Hopeful Darkness
Chapter 1
Ash's P.O.V
I was thrilled, to say the least. I never thought I would be accepted into Starfleet.
Packing my bag, I thought of how close I was to making my dream come true. My dream was to go into space and explore strange new worlds, which my father was currently busy doing. I watched as the hours ticked by. I called my boyfriend of 3 months, William.
"Hello?"
"You won't believe what happened!", I shouted excitedly.
"Let me guess, you finished your science assignment?", he answered.
"No you idiot, it's much more exciting than that!".
"You got an A+ on your maths test?".
"You know what? Just forget it. I'll tell you. I GOT ACCEPTED INTO STARFLEET!", I screamed the last part into the phone happily.
"Wow, that's great! Now we can hang out every day! When are you coming here?", he asked, I could practically hear the smile in his voice.
"I'm coming tomorrow, and I am so excited to spend more time with you!", I said.
Just then, I got another phone call. Checking who it was, I was overjoyed. I said bye to William and answered the new call.
"GUESS WHAT!". Screamed the familiar voice I've heard just for over 2 years.
"You got accepted into Starfleet?", I asked happily.
"How did you know?", Sara asked, curious as to how I guessed correctly.
"Because I got accepted too!", I exclaimed.
We talked for a good one hour before her boyfriends' voice could be heard in the background calling her. She hung up the phone after saying bye and I got back to doing my assignment. I was thinking about going to a bar with Sara to celebrate. But the thing is, I could just think about it. You see, Sara and I were still in high school, although she was a year older than me, she still wasn't at legal age to go to a bar and neither was I.
After half an hour, while I was reading the last Harry Potter book; The Deathly Hallows, Sara called me.
"Hey Sara, what's up?".
"Can I come over?". She asked, she sounded like she had been crying.
"Are you okay? What happened?", I asked.
"I'll talk when we meet. Can I come?".
"Yeah, sure! Come over."
"K". And she hung up.
I heard the doorbell and ran to the door. There she was, looking like a mess. Her hair which was always perfect was up in a messy bun, she was wearing an oversized black hoodie and black track pants. Her eyes were red and puffy, probably because she had been crying. I stepped aside to let her come inside and pulled her into a hug. She started sobbing loudly on my shoulder and I wondered what had happened. We sat on the couch and she told me how her boyfriend of 6 months had left her for another girl. I comforted her and suggested that we go to a bar (probably sneak into a bar) and have some fun!
So, we got into our fancy clothes. Or more like, Sara got into her fancy clothes. I didn't like fancy stuff. I would much rather just stick with my casual t-shirt and jeans but I needed to look older than my age to get into the bar so I decided to wear a blue knee-length dress with black stockings and black heeled boots. Sara was wearing a black dress which rested just above her knees paired with silver strappy heels. Her hair was up in a loose chignon while I just kept my hair open. We left my apartment together and started towards the closest bar.
When we reached the bar, I was quite surprised to see that there were no guards to stop us. Sara and I gave each other a surprised but somewhat relieved look and stepped inside.
Half an hour and a couple of lightly alcoholic drinks, Sara was dancing with some cute guy on the dance floor and I told her I was going to get a drink. After I ordered a Coca-Cola with ice, I was waiting for the bartender to bring my drink when I saw a girl walk up next to me.
"Hey", she said, smiling at me.
"Hi", I shyly replied, I wasn't really good with talking to strangers and wasn't really an extrovert. I smiled anyways.
"What's your name?", she asked. She looked older than me, maybe somewhere between 24 and 28.
"Ash, what's yours?", I answered.
"Uhura, Nyota Uhura", she said. She narrowed her eyes for a moment but it was quickly replaced by look of realization.
"Wait a minute. Ash? As in, Ash Pike?!", she exclaimed.
"Yeah, the one and only", I said sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck. Just then the bartender came with my drink. I paid for it and said thanks.
"I've heard so much about you, you were in London, right?", she asked and I wondered just how much people know about me.
"Yeah, I was before moving to Australia. I basically did my primary education in London, then my high school until the start of year 9 in Australia, then I came here", I answered. I was surprised at how freely I was able to talk to this girl who I've just met.
"So when did you move here?", she asked.
"About six months ago."
"Wait, who do you live with?", she asked getting suspicious.
"I live alone but I came here with my friend who I met in Australia."
"And how old is your friend?"
"A year older than me?", I answered, not liking where this conversation was heading.
"How old are you?", she asked narrowing her eyes once more but a slight smile was still on her face.
"Um, 23…It's getting really hot in here, isn't it?", I lied, desperately trying to change the subject.
"I know you're lying, how old are you really?"
"Why do you think I'm lying?"
"Because you look much younger than 23, I don't think you're even 18 years old."
"Okay, you're right, I'm not 23, but please don't tell anyone. If my father hears about this, I'll be in big trouble. I'm 14. I know I'm not supposed to be here but-", I was nervously rambling on until Nyota cut me off.
"Hey, it's fine! I'm not going to tell anyone. But to be honest, you shouldn't be here, mostly Starfleet members come here. If they see you, most of them will recognize you. So, I suggest you either stay in the shadows or cover your face up," she advised.
"Thanks," I said and she turned to call the bartender and started ordering drinks for her and her friends. After she placed the order, a man came up to the bar stand and started talking to her. I took that as my que to leave and I quietly said a 'see you later' to Nyota. I spotted Sara and went over to her.
I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as I saw her dancing to 'Uptown Funk' by Bruno Mars. She looked so carefree there just letting her hair down. I was happy for her, at least she was not crying her eyes out over a stupid boy.
Just then I heard a loud crack followed by a groan. I snapped my head in the direction of the sound and saw a fight breaking out between the man that was talking to Nyota before and 4 guys in similar red uniforms which I guessed meant they were Cadets studying at Starfleet. Everyone in the bar was silent and just looking at the boys and the music was turned off too.
Nyota was trying to get them to stop but they just kept throwing punches back and forth. One of the Cadets was just about to punch the man in his already bloody face when a really loud whistle broke the silence currently occupying the bar.
A familiar whistle. My dad's whistle. I turned my head towards the door, where I heard the whistle from. As soon as his face came into my view, I froze. He was actually here. And I was in deep, very deep trouble. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice me and told everyone to get out of the bar. Sara and I tried to slip into the crowd and go outside but as soon as I put one foot out the door, he called out my name.
"Ash? Sara?"
"Hello uncle! I mean- sorry sir, hello sir!", Sara stuttered while I just kept my head down, ready for him to shout at me.
"Hello Sara," he smiled. "Can you please take Ash and wait outside for me?", he said.
"Sure unc- sir, sorry sir!". She said and dragged me to a bench just outside the bar.
"Why did we ever choose to come to this bar?! Out of all the places, we just had to come here!" I exclaimed, quite guilty about the fact that I broke my fathers' trust.
"I know right! What were we thinking?!" Sara said, quite loudly might I add.
"Hey! You're supposed to be telling me something like 'it will be alright' or 'it's okay, I'm with you', not agreeing with me?!" I whisper-yelled.
"Okay Ash. Everything will be alright, don't worry, 'I'm with you till the end of the line.' Happy now?" She asked sarcastically, smiling a toothy smile.
"Ugh. Forget it, sorry. I'm just upset. I've never broken his trust and I just feel really bad. You know?" I said with watery eyes.
"I get it Ash. I know you, I know your dad, and I know that you love your dad and he loves you too. So, of course you feel bad for breaking his trust. But he loves you, so he'll probably understand." She said, giving me a reassuring smile. "But he will probably ground you." She added light-heartedly and we both started laughing.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that you are grounded with me." I countered.
"I know…. that's exactly why I hate you." She said giving me a mock-glare.
We talked for about 15 mins before diverting our attention to the bar, where my dad and the man from the fight were talking. I wondered why he wanted to talk to him alone?
Just then, my dad came out the door but there was no sign of the man. He spotted us and started walking towards us. My hands were shaking as he came closer. Sara kept reassuring me that it will be okay.
"Why were you in a bar?" he asked once he reached us. I could see the disappointment in his eyes and that just made me feel guiltier.
"I'm so sorry, I know it's not an excuse but I just thought that we could have some fun seeing that Sara just broke up with her boyfriend and she was crying her eyes out just about 2 hours ago and she looked so sad that I just felt lik-" I was rambling on until he cut me off.
"Hey, it's okay. You just wanted to help your friend and I accept that," he said ruffling my hair and smiling. "As long as you don't do this again, I'll forgive you."
"I won't! I swear I'll never do it again!" I said smiling.
"But that doesn't mean you won't be grounded." He said turning serious again. "You too Sara."
"What?! Why me?" she whined.
"Because you went with her too and you are not of legal age too. I'm going to talk to your parents about this." He said seriously.
Sara and I looked at each other fearfully.
"I'm just kidding kiddos, this was your first warning. But if you do this again, you will be in trouble, am I making myself clear?" he said, smiling again.
"Crystal!" We both said together.
"Now that that's out of the way, come here," he pulled me in for a hug and I held onto him tightly. I hadn't seen him for more than 4 months. We did video call but that wasn't the same as meeting in person.
"I missed you so much," I cried into his chest.
"I missed you too, cupcake," he said running a hand over my head.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I asked, pulling away from the hug.
"I wanted to surprise you tomorrow morning when you went to the shuttle. I didn't imagine I would be seeing you here." He said, his lips pressing into a thin line.
"Oh…" I laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Let's go home, I'm hungry." Sara said, saving me from this situation.
We all agreed to go to my apartment and got into my dad's car. A short drive later, he pulled into the parking lot and we got in the lift to go to my floor. Once I opened the door, my dad told me that my apartment was quite neat and tidy, to be honest, I expected him to say that. He was always quite formal in his way of talking, but there were some times when he would just talk freely and that was mostly just when he was with me.
Sara cooked pasta for dinner for all 3 of us as she was the best chef out of us all. We all ate and chatted for some time.
My dad said that he had to report to the shuttle, which was taking us to Starfleet academy, early tomorrow morning so he went to his own temporary apartment as it was closer to where the shuttle was. And I just laid on my bed thinking about how my life was going to change from tomorrow.
I woke up to my alarm ringing at 6:00am and I went to the guest room where Sara was still sleeping, or so I thought. I walked into her room and when I was just about to pull the blanket off Sara, I felt someone put their hands over my eyes. Being the sensitive creature that I am, I screamed at the top of my lunges. Just then, the person identified themselves as Sara and I immediately relaxed and I realised that she was just messing with me.
After having breakfast, we called a cab and loaded our bags onto the boot and set off for the shuttle. We reached our destination about 15 mins later and unloaded our luggage which was then put on another shuttle carrying cargo.
I saw my dad standing outside the shuttle and we approached him.
"Good morning Dad!" I greeted him excitedly.
"Hello uncle! Ugh, sorry, I mean, hello sir!" Sara said. She used to call my dad, uncle when I used to video call him and she was just so used to calling him as uncle. She would have to change her habit and start calling him 'sir' and I would just be laughing every time she says uncle.
"Good morning, girls! It's okay Sara, you'll get used to it. And you missy," he said pointing his index finger towards me. "You won't be able to call me 'dad' at the academy, you should get used to calling me 'sir' too." He said chuckling a bit, while patting my head.
I sighed, "yep, I guess I'll have to." I said.
"Enough talking kids, get inside and belt up!" He said. We went inside and sat down while he stood outside the shuttle. He looked like he was expecting someone.
We heard a bike pull up outside and just after a few moments, the man from yesterday walked in through the door of the shuttle. Sara and I were desperately trying not to laugh when he banged his head on a low beam and just walked it off as if nothing happened. He sat down right across us and pulled his seat belt on. He looked at me and nodded, with a smile on his face showing his teeth.
I just then realised how beautiful and blue his eyes were. I could look at those eyes all day long. His hair looked so soft, a sandy, light brown colour. And when he smiled, I felt like my heart melted right there.
Sara gave me nudge with her elbow and I realised I was staring. I blushed and muttered a quick sorry to him and he just brushed it off, saying "It's okay", while laughing.
Nyota was sitting a few seats away from us and I greeted her with a 'hello' when she looked at me. Just as she was turning her head, she saw the man and he called out something to her but I was too busy talking to Sara to hear.
Sara stopped talking and looked behind me where a lady in uniform was arguing with a man with messy black hair. He looked like he was in his late twenties, early thirties. He was saying something about him having aviophobia but was eventually seated on a seat across Sara, beside the man who I was falling for.
"I might throw up on you," the black-haired man said to the light brown haired man. I really need to know their names, or at least make them up, I thought to myself. Let's call the man with the blue eyes, Blue, and the other man with the messy hair, Grumpy, because he looked grumpy. Even now.
"I think these things are pretty safe," Blue said to Grumpy.
"Don't pander to me, kid," Grumpy started, "One tiny crack in the hull, and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait till you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles. See if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding! Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence." Sara and I looked at each other and we both had horrified expressions on our faces.
"Well I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space." Blue replied, he had the same expression as us on his face.
"Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones." Grumpy said. I felt bad for calling him grumpy now, after all, he does have a reason to be angry.
He pulled out a small flask and took a sip from it. He then offered it to Blue who accepted it.
"Jim Kirk," Blue said, before taking a sip. So, at least I know his name now.
"McCoy, Leonard McCoy," Grumpy replied. McCoy, Leonard McCoy, that's a nice name.
I turned to Sara and saw her staring at McCoy. I nudged her with my elbow and whispered, "He's looking at you," she quickly came back to reality and said sorry to him.
He just nodded and said, "It's okay," I don't know if that was my imagination, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face. He might not be all grumpy after all.
"What's your name?", Kirk asked, looking at me.
"Ash." I replied shyly while he just kept smiling.
"Well, nice to meet you, Ash," He said, nodding his head.
"Likewise," I said, nodding my head.
He poked McCoy in the shoulder and nodded his head towards us.
"Hi Ash," McCoy greeted with a small smile.
"Hello," I replied.
"I'm Sara. Thanks for asking, by the way!" Sara said, sarcastically.
We all chuckled, well except McCoy, he just smiled, and went back to our own personal conversations. Which meant, Sara and I went back to talking about everything, more like, Sara was talking my ear off about how good McCoy looked, while Kirk and McCoy just made small talk and drank from the flask.
After a while, Sara fell asleep and I started thinking about how my life would change. I realised just how much everything would change. To top it all off, I felt so bad for thinking like that about Jim Kirk when I had a boyfriend, who I was going to meet in a few hours. I decided that I would deal with all of this later and think about the good things that would happen. After all, starting a new life is as much exciting as it is scary.
A/N: Hey guys! This is my first time writing a fanfiction story, so I apologise for any mistakes. Please review and let me know what you think of the story!
