The systems of the Enteprise were normal, Kirk knew. He'd checked with Engineering just a few mnutes ago. But there was a quietness about the halls, a muted, mischevious feeling in the air of the bridge. And, just below the quiet feeling, was a current of energy, an excited grin behind his back. It was as though the Enterprise were hiding something from him!

Kirk shifted in the command chair. The Enterprise isn't hiding anything, he thought, feeling slightly foolish. It's an inanimate object.

Or is it?

Kirk frowned as the thought invited itself in and made itself at home in his mind, rather than simply entering like most other thoughts would. It can't be a simple object, Kirk thought. We refer to ships as 'she'. And can you really call such a magnificent piece of technology 'inanimate?' Nonsentient, certainly-

Well, not certainly...

Kirk frowned, staring blankly at the main viewscreen.

"Spock, could an inanimate object harbor a consciousness?"

Spock turned around at Kirk's sudden question. "Such a thing is unlikely, but possible, Captain. The few instances we have, in fact, encountered, involved highly developed technology and beings with much more powerful minds than yours or even mine. Even then, the consciousness belonged to a living being, not purely to the object."

Kirk nodded, still staring into space.*

His chair-comm buzzed. "Engineering to Bridge, intruder alert!" a security guard's voice sounded, panicky. "On my way," Kirk answered, rising. "Spock, you have the bridge."

The turbo lift was always too slow when Kirk wanted to get somewhere- like now, with an intruder alert- and too fast when he didn't want to get to his destination- back to his quarters to tackle paperwork, for instance.

Pausing to order a security team to Engineering, Kirk turned the last corner to the main doors of Engineering, bracing himself as they opened. Instead of anyhting ferocious, two security guards had their phaser pointed at a young woman standing in the middle of the room.

Kirk stared puzzledly at rhe intruder. She was young, but her hair was light grey, almost silver, with a thin red streak down one side. Her eyes, fixed unhappily on him, were golden and pupilless, shimmering unnaturally. She wore a light green cap-sleeve shirt and a short layered skirt in red, yellow, and blue, trimmed in gold, over black pants. Her feet were bare.

"Captain," she said quizzically. "...You've got me surrounded?"

Kirk frowned. "Who are you?" he asked, taking a phaser a redshirt handed him.

"I've been grappling with that question myself," the young woman mused. "I know who I was, and I'm fairly sure I still am-"

"Who?" Kirk interrupted. "And how are you on my ship?"

"Oh, Captain," the intruder smiled. "I've always been here. You've just... Never met me," she smiled slightly.

Kirk lifted his phaser. "Who are you?" he said again. "I want answers!"

The young woman blinked at the weapon. "Captain. I have been here, among the stars with you. Every day I worry about my crew, just as you do. Each new planet, new species, is an achievement for me as well. I take phasers for you, bear pain that would kill you. I am your home, your protector, your command. I am the Enterprise."

A/N: Whee. Rewrites are fun... Welp. Here it is..? It still isn't the best. Critiques are welcome... I'll post more soon. I just need to get out all the little bits I've (re)written and figure out what happens when. It'll still eventually be Scotty/Enterprise (because YES) but this version is going to take some work.

*See what I did there? XD