Trigger – Chapter 2
"All crew to the flight deck." The voice of the announcement was barely heard over the din of the room, each voice rising up to the cavernous ceiling and echoing off the metal hulls of the shuttles. Kim was already bouncing around, alternately chatting with anyone around her, tugging on Marisa's arm, and squealing to herself whenever she spotted something interesting.
"Kimmie, if you keep it up you're going to give yourself a heart attack before you set foot on a ship," Marisa informed her friend, rolling her eyes. Kim ignored her; she had had three years of getting used to the girl's comments, after all. The pair shuffled slowly forward, just two more red-clad cadets in the sea of the recent graduates. Everyone was looking for their shuttle, waiting to be transported to the ship that would be their home for the next however many years.
"Oh God." Kim stopped in her tracks, and Marisa, looking in the completely other direction, ran into her.
"Ow. Kim, what the hell?" The blonde questioned, taking a step back. Kim's gaze was glued to something in front of her, however, and she completely ignored Marisa's question. Following her friend's line of sight, Marisa's green eyes landed on the shiny silver hull of the shuttle destined to go to the USS Farragut. Unconsciously, she took a step closer to her friend. Ignoring all of the cadets still streaming around them.
"That's it," Kim whispered, for once her body completely still. "This is really happening." Marisa smiled softly at her friend, grabbing her hand and tugging her through the crowd towards the shuttle.
"C'mon, Kim." She urged the girl, glancing over her shoulder as they maneuvered through the knot of people. "You don't want to miss it, yeah?" A few moments later, they arrived in front of the shuttle. It was less crowded off to the side, but there were still a good number of cadets milling around, waiting to board the shuttle to take them up to their ship. Marisa was just about to tell Kim that she should probably find the shuttle captain and check in when the girl cut her off.
"Marisa." She turned around to find that Kim was once again standing there, a small smile on her face. The brunette's eyes, however, normally so lively and sparkling, were almost…sad? Marisa frowned, taking a step closer.
"Kimmie, what is it? What's wrong?" This was unlike her friend. The Kim she knew would be bouncing off the walls, already introducing herself to every other person on her shuttle and waiting in line just to be first to set foot on it.
"This is it, isn't it?" Kim asked, her smile faltering a little bit. "I mean, I'm going to the Farragut and you're going to the Enterprise and who knows when we'll see each other again?" Oh. The look of concern slid off of Marisa's face, quickly replaced with the same expression that Kim wore – a small, slightly sad smile. Kim was right. This really was it. Who knew what could happen while they were up in there in space? And sure, sometimes their ships might fight together. And sure, they could send messages to each other. But after living with each other and being practically inseparable for three straight years, not being together at all seemed foreign.
"Oh, Kim," Marisa threw her arms around her friend, squeezing her tight. "Shut up before you make me cry." Kim gave a muffled little laugh somewhere from under Marisa's arms.
"Okay. Missy. I can't breathe." She mumbled. Marisa released her with a little laugh. After all, she wouldn't want Kim to suffocate before she even set foot on the damn shuttle. Suddenly, one of the officers stepped forward, calling for all new cadets stationed on the USS Farragut to come forward and check in.
"You better go," Marisa told her friend quietly, giving her a wistful smile. Kim nodded, pressing her lips together like she was holding something in.
"Message me when you get on the Enterprise?" She asked, sounding a bit choked up.
"Of course," Marisa replied, giving her friend one last hug. "And don't worry," she whispered. "We'll be seeing each other at the awards ceremony where you're honored for saving your entire ship from the outbreak of some deadly alien disease, remember?" Kim giggled, and Marisa couldn't help but smile as well as she took a step back. "Good luck, Kimmie," she told the girl as she walked towards the shuttle.
"Love you, Missy," she replied with a smile, before turning and striding over the officer to check in. Marisa stood there, watching as Kim talked to the officer. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see Kim smile, her shiny curls bouncing as she chatted with the man. He cracked a smile as well, and Kim just laughed. Figures that Kim would already have the officer wrapped around her finger. They hadn't even gotten on the shuttle yet!
As she reached the top step, Kim turned around one last time, catching Marisa's eyes. With a small smile, she raised her hand and waved. Marisa returned the gesture, watching until her best friend disappeared into the shuttle. She sighed heavily, dropping her hand back down to her side. It was weird to think that she was going to have to make new friends, get to know new people. It made the whole situation even more uncomfortable.
Figuring she'd deal with that when she actually got on the damn ship, Marisa turned away from the shuttle. She still had to find her own, after all. A few minutes later, her green eyes caught sight of the word 'Enterprise', and she wove her way through the crowd towards the shuttle in question. The officer was already checking people in, tapping away on the screen she held in front of her. Marisa took her place at the end of the line, behind the six or so other cadets that would be stationed on the ship.
"Ward, Marisa." She told the officer when she reached the front.
"Cadet Marisa Ward, Weapons Officer on the USS Enterprise," the woman rattled off, giving her a sharp nod. "You're good to go, Cadet Ward." Marisa smiled, thanking her as she scurried up the steps. Inside the shuttle, the others had already taken their seats. Marisa dropped down in one of the empty ones, busying herself with buckling up.
Before she knew it, the captain's voice was declaring them ready to go, and Marisa felt the shuttle lurch forward slightly. Glancing out of the window, she watched as they rose higher, the people below them melting into a blob of red and the entire flight deck growing smaller and smaller. And then, without any fanfare at all, they were outside. Marisa craned her head to look up at the vast expanse of blue above her. Soon, she would be up there, zipping through the stars. She couldn't help but grin.
XXXX
"Welcome aboard the USS Enterprise." The man spoke elegantly, his words clipped with an almost eerie articulation. Then again, considering he was Vulcan, Marisa supposed she shouldn't be surprised. She stood there with the six other cadets, shifting from one boot to the other. They had just arrived, and Marisa was in absolute awe of the ship she was standing in.
"I am Commander Spock. The Captain will be here shortly to greet you all in person, but for now I shall delineate some general requirements and basic information about the ship." Marisa listened intently as the Commander spoke, running through the ship, its floor plan, the schedule, and an overview of what was expected of them. Nothing new, really – Marisa had looked the ship up on the Academy's database before she left. So as Commander Spock started talking about where the sickbay was located, Marisa found herself focusing more on the man's eyebrows than on his words.
"Spock, lighten up man!" Marisa pulled her gaze away from the unnatural angle of the Commander's eyebrows to see who had spoken. The man clapped the commander on the back, grinning at Marisa and the rest of the cadets. "After all," he continued, "we wouldn't want to bore our new recruits within in the first five minutes." His grin widened, and Marisa felt her breath catch in her throat. She was pretty sure the other three female cadets were experiencing the same thing she was – shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and lightheadedness. That man was fine.
"Hello, everybody! I'm James Tiberius Kirk - Captain of the USS Enterprise." He gave them all another cocky grin, folding his hands behind his back. Holy hell! That was the captain? Marisa had heard bits and pieces about him – he had only been a year ahead of her in the Academy, after all. Of course, everyone knew the story of how he became captain. It was practically a legend. And she had heard that he was attractive. But attractive didn't even come close to this. He was tall and muscular, with chiseled features and blue eyes so bright they were almost blinding.
The captain started moving down the line of cadets, glancing down at his PADD. "Cadet Shaw, Communications," he read off, glancing up at the sandy-haired man standing in front of him. "Good to have you aboard, Shaw." He nodded, smiling at the man before moving on to the next recruit. Marisa stared straight ahead, still not quite believing that Kirk was their captain. She had never spoken to the man personally, but at one point she believe he had slept with her friend Rachel. Talk about a profound personality adjustment – he had gone from being a cocky, womanizing cadet to the responsible and mature captain of his very own starship.
"Cadet Babson, Medical Assistant," he read off, reaching the pretty redhead standing next to Marisa. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Kirk's grin widened. "Pleasure, Cadet. You need anything, you just let me know, okay?" And then he winked at her. Eugh. Marisa wrinkled her nose. Clearly, he hadn't changed that much. How in the hell did they let him become captain? Before she knew it, however, he was standing in front of her.
"Cadet Ward," he grinned. "Weapons Officer." He raised his eyebrows, looking up at her. Marisa just pressed her lips together, hoping that was all he was going to say. "You must be a feisty one, then. How about dinner later?" He gave her a devilish smile, and despite herself Marisa felt her heart speed up. Was this guy for real? Her captain, the man who was supposed to be giving orders and running the ship, had just asked her out? Unbelievable. She raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How about a sexual harassment lawsuit?" She countered, scoffing. If he was going to act just like any other horny guy that hit on her at a bar, then Marisa was damn well going to treat him like one. She hadn't made it all the way to the Enterprise just to be objectified because of her good genes. Her gaze hardened, and the grin slid off of Kirk's face.
"I think, Captain," Commander Spock stated in the same clipped tone he had used earlier. "That that would be a resounding no."