Fic: "Redshirt"

[mijan]

Title: "Redshirt"
Author:
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Kirk, McCoy
Summary: The burden of a leader isn't the strain of heroics or the power of command. It's the constant knowledge that the lives of your people are in your hands, and the weight of guilt and loss when those lives slip through your fingers. Jim Kirk understands this now.
Warnings:

Comments

[cedarrapidsgirl]

Dammit, girl. You're making me cry. For real. The last of it. Killed me dead. As a girl with a family military history, I sniffle. And miss my Dad. *pouts*

I'm trying to finish a fic for you, or I totally would have beta'd this for you. RL is BUSY!

Talk at you later. *super duper big hugs*

[mijan]

It's okay, hun. I think I'm happier without a beta for this one. I think I needed to do this myself. The last part of it got me, too. We can chat about it later, when I get home, if you want.

*hugs*

[cedarrapidsgirl]

I'm going to try to be on later, I wasn't on much last night, so maybe I can get on a bit later, probably after 8, I wait til he starts playing games. Hey, if he's online, I'm online. Right? Right.

[mijan]

That sounds like a plan.

[gasphemer]

Oh, man.

[mijan]

*salutes*

[gasphemer]

Stuff like this is the reason I still bother to read fanfiction. *salutes back*

[mijan]

I like to think that there's good and worthwhile fanfiction out there. Hopefully, some of my other writing will also be as meaningful to you, if you decide to read it.

[danahid]

I do not cry at fic usually, I don't. But I did here. This was incredibly moving, incredibly well written, so beautiful felt and realized. I am speechless and in awe. I honour Private First Class Ware, whose inspiration I sensed behind this piece. I honour your writing as well. Thank you..

[mijan]

Thank you. It was something I needed to write. I'm glad I had the chance to share it, and that someone was there to read it. I keep reading fics where random secondary characters die, and it seems like Kirk isn't even affected by it. But in TOS, Kirk was known for his compassion and the fact that he cared deeply about his crew. Even in the reboot movie, he jumps off the drill platform to save Sulu, who he'd just met. Kirk is the model of a real military leader, and I needed to show that. I need fandom folks to realize that there's no such thing as a "redshirt" to a leader.

PFC Ware was the first Soldier I ever lost. I'm glad won't be forgotten. It's important to me.

[sail_aweigh]

This should be mandatory reading at all miliatry command courses. Beautifully expressed.

[mijan]

Thank you. Unfortunately, it's a lesson that most of us learned the hard way. I knew some young Lieutenants back in 2004 that I really wish had understood it, and I can only hope they didn't learn it the hard way. Again, thank you.

[kirktastic]

Beautiful, Bones, just beautiful.

[mijan]

Thank you, Captain.