April 2258
This is yours. I am trusting that you will know what to do with it when you see it.
Use it wisely. If I am to fail, which is not likely, then it will be up to you to avenge me.
Nero.
The small container that was filled with red substance sat in front of the small table that Serij had in the small dwelling within the Mimas Station where he now lived. The package and the carefully written note had arrived quite suddenly out of thin air and Serij had immediately placed it on his table while silently deciding what to do with it.
Ayel and I struck with the Narada last night. Serij suddenly heard in his mind. You are not ready.
Serij bowed his head and immediately sank into a meditative position so that he could listen to what instruction Nero had for him. The red matter, if used wisely, will allow you to jump into the future and then come back to the past with the people who will help you to conquer it. You must go to 2380.
How will I get there, Nero? Serij found himself silently asking. I do not have a proper ship.
You will find it en route to where you can jump through time with ease. Nero replied in a calming voice.
Serij nodded as Nero showed him images of a Gateway that could be used to travel through space and time; one that would enable him to go to the future, commandeer a ship, and gather a crew and earn their loyalty through mind control technology. It will be done swiftly, Nero. I will not fail you.
Serij suddenly felt Nero's presence leave his mind and he let out a sigh of contentment as the door chime sounded, "Come in," he said in as toneless a voice as he could manage at the moment.
The door slid open and a younger looking Vulcan wearing a bluish-gray pantsuit came into the room and froze at seeing Serij in meditation position, "My apologies, Serij, I have interrupted your meditation," Dr. T'Pan said in a toneless voice, frowning as Serij suddenly winced while slowly standing up. "Serij?"
"I was deep in meditation and disengaging from the meditative position is still difficult given the seriousness of the injuries I sustained several months ago," Serij explained tonelessly as he looked at Dr. T'Pan. "If you or Doctor Sonak wish to speak with me, I am certainly well enough to do so."
Dr. T'Pan offered a nod and Serij suddenly frowned and touched his head, "I must speak with you and Doctor Sonak immediately," Serij said in a toneless voice. "There is something I must go do very soon."
Academy Library – Starfleet Academy – San Francisco, California – 0900 H
"Are you nervous for today?" Arianne asked in an irritated voice as she and Jim lounged in chairs within a study pod, making it look as if they were studying for finals. "This is the third time you've taken it."
Jim shrugged and frowned as Arianne sighed, placed a hand on her forehead, and closed her eyes while leaning back in her chair, "Is that flu you got last week still bugging you?" he asked in a worried voice.
"I'm not so sure it's the flu, but I can't be sure that it's not," Arianne replied in a distressed voice.
Jim nodded, but the worried expression didn't leave his face, "What time do you take your exam?" Arianne asked in a shaky voice as she opened her eyes. "I know you want me to be there, but…"
"1100 hours, why?" Jim asked in a concerned voice as Arianne got to her feet. "Where are you going?"
Arianne sighed, "I need to get changed into civvies and go to a civilian drugstore where nobody knows me," she replied in a tight voice, knowing that there would be trouble if her suspicions were right.
"Why do you need to go to a drugstore when you can get whatever medical crap you need at Starfleet Medical?" Jim asked in a quiet, concerned voice as they left the study pod. "I'll walk you over there."
Tears filled Arianne's eyes, but she kept quiet until they were outside, "Nobody at Starfleet Medical can know about this, Jim," she said in an anxious voice. "I think I know what's wrong, but I have to hide it."
"Why are you so freaked out?" Jim asked worriedly, having never seen Arianne so anxious before.
Arianne swallowed hard, "You know that night that Leonard got attacked by Cadet Marcus?" she asked in a soft, anxious voice as they walked off towards the bus stop. "Leonard and I became intimate…"
Jim's eyes widened as they reached the bus stop, "I think I might be pregnant, but I am not sure," Arianne whispered, deeply relieved that the bus was approaching. "I need to go buy a test…"
"I'm coming with you," Jim replied softly, taking her hand in his own. "You don't have to go through this alone."
Letting out an anxious sigh, Arianne remained silent as she let Jim help her on to the parked hoverbus.
Dormitory – Boyce Hall – 0900 H
A beeping sound suddenly went off, indicating that the time had passed and Arianne silently went into the small bathroom to check the test. She was grateful that Christine wasn't here because then Leonard would find out what was going on. Jim, however, could be trusted to keep even the deepest secrets.
Swallowing hard, Arianne gazed at the test and her eyes widened in astonishment; it was positive.
"Jim," Arianne whispered in a shocked voice as she picked the test up and stared at it. "Oh, Jim."
Suddenly, Arianne felt a pair of hands wrap around her, "I didn't think it would ever happen," she said, knowing that Jim was the one hugging her reassuringly. "I'm happy, but I'm also very scared about this."
"You've got at least one person's support," Jim whispered reassuringly. "Are you gonna tell Bones?"
Arianne sighed, "I don't want to take attention away from your Kobyashi Maru exam," she replied as she turned to face Jim and slipped the test into her pocket. "Let's just get through that and then I'll take Leonard aside and tell him in private. I'm sure that we'll have to decide whether to get married."
"I did some special studying last night with Gaila," Jim replied calmly. "I'm not worried at all."
Even though Arianne felt uneasy about what Jim meant by 'special studying', she nodded and sighed, "I guess I need to eat something and look like I'm all right until I have a chance to talk to Leonard," she said in a nervous voice as she crossed her arms. "Jim, you have to promise me that you'll keep this secret."
"Of course," Jim replied in an uneasy voice as he nodded. "You gotta tell Bones soon, though."
Arianne nodded and cringed as she knelt down in front of the toiler, "I will," she said in an anxious voice as she leaned over the bowl. "For now, hold my hair back and make sure Christine doesn't come in."
As Arianne began to puke, Jim silently held her hair back and kept a watch out for Christine's arrival. He also silently hoped that both Arianne and Bones would forgive him after the exam was completed.
Bridge Simulation Room – 1100
From the Helm station, Arianne heard Nyota give Jim the rundown of the situation in a highly sarcastic tone that was full of amusement. Jim had assigned Nyota to Communications and Arianne to Helm because Arianne had made her promise to treat her normally to avert suspicion. Leonard was at Navigation and Tactical and she could see him rolling his eyes about how little Jim seemed to care.
It would be like the first two times, Arianne silently mused; Jim would fail and then want to go off to a civilian bar or the Academy canteen and ingest as much alcohol as he could without killing himself. Even though she was pregnant, Arianne would most likely go with Jim to keep him from acting too irresponsibly and it would also give her a chance to figure out how to break the news to Leonard.
Suddenly, the entire room was engulfed in darkness for several seconds and Arianne frowned as she remembered what Jim had said about studying with Gaila. Gaila, as everyone knew, assisted with the programming of the Kobyashi Maru exams and making sure they ran smoothly. What had Jim done?
The lights quickly returned, "Prepare to fire," Arianne heard Jim say in a casual voice.
Leonard protested that the shields were up and it was only after Jim questioned his comment that Arianne realized that Jim had done something to the simulation to make it winnable, "…Begin rescue of the stranded crew," she suddenly heard him say several minutes later as he bit into an apple.
Jim, I promised that I'd always be your friend and I will. Arianne silently thought as she sat there and waited for the proctor to summon them to the standard after mission chat. She wasn't sure, however, how the rest of Starfleet and Academy would react to Jim's successful attempt at beating the exam.
What the cadets didn't know, however, that Captain Pike and Admiral Archer were on the observation deck talking with Spock while Dr. Puri worked to revive an unconscious Gaila, "…The simulation was clearly tampered with," Spock spoke in a toneless voice as he gazed at the computer screen.
"Do you think Cadet Kirk had help in doing this?" Admiral Archer asked in a voice that was full of both shock and anger at Jim's irresponsible actions. "He and Lieutenant Pike are very close friends."
Captain Pike's eyes widened in shock and anger, "Are you insinuating, Admiral Archer, that I would encourage my daughter to participate in cheating on a standard examination after I have spent many years teaching her how to be an upstanding individual?" he asked, giving Admiral Archer a glare.
"Come on, Chris," Admiral Archer snapped. "Arianne's got disabilities and was probably looking to…"
Spock looked up from the screen and cleared his throat, "Admiral Archer, your accusation against Lieutenant Pike is illogical," he said in a toneless voice. "I do not believe Lieutenant Pike would participate in modifying the Kobyashi Maru to make it winnable. Cadet Kirk acted completely alone."
Chris was silent for several minutes and then nodded, "I will inform Admiral Barnett of what has happened and recommend that a hearing take place this afternoon to deal with the situation," he said in a subdued voice, extremely disappointed that Jim would resort to cheating just to succeed at the exam.
"All cadets are dismissed and a briefing will take place at a later time," Admiral Archer said as he touched the small button that activated the intercom. "Watch your email accounts for an update."
Chris gazed down at Dr. Puri, who was tending to Gaila, "Will Cadet Gaila be all right?" he asked softly.
"She's got minor shock from whatever Kirk did to the computer, but she'll be fine by the hearing if you need her to testify," Dr. Puri replied calmly as he administered a hypospray to Gaila. "All right?"
Chris nodded and silently gazed out the window just in time to see Jim approach Arianne and talk to her for a moment before helping her up from her seat, "Unfortunately, Doctor Puri, the hearing will be short and not so sweet," he replied somberly, silently wondering how he could keep Arianne away from harm.
Academy Canteen – 1200 H
"How's your stomach?" Jim asked in a quiet voice as he sat down at the table across from Arianne, silently watching as she slowly sipped a cup of caffeine free lemon tea that she had replicated.
Arianne sighed, "I might be able to eat lunch after finishing this," she replied softly. "Jim, sit down."
Jim nodded and immediately sat down, "Jim, how have you been feeling lately?" Arianne asked in a gentle voice as she gave him a look of compassion. "You were unusually calm during the exam."
"I feel like another person's sitting inside me and making sure I'm calm and confident at all times," Jim explained in an anxious voice. "I felt like I could make the scenario winnable and I decided to try."
Arianne nodded, "Jim, I don't think anyone is going to be too pleased that you modified the scenario to make it winnable," she replied in a tired voice. "Anyway, it's over and done with now, so no sense in…"
"Have you talked to Bones yet?" Jim asked in a concerned voice. "You should tell him your news."
Arianne shook her head, "Leonard was dragged off to Starfleet Medical by Doctor Puri before I got a chance to approach him," she replied in a tired voice as she finished the tea. "Okay, the tea's down."
"What do you want to eat?" Jim asked in a gentle voice, frowning as Captain Pike came into the room with a stylus under one arm and a bag in the other hand. "Captain Pike, sir, how are you doing?"
Even though Chris wanted to scream at Cadet Kirk, he remained calm, "I am well, Cadet Kirk," he replied in a calm voice as he walked over to the table. "I have an assignment for Lieutenant Pike, actually."
"An assignment, sir?" Arianne asked softly as she stood up. "What would you like me to do?"
Chris was silent for a moment, "Walk with me," he said, not wanting to speak in front of Jim.
Arianne nodded and silently followed her father out of the canteen, "I need you to go up to the Enterprise with Cadet Chekov and make sure everything's in good working order for the commissioning in a few weeks," Chris said as he handed her the stylus and the bag. "I'm sure everything is in order, but I just want to be sure and you have to understand that I don't trust everyone to do such a job…"
"What about Commander Spock?" Arianne interrupted in a soft voice. "He has more experience…"
Chris sighed, "Arianne, your friendship with Cadet Kirk caused Admiral Archer to suspect that you helped in the reprogramming of the Kobyashi Maru and both Spock and I said you did not," he explained in an anxious voice. "However, I want to keep you out of harm's way at the same time, so I want you and Chekov to go up to the Enterprise and stay there til you hear from me. Chekov knows about the trial…"
"Trial?" Arianne asked in a quiet, but very frightened voice. "Is Jim going to be expelled for this?"
Chris swallowed hard, "I can't tell you what I don't know," he replied softly. "Pavel's at the hangar bay."
"Your orders will be followed, sir," Arianne replied calmly before she turned and walked off alone.
Bridge – U.S.S. Enterprise – 1500 H
The silence was both comforting and unnerving for Arianne as she walked around the Bridge, occasionally checking a console to ensure that things were running properly. The first thing she had done when she and Pavel had gotten on board was drag him to the Mess Hall for a light lunch using the excuse that they couldn't work well on empty stomachs. Fortunately, Pavel had accepted that excuse.
Now, while Arianne found herself looking over the Bridge systems with the excuse that she was higher in rank, Pavel was checking the other areas of the ship. Truth be told, Arianne knew that a simple walk around the Bridge would be better for herself and for the baby then running around the ship would be.
It didn't take Arianne long to figure out why Pavel was with her and not at the hearing; Admiral Archer clearly had it out for Pavel and would do whatever he could to connect Pavel to Kirk's actions. However, Arianne reasoned that Pavel was nice company and that's all she could hope for at the moment.
"Lieutenant Pike, this is Captain Pike," a voice suddenly said from the Communications console.
Frowning, Arianne hurried over to the Communications console and picked up the receiver as she sat down, "This is Lieutenant Pike, Captain Pike," she said in a calm voice. "Starfleet Command received an emergency transmission from Vulcan and all cadets and available officers are being dispatched to the Enterprise, Farragut, Antares, Armstrong, Hood, Mayflower, Newtown, Odyssey, Truman, and Wolcott."
"An emergency transmission from Vulcan, sir?" Arianne repeated, suddenly thinking of Sarek and Amanda as she stood up with the receiver still in hand. "Did they elaborate on what's going on?"
There was static and the door suddenly opened, "I vas ordered to report to ze Nawigation station," Pavel explained in an anxious voice as Lieutenant Hawkins, Hikaru, Chief Engineer Olson, Dr. Puri, and a few other officers that Arianne didn't know well streamed on to the Bridge in various color of uniforms.
A moment later, Captain Pike strode on to the Bridge clad in a gold Starfleet shirt and black uniform with a stern, but somber expression on his face, "Lieutenant Pike, report," he said, gazing at Arianne.
Nodding, Arianne moved away from the Communications station so that Hawkins could take over without fuss, "Everything checks out, sir," she replied in a formal tone. "Where should I go?"
"Please remain on the Bridge, Lieutenant," Captain Pike replied. "Why don't you man Ops for now?"
Arianne nodded, "Yes sir," she replied obediently as she walked over to the Ops station and sat down.
The next several minutes were a blur as Arianne silently watched and listened to her father organize the Bridge crew to the point that they were ready to go. Spock offered her a silent nod and look of approval when he arrived and Hikaru almost jumped out of his skin when her father asked him what he was doing there and if he was actually a pilot. Of course, Spock stepped in and offered an accurate correction.
As Arianne turned back to her station, she caught Hikaru scowling and muttering curse words under his breath. Pavel was trembling anxiously as he made the call that would explain what their mission was and then, as soon as he was off the conn, he relaxed considerably. Arianne focused on making sure that all power was allocated and everything was running as it should for what seemed like a long time.
Suddenly, shouting filled the Bridge and Arianne turned just in time to see Leonard, Jim, and Nyota come on to the Bridge in a frenzy. The only words that Arianne could understand were that the Enterprise was being lured into a trap that was obviously waiting for them in Vulcan's orbit.
To Arianne's shock, Hawkins was quickly dismissed from the Bridge and Nyota took his place, "Hi," Arianne whispered as Nyota sat down at the Communications station. "How was the hearing?"
"Obviously not important now," Nyota whispered in an anxious voice. "Kirk's here and helping…"
Arianne sighed, "I can't find any transmissions," Nyota said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I wish I knew if Sarek and Amanda were all right," Arianne said in a quiet voice as she heard her father give the order to come out of warp. "I am seen like a daughter to Sarek and Amanda and I worry…"
Nyota nodded, "I met Spock's parents once," she replied in a hush voice as her eyes suddenly widened.
"What?" Arianne said in an anxious voice as she turned to look where Nyota was looking and gasped.
The viewscreen had been activated and space was filled with the wreckage of the ships that had left the orbital shipyard just moments before the Enterprise. A large, satanic looking vessel was in the orbit of Vulcan and there was a strange metallic object shooting some sort of beam into the quiet planet.
A moment later, the Bridge rocked violently and Arianne immediately braced herself against the chair so that she wouldn't fall into the console. Again, the Bridge rocked and Arianne quickly realized that the Ops station was overloading because of the hits and quickly got out of harm's way in the nick of time.
"Are you okay?" Jim whispered as he came over to Arianne and put an arm around her. "Is the…?"
Arianne nodded and felt terror shoot through her as the viewscreen suddenly activated and a heavily tattooed Romulan appeared on the screen that, in her opinion, was uglier than Jeris. The feeling of terror worsened as the Romulan introduced himself as Nero and demanded that her father come to the demonic vessel alone in a shuttle craft, "Captain, I must protest," she said anxiously, standing up.
Captain Pike was silent and motioned for Arianne to come over to the Bridge door along with Spock, Sulu, and Kirk, "I need you to take the center chair for a few minutes, Lieutenant Pike," Arianne heard her father say in a commanding, yet somber tone. "I need to talk to Kirk, Spock, Olson, and Sulu for a few minutes, but when Spock comes back to the Bridge, turn command back over to him, all right?"
"What about you?" Arianne asked in a nervous voice. "You're not coming back are you, Captain?"
Captain Pike sighed and gently placed his hands on Arianne's shoulders, "I'm not sure," he replied calmly, knowing full well that Nero might torture him to death. "I love you and always do your best."
"I love you too," Arianne whispered as Captain Pike released her and left the Bridge with Jim, Spock, and Hikaru in tow. She sighed and silently walked over to the command chair, swallowing hard as she sat.
The Bridge fell silent, "He's gonna be okay," Leonard whispered in a reassuring voice as he walked over to the command chair to be close to Arianne in case she needed a hug. "Your dad's a tough guy."
"Captain Pike's been trained in how to deal with situations such as these, Doctor McCoy," Arianne replied in a professional tone, understanding that she couldn't suddenly get personal in situations like this even if nobody else understood that. "Lieutenant Uhura, notify me when we have communication and transporter capabilities again unless Spock has returned, then tell him. I want damage reports."
There was a heavy silence and as several officers began to check for and report damage that the demonic Romulan vessel had caused, Leonard silently moved away so that Arianne could work.
Bridge - 1600 H
Spock had returned to the Bridge after seeing the away team off and had fled back to the transporter room when Pavel had told him that there were only mere minutes until Vulcan would implode because a black hole that had been created by the beam shot into the planet. Arianne had wanted to go and help rescue Sarek and Amanda, but Spock had given her the command chair and told her to be careful.
Pavel, of course, was still in the transporter room after running there and using extraordinary talents to beam Jim and Hikaru aboard from the Vulcan sky. The away mission had apparently been successful, as the Enterprise's communication and transporter abilities were back online. Jim and Hikaru had apparently been hurt during the mission, however, and Dr. Puri was taking care of them in the Mess Hall since the Sickbay had been apparently damaged when the demonic vessel had fired on them. Intraship communications had been limited, however, so Arianne didn't know the full extent of the damage.
Arianne, however, was not one for sitting idly even if she was pregnant, "Chekov, I am going to the transporter room to await the arrival of Spock and the Vulcan Elders," she said in a determined voice, figuring that Leonard and Jim would come back once Dr. Puri released them. "Uhura, comm Doctor Puri and tell him that he'd better have a med team report to the transporter room in case the Vulcans…"
Nyota nodded and quickly sent a message, frowning when she immediately got one back, "Doctor McCoy is in the Mess Hall and reports that Doctor Puri was killed when the Romulan vessel fired upon us," she reported in a horrified voice as she looked at Arianne. "I am also getting a report from the transporter room that Captain Spock and the Vulcan Elders are preparing to beam aboard…"
Still reeling from the fact that Dr. Puri was dead, Arianne got up and bolted from the Bridge and didn't stop until she reached the Transporter Room. Pavel was working at the console with a distressed expression on his face and he suddenly gasped, "I'M LOSING HER!" he screamed in an anxious voice.
Suddenly, Sarek and the Vulcan Elders materialized on the transporter pad and Arianne found it strange that Spock was reaching out as if trying to grab something, "Spock, where's Amanda?" she asked as she walked over to the pad and noticed that Amanda wasn't with the others. "Why isn't she here with you?"
A heavy silence filled the Transporter Room as Sarek exchanged looks with the other Vulcan Elders and then sent a piercing look at Pavel that resembled a glare, "My mother has become one with the planet," Spock stated tonelessly as Arianne's eyes widened in horror. "Please assist the Vulcan elders to find places where they may either meditate or be of help to one another. I must return to the Bridge."
"Of course, Captain," Arianne replied in a toneless voice, still reeling from the news that the closest thing she had ever had to a mother was now dead and her father was obviously a prisoner of Nero. On top of all that, Vulcan was no longer a planet, but an empty space where the blood of millions had been mercilessly shed with one act.
Spock offered a nod and silently left the Transporter room, unaware that Pavel had also left because he wasn't able to bear the intense looks he was getting from the Vulcan Elders. Likewise, Arianne was focused on trying to figure out where on the ship she could take Sarek and the other Vulcan Elders. Even though she was human, Arianne had spent enough time among Vulcans to know how she could best help them deal with their momentous losses.
Please read and review!