#Lieutenant Lee Kelso | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

speedygal · 8 years ago

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Mission to Mars AU

I’m taking some liberties to tinker with this AU. So bare with me.

James T Kirk has fallen head over heels for a woman whose in the space program for NASA. Her name is Carol Marcus. He is best friends with Gary “Mitch” Mitchell and Leonard H. “McCoy” McCoy, a black man in this AU but he still looks like McCoy otherwise nothing different. Carol falls sick, contract cancer, and dies shortly after their wedding. She lived for six months. McCoy is going into space with three other people consisting of Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov, and Spring (T’Pring) to Mars. Harold Grayson, aka human Spock, is part of the party along with a dozen others and children. McCoy has a little girl named Joanna who is eight years old with his wife Jocelyn. McCoy is reading a Galaxy Quest fan novel to his daughter every night. Jim is close friends with Harold and dealing with the grief. He’s gotten better but the pain in his chest still lingers. Sometimes he thinks he sees her, sometimes he feels like she is till there with them, following him watching him like she isn’t really gone. Mitch, Jim, and Len are in Joanna’s treehouse talking about how the gang is splitting up. Harold is at the bottom. He’s one of the few people in society who is psi-positive and does not wish to hear their inner thoughts. Mitch has a necklace with a triangle shaped object around his neck. It’s a dream. A promise. Something that was given and made to every day people. Hope. It looks like a rocket but it isn’t. It has a star in the center of it. Harold is the second to last to leave but not without shaking Leonard’s hand, fondly, allowing him to see and feel how he will be missed.

18 months later, the group of four has settled on Mars. They have found ways to produce water and extract it from mars which indicates, as theory holds that it used to be like Earth. McCoy misses his little girl and his buddies on Earth. Hikaru has created a green house with help from Russian Chekov who is just too cute for words with the Asian man. They are dotting over each other highly in love. Spring is perfectly fine with her assignment and enjoys the peace and quiet for once and her duties are exceptional. Spring reminds McCoy of Harold. McCoy misses the two nerds. Hikaru jokes to McCoy that the plants will one day be his only hope and listening ears for him. McCoy replies cynical and skeptical of it. They have a lot of plants. He knows his colleagues are on the international space station and when he realizes that, he gathers the crew and makes a embarrassing video that takes 20 minutes to get to the station. They decide to go to the ‘face’ because their little drone has shown something truly odd about it. 20 minutes later, they make it to the face, scan it, project at it with their radar while McCoy is by the rover. The anomaly reacts and it is devastating. Back at the space station, Harold is learning to dance with some help from Mitch who is getting interested in him. And making out because there is some form of connection that they made between each other. Jim is embarrassed by the video, afterwards the face’s anomaly is brought up. The space station is alerted to the out-of-this-world-charge and blanketing-of-destruction. The worst is expected, Jim is distraught and has to leave to deal with this. His best friend. Is gone. His reaction is worse than losing his wife and he deals with it privately in his quarters. On Mars, McCoy digs himself out of the dirt. Gets the hell out of their on the rover. Terrified out of his mind and lucky to be alive. He is swearing to himself about how space is dangerous and how stupid he was to go into space and chides himself for joining because Jim joined. He is chastising himself all the way to the station. And crying over the loss of his colleagues. He talks to himself all the way there but he still hasn’t calmed down while back at HQ everyone is freaking out in a HQ meeting. McCoy is trying to find the good in it but he feels for his colleagues so much. It’s undeniably painful. He goes in to make another video out of breath and panting. The signal is lost after he asks Jim to tell his daughter that he loves her. McCoy is left alone with minimal packaged food that lasts for one month since next week was going to be the departure from the planet for the next crew. Also with plants, and water. No human interaction.

The HQ gets the video and sees it. Jim wants to send a team after McCoy and bring him home. Jim is back to his old self minus being ridged, compromised, and a true mess. He is a diplomatic, confident, and kind man. He wants to help in any way he can. Mitch stand up for Jim to Captain Pike of the vessel to go get their friend back. Harold is there acting as support in the background. Mitch thanks Harold for being there with him. Harold does not speak often, apparently, and reserves his voice for more important occasions. Which gives off the mute impression. Jim shares a video call with Joanna and tells her that her dad is going to be back sometime in 2022. He is going to bring him back. In any way he can. Jocelyn breaks the news to Jim that she has divorced McCoy over five months ago. Jim then realizes that’s why McCoy told him only Joanna. Jim and Jocelyn talk about McCoy. Jocelyn tells him that he has her blessing if he wants to go after McCoy. That comforts Jim. Jim asks how she and Joanna have been doing. They share a good conversation. The conversation ends eventually. Jim goes over to Uhura and advises her to comfort her girlfriend, Christine Chapel, over her lost fiancee. She needs time away from her station and says he will cover her. Uhura is thankful for Jim then leaves. Jim covers her station exactly as he says. He uses the quality time and silence to recuperate. Janice Rand gives Jim some coffee. She puts a hand on his shoulder and attempts to comfort him since there is, in NASA’s eyes, no way that McCoy could have survived and even if he was still alive he was probably in bad shape. Jim appreciates the gesture. A few hours later, Jim is writing up the names of those who should go on the rescue mission aka evaluation mission to see what happened. The data that was collected will take months if not years to shift through and understand from what happened on Mars. Grayson and Jim play chess in the mess hall. Grayson breaks the news that Jim is going to lead the rescue mission. Jim then informs Grayson of who he has chosen for the rescue mission so far: Grayson, Mitch, and Montgomery Scott. He was going to chose Lee Kelso or one of the so called ‘Thermian’ members of the space station to lead the rescue mission. Preferably a woman. Janice Lester. Grayson informs Jim that would have been a terrible choice of all three because 1, they are not Jim Kirk, 2, they are all rational, logical people, and 3, they are not as bold and stubborn as Jim is to get someone back. Grayson alludes to Jim dragging his ass into NASA training and Jim replies, “You are exaggerating, McCoy got you in to watch I and Carol’s six.” Grayson alludes to other instances where Jim was behind his back during high school and studying with McCoy for the tests. Jim smiles back at him. Jim defeats Grayson and almost calls him by a fictionalized character who appeared once in Galaxy Quest, “That was a excellent game, Mr Spauwk.” Grayson raises his arched eyebrow. “Sorry, friend, that just slipped.” Jim has to speak with the people he was going to add to the roster. Ben Sulu, Hikaru’s husband, is crying with Lieutenant Romaine and Scotty around him taking him away from the mess hall.

Our scene transitions to later of boarding the IXS Enterprise that is connected to the international space station. There’s a party being thrown for the group. Jim hugs his friends and colleagues but notably the last he shakes their hands including the so called Thermian people with bowl hair cuts. He kisses both Christine and Nyota on the cheeks. Janice Rand gets a hug. The ship is full of supplies for the crew. He shakes Captain Pike’s hand and assures him. The trip is 173 days aka five months and sixty-eight days. Their space suits have touch screen gloves, are light blue, fit their body like a glove, and they are not bulky. It’s actually comfortable. The Boeing NASA space suits feel better than the previous model. They have space suits for going on mars which is the blue version of the white suit which is basically a add on to the space suit. Scotty is over joyed. Grayson and Mitch’s relationship continues to bud. Scotty is carefully monitoring the fuel. Because this shit is expensive. Jim watches videos of Carol. Their son, David, was put into a artificial womb prior to her death in a synthetic body that provides nutrients to him. He has been encountering problems along the way which has paused his development. Jim had his will changed last year specifically for David’s arrival and if he cannot be around for him. He has McCoy, Pike, Winona, George, and Grayson listed as potential guardians for the child. Jim gets to know Scotty better than he did on the international space station.

McCoy, on Mars, adjusts to his new and boring and terrifying life. He evidently does not eat the cupcake that is discarded on the counter. The signal cannot be restablished. He continues what Hikaru had done before him, watering the plants. Some days he fights with them over: water. They provide him oxygen and food. He eventually thinks he sees the crew around him. McCoy evidently thinks he is losing his mind. He realizes the plants are his only hope because Hikaru had always said they were alive and talked about forests being a living garden where they exchanged messages. McCoy is stuck inside the shuttle afraid to go outside. He talks to the plants and tend to him. McCoy deals with the grief of losing his crewmates. Some days he thinks he sees Jim and Grayson and he gives into the illusion grabbing Jim into a hug until he is down to his knees a crying mess. He thinks no one is coming because A, no one would send a rescue mission after a event like this, B, it’s a death wish since space is dangerous wrapped in disease and death. And its unpredictable. He and his team were lucky to get down to mars. McCoy misses his crewmates. He goes through denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance all in different orders. One day he sees his two nerds, but they are dressed differently and their space suits are nothing like NASA with the different patches. Grayson with pointed ears and slanted eyebrows. They talk to hm after McCoy tackles the look-alike Jim with a pickaxe and he just blacked out. He wakes up in a static field room. He thinks he has gone insane. Their uniforms are unique. He attacks anyone who comes near him because hell he is not sure if this is reality anymore. He calls himself Horatio after seeing look alike him checking him out with devices while he is bounced to the chair. He manages to escape running down the hall where he makes his way to the transporter room where he sees Hikaru and Pavel and he screams so loud backing off BECAUSE AREN’T THEY DEAD? He comes across T’Pring accidentally when he enters the lab room and he faints at the sight of her. He is taken back to the room and its so surreal and frightening and scary and he struggles. Look alike Jim comes to his side and puts a hand on his shoulder and look alike Spock puts a hand on his shoulder, so he says, “I have no idea who y’all playin’ at or my subconscious is making. BUT YOU MAKE A LOUSY TAKE ON the best man I ever known, GRAYSON.” He feels the contact of touch by look alike Grayson and emotions take over McCoy’s body; the sympathy, understanding, and love is overwhelming. McCoy loses consciousness. When he awakens, he is back in the green house, McCoy sees the toy action figures to Galaxy Quest on the table and realizes he has been up too long thinking about all those what ifs. He sees the pickax leaned against the counter and recalls that he took it out as self defense measure in case whatever spared him came will be quickly slaughtered. McCoy gets back up and works on that signature he found from what came out of the face sculpture. He is undergoing serious angst issues and questions reality at every turn to make sure he is not dreaming AND THAT DREAM TERRIFIED THE HELL OUT OF HIM, WHAT IF A LOOK ALIKE OF JIM BEING THE ALIEN, TOOK THAT SHAPE IN WHICH HE WAS COMFORTABLE WITH TO KILL HIM? He realizes how he had been comparing Spring and Harold to a an alien species portrayed by William Shatner as Mr Spauwk. 3 months into his endless hell, McCoy goes out in his suit then retrieves the body parts of his comrades. He can’t find Pavel’s body but it doesn’t feel right not to make him a grave for him. So he gathers what Pavel prized and buries it for the others in total making three graves. He presides over their graves and delivers monologues and whatever else in what religion they practiced and their own language using their bibles or their holy related items. He leaves the American flag down because he can’t risk being attacked by that face again. By this point, he accepts that he has lost three truly wonderful people. And he may die alone never seeing a human face again.

3 months and six-eight days later, they are near Mars. Grayson is a better dancer in zero gravity. His budding relationship with Mitch has become a romance. Scotty and Jim are true companions. Scotty sends messages to Romaine and the others on the international space station. Mitch holds random dance hours in free space and it’s so disgustingly cute when it’s with Grayson like no joke. A taller man, being Grayson, holding Mitch in his arms, appearing to enjoy what they are doing. Jim has watched their relationship grow with some help from himself. Scotty is flattered and doesn’t want to so Grayson brings the dance to him. Scotty rolls an eye as Mitch and Jim are laughing. Scotty is not amused. Scotty fails at chess with Grayson. This time when the station contacts them, the station has good news. The satellite is working again. And warns them about the sand storms. Scotty notices the lumps of graves in left quadrant of the site. Jim is given hope. Harold reasons that McCoy may be dead by now as no one would have been able to survive that long and there is no one left to bury him. Jim is determined to bury his friend’s body if that is the case. Mitch is skeptical someone would be alive. Scotty shares he same skepticism. Eventually, Mitch finds Jim watching their marriage celebretory video. They talk about Carol. How she saw hope for the universe and humanity and science connecting them together reaching their hands out to each other. Mitch talks about Grayson and how they are going to continue their relationship getting back and how he wants Jim to be there at their wedding if Grayson accepts his offer. He is going to ask when they are on Mars. Jim congratulates him. They share a hug.

Scotty meets up with Mitch. Mitch is in a good mood. They drink together as they are getting near Mars. Scotty is prepared for what grim discovery they may find and looks forward to be on Mars. He is thrilled to see how they managed to survive on a barren planet without grassland or oxygen and what kind of storm had kicked up. He is really excited. More excited than the past few months because they are more closer to the planet than before. He admits wanting to find out if Mar’s soil can be used to plant crops. Jim gets another emergency message taped and sent, but this time, it’s baby David Kirk in Captain Pike’s arms. Jim, Grayson, Mitch, and Scotty all dawww at the baby. Jim makes a recording for David, after countless others made during the trip and before the trip but with the boys with him. Because he always felt he wouldn’t be around to hold him. Jim gets choked out telling him how much loves him and how he’ll kill whoever let his baby go go into space so early so god help him. Plus shouldn’t that be illegal? Jim sings happy birthday, with the other men acting as background singers, and he sings like an angel. Eventually, there is a scrap metal attack on the ship. Mitch goes outside to fix the hole. Scotty has to reboot the computer system. The oxygen level is going down and down. The first hole in the ship was repaired by Mitch thanks to Scotty getting hurt. Jim loses conscious after tossing a orange juice bag which is squirted open to find the next hole for Mitch, while Grayson calls him out, “Jim. Jim? Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim!” as gravity returns. He comes down to Jim’s level and shakes his shoulder. “ Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim.” As his voice gets panicked, terrified if his friend has just suffered asphixeration. Mitch gets the hole filled. Jim regains consciousness. “Jim.” Grayson finally says, relieved. Grayson smiles. Scotty calls Mitch in instead of letting him check the engines because they are getting near the planet and preparing for circular landing. They are in the cockpit when the engines start letting out a good portion of frozen fuel that floats to the rockets. The rockets are ignited. The ship is torn in half. The crew have to leave and take another portion to land. The crew zip on their mars suit attachments with extensive oxygen and with fuel. Scotty is the last to exit after much reluctance leaving the IXS Enterprise. Mitch DECIDES to be the hero who connects the supply module to the tether. He connects the device but his grip is lost due to the rate of speed he is going in space heading past the machinery. Grayson attempts to go after Mitch with his hook. The hook is too short. Grayson goes after Mitch. He is at the point of no return. Grayson shakes his head then unzips his helmet with a smile after telling him how much he cares about Grayson and is very endearing toward Grayson. “I love you, baby.” In order to save Grayson’s life. Grayson calls Mitch out, “Mitch! No, please, no.” He watches Mitch floating corpse in space with a smile and his face now ice. Grayson has a thousand yard stare then turns back as Jim has a horrified expression on his face while Scotty is emptying out the supplies they will not need from the module.

Captain Pike and co see the viewscreen of the Enterprise get lost near mars and presumably burn up. There is confusion in the room with voices and gasps and tears. Pike looks like he has lost all life sitting down into the chair. Pike is devastated for Baby David. Eventually is alarmed about the landing of the module by Ben Sulu. Life returns to Pike as he realizes what Jim had done. Our scene turns to Mars. They find the base. They enter the ship made home by Mars one. Grayson and Jim enter the ship to discover there is oxygen. Jim explores about while Scotty is working on the restoration part to unclog some generators. Jim unzips his helmet as does Grayson who is busy looking round for signs of life. Jim is in the greenhouse and he sees the uneaten one month anniversary treat. He notices the bowl of water which is amazing to him because how can someone get water from this planet? He takes the hair cover off. He feels someone is behind him. He turns around to see a bearded McCoy after him. Jim stops him from killing him by grabbing onto the pickax, “Your name is Leonard Horatio McCoy! We have been friends since middle school! You didn’t tell me you divorced, which hurts a lot, and, I am a father, David was born, and you are reading The Gods of Tev’Mek to your daughter. She is eleven years old waiting for her father to come home.” McCoy steps back lowering the device with tears in his eyes ,“My god Jim, you are real.” He drops the pickax and grabs Jim into a hug, weeping into his shoulder, Jim is relieved to see his friend, alive, again.

“Jim? Jim? Jim?” McCoy hears Grayson’s voice. Which he is not entirely sure is real or not. “Jim.” Minutes later, Grayson joins them. “It is pleasing to see you again, Leonard. I did not suspect your survival to be high.” McCoy lets go of Jim turning away, “Why you rounded eared mute faker, so did I!”

Grayson raises his eyebrow, “I am not a mute nor am I fake.”

“My delusions of this guy did not say that.” McCoy said. “At least, he is real.”

Jim laughs. “That is true.”

McCoy looks in both directions.

“Where’s Mitch?” McCoy asks, as a long expression grew on Grayson’ s face.

Jim explains to him their trip to get here. Afterwards, McCoy brought them to the grave site and explains his side of the last few months with Scotty behind them. Scotty is impressed with how McCoy has been sticking around. He admires the plants. McCoy laments that Hikaru never got to see him tending to the damn plants. Grayson puts a hand on McCoy’s shoulder sending sympathy by touch with his gloves being unzipped. It all feels alien to McCoy being real and all. Let alone touched that way by Grayson, flinching, concerning the psi-telepath. McCoy then goes on to show them what he discovered of what came out of the mountain after the awesome power and disaster. It’s a DNA strand. Jim thinks back to when he ate some of Scotty’s M&M’s. He tells them it’s a test. To see if they are human. McCoy points that previous attempt a failure which resulted in the deaths of three people. Grayson corrects him, “Four.” “ What if it happens again?” Jim insists, “We can’t let their deaths be in vain”. They have to make a addition to it in the same way the message/test was sent out. Jim insists it will never happen again and they will be the last explorers because Congress won’t like it. Scotty agrees, “Aye.” “My months of hell be worthin’ nothin’? I don’t think so.” They sent out the little rover after it.

The side of the face, now completely visible, is opened. Scotty stays behind to start the cockpit. The four manned rover is working thanks in part to Scotty and Grayson. Scotty hugs every single one of them, no arguments, no buts, no BS. Scotty makes himself cry so they get into a group hug around Scotty. Jim, McCoy, and Grayson leave. McCoy decides to tell Jim things he had kept back, some embarrassing stuff and some intimate stuff. “I love you, Jim, all the same. Never stopped lovin’ you.” Jim is so bright eyed he refuses to believe that they are going to die but he has Scotty aware to go if they don’t come back just in case. They enter the face. Detect oxygen. Unzip their helmets. Spock takes McCoy’s hand detecting fear from the man and to comfort him and reassure him, telepathically saying, “You are not alone.” They make it into a black room where they encounter a alien race. A tall woman but male like figure. They learn Mars was struck by an asteroid, “There goes my nuclear war theory.“ McCoy grumbles. The planet was evacuated and everyone goes to a spiral galaxy except for the remaining survivor.

Grayson is in fascination as evolution of life Earth is shown, “Fascinating.” In interest and intrigue.

“This explains so much.” Jim adds.

The presentation ends showing modern day Earth. The alien humanoid looks over toward Grayson then reaches their hand out. Grayson nods in understanding. Jim realizes, they are all aliens. They came from Mars. Jim notes out loud that Carol was right all along. Grayson takes McCoy’s hand, McCoy takes Jim’s hand, and Jim takes the alien’s hand. Jim looks at her in awe and joy better than he was earlier. McCoy experiences utter joy which might be from himself or Grayson at the projection of more Earth like planets so far away yet close to their fingertips in front of them. Grayson has a telepathic conversation with the alien human, which, he practically begs not to take Jim and instead himself. Himself in his friends place, McCoy needs Jim right now. He quickly relays their story to the alien and then they understand;. Their mind has been made, Grayson will stay. Jim zips his gloves up and his boots too as they start to leave Grayson. The alien humanoid has vanished. Grayson announces he will not go with them. Jim and McCoy stop then turn toward Grayson. Jim comes to him and talks to Grayson regarding his decision. Grayson hands the necklace that Mitch gave him to Jim since it should be his. Grayson assures Jim they will meet again, also, explains he does not belong to Earth due to his superior intellect,gift, and psi-positive. He is going where people like him will be welcomed. Jim and Spock share a final hug.

“Jim. . . Jim. . . Jim, I will miss you.” Jim is letting tears out. “It’s just going to be a while. Right?”

“Affirmative.” Grayson nods. “I will make sure of it.”

They end the hug. Jim and Grayson shake hands, exchange fond emotions and caring impressive feelings for each other. Tightly holding hands. It continues for too long, McCoy has to break their make out session by reminding Jim that he’s on a goddamn planet destroying itself and they need to leave. McCoy and Grayson argue once they are confronting each other. Grayson says, “You are welcome.”

“For what?” McCoy is stumped.

“Not turning you in for euthanizing your father.” Grayson said.

“You are a smug bastard, Harold.” McCoy said.

“Call me Spock for now.” Spock said.

“All ready ditchin’ yourself?” McCoy asked, sounding hurt. “That was quick.”

“This is a decision I did not make lightly.” Spock said. “I feel more alien than human, Leonard. For that, I cannot be that friend who comforts you. Jim excels at this when I cannot.”

“For a guy who hardly speaks, I see why you hardly do.” McCoy said. “Breakin’ my heart.”

“I cannot have one without the other.” Spock said. “Logically, I cannot have either.”

Grayson finally won an argument with McCoy. Jim has to drag McCoy away as he argues back, “YES. YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!” As he finally understands why Grayson is doing this to him. To Jim of all people. McCoy needs some healing from those months being alone and Grayson is not the kind to heal around as he barely speaks on Earth. They make it on time before Scotty launches. Scotty is crying both relieved and saddened because Grayson is not with them and he was scared he would have to leave the desert planet alone. He gives the two men bear hugs. There’s a montage of Grayson befriending the three men in high school. Jim all legs and being a small book nerd. McCoy interested in helping others. Mitch interested in being an astronaut. Growing up. Falling in love. Falling out of love. Falling in love again with other people and not making a romantic relationship with them except for Mitch. All the good times in his life with his space family. His parents cheering him on to space, a retired diplomat and teacher. His life flashes before his eyes as the adaptable breathable water covers him entirely. The small face like craft jets out of Mars passing by the shuttle. McCoy looks out the window as Jim wishes him, “Have a good ride, Mr Spock.” Our scene shows the moon then it transitions down a year later at night under the stars where McCoy is in the tree house with Joanna telling her of their story. Joanna misses Grayson. So does McCoy.

Jim comes out rubbing his hands together, “Dinner is ready!”

“We are comin’,darlin’!” He points in the direction that Grayson went and says, “That’s his sanctuary home.” Jim goes inside. “One day, you and David are goin’ to visit there and chew out Mr Spock for missin’ out on your birthday!” while tickling her.

“Stop it!” Joanna laughs.” Daddy!”

“If you say so.” McCoy stops.

Joanna climbs down. McCoy feels gratitude because he is better than he was all those months ago but he still has nightmares and with Jim, they will fade, into the darkness. He has one thing to say, “I miss you too, Harold. You had good intentions.”

McCoy is called by his daughter, “Daddy, dinner!”

“Bones,come inside, it is getting cold!” Jim calls.

And McCoy climbs down replying with, “I am comin’, darlins!” McCoy looks up to see a golden streak passing through the night sky and he slowly smiles, his eyes lighting up, then goes inside the house as the screen goes into space.

THE END.

#star trek au #leonard mccoy #james t. kirk #Montgomery Scott #Pavel Chekov #Hikaru Sulu #Joanna McCoy #David Kirk #christine chapel #nyota uhura #mckirk au #Christopher Pike #janice rand #t'pring #mission to mars au #mcspirk au #Star Trek: The Original Series #Star Trek: Alternate Original Series #s'chn t'gai spock

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