14

The Definition of Life

"Joe," Trina said as she walked into a smaller compartment that belonged to engineering.

The technical engineer looked up and gave her a faint smile in acknowledgement. "If it isn't the scout," he teased. "Is it an interesting place?"

"I'd say you'd like it down there," she answered slyly as she handed over the new and experimental device which he'd given her before she left for the planet. "Loved this by the way."

"Glad to hear it," he replied. "I'll run a diagnostic on it and see how it performed."

She hesitated. "Have you heard anything about recalling our shore leave personal?" she finally asked.

"Immediately after the captain and commander was beamed back onboard, all scheduled departures were suspended until further notice but there has been no talk about recalling those whose already down there," he informed her.

She nodded thoughtfully.

Lesley continued. "Amin and Louvier didn't want to make the call until they'd spoken with Doctor Boyce and heard your assessment of the situation. The good doctor argued about the importance of 'taking a break'. He also pointed out that it was a promising planet and that our continued journey would be long and probably treacherous at times."

Lesley suddenly chuckled and shook his head. "Doc says it's better with a few cuts and bruises; perhaps even a few Klingons, than a whiny crew and miserable officers," he said.

"Tactical- and diplomatic experts amongst the crew suggests it would lead to an unavoidable diplomatic crisis if the chancellor don't act after this attack upon our captain and XO. The other races present would want to know about these so-called savages, rumors will spread like a wildflower down there. And-," he paused and shook his head. "-while Starfleet can be very lenient and diplomatic at times, the organization does not take lightly to first contact races trying to get their people killed."

She smirked and shook her head. "Of what I've heard about the chancellor, he's a very –," she paused and tilted her head upwards, "- how should I put it? – fawny man."

The technical engineer broke into a grin at her choice of words. "You make it sound like he's a dog wagging his tale, waiting for the bone."

"Judging by his inability to do something about his unwanted visitors, I'd say he's a bit indecisive but – who knows – it might just be a façade?"

They looked at each other, both of them contemplating her words for a moment.

Trina finally shook her head and sighed. "I'll go and have a word with Jamila and tell her that there is no need to postpone shore leave any longer – not for security reasons anyway."

OOOOOO

Christopher Pike was tired, bone-weary, as he made his way over to where his XO was recuperating. His friend and CMO had not been kidding when he'd said he'd subject him to a battery of tests. Losing track of time Chris patiently waited for everything to be over and done. When Phil finally resorted to his office to study the first results, Chris had decided to take a little break from lying flat on his back, hooked up to various monitors and go visit his second in command.

"This is new," Una remarked dryly as Chris took a seat next to her biobed.

"No, it's not," he protested mildly, giving her a courteous dimpled smile. "Just not as frequent as the other way around."

She snorted at that and gently stabbed a finger at his chest. "It was you who said it."

He turned serious. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged.

"Really," he added. "Beneath that tough shell."

She smirked. "How are you holding up?"

Chris shook his head yet he appeared slightly amused. "You can't answer a question with a question," he pointed out.

"I-," she hesitated. "I'm hurting. My back is trying to kill me at the moment. I have a vivid memory of a Klingon, sitting on top of me, trying to chop me up in pieces."

"You want me to go and find Phil?" Chris asked kindly, concerned for his friend and XO.

"I can assure you, he's lurking right around the corner," she remarked sarcastically.

"I heard that!" came the reply.

Chris frowned and glanced over his shoulder to find Boyce lean casually on the doorframe to the more secluded area of sickbay.

"Moment of truth," the CMO said as he walked up to them.

"Your turn," Una suggested.

"I'm fine," he said without thinking.

She snorted skeptically. "Really?"

He relented. "I'm tired, my back is stiff, my joints are sore-," he hesitated, debating whether or not he should tell them more. "I can't explain it but I seem to have these phantom pains that comes and goes."

"Head, chest, left arm and right leg?" Phil guessed as he ran the medical tricorder over him. "Makes sense. Your body is trying to come to terms with injuries it obviously had."

Chris nodded thoughtfully, his expression darkening.

"I can't do more for you here at the moment while I am waiting for the results," Phil said finally. "However, I can escort you back to your quarters and order you to rest since it's obvious you aren't able to do that here."

Chris rolled his eyes.

Boyce pointed a finger at him. "To ensure that you actually do rest, I can medically override your command codes and make sure you can't access anything work-related until morning."

"Sounds wonderful," he remarked sarcastically.

Phil chuckled at that. "Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Come on, Phil," he reasoned, his voice close to whining. "I have things to do."

"Me too-," the doctor concurred and then added; "-other than keeping tabs on you. So, I've changed my mind. You're not leaving at all. You are staying put where I can monitor you."

OOOOOO

Lieutenant Spock stared intently at the data tablet before him as several new readings came through to the ship from the mixed group of scientists, currently stationed on Trehelios. He wasn't sure what the captain had expected – it was, as the human expression went – a long shot. However, he had to give the captain credit for his actions to try and find the remains of a long-lost civilization. Trehelios was in fact, very similar to what Sorabraya had described in terms of Ichkamar.

He found himself wondering what Michael would have thought about it, even though, he knew it was illogical and served no purpose for this investigation. His thoughts uncommonly strayed to whatever had awaited his sister and the crew of the USS Discovery in the future. He tilted his head to look up at the window from where he was sitting, cross-legged, on the Vulcan equivalent to a human yoga mat. His quarters were situated on the starboard side of the ship; therefore, he could see only the black vastness of space accentuated by a million stars, not the planet below them.

For some reason - what he couldn't see - reminded him of something his mother had once told him. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there."

Spock closed his eyes and tried to focus but he felt preoccupied; unsettled. He always did when dealing with something he could not understand, something outside the realms of logic. The Vulcan Science Directory had stated that you cannot bring someone back from the dead yet no one knew exactly what the definition of death really was. After the catastrophe with the AI and after the successes within the medical field throughout the last few generations, the augmentation, gene modulation, perhaps the definition of death itself -. He realized his mind was drifting again, trying to seek order to chaos. He knew the cause of all this, knew why his thoughts seemed jumbled and illogical, but the reason was one thing he wanted to suppress and not think about unless he had to. It served no logical purpose to mull over what could have been. Spock sighed as he watched a star fall from the sky; he'd seen another star fall yesterday and it was a star he could not afford to lose; his mentor and friend Christopher Pike.

Unable to meditate the Vulcan reached once again for the data tablet that lay next to him. On it was another enigma he might not be able to solve; the whereabouts of the planet Ichkamar.

OOOOOO

The chime coming from the communication's panel in sickbay brought a huff to Boyce's lips while he cast an irritated glance towards it.

Chris, sitting on a biobed with his legs dangling over the edge, smirked as he frowned at the doctor as the man made no move to answer.

Boyce, not the least amused to be interrupted, finally gave up and moved over to take the call. As he did, the captain gingerly reached for his ruined yellow uniform tunic that lay next to him on the bed. He still had a hard time understanding that all the caked blood on it came from his body. He still wore the tight and thin, mustard yellow, underlayer which had suffered the same fate as the uniform yet when he glanced down at his muscular torso, he had no wounds. He saw only traces of blood and clean cuts in the fabric of the garment made by the sharp Klingon weapon called a Bat'leth.

Nurse Giles suddenly appeared next to him with a new underlayer and nodded at him with a smile of encouragement. She made a faint grimace at the traces of caked blood that clung to a few strands of grey hair next to his temple. "Here, captain," she said as she handed him the thin garment and nodded at his head and then in the direction of the showers. "You should go and fresh up."

He nodded with a faint smile. "Thanks," he said as he made to stand.

She studied him for a moment. "You'll let me know if there is anything you need?"

"I am perfectly fine, Nurse Giles, but I'd appreciate if you could fill me in on our empath's well-being when I get back."

She nodded. "Absolutely, sir."

As he got back almost ten minutes later, Giles was gone and Boyce was waiting for him in his office.

"Well-," the good doctor began with a dry smirk. "-now you look like your normal self."

"And you look awfully pleased," Chris noted curiously. "Am I cleared for duty?"

Phil nodded slowly as he turned serious while studying his friend. "I have been running every test I can think of and I can find nothing amiss – so, yes – you're cleared for duty."

Chris broke into a grin and the pursed his lips into a dimpled smirk as he nodded. "Then I'd better leave before you change your mind," he said.

"Captain?" Nurse Giles said with a smile as she reappeared and motioned for him to come. "I do believe she's waking up now. Would you like to see her?"

Una glanced up as Pike stepped into the doorway. She managed a faint smile. "Look at you," she said softly. "You seem more radiant than ever."

"I believe I owe that to a special person," he said humbly as he looked at Teelar and then nodded a silent thank you to Nurse Giles.

The empath blinked her drowsy eyelids open to study the captain as he walked up to stand between his XO and herself. Una was right, he seemed to be back to normal. The skin was glowing instead of being ashen and gray while his eyes – crystal blue – took in her appearance with a mixture of warmth and concern.

"My doctors tell me you disregarded you own life in the process," he said as his handsome face turned carefully admonishing.

Teelar hesitated. "I-," she swallowed. "I liked you when we first met and the Hav'rats loved you. I didn't want you to die; not if I could help it."

Chris frowned. "Doctor Ov'Da Bob Da claimed you were tested by Tee'Pa Dus Do a year ago and that you failed to rescue a patient you were meant to save," he said curiously, his tone of voice soft and caring.

A tear trickled down Teelar's face as she nodded. "I couldn't," she whispered, her eyes downcast as if she was ashamed. "I would have been put into service at the hospital – doomed to use whatever power I had to save those who'd been injured here while on shore leave. Kelle, my friend, says it eats at her, gnaws at her soul yet she has accepted it as her duty. She is ready to be killed for her gifts but I am not."

"Yet you saved me," Chris pointed out kindly.

She finally met his gaze and managed a faint smile. "I didn't know how and I didn't know if I really could but I knew I had to try," she said.

He took her hand into his and realized that perhaps he shouldn't.

Seeing his hesitation, she broke into a genuine smile this time. "It is okay, Captain Pike. You will cause me no pain this time."

He gave a faint snort and shook his head while a dimpled smile formed on his lips. "For what it is worth, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."

"No," Una assured her suddenly with a witty grin. "I am the one who should thank you, with all my heart. Without its captain, this ship would be lost; I would be lost."

Chris was suddenly overcome by the display of emotions on Una's face. It was rare for her to admit her raw feelings to anyone. She usually just made a witty remark or chided people to deflect what she truly felt.

Chris forced himself to look back at Teelar. "You are not Circusian. They call you empathic beings or travelers. What is the name of your home planet?" he asked.

"I am afraid I don't know, captain," she said regretfully. "I was born here; a child of a species long-lost."

Chris and Una shared a look of concern and curiosity.

"Some of the descendants – as we call ourselves – has tried to take a partner outside our species. Many weren't compatible so there have been few children and those who's been given the special gift are put into labor at the hospital to care for those who does not value their lives – not the way we do."

"You are a dying race," Una deduced.

Teelar nodded sadly.

"We'll fix this," Chris assured her softly as he turned to leave.

Teelar watched him leave the room and for the first time she felt renewed hope. Filled with energy she got out of her biobed and walked the small distance to the ship's XO. She reached out her hand towards her. Una, although surprised, gently grasped the petite hand and let out a small gasp at the strange energy that seemed to pulsate and travel through her body. Teelar closed her eyes, focusing on her task at hand and willed for the pain to come to her and then go away.

OOOOOO

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