Epilogue

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Lieutenant Saavik checked their course and prepared for warp speed. The viewscreen showed the Genesis world slowly shrinking behind them. Dr. McCoy and Dr. Marcus, senior, watched it and spoke together in low tones. Saavik worked at concentrating hard enough not to notice what they were saying. They were discussing the admiral, and it was quite clearly intended to be a private conversation.

The bridge doors opened. Saavik, in the captain’s chair, glanced around. She stood up.

“Admiral on the bridge!”

“At ease,” Jim Kirk said quickly. David Marcus followed him out of the turbo-lift.

Dr. McCoy and Carol Marcus glanced at each other. McCoy raised one eyebrow, and Carol gave him a quick smile.

“Hello, Bones,” Kirk said. “Hi, Carol. ...” He took her hand and squeezed it gently.

“On course to Alpha Ceti, Admiral,” Saavik said. “All is well.”

“Good.” He sat down. “Lieutenant, I believe you’re acquainted with my ... my son.”

“Yes, sir.” She caught David’s gaze. He blushed a little; to Saavik’s surprise, she did too.

“Would you show him around, please?”

“Certainly, sir.” She ushered David to the upper level of the bridge. When they reached the science [222] officer’s station, she said to him, softly, straight-faced, “I see that you did, after all, turn out to be a bastard.”

James Kirk heard her and stared at her, shocked.

“That is a ... ‘little joke,’ ” she said.

“A private one,” David added. “And the operative word is ‘dumb.’ ”

Saavik smiled; David laughed.

Jim Kirk smiled, too, if a bit quizzically.

McCoy leaned on the back of the captain’s chair, gazing at the viewscreen.

“Will you look at that,” he said. “It’s incredible. Think they’ll name it after you, Dr. Marcus?”

“Not if I can help it,” she said. “We’ll name it. For our friends.”

Jim thought about the book Spock had given him. He was remembering a line at the end: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.” He could not quite imagine Spock’s questing spirit finally at rest.

Carol put her hand on his. “Jim—?”

“I was just thinking of something. ... Something Spock tried to tell me on my birthday.”

“Jim, are you okay?” McCoy asked. “How do you feel?”

“I feel ...” He thought for a moment. The grief would be with him a long time, but there were a lot of good memories, too. “I feel young, Doctor, believe it or not. Reborn. As young as Carol’s new world.”

He glanced back at Lieutenant Saavik and at David.

“Set our course for the second star to the right, Lieutenant. ‘The second star to the right, and straight on till morning.’ ”

He was ready to explain that that, too, was a little joke, but she surprised him.

[223] “Aye, sir.” Saavik sounded not the least bit perplexed. She changed the viewscreen; it sparkled into an image of the dense starfield ahead. “Warp factor three, Helm Officer.”

“Warp three, aye.”

The Enterprise leaped toward the distant stars.