Thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited in my absence! I love you all so much! It meant so much to come back from Colorado to an email inbox full of notices :)

I'm so so very that sorry it has taken me so long to update! my life is a bit hectic right now...

On a personal note, there are a few of you that will be interested in knowing that I've fallen in love. (Not that I know it's returned) And I'm kinda devastated because the guy I fell for? He lives in Texas most of the year... PM if you would like the whole story

Anyway, here's chapter Ten! :D

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When we had again boarded the Enterprise, Kirk had Uhura tell Starfleet that they had Harrison in custody. So far there had been no response.

"You don't look good, Jim." McCoy said, "What's your concern?"

"I want you to run a full physio panel on our prisoner." Kirk answered.

The doctor's tone was, as was frequently the case, querulous. "Why, is he sick?"

"I don't know what he is, Bones." Kirk replied, "But I do know that he just took out an entire Klingon security team single handedly, I want to know how- and don't tell me it's because he has a good shooting eye. There's something else going on here that's more than passing strange. I need you to help me substitute "facts" for "strange"."

McCoy looked completive. "Sounds like we have a superman on board."

"You tell me." The captain looked over at Spock as the three men left the bridge.

It was a long while before the Doctor returned to the bridge, soon followed by Spock. Both men looked uneasy, and I knew it had to have something to do with our new prisoner.

Another long while later, the Captain came on the bridge, and McCoy immediately walked to his side. They spoke with hushed voices. That was, until Kirk said something Bones obviously objected to.

"Are you out of your corn-fed mind?!" McCoy exclaimed, causing Spock to rise and walk over to the two men. "You're not actually going to listen to this guy? He killed Pike, among numerous others," McCoy continued vociferously. "He almost killed you. And now you think it might be a good idea to pop open a torpedo just because he essentially dared you to?"

"He also saved our lives." Kirk replied calmly. "Mine, Spock's, Turner's, Uhura's. There's no disputing that. He could have killed me, killed all of us, with ease. Instead, he surrendered. I think it's important to know the reason why."

"That's what he wants you to think." McCoy said, not dissuaded. "Jim, someone like Harrison doesn't do things because they've suddenly experienced a change of heart. There's a reason behind everything they do, and it has nothing to do with a sudden penchant for philanthropy. If he saved your lives, he did so because he saw something in it for him. Something that would help advance his agenda-whatever that might be."

"The doctor does have a point, Captain." Spock added softly.

Looking away, an obviously agitated McCoy muttered: "Don't agree with me, Spock. It makes me very uncomfortable."

Kirk swung around in his chair to face both men. "Scotty quit because of those torpedoes. He wouldn't stay onboard without knowing what was inside them. I've decided that he was right, and not just because Harrison suggested it. We need to know."

McCoy gestured to the lift, stress lacing his voice. "Jim. That man in the brig is a homicidal maniac who wants us to blow ourselves up! Maybe that's why those 'new' torpedoes are on board. So he could maneuver you into poking through their guts. Maybe if anyone tries to open one, it's set to protect itself by self-destructing. He's hooked you with a challenge, don't you see that?"

Kirk looked thoughtful, and answered without looking up at the doctor. "No. No, that's too obvious a ploy, and whatever else Harrison is, he's not obvious. He's demonstrated that already. I think there's another reason he wanted to be brought aboard the Enterprise. We need to find out what that is."

"Maybe he wants to say all is forgiven so he can enlist." His tone acidic, McCoy continued. "I think he's gotten under your skin. He could be stalling for some reason. That would explain this challenge of his for us to go to these unvisited coordinates he gave you. He could be working with the Klingons!"

"Perhaps you, too, should learn to govern your emotions a little, Doctor," Spock broke in. "In this situation logic dictates-"

"Logic!" McCoy sputtered. "My God, there's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own ship and you're-"

Kirk raised a hand, forstalling the rest of the Doctor's rant. "I don't know why he surrendered, but that's not it. We're gonna open one of the torpedoes. That's my decision. The question is, how. What's the best way? The safest way?"

McCoy let out a snort. "I've heard the story behind the loading of those weapons. We have no schematics, no diagrams, no operating files. Without Mr. Scott onboard, there's no one appropriately qualified to pop open a newly designed four-ton stick of dynamite. Even engineering's weapons specialists won't attempt a break-in without explanatory software- or Mr. Scott's expertise."

Spock seemed to remember something. "May I offer a thought, Captain?"

Kirk eyed the science officer. "Always, Mr. Spock."

"It has come to my attention that we have two weapons specialists not under the department of engineering. Miss Turner and the admiral's daughter are both weapons specialists. The admiral's daughter has expressed interest in the torpedoes, perhaps she could be of some use."

Kirk whirled. Captain and physician gawked at the Vulcan. "What?!" Kirk stared hard at Spock, "What admiral's daughter?"

"Carol Marcus." Spock explained blithely. "Your new science officer concealed her true identity in order to be assigned to the Enterprise."

Kirk didn't attempt to conceal his bewilderment."When were you going to tell me this?"

"When it became relevant." a complacent Spock assured him. "As it just did."

I blinked in shock. When did he find this out? And what interested me more.. How did he find out?

"Are the torpedos in the weapons bay?" Carol Marcus asked the Captain, not looking to him as Spock and I followed Marcus and the Captain swiftly down the corridor.

"Prepped and loaded for use in the weapons bay." Kirk informed her. "What are they? What's so special about them other than that they're supposed to be undetectable when in flight?"

She looked over at him. "I don't know. That's why I manipulated a transfer onto your ship- to find out." Halting abruptly, she turned to face him, embarrassment on her face as Spock and I carried on. "I do apologize for that, and I am sorry, I'm Carol Marcus."

That was the last I heard of the conversation as Spock and I headed to my quarters. He waited outside while i changed into a more suitable outfit for the mission, and then we headed towards engineering. There we would find the weapons bay, and select the torpedo that Marcus and myself would be working on.

It seemed strange to me how uncomfortable we both seemed at the moment. I was nervous because of the weight of the mission, not to mention the consequences if I were to err in some way. Med bay wouldn't be able to help me in that situation. I didn't want to think about it either.

I ran my PADD over the closest torpedo. It couldn't read anything at all. No big surprise here. I instructed one of the engineering crew to take it and load it onto the transporter. There, it would be beamed down to a small desert planetoid, where no one would bother us. Marcus and myself would be going in by shuttle, taking our equipment with us.

When the ensign gathered a small group and had taken the torpedo away, Spock and I made our trek to the shuttle bay. "You did quite well with the ensign." Spock said unexpectedly, "Much better than even I expected under what I can only interpret as great stress and worry. Even the Captain himself would have been a bit short with the ensign."

"Thank you, Spock." I said, blushing a little. "I try not to take out what I feel on others. Sometimes I fail miserably though."

"It is understandable." Spock responded, stepping into the lift in front of me. "And I would expect that it is not often either." I followed, pressing the button for the shuttle bay level.

Only when the lift doors closed did I dare lean over and rest my head on his arm. I sighed, and he wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm slightly. "You'll do an excellent job, I'm sure." he said, lifting my face and kissing my forehead. "You were my choice for assistant for a reason."

He released his hold on me, the lift doors opened, and I walked out, hoping the extra color in my face would fade quickly. It was bad enough that Uhura could possibly know, I didn't need Kirk and Marcus knowing on top of that. Aside from that, I now had yet another thing to think about. What had he meant by "choice for assistant"? Had he chosen to have me aboard the Enterprise? Or was he referring to something I didn't yet understand?

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Ok I know this was really short, and I apologize immensely. I wanted to get something out to you guys before I start school again. I feel really bad for how long it took me to get this to you... you have no idea.

Much love to everyone who's followed this!