Countdown
Captain James T. Kirk entered the office of the Chief of Starfleet Operations. In another reality, this would have been his office... At last for another few weeks until a very disillusioned Kirk would use the twin threats of an impending crisis and threatening to publicly resign from Starfleet to force Admiral Nogura to restore him to the command of the Enterprise. All that had changed with the mission to Equestria.
A glimpse into the future had been enough to shake the plans of both Kirk and Mister Spock and left a rather smug Leonard McCoy (who so very carefully avoided actually saying 'I told you so') overseeing the rebuilding of the Enterprise sickbay. Kirk had seen that the prize offered him by Nogura was akin to a trap. Spock; meanwhile, had been given much to think about as he returned to Vulcan. Although Spock had resigned his commission for some months, in the end, it seemed only logical that if it were true that the Kolinahr disciplines did not hold the answers Spock sought, then he should not waste either the time or efforts of the Vulcan Masters or his own.
Instead, he would spend his time preparing for the forthcoming confrontation with The Intruder... V'Ger
Yet, for all the advanced warning, it still might not have been enough to keep Admiral Nogura from maneuvering Kirk into accepting the position of Chief of Starfleet Operations but for the unanticipated arrival of the man seated before him: Admiral Christopher Pike. It had been about seven years since Kirk had seen the Christopher Pike native to this timeline, a vital man whom fate had left in a broken, useless body. It was providential that the inhabitants of Talos IV had chosen to offer Fleet Captain Pike refuge on their world, where with the power of their illusions, Pike could experience a more fulfilling life than the Federation could provide.
But this man had never suffered the devastating injuries his counterpart had. Here were the same vitality and drive that existed in the man that Kirk had succeeded in commanding the Enterprise, the same intellect and sharp instincts. Though having experienced a somewhat different history, this man was every bit the equal of his counterpart.
Admiral Nogura hadn't known what hit him. After seeing to their welfare and standing down his ship and crew, Pike had seized the position of Chief of Starfleet Operations with a vengeance. Upon his recommendation, Captain Kirk had been assigned to head a special group entrusted with refining Starfleet's responses to 'Code Sunset' information and the handling of assets gained or preserved as a result. Today, however, Kirk would be relinquishing those duties to return home. The man who would replace him, the same man sitting in front of him.
"Well, Jim?" Pike asked. "Have you gotten your gear off my ship?" Pike asked mildly, for while Kirk's ship went into dock for reconstruction, Pike's ship had been named flagship for Task Force Sunset as the engineers made less drastic but still vital repairs and upgrades to her. It was also a place where Pike could keep an eye on his crew, making sure they adjusted to their new reality. Pike still looked back in amusement as he introduced Captain Kirk to his new First Officer.
Captain Kirk, meet Mister Kirk. Jim, Captain Kirk has been an instructor at the academy and has just completed almost five years of commanding a Starship. Ask him to tell you about his experiences with the Kobayashi Maru test sometime.
"The Enterprise will be ready for her Captain," Kirk promised. "I don't expect that Admiral Nogura was too happy with the news?"
"When is Nogura happy about anything?" Pike replied. "On the other hand, he was destined to be looking for a new body to sit in this chair in a month anyway. Maybe Admiral Ciana, more likely Morrow or Enwright, maybe Stone but that's not our worry, Jim."
"Commander Sonak reported in this morning," Kirk noted, changing the subject.
"Good. I need him to start helping get the Enterprise buttoned up for launch, just in case."
"I certainly... hope... that won't be necessary."
"You and me both, Captain." He looked at Kirk appraisingly. "Now why don't you tell me what's on your mind, Jim?"
"In a few hours... I'm going to have to tell Captain Decker that I'm replacing him as Captain... And then..." Kirk fell silent, burdened by his knowledge.
"His father was a good friend of yours, wasn't he?"
"Matt Decker... One of the finest Captains in the fleet... And I sat there and watched as he... And now... If all goes as we think it will... I'll just stand there and watch history repeat itself."
Pike had; of course, seen the discs as well. "It's the cruel other half of the gift we were given Jim. It's the knowledge that while we can save possibly billions of lives, we can't save everybody. All you can do is let Captain Decker and Lieutenant Ilia's choices count for something."
"I know."
"Now..." Pike said, rising from his chair with a wry smile, "Let's go! I need to make sure my first officer hasn't picked up too many of your bad habits, Captain."