Author's Notes: Several chapters of this story are written as episode mirrors, with structure and dialogue lifted directly from the episode. In these cases, readers can assume that everything shown in the episode happened as it was shown, unless I specifically covered it. For example, I skip over some sections of dialogue on Terralysium; you can assume that those happened, but seeing them play out line-by-line isn't critical to my narrative. :) -SSM
Leah sets her alarm early, that first morning, giving herself plenty of time before the officers' briefing.
Normally at this hour, she'd be munching on a protein bar and suiting up for a run through the ship, usually with one of the Republic's medical officers, followed by a quick shower and a little more breakfast. And it's hard not to miss that. Harder than she'd expected.
But things change.
Instead, this morning, she goes straight to the shower. She'll start running tomorrow.
She has to admit, Pike runs a good briefing, and the synthesizer in his ready room is handy. She'll have to mention the idea to Hannah when she's back, but for now, it's a nice luxury to have a fresh cappuccino as she listens to the various status reports.
Saru catches her as the briefing concludes. "Ambassador?"
"Yes Commander?"
"If you would like, we can perform the setup for your bridge station now."
"Oh, of course. Yes, now is fine."
"Excellent. Do you have a sense of when you normally like to be on the bridge?"
They leave the room, heading for the lift. "I can be flexible. On the Republic I normally worked on the bridge for the first half of day shift."
"I believe that would suit us as well. I will add you to the roster."
She's up and running quickly, at a station on the periphery of the bridge, and spends most of the next hour starting to review past reports and getting a sense of the way the ship works. It's a quiet morning, and she can't really complain; the time is useful, and as she'd done the previous evening, she just lets herself absorb the energy of the crew.
"Hi."
The red-haired ensign from last night is directly behind her at another station, and she turns, offering a smile. "Good morning, Ensign Tilly."
"Are you all set up okay?"
"I am, thank you."
She is about to say more - find something to ask the ensign, who is obviously trying to be welcoming - when there is a bustle of activity and she hears Saru call out. "Captain Pike, to the bridge, immediately."
She turns, seeing the red signal blooming on the viewscreen, and a few moments later the captain and Commander Burnham emerge from the turbolift.
The crew work together seamlessly, executing Burnham's suggestion to pinpoint the signal like a well-oiled machine. And Pike's at the center of it, and she sees where he gets his reputation as an effective - and innovative - problem-solver, particularly when presented with the challenge of making it to the Beta Quadrant to pursue the signal.
"Ideas?"
"The spore drive. Starfleet did authorize it to retrieve our new ambassador. Would they permit an additional use?"
"Getting to the bottom of these signals is of utmost importance to the Federation. They let us use it to pick up Ambassador Kennedy, they'll give us dispensation now."
"We'll begin prepping Commander Stamets now sir."
"Get to it."
Tilly leaves, and Leah turns back to her station, intending to finish reading one of the reports before the ship moves. She's almost done when she sees Pike come up alongside her.
"This is probably going to feel a little weird."
She laughs at his phrasing. "What's that?"
"The...ah...spore drive. Jump." He makes a face. "Whatever we call it." He presses a key on her station, activating the comms. "We good to go, Mr. Stamets?"
"Spore drive is ready, Captain."
"You might want to hold onto something."
She looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. "All right."
She wraps her hands around the edge of her station, bracing for...something. She doesn't exactly know what, as he resettles himself in the command chair. "Black alert."
Bryce turns on the shipwide page. "All personnel prepare for black alert."
"Let's jump."
And the world spins inside out. It's only a second or two at most, but she sees why he told her to hold onto something. For an instant, it's like she's outside the ship, speeding through a void…
And then it's gone, and everything is normal.
Including the viewscreen.
No sign of the signal, as she turns. The viewscreen is calm and clear, simply showing the vastness of space peppered with stars.
She lets out a breath, and Pike turns from the command chair. They trade a glance; her smile is wide, surprised, almost delighted.
The bridge erupts in activity again. In short order, the ship receives a distress call from the surface; red alert is called and then cancelled; they identify the human settlements on the surface of the planet, and determine that the distress call has been broadcasting for over two hundred years. Again, she is impressed by how well this crew works together.
Pike turns slowly around from the viewscreen. "Somebody want to tell me how they got here?"
Everyone is silent for a moment, staring at the screen, until he pulls them back in. "All right. My ready room. Burnham, Saru. Kennedy. Let's go."
She blinks in surprise, but it makes sense. If there are people on this planet, and there's a distress signal that's been broadcasting for over two hundred years...she's going to be needed.
In a way, this is familiar territory for her more than anything on the Discovery so far. The other officers evaluate the situation and analyze it, and she watches and listens, jotting notes down on her pad.
Burnham shakes her head as they talk about the settlement. "They don't even use electricity."
"Since their society is pre-warp, we have to assume General Order One applies."
He turns and looks at her then, and so do Saru and Burnham, almost as if they've forgotten she was there. She nods. "I agree, Captain."
"Why did that second signal want us to come here?" He's musing more than anything else, staring out the window, as Burnham answers.
"Are you suggesting some kind of divine intervention put them on this planet?"
"I have no idea how or why they're here...but I highly doubt it's by accident."
"Certainly a bold interpretation, sir."
"What else do we know about the planet?"
Saru consults his data. "It is surprisingly Earthlike…"
"Who's best suited to come with us to the surface, Burnham?"
"Lieutenant Owosekun. She grew up in a Luddite collective. She'll know how to embed." Burnham casts a glance Leah's way. "Per General Order One."
"Good. Brief her and let's move. Ambassador, you're with us as well."
"Sir?"
This from Burnham again, and Leah doesn't take offense - the Discovery is new to having a CDO after all. She opens her mouth, but Pike does the work for her.
"Regulation 9572. Whenever a ship has a CDO, that officer must be included in any first contact. I believe this especially applies when we are under the auspices of General Order One, Ambassador?"
She nods. "I'll be ready, Captain."
She changes, and joins the landing party in the transporter room, all of them dressed in similar fashion to blend in with a pre-warp Earth culture. She's chosen a loose-woven grey sweater over black pants and boots, with a grey jacket and scarf.
They walk slowly towards the church, on guard. But the small settlement appears to be deserted, at least here.
They enter the church, shutting the door behind them and walking slowly into the main part of the building.
"Any of you ever been in a church?" Pike's voice is low, and respectful.
Owo shakes her head. "No. My family are non-believers."
"I'm familiar with the text of Earth's religions." Burnham's voice holds a hint of disdain.
"I have, Captain."
He turns and looks at her, raising a brow. "All right. Ambassador, you're with me. Let's find out who these people are and why they're calling for help."
She steps to his side, and they walk together to the front of the sanctuary as Burnham and Owo examine the perimeter. "It's a beautiful building," she says softly.
His voice matches hers in volume. "When were you in a church?"
"A long time ago. My grandparents."
And instantly, it's eighteen years ago, and he's sitting at a table, on a bar patio, staring into grey eyes and listening to one of the most captivating women he's ever met talk about her grandfather and learning the game of cribbage.
He shrugs the memory away as Burnham speaks, naming all of the different religions represented in the stained-glass windows, and Owo begins looking for the basement and the source of the distress call. Leah steps up with him to the lectern, looking at the book resting on it. She watches as he leafs through the text.
"It appears that they cobbled together a religion based on the primary faiths of Earth."
He nods at Burnham's words, seeing the sections of other books pasted onto the pages. "This book is some sort of new scripture."
As Owo scans the text, Leah walks slowly over to one of the windows, and he follows her. "Or we could look at the pictures."
She blinks in that moment, and it's not because of what he's saying.
It's because she feels a hand lightly brushing the back of her shoulder. An intimate gesture; something a lover might do, guiding their partner in a certain direction.
It's the faintest of touches; she can barely feel it through her jacket, and she might think he doesn't realize he's doing it, but she turns, looking at him with wide eyes, and oh yes, he's very aware, because his eyes flick down to where his hand rests, and when they come back up they are just as startled as hers.
The hand drops away, and it was there so briefly that she doubts either of the other two women had noticed. She clears her throat.
"That was the original purpose, after all. Teach those who couldn't read."
The stained glass is lovely, and she is about to comment on the artistry...but then her attention is caught.
The image in front of them...the red glass, surrounding a being…
He sees the expression on her face, and is about to ask.
And her train of thought is abruptly cut off as the church door opens.
They are welcomed, and the members of the community gather, celebrating both the harvest moon and their visitors. As the fires are lit, he draws her to the side for a quick private conversation. "This is your area, Ambassador. Any instructions?"
She shakes her head. "Just General Order One, Captain. Don't say too much. Watch and listen."
He nods slowly. "I'll be all right. Burnham and Owo will be also. We'll see if we can find a chance for an exit; we'll need to be careful about beaming out."
They return to the fire, and she sits down beside him, Owo and Burnham standing across from their seats. The night is cool, and she shivers a little, even in the warmth of the fires. He looks at her. "You all right?"
"Should've brought another layer, I think. I'll be fine."
He shrugs out of his jacket before she can say another word, and moves to drape it over her shoulders. She protests. "Really, I'll be okay…"
"Take it. I'm warm enough."
She subsides, sliding the jacket down to her lap and using it as a blanket.
"Better?"
She smiles. "Yes, better. Thank you."
She listens, leaning forward, as the All-Mother tells the story of the community. And she winces as Burnham speaks, matching science against their beliefs.
Pike sees it too, but there's nothing they can do without making even more of a scene, and he catches Leah's eye, communicating without words that he thinks their best course of action is to just ride it out. She nods, almost imperceptibly. They are on the same page.
As the evening concludes, he rises, and she does the same, handing him back his jacket as they stand and he addresses the All-Mother.
"It's getting late. We're setting out early tomorrow. Would you mind if we take shelter in your church?"
"Of course not."
She appreciates the deft exit strategy, and lends a hand, offering a goodbye. "Thank you for the fellowship."
The All-Mother smiles. "Peace be with you."
She knows the proper response to this, and what surprises her is the male voice that chimes with hers, in perfect unison. "And also with you."
She looks over at him, thoughtfully, his features outlined in firelight. But before they can leave, the All-Mother comes over to them, drawing close and addressing her in a low voice.
"Leah...if you'd like some privacy, you and Christopher are welcome to sleep in the infirmary tonight. No one is there at present. It's right next to the church."
"I'm sorry?"
She looks at both of them now. "Travel can be hard on a husband and wife, yes? Especially with others in your group?"
Oh good god.
Dimly, she supposes that the assumption makes sense. They did sit together, after all. And the jacket. And as soon as she understands the nature of the offer, her brain runs with it, and treats her to a rapid-fire visual of herself and Pike, tangled together on some sort of narrow cot or something...not that that's getting in their way in the slightest...
She keeps her face composed, but absolutely can't look at him yet. Instead she laughs lightly. "Thank you, All-Mother. I think we'll be all right. We haven't been traveling for long."
"Yes, thank you." She feels a hand on her elbow as he speaks, and now she looks up at him; his face isn't giving it away either, and she finds she's having to suppress more laughter. "That's very kind of you to offer."
"How long have you been married?"
She's going to die. She's going to die, right this minute, and the cause of it is going to be an aneurysm from not laughing at the absurdity of this conversation.
"Eighteen years."
Of course. Eighteen years.
And now she has a new thing to suppress: the desire to stomp on his foot. Fine then. If he's going to make her lose it, she's going to give it right back to him.
"And it still feels like yesterday." She looks up at him with a smile. "Doesn't it?"
"Ah...right. We should get some rest. Thank you again."
Back in the church, there is an argument as they work in the basement, investigating the source of the distress beacon.
She's been expecting it. Burnham is clearly invested in this from a scientific perspective, and also from a humanitarian view. She wants to bring these people back home, back to the modern world. And she's not afraid to stand up for her beliefs.
It's not Leah's place to jump in. This is between a captain and an officer, and it's not a diplomatic issue. Yet. But he pulls her in, as Burnham presses. Looking for backup.
"They are subject to General Order One. We cannot interfere with their natural development. Ambassador, are you in agreement?"
"Entirely, Captain." She looks at Burnham with compassion. "Protocol is clear on this, Commander. I understand your feelings, but we have no diplomatic, legal, or even moral grounds to intervene. It's not our call to make."
Pike nods at her. "Thank you, Ambassador."
And right about then she hears footsteps on the stairs. And it all goes to hell.
They try and salvage it, of course. Captain and ambassador, working in tandem, trying to reestablish their cover as the man, Jacob, breaks their story apart, aching for the knowledge that they have. Aching for the truth.
"This device...it's always been in my family…it's for navigation."
She picks up on Pike's opening. "We have a few of these still left. From the old days. Most of them don't work. We're sorry for trespassing...we were just curious."
He touches her elbow, glances at Owo and Burnham. "Let's go."
They start walking towards the stairs, doing their best to ignore Jacob's pleas...
And then there's a flash of light.
She groans as she wakes up.
There's something heavy on her legs, and she opens her eyes.
Pike is lying half on top of her; they'd been standing right by each other at the bottom of the stairs when Jacob had thrown the...grenade? Whatever it was.
He's also waking up, and gets off of her slowly, extending a hand to help her stand. "Are you all right, ambassador?"
She nods, accepting the hand, and regains her feet. Owo is at the top of the stairs, pushing against the trapdoor that is apparently locked shut from the outside.
Burnham sees the bigger problem first. "Our bags are gone. Jacob must have taken all of our tech."
Pike rubs the bridge of his nose; he looks dazed, still, but she meets his eyes and their expressions are identical. They've got to get out of here.
She grabs his arm as Owo gets the door open. "Captain. We can't break cover. General Order One still applies. We're going to have to figure something out."
He nods, turning to the other two. "I know. Is that understood, everyone?"
"Yes sir."
Luck is on their side when they make it outside - Jacob doesn't have their bags open yet. Their tech is still - barely - hidden. This is still salvageable.
Pike is positively righteous, invoking tenets of faith as he objects to their treatment. She remembers, now, that he'd grown up around religion; he'd told her that much all those years ago. It's certainly coming in handy.
"You give us back what you took, and we'll leave."
She's standing at his side, and she nods, emphasizing his words. And she can see that the All-Mother is troubled at the theft of their things; more, that she is steadfast in her beliefs, and that no one believes Jacob. Bad for him. Good for us.
She's starting to breathe a little easier. Until the phaser.
And Pike is reacting before any of the rest of them can - seeing the threat to the child - and jumping on it. Literally. Taking the hit directly to his chest.
She and Burnham run together, Owo a second behind, dropping to their knees. Burnham rolls him over and they see the horrific damage.
"He's dying."
Owo looks up with wide eyes. Burnham grabs Leah's shoulder.
"We need to get him to the church. Pray for deliverance."
It's a good cover. It will work. Leah nods, and takes his hand as the others lift him up, ignoring the blood. "Christopher, can you hear me? Hang on. We've got you."
As Burnham and Owo support him, she lets go of his hand and grabs his chin, holding his head up to keep him looking at her and walking backwards. He looks like he's fading in and out of consciousness.
"Christopher. Stay with me, okay?"
In the security of the church, she makes the call, stripping off her scarf and wadding it against his side to at least soak up some of the blood. It's only a few moments, but it feels like eternity until the transporters surround them.
And she's surprised how it's affecting her to have his blood all over her hands.
They let him out of sickbay a few hours later, his ribs wrapped securely to finish healing, and he limps slowly to his ready room, settling down in his chair. Hopefully he won't have to move too much.
Burnham shows up shortly afterwards, in response to his summons. And after a few moments, he finally finds out what the something was that he knew she wasn't telling him.
The being of red light. Just like the one on Terralysium.
"It appeared to me on the asteroid. I was injured, thought I was hallucinating."
"That can't be a coincidence. Two signals, two sightings."
"The form that hovered above me was...to be honest, it was quite beautiful. But divine?"
"Well, at the very least, this new information creates more context. And context can alter our perspective."
"What about Jacob?"
He sighs. Yes, what about Jacob.
"He knows in his heart who and what we are."
"Look, I feel for the guy too. But even angels are no excuse for violating General Order One."
"There's the helmet camera, sir. It's more evidence for our investigation."
In the excitement, he'd forgotten about the camera. And he agrees with Burnham, as it turns out. It may be worth bending the rules in order to accomplish their mission. Even a rule as important as General Order One.
"But that's a choice only a captain can make," she concludes.
He nods, slowly. He's thinking about what happened on the planet, and despite the issues...how it felt to have support. Someone to share the load.
A captain...with maybe a little bit of help.
"Ambassador."
She looks up from typing up her report on Terralysium to see Pike standing in her office doorway. One of the first things she'd done while unpacking was to unlock the door; she wants people to be able to come talk to her. "Captain. How are you feeling?"
"Much better, thank you." He leans against the frame. "I owe you thanks for what you did down there."
"Just doing my job."
"Well, I appreciate you supporting me. And maintaining our cover."
"See?" She smiles, with just a hit of a tease. "We diplomats can be useful sometimes."
"Yes…" He nods, slowly. "Look...this was a little new for me. Feeling like my CDO was really on my team. It's something I have to get used to."
"And maybe...we're both still getting used to working together?"
He returns her smile. "You know, speaking of that...I was wondering if you wanted to join me. One final trip down."
She regards him curiously. "For what?"
"Saying goodbye. Come on. You can make sure I follow protocol."
Her eyebrows lift at the power cell. He hadn't told her about that before they beamed down, and she probably would have objected if he had...but he's made his choice carefully, and it's close enough to twenty-first century tech that he's not technically breaking General Order One. Just bending it into a pretzel.
And then she has an idea.
"Jacob."
She reaches to her collar and unpins the small titanium dove-and-olive that rides there. "You have to promise me you won't show this to anyone. Not until we've been gone for years and years. Keep it in your family, pass it down."
He turns the small pin in his large, weathered hand. "What is it?"
"The power cell is for Terralysium. This is for you. Something to remind you that we're out there, when you make it that far."
He looks at her. "You were wearing it. What does it mean?"
She smiles, and inclines her head in Pike's direction. "He's the captain. I'm an ambassador. That pin is our symbol for peace and diplomacy."
"They have other people like you out there? People that work for peace?"
"They do. Lots of them. It's a big federation."
The older man smiles back. "Thank you."
Back aboard the Discovery, they exchange a look, and a half-smile. "That was kind of you."
"We do what we can." She sighs. "Sometimes it's a little harder than others. I understand how Commander Burnham felt. But they'll get there on their own someday."
They both step off the transporter pad, and he turns to her. "Are you hungry? I was thinking about grabbing some dinner."
She is surprised by the invitation...but she is hungry. And it means she won't be eating alone.
"Sure. Dinner sounds good."
He's most of the way through a bowl of soup, and she's almost finished with a salmon salad, before he asks.
"Down there, when we were in the church...you looked like you recognized one of those windows."
She pushes her tray away. "I did."
"You want to tell me about it?"
A rueful smile crosses her face. "You won't believe me."
"Try me."
And the thing is, she wants to. Every time she thinks about it, even after all this time, she feels like perhaps she's just remembering wrong. That she didn't see what she thought she'd seen. She just…
She wants someone to listen to her and believe her.
"That image. Of the angel? I recognized it. And I recognized what they were describing, there at the fire." She's already lowered her voice, and it gets even quieter as she speaks. "It's what I saw on Endigan. The red light, and the shape."
He blinks. "You're the second person to tell me this same thing. Today."
She raises her eyebrows. "Who was the first?"
"Burnham. She saw it on the asteroid. The first signal."
This actually makes her feel better. In her short time on the Discovery, she already has no doubt that Burnham is one of the most rational people she's ever met. If Burnham is seeing this thing...then it might be real.
"That can't be a coincidence, can it?"
"I don't think so." He looks thoughtful. "You saw it...but there's no signal connected to what happened to you."
"No, nothing. Just the energy recorded at the talks."
He looks down at his tray, and then back up at her. "Are you finished? There's something I want to look at."
She follows him to his ready room, and sits as he tinkers with the helmet camera. And the image appears.
They both watch in silence. Leah's mouth drops open.
She turns to Pike, her expression more unsettled than he has seen it yet. "That's what I saw at the Endigan talks. It's the same thing. But what exactly is it?"
He shakes his head. "I don't know. But I think our investigation just got a lot more interesting."