(no subject)
I
Jim arrived back at the exact moment he left. It was as if he'd never gone, and as far as he was concerned, this was fine. It wasn't that he forgot about Suzi, or his journey across time and dimensions and space with the Ghostbusters, or the ordeal of being in the Bar. It was simply that he had things to do. And people were counting on him.
But the other members of Enterprise's crew noticed little things. The cloud of anger and sadness that Kirk carried with him since arriving on Vulcan in a Klingon ship while mourning his son, wss fading fast. McCoy chalked it up to Kirk's overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility. Soctty wondered privately if the Vulcans had been doing some sort of trick to remove Jim's grief. Sulu, Uhura and Chekhov quietly debated whether Jim was just putting on an act. But all were sure, a week later, that Jim had come to grips with what had happened in record time.
He never gave it a thought. He had a call to make.
II
"Admiral Kirk?" The face on Jim's viewscreen is that of Sam Cogley, the crusty old lawyer who had saved Jim's butt from court martial 15 years earlier. Cogley wasn't old back then, but now his graying hair was all silver, his face lined with wrinkled that only added to his bulldog demeanor. "I was expecting your call weeks ago."
"Hullo, Sam. I assume you heard?"
"A starship gets stolen and then destroyed, and odds are it gets out on the news. A starship gets stolen and destroyed by Admiral Kirk, and it IS the news."
"Then you're ahead of the game. And me. Vulcan doesn't put much stock in offworld news sources."
"Wise of them, Admirial." Sam sneers a little. Jim supposes that the lawyer has had his run-ins with the press.
"So what do you know, and what do you need to know?"
"Well, pardon me for being so frank, but I know that you're screwed. No way you can blame this on anyone or anything else. My suggestion is that you throw yourself on the mercy of the court, and hope that your years of service stop them from giving you the death penalty."
"At least I don't really face that."
"Really? You should hear what they're saying about you." Another sneer. Old Cogley was great at sneering.
"My plan IS to throw myself on their mercy. But I wanted to ask you if you thought that I could bargain for my crew. Offer to accept whatever punishment they want me to have, and get the crew off lightly."
Gogley thinks about it. "Vids said that one crewman sabotaged the Excelsior, another helped you break someone out of Starfleet's brig in San Fran, and a third locked an transporter chief in a closet. You didn't just steal something, Jim. You embarrassed them. With the able skill of your people. I don't think there's any extra mercy to found."
Kirk sighs slightly. "All of that is true. Which makes me think that Starfleet is looking to embarrass me if they're willing to let all that go public. Some old friends with grudges-" Cogley clears his throat fast.
"Are only adding oil to the fire, Jim. You did this to yourself. And no one cares why." A pause. "Not that we're learning that. Rumors about the Klingons are everywhere. Did you stop an invasion, or an incursion, or is that just more nonsense?"
Jim goes silent for a moment. Not too surprising that any and all data even loosely linked to the Genesis planet is being hidden. He's not sure he can trust even Sam with this.
"It was about Spock. That's all I can tell you."
"You Starfleet boys and your secrets and your loyalties. I'm going to assume that whatever you did, there was a good reason. And that Starfleet Command knows it. So use that. But don't expect it to help. There is no way you are not getting discharged, at the very least. None."
Jim stares for a moment. He was aware of this, but hearing it from Cogley brings into some focus.
"Thanks for being honest, Sam. I might call you again once we get back to Earth."
Cogley smirks but his eyes smile. "Do you have to, Jim? I mean, I really don't have anything else to do but help a renegade starship crew, yes, of course.
"Good luck, Jim. For what it's worth, I hope someone can find a reason to keep you in uniform."
"Thanks, Sam." Jim ended the call and thought for a bit. Tomorrow, he decided, he'd talk to the crew. And then he'd call Earth. It was time to go home and face the music.
Jim arrived back at the exact moment he left. It was as if he'd never gone, and as far as he was concerned, this was fine. It wasn't that he forgot about Suzi, or his journey across time and dimensions and space with the Ghostbusters, or the ordeal of being in the Bar. It was simply that he had things to do. And people were counting on him.
But the other members of Enterprise's crew noticed little things. The cloud of anger and sadness that Kirk carried with him since arriving on Vulcan in a Klingon ship while mourning his son, wss fading fast. McCoy chalked it up to Kirk's overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility. Soctty wondered privately if the Vulcans had been doing some sort of trick to remove Jim's grief. Sulu, Uhura and Chekhov quietly debated whether Jim was just putting on an act. But all were sure, a week later, that Jim had come to grips with what had happened in record time.
He never gave it a thought. He had a call to make.
II
"Admiral Kirk?" The face on Jim's viewscreen is that of Sam Cogley, the crusty old lawyer who had saved Jim's butt from court martial 15 years earlier. Cogley wasn't old back then, but now his graying hair was all silver, his face lined with wrinkled that only added to his bulldog demeanor. "I was expecting your call weeks ago."
"Hullo, Sam. I assume you heard?"
"A starship gets stolen and then destroyed, and odds are it gets out on the news. A starship gets stolen and destroyed by Admiral Kirk, and it IS the news."
"Then you're ahead of the game. And me. Vulcan doesn't put much stock in offworld news sources."
"Wise of them, Admirial." Sam sneers a little. Jim supposes that the lawyer has had his run-ins with the press.
"So what do you know, and what do you need to know?"
"Well, pardon me for being so frank, but I know that you're screwed. No way you can blame this on anyone or anything else. My suggestion is that you throw yourself on the mercy of the court, and hope that your years of service stop them from giving you the death penalty."
"At least I don't really face that."
"Really? You should hear what they're saying about you." Another sneer. Old Cogley was great at sneering.
"My plan IS to throw myself on their mercy. But I wanted to ask you if you thought that I could bargain for my crew. Offer to accept whatever punishment they want me to have, and get the crew off lightly."
Gogley thinks about it. "Vids said that one crewman sabotaged the Excelsior, another helped you break someone out of Starfleet's brig in San Fran, and a third locked an transporter chief in a closet. You didn't just steal something, Jim. You embarrassed them. With the able skill of your people. I don't think there's any extra mercy to found."
Kirk sighs slightly. "All of that is true. Which makes me think that Starfleet is looking to embarrass me if they're willing to let all that go public. Some old friends with grudges-" Cogley clears his throat fast.
"Are only adding oil to the fire, Jim. You did this to yourself. And no one cares why." A pause. "Not that we're learning that. Rumors about the Klingons are everywhere. Did you stop an invasion, or an incursion, or is that just more nonsense?"
Jim goes silent for a moment. Not too surprising that any and all data even loosely linked to the Genesis planet is being hidden. He's not sure he can trust even Sam with this.
"It was about Spock. That's all I can tell you."
"You Starfleet boys and your secrets and your loyalties. I'm going to assume that whatever you did, there was a good reason. And that Starfleet Command knows it. So use that. But don't expect it to help. There is no way you are not getting discharged, at the very least. None."
Jim stares for a moment. He was aware of this, but hearing it from Cogley brings into some focus.
"Thanks for being honest, Sam. I might call you again once we get back to Earth."
Cogley smirks but his eyes smile. "Do you have to, Jim? I mean, I really don't have anything else to do but help a renegade starship crew, yes, of course.
"Good luck, Jim. For what it's worth, I hope someone can find a reason to keep you in uniform."
"Thanks, Sam." Jim ended the call and thought for a bit. Tomorrow, he decided, he'd talk to the crew. And then he'd call Earth. It was time to go home and face the music.