Strange New Worlds VII by Dean Wesley Smith & John J. Ordover & Elisa J. Kassin & Paula M. Block

Author:Dean Wesley Smith & John J. Ordover & Elisa J. Kassin & Paula M. Block [Smith, Dean Wesley & Ordover, John J. & Kassin, Elisa J. & Block, Paula M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure
ISBN: 9780743493796
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2004-06-26T23:00:00+00:00

Picard shook his head. "No to both. He was perfectly fine when we left the nexus. You see, I told him how I had gotten there, and that Soran was still trying to destroy Veridian's sun. He offered to help me, and we left the nexus together."

McCoy grunted. "Leave it to Jim to go out in a blaze of glory. Again."

Scott said, "So the two of you left the nexus and went back to Veridian III...?"

"Right. To stop Soran," said Picard.

"And you were successful, but Kirk...died?" asked McCoy.

Picard leaned in close, clenching his hands together. "I'm afraid so. He was on a damaged bridge attempting to get the controls to Soran's weapon. He managed to get them and deactivated the weapon's cloak, but the bridge finally collapsed, with Kirk still on it. He fell some twenty meters with the wreckage, and ended up crushed, pinned beneath it."

Scott and McCoy just listened. Picard could see the wonder in their eyes. "By the time I could reach him, it was too late. I couldn't save him. I...I tried to get him out of there, but there wasn't anything I could do."

Scott opened his mouth, then closed it. McCoy looked nonplussed.

"He shared his last words with me, then he was gone. The finest Starfleet captain, gone because of a stupid bridge and because I couldn't..."

McCoy reached out and grabbed his hand. "Don't even start with that, boy. You know as well as I do that there was nothin' you could have done. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Scott shook his head. "Listen to Len. Eventually, everyone's time runs out. And when it does, nothing can stop it. Not a Starfleet captain, not even a doctor. Sounds like time finally caught up to Jimmy."

McCoy said, "He gave it a hell of a chase, though."

Scott nodded. "Aye, that he did. That he did."

Picard watched the two, marveling at the depth of their bond of friendship and camaraderie. It was so visible, so palpable, even after all their long decades. And that bond wasn't just between these two; it stretched out to enclose all of Kirk's original crew, all of them. Amazing.

Picard took a deep breath and continued. "Once the Federation rescue ships arrived, I had the wreckage cut away and brought him out myself. Kirk didn't have any final requests or any personal burial instructions on file. I mean, he'd been believed dead for decades, so such things wouldn't still be available. And since he had no living relatives, I decided to bury him there."

It was McCoy who spoke first. "That was probably the best thing to do, Jean-Luc. Jim and I never talked about such things, but I'm sure he would have preferred to be laid to rest near his final triumph, if at all possible. If his sacrifice did do some good, he'd want to be near the fruits of it."

Picard nodded. "He helped save the lives of over two hundred million people on Veridian IV. He died a hero." He paused, remembering Kirk's final words.