Thanks so much to my beta for editing this!
And thank you to those who are still reading, even if you might be a little angry with me :/ Sorry guys, it had to be done.
Here's the next chapter for your enjoyment:
As Nia lifted the glass of water to her lips, she was vaguely proud there was no evidence of trembling or shaking. Being off-planet was helping. Not seeing the smoke and feeling the terror and relief of those around her was allowing her to put space between her and, well, everything.
She turned around and nearly toppled over the small table behind her.
Space between her and almost everything.
She winced and rubbed her now sore shin. Sitting down on Uhura's surprisingly comfortable chair, Nia tried to relax even a little bit. She wondered if this would be easier if she were human.
As a Paladian, loyalty and protective instincts always struck her hard. Wena in trouble? Hunt down her fiancé and break his jaw. In trouble again? Fly halfway across the galaxy to find her and pull her out of the desert. None of it was an issue and never did she second guess herself.
Yet, when the fires burned down part of the settlement the scientist followed her friend's direction and sat back with the other helpless women and children. She sat back and waited to hear the all clear from her friend and now, now Nia was second guessing that decision.
If that wasn't a tell-all, Nia didn't know what was.
Nia wasn't going to kid herself either. Spock had said so himself, it was highly unlikely that Wena was still alive. At this point, Nia was just sitting and waiting for McCoy to positively identify her best friend's remains. If she were human, maybe she would be grasping that small hope like a life line, the hope that her body won't be identified, but alas she was Paladian. And all her Paladian instincts were telling her that she failed to protect someone important to her. No matter if both women had acted appropriately to the situation.
She vaguely wondered what Spock thought of her little emotional display. Surely she made a fool out of herself. Just as she would if she followed up on what her instincts were telling her to do now, to go back down to the planet and dig through the rubble on her hands and knees if she had to.
Yet, this time wasn't as bad as the first. The first time she'd learned of a loved one dying, she'd really flipped. Gone off the deep end and lost-
Layla. Oh no, Layla.
Nia bolted up out of her seat. She shook the snoring Michaels. "Michaels. Wake up. This is important." She shook her harder. "Some chaperon you are. Wake up!"
"What? What? Did something happen? Did they get news?" Michaels asked, grogginess fading away as the brunette sat up.
"No, no it's not that." Nia replied. "I need to find out how Layla is doing."
"Alright, I'll call the medbay and see if they –"
"That's fine, but I'd also like to go down there myself." Nia interrupted.
Michaels eyed her warily. "You sure that's a good idea? I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to leave the ship."
Nia frowned. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Sighing, she shook her head. "No, that probably wouldn't be best. I'm going to contact the bridge. "
With a hand on her arm, Michaels stopped her. "Why don't you let me?"
Still frowning, Nia shrugged. It couldn't hurt. It was only after McCoy was finally contacted that Michaels let Nia have control over the com again.
"Alright, Sargent. What is it?" The CMO gruffly asked.
He must be tired. Nia thought in response to his surprisingly mellow attitude. "I wanted to find out how Layla was doing?"
McCoy sighed. "Your people are the ones handling her, but I believe she is still sedated. Is there something we should know?"
"You know Nethi died?" Nia asked quietly.
"I do, now spit it out." McCoy replied. He had no time for her to beat around the bush.
Nia's lips twitched in an almost smile. "She's going to be very fragile when she wakes up and for a Paladian, that's a very dangerous place to be when pregnant. I know firsthand how dangerous, so you can trust me on that." Her voice broke.
Catching the urgency of what she was saying, McCoy asked "What didn't work for you?"
"Don't leave her alone. Have someone with her at all times, preferably someone she's comfortable with and is in control of their emotions." She took a breath. "My parents would be good choices, since most of the medical staff will be busy. Um, also, don't be afraid to sedate her." Nia winced. That sounded bad. "It's not ideal, but less of a danger to the baby in the long run. Humans can better handle grief during pregnancy than Paladians can."
"I think I understand." McCoy responded. He had access to Nia's medical files. He really shouldn't be surprised she was contacting him like this.
"Good." Nia replied. "That's good." And with that, Nia's short spurt of energy faded away. The once again weary Paladian made her way back to her seat.
Michaels handled the rest of the communication and probably gave McCoy and update on Nia's own condition. The scientist didn't really care and so she wasn't paying much attention.
Finished, Michaels settled in her previous seat. "Alright, McCoy has been notified," she told her. "Why don't you distract yourself for a little while? We can even pull out a couple board games to pass the time."
Nia shook her head, all the urgency she felt earlier gone. "I'd rather not."
The other woman shrugged. "That's fine. What would you like to do?"
Opening her mouth to speak, Nia found she didn't have a good answer. A snide remark was on the tip of her tongue, but instead of responding she looked away. Nia knew what she wanted, but it was something she would be unlikely to have, unlikely to get. So, she was going to settle for waiting. Waiting on that final confirmation.
Layla had been a point of concern, enough to briefly distract Nia. Playing a game seemed childish in comparison. Besides, Layla was only one of a few people who could draw her attention so wholly. Layla and Nethi, Jacek and Grego, Uhura a little bit, Kirk, McCoy, her parents, Wena, and Spock.
She wondered how Spock was faring as the current leader of the ship. Without Kirk or McCoy onboard Spock was the highest-ranking officer. It probably wasn't his first time being such, but she still wanted to know how he was handling it. How many orders would he be giving? Would he be controlling the rotation of emergency crews, or would Kirk? Were the crews even necessary? The emergency was over, wasn't it? All that was left was recovery of a small number of homes.
Kirk was definitely heading that up. Based on everything Nia knew of his character, she figured the next time he beamed aboard he would be covered head to toe in soot and be nearly unrecognizable. McCoy most likely would have to force Kirk to beam back aboard. The captain was a good man with a good heart. It would go against his very nature to not do all he could to help if help was needed.
He'd probably figure out how the fire started too. Maybe even who started it, if there is a who. Nia shook that thought from her head, knowing that that pathway would only upset her. Another thought hit her.
How was Nikolai going to take the news? For all his chauvinism, the man had cared for Wena once. Before all the stupid things that happened. Before he showed up on the ship, planning to kidnap her. Guess he was out of a job.
Nia grit her teeth to fight back to tears. She'd cry later. When she knew it was real.
A sickly feeling began to brew in her gut as her thoughts turned to Nikolai again. Had he been told? Did the man even deserve to know? Would he even care or would he gloat?
Is he gloating now? Does he even know what's happening because of his boss? Does he even…?
The sickly feeling turned cold as the hairs on her arms raised.
Did he know? Arson is likely.
The cold flared icy before it burned and heat rose up in her chest. The back of her neck, her ears, and her jaw line flushed brilliant pink.
Across from her, Michaels watched the display of emotion with an increasing unease. That pattern of flushing was distinct and she'd only seen before on the heat-mad Paladians and… when Nia decked someone on the bridge.
Or, really, just after Nia decked someone on the bridge. Jenkins's friend let the Lieutenant show the Science Department the security feed. On the feed, Nia's flush had been less pronounced.
"Nia?" Michaels asked, wary. "What's wrong?"
Without responding, the white haired woman stood up and took off for the door. Surprised, Michaels took precious seconds to get up from her seat and stop Nia. She'd gotten a hand around the Paladian woman's elbow and only the instinctive duck kept Michaels nose intact as that same elbow came back in a ploy for freedom. All of Nia's training with Spock and Sulu made her very difficult to catch for her human companion.
Once Nia was out the door, she was running down the hall to the turbolift. Michaels chased after her until the turbolift doors closed in her face.
Then, the crewman took the next rational step.
She found the nearest computer and contacted the bridge.
STSTST
"Commander Spock!" An officer's voice cried out. "We've lost all security feeds to the lower decks."
"Intruders, sir?" Sulu asked, surprised.
The officer answered "None, sir." He added "All transporter feeds are still online and only crew and medical staff have beamed to the ship."
Thinking quickly, Spock ordered "Send security to the brig and the shuttle bay." They already had intruders onboard, ones that had never left.
The officer nodded. "Aye, sir."
Spock prepared to head down to the lower levels himself, and stood from the captain's chair. He turned towards the turbolift, but paused as Uhura called out to him.
"Sir, Dr. Sargent was last seen in a turbolift heading to the lower levels. She was visibly upset and moving quickly. Michaels wasn't able to stop her."
Her words hadn't finished before and alarm sounded and Chekov called out "Phaser fire detected in the shuttle bay!"
A human would have bolted for the turbolift, phaser in hand, upon hearing that.
Apparently, so would a Vulcan.
STSTST
Nia skipped the brig, already guessing it would be empty. If she was wrong, she could always double back to it. If she was right, she wouldn't be wasting precious time.
She hit the shuttle bay at the same time as the escaped prisoner group and the security team sent by Spock.
Both parties missed her in the ensuing fire fight as she ducked back behind some machinery. She attempted to follow Nikolai's crew as they made their way to one of the empty shuttles. Skirting around the machinery, Nia worked her way to the shuttle she suspected the group was aiming for.
As she came around the front of it she saw the open doorway. Logically, she should have stayed back. The security officers were already on their way to this shuttle in particular, and there was no chance for the shuttle to make it out of the Enterprise. Logic dictated that Nia would only be in the way.
Nia wasn't listening to logic as she watched Nikolai step through the open doorway, Rebecca on the ramp behind him and sporadically firing at the security officers.
The Paladian scientist definitely wasn't listening to logic as she leapt over two fallen prisoners and up the ramp to use her considerable Paladian strength in disarming then throwing Rebecca off the ramp.
As she turned her body into the throw, Nia caught sight of a familiar individual making his way up the ramp. Surprised, she turned to him.
"Mig?" She asked.
Nia didn't even register the punch to her jaw that knocked her through the doorway of the shuttle and into an unconscious heap of pale skin and colorful clothing on the shuttle floor.
The enraged Paladian male stepped forward on the ramp, intending to join Nikolai in the shuttle. Phaser fire caught him from the side and knocked him from the ramp. Ruthlessly, the shuttle doors closed even as he fell.
STSTST
Lieutenant Casey was panicking. Somehow another code had been planted into the Enterprise's software and this one was giving her some real trouble. It had already shut down the security feeds and broken through the Science Department's firewalls. She couldn't tell in anything had been downloaded, but didn't care as she grew increasingly frustrated with trying to back hack the program.
Her assistant near jumped three feet when a particularly foul swear escaped her.
The program activated the shuttle bay doors' subroutine. Whatever was going on down there, someone was planning to make an escape. And whoever put the planning into it this time was good.
Lieutenant Casey wasn't going to be able to save the day this time.
STSTST
Relieved, Nikolai sat back as the programming kicked in and the shuttle lifted up. It was a good thing that he didn't have to fly the thing out of there, with the rate he was being fired at.
Of course he was the only one to make it out. He'd begged and begged for a more competent team, and was ignored. And lo and behold, look what happened. They went and got themselves caught.
It wouldn't be long before he got picked up. He should be given a commendation for getting away from the Starfleet freaks. It just had to be the Enterprise. Of all the ship he could have gone up against, it had to be the flagship.
Of course he failed to retrieve We- Dr. Verde.
Nikolai couldn't have been expected to do anything else.
STSTST
One security officer stared at the escaping shuttle in vain. His jaw clenched as he thought about the extra passenger inside who may or may not live to be found. Somehow, he was going to help get her back. First though, he had another job to do.
Not daring to look in the direction of the Vulcan First Officer, who'd arrived in time to fire the shot that knocked the Paladian male from the ramp, the security officer began to bark out orders to have medical contacted and for the remaining prisoners to be rounded up.
He'd lost a couple good men in the fight. While the hijackers had gone out of their way to avoid any deaths the first time around, they seemed to have changed their mind the second time. While their comrades had been stunned, the enemy had gone in for the kill. So, he lost two men.
And a scientist had been taken hostage. That one was his fault.
So first, he was going to make sure that the prisoners couldn't escape again. Not only was it dangerous, but it was highly embarrassing.
After that, he'd make sure those that were injured were adequately seen to.
Then, and only then, he'd help the Commander, Captain, and take care of this problem once and for all.
STSTST
Black. She was awake, but all she could see was black.
Her limbs felt heavy and her jaw ached. So did the back of her head.
What happened?
Trying to move, she discovered that her limbs were still too weak. Maybe there was more to it, but she couldn't do more than lift her fingers.
Swallowing, she discovered a mouth full of grit and dry lips. She could hear someone speaking, but couldn't tell who it was. It sounded familiar though. Real familiar.
Familiar enough for her to be annoyed just listening to it. So who was it?
The voice was deep and muffled, like she was hearing it from another room. It was definitely male.
Finally, when she could understand a few words, everything came back to her. And she started to cry.
STSTST
As the head security officer took the initiative and began to bark out orders behind him, Spock efficiently made his way around the fallen prisoners to the only Paladian individual in the shuttle bay.
Mig's eyes were rolling around in his head. While the setting of Spock's phaser was not high enough to cause his serious injury, it did succeed in briefly knocking him unconscious. The Paladian had been out long enough to miss Nikolai's exit.
In fact, his first clear sight after being shot was of Spock's face. Mig's brain registered what he was seeing and Mig stilled. He didn't twitch, he didn't try to get up and run. He didn't try to speak, either. Any story he made up now would only come back to bite him. Too many officers had seen him and he was certain the First Officer had seen the strike that knocked Nia back. Was she knocked into the shuttle? Mig struggled to remember. Every detail was important.
Without moving, Mig tried to register his surroundings, utilizing his peripherals when necessary. There was no shuttle, and he didn't hear a feminine voice amongst the crowd, not even Rebecca. The lack of a female voice couldn't confirm anything though. Likely, Nia was still unconscious. He'd had too much training behind that hit for her to be anything else.
As Mig was quickly piecing together the situation, Spock was carefully watching him. Two Starfleet officers were standing by to aid the Vulcan officer if he needed it. After the events, Spock rationally knew there was no insult behind the precaution.
The Paladian male's actions and inaction were confirming Spock's mounting suspicions that the medic was not all he seemed to be. The man was scanning his environment while still keeping an eye on the greatest danger before him, Spock. As Spock watched, only for a few short seconds, he knew that the medic was taking in whatever information he could and drawing conclusions. Unlike a typical Paladian, Mig's expression did not change and gave Spock no additional insight. Additional insight wasn't needed either way. Mig was sure to be informing himself and the captain of the information they needed to know shortly enough.
A/N: Alright, so what do you think is happening now? What's Migs part in all this? Is Nia alright? What about Layla?
Tell me what you think!
Many thanks go to fallenfaeangel and ilovemedia18, I always love hearing from you.
Thanks also to those who have added this story to there alerts and/or favorites. I notice you all too :)
-Spirit