Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek TOS*

Sweet Deception

Chapter One

Yesterday

Commander Spock was tired, no there was more to it than that, he felt bone-weary as he sat down on his bed after yet another long shift on the bridge of the Enterprise. Kirk had eyed him suspiciously before he left and he had a feeling that his commanding officer knew something was off. Kirk was smart and intuitive and Spock had no doubt he'd call him on it. In a way, even though Kirk was younger and acted more brashly, there was a strong resemblance to his former commanding officer and friend, Christopher Pike. There were moments when Spock had feared that his friendship with James T Kirk would tear him apart as much as his friendship with Pike had. That he'd form such a strong bond to Jim as he had with Chris. Deep down Spock knew that he'd already crossed that limit, that he'd come to rely on Jim the way he had with Chris and that from there it was no return.

Spock was not an empathic being but the friendship's he formed developed under longer periods of time and built on trust. He created a deep connection that would last for a lifetime with people of his own choosing and that was what made it so difficult to let go. Every now and then he thought back upon Pike and his sacrifice, his suffering, but now he'd started to dream. He kept seeing Gretchen and Philip hovering over him, fighting over him on the bridge of the Yorktown and it confused him. He hadn't been there, he'd been close by but not present on the bridge when the accident had occurred. Still his nightmares seemed so real that it felt like he had taken part of all of it.

He sighed as he shrugged out his uniform shirt and neatly folded it next to the bed. He continued to undress and then got into a Vulcan attire, he pulled the robe tighter around himself and slid under the covers. "Computer, light off," he said.

"Captain, we have a problem, sir," the young and inexperienced pilot shouted from the helm.

Pike cursed under his breath, the old ship was a joke even for cadet training. She should have been scrapped years ago.

"Something is gripping for us, sir!" The young cadet at navigations shouted worriedly. "Almost like a tractor beam. We're being pulled toward something."

The fleet captain turned to the commanding officer of the smaller vessel, Tom Barnes, who instantly went over to the ensign in order to see if he could help.

The hull shrieked forebodingly and Chris grimaced at the sound. "What is it Tom?" he shouted over the noise of the alert klaxon as he nodded at Gretchen. "Get out of here."

She nodded and began to walk toward the turbolift. However, she didn't get very far before the hull buckled under the sheer power of the pull.

Seeing what was about to happen Pike hauled Captain Tomas Barnes toward the turbolift and tried to initiate a level one forcefield, his fingers flying over the console. "Evacuate the bridge!" he shouted.

Then everything seemed to happen at once, the breach was a fact, the hull broke apart, several crewmembers were lost to space immediately. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, Pike was slammed hard against a bulkhead, cracking almost all of his ribs on the right side, his face connected with steel and the skin on his cheek split open to reveal bone as blood oozed from the wound.

Spock watched with dread how it repeated itself before his very eyes the third night in a row.

Gretchen quickly stepped in and took command, the rift was sealed off and the forcefield seemed to be holding but the ship had been severely crippled. Four crewmen had been lost before the hull breach was sealed, the bridge was a mess of debris and flickering lights, a klaxon blared in the cramped space, assaulting their senses. Number One bent over the injured security officer, muted the sound and took a deep breath. She had been halfway into the turbolift as hull gave away due to Chris's urging and that had probably saved her life.

Without as much as a word she gingerly made her way over to Captain Pike who was lying on his side, completely still, at the edge of the forcefield. Gretchen forced out a quivering breath as she neared him. She knelt next to him and felt a knot forming in her stomach and bile rise up in her throat.

"No, please, Chris," she whispered as she desperately grabbed his scorched yellow tunic and turned him on his back.

His head lolled to the side and she threw a hefty breath, he was almost unrecognizable. His handsome face was severely burned, his cheekbone appeared to be broken and blood trailed from his mouth. With a trembling hand she reached out to place two fingers under his jaw in search for a pulse, in search for something that told her he was still alive. She didn't find it.

"No," she shouted. "No!"

Spock hitched on a breath and hastily opened his eyes. He stared into the blackness of his quarters and tried to gather himself. He took a moment to calm his breathing and then reached up to rub his aching forehead. He contemplated whether or not he should take leave and return to Vulcan. He needed to remaster his emotions, to be in control again, and the best way to do that was to return to his roots and practice the old teachings of Surak.

The Vulcan science officer closed his eyes again and drifted off back to the plaguing nightmare.

Number One, Gretchen Illy, now in command of her own ship, let her shaking hands roam over the severely injured chest of her former captain. Several gasps could be heard in the background from the junior officers and privates that was taking part in the training exercise.

Gretchen bit her lower lip as she felt, not one, but several ribs poking through the skin in various angles and she suddenly stared mesmerized at her bloodied fingers. She felt renewed hope as Doctor Boyce suddenly materialized on the other side of Pike.

She frowned in confusion as the man ran a medical tricorder over the fleet captain and shook his head with great sadness.

"Philip," she whispered. "You have to do something."

Boyce swallowed. "Gretchen, he's gravely injured, he'll never be the same again," he said seriously.

"But he's still alive. I didn't find a pulse but I can see it in your eyes that you did. You have to save him, Philip, please," she begged as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Boyce hesitated. "I took an oath to do no harm," he trailed off and swallowed. "You have to understand that this is a borderline case. If I bring him back it won't be-"

"Philip," she whispered in a quivering voice.

"We should let him go, Gretchen," the doctor said seriously. "He will never be the same. Don't you understand?"

The woman started to sob, she was usually the strong and silent type, and she never lost her wits. To Philip Boyce it was disconcerting to see. He took a deep breath and finally nodded as he saw her bloodied hands grab Christopher's shirt so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Don't you dare leave me," she said harshly as she fought to regain in control of her emotions.

Spock bolted upright in bed. "Computer lights," he ordered. His former commanding officer's pain had been so sharp it had frayed his nerves, he felt stricken and he suddenly grew cold. He hadn't met Captain Gretchen Illy for several months, not since he took temporary control of the Enterprise and ran off with it to Talos IV with Captain Pike himself. He'd fought his emotions as Pike had been restored to his former self and left the wheelchair behind. Vina had come to greet him and hooked arms with him, to lead him back into the underground complex that was the home of the Talosians. Of course it had all been for show but their illusions were so complex and so masterful that it seemed real to all of them. General Order Seven was still in place when it came to Talos IV and as far as Spock knew Christopher Pike was still there.

With the nightmare fresh in his mind he made a mental note to visit old Doctor Boyce in his home back in Atlanta when he came to earth next time. The good old doctor wasn't getting any younger and his health had been swaying lately. There was a few things that needed to be said between them before the doctor passed away.

Spock got out of bed and padded across the room. He withdrew an old photo from the top drawer of his desk, one that Gretchen had insisted he'd have a long time ago. He wasn't sentimental, it wasn't logical so he couldn't really explain why he'd kept it but it had felt right. He stared at the picture in his hand, he stared at a younger version of the bridge crew of the Enterprise with Doctor Boyce and the stubborn chief engineer hanging around in the background. Gretchen was beaming at the camera as she stood behind the captain's chair with her hands firmly placed on Christopher's shoulders. The captain too was smiling and his blue eyes sparkled. Spock felt the beginning of a smile at the edge of his lips but quickly schooled his expression. The photo had been taken almost eleven years before as a promo photo for the new uniforms. It had been before the 'Red Angel' had appeared to him, before Captain Pike had taken temporary command of the Discovery and before he had reunited with his sister. So much had happened since then, it felt almost like a lifetime had passed.

"Computer, time," he demanded stoically as he put down the picture.

"Ship's time is four-hundred-hours," the female voice of the computer replied dutifully.

The Vulcan swallowed. Sleep would not come tonight, it wasn't logical to expect such a thing when he clearly wasn't in control of his emotions. He might as well start his shift early. Without hesitation he reached for his uniform and boots, within two minutes he was dressed and ready for yet another day.

OOOOOO

To be continued

*It's a little deviation from canon, I know, I watched the 'Menagerie' and in the Commodore's retelling of the accident Captain Pike went in and brought several of the young officers to safety but I for this story I needed Number One and Boyce to be there as well and I needed for it to happen this way. I hope you'll be intrigued anyway and stay tuned for more ;)