Captain Daniel Jackson was not a patient man. Starfleet had assigned his ships on quite possibly the most boring, unimportant missions they could possibly think of. His mouth turned into a frown while he placed his chin in his hands. They'd been floating through space for weeks…WEEKS…and not seen anything remotely interesting. Oh sure a comet here or an "interesting" patch of planets, none of which were Class M. Of course they weren't Class M because heaven forbid they ever had any excitement.
Right then there was a sharp jolt as the ship was hit. Jackson was pulled from the realm of his thoughts to the loud sound of alarms as they indicated damage taken to the ship.
"Commander Hallon, status report."
"Communications are down and they knocked out are starboard engine."
Jackson turned back to the helm. "O'Hera?"
"They're Klingon, sir."
"How many?"
"Three. Warbirds is sensors are correct."
"Can we shake them? Get into warp?"
Hallon shook his head. "Warp functions are disabled. Impulse and weapons are still online."
"Fire and take evasive action. Jackson to Engineering."
Gellar here Captain.
"Lieutenant Gellar, get those warp engines online. You have until two minutes ago."
Aye, sir.
The bridge shook again, more violently than last time but still a very sizable tremor. Ten minutes of them firing and Jackson's ship returning fire were the longest ten minutes of Jackson's life.
"Jackson to engineering. Status."
Almost there, Captain. I need three minutes.
He looked up at Hallon who shook his head, mouthing one before turning back to the instruments at his station.
"We need them within one minute." Gellar started to say something when Jackson shushed her. "One minute, Gellar."
Meanwhile Olivia was running about engineering, trying to figure out how the hell she was going to save the ship. The damage to the relays was extensive but if she could just redirect power from navigation, then she'd have the warp engines back.
"Captain. I need to redirect power from navigation."
We'd be warping in the dark. We can't do that.
"Do you want to risk staying here?" The silence gave Olivia her answer. "It's the only way."
Jackson shut the connection and nodded for O'Hera to proceed. She'd need to take manual control. With the shields rapidly fading and their hull now taking direct damage, Captain Jackson gave the order to warp into the unknown. They all prayed they wouldn't be followed.
The engines flared to life and punched them through into hyperspace. In silence, the crew held their breaths until they reemerged and for a few minutes after. Jackson was the first to release his held breath, turning to Hallon. "Were we followed?"
The man smiled. "No. We must have just gotten a little too close. They don't seem to be following us."
Jackson pressed a button on his console. "Jackson to engineering. Damn good job. Gellar, I need you on the bridge."
On my way.
Olivia placed a young junior lieutenant in charge of the repairs until she got back. The bridge was in no better shape than engineering, which made Olivia wonder how bad the parts of the ship most hit looked like. The thought gave her a tense and pounding headache between her eyes.
"What's broken?"
Jackson straightened in his chair. It was the stance he used to keep everyone calm. He didn't intentionally do it, it just happened. Olivia wondered if he had kids, human fathers often used the stance. Her own father practically inhabited the posture every day of his life. Olivia listened and made a mental note of the repairs needed. When she heard external communications were down, Olivia reached for her PADD.
"Captain. I've been working on a bypass for communications. If you access power from auxiliary systems, you could probably get long-range communications up for a few seconds. Long enough to send a short distress signal. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to engineering."
Jackson nodded. "We need engines up as soon as you can."
"Understood."
Four hours later Olivia was tucked away in the maintenance crawlspace, trying to reconfigure the flow of power so that maybe they could bring the warp coils back to life. Though early tests had looked promising, frustration was beginning to set in. Her hands shook, though that was mostly from not having eaten or slept since yesterday morning.
"Lieutenant?"
"Down here." Olivia waved her flashlight at the hatch.
Commander George Hallon looked around the empty engine room. He was about to call out again when he noticed the hatch to one of the maintenance crawlspaces was open. A flickering light told Hallon she'd gone down there alone. Sighing, Hallon dropped into the crawl space after grabbing a flashlight. Shining the beam down the space, it wasn't long before his eyes fell on the lieutenant in some oversized Starfleet pants. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail with chunks sticking to the sweat and dirt mixture on her forehead. Though every part of her was covered in dirt and sweat, Olivia had a smile on her face.
"Here to doubt my work, Commander?"
"Hello to you too, Lieutenant," Hallon crawled closer so that they could work side by side on an exposed wiring panel.
Olivia smiled before grabbing the small bottle of water and gulping down half its contents. "I sure hope you have good news."
"Captain Jackson needs you on the bridge. A ship is approaching."
Olivia smiled. "Please tell me I'm not hallucinating. I thought our communications were down." Her uniform was dirty and wrinkled. As they talked, Olivia smoothed the wrinkles and ran her hands through her disheveled hair. They were practically running on fumes after escaping a near fatal encounter with some Klingon warbirds. She hoped whoever was on the approaching ship would be able to help them.
"Your creative control configuration allowed us three point five seconds to send a signal through. We didn't think it got out but our rudimentary sensors picked up a ship. It's carrying a Starfleet signature. With a little more jiggling…"
"Jiggling, sir?"
"It's a technical term. I could use the proper lingo if you so desire…" Olivia shook her head, smirking a little at his emphasis on desire. Hallon ignored Olivia's raised eyebrow and carried on. "With a little more jiggling, we were able to open up a channel for a few minutes. I wasn't there for the transmission because Jackson sent me here. Not that I mind. The view isn't bad." Olivia sighed and sat back, allowing Hallon to see her legs covered in baggy pants. "Lieutenant?" His eyes flashed to the pants.
"Higher ups must enjoy requiring women to wear these god awful short skirt uniforms. Well, I for one am not going to scar my legs if I can't stop it. Asked Doc for a spare."
His eyebrows did that odd wiggle that always made Olivia's breath catch in her chest, not that she'd EVER tell Hallon that. The ship was too small for his ego to begin with. "I thought you liked spending time in sickbay a little too much."
Olivia shook her head. "You're just like Erin. It amazes me that even when we're floating helplessly in space, all you can think about is sex."
Hallon laughed, the sound full and deep. "There's nothing wrong with appreciating anatomy. There are so many beautiful people on this vessel, yourself included." Olivia offered him some water, which he gladly took. "Captain Jackson is still antsy about the engines. She wants a report."
"Looks like the warp coils are fried. Impulse is still offline. Although, if I can bypass these relays and tie in the power used for navigation, I could get impulse back online."
"So we'll be flying blind?"
"Helmsman O'Hera is proficient with a star chart. She could maneuver us to the nearest base where proper repairs can be made."
"Hey, Liv! Commander Hallon! Where are you?"
The sudden noise made Olivia jump. A sharp pain coursed through her head when she banged it against the roof of the crawlspace. Her hands flew to the top of her head and she groaned in pain. Hallon just laughed. Olivia looked up to see Erin looking down into the space with that same goofy grin Olivia had come to know and love. Olivia rubbed the sore spot on her head and slowly crawled out of the maintenance crawlspace, painfully aware of Hallon's staring on her backside. She couldn't blame the kid, he was part Fraulian, a species quite known for the sexual appetites in its males. Hallon couldn't help his omnisexual nature, it was a part of who he was. Though Olivia did have to admit he was entertaining while he banged a worked up engine back into submission and could salsa better than almost anyone she ever knew.
"Erin? Shouldn't you be down in sickbay?"
Erin shook her head while pulling Olivia closer so they could link arms. Hallon was on Olivia's other arm, watching Erin with those wandering green eyes. "Jackson gave us all the afternoon off. Didn't you get the memo?"
"Guess not. What happened?"
"The ship approaching is called the Enterprise. With your modifications to communications, we were able to have a short conversation with the ship's captain, James Tiberius Kirk."
"Is he hot?"
Erin waved her free hand like a fan by her neck. "Hallon, let's just say he can board me anytime." Hallon made a yummy, satisfied sound. Olivia just rolled her eyes.
"Why am I friends with you two?"
"Because without us, you would not have any fun."
They entered the turbo lift and entered the command to bring them to the mess hall. Erin and Hallon gossiped over the new captain and Olivia was treated to a cacophony 'oohs' and 'awes' followed by uncontrolled fits of giggles. Within minutes they had made it to the mess hall and secured a table. They were too engrossed in conversation to notice the doors open and see the strange man that was now accompanying the captain.
"Oh dear god…look at that…look at that…" Hallon was tugging on Erin's shirt. The woman looked up slightly irritated at having been interrupted but after seeing what Hallon was pointing at proceeded to drop her fork and let her jaw hang open. "Is that him, Kolshar?"
"You bet that sweet ass of yours that's him. Liv, that's Captain Kirk. Isn't he dreamy?"
She couldn't deny he was attractive. The captain's uniform did wonders for highlighting his toned physique. Long, lean and toned arms fell to his side, connecting in clasped hands behind his back. His stance was straight and proper but Olivia could detect the air of playfulness that oozed from every pore of his being, especially from within the dancing light in his curious blue eyes. They wandered the room, lingering on whatever Captain Jackson was explaining, though there were moments when a youthful female captured his vision. Olivia laughed, the very same James Kirk who had cheated on the Kobyashyi Maru was the captain of the ship that had come to save them. She laughed within her mind.
"Hello. Earth to Liv."
"Huh?" Erin was waving a hand in front of her eyes. She blinked back to reality and took in another bite full of whatever this god-awful soup was. Her thoughts went to this Captain Kirk. For once she considered participating in one of Erin and Hallon's staring events. They both swore watching hotties was a sport and they were appreciating the game and its players. To use their lingo, Kirk was definitely 'a hottie so hot that his very existence defied the laws of physics' (Erin's words) and 'completely would be worth going gay for' (Hallon's words, though he was omnisexual so Olivia was kind of confused at that statement). To speculate on the inner workings of Hallon's mind was dangerous, you might as well be trying to find a way to breathe in space without a helmet or oxygen mask.
"They're coming this way." Erin's whisper was fast and Olivia wasn't even sure she'd heard right. "Hello, Captain."
"Hello, Doctor Kolshar. Captain Kirk these are three of my senior officers. Chief Medical Officer Erin Kolshar, Lieutenant Olivia Gellar and Commander George Hallon. Lieutenant Gellar is in charge of engineering and Commander Hallon is my science officer, though he's had to fill in temporarily for my communication's officer until we can get her body to a Starfleet Base.
"My condolences for your loss." Kirk's eyes flashed to Olivia with a slight hint of recognition but quickly dismissed it when concern replaced it within his eyes. Olivia somehow had a hard time keeping her eyes open and she could feel her heart slowing down.
Erin was the first to recognize the situation and immediately grabbed Olivia. "Liv, what's wrong? Tell me."
"Pain," she gasped.
"Where?"
Olivia had lost the capability to speak and so merely pointed to her chest where her heart was. Erin called for Hallon who scooped her into his arms and followed Erin as Kirk and Jackson followed them on their way to the infirmary.
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Olivia woke with a pounding headache but otherwise felt fine. She groaned, immediately feeling a pair of hands pushing her back down.
"Not so fast, Liv. How are you feeling?"
She heard the doors of sickbay open and close.
"Like a ship going at warp five is trying to burst through my skull but other than that fine."
"Your body says other wise."
Olivia's eyes snapped open. That voice, it couldn't be. She refused to believe that all the way in some random corner of space that she'd run into him. But sure enough, Olivia looked up to find Doctor McCoy leaning over her with a tricorder in his hands, assisting Erin in gathering readings. Erin took the scanner away, looking down at Liv's elevated heart rate and increased levels of stress hormones. The look she gave Erin was all Erin needed.
"If you'll excuse me, Doctor McCoy? It'll be just a moment."
McCoy nodded, shaking his head while he joined the other two men (Captain Kirk and Captain Jackson). Olivia awaited until they were engrossed in whatever they were talking about before turning to Erin with that horrified look in her eyes. Erin, bless her sweet heart, pushed some hair from Olivia's eyes.
"I know, sweetie. It's taking all of my will power not to strangle him. Hallon had to leave, even though that meant leaving the smexy Captain Kirk behind." They both smiled, though Erin could tell Olivia's was sad. "Are you going to be ok? They're going to be staying for a couple of days."
"A couple of days? Great. Can I at least get back to work?"
Erin took a final look at her readings. "As long as you rest for the remainder of the day, I don't see why you can't begin showing their engineering officer what needs fixing tomorrow."
Jackson and Kirk could tell the private conversation between the two was over and so headed to Olivia's side as she sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. McCoy was right behind them and he did not look like he wanted to be there. Good, Olivia thought, at least the feeling's mutual.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes. Just need to get some rest. Doctor's orders. I'll show your engineer what needs fixing at 0800."
"He'll be there."
Olivia nodded before turning to Jackson. "Sir, I wonder if I might ask a personal favor?"
Jackson was slightly shocked. Olivia never asked for personal favors. He smiled and said, "Go on."
"Doctor Kolshar says the fainting might have been stress induced. I might not be able to get to sleep unless I confront what was stressing me out so badly. I request permission to act freely, sir."
Jackson pondered the request for a moment and then nodded. "Granted."
The word had barely finished when Olivia turned and punched McCoy straight in the jaw. Had be been prepared for it, he would have been able to duck and avoid the blow. As it was, however, he was not prepared and couldn't dodge it. Olivia may have been small but there was a lot of power hidden in her body. The blow was quick and hard, sending him off balance and crashing to the floor.
Jackson and Kirk stood there shocked, not exactly knowing what to do. McCoy sat up and rubbed his jaw as he watched Olivia storm from the room. Erin could barely contain the laughter threatening to burst from her and so excused herself to her office. Kirk watched Olivia leave and waited until the doors were shut before bending down to help McCoy.
"What the hell was that for, Bones?"
Jackson was also down at McCoy's side. "I am completely sorry. I'll speak to her right away."
McCoy held a hand up in defiance. "No. I may have deserved that."
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Author's Note: Oh boy, I don't think I could possibly write any more. It's 2 a.m. as I write this and I'm absolutely exhausted. Hope this chapter was worth my sacrificed sleep *yawns* Anyways, hope you all continue to enjoy = ]
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A thanks to all who have reviewed: CaffeineKid, thebloodrose, Lina-Baggins (btw, have you all read her story called "The Hyde Complex". It has a McCoy/OC pairing and is FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!! It even features Bones in the shower...0_o...nuff said), and sunny9847 (sorry about the person you know, that's gotta suck)
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Usual disclaimer stuff goes here, I own nothing…well except Olivia and her brilliant punch to McCoy's face. Bet you didn't see that coming…well, Olivia didn't either but can you blame her? Hell, I'd punch the guy who "cheated" on me.
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-Trekky17