Captain James T. Kirk was wary of the space garage that Scotty had led them to. Kirk looked over his shoulder at Admiral Christopher Pike, who gazed up at the large garage with a mixture of apprehension and… content? Kirk shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind as he and Pike followed the Scot engineer toward the open garage. The three Starfleet officers were dressed in civilian clothing to go by rather undetected in this seedy area of Earth. With them were two security officers, also dressed in civilian clothing. Kirk had been very amused when the security personnel gathered with them earlier that day. Kirk's good friend Cupcake was among them.
Scotty was bounding into the garage with the enthusiasm of a child as Kirk, Pike, and the security were following close behind.
"Charlie!" Scotty called out to the vast hangar. Kirk looked around and saw that the massive converted aircraft hangar could easily hold the Enterprise with room to spare. Scotty was busy taking in all the sights as he yelled out the name of his friend again. "Charlie!"
Kirk and Pike walked up to the spacecraft that was in the hangar, a bit of the exterior removed to better access the control wires and engineering of the ship. Pike raised an eyebrow at Kirk, who responded with a shrug.
"Ah! Charlie," they heard Scotty say in a charming and friendly tone. Kirk and Pike turned to see Scotty shaking hands with a young woman. This young woman was only slightly younger than Kirk, probably in her early twenties. She was wearing a pair of coveralls that were only zipped up to her waist. The arms of the coveralls were tied around her waist and she wore a black wife-beater on underneath. Her hands were almost black with oil and grease and in one hand she held onto a silver wrench. As she swept a bit of hair off of her sticky forehead she left a bit of a black streak.
"You've got a little something on your forehead," Scotty pointed out with his words and his finger as he pointed to the offending mark.
"No worries," she said. "It's not the first and most certainly will not be the last." After her remark to Scotty, Charlie seemed to notice the other four men standing in the hangar, all of whom she could not recognize.
"Oh! Sorry," Scotty said. "My apologizes. Charlie, this is Admiral Pike and Captain Kirk from Starfleet. I'm stationed on Captain Kirk's vessel, the Enterprise. Gentlemen, this is Charlie."
Both Kirk and Pike stepped forward to shake hands with Charlie, who shook their hands after a moment's hesitation. She stepped back and put her hands in her pocket. She rocked back on her heels for a second and that was when Kirk noticed her all black Converse sneakers – a vintage shoe that he loved. He smirked a little before Charlie broke the silence.
"Well, enough of this awkward, what can I do for you?" Charlie asked. Admiral Pike stepped forward.
"We are in need of some parts for one of our ships. The Enterprise, to be exact. We heard from Lieutenant Commander Scott that you were the person to talk to," Pike said. Charlie's eyebrows rose at the sound of Scotty's rank and she turned to him with a very large and teasing grin on her face.
"Lieutenant Commander, eh?" Charlie asked her old friend. Kirk delighted in watching Scotty flush pink and smile proudly. "When did you go legit?"
"A while back," Scotty answered. "You know that."
"Fair enough," Charlie responded before turning back to Admiral Pike and crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you need?" Pike pulled out an electronic data pad and handed it to Charlie. She took it and looked over the list, frowning and her brow furrowing as she read the Admiral's wish list.
"I don't understand," she said to the three officers once she was finished reading the list. "You can get all of this anywhere. Why did you come here?"
"Were you the same Charlie that was recently arrested – two nights ago, I believe it was – for reckless driving, speeding, and grand theft auto?" Kirk asked. Charlie turned to him and gave him an appraising look, allowing her eyes to roam up and down his body as she arched an eyebrow.
"Perhaps," she answered.
"Are you also the same Charlie that about twenty-four hours later was involved in a bar brawl that ended in the broken nose of one of our security officers?" Kirk asked, gesturing to Cupcake who was sporting some dark sunglasses that were sort of masking the rapidly spreading purple bruise across his nose and surrounding both eyes. Charlie looked toward Cupcake and failed to suppress a chuckle.
"Maybe," she answered, evasively even as her actions proved otherwise. "What does this have to do with the parts that you need? All of which you can get legitimately without having to deal with me or rousing any suspicion."
Pike and Kirk looked to Scotty. Scotty shifted a bit on his feet.
"We're looking for a new engineer as well," Scotty said. "Someone that is well-versed in ship mechanics as well as someone with a very large knowledge of quantum and relativistic physics. I only knew of one person who could fit that description: a young aerospace engineering delinquent."
Charlie couldn't help but smile a bit at Scotty's winning grin at her.
"That's very flattering, gentlemen, but I'm afraid that I have to decline," she answered, going over to the ship that was currently stationed in the hangar. She took the wrench out of her pocket and began to adjust certain things in her vision. The electronic data pad sat next to her on the wing of the spacecraft. "I can get you what you need and won't even charge you what I normally charge, but I'm not going to join Starfleet."
"What do you have against Starfleet?" Kirk asked. Charlie stopped working and turned around to face them.
"Excuse me for being frank, but it's filled with egotistical bastards who think that they are God's gift to the universe and whatever other universes are out there. They strut around like they own every galaxy between here and the end of infinity. If the Sugarplum Fairy over there is any example, the respect that the male officers or cadets or soldiers or what have you have towards women, is appalling. And, honestly, I'm much happier on the ground, in control of myself, not taking orders from anyone," she answered. "I'm sorry if I've offended any one of you – expect Sugarplum over there, he deserves it – but I can't take up a position with you."
"Look, Charlie," Kirk began. "Aside from all of the arrogant and egotistical bullshit that about ninety-five percent of those at Starfleet have – myself included – you would fit right in and would be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Command. We need to be put in our place every once and a while. You are one of those people that can do that. From talking to you just this much right now, I can tell that you are incredibly intelligent and well-versed in the goings on in and around a spacecraft, even one as advanced as the Enterprise. As captain of that ship, I would be honored to have you on board the crew."
"Listen, I don't know – " Charlie began. Kirk held up a hand to cut her off and she dutifully shut her mouth.
"I was like you once, breaking the law and recklessly doing what came to my fancy," Kirk said. "I joined Starfleet after Admiral Pike discussed what my future could be. However, I saw space as a bigger playground. You know you need a bigger playground."
Charlie looked at Kirk thoughtfully. Kirk looked over her face, her deep blue eyes narrowed in thought.
"If you come back in three days, I'll have everything on the list," Charlie responded before turning back to her work.
"Charlie!" Scotty said. "Come on! You have got to be bored here. Their ship is exciting!" Charlie turned back from her work and looked directly at Admiral Pike.
"You need better recruiting agents for your school," she said.
"Come again?" Pike asked.
"I was recruited for the Starfleet Academy back when I was younger. They sold the location and the great facilities. I was told that I would be among the best and the brightest minds on the planet – no, the universe. But then I asked them what would happen once I graduated from the Academy. The recruiting officer didn't have an answer aside from working with Starfleet in the various galaxies that the Federation controlled and monitored. That was it. There was no other option. I wanted options. I still want options," Charlie said. "Starfleet won't give me options."
"So you set up a garage in the middle of nowhere and worked on spacecrafts?" Kirk asked with his arms crossed over his chest.
"No," Charlie answered. "I got accepted to MIT early on a full-ride scholarship, studied abroad at Cambridge where Scotty and I met, and then came back to get my master's and finally a Ph.D. in quantum and relative physics. Then I set up this garage in the middle of nowhere to work on spacecrafts."
Kirk nodded and allowed that before asking one more question.
"And you're how old?"
"I turn twenty-three next month," Charlie answered. "I graduated from MIT in three years – including the year at Cambridge – and was eighteen at the time of my graduation. I finished my master's in a semester and then went on to assist in the physics laboratory and work on my Ph.D. that I finished in a year and a half. I've been here in this garage for almost three years."
"And are you bored yet?" Pike asked.
"I'm always bored," Charlie answered. "There's not a lot to keep me occupied and enthralled."
"There may not be a lot on Earth to keep you occupied, but space is full of endless possibilities," Kirk said. Charlie looked at him, mildly impressed. She looked at Scotty and he nodded. Charlie looked all of the men over once more, including the security detail. Then she looked at Kirk.
"Come back in three days," she said. "You'll have your parts and an answer."
"Fair enough," Kirk said. "Come on Lieutenant, let's leave this young woman to her business."
Scotty looked to Charlie with a smile and a nod before following his superior officers and the security out of the garage. Charlie watched them leave until she could no longer see the back of the young and confident captain of the Enterprise. She chuckled softly to herself before she picked up her wrench again and went back to the ship she was working on.
Kirk turned to Scotty before he and the engineer stepped into the car that they had driven to the garage.
"Do you think she'll join us?" Kirk asked his third-in-command. Scotty looked back to the garage and then back to Kirk.
"We'll have to see in three days, but I wouldn't be worried, Captain," Scotty said and then stepped into the car. Kirk smiled at the garage, put on a pair of sunglasses and stepped into the driver's seat.
***
The day after the visit to the garage in the middle of nowhere, Captain Kirk and Admiral Pike had the bridge crew and Scotty sitting in a classroom at the Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. Pike and Kirk were standing in front of the room facing the officers.
"We have the parts for the ship coming soon and Scotty will install the parts before we can get her back up and running," Kirk told his crew. "I estimate that we'll be back in the air within a week."
"A week?" Kirk turned toward McCoy, who had scoffed at the captain's prediction. "I'm a doctor, not a mechanic, Jim, but even I know that it will take longer than a week for Scotty to work on the ship."
"Scotty may have some help," Kirk answered, looking to his chief engineer. "If he does have the help, we'll be back up sooner than you think."
"If you forgive the interruption, sir, but where is this help coming from?" Spock asked from his place next to Uhura.
"We have a contact from the desert that has helped us get the parts and may help with the installation of the parts," Pike answered.
"Someone who is not involved in Starfleet?" Uhura asked. Kirk nodded.
"That's correct, Lieutenant," he said. "They are a friend of Scotty's from a few years back."
A loud chime echoed through the small classroom. Kirk reached into his pocket and pulled out his communication device. He answered the call and saw a newly familiar face appear on the screen.
"Charlie, how are you?" Kirk answered the call. The young woman's face raised an eyebrow as she appraised Kirk's question.
"I'm fine. Listen, I have all of the parts you requested and they have been delivered to your hangar. It would help me out greatly if you went down there and made sure that everything made it, just so I don't have to go out and prompt someone into making an express delivery. I know that Scotty was pretty anxious to get everything ready," Charlie said over the communicator.
Kirk nodded to Admiral Pike and walked out of the room. Scotty bolted out of his seat and followed his captain. Pike looked at the other officers in the room and sighed.
"We might as well go too," Pike said. The rest of the officers stood from their seats and walked out of the room, following the admiral toward the spacecraft hangar.
Captain Kirk smiled very widely as he walked into Hangar 1. Along with a large pile of parts for the Enterprise, there was a very special delivery. Standing in front of the delivery was a young mechanic and engineer holding a communication device in one hand. At her feet was a duffel bag. To the sides of her stood five security members all guarding the rest of the hangar from her. Kirk clapped a hand on the shoulder of one of the security personnel and he moved aside. Kirk stepped through to take a look at Charlie. Scotty had caught up with Kirk and Admiral Pike was leading the rest of the officers over to them.
"I see you've done well in getting everything in early," Kirk said to Charlie. "I admire your work."
"Thank you," Charlie said, and then added: "Captain."
Kirk grinned and then looked behind him to where Admiral Pike stood smiling as he watched the young woman. The rest of Kirk's officers looked over the young woman standing before them in civilian clothing.
"You won't need to take the aptitude tests as your previous education is more than sufficient to make up for that," Admiral Pike said. "After you help Scotty out with the Enterprise, you can then join the crew in space for the continued mission of locating and discovering new planets and species. You will be set up with your own quarters on the ship as well as a rank and officer's privileges. You will be expected to attend all bridge meetings and contribute to the well-being of the ship and the ship's inhabitants. Do you think you can perform those tasks?"
"Yeah, I think I can handle that," Charlie said with a shrug. Charlie looked around the hangar and then turned back to Admiral Pike with a confused look on her face.
"Where's the ship?" she asked. Kirk chuckled, as well as some other officers that Charlie didn't recognize. Was one of them a Vulcan?
"It's in another hangar. We cleared out Hangar 7 for you and the ship." Scotty said. Charlie nodded.
"Good."
"The hangar is equipped with all of the tools you will need in order to work on the ship," Admiral Pike explained. "Should you require any personnel to help you with the repairs, we have some excellent cadets that will be willing and eager to help you."
"Just Scotty and I can make due," Charlie said. "Thank you for the offer though."
"Well, we'll get these things taken over to the hangar and your belongings will be taken to your quarters. Come with us and I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew," Admiral Pike said.
"Ah, you mean the strange people that have been judging me since they got here," Charlie said. Kirk laughed.
"You're going to fit right in."
Admiral Pike led the crew members to a small canteen usually reserved for the admirals in the academy. The crew took seats around a long table and Admiral Pike remained standing.
"Crew, this is the newest member of the Enterprise crew," Admiral Pike said. "She will be working with Lieutenant Commander Scott as an assistant engineer and mechanic. Charlie, this is the bridge crew as well as the chief medical officer and Scotty." Charlie looked around the table and saw the few faces staring back at her start to relax.
"To your left is Lieutenant Sulu, our helmsman. Next to him is Ensign Chekov, Russian wunderkind and navigator. Commander Spock is next and our resident science officer. He is also the second in command. Lieutenant Uhura is the chief communications officer. You know Lieutenant Commander Scott and Captain Kirk already. And last but not least is Dr. Leonard McCoy, our chief medical officer," Pike introduced the crew. Charlie looked around at the variety of people sitting at the table. She couldn't help but think that she had just signed up to join the most misfit crew known to any species anywhere. The thought made her want to smile.
"Can I go to my quarters to change so I can start work on the ship?" Charlie asked. "Scotty doesn't need to join me if he's needed elsewhere, but if he's free I wouldn't mind the help or the company."
"He is needed for about an hour, but after that he can help you," Admiral Pike said. "Captain Kirk will show you to your quarters. A new uniform will be provided for you and you will be fitted with a communications device which is also your locator should you get lost."
"Get lost?" Charlie asked. "I don't plan on getting lost."
"None of us plan on getting lost," Charlie heard Uhura say. "But it works well for locating you in case we need to beam you back on the ship in case of emergency."
"Good to know."
Charlie was sitting in her quarters in the dormitories at the Starfleet Academy. The quarters were small but comfortable with a large bed and enough room for her duffel bag full of belongings. She stared at her regulation uniform. It was the same as Lieutenant Uhura's uniform, a short red dress and black boots.
She heard a knock on the door and looked up when Captain Kirk stood at the open doorway. He held his hands behind his back and grinned as he took in the room.
"The quarters are small, but they are better than what the students get," Kirk told her. Charlie nodded and continued to stare at the uniform. Kirk followed her gaze to the offending red garment. "Is something the matter, Lieutenant?" Charlie's gaze shot up to him.
"Lieutenant?" she asked. Kirk nodded. "Huh. Interesting."
"And the uniform?"
"It's not quite fit for mechanical and engineering work if I'm going to be working on the ship, I'd much rather be comfortable and able to move around without wondering if some cadet jackass is trying to look up my skirt."
"Cadets aren't allowed to look up your skirt," Kirk said to himself. "Good to know. And officers? Are they exempt from this rule?"
Charlie narrowed her eyes at him.
"I would throw something at you but I'm afraid that might be against regulation," Charlie said. Kirk smiled at her.
"Throw on a pair of coveralls – I know you have some with you," he said. "Then come down to the hangar and get to work. Scotty should be ready soon. You've also got Chekov and Uhura working with you. Most of the communications and navigations areas were damaged and they want to get them back up and running to their standards."
"Fine," Charlie said. "But you could tell them that I'll get the areas working better than they were before you decided to destroy your ship."
Kirk laughed.
"I'll leave so you can change and I'll see you down at the hangar soon," he said.
"That doesn't sound like the captain I've heard about," Charlie said. Kirk just laughed and left the room.
Charlie's eyes went wide as she entered Hangar 7 and encountered the ship she would be working on for an unknown amount of time. She looked up at the damaged but still beautiful ship. After taking in her new home for a while, she looked around at the amount of tools that she would need to help fix the ship. The parts that she had ordered for them were off in a pile and getting sorted by overenthusiastic cadets.
"Hey!" she yelled over to them. The male cadets stopped and turned at the sound of the voice. "Don't touch that."
The cadets smiled and chuckled.
"And who are you to stop us?" one asked, walking away from the parts and over toward Charlie, the rest following.
"You should know better than to question the orders of an officer," a stern voice said from behind Charlie. The cadets looked over Charlie's shoulder and nodded before saluting her.
"Just get out of here," she told them. The cadets nodded and left the hangar. She turned and saw Spock standing behind her. "You didn't need to do that."
"I did," he said. "They would have never left you alone otherwise."
"Thank you, Commander," Charlie said. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Spock stood to the side of her with his hands behind his back.
"No, Lieutenant," he said. "I merely came down to observe the repairs."
"It's Charlie, and I don't need supervision," Charlie corrected.
"I'm not here to supervise, Lieutenant," Spock said. Charlie glared at the mention of her rank. "I am merely observing. I happen to find watching people working on the ship to be very soothing and comforting."
"We have something sort of in common then," she said.
"Please explain."
"You like watching people work on ships. I like working on ships," Charlie told the commander.
"Lieutenant," Charlie heard from a few feet away. She and Spock turned to see Kirk, Scotty, Uhura and Chekov dressed to work on the ship and approaching the conversing Spock and Charlie.
Kirk walked up to Charlie and threw an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to turn and look at the ship.
"Welcome to the Enterprise, Charlie," Kirk told her then grinned at her. Charlie looked up at the ship and smiled.
"Let's get to work," Charlie said. She turned to Spock and appraised him quickly. "Commander, if you stay, you might as well help out and get your hands dirty." Spock nodded and joined the rest of the crew.
"Tell us what we need to do," Uhura told her fellow female crew member. Charlie smiled at the unspoken words that passed between the two women. A camaraderie was born between them in those seven words.
"We're here to help," Charlie heard behind her and saw Lieutenant Sulu, Dr. McCoy and Admiral Pike walking toward them, dressed to work.
"We heard everyone was down here working and decided to join the party," Sulu said. Charlie smiled before turning back to the crew, all eyes on her.
"Good. Let's see. I'll forego officers' titles for now in order to speed up this process," Charlie said. "Sulu, Uhura, and Spock, you can work on the bridge, fixing the communications and navigation wiring and computers. McCoy and Pike, you join Scotty on the transportation pad and that floor. McCoy, stay within communication distance in case of any injuries. Kirk and Chekov, you're with me in the engine room. First let's go separate the parts that we got."
The crew went over to the pile of parts and Charlie began to help sort through the pile, letting each crew member know where the piece they picked up would be going on the ship. Rank was forgotten as the Lieutenant was telling the Admiral and the Captain what they would be doing in regards to their ship… their home.