Chapter One - A Vote Of Confidence

STARFLEET ACADEMY, JANUARY, 2283

In her dreams, she saw him. The Orion Pirate King and his wicked daughter shrieked as he became a star in front of their assembled armies. Hair the color of a solar storm, eyes greener than her own blood, and carrying within his every atom the sense that this was the one true Rock Of Prophecy, fated slayer of no less than King Ghidorah itself.

When Saavik awoke, he was not there. They could not live together here, and only stolen moments in Captain Kirk's apartment allowed them any contact at all. Her migraine-inducing roommate had left the Academy, though it would be two years before Saavik found out that she had not been native to that universe, and had simply gone home.

Sarek and Amanda were back on Vulcan, and vid-calls only made the loneliness worse at times. Uncle Jim and Aunt Nyta were on one of their always-notable deep-space missions, likely clashing with the younger couple, First Officer Decker and Lt. Ilia, over regulations and away missions. Spock was on Q'onos as Federation Ambassador, and she fought to keep herself from wishing he would visit the Klingon afterlife of Grethor.

She was alone, and though she felt she should be used to this, it was something she never got used to. Now, loneliness itself had a new companion, and this was a feeling of wholesale inadequacy. Was she to be not Peter's partner, but his 'sidekick' or mascot? In the fight against their enemies, would she be reduced to standing behind them, smashing pottery over their heads?

"He left me shattered. He came back as a god."

The sexual tensions. The plots of Admiral Osborn. The scheming, witting and unwitting, of their Academy roommates. Peter Kirk had been shaken to his core, and had recorded what Saavik could only call a suicide note.

Then, in the Orion Punishment Arena, he returned, no longer merely a cunning warrior with an edge in speed and strength. He came back as what he was always meant to be. The blow he dealt the slavery-loving species and its rulers would not ever be forgotten.

"But there is no bounty on him. They fear him."

Even the Hall had been forced to acknowledge - in an edited form - the bravery of the Cadet known to most as 'Richard Grayson'. He and Saavik now held the technical rank of Ensign, though this would still only count after their graduation. To Saavik, her reward felt unearned. And she did not feel like she deserved Peter anymore.

"Or is it that I fear him?"

She got up, and went to her closet. She unfolded a small model train set, and imagined all the cadets getting on board.

"We will go away from this place, all of us. We will tell what we know of its horrors, and our parents will believe us and we will bring them back here and together we will make this place go away. Forever."

She saw it in the mind she belittled as too unimaginative, and felt it in the heart she thought too cold. She saw her hero standing by the track platform. Yet instead of being delighted to see her, he shook his head.

"Saavik, there's too many here. The Hall's patrols will be on us soon. You have to choose who gets out first. I know you'll choose well."

He smiled, kissed her, then vanished. She looked about in horror. The faces were all needy. There was no one undeserving of escape. But were some more in need of escape than others? Was it just simple math?

"Peter? Who am I to choose? How am I to choose who dies and who will keep their---"

The fantasy broke.

"---Lives."

She got up and went immediately to her desk. Her personal computer did a daily reading of other systems, but it had no active link to them. This meant it was next to unhackable.

"A flight. A series of ships. A certain crew complement, carefully selected so as to obscure the true goal. A tribute to your belief in me, Peter-Kam."

Saavik now knew what she had to do. A short journey on a certain railroad, to free those that needed it most of all. Her only doubt in the plan was its crafter.

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Chapter Two - Mundane Actions

The Cadet-Master stared at the application for the tenth time. He spoke to Saavik more directly than he had before.

"Ensign, I consider you to be an enemy alien. Part of an occupying force that has kept my planet back on more occasions than I care to recount."

Saavik had herself in a hard lockdown. Her mind focused on a single image, it proved easier than she would have thought.

"The decision regarding my application, sir?"

A practiced and careful provocateur, the Cadet-Master tried again.

"You are always watched. As a Vulcan. As a Romulan. As a Kirk. As a member of Sarek's house. As the lover of our greatest enemy. You yourself are nothing to us, save a pile of information collected on various groups of sworn foes. But in that, we know everything about you, from your preference for dark and white chocolate over milk, to exactly how wide your eyes go whenever your boyfriend first mounts you."

Saavik's eyes then went precisely that wide, and the Cadet-Master found that his bigotry had a weak point. Said point painfully hit the bottom of the low-rung desk he used.

"The decision regarding my application, sir?"

Personal attacks having failed, the Cadet-Master shifted the firing pattern.

"This flight certification class you're offering is decidedly non-accredited. You did a fine job getting our people away from those Orion scumbuckets. Your piloting skills are not in question. But you are not Hall certified, and I can personally guarantee you never will be. You can offer this tutorial. But it will gain the cadets in question nothing but wasted time on all your parts."

Saavik nodded.

"The decision regarding my application, sir?"

At last, the little nothing went all-out.

"An entirely female crew. How sisterly. You know, girls can be as hormonal as guys, Ensign. Stripping at the end of a successful mission is proscribed of course, but not unknown. Didn't you strip, once in your Vulcan Primary Academy? Ohhh--that's right--you were forcibly stripped by other female students. Then--heh--their families twisted things around in some 'logical' way, and got you banished from Vulcan. Must have been painful. Total exposure. That pretty little ass of yours exposed to the Vulcan noonday sun? Other girls, grabbing at your..."

"The decision regarding my application---SIR!?"

Smiling at the sight of her slight sneer, the Cadet-Master nodded.

"Approved, Ensign. Good flight. You'll be taking the Dunkirk. She's old. Badly old. Your all-girl band will be repairing her every step of the way, from dock to dock. Lot to ask of a bunch of frails."

Saavik recorded the approval and got up.

"Thank You, Sir."

She walked out, and after she was gone, in came an older man, slightly heavyset and oddly familiar.

"Heh. The girl has a nice ass, eh?"

The Cadet-Master got up, grinning.

"I wouldn't mind being an invasion force for that area."

The old man smiled, then kicked the CM in his crotch.

"By the way, I'm Bill Kirk, Saavik's great-uncle. I'm about the only Kirk never to serve in Starfleet, so don't even think about pressing any real charges. I was helping my niece out, by means of an ear-implant to guide her through your trash-talk. And one last thing---"

Bill leaned down to the gasping younger man's head.

"--nobody leers at her ass except my grand-nephew and their dirty old uncle."

Saavik smiled at George Kirk's older brother as he emerged. William S. Kirk was a character, to be sure, a man as fond of horses, wild times and privacy as the rest of his kin was of space exploration. If one went to meet him expecting an older version of his legendary nephew Jim, they would be in for a shock.

But for now, Saavik concerned herself with her flight plan, her ship, and her crew. The next part would be very telling, and very difficult. She prayed she would be ready.

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Chapter Three - The Unseeing And The Elephant

LATE APRIL, 2283

The Hall's internal security committee, minus its temporary chief of Hall Perimeter Defense, Richard Grayson, reviewed Saavik Kirk's pre-flight speech to those six-hundred-odd cadets who would be taking her tutorial. Since Richard Grayson was actually Peter Kirk, her stepbrother and quite a bit more, this was probably a smart move.

*I ask you to forget for the moment my legendary adoptive father, as I have forgotten my birth father, for those fathers are absent now. Absent also are the rapists of Hellguard, and all other rapists, both those who use force and those who use other means to obtain sick pleasures. We move forward both for ourselves and for a generation unborn. We will prove that whether we become the young guardians of life in the universe, or leave such things until we are more mature and able, that it is we alone who will make that fundamental choice. It is a simple thing we do. We go from one place to the other. But we will not return--as who we were.*

Admiral Komack, fuming over having been given such an assignment, shrugged when the recording was done.

"Its psycho-babble! She really didn't say anything. One of Brock Cartwright's speeches has more substance. That--didn't get recorded, did it?"

Cadet-Master Nan Retluoc, a cold individual who specialized in analyzing those cadets under regular intense surveillance, was if anything even more dismissive.

"Some kind of nonsense Vulcan mantra. Its evidentiary of why they're losing, and we're winning."

Colonel Rene' West, a recently returned man of some secrets, gave his opinion.

"Its a ruse. They plan to attack the facility on Planet 10. Or at least to expose its existence. If it is suddenly known that the Hall has kept Sol-X a secret, the people here on Sol-III will want to know why."

Komack looked at West.

"Why can't you just call it Planet X like everyone else?"

West glared, superior or no.

"Because, Billy, I don't read spy novels. I live them."

Komack bristled, but ignored his instinct to reply and stood up.

"If we scan the Dunkirk from Earth, it'll be detectable. But Starbase 14 is within their flight path's range, and can more easily claim to be doing a routine sensor sweep."

Retluoc frowned.

"Starbases are Commodity territory. They may try to fudge the scans. A good excuse to finally arrest Commodore Benz, I should think, Admiral."

Komack nodded.

"If Darla is stupid enough to do that, you are so authorized. But our main concern is Kirk's little girl. I don't care if she's adopted. She's got Jim's stamp, and that means we have to be ready for anything from a mass mooning to a coup attempt."

All walked out, as Saavik and her crew made ready for what would indeed be the fateful flight of the Dunkirk. West rolled his eyes.

"Mass mooning..."

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Chapter Four - A Small Choice

The Hall's agents at the outer docks reported in.

"No banners unfurled, Admiral. All motions standard on the Dunkirk's path."

The USS Dunkirk wasn't quite an Enterprise-class, but its turn-of-the-century design certainly evoked memories of that first ship of the line, a century ago.

"This is Ensign Saavik to all hands. Cadets, keep watch over every last readout. When our goal is kept to, please refrain from cheering until out of my earshot."

The ship passed the small patch of space, that, if scans were permitted, would have revealed the legendary tenth planet. It would also mean their instant deaths. But the planet's avenue of approach was not avoided so much as ignored, and cloaked gun-batteries kept their eerie silence.

*Tanet to Hall. Sirs, I'm near the Dunkirk's shuttlebay. No unusual activity. Just 650 girls who are in a tight space for a short time. I'll keep watch.*

But no agents were to find anything small that pointed to a larger scheme. Only Saavik herself was to provide that, and in an open movement.

"Cadet Maizen? Have we reached the limits of our recorded and approved flight plan?"

"We have, Ensign Kirk."

Saavik breathed in. This was it.

"Upon my authority, you are to exceed that flight plan and dock at Starbase 14."

No time was lost by the forces of Admiralty Hall. Just as Starbase 14 was sighted on forward viewers, a call came through. Saavik ordered it put on shipwide speakers.

"This is Commodore Benz, to the complement of Cadet Cruiser Dunkirk. It is my sad duty to report that, with the sole exception of Cadet Ensign Kirk, you are one and all expelled, by unalterable edict of Admiralty Hall. Cadet Kirk is to report directly to me, to be placed under arrest."

"Commodore, this is Ensign Kirk. Your relayed orders are known and understood. Kirk out."

Saavik ordered the ship's crew to complete its docking maneuvers. One of the Hall's agents called in, in a near panic as she spoke.

*This is Agent Tanet. Sirs---so near as I can tell, Ensign Kirk and all the expelled cadets--are smiling!*

Saavik was glad no other Vulcans were aboard. For indeed, she was smiling as she moved towards arrest as the leader of a disgraced crew.

"Mission accomplished."

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Chapter Five - The Champion Of Life

Admiral Komack, once a good man now hopelessly corrupted by the people who extorted him, tsked and shook his head before the seated Saavik Kirk.

"You know, Saavik? I almost don't think of you as Vulcan. You are so much like Jim, if I were you, I'd have my DNA checked to see if Peter isn't more than just a stepbrother. Not that I think it would stop you two from going at it."

Saavik was silent, despite this and other provocations.

"Smart girl, stupid choice. I mean, Cadet Kirk, you got all those girls kicked out--permanently--for a piddling unauthorized course correction. You're too well connected to expel, frankly. But I doubt you'll have much popularity on campus after this. I mean, just what do you think all those girls are telling their friends still at the Academy, via vid-call?"

Saavik looked at Komack. Her glare was intense, even more so than usual.

"I imagine, Admiral, that I will be quite popular with these young women."

Komack laughed out loud.

"Cadet, you just got a huge amount of fellow cadets kicked out of Starfleet for all time. What makes you think they won't kill you outright, if the chance arises?"

Saavik allowed her mouth a slight upturn.

"Because, even if they felt this way, a great many of them will soon be changing diapers. With the exception of myself and your agents aboard the Dunkirk, all the young women aboard were with child."

Komack looked nervously at an area that must have contained a surveillance device.

"But-but the Hall has procedures to aid such unfortunate cadets. They should have come to us."

Saavik now wore a frown.

"Apparently none of these cadets wished their children to be sacrificed to King Ghidorah. Tell me, sir, do you suppose any of those children are yours? Because the Admiralty was largely responsible for those pregnancies, to hear the cadets tell it."

"How dare you?!"

Saavik stood up.

"You run a virtual rape factory. It is a factory you then harvest every nine months to make a payment to a creature who likely does not even know or care that you exist. Yet you have the temerity to ask of my daring?"

Saavik turned to leave, still speaking as she did.

"Because of you and your wretched Order, Peter and I will likely never have children. So I took payment, Admiral. The two or three children you have denied to us, I have now taken back several hundredfold. Whatever choices those girls and women make regarding their children, it will now be theirs and not yours. Thank you for expelling them, and thereby removing them from your authority. We could not have done it without you."

But Komack was already making calls, pounding on his console, and praying hard to his dragon for the proper spin to his superiors regarding this minor disaster. Saavik realized that this was part of the reason her family would eventually prevail over these people.

The end of the semester and the beginning of one of the most eventful summers of her life was still a week away. But a message from the one she loved best of all reminded her anew that she was at least worthy to fight by his side. Undertstanding of her own true worth was still some time away, but it would come. For now, he made her smile, even at the remove they now suffered.

*Heard what you managed to pull off. While I was forced to protect these evil fools, you found a way to protect their most innocent victims. Let there be no doubt, Saavik-kam: Without You, I'm Nothing.*

Smiling openly in private, Saavik began to plan places they could undertake secret assignations on campus, should the time be right. She would of course find just such a place.

But that is a story for another day.