Chapter Eight
Hatred
Kirk Personal Log Stardate 57959.6
It has been odd to be back at the academy after a month in space. We resumed classes and I was pleased to find that we hadn't fallen behind. Kathryn had made sure of that while we were aboard the Leviathan. The problem with being back at the academy is that old enemies are stronger in their conviction. Our first encounter with Anthony Barclay upon returning to the academy did not go well. He is jealous of his brother for being chosen for the Red Squad and still says that Chad, Quinn and I get special treatment. I'm worried about how he'll react when news spreads about Admiral Aaron's plans for me and Quinn when we graduate.
On another topic, the Leviathan has been taken back to the New Moon Station for an almost complete refit. I've been told by Admiral Paris that the ship is being fitted for Arminian Armor. It seems they've finally puzzled out how to duplicate Lexus's armor that was given to us by the Arminians. Proper quarters for the First Officer of the ship are also being constructed along with more weapons enhancements and a new and improved shield modulator. I've been assured that the ship will be ready for us when we return from Winter Break and head on to our next Red Squadron mission. I look forward to it.
He hadn't seen them coming. Anthony and six of his friends cornered him outside the Red Squad dormitory. They backed him against the wall and the taunting began. Jim stood rigid as he endured the name calling, determined not to show fear or weakness to this group.
"You think you're so special now that you're Red Squad," Anthony hissed in his face. "We're here to show you that you're nobody."
That was when the first blow landed in his stomach, doubling him over. They didn't waste time. He was hauled upright and punched in the face by Anthony. Then one of his friends began to take shots at him. He was punched in the stomach, chest and face by each of them more times than he could count. When he finally fell to the ground they started to kick and stomp on him.
He lay there silently begging for someone, anyone to walk by and stop the assault. He didn't know how much more he could take of the kicking and stomping. They taunted him the whole time, calling him Captain Kirk. He hated them and silently vowed revenge. Then he thought they might kill him and started to wish for help again.
He heard bones break and pain like he'd never known spread through his side. He put his arms over his head to try and protect himself but it was no use. He looked up into the face of Anthony Barclay. The boy smiled as he brought his boot down and stomped on Jim's head. Darkness claimed him then.
* * *
"Who did this?" demanded Admiral Aaron as he stood with Kathryn, Quinn, Chad and Admiral Paris outside sick bay as the medical staff worked on Jim Kirk.
"Anthony Barclay and six of his friends," Chad said. He was so worried. He'd been the one to come along just as Jim had wished someone would but it was too late. He was already unconscious. Chad had thought he was dead.
"Aaron to security," said the admiral, tapping his comm badge.
"Commander Coleson, Admiral," came the reply.
"Commander I want Anthony Barclay arrested immediately," said Aaron. "Find out who of his friends he was with today between 0800 and 0900 and arrest them as well. They're being charged with attempted murder."
"Aye Admiral," came the reply as Dr. Vincent McCoy came out to talk with them.
"How is he?" demanded Kathryn, her face tight with worry.
"He's suffered a cranial fracture, broken ribs and both arms are broken," replied McCoy. "There is internal bleeding in a few areas as well as a punctured lung."
"Will he recover?" asked Admiral Paris.
"We've regenerated the broken bones and repaired the ruptured lung," said McCoy. "He's resting now and in quite a bit of pain. He will recover fully however. He was lucky."
"When can we see him?" Kathryn asked.
"I want him to remain undisturbed for the rest of the day and probably tonight as well," replied McCoy. "This was close, Admiral. Please understand that he needs to rest for the regeneration to complete. I'll allow visitation tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Doctor," said Admiral Aaron. He turned to Chad and Quinn. "Say nothing of this to your fellow cadets. If you need her Doctor Alivair is in her office all day today. You're both excused from classes until Monday morning."
"Yes Admiral," they said almost in unison. The admirals watched them walk down the hall and out of the medical wing.
"We'd better have a talk with Reginald," said Kathryn. "He'll be crushed when he finds out about this."
"Understood," said Admiral Aaron. "We have a meeting at 1300 hours with Admiral Hammil," he reminded them.
"You still want to go through with this?" she asked, looking at Jim's sleeping form through the window of sick bay.
"I think we have to go through with this, Kathryn," he said. "Those boys did this out of jealousy and hatred because they think he's had special treatment."
"They're right," said Admiral Paris. "We have given both Jim Kirk and Chad Dodds special treatment."
"There was no way we were going to be able to treat them any different, Owen," said Aaron. "Doctor McCoy said he will recover fully so I see no reason not to have our meeting with Hammil. We'll inform him of this morning's events as well as what I've decided about the cadets responsible but I still want to make our proposal regarding James Kirk."
News of Jim's condition spread fast through the campus. Before noon there were cadets swarming sick bay. Joining them were Annika, Axum and the adult Icheb. The three of them made calls and then Tom Paris and his wife along with every member of the Lexus crew that was still on Earth arrived to keep vigil with them. Each member of the crew of Leviathan was there as well.
Chad and Quinn had kept their word and hadn't said anything to anyone about Jim or the assault. Somehow word had gotten out though. They sat in their rooms waiting to be questioned about the leak but no one came for them. By one they decided to join their friends outside of sick bay.
* * *
"He will recover fully?" Admiral Hammil asked, his eyes hard as he looked at the three admirals of Starfleet Academy sitting before him.
"Yes," said Kathryn. "Dr. McCoy assures us that he will."
"And you still think he's ready for real command?" he asked Admiral Aaron.
"His performance on Leviathan has convinced the three of us that he has nothing more to learn by advancing up the ranks at a normal pace," replied Aaron. "How he handled the attack on the ship by Captain Sparks proved to me that he's ready. Admiral Hammil, James Kirk won't be able to stand being anything other than a captain. We feel he must be commissioned as soon as he graduates Command School."
"All right," he sighed. "I'll play along for a moment. Assuming we commission him to the rank of Captain. Then what?"
"Well he'll be in command of a ship," said Kathryn quickly. She'd thought that was a foregone conclusion.
"Not just any ship," said Hammil. "He'll be in command of the Lexus once again. That's what you're all thinking right?"
"Of course," said Owen. "It has to be Lexus."
"There are things about that ship that break the laws of the Federation," said Hammil. "The least of which is the cloaking device."
"Starfleet has already begun to upgrade ships with Arminian armor," Kathryn pointed out. "With that armor there's no need for a cloaking device."
"Granted," he replied. "What about the other problems?"
"I don't think James Kirk would be too upset if the more obvious violations of Federation laws were removed from the ship, Admiral," said Aaron.
"You all really think that he's ready for command?" he asked.
"Admiral he's had command," said Kathryn. "He commanded that ship the entire time it was in Andromeda and the Delta Quadrant. Look at what he's accomplished. There's a devoted crew scattered across the galaxy just waiting for the chance to serve under him again. Then there's the fact that he did all of this at sixteen years old without any formal Starfleet training.
"Now there's the Leviathan," she continued. "I saw him lead on that ship, Admiral. The way he handled Alice Sparks and her disgraceful ruse and attack was a Captain's way. He saw a weakness in a crew member and hurried to point out to that crew member that weakness isn't something to give up over. That Cadet Ensign was terrified when the ship came under attack by another Federation ship. Jim talked with her after the battle was ended and told her that he was proud of her for keeping her fear in check long enough to get the job done. He told her he was happy to have her on the ship. Admiral because of Jim's words that girl wants to serve with him for the rest of her time in the academy."
"He's faced the Borg, Kazon, Species 8472 and now a threat from home," said Owen Paris. "Each time he lead his crew in a Starfleet manor. You can't possibly think he'd be happy as an enlisted man. You can't think that he'll accept being an enlisted man when he's tasted command."
"Admiral Paris is quite right," said Kathryn, looking at Admiral Hammil hard. "If you don't do this you will lose three cadets as soon as they graduate. If you do not grant them their ranks of Captain, Commander and Lieutenant you will lose James Kirk, Chad Dodds and Quinn Janeway. They'll walk away from Starfleet."
* * *
"He's going to be fine, Chad," said Quinn as they sat in Quinn's room talking about Jim.
"You didn't see him, Quinn," Chad said. "I thought he wad dead when I got there. They were kicking him and stomping on him and he never even moved. I didn't know he was only unconscious. I was scared, Quinn."
Quinn winced as he pictured the scene in his mind. He respected and admired Jim Kirk as a friend and as his captain. It wasn't until he saw him lying on the biobed in sick bay that he realized that he loved Jim Kirk in a wholly different way as well. Quinn had become human after helping Jim and Chad and in that time he'd watched and listened to the boy that Jim was as he struggled to be the man of his future. In all of that Quinn Janeway, former Q, fell in love with Jim Kirk. He'd nearly lost him that day and the thought of losing him was far worse than the though of never being a Q again.
"He's going to be fine," he said with a fierce voice. It was more for himself than for Chad. Jim had to be all right. He had to be.
* * *
It started with one or two people coming through the security station to the brig once word spread that Anthony Barclay and his friends were incarcerated and charged with the attempted murder of James R. Kirk. They came and just looked at the young man who held so much hatred in his heart for another young man that was so important to so many people.
Commander David Coleson didn't stop the one or two people from coming to see the inmates. He felt that they had a right to face the young man. When one or two people turned into a steady stream of people, some screaming insults at his prisoners, he was less inclined to let it continue. Still he had to admit that the young men in the cells deserved what was being said to them. They deserved that and so much more for what they'd done.
David had never met James Kirk, but he'd read all about the young cadet that had been Captain of the most advanced ship Starfleet had ever seen with their own insignia on it's hull. He'd read accounts of the crew and he'd heard many things from the other officers at the academy about the boy captain.
From what he'd heard James Kirk never tried to throw anything in anyone's face. He was humble and eager to learn all he could. He was a friend to most he met and went out of his way to come to the aid of his friends. He'd heard that a few of the instructors called him Captain Kirk. They were former members of the crew of the Lexus who'd served under James Kirk.
All of that told him that James Kirk was one hell of a young man and he didn't deserve what the monsters in this brig had done to him. However he was the officer in charge of Security and he couldn't allow this to go on. He quickly marshaled the stream of visitors and ordered them to leave the security station immediately. He also logged everything into the computer for Admiral Aaron to respond to and take care of.
* * *
"Very well," said Hammil with a sigh as he looked at the three stone-faced admirals in front of him. "I will order the Lexus modifications and I will review these logs. When that young man is on his feet again I expect him to be in this office to talk with me."
"Understood," said Kathryn, suppressing a smile.
"Dismissed," he said, waiving his hand at them.
"Tell me exactly where Mr. Kirk's education is lacking," said Admiral Aaron as soon as the door to Hammil's office was closed.
"He hasn't finished the class on the Prime Directive or the Temporal Prime Directive," said Janeway. "All of the other completely necessary classes can be covered by his time on Lexus."
"See that he knows the Prime Directive backward and forward as soon as possible," Aaron said with a sigh. "As well as the Temporal Prime Directive."
When they arrived at the academy it was pandemonium. It seemed every cadet knew about the incident. As they walked to the security station they met groups of angry cadets who had been forced out of the station by Commander Coleson. Admiral Aaron was angry now. He'd ordered Chad Dodds and Quinn Janeway not to say a word. It seemed that they weren't quite ready to follow orders.
"I want Cadets Dodds and Janeway in my office now," he said as he turned and headed out of the security building.
* * *
"I told you boys to talk to no one about this attack on Jim Kirk," he said twenty minutes later when both boys were standing before him in his office. His rage was contained for the moment but it was getting harder for him to contain it.
"But Admiral," said Quinn quickly. "We haven't talked to anyone. We've been in my room since we left sick bay and talked to you."
"Don't lie," he snapped, making both of them flinch. "I can easily check the computer sensors for your whereabouts today."
"Admiral, I swear we haven't left Quinn's room," said Chad. "We've talked to no one. We've been waiting for someone to come and talk to us."
He stared at them for a moment. Why would they lie? His mind kept screaming that they were but he wasn't so sure. In the end he knew he had to ask the computer to be sure. He hated this. He hated that the incident had taken place at the academy period.
"Computer, tell me the location of Cadets Dodds and Janeway from 0930 to 1400 today," he said, glaring at them.
"Cadets Chadwin Dodds and Quinn Janeway were in Junior Cadet Dormitory, room C-901 during the specified time frame," replied the computer.
"And did anyone come to the room in that time frame?" he asked.
"Negative," replied the computer.
There was just one more way they could have talked to someone. "Computer access communications from Junior Cadet Dormitory, room C-901 from 0900 to 1400 today."
"No communications were made during the specified time frame from the specified room," replied the computer.
"Very well," he sighed, sitting forward in his chair and rubbing his tired eyes. "I apologize Cadets."
"No apology necessary, Admiral," said Chad. "We'd like to know who's talking as well."
"I'm sure you would," he said, looking at them in a new light. "You're very close to Mr. Kirk aren't you?"
"We're like brothers, sir," replied Chad.
"Yes," he said, nodding. "We'll find out who is talking. We'll find out as quickly as we can."
THE LEXUS CHRONICLES