9

Reminiscing

Lieutenant Trina Mann made sure her tac-vest was strapped hard against her body so that it could not be visible beneath the red fabric of her uniform tunic. Satisfied that it didn't, she sat down in the co-pilot's seat of the Copernicus and fastened her seatbelt.

Lieutenant Barker, the seasoned shuttle pilot, nodded at her and then at the back. "Are your boys and girls ready?" he asked.

Trina smirked proudly at the ten red shirts in the aft compartment. "The, so called, vacationers are ready," she replied.

The Circusian chancellor had been delighted when Captain Pike had finally agreed to start sending down members of his crew to begin their shore leave. He had taken that as a sign of good faith.

However, the real reason for this particular batch of skilled security officers to go down to the planet was to search for Klingons.

At first, she'd been annoyed to learn she would be at work. She had really been looking forward to some R 'n R, but then, the more she thought about it, the more she liked the challenge. Trina Mann was a seasoned security officer but not a seasoned leader – not the way her captain was or the way Commander Nhan had been. She was the ship's tactical officer so combat scenarios wasn't a stranger to her but the appointment to Head of Security was still fresh in her mind.

She remembered the day Captain Pike had stood outside her quarters, wanting to speak to her in private. She'd let him in and he casually sat down on the sofa at the back of her cramped room. He'd put his elbow up on the back pillows and drawn up one of his knees on the seat cushion. She also noticed he'd loosened the top button of his collar and unzipped the uniform tunic for a few inches. She'd begin to stand at attention and he'd given her a faint dimpled smile and told her to relax.

"Lieutenant. The way you look, one might think I am here to punish you for something," he said softly.

Trina chuckled at that. "I am sorry, sir."

"You're not on duty and it's late," he said kindly and glanced down his yellow uniform tunic. "I am not on duty either. Don't let this thing fool you."

"Can I get you anything, sir?" she began and made a face as she realized she'd added the word sir anyway. "Sorry-, captain."

"I came here to make a proposition for you. I wanted you to have time to think it through before giving me an answer," he said kindly.

She got curious.

"Ever since Commander Nhan decided to stay onboard the Discovery, the position as Head of Security have been vacant on the Enterprise," he began.

Trina stiffened.

"I was hoping you would want to apply for it?" he admitted.

The young woman smiled sheepishly. "Head of Security on the flagship, sir?" she asked hopefully, not sure she'd heard him correctly.

Pike nodded with a courteous dimpled smile.

"Well, I-," she paused and plopped down next to him on the sofa. "I don't know what to say."

He looked rather amused at the surprised look on her face. "There is no need to say anything at the moment. However, I do want an answer tomorrow in case I need to arrange something to make the admirals happy back home."

Trina fought hard not to shout out and bit her lower lip as she carefully nodded. "You will have an answer by tomorrow," she assured him.

Pike nodded back and got up from the sofa, turning to the door. "See you in the morning, lieutenant," he said softly.

She stared after him and, as the door closed behind him, she jumped out of the sofa and shouted yes as she found herself doing a little dancing in the middle of her quarters. Then her mood suddenly turned somber as she began to think about the responsibilities that came with that particular job. She would be responsible for the safety of everyone on the ship, she would be coordinating away teams with the senior officers and she would be-. Trina slowly sat down on the sofa again. She would be responsible for the safety of her captain.

"Barker to Mann," the pilot said; a little louder this time. "Are you in there?"

Trina jumped at the sound of his voice as she was being brought back to the present. She managed an undignified look. "Of course, I am in there," she replied. "I was just going over some safety arrangements in my head."

"Do you think you'll find them?" Barker asked skeptically. "The Klingons, I mean."

"I'll be damned if I didn't try my best," she replied seriously.

OOOOOO

Spock was troubled, something his father had always claimed was a human emotional state and something he should meditate to repress. He had had too little sleep lately, even with Vulcan standards. He had burrowed himself in work, busied himself with complex mathematical problems and theories to occupy his mind.

It had been four-hundred-and fifty-three-days, five hours and thirteen minutes since his sister had left and he was still unsettled by her leaving him. Their sister-brother relationship hadn't always been easy, or without friction, but their family bond had developed over the years and it ran deep; it felt like he was missing a part of himself. He did not understand why he was feeling that way – it was illogical.

There had been times when the image of the red angel had visited him during his meditation. When it had hovered above him, looking at him, as if it wanted to say something. He finally came to the realization that it was an illusion – a trick of the mind – Michael wasn't with him, nor was Doctor Gabrielle Burnham. The first time he'd seen it, he'd been both astonished and troubled and he had wondered if the AI had survived somehow - following the Discovery through time and space. However, as the days passed, he came to realize it was nothing but a figment of his imagination; perhaps a remnant from his second encounter with the Talosians.

He found that fascinating in a way and he had been standing outside the captain's quarters several times at nights, wanting to discuss the matter. Every time, his finger had hovered over the chime of the doorbell. Every time, he had slowly retreated back to his quarters. He did not want to bother Christopher Pike with his troubled thoughts yet that was all he wanted. His father would have deemed it unnecessary and unwanted. Yet Spock knew the captain would listen intently and offer any advice he could. The captain also had first-hand experience with the Talosians and would understand in a way no one else could.

Spock also knew that Captain Pike had a lot on his mind at the moment. Recently there had been times when the Vulcan had questioned the sanity of his commanding officer. After the Talosian incident, as Starfleet Command called it, the admiral and part-time counselor Katrina Cornwell had visited Pike on several occasions, Doctor Boyce had been present too. Pike had not been present on the bridge as much as he used to be. However, Spock had never seen the captain waver or hesitate while on duty.

When the Discovery had entered geosynchronous orbit around a planet called Arax VI, they had unwittingly solved two mysteries at the same time. They didn't know it then but Michael had, disguised as the red angel, visited Arax VI before and, from there, gotten hold of the system capable of sending those seven red bursts in the first place. The propulsion system of Discovery also made it possible to finally understand what had happened to the probe the Enterprise sent several years ago and unraveled a terrifying story of the disaster on Arax VI that occurred several thousand years earlier.

Because of Pike's encounter with the Talosians and because he was the commanding officer onboard the Enterprise the advanced race calling themselves Araxians had delved deep into his mind, exploring every part of it, trying to understand the motives and the nature of humanity. It was because of what they found there that they decided to spare the lives of those onboard the Discovery and reveal themselves, finally admitting that they needed help. It in turn led to the astounding discovery of an old hibernating civilization with powers rivaling, and even exceeding, those of the Talosians.

Spock did not know when it happened, or why it happened, but Christopher Pike had changed during the events onboard the Discovery. There was darkness in his eyes at times; a despair and indifference that hadn't been present before. His mother, Amanda, would have said the captain's soul had been damaged somehow. However, Spock did not believe - perhaps he wasn't ready to believe - in spirituality.

His mind wandered to the man they'd seen on Circusia. The man who should not have survived his ordeal. It made no sense, it was illogical. Even with the advanced medical technology of the Federation, he would most likely have died from his injuries yet he did not. In this case, Spock wasn't ready to give up a logic explanation, he just didn't know how to find one.

"Computer, time," he said as he glanced up from the file he had been studying.

"Eighteen-hundred-hours, standard ship's time," it replied dutifully.

He nodded to himself. He would have to leave or he would be late for the dinner the chancellor of Circusia had invited them to.

OOOOOO

Chris walked out of the bathroom of his quarters, freshly showered and shaven. He walked over to the small drawer situated just outside, built into the wall of his quarter's living room. He hesitated for a moment, touched a panel that released a sealed compartment and reached for his dress uniform. With a facial expression of slight annoyance, he shrugged into crisp and clean black pants. After that he proceeded to reach for the light green uniform tunic with a golden neckband that ran along the length of the collar. He buttoned it and traced the band with his fingers as it morphed into a covered zipper line that reached all the way to his waistband. He sighed as he stared at the mirror image of himself; the left side of his chest was filled to the brim with ribbons and medals. Chris felt uncomfortable every time he wore this particular garment. It drew attention to him and it was not the kind of attention that he was seeking. While he was a decorated officer, he didn't want to show off or brag about it.

Chris was brought out of his musings as the doorbell chimed. "Come," he said as he took a step back and was about to close the small closet.

Philip Boyce acknowledged him with a cunning smile and nodded toward his chest. "Looks a little top-heavy," he joked. Deep down, however, he was proud of his younger friend and commanding officer.

"Perhaps you'd like to wear them for me?" Chris asked carefully.

Phil raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. "No, no. I haven't gotten into all that trouble," he replied smoothly. "But I sure deserve one for being able to patch you back together – only God knows how many times."

Pike rolled his eyes.

"Did you receive one for stupidity too? You do deserve one for trying to blow yourself to bits and pieces on that mission to Terralysium."

"I think you have a flare for drama, Phil," Chris said with a sly smirk.

The good doctor crossed his hands over his chest and tilted his head slightly as he turned to the captain and huffed. "I'll tell you who's got a flare for the drama-," he began as the door swooshed open to reveal Una. All dressed up and ready to leave.

Chris broke into a dimpled grin and acknowledged his XO. "Couldn't agree more, Phil," he replied cunningly as he patted the doctor on the shoulder and made his way to the door. He knew Phil had meant him and not his XO.

Una cocked an eyebrow, suspiciously studying the smug look on Chris' face, then she followed him out into the corridor with the doctor right behind them. "Care to enlighten me?" she asked.

"No," Chris replied with a faint smile.

Una straightened to her full height, towering over Chris even if it was only with an inch. She looked stunning in her light-blue dress uniform tunic, blue colored nails and red lipstick. As a lieutenant commander she didn't have all that gold on her uniform but she did have quite a lot of ribbons on her chest and a badge of bravery, exceptional duty and valor of service.

"Are we ready to roll?" she finally asked as they made their way toward the turbolift and the hanger deck.

"Just waiting for Spock and Louvier to join us," Chris replied.

OOOOOO

9/24

Note: When it comes to the dress uniforms here; think about the TOS episode 'Journey to Babel' and Kirk, Spock and McCoy.