Last Time:
Bright blue eyes leveled at her. "Lieutenant Charis, please take the available time, and go get dressed in uniform then go see if the CMO needs any help. You've kept us calm long enough."
She tensed, stood, glaring at both men, and walked sharply from the bridge. As the turbolift doors closed she growled and punched the button for her level. "How dare they." She muttered darkly. She looked down at herself. She hadn't dressed because she'd woken to everyone's PANIC and then felt the panic on the bridge and knew she was needed, immediately, to keep the idiots calm until Jim and Spock could get there…
The doors opened. "I am NOT a child." She growled, storming to her quarters. "There is no need to treat me like a child." Pulling her sweater off and tossing it forcefully onto her bed she decidedly ignored that Spock had needed to pull her from the overwhelming fear of the entire crew.
She violently pulled on her uniform and slid into her regulation boots. With a scowl on her pretty face she brushed and braided her hair. Looking at herself she decided against make up and headed from her rooms to Sick Bay.
Bones looked up the instant she came in and obviously recognized the look on her face. "They didn't send you here did they?"
She sighed and dropped onto his desk. "I get a LITTLE Sarcastic and they freak and ship me to you." She growled. Then he did something that seriously pissed her off… He frowned slightly in worry. "Oh no! NO! Not you too!"
"You're never sarcastic, Chris." Bones snapped, pulling out his tricorder.
"Yea, well I'm going a little crazy here. Everyone is panicking and I can only handle so much of the onslaught of emotions." She snapped. She was an empath for fucks sake, of course she had issues with extremely stressful situations.
"You handled them fine during the Nero incident." Bones snapped back, she felt his anger and annoyance at her attitude. "And stop being a bitch Chris, I'm the only one allowed to be cantankerous in my Sickbay."
She rolled her eyes, not seeing his hand reach for the hypospray he always kept handy, just incase Jim was being a real pill. "Last time I had a Vulcan to focus my empathy on, his peace was my peace."
There was a sharp prick on her neck (her arms were covered) and she yelped, slapping Bones in reflex. "What the HELL Bones!?"
"Very mild sedative, to relax you. You shouldn't…" Her world went black.
Chris woke with a jolt, knowing where she was immediately… and what had happened to her. She sat up on the biobed and snarled. "You gods damned pain in the ASS! I am part VULCAN! Do you KNOW what sedatives DO to us?"
A particularly warm and strong hand touched her shoulder and forced her back down. She looked up and saw Spock. "I informed him, Chris. When he called the bridge fifteen minutes ago, panicking." He said dryly.
"Informed?" Bitched Bones viciously. "More like verbally ASSAULTED me." Bones leveled a grey stare at Chris. "That… VULCAN is vicious, Chrissy. You need him on a damned leash."
Chris flushed emerald with anger. "I wouldn't need him to chew you out if you'd just do your damned job and …" she realized exactly what she was saying and whose anger she was feeling (Bones' self-directed anger and anxiousness). She took a deep breath and tried to close out the emotions around her. "Sorry Bones. I know you were trying to do your job."
Bones sighed, his eyes still angry, but he nodded and left for his office, muttering darkly. "You are welcome to my serenity, Chris, if that is what you need to retain your sanity." Spock said, pulling her thoughts from Bones.
She flushed even darker. Damn Bones for telling Spock she had needed him last time, and that she wasn't using him this time. "I… It just doesn't feel right." She murmured, not telling him WHY it didn't feel right.
"That is illogical, Chris. If my emotional control helps you keep the emotions of others at bay, then I must insist you focus your gift on me." He argued… debated, Vulcans never argue. "You have done so before, I do not understand why this is different."
"Things have changed, Spock." She said, trying desperately to explain.
His eyes narrowed very slightly. "Nothing between us has changed, Chris. We are friends." She could just SEE his eyes as he began putting pieces together. "It is the elder Spock." It wasn't a question.
"Yes." She couldn't lie, not to Spock. She just… couldn't admit it to him that she was in love with him now and that his emotions toward her, friendship, upset her because she wanted more.
His jaw tensed, which told her he was… furious. His jaw hadn't tensed since Jim emotionally compromised him… "I cannot stand beside you with my hand on your back. You will access my emotions remotely because you can and you have. We will discuss the problems with my Elder self after this situation is through." His eyes focused unerringly on her. "I am your C.O. and that is an order, Caris Pike."
She couldn't disobey… and she didn't want to. Spock's mind was… comfortable, warm, like a lake on a windless, cloudless day. She let herself focus on him and the rest of the ship… fell away. They nagged, vaguely, at the very edges of her mind, but she could easily ignore them.
She sighed, closing her eyes at the blissful peace Spock's emotions provided. "Sorry." She murmured… and then she realized his hand was still on her slim shoulder. She opened her eyes and he immediately removed his hand.
"Then we should both return to the bridge." He said, stepping away so she could sit up and join him.
Two hours later Chris was bored out of her mind, but at least she, and her crew, were calm. Sadly she had yet to learn that when she was deeply bored the shit, invariably, hit the fan.
"Keptian, there is a ship coming in fast. I tink it is Klingon." Chekov all but yelped. Chris could feel the nagging of his emotions bloom into definite tendrils of black fear and blood red excitement. She felt the tension as everyone shifted in their seats, sitting straighter, more alert.
"Red alert!" Jim snapped, she could feel his fear, stronger than most, because he was so close… too close. For a second it overwhelmed her and she missed him yelling, "Weapons at the ready and…"
Chris yelped and was ripped from Jim's tangle of emotion as the ship shook under the onslaught of the sudden attack. Sulu was knocked from his chair and Chekov all but quivered in fear. She fought to compose herself, to focus her mind into a place of calm to give it to her crew, but she couldn't find the peace in herself…
"Shields?!" Jim yelled, over the noise of the onslaught, the roar deafening Chris' ears and shaking her to her core. His fear ensnared her for a moment longer before she forced herself to focus onto the quiet First Officer. But even Spock's mind was tinged with nervousness, a pale and sickly green.
"They are at 80%, Keptain!" Chekov replied, and Chris caught sight of his wide eyes and his slightly quivering hands.
"What the hell is attacking us?" Jim roared, his fear banishing with his anger and vicious need for retribution, making his blue eyes hard and bright with fire.
"Klingon ship, Captain," Spock answered in his perfectly calm, even tones. "A D-7 Battlecruiser." Instantly Chris felt Jim's anger shift to amusement and astonishment. One loan D-7? Cake walk. The entire bridge brightened considerably, their panic falling away to be replaced by confidence.
Jim snorted. "Chekov, lock weapons and fire. Destroy the idiots."
As soon as Chekov began locking onto the enemy ship the attack stopped. "Dey are leawing, Keptain Kwrk. Maximum warp." He said,
Jim looked up at Spock and Chris saw the silent communication between them, a communication that would have been impossible only a few months before. Jim's bright confidence flared even brighter at Spock's obvious approval. "Sulu, set course to follow. A few D-7's we can handle."
But Chris felt a mild nagging in the back of her mind. It pulled gently on her consciousness, begging for attention like an annoying fly. Mentally she swatted the feeling away, ignoring it in favor of the blue-green confidence in her friends that took over her mind.
Sulu punched the speed up to maximum warp, the space around them became the silver streaked black as they hurtled after the retreating D-7. They fired on it as they followed. Chekov whooped as Chris felt his thrill of excitement and victory, just before the Klingon ship shuddered and bloomed into a billow of flame until the oxygen was consumed.
The ship slowed, seriously damaged, and Jim grinned. Chris finally got a good look at the ship. It small compared to the Enterprise and not a huge threat. She fought a giggle of excitement and victory, she knew the emotions weren't all hers, or even mostly hers. As she eyed it she tried to focus better on Spock, calling on his calm. The ship hung in the open space like a bug waiting to be squashed. It felt… almost… to easy.
Chris shivered. Something was wrong… she could feel it in her gut now the overpowering emotions of her shipmates was sufficiently blocked from her mind "Jim…" She said, nervously, just as the entire ship shook again.
Chekov, ever one to state the obvious, yelped. "Three Klingon WarBirds haff dropped out of their cloaking, Keptain! Dey are firing on us!"
"Fire, now!" Jim roared, his confidence gone in a flash and fear overpowering him for a terrible instant. She began to reach for him as he caught hold of the fear and rose above it. So she was off balance when the ship took a particularly nasty hit from one of the Klingon vessels and the ship shook violently. She was thrown from her chair and onto the floor. "Evasive maneuvers, Sulu."
But not everyone had Jim's control. Even firmly planted in Spock's emotions she could feel the press of the panic as it descended on her crew. She knew she had to do something if they were to survive. Closing her eyes, not bothering to move from the floor with the rapid movement of the ship and the violent tremors as torpedo after torpedo hit, Chris focused on peace and calm. She'd never projected it so widely but she didn't have time to physically touch everyone.
Slipping into the Vulcan breathing Spock, the older, had taught her Chris saw her ability as a pulse beacon- a wave of peace and calm that would go in every direction, through every wall. She put everything she had into it and the world went black.
Spock felt his heart stop beating for a moment, though it was totally impossible and illogical, when he saw Chris become limp. He felt the rush of her empathy, giving the deep blue calm to his mind, and he saw the effect in everyone on the bridge. He opened his mouth to call for a medic but Jim beat him to it.
"Bones, get your ass up here!" Jim roared over a personal com.
"A little BUSY here Jim!" The cantankerous Doctor responded viciously.
"Chris collapsed!" Jim yelled back, "So get you vicious, old ass up here, that is a fucking ORDER!" He slapped the com, closing the link to the Doctor and opening one to Engineering. "Scotty, boost the power output, we need to give the shields all we got!"
"Ah'm tryin' Capt'n." The Scottsman replied. "But we're really pushin' the engines. We might do major damage if we aren't careful!"
"Better that then DEAD!" Jim roared back.
Spock didn't think it was helping much but roaring seemed to make Jim feel better. Illogical and ineffective but Spock didn't thing it was the right time to have that discussion. Instead he focused on the readings on the screens in front of him, forcing himself to NOT think of the delicate blonde sprawled on the bridge floor.
Immediately he saw a problem. The Klingon's shields were charged to the Federation photon and torpedo wavelength. "Ensign Chekov," He said, "The Klingon ships have set their shield frequency to match that of our weapons. Please reconfigure our frequencies."
"Aye Commander." The boy said swiftly as the turbolift doors opened.
Spock looked up to see Doctor McCoy storm in and promptly scoop Chris into his arms. He knew exactly how much Chris weighed and he was surprised that the Doctor could lift her so easily. She did not weigh much but he had assumed that the doctor lacked the physical strength.
"I've got her." He stated as the turbolift door closed behind him. "I'll let you know." As much as he and the doctor didn't get along, there was a weight lifted off his breast knowing Chris was with the abrasive man.
He focused himself back on the three Warbirds and the D-7. It would take a particular sort of luck for them to survive. He could only hope that between himself, Jim, Scotty, Chekov and Sulu, that they would pull it off…
Chris woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright for the second time in less than twenty four hours. Looking around she saw an eerily familiar sight. The sick bay was bustling with every single medical officer, the lights dimmed because of power losses, cries of pain echoed… The ship shook under her and she bit back a cry of fear.
"Chris!" She heard Bones yell from across the room, his voice dry and hoarse. She made her way to him, weaving past the bodies of her crew mates. "How are you feeling? What do you remember?" He demanded as she reached him. His hands didn't stray from the woman he was tending but his eyes did, dark with his worry…
His worry… she couldn't feel his worry at all… She couldn't feel the fear and misery that should have swathed the room, should have choked her. "I… I don't feel anything." She whispered.
"What do you mean?" Bones asked sharply and she realized how that could have sounded… like she felt no pain, no numbness, like she didn't even feel her own body…
But she did. Her body ached mildly, her head throbbed, her hands shook with her own nervousness, increased tenfold. "I can't feel your emotions." She whispered.
But Bones relaxed and nodded. "Yes, that's to be expected. I think you over worked yourself. It should come back, slowly, but for now…" Chris fought the urge to cry. As much as it drove her batty… her empathy was a part of her, it defined her. She wasn't herself without it…
She pushed away the fear and deep feeling of uselessness. "What's been happening?" She asked quickly. "Do they need me on the bridge?"
Bones muttered under his breath. "I'd say to stick around, you're too fragile, but Jim needs you. He's been calling down every ten minutes asking if you're okay." He scowled. "You take it easy, Doctors orders, but get back up there."
Chris nodded and pressed a kiss to his rough cheek. "Cheers." She said before weaving through the crowd as quickly as possible and then sprinting to the turbolift.
Chris stepped onto the bridge and was received with sighs of relief and a very small nod from Spock before he focused back on his work. She had noticed that while they were on red alert, and sirens screamed and people ran around like head-less chickens, the ship hardly shook and there was no deafening roar of weapons fire.
"What's been cracking?" She asked as she slid into her seat beside Jim.
Her captain grabbed her hand and held it firmly in his for half a second before releasing it. She imagined that could she feel his emotions he'd of feel grateful and relieved that she was alright.
"We managed to match our frequencies to theirs and make a few critical blows but we've got a problem." Jim said quickly and Chris noticed Chekov punching numbers on his console, his hands shaking and his lips muttering to himself. "We're dead in the water," Chris would have smiled at the old nautical saying and how her friend used it, but it was not the time or the place. "The engines blew and we've only enough power for basic systems.
"But they're immobile too, thank god. We destroyed one Warbird and the D-7. We damaged their weapons systems but Spock estimates it'll take…"
"No more than fifteen minutes and thirty seconds." Spock interjected smoothly.
"To repair their systems. We're without shields, they aren't. But we have weapons." Jim finished. He offered her a bitter smile. "Any ideas oh wonderous one?"
She rolled her eyes. "Don't be a twat, Jim." She murmured just loud enough for him to hear. "Can't we reconfigure our weapons again to be on the same frequency?"
"Nyet," Chekov growled, slamming his hands down in frustration. "Dey are using a fluxuating frequency. The wawelength changes too fast. It would take ewen me well ower fifteen minutes to reconfigure our weapons to match de EXACT frequency."
Chris looked up at Spock, an idea hitting her like a bolt of lightning. "We don't NEED the exact frequency, do we Spock?" She asked quickly, he lifted a lone brow in confusion. Chris sighed and turned to Chekov, since apparently he was going to be the only one to understand her. "Do you remember the Kobiyashi Maru?" She asked the Russian boy.
He blushed and nodded. "Da. But why…" His eyes lit up. "DA! DA!" He punched the air and began typing like mad. "I will need you, Chris, if we hope to do dis."
"Do what?" Jim asked sharply.
"Beat the Klingons like they beat my test." Spock interjected, his eyes smiling very slightly. "I failed to think of that situation."
Jim spluttered about the unbeatable test while Chris laughed slightly. "Don't worry, Spock, it was an embarrassing day, you probably blocked it from your perfect memory." She nodded at Chekov. "Where do you need me?"
"Here." Chekov said as he stood, still typing. "Do you remember da codeing?"
Chris nodded slowly. "For the most part." She slid into the boys seat and continued typing. "You go to the weapons section in engineering, I've got this."
Chekov grinned and nodded, running off like a shot.
"Someone tell me what the HELL is going on here!" Jim snapped, annoyed. Chris snickered as she continued typing. "I am the Captain, I ought to okay everything!"
"We don't have time for this, Jim. I promise, this should work. And I'll explain everything later." Chris snapped, trying desperately to remember the entirety of the equation.
She felt the heat of Spock against her back before he touched her or leaned into her space. His hand touched the pad, punching in a part of the equation she'd been spacing on. She sighed in relief and took over as she remembered more of the equation.
"No, it needs to be a negative sign." Spock murmured, his hand brushing hers as they worked together on the equation.
"Thanks." She murmured absently, too focused on her equation to really pay attention to the crew around her, or to the delicious heat of Spock against her back and around her. Without her empathy she couldn't feel their shock and awe at how easily the pair worked together, their obvious comfort with one another. She failed to realize that the crew had noticed that there was nearly no personal space that they were not sharing.
If she had noticed her embarrassment and subsequent nervousness would have hampered her concentration, so it was quite the good thing that she could not feel them. As it was they cut the time limit very close… having spent three minutes being briefed, two minutes arguing with Jim, and eight and a half minutes working on the equation, they were down to the last two minutes.
"Kris!" Came Chekov's voice over the com. "Are you ready?"
Spock nodded slightly and she felt it more than saw it, they were so close. "It is complete and correct, to the best of our knowledge." He murmured to her.
"Yep, ready when you are!" She called, hitting the code to enter the equation into the trajectory and wavelength. "You finished?" She asked quicky, knowing he was altering the charges to explode before contact with the ship, scrambling the shields and allowing a single photon to be shot through.
"Nyet, nyet. Just a minute more." The kid answered, distractedly.
Chris set up the sequence in her mind. There would be only one shot, only one hope. If she messed up their shields would recover and their chance would have passed them by. She had to fire the photons at just the right moment, not too soon and not too late…
"DA! Finished." Chekov yelled over the crackling com. "Fire, Chris, FIRE!"
Jim growled wordlessly. "Damn it, do as he says." He snapped but she was already punching in the right codes. The two torpedoes went straight for the Warbirds and Chris waited with baited breath, her fingers poised to type the final code the moment…
"They're trying to beam aboard Captain!" Roared a science officer as Chris waited, waited…
The bloom of color was her cue and her fingers flew over the tactical pad. As the four photons headed for the two ships she closed her eyes, unable to watch. The resulting explosions shook the Enterprise like a dog shakes a bone and would have sent Chris flying if it weren't for the strong arms on either side of her. As it was she was slammed forward, hitting her forehead and arms against the console, shattering the glass with the force of her landing.
AN: Okay, sorry for the terrible wait. I know, I know, it's been well over a week, I'm horrible. In my defense my girls came down with H1N1 (Swine Flu) and I was stuck being their nurse and trying to keep myself healthy for the weekend and half of the week, and then my Grandmother showed up and then there was the 4th… Anyway. I apologize and I send my love to all of you.
Remember, Review = Preview. Criticism welcome as it is an action chapter and might suck. And if it does suck, I can always repost.
