Left on the bridge to her own devices, Uhura could do nothing but sit and worry over her fellow crewmember. Pavel was one of her favorite people to talk to aboard the Enterprise. He was consistently there for her, someone to talk to whenever she needed. It seemed that he often had the best advice, even though he seemed young and inexperienced. When she and Spock were having any kind of disagreement, she would go to Pavel to vent over a nice dinner or drink, and by the end of the evening, he would have offered his opinion on what she should do. For the most part, whatever he suggested always worked. For instance, talking it out with Spock when she was sore over his being so ready to die had been his idea, straight from the mind of the child prodigy. And although she hadn't brought the matter up at the best time, or in front of the best company, it had at least gotten them talking, which was more than she could have done on her own. Her relationship with Spock was now rocky at best, but it was still there, and that was all that mattered. Something about how gentlemanly and sweet Pavel was made her love him like a little brother, or a best friend. Her heart ached, already missing him. Often, she took care of Pavel, as if he were her son. She knew he was old enough to be on his own, but something made her want to be his surrogate mother figure at times. When he had a busy day and was so flustered he forgot to eat dinner, she would send him a reminder. If his English was slipping, she would offer to help him on pronunciation. They had the sort of in depth talks that would make any mother and child jealous, and Uhura couldn't get enough of his quirky habits. He was honestly her best friend on the ship - which was why she was so dedicated to bringing him home.
For the past hour, after the Captain and chief medical officer went off to god knows where, Uhura had been stationed at her position on the bridge. She was scrolling through communications, attempting to find a way to get into contact with Pavel. He had left his transmitter on the ship, and the planet seemed to be blocking their communication - which was unusual. Typically, only enemy ships would bother with blurring transmissions or putting up shields. Something about this entire situation didn't seem right to the young communications officer, but she could do nothing but stare at the screen in frustration. All of her efforts so far had been in vain, and she had never been so close to giving up in her life. Nyota was usually a very persistent woman, much like Kirk was with his flirting, as she knew from personal experience. And with the life of her "son" on the line, she knew she shouldn't show the slightest intention of slipping in her focus. However, nothing was working, she had exhausted every option. It didn't seem as though there was anything left to do but wait.
She was leaning back in her chair, fighting a losing battle with fatigue, when her console blipped. Bolting upright, she tapped at her screen, eyes opened wide. Communications - they were open for the planet. She gasped, not entirely sure if she could believe what she was seeing. They had been down for hours, what had opened them up again now? She punched a few commands in the screen, her eyes growing even wider as she discovered that transportations were operable as well. She let out a sort of surprised noise, then composed herself, spinning around in her chair to face Sulu. "Lieutenant!" she cried, out of breath with excitement. "Transmissions are operable. Please, alert the captain immediately!" She couldn't describe the look on Sulu's face at her news: it was a combination of excitement, hope, and determination, something Uhura knew she was feeling herself.
Hikaru leaped from his seat at the helm, reaching the captain's chair in two steps before quickly sitting down and pressing the shipwide communication button.
"Captain Kirk! We need you on the bridge right away, sir-communication and transports are back online!" he reported almost breathlessly before returning to his seat, facing a still somewhat stunned Uhura. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure, Sulu. They just suddenly opened up again, I haven't been able to figure out what caused it," she admitted, searching the screen for anything could alert her to the source of what seemed like a miracle to them now. There was nothing of the kind that she could see, and she was still diligently sifting through information when Jim and Bones came running onto the bridge.
"Please tell me I heard you right, Sulu," Kirk gasped, hunched over and gripping the back of his chair. Uhura was so used to hearing Pavel chirp "Keptin on ze bridge!" to alert everyone to Kirk's arrival that it was almost alien for his voice to be absent, but she tried to push the thought from her mind in an attempt to remain in control of her emotions.
"Yes, sir, that's what Uhura told me," Sulu nodded in Nyota's direction, and she faced her captain with her features set in complete seriousness.
"All communication and transports are ready and active, sir, but suddenly. I don't know how much longer they'll stay this way, it's probably best that we take action now," she advised, glancing towards Spock, who had risen when the captain and chief medical officer had entered. He acknowledged her with a nod and turned back towards his superior. He hadn't even smirked at her, which was usually the closest resemblance to a smile he had. Uhura let herself sigh internally, but pushed it all from her mind. She couldn't focus on anything but her baby now.
"Can you target Chekov, beam him back up?" Kirk leaned over the chair, narrowing his eyes to squint at her screen. Uhura shook her head, bewildered. Her thin and nimble fingers combed through the digital planet, spinning the projection of it around. The floating ball of light was thermal, and was supposed to show her a map of the planet's biotic and abiotic sources. For the most part, she found traces of non-human creatures roaming around, appearing as small red or orange dots on the planet's surface, but the computer didn't pick up anything human. In fact, she couldn't find any form of life that was sentient.
"Captain," she said, a slight pitch to her tone. She was getting very weirded out by the whole ordeal, and something about it seemed entirely wrong. "I can't find crewmember Chekov anywhere on the planet's surface." She said slowly, spinning the planet projection faster in her hands.
The astonishment in the room was audible. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, watching as Nyota checked and rechecked the small map of the planet. It was obvious that he wasn't there - or, at least, the ship's computer didn't recognize him on the planet.
"So he's gone?" Piped up Sulu, his voice near the point of cracking. A glance towards the young lieutenant showed concern in his features, fear beyond putting into words. He was just as close to losing his best friend as Uhura was.
"Not necessarily." Spock took a step forward, crouching down next to Uhura's seat at the consol. It was the closest to each other they had been in a while. Though their relationship had been repaired, they were both under extreme amounts of stress. She found herself longing for him to hold her, to tell her that it would be alright, that they would find Pavel. However, they were still at attention and on duty. There would be time for that later. For now, their shoulders touched slightly and she forced herself not to cry out of frustration. She had to focus on the task at hand.
Gently, he reached forward, and with all the care of holding a baby, he removed the projection planet from Uhura's hands. The consol blipped, computer readjusting to the new person holding the map, and Uhura leaned forward. Being a communications specialist, she knew only a certain amount about the computers aboard the ship. Spock held a look of intense focus as he cupped his hands around the projection, then split it open. Immediately, the computer responded by cutting the sphere into sections to show each layer of the planet, down to the very core. That was where they saw it - the red and black splotches of human life, sitting comfortably on the second layer of the planet.
"They're just not on the surface." The Captain breathed with relief, stepping closer. Soon, most of the ship's crew was centered around the projection map, staring at it in wonder.
"Bloody brilliant." Scotty voiced in awe, his mouth gaping slightly. "I mean, the man's a complete wackjob, but you've got to admit that's a pretty good strategy." He glanced around the gathered crew as though looking for someone to back him up. Bones snorted in agreement before clapping Kirk on the shoulder.
"Well, Jim, what are you gonna do here? We can't beam him up if he's underground, you know," he pointed out, and Kirk nodded somberly in return, looking Bones dead in the eye.
"I know. We're going to have to go get him ourselves," he announced. A tense silence filled the bridge. This was what had caused the chaos they were dealing with now. A mission to go down to the planet and explore had sparked Chekov's interest, and trouble had ensued as a result. Uhura knew the rest of the crew had to be thinking of what they would do - they knew the planet was inhabited by danger before, and it seemed as though it was worse, now. Moments passed of quiet thinking before Spock spoke up.
"Captain, I volunteer my services," he said matter-of-factly, as though Kirk had no say in the matter. Jim smiled slightly at the Vulcan man.
"Mr. Spock, I appreciate your offer. Of course you're coming with me," he accepted with a trace
of amusement in his voice, the faintest hint of a smirk upon his thin lips. Uhura watched the two of them, her best friends aside from Pavel, comparing these men to the ones she had known almost two years ago. Men who couldn't be in the same room as each other without starting a fight, men who were now close friends. It warmed her heart to see how far they had come, another ounce of proof that Vulcans weren't entirely as stoic as people wrote them off to be. She knew Spock loved her, she could feel it, see it in the way he looked at her. She knew it couldn't be just Spock's human side that felt this way-it had to be all of him, just as she loved him with her entire heart and soul.
Just as she loved Pavel. She would do anything for her friend - if he asked for her, she would be there. "As would I, Captain." She stood, facing her superior. The look in her dark eyes almost dared him to say something, to tell her no. She knew, however, that he wouldn't. He didn't want another episode to occur over degrading crew members. Though it had been entirely accidental, he had to feel as guilty about calling Pavel out for being young as she did for not defending him. Before Jim could even open his mouth to make a judgement on whether or not she could go, she had to continue. "As a communications officer, you might need me. We don't know who's down there or what language they speak. If you end up landing in the middle of Romulan warfare and you don't have anyone to speak for you, you could get killed. And that won't be doing Pavel or the rest of the crew any favors."
For the first time since he was aboard the ship, Jim was speechless. He didn't know how to answer her. Of course he would let her come, but that wasn't the point. The way Spock tensed his shoulders when she volunteered, the concern shining through his gaze and the way his hands clenched together showed the Captain what the answer needed to be. However, he wouldn't be the one to tell her. Not this time. This was between the two of them.
"Lieutenant, may I speak to you in the hallway for a moment?" Spock requested, seemingly all business, but of course she knew better. His tone seemed a shade softer, his eyes losing some of their closed-off look. She had only seen this in him a few times before - when he was going to show more of his human side.
"Of course, Commander," Uhura replied just formally. They crossed the bridge and headed out into the hallway, the eyes of the entire bridge crew following them. The doors swished shut behind them, leaving the couple with as much privacy as they knew they were going to get for a while.
"I forbid you to go on this rescue mission, Nytoa," Spock began harshly, his tone frigid. He was looking directly at her, dark eyes meeting darker eyes fueled with rage. Uhura registered the grip he had on her wrist, but she refused to acknowledge it as she glared back at her boyfriend.
"You forbid me? No, Spock, you cannot tell me what to do. Pavel is like my own child, you can't tell me that I have to stay here while you go and get him back. I'm not just going to sit here while you and Jim go off to play hero like always!" she snapped, frustrated tears brimming at her eyes. "I love him just as much as you do, maybe more than you do." At the word love, her voice broke, a few stray tears streaking down her face. "You have no right to tell me that I can't go." she spat, trying to muster as much finality in her voice as she could, but it proved to be harder than she thought. Spock watched her for a moment, his features finally softening so that the human in him seemed to resurface a little more.
"Nyota... I understand. But I still cannot let you go," he said quietly, his hand moving down from her wrist to lace his fingers with hers, her slender hand dwarfed by his own.
"Why is that, Spock? Because you need me on the ship? Because it's not logical for me to go with you?" Uhura whispered, not wanting to look at him. Instead, her gaze fixed upon their hands. He held her with such sincerity, his grip gentle but firm, as though he would never let her go. How accustomed she had become to his hands on her, his soothing touch and quiet whispers of love. Yet now, he was holding her to keep her at bay, as if he was making sure she wouldn't disappear like Pavel had. There was love in his embrace, but also control, the kind that was affectionate and not at all harsh. She liked it when he held her hand like this, when he let his emotions show.
"Because I can't lose you again." He murmured. Uhura looked up at him, somewhat shocked. The sheer truth in his voice startled her, because she had never heard it in him before. She could feel her hands trembling at his words, the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, but she focused on him. How broken he had sounded, as if she were already gone. For a moment, she considered the times that they had been separated, close to death. The breaking in her heart when he almost met death in the volcano had nearly torn her apart. She would have done anything to save him, and he seemed just as willing for her."I almost lost you once, Nyota. I cannot allow it to happen a second time."
"Spock... I..." Uhura trailed off, not quite knowing how to respond. His concern wasn't for logic-it was for her. That she would be taken from him just as his mother had been. That he would have to relive those moments when he watched her be in a position of danger. She thought back to those moments on Qo'noS, when she had approached the soldiers. She felt her life flash before her eyes when they grabbed her. What had he felt? They hadn't really discussed it at all, because that was not his way. Yet here he was, finally admitting that he could not lose her.
"Please, Nyota. I need you to remain on the ship. Promise me," Spock insisted, and the desperation he let show convinced Uhura that she couldn't possibly tell him no.
"Fine. I promise," she finally gave in, using his hold on her hand to pull him in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his chest. She breathed in, the smell of clean laundry detergant on his uniform a comforting scent. Her eyes fluttered shut as she registered nothing but his hands fitted in the small of her back, thinking of nothing but being there alone with him. Why did Starfleet have to be such a dangerous job? Why couldn't they be happy together without having to worry about each other being killed on a daily basis? Why did it have to be so hard all the time? She knew it wasn't fair to blame anyone but herself for this. She had signed up for a job that would keep her on her toes, and it was delivered to her on a silver platter. She hadn't known at that time that she would meet the man of her dreams while taking classes at the Academy. She hadn't planned on falling in love, but she had, and she knew now what they meant to each other. Though her heart ached to go find Pavel, she had no doubt that Spock and Kirk could do it on their own and return safely. She just wished she could go with him. It must be instinct to want to protect the ones that you love. As Uhura wanted to go with Spock to keep a wary eye on him, he wanted her aboard the ship where he wouldn't have to look out for her at all - where he knew she would be safe. As much as her entirety wanted to beg him to stay with her aboard the Enterprise, she knew it would not be fair to keep him here. He was doing his duty to his Captain and crew, and she had to let him.
"Let's go get our navigator back." She lifted her head up to look at him, a ghost of a smile upon her face. She slowly slipped her hand out of his, although she wanted to never let go, and Spock nodded almost imperceptibly at her. That's when there was a loud sound from the ship, a crackling that everyone knew very well. It was the feedback of a microphone, the shifting images of an incoming transmission. As soon as they heard it, Uhura picked up the sound of a female officer alerting the captain. Turning to face him, their eyes locked, excitement visible in her's and vague interest in his. Already he was returning to business, giving her one last, small smile before sliding the doors to enter the bridge.
Uhura rushed back to her station, putting her communication device in her ear, trying to pick up whatever was being transmitted to them. She opened the window for the video transmission and gasped. There, on the screen, was the same hooded figure who had been threatening Pavel. In the background was their lovable Russian, sitting with his head in his hands, shoulders slumped over. She was half ready to call out to him, when she remembered that she had to be professional. Her eyes narrowed at the man, who had lowered his cloak. Everything about him told her he was dangerous. From the way his dark eyes seemed to look at each one of the bridge members directly to the silence he gave them, she was wary. He was scarred on his left side, chocolate colored skin crinkled like burn parchment. It gave her chills when he locked onto her, almost as if he had known what she was thinking about his appearance.
"Identify yourself." Kirk demanded, settling down in the Captain's chair to glare at the man who had become their new enemy. His electric blue eyes flashed with anger, his nostrils flaring with the control he attempted to keep. It was definitely difficult for him to remain emotionally stable as a captain when such events as these occurred.
"You already know me, Captain. We've spoken before, don't you remember?" the man mocked, smirking at them. The left side of his mouth refused to curl up with the rest of his smile, giving him a sort of maniacal look to him. His eyes, so dark that they were almost black, seemed crazed. Even Kirk seemed a bit uneasy to be face to face with such a creature. He looked human for the most part, but there was something about his oddly shaped ears that made him seem like something else. They were rounded, like a human's should be, but wrinkled and concaved at the top, as though he had plastic surgery to enhance them and it didn't turn out well.
"Your name seems to have slipped my mind," Kirk narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in his chair. It was a position he often took when he felt the need to become intimidating. He showed intensity that could not be matched by anyone in the room. Yet the man on the screen was not phased by his frustrated glare.
"Yes, I do seem to have that effect on people." The man mused, an almost lost expression in his eyes. "Even when I died, no one thought to remember my name." He murmured, and Uhura shot a confused glance at the captain. He tried to hide his bewildered expression, but the man seemed to have caught it anyway. "You seem distraught, Captain. Was it something I said? Or perhaps it's my appearance that befuddles you." He chuckled without smiling, turning his head so that the scarred half of his face was on the screen. "Don't you recognize me? I daresay your friend Khan would." The name was like a plague, infecting every crew member's mind and burrowing in to drag up the memories they dared not face but in their nightmares when they could not run away from it. Uhura stiffened, drawing in a deep breath through her nose, trying to count down from ten. She did not want to think about that man, or what he did to their crew.
"You knew Khan." This was not a question, but a statement, and the man merely smiled at Kirk's venemous words.
"Relatively speaking, yes. He assisted me in a time of need, and I simply returned the favor," he explained, speaking as casually as though he were discussing the weather.
"Are you saying you helped him try to destroy Starfleet? You helped him to kill countless members of my crew? The former captain of the Enterprise as well?" Kirk was on his feet now, his voice rising with him.
"I was indebted to him, it was the only thing I could do," the man insisted, not seeming at all troubled by the accusations. "You would have done the same, had you been in my place."
"Don't act like you know me," Kirk spat, hatred forming each word like poison forming at the end of a dart intended to kill.
"Trust me, Captain, what I did is common among all men. I do not have to know you to assume that your actions would have been in accordance with mine," the scarred man reasoned, the way he raised his eyebrows striking a chord in Uhura's mind. Where had she seen that motion before?
"I would never have resorted to assisting in murder to pay back a favor!" Kirk shouted, and Uhura saw him clench his fists, knowing that their captain was doing his best to control himself.
"Do not try to appear so righteous, Captain Kirk. You cannot tell me that you know what you would have done in a situation that has never presented itself to you," their adversary pointed out, his calm and collected voice like nails on a chalkboard. It frustrated the captain to no end that he seemed like such a know it all, a quality he could only afford to deal with in Spock. When his enemy addressed him as though he were below his ranking, he could not stand it.
"What do you want?" he finally asked, weariness slightly detectable in his voice.
"To taunt you." The man smirked, eyes gleaming with entertainment. In the background, Pavel shifted, chest heaving. It was not a clear enough transmission for them to be able to tell, but the boy had either been crying or breathing heavily. Uhura almost jumped out of her seat, but reminded herself that this was what he wanted. He was teasing them by showing them what they could not have. She clenched her jaw, refusing to cry, and looked away. Kirk trained his eyes on the screen, as Bones stepped closer, attempting to make a medical evaluation without being near him in person.
"You want him back, I can tell." The man grinned, obviously gauging their reactions to his words. Sulu looked like he was about ready to jump through the screen and throttle him. The only person who remained stoic and expressionless was Spock, whose face oddly mimicked the man's. They had a similar poker-face, the kind that would take years of practice for a human. As another chill ran it's cold fingers up her spine, Uhura wondered how a human would come to learn how to be so emotionless.
"Tell me, what does your little Russian friend mean to you? I've become quite accustomed to his presence in my laboratory." He said with a sly little grin, his tone full of mockery and disrespect for the captain he was addressing. "He has been decent company. Oh, how I've longed for someone to talk to. Mr. Chekov has proved to be a very good listener. Not the greatest at speaking clear English, but I suppose that's just a little bit of a quirk."
Kirk shook his head, no longer trying to hide his anger. Hikaru was wearing the same frustration upon his face. He stiffened as the man called Pavel to look at the screen, and the young boy's face turned. His jaw was set, his mouth in a grim line, his eyes betraying nothing. A dark purple streak highlighted his cheekbone, a bruise that was soon turning black. Uhura felt suddenly sick, her stomach clenching as she realized that they had no clue what was happening aboard this planet. Obviously, Chekov was being hurt in one way or another. How had he gotten that dark of a bruise? The keen eyes of Bones zeroed in on the fact that his knuckles were bruised, the skin red and cracked, as though he had been fighting.
"Pavel..." Sulu murmured, the pain in his voice evident. Kirk still said nothing as he took in the boy's condition. Part of Uhura wished she could do something. Every part of her soul begged to be going down on the expedition to hurt the man who had laid his hands on her friend. Yet she knew it would be futile for her to go to the planet's surface. Obviously, this man spoke English, so her services were not needed. She knew that Spock would be only giving half of himself to the mission if she was there, the other half of him trained on protecting her instead of the captain or Pavel. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to either one of them because of her selfishness.
"Go ahead, Captain." The man pretended to read his mind. "Call in some backup from Starfleet. That was what you were considering, wasn't it?"
Grudgingly, Kirk freed his lips from the straight line they had been forced into. "No, it wasn't." He spat, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Now that you mention it..." He went out on a limb, hoping to scare the man in front of him. Reverse psychology told him that the man mentioned calling in backup because he didn't want him to. Or, maybe he knew that Kirk would think that, and he actually wanted him to call. Whatever it was, it didn't make sense. Why mention the entirety of Starfleet? Did he actually want to wage a war? With him and what army did he plan to make a scene? "It might not be a bad idea to alert the admiral of our situation. Wouldn't you agree?" Kirk challenged, staring straight into the beady eyes of this mysterious man. He didn't know what to think. Why did he recognize him, why did his mannerism bother the Captain so much, and why did he have their crew member? There was something so well thought out about this that made him want to shiver. It was as if he were consistently one step ahead.
"By all means, Captain." He hissed, his tone betraying some sort of emotion. It seemed as though he found himself very clever. The man grinned, drawing attention again to the burned left side of his face. He seemed almost gleeful with this game that he was playing. "Before we are out of time, I must implore you to alert your admiral. Please, do tell him that Thomas Harewood is stirring up trouble again." He mocked, his tone light and airy, as if he couldn't care less about Starfleet coming to make an attack.
With that, the transmission cut off and the pieces began to fall into place.
Authors' Note:
We hope you all enjoyed the next installment! We're already working on chapter nine. More surprises await the crew in upcoming chapters! What's going on with Pavel down on that planet? Why is Thomas Harewood seeking to "stir up some trouble?" You'll have to wait to find out! Thank you all for reading and reviewing and being patient with us for slow posting. We love you!