I know it's a slow start, so I'm sorry! This chapter should be the last slow one (and one without Spock, please forgive me for that), and it'll stop having so many dang line breaks! It'll be much more continuous. I really should have combined with the first chapter, but oh well. I tried to use this to introduce the new Kirk a little more. I'm still trying to figure out a set length for each chapter, so please forgive the inconsistency.
Jasmine snickered to herself as she watched the Starfleet cadets start to squirm under the pressure. The scrawny one who looked like an off-brand G. I. Joe character cursed as he missed all three of the striped balls on the green. Bopping her head happily to the music that filled the club, she sent the large one (lovingly dubbed 'Cupcake') an award winning smile as he glared at her.
"C'mooooooon boys, I know y'all can do better than that!" She openly laughed at them, but watched carefully as Cupcake cracked his knuckles.
She downed the rest of her scotch in one swig and relished the burn before tossing her pool stick in the air to catch it. She went out of her way to bend over and stare at it like the cue ball was the most interesting thing in the world. The tall one next to Cupcake, aka Big Bird, took a step forward menacingly as she mockingly put her hands together for a prayer.
"Jesus, you don't have to be an ass about it," Jazz mumbled before finally taking her shot.
The cue ball bounced off the side of the table and the final solid ball fell quickly into the corner pocket. She smirked at them before studying the eight ball.
"I can't lose this much money man. It's all I have for the next month!" G. I. Schmoe was getting frantic and she didn't blame him. Cupcake on the other hand looked scarily calm.
"Take the shot, girly."
Cautiously, she bent back down and took her shot. It was nice, clean, and sunk into the hole with zero interference.
Just as she expected Big Bird was on her in a second, his hands balled up in the front of her tank top and shaking her like a rag doll.
"You fucking cheater, you said you'd never played!"
"What can I say, I have natural talent!" The sarcasm was not hidden as she ripped herself free from his grip. "I won, now pay up. That was the deal."
She adjusted her leather jacket and looked down to pick up the pool cue she'd dropped, so she did not see Big Bird's uppercut to her jaw. Lurching back and crying out in pain, she ducked as another one was lobbed her way, and this time replied with a jab of her own to his throat.
G. I. Schmoe ran at her from behind but she caught him in the nose with her elbow. He bent over and cried out and she quickly kneed him in the balls and pushed him back, officially knocking him from the fight. Taking advantage of her surprise, Big Bird grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back.
"Hey, what are you-" She was cut off when Cupcake's fist met her face. He hit a LOT harder than his friend did... He got her twice in the face before he dropped down to land a hard hit to her side, where she could already feel a bruise forming. As he reared back for another one she managed to rear up her leg and swung it back hard, slamming her boot squarely into Big Bird's kneecap. His grip loosened and she turned into him, using her momentum to toss him back into Cupcake.
Jazz took a moment to spit out blood and took a defensive stance as Cupcake came at her again, bloody knuckles raised.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Everyone froze as Captain Christopher Pike stepped forward into the room. His eyes swept across the room and he made sure to stare down each cadet in the room. When his gaze landed on the young girl the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitched upward before moving on to Cupcake, whose fists were still raised threateningly. He lifted one eyebrow at him and he scowled back, but dropped them down obediently.
"Outside. All of you," Commander Pike swept his stare through the room once more and added, "Now!"
Cupcake made sure to bump into Jasmine's shoulder on his way out. She stumbled back but made sure to stick her tongue out at his retreating back, to Pike's amusement.
With the bar emptied, he turned to her but she was too busy wiping the excess blood from under her nose. Sniffling away, she giggled and said, "You can whistle really loud, you know that?" He tilted his head and offered a wry smile back.
She rolled her shoulders back and hummed at the satisfying crack that came out. Ignoring the Starfleet commander, she leaned towards the bartender who was watching her with careful eyes.
"How about another round? I think I earned it." She pointed at her bloody nose and the man chuckled and nodded. She turned and pulled out a chair and plopped herself down. Just as she knew he, unfortunately, would, Pike sat down across from her.
"You alright love?" He gently asked her and she nodded. The bartender dropped off two glasses of straight scotch and a wet rag for her to clean up with and they both nodded in thanks. Jazzy pressed the rag to her face and hissed at the pain.
"You know, I couldn't believe it when the bartender told me who you were." Pike couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
"And who am I, Captain Pike?" Her tone was casual, but he could see the concealed irritation in her eyes.
"You're your father's daughter."
She had expected it, but she still paused for a moment. A childish anger swelled up in her and she threw back the drink and beckoned for a new one. She was not drunk enough for any bullshit about how she didn't measure up to daddy, not tonight.
"For my dissertation I was assigned the U.S.S. Kelvin. Something I admired about your dad; he didn't believe in no-win scenarios."
"Sure learned his lesson." She shrugged off his words but felt the flash of pain in her heart.
"Well that depends on how you define winning. You're here, aren't you?" When she kept wiping his face and didn't respond, he continued, "You know that instinct to leap without looking, that was his nature too. In my opinion that's something that Starfleet has lost."
"Why are you talking to me, man?" Snickering, she couldn't help but add, "This sounds like a cheesy sales pitch."
"I looked up your file before I came here. Your aptitude tests are off the charts, so what is it? Do you like being the only genius-level repeat offender in the mid-west?"
"Maybe I love it." Feeling like a scolded child, she couldn't help but fire it back.
He took a moment to gauge the young woman in front of him. Her brown hair fell down in waves, like her mother's but darker. With her leather jacket mixed with her unflinching stare she looked very tough but he saw the weariness in her eyes. It had taken less than a second for him to remember those piercing blue eyes from George T. Kirk's file.
"Look, so your dad dies, and you can settle for a less than ordinary life... But do you feel like you were meant for something better? Something special?"
She thanked the bartender for her new drink, but Pike's words made her hesitate. She bumped her lips against the rim of the glass a few times before putting it down and unconsciously leaning towards him.
"Enlist in Starfleet."
Jasmine fell back in her chair and giggled. "Enli- what?" She laughed harder and snorted at the idea. " You guys must be way down on your recruiting quota for the month."
"If you're half the cadet your father was, Jasmine, Starfleet could use you," Pike searched her eyes and the glint he saw there made him continue. "You can be an officer in four years, could have your own ship in eight."
"You understand what the Federation is, don't you? It's important. It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada."
"Are we done?" She found herself staring at the table with her jaw clenched. Her eyes flicked up to his and the the glint he had seen was now concealed. In a way, he could not blame her for holding back.
"I'm done." Pike conceded and watched her nod in relief. Somewhat amused, he made a note of how her jaw still remained clenched like she was trying to not tell him to stuff it.
Standing up slowly, he waited for her to say more but she simply took another drink.
"Riverside Shipyard. Shuttle for new recruits leaves tomorrow at 0800." He smirked as she dismissively raised her glass at his words. For a moment he hesitated, but decided to take one last leap of faith.
"Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's, and yours. I dare you to do better."
Her eyes fell closed at his words, feeling the tears pricking at the back of them. His footsteps echoed across the floor and part of her was sad to hear him leave.
There was a starship shaped salt shaker on the table. She picked it up and twirled it in her fingers, thinking about the stars and her mother and fiery explosions.
On her walk home, she pondered what he said. Her father had been an extraordinary man, she was well aware. The anger flared up again at how he compared her to him. Through the years she had been constantly reminded of what a hero her father was and, consequently, what a failure she was. It drove her mad as much as it made her proud to be a Kirk.
I dare you to do better.
The thought of those words made her freeze in her tracks. They had caused emotions to flood through her system, ones she had ignored for a long, long time. It made her angry, first off. It was once again living up to his standards, existing in his shadow, the ridiculous pressure of being the daughter of a celebrated hero.
It made her afraid, but he didn't need to know that. She was barely okay with admitting it to herself in the first place. Failure would not be an option. Out here, failure resulted in just what she got tonight: a bloody noise, a painful hangover, and probably a lighter wallet. Out there, she would potentially disappoint someone, and that was a commitment that fucking terrified her.
I dare you to do better.
She thought of the way he looked at her. The way he spoke to her. He respected her. He specifically wanted her. Pike was offering her a chance to create her own legacy, and he thought she could do it. She felt her fingers twitch and a smile crept slowly across her face. She knew what this tingly sensation was... Her mother had not-so-lovingly dubbed it the Good Ol' Kirk Impulse. Jasmine was feeling ready to leap.
I dare you to do better.
"You clever bastard." She murmured into the wind and couldn't help the giggles that bubbled out of her throat. Humming happily, she made her way to her apartment. She didn't have much time to pack.
Come morning-time, she took her sweet time driving down the long Iowa roads. One of her favorite past times was riding on her motorcycle, feeling the wind in her hair and ignoring all her troubles. She felt nostalgic but also couldn't help but long for the stars that she soon would be surrounded by.
She paused when the shuttles came into view. She couldn't help but be in awe as she stared at the way their lights lit up the early morning sky. They looked so extraordinarily large and intimidating, and yet they also looked welcoming.
Pike glanced up at the sound of the approaching motor and was surprised to see Jasmine pull her bike up to the side. Biting back a smile, he chose to wait before boarding to see what she had to say.
"Whoa, nice bike!" One of the workers caught her attention as she parked it. She grinned up at him and tossed him the keys.
"It's yours!" The shock and happiness on his face solidified the feeling she was doing something right. She saw Pike standing off to the side, grinning at her, and she made a point to lean in and give him a promise.
"Four years? I'll do it in three." Jasmine didn't bother to give him a chance to respond and made her way onto the shuttle.
Her swollen ego took a hit when she ran into the low-hanging ceiling, but it was okay. Pike hadn't seen it.
Sliding into a seat and buckling up with thankfully minimal difficulty, she looked up and met an angry glare.
"What's up Cupcake?" She drawled out with a large toothy grin and he clenched his fists tightly in response. She went to add another comment, but she was distracted by a scuffle down the aisle. A very tall and scruffy man was arguing loudly with a tiny Latina in a flight uniform, and he was losing. Badly.
"I told you people, I don't need a doctor, I AM a doctor!"
"You need to get back to your seat!"
"I had one in the bathroom, with no windows!"
"You need to get back to your seat, now!"
"I suffer from aviophobia! That means fear of dying in something that flies." Jazz chuckled as he mockingly twirled his finger in a flying motion.
The Starfleet woman was not having any of it. "Sir, for your own safety you need to sit down, or else I'll make you sit down!"
This time Jazzy choked down her laughter as the visibly deflated doctor shrunk back and sat down. He managed to sulkily mumble, "Fine!" and the perky young woman thanked him.
Almost immediately, he turned to Jazzy and bluntly stated, "I may throw up on you."
"And I may slap you back." She tossed back with a grin. "I think these things are pretty safe."
"Don't pander to me, girly. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."
She had to take a moment to take all that in, very much shocked and a little confused.
"Well, I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space..."
"Yeah. Well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones."
Out of reflex, her humor kicked in and she offered him, "Bitches man, bitches."
The doctor choked on the sip of the flask he had just taken, and sputtered out a loud laugh. He gave her a once over and offered her a drink from the flask. She took it graciously and tipped it to him.
"Jasmine Kirk."
"McCoy. Leonard McCoy."
Seriously, I'm really sorry about the wait! My birthday was on Tuesday and I got a little busy with that. My goal is to get two chapters out each week, but I unfortunately cannot upload ones on the weekend. I really hope it's good so far. Let me know what you think! :)