Secret Weapons
Present...
Spock stood silently in the transporter room with Cora, the girl right beside him. The mind-meld had been...the most intense experience of his life. He had read Cora's mind once or twice in the past, briefly, never as deeply as before, he had allowed himself to see all of her thoughts, allowed her to connect her own mind to his in the process. It was...like nothing he'd ever felt before. It wasn't even that the mind-meld made their minds one, as though one person in two bodies, or that it had established a telepathic bond, more on his side than hers as Empathics weren't experienced in the mental arts, but...it had startled him to see how similar their thoughts were to begin with. It was as though they both subscribed to the same thoughts and feelings but simple interpreted and experienced and felt them in different ways. For one moment, one long, incredible moment, they had been as one. Her thoughts were his, his were hers, they were one being and the exchange of information between them had been staggering. They had...seen all of each other. Usually mind-melds were for communication, for exchanging of ideas, usually not as open as he had been with Cora but with her as his mate...he found he wanted to be. He wanted no secrets between them.
He had seen her life, all the events she had talked about with him, all that she had endured from the Mas'heirs, just as she saw his life, his childhood and his difficulties with his people. They had been completely open with one another and, by the end, it had been almost as though the mind-meld had not been ended. They had pulled away, looking at each other with a deeper understanding than any ever could have of them, and he felt as though they were still joined in that way. Slowly the sensation had faded though the telepathic bond he'd formed with her still remained. He could sense her thoughts more easily now, not needing physical touch to see the surface thoughts of her mind. Just as she didn't need to be close to him to feel his emotions any longer.
The mind-meld had revealed everything to the other, including...this. This room and all that had happened while she had suffered with Vulcan's attack, all of it, and she had seen that…he needed this. He needed to visit this room once more, to confront the feelings that were stirring in him.
It was…a unique bond they now had, not completely a Vulcan mating, but not entirely an Empathic bond either. It was…a mixture of the two, as they were a mixture as well. While Cora had a stronger connection to his feelings, he had a stronger connection to her mind. Both had come away with a tie to the other that united them in a way no other could be.
"Speak your mind, Spock," a voice said from behind them as Spock stared at the pad his mother would have (and should have) been standing on when they'd transported in.
He didn't even have to look back to know it was his father, "That would be...unwise."
"What is necessary is never unwise."
"I find…I am not as conflicted as I once was as a child," he admitted, glancing at his father, the hidden meaning in his words obvious to the man.
Sarek nodded, understanding that Spock had finally come to understand himself and who he was, that he had found a…balance in himself. He had seen it as Spock grew, had experienced and had talked with the boy as he got older, and…only recently realized the part he had played in his son's struggles growing in such a way, "You will always be a child of two worlds. I am grateful for this," he told Spock, "And for you."
Spock blinked and turned to his father, Cora remaining quiet, sensing this was a moment father and son needed to have, "I feel anger for the one who took mother's life. An anger I cannot control."
Cora looked at him, she could feel it as well coming from him, rolling off him in waves, feel him struggling to restrain it, "You should not have to," she reminded him, "You have been trying for...so long, Spock, to be someone you are not. To be either Vulcan or human, and have chosen Vulcan."
"When you are both," his father agreed, seeing the wisdom and...logic...in her statement, a logic he wished he had had when Spock was young, "I apologize for the role I played in that."
Spock stared at his father a long while before he felt Cora place a hand on his arm and looked at her, "You are Spock. You are both. To feel something and push it away is to deny another half of you."
He nodded, he was realizing that as well, he'd spent so long trying to be Vulcan, to be entirely Vulcan, had even told his mother he intended to proceed with a Vulcan ritual that would purge all the emotion from him...and in doing so he had forgotten he was also half human. Seeing his mother...die before him, it had reminded him that…his human half nature was all he had left of her.
To deny it now…was to deny his mother.
"I…hope you will not find it intrusive?" Cora looked at Sarek, who titled his head at her, confused, "But…" she looked back at Spock, "Your father is angry as well," she told him gently.
Sarek nodded, realizing she had sensed his own emotions despite his best efforts to control them, having an easier time than Spock in not outwardly showing them but still...feeling them, so much so that the girl had picked up on it, "You asked me once why I married your mother. I married her because I loved her."
Spock looked at him in shock, all his life, every moment he could remember, he'd never heard his father admit that out loud. And now he realized just WHY Cora felt the man's anger…the woman he loved had been killed.
Because Amanda wasn't just his mother, she was his father's wife, his love, and she was gone.
Spock nodded, reaching out to put his hand on the small of Cora's back lightly, leading her out of the room as Sarek watched him go, the smallest of smiles appearing on his face as he saw the familiar gesture he had often done with Amanda, something, it seemed, Spock had picked up from him as a way to display the minutest of affections for his mate.
Cora, despite being an Empathic, was...just what his son needed, a woman to remind him of the strength that could be found in emotions. He had once told his son that they, as Vulcans, felt things more deeply than other species, but that they controlled it. Spock had always had difficulty understanding that principle due in large part to his human half having naturally less control over them than his Vulcan half, which had led him to believe it to mean the emotions were pushed deeper, buried, ignored…when, in reality, it was quiet the opposite.
They were simply…controlled.
And Empathics were the experts in emotions after all.
~8~
On the Bridge, the crew was gathered, talking, trying to determine the best way to attack Nero, as Chekov wrote out calculations on a board.
"Whatever the case, we need to get aboard Nero's ship undetected," Kirk was saying.
"And just go in there guns blazing, Jim?" McCoy rolled his eyes, "Jim…"
"I'm telling you the math doesn't support..." Sulu began, remarking about Kirk's insane plan to try and sneak up on Nero, the advantage of surprise and all, but it seemed to be impossible.
"Captain Kork!" Chekov ran over, "Captain Kork!"
"Yes, Chekov," Kirk turned to him, "What is it?"
"Based on the fastest course from Wulcan, I have projected that Nero will travel past Saturn. Like you said, we need to stay inwisible to Nero or he'll destroy us. If Mister Scott can get us to warp factor four, and if we drop out of warp behind one of Saturn's moons, say, Titan, the magnetic distortion from the planet's rings will make us inwisible to Nero's sensors. From there, as long as the drill is not actiwated we can beam aboard the enemy ship."
Scotty nodded, considering that, "Aye, that might work."
"Wait a minute kid, how old are you?" McCoy looked at Chekov.
"Sewenteen, sir," he replied.
"Oh, oh good," McCoy rolled his eyes "He's seventeen!"
"Does age matter Leonard McCoy?" Cora called from the side as the crew turned to see her and Spock standing there, the girl looking genuinely confused as to what Chekov's age had to do with anything.
"Doctor, Mister Chekov is correct," Spock added, examining the calculations as he and Cora entered the room, "I can confirm his telemetry. If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device, and, if possible, bring back Captain Pike."
"I won't allow you to do that, Mister Spock," Kirk shook his head.
"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Also," he glanced at Cora a moment and back, "My mother was human, which makes Earth the only home I have left."
"I'm coming with you."
"I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it."
"See," Kirk grinned, slapping Spock's arm, "We are getting to know each other."
"I would, however," Spock continued, though confused by the familiarity Kirk was now displaying with him and the joy the man seemed to get from it, "Like to request permission for Cora to join us."
"Cora?" Kirk frowned.
Cora's eyes widened, "Me?!"
"Her?" McCoy pointed at her.
Spock nodded, "It is only logical."
"How is THAT logical?" McCoy shook his head.
He'd had some encounters with Cora over the years, both as a 'medical patient' and as a fellow Cadet. She...didn't seem the sort to be suited for something like this. She was quiet, yeah, so she was probably sneaky. But Empathics, from what he knew, were forbidden to kill or greatly harm others, so how would she be useful in something like this? They were likely going to get attacked by the Romulans, Cora wouldn't be able to fight or fire at the men, and she was too...timid, not cowardly, not at all, but timid to really attack. She was small and kind and to be on a ship with so many negative emotions couldn't be a great way to stay focused.
"Should we find Captain Pike in a weakened state, she would be best to comfort him and offer strength," Spock explained, "And she does possess the capability to incapacitate large numbers of opponents. I have seen it myself."
The crew turned to the girl, the small red-haired girl, who was so sweet and quiet and barely looked any of them in the eye or spoke more than a few words…and, apparently, could also take them all down in an instant?
"She can?" Kirk blinked.
"Wait, was that…" McCoy looked at Spock, alarmed and shocked at what he was thinking, the Vulcan nodding, knowing what McCoy was referring to.
There had been one time, about a year ago, the infirmary of the Academy had been…flooded…with Cadets, all exhibiting the same symptoms of sluggishness and even of lingering pains of what he'd have termed 'torture' if only there had been physical wounds to confirm it. They had all recovered remarkably quickly, within the hour all of them were sort of…waking up with no lasting effects or permanent damage. It hadn't been something he'd experienced before.
"I requested a demonstration," Spock told the man.
And he had.
The targeting of Cora by the Cadets had gotten so terrible last year that he had requested that she demonstrate her…abilities, to the academic council, under the claims of showing them how she was progressing, her strength, to prove that they had 'gotten their money's worth' as the humans would say. And it had partially been for that. The council had agreed and Cadet 'volunteers' were brought in, volunteers he'd had a hand in selecting. Very specific ones.
The council had requested her to demonstrate three emotions on the gathering of Cadets, mostly males, and she had. She'd selected happiness first, sheer and utter joy, the Cadets starting to laugh and smile and cheer as though in victory of something they didn't know. Which was a testament to her true personality that the first thing she thought to bring up in another was happiness and warmth. HE himself had requested the next emotion, sorrow, which Cora had taken only a moment to pause at before she began...and the men started to weep utterly, turning to each other for a comfort that didn't come, reducing them to whimpering masses. And finally, the council had decided the last 'emotion' if it could even be called that, there wasn't a specific one they'd asked for as they'd merely told her to...incapacitate the Cadets using their emotions only. They needed to know that, in an extreme situation, she would be able to help negotiators and their allies escape, holding back the ones attacking, stopping an attack to give them an advantage. They knew that the Empathics of her planet were capable of it, that was how the Fleet had failed the first time in attempting to free Hestia, but they needed to know that SHE was capable of it as well.
Cora had been…hesitant to do so, the only form of incapacitation she had ever been exposed to was…pain. Crippling pain. But the council had forced her hand and…before their eyes at least few dozen young men were screaming and on the ground, writhing in an agony that Spock knew was only a fraction of the pain Cora herself had endured, she had told him she could only inspire emotions that she herself had felt, but he knew it was enough of a shock to the Cadets to keep them from ever going after her again.
It lasted only moments, Cora unable to maintain it on Cadets, not wanting anyone who wasn't an enemy openly attacking her or threatening the people she cared for to suffer so badly. 7 seconds, of pain, that was it. Because those men and women, they weren't the enemy, they were her fellow Cadets, she couldn't push past what she felt off them. He had realized afterwards that another aspect of it, was that SHE felt their pain reflected back at her in them. It was why Empathics had, originally, been such a peaceful people, they fed off each others emotions, to hurt another was to hurt yourself. Her people operated on a belief similar to the Vulcans in that regard, where he and his people believed the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, her people felt that the pain of the few was the pain of the many and the joy of the few was the joy of the many, what one felt they all felt to a degree. She...could fight through it, she could have continued the 'torture' as the Mas'heirs had often had Empathics do such things to get what they wanted out of an enemy, but that was the point. The Mas'heirs would force her, she was NOT being forced to continue it now, NOW she had a choice of when to stop. And the council had only asked for a demonstration not an entire run of it and had ended it after seconds.
"I…am not comfortable with this plan," Cora murmured, looking away, not liking to remember the more negative emotions she was capable of producing in others.
"Wait, you're telling me SHE…" Kirk pointed at Cora, "Can take down Romulans?"
"She could 'take down' as you say, you Captain," Spock stated.
"No way," Kirk shook his head, completely NOT believing it. Cora was like this...slim slip of a girl!
"Cora?" Spock looked at him, somewhat expectantly.
Kirk started to nod, seeing what Spock was subtly asking, but where Spock was asking her if she would be willing, he wanted more of an actual attempt, "Ok, let's see it."
"Captain Kirk I…" she shook her head, "I cannot attack a superior…"
"It's ok," he cut in, "I give you full permission, do what everyone here wants to do to me."
She bit her lip, "I really don't believe sir, that…"
"Cora," Kirk cut in with a gentle order, "Do it."
She let out a breath, seeing the command in it, and held out a finger towards him. He stared at it a moment, not sure what she was doing before shrugging and reaching out to touch his finger to hers…
Before his back arched, his entire body seizing, his head jerking back as the veins popped in his tensing neck, his eyes flew open and he screamed, falling to his knees and pulling his hand away from Cora's finger, panting as the pain subsided. That was...intense...the worst pain he'd ever felt in his entire life, and he'd taken quite a few beatings in fights back home. That was...excruciating, just...radiating through his entire body, immobilizing him, disorienting him, clearly weakening him. He felt his ears ringing, his limbs felt like lead, he felt like every breath hurt...
"Well I'll be damned," McCoy breathed, staring at Cora with wide, awed eyes, as was the rest of the crew, completely stunned that THAT girl had been able to take down a fully grown man with just a single touch.
"It's…it's stronger with touch," Cora murmured, shifting as she glanced at Kirk, trying to send him relief and comfort and strength to make up for the pain he'd just endured.
"You can do that without touching me?!" Kirk looked at her, holy flying hell! Damn, he was never ever judging a book by its cover again. Jeez...he was...NOT expecting that from Cora, that intense of pain or that much of it so quickly. But...he was starting to feel a bit better, stronger, and he knew it had to do with Cora, it seemed she could make someone feel stronger the same way she could make them weak.
Cora just nodded and looked down, Uhura staring at her, completely stunned…to know that girl could have, at any moment, retaliated against her digs with something like that…she really had been a terrible person to her, when Cora was just…trying to be better than the pain she felt. It really...spoke to the sort of person Cora as to refrain from doing something like that to the ones who were so unkind to her. She had...remarkable strength, inner strength. And she flinched to know it was because of the Mas'heirs. What Cora endured at the Academy, from her and other Cadets, was never and would never be as terrible as what her masters had put her through. She should have thought like THAT, thought of how strong Cora was to even be alive, instead of seeing her as weak and spineless to not fight back.
"Damn," Kirk pushed himself to his feet, "Now I get it."
"Get what?" Sulu frowned.
"Why she's here," Kirk said, "On the Enterprise," he added, "Newest ship gets the best weapons."
"I am not a weapon," Cora said quickly, not wanting to think of herself like that. A tool...fine, she had come to accept that was how the majority of the Fleet would see her, but a weapons...that was something she refused to be. She was meant to negotiate and keep peace, not attack others for no reason.
Kirk held up his hands, "I meant secret weapons," he winked at her, which made Spock frown at the gesture, one he had seen Kirk give to many girls around the Academy. He whistled, "You are an impressive little thing," he eyed Cora.
"Captain," Spock cut in, pulling Kirk's attention (and eyes) away from Cora and back to the matter at hand, "Does she have clearance to join us?"
"Oh yeah," Kirk nodded with a pleased grin, like a little boy who had just been given the means to sneak out or break the rules, "Mr. Sulu…" he turned to the man, "Plot a course for Titan, Scotty prepare the transporter."
Sulu nodded and got to work, the rest of the crew falling into their tasks, preparing the Enterprise for their warp, Scotty rushing out to go get everything prepared.
"Mister Spock, Cora," Kirk turned to them once the crew was in order, "With me," he strode out of the room, the two others heading with him.
"All stop in three...two...one," they heard Sulu over the comms. as they headed down the halls, "Give me one quarter impulse burst for five seconds. I'll do the rest with thrusters, on my mark."
"Aye," Chekov replied.
"Fire," Sulu reported just as they entered the transporter room, "We are in position above Titan."
"Really?" Scotty called from his place at the controls, "Fine job, Mister Sulu. Well done."
"How are we, Scotty?" Kirk asked as they entered.
"Unbelievably, sir, the ship is in position."
"Whatever happens, Mister Sulu," Kirk called into the comm., "If you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still onboard. That's an order."
"Yes, sir," Sulu responded.
"Otherwise, we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back."
"Good luck."
Kirk turned and got on the transporter, looking over as Spock and Cora joined him, "Mr. Scott," Spock turned to the man as they took position, "Should anything happen, you are to beam Cora back onboard first and foremost."
Scotty glanced at Kirk who nodded, "Do it."
Scotty nodded, "Aye sir," he started pushing buttons to prepare.
"I…really am not comfortable with this," Cora murmured, "Empathics are not to cause harm…"
Unless the Mas'heirs forced them to.
"This is not causing harm," Spock looked at her, making her turn to him for his words, "This is…defense, this is rescue, this is…about strength," Kirk watched, a little amazed, when Spock reached out and took Cora's hand, "This is about you being stronger than the Mas'heirs Cora, being stronger than anyone who would wish to harm you out of a sheer desire for control and power," he looked at her, "You ARE stronger than them. If you can face this enemy, you can face them."
He knew it was a hope that, one day, her planet would be liberated, freed from the Mas'heirs' control, returned to its former glory, it was what all her people hoped for, but weren't strong enough to do. The Mas'heirs were…immune to pain, there was no way to fight back against them. And Empathics, while merely not wishing or enjoying causing pain or harm, were forbidden to kill, not from Mas'heir teachings but from their own way of life.
Cora took a breath and nodded, she…could do this. She could prove that she was worth something, that she could help, that she could fight back. That she wasn't weak and submissive, that she was strong, that...that she was worthy enough to be the mate of a strong man like Spock, "Ok."
"If there's any common sense in the design of the enemy ship, I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay," Scotty told them, "There shouldn't be a soul in sight."
"Energize," Kirk called and the transporter kicked in.
The trio appeared on the cargo bay of the Narada…unfortunately right in the middle of a horde of Romulans who began to fire at them.
"Down!" Kirk shouted as they all ducked for cover.
"Captain, we have Starfleet officers aboard the ship," he heard one of the Romulans report, "One of them is Vulcan!"
"Cora!" he turned to her, not willing to allow the others to make more calls for backup and, a little bit, wanting to see exactly how many she could take down in one go.
Cora swallowed hard but stood up, throwing out her hands, the men watching in awe as the Romulans just…seemed to keel over.
"Did you…" Kirk slowly stood, staring at a nearby Romulan, lying there with his eyes closed, unmoving.
"No," Cora shook her head, "Empathics are not to lie, cause harm, or kill," she murmured, glancing at them, "They are…exhausted," it was the one emotion she could think to use that wouldn't semi-cripple her in the process of using it on so many. Exhaustion, that deep rooted weariness in your soul that made your body just too tired to keep going...that was the only other way she could work out to stop them without killing and without harming.
Kirk let out a laugh, "They fell asleep on the job?" he whistled, "Someone better get fired."
"Captain," Spock cut in, reminding him of the mission.
"Right, if you would, Mister Spock," he gestured to one of the fallen Romulans.
Spock walked over and knelt down, placing his hand to the man's temple, reading the mind, not quite on the level of a full mind-meld like he'd had with Cora, but just...using his touch to connect to the man's mind. It was actually…better that Cora had simply put them to sleep than for the men to be killed as they would have been forced to do without her there, while asleep the mind was less protected, the surface thoughts easier to read.
"Do you know where it is? The black hole device?"
"And Captain Pike," Spock nodded, standing and leading them off.
They paused only a moment, hearing a buzzing echo through out the ship as Kirk's eyes widened, recognizing it from Vulcan, "They've started up the drill!"
"Which means our communication and transport are inoperative," Spock agreed.
"I can sense more Romulans coming," Cora cut in, glancing back over her shoulder, able to feel the anger of others approaching, "We must make haste."
Spock nodded, "Follow me," he led them through the ship, knowing the layout of it now from the Romulan's mind. He led them down the halls and into a vessel that was attached to the ship, seeming to be of a different make than the rest of the architecture was, a different ship entirely, one that...bore a resemblance to Vulcan ships. And in the middle of the room, was a tube with a large ball of some sort of red substance suspended in it. It was a very…advanced spaceship, "I foresee a complication. The design of this ship is far more advanced than I've anticipated."
"Voice print and face recognition analysis enabled," the computer spoke above them, "Welcome back, Ambassador Spock."
"Ambassador?" Cora frowned, looking at Spock, confused.
"Wow," Kirk began, his voice tense, "That's weird."
Cora looked at him, sensing something…off about him. It was like he was hiding something, "Captain Kirk do you know…"
"Look at this ship…" Kirk cut in, shaking his head subtly at Cora not to say anything.
"Computer, what is your manufacturing origin?" Spock called.
"Stardate 2387," it replied, "Commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy."
Spock frowned, that had to be impossible now that Vulcan was gone, even with the chance of rebuilding their people the Science Academy would be nowhere near capable of building a ship like this even by that date, and turned to Kirk, picking up what Cora had, "It appears that you have been keeping important information from me."
"You'll be able to fly this thing, right?" Kirk asked instead.
"Something tells me I already have."
"Good luck," Kirk smirked, "Cora, with me," he turned to lead her off.
"Jim," Spock called, halting them a moment, "The statistical likelihood that our plan will succeed is less than 4.3 percent…"
"It'll work."
"All I ask, Captain," Spock continued, "Is that you protect Cora, while I am here and unable to do so myself."
Kirk looked at him, far more serious than Spock had ever seen him, "With my life, Commander."
The men nodded and turned to go, Spock grabbing Cora's hand to stop her a moment, looking at her, squeezing her hand as he gave her a nod. She smiled, nodding in return, before she turned to go, Spock watching her leave till she'd disappeared.
"I will protect you too, Captain James T. Kirk," Cora said as she and Kirk turned a corner.
Kirk gave a little snort, "Oh I'm definitely going to love you when Spock rubs off on you aren't I?" he murmured.
"I do not understand how he could 'rub off' on me," Cora frowned.
Kirk laughed, "And so it begins."
~8~
Kirk and Cora cautiously entered the drill area of the ship, Kirk holding up a hand to Cora, silently telling her to stay back, stay hidden, as he stepped out, spotting Nero, and held his phaser up to him, "Nero order your men to disable the drill or I will…"
He spun around, hearing a grunt, and saw another Romulan, with a weapon in hand, just behind him. But his back was arched, his neck bulging, eyes wide, arms out, before he fell to his knees, panting, and fell to the side, shaking. He looked past the man to see Cora had stepped out of the shadow with her hand out, having stopped the Romulan from attacking him. He nodded at her in thanks and turned back to Nero.
"I know your face, from Earth's history," Nero spat at him, before jumping off his higher platform, stalking towards him.
Kirk turned to Cora, "Find Pike!" he ordered, before facing Nero once more, starting to fight the man as Cora ran off, not wanting to just…abandon him…but following her orders.
She could still hear the fight going on above her as she ran to try and find Pike, following a sense of…pain that she was picking up, "James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man," she could hear Nero baiting, "He went on to captain the USS Enterprise, but that was another life. A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father!"
She was about to turn back and help Kirk, hearing the man cry out in pain, when the ship jolted and a Romulan called over the comms., "Captain Nero, the Vulcan ship has been taken, the drill has been destroyed."
"Spock!" Nero shouted, leaving Kirk as he ran off, "Spooockk!"
"Spock!" Cora gasped, rushing after Nero, wanting to help Spock, to stop the man getting to him or attacking him, but Kirk grabbed her around the middle before she could pass him.
"Cora!" he pulled her back, "You can't go after him!"
"But Spock…"
"Will be fine," he reassured her, "Pike won't be. Now come on," he turned to lead her away, "Cora please," he turned to her when she refused to move, "He asked me to protect you," he reminded her, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye, "I protect you, you protect me, right?"
She swallowed hard, before nodding, "This way," she took his hand and pulled him off, "I can sense Pike…he's hurt…"
"Lead the way," he agreed, rushing after her as she led him through the ship, him blasting a Romulan here and there as they passed one or two.
"Captain, I've picked up another ship!" a voice reported over the comms. and the ship shook once more, more violently than before, and they both knew it was the Enterprise attacking this time.
"There!" Cora shouted, pointing at a man lying on a table.
Kirk fired at a Romulan standing over the man, Pike, and ran over with Cora.
"What are you doing here?" Pike groaned.
"Just...taking a leaf out of Cora and Spock's book and following orders," Kirk muttered, working on getting the straps loose.
Cora turned around, throwing out her hand and a Romulan that had been sneaking up on them, fell to the side, knocked out.
Pike let out a pained laugh, making Cora turn to him, rushing to his side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, slowly moving his arm around her other one as she fed him strength and comfort, blocking out the pain he was feeling, "Knew you were something special," he muttered, "You Empathics."
"Enterprise go!" Kirk ordered as he and Cora got Pike off the table, the three of them surrounded in the lights of a transport.
They reappeared on the transporter pad of the Enterprise, Cora letting go of Pike to turn and throw herself at Spock, not caring if the hug was a bit too much for the Vulcan who had appeared beside them, just…relieved to know that he was alright. They had heard other transmissions, that Spock had taken the other ship and appeared to be flying it at the Narada, ready to detonate the 'Red Matter.' She knew that was the plan, Kirk had discussed it as they walked down the halls earlier to get to the transporter room, to have Spock beamed out before it hit, but she still worried.
"Nice timing, Scotty," Kirk smiled.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Scotty laughed, "I've never beamed four people from two targets onto one pad before!"
"Jim!" McCoy ran in.
"Bones!" Kirk smiled as the man ran up to take Pike from him.
"I've got him," McCoy nodded.
"That was pretty good!" Scotty cheered.
Cora smiled and ran over to him, "Thank you Montgomery Scott," she hugged him.
"You can call me Scotty, lass," he laughed, winking at a rather cross-looking (or as cross-looking as a Vulcan could be) Spock, whose lips had pursed at the sight of her hugging another man, the beginning of the mating still fresh for both of them.
"Cora," Spock called as she pulled away to follow him and Kirk out of the room, back to the Bridge.
"Captain!" Chekov called as they entered, "The enemy ship is losing power. Their shields are down, sir."
"Hail them now," Kirk ordered as he, Spock, and Cora stepped up, though Cora stood a bit behind Spock on his side.
"Aye."
The crew gathered to watch as Nero appeared on the viewscreen, a black hole appearing behind inside the Narada on another screen.
"Cora?" Kirk looked at her, "You are our Negotiator."
She blinked, Kirk had to know that her 'skills' at influencing others did not work if she was not in range of them, as she was not now, but...she realized, perhaps this wasn't about influence or negotiation, he knew the Romulans wouldn't accept the offer, but...it had to be made anyway. So she nodded and stepped up, "Captain Nero," she began, knowing the crew was watching her, knowing that her display with Kirk had made them aware of her worth to the Fleet, but wanting to prove herself as well, her own self and not her abilities, "Upon request of Captain James T. Kirk, the USS Enterprise would like to offer you assistance. Your ship has been compromised and is too close to the black hole to escape without us. Should you agree to surrender, we shall assist you. Do you accept?"
Spock frowned, "Cora…what…"
"Compassion, Spock," Cora glanced at him, "Peace if often brokered on compassion and empathy."
"It's only logical," Kirk smirked, "Don't you like it?"
"No, not really," Spock shook his head, "Not this time."
"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times," Nero spat, "I would rather die, in agony, than accept assistance from you."
"You got it," Kirk nodded as Cora frowned, even though she knew this negotiation was likely to fail, she was still disappointed it was happening, Kirk had really only asked her to speak to Nero because he knew with his lack of training and control he'd insult the man and they didn't want the Narada to attempt firing at them as they were being sucked away with what little weapons they had left, "Arm phasers, fire everything we got."
"Yes, sir," Sulu nodded, the crew getting back to work at firing at the Narada, watching, pleased, as it was sucked back into the black hole.
"Sulu, let's go home!" Kirk ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Sulu grinned…but the ship just kept getting closer to the hole.
"Why aren't we at warp?"
"We are, sir," Chekov reported.
"Kirk to Engineering," he turned on the comm., "Get us out of here, Scotty!"
"You bet your arse, Captain," Scotty called back, "The gravity well has got us!"
"Go to maximum warp. Push it!"
"I'm giving her all that she's got, Captain!"
Kirk looked up as the Bridge began to crack and creak, "All she's got isn't good enough. What else you got?"
"Ok. If we eject the core and detonate, the blast could be enough to push us away! I cannae promise anything, though!"
"Do it, do it, do it!"
They watched on the screen as multiple warp cores fell out and towards the hole, igniting, the shockwave pushing the ship just out of grasp of the hole as the crew cheered, the ship flying safely away.
~8~
"Ambassador Spock," Cora called as she entered the Hanger of the Academy, having spotted the older man who looked just like Spock walking ahead of her down the hall. She felt a bit like Spock in that moment, to have worked out who he was using logic alone. The ship her Spock had flown had called him 'Ambassador Spock' and Nero knew a Spock clearly from the future as her Spock had never met the man before and to see an older man that she KNEW was him...logicially, who else could it be?
The man paused and turned around to see her standing there, "How did you know it was me?" he had to ask, there were numerous Vulcans wandering around the base at the moment, some as old as he was.
"I recognized your ears," she gave a short nod to them.
Spock lifted his hand to touch the tip of one, feeling a smile come to his face at that, at such an odd thing to recognize him by yet...oddly intimate and touching to know. He knew who she was, Cora, the Empathic, he'd seen as much in Kirk's mind, seen a familiarity between his younger self and her, interactions between them that Kirk had noticed, and he could guess what was shared between them, "You are Cora."
"You are Spock," she countered, "An older one, from another reality," she tilted her head, "Have you...met me?"
His smile turned sad, "No, I have not. Not in all my travels," he sighed, "I feel quite distressed at that knowledge."
"So I am not your mate in your world," she murmured.
He eyed her, his eyes a bit wider than before as he realized exactly what his younger self must feel for her, to select her as a mate, "I am afraid not."
She nodded, almost as though she were expecting that, it was sort of TO be expected though. She knew enough to know that the attack on the Kelvin had been what implemented the acceptance of the Empathics back into Star Fleet after so long, and if the attack had never happened in that Spock's reality, why would she be in the Academy in that world? And, as Spock, HER Spock, had remarked, it was an alternate reality, one that was unlike their own, things WOULD be different. She was...saddened though to know that this Spock hadn't met her, that her other self hadn't met him either, he was...such an important part of her life she felt a profound loss for her alternate-self, to know she had missed that.
She glanced at him again, "Were you happy?"
He blinked, feeling himself start to smile once more at her question. Anything at all she could have asked about the future, perhaps even about her own planet as, while he had never met HER he DID know of Hestia, and she chose to ask a question focused solely on himself.
"At times," he nodded, "Less so than I believe I shall be now," he added, noticing a faint pink tinge to her cheeks.
"That is...why I sought you out," she admitted, "I can sense your desire to speak with...um, MY Spock, to offer advice and counsel. There are...two factors I believe you should be made aware of before this happens."
"And what are they?" he inquired.
She bit her lip a moment, before taking a breath, "As an Empathic...I am contracted to Starfleet, I...cannot leave," she told him, so he would be aware. She waited, seeing if he would pick up what she knew HER Spock would from her words. He gave her a small nod, implying he had gotten the message.
"And the second?"
"It will...hurt him, my Spock, to return to a Vulcan colony."
"How so?" he frowned, a little surprised she had guessed about the colony, yet realizing it was a fairly obvious decision for the Vulcans, to try and rebuild somewhere.
"Should I be allowed to join him...unlikely," she reminded him, "He would be forced to endure what he had as a child. Torment, harassment, bigotry, for his choice in mate," she sighed, "I am...not a mate the Vulcans would find acceptable, despite Spock finding me so. They will not make it easy for him to return, they will target me as the Cadets used to and...my Spock will not be able to endure that. It is different for an instructor to protect a Cadet, it is another for a Vulcan to defend his mate. I...do not wish to see him hurt, physically or otherwise."
Spock stared at her a long while, seeing what she meant. An Empathic would be the farthest thing from an acceptable mate as a Vulcan could get. Their people would find no end to the faults they could point out in Cora. They would harass him, as she'd said, citing it was his human weakness that had allowed him and driven him to select such a mate. All that would be served by his younger self returning to a Vulcan colony would be a loss of all the progress he could see his younger self making and understanding he was coming to in Kirk's mind. And Cora...she merely did not wish to see him suffering and enduring what he had all his life on Vulcan.
It had taken him years to reach the point he was at now, where he could smile and joke and express himself as openly as he did with another species. He could already see that forming in the Spock he'd glimpsed from Jim.
And it was all because of Cora.
The girl who could neither leave the Fleet nor would be welcomed by his people. Which really left only one option, one piece of advice he was already planning on giving his younger self anyway.
"I understand,'" he told her.
Cora smiled, "Thank you," she remarked, giving him a slight bow of the head, before turning to go, knowing the next conversation the man had would be a private one between him and his younger self.
~8~
Spock wandered the Hanger of the Academy, having returned to the Academy with the rest of the crew, searching for Cora, whom a few Cadets had mentioned seeing in the Hanger speaking to a Vulcan elder...and he wanted to ensure she was alright. He knew that, though they recognized Empathics as being assets to others, Vulcans did not hold much esteem for her species and how emotional they were. He frowned, when he saw an older Vulcan man wandering with his back to him, a familiar one, "Father?" he called.
But when the man turned around…he saw it was not his father…but HIM. And older, him…a future him. And he knew it was the man Nero had been after.
"I am not our father," his future self stated, "There are so few Vulcans left, we cannot afford to ignore each other."
"Then why did you send Kirk aboard, when you alone could have explained the truth?" he wondered, realizing now why Kirk was so determined, why he'd appeared and seemed to know what to do, why he'd acted so…differently and more familiar towards him upon his return.
"Because you needed each other. I could not deprive you of the revelation of all that you could accomplish together. Of a friendship, that would define you both, in ways you cannot yet realize."
"How did you persuade him to keep your secret?"
"He inferred that Universe-ending paradoxes would ensue should he break his promise."
"You lied."
"Oh, I...I implied," his older self grinned.
Spock felt his mouth twitch up at that, he had…implied a thing or two with Cora as well in the past, "A gamble."
"An act of faith. One I hope that you will repeat in the future at Starfleet."
"In the face of extinction, it is only logical I resign my Starfleet commission and help rebuild our race with my mate."
"And yet, you can be in two places at once, and Cora cannot leave Starfleet," he reminded his younger self, also making him aware he knew of the bond that had formed between them, "I…see how you are with her," he had seen it in Kirk's mind, the small touches, the glances, he'd seen it himself lurking about, how differently his younger self acted around her, "I believe she will be…good for us."
Spock frowned, "Is she…not with us in the future?"
"She never was," his older self said, "A fact for which I feel I will be infinitely disheartened about."
Even now he could see a change in his younger self…a subtle shift in him, an acceptance, a new…faith.
"It appears Nero altered more by his appearance than originally thought," Spock murmured, wondering if Nero's presence had had something to do with Cora's induction into Starfleet. He…could see a few points of reason and logic behind it, how it would be possible, but there were too many variables. Whatever the reason was, he found…he was glad for it, for that aspect of Nero's appearance at least, that he had come to find Cora through it all.
"I urge you to remain in Starfleet with her," his older self continued, "I have already located a suitable planet on which to establish a Vulcan colony. Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor. Put aside logic," he glanced past his younger self's shoulder, causing Spock to turn around and see Cora had wandered into the Hanger, looking for him this time but had not spotted him yet, "Do what feels right," Spock turned back to him, nodding, "Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say good luck," he held up the Vulcan hand gesture of parted fingers, Spock returning the gesture as the man turned and left.
Spock watched as his future self, a version of it anyway, walked off, before he himself turned and went back to Starfleet, to Cora. His future self was correct, Cora was bound to Starfleet and would not consider herself allowed to or be able to bring herself to leave, and he…could not leave her.
Not now.
He was certain...not ever.
~8~
Spock and Cora stood proudly with the other Cadets, the other members of the Enterprise, as they watched Kirk being addressed by the Academy council, for a completely different reason than before.
"This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk," Barnett stood before him, "Your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades is in keeping with the highest traditions of service, and to reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew, and the Federation, it is my honor to award you with this commendation. By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby directed to report to Admiral Pike, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief."
Kirk turned and walked over to Pike as the man sat in a wheelchair only a few feet away, "I relieve you, sir."
Pike smiled at him, "I am relieved."
"Thank you, sir."
"Congratulations, Captain. Your father would be proud."
Kirk smiled and nodded at that, turning to look at his crew as they clapped for him, Cora and, surprisingly, Spock, among them.
~8~
"Engineering thrusters and impulse engines at your command, sir," Sulu called as he sat at his pilot's controls on the Enterprise.
"Weapons systems and chutes on standby," Chekov reported.
"Dock control reports ready, Captain," Uhura turned to smile at Kirk as he entered, wearing a gold Captain's uniform.
"Bones, buckle up," he patted McCoy on the shoulder as he passed, before calling into the comms., "Scotty…how we doin'?"
"Dilithium chambers at maximum, Captain," Scotty called back, before shouting at Ensign Keenser, his little friend from the Starfleet outpost he'd been stationed at, "Get down!" as the comms. cut.
"Mister Sulu, prepare to engage thrusters."
They looked over as the doors to the Bridge opened and Spock stepped in with Cora, "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" he requested, more for himself than Cora, who was still deemed a member of the crew and officially assigned to the Enterprise.
"Permission granted," Kirk smiled.
"As you have yet to select a First Officer, respectfully, I would like to submit my candidacy. Should you desire, I can provide character references," Spock gave the minutest of smirks, "Or, if you wish for me to display a human tenacity, I could request Cora influence your acceptance."
Kirk laughed, "It would be my honor, Commander. Cora," he nodded at the girl as she smiled, "Maneuvering thrusters, Mister Sulu," he turned to the pilot, moving to take his seat as captain, Cora moving to sit beside Spock, the two smiling at each other as they prepared for their next adventure.
"Thrusters on standby," Sulu replied.
"Take us out."
"Aye aye, Captain."
~8~
"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new lifeforms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."
To be continued...in...The Heart vs the Body!
A/N: The title might be a bit confusing so all I can say is...for the next story, Into Darkness, we might just see a bit of a...particular Vulcan issue popping up ;) ;) (which will be explained in the next series for those unfamiliar with that 'issue' ;)) As for the sequel, I had originally planned to have up tomorrow, but I want to give a small break between movies, just a day I promise lol :) So the sequel will be up bright and early on Sunday ;)
And if you thought Cora was pretty good in showing her powers to Kirk and stopping Romulans...wait till we see her with Khan }:)
To finish, I just want to say thank you guys :) I'm really so touched that you all have enjoyed the story so far and I'm glad I was able to portray Spock in a realistic way that I hope to continue in the next story and any/all sequels :) I wanted to thank you, to thank anyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything this story, you've officially made it my most 'alerted' story :') It really means the world to me to know you're enjoying it. I love you guys ^.-^
Some notes on reviews...
I can't say for sure if there will be babies, yet. It'll depend on the 3rd movie and my original story and the directions they go. I DO think it would be incredibly interesting to see Spock around a pregnant mate and as a father, being half human and half Vulcan. And a child that is half Empathic, and a quarter Human/Vulcan would be very challenging to write, and I do love a challenge ;)
I think they're making a 3rd movie too, which is awesome :) I've heard that CP and ZQ are contracted for at least 1 more movie ^-^ I do have an original story planned, but I might hold off on it till after the 3rd movie as it's meant to be a nice tie in/wrap up sort of story for the Archives ;) But thanks! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far and think Spock is in character :)
I hope she'll be able to help her people one day too :)
Thanks! I'm really trying to keep Spock as in character as I can, I know he's such an iconic figure in Star Trek that I wanted to try my best to do him justice and keep him believable :) So it's great to know I'm managing it, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far ^-^ I don't think they'll admit to no more movies either, I'm hoping they might admit to no more with the set cast that they have though so I know I can wrap up Spock's story :) I think my original story idea could probably fit in between movies, though I think I'd like to hold it to the end as it was originally meant to be a sort of 'wrap up' story to sort of come full circle with the characters :)
The sequel will be up on Sunday ;) So only about 2 days to go :) For me, doing a show or movie, I'll keep it consistent and do the entire thing one series/movie after another till I've caught up to the current series/movie. At that point it becomes a waiting game till the next series/movie...unless I've decided to end a series at one point even if the show is still ongoing, like I did with my Supernatural story. But for when I actually post the stories, I try to get the next story of it up the day after I end or give only a day in between :) The same goes when I switch fandoms. So, for example, when I finish this series with Spock, the next day I'll be starting my Loki/OC story :)
Thank you! I'm really glad you feel Spock is in character and that the relationship he has with Cora feels natural :) Those were my biggest concerns, keeping him in character and still showing his feelings for another ^-^ I'm really glad you've enjoyed the story so far :)