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Chapter 8 - "New problems ahead"

U.S.S. Impala

Dean looks up as he hears the commanding crew loudly enter the conference room. The last one, who enters was Sam, so with a hand signal he orders his brother to his side. As he was sure that everyone was here, he stands up and begins. "Thank you for coming. … Because of the unfortunate demise of Captain Miller, I am Captain now. You don't know me, but I know some of you. The reason why I wanted to be on this ship is because of you. I wanted to work with engineer Singer, who has some crazy ideas or with ME Harvelle, a good friend of mine told me that your one of the best MEs in the fleet." he looked at the particular person, while he spoke of them to tell them with his eyes that he means every work he says. With a deep sigh, he looks around the room and continues. "So that I don't have an advantage against you, I tell a little about me. I hate formality so please call me Dean or Captain, but not Captain Winchester." Normally he isn't one for big speeches, but they are in a situation where such thing is needed. He looks at every one in the room to see if they have understood him, that he serious about that. Their smiles and nods tell him yes they have. A short look at Sam tells him that his little brother is proud of him, a confidence boost. Nice to have that, but time is of the essence. "I don't have a second-in-command at the moment, because Ash declined." he point at Ash and all eyes look at him. Some were perplex, some were confused and ask themselves why he didn't want it. But Dean would let them linger on the matter, in his opinion they are Ash reasons only. "That's the reason Lieutenant Winchester is here. Yes, he is my brother, a good science officer, but also a very good law student … So Sam what do the regulation according for appointing a new 2IC entail?" he asks him, but ads after some moments. "Please speak English and not law with me."

Sam shortly smiles, before he answers. "Regulation 157A says that the acting Captain can appoint anyone he likes, who fits the profile that is needed for the job. … Trust between Captain and his first officers is essential."

"Thank you." Dean says and then thought a moment about it. He already made a decision, but he needed to know, whether his actions would be in his legal rights. He starts to smile as he declares. "Ladies and Gentlemen I don't know you yet to fully trust you. I am sorry for my actions, some may have a problem with it, but it in the end it is my decision." with that he turns to Sam. "I hereby promote Lieutenant Winchester to Commander and with it to my 2IC."

There was silence after he said that and Sam was speechless until he found his bearing again. "What? … Are you out of your mind?" he asks his brother.

"Don't you think that you don't have what it takes to be my 2IC?" Dean asks his counter question.

"Oh, I think that I would be a good first officer, but …"

"No, buts Sam, it may be controversial, but we are in a crisis right now and I need a 2IC, who I trust wholeheartedly. Not only to back me up, but also to stop me from something stupid. Besides you nobody in this rooms knows, how crazy I can be. So do you accept your promotion?" he declares hard.

"Yes." was Sam's confident answers, because he understands what his brother is saying. Sam always was the voice of reason in the relationship between the brothers. Until they met Izzy and Jim, he was the only one, who could stop him from something stupid.

Do show his new crew that he wants an open policy between them, that they can come to him every time they need something. "Does anyone have a problem with this decision?" he asks them to give them opportunity to voice their concerns. Dean would have bet that there would be some sort of discussion about it, but instead they all accepted it with a smile on their faces. Oh the time on this ship with this crew is all Dean ever dreamed of. "Good." That was his first step at business, now to the situation at hand. He needs a status report on the ship. He looks at the MO and asks. "How many were injured during the battle?"

"We have 23 with light injuries, 10 with severe injuries and beside Miller we have four more deaths." she answers and gives him her tablet with the information.

"Thank you, you can go back to sick bay to treat the injured, MO Harvelle." Dean orders. Not that her input isn't needed, but she is needed elsewhere at the moment and that is more important.

"Eye sir … and if you we should call you Dean, please call me Ellen." she answers as she stood up from her place.

"Very well … Ellen." with that she left the room and Dean turns to his lead engineer. "Commander Singer, how bad is the ship?"

"The name is Bobby and repairs will take minimum three hours." he declares.

"What's the damage?" Dean wants to know.

"We have to close the hole I made with the explosion and that takes time and the impulse was hit as we escaped. I have to check if and how it will affect the power."

"Okay." Dean turns to Ash. "Do we have any communication with the other ships?" To look for survivors, but he let that hanging in the air.

"No, I don't know why, but I also don't get any other signals from around us, including Vulcan."

"Not good. … What do we know about the situation outside?" Dean asks the whole room.

"Not much, only that it is a warzone out there." Ash answers. That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"We can't even scan the space around us, because the something that scrambles with our communication gear also affects our scanners." Bobby concludes.

"Any ideas?" Dean asks his crew.

All of the present thought a moment about it. It was Sam, how came up with a something or better he presented them one of his inventions. "I was working on a probe to scan areas with the size of a ball and should keep interference at bay; it will send data every 15 minutes." Yeah, there was a reason Sam was part of the science team. Ever since he was a kid, he liked to build things and they always work like he said they would.

"Is it finished?" Dean asks him, because if he would be finished with it, he wouldn't look so shy about it.

"Yeah, I have problems to make it fly or better to steer it form a greater distance." Sam answers embarrassed that his brother knows him so well.

"Maybe instead of steer, give it an automatic course like everywhere you release the probe it always would take his route to a preprogrammed destination like Earth for example." Bobby gives his five pieces in.

"How long would it take to make it ready?" Dean wants to know. He looks at Sam and Bobby.

"If me and Bobby work together it should take only half an hour tops." Sams answers.

"Does it interfere with your repairs?" Dean asks Bobby, because if he wants to know what is going on out there, taking care of the repairs is more important. So that is Dean's priority.

"No problem, if the kid as he said already did most of the work, then it is only fine tuning the thing." Bobby answers.

Deans sees that Sam wants to react to that statement, possible to the tip of him being a kid. But before he could say anything, Dean stops him. "Good then start working." Dean orders both of them. Then he turns to the room as he said. "Everyone else, who has time, helps with the repair. Maybe this way, we can get it done sooner." That also would include him. He may be not an engineer, but to get his ship ready sooner, he would give his helping hand, where he can. Wow, the U.S.S. Impala was his ship now. He was the Captain; he reached his goal, almost unbelievable. But now is not the time to think about it.

They all left the conference room to help with the repairs. Even if they were in a crisis at the moment Dean was happy, his dream came true. The only thing, what could make him happier would to share it with Jim and Izzy. Even after almost a year of being together, he wants to share everything with them. But not entirely true, they were a family long before they started a relationship together. That means everything to him and after he sees them again, the three of them will celebrate, that one of them has reached their shared goal.

Dean starts working near the explosion side, to flick the dock or more he land a hand and assisted. After some time, Dean doesn't how long it was until Sam contacted him over the come. "Dean the probe is ready and we can send her out."

"Then send it out and contact me as soon as you have any data." Dean declares.

"You should probably head to the bridge, because Bobby and I programmed it to scan the area as soon as it is out in space." Sams says.

"On my way." with that he gave his work to one of the other crew members in the area and was on his way to the bridge. He arrived at the bridge soon after Sam sends the probe out. So he asks him as he sees him standing on the bridge as he enters. "What do you got?"

"Wow … it is a warzone out there. The only ship intact is the Enterprise and the attacking ship … And form the looks of it the device with which the work on the planet scrambles with our technology … But I think the Enterprise is working on chancing that." Sam declares

"What makes you say that?" Dean wants to know, but his gut is telling him that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Three person just jumped form a shuttle." he answers. In the moment Sam said that Dean knew that Jim was one of the jumpers. That screams his name, even if he hates space jumps, but to get his crew out of trouble, he would do it. Dean only hopes that he doesn't risk too much and be careful, but with Jim you never knew. But Dean is not so different than him. He can't change him, not that he wants to. He only can hope that nothing will happen to him.

U.S.S. Enterprise

The jump was successful, but they lost Olsen. Jim as well as Zulu almost died. But Chekov saved them almost in the last minute, but better late than never. Then Spock went to save his parents and with it only ¼ of the population of Vulcan and Nero simply vanished, where … no idea. The command crew on the Enterprise is currently on the bridge discussing what to do next.

Jim already knows what to do next. He has standing orders from his Captain and his girlfriend to get the man back on his ship. So that's what he is trying to do. The question is, would Spock follow his opinion or lead on this matter or not.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock asks Uhura as he paced through the bridge. Some people think while the walk, while others think while they sit, so Jim has taken the chairs as his thinking position.

"There are transgressions that suggest no other destination." she answers the Captain.

Even if Jim is almost certain that Nero is heated for Earth, the possibility that he could choose another planet simply is to be unpredictable, so he voices his concern. "Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet could be the target."

Spock looks at him and says. "Out of the chair." as he walks by for his next turn around the bridge. Jim sighs, he doesn't know what Spock's problem was, he was only sitting there and not giving the orders. Even if he liked that very much, because then they would be already on their way to save Pike. Reluctantly he gets up and takes position behind the chair.

Chekov wants to know. "Well if the Federation is the target, why didn't they destroy us?" Good question, Jim has to give him that.

"Why would they … why waste ammunition on us, we are obviously not a threat." And there is that. Nero is a very conflicted Romulan, but Jim has absolute no clue what he really wants. What could he accomplish with destroying Vulcan and why did he do it? Tow very good questions to which they probably never find the answers.

"That is not it." Spock speaking brought Jim out of his own thoughts. "He said he wanted to show me something. … The destruction of my home planet."

"Yeah, how the hell did they do that, by the way? Where did the Romulans got that kind of weaponry?" Another good question Bones asks. They are more advanced than the Romulan Empire is at the moment.

"The energy necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. Such technology could theoretically manipulate to create a tunnel through space time." Wow, what an answer; is he talking about time travel or what, Jim asks himself.

Good to have Bones on the team as he points out in his typical way. "Damn it, man I am a Doctor not a Physicist … Are you actually saying that they are from the future?"

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remain however improbable must be the truth." Spock answers that.

"How poetic." Bones gives back. Yeah a simple yes would have been enough. But Vulcans never do things by half's. But even if we know from where they are, we still don't know what they want.

"So what would an angry Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jims asks all of them. That is question that concerns him the most. Captain Pike wasn't only the father of the woman he loves, but also the reason why he accepted the death of his father and joined star fleet in the first place. He owes that man so much, because he showed him how his live could be or better should be.

"As Captain he does know details of Star Fleets defenses." another reason why they should get Pike back.

So Jim has to voice his opinion. "So what we need to do is catch up to this ship, disable it, take it over and get Pike back."

Of course the pointy ear bastard wouldn't go for it. "We are technological outmatched in every way, a rescue would be illogical." So he says, but how will he know that without trying. The live of one their own depends on it. You never leave someone behind that isn't what the fleet stands for.

"Nero's ship has to drop out of Warp." Chekov tells them. To Jim it looks like he would be on the same page in matters of saving Pike.

But he had a valid point. "We could assign the engineering crew to boost our warp core."

"The remaining powering crew is used to repair radiation leaks in the lower decks as well as the damage to the sub communication, because without that we can't contact Star Fleet … Therefore we must gather with the fleet." Of course he would shout this idea down.

Not what Jim wanted to hear, but he wouldn't give up, never. "Alright, alright, there got to be something we could do."

"Yeah we have to balance the terms of our next engagement."

That was the moment Jim had enough. "There won't be a next engagement; by the time we gather with the fleet it will be already too late. … You say he is from the future and knows what's going to happen, then the logical thing to do would be to be unpredictable."

"You assume that Nero knows how events predicted would unfold. On the contrary Nero's very existence in our time has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack of the U.S.S. Kelvin culminating the events of today. Thereby creating a complete new chain of events which can't be undissipated of either party."

What exactly is he trying to tell us; of course his favorite cadet has figured it out. "An altered reality." Uhura says shocked.

"Precisely. … Whatever our lives might have been before the time continuum was disrupted …. Our destinies have changed." With that Spock toke place in the captains seat and orders. "Mr. Zulu plan a course to the Laurantian System with warp factor 3."

Jim has to stop that. "Spock don't do that. Running back to the fleet for a a tea is a massive waste of time." with that Jim stands directly in Spock's personal space. To show him, how serious he is about the whole situation.

Spock wasn't faced in the slightest by Jim's tactics. "These are orders issued by Captain Pike …"

"He also ordered to go back and get him." he interrupts him. "Spock you are Captain now. You have to."

But like Jim now Spock interrupted him and doesn't let him finish. "I am aware of my responsibilities Mr. Kirk." Jim seriously doubts that. The commander doesn't have what is needed to be Captain in Jim's eyes. But Spock wasn't finished. "And you are clouded by the feelings you have for the Captains daughter." he says in a harsh tone and the whole bridge was silent now. They, who know about whom Spock was talking about are interested how this going to play out. In the front line there was Bones, who hopes that Jim wouldn't overstep his boundaries as he already has, but of course with Jim all bets were off.

"That may be true." Because let's face it is part of the reason he wants to save Pike. "But you already lost once today to her and should you left her father there you can bet your ass that she will beat you again, but this time you will not face her alone, but with her mother and I can guarantee you that you will not survive that." Yeah Jim was smug about the talents of his girlfriend, because she earned it.

In Spock's eyes Jim read that even if he doesn't feel emotions as he says that there still was some fear. But Spock surprised him as he ordered. "Security escort him out." The security officers try to take him out, but Jim Kirk doesn't goes out without a fight. Slow he breaks free of their hold and starts a good old bar fight. But suddenly he feels very tired and before he loses conscious he thinks that he hates Spock, but that he will be in so much trouble with Izzy. So falls unconscious with a smile on his face.

U.S.S. Division

The 10 minutes were up really fast and then the command crew walks in. After all of them found a seat at the table, they look expectantly at Izzy. She took that as her cue to start talking. "Computer secure the room and Commander Birkhoff please turn on your scramblers." She doesn't want that anything of their discussion reaches anyone outside of those four walls. Birkhoff doesn't even look confused as he followed her orders. That alone tells her so much and was all she needed to know. It looks like the crew also knew that something is going on behind the curtain that something is at miss. "So what did I miss, why did Admiral Rose admit me with this position?" she asks them point blank, why beating around the bush, that only costs time.

"I told you Mikey that she is a smart girl and would figure it out." Birkhoff said to Michael.

"Yeah, I knew that Rose doesn't like me and has somehow a problem with me. … So what do you know?" she asks the whole table.

"Yeah we know somethings up Izzy, but before we bring you up to speed, we want to let you know that WE want you as Captain." Michael declares and all around the table nods in agreement. 'Okay that was good, at least someone believes in me' Izzy thought.

"Thank you … So I would do everything to make you proud as your Captain as I know you will do the same for Me." she declares, because she really wants that. Even if she got the job not for her qualifications, she absolutely has, but of other reason so she will show them, who threated her wrong, what she can do. But first she needs to know with what she was dealing. "So please put all the cards on the table."

Michael nods but signals Nikita to start with the explanation. "It all started with your internship. You were on this ship only for a month and told me that me something was amiss with the ship. That got me thinking and I started digging with Nerds help." Nikita says.

"We found some operation reports from before your internship, which were completely edited by Percy. That was when we talked to Mikey." Birkhoff goes on from there.

"But I already knew that Percy did something illegal, because I found a black box with all our missions with the real reports. He kept it as black mail material so that he can keep us in line."

"So why does he left the ship then?" Izzy wants to know.

"Because he figured out that we were on to him and he wants you take the fall for him." Michael concludes. 'So that's why I am Captain now. Whatever is his plan I will not let it happen.' Izzy thought.

"Okay what do you have so far?" Izzy asks them.

"We couldn't do much, because Percy used my relationship with Nikita to keep us in line. And we have a second problem, we received or better you received a communique on your ship channel and I intercepted it. That says that Percy works with the Romulans and plans an attack."

"That's not good." She has to take actions to get her first officer and her security officer of the hands of Percy. Izzy knows one way to do it, she has to deactivated regulations 3722b, which was the reason Percy could blackmail them. So instead of answering to Michael's statement she started typing on the keyboard to get them a marriage license, the only way to deactivate that regulation. With all their personal data on the ships computer it was easy to get the license and she has that at her tablet in only minutes. Now she only has to marry them which she is allowed to do as a Captain of a Federation Vessel.

The crew watched her in silence until they couldn't take it anymore that she does something and doesn't tell them what. So Michael asks her after Nikita puts him with a kick under table in that direction. "What are you doing?"

"Getting a marriage license for you and Nikita." she says like she was speaking about nothing important.

"Why?" Nikita and Michael wanted offend to know.

"So I can marry you … I know that it isn't romantic this way, but it gives us a way to get you out of Percy's hands. Which would mean one of our problems would seas to exist." she stated matter-of-factly.

Michael and Nikita look at each other and consider her suggesting for a moment, even if it was sudden and somehow unromantic; it still was a good solution. "Okay, but give as a moment to prepare for it." Nikita declares.

"Of course it tomorrow a good idea?" Izzy wants to know.

"Yes."

"Good, let's get on with figuring out this mess?" she says.

She thought a moment about Percy and his actions. He will use the attack to keep them a secret. But why did she receive the communique and form whom. "Who send the communique?" she wants to know.

"We are not sure, but we think that is an agent of SSC?" Nikita answers.

"Can you show it to me?" Izzy asks them.

Instead of answering Birkhoff tips on his tablet to pull the document on screen, where it appeared only seconds later. Izzy looks at it and only after the first two words she knows that it was send especially to her, because Izzy was addressed with an old nickname of her. Only family members and very good friends of her parents know it. She wasn't called Snuffles in a long time almost 15 years ago. But she read further and found some more signs between the lines, who the person could be, who send it. She was absolute sure, who it was as she was at the end of the document, because it was signed with Ottendorf. Beside was his favorite quotation and live mantra, 'Always see the sun as good and bad.'

She hasn't seen him in almost five years. He was an old friend of her father; he saved his live while they were together at their first assignments. After that he went in to the spy business, while her father concentrated on his Star Fleet career. She sighs, because it can be a good sign that he contacts her. It suggests that he is in deep shit.

Michael caught her sigh and asks. "You know the sender, right?"

"Unfortunately and yes he works for the SCC. His name is Gabriel Trick." Izzy answers.

"How do you know him and did figure that out?" Birkhoff wants to know. He hates it if someone outsmarts him.

"He is an old acquaintance of my father. I am sure because of the use of my old nickname and his signature as well as the quotation at the end. The older I got the more I learned that we all are god and evil in ourselves. That's what he wanted to teach me with that." she answers him.

"Okay … just while we are at it … who is your father?" Michael wants to know.

"Ah yeah you still don't know. Sorry not many do that I am the daughter of Captain Christopher Pike." I say with a smile.

The reactions were interesting the most of them looked shocked or surprised. But in Michaels face Izzy could read he is working something out in his mind. So she waited until he was done. He looks at her and says. "That explains why Percy wants you to take the fall for him … because he hates your father."

"Really I didn't know that. Do you know why?" Izzy wants to know. So she not only has to prevent a terror act, but also to keep herself as well as her father save in the process.

"I am not sure, but something happened between them at the academy. But I think your father has forgotten what it was. I think Percy holds a grudge." Michael answers.

"Yeah that's a good feeling." she says with sarcasm. But she has to start to act to bring the ball back into her favor. Not that Percy know that, because should have he know that he would have choose someone else besides her. The person, who can help her now, is an old acquaintance of her as well as her father's best friend. Good for her that the both of them work on the same team now.

"I know, so what do we do?" Michael wants to know.

"Birkhoff can you put me in contact with operations Commander Henrietta Lang, but only her and no-one else." she orders, because she doesn't know the new director and she met the assistant Director Granger only one time and he was kind of chauvinist, so she doesn't want talk to him and Hetty owed her.