Thanatophobia

Fear of Death

Spock stands, back straight, posture good, as ever, despite his great age. He is an old, old man now, by both Human and Vulcan standards. He does not have long left.

The Enterprise Crew, whom he came to consider his friends, despite the illogic of the term, has long passed away; he is the only remainder of that Crew that witnessed the destruction of Vulcan. He is the last survivor.

Montgomery Scott had been the first to go. He had always privately maintained that he would be. He was the old man of the ship, after all. It had been quite some time since, but he had maintained his laboratory at Starfleet Academy to the last days.

Tragically, it had been Hikaru Sulu who had followed. The elderly Admiral had been travelling aboard a starship, en route to a diplomatic meeting, when they had been ambushed. A Musketeer and hero to the end, he had died saving much of the Crew, despite his highly advanced age. Spock knows of the reports, and the tactics used are very much similar to those used by George Kirk aboard the Kelvin.

Then it had been Leonard McCoy. The paranoid doctor, fearful of death in space or by disease, had succumbed to the most natural of causes: old age, the one thing he had never feared. It had been peaceful. He had payed a visit to his old friend on the day of his death, and found that old age had not mellowed him in the slightest, he was greeted as the 'green-blooded hobgoblin.'

Then there had been James Tiberius Kirk, Federation hero. That had been a day of mourning for many, memorial services were plentiful. True to his counterpart's words, it had been a friendship that defined them both. He greatly missed his dearest friend, who'd been sent off in fanfare and parades. He can, almost, as Vulcans do not, imagine his friend's cocky smile at seeing the events.

Then there was Pavel Chekov, the baby of the ship. Loyal to his motherland to the moment of his death, he had lain on his deathbed in Russia. They say that until his last days, he had told tales to his great-grandchildren of space and of Russia's greatness. If he remembers correctly, the former Navigator's wife would not have approved. It is strange, he cannot seem to think of the Russian as an elderly Admiral, he always seems to envision the young Ensign.

Then, finally, most devastatingly there had been the loss of Nyota Uhura, his wife and bondmate. She'd been the last to go, perhaps she had stubbornly held on, simply to say she outlasted the men. He'd been with her to the last second, seen her final breath. He'd found, illogically, that he missed her greatly, achingly. He could not wait to see her again.

It is illogical to fear the inevitable. Therefore, it is illogical to fear death. But that is not why Spock is not in the slightest bit scared. He will embrace death when it comes. For at the ceasing of his life, he will see his friends once more.

AN: And so this story comes to an end.

Thank you to everyone for reading, and an extra thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited or subscribed, to what I believe is my best work to date.

I have other Star Trek 2009 stories that I am working on/publishing soon, so keep an eye out for them!

I don't own Star Trek and probably never will.

~TheGirlWhoRemembers