Captain James Kirk has returned to earth to attend the funeral of Gary Mitchell - the man he was forced to kill. As he wonders what he can possibly say in eulogy, he thinks back to his first encounter with his erstwhile friend, just a few months ago . . .

When he assumed command of the USS Enterprise for the first time, Gary had been his navigator, and he'd quickly learned to rely on his friend's good sense and advice. But then, the first time he confronted the Klingons, Gary was taken captive; and he found that he had to rely instead on a man he barely knew, a Vulcan named Spock . . .