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 Thirteen: Sitting Duck.

"I still think you should go and see Bones and get him to check out your shoulder."

Alianna looked sideways at her Captain and shrugged. "I can move it now," she said, pulling off the makeshift bandage and demonstrating with a full circle of the injured arm. "So I'm fine." She gave her Captain a tired but smug grin and pushed herself to her feet and away from the wall where they had been sitting, taking a break. "Let's just get back to work." As she walked away, Alianna pulled her hair out of the now very messy bun and ran her fingers through her dark brown locks, loosening some of the knots, before pulling her hair back into a ponytail and the base of her skull; it was long enough to trail over one shoulder as she bent to work at the console they'd both been plugging away at.

Kirk shook his head and followed the young woman, a small grin on his face.

They'd been down in Engineering for hours and they were both exhausted, a state shared by the rest of the red-shirted crew and no doubt the rest of the crew above Engineering as well. Scotty had disappeared to tend to some other problem a while ago, leaving Kirk and Alianna to tackle the fused conduits that were supposed to supply power to the impulse engines on their own, while Kirk kept tabs on the rest of his ship via intercom reports from Spock, Uhura, Bones and other senior members of the crew. Slowly, the Enterprise was returning to a situation where she could move and pursue the Klingon vessel, and the crew's mood was elevating with the repairs of their ship; tension remained as everyone feared the Klingons returning while they couldn't fight back. Kirk and Alianna had reached a point where they were so tired that everything was funny and they spent as much time laughing about their work as they did actually working, and that's not to say they weren't doing a lot of work, because in the hours they'd been confined to the small section of Engineering, they had managed to make astounding progress.

"Hey Ali," Kirk called as he wormed his way around the pipes, back to where the fused conduit lay.

"What?" she asked, her voice snapping a little more than she'd meant it to with her attention otherwise occupied by the readouts on the screen in front of her.

"Aside from the obvious answer of us all being danger just sitting out here in space, why are you being so cooperative?" The young Captain picked up a small laser cutter and ran it along the melted site, the small red point leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. It fizzed out before he'd finished; overworked. "Can you bring me another cutter?"

Alianna retrieved the device from the box Scotty had left and twisted herself into the pipes, handing the small tool to Kirk once she was within reach. She didn't retreat, fixing a steady gaze on him instead. "I told you I'd had enough of this," she said, her voice low and matter-of-fact. "We're going to catch those damn Klingons, even if I have to be... abnormal for that happen." Her green eyes shone as she smiled, that edge of hysterical tiredness working its way to the surface. "Where's that busted laser?"

He handed her the broken tool and watched her back up out of the pipe work, her shoulder catching on a joint, bringing a pained gasp from her mouth. "Go get Bones to look at your shoulder already."

"No."

"Not even if I make it an order?"

Alianna looked at him over her shoulder, a small grin on her lips. "Especially if you make it an order."

"What happened to you being cooperative?"

"Like my shoulder has anything to do with our ability to catch these Klingons," she replied with a laugh that Kirk couldn't help but join in with. "The only thing keeping us from chasing after those..." She paused, trying to retrieve the word she wanted to describe their Klingon foes from her brain. Upon failing, she shrugged. "Anyways, this ship is all that's keeping us here."

Kirk's face fell into a very serious set, but his blue eyes were still tinged with laughter. "Don't talk about her like that."

Alianna smiled at him, a genuine expression. Although she'd probably never admit it, she admired Kirk's dedication and attachment to the ship. He was committed to the Enterprise and her crew, and although he was a great deal more committed to his ship, the feelings reminded Alianna of Captain DeFalco; as the man's face entered her mind's eye, she touched the ring around her throat through her black undershirt. "Sorry," she said before withdrawing completely from the pipes. "She's a beautiful ship, Jim, just a little stubborn sometimes."

"Sounds like someone else I know," he called after Alianna.

She paused in the moment of awkward silence that followed, and then climbed to her feet and headed back to the console quickly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes a little wide, her tiredness making the embarrassment more potent. "Move on, Ali," she whispered to herself. The security officer ran her fingers along the screen, running another scan of the last problem area. "Just one more fused area to fix and then we can test it to see if the impulse engines are back online."

"Okay."

Alianna kept her green eyes glued to the console, her lids becoming suddenly heavy; she wished the replicators were online, but knew they wouldn't be for a while yet. All non-essential systems were being saved until last. It made sense, but it didn't make for a happy or energized crew. Alianna knew that someone would probably be making coffee and simple food in the galley, but that was four decks above Engineering and she couldn't leave until her and Kirk were finished. However, a moment later, Uhura appeared, a large silver and glass pot in one hand and two mugs in the other, answering Alianna's silent wish for coffee.

"Thought you two might need some refreshment," the dark-skinned communications officer said, handing Alianna a mug and filling it.

"You have no idea how right you are." Alianna turned towards the pipes and the barely visible form of Kirk. "Coffee's here, Captain," she called, taking a long drink from her mug.

Kirk crawled out of the metal nest, taking in Uhura's glance at his black undershirt, but accepting the coffee without a comment; it was hot in Engineering, and the slightly loose gold tunic had proved quite adept at getting caught on the pipes. He drained the first mug-full of coffee quickly, seemingly impervious to the heat in the liquid. "Thanks Uhura," he said as he started in on the second mug.

The women exchanged a glance and a smile before Alianna asked, "How are things on the bridge?"

"Slightly improved. Power has been returned to all the consoles, so work can be done from the bridge, but life support seems to be the only system that's completely stable. Weapons are back online sporadically." She sighed and smoothed her hands down her hips; a nervous gesture. "Short-range scanners are back as well and haven't picked up anything, but I don't know how long they'll remain operational."

"Lieutenant," Kirk interrupted.

"Yes Captain?" she asked, a surprised look on her face, like she'd forgotten she was talking to someone.

"Get someone to take over communications for a few hours and get some rest."

Uhura opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it and nodded, the full weight of her exhaustion taking over her face, her usually bright brown eyes turning dull and her shoulders falling, ruining her normally perfect posture. "Thank you Captain," she muttered before vanishing in the general direction of the turbolift.

"Why don't I get to go rest?" Alianna asked.

"Do you want to sleep?"

She drained her first cup of coffee. "Nope."

"Then get back to work."

Alianna flashed him the most brilliant smile she could muster and then returned to the console, watching Kirk as he disappeared back to the conduit, becoming a black shape amongst the brightly coloured pipes. "Yes sir," she whispered.

Sindari had given up on the bridge. What use was a weapons officer who wasn't intimately familiar with the systems on the ship going to be? And it pained her to admit it, but she didn't know the systems as well as Chekov or even Sulu. Best to let them handle it. Upon finding herself essentially useless, the redhead took to the back-up powered turbolift and descended to the sick bay, determined to find a place to be useful.

Bones had been grateful to see her and her hands. Sick bay was more chaotic than the bridge, and another pair of hands doing something, anything, was gratefully appreciated. Currently, she was applying bandages to a young woman who had been thrown into her communications console hard enough to crack three ribs, sprain both wrists and give her a nice gash along one side of her face. Sindari had already given her a painkiller, but there was still a grimace on the girl's lips and she winced every time Sindari touched her. The younger Lordeck finished with the patient as quickly as she could before seeking out somewhere else to be of use.

"Sindari!"

She turned towards Bones' voice, located the rugged doctor and crossed the medical bay. "Yes?"

"We've got to remove a piece of shrapnel from Engineer Wellwood and I need an extra pair of hands to hold a retractor. We have to do this old school." He sighed heavily. "Nothing is stable down here. If we tried doing it the civilized way, he'd probably die."

Sindari frowned. "Just tell me what you want me to do, boss."

Bones sighed again, but it turned into a small smile at the end.

Sindari had never witnessed an operation before, let alone one done without the technology of the current century. So, standing across the table from Doctor McCoy as he cut open the unconscious man and withdrew the piece of bloody metal was almost more than she could bear. Of course she had seen blood before, but that was always in the middle of a battle of some kind, never in an operation, in a medical bay or hospital where one growing up on a civilized and advanced planet expected nothing by cleanliness and sanitation. Sindari spent most of the two hour long operation concentrating on keeping her knees steady and her meagre dinner in her stomach where it belonged. The only saving grace was that Bones knew exactly what he was doing so no one around that table or on it had to be there longer than was necessary.

"Here's a cold cloth," Nurse Chapel said as Sindari walked away from the operating room.

The redhead looked at the young nurse and took the cloth just as her knees finally gave out. The nurse sank to her knees beside Sindari and pressed the cloth to her forehead, cheeks and neck. "Thanks," Sindari mumbled.

"It's not a problem, Lieutenant," Chapel said with a tight grin.

Bones appeared after another moment and also knelt beside the fallen woman; Nurse Chapel let him take control of the situation and went about her other responsibilities. "How are you?"

"A little in shock, I think."

They shared in a private grin and small laugh before Bones helped her to her feet. "You were good in there," he said. "If you're serious about your medical training, I think you'd make an excellent doctor."

"Thanks Bones, but I'll never be more than a weapons officer with medical training. No offense to you profession." She smiled at the doctor. "How about you help me stand so we can get back to helping all these injured people?"

Bones helped her to her feet, holding her steady until they were both sure she could stand on her own. When she was stable, they walked to the other side of the medical bay to check on those with more minor injuries. The nurses had been busy while the operation was taking place, and most of the chaos in the main room of the sick bay had been put into some kind of order, and there didn't seem to be any new patients coming through the front door. Sindari followed Bones around the room, observing as he checked on each patient and doing what was asked to help; she felt useful and that was satisfying, especially when the entire ship was still stranded. At least she fell like she was getting somewhere.

"Sin, why did you come down here?" Bones asked when they had a moment.

The weapons officer pressed the cloth to her neck—she had started to feel faint again when one of the more severely injured had vomited blood onto her tunic—and looked at Bones. "I wanted to help."

"I'm sure you could have helped on the bridge."

Instead of regaling him with her feelings of uselessness, Sindari just shrugged.

"Well I'm glad for your help." A heavy frown suddenly took over Bones' features and he placed his hand on her forehead, looking for the fever he could have just as easily scanned her for. "Are you feeling okay Sin?"

"Yeah, I feel fine... Well, I'm a little dizzy..."

Her green eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, falling forward. Bones caught her and pulled her gently into his arms so he could more easily carry her to the nearest empty bed. A moment after he laid her down, she opened her eyes—startlingly green in the sickly whiteness of her face—and groaned. He hushed her and pulled out his tricorder to scan her; she could have just been faint, but it would have been irresponsible not to check for something more serious.

"When was the last time you ate something Sin? Or got any sleep?"

"Uhm..."

Bones rolled his eyes at her, but a knot of tension in his shoulders that he hadn't realized was there relaxed and he sighed. "I know we're in the middle of a crisis here, Sin, but if you're not taking care of yourself, how do you expect to take out the big bag Klingons?" Nurse Chapel brought a bowl of very hearty-looking stew and a cup of what turned out to be milk. "Eat and then get some rest. I'll be sure to wake you if anything exciting happens." Sindari opened her mouth to protest, but the doctor cut her off. "That's an order, Lieutenant Lordeck."

"Fine," she answered with a small grin.

Alianna resisted the urge to slam her fists into the console, turned around to inform Kirk of the bad news and found him standing very close. The lack of distance startled her and she lost her anger and started laughing.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Kirk said with the widest grin Alianna had ever seen on his handsome face.

She turned serious again. "No. We've got to get these engines online or it won't matter if we can shoot the Klingons because we will not be able to catch them!" Her eyes had narrowed, but strangely, the effect of the glare was dimmed by the soft wisps of hair framing her face; the shocking green of her eyes was just more severe when her hair was pulled back from her face in its usual tight bun. "I am staying until we figure this thing out."

"I'm surprised you're so dedicated to this, lass."

Alianna spun to look at Scotty, who had finally reappeared. "I watch to stop those Klingons."

Scotty nodded like that was an adequate explanation and then made his way into the pipe work to investigate. "You two have made good progress!" he yelled. The Scottish engineer continued to talk, but his voice dropped off and was joined by an excessive amount of clanging and then, as if called by some silent signal, the little alien Keenser, who appeared from deeper in the cave-like room and joined his friend in the pipes, his tool belt creating loud echoes as he moved about.

"Where is he from?" Alianna asked, voice low.

Kirk shrugged as he took up a position at the console, waiting for any orders from Scotty. "I have no idea. He was with Scotty on Delta Vega when Spock marooned me there a couple years ago."

Alianna blinked as she tried to absorb what her Captain had just said.

Kirk ignored her, instead focusing on the screen in front of him. "Propulsion is the only major system still down." He frowned. "How long have we been down here?" he asked, more to himself than Alianna, Scotty, Keenser, or anyone else who might have heard. The Captain brought up a chronometer on the screen, his frown deepening. He looked up at Alianna. "We've been working for five hours."

"You were marooned?"

Scotty reappeared just as Kirk was waving off the inquiry. "Fire it up, Captain."

The Captain of the Enterprise keyed in the proper sequence and the three senior officers and Keenser were rewarded with a low, steady hum that meant the impulse engines were online. Alianna had a very real urge to cheer, which she suppressed. She did however smile widely. A few cheers could be heard from around the room, and she laughed. As the noise faded though, she was suddenly very tired. She leaned on the wall by the console, crossed her arms under her chest and stared ahead, her eyes eventually drifting to Kirk; she was so tired, she didn't even notice she was staring.

"Looks like someone's burned out."

Kirk responded to his chief engineer's voice and looked over at Alianna, whose eyes had closed and whose breathing had deepened and had become more even. "She's been up for almost two days now. Hell, most of the crew has been up that long..." He rubbed his eyes, being careful to avoid the bridge of his nose which was still taped and still sensitive. "Have you got this Scotty?" he finally asked, feeling comfortable putting the remainder of the situation in Scotty's hands because not only were most of the main systems back online, but he was a masterful engineer and would alert the Captain if there was any need.

The shorter man scratched his head and nodded. "Aye."

"Do you sleep at all?"

He idly placed a hand on a nearby pipe. "Only when she doesn't need me," he said with a grin.

Kirk chuckled and approached Alianna. He too was finally feeling the weight of exhaustion but he was also relieved. The Enterprise and her crew had pulled through the attack, the ship was in one piece, and none of his crew had died. The problem with the Klingons was by no means over, but things from the side of the Federation were looking up; at least, from the sleep-deprived stupor, they were. There was room to breathe.

The young Captain nudged Alianna, and she opened her tired eyes. "What?"

"We're done down here."

She pushed herself off the wall and started towards the turbolift, grabbing her dirty scarlet tunic off the floor as she went. With his own tunic under his arm, the Captain followed suit. Inside the turbolift, which was running on normal power again, Alianna leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, arms crossed again, but this time, she remained awake.

"Why did you hide out in Engineering?"

Kirk looked at her for a moment, but she didn't open her eyes. "Why did you come with me?"

"To help. What's a security officer going to do in this situation?"

He shrugged, acknowledging her point. "Working with my hands helps me calm down and think clearly. This crew is skilled enough to handle the situation without constant direction. They could have reached me if they needed me." Kirk paused, his eyes still lingering on Alianna. "Besides, she's my ship. A captain needs to know his vessel."

Alianna finally opened her eyes and returned Kirk's heavy gaze. One of those moments of complete emotional understanding passed between them. It made Alianna uncomfortable and her cheeks flushed deep red and she dropped her eyes to the floor, breaking that connection.

The last few seconds of the turbolift ride were done in silence, and as the doors hissed open, Alianna slid out of the lift and headed straight, towards her room.

Kirk followed.

Alianna turned to face him when he caught up with her, her tired eyes turned up and peering out from under her lids.

He gazed down at her and lifted one hand, his finger tips gently brushing her cheek and pushing some stray strands of hair back from her skin. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, forcing Kirk to cup her cheek completely, his thumb softly tracing a line under her eye.

"Jim..." she breathed,

He leaned down, their bodies drawing closer together in tandem with their lips.

"Bridge to the Captain."

The officers drew rapidly away from each other. "Yes?"

"We have located the remains of an ion trail. It appears to be Klingon," Spock's voice said through the comm. system.

Kirk sighed heavily, his eyes returning to Alianna, who was just keying in the code to open her doors. "I'll be right there." He waited until he heard the comm. click off. "Ali..."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "I'll be up after I change and take a quick shower."

"No. Get some rest. When we find the Klingon ship, I'll wake you."

The security officer gave him a half-smile and then disappeared into her room, the doors closing and locking behind her. Kirk sighed before turning and heading back towards the turbolift, destined for the bridge.

Author's Note.

All I have to say is for Shauna: Hahahahahahahahahaha. Guess what's next? *wiggles eyebrows*

For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this better (and longer) chapter. I like it. And I promise you action in the next chapter. The next chapter marks the beginning of the final confrontation.

Enjoy!

Next Chapter: Searching For Comfort; Searching For Distress.