Michael sat down stiffly at the edge of her seat, her hands on her knees and kept her gaze more to the table surface than directly to Pike; the starlight streaming in from behind his head was a little overwhelming to her eyes more than the discomfort of him. She could feel the sun's heat against her exposed flesh and could see the reaction on her skin but she kept her gaze down as Amanda took her seat on her right.

"Spock speaks very highly of you, Captain Pike." Amanda started, leaning forwards to place the data chip onto the surface of Pike's desk, "so I know that I have come to the right place."

Pike's eyes flickered down to it, but he seemed to guess what it was. His expression shifting a little to almost mask a smile. "Then I believe that makes this all the harder, I cannot open this. If I do, it'll be a violation of the rules and my mother would not like that."

"There is president in case law for a captain to invoke—"

"Was she this bossy as a kid?" Pike inquired, though cutting her off but there was good humor in his expression, though Michael could feel Amanda wasn't going to add to it

"On Vulcan, we call it persistent. She learned it from me."

Pike's eyes flickered between them both, humming quietly to acknowledge what she said nonetheless before he reached over to the panel on the side, "Bryce, get me Captain Vela from Starbase Five."

"Aye, Sir."

Pike rose to his feet quickly, eyes flickering away to a monitor screen though Michael didn't hesitate to get up and walk with him, hanging back so not to be in the frame. Amanda shadowing her though she barely glanced back to her, her eyes remaining on the captain before the screen flickered up.

"Ah!" Pike declared softly as a sound of 'finally', leaning against the conference behind him before his hands folded in front of his chest.

On the other side, the captain straightened up, smiling softly though a little forced, "Chris, you and my bisabuela Nena are the only two people I know that still communicate with screens."

"Well she sounds like a smart lady, you should introduce us."

Vela smiled though straightened up, getting to the topic. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to return your call."

"Calls, Diego" Pike emphasized, "I've been waiting for an update on my science officer, Spock."

Vela's face pulled a fraction, "I'm sorry, Chris, I can't."

Michael's head tilted, her eyes narrowing though through the monitor, hearing any proper change in body chemistry to see if he was lying was near impossible; a heartbeat couldn't travel to the microphone. Something about that just…rubbed her the wrong way.

Pike's head twisted to the side, a frown appearing on his brow. "I'm…well within my rights as his captain to get a prognosis. Spock also has information regarding the signals. Starfleet had declared my mission Priority One."

"The signals have nothing to do with it, Chris." Vela spoke, shaking his head, "Your guy is wanted for murder. He killed three of his doctors and then fled the Starbase."

Beside her, Amanda gasped almost silently, her eyes widening and her heart picked up; heat flushed through her body with a hint of numerous surges of emotion…denial, concern, fear…anger, and despite even Pike's crafted expression, he too had a very similar pattern though seemed more confused than anything else.

"Then why hasn't his escape been announced, so every starship in the area can be on the hunt?" His suspicion held back from leaking into his tone

"Things have…gotten a little more complicated. Some of Spock's files are missing, we don't know how."

Amanda's hand brushed to grasp her wrist into a tight grip, seeking assurance.

"But," Vela continued, "We've got…people on it."

Pike nodded firmly. "Thanks, Vela. Pike out." The screen died back to its home-screen but the silence remained for only a moment.

But her mind reeled within the gap. Spock, accused of murder? She knew her brother well enough to know that he wasn't a killer. While she hadn't seen him in years, his temperament was not and never pushed to that. As a Vulcan, he suppressed emotions; none would cause him to act out, even if he did flair; his logic was there, a bedrock he had. Vulcans of these days didn't act on impulse… It was not logical unless in self-defense. Premeditated murder seemed far more unlikely.

Not to mention, Starfleet's whole handling of it was…completely wrong. Why tell no one and send a…small investigation group after him? Space was huge and a shuttle was small. Too many gaps for him to slip passed.

"That's not right." Amanda spoke up with a shake of her head, "I know my son. He is kind and gentle. He'd not do something like that."

"I know my brother, sir, as do you. Murder is not in his temperament and…the way Starfleet is handling it is…odd."

Pike's head bobbed softly though his demeanor shifted. He pushed himself from the seat. "Then we're all in agreement. But…" He reached his desk, snatching up the data chip. "I don't believe people handing his case know or care. He's in trouble and no doubt needs a fair-shake on the matter. We need to get to him first and go from there."

"Okay." She could agree to that. She owed that much to Spock.

"Break into Spock's medical file, we need to know more on what happened to him since he's been there and if that might have any links to the supposed deaths."

"Aye, Sir." She took it off him though he was quick to move away, grabbing a PADD, and got straight to business. Michael took that as the signal of dismissal before nudging Amanda with her. "There's a spare science lab we can use."

It didn't take too long to get set up in the lab though she began to start the encryption when she felt Amanda's stare at her again, this time much hotter in scrutiny; could almost feel her bubble of silent wonder.

"You're staring, mother."

"You're not whizzing around."

"I don't need to."

Amanda tisked softly, shaking her head. "This is different. The…way you hold yourself is…stiffer. Less…you."

Michael's fingers paused on the screen before she let out a redundant breath—habit at this point for visually expression exasperation. "Commander Nhan will need to help get passed some of the more confidential files, as chief of security, she'd have more circumventing the deeper encryptions." Michael sent the request for the commander to meet them here before she began to start an initial download of the files.

"Michael." A warm hand came to her arm, with a grip intent to halting her though her physical strength was no match but she took the hint to pause, starting ahead than looking to her mother. "Talk to me…please."

"Mother…"

Amanda tugged her arm, persuading her to shift to face her than at the monitor. Her hand came up to her cheek, eyes searching her face. "Where is the logic in hiding truth from me now?"

Michael wanted to glower, to be annoyed that her mother was going to keep probing her for information on that had happened… yet, she knew there was her concern that drove the questions; she wasn't going to stop without some form of knowing.

"Mother." Michael inhaled deeply, closing her eyes a moment and allowed her shoulders to drop. "It's…not simple. I know you've read what you could since this whole thing about…me, but there are still new elements that we're still encountering based on…what has occurred. In almost all cases…no one…rejected an imprint." Even saying the words sent a flush of embarrassment through her; that this was somehow wrong. This had felt private for her. Kept it to herself, kept it quiet from most of the people around her because…it now only affected her. Her problem. Now it felt like it was being displayed.

Amanda's eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting up though a flurry of emotions ran through her eyes; Michael didn't hold her gaze, turning her attention back to her monitor before she heard the door behind them open.

"You called for me, Commander Burnham." Nhan's voice called, drawing her attention from her human mother to the Barzan. Michael nodded, moving as if the awkwardness she reveled hadn't happened and gestured to the monitor they were at.

"Yes, the captain has allowed us to access Spock's medical file, but there are few encrypted files that require the access codes of a chief security," Michael spoke, though knew very well she could bypass them herself but it wasn't going to reflect well by the data input on the systems if Nhan wasn't aware of it.

Nhan nodded though her brow pulled in a fraction before heading straight to the monitor. Michael shifted though Amanda's hand pulled at her arm, nodding her away as the commander got to work.

"Who?"

Michael gave her a look but refrained from answering; not this close to Nhan.

Amanda shook her head. "Did you tell him?"

"I did." At least, she had tried but even then she was glad she hadn't gotten to telling him about the imprint if he wasn't already aware of their mating-differences. She knew enough of him to know that… he may feel obliged to have accepted it; making it feel less deserved. She didn't want that.

"And?"

Michael shrugged softly, "He just wants to maintain a professional distance with senior officers."

Amanda's jaw tightened, her head tilted, "That doesn't sound like a man who knows what he's talking about. Is he aware he can't let you down like a human?"

"I didn't press the subject." Michael snapped quietly, "I don't want to. Just…leave it, mom." She didn't back down from the look she got but held it though it wasn't until the monitors began flashing on the screens suddenly lit up with files.

"I'm doing a file dump onto a private memory bank," Nhan announced though her blue eyes were caught like theirs as images suddenly flashed up.

"Wait, stop." Amanda's focus shifted.

On the images that began to flash and stayed, it was a clear pictures of a…winged shape being. Very humanoid but the drawing style indicated less detail for any proper identification marks of species or…anything aside from its wings and initial form. It was something; it reminded her a lot about the Angel worshipers on Terralysium.

"Those images are hand-drawn…" She could read the style to know who had done them, "Spock must have done them."

Amanda nodded, her heart quickening a fraction; fully distracted now though her shoulders drooped with and an edge of dismay. Nhan's posture also changed, her breath holding though she felt the sharp increase of her breath. Michael's head turned to the commander.

"Is something wrong?"

"This…is an angel in appearance." Nhan stated, "I've gotten to knew a few human mythos." Her eyes flickered from the screen. "I've seen this before."

Michael's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me."

Nhan turned back to the monitor for a second tapping on it. "On the asteroid, I got injured…I saw it in front of me before Pike rescued me. I thought it wasn't real, I was injured after all so I thought it was the trick of the mind in a very stressful situation until…"

On the monitor, flicked up a video sequence, muted but she could recognize the interior of that church, aside from the armed soldiers that were charging in, a blinding white light filtering before the light changed to red then for a brief second, a humanoid form with clear wing patters floated in that light then—it stopped.

"It was on the planet."

"Two hundred years ago." Nhan added, exhaling heavily out, "Here and then...It could be ancient…"

Amanda shook her head. "No, well…" She stopped, sparing a glance to Nhan with an edge of uncertainty. "Spock…saw this as a child, Michael. I thought he left it in the past."

Both their head turned back to Amanda who exhaled heavily and shook her head.

"As a child?" Nhan questioned, "That can't be a coincidence."

Michael turned to the Barzan. "Commander, why don't you leave us to it, I can…brief you on the details later."

Nhan nodded, no doubt already sensing the human's desire for privacy and headed out of the lab. Amanda let out a heavy breath, her hands coming to brush her hood back from her face with a soured expression.

"What did he know? How did it come to him?"

Amanda sighed softly, "It…was about the time you tried to run away shortly after the bombing… If I'm honest, I wasn't surprised that you had tried. You felt trapped on an alien world…had an attempt of your life and you were only a child…if course you wanted to go back to earth."

Michael nodded but she withheld the slither of guilt; the reminder of what she had done to Spock… one she had never told anyone about because…she had been scared then. Any tactic that worked to keep Spock safe had been the only one. A futile tactic that got her nowhere and destroyed her relationship with her brother. By her child-logic, leaving had been the best way to keep her family safe; she should have sneaked into Sarek's shuttle and improvised herself off-world, not the woods where she was planet-bound; no way to earth from there.

Naïve.

"So… when we found out, we were going to alert the high command to start a search then…Spock came downstairs like he had a bad nightmare. He said that…this red angel told him where you were, so we looked and there you were." Amanda said, her gaze far away but troubled. "We just…thought of it as something he had dreamt up, that he possibly knew when you left and how fast you were going and used logic to put the pieces together but…he never wavered about it. He always said it was real."

"Suffice to say, he was right." Michael grumbled softly, "But why now?"

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know… but it's back for whatever reason…I just wish it didn't hurt him again. He…used to be so open…then after, it all went away. He changed. Instead of accepting his human half, he suppressed it."

Michael's jaw tightened. Amanda thought that…the angel hurt Spock… a logical assumption if given all the facts that she saw; just not all of them.

"The angel doesn't seem…malevolent. It saved a few hundred lives two hundred years ago and as you heard, helped Nhan." Michael started softly. As much as she could feel this would backfire to admit; she had to tell her. Even if she…lacked the full extent to properly…care in her current state. "The angel didn't hurt Spock."

Amanda's eyes flickered back to her from the screens though Michael watched as the download completed on the screen before removing it from the slot though she didn't let it go though she turned her gaze back to her mother fully.

"That was me."

"You?"

"Spock wanted to some with me. I didn't want him to."

Amanda's heart picked up; the questions were like clear cogs in her mind were easy to see; the slither of anger that rose but she…wanted to know more. "What did you do?"

She didn't answer, instead, Michael held her stare.

Grey eyes narrowed before Amanda's back straightened, her face turning passive from concern. "The fact you're not saying anything means…what you did, or said was catastrophic…It's why you two are always too busy to be under the same roof, why we…can't be a family."

"I am sorry, mother." Though her tone fell flat, she dipped her head, "I've tried to rectify my mistakes with him over the years but… he doesn't want to listen but…I'll do what I can to try and find him. I owe him that." She needed to. Needed him now.

Amanda inhaled heavily, reaching forwards though her gaze dropped away, shaking her head. "No." she eased the data chip from her fingers. "I will." Under the mask though, there were the ebbs of quiet fury, small but strong; hurt too.

With a touch to her face, Michael watched as her mother walked away, her pace brisk and unwavering though she felt a mild sense of sadness; it didn't linger for long. She could handle Amanda's anger… another human angry at her… it should upset her more, but this didn't. Was she really turning more…apathetic now?

"Commander Burnham to the ready room." Pike's voice called over the intercom.

Nhan's steps echoed as she headed up into the ready room, her heart thudding a little fast in her chest but her mind spun with the new knowledge she had gained within a short span of time. It made sense now; a lot more sense.

Burnham's change of behavior, eye color; general level of unease… the blood. She hadn't considered…this. But if she hadn't, then their captain certainly didn't. Which now presented with a very awkward situation and no resolve. Getting involved in anything beyond professional was not something she ever thought she'd do but this…was clearly something that Pike had to be made aware of.

The PADD provided her with enough details to feel confident on the matter and…it left her just as worried; warranting the need to inform the captain. Vampires weren't her favorite species and the dangers they posed were high-risk; especially if triggered by something. While Michael seemed less trigger-prone and more depressed; the Barzan didn't want to push their luck.

"Captain." She spoke as she stepped out of the turbolift, her tone catching him off-guard, his head shooting up as well as his eyebrows, surprised echoing in his eyes.

"Commander Nhan?"

Nhan quickly composed herself, straightening herself up. "Commander Burnham has downloaded the medical files onto Discovery though we've found some…interesting factors we haven't considered before."

Pike straightened up and nodded. "I'm sure, but…I have a feeling that's not what you're here about."

Nhan shook her head though hesitated as she looked to the PADD she had before she passed it over to him. "I believe you should…read this."

Captain Pike's eyes rose as he read the sub-title, his eyes flickering to her, confused with an edge of disapproval. "Vampire mating practices?"

"No, not the…sex bit. The section under it. Imprint."

"Why?" He lowered the PADD down.

Nhan could feel how his gaze shifted at her but that didn't douse her confidence. "I believe that…you were imprinted on, Sir."

His eyes flickered from her to the PADD, a frown burrowing between his eyebrows. "Imprint?"

"It's all on the report, sir." Nodding to it. "There's also a chance that you have…inadvertently rejected this imprint. I don't know the details but this is speculation but…I believe you need to know should this…become a problem later down the line. The last vampire that lost an imprint is currently on a homicide streak."

She only knew of Ophelia by word of mouth but the ways the other vampires acted said a lot. It felt…far more intimidating. This vampire could best Michael Burnham and Paul Stamets, and from what she had heard, was more than even with Georgiou after being collared.

"Burnham?" His voice quietened a fraction, his eyes remaining on the PADD screen though his posture shifted from being casually lent back to sitting up seriously.

"Most likely. Burnham never planned to…inform you of it, it seems. But I'm sure you've noticed her…change of behavior, black eyes…"

Pike's jaw shut tightly, the muscles in his jaw flexing. "Thank you for…bringing this to my attention, Commander." His tone turned passive though he forced a somewhat of a smile on his face though Nhan knew to leave it at this now. This was a lot to suddenly pile up on him now; probably far from what he was expecting.

He had to process this now…

"I'll write up a brief report on what we found out about the…signals or the being that's sighted with them, I'm sure Commander Burnham will write you a more in depth-report, Captain." With a final nod, Commander Nhan took her dismissal.