Disclaimer: I own nothing Star Trek-related…though I might consider the idea of beaming Kirk, Spock, Khan, and the actors who play them to my house, once I manage to construct my own transporter. Until then, nothing is mine except original characters.

AN: Again, I am so sorry for not updating as frequently as I usually did before! I'm hoping that with summer coming to a close, I'll have fewer things to do and more time to write and update. Also, with Into Darkness out on DVD, I'm hoping to get a major kick of motivation and inspiration.

But, anyway, here's the next chapter, and with quite a few familiar faces! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 7: The Starship Enterprise:

I hated to admit it, but I was totally acting like a fan girl. Here I was, standing inside Starfleet Headquarters, waiting for the crew of the infamous Starship Enterprise to come out of their debriefing with Starfleet Command, my eyes focused nervously on the door.

"Relax," Lydia hissed into my ear. "Your constant moving around is distracting."

Pouting slightly, I stopped shifting around and instead looked around the room where we were seated. It was a large, open area of the central building of Starfleet Command Headquarters, and one of the few places that was open to the public to linger and walk around. Lydia and I stood out like sore thumbs, since we were in civilian clothes and everyone else was in their very somber, dark grey Starfleet uniforms.

"Thanks for coming with me," I whispered to Lydia as a group of Starfleet officers walked by, files under their arms as they spoke rapidly and quietly with each other. "I owe you for this."

I didn't tell her that I'd already gone in the public records to look up everything possible about it. The Enterprise's journey had been Earth's first attempt at deep space exploration, and had been away for half a decade. I wanted so badly to meet the ones who had traveled on that mission –even the lowest-ranking member of the crew had to have some incredible stories about their journeys through space!

She laughed and gave me an indulgent grin. "The Enterprise is a star in the Federation's fleet," she said, looking around at the crowd. "It has some of the best minds in Starfleet onboard, as well as one of the most reckless and daring captains to ever command a ship. I've wanted a glimpse of the man for ages."

"You mean James Kirk," I said, remembering the crew manifest. "I've read about him in Starfleet's public records."

Not that there were many records that the public were allowed to see, but whatever I'd found, I memorized. Some were logs, but most were scientific observations that Starfleet had gone over and released for ordinary citizens to read-up on, if they were interested in that kind of thing.

I was no scientist, of course, but that didn't stop me. I mostly focused on whatever little bits and pieces about the crew that had been distributed for public reading (which were few and far between). There weren't many images of the crew, but if there were written details about their appearance, I memorized those so that I knew what they looked like, in case I ever met them in real life. It was sort of stalker-like, but I really did want to ask them some questions about space travel –the idea was so fascinating, I couldn't help but be interested in it.

"A few of my contacts in Starfleet told me about Kirk," Lydia whispered as another crowd of officers went by. "He's a good man and a captain willing to sacrifice himself for his crew, but Kirk is very popular with women, so keep your guard up around him."

Oh, a player, is he? I'd have to keep that in mind if I ever came across him. 'I doubt he'd try anything with me, since I'm probably not his type,' I silently pondered, 'but I'd still better keep myself together if he tries.'

Just then, an announcement was made over the intercom that the meeting hall was emptying, and that the next one was due to start in twenty minutes. I saw a flood of Starfleet personnel flood out the many doors to that immense room, and struggled to stay in my seat as the flood of people moved around us.

"There are so many," I breathed, watching the crowd.

"Well, it takes a lot of people to run a starship," Lydia teased. "Although most of them are probably Starfleet personnel who came to hear whatever it was the Enterprise crew had to report."

She suddenly grew serious. "But before you start getting the urge to tackle one of them, promise me something?" I looked at her, wondering what she was going to say. "If you snag Commander Spock, don't ask or say anything about Vulcan –he lost his mother when the planet was destroyed. Even six years later, he's still very sensitive about it, and since his mother was human, his emotions tend to run pretty high whenever she, or her death, is mentioned."

Oh, yeah, that might be a good point. I'd read about the disaster a few weeks ago, when I started reading up on the Enterprise's crew, and had thought to at least give the Commander my sympathies, but it might not be a good idea. Even though he was half Vulcan and followed their custom of hiding his emotions, the last thing I needed was to provoke and upset him by bringing up a touchy subject!

Nodding, I decided to move on to a different subject; preferably one that wasn't so sad and depressing.

"I really appreciate you coming with me, Lydia," I gratefully said again. "I don't think I'd have had the nerve to come here on my own."

To my surprise, she shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, to tell you the truth, Ria, I was going to come here anyway. Not today, but a couple days from now, when everything calmed down. I only came today because you wanted to so badly."

I gave her a suspicious look. "Why were you going to come here?" I asked, watching her facial expressions. "You said you had contacts in Starfleet. Were you going to meet them?"

Before she could reply, a male voice with a Southern drawl called out, "Lydia!"

We turned our heads in the direction of the voice, and Lydia's face lit up. "Len!" she said, waving at him to join us.

I immediately felt like an outsider as the two hugged and exchanged friendly kisses on the cheek. I quickly avoided looking at them, directing my gaze to the ceiling, the windows that faced the streets of San Francisco, and the crowd that was still swarming all throughout the room. My eyes eventually found their way back to Lydia and her friend, who were both starting to remember that I was still standing there next to them.

"I'm an inconsiderate idiot," Lydia said, giving me an apologetic look. "Adrianna, this is Doctor Leonard McCoy, ship's doctor on the Enterprise. Len, this is Adrianna Drake, also known as Ria."

"Ria, it's nice to meet you," Dr. McCoy greeted me in a friendly Southern-accented voice, all while offering his hand to shake.

"And you, Doctor," I said, taking the offered hand even as I gave Lydia a look. She'd never mentioned she knew someone on the Enterprise crew, even after finding out about my fascination with them!

He waved my words aside with his free hand. "Call me Bones."

Lydia gave him a look of amusement and disbelief. "Bones? Where'd you get a nickname like that?"

"From me," replied a younger, male voice from behind Dr. McCoy.

I looked around the good doctor and found myself facing a very handsome young man with a cocky grin on his face. Tall and physically fit, with stylish blonde hair and blue eyes, he was enough to make any woman sigh with admiration and appreciation.

After giving him my own admiring glance, I quickly squashed any kind of romantic ideas. 'He's just too good-looking and he knows it,' I firmly told myself.

"Bones, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" the stranger asked, smacking the doctor on the shoulder as he held out a hand for me to shake. "James Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise."

Oh, so this was the guy Lydia was warning me about! 'Yup; definitely a playboy.' He did seem like a nice guy, and was supposed to be a good captain, but I doubt that he'd be able to stay loyal to one woman for very long. 'He does make for some interesting eye-candy, though; I have to admit that.'

I took the offered hand and smiled back at him. "Adrianna Drake," I replied. "But my friends call me Ria."

Captain Kirk shook my hand and released it, flashing me a charming grin in the process. "And you can call me Jim, like my friends do. Isn't that right, Bones?"

Dr. McCoy rolled his eyes, but before he could say a word, a Vulcan came up behind them, with a dark-skinned woman at his side, the two of them formally dressed in Starfleet uniforms.

"Doctor," the Vulcan greeted him. "Captain." From the way he addressed his superior officer, and if I remembered the crew manifest of the ship correctly, this had to be Commander Spock, second in command of the Enterprise.

"Correction," Jim Kirk said, offering me a wink. "Everyone except Spock calls me Jim. He's the only one who refers to me by my rank even when we're off-duty."

I hid a smile. He was so friendly and open, which made it so easy for me to forget that this man was captain of a starship and deserved to be addressed respectfully.

"I assure you, it is as much a sign of respect as it is a matter of fact, Captain," Commander Spock calmly insisted, the perfect image of a proper Vulcan, for all he was half human. "And as we are in the company of unknown individuals, such casual familiarity with my superior officer in a public setting is inappropriate."

Jim rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Sorry," he apologized, turning to me and Lydia. "I've been trying to break him of this habit for years."

I tried to hide a grin, but failed. "And how's that going so far?" I teased, earning a smile from not only Jim, but Dr. McCoy (I had yet to register him as 'Bones') as well.

"Not too good," Jim replied, giving an exaggerated sigh. "As you can see."

Spock opened his mouth to object, but was cut off by the woman beside him, who pushed Jim aside and offered her hand. "Nyota Uhura," she introduced herself. "I work communications on the Enterprise."

"Adrianna Drake," I said. "Or Ria, if you'd like."

"Uhura," she said. "Never did like using my first name with other people." She turned and introduced herself to Lydia, who returned the gesture.

"Lydia and I went to medical school together," Dr. McCoy said, crossing his arms, hazel eyes giving our mutual friend a fond look. "One of the smartest students in the class, and what does she do? Turn down a prime job in Starfleet to work here on Earth!"

Lydia waved a finger in his face. "Hey, people still need doctors here on Earth," she retorted. "Besides, I've got a good job here in San Francisco. It's rewarding on a lot of different levels, thank-you-very-much, so don't you go lecturing me, Leonard McCoy!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said. "Still, I know your dad was disappointed you didn't become a ship's doctor."

I clearly hadn't known any of that, but there was one thing I was glad for: if Lydia had been in Starfleet, I'd have probably had another doctor treating me, one that wasn't so willing to give so much time and energy to taking care of me. Was I lucky on that one!

"So, would you to lovely ladies care to join us for lunch?" Jim asked, throwing around his charm again. "The food at the Starfleet cafeteria tends to be uninspiring."

Spock gave him a puzzled look. "I find the items served here rather nourishing," he remarked. "It is most suitable, as it contains the nutrients required for maintaining a healthy physical and mental form."

I almost laughed as Jim rolled his eyes. "Lydia and I would love to join you." I turned towards Commander Spock and politely said, "And I would very much appreciate it if you were to inform me of as much as you're allowed to reveal about the Enterprise and its journey through deep space."

It was kind of funny, watching Spock perk up at the idea of giving long and detailed explanations, but Lydia put her hand on my arm. "Unfortunately, I know for a fact that you're all going to be busy for the next few days, giving your reports to various departments of Starfleet. Maybe we can do lunch when you're finished?"

The others nodded. "We should have everything wrapped up in three or four days," Jim said, looking towards Spock for confirmation. His second officer nodded. "We can do lunch then. Bones, you'll let them know the day and time, right?"

At that moment, an announcement over the intercom called for the Enterprise's officers to report to their next meeting. Bidding a quick goodbye to the group of people I hoped to call 'friends,' Lydia and I headed out, leaving them to their work.

"Well, since it's just you and me, how about you come to my place for lunch?" my best friend suggested. "It's been a while since you and I have chatted."

I agreed with the idea immediately. Besides, I didn't need to meet John until tomorrow; I'd told him that I was going out with Lydia to visit Starfleet Headquarters, and he had been very understanding about the whole thing. "Yeah, I think I've had enough excitement for one day."


"So, what do you think of them?" Lydia asked as she got her own plate of food from the replicator and sat down at the table.

I looked at her plate and winced. It was a strange seafood dish served on another world, with some components I didn't recognize, and probably didn't want to know about.

Even after being out of my cryogenic sleep for so long, I hadn't yet gotten up the nerve to try foods that came from another Federation planet. I hadn't even managed to get used to certain Earth foods that had been discovered while I'd been frozen, so going for something not even from Earth was too big a step for me right now.

'Besides, there are food allergies I need to consider before I try anything from off-world.'

I wrinkled my nose as Lydia stabbed what looked like a large squid tentacle on her plate and took a healthy bite out of it. "I think they're great people," I said. "Commander Spock is probably a walking volume of Starfleet rules and regulations, and is the image of the typical Vulcan, but he seems okay."

"And the others?" she hinted, giving me a pointed look.

Ah, so she wanted know if I liked her old college friend, too. "Dr. McCoy, Uhura and Captain Kirk seem decent, too," I put in, trying to focus on my salad and not what was on Lydia's plate. "I'm looking forward to that lunch with them. I've got a billion questions, and I'm hoping that they can answer some of them."

"It's Lieutenant Uhura," Lydia corrected me. "And they are decent people. Leonard McCoy and I go way back, and I can tell from the way he is around them that he likes and admires the people he works with. From the infrequent messages he sent me from space, and after meeting them, I can probably guess correctly that the crew of the Enterprise must be a great group."

We ate in silence for a while, with me thinking about what I could ask the men and woman I'd been introduced to without seeming nosy or rude. I could only guess what Lydia was thinking about.

After a few minutes, I found out.

"You seem really curious about Starfleet," she said, trying to sound casual. "I mean, you were curious about other things before, but it seems that whenever Starfleet or the subject of space travel pops up in conversation, you're all ears."

I shrugged. "I find it fascinating, that's all. I mean; the idea of going through space, exploring it and seeing new things and species just sounds amazing, doesn't it?"

Sighing, I put my fork down. "I also know that the only way to do it is to attend Starfleet Academy, and graduate with high scores. Since I'm not exactly up-to-date on most of this century, there's no way I could even get admitted to the Academy, much less get to travel on a starship. So asking the Enterprise crew all my questions is the next best thing to actually doing it."

Now it was Lydia's turn to sigh. "I just want you to be sure that space travel is something you're willing to dedicate your life to –and willing to give your life for. Starfleet is a noble calling, but it's also a dangerous line of work. Everyone who joins and graduates from the Academy knows what they're signing up for: the possibility of losing your life to serve the Federation. I want to be sure that you understand that as well."

I swallowed hard. I knew that Starfleet was like the armed forces back in my day: people who signed up to protect and serve their countries, and were willing to die for what they believed in. In this day and age, some humans were still willing to do the same, only they also did it to assist other races and to explore the universe. They did this to better not only Earth, but the entire Federation. It was a noble calling, but it was also one that I wasn't sure I was ready to involve myself in –I didn't feel mature enough, emotionally or mentally, for that yet.

"I understand that, Lydia," I softly told her. "That's why I want to talk to them. I want to hear about it from some of the best people to tell me about it, and this is my chance to ask my questions and get some answers. I could read a report, but it isn't the same as getting my information from the person who experienced it. I want to know, and they're the ones who can give me what I'm looking for."

She sighed again. "Well, go ahead and ask them, but don't be surprised if they can't reveal everything. I've no doubt that some of the things they've seen are going to be classified by Starfleet, so tread lightly with those questions."

Suddenly, she grinned. "I don't want to find out that you've angered Starfleet and gotten thrown into a jail cell somewhere for being annoying."

We both snickered and finished our meal, the two of us discussing what questions I might be allowed to ask, and what was best kept quiet about –at least until I got to know Kirk, Uhura, Spock and Dr. McCoy better.

When we were done and the table cleared, I headed back to my apartment, intent on making a long list of questions, and silently hoping that at least some of them might be answered soon.


Khan did not like the idea of Ria meeting Kirk and his crewmates. If she did and found that she liked their company, she might be tempted to join them on their starship. That was something he did not relish the idea of.

He already knew that she admired Starfleet and their purpose, but everyone knew that the Enterprise and Kirk's crew were some of the best in the Fleet –was it any wonder that Ria would do her best to try and meet them, if only to sate her curiosity of their travels?

Stretched out on his pallet on the warehouse floor, Khan looked at the ceiling and pondered how to deal with this situation. He knew there was little to no chance of Ria successfully applying and being accepted into the Academy, but there was a chance that they would accept her into the civilian division of Starfleet. With the civilian division, Ria might find a way of focusing on one particular area of expertise and put it to good use aboard a starship, which she seemed intent on achieving.

So it was a very good thing she didn't know about that particular option, wasn't it? Otherwise, he would be forced to act, and that wouldn't bode well for anyone.


AN: Review?