In the mind of the Captain…

My eyes burned with the sudden transition from darkness to bright light. I sprinted out of the vault door, nearly tripping. The Ospirans were close behind. I've been running for God knows how long from those bastards carrying the unconscious Vulcan in my arms. As a sacrifice to their god, the Ospirans planned to kill Spock. The Ospirans stay in underground vaults, so I had been searching for hours beneath the ground. I was panting. My legs and arms felt so weak. I could hear the Ospirans shouting in their alien language dangerously close. Just when I felt my legs were about to give out I was suddenly beaming up to the Enterprise.

"Captain!" exclaimed Scotty, showing both his concern and his joy that Spock and I were beamed aboard safely. "The captain and Mister Spock have been beamed aboard safely" Scotty said into his telecommunicator.

In heavy breaths I set Spock on the ground, just before my vision went black and I collapsed to the ground.

When I came to, I found myself in bed in sickbay. I shifted slightly and winced from pain. I was incredibly sore from the events of yesterday. Even the slightest movement brought pain to my muscles. I looked over at the bed adjacent from me and saw Spock asleep. Feeling happy and proud that I returned him to the Enterprise safely, a small smile formed on my lips. I couldn't imagine proceeding in the five year mission without my first officer.

"Oh look. Sleeping Beauty is finally awake." said Bones as he approached my bed. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel fine. Muscles are pretty sore though." I replied as Bones wrote on his clipboard.

"That's to be expected after what all you did yesterday."

I nodded in agreement.

"As for Spock," he gestured towards Spock with the hand he was holding the pencil with. "He regained consciousness for a while. He seems fine for the most part except fatigue. Both of you should remain in sick bay for at least twenty-four hours. That is, unless you're too sore to function as captain then." I heard him say 'Drama queen' under his breathe and I smiled slightly.

"Yeah I'll be fine."

The next day I was released from sickbay and as expected I was still very sore but well enough to function. I entered the bridge and reclaimed my seat in the captain's chair. I glanced over at Spock a few times and was glad he seemed perfectly normal. The day went on as any usual day. At one point Spock approached me.

"Captain, may I have a word?" he said.

"Shoot." I replied.

He looked at me quizzically. Vulcans and their damn logical straight-forward thinking.

"Go on I mean." I said, correcting myself. It was hard to guess Spock's thoughts, him being a Vulcan and all. But at this moment I can imagine him thinking 'Human slang is most peculiar'.

"I would like to give you my most gratitude for once again saving my life." he said.

My thoughts went back to the time I saved him from the volcano on Nibiru. I had gotten in lots of trouble for that and even got the Enterprise taken away, but that didn't stop me from continuing to save his life countless times. Even he had saved my life plenty of times.

"No problem, Spock. That's what best friends are for."

Spock had given me a look that I had often seen before. It was the closest form of a smile I had ever seen from him. His mouth twitched upwards in the very slightest way. The look in his eyes also showed his small spark of emotion, something I so often tried to get out of him in a teasing way and always failed at. The look quickly disappeared and Spock returned to his station. Being best friends with an emotionless, pointy-eared, logic-obsessed alien isn't as frustrating as it may seem.

As the day came to an end I was walking down the corridor to my quarters. Just before I got to the door Bones approached me.

"Jim." he said. He was about to say something but I interrupted.

"Listen Bones, I'm tired and I'm ready for bed."

He gave me an annoyed look and I sighed.

"Okay, what do you want?" I said, giving in.

"Well, the relationship between you and Spock. It's unhealthy."

I gave him an odd look. What the hell is he talking about?

"'Relationship'?" Seriously, what the fuck?

"No, I mean relationship as in friendship. Not…" he stopped mid-sentence and let out a frustrated sigh. "Look. What I'm trying to say is you guys have an odd friendship where you almost die for him and he almost dies for you! Hell Jim, at times you risk the lives of the whole crew!" Bones exclaimed.

He was seriously getting on my nerves. "So? I don't want people to die! Why wouldn't I put effort into sparing the lives of all of my crew?" I said, waving a hand into the air.

"Would you do the same for just any red shirt? Obviously not."

I didn't reply. I gave him a glare, mostly out of grumpiness because he is depriving me of my sleep and I don't have time for this useless argument.

"All I'm saying is I see you two in sickbay more than anyone else. Always at the same time and always for the same reason. Be more cautious. I don't need any more red and green blood to have to have cleaned up after you guys." He said just before walking away.

Thank god. Now I can finally get my beauty sleep. You never know when you might meet a fine girl and I will need to look my best.

It was about a month later. We were to observe a planet in which I couldn't even pronounce. The landing party consisted of Spock, Bones and I. We were greeted by a beautiful woman with hair that was an alarming shade of red and orange eyes. She wore a short dress that was red and orange. Well, it wasn't hard to guess what her favorite color was.

"I have been ordered by Nika, the ruler of our world, to inform you that you are welcome. She wishes to be introduced to you but she is quite busy at the moment." She said.

I smiled kindly. "I'm Kirk and this is Dr. Leonard McCoy and Spock." I held out a hand for a handshake but she only looked at it. Maybe physical contact here is impolite?

She smiled anyways in a kind manner. "Come." she said, turning to walk the opposite direction in which she came from. We followed as told.

We entered a rather large castle. It was very old looking and there were large statues of phoenix-like birds everywhere. I was expecting to see other people but the castle was empty. The woman led us down some halls and to a room with a large table that could seat about twenty.

"Wait here until Nika has resolved her business. I will return when she orders me to." she said before walking out of the room, the door closing behind her.

"You would expect others around here, wouldn't you?" I asked.

"I had not seen any other life forms on our way here, and the tricorder only detects four." Spock said.

"Strange." said Bones, sitting in a chair and taking some grapes from the bowl in the center of the table. Spock and I sat down as well. Something odd was happening on this planet and I wanted to find out.

After a while the red haired woman returned. "Nika is ready for introductory. However, she wishes to first meet only the captain." she said.

I looked over at Spock and Bones, then back at the woman. "Alright."

I walked toward her and she walked away, leading me to wherever this Niko character is. I once again followed her down many hallways until we entered a large room. We walked in and the door slammed down behind us. I was confused to see that it was completely empty besides the woman and myself.

"So uh… Where is Niko?" I asked.

She smiled. It wasn't like the smile she gave me before. This one was rather dark and grim. She laughed at me.

"What's so funny?" I asked. Maybe I did something? You never know when you are on a foreign planet.

"You have surprised me, Captain Kirk. You really lack intellect." she said and rose her head a bit, displaying her ego and confidence. How rude. I didn't say anything. Maybe it was a joke?

"I am Niko, dumbass. I am the ruler and this is my planet. I am the only one here."

I was dumbfounded. "What happened to the others?"

"I was sent to this planet in exile. The former people of this planet all perished long ago before I was even born. I am a criminal on my home planet and I cannot leave here. But now I can with my new ship."

I was utterly confused. "your 'new ship'?"

"The U.S.S Enterprise, of course." she replied. "And how exactly do you plan on taking it?" I asked.

She lifted her arms and they burst into flames. Her hair flew as if someone placed a fan in front of her. I quickly took out my phaser but when I pulled the trigger nothing came out.

"You blundering idiot. That doesn't work here." she said with a laugh.

I ran to the door but it wouldn't open. She continued laughing.

She could have killed me already. She was toying with me. I got out my telecommunicator but as expected it wasdisconnected.

"Bones! Spock! Help!" I yelled. Her laughing only got louder.

Suddenly she turned into what looked like a fireball. Her whole body burst into flames. It looked as if someone dumped gasoline on her and lit a match.

Then I heard thumping on the door. There were shouts. "Jim!" It was Spock and Bones. I don't know how they possibly knew what was happening. Where the room they were at was far away, so they couldn't have heard my screams. I didn't understand, but I was grateful.

Then all I could see was red. That's all I remember.