Title: Younger Than Stars (3/?)
Author: klmeri
Fandom: Star Trek TOS
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy, pre-Kirk/Spock/McCoy
Summary: Jim never thought he would fall in love this way but he hardly minded. Remembering that he loved, and was loved, kept him sane. At least, he hoped so – until his rescue came.
Previous Parts: 1 | 2
Or read at AO3

“Damn,” murmured Jim as he turned away from the last row of stacked containers. He checked his comm unit and with a sigh climbed down the ladder attached to the loft of the barn he had just explored.

On the ground floor, both of his lieutenants were waiting for him. “Anything?” one of them asked.

“Wheat,” he answered. “Lots of it.”

They looked as disappointed as he felt.

“None of that,” he chided lightly. “Nothing gained yet nothing lost either.” He headed for the exit. Time to end this hunt before someone notices.

One of the double doors creaked open before they could reach it, and a farmer in a brown jumpsuit poked his head into the barn. He stilled when he saw them, then quickly closed the door again.

Jim went after the fellow, his subordinates hastening their pace to do the same.

A circle of grim-faced men were waiting outside. The men were not armed, but as a precaution Jim left a good distance between his group and theirs. He realized with some dismay that if the men attacked, the only retreat was the enclosed area of the barn.

Slowly he surveyed each face, then addressed them: “Gentlemen, I don’t believe we have been formally introduced. I am James Kirk, Captain of the United Starship Enterprise.” He indicated his team members. “These are Lieutenants Olivares and Kolarski.”

One man took slight step forward. “We know who are you, Captain.”

Jim nodded, his tone more solemn than ever. “Of course you do. You were there when our shuttle landed. I recognize many of you.”

The men shifted on their feet but not one of them offered a reply—or an explanation for that subtle accusation.

Jim had learned long ago how valuable patience was in a precarious situation. He couldn’t say why he felt he was upon the edge of a battlefield but there was no denying the hairs standing up at the back of his neck or the tension that tightened his shoulders.

No matter. Before the first blow was struck, he had to convince these men a fight wasn’t what they wanted.

He fixed his gaze on the man who had spoken. “And you are?”

The fellow stared at him almost sullenly before he answered. “Walken. Tom Walken.”

“We’re touring the area, Mr. Walken,” Jim said. “I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen so far. When was Tassos III established?” He already knew that answer from a briefing with his senior command about this mission but there was something to be said for small talk.

“Ten years ago,” replied another man. He was younger than most of the crowd, tawny-haired. Standing farther away than everyone else, it was as though he purposely wanted to hold himself apart despite being there. He nodded to Kirk. “Ramses,” he introduced himself.

“Shut up, Ram,” someone hissed.

“Gonna make me?” the guy challenged.

Jim cleared his throat. The colony was young by many standards but, for the people who lived here, who worked to build it from the ground up, ten years of their lives was nothing to scoff at. Jim had never scoffed at the hard work of others in his life. He wasn’t about to start now.

He tilted his head towards a field past the barn. “I noticed you’re producing grains here.”

“Know something about farming, do you?” Walken sneered at him.

“Something,” Jim snapped back. He drew in a breath and reined in his temper. “I grew up on one. I was curious, that’s all. Do you farm for trade or just to sustain yourselves?”

Walken spat to his right and spoke to the others. “Sounds like the good Captain thinks he can interrogate us.”

Jim pressed his mouth into a thin line. “Are you trying to provoke me, Tom?”

Walken looked pissed that Jim had dared to use his first name.

“That’s exactly what he’s doing, Captain Kirk,” Ram said with a smirk.

Someone stepped forward, placed a hand on Walken’s arm and murmured something to the man.

Walken folded his arms over his chest. His apology to Kirk was more of a grunt than actual words.

“I think,” Jim said carefully, “my crew and I will return to the Ambassador now.”

At first he thought they weren’t going to allow passage. Then the leader, who clearly was Tom, gave a signal to the others. The men moved aside.

Jim wasn’t particularly keen on turning his back to any potential threat—much less a dozen of them—but it was more important to keep the pretense that he wasn’t interested in a confrontation. As curious as he was, his responsibility as a captain meant he couldn’t needlessly place his people in danger. When there was a way out, he was obligated to take it if he could.

Kolarski and Olivares flanked him. As they moved through the group, he saw Olivares’ fingers ghost across the hilt of her phaser and murmured a soft warning of “Lieutenant.“

She obeyed the unspoken command, dropping her hand back to her side.

Kolarski locked his jaw but kept his gaze focused ahead.

When they cleared the area and the barn became small in the distance, Jim stopped walking. He turned to his two lieutenants.

To Kolarski, he gave the order, “Return to the Copernicus. Switch out with Garrison and make a special report to the Enterprise.”

Kolarski snapped to attention, cried, “Aye, Captain!” and took off at a run.

Jim looked at Olivares. “Blanca—”

“I don’t like it, sir,” she broke in. “I don’t like any of it.”

“I feel the same,” he agreed, “but we can’t give our thoughts and feelings away—especially now.”

“Because they’ve made it known that they don’t want us here.”

Jim nodded and glanced away, sighing through his nose. He had dealt with unfriendly locals before, people who felt like off-worlders shouldn’t barge in and disrupt their lives and work, but more worrying than that was the nagging feeling that these men had a dangerous reason to be so protective of their territory. In his experience, no good ever came of dealing with people who had something to hide.

But what could be their secret?

He made up his mind. “Ambassador Leta and I need to have a chat.” He focused on his security officer again. “Can you keep Tappan occupied for me?”

That, for some reason, had the woman grinning. “Depends, Captain. How do you want me to keep his attention?”

When he figured out her meaning, he was horrified. “I’d never ask you to seduce a man, Lieutenant.”

She shook her head slightly. “Not seduce, sir. Just a little flirting—and I don’t mind. There’s nothing wrong with being an attractive woman.”

Jim relaxed. When she put it that way… Well, hadn’t he used his charm as a distraction on away missions when necessary?

The Bones voice came back, snarked in his head, When necessary and then some, you sly devil!

He squeezed Blanca’s shoulder. “I trust you.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

And so, with the beginnings of a plan, they went to find Leta.

~~~

“I don’t like this.”

Karen Leta pressed her fingertips against the seal of the window and studied the reflection of her lover. She called his name when he didn’t reply.

Tappan crossed the room to her side and smiled at her, adjusting his spectacles. “You’ve done wonderfully, Karen.”

“You wanted me to bring Kirk here, and I did. It’s time you told me why.”

He picked up a strand of her hair that had fallen across her shoulder and wound it between his fingers.

She grabbed his hand to stop him. “Augustus, my answer. You promised me.”

“Not yet.”

She cared for this man, but he frustrated her. “We’re partners. Don’t you understand what that means? If you believe you must protect me…”

He said, “Protect you, my dear? You’re the strongest woman I know.” Light reflected off his glasses, obscuring his eyes. “No. You should have plausible deniability. You’ll need it.”

For an instant, Karen experienced regret. “There will be no violence,” she reminded him.

Tappan leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“Gov’nor.”

He let her go and turned to one of the farmers who stood in the archway separating the small room from the main hall. “Thomas! What is it?”

The frowning man didn’t say anything, just eyed them; that seemed to be a signal that Tappan understood. He kissed Karen again, said, “Wait for me,” and left her alone.

She turned back to the window. The temperature control of the building had to be malfunctioning because she was suddenly freezing. She wished Augustus would tell her why Captain Kirk was vital to the survival of this colony.

More so, she wished he had assured her no harm would be done. Having loved him for thirty years, she knew extremely well what reality lay behind his silence.

~~~

Kolarski banged a fist on the side of the shuttlecraft. “Joran! Garrison! Open up!”

He tried his communicator for the third time but endless static met his “Kolarski to Copernicus. Geez, would somebody please let me in?”

With a huff, he pivoted around and dropped his back to the shiny exterior. What to do now? Should he return to Kirk? Why wasn’t he getting a response?

And why had the shuttle been locked from the inside?

Muttering to himself, he shoved his communicator into the back of his pants and squatted down beside one of the panels curling around the underbelly of the shuttle. He drew a multi-purpose laser wrench out of his boot.

“Thank you, Mr. Scott,” he muttered as he pried at the panel. The man advised all his subordinates in Engineering to have at least one tool handy on his or her person at all times.

“You never know when you’ll be in a pinch, lads,” the Chief of Engineering had said, “and there’s nothing worse than twiddling your thumbs when the Captain expects you to be useful.”

The panel finally slid back, and Kolarski set about overriding the hatch’s lock. He considered himself one of Engineering’s best and brightest when it came to lock-picking of any kind. He might have indulged in a little bit of juvenile delinquency when he was younger but, hey, no one needed to know that.

The hatch made a popping sound, and the gears whirred.

Kolarski was on his feet and standing impatiently in front of the door as it opened. “Guys,” he started to fuss, “I know I’m new but this pranking has gone far—”

He never finished.

Behind the door there was a glimpse of an unfamiliar figure, a pair of cold eyes, and two bodies at the stranger’s feet.

Joran and Garrison.

“Stupid of you,” remarked the stranger—the colonist—as he lifted Garrison’s phaser and fired.

Kolarski felt the burn in his chest, collapsed, and knew nothing more.

~~~

The colonist jumped down to the landing pad. Another man appeared from the back of the shuttle and joined him. They both nudged the Starfleet officer with their boots.

“Should’ve killed him,” said one of them.

“Governor gave us orders.”

They both snorted and dragged Kolarski into the shuttle. Then they set about finishing their task of destroying every piece of equipment they could find.

~~~

Jim veered away as Olivares spied Mr. Tappan in the main hall and strode towards him with purpose. He found the Ambassador at a table in another area of the building, drinking.

“Feel like sharing?” he asked as he took a seat opposite her.

“I don’t drink with men I don’t like, Captain Kirk.”

She didn’t mince words. He did respect that.

To Jim’s surprise, Leta frowned and set her cup down. “Find a glass,” she ordered.

He did and returned to the table. She filled it from a decanter.

A pungent smell tickled Jim’s nose. He tasted the drink then raised his eyebrows. “This is brandy.”

The woman snorted. “What did you think it was? Fruit juice?” She downed the contents of her own cup.

Jim sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I didn’t know you indulged.” She certainly had refused an aperitif at every formal dinner they had had on the Enterprise.

“Normally I don’t,” Leta agreed as she refilled both their glasses. “However, I find myself facing a quandary this afternoon.”

“About what?” he inquired politely, his curiosity piqued.

“It’s about you, actually.” She didn’t look at him. “I should tell you—no, I can’t. I truly can’t.” Then she looked at him.

Jim’s stomach dropped.

“You need to leave,” Leta said.

“Leave you alone or leave Tassos III?”

“The latter. As quickly as possible,” she insisted.

Jim unfolded his arms and placed his hands, palms down, on the table. He leaned forward. “You said you wanted me here.”

She didn’t flinch, just met his even stare with one of her own. “I changed my mind. Return to the Enterprise immediately.”

He stayed silent for a brief second before he dared to ask, “What happens if I don’t?”

“I don’t know,” the woman admitted.

Somehow that answer frightened Jim more than any other answer she could have given him.

A quick decision was made: “I’ll take your advice, Ambassador, because my gut tells me you’re speaking out of concern for my crew.”

Jim stood up, took the opportunity to lean even closer to her, and said pointedly, “But I will give you fair warning: this is not the end for either of us.”

He intended to speak to a few admirals upon his return. Command would be made aware of the suspicious attitudes on the colonists. His conscience wouldn’t let him keep quiet about it.

Leta said nothing about his warning.

Jim accepted her silence and walked out of the room.

~~~

“He must have thought I was joking about releasing us.” Arms crossed, Leonard shouted across the cell, “I wasn’t joking!”

To his credit, the guard pretended to have a hearing problem. Leonard understood that security protocol dictated that all personnel was not to react to prisoners in the brig unless the prisoners appeared to be in need of medical attention. Leonard could act like he needed medical attention (technically he did) but that would be cheating.

He harrumphed and turned to Spock. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“We will be released in due time, Doctor.”

“Just when is ‘due time’—once I expire from boredom? I have things I need to be doing!”

“Then it was quite reckless of you to place yourself in here.”

Leonard was aghast. “Are you blaming me? I did it for you! Spock, you should be thanking me!”

Spock arched one eyebrow. “Hardly, as you are now my sole company for the foreseeable future.”

The doctor sputtered.

Spock sounded all too innocent as he remarked, “It is likely Mr. Giotto is monitoring us.”

Could the Vulcan be more frustrating? If Leonard had to stay one more minute in this cell with the insufferable hobgoblin, he would strangle him. He left the bench and stalked to the opposite side of the cell—which, admittedly, was not very far. At least he could put his back to Spock and ignore him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Spock stand as well, clasp his hands loosely behind his back, and move to the front of the cell to survey something beyond the invisible force field.

Leonard’s resolve wavered. He hated being confined and silence only made it worse.

“Spock,” he said, “let’s not fight.”

The Vulcan continued his calm perusal of the outer containment area. “Are we fighting, Doctor?”

“No,” decided Leonard. Jim always told them to be nice to each other while he was away. Leonard didn’t think he was a naturally nice person (he knew he was prickly even on his best days) but as of late his desire to fight with Spock had waned significantly. That was why it had bothered him deeply when Spock suddenly became cold towards him.

And the last thing he wanted was to be the person who alienated Spock from Jim.

With that worry niggling at him, he approached Spock to say more quietly, “You’re not… upset with Jim, are you?” He could tell he startled Spock with that question. “What I mean is—” Cutting a surreptitious glance at the guardsman, he lowered his voice to a near whisper. “—he shouldn’t be the one you… disagree… with over what’s happening between us.”

Spock shifted to face him. His voice was equally soft despite the challenge of “Why not?”

Leonard had to look away for a moment. “He couldn’t handle it,” he answered honestly. “It would tear him up that you disapproved.”

Spock stayed quiet for some time. Then he said, rather than asked, “You believe he would end the relationship.”

“Maybe,” Leonard murmured, running his tongue along his bottom lip. “It’d put us on rocky ground for sure.”

“If you are both consenting, if you are both aware of the risks, then I will not interfere.”

Something settled inside Leonard. He suppressed a smile as he said, “You’re a good person, Commander.”

Spock moved a full step back, his “Obviously” sounding embarrassed instead of smug.

Leonard took pity on him. “Normally I would follow up that kind of compliment with a hug—”

The Vulcan actually looked alarmed.

“—but then Giotto would see it and probably blackmail us with the footage later.”

“A wise choice, Doctor.”

Leonard grinned, then, and bounced on his toes. “Why, thank you, Mr. Spock.”

Spock probably thought it was safer not to encourage him. He remained silent.

Pivoting towards the security guard (who was grinning like a goofball for some reason), the doctor began to say, “Just what do we have to do to convince you that—”

“Bridge to Brig Control.“

The guard shuffled towards the wall comm on the other side of the room and answered the call.

With a sigh, Leonard returned to the bench and sat down, thinking, Damn and blast, we’re never getting out of here.

His head came up when he heard the guard call out, “Mr. Spock!”

Spock replied, “I am listening, Ensign.”

“Mr. Spock can hear you, Mr. Scott,” the young man relayed into the comm speaker. He did something that cranked up the volume, which was thoughtful since Leonard didn’t have a Vulcan’s super-hearing.

Scotty’s voice rang out across the room. It was the tone of that voice which had Leonard coming back to his feet.

“Mr. Spock, the Copernicus missed her check-in.“

Leonard tensed. The Copernicus was the shuttlecraft Jim left in.

“What are the results of attempting contact?” Spock asked, raising his voice to carry.

There was a maddening pause that made Leonard’s stomach cramp with uneasiness.

“Negative,” Scotty said. Then, “And worse than that, I’m afraid. Her beacon is gone, sir.“

“What!” exclaimed Leonard as he shot across the cell.

“Doctor!”

Spock intercepted Leonard before he connected with the force field, disbelief etched into his face. That disbelief quickly turned into something which closely resembled anger. “Dr. McCoy, your disregard for your own safety is horrifying.”

Leonard stared at the force field crackling inches from his nose, swallowed hard, and took a long step back. He pushed Spock’s hand off his arm and said in lieu of thanking Spock for saving him, “Did you hear what Scotty said?”

“Perfectly.”

He rounded on Spock. “Then how in blazes can you sound so calm!”

“In this situation, what would be the benefit of panic?”

Leonard’s hands balled into fists. “You pointy-eared devil, I’m a doctor, for Christ’s sake! I’m not panicking! I don’t panic!”

Spock’s silence dared Leonard to prove him wrong.

Scotty squeaked through the comm, “I dinnae know about doun there but I’ll not lie—we’re a mite overwhelmed up there!“

“We are on our way, Mr. Scott.” Spock gave their guard a stare which sent the young man scrambling to unlock their cell. Apparently the thought of upsetting Spock took precedence over security protocol.

Spock shifted aside so that Leonard could be the first one out. Seconds after the force field had been dispelled, Leonard rushed to the exit and through it. He and Spock ran along the main corridor for the closest turbolift and, upon reaching it, Leonard slapped the call button hard enough to make a cracking sound.

“Bridge,” he commanded the lift once inside, fighting to control his breath. For a man who claimed he didn’t panic, he knew he was giving a poor impression—but he couldn’t help it.

Jim, he thought.

If the shuttle was inoperable or just plain gone, then Jim…

“You must not jump to conclusions,” Spock stated softly. “Not without facts.”

The doctor turned his head. Spock stood closer to him than usual. His face gave nothing away but his eyes told all his secrets to Leonard.

“You’re right,” Leonard said, since it was obvious that Spock needed the confirmation as much as he did. “Facts first.”

The lift announced their arrival and spat them out at ship’s center of command in record time. For the briefest instant, Leonard fancied the Enterprise must have recognized their urgency. After all, Jim was her captain as well.

Yet to Leonard, Jim was more. He finally, fully admitted that to himself as he stepped onto the upper platform of the Bridge.

The worried faces of his fellow officers turned as one to him and Spock. Their mouths were reporting what was wrong—dead beacon, silenced frequency—but their eyes held hope. Just by looking at Leonard and Spock, they felt hope. Leonard was humbled and terrified at the same time.

He was also determined not to disappoint any of them, especially himself.

Spock moved to the captain’s chair, issuing orders with a directness and efficiency that came naturally to his race. Scotty conceded the chair without a word to the commander and as Spock sat down, he laid his hands on the chair’s arms and directed his gaze to the main viewer.

“Mr. Sulu, set course for Tassos III.”

Leonard took a position by Spock as he would have if Jim had been in command and said, “Thank you.”

Spock’s gaze broke from the viewer to take in the doctor, but Leonard didn’t explain the gratitude. He knew there was no need. Spock would understand.

The Vulcan proved so by saying, “Thanks is unnecessary, Dr. McCoy.”

The bond uniting them was a simple one: James Kirk was, and always would be, their first priority.

Next Part

Related Posts:

• Younger Than Stars (16/16) – from November 17, 2015
• Younger Than Stars (15/16) – from November 17, 2015
• Younger Than Stars (14/16) – from November 17, 2015
• Younger Than Stars (13/14) – from November 6, 2015
• Younger Than Stars (12/14) – from October 30, 2015

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