It had been a good life, there was no question about it. How many Georgia country doctors had ever been to the stars, let alone become a part of them? For years he had served aboard the beautiful starship along with a legendary crew; people who had become more than colleagues. At times, he had felt closer to that crew than his own daughter or certainly his wife.

But now in a day or two, certainly less than a week, this peaceful world would be gone, the whole Earth would be gone, destroyed even as so many other worlds had been annihilated during the past year.

One year McCoy shook his head in painful remembrance. He and other billions of other Federation citizens had watched on screens in their home worlds as their two chosen ambassadors had made first contact with beings from so far out in space, scientists hadn't even known they existed.

The two ambassadors, James T. Kirk and Spock of Vulcan, had been chosen because of their expertise at diplomacy and their reputations. Once they had retired from active service at Starfleet, the two men had been used by the Federation as roving ambassadors from time to time. No longer the young men who had defeated and outsmarted so many potential enemies from so many civilizations, they still represented the best that the Federation could offer. Their personal relationship once kept secret had long been accepted since the formal bonding ceremony conducted on Vulcan two years before. The sight of Admiral Kirk and the son of the legendary Sarek had caused barely a ripple in the sensibilities of even the most pedantic.

McCoy had been unable to attend the ceremony due to ill health, but he had sent his congratulations. Of course, he had known that Spock and Kirk had been bonded since the miracle that had been Spock's return to life after Genesis, but because of their careers, it had never been officially acknowledged.

NyotaUhura had attended the ceremony to represent those who still survived of the original crew. A month after that she had visited McCoy to tell him all about the solemn but joyful occasion. The former communications officer was still a lovely woman despite her older appearance. She had even sung a few of McCoy's favorite songs for him. If her voice wasn't as strong and vibrant as it had once been, it still soothed and offered the comfort the doctor needed. They had talked about the ceremony, tinged with sorrow that neither Sarek nor Amanda was still alive to see their son united with his t'hy'la. Spock's parents had died together a few years before in a shuttle crash, their katras lost forever. Naturally, that had devastated their son.

After the ceremony, the two men had then enjoyed nearly a year of peace in the house they had built for their mutual life together until the day that the Federation had asked them once more to serve when the unknown entity had entered Federation space. Spock and Kirk, together as always, had been given transport aboard a starship to the place of rendezvous.

The eyes of a hundred planets had been on the two men as they had met the entities known as the Ashrum Buschey or at least that had been the translation given by Universal Translator. Starfleet had taken to just calling them the Ashrums, but since only their ships had been seen up to that time, no one knew what kind of beings the ambassadors might encounter.

It didn't take long to find out. Cloaked in mist, the beings had transported from their ships to take a position in front of Spock and Kirk. Kirk took the lead as always, his air of confidence and command, undiluted over the decades.

At the end of his initial words, a long silence occurred, followed by a shrill wail from the mist. The translator gave out only static as it could not comprehend the message, leaving Kirk and Spock alone in their ignorance. Then in horror the people of the Federation had watched as a flaming ball of fire engulfed the two men. Not even their dust remained.

McCoy had sat just there in his hospital room, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The deaths of Kirk and Spock were only the first of many. The ships of the Ashrum moved on, destroying worlds much as the Planet Killer had done. Vulcan had been one of the first to fall, followed by hundreds more as the Federation had tried to fight back, uniting with the Klingons, the Romulans, anyone who might stop the destruction, but all had failed so now in less than a week it would be Earth's turn.

Those Terrans, who were able, had fled their blue-oceaned world. There were still planets that were not in the path of the Ashrum destruction. Bones McCoy had elected to stay where he was. Death was no longer an enemy to be feared. He had already experienced too much loss.

Sipping slowly on his drink, he savored the memories of his long lifetime, long at least in Human standards. For one moment of grief, he allowed himself the indulgence to regret that Jim Kirk's life had been cut short. The man had been unique: unequaled commander, diplomat, womanizer and user. Oh yes, definitely a user. He had mastered cajolery and an attitude that had manipulated those surrounding him to his will, none more so than his Bones. McCoy couldn't help smiling to himself. James T. had used him more than once, but usually to a good purpose or at least the good doctor had wanted to believe so. At one point their friendship had been close although there had been a deep division over Kirk's decision to step down as Captain of the Enterprise.

That had been cemented over with the V'ger crisis and the subsequent loss of Spock to Khan's wrath. That the CMO had been chose as the receptacle for Spock's katra had affected McCoy deeply as well as his relationship with Jim Kirk. The pain the younger man had felt made it impossible for McCoy to leave again, to find his own way as he had tried before.

It wasn't until McCoy had realized the depth of commitment between Kirk and Spock that he had finally recognized that his presence was no longer necessary to the Captain. They were still friends, but there was only one man absolutely necessary to the life of James T. Kirk.

As for Spock himself, McCoy's relationship with him had always been one of shadows. Friends and yet not friends, almost like two moons revolving around the sun known as Kirk. He had been surprised that Spock would give over so much of himself to his t'hy'la, but then the one-time science officer was only part Vulcan. Whatever the truth of their relationship, Spock had paid a price for serving Jim Kirk, staying with him to the end.

The image of that glowing ball engulfing the two men had seared its way in the doctor's brain. In his imagination, he could almost see them embracing as the incandescence took them. They had shared something to which he had never been privileged not with his first wife or Natira. At times he had felt resentment, they needed no one else but each other. Always the third wheel, knowing that he was allowed to share only a miniscule part of their legend.

And now his friends as well as the Enterprise, the Federation, and all they had sacrificed so much for were gone. Finishing the last of his mint julep, Leonard McCoy, former Starfleet physician, watched as the sun set on the horizon.

The End

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