Exactly twenty-four hours afterwards, Lieutenant Kirk had become fully rested this time without a nightmare that his efforts to ensure the senior officers of the landing party got to safety. Instead, it ended with him returning to the ship only with the loss of three fellow officers. Nine red shirts died in his previous dreams including the commander and the first officer but not this. There was the engineer at the transporter consoles.

"Say, what is your name?" Kirk asked.

The man looked familiar, if only he had a mustache and white hair.

"Montgomery Scott, though my friends call me Scotty," Scotty said. So that is your name, Kirk thought. "Say, are you the kid who was kicked out the academy?"

"Yes," Kirk said. So my achievements outside the academy are not well known?, Kirk thought becoming saddened by the mere thought. "That I am."

"And you are a security officer?" Scotty asked.

Kirk nodded.

"Lieutenant." Kirk said.

Scotty's jaw dropped.

"Ay, that fast?" Scotty asked, raising his jaw back up.

Kirk had a small smile on his face.

It was the kind that was strange to the Scottsman. It was sad, not the proud kind of one a man would usually see on a accomplished young man who worked his butt off to get here. Scotty raised a eyebrow at the young man. It was the kind that he would usually see on a person who is about to go on their last errand. But this wasn't his last, that Scotty knew, it was one of many.

"Not really." Kirk said.

Kirk turned away to the transporter pad then walked over to the other conversing red shirts changing his mood on the spot. Scotty lowered down an eyebrow. The doors gently whoshed open for Bones, Captain Pike, and Commander Spock. The three red shirts got on the the transporter lined up. Captain Pike got on his phaser belt as did Spock. Spock had his tricorder over his shoulder.

"Mr Scott," Pike said. "Have you set the coordinates to the surface?"

"Ay, captain." Scotty said.

Bones got on the transporter pad noticing a different kind of mood on Kirk's face.

It was strange, to see from a man he knew quite so well.

"Are you all right, Jim?" Bones asked.

Kirk's eyes landed on Bones as though he was a transparent figure.

"I am fine, Bones." Kirk replied.

Spock looked over to see the lieutenant, the one who got kicked out of the academy, on the transporter pad. Spock had a bewildered look set about his face. It was a intriguing discovery for the Vulcan. Naturally someone who got kicked out of the academy wouldn't just find themselves on a ship in six months, three days, two hours and thirty-six minutes. Kirk turned his head away, his eyes not landing on a figure. It was almost like he was out of it. In a daze, as a expert would say, just going through life. It was like he had been shot at the chest and he lost his dignity. Where did his dignity go?

Spock looked over toward Pike.

"Captain, I thought he was expelled." Spock said.

"Who?" Pike asked.

"Cadet Kirk." Spock said.

"Oh, you mean the lieutenant?" Pike raised his eyebrows. "He saved a friend of mine from fatal death three weeks ago losing his arm in the process." Pike said, lowering his eyebrows. "Jake said he's a pretty good officer. I was surprised as you were to find him assigned on a starship. Then again, he is a Kirk."

"Captain, it seems he is not paying attention to anything." Spock said.

"He just was assigned to his second ship," Pike said. "He used to serve on the older constitution class." The two boarded the transporter. "Energise."

Bones was looking in the direction of Kirk with a concerned look about his face.