Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Michael Burnham thought she was one of the unlucky ones. She had a powerful quirk, one that allowed her to control the earth around her and since Vulcan was a desert planet, her training grounds were unlimited. Her foster family was kind and caring, and she had a supportive crew on the USS Discovery. But the one thing she lacked was love; she was one of the few who didn't have a partner much to her sadness, as she watched all the happy couples all around Starfleet Headquarters. She had tried and failed to fall in love—twice; her first attempt was on T'Pring, her childhood friend and Spock's betrothed. Michael tried courting her once using her quirk, she spent the whole night creating a beautiful road which led to an elaborately crafted sand sculpture of T'Pring.
"I made this for you." Michael had said. "T'sai T'Pring, will you be my girlfriend?"
And after a lot of thinking, T'Pring finally admitted that she had feelings for Michael as well. Over the span of a week, they had come to seek each other out in the dark, to kiss and embrace, and were lovers in secret.
One night, after a passionate moment, T'Pring asked "Will you fight for me when I declare koon-ut-kal-if-fee?"
"I will." replied Michael. "I really don't want to fight my brother, but hey, anything for love."
And Michael was delighted to have the most beautiful girl on Vulcan as her wife, until it happened. At what was supposed to be their sacred temple, Michael found T'Pring making love with a man. And what was worse, she recognized that man by the lightning scars on his body. It was none other than Stonn, one of those who had bullied Spock in his childhood and, as a result, had been the first to fall victim to Spock's electricity quirk. At first, she thought he was raping her but the look on T'Pring's face stated otherwise.
"Harder..."
His strong hands on her ass, her pendant breasts bouncing with each of his thrusts; it was more than Michael could stand.
"Please, Stonn, harder..."
Less than a minute afterward, Michael made her presence known. Immediately, both of them jumped away from each other. Michael walked over to the two, and asked "Why?"
T'Pring spat in her face. "Did you really expect me to fall for a monstrosity like you? No. I only wanted you because that half-breed bastard you call a brother holds powers that no other on this planet can combat but you. Filthy whore."
Angered, Michael proceeded to exact her revenge on them both with her quirk. The ground shook and cracked under T'Pring and Stonn, and soon, it swallowed them both.
Satisfied with her work, the maddened Michael returned home like everything was normal. Although she was able to cover it up as an earthquake, the consequences had haunted her for years, even after she followed Spock to Starfleet. There, she met the two people who helped her heal—Phillippa Georgiou(both of them to be exact), who had been like a mother figure to her, and Ash Tyler, the man who she came to view as her true love. The first time she had confessed her dark past to Phillippa and Ash, they had accepted her like it was no big deal.
After all, Phillippa, the one she had right now, was an evil dictator that had taken many lives back in her own universe and Ash was a Section 31 member who had merged with a murderous alien(a Klingon to be exact). Although the fact that Ash was now a hybrid had caused him and Michael to break up at some point, both of them still had leftover feelings for each other. Michael remembered the day the two renewed their relationship as she sat by the Tree Of Wonders.
~FLASHBACK~
Ash and Michael were kissing each other as they then parted lips and looked at each other lovingly. "Babe, that was amazing." Ash chuckled.
"You really do like me, do you, Ash?" Michael asked.
"Of course I do. I know I screwed up at first when Voq took over, but I've changed and I'm in love with you now, Mikey. I really am." Ash admitted.
Michael blushed and said "I gotta be honest too, Ash. I'm in love with you as well. I mean, you are the most hottest and handsomest Klingon hybrid in the whole entire universe and..." She then sighed lovingly. "You're like my dream come true."
"Well, par'Mach'kai, I guess I'm your one and only dream that's coming true." Ash lovingly replied before kissing Michael again.
"Hey, can I tell you something?" Michael asked.
"Of course" Ash nodded.
"Well, you see…" Michael started then began singing.
MICHAEL:
All my life has been a series of lonely space,
And then suddenly I bump into you,
"I was thinking the same thing!" Ash exclaimed. "'Cause like..."
ASH:
I've been searching my whole life to find my own place,
And maybe it's the party talking or maybe the fondue.
MICHAEL:
But with you, I see your face...
ASH:
But with you, I found my place...
BOTH:
And it's nothing like I've ever known before!
Love is an open door!
Love is an open door!
Love is an open door!
With you!
With you!
With you!
With you!
Love is an open door...
ASH:
I mean it's crazy...
MICHAEL:
What?
ASH:
We finish each other's—
MICHAEL:
Sentences!
ASH:
That's what I was gonna say!
MICHAEL:
I've never met someone...
BOTH:
Who thinks so much like me!
Jinx! Jinx again!
Our mental synchronization
Can have but one explanation...
You and I are just meant to be!
Say goodbye, (Say goodbye)
To the pain of the past,
We don't have to feel it anymore!
Love is an open door!
Love is an open door!
Life can be so much more!
With you!
With you!
With you!
With you!
Love is an open door...
Ash and Michael kissed each other again before Ash asked "Can I say something crazy? Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Can I say something even crazier? Yes!" Michael gleefully cried.
~END FLASHBACK~
Michael sighed as she slumped against the tree's base. Her and Ash's new relationship had lasted a little more than a week before Voq caused them to break up—again. Suddenly, she felt a presence next to her as she was snapped out of her reverie and turned her head to see a Roylan, whose name she remembered as Keenser. Usually she'd seen him with the Scott guy, making crazy contraptions that would amaze all of Starfleet. It was rare that people would see him on his own.
"What's troubling you?" asked Michael.
Keenser paused for moments, and then his lips formed a silent word. A name. "Gaila."
Michael recognized the name, it belonged to an Orion girl who had enrolled in Starfleet Academy along with her brother Kai. "Lemme guess, is she bullying you?"
"No."
"Alright. You have a crush on her or something?"
"That is correct." replied Keenser. Secretly he had a crush on Gaila but he knew it would never come true due to him being a Roylan and Gaila being an Orion.
"I understand." said Michael. "Those Orions...they're pretty, aren't they?" With that, she began singing Two Unsuspecting Hearts to him, and he listened eagerly.
Lightyears away, a certain troubled Romulan was also reminiscing about his love life. His mind harked back to his teenage days, to the moment where love had its hold on him for the first time.
"Ayel!" a young Nero called out as he chased his best friend down a flowering hill, and then he tackled him to the ground. "I've got you now!"
"Ow!" cried Ayel. "Nero! What was that for?"
"Nothing." replied Nero. "I just wanted to hold you in my arms, that's all. You're like a dear brother to me and I never wanted that to change, but the truth is, whenever I'm with you, I have this...feeling."
"What?" asked Ayel.
As if he was reciting a poem, Nero confessed. "To say it's love would be too simple, too obvious. It's more like a calling, a vocation, something I was put on this planet to do. Now I'm shooting with the stars, and I'm flying with the angels, and my heartbeat is a symphony the closer I get to you. If I had a t'hy'la, it would be you."
"Too bad we're not really t'hy'lara." said Ayel. "That being said...I wish you were my t'hy'la too, Nero. In fact, I liked you always, and I was jealous of the girls that followed you around like lost pets."
Nero gave Ayel a little kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I won't ever leave you. After all, we all know what happens to one who has forsaken their beloved."
Yes, indeed, Romulus had its old tales just like any other planet, and the most terrifying out of them all was the legend of Thea and Amulius, two young lovers who had pledged themselves to each other long ago. Amulius was a general whose name was feared and revered through many galaxies, and Thea was the only one he held a soft spot for...until it happened. One day, Amulius saw the Emperor's daughter from afar and, enraptured by her beauty, left Thea for her. The heartbroken Thea went to the temple of Karrienas, the goddess of revenge and prayed to her for retribution. Karrienas answered Thea's prayers and, as a result, Amulius got caught up in an unwanted incident and was stripped of his title and honor, and lived out the rest of his life alone and miserable among the lowest of low.
"Will you swear to me that you will always be with me?" asked Ayel.
"I swear." said Nero. "After all, I'm not a moron like that Amulius was. We'll never taste the wrath of Karrienas as long as we both shall live, I guarantee you." And so, from that day, Nero and Ayel decided to become lovers, and they often laughed about the antics of the young women, all seeking both their hands in marriage. Sometimes, they would chase those girls off by saying that being married to a miner won't be the most pleasant thing, and for a while, they managed to stay like that.
But despite it all, one of the women managed to get through it all. Her name was Mandana, and she held genuine feelings for Nero after all, even going as so far as to say that she will endure all the hardships that come with being married to a miner. And in a while, Nero began spending more time with her than with Ayel. They didn't speak about it. It was for the best. After all, Mandana did not get to follow Nero to all those mining grounds, which Ayel did. But as time passed, their relationship devolved into something fully platonic even when they'd meet up in what sparse free time they had. During one meeting, on the Narada, as they overlooked the vast expanse of space, Nero spoke freely about Mandana, now his girlfriend of several years.
"She's really something."
The first officer of the Narada hid his scowl well, hands on his hips. He let the rays of starlight blind him, crimson bleeding into his vision.
"I love her, Ayel. I'm going to ask her to marry me."
The feeling in his chest wasn't going away, but he swallowed it down deeper and clapped a hand on his captain and friend's shoulder, smiling widely while congratulating him. His vision still hadn't cleared. And once he was back in his quarters, he let the tears flow freely.
"How could you?" he wept, "You promised that you'd always be with me..." What he didn't know was that there was a divine presence watching over him from above, determined to carry out revenge on Nero.
And although it took a long time, the perfect tool was found.
The Hobus star was dying, and if it ever were to go supernova, it would devour not only all the nearby star systems, but the entirety of the Romulan Star Empire. Fortunately, the Vulcan Ambassador Spock had a solution. The rare mineral decalithium could be used to make a powerful weapon known as red matter, and with the right amount of red matter, an artificial black hole would be created to devour the Hobus supernova. Nero had agreed to aid and abet the ambassador in any plan necessary, and he talked about it to Mandana, now his wife and pregnant with his child.
Mandana had encouraged him, saying that he must do what his heart knows to be right.
"I won't miss the birth of our child. I promise." said Nero as he left for the next meeting on the ship.
"Promise me that you won't come back 'till you've succeeded. Our son wouldn't want any less." said Mandana.
"What?" asked Nero.
"Yes, it's a boy. And when he grows up, he will be a miner just like his father." Mandana replied. "Now go. And make us both proud."
"Yes, my love." Nero said as he embraced his wife, and left for the Narada.
And so, Nero had a little talk with Ambassador Spock, got his hands on a buncha decalithium and even got to know Captain Lady Enterprise of the USS Enterprise-E. Turns out the captain was also the starship's conscious—for some STRANGE reason, all the Federation vessels had their conscious stored in human bodies. Captain Lady Enterprise was the first starship to be her own captain, and judging by how well she handled her crew, the Federation had truly made the right decision.
Another little talk later, Nero decided to hand the decalithium to Ambassador Spock so that the Federation scientists may make red matter out of it, but with a warning:"If Romulus dies, I will hold your people responsible.".
In order to make good on his word, Ambassador Spock outfitted the fastest ship Vulcan could afford—a jellyfish, but even he could not interfere with a god's will. Karrienas indeed answered Ayel's silent prayers, and Romulus was consumed by the supernova, taking Mandana and her unborn child with it. Upon learning this, Nero was grief-stricken.
"W-w-what am I supposed to do, Ayel?" he sobbed, and Ayel could feel the wetness spreading through to his own skin, sinking into his cold bones. "I lo-loved h-her."
"I know."'
"Loved her-er more th-than any-ything."
"...I know."
They stayed pressed into each other, Ayel sadly gazing down at his best friend as his shoulder shook from the pain. "I've never felt so lonely," Nero admitted, and Ayel had to stop breathing, or else he would have started crying, too.
"You'll always have me," he offered. It wasn't meant as anything other than supportive. But Nero's delicate emotions, combined with Ayel's hand inadvertently sliding just a little too low on his back, made Nero seize up. "No!" He shouted, throwing himself off of the bed and away from his friend, enraged and heartbroken. Ayel stilled in surprise, shocked by the expression of hatred on Nero's face.
"I don't want you! I want her!" He wept, falling to the floor.
"Captain..."
"I want her back," he cried quietly, wetting the plush carpet with his tears. "Please..."
Hours later Nero apologized, but Ayel told him there was nothing to apologize for.
More time passed, and the Narada's entire crew had tattoos all over their skin. There was a tradition on Romulus that, when a loved one died, you would paint your grief upon your skin. Ancient symbols of love and loss. In time the paint would fade, and with it the period of mourning. Life would go on. The crew of the Narada had painted these symbols on their skin. But they burned them deep, so that they may never fade. Because life does not go on, but revenge does.
"Congratulations, Vulcan. You just signed your death warrant." said Nero, referring to Ambassador Spock. Afterwards, the Narada visited a vault full of military items, where she got retrofitted with Borg technology and gained sentience just like the Federation vessels, although she lacked a proper human body to place her conscious in.
Commander D'Spal, the vault's leading lady, was a bit of a soothsayer as well as a warrior. Weeks before all this could happen, Karrienas had visited her in her dreams and told her that Captain Nero of the Narada has violated the oath of love he made to his first officer, therefore incurring the goddess's wrath. She called Ayel aside and told him about Karrienas's divine wrath, saying that "Your captain must know this, or his thirst for revenge will lead the ship to doom. Although I'm helping him out, it does nothing more than simply delay the inevitable."
That left Ayel distraught. He remembered Nero's words to him long ago:
"We'll never taste the wrath of Karrienas as long as we both shall live, I guarantee you."
"Liar." muttered Ayel. "You promised..."
And on the way to Vulcan, the Narada had gotten entangled with a Klingon armada led by General Worf and escaped unscathed, while Worf himself was severely injured and was left in the care of his friends at the Enterprise. While this was happening, Spock's jellyfish had dropped a piece of red matter into the ever-growing supernova and was successful in stopping it—but with unexpected consequences.
The Narada arrived just in time as the black hole was being formed, and as a result, got sucked into it and then hurled into a different timeline and a different universe. And upon arriving in that other universe, her crew went through many things—encountering the parents of the legendary Captain Kirk, getting marooned on a Klingon prison asteroid, all in the span of 25 years.
And...
"Sir, we've arrived at the coordinates you calculated." Ayel called out to his former lover. Although they were able to rekindle the old flame they once had during the time spent on that dis-asteroid, this time, it was a bit...different.
"There's nothing here." said another crewman.
"What are your orders?" asked Ayel.
"We wait. We wait for the one who allowed our home to be destroyed, as we've been doing for 25 years." said Nero.
"And once we've killed him?" asked Ayel.
"Kill him? I'm not gonna kill him. I'm gonna make him watch." said Nero as a black hole opened and a jellyfish came out of it. "Capture that ship." he ordered.
"Welcome back, Spock."
Yes, I went over and shamelessly replaced Data with a humanoid avatar of the Enterprise-E, as a means of foreshadowing for things to come.
BTW...the goddess Karrienas is but one of the many names used to refer to the "mysterious force" that will be meddling with the crew frequently in the entirety of this series, most of the time I will be referring to the force as simply it.