Anomaly - Part 3
I'm not so thrilled with the ending of this part. It wasn't where I was going, but we'll see how it works out. I really just wanted to get characters introduced before I get too far into what's happening with all of them. Also, for any of the readers I pro'lly won't get, there's references to Animal in here. I want to say that you don't have to have read Animal to get this, it will be explained more later, I'm just introducing stuff to get rolling.
Also, this is AU. Don't eat me. I don't taste good.
Part 3 - Kirk:
For a human, finding work outside of Starfleet was difficult even within the reign of the so called Terran Empire. With the hold of Starfleet not as severe at the edge of the Empire’s territory, it was slightly easier, but only slightly. One part of Hiraku Sulu regretted leaving behind a chance to pilot the most advanced and state of the art ships with Starfleet, knowing that he would be stuck with some rust-bucket cargo ship. But he didn’t regret it that much to actually go back to Earth.
The lack of job was getting to be a problem and so far none of the traders in the loud, colorful bar were interested in his services, despite his exceptional qualifications. He had been turned down already five times; staying for another week or month in the trading station wasn’t going to be acceptable. Sulu thought he might go stir crazy by then, perhaps in a literal sense, and start talking to animals or go for a space walk without a suit.
He pushed his way up to the bar and ordered a drink, sliding some credits across to the bartender. It wouldn’t be long before that was gone too.
“Tough night?”
Sulu looked over at the man next to him and was surprised to see he had overlooked another human in such close proximity; or at least a man that appeared human. “Yeah, I guess so. Tough night trying to find a job,” he said, leaning to the side to face him.
The other man stayed facing forward, holding onto his half empty glass with one hand. He had dirty blond hair; short and thick, sticking up in funny places sort of like he didn’t notice-or care. He had an old, faint scar along the side of his cheek near his jawline, and he had blue eyes, bright ones, that looked ahead and occasionally caught some movement and followed. Sulu continued to watch him suspiciously, but he didn’t say anything right away.
“Most traders and cargo ships that come here seem to have a full crew already, so I guess it depends what you’re looking for,” the man said. He turned a little more to face Sulu, but he never looked at him, just ahead. “You can stop staring, by the way, I know Terrans are rare and everything, but it’s kind of awkward…”
“I’m human too,” Sulu replied.
“Yeah? Then congrats on making it out this far.” He held his hand out in Sulu’s direction, letting him make the connecting move. “I’m Jim Kirk. What kind of a job are you looking for?”
“My name is Hiraku Sulu. I’m a pilot, I’ll take any job I can get.”
Kirk didn’t let go of his hand right away, creasing his brow slightly in concentration. Then he let go and nodded a little with a look of approval. “So am I.”
For a moment, Sulu stared at him, wracking his brain and trying to figure it out, but it didn’t compute. He had flown with some of the best pilots in the inner systems and seen some amazing things. And that was just it, you had to see to fly. “But you’re blind…”
A smile played at Kirk’s lips and he held up a finger in emphasis of his point. “That.. is a brilliant observation. And if you’re still looking for a job, I’ve got a cargo freighter, the Helos, that could use a new pilot.”
Sulu chuckled softly and brought his drink up to his lips to take a swallow before he addressed Kirk again. “So you don’t fly it yourself?”
The man shrugged. “I’ve got other things to do, like take care of my crew and cargo, plot courses, figure out time schedules… it’s a busy job being in charge. We’re heading out in another day, so you don’t have long to make your choice, Mr. Sulu. But you’d be good, I can tell.”
“Yeah, and you haven’t even heard my qualifications.”
“I don’t need to, those calluses on your hands are good enough.”
“Jim!” Another man slapped Kirk on the shoulder and pushed his way between them. He was older, middle-aged, rough looking-hair swept to one side, facial hair somewhere between a beard and stubble, and dark eyes with a heavy brow that made him look perpetually grumpy. Turning his grumpy eyes on Sulu, he lifted his chin to look down at him in examination. “He hasn’t been telling you bullshit, like that he can fly, has he?”
Sulu started to laugh, shaking his head a little in amusement-if this job panned out, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, if they were any indication of the way the ship ran. If there was a ship (god, hopefully there was…). Jim reached over to the newcomer’s shoulder to get his attention, then he made a vague motion in Sulu’s direction.
“This is our new pilot, Bones. Sulu, right? Hiraku Sulu,” he said with an amused smile.
Bones’ heavy eyebrows lifted a little, making him look a little more relaxed, and he nodded to Sulu again. “Leonard McCoy. Ship’s doctor. Welcome aboard, Sulu.”
Jim leaned in to face down towards Sulu again. “Hey, don’t let him scare you off, by the way. The crew really isn’t all that crazy, and you get your own quarters out of the deal.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a small laugh. “I think you sold me already.”
The next morning, only Bones was fortunate enough to wake up with a hangover. As he slumped down across from Jim in the galley, he swore today was the day he was going to murder him for being so damn awake, and happy heaven forbid, this early in the morning. Jim was much too damn happy…
Bones communicated as much and Jim just laughed. Damn punk must have gotten laid last night too. For never having seen a woman, Jim had certainly had more than his fair share in bed.
“I hate you,” Bones muttered.
Jim grinned a little and reached across the table to lightly punch Bones’ shoulder, though his aim was just a bit off and he managed mid-chest under his neck. “No you don’t. Do me a favor and show that new Sulu guy around when he gets here.”
With a loud sigh, Bones rolled his eyes. “Why me? You could do it, I’ve got things to do.”
“Like what? You don’t have any patients, and no one needs to get innoc’ed,” Kirk said easily.
“Except maybe you, for what ever you might have picked up from that girl.”
“I didn’t think you were conscious enough to remember me coming back with a girl.”
“No, your face just screams that you got laid, Jim, that’s all,” Bones grumbled.
The same smirky grin returned to his face, and Bones briefly wondered how many people had wanted to smack it right off of his face. Smartass kid. “I don’t do hookers, she was clean, I could tell.”
“Whatever. I’ll show the Sulu guy around.” He concerned himself with sipping his coffee for a few moments until Jim got up, then Bones lifted his head again. “Where are you going that’s so important?”
Jim sighed exasperatedly, but also mockingly so. “Well I do have this ship to run, and I have to make sure the cargo has finished loading. And she wanted to talk to me.”
The she was definitely not the girl that Kirk brought back, whom Bones was sure was gone by now anyway, but he did know exactly who she was. “She only ever wants to talk to you. Maybe she likes you. In that like-like way.”
“You must out of it if you’re saying ‘like-like’, Bones.” As Jim started to walk past, he patted McCoy’s shoulder, hitting his target this time more accurately. “See you later. Have fun with the hangover.”
“Punk-ass kid..” Bones muttered, slumping down in his chair more.
Jim smirked again and called back over his shoulder. “I heard that.”
She was their only passenger; the only one on the ship of 29 souls (now 30 exactly) who didn’t work. It certainly wasn’t that she didn’t have anything to offer, she had plenty, and if a closer examination of the situation was performed, it might be seen that she did in fact provide one of the most useful tasks aboard the Helos.
It was also true that Jim Kirk was only one she interacted with on a regular basis. With the normal operation of the ship, she found it inconvenient to leave her quarters, though on rare occasion, she would venture out and look at the ship in operation briefly. Today was no different than their usual routine. It consisted of Jim sitting in a chair in the corner and she would sit on the edge of her bed to face him. That was how they spent their time talking.
She was an unusual friend for Jim to have, he concluded sometime ago, but it didn’t stop him. Her name was T’Pol. She was a Vulcan nearing her second century of life by at least 20 or 30 years. The ship Helos was registered in her name but legally owned by James Kirk.
“The new pilot, Sulu, seems like he’s going to work out fine,” Jim said. “We shouldn’t have that much longer in port, almost all of the cargo is loaded, then we’ll be out of here.”
The smallest of smiles started to cross T’Pol’s aged face. “I am pleased.”
“You know.. I like it when you smile,” Jim said, smiling a little too. “Most Vulcans don’t do that. It’s kind of refreshing.”
“Very few Vulcans find smiling as a way of communicating because it is too heavily tied to emotion,” she explained in a soft voice.
Jim let a few moments of silence pass. They didn’t always spend their time talking, sometimes T’Pol showed him things. For being as around as long as she had been, there was a lot she could show him about her experiences, but there was still a lot left unsaid. He knew certain things, like the name of the ship was in remembrance of another. That Jim reminded her of someone she used to know a long time ago. That she was here just like he was to escape. A similar reason for many of the ship’s crew, including McCoy, and it seemed like the new guy, Sulu.
“On one of our next stops, you should get off the ship for a little while. Or at least come out and meet the new pilot. I think you’d like him,” he said after a few moments.
T’Pol watched his face. Despite not being able to use his eyes, they were still very expressive and bright. Jim looked so young because of course he was, while T’Pol was faded. “The crew is your family, that is why I leave them to you.”
He knit his brow a little and let out a breath. “But that’s not really fair, you can’t just.. I mean I know you’ve had this long life and everything, but-…” He trailed off, trying to think of a better way of saying it. But before he could think through it, he just said what he was thinking, regardless of how it sounded, “Just because Jon is dead and you’re still around doesn’t mean you should stop living too. Just telling me your story… it’s just not over yet.”
As if he could feel the tension starting to rise in her body and mind, he stopped and reached up to rub his face with one hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t… well, yeah I did. I did mean it. I’m really not the motivational speaker type or anything like that and I don’t say stuff I don’t think is true. It’s just that you could have stayed on Vulcan and still done anything you want, but you’re free out here too. Except that you’re trapped in your room all the time.” He paused for a moment and sighed. “You’re one of the few people I care about T’Pol. I know that all sounds really cheesy and unlike me…”
Part of her didn’t like being lectured to about what she should be doing, but she recognized it as the part of her who was still alive. Perhaps she hadn’t wanted to make her struggle so known to Jim but it had happened anyway. “I will consider your offer,” she said softly, her voice carefully betraying none of her feelings on the matter. Simply neutral.
Jim pushed himself to stand up and he started to reach a hand out to her, which T’Pol caught with both of hers. “The ship is yours, by the way, since it physically belongs to you.”
“I am aware of this,” she said. Then she smiled, just slightly. “I believe you are more like Jon than you might think, as he would have been.” T’Pol’s smile faded. Perhaps she wasn’t ready to give up her only anchor on the world to be able to embrace it fully again. “Be careful.” I don’t want you to end up like him.
Also, this is AU. Don't eat me. I don't taste good.
Part 3 - Kirk:
For a human, finding work outside of Starfleet was difficult even within the reign of the so called Terran Empire. With the hold of Starfleet not as severe at the edge of the Empire’s territory, it was slightly easier, but only slightly. One part of Hiraku Sulu regretted leaving behind a chance to pilot the most advanced and state of the art ships with Starfleet, knowing that he would be stuck with some rust-bucket cargo ship. But he didn’t regret it that much to actually go back to Earth.
The lack of job was getting to be a problem and so far none of the traders in the loud, colorful bar were interested in his services, despite his exceptional qualifications. He had been turned down already five times; staying for another week or month in the trading station wasn’t going to be acceptable. Sulu thought he might go stir crazy by then, perhaps in a literal sense, and start talking to animals or go for a space walk without a suit.
He pushed his way up to the bar and ordered a drink, sliding some credits across to the bartender. It wouldn’t be long before that was gone too.
“Tough night?”
Sulu looked over at the man next to him and was surprised to see he had overlooked another human in such close proximity; or at least a man that appeared human. “Yeah, I guess so. Tough night trying to find a job,” he said, leaning to the side to face him.
The other man stayed facing forward, holding onto his half empty glass with one hand. He had dirty blond hair; short and thick, sticking up in funny places sort of like he didn’t notice-or care. He had an old, faint scar along the side of his cheek near his jawline, and he had blue eyes, bright ones, that looked ahead and occasionally caught some movement and followed. Sulu continued to watch him suspiciously, but he didn’t say anything right away.
“Most traders and cargo ships that come here seem to have a full crew already, so I guess it depends what you’re looking for,” the man said. He turned a little more to face Sulu, but he never looked at him, just ahead. “You can stop staring, by the way, I know Terrans are rare and everything, but it’s kind of awkward…”
“I’m human too,” Sulu replied.
“Yeah? Then congrats on making it out this far.” He held his hand out in Sulu’s direction, letting him make the connecting move. “I’m Jim Kirk. What kind of a job are you looking for?”
“My name is Hiraku Sulu. I’m a pilot, I’ll take any job I can get.”
Kirk didn’t let go of his hand right away, creasing his brow slightly in concentration. Then he let go and nodded a little with a look of approval. “So am I.”
For a moment, Sulu stared at him, wracking his brain and trying to figure it out, but it didn’t compute. He had flown with some of the best pilots in the inner systems and seen some amazing things. And that was just it, you had to see to fly. “But you’re blind…”
A smile played at Kirk’s lips and he held up a finger in emphasis of his point. “That.. is a brilliant observation. And if you’re still looking for a job, I’ve got a cargo freighter, the Helos, that could use a new pilot.”
Sulu chuckled softly and brought his drink up to his lips to take a swallow before he addressed Kirk again. “So you don’t fly it yourself?”
The man shrugged. “I’ve got other things to do, like take care of my crew and cargo, plot courses, figure out time schedules… it’s a busy job being in charge. We’re heading out in another day, so you don’t have long to make your choice, Mr. Sulu. But you’d be good, I can tell.”
“Yeah, and you haven’t even heard my qualifications.”
“I don’t need to, those calluses on your hands are good enough.”
“Jim!” Another man slapped Kirk on the shoulder and pushed his way between them. He was older, middle-aged, rough looking-hair swept to one side, facial hair somewhere between a beard and stubble, and dark eyes with a heavy brow that made him look perpetually grumpy. Turning his grumpy eyes on Sulu, he lifted his chin to look down at him in examination. “He hasn’t been telling you bullshit, like that he can fly, has he?”
Sulu started to laugh, shaking his head a little in amusement-if this job panned out, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, if they were any indication of the way the ship ran. If there was a ship (god, hopefully there was…). Jim reached over to the newcomer’s shoulder to get his attention, then he made a vague motion in Sulu’s direction.
“This is our new pilot, Bones. Sulu, right? Hiraku Sulu,” he said with an amused smile.
Bones’ heavy eyebrows lifted a little, making him look a little more relaxed, and he nodded to Sulu again. “Leonard McCoy. Ship’s doctor. Welcome aboard, Sulu.”
Jim leaned in to face down towards Sulu again. “Hey, don’t let him scare you off, by the way. The crew really isn’t all that crazy, and you get your own quarters out of the deal.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a small laugh. “I think you sold me already.”
The next morning, only Bones was fortunate enough to wake up with a hangover. As he slumped down across from Jim in the galley, he swore today was the day he was going to murder him for being so damn awake, and happy heaven forbid, this early in the morning. Jim was much too damn happy…
Bones communicated as much and Jim just laughed. Damn punk must have gotten laid last night too. For never having seen a woman, Jim had certainly had more than his fair share in bed.
“I hate you,” Bones muttered.
Jim grinned a little and reached across the table to lightly punch Bones’ shoulder, though his aim was just a bit off and he managed mid-chest under his neck. “No you don’t. Do me a favor and show that new Sulu guy around when he gets here.”
With a loud sigh, Bones rolled his eyes. “Why me? You could do it, I’ve got things to do.”
“Like what? You don’t have any patients, and no one needs to get innoc’ed,” Kirk said easily.
“Except maybe you, for what ever you might have picked up from that girl.”
“I didn’t think you were conscious enough to remember me coming back with a girl.”
“No, your face just screams that you got laid, Jim, that’s all,” Bones grumbled.
The same smirky grin returned to his face, and Bones briefly wondered how many people had wanted to smack it right off of his face. Smartass kid. “I don’t do hookers, she was clean, I could tell.”
“Whatever. I’ll show the Sulu guy around.” He concerned himself with sipping his coffee for a few moments until Jim got up, then Bones lifted his head again. “Where are you going that’s so important?”
Jim sighed exasperatedly, but also mockingly so. “Well I do have this ship to run, and I have to make sure the cargo has finished loading. And she wanted to talk to me.”
The she was definitely not the girl that Kirk brought back, whom Bones was sure was gone by now anyway, but he did know exactly who she was. “She only ever wants to talk to you. Maybe she likes you. In that like-like way.”
“You must out of it if you’re saying ‘like-like’, Bones.” As Jim started to walk past, he patted McCoy’s shoulder, hitting his target this time more accurately. “See you later. Have fun with the hangover.”
“Punk-ass kid..” Bones muttered, slumping down in his chair more.
Jim smirked again and called back over his shoulder. “I heard that.”
She was their only passenger; the only one on the ship of 29 souls (now 30 exactly) who didn’t work. It certainly wasn’t that she didn’t have anything to offer, she had plenty, and if a closer examination of the situation was performed, it might be seen that she did in fact provide one of the most useful tasks aboard the Helos.
It was also true that Jim Kirk was only one she interacted with on a regular basis. With the normal operation of the ship, she found it inconvenient to leave her quarters, though on rare occasion, she would venture out and look at the ship in operation briefly. Today was no different than their usual routine. It consisted of Jim sitting in a chair in the corner and she would sit on the edge of her bed to face him. That was how they spent their time talking.
She was an unusual friend for Jim to have, he concluded sometime ago, but it didn’t stop him. Her name was T’Pol. She was a Vulcan nearing her second century of life by at least 20 or 30 years. The ship Helos was registered in her name but legally owned by James Kirk.
“The new pilot, Sulu, seems like he’s going to work out fine,” Jim said. “We shouldn’t have that much longer in port, almost all of the cargo is loaded, then we’ll be out of here.”
The smallest of smiles started to cross T’Pol’s aged face. “I am pleased.”
“You know.. I like it when you smile,” Jim said, smiling a little too. “Most Vulcans don’t do that. It’s kind of refreshing.”
“Very few Vulcans find smiling as a way of communicating because it is too heavily tied to emotion,” she explained in a soft voice.
Jim let a few moments of silence pass. They didn’t always spend their time talking, sometimes T’Pol showed him things. For being as around as long as she had been, there was a lot she could show him about her experiences, but there was still a lot left unsaid. He knew certain things, like the name of the ship was in remembrance of another. That Jim reminded her of someone she used to know a long time ago. That she was here just like he was to escape. A similar reason for many of the ship’s crew, including McCoy, and it seemed like the new guy, Sulu.
“On one of our next stops, you should get off the ship for a little while. Or at least come out and meet the new pilot. I think you’d like him,” he said after a few moments.
T’Pol watched his face. Despite not being able to use his eyes, they were still very expressive and bright. Jim looked so young because of course he was, while T’Pol was faded. “The crew is your family, that is why I leave them to you.”
He knit his brow a little and let out a breath. “But that’s not really fair, you can’t just.. I mean I know you’ve had this long life and everything, but-…” He trailed off, trying to think of a better way of saying it. But before he could think through it, he just said what he was thinking, regardless of how it sounded, “Just because Jon is dead and you’re still around doesn’t mean you should stop living too. Just telling me your story… it’s just not over yet.”
As if he could feel the tension starting to rise in her body and mind, he stopped and reached up to rub his face with one hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t… well, yeah I did. I did mean it. I’m really not the motivational speaker type or anything like that and I don’t say stuff I don’t think is true. It’s just that you could have stayed on Vulcan and still done anything you want, but you’re free out here too. Except that you’re trapped in your room all the time.” He paused for a moment and sighed. “You’re one of the few people I care about T’Pol. I know that all sounds really cheesy and unlike me…”
Part of her didn’t like being lectured to about what she should be doing, but she recognized it as the part of her who was still alive. Perhaps she hadn’t wanted to make her struggle so known to Jim but it had happened anyway. “I will consider your offer,” she said softly, her voice carefully betraying none of her feelings on the matter. Simply neutral.
Jim pushed himself to stand up and he started to reach a hand out to her, which T’Pol caught with both of hers. “The ship is yours, by the way, since it physically belongs to you.”
“I am aware of this,” she said. Then she smiled, just slightly. “I believe you are more like Jon than you might think, as he would have been.” T’Pol’s smile faded. Perhaps she wasn’t ready to give up her only anchor on the world to be able to embrace it fully again. “Be careful.” I don’t want you to end up like him.