Fic: "Crossfire" (19/19)

[mijan]

Title: "Crossfire, Part 19"
Author: Mijan
Series: ST: XI
Character/Pairing(s): Kirk&McCoy, Pike, Scotty
Rating: PG-13

Author’s Notes: This story is part of the Academy-era story arc, which includes “Convergence” and “And All the King’s Men.” “Crossfire” is a direct sequel. Several things in this story will not make sense unless you’ve read AAtKM first.

Summary: Jim Kirk and Leonard McCoy are on top of the world at the academy until it all comes crashing down around them. Trapped in their own mystery of politics, sabotage, and possible murder, it quickly becomes impossible to know who to trust. Worse, Jim might still be a target. With a dangerous criminal on the loose and Academy leadership not doing enough, Jim and Bones have to get their lives back together and find out what happened... before it happens again.


*********


CROSSFIRE, Part 19


“Hey Jim!”

It was 0500 hours, and with the help of two full canteens of very strong coffee, Leonard burst cheerfully into Jim’s room, delighted with the prospect of finally getting his chance at payback. Granted, it was evil enough that they’d scheduled his flight test this early, but with his clinic schedule, it couldn’t be avoided. Besides, it gave him the perfect excuse to awaken Jim Kirk at o’dark-thirty. It was something he’d been looking forward to doing for a long time. Injecting as much false, over-exaggerated cheer into his voice as possible, he rapped his knuckles on the wall. “Come on, Jim, rise’n’shine. Big day today! Lights.”

The lights in Jim’s dorm room came on to reveal... an empty bed. Leonard stopped short and frowned. The bed was slept in, unmade. A quick look around revealed that only one of Jim’s two pairs of boots was sitting by the door, and his parka, which he often draped over the back of his chair, was also gone. The kid was nowhere to be found.

It was almost impossible to squash his own disappointment. Even if he hadn’t been able to wake Jim up as unceremoniously as possible, he’d still wanted the kid to watch his flight test. They’d worked together on this for weeks. Sure, Jim had decided to put off his Assistant Flight Instructor test until the beginning of the spring semester, but he could have watched. He would have wanted to see it.

At least, Leonard was pretty sure Jim would have wanted to see it.

Other than their flight trainings together, he’d barely seen Jim over the last few weeks. Jim had been really busy with his flight team, and his accelerated course load was catching up with him. There hadn’t been much free time. Of course, Leonard couldn’t put all the blame for that on Jim. He’d been pretty busy, too.

Looking once more around the small, empty room, Leonard sighed and shook his head. “Lights off.” Then he turned and walked out the door.

Outside Jim’s dorm, the winds of mid-December were biting and cold in the pre-dawn hours. The skies were clear above him though, and the stars managed to pierce the lights of the city like small pinpricks of ice. He shrugged up the hood of his winter uniform parka and hurried off down the path towards the hangar.

The path wove through the old eucalyptus groves. Despite the bitter winds, even at this time of year, there was still the faint astringent smell of the eucalyptus leaves that blanketed the ground and rattled in the wind. It was oddly soothing. Enormously tall trees, with their smooth trunks, dwarfing everything around him. They muffled the wind, and made it feel like a world apart.

It only served to increase the odd, detached feeling that was starting to pervade Leonard’s consciousness.

It was rough enough that he was on his way to his flight test. Yes, he was ready. No, he wasn’t fractionally as terrified as he’d once been of flying. But this time, he was really in the hot seat. He’d known that he would be... but in his mind, whenever he’d imagined the day of his flight test, Jim was there to watch and cheer him on.

He sighed, breathing in the bitter chill and eucalyptus scent through his frost-nipped nose, then tucked his face deeper into his hood.

It wasn’t so bad. He’d pass his test, send Jim a gloating ‘look what I did’ message, and then they’d meet for dinner and drinks. It was a Friday. As far as he knew, Jim had the evening free. They hadn’t had one of their Friday excursions in a few weeks - not since Jim had caught his roommate and everything had come crashing down and... yeah. That. So maybe it was high time they hit one of the local bars. Celebrate a bit.

The path opened up at the bottom of the hill, and the bright lights of the hangar greeted him. He swiped his ID badge at the security checkpoint, and hurried into the building. It wasn’t as warm as the dorms or classroom buildings, but it was warm enough to take off the heavy parka. Folding it over his arm, he made his way across the plascrete floor, boots clacking heavy and hollow as he walked. He rounded the corner to the bay where they kept the trainee shuttles.

The course’s flight instructor, Captain Sullivan, waved to him from beside the shuttlecraft that he’d be piloting shortly. Leonard had decided that he liked the guy. As the flight portion of the course had progressed, he'd shown a reliable measure of sympathy for the plight of the oldest and most aviophobic student in his class.

Leonard waved back and picked up to a light jog until he was in front of the Captain. “If I fail, sir,” he said with a self-deprecating grin, “I’ll blame it on the ungodly hour.”

Captain Sullivan chuckled lightly. “I don’t think you’ll need that, McCoy. You’ve been doing just fine over the past few weeks. Lieutenant Scott reported that you excelled on the exam for the engineering portion of the class. And your last couple of flights went very well.”

Leonard nodded, dropping his parka neatly on a bench by the wall. “That’s reassuring to know.” Seeing as Scott was supposed to be his in-flight evaluator today, it was good to know that he’d expressed his confidence to the Flight Instructor. “Is Lieutenant Scott already in the shuttle?”

An odd look crossed Captain Sullivan’s face. “Actually, no.”

Leonard came up short and frowned. “Is he on his way?” A quick glance over at the chrono confirmed that he’d arrived just on time. At this hour of the morning, it was fully possible that Scott was running late.

“Well, with the engine competition over, the transporter technology section of the engineering department has been taking up more of his time. He’s actually taking an advanced theory class himself. Couple of big projects they’re working on, and –” Sullivan laughed lightly. “The Lieutenant has some very interesting ideas about transporter technology. Don’t know if they’ll work, but he’s gonna have fun trying.”

Leonard couldn’t help it – he shuddered. “Great. Transporters. The only thing in Starfleet worse than shuttles. Why anyone would want to have their molecules taken apart down to their energy patterns and beamed across the vacuum of space is beyond me.”

“It’s not so bad, McCoy. You seem to have conquered shuttle flight. I’m sure you’ll do just fine with transporters.”

Leonard grimaced. “One step at a time, sir.” He sighed and shook his head. “So, if Lieutenant Scott isn’t the instructor in the shuttle with me, are you going up?”

“No, McCoy. The head instructor always supervises and evaluates from the ground. But don’t worry. We found a decent substitute.”

“Oh?”

“New guy. Passed his Assistant Flight Instructor exam last week. But he’s not bad.”

Leonard couldn’t help it. He rolled his eyes and barely held back the groan. “Great. Just what I need. He’s probably younger than me, too, right?”

Captain Sullivan laughed. “Yep. One of those wet-behind-the-ears cadets you love to grumble about. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say, sir. So where is he?”

“In the shuttle, actually,” Sullivan said with a smile. “Got here before I did. The kid’s really thorough. Insisted on doing a complete level three diagnostic before letting you go up.”

At that, Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Well, at least he’s not reckless.” He tilted his head towards the shuttle hatch. “I guess there’s no reason to delay any longer.”

“None whatsoever. I’ll head up to the control tower.” He stuck out his hand. “Good luck, Cadet.”

Leonard shook it briefly. “Thank you, sir.”

Without any further hesitation, Captain Sullivan turned on his heel and strode off across the bay towards the turbolift to the control tower. Leonard watched him go for a moment before turning back to the shuttle’s external controls. “Here goes nothing.” He keyed in his entry code, and stood back as the hatch opened. Ducked his head, and climbed into the shuttlecraft.

“Bones!”

Leonard stopped short, one foot still outside the shuttlecraft. “What... what the... Jim?”

“Good to see you made it,” Jim said with a wide grin. He was sitting in the copilot’s spot, one arm looped over the back of the seat casually, as if there was no other place in the universe he could possibly be. “I was wondering if there was enough coffee on the planet to actually get you out of bed at this hour.”

Slowly unfreezing himself, Leonard finished climbing into the shuttlecraft and sat down in the pilot’s seat, not even trying to hide the look of unadulterated disbelief he was sure was smacked all over his face. “Yeah... I’m awake, but... Jim? How the hell did you do it? Why didn’t you tell me?”

For a moment, Jim almost looked sheepish. “Doctor Rodriguez... he’s a good guy, actually, Bones, so thank you for sending me to him... he said that he felt I was ready to test about a week ago, if I wanted to. He talked to Captain Tanner, and I tested on Monday. I didn’t want to tell you in case I didn’t make it. But...” His mouth twisted pensively. “I asked you once... not to go up into the black without me. But that’s a promise I made to you, too. That I’d be here for you. I had to do it.”

“You did it, Jim,” Leonard said, almost reverently. “You really did.”

His grin returned. “I did, didn’t I? And when I passed, I decided that I wanted to surprise you.”

“I’m surprised,” Leonard replied, still feeling somewhat gobsmacked. “I’m definitely surprised.”

“Pleased, I hope?”

There was a hint of vulnerability in that question. Almost anyone else would have missed it, but Leonard knew better. “Yeah, kid. I’m pleased. I’m proud of you, too. I really am.”

Jim’s face lit up. “Thanks, Bones.” Then his grin took on a devious quality. “But how about you make me proud now, huh? Ready to fly, old man?”

“I’ll old-man you, you cheeky brat,” Leonard grumbled, reaching over to the console and initiating the basic system’s check.

“Hey, no name-calling the instructor,” Jim said with a wink as he pulled his harness over his head.

“You wouldn’t have it any other way, and you know it.” He looked over at Jim, who was double-checking the fastenings on his harness.

So much had changed since the shuttle crash. This was a more subdued, more cautious, more thoughtful Jim than he’d known at the beginning of the year. This was also a Jim who had learned patience on some new level. But at the end of the day, he was still Jim Kirk, with the mischievous streak that couldn’t be stopped, and the brains to back up his seemingly wild and reckless antics. And despite the fact that Leonard knew it was going to give him a few more gray hairs than he’d have otherwise, it was good to have the kid around.

“Hey, Bones? Are you okay?”

Leonard shook his head, clearing it. “What? Yeah, kid. Why?”

“You were staring.”

“Just thinking, Jim.” He let himself smile.

“Well, save your thinking for the flying. Captain Sullivan just transmitted your flight plan.” He grinned slyly. “I’d say ‘good luck,’ but who needs luck when you’ve got me?”

Leonard snorted. “Arrogant egomaniac.”

“There you go with the name-calling again. I’m gonna start docking points, and we haven’t even powered up the engines.”

“And a reckless space-cowboy, too.”

Jim laughed. “Don’t you know it. But for now, we’ve got a mission.” He reached over and clapped Leonard just a touch too hard on the shoulder. “Come on, Bones. Buckle up!”

Leonard rolled his eyes and fastened his harness.

As the engines surged to life underneath him and control panels began processing his commands, he felt something he’d never felt in a shuttlecraft before – anticipation. Almost excitement. He was almost looking forward to watching the Earth drop away from him, witnessing the blackness as the atmosphere thinned, watching the sun break over the horizon as he completed his orbit of the planet. It was an alien sensation, to feel anything other than nervousness at best, terror at worst, in light of an impending flight. But this was different.

Glancing to the side, he looked at Jim’s determined profile as the kid cross-checked and verified his work. This was a person he trusted with his life, and who trusted him in return. He’d go anywhere with the kid. And as he’d promised, he wouldn’t go anywhere without Jim, either. Yeah, this was different.

And different was good.

“Cross-checks complete,” Leonard said. “All systems ready.”

“Confirmed. All systems ready.” Jim looked at him, eyes shining with excitement. “Let’s take her up.”


*********


~FIN~

Comments

[vamp2puppy.livejournal.com]

This was absolutely amazing.

I don't have the words to tell you how much I love this, except that I have been glued to my computer for hours reading this.

I loved that you included Scotty, I don't think I have read an academy fic with him in. ♥

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading, and taking the time to leave a comment.

And yes, Scotty doesn't get enough love, I think. :)

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

I have spent a good part of my day with this fic, and it was a fantastic use of my lazy Saturday. :-) I loved the way Jim and Bones' friendship deepened and evolved in this (the little moment where Bones pours cream into Jim's coffee? ♥♥), and the way you strung out the arc of the plot was very effective. I was almost as shocked as Jim that [SPOILERS!] Terra Prime had nothing to do with what happened, because I'm so used to trusting his genius instincts, you know? But what an effective lesson for him to learn, that sometimes things are just random and unlucky. And I like that Bones had to learn about his own limits in fixing things.

Let's see, so much other stuff that I enjoyed. Scotty! Pike! Jim passionately defending Bones at the medical inquiry. Bones being a BAMF and using everything but the kitchen sink to keep Jim alive until the cavalry arrived. Jim's squadron. Bones' new aviophobia research project. Jim surprising Bones at the end. And probably other things that I'm forgetting too. But anyway, it was an epic read and I totally enjoyed it. :-)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you for spending the day with my story! :)

Yes, it was a lesson Jim needed to learn - that it's not all about him, that sometimes things are just shit luck. Sometimes, it's not a big bad enemy. Fate is an illusion. It's part of the character development I needed to bring him through to set up next year's story.

Bones had some learning to do, too. They both did.

Anyway, I'm delighted that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know what you thought! :)

[imagined-haven.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. Goodness.

There aren't words. Really, there aren't. You used them all in weaving this marvelous story that I spent my entire afternoon and evening reading.

Did I mention that it was marvelous?

[nikaratrenal.livejournal.com]

Yay! That was completely awesome! The entire intricate plot, the detailed medical scenes, the wonderful characters (and awesome OC's) all worked together to make a completely awesome story. When I read the section on the roommate packing things up, I started getting suspicious, and was tempted to post my suspicions as a comment, but didn't want to spoil anyone if I was right. It was a really satisfying ending, especially with Jim's realization that it isn't all about him. That's something everyone sort of has to realize at some point in life, and it doesn't surprise me that Jim missed that particular milestone.

On another note, you are officially my queen of head injuries! As an EMT, I constantly get annoyed with people treating serious injuries mildly, as though there are no long term consequences, especially with head injuries. You realistically look at the issues that come with recovering from a severe brain injury! Thank you for that! Also, you have the best balance on real medical treatment with futuristic technology that allows people to survive things that they otherwise wouldn't. It really works well.

Thanks for writing such an awesome story!

[skitty-kitty.livejournal.com]

LJ why you gotta' eat my comments?!

2nd attempt: I love this story so much; I read the thing in one sitting and I'd do it all over again. I absolutely love the way you write Bones and Jim and their relationship, and I love that you know ST canon and put things like McCoy's aviophobia conference and Parisi Squares in. It's fantastic to read a story by someone who gets the whole world behind the characters, not just the relationships or people involved.

I also love that you've either got background in medicine and military, or you fake it really well, lol. I love the way you used the medical details to add realism to the story, and the way you wrote military in the way Nova Squadron worked together and Pike's reaction to the Admiral's betrayal etc. ad nauseum. As a science grad student at a medical college I love the shit outta' the former, and as a kid of a retired Army MP I love the latter.

Thanks very much for sharing! Now time to stop spazzing and get my ass to bed. Any lack of coherency is brought to you by being up way too early and staying up too late reading. ;)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Hehe... how about both? I was an officer in the US Army (started enlisted, though), and I was pre-med (biology) for my undergrad degree, worked as an ambulance corps volunteer, and currently I work in biomedical research at a med school and research hospital facility. So... you nailed it! I am deeply flattered that you picked up on both of those things.

Re: Nova Squadron - when it comes to the best military teams, half of it is raw skill, and half of it is interpersonal chemistry. If you trust your squadmates or platoon, and you get to the point where you just KNOW each other, it's something special. I had a squad like that once. Sad that it was such a short assignment, but it was something special.

And I'm also a life-long Trekkie. I grew up with TOS and TNG, I used to read the novels when I was a kid, and these characters were household names. Their story backgrounds are what make them who they are. :)

And thank YOU very much for reading, and for taking the time to comment! I hope you sleep well!

[bandearg-rois.livejournal.com]

this is brilliant... this could be that 3 year gap, seriously

all the intrigue and stuff? Oh yeah... much love for this fic, much love for the 'verse. told you I'd get here!

I will probably comment again when higher brain function returns to me.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Well, that's what I'm trying to do - fill the three-year Academy gap with a few adventures that work with what we know of the characters. I'm glad you liked the intrigue and mystery, and I'm glad you finally got here! Thank you!

And don't worry about that higher brain function stuff. I ran out of that sometime around Wednesday, in the middle of editing this mess. Total brain fry.

[avictoriangirl]

Yay!!!! Of course I KNEW that Jim would already be there, but I didn't suspect he was the instructor until Capt. Sullivan gave it away. :D

I can't believe that this wonderful ride is over, I never wanted it to end! From the copious amounts of comments that I left, (I promised I would leave you lots of love, didn't I? ;) I think you know by now how much I love this, but let me officially state it for the record: I LOVE THIS AND YOU. ♥

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Of course Jim would be there. He promised he wouldn't let Bones go up into the black without him, so he had to be there. ;)

And yes, you left lots of love for me! It was a thrill to read all your comments. Thank you! *loves back* ♥

And technically, the ride isn't over. We've got one more adventure left... and from my early planning, it's gonna be a doozy. :D

[jademac2442.livejournal.com]

This was completely amazing. Of course it was. I anticipated a heart warming, breath taking thrill ride and that's what I got. It was just so perfectly...them. I loved your Jim and his panicky paranoid behavior, and your Bones with his grumbly cynicism. I think this was a great continuation of AtKM. It's the kind of work that you feel grateful having read, and that teaches you some stuff about yourself along the way. (For one thing I learned that I do not handle stress as well as Jim and Bones, and that I am not as good a person as Jim (I would have punched the face, not the wall), and that one should block out several hours of free time anytime one wants to read one of Mijan's fictions.) I am incredibly pleased that I read this, and I feel like I should offer you my profound thanks for writing it.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*blushes* I don't know what to say, except thank you! Thanks for reading, for commenting, and for enjoying. I'm also deeply pleased that you found that you learned things along the way. I think that's the greatest compliment that a fic writer can get. Most people read (and write) fic for a quick thrill. I always hope to get more out of it, if I can, and the fact that someone else DID get something more... it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. ♥

Also... I based Jim's punching the wall on something that I did once. I punched a wall instead of someone's face. Left a great gaping hole. But that wall was cheap, and my hand was not severely damaged. I imagine walls in Starfleet would be a bit more durable than the one I punched, thereby giving Jim a bit more of an injury. But yeah, just a tiny detail based on experience. *sheepish grin*

[anruiukimi.livejournal.com]

Well, I promised a review, and I'll do my best to not sound like an idiot. Although I'm cheating, I'm dictating instead of typing this. :P

One thing that always stands out to me in your work is your ability to use OCs without having them take over the story or turn into Mary sues. You give them real life, letting them compliment the story without overrunning it.

As for the boys, I really enjoyed seeing Jim's realizations on how the universe doesn't always rotate around him, yet in the end it was his shuttle his crazy roommate chose to use his device on, because he believed he understood Jim. So, in a way, it really did come back to him; it just wasn't about him. Your Bones is still and always amazing; I love how you show how caring he is without turning him into a massive sap or going the opposite direction and having him be angry at everything. There's a lot of really pissed off Bones in fandom, and it gets a little tiring sometimes. ^^;

I admit that I was 99% sure that the roommate was definitely part of it if not the instigator as soon as Jim came across him acting strangely in their dorm; I've recently gotten into the Sherlock fandom and I've been reading a lot of fics about sociopaths and wanna-be sociopaths lately. Let's just say that my internal brain bells were ringing. ;)

Also, I can definitely see your medical experience in this; my experience is limited to my own research and what my mother has taught me over the years, but it drives me bonkers every time someone has a head injury in a story and is magically perfectly fine two hours later. There is definitely a big difference between a goose egg and brain hemorrhaging, although a lot of fanfic in a lot of fandoms would lead you to believe otherwise. Thank you for your attention to detail on this matter. <3

And finally, I really like your depiction of Pike. It's not very common, but occasionally I'll see a story where his character has been mutilated to a shadow of its former self without considering canon in the slightest, either TOS or nu!Trek, and it makes me want to bang my head into a wall. I could really see his exhaustion and his irritation at how the proceedings were going, and how he knew that things needed to be done according to the rules as much as possible, even though many of the other supposedly honorable Admirals and other officers were definitely not following proper conduct themselves. In his place, I would've been completely frustrated, and then to find out that a superior officer had actively tried to cover-up the evidence would have been the last straw. Good thing the Admiral got demoted and arrested, he definitely deserved it. :)

If you managed to read all the way to the end of this rambling mess, my apologies, I'm more willing to impart my opinion vocally rather than typing, so instead of my usual "hey this was awesome and amazing and stupendous and fabulous..." etc. I have left you 15 minutes of babbling (off and on.) You deserved a decent response, considering you've always been so nice to reply to my work. <3

Again, thank you for the brilliant read, and I will most certainly look forward to the final part whenever you get it out next year!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I absolutely LOVE rambling reviews, so THANK YOU! They let me know what my readers are really thinking about the story, and what impact it had. Long reviews are the best reward I can get when I've posted a story. This one took a lot of effort to write, so I'm grateful for the time you took to let me know what you thought.

I wondered who would pick up on the roommate! I figured I left enough clues for some people. It just depended on what hints people saw. If you've been reading mystery novels like Sherlock Holmes, I'm not surprised you saw it.

Yes, it kinda drives me nuts when Bones is nothing but grouchy or nothing but a sap. He's got a careful balance of personality quirks, and you're right - people completely wreck it way too often. I'm flattered that you feel that I struck a good balance there. And likewise with Pike! I think he's a great character, and not appreciated enough.

As far as medical expertise goes - I'm not an expert. But I'm a bit more knowledgeable than the average person. Plus, I experienced a really nasty head injury while I was in the Army. It left me fuzzy-headed with ongoing headaches for quite a while. I figure, even 23rd century medicine can't magically make everything perfect. And no, a brain bleed is definitely not the same thing as a goose egg!

And than you for the comment on my OC's. I always wonder what people think of them. :D

Okay, I'm rambling in return now, and I don't want to bore you. I'm kinda jealous that you can just dictate your comments. There are days that my hands really hurt, and it might be a handy tool to have. Is it a computer program that lets you do it?

[vengefuldemon69.livejournal.com]

WE'RE DONE, HONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

THANK GOD.

*ded*

[ocelot-summer.livejournal.com]

I had plans to go to bed last night. I had plans to sleep. Then I accidentally started reading this story and aaaall those plans? OUT THE WINDOW.

I don't even know how to describe how awesome this story is. I love everything about it, from just how fantastic and nuanced the friendship between Kirk and McCoy is, to the things that make me cackle with Trekkie glee like Nova Squadron, to just how WELL the suspense really built up and carried me along in this story. I love how I went through the story going, "Romano is... nah. Couldn't be. But maybe... nah. Nope. Wait. But... And the roommate is packing not letting Jim see the box and... nah. Maybe? Maybe? AHHHH."

And Pike is awesome. So awesome. And SCOTTY. I love that McCoy ended up working with Scotty, it was so fantastic and unexpectedly perfect.

This story is just so detailed and well-paced and awesome and I was very okay with losing a night of sleep. XD

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Oh my - you skipped sleeping to read this? I don't know if I should be sorry or flattered! I'll settle on flattered. And I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Also relieved that the "suspects" worked just the way I wanted them to.

And yes, SCOTTY! I couldn't resist. The dialogue dynamic between Bones and Scotty was so much fun to write, too.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read, and for taking the time to leave a comment! I hope you get some more sleep tonight!

[crystalheaven.livejournal.com]

Amazing. I spent a good part of the last two days (would have done it in one sitting, but RL stuck her nose in) just... reveling in this.

One of the best, well thought out fics that I've EVER read. You have this way about you, this world-building that just sucks people in. Layers upon layers upon wonderful layers.

I loved all the little nods and pieces that you suck in here. Scotty, Toland! (so happy to see her again), Romano and son (who I so knew where scum and actually did a vindication dance when I read that), and Sven the sociopath (who I also knew was creepy, but man, you took that to a level I wasn't expecting. Brava!), and Pike, who you did a masterful job with. It's hard writing someone that is both sympathetic and demanding, and you pulled it off.

So going to save this to my HD for re-reading later.

*loves*

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*bounces* Thank you so much! I'm honestly so relieved that the world-building and detail worked out. There were actually more scenes I wanted to write, but time was limited. Also, I was afraid to reveal too much, too early. I wanted to show something else with the engineering teams and Sven more directly, but instead, I gave the hint in the tea house from the Engineering team that "some dumb kid" was trying to get them to work with his design. That, of course, was Sven. It's a hard call to decide how much to reveal, and when. Do you think I hit a decent balance?

I'm glad someone was happy to see Toland come back! I was surprised at how much I liked working with her character last year, and I think she's here to stay now. I also really like Thaleb, Okoru, and Nurse Aldrich. It's funny how characters just sort of establish themselves like that. I need OC's to fill the plot, but they become established somehow. *grins*

Thanks again!

[claudia-nic.livejournal.com]

This was just fantastic. Spend the last few hours reading it in one go and it definitely lived up to all my expectations.Now if only there was more :D

BRAVO!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it lived up to expectations! I was nervous, to be honest.

And I promise, there will be more next year. :)

[orphica.livejournal.com]

This was so great and so amazing and so wonderfully long. The detail you've been able to include makes it so real, and the plot was so fantastic and well structured, just the perfect amount of setup for every part of the mystery and it all making sense in the end! And I'm so glad that Bones wasn't wrong about Jim's paranoia being too much... and I didn't think you'd have him be wrong so I was eager to see what the conclusion would be! I can't believe you don't have more comments for this beauty!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to read! Honestly, I had four different endings formulated - one for each of the possible suspects. Terra Prime, the engineering groups, a corrupt member of Starfleet, or what you saw there. I honestly had to debate with myself to see if I could go through with the one I picked. It was an anti-climax, and I wasn't sure how people would take it. I'm so glad people seem to be enjoying it!

And it's a long story, so it takes some folks a while to read. Plus, it's the end of the Big Bang. People are overloaded. Maybe if I'm lucky and get a few good recs, people will find my fic. We'll see! :)

[file528.livejournal.com]

beep.
beep.
beep.
beep.

Higher brain functions are not available at this time.
:// Recovering from fanfic awesome-ness overload.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*grins* I'll take that as a good thing. Thanks for reading!

[tarayith.livejournal.com]

So I just spent pretty much every free moment of my weekend reading this :D

It's wonderful--you are a master of suspense. There were just enough clues that made me feel like I was being very clever, but not enough to spoil the climax (I totally wasn't expecting it to have all been an experiment gone wrong).

Also, as a final year medical student, I think I can safely say that you have the best balance of any author I've read when it comes to futuristic medicine still being believable. Thanks for that!

I especially liked the dynamic you set with Nova Squadron and I really hope they continue to appear in the future! Now, I can't wait until next year for more!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

So I just spent pretty much every free moment of my weekend reading this :D

A good use of time, I hope? *grins*

"It's wonderful--you are a master of suspense. There were just enough clues that made me feel like I was being very clever, but not enough to spoil the climax (I totally wasn't expecting it to have all been an experiment gone wrong)."

*phew!* Well, that means I did it right. I had no idea if I'd struck the right balance, put out just enough clues or too many, or managed to keep the suspense. It's hard to keep suspense going for 140K words. LOL.

"Also, as a final year medical student, I think I can safely say that you have the best balance of any author I've read when it comes to futuristic medicine still being believable. Thanks for that!"

THANK YOU! I was pre-med myself (still looking at med school) and I work in biomedical research at a research hospital and university. I personally get tired of seeing "magic" medical treatment in Star Trek fanfiction, and wanted it to seem believable and a bit gritty. I'm so glad it worked for you!

"I especially liked the dynamic you set with Nova Squadron and I really hope they continue to appear in the future! Now, I can't wait until next year for more!"

Not sure what Nova Squadron will do in the next installment. I'm still designing the story. I want to bring Thaleb back. I really liked working with him. However, the plot doesn't center on Nova Squadron, so we'll see.

Thank you again!

[elfsausage.livejournal.com]

*cries* This was so amazing and I can't believe it's over! I read the whole thing from start to finish in one go because I just couldn't stop.

As usual, bb, you have blown me away with your writing. <3 <3 <3

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*huggles*
*offers tissue*

I'm just glad you liked it! I was so nervous! Thank you! ♥

[hpdm4ever.livejournal.com]

Great fic! I just spent the past two days reading the fics that came before this one so I'd be all caught up on these characters :) Anyways, love your writing- both of Jim and Bones!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Thank you so very much! :)

Also... Harry/Draco shipper?

[normalhumanbein.livejournal.com]

This is just stunning. Your characterisation is amazing, and the fact that the plot wasn't as dramatic as it first seemed was a great counterpoint to AAtKM.

♥__♥

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I debated whether or not I wanted to go through with the anti-climax, where it was NOT some big crash at the end (I did that in the beginning anyway), but decided to go for it. I was afraid of what people would think of it.

Besides, there's still one story to go... and plenty of time to close this trilogy with a bang. ;)

Thanks!

[ratcreature]

I enjoyed this a lot. I liked how Jim was recovering and had setbacks and the twists with the investigation.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to read. :)

[anni36.livejournal.com]

Thank you for an extraordinary story. The care you took with it shows. I could find no spelling errors and your flow works wonderful.

Both your medical and military knowledge gives a depth to this story that is seldom seen anywhere. I cried and laughed with your characters which is to me the highest praise I can give a writer. Please write more in this verse!

And I did pick up on the roommate mostly because my dad and sister are borderline between extremely manipulative and sociopath. Your clues worked like a charm. My hair stood on end where Jim overheard them.

Now when is the next story due? I really don't want to miss out! And now I'm going to pester you master list until I've worked through everything you've written.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to read! I'm glad you liked it.

People say to write what you know, and I'm glad it works out that I know military and medical stuff. And that IS the highest praise a person can give to a writer - that they laughed and cried and experienced things along with the characters. So thank you for that. :)

Although I'm sorry about your having to deal with such family difficulties, it's good to know that I hit the right psychological cues for Jim's roommate. I've never dealt with a sociopath first-hand, so I had to be careful about how I did that. I'm relieved that it worked.

Next story is due... when I finish writing it. *meep* I haven't started yet. Just in the planning phase. It's gonna be big though. More action, with a feel more like what you saw in AAtKM. I hope it works out.

Thank you again!

[d_odyssey.livejournal.com]

Awesome!!!! Amazing, riveting story with excellent characterizations and plot. Suspense, angst, h/c, mystery, humor - you covered all the bases and kept me glued to the screen. Great plot twist with Terra Prime as a red herring. Excellent h/c and recovery, the details of the crash, the surgery, the ER all were compelling, especially Bones reaction with the shaking hands after the fact. I liked that Jim didn't just get up and walk away, that he had lingering problems and after effects. The paranoia was especially effective in conjunction with the Terra Prime angle. It seemingly made so much sense. Enjoyed how both Jim and Bones faced boards of inquiry and tried to keep it from each other. Very suspenseful! Loved the journey, the fake outs with Terra Prime and the teahouse gang and the consequences of Jim's paranoia. You really brought it home with Sven as the perpetrator and Jim realizing it really wasn't all about him. What a statement that made. Most of all, fantastic bonding and friendship between Jim and Bones. Spot on voices for both, loved the support and strengthening bond and trust between the two best friends. Pike and Scotty were both excellent, too. Wonderful, amazing and entertaining story! 5 star rating!! Absolutely loved it! Thank you.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Wow... I don't know what to say, other than... Thank you! *blushes* I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was so afraid that the anti-climax of Jim finding out his roommate had done it would be almost a let-down to the reader... but I wanted Jim to have that anti-climax. To see where it took him now, and to set him up for what I'm going to do to him next year.

Anyway... wow, thank you. I needed a bit of a pick-me-up tonight. :)

[seneska.livejournal.com]

Haha! I have finally finished. I started when you first posted but it's taken forever to find some free time (I actually skipped work today partly so I could complete this). It's really good. It's interesting seeing the transition between self-reliant youth and disciplined officer. To some extent this is actually true for both of them. I think you should be really proud of this story. It's compelling and riveting, fraught with tension and extreme emotions.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! I've been really nervous since posting it. I knew I'd written an anti-climax (intentionally - I needed it that way before writing the third part of the trilogy), and I didn't know how that would be received by readers. I'm relieved that it seems to be going well so far. Thank you for taking the time to read, and to comment!

[zauzat.livejournal.com]

Long comment will be long!

I loved this, one of my top two big bangs and one the best Trek fics I've read. I loved the fact that you chose a solution that was not a conspiracy theory, that was not about Kirk, that was not a big drama. Just one nasty bit of selfish thinking from Sven and bad luck in Kirk's intervention and it is all spiralling into an unimaginable clusterfuck. Made worse by people trying to cover their asses afterwards. So much more true to real life that conspiracy theories.
And on top of that I loved the lesson that Kirk had to learn from it and you made the learning gradual and real and painful, not just a revelation from the heavens. I loved the fact that Bones developed as well, the aviophobia sub-theme was fascinating.
I loved the nods back to TOS and the nods forwards to the events of the film.
I loved the fact that while Pike was prepared to go way out on a limb to help, he also eventually set limits to what he could and would do for Kirk and Kirk had to respect that.
I love the sheer breadth and depth of detail - the physicality of the campus and surroundings, the kind of courses they do, the details of the engineering and shuttle flights and sims, the medical details (the scene with Bones saving Kirk's life was brilliant). Your story lives in a fully three-dimensional world. Frankly most of us write one idea plots with a few details tacked around it liked Xmas ornaments. Yours reads as just one slice of a much more complicated world.
I loved the Starfleet politics.
I loved the way you pace it, it is consistently gripping right the way through without ever rushing, which is hard to do.
I could go on and on.... Anyway, amazing story!!!!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*blushes* First, thank you. Thanks for taking the time to read, and for taking the time to comment.

Also, I'm glad that you liked the fact that it wasn't a big conspiracy, and that it wasn't all about Kirk. I didn't know how people would take that, and I knew I was taking a risk by writing an anti-climax. But I needed Jim to learn those lessons... before I write the third part of the trilogy. ;)

Anyway, just... thank you! *hearts;

I hope you'll like the next fic, too! :)

[zauzat.livejournal.com]

PS I really like the friendship. Much as I like slash, I loved reading good solid friendship fic.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL - I like friendship fics, too. Their friendship isn't sexual, but it's deep, and to me, that's just as good. :)

[cole-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh how I have missed your writing! When I found this, I squeed, because I needed something good to read on my Transatlantic flight :D And what a treat this was!!!

Absolutely fantastic writing. I love how you write Jim and Bones' relationship. And Pike fills the fatherly role so well. And the twisty, turny world of Starfleet politics was really well developed.

Please, please, please write more!!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL - I'm glad you enjoyed it! *grins*

Yes, there will be more. This is the second part of the trilogy, so I've got another novel coming. It's already mostly plotted.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to write much for a while... my laptop just died, and it's my only computer. (I'm at work right now, on lunch break, checking e-mail from here.) So... there will be more fic. Eventually. *sigh*