Hawk's Fight with Buck

        (Alternative version of the fight scene from "Time of the Hawk")

by

Teresa Spanics

Chapter Eighteen

"I don't care what Hawk thinks.  There has to be a way to save him," Buck said to Wilma.  "There has to be!"

"You will find a way, Buck.  You always do," Wilma replied in a matter of fact voice.

The day of Hawk's trial came up and Buck tried to get Hawk to talk to the Galactic Court.  An hour before the trail, Buck saw Hawk and said to him, "Are you sure you will not speak in your own defense, Hawk?  Not one word?"

"No, there is no point," Hawk sadly said to Buck.

"Hawk ..." Buck sighed.

"I do not want to die. I did want to at first so I can be reunited with Koori, but now ..." Hawk said softly and sadly.  

"Then talk to the Galactic Court," Buck pleaded, but Hawk only shook his head.

Sighing, Buck headed for the door when Hawk's voice stopped him.  "Buck, I will like to say I am honored that you regard me as an equal."

"I am honored that you do and I am still going to talk in your defense whether you like it or not," Buck told Hawk as he went out the door.  Frustrated by Hawk's refusal to defend himself before the Galactic Court, Buck quickly worked on a speech he hoped would convince the Court that Hawk deserved to live.

The trial proceeded with Hawk saying nothing.  Buck began his speech to convince the Galactic Court of Hawk's reasons for attacking humans.  Hawk was stunned to think that a human would ask to be killed as well if he was put to death.  He never thought that a human would care so much about someone like him who was not human.  

Hawk's thoughts went back to when he first encountered Buck and the trek they made in a desperate attempt to get his mate, Koori, medical attention.  Buck's reaction to Koori's death and the fight where, instead of killing him, Buck treated his injuries and got Hawk to the sickbay of the Searcher so Dr. Goodfellow could perform surgery saving his life.  Even now, Buck was determined that he do whatever it took to save Hawk. 

After the trial, Hawk was surprised that Buck offered to help him find more of his people.  Hawk wondered what it would have been like if he had encountered Buck before the attack on his people.  Would Buck have helped him protect his people?  A definite possibility given what he has seen of Buck's willingness to help others no matter who they are and what they appear to be.

Buck showed Hawk his new quarters on the Searcher after a tour of the ship.  Settling in, Hawk sat on the bed with his forearms on his knees.  A pensive mood came over him.  His people and Koori were gone and it would be an unknown length of time before he encountered another one of his kind.  Now he had to stay onboard a vessel until such time it was deemed he would not threaten any more humans.  

A knock on the door broke into Hawk's thoughts.  "Enter."

Buck was standing in the doorway.  "Can I come in?"

Looking up, Hawk sighed.  "Yes. What do you want?"

"You are still bothered being here, aren't you?" Buck asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Hawk.

Letting out a sigh from deep inside of him.  "Yes," Hawk murmured.

"I know how you feel," Buck said in a quiet voice as Hawk looked up at him.  "When I came back from that mission that lasted 500 years, it took a long time for me to adjust to the fact that everyone I knew was dead.  The worse part was knowing I would never got the chance to marry my girlfriend, Jennifer.  We were thinking of getting married right after my mission," Buck replied in a not quite steady voice himself. 

"You lost your world, your family and the woman who was to be your mate. We have both suffered losses," admitted Hawk as Buck nodded in agreement.

"It is how we deal with those losses over time.  I know there is nothing I can say or do that will undo what has happened to you, Hawk.  But what I can do is be here for you when you need to talk," Buck offered.

"Thank you.  There is one question I want to ask.  How did you deal with your loss of your loved ones?" Hawk asked.

"All I do know is that what helped me deal with the loss of my family and friends were the happy memories of them.  That is also what has helped me to learn to live in this world," Buck said with a smile tugging at his face.

"Happy memories.  It will be some time before I can even think of such things," Hawk remarked as he rubbed his face.

"It won't be easy, and you are right in that it will be some time," Buck said as he got up to leave the room.  "I better let you get some rest.  Good night, Hawk."

"Good night, Buck," Hawk called as the door closed.