Jim hated this course for a number of reasons. It was intergalactic ethics, meaning they had to learn where past leader, captains and other really, really boring people went wrong. How they were bad leaders and decide what they would do in a similar situation. The Professor, an emotionless logical Vulcan who doubled up as a linguistics teacher, Professor Spock, son of the Ambassador to Earth, Sarek and Jim's adopted brother. However, the two brothers were estranged and he didn't know Jim's earthen name, James Tiberius Kirk, to Spock, Jim was Surel, a human more accepted in Vulcan society than he ever was. There were exactly four people who knew that he was Surel, his adoptive parent, Sarek and Amanda, Captain Chris Pike and his grandmother T'Pau. He wanted to keep it that way.

'Class' started Spock 'Today we will be studying the genocide of Tarsus IV and the action of Governor Kodos and the survivors.' At this Jim froze. 'At the conclusion of this lesson, you will begin work on writing a report of Tarsus from the perspective of a Tarsus survivor. You will have access to personal accounts of the survivors including those among the Tarsus nine. Of those there are eight accounts available.'

The green hand of Gaila, an Orion, shot into the air. Spock nodded to her.

'Why are there only eight accounts out of nine?' she asked

'The ninth and the leader of the Nine is unidentified' he said

'How is that possible?' asked Uhura, otherwise known as She Who Had Huge Crush on Vulcan Professor.

'The ninth is known only as J.T.K. or James' said Spock 'he refused a DNA test and refused to give his actual name. His only account of what happened to him lives in the second hand accounts of his charges and in the holo recording of his torture and training. These are not viewed by any but certified Starfleet officers with at least 5 years on board a ship, as the recordings are disturbing. No Vulcan is permitted to watch them. The one Vulcan who did was so enraged that he went back to the surface and killed any and all who remained loyal to Kodos. He was part of the rescue party that found J.T.K in the dungeons of the Palace of Kodos.'

'I thought the Vulcan's were emotionless' said Jims best friend Leonard McCoy also known as Bones

'That is an inaccurate assumption' said Spock 'we are ruled by Logic and suppress emotion. Emotions run deeply in Vulcan's and as such we were violent, the Teaching of Surak offers our kind serenity and control. To overcome those teachings, what happened to J.T.K would have had to been unimaginable.'

It was, thought James Tiberius Kirk, in those dungeons I died ad was reborn as a merciless killer.

'There are many rumours of what happened to JTK' continued Spock 'Some say that he died from infections in his numerous torture wounds. Other say that once he was assured that those he stove to protect were safe, he took the phaser of the Captain, smiled and killed himself as he could not stand what he had become. Others still say that he refused to leave Tarsus as prior to the famine; it was the only place he called home. The most common rumour is that he still lives. That he never believed that Kodos remained alive and has spent these years travelling from planet to planet, hunting down Kodos and will not stop until he kills him and only then will he finally find peace. No matter the theory, JTK is considered a hero and attempts are still being made to identify him, but each time progress is made someone hacks into the database and deletes it.'

'Then why bother to try and find him' said Jim, finally speaking up, but in Vulcan. Everyone turned to him in surprise, though only Spock could understand him. Not even linguistics prodigy, Uhura who had yet to begin her studies in Vulcan. Spock just stared at him, finally realising that Jim was his estranged brother.

'Cadet' said Spock 'Speak in Standard when in class. It is after all your native language'

'Actually, since I was born in space, would it not be logical to say that I have no native tongue and therefore can consider all languages my language' said Jim in Andorian. Eyes grew wider.

'Are you not human?' he asked 'If you are human then it can be considered that only human languages can be considered your native tongue'

'Ah, but which language,' he replied in Russian 'Would be my tongue?' he finished in Swahili.

'The language in which you speak most often would be your native tongue' he replied. Heads were turning from one to the other to see what happened next.

'But,' started Jim in Standard 'that contradicts your comment upon your assumption that as a human I should speak in human tongues as I was not raised on Earth and so I most often speak in the language in which is spoken most often on that planet' a stare off then ensued that scared everyone else, before Spock closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. Everyone gasped. Few could out logic a Vulcan.

'As I was saying,' said Jim in Standard in concession 'Why try to find JTK when he goes to such lengths that he quite clearly does not wish to be found?'

'Surel,' said Spock surprising everyone 'Starfleet wishes to find JTK in order to celebrate his achievement as well as stop him from killing Kodos'

'Why not let him kill Kodos though?' asked Jim 'JTK has earned that right after what he went through, he was found after countless weeks of torture and forced training all of which Kodos did to him. He no doubt saw many people he cared for get executed, or slowly starve, die of illness and wounds that he could barely treat. So, does he not deserve revenge for being put through that ordeal?'

'I see your years of growing up on Vulcan has not changed your human preconceptions' he replied, there were even more gasps. Jim Smirked.

'Then why is it that no Vulcan can watch the holo's?' asked Jim 'not even mentioning the fact that a Vulcan lost control and sought vengeance for what has been done to JTK. I imagine that if that happened to someone in your familial unit, your vengeance would be even more brutal.'

'Seeing as no one in my family has gone through such a thing, it is a pointless line o inquiry' said Spock just as the bell went. 'Dismissed, remember your assignment, the winner will be presenting their work at the end of term assembly in front of the known Tarsus eight'