"What the hell is that?" Jamie took a breath and explained to Bones what was going on. The call-to-muster was only ever used twice since the Federation was founded. It was a call for all third and fourth year cadets to report for emergency commissioning and then to a ship.

Bones looked at Spock, "Sir, what does that mean?"

Spock looked at his PADD, "There is an emergency on Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, all the ships in the area are being dispatched; you will each be assigned a vessel. You must report to the shuttle bay, hanger one." The six cadets sprinted in that direction as they were ordered to do.

They got split up, Jamie wasn't shocked, just worried. Jamie, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov were on the Enterprise. Brax and Kelso were going to the Farragut with Gary. Gaila and Kevin were on the Hood. Jamie saw that Thanas guy, he was going on the Hood too.

"Hey, Thanas."

He looked at her, "What do you need, Kirk." This wasn't the arrogant ass they were all used too, he was all business today. She glanced at her green sister and the kid who was always her baby brother.

"Can you keep an eye on Mitchell and Riley for me? I know I have no real right to ask…"

"But they're your friends. I'll won't let anything happen to them. Be safe out there, Kirk."

She smiled, "You too Thanas. And thanks." He nodded and got on his shuttle. After a round of 'be careful' and 'don't do anything stupid' they all went to their designated shuttles. Jamie had this feeling like they all weren't walking away from this.

"It's just a rescue mission, Jim," Bones tried to convince her but she could tell that he didn't even believe that. He tapped her hand when they neared the starbase. "Jim, look. You did that?" Jamie looked out the window and smiled.

"Well, I helped. She's beautiful, isn't she?" Jamie asked. He nodded.

Pike grabbed her right as she came out of her assigned quarters in the command gold dress, "Kirk."

Pike must've just changed uniforms too. "Sir."

They stood next to each other in the turbolift, "I don't know if they told you on the ground but I named you as the ship's second officer."

Jamie looked at him, "People aren't gonna like that, sir." He smiled, "My ship, my officers, my assignments. You more than earned it." They stepped on the bridge and Pike went right into command-mode. "Mr. Spock, status?"

"Captain, Mister Scott reports that engineering is ready for launch," Spock informed him.

"Thank you, Mister Spock. Ladies and gentlemen, the maiden voyage of our newest flagship deserves more pomp and circumstance than we can afford today. The christening will just have to be our reward for a safe return home. Carry on." Pike sat in the command chair and opened the ship-wide intercom, "All decks, this is Captain Pike. Prepare for immediate departure." He closed the intercom and looked at Sulu, "Helm, thrusters?"

Her friend nodded, "Thrusters fired. Separating from space dock… The fleet's cleared space dock, captain. All ships ready for warp, sir."

Pike looked at Chekov, "Set course for Vulcan."

The young Russian's hands flew over the console, "Aye-aye, Keptin. Course laid in."

Pike smiled, "Maximum warp. Punch it." Nothing happened. "Mister Sulu, I know you're a good pilot. What's the problem?" Jamie looked at Sulu, he looked like he was lost, she decided to help him out.

"It's the external inertial dampener," she told him from the tactical console on his left. Sulu mouthed a 'thanks Jamie,' and punched the disengage sequence into the console.

"Ready for warp, sir," Sulu informed the captain. Pike looked like he wanted to laugh.

"Let's punch it," he ordered. The ship launched into warp towards Vulcan.

They were traveling for almost an hour before Pike looked at Chekov, "Russian whiz kid, begin ship wide mission broadcast."

Chekov nodded, "Yes, sir. Happy to." Jamie listened as he tried to log into the system, "Ensign authorization code nine-fiwe-Wictor-Wictor-two." Jamie kept the chuckles to herself but some of the other officers didn't when the system told him that his authorization wasn't recognized. He had more success on his second try, "Ensign authorization code nine-five-Victor-Victor-two." He took a breath and spoke to all hands, "May I have your attention please. Two hours ago, sensors near Wulcan reported an anomaly; vhat appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after zhat, Starfleet received a distress signal from the Wulcan High Command that their planet was experiencing seismic activity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan and assist in ewacuations if necessary. Ve should be arriving at Wulcan vithin six minutes. Zhank you for your time."

No! No, no, no, no, no. Lightning storm. Lightning storm in space. Kelvin. Klingons attacked. Kelvin was near Klingon space. Romulans. It was an attack by Romulans. Kelvin, this was just like the Kelvin. Jamie was piecing the puzzle together in her head; she didn't hear Pike call her name the first few times.

"Lieutenant Commander Kirk."

She looked at him, "Sir, sorry sir."

Pike looked at her, "Is everything okay, Jim?"

She shook her head, "This isn't a rescue mission, sir…. I think… I think Vulcan is under attack by Romulans." Everyone on the bridge looked at her like she was crazy just as Bones walked onto the bridge, apparently, someone called medical. She glanced at him then back at Pike, "This is a trap… We're warping into a trap." Before Pike could ask her what she meant, Spock stepped up.

"Based on what facts?" the first officer asked.

"The anomaly we're tracking today, the lightning storm in space, also occurred on the day of my birth when the USS Kelvin was attacked by Romulans. You know that, Captain. It's in your dissertation. That ship, which had formidable and advanced weaponry hasn't been seen or heard from in twenty-five years. The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space. At twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack, forty-seven Klingon vessels were destroyed by Romulans, sir. And it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship. The pieces fit… this… this is an attack."

"And you know of this Klingon attack how?" Pike asked her.

She looked at him, "Uhura intercepted and translated the message herself, sir. She recorded it I had no choice but to agree with her conclusion after I listened to it. I meant to tell you about it today but Admiral Barnett needed to see us. It was clearly the Klingons getting obliterated by a Romulan ship. We're warping into a trap, sir. The Romulans are waiting for us at Vulcan."

Spock looked at her, than at Pike, "Lieutenant Commander Kirk's logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, accepting her conclusion would be wise, sir." Pike took in what they were telling him, he looked at the guy at the communications console.

"Hawkins, scan Vulcan space. Check for any transmissions in Romulan," Pike ordered.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," Hawkins told him. You've got to be kidding. How the hell does a communications officer not know the difference between two of the most important languages in the galaxy? Pike must have been thinking the same thing.

"Call Uhura up here. Kirk, help him out until she gets here. Your Romulan is pretty good last time I checked," Pike ordered her.

She nodded, "Yes, sir." Jamie crossed the bridge and worked with Hawkins until Uhura got there a minute later; Jamie filled her in. Pike, Spock and Jamie knew that Romulan was Uhura's passion, not only did she speak it but she spoke all three dialects, the captain ordered her to relieve Hawkins. Jamie returned to the tactical console.

"Hannity, hail the USS Truman," Pike told the officer.

She punched in some commands, "All the other ships are out of warp sir and have arrived at Vulcan, but we seem to have lost all contact."

Uhura spoke up from her station, "Sir, I pick up no Romulan transmission... or transmission of any kind in the area."

Jamie glanced at Pike, "Sir, they're being attacked." She was hoping that he was listening to his guts, he knew something was up, it was written on his face.

Pike sat down in the, "Shields up. Red alert."

After a moment of silence, Chekov spoke, "Arrival at Wulcan in five seconds… 4… 3… 2…"

"Holy… Emergency evasive maneuvers Mister Sulu," Pike ordered from his chair.

Sulu's hands were flying over the controls, "Running, sir."

Pike looked at her, "Damage report." Jamie scanned the information in front of her.

"Deflector shields are holding, sir," she told him. Other officers rattled off the status of their sections.

Pike was giving Sulu orders, "Full reverse. Come about starboard, ninety degrees. Drop us down underneath them, Sulu." Pike was referring to a huge chuck of the Mayflower that they just flew beneath; Jamie didn't want to think about the other ships.

"Dear God," Jamie heard Bones whisper from where he was standing, next to Spock's station, holding on to the railing behind Pike.

"Sir, they're locking torpedoes," she warned the captain.

He nodded, "Divert auxiliary power from the port nacelles to forward shields. And give me a status."

Jamie did as instructed, "Shield at thirty-two percent. Shit, we just lost a section of deck six. Those weapons are powerful, sir. We can't take another hit like that."

Pike turned in his chair, "Uhura, get me Starfleet Command."

"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high energy pulse device into the planet's atmosphere. It's signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities," Spock notified them from the science station.

Pike nodded, "Kirk, all power to forward shields. Prepare to fire all weapons."

It was like second nature to Jamie, "On it sir."