Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

If you have read some of my previous stories, yes - this is the same Kaitlyn Donovan. She is half-human and half-El-Aurian.

Author's Note: This story focuses on what happens when Spock Prime reveals to Starfleet Command what happened in the Prime Universe, and the impact the information has on this universe.

The Ripple Effect

Earth - Before Spock Prime arrives

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan watched from across the room as her instructor approached. She could see he did not want to tell her whatever he was about to spring on her. She could read him from his inability to look her in the eye.

Commander Belk, one of her instructors in this Advanced Ground Warfare class at Starfleet was in fact, the same rank as she - but she actually had more time in service and rank.

Actually, she had grandchildren older than him. She was condemned to look young for a very, very long time. She was half-human and half-El-Aurian, a fact which she did not find out until after she had joined the Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) way before the Federation was founded.

Her 'first life', as she referred to it, had been good. She had a good career in the MACOs, and even did some assignments for Section 31. She had eventually married and had children. When her husband had died, she'd gone to Vulcan on Sabbatical and effectively disappeared. That is, until Section 31 had approached her after one of her grandsons had been killed on the U.S.S. Kelvin in a surprise attack. They promised her a new life in which she could work for Starfleet Intelligence to help track down the renegade ship.

For twenty-three years she had been working for Starfleet Intelligence and had been collecting technology that the renegade ship had been selling off. Starfleet, in turn, had studied the advanced technology. A plethora of technological advancements had been made because of them. Then, a year and a half ago, she had been drafted to train for a new position Starfleet had created, First Contact Officer.

The First Contact Officer on the Starfleet vessel investigates and reports on a first contact planet's government and infrastructure, their politicians and military leaders, etc. . . so that Starfleet can quickly determine the friend/foe status of the new contact world.

She had found it interesting that all of the Starfleet Officers that were invited to transfer and train to be FCOs, were all former Starfleet Intelligence Operatives.

She watched as Commander Belk stopped in front of her and finally, looked her into her emerald eyes.

"Donovan, you're assigned to the blue team." he stated matter-of-factly.

She raised an eyebrow in question, "Excuse me?" she questioned. She had specifically told her instructors that she did not want to be assigned to the blue team because of one, particularly annoying cadet.

A cadet, mind you.

Starfleet had them training their last semester in the Advanced Ground Warfare class with a bunch of cadets. Supposedly, to help the FCOs reacclimatize to working in groups again, as opposed to their former job's unanimity.

The cadet was a cocky, quick witted, leap without looking male that seemed to think that everyone in the world existed for his amusement - especially females. Unfortunately, many females succumbed to his litany of charm and fell under his hypnotic spell.

"We decided that it would do you good to work with someone you don't want to. It's not like you're going to get to pick the crew on the ship you're assigned." he pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed, "You realize that I am qualified to have my own ship?" she countered.

He stood his ground, "Not as an FCO, it tops out at Commander. If you wanted your own ship, you should've chosen another field - like Command." he shrugged.

She frowned, "Don't expect me to go easy on him." she stated.

Her instructor nodded.

All of the instructors were expecting her to do just that.

The cadet in question had been able to skate in the grey area of right and wrong and hadn't done enough to get himself in too much trouble. Instead of reigning in his outside the box thinking, he'd become emblazoned and pushed the limits even further with each class he took at the Academy.

She was just the adversary they needed to work against him. To reign that cadet in, knock him down a few notches.

Commander Belk smiled and headed for his fellow instructors. He didn't like the fact he had drawn the short straw to have to tell her the news, but they would all reap the benefits after she went a few rounds with the cadet.

Commander Donovan was a well trained officer that wouldn't put up with Cadet Kirk's antics.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan tried to contain her temper as she looked at the facility through her binoculars.

He had just flat out said 'No' to the orders she'd just given. The past few weeks, he'd been testing her patience to no end. She turned and looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Cadet Kirk baulked, "We don't have time to go all the way around the lake to take the easiest way to get in - the hostages are being tortured!" he continued to argue with her, his blue eyes blazing.

She could feel her fist pulling back and she didn't blink until after it made contact with his jaw and knocked him back, almost causing him to lose his balance.

She was appalled at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. She glanced at the rest of the cadets in her team and saw their wide-eyed expressions.

She frowned, "I apologize. But, if you ever countermand your superior's orders in the field - you can expect a much harsher punishment. You will do as I order - or I will leave you here." she promised and regained her composure.

James T. Kirk had been momentarily stunned by her punch, but he was quick thinking. "As a superior officer, you can not maroon me here. You have the duty to make sure that you take care of every officer under your command." he pointed out.

She looked at him curiously, "Isn't it amazing that you remember Starfleet Regulations when it works to your advantage?" She looked at the changing color of his jaw.

She turned to Cadet McCoy, "Tend to his wound after we get done rescuing the hostages." she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am." McCoy acknowledged. He shook his head at his friend after the Commander turned to take the lead on their trek around the lake.

McCoy took a quick look at Kirk's jaw, "You're lucky she didn't just phaser you right then and there." he pointed out. "Could you please not get court-martialed?" he inquired as they quickly rushed to keep up with Donovan and the rest of their team.

Kirk grinned, "I'm not going to get court-martialed." he reassured his friend. "Besides, it was pretty cool to see her get all riled up. She's always so calm and collected, you'd think she was a Vulcan."

McCoy frowned, "Getting people mad, just to have them lose their cool with you - for your own amusement - is not something that will help the situation. You know the instructors are getting fed up with your shenanigans." James Kirk was his best friend - but he was going to be the death of him.

XXXXX

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan stood at attention before Commander Peterson as he continued to dress her down for her actions.

"What the hell were you thinking, Donovan? Kirk could bring charges on you!" Peterson demanded an explanation.

She'd been berating herself for the past few hours, trying to figure out why she'd hit Kirk. She glanced at her Senior Instructor, "I wasn't thinking, Sir. I gave into an impulse." she admitted.

Commander Peterson shook his head and crossed his arms. He sighed softly. She was normally the calmest person amidst a simulated crisis in class. Kirk had obviously pushed her too far. Peterson couldn't help but feel partly responsible because he and the other instructors had put her on the team with Kirk, despite her request. "You have been in Starfleet long enough to know that you can't give into those impulses." he pointed out. He watched her closely, "Find another outlet for your frustrations. Apologize to Kirk and come back Monday with your head on straight. Dismissed."

"Aye, Sir." Donovan acknowledged, about-faced and left the office.

XXXXX

The bar was occupied by only about a dozen people at the moment, though it was relatively early for the party hounds to be out already.

Leonard McCoy slid into a booth and ordered an ale from the waiter, then opened up his Starfleet Security Protocol book. He looked over at the bar where Kirk had just saddled up and started conversing with a beautiful woman. He shook his head. It never failed that Jim ended up buying drinks for a few women when they went out. Luckily, McCoy knew by now to bring a book with him to study.

He knew he could study all weekend, and he'd pull out a 'B'. Kirk, on the other hand, could read it once and he'd get an "A" on the exam Monday. He turned to the page where he'd left off.

A shadow fell over the table.

He looked up and was startled. He stood up quickly, "Commander." he acknowledged.

Commander Donovan waved at him to sit down. "We're not on duty, McCoy. I happened to notice the book you're reading - is Lt. Commander Ridlen still teaching that class?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." he nodded. He looked around the bar and didn't notice anyone holding a table for her.

"Would you care to sit down?" he offered.

She nodded, "So, is this where you choose to study?" she smiled softly as they sat down.

He shook his head, "Friday night we go out on town. Kirk comes for the atmosphere," he indicated the woman at the bar, "and I bring a book to study and get a drink." he shrugged.

Donovan glanced at the bar and frowned, remembering one of her tasks was to apologize to Kirk before Monday. Truthfully, she was still mad at him for making her lose her temper. She focused her attention on McCoy, "Well, the good thing is that you're already a doctor - you'll move up fast after you're out of the Academy." she stated.

"You mean, if I graduate from the Academy. I'm a doctor, not a security chief." he shook his head and tapped the book. "I understand the concepts, it's just all of the procedures that are bogging me down." he explained.

"Well, do you follow the acronym?" Donovan questioned him.

He looked puzzled, "What acronym?"

"S.A.M.R.C." she stated. "Secure the perimeter. Assess damage and casualties. Maintain alertness. Report findings. Carry out orders." she described.

"And the acronym helps?" he asked.

She nodded, "Especially in the simulations - you don't have time to stop and mull over what to do, you've got to act fast and efficiently." she told him.

He soaked in the information as he wrote down the acronym and what it meant on the inside cover of his book. He looked up and noticed her watching him.

"I'm sorry - where are my manners?" he motioned for the waiter to come over. "Let me get you a drink." he offered.

"Iced tea, please." she told the waiter and he left quickly.

"So," McCoy began and smiled softly, "if you don't come here to drink - what do you come here for?" he asked. Commander Donovan was an interesting woman. She looked just a year or so younger than him, but she'd been in Starfleet for more than a dozen years. He couldn't imagine why she was here.

Donovan shrugged, "It's a very well kept secret that this is the best place around here to get pizza." She looked around again. "Look, I don't like to eat alone. If I order a pizza, will you have some?" she offered.

"Sure - if you'll give me some more pointers." he tapped the book again and smiled.

She grinned, "It's a deal."

The waiter came over and delivered her tea and took the order for the pizza.

"Okay, what else do you want to know?" she asked and leaned back against the booth.

XXXXX

McCoy looked at his watch, "Good God!" he snapped and stood up quickly, causing a few people in the now much crowded bar to stare at him and see what the commotion was all about.

"I've got a rotation at the hospital tomorrow, I mean today." he explained himself to her.

Donovan looked at the time, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to keep you out this late." she apologized.

"No, no." he waved it off. "Time passed so quickly because you're good company." he smiled.

He looked around the bar and noticed that Kirk was nowhere to be seen. His eyes narrowed. He wondered how long ago his friend had abandoned him.

"Let me walk you back to the Academy." he offered.

"Thank you." she accepted.

They walked down the gently sloping sidewalk to the Academy.

"Thank you for all of the helpful advice. I feel more confident about the exam on Monday morning." he admitted to her.

Donovan smiled, "You're welcome. If you have any other questions, you know where to find me." she offered.

"I just might have to take you up on that offer." he smiled back.

They stopped walking where the path split off to the main Academy grounds and Cadet housing and the Advanced Academy and Officer housing.

"Have a good shift at the hospital and I'll see you in class Monday afternoon. I think we have another simulated exercise to do." she turned and started walking down the path.

"Thanks again." McCoy thanked her and headed down the other path.

XXXXX

McCoy opened the door to their quarters. He came in and found Kirk perusing the exact same book he was carrying in his hand.

"I thought the deal was we don't leave each other behind?" he questioned Kirk.

Kirk laid the book down on his chest and grinned wickedly, "You two were in such deep conversation, I didn't want to bother you."

"You could have told me you were leaving, I have a shift in five hours." he scowled as he sat down on his bed and took off his boots and let them drop to the floor.

Kirk shook his head, "I would not have approached your table. You saw what she did to my jaw when we were training - I can't even begin to imagine how she would pummel me when we're not on duty." he was still grinning.

McCoy sighed and took off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. "Turn on the alarm and turn off the light." he said gruffly as he laid down and turned his back to his friend.

Kirk watched his friend carefully. Since he'd met Bones three years ago - the man had never been in such a deep and animated conversation with a woman as Kirk had seen him tonight.

He hit the alarm switch and turned off the light. He'd have to find out what was so interesting about Commander Donovan to peak his best friend's interests.

XXXXX

McCoy walked over to the duty board to see where his assignment was today. He frowned. "What's this?" he questioned another doctor beside him.

The guy chuckled, "You get to go to the Academy Ultimate Fighter contest today and fix all of the broken bodies after they get done fighting each other. You should probably drag a whole cart of equipment with you. Have fun." he grinned and left.

McCoy scowled. Great. Just what he wanted to do. Watch people fight each other, just to earn a title. Why did the Academy even allow such an event to take place? He headed to the supply closet and started picking up items to take with him.

He turned as a nurse came in and started gathering items.

"Doctor McCoy, I'll be helping you at the AUF today. I'm Nurse Chapel." she smiled softly. "I'll gather all of the supplies, while you check out the necessary equipment." she suggested.

McCoy nodded and dumped the supplies he'd gathered in her arms and went to the desk to check out the equipment from the hospital. He sighed, it was going to be a long shift.

XXXXX

Kirk grinned as he entered the Academy Sports Complex and headed to the gymnasium. He had gotten up as soon as McCoy left for his shift to find out more about Commander Donovan.

It hadn't taken much digging to find out where she was going to be today. She was actually scheduled as a contestant in the Academy Ultimate Fighter contest.

He never would have imagined that she would enter such a thing. She didn't seem like the type to fight it out with people. He just thought she threw a good punch, and that was it. She was starting to peak his interest, too.

He smiled as he approached the registration table.

The female cadet behind the table smiled back, "Are you interested in signing up as a late entry?" she asked.

"Sure - sign me up!" he grinned.

She waved an identification wand at him.

"Cadet James T. Kirk." she smiled. "Go to the medical table and get cleared by the doctor and bring back this card." she handed the card to him with his contestant number printed on it.

"I'll be back." he promised her and headed to the Medical table. He slowed his stride when he saw who the doctor was.

McCoy frowned, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you actually want to enter this contest!" he scoffed at his friend.

Kirk shrugged, "Anyone can enter." he smiled as the nurse took his vitals.

McCoy crossed his arms across his chest while she scanned him.

Nurse Chapel showed him Kirk's results.

"You're cleared to participate." he stated and signed off on the PADD.

Nurse Chapel swiped Kirk's contestant card to authorize his participation and handed the card back to Kirk. She went back to computer station and logged in Kirk's information.

"I can't believe you're going to do this." McCoy shook his head.

Kirk raised an eyebrow at his friend. "So what did you say to Donovan when she came through here?" he asked.

McCoy blinked, "What?" he asked his friend, not quite sure he heard right. Did he say Commander Donovan was in the contest?

Kirk nodded, "She's signed up."

"Nurse Chapel!" he bellowed.

She came over quickly, "Yes, doctor?"

"Do all of the contestants have to check in with me?" he asked.

"No, doctor. Those that signed up earlier got clearance from their doctor when they registered. Only the late entries go through you." she explained.

He nodded and waved her off.

McCoy looked at Kirk, "Is that why you're here? Because of Donovan?" he questioned quickly.

Kirk grinned, "I'm just curious. Besides, where else can I pay her back for punching me?" with that said, he turned and left his friend standing there with his mouth open.

XXXXX

Kirk smiled as he handed the card back to the registration desk attendant. "So, how did you manage to pull this duty on a Saturday?" he asked her.

She smiled as she scanned his card. "I'm in public relations and we have to volunteer a certain number of hours a semester." She handed him the card back.

"If I can still stand when I get out of here - would you like to go get dinner later?" he asked softly.

"Sure - if you're still standing. Have you seen some of the guys that have entered?" she questioned.

He shrugged it off. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." he smiled. He leaned closer to her and spoke softly. "Hey, is there a way that I could go against a certain contestant?" he asked nonchalantly.

She smiled, "Why?" she questioned just as quietly.

He indicated his slightly discolored jaw, "I would like to return the favor."

She smiled, "What's the name?" she asked for his card back.

He handed her the card. "Last name Donovan."

She touched a few lines on her PADD and slid his card, then handed it back. "I hope it's worth it - you have to win two other matches to reach Donovan. Donovan has third tier standing." she smiled.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked.

She shrugged, "It means that Donovan has competed before, and has a high enough standing to bypass the first two rounds."

He grinned, "It will be worth it. I'll see you after I'm done." he promised. He tapped the card and went to the locker room.

XXXXX

This had better be worth it, Kirk thought to himself as he got punched in the gut by his second opponent.

Kirk quickly swiped the guy's feet out from underneath him.

The guy fell hard and Kirk quickly pinned him to the floor.

The ref declared Kirk the winner.

The crowd cheered as Kirk waved to his fans.

He helped the guy up and shook his hand.

Kirk walked over and picked up his water. He swallowed the liquid as McCoy ran a tricorder over him.

"Are you really going to go through with this?" McCoy asked him quietly.

Kirk nodded. "I'll be back."

McCoy frowned as Kirk walked away to go talk to one of his new female fans.

"He's pretty quick on his feet." a familiar voice said as she stopped beside him.

McCoy nodded and glanced at Commander Donovan. "That he is."

She noticed McCoy shift uncomfortably. She turned to leave.

"Good luck, Commander." he said.

"Luck won't have anything to do with it." she stated and headed to the ring to watch another match.

Kaitlyn watched as her top two competitors from the year before fought each other. At least she'd only end up fighting one of them this year when she advanced past Kirk.

She knew she could beat Kirk. He was more of a street fighter, than a military combat fighter. Street fighters lived to play another day. Military combat fighters take out their opponents to survive. Kirk just didn't have the experience she'd had in the field.

She watched as one of the combatants went down and the match was declared. She nodded to the two men as they left the ring.

The matches were quick. None of them lasted more than ten minutes, most less than five.

XXXXX

"Donovan and Kirk!" the ref called.

Donovan stepped forward and the ref swiped her card and ran the identification wand over her.

The computer hummed, "Commander Kaitlyn Donovan, identity confirmed."

Kirk came up beside her and the ref swiped his card and waved the wand over him.

"Cadet James T. Kirk, identity confirmed." the computer stated.

The ref nodded to the two of them as he handed his equipment and their cards to his aide. They walked to the center of the ring. He looked over the two competitors in front of him. It looked like they knew each other from the looks they were giving each other.

"First one down on the mat and pinned loses. Winner moves on." he stepped out of the way.

Kirk grinned at Donovan, "Sure you don't want to forfeit now? I'm not going to hold back - and I can't get in trouble for what happens in the ring, I checked." he told her.

She nodded, "You're right - neither of us can get in trouble." she pointed out.

Kirk frowned, he didn't realize she was coming from the same angle as he was. He set his jaw and nodded. He quickly punched and she dodged out of the way.

She raised an eyebrow, "You're going to have to be quicker than that." she chided him.

Kirk's eyes narrowed, he sucker punched her stomach, then round house kicked her left arm.

She didn't miss a beat and whirled and smashed his ribs with her open right palm - feeling a few of them break under pressure, then she kicked his legs out from underneath him.

He went down, but quickly rolled away as she stomped her heel down where his head had been just a second ago. He jumped up and gave her a swift kick in the side and knocked her over. She jumped back up and punched his ribs again.

He blocked her next punch with his left arm and then quickly punched her left arm again and heard something pop.

She grabbed his body and flipped him over on to the mat.

He snatched her arm then pulled her down and used her momentum as she fell to pull himself up.

She kicked his knee cap and jumped up as he fell back. She quickly took hold of his tumbling body and pinned one of his arms behind his back as he face planted into the mat. She dug her elbow and knee into his back.

She had him pinned and he couldn't gain any leverage against her.

"Winner, Donovan." the ref declared.

She let go of Kirk's arm and he quickly rolled over. She stood up and offered him a hand.

He nodded and accepted her hand. He winced as he stood up. "I think I've got some broken ribs." he admitted.

She nodded, "Let's get McCoy to patch us up." she suggested as they walked past the cheering crowds.

"How's your arm?" Kirk asked.

She shrugged, "It's a little messed up." She glanced at him, "Kirk, I'm sorry that I punched you in class. I let my anger get the better of me." she apologized.

"I have a tendency to grate on people's nerves. Apology accepted." he nodded.

She smiled softly, "You lasted longer than I thought you would." she admitted to him.

"I'm spunky like that." he grinned as they stepped up to the medical area. He nodded to her, "You have been trained very well, Commander." he told her.

"Thank you." she stated as McCoy approached them, frowning.

Donovan smiled at McCoy, "Take care of him first, my next round isn't for another half an hour." she stated.

McCoy waved the tricorder over both of them, "Really? Did you two really have to cause this much damage to each other?" he questioned as he motioned for each one of them to get on a biobed.

He shook his head as Kirk laid back slowly and sucked in his breath. "Serves you right." McCoy loaded a hypo spray and stuck it against Kirk's neck and injected the pain killer into his system.

Kirk smiled up at McCoy, "She's a really good fighter." he admitted to his friend.

McCoy rolled his eyes and leaned closer, "Obviously she is, she won the competition last year. Did you even bother to find that out before you signed up?" he asked. He stood back up when he saw the shocked look on Kirk's face. "Of course you didn't." He waved the bone stabilizer over Kirk's ribs slowly to set them.

"Lay still for a few minutes." he directed, then went to tend to Donovan.

He sighed softly as he approached. He got out another hypo of pain killer and injected her, then picked up the stabilizer and waved it slowly over her left arm to ease the pressure of her torn muscles.

"I was surprised when I found out you were competing today." he said softly.

She shrugged, "It's a good competition. Besides, I was told to get rid of my frustrations this weekend." she indicated the ring behind them. "This is the only time I get to spar with anyone."

He looked puzzled, "Don't you practice with anyone?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, no one has volunteered." she shrugged.

McCoy chuckled softly, "Well, if you're just going to stomp them, I can see why no one has volunteered." he pointed out. He waved the tricorder over her arm again. "All set. Let me get a wrap to put on it."

"I'll get the wrap after I'm done." she told him and explained quickly. "If I have a wrap on, they know I hurt my arm - and we go after weak spots." she explained.

"Oh, okay. Well, come by when you're finished." he reminded her.

She nodded and got off the biobed. "I will." she promised and left.

McCoy walked back to Kirk and pulled a wrap out of its sterilized bag. He indicated for his friend to sit up and take his shirt off.

Kirk sat up gingerly. Although the ribs were set, they were still really sore.

McCoy unrolled the wrap as he wound it around his friend's ribs. "Wear the wrap today. Take it off when you take a warm shower tonight. I'll help you wrap it again later. You should feel much better tomorrow evening." he reassured his friend.

Kirk thanked his best friend, "Are you going to come watch her?" he asked as he put his shirt back on.

McCoy shook his head, "I saw her fight you, that was enough."

Kirk nodded to his friend and went to go watch another competition.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan sat on the bench outside of the cadet housing complex and waited patiently. She picked up her PADD and reread the latest information she had received on their upcoming mission.

"Commander." Kirk called.

She looked up and smiled softly as her 'team' approached. She stood up and nodded to them. They had agreed to meet and study in one of the living areas of the cadet housing, just in case their study session ran late.

They walked in and headed to the third floor and went into one of the living areas. They took over two couches and a couple of chairs and the coffee table between them.

She sat down in one of the plush chairs and waited for them to get out their PADDs.

"So, what's our assignment, Boss?" Kirk asked as he sat down on the couch closest to her chair.

The other cadets quickly sat down and waited to hear about the assignment.

"I think this one is going to culminate many challenges that we've already encountered." she touched her PADD and sent the information she had to each of them. "Notice the wording." she pointed out and let them read the message.

Kirk read the message carefully.

Your Team will be responsible for carrying out the final stage of surveillance of a first contact world. Your team will analyze the data and recommend to Starfleet whether or not we should make first contact at this time.

As an observer, your duty first and foremost, is non interference. Should you be discovered by the planets' inhabitants, exposure of advanced technology and our organization is to be negligible to nonexistent.

Should any of your team be captured, it is up to the rest of the team to rescue them. Adhere to the Prime Directive and wait for extraction.

Your team's ranking will be based on how well you complete the six objectives discussed in class.

Kirk looked up at Donovan. It certainly seemed that this mission was going to encompass all of their previous training. He also could see why the instructors had the FCOs as team leaders for this mission.

Donovan waited for the rest of the team to finish reading the message.

"I want all of us to create the plan for this mission. I see three parts to this: first, the surveillance of the first contact planet; second, the contingent plan if we are discovered; and third, the analysis of the planet and our recommendation to Starfleet. Let's begin, gentlemen." she directed.

They broke up into pairs to begin formulating a plan for each part of the mission.

After an hour of planning, Kirk went and picked up bottles of water for each of them and handed them out. He handed one to Donovan and McCoy, then sat down and opened his. He took a long sip and grinned when he saw the look on her face, "What is it, Commander?"

She smiled softly and sat back, "I'd just forgotten what it was like to plan missions out as a team." she took a sip of water and then leaned forward. "Five minutes and we'll go over what we've got so far." she directed.

They all nodded and wrapped up what they were working on.

They each read over the plans, then began to make suggestions on how to improve them.

XXXXX

They went over the plan twice, just to make sure that no one had any questions.

Donovan was confident that they were ready and would do well and she told them so.

McCoy had gone to go get something and the other team members were starting to gather their belongings.

"Good night, Commander." Belkor said and waved as he and some others began to leave.

"Sleep well." she nodded as they left.

She turned to Kirk, "Jim, you're my second in command on this mission, if anything happens to me - I know you'll carry the team through."

He frowned, "Nothing's going to happen to you. I think this is really a test for FCOs, they want to see how well you can lead a group in a mission."

Donovan nodded, "I think so, too. I think they want to see if we'll sacrifice someone for the good of the mission." she pointed out.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because my duty is to the ship and its crew. Sometimes, situations occur in which everyone does not return alive." she said softly. There had been too many times in her career when that had occurred.

"Well, that's crap." he frowned. "Each member of the crew is valuable. You can't just write people off. There must be a way for everyone to get through this alive." he stated.

She nodded, "Keep your eyes and ears open. If we can find a way, we'll bring everyone back safe and sound." she promised him.

He nodded and stood up, "We are ready - thanks to you."

Donovan got up and picked up her PADD, "I'm sorry if I kept you from other studies." she realized.

Kirk smiled, "Nothing else to study for tonight." he waved it off.

She looked at the clock on the wall, "Where is Bones?" she questioned.

"I'll go tell him to hurry up. Good night, Commander." he said as he left the room.

Donovan looked over their final plan. It was sound and very creative. The cadets should be proud of their work tonight.

She walked over to the window and looked down. She smiled as she saw a trio of cadets running and quickly climbing into an open first floor window. She guessed things hadn't really changed since she'd been a cadet. All of the pranks cadets pulled on each other, the sneaking out after curfew. She grinned as all three cadets managed to get in and close the window as security pulled up.

"Here it is." Bones said as he approached.

Donovan turned and smiled.

"I remembered that one of our instructors mentioned that Admiral Archer had written a sort of guide for his crew. I found it in the library archives." he said and showed it to her.

Donovan waited while he quickly sent the guide from his PADD to hers. "Thank you."

"Supposedly he wrote it while he waited for the Invincible to be completed. His Senior Staff was pretty much carried over from the Enterprise, but the rest of the crew was new. I think he only commanded the Invincible for two years." McCoy said as he thought back to what he remembered.

"It was a little less than two years." she corrected him softly. She had forgotten about the guide, she'd been there when Archer had written it. She nodded and sighed as she tried to keep herself focused on the here and now.

He looked over her carefully, "You know you're a great leader, right?" he questioned. "You inspired them tonight."

She smiled, "I try my best."

"Do you want me to call security and have them give you a ride to your housing?" he asked as they walked down the stairs.

"No, I'll be fine." she shook her head.

They stopped at the bottom of the dimly lit stairs.

"Will you call me when you get there?" he asked. "I worry." he admitted.

"Okay." she smiled.

He walked her to the entrance of the building and opened it for her, "Good night, Commander."

"Good night, Doctor." she replied and began her trek to her housing.

XXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived to her building and walked in.

"Hey, Donovan - are you just getting back?" a voice questioned from the living area.

She stopped and walked into the room. The room was dark, except the video screen that was showing a baseball game.

She recognized the dark figure sitting on the couch. It was Commander Markum, a fellow FCO and her biggest challenger.

"You and your team have been doing very well on all of the simulations recently." he commented.

"Yes, we have." she agreed, not understanding where the conversation was going.

He stood up, "I don't like being second." he pointed out as he approached.

"Then hopefully you planned your mission out well, or else you could be less than #2. Stevens, Piper, and Garrison's teams are close behind you." she stated and turned to leave.

"You're Vincent's favorite. He always gave you the best assignments." he snarled.

Donovan couldn't help but laugh. "Admiral Vincent hates me. He gave me the hardest assignments because he hoped I wouldn't come back." she stated and left him standing there flabbergasted.

XXXXX

Donovan went into her quarters and communiquéd McCoy.

"McCoy here." he answered quickly and went into the bathroom so Kirk couldn't hear his conversation.

"I'm home." she said as she kicked off her boots.

"Good. Thanks for calling. I'll sleep better knowing that you didn't get mugged walking across the campus." he admitted.

She grinned, "You think someone would really try and mug me?" she questioned.

"Someone could try." he shrugged as he got his tooth brush out.

She chuckled, "They would be in the hospital for a while wishing they hadn't." she sat down on her bed. "I'll see you in the morning." She closed her communicator.

She picked up her PADD and began to read over Admiral Archer's guide.

She had been reading for about ten minutes when she couldn't get over the feeling that something wasn't right.

Why was Markum still up? It was like he'd been waiting for her to show up tonight. It wasn't like him to make comments that could come back and bite him.

Unless. . . She quickly went to the hall and banged on Piper's door.

There was no answer. She tried three more FCO's doors and got no answer.

She went back to her room and opened her communicator, "Kirk, its Donovan."

Kirk rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at the clock. It was 2356. He rolled his eyes, hadn't they just spent four hours going over their plan? He answered the call. "Is there a problem, Commander?" he asked.

"I think we're going to be mustered soon. Markum looks like he's been run over, and Piper and a few others are gone. When they come and get you, make sure to grab everything we talked about." she explained.

Kirk sat up quickly, "Do you want me to get everyone up?" he questioned and turned on the light.

Bones shot up in his bed, "What happened?" he demanded.

There was a banging on the door and McCoy walked over to answer it.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

The Ensign stepped back and looked at his PADD, "Cadet McCoy, Cadet Kirk, you are to report with your gear downstairs in ten minutes." he stated, then left.

"They're here." Kirk told Donovan. "See you soon, Commander." he said and closed the communicator and sprang into action. He quickly put on a clean uniform and grabbed his pack and threw in the items Donovan had requested. He looked around and saw McCoy get his pack ready.

"I'm going to go check on the others." he stated and left.

XXXXX

"What's wrong?" Commander Belk asked the other instructors as he came over quickly to the simulation control room.

Commander Peterson frowned, "They're actually working together. They're not constantly arguing with each other!" he banged his fist on the table. He'd been away for a few weeks at the Lunar Training Facility and he'd returned to bizzaro world. "What the hell happened?" he demanded to know. He looked at the other instructors.

Lt. Commander Atkin sighed, "Donovan and Kirk competed against each other at the AUF Competition."

"So?" Peterson questioned.

Belk crossed his arms across his chest, "So now they respect each other. They've lost that animosity they had. They've been working really well together the past few weeks." he pointed out.

Peterson walked to the window and looked down in the simulator room where Kirk and Donovan had just managed to come up with, yet another, new ground battle maneuver.

He turned back to the other instructors, "Split them up." he ordered.

Belk shook his head, "Sir, there's only a few more weeks of classes before the final simulations, the teams have been working together all semester."

Peterson stepped closer, "Mix all the groups up!" he bellowed and stormed out.

XXXXX

McCoy was sitting on the couch in the living area in his pt clothes, trying to slow his rapid heart beat back down to normal.

Donovan came over and handed him a water. "That was a good run." she smiled and wiped her brow with the towel.

He shook his head, "For an old man, you mean. I can't believe you talked me in to going for a run with you. I should have gotten Jim to go with you - he loves to show off."

She smiled, "Is it true that he's going to take the test for a third time?" She'd heard the rumor, but couldn't believe it. Nobody took the test that many times. The Kobyoshi Maru test was not meant to be won, it was more a test of character than anything else.

McCoy nodded, "Yes - don't remind me. He wants me there in the morning with him."

XXXXX

TBC

The next chapter will interact with the 2009 Movie and go from there.

Reviews are much appreciated!