Janice
Women love James Tiberius Kirk. More precisely, a great majority of women love him. A few others hate him. When he becomes a captain, it will be a joke among Starfleet's people. They'll talk about Jim Kirk, the captain who leaves a woman in tears on each planet he lands. They'll talk about the time he seduced a grove of tree women and spent the night with them. They'll laugh as they tell how a vulture woman seized the captain in her talons and refused to give him back because she wanted to make him her companion and how the crew had to climb a hundred meters tall peak at night to retrieve him. This stuff only happens to the Enterprise, and only to Captain Kirk.
But that's in the future. Jim Kirk is just an Academy's student who's very popular with women, both students and professors. They are strict rules about sexual interactions between Academy's members. Starfleet disapproves of future officers and subordinates entering into a sexual relationship. Marriage and cohabitation are also frowned upon, but not prevented. Of course, these old-fashioned regulations from past centuries cannot prevent flirtation and secret relationships. They could not stop friendship, admiration and desire. And besides, as the whole Federation will learn soon, nothing can prevent James Tiberius Kirk from being noticed by women and men alike.
From his first days at the Academy, Jim sent his big smiles to all the girls he met. They turn around when he walks by and laugh at his confidence. They find him funny and a bit ridiculous.
Janice doesn't think that. From the first time she sees Jim, she knows she's up against an exceptional person. She's in the promotion above Jim's. Several times a year, first and second years are mixed for exercises where they have to collaborate and exchange experiences and knowledge. Often, they must conduct crisis simulations on the deck of a ship, where the second years play the role of officers and the first years play the role of non-commissioned officers and crew members. The goal is to see who can be an outstanding officer and who can obey orders. Janice is too ill to be there the first time, but her friends have told her about this cheeky young cadet who did what he wanted most of the time. According to Janice's best friend, he should have been blamed.
Three months later, Janice almost forgot this story when it's time for the second exercise. The professor gives her the captain's role. Janice nearly panics. Of course, she wants to be a captain, but she knows she doesn't have the skills, not yet. She'll have to go through several other positions first, gain experience, and in fifteen, twenty years maybe, she'll have the job. But today, she's paralyzed. She'll make mistakes. She's not ready, and everyone will see.
The yeoman's role is given to a young black woman she doesn't know, from freshman year. She smiles at Janice.
"I'm Uhura. Nice to meet you, Miss Rand."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Janice. Do you want to be a yeoman in a few years ?"
"speciality at all. My specialty is languages and communications. I wonder why they put me in this place."
"Because it's not your specialty", says a young blond man sitting casually on the communications console.
Janice recognizes him immediately. She saw his photo in the newspapers when he joined the Academy. She remembers the headlines, "Hero's Son Joins Starfleet", "James Kirk on his father's footsteps", "Kirk, Future of the Starfleet?". However, the James Kirk she has in front of her differs from the photo. He smiles more, but there is a harshness somewhere deep in his eyes. No, not hardness, but unwavering determination. The mocking smile almost perfectly hides this resolution, but Janice is very good at seeing the people behind their masks. And what she sees is almost intimidating.
"And what are you supposed to do, cadet?" she finally asks to break the silence.
"Oh, they put me at the communications station. Some people would like me to fail, that's for sure", the young man sneers. "And it's "Jim", not "cadet".
He gives Janice a flirtatious, insolent smile that makes her blush. Uhura rolls her eyes. Instantly, Jim's smile grows. He winks at Janice, who can't help but laugh at this childish game.
"Janice Rand", she introduces herself. "I should be a yeoman after graduation. Are you ready to begin?"
"Always", answers Jim. "Give the order!"
Janice smiles nervously. She introduces herself to the other first-year student playing one of the deck officers and then to her two classmates taking part in the exercise. They exchange a few words, then the wait begins. The teachers always make the students wait to increase their stress and provoke mistakes. It makes sense, of course, as future officers will have to run through many crises, but the psychological tension is hard to bear. With each passing second, Janice's uncertainty increases. She's not ready. She's never going to pass the test.
A professor's voice interrupts her thoughts.
"The simulation will begin," she declares, invisible. "You are the USS Odysseus, en route to Beta IV colony on a medical mission. You carry medication from Earth to meet the needs of the local population suffering from an epidemic. The situation is not critical, but these drugs must arrive safely as soon as possible. You are currently three days away from your goal. Start of the simulation."
The six cadets go to their respective posts. Janice examines the information displayed on her screen, additional data on the ship's condition and the cargo. The other students do the same, and the young woman is calmer now. She knows how to begin the simulation. She turns to the "yeomen," Uhura. The young woman's still reading the data, so Janice calls out to the pilot.
"Karteny, is everything okay?"
"All in optimal conditions, captain. Our speed is constant, and we should arrive at our destination in three days."
"Perfect. Kirk, contact the engine room. I want a report on the situation. Also, ask them if it's possible to increase the speed."
Kirk nods and calls the engine room. A student voice she doesn't know confirms that everything is fine and they can increase speed if necessary. Janice hesitates but gives the order. Then she listens to reports from all her team members. There are no sick or injured, enough reserves for a month, and they're in a quiet corner of the galaxy. Everything is so perfect that Janice wonders what the teachers have in store for them. It must be a disaster scenario. Nothing happens for a few minutes, making it harder not to panic a little. Kirk hums a bawdy tune at his console, and Uhura looks at him like she wants to kill him.
Finally, Kirk has something for them. Janice is almost relieved.
"I got a distress call", Kirk says very professionally, even if he's rolling his eyes. "Trade negotiations went badly on Candar. The two parties demanded arbitration by the Federation. There was a riot and three seriously injured."
"How far away are we?"
"About ten hours away."
Uhura is tapping frantically on her padd to seek information on the planet in question. When she's done, she hands the padd to Janice. She hesitates for a long time. Then she asks Kirk to see if other Federation ships are closer. The young man smiles approvingly at her. He thinks she made the right choice, Janice understands, but she has her doubts. It would only be a detour of a few hours if all goes well, but at worst, they could arrive with a delay of three or four days if the situation degenerates down on the planet.
"Two other ships can be there in a reasonable delay," Kirk says at last. "They can be there in 24 and 32 hours, respectively."
"So we continue on our way", decides Janice, fighting against her anxiety.
She's going to miss everything. Something was going to happen. She made the wrong decision, she's sure. That's when the alarm blast in the room.
"Badger? What's going on?" Janice asks the helmsman, who looks back at her, confused.
"There's nothing on my detectors or my screens."
"I am not detecting anything either", declares the scientific officer.
"Everything is normal."
"Nothing is normal in this ship", Kirk states in an almost annoyed voice.
All the students turn to look at him. Then, spinning in his seat like a kid, Kirk explains that they lost all contact with the engine room two minutes ago and the entire engineering department a minute ago.
"And you didn't report it?"
Janice is choking on her words.
"I wanted to see how long before the alarm began", the young man shrugs. "Normally, the console should receive a signal every thirty seconds, showing all is well on the ships. An alert sounds immediately otherwise."
"That's true", Uhura confirms, and Janice remembers her training is in communications. "If the console has received nothing..."
"Someone made sure that we received nothing. Something triggered the alarm inside the engineering department at level fifteen, but manually, not by the computer." A very unprofessional smile lights up Kirk's face. "We have mutineers on board."
The other cadets look at him, dumbfounded. Janice hesitates, wonders if it's a joke. Finally, she turns to Uhura to ask her if her comrade is serious. Uhura frowns. She leans over the communications console and looks at the information the professors sent them.
"It cannot be a computer failure", she says. "There's an emergency system, it should have taken over. It didn't, so it has been unplugged. As for the alarm..."
"They wanted to warn us they were there", Kirk continues, still smiling. "Our mutineers have a message for us. The good news is that the ship shouldn't explode, but the bad news is that our examiners have concocted a negotiation scenario for us."
"We're supposed to pretend it's real, Kirk," Badger mumbles.
"Enough," Janice said.
Badger was ready to assault Kirk. She has to take control of the situation before it escalates. She takes a deep breath and gives orders to her fake crew.
"We must go back to our problem. Kirk, examine the ship's internal communications, isolate the mutineers, and keep us informed. Uhura, I want a full picture of the situation. For the moment, we continue our journey. Until you're both done, we continue our journey as if everything was right."
She sits down on the command chair and catches Kirk's approving smile. He winks. She doesn't understand him, not even a little. After that, the rest of the simulation goes perfectly well. Contrary to what she might have feared, Kirk does not cause the slightest incident. On the contrary, he brings clear information and proposes practical solutions. Two hours later, Janice and the other cadets leave the simulation room, the negotiation scenario solved.
Janice realizes that it could have gone better. Her grades won't be exceptional, and that's okay. She's an attentive, intelligent student, but she will start at the bottom of the command chain. It doesn't matter, and it suits her. She'll take her time, that's all.
A week later, she receives her results. To her surprise, it's far better than she expected. The examiners' comments speak of growing confidence throughout the test. Better, they command her for good handling of her team despite a slight incident at the start of the test. Janice thinks back about Cadet Kirk's behavior. She realizes he acted like that, not out of disdain for the ordeal, but to help her. He provided her with a distraction to overcome her stress. His performance forced her to focus on the present instead of panicking at the thought of failure.
This is the kind of thing a friend does. But Kirk is a stranger to her. She barely knows him. This cadet surprises Janice, so she tries to learn more about him. From what emerges from conversations she has with other cadets, Jim Kirk is a brilliant student. He passed part of the first and second-year course simultaneously, and he's expected to complete the course in three years. That's impressive. He also has a problem with authority. This young man intrigues Janice, and after a few days, she goes to ask him to explain his behavior. She meets him at the corner of a corridor, his arms full of books. Before she can even try to approach him, he recognizes her and gives her an incredible smile. Physically, he's not her type. But that smile makes her legs falter. She imagines that this kind of reaction must be frequent to this smile.
Cadet Rand, if I remember correctly?" he asks, holding out his hand.
"Janice Rand", she replies. "I had something to ask you, if you have time?"
"Absolutely! I was going to the library. Can we talk as we walk, if you don't mind? I have a two-hour break and an essay to finish."
"Of course. I won't hold you for long!" Janice replies.
She follows him, and silence settles for a few uncomfortable seconds. Janice searches for her words, but the other cadet takes the lead.
"Did you ace that test?"
"No, but it wasn't bad either. I mean, my score was barely average, but it was a pleasant surprise."
"They didn't give you the easiest job to take on."
"That's the point of the game, isn't it? To place ourselves somewhere where we have to confront our weaknesses. For me, it's taking command. It doesn't come naturally to me."
"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. You did pretty well," Kirk answers, smiling again.
"I feel like it's because a cadet tried to get me angry enough that I would forget my stress,"
The younger man's smile widens. Suddenly he looks like ten years younger. Janice sees a teenager very proud of himself. He shrugs, looking her straight in the eye.
"Who knows?" he asks.
"Why did you do that?"
"You looked like you needed it. And I can't resist a pretty girl who needs help", Kirk answers in the voice of someone who wants to get out of a dangerous situation with a joke.
She could keep trying to get a specific answer, but Janice is smart enough to know when to stop. And in a way, she already has her answer. James Kirk is quite simply the kind of man who helps others do their best. Even better, he's one of those people who don't act like this because they want some recognition. It's just who he is. For Kirk, the subject is closed. So, when they arrive at the library, Kirk reviews all she did right in the test and which traps she could have avoided better. A friend of Janice's dismissed Kirk as a "little insufferable genius". Now she can see the extent of this intelligence. James Kirk is an individual she finds quite difficult to define. He's intelligent, attentive, rebellious to authority and charismatic. Janice thinks she'd like that man to be her captain someday. He's someone she could trust, who would push her always to do her best and get better.
When she leaves the cadet at the library entrance, she's determined to follow his career closely.
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Christopher
Captain Pike spends a week in a coma and on several operating tables before he's allowed to wake up. During the first few minutes after waking up, all the drugs in his body keep him in a semi-unconscious state. There is light, and he hears someone trying to speak to him, but he cannot concentrate enough on his surroundings. Unfortunately, the life of a captain being what it is, he's used to this kind of situation. The medicine of its time, despite all its discoveries, still cannot make it easy to wake a patient from a coma or anaesthesia. Pike doesn't try to stay awake. He falls into a much more restful sleep than a coma. Sleep comes to him almost instantly, despite the surrounding agitation.
When he wakes up again, he feels in much better physical and mental shape. He doesn't open his eyes but tries to sit up. However, he finds himself too weak to do so. Natural light gently warms his face, letting him know he's on Earth, or a Federation planet similar to it. Opening his eyes, he discovers a hospital room like he has seen dozens of: nice but blank. The table next to his bed is overloaded with hypospays and reports. The walls are white and empty of life. Pike is alone in there. Before a doctor come to examine him, he's free to panic. He's already worrying about his ship and his men.
Wouldn't it be nice to wake up someday to see a message before him, saying, "your ship is intact, your men are alive, no need to worry"?. Unfortunately, doctors always imagine that a patient's health comes before their duty as captain to those they command and their love for their ship's bridge. Pike reaches for the alert button to signal that he's awake. His move disturbed a man sitting on an armchair near his bed. Pike hadn't seen him while he made a quick survey of the room. Maybe he was too used to waking up alone in this kind of situation. No woman, no parent has been around for a long time.
The person in the armchair has curled up in it to sleep in a most uncomfortable position. The noise Pike made woke him up. The sleeping young man began to stretch to wake up, revealing to the captain the lightly sun-tanned face and blond hair of Jim Kirk. The young man turns to the bed to see what noise has woken him up. He grinned when he sees Pike.
"Captain! It's good to see you awake!"
"Believe me or not, I'm quite glad of that too," Pike replies, unconcerned. "And now tell me how the Enterprise is doing. I trust you and Spock are going to give it back to me in good condition."
The young man's gaze fills with guilt.
"Scotty say it will take three to six months to fix her."
Pike's heart froze in horror. Did that bunch of kids he had under his command damage his ship so badly in a matter of hours? He had to get his hands on a report at all costs.
"What could you have done to put her in such a state?"
Kirk cannot meet his gaze and mumbles a response in which Pike only catches the words 'black hole'. He's about to ask for clarification, he can't think of a single valid reason to approach his ship to a black hole, when a doctor and two nurses enter the room. The young cadet takes the opportunity to slip away, that traitor. As he steps out of the door, however, he turns around and declares, "I take full responsibility for what happened to the Enterprise and its crew, sir."
He better do. Pike doesn't have time to ponder these words any further. He spent the next few hours trying to get the doctors who came to examine him to confess what's wrong with him. The first doctor quickly frowns as he examines him and calls two colleagues to his rescue. Then they whisper as they look at some holopad. No one answers his questions. Pike finally falls asleep once more. He's exhausted and still a little knocked out by his medication.
When he wakes up again, it's the middle of the night. The armchair beside him is empty, but a figure sits very upright on an uncomfortable-looking chair across the bed. In the dark, Pike cannot see the features of the man. He is slightly taller and narrower in shoulders than Kirk, and his head rests on his chest, which rises slightly as he breathes. Then, after a few moments to get used to the dark, Pike recognizes Spock. He's getting angry. He's a grown-up man, not a baby. These two kids who had damaged his ship should not feel obliged to watch over him all day and night.
Still, he refrains from waking the young man to order him to go to sleep elsewhere. He put him in charge of the Enterprise, and the half-Vulcan is probably overwhelmed with work. Pike could always ask him for an explanation when he woke up. He tries to fall asleep again, but to no avail. He tries to move quietly to ease the pain in his lower back, but he cannot. Better not to think about the reason before he can talk to a doctor. So he has to wait for the sun rises. Finally, he feels sleep coming and closes his eyes.
Of course, it's when the door opens. Parting one eye, Pike sees Kirk enter. He pretends to be asleep. Sometimes, you learn a lot more when people don't know you are listening to them. He sees Kirk walk over to Spock's chair and lightly shake his shoulder to wake him up. Spock immediately sits in a straight posture, fully awake. Vulcans.
"Hey Spock," Kirk whispers. "Rise and shine."
The half-Vulcan frowns.
"I'm afraid I don't know that expression," Spock whispers in return. "And I think I have more urgent things to do than trying to understand your convolutions of language."
"Someone get up on the wrong side of the bed today. And yes, it is an expression too, I'll make you a dictionary of those, between a report writing and a crisis meeting. How's Pike?"
"The captain is still asleep."
"I made Bones promise to come by later. Maybe he can do something more."
"The doctor McCoy is very skilled, but it may not be enough. It makes little sense to put too much hope in him."
"Go tell that to a human," Kirk answers with a half-amused smile.
Pike must admit he's surprised. He wouldn't have entrusted them with his ship if he didn't think they would make a good team. Still, he's amazed they're not staring at each other like two dogs about to slaughter each other.
"I'm taking over," Kirk continues. "I want to talk to McCoy, anyway. Go to sleep or meditate, or whatever the Vulcans do to recover."
"I must admit more rest would be the right choice," Spock admits, standing up. "However, I must finish my report first."
Kirk stops him as he's about to exit the bedroom, grabbing his arm. Much to the Pike's surprise, Spock does not reject this physical contact, even when Vulcans loath that kind of behavior from humans.
"I sent you my report on... well, everything that happened. Did you..."
"I read with the greatest attention. However, it still needs to be completed. You have omitted some details."
"You were emotionally compromised, Spock. Knowing that should be enough for the Admiralty, they don't need the details. And if they do, they can ask later. But believe me, given the circumstances, they won't ask you."
Spock's posture betrays his doubts. Kirk sighs.
"There is a distinction between lying and preserving your privacy, Spock. I know it, and the Admiralty too. I will not add a line on this subject to my report. Stick with Pike for a minute, okay? I feel like I'm going to need a strong coffee to start the day."
Spock freezes in the middle of the room, a look of puzzlement on his face. His captain has never seen such incomprehension in his subordinate. He wants to show he's awake. They should have a conversation. But Pike feels sleep coming, and he puts off his discussion with Spock for later.
The following days, he hardly has the opportunity to speak with Spock and Kirk. Most of its visitors are doctors coming to see how his legs and spine are recovering. McCoy bluntly told him on his first visit that he would never walk again without a cane or a wheelchair and that without him, Pike would be happy if he could feel anything at all in his body. Pike was lucky he had one of the best Federation's surgeons aboard the Enterprise. Once Doctor McCoy is satisfied with his condition, he permits him to receive people. From his grumbles, Pike realizes that the doctor may have been able to keep the Admiralty away, but Spock and Kirk had been a whole different story.
Between two rehabilitation sessions, Pike receives a visit from a good part of the Admiralty. They need his report badly. From what they ask, Pike gradually learns what had happened aboard the Enterprise after his departure: failing to save Vulcan, Kirk's insubordination and Spock reaction, Kirk return aboard by a never-tried use of teleportation, Spock's recognition of his emotional distress, and finally the success of a doomed plan to prevent the destruction of the Earth.
That's a lot. Pike struggles to associate the image of the heroes presented to him with the two men he had left on the deck of the Enterprise. Of course, he always saw the potential in Kirk, but it was different to imagine a man's future and see it accomplished. At twenty-five, Kirk showed more composure and humanity in the role of a captain than many men at their careers' end. It's impressive. No one seems to know how to deal with them, the Admiralty, the Starfleet, the media, the Enterprise staff, the entire Federation. Pike is pretty sure some admirals wanted to hold Spock and Kirk responsible for everything that went wrong in the Vulcan rescue mission. Fortunately, they can't. To tell the truth, Pike isn't sure what to do with them anymore.
The next time he sees them, two weeks after Pike's admission in the hospital, he's sitting in his wheelchair in the hospital gardens, enjoying the sun. The two young people, dressed in their uniforms, approach him, with some sort of reluctance for Kirk. Spock, of course, shows nothing of the sort. It's strange to see Kirk in the cadet's red, after everything. They look tired, especially Kirk. He doesn't sleep enough, which is not surprising. He must finish the Academy's course and answer the Admiralty's question at the same time.
When they stop before him, their posture betrays their embarrassment. They act like they're two kids found with their hands in a jar of jam and their faces all red. For the first time since the destruction of Vulcan, Pike wants to laugh, but instead, he frowns.
"Well, gentlemen. I understand that you have done wrong to my ship."
Now there's shame in their eyes. But this time, Pike doesn't contain his smile.
"I'm very proud of you two. You had to face a real Kobayashi Maru and beat it with the worst cards in hand. You can be proud of yourself."
Suddenly, Kirk's posture is straighter. Spock shows no emotion, but Pike imagines he feels the same. They must have had some severe case of impostor syndrome before then. Understandable. They're young, and the Admiralty was too busy trying to understand the facts to congratulate them. Pike is proud to be the first one to do so.
"Be proud of what you have accomplished. Look how many people you have saved", he continues in a stern voice. "Don't tell yourself that you haven't done enough, that you should have saved more people. You can beat a no-win scenario, but never without a loss. It is a hard truth that you will have to accept if you are to become good officers. Your teamwork saved an entire planet, even though we unfortunately arrived too late to save another. And don't you dare feel guilty about me either. I was already an officer when you were hanging around in your mothers' skirts. I can make my own decisions and suffer the consequences."
A small smile appears on Kirk's lips.
"Yet it looks like you still need a nanny to watch you. McCoy's treating you like the weakest kitten in his litter. Isn't it Spock?"
"I think I remember seeing the doctor do the same to you when you sprained your ankle last week while reviewing the progress of the repairs on the Enterprise," Spock replies calmly.
"This man has a problem," Kirk grumbles. "He should not be allowed to come near patients if it is to treat them like that."
"Interesting. You do everything to avoid even the slightest contact with the doctor when you need to, and yet you are so careless about your safety that you end up there, anyway. Human contradictions are fascinating."
Kirk responds with a mocking snort and a smirk. After that, without giving Pike needs time to understand what he had witnessed, but the cadet lists the Enterprise's damages and the repairs' progress. Whenever he hesitates, Spock fills in the data Kirk's need. Between the two of them, they gave the captain a report even more detailed than anything the computer could have given him. It's an impressive display of both their memory and their dedication to the ship.
The entire conversation seems hilarious to him afterwards. There was something almost comical about seeing them finish each other's sentences at times before verbally aggressing each other because their views on some point of the report were diametrically opposed. They're like an old couple whisper an insidious thought in Pike's brain. He doesn't take the time to dwell on that thought. His mind is already moving back to the Enterprise and its crew.
Now, he knew the ship was safe in the watchful hands of Kirk and Spock. So, he had to come to terms with a harsh reality. He wouldn't be back on the deck of a spaceship for at least a year, more likely five. Long years of therapy and office work await him. However, a new, modern ship like the Enterprise couldn't be without a captain all this time, especially after the losses that Starfleet has just suffered. As her captain, Pike could suggest a replacement for the Admiralty. He had concluded that Spock couldn't run the Enterprise. The half Vulcan was too inexperienced but, more importantly, too rigid to do a good captain for now. Pike had half resolved to leave the beautiful lady in foreign hands, but suddenly, a new solution appears before his eyes.
Captain Kirk, hero, son of heroes, a fearless and intuitive soul, assisted by Vice-Captain Spock, hero, cold and analytical mind. It was an unlikely duo that seemed to work. Pike understands that some people on the Admiralty probably had that same idea in mind when they asked him about the two men. It would be a desperate move, but perhaps the most inspired the Starfleet could take.
When he talks to Admiral Archer the next day, the man sighs and hesitates a few moments.
"I'll be blunt. We need someone to take the blame for all this mess. Nero is dead. You were incapacitated too early in action to be the scapegoat we need. Spock is Vulcan, and the general feeling of pity for Vulcans these days protects him as well. Kirk could be the ideal scapegoat: too young, hothead, insolent..."
"Then I'm surprised then that I haven't received his notice of arrest yet," Pike answers in a deadpan tone.
Archer grimaces and glares at him.
"It would have been done for over a week if it were up to me. I don't like it, especially after what his father did for us, but I would have. Luckily, someone gave the story to the press. Haven't you been following the media since you woke up?"
"I avoid it when I can, admiral. The truth is rarely what the media proclaims, and I don't want to see how these vultures use the Nerada incident."
"Well, next time, try to stay informed. Someone saw fit to tell a reporter that Kirk and Spock saved the day. Now all the media praise Kirk as the, and I quote, "the hero Starfleet needed."
Pike suppresses an amused smile.
"I see how that interferes with your plans. Who sold the story?"
"We don't have the faintest idea," Archer admits, letting his anger pierce. "We've had the entire crew questioned, but they all seem sincere when they say they haven't talked to anyone. As their communications were under surveillance to prevent the press from being informed, I believe them. But then who?"
"What are you going to do then?"
"Appoint Kirk captain of the Enterprise, with Spock as a second if he doesn't leave the Starfleet to help the Vulcans rebuild a home and a civilization. If that's the case, we'll find an experienced officer to watch Kirk and prevent him from accumulating nonsense. If Spock stays... well, in six months or less they'll have proven the public and Starfleet they're far from ready for command. So we'll give them a lieutenant position on smaller ships in the fleet. Their career will pursue at a typical rate. As for you, we will appoint you admiral. We can't promote these two without doing the same with their captain. Either way, you probably would have been promoted in a few years. You're a good officer, Pike. One of the best. "
Captain Pike approves the Admiralty's decisions, then thanks and salutes Archer's departure. When he's gone, he sinks back into his chair and puts his head in his hands. His gut tells him that things will not be quite as the Admiral wishes. He wonders, however, who could have contacted the media - a bold gesture, but intelligent according to him - and if we would discover his identity. His thoughts drift to Kirk and Spock. He smiles. These two were going to be a fascinating phenomenon to watch from afar, he sensed it. However, he cannot help to worry about them. Witnessing such a catastrophe as the destruction of Vulcan - and Pike has read Kirk's file, he knows the young man has seen things before that no man should see or experience - can only leave terrible scars.
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Christine
The cadet graduation ceremony that takes place six weeks after the destruction of Vulcan is the most sinister Christine has ever attended. There are desperately few cadets standing at attention on the academy lawn, in front of the flag at half-mast. Each wears a black armband in commemoration of their deceased classmates.
It's not right, Christine can't help but think. Her own graduation the previous year was a joyous moment. But there, half of the promotion has eyes on the ground. They lack sleep; they bear the scars of the fights. Christine remembers a book she read a long time ago, which spoke of sacrificed generations. These people had left as children and had come back as men and women. They had dreams, but now nightmares will haunt them for a long time.
The stars have not always been Christine's horizon. She like life on Earth. It might be less exciting, but Christine is a girl with her feet on the ground. She knows doctors are needed as much on Earth as in space, that people get hurt and get sick just as easily and foolishly here as there. So while adventures can disrupt everyday life when you work in a ship or on a space base, the life of a nurse doesn't really change. There are still bandages, recalcitrant patients, fatigue. Losses, as well.
People die in space as well as on Earth.
Christine has joined Starfleet because the man she loves is in Starfleet, and she refuses space to separate them. She already had several years of nursing studies behind her. Starfleet had accepted her candidacy. Four years later, she had been sent to a space base. Roger was on an exploration ship, so she wasn't seeing him a lot more than before, but she would request a transfer as possible to join him. A year after the start of her active service in Starfleet, she could see that she had been right throughout: being a nurse wasn't different in space.
Today, for the first time, she was happy to have chosen the stars. Well, happy was not the best word here. She was glad. With what had happened on Vulcan, what had almost happened on Earth, her view of the world had changed. Space was a dangerous place. Those who went there needed trained personnel to protect their lives. Christine had knowledge, didn't panic under stress and, more importantly, knew how to deal with sick and injured aliens. Without being xenophobic, many Terran doctors could not predict the psychological reactions of aliens to injury or mental distress. She could. And now that the Federation had just lost some of its medical staff, it needed qualified staff like Christine all the more. If she hadn't already been a member of the Starfleet when Vulcan was destroyed, the young woman was almost certain that she would have signed up immediately afterwards.
And today, she stands in her formal uniform, listening for the second time in two months to the endless list of senior cadets who died in the line of duty. Christine thought to herself that if she'd signed up a year later, if she'd been assigned to a ship instead of a station, her name might be among the dead. This knowledge gives her a duty to the deceased: to protect those who remain.
The officer's voice goes quiet, and a respectful silence falls in the assembly. After several long minutes, he's reciting a new list, the one with graduate cadets. Unlike last year, there is no congratulatory speech, no endless logorrhea about the hope these new officers hold. It would be empty rhetoric today. Some of the new officers in the front row wear medals, but the ceremony was held privately, without cameras or witnesses. Vaguely, Christine remembers the ceremonies after the massacres of Tarsus IV. Then there was the same respectful silence. Still, a public medal ceremony for the hero of the day is scheduled for later today.
When the graduation list ends, all Starfleet personnel present come to attention. Finally, the interminable ceremony ends. Christine leaves the stands with a certain relief. Standing in full sun at midday is hardly pleasant.
Students, old and new, divide into small groups on the campus lawn. Christine recognizes a familiar blonde hairstyle, and soon, Janice Rand falls into her arms.
"Not too disappointed?" Christine asks her, giving her back her embrace.
"No, I expected that. My results have always been a little behind the requirement for me to hope to become a non-commissioned officer. I'm going to get a third-class yeoman post, and I will rise through the hierarchy through experience, that's all."
Christine smiles at her friend. She enjoys this unfailing confidence in the future. The young woman may not be brilliant - she had taken five years to finish the Starfleet course to become a non-commissioned officer - but she's hardworking and determined. In Christine's book, it's much better than what most of these newly graduated geniuses have at their disposal. She does not doubt that one day Janice will become a good officer. But her friend still has to progress.
"I need to introduce you to someone," Janice continues.
"Another boy you fell in love with?"
"No, not at all," answers Janice, blushing. "Why do people immediately imagine..."
"Because I know you and your in love face."
Janice stops and faces her friend, looking extremely serious.
"I'm not in love with him. I'm many things, but not so stupid that I would fall in love with this man. I won't pretend I don't get weak when he smiles, but I haven't yet met a girl that doesn't when he look at her."
"Who is he then?"
"This is the man who will be my captain," Janice said solemnly.
"You already had your assignment? It usually takes a few days."
"Some of us already did. With everything that happened, the command sped up the process. They need new officers and non-commissioned officers to replace more senior officers as quickly as possible."
It's not surprising. The Federation had to show its strength to its adversaries so that they would not invade its borders. Therefore, it needs the most experienced officers to take control of the few ships she still has. Newly promoted cadets, like Janice, were going to fill in the gaps. Christine herself risks receiving transfer proposals to meet the most urgent needs. Even if it took away her hopes of joining her fiancé on his ship, she would agree. The situation is too severe.
"He will not be my captain", Janice continues. "I received my assignment this morning, along with my results. I'm assigned to the USS Asimov. I don't even know the captain's name. No, I'm going to introduce to you is the man who will someday be my captain. I would do whatever it takes to!"
Christine laughs.
"Well, he had quite an effect on you! So, you are not in love, but you want to serve under his orders at all costs. Who is it that you already have such devotion to him?"
"I met him last year during a joint exercise", Janice says with a smile. "He's someone... I immediately knew that he would become an exceptional person. There was something, you know, in his eyes. And hey, the facts proved that I was not wrong. Although I would have preferred that none of this had happened."
Christine is suddenly suspicious. With her luck, Janice must talk about the last person Christine wants to speak with today or any other day. She wants to ask the man's name, but it's already too late. While they talked, the two young women pushed their way through the crowd. Janice taps a young blond man on the shoulder who's talking animatedly with a gorgeous young black woman. He turns around, and Christine represses a wince.
Of course, she was right. Jim Kirk was the crush Janice had developed without telling her during their long-distance conversations over the past year. He offered them the dazzling smile he had already displayed when Christine had met him. Janice greets him cheerfully. Christine wants to take her by the arm and force her to back away. His smile rings fake. It doesn't reach his eyes.
"It's good to see you, Janice," Kirk greets, making the young blonde blush. "So? You graduated too?"
"With the rank of Yeoman third class. I couldn't have hoped for better, so I'm happy."
"Fantastic! And who's your friend?"
Christine hides her feelings. She's pretty sure the question is genuine that the cadet- the ex-cadet rather - does not remember her. His lack of reaction when Janice says her name confirms it. While she shakes hands with the new officer and congratulates him, Christine stares intently at him. Him not remembering her makes the situation even worse.
The young nurse deeply loves her fiancé. They didn't see each other face to face for five years, speaking only when Roger's ship was within transmission range. Despite the distance, her love is as intact as when they met, and his brilliant intellect seduced her. The physique has never interested her in a man. She prefers the calm intelligence of mature men. However, three years earlier, when she was on duty at the academy hospital, she had accepted the proposal of an injured and slightly euphoric cadet under the influence of sedatives to go for a drink on the following day. She never did that. She was too busy with her studies to waste time flirting while engaged elsewhere. But the young man had beautiful blue eyes, a big charming smile and a lot of humour. He was a few years younger than her and a little too big-mouthed to seduce her, but she had agreed. According to campus rumours, Christine should have known from the start that it was a mistake, but she believed the young man was in a relationship. The rumour she had heard about that was a bit exaggerated, she learned after. He never was in a couple for more than a few days. So she said yes, without overthinking it. She was bored, he seemed nice, and there would be no ambiguity between them. Except she had had fun, drank a little too much, him too, she had invited the young man to come to her apartment and...
In the morning, he had left. Christine was left alone to regret her actions and curse the seducer. He never contacted her again. Over the next couple of months, before Christine graduated and joined the stars, she ran into him once or twice as he met his friend Dr McCoy. He never paid her the slightest attention. He didn't seem to remember her, like now.
In truth, she was just as guilty as Kirk. Even though she had drunk a little too much, she was fully aware of her actions and consented. When he started kissing her, Christine's first thought had been for her fiancé, but she had deliberately put it aside. Consciously or not, she resented Roger for always putting his career before their relationship, forcing her to run to catch up with him. That evening, she had wanted to hurt him. Afterwards, however, she could not admit that she had cheated on him. She was ashamed of herself and too afraid to lose him to tell him the truth.
Christine admits it to herself while she pretends to listen to the conversation between Janice and the hero of the moment. She would like to lay all the blame on the young man. But there was no vile seducer, only a mutually agreed act between two consenting adults. She was just one of the first on the long list of women Kirk flirted with during his studies. In that year, Christine had comforted far too many friends, convinced that they would be the one Kirk would stay with. She came to despise him because it was better than admit she was angry with herself.
Now Kirk seems to be a different man than the one who asked if she was sure she wanted him to come to her place. She struggled to bring together the image of the carefree young man with whom she had had that one-night stand that of the hero the Federation had praised for six weeks.
The smile he gives Janice is decidedly lacking in spontaneity and warmth, Christine thinks. However, the way he stands and the attentive gaze he displays while listening to Janice denote a seriousness absent from him when Christine met him. She can only hope that this newly acquired seriousness prevents him from playing with Janice's feelings. She can say what she wants, Janice's desperately in love with the young hero. Christine doesn't know if this love goes back further than the Narada's assault on the Federation, but she's relieved they're assigned to different vessels in the fleet.
"Christine Chapel?"
Hearing her name, Christine looks away from Kirk and Janice and finds herself almost face to face with Doctor McCoy.
"Hello, doctor."
"I did not know that you were on Earth."
He shakes her hand with his usual rude affection.
"I came home to see my family a few days ago. So I thought I could devote a day to come and congratulate some friends on their promotion before I get back."
"That's nice of you, and it's a pleasure to see you again, anyway. Is everything going well for you in your space tin can?"
Christine tells the doctor some anecdotes about the life of a nurse in a space station, then they talk about the illnesses she observed up there and what she thinks about her job. It delighted the nurse to share her opinion with Dr. McCoy. Of all the doctors she has worked with, he's one that she respects the most for his intelligence, his dedication to his patients and his ethics.
"Have you already received your assignment?", she asks when the conversation finally dies.
"Not yet. I can't decide what would be the worst. Getting stuck in a space station or a ship. I imagine it's too much to ask to stay here and scare off new cadets. Hell, I would even rather give lessons than be in space!"
"Lies Bones," Kirk exclaims, joining the conversation. "Everyone knows well that you'll inject yourself with the bubonic plague rather than teaching "ignorant and dangerously incompetent" cadets, I quote you!"
"I had to be part of your crazy adventure," McCoy grumbles. "Nothing can be worse than those few minutes escaping a damned black hole in the making, even teaching."
Christine can't hold back a shiver. Stories are circulating about what had happened aboard the USS Enterprise, each one more crazy than the last, but the reality seemed to be even more incredible. She wouldn't have wanted to go through this. Janice seems to want to press the two men with questions, but she holds back. That's wise. The Admiralty may have ordered them to stay quiet on most of the details, at least for now. An embarrassed silence settles between the four participants in the discussion.
A young Vulcan in whom Christine recognizes Spock, the other hero of the day, comes to rescue them. He's accompanied by the other protagonists of Nero's defeat, all wearing the Medal of Exceptional Bravery on their chests. Oddly, Kirk does not wear it. Christine is appalled by their youth. Except for the doctor and one other man, none of these men and women is over twenty-five or twenty-six.
Why, she wonders, did such a heavy fate have to rest on the shoulders of these young people? Even at the height of her nearly twenty-eight, she still feels young and inexperienced. These heroes, praised by all, look like children forced to become adults too quickly. Everything from the way they moved to their gaze betrayed their uncertainty. Christine is a nurse, she recognizes the signs. They're still in shock.
"Time to go, already?" Kirks asks. "Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye. It was nice to see you, Janice, Miss Chapel."
After a quick salute, Kirk walks away, closely followed by his companions. Christine follows their progress and quickly understands that the young people circulate in a tight group while pretending to discuss to avoid the few journalists accepted on campus for the ceremony. Since they set foot on Earth after the destruction of the Nerada they must undoubtedly be the prey of journalists in search of an interview of the heroes. From behind, protected from intruders by McCoy and the others, Kirk suddenly seemed fragile to Christine. If he had stood proud and upright as he spoke with Janice, looking like the perfect hero, he and Spock now seem to take advantage of that protective screen to breathe and recollect. Christine doesn't want to like Kirk, but suddenly she feels pity for him. She can imagine how hard it is.
Janice distracts her by apologizing for leaving her. Like all her promotion, she's invited to attend the medal ceremony even though she wasn't there. Janice was ill that day, which probably saved her life. Apart from this meager promotion of survivors, only a few Federation officials and journalists received an invitation. Christine kisses her friend's forehead, suddenly veiled with sadness. When she's alone, she goes in search of other acquaintances in the crowd.
Traditionally, the graduation ceremony ends with a buffet attended by almost all the Starfleet officers. For them, it's an opportunity to interview the graduates and decide who they want on their crew. While she sneaks between a few groups to get a drink at the nearest buffet, Christine overhears some gossip, to which she is not paying attention until she hears Kirk's name.
"After what he did to stop the Narada, I expected him to be rewarded, of course," said an officer with his back to Christine. "But to make him a captain! And of the Enterprise on top of that! The flagship of the fleet!"
"Everyone expected him to be appointed vice-captain on a ship. Honestly, after the talent he showed up there, I would have understood and approved. But this is going too far. We suffered many losses, but there are enough experienced officers in the Starfleet not to name a twenty-five-year-old captain. I've been waiting for promotion for three years to become a lieutenant, and he's a captain just like that. It's incredible."
Christine walks away, just as stunned as the officer. Last time, she determined Kirk was a man unable to take on responsibility. He had a daredevil attitude more suited to a teenager half his age. That the Admiralty trusts him enough to give him the Enterprise in the current situation is incredible. Around the young woman, the promotion of Kirk is now on everyone's lips. She picks up snatches of conversation as she continues to advance in the room.
"… will break under the responsibilities."
"Too young !"
"The youngest captain in history! What do you think..."
"... Cheated at the Kobayashi Maru. I imagine they preferred to pretend it didn't happen now."
"-Why him and not me? I too..."
"He's Pike's favorite pet."
"He will crack under pressure, mark my words. I give him six months."
There are voices to praise Kirk's promotion, but Christine barely hears them. She's disgusted by those critics. Granted, she isn't sure the young hero is up to the task, but hearing the wolves tear their victim apart out of petty jealousy is something she hates.
Outside, far from the suffocating crowd, Christine breathes again. Soon, the guests will spread out on the lawn to enjoy the freshness of this early summer evening. At the moment, she is alone and enjoys the silence. While sipping her drink, the young woman leans over the railing of the stairs. Contrary to what she thought, she is not alone. Below her, seated on a bench, someone is sitting. By the light that escapes through the bay windows, she recognizes Kirk. His back is arched as if crushed by a too heavy load. Christine's first instinct is to leave as discreetly as possible. But she fears that he would hear. He doesn't need to know someone saw his moment of weakness. Still, an ill-suited curiosity prompts her to lean more forward. She can see a glass next to Kirk, and a plate on which rests a small pyramid of toast and appetizers. Both are visibly intact. The young man takes one toast but is seized with a wave of nausea. He puts it down with visible disgust even in the dark. His hand shakes. Kirk grabs it brutally and slams it onto his leg, but the shaking visibly persists.
Christine is a nurse. She's trained to recognize the signs of emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. How much, she wonders, can a human endure when nothing has prepared him for it? Kirk may be a hero, but he's still a man. He should be treated as such. A hero isn't a statue to praise.
The sound of footsteps makes Kirk and Christine tense, but it's only doctor McCoy, a glass in his hand, walking towards his friend. Under Christine's gaze, Kirk morphs, straightening up suddenly, his eyes shining with a resolute sparkle again. Her retreat covered by McCoy's voice, Christine slips away as discreetly as she can. The next day, she sends a message to Doctor McCoy, out of medical conscience and genuine concern.
"I know it's not really my place, but some of the Enterprise crew looked quite shaken. Has psychological follow-up been put in place?"
The doctor responds quickly with a terse, "I'm in control of the situation."
That answer is hardly reassuring. McCoy was there, too. The fire of battle strengthens some people, but it breaks others. Christine prays that Kirk and McCoy are in the first category. She may have no friendship for Kirk, but she hated to see him struggle to show his friends the image of the strong leader when he needed support. She feels sudden respect for him. She hopes he'll heal. If he does not put a phaser on his temple in the coming months, this one is called upon to do great things. She hopes he'll live to be that man.