DISCLAIMER - I OWN NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS, PLANETS OR LOCATIONS, EXCEPT FOR MY OC ANNA.
My Star Trek trilogy is finally going to be complete. If you haven't already, please read the epilogue in 'Saving Anna' as I changed it slightly to fit into the plot of 'Beyond Anna'.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the first Chapter of 'Beyond Anna'
STARDATE 19th March 2263
"Captain's Log, Stardate 2263.2. Today is our 966th day in deep space, a little under three years into our five-year mission. The more time we spend out here the harder it is to tell where one day ends and the next one begins. It can be a challenge to feel grounded when even gravity is artificial. But, well, we do what we can to make it feel like home. The crew, as always, continues to act admirably despite the rigours of our extended stay here in outer space, and the personal sacrifices they have made. We continue to search for new life forms in order to establish firm diplomatic ties. Our extended time in uncharted territory has stretched the ship's mechanical capacities. But fortunately our engineering department, led by Mr Scott, is more than up to the job. The ship aside, prolonged cohabitation has definitely had effects on interpersonal dynamics. Some experiences for the better, and some for the worse, including, quite possibly, the relationship between my first officer and my sister. Things of late have been strained between them due to reasons unknown to me. As for me, things have started to feel a little episodic. The farther out we go, the more I find myself wondering what it is we're trying to accomplish. If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?"
Anna was sat in the Captain's personal ready room, designed for the use of the Captain and any guests he may have. James was sat opposite her, rather morosely. Leo had asked them to meet him there but was now late. James had therefore opened up a bottle of Saurian brandy that the ship had picked up on Thasus, a planet they had passed a while ago. He had offered her a glass but she had declined.
"James, are you okay?" Anna asked, ever concerned about her younger brother and the stress that he could sometimes be put under as the youngest Captain of the best ship.
"Just as okay as you are. What's going on between you and Spock?" James asked curiously.
Anna sighed, her face falling into a hurtful frown. "I'm not sure James. Nothing good."
James looked concerned. He was about to speak when the door opened and revealed Leo, carrying a bottle in his hand. "Sorry I'm late."
Both Anna and Jim looked over to where Bones was entering. Bones walked up to them and around them to stand on the other side of the table. She spoke as he moved "Keenser's leaking some kind of high acidic green goo, and Scotty's terrified he's gonna sneeze on the warp core and kill us all."
Leo then took notice of what James was drinking, "What the hell are you drinking?"
James sighed, "I'm pretty sure it's the rest of that Saurian brandy that we picked up on Thasus"
Leo looked aghast. "My God, man, are you trying to go blind?"
"And lose all your lovely blond locks" Anna continued with a small smile.
Leo glanced over to Anna with a smile before looking back to James. "That stuff's illegal. Besides, I found this in Chekov's locker."
Leo then held up a bottle of Scotch. Leo handed it over to James before moving and grabbing four glasses.
"Wow" James commented at the same time Anna asked shocked, "Chekov?"
"Right?" Leo asked in agreement at their shock. "I mean, I always assumed he'd be a vodka man."
"A Vodka guy, exactly." James commented, almost matching the timing with Leo as he said the same sort of thing.
"And why have you stolen it from Chekov?" Anna questioned with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
Leo grinned over at her, before sobering and looking to James. "I wanted to have something appropriate for your birthday."
Leo placed the four glasses down.
"That's in a couple of days. You know I don't care about that." James commented in response.
Anna looked sadly towards James.
"I know. I know you don't like celebrating it on the day because it's also the day your pa bit the dust. I was being sensitive." Leo told him while filling up the four glasses.
"Did they teach you about bedside manner in medical school? It's just your southern charm." James commented as the three of them picked up a glass. They all clinked their glasses to the fourth sat on the table before clinking each-others.
James and Leo took a sip of the Whiskey but Anna sighed and placed it back on the table. Anna couldn't help the small smile she got from the expressions on Leo and James' face from the taste.
"Oh yeah, that's good." James commented.
"Lordy!" Leo exclaimed.
"Are you gonna call your mom?" Leo asked to James, with a side glance at Anna.
"Yeah, of course. I'll call her on the day." James said, almost sadly.
Anna glanced down to her help. Her own birthday calls to their mother was perfectly fine but because of the day it is on, James' calls aren't quite as pleasant. "I'd like to talk to her as well, will you let me know when you're going to call her?"
James looked at her appreciatively and nodded. He knew she would be there for moral support. She always was.
There was a quiet moment, before James broke it. "I'm one year older."
"Yep, that's usually how it works." Leo commented.
"A year older than he ever got to be." James commented.
Anna looked to him concerned before sharing a concerned glance with Leo.
James continued, "He joined Starfleet because he… he believed in it. I joined on a dare."
"James…" Anna began but lost the words in her throat.
"You joined to see if you could live up to him. You spent all this time trying to be George Kirk and now you're wondering just what it means to be Jim. Why you're out here." Leo told him gently.
Anna looked across in Leo in thanks which he returned with a nod. He raised his glass. Anna and Jim copied.
"To perfect eyesight…" Leo started before glancing to Anna for the next bit, "and a full head of hair."
The three clinked their glasses together in toast. Again Anna placed the glass straight back down while Leo and James took a drink. James didn't notice but Anna spotted Leo glancing between her and her drink as he sipped his own.
James' comm went off then. He pulled it out and answered.
"Kirk here." James said.
The familiar voice of Sulu came through the comm, "Captain, approaching Yorktown base."
"I'm on my way, Mr Sulu." James commented.
Both Leo and James finished their drinks. James turned in her chair and stood. "Let's keep this birthday thing under wraps?"
Leo began to cork the bottle. "You know me, Mr Sensitive."
Anna smiled and commented, "Mr southern charm sensitive."
Leo glanced back at her as the three departed the room. "Very funny Darlin'. I'll have you know I am very sensitive."
Anna nodded. "I'm sure you are Leo."
Leo chuckled and placed an arm around her shoulder. He allowed James to walk ahead.
"You feelin' okay darlin'. You didn't touch your drink."
Anna nodded. "Just didn't feel like it today Leo."
"Spock again?" Leo questioned.
Anna just shrugged her shoulders in response which is all Leo needed to take that as a 'yes'. He gave her a little squeeze. "I'm sure things will get sorted out Anna."
Anna nodded non-committedly, "will you join me and Nyota at Yorktown Leo? We were planning on going and getting a meal at one of their restaurants. They have a southern cooking restaurant that I thought you'd like"
"Southern cooking with two very lovely ladies? Anna, you don't even need to ask." Leo commented as they sped up to meet James in the lift.
They set the lift for the bridge and waited for the doors to open to reveal the bridge.
As they walked on, both James and Anna walked to their work spots while Leo stood in a space between them. They were able to glimpse the Yorktown space station.
"Wow. That is impressive." Chekov commented.
"Aye, she's a beauty, isn't she?" came Scotty's familiar Scottish accent, who was stood next to Chekov's work station.
"What a damn monstrosity! Couldn't we just rent some space on a planet?" Leo commented loudly causing both Anna and James to glance at him, then at each other and then roll their eyes in exasperation.
"Showing geographical favouritism among inducted Federation worlds could cause diplomatic tension." Spock spoke up from the other side of James.
"You don't think that looks tense? Looks like a damn snow globe in space just waiting to break." Leo argued. This time everybody turned to face him.
Anna smiled slightly at Leo's constant hatred of anything space travel related.
"That's the spirit, Bones." James commented while sharing another glance with Anna.
Anna stepped away from her spot, taking Leo's hand and pulling him over to her spot. She gave him a smile. "Careful Leo, you're starting to sound like the man that threw up on James on his shuttle to Starfleet. 'Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence"
Leo sent her a glare without any real heat behind it. Anna just smiled, until she saw Spock's frowning face over Leo's shoulder. Her face fell and she looked down to her consul. She didn't see Leo turning around and glancing back to see what had caused it and caught sight of Spock staring over to them unashamedly.
Leo remained by her side while Sulu expertly navigated the USS Enterprise into the Yorktown and through the tunnels to the docking station.
"Even you can't deny that it is a remarkable piece of engineering." Anna commented quietly to Leo, who just nodded.
As Sulu parked the Enterprise, Anna began shutting down her station to standby mode. She was happy to see that Leo had waited for her when some of the others had left after they'd finished shutting down their stations. Her and Nyota finished at the same time and so the three of them met at the lift, though Spock also got into the lift. The obvious tense atmosphere between Spock and Anna made the atmosphere in the lift rather uncomfortable.
Leo, Anna and Nyota all left from the same connecting tunnel with Spock walking slightly in front. Anna sighed as she watched him. Her face became determined. She had to tell him. She rushed forward calling "Spock!"
Spock stopped and turned to face her.
"Do you have a moment?" Anna asked.
"Of course Commander Kirk" Spock replied stoically.
Anna's confidence dropped. She couldn't tell him after all. She stammered through her next sentence. "I think you should have this back."
Anna slipped off her blue ring that Spock had given to her when he had proposed to her. "After all, it belonged to your mother."
Spock shook her head. "It's not in the Vulcan custom to receive again that which was given as a gift."
Anna watched his face for a moment. For any sigh of his emotions. Of any sigh that things could go back to the way it was before but his face was as stoic as when she had first met him. She sighed and nodded before reaching up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
She stepped aside, looking to where Nyota and Leo had stopped to watch, while pretending to not be.
She nodded towards the city. Nyota moved first and walked up beside Anna, linking their arms and heading into the city. Neither of them heard the men's conversation as Leo approached Spock.
"Did you guys break up? Can Vulcan's even get a divorce?" Leo asked. "What'd you do?"
"A typically reductive inquiry, Doctor." Spock replied.
"You know, Spock, if an Earth girl says 'it's me, not you'. It's definitely you." Leo commented before walking past to catch up with the girls.
Anna led them both to a restaurant called 'Sue's Southern Smokers'. Leo couldn't help but chuckle at the name.
"Smokers?" Leo asked Anna who turned and smiled at him.
She nodded. "Apparently so."
Leo just shook his head and followed the girls in the restaurant.
Once they were seated at a table and had ordered their food the inquisition began.
"You and Spock have broken up?" Leo asked.
Anna looked at him sadly. "It seems so."
"What happened?" Nyota asked upset for her friend.
Anna shook her head. "I don't really want to talk about it. But can I ask you a favour Nyota?"
Nyota nodded her head.
Anna slipped her hand around the back of her neck and unclipped her plain silver chain. It was currently empty. She slipped off her ring and placed it on the chain.
"Would you take care of this for me? It hurts too much to wear on my finger right now but I don't have anywhere safe to put it." Anna requested hesitantly, holding the necklace over to Nyota.
"But this is your engagement ring?" Nyota commented shocked.
Anna nodded sadly, "Yeah but I think it's over between Spock and I and it hurts to just look at it, let alone wear it. Could you look after it, at least until the pain isn't quite as fresh?"
Nyota was still shocked but nodded, taking the necklace and securing it around her neck.
Leo took the time again to ask the more difficult question. "Is your split with Spock the reason why you didn't have your drink?"
Anna shook her head and sighed. "No."
"Are you going to tell me why?" Leo asked, though Nyota looked curious as well.
Anna glanced to the side, closing her eyes. She glanced back over their concerned faces. "I'm pregnant."
"From Spock?" Leo asked.
Anna nodded with another sigh.
Leo's jaw clenched, "Is this why your breaking up? Because your pregnant. Can't he take any responsibility for his actions?"
Anna shook her head. "He doesn't know. I was about to tell him when he said he needed to talk to me about something important. We broke up and now… how do I tell him now? He'd feel responsible and he'd change his plans. He'd be tied to me when he obviously doesn't want to be. I couldn't do that to him."
Nyota looked at her sadly. "Oh Anna!"
Leo sat there, not knowing what to say. "Does James know?"
Anna shook her head. "Nobody does, except you two and Nurse Kamith who did the test. James would tell him. I know he would."
Leo growled slightly, "I'm half tempted to tell him so he can do right by you."
"Please Leo. Please don't." Anna pleaded with him. "I couldn't bare tying him to me when he wants something else."
Leo sighed, his anger deflating at her pleading eyes and nodded. "You should tell him though. He is the father. He deserves to know."
Anna nodded. "I know. I know. I just need to find a way to tell him while letting him know I don't expect anything from him."
"You should." Leo argued. "It takes two to make a baby."
Anna sighed, "Can we talk about something else Leo?"
Leo sighed but nodded.
"So, what do you think of this place?" Nyota asked and Anna shot her a thankful glance.
The three of them ate and chatted in the Yorktown. They stayed in the restaurant for quite a while, before moving to a bar with comfortable seats. They remained at the bar until all three of their comms went off, requesting their presence on the USS Enterprise for a mission.
The three of them shared a glance before moving back to the tunnels to the Enterprise.
What mission had they been wrapped up in now?
AN: And I'm back with the Star Trek series for my third Anna story.
I intend to get the next chapter, of the attack, up within the week, maybe even tomorrow as I'm back in a writing mood.
Please REVIEW and let me know what you think so far