The Tale of Garrett

The room is dimly lit, a chessboard sits on a small table between two chairs, its pieces mid-game. Jamie sitting opposite him. She had been awfully quiet as of late. Most unusual for her.

Spock moves a piece with precise deliberation. "Your move Jamie."

Jamie stares at the board, brow furrowed, eyes unfocused. Her hand hovers over a piece but doesn't move.

"You appear to be distracted."

Jamie looks up and meets Spock's gaze. There's a weariness in her eyes, a shadow of something deeply troubling. She sighs deeply, opens her mouth then closes it again looking lost in thought.

"Ashayam?"

Jamie closes her eyes, tilting her head back and her face grimaces as though she is in pain.

"Should I call for Doctor McCoy?"

"No!" Jamie looks back at him giving him her full attention and shaking her head. "He'll only - "

She's biting her lip now. Spock is uncertain, he wants to know how to help her. Jamie rubs at her face.

"I had a call from Admiral Pike the other day that unsettled me."

Jamie was looking at the chess board now. Hiding her gaze from him.

"He advised me that I should speak with you about it, but I ... I don't want you to think less of me."

"T'hy'la, unless you tell me what troubles you so, I cannot answer that. Have you done something you believe I would not like?"

"I broke a lot of rules Spock. If I'm going to tell you about this - you need to understand I had very good reasons."

"Jamie know that what you tell me you can do so in the strictest confidence, I will think no less of you than before despite the rules you broke."

Jamie tips her King over. "What do you know about Stardate 225524.6.57534247?"

"I can think of no reason why I should know that Stardate in particular."

"That was my first official day of classes with Starfleet and where I met - where I met someone who would cause one of the darkest days ever known to this ship. The reason why I became Captain, Pike is an Admiral and we had no First Officer for three years."

"I thought - I heard that you couldn't decide between the staff you already had."

Jamie shook her head. "That's one part of the reason. The other was due to not wanting to make the same mistake Pike did. He trusted where he shouldn't have Spock. It's why I hand-pick the missions, why I hand-pick the staff."

"The person you met ... betrayed you."

"He betrayed everyone." Jamie said, "There are days I wish I had tried harder to make Pike understand what I could see. Pike thought I was just jealous after he busted my ass for reprogramming the Kobayashi Maru. You must understand, however - for I don't want you to think less of Pike. I had nothing to go on in the beginning, just my gut instinct. But I'll never forget the day I met Matthew Garrett."

INT. CODING CLASSROOM - MORNING

The room buzzes with the nervous energy of students on their first day of coding class. The walls are lined with posters of code snippets and inspirational quotes about technology. Rows of desks equipped with brand-new laptops face a whiteboard where the instructor is setting up. Jamie, a bright-eyed young woman and eager walks in, scanning the room for a seat.

She spots an empty desk near the front and makes her way over, setting down her backpack. As she takes her seat, she notices another student walking in. A young man, who looks around the same age as her. He exudes an air of confidence, his posture is straight, and his eyes sharp. He wears a smirk that seems permanently etched on his face.

She watches as he saunters over and sits at the desk directly next to her. They exchange nods, a silent acknowledgment of each other's presence.

"Welcome, everyone, to Intro to Coding! My name is Professor Adams, and I'm thrilled to have you all here. Let's start by introducing ourselves."

The introductions begin, and Jamie tries to focus, but she can't shake the uneasy feeling creeping up her spine. It's Mr. Smug's turn.

"I'm Matthew Garrett." the man next to her says, "I'm here because coding is the future, and I want to be at the forefront of that revolution."

His voice drips with confidence, almost arrogance. Jamie's jaw tightens.

"Great, Matthew." Professor Adams said, he then gestures to Jamie, "And you?"

"I'm Jamie Kirk. I'm excited to learn and see where this journey takes me."

The instructor nods, moving on to the next student. Garrett leans over to Kirk, a sly grin on his face.

"Excited, huh? That's cute. You'll need more than excitement to keep up in this class."

Jamie's eyes narrow. "We'll see about that."

The instructor begins the first lesson and Jamie tries to focus, but Garrett's presence is distracting. Garrett occasionally leans back, tossing casual, arrogant glances her way.

"Alright, everyone. Let's start with a simple program. Open your laptops and follow the instructions on the screen."

She did not need to be told twice and dived straight in, fingers flying across the keyboard. She glances over at Garrett, who seems to be working effortlessly, the same smirk never leaving his face.

A few minutes in, Garrett finishes. He leans back in his chair, stretching, and glances at Jamie's screen. "Need any help? Looks like you're struggling there."

Jamie bites back a retort, focusing on her screen. She had finished too. "No, thanks. I'm good."

Garrett chuckles, turning back to his own screen. The class continues, but the tension between Jamie and Garrett is palpable.

INT. HALLWAY - AFTER CLASS

The students spill out of the classroom. Jamie hurries down the hallway, eager to get away from Garrett, but Garrett catches up to her.

"Hey, Kirk. Don't take it personally. Some people just have a natural knack for this stuff."

Jamie stops, turning to face Garrett. "Yeah, and some people have to work for it. Doesn't make them any less capable."

Garrett's smirk fades slightly, replaced by a calculating look. "We'll see how long you can keep up."

Jamie watches as Garrett walks away, feeling a mix of determination and irritation.

Jamie had been pacing the length of her quarters throughout her tale, her steps growing more agitated with each turn. Spock's eyes followed her pacing for a moment, studying her for a moment.

"You lied... about how good you were with coding."

She nods. "I lied. I could have finished the instructions given to us in under thirty seconds. Garrett was always... different. Arrogant, manipulative. Even back then, he had this way of making you feel like you were always one step behind. From the moment he walked into that classroom, I just knew - so I never trusted him. The way he looked at people like they were all just pawns in his game. Even then, there was this… coldness. Like he didn't care who he had to step on to get ahead."

Spock's curiosity piqued.

"And now there's a recruit that Pike is keeping his eye on because he reminds him of Garrett, his record is pretty much immaculate, his skills, even his demeanor... they're eerily similar - similar to Garrett."

Spock moved swiftly, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder, halting her frantic pacing. Jamie looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes as Spock leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Jamie's tension melted under Spock's touch, the frantic energy dissipating as she met Spock's steady gaze.

"And this troubles both Pike and you so."

Jamie nodded. "Yes, because I haven't told you everything yet. Garrett is the reason we had no First Officer for three years - well four according to Bones - the year in which we were grounded."

"There were all sorts of rumours I paid no attention to surrounding the reason for Enterprises grounding. The only one that was of any interest was that a new Captain had been assigned. You."

"None of those rumours had come close. It is highly classified what happened during Stardate 225778.21.369863, but given the news Pike thinks you ought to know about it. It's not a day I like to talk about the day I call The Taking of the Enterprise. It all starts with "Number one" -" Jamie starts, "sorry - Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh, being medically out of commission I suppose."