I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
Chapter Eight: A Moment.
Alianna stared down at her console, her brows furrowed and her mouth turned down, betraying that her mind was somewhere other than on the very uninteresting device in front of her. There were no security emergencies or anything of the sort at three in the morning, Earth time, anyway; the console didn't need her attention. There was nothing exciting about being on the bridge at that time, either, leaving her thoughts free to wander. All the officers on the bridge were quiet, facing their consoles and absorbed in the beeping, chirping and whirring chorus that always filled the bridge. Alianna looked up and out the viewer. Her thoughts finally broke free of the thin restraint she was holding them with and wandered in the only direction they could. The Klingons.
If they didn't find a lead or something helpful in this Klingon problem soon, she was going to lose it, and she hadn't exactly been keeping a level head throughout the situation. Even Alianna didn't want to know how she would react. The way the Klingons kept several steps ahead of the Enterprise at all times, the fact that the war-inclined race had a weapon the Federation didn't, the crew of the Marissa dying and Alianna being able to do nothing about it; all these thoughts ran through her mind, each more hurtful and angering than the last. Alianna tightened her fingers around the edge of the screen for a moment, her knuckles turning white with the effort. It wasn't until the ensign at the communications console behind her said anything that the security officer noticed her frustrations were readily apparent.
"Did you say something, ensign?" she snapped as she loosened her fingers. Alianna quickly gathered herself together and rose to her full height, turning her bright green eyes on the red-shirted man.
The young man blanched under that gaze. "I just asked if you were all right, sir. You look a little pale." His voice was steady and calm, even if his face betrayed his fear. His control over his voice earned him points with Alianna. If he could just master his face, she would have envied his control.
She sighed and closed her eyes momentarily, her shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch as she relaxed. "Yes, I am. I'm just… concerned with this Klingon situation."
The ensign nodded before wisely turning back to his post and not saying anything else. Alianna turned her eyes back to her console for a minute longer before taking the few steps to the command chair; she was the most senior officer on the bridge, after all. A knot between her shoulders relaxed as she settled into the comfortable seat. Being the security chief meant she stood behind her console for eight or more hours a day, so sitting while she was working was a luxury. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back until she was comfortable, her hands folded over the ends of the armrests, fingers poised near the controls, should she need to use them. It was a fair imitation of how Kirk sat, but the look on her face was one that would likely never grace the young Captain's features.
Almost as if on cue, Kirk strode onto the bridge as Alianna's thoughts turned to him. "Captain on the bridge," the communications officer announced.
Everyone except Alianna turned their attention to the man clad in the gold tunic; she was too wrapped in her thoughts and anger to pay him any mind. He nodded to them, letting their attention wander back to their tasks, before moving to stand behind the command chair, his chair. Kirk placed his hands on the back of it, in line with Alianna's shoulders, the tips of his fingers hovering just above her crimson tunic. "You know," he said, "you're supposed to acknowledge the Captain when he steps onto the bridge."
She looked up at him, nose brace and all. Some of the anger drained from her face. "Why are you up?" she asked, instead of replying to his statement.
"Couldn't sleep," he said simply. Kirk put more weight on his hands, leaning forward a bit. "You don't look like you're enjoying your first command… Lordeck."
Alianna raised an eyebrow at him, but lowered at as soon as she realized he had almost called her by her nickname. She turned her green-eyed gaze back out to the viewer to avoid getting a crick in her neck from looking up at her Captain as she answered his query. "The overnight shift is boring, sir."
"Yes."
"And all I can think about is the damn Klingons and their weapon."
"So you're angry."
"Yeah, I'm angry."
They were silent for a few moments, staring out the viewer at the thousands of stars whipping past as they traveled at warp speed. It was a relatively low warp speed, but it still presented a brilliant view and Alianna never got tired of it. At some point, Kirk moved to stand at the side of the command chair, his arms crossed over his chest and a contemplative look on his face. The noises of the bridge were the only sounds, until Alianna pulled her eyes from the stars and turned to look up at Kirk, the attention causing him to look down at her. They were silent for a minute longer.
"Why are you letting me sit in your chair?" she asked.
Kirk's face split in a wide grin. "That's a good question."
She blinked, waiting. "You're not going to make me get up?"
He shrugged with one shoulder. "I don't feel like sitting. Besides, you're still technically the commanding officer on duty." His smile faded. Kirk sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger; he was tired. "Have you had any brilliant insights into our Klingon problem?" he asked.
"No." Alianna sighed softly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I've looked through as many reports as I could find, and there is nothing, nothing, about the Klingons having a cloaking device this sophisticated. Not to mention there isn't anything like whatever weapon they're using in any reports about anything. I mean that. There is nothing." Alianna's voice had increased in speed while she spoke and it ended in a huff, the noise showing just how aggravated she really was, all light banter with her Captain aside. She crossed her arms under her chest and slid farther down into the chair, a fair semblance of pouting.
Kirk chuckled at her reaction. Her frustration was amusing. Of course, it could have just been that he was searching for something other than the deaths of his fellow Federation officers to focus on. As the moment of brevity passed, he looked down at her, his face neutral. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Other than angry, of course."
Alianna looked up at Kirk again, eyebrow raised in that Vulcan-like way. It took her a moment to remember what he was talking about, and when the memory came back, she groaned softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "That wasn't a dream... You actually helped me walk to my room after I took those pills, didn't you?" Kirk nodded, his trademark small smirk on his lips. "Wait…" she said after a moment. "I passed out in the hall. How did I get back to my room?"
"I carried you."
"You did?"
"Well, I wasn't going to leave you in the hall, now was I?"
"I don't know." Alianna looked back up at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The light conversation was making her feel better. "You might."
Kirk returned the expression and placed one hand on the back of the command chair again, the other hand on his hip. His blue eyes were soft as he looked down at her. "So how are you feeling? How's your hand?"
"It's still sore. But it's better than it was last night. I shouldn't need to take anymore pills." The smile on her lips grew marginally. "How's your nose?"
"Sore. Bones said the brace should be able to come off soon, although, I might just leave it on. Don't want the Klingons to re-break it."
They continued to smile at each other until something in the moment changed and Alianna abruptly looked away, her eyes back on the stars in front of the ship, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She hoped Kirk wouldn't notice, but knew he would; he was too observant to miss something like that, especially when he'd been staring at her already, and especially when it was someone like Alianna, who didn't blush on a regular basis. In a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment and discomfort, Alianna closed her eyes, took a deep breath and, when she opened her eyes again, she stared intently at the glass of the viewer, since, if she stared too long or hard at the stretched stars, she would get a headache.
"Are you blushing?" Kirk asked, leaning towards her and dropping his voice to avoid drawing attention to his security officer and himself. It was useless though. The very presence of the Captain standing while someone else sat in his chair was enough to garner their gazes, albeit secretive ones stolen over shoulders when they thought no one was looking.
"No," she answered automatically, finally looking at him. "Back up," she snapped.
Kirk obeyed the command and took the unspoken cue from the newfound anger in her voice. "How likely do you think it is that the Klingons had help?" he asked, turning the conversation back to business like she wanted.
Her anger slowly fading, Alianna opened her mouth to respond, when the ensign at communications turned to face them, the sudden movement on the previously still bridge slightly startling. "Excuse me, Captain," he said, in a voice that was only slightly strained by the urgency he was clearing feeling. "There is a message from Starfleet coming through. It's marked for your eyes only, sir."
Kirk nodded in acknowledgement and looked down at Alianna before he could stop himself; he pulled away slightly when their eyes locked, but it was too late to gracefully look away. He settled into the gaze again, his shoulders falling slightly with a silent sigh. "You have the bridge, Commander Lordeck," he said quietly.
Alianna nodded, watched him leave the bridge and sighed with the doors as they closed. After they clicked softly shut, she shook her head. What the hell is wrong with me? she asked herself as she pushed out of the command chair and went back to her usual console. He's the Captain, Ali. Get him out of her head. Her fingers dancing over the touch-sensitive screen, she checked all the security feeds. There was still nothing, and that made her grind her teeth because she wanted a distraction. Her thoughts were wandering again, but in a totally different direction. She took two steps back towards the centre chair, but changed her mind and started a circuit of the bridge, her boot heels clicking loudly and angrily on the white floor.
Where her thoughts had been on the Klingons before speaking to the Captain and for hours before that, she now found herself unable to think of anything other than James Kirk. It wasn't the first time the young Captain had wormed his way into her thoughts, and it wasn't the first time Alianna had had trouble getting him out of her head. She wasn't exactly sure why she was so fixated on the Captain. Okay, she had some ideas, but they weren't thinks she was willing to admit to herself, to anyone. The thoughts made her feel different, not like herself, and she needed to be herself to get through this Klingon mess. She needed to be herself to be able to stop anyone else from dying. She needed to be herself to feel confident and strong and everything she was convinced made her a good Starfleet officer. As she walked, she clenched her jaw and forced herself to think of Klingons, to think of weapons, to think of the things she normally thought off, to feel more like herself. The anger flooded back into her face. Her eyes darkened with it and, subconsciously, her hand fluttered to her shirt, above the scars hidden underneath. Feeling the rough, raised skin brought the images of the Klingons who had attacked her into her the front of her mind.
It wasn't so hard to think of the Klingon threat after that.
As she passed the weapons console, where her sister normally stood, for the third time, the communication controls in the arm of the command chair beeped, drawing her attention. She cleared the space in two long strides and pressed the button with her thumb, knowing full well who would be on the other end of that call. "Lieutenant Commander Lordeck here." She frowned a bit at the odd-sounding words. I don't think I've ever said that before in my life…
"Commander Lordeck," came Kirk's voice, tightly controlled. He was angry. "I need a second opinion on some information Starfleet sent with their message."
"I'll be right there, sir," she said. "You," she said to the young man at the communications console once she'd released her hold on the button. "What's your name?"
"Ensign Scullion, sir."
"You have the bridge until I get back." Alianna turned from him before he could reply and was in the turbolift before anyone else could protest. She couldn't see being too long, and Scullion had the beginnings of a leader, or at least someone who would handle himself in a chaotic situation. Alianna was confident in her choice. Besides, no one was allowed to argue with the commanding officer.
She rode the turbolift down to the now familiar deck and stepped into the white hallway. As she walked quickly through the slightly curving corridor, she passed Sindari who was chatting with Bones. She didn't respond to her sister's or her friend's greeting, but just kept walking; she did hear Sindari say something about Alianna being summoned by the Captain being the only thing to make her move that quickly. When she reached the Captain's quarters in the farthest reaches of the deck, she stepped up to the doors. She started as they opened, having expecting them to be locked. She entered Kirk's room and turned to the left, to where he sat in front of a small viewscreen, leaning on the glass table. It was the office where he received private and high-priority communications and where he met with diplomats they were transporting. The viewscreen on the table was off, but there was a very serious look on Kirk's face. He looked up when Alianna entered and that look softened around the edges.
"They don't think we're doing enough to stop these killings," he said.
Alianna frowned. "How can they say that?" she asked, a trickle of anger working its way into her voice. It wasn't anger at Kirk, it was a Starfleet. It was anger at someone doubting her Captain. She leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms under her chest, her brow furrowing again slightly; she forced the anger away, knowing her emotions had a tendency to bleed over into those around her.
"Apparently we should have come up with some concrete leads by now, and the information we have come up with isn't good enough." He fixed her with a look she'd never seen on his face before: rage. It wasn't directed at her by any means, but Alianna knew then that she was there to act as more of a sounding board, and it was only her because Spock, and anyone else the Enterprise's Captain might have spoken to normally was asleep. "They already knew the Klingons were behind this and too many people are dying for our slow information collection to be of any use," he paraphrased. He sighed, his blue eyes a boil with the need to yell or hit something to release the anger. It was a look Alianna knew well; it was one she'd seen in the mirror.
Alianna pushed off the doorframe and stood on the other side of the glass table, her fingers resting on the cool surface. "There is nothing else we can do right now… Jim."
His eyes shot up from the spot on the floor they'd been glued to. It was much the same reaction Alianna had had the first time Kirk had used her nickname. For a second, Alianna thought he was going to respond to being addressed by his first name, but he didn't. He dropped his eyes again, the spot on the floor suddenly interesting once more, but his gaze did not rest there long. "Have a seat," he said when he was looking up at her again; almost absentmindedly, he gestured to a chair sitting against the wall behind him.
Alianna obliged without a thought. She pulled the chair a little closer to the table so she was sitting beside Kirk and not behind his shoulder, and said, "I can't imagine Starfleet called just to berate you."
"They found another ghost ship."
"Where?"
Kirk turned in his chair, his knee brushing hers. "A few light-years outside the Sol system."
Alianna's stomach twisted into a painful knot and it was suddenly hard to swallow. The Klingons were getting close to Earth. Very close. If they got to Earth, they could wipe out Starfleet. They could hit the Federation on home turf, possibly even destroy it. When she finally found her voice, she had to clear her throat before she croaked the word, "What?" Kirk just kept his eyes locked with hers. "Another one?" she gasped.
"Now you know why Starfleet Command is so pissed."
She managed a bitter smile. "I suppose so." She cleared her throat again and sat up straighter, pressing her back into the chair. "What ship was it?"
"The U.S.S. Castiel."
"Isn't that a new ship?" Alianna asked.
"Yes."
She shook her head slightly. "Do they want us to check out the Castiel and see if we can find an ion trail or something to track the Klingons with? Or are we no longer in charge of this investigation?" Alianna squeezed her eyes shut while she waited for Kirk to answer; all the information and thoughts flying through her head were giving her a headache.
"Oh no, we're still in charge, but if we don't catch them soon…"
"Our collective ass is going to get kicked. Got it." She sighed heavily and put her head in her hands, elbows propped on knees and palms covering her eyes. "What are your orders then?" she asked as she straightened herself.
Kirk was staring intently at her when she opened her green eyes, face set as it had been on the bridge. Alianna's cheeks flared to life again, but this time, there was nowhere to hide the blush, so she didn't. The Captain of the Enterprise opened his mouth a small amount, closed it again, fought off a smile and then said, "I'll transfer the coordinates to the helm. Get us there as fast as the ship can, but don't engage the Klingons if you find them. When we reach the Castiel, call me to the bridge, and if everything appears safe as it did with the other ghost ships, we'll beam over and see if we can find anything."
"And if we can't?"
He sighed and ran his fingers back through his hair. He looked tired. "We'll deal with that when and if we have to." A familiar small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it didn't stay. "I could really use a dose of your sister's optimism right now," he sighed. He waved off her reply. "Get up to the bridge, Ali. I'm going to try and get some sleep."
Alianna nodded and got to her feet, moving to the side a bit so she wasn't standing directly in front of Captain Kirk. She looked down at him, opened her mouth to say something, but the words failed her, and as Kirk had done not a moment ago, she shut her mouth again and settled for a small, tight grin. It was the most reassuring she could be. As she walked past the Captain, leaving the hold of his blue eyes, she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, the contact broken as suddenly as it had been initiated. Blushing furiously, Alianna exited Kirk's quarters and stepped into the white corridor, the colder air washing over her as the doors sighed closed behind her.
"Commander Lordeck? Is something the matter?"
Her eyes—which she hadn't realized she'd closed—snapped open and widened as she took in the tall, straight form of Spock, his dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly, scrutinizing her position, standing just outside the Captain's quarters, quite obviously flustered. She took a second to focus her mind, straightened her shirt and looked up at the Vulcan officer, as calm as she could get herself to appear. "No, Commander Spock. I'm perfectly fine," she lied.
He raised one slanted eyebrow at her, but didn't comment. "Are you on your way back to the bridge?"
Alianna nodded and started walking, knowing Spock would fall in step beside her. "Another ghost ship has appeared, close to the Sol system. The Captain wishes to be alerted once we reach the coordinates of the U.S.S. Castiel."
Spock nodded; Alianna barely caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. "I shall accompany you."
"You can take command of the bridge too… sir."
As they entered the turbo lift, Spock fixed his steady gaze on her cheek, forcing her to turn and look at him. "You seem shaken, Commander. Would you like to be relieved of duty for the rest of your shift?"
It was an innocent enough question, and truth be told, she should have said yes. Her mind was too occupied with other things to perform her bridge duties well, and she was starting to feel exhausted by her thoughts and feelings. But, being as stubborn as she was, Alianna set her jaw and tried to stare down the Vulcan standing less than two feet away from her. "No I would not like to be relieved of duty," she snapped. "The Captain gave me orders to follow, not you, so I'm going to go up to the bridge and get this ship moving as fast as she can so we can get to the ship and try and catch these damn Klingons before they kill anyone else!" When she finished talking, she was breathing a little heavier and her cheeks were flushed again, but this time the red had nothing to do with embarrassment.
Spock just looked at her, evenly. "I will not force you to relinquish command, Alianna," he said in his calm voice. He used her name to try and make her feel safe, to make her realize he was not attacking her. "If you wish to carry out your orders, than by all means, proceed."
Alianna just stared at him.
The turbolift came to a smooth halt and the doors opened. Spock kept his eyes on the fiery woman for a brief moment longer and then stepped onto the bridge, leaving a rather thunderstruck Alianna behind him. She made it through the doors before they could close—a little less gracefully than she might have done if she'd moved a second earlier—making quite the entrance as her knee slammed into the metal of the door. "Shit," she breathed, bending down to rub her knee.
"I assume the Captain has transferred the coordinates to the helm?"
Alianna glared at Spock then nodded. "Proceed at fastest speed available," she commanded, her voice straining slightly as she attempted to ignore the pain. She put weight on her knee and it hurt, but she could take it.
"Warp Six available, sir."
Alianna rolled her eyes and walked to the command chair. "Bridge to Engineering," she announced, pressing the appropriate button.
"Aye?"
"Mister Scott, would it be possible to get any more speed out of the ship? We've got another ghost ship on our hands."
"I'll see what I can do, but I can nae promise anything."
"Good enough." She pulled her thumb off the button and sank gratefully into the black cushions of the command chair as she felt the ship move faster beneath her.
Author's Note.
Sorry, sorry, the Klingon weapon is a mek'leth, not a mak'leth. Oopsie.
But yay for Star Trek! I really, really, really want to watch the movie again, but if I do, I won't get anything else done and right now, I have a lot to do, like clean the apartment and try to get back into the swing of things when it comes to school and work. Also, I want to buy a new laptop, so I have a computer that works with Star Trek Online. OH MY GOD I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT GAME!!! (runs around, spazzing) I'm going to get the Collector's Edition next week when I get paid, so I can have the Borg officer on my bridge. Mwahaha…
I can't wait to get the actual version of the game, but the beta is sooooo much fun.
Anyways, I finally finished the planning for this fic, and I'm excited to write it. Really, I am. But I'm writing four fics at once here and I have to try and pick up my X-Men fic again since I've had a bunch of people tell me to update it again. I'll try, I swear.
Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Sorry it's kind of short. This chapter was meant to serve one purpose, and it does. Any guesses what that purpose was? If you guessed to further Ali and Kirk's relationship, then you're right. Also, to start the movement towards the beginning of the end, as it were. Of course, there are still many chapters to this one, so it'll be a fairly long end, but still an end.
Next Chapter: Something New.