Enterprise dozed comfortably in spacedock. For months, the men had been working around the clock to finish the refit. It was nearly complete and the upgrades felt good though lately, something felt off within her engines. She wasn't sure what it was and it did bother her slightly but she was sure it would be fixed soon enough. She was woken slightly by a shuttle that circled around her head like an annoying fly would to a horse. She was about to snap at it for its intrusion when she saw who was inside. The reprimand died on her lips and she was her captain, her best friend, her love. "Jim." She whispered. Captain James T. Kirk grinned. "Hello, En. You're looking good for an old ship." He said. She felt herself blushing and ducked her head shyly. "Oh, stop it!" She laughed. "You always think that." He chuckled and the shuttle circled around her stern. "Like what you see, Jim?" She asked. "Of course I do, lovely lady." Kirk breathed. She laughed again.
The shuttle docked and Kirk and Scotty stepped aboard. Enterprise sighed. Now, she felt complete. She was never whole without her Jim. "Welcome aboard captain." Sulu said. "Welcome aboard." echoed Checkov. Kirk thanked them both and headed down into the engine room. Captain Decker was busy with the engineers but he straightened up when he saw his superior. "Admiral." He greeted with a salute. Kirk returned it. "Starfleet has ordered me to take command of this vessel." He said. Decker was stunned at last he said "Sir?" "There's been reports of something amiss in nearby solar systems. I've been ordered to take Enterprise and investigate further." Kirk replied. "Sir, I've been granted command of the Enterprise." Decker protested. Enterprise growled at this. She didn't like Decker and would much rather have her Jim at the helm. She wouldn't take anyone else ever again. "Easy, easy." Kirk muttered. Enterprise relaxed slightly though her teeth remained bared. Reluctantly, Decker conceded command to Kirk.
Enterprise was told she'd leave spacedock in 24 hours. She flexed and stretched her hull, working out any kinks she might have. She wanted to be ready for this mission but her new upgrades came at a price. Kirk had left earlier for headquarters to finalize his command and when he was ready to beam up, Enterprise found that she was having trouble maintaining the beam's integrity. She shut her eyes tight and concentrated, trying desperately to boost power to the transport room. At last, Kirk materialized. Enterprise collapsed against the right side of the dock, panting. "Something wrong with the transporter." Kirk asked. Enterprise nodded weakly. "Aye, there's not enough power reaching it for some reason." She gasped. Kirk gently stroked a wall and Enterprise managed a purr. "Take it easy, old girl. I don't want you thoroughly worn before we even leave earth." He said. She nodded and closed her eyes, taking a brief rest. The next time, she wasn't so lucky. When two officials attempted to beam up the same problem occurred only this time, Enterprise couldn't channel enough power to the transporter. "Starfleet, boost your signal!" Kirk cried desperately over a channel. "They're forming." Scotty gasped. "No!" Enterprise moaned as the two people reformed wrong. Their mouths were at their legs, their eyes on their necks. The signal was lost completely and Enterprise rolled on her side. The effort had exhausted her. "I'm sorry Enterprise." came the response from headquarters. "What we got back didn't live long." "Damn it!" She sobbed. "Why?!" Kirk sighed and Sulu gently stroked her consol.
A day later, her engines were powered up and she moved out of spacedock. She strained against the tight hold that Checkov had put on her. "Steady now, old girl." He laughed. At last, he punched in the warp command and Enterprise leaped forward. That's when something went terribly wrong. Something was the matter with her matter-anti-matter reaction and she flew straight into a black hole of her own making. "Whoa!" She gasped. Everything became distorted around her. An asteroid appeared directly ahead and she fired a torpedo, obliterating it. At last, Scotty shut off the warp engines and Enterprise emerged from the black hole. She struggled to get her bearings. "En, you alright?" Kirk asked worriedly. "I-I think so." She groaned. "Just take it easy, En. We'll figure out what went wrong. Scotty's working on it right now." He said. She nodded and rolled on her side. She felt so weak, so tired. She just wanted to rest. Before she closed her eyes, she saw a shuttle pull up close and she smiled. "Spock." She whispered. The last piece of the puzzle had arrived and Enterprise felt complete. Her team was back and she knew everything would be alright. Her crew would find the problem and fix it. Content, the silver-white vessel closed her eyes and went to sleep.