26 About Away Missions
All of them don't end in disaster, only …some of them.
Before you say it, Spock, I am going with you.
Captain, I recommend you remain on board, for your safety and for my peace of mind.
During some away missions, the Captain stays awake until he knows the entire team has returned safely to the Enterprise.
Energize – Jim doesn't actively worry that it will be last word he'll say but it does occur to him that it could be the last thing he ever says.
First do not harm – that is true for all away missions and medical personnel.
Going down to new planets thrills Jim and terrifies Bones in equal measures.
Having to send any of his crew into hazardous situations never gets easier for Jim, and he's glad of it.
I missed you – the first thing Jim says to Spock when they return to their quarters once Spock has returned safely.
Just as I missed you, Spock replies, no further words necessary, or spoken, for some time.
Keptain, I've found them – four of the sweetest words the Captain ever heard when Chekov finally located the away team that had been out of contact for five endless days and nights.
"Locals are friendly and curious" – words that alarm Jim and Spock each time they read them in a briefing because those cultures invariably end up being the most dangerous.
Mission accomplished – one day, Jim swears to Spock, their report will read just that and nothing else.
Nothing ever goes exactly as planned and Bones wonders why this continues to surprise him.
Occasionally, Scotty will beam down with the away-team but he can't concentrate on the mission because he's afraid the Enterprise will fall apart without him.
Pavel Chekov likes being on the away-teams, especially when Hikaru also beams down to the planet, but they both have to promise to concentrate on the mission more so than each other.
Quite often, Uhura is included because of her linguistic skills and because Jim knows she can charm anyone when she sets her mind to it, an invaluable skill for him to have on his side.
Returning from a successful away mission is sometimes a lot more exciting than beaming down for one.
Spock would lock Jim in their quarters if he thought he could get away with but he knows he can't and that Jim would find a way out and down to the planet anyway.
Time and time again, Spock asks Jim to please stay on the Enterprise and sometimes Jim will listen.
Uhura likes going on away missions, especially when Jim is leading them, because everyone finds him so undeniably charming, a fact she will never admit to her Captain.
Very often, Sulu's skill with swords comes in handy, especially on planets where swordsmanship is a highly prized art.
Watching the away-team beam down without him never gets easier for Jim even though he knows, deep down, that Spock is right and his place is on his ship.
Xenophobic societies rarely identify themselves as such until it is too late, making Jim want to open fire on them, which of course he never does.
You have done the Federation proud, he tells the away-team after one particularly grueling and ultimately successful mission.
Zebras aren't often found on new planets but the away-team always takes pictures when they find them because their Captain laughs when he sees them.