DISCLAIMER - I OWN NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS, PLANETS OR LOCATIONS, EXCEPT FOR MY OC ANNA.
STARDATE 3rd November 2259
Anna woke wearily the next day. She had a ache in her neck from spending the night on Uhura's couch, and she couldn't deny the ache from not having Spock next to her. Uhura let her doss around in her apartment for a while, while Uhura worked on a personal project, which Anna knew meant Uhura was trying to learn yet another strange language. Sometime after lunch she noticed Uhura was in the kitchen area of the apartment. She stood and walked over.
"Thanks for letting me stay here." Anna said, startling Uhura from where she was stirring two hot chocolates.
"It's okay. I'm kind of surprised to be honest, I thought you said you were going to talk to Spock and sort it out?" Uhura asked her, placing the two hot chocolate on the table and sliding one in front of where Anna was stood before taking a seat.
Anna took a seat opposite and took her hot chocolate. She sighed. She had asked Uhura previous to landing on Earth whether it would be possible to sleep on her coach, but she had also told her she would try and sort it out with Spock. She supposed that both of them believed that that would be the end of it, that they would sort it out.
"No. I tried but I just ended up getting more frustrated. He just doesn't seem to get it. He chose to died instead of break the Prime Directive, I mean, he doesn't even seem to understand how I felt when he did." Anna shook her head, placing her mug of hot chocolate down before putting her head in the hands.
"What are you going to do?" Uhura asked her gently.
"I'm going to go and try again today. He's had a night to think about it, he might understand it now he's had chance to think about it." replied Anna, lifting her head to face Uhura, "I have to do it soon, god know how long it will be until we're separated."
"Separated? Why would you be separated?" questioned Uhura, her eyes wide.
Anna's eyes also widened realising what she had let slip. She realised that she may as well share the news now. She glanced at the clock. It was mid afternoon. Spock and James probably already knew.
"You can't say anything to anyone yet. I'm not meant to say anything until James and Spock have been told. The three of us are getting taken off of the Enterprise for what happened on Nibiru. Spock's getting transferred to the USS Bradbury, I'm becoming the new Captain to the newly built USS Truman B and James is... well James is getting sent back to the Academy." Anna told her truthfully, her eyes welling up when she shared the punishment.
Uhura gasped. "When do Spock and James find out?"
"Admiral Pike said he'd called them in for first thing this morning. They should already know but I'm not sure." Anna told her.
Uhura was about to say something else when Anna's comm went off. It was Admiral Pike, requesting her presence. She glanced up at Uhura, "I have a feeling they know now. I've got to go and meet Admiral Pike."
Uhura nodded sadly. "Yeah. You know we'll miss you three on the Enterprise. We're practically family."
Anna nodded to her, finishing off her hot chocolate. "Yeah. I know I can speak for all three of us when I say we'll miss you lot and the Enterprise."
Uhura and Anna quickly said their farewells. Anna quickly stopped at the girl bathroom on site to change into her commander uniform before reporting to Admiral's Pike office. Admiral Pike was waiting for her outside his office, stood with his cane supporting some of his weight. As he saw her approach he walked towards her and passed her, muttering a "Come with me"
Anna, confused, turned and followed. "Where are we going?"
"I told Jim this morning. Since then I've talked to Admiral Marcus. We're going to pull Jim from whatever dive he's fallen into" Admiral Pike told her.
She nodded, "What did Admiral Marcus say?"
"Jim's not going back to the Academy but he has been demoted and staying on the Enterprise" Admiral Pike told her.
Anna sighed a sigh of relief. Becoming first officer wouldn't break James as going back to the Academy would have.
"And Spock and I?" Anna asked.
"I tried but Admiral Marcus wouldn't make any more changes. It took a lot of convincing to convince him that Jim didn't have to go back to the Academy. I'm sorry." Admiral Pike replied, glancing at her.
Anna shrugged, "It's okay. You tried. Can't ask any more than that. I'm sure Spock and I will work around it, somehow"
Admiral Pike and Anna headed to the local bar that was usually the Cadet and Starfleet officer hotspot as it was so close to the Academy. They headed in and weren't surprised when they saw James at the bar and they were even less surprised to see him eying up a girl. Just as he was obviously about to make a move Admiral Pike sat in between them while Anna took a seat the other side of James.
"How did you find me?" James asked, looking down at his drink.
"I know you better than you think I do" replied Admiral Pike, tapping the bar in front of him to symbol his want for a drink. "The first time I found you was in a dive like this. Remember that? You got your ass handed to you"
James frowned, shaking his head. "No, I didn't"
"You don't remember that James?" Anna asked, a small smile on her face. "In Iowa?"
"No, that's not what happened." protested James.
"That was an epic beating." commented Admiral Pike.
"No, it wasn't" argued James, shaking his head.
"You had napkins hanging out of your nose James" commented Anna with a smile and small laugh.
James and Admiral Pike also gave a short laugh as they remember the scene back in the bar in Iowa, four years ago.
"Did you not?" questioned Anna, her voice teasing.
James finally lifted his head from his drink, a smile on his face. "Yeah, that was a good fight."
"'A good fight'. I think that's your problem right there" commented Pike with a deep breath.
Anna's smiled faded as James' did. Anna slipped her arm into James' for support.
"They gave her back to me" commented Admiral Pike. "The Enterprise."
The look on James' face almost broke Anna's heart. He looked as though he had lost a child and now Pike had said that he had adopted it, leaving James hopeless to get it back. She squeezed James' arm with hers. She didn't like seeing him so sad. It was quiet as James' took a few breaths and blinks to compose himself. Anna frowned, it really had hit James as hard as she thought it would.
"Congratulations" James finally said to Admiral Pike. "Watch your back with that First Officer, though"
"James!" Anna quickly complained, half heartedly. In a way she couldn't speak much because it was because of the fact that Spock filed a report that James was in the position he was. Anybody else would have just ignored the incident, especially as James had elected to save his life.
James just ignored her half complaint and poured out another drink into his glass from his bottle.
"Spock's not going to be working with me. He's been transferred. USS Bradbury." Admiral Pike replied.
Anna was pleased to see that James froze in his drinking for a split second at the news, before glancing at Anna and quickly turning back to his drink. At least she knew he cared for her, and by association Anna's relationship with Spock.
"You're going to be my first officer." Admiral Pike continued.
James' head spun round to face Admiral's Pike's so fast that Anna would have thought he would receive whiplash from it.
"Yeah, Marcus took some convincing. But every now and then I can make a good case." Admiral Pike told James seriously.
"What did you tell him?" Asked James, with a curious and grateful tone.
"The truth. That I believe in you. That if anybody deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk. And the Enterprise can't afford to lose three of its best." replied Admiral Pike.
"Three?" questioned James, a frown suddenly on his face.
"I was transferred as well. USS Truman B." Anna replied, not even looking towards him.
James glanced between Anna and Admiral Pike and said, "I - I don't know what to say."
"That would be a first" quipped Admiral Pike, causing a smile to come up on both Anna's and James' faces. "It's going to be okay."
Admiral Pike's comm went off then. Anna squeezed James' arm with a small sad smile, trying to be reassuring.
"Emergency session, Daystrom." Admiral Pike read out from his comm. "That's us."
"Yeah" whispered James, so obviously aware that had Nibiru not happened, he would be attending this meeting as a Captain and not a First Officer.
Admiral Pike hit James in the shoulder saying "Suit up" before standing up and leaving.
Anna slipped her hand out of James' arm. She placed a kiss on James' cheek saying, "Don't forget that one saying we used to say when we were kids James. Good things come to those that wait. It'll be okay."
Anna smiled reassuringly at him as James smiled slightly up at her and nodded. She headed out and caught up with Pike. She caught a ride with him back to the headquarters for the meeting.
When Anna entered the Daystrom room, she immediately looked out for her First Officer. He was already there. Commander Parker. She approached him .
"Commander Parker?" she asked.
Commander Parker turned and faced her. He was older than her, it was obvious. He was short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Anna would have placed his age at about 35, if she had to guess.
"Yes, that's me." he replied.
"I'm Captain Kirk, I believe your my new First Officer." Anna said to him.
A smile graced his face. Anna could already tell that the two of them would get along if he remained that happy about being First Officer.
"Yes Captain. May I just take this opportunity to say that I am looking forward to proving myself as a capable First Officer." he said.
She smiled. "Don't worry, Parker, I'm sure you'll do just fine."
He nodded.
It was then that she noticed Spock and James enter. She could tell that they were speaking and she could probably guess what it was about with the frustration that was blatant on James' face. A Captain walked up to them and she noticed that this Captain spoke only to Spock and only very shortly before he disappeared off. Anna presumed that that was Spock's new Captain.
Anna excused herself from Parker and approached James and Spock. "You should probably take your seats. The meeting will being soon."
"Anna, what are you doing here? I thought Daystrom was Admirals, Captains and First Officers only." Asked James, a confused frown on his face.
"It is. I'm the new Captain to the USS Truman B." replied Anna.
Anna noticed that Spock raised an eyebrow at the news, obviously unaware of these events. She turned to him and quickly whispered into his ear. "After this, we need to talk"
He nodded to her.
She didn't say anything else but went and took her seat. She noticed that her seat was opposite Admiral Pike. The person who she presumed was the Captain of the USS Bradbury was sat two seats down from where she took her seat, which suggested either his first officer, Spock, or Anna's First Officer, Parker would sit in the seat between them. That was answered when Parker came and sat down on the other side of Anna.
She glanced back at where James and Spock were talking, it seemed James had finally hit his limit as he huffed and walked off to his seat. Spock watched him walk of before taking his seat between his new Captain and Anna.
"Admiral Marcus, sir " called one of the other Admirals.
Everyone stood as Admiral Marcus walked in.
"Thank you for convening on such short notice. Be seated." Admiral Marcus said he took a seat.
Everyone say as Admiral Marcus did.
"By now, some of you have heard what happened in London. The target was s Starfleet data archive. Now it's a damned hole in the ground, 42 men and women are dead. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer, who confessed to carrying out this attack, that he was being forced to do it by this man..." began Admiral Marcus.
The screens in front of each person lit up with a profile of a Commander John Harrison.
"Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own. And he is the man responsible for this act of savagery. For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one-man war against Starfleet. And under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. And in the name of those we lost, you will run this bastard down." continued Admiral Marcus.
Anna and Spock shared a glance. Neither likes the sound of what he was suggesting.
"This is a manhunt, pure and simple, so let's get to work. Earth perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system, so we know he can't be far. You will park your ships in a blockade formation then deploy search parties and landing parties to run down every lead. This man has shown willingness to kill innocent people, so the rules of engagement are simple. If you come across this man and fear for your life or the lives of those nearby you are authorised to use deadly force on sight" continued Admiral Marcus.
'Spock, I do not like this.' Anna sent to Spock through their bond.
'I am in agreement with your statement' Spock replied.
Anna looked across to James. He was whispering to Admiral Pike. She wondered what he had seen or noticed that hadn't been explained yet.
"Chris? Everything okay there?" Admiral Marcus asked, his attention being caught by the pairs whispering.
"Yes, Sir. Mr Kirk is just acclimating to his new position as First Officer." replied Admiral Pike to Admiral Marcus, obviously a little embarrassed about being called out in front of the others.
"You got something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow's too late." Admiral Marcus instructed.
Everybody turned to James while James turned to glance at Anna. She nodded for him to go on. She wanted to know what it was that he had noticed.
"I'm fine, sire. My apologies." James backtracked.
Anna and Spock shared a glance. It wasn't often that James ever backed out like that. Being demoted must have really shook him up.
"Spit it out, Son. Don't be shy" ordered Admiral Marcus.
James spluttered for a moment before saying "Why the archive? All that information is public record. If he really wanted to damage Starfleet, this could just be the beginning. "
"The beginning of what, Mr Kirk?" questioned Admiral Marcus, a more serious tone.
"Sir, in the event of an attack, protocol mandates that senior command gather Captains and First Officers at Starfleet HQ, right here, in this room" replied James as a red light seemed to start to shine in the windows, gradually getting brighter.
"It is curious Harrison would commandeer a jump ship without warp capabilities." commented Spock but the end of his sentence was tones out by the sound of an engine. The red lights grew closer. Anna squinted, it was almost like there was a ship outside the window. The truth hit her like a wet fish. Harrison was in a ship outside the window, targeting them.
Anna and Spock jumped up as James turned.
"Clear the room" James yelled just the room came alight with fire from the ship on the other side of the glass.
Anna was pushed down by Spock as the room was fired upon. Anna noticed that Admiral Pike had managed to get down and get out his comm, yelling into it, "We need an air defence team! Daystrom Conference Room!"
Men ran in from the corridor, their guns ready but they were just shot down the barrage of fire from outside. Anna noticed James grab one of the guns before running out of the room, down the corridor to the side. She realised that must be the best place to fire from.
Anna saw Admiral Pike move to take a run for it. She gasped, pushed Spock away before running, ducking and sliding to where Admiral Pike was. She couldn't allow him to get hurt. He had done so much for her and James.
"Stay low" Anna yelled to him, flipping a table over on its side to use as cover. She helped Admiral Pike onto his knees. She knew his one leg was still weak so she helped him move slowly, while dragging the table behind her to provide cover. They managed to almost reach a sheltered area when the table they had used for cover finally gave in. She pushed Admiral Pike down but she too late, a shot had hit him. She didn't take note of where before Spock ran over and helped pull Admiral Pike behind the wall, to where it was sheltered. Spock lay Admiral Pike onto the floor, where a pillow from a coach had fell so the Admiral could lye his head and back on the pillow.
It was then that Anna registered where Admiral Pike had been hit. She winced. It was in the lower chest area, just under where his heart would be. She grabbed his hand as he breathed heavy. "Stay strong. You'll be alright. Spock, call a medical team."
Spock called on his comm for a medical team before turning his attention back to Anna and Admiral Pike. He knew that Anna had know Admiral Pike since she first arrived at the Academy. Admiral Pike had been her advisor for the three years that she attended the Academy.
Anna's eyes were tearing up. She didn't want Admiral Pike to die. He was too close to both her and James. He had been a close person in her life for ten years. A whole decade. He was the person she looked up to, and the one last true link to her father. In fact she would say he had been the closest thing that both she and James had had to a father since their own died on the Kelvin. He had been their advisor, their councillor, their support. He had always had their back, even when they disappointed him.
Anna heard the firing stop, but she could hear screams and a crash. She drowned that out, focussing on what was in front of her. She noticed Spock reach out. He mind melded with Admiral Pike. She could see the emotion cut across Spock's face as he obviously felt Admiral Pike's pain, fear and whatever else he was feeling. Spock quickly withdrew his hand away from the barrage of emotions.
Anna glanced up when somebody else appeared in her eye line. James. He was looking down at them shocked. He knelt down next to Admiral Pike, his eyes glassy.
"We've called for medical" Anna told him quickly before he made the same call.
He nodded. He took Pike's other hand.
It seemed like a long time till the medics came and took Pike away, at which point he was barely breathing. James disappeared soon after but Anna couldn't. She stood and glanced back into the room that had become a death zone. There, fallen by his seat was Parker. Dead. He hadn't even gotten the chance to step on board a ship as First Officer. She felt an arm placed over her shoulder before she was lead away.
She had thought the nightmares from Nero were bad. They vanished in the comparison to the nightmares she received that night, of Pike, of James, of Spock. All of them receiving the same fate that had fallen upon her late First Officer Parker.