Things get more tense onboard the Enterprise, as McCoy finds himself in a precarious position between his commander and his friend.

Big Brother Part 7

As soon as Captain Pike had put the bridge on alert, I headed for Sick Bay. The CMO, Doctor Puri was giving orders to set up possible triage stations, should there be a battle. Everyone was ready to go, including me. It was the waiting that was always the worst part. The first hit Enterprise took indicated we were at war with whatever or whomever was out there taking potshots at us. Consoles exploded in sparks and smoke.

I tried to stay at my duty station, but it was difficult when the boys upstairs kept making the deck tilt. Casualties started pouring in, and we got down to work. Broken bones, lacerations, burns, and shaken nerves were instantly dealt with by the sharp medical crew around me. Doctor Puri called to me.

"McCoy, I have to go to Deck Six. Major casualties that can't be moved. You're in charge here."

"Yes, sir!" I said, going on automatic pilot. I found my self giving orders which came to me unbidden. It was a credit to Star Fleet Medical that we were as prepared as we were. No one ever expects to being in the middle of a battle, when they're training. Yet here I was, fighting to keep crewmen alive when the ship could be destroyed at any moment. You just don't think about that though, while you're treating patients.

For what seemed like hours, we patched together the worst wounded as best we could, and sent the rest on their way to make room for the more badly injured. It was then that I received horrible news. Doctor Puri had been working on Deck Six, in a section which suffered a direct hit. He was killed instantly. I realized I was now the doctor in charge. I started barking orders, which were obeyed without question by the medical crew, most who were still unaware of the CMO's fate.

A call came through from the bridge by the acting captain Spock. Where was Captain Pike? Before I could even speculate, Spock asked for a report, so I gave him one. I told him Doctor Puri was dead. He replied that I was now in charge. Tell me something I don't already know, I mumbled to myself.

As soon as the shaking had stopped, we set about getting down to business. It's much easier when the ground beneath you isn't swaying. I wondered what was going on up on the bridge. I worried about Jim, but I figured if anyone could take care of themselves, it was the kid. I had no idea at the time that he had been tagged for a dangerous mission.

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It hadn't seemed like much time had passed, and yet it felt like forever. We worked non-stop in this contradictory environment, until I received a message from the transporter room. Expect Vulcan casualties. What the hell....

We, along with the rest of the crew, found out that the planet Vulcan had been destroyed, and that only a handful of the entire population had been evacuated. Those who had been beamed aboard the Enterprise were headed for Sick Bay. It was easier to help them, as most had no serious injuries. Physically, that is. The difference between Humans and Vulcans is we can let out our fears, our surprise, and our anger. As non emotional beings, they had no outlet for that. Even the children were silently stoic, although if you looked closely, you could see fear in their eyes. The medical staff did their best in the silence that finally overtook Sick Bay. I still thought about Jim. Where was he?

Finally, as I was bandaging an arm wound on a small Vulcan child, I saw Jim enter the room. He had a large cut in his hand but was basically ok. I smiled at him, a smile he returned, with a curt nod. One of the nurses set about bandaging up his hand.

The silence became overwhelming, since no one really wanted to speak. The absolute grimness of the situation made it impossible for anyone to talk. What would you talk about? How an entire planet disappeared in seconds? And just who was out there, destroying worlds without compunction? And for what purpose?

Although Jim and I had called him "that pointy-eared bastard", and we'd not exactly seen eye to eye on anything so far, I sympathized with Spock. His planet was gone, his people all but wiped out. It would be impossible to fathom, let alone accept. As soon as I knew the medical section was under control, I followed Jim as he headed for the bridge. It was then that Jim told me Spock had lost his mother, just he was transporting up with her.

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In the aftermath of Vulcan's demise, the Enterprise had warped away from the planet before being drawn into the gravity well itself. The bridge crew were hashing out what had just happened, as well as how to handle our current situation. Jim sat in Captain's Pike's chair, as we all speculated on what this aggressive enemy had as his arsenal, and where he had come from. Being on the bridge at the time, Jim had more information that I had. I wondered aloud how this madman, for he had to be a madman, managed to do what he'd done. As Spock passed in front of Jim, he ordered him out of the captains' chair. I looked at my roommate, thinking on how easily he fit in that chair. For his part anyway, it was a natural. But he was not the captain, Spock was. And our real captain was a prisoner on the enemy ship, or he was dead.

The discussion became more heated, as I watched Spock and Jim argue over what to do next. Jim wanted to save Pike and confront the enemy, while Spock wanted to rejoin what was left of the fleet. The rest of the bridge crew watched as the discussion went from one filled with suggestion to one filled with opposing animosity. Spock ordered Jim to be removed from the bridge, and before I could even utter a protest, he broke free from his guards, fighting them, until Spock did something that immobilized Jim instantly. He crumpled to the deck and was out like a light.

Spock gave an order. "Get him off this ship!"

Wait, he couldn't give an order like that. You don't just put someone off a ship in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to yell for him to just lock Jim up in the brig, but he, Spock, seemed so focused, I doubted he would even hear me. As soon as Jim was removed from the bridge, I started to say something to the Vulcan, who noticed me I think, but went on giving commands to the navigator and helmsman to set course to join the fleet. I felt utter frustration, but I worried about Jim too. Spock said there was a Star Fleet installation on the planetoid below, but was it even manned? I thought about how I would make a report on the irrational behavior of our acting captain.

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Later on, I checked on the condition of Sick Bay and its patients. Everything seemed calmer now. I received a call from the bridge. Captain Spock wanted to speak with me. I made sure that all was well, checking with the nurses and medics. Then I returned to the bridge to find it oddly calm as well.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked him. I was surprised to hear him say that he knew it must have been difficult for me to support him over my friend. What he didn't know was that I didn't exactly support him. I just didn't speak up soon or loudly enough to make my feelings known. So of course, I got smart in my response. "Are you thanking me?" I asked sarcastically.

He was not. Just an acknowledgment that he knew my difficulties. He knew nothing. Jim and I were friends, and this man had just tossed my friend off the ship, into god knows what kind of situation. After asking if he would let me speak my mind, he replied he would welcome it. Since he gave his ok, I gave it to him good. I dared question the wisdom of his decision, bringing up an old saying from back home way. Without skipping a beat, he countered me with a bit of slick talk of his own. He implied I'd prefer him mentally incapable of performing his duties, weeping and some such. Oh, how that man infuriated me. I was kind of glad when he excused himself, and I muttered "green-blooded hobgoblin" to myself, so frustrated, I didn't even want to think of him as a man.