Egos and War

When those in Starfleet were called in for a meeting Lenore had a bad feeling in her gut and sat next to Jim, back straight as a rod and as attentive as her MeeMaw had forced her to be in church. She just prayed Jim was charismatic enough and had a strong enough record to just get a talking down to and a slap on the wrist. He deserved a talking down to but she could only hope he'd be allowed to continue his education. Starfleet had a zero-tolerance policy that was rarely looked over, and when it was looked over it was some inexplicable reason, Lenore mentally eyerolled, only wealthy students that received a second chance

"James T. Kirk step forward" Admiral Barnett demanded, "Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to Regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin sir?"

"Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly." Jim had a calm mask on his face, one that was reserved for the revelation of his medical history and the face he made every time Lenore greeted him at the door of their quarters with a mostly empty bottle in hand.

Lenore waited for the Admiral to call out for, presumably, one of the commanding officers when his gaze shifted to the other side of the auditorium and Bones caught movement out of her left eye... fuck.

Jim's accuser was Spock, because fuck Bones' luck that it had to be someone she even began to think of as a friend, had to be the one who was set on attacking her family, no matter that he was technically in the right. She steadfastly forced herself to watch Jim and pay he didn't become overly emotional when going against a goddamned Vulcan.

"Step forward please." Admiral Barnett gestured to Spock, "This is commander Spock. He is one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the past four years. Commander?"

"Cadet Kirk," Spock's voice was the same monotone and sharp cadence he had at their first meeting, and every meeting since, "you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine in the programming code thereby changing the conditions of the test."

Fuck Bones knew Jimmy had to had fiddled with the test and was smart enough to do it but the "somehow" in the sentence told her that the Vulcan had no idea how he had done it, for a human to pull one over a Vulcan was nearly unheard of.

Jim shifted and fuck if Bones couldn't tell he was going to be a turd during the hearing, "Your point being?" Yep, little fucking turd who was too proud for his own good.

"In academic vernacular, you cheated."

The kid scoffed, making Lenore clench her teeth and dig her nails into her palm just wishing she could grab and shake him, make him realize acting cocky was going to be his doom, "Let me ask you something I think we all know the answer to. The test itself is a cheat, isn't it? I mean, you programmed it to be unwinnable."

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario."

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios."

Lenore couldn't believe she was watching the two largest egos she knows go head to head.

"Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principal lesson." Spock spoke, looking down on Jim as if he was an ignorant country boy, which to be fair he was half of that description.

"Please enlighten me."

"You of all people should know Cadet Kirk, a captain cannot cheat death."

Lenore felt as though she had a bucket of ice water poured over her head, her and Jim's bodies simultaneously stiffened, "I of all people?"

"Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action did he not?"

One thing everyone in the school knew was the fact to never bring up James T Kirk's family around him. Not since the first week at a party Lenore had been reluctantly dragged to and there had been a cadet who seemed to think the only thing Jim was good at was throwing around his family name. Never mind the fact aside from the lecturers of different classes he never responded to anyone calling him Kirk. The kid ended up on the ground and in med bay quicker than he had gotten the words out.

"I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test." He said, attempting to deflect the subject.

"Furthermore, you have failed to divine the purpose of the test.

"Enlighten me again." Jim spat.

Spock straightened up even more, if it was possible "The purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear, and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain."

Lenore felt smug, that was almost exactly what she told Jim the first time he failed the test and continuously whined about it so much he didn't even give her a moments peace that week, following her to work just to sit in the corner and groaned until she hypoed him into oblivion, slowly hitting him with vaccines he should have received long ago if his mother had just taken care of her son rather than leaving him to a drunk she married only to continuously mourn his father and galivant off planet. McCoywas so caught up in simultaneously being smug of being right and pissed about Winona Kirk's lack of parenting she nearly missed the messanger approaching the bench.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed."

Bones stood immediately and went to Jim's side, both to gloat and kick his ass into gear since he was staring off after Spock, who had started to move as soon as the word dismissed was spoken. Concerning the call was from Vulcan Lenore couldn't blame him for looking pinched.

"Who was that pointy-earned bastard?" Lenore grinned, knowing that was both begrudging respect and boiling anger from Jim.

"Spock, and I like him." She caught Jim's affronted look out of her peripheral as they headed to Hanger One.

Jim's named was left out of roll call and orders, which was unexpected due to no official deceleration of a decision made at the hearing.

"Kirk, you're on academic suspension. That means you're grounded, until the Academy board rules."

"Jim, the board'll rule in your favor. Most likely. Look, Jim, I got to go."

"Yeah, get going. Be safe." That was the fakest smile Len had seen in her life.

"Bones, where are we going?"

"You'll see." She took a sharp right into the med bay

"What are you doing?"

"I'm doing you a favor. I couldn't just leave you there looking all pathetic. Take a seat. I'm going to give you a vaccine against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas, which scratches on of the many I still have on the list to give you off my list." She hypoed him a little less viciously as she normally did and he still flinched back.

"Oww! What for?"

"Give you the symptoms moron."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're going to start to lose vision in your left eye."

"Yeah, I already have."

"Oh, and you're going to get a really bad headache and a flop sweat."

"You call this a favor?"

"Yeah, you owe me one." Lenore gleefully pulled Jimmy along to the shuttles.

The assigner stepped in their path to board, "Kirk, James T. He's not cleared for duty aboard the Enterprise."

Lenore scowled and got right in his face, thankful the Jim was already so pale and sweating profusely "Medical Code states the treatment and transport of a patient to be determined at the discretion of his attending physician, which is me. So, I'm taking Mister Kirk aboard. Or would you like to explain to Captain Pike why the Enterprise warped into a crisis without one of its senior medical officers?"

"...As you were."

They had barely taken their seats on the shuttlecraft when it took off "I might throw up on you."

"De ja vu, Oh Jim, you got to look at this. Jim, look!" She pulled him to the side, hoping the vision in his right eye was still fully functional for him to see the Enterprise right before they entered the shuttlebay.

"We need to get you changed." Bones started dragging him to med bay

"I don't feel right. I feel like I'm leaking."

"Flop sweat, hell, it's that pointy-eared bastard." She swerved to avoid them being seen by Spock, she's sure he would appreciate the fact that she refused to distract him right before they left to aide his home planet and look at that, Lenore found an alternate route to medical.

"Where are we?"

"Medical bay."

"This isn't worth it."

"A little suffering's good for the soul."

Jim tried to smile at a nurse, "Hi, how are you?"

"Over here dipshit."

"My mouth is itchy, is that normal?"

"Well, those symptoms won't last long. I'm going to give you a mild sedative."

"Agh, I wish I didn't know you."

McCoy scoffed at his childishness and stabbed him again "Don't be such an infant."

"Aggh... how long is it supposed to..." He trailed off, unconscious.

"Unbelievable."

Soon after putting Jim down a ship-wide broadcast began with some young wippersnapper on screen "May I have your attention, please. At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected at an anomaly in the neutral zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm in space." Lenore's brows furrowed, that sounded familiar, "Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from Wulcan High Command that their planet was experiencing seismic actiwity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan, and to assist in the ewacuations if necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time."

Jimmy sat up quicker than she thought possible for someone with that cocktail in them, "Lightning storm!"

"Jim, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"ah.. Uh..".

"Good god, man!"

"What? Ah!" Jim stared at his swollen hands, blinking rapidly, "What the hell is this?"

"Reaction to the vaccine. Dammit! Nurse Chapel, I need fifty cc's of cortazone." Lenore called as she scanned Jim, he was focusing in on the display screen, rewatching the announcement.

"Bones! We got to stop the ship!" He gasped before bolting, she cursed before grabbing the pack Nurse Chapel had just brought over and raced after him, "Jim! I'm not kidding, we need to keep your heart rate down! I haven't seen a reaction this severe since med school."

"Computer, locate crew member Uhura! We're flying into a trap!" He frantically rushed away.

"Dammit Jim, stand still!" She hypoed him quickly, grabbing his shoulder, forcing it down low enough to get the right spot on his neck.

"Ow! Stop it!" He took off again and Lenore cursed, following after him until he skidded to a stop in front of the ebony skinned woman he always complained of not knowing her first name. Bones refused to tell him it was Nyota, he could be polite and figure it out. Plus it was nice to know she wasn't alone in being able to ignore his whiny ass.

"Uhura, Uhura."

"Kirk, what are you doing here?"

"The transmission from the Klingon prison planet, what exactly was..."

Uhura stepped back at the site of his swollen appendages, "Oh my god, what's wrong with your hands?!"

"It-it-it... look, who is responsible for the Klingon attack? Was the ship Romul..."

"Was the ship what?" For someone who claimed to hate Jim, she looked looked awefully concerned about him.

Jim turned to Lenore, sounding muffled, "What's happening to my mouth?"

She grimmanced "You got numb tongue?"

"Numb tongue?"

"I can fix that!"

"Was the ship what?" Uhura asked, focusing on Kirk.

"Romulan!"

"Wha-?"

"Romulan!"

"Romulan? Yes."

"Yes!" McCoy hypoed him quickly before he started to run like a madman again, "Ahh... dammit!"

Jim took off running again, with Lenore and Uhura after him.

"What's going on?!" Nyota asked chasing a deceptively fast Kirk, especially considering how many times he had been hypoed in the past six minutes, they made it to the bridge in no time.

"Captain!" Jim stopped in front of Captain Pike and Spock of all people, "Captain Pike, we have to stop the ship!"

"Kirk, how the hell did you get on board the Enterprise!" Pike focused in on Jim before his gaze flickered to McCoy as she rushed forward, hand gripping onto Jim's arm.

"Captain, this man's under the influence of a severe reaction of a Melvaran flea vaccine, completely delusional. I take full responsibility."

"Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster. It's being attacked by Romulans." McCoy swiveled her head to look at him, the pieces clicking into place.

"Romulans? Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day. McCoy take him back to medical, we'll have words later."

"I'm sorry Captain, but I think you need to hear him first."

Pike stared at Lenore, she wasn't one to stand against authority figures unless they were completely inept or had something very serious to say. Pike sighed, which Jim took as a signal to continue.

"Look, sir, that same anomaly-"

Spock interrupted, blinking stoically, "Mister Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel."

"Look, I get it, you're a great orator. I'd love to do it again with you to." Jim grossed, losing patience

"I can remove the Cadet."

"Try it! This Cadet is trying to save the bridge."

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?"

"It's not a rescue mission, listen, it's an attack." Bones said, stepping between them. They were losing valuable time having a pissing contest.

Spock looked at Lenore, almost with a disappointed expression if his face would ever change from permanent constipation, "Based on what facts?"

"That same anomaly, a lightning storm in space that we saw today, also occurred on the day of my birth. Before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin. (to Pike) You know that, sir, I read your dissertation. That ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attack to place on the edge of Klingon space and at twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon warbirds destroyed by a Romulan, sir. It was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship."

"And you know of this Klingon attack how?" Pike asked, brows furrowing as he pondered the possibility.

"Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate." Uhura stated, stepping forward demanding Pike and Spock's attention.

"We're warping into a trap, sir. The Romulans are waiting for us, I promise you that."

Spock tilted his head as he processed the information, "The Cadet's logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion."

"Scan Vulcan space, check for any transmissions in Romulan."

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan." The lieutenant fretted

Pike turned to Uhura, "What about you? Do you speak Romulan, Cadet?"

"Uhura. All three dialects, sir."

"Uhura, relieve the lieutenant."

"Yes sir." Uhura immediately took over the station with ease.

"Hannity, hail the USS Truman."

"All the other ships are out of warp, sir, and have arrived at Vulcan, but we seemed to have lost all contact."

"Sir, I pick up no Romulan transmission, or transmission of any kind in the area." Uhura stated.

"It's because they're being attacked."

"Shields up, red alert."

The man sitting at the controls announced "Arrival in Vulcan in five seconds... four... three... two..."

They ended warp in a battlefield, one that already resembled a graveyard. Jim was right.