Unsettling Reunions
Chapter 4

One minute they were in warp and the next they were in a war zone. Parts of ships, dead bodies, and everything else floated around where they had come out of Warp. It was a graveyard. Jim was tossed sideways, losing her footing and had to grab a barrier to keep from falling completely.

Something hit them from the side and she slipped, falling to the ground and swore before managing to right herself.

"Damage report," Pike called, glancing at her. She saw his nervousness for a brief second and she remembered the evenings they spent together – him with her and the twins acting like an almost father figure to her and a grandfatherly figure to the twins. According to what she'd heard he was like that when he took an Advisee which he did very rarely – only those with whom he saw true potential.

He'd admitted one of those dinners when he'd been earth side – every Friday he was Earth side actually though time varied depending on what he had to do during the day – that he'd known her father. He'd been a second year when her father graduated but they'd been friends. That's why he knew she could do well. During those days he let her talk about anything and everything and she'd wondered if that was what it would be like to have a father figure.

"Deflector shields are holding," somebody called.

"All stations! Engineer Olson, report," the Captain ordered. After getting his response the Captain saw the ship, just floating in space. "Full Reverse. Come about starboard, 90 degrees." Kirk needed to get herself straight so she stumbled up the few steps and almost fell. Cooler hands caught her and she looked up to see brown eyes looking at her worried.

Spock.

He got her to the railing and she stationed herself there, just outside his view so she could see but he could too.

"Drop us down underneath them, Sulu," the Captain ordered. Kirk almost chuckled. Sulu… she knew she recognized him from somewhere. The name had been one she'd never heard before. She remembered he'd hit on her at the club. She'd told him she was married. He'd accepted her refusal with grace when he realized she wasn't playing coy. Normally men and women got bitchy – or catty.

The Pilot did as ordered and they got jarred some. Then they saw the ship. She held back a gasp as she saw it. It was that ship that had killed her father. She clutched the bar harder in her hands.

Then there was beeping.

"Captain they're locking onto us," Spock informed the Captain as he looked over his readings. She swore as she looked at them over her shoulder, not able to see everything without her glasses. What she did see was not good.

"Divert auxiliary power from Port Nacelles to forward shields," the Captain ordered. She knew they would do as ordered. She slid as they were slammed sideways. "Sulu, status report."

"Shields at 32%," Sulu informed them. "Their weapons are powerful, sir. We can't take another hit like that."

"Get me Starfleet command," Pike ordered.

"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high-energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. Its signal appears to be blocking our communications," Spock informed them. Jim hated to think it but figured if they'd built that ship then they probably had a way around the block and could contact anyone they wanted – even backup which they wouldn't need… or be able to bring more people into the trap. "and Transporter abilities." Jump for joy…

"All power to forward shields," the Captain ordered. "Prepare to fire all weapons."

They fired but it barely did any damage. Then Spock announced they were locking on again only for them to stop.

"Captain, we're being hailed," Uhura stated and right then Jim wished she wasn't right. With that the screen came on of its own volition.

"Hello," The Romulan said into their end. She knew they were the cousins of the Vulcans but the resemblance was unsettling. She kept her eyes from glancing back at Spock because they had the same high peaked brows and pointed ears. And there was a light green tint to the Romulan like with Vulcans.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike. To whom am I speaking?" Pike asked.

"Hi Christopher. I'm Nero," the Romulan said and she tightened her grip on the bar. That was the man responsible for her father's death. He was the reason her father didn't exist.

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location," Pike told them.

"I do not speak for the Empire," the Romulan said and something didn't feel right about this. "We stand apart. As does your Vulcan crew member. Isn't that right, Spock?" She turned to look at Spock wondering what the hell was going on. Spock stood up and moved to stand beside her.

"Pardon me. I do not believe that you and I are acquainted," Spock told the man as he walked past her.

"No, we're not. Not yet," the Romulan said and Jim straightened up, suddenly putting pieces together… but it couldn't be possible, could it? "Ah, the future Captain Kirk with her husband and first officer, Spock. How quaint." They all looked at them and she frowned. Who the hell was this man? "Spock, there's something I would like you to see. Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle and come aboard the Narada for Negotiations. That is all…" the screen then went black.

Pike stood up and she couldn't believe he was actually considering it. This was a trap if she knew one.

"He'll kill you. You know that," she told Captain Christopher Pike.

"Your survival is unlikely," Spock said agreeing with her.

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy. Going over to that ship is a mistake," Jim told the Captain, unable to stand the idea of a stupid senseless sacrifice. Of course, she'd probably do the same thing but she wasn't willing to go there. Of course, she'd have an explosive on the shuttle to blow the ship up from the inside. She wouldn't suggest that to Pike though. She liked the man after all.

"I, too, agree. You should rethink your strategy," Spock said.

"I understand that," Pike told them. "I need officers who've been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat."

"I have training sir," Sulu told them.

"Come with me," Pike told him. Then he turned to look at her. "Kirk, you too. You're not supposed to be here anyway. Chekov, you have the conn." With that he led them from the bridge. She nodded at Pavel who smiled at her nervously. She nodded at him, assuring him they'd be fine.

~Unsettling Reunions~

Spock followed the captain through the halls. He was walking at his wife's side and the more he glanced at her the more he recognized. It really was her though her skin was paler from less hours in the sun… and less red from the heat. They walked gathering an engineer.

"Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship. We can't assist Vulcan. We can't do our job," Captain Pike informed them. Spock looked at the Captain. "Mrs. Kirk, Mr. Sulu, Engineer Olson will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they've lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get inside, you'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship." Spock did not like this plan. His wife should not be doing something as dangerous as the Captain was suggesting. He glanced at his wife who refused to look at him. "Mr. Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport capability and communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet and report what the hell's going on here. And if all else fails, fall back and rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system." By then they'd stopped at the lift. Then the captain turned to Kirk. "Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer."

"What?" Kirk asked in shock. He heard it in her voice.

"Captain?" Spock began but the Captain cut him off.

"You two are a perfect balance… logic and instinct. Deal with your relationship crap on your own time. And I'm not the Captain, you are," Pike told Spock who didn't know what to say. "Come on."

Spock looked at his wife as she stared at him. Her blue eyes were conflicting. They looked angry, scared, and slightly hurt. But the brief contact with his wife was over in an instant and she walked onto the lift and her emotions were closed off.

"Sir, after we knock out that drill what happens to you?" His wife asked the captain.

"Well… I guess you'll have to come and get me," Pike told Jamie Tabitha Kirk before turning to him. "Careful with the ship, Spock, she's brand new." That's when the door closed, cutting Spock off from his wife.

Thinking over his orders he went back to the Bridge and made his way to the Captain's seat.

"Doctor Puri, report," Spock ordered the Doctor.

"It's McCoy. Dr. Puri was on Deck 6. He's dead," a familiar voice said over the Com. Spock thought for a moment.

"Then you have just inherited his responsibility as chief medical officer," Spock informed the man. He believed his wife had called him 'Bones' but that could not have been his true name.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," the man told him before the line went dead. Spock then focused forward on the reports that said that his wife and the two others had just reached the shuttle meaning they'd soon jump.

"Captain," the young Russian said and he looked at the boy. He motioned him over and Spock did as beckoned. "Jim is my friend. I trust Kirk. She's like my big sister. Don't hurt her. And I'm not talking to my captain now," the boy said quietly and Spock frowned at the boys threat. But he didn't say a word. Instead he just nodded then returned to his seat.

'Big sister'. That meant that boy was important to her. He knew he'd better make sure the boy didn't get hurt. His wife would likely kick his ass if he let something happen to the boy.

Then he got information that they were at the Jump zone and were in the air. They monitored them.

"Away team is entering the atmosphere, sir. Twenty-thousand meters," Ensign Chekov told him. The boy was trying to keep his tone neutral but there was a nervousness in it. Kirk… Jim was one of those jumpers. After a pause the boy spoke again. "Approaching the platform at 5,800 meters."

Then they received a signal which had Spock's heart rate speeding up.

"Kirk to Enterprise. Distance to Target, 5,000 meters," Jim informed them.

"Forty-six hundred meters from the platform," Pavel informed them.

"Forty-five hundred meters to target," another voice called and Spock felt with every update his heart rate speed up in fear for his wife.

"Four thousand meters," Jim informed them.

"Three thousand meters," somebody said.

"Two thousand meters," Jim informed them and Spock heard somebody call that they were pulling their chute. Then they got information stating that two had pulled their chutes but one was still in a dive.

Then one of them was dead. A beeping filled the space and Spock sat up. Which one was it. Which one had died? It wasn't Jim because he wasn't in pain from a broken bond but which one was it.

"Olson is gone sir," Ensign Chekov told them Moments later the boy seemed relieved. "Kirk has landed sir." Spock sat back a little, not a lot but enough that anyone who could read the emotions of a vulcan would tell. Thankfully nobody there could do that… or he thought. The way the Ensign was looking at him he'd almost believe he'd seen it.

He sat there, waiting and watching. That's all anybody on the bridge could do at that moment. Some were doing scans of the planet but a lot of it was… blocked.

"The jamming signal's gone. Transport abilities are reestablished," Uhura announced.

"Transporter control is reengaged, sir," Chekov stated.

"Chekov, run gravitational sensors. I want to know what they are doing to the planet," Spock said, worrying about his home and about his family that was on the planet below.

"Aye, Commander," the boy said automatically before catching himself. "Captain, sorry, Captain."

"Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet through the hole they just drilled," Jim's voice announced through the Comm. "Do you copy Enterprise?"

The bridge was busy and Spock kept taking in information and handing out orders.

"Captain, gravitational sensors are off the scale. If my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity that will consume the planet," the boy said before turning to face him. Spock sat there in shock, his mind considering that information.

"They're creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?" Spock asked.

"Yes, sir," Chekov informed him.

"How long does the planet have?" Spock asked.

"Minutes, sir, minutes," the boy said and Spock stood up.

"Alert Vulcan Command Center to signal a planet-wide evacuation, all channels, all frequencies," Spock told Uhura before moving to get ready.

"Spock wait," Uhura called.

"Maintain standard orbit," Spock told them.

"Where are you going?" Uhura asked.

"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history. My parents will be among them," he told her.

"Can't you beam them out?" she asked.

"It is impossible. They will be in the Katric Ark," he informed her. That is deep within a cliff beneath layers of impenetrable rock. "I must get them myself. Chekov, you have the Conn."