Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.
"Cap'ain, I'm afraid that the transpor'er isn't working. You're gonna have to take a shuttle." Scotty grumbled out as fiddled with the control panel in front of him.
Jim, Spock and various security officers were in the entrance to the transporter room, disappointed at this new development. Ellara was in the back, explaining various parts of Rendorian culture very rapidly to Uhura. The Lieutenant still hadn't finished learning everything she could from the Counsellor, and normally Ellara would have preferred to take this slowly, however what with being denied a spot on the trip, it would have to do.
"So, remember. If you're meeting an elder- trust me, you'll know who they are-, bow down and wait for them to tell you 'Tricloch'. It means rise. They should have someone to translate for you, English was taught from Rendoria three and onwards." Uhura nodded diligently to all the information being told to her.
Ellara placed her hands on Uhura's arms, squeezing them and furrowing her brow. "Listen, if someone asks you to fight, you have the right to deny them. You have diplomatic immunity. Remember that."
"I'll be fine, El. I'll contact you if I need anything." Uhura comforted her friend.
As the group began walking towards the shuttle bay, Ellara staying in the transporter room, she called out to Uhura, "Make sure you do!"
Ellara sighed in worry, turning around in a semi-circle to find something to do. "You doing good there, Scotty?" she asked the Scotsman.
"I'm a'right, lassie. You should go back to the bridge. They'll need ya there." he said with his nose buried in mechanics.
Nodding, Ellara turned to walk off, but was called back by the engineer. "'Ang on, could ya pass me that wrench over there before ya leave? No, the one right beside it. Yeah, that's that one, thanks."
As Ellara handed him the tool, she chuckled at his indecisiveness at letting her leave. She finally got away and made her way to the bridge. There was a seat set up for her beside acting Captain Sulu, and the two had a quiet discussion about the current mission.
After the discussion had died out, Ellara allowed herself to zone out and look at the planet down below. If she looked closer, she could start to recognize areas she'd seen in history books. That fuschia blotch over there was where her people had lived, that one almost completely covered by clouds was…
Ellara jolted to the side, red lights flashing as the ship was hit. Her eyes widened as she realized that the ship was now under attack. She could see some old Rendorian warbirds flying around near the bridge, shooting at the Enterprise. Ellara quickly ran back to her seat, sitting down. She pulled up a page on her PADD that kept an updated version of everyone checked into the medbay. If anyone was injured, she'd head down right away if Doctor McCoy didn't have time to contact her.
She could faintly hear Sulu shouting commands to the members of the bridge, and was disappointed when any attempt at communication failed. "El." he said in between delivering orders. "I'll call you if we need you. You should go down to the medbay- this could get ugly."
The Rendorian nodded before bolting out of her seat and heading towards the elevator. She was joined by two other bridge officers who were writing things down at a rapid pace. It was like there was a deep thumping bass going through the ship, keeping everyone on beat and moving quickly. Thinking about it, Ellara figured she might bring it up to the Captain when they got back. It could help keep the officers focused.
Ellara approached a turn in the hallway she was jogging down, but was quickly met by a pile of debris. In her rush to think of an alternate route, she didn't hear the growing noise, and only looked up at the last second to see a large piece of structure falling down. Ellara tried to jump back, but misjudged her step and ended up getting hit in the shoulder. She collapsed immediately.
"I don't know what happened, Bones. They just pounced." whined Jim as he attempted to dodge the Chief Medical Officer's attempt to at jamming a needle in his neck.
"I believe I know what went wrong, Captain." commented Spock, walking in. "According to Lieutenant Uhura, they were threatened by our attempt at contact and your ignorance in their customs. She explained on the shuttle that you should bow to the elders, however you neglected to do so."
Jim groaned, shooting a glare at his first officer. "No need to chew me out, Spock. I get it; I messed up." He looked around, growing confused. "Hey, where is our favourite Rendorian, anyways?"
Sulu, who had been standing beside him, glanced through the room to confirm what the Captain said. "Doctor McCoy, did you dismiss her?" he asked.
Bones turned around from his table of tools, brows furrowed and irritation lacing his expression. "What are you talking about? I haven't seen El since yesterday."
Sulu's eyes widened in surprise. "I sent her down here to help out."
McCoy mirrored the helmsman's expression, understanding what that meant. "Ship, where is Counsellor Lat'toy?" asked Jim once he caught on.
"Counsellor Lat'toy is outside room 215A." replied the mechanical voice.
Sulu and Spock both nodded at each other and sprinted out of the room in the direction of said room. It didn't take long for them to find the area, however there was no Rendorian in sight. All that was there was a large pile of rubble. "Ellara!" called Sulu, worried.
There was no response. "Counsellor Lat'toy." tried Spock.
This time, they heard a faint grown, followed by a few pieces of rubble shifting. "Shit." mumbled Hikaru as he approached the giant pile. "Spock, help me move some of this."
Together, the two men managed to move the debris in a couple minutes. The sight was not pretty; Ellara was lying on her stomach, purple blood surround her, the puddle originating from a dark stain on her shoulder. "Damnit." muttered Sulu.
Spock wasted no time in picking up the Counsellor who was quickly beginning to regain consciousness. He began to run back to the med bay, trying his hardest not to jostle the woman in his arms. "Doctor McCoy." he called out once he reached the room.
The good man turned around and gestured towards a nearby cot. Spock gently placed her down on the bed, looking down at Ellara as her eyes slowly opened. "Spock?" she whispered out hoarsely. "Yes, Counsellor?"
She smirked. "Thanks."
Ellara reached over to try and hold Spock's sleeve for comfort, but fell unconscious during the process and instead grabbed onto his wrist.
"Jesus, this is a lot of blood, NURSE!" called the doctor, looking around for a free medical officer to help him out. "I need you to just-"
His words faded into the background as Spock focused on the hand that was growing steadily colder holding him. If he looked closely, he could see a raised area where her stripe met the rest of her skin. Spock wondered if she could feel anything on the thick scars adorning her body. Maybe he could just…
Spock was jolted back to reality as Doctor McCoy shoved him to the side in an attempt to get better access to Ellara's shoulder. Was he just about to… stroke… Counsellor Lat'toy's hand?
"Damnit man, either make yourself useful or go somewhere else. This is an emergency!" Bones barked at the Vulcan, tired of him acting stiff as a board.
Spock nodded his head and walked over to the Captain, who was staring intently at the cot Spock had just come from. "I saw that." was all he said.
"I am afraid I do not understand, Jim." replied Spock coolly.
Jim looked over at his longtime friend, a smirk painted on his face. "You were about to hold El's hand, weren't you?"
Spock simply looked down in shame. He was so confused. What was he feeling? It was like concern, only more intense. Spock knew that the Counsellor would be well, and so why was he worried? No, worry was still too calm. Spock could almost feel a tug at his heartstrings, wanting him to stay by her side and make sure that she would be safe. "Spock." interrupted Kirk. "She's gonna be ok. Stop worrying about it and go tell Uhura what happened. Captain's orders"
Nodding his head, Spock carried out his friend's words and found Lieutenant Uhura in the waiting room. She had not seen Ellara being carried in, and so it was up to Spock to explain the situation. "Nyota." he called, catching the attention of the pacing woman.
"Spock." was all she said, worrying her lower lip.
"Counsellor Lat'toy has been brought into the medbay." Uhura's hands shot up to her mouth as a gasp of shock escaped her. "A piece of debris fell onto her shoulder. She is now being cared for by Doctor McCoy."
Uhura, who was no doubt devastated by this news, frowned in confusion at the look on Spock's face. If anything, she'd say he looked pained. "Spock, what's wrong?"
"I… Nyota, what I feel for Ellara at this moment cannot be defined as worry or concern. It is more then that. I am… confused." explained Spock, lowering his head.
Uhura chuckled, approaching her friend. "You're scared for her. It's completely normal; after all, she's your friend."
Spock shook his head, knowing that that was not what it was. "No. I felt scared for Jim when he got shot. What I feel for Ellara is more along the lines of what I felt when Jim died, except different." he explained.
Uhura seemed… satisfied? With Spock's answer. "Do you think that maybe you like her as more than a friend?" she asked.
Spock was taken aback at that statement. He had not considered that. If he thought on it, it made sense. Whenever he played chess with her, conversation flowed easily, and any lingering silence was always comfortable. Spock realized that he actually sometimes sought her out when he was feeling lonely, or even just to speak with her. And this worry… it was beyond a proper description. It made sense that his affection for the Counsellor had grown to be more than just friendly.
Uhura smiled, knowing that Spock had finally realized what he felt. "I'm gonna go see Jim." she said, walking backwards towards the med bay.
Spock quickly took a seat, various thoughts running through his head. From his spot, he could just barely see Ellara's head. McCoy had finished patching her up and she was just sleeping peacefully, an iv hooked into her arm. She looked like an angel lying there, that was for sure. Spock shook his head rapidly, confused at these emotions. How did this happen? What would he do? Did Ellara feel the same way about him? Could she? All these questions plagued Spock, and it would take him some time to sort through them.
"So?"
"He definitely likes her, that much is for sure." said Uhura, sitting down next to Jim.
"Thank god. We didn't do all that for nothing. So they both like each other now?"
Uhura nodded, smiling softly. "Now we just have to get them to admit it."
Jim blanched, leaning back with a groan. "That's it, game over. It'll never happen."
Chuckling, Uhura's smile turned into a grin. "Have some faith, Jim. I have a plan."
Ooh la la! Spock has feeeeeeelings. Idk if I rushed it, but this just feels right haha. So many people are wounded in this chapter! We also get a very distracted El. This chapter isn't as long as the last one, but it's about 60 words short to my goal haha. Not much to say, really. I hope you guys enjoyed! Also, big thanks to TransformersGeek, without whom there'd be so many mistakes haha lol.
booklover1898: Yeah, Spock can be a bit insensitive when he doesn't think.
Guest: Thanks a lot, I appreciate that. :)
Love. Fiction. 2016: And I like you!
- fangirl0012345
Updated December 23rd, 2016.