Chapter Two: the long and short of it is really just long.

When I finally got to the Bridge, I saw quickly that all was not going very well.

People were scrambling along the entire area, with serious and defiant looks. I hurried back to Navigations, where Chekov was pushing buttons in a long and complex series.

"Now, vas zhat really to hard?" He asked without even looking back at me. "I don't know." I mumbled at him. Pavel only laughed at me and my stubbornness. I gave him a crooked smile behind his back.

I still heard the Klaxon alarm going off and saw the little prism on the station blinking red.

BANG!

In front of Pavel, the navigations consol blew a circuit and seemed to explode, burning his hands severely. He cried out in surprise and pain, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Wait, wait let me see," I asked him impatiently. To tell you the truth I wasn't worrying about whether he was hurt really bad, more like if he was going to have to leave and have me take over. Now that would be completely crazy. I saw how bad the burns were: either 2nd or 3rd degree. I hoped McCoy would just be able to bandage it and not really have to take him down to Deck 7.

And that is exactly what happened. I was now in command of navigations, and I was actually pretty calm about it too. I had my back straight and sat upright stiffly, but not like I was totally tensed out. Which I was.

Spock eventually came around to me, asking if I had figured out what fuse had broken.

"I don't know but it doesn't look like anything is wrong every one of the systems is intact and in perfect condition. Unless Mr. Chekov did some kind of trick I don't know of…"

I trailed off, not sure how to continue with out sounding

ridiculous about the entire thing. "It would be within your best interest to continue on without your emotions to weigh you down."

It did surprise me, but I was now officially learning not to show it and I didn't then, which could have been what he was testing me on.

Just then, Becky returned to the Bridge. I gaped at her. I really didn't think she would have come back so soon. In fact, she shouldn't have come back so soon. She looked frail and tired, like she was just about to fall over and faint.

Oookaaayyyy, I thought turning back to Navigations like a good, not-distracted officer. As soon as I looked down at my panel something didn't seem right. All the Light the colorful buttons normally emitted seemed much too dim. I looked up and saw on the main View-screen the same thing Spock, Becky, Sulu and the rest of the Bridge crew saw.

There, out in the middle of a sunless star system was a planet moving quickly.

"It's a Class-M planet, Sir." Becky said after leaning down to look through Spock's library-computer. She looked very grave and serious.

"We could send down a landing party to see if there is some type of intelligent life down there, affecting the Enterprise but so far my scanners are reading no life forms or heat signatures of any kind," She suggested.

As soon as she spoke the last syllable it happened again, but in a somewhat different sequence. The station in front of me sizzled and cracked, then we were all flung forward. Both me and Sulu dived over the island we were in command of, rolling to soften the landing. Becky was lucky enough to have the red railing to hold on to with one hand.

In a flash, people started rushing about. I heard Uhura asking urgently for reports

"All Decks Report Damage,"

I heard them all report back that all was well, heard Uhura sigh with relief when they told her. She repeated this

Back to Spock who was now Hanging over an engineers' shoulder .

"Understood, Lieutenant. Ensign Korff any idea of what is happening?" He asked, still not turning.

"No clue, Sir, but I am guessing our best bet is something on the planet." She told him

"Continue scanning for life and see what it is orbiting,"

Everyone continued to hurry through the chaos. Scotty was speaking in a blur, so fast you couldn't really make it out. But the ensign he taught listened intently and did everything Scotty's voice said over the intercom.

"Why'd they let you out so quickly?" I whispered to her without pulling my gaze from navigations.

"Some persuasion from Spock," She whispered back also refraining from glancing up.

Now I had to look "What?" I said a little loudly. She met my eyes for only a second, and then forced herself to go back to staring at the scanner dutifully.

"Don't tell anyone okay?" She asked me with a pleading voice. I nodded. "I lived on Vulcan for a few years. My father was an ambassador for the Federation and was assigned to help with negotiations. I don't remember much of it but I do know my father was killed and I had gotten to know Spock while I was there." I gaped at her again. I noticed her eyes seemed sort of glazed over and she shook her head to clear it.

"Soooo, you knew Spock before you were assigned on the Enterprise?"

Becky still tried to clear her eyes "Isn't that what I just said? Yeah, he helped get me into Star Fleet academy via anonymous identification,"

"What do you think is down there?" I asked changing the subject.

"I'm sure I don't know. For all we can see there could be masses of brain tissue with extremely developed telekinesis,"

I turned back to my station clicking my tongue nervously against the roof of my mouth while I briefly thought of our conversation.

If her father was killed, how would happen during negotiations on a peaceful planet? Plus, how did she manage to befriend Spock there to? It would not be too hard if you thought about it. Spock's father Sarek is an ambassador as well so they might have met rarely and quickly.

I stopped thinking about that right then as Becky had turned to announce her findings. To me she looked a little scared and almost out of place, weak and frail compared to those on the Bridge around her.

"Sir?" Her voice was deathly quiet, but Spock heard her and faced her. He didn't seem as tense when he looked toward her. Maybe it was because Becky was one ensign he could trust to do things right around here without making us all blow up.

"Yes, Ensign Korff?" He said, making every single person stop to star at poor, poor, Becky.

She cleared her throat, one good hand tightly clenching the railing to prevent herself from collapsing.

"There is only a single life form on the planet sir, against all odds, but it seems that the planet…is orbiting the Enterprise herself."

No one gasped or laughed or said 'Oh that's a good one have more jokes?' We all stayed silent and when that silence was broken we all seemed to jump.

"Are you, positive, Ensign?" He asked her now still without any trace of emotion.

"Yes, I am positive. The pattern it displays shows that it is coming closer and closer with each orbital circle. How it came to circling us may be contributed to the fact of high ion-electrode near and on the planet itself. As for the life form there I don't know it can survive since there is no star large enough or close enough to be considered to be a sun."

She finally finished the long and confusing paragraph.

Spock strode over to join her at the Science Station. I talked to myself quietly until Sulu looked at me with a funny stare.

"That's odd. Pavel did that a lot too." He muttered half to himself.

"So you two actually use first names on the ship? For a while I thought everyone was all stiff and formal." I asked him jokingly

"Besides great officers think alike," I added.

"We do use first names, but not often. Pavel doesn't like it when his first name is being used on the job. I don't know why but I'm guessing it makes him feel less important." Sulu told me in a normal tone.

"That's probably right, Hikaru," I said looking down at panel A3.

I glanced up and gave him half a smile then dropped it just as quick.

Again: BAM!!! We were thrown forward as the planet drew closer and started to almost suck us in closer to it. I once more dived over the island with Hikaru landing on my left. I immediately rolled back on to my feet and stumbled with the Vertigo affect heavy on my balance. I swiveled around to see Becky being held down by Spock and another ensign in red.

I rushed to them to see what had happened and noticed it quite quickly.

The silvery bandage that had wrapped around her right shoulder was now blooming red as the bone had somehow pierced the skin and was now a rose in full color.

"No…no I'm okay let me up." She gasped out through clenched teeth. After a stern look, Spock let her up. The other Ensign helped her, careful of her hurt arm.

"I must inquire you return to Sickbay," Spock said steadily, one arm around Becky like she needed the support.

"I can't--," She took in a gasp of air and started again.

"I can't leave my post…I need to stay," She finally seemed to say.

Spock stared at her, taking in the fresh blood, her grimace of pain and without further adue did the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Becky didn't even cry out. Spock caught her as she fell, and handed her off to Sulu, who stood near me. He took her with a look of surprise and fumbled, almost dropping her to the floor.

"Take her to Sickbay Mr. Sulu. Tell the doctor to keep her sedated until she is fit to return. Mr. Chekov should be here momentarily." He said indifferently, and walked over to engineering that Scotty had just come back to. He seemed to be scolding the ensign.

I looked back at Sulu. Just as he had walked to the turbo lift with Becky in his arms, Pavel had finally come back to take Navigations from me. Chekov stared at Sulu and shook his head, mumbling in Russian.

In a second Pavel had crossed over the room to stand behind me.

"Now," I said, spinning to look up at him. "Was that really to hard?" I said in a way to polite and totally mocking you voice.

"Damn right it vas." He said to me jokingly. I stood after a second of frantic button pushing. I realized I was almost two inches taller than him, and it made me chuckle. I was taller than someone 5 years older than me and he was a commanding officer. Now, that made me giggle.

"Ensign Hoffmann, take over Helm until Mr. Sulu's return," Spock said from engineering.

"Aye, Sir," I answered. I took Sulu's seat quickly. Pavel glared at me.

"Vhen did you have double Bridge qualifications?" He asked a little crossly.

"When I decided to take Helm as well as Navigations, and also Medical classes." I said, "If I am qualified for all three I might as well be doing all three."

He mumbled something that sounded like; "It vasn't much use for me."

I chuckled. "You didn't exactly ask for my help now did you? Plus why would I want to help an angry Russian who rats me out? Watch your words, Pavel. I can out do you any time." I said to him really having a good time messing with him. I was joking of course, but I'm not sure if Pavel knew that. He seemed surprised by the use of his first name and a little agitated.

"Vhatewer," He said.