𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ➪ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐤¹

|| 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰 ||

"The Enterprise should be ready for launch by the time we arrive."

"Good, good," Jim replied under his breath.

Samsa desperately wanted to reach out and hold him, tell him that everything would be okay in the end. Instead, she bit her tongue and sat back. Beside her, Bones was rummaging around in his medkit, finding the appropriate tools for an examination.

"Captain," Spock suddenly said. "Thank you for requesting my reinstatement."

"You're welcome."

There was a short pause.

"As I am again your First Officer, it is my duty to strongly object to our mission parameters."

Jim pursed his lips. "Of course it is."

"There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting."

Spock was right. Jim knew this, but kept his head down, frowning at the instrument that Bones was hovering over his temple.

"Also," the Vulcan continued. "Pre-emptively firing torpedoes and the Klingon homeworld goes against-"

"You yourself said the area is uninhabited. There's only going to be one casualty and in case you weren't listening, our orders had nothing to do with Starfleet regulation."

"I estimate one causality could easily become two if Luna Gillian is also in hiding with Harrison. Unless you are willing to sacrifice her life in the process?"

Hearing her sister's name made Samsa's stomach lurch. She planned to bring that point up with Jim herself, but Spock beat her to it.

"Wait a minute." Leonard's eyes widened. "We're firing torpedoes at the Klingons?"

"Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong," Spock continued.

"Regulations aside, pulling your ass out of a volcano was morally right," Jim growled. "And I didn't win any points for that."

"Jim, calm down," Bones said, frowning at his tricorder.

"I'm not gonna take ethics lessons from a robot!"

"Reverting to name-calling suggests that you're defensive and therefore find my opinion valid."

Spock's comeback prompted Samsa to raise her eyebrows at the back and forth.

"I wasn't asking for your opinion- Bones, get that thing off my face."

Leonard reluctantly removed the med-scanner with a disapproving look.

"Captain, our mission could start a war with the Klingons and it is, by its very definition, immoral. Perhaps, you should take the requisite time to arrive at this conclusion for yourself."

Jim looked fed up with this conversation. Turns out, he was saved from giving a response as another Starfleet Officer boarded the shuttle.

"Captain Kirk," she said. "Science Officer Wallace. I've been assigned to the Enterprise by Admiral Marcus. These are my transfer orders."

Samsa looked up with the sound of that voice and instantly recognised her. It was the woman who helped her in the bathroom all those months ago. "Carol," she said, without thinking.

A wide smile blossomed on Carol's face. "Doctor Gillian. It's lovely to see you again."

"You too! Please, call me Samsa."

"You requested an additional Science Officer, Captain?" Spock was staring at her with a single eyebrow raised.

"I wish I had," Jim said, looking over her datapad. "Lieutenant Carol Wallace," he read aloud. "Doctorate in Applied Physics, specialising in advanced weaponry."