#this and “please sir not in front of the klingons’

[spirkbitch]

imagine hearing the line “I have been, and always shall be yours” and thinking ‘yeah these dudes are friends’

[samthetrekkie]

I feel like I've abundantly established that I don't think the tos movies are the best ones ever made and this one was especially wild to me, but I still do have a soft spot for all of them. I never leave thinking "oh, I didn't like that", even if there were entire scenes were I was like ??? and/or second hand embarrassed. (think, uhura dancing naked, them thinking the alien on the planet is literally god). but then sybok asking when the pain began and spock goes "this is the scene of my birth" was way too funny to me (sorry spock). and the turbo boots scene in the jeffries tube was also really entertaining in a slapsticky way.

the general plot was a bit strange, but it actually reminded me of og tos episodes. at the same time, that's not necessarily a good thing… I liked the shore leave scenes, even though they were a bit long considering how short the movie was. it also reminded me of those old, unauthorized tos books (even though I've never actually read any of those) where they recycle typical tos episodes, but make it a little larger and filled with some non-canon info, like the random pairings. I do think scotty and uhura are kind of cute though! it came out of nowhere, but it kind of makes sense to me. (why do they call each other by their last names though?) and then cut to chekov and sulu in the woods bickering like a couple. makes sense as well. but why are these people serving on the same ship in the same positions again after they've become really high ranking officers? I think it actually made a lot of sense in wrath of khan that e.g. chekov was a first officer on a different ship and spock captain. but considering this, it makes a lot of sense that some (all) of them are bound to date each other at some point. it's like going to class with the same people for 8 years.

I surprisingly liked spock leaning more into his human side and being emotional than usual. it makes sense in my head that, after he was reborn, he kind of saw how short life was and that there was no need to keep up a facade at all times, but still not lose his identity. similar to seven in picard, I am always worried about autistic-coded characters changing their personality heavily after a while, but with spock it feels quite natural and it even worked with seven in the later picard seasons. I just think it's all about the balance. like I enjoy those characters being more comfortable, especially around friends and loved ones, but they shouldn't change entirely how they are and still seem "reserved". and I think leonard nimoy especially did well in that, even if this script gave him some out of character lines I think (like the "damn you, sir!"). have I already mentioned I think leonard nimoy is the best actor in tos…?

speaking of spock's rebirth and rethinking, I do see him being more open with kirk (I almost wrote jim, but that feels weird) and they had very much a married couple vibe in this movie. even the little maritial crisis in the brig was there. so I'd like to think kirk finally made a commitment :) and while there were not too many one on one scenes with these two, the next to last scene was more than one could wish for, spirk-wise. their intense eye contact and "please captain, not in front of the klingons" while standing extremely close to one another and kirk grabbing spock. like I've seen so many posts that shatner denies there was anything between kirk and spock, but the way he played kirk, I mean come on. I'm sure there wasn't a direction in the script that said "kirk stares lovingly up at spock". but he fully did in this scene! we have proof! and kirk holding on for dear life to spock as he rescues him with the turbo boots in the jeffries tube was also something. I mean of course you need to hold on, but kirk was embracing spock with a closeness different than mccoy did. (but then there is this strange thing with mccoy, where I keep thinking: is he third wheeling or is this a three way relationship? I somehow can't see mccoy fitting in with kirk and spock's romantic vibe and I don't see him in an erotic way in general but… tumblr is giving me ideas...)

a very long winded post to say: superfluous, but overall enjoyable movie. while watching, I also suddenly had flashbacks that this was the first (!) piece of star trek that I had ever (consciously) watched. it was on tv when I was like 10 and I kept zapping away and was surprised when it was still going and was like: isn't this supposed to be a tv show? and my dad, who grew up watching tos, had no memory of there ever being star trek movies in the 80s. he also had never heard of pretty much any star trek shows after tos at that point, so he was living under a rock, apparently. anyway, some of the scenes of this movie were really etched into my mind and I honestly think one of the subconscious reasons I wanted to watch tos was to get context to these scenes! (of course besides me wanting to watch all of star trek from the beginning.)

[misanthropologymajor]

to boldly go...

this is so based on my current tng watch and crippling addiction to cod fanfic of all things

Science Officer!f! Reader x Bridge Crew! 141

Star Trek: TNG AU (pt. 1?)

Human! Price- Captain of the Enterprise 

Human!Gaz- helmsman/operations officer (liutenant)

Klingon!Ghost- security-officer-turned-first-officer (lieutenant commander)

Betazoid!Soap- new security officer (lieutenant)

Half Vulcan!Reader- sciences officer (lieutenant junior-grade), [giving them various nicknames because (y/n) feels clunky]

wc: 4k

warnings: rearrangement of rank (Starfleet doesn't have enlisted officers & the equivalent ranks would not be bridge officers), reader is the youngest but the other ages aren't mentioned, abduction, Ghost was raised by humans in a Worf-analogue-situation, (Ghost's parents were killed in a Romulan attack), slowburn, no smut, written before i started playing mwii

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!

As the turbo-lift doors opened, the familiar sounds of the Bridge Crew's squabbles filled the ears of the newest Chief Science Officer.

"Cap', 're you sure that MacTavish can actually read the Ferengi from this distance? I wouldn't put it past 'im to just wanna stir sumthin' up."

"Ghost, ye know damn well I wouldn' lie abou' somethin' like that."

Quietly walking to her station behind the caption's chair, the half-Vulcan began scanning the readings of the Ferengi ship. The Ferengi ship was peculiarly small and old-fashioned- at least a century old.

"Gaz, can you take us closer? One third Impulse, please." At Gaz's affirmation, Captain Price stood from his chair and walked towards the monitor at the front of the bridge. "Junior-grade, how many life signs can you read."

She startled, looking up from the inlaid monitor. "Only two, sir. It's a small ship, though there should be room for around thirty crew." Her gaze followed Price's to the front monitor, where she saw the short loop of Ferengi video broadcast. Both Ferengi men's large ears and prominent brow ridges glistened with sweat.

Gaz looked up from his controls. "Captain, the broadcast isn't coming from this ship."

"The distress beacon is, though. And the ship is definitely Ferengi." Ghost looked over Soap's shoulder to the security console.

"Price, be careful. We're getting close to the neutral zone." Gaz indicated to his monitor.

Price returned to the captain's seat, centered in the bridge. "Soap, keep scanning for other vessels. Ghost, hail the Ferengi ship."

"Price, they aren't receiving our hailing frequencies."

"Is anyone else thinking of Earthen anglerfish right about now?" the half-Vulcan mumbled. Then, louder- "They're down to just one life sign, Captain Price."

"They don' have shields up, Cap'n," Soap called from the security station. "I don't feel anything from the ship, either."

“Ghost, prepare an away team and get some protective gear. We’ll keep track and be ready to beam you back, but we need to know what’s happenin’ with that ship.”

“Gaz an’ the kid with me. Go get a compact medikit in case there’re any survivors, an' Gaz can tell us why it may 'ave stopped.”

As Gaz stood from his chair, the science officer rushed towards the turbo-lift, heading briskly down to the medbay. Swiftly getting the required supplies, she headed towards the transporter room, meeting with Gaz and Ghost.

"Three to beam to the co-ords Soap sent down." Ghost led the trio to the transporter bay, phaser in hand.

As they faded into shimmering white light, all three prepared themselves for the unknown of a seemingly empty Ferengi shuttle on the border of the Neutral Zone.

Following the briefest moment, they came back into awareness. Ghost was the first to reach full cognizance, the other two shortly following. The most immediately apparent thing was that the ship had not been abandoned by normal means. The cockpit was in disarray, and a trail of a mixture of unknown substances ended abruptly in the doorway.

At Ghost's indication of safety, the Vulcan activated the scientific tricorder to scan the trail. As the analysis loaded, she noted from the corner of their eye that both Gaz and Ghost tensed. Ghost's mask made the sudden lack of motion vividly unsettling. The tricorder loaded with a small chirp, indicating the presence of Ferengi and Romulan DNA. Abruptly, the shuttle lit up.

The ship began moving closer to the Neutral Zone. Soap's voice echoed from their communicators, "Wha' the hell are ye doin'? The Neutral Zone is right fuckin' there!"

"We're not trying to, Soap. I'm looking at the controls now." Gaz rushed to the lit-up console.

"Ghost, there's evidence Romulans here. We should get out of here, sir."

As the First Officer acknowledged the Science Officer, more words echoed from their communicator badges.

"Transport to away team, we've lost your location. There's some sort of interference." Tensions became palpable as the situation quickly devolved. Gaz frantically tried to turn the ship back towards the Enterprise. Ghost and the scientist worked on figuring out what left a Ferengi shuttle lost at the edge of the Neutral Zone.

Price's voice echoed through the ship, "Hold on, Away Team, reeling you in with our tractor beam." The ship jolted with the connection of the tractor beam, easing back towards Federation Territory.

Gaz began hitting the console, clearly frustrated by the lack of response from the equipment. "Ghost an' Cap, this shuttle isn't bein' controlled by this panel. This has gotta be a trap."

As two Humans, a Betazoid, a Klingon, and a half-Vulcan attempted to return the away team to the Enterprise, they were faced with a Romulan Warbird removing its cloaking device directly next to the Ferengi shuttle.

The Ferengi Shuttle was swiftly drawn in by the Warbird's tractor beam, half the distance from and twice the size of the Enterprise.

The science officer tapped the communicator on: "Sirs, this is not standard Romulan battle practices. Deception, yes, but blatant disregard for the Algeron Treaty? In just about two hundred years of conflict, they've never done anything like this."

"When did you become an expert on Romulan politics, Junior-grade?"

"Not the time, Garrick," Ghost aimed his phaser at the door between the away team and the interior of the Romulan ship. The other two quickly followed suit.

As the interior of the Ferengi ship dimmed, the shuttle bay door of the Romulan Warbird opened up. The ship slowed into the bay, and the environmental system hissed. Gaz was the first to feel it, and Ghost was the last.

As Ghost fought to keep his eyes open, he heard the half-Vulcan mutter about "anesthizine."

Gaz woke in a cell, his phaser and communicator on the manned desk beyond the forcefields. A few cells across the circular brig, he could see the Ferengi from the broadcast in a shared cell, and to their right was Ghost. "Ghost, can you hear me? Are you able to see any way out?"

"Damn Romulans cuffed me an' took my fuckin' mask. The door out of the cells is to your left, the kid's to your right."

"I can hear you, Ghost," she frowned. "They have our comms and phasers, and there's no way they've kept us in Federation Territory. Cap's gonna need to get approval from Admiral Laswell to follow us."

"Soap won't like that," Gaz said, standing from the cot to get a better view of the space. "Junior-grade, you said this wasn't normal for Romulans. Do you think we're working with an extremist group?"

"Definitely. I was awake when they were cuffing Ghost. They weren't in standard issue Romulan Star Empire Uniforms, and there's some wacky mods to this Warbird."

Ghost cut in, "At least they wan' us alive. We'd be long gone if they didn't think we could do sumthin' for 'em."

"'Specially with their views on Klingons and Vulcans. Nasty blokes."

"Thanks for reminding us, Gaz." She pressed her hand to the force field, searching for the weak point she knew wasn't there. As they searched, the brig doors opened with a hiss.

Three Romulans walked in, bearing phaser rifles. The centered one spoke: "I had hoped the Federation would be stupid enough to send a ship into our territory. Imagine my delight when that little ship sends me some a Klivan, a Hevam, and a Yyiyao wrapped in a nice little bow." (Romulan derogatory terms for Klingon, Human, Vulcan)

"Oh, what a shock: the Rihansu is racist. Where the hell are we?" (Vulcan [and Romulan] for Romulan)

"Hold your tongue, Yyiyao. I haven't killed you yet, but my mercy has limits. You don't even know why you're here yet!"

"Who the hell are you?" Ghost stood up abruptly, startling the non-speaking Romulans.

"Now, the Klivan is asking the right question! Who am I? And why would I capture two Feh'rengsu, a Kilvan, a Hevam, and a Yyiyao?

They call me Commander Makarov, and I will free my people from the barriers of the Neutral Zone and the Federation altogether."

"And you think that will happen by kidnapping a First Officer, Flight Control Officer, and a Science Officer?" Gaz sat on the cot in the corner.

"I'm not that foolish. You're nothing more than bait, tempting your precious Federation into breaking its own rules."

"You can't seriously think our Captain is stupid enough to follow us withou' givin' proper notice?" Ghost questioned.

"Oh, Klivan. He's already following us," Makarov grinned.

"I still don't get why you're tellin' us this." Gaz laid further into the cot.

"Either he's gloating or he's trying to get something out of us, be that intel or our charming personalities." The half-Vulcan wrung her hands, silently pleading for the Enterprise to be careful and give the correct notice.

The Ferengi began tittering with each other, briefly pulling the attention from the Starfleet officers.

"You three were victims of circumstance. But these two-" Makarov sneered. "These two will not try to swindle the sword of the Romulan Empire again."

Makarov's men turned off the barrier to the Ferengi cell. Each grabbed one Ferengi man and dragged them out of the brig. Makarov left the brig, questions hanging in the air.

"What a total dick."

"Thought you were supposed to be too logical for needless profanity."

"My Vulcan father lost the debate that determined what planet I was raised on. Before the Acadamy, I went to an Earthen public school, Gaz."

"Fuckin' hell you two, not the time," Ghost chastised. "Gotta work out what that bastard wants from us."

"Could be they want to kickstart a war against the Federation, relations have been easing in the past few-" Gaz cut himself off as the doors opened.

Makarov stepped through into the brig. "How lucky was I to have Captain Jonathan Price's crew, led by the Ghost, stumble on the ship I hadn't gotten around to destroying yet."

"What've the Captain or I got to do with you?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember us, Klivan! Not after our grand impact on your childhood."

Ghost closed his eyes and took a deep breath, setting his jaw.

"Now you remember me. I'll fill your underlings in. I was just an Uhlan, aboard the Perseus. A Klingon traitor sent us the codes to Khitomer's security system. Your Ghost was the only survivor."

Ghost's history was not frequently discussed on the ship, but his presence as a Klingon in Starfleet command made it clear that his life was full of unusual circumstances.

"And on top of that, your Captain is the one who convinced my previous Commander, that ryakna, to abandon the honor of our great Empire."

"The Cap's peace negotiations under Laswell? Not letting another Federation ship blow you all up for your secret base in the Neutral Zone? That's what this is about?" Gaz looked incredulous.

"He should have defended the great Romulan Empire! Why should we listen to rules set by your Federation." Makarov sneered. "The might of our great fleet could have destroyed all the Federation sent after us."

As Makarov continued on about the power of the Romulan Empire, the science officer tuned out. She focused instead on attempting to work out a method for contacting Captain Price from what was likely at least an astronomical unit away. She'd already ruled out the possibility of accessing their communicator unit, cobbling a communicator out of their tricorder, and breaching access on the communicator of the Warbird.

"But what sweet revenge, taking the sole Klivan survivor and two other crew from that peacenik, your Captain Price. How poetic that you will start the empirical expansion my people have been deprived of. I will return for you when your Federation breaks their own rules."

As Makarov left the brig, a quiet tension fell over the officers.

Gaz was the first to break the silence. "Do you think the Cap would be mad enough to follow after without getting Laswell up to speed?"

"Will the Romulan contacts deem this an acceptable reaction from Price in the case that he is this mad?" They buried their face in their hands.

"It doesn't matter what Price does, so long as we get the fuck off this damn ship."

"Ghost, what he said about your parents-"

"Doesn't matter."

"I know it doesn't, but I just want you to know you're allowed to be angry about this even if you don't remember it."

"Interesting take, coming from the Vulcan," Gaz interrupted.

"Half Vulcan. Born and raised on Earth."

"Neither of you are helpin'. Migh' as well just wait for Price 'f you're gonna keep gettin' distracted." Ghost pressed his hands against the force field of his cell. As each officer sought out their cells' unlikely flaws, they listened for any sounds around them.

After what could have been anywhere between ten minutes and an hour of searching, a set of footsteps approached them.

"Your Captain has demanded proof of life from us. Your scientist is coming with me." A Romulan with a jagged scar running down his face entered the brig. He approached the center cell and bound their hands, escorting them out of the brig.

The half-Vulcan yanked her arm from the Romulan's hold. "I can walk myself." She then ignored Gaz's protests, hoping that they were unnecessary.

Following a long walk, she was escorted onto a dark bridge. The Enterprise Bridge was displayed on the large monitor in front of the room. Price was in his Captain's chair, Soap above and behind him at the security panel. Both sets of eyes gently lightened at their Junior-grade, visibly unharmed and still slightly fighting their escort.

"See, Captain, unharmed. The other two are in the same condition, but I couldn't just release all of them, you see." Makarov brushed his hand across her face, earning three sets of glares.

"Lieutenant, are you, Gaz, and Ghost okay?" Price ignored Makarov's assurance.

Before she could begin her sentence, Makarov grasped her by her chin. As she wrenched herself from his hands, he spoke. "You've seen she's alive. My patience wears thin."

Even with the distance, she could see Soap's knuckles grip his console. "We're not followin' ye into the fuckin' Neutral Zone without word from her. S'bad enough ye didn' let our First Officer up."

"When I got grabbed to come up, Gaz and Ghost were okay. I wouldn't trust-" Makarov's hand clamped over her mouth, cutting her off. She had to fight the urge to bite the bastard.

"I didn't bring her up here to give away all of my surprises. Return her to the brig." Makarov looked over his shoulder to the scarred Romulan, who had brought her up.

She fought damn near the entire way back down, leading to another Romulan joining her escort. While she knew it would be fruitless, doing nothing felt more wrong. She felt like she'd wasted any opportunity to formulate a plan with the Captain, and hadn't fought against their captor enough to be respectable. Would Soap judge her, or, worse, would Price?

She shook the thought from her mind just as she returned to the brig. They moved her to the cell previously occupied by the Ferengi, where she was now unable to see Ghost and considerably farther from Gaz. They left her hands bound, and one sat at the guard station.

Unwilling to risk giving intel to the guard, all three sat in relative silence once she confirmed that Price had been in contact.

Gaz was humming an old Earthen song she couldn't quite place. Every so often, she would sigh dramatically. Ghost was the only one to remain entirely silent.

After about an hour, the guard received three trays at the door and delivered one to each occupied cell. Each tray contained an unappetizing green biscuit and a small cup of a grey drink. She and Gaz each took a half-hearted bite; Ghost refused to even look at the tray.

The half-Vulcan stood from the tray without taking a second bite. Instead, she chose to lay in the cot and nap—what was the worst that could happen?

It seemed that the worst that could happen was the ship going into a red alert, their guard leaving them trapped as he went to a battle station. The emergency lights flashed, and she could understand almost every other word of a Romulan emergency alert.

The alert seemed to indicate that they were under attack not by the Federation but by another Romulan vessel. She rubbed her bleary eyes and stood up.

"Just our luck— someone's attacking, and it's not Price." She smacked at the force field holding her in the cell. She could hear Ghost attacking his barrier as well and could see Gaz beginning to do the same.

"How do you know it's not Cap?" Gaz paused his attack.

"The emergency alert specified something about a T'liss, a bird-of-prey. They'd have said ih'calear if they'd translated the Enterprise's class."

"Since when do you know Romulan?" Ghost's voice echoed from the cell to her right.

"It's really not too far of a leap from Vuhlkansu, Commander. I took a couple classes in it at the Academy."

The alarm continued to go off, and the half-Vulcan did her best not to fret. From the size difference alone, a bird-of-prey against a warbird shouldn't have even been a blip in the radar. She strained to hear about a d'deridex, another warbird, but the alert kept repeating that the combat was against a T'liss class vessel.

What would a separate Romulan general do if one found them in this brig? Would they seek to continue the relative peace with the Federation by releasing them back to the Enterprise, or would they decide that the three weren't worth their lives and kill them, or worse, send them to a Romulan prison?

"Junior-grade, I can feel you worrying through the damn wall. Price or Laswell'll come, stop your fuckin' panickin'." She snapped out of her anxious spiral, mumbling a bit of gratitude to her commanding officer.

It took nearly an hour before the alert stopped its loop. It took a further forty minutes for anyone to check the brig. None of them expected the familiar Romulan to be the one to walk through the door, followed by their previous guard.

"Nikolai, you were the bird-of-prey?" Gaz beamed. The negotiations between Nikolai, Price, and Laswell predated the half-Vulcan's time as a bridge officer, but she had seen him on the screen, briefly, as she'd taken some data from the bridge.

"Best ship I could get with little notice from Laswell. Heard my old sublieutenant was causing issues."

"Thought you'd finally gotten out of military work, Nik. How'd you get even a lil' thing like that?"

"I have friends everywhere, Ghost."

The scarred guard reluctantly opened each cell door and unbound the wrists of the Klingon and the half-Vulcan. Ghost didn't respond, but she rubbed her wrists before introducing herself to Nikolai. Ghost grabbed all of the confiscated equipment, taking it for his crew.

"Good to meet you. Let's get you all back to the Enterprise, where you belong." He escorted the trio to the vehicle bay, where a bird-of-prey waited. Nikolai took control of the ship and navigated it towards the Federation edge of the Neutral Zone.

"Why would Makarov release us to you?" The half-Vulcan couldn't keep from questioning.

"The daeus would never have approved of Makarov's methods. The only way his plan worked was if it flew under the radar that he had blatantly disregarded the treaty in a way that was so obvious to the Federation." Ghost cut in for Nikolai.

"Basically. Definitely helped that after I retired from military, I started working for a Senator who wants peace with your Federation."

The return to the border of the Neutral Zone felt much shorter despite taking nearly twice the time. They flew with easy conversations with Nikolai, who admonished any crew who even thought about engaging in distasteful behavior towards their guests.

As they neared the Enterprise, Gaz couldn't convince Nikolai to come aboard and visit with Price. While Ghost stayed out of the enticement, the science officer leaned on and encouraged Gaz.

"We've done enough stretching of Algeron Treaty. Your Enterprise nearly got a light-year in to the Neutral Zone before getting the sense to contact me."

The trio gave Nikolai their fond farewells, and Soap came over their communicators to organize their transport onto the Enterprise. After they shimmered onto the transporter pad, Soap and Price ushered all three to the medical bay.

After being medically cleared and cleaning up, the bridge crew sat down for dinner in the Captain's quarters. Price had yet to emerge with his contribution to the otherwise replicated meal.

"How did you know to get Nikolai involved?" Gaz sat across from Soap.

"Mate, d'you ken that Vulcans are telepathically inclined? Our scientist thought so loudly abou' Makarov's plan that I could hear it from the Enterprise. Turned our ass around and Laswell got in contact with Nik." Soap leaned to his left and ruffled her hair.

Pointed ears warming, she pushed Soap's hand away. "MacTavish, maybe you've just got massive range on your crazy Betazoid telepathy."

Soap persisted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Hen, I'd have heard the Lt. or Gaz if it was just that. You were loud an' clear from a light year away."

Price's door opened to the Captain, holding three bottles of wine. "I thought we all deserved somethin' a little stronger than synthehol after the shit we dealt with."

Ghost nodded from his position across from the half-Vulcan as Price took his seat between them at the head of the table. Price opened the wines, handing them out to each officer to fill their cup with their selected beverage.

The bridge crew ate with light chatter, deliberately avoiding the topic of the overly-Empirical Commander. There would be plenty of time to discuss the ambitious Romulan in the coming days.

The half-Vulcan struggled to ignore the touchy nature of the Betazoid to her left and the Captain's comforting touches on her hand. She focused on her meal and the First Officer across from her, not wanting the Betazoid to sense her flushed discomfort.

Ghost had never fully removed his mask in front of her before. She tried not to think about how ruggedly attractive he was, letting loose with his friends and her. Was she a friend now? Her line of thinking left her confused and slightly flustered, though she hoped it indicated that he at least thought of her as a friend. "Junior-grade, you've picked your drink up and sat it back down without taking a sip three times now. You can relax, luvvie."

Never in a million years would she have anticipated the First Officer using a pet name for her. She could have sworn her pointed ears were so warm that they were steaming, a flush spreading across her entire head. She choked on the sip she took to hide her embarrassment.

Soap patted her back to help her cough as Gaz gently admonished Ghost. "Our girl doesn't need that shit from you, Ghost." Ghost just laughed, seemingly in on the joke.

A stern "Boys!" from Price seemed to end the joke that the half-Vulcan was trapped outside of. The other three sat up straighter for the briefest of moments, playing into a joke.

After a more collective evening of conversation, the bridge crew each returned to their quarters. The half-Vulcan donned her sleep clothes and lay in bed, questioning the day's events. Her thoughts drifted between her Romulan abduction, the unaccounted-for Ferengi, and the dinner—what had Price meant when he called her "their girl?"

As the day drifted out, she imagined what strange new worlds they may encounter the next day.

Star Trek Guide (probably a little inaccurate, there's so much star trek in the world):

Klingons: humanoid warrior species with pronounced forehead ridges that go to about the coronal suture of the human skull. they often have long dark hair and distinctive facial hair- in essentially perpetual conflict with Romulans for the majority of the 23rd and 24th centuries

Betazoids: humanoid species with no physical differences from humans except for pure black irises. they have telepathy in both concrete thoughts and emotions

Vulcans: humanoid species that pride themselves on logic above all else. Many are capable of a form of telepathy known as a mind meld, which is part of the intimate life of Vulcans. They are closely related to Romulans. Both Vulcans and Romulans have upturned eyebrows and pointed ears. prior to 370 AD, Vulcans were very warlike. A philosopher at the time led the transformation of society from violence to logic (Spock is a notable half-human-half-Vulcan)

Romulans: humanoid species that prioritizes conquest, in conflict with the Federation and Klingons. as Vulcan evolved from violence to peace, some dissented and left the planet to settle on the other two planets in that star system. Romulans were born from the dissenting Vulcans and indigenous populations of the settled planets. Some Romulans also have brow ridges in a "V" on their foreheads, although others are indistinguishable from Vulcans.

Ferengi: humanoid species that prioritizes profit above all else, and are notorious for their misogyny.. typically hairless, with large skulls, disproportionately large ears and brow ridges, orange skin, blue fingernails, and sharp teeth. (yk what no matter how accurately you describe the Ferengi, it's difficult to picture them without a picture)

[universalimagines]

Team Building Antics

So after having rewatched Season 1 of Strange New Worlds and the Season 2 Premier, I’ve gotten inspired to write stories based on my ideas of post episodes scenes that I cant get out of my head! So, here’s my idea based off the Season 2 episode The Broken Circle.

To say Admiral April wasn’t pleased with the Enterprise crew when they came back was an understatement. Most of his annoyance was due to the fact that he himself would have to be responsible for handling the disciplinary measures for the crew. Normally a ship’s Captain or First Officer would handle internal discipline for crewmembers who stepped out of line, but Captain Pike was off looking for a lawyer for Una and Spock… well Spock was today the cause of the discipline issues.

So here he was, stuck in his office all night trying to come up with an appropriate disciplinary measure for the Enterprise’s command crew before they returned to Starbase One tomorrow. Initially he’d promised Spock that his only punishment would be his Klingon sized hangover, but recent events had pushed him to consider Admiral’s Mast.

This wasn’t the first time the Enterprise and its crew had gone off the reservation or butted heads with official orders and regulations. Plus, with war on the horizon, he needed everyone in the fleet to learn how to work together.

Just then, an idea came to him. April stood up and smile as he keyed the comms. “Computer send a recorded message to LT Spock on the USS Enterprise.”

The computer chirped in acknowledgement, waiting for him to compose his message. “LT Spock, upon arrival at Starbase One, I want to see you and your command crew in my office at 0900 sharp, April Out.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Spock had learned he, Noonien-Singh, Mitchell, Uhura, M’Benga Ortegas had been summoned to speak with the Admiral when they returned to base, it had put him on edge. The admiral had indeed been furious with him when he’d reported back in with his hangover no less, but he’d logically assumed that the hangover would be their only punishment.

And now here they all were, sitting outside the Admiral’s office for several minutes waiting for the proverbial hammer to drop. Each member of the crew was displaying telltale signs of nervousness. Jenna kept fidgeting with her uniform, Erica kept trying to find a comfortable way to sit but couldn’t sit still, Nyota kept talking under her breath, Spock theorizing that she was prepping her defense if asked.

Only M’Benga and La’an didn’t display outward signs of concern. M’Benga’s eyes followed each of the nervous crewmembers taking stock of their ticks. La’an meanwhile sat at attention like she normally did in briefings though he did notice a slight tension in her jaws, something he noticed she’d displayed more than once during other trying situations. He started wondering why now he was noticing this in her, theorizing that his lack of emotional control might be making him more aware of her.

Before he could theorize further, the Admiral’s aide informed them that the Admiral was ready to see them. The group nervously walked into his office to see Admiral April sitting down by his desk. “Please sit down.”

They complied silently. The Admiral got up from his chair and circled around to stand right in front of them all. “You’ve all created quite a mess for us to deal with. Somehow in the course of a single day, the six of you managed to disobey my orders…” Spock bit his lip.

He continued “-fake a warp core breach” causing Jenna and Nyota to rub their necks in embarrassment.

“-steal a Federation starship” Ortegas grimaced.

“… And yet somehow you all manage to rescue a member of your own crew and stop a war from breaking out between us and the Klingons.” He finished as the crew waiting with bated breath too concerned to even breath.

After a minute, Spock finally ventured making a remark. “Sir as I said before, the responsibility for this event is entirely mine…”

April interrupted him. “As Captain it is indeed your responsibility however you definitely couldn’t steal the Enterprise without help. Everyone here played a role in the events of the past few days.”

He took a breath and grabbed his PADD. “The Enterprise is the flagship of the fleet and represents the best of Starfleet. But this little stunt isn’t the first time the crew has balked Starfleet rules. The Kiley 279 incident, flying into unaligned space without authorization, plus all the complaints I’m fielding from Operational Support about this crew’s resistance to the technical upgrades.”

The crew all quietly grimaced and shuffled their feet in discomfort. April continued. “I’d like to nick this trend before it becomes a serious issue. So, here’s what’s going to happen. All of you here will have your shore leave revoked and you’ll spend the rest of your time in space dock taking part in a series of team building exercises.”

April passed his PADD to Spock to read. “This is a very extensive list sir.” Spock choked out, his dismay evident.

“Sir, with all due respect.” Ortegas interjected. “We’ve proven ourselves time and time again. Why do we need to take part in these ridiculous exercises?”

April smiled. “Because your ability to work with others inside Starfleet is also important. As is your ability to work within the rules. You may not like some of our regulations, but they exist for a reason.”

La’an raised her hand slowly. “Uh… sorry don’t mean to be that person but why am I involved in this conversation? After all, I didn’t actually steal the Enterprise…”

“But you have been gone from the fleet for months now. Consider this a chance to help reintegrate yourself back into fleet life.” April replied before turning to everyone.

“Sir if I may.” Spock added. “When we spoke, you state our only punishment would be my hangover. What may I ask changed your mind?

“Oh this isn’t punishment Mr. Spock.” April countered. “This is a team building exercise intended to help this crew work better together within Starfleet regulations.”

“I fail to see the distinction.” Spock admitted.

April then sighed. “You’re all dismissed.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spock had been correct in his initial statement that the team building event was quite extensive. April had arranged for them to take part in several exercises over the course of the next two weeks. The first of those events being a mindfulness meditation workshop in one of Starbase One’s biomes.

The event had proven to be a complete failure. Spock had found the event completely useless since Vulcan had taught him everything he needed to know about meditation. He’d spent the entire event ignoring the counselor’s words and indeed trying to put himself into his own meditative state. Though the actions of other crew members made that harder.

He was currently sitting in the back alternating between trying to find his own center and observing the actions of the crew.

Ortegas couldn’t sit still for very long without having to readjust and move around. Jenna, sitting next to her wasn’t doing much better. Spock had observed that Jenna just looked exhausted, and she kept dozing off while trying to center. One time, Ortegas had accidently knocked Jenna on the head while readjusting her seat and had woken up the other officer. Jenna had responded by stealing one of Ortega’s pillows.

Uhura and M’Benga at least were trying to get something out of it. Spock could see that Uhura had tried to engage in the meditation and had succeeded for a few minutes before it seemed that something and had entered her mind and distracted her. By now, she’d looked bored. M’Benga had actually been in a meditative trance before he’d been interrupted by Jenna and Erica’s antics. Annoyed, he’d picked up the book beside his station and smacked both young women on the back of the head eliciting soft owes from both.

His voice just above a whisper but filled with the paternalistic tone he’d no doubt used before. “Behave children.”

His words having an immediate silencing effect on the two women who both silently went back to trying to meditate.

La’an sitting next to Spock and having just as hard of a time focusing stifled a laugh at the event she just saw. She noticed Spock eyeing her. “Sorry.” She whispered.

“Do not worry.” Spock replied. “My focus is not on my meditation.”

“So where was it?” La’an asked.

“I must admit my focus was on returning to duty on Enterprise.” Spock admitted.

“Always the workaholic.” La’an smiled.

“Not exactly what I meant.” Spock admitted.

“Oh?” La’an asked, intrigued by Spock’s admission as well as the fact that he’d offered this up so freely.

“I must admit, seeing you back with us now fills me with hope.” Spock said.

“Hope for what” La’an asked?

“My time on the Enterprise has been very… agreeable. And while at times the crew can be exasperating.” He nodded his head in the direction of Ortegas and Mitchell who had gone back to their antics though slightly quieter than normal. “I would not have it any other way.”

La’an smiled. “Spock are you saying that you missed me?” She smirked and moved her hand from her spot to rest on Spock’s leg.

Spock tensed up a bit before responding. “I supposed I did.”

Just then the bell rang indicating that the session was over and the crew was released for the day.

“Oh thank God.” Ortegas remarked as she quickly stood up.

“I don’t know about you guys but I could definitely use a drink.” Jenna admitted as Erica nodded emphatically in agreement.

M’Benga smirked his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Mr Spock I’m not sure if these two should even be considered old enough to drink. What with them acting like five year-olds all day.”

The two women looked between each other. “First rounds on us?” Erica offered.

Everyone smiled as Nyota commented. “Sounds like a plan to me. Would you like to join us sir?” Nyota turned to Spock.

“Me?” Spock asked, surprised to be getting an offer to socialize with the crew.

“Yeah, I mean we all stole a ship together. Creates a bond.” Nyota smiled.

“Plus, we can workshop your captain’s chair thing.” Erica added as everyone began walking out of the biome and towards the bar.

“What is wrong with my thing?” Spock asked.

“Nothing at all.” Jenna admitted. “But it could always use some improvement.”

“Spock has a thing now?” La’an asked shuffling closer to the science officer. “Like how Chris always says Hit It?”

“Oh yeah.” Nyota said stifling a laugh.

“This I got to hear.” La’an smiled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The 602 Club crowd had arrived in force just before the Enterprise crew arrived. The music was blasting through the club with patrons dancing on the floor, huddle around the bar for a drink or sitting down at a booth.

The crew had taken the time to change into more appropriate club attire before regrouping at the bar that night. Now they were all sitting down at a booth at an elevate level that oversaw the dance floor. Erica was the last to arrive with two very large bottles of something Erica only referred to as liquid courage.

Spock had initially resisted the drink when it was passed to him, his mind still remembering the hangover from Cajitar Four. Though La’an coaxing convinced him to just nurse the drink for the night.

The night had gone off quite well. Christine had stopped by to pay homage to those in the Admiral’s Doghouse as she called it. The girls had all gone out onto the dance floor a few times to dance the night away. During some of the slower songs, Erica and Christine had gone out to the dance floor together. Uhura had taken those times to ask M’Benga if he could show her how to dance as well. He’d graciously done so much like how a father might teach a daughter before her first dance. Jenna had spent most of time going back and forth from the bar getting everyone’s drinks. She’d been offered to dance with others but had politely declined stating that she wasn’t a great dancer.

Spock had sympathized with her and had stayed at the booth most of the night watching the rest of the crew have their fun. That was until La’an had dragged him out to the dance floor. Spock had tried to refuse but the alcohol had dulled his resistance.

The pair got on the dance floor as the next song, a romantic one played. Spock followed the song’s beat content with a simple eight count step. La’an followed his lead gracefully.

“I didn’t know you could dance.” She admitted, surprise in her voice.

“I have never claimed to not know how to dance.” Spock replied as he continued the dance.

“I guess I’m just more surprised you agreed to come let alone actually come out on the dance floor.” La’an replied.

Spock, now confident in the basic eight count now began spinning La’an out in step before pulling her in. “After Valeo Beta V, I’ve had a difficulty controlling some of my emotions. Perhaps that loss of control is part of the reason I agreed to come out tonight.”

“Does that scare you” La’an asked, some concern in her voice. She knew how important his emotional control was to him, to all Vulcans in fact.

“I will not lie, it does.” Spock admitted as he moved to dip La’an just as the song neared its end. “But I will not let my fear control me. I will face this experience and face this fear.”

La’an smiled at the bottom of the dip and cupped his face. “I believe you will.”

As the song got to an end, the pair walked off the dance floor feeling an energy they hadn’t before. As they neared their booth, that euphoria turned into concern as they saw the events unfolding.

Three very drunk patrons were standing on opposite sides of Jenna Mitchell boxing her into her seat. “Hello there beautiful, how bough you and I share a nice dance tonight at my place?”

Jenna, still somewhat drunk though guarded tried to let the man down gently. “No thank you. I’m here with my friends, I’m not here looking for a hookup.”

But the man didn’t let it go. He closed the gap with Jenna and pushed her back into her seat. “Come on now you tease. Don’t you go turning me down yet.”

“I believe she said she wasn’t interested.” Spock announced in his command voice, getting the attention of the two men.

“Why don’t you butt out man!” The second man yelled. “This ain’t your business.”

“Oh?” La’an growled. “You’re both accosting our friend. So that makes it our business.”

“I suggest you leave this be girly.” The third man state showing the grip of a phaser pistol in his belt. “Unless you want trouble.”

“You all will be in deep trouble if you threaten a Starfleet officer once more.” Spock threatened.

“I’m done with this shit.” The first man said as he grabbed Jenna’s wrist and attempted to pull her out with him. Jenna kneed him in the groin and twisted his arm behind his back. The second man whirled around to face Jenna and managed to lay a solid punch to her face, knocking her to the ground and causing her to release her grip on the first man. The third man grabbed his phaser and tried to level it at Spock but the Vulcan acted fast twisting the man’s wrist and ripping the weapon from his hand.

The fight had caused at the music to stop as a crowd formed around the fighting. The first man recovered fast and charged La’an knocking her into the nearby table. La’an threw the man off her so she could get back to her feet. The man grabbed a broken bottle and swung it at La’an but she effortlessly dodged it. After a few strikes, she was able to wrap her arm around the arm holding the broken bottle, immobilizing it. She then kept striking harder and harder at the man’s head and gut hoping to knock him out while trying to block his hits from his free arm. But her strikes were more precise than his drunken swings and her hits eventually caused the man to pass out.

Spock meanwhile was facing down his attacker. With the man’s phaser busted, the man had tried a series of strikes only for Spock’s superior reflexes to catch and reflect them. Growing frustrated, the man charged Spock intent on taking him down. Spock flipped the man over his head and threw him down on a table nearby causing it to break under the force of the man’s weight.

The pair both realized their opponents were down and turned to face the final opponent who’d been attacking Jenna, only to find that the last man too was unconscious on the floor. Based on the liquid on the man’s head, the shattered glass around his and the broken bottle in Jenna’s hand, the two surmised that Jenna had smashed one of their bottles on the man’s head to knock him out.

As the adrenaline seeped from their bodies, the rest of the crew had made their way through the crowd to the scene before them.

By now, with the fight over, the crowd had dispersed leaving the officers and few onlookers and the only people there. Dr M’Benga and Christine each took a second to access the damage done as their friends were each sporting a few injuries themselves. Jenna had a bruise under her eye where she’d been sucker punched. La’an had a few scrapes on her arms from behind thrown to the floor. Spock however looked no worse for wear.

“Ow.” Jenna grimaced as M’Benga applied a makeshift icepack to the woman’s head.

“Well maybe next time you get into a fight.” The doctor said jokingly. “Try not to block closed fists with your face.

Christine meanwhile was pulling out a few glass shards from La’an back. “We leave you three alone for a few minutes to get drinks and you all start a bar brawl.”

“You know what’s gonna come next right?” Erica asked rhetorically.

Nyota nodded. “Yeah, The Admiral is going to kill us.”

“Perhaps not.” Spock offered drawing the attention of the others. “The point of this exercise was to teach us teamwork while still obeying Starfleet regulations. An investigation will clearly show we were not the instigators of this conflict and that we only fought back to defend ourselves, well within Starfleet rules.”

The group was stunned into silence at Spock’s explanation. La’an then had a wide smile. “Oh I can’t wait to see you make that explanation to the Admiral when he finds out.”

[theanxioustrekkie]

“Please, Sir. Not in front of the Klingons.”

[resowrites]

That Which Remains - Chapter Nine

Summary: Lt. Ne-Lahn has joined the Enterprise as an OR, an Officer capable of working in multiple sections of the ship. However Ne-Lahn is from the planet Valaar, a mysterious world whose position near Klingon space means the Federation are eager to establish diplomatic relations. Captain Pike has been tasked with gathering information on Ne-Lahn and Valaar, but what will he and the Enterprise discover upon being drawn further into the mystery?

Characters: Captain Christopher Pike, Strange New Worlds crew, OC!Ne-Lahn

Warnings: Occasional adult/dark themes, occasional threat of violence/danger, technical/space jargon, angsty, eventual LGBTQ+ themes including homophobia, sparse on fluff, lightly beta’d.

WC: 2522

My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! No copyright infringement intended, gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Chapter Nine:

Less than an hour later, Lt. Ne-Lahn was dressed in the traditional uniform of her people and standing in the hangar deck, awaiting to board the shuttlecraft Galileo. Number One stood nervously to the side, aware of the many ways the mission could fail before the Lieutenant even reached the spaceport. Eventually, Lt. Hemmer departed the craft, his toolkit in hand and a busy looking Ensign beside him. "I've rigged the atmospheric pressure to begin decreasing once you reach orbit. You'll have no more than twenty minutes to reach the port and request assistance..." Number One looked on in horror.

"Messing with the atmospheric pressure seems pretty risky Lt. Hemmer, what happens if they refuse entry?" Lt. Hemmer had anticipated such questions and was ready to answer them.

"We have to make it look like a genuine emergency, remember they will be able to scan the craft as well. The Lieutenant can always be beamed out should the pressure levels reach critical condition." Number One folded her arms unconvinced.

"But we'd have to be in transporter range which means blowing our cover. The Captain doesn't think they're going to be open to talks. The Lieutenant, therefore, has to get to the port safely..." Lt. Ne-Lahn stepped up in front of her.

"Una... we have to try, it's the only way. I've tried contacting an old friend for the codes but I haven’t heard back from them. Please don't worry... one way or another I'll be ok." Lt. Hemmer and his accompanying Ensign left to give them some privacy. When they were alone, Number One gently placed her hand on the Lieutenant's arm.

"You better be ok... who else am I gonna find to do combat with me?" The Lieutenant smirked in response.

"Well that's it then, I have no choice but to return." They lingered in front of each other for several moments more, neither one of them wanting to be the first to back away. Number One's anxiety rose higher and higher, the truth was no one knew exactly what the Lieutenant would be walking to - or how she'd be received once she was planetside. Number One leaned in closer, their noses almost touching. Lt. Ne-Lahn smiled and looked down. 

"I know Una..." She placed her hand gently on the towering Illyerian's chest and marveled at the strong beat of her heart. She then turned to spring up the shuttlecraft's ramp, its automatic doors closing quickly behind her. Tears sprung to Number One's eyes... she didn't want the Lieutenant to leave. Unbeknownst to her, Captain Pike was standing in the Hangar Deck's control room, observing from afar. 

"Well, Lt. Hemmer? Is everything set up?" The Lieutenant was handing his tools over to the Ensign.

"Yes sir, she'll have twenty minutes before we'd need to beam her back to the ship..." Captain Pike nodded but said nothing as he made his way back to the Bridge. Number One wasn't close behind him and she took her seat just as he was given an update from Lt. Ne-Lahn herself. 

"Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, I'm approaching standard orbit. Atmospheric pressure is already in decline. As such, I've reduced life support systems to minimum output. I’ll attempt to contact the spaceport shortly and will turn on the subspace transmitter to await further contact. Galileo out." Even from his chair, the Captain could hear Number One swallow hard.

"Acknowledged Galileo... and God speed." Now all they could do was wait, and hope that at the critical moment, the Valaarian's wouldn't turn their back on one of their own. 

"Shuttlecraft Galileo to Spaceport One, requesting permission to dock due to critical system failure, repeat, my systems will fail in less than 17 minutes, do you copy Spaceport One." Lt. Ne-Lahn wiped her brow as she received only static in response. The temperatures in the shuttlecraft were rising as the atmospheric pressure put increasing strain on the hull. Eventually, and much to her surprise, the spaceport responded.

"Spaceport One to shuttlecraft Galileo, please confirm your identity and activities in the Betazine system." This was where things would get tricky.

"Lt. Ne-Lahn, OR serving aboard the starship Enterprise. Upon taking readings during an ion storm, my ship was thrown off course and incurred major damage. Please permit docking asap, my ship will burn up in less than 14 minutes." The spaceport took far longer to reply this time. Either they were analyzing her ship or the space around her, but whatever they were doing was taking far too long. The ship was now like a furnace, Lt. Ne-Lahn had to fight to stay conscious.

"Spaceport to Galileo, where is the starship Enterprise?" Lt. Ne-Lahn was close to passing out. 

"Galileo to spaceport... I... I don't... know where she is. Please, you must let me land. I'll... lose control..." Her vision was becoming blurry, she fought with every ounce to remain focused on her console which was now beeping wildly and flashing multiple different colours at once.

"Spaceport will admit entry on this occasion, but you are to report to the High Commission immediately, you're registered as an ex-citizen." Lt. Ne-Lahn felt fortified by the response, she quickly loaded the coordinates of the port and began her descent which could well end up blowing the shuttlecraft apart. It was a hair raising ten minutes as the poor Galileo listed from side to side, barely making it through the hangar doors of the spaceport. The landing was hard and the Lieutenant couldn't stop the shuttlecraft from sliding along the deck though thankfully the bay was mostly empty. It took another ten minutes or so for the Lieutenant to recover her senses and feel strong enough to exit the hatch.

As expected, two large guards were waiting to escort her to the High Commission. A hover vehicle was most likely waiting for them outside which left the Lieutenant very little opportunity to ditch them both. She dutifully walked down the ramp and followed them silently into the rest of the port. It was a massive glass structure though close enough to bursting with citizens at this time of day. The Lieutenant had an idea but she had to act quickly.

"A moment sirs, I require the rest room." The taller of the two guards considered this for a moment then nodded. The Lieutenant quickly made her way into the nearest toilet, wherein she noticed a door on the far side of the room. She could hear a couple of people in the stalls and had to be quick lest she be seen by them. She walked swiftly toward it and phasered the lock. It burst open so forcefully she ran right through the smoke, positive now that her cover had been blown. Once she was on the other side, she had no idea where she was but hopefully, this empty corridor would lead back to the main platform. Once there, the guards would have a hard time spotting her amongst the throngs of people. 

About half an hour later, Lt. Ne-Lahn had made her way out of the port and into the metropolis. The glaring light blinded her momentarily, she'd gotten used to how dim the lights were back on the Enterprise. She hadn't heard any alarms or the rush of feet behind her and so she assumed that for the moment at least, she'd have time to make it to the address she was looking for. She kept to side streets and ducked into many an alley to be on the safe side. By her reasoning, it would take her about twenty minutes before she reached the house. She wasn't going to her parents, they lived nowhere near the metropolis. She didn't recognise any of the faces or buildings she passed. She never ventured into the metropolis often but the whole place seemed to have changed in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. The people moved quickly, nervously, and didn't look each other in the eyes. 

Eventually, the bustling city thinned out and Lt. Ne-Lahn made her way into the more wealthy suburbs, huge structures lined the streets, each with large front and back gardens. Eventually, she took a turn and came to a house situated at the very end of a quiet road. Of course, she couldn't just go up to the front door. Instead, she had to climb over the wall that lined the back garden. Fortunately, she didn't set off any alarms. Quickly, and ducking down low, she made her way around the back of the house and below a window that was sealed shut. She stood up carefully and quietened her mind. 

"Mev... it's me, I'm here, if you're there please come to the garden..." the Lieutenant was fairly certain she could sense the other Valaarian's presence behind the thick white walls. Several moments later, the patio doors slid open carefully, and out popped a woman in a long, flowing white gown. 

"No... it can't be you... is it really you?" The woman then dashed over to the Lieutenant and embraced her fiercely. She then kissed her deeply which caused her to back away just as fast. 

"What are you doing here? Have you returned to me at last?" Lt. Ne-Lahn smiled sadly and led the woman back inside quickly. The woman continued asking questions but she waited until they were both seated in the spacious lounge. It had been a long time since she had been here, though the house remained relatively unchanged. She could sense the woman's parents sleeping above them in adjoining rooms.

"Listen Mev, I don't have much time. The Enterprise has sent me on a mission to find out what is happening here. The planet has ignored the hails of passing ships. There have also been strange energy signatures and subspace communications. What do you know of it?" Mev looked at her confused for several moments before jumping to her feet.

"So... you're not here to see me after all." Lt. Ne-Lahn sighed.

"Please Mevara, we don't have time for this. I escaped from two guards at the port. It won't be long before they find me here." Mev quickly turned around, her face a picture of anger.

"What do you mean they'll come here? You know my parents are ill, we cannot be disturbed..." The Lieutenant grabbed her by the arms and looked pleadingly into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Mev but there was no other way, if the ship had tried to hail the planet it would have been ignored. We must find out what's going on, a supply ship was blown up not long ago, was Valaar responsible for that as well?" Mev shook her head.

"How should I know? I can't believe you've risked coming back here in such a fashion. You'll be tried for espionage you know... how exactly do you intend to get back out?" In truth, the Lieutenant had no idea what she was going to do. She’d have to sneak onto another ship if they refused to repair the the Galileo. "Come, you must accompany me to the High Commission, perhaps they'll be lenient if you come willingly..." Mev tried to lead Lt. Ne-Lahn to the front door when she spun her around and held her in place.

"You would turn me over to them? Why Mev? Have you been turned to their harsh ways?" Mev rolled her eyes and batted the Lt.Ne-Lahn’s arms away.

"Of course not! But you can't be here... you'll only get us both in trouble and I have my parents to think of... seeing as you clearly care for none of us." Lt. Ne-Lahn supposed the conversation would take this turn eventually.

"Stop it Mev, I asked you to come with me. You were the one who elected to stay behind. Please, I thought I could depend on you for help. Just answer my questions and then I'll leave, I promise." Mev looked at her longingly, loathe to be apart from her once again.

"You can always depend on me my love, and you know I couldn't leave, my parents need me as much as you need Starfleet. What can be done..." She turned away sadly, their predicament was one that couldn't be changed and it would continue to be her biggest regret.

"I'll tell you what you want to know, though it's still mostly hearsay. Months back, Klingons were spotted in Fovashkah (the metropolis). No one knows what they were doing there but now that the Domushin have been reelected, we suspect they've begun doing business with them. Then the older and sicker citizens started to receive appointment letters for check ups from their doctors. Many have since gone missing. We don't know if they've been sold on to Klingon labour camps, there were whispers that organs were being transported out of a warehouse in the Taleghiv (city outskirts). Strange pits have also been spotted in the Kibohvir (shrublands). I wouldn't know about any supply ship... but it wouldn't surprise me if it was blown up. The Domushin want total dominion, they've even initiated a curfew, no citizens are allowed outside after Tegeerit (sunset)..." The Lieutenant listened intently though she felt increasingly alarmed. If the Domushin remained in power, the quality of life for Valaarian's would no doubt get far worse. "I'm scared... you know what I am. What if they come for me too?" The Lieutenant stroked her face in an attempt to calm her fears.

"Please Mev, come back with me... bring your parents too, it may not be long until your parents are written too." Mev looked down with tears in her eyes. "They already have, haven't they?" She nodded as the tears ran down their face.

"I've ignored the letters so far, but I've been told if I don't respond soon my parents will be forcibly removed... in the name of Lenfahr, what am I to do?" She wept in the Lieutenant's arms, who felt more guilty than ever before at having left her. "This is why I tried to contact you, I needed your help..." Lt. Ne-Lahn wiped her face and held her still for a moment.

"I'm sorry my love, I was so busy and felt so... guilty about my departure. I didn't know how to respond..." Mev smiled as she sniffed back tears. 

"It's fine, you're here now, I know you will look after me... you always do." She nuzzled her cheek in the custom of their people and held her tight. Lt. Ne-Lahn rubbed her back as she considered the options available to her. There was no way Starfleet couldn't get involved now. She had to try contacting the ship but it was a risk given the High Commission was most likely scanning all frequencies. She could lead them right to Mev's house. It was a risk she'd have to take. She pushed Mev aside for the moment and pressed the button on her transmitter three times, signifying that she was in danger. She didn't know how quickly the Enterprise would respond, after all, she'd handed them a diplomatic tiger to hold by the tail. 

A/N: Hi guys, as a huge Star Trek fan and a lover of the new Strange New World series, it’s my pleasure to present this new ten part story. Any feedback is appreciated and the final Chapter 10 will be out next Wednesday at 6pm EST - so I hope you’ll continue to stick around and enjoy more to come!

To be updated on when I post please follow @resowrites and turn on post notifications.

[jotunvali02]

Star Trek Final Frontier movie

Bones: “You really piss me off, Jim.”

Jim to Spock: “I ought to knock your goddamn ass!”

Spock: “If you think it would help.”

🤣

Bones: “Really Spock, you never cease to amaze me.”

Spock: “Nor I, myself.”

🤣🤣🤣

Spock to Ambassador Korrd: “Damn you, sir, you will try!”

Anyone who says Spock isn’t the most ass-laughing ST character has never watched ST.  🤣

Spock: “Please, captain not in front of the Klingons.”

Classic. But effective. 🥰

Bones to Spock: “Nobody’s perfect” 

aka the GAYEST movie reference ever!

Bones’ smile and laugh are the most precious, most beautiful ever. 💞

Jim at Bones & Spock: “I knew I wouldn’t die because the two of you are with me.” (+ the romantic background music)

*inhuman screeches*  💘 💘 💘 💘

Jim, staring at Spock with starry, full of tiny hearts eyes: “I lost a brother once. I’m glad I got him back.”  

argh 💘

Bones to Jim: “You said men like us had no families.” 

Jim, gazing at Bones and Spock: “I was wrong.”

OOOW  💘 💘 💘 💘

The movie ending on the three of them going back camping together, with jamming Spock, then he and Jim singing “Row, row, row your boat.”

aofuhzovhqbuorqçlhfuvb!!!  💘 💘 💘 💘 💘 💘 💘 💘

First, they assume they spend their shore leave together cause there’s no one else to spend their days off with. Then, they discover if they stay together even off duty, it’s just because they like being together.  💖 💖 💖

And there is the “villain” Sybok.

He’s not a “villain” at all, I mean he harmed no one (while Kirk clearly intended to kill him) and he even helped many people (ask Uhura, Sulu or Bones). He’s just a too bit illuminated guy blinded by his faith. 

And man, it always shakes me off when someone who believed so firmly in God loses his faith and in such a brutal harsh way on top of that! So harsh he just killed himself right after!

I really felt sorry for him. 

Also: “Captain” Chekov.

and Chekov’s impressions of the wind.

“Sulu, look. The sun’s come out. It’s a miracle.”  🤣🤣🤣

[sarcastic-space-gal]

Dark Past (Part 2)

Summary: Black shirts are supposed to be the most trained and deadly members of the Starfleet. However, they are considered just stories or legends, because no one has ever saw one before. But after John Harrison attacks the London’s Archive, the Enterprise may acquire a new crew member.

Pairing: James Kirk x Reader

Word Count: 1600

Warning: None

A/N: Hi everyone, this is the secon part of Dark Past! Here is the Part 1 if you missed it. Part three will be the last so stay tuned! Hope you will like it and i also hope to bring you some joy in these troubled times, please stay safe 💖 As always, feedback is always appreciated. Love you all xoxo

She should be dead… How can she still be alive?

Kirk couldn’t think at anything else since he saw you taking that shot from Khan. The blood, the gash on you shoulder and then nothing, your skin closed and healed in front of him. Anyone else would have died in his track but you didn’t, and even he wouldn’t admit it, he was glad of it.

Since you took your first step into the bridge, he couldn’t take his eyes of you. There was something in your appearance, in your voice, in your gestures, the way your mouth moved while you spoke… you were intriguing, and without a doubt, really appealing.

Then he saw you fighting and, if possible, his curiosity towards you and who you really were, increased even more. With surprise drawn on his face and the adrenaline from the fight still pumping in his veins, he watched as you skillfully faced your opponent without flinching or giving any sign of fatigue. A war machine, made to fight, but elegant and solemn.

Then you were hit. His heart stopped for a second and his eyes widened in horror. Instead, you felt pure anger as you slowly turned again towards Khan and you shipmates, the wound was healing fast. Oh, you had so much to explain now.

Perfect excuse to talk to her Jim thought.

The Medbay was exactly as you remembered. The tickling of instruments and the beeping of monitors, that weird plastic smell, the beds and their colourless sheets.

You were sitting up straight on a biobed, your expression emotionless, your eyes focused on an unknown direction. After you were beamed back to the ship the Captain gently offered to accompany you to the Medbay and you knew you couldn’t avoid it. Not that you disliked being near the Captain, instead you were quite pleased. You walked down the corridors alongside Kirk and you couldn’t help but notice how he would occasionally linger his glare on you. Maybe because I took a shot in my shoulder and there is no sign of it anymore, besides the huge hole in the fabric. He is probably asking himself who the hell I am…he probably has so many questions… and I don’t know if I can answer them…

By accepting this mission you knew that this could happen, but you decided to join the Enterprise nonetheless. Khan was a powerful opponent, smart, logical, devious, he could have done anything to get what he wanted: shooting at you and exposing you for example. There were secrets no one should have ever known about you, but fighting against Khan had its drawbacks, and this was one of them.

So now you stood there ready to see Doctor McCoy and his confused look when he will receive your test results.

Bones and Kirk were talking right outside Medbay when Spock approached them.

“Captain” Spock appeared from behind them.

“Spock, how is the ship?”

“Warp speed is still unusable, Mr Chekov is working on it, but for now, we are stranded here sir.”

The Captain sighed loudly “Alright. What about Y/n, Bones?”

“I don’t know Jim, this is…” the Doctor kept looking at the pad in front of him. Your test results.

“What? Did you find something?”

“I’ve never seen something like this”

Kirk folded his arms and shook his head lightly “Neither did I”

“So she was hit by John Harrison, or Khan, on her shoulder and in just few seconds the wound healed. By itself.” Bones looked at him with a confused expression.

“That’s what we so” Jim shared a look with Spock.

“Well, that explains a lot”

Kirk’s eyebrows furrowed in perplexity “What do you mean?”

“All the blood test results are out of range, it seems like her cells regenerate and transform constantly” Bones kept looking at the pad in his hands.

“Interesting” Spock said.

“What Spock?”

“Well Captain, Khan and Y/n seem to know each other, and they are obviously opponents. So why shoot her in the shoulder? We already had a demonstration of Khan’s skills with weapons of any sort, it is hardly believable that from his position and his distance from Y/n, he would have miss a lethal spot”

Bones and Kirk listened carefully. Spock was right.

“I need to talk to her” Jim said before entering Medbay “Spock go to the bridge, inform me if anything changes”

“Yes Captain”

You heard approaching footsteps and you immediately knew it was the Captain and the Doctor. You watched them enter in silence, Kirk stood next to a medical counter and McCoy was right in front of you, holding his pad.

“You probably have some questions” you said with a small smile.

“Seeing someone healing a shot like that is no daily routine, sweetheart” said Bones.

“I understand” you looked to your right and saw the Captain glaring at you.

The Doctor took from a nearby table an empty hypo and placed the pad down.

“I’ll run some more blood tests, I have to take a sample”

You grabbed your suit’s sleeve and pulled it up. Once the hypo was full with blood Kirk moved towards you.

“Bones can you give me a minute?”

He looked at his friend and than at you “Of course” he said while exiting, living you two in silence.

“May I?” he said pointing at empty spot near you.

“Please” why is my heart beating so fast? you thought.

His handsome blue eyes peered in yours, it was almost impossible to look away.

“Normally I know almost everything about my shipmates, but I think there’s something you didn’t tell me about yourself”

Contrarily to what you’d expected, he was calm and gentle, something rather new for you. You couldn’t help but stiffen a little after his encouragement to speak.

“You see captain-”

“Jim” he said smiling “call me Jim”

Smiling back, you continued “You see… Jim, there are things I can’t say. Even to my Captain”

“If they are inherent with the mission I should know everything”

Jim could sense your uneasiness about the matter, but he needed to know what was going on.

You looked away from him, images of your past came through your mind, ghosts that haunted your nights for years, and now, they came back to haunt you again.

“How do you know him?” Kirk was almost scared to know the answer, excepting a connection between you two.

Your head slowly turned towards him, your eyes severe. “If you are asking if we work together in any way, you are wrong. Instead, it’s quite the opposite”

With a small sigh of relief the captain nodded.

“As you and all your crew, I am here to end him and complete my mission”

Kirk saw your single-minded determination, the fire in your eyes that captured him since the first time he saw you.

“I must know who is he or else I won’t be able to complete this mission.”

After a brief moment of silence you spoke again.

“John Harrison is just a mere smokescreen, a fiction, used to conceal his true identity. His name is Khan and he was a black shirt like me” You couldn’t finish what you were saying because you were cut off by the First Officer’s voice.

“Captain, Khan has been confined and the Doctor is ready to take a sample from the prisoner”

“Alright” Jim looked at you and nodded “We will continue later”

Khan looked like a lion in a cage, calm but with piercing eyes ready to attack once the cell was open, and when he saw you he couldn’t help the rage he felt rising in him. He didn’t consider your presence in this mission and he knew you were a possible thorn in his side. You or not you he would get what we wanted, with his cleverness or with the force.

Spock, Jim and you approached the cell and watched as doctor McCoy opened a small gap in the glass.

“Put your arm through the hole. I’m gonna take a blood sample” he said.

Khan drew near the glass and did as Bones ordered.

“I see your shoulder is doing fine” his vicious voice resonated in your ears.

“Not thanks to you” he laughed a little and then turned his attention on Kirk.

“Why aren’t we moving, Captain? An unexpected malfunction, perhaps in your warp core conveniently stranding you in the edge of Klingon space?”

The Doctor looked up from Khan’s arm in utter surprise “How the hell do you know that?”

“Bones.”

“I think you’d find my insight valuable, Captain. Ignore me and you will get everyone on this ship killed.”

“Bones let me know if you find something” Kirk said to his friend as he walked away.

“Captain, I would not recommend engaging the prisoner further” Spock tried to calm the Captain but you could see he was fuming.

“Why did you surrender?” you suddenly asked as Kirk turned his head towards you.

“Y/n you should know very well” he responded.

Your jaw clenched.

“I’m here to convince you Mr Kirk of the truth”

“Truth? You know what is the truth? You are a criminal. I watched you murder innocent people and shoot at one of my crew member”

Involuntarily, your head turned to him, we was boiling in rage.

“23-17-46-11, if you want to know why I did what I did go and take a look or perhaps ask to your new crew member, she probably has the answers you are seeking Captain”

Kirk darted his eyes in your direction and saw your features twist in anger and slight panic but you didn’t hesitate and addressed him.

“You still did not respond, why did you surrender? What was the reason?”

“I can give you 72, all aboard your ship. I suggest you open one up”

[qt-caity]

Star Trek Secret Santa 2020

A fic for @saritaadam for @startreksecretsanta for the prompt of “TOS Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura on their own adventures.” Thanks to @that-one-curly-haired-chick and @wreckx for looking it over for me.

“I’m still not sure I get it, “Chekov whispered under the latest round of applause and laughter.

Sulu was already prying the Russian’s communicator out of his hand and sliding it towards the middle of the table. “Not much to ‘get’ here, pal. Just hope you aren’t unlucky.”

Moments ago, when Chekov had been hovering in the doorway of the recreation room to see a group of senior officers huddled around a ring of communicators on a table, his first impressions were those of a cult. The deck officer who glanced up and immediately asked “You in?” did little to assuage that. Yet Chekov was smart enough to know that you could hardly afford to alienate other crewmembers in the early days of your first assignment. If the four hundred something people on this ship were all members of some secret cult, well, it was time for him to learn its laws.

Luckily, Lieutenant Sulu had recognized him and immediately waved him over to sit by him, persuading the others to let him have one round to watch before joining in the fun.

Unfortunately, Chekov was still confused as to what this fun was.

“Is this something for all in Starfleet? A game everyone plays?”

Sulu smiled and shook his head. “Only we’ve got Uhura. It’s basically a free show, Pavel. The price is just—” His words faded as the bosun whistle on the wall panel sounded.

“Kirk to Sulu.”

“Shit.” Sulu groaned.

Uhura rose gracefully to a chorus of cheers and groans, which quieted as she reached the panel.

“Kirk to Sulu.”

“Nyota, be kind,” Sulu begged before he was promptly shushed by the rest of the table.

Uhura gave a wink before extending a graceful finger to the comm. “Sulu here.”

Chekov blinked. The last round that he’d witnessed, he’d assumed Uhura was just answering comms in silly voices for fun. Knowing that her voice was now a perfect impersonation of Sulu’s. . . well, apparently that was the price of the show.

“Sulu, regarding our course to Agaron PrimeI. If we were to make a stop at the Canopus  first, how much would that delay our arrival?”

The table exploded into a muted explosion of giggles as every eye turned expectantly towards Sulu, who had sprung into action. Two fingers, then six, then four. A jabbing finger. Eight fingers. His hands held close together, then spread far apart.

Chekov looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Uhura kept her cool gaze. “Did you say Canopus, Captain?”

Two, six, then four fingers. Three jabbing motions. Eight fingers, A decidedly frustrated and sarcastic spreading of the arms.

“Yes, Canopus. How long, Sulu?”

A pause. “I’m sorry sir…I’ll need time to work that out.”

“Hmmm. I see. See that it doesn’t take you too long to find a calculator, Lieutenant. Kirk out.”

“TWENTY SIX SOLAR DAYS,” Sulu burst out as soon as the red light on the wall dimmed. “IT’S FOUR POINT 8 LIGHTYEARS, AVERAGING 5.4 WARP, CALCULATED IN THEIR LOCAL TIME, THAT’S TWENTY SIX SOLAR—”

“Don’t tell her, laddie,” chuckled Scotty as the rest of the table burst into laughter. “Sounds to me like you’ve got a call to make.”

Sulu slumped in his chair and dejectedly sipped his drink. “One more round. The captain already thinks I can’t do warp equations at the ready. Five more minutes won’t damage my reputation any further.”

“I’d spend that time practicing your charades,” Uhura added lightly as she came behind Sulu’s chair. “No sun? No days? I’m not a mind reader, you know.”

“Just a life ruiner,” Sulu muttered darkly, but his mouth twitched as he brought his glass to his lips again.

“I do think that I’ve only one more round left in me, so before you all—" Uhura frowned as one of the communicators on the table buzzed with its whistle. “Is that…Pavel’s?”

Chekov’s heart sunk. “Da.” His shiny communicator stood out in the ring of dingy dull devices. “Yes, it’s mine.”

Everyone else reached out to pocket their device, murmuring in surprise as Uhura stayed put behind Sulu.

“That’s not fair to me, he’s only just got here!”

“You’ve had seven days, Nyota! You mastered Klingon barroom slang in half that time.”

“We do tell everyone you’re the best at this, you know.”

Uhura crossed her arms. “I’ll have you know Klingon barroom slang is quite easy to pick up once you’ve mastered one particular expletive. I’ve hardly gotten to spend any time with Pavel so far!”

“Yes, give the lady a break, please. It’s not like I have any noticeable accent to copy,” Chekov added helpfully, wondering why so many people broke out into snickers again.

“Sorry, Nyota. Your own rules, after all,” said Sulu firmly, gracefully reaching across and holding the communicator over his head towards Uhura.

“Sore loser,” Uhura muttered, but opened the communicator anyway and took a deep breath. “Chekov here.”

A mutter of approval circled the table at the reveal of Uhura’s first Russian accent. Not half bad, Chekov admitted to himself. She did sound like she came from St. Petersburg instead of Moscow, but he could take that up with her later.

“Ensign Chekov, this is Mister Spock.”

Whispers of excitement now. Sulu glanced over in time to see Chekov’s mouth beginning to open, and quickly slapped his hand across it. “Rules, Pavel.”

“Yes, Mister Spock.”

“Ensign, I am calling regarding our latest discussion that we had about the—”

Uhura’s eyes met Chekov’s, which were widened in shock. Hurriedly, she cut Spock off. “Da.”

“You know to what I’m referring?”

“Yes.”

“And you are prepared?

“…Da.”

A muffled scream came from behind Sulu’s hand, and other officers had to lean forward to keep Chekov from thrashing out of his chair. Uhura grimaced. “Vell, actually…”

“All can be arranged in more detail the next time we meet, Ensign. I look forward to seeing you at 1900 hours. Spock out.”

Sulu quickly withdrew his hand before it could be bitten off as the Russian threw himself out of his chair and gestured wildly towards the whole table. “CRAZY, ALL OF YOU. INSANE!”

“I tried to keep it neutral! I said ‘Da!” Uhura offered defensively.

“A WERY IMPORTANT ‘DA.’” Chekov broke down into a string of Russian which, if Uhura’s face was any clue, followed a drastic line of thought.

“Pavel, Pavel…” Sulu awkwardly stood next to the frantic ensign and grabbed his shoulder. “I know you just got here, and Mister Spock can seem…well, he’s a lot at first. But whatever you promised, Uhura can help you with it.” He looked up to meet Nyota’s glare. “Uhura and I can help you with it.”

********************************************************************************************************

    Sulu broke into what he hoped looked like a nonchalant jog as he followed Chekov down the hall. Uhura was keeping a much more leisurely pace behind, taking the time to greet every crewmember they passed. 

    “Pavel,” Sulu hissed after having to apologize to the fourth redshirt that Chekov nearly plowed into. “You said that you--Uhura--agreed to present your research to Mr. Spock tonight. We can help you finish, you’ve got plenty of time!”

    Chekov slowed in front of a laboratory door, nervously looking up and down the corridor, and even taking a peek into an adjacent Jeffries Tube. Uhura gracefully ducked her head to hide her smile. “Research is done, only....too much.”

    “Pavel, I don’t--” the door whooshed open and behind him, Sulu heard a particular Klingon expletive.

    “Pavel, you’ve only been here a few days!” Uhura cried in dismay, looking at the parts spread across the floor. “This looks like you spent months dismantling this!”

    “Well, I guess I can’t make fun of Riley for his lab accident anymore,” Sulu said lazily, picking up a piece of circuitry to inspect. “Remind me to never introduce you to him.”

    “This is serious!” Chekov was practically vibrating between the different corners of the room. “I was finishing my research and the machine was slow, so I try to improve it, but then it jammed, and I thought if I took it apart I could find problem--”

    “You know who would be best equipped to fix this?” Sulu murmured to Uhura. “One Mister Spock.”

    “Oh, hush,” Uhura scolded over Chekov’s wounded cry. “There’s always Mr. Scott. He was just with us, I can go--”

    “No, no, no!” Chekov pleaded, his eyes wide. “No senior officers. Nobody important. I cannot risk having the first thing on my record be a demerit!”

    “Or an invoice,” Uhura added lightly.

    “Thanks for the compliment, Pavel. But neither of us are engineers.”

    “Speak for yourself.” Uhura plucked the circuit out of Sulu’s hands. “I’ve done emergency surgery on my array to at least hide most of the damage here.”

    “Fix it enough so that some other poor soul will come and break it next. Sneaky.”

    Chekov looked as though he were about to faint. “It’s not my intention to--”

    “We’re just kidding, Pavel. Grab a hyperspanner. If we’re going to let Mr. Spock in here in time, we’d better hustle.”

********************************************************************************************************

    When Mr. Spock entered the environmental sciences lab at 18:58, he found a more sociable scene than he was anticipating. 

    “Lieutenant Uhura. Mr. Sulu,” he nodded. “What brings you to this part of the ship?”

    “Just getting to know the new Ensign, sir. We’ll be out of your way now. Uhura, would you like to join me for dinner?”

    “Of course, Hikaru.” Uhura grasped Chekov’s hand for a moment, before placing it firmly on the center of the console plate, giving it an extra press before leaving to follow Sulu. “STAY confident, Pavel, and good luck.”

    Sulu waited until they were a whole corridor away before letting his head roll back with a sigh. “He’s going to be trouble.”

    “All the good ones are.” Uhura and Sulu reentered the same rec room as before just as a bosun whistle sounded from the wall panel. 

    “Uhura! I’ll wager my Enolian spice wine that you can’t fool whoever’s on the other end of that one!”

    Uhura only paused for a moment before shrugging and making her way over. Sulu shook his head, dumbfounded. “You never learn, do you?”

    “Be a dear and fetch my dinner and I’ll share some of the wine with you.”

    “Yes, ma’am” Sulu saluted and made his way over to the replicators. He was about to punch in his order when he saw a figure duck behind a receptacle. Curious, he peeked around.

    Captain Kirk was hunched over his communicator. “Ensign, you sound unwell. Should I call Sickbay?” 

    Kirk looked up to glance across the room and immediately met Sulu’s gaze. He smirked, put a finger to his lips, and winked before speaking again. “You really sound congested, Ensign. Don’t make me make this an order.” He then leaned away from the communicator to whisper to Sulu, “Keep quiet about this and I’ll keep quiet about the spice wine.”

    “Aye, sir,” Sulu whispered back and turned back to the replicator. The new Ensign might be a handful, but he would fit right in on this captain’s ship.

[dawnquafam]

Spyota+ "Jim, the are doing it again!" Please. I loved Ur last spuhura post and thought it was rlly cute❤️

A/N: Thank you so much!! I hope you enjoy this too

Set in my We Could Not Stay verse, but only because I wanted to write mom!Nyota, so you don’t have to read it to understand this

Inspired by a post I saw the other day about Spirk’s bond, but I didn’t reblog it so I have no hope of finding it to add a link whoops

Nyota prided herself on being professional. She allowed herself moments of play and romance – this crew was her family, after all, and she loved them more than anyone except her daughters – but her mother had always taught her that a professional woman was a successful woman, and overall, she preferred to adhere to that.

However, running on a mere hour of sleep snatched from various catnaps whilst spending most of the night trying to console a feverish three-month-old didn’t exactly leave her in the best position to focus on the dreadfully dull, first thing in the morning weekly meeting of the command crew. She could hardly bring herself to pay attention to Scotty’s ramblings about the engine’s status on her best days, and the tantalizing smell of the coffee that she desperately needed but couldn’t drink wasn’t helping matters one bit.

Nyota.

Spock’s voice echoed in her mind, a little telepathic nudge to wakefulness, and she hurried to refocus on the meeting, straightening her slouching posture. He sat beside her, hands resting on the table in front of him, head tilted ever so slightly to look at her sympathetically. He had lost his own fair share of sleep due to Amanda’s illness over the last week, though his Vulcan heritage had given him a decidedly unfair advantage in being able to overcome it.

Jim would not begrudge you a day off, he pointed out, not for the first time. But as much as she had loved the guaranteed abundance of quality time with her daughters, having none of her Starfleet work to do during maternity leave had soon left her feeling bored, not to mention occasionally helpless during the instances when Spock and the others were stranded off the ship. Given that she had only returned to work two weeks ago, she was reluctant to give up her job again so soon, so as the topic shifted from Scotty’s engine reports to Hikaru detailing their various course deviations and potential obstacles on the route ahead, she touched her fingertips lightly to Spock’s arm to reassure him that step wasn’t necessary.

He rested his hand beside hers, their fingers brushing, and gave her a dubious look. I know you are worried about her.

I am, she admitted, lowering her gaze. But Len says she’ll be fine. She’s just being fussy.

And yet, emotions often deny the logic of such reassurances.

It shouldn’t have been a terribly amusing thing to hear, but between the sleep deprivation and the faint tinge of his resigned dryness echoing across their bond, she had to work quickly to hide a laugh, ducking her head and pretending to cough into her elbow.

Unfortunately, that drew everyone’s attention to her. “Are you all right, Lieutenant?” Jim asked.

She cleared her throat, lifting her head and trying not to look at Spock. “I’m fine, sir.”

Len’s eyes were narrowed, flicking between her and Spock. “Jim, they’re doing it again.”

Spock tilted his head innocently. “We are doing what again, Doctor?”

He gestured between them. “Your telepathy thing.”

“We are not,” Spock denied. Not anymore, he added silently.

She nearly lost it again at the little caveat, and while his expression didn’t betray it, she felt his amusement as well as Len began to protest. “But you two were looking at each other, and touching each other-”

“As married couples are wont to do,” Spock pointed out, perfectly maintaining his air of innocence.

“Well, yeah, but-” Len huffed in frustration “-but not you, hobgoblin.”

Spock’s eyebrow rose. “Are you saying I do not look at my wife?”

“That is not what I was saying and you know it.”

Nyota now had her hand over her mouth to hide her grin, very nearly holding her breath to contain her laughter, and everyone else around the table was undergoing a similar struggle – save Pavel, who had given up and was just chuckling behind his hand. “Bones, you sound like a crazy person,” Jim said, just barely managing to sound like a concerned friend over his mirth. “They weren’t doing anything.”

Len spluttered. “But you saw how they were looking at each other! They only do it like that-” he waved a hand at his head “-when they’re doing their Vulcan voodoo.”

“You seem quite perturbed by this aspect of our marriage,” Spock observed. “Are you jealous, perhaps?”

The heat in Len’s glare could’ve lit Earth’s polar ice caps on fire. “I’m not jealous, Spock.”

“Paranoid, then.”

“Look, it’s creepy that you two can have entire secret conversations right in front of people.”

Nyota finally regained enough control to speak. “We don’t need our bond to do that, Len. You, for example, only speak English and Spanish, whereas we could converse easily in Vulcan, Swahili, Hebrew, Russian, Romulan, Andorian, Klingon-”

“Ok, stop showing off,” Len interrupted. He looked around the table. “It’s creepy, right? Those little moments they have?”

“Those little moments have saved our lives occasionally,” Jim reminded him.

Len threw up his hands. “I’m so alone.”

“On the contrary, Doctor, you are in a room with-”

“Shut up, Spock.”

Pavel’s half-suppressed chuckles turned into full-blown laughter, and that was all everyone else needed to burst out laughing as well, Len glaring at each and every one of them.

With everyone distracted, Spock reached out to take Nyota’s hand, twining their fingers together. “Are you feeling better?” he asked quietly.

She looked up at him, her amused grin fading to a soft smile. “Much better,” she answered, just as quietly, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, my love.”

He squeezed her hand, returning her thank you with a gentle cheek kiss of his own. “You are welcome, Nyota.”

[ozymandiasdirge]

i cant believe its more star trek

episode 1x19 heart of glory

oh from the preview picture it looks like its about worf hell yeah

oh shit the neutral zone....will the romulans finally make an appearance

i havent commented on it besides the fact that it looks like a 1970s lounge but i love on the new bridge the captain’s chair, first officer’s post, and troi just chill on a couch in the middle of the bridge

“who do you think it is ferengi” oh please not now i want more romulans

oh please be the romulans they combine that vulcan repression™️ with the bad decision making of the roman empire and i wont even have to look at eric bana

so like i love tasha’s butch haircut but....what does she do....exactly

i like that picard never leaves the ship and just makes riker take the kids out on incredibly dangerous trips on the planet. jimothy would never.

data and geordi......best frends......love this dearly

riker is never anything less than absolutely S T A N C E D at all times

where would this show be without patrick stewarts acting

oh my god geordi just sees a special aura around data all the time...and assumes everyone else does too🏳️‍🌈😫✊🏼

this hallway is reminding me of the luke and vader fight in empire strikes back lmao

this episodes cinematography and atmosphere are already LEAGUES above the rest of the season. i’m glad we’re steadily improving.

KLIGONS???? wait....shouldn’t they be chill i thought the klingons and the federation were friends after the undiscovered country.

is this a spock situation where the other klingons are mad at worf for joining starfleet.

“worf can deal with anything that might arise” why do i have a feeling that’s simply not going to happen

leave worf alone he’s a good boy! beat their ass worf.

oh my god worf was adopted by humans....🥺🥺🥺. 

also wasn’t khitomer the place from the undiscovered country...god i love continuity

oh shut up guest star klingons your politics are a century out of date.

WORF PLEASE TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THIS????

these assholes are just talking about mutiny in front of god and everyone

 oh my god the klingon death ritual. warning the dead that a klingon warrior is about to arrive. god the drama everything the klingons do sounds like a fucking 18 minute long prog rock song.

who is just letting their child run wild on this ship THIS IS WHY THEIR SHOULDNT BE CIVILIANS ON A FUCKING BATTLE READY STARSHIP HELLO????

if this were TOS this security team would already be disintegrated

oh...we actually get to hear klingons speaking real klingon...cool

WORF IS A GOOD BOY

oh maybe these red yellow shirts are about to be disintegrated after all FAM THEY ARE BUILDING A GUN MAYBE WATCH THEM YALL SUCK THIS IS THE FLAGSHIP OF THE FLEET

i like this other captain klingon guy. he seems to actually have a brain so good for him.

YOU TELL HIM WORF GO OFF. i like that worf is more true to klingon values than the klingons raised in the klingon empire

“i was just being polite sir😡” MR. WORF ❤️❤️❤️

my heart just got warm because this really does feel like a progression of classic star trek for the first time instead of just an imitation. 

that was really good!!!!!!! first great episode perhaps didnt get any romulans but still highly entertaining and world buildy

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Captain’s Woman Part Two

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist Notes: Not beta-read Pairing: MirrorVerse!Pike x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of past torture

Rating: T (might go up) Summary: I had been on the Enterprise for eight solar days. I hadn't left Pike's quarters sine I'd arrived in them, or spoken to anyone else.

"Up. We're going to the bridge." I pushed myself up, rubbing my eyes blearily, eyeing Number One. "Did I do something?" I asked. "Up," Number One repeated. I stood, walking over to my wardrobe to dress. I had been on the Enterprise for eight solar days. I hadn't left Pike's quarters sine I'd arrived in them, or spoken to anyone else. I reached back to do up my zipper. Still half-asleep, I hadn't heard Number One come closer, and I flinched, shoulders tensing and shaking when she pushed my hands away to do it up herself. There was a pause, and I forced my shoulders to relax as she did the zipper up. "Come on." 

I followed her out, making the trip to the bridge in silence. The turbolift doors open to the bridge, and I felt the eyes of the entire crew on me. I kept my face set in an unaffected expression, knowing from experience that any open sign of interest or weakness would be picked apart. My attention was drawn away from the on-lookers as Pike rose from his chair, coming closer. "Welcome to the bridge," He gave Number One a small nod, dismissing her. I watched after her before I turned back to him. "You wanted to see me?" I asked. He took hold of my elbow, steering me back into the turbolift. I waited until the doors had shut to ask, "Have I done something?" I could feel Pike casting me a look. "You've done quite the opposite of something. I've hardly seen you move in a week. If I didn't know better, I'd think the Emperor had sent me a statue." I pursed my lips, lowering my eyes. "Are you sending me back?" "No. I didn't get the chance to show you around the ship when you arrived. I thought that might be why you haven't left my quarters." "I didn't know I could." There was a pause before Pike stepped in front of me. He tucked two fingers under my chin, lifting my head to meet his eye. "You're not a prisoner, you're not confined to quarters. You're under my protection on this ship. Understand?" "Yes, sir," I said quietly. Pike gave a firm nod before he stepped off of the turbo lift. -- "You're positive you're not here to kill me?" It was more of a teasing question this time, but I was growing annoyed with it. "If the Emperor wanted to kill you, she would've sent Michael," I said firmly. "Then why did she send you?" Pike asked. I pushed my food around on my plate rather than answer. "How long have you been captain?" I asked. "Why do you ask?" "I'm just trying to learn about you. Is that so bad?" "Won't getting to know me make it harder to kill me?" "Please stop that," I said, raising my eyes sharply to his. A flash of surprise crossed his face. "...Alright. Be an awful assassin to warn me, anyway," He said, reaching for his drink. I huffed, shaking my head and looking out of the window. "Where'd the Emperor find you?" Pike asked. "I asked you a question first," I reminded him. "Six years," He told me. "Do you like it?" “Oh no you don't. I asked you a question, too." I looked back to him to find a playful glint in his eye. "... The Emperor found me the remains of a freighter. It had been attacked by Klingons." "How old were you?" "Three. Did you always want to be a captain?" "No." "What changed?" "I did. Why did the Emperor send you?" "I hadn't done anything so bad lately that warranted an Agonizer." "So she sent you to me." "Gave me to you. I think she was bored with me.” "Not enough to kill you. That's unlike her." "She's like a mother to me." The sentence came out flat, robotic; no wonder, I'd said it a hundred times. I couldn't remember the last time I'd meant it. "You think she's going soft?" Pike asked. I laughed, unable to help it. "I think if she killed me, Captain Burnham would never forgive her. And she's not risking that." Pike's brows rose and I realized I had said too much. -- "Now that you know where everything is, I don't want you sulking around here all the time," Pike said, "Is that understood?" "Yes, Christopher," I said, following him into the bedroom. I watched in silence for a moment as he fumbled with his chest piece before I stepped forward. "Here," I said, gently pushing his fingers away from the fastener to work at it myself. I felt him watching me closely, but I focused on my task. I lifted it over his head, stepping away to replace it where I'd seen him deposit it the day before. -- "I did warn you not to disappoint me again, didn't I?" "But mother, I--" "Highest setting. Now." I opened my mouth to apologize, but all I could do was scream in pain.   -- "Stop-- Wake up, it's me. It's me!" My eyes opened, gasping for air. There were two hands gripping my shoulders tightly, shaking me. My eyes adjusted to the dark to find Pike staring down at me, harried. 

"What-- What was--" I panted. 

"You were having a nightmare." I could feel my heart pounding, and I swallowed thickly before taking a deep breath. "I'm so-- I'm sorry," I managed. Pike's grip loosened, but he didn't let go. I couldn't bring myself to look at him; I realized my face was wet with tears. I lightly shook him off, slipping out of bed and half-running to the bathroom. I shut and locked the door behind myself, sliding down against it and furiously scrubbing at my face, as if it could make Pike unsee what he saw. 

[mystery-star]

Threshold of Space - Chapter 1 To Pass or not to Pass

Pairing: Spock x OC

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death

Words: 6246

All Parts: 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 |  Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know!

Please do not repost my work on other sites or platforms!

-

With a deep frown, the brunette stared at her fellow cadet who had just passed out in the captain’s chair.

“I guess that’s it then” Carissa’s fellow helmsman muttered to himself “The simulation is over” he got up with a shrug

“Wait a moment” she called “This may be a simulation, yes. But if this was real, you couldn’t just get up and leave”

“And what do you suggest we do, Wiley?” he asked

“We need an Acting Captain”

“We have no First Officer”

“Then we vote” she said “But quickly” she added, glancing at the screen to the many Klingon vessels

“If you’re so eager to complete this damned thing you do it” Carissa shrugged as some others murmured in agreement

“Is there anyone else who wants to take charge?” no one said a word “And is anyone not happy with me taking over?”

“Do whatever you want, Wiley. The examiners will stop this scenario now anyway since Evan is out, so better hurry if you want to shine”

“Then I shall take over until they declare that it is over. Now get back to your post” with a shrug, David did as she ordered. It felt strange to have that much responsibility and she was glad that this was only a simulation.

“Yes, Captain” he said mockingly as he sat back down “What are your next orders, huh? Shall we all go to a corner and cry?”

“A bit more seriousness. We are under attack” she replied and turned around to the Communication officer. “Jackson, can you reach the Kobayashi Maru?”

“I’ll try” he said and gave an affirmative answer a couple of seconds later

“Good. Ask them if their transporter is working, if not tell them to evacuate their ship”

“The Klingons would continue to fire on the pods”

“I know. But I am sure they won’t waste their time to follow all of the pods. Besides we can beam them aboard like that. Now do as I say or it’ll be too late”

“We can’t save everyone” she nodded.

“But we can try to get as many out as possible. We should start a diversionary maneuver. Let’s give these Klingons a nice taste of our Phasers.” she rubbed her hands and prepared everything before turning to the fellow helmsman

“Take evasive actions, 60 degrees to the right”

“But their shields are up, firing on them will be of no use”

“Do you think I am blind? I know that, I only want to distract them a bit to give the Maru time for the evacuation so that we can beam them aboard later on. Jackson, let us know when they are ready and sent off their first pods”

“Yes, Ma’am” Carissa couldn’t help but smile. Although she had never wanted to be Captain, it was nice to be addressed so formally. “They’re ready” Jackson informed them only two minutes later.

“Very well. Tell the transporter room to lock the signal on as many pods as possible and beam the people inside aboard”

“The Klingons are firing on us” David shouted

“Keep diverting” Carissa told the other helmsman “Let’s make it difficult for them to get us. Jackson, keep in contact with the transporter room and tell them to keep us updated as on how many crew members they could rescue.” he confirmed and did as requested.

“Shields at 47 percent. Three more hits like the others and we’re dead”

“Inform that Kobayashi Maru that we might not be able to save everyone. Maybe they should use shuttlecrafts, so that we can beam them aboard quicker and needn’t lock signals on different pods”

“Captain, they want us to stay and rescue them” Carissa bit her lip. Of course, they wanted to be saved. But they had to understand that there was no sense in staying to get them killed as well.

“Shields at 19 percent”

“That’s it. We have to leave. Head back to… the nearest space station.  Transporter room, how many people could we save?”

“48” Jackson told them

“That’s not too bad” Carissa muttered more to herself “Inform the Starfleet Command we’re heading back to the station and that we could only save 48 crew members of the Kobayashi Maru” she wiped some sweat from her brow with her sleeve

“Captain, one of the ships is following us”

“Shit” she could feel the blood leaving her face “Faster. Give us everything the Trainor has”

���Aye, Aye” Jackson said but after about a minute later, his mien changed “Ma’am the Warp drive failed. We’re only running on impulse now” she got even paler.

“The Klingon vessel’s slowed down to sublight speed as well and seems to be getting ready to destroy us”

“Fuck” she took a deep breath. Although she understood why it had been programmed that it won’t work like you wanted and add complication after complication, she made a mental note to have a serious word with Spock for scaring and challenging her that much. Somehow she wished the examiners would stop the simulation so that she could get out of here.

“What now? We can’t get away and they’ll destroy us”

“Hail them. Hail them!” she shouted in panic. Jackson merely nodded and pressed some buttons

“They don’t answer”

“Then send them a message that we surrender”

“What are you planning to do?” she licked her lip

“We’re trying to bait them by telling they can have the ship. Once they lower their shields to beam on board we fire everything we got at them”

“That may work” David mused.

“No it won’t” Jackson said bitterly “Still no answer”

“Tell them we can have the ship, which means they can get to the station without being noticed. Try it on every frequency we’ve got. They need to answer!” she got up and pressed a button on the arm rest of the Captain’s chair

“Crew of the USS Trainor. We need to evacuate the ship” she repeated the order before sitting down at the helm control “That applies for you as well. Out with you” she told the bridge crew. David and his friend got up, the rest remained seated.

“I’m still trying to reach them” Jackson explained. “But I’m pessimistic about it” another thundering noise and blinking lights told them that the Trainor had been hit again.

“The shields are down. The next hit will destroy us”

“Leave too. I’ll try to distract them a little longer” she took David’s seat and tried to dodge a little

“That won’t work with impulse drive”

“I know. But I can’t just sit here… and I ordered you to go and save yourself”

“What’s going on?” she heard a slurry voice behind her and Carissa saw Evan getting up slowly

“Well you passed out and I took over the bridge and as it seems we’re all gonna die now. We’re evacuating the ship” she told him “Go and get a rescue pod” he looked at her and nodded. However, he didn’t make it out because the Trainer was it one last time and all lights went out. Carissa had failed them and they all died. Shortly after the door opened and Admiral Foster stepped into the room.

“Cadet Cook.”. Evans, who was talking to David, wanting to know what had happened, looked at him

“Did I pass?”

“Yes you did pass. Pass out!” he showed him to follow with a simple head movement. “The rest may leave. Except for Cadet Wiley. You’ll come with me as well and wait in front of my office” she hung her head and got up after a nod. It seemed like she was in trouble. She shouldn’t have taken over like that. When they were going to the Admiral’s office Evan shot her angry glares more than once. Now she wished she had just followed David’s lead and left the simulation after his friend got unconscious. Once they reached the office, Admiral Foster told the male cadet to go inside before turning to her and ordering her to wait here. With a nod she leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. She really was in trouble. If only she wouldn’t be punished for what she did. It seemed like the only logical thing she could do had this been a real situation. Although, if a cadet passed out during a written exam, you couldn’t take over for them either. So it had to be a violation of the rules. But David should be here too. He was the one who had been defiant all the time and left his post before he was relieved off duty.

“Cadet Wiley” at the sound of the familiar voice she turned to see Spock, a professor and her boyfriend, coming towards her.

“Professor” she commented, smiling and holding herself back from touching him since they could be seen “What are you doing here?”

“Admiral Foster had let me know that he wanted to speak to me about the programming of the Kobayashi Maru scenario. As it seems, a cadet succeeded in finding an option which I have not considered and therefore not programmed. I would ask you what you are doing here but seeing that you have been participating in the simulation I can only conclude that Admiral Foster wanted to speak to you as well. The reasons for this, however, must be unknown to you as well”

“Yes, Sir” she said “But is an option missing good or bad? I mean isn’t it a bad sign if someone managed to… I don’t know reach the limits of the simulation?”

“It is neither. But once the addition programmed, this option may provide a whole new scenario, which would theoretically increase the chance of effectively winning by 6.3 percent”

“And what kind of addition are we speaking of?”

“I was told that Cadet Cook tried to hail the Klingons upon being alone with one of their ships. But that could not happen since I have not made an interaction with the enemy in that situation available yet” now she actually smirked

“It seems like you’re misinformed. No offence. I was the one who tried to contact the Klingons. Not Evan” he raised an eyebrow

“I must admit, I did not expect that. Since it was Cadet Cook taking the test, I figured that it had to be him as Admiral Foster did not say any names. May I ask how it came you were the one to order hailing the enemy ship?”

“Oh… Evan passed out just after we realized there suddenly were nine Klingon ships and that they started firing on us.”

“He has lost consciousness? But that would have resulted the examiner in ending the simulation”

“Well they didn’t… I mean as soon as I realized that Evan was out, I told the others they had to stay in place until we were told that it was over… so uh… it happened that I became Acting Captain and gave new orders” again he raised his eyebrow

“Then the examiners have decided to see how you were doing until the end. Now I believe I know the reason you are here. Admiral Foster must want to discuss your performance with you”

“What?” Carissa shrieked “Do-do you think they marked me?”

“It is possible. However, given the fact that you were not actually designated to take this test, I believe that they will not make this an official evaluation unless you choose to. But you did show great quality by taking over charge in such a situation” she shrugged

“But are you not mad that I… well… broke your simulation?”

“As I said, what happened is neither positive nor negative, it merely showed that I did not consider all possibilities, cadet”

“But there must have been other cadets that tried to contact the Klingons?”

“There were, but that is something I have thought of. However, you were the first one who managed to be alone with only one of the Klingon ships. It is only logical that the Klingons will behave differently when they are on their own”

“So you could contact them at the battle place but not when you’re further away because of the different reactions?”

“Exactly. As long as they have back up, Klingons would never negotiate and merely tell us their conditions for our surrender. Provided the fact they choose to not just destroy us without giving us a chance”

“This means when Jackson said we received no answer from the Klingons this was because the simulation could not provide any?”

“Correct”

“And do you think it is likely they would have agreed to take over our ship and beaming on board?”

“I would say so. While I cannot tell you how high the chances are exactly, I would estimate them to be about 73 percent, depending on how damaged the USS Trainor is at that point. However, the chance that they would kill your crew once they are on board is at 96.2 percent”

“Well I did not actually plan to let them take over the ship, Sir. I just wanted them to lower their shields so that we could fire at them and destroy them”

“That sounds logical and the chances of success are about 81.5 percent”

“So you’re saying I could have done it if you had had already programmed the option to contact the Klingons when…” the door opened and Evans walked out

“He’s asking for you” he said, not sounding very happy and shot an angry glare at her. It was not her fault he passed out, so why was he hostile towards her? After all it was his idea and request to be an actor in this simulation.

“Cadet Wiley, please come in”

“Coming, Admiral” she informed him and turned back to her boyfriend “See you later, I guess?” she asked quietly

“If I am not obliged to make the modifications right away, yes” she nodded and entered the office.

“Cadet Wiley” Foster said with a smile. Maybe Spock was right and he wasn’t mad at her after all? “Is Instructor Spock already here?”

“Yes, he arrived some minutes ago”

“Could you ask him in as well?” this made her heart sink. What if he had found out about their relationship? Or had he just heard the rumors and thought there was more to it? She’d rather be in trouble for taking over during the test. Because if he found out about the relationship id didn’t only affect her but Spock as well. She nodded and did as she was told. Her boyfriend entered and closed the door

“You have asked to see me, Admiral?”

“Indeed. I take it you know Cadet Wiley?”

“I do. She is in one of my classes” the Admiral nodded.

“Good. And you know she was supposed to take part in Cadet Cook’s Kobayashi Maru scenario?” Spock nodded “However, he passed out after mere minutes into the simulation as more and more ships arrived”

“And Cadet Wiley took over. I have been told already”

“Yes. That is the reason you are her. Because I wanted you to see her performance and tell me what you think the result would have been. After all she has tried something that was not programmed”

“Of course” he crossed his arm and when Admiral Foster showed them a video of the simulation, starting from the point where Evan passed out, Carissa wanted to drop dead. She couldn’t help but throw occasional glances to either of the males, to find out what they were thinking. Oddly, she got more information from the Vulcan’s stoic mien than from the older man. Finally, the tape ended and the brunette breathed out in relief. “Interesting” was her boyfriend’s only comment.

“What do you think would have been the outcome had she managed to contact the Klingons?”

“I am sure they would have agreed to take over the ship after Cadet Wiley told them of the opportunity to get into the station unnoticed. As for the planned destruction of the bird of prey, I cannot say if it would have succeeded before the USS Trainer would have been destroyed.”

“Alright, thank you, Commander” Admiral Foster nodded at him “I would now like to talk to Cadet Wiley alone and have a word with you again afterwards” Spock agreed and left the room.

“Am-am I in trouble because of what I did, Sir?” she asked carefully.

“You are not. Captain Thomas wanted to stop the scenario once your fellow cadet was out but when I saw that you were taking over I told him to wait. I wanted to see how you would react and I must say I am rather impressed. We had two similar cases where the cadet taking the test either left or passed out. But no other participant of the simulation had the idea to finish the mission in their stead. You showed a great sense of responsibility and your performance was indeed impressive, especially when you consider that you decided everything spontaneously since you had no time to prepare yourself for the scenario”

“So you are saying what I did was right?”

“Yes. And therefore the other examiners and I have decided to evaluate your performance if that is your wish”

“This means you will mark me and make it official?”

“Exactly. And I strongly advise you to let us do this for all I have seen you could actually pass. If not, what do you have to lose?”

“You are right, Sir” she smiled “Then I would like you to evaluate me. Although I don’t think I would ever want to be Captain. It is too much responsibility”

“No one says you have to become Captain just because you passed the Kobayashi Maru scenario”

“Oh right”

“Very well. Then I will inform the other examiners and inform you about the outcome as soon as possible” she nodded with a smile.

“I don’t need it immediately” she assured him.

“Alright. That is it from my part, Cadet Wiley. You may leave”

“Thank you, Sir. Goodbye” she nodded at him and left the room, throwing a short smile at Spock as he got called inside.

-oO0Oo-

“How was the simulation?” her best friend and dorm mate Nicole asked as they were on their way to Diplomacy class the next day “Did Evan kill you all?”

“Actually I killed us all”

“How that? Did you do something wrong?”

“No” she grinned and told her the story and her friend laughed

“So you not only brought the test to its limits but you probably also passed the whole thing?”

“Yeah”

“Instructor Spock must be fuming”

“He’s Vulcan” Carissa only said

“Right” she chuckled “But if he lets you fail his class you’ll know why”

“I don’t need him for that. I can fail by myself” she sighed. She just couldn’t get the knack of it and hated almost everything about the subject. The only thing that made the lessons bearable was the fact that Spock taught them.

“For heaven’s sake. Just go and get help. It’s of no use if you fail”

“I-I really don’t want to bother him” besides, when they started their relationship they had agreed they wouldn’t talk about anything that related to the courses so that she would not be in an advantage.

“He’s our teacher. He is obliged to help” Carissa shrugged

“I’ll see” they arrived at the classroom and talked to other classmates. Suddenly Evan appeared, angrily tapping Carissa’s shoulder.

“What did you do?”

“What? About yesterday?”

“You just took over!”

“So what? I thought if this was real that was supposed what someone should have done”

“You stole my chance”

“Look, if this had been real we couldn’t have just waited until you were conscious again. I am sure the examiners wouldn’t have paused the scenario if I had done nothing”

“I swear if you benefit from my attempt, you’ll pay”

“Mr Cook. I hope you won’t make these threats come true or you will be in serious trouble” they heard Professor Bennett’s voice behind them and shot a quick glare as he walked past the flock of cadets to open the door. Evans glared daggers at his classmate

“Your lover may have saved you this time. But I will find ways” he whispered in her ear before leaving.

“Oh God. Is he now claiming too that you have something going on with Bennett?”

“Yeah”

“Just because of your grades? Or because he’s mad?”

“No idea. But someone needs to be on top of the class. I can’t help that it’s me in most classes…”

“Well I need to admit, your grades are not just top of the class. They’re perfect almost every time. Not that I’d believe the rumors but I can understand that they think like that.” Carissa shrugged.

“Just let them talk. I don’t care. I know the truth and so do my friends” technically, her friend’s didn’t know the whole truth. Although she wasn’t dating Bennet, she still was in a relationship with another professor.

“That’s the spirit. As long as no one suspects you’re actually liaised with a professor” she felt her heart bumping

“Exactly” they entered the classroom and sat down.

-oO0Oo-

The rest of the day flew by and before she knew it, Carissa was trying to complete some homework when she saw a new message. This must be her results from the Kobayashi Maru and her heart made a leap. A part of her wanted read it now, but she decided against it, wanting to finish her homework first.

“What’s this? Got a love letter?” she was asked

“Nothing” she replied, not wanting to brag that she completed the Kobayashi Maru. But she knew that should she pass, sooner or later everyone would know. And she was quite afraid of Evan’s reaction.

“Why don’t you read?”

“I can imagine what it is. And I want to finish this first” she looked at her friend before focusing on her essay again. But Lucie just crossed her arms

“Fine, then I’ll hack into your account and read the message myself”

“Stop this” she hissed.

“Oh come on, Carry, I want to know what it says. Is it really from Admiral Foster?”

“Yes. As the name says”

“Please?” she looked at her friend with puppy eyes. Carissa sighed and read the document, ignoring her friends, exited shrieks and handclapping.

“How old are you exactly?” she shook her head but grinned. The grin disappeared when her eyes scanned the evaluation “Oh my God. Oh my God” she couldn’t help but shriek

“Good news?”

“Yes. I passed the Kobayshi Maru scenario”

“Wait what? When? How?” once again she found herself telling the story, this time with a broad smile. “That sounds fantastic. You’d make a perfect captain”

“I’m not so sure. I’d prefer to be more of an advisor. Then I don’t need to be the one making a decision”

“Fair enough” she squeezed her shoulder “Oh Carry, I can’t believe it. Not many pas this simulation. And you weren’t even prepared”

“I think they took that into consideration as well”

“What are we even sitting here?” Lucie asked and put her PADD away “Let’s go and celebrate” Carissa shrugged, throwing a glance at her essay. She would finish it later as she probably couldn’t concentrate.

-oO0Oo-

In the next morning she regretted her choice. The moment she walked into Spock’s classroom she realized that she had forgotten to finish her essay. Trying to hide in her seat, she took out her things and stared at the table. Her head only snapped up when the lesson started.

“Your essays from last week have been graded” the whole class gasped.

“Will this grade be official for the semester grade?” a classmate asked

“No, but it is for you to see how you are doing” he took a bundle of papers “please hand in your new ones within the next five minutes.” Carissa kept getting more and more nervous and she opened the corrected document. She stared at the numbers of her essay and let out a sad huff 37.7 out of 100. Nevertheless she felt a slight smirk appearing on her face, after all Spock was the only professor who used decimal places. Sluggishly, submitted her unfinished essay and raised her hand to tell the truth.

“I uh… couldn’t finish it” she admitted. The Vulcan only cocked up an eyebrow “It’s just… I’m not trying to justify anything but I got this news and well…”

“That news being?”

“Kobayashi Maru?”

“What?” Evan exclaimed “Don’t tell me you passed. That was cheating”

“Cadet Cook, I do believe this is no concern of yours” Evan mumbled something she didn’t get. “Please see me after the lesson, Cadet Cook. There is something I wish to discuss with you” obviously he must have heard what he said. Carissa bit her lip to hold back a smirk. “With you as well, Cadet Wiley” he said. When he started the lesson, she let out a small sigh of relief.

-oO0Oo-

For the remainder of the lesson she couldn’t help but dread the end of it. It really sounded like she got into trouble. Once the rest of the class was allowed to leave, Evan threw an angry look at Carissa as Spock told them to sit down in the first row.

“Cadet Cook, I expect you to explain your behavior towards your fellow cadet, Miss Wiley”

“It can’t be that she got to do this Kobayashi Maru. It was my test, not hers. This is not fair.”

“Your anger towards Cadet Wiley is out of place since none of this is her fault”

“She should have just kept her mouth shot like she always does. She stole my chance”

“Mr Cook, is it Cadet Wiley’s culpability that you lost consciousness during the simulation?” Evan shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but got cut off “Then I can only emphasize how inacceptable your behavior towards her is and I demand you to stop this. Else I will be obliged to inform my superiors of this case” Evan glared at her and she wished Spock had just let it be. He had probably only made it worse with his lecture.

“Evan look, I am sorry” she said “I never meant to steal the show or whatever”

“Then why did you take charge?”

“I just wanted David to wait until it was over officially. But let’s assume this would have been a real situation and your Captain passed out. Would you do something or just sit there and wait?”

“But it’s just a damned simulation. That’s the fucking point”

“There is no need for such foul language, Cadet” Spock reminded him “Besides your classmate is correct. It could have been real. Then everyone expects you to show responsibility, even if you are not a Captain. Cadet Wiley did exactly that and I daresay this is the reason that she has passed. Though her splendid approach must have had something to do with it as well” why, oh why couldn’t he just shut up? Did he not see he was making everything worse? Carissa wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Teacher’s pet” she heard Evans mutter and she clenched her fists. It probably wouldn’t have affected her that much if it had been any other professor. Luckily her boyfriend kept quiet this time and the brunette had the impression he did not even know what the words meant.

“Professor” she said, looking at Spock “thank you for your help but I think I can handle him by myself. He’ll just be mad at me for a little time but it will pass. After all we never had a problem before”

“If you say so” she nodded. “Cadet Cook, you are free to leave” Evan jerked up and wanted to storm out of the room “But be warned. If I hear of any other nastiness towards your classmate I will take action as I cannot tolerate such behavior” he stared after him until Evan left the classroom and closed the door before he turned to his girlfriend

“That wasn’t necessary” she mumbled

“He had no right to treat you like this. Besides, his hatred towards you is highly illogical because none of what happened is your fault”

“Well tell him. He’s just…”

“Acting out of fierce emotions”

“Yeah” she chuckled “dead on”

“However,” he continued “I wanted to talk about your latest essay, cadet”

“The one I forgot?” she asked shyly

“No, not that one. The one I have corrected”

“Oh right. But… am I in trouble because I didn’t finish the other?” he raised an eyebrow

“This is your first time neglecting homework, thus there will be no consequences. In case it happens again, you will need to complete supplementary work or any other form of compensation”

“Okay, thank you Sir” she breathed out in relief. “And what about the other essay?”

“I could not help but notice that your essays are getting and getting worse. If you do not change something you will fail this course”

“I uh…” she swallowed “I don’t really get the hang of this”

“Are you trying to say that you have difficulties in understanding the subject?”

“A bit more maybe. I’m clueless” she admitted

“And why did you not consult me?”

“I-I thought… when we got together” she looked at him “you said that we mustn’t talk about topics that are related to classes and all. So I tried to teach myself by reading books. But that didn’t help”

“I would have gladly taught you anything you wanted to know if you had just asked. Just because I am with you does not mean that I would not tutor you if necessary. When I said this, I meant that I cannot tell you more about the exams or any other matters that could give you an advantage”

“Well, I guess I didn’t want to bother you”

“Bother me? You would not be the first cadet I am tutoring. Moreover, I am teaching advanced topics to cadets who wish it.”

“So this means you will help me?”

“That would be the only logical thing to do” she nodded with a bright smile

“Thank you”

“But I will contact a few of your classmates as I have seen that some others seem to have troubles as well”

“Sure. It’s better to learn in a group anyway. Besides, then I won’t feel so strange when it’s just us. I mean, then it doesn’t feel like you don’t waste your time on me”

“Carissa” he said softly “Any time I spend with you is not wasted” she giggled at his sudden informality.

“And why again did you think you can’t be romantic? This might be the cutest thing anyone’s ever said to me”

“Then I suppose it is good to hear that telling you this simple fact has made you feel happiness”

“Of course it makes me happy. And do you know what else makes me happy? Being with you” since this was now getting a bit strange when she sat at a desk and he was standing in front of her, Carissa got up as well. A part of her wanted to touch him but they were in a classroom and anyone could come in any moment so she held herself back.

“Are you getting ready to leave?”

“Maybe”

“There are only 6 minutes and 23 seconds left until the next class starts. So maybe it would be best if you headed there. My next cadets should arrive soon as well”

“Oh sure” she said, grabbing her bag. “See you around I guess? Or at the tutoring?” he nodded

“I will let you know when I have gotten into contact with the other cadets to let you know about time and setting for the tutoring” now she couldn’t help but place a hand on his arm

“Thank you”

“I see no point in thanking me since this proposal bases on logical conclusion and thoughts”

“It means a lot to me anyway” she replied “so thank you” she gently squeezed his arm before pulling back and leaving the classroom.

-oO0Oo-

Much to her surprise, Evan actually left her alone. Sure, he mentioned the matter another few times in the following days but he seemed to have calmed down after a week. Carissa had the impression that word about her success at the Kobayashi Maru scenario had gotten around and she had the feeling as if everyone from her year who wanted to take the test wanted to have her on board. Since she found it a good way to learn more about the life on the bridge, she mostly agreed, unless she didn’t like the cadets at all. She was a little surprised, when suddenly someone a year above wanted to have her participating in her test. And after that, also a few other people from years above hers asked her to join them. If she was honest, Carissa didn’t like the attention too much. Somehow she had the feeling as if she was something like a mascot for them.

One day, as she was sitting outside, an older cadet plopped down on the bench next to her

“You’re Clarissa Riley, right?”

“Carissa Wiley” she corrected. He wasn’t the first one to get her name wrong.

“Well anyway. You’re the one who somehow beat the Kobayashi Maru test. How did you do it?”

“I just made the right choices” she replied “and as you might have heard, I wasn’t actually supposed the test. I took over”

“So you cheated?”

“Hell no”

“But I heard the test had to be reprogrammed after you took it”

“It didn’t had to be reprogrammed. They only had to add another feature. I just was unlucky enough to be the one to find out. But I was told, if the feature had been there, my chances of surviving would have been quite high”

“Nevertheless, you passed”

“So what?”

“I heard you’ve taken a liking to take part in other cadet’s test”

“Yeah?”

“Would you to me the honor to join me for my attempt?”

“Okay, why not? When?”

“In two days at 11AM. You know where.” only after he left Carissa realized that she didn’t even get his name.

-oO0Oo-

Only about half a minute after the simulation had started, she regretted her choice to participate as an actor. He seemed too confident of himself and didn’t take it serious at all. Obviously she wasn’t the only one who wanted to slap him.

“So what are we gonna do about the Klingons?” Carissa asked, suppressing a sigh

“Oh just leave it all with me, sweetheart”

“Excuse me?”

“Three more Klingon vessels are approaching”

“Alright. Inform the Med Bay to take all the injured from the other ship”

“Shouldn’t we do something about the Klingons first?” Carissa wanted to know, already sensing they would be destroyed any minute.

“Captain, love, you forgot the Captain”

“You can’t be serious, Captain” she sneered “We could die any moment and all you can think of is your title, which you don’t even have by the way and won’t get if you continue like that”

“I didn’t invite you here to be such a spoilsport” he pouted. She was that close to choking him. “But you are right, we could die any moment” he walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She glared at the hand as if she could burn a hole into it. “So why not…”

“Captain! Shields are only at fifty percent. Maybe we should fire back?”

“Nah” suddenly the power went out

“This can’t be, we can’t have lost already.” Carissa said. Or were the examiners fed up and stopped the simulation? Suddenly the power came back on.

“Oh no, don’t worry, sweetie. Now the real fun begins.” he said with a smirk as he plopped down in the Captain’s chair again and bit into an apple. “Open fire! Let’s send this bastards to hell”

“Jim, their shields are still up”

“Are they?”

“No”

“So what are you waiting for, sweetheart? Destroy them” the cadet called Jim said and winked at her “The sooner this is over, the sooner we two…”

“Captain!” she protested “I hope you know that I have a boyfriend” she blurted out. This actually was the first time she mentioned this to anyone. If only no one asked questions… with a sigh she did as he requested and locked target on the birds of prey. It all went smoothly and not even a minute later all Klingon ships were gone.

“Now we can start the rescue mission” everyone started at him as Jim got up “Let’s sum this up… we have destroyed all enemy ships, no one on board was injured and we can now save the crew of the Kobayashi Maru” Carissa stared at the buttons in front of her. She had participated in more than 18 simulations in the past months. And it had never been that easy. Something was wrong. No one ever managed that much. The simulation went off and the participants were allowed to leave. After stepping outside, she saw Spock marching past her, looking puzzled if not irritated. Suddenly Jim’s behavior towards her during the simulation. He had touched her and flirted with her. She could have slapped herself, he must be jealous. If that even was a thing among Vulcans…

-

Next Chapter

[cristobalrios]

[[ I just spent a long time transcribing Rios’s three scenes from “The End is the Beginning” so here they are under the cut: ]]

Star Trek: Picard, season 1, episode 3 “The End is the Beginning” (00:18:50-00:22:12)

[ Outside shot of LA SIRENA. INSIDE we see ADMIRAL PICARD beam aboard. Clip of TNG-Theme plays. PICARD looks around. There is no one in sight. ]

Picard: “Captain Rios?”

[ The EMH enters. He looks exactly like RIOS. We do not yet know that this is not Rios. He comes in enthusiastically. He has a British accent. He is wearing a suit and has straight hair. He seems almost timid ]

EMH: “Oh, hi, hello.”

[ PICARD looks at him. He looks and sounds slightly flustered. He is not what Picard expected. ]

Picard: “Picard.”

[ The EMH shakes his hand enthusiastically. ]

EMH: “Yes, sorry, of course you are. I’m afraid you might be too late,”

[ The EMH turns around and starts walking. PICARD is confused and he looks around. The EMH continues walking and does not look back. ]

EMH: “Right, then. Come on.”

[ CLOSE ON the real CAPTAIN RIOS. He is sitting down, shirtless, lighting a cigar. He has a large piece of tritanium sticking out of a bleeding wound on his right shoulder. His hair is not done neatly like the EMH’s is. It’s disheveled. The EMH walks in behind him with his hands in his pockets. He walks up to RIOS and stands beside him ]

EMH: “Sir, what seems to be the problem?”

[ Zoom out to see RIOS looking up at the EMH. RIOS has a tattoo of a mermaid on his left arm. PICARD is seen walking into the room behind them. The real RIOS has a Spanish accent, not a British one. ]

Rios: “Are you kidding me?”

[ He sounds annoyed. He sees PICARD coming ]

Rios: “Hey.”

[ He takes the cigar out of his mouth. ]

Picard: “Are you–?”

Rios: “Cris Rios. He’s just an EMH.”

[ He gestures to the EMH. ]

EMH: “'Just.'”

[ He sounds bitter. ]

Picard: “I’m, uh–”

Rios: “I know who you are. I read one of your books one time.”

Picard: “What happened to you?”

[ Referring to the big piece of metal still sticking out of his shoulder. RIOS looks at it then takes another inhalation of his cigar. He speaks with it still in his mouth. ]

Rios: “I didn’t die.”

[ PICARD looks incredulous and a bit amused. The EMH talks to the ship’s computer. ]

EMH: “Medkit.”

[ A Medkit is beamed (or replicated?) to the console in front of RIOS. The EMH takes it and moves it down. He opens it as RIOS also speaks to the computer. ]

Rios: “Aguardiente.”

[ A bottle of alcohol appears in the same spot the Medkit did, along with an empty glass. RIOS takes it and pours himself a glass. He picks up the glass and offers it to PICARD. ]

Picard: “No, thanks.”

[ RIOS pours it onto his wound instead. The EMH is scanning him with a medical tricorder. ]

RIOS: “What you want to do is take the giant hunk of tritanium shrapnel out of the hole in my shoulder. That’s just a guess.”

[ He sounds annoyed again. He looks at Picard. ]

RIOS: “Please, sit.”

[ PICARD moves. The TNG theme plays again as PICARD hesitates by the Captain’s chair, which is empty, since RIOS is sitting up by the navigational controls. He moves past it to sit in the chair next to RIOS. He moves a white book off the chair. The book is THE TRAGIC SENSE OF LIFE, by Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosophy published in 1912. PICARD looks at it. ]

RIOS: “Toss it anywhere.”

[ PICARD looks at him then places it on an empty space by the console in front of them as he sits down. ]

RIOS: “So, where are we going, Admiral? Raffi says you have no idea.”

[ The EMH is working on RIOS’s shoulder. PICARD is sitting casually on the chair as he moves to look more directly at RIOS. ]

Picard: “I’m working on it.”

Rios: “When are we leaving?”

Picard: “Soon as possible.”

Rios: “You breaking any laws or intending to?”

Picard: “I don’t know. I’m not in the habit of consulting lawyers before I do what needs to be done. You?”

Rios: “I’m not in the habit of consulting anybody about anything. Especially a lawyer.”

[ The EMH takes the tritanium shrapnel out of RIOS’s shoulder. ]

EMH: “There we are.”

[ He puts the bloody piece of metal in a container and moves to pick up other tools. ]

EMH: “Now for the dermal regenerator.”

Rios: “Leave it. Give me that. Get lost.”

[ RIOS takes it. The EMH looks at PICARD. ]

EMH: “He never gets any nicer.”

PICARD: “Duly noted.”

RIOS: “Deactivate EMH.”

[ The EMH is deactivated. Every time they have addressed the computer, they did not need to say “computer” beforehand like on the previous shows. RIOS stands up and turns to look at PICARD. ]

Picard: “I need a pilot. Raffi says you’re the best around.”

Rios: “I never argue with Raffi.”

[ PICARD is amused. ]

Picard: “Wise man. You were the XO of a heavy cruiser…”

Rios: “The Ibn Mājid. You never heard of it because it doesn’t exist. Starfleet erased it from the records.”

[ RIOS puts on a dark blue long-sleeved shirt. He did not use the dermal regenerator on his wound. ]

Picard: “Do I detect a certain bitterness toward Starfleet?”

[ He does. RIOS says nothing, but is looking away from him. He glances toward him but avoids eye contact ]

Picard: “You must know that Starfleet and I long since have parted ways.”

[ RIOS shrugs. ]

Rios: “If you say so.”

[ He sounds lightly skeptical. ]

Rios: “I really don’t give a damn.”

Picard: “Oh, really?”

[ PICARD is also skeptical. He looks around the ship. RIOS walked over toward a console and is doing something, off-screen, possibly with the Medkit? He looks over at PICARD. ]

Picard: “I see this ship is impeccably maintained.”

[ RIOS goes back to whatever he is working on. It doesn’t matter what he is doing. He is just using it as a distraction. ]

Picard: “Every bolt and clasp and fitting in place. Everything stowed in regulation Starfleet order.”

[ RIOS looks at him again. ]

Picard: “I don’t know what happened to you, Rios,”

[ RIOS sits back down again. ]

Picard: “Or to the Ibn Mājid. But five minutes on this ship,”

[ RIOS has picked up the cigar again and put it in his mouth, picking up the book from earlier and leaning back into the chair. ]

Picard: “And I know precisely what I am looking at.”

[ RIOS puts one of his legs up on the console and opens the book. He is trying to seem disinterested. PICARD leans forward. ]

Picard: “You. Are. Starfleet. To the core.”

[ RIOS looks at him. PICARD leans back with a smile on his face. ]

Picard: “I can smell it on you.”

[ The TNG-Theme plays again. ]

Rios: “That’s just my tragic sense of life.”

[ He puts the cigar down and looks at Picard. ]

Rios: “Raffi warned me you were a speechmaker.”

[ He blinks and licks his lips. ]

Rios: “Look, Admiral, hire me or find another pilot. Do not try to get inside my head."

------------------

Star Trek: Picard, season 1, episode 3 "The End is the Beginning” (00:22:51-00:24:44)

[ RIOS is sitting in a chair, in his quarters, drinking alcohol. Blues music is playing over the speakers. RIOS is reading the same book from before. A hologram appears. This is a different one than the one from earlier. It still looks just like RIOS, but is wearing different clothes and its hair is styled differently. It has an Irish accent. ]

ENH: “The navigation sensors are back at maximum range. Whatever it was, it scraped off pretty easily.”

[ RIOS looks at the hologram as he speaks. This hologram, like the other, sounds more cheerful than we have ever seen the real RIOS be. RIOS grunts in acknowledgement and turns his attention back to the book. ]

ENH: “So, are we excited? Intimidated? Maybe a teensy bit starstruck?”

[ He is leaning forward and walking closer to RIOS, teasing. RIOS looks somewhere between annoyed and amused. ]

ENH: “Jean-Luc Picard. Chief contact with the Q Continuum. Arbitor of Succession for the Klingon Empire. Savior of Earth from Borg invasion.”

[ He is walking back and forth as he talks enthusiastically about PICARD’S accomplishments ]

ENH: “Captain of Enterprises D and E. The man even worked alongside the great Spock.”

[ RIOS looks back up from his book. His hand is on his wounded shoulder. He sounds annoyed but still has a hint of resigned amusement in his voice. ]

Rios: “You are an emergency hologram. We no longer have a navigational emergency.”

[ The ENH looks at him like “So?” ]

Rios: “Why are you still here?”

ENH: “Well, someone is experiencing an acute moodiness overload.”

[ Still both annoyed and amused. He puts his book up closer to his face to block the ENH from view and ignore the hologram more easily. The ENH comes closer, leaning over his book with a smile on his face. RIOS grumbles. ]

ENH: “Picard is a good man, Captain Rios. He’s on the side of the angels.”

[ RIOS puts his book down and looks away. ]

ENH: “It’s been a long time since you helped out somebody like him. Hmm? A very long time.”

[ RIOS stands up and starts walking away ]

Rios: “Please, spare me the juvenile Sunday school morality.”

[ The ENH’S gaze follows RIOS. ]

ENH: “And spare me the angsty teenage moral relativism.”

Rios: “I already had one grand, heroic captain in my life. The last thing I need is another one.”

[ He sounds angrier now thinking about his former captain. ]

Rios: “Ten years on, I still can’t close my eyes at night without seeing the last one’s blood and brains splattered all over a bulkhead. Deactivated ENH.”

[ He is done humoring the hologram. The ENH looks disappointed. ]

ENH: “Ah, no, no, you–”

[ He gets deactivated. RIOS walks right through where the hologram was standing as he disappears, and he sits down in the same chair, now smoking his cigar again. He slides down in the chair and stares up at the ceiling, looking troubled as he stares up at the stars through a sunroof in the ceiling. A meteor briefly flashes ]

------------------

Star Trek: Picard, season 1, episode 3 "The End is the Beginning” (00:38:56-00:41:46)

[ At CHATEAU PICARD, PICARD'S comm badge beeps. He answers it. ]

Picard: "You're early."

[ On LA SIRENA, RIOS is walking up the stairs in engineering. ]

Rios: "Nope. My sources tell me--"

[ PICARD'S voice is heard over the speakers on LA SIRENA. Rios is walking back onto the bridge. ]

Picard: "What sources?"

Rios: "--It's about to get very hot chez vous." (Translation: "Chez vous" is French for "at yours," but specifically meaning "at your house")

[ Back at CHATEAU PICARD. ]

Picard: "It's already hot."

[ RIOS'S voice is heard from PICARD'S comm badge in his hand. ]

Rios: "Hotter."

Jurati: "Is that your pilot?"

[ PICARD nods. ]

Jurati: "Okay. You have to take me with you, and here's why: A,"

[ on LA SIRENA, RIOS is preparing some containers. JURATI'S voice can be heard over his speakers. He is kneeling down on the ground with the boxes. He places one on top of another. ]

Jurati: "I just killed a man to save your life."

[ RIOS stops to listen when she says that. He seems interested. JURATI sounds determined ]

Jurati: "B."

[ Back at CHATEAU PICARD, LARIS looks over at ZHABAN. ]

Jurati: "You are a good, decent man, capable of empathy and pity,"

[ ZHABAN looks at LARIS, then over at PICARD and JURATI ]

Jurati: "And I am a scientist who has spent her entire life imagining a miracle,"

[ JURATI'S voice is shaky and she is near tears but she is determined to convince him to let her join him. ]

Jurati: "Knowing that it could never come to pass, and now it has,"

[ PICARD smiles sympathetically. He's listening. ]

Jurati: "And it's real, and I have to see her; And C. I don't know how much it costs to go where you're going or--"

[ Back on LA SIRENA, RIOS is working at some holographic controls. JURATI'S voice is heard over the speakers again. ]

Jurati: "--How much this guy charges--"

Rios: "I'm expensive."

[ back at CHATEAU PICARD ]

Jurati: "--But I'm Agnes P. Jurati. I'm the Earth's leading expert on synthetic life, and I promise you, if you take me with you, I will more than earn my keep."

[ PICARD looks impressed. He turns to LARIS. She and ZHABAN are both looking expectantly at PICARD. RIOS'S voice is heard over the comm badge, sounding impatient. ]

Rios: "Time to go."

[ An outside view of LA SIRENA orbiting the EARTH. Inside the ship, both PICARD and JURATI are beamed aboard. PICARD is surprised. ]

Picard: "Raffi? What is this?"

[ RAFFI stands. Picard gestures at RIOS. ]

Picard: "Ah, 'sources.'"

Raffi: "I found Maddox."

Picard: "Where is he?"

Raffi: "I tell you, you promise you'll take me with you?"

Picard: "I would be honored to have you join me."

Raffi: "Oh, no, no I'm--I'm not joining you. Never again. I'm just hitching a ride."

Picard: "To where?"

Raffi: "Bruce Maddox is on Freecloud."

Picard: "Freecloud. Yes, of course."

Jurati: "Why do you want to go to Freecloud?"

Raffi: "Have we met?"

Jurati: "Agnes Jurati,"

[ She offers her hand. RAFFI looks at PICARD incredulously ]

Raffi: "That's it? You're just going to let Agnes here hitch a ride--"

[ JURATI lowers her hand awkwardly. PICARD puts is hand on JURATI'S shoulder. ]

Raffi: "On your top-secret mission?"

Picard: "Dr. Jurati is the Earth's leading expert on synthetic life."

[ RIOS sits down in the captain's chair and touches some holographic controls. ]

Raffi: "You didn't even ask me to run any kind of security check, not even the most basic."

Picard: "Why do you want to go to Freecloud?"

Raffi: "I'm under no obligation to tell that to any of you."

[ RIOS looks impatient ]

Raffi: "And once we get there, you're on your own."

Jurati: "Who are you, lady?"

[ RAFFI looks at her. RIOS talks impatiently ]

Rios: "Can we go already?"

Picard: "Yes, fine."

[ RAFFI takes her seat and PICARD gestures to JURATI to do the same, and she does so eagerly. PICARD looks around and pauses dramatically. The TNG theme starts ]

Picard: "Engage."

[ JURATI laughs, RAFFI looks lightly irritated. RIOS uses the holographic controls to start the ship as we move out of LA SIRENA'S main window, turning to see the EARTH, and LA SIRENA going into warp as the clip of the TNG Theme concludes and we fade to black. ]

[toast-the-unknowing]

Lmaoooooo “when I grow up I’m going to have so much amnesia” pls just post whatever you’ve written over the last ten years I am so INTRIGUED

Well, the subject line is a Futurama quote, I can’t take credit for that, alas.

I am fond of several of the jokes in that story, but at the end of the day, it’s a mystery and I wrote 20k words of it without ever deciding what the answer to the mystery is. The odds I’ll ever bother figuring it out now are slim, especially since I look back and realize...you know...I’ve become a much better writer than I was 10 years ago and most of those 20k words aren’t great.

But some of them I like! So what the hell, why not, here’s some of my favorite bits from a Star Trek 2009 fic that will probably never otherwise see the light of day:

The whole thing with Kirk and Spock losing their memories on the same away trip is funny for a total of three seconds before it becomes utterly terrifying.

Okay, maybe there's about five minutes of Hikaru making himself sick trying to hold in laughter at the stunned stupid look on Kirk's face as he steps onto the bridge, the way that Spock mutters "what an ingenious invention" after they're beamed back to the Enterprise, but hey, Hikaru's only human. And now so is Kirk, stripped of that cockiness that comes from knowing he's survived all kinds of crazy shit that he shouldn't have, and so is Spock in a way, since he seems to have forgotten all his Vulcan mind-master training along with everything else.

And that thought is what wipes the smirk off Hikaru's face and has him exchanging sideways glances with Chekov, because they're right on the edge of Klingon space, Kang had sworn eternal vengeance against the entire crew the last time they'd seen him, and without Kirk's impossible ability to get them out of everything he gets them into, Hikaru doesn't like their odds of escaping a skirmish unharmed.

McCoy skips right over the part where anything about the situation is amusing and even skips over the "utterly terrifying" part and opts straight for angry yelling before the doors of the turbolift have finished opening to allow him onto the bridge.

"What the devil are you playing at now, Jim?" McCoy demands, striding up to Kirk and waving a tricorder at him that he can't possibly be reading, since he's too busy venting at Kirk's face to look at the machine.

The effect of this is apparently lost on the amnesiac Kirk, who looks over his shoulder trying to figure out who McCoy is talking to.

Right. No one told the Captain his name was Jim.

"We're doomed," Chekov whispers to Hikaru, who wholeheartedly agrees.

-

"More tests?" Hikaru asks Chapel. Hikaru hopes he sounds world-weary but in all likelihood he just sounds like a kid whining about not wanting to go to the dentist's. At least when he was a kid his parents would give him some candy to make the whole experience more bearable.

"You've failed them all so far," Chapel tells him.

"Doesn't being healthy count as passing?"

"Not in his Sickbay." She gestures over her shoulder at McCoy, who is ranting to the nurses that he washes his hands of Hikaru, complete with actually physically washing his hands, because McCoy has no concept of subtlety.

-

Maybe it was just the terrible psychological burden of working too long under McCoy that had made her a sadist. Hikaru had helped the med staff repair and restock Sickbay after a disastrous encounter with Romulans, and after two days of McCoy's crazy-eyes drilling into the back of his skull, he hadn't felt terribly generous toward his fellow sentient beings. Kirk, who always had to be perverse and do the opposite of what a normal person would do, had been invigorated by the experience and set some kind of mountain-climbing record on the next planet they stopped at.

-

McCoy must be having a field day, wherever he is; nothing makes him happier than a legitimate reason to be unhappy.

-

He winces and walks over to answer the door, to find Chekov's curly head bouncing around with an upbeat energy that makes Hikaru feel a thousand years old.

"What?" he asks. "Communicator doesn't work?"

"You didn't answer," Chekov points out, which is probably correct. Hikaru hadn't been aware of anything, much less the chirp of a communicator.

"You know," he tells Chekov, stepping back into his room so he can change into a fresh uniform, "when someone is annoyed with you, telling them how it's their fault doesn't make them like you any better. It just makes them more annoyed."

Chekov blinks big, hurt eyes at him. "You are annoyed with me?"

Hikaru just sighs and lets it go. "So what do I need to be told so badly?" he asks, slipping on a new pair of pants and pulling his shirt off. "I'm guessing that if it were good news, it could wait."

"We have Klingons," Chekov tells him, completely matter-of-fact, and Hikaru is never going to share with anyone, least of all Chekov, the fact that his immediate response to this was to think Russians really are that stoic.

His next thought is that he has to get to the bridge, now, so he sets off at a run with Chekov following along behind.

His third thought, that he never did finish getting dressed, takes its own sweet time occurring to him, specifically waiting until the doors to the Bridge open and Uhura looks at him, blinks her eyes at a momentary loss for words, and then smirks.

In retrospect, it will feel pretty good to have made Uhura happy about something in the middle of this whole clusterfuck. At the time, Hikaru just wonders how bad it could really be to eject himself out the nearest airlock.

"Had a disagreement with your uniform, Mr. Sulu?" Uhura asks. "Or have your just decided that today is a good day for swashbuckling?"

Hikaru plays it cool, because there are only so many options available for you when you show up to battle without a shirt on, and because there's an appreciative look in the eyes of more than one person on the Bridge that reminds him that his shirtlessness is not, in and of itself, anything to be ashamed about. "I wanted to be on hand as soon as possible to help with the situation, sir," he tells her, voice completely smooth. He falls into a formal at-ease position that draws the muscles in his chest tight, causing someone to whistle lowly.

The Acting Captain is actively fighting back laughter at this point; Uhura is going to give him shit about this for the rest of his natural life, but then again, Klingons, so Hikaru can't begrudge her trying to make the most of it now in case the rest of his natural life is only another ten minutes. "Mr. Chekov, please restrain your dramatics in the future," she tells him, and the ensign takes on a look of righteous outrage that is decades older than his face. "Perhaps you could have communicated to Mr. Sulu that another second or two's delay would not have been fatal."

"I thought it obvious, sir," Chekov says, primly. "No Russian would charge into battle in such a state of unpreparedness."

"Because they'd freeze to death on a summer's day," Hikaru mutters.

-

"How?" Uhura asks, with that same fake innocent tone she uses when she's trying to convince everyone at the table that she's got a shit hand, and dammit, Hikaru has fallen for that bluff too many times. After which he was often divested of an article of clothing, oddly enough, so the whole thing is starting to feel really familiar.

-

Kang is even willing to deal with someone who isn't Kirk, as long as Kirk is there to have accusations and insults hurled at him, which is some kind of horrible metaphor for command but Hikaru is still trying to force his jaws together and doesn't quite appreciate the many, many cosmic jokes that are unfurling in front of him.

-

Every single person on the bridge of the Enterprise who still has a brain freezes and darts their eyes to the view screen at the exact same second. Later that simultaneity would make Hikaru wonder why the hell the dancing had been so uncoordinated in the crew's performance of Pirates of Penzance, since clearly they are all psychically linked to each other. Or perhaps psychic connections require substantial motivational force. Few things are more substantial or more motivating than enraged Klingons, and – as every eyeball except two immediately takes in – they have one hell of an enraged Klingon on their hands.

"WHAT CHARADE IS THIS," Kang demands, spitting out 'charade' like it's the dirtiest word he knows. Apparently Klingon honor doesn't have much time for theater. Hikaru wonders what Klingons do for embarrassing social bonding in lieu of Pirates of Penzance.

-

"Oh, good, so we can tell them that we aren't responsible, they'll listen to that and act reasonable," McCoy mutters, before jabbing Kirk with something on the pretense of getting more brainwave readings. McCoy has been dragging Kirk around the ship with him all morning for reasons as yet unexplained. Hikaru's torn on thinking it's to cause more havoc, since every little thing that happens inspires a thousand pointless questions from the deposed captain, and thinking it's so he can stab at Kirk like some stress relief toy. It doesn't seem to be working, but modern science has not yet found a conduit big enough to channel McCoy's stress, so that would be asking a bit much to ask from a guy who needed help going to the bathroom earlier. (Hikaru made Chekov do it. That's what ensigns are for, right?)

-

Chapel had proclaimed the whole thing hogwash and said she would get around to it when she had a minute, and implied that that minute was going to be a long time coming, because apparently that attitude was handed down with command of Sickbay like the crown of a hereditary monarch.

-

Besides, there's the Klingons to consider, and even Scotty can't make hooch so strong it wipes out the memories of people on other ships. Probably. Hikaru will ask him about it when his memory is back, and they will write a paper together, "A Transwarp Theory of Moonshine", and it will ruin both of their chances of ever advancing up the command chain, which would probably suit Scotty just fine and would be the best thing to ever happen to Hikaru if it means he never has to deal with a mess like this again.

-

"When we get to the point where we're recruiting untested specialists from alternate dimensions to solve the problem, just leave me brainless," Chapel scoffs. "I don't want to know."

Hikaru scribbles a note to himself. Evil clones running the Enterprise becomes Plan Y; stealing versions of themselves from other dimensions becomes Plan Z. He thinks they have a better chance of un-fixing the teleporter to make clones again than of making it pull people from other dimensions.

-

Chekov bounds down the hall at him – speaking of teenagers – and apparently the gloom is rolling off Hikaru thick enough to strike down an enthusiastic ensign at fifty paces, because the spring goes right out of Chekov's step when Hikaru looks at him. His faces turns somber and he tugs on his uniform shirt like he's worried about wrinkles. Or maybe he just remembered that this is a catastrophe in the making and a little gravity is called for.

He nearly takes it too far, though, going for a salute and Hikaru thinks that if Chekov salutes him right now he will actually go insane. He intercepts Chekov's arm on the way up and drops it back down like its covered in nettles. Chekov looks a little confused about how to proceed from here, but hell, the kid's always telling them he's a genius, let him figure something out.

-

He picks up Chapel like a leech; when he refuses to stop in Sickbay she just attaches herself to him and starts talking every bit as rapidly as Hikaru is walking. He can't tell how she's breathing. Maybe she isn't. Hikaru feels a little bit like he isn't breathing, either, or that might just be his flair for the dramatic.

He gets distracted, too, by the nurse who is accompanying Chapel, holding several PADDS and a medical tricorder and struggling to hold it all and drop nothing and keep up on her rather short legs. Maybe they could slow down for her, but hell, Chapel's her boss and isn't worried.

Hikaru can't remember the nurse's name. That's a panicky moment, but no, it's just that she's new. Should he ask her name, he wonders, or would that be rude? As the captain, however temporary or inglorious the title may be, he should know everyone on the crew already.

At least the crew is making that easier on him by shrinking.

-

"Stress is every bit a real, medical problem, particularly among young men in high-pressure situations who think they're immortal." This comes with a side order of meaningful look.

"I assure you, Nurse, I am well-aware of my failings."

"And I'm seeing drastically heightened stress all over the ship. Heart rate, blood pressure, shaking, forgetfulness -- not amnesia -- emotional outbursts -- "

"Maybe the crew doesn't like having medical personnel hovering all around them." Hikaru jumps as the short nurse waves her tricorder over him, presumably getting a reading of his own heart rate, blood pressure, and emotional outbursts. "I'm open to any suggestions about how to lower the crew's stress levels, up to and including Ensign Chekov going door to door singing Russian lullabies."

"I'll put that down as Plan Z," Chapel says, and holy shit, can she read his mind? He makes himself think profusely repentant thoughts for his attitude the last two days and also for that time he sneaked a look at her hand at poker, just in case. Also, he probably shouldn't play poker with Chapel anymore, honest or otherwise, if she can read his mind.

-

That, that right there, is apparently what Chapel looks like when she is truly outraged and not just annoyed or sarcastic or feeling superior, which is a valuable piece of information and Hikaru files it away in the very sincere and fervent hope that he never sees it again.

"You know, just, some people," the Acting Captain of the Federation Starship Enterprise mumbles into his shoulder.

-

"How did we get here?" Hikaru mutters. He's barely even realized he's spoken, so it's doubly alarming when Chekov jumps up and grabs his shoulders, shakes them violently.

"Sulu, no, you cannot have amnesia, too," the kid starts babbling. Why is it that his accent gets easier to understand when he's worked up? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Unless, hang on, has the kid been faking his accent this whole time? "Then I will have to take command of the Enterprise and while that is a thing I have dreamed of doing, it is no good to me if no one is around to admire."

[annoyedfanfiction]

Jim Kirk x fem!reader (1)

“Please open all hailing frequencies,” you requested, calmly, sitting upright in the captain’s chair. The girl looked up from her console sharply.  “Pardon?” she questioned, incredulously. “I said, open all hailing frequencies,” you repeated, firmly. “Signal the Klingon ships.” She tapped something on the console, then turned back to you, eyes still wide in confusion. “Robinson, to the transporter room, please. Do whatever you can to open transportation and beam that crew aboard.” “Hailing frequencies open.” You nodded, turning back to the screen. You were vaguely aware of the beginnings of chaos emerging in your peripheral vision. “We have a response,” the girl exclaimed, turning to you. “Requesting a line.” “Bring it up on the screen.” The screen flickered, then a grainy static transmission opened and a Klingon voice cut through. “Explain,” he demanded, roughly. “A disabled civilian vessel has drifted into your space, leaving all passengers and crew requiring rescue. I request permission to retrieve the ship and crew,” you answered, calmly, though you could feel your leg vibrating in its place. “This vessel does not belong to StarFleet?” the voice questioned, lowly. More to himself than you. “The Klingon Empire operates by a code of honour. We will return the ship to your space. Do not enter the Neutral Zone.” “MajQa’,” you offered, “Understood.” The Klingon nodded, and the transmission ended. You pressed the comm to transporter bay. “Robinson, you can relax. The ship is being returned to our space. Ready the transporter to beam crew aboard.” Five minutes passed before a Klingon Bird of Prey emerged from the Neutral Zone, dragging the civilian ship behind it.  “All passengers and personnel of the Kobayashi Maru safely aboard,” Robinson reported, breathily. The simulation lifted, and each of the appointed bridge crew exited the room. Admiral Barrows caught your eye, shaking his head subtly, and you settled yourself back into the chair, preparing yourself for whatever lecture he had planned.

“What the hell was that, Cadet?” he demanded, folding his arms.  “I was responding to the situation as it was presented, Admiral,” you answered, raising an eyebrow. “I was unaware that it was recommended practice to follow only the two options given in campus gossip.” “You’re not James Kirk, Cadet,” Barrows insisted, still towering over you. “Whatever stunt you pulled here, you’re not going to –” “Admiral Barrows.” The interruption was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Barrows spun to face the incoming figure, and you recognised the quiet, worn dignity from the moment he stepped into the room. “Admiral Pike, sir,” you stood, hurriedly, offering a smart salute. “Cadet (L/N),” Pike responded, easily. “As you were. I admit I have been following your progress with interest.” You stiffened a little, unsure. “Sir?” He smiled, noticing the tension in your shoulders. “Relax, Cadet,” he replied, gently. “Hospital confines gave me a lot of time to explore the emerging promise in our new recruits. Consider me impressed, even James Kirk was not fast-tracked as quickly as you were.” Barrows stiffened at his tone, narrowing his eyes. You relaxed, again. “Thank you, sir,” you offered a small smile. “I believe, Cadet, you have an advanced xenolinguistics class in five minutes,” Pike answered, smiling broadly. “It would be best not to besmirch your attendance record, would it not?” “Yes sir,” you collected your book bag from beside the captain’s chair and made your way out, “Thank you sir. Admiral Barrows.” You nodded to each of them, then escaped hurriedly from the room.

Their voices followed you, and you could hear Barrows’ complaints echoing over Pike’s steady responses, but you didn’t stop to listen. You rounded a corner, and quickly dodged the man in your path, before you recognised the blond hair and the path to Admiral Pike’s office. “Captain Kirk, sir!” you exclaimed, bowing your head as he turned to you, “Admiral Pike is currently in the simulation room with Admiral Barrows, sir. I ticked off Barrows’ temper, sir. Fair warning.” You turned to scamper away, towards your class, but he caught your wrist. “Are you alright, Cadet?” he questioned, eyeing the familiar stoicism in your face. “Yes, sir,” you answered, face breaking into a small, but warm smile. “Thank you, sir, but I must get to class.” “Of course.” His blue eyes twinkled. “May I get your name first, Cadet?” “(Y/N) (L/N), sir.”

<<Cadet (L/N) to Admiral Pike’s office, 0900.>> The StarFleet issued message on your comm wasn’t a surprise. Pike’s name was more so. You couldn’t imagine Barrows giving in easily, but Christopher Pike was possibly the most respected man in all StarFleet, following the events with the Narada, and his recovery from almost inevitably fatal injuries from Khan. Barrows was rather destined to lose that fight, but why Pike had begun it was another question entirely. You straightened your dress uniform, irritably, the grey collar scratching at your throat, then stepped out of your room. The San Francisco wind was cruel, biting through the stiff threads as if they were barely there. Huffing, you tightened your arms around you and made your way across campus.

The hallway outside Pike’s office was crowded, for some reason, with a broad array of photographers and reporters alike. They paid very little attention to you as you slipped towards the door, navigating the tiny gaps. “Cadet (L/N)?” the secretary questioned, as you tipped up to the door, finally escaping the suffocating crowd. His voice was barely above a whisper, but instantly the crowd turned on you both. “Cadet (L/N), do you have a comment about your performance in the Kobayashi Maru simulation?” “Is your meeting with Admiral Pike concerning the allegations made by Admiral Barrows that you cheated the simulation?” “Cadet (L/N) do you have a response to allegations that your performance in the Kobayashi Maru was a result of cheating?” You raised a hand for the crowd to quiet themselves. “I cannot comment on this morning’s meeting as I have not yet taken part in it, nor can I comment on Admiral Barrows’ assessment of my performance in the Kobayashi Maru simulation. I will say that I did not attempt any interference with the simulation or its code, and had no contact with it outside of the test parameters. I have no further comment, relevant information will undoubtedly be relayed to you through official channels. Thank you.” You took a seat, ignoring the immediate clamour of the reporters in front of you, the cameras and microphones shoved immediately towards you. You closed your eyes against the uncomfortably sterile brightness of camera flashes, then the door opened behind you. You stood, immediately, but caught only a flash of blond hair and the immediate shouting of “Captain Kirk! Can we have a comment on the recent updates on the Enterprise?” “Captain Kirk! Do you have a comment on the accusations of cheating in the Kobayashi Maru?” “Captain Kirk! How are you associated with Cadet (L/N)?” “Captain Kirk! How did Dr McCoy treat you for such severe irradiation?”, before you were dragged inside and the door slammed shut behind you.

“Is this what you put up with every time you come to earth?” you questioned, turning to the exasperated but smiling face of James T Kirk. “No wonder you prefer space.” Kirk laughed, warmly, and clapped you gently on the back. “You handled that very professionally, Cadet,” another voice commented, drawing you back into your surroundings from the warmth and safety the Captain radiated. Commander Spock stood before Pike’s desk, with the Admiral himself seated behind it. “Thank you, sir,” you acknowledged, gently bowing your head. “I sometimes wonder if the courses in diplomacy are more for managing press than alien species.” “You need something much stronger than diplomacy to hunt the press off your tail,” Kirk scoffed, moving to stand next to Spock. Pike smiled, wryly, as he stood. “I take it you have met Captain Kirk, Cadet,” he surmised, before gesturing to Spock, “And I’m sure you recognise Commander Spock?” “Yes sir,” you answered, nodding. “I am honoured.” “She beat your test, Spock,” Kirk pointed out, smirking at his first officer. “Without even cheating.” Spock raised an eyebrow at his captain. “Indeed,” he answered, keeping his hands folded behind his back, “I believe that means she bested you also, Captain.” You and Pike both muffled laughter at Kirk’s outrage. “However, I am sure Admiral Pike did not invite us all here for you and I to rekindle our debate regarding your performance in the Kobayashi Maru.”

“I don’t know, I think (L/N) and I might find this...debate rather interesting, don’t you, Cadet?” Pike teased, a broad smile dancing across his face. “There never was a final decision in that trial, Admiral,” you agreed, eyes laughing. “It would be fascinating to hear.” The door slammed open and closed again, and you all turned to face the newcomer. “...I’ll show them a comment when I shove their damn cameras where the sun don’t shine,” he grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, before he opened his eyes. He zeroed in on his captain. “This is your fault, Jim. Couldn’t have just graduated and risen through the ranks like a normal person. No, gotta have the Jim Kirk flair.” “Oh, come on, Bones,” Kirk smiled, slinging an arm around the doctor. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.” Growling another series of obscenities under his breath, McCoy shoved Kirk off him and greeted the Admiral, before turning to you. “Cadet (Y/N) (L/N), sir. It’s an honour to meet you, Doctor McCoy,” you greeted him, inclining your head. His eyes flicked back to Spock, thoughtfully, but he offered his hand. “So you’re the one they’re all asking about the Maru for, then,” he mused, shaking your hand. “Congratulations, kid, just don’t wind up like him,” he flicked his head back at Kirk, “And you’ll be doing wonderfully.” “Hey!”

“I hate to interrupt,” Pike interrupted the two men’s squabbling, “But Spock was correct when he pointed out that I brought you all here for a reason. I’m sure five years in space will give you plenty of time for bickering.” McCoy and Kirk straightened, as Spock raised an eyebrow at the Admiral. “We already reviewed the recent updates on the Enterprise, so I admit I remain at a loss as to why we were called here,” Spock pointed out, calmly. “Given the presence of Cadet (L/N), I would assume it concerns her performance in the simulation yesterday.” “Almost,” Pike agreed, gesturing to all of you to take a seat. “I’ve had a lot of spare time confined to recovery recently, which has given me the opportunity to track the progress of promising new recruits. Cadet (L/N) has been fast-tracked through the academy faster than even you two.” He gestured to Jim and Spock.  “What about Chekov?” Kirk queried, curiously. “I believe I proceeded through courses at the same rate as Ensign Chekov, sir,” you answered, tapping lightly on Pike’s desk. “However, I undertook a significantly different course of study, so it would be a difficult comparison to make.” 

“Indeed,” Pike conceded, “Nevertheless, (L/N) is certainly the most highly qualified graduate available.” “I haven’t graduated yet, sir,” you murmured, quietly. “Especially given Admiral Barrows will be grading my Maru.” “Actually, I have taken over assessment of your performance in the Maru yesterday,” he answered, as though there was nothing unusual about that. “Barrows has been reassigned to management of Starbase 15.” Kirk and McCoy failed at concealing dry laughter. “So, congratulations, Ambassador (L/N), you have officially completed your studies.” He said it so calmly it barely registered, as he turned to Kirk again. “I’m personally recommending (L/N) as a member of your crew for the five year mission, as you will be moving into unknown space and she has qualifications in advanced xenolinguistics and diplomacy, which will make any first contacts easier. I also have a hunch that she will get on incredibly well with Lieutenant Uhura.” “Well, I think we can safely say it’s been proven that not listening to your advice usually ends badly, Chris,” Kirk smiled, warmly, earning a smile in return from the Admiral. “Send me her papers and I’ll get started, sir.” Pike nodded, pulling out a PADD and tapping quickly over it. “Wait, wait,” you interrupted, making all four men look over at you. “You mean you’re assigning me to the Enterprise?” “They move on a different plane, kid. You’ll get used to it,” McCoy answered, shrugging, as he stood and reached out to clap you on the shoulder. “Welcome to the crew, I’ll expect you in two hours for your physical. Is there a back door outta here or do I have to face the news demons again?”