Star Trek

Discovery/Strange New Worlds*

The Connection

*AU from Star Trek Discovery Season two finale.

Boldly following the voyages of the USS Enterprise.

1

Interlude

Captain Christopher Pike sighed and ran a tired hand through his thick, greying hair as he walked through the door to his quarters and practically fell into his office chair.

Some moon it had been – at Edrin II – a moon without surprises. No evil AI lurking, no mysterious signals, no strange alien beings trying to merge with his XO and no hostiles who wanted to kidnap his crew.

Pike shook his head and wondered, not for the first time, when he'd come to enjoy a simple mission. When he'd began to take dull and boring routine tasks for fun and when he'd began to shy away from a little trouble.

He reached out to open a delicate bottle of dealcoholized whiskey and poured it into a crystal glass. He stared at the liquid as he let it swirl in the glistening glass. Leaning back in his comfortable chair, he sipped its content carefully. Phil had given it to him – or rather, it had stood on his desk when he had gotten back onboard. There had been an old-fashioned card attached around its neck, in which the good doctor, and friend, had wished him a warm welcome home.

He closed his eyes as he inhaled the aroma and then exhaled loudly. It had never felt so good to be home; to feel the hum of the large Constitution class starship's engines beneath his feet, to see the light yet colorful interior of the ship and to be reunited with his crew and officers again.

Chris had enjoyed the challenge of being an interim captain onboard the Discovery and that ship and crew would always have a special place in his heart but he didn't belong with Commander Burnham, Commander Saru and the others. It simply wasn't his rightful place to be.

When he'd visited the monastery on Boreth and learned what was about to come, about his own future, it further told him he had another destiny to fulfill – one that seemed so gruesome, so unfair and utterly hopeless that he'd stowed it deep down in his mind, refusing to accept and/or believe that was what actually awaited him.

Pike thought back upon Kat's last words to him and found himself wondering if she knew something he didn't. "-and Chris. Whatever your path might be – you can handle it." However, that wasn't the statement he had been pondering when he'd been lying awake at night. It was what she'd said next. "This isn't where your story ends and I think you know that." He'd looked at her in surprise at those words. There had been so much he'd wanted to ask her but with so little time, he had had to let it go – he had had to let her go. He would never be able to ask her what she'd meant.

He found himself wondering if Doctor Burnham had meant something else when she'd said he wouldn't like his future. He would grasp for whatever straw he could find to get away from ending up in a life-support-chair. However, Gabrielle Burnham had seen everything and everyone die. Discovery had played an integral part in changing that horrible future Doctor Burnham had told them about and turned it into something brighter.

Chris sighed. 'Perhaps the future truly was untold from now on?' he thought.

Truth to be told, he was sick of sacrifices and injustices. Discovery and her crew had given up everything when they left for the future and no one could know about it. Admiral Cornwell had saved the Enterprise by giving up her life and all she'd gotten was a posthumous medal for her service. Spock had to let his sister go and Siranna had to let her brother go; both the Vulcan and the Kelpien knew they would never ever see their family members again. The Xahean Princess Po had assisted them, endangering her life in the process, as she coordinated an attack in order to call off their attackers. All those brave people, all their suffering and loss led to the final elimination of the sinister AI that day.

His thoughts wandered back to Boreth and before that final moment, that final showdown. To the day he had travelled to Boreth, to retrieve a time crystal to power the suit. He doubted he would have volunteered to go if he had known what he was getting himself into. But then again, the whole experience at Boreth had seemed so surreal that he still wasn't sure what had happened. Tenavik had told him he would be sealing his fate by taking the time crystal but Spock claimed the future could not be predetermined. One example of that was Burnham's misinterpretation of the events prior to the leap for the future. She'd briefly thought they would fail because of her vision of Leland onboard the Discovery; saying goodbye to her.

Christopher Pike's hand, somewhat unsteadily, guided the glass to his lips once again and let the liquid soothe his dry throat for a moment. One day he would die – no, he corrected – he would not die; he would be damaged beyond recognition and sentenced to a life-support-chair in which he'd stay until his final breath. That scared him more than anything - to know that - despite the technological advancements and splendid medical service the fleet had to offer, he still couldn't escape confinement. He harrumphed bitterly as he thought back upon Discovery and the note that he'd found in Captain Lorca's ready room when he'd first arrived. 'Not every cage is eternal,' it had said. He shook his head, it was just a coincidence, a stupid fortune cookie - nothing more.

Chris took another sip of the whiskey as he contemplated whether or not he was still up for this kind of job. When he'd been younger, he'd tried to steer clear of his father's religious teachings and focused solely on what was scientifically proven; of logical things and things that could be explained. He chuckled bitterly and shook his head as he thought back upon how naïve he must have been. He had long since learned that the universe itself was a mystery and that there were forces, different levels of existence and paranormal activities out there in the unknown that would never get a logical explanation and he'd come to accept that.

The door slid open to reveal a smug looking XO who called him back into the real world, away from his musings and reflections.

"Drinking alone might be a sign of depression, captain," she said softly as she walked up to stand opposite him. "I'll have a Kelpien Brandy, please," she added cheekily and blinked at him. "The real stuff."

Pike actually laughed at that as he bent down to retrieve a bottle with a suspicious pinkish content, one Starfleet Medical would throw out the window if they'd got their hands on it. "Complements from Commander Saru," he said as he poured her a glass and saluted. "May he be happy, wherever he is."

Una sat down and glanced out the window behind Chris, her eyes distant for a moment. "He never got to share his legacy with the rest of us. As far as the Federation is concerned, the Discovery was lost with all hands. There will never be another Kelpien in the ranks, ever again."

"Spock lost his sister," he said in a subdued voice as he looked up from his glass and turned to look at his first officer with a mixture of fondness and sadness. "There were so many good people; so many brave souls onboard that ship, Una. I wish you could have gotten to know them."

"I'll take your word for it," she said with a faint upward curl to her lips. "It was enough to lose Admiral Cornwell."

He nodded. "She'll be sorely missed; of that I am sure."

Una hesitated. "Are you sure she's really dead, Chris?" she asked.

He looked like he'd aged at least ten years between hearing the question and giving an answer. "I saw her get incinerated, Una. I don't even think Kat can get out of that one alive," he replied hollowly.

She looked away, saddened by the definite ending his statement brought to her.

"I have seen too much lately, forgive me, Una," he whispered. "I am tired."

She leaned forward in her chair and reached out to give his shoulder a comfortable squeeze. "You're not indulging in self-pity – are you? It doesn't suit you, captain."

He broke into a handsome dimpled grin at seeing the mischief in her eyes, at hearing the slight teasing tone of her voice, and realized how much he had missed her company. "Wouldn't dream of it," he assured her.

"Good. Now that we're done with the drinking and the brooding; can we go through a bunch of reports together?"

"The debris field?" Pike guessed.

They had come across what looked like small remains of a ship two weeks ago.

"Louvier insists the alloys he's been studying can only come from one ship – A Klingon Bird of Prey," Una explained. "But that's impossible."

The sound of an incoming communique made them both jump as they glanced up at the loudspeaker in surprise. "Bridge to Captain Pike," Lieutenant Nicola said, his voice a mix of confusion and frustration. "Sensors are picking up what appears to be a faint chatter. It's coming from a solar system several light years from here."

Chris and Una shared a look of curiosity and concern. "Understood, proceed with caution and run the First Contact protocol, notify me the moment we get there."

"Captain, this is Lieutenant Amin, estimated time of arrival at maximum warp is fifteen minutes," she reported.

"Go to yellow alert and hit it lieutenant," he commanded. "Pike out."

Una made a face. "Typical," she stated sarcastically. "I guess the reports will have to wait."

"Now, commander," Chris said slyly. "I thought you liked to meet with new people."

OOOOOO

1/24

Note: Without giving too much away here, I feel that I should mention that this story does have certain tie ins with my other fanfiction stories called 'Pathogen' and 'Immortality'. I wouldn't say it's necessary to read them before this though; I consider it to be a stand-alone.