Disclaimer : I do not own anything that is Star Trek.
Stardate 2253....
The pain was strong...but I could handle it. My people were built to withstand pain, but even now I was weak. I struggled to keep my focus as my emergency escape shuttle flew through space, I was running from something I should have left long ago. A shred of hope coursed through my body as the shuttle informed a Starfleet ship was approaching. I quickly hailed it, perhaps this wouldn't be my end.
"Captain, we are being hailed" said Lieutenant junior grade Walker. Captain James Tiberius Kirk stood from his seat, signaling Walker to patch it through. A female face appeared on the screen. A feminine expression riddled with fear and pain, her long, crimson red hair was disheveled, her charming green eyes staring franticly at the captain.
"Please" I said, "my name is Lieutenant Mellisa Ives of the courier ship Rummar, my captain and his crew have gone rogue and attacked me, I need a safe haven" I pleaded. Captain Kirk turned to his first commanding officer, Spock. The Vulcan searched Lieutenant Ives' background for truth.
"Lieutenant Ives graduated at the top of her class from the Starfleet Academy. She specializes in Alien and human linguistics, offensive and defensive combat, as well as human and alien psychology. She had been appointed to the Enterprise but failed to appear. She is 23 years of age and non-human" Spock explained. Kirk raised an eyebrow,
"how does someone with that type of qualifications end up on a rust bucket courier ship?" he asked.
" I don't know, but I like her, she's got the voice of an angel and the cans of porn star" said Montgomery Scott, his smile suggestive and his eyes roaming. Although in pain, and in a distressing situation, I glared at the blatant sexual remark, "I can hear you" I said. Scotty stiffened, and merely smiled innocently, and waved at me. Spock stood from his seat,
"Captain, her background is truthful. It would be logical to grant her access to our medical facility, seeing as she is harmed." Kirk merely nodded and turned to Mellisa,
"You are granted access to board the Enterprise." With that being said, he ended the transmission and turned to Spock
"Bring her to the bridge Mr. Spock" he ordered.
"It would be illogical to bring her to the bridge if she is in need of medical assistance" the Vulcan replied.
"I'll get Bones, just bring her here, I've got some questions" Kirk replied. Spock merely nodded, and as always, followed orders. Despite the friendship they have developed since their run in with Nero, the Captain still managed to aggravate the halfbreed Vulcan. Spock's face remained stoic and unchanged, no one would ever know his anger, his frustrations, passion, happiness or pleasure, it is a Vulcan trait that he chose to honour.
Spock stood patiently, his hands folded behind his back, as he waited for Lieutenant Ives to exit her shuttle. The air lock opened, and I took a step forward and stumbled, my knees weak. I expected to hit the floor, but it never came. Instead my body was caught by two lean, yet strong, arms, my head buried in the chest of a blue uniform. A small groan escaped my lips as I turned my head upwards, my eyes taking in the one who had caught me. The first thing I noticed was his eyes. They were dark, almost black, and yet they seemed very deep, almost endless, as if they held more than just their dark brown colour. His skin was light and flawless, his lips matchless to any creature I have seen. His distinctly shaped eyebrows and pointed ears told me that he is Vulcan. I was astonished, because I had never in my life seen a Vulcan before, this was very new to me, but I welcomed it.
"You have lovely eyes" I commented. Normally I would be far to shy to say such a thing, but I am weak, and not fully aware of what comes out of my mouth. His face did not change, there was no smile, no smirk, just a straight frown. Yet I felt something from him, despite my weakness.
"I am Lieutenant Commander Spock, and I was requested to bring you to the bridge" he said, ignoring my comment and pushing me up to stand on my feet.
"You are not taking me to medical bay?" I asked with bewilderment.
"It would be logical for you to receive medical attention, however the Captain would like to speak to you. There shall be a medical officer waiting in the bridge to assess your condition" he replied. It was strange hearing him speak in such a manner, he was so precise, very professional. I understand that Vulcans use logic, and are highly intelligent beings, but it was strange all the same.
"Can you walk?" he asked, I raised an eyebrow and tried to step forward, but once again my lack of strength got the better of me. He gripped my shoulders to steady me, and took my arm to wrap around his shoulder, his hand pressing on the middle of my back to keep me upright. With his assistance we began to walk towards the lift. I turned to him, a small smile on my lips,
"Thank you" I said. Without even so much as a glance, Spock replied,
"Your gratitude is unnecessary, I am merely following protocols." I stared at him, taken aback by his rejection of my appreciation, yet I was curious.
"You are so strange" I said, but before I could speak further, the lift had stopped and we were now walking into the bridge.
Spock sat me down just as the Captain stepped towards me. He was human, that I knew, an attractive young man, not much older than I am, 25 perhaps. But before he could approach me, another man blocked his way, we was waving a scanner over my body.
"Christ Jim, she's weak as a fish out of water, what are you trying to do, kill her? I'm taking her to Med bay" he said, as he moved to help me up. But Captain Kirk stopped him, and turned to me, a smile on his face.
"I'm Captain James T. Kirk, but you can call me Jim for short" he said, I raised an eyebrow.
"Mind telling me whats going on? What is a Starfleet graduate, assigned to this ship, doing on a courier ship?" he asked. I bit my lip, it was almost a year ago since I was assigned to the Enterprise, I was hand picked by Captain Pike himself, but never got the chance.
"It was the night before the distress call from Vulcan" I said quietly. "I had been out with a few friends for a drink, and was heading back to the academy when I was attacked from behind. I never did see my attackers. But the next thing I new I wound up on the Rummar, they have been using me for cheap labour ever since" I explained. Kirk straightened himself, and glanced at his first commanding officer,
"slave hunters" he said simply. Before anything more could be said, Lieutenant Walker spoke
"Captain, we are being hailed." Kirk raised an eyebrow and turned around,
"that's probably your slave master right now, what do you say we give them a warm welcome, shall we?" He sat down in his chair, just as the face of my slave master appeared on the screen.
"Where is she?" he growled,
"You know, I would have settled for 'hello', but I see you are a 'cut-to-the-chase' kind of guy" said Kirk. My master glared at him,
"Don't get smart with me kid, hand her over." I sunk down in my seat, I was normally fully capable of defending myself, but as of now, my master had the upper hand. His eyes scanned the bridge, and a lurid smile spread across his lips as his gaze settled on me.
"Well, well well, we meet again? I should have plowed you when I had the chance" he said. I glared at him, my blood beginning to boil. I opened my mouth to speak, but Spock had stepped forward
"You are in violation of Federation Law 432-a, which states that personnel using slaves for any commercial or personal purpose is strictly prohibited." A satisfied smile played on Kirks face,
"As captain of the U.S.S Enterprise, I have the right to arrest you, come forth quietly and you'll make it easier for the rest of us. If you do not comply, I'll just have to use force, and nobody wants that, now do we?" he asked, patronizing my slave master. Yet, of course he did not comply.
"Captain, 'ze enemy 'wessel has a lock on us" said Navigator Pavel Chekov.
"Hand over the Sephorazoid, and I wont shoot, got it Captain?" Asked the slave master. Kirk raised an eyebrow and turned to me,
"You're a Sephorazoid?" he asked.
"The determinants of her species is not important at the moment, I advise you to focus on the enemy, Captain" stated Spock. Although he seemed focus on the situation, I could sense that Spock too, was intrigued by my race.
"Unfortunately I'll have to respectfully decline your kind offer. She stays with us. End transmission" Kirk ordered. He turned to his crew on deck,
"I want shields at maximum, prepare phasers and aim for their engines. We want them powerless, not dead" he turned to Leonard McCoy, chief medical officer,
"take her to Med. Bay", he then turned to me, "And I'm not done talking to you".
"Sephorazoid huh? My god, I thought I never see the day" said McCoy as he scanned me once more, I sighed, this was not the first time I heard a comment like this. Like the Vulcan race, my planet was destroyed, though it was natural. I too was part of an endangered species, a race that was just as mysterious as the Vulcans.
"You sustained some minor injuries, nothing too serious, except I don't understand why you are so weak" he said. I bit my lip, I knew exactly the cause. I unzipped my uniform, revealing my neck, as well as a rather unorthodox piece of technology.
"Dear god, is that a collar?" he asked, horrified by the tight slave piece around my neck. I merely nodded,
"it's a neutralizing collar, it suppresses all my powers and diminishes my strength" I explained. He raised an eyebrow and tapped the collar with his finger,
"well, that explains the weakness, let me see if I can cut it off" he said as he picked up a tool and proceeded to cut off my collar. A gasp escaped my lips as I grabbed his wrist,
"You do that, and the collar will release 1000 bolts of electricity through my body. Trust me, I've tried, it wasn't fun" I said. Doctor McCoy stood still for a moment, thinking, but then turned to his communicator,
"Captain, we got a problem down here, the girl's got a neutralizing collar around her neck, do we have anyone that can deactivate it?" There was silence for a moment, but soon Spock's voice was heard, "I can".
I glanced away shyly, as Spock leaned forward towards my neck, observing the collar. He lifted his hands and gripped it, releasing a panel. I shifted uncomfortably as his fingers brushed against the raw skin beneath my collar. He glanced upwards, observing my facial expressions, as well as my eyes. He truly was intrigued, never before has he seen a Sephorazoid. Spock was an intelligent being, welcoming new knowledge and thriving to learn, he had slight hopes that he would be able to observe this creature more closely.
"Am I causing you pain, Lieutenant?" he asked.
I bit my lip as his fingers brushed over my raw skin again, a slight shudder ran up my spine but I fought to control it.
"A little, I've had this collar on my neck for almost a year, my skin underneath is basically raw" I explained. He lowered his eyes and observed more closely, gently he pulled the collar to look at my neck. I could feel his warm breath on my fragile skin, it almost eased the pain, but he soon pulled away.
"I apologize . This collar is old, it's parts are made of components deemed obsolete, it needs an authorization code in order to deactivate. A simple override code shall work" he said, pressing a few digits on the panel. Moments passed and a small click sounded, signaling that the collar was now off. Spock tugged at the piece, releasing my neck. I let out a loud gasp as my strength began to return, a burning sensation coursed through out my body. I flexed my fingers as my hand was engulfed in flames. McCoy jumped,
"Jesus Christ, will you look at that" he said. Spock merely raised an eyebrow,
"fascinating." I closed my fist, the fire quickly disappeared,
"you can not imagine how much better this feels" I said.
"You're pyrokenetic, that's amazing" said McCoy.
"Sephorazoid's are said to have superhuman capabilities, the ability to manipulate energy, in this case heat, as well as the power of empathy, the ability to feel the emotions of beings around them" Spock explained, I raised an eyebrow,
"I've never heard my entire race summed up like that before, but it is a bit more complicated then that, Commander." I glanced at Doctor McCoy as he tended to my neck and lifted my hand to place on his shoulder, but he backed away.
"Oh no, I am not getting burned" he said, I smiled slightly,
"don't worry, I can assure you this wont hurt at all" he was reluctant at first, but soon complied. I gave him a reassuring smile as I placed my hand on his shoulder. It was an odd sensation, quite familiar to me, but to Mr. McCoy, it was a strange feeling. A tingle spread from his shoulders, throughout his body, a slight warm feeling growing in the pit of his stomach,
"just relax, allow the warmth to spread to your limps, when you feel confident enough, lift your right hand, and snap your fingers" I said. McCoy glanced at me, unsure of the situation, he turned to Spock, expecting him to object to this experiment. However, he was quite transfixed by the scene, I could feel his intrigue, he was curious as to what would happen next. Doctor McCoy took a deep breath, allowing the warmth to spread, he glanced up at me, and I smiled, urging him to continue. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, a small, tamed flame danced above his thumb. The doctor let out a laugh, as he snapped his fingers again, the flame disappearing. He continued this action, obviously entertained.
"Fascinating," said Spock, "you are capable of transference, thus sharing your capabilities with others." I smiled at him,
"I can also transfer my ability to feel, as well as my own feelings to others." I removed my hand from the doctor's shoulder just as Kirk walked into the room.
"We've obtain the ship, and arrested the crew" he began to laugh, "there was only 30 of them, that hardly makes it a ship. The Captain slipped through our fingers though, the sucker must have grabbed a shuttle before we got there. Mellisa, I had a cadet gather your things and moved them to one of our quarters."
"Thank you Captain, that is very kind of you" I said, he grinned,
"than you'll like this part. While I issued the arrest, I called up Starfleet Command and explained your situation. Seeing as you graduated with top grades, and you were assigned to this ship, they have allowed you to continue your service on the Enterprise. Would you accept?" he asked. I was astounded, I was almost certain that my chance to serve on the Enterprise was dead and gone, but here I had a second chance to live my life the way I had planned.
"Of course I accept!" I said with a grin, taking the Captain's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"You are now appointed as the ships communications and negotiations officer. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant" he said. I could not hold my gratitude as I jumped and wrapped my arms around Kirk's neck, giving him a hug, he of course welcomed it.
"Hey Jim, get a load of this" said McCoy as he gripped my shoulder, and snapped his fingers, a flam appearing above his hand. Kirk raised an eyebrow,
"wow, that's weird", he leaned forward and touched my arm and snapped his own fingers. He jumped slightly as he too had fire in his hands,
"now that's cool". I laughed slightly as both McCoy and Kirk straighten themselves,
"Mr. Spock, could you show Lieutenant Ives to her quarters, it's right next to Scotty's, and maybe give her a little tour" he asked. Spock merely nodded and headed to the lift after telling me to follow him. The ride was quite, almost awkward. Spock stood straight, his hands behind his back, merely looking forward. I took this time to watch him more closely. He was truly beautiful, at least to me. I had this childish urge to trace his ears, but kept my hands to myself. He was now my superior, but maybe a small conversation wouldn't hurt.
"How come I've never seen you at the academy?" I asked.
"The Starfleet academy houses and teaches thousands of cadets, it is not possible and illogical to remember or see every single student. It is quite possible that I did not teach you, or observe your simulation exams, thus further proof as to why you have not met me, or I met you" he replied. I nodded, a soft "oh" escaping from my lips. For some reason, I felt so small compared to him, not only because he stood at a staggering 6'2, but because he was so professional, I was feeling so insignificant. I was a shy person, but my mother had always told me, ' if you wish to make an impression on someone, you have to relate to them, or in some cases, be different' I rattled my brain for something to say, but nothing came up that could maybe impress the commander, so instead I did what came natural.
"You are so strange" I said. He raised an eyebrow and turned to me, my empathic abilities picking up on his curiosity and slight confusion,
"Would you please elaborate" he asked as we walked out of the lift.
" My people live to feel, we are constantly around creatures who express their emotions freely. Yet you are such a contrast, you feel, but do not show it. Just now, you were curious, because I called you strange, yet your face didn't change. It is like you are pretending not to feel" I said.
"I do not deny my emotions" he said, I raised an eyebrow,
"Yes you do, you control them, you refuse to show them, that's similar to pretending, why would you do that?" I asked.
"Vulcans are logical creatures, we do not allow our emotions to control ourselves otherwise our intelligence and knowledge would be completely bias, thus it was only logical to purge all emotions" he explained. It was silent for a moment, my mind taking in what he had said, but to my surprise, he continued,
"do you not grow tired of feeling?" I was taken aback, no one has asked me that before, did I ever grow tired of feeling? We stopped outside of a door, which I assumed would be my quarters, I turned to him,
"to be honest I don't really know, it is all I have ever felt. I guess I do grow tired of never really feeling my own emotions. I am constantly around others, thus I always have to face their emotions. It isn't until I lay in bed at night, do I really get to understand what I am feeling." I explained. Spock listened carefully, truly curious, he had never met someone who challenged his Vulcan ways. And he found it quite pleasing to listen to Lieutenant Ives speak, though he did not fully understand why.
"May I ask a personal query?" he asked. I nodded,
"what do you feel?" I thought for a moment, I was actually quite surprised that he even wanted to know, seeing as his views were based on logic, but then again, there was little known about Vulcans, so really I shouldn't see him as predictable.
" I guess I feel content" I said,
"you are not confident with your answer" he stated. I shrugged,
"it is always different, I could be sad, I could be angry or frustrated, I could be deeply depressed or truly happy, emotions are unpredictable, as they are affected by what happens in life. But what I do know for sure is that things could change, I could be depressed one minute, and be happy the next. So I tend not to worry all that much, because in the end, I know that I can still feel" I said. Turning to the door, I pressed the button and walked into my quarters.
"Thank you for showing me to my room, and thanks for listening to me, my answers tend to ramble on" I said to Spock.
"Your gratitude is unnecessary, once again I was following protocols, and you were answering my question, it was only logical for you to answer it to the best of your abilities, however I find it suitable to say, you are welcome" he replied. I smiled and nodded, 'right, its all about logic...'. I walked towards him,
"I assume a hug is out of the question, as it would be illogical and unprofessional" I said as I thrust forth my hand,
"I believe a hand shake will suffice. I will see you on the bridge, Commander Spock" I said. He gripped my hand, and firmly shook it before turning to leave.
"Wow...that was kind of awkward, wasn't it?" came a thick Scottish voice. I turned around and glared at the man from earlier, ' cans of a porn star, huh?'
"I have a bone to pick with you" I said.