Stardate:225778.21.369863

Jamie shuffled and made her way through the crawl space opening the hatch of her destination.

"Lass, are you alright?" came Scotty's voice through her earpiece.

"Just peachy!" she hated the crawl space but she was on a one-woman mission currently. Finally she hauled herself up onto the engineering deck.

She opens up her PADD linking it to the central computer system. Jamie forces herself to remain calm. She closes her eyes and whispers: "Sorry Christopher," before she starts hacking into the system. She turned to the ship's computer, issuing a series of commands to lock down non-essential areas and restrict access to critical systems. The screens flickered to life, showing the status of the ship's various sections. Setting everything she possibly could to need her authorisation code so that she get the computer to change randomly every time it was used.

She hails the closest Starship she can find, she doesn't care that it's Admiral Blackwell's ship at this very moment and she knows the risk she is taking at this very moment will result in her being kicked out of Starfleet once help arrives - the safety of the crew members left on this ship outweighed the risk. Pike had told her, that her father had been Captain for approximately twelve minutes saving eight hundred lives, including his wife and their newborn daughter - Jamie: Pike had dared her to do better.

"This is acting Captain Jamie Tabitha Kirk of the USS Enterprise - I have not got a lot of time for explanations. First Officer Garrett has betrayed us all - severely injuring Captain Pike who is currently rendered unconscious and has killed all the other Senior members of the crew. Garret is steering the Enterprise deeper into The Vidiian's territory with intentions of selling the remaining nine hundred souls left aboard to them. We could really use some help right now."

"What do you need?"

"I have a plan to get a lot of the crew out, I need someone to pick up the shuttles I manage to launch. Then I need a distraction - a big one to help me get the victims who are currently in the line of sight out. Contact this PADD directly. I have it linked to my earpiece. I may not be able to respond but I can get you onboard this ship if need be."

"We're on our way - Hang in there Kirk!"

'Time to start overriding every system and start getting people to safety.' Jamie thought to herself cutting her hail. "God I hope this works."

Jamie shot up from her bed, she had been dreaming about it again.

"Computer what is today's Stardate?"

"Stardate 226278.21.369863."

Jamie swore. Of course, it was. Her body and mind had known before she in reality caught up. It had been five years since he - Jamie did not want to even think of his name and it always brought a vile taste to her mouth when she spoke it - Jamie groaned. She should have realised sooner. That was what the recent uplift in mood and hype was over - in six months from now five years ago she had taken the Captain's oath officially releasing Pike from his duty - technically her fifth anniversary was today.

Jamie wasted no time, getting herself up and ready for the day and making her way to the mess hall. Jamie pushed her scrambled eggs around her plate, watching them form little yellow mounds. Her fork scraped the ceramic, but she barely noticed the sound. Instead, she stared out the window, lost in thought, while her breakfast grew cold.

Bones is going to be so disappointed in her. It's hard for her to eat properly - ever since Tarsus IV.

"Is -?"

His voice surprised Jamie so much, that she toppled backward, hitting her head whilst her breakfast tray landed on the floor with a clang.

"Forgive me, Captain, I did not intend to startle you so."

Spock. She should have known it was Spock.

Where was the hyperawareness she usually had when his body was in close proximity to her own. Bones swears down she has a crush on him, and teases her about it all the time. Jamie would hate to admit it but she's started to think that he might be right. Ever since they started working closely - well more - closely together, Jamie has been waiting for him to second-guess every move she makes and do so in a manner that would undermine her authority. Spock does none of these things. He adapts to the human needs around him, he allows the staff under his supervision to rely on him as she allows all the crew to rely on her. Spock still stands straight and his posture still stiff but the staff knows they can go to him now. It's freed up so much of her time that she's usually on time for her shifts for Spock had sorted out any issues before she even knows of them. Spock had overnight become one of the most respected officers in the fleet. To begin with she thought he was after her job. She'd never seen Bones laugh so hard at her before after ranting to him about it.

With a swift yet gentle motion, Spock has lifted her up and back onto her feet.

"Are you injured?"

Jamie grimaces a little as she touches the sore spot on her head. "No more than usual."

"I'll escort you to the med bay. Doctor McCoy should check you over -"

"I'll be ..." Jamie stopped her sentence short. She thought Bones's look of displeasure was bad. He had nothing on Spock.

"Good news, you're absolutely fine."

"So I can go now?" Jamie said. She had a feeling she was going to need Bones to verbally confirm it. Her Vulcan First Officer had firmly insisted she be checked over. If Bones said no she got the gut feeling Spock would have something to say with how Jamie usually ignored Bones.

"Yes but before you go to the bridge I need to ask Spock a favour."

"To what extent Doctor?"

"Yeah, what do you need Spock for? What am I all of a sudden? Chopped liver?"

"Can you come with her every time she visits my hospital? You've assisted me by making my job so much easier, for she listens to you."

"No, he cannot." Jamie says firmly, at the same time Spock says, "I'll try my best doctor."

Since when was her best friend buddy-buddies with her First Officer? This was news to her. Had she completely missed something? That or she had hit her head harder than she thought. She was about to tell Bones just as much when she thought better of it. She did not need to give Bones any ammunition that could change his mind and keep her here after all.