Fic Post: The Box 1/2
Title: The Box
Author: idvo
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Rating: Mature
Warnings: none
Relationship Status: Established K/S
Additional Pairings: some Uhura/Scotty
Genre: drama, humor, action-adventure, romance
Word Count: ~5,800/10,000
Summary: The Enterprise has to drop off a few supplies at a nearby colony, and Kirk was looking forward to the lull in activity. Finally, a chance to spend some time with Spock. However, between McCoy hounding him to complete his athletic evaluation, and the appearance of strange and destructive aliens, Kirk can’t seem to spend more than a few short moments with him.
A/N: Written for ksrelativity . Group 6, prompts: alleyway, box, athletic evaluations, quartermaster. Also, holy crap, I think this is the longest fic I’ve ever written.
::
THE BOX
::
Quartermaster Hendricks looked down at the form in his hand as he checked off another item on the list. The Enterprise had just picked up a shipment of supplies from Starbase 3, and they were on their way to drop them off at a small colony in the nearby star system. He knew the captain hated it when Starfleet treated the Enterprise like a cargo ship, but Hendricks privately enjoyed it. He had a good memory, and he kept track of who ordered what from where and when. He wasn’t about to go around telling everyone’s secrets, but knowing this information gave him a slight buzz. A person’s stuff said a lot about them, and he felt he knew quite a bit about his crewmates. Every three months Mr. Spock placed an order for a special blend of Rigelian and Vulcan tea that was sold in a small shop on Andoria. Dr. McCoy always had a full stock of various liquors, though Saurian brandy was what he ordered most often. Lieutenant Uhura frequently ordered new nail polishes from different worlds, as well as a few pre-warp communication devices. Everyone had their things, even Hendricks, who could never resist picking up skeins of yarn from venders throughout Federation space.
“Looks like that’s all, everyone,” he said, quickly scanning the form to see if he missed anything.
“What’s that, sir?” an ensign to his right asked.
“What’s what?” Hendricks looked to where the ensign was pointing and noticed a small, plain box surrounded by larger ones. “Well that wasn’t on the form.” He went over to it and picked it up. It was light and had “fragile” printed in large letters on each of its sides. Red arrows indicated the top of the box, and a small cooling unit stuck out from the back. He gave it a quick shake, but nothing rustled inside it.
“What do you think it is?”
“I don’t know,” Hendricks said. “I’ll check it out in my office; you all get this stuff stored away. Don’t miss anything.” The crew acknowledged his order and got to work. With the box in his hands, he made his way to his office, careful not to step on or run into any of the supplies. He walked in and set the box on his desk, lifting a tricorder to scan it. However, it was unable to detect what was inside, or what the box was made of. That in itself wasn’t very unusual; there were plenty of vendors that promised “discreet” packaging and shipping. He picked up the box again and looked to see if there was an information bar he could scan, but a large crash out in the cargo hold startled him and caused him to drop it. It caught the corner of the desk then landed on its side on the floor. Hendricks cursed and stalked out of the office. He knew that many members of the crew were young and inexperienced, but one would think they’d know not to treat cargo like how they treated their PADDs back at the academy.
With a soft hiss, the door closed behind him. He missed the front of the box sliding open and the small head that peeked out.
::
“Jim!”
Kirk flinched, and skimmed over the rest of the report before signing it and shoving the PADD into the startled yeoman’s hands. With a small nod and a tight smile in his direction, he quickly walked off, narrowly avoiding running into a group of crewmembers in science blues as the passed by.
“Jim!”
He heard a distinct pattern of footsteps behind him, and winced as they sped up. Kirk wasn’t about to just flee, running down the corridor of his own damn ship, but he wasn’t sure if his pursuer was above such behavior. He stepped around a group of off-duty security officers, hoping that they would create a least a small obstacle.
“Damn it, Jim!”
Kirk saw the turbolift up ahead, and hurried to squeeze through the doors before they closed. There were several people already inside, and he nodded to them. He turned and faced the doors, breathing an unnoticeable sigh of relief that he’d managed to get away. The last person he wanted to deal with right now was McCoy, and an angry McCoy was even worse.
Athletic evaluations had been scheduled for that week, and Kirk kept putting his off. It wasn’t that he was nervous, well, maybe a little, but he didn’t want to undergo the torture McCoy would put him through for skipping out on his last evaluation. It had been six months ago when he’d filled out his own evaluation forms. He’d told McCoy that Chapel would test him, and he’d told Chapel McCoy was doing it. When McCoy found out, it was too late to actually do them; the data had been processed and sent off to Starfleet, and nothing short of reporting Kirk’s indiscretion would fix the situation.
He didn’t feel guilty about it, and he didn’t know what McCoy’s deal was. He hadn’t put in any high scores for himself (honestly, he thought he made himself look practically mediocre the forms), and he repeatedly showed that he could still do his job. His adrenaline was a nice compliment to his overall endurance, and it seemed like away missions were mainly comprised of dragged-out diplomatic meetings, or frantic moments of running for their lives that never lasted more than a few minutes. Besides, Kirk never liked tests, anyway. He felt they all they did were assess an arbitrary collection of a person’s skills, and that it was better to prove oneself in the line of duty, rather than in front of a machine.
He’d told McCoy as much, and the lecture he received afterwards left his ears ringing for about a week.
The lift stopped on the bridge, and he and the other officers stepped out. He thought he felt something brush past his ear, but when he looked there was nothing there. Figuring that his subconscious was trying to turn McCoy into a bat or something, Kirk shrugged it off and walked to his command chair.
“Anything to report?” he asked.
Sulu turned around. “Nothing out of the ordinary, sir.”
“Good.”
“Captain,” Uhura said, “the quartermaster’s office reports that all cargo has been successfully transported aboard.”
“Acknowledge that report,” Kirk said. “All right, Sulu, let’s take her out of here, warp three to the Paradi system.”
“Aye, sir.” Sulu turned back to the helm and maneuvered the Enterprise away from Starbase 3 before setting off.
“ETA, Mr. Chekov?”
“Thirty-one hours, sir.”
Kirk relaxed into his chair and looked around the bridge. It was a pretty quiet day. Everyone was busy at their stations, and there was no sense of urgency aboard the ship. Well, McCoy was probably itching to get a hold of Kirk, and Kirk knew that it wouldn’t be pretty when he did, but other than that, all was calm.
He glanced over at Spock, who was immersed in his scans as usual. Kirk suppressed the urge to plaster a ridiculous smile on his face. About three months ago, they had started a relationship. During an intense standoff with Orion mercenaries, pressed together as they huddled behind the wreckage of one of the ship’s shuttles, Kirk had a revelation. Their feelings for one another had warmed considerably since the start of their mission, and after one and a half years of working together, fighting side by side, and just being in each other’s company, it suddenly hit Kirk. Sitting there with enemy fire whizzing centimeters from his head, battered and bruised from close combat, he knew that this was what he wanted. He wanted to be with Spock, to explore the stars with him for as long as they lived. He wanted to be able to hold him at the end of the day, after fighting with enemies or debating with allies, and know that they would share this life.
And, feeling Spock breathe heavily against him, Kirk knew he wanted to fuck him.
Spock had had his hand around Kirk’s middle, holding a scrap of cloth against a gash in his side, and as soon as that thought passed through Kirk’s head, he jolted. It wasn’t like he jumped a foot in the air, but Kirk definitely noticed it. Looking at Spock’s face, the most shocked he’d ever seen it, all Kirk could do was shrug and give a sheepish grin. Immediately after they were caught up in the transporter beam and taken back to the ship.
Things between them were awkward for some time. Kirk could barely look Spock in the eye, for one, but their professional relationship was completely intact. It wasn’t until McCoy cornered Kirk one day and demanded to know what was wrong that Kirk finally gave voice to his feelings. McCoy listened, and then told him how foolish he was being about it. He said to actually talk to Spock and work things out, that avoiding the situation wasn’t going to make it disappear. Kirk thanked him and went to go do just that, but lost his nerve at the last minute. Fortunately, Spock was a little braver, and confronted him. Much to Kirk’s amazement, Spock felt the same, and he managed to wait (some of the longest seconds of his life) until he finished his sentence before kissing him, as enthusiastically as he’d ever kissed anyone. It wasn’t the best kiss, but hey, now he had a lot of time to practice.
That’s when a yellow alert had interrupted them.
Spock looked over at Kirk and raised an eyebrow. Kirk winked at him and turned back to the view screen. Since that kiss, they hadn’t had a chance to be alone. They snatched every small moment they could, but Kirk was starting to worry that if they’d never be able to spend more than a few minutes together. Kirk wondered when he could schedule their next shore leave.
“Captain?” Uhura said.
Kirk snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes?”
“I think I’m picking up an unknown transmission.” He faced her and watched as her hands flew across the console, pressing buttons and switches as she searched for the source.
“Any idea where it might be coming from?”
“The sensors aren’t picking anything up,” she said, adjusting her earpiece and sliding her chair closer to her station. “I know I hear something…” Her voice trailed off as her hands stilled. She sat up straight and listened intently, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Everyone, quiet,” Kirk ordered, and the bridge fell silent. People focused their attention on Uhura and him.
She pulled the earpiece from her ear and stood up. “I think it’s coming from the bridge,” she said, walking from her station and closer to Kirk.
“Are you sure it’s not just a piece of equipment?” Kirk asked.
“I know what this bridge sounds like, and I’ve never heard this before-” She stopped moving. “There, hear that?”
Kirk concentrated, trying to hear whatever anomalous sound Uhura had found. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see others doing the same. “What kind of sound is it?”
“It’s like a small clicking,” Uhura explained. “With a little whistle in between each click.”
“I hear it, as well,” Spock said, joining them at the center of the bridge. He looked up. “I believe the sound is emanating from up there.”
Everyone peered up at the ceiling, and they all saw it. “Well, what the hell is that?” Kirk speculated. A small blue form clung to the ceiling, moving its head from side to side as it surveyed the room. It looked like a bird, a weird, skinny, bug-eyed bluebird that could hang upside-down. “How did-” Before Kirk could finish, the creature dove down and hit him in the face with as much force as its tiny frame could muster. It wasn’t much, but it still scared the shit out of Kirk. Its loud squawks weren’t helping much, either. With a yell, Kirk slammed back into his chair and swatted at it as it flew around his face.
“Hey!” Uhura shouted, reaching for the creature. It turned its attention to her, and she ran into Spock trying to avoid it. He caught her by the shoulders and steadied her before she could fall, and the creature flew off.
“Someone get that thing!” Kirk ordered, and several crew members started trying to catch it, some even chasing after it. Eventually it landed near an air vent and squeezed through the grating before anyone could get it.
“What was that?” Uhura rubbed a spot on her forehead where the creature had run into her.
“Hell if I know, but I want it caught.” Kirk stood up, ready to gather a security team to catch whatever it was. The comm on his armrest whistled, and Scotty’s voice rang out, loud and angry.
“You won’t believe this, Captain!” he said. “Something’s gotten into the dilithium!”
“What do you mean?”
“The dilithium crystals, they’re all fucked up!”
Kirk blinked. “Fucked up how, exactly?”
“It’s like something- Like they’re just- I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“All right,” Kirk said. “Scotty, meet me in conference room four, and bring the damaged dilithium crystals. Uhura, Spock, you’re coming, too. Kirk out.” He cut the connection. “Sulu, you have the conn.” With Uhura and Spock in tow, he walked to the turbolift and went inside.
He’d never admit this to anyone, but he’d almost been looking forward to only having to carry supplies from Point A to Point B. There might have even been time to get together with Spock. Not anymore.
::
News must have traveled fast, because when they got to the conference room, an anxious-looking Quartermaster Hendricks was waiting outside, a small box in his hands. Before Kirk could greet him, he said, “I think I might know something about what’s happening, sir.”
“Well, come in, then.” Kirk motioned them all inside, then followed. Scotty was sitting at the table next to Lieutenant Masters, who had a box in front of her, presumably holding the dilithium. Scotty scowled down at his clenched hands, and Masters looked nearly as angry as him. Everyone else took a seat, and Hendricks set his box on the table.
Kirk cleared his throat. “It seems like we have a few problems on our hands,” he said, looking around at everyone’s faces. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but we’re not leaving this room until we come up with a way to find out.” He rested his gaze on Hendricks. “You said you might know something?”
“Uh, yes, sir.” Hendricks wrung his hands on the table. “Earlier today, when I was going over the supplies, I noticed that we picked up something that wasn’t on the requisition form.”
“And you didn’t notify me?”
“Well sir, I was going to, but there was a…mishap in the cargo hold. It was just a little box, it didn’t look like anything important, and I didn’t want to delay the ship any longer than necessary-”
Kirk interrupted him. “How long have you been in Starfleet?”
“About fifteen years, sir.”
“And how many of those years have you been working as a quartermaster?”
“Five, sir.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me about an unknown object being delivered to my ship?”
“I was going to, sir!” Hendricks said. “I took it into my office and looked it over, but then there was a commotion out in the hold I needed to take care of. By the time I got back to the box it was open.”
Spock held out his hand, “May I see it?”
“Yes, sir.” Hendricks pushed the box towards him. Spock took it and started examining it.
“Next time, I want to know immediately if there’s anything unusual coming aboard, understood?” Kirk said.
“Yes, sir,” Hendricks nodded and looked down at his hands.
“Scotty,” Kirk said, looking at the angry man across from him. “Now, what’s going on with the dilithium?”
“She can probably explain better than I can,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and motioning towards Masters with his head. “She’s the one who found the mess.”
“I went down to Engineering to reamplify the dilithium crystals, and when I got there I noticed that a few of the compartments were open,” Masters said. “I looked in one of them and saw this.” She reached into the box and took something out, setting it in the middle of the table. Everyone leaned in to get a better look. It appeared to be a dilithium crystal, but it couldn’t possibly be. There were chips and scratches all over its surface, and one corner appeared to have been bitten off. There was a long crack through the middle, almost clean through the crystal. Masters set a few more on the table, and some were in even worse shape. “I found them like this.”
Kirk snatched one off the table and turned it over in his hands. The nicks were sharp and jagged, and he was careful not to cut himself. He handed it to Spock, and picked up another.
“There was also some movement in the corner of my eye, but when I looked it was gone,” Masters said. “I did find this, though.” She held out a small blue object, and Uhura took it.
“Could this have been caused by that thing we saw on the bridge?” Kirk asked.
“She saw it right around the same time we noticed the creature on the bridge,” Uhura said. “It couldn’t have been the same one.” She ran her index finger along the object’s surface. “It’s the same color,” she said. “It’s like a feather, only not as soft. It almost feels like a type of plastic.” Each tiny shaft of the object looked completely smooth; they didn’t lock together like they would on a bird’s feather. She rubbed it a bit and heard it squeak against her fingers.
Kirk watched as Spock handed a crystal to a half devastated, half enraged Scotty. “So there’s a good chance they could be birds?”
“I’m not sure, though they’re very similar,” Uhura said. She gave the feather to Spock.
“Get a science team together, and have someone conduct a detailed analysis of that thing,” Kirk ordered. “Check out that box, as well. See if there’s anything else in it.”
“Yes, sir,” Spock said.
“Masters, get back to Engineering and re-check the dilithium. Post a couple of security officers to watch the entrances and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Uhura, see if you can rig something up to detect these things. The ship’s sensors obviously didn’t pick their signals up, but I’m sure you can figure out a way to find them. When you start searching, take a small security team with you. If they attack again-”
“If I may, Captain?” Spock said.
“Sure, what is it?”
“We have no way of knowing how these creatures will react to our weaponry, if they’re especially vulnerable to phaser fire, for example. Nor do we know how physically fragile they are.”
“He’s right,” Uhura said. “We can’t just fire at them or try to grab them. Plus, what if they’re venomous, or have some other form of defense that’s dangerous to us?”
“Good points.” Kirk leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. He took a breath and said, “When I was a kid there was this bird that flew in the house. It freaked out and knocked a bunch of stuff over. Frank was so pissed and tried to swat it out with an old rifle replica he had.” He looked around at the blank faces of his crew. “Uh, anyway, I eventually threw a sheet over it and caught it. It calmed down enough, and I released it outside.”
“So…” Uhura said. “You want us to chase these things with sheets?”
“Nets,” Kirk said, looking at Hendricks. “Do we have any nets?”
Hendricks sat upright. “I could make some,” he said. “It wouldn’t be too hard.”
“Make five,” Kirk said. “I also want you to contact Starbase 3 and get them to tell you everything they know about the shipment. Write up a report and send it to me by the end of the day.” Hendricks nodded. “Uhura, get a team of three security officers, plus you and Scotty, and get the nets from the quartermaster before you being the search. Tell them that they’re not to use excessive force or phasers if and when you confront the aliens. When you do find them, do your best to capture them, and bring them to the science lab. And be careful.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Scotty?”
“Yeah?”
“Try not to be too hard on them. They’re probably just scared and harmless.”
Scotty sighed. “If you say so.”
“All right, everyone, you have your orders. Dismissed.”
Kirk remained seated as everyone got up from around the table and filed out of the room, Scotty taking a moment to scoop the damaged dilithium into his arms. Kirk pressed his fingers to his eyes and rubbed. He felt someone sit down in the seat next to his, and he peered out from behind his hands at them.
“Hell of a way to start the day,” Kirk said.
“Hm.” Spock folded his hands on top of the table and stared at Kirk. “Dr. McCoy contacted me today, before you arrived on the bridge.”
“I am simply shocked.” Kirk stood up and went to the replicator on the wall. He punched in an order for coffee and hoped that what came out was somewhat drinkable.
“He told me that you have been avoiding him for the past week, that you keep coming up with excuses in order to get out of completing your athletic evaluation.”
“I’ve been busy.” He snatched up the coffee and took a mouthful, wincing at the flavor. “Are these replicators working right?” he asked once he’d managed to swallow it.
“Jim.”
Kirk turned to face Spock, but didn’t meet his eyes. Instead he stared at his own reflection in the cup. “I’ll do them eventually.”
“He also told me that you didn’t complete the last one.”
“Tattle tale.”
“Why?”
Kirk tilted the cup from side to side, nearly spilling the coffee. “What if I fail them?”
“You have passed it before,” Spock said, his voice calm.
“I know, and I know that I’ll pass it again, it’s just…” Kirk stopped.
“Just what?” Spock said after a few moments.
Sighing, Kirk said, “Like I said before, I’ve been busy. There’s a lot of stuff to do: reports to write, reports to read, Klingons to yell at, diplomats to yell at. Just the other day I almost got into it with Komack.”
“I would advise against such an-”
“Don’t worry; I didn’t. Cut the call before he finished signing off, though.” He looked up at Spock’s face and saw subtle hints of disapproval and amusement. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to work out or anything. I’ll do some sit-ups and pushups before bed, but that’s all I really have time for.”
“But why don’t you complete the evaluation?”
Kirk sighed again and sat on the table next to Spock. He set his cup down and folded his arms. “I know I’ll pass it. You pretty much have to be unconscious not to pass it. But I have to set an example for the crew. I have to be someone they can look up to, someone they can admire. If I score low, they’ll think I’m just some lazy kid who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.”
Spock furrowed his brow. “You really believe that?”
“No. I get off on pretending to spill my heart out to my boyfriend. It’s fun. You should try it-”
“Jim, stop.” Spock stood and moved to stand between Kirk’s legs. He placed his hands on either side of Kirk’s hips. “If you are disappointed in your own performance, improve it.”
Leave it to Spock to be irritating and sexy all at the same time. “When, Spock? I have no time.”
“Make time,” Spock said. He leaned in and touched his lips to Kirk’s, a barely-there kiss. “You are one of the most skilled officers in Starfleet. Surely you can handle something as mundane as time management.” He kissed him again.
“Well, maybe if I had some help,” Kirk said against Spock’s lips. He unfolded his arms and lightly wrapped them around Spock’s torso, tilting his head as Spock deepened the kiss.
Spock pulled back. “I am willing to assist you.” He kissed Kirk’s jaw. “It is, after all, my duty to see that you are able to function satisfactorily.” He stepped closer, pressing their bodies together.
“Of course, Mr. Spock.” Kirk ran his hands down Spock’s back. “Wouldn’t want you to fall behind on your duties, too.” He kissed the side of Spock’s neck before catching his lips once again.
Kirk had no idea how much time had passed, trusting that there was a tiny clock ticking away in the back of Spock’s brain dedicating itself to keeping track of this moment, but the comm whistling behind him brought him crashing back to reality. They broke apart, Spock looking as unruffled as ever (Kirk was going to have to remember to mess his hair up one of these days). Kirk, on the other hand, needed a moment to straighten out his uniform before taking the call.
“Kirk, here,” he said, looking into McCoy’s grumpy face.
“You have some drool on your chin,” McCoy said, glancing behind Kirk where Spock silently stood, hands behind his back. “I hope the door was locked this time.”
“Sure it was,” Kirk lied, trying to discreetly wipe his chin. “Before you start, you should know that this time I really can’t do the evaluation right now, Bones.”
“Yeah, there are birds, I know,” McCoy said. “I’m just telling, Jim, that when all of this is done you will come down to sickbay and you will do it. I’ll order security to drag your ass down here if I have to.”
“All right, all right. Straight to sickbay once I’m done with the bird thing. Got it.”
“Good. McCoy out.” The screen went blank.
“Well, Spock, we should get back work,” Kirk said. He faced him and stopped when he saw the look on his face.
“I was serious, Jim.”
“About what?”
“About assisting you.” Spock went to the door and Kirk followed. Before it could open Spock stopped him with a hand on his arm. He stepped closer. “I’m willing to put together a training regimen for you, if you could make the time for it.”
“Sounds good.” Kirk absently thought about engaging the privacy lock. “Did you have a certain time in mind?”
“I have found that starting one’s day with vigorous physical activity can increase energy levels and allow one to better adapt to a new routine.”
“That sounds even better,” Kirk leaned in and kissed him.
“We are still on duty, sir,” Spock said after the brief kiss.
Kirk stepped back. “Right.” They finished walking to the doors, which opened when they got close enough. “After you.”
Spock shook his head. “I insist,” he said, gesturing for Kirk to go first.
Of course you do, Kirk thought, smirking. “Very well,” he said, and he walked through the doors. He could feel Spock’s eyes on him as they walked, all the way until they had to part. He loved every second of it.
::
In a small office in Engineering, Uhura sat at a desk, hunched over a disassembled tricorder, reattaching wires and adjusting various sensors with a set of delicate tools. Scotty sat to her right, offering assistance when needed.
“I think their feathers prevent sensors from detecting them,” she said, reaching for a microchip. “We’ll need to try and sense the sounds they make, rather than their bio signs.”
“I hope you’re right,” Scotty said, handing her one of the tools. “We can’t let these things roam free, that’s for sure. And what if dilithuim’s not the only thing they have a taste for? The last thing we need is them chewing a hole through the hull.”
“Let’s not think about that.” Uhura started piecing the tricorder back together. Once she was done, she turned it on. Grabbing her PADD, she opened up a recording program and started to recreate the sounds she heard on the bridge. When she got them as close as she could make it, she handed the PADD to Scotty. “Take this and hide it somewhere. I have it playing the same sounds that the creature made, and I’ll see if I can detect it with this.” She stood and picked up the tricorder.
Scotty held it up to his ear. “Really? I can’t hear anything.”
“I have it set on the lowest volume.” She walked to the door. “Come and get me when you’re done; I don’t want to know where you put it.”
“Aye,” Scotty said. After a couple of minutes, he called Uhura back into the room. She lifted the tricorder and watched for any signals. Nothing. She adjusted the sensitivity and tried again, and this time she saw a subtle change in the readout. Going to a vent in the wall, she opened it and pulled out a toolbox. Behind that was another box, holding the PADD. Scotty had wrapped it in a couple of engineering jumpsuits, and he’d thrown a few activated communicators in there, as well.
“Now what?” he asked as Uhura turned the PADD off.
“Now we see if we can find those things. We’ve wasted enough time messing around with this.”
“Will it work?”
“I’m pretty sure it will.” Uhura squeezed the muscle in her neck. “I didn’t have to turn the sensitivity up that much to find this,” she said, setting the PADD on the desk, “and the vents aren’t that complicated. We’ll find them.”
Scotty walked behind her and massaged her neck and shoulders. “You’ve been bent over that thing for nearly an hour.”
Uhura smiled. “And I feel better already.” She turned and gave him a quick peck. “Now let’s hurry up and get this over with.”
After getting a security team and stopping by the quartermaster’s for the nets, they trooped down the corridors, Uhura leading the way. They got a lot of strange looks from passing crew members as they strode through the ship, nets in hand, but they didn’t pay them any attention. Sometimes she would stop and scan an area more closely, but it usually turned out to be nothing significant. They were on deck seven when the tricorder finally picked up a strong signal, and the rest of the team had to hurry to keep up with Uhura as she tracked it down. She came to a stop in the middle of the corridor.
“Where’s the vent entrance?” she asked, looking up.
“There’s one down there.” One of the security officers pointed down the corridor.
Uhura walked over to it and stretched up, removing the grating. “Help me up,” she said to Scotty.
“What?” he said. “You can’t just go in there with those things!”
“Well, any of you are welcome to try,” she said, looking around at them. They glanced at the vent and then at each other. Even if they wanted to, the officers’ shoulders were too broad to fit. It would’ve been a tight fit for Scotty, too.
“Just be careful,” Scotty said, cupping his hands and bending down.
Uhura stepped into them. “I will.” She grabbed the edge of the vent and with Scotty’s help, worked her way up. Scotty handed her a net when she was fully inside. It was smaller than she thought, and a few feet in front of her, the shaft made a sharp, upwards turn. She started climbing. “You might want to shut this part down. I might be in here awhile.”
Scotty took out his communicator and gave the order. He honestly didn’t care if those bird things got blown around, but he wouldn’t risk injury to Uhura. The group heard her move up into the main shaft, and then followed as she went down towards where they found the signal. After a few minutes she stopped, and Scotty’s communicator chirped.
“Yeah?” he asked when he answered it.
“I can see two of them,” Uhura said. They could hear her voice through the ceiling, but it was too muffled to make out what she was saying. She came in clearer on the communicator, but her voice sounded strange as it echoed off the metal vent.
“Can you reach them?” Scotty said.
There were a few thuds and clangs as she maneuvered the net into place, then she said. “Not from right here. I’ll have to get closer.”
“Oh, lass, be careful,” Scotty said. He stared hard at the ceiling as if he could help her thorough sheer force of will. They heard her crawl a short distance forward, but a loud screech sounded before she could get too close.
“There goes that idea,” she said.
“Maybe we could just phaser them out,” a security officer said.
“Aye,” Scotty said. “We can block them off and make a little hole in the vent, then catch them.”
“No,” Uhura said. “You heard Kirk. He ordered us not to use phasers. And what if they are sensitive to phaser fire, like Spock said? One wrong move and we could kill them.”
“Well are you going to sit up there all day and stare at them?”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
For a few more minutes everyone just stood around, not knowing how to proceed.
“We could block them off with the nets, one person on each end,” someone suggested. “Then we can just move the nets together until we catch them.”
“How will we get them out, though, once we’ve got them?” someone else pointed out. “It’s one thing to just, I don’t know, slide one net along the wall or something. But dragging two out and keeping them together at the same time?”
“We could use an adhesive.”
“But what if they bit us while we were applying it?”
“We have protective gloves, you know.”
“But by the time we get all this together they might move somewhere else.”
“I still think our best bet would be cutting out a hole and pulling them through it,” Scotty said. “I’m sure we could convince the captain-”
“Oh, my god,” Uhura said, interrupting them.
“What?” Scotty snapped his attention back to the ceiling. “Did something happen?”
“Get Kirk down here,” she said. “And have him bring a universal translator.”
::
Part Two
Author: idvo
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot
Rating: Mature
Warnings: none
Relationship Status: Established K/S
Additional Pairings: some Uhura/Scotty
Genre: drama, humor, action-adventure, romance
Word Count: ~5,800/10,000
Summary: The Enterprise has to drop off a few supplies at a nearby colony, and Kirk was looking forward to the lull in activity. Finally, a chance to spend some time with Spock. However, between McCoy hounding him to complete his athletic evaluation, and the appearance of strange and destructive aliens, Kirk can’t seem to spend more than a few short moments with him.
A/N: Written for ksrelativity . Group 6, prompts: alleyway, box, athletic evaluations, quartermaster. Also, holy crap, I think this is the longest fic I’ve ever written.
::
THE BOX
::
Quartermaster Hendricks looked down at the form in his hand as he checked off another item on the list. The Enterprise had just picked up a shipment of supplies from Starbase 3, and they were on their way to drop them off at a small colony in the nearby star system. He knew the captain hated it when Starfleet treated the Enterprise like a cargo ship, but Hendricks privately enjoyed it. He had a good memory, and he kept track of who ordered what from where and when. He wasn’t about to go around telling everyone’s secrets, but knowing this information gave him a slight buzz. A person’s stuff said a lot about them, and he felt he knew quite a bit about his crewmates. Every three months Mr. Spock placed an order for a special blend of Rigelian and Vulcan tea that was sold in a small shop on Andoria. Dr. McCoy always had a full stock of various liquors, though Saurian brandy was what he ordered most often. Lieutenant Uhura frequently ordered new nail polishes from different worlds, as well as a few pre-warp communication devices. Everyone had their things, even Hendricks, who could never resist picking up skeins of yarn from venders throughout Federation space.
“Looks like that’s all, everyone,” he said, quickly scanning the form to see if he missed anything.
“What’s that, sir?” an ensign to his right asked.
“What’s what?” Hendricks looked to where the ensign was pointing and noticed a small, plain box surrounded by larger ones. “Well that wasn’t on the form.” He went over to it and picked it up. It was light and had “fragile” printed in large letters on each of its sides. Red arrows indicated the top of the box, and a small cooling unit stuck out from the back. He gave it a quick shake, but nothing rustled inside it.
“What do you think it is?”
“I don’t know,” Hendricks said. “I’ll check it out in my office; you all get this stuff stored away. Don’t miss anything.” The crew acknowledged his order and got to work. With the box in his hands, he made his way to his office, careful not to step on or run into any of the supplies. He walked in and set the box on his desk, lifting a tricorder to scan it. However, it was unable to detect what was inside, or what the box was made of. That in itself wasn’t very unusual; there were plenty of vendors that promised “discreet” packaging and shipping. He picked up the box again and looked to see if there was an information bar he could scan, but a large crash out in the cargo hold startled him and caused him to drop it. It caught the corner of the desk then landed on its side on the floor. Hendricks cursed and stalked out of the office. He knew that many members of the crew were young and inexperienced, but one would think they’d know not to treat cargo like how they treated their PADDs back at the academy.
With a soft hiss, the door closed behind him. He missed the front of the box sliding open and the small head that peeked out.
::
“Jim!”
Kirk flinched, and skimmed over the rest of the report before signing it and shoving the PADD into the startled yeoman’s hands. With a small nod and a tight smile in his direction, he quickly walked off, narrowly avoiding running into a group of crewmembers in science blues as the passed by.
“Jim!”
He heard a distinct pattern of footsteps behind him, and winced as they sped up. Kirk wasn’t about to just flee, running down the corridor of his own damn ship, but he wasn’t sure if his pursuer was above such behavior. He stepped around a group of off-duty security officers, hoping that they would create a least a small obstacle.
“Damn it, Jim!”
Kirk saw the turbolift up ahead, and hurried to squeeze through the doors before they closed. There were several people already inside, and he nodded to them. He turned and faced the doors, breathing an unnoticeable sigh of relief that he’d managed to get away. The last person he wanted to deal with right now was McCoy, and an angry McCoy was even worse.
Athletic evaluations had been scheduled for that week, and Kirk kept putting his off. It wasn’t that he was nervous, well, maybe a little, but he didn’t want to undergo the torture McCoy would put him through for skipping out on his last evaluation. It had been six months ago when he’d filled out his own evaluation forms. He’d told McCoy that Chapel would test him, and he’d told Chapel McCoy was doing it. When McCoy found out, it was too late to actually do them; the data had been processed and sent off to Starfleet, and nothing short of reporting Kirk’s indiscretion would fix the situation.
He didn’t feel guilty about it, and he didn’t know what McCoy’s deal was. He hadn’t put in any high scores for himself (honestly, he thought he made himself look practically mediocre the forms), and he repeatedly showed that he could still do his job. His adrenaline was a nice compliment to his overall endurance, and it seemed like away missions were mainly comprised of dragged-out diplomatic meetings, or frantic moments of running for their lives that never lasted more than a few minutes. Besides, Kirk never liked tests, anyway. He felt they all they did were assess an arbitrary collection of a person’s skills, and that it was better to prove oneself in the line of duty, rather than in front of a machine.
He’d told McCoy as much, and the lecture he received afterwards left his ears ringing for about a week.
The lift stopped on the bridge, and he and the other officers stepped out. He thought he felt something brush past his ear, but when he looked there was nothing there. Figuring that his subconscious was trying to turn McCoy into a bat or something, Kirk shrugged it off and walked to his command chair.
“Anything to report?” he asked.
Sulu turned around. “Nothing out of the ordinary, sir.”
“Good.”
“Captain,” Uhura said, “the quartermaster’s office reports that all cargo has been successfully transported aboard.”
“Acknowledge that report,” Kirk said. “All right, Sulu, let’s take her out of here, warp three to the Paradi system.”
“Aye, sir.” Sulu turned back to the helm and maneuvered the Enterprise away from Starbase 3 before setting off.
“ETA, Mr. Chekov?”
“Thirty-one hours, sir.”
Kirk relaxed into his chair and looked around the bridge. It was a pretty quiet day. Everyone was busy at their stations, and there was no sense of urgency aboard the ship. Well, McCoy was probably itching to get a hold of Kirk, and Kirk knew that it wouldn’t be pretty when he did, but other than that, all was calm.
He glanced over at Spock, who was immersed in his scans as usual. Kirk suppressed the urge to plaster a ridiculous smile on his face. About three months ago, they had started a relationship. During an intense standoff with Orion mercenaries, pressed together as they huddled behind the wreckage of one of the ship’s shuttles, Kirk had a revelation. Their feelings for one another had warmed considerably since the start of their mission, and after one and a half years of working together, fighting side by side, and just being in each other’s company, it suddenly hit Kirk. Sitting there with enemy fire whizzing centimeters from his head, battered and bruised from close combat, he knew that this was what he wanted. He wanted to be with Spock, to explore the stars with him for as long as they lived. He wanted to be able to hold him at the end of the day, after fighting with enemies or debating with allies, and know that they would share this life.
And, feeling Spock breathe heavily against him, Kirk knew he wanted to fuck him.
Spock had had his hand around Kirk’s middle, holding a scrap of cloth against a gash in his side, and as soon as that thought passed through Kirk’s head, he jolted. It wasn’t like he jumped a foot in the air, but Kirk definitely noticed it. Looking at Spock’s face, the most shocked he’d ever seen it, all Kirk could do was shrug and give a sheepish grin. Immediately after they were caught up in the transporter beam and taken back to the ship.
Things between them were awkward for some time. Kirk could barely look Spock in the eye, for one, but their professional relationship was completely intact. It wasn’t until McCoy cornered Kirk one day and demanded to know what was wrong that Kirk finally gave voice to his feelings. McCoy listened, and then told him how foolish he was being about it. He said to actually talk to Spock and work things out, that avoiding the situation wasn’t going to make it disappear. Kirk thanked him and went to go do just that, but lost his nerve at the last minute. Fortunately, Spock was a little braver, and confronted him. Much to Kirk’s amazement, Spock felt the same, and he managed to wait (some of the longest seconds of his life) until he finished his sentence before kissing him, as enthusiastically as he’d ever kissed anyone. It wasn’t the best kiss, but hey, now he had a lot of time to practice.
That’s when a yellow alert had interrupted them.
Spock looked over at Kirk and raised an eyebrow. Kirk winked at him and turned back to the view screen. Since that kiss, they hadn’t had a chance to be alone. They snatched every small moment they could, but Kirk was starting to worry that if they’d never be able to spend more than a few minutes together. Kirk wondered when he could schedule their next shore leave.
“Captain?” Uhura said.
Kirk snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes?”
“I think I’m picking up an unknown transmission.” He faced her and watched as her hands flew across the console, pressing buttons and switches as she searched for the source.
“Any idea where it might be coming from?”
“The sensors aren’t picking anything up,” she said, adjusting her earpiece and sliding her chair closer to her station. “I know I hear something…” Her voice trailed off as her hands stilled. She sat up straight and listened intently, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Everyone, quiet,” Kirk ordered, and the bridge fell silent. People focused their attention on Uhura and him.
She pulled the earpiece from her ear and stood up. “I think it’s coming from the bridge,” she said, walking from her station and closer to Kirk.
“Are you sure it’s not just a piece of equipment?” Kirk asked.
“I know what this bridge sounds like, and I’ve never heard this before-” She stopped moving. “There, hear that?”
Kirk concentrated, trying to hear whatever anomalous sound Uhura had found. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see others doing the same. “What kind of sound is it?”
“It’s like a small clicking,” Uhura explained. “With a little whistle in between each click.”
“I hear it, as well,” Spock said, joining them at the center of the bridge. He looked up. “I believe the sound is emanating from up there.”
Everyone peered up at the ceiling, and they all saw it. “Well, what the hell is that?” Kirk speculated. A small blue form clung to the ceiling, moving its head from side to side as it surveyed the room. It looked like a bird, a weird, skinny, bug-eyed bluebird that could hang upside-down. “How did-” Before Kirk could finish, the creature dove down and hit him in the face with as much force as its tiny frame could muster. It wasn’t much, but it still scared the shit out of Kirk. Its loud squawks weren’t helping much, either. With a yell, Kirk slammed back into his chair and swatted at it as it flew around his face.
“Hey!” Uhura shouted, reaching for the creature. It turned its attention to her, and she ran into Spock trying to avoid it. He caught her by the shoulders and steadied her before she could fall, and the creature flew off.
“Someone get that thing!” Kirk ordered, and several crew members started trying to catch it, some even chasing after it. Eventually it landed near an air vent and squeezed through the grating before anyone could get it.
“What was that?” Uhura rubbed a spot on her forehead where the creature had run into her.
“Hell if I know, but I want it caught.” Kirk stood up, ready to gather a security team to catch whatever it was. The comm on his armrest whistled, and Scotty’s voice rang out, loud and angry.
“You won’t believe this, Captain!” he said. “Something’s gotten into the dilithium!”
“What do you mean?”
“The dilithium crystals, they’re all fucked up!”
Kirk blinked. “Fucked up how, exactly?”
“It’s like something- Like they’re just- I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“All right,” Kirk said. “Scotty, meet me in conference room four, and bring the damaged dilithium crystals. Uhura, Spock, you’re coming, too. Kirk out.” He cut the connection. “Sulu, you have the conn.” With Uhura and Spock in tow, he walked to the turbolift and went inside.
He’d never admit this to anyone, but he’d almost been looking forward to only having to carry supplies from Point A to Point B. There might have even been time to get together with Spock. Not anymore.
::
News must have traveled fast, because when they got to the conference room, an anxious-looking Quartermaster Hendricks was waiting outside, a small box in his hands. Before Kirk could greet him, he said, “I think I might know something about what’s happening, sir.”
“Well, come in, then.” Kirk motioned them all inside, then followed. Scotty was sitting at the table next to Lieutenant Masters, who had a box in front of her, presumably holding the dilithium. Scotty scowled down at his clenched hands, and Masters looked nearly as angry as him. Everyone else took a seat, and Hendricks set his box on the table.
Kirk cleared his throat. “It seems like we have a few problems on our hands,” he said, looking around at everyone’s faces. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but we’re not leaving this room until we come up with a way to find out.” He rested his gaze on Hendricks. “You said you might know something?”
“Uh, yes, sir.” Hendricks wrung his hands on the table. “Earlier today, when I was going over the supplies, I noticed that we picked up something that wasn’t on the requisition form.”
“And you didn’t notify me?”
“Well sir, I was going to, but there was a…mishap in the cargo hold. It was just a little box, it didn’t look like anything important, and I didn’t want to delay the ship any longer than necessary-”
Kirk interrupted him. “How long have you been in Starfleet?”
“About fifteen years, sir.”
“And how many of those years have you been working as a quartermaster?”
“Five, sir.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me about an unknown object being delivered to my ship?”
“I was going to, sir!” Hendricks said. “I took it into my office and looked it over, but then there was a commotion out in the hold I needed to take care of. By the time I got back to the box it was open.”
Spock held out his hand, “May I see it?”
“Yes, sir.” Hendricks pushed the box towards him. Spock took it and started examining it.
“Next time, I want to know immediately if there’s anything unusual coming aboard, understood?” Kirk said.
“Yes, sir,” Hendricks nodded and looked down at his hands.
“Scotty,” Kirk said, looking at the angry man across from him. “Now, what’s going on with the dilithium?”
“She can probably explain better than I can,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and motioning towards Masters with his head. “She’s the one who found the mess.”
“I went down to Engineering to reamplify the dilithium crystals, and when I got there I noticed that a few of the compartments were open,” Masters said. “I looked in one of them and saw this.” She reached into the box and took something out, setting it in the middle of the table. Everyone leaned in to get a better look. It appeared to be a dilithium crystal, but it couldn’t possibly be. There were chips and scratches all over its surface, and one corner appeared to have been bitten off. There was a long crack through the middle, almost clean through the crystal. Masters set a few more on the table, and some were in even worse shape. “I found them like this.”
Kirk snatched one off the table and turned it over in his hands. The nicks were sharp and jagged, and he was careful not to cut himself. He handed it to Spock, and picked up another.
“There was also some movement in the corner of my eye, but when I looked it was gone,” Masters said. “I did find this, though.” She held out a small blue object, and Uhura took it.
“Could this have been caused by that thing we saw on the bridge?” Kirk asked.
“She saw it right around the same time we noticed the creature on the bridge,” Uhura said. “It couldn’t have been the same one.” She ran her index finger along the object’s surface. “It’s the same color,” she said. “It’s like a feather, only not as soft. It almost feels like a type of plastic.” Each tiny shaft of the object looked completely smooth; they didn’t lock together like they would on a bird’s feather. She rubbed it a bit and heard it squeak against her fingers.
Kirk watched as Spock handed a crystal to a half devastated, half enraged Scotty. “So there’s a good chance they could be birds?”
“I’m not sure, though they’re very similar,” Uhura said. She gave the feather to Spock.
“Get a science team together, and have someone conduct a detailed analysis of that thing,” Kirk ordered. “Check out that box, as well. See if there’s anything else in it.”
“Yes, sir,” Spock said.
“Masters, get back to Engineering and re-check the dilithium. Post a couple of security officers to watch the entrances and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Uhura, see if you can rig something up to detect these things. The ship’s sensors obviously didn’t pick their signals up, but I’m sure you can figure out a way to find them. When you start searching, take a small security team with you. If they attack again-”
“If I may, Captain?” Spock said.
“Sure, what is it?”
“We have no way of knowing how these creatures will react to our weaponry, if they’re especially vulnerable to phaser fire, for example. Nor do we know how physically fragile they are.”
“He’s right,” Uhura said. “We can’t just fire at them or try to grab them. Plus, what if they’re venomous, or have some other form of defense that’s dangerous to us?”
“Good points.” Kirk leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. He took a breath and said, “When I was a kid there was this bird that flew in the house. It freaked out and knocked a bunch of stuff over. Frank was so pissed and tried to swat it out with an old rifle replica he had.” He looked around at the blank faces of his crew. “Uh, anyway, I eventually threw a sheet over it and caught it. It calmed down enough, and I released it outside.”
“So…” Uhura said. “You want us to chase these things with sheets?”
“Nets,” Kirk said, looking at Hendricks. “Do we have any nets?”
Hendricks sat upright. “I could make some,” he said. “It wouldn’t be too hard.”
“Make five,” Kirk said. “I also want you to contact Starbase 3 and get them to tell you everything they know about the shipment. Write up a report and send it to me by the end of the day.” Hendricks nodded. “Uhura, get a team of three security officers, plus you and Scotty, and get the nets from the quartermaster before you being the search. Tell them that they’re not to use excessive force or phasers if and when you confront the aliens. When you do find them, do your best to capture them, and bring them to the science lab. And be careful.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Scotty?”
“Yeah?”
“Try not to be too hard on them. They’re probably just scared and harmless.”
Scotty sighed. “If you say so.”
“All right, everyone, you have your orders. Dismissed.”
Kirk remained seated as everyone got up from around the table and filed out of the room, Scotty taking a moment to scoop the damaged dilithium into his arms. Kirk pressed his fingers to his eyes and rubbed. He felt someone sit down in the seat next to his, and he peered out from behind his hands at them.
“Hell of a way to start the day,” Kirk said.
“Hm.” Spock folded his hands on top of the table and stared at Kirk. “Dr. McCoy contacted me today, before you arrived on the bridge.”
“I am simply shocked.” Kirk stood up and went to the replicator on the wall. He punched in an order for coffee and hoped that what came out was somewhat drinkable.
“He told me that you have been avoiding him for the past week, that you keep coming up with excuses in order to get out of completing your athletic evaluation.”
“I’ve been busy.” He snatched up the coffee and took a mouthful, wincing at the flavor. “Are these replicators working right?” he asked once he’d managed to swallow it.
“Jim.”
Kirk turned to face Spock, but didn’t meet his eyes. Instead he stared at his own reflection in the cup. “I’ll do them eventually.”
“He also told me that you didn’t complete the last one.”
“Tattle tale.”
“Why?”
Kirk tilted the cup from side to side, nearly spilling the coffee. “What if I fail them?”
“You have passed it before,” Spock said, his voice calm.
“I know, and I know that I’ll pass it again, it’s just…” Kirk stopped.
“Just what?” Spock said after a few moments.
Sighing, Kirk said, “Like I said before, I’ve been busy. There’s a lot of stuff to do: reports to write, reports to read, Klingons to yell at, diplomats to yell at. Just the other day I almost got into it with Komack.”
“I would advise against such an-”
“Don’t worry; I didn’t. Cut the call before he finished signing off, though.” He looked up at Spock’s face and saw subtle hints of disapproval and amusement. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to work out or anything. I’ll do some sit-ups and pushups before bed, but that’s all I really have time for.”
“But why don’t you complete the evaluation?”
Kirk sighed again and sat on the table next to Spock. He set his cup down and folded his arms. “I know I’ll pass it. You pretty much have to be unconscious not to pass it. But I have to set an example for the crew. I have to be someone they can look up to, someone they can admire. If I score low, they’ll think I’m just some lazy kid who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.”
Spock furrowed his brow. “You really believe that?”
“No. I get off on pretending to spill my heart out to my boyfriend. It’s fun. You should try it-”
“Jim, stop.” Spock stood and moved to stand between Kirk’s legs. He placed his hands on either side of Kirk’s hips. “If you are disappointed in your own performance, improve it.”
Leave it to Spock to be irritating and sexy all at the same time. “When, Spock? I have no time.”
“Make time,” Spock said. He leaned in and touched his lips to Kirk’s, a barely-there kiss. “You are one of the most skilled officers in Starfleet. Surely you can handle something as mundane as time management.” He kissed him again.
“Well, maybe if I had some help,” Kirk said against Spock’s lips. He unfolded his arms and lightly wrapped them around Spock’s torso, tilting his head as Spock deepened the kiss.
Spock pulled back. “I am willing to assist you.” He kissed Kirk’s jaw. “It is, after all, my duty to see that you are able to function satisfactorily.” He stepped closer, pressing their bodies together.
“Of course, Mr. Spock.” Kirk ran his hands down Spock’s back. “Wouldn’t want you to fall behind on your duties, too.” He kissed the side of Spock’s neck before catching his lips once again.
Kirk had no idea how much time had passed, trusting that there was a tiny clock ticking away in the back of Spock’s brain dedicating itself to keeping track of this moment, but the comm whistling behind him brought him crashing back to reality. They broke apart, Spock looking as unruffled as ever (Kirk was going to have to remember to mess his hair up one of these days). Kirk, on the other hand, needed a moment to straighten out his uniform before taking the call.
“Kirk, here,” he said, looking into McCoy’s grumpy face.
“You have some drool on your chin,” McCoy said, glancing behind Kirk where Spock silently stood, hands behind his back. “I hope the door was locked this time.”
“Sure it was,” Kirk lied, trying to discreetly wipe his chin. “Before you start, you should know that this time I really can’t do the evaluation right now, Bones.”
“Yeah, there are birds, I know,” McCoy said. “I’m just telling, Jim, that when all of this is done you will come down to sickbay and you will do it. I’ll order security to drag your ass down here if I have to.”
“All right, all right. Straight to sickbay once I’m done with the bird thing. Got it.”
“Good. McCoy out.” The screen went blank.
“Well, Spock, we should get back work,” Kirk said. He faced him and stopped when he saw the look on his face.
“I was serious, Jim.”
“About what?”
“About assisting you.” Spock went to the door and Kirk followed. Before it could open Spock stopped him with a hand on his arm. He stepped closer. “I’m willing to put together a training regimen for you, if you could make the time for it.”
“Sounds good.” Kirk absently thought about engaging the privacy lock. “Did you have a certain time in mind?”
“I have found that starting one’s day with vigorous physical activity can increase energy levels and allow one to better adapt to a new routine.”
“That sounds even better,” Kirk leaned in and kissed him.
“We are still on duty, sir,” Spock said after the brief kiss.
Kirk stepped back. “Right.” They finished walking to the doors, which opened when they got close enough. “After you.”
Spock shook his head. “I insist,” he said, gesturing for Kirk to go first.
Of course you do, Kirk thought, smirking. “Very well,” he said, and he walked through the doors. He could feel Spock’s eyes on him as they walked, all the way until they had to part. He loved every second of it.
::
In a small office in Engineering, Uhura sat at a desk, hunched over a disassembled tricorder, reattaching wires and adjusting various sensors with a set of delicate tools. Scotty sat to her right, offering assistance when needed.
“I think their feathers prevent sensors from detecting them,” she said, reaching for a microchip. “We’ll need to try and sense the sounds they make, rather than their bio signs.”
“I hope you’re right,” Scotty said, handing her one of the tools. “We can’t let these things roam free, that’s for sure. And what if dilithuim’s not the only thing they have a taste for? The last thing we need is them chewing a hole through the hull.”
“Let’s not think about that.” Uhura started piecing the tricorder back together. Once she was done, she turned it on. Grabbing her PADD, she opened up a recording program and started to recreate the sounds she heard on the bridge. When she got them as close as she could make it, she handed the PADD to Scotty. “Take this and hide it somewhere. I have it playing the same sounds that the creature made, and I’ll see if I can detect it with this.” She stood and picked up the tricorder.
Scotty held it up to his ear. “Really? I can’t hear anything.”
“I have it set on the lowest volume.” She walked to the door. “Come and get me when you’re done; I don’t want to know where you put it.”
“Aye,” Scotty said. After a couple of minutes, he called Uhura back into the room. She lifted the tricorder and watched for any signals. Nothing. She adjusted the sensitivity and tried again, and this time she saw a subtle change in the readout. Going to a vent in the wall, she opened it and pulled out a toolbox. Behind that was another box, holding the PADD. Scotty had wrapped it in a couple of engineering jumpsuits, and he’d thrown a few activated communicators in there, as well.
“Now what?” he asked as Uhura turned the PADD off.
“Now we see if we can find those things. We’ve wasted enough time messing around with this.”
“Will it work?”
“I’m pretty sure it will.” Uhura squeezed the muscle in her neck. “I didn’t have to turn the sensitivity up that much to find this,” she said, setting the PADD on the desk, “and the vents aren’t that complicated. We’ll find them.”
Scotty walked behind her and massaged her neck and shoulders. “You’ve been bent over that thing for nearly an hour.”
Uhura smiled. “And I feel better already.” She turned and gave him a quick peck. “Now let’s hurry up and get this over with.”
After getting a security team and stopping by the quartermaster’s for the nets, they trooped down the corridors, Uhura leading the way. They got a lot of strange looks from passing crew members as they strode through the ship, nets in hand, but they didn’t pay them any attention. Sometimes she would stop and scan an area more closely, but it usually turned out to be nothing significant. They were on deck seven when the tricorder finally picked up a strong signal, and the rest of the team had to hurry to keep up with Uhura as she tracked it down. She came to a stop in the middle of the corridor.
“Where’s the vent entrance?” she asked, looking up.
“There’s one down there.” One of the security officers pointed down the corridor.
Uhura walked over to it and stretched up, removing the grating. “Help me up,” she said to Scotty.
“What?” he said. “You can’t just go in there with those things!”
“Well, any of you are welcome to try,” she said, looking around at them. They glanced at the vent and then at each other. Even if they wanted to, the officers’ shoulders were too broad to fit. It would’ve been a tight fit for Scotty, too.
“Just be careful,” Scotty said, cupping his hands and bending down.
Uhura stepped into them. “I will.” She grabbed the edge of the vent and with Scotty’s help, worked her way up. Scotty handed her a net when she was fully inside. It was smaller than she thought, and a few feet in front of her, the shaft made a sharp, upwards turn. She started climbing. “You might want to shut this part down. I might be in here awhile.”
Scotty took out his communicator and gave the order. He honestly didn’t care if those bird things got blown around, but he wouldn’t risk injury to Uhura. The group heard her move up into the main shaft, and then followed as she went down towards where they found the signal. After a few minutes she stopped, and Scotty’s communicator chirped.
“Yeah?” he asked when he answered it.
“I can see two of them,” Uhura said. They could hear her voice through the ceiling, but it was too muffled to make out what she was saying. She came in clearer on the communicator, but her voice sounded strange as it echoed off the metal vent.
“Can you reach them?” Scotty said.
There were a few thuds and clangs as she maneuvered the net into place, then she said. “Not from right here. I’ll have to get closer.”
“Oh, lass, be careful,” Scotty said. He stared hard at the ceiling as if he could help her thorough sheer force of will. They heard her crawl a short distance forward, but a loud screech sounded before she could get too close.
“There goes that idea,” she said.
“Maybe we could just phaser them out,” a security officer said.
“Aye,” Scotty said. “We can block them off and make a little hole in the vent, then catch them.”
“No,” Uhura said. “You heard Kirk. He ordered us not to use phasers. And what if they are sensitive to phaser fire, like Spock said? One wrong move and we could kill them.”
“Well are you going to sit up there all day and stare at them?”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
For a few more minutes everyone just stood around, not knowing how to proceed.
“We could block them off with the nets, one person on each end,” someone suggested. “Then we can just move the nets together until we catch them.”
“How will we get them out, though, once we’ve got them?” someone else pointed out. “It’s one thing to just, I don’t know, slide one net along the wall or something. But dragging two out and keeping them together at the same time?”
“We could use an adhesive.”
“But what if they bit us while we were applying it?”
“We have protective gloves, you know.”
“But by the time we get all this together they might move somewhere else.”
“I still think our best bet would be cutting out a hole and pulling them through it,” Scotty said. “I’m sure we could convince the captain-”
“Oh, my god,” Uhura said, interrupting them.
“What?” Scotty snapped his attention back to the ceiling. “Did something happen?”
“Get Kirk down here,” she said. “And have him bring a universal translator.”
::
Part Two