Chapter Fourteen

AILA

                “And you know, if you feel like you need to talk to someone other than the ship’s counselor, you can talk to me, right?” Leo said, finishing up my medical evaluation. He would have normally done the initial psychological evaluation, but being that I was female, recently been through some crazy a*s s**t, and we had just signed on a ship counselor, that kind of fell into her realm now.

                “Yes, I know, but I’m fine.” I replied. He gave me a look that said bullshit. “Promise.” I insisted, giving him a weak smile.

                “Yeah, ok. Whatever. But you seem to be all healed up. Probably gonna still be a bit sore for a couple more days, but that’s to be expected. Now march over to that counselor’s office and be quick about it, you aren’t going to want to be late for your first report with Scotty. God knows that man loves to work and will put you to work as soon as you report.” He waved me off finally and I headed in the direction, or at least I thought it was the direction, of the ship’s counselor’s office. It was a new position to begin with, so my understanding of the Enterprise’s layout held now meaning as to where I might find her office, I just assumed it would be near the bridge somewhere.

Well this oughta be fun. I thought to myself before I rang the bell to Dr. Raina Troi’s office. I didn’t exactly want to talk to anyone about the event. That’s what I was calling it anyway, the event. I just wanted to forget about it in general. But orders are orders.

 

SPOCK

                It was good to be back onboard the Enterprise. If I were human, I would say it felt fantastic. However, being Vulcan, it was simply good. Not felt good, just good. I would be able to resume my normal duties, as the first officer to Captain James T. Kirk and the Enterprise, and that was good.

                I had already checked just about everything I needed to check. The last place I needed to make my rounds on was, as my usual schedule for undocking went, the very place that was my duty station. The Bridge.

                “Report, Mr. Spock?”

                “Engineering reports ready to undock, Captain. All personnel are accounted for, including the ship’s new counselor, Dr. Troi.” I added, looking at Dr. Raina Troi. The ship’s counselor was a new position, one I did not understand the necessity of. She was not trained in combat, had no scientific or engineering experience, and although she held a doctorate, she knew nothing of physical medicine. Dr. Leonard McCoy had previously been the ‘counselor’ when needed, as other medical personnel were also, having been trained in xenopsychology. This new position was not logical, but it was mandated by Starfleet, and as such, we were forced to comply.

                It may have also been an illogical, yet personal, detachment of the whole position given the person. Dr. Troi was a half-betazed woman. An empath. Vulcans and empaths rarely, as Jim would say, ‘got along’ with one another. It was based on our species’ psyiology. Vulcans were telepaths who controlled and suppressed their emotions, betazeds were empaths, open and free with their emotions, and the emotions of others around them.

                “Ahh, yes, Dr. Troi. How are finding the Enterprise and her crew?” The captain asked, turning to face the woman.

                “I find the crew to be in high spirits. It seems they are rather excited with the Enterprise having been finished with its repairs and already receiving a new mission.” She answered with delight.

                “Yes, yes, I suspect we all are. And your report, Dr. Troi? Have you completed your first round of mandatory psyc evals?” Captain Kirk asked, his captain’s persona fully present in his questioning.

                “My schedule has been completed for this evening, captain.” She replied, taking a seat at his left. The seat opposite mine.

                “Very good, very good. Mr. Sulu engage thrusters, prepare to undock.”

                “Thrusters engaged, captain, undocking commencing.”

                “Bridge to Engineering.” Kirk said via the com.

                “Engineering here.” It was not Mr. Scott’s voice that sounded through the com panel on the captain’s chair, it was Aila’s.

                “Ms. Mor, where is Scotty?” the captain asked.

                “Busy, captain. It seems Keenser climbed off near the warp engine containment room and is hiding from him.” She answered, hesitation sounding in her voice.

                “Right. Well, give me warp 6.”

                “Warp 6 it is, captain.” Aila responded confidently now.

                “Kirk out. Alright Sulu, lay in a course for New Vulcan and get ready for warp 6.”                Sulu quickly and expertly obeyed the captain’s orders.

                “Course plotted and laid in sir, warp 6 ready.” Sulu responded, looking over his shoulder when he was finished.

                “Engage.” As soon as it was orders, Sulu took us off into space at warp 6. It was a familiar feeling, and a very welcome one.

                “So, Mr. Spock, got any plans for while we’re at New Vulcan?” The captain turned towards me, making casual conversation.

                “My plans, captain, coincide with our orders, as you well know. I will attend the diplomatic conference with you, after which, I know you will attend a private meeting with Ambassador Selek, to which you will invite me to, but I will decline. Also, as you know, I will meet with Ambassador Sarek, privately. We will continue with the diplomatic conference until its ending, at which time Starfleet will have given us our next mission and we will depart New Vulcan.” I replied, knowing he already knew my plans.

                “Come off it, Spock, we both know that’s the official record. I want to know what you’re going to be doing off duty!”

                “I hardly consider this the appropriate time to discuss my private affairs, captain.”

                “That’s a bullshit answer and you know it, Spock.”

                “I fail to understand how a bull’s defecation has any bearing on the current topic of conversation, captain.” I knew this line of answering would eventually make him cease speaking to me about private matters in front of the bridge crew, and I also knew he was well aware that I understood is colloquialism.  

                “Right, well then, boring shift it’ll be.” He said, grabbing his PADD, presumably to read over the documents concerning the diplomatic conference being held on New Vulcan.

                In truth, I would have answered the captain’s queries regarding the details of my plans for our stay at New Vulcan, but I did not wish to discuss them in the company of Dr. Troi. I did not feel it necessary to provide her with any more information regarding my person than what was absolutely mandated by Starfleet regulations. As it was, that information to be shared with her in respect to myself was nothing. As a Vulcan, in control of their emotions functioning on a higher level with logic, it was not mandated for me to see the counselor.

                That particular segment of the regulation was very much agreeable to me.

 

AILA

 

                “Keenser this is the last straw! You’ve climbed up there three times in the last two hours! Get down from there already!” I heard Scotty yell. Ah, this was going to be a good position. A good job, and fun.

                “Aila, do ya think ye can convince ‘im to come down? He won’t listen ta me fer nothing” Scotty asked, turning towards me. I looked over at him and offered a smile.

                “I can try, but if he won’t listen to you, what makes you think he’ll listen to me just because you ask me?”

                “Well, ye can very well try, now can’t ye?” He glared at me half-heartedly. He knew Keenser liked me, and that Keenser was just giving him a hard time. But wasn’t he always?

                “Oh, alright then.” I got up out of my chair and walked towards the warp drive engine. “Hey, Keenser, if you come down from there I’ve got a surprise for you.” I whispered the bribe, hoping Scotty wouldn’t hear me. No such luck.

                “And what surprise would that be lass?”

                “Oh, nothing too much, just a Hershey’s bar.” I smiled devilishly at Scotty. His jaw dropped.

                “Ya mean ta say you’ve got real chocolate and ye’ve been holding it out on me?”

                “Maybe.” I looked up to where Keenser was and sure enough, he was climbing down. “Here ya go buddy.” I produced the chocolate I knew Keenser so loved and handed him the bar when he completed his descent. “Maybe you should try bribing him more to not climb?” I looked over at Scotty.

                “I don’t know how ya knew. No one ever guesses that.” He looked at me incredulously.

                “I’ve been working with you for the past year, and that includes Keenser. I think I’ve had enough time to learn he loves chocolate.” I laughed.

                “Just another reason why you’re my second in command down here, lass.” Scotty laughed as he walked to his office. I looked down to Keenser who had already finished half of the chocolate bar and chuckled. Boys. I thought to myself. All men are boys at heart.

                Just as I started to walk towards Scotty’s office to join him in looking over the new schematics of the warp engine upgrades I was thrown to the floor when the ship shuddered. Something had just been deflected off our shields and the red alert alarm started blaring through the ship.

                Well s**t. This can’t be good.

                “Bridge to Engineering report.” I heard from the com panel immediately after the initial blow. I ran towards the computer diagnostics system located next to the com panel and shifted through the automatic reports quickly.

                “Shields are down to 68%, minor damage to port nacelles, captain.” I returned.

                “Right. Where the hell is Scotty at?” He blared.

                “One moment, captain. I was nearest the com panel.” I replied, then ran to Scotty’s office. I looked in, he was unconscious. I touched the button on the com panel in his office.

                “Engineering to Dr. McCoy.” I said breathily and rushed over to com.

                “McCoy here, go ahead,” I heard Leo’s voice come back through the com, calm but questioning.

                “Scotty was knocked into a wall from the hit to our shields, he’s unconscious.” I replied, knowing that Captain Kirk would overhear this information as well. Dreading what it might mean. Knowing what it did mean for me at the current moment. I was now in charge of the engineering section, and it was my very first shift on the Enterprise.

                “Lt. Mor this is the Captain. You’re in charge of Engineering right now as Scotty is unconscious,” I heard the captain say over the panel just as a medic came rushed into the office and started an initial exam on Scotty, quickly deciding to transport him up to the Med Bay. I nodded in the medic’s direction, acknowledging the need. “I need those shields up with as much power as you can give me right now. I don’t know who’s shot at us, but I don’t doubt they’ll try it again.”

                “Roger. Diverting auxiliary power of port nacelles to forward shields now, captain.” My fingers moved deftly over the console located in Scotty’s office doing just that when another volley hit the ship.  “Starboard shields reduced to 75%, captain, rerouting power now.” I said, still moving my fingers swiftly over the console, wondering just what the hell was going on, and worrying about Scotty.

                Who’s shooting at us? I asked Spock telepathically.

                We do not know. But I need to concentrate. We are attempting to locate the ship. I will let you know more when I can.

                Okay. I returned back to the console, analyzing the data, quickly realizing what the ship that was firing on us was doing. I did not like it.

                “Ensign Bar and Ensign Greene, I need you both on opposite consoles monitoring shield power, and ready to reroute power from port and starboard shield banks and nacelles as quickly as possible on my order, understand?”

                “Yes, ma’am!” They sounded simultaneously then ran off to their respective stations.

                “Engineering to Bridge!” I yelled over the com, hoping someone would hear me just as we were hit again. “Bar, Greene, begin power transfer now!” I yelled in their direction.

                “Bridge to Engineering, what is it?” The captain’s voice asked, sounding a bit irritated.

                “They’re trying to slowly reduce shield power by targeting each side respectively, they have to be in a neutral position, probably hidden behind” another volley hit us, “Bar, Greene, again!” I yelled over to them again then continued my transmission to the captain, “whatever is large enough to throw off their signal, but small enough to allow them to fire at us. Their weapons aren’t that powerful, just enough to cause one large pocket of drawback at first, you’ll notice,” another volley hit again, at this time I looked over to Bar and Greene and they simply nodded in response, understanding what was expected of them, I continued speaking to the captain, “the hits keep decreasing in power. I’ve got the shield situation under control, but once they stop, they’re going to make a run for it, so you need to catch them within the next three volley’s, which is when their weapons systems will either power down, or they will realize their hits are no longer effective enough to damage us, or they’ll be out of our grasp.” I finished just as another volley hit our shields. I was starting to get pissed.

                “Roger that, Ms. Mor, and uh, thanks. Kirk out.”

 

SPOCK

 

                “Spock, analysis?” The captain asked me, questioning if Aila’s evaluation held any merit. It did.

                “Her assessment and conclusion are logical, captain.” I responded, she had figured out what was going on before I could voice my own assessment of the same nature to the captain. I was indeed impressed.

                “Well, I’ll be.” The captain murmured to himself before turning to Chekov. “Did you find it, Mr. Chekov?”

                “Yes, keptin. Given ze appraisal Lt. Mor haff provided and ze trajectory of ze volleys, I haff finally pinpointed the location of ze ship which is firing upon us.”

                “Good, lock phasers on target. Lt. Uhura lock onto their signal and attempt to hail them.”

                “Phasers locked on target, captain.” “No response to hail, captain.”

                “Well f**k.” Captain Kirk whispered to himself just as another volley hit the ship’s shields again. “Fire at their weapons’ systems and engines. Obviously they want to f**k around with us and Mor’s right, they’ll skip right on out of here, so we won’t let them.”

                The orders were followed as such with 100% effectiveness.

                “Weapons systems are down, captain.” “Engines are reduced to impulse power. They won’t be going anywhere we won’t be able to see and follow, captain.”

                “Good. Good. Uhura, try and hail them again.”

                “They are responding to our hail, captain.” Nyota responded.

                “Good. On Screen.”

                The image of a Denubian man quickly came over the main viewer. To say that the Denubian appeared displeased would be considered an understatement.    

                “This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Federation of Planets. Mind telling me who you are and explaining why you are deliberately firing on our ship while clearly well within Federation territory and as a member of the Federation yourself?” He had his captain face on, his angry captain’s face.

                “I am Phloxis the fifth and I am firing upon your Federation vessel because the Federation is responsible for the death of my wife Bluaxia.” He answered purposely.

                Looks were shared across the bridge. Confused looks. There was a moment of silence.

                “I fail to understand why that would require you to fire at a vessel of which I can assure you had no bearing on the fate of your late wife.” I offered, stepping into view.

                “Counselor?” Captain Kirk asked in a hushed tone over his shoulder, attempting to gather information based on her empathic skills. Apparently he had taken the time to read her file; this stunned me.

                “He believes what he is saying. He is acting with conviction.” She replied in the same hushed tone.

                “Your ship is of the Federation, therefore, you are part of the problem.” Phloxis the fifth answered in reply to my statement.

                “Well, as your weapons and engines are no longer operable, be prepared to beam over to our ship and processed through the brig. I see by our sensors you are alone on your ship. You will be tried in a Federation court for your crimes. Kirk out.” The captain replied with swift anger.

                “Bridge to Security get a team prepared and report transporter room 6 to process the prisoner once he is beamed aboard. Transporter room 6, standby to beam aboard the prisoner.” He said, before turning to me. “What the heck do you really think that was about? We could have killed him.” He shook his head, I took this to mean he had posed a rhetorical question and did not require an answer. I remained silent. “Transporter room 6, beam the prisoner aboard.”

                “Bridge to Engineering. Report.” I touched the com panel on the captain’s chair, knowing he would have done the same in a moment anyway.

                “All good here, Commander.” Aila’s voice came over the com once again. “Plan worked. Our shields will be powered back to full in less than ten minutes.” I raised by brow, surely our shields were badly damaged and would take longer than ten minutes to return to full power?

                “I do not understand. We took many hits, albeit not too powerful, but many hits to opposite sections of our shields. To what plan are you referring, Lt. Mor?” I asked.

                “My plan, commander.” She replied simply, expecting her answer to suffice. Before I could respond with further inquiry to Aila, the captain leaned over to motion he would speak instead.

                “Ms. Mor, report to the bridge as soon as Scotty is back in Engineering.”

                “Yes, captain.”

                “Kirk out.”

                “Captain, why have you ordered Lt. Mor to the bridge? Surely she could have explained herself just now and she would be of more use in Engineering?” I questioned, curious as to his purpose.

                “Because, that way, the whole rest of the ship doesn’t have to listen to the two of you banter back and forth about what she did, and we can hear it here. Plus, she seems to have a knack for tactics, I’d like to know how the hell she guessed what was going on before even you, stuck down in engineering.” He supplied then brought his PADD back up to scroll through various reports. He obviously did not require a response.

 

AILA

                “Everything seems ta be in order, lass. I knew I chose the right person to be my second in command. Just didn’t think I’d have ta leave ya on your own so damn soon!” Scotty laughed slightly nervously as he finished his rounds with me at his side. He had returned from the Med Bay, despite Leo’s objections that he rest. He’d sustained a minor concussion from being knocked against the wall pretty hard during the first and worst volley of fire. But this was Scotty, of course rest meant he would return to his favorite part of the ship.

                “I just did what needed to be done, sir, that’s all.” I replied.

                “Ach, lass, none of that sir crap with me, ya hear? I doonae need that form ye. Yer like my own daughter.” He waved me off. “Now get yer arse up to the bridge, I heard ya did some pretty good quick thinkin’ and they want a full explanation.” He laughed and with that final statement I was dismissed.

                I made my way to the turbo lift and headed to the bridge. I didn’t know what to expect, honestly. Spock had sounded almost irritated beneath his Vulcan controlled voice over the com earlier.

                Spock? Am I in trouble for something? I asked him through the telepathic link I kept open between us. He hadn’t used it to communicate with me since he spoke over the com, even though he had promised during the attack he would tell me what had happened once it was over.

                No, Aila, just report to the bridge, you’ll find out what’s going on once you arrive. He responded in a tone of finality that suggested I not use the link again. Well, if he wasn’t irritated earlier, he was now. Even if he’d deny it, I knew better.

                The turbolift doors hissed opened and immediately everyone’s eyes were fixed on me. “Permission to enter the Bridge, captain?” I asked per regulation.

                “Just get in here Mor and take a seat.” Captain Kirk said, motioning to the empty seat at his left. I sat down, noticed it was warm, and realized it had recently been vacated.

                “So, wanna let us in on your brilliant plan?” He asked, looking at me with a mischievous grin.

                “Well sir, I just noticed that he was alternating shield designations in hopes to weaken our weak spot in our shields even more but to make sure we would divert power to one side and keep it there. So I told Ensigns Bar and Greene to alternate power shifts between the two using two different power banks and that allowed our shields to maintain balance while his weapons decreased in power. It also allowed the shields to recharge at a faster rate. Pretty simple.” I shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was.

                “Lt. Mor, how did you surmise that the firing ship was using that particular tactic?” Spock asked me, raising his customary eyebrow.

                “It’s what I would have done to take on an obviously larger and more capable ship.” I shrugged again. It seemed common sense to me. I didn’t understand why these guys, this crew in particular, couldn’t see the simplicity of the situation. “It’s simple tactical logic.” I offered, hoping Spock would at least understand that.

                “Spock’s just upset because you out-logiced him.” Captain Kirk offered, laughing.

                “Captain, I don’t believe ‘out-logiced’ is an actual word.” I countered, smiling slightly.

                “Oh I know. And therein lies its brilliance.” He flashed a large toothy smile. The same smile that would have multiple women gasp for air. Not me. There was a brief moment of silence before someone finally spoke.

                “Have you ever taken a tactics course, Lt.?” Uhura asked suddenly.

                “Um, no?”

                “Then how, if you have no prior experience, no prior training, did you deduce the tactic the firing ship was using, and develop a plan of action to counter its attack?” Spock asked. I definitely didn’t like where he was going with this. When I didn’t offer him an immediate answer he continued. “Lt. Mor, had you had been wrong-” he was cut off by Captain Kirk.

                “But she wasn’t wrong, was she? And how many times have you followed me based off a mere ‘feeling’ I had, Spock?” He looked towards Spock in slight confrontation. I felt like total crap now. Yeah, I’d done my job, and done it well, but apparently my methods left something to be desired, and they were causing an argument between two friends, between the two members of the command team.

                “That is different, you are my captain.” Spock simply answered with that statement as if it made all the difference in the world, and really, it did, because he was right. He was, no is, the captain.

                “It’s not any different, Spock. Just because I’m the captain doesn’t mean other people aren’t entitled to have the same level of intuition I do. You follow mine, why should you chastise a Lt. for hers?” He countered. “It isn’t logical to expect it from me and be okay with it but not from another.” That merely made Spock raise his brow again. This caused the captain to sigh. He stood up from his chair and looked down at me “Lt. Mor, come take a walk with me. Spock,” he looked back at Spock, “you have the con.” With that I stood up, glancing back at Spock, allowing my mental shields to relax slightly in hopes of hearing his thought amongst the others I knew would flitter in beyond my filter. I heard nothing from him. He had effectively shielded me out. I rebuilt my water skin shield in my mind and continued on with the captain, wondering what was bothering Spock.