ken_ichijouji (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ken_ichijouji) wrote2012-10-19 12:44 pm
ken_ichijouji) wrote2012-10-19 12:44 pm
Fic: Phoenix Invictus Book One: Child of Light (8/9)
Same headers apply from prologue.
D’Ken sat on the throne in his Imperial Cruiser, surrounded by most of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. “I tire of this,” he said to no one in particular. “The crystal is near. It must be in my possession soon!”
The Imperial Guards said nothing; they knew better than to comment when D’Ken was frustrated. The throne room door opened, and in strode Gladiator with Davan Shakari, who looked very afraid.
As well he should be.
“You have failed me,” D’Ken said. “You did not get Lilandra, and you did not get the Crystal. Were these tasks too difficult?”
“I…your Excellency,” Shakari stammered.
“And you…” D’Ken turned to Gladiator. “You are the Praetor of the Imperial Guard. How is it possible that mere Terrans defeated you?”
“My lord,” Gladiator said as he bowed. “Is it not written that the Crystal has a Guardian?”
“The Phoenix is a story told by school children,” D’Ken scoffed. “It is nothing more than a fable.”
“My lord,” Gladiator raised his head. “I have seen him. I have felt his power, and he is merciless. The Phoenix lives!”
D’Ken scoffed a second time. “I will believe it when I see it.” He stood and began to pace.
Just then, an image formed in the middle of the throne room. It was a small hologram of Corsair.
“Corsair, you impudent rebel dog,” D’Ken snarled.
“Pirate traitor!” Gladiator added for good measure.
Nice to see I haven’t been forgotten, Corsair said with a smile. You’d do better to speak kinder to me. I have something that you want. The image shifted from Corsair’s face to the M’Kraan Crystal. The Terrans and Starfleet were too much for your Imperial agents, but I was able to deal with them. I even have the Starfleet Captain Kirk in my custody; consider it a small bonus.
“Name your price,” D’Ken said.
The image changed back to Corsair. You’d give up everything for this, but I’m only asking half. Half the Imperial Treasury, that is.
“My lord, he insults you,” Gladiator protested.
D’Ken raised a hand to silence him. “By the sacred ancestors of the Shi’ar, I agree to your price.”
That’s the spirit. Corsair smiled. I’ll see you in an hour. The image faded, leaving D’Ken standing in his throne room with his emissaries.
“When the Crystal is mine,” D’Ken said. “You’ll kill Corsair and tear the Starjammer out of space.”
Gladiator stared at him in disbelief. “But…Majestor, you swore the sacred oath…”
“You will do it!” D’Ken said, and Gladiator once again bowed his head. “You will do it. You will put an end to his miserable existence.”
“Yes, your Excellency,” Gladiator said.
“And as for you Shakari,” D’Ken continued. “Go to the airlock near the guest quarters. You will have one hour to contemplate your failures before it is opened.”
Shakari shook where he stood. “Y-yes, your Excellency,” he said, and he made his way out of the throne room to the designated area.
D’Ken took his place back on his throne and smiled.
------
“Doctor,” a voice called, and Bones felt like it was far away. “Doctor, you must awaken.”
Bones opened his eyes and saw Spock kneeling over him. “Spock, what…?”
“The stun ray was calibrated for humans,” Spock explained as he helped Bones sit up. “As I am only half, it did not affect me as severely as the rest of you.”
Bones stood and looked around him; everyone else still lay unconscious. He put his hand to his temple and sent a telepathic wave to them. This time it worked, and one by one they roused until they all stood upright.
Except Jim was nowhere to be found.
//Jim? // Bones sent telepathically around the ship. //Jim, I know you don’t want me in your head but answer me!//
He received no answer, which meant that Jim wasn’t on board.
“They took him,” Bones said, and his hands shook. He swallowed once, and his eyes were wide. “They took Jim.”
Something in Spock’s face shifted, and Bones could feel that he was beside himself with concern. “That is not all they have taken.”
Bones read Spock’s mind like a flashing neon sign. “The crystal.” He sank back against the console with his eyes closed. “They have the crystal and they have Jim.”
Lilandra went to her helmswoman. “Can we overtake their vessel?”
“No, Admiral,” the woman said. “They’re too fast.”
Lilandra turned to Bones. “You must transport us onto their ship the same way you brought us here.”
Bones brought his hand up to his mouth and thought. “I…I don’t know that I can.” Everyone stared at him, and he sighed. “Every time I use my powers, I grow stronger,” Bones explained. “My body is strong and young; it recovers quickly from their use. But…I don’t know that I’m strong enough yet to fly through deep space carrying all of you with me. If I do, I may not have anything left in me to defend the crystal.”
Bones closed his eyes. If he could reach out to Jim, contact him telepathically, he could at least find where he and the crystal were. //Jim.// Bones thought as the others discussed their predicament. The noise of the conversation faded away from Bones as he reached out throughout the stars and cosmos. //Jim.// he said a second time.
Something pulled him, like a tether. He hadn’t reached Jim, but he felt echoes of where Jim had been. Bones followed them like a ley line across space and time, homing in on his mind.
//Jim.// he called over and over. Each time he said it, he felt his telepathic voice grow stronger.
Bones saw a ship, an incredible ship that was even bigger than the Enterprise.
Next to it was the Starjammer.
//Jim.//
He perception shifted, and he saw through Jim’s eyes. D’Ken stood before him, and Jim’s hand drifted close to the weapon strapped to his back. Corsair stood next to him, and he held a tube. Corsair opened it, and the M’Kraan Crystal glittered in the light.
No!
Bones snapped his eyes open. “I’ve found Jim. He’s on D’Ken’s ship.”
Lilandra nodded. “And the crystal?”
“It’s with him,” Bones answered. It didn’t matter if he was strong enough; he had no choice any longer. His eyes turned white, and he felt the mystic flame form around his body. “We must go.”
He grabbed Lilandra and his friends in his wings, and flew off into space. As Phoenix, he could travel countless distances in the blink of an eye. D’Ken was all the way by the sun, but Bones reached the ship in seconds. Bones flew them through the ship’s hull and into the throne room, the flames disappearing as they had every other time he used his powers. Drifting down from the air, Bones landed on his feet before sinking to the floor.
He heard Jim shout, “Bones!” as he ran to him. “Are you all right?”
Bones looked up into those blue eyes and felt his heart practically short out from relief. “Worry about me later, we need to get that Crystal.” Jim nodded, and he turned his attention back to the room.
Corsair physically assaulted D’Ken, and they wrestled near the throne. The pirate strangled the Majestor, yelling, “You’ve lived far too long, D’Ken! The end of your life is---“ He was cut off by D’Ken turning into a gray-skinned man with antennae. “A shape shifter?”
The shape shifter smirked and threw Corsair across the throne room.
“Imperial Guards,” Gladiator called as he took the Crystal. “Attack the interlopers!”
Jim helped Bones stand, just in time for them to see Scotty and Chekov open fire on two of the Imperial Guard members: an incredibly pale woman in pink with blue hair, and a man made of living flame. They both crumpled to the ground, stunned.
Bones stood behind Jim as he grabbed the gun at his back and began to open fire. He managed to slow down a Guard member with a glowing head, like a star. Bones’ hands glowed, and he moved to attack Gladiator when Jim stopped him. “Save it for the Crystal!” Jim ordered. “We need you for that, not this!”
A man wearing a white and black suit and red glasses flew down and grabbed Spock, lifting him into the air. Spock turned his phaser all the way up and blasted him, causing them to crash into a wall. Spock recovered first, although his forehead was smeared green with blood for his trouble.
Lilandra fought a woman in purple. “Plutonia,” she said through clenched teeth. “You must listen! The Empire is polluted” The purple woman fired a pulse of energy at her, but she dodged it. “Think, Plutonia, why would he want the M’Kraan Crystal?”
Plutonia’s stance faltered. “Princess…”
Taking advantage, Lilandra slammed Plutonia in the face with the palm of her hand, shattering her faceplate. Her blue blood gushed out of her now-broken nose. Lilandra fired her weapon, stunning her.
Sulu and Uhura stood back to back as they opened fire on the Imperial Guard, but they dealt with the heavy-hitters; Gladiator didn’t even slow down in spite of being hit at full vaporize. Sulu changed his position so he aimed over her shoulder, and together both of their phasers on full managed to disorient him enough that he dropped the Crystal, Lilandra grabbing it before he could recover. “We must get back to my ship,” Lilandra shouted as she ran out the door.
“You heard the woman,” Jim said. “Move out!” He grabbed Bones’ hand, and together they ran towards the door, their follow officers hot on their heels. A purple and red blur zoomed past them, and Bones didn’t have to use his powers to know it was Gladiator.
Shit.
Ahead of them, they heard Lilandra scream.
Jim and Bones stopped short.
Gladiator held Lilandra, and the real D’Ken had the Crystal.
“One more step, Terrans,” D’Ken said with an oily smile, “And Gladiator will crush Lilandra like a twig.”
Jim and Corsair immediately drew their weapons on D’Ken.
“No, Jim,” Bones said, stepping forward. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves. “It’s my show now.”
D’Ken held the crystal up to his face. “In the name of Sharra and K’ythri and the sacred ancestors of the Shi’ar home world…”
“D’Ken, no! For the love of all we hold dear, do not…” Gladiator placing his hand over her mouth cut off Lilandra. She continued to scream behind it, and her eyes were wild.
“I call upon the nine dying stars and the world that has no name…” D’Ken continued.
“Stop!” Bones said as his eyes turned white. “I am the Guardian of the Crystal!” He hovered in the air, and a firebird formed around him.
D’Ken ignored him. “…Unlock the power of the M’Kraan, and make the galaxy mine6!”
A light sparked out of a crack in the crystal. The pink color faded away to a light gray, and energy seeped off it onto D’Ken. Bones flew forward and grabbed the crystal in one of his talons.
“You’re too late!” D’Ken shouted with a laugh. He aimed his hands and shot an energy blast at Bones, destroying the firebird and blowing him back into his crewmates. Jim caught him, his arms sliding around him easily.
“Damn it,” Bones said as he regained his balance, standing back on his own feet. “I need to be stronger…I’m not there yet!” The light pooled around D’Ken, almost but not quite blinding the others. The Crystal hovered in the air, little pulses of energy flowing throughout the room. “It has begun,” Bones said, as he stood free of Jim. “His words opened a breech in the Crystal, and now he’s harnessing the power of the negative galaxy inside it.”
“So what?” Sulu said, and even if Bones couldn’t read his mind, his fear would be apparent from the trembling of his voice. “It’s going to get out?”
D’Ken turned into living crystal and grew to the size of a giant. Energy poured out of his eyes, shooting rays at the Enterprise crew and Corsair. Bones erected a telekinetic shield, protecting them from the blast.
“No,” Bones said as he shook his head and strengthened the shield. “Everything we know, including ourselves, is going to be pulled in.
-----
For the first time since Nero, Jim Kirk was afraid.
There was no telling how long it would take, but the M’Kraan Crystal had been activated. Energy leaked out of it, and if what Bones said was true, they really were all doomed.
Jim didn’t believe in no-win scenarios, but this…this was a wholly different ballgame.
D’Ken continued to grow in size, and the energy pouring from his eyes doubled. Bones grit his teeth and held the shield in position, but it gave way, knocking him to the floor with the force of the impact. Jim reached down and helped him up. Corsair opened fire on D’Ken, but the blasts merely ricocheted off the Emperor; Sulu and Spock also opened fire, and their phasers were just as ineffective.
“I do not understand what is happening,” Gladiator said as he let go of Lilandra.
Throwing his head back, D’Ken laughed, and it was high-pitched, the laughter of the insane. “You are all fools! None of you can stop me! You are merely toys put here for my amusement!”
At this, D’Ken shrank in size and got pulled into the crystal.
“Well, that sure worked,” Jim said. Bones walked to the crystal. “Hey, Bones, what…?”
“D’Ken has been granted his wish,” Bones said, not paying attention to Jim. “He is now one with the Crystal. While we’re out here, he’s inside it creating his own universe.” He stared up at the Crystal, and Jim couldn’t quite read the look on his face. “Where we all will soon be, although by that point none of us will care.”
Corsair put his wrist up to his mouth. “Ch’od?”
The voice of the lizard came out loud enough for Jim to hear it. We read you, Captain.
“Take the Starjammer and get out of here yesterday,” Corsair ordered.
But, Captain, Ch’od said. We’re all set to board D’Ken’s ship and retrieve you!
“That’s an order, Ch’od, don’t make me repeat myself,” Corsair said. “Go!”
There was a sound, like the noise the Enterprise would make when its dock’s moorings would detach, and Jim knew the Starjammer separated from the Imperial Cruiser. He turned his attention back to Bones. “You all must join them,” Bones said. “I need more time to see if I’m strong enough to contain the Crystal.”
Jim stared at him. “You’re not doing this alone!”
“If we are not successful,” Bones said as he raised his hands. The Crystal flew down, hovering just out of Bones’ reach. “Then we are all as good as dead.”
“You’re not doing this alone,” Jim repeated. “We can help!”
“It is up to us now,” Bones said, finally turning to Jim and his eyes were white. A raptor formed behind him, gathering them all in its wings. With the speed of thought, they were taken from D’Ken’s ship and placed on the bridge of the Starjammer. Ch’od, Raza, and Hepzibah, startled by their appearance, gawked at them for a minute.
“Corsair,” Hepzibah said in relief.
“What is happening?” Ch’od asked.
“We are being given a short time to contemplate our fate, while someone attempts to change it,” Corsair said as he ran to the ship’s controls, turning on its main screen. “Full escape velocity! Push it!”
A large firebird flew away from the Starjammer towards D’Ken’s ship. It disappeared inside it. Jim’s palms began to sweat, and he wiped them off on his pants. “Your magnification go any higher?”
Corsair increased the magnification, and they got a close view of the Imperial Cruiser. As the Starjammer flew away from it, the image moved further back.
“That’s the best we can do,” Corsair said.
Jim took a step towards the screen. “Bones,” he whispered.
“This is nuts,” Sulu said, causing everyone to stare at him. “I’m sorry, but really? I can’t be the only person who thinks all of this is terrible and crazy, can I?”
“I don’t think any of us are enjoying ourselves,” Scotty said. “We just have to have faith that the doctor can…”
“That the doctor can what? Use his new magic powers to somehow save our asses?” Sulu cut him off. “I mean, this is insane! Why does a human, why does any human have his powers?”
Jim stiffened at this and glared at him. “I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, but right now Bones is our only hope.”
Sulu threw up his hands. “Of course you think so! You think everything he does is great!” He looked around the bridge at each person in turn before giving his attention back to Jim. “I am telling you that no human, no human should be able to do what he’s been doing! Telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation…he’s practically a God now! It’s dangerous is what it is!”
The accusation hung in the air, and Jim growled at him. “Stand down, Lieutenant,” he said. That was Bones Sulu was talking about, and Jim wouldn’t have it.
“Oh that’s great, you’re gonna order me around because you don’t like what I’m saying,” Sulu snapped, and Nyota and Chekov stared wide-eyed at him in disbelief.
“I said stand down,” Jim reiterated through clenched teeth. “Your freak out isn’t doing anything for this situation. It is what it is. Bones will stop the Crystal and save us. You don’t have to like it, but you need to accept it.”
“What in…?” Corsair mumbled, and Jim looked back at the view screen. He gaped at the scene before him.
D’Ken’s ship was folding up in on itself like an accordion, collapsing into nothingness.
“Oh dear God,” Nyota said, her hand covering her mouth.
At the same moment they noticed that, the Starjammer lurched backwards, knocking all of them off their feet. Then the ship came to a complete halt. “I didn’t give the order to stop,” Corsair said.
Raza frantically pushed the controls. “I do not know what happened, Corsair. We’re at maximum speed, but we are not moving at all.”
Gladiator helped Lilandra stand. “Phoenix has failed,” she said, and Jim’s blood ran cold. “We shall soon join my brother inside the Crystal.”
“Wait a minute,” Scotty said. “How do you know that? He might still…”
“Look,” Chekov said. On the screen, D’Ken’s ship disappeared, leaving only the M’Kraan Crystal behind. The sun’s light started to stream into it, as if the Crystal was eating it alive.
“Oh,” Scotty said. “Well sure, if you want to prove your point that way, then that’s fine.”
“Open fire,” Corsair commanded. Ch’od immediately did as he was told, firing on the crystal. It had no effect, but Ch’od continued to shoot it anyway.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Jim asked. “Bones is…”
“’Bones’ is no longer a factor in the equation,” Corsair said. “Saving my ship and our lives is.”
The Starjammer hurtled towards the Crystal, faster than it flew under its own power.
Gladiator wrapped his cape around Lilandra. “I regret, Majestrix, that my service to you must begin in such a manner,” he told her over the sounds of the Starjammer being crushed under the strain.
Jim cast his eyes down at the floor, Lilandra’s words about Bones’ failure ringing in his ears.
Not again.
He couldn’t lose Bones again, not like this. He looked at his crew; Scotty and Chekov clung to each other, and Spock held Nyota close, their fingers joined in a Vulcan kiss. Sulu stared ahead at the screen, and if he had been afraid before, now he had to be beside himself from the paleness of his face and the clenching of his fists.
There was only one person Jim wanted to be with, and he would join him soon.
The Starjammer came up on the Crystal, and Jim squeezed his eyes shut. He took a deep breath and hoped that it would be relatively painless. The ship flipped upside down, then right side up. Everyone screamed as they were tossed in circles, rolling around like marbles. This continued for what felt like eons before the ship crashed into something hard.
Jim slid into a console, cursing when his back hit it.
“Jesus Christ,” Scotty said from where he lay upside down against a chair. “Now I know how a Higgs-Boson particle feels.”
The hull of the Starjammer breeched, but they did not get sucked out into space. They weren’t in space at all. As Jim rubbed his head to make sure he wasn’t injured, he thought he heard the loud sound of a pulsing heartbeat.
“What is that noise?” Spock asked, and Jim sighed in relief that someone else heard it.
They stood and made their way through the hole in the ship to the outside, and what they saw threatened to make Jim throw up. The ground was littered with throbbing pink veins and purple stones; Jim carefully walked forward to not step on the exposed organs. The sky, if it even was a sky, was a dull red. Yellow lighting filled the air, as did flying hunks of rock. In the middle was a floating red orb bathed in yellow light.
“I think I am going to be sick,” Chekov said as he made a strangled noise. He covered his face with his hands and swallowed several times.
“The legends of the Crystal are true,” Lilandra said as she stepped forward and searched the landscape. “But what of my brother?”
What of your brother? a voice asked, and Jim had the feeling it came from the sky. He lives, dear sister!
The red orb warped, alternating between pitch black and golden light. Haunting laughter filled the air around them, and Jim instinctively went for his phaser.
“Show yourself,” Gladiator yelled up the sky.
You wish to see me? Very well, then. D’Ken appeared, and he now stood larger than the Starjammer. Here I am, fools! The power of the negative galaxy is mine! The universe shall soon see me and tremble!
Jim armed his phaser; it was not likely it would work, but he wasn’t about to roll over and let D’Ken destroy the galaxy. Scotty and Sulu stood next to him, also with armed phasers. “Let’s roll,” Jim barked, and the three of them rushed at D’Ken.
“Captain, no!” Spock said, but it was too late. D’Ken fired energy at them, hitting them all, and the force blew them into the Starjammer. Jim saw stars from the impact.
Shit.
Gladiator flew to a large rock and hurled it at D’Ken, who simply waved a hand and melted it. He also laughed. You are all too simple to understand, D’Ken said as he vanished.
Jim got up on his hands and knees, looking across the field, when something caught his eye in the corner of his vision.
Laying about fourteen meters away was a body in a green jacket. The person had been flattened, and the only distinguishing mark left was a shock of dark brown hair.
Jim crawled toward the body, his eyes never leaving it; he swallowed as he got closer. Finally, he knelt next to it.
It was Bones.
“No,” Jim said. “Bones…” His heart stopped from being hit by grief, his throat and eyes burning at the realization. “Not again.” Jim was vaguely aware of the battle continuing behind him as he reached out and held onto Bones’ arm. Bones had not only failed, he was dead.
Nothing mattered anymore. Being trapped in the crystal didn’t matter; stopping D’Ken didn’t matter, because once again everything that was important to him has been taken away. Bones was dead, and he wouldn’t be coming back this time.
Jim reached up and wiped the tears out of his eyes as he struggled not to cry; seeing this was enough to break him. He clung to Bones’ sleeve, biting back a sob. His heart felt like it was encased in ice, like he would never feel joy or anything approaching it again. He went to wipe his eyes a second time when he noticed his hands were red.
They were covered with Bones’ blood.
“Oh God,” Jim said, choking back another sob. He didn’t want to break down, but it was too much. Bones was gone, and Jim finally let the tears fall as he took a closer look at Bones’ body. He really had been flattened; his organs leaked out of holes in his skin, and his face had caved in, almost unrecognizable. Gray mush came out of the top of his head, and Jim realized with horror that it was Bones’ brain. “Oh God, Bones,” he said a second time.
“Captain,” Spock said. Jim didn’t respond, he continued to hold Bones’ jacket. “Captain,” Spock repeated. “We need your assistance.”
“Go away,” Jim choked. “I can’t…”
“Jim,” Spock tried again. “Jim, we need you to help us try to stop D’Ken.”
“I don’t care,” Jim said. His grip tightened on Bones’ sleeve.
Spock stood silent for a minute. “I understand that you are emotionally compromised, Jim, but the entire Federation is at stake.”
“I told you, I don’t care,” Jim said. “Let him win. I don’t fucking care.”
Again, Spock was silent. “I believe Doctor McCoy would be most displeased to hear you say that.”
Jim swallowed, but he did loosen his grip on the jacket. As much as he hated to admit it, Spock had a point. Bones would kill him for giving up like this. “Fuck.” He wiped the blood off on Bones’ coat and his pants. Jim sniffled as he collected himself. “Okay.” He turned his attention back to D’Ken and the others.
If the emperor had been large before, he was enormous now. He also appeared to be made of living stone. Gladiator shot him with his eye beams, and D’Ken laughed.
“It has no effect,” the Imperial Guardsman said. “Majestrix…”
“I shall try to reason with him,” Lilandra said as she stepped forward. “D’Ken, my dear brother, the Crystal will gain you nothing. Join with us to fight it, and we can save all of creation. We are trapped, and the power will cause the End of All That Is, including you. ”
End me? D’Ken stared down at his sister. The Crystal is life! The Crystal is everything! We are one, and we are remaking the universe into one I alone will rule. A thoughtful look crossed his features, and his hands sunk down into the ground. All I need is a thought, and I can destroy you.
His hands reappeared above the Starjammer, and he crushed it like a paper doll. Jim saw by the set of her shoulders that Lilandra was not willing to give up. “If you help us seal the crystal, we can end this, D’Ken,” she tried again. “There is no need for the galaxy, including the Shi’ar Empire, to be destroyed.”
D’Ken did not answer her; he instead laughed again.
Gladiator lifted into the air. “I am tired of this! Prepare to be destroyed, creature!” He flew at D’Ken, punching him in the chest. D’Ken’s body absorbed his fist, however, and Gladiator became stuck.
You dare challenge me? A light poured out of D’Ken’s chest, forming a bubble around Gladiator who screamed in pain. The energy then propelled Gladiator backwards into the remains of the Starjammer. See what I do to your so-called protectors, Lilandra?
The stone body disintegrated, and another ship filled the air above them. “Incoming!” Jim yelled as it crashed not too far from the Starjammer. Its hull also had a hole in it, and out stepped the various members of the Imperial Guard.
“Kallark,” the pale blue-haired woman said to Gladiator, and Jim guessed that must be his real name. “What is happening? We evacuated the cruiser, but…”
“Imperial Guard,” Gladiator said, and the members all stood before him. “We are honored today to preserve the Shi’ar Empire by destroying former emperor D’Ken.”
The other members all murmured together.
“I don’t understand,” the woman continued.
“Oracle, D’Ken has gone mad,” Lilandra explained. “If we do not stop him, the fate of more than just the Empire is at stake!”
“We must attack,” Gladiator said as he hit his hand with his fist.
Jim sighed, and Spock turned to him with an assessing look. “It is not like you to give up hope,” Spock said as the flying members of the Imperial Guard took off in search of D’Ken.
Jim kicked at a loose rock. “Our weapons are useless, Bones is dead, and we’re trapped inside a crystal.”
D’Ken’s face filled the sky, and one by one, he took out the members of the Imperial Guard with lightning.
Jim sighed a second time before looking his first officer in the eye. “No, Spock, I’m not one to give up, but you have to admit…it ain’t pretty.”
An idea struck him then, and Jim looked at the Starjammer; sure it sat crushed, but maybe its weapons still functioned. He grabbed Chekov by the collar and dragged him inside.
“Captain, what…?”
“Can you figure this out enough to fire at D’Ken?” Jim asked as he steered Chekov to sit at the console Ch’od used earlier.
Chekov blinked up at him before quirking his lips in a smile. “They have not invented a system I cannot figure out.”
“Good,” Jim said as he flipped the switch for the view screen. On it, they saw Gladiator and the flaming Imperial Guardsman pour everything they had into a frontal assault on D’Ken. As with all their previous attacks, this proved useless.
Miraculously, the systems came online. Jim made a note if they got out of this to ask Lilandra to join the Federation; Shi’ar tech was obviously superior to Starfleet’s, as much as it pained him to admit, and Starfleet could use it against the Klingons and the Romulans.
Chekov read the screen for a second. “I have torpedoes, a stun ray, and blasters, sir.”
“Torpedoes,” Jim said as he kept his eyes on the battle. D’Ken turned the ground against them, and stone warriors attacked the Imperial Guard and Jim’s crew. He saw Uhura shoot one of the golems before she ran from another.
“Aye,” Chekov said as he took aim. He fired with a gleeful expression. His aim was true, and he hit D’Ken right in the chest, his form shattering into shards of glass.
“Yes!” Jim pounded his fist into the console. Chekov reached his right hand up, and Jim gave him the highest of fives. “I owe you a commendation for that, Chekov.”
Chekov shrugged. “It is the job.”
Jim pat him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go regroup with the others.” They made their way off the Starjammer, where the Imperial Guard, Starjammers, and his crew stood. “I think we got him, if…”
Maniacal laughter rung through the air, and the sky filled with D’Ken’s face.
Did you really think that could work? D’Ken said, and his tone was snide. Did you really think any weapon is capable of stopping me?
“Well, I mean…I’d look pretty stupid if I said yes now,” Jim said.
D’Ken continued to laugh. All of you are pathetic. There is no stopping what I have become. I am The End of All That Is. Nothing can prevent my rule. He turned his gaze to Lilandra. Treacherous sister, I think it is time I repaid you for your actions.
A beam shot out of D’Ken’s eye, and it enveloped Lilandra in a bubble. She screamed as she floated up towards his face.
“Majestrix!” Gladiator and all the members of the Imperial Guard who could fly took to the air. “Monster, leave her be!”
D’Ken waved a hand, and all of the flying Guardsmen fell out of the sky and into the ground. Sulu opened fire on D’Ken, Scotty following suit. D’Ken shot energy at them, blowing them onto their backs. Lilandra lay momentarily forgotten but still in the bubble.
“I will not rest until you are stopped, creature!” Gladiator said, having recovered. He once again took the sky, flying so fast Jim almost couldn’t see him. He folded his hands together and reached them back, bringing them down onto D’Ken’s head but not before he vanished.
D’Ken reappeared behind them and again floated Lilandra to him.
So many ways to get revenge, D’Ken said. I think I shall tear you apart and put you back together. Would you like that, dear sister?
“D’Ken, no!” Lilandra screamed.
Before any of them could react, the ground gave way under their feet. It splintered apart into islands, and they all separated. “Shit,” Jim said as he lost his balance and fell off his piece of rock. The Imperial Guardsman in the sunglasses caught him.
“I have you, Captain,” he said as he swooped down and also grabbed Hepzibah. “Both of you are safe for now.”
“Thanks uh…” Jim said. “Sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Smasher,” he said as he let them down on another larger piece of rock; Jim watched as Gladiator brought Uhura and Spock to it in a similar manner. The gray skinned shape shifter turned into a large dragon and swooped below the rest of the non-flyers. Jim sighed in relief that none of his crew was killed.
D’Ken continued to laugh. I can make you my minion, he said to Lilandra. I can do with you whatever I please.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw something flicker, like a spark. He turned to it; he sat close to Bones’ body, and flames licked at the corpse. Before he could react, a great fire raptor appeared.
“Do not despair,” Bones’ voice called throughout the crystal. “Phoenix is reborn.”
Jim’s heart swelled and his eyes, his stupid, traitorous eyes, started welling up with tears. “Bones,” was all he said, all he could say as relief stole his capacity for speech.
Be gone! D’Ken said. I have no time for you, insect.
Lilandra fell from the sky, and Gladiator caught her. “I have you, Majestrix.”
Bones became visible in the middle of the firebird, and he reached up a hand. D’Ken immediately fired an energy blast at him, but Bones deflected it. “Lilandra’s ship approaches,” Bones told them. “I will teleport you to it, where you will be safe. You will be beyond D’Ken’s reach.”
Bones faded into the flame, and his wings stretched out and grabbed everyone except D’Ken. Screeching, the bird flapped its wings, flying in circles around the emperor. It then flew up high through the breech in the crystal and into space.
It only took a second, but they arrived on Lilandra’s ship. Bones floated down from the ceiling and into Jim’s arms.
Jim held him as tight as he could. “You’re alive,” he breathed.
“Yeah,” Bones said as he returned the hug. “I am.”
“What of the crystal?” Lilandra said as she took a step towards them. “Can you really stop it?”
“There is one way,” Bones said before doubling-over. Jim reached out, supporting his weight with his hands. “If I’m strong enough.” He looked around the ship, his eyes lingering on the faces of the Enterprise crew. “I was chosen because I’m a healer, and as a human, I have empathy. I can feel the crystal’s pain, whereas the Phoenix cannot. Together we have learned much of the orb, the living center at the crystal’s heart. I know now what needs to be done, if I can.” Bones took a step forward away from Jim. “I must join with the matrix surrounding the crystal and restore what D’Ken has broken.”
Jim gaped at him for a second before grabbing his arm, turning him so that they faced each other. “Are you crazy? What happens if you get stuck? You’ll be trapped inside the crystal forever!”
Bones smiled at him, and it was sad. “You can’t stop me, Jim, so don’t even try. You know I wouldn’t if there was any other way, but I have to. If our positions were reversed, you’d do the same.”
Jim clenched his hands into fists. “Then at least let me come with you. I can help!”
Bones didn’t answer him; he looked away with that same sad little smile.
A pang hit Jim deep in his chest. “I can’t go, can I?”
Again, Bones didn’t speak; he simply turned his eyes back to Jim’s face.
“Bones…” Jim began, needing to say something but not knowing what. “I…I want….”
Something shifted in Bones’ expression, and his smile brightened. “Tell me when I get back.” He turned back to everyone else. “Goodbye, my friends. I’m not one for flowery speeches, but…” He shrugged. “Well, you matter to me. Even you, Hobgoblin.”
Spock inclined his head in a nod, understanding written on his face. Nyota had tears in her eyes, and even Sulu looked sad.
Bones turned back to Jim one final time before flying up into the air. His hair turned to flame first, followed by his body. He soon became enveloped in a firebird, and he flew out of the ship into space.
Jim watched him go on Lilandra’s view screen, taking a step toward it; he saw the Phoenix fly back into space. Jim stared at the scene in front of him, scared to even blink in case he missed something. He opened and closed his hands a few times, and he swallowed once.
There was nothing more to do; it was all up to Bones now. All he could do was stand and watch. If Jim were the type, he would have prayed at that instant. Instead he reached out with his thoughts, sending them to Bones and hoping that he could hear him.
//You can do it, Bones.// he thought. //You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. You can save us.//
There was no response, and the view screen told him why. The phoenix was at the crystal now, and the image shrank as Lilandra’s ship moved away. It didn’t take long before he couldn’t make out anything except colors and vague shapes.
//You can do it, Bones.// he tried again. //You can do it.//
No answer came. The ship moved further away, and everyone on board was silent; the other people scarcely moved as they waited to see if Bones would succeed. Jim took another step to the screen and closed his eyes.
//Bones, I know you can feel me. You can do it. I’m giving you my strength, Bones. Use it.// He reached out to the screen. //Take everything, Bones. Everything that’s mine is yours.//
Jim felt warmth crash over his thoughts, like a soothing wave. It flowed throughout his body, and he felt at home. Without asking, he knew what, or rather who, it was.
//Bones?//
“Help me find a way,” he thought he heard Bones say.
Jim reached out again. //Bones. I know you can do this. I know you’ll come back.// He bit his bottom lip. //Please save us and come back, Bones. Come back to me. There’s…there’s something I need to say.// The warmth continued to flow through him, and Jim looked at his crew. Scotty has wrapped his arms around himself, and Nyota’s eyes were wet. They could feel it, too. //Bones, we’re here for you. I’m here for you and waiting. Save us and come back.//
He focused his attention back on the screen; they were too far away now, and he could only see a light in front of the sun.
//Bones, save us.// He reached out to the screen again. //I know you’ll win. You always do. Come back.// He felt tears form in his eyes. //You’ll save the day, and then you’ll come back. You can do it, Bones. I believe in you. You can do it.//
Just like that, the warmth receded. Jim took a deep breath; it made him feel inexplicably empty. He put his hands in his pockets, and his eyes did not leave the screen.
//Bones, I know you can do it. I know you can save us. Save us and come back.// Jim sighed. //Save us and come back. Save us.//
Nobody, not even Gladiator, could move Jim away from the screen the whole time.
-----
Bones flew through space, away from Lilandra’s ship and back to the M’Kraan Crystal. It still absorbed the sun’s light, and Mercury had gotten dangerously close to it.
Bones frowned, and his firebird held the crystal in its wings. He closed his eyes and concentrated; the breech was on the top of the crystal, and it was very small. He needed to heal the crystal, seal it up, so the negative galaxy would stop pulling the Sol system into it.
Lines of energy came off the phoenix, turning into a grid that surrounded the crystal. Bones held it as close as he was able, doing everything he could to resist being pulled in a second time. It felt different, though; he felt stronger, like he was tapping into the very power of the stars themselves.
As Phoenix, he was one with all of creation. As Bones, he could sense where it needed mending. “I’m a healer,” he said, though there was no one there to hear him. “I will heal you.”
The energy sealed the breech, but something went wrong. Bones frowned and concentrated harder.
“It’s not enough,” he said. “I’m not enough!” He thought about the others, about how he would let them down. If there only was some way for them to help him.
Wait a second.
They couldn’t physically help him…but their souls… He could join with their souls, use parts of them to help him bind the crystal.
“Help me find a way,” Bones said as his eyes slid closed.
He thought of Chekov, exalting after solving a difficult problem. The Russian had an innocence and a childlike enthusiasm, but he was not naïve or simple.
He thought of Scotty, sometimes not sleeping in order to make sure the Enterprise was running up to his rigid standards. His determination and will kept the ship going some days.
He thought of Sulu, bravely fighting and refusing to give up in spite of his fears. Sulu was incredibly strong, both inside and out, and would never give up, even if he were frightened.
He thought of Nyota, graceful, beautiful Nyota. She excelled at her job not just because she knew everything about every Federation culture, but because of how compassionate she was to other beings.
He thought of Spock, how he always knew the right thing to say to pull them down from the ledge. Spock’s logic frustrated him sometimes, but his wisdom was invaluable.
And finally, he thought of his beloved Jim. He thought of all the times Jim was there for him or for any of his crew. He thought of how stalwart he was, and how he always managed to work situations so that they all survived.
Bones could feel the souls of his friends, climbing high like the Tree of Life into space. He felt his own soul join with theirs, and together with the Phoenix, his power became a song within him.
Little by little, the breech began to seal. It took time, but Bones did it.
No! D’Ken shouted. I will not have this! The Crystal and I will triumph!
“It is too late for you, D’Ken,” Phoenix answered. “You were doomed from the moment you became one with the Crystal. The judgment of the Phoenix finds you wanting; the universe shall not share your fate.” With just a little more power, the crystal sealed, and D’Ken became trapped inside.
Bones had done it!
“Whew,” he said. The crystal moved into the phoenix’s body, centering itself by its heart.
There was another problem, however.
While the crystal was sealed, that didn’t mean that someone else couldn’t undo Bones’ work. If another power-hungry being like D’Ken came along, the breech could be reopened.
There was almost nowhere the Crystal could go that was safe.
The Crystal also could not be destroyed; the magic that made it was very old and very powerful. Not even his powers could burn it, but Bones could take it somewhere that was out of reach of all living beings. He could fly with it and put it into the heart of a black hole. The vacuum might be enough to even destroy the crystal where the power of the Phoenix could not.
That meant leaving his friends – leaving Jim – behind.
An ache blossomed in Bones’ chest; he promised Jim he would come back, and that they would talk. Now he was going to have to renege on that; as Phoenix, Bones had an obligation to the universe. As much as it pained him, he had to put this duty above his heart.
Still holding the crystal, Bones flew back to Lilandra’s ship. He enveloped it in his living flame, and projected an image of his face onto the view screen. He could see all of them, Shi’ar and Federation person alike.
“Bones,” Jim said as he took a step towards the screen.
“The crystal is sealed,” Bones replied. “Phoenix and I were successful.”
Everyone on the ship cheered; Scotty and Chekov hugged each other, Corsair and Hepzibah kissed, Lilandra praised her gods…
And Jim stood in the center with his eyes shining. “Knew you could do it,” Jim said. “You can do anything.”
“Thank you,” Lilandra added. “I have no way to ever repay you, my friend.”
Bones smiled. “I cannot destroy the crystal to prevent this from happening again. However…I can take it some place where it can’t be reached. I will put it in a black hole deep in space,” Bones continued. “There it – and I – will remain.”
The cheering stopped, and everyone grew somber.
“Leonard,” Nyota said, and once more she had tears in her eyes. “You can’t…”
“I have to,” Bones said. “It is the only way to ensure our safety.” He looked at Jim, and Bones was moved by the deep sadness he saw on his face. Maybe he had been wrong when he decided Jim was only interested in him as a friend. “I am very sorry, Jim,” Bones said. “But I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back, I promise.”
Jim looked down at the floor before looking back up at Bones; he tried to smile, but it came out broken. “I’m holding you to that,” he said, and Bones wished he could stay more than anything.
“Goodbye,” Bones said, and he took down his image. He turned and flew back through the stars. When he reached the end of the sol system, he opened a stargate. He traveled through it, and when he came out on the other side, he was in a quadrant so remote even the Shi’ar had not explored it. It was truly uncharted space.
Bones used his telepathy like a type of sonar to explore the system. There was no life within it, only six planets, a sun, and several moons. The sun hovered in space before him, and he flew towards it. He regarded it for a long while; it glittered before his eyes, and Bones could not help but think it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Well…second most beautiful.
Pain flooded Bones’ body at the memory of the sadness in Jim’s eyes when he left. “Oh Jim,” he said out loud as he stared at the light. “The light…if only you could see it…if only you could be here with me,” he continued. He watched the star simmer and shimmer before him, committing every detail to memory. Jim couldn’t be with him, but he could tell him…he could show him, if Jim would let him use his powers to do so.
Bones turned and flew in the opposite direction of the star. Deep at the end of this system was the object he sought: an ancient black hole, older than the Sol system itself. His phoenix hovered before it, and Bones watched a glimmering light at each of its poles. It sparked like a spinning top, and Bones again wished Jim could be with him to witness it.
The center of the vacuum was dark, and Bones knew it would serve his purpose. He flew into the heart of the black hole, the powers of the Phoenix keeping him safe. He pulled the crystal free from his chest and dropped it deep within. In moments, the pressure pulverized the crystal, turning it into glowing pink shards. They were then crushed into fine dust, and Bones’ task was complete.
The crystal would never be used again.
Bones turned in the black hole back towards space and smiled.
It was just about worth it.
-----
It didn’t take long for Lilandra’s cruiser to fly back to Earth space, and it descended through the atmosphere, landing near the Presidio. Lilandra turned to Jim and smiled. “Welcome home,” she said to him, and Jim nodded at her in thanks.
Scotty sat by a computer, looking over the schematics for the ship. Chekov read over his shoulder. “Aye, if only we could get Starfleet on board with this,” Scotty said. “We could beat the Romulans for sure.”
“Perhaps if we take the schematics to them,” Chekov said with a thoughtful look. “Maybe they will listen.”
Lilandra entered a few keystrokes at her computer, before handing Nyota a disk. Nyota took it with a curious expression. “What’s this?”
“The entire history of the Shi’ar, including our customs and language,” Lilandra said with a smile. “We will be dealing more with each other soon. I think it best that we are on equal footing going forward.”
Nyota’s eyes widened. “Majestrix, I am…honored is the only word.”
“You are the very best of your organization, Nyota Uhura. It is my honor to bestow this upon you.”
Placing the disk in a compartment on her belt, Nyota smiled. “Thank you, Majestrix.”
Lilandra smiled down at her before turning to Jim. “Your crew does you a great deal of credit, James Kirk. I am proud to have met you.”
Not feeling much like smiling, Jim forced one onto his face anyways. “Same here, Lilandra.”
“Please give my thanks to Admiral Pike,” Lilandra said. “I realize I put him into a difficult position with my earlier actions.”
“I’m sure he understands,” Jim said. “But I’ll tell him at debriefing.”
“Now that I am the Majestrix of the Shi’ar empire, I see no need for us to hide ourselves from your Federation,” Lilandra added. “Perhaps we will join it.”
While normally this would make Jim incredibly happy, he simply said, “That would be great. We can draw up the paperwork.”
Lilandra nodded. “We must head back to Chandilar; there will be unrest due to D’Ken’s machinations. I am sorry we cannot stay longer, but I am now tasked with helping my people.”
“We understand,” Spock said, and Nyota and Sulu nodded their agreement.
Corsair clasped Jim on the shoulder. “I’m sorry I tried to use you as a weapon against the Empire, Jim. You’re a good man.”
“Thanks,” Jim said. “I mean, I understand.”
“I’ve lived for my revenge so long, I almost don’t know what to do with myself. I guess I have to find a new reason for living.”
Jim cast his eyes downward and swallowed. “So will I.”
“I’m honored to have fought beside you and your crew,” Corsair finished as he took a step backwards. “We’ll probably meet again, and I promise it will be as friends next time.”
“Yeah,” Jim said, again with a smile he didn’t feel. “Take care, Corsair.”
Corsair took another step backwards, and Lilandra’s technician beamed the six Starfleet officers outside. They stood on the grounds of Starfleet Academy, and the view overlooked the San Francisco Bay.
Jim sighed, and Nyota stepped over towards him. “He’ll be back,” she said.
Jim looked at her. “I’m that obvious?” he asked, even though he knew her answer.
“Leonard will be back,” she repeated, and Spock came closer to them, putting a hand on Nyota’s waist.
“Are you familiar with the Phoenix of legend?” Spock asked.
Jim sighed. “I don’t care about legends right now.”
“The Phoenix is a mythical bird that is consumed by flame,” Spock continued as if Jim hadn’t spoken. “When it dies, it resurrects itself from its ashes.” Spock took his free hand and turned Jim to face him. “It always returns: hope which never dies.” Jim was surprised to see how gentle Spock’s eyes were. “Think about it, Jim.” He let go of Jim’s shoulder and walked to the Academy.
“In the meanwhile,” Nyota said with a smile. “If you need a friend, I’m available.”
Jim looked down at her, and this time his smile was genuine. “Thanks, Nyota. I may take you up on that.”
“Of course,” she said as she followed her lover. One by one the others departed, leaving Jim alone.
The sun had set, and the sky was painted vibrant oranges and purples. Jim wrapped his arms around himself as he watched it, scanning the sky for any sign of Bones.
There were none.
Jim continued to hug himself as the sun dipped lower and lower on the horizon. Finally, it was gone, leaving only a ginger-colored sky behind.
“Bones,” Jim whispered as he closed his eyes.
He turned and made his way to Starfleet Headquarters.
Chapter Six | Epilogue
D’Ken sat on the throne in his Imperial Cruiser, surrounded by most of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. “I tire of this,” he said to no one in particular. “The crystal is near. It must be in my possession soon!”
The Imperial Guards said nothing; they knew better than to comment when D’Ken was frustrated. The throne room door opened, and in strode Gladiator with Davan Shakari, who looked very afraid.
As well he should be.
“You have failed me,” D’Ken said. “You did not get Lilandra, and you did not get the Crystal. Were these tasks too difficult?”
“I…your Excellency,” Shakari stammered.
“And you…” D’Ken turned to Gladiator. “You are the Praetor of the Imperial Guard. How is it possible that mere Terrans defeated you?”
“My lord,” Gladiator said as he bowed. “Is it not written that the Crystal has a Guardian?”
“The Phoenix is a story told by school children,” D’Ken scoffed. “It is nothing more than a fable.”
“My lord,” Gladiator raised his head. “I have seen him. I have felt his power, and he is merciless. The Phoenix lives!”
D’Ken scoffed a second time. “I will believe it when I see it.” He stood and began to pace.
Just then, an image formed in the middle of the throne room. It was a small hologram of Corsair.
“Corsair, you impudent rebel dog,” D’Ken snarled.
“Pirate traitor!” Gladiator added for good measure.
Nice to see I haven’t been forgotten, Corsair said with a smile. You’d do better to speak kinder to me. I have something that you want. The image shifted from Corsair’s face to the M’Kraan Crystal. The Terrans and Starfleet were too much for your Imperial agents, but I was able to deal with them. I even have the Starfleet Captain Kirk in my custody; consider it a small bonus.
“Name your price,” D’Ken said.
The image changed back to Corsair. You’d give up everything for this, but I’m only asking half. Half the Imperial Treasury, that is.
“My lord, he insults you,” Gladiator protested.
D’Ken raised a hand to silence him. “By the sacred ancestors of the Shi’ar, I agree to your price.”
That’s the spirit. Corsair smiled. I’ll see you in an hour. The image faded, leaving D’Ken standing in his throne room with his emissaries.
“When the Crystal is mine,” D’Ken said. “You’ll kill Corsair and tear the Starjammer out of space.”
Gladiator stared at him in disbelief. “But…Majestor, you swore the sacred oath…”
“You will do it!” D’Ken said, and Gladiator once again bowed his head. “You will do it. You will put an end to his miserable existence.”
“Yes, your Excellency,” Gladiator said.
“And as for you Shakari,” D’Ken continued. “Go to the airlock near the guest quarters. You will have one hour to contemplate your failures before it is opened.”
Shakari shook where he stood. “Y-yes, your Excellency,” he said, and he made his way out of the throne room to the designated area.
D’Ken took his place back on his throne and smiled.
“Doctor,” a voice called, and Bones felt like it was far away. “Doctor, you must awaken.”
Bones opened his eyes and saw Spock kneeling over him. “Spock, what…?”
“The stun ray was calibrated for humans,” Spock explained as he helped Bones sit up. “As I am only half, it did not affect me as severely as the rest of you.”
Bones stood and looked around him; everyone else still lay unconscious. He put his hand to his temple and sent a telepathic wave to them. This time it worked, and one by one they roused until they all stood upright.
Except Jim was nowhere to be found.
//Jim? // Bones sent telepathically around the ship. //Jim, I know you don’t want me in your head but answer me!//
He received no answer, which meant that Jim wasn’t on board.
“They took him,” Bones said, and his hands shook. He swallowed once, and his eyes were wide. “They took Jim.”
Something in Spock’s face shifted, and Bones could feel that he was beside himself with concern. “That is not all they have taken.”
Bones read Spock’s mind like a flashing neon sign. “The crystal.” He sank back against the console with his eyes closed. “They have the crystal and they have Jim.”
Lilandra went to her helmswoman. “Can we overtake their vessel?”
“No, Admiral,” the woman said. “They’re too fast.”
Lilandra turned to Bones. “You must transport us onto their ship the same way you brought us here.”
Bones brought his hand up to his mouth and thought. “I…I don’t know that I can.” Everyone stared at him, and he sighed. “Every time I use my powers, I grow stronger,” Bones explained. “My body is strong and young; it recovers quickly from their use. But…I don’t know that I’m strong enough yet to fly through deep space carrying all of you with me. If I do, I may not have anything left in me to defend the crystal.”
Bones closed his eyes. If he could reach out to Jim, contact him telepathically, he could at least find where he and the crystal were. //Jim.// Bones thought as the others discussed their predicament. The noise of the conversation faded away from Bones as he reached out throughout the stars and cosmos. //Jim.// he said a second time.
Something pulled him, like a tether. He hadn’t reached Jim, but he felt echoes of where Jim had been. Bones followed them like a ley line across space and time, homing in on his mind.
//Jim.// he called over and over. Each time he said it, he felt his telepathic voice grow stronger.
Bones saw a ship, an incredible ship that was even bigger than the Enterprise.
Next to it was the Starjammer.
//Jim.//
He perception shifted, and he saw through Jim’s eyes. D’Ken stood before him, and Jim’s hand drifted close to the weapon strapped to his back. Corsair stood next to him, and he held a tube. Corsair opened it, and the M’Kraan Crystal glittered in the light.
No!
Bones snapped his eyes open. “I’ve found Jim. He’s on D’Ken’s ship.”
Lilandra nodded. “And the crystal?”
“It’s with him,” Bones answered. It didn’t matter if he was strong enough; he had no choice any longer. His eyes turned white, and he felt the mystic flame form around his body. “We must go.”
He grabbed Lilandra and his friends in his wings, and flew off into space. As Phoenix, he could travel countless distances in the blink of an eye. D’Ken was all the way by the sun, but Bones reached the ship in seconds. Bones flew them through the ship’s hull and into the throne room, the flames disappearing as they had every other time he used his powers. Drifting down from the air, Bones landed on his feet before sinking to the floor.
He heard Jim shout, “Bones!” as he ran to him. “Are you all right?”
Bones looked up into those blue eyes and felt his heart practically short out from relief. “Worry about me later, we need to get that Crystal.” Jim nodded, and he turned his attention back to the room.
Corsair physically assaulted D’Ken, and they wrestled near the throne. The pirate strangled the Majestor, yelling, “You’ve lived far too long, D’Ken! The end of your life is---“ He was cut off by D’Ken turning into a gray-skinned man with antennae. “A shape shifter?”
The shape shifter smirked and threw Corsair across the throne room.
“Imperial Guards,” Gladiator called as he took the Crystal. “Attack the interlopers!”
Jim helped Bones stand, just in time for them to see Scotty and Chekov open fire on two of the Imperial Guard members: an incredibly pale woman in pink with blue hair, and a man made of living flame. They both crumpled to the ground, stunned.
Bones stood behind Jim as he grabbed the gun at his back and began to open fire. He managed to slow down a Guard member with a glowing head, like a star. Bones’ hands glowed, and he moved to attack Gladiator when Jim stopped him. “Save it for the Crystal!” Jim ordered. “We need you for that, not this!”
A man wearing a white and black suit and red glasses flew down and grabbed Spock, lifting him into the air. Spock turned his phaser all the way up and blasted him, causing them to crash into a wall. Spock recovered first, although his forehead was smeared green with blood for his trouble.
Lilandra fought a woman in purple. “Plutonia,” she said through clenched teeth. “You must listen! The Empire is polluted” The purple woman fired a pulse of energy at her, but she dodged it. “Think, Plutonia, why would he want the M’Kraan Crystal?”
Plutonia’s stance faltered. “Princess…”
Taking advantage, Lilandra slammed Plutonia in the face with the palm of her hand, shattering her faceplate. Her blue blood gushed out of her now-broken nose. Lilandra fired her weapon, stunning her.
Sulu and Uhura stood back to back as they opened fire on the Imperial Guard, but they dealt with the heavy-hitters; Gladiator didn’t even slow down in spite of being hit at full vaporize. Sulu changed his position so he aimed over her shoulder, and together both of their phasers on full managed to disorient him enough that he dropped the Crystal, Lilandra grabbing it before he could recover. “We must get back to my ship,” Lilandra shouted as she ran out the door.
“You heard the woman,” Jim said. “Move out!” He grabbed Bones’ hand, and together they ran towards the door, their follow officers hot on their heels. A purple and red blur zoomed past them, and Bones didn’t have to use his powers to know it was Gladiator.
Shit.
Ahead of them, they heard Lilandra scream.
Jim and Bones stopped short.
Gladiator held Lilandra, and the real D’Ken had the Crystal.
“One more step, Terrans,” D’Ken said with an oily smile, “And Gladiator will crush Lilandra like a twig.”
Jim and Corsair immediately drew their weapons on D’Ken.
“No, Jim,” Bones said, stepping forward. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves. “It’s my show now.”
D’Ken held the crystal up to his face. “In the name of Sharra and K’ythri and the sacred ancestors of the Shi’ar home world…”
“D’Ken, no! For the love of all we hold dear, do not…” Gladiator placing his hand over her mouth cut off Lilandra. She continued to scream behind it, and her eyes were wild.
“I call upon the nine dying stars and the world that has no name…” D’Ken continued.
“Stop!” Bones said as his eyes turned white. “I am the Guardian of the Crystal!” He hovered in the air, and a firebird formed around him.
D’Ken ignored him. “…Unlock the power of the M’Kraan, and make the galaxy mine6!”
A light sparked out of a crack in the crystal. The pink color faded away to a light gray, and energy seeped off it onto D’Ken. Bones flew forward and grabbed the crystal in one of his talons.
“You’re too late!” D’Ken shouted with a laugh. He aimed his hands and shot an energy blast at Bones, destroying the firebird and blowing him back into his crewmates. Jim caught him, his arms sliding around him easily.
“Damn it,” Bones said as he regained his balance, standing back on his own feet. “I need to be stronger…I’m not there yet!” The light pooled around D’Ken, almost but not quite blinding the others. The Crystal hovered in the air, little pulses of energy flowing throughout the room. “It has begun,” Bones said, as he stood free of Jim. “His words opened a breech in the Crystal, and now he’s harnessing the power of the negative galaxy inside it.”
“So what?” Sulu said, and even if Bones couldn’t read his mind, his fear would be apparent from the trembling of his voice. “It’s going to get out?”
D’Ken turned into living crystal and grew to the size of a giant. Energy poured out of his eyes, shooting rays at the Enterprise crew and Corsair. Bones erected a telekinetic shield, protecting them from the blast.
“No,” Bones said as he shook his head and strengthened the shield. “Everything we know, including ourselves, is going to be pulled in.
For the first time since Nero, Jim Kirk was afraid.
There was no telling how long it would take, but the M’Kraan Crystal had been activated. Energy leaked out of it, and if what Bones said was true, they really were all doomed.
Jim didn’t believe in no-win scenarios, but this…this was a wholly different ballgame.
D’Ken continued to grow in size, and the energy pouring from his eyes doubled. Bones grit his teeth and held the shield in position, but it gave way, knocking him to the floor with the force of the impact. Jim reached down and helped him up. Corsair opened fire on D’Ken, but the blasts merely ricocheted off the Emperor; Sulu and Spock also opened fire, and their phasers were just as ineffective.
“I do not understand what is happening,” Gladiator said as he let go of Lilandra.
Throwing his head back, D’Ken laughed, and it was high-pitched, the laughter of the insane. “You are all fools! None of you can stop me! You are merely toys put here for my amusement!”
At this, D’Ken shrank in size and got pulled into the crystal.
“Well, that sure worked,” Jim said. Bones walked to the crystal. “Hey, Bones, what…?”
“D’Ken has been granted his wish,” Bones said, not paying attention to Jim. “He is now one with the Crystal. While we’re out here, he’s inside it creating his own universe.” He stared up at the Crystal, and Jim couldn’t quite read the look on his face. “Where we all will soon be, although by that point none of us will care.”
Corsair put his wrist up to his mouth. “Ch’od?”
The voice of the lizard came out loud enough for Jim to hear it. We read you, Captain.
“Take the Starjammer and get out of here yesterday,” Corsair ordered.
But, Captain, Ch’od said. We’re all set to board D’Ken’s ship and retrieve you!
“That’s an order, Ch’od, don’t make me repeat myself,” Corsair said. “Go!”
There was a sound, like the noise the Enterprise would make when its dock’s moorings would detach, and Jim knew the Starjammer separated from the Imperial Cruiser. He turned his attention back to Bones. “You all must join them,” Bones said. “I need more time to see if I’m strong enough to contain the Crystal.”
Jim stared at him. “You’re not doing this alone!”
“If we are not successful,” Bones said as he raised his hands. The Crystal flew down, hovering just out of Bones’ reach. “Then we are all as good as dead.”
“You’re not doing this alone,” Jim repeated. “We can help!”
“It is up to us now,” Bones said, finally turning to Jim and his eyes were white. A raptor formed behind him, gathering them all in its wings. With the speed of thought, they were taken from D’Ken’s ship and placed on the bridge of the Starjammer. Ch’od, Raza, and Hepzibah, startled by their appearance, gawked at them for a minute.
“Corsair,” Hepzibah said in relief.
“What is happening?” Ch’od asked.
“We are being given a short time to contemplate our fate, while someone attempts to change it,” Corsair said as he ran to the ship’s controls, turning on its main screen. “Full escape velocity! Push it!”
A large firebird flew away from the Starjammer towards D’Ken’s ship. It disappeared inside it. Jim’s palms began to sweat, and he wiped them off on his pants. “Your magnification go any higher?”
Corsair increased the magnification, and they got a close view of the Imperial Cruiser. As the Starjammer flew away from it, the image moved further back.
“That’s the best we can do,” Corsair said.
Jim took a step towards the screen. “Bones,” he whispered.
“This is nuts,” Sulu said, causing everyone to stare at him. “I’m sorry, but really? I can’t be the only person who thinks all of this is terrible and crazy, can I?”
“I don’t think any of us are enjoying ourselves,” Scotty said. “We just have to have faith that the doctor can…”
“That the doctor can what? Use his new magic powers to somehow save our asses?” Sulu cut him off. “I mean, this is insane! Why does a human, why does any human have his powers?”
Jim stiffened at this and glared at him. “I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, but right now Bones is our only hope.”
Sulu threw up his hands. “Of course you think so! You think everything he does is great!” He looked around the bridge at each person in turn before giving his attention back to Jim. “I am telling you that no human, no human should be able to do what he’s been doing! Telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation…he’s practically a God now! It’s dangerous is what it is!”
The accusation hung in the air, and Jim growled at him. “Stand down, Lieutenant,” he said. That was Bones Sulu was talking about, and Jim wouldn’t have it.
“Oh that’s great, you’re gonna order me around because you don’t like what I’m saying,” Sulu snapped, and Nyota and Chekov stared wide-eyed at him in disbelief.
“I said stand down,” Jim reiterated through clenched teeth. “Your freak out isn’t doing anything for this situation. It is what it is. Bones will stop the Crystal and save us. You don’t have to like it, but you need to accept it.”
“What in…?” Corsair mumbled, and Jim looked back at the view screen. He gaped at the scene before him.
D’Ken’s ship was folding up in on itself like an accordion, collapsing into nothingness.
“Oh dear God,” Nyota said, her hand covering her mouth.
At the same moment they noticed that, the Starjammer lurched backwards, knocking all of them off their feet. Then the ship came to a complete halt. “I didn’t give the order to stop,” Corsair said.
Raza frantically pushed the controls. “I do not know what happened, Corsair. We’re at maximum speed, but we are not moving at all.”
Gladiator helped Lilandra stand. “Phoenix has failed,” she said, and Jim’s blood ran cold. “We shall soon join my brother inside the Crystal.”
“Wait a minute,” Scotty said. “How do you know that? He might still…”
“Look,” Chekov said. On the screen, D’Ken’s ship disappeared, leaving only the M’Kraan Crystal behind. The sun’s light started to stream into it, as if the Crystal was eating it alive.
“Oh,” Scotty said. “Well sure, if you want to prove your point that way, then that’s fine.”
“Open fire,” Corsair commanded. Ch’od immediately did as he was told, firing on the crystal. It had no effect, but Ch’od continued to shoot it anyway.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Jim asked. “Bones is…”
“’Bones’ is no longer a factor in the equation,” Corsair said. “Saving my ship and our lives is.”
The Starjammer hurtled towards the Crystal, faster than it flew under its own power.
Gladiator wrapped his cape around Lilandra. “I regret, Majestrix, that my service to you must begin in such a manner,” he told her over the sounds of the Starjammer being crushed under the strain.
Jim cast his eyes down at the floor, Lilandra’s words about Bones’ failure ringing in his ears.
Not again.
He couldn’t lose Bones again, not like this. He looked at his crew; Scotty and Chekov clung to each other, and Spock held Nyota close, their fingers joined in a Vulcan kiss. Sulu stared ahead at the screen, and if he had been afraid before, now he had to be beside himself from the paleness of his face and the clenching of his fists.
There was only one person Jim wanted to be with, and he would join him soon.
The Starjammer came up on the Crystal, and Jim squeezed his eyes shut. He took a deep breath and hoped that it would be relatively painless. The ship flipped upside down, then right side up. Everyone screamed as they were tossed in circles, rolling around like marbles. This continued for what felt like eons before the ship crashed into something hard.
Jim slid into a console, cursing when his back hit it.
“Jesus Christ,” Scotty said from where he lay upside down against a chair. “Now I know how a Higgs-Boson particle feels.”
The hull of the Starjammer breeched, but they did not get sucked out into space. They weren’t in space at all. As Jim rubbed his head to make sure he wasn’t injured, he thought he heard the loud sound of a pulsing heartbeat.
“What is that noise?” Spock asked, and Jim sighed in relief that someone else heard it.
They stood and made their way through the hole in the ship to the outside, and what they saw threatened to make Jim throw up. The ground was littered with throbbing pink veins and purple stones; Jim carefully walked forward to not step on the exposed organs. The sky, if it even was a sky, was a dull red. Yellow lighting filled the air, as did flying hunks of rock. In the middle was a floating red orb bathed in yellow light.
“I think I am going to be sick,” Chekov said as he made a strangled noise. He covered his face with his hands and swallowed several times.
“The legends of the Crystal are true,” Lilandra said as she stepped forward and searched the landscape. “But what of my brother?”
What of your brother? a voice asked, and Jim had the feeling it came from the sky. He lives, dear sister!
The red orb warped, alternating between pitch black and golden light. Haunting laughter filled the air around them, and Jim instinctively went for his phaser.
“Show yourself,” Gladiator yelled up the sky.
You wish to see me? Very well, then. D’Ken appeared, and he now stood larger than the Starjammer. Here I am, fools! The power of the negative galaxy is mine! The universe shall soon see me and tremble!
Jim armed his phaser; it was not likely it would work, but he wasn’t about to roll over and let D’Ken destroy the galaxy. Scotty and Sulu stood next to him, also with armed phasers. “Let’s roll,” Jim barked, and the three of them rushed at D’Ken.
“Captain, no!” Spock said, but it was too late. D’Ken fired energy at them, hitting them all, and the force blew them into the Starjammer. Jim saw stars from the impact.
Shit.
Gladiator flew to a large rock and hurled it at D’Ken, who simply waved a hand and melted it. He also laughed. You are all too simple to understand, D’Ken said as he vanished.
Jim got up on his hands and knees, looking across the field, when something caught his eye in the corner of his vision.
Laying about fourteen meters away was a body in a green jacket. The person had been flattened, and the only distinguishing mark left was a shock of dark brown hair.
Jim crawled toward the body, his eyes never leaving it; he swallowed as he got closer. Finally, he knelt next to it.
It was Bones.
“No,” Jim said. “Bones…” His heart stopped from being hit by grief, his throat and eyes burning at the realization. “Not again.” Jim was vaguely aware of the battle continuing behind him as he reached out and held onto Bones’ arm. Bones had not only failed, he was dead.
Nothing mattered anymore. Being trapped in the crystal didn’t matter; stopping D’Ken didn’t matter, because once again everything that was important to him has been taken away. Bones was dead, and he wouldn’t be coming back this time.
Jim reached up and wiped the tears out of his eyes as he struggled not to cry; seeing this was enough to break him. He clung to Bones’ sleeve, biting back a sob. His heart felt like it was encased in ice, like he would never feel joy or anything approaching it again. He went to wipe his eyes a second time when he noticed his hands were red.
They were covered with Bones’ blood.
“Oh God,” Jim said, choking back another sob. He didn’t want to break down, but it was too much. Bones was gone, and Jim finally let the tears fall as he took a closer look at Bones’ body. He really had been flattened; his organs leaked out of holes in his skin, and his face had caved in, almost unrecognizable. Gray mush came out of the top of his head, and Jim realized with horror that it was Bones’ brain. “Oh God, Bones,” he said a second time.
“Captain,” Spock said. Jim didn’t respond, he continued to hold Bones’ jacket. “Captain,” Spock repeated. “We need your assistance.”
“Go away,” Jim choked. “I can’t…”
“Jim,” Spock tried again. “Jim, we need you to help us try to stop D’Ken.”
“I don’t care,” Jim said. His grip tightened on Bones’ sleeve.
Spock stood silent for a minute. “I understand that you are emotionally compromised, Jim, but the entire Federation is at stake.”
“I told you, I don’t care,” Jim said. “Let him win. I don’t fucking care.”
Again, Spock was silent. “I believe Doctor McCoy would be most displeased to hear you say that.”
Jim swallowed, but he did loosen his grip on the jacket. As much as he hated to admit it, Spock had a point. Bones would kill him for giving up like this. “Fuck.” He wiped the blood off on Bones’ coat and his pants. Jim sniffled as he collected himself. “Okay.” He turned his attention back to D’Ken and the others.
If the emperor had been large before, he was enormous now. He also appeared to be made of living stone. Gladiator shot him with his eye beams, and D’Ken laughed.
“It has no effect,” the Imperial Guardsman said. “Majestrix…”
“I shall try to reason with him,” Lilandra said as she stepped forward. “D’Ken, my dear brother, the Crystal will gain you nothing. Join with us to fight it, and we can save all of creation. We are trapped, and the power will cause the End of All That Is, including you. ”
End me? D’Ken stared down at his sister. The Crystal is life! The Crystal is everything! We are one, and we are remaking the universe into one I alone will rule. A thoughtful look crossed his features, and his hands sunk down into the ground. All I need is a thought, and I can destroy you.
His hands reappeared above the Starjammer, and he crushed it like a paper doll. Jim saw by the set of her shoulders that Lilandra was not willing to give up. “If you help us seal the crystal, we can end this, D’Ken,” she tried again. “There is no need for the galaxy, including the Shi’ar Empire, to be destroyed.”
D’Ken did not answer her; he instead laughed again.
Gladiator lifted into the air. “I am tired of this! Prepare to be destroyed, creature!” He flew at D’Ken, punching him in the chest. D’Ken’s body absorbed his fist, however, and Gladiator became stuck.
You dare challenge me? A light poured out of D’Ken’s chest, forming a bubble around Gladiator who screamed in pain. The energy then propelled Gladiator backwards into the remains of the Starjammer. See what I do to your so-called protectors, Lilandra?
The stone body disintegrated, and another ship filled the air above them. “Incoming!” Jim yelled as it crashed not too far from the Starjammer. Its hull also had a hole in it, and out stepped the various members of the Imperial Guard.
“Kallark,” the pale blue-haired woman said to Gladiator, and Jim guessed that must be his real name. “What is happening? We evacuated the cruiser, but…”
“Imperial Guard,” Gladiator said, and the members all stood before him. “We are honored today to preserve the Shi’ar Empire by destroying former emperor D’Ken.”
The other members all murmured together.
“I don’t understand,” the woman continued.
“Oracle, D’Ken has gone mad,” Lilandra explained. “If we do not stop him, the fate of more than just the Empire is at stake!”
“We must attack,” Gladiator said as he hit his hand with his fist.
Jim sighed, and Spock turned to him with an assessing look. “It is not like you to give up hope,” Spock said as the flying members of the Imperial Guard took off in search of D’Ken.
Jim kicked at a loose rock. “Our weapons are useless, Bones is dead, and we’re trapped inside a crystal.”
D’Ken’s face filled the sky, and one by one, he took out the members of the Imperial Guard with lightning.
Jim sighed a second time before looking his first officer in the eye. “No, Spock, I’m not one to give up, but you have to admit…it ain’t pretty.”
An idea struck him then, and Jim looked at the Starjammer; sure it sat crushed, but maybe its weapons still functioned. He grabbed Chekov by the collar and dragged him inside.
“Captain, what…?”
“Can you figure this out enough to fire at D’Ken?” Jim asked as he steered Chekov to sit at the console Ch’od used earlier.
Chekov blinked up at him before quirking his lips in a smile. “They have not invented a system I cannot figure out.”
“Good,” Jim said as he flipped the switch for the view screen. On it, they saw Gladiator and the flaming Imperial Guardsman pour everything they had into a frontal assault on D’Ken. As with all their previous attacks, this proved useless.
Miraculously, the systems came online. Jim made a note if they got out of this to ask Lilandra to join the Federation; Shi’ar tech was obviously superior to Starfleet’s, as much as it pained him to admit, and Starfleet could use it against the Klingons and the Romulans.
Chekov read the screen for a second. “I have torpedoes, a stun ray, and blasters, sir.”
“Torpedoes,” Jim said as he kept his eyes on the battle. D’Ken turned the ground against them, and stone warriors attacked the Imperial Guard and Jim’s crew. He saw Uhura shoot one of the golems before she ran from another.
“Aye,” Chekov said as he took aim. He fired with a gleeful expression. His aim was true, and he hit D’Ken right in the chest, his form shattering into shards of glass.
“Yes!” Jim pounded his fist into the console. Chekov reached his right hand up, and Jim gave him the highest of fives. “I owe you a commendation for that, Chekov.”
Chekov shrugged. “It is the job.”
Jim pat him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go regroup with the others.” They made their way off the Starjammer, where the Imperial Guard, Starjammers, and his crew stood. “I think we got him, if…”
Maniacal laughter rung through the air, and the sky filled with D’Ken’s face.
Did you really think that could work? D’Ken said, and his tone was snide. Did you really think any weapon is capable of stopping me?
“Well, I mean…I’d look pretty stupid if I said yes now,” Jim said.
D’Ken continued to laugh. All of you are pathetic. There is no stopping what I have become. I am The End of All That Is. Nothing can prevent my rule. He turned his gaze to Lilandra. Treacherous sister, I think it is time I repaid you for your actions.
A beam shot out of D’Ken’s eye, and it enveloped Lilandra in a bubble. She screamed as she floated up towards his face.
“Majestrix!” Gladiator and all the members of the Imperial Guard who could fly took to the air. “Monster, leave her be!”
D’Ken waved a hand, and all of the flying Guardsmen fell out of the sky and into the ground. Sulu opened fire on D’Ken, Scotty following suit. D’Ken shot energy at them, blowing them onto their backs. Lilandra lay momentarily forgotten but still in the bubble.
“I will not rest until you are stopped, creature!” Gladiator said, having recovered. He once again took the sky, flying so fast Jim almost couldn’t see him. He folded his hands together and reached them back, bringing them down onto D’Ken’s head but not before he vanished.
D’Ken reappeared behind them and again floated Lilandra to him.
So many ways to get revenge, D’Ken said. I think I shall tear you apart and put you back together. Would you like that, dear sister?
“D’Ken, no!” Lilandra screamed.
Before any of them could react, the ground gave way under their feet. It splintered apart into islands, and they all separated. “Shit,” Jim said as he lost his balance and fell off his piece of rock. The Imperial Guardsman in the sunglasses caught him.
“I have you, Captain,” he said as he swooped down and also grabbed Hepzibah. “Both of you are safe for now.”
“Thanks uh…” Jim said. “Sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Smasher,” he said as he let them down on another larger piece of rock; Jim watched as Gladiator brought Uhura and Spock to it in a similar manner. The gray skinned shape shifter turned into a large dragon and swooped below the rest of the non-flyers. Jim sighed in relief that none of his crew was killed.
D’Ken continued to laugh. I can make you my minion, he said to Lilandra. I can do with you whatever I please.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw something flicker, like a spark. He turned to it; he sat close to Bones’ body, and flames licked at the corpse. Before he could react, a great fire raptor appeared.
“Do not despair,” Bones’ voice called throughout the crystal. “Phoenix is reborn.”
Jim’s heart swelled and his eyes, his stupid, traitorous eyes, started welling up with tears. “Bones,” was all he said, all he could say as relief stole his capacity for speech.
Be gone! D’Ken said. I have no time for you, insect.
Lilandra fell from the sky, and Gladiator caught her. “I have you, Majestrix.”
Bones became visible in the middle of the firebird, and he reached up a hand. D’Ken immediately fired an energy blast at him, but Bones deflected it. “Lilandra’s ship approaches,” Bones told them. “I will teleport you to it, where you will be safe. You will be beyond D’Ken’s reach.”
Bones faded into the flame, and his wings stretched out and grabbed everyone except D’Ken. Screeching, the bird flapped its wings, flying in circles around the emperor. It then flew up high through the breech in the crystal and into space.
It only took a second, but they arrived on Lilandra’s ship. Bones floated down from the ceiling and into Jim’s arms.
Jim held him as tight as he could. “You’re alive,” he breathed.
“Yeah,” Bones said as he returned the hug. “I am.”
“What of the crystal?” Lilandra said as she took a step towards them. “Can you really stop it?”
“There is one way,” Bones said before doubling-over. Jim reached out, supporting his weight with his hands. “If I’m strong enough.” He looked around the ship, his eyes lingering on the faces of the Enterprise crew. “I was chosen because I’m a healer, and as a human, I have empathy. I can feel the crystal’s pain, whereas the Phoenix cannot. Together we have learned much of the orb, the living center at the crystal’s heart. I know now what needs to be done, if I can.” Bones took a step forward away from Jim. “I must join with the matrix surrounding the crystal and restore what D’Ken has broken.”
Jim gaped at him for a second before grabbing his arm, turning him so that they faced each other. “Are you crazy? What happens if you get stuck? You’ll be trapped inside the crystal forever!”
Bones smiled at him, and it was sad. “You can’t stop me, Jim, so don’t even try. You know I wouldn’t if there was any other way, but I have to. If our positions were reversed, you’d do the same.”
Jim clenched his hands into fists. “Then at least let me come with you. I can help!”
Bones didn’t answer him; he looked away with that same sad little smile.
A pang hit Jim deep in his chest. “I can’t go, can I?”
Again, Bones didn’t speak; he simply turned his eyes back to Jim’s face.
“Bones…” Jim began, needing to say something but not knowing what. “I…I want….”
Something shifted in Bones’ expression, and his smile brightened. “Tell me when I get back.” He turned back to everyone else. “Goodbye, my friends. I’m not one for flowery speeches, but…” He shrugged. “Well, you matter to me. Even you, Hobgoblin.”
Spock inclined his head in a nod, understanding written on his face. Nyota had tears in her eyes, and even Sulu looked sad.
Bones turned back to Jim one final time before flying up into the air. His hair turned to flame first, followed by his body. He soon became enveloped in a firebird, and he flew out of the ship into space.
Jim watched him go on Lilandra’s view screen, taking a step toward it; he saw the Phoenix fly back into space. Jim stared at the scene in front of him, scared to even blink in case he missed something. He opened and closed his hands a few times, and he swallowed once.
There was nothing more to do; it was all up to Bones now. All he could do was stand and watch. If Jim were the type, he would have prayed at that instant. Instead he reached out with his thoughts, sending them to Bones and hoping that he could hear him.
//You can do it, Bones.// he thought. //You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. You can save us.//
There was no response, and the view screen told him why. The phoenix was at the crystal now, and the image shrank as Lilandra’s ship moved away. It didn’t take long before he couldn’t make out anything except colors and vague shapes.
//You can do it, Bones.// he tried again. //You can do it.//
No answer came. The ship moved further away, and everyone on board was silent; the other people scarcely moved as they waited to see if Bones would succeed. Jim took another step to the screen and closed his eyes.
//Bones, I know you can feel me. You can do it. I’m giving you my strength, Bones. Use it.// He reached out to the screen. //Take everything, Bones. Everything that’s mine is yours.//
Jim felt warmth crash over his thoughts, like a soothing wave. It flowed throughout his body, and he felt at home. Without asking, he knew what, or rather who, it was.
//Bones?//
“Help me find a way,” he thought he heard Bones say.
Jim reached out again. //Bones. I know you can do this. I know you’ll come back.// He bit his bottom lip. //Please save us and come back, Bones. Come back to me. There’s…there’s something I need to say.// The warmth continued to flow through him, and Jim looked at his crew. Scotty has wrapped his arms around himself, and Nyota’s eyes were wet. They could feel it, too. //Bones, we’re here for you. I’m here for you and waiting. Save us and come back.//
He focused his attention back on the screen; they were too far away now, and he could only see a light in front of the sun.
//Bones, save us.// He reached out to the screen again. //I know you’ll win. You always do. Come back.// He felt tears form in his eyes. //You’ll save the day, and then you’ll come back. You can do it, Bones. I believe in you. You can do it.//
Just like that, the warmth receded. Jim took a deep breath; it made him feel inexplicably empty. He put his hands in his pockets, and his eyes did not leave the screen.
//Bones, I know you can do it. I know you can save us. Save us and come back.// Jim sighed. //Save us and come back. Save us.//
Nobody, not even Gladiator, could move Jim away from the screen the whole time.
Bones flew through space, away from Lilandra’s ship and back to the M’Kraan Crystal. It still absorbed the sun’s light, and Mercury had gotten dangerously close to it.
Bones frowned, and his firebird held the crystal in its wings. He closed his eyes and concentrated; the breech was on the top of the crystal, and it was very small. He needed to heal the crystal, seal it up, so the negative galaxy would stop pulling the Sol system into it.
Lines of energy came off the phoenix, turning into a grid that surrounded the crystal. Bones held it as close as he was able, doing everything he could to resist being pulled in a second time. It felt different, though; he felt stronger, like he was tapping into the very power of the stars themselves.
As Phoenix, he was one with all of creation. As Bones, he could sense where it needed mending. “I’m a healer,” he said, though there was no one there to hear him. “I will heal you.”
The energy sealed the breech, but something went wrong. Bones frowned and concentrated harder.
“It’s not enough,” he said. “I’m not enough!” He thought about the others, about how he would let them down. If there only was some way for them to help him.
Wait a second.
They couldn’t physically help him…but their souls… He could join with their souls, use parts of them to help him bind the crystal.
“Help me find a way,” Bones said as his eyes slid closed.
He thought of Chekov, exalting after solving a difficult problem. The Russian had an innocence and a childlike enthusiasm, but he was not naïve or simple.
He thought of Scotty, sometimes not sleeping in order to make sure the Enterprise was running up to his rigid standards. His determination and will kept the ship going some days.
He thought of Sulu, bravely fighting and refusing to give up in spite of his fears. Sulu was incredibly strong, both inside and out, and would never give up, even if he were frightened.
He thought of Nyota, graceful, beautiful Nyota. She excelled at her job not just because she knew everything about every Federation culture, but because of how compassionate she was to other beings.
He thought of Spock, how he always knew the right thing to say to pull them down from the ledge. Spock’s logic frustrated him sometimes, but his wisdom was invaluable.
And finally, he thought of his beloved Jim. He thought of all the times Jim was there for him or for any of his crew. He thought of how stalwart he was, and how he always managed to work situations so that they all survived.
Bones could feel the souls of his friends, climbing high like the Tree of Life into space. He felt his own soul join with theirs, and together with the Phoenix, his power became a song within him.
Little by little, the breech began to seal. It took time, but Bones did it.
No! D’Ken shouted. I will not have this! The Crystal and I will triumph!
“It is too late for you, D’Ken,” Phoenix answered. “You were doomed from the moment you became one with the Crystal. The judgment of the Phoenix finds you wanting; the universe shall not share your fate.” With just a little more power, the crystal sealed, and D’Ken became trapped inside.
Bones had done it!
“Whew,” he said. The crystal moved into the phoenix’s body, centering itself by its heart.
There was another problem, however.
While the crystal was sealed, that didn’t mean that someone else couldn’t undo Bones’ work. If another power-hungry being like D’Ken came along, the breech could be reopened.
There was almost nowhere the Crystal could go that was safe.
The Crystal also could not be destroyed; the magic that made it was very old and very powerful. Not even his powers could burn it, but Bones could take it somewhere that was out of reach of all living beings. He could fly with it and put it into the heart of a black hole. The vacuum might be enough to even destroy the crystal where the power of the Phoenix could not.
That meant leaving his friends – leaving Jim – behind.
An ache blossomed in Bones’ chest; he promised Jim he would come back, and that they would talk. Now he was going to have to renege on that; as Phoenix, Bones had an obligation to the universe. As much as it pained him, he had to put this duty above his heart.
Still holding the crystal, Bones flew back to Lilandra’s ship. He enveloped it in his living flame, and projected an image of his face onto the view screen. He could see all of them, Shi’ar and Federation person alike.
“Bones,” Jim said as he took a step towards the screen.
“The crystal is sealed,” Bones replied. “Phoenix and I were successful.”
Everyone on the ship cheered; Scotty and Chekov hugged each other, Corsair and Hepzibah kissed, Lilandra praised her gods…
And Jim stood in the center with his eyes shining. “Knew you could do it,” Jim said. “You can do anything.”
“Thank you,” Lilandra added. “I have no way to ever repay you, my friend.”
Bones smiled. “I cannot destroy the crystal to prevent this from happening again. However…I can take it some place where it can’t be reached. I will put it in a black hole deep in space,” Bones continued. “There it – and I – will remain.”
The cheering stopped, and everyone grew somber.
“Leonard,” Nyota said, and once more she had tears in her eyes. “You can’t…”
“I have to,” Bones said. “It is the only way to ensure our safety.” He looked at Jim, and Bones was moved by the deep sadness he saw on his face. Maybe he had been wrong when he decided Jim was only interested in him as a friend. “I am very sorry, Jim,” Bones said. “But I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back, I promise.”
Jim looked down at the floor before looking back up at Bones; he tried to smile, but it came out broken. “I’m holding you to that,” he said, and Bones wished he could stay more than anything.
“Goodbye,” Bones said, and he took down his image. He turned and flew back through the stars. When he reached the end of the sol system, he opened a stargate. He traveled through it, and when he came out on the other side, he was in a quadrant so remote even the Shi’ar had not explored it. It was truly uncharted space.
Bones used his telepathy like a type of sonar to explore the system. There was no life within it, only six planets, a sun, and several moons. The sun hovered in space before him, and he flew towards it. He regarded it for a long while; it glittered before his eyes, and Bones could not help but think it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Well…second most beautiful.
Pain flooded Bones’ body at the memory of the sadness in Jim’s eyes when he left. “Oh Jim,” he said out loud as he stared at the light. “The light…if only you could see it…if only you could be here with me,” he continued. He watched the star simmer and shimmer before him, committing every detail to memory. Jim couldn’t be with him, but he could tell him…he could show him, if Jim would let him use his powers to do so.
Bones turned and flew in the opposite direction of the star. Deep at the end of this system was the object he sought: an ancient black hole, older than the Sol system itself. His phoenix hovered before it, and Bones watched a glimmering light at each of its poles. It sparked like a spinning top, and Bones again wished Jim could be with him to witness it.
The center of the vacuum was dark, and Bones knew it would serve his purpose. He flew into the heart of the black hole, the powers of the Phoenix keeping him safe. He pulled the crystal free from his chest and dropped it deep within. In moments, the pressure pulverized the crystal, turning it into glowing pink shards. They were then crushed into fine dust, and Bones’ task was complete.
The crystal would never be used again.
Bones turned in the black hole back towards space and smiled.
It was just about worth it.
It didn’t take long for Lilandra’s cruiser to fly back to Earth space, and it descended through the atmosphere, landing near the Presidio. Lilandra turned to Jim and smiled. “Welcome home,” she said to him, and Jim nodded at her in thanks.
Scotty sat by a computer, looking over the schematics for the ship. Chekov read over his shoulder. “Aye, if only we could get Starfleet on board with this,” Scotty said. “We could beat the Romulans for sure.”
“Perhaps if we take the schematics to them,” Chekov said with a thoughtful look. “Maybe they will listen.”
Lilandra entered a few keystrokes at her computer, before handing Nyota a disk. Nyota took it with a curious expression. “What’s this?”
“The entire history of the Shi’ar, including our customs and language,” Lilandra said with a smile. “We will be dealing more with each other soon. I think it best that we are on equal footing going forward.”
Nyota’s eyes widened. “Majestrix, I am…honored is the only word.”
“You are the very best of your organization, Nyota Uhura. It is my honor to bestow this upon you.”
Placing the disk in a compartment on her belt, Nyota smiled. “Thank you, Majestrix.”
Lilandra smiled down at her before turning to Jim. “Your crew does you a great deal of credit, James Kirk. I am proud to have met you.”
Not feeling much like smiling, Jim forced one onto his face anyways. “Same here, Lilandra.”
“Please give my thanks to Admiral Pike,” Lilandra said. “I realize I put him into a difficult position with my earlier actions.”
“I’m sure he understands,” Jim said. “But I’ll tell him at debriefing.”
“Now that I am the Majestrix of the Shi’ar empire, I see no need for us to hide ourselves from your Federation,” Lilandra added. “Perhaps we will join it.”
While normally this would make Jim incredibly happy, he simply said, “That would be great. We can draw up the paperwork.”
Lilandra nodded. “We must head back to Chandilar; there will be unrest due to D’Ken’s machinations. I am sorry we cannot stay longer, but I am now tasked with helping my people.”
“We understand,” Spock said, and Nyota and Sulu nodded their agreement.
Corsair clasped Jim on the shoulder. “I’m sorry I tried to use you as a weapon against the Empire, Jim. You’re a good man.”
“Thanks,” Jim said. “I mean, I understand.”
“I’ve lived for my revenge so long, I almost don’t know what to do with myself. I guess I have to find a new reason for living.”
Jim cast his eyes downward and swallowed. “So will I.”
“I’m honored to have fought beside you and your crew,” Corsair finished as he took a step backwards. “We’ll probably meet again, and I promise it will be as friends next time.”
“Yeah,” Jim said, again with a smile he didn’t feel. “Take care, Corsair.”
Corsair took another step backwards, and Lilandra’s technician beamed the six Starfleet officers outside. They stood on the grounds of Starfleet Academy, and the view overlooked the San Francisco Bay.
Jim sighed, and Nyota stepped over towards him. “He’ll be back,” she said.
Jim looked at her. “I’m that obvious?” he asked, even though he knew her answer.
“Leonard will be back,” she repeated, and Spock came closer to them, putting a hand on Nyota’s waist.
“Are you familiar with the Phoenix of legend?” Spock asked.
Jim sighed. “I don’t care about legends right now.”
“The Phoenix is a mythical bird that is consumed by flame,” Spock continued as if Jim hadn’t spoken. “When it dies, it resurrects itself from its ashes.” Spock took his free hand and turned Jim to face him. “It always returns: hope which never dies.” Jim was surprised to see how gentle Spock’s eyes were. “Think about it, Jim.” He let go of Jim’s shoulder and walked to the Academy.
“In the meanwhile,” Nyota said with a smile. “If you need a friend, I’m available.”
Jim looked down at her, and this time his smile was genuine. “Thanks, Nyota. I may take you up on that.”
“Of course,” she said as she followed her lover. One by one the others departed, leaving Jim alone.
The sun had set, and the sky was painted vibrant oranges and purples. Jim wrapped his arms around himself as he watched it, scanning the sky for any sign of Bones.
There were none.
Jim continued to hug himself as the sun dipped lower and lower on the horizon. Finally, it was gone, leaving only a ginger-colored sky behind.
“Bones,” Jim whispered as he closed his eyes.
He turned and made his way to Starfleet Headquarters.
Chapter Six | Epilogue