Ch11: Thinking of You

A/N: Greetings Planet Earth; currently noticing the lack of recent subscriptions and reviews- does no one like me? (Apart from Sarah and Lady E, my loyal supporters) Okay, maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic. This is a two-in-one chap, so I can get numbers back in order after my in-between. Please note the slight POV/circumstance changes, and slight miscalculations of Stardates, apologies. Enjoy earthlings!

Starship Enterprise. Stardate: c. 2258

Chekov's POV:

'I'm losing her, I'm losing her!'

And then, she was gone.

'I lost her.'

No, no impossible, she was just…gone. I dared for just one second to look at Commander Spock. On second was all I needed. He was just…staring, staring at where his mother had been. The woman I couldn't save. Oh god, what have I done? She was dead. And it was my fault. I slumped back in my chair, hopelessly sitting there, as the silence of the transport room became overwhelming. Dr. McCoy and the others got the remaining Vulcans to the Medical Bay, and suddenly, everything felt a whole lot heavier. Distantly, I heard someone call me back to the Bridge. Reluctantly, I got up, and slowly made my way through the dull corridors of the ship. I was too afraid to look at Mr. Spock now; he was a Vulcan, an endangered Vulcan, still, a powerful Vulcan. He would probably kill me. I had failed my job. I had failed, that was not something I normally did, not as far as my job was concerned. What would the others say when I got back?
.

'Hey, you okay?'

I didn't hear Sulu the first time. I just started blankly at my keyboard, slightly unsure if I was meant to do something with it.

'Chekov? Are you okay?'

I turned my head; Sulu was looking at me funny, he seemed concerned, though his quiet voice seemed to be suppressing something. I nodded, my head felt so heavy.

'I'm fine.'

...

After my long shift, I headed straight to the astronomy viewing room. The one place I could be alone and think to myself without distraction. As I entered my pass code in, and stepped into the room, I let out a sigh of relief. The stars tonight were of the Milky Way. It didn't matter which perspective or planet you looked at that galaxy from, it was always beautiful. But this wasn't what I wanted to look at tonight. I adjusted the settings of the control panel, and finally found what I was looking for. The Quam-Pluresastrum Galaxy, one of the smallest star clusters in the universe, but it was the closest one that could be seen from the tiny planet of Galactria. Tess would be watching these stars tonight.

I lay down on one of the squishy couches, and looked up at the wonderful, bright stars and comets. It was a pleasantly comfortable experience, just sitting and staring up into space, but it wasn't the same with Tess. We always used to stargaze when she was around. In our little wooden-house, in the attic, in our rooms, even in the big tree, it didn't matter; I watched the phenomenon of the galaxy, and I had Tess by my side. It was her I needed now; I wanted the softness of the chair instead to be her cool skin, her relaxing presence. As much as I had loved Mama's hugs, I still wanted Tess. She would know how to help fix this situation, she always had ideas, she'd know how to take the weight off my shoulders; she always knew. It had been four years, and everyday, I missed my Tessie even more.

If she were here, she would've been friends with everyone; her sociability had regained itself over the period of time she'd spent on Earth. She could've talked for hours on end with Spock on every possible topic; she could've learned about more Earth cultures, and done research with Sulu on horticulture and other strange things only they could be so passionate about. She'd probably have a few things to say to Dr. McCoy on medical science, and press him with questions on the unique scape of his home state of Georgia. She and Lt. Uhura could have had countless discussions in multiple languages on whatever they wanted to talk about, learning much from each other. And she no doubt would have had a most bizarre interaction with Mr. Kirk, who would probably go insane at Tess' persistent ability to outsmart, or out-do him in an unlimited range of activities. It was funny to think about such things that may have happened, were Tess still here. Had she stayed longer with me, we both would've ended up together on the Enterprise, and things could be even happier still. But she wasn't here, she wasn't on Enterprise, with the crew, she was further away than I ever thought possible.

She'd always had questions about why things from the sky on Earth were as they were, always amazed at how different it was compare to her home planet. It had always been hilarious, whenever her hair had turned bright blue in awe or yellow when she was happy or excited. I missed her colourful moods, the way her hair always changed with them, how her skin glowed white when she had an idea, everything about her. And she was gone; taken away to that Academy on Galactria. I had gained very little out of constant research, in my attempt to find out more about where Tess was.

I spotted out certain stars and travelling meteors that Tess had shown me from pictures. I stared up at the sky for what felt like forever, and hoped with everything I had that Tess was doing the same.

'Where are you Tess? I need you now. I need you to come home. You'd know how to make all this right. Where are you?'

…

Galactrian Academy of Technologies and Science. Stardate: c. 2258

Tess' POV:

I closed my eyes and let the gentle breeze fly across my face. It was one of the only comforts I could find now. Alone. It wasn't like I had anyone to turn to, not even Pacafferos; my kindest relative could fully understand my ways. He'd never even set foot off the planet until he graduated from the Academy, and that sort of travel in itself was rare among our kind. My own experiences abroad, backing up facts of the "oddity" I was, had led to several strange questions from my peers, but other than that, the content of "conversation" I received was hardly as positive.

So, I found myself very much alone for the most part. Which I hardly minded, I'd found out enough about the Galactrian way of life in my first term of "school" than I'd ever thought possible. To me, learning was still a phenomenon that still gave one a sense of unfathomable wonder when new discoveries were made. To the Galactrians, it was just a standard piece of what was already known, and what could be discovered, for the benefit of Galactria, and Galactria only.

While being at he Academy provide a whole new learning curve for me, I still missed Earth, and practically everything in it. All the different sights, sounds, smells, tastes, it had been shockwave on my senses being on the other planet. And it felt like home. Granted, it took some getting used to but, I had fully immersed myself into bringing out my human side. And as soon as I had gotten that opportunity, I had it taken away. There was no written law that said I couldn't be more human, but it simply "wasn't done". I was a freak, a social outcast, I wasn't like the rest. It was exactly how I'd felt when I'd first arrived on Earth, and I'd eventually gotten used to it. But after four years at the Galactrian Academy, I had never really gotten that full sense of acceptance. While I wasn't as self-conscious about my appearance as such, I was fully aware that just being there proved that I was still able to live up to general standards, just not the higher expectations of society, not even within my own tribe.

I began to lie back, when a stinging pain in my back stopped me. The effects of another one of yesterday's "extra lessons" still hadn't worn off on me. The scars would be less painful by tomorrow. Even so, I internally cursed my fellow seniors who had zealously taken it upon themselves to reinforce who was of the higher calibre in the "humble" Academy. And it certainly didn't appear to be me. At all. So, with not a large range of escape options at hand, I often snuck out of the Academy grounds (having worked out after my first term how to disengage the security system to my liking) to explore and find solitude. And it was often in my solitude, I wished even more that I was still on Earth, when solitude was not something I craved so frequently. I looked straight up at the sky, wincing slightly at the fresh scars that ran from my neck downwards. The stars were indeed spectacular tonight. Of all the things I had learned and discovered in my life, the night sky never ceased to amaze me; so many changes were going on right before my eyes, and while I couldn't see it all, the incredible works of the here and now just took my breath away. I glanced at the small clump of trees that surrounded, and decided I wouldn't take the risk of climbing tonight; there was greater chance of further injury that even my heightened abilities could not save me from. So, I rolled around onto my stomach, looking out over the deep blue-green hill at the landscape that was laid out before me, the black, starry sky illuminating the deep curtain over the land. As I picked out a few particular stars to observe, I noticed how brightly they shone, how it gave a sense of comfort. Those bright, shining starts of warmth, just like a familiar pair of eyes I remembered.

'I hope you're still there Pascha, cause I'm coming back…one day.'

Ch12: A Fascinating Revelation

Starfleet, California, USA. Stardate: 2258

Chekov's POV:

The ordeal with Nero was over finally over. Captain Pike had been promoted to Admiral, and Mr. Kirk was now Captain of the Enterprise. For now, we had leave, meaning we could do whatever we liked. My plans of researching and reading were suddenly cut short by Sulu and Mr. Scott forcing me to join them and the others for a celebratory night out.

'Come on kid, you can't say no to this! It's a fun night out with your friends, what else would you do first night back?' Hikaru insisted, as he half pulled me along with him. Even with my classification of a child prodigy, I could find no viable argument against my two fellow crewmen.

'Aye laddie, we're comrades we are.' Mr. Scott added, walking in stride with us. 'Besides, what on earth were you planning to do tonight?'

I struggled to suppress a scowl. They wouldn't understand.

'Just…some research that's all.' I tried subtly. They exchanged glances; my friends were smarter than I thought. Clearly, I couldn't escape them.

'Research? You gotta be kidding me Chekov! What on earth would you want to be studying on leave?' It was hard to tell if he was genuinely surprised, or just being sarcastic.

'Just, stuff. Important stuff Hikaru, you wouldn't understand.' Sulu raised his eyebrows; I'd probably just made the mistake of making him more curious. But I continued with my strategy of being vague. Hopefully it would keep my friends prying any further.

'Oh, alright then, keep your secrets, we'll find out what "important stuff" you're up to lad.' Scotty concluded, as we met Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura. It was strange to see them all out of uniform, particularly Spock, but he still managed to look the same as he was.
.

After we'd finished dinner, Kirk made his way over to the bar, where a group of women were. I heard Dr. McCoy grumble something indistinguishable, as he had more to drink. I was the only one who couldn't drink, which I didn't mind; I didn't want to do something I'd probably regret later. So, I just continued to drink my soda, while listening to whatever the others were talking about.

'Hey Chekov!'

I looked up at Sulu, who looked very cheery. Three guesses as to why.

'So, what was this research you were planning on doing tonight? The so called "important stuff" you mentioned?'

I groaned inwardly, I really didn't want to have to talk about it.

'Well, come on boy, spit it out.' Scotty encouraged. 'Maybe we can help you with something.'

'No Mr. Scott, I don not think you can.'

'Too advanced for us mere mortals?'

'On the contrary Mr. Sulu, we are all living beings; so technically, there is nothing beyond us when it comes to-'

'It was a joke Spock, lighten up a little.' Sulu replied shaking his head in mock shame. Then he turned back to me.

'Come on kid; tell us what you're up to.'

I drew in a big breath, trying to find the right phrase (in Standard) that would make some sense.

'I'm trying to get more information on the Galactrian Academy of Technologies and Science.'

Scotty nearly choked on his drink; Sulu looked like he couldn't believe his ears, Spock and Uhura… I couldn't quite work out their faces. I could only imagine what sort of colour their hair would turn, were they Galactrian.

'You're doing what?' Hikaru spluttered. Spock looked at me curiously.

'For what purpose are you trying to gain information on such a remote planet Mr. Chekov?' he asked.

'I…I'm trying to contact a friend who is currently there.'

'A friend? On Galactria? Sorry, you lost me.' Uhura commented, shaking her head.

'I have a friend at the Academy, who I need to see, at least talk to if I can.'

'Who is this friend?' Spock asked

'She's more than a friend.' I said suddenly, without thinking.

'Whoa, whoa- SHE?' Sulu blurted out, Scotty adding on his shock.

'You have a girl you're not telling us about Chekov?'

'No! Not like that! We were best friends growing up, and I haven't seen her in years, and I just- I really need to see her again.' I tried not to let myself lose it. This wasn't something I'd tell most people. But recently I had come to the conclusion that my crew mates were more than just most people. At least, that's the kind of thing Tess would say.

'Okay, ease up kid, we didn't mean to get you hyped up.' I didn't realise what Sulu was referring to until I noticed I was gripping my glass almost too hard. I quickly let go.

'Sorry. It's just; I don't talk about it much.'

'Well Mr. Chekov, if there is any way we can help, I'd be fascinated to learn of the situation.' Spock said calmly. Uhura nodded in agreement.

'Go on Chekov, tell us about it; you can trust us. Tell us about this Tess.' She offered a comforting smile.

I ran a hand through my hair, not quite sure where to start.

'Well, her name is really Esther, but we nearly always called her Tess. I first met her when I was nine. I was with my father on a Starfleet trip on Earth. There had been an attack on a ship called the Phineas, and…'

'The Phineas? Wasn't that the ship that was destroyed by a mass Klingon fleet?' Sulu asked curiously. I nodded.

'Yes. Not many survived. But Tess was one of them, she was eight years old. Her mother was killed, and her father was taken hostage, believed dead.'

'Jesus.' Dr. McCoy whispered.

'After she was brought to Earth, my father offered to take her in for a while, because he knew her parents, and she doesn't really have any other family willing to take her in. So, Tess came back to Russia with us, and she lived with us ever since.'

'Wow, you must've gotten to know her pretty well.' said Sulu.

'We were best friends.'

'You mentioned she was at the Galactrian Academy, why is she there?' Spock interrupted politely.

'She's half Galactrian, so she still looks like one, and human at the same time.'

'Does she have metamorphic inhibitors?' Spock asked. No one seemed to know what the Vulcan was talking about.

'Yes. Her hair always changes colour according to her emotions. She can't help it, but she's used to it.'

'Fascinating.' Spock mused. I assumed he'd done research on the Galactrians before. I nodded.

'She's a genius too; she could think like me, I've never met anyone like her. We finished school at the same time, and we started thinking about applying for Starfleet.' I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, as I remembered everything that Tess and I had done together, our final weeks.

'But a few weeks before she turned twelve, she got a notice that told her she was to go to the Galactrian Academy for five years, and she didn't have a choice about it. My father and Starfleet appealed for her to stay, but she…' I cursed my voice starting to crack, going up slightly. Talking about Tess was still one of the hardest things I could ever do, which was why I never talked about it. I felt the others were staring at me. I cleared my throat. 'She was taken away by two officials on her birthday. And what made it worse, was that she knew all along she didn't stand a chance against them. She always said she'd come back after the five years. That was over four years ago, I haven't seen her since.'

I opened my eyes, after closing them for only a few seconds, trying to shake away pictures of Tess' final day. My eyes felt watery, I didn't realise how lost I was in thinking about Tess. Sulu, Scotty, Spock, Uhura were all looking down as soon as I glanced up at them. They all seemed…sombre. McCoy shook his head.

'What kind of sick bastards take away a kid like that?'

'Galactrians are very loyal, and firm in their decisions. What they decide is almost always final.' Spock offered. I nodded.

'"A Galactrian never goes back on their word." That's what Tess said.' I added. And it was true; they'd taken her like they said, and Tess was still on Galactria, well, at least that's what I knew. It seemed she wasn't coming back just yet.

'So, they just took away your friend to this institution, and you're trying to get into contact with her?' Scotty concluded. I shrugged.

'Well, yes Mr. Scott. And I've been trying, but it's nearly impossible. I mean, after she left, I thought she'd still talk to me, but she hasn't. Four years and nothing! I don't understand it.'

'Maybe it's because of the distance of planets and difference of communication systems.' suggested Spock thoughtfully. 'There are a number of variables that could be contributing to the inability to contact Earth Mr. Chekov. But inquiries can be made with Starfleet's assistance if you'd prefer it.' I looked up at Spock. He was offering me help. After everything that had happened on the Enterprise, after his mother was killed, partially by my own error, he was giving me a chance to find Tess again.

'Really Mr. Spock? Could you really do that?' suddenly, I could have been as light as a feather. Just the thought of seeing Tess again made my heart feel a hundred times bigger.

'Certainly. It is possible. We'll see what Starfleet can do while we are still on leave.'

'Thank you sir! Thank you, thank you!' I was bubbling now (as Mama would call it). With Starfleet helping again, maybe I'd have better success than I ever did last time. I was going to see Tess again, I was going to bring her back, I didn't care how much longer it would take, despite how much I wanted to see her again, I was not going to sop until I could bring her back. Back to Earth.

Back to me.

…

'So kid, you and this girl, Tess, you were real close huh?' Sulu asked, his voice slurring slightly, but I knew he was trying to be serious. I shrugged as we made our way back to our dorm room.

'Yes, yes we were. My parents said we were almost inseparable. She was my best friend, ever since I met her. But she was so different, but she was sort of like me too. I don't think that makes sense.'

'No, no. you could relate to her. You really liked her.' He reasoned as we stopped outside our door. I typed in the code, and we walked in, both wincing as the lights flicked on suddenly.

'Liked her? I loved her, she was…I don't know, almost like a sister to me.' I sat down on my bed, and put my head in my hands, just because I was so tired. 'Of all the things that happened when she left Earth, I only regret one thing.'

'Yeah? What's that?' Sulu asked as he changed into his pyjamas. I sighed, as I admitted the one thing that had rolled over in my mind every day since Tess left.

'I never really told her…how, how much I loved her.'

Hikaru looked long and hard at me, as if trying to read some message on my face. I couldn't be sure.

'Did you really love her? As more than a sister I mean?'

'Honestly, I don't know. Apart from anyone else, I cared for her the most. And, if I ever saw her again, well, I don't know if she'd still love me back.'

Sulu sighed as he too sat on his bed opposite. He rubbed a hand across his tired face. 'You mentioned several times how she promised to come back, didn't you? Do you think she meant what she said?'

'Of course, I know her well enough to know that!'

'Then I'm sure she'll come back, and from you've said, I think she'll be just as excited to see you too.'

'You really think so Hikaru?'

'If she's anything like you, God forbid, then I think you have little reason to worry.' I thought this over.

'Okay.' I guessed he was right.

'Now stop thinking about everything at a hundred miles an hour in that head of yours, and go to sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow.'

'Doing what?' I asked. Even in the dimming lights, I could swear I saw Sulu break out into a smile.

Relaxing and having fun. 'Night genius.'

I mumbled a weary reply, but before I knew it, I had changed into my pyjamas, and was lying flat on my bed, my last conscious thoughts of seeing Tess again.

A/N: Okay; kinda sappy and lame-ish I know, but I'm tryin to get an idea of how Chekov was still thinking of Tess all that time, even when he was still on the Enterprise. No doubts Tess would have been having similar thoughts. I really should get to bed now. It's midnight, and I've gotta funeral to go attend, so yeah, big day.

BTW: If some of these weird Galactrian names have you baffled, this is how I see the pronunciation:

Quam-Pluresastrum (galaxy) = Quam– Ploor-es- Astrum

Pacafferos (a cousin of Tess') = Pac- Afferos

Hope that cleared up any confuddles among you. Let's just be thankful we ain't all trying to speak in Klingon- that'd be real weird. Next chapter is going ahead just a little bit more in time (think sequel era, yay!). When do you think Chekov and Tess will see each other again, if ever? All will be revealed. Keep the reviews n stuff cumin.

Peace out Earthlings.

G-4077 ;P