Kirk was saved from Tarsus IV by Vulcans when he was fourteen, but the memory of Kodos the Executioner and his child soldiers still haunts him. It takes another Vulcan to save him when a man resembling Kodos comes aboard the Enterprise, reminding Kirk that he never truly escaped his past.
Based on ‘The Conscience of the King’ from Star Trek TOS. Mentions of trauma, panic attacks, and starvation.
By Phyona (ao3). This was supposed to be 2 paragraphs. 3200 words later, these two butts own my soul. (reading it on ao3 might be easier since it’s kinda long)
James Kirk is thirteen years old, and his world is ice, and bile, and terror.
Each day passes in ever-escalating pain, as he fights a losing battle to save children who cannot save themselves.
James Kirk is thirteen, and he is being hunted on Tarsus IV.
He shepherds starving kids on his back, holds their frigid, bony hands and hides them in caves or shrubs that are never safe for long. He feeds them bitter roots and berries, steals from camps when he can, and takes none for himself. His body devours what remains of muscle when fat runs out. He hurts everywhere.
Predators lurk in the shadows. They are children too.
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