Imagine that you are the most powerful being native to your universe, and that a great destiny awaits you.

Jessa Preston saw Peter Kirk walking the halls of The Enterprise, heading for dinner with his future stepmother, Commander Uhura. His wife, Saavik, and his father, The Captain, were both on duty. She thought about the older officer, heir to more than one Kirk legacy.

"That One. If I'd been taken and used, then taught by Vulcans to fight a dragon, I'd be in the bin, making paper flowers for Uncle Monty. How does he even walk?"

Her younger brother, also named Peter, had his own thoughts.

"If I were one-tenth the man Pete is, I'd sure'n tell Jessa where she can stick her 'second mother' routine. I'll bet he doesn't get nervous looking at the engine coolant systems."

Demora Sulu waved a friendly hello as the object of her former crush passed.

"HE never cries, or gets upset. That Saavik is SOOO lucky! She's married to probably the greatest hero ever!"

John Leonard Harris was taking a 5-minute break from helping his grandfather in Sickbay.

"After you stop Ghidorah, pal--you better also stop being so damned perfect. I just might want to be your friend."

Sophia Tanabe stared with pride over at her future big brother.

"You always know the right thing to say, Peter. Even when you made sport of my pass at you, you did it as gently as you could. My Mum didn't know gentle. Nyota and Jim, I understand. But why is it I'm getting more love and understanding from you and Saavik than from the woman who brought me into this galaxy? Who cares? I-have-an-older-brother! Two! And A Sister! I'm gonna have a Dad, and be an Aunt! Let the galaxy end. The Beast can't take this time away from me."

Minus the personal touches, these types of thoughts were repeated all along Peter Kirk's path. Finally, he reached Commander Uhura's soon-to-be vacated quarters. She bid him enter. She saw his face shift after the doors closed.

"Nobody's shielding their thoughts, huh? I never understood what Spock must go through til you mentioned it to me. Can I apologize for the other day?"

"Nyota, c'mon! That was just a stray thought. I--was-flattered. Saavik laughed out loud. Called it Oedipal."

Uhura arched her back.

"Morning Becomes Electra--or Iocaste, as the case may be. Hungry?"

Peter looked at the table.

"Mashed Potatoes Sandwiches? Nyota, you remembered!"

"Remembered? Peter, these things have been my secret addiction since you were first aboard, twenty years ago. My girlish figure damns you for it every year."

"Hey, don't blame the gourmand for your weaknesses, Commander. I seem to rememberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraagagggrgggh!!"

The young man that everyone admired collapsed in agony, shaking his head as a concerned Uhura went to hold him.

"Mommy, its the dead people!  More of them! Make them stop, Mommy! Make them and the dragon go away!"

She stroked his hair and massaged his temples, all Oedipal jokes as far away as anything could be.

"Easy, honey. Mommy's here."

Truer words had rarely been spoken. Uhura saw the pain pass, and shuddered as she remembered the necropolis in Peter's mind, where the ghosts of Ghidorah's victims dwelt.

"Thank You, Nyota."

"Call me Mom. I think I've earned it."

He kissed her on the cheek.

"That you have. Boy, that was a two-fer."

"In what way?"

"Oh, well. A group of Klingons entered my place at the same time the monster attacked in my mind."

Nyota was confused.

"Peter, in what way is Ghidorah inside your mind? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Peter nodded.

"Its not easily understandable. It all began at Admiralty Hell.........."

-----------------------------------------------

 Admiralty Hall, 2270

Brock Cartwright smiled.

"You're certain, then? True Contact?"

The tech nodded.

"The signatures match. After two years of playing scrambled eggs with this punk's brain, the news is clear : We have contacted nothing less than Lord
 Ghidorah itself."

Komack and Bunson lightly bowed to Cartwright, Master Of The Order on Earth.

"Hail, Sir, for you have used this pawn to contact the scourge of the scum-infested spaceways."

The tech continued.

"A bit of refinement, and our subject will be a living transmitter. Ghidorah will come, and Humanity will Prevail."

In his mind, Peter Kirk lay down to die.

He heard stamping, and knew his hellish afterlife would be done. He saw Ghidorah approach, but was too despondent to care anymore. But someone cared, and made that plain as great jaws pulled back to devour Peter.

"Get away from him, ya Big Bully!"

Peter questioned his very sanity as a little boy with dark, tousled hair emerged and started beating up a stunned Ghidorah. Almost as odd--his rescuer had a kind of Monkey's tail. But the kid was good, and Peter smiled as he gave Ghidorah grief.

It was the Beginning...............
 
Earth, 2270
 
It had finally happened. After four years of feeling King Ghidorah at the edges of his consciousness, Peter had been forced to make contact with the monster. It was in his mind, and it was attacking. The Son Of Kirk was prepared to let himself die.

The Ancient Destroyer had an absolutely hideous presence. It was as though dead souls hung off the creature like ants on a corpse. Also, the thing was just so very damned big, Peter felt like it was crushing him just by being itself.

But if Peter had given up, the little boy with the monkey's tail never would. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Oooohh!!! Look at ME! I'm the big, bad, Ancient Destroyer! I'm such hot stuff."

No matter how fast Ghidorah moved, the little boy was faster. He often stuck his tongue out at the creature and made faces.

"Hey, you! The one who's moping over there. Are you Marc's Big Brother?"

Peter looked up at the humanoid jumping bean.

"Marc? You Know Marc?"

The little boy backhanded one of the undulating heads.

"I just said I did, didn't I? He said you were so tough. Fact is, you look like a big wimp to me. Why don't you help me fight this stupid thing off?"

Then, Peter felt it--Ghidorah's fear. Fear of him, and of this small boy. Peter was feared for his power. The boy--because he never quit. The Great Beast could know fear. With that knowledge, Peter simply cast the thing out. Its presence lingered, but its main bulk was shunted away.

"Huh--I guess you are tough, after all. Hey, want to pay me back for helping you out?"

Peter nodded.

"Anything you like, pal."

The boy then punched at him.

"Let's Fiiiiiggghhhht!!!"

After the fight, Peter followed the little stranger home.

"What's your name, kid?"

The boy frowned.

"Our king says, since we couldn't stop Ghidorah from killing all of us, we don't deserve to have names anymore. I really can't believe he beat us, what with most of us being transformed and all. I'll bet he couldn't beat your transform, Pete! It looks awesome."

"Er--I don't have a transform."

"Sure you do. You're just waiting for that dumb old girl. Are you from Earth? I was supposed to go there, before Ghidorah came. Well, here we are."

The boy's home was a bright city on a hill. At the gate to that city, Peter saw someone familar. Someone named George Samuel Kirk, Junior. Biology aside, Peter had only ever had one name for this moustached individual.

"Dad?!!!"

The little boy was impressed.

"Huh. Mr. Sam's your Dad? He's very smart, but he likes to pull dumb jokes."

Then, a shrieking came from over the horizon. Ghidorah had returned.

"Oh, Pete! We can't let him find The City."

Peter smiled his first smile in two years, but it was a grim smile, one born of newfound determination.

"Stick by me, kid. We're gonna dump on this loser."

The plucky kid was eager for a good fight. Then he saw Ghidorah's new size on monitor.

"Oh, Man---This Is Nuts!"
 By whatever odd circumstance, Peter Kirk had escaped the grip of Admiralty Hall. More, he found himself partnered with a hyper-strong, monkey-tailed kid who just loved to fight. Best of all, he was reunited with his dead family. The nightmare was reaching an end.

But in truth, Peter was still a prisoner of the corrupt top echelon of Starfleet Command. He had been used for his intended purpose : His body now served as a living transmitter. A unique signal passed through him, calling King Ghidorah. The Ancient Destroyer had responded, and now an aspect of him had invaded Kirk's mind. But Ghidorah would learn what many who had faced Peter's father Jim had learned : Never mess with a Kirk on his home turf. To the surprise of even his feisty companion, Peter joyfully cried out a challenge.

"Ghidorah, you cosmic piece of crap! World after world falls to your appetites, and we fall back! Well, today, The Running Stops. The Line Is-----"

Eyes ablaze, Peter released energy in the form of a purple wave, aimed for the monster.

"DRAAAAAWWWWNNNN!!"

But Ghidorah merely lifted off. The monkey-tailed boy looked puzzled.

"Uh, Pete? It really kind of helps if you hit him with it."

Peter extended his arm, then cupped his open hand.

"I know."

Peter drew the bolt back, as Ghidorah prepared to fire. The bolt found its mark, cutting off the creature's tails. Its mouth slammed shut before the beam discharged, hurting the head badly.

"Wow, Pete! You cut his tail off! Now he'll change back...oh wait, that's us. Sorry."

"Its okay, pal. Lets you and I fireball him out of here, all right?"

The boy shouted out the first part, holding his opened palms about six inches apart. Peter did the same, and shouted out the second part. They then alternated. Ghidorah was furious at actually receiving wounds, and swooped down to press a full attack.

"KA--"

  "ME---"

"HA---"

"MEEEEEEEEEE----"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Both of them released untold energies, energies that Pete quickly thought to shield telekinetically, so Ghidorah could not absorb them. The creature was knocked back, and out of Peter's mind, except for the writhing tails. He picked them up, reducing them to energy.

"I'm sealing this corridor off from further attack. By using Ghidorah's own energies, it should work."

"Uh...Yeah. But Pete, that'll give him a foothold in your mind. You'll be fighting him like forever."

Peter nodded.

"I think, my little friend, that I always have been, anyway. Will you guard this place for me?"

He saluted.

"Aye-Aye, Captain Kirk, sir!"

"Don't push my luck, little guy."

As he tossed him back over the gates, Peter saw his mother and father call to him.

"Peter! Come in--they won't be able to find you here."

"Honey, you'll be safe in The City."

A Klingon spirit snorted.

"Safe? He Built This City. Boy, one day you will meet one of my true line. You shall call him The Last Hope."

Then Kahless was silent.

"Mom! Dad! By now, they're looking for me. I can't let those monsters in the Hall find you. I Love You."

Peter saw the red neuron search beam, and deliberately leaped towards it, knowing full well that he would 'awaken' in his cryo-coffin. A small voice cried out as he did.

"Pita! Come Back!"

The monkey-tailed boy comforted Marcus Aurelian Kirk.

"Hey, Marc! Your Big Brother Is Radical. He only gave up when he got confused. I wish I could have seen his transform, though."

Marcus uttered a couple of odd words.

"Go! Go! Wale! Go!Ra!"

------------------------------------

Back in Admiralty Hall, the techs scrambled to recover.

"Sirs! We have lost contact with Lord Ghidorah! He appears to be retreating! The Boy Is Fighting Us."

Androvar Drake, an enemy of Peter's father Jim, cried out.

"So! The Kirk boy, Oh, that rotter, thinks he can overpower us! Well, lets try upping the poooowwweerrrr!!!!"

A flash of light from the feedback erased Drake, who cried out in agony as it washed over him.

"Cartwright to suppression teams! Get a psi-squad down here before the boy awakens!"

They failed to contact Ghidorah again for five more years, vainly hoping to make Peter relent in his struggle. Up until the day they all died, they sat content in their corruption, dreaming of the day the great dragon would arrive to grant their wishes of power.

--------------------------------------------------

Enterprise, 2286

Uhura nodded.

"So that little boy helped you see the light, find The City, and helped you struggle against The Hall and The Ancient Destroyer. Pity he had no name. Peter, whatever did he mean by your 'transform'?"

Peter shrugged.

"You got me, Mom. He was a good kid, ut sometimes half the struggle was trying to figure out what he was sayin'."

With that said, the two new family members resumed eating. There was the young hero with an immense untapped potential and his fiercely protective mother, who, although she had no powers of her own, was not someone you wanted to cross. Pushed to their limits by the famous father, they would also find help from a stoic returning ally with pointed ears. And they would need this help. For this time, Ghidorah was real.