𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ➪ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐤¹

|| 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 ||

Luna pushed herself to keep running. She thought about Samsa and the family her sister had made in Starfleet. They would look after her. They were far more important. They were all that mattered now. 

The ship continued to lurch and dip as it grew closer to entering Earth's atmosphere. Surely they would burn up before they even had the chance to crash. Everyone on board would die. If Luna got to the warp core in time, she could do something to change that. 

She reached what appeared to be an evacuation area, with a large amount of crew gathered in one space. It was a challenge to get through, but she eventually made it to the deserted hangar housing the warp core. 

Luna skidded to a halt upon catching sight of a familiar Scotsman, strapped to a seat, unconscious. She hurried over and held his face in her hands. "Scotty? Scotty, wake up!" 

He groaned as he started to come to.

"You have to tell me how to get to the warp core." 

Scotty peeled his eyes open and shook his head. He jerked suddenly, looking startled. "Jim. I-I couldn't stop him!" 

There was a deep rumble as the engine roared back to life. The dull lights above them began to burn brightly with the power being fully restored. Luna held onto the console as the ship plummeted, but this only lasted a few moments before the impulse thrusters kicked in.

"No." The word slipped through her mouth as the icy realisation set in.

She bolted towards the warp core chamber just in time to see Kirk struggling beyond the glass. He looked dreadful, with beads of sweat running down his face and tired eyes. He released a pained cry as he leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

"This isn't...this isn't right-" Luna broke off into a sob. "It should've been me." 

Kirk winced in an attempt to prop himself up. "It's...it's not your fault, Luna."

She knelt and put a trembling hand against the glass. "I can take the pain away for you."

A smile graced his lips and he shook his head weakly. "Just get Samsa and...and Spock too. I want them both here."

Luna took a deep breath and nodded. She looked back to see Scotty retrieving his communicator. 

"Engineering to Bridge," he said. "Commander Spock." 

"Mister Scott?"

"Sir, you'd better get down here. Better hurry." A tear trickled down Scotty's face as the communication ended. He found the next frequency. "Bridge to Medbay."

"McCoy here."

"Can we have Doctor Gillian in Engineering right away?"

The Doctor sounded confused as he replied. "Sure thing."

"They're on their way," Luna said, facing Kirk again. "You hold on now. They're coming." 

"Thank you," he rasped. "What...what does it feel like? To die?"

Luna was stumped by his question. She opened her mouth but no words came out. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"It doesn't hurt," she eventually said. "You think it would but...there's something peaceful about it. You just think about all the amazing things you've done in your life. All the people you saved today...you can sleep now, James." 

Approaching footsteps pulled the Sanguine's attention elsewhere. She turned to see Spock staring right at them with wide, glassy eyes. 

He came closer, whipping around to face Scotty again. "Open it."