[Discovery] -- [Kirk's Office] -- [Open for Official Business]

[kirktastic]

It was so heavily backlogged. Messages, paperwork, reports, news - all of it was backlogged. Kirk had holed himself up in his office, trying to get through it all. Okay, the paperwork was at least not seriously backlogged and he saw Spock's hand in that. Spock was good at that sort of thing, even if Kirk wasn't entirely surprised to see some things hadn't been done. The internal complaints and notices were personal touches that Kirk liked to do himself instead of shuffling it off to someone else and Spock wasn't the sort of person to do that.

So he sat at his desk, chewing on the end of a stylus as he read the latest complaint. It was someone going on about the lack of space on the ship and having to bunk up with someone else. He groaned to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Grow up, he thought at the officer in question and gave a quick reply back that was the professional version of 'suck it up'. The officer, Kirk had to admit, did have a point. There were just too many people on the ship now. They were over their short-term limit of crew, and he had already gone through several complaints from Starfleet itself about the rising cost of keeping the over-crewed Enterprise in food, supplies, and pay.

It was a choice he had to make. The stylus slid from between his teeth and he tapped it on the desk, staring down at the console in front of him. He nudged aside a report with a swipe of his finger and drew up a new document. This one would be going straight to the big wigs in Starfleet. He kept it short and sweet, without going into serious details.

It was a request to lighten the crew of the Enterprise by removing crew and transferring them to other ships. In a way, Kirk hated to do it. He knew people had signed on with the ship because of its fame, of him, of Spock, of Bones... and had stayed despite some serious issues already with the time-whatever was happening. There was just no choice. He figured the smallest amount of people he could get away with was about 80 people. It would free up a huge chunk of space and let people spread back out into single rooms instead of being forced to bunk up. It would also leave some more spare rooms, along with the twenty or so that were regulation to keep open for emergencies (which they seemed to be one giant emergency half the time anymore).

Sent, Kirk switched to the next document. One thing that he hated to do but he had little choice was in dealing with leave requests, either it was a straight out 'no' until they dealt with Nero and Ayel, or it was a 'request granted, but'. He wanted to be able to give them an 'of course, go ahead, you deserve it' but it was impossible right now with everything happening.

He had saved one set of documents for last, and with a sigh got to those. It was all stuff having to do with the Romulans.

What he started reading just about stopped his heart in his chest. What the fuck!? Nero had hurt himself (tried to kill himself!?) in his cell with a knife. How did the Romulans have any weaponry!? Kirk's fingers flew as he pulled up his orders to the head of security (dammit, Alex...) and he re-read it. There, down in the second paragraph. The Romulans were supposed to be searched, if security had to stun them to do it. Either Security had issues with knowing what a weapon was, or no one had gotten the balls together to search them.

Chapel had ended up going into the cell to save Nero's life (or heal him...). Kirk's eyes narrowed and he felt his teeth grind together. Immediately he sent out a message.

To: Christine Chapel (headnursechapel)
Nurse Chapel,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately unless you're in surgery.

Captain Kirk

He had to get more information on what had happened down in that cell. If he thought that was bad, it just got worse. He read about the Narada being on board, talking to her masters. Shit, shit... As if all of it couldn't get worse. He read Starfleet's orders for them to go straight to the New Vulcan Colony, and his brows vanished into his hairline. It made sense, of course, as the Vulcans were the ones the most hurt by Nero's actions.

There was someone on the colony he needed to talk to. Wanted to talk to. It made his heart beat flutter in his chest in a strange mixture of knowing, wanting. Spock, the one that had started it all, had never fully left him. Too many memories, emotions... left behind too many questions. Maybe he could get answers to them.

It would also be the site of Nero's trial, Kirk could only assume. He wondered how it would be worked out to try someone like this. Note, go back and read any history I can get on any sort of similar situation. He wanted to go into a trial prepared with what might happen, what they could ask of him, the story he would have to tell (again, with tons of additionals).

He already started to schedule a meeting with security for after his talk with Chapel. Heads would roll for what happened down in the brig. He saw a mention of Jim going down there with the Narada - he'd have to talk to Jim too.

To: James Kirk (original_fine)
Jim,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately about the Romulans.

JTK

He was going to find out what the hell was going on with his ship, before they got to the Vulcan Colony. How does a week as a kid end up with everything breaking down without me there? ...I think I need to talk to Spock.

To: Spock (cso_spock)
Spock,

As soon as you can, I need to talk to you in my office about what happened while you were acting captain.

JTK

Comments

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Nothing wrong with being flirty," Kirk grinned. "Bet Spock'll be happy to hear it's been fixed. Also one less thing to attempt to explain to Starfleet... they have us on a course for the New Vulcan Colony. That's where the trial will be held."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Now Jim was all business, too. He leaned forward slightly.

"New Vulcan," he said. "What can you tell me about the trial?"

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Not a lot. I think I'll get brief on what they've decided when we get there. We have a day to get there... then Starfleet will have control of Nero and Ayel. I'm still not even sure how to explain the Narada to them, who's been following us like a puppy evidently." Kirk shook his head with a sigh.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim paused, wondering how to say this, or how much.

"Jim," he said. "I know this hasn't been easy for you. Believe me, I know more than you might imagine. And... I think you've done the right thing. I'm sorry if you've felt unnecessarily pressured by me--we all have to fight for what we think is right. And I've been wrong before."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"The only thing I'm worried about is that if you're wrong, it means people die." His tone was blunt, his eyes dark. "Maybe you just think I'm too young, too angry... maybe I don't believe in every last thing the Federation totes as their laws." His shoulder lifted in a shrug. "I know what I lived through. I know what I saw that night when Vulcan was destroyed, with dozens and dozens of Vulcans that had been... shattered."

He gestured upwards, then tapped his temple, "Their skies oblitered, on top of losing everything they had ever known... because of one angry man and his ship. I accept the fact that maybe I'm wrong, that there is a reason for saving him... but my heart still tells me that even if he was 'fixed' somehow, nothing he could do, or say, or have done will ever come close to fixing what he did. Maybe that's why I don't see a point in a trial for Nero."

He did hesitate, "...Ayel... he isn't ... at least as crazy as Nero. Not nearly as much. He followed orders willingly, when he could have rebelled against them. The only one I can even seen as needing a trial is the Narada. We need to find out if she was sentient when the destruction of Vulcan happened, or how sentient she was."

He sighed. It was an old argument. Maybe he just did have too much anger in his heart for the Romulans that had destroyed everything for one species and very nearly another. "No matter what I think, you've got your way. Nero, Ayel, and I guess the Narada will go on trial before the Federation and whatever happens will happen."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"It's not about getting my way," Jim said grimly. "It's not about following laws, either. Do you know how many times I've been brought up on violations? What I believe in are the principles of the Federation. Of the ultimate good that's being attempted. I've been wrong before, and people have died, and I feel every single one.

"It's not even about fixing Nero. I don't think he can be fixed either; I certainly don't think he can ever be released. But as I've said before, revenge is sinking to his level. It hurts you more than him. Defense is necessary, and lethal force is, too, at times. But we captured them without it. Trials aren't always about determining guilt. Vulcan needs this trial. The Federation needs it. As a symbol of what we stand for, of how we do things. Of what separates us from monsters like Nero."

He relaxed forcibly. "I'll get off my soapbox--but it's not about rubbing your face in it, Jim. I want you to succeed. I want you to get beyond this. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be here."

He'd be James. Jim still felt sick, thinking about him.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"As long as Nero's alive, I can't Jim. I can't just... get past it. It'll always be there, in the back of my mind, the idea that he's out there and somehow he could get free. He could kill again, because I failed." Kirk shook his head, "He's like a rabid dog. I don't think there's a cure, and he can still hurt someone. That's all I'm really worried about in the end. More people being hurt. I don't care about what it does to me, or did to me. The Federation was fine with the knowledge that the Narada was destroyed until it reappeared. THEN it wanted a trial."

He leaned back in his chair, slumping. It was a topic that never failed to drain him of everything. "What can you tell me about the ship following us? I'm going to have to talk to Starfleet about it."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"The rules of war, Jim," Jim sighed. "The heat of battle isn't the same as... well, anything else. You know that."

He offered a smile.

"The Narada is a hybrid, of sorts. She's made up of different ships, different technology, that, because she's sentient, she's found a way to integrate herself. She can literally consume material and improve herself in the process. Psychologically and emotionally, she's a child, rapidly maturing into her own autonomy. In the time I've spent with her alone, she's moved from blind following of orders to the acknowledgment that she is her own being and her decisions--and therefore the consequences of those decisions--are her own."

Jim found that significant. She was undeniably dangerous, but there was hope, there, too. For what, Jim did not know. But adaptation was key.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"I know, I know. Doesn't mean it isn't annoying to see one's own work get undone," He gave a small smirk at that, but listened closely about the Narada.

"Do we know what she is? No ship's ever been able to do something like that. Even the Enterprise still needs to be repaired by engineers, upgraded... hell, even the human body can't fix everything about itself. You're telling me she's accepting her own consequences... but does she still follow Nero's orders as her captain, or because she wants to?"

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim shrugged. "So far, neither, that I can tell," he said. "And I don't know what she is--she's nothing Spock or I has ever seen before. I do know that she is at least as concerned about Nero's well-being as she is about following his orders. And while that's also dangerous, it's something one can reason with. She knows she can't attack us. She knows we'll kill Nero before we let him kill again. That has to be worth something."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"One problem is that as soon as Nero's off this ship, she has nothing holding her back from destroying us," Kirk shook his head, "We can't match her technology. If she's integrating other ships... other weapons systems, long with being from some odd two hundred years in the future? That's gotta be why it's familiar but far more destructive."

"She might not even care we exist when Nero's off the ship as well. Only focused on his safety. She's not beyond damaging us... the Enterprise is going to need a new coat of paint thanks to her striking out at us," That had been in one of the reports. "She could go after more than us to prove she means business. In her full size..."

His fingers twitched. It almost felt like he could feel the tattoos on his left arm. "She destroyed eight ships without so much as a twitch in her systems. It took ramming her with a medium sized cruiser to do that kind of damage to her that she might back off."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim spread his hands.

"No one's saying she's not dangerous," he said. "She might be one of the most dangerous things we've ever seen. But she's also aware. And to me, that means we have to be extra careful in taking steps against her. If we have any chance of convincing her not to move against us, we've bought time. And put safeguards in place in the meantime. If she's really as dangerous as all that, as difficult to defeat, then we don't lose anything by trying diplomacy."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"I'm not against diplomacy. In this case, we might not even have a choice. We couldn't destroy her, not with any ship I know. It took a black hole the first time," He rubbed his brow. "We just have to figure out the steps we need to take to make this work. I mean... Nero could end up being killed. Or in a penal colony. Or who knows where. What would you do with a huge ship that's devoted to him?"

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim nodded.

"That's what I'm saying. She's too powerful to deal with with strength. What we need to do is show her options. Show her what we can offer her, and Nero. Show her she's got potential elsewhere. She's able to create an entirely new body for herself. Is there any reason she needs to be a ship? How much of that is her identity, and how much has she moved past it? She has options. And she needs to know what they are--especially those that are acceptable to us."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Kirk's brows went up again, "You're thinking about teaching her to be something else?" He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about it. "...Vulcans might be good for that. They're logical as hell, might make the most sense to her. They're also very good at manipulating."

He smirked, just a little. Maybe they could work with this.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim frowned. "Manipulating?" He didn't exactly disagree that they were clever, but he hesitated to characterize them that way. "It just occurred to me. That she does have options. And that they're limitless. That scary as hell, sure, but does it have to be?"

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Kirk knew one from the inside out, and had already been manipulated by one old one. "We'll talk to Starfleet about it, if we can first convince her not to blow anyone out of the sky."

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"She's complied with all our stipulations so far," Jim pointed out. "Let's see how it goes. And work out what we're going to do, if it goes south."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Not going to be easy, convincing her to do anything while her captain is being sentenced to who knows what," Kirk sighed, looking to Jim. It was weird still, seeing his counterpart and friend as a woman.

A tiny bit of professionalism went out the window when he asked, "...so what's it been like?" A gesture up and down Jim's new body.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"No, it won't," Jim agreed. "But like you said, we don't have much choice. It's our best chance."

He raised an eyebrow at the other question. "Which part? Sitting down to pee is not as weird as you might think, once you get used to it." He smiled. "But really--I don't feel any different. Just... well, physically smaller. Less strong. More wardrobe choices."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

Kirk held up a finger, "You mean 'more conventional wardrobe choices," complete with a huge bullshit grin. He had gone around in a female uniform for a week in protest that men should be able to wear all the styles of uniform just like the ladies could.

...He had been fairly drunk when he had come up with the idea.

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

Jim blinked.

"Okay," he said. "I just don't look nearly this good in a dress, usually. As to the rest... well, there's plenty to tell, but probably not officially." He smirked.

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"You have to shave," Kirk piped up with. "As for the rest..." He grinned wide, "You'll have to tell me sometime... later." He totally didn't wink.

"I'm really thinking that all of this... er, female stuff should probably not go on the official report. Maybe we should, but... do we really want Starfleet questioning everyone about it?"

[original-fine.livejournal.com]

"What I'd really need is new shoulders," Jim lamented. "But I'll leave that to you; my Command is pretty used to taking what I say at face value, even if they gripe about how I handle it. So we don't get a lot of investigation. But if there's still some wariness about us being here to begin with, I can understand not wanting to raise any more flags."

[kirktastic.livejournal.com]

"Your command and my command are pretty similar... it's credibility. I'm young, I'm still new to this. They're willing to believe you because you have experience... and I'm still earning it." His lips quirked.

"I have no doubt... that Starfleet is going to want to talk to everyone on the ship. Anyone from another universe, back from the dead... hell, my father is a huge hero. My birthday, the day the Kelvin was destroyed, is a holiday because of it."