GUYS I GOT ASKED TO HOMECOMING WITH MY FRIENDS AND THEY MADE ME A STAR TREK POSTER AND AHHHH
I wake up in my quarters on the Enterprise, except I didn't go to bed here. I went to bed on Starbase 238. I quickly get dressed, finding some clean uniforms in my closet, almost like something had put me on the ship for a reason.
Walking up to the bridge, I don't see anyone walk by. The bridge doors open quickly, and it's eerie to be on the ship. I love the Enterprise, but she's not meant for this level of quiet.
"Keptin!" Chekov exclaims, turning around. He stands on the bridge with Uhura, Chekov and Scotty.
"What's going on?" I ask, stepping out of the turbolift.
"We're in the Neutral Zone, and the fastest we can manage is Warp 3!" Scotty groans. "The engines are damaged, but I cannae find what's wrong! They seem perfect."
"Communications are also jammed," Uhura adds.
"Keep current heading, Mr. Sulu..." I look around. Nothing else has changed.
"All we know is that there's only enough officers to run the ship, sir," Sulu adds.
"Is Dr. McCoy here?" I ask.
"No, sir," Sulu answers. "He and Commander Spock are also missing. Along with Ensign Pike."
"Why us?" I ask, walking around the bridge. "This was obviously a setup. We're far enough from Starbase 238 that it wasn't an accident, and how did we not notice getting pulled onto the ship?"
"Come to think of it, the last thing I remember was going to my quarters after a date with Spock, sir." Uhura looks over at me. "Around 2100 hours."
"I remember putting Demora to bed," Sulu adds. "At 2100."
"Aye. I had a drink at 2100 and went to bed." Scotty sighs.
"And I vwent vwalking, keptin," Chekov added.
"Sounds like everything happened around then. At 2100, I left Alana went to the bar. But I don't remember getting there." I looked around the bridge. "Anything on ship's security cameras?"
"Not that I can find, sir," Scotty answered.
"Then we have a mystery on our hands." I sat down in my captain's chair. "Mr. Sulu, how long until we're clear of the Neutral Zone?"
"Five hours, thirteen minutes, captain," he answers.
"Do you think you can get any more out of the engines?" I ask Scotty.
"No, sir. This is all they 'ave," Scotty answers, shaking his head.
"Well, then. For the next ten hours and thirteen minutes, we'll be lucky not to run into any Romulans." I sigh.
"Captain? A word, please?"
I turn around to find the one and only Carissa Maynard. She waves her arm, and I follow her into the turbolift.
"Yes, Lieutenant Maynard?" I ask.
"It's about that daughter of yours. Alana. Or whatever she is." Carissa sighs, and we get out on the engineering section.
"Sister. What about her?" I fold my arms.
"She's going to come looking for us. I know she is." Carissa walks around the engineering section, occasionally stopping to stare at a screen or make adjustments. "I don't really know her well, but I do know she's attached to you."
"What makes you say that?" I ask, stopping as she suddenly turns around, arms folded.
"Her mom died on the Phoenix. Her dad died when Khan attacked." She sighs. "So she naturally attaches onto the next person she feels closest to- you. I know this because I was the clingy girl. My parents died on the Phoenix, too. I was sixteen."
"Oh," is all I reply with.
"Oh," Carissa repeats. "I know. I clung onto my aunt, and I couldn't let her go for more than a few days. Alana will do anything to keep you by her side. Like what she did on Exaltron. I don't know how far she'll go, though, and that's the dangerous part. She might ask Admiral Archer to scan for us or go further than that."
"She'd steal a shuttle," I realize.
"She'd do what?!" Carissa asked. "That's a little far."
"She went after her dad when Nero attacked," I answered.
"Okay..." I can tell she doesn't believe me. "Anyways, you've got to un-attach yourself from her. I know you care for each other, but..."
"But she can't keep getting herself into trouble," I finish.
"Right." She spins on her heel, and keeps walking. "But, captain-"
"Call me Jim."
"Jim- she might end up doing it herself. The moral is to keep her from doing anything rash. And don't tell her I was on the Phoenix." Carissa sighs. "Thanks for your time."
"You're welcome, but wait- what really happened on the Phoenix?" All I know is that was destroyed seven years ago in 2253.
"All I know is that there was an explosion in engineering. Admiral Pike was then a first officer, under Shane Caudill. Something blew up in engineering, and threatened to destroy the ship. A few people- including unlucky Ianthe Pike- died in the explosion. Everyone else survived," Carissa explains. "I only survived because I wasn't near the blast. But there's something weird about it."
"What?" I ask.
"The explosion acted contained. Readings indicated it should've been bigger, but it was like something held it back." Carissa sighs. "Alana's older sister died, too."
"She had a sister?" I ask. "I never knew that."
"Yeah, she does." She shrugs. "Alima Pike, I think. She was an engineer, too."
"I never knew..." Alana really had no reason to tell me about her sister, especially since she died.
"How old was she?" I ask.
"She was 10 years older than Alana, so... 17," she answers. "Born 2236."
"I think I knew her... she told me she had a crush on me, but I had a girlfriend," I realize. I knew an Alilla once who looked a little like Alana when she had brown hair. "Alilla, I think it was. We met on Starfleet Academy grounds."
"Really? I didn't really know her." Carissa says. "She never mentioned you."
"Huh." I sigh. "Thanks for the advice, Carissa."
"Yeah. No problem." She smiles, kissing me.
I'm a little shocked, because we went to the bar and then did it, but she's cute. I smirk at her, and she laughs.
"If we get back you owe me a drink. See you." She turns around, and I can't help but watch the swing in her step.
I head back up to the bridge, finding no changes.
"Mr. Sulu," I begin, "Any Romulans?"
"Long range sensors are detecting a ship, but we can't tell who they are, sir." Sulu looks at me.
"If that is the Romulans, then we're in trouble."