Chapter One

The shuttles, after departure, always flew through space. Not the atmosphere, but real space. Empty space. Dark, quiet, lonely space. Whether it was to scare the wannabe cadets into a sudden realization or to make the feat of graduating into an actual crew more desirable, she couldn't tell. She was too busy keeping her head in between her knees and counting down from 10.

Mika Dawes was sure she was going to have her 'sudden realization' when a hand patted her on the back.

"It gets better, you know." A brief respite reveals her comforter. A girl, probably her age, the usual package: blonde hair, blue eyes. I bet I know why she joined…

"No, seriously. I mean, sure, it's tough, but in the end, being in space, it's totally worth it." A dreamy look crosses her face. Maybe she likes it under the starry sky, Mika thinks with a grimace.

That was usually the norm for joining Starfleet. If you were a guy, well then you had options. Anything from a Chief Officer to a Captain of your own starship. But if you were a girl…well then, you better hope you had good thighs and a nice chest, 'cause other than for looking, you weren't given a second thought.

That's partially why Mika had joined Starfleet. To prove all those sexist idiots wrong. In focusing on xenolinguistics and xenobiology, with multiple courses in leadership and diplomacy, she was making sure she was on the path for command. Somehow, settling for yeoman just wasn't right.

"My name's Winona. Winona Jones. "

Mika sits up and fixes her with a look. Really…doesn't she get the hint?

Instead of taking offense like she had hoped, Winona laughs. It's refreshing and sweet, reminiscent of those wind chimes made of the special glass. "Oh…"she says between breaths," I see what you're thinking, and trust me honey, I'm not on the path to joining any sort of Deep Space Club, if you get what I mean. I'm on the road to command."

Mika sits up a little straighter hearing those words. Could this Winona Jones be her only feminine companion in the sea of men she was bound to encounter?

"What about you," she asks. There's a mischievous glint in her eyes as her mouth quirks up a bit.

"Mika Dawes," she says, extending her hand for a shake. "Command as well."

They're friends before they let go of each other's hand.

The rest of the shuttle ride was spent swapping stories. Mostly stories about Winona's past. She was born in a small town somewhere in Iowa. Her parents were farmers, her Dad having served briefly in Starfleet before deciding he was better off dirt side. She too would have probably gone into farming too, had it not been for her "small" rivalry with another boy from her town, some Kirk kid.

"So what were you doing in Washington D.C.?" Mika asked, munching on the small bag of protein chunks provided during the flight. The label read 'Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes'.

Winona gave her a sheepish look, stealing a chunk from the bag. "My parents don't actually know that I'm headed for Starfleet. Right now I'm supposed to be in some sort of conference talking about cows and their rights as an endangered species."

Mika snorted, popping another chunk into her mouth. These actually taste pretty good.

"What about you? Is there some secret convention you're supposed to be at too?"

Mika snorts into the bag, the fine particles from crushed chunks wafting through the air. "My parents, they probably wanted me to get into the 'Fleet before I could walk. It was always about Starfleet for them. My Dad served as 1st Officer, then Captain of the USS Pax. He was honorably discharged after being injured on a diplomatic mission gone wrong. My mother was the Ambassador going to discuss the treaty, and my father got injured protecting her. She helped him recover and somewhere along the line, I came along."

Winona took a moment to study her. "You know, having parents who are involved in your future, especially the future that you want isn't so bad."

Mika's neck snaps up. "Oh no, I don't think it's bad. It's just…"

The shuttle pilot's voice breaks her train of thoughts. ". Attention all cadets and passengers. We will shortly begin descent from space. Destination: Riverside, Iowa. Objective: pick up new recruits who were unable to take the Riverside Shuttle due to repairs for outer shield damage. Please remain seated at all times."

"Great!" Winona slaps a hand to her head. "Of all the places on this Earth to have shuttle malfunctions, it's Riverside!"

"What's wrong with Riverside?"

"Small town in Iowa? A particularly good place for farming?"

"Oh. Poor you. Are your parents going to be at the pickup site?"

"Well, no. But…" The rest of her sentence trailed off into a sort of mumbling grumble. A four letter word that started with K was surprisingly predominant.

The shuttle started the descent, breaking through the atmosphere. The windows had trails of water flying up and off as they passed through the clouds. The shuttle shook with turbulence before finally slowing down to an eventual halt on the landing pad. The doors slid open, with the pilot's voice accompanying: "All passengers who wish to disembark keep in mind that there will be others boarding the shuttle. Your seats will not be saved, I repeat, your original seats will not be saved. Approximated time of lift off is 45 minutes."

Their belts were off before the announcement ended.

"So now that we have real food, what do you want to do?" Winona asks this as she licks a drop of ice cream that had run off.

"I don't know… How long have we been out here anyways?"

"30 minutes or so…"

"Shouldn't we head back to the shuttle now?"

A gasp followed by a small thud. "Not again!" Mika turned to look at Winona. Whatever was left of her ice cream was on the dirt. Winona looked up to Mika, a small pout on her face.

"Come on, you can have mine when we get on the shuttle. I want my seat though!"

Winona's face lit up as she and Mika ran towards the shuttle. They slid into their seats right before anybody else could take them. Then, a tap on Mika's shoulder and an outstretched hand and the transfer of ice cream from one hand to another. Mika kicked her legs out in front of her and waited for the shuttle to take off. A brief look up revealed that the two girls who were previously sitting across from them weren't back yet. I wonder if they ditched, or they're just late…

Eventually, two people did fill the seats across from Mika, but they weren't the girls…

"Oh shit…"whispered Winona. "Quick, block me from sight." She sunk back into her seat, pulling Mika in front of her. Mika's legs kicked into the air, almost taking out the two young men who sat themselves in the seats across from her and Winona. One was dark blonde with gorgeous blue eyes. His companion had dark hair, with hazel eyes. She could hear Winona whisper into her ear: "Whatever you do, don't talk to them, and don't move from in front of me."

As they sat down, the guy with hazel eyes looked across at her, eyes sliding up and down her body. An involuntary shiver travelled down her spine. Looking across from her revealed the guy…with a smirk on his face. He opened his mouth, eyes locked onto hers: "Nice legs."

Mika didn't have time to react, and even if she wanted to, Winona would have probably beaten her to it. She pushed Mika away from in front of her, her blonde curls bouncing as she struggle to sit up in her seat.

"Christopher Pike you keep you nasty mouth shut!" A look of shock crossed both faces of the unsuspecting men. The blondie with the blue eyes hesitantly asks, "Uh, Winona…What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in D.C.?"

Winona turns her glare away from the guy with hazel eyes…which are trained on Mika. Christopher Pike she thinks. A grimace crosses her face. I hate him already.

This was going to be one long shuttle ride.

A/N:

I know for some of you that this story may be progressing a little too slowly, but please give it a try. Critique is welcome. Reading without reviewing isn't really appreciated.

(1) This is my first Star Trek fanfic, so if there are any mistakes, don't be afraid to let me know

(2) This is a fanfiction, so I have taken the liberty of creating my own story arc. If you are unsatisfied, don't read.

(3) I wasn't sure what Winona Kirk's maiden name was, so I just used 'Jones'

(4) Were Christopher Pike and George Kirk friends? The reboot doesn't portray them as that. However, a little digging at Trek websites revealed that Pike did serve as a midshipman on the USS Kelvin. Therefore a friendship is a possibility.

(5) Mika Dawes is an O.C. I do not want her to come across as a Mary-Sue, so if there are any suggestions don't be afraid to message me

(6) Please, please, please do yourselves and mine a favor and review! If you have any issues with the story, all you have to do is message me and I'll see what I can do.

(7) I do not take any ownership of the Star Trek Franchise. The only character's that belong to me are my own original characters

Thanks for reading!