the captain of the crew that had saved them. The male approached them as the others cleared the area post-haste.
"Thank you." Jim greeted as politely as he could, even as he pushed Cilaun behind him."You seem protective of the girl, she anything of yours?" A female inquired.
It took Jim a moment, but he realized she was the one he'd saved from getting shot in the transport. A young, female klingon… he wasn't expecting that.
"A friend." Jim answered evenly."You defend all your friends so strongly?" The captain inquired, curious.
Jim just shrugged.
"Who are you?" The Klingon girl asked with obvious curiosity."James Ravanok." He answered easily enough."Ravanok?!" It wasn't just the two of them then, but most of the crew."What was the name of your father?" The captain demanded."I had two parents for my birth, and two who took me in when I needed a family." Jim explained while still being quite vague. "The latter were T'Lura and Van Ravanok.""Van ThondaI' Ravanok." The girl stated in an almost solemn voice. "I was unaware what had become of him after he left the colony…""I knew he joined Starfleet and married a Vulcan lady." The captain stated in a gruffly but respectful tone. "They were expecting a child when he was lost.""That child was lost." Jim clarified. "The breaking of their bond caused M'aih to miscarry. She adopted me years later. While I never met Van I do consider him a paternal figure.""As you should." There was approval on the captain's voice. "Tell me boy, what do you know of your own heritage, of ThondaI'… Ravanok's heritage?""Very little. I know he was a hybrid, grew up in the colony in Themys, though he was born elsewhere. There were things M'aih promised to share with me when I was older, but she never got the chance. She was lost three years ago, in Tarsus."
Several of the Klingons let out what Jim was almost sure were curses.
"We never knew Van's chosen, though most of us did hold him in high regard." The captain stated. "He was a valuable adviser to several of our Houses."
Jim had already understood by then, even if it hadn't been said, that Van had been half Klingon. Which explained why M'aih had never said what other race he had been; with the seemingly eternal tension between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, it was no surprise that she'd choose to keep such things under wraps. He still wasn't expecting what the captain said next:
"Would you like to join our crew?" The Klingon male offered. "We could use someone of your talents kid.""You do realize I am not Klingon, right?" Jim couldn't help but point out."Clan is about more than blood." The girl stated. "It's about belief, and loyalty. I think you could do well with us." She offered him her hand. "Kariva Irsax."
Jim couldn't miss the way the captain's eyes narrowed before he offered his own name, yet he still chose not to mention it. Apparently, there would be time to find out what that was about:
"Tsernono Qern." He introduced himself. "Will you join us then?" He looked at the girl still behind Jim and added. "She may accompany you. She will be safe."
Jim wasn't even sure why exactly, but he believed them. He'd heard so much about Klingons, about their warlike nature, their bloodlust, their savagery… and while he had no doubt it was all true to a point, he was also sure in that moment there was more. There had to be, the Klingons wouldn't be such a big race, have such an Empire across the Beta Quadrant, if they weren't capable of more than destruction. Also, he couldn't forget the fact that Captain Qern and his crew had saved all their lives!
Jim just turned to look at Cilaun, eyebrow arched.
She stared at him for what seemed like forever. Jim had no idea what might be going through her mind exactly (though, later on, during a private chat between them, she'd confessed that she felt safe with him, and while she hadn't been completely sure about the Klingons, she had believed that Jim would look after her, no matter what, and that was what gave her the courage to nod), but eventually she agreed.
And so Jim and Cilaun Ravanok joined the crew of the Bat'leth.
xXx
Jim and Spock got to the edge of the Neutral Zone just as planned. They were wearing very different clothes, Jim had put some product on his hair that darkened it to look closer to brown than his signature blonde. Also, they carried papers saying they were James Ravanok and Surev; a human hybrid (with no clarification what the other race might be), and a Romulan respectively.Spock couldn't help but be impressed by everything. He'd known, of course, that his husband was prepared for many situations, including a need for them to either go to ground or flee. Even then, he'd never expected to have an occasion to witness just how well prepared his telsu was.They landed the ship as planned and made arrangements for refueling, before Jim guided his mate to a pub."This is the place of your memories." Spock observed as he looked around."It is." Jim agreed.It had been his own idea for them to do a proper meld so James could show his husband the necessary memories. From his leaving Earth when he was eighteen, through pieces of his years traveling through the stars in the Bat'leth. To the day he got that message from his sister-in-law and decided to return to Earth. They hadn't covered all the time he'd spent in space (close to four years in all), even with the fact that the Suvwl' was quite slower than the Enterprise would have been (regardless of all the legal and not-quite-legal mods Jim had made), there just wasn't enough time to show everything. So it was just the cliff-notes version, as James called it.Even then, it was enough for Spock to recognize the person rushing to them, a fraction of a second before she threw herself all over his bondmate:"Jimmy!" A grown Cilaun cried out.She'd definitely grown, not a child anymore, not even a teenager. She was still younger than Jim, of course, but clearly a woman in her own right."Cilaun, what the hell are you doing here?" Jim asked, perhaps more harshly than entirely necessary, though he'd clearly been taken by surprise."I knew you were coming since you entered the sector, stupid." She retorted in much the same tone. "You do remember who helped you put together that piece of trash you call a ship, right?"It was almost funny, because Jim could still remember a time when Cilaun would do her best to pass as a Vulcan, going as far as emulating their stances and speech patterns as best as she could. Of course, that had been before becoming Jim's little sister and part of a crew of what could almost be called Klingon freedom fighters (and Jim had probably been reading way too many 20th century novels lately)."Wait a second." Jim spun around on his chair, facing her straight on. "If you're here… please don't tell me…""Surprise!" Another female voice called then.The young woman standing there looked to be about Jim's age, marked ridges going up her forehead and to the crown of her head; her hair was a very dark brown with what could almost be called red-highlights, carefully woven into a crown around her ridges and falling in waves from there. She was wearing a sturdy dress made of a cloth that looked almost like leather, arm-guards as well as thick-soled boots all the way to her knees (under the dress). She was also quite clearly armed, two daggers and one phaser at the very least, quite possibly more, considering the ease with which she moved in a place where at least half of the patrons were likely to be either pirates or mercenaries of some kind. That had to be Kariva Irsax.Spock was pulled out of his contemplation as he heard his telsu begin cursing extensively in a mix of standard, vulcan and klingon, with a few words in romulan for good measure."What did you two do now?"A male Klingon Spock knew to be Tsernono asked as he joined them. "I haven't heard Jim curse like that since the two of you got kidnapped by human pirates and almost sold to Romulan supremacists."The two girls winced, just slightly. It was enough to pull Jim back to the present though."Why are you here?" He asked the Klingon captain, though he sounded less surprised and, Spock would almost call it resigned by that point."Three days ago, several long-range sensors picked up strange readings in the Ketha Province, in Qo'noS." Tsernono began enlisting. "Since then two patrols have gone missing. The Council is currently in session to decide how to proceed.""Shouldn't you be there, all things considered?" Jim asked bluntly."We were, considering our talents, if the Council decided on sending a scouting party we were likely to be the ones chosen." Tsernono nodded. "That was, at least, until Cilaun's sensors picked up on the Suvwl' entering the sector. She guessed you would know something about what's going on. So the little princess decided we should come find you here and make a proper plan."Jim ran a hand through his head exasperatedly. He wouldn't say it out-loud, but Spock knew that a part of him was actually thankful, believing his old crew just might be able to help them. In any case, with their help, it lessened the chance that Klingons might attack them on sight. Spock was still confused how they'd gotten to the conclusions they had."That was some considerable leap of logic." He commented, looking at the half Romulan."Not really." The girl shrugged. "Not when it comes to Jim. Really, whenever something's big is happening, if Jim Ravanok is in the sector, chances are he's in some way connected to it."Tsernono, Kariva and several more people around them chuckled at that. Jim just shock his head in a mix of resignation and exasperation."So," Kariva brought them all back to the matter at hand. "What's going on then?""Truthfully, we don't know, not everything." Jim admitted. "I just know it's bad, and that if even half as many people as I fear are involved, unless we stop it, the Federation and the Empire will end up at war before the end of the week."Everyone flinched at that. Spock couldn't help but notice that no one thought Jim was using hyperbole, or exaggerating in any way. They trusted him. It made Spock wonder just how much had happened over those four years…"Then we need to get moving." Tsernono decided. "We need to get to Qo'noS, you can explain everything on the way."Jim just nodded, placing a bunch of credits on the bar to pay for his half finished meal."I agree." Jim nodded. "But first, we're all going to be dead honest with my telsu."Spock's eyes widened, dead honest? About what?They walked fast, and the station was pretty much beside the pub, so it was no surprise that they made it to their ships quite fast. Everyone turned to look around, as if ensuring they were alone, before Kariva nodded at Jim."It's one of the things that I purposefully kept from the meld." Jim explained with a sigh. "Not because I thought you didn't deserve to know, but because it didn't feel right to reveal it without her permission. Kariva… she goes by Kariva Irsax most of the time. Truth is she's Kariva meQpu'yay… She's the daughter, and only remaining child of the Chancellor."Spock froze as he understood what Jim was implying. Before him stood a young female that was effectively the heiress to the throne (much as they might not call the highest ranking Klingon Emperor anymore, but Chancellor of the High Council, the power he held was still pretty much the same) of the Klingon Empire.
xXx
For the longest time Jim hadn't understood how a girl like Kariva Irsax came to be part of the Bat'leth's crew. It just didn't seem (to borrow a phrase from his new sister) logical. Still, he had no doubt about her skill in a fight. She was positively fearless, Kariva, which in turn pushed Jim into making sure he was there as much as he could, to look after her. Her and Cilaun both. He'd come to see them as his little sisters. Tsernono and his crew, for their part, had taken to calling him yoD', which was Klingon for 'shield', precisely for that penchant he had for doing his best to keep the girls protected, to the point where he'd taken several shots and a knife while in their defense. Kariva whined about his actions many times, but he knew that at least Tsernono was thankful that Jim was there when he couldn't be.
Even with all his efforts, Jim always knew that there was a limit to what all he could do. He couldn't be there all the time. And just like that, there was nothing he could do when a bunch of human pirates took the girls. Humans! Jim had grown used to watching his back when it came to klingons, romulans, orions, and so many other species, yet somehow he'd almost forgotten that humans were just as capable of cruelty and destruction (almost, because he could never really forget Tarsus, yet while on the Bet'lath the dangers always came from slavers, or from Klingons who didn't like other klingons helping the galaxy the way they did -or the fact that not everyone in the crew was klingon-). It took him no time though to notice that Tsernono wasn't just worried, no, he was beyond concerned and quickly approaching a meltdown.
"Something else is going on here, isn't it?" He asked, straight out. "I mean, if it were just that a bunch of idiotic bastards kidnapped them we'd already be on our way after them. Rescuing people, kicking asses, it's kind of what we do isn't it?"
Avoss Tolvorg, Tsernono's second in command directed a rather intense look at his leader. Jim knew things were being kept from them and for the most part he didn't really mind, but two girls he saw as family were in danger, that he did not like.
"You know there are things that have been kept from you." Tsernono finally said out loud."I know." Jim nodded with a shrug. "I may call myself Ravanok, but that doesn't mean I'm really Klingon. And I never expected you to trust me simply because of who my adopted father was.""Three years is not a short time by any means." Avoss stated. "We know you James, we trust you, but some secrets just aren't ours to tell, or they weren't.""Under normal circumstances we'd have waited for Kariva to tell you the truth herself…" Tsernono began, soberly."You know, if it's some important secret, I don't need to know." Jim cut him off. "Whatever it is, it won't change anything. I'm still going with you to save her, to save them both.""You need to know, because it might come up, it might be the reason they were taken in the first place." Tsernono admitted. "And it's something that we'd rather you hear from us, and not from those who might oppose us.""Okay." Jim nodded and waited."You have heard of course about our King… well, they don't call him King anymore...""The Chancellor of the High Council." Jim nodded, he'd been living among Klingons and in the Empire long enough to know."The Honorable Gorkon VeS'naS meQpu'yay." Tsernono bowed his head in respect. "He once had four children. The youngest boy lost his life at the hands of Romulan assassins when he was still a child, it was why the King ensured that the rest of his progeny would receive appropriate instruction. I was chosen for that task. I personally trained the remaining three children of our Honorable Chancellor."
Tsernono had trained the royal heirs?! It made Jim wonder how then he'd ended as captain of a simple ship and leader of an operation many Klingons did not approve of.
"I know the questions running through your head." Tsernono nodded. "You will understand. Our Chancellor's second-born fell in disgrace, Ma' to'vor…"
Jim knew what that meant: ritual death so those who'd lost their honor would regain it. He was both curious and dedicated and after three months of living among Klingons he made a point of learning as much as he could. Not just the language and its various dialects, but their history, traditions, everything he could. Kariva and Tsernono had been very accommodating, and Cilaun had joined him in the learning. It was what allowed them to eventually be considered honorary Klingon (much as the notion would probably be considered insane by most in the Federation).
"The eldest, Edraw tsepeS meQpu'yay, fell in honorable battle a fortnight ago, though we only heard about it earlier today." Tsernono added.
For a moment nothing more was said. Jim actually stopped to count in his head, wondering how wrong or right his thoughts might be.
"You said there were four children." He pointed out eventually. "But you've never mentioned the fourth. It's a girl, isn't it?"
It was the only thing that fit. Jim knew that while Klingons didn't really see females as less, they still weren't considered in politics or such, unless there was no other heir available for a House. And having all three of her brothers perish would certainly qualify.
"Indeed." Tsernono nodded solemnly. "Our Honorable Chancellor's youngest child is a female. Her name is Kariva yoWhI' meQpu'yay…"
A part of Jim had seen it coming, he had… he still felt like the breath had been punched out of his lungs when the last word was said. The Klingon girl he saw as a sister was a princess, and not just that, she was, as of two weeks prior, the heiress to the Klingon throne!
Jim took a moment to take a deep breath, then mentally smacked himself in the back of the head.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked the rest of the crew. "The princesses are waiting for us! And I doubt they'll be the most patient if we make them wait any longer!"
He was purposefully making less of the situation, he knew, but it was how he dealt with shocking information. Also, with or without a throne, Cilaun and Kariva had always been as good as princesses to him; he'd certainly done his best to protect them as such, and that wasn't going to change no matter what.
He was right of course, they caught up with the pirates' ship in time to assist the girls in what turned out to be their second escape attempt. The first having been unsuccessful. Cilaun had also ended with a deep slash that went all the way from her hairline, down her right temple and halfway to her cheek. The injury had been so bad, and so much time had passed before it could be properly treated, that she also lost her eye because of it. Though even that did not stop her. With the help of Jim and a Klingon healer she'd created an implant for herself, and then ensured it would work even better than any natural eye could. Her way of proving to herself that she could not just recover from such a wound, but become even better in the aftermath.
xXx
Making use of one of the special mods Jim and Cilaun had placed on both the Bet'lath and the Suvwl', the two ships were hooked together and then they were on their way to Qo'noS. With the matter of Kariva's true identity out, Jim asked Spock to meld again and showed him more of those years spent in space. Particularly, the last year. Starting from when the two girls had been kidnapped by a group who turned out to be human pirates who intended to sell them to Romulan supremacists. As it turned out, it had had nothing to do with Kariva's lineage, and more to do with Cilaun's status as hybrid. Still, the girls had done their best to free themselves, and even if that had cost Cilaun an eye and a scar that could never be erased, and Kariva herself had been badly hurt, they were both still proud of what they had achieved.Jim also explained to Spock how, in the aftermath of that 'mission' he'd officially become a Klingon citizen."Strictly speaking, I qualified even before that." Jim shrugged. "Seeing how I was born in a shuttle, in space, in what was technically Klingon space in fact. But aside from some teasing and awful jokes from Frank, no one ever paid attention to that detail."Until they were taken to meet the Chancellor (he'd insisted, after learning what had happened to Kariva), and he insisted on making both Jim and Cilaun citizens of the Empire. That was when it came out that Jim had technically already qualified."Do they know we are…" Spock broke off, brow arched."Starfleet?" Jim finished for him carelessly. "Yes, they do. Would be hard not to, considering how much Starfleet loves to throw my name around. And even if it's not the same name I'm known by in the Empire, still…""We're not idiots." Avoss finished, somewhat crassly."Most klingons know better than to even think about attacking him." Tsernono added.Spock remembered then one particular 'encounter' they had had. Early on in their service on the Enterprise, on a mission to Caleb IV. Intelligence had failed, they hadn't known there were Klingons on the planet, and upon meeting both groups a fight had almost broken out. Until Jim had stepped forward and navigated the situation… in accentless klingon. Nyota had been on board, not having been chosen for that particular away mission, so no one except Spock realized that the captain could speak the language like a native.There was also the fact that the Enterprise hadn't had a single run-in with the klingons since then. And while at first that had seemed like nothing more than good fortune, Spock was beginning to believe he might have to revise that belief. If James counted with the friendship of one who was effectively the future Queen of the Klingon Empire, and those closest to her… he would have to meditate to truly discern the implications of that.The last memory to be shared through the meld was about Jim getting the message from Samuel and Aurelan Kirk about Winona Kirk's passing. It had taken so long for the message to reach him, there was no way Jim would make it to the funeral, and a part of him was actually thankful for that; which he knew was all kinds of awful, but he hated the idea of there being press (because of course the press would have been there) and people staring at him, judging him for not mourning the woman who was supposed to be his mother, the widow of the 'great George Kirk'… (Yeah, the press had never taken Frank into account which, on hindsight, might have been one of the reasons for his anger. The other being that Winona herself never loved him, she only married him so she could leave her sons with someone and go back to space, to where she could feel connected to her 'true husband').Kariva and Tsernono joined the rest on the main room of the ship right as Spock and James opened their eyes following the meld."Just got off a call with the High Council." Kariva announced. "We're officially tasked with the capture and interrogation of John Harrison. If said interrogation reveals no dangers towards us you may take him and deliver him to Starfleet with our unofficial compliments." Because they all knew there was no way such cooperation could be made official. "If anything in his actions or the interrogation prove him to be a danger to the Empire we're to take him down, with prejudice."Which was really to be expected, so no one complained or even commented on it. Already the situation was considerably better than Jim had been expecting. He'd hoped for the Klingons to turn a blind eye to him and Spock at best. Not for his old friends to intervene, or actually join him in hunting down Harrison.So on they went to the Ketha province. Luck seemed to be on their side as the Bet'lath's scanners immediately tracked down a single life-form."But these readings…" Cilaun muttered from her station. "They're insane!" She typed a command which allowed her to see some of his readings. "Are you sure this guy's human?""At this point I'm not sure about anything Cil." Jim admitted gruffly. "Except that he blew up what was supposed to be an archive, and then fired upon the conference room at Daystrom, where most of the brass was having an emergency meeting, precisely about him. And that when I tried to take the fucker down he used some kind of transporter device that, according to my own Chief of Engineering was supposed to be still in the experimental phase. And he would know, considering he was part of the team working on the prototype!""So we better go out fully armed and ready for the worst?" Avoss concluded."That would be the recommended course of action." Spock agreed.Under normal circumstances he'd perhaps see the Klingons preparations as excessive, the fact that they were so ready to kill Harrison, while the plan was technically to capture him and have him stand trial… but the reminder of the attack at Daystrom, that Jim (his James… his t'hy'la!) could have died, was enough to stop him. He would see Harrison dead and forgotten on Qo'noS before he'd allow his telsu to be lost to him.Of course, because their luck was that fucked up, it all went to hell when they finally did meet John Harrison (Jim was sure they'd been having too much luck up to that point, so of course something had to go wrong). He was standing there, wearing a long leather coat over standard Starfleet blacks, as well as a dark scarf (looked it might be blue) wound around his head.Jim, Kariva, Tsernono and Avoss were like a well oiled machine, Spock couldn't fail to notice as he and Cilaun followed the group. As she had explained, while she'd been well-trained, fighting hand to hand wasn't her thing, she was actually the sniper of the group and soon found a vantage point and took position, her task to watch over things and shoot to kill if things got too dangerous for the rest of their team.The original crew had actually had a few more individuals, going as far as twelve at the height of their time together. Though that had been before Kariva had been pretty much forced to take her place as the Chancellor's heiress. Then the crew had split, most had chosen to continue with what they'd been doing, though this time with their princess's blessing. Tsernono, Avoss and Cilaun were the ones who'd chosen to stay with Kariva. Tsernono because he'd always been loyal to her, it was the reason why he'd followed her away from her home when she'd first confessed how trapped she felt there, as the youngest child and female as well, there was little for her to gain, but her mind was too bright, and her body too strong for her to be idle. Avoss they'd met during their first 'mission'; the one that had actually made them decide what they wanted to do, beyond wandering through the stars. Tsernono had saved his life and he'd in turn pledged himself into his service, and later on Kariva's as well. Since their return to Qo'noS he'd effectively become a second bodyguard to her (Tsernono being the first). Jim himself had held the same position for the months (almost a year) that he'd resided in Qo'noS, officially known as the princess's shield. Cilaun for her part was her handmaiden, as well as serving as a last line of defense (and a friend, which at one time had been seriously lacking in the heiress's life).Jim and Avoss came at Harrison together. Thanks to the modified tricorder Kariva had with her it had been impossible for the man to conceal himself from them. They were the best in hand to hand. While Kariva herself danced around them, taking every opportunity to slip close enough to use her blades on the man before slipping out of reach again before he could hurt her. Tsernono making sure to cover all their blind-spots. It was a very good strategy, Spock had to admit, even if he could have never imagined such a thing.Eventually it happened. Kariva took an opening and dropped to her knees, swinging both blades in tandem. Harrison evaded one, but didn't see the second coming in time, which allowed Kariva to cut through the tendon just above his right ankle. The injury was enough the man's leg gave up on him, dropping him onto one knee. The two Klingon males, with their superhuman strength, were upon him in a second. They forced Harrison fully onto his knees, head up.It was until that very moment that Harrison seemed to take a good look at those who'd just taken him down. He blinked, in a way Spock believed showed he was surprised."Since when does Starfleet and the Klingon Empire work together?" He tried to snarl, though the confusion still came through in his tone of voice."We're not here as Starfleet." Jim stated calmly. "Though you can be sure you'll get the chance to go on trial for your crimes once we get you back to Earth.""If you take me back to Earth I'll never make it to any trial, and neither will you." Harrison stated in a very no-nonsense tone."What is that supposed to mean?" Jim demanded, his whole body tense."It means you have no idea who it is you serve, Captain…" Harrison hissed at him. "No idea what the people in charge of your Starfleet are truly trying to achieve.""And what is that?" Spock knew it was a bad idea, but of course Jim just had to ask the question."War." Harrison was practically smirking as he said it.Jim took a deep breath, then made some kind of signal with his left hand behind his back… Spock almost flinched as the shot came. Harrison was hit right on his collarbone and dropped. For a moment Spock actually believed he'd just been killed."Was that really necessary?" Tsernono asked with annoyance. "I would have thought you would be demanding answers.""I do want answers." Jim nodded. "He's not dead, just unconscious. Ciluan's rifle does have more than one setting, you know?"Of course, when it came to Klingons fights tended to be to the death. Leaving an enemy alive was either considered a dishonor, or outright stupidity (for a living enemy could always come back and take revenge)."Thing is, much as I might hate to admit it, I fear he might be right, at least to a point." Jim admitted grimly. "And if he is…""Then we need to get out of here, before someone else comes looking for him." Tsernono finished for him, in much the same tone.No one said 'Someone from Starfleet', but they were all thinking it.Spock couldn't help but wonder if their actions could be considered treasonous. Then again, if there were traitors inside Starfleet their actions weren't just logical, but necessary."We need to get back to the ship and out of here." Jim announced.All agreed, and soon they were on the move. Things were coming, and there was little doubt that things would be getting worse (probably much worse) before they had a chance to get better.
xXx
The plan was easy. They were taking John Harrison back to the Bet'lath, locking him up in the cell (while the ship wasn't exactly big, couldn't be, for three or four people to be able to do everything), they did have a functional cell, necessary as it wasn't the first time their group was chosen to go after a criminal (either when Kariva insisted on handling something herself, or when they couldn't afford to go through official channels… the current situation being both), there they would wait for the effect of the sedative to pass before interrogating him. In the meantime Cilaun had taken advantage of the chance to draw some blood for the man and she and Spock were working together to get as much from that as they could. Jim and Kariva too were getting in touch with their own contacts too (not all of which were Klingons, or in Starfleet… it paid to have been responsible for the freedom of so many individuals of so many different species and from dozens of different planets).The first shock was realizing John Harrison did not exist, the second, when going through his supposed history in the Starfleet archives, was learning that he was said to be one of the Tarsus Nine. Jim cursed loudly and colorfully at that one. It was about then that Jim decided that enough was enough and it was time for the gloves to come off, so he forcefully hacked into the file, discovering that John Harrison, despite being supposedly 31-32 years of age, had only truly 'existed' for the last year…"So… an undercover identity, or something else?" Jim asked out-loud to no one in particular.Considering that Harrison was already working for a branch of Starfleet that most didn't know existed, it wasn't exactly impossible. However, no matter how deep he looked, how many of his contacts he got in touch with, he simply couldn't find any files, registries or simply anything that pointed to Harrison's life prior to the 'creation' of John Harrison."Like, what? He just popped up into existence, fully grown, last year?" The blonde (though he didn't actually look blonde right then) began practically ranting to himself. "Yeah, because that's not at all suspicious. Is everyone in the fucking Federation, or at least Starfleet, so freaking blind that no one noticed something wrong with that?!"Either that, or there had been some people, very high up in the chain of command, making sure no one noticed. And yet again Jim's mind came to Marcus… Alexander Marcus, the highest authority in Starfleet… If Jim were to be asked (by someone he trusted enough to be absolutely honest with… maybe just Spock) he'd admit something had never sit well with him regarding Marcus. There was nothing he could actually put his finger on, it was just an instinct. An instinct that kept growing since the emergency call that night…Deciding he might as well get answers from the source itself, Jim headed straight for the cell. He stood outside it and waited for their prisoner to wake up. It didn't take long."Captain James Tiberius Kirk." Harrison acknowledged him upon seeing him there."Actually, around these parts they call me Ravanok." Jim said in his most blasé tone. "James yoD' Ravanok."Harrison blinked, cocking his head sideways. Jim had caught him by surprise. That was good. In his life Jim had learned that people were more likely to reveal things after something surprised them, and he so loved messing with other people's expectations of him…Harrison looked him up and down, as if finally taking in the fact that not only Jim wasn't wearing his usual uniform, but the style and cloth his attire was made from were typical of planet-less mercenaries… except for the band around his wrist, that one was leather, of a brown so dark it looked almost black, except for the red engraving on it, of a firebird… a phoenix. It was the symbol of the Chancellor's House (Kariva's house). On the opposite there was a shield engraved with Jim's initials (all four of them) inside, signaling his (not quite official) rank as Shield."Starfleet did not send you." Harrison concluded after his examination."No." Jim answered evenly."Why come after me then?" Harrison inquired, intrigued."By your actions, I could have lost the man I consider my father, the only father I've ever known." Jim revealed without a hint of self-consciousness. "Also by your actions Earth and the Federation as a whole might end up plunged in a war which would put at risk not just myself but everyone I care for. Those are things I cannot allow."He was beginning to sound like Spock… which was to be expected considering that the bond, and everything he'd learned about shielding, meditation and control over the past year were the only things keeping him from going off on the man before him. Chris could have died because of him! His Chris! One's Chris! One would have never been the same without him. And Jamie, his godson would have had to grow without a father… and that was one thing James could never wish on anyone."23-17-46-11." Harrison enunciated slowly, carefully."What's that?" Jim asked, unable to hide his puzzlement."Coordinates not far from Earth. If you want to know why I did what I did. If you want to know who is truly responsible for the current situation we all find ourselves in, go take a look.""Give me one reason why I should believe you.""I could give you many more than one captain, but it'd all be pointless if you did not believe me already. Look up those coordinates, then, when you find what's there, we may talk again."Jim had every intention of doing just that. He actually left the 'prison area', though he could have simply commed the others, or even used the bond to contact his husband, but truth was that Harrison was driving him crazy, even just sitting inside his cell. Jim needed to get away if only for a few minutes.As it happened, the others had been listening in to everything, Spock was already on his own comm, talking to Nyota, keeping her apprised of the situation. It was her idea to recruit Scotty so they might find out what was in those coordinates, as all she could tell through the computer was that it was somewhere behind Jupiter. Jim agreed, on the condition that both she and Scotty were to be very careful; they still didn't know who all was behind what was happening and the last thing he wanted was for someone in the crew to get killed.*Are you alright k'diwa?* Spock asked through their bond.He could feel the tension in his telsu's body and wanting nothing more than to help him relax, yet wasn't sure how to do it; or that they even had the time for that. They had Harrison, yes, but they still didn't know what to do with him. They knew that if Jim's suspicions were correct, it'd be more dangerous for them all to take him back to Earth, but they couldn't stay forever in Klingon space either. Sooner or later Starfleet would begin looking for them, and that wouldn't end well, not for them, and not for the Empire. The last thing they wanted was to give Admiral Marcus a reason to begin the war he seemed so eager to have.James was about to answer his beloved's question, though he'd no doubt Spock would have seen a good deal of what had gone through his head already, when Cilaun cursing, loudly and quite extensively in a mix of Klingon, Romulan, Standard and even a little Vulcan."Cilaun?" Jim asked.While he knew that Cilaun had learned to curse from him, it still wasn't something she did very often; and he'd certainly never heard her like that."So, we were having no success finding anything about John Harrison, or whatever his real name might be, in any databases." Cilaun explained. "And trust me, I looked." Which meant she'd hacked her way through every database she could think of. "So instead I put in all the biometrical data we had, and this came up:"With a punch on her padd, all the screens in the room shifted from whatever there might have been on them before (mostly maps of the province and the sector) and instead began showing the same thing. It was a half-blackened file, clearly redacted. Though as the 'redacting' had been done in hard copy, there was no way to bring out whatever had been underneath all that black ink (though no doubt Cilaun would already be looking for the original version of that file). One word stood out to everyone though: the word 'augment'.It was the Klingons' turn to curse.Jim knew why too. He did not know everything about augments, though he had researched them when he was younger, after finding out that the reason why Van Ravanok had looked so much like a human, enough to be able to hide the fact that he was half-Klingon, was that one of his ancestors during the 20th or 21st century had been infected with a virus that changed the Klingon DNA. The first clear symptom being the disappearance of their ridges. That ancestor had been treated in time to keep him from dying, or worse, but the change in his visage had made it so by the next generation the House chose to move to a mixed-species colony, where they might not be looked upon with either disdain or pity. Jim couldn't remember what they'd called the virus exactly, but he did remember reading that it originated with the augments. It was what had prompted him to research them thoroughly."But he looks nothing like any of them." He couldn't help but blurt out."Yes… I did find a possible reason for that." Cilaun actually scratched the back of her neck before continuing. "I actually scrapped a bit at his skin when we were bringing him back, to study his cells… he went through something that I would call reconstructive surgery… except that, if he's really an augment, what would he even need such a surgery for? Shouldn't he have healed anything on his own?""Unless it wasn't about healing." Avoss offered.It took less than two seconds for them all to be on the same page. Jim didn't even finish his next curse before he was already out of the Command Room and pretty much stalking straight back to the prison, where he slammed the door (into the room, though the 'prison' itself was separated from the other half by a glass-like wall) open, demanding:"Who the hell are you?!"And out came the story. A story than even the day before Jim would have refused to believe a single word of. Even when he'd known there was something very wrong, when he'd suspected Admiral Marcus to be smack in the middle of it all… he still could have never imagined things being like Harrison… no, not Harrison, Khan; like Khan was describing them. And he wouldn't even know why he believed him except… except he knew the look in the man's face every time he spoke about his crew, his family, he knew it as well as he knew his own face.It was the story of a man who wasn't innocent, nor was he a hero, but that didn't necessarily mean he was evil either. He hadn't chosen to be an augment, it was chosen for him; nor had he chosen to be put in such a position to wage war, to lead. His choice though had been to eventually push aside those who'd always controlled him, taking over himself. As a warrior, and as leader of both his own people and normal humans.Khan Noonien Singh had once been the leader of nearly a quarter of Earth. Most history books had him as an egomaniacal, sociopathic dictator. He told a different story. The best part? It could not really be denied. Yes, many thousands of people had died during his 'reign', yes, most had been humans; yet most had actually died at the hands of other humans. Those seeking to 'dethrone' Khan himself, by any means possible. Khan had actually done his best to protect everyone in his territory. He was the one who lasted the longest from all the augments, to the point where he eventually came to lead them too.He then explained the most terrible attack that had come from the humans, the terrible disease that infected more humans than it did augments, but when they tried to help them… it somehow ended making things worse (it was probably the start of the virus that would eventually reach the Klingons and alter some of their Houses forever).Khan revealed how he'd decided it was time to leave. A last ditch attempt at keeping those few that remained of them alive. The plan was to get on the ship, set the coordinates for a recently discovered planet, far away from the reach of the humans (at least back then), and then they'd all go into cryo (because ships back then did not have the same capabilities they did in the current century, and if they hadn't gone under they'd all have been long dead before getting to their destination). Khan had been the last one to go under, after ensuring the safety of his crew, of his family… and then he was woken, in the wrong place, by the wrong people.Something had gone wrong at some point, because the Botany Bay (their ship) never made it to where they intended, and then they were found… by humans. Khan himself was woken by none other than Admiral Alexander Marcus. Who knew exactly who Khan was, and decided to use him for his own purposes. To cause the war he believed to be inevitable (except, if it was inevitable, why did he need to cause anything?). It was him who arranged for the surgeries, to change Khan completely, so no one would ever know who he was, and when Khan expressed the slightest of doubts… that was when he learned his obedience wasn't optional, if he refused, his crew, his sleeping, defenseless family, would pay for it. He feared they might already have…Jim couldn't help but cringe at that. If his crew, his family, were under threat, what wouldn't he do? Well, he knew exactly what he'd do, what he'd already done. Get them all reassigned, or send them to ground to keep them safe while he went to deal with matters personally. And wasn't that exactly what Khan was doing? Jim would never agree with his tactics, he might have been going against Marcus, but not only Marcus was still alive, good men and women had died that day in Daystrom. And yet, Khan had responded exactly as he'd been trained to; a warrior, a savage, as he'd described himself."How do we know any of this is true?" Jim couldn't help but ask eventually.A part of him already believed Khan, if he was honest with himself. But he knew the others wouldn't be convinced, not by mere words and instinct. They'd need more.For all answer Khan pulled out what looked like a coin from an inside pocket in his clothes, he twisted it between his fingers several times, before placing it very carefully by the small flap that could be opened to allow things through. Jim knelt down and took it."It's a holo-projector." Khan clarified. "Or it used to be. It doesn't work on its own anymore, you'll need a computer. But if that doesn't convince you, I suppose nothing will.""This is important to you…" Jim blurted out.Khan didn't confirm it, but neither did he deny it."Why give it to me then?" Jim wanted, no, needed, to know."Because I believe you might be the only one who can help me fulfill my mission, and if there is the smallest chance of that, I will do anything I have to." Khan answered solemnly."And what is your mission?" The blonde pressed.Because if it was going after Marcus… Jim had his doubts how much he might be able to do."What it has always been." Khan replied. "To give my crew, my family, a new home."That… that was something Jim could get behind. So he nodded, held the projector a bit tighter in his hand, and marched out of the cell.When he got back to the control room no one asked any questions, not even about if he believed everything that Khan had said. They'd been watching everything, and they knew Jim enough to deduce what he might be thinking. Cilaun just extended a hand to take the projector before placing it on the computer and running the right program.The hologram was small, no more than ten inches or so in height, but still with remarkable clarity for the time it must have been created. The holo showed a somewhat petite woman, in a gray long-sleeved, floor-length tunic-like dress, a long, midnight blue scarf covering her head. Her skin had a golden tan and her eyes were dark (though the exact color was impossible to decipher), lips red, while her hair was raven black and straight (or what could be seen beneath the scarf). She was indeed a beautiful woman."If you're watching this… that means I'm dead." The woman in the projection stated. "And how cliché is that?" She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It's still true though. Even as I stand here I keep thinking, trying to find the right words to say, if this is to be my last message to you, I want it to be worth it… but it's hard. There's nothing I've left unsaid, which I'm so very happy for. You know I love you, with all my heart, that I will always love you. I…" She cut off as a coughing fit over took her for several very long seconds. But eventually she straightened up and continued. "I am sick my Neshama. I… I know you've done your best, we've all done our best. But the sickness finally caught up with me. Which means I cannot go with you. I will not put you and your family at risk, not when we still don't know how bad this new strain might be. You might never forgive me for this, for seemingly giving up, but to me, this is me fighting to make sure you'll survive, you and your family… our family. Also, by staying here I can make sure to erase everything, they will never find you Neshama, I promise you that. You'll be as safe as I can make you. Consider it my last gift. It is said that being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Thanks to you I have both, my Neshama." She smiled, the brightest, saddest smile any of those present had ever seen in someone. "So I guess that's all that really matters in the end: I love you, today, tomorrow, and to the end of time."She sent out a kiss then, and a second later the projection came to an end."Who was that?" Tsernono asked, very quietly, as if a part of him thought talking any louder would break the moment."Marlene Givens." Cilaun answered, just as quietly, as she clicked something on her padd.An image appeared on the main screen. It was the same woman they'd seen in the projection except in that image she was wearing a white pant-suit and forest-green scarf around her head. Beside the picture was the woman's name, dates of birth and death as well as a short bio."She was working with the UN, during the time of the Eugenic Wars." Cilaun explained. "There were some countries in Northern Europe that were never conquered by the Augments, and there was a point where they proposed peace. Or so it is claimed. A total of five Augments ruled over several territories, with Khan's being the biggest. They all agreed to the peace talks. Even when one of them almost got killed in what was said to be an accident, the talks weren't suspended. But instead of a neutral territory, they decided to do it in Khan's territory. Dr. Givens was the leader of the contingent. She's also said to have died when Khan's army turned on the humans and attacked them all in cold-blood.""Well, she clearly didn't die, not then at least." Jim stated. "She lived at least five more years, and by the sound of her message she wasn't exactly a prisoner.""It is often said that history is written by the victor." Spock offered.Jim knew what he was implying with those words. According to the history they all knew… the Eugenics had been the worst kind of thing to ever happen to humanity, a sort-of prelude for WWIII. The Augments wanted to make humans into their slaves and killed anyone who resisted. And Khan was the worst of them all. And yet… and yet looking into things more deeply. Khan had ruled over a territory that had a history of famine, of people dying (sometimes very young) due to lack of water, food, medicines. All that was eradicated while he was in power. Yes, many people still died, but it was always during confrontations, and those in the territory always died when fights happened, not outside them. So it wasn't like Khan or his followers were going around killing anyone. Some might even believe that it was the 'enemies' doing the killing. And of course, there was Givens. A woman seeking to create peace would hardly agree to be by the side of a sociopathic egomaniac dictator and murderer. Jim really wished they could find more about her. He couldn't help but feel that she might be key to the truth about that time, and about Khan (and perhaps all the augments) himself."What does Neshama mean?" Kariva asked, curious."It means 'soul' or 'spirit' in an old Terran language." Spock answered quietly."It sounds like an endearment." Kariva offered.And really, a peacekeeper referring to Khan as her soul…? They were clearly missing something, something huge. And then Jim noticed another thing, as his eyes strayed to the frozen holo still being projected of Givens. The scarf around her head… it was the very same scarf Jim had just seen around Khan's neck.
xXx
Things got really dicey, really fast. It started with Cilaun warning them about a ship entering the sector. A ship that wasn't Klingon. It was Avoss's idea for them to make their way into Praxis's dark side and conceal themselves there. Which turned out to be a good idea when the new ship came out of wrap. It was huge, at least twice the size of the Enterprise; which meant that, compared to the Bet'lath and Suvwl it was so big Jim couldn't imagine how they were supposed to fight that battle."What the hell is that?" Cilaun said what they were probably all thinking.Avoss and Kariva themselves had some choice words about what they were seeing. Including a rather colorful description of the behemoth that had just 'materialized' in between Praxis and Qo'noS itself."That is the USS Vengeance." Khan called out from his cell.Everyone blinked."Your ship isn't exactly big." Khan continued speaking out-loud. "And you should be aware by now that when I was called an augment, it wasn't just because I was made stronger and faster. Everything about me was genetically improved, my five senses enhanced as much as was humanly possible.""Meaning you can hear us just fine." Jim concluded."Precisely." Khan confirmed."Tell us everything you know about that ship." Spock ordered."Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat." Khan enlisted in an almost clinical tone. "It was created by a team of Section 31 Agents lead by myself, under orders of your Admiral Marcus.""Great…" Jim ran a hand through his hair. "How are we supposed to fight that?"And then came their miracle:"Guys, we're getting an unexpected transmission." Cilaun announced. "It's coming… it's coming from the Vengeance."Everyone tensed up as Cilaun allowed the transmission through, waiting for whatever Marcus might say… except it wasn't Marcus at all:"Captain? Commander? Can you hear me?" A well-known voice with a Scottish accent called."Scotty?!" Jim cried out in disbelief."Guess what I found behind Jupiter?" Scotty said for all answer in a mischievous tone. "Captain, it's so good to hear you.""Scotty you're insane." Jim shook his head, on his voice a mix of delight, disbelief and fear. "Why did you come here alone? You're going to get yourself killed.""Well, strictly speaking sir, I didn't come alone." Scotty admitted, somewhat sheepishly."What is that supposed to mean?" Jim demanded.Behind him, Spock exhaled, and Jim could sense the almost-resignation in his husband's head."Uhura, Vro, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov and some friends of the Captain are coming as well." Scotty admitted. "They're on that K'normian ship we confiscated during the Mudd incident last month. And a little lass I'd never met before insisted on accompanying me and Keenser onto this huge ship. She's helping me lessen the risk of us all getting killed by the weapons on this thing."Jim wasn't quite sure which feeling was strongly in him right then. If the hope and the pride in his crew, or the horror and terror that they might get themselves killed, even with everything he'd done to try and keep them safe!"Oh and Captain, a certain Admiral asked me to give you a message:" Scotty added right then. "He said, and I quote: Next time you keep important things from me while going and putting yourself in danger I will turn you over my knee and spank you. Or better yet, I'll have One do it! End quote."Jim could almost picture Scotty's slightly flushed face as he repeated that, and what his face must have actually looked like when he heard the words. It was also likely that they had One's full support. Despite how she'd actually known why they were supposed to go to ground (well, part of it, he couldn't tell her everything because she wouldn't have let him handle things had she known just how big it all was… and if she'd since discovered the truth… well, that probably explained why Chris was so angry)."Message received Scotty." Was all Jim said in the end.Behind him Cilaun and Kariva were both laughing like crazy, even Avoss was smirking, while Tsernono just looked at them all like he couldn't understand why the universe was punishing him so. Even Spock himself was laughing at him, though at least he had the sense (and was Vulcan enough) not to show it; though Jim could still hear the mental-laughter thanks to their bond.It was right about then that the K'normian ship carrying many of Jim's close friends (one side of his family) came out of warp. Everyone became absolutely serious then. It had begun…Someone on the Vengeance sensed them the moment the small ship came out of warp (and Jim did wonder when that had happened, because he was relatively sure the small ship hadn't had warp capabilities when they confiscated it… then again, Scotty was involved, so perhaps it should not have surprised him)."We need to do something before the Vengeance obliterates them." Cilaun observed.The huge ship was already heating up their weapons as it was. Jim was standing, completely tense, wanting to fight back like hell, yet not knowing how he was supposed to do that exactly."Yes, but how?" Kariva inquired.And then the weapons powered down."Mr. Scott is on the Vengeance." Spock reminded everyone."Whatever he's done, it won't last forever." Jim said what they were all thinking."Then we're up." Jim decided. He took a deep breath before turning to the others. "This isn't your fight. Not right now, and I'd rather it never become your fight. I will never ask you to risk your lives for…""Oh cut it off!" Kariva interrupted him vehemently. "We're going with you and that's final.""You are one of us James Ravanok." Tsernono stated solemnly. "That makes your fights, our own. We will not desert you on the eve of your greatest battle yet.""Then lets go." Jim nodded, swallowing the knot in his throat at the feeling such words invoked.Everyone nodded. And off they went, to do battle, and hopefully stop a war before it began.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Part 3. Choices
Jim and the crew of the Bet'lath had experience boarding other vessels. Still, those 'missions' had been to passenger transports, or sometimes pirate ships, and while the latter did tend to be weaponized, it was nothing compared to the Vengeance. Jim and Spock were both quite certain the only reason they managed to even get close at all to the ship was because of Scotty, and whoever else was there with him.A whoever that ended up being probably the last person Jim would have ever expected: Lt. Carol Marcus (she actually first introduced herself as Carol Wallace, but Spock had made a point of looking up everything possible about Alexander Marcus, the fact that he'd a daughter who had done both the Science and Engineering Tracks was right there. She'd also been in London until right before the mess in the Kelvin Archive). The blonde came clean to them then, she'd done the Science Track to please her mother, but she liked weapons more, for that reason her father had given her clearance for all his projects… all except a new photon torpedo. She'd been trying to find out what was up with those torpedoes, to the point of arranging her transfer to San Francisco as she followed the weapons. Which had been moved to the Io base just as she made it to San Fran. It was how she'd come across Scotty and offered her help to get him into the base."How much did you know before all this?" Jim asked."I knew there was something wrong about those torpedoes." Carol answered. "And not just because he wouldn't give me access to the project, but because the data I did find about them… it was just not possible. The numbers didn't fit, the combination of the materials that were said to be in them… it would have made them too unstable for them to actually be used…""I did that on purpose." A cultured voice behind Jim and Spock announced.It was Jim's idea to get Khan out of the cell and have him help them. He didn't trust the augment completely. But he did believe that they all wanted the same thing, at least for the time being, and that would have to be enough."Those torpedoes are not torpedoes at all." Khan announced seriously."Then what are they?" Scotty wanted to know, completely confused."My crew." The augment finished quietly.That threw them all for a loop."We must hurry, before the Admiral realizes the ploy." Spock stated evenly.The ploy being the fact that Jim's friends (both from the Enterprise, and most of the members of the Nine) were on two ships (even Scotty hadn't known there were two), doing all sorts of maneuvers to keep Marcus's attention upon them and off Jim, Spock and the others."Lets get to work then." Jim nodded.With Khan's aid they managed to do things much faster, as they systematically opened each of the torpedoes. There was no way 72 cryogenic chambers would ever fit in their ships. So instead they got each of the augments out, sedated them (because, as Cilaun and Jim explained to Khan, they were in no position to deal with six dozens of super-powered individuals who would either come out of sleep disoriented or swinging; in the end Khan was forced to agree).They were working on the last set of torpedoes (Khan had taught each of them how to unlock them and get the person inside, so they could all work simultaneously), when Keenser called out to Scotty."Sir!" Scotty cried out in response. "They've managed to get around the firewalls I set up and regained control of their weapons."Jim and Cilaun cursed practically in unison as they began moving faster."We need to finish now!" Kariva cried out.They were all rushing onto the ships (the Bet'lath, the Suvwl' and the smaller one Scotty, Keenser and Carol had used to get from Earth to the base in Io), when Cilaun noticed something."Where is Khan?"Several curses were spat at the same time, even as Jim made up his mind:*K'diwa…?* Spock inquired, even as he deposited the last unconscious augment in one of the rooms, he'd sensed his telsu's decision.*I know where he is.* Jim replied even as he ran. *I'm going to get him. Tell the others to take off now.**I'll have Mr. Scott leave his pod for you and Khan to get out.* Spock informed him, then, almost as an afterthought, added: *Be careful sa-telsu.**I will.* Jim replied, before turning all his attention upon what was going on.Of course he knew where Khan was, or more precisely where he was going. The two of them… they were the same in many ways. So of course, after ensuring the safety of one's crew, the next step would be to ensure that such a threat could never be repeated. The best way? By getting rid of the one who was the threat in the first place. In this case: Alexander Marcus.He knocked out what few crew members he found on the way using his phaser. Even managed to stop at one point to set a command in one of the computers, a simple hack that would allow as much information regarding the ship and its crew to be delivered to the Suvwl', they just might need it if they managed to make it back to Earth in one piece. It was also then that he realized just how insane some of those crew members were, and how far they were willing to go to ensure they wouldn't be discovered. He warned his husband through their bond about the development and the risks before moving faster.Jim made it to the bridge just in time to hear Khan screaming something about letting him sleep, at the same time he crushed Marcus's skull with his own hands. Phaser in hand, Jim had less than a handful of seconds to decide exactly what he was going to do."Will you turn on me now, Captain Kirk?" Khan demanded as he turned around.He made quite the grizzly picture, hands drenched in blood, face still half twisted in fury. He was expecting already an answer from Jim. Then again, Jim so loved going against people's expectations (and much as he might never admit it, in the back of his head he couldn't help but see himself, his own hands stained with blood, as he knelt by a stream and did his best to wash them, not wanting his kids to see him like that, not wanting them to fear him)."We need to get out of here." He stated, putting the phaser down (but not away). "One of the bastards activated a self-destruct sequence. It'd take me longer to hack into it and cancel it than we have. We need to get off this ship, now."Khan blinked, clearly surprise by Jim's reaction."Lets go!" Jim waved him to move.They began running back the way they'd come."You surprise me Kirk." Khan admitted as they ran."Ravanok." Jim corrected, almost as an afterthought.The turbolifts were out of service (it was hard to tell if that was an accident, caused by all their previous hacking, or an additional measure taken by one of the bastards Jim had knocked out to ensure they wouldn't be getting out in time), which made them curse even as Jim practically dove for the nearest panel that hid Jefferies Tubes.It was insane, even with Kahn's involvement in the planning of the Vengeance, he hadn't been part of its construction after a certain point, and never on it after it was finished. Bottom line, neither of them knew the ship enough to be sure they were truly taking the shortest route to the cargo bay, and time was running out."Why did you come after me?" Khan asked at one point.They'd been forced to stop eventually as they hadn't the slightest idea where they were, except it certainly wasn't the cargo bay, and Jim was panting already. He wasn't sure if the life-support systems were down, or if he was just hitting his limit of endurance, but he was beginning to suspect he might have finally found his no-win…"It was the right thing to do." He responded with a shrug even as he went down the hallway, searching for more jefferies tubes."Even though you just saw me kill a man who you probably wanted to arrest and have him face justice back on your planet?" Khan challenged."While I might have liked that, there's not knowing if it would have worked." Jim admitted. "And I'm not so much of a hypocrite to deny you your right to protect you and yours."It was a very polite and roundabout way of admitting he'd have done exactly the same. It was the kind of admission most wouldn't be exactly comfortable making, but then again, Jim had found that when he was in a 'Ravanok' mentality he was much more honest about himself than at any other time. It was as if shedding the Kirk surname somehow made it so he no longer had to live up to other people's expectations and could just be himself. The person he'd been with M'aih, with the Nine, and with his crew/friends/family on the Bet'lath."You're a most intriguing individual Ravanok." Khan admitted."Yeah, while I always did aspire to have all kinds of individuals across the galaxy recognize how awesome I am… that's not gonna save us."Jim had begun the speech in his usual cocky tone, only to end it in a quiet, almost sober voice. He'd finally stopped running up and down the hallway, there were no more jefferies tubes to be found, other than the ones they got in through. Going back to find others would take time they no longer had, as the awful siren, the red lights and the decreasing numbers reminded them.*I'm sorry ashal-veh.* Jim mind-whispered. *It would seem the ultimate no-win finally found me.* He switched to vulcan to express how serious his next words were. *Ni'droi'ik nar-tor (I'm sorry/Forgive me). Taluhk nash-ve k'dular (I cherish thee).*Jim focused on sending his husband as much love as he could through the bond, before putting up all the shields he'd been taught about in the last year, not wanting his beloved vulcan to have to feel his death.Khan didn't even comment on his giving up. Probably having reached the same conclusion as Jim. The only consolation they both had was that their crews, their families were safe, they'd at least done that much.Jim opened his mouth to say something, even if he hadn't the slightest idea as to what, when suddenly he felt a well-known sensation grip him, as his very molecules were shifted and rearranged as a transporter beam took them both. It took less than a handful of seconds for the dark hallway of some unknown deck in the Vengeance to vanish, and instead Khan and Jim found themselves in the Control Room of the Bet'lath. Scotty and Cilaun were cheering their success in the background (apparently Scotty had 'appropriated' the device Khan had used to secure his escape after the attack at Daystrom and fixed it on their way to Qo'noS, it was what had gotten the two of them out of the Vengeance milliseconds before the whole ship blew). Jim paid them no mind, he only had eyes for his telsu, standing right in front of him, dark eyes boring into James's own blue ones."I don't believe in no-win scenarios." Was all he said.It was all he needed to say, really, a second later James was upon him, kissing him for all he was worth (which of course only made Cilaun and Scotty cheer even more).
xXx
When it was all said and done, Jim was sure he's never had such an insane 24 hours before. First they all landed on Praxis to make plans. Khan was willing to go with Jim back to the Federation. With the loss of Admiral Marcus and everyone on board the Vengeance (as well as the starship itself) he was pretty much the only proof they had of what was going on within Starfleet. The only condition he had was the reassurance that his family would be safe. It was then that Kariva decided to reveal herself and her position (up to that point the crew of the Bet'lath had remained fully covered, ensuring no one would recognize them). Scotty, Hikaru and Chekov let out exclamations of shock, McCoy and Nyota cursed Jim to kingdom come, Carol blinked several times in disbelief (she really had no idea the insanity she was getting involved with when she convinced Scotty to take her with him) while the Nine simply rolled their eyes and moved on, having already expected something (even if they didn't know everything JT had been up to while off Earth, they'd had a good idea of a lot of it)."Only you could make friends with the future leader of the Klingon Empire, to the point of being bestowed an honorific, and then turn and join Starfleet." Nyota muttered eventually."It didn't happen exactly like that." Jim, much as he would deny it, actually pouted then.Praxis had been almost completely evacuated before the explosion of the Vengeance, which was a good thing because, even if the explosion had been big enough to obliterate most of the starship completely, there was still some debris, most of which thankfully ended on the moon rather than the planet itself (it was much easier to evacuate a mining moon than a fully populated planet). Kariva had already warned her father of the situation and contingencies were being put into effect, it was unlikely there would be any mining done any time soon.It was because of that, that it was decided the Bet'lath's crew would stay right there, with Khan's people. McCoy, Spock, Carol and Khan worked together to ensure they'd be waking up only two at a time. Allowing Kariva and the others to supervise. Khan had left them a message explaining the situation and how long they were to wait for him before cutting their loses and making their own plans. Kariva for her part had offered her full support to all of them, as long as they gave their word not to try and attack her people.There were a number of Class L and M planets in the Beta Quadrant with minimal or no known inhabitants, where the augments would be able to settle, if they'd rather not live among Klingons (they certainly wouldn't want to go back to living among humans).With that part settled Cilaun, Gaila, Scotty, Keenser and Jim worked together to hook up the Suvwl' with the small, nameless k'normian ship the Enterprise crew had arrived in. They'd be taking the more direct route to Earth and arriving right back to where Jim and Spock had taken off from, hoping to avoid detection, and to make it back before at least most of them were missed. The Nine for their part would be taking a longer route so as to avoid anyone connecting them, in case something didn't go to plan.Surprisingly enough, most of the plan did go as expected. They made it all the way to Portland and landed without trouble. Even before that, Scotty had made used of the modified transporter to send McCoy, Nyota, Gaila, Hikaru and Pavel back to where they'd been before coming together to go after Jim and Spock. Scotty and Keenser had gone on the smaller ship then, hoping to provide a distraction in case Starfleet were looking for them already. If anyone questioned him he could very truthfully say he was testing a few theories for when they were all back on the Enterprise (Jim had even signed and back-dated orders to that effect). Carol insisted on staying, aware that no one would know as much about her father's own projects as she did."You are aware there's every chance we'll be court martialed and our information completely ignored?" Jim inquired. "It's unlikely your father was working alone. And whoever was with him… they won't want what we know to become public knowledge.""I know." Carol nodded solemnly. "It's still something I need to do." She made a pause before adding. "Why are you doing it, if you're so sure it'll fail?"For several seconds Jim didn't answer. Instead turning to look at his husband, and then at Khan, thinking about the part of himself that connected to each of them…"Because someone has to." He answered finally, running a hand through his hair. "I still have some pull in Starfleet. In between what my father did all those years ago, and what went down with Nero and the Narada last year. I might be able to get them to stop and listen, if only a little. And if that fails…"If that failed… well, he wouldn't be surrendering, that was for sure. His beloved's actions had reminded him that he did not believe in no-win scenarios either. If doing things the right way, through Starfleet, failed… then it'd be time for Plan B…Of course, still following Plan A Jim then needed to turn on his personal comm. He actually winced when seeing he'd reached the limit on missed calls and messages. There was no time for him to focus on those though, so instead he rang a number he knew by memory."James Tiberius Kirk!" A female voice called the moment the line was opened.Yet again, Jim winced. Spock exhaled, while Khan looked like he wasn't sure if he should worry or find the whole thing funny. Jim didn't find it funny at all, especially not as One went into a rant that mixed way too many of Earth's languages, and some not from Earth for good measure. The woman was clearly furious at him."One… One…" When that failed, he decided to change tracks: "Eureka!"That certainly brought the ranting to a sudden stop."What have I told you about calling me by that name James?" She hissed."You weren't listening to me." He justified. "I know you're beyond angry at me, and you have more than enough reason. I promise to give you the chance to flay me alive when this is all over and done if you so wish… but this isn't over just yet so I really need you to be Captain now and my surrogate big sister later, okay?"On the other side of the comm-line, Number One (whose real name, unknown to all but her husband and surrogate little brother and now Spock and Khan as well was Eureka Robbins) took a deep breath before becoming all business."What do you need Jim?" She asked, completely serious."I need you and Chris to come out of hiding." Jim answered. "And I need Chris to call a meeting with the full brass, or as many as can be gathered, as soon as possible.""How bad is this?" Chris was suddenly on the comm as well."So bad you cannot begin to imagine." Jim admitted with a sigh. "This needs to happen soon. Before information reaches the wrong ears. What we bring you… if it's not handled carefully it could destroy Starfleet as we know it."It could also end with all of them dead. Or at least Jim, Spock, Carol and Khan. Which was precisely why they weren't explaining anything to Chris just yet, they hadn't even called Amanda since first leaving San Francisco. Because if the worst happened, if they truly lost this time, Jim and Spock would rather it was just their lives on the line and not anyone else's."The minimum time for an emergency meeting of the full brass is ninety minutes." Chris informed them. "I'll be calling a meeting the moment I get off this call with you, and you'll need to be at HQ before ninety minutes have passed. I cannot help you any further. It'll be hard enough to convince all the Admirals to gather without explaining they why exactly.""Tell them the person responsible for Daystrom has been apprehended." Khan spoke out-loud."Wha…?!" Pike's voice made his shock evident, then he exhaled. "You know what? Forget it. I don't want to know. Just be there in ninety minutes."Jim exhaled sadly, he wanted so much to reassure his surrogate father (the only father he'd ever known) that he was not crazy (not any more than usual in any case), that he had a plan… but he couldn't, not yet."I hope you know what you're doing kid." One murmured quietly before ending the call in the usual manner. "One out."Jim breathed deeply once, then twice; truth was, so did he.A brush of his husband's fingers over his own reminded Jim that he wasn't alone. He had his bondmate, his soulmate right then, and as long as they were together, they could do anything. After all, they didn't believe in no-win scenarios.
xXx
The loud sound of a shot broke the tense silence, the shock lasted all of three seconds and what followed was immediate pandemonium. Everything happened so fast. It all seemed to happen in stages, moments frozen in time: in the first, around 75% of the brass (of those who had survived the attack on Daystrom days earlier) had gathered together and the whispers grew louder as they demanded an explanation for why the meeting had been called, especially on such short notice. In the second, all eyes turned to Pike as he stood (he very carefully did not use the cane, not wanting to appear in any way weak, not when so much was at stake), clearly waiting for him to explain what was going on. In the third, the opening of the door leading to a separate office made all eyes turn instantly, in time to watch Captain James Kirk and Commander Spock, both in full dress grays, and followed by a dark-haired man in regulation blacks, a long-coat and a dark-blue scarf around his neck (They had all decided to have Carol wait in the back and enter later, not wanting to overwhelm their audience just yet… also, if worse came to worst she was their plan B). In the fourth, a shot rang out, and three figures dropped so fast that at first no one knew who'd been shot exactly. Then everything descended into chaos."Khan!" Jim cried out as he dropped to his knees, his husband beside him a fraction of a second later, doing his best to help him staunch the bleeding.It was Khan who was bleeding, from a bullet low to the left side of his chest. A bullet that had been meant for Jim, the blonde was quite sure of that. But the augment… he really was better at everything; what Jim couldn't comprehend was what made him decide to use those skills to save Jim's life, by putting his own on the line…"Noo… nien…" He gasped, blood already beginning to stain his lips and teeth."What…?" Jim was going crazy with everything going on.He ignored the madness going on with the brass, trusting his husband to have his back as the room descended into absolute insanity."My name… is Noonien." Khan… Noonien, enunciated very carefully. "Khan is… j-just a title.""Noonien." Jim nodded."Protect-t the… them, Rava-nok." The augment stated, as strongly as he could in his wet voice.It was clear that at least one of his lungs had been punctured, possibly his heart as well."You have my word." Jim nodded solemnly.Khan Noonien Singh closed his eyes then and seconds later Jim was unable to find a pulse at all. He was left kneeling beside a man who laid on a pool of his own blood, his second in command and bondmate standing beside him in a protective position, while all around them voices kept calling for order, security, medics and explanations, no one really making up their minds which of those they wanted more. Jim though… he was paying very little attention to any of it, as far as he was concerned Plan A had just crashed and burned, and deep inside his mind he wasn't so sure Plan B was going to be enough.
xXx
"Where is Harrison's body?"Those were the first words out of Chris's mouth as he stepped into the small apartment early that morning. A Starfleet issue apartment was where Jim and Spock had been staying over the last couple of weeks. While they weren't exactly roughing it, they were still technically on house arrest. They had no codes to open the front door and a group of cadets had been tasked with getting them groceries weekly, while there was security on the floor, the lobby of the building and outside to ensure they did not leave. Of course all of that would be pointless if Jim and Spock ever got it into their heads that they no longer cared for remaining in Starfleet, then there would be nothing that could possibly stop the two of them working together; as had been proven by their 'little mission' (which no one but those involved, Chris and One even really knew anything about; most of Admiralty knew they had caught Harrison, but not where or how, or that anyone other than the two of them had been involved at all)."How are we supposed to know?" Jim retorted. "We haven't left this hole in two weeks."It was the truth, every single word. Of course, if one were to pay attention they would realize he was asking how could he know, rather than stating that he did not know at all. He couldn't have been sure, of course. The security had been enough he'd rather not risk communication with anyone from his chosen families, not even through his highly encrypted comms. So Chris's question was really his first confirmation that at least some of their plans had been successful.Like he'd expected, Carol's testimony alone, even with all the proof, including her father's personal files, hadn't been enough to tell the whole story. It was why it had been so important that Khan accompany them, no one's testimony could ever be as powerful as his own. But Khan… Noonien, was no longer an option. At least Chris's question meant that Thomas (quite possibly with Bones's help, had secured the augment's body and, hopefully, gotten it off planet entirely)."Jim, you know this will not help your situation any." Chris stated in a tired tone. "I've been doing all I can to get you your chance to tell your side of the story kid but…""But you're seen as biased due to your personal connection to James and perhaps even myself and thus your opinion holds less weight among your colleagues than expected." Spock finished for him in his usual, even tone."Pretty much, yeah." Chris admitted as he ran a hand through his hair."Someone tried to assassinate me, possibly us." Jim began enlisting, raising a hand when Chris made to interrupt him. "That is a fact. Another fact is, that for that Sector 31 Agent to have been in the room, armed, it means that either Marcus or someone else in his service sent word back here before the Vengeance self-destructed. Fact three, for someone to have tried to kill us, that means there's someone else, high-ranked, still around. Quite probably another Admiral, if not more than one. Fact four, the only reason they wanted Khan's body was to try and use him, probably to replicate his abilities, nevermind that the Eugenics have been banned since the 21st century… not like Kodos cared much about such laws either…" The blonde cut himself off, realizing he was going on the kind of tangent he'd rather not focus on. "Anyway, fact five, Carol Marcus had all the information, and yet they're dismissing her out of hand for no better reason than they don't want to believe what she's telling them is possible. Like denying there is a problem will somehow make it go away.""The Captain is, indeed, right." Spock offered. "I was aware some individuals favor denying their problems as a method of dismissing them, but I never expected so many of our superiors to follow this line of thinking…""They're being willfully blind, and dangerously so, you can say it Spock." Jim finished for him."Indeed." The Vulcan agreed. "Such a line of thinking is quite dangerous, not just for us, but for Starfleet, and perhaps even the Federation as a whole.""Don't I know it?" Chris closed his eyes tight for a moment, willing the upcoming migraine away if only for a few minutes. "I suppose that means you will not be telling me where Harrison… Khan's body is exactly?""I honestly don't know." Jim shrugged.It was the truth too."And what about the rest of the augments that were mentioned in Lt. Wallace's report?" Chris inquired next.One of the first things Carol had done upon their return to Earth was to legally change her surname to that of her mother's. Claiming she could not stand being known as Marcus's daughter, not after what he'd done."As we stated in the official briefing, they were all placed in a bunch of experimental photon torpedoes by Khan, in an attempt to free them." Jim answered seriously. "Torpedoes that were lost along with the Vengeance.""The Captain is, indeed, correct in this instance." Spock agreed. "I see no logical reason for this question to be repeatedly asked, when the answer remains the same."They knew of course. People thought they were lying, and kept asking the same questions hoping they'd trip up and give themselves away. As if they were such amateurs… Also, technically they hadn't said a single lie… they just hadn't given the whole truth either.For several seconds none of them said anything, just standing there, waiting for who else might say anything. Chris knew there were things (quite probably a lot of things) that Jim and Spock weren't saying; and he couldn't fault them for that, he wasn't the only one to believe they might be monitored, probably even through some mikes in the apartment. And it's not like they needed to speak out-loud when it was between them. As for Chris himself… he still trusted them enough not to press too hard. Trusted them enough to believe it wasn't over just yet, Spock was much too conscientious not to have considered contingencies, and Jim… well, Chris had always believed him to be the personification of paranoia, and it wouldn't have surprised the Admiral to learn he had enough plans for at least half the alphabet.At least those were his thoughts until his comm rang and he had Admiral Komack yelling at him from the other end of the line."What?!" He cried out when he heard what his colleague/superior had just said.Spock and Jim didn't get the chance to ask him what was wrong, before Chris was turning on the nearest screen."Did you do this?" He demanded of the young couple.Jim and Spock turned their eyes to the broadcast practically in unison. It was from the Federation News Network, an Exclusive. At first they were confused, for half the screen was in black and white, until they realized what they were looking at exactly. According to the lines written at the bottom of the screen it was a recovered security video from the 20th century, from the end of the Eugenic Wars. It showed a woman working on several computers almost simultaneously while a racket took place just outside the room. The moment the door was broken through she got on her feet, pulled out a gun (an old gun, nothing like the modern phasers) and shot repeatedly at all the computers. There was yelling in several Earth languages, including English, Hebrew and an African dialect very few people knew anymore. Eventually the woman dropped the gun in her hand, put her hands on the back of her head and then turned around slowly, facing both the soldiers pointing at her with their own weapons, and the security camera still filming.Jim felt like he'd been punched in the solar plexus. He knew exactly who that woman was: Dr. Marlene Givens… Khan's deceased wife. The blonde couldn't help himself as he reached for the small chip-like device he kept in one of his pockets, which he'd intentionally withheld from Starfleet once they'd taken him and Spock into 'protective custody'. He'd known Dr. Givens was an important part of it all, but he also knew it was unlikely certain people in Starfleet would allow her testimony to carry much weight, much as they'd already done with Carol. He also did not want to surrender the last thing Noonien had which connected him to his wife, the woman he'd loved… whom he clearly still loved if the scarf he never took off was anything to go by."Shit." Was all Jim could really say in the end."So this is not you then?" Chris inquired."When do you suppose we'd have had the time to get that to FNN, much less find it?" Jim asked in return. "We gave you the woman's name and what little Khan revealed about her, but it's not like we've had time to do much of anything since we got back, what with all the debriefing sessions the Admiralty insists on calling us to, as they asked us the same freaking questions time and time again!"Chris nodded, he knew Jim was at about the end of his patience; he also knew there was more he wasn't saying, and that sometimes it was better just not to ask… plausible deniability and all that. While the revelation was going to hit Starfleet hard, especially if it ended being as bad as he feared it might, it might also be just what they needed, not just for Spock and Jim, but also to bring whatever 'associates' of Marcus there might still be, out of the woodwork.Truth be told, the whole 'big reveal' about Dr. Givens was one of the plans, specifically: Plan E (they'd managed to complete bypass the plans concerning the Kirk connections, the Vulcan connections and the influence of the Tarsus Nine, the last of which James would have hated using, but he'd have if absolutely necessary). He had no idea who exactly had decided to go ahead with Plan E, but there was no doubt his children must be somehow involved, probably the crews (of the Enterprise and the Bet'lath) as well. Still, as that particular video ended and pictures began showing as a reporter came on screen to explain who exactly Marlene Givens had been and her importance to current time and age, Jim had to admit he'd never expected them to be so through, or for them to be able to find so much. Plan F might just end up not being necessary after all… Spock would like that, and Amanda, and all their friends, he too of course. He could have dealt with it, making a new life for himself and Spock elsewhere, but he was also happy where he was, as James Tiberius Kirk, husband and bonded mate of Spock, Captain of the Enterprise and with such an amazing family (by choice and deed), like he could have never imagined when he was young and feeling so alone in the universe…The next video that came up was half covered by watermarks for the broadcasting company, meant to ensure that no one else could claim the footage as theirs. That footage too was in black and white. Though that was about all it had in common with the first video that had been shown. In it Dr. Givens was shown to a plaza where she faced a group that called themselves the 'Saviors of Earth', who were there to 'liberate' them all from the rule of the monster Khan. As they went on to give a list of all the crimes Khan was considered responsible of, Givens denied each and every one of them; and not just that, but then she proceeded to enlist how the so-called saviors were responsible for at least 50% of the deaths they were pinning on Khan, another 30% being their own people who had died while trying to kill the augments. The last 20% remained unaccounted for, yet the damage had been done, the doubt raised.Things only escalated from there, as people began taking Givens's side. The group kept growing, and even when the pseudo saviors warned them to be quiet, nothing would stop them. It all came to a head when Givens announced the virus that had her, and many more in the country sick had been created by the very humans who claimed to be there to save them. Threats were made, orders shouted, and then Marlene screamed about them being responsible for her baby's death. Things only escalated from there.When the shot came Jim wasn't even surprised. And right there, it did not stop at one. The so-called saviors proceeded to gun down everyone not in their group. All who'd taken Givens's side, and even some who might have just been standing around for whatever the reason. They left none alive, no witnesses who might ever be able to oppose their own version of things…The broadcast cut off as soon as was possible, though the reporter that came on next confirmed what most suspected by then. She then went on to enlist the names of all who their experts had been able to confirm to have been on that plaza during the shooting. And what the official causes of their deaths had been reported to be.And then the questions came: Why had all that happened? Why had it taken so long for the truth to come out? And how did events that had happened centuries prior were suddenly relevant? Why? So many questions, and no one willing to give the answers."What do you think will happen when people realize that Givens' husband, the man she gave her life to save, and whom most still see as a terrible villain, not only wasn't dead, but that people in Starfleet found him and then coerced him into making weapons all while pushing for a war against the Klingon Empire?" Jim asked Chris. "Considering what happened the last two times Khan was threatened… The latter time he might have chosen to leave, take his people and go, but the former… that was when the Eugenic Wars happened in the first place. We as a species really don't learn do we?" He shook his head. "And what was it all for? For war? There's no fucking way we could win a war against the Empire! Not now, not in the next decade, probably not even in the next century! Even with the way Nero half-destroyed their Fleet, they're so far above us it's not even funny! Even if Marcus had been smart enough to get Khan's cooperation rather than force him, there's no way we could have ever won that war! Which means he was either beyond insane and delusional, or he sought our own destruction!"If any other Admiral had heard that speech they'd have thought Jim to be threatening them, to be a traitor of some kind. Chris, thankfully, knew better."You know what I'll do if it comes to war." Jim stated then, it wasn't a question."I know." His surrogate father nodded seriously.Of course he did. It was the same Plan F, only on a grander scale. Jim said it was Plan F because it would only ever be put into practice when they could sincerely said things were beyond FUBAR and there was no other win possible. It meant basically getting himself (themselves) and those they cared for onto the first ship they could and off planet. From there they had options, depending on how bad the situation was. In the case of a war against the Klingon Empire… that would probably mean leaving the galaxy entirely. Neither of them had any idea where they'd go exactly. But if such a thing every happened, an actual war rather than their current Tense Armed Peace… nowhere in Alpha and Beta Quadrant would be safe. No sector on the known galaxy (at least the one known to them) would be safe."You can be sure if it comes to that we'll be right there with you." Chris added for good measure. "Lets just hope it doesn't come to that."Hope… yeah, they would hope.
xXx
72 hours later it was all over, and not exactly how they were expecting. The days had been full of tension. Two full security teams had arrived to the apartment minutes after the broadcast from 7 News was aired. They were there to escort Jim and Spock to HQs. Apparently the two were to be questioned for leaking classified information to the public. Never mind that the Federation hadn't yet existed when the Eugenic Wars had happened, much less Starfleet, or that Jim and Spock hadn't even known those videos existed, so there was no way they could have leaked them to the press (they both had a very good idea who'd found them and done exactly that, but since those particular questions weren't being asked… and they both agreed the whole Admiralty must be stupid for never considering such an option).Jim and Spock had been made to spend the following three nights right there at HQs. Jim was quite sure that Komack, who'd been put in charge of the investigation, was trying to make them as uncomfortable as possible in the hopes that it would make them crack or something. As if Jim were such a prima donna that he couldn't handle a couple of uncomfortable nights, as if he hadn't been through much worse when he was supposed to still be a child!It happened at the end of the third night, in the hour before dawn. One moment James had been deeply asleep (due to his experiences he'd long since been capable of going to sleep almost anywhere and practically at will, as long as he was sure of his own safety, and while HQs didn't exactly make him feel safe, their bond meant they couldn't separate him from Spock, and he knew that as long as they were together, they would be alright), the next he was fully awake and on his feet before he fully comprehended what was going on.*We're under attack.* Spock spoke straight into the bond, standing guard beside him.Only then the guards outside the room had begun moving. When the shooting started Jim decided that as long as they remained in that interrogation room they were pretty much fish in a barrel and he would rather fight than hide away anyway. Either because he was completely focused on what was going on, or because they'd really been married that long, Spock didn't comment on the human expression.It was so easy to get out of the room that Jim wasn't sure if it was funny or annoying. The moment they found two security members dead on a hallway the blonde pushed aside all humor, becoming completely serious in an instant. He stopped by the dead bodies just long enough to mentally apologize before retrieving the phasers and all the additional power packs he could find on them. Then he divided what he'd found between himself and his husband.*Think they're after us or after those in charge of the investigation?* Jim asked mentally, knowing it was safer than saying anything out-loud.Both of them were experts at stealth, and that coupled with their bond meant that they were quite capable of moving without a sound and still communicate, as well as knowing exactly what the other was going to do, the moment the choice was made.*Either is equally possible.* Spock replied.That was the last conscious thought either of them had as, the moment they turned the next corner they found themselves right in the middle of a pitched battle.There was so much phaser fire being exchanged, and even some explosions, that for a while it was hard to tell whose side they were supposed to be on. And then they heard Komack. Jim almost groaned out-loud. Of all the people that could be there… still, they had a duty and Komack was an Admiral, so they dove into the fight, with the bravery and synchronicity that characterized them.What neither of them counted on was when one of the phaser bolts hit Komack on the side of the neck right as Jim finally reached him."Shit!" Jim was so shocked by seeing the man fall before him he completely forgot that they hadn't been speaking out-loud until then. "Spock!"He dropped to his knees beside the fallen admiral, trusting his beloved to have their backs while he did what he could to try and save the man. He moved his hands without really touching anything. There was an awful burn on the side of Komack's neck and much as he hated it, Jim knew there was nothing he could do, even with a dermal regenerator. A burn like that… it'd burned more than just the skin, his carotid artery had been pretty much destroyed, his throat damaged. It was only a matter of time."Kirk…" Komack muttered his name like it was a curse. "Should have… k-killed you whe… when I h-had the ch-chance…"Those were the man's last words before he died, and all Jim could do was kneel there, wondering if that meant what he thought it did.*James?* Spock mentally ask.The fight was almost over already. Security officers having arrived to back them up, though there were quite a few dead. Thankfully Spock's worst wound was a minor phaser burn on his left flank and all Jim had gotten were some bruises and a couple of scratches from debris flying every which way due to the shots.*We all knew that someone of high rank had to have been helping Marcus, there's no way he could have done everything he did with Section 31 without some serious backing but… Komack?* The human just couldn't get his head around it. *I knew the man disliked me. He spent most of my Academy years trying to find a way to expel me, the Trial just being the latest example. He was one of those who did not agree with my promotion straight to Captain, and he's spent the last year trying to prove I did not deserve it but… I mean, it's one thing for him to want me gone from Starfleet but to actually want to kill me, kill us… And it's not even just about us. He and Marcus… they were trying to force a war with the Klingons!**I know not what to say to you ashal-veh.* Spock admitted, quiet even in their minds. *This will need to be handled with the utmost care. Starfleet will not want to admit that another of their own was involved in all of this. Not with the way public opinion has been turning in the last three days. And unless the right people find proof, it might just be dismissed.**You mean we need to get someone to find the proof, and it cannot be Chris.* Jim knew he was right, they couldn't risk such a thing being dismissed. *Who then?**Lui and Archer.* Spock stated almost immediately.*One who hates me and one who doesn't.* Jim nodded.*Admiral Lui does not hate you, James.* Spock told him. *She was against your academic dishonesty, as was I at the time. She failed to understand your reasons the way I had a chance to later on. She will be perfectly objective.**Yes, she will.* Jim believed that, if the woman hadn't liked him breaking the rules, she wouldn't stand for her fellow admiral doing it either.Of course, having someone they could trust get to whatever Komack might have did not mean the rest of Starfleet would believe it, or do anything about it, but it was a start. Certainly more than they'd had even an hour earlier.
xXx
They were right of course. Jim would feel pride about it if it weren't for the fact that this time they were right about something he hated. Chris had spoken with not just Lui and Archer, but also Barnett and Nogura, and all four of them had been there when Komack's house was searched. Aside from several heavily encrypted files that some of Starfleet's best hackers found in his personal computer, there were hard copies of files, mostly concerning the Eugenics program. The man even had saved some of his communications with Marcus and others in Section 31 regarding not just the Vengeance and the torpedoes, but the next step in their plan: they'd been planning on recruiting agents and inject them with a serum they'd hoped would enhance them in ways comparable to Khan and the other augments.It was absolute insane, sickening in so many ways Jim couldn't even explain. Of course, that wasn't where their whole 'being right' came in. No, it was in what had been told to them when the brass finally called them into a very important, highly classified (so much only the two of them, Pike, and the four to have taken over the investigation were there)."Let me see if I understood this right." Jim stated with barely controlled anger. "After everything these men have done. All the people they've hurt, the lives they've ruined, all those dead… you expect me to keep quiet?! To let them just get away with it?!""Jim…" Chris began."No Chris." Jim was so furious he didn't even remember to refer to the older man by his title. "Do not 'Jim' me, not right now. Where's the justice in that?""They're not 'getting away' with anything, Captain Kirk." Archer stated evenly. "They're dead.""Yes, and Starfleet will make a martyr out of Komack, I'm sure." Jim spat. "In a few years he'll probably be remembered the same way my father is. A valiant man that died on the line of duty… That's bullshit! George Kirk died protecting his crew, James Komack died trying to cover his tracks, trying to kill my husband and I so his involvement with Marcus and Section 31 would never be discovered! He doesn't deserve to be made a hero, a martyr. He deserves to be remembered for what he was: a fucking traitor!""Starfleet cannot handle another blow like this…" Barnett began."Starfleet will never again be what it's supposed to be unless this sickness is exposed fully and destroyed, once and for all!" Jim retorted vehemently."Commander Spock please try to make your Captain understand." Lui was probably trying to appeal to his Vulcan logic.Her mistake was believing that that Vulcan logic would support hers."I happen to agree with my Captain, Admiral Lui." Spock stated evenly. "The Federation is already aware of much of what is going on. It would be beneficial that it all be brought to light, exposed and healed now. Rather than let it fester over a period of time."When mutterings began about how Captain Kirk could be 'persuaded' to keep silent, and Spock felt his telsu about to 'blow up' (They clearly had no idea how ready his beloved was if they were ever to kick him out, and while Spock knew James was quite willing to do it, he also knew he'd rather stay)."Starfleet was founded on principles of honesty, of hard work, of tolerance, cooperation and above all, of peace… those principles were broken by both Alexander Marcus and James Komack and that is something that, just as it could not be allowed to stand, it cannot be ignored, cannot be pushed aside and hope the truth will never come out." The Vulcan stated, completely serious. "Such illogical actions would only condemn us all the more. Not just those of us in this room right now, but every member of Starfleet. If allowed to endure, it is something that could destroy the organization we serve from within. The decision we come to on this day is for them, as much as it is for us, and as such, we must do the right thing.""Commander Spock is, of course, completely right." Nogura agreed evenly. "And I believe we all know what the 'right thing' is in this case."Yes, they knew. It wouldn't be the easy thing, but then again, 'right things' were never easy to do, but they were still the most necessary.
xXx
The chaos in the following days (and weeks and months) was such that it surpassed even what they'd been going through already with the revelation of the truth about Dr. Marlene Givens. Like Lui had feared, people reacted badly to the revelation that two Starfleet Admirals had been part of a plan that had ended with the Kelvin Archive in London blown up (hundreds of dead and millions in damages there), the shooting at Daystrom (while there had been less dead on that one, they had all been Captains, First Officers and Admirals, high ranked members of Starfleet that only compounded the thousands lost a year prior) and a loss of faith so huge that some feared that not only would there be no recruits for the next term, but some might actually begin dropping out. Of course, it was then that Jim stepped forth. It had kind of been a condition from the Admiralty, that he'd support them, support Starfleet (be their poster boy, as he said); of course, they never expected how he'd do it.The recording was sent straight to FNN and broadcast through every news channel across the Federation; in it Jim Kirk appeared dressed in command gold; in the background stood Spock, Nyota Uhura, Gaila Vro, Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov, Gregory Hendorff and Carol Wallace, all a bit blurry as the camera hadn't really been focused on them, offering silent support to their captain as he stood and pronounced his speech (the speech he'd prepared with the help of all of them, as well as Chris and One:"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are. We at Starfleet have been tasked with seeking life, not destroying it; with sowing peace, rather than war. We each represent the very best of our respective races and worlds, from every corner of the Federation, and we owe it to ourselves, to our planets, and the Federation as a whole to be the very best each of us can be. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship he had me recite the Captain's Oath, words I didn't appreciate at the time. Now I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were, and who we must be again. The Captain's Oath, as well as Starfleet's Oath are more than just words to be said and forgotten, they're the principles by which we're meant to rule ourselves, meant to bring out the very best we can be, for we carry with us Starfleet's and the Federation's hopes and dreams."The video went viral in less than 12 hours."Well," Pike muttered during the next meeting (one Jim and Spock weren't present for). "You have to admit he has quite the unique… style for doing things.""He did exactly what we asked for," Nogura agreed. "Even if not in any way any of us could have ever expected.""Are you quite sure about this Pike?" Archer inquired seriously."I am." Chris nodded with a small smile. "They're the best people for the job.""The special class we have of Vulcans, the ones who came to us when unable to continue their studies in the VSA will be graduating soon." Chandra pointed out. "As expected, they've all requested to be assigned to the Enterprise.""That should round their number pretty nicely." Barnett agreed. "They'll have time. It's not like the mission is starting tomorrow."They were talking about the first ever five-year mission. All having agreed it would be given to the Enterprise, even if most still had some reservations, it had been proven that regardless of their youth, the crew of the flagship were quite prepared to deal with any and all challenges that might be thrown at them.Also like Barnett had said, it wasn't like they'd be embarking on the mission any time soon, not for a year or so. There were plans to retrofit the Enterprise, as they had to make sure she'd be as ready as possible for such a long mission (there was no way to know how easy or hard it might be for them to get to a Starbase in case of an emergency, so the ship had to be ready for as many possible things as they could come up with). Also, Barnett had decided to make good use of the crew in the meantime, most of them (particularly those who were considered bridge crew) would be taking a few seminars so they were all as rounded as they could be (they would all be taking classes to be ready for command in case it was ever necessary); but more importantly, they would be teaching, especially using their own experiences to hopefully better prepare the upcoming generations for the realities of life out in space with all the changes that had come since the arrival of Nero.James and Spock requested lighter duties a few weeks later, when Amanda announced (so giddy every single Vulcan around her looked like they were high on something) that she was with child; she'd actually been for several months, but hadn't wanted to say anything until they knew it had taken. Science had finally progressed enough (and Jim seriously suspected 'Selek' might have been involved in some way) that Amanda could safely conceive without risking a miscarriage (like the several she'd suffered through, both before and after she gave birth to Spock). So Jim and Spock made arrangements that allowed all their classes to take place as close-together as possible, giving them a chance to travel to Vulcan weekly for at least three days, as they really wanted to be there for Amanda and Sarek, and eventually for their little sibling.Also for that purpose Jim had officially registered his ship under the name Puksu, which was Vulcan for 'Fighter', which in turn was pretty close to the original name of Suvwl' without being Klingon (which, Jim just knew, would have caused someone somewhere to have a coronary or something). It was easier that way as, aside from those who'd been with him and Spock in Qo'noS no one knew of Jim's connection to the Klingons.Six months after the mess with Starfleet, Amanda gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl. She was named T'Uralaun, a variation of the name of James's M'aih, in her memory; he was honored by Amanda's choice.During that time talks had begun of possibly seeking peace with the Romulan and Klingon Empires. Jim wasn't too sure if that would work, especially with all the recent tensions, and Marcus's recent actions. Even though no Klingons had died in Praxis, and Kariva had promised Starfleet wouldn't be held responsible for the actions of one madman (or a group of madmen), that did not mean it would be easy. Nero's attacks had destroyed a good deal of the Klingon Fleet, which made at least some people believe they might be more open to peace than they might have in the past. The Romulans were another matter entirely, but since Selek had worked on such peace treaties before (in the other universe), he had hope he could do it again.By the time the orders came for the Enterprise to depart for the first ever five-year mission Jim was seriously considering resigning his commission. He loved Jamie and T'Uralaun so much and did not want to leave either for such a long period of time. His beloved Vulcan of course had no compunction in describing how illogical he was being. While he too would miss their little sister and godson, that was no reason to undo everything they'd fought to achieve, to forsake all the people who depended on them, but more than that, who believed in them. James agreed wholeheartedly (even if he did not stop pouting for a while).As it happened Jim wouldn't be the only one leaving a child (or two) behind. Hikaru and Ben had taken advantage of the crew's year-long stay on Earth to not only marry, but they'd also had a child (with Hikaru's sister Yuki acting as surrogate). And of course, there was Bones's eleven-year-old girl: Joanna; whom he'd finally been seeing fairly often with Josef getting him a better deal in court (Jocelyn McCoy still had the girl's full custody, but she could no longer block her ex-husband from visiting her every week). Jim hadn't spoken of it with anyone except Spock and Chris, but he was already making arrangements to allow the families to meet at least every few months. And of course that was without counting the rest of the 425 members of the crew. He hoped to be able to surprise them all as soon as possible.And so, a year and almost to the day since the mess with Khan, Marcus, Komack and Section 31 had finally come to an end, the time came for the Enterprise to take off."Come on, Bones! It's gonna be fun." Jim said with a huge smile at his old friend as they all gathered on the bridge."Five years in space." Bones muttered, way more dramatically than entirely necessary in Jim's opinion. "God help me."Jim almost cackled at that, but a look from his husband stopped him, so instead he turned to face the blonde standing beside Lieutenant Hendorff. Officially the two of them shared the position of Chief of Security, Carol being in charge of the weapons, while Greg was responsible for the actual security personnel."Doctor Wallace," Jim acknowledged her, as she was among the newest members of the crew and still finding her footing. "I'm glad you could be a part of the family.""It's nice to have a family." She said in turn.The other new members of the crew were, of course, the Vulcans who'd only just graduated and insisted on being posted in the Enterprise. Since they were all among the best in each of their specialties it was allowed (also, it was easier as McCoy and his team were probably the only doctors in Starfleet with more than basic knowledge and experience treating Vulcans)."Spock." Jim finally turned his attention to his husband."Captain." Spock was as serious as ever, though Jim could feel the contentment through the bond.Of course they always showed absolute decorum while on duty, and even when not, no one had ever seen them do anything more than touch hands or stand close to almost hug every so often… then again, most didn't know enough of Vulcan culture and tradition to know all the significance something like touching hands could have for them…"Where shall we go?" Jim inquired."As a mission of this duration has never been attempted, I defer to your good judgment, Captain." Spock answered promptly.Yeah, Spock was as much at a loss as Jim regarding where to go. But that was okay, they had more than enough time to make up their minds.
xXx
Of course, because it was Jim Kirk, and it was the Enterprise, and they just had that kind of luck, they hadn't even been two months out of Earth when things went insane on them. It began with what seemed like a fairly easy away mission to a recently discovered M Class planet. It was supposed to be uninhabited, though the readings they could get from space weren't conclusive on many things. The science team really wanted to get better readings, and the fact that it was a desert planet made the Vulcans (which made up about half of the scientists on board; the rest being fairly divided between security, communications, engineering, with even a couple of medics for good measure) even more interested.There were some plants that they'd found seeds of in the banks kept on other Federation Planets (it was part of a great plan in case of an emergency, seeds, frozen animal embryos and databases with all kinds of information regarding all members of the United Federation of Planets were kept on at least three other planets) that they hadn't been able to grow in the colony. Several of the Vulcans on board were hoping they might be able to grow them elsewhere.So the away team was formed and sent down. It all went to hell so fast they wouldn't have believed it possible if it hadn't happened to them. As it happened, the planet wasn't uninhabited, nor were the inhabitants a primitive species. They were in fact so advanced they were capable of warp but had long since decided they wanted nothing to do with those of other planets, and thus had created 'protections' for their planet that may make it so others wouldn't be interested in them at all. All the data the Enterprise (and the Reliant, which was the ship that had discovered it months earlier, though hadn't had the right kind of personnel to go through with exploration) had gotten was useless. In the end they barely managed to get everyone back and leave the sector before anyone got killed. Though there were some injuries, two serious enough to require medical intervention and several days off, and half the away team were more than a little traumatized, never having expected to be attacked by another race simply for landing on their planet.It was then that Jim began fighting for the kind of leave he wanted for his crew even more intensely. They were nearing the end of their sixth month on the mission when it was finally allowed (they'd had a couple of short shore-leaves before, neither which had lasted more than two or three days and always on starbases). The planet of choice: Organia.It was deeper into the Neutral Zone, and closer to Klingon territory than most in Starfleet were comfortable with. All the same it was more-or-less well-known that Klingons wouldn't attack the Enterprise (even if very few people knew why exactly, even Chris did not know aside from the fact that the Klingons respected Jim for whatever the reason).Jim took great delight when seeing his friends' faces as they were received by members of their families. A delight that only grew as Amanda rushed to them, Sarek, carrying an awake and alert T'Uralaun with him; though Spock was quick to reach him and, after a brief greeting, relieved his father of the little girl (much as he might not admit it out-loud, Jim knew Spock was as gone on the toddler as Jim himself was). Chris and his family couldn't visit as he had duties on San Francisco, but he'd promised to get some free time for them the next time such a shore-leave could be arranged.Organia was also important for another reason. With the planet being so close to the edge of the Neutral Zone, and the fact that it was one of very few where races had been known to be able to co-exist in relative peace, that was where Selek would be conducting his meetings with the negotiators from the Empires. Jim had considered doing something to try and help, but in the end decided it was too risky, so instead he'd simply sent a heavily encrypted message to Kariva regarding Selek and his intentions (without giving away any of Starfleet's classified secrets, including Selek's own true origins), leaving the rest up to her.In the end shore-leave went much better than expected. As the week approached its end, many of his crew sought him out to introduce their families and thank him for giving them the chance to meet like that. They understood such arrangement might not be feasible very often, but it was still more than they expected when signing up for the five-year mission, and they greatly enjoyed the opportunity.It was the very last day of shore-leave and Jim and Spock were on a well-known pub, having a drink (surprisingly enough, they hadn't seen anyone else from the crew there, though that might be because of how many Klingons visited it constantly; it had probably been wise of his crew to keep a distance and avoid trouble… most likely because they knew that if there were any serious trouble such a shore-leave would not be repeated).It was late, by the time Jim and Spock finally left, not because they'd drank that much. But being in that pub, it brought back memories to Jim, memories he enjoyed sharing with his telsu. They were finally ready to make their way back to the ship, when they found someone unexpected standing in their way…"Noonien…" Jim breathed out with a nod of his head. "Didn't know you were on planet.""Ravanok…" The man began, before Jim interrupted him."No, no, no." The blonde shook his head vehemently. "You told me to call you by your name, the least you can do is call me by mine. That's James, or even Jim if you'd rather.""James." The black-haired augment nodded."Things went well for you then?" Jim inquired with a small smile."Quite." The other man cocked his head to a side. "Though I fail to understand your choices. Why you went through such troubles…""Because it wouldn't have been right if…" Jim swallowed. "You'd have become little more than a science experiment, had you woken after taking such a shot. I couldn't allow that. You had been through enough already, you and your people. With Marcus and Komack… it wasn't right. So I made arrangements, to make sure you'd make it off planet if necessary. I'm… satisfied to see they worked out alright." He relaxed a degree. "I hope you and your people have found a new home, a safe one?""Praxis." Noonien nodded. "Following an in-depth investigation ordered by the Chancellor, it was discovered that, had the deep mining continued, it'd have had a cascade effect of cataclysmic proportions in a little over three decades, which would have ended with the loss of the moon and all life in it, as well as creating a no less dire disaster for the planet itself. Praxis has since been evacuated and all mining activity ceased until further notice. Without the benefits of the mining the satellite appears to be of no interest to the Klingons, so it was offered to us. Also, if we're successful in devising a safe way to resume the mining, safe for us and the Empire, we may keep the rights to the mine on the same degree as the group that used to operate it."Which meant 75% for them, 25% for the Empire. It was a good deal, no one else would offer them a better one. Of course, they'd first have to find a safe way to do the mining, but if they really were better at Everything, as Khan had once claimed, it should be well within their abilities to achieve."We were not aware you would be on planet." Spock stated."No, you wouldn't." Noonien smiled just a little. "We've been named the taHaI, the survivors. We're officially a colony of refugees who've been taken in by the Empire. My former second in command, Elijah, has taken over leadership of our people, freeing me to serve as one of the Princess's Shields…"Spock and Jim heard all Noonien was saying, as well as all he wasn't. It was something he'd mentioned, if loosely, on their way back to Earth. How, with the surgeries Marcus had forced on him, it was likely his own people wouldn't know him anymore. Impossible to know how well they might accept his leadership. So, while in name he might still be their leader, in practice he wasn't, not anymore, but he'd found a place for himself anyway. Which was good.With nothing further to talk about, brisk goodbyes were exchanged and the group split. Spock and Jim were about to round the corner that would take them out of that small alley and back onto the main street (from where they could be beamed-out and back on the Enterprise), when some kind of instinct made the blonde turn and look over his shoulder…What he saw was probably the last thing he could have ever expected. A second individual had just joined Noonien, though it wasn't Kariva or anyone else from that crew. Small, a child as Jim realized a fraction of a second later, no older than three, perhaps four years of age… her hair was dark, her dress a pale brown, a forest green scarf around her head, but it was when he saw her eyes… he had seen those eyes before (everyone in the Federation probably had), in the high-def pictures and videos of one Dr. Marlene Givens…Though it was when Noonien bent and scooped her into his arms that the blonde's suspicions were confirmed. That was Noonien's daughter, his and Marlene's. Also, Jim was quite sure it was no accident that he (and Spock, as he was still with him) had been allowed to witness such a scene. They were being shown in a simple, non-intrusive manner, how much they were trusted.Jim dipped his head in acknowledgment, just once. Noonien's form was in shadows by then, so it was impossible to be sure if he'd seen and yet… just like he must have known Jim and Spock would see his child, so he'd see Jim's motion."Jim…" Spock murmured, so very quietly."Of course." Jim nodded. "I suppose breaks over. Time to get to work." he pulled out his comm. "Mr. Scott? … Two to beam up… Energize!"