The Fabric of the Cosmos

Title: A Change of Stars
Author: Prentice aka slyprentice
Rating: PG-13, for language. Gen
Pairing: K/S pre-slash/friendship
Status: WIP
Spoilers: Star Trek XI, Star Wars
Warning: Crossover madness. Wookies. Corellian Brandy. Jim as an idealistic young cadet padawan.
Summary: Based on a prompt by yami_no_kabi. Written for the st_xi_kink meme, found here.
Word Count: 1,053 for this part [3,506 in total]
Disclaimer: Neither of these will ever be mine and if they were then James T. Kirk would surely say, at least once, ‘have you ever made it with a wookie?’ because that’s the kind of person I am.
A/N: Many thanks to yami_no_kabi for providing such an awesome prompt for the kink meme. This is my first time writing Trek fic and I’m already having a blast.

Feedback is always welcome, as well as those pointing out any flubs I might have missed before posting.

Previous Parts:
[Part 1]
[Part 2]
[Part 3]

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[Part 4]

There were times in Leonard’s life that being a Jedi Knight and a Healer meant facing the worst of what the universe had to offer, be it sentient made or the ebb and flow of the universe. This was a reality that he understood better than most. Balance was important to a Jedi – if a life must be taken, a new one would be born – but even with the Force washing over him, cleaning away the fear and anguish of so much pain and life lost, he couldn’t help but feel as though he should have been able to do more.

Turning away from the lifeless body before him, he smoothed his fingers over his robes, the edges torn and smoldering, his eyes scanning the crowded and chaotic medical bay. There was so many injured, so many in pain, their screams and moans blending with the gut wrenching weeping of the scared and lost in a ghastly symphony. It made him feel tired inside, old.

Eyes once again scanning over taken bio-beds, huddled figures stuffed into chairs and empty corners, he felt the keen tug of his bond with Jim. It had been muted over the last hour, as if Jim was closing his end, allowing his master to focus on the sick and the injured that had piled up since the beginning of the turmoil. It made Leonard frown, affectionate exasperation and worry filling him. He would be the first to admit that Jim could be a pain in the ass at the best of times – that smart mouth and charm of his was going to get him into a hell of a situation one of these days – but he was also one of the most selfless and tenderhearted son of bitches Bones had ever met. It made him want to protect the kid – from himself more than anyone else.

Blowing out a breath, hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, he felt a flutter of relief inside him as he spied a flash of blond hair and tan but torn and grimy robes near the medbay doors. The feeling was short-lived, however, as Bones eyes focused on the man struggling forward under his padawan’s guidance. He looked dangerously pale, blood flowing over the tattered remains of a Federation sanctioned uniform.

“Put him on the bed, Jim,” McCoy ordered, voice carrying over the den of noise in the way only a true physicians could. Pivoting away, knowing without looking that his friend would do exactly as he was told, he grabbed at a nearby med-tricorder, fingers fumbling in his robes for his hypo. “Where’d you find this one?”

Jim’s voice sounded tired and raw, as if he’d a run three hundred yard dash with no water before or after. “He was the last we beamed aboard. He insisted.”

“Damn fool,” Bones muttered, more to himself than anyone else, as he waved the tricorder over the man’s prone body, lips setting into a grim line. It wasn’t looking good. Glancing at Jim, taking in the haggard but set expression, he felt another wave of affectionate exasperation fill him and spill over into their bond. “You did well, padawan.”

The smile Jim gave him didn’t quite meet his eyes, the normal shine in them dulled by exhaustion, worry, and brutal resolve, but it would have to be enough for now. Focusing his attention back to the man in front of him, he pressed the hypo as gently as he was able to the man’s neck, watching as the sedative took affect, not that it would do much good now.

“Know who he is?” He asked after a moment, mind and body working on autopilot as he tried to stave off the inevitable. Even with enhanced Force Healing, there wasn’t much good that he could do.

“Captain of the Farragut, Stephen Garrovick,” Jim supplied, voice catching ever so slightly. “He stayed aboard; wanted the rest of the crew to get off first.” A jagged shard of pain bloomed through their bond, the edges of it digging into Leonard’s gut before he felt Jim let it melt into the Force, just as he had been taught to do.

“Jim…” He paused, hand hovering over the Captain’s chest, the swirl of Healing Force flowing through him and easing the man’s passing. The blood, ruby red like crushed Alderaan cherries, smelled sticky sweet and rusty between them. Sighing, he shook his head.

Now wasn’t the time. It never seemed to be, when it came to Jim’s past. “We need to find out what happened. This all seems a little too convenient for me and the Farragut is a ship of the line – not one that would be prone to accidents.”

The soft rattle of Commander Garrovick’s breathing, disturbingly wet and sucking, sounded quietly beneath the screeching moan of a nearby patient. Jim shook his head, mouth beginning to pinch. “There were scorch marks, Bones. I saw them right before we started transporting people over. Someone tried to blow the Farragut straight out of space. There was no accident.”

The apprehension, the tickle of something else going on, drifted through him, cutting through the Healing Force that flowed through him and made him feel, for the first time since leaving the temple, every inch the Jedi Knight he was. “There’s a presence here, Jim. A signature in the Force. ” He met his padawan’s eyes over the biobed, the flare of life slipping away beneath his fingers. “One that I haven’t felt before.”

“I feel it too, Master,” the other man replied, eyes dropping to the Federation officer on the bed. McCoy nodded, hovering hand coming to rest on the finally still body of Captain Stephen Garrovick, Commander of the U.S.S. Farragut. There was nothing more he could do.

“The Force be with you, Commander,” he murmured, hand lifting to disappear back into his robes. He stared past his padawan, the healer in him aching to mend all the broken bodies and broken hearts around them. “We need to get to that star base, Jim.”

“We’re only a few more parsecs away,” was the immediate reply. When his padawan’s eyes met his, they were blazing. “I’ll see what I can do for transport.”

Nodding, he refocused his attention on the next patient. “Get to it, padawan.”

TBC in Part 5

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Random ST trivia: Commander Garrovick was never given a first name in Star Trek but his son (Ensign Garrovick) - who served on the USS Enterprise and showed up in several novels and comics - was referred to by several names - Stephen, Tom, and David - and played by Stephen Brooks. That's where the name came from. It isn't too far-fetched to think a son would be named after his father, would it? :)