Yes! Working on this next chapter! As I mentioned before, a Firefly character is going to be either introduced or hinted! Gawd! I can't wait and I'm the bloody writer!!
Thanks to all of your love peoples!
Disclaimer: These two series/ movies are not mine but I do own the Serenity DVD and I'm a gonna get the Star Trek one as soon as it comes out!
A Reader in the Stars
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Chapter Twelve: Alone
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Montgomery Scott (call him Scotty) was a pure bred Scot and engineer. Machines and the advancement of technology were like a bone to him and he could never get tired of jumping into new and exciting things. That does not mean he was living under a rock or anything. He got along with people (other engineers) and he enjoyed having a drink or two and getting the latest gossip.
Which is why he was currently pacing in front of the entryway of the simulations lab worrying about what Commander Tam would say.
He had just yesterday knocked a commander off her feet, yelled at her, and did a very unmanly thing in fainting. By rights, his mum would have smack his brain out if she found out about this mess. Mum had taught him better when it came to ladies. However that was not the worse part.
The worse part of it all was that the girl was Commander Tam, the most popular commander among the cadets. Rumors have it that anyone who tried anything with her would suffer until he finally quit. Scotty had seen the damage to those that fail the warning. Uniforms being shredded to nothing during laundry, food processors failing to making the basic items, and loud alarms going off at odd hours of the nights were just a few of the tortures he had witnessed. Plus there was that Vulcan commander that rumors says she was dating.
He stifled a whimper. He maybe an honest to god Scots man, but there were some things that can not be ignored.
The door slid open and an annoyed commander looked at him. Scotty nearly jumped out of skin.
"C-commander! I was just about-"
"Quit stalling cadet." She answered drily before she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.
Scotty could already see that a simulation of the ship from the PADD was already on and it looked like she was testing the mobility of it. With a few touches on the panel, the simulation changed to that of the oddest looking warp core he had ever seen. From the information that she had given to him, he understood that she was attempting to integrate the warp core within the ship in order to keep enough energy to do a warp. In a way it was ingenious and dangerous at the same time.
"As you can see, the problem with having a FTL drive on a ship this small is the space. However based on my simulations and the calculations of others, this warp core could probably take this ship to a warp six. I just need someone to build the system." She explained as the simulation showed the warp core system and how it would work.
He could see that there was the main reactor that was set at the back of the second deck where a system of coils is embedded just a meter from the hull along the posterior half of the ship. They connected to the main engine thruster and along the two side thrusters with the odd extended contraptions.
"I see that ye added the extra extending thrusters for the FTL, but the problem ye got here lass is that it's dangerous especially if ye get hit." He said with a nod.
"I understand your concerns; however my question to you is that can you make it?"
Looking over the plans, he had to admit that it was possible for him to make it base on them alone. The commander was a genius in creating a system which would integrate with the ships power source and to have a backup during the warp to keep life systems functioning. A normal star ship would not need it since a normal warp core with a chamber was enough to do both.
"I hope ye got shields to go with it or this ship of yers won't last long with one tiny hit on the hull."
"Don't worry Cadet Scott. The plans are just plans. It's no good if my design for the warp core is impossible. I'm planning to have the shields installed once your experiments are probable." Commander Tam replied with a bitter smile. "The problem you should be worried about is the supplies to do it. I'm afraid the monetary funds are going to be coming from my own pocket and right now, the best I can do is offer you enough to make a small model of the warp core."
"Ye mean this isn't Starfleet sanctioned?" Scotty asked in surprised. He never figured that this wee bit of a lass would want to create a ship for the fun of it.
"While I may be popular here in the academy, Starfleet isn't interested in a star ship this small with a good chance of an exploding ass. Your work on this would be voluntary and only if you have time for it, cadet. I read your file and you are hoping to apply for the Enterprise. I know the captain for that ship and you need to be the best of the best to pull that off." She answered with a roll of her eyes.
"Ye bet yer ass I'm a going there! Have ye seen those plans for her?! She's going to be one well endowed lady! What proper engineer wouldn't want a chance to work under her?" Scotty cried out. He would have continued to rant except a light giggle got his attention.
Commander Tam was giggling and it looked cute on her. Scotty blushed as well and scratched the back of his head. At least she was not offended by his yelling.
"Sorry, but you reminded me of someone else. She loved ships as much as you do. Always defending her baby from the insults that everyone made of."
"What proper engineer wouldn't do that?"
"You're right. She's a proper engineer. She even made a homemade still in the engine room. It tasted like engine grease but it still got the kick." She said with a fond smile. Scotty stared at her for a moment before he fidgeted.
"Would ye like me to make ye one as well? Seeing as ye can't go out and order the real stuff." He offered. She smirked at that.
"If you failed in the warp core, a still would be perfect. Let us discuss about where you'll be making the warp core."
***
The term was almost done for fall. With just two weeks until the break, both cadets and professors were swarmed with work. River was stuck being in meetings after meetings with the other professors of her department discussing about the exams and the final projects. While she cursed in all the languages mentally, she knew she was not the only one to suffer. Spock was dealing with the same with a staff who could barely keep up with him since half-Vulcans apparently have the same tolerance as a full blooded one in physical and mental limitations.
Chekov, Uhura, Sulu, and Scotty were dealing with their own work. Scotty was dealing with his exams (his last ones before he graduates from his masters and actually starts working), making up his transwarp theory, and creating the warp core for River. He had a model working well enough to power a computer but nearly got himself killed with the multiple failures before. When he finally told her, the two celebrated by drinking good alcohol that Scotty snuck in while discussing about what to do about making the real thing.
It ended with nothing but River pouting about her money problems and dragging Scotty back to the hospital for passing out. McCoy yelled at her for getting a cadet drunk (never mind the cadet was nearly thirty) and for drinking underage herself.
Uhura was spending most of her time in the communications labs especially those that were made for long range. From what Spock had been commenting whenever they met, Uhura was showing an amazing talent in deciphering just about anything she hears. From the xenolinguistics to the clicks and chirps of the comm, she was able to understand it all. River often commented that Spock sounded like he was in love and her friend would deny it logically.
"Admiration and pride for a student is a common occurrence for an instructor. Cadet Uhura is one of the first to show complete competence in the field and I have no doubt that her career will go far." Spock had often answered.
"And like the rest of the people here in this academy, she's busting her ass to get into the Enterprise." River grumbled.
Both she and Spock were rather puzzled about the cadets' determination in getting assigned to the Enterprise. For Spock, a vessel was a vessel. While the Enterprise was on the way to be the most advance starship in its class, there were many other starships which were just as fascinating. The only reason he was going to be assigned to the ship was due to Captain Pike whom he respected. River was only joining because Pike asked her and she owed him one for getting her to join Starfleet.
Sulu was spending more time in the simulations labs and working on his doctrine in subspace theory. While flying was his passion, he was interested in other subjects and it was also a way to pacify his parents in being more then a pilot. River sparred and debated with him every chance they had during the term. Spock even joined in and offered to help. It was the first time the half Vulcan actually attempted to be friendly with Sulu since his initial disapproval of him.
Chekov was excited by the tactical exams that he heard about. Although his main problem was communicating with the professor. River found it amusing the way he ranted about the professor being an idiot and what the hell was wrong with the way he says his v's? Sulu had to stifle a laugh whenever the younger male complained and Uhura just smiled. Spock's response was to bring in a translator or to hire a tutor in speaking Standard properly.
McCoy (or as River fondly dubbed him as her Doctor) was immersed in his work. Just about everyone was impressed with him and his work. The only flaw that the staff had with him was that he was friends with Kirk. McCoy himself did not think of it as a flaw but as the inevitable that James T Kirk was and will forever be his responsibility. In fact, he had confided to River that Jim had named him his personal physician. She in turned confided to him that she had changed her own physician to him which caused McCoy to exploded in a multitude of curses before he pulled up her file.
River chided herself later for bringing up the secret since it ended up with a physical.
As for Jim, he calmed just a bit. There was still talk about him with female cadets or some female civilian and there was a fight or two at some random bar, but overall, he was doing well. In fact he was going too well. Already he completed at least two years of work by placement tests alone which scorch plenty of feathers of the cadets who had to work to pass. Not that Jim was a slacker, he worked hard and River had seen the young man studying from a PADD plenty of times. However his laid back attitude that he presents most of the time tends to piss people off.
Looking down at the PADD of her own Serenity, River sighed before placing it down to look at the PADDs that her students turned in on the Prime Directive. Most were the standard bland agreement on the Prime Directive is the correct course of action on an unknown or unFederated planet while Kirk and McCoy had more different and passionate papers. She had graded those first because she knew that they were going to be good. Uhura's paper was pretty damn good when she did the assignment.
A chime interrupted her musings and she called for the computer to open. Listening to the thoughts that entered her mind, she quickly stood and saluted to the man that entered. Admiral Komack gave a nod before he looked around. Tilting her head to the side, she motioned the admiral to sit down and sat after he did. The two stared in silence, eyes locked in a tense moment. The admiral looked away first.
"I believe you understand the reason for my visit." He said gruffly. She gave a nod before leaning back against her chair.
"I do. However I find it unusual that you would go for this course of action." She replied slowly as she gleamed more from his mind.
"This is the military, commander. And we do not deal with problems by dawdling."
"There are those that are better than me for your request." River pointed out quietly. Komack shook his head at that.
"For a mission such as this, you are the best bet. You score the highest in infiltration on the placement tests and the practical when you came. I would consider Commander Spock, however this is a purely attack only mission and it would look bad for Starfleet if the Ambassador Sarek's only son was placed in a highly dangerous situation. Vulcans are known to prefer on defending and the idea of offence as the best defense is not logical for them in a situation such as this."
"There is still two weeks into the term left. I highly doubt that Admiral Barrett will agree for me to leave with little to no excuse on why."
Komack only stared at her before she nodded her head. He had an excuse ready for her and she was slightly impressed that he would think of something clever and simple.
"I believe Barrett will be willing to allow your absence. Understand that no one must know about this. We've kept the situation quiet to prevent massive panic throughout the entire Federation since this type of act hasn't been seen for quite some time."
River nodded at that. She could understand perfectly what he was talking about. Her own memory of the aftermath of Miranda almost made her shudder. Fights had broken out in the Core planets and the Rim ones too. There were many protests and terrorist acts which forced the Alliance to hide behind the military.
"Your shuttle will leave in one standard hour. I suggest that you gather what you need and head out. I'll deal with Barrett for you." Komack said as he got up. She quickly stood and stared hard at the older man.
"Why? You don't trust me."
He was silent for a moment before his lips twisted to a smirk.
"You know why."
"I would still like to hear it."
Komack looked at his surroundings for a moment before something caught his eye. Taking up a PADD that contained the blue prints of the Firefly class ship, he looked and filtered through the information.
"I don't trust you, that is correct. Just about two years ago, you were discovered with no memory and no past. And yet you are a genius at an unparallel level that has not been seen in centuries. Your physical abilities are beyond anything that the human body can do. Plus your psi tests put most of our alien neighbors to shame. No one can be like that without a past. You only know your name. Have you gained your memories of your past yet?"
River stayed silent at that. He chuckled at the obvious answer.
"I would believe you an infiltrator if it weren't the fact that Commander Spock has yet to turn you in. I don't know if it's because you're controlling him or if in fact you are loyal."
"I'm not."
He looked at her in surprise. Raising an eyebrow, he silently asked her to explain which it that she was not to is.
"I'm not loyal to the Federation. Just loyal to my family."
"And where is your family?" came the question.
"Gone."
She could feel his discomfort. He had assumed that her family was dead and she had no desire in changing it.
"Interesting ship. I've never seen a design so unique." Komack stated, changing the subject and the mood.
"I have an engineer create a model of the warp core, but it'll be a while to get the funds to build the real deal." She replied easily. Komack nodded at that as he took a minute more to look at the plans. When he put it down, he began to walk away and out the office. Before he did, he stopped.
"Get out of it alive and the funds are yours."
With that said, he left River with her thoughts.
***
"This is illogical, River."
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders at Spock's statement. Personally she thought that stating the obvious was illogical since she was currently in a starship on a warp eight and there was nothing he could do about it.
"There is nothing illogical about doing my job."
His eyes narrowed just a millimeter and his lips tighten before he continued.
"I find it difficult to believe that Starfleet has an urgent mission for you that requires immediate assistance without acceptable time to prepare. What are you concealing?"
This was the reason why she commed Spock at the last minute. He was just as bad as Simon when it came to her doing jobs by herself. Logically he knew that she was well prepared for anything, but he also knew that Starfleet would use her for something dangerous. With the others, they all accepted her excuses. Well, Uhura looked a bit worried, but River knew that Spock was going to be obsessing about her sudden departure. And her Doctor just looked pissed off. Especially since he found out that she did not bother making an appointment in getting vaccinated for her mission.
"Dammit! Don't go to me if you get something!" were his words.
Chekov and Sulu had been disappointed that she was going to be leaving but had wished her luck in her assignment. Chekov kept on insisting that she made it on time so that they would leave for their road trip. He and Sulu were going with her on a one week trip before they all leave to their respected places. River was going to go to stay with Spock's family during the winter break in San Francisco while the boys were going back to their families. Also Scotty had mentioned that he would be going back to see his family before he came back to Starfleet. River teased that they might get the funds to pull off the real deal. He promised to bring in some more good stuff to celebrate.
"None the less, is it not an ethical issue in using your abilities to determine the state of the starbase?" he inquired coolly.
"Spock, all I'm going to do is talk with the staff," she began.
Well, she wasn't going to talk to the staff.
"I'm going to determine their state of mind."
More like kicking terrorist ass.
"Then I'll determine if some of the staff is better suited for a different position."
Then she'll high tail it out of there with no one the wiser – hopefully.
They stayed silent for a moment before Spock blinked and leaned forwards. River had to grip her hands together to keep from shutting the comm on him. Trying to keep information from her best friend was difficult because she was use to sharing with Spock. It was like that with Simon. So instead of kicking his ass like she did with Simon once, she made sure to be several light years away for a more peaceful confrontation.
"If that is the case, then I will accept your word for now. However, should I find myself correct in my assumptions that you are concealing important information, the phrase 'I'll make you sorry', will be instituted."
Pursing her lips, she could only nod and tried her best not to giggle. Spock could make her sorry when she gets back but hopefully, once he understood the situation, he would come around.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Perhaps the plan of letting things lie with Spock and Uhura could do with a healthy push to distract her friend. Maybe an extended invitation to Uhura to visit her while River was living with Spock's family would do the job.
"All right. Now go do your job. The one where you're whipping half of those cadets to do a decent job in communications."
"Be inform, River. I will have someone listening in on the communications around Starbase 72. It would be a good exercise for one of the more capable cadets to practice in detecting informative chatter." He said with a neural look that looked almost smug. Rolling her eyes, she could only nod.
"Deal. Tell Uhura I said to have fun in listening to white noise." She drawled before turning the comm off before Spock could deny her comment. Not that he would in this case. Uhura was the best and she would be more through then any other cadet in the academy.
River sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. Idly, she wondered if she should cut it when she just realized that she forgot to call Jim. Not that she was leaving him out, but for some reason Jim never stood out to her except for their very first meeting. She could not help but think there was something missing from Jim. He was dedicated but –
Shaking her head, River frowned as she turned the comm on again. Her doctor will get super angry at her if he found out that she forgot to call Jim.
She left a message since he was out. Telling him not to screw around with her substitute and to be good for McCoy. She was about to shut the comm when something came to her. Pausing for a few seconds, she looked back to the comm.
"After this message there will be a file number and a pass code. I know you have been looking for this file ever since you got here. You need a certain amount of clearance for this and seducing cadets with rank aren't going to help you there. Don't think you're fooling me or McCoy. Good luck, Jim. I hope this will make you whole."
Shutting down the comm, River went back to sit on the bed. It would be another ten minutes before they reach Starbase 72. Pulling her knees to her chest, she thought about what it was that Komack was asking her to do.
Approximately six hours ago, there was an attack on the colony near Starbase 72. It was underway before word was reached to the Federation that it had been attacked. Once the word reached to the Federation, the terrorist had already taken control a majority of the colony. When communication had been established, it was revealed that the terrorists were a group of humans who believed that they were a superior species over the rest of the galatical population. They had already killed several alien colonists and displayed them on the view screen.
It was a family that was killed. First they were beaten with fists and feet before it advanced to heavy debris such as pipes and poles. Then the terrorists killed them before the worst came to be. Once the family were dead, their bodies were cut up, their skin peeled back to show the alien organs, and then the bodies were hung upon an arc of a building as a display. This was all recorded and shown to the starbase. The terrorists' demands were for a Federation officer to fly down to speak and sign the terms of the terrorists' contract in claiming the colony as a human only settlement. Additional terms include several known human extremists to be released from Federation prisons and supplies for colonization before the hostages would be released.
If demands were not met in six hours, an alien hostage will be tortured and killed every hour until then.
Looking at the chronometer, River could see that they only have two hours left. Two hours to plan a way to neutralize the threat and save the hostages. There were many plans that filtered through her mind, but she did not feel comfortable in executing them. In the past two years, she had finally gotten use to having someone to help her.
Simon, her brother, had been with her from the beginning, saving her from nightmares, and doing his best to treat her psychosis. Kaylee, the sweet loveable friend who played with her and let her help out in the engine room when Simon didn't pay attention always made her feel warm. Wash the joker never seemed to mind that she was crazy and behaved with her like she was normal from the beginning. Book the shepherd who was always trying to help her no matter how hopeless it seems. Zoe the practical solider who looked out for her and Simon no matter what the Captain was acting understood their situation. Inara who came from the same breed as River and Simon was compassionate of their loss of their old life. Jayne the crude man ape who knew what it means to take care of family admires their sibling bond despite how much danger the two represents for him.
And there was the Captain, the man who took them as his crew, who never left them behind despite everything in his gut that his life would be easier without them.
Now, she had friends she was counting on like Scotty and the warp core. There was Chekov and Sulu whom were her buddies that she out with. There was also Uhura who she loved to tease. Her doctor who never quit grumbling and also made sure that she was physically fine. Jim Kirk who seemed to enjoy teasing and irritating her at the same time was like a different kind of brother. There was Captain Pike who made sure to check on her periodically to see how she was doing.
And there was Spock, her best friend in all the 'verses combined. The one person who understood her best besides the Captain.
However, she is now alone. This was going to be her very first mission. She did not have the insanity that gave her the false courage and adrenaline to do the impossible. She also did not have people she could trust. A part of her wished that she never did learn those Vulcan meditations. At least she would still be crazy to not care about her own safety. Apparently being sane made people think about not only about themselves but of others as well.
"Stupid self preservation instinct." She grumbled. Too bad she couldn't stay as the 'little crazy person' that Jayne always calls her.
***
Looking up at the sky, he marveled how everything looked the same. No matter where he was, the sky was always up there for him. He wished that he could say that he would be up there with the stars, but it was kind of hard with the restraints and the heavily armed crazy people. Plus there was no way he was going to leave with all of these good people being held hostage with him. Especially the kids, gods those bastards had no shame when it came to killing non-human people.
However he was a realist and not a warrior. If he had a gun, he could shoot well enough to kill about five them before they riddle his body with whatever those things they called for guns have. Not that he had a chance to find out. Embarrassing enough, he was napping when the attack start and he was already tied up and hauled away with the rest of the population before he was awake enough to fight back. The bastards had told everyone that no would be killed if they stayed quiet, but one family had been taken away.
All of them could hear the screams and whimpers before the sounds of discharged arms cut it off.
Fury filled his soul for the second time in his life as he heard those screams. They were screams of torture, something he was familiar with for his own experience. He silently cursed the monsters for what they did. The family was a good lot of people. The father had helped him get a job and a place to stay. The mother had sometimes given him a meal which consists of odd but delicious ingredients. And the kids were always interested in his stories.
Now they're gone to whatever Maker that will take them. For a brief moment, he wondered about the religions that exist in this universe.
Whispers and whimpers were all the noise that the rest of the people could do. No one knew what was going on since they been confided to the conservatory made out of glass like material that made it difficult for anyone to come unnoticed. There had been only one announcement from the murders that the Federation was bringing someone to negotiate for them.
No good sons of whores.
Looking up at the sky once again, all he could think was that if only he knew for sure. Knew that there was someone coming for him at the last moment. But he could not find too much hope for it. One day he was living his life normally with just a bit more danger then usual and then the next he was somewhere that was beyond his knowledge. There were aliens living with him! That and he was eating decent food.
"Take my love, take my land
Take where I cannot stand…"
Hope for some reason still took over him. It was a gut feeling that some how, he was going to live through this with everyone here.
"I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me…"
Like hell he was going to live through a Serenity here.
***
Take me out to the black
"Commander?"
Her attention snapped back to the present with the small gathering before. Blinking she thought for a moment that heard something familiar.
"How many hostages do they have?" she asked without any more distractions.
"From the scans alone the number is forty-two."
Less then what she expected. No doubt most of the colonists had managed to escape since they were converged outside of the colony for some odd celebration or another. That meant these terrorists were outsiders who probably chose this colony from its distance and ease of military control.
"However the problem right now is where the hostages are being held."
A vidscreen showed a picture of a glass building. It was a greenhouse full of wildlife from different planets. The shape of the building was a large wide dome. Just about every side and direction of the building was visible by the glass material. River could see the problem but something else tugged her curiosity.
"Where are the maintenance facilities? There has to be something that carries out the water and air." She pointed out.
"There is a small facility about 300 meters from the dome, but it goes underground and the exits into the dome are too close to where the terrorists are guarding the hostages." One officer explained. River waved her hand at that.
"It's fine. Let me worry about that part. Right now, I want ideas on how to get through without the terrorists aware that I'm there."
This order confused everyone in the room.
"But Commander – "
"I have no intentions in talking with those scums. We are the Federation. We will not give into these extremists because they have hostages. Taking them down will be easy enough, the problem lies with getting there." River said coldly with narrowed eyes.
For a moment no one said anything. All of them were frighten and angered that this young girl had the galls to tell them what to do. However she had issue an order and it was necessary that they follow.
"If we stage a crash near the colony, it would get you there."
Everyone turned to look at one officer who wore the blue uniform of the science department. It was Lieutenant Goto who looked slightly bored. He was short with a lean figure and thick messy hair that was not regulation.
"Explain." River ordered.
"We just need to make the terrorists think you crash a shuttle and with an explosion large enough for them to think that you didn't survive it."
"That's ridiculous! No one would believe that any of the shuttles would be faulty from the Federation!" one officer snarled in outrage. Goto just rolled his eyes at that.
"The commander asked for ideas, you got anything better?"
Silence draped over them and the officer who cried out just scowled. River pursed her lips and moved her body side to side before she turned to Goto.
"Do you have anyone in your personnel that is a non-humanoid?"
"Yes, but what do you need them for?" Goto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's true that we can't have the public believe that the Federation has faulty shuttles, however a crash is perfect. We just need to make the terrorists do the job." She said with a smile.
They were quiet before they burst into questions and outrage of the plan. The comments ranged from how the plan would work to questions of her sanity. The only person who was not in frenzy was Goto who was beginning to grin. Obviously he figured out what River was doing and agreed to the idea.
"I'm assuming that my subordinate will be communicating while the terrorists are under the impression that he will be the one doing the talks?" he asked lazily as he leaned on his elbows. River gave a nod at that.
"The terrorists have already proven their brutality over non-humanoid species. There's a high chance that they'll attempt to blow the shuttle from the sky if the officer is not human. What sort of weapons do they have with them?"
"Based on reports, they appeared to have disruptors and some rather outdated missiles. We're not sure how they got the weapons but the disruptors look like their Klingon or Romulan."
River gave a snort at that. Human purists using alien weapons – idiots.
"That should be enough to bring down a shuttle. Do we have anything that can be substituted as an alien corpse?"
All of them were staring her as she was crazy. Even Goto was wondering just what the hell she was going about.
"Are you saying that you're going to let them shoot you down?" he asked slowly. River gave a nod.
"It's possible. We just need something that can fool the terrorists that the other party died in the crash. Getting engineering to alter the shuttle is going to take too long and we don't have time. Once I get down, all communications will be focusing on the terrorists and only on the terrorists. I will communicate when they're subdued."
She could read their thoughts on her plan. They all thought her mad. How the hell would she be able to get out of a shuttle while letting the terrorists shoot her down? There was no way possible that she would get out of there alive.
"There is no – " Goto began. But River just glared at them all.
"That is the plan. You let me worry about the details on the landing. Now, get me a substitute body."
***
Uhura sighed as she rubbed her temples. Sitting in the long range lab was tiring, but she wouldn't get the practice without it. Of course the fact that Commander Spock had subtly asked for her help was just one of the reasons that was keeping her in here instead of going out with her friends. Not that she could blame the commander. Commander Tam's sudden disappearance was disconcerting. Chekov and Sulu were trying to figure out the reason why and Commander Spock could only figure out that Commander Tam was asked to Starbase 72 to conduct internal affairs of the crew. It seemed simple enough except why would Starfleet ask a professor instead of personnel from closer Federation planets?
So far, she only heard the basic chatter that goes through the wireless. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet.
"So listening into the latest news or are we eavesdropping on Starfleet?" a teasing male voice said behind her. Without turning around, Uhura flipped him the bird.
"Nice try Kirk, but don't you have some random female cadet to screw?" she asked drily as she adjusted the channel.
Kirk just smirked as he took a seat next to her. He had a head set on and began to fiddle with the equipment next to her.
"Why is it that every time I see you, you have to be so cold? We're all good friends here." He said cheerfully.
"Try again in the next century. What are you doing here?" Uhura snapped. The man next to her just shrugged his shoulders.
"What about you? Classes ended ages ago. I'm pretty sure that the xenolingistics club has already started."
She sighed at that. As one of the members, she should go; however this was more interesting and better than to remind herself that Jim Kirk was more than a playboy.
"Commander Tam just left three hours ago on some orders to check on Starbase 72. I'm just listening on that sector as practice." She replied blandly. There was no point in giving the man any more information. It's not like he would care that Commander Spock is speculating that something odd was going on that sector. Or that Commander Tam had commed to tell her that she would be gone for the rest of the term.
"But there's two weeks left of the term. Can they do that?" Kirk asked in disbelief.
"Apparently they did." She said grimly. A clatter and a sound of a chair being pushed back caught her attention to see that Kirk was leaving with a grim expression on his face. "Kirk?"
"Anyone leaving for off-world assignments are suppose to check for vaccination, Bones might have seen her before hand." Was the reply before he dashed out of the lab.
Uhura only sighed and shook her head before concentrating on the chatter. She could hear distance and broken chatter of several different communications. There was one communication confirming the flight plan of one carrier. Another was announcing a wedding for a high positioned princess and –
"…half an hour to send someone down before examples are made. Make sure they are of the superior species. We don't want a repeat of Commander Ta – "
"Nyota!"
Uhura swore as she jumped at the sudden contact of her roommate's hug. Looking over at the console she winced to see that her jumpiness had made her turn the equipment off, effectively cutting off the transmission and any chance to record for later use. Also there was that last bit of the transmission that distressing. It seems that something happened to Commander Tam. There was also the fact that the situation near Starbase 72 was not as innocent as it appears. However jumping into conclusions would prove to be fatal. That was one of the lessons that had been instilled into Uhura during all the seminars of the communication track. Her best bet would be to give the information to Commander Spock.
Shaking off her roommate's hug, she turned her attention to the Orion female and listened to the gossip while hoping that Commander Tam was fine.
If not, they were all going to have one angry Vulcan and one angry Russian teen ripping everything in their sights.
***
River was really grateful for the suit that Goto gave her. It was smart of him to think that since the smoke of the burned out hull and wires would have been distracting. And she needed all of her concentration on flying the shuttle since its maneuverability sucked like Simon's flirting skills. Or Spock's flirting skills.
Honestly, she could not wait for those funds to come in. Once she had that, Serenity would be built and she would have a real ship to fly.
Everything was going according to the plan. The terrorists allowed her to come in close with the shuttle before she opened a communication with them, transferring the call to the starbase and forcing one of Goto's men to take it. She had to smirk when she read the outraged thoughts of the terrorists before they ran out to start firing at her.
A few loop to loops, cork screws, and dives made a good show before one shot hit near the engine. Thus lots of smoke and fire filling up the shuttle. Breathing from the compact compartment of oxygen, River put in the coordinates for the crash before she grabbed a pack, strapped on a jacket, and ran to the hatch. Opening the hatch manually, River dived into the open air; keeping her arms tightly pressed to her sides.
The air around her whipped as gravity pulled her down. There was a roar that filled her ears and she could feel her heart pounding so hard that she almost believed that it would pop. However she couldn't help smiling before she spread her limbs apart. The jacket she had put on before she jumped reveled to have extra fabric that billowed with air leaving her with black sails between her arms. This was something she learned from the holovids when she was just learning about this universe. It had fascinated her that people could fly with just a specialized jacket and that they could stay in the air for a long time. Well, it was more to the fact that they were gliding on air currents, but it was still amazing.
Giving herself a quick look at the crashing shuttle, she was pleased to see that the smoke was thick and spreading, leaving her a camouflage for her dark outfit in the sky. Judging by the way it was flying, the shuttle was going to crash about 800 meters away from the colony. That would mean if she kept this up, she would be about 30 to 50 meters from the ship. That would leave her about a half a mile for her to reach the facility.
This was the bad part of her plan. She was now in communication silence and she had no idea how much time she had left before the terrorists start killing another hostage. From the way they reacted to the idea of a non-human officer, the terrorists have just proved that they were willing to kill non-human Federation officers to make themselves serious. There was no need to kill any of their hostages now, but the time until they do would be short.
Adjusting her arms to control her landing, it was a few minutes of riding the air currents before her feet landed roughly on the ground. Taking a few running steps to slow the momentum, River looked at her surrounding for a moment. She was hidden well in a thickly wooded area of the planet. Switching out the jacket for the tricorder in her pack, she scanned the area to see that the life forms around her were not dangerous.
Putting the instrument away, she began to run a hard pace, hoping that no would die before she gets there.
***
Spock did not say anything when Cadet Uhura gave her findings to him during dinner with Chekov and Sulu. The two younger males were discussing about what the transmission could mean while Cadet Uhura just watched him. It found it unnerving that she would stare at him so. Pushing that thought from his mind, he thought back to his memory of River's last communication with him. Her communication with him was that she was to go to Starbase 72 to discuss internal problems with the crew.
However what Cadet Uhura had uncovered was something that differed. It seems that Statbase 72 is involved with a conflict. Base on the transmission alone, he deduced that someone was threatening the Federation and that something must have happened to River or a commander. The whole name of the commander that was mentioned was incomplete thus lead him to another tangent of thought. Also the communication mentioned about a superior species. That was rather vague.
" – and we should take this up with someone who can do something about it!" Chekov snapped. His accent was getting thicker, Spock noted before he raised a hand to command their attention.
"Cadet Chekov, as of now, there is nothing that we can do logically."
This brought in a range of emotion that spread to all three cadets. Chekov looked outraged while Sulu and Uhura looked surprised at his conclusion. Before Chekov could begin ranting in Russian, Spock spoke once again.
"I understand the need to go after Commander Tam; however there are factors that are against us in doing so."
"What do you mean, Commander Spock?" Sulu asked as he clasped a hand over Chekov's mouth. Spock was grateful for the action. Cadet Sulu was close to River; however he was also level headed and listened to others before commenting his opinion.
"First is that Commander Tam was sent on a mission with little time to prepare. The fact that a substitute has been already set suggests that she had no choice but to accept the order."
"That would mean someone from a high position." Uhura said with a frown. Spock nodded at that.
"Correct. There are very few officers in Starfleet that are willing to demand Commander Tam for a mission alone. The next point is the transmission itself. Cadet Uhura, will you please repeat what you remember." Spock ordered. Uhura paused for a moment to recollect before replying.
"The beginning was a fragment, the middle was a whole sentence, and the last part was a fragment. It started out as 'half an hour to send someone down before examples are made.'" Uhura began. Spock held out his hand to stop her.
"As Cadet Uhura has just stated, we can determine that the situation near Starbase 72 is dangerous."
"The phrase examples are made suggest hostages." Sulu said with a frown. Chekov wrenched the hand away from his mouth.
"The hostages are going to be executed. Someone is going to execute hostages." The Russian said angrily. Spock nodded his affirmative.
"Correct. We can assume that somewhere near Starbase 72, someone or a group of someones are holding hostages and threatening to kill them if their demands are not met."
"But what do they want? The last two parts of the transmission only state they want someone of a superior race and that something happened to Commander Tam." Uhura said pursing her lips as her face formed into a frown.
"Maybe these people want to speak to someone that is believed to be superior. Like the Vulcans or the Klingons. These people could be an alien racists group who believe that one race is in fact superior to the rest. There are people here on Earth who do believe that the aliens who have landed here on this planet to be gods." Sulu pointed out. However Chekov shook his head at that.
"That would not make sense to kill hostages. Also, if they wished for a superior alien, Starfleet would have asked Commander Spock instead of Commander Tam." He said while stabbing his food with a fork.
"He's right. Plus something like this would be hot on the comms." Uhura added.
Suddenly Spock understood what was going on. If he was correct, then there was a good reason for everything to be kept a secret. Also it would not bode well for Earth if it reaches out to the comms. It also explained why someone in the high command would want River to take care of the situation.
"Cadet Uhura, the transmission, did the speaker speak in Standard?"
Uhura gave her affirmative on the query. Spock then asked his last question.
"Did the speaker have a distinctive accent to any alien race?"
She frowned at the question, remembering the voice and how it preannounced the words. Then she shook her head.
"No, sir. There was no hint of any – " she began before her eyes widen in horror.
"Uhura?" Sulu asked with concern. Chekov was the next to understand as he began to swear in Russian. The Japanese man only looked at them both in annoyance. "How about a quick statement for the slow one of the geniuses?"
"I assure you, Cadet Sulu. None of us believe that your metal capabilities are deficient. What Cadet Uhura and Chekov are realizing is that what race the transmission was asking for." Spock said gravely. Sulu had the look of a man who was trying to determine if he should feel insulted or just chalk it up that Spock was speaking honestly.
"Sorry, Sulu. It's that these people that are threatening the Federation are humans. And they are most likely supporters of the Homo sapiens superiority group." Uhura explained with a grim frown. Sulu groaned at that. He had heard of such groups before and thought them stupid, but he never thought they would have the guts to do something like this.
"Do you think they killed anyone yet?" Chekov asked in a worried tone. Both Spock and Sulu gave their affirmative. This surprised them both before two different expressions; one was indifferent while the other looked amused.
"Trust me Chekov, Commander Tam is like the genius of all geniuses to exist. I don't know why she's stuck teaching cadets, but if anyone can beat down a group of human racist SOBs, it's her. The situation must have been pretty bad if they needed her in hurry."
"I cannot say that Cadet Sulu has seen proof to his statement, however I agree. There must have been deaths and it would be counter productive if Starfleet uses a force that would make a point to the attackers' agenda. An alien force will only prove a negative light to the Federation as suppression against the human race." Spock began.
"But if a human officer of the Federation were to take the group on their own, it wouldn't be suppression, it would be justice." Uhura finished with a nod. Then she looked at the rest with a worried expression. "Can she take them down? If she was called in, what the hell was Starbase 72 doing?"
All four of them were silent as they thought on Uhura's question. It did not bode well that Starbase 72 was not able to handle the situation without help.
"As I mentioned earlier, there is nothing we can do. Commander Tam is alone now to handle the situation. She will return." Spock said as the others looked to him. Slowly, each of them gave their silent agreement to his statement before finishing up their meal. Chekov and Sulu left together, Sulu suggesting that Chekov do some light workout to get rid of the tension he had build up during their conversation. Uhura was about to leave before she turned to him.
"Are you sure that Commander Tam will be fine?" she asked softly with a looked a concern.
Spock stared down at her and noticed that her eyes were a darker brown then River's. The unique color intensified the whites of her eyes and went well with her features. It was a pity that her lips were tightly pressed for they were usually full and were made for the smiles that he rarely seen. As he thought of her question, he remembered the memories that River shared with him. How she escaped with her brother out of the facility that tortured her. How she managed to kill three men with only one glimpse of the scene. How she defeated a mad man who wanted to capture her. How she defeated a melee of men, Reavers, and Klingons without any harm to herself.
Then he remembered how alone she felt without her family. How she always touched him to reassure herself of their bond. How happy she was in gaining a new friend. How she longed to find her family. How excited she was to start making a new ship. How she felt that he was the only person to truly understand her.
For a moment, Spock had no idea what to say to give comfort to Cadet Uhura. River would be able to understand easily what to say, however he did not have such an advantage. He was half-Vulcan and it was preferred to look into the odds and the facts. Uhura was human. No matter how understanding she was about Vulcan culture, even she would need assurance of a friend's safety.
His body, however, knew what his mind was unable to comprehend.
A hand covered Cadet Uhura's shoulder and squeezed it. A look of shock appeared in those dark eyes of hers and Spock felt himself enjoying the odd look of wonder and something else in her expression. Maybe this was what River felt whenever she teased Uhura. He had to admit that it was a pleasant feeling.
"I cannot say that she will be fine. I can say that Commander Tam will return back to us. She would not say that she would return and fail to do so."
With another squeeze of her shoulder, Spock turned and walked away.
As he left, his thoughts turned on the interaction he just had with Cadet Uhura. It was an interesting interaction with her and he found himself hoping to have more encounters in the future. That is after he finds a suitable punishment for River in concealing such an important section of information of her mission.
***
River felt herself shiver at a phantom chill. For some reason, she felt she was endangered.
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GOD!!!!! Sorry for the late late late update, but my computer contracted a frakkin' worm and I had to kill everything, including the half finished chapter! So it took me two days to decide what to do before I deleted the entire system and reinstalled a new one.
Got myself Windows 7 and it is awesome! Best idea ever! I just felt bad about the chapter.
The original chapter was different then this one and I felt this chapter was the better one. Originally, River was going to sneak in and steal a shuttle, but I felt that it was not going too well. That and she would end up with most of Starfleet on her ass.
I thought about taking this chapter a little bit more, but I felt that you guys waited to long for this and I'll have to put River's meeting with the next Firefly character to the next chapter. I hope you liked the character's point of view.
The next update is another River's Musing and then I'll start on the next chapter.
Just recently watched Serenity and I saw major mistakes on my part. I freaked on it and then decided not to worry. I messed up, but I'm going to deal with what I got.
I like to thank all of the people who reviewed. All of you gave me great comments and pointed out my mistakes. You all helped me make this fic better than I thought it could be.
So just wait for the next part!