The Champion of Themyscira: Act IV

"Captain on the bridge," Diana recognized the voice instantly as that of his Commander Spock, given the communication from before. The man stood, clad in a blue uniform with the most curious ears. Vulcan. Not Romulan, she reminded herself based on what the captain had told her before.

Kirk waved Commander Spock off from his formal announcement as he strode towards his chair. "Status report. I want to know what's going on with that warbird."

Scotty zipped off past Diana, on his way to another station, and it occurred to her that she was most definitely in the center of the action and yet she had no idea what she should do to help. She had offered to do so, but her focus had been on the barrier over her planet. If she was to be of use to the Enterprise, she would need to learn of this new technology and quickly.

"They attempted to hit our port bow when we dropped shields to beam you aboard, but we vented plasma exhaust and that seemed to confuse their sensors enough that their shots went wild. They cloaked again. We haven't seen them since."

"Thank you, Mister Sulu." Kirk took a seat in the chair in the center of the bridge, then pointed to the gold-shirted gentleman. "What did I say? Get back to sickbay, or I'll send Bones up here to deal with you myself - "

Diana was very nearly thrown off her feet. The ground rumbled and the world pitched as something struck them. She didn't take the change in balance as well as she normally would, possibly because she felt as though everything was slightly lighter on the ship. As she felt her foot go out from under her, she gripped the railing in front of her hard. The slight groan of metal as her fingers began to dent the railing went unnoticed, only because the ship was rattled by another hit.

She watched Kirk buckle in his chair, gripping the armrests tightly. In a moment, his expression shifted to something she'd not yet seen. The way his eyes widened and his jaw set was indicative of a man that had just been pushed past his courtesy. He was angry, and he was not pleased with the circumstances.

"Red alert! Find out where that came from and put it on screen!" He snapped. Diana's gaze rose to match where the rest of the crew was watching… the planet. Her planet. Themyscira, a blue and ruddy orb in the blackness of space.

"It's no good, Ceyptin. Ve don't have any way to track zem. Zey move before ve can get zem onscreen!" The youngest of the crewmen was Chekov. No wonder Kirk had been concerned for them both. These were two of his critical crewmembers. If they had not survived, it would have been a hefty burden for Kirk to bear.

"Find me a breadcrumb, Mister Chekov. I am not about to let a Romulan warbird ding-dong-ditch me while we've left Themyscira vulnerable." The captain's tone seemed to be even, but Diana knew as well as anyone with a temper that ran deep - tone was only the performance one presented to others.

"We have approached this at every logical angle, Captain. The Romulans have clearly addressed the issue that allowed us to spot them using tracking sensors."

Kirk turned to face him, clearly exasperated. "Then think illogically, Spock. We can't just sit here and wait for them to wear us down. Not when they probably know their landing party was nearly wiped out on the surface."

"Nearly?"

"We took most of them out in the melee, but a couple were still alive. The Amazons have them in custody."

Diana kept her attention trained on the planet throughout the argument. Her gaze was trained on those storms that Scotty had mentioned. Blossoms of green sparking clouds that were so high in orbit, the Themyscirans couldn't see them. The way they arced and congregated, they did not act like normal weather systems. Nothing like she had seen on Earth. They had a set pattern, except for a small section in the northern continent… That section was suspiciously…. Bare…

The woman at the furthest right station turned to face the captain. "Did you just say Amazons?"

Kirk sighed and held his hand up to stop her. "Yes, and we will hash all this out when we figure out how to see the Romulans."

Diana's eyes widened as she realized what was before them all. "You can see them." She simply stated.

Kirk paused, looking back at her. The rest of the crew's eyes followed.

She hardly paid the attention any mind. She instead pointed to the section of the viewscreen. "You have been so focused on using your sensors, but they are close to the planet. You can see the way the image distorts near the northern continent."

It didn't take long before Scotty piped up from his station. "She's right, captain. The tachyon particles are causing issues with the cloak. It's not enough to pick up on sensors, but I can see where the electromagnetic fluctuations are degrading the visual cloak."

Kirk stood, hawk-like. "Can you get a position?"

"Aye."

"Then target their weapons and fire."

A halo of red bursts lit up the image before them. Whatever it was the Enterprise fired on the ship soared through space before striking its prey. Before their eyes, the cloak that had been so feared failed. The same ship design that he had shown her in the shuttle was now present before them all, blooming with fresh wounds as the vacuum of space would swallow an explosion as soon as it could.

"Direct hit, they have lost photon torpedoes. They are returning fire." Spock called, having moved to his own station. It was an elegant dance like any other warrior formation. Diana could see Antiope beside her, critiquing the strategy so that she could provide suggestions later. While she was not her aunt, she found herself doing much the same. Of course, she had a feeling it was less easy to change this Federation crew's routines than it was an Amazon phalanx. Green fire lashed back out at the Enterprise, a much larger cousin to the disruptor rifles she had dispatched so easily earlier. The ship shook, but the crew did not seem nearly as fazed this time.

"Hit 'em again, then target their propulsion. They're not going anywhere except to a Federation marshall."

"Jim, we've got a bigger problem than the ship!" Scotty said, his face stricken. "The warbird got too close to the atmosphere, it's accelerated the ion storms. We cannae go after the warbird and fix the barrier at the same time. If we don't do somethin' now, it'll be too late!"

Kirk's breath heaved in his chest. His gaze shifted from Scotty, then to Diana. In those moments, she felt her own breath leave her. In his expression, his anger against the Romulans melted in place of his own promise to her. Diana did not know how or why, but she knew that he was watching her.

The moment passed. He closed his eyes and hissed, "Dammit," before shaking his head. "Let them go. Scotty, please tell me you have a plan."

The Scotsman hemmed and hawed as his fingers flew over the console. "I… yes, but it's got a catch!"

"Does the catch involve losing the planet or the Enterprise?" It was Diana who spoke now, a force of calm over the otherwise hectic bridge. When Kirk looked askance at her, she elaborated. "These are my people, but I will not ask you to sacrifice the ship in a rash attempt to save them."

He opened his mouth to possibly protest, then changed his mind for whatever reason. Instead, he sighed and nodded to Scotty. "Well, Mister Scott, give her an answer. I might override her, but let's hear it."

The expression Scotty gave her suggested there was a good chance she would not like it. "I think we can use tachyon particles expelled from the warp field and channel it with the same ratio of ions back down to the planet's atmosphere. It should restabilize the reaction quickly and the planet will be safe from detection."

Kirk's brow furrowed. "So, what's the catch?"

"The catch is…. If I do it, we lose communication with the surface. And ye can't even consider interfering with the barrier again until we can really spend time studyin' it. It'll be even more volatile now. As it is, once we use the beam, I cannae recommend using the transporters. Anyone who tries it will get fried."

Diana sighed, closing her eyes. So, that was it.

The crossroads had returned. Like Sisyphus and his boulder, every time Diana thought she had climbed out of the pit of entrapment, it slipped from her hands again. She held her face to the sky above her, as if she was still on the planet. She could feel no warm sunlight to help soothe her balms.

Gods, if you are still alive, I will find you and make you answer for this punishment. She thought, an earnest prayer to the powers beyond her understanding.

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked over at Scotty again. "How long will we have to speak to those on the surface?"

"You'll have about a minute once we get started. Maybe two."

Diana nodded, heavy. She turned her attention to Kirk. "Then, please. Save Themyscira, Captain. I would like to speak with Kal, if I can." When Kirk rose an eyebrow, she said, "So I can explain that I am staying."

The captain stood, serious and respectful. He managed to tear his gaze away from Diana long enough to look to his chief engineer and muttered "Get started, Mister Scott." Then motioned for Diana to follow him over to Uhura's station. "Uhura, see if you can raise the shuttle and give Diana time to speak to him."

"Yes, sir." Uhura's hands were flying over the console, but it had no meaning for the woman who stood over her, waiting.

She would be be leaving again. If you leave, you may never return. Her mother's warnings, her mother's shadow, they followed her everywhere.

The captain seemed to have noticed her concern and cleared his throat to get her attention. "You know, we could try to beam you back - "

Diana shook her head, holding a hand up to silence him. "No. I have made my choice. My responsibilities are not just to the Amazons, but to mankind at large." She had found her way back to Themyscira once, she would do it again. Perhaps even with the Enterprise's help. Perhaps another ship. But, Themyscira did not need her. Not in the way Kal thought they did.

Uhura held out one of the earpieces like the one in her ear. "I have your friend on the line. We're going to lose fidelity very quickly."

Diana nodded and took the tool. Without thinking, she simply breathed, "Thank you, sister." She slipped the gadget onto her ear and took a deep breath. "Kal? Are you there?"

"Diana? What's happened? The Romulans came to and their communication devices sounded frantic. They tried to escape."

"Did you subdue them?"

"One of them. The other one pulled some sort of ceremonial knife and landed on it." Kal's remorse was palpable. "I'm sorry, Diana."

"We've started the particle beam. We should know right quick if it'll work." Scotty said from his station behind her.

"Don't be, Kal. You are not responsible for their actions." She caught Uhura motioning out of the corner of her eye. She pointed to a console reading that had begun to flash urgently. She had to assume that the signal was starting to go. "Kal…. They have found a way to seal the barrier." She didn't have to say it.

Kal knew. "You're not coming back."

"I cannot. The transporters will not work while they are restoring the barrier. The technology we used terraformed the planet, Kal. Without the Enterprise to help us, all of Themyscira would have died. I cannot jeopardize that. The Senate must decide their fate now. Please tell Menalippe that I did as she asked. I will not govern in the way I had. I embrace the unknown."

"I understand." There was so much to be said between them, and yet, she felt it already had. "Be careful, Diana. And…"

The signal was beginning to drop. "What? Kal, are you still there?"

"Find my boy, Diana - he's alive - if - find him - and tell him - sorry - love - "

"The particle beam's in full swing." The chief engineer's voice cut through the static like a knife.

Again, she distinctly lacked in knowing how to say goodbye. Diana swallowed down the well of emotion that threatened to overtake her and handed the earpiece back to Uhura. Her eyes had grown warm from tears, ready to fall, to mourn the loss of everything she knew. Again.

But, she had to think of why she had made those choices. The people around her, on this ship, in this brave, new world she knew nothing about.

It was her duty to protect those who could not protect themselves. Her people were protected. They did not need her.

She stepped away from the console and brushed the moisture out of her eyes. She would return. When it was time. And when she knew the fate of his child.

A hand on her shoulder made her whirl on instinct, but when she was confronted by the face of a man who was in every Steve Trevor while most definitely not Steve Trevor, it was almost too much. "I'm sorry that it happened this way. I swear to you, we will do everything in our power to get you back to your people, Your Majest-"

"Diana…." She breathed, the word as much an anchor as it was a star to steer by. Her gaze met his and held it. "I am no longer Queen of Themyscira. I am Diana. Just Diana."

He nodded, offering her a slight smile. "Understood. Diana. Once we're through with the particle beam, I need to report to Starfleet. But, we will find you accommodations." He glanced past her, beckoning someone closer. "Yeoman Rand, I'm assigning Diana to our ambassadorial quarters for now, but please make sure she has food and clothing rations assigned so she can feel a bit more at home."

"Of course, Captain."

When Diana turned, she couldn't help but smile at how familiar - in a way - the red-clad yeoman looked. She could think of at least two amazons that shared the long, luscious blonde hair and tall, strong figure. When she smiled at Diana, she could feel her heartache ease for a moment. "Come with me, please. We'll make sure you're well-cared for, Miss…"

The two of them made it to the lift again, and Diana cast one glance back at the captain before the doors shut. He had been watching her go before finally turning his attention back to his chief engineer.

"Miss Prince. My name is Diana Prince."

Stardate 2264.20.

Strange convention, this stardate. But, in many ways, Diana found it soothing. As she felt about many things on the ship, there was a strange familiarity in the unfamiliarity of it all. The strange sort of dissonance that she had come to expect in her time on Earth. For as many things as she felt she knew with certainty during those days: That the gods could be cruel, that the earth still spun, that people were complex and corruptible and full of love - there were many things she did not know.

It was most certainly in embracing the unknown that she had made her mark upon the world, and ultimately how she learned to love it.

The question was: what would she find to love now? What new treasures did the Federation, this unique place that humanity found itself in, have for her? And conversely, what dangers did they face? What enemies lurked in the darkness between stars, and in their own beds? Man was many things, and one of those was easy to anger.

It had been a few "stardates" since they had left orbit around the planet. Themyscira was in the stardust behind them. In that time, Diana had put her armor in a case that Sulu had recommended, considering he, too, had an interest in weaponry. She had to confess, it seemed to be more that he had an interest in her armor and weaponry rather than sharing his own collection. She had spent a day to familiarize herself with fashion of the time and had worked with Yeoman Rand to choose civilian garb that was to her taste. For example, the blue slacks and the red top with its uniquely "modern" straps that crossed her shoulders and then again on her back. Her hair was down, spilled over her shoulders. The bracelets, however, she kept. As was tradition.

It all felt very familiar and yet wholly unique.

Diana had otherwise kept to herself. She knew she would have time to get to know the rest of the crew in greater fashion, but until she knew where she was going, she found herself lost in the stars. There was so much out there. She wondered of so many things.

She wondered how it was that she had been able to find the song playing in the small lounge as she nursed her glass of ale. She wanted the drink so rarely. It was not often to her taste.

I'll look into your eyes and hold your hand…

I'll walk beside you through the golden land…

Diana inhaled, closing her eyes as she let the memories of the past take her. She could almost picture the exact cue of gold light from the tavern as Charlie plunked the keys and his voice rang true. I haven't heard him sing in years…

Steve's hand on hers. The way his arm pressed her close to him while they swayed.

Yes, she had embraced the unknown. She had embraced the uncertainty of love. Her heart had never even thought to ask her first.

"Do they have dancing on Paradise planet?"

The voice was more real than any memory could be. For one fleeting moment, her heart lifted and she turned. He was there, beside her, leaning against the bar with a glass in his hand. There was an easy smile, one she had seen many times before, both in her dreams and in those all-too-short days with him.

It took much longer than she wanted to admit the differences. First, it was the ale - the glass was wrong. It was no simple ale tumblr. Then, she caught a glance at his collar, then the rest of his gold uniform.

It was not Steve. He would never be Steve. He is both the known and the unknown.

Diana cleared her throat and sat up, tapping the button on her padd to pause the music. She had not intended to avoid him, but his duties had kept him busy, and she had much to learn. His name is James T. Kirk. He is not a pilot, he is not a spy.

"My apologies, captain, I didn't realize anyone would be in here this evening. I can leave, I am sure your day has been quite busy."

"Oh, yeah. Repair reports are my idea of exciting." He chuckled, more than a bit cynically before he slid into the bar stool beside her. When she made a move to stand, he held his hand up and ushered her back down. "No, no, please. I heard the music and was intrigued. It's a little too classical for my tastes, but it's the kind of thing you can dance to... I just wanted to see how you were settling in, I didn't mean to spook you."

Diana bristled at the notion that she could be spooked like a feline, and he noticed. "I was not spooked. I was merely respecting your captain's prerogative."

A grin lit up his features. "OK, well, as the captain, it's my prerogative to pick who I have a drink with. And I'm asking to have a drink with you, Miss Prince." He pointed at her with the hand still holding his glass. "Yeah, by the way, thanks for making sure I found out about your full name through requisition requests. It pinged like, three security alerts because your name belongs to a pre-Federation list of classified clearance personnel."

"I imagine it is from my involvement as a member of the Justice League." She forced herself to remain still and took a sip of her ale again. For some reason, while she expected the drink to have lost its appeal, it was what she needed to calm her nerves. It was if Charlie was still singing, bringing light and hope wherever he walked. "We were given varying levels of clearance before we stepped away."

"Yeah… funny thing, I looked you up. There's very little to go on that wasn't lost to the, uh, annals of time." Kirk pulled something from his pocket and set it in front of her. "But, apparently, I'm not the only one with an interest. Now, me looking into you makes sense. I'm the captain of the vessel you're a passenger on. But, it looks like someone way higher has plans for you."

Diana took the padd with a perplexed look his direction, but all he did was motion for her to read it for herself. He seemed amused. That made her feel all the more skeptical. She skimmed the letter quickly - maybe too quickly to catch pertinent details - but she had the jist of it in no time.

She set it down with a clack between them on the bar. "Someone has given me an ambassadorial position? For the Federation?"

He nodded and took a long swig of his glass before continuing. "Yup. Looks like someone in Starfleet read my report and liked what they heard about you wanting to help protect those who can't protect themselves." He shrugged. "I might have talked up the amazing warrior queen I found on this planet and how she wants to go back to 'being the bridge to greater understanding between all men…'" He squinted a bit in faux recollection. "At least, I think that's how you put it."

Diana knew that she could have been upset with him, but the turn in fortune was exactly what she'd been looking for. She laughed and shook her head at him. "You eavesdropped on my argument with Kal."

"I was in a cockpit less than ten meters away. I can say with certainty you do not get to be captain of a starship without an impeccable ability to overhear things." The two of them exchanged smiles as he clinked his glass to hers. "Cheers." They both downed another healthy swig, then fell silent.

She could tell he wanted to press the issue, but she didn't know what to say. So, she kept drinking until he finally could no longer stand it.

"Do you want the position? I mean, I can send back the response to Starfleet. It'll go right to the top brass and they'll clear it with the committee for that kind of thing." Kirk reached for the padd. Without thinking, she stopped him from taking it, her hand clutching his. When he finally arched an eyebrow at her, she gently pulled away, not sure she could trust her own overstimulated mind.

"I would like it…" She said. "Temporarily." He leaned back, clearly expecting more details. She obliged. "I do not know exactly what being an Ambassador entails in this time, but if it is what I expect, then I would very much enjoy it. But, I cannot commit to this Federation before I know the measure of its people."

"Well, you know me." He replied easily.

"We are acquainted, Captain Kirk, but there is much about each other we do not know - "

"Jim." She paused, and he set his glass down. "If you're gonna be on this ship, part of my crew, I'm not gonna have you calling me Captain if I can't call you 'Your Highness.' My friends call me Jim. And I would like to be your friend, Diana. I want to help you."

Touched by his sincerity, she relaxed under his gaze. For a moment, he could make her forget her world-weariness. "Help me with what?"

"I want to help you explore, to meet new peoples. To meet humanity again. Anything you want to know, I will tell you. It's all open to you. So," He took his glass again and held it up to her. "What do you say? Give it a try?"

Diana considered him, then took her own glass in hand. He was not Steve. He was Jim. Jim Kirk. And in that, he was someone altogether new. He was a force to be reckoned with and a compassionate soul. She could tell there was a darkness in him as she saw in all men, but a light that she could only barely glimpse.

"Yes. I will give it a try." She replied. "To this age of wonder." She went to touch his glass, then added: "Jim."

Jim touched his glass to hers with a resounding clink and nodded. "This age of wonder."