Fic - Chance Encounter 1&2/ ?
Title: Chance Encounter
Author: spirktrekker42
Pairing: Kirk/Spock (pre-slash)
Universe: ST:XI
Genre: Drama, action adventure, friendship
Rating: PG
Summary: Spock is currently enamored with Cadet Uhura. But the Commander is given the shock of his life when a young first year cadet accidentally collides with him in the hall of Starfleet Academy.
Disclaimer: The rights to Star Trek belong to Gene Roddenberry, and NuTrek belongs to J.J. Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzman.
A/N: This story takes place during the Starfleet Academy years. Spock is beginning his first term as an instructor and Kirk is beginning his first year as a student. Pre K/S slash. Believe it or not, they don’t hate each other in this!
.~.
Chance Encounter
Ch. 1: Collide
Commander Spock rounded the corner of one of Starfleet Academy’s corridors followed by one of his most promising students, Miss Nyota Uhura. The second year cadet had expressed her interest in being given extra work for his linguistics class, provided they got together to discuss her findings over lunch every week. The Vulcan was not as naïve as many humans believed - he knew that Cadet Uhura was attracted to him. She also had a genuine thirst to learn more about the many spoken languages in and out of the Federation. Not only that, but she was the first friend he’d had at the academy. Nyota honestly enjoyed his company and valued his intellect. She was not offended by his logical, often detached point of view. She didn’t ask him to be anyone other than himself, and for that he was grateful. The brainy African was also quite beautiful, which he noted. Spock didn’t see any harm spending time with this young woman, as long as the reason was purely academic.
“Commander, I was hoping after lunch today that we could spend some more time together?” Uhura suggested. Spock hesitated, as he was well aware of Starfleet’s policy regarding student/teacher fraternization. However, he did wish to spend more time with her. She was intelligent, logical, agreeable, and dedicated to her work, everything a Vulcan would wish for in a mate. Best of all, she seemed to value structure and order almost as much as he did. “It doesn’t even have to be doing something school related,” she added hurriedly. “We could tour San Francisco, see a museum, or attend the theatre. Or perhaps we could visit the Cetacean Institute? I hear they have a wonderful exhibit featuring whales, dating all the way back to the 20th century...” Spock was so interested in what his student had to say that he didn’t see the body flying toward him until it was too late.
“Oof!” Came the surprised, unidentified male voice as he slammed directly into the unsuspecting Vulcan. Spock’s PADD went flying and so did the box his human assailant was carrying. The human was barely able to keep from falling face first onto the floor. Spock himself was knocked to the ground, which was no mean feat. He noticed the careless blond cadet was also hurting from the affects of the collision. The human gathered his wits first and stood up.
“Dude, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there,” he fretted, eyes widening when they flew to the Commander’s rank on his uniform. “Here, let me give you a hand up.”
“That is not necessary-” Spock began, but the human had already grabbed his hand before he could pull it out of the way. The Vulcan was carefully heaved to his feet, his hand smarting from the physical contact. A pleasant shiver coursed through his fingers and palm where the cadet’s cool hand had rested. The tips of his fingers tingled, even when the contact was removed. Something deep inside Spock had been rattled, the part of him he kept secret from all who dared to break through his Vulcan defenses. What had just occurred?
Apparently what had occurred had only happened to Spock, as the other party seemed unaffected by the close hand to hand contact. Currently, Spock’s attacker was gathering his personal belongings that had fallen out of the box in the collision. The Commander deduced from the contents of the box that his assailant was a first year, fresh from home. The green cadet was probably not aware that the touching of hands was an intimate gesture to Vulcans. In his daze, Spock decided to overlook the breach in protocol this once, on grounds it was the cadet’s first day.
Wincing, the blond handed him his PADD back. His eyes bravely met Spock’s as he ran his hand through his messy hair. “You okay?” Mild concern was evident in those bright blue eyes.
“Affirmative,” Spock replied, making it a point to clasp his hands firmly behind his back. Spock was relieved the human intended no ill will toward him. The collision had just been an accident. The handsome youth squinted at him, as if not sure how to read the seemingly emotionless Vulcan.
“You sure? I feel kinda bad for running into you like that. Next time I’ll pay more attention to where I’m going. No hard feelings?” Spock wasn’t quite sure what a ‘hard feeling’ was, but he took his best shot.
“You are forgiven for your miscalculation.”
“That’s good,” said the relieved cadet. “Well, see you around.” The youth waved, his eyes flickering towards Uhura. He smirked, and opened his mouth to say something, but abruptly changed his mind, opting to run after his human companion. “Hey, Bones! Wait up…” Spock watched as the human caught up to his friend. He continued to track him with his eyes as the pair of humans sped away. Spock pried his hands apart, watching as his left hand gave an involuntary spasm. It was the hand the cadet had grabbed. What was that cadet’s name? Spock was certain he hadn’t been on his roster, as he’d memorized all the new cadets' names and faces within the span of five minutes.
“Commander Spock, are you hurt?” Uhura worried, watching as Spock favored his left hand. She had silently watched this exchange, remembering the youth to be the same one who had hit on her in a bar in Iowa. “He better not have done that on purpose. If he did, I’ll kick his-” Spock cut her off, not wanting to dwell on the subject. He turned his full attention back to her.
“I am quite certain it was only an accident. Shall we?” She accepted that with a nod as they made their way toward the Mess Hall. The Vulcan decided it would be only logical to put the male cadet and his shock-inducing hands out of his mind. His mind had thankfully cleared from the collision-induced daze. He wasn’t concerned about any negative effects of the chance encounter, as they would’ve made themselves known to him by now. Whatever that incident was, Spock thought, remembering the rush of contentment the moment the other male touched his hand, it certainly didn’t hurt.
End Ch. 1
.~.
Ch. 2: Kirk the Hacker
One Year Later
Cadet Kirk had not given his little run in with the Vulcan Commander a second thought. He plowed ahead in his studies, earning top grades in all of his courses. He secured his position as a Sex God by landing a different conquest every weekend. And when he was not studying, screwing around, or hanging out with his best friend Bones, he worked.
Some Starfleet Cadets worked jobs on campus to earn extra money for the weekends. Some upperclassmen tutored younger Cadets for monetary gain. Still others serviced the shuttles and starships that came into base from space dock. Not Cadet Kirk. He hacked computers, making a considerable profit by putting his problem-solving skills to good use. One job sustained him with enough finances to last him for a few months, until he was offered another hit.
This afternoon he was planning on tackling the job that had arrived earlier that morning via his secret email account. Like all hackers, Kirk had an alias - LighteningSt0rm. He'd created it when he'd been twelve and hadn't bothered to change it since. He was fairly well known in the hacker community. Thanks to his reputation, a few of the major hacking jobs came to him. Customers knew that LighteningSt0rm, while an amateur hacker, had the brains to get the job done.
The young cadet was not only one of the best amateur around, he was also fast. Once he secured the target IP Address, he would run his self-made program to hack through the firewalls. It usually only took about fifteen minutes to gain access to the system. His program had been a bitch to create, but it had been worth it. Thanks to his invention, he hadn’t yet come across a system that he couldn’t hack.
Kirk was just about to head for the computer lab when someone walked into his dorm room. Luckily, this person was well aware of his little ‘hobby’, and while he didn’t approve, he was kind enough to turn a blind eye to Kirk’s computing activities.
“Hey, Bones, you have a com from Joanna,” Kirk announced as his best friend and roommate came in. Sure enough, the light on the com center was blinking, indicating a message had arrived.
“Is it urgent?” McCoy wanted to know. Kirk shrugged.
“I don’t think so. It wasn’t marked urgent. I think widdle Joanna is just missing her daddy,” he explained in a sing-song voice.
“Shut up,” Bones grumbled. “I gotta change and head back to the ER. I’ll get to it later tonight.” He stripped off his bloodied uniform and rooted around in his closet for a fresh one. Kirk watched him thoughtfully. After a minute of this, he asked,
“Hey Bones, why did you marry Jocelyn?” McCoy rolled his eyes.
“Well, Jim, when you love someone and want to commit to them, marriage is usually the step to take.” Kirk shook his head.
“I know that. I meant, why limit yourself to one person? Why embrace monogamy? It just seems so dull.”
“Marriage is anything but dull, Kid,” the doctor laughed. “I was crazy about Jocelyn and she was crazy about me. We were completely devoted to each other, or at least we were for the first few years. Then Jocelyn started hanging out with a bunch of snobby women. They convinced her that she could do better than me, because I was never home.”
“That sucks,” Kirk said diplomatically. Bones shrugged.
“I was working long hours at the hospital trying to save up to buy the house that Jocelyn so desperately wanted. She couldn’t have it both ways. The trouble was, once I’d saved enough money, she could have the house and I could stay at home more. Unfortunately, she wasn’t content to wait. So, we divorced.”
“It seems that most marriages end in pain,” Kirk observed. “People get sick of each other. They quarrel about money or they fight about how to raise their kids. It just happens.”
“Not always,” Bones insisted. “Look at your parents. They had a successful marriage.” Kirk snorted.
“Yeah, if you call my father up and sacrificing himself, leaving my mom alone in this world a success.”
“If he hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t have a best friend,” the doctor pointed out.
“True,” Kirk considered, his expression turning wistful. “I just wish I could’ve met him, Bones. I wish that ship had never come and attacked the Kelvin. If only they’d been given a different mission- ”
“You can’t dwell on the ‘what-ifs’, Jim,” Bones said, his voice solemn. “What’s done is done. You can’t change the past.”
“Yeah,” came the despondent response. “I shouldn’t dwell on it. I just - I can’t get it out of my head. If I had been there, if I’d been older, I could’ve saved him.” The doctor grimaced. He had to snap his friend out of his gloomy mood, and fast! It was not natural for Kirk to be so down in the dumps. He was usually so exuberant, always living life to the fullest.
“Dammit, Jim!” Bones cried. “You’ve got too much free time if you’re sitting around thinking about the past. What you need is to get yourself a girlfriend-”
“Or boyfriend-” Kirk cut in.
“Or boyfriend,” Bones amended. “You need someone you can depend on, someone who will care for you. There are times when I won’t always be able to be there for you. You deserve a good partner.”
“I don’t do relationships,” Kirk snapped. “You know that - everyone knows that.”
“That’s just because you haven’t experienced how amazing it is to have a connection with that one special person.” The doctor winced when he realized how sappy he sounded. He really hadn’t quite gotten over Jocelyn yet; the wound still smarted.
“Bones, that crap just isn’t for me!” Kirk insisted. “I’m not the type to fall head over heels in love. Lust maybe,” he amended with a wink. “But not love, not the deep everlasting love you’re talking about.”
“Mark my words, Jim, one day love will find you and turn your world upside down,” McCoy predicted, shaking his finger at his friend. “And, knowing you, it will probably be the person you least expect.” Jim stared at him in horror.
“I’m not marrying Admiral Archer.” Bones let out a great guffaw at that.
“Okay, that is a little farfetched,” the doctor admitted. “But you will get hit by Cupid’s arrow some day, and I just hope I’m there to see it.”
“Dream on, Bones,” Kirk smirked. “I’m perfectly happy living the single life. No rules to tie me down, no real responsibilities, freedom to screw whoever wants me. My life is pretty damn sweet.” He stretched in his chair, projecting an air of complete confidence.
“Lie to yourself all you want, Kid,” Bones said, deadly serious. “But you’re floundering. You want that deep connection probably more than any of us, but you’re afraid to reach out and take it. The sooner you admit that to yourself, the sooner you can be happy.”
“Bullshit,” Kirk muttered, hating how his best friend knew him so well. McCoy rolled his eyes, wondering if Jim would ever grow up. The doctor knew that whoever fell in love with Jim would have to be a saint to put up with all of his BS.
“I gotta go to work. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” the doctor warned. Kirk just shot him a wide-eyed “who, me?” gaze. Bones started out the door, but Kirk called after him,
“Is Christine Chapel on your shift tonight?” McCoy turned slowly back around, his cheeks slightly reddened.
“I think so. What’s it to you?” Kirk grinned at him.
“You should ask her out.”
“That’s not going to happen,” McCoy’s voice was flat.
“If you don’t, I will.” Kirk’s grin grew wider at his friend’s appalled reaction.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Okay, I wouldn’t,” Jim conceded. “But you should still ask her out. I’ve heard rumors that she’s crushing hard on you.” Bones sighed.
“Jim, a pretty young thing like Christine shouldn’t be with an old codger like me.”
“You’re not old!” Kirk exclaimed. “But at least you admitted she’s pretty.” McCoy scowled at Kirk.
“You always have to have the last word.” Kirk nodded happily.
“I pride myself on that ability. See ya later, Bones!” The doctor grumbled a reply and slunk out of the room.
Kirk shook his head to clear it. What did Bones know about anything? It was his life, and he was going to live it however he pleased! At least Bones hadn’t given him a lecture on the dangers of hacking…
Soon he left his room, taking a book and his ID with him so he could gain access to one of the student computer labs. On his way, the young cadet scarcely crossed paths with anyone. It was the same story once he swiped his card and entered the closest computer lab. Since it was Friday afternoon, the computer labs were mercifully empty. Kirk took the computer in the far corner so he’d be able to run for it if someone happened to come in. He logged on, opened the email, found the IP Address in question, and started up his program.
While the program was running, Kirk lounged in his chair, immersing himself in a centuries-old novel entitled The Tale Of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Contrary to popular belief, Kirk was well educated and secretly enjoyed devouring and interpreting the classics. He’d just about reached the climax of the story when his program alerted him that he’d breeched the security measures. However, when it came to unlocking the document his customer wanted, he found it to be encrypted in a code he’d seldom seen used before.
Kirk pulled a few tricks out of his sleeve and was able to decode the document his customer had requested. He didn’t have the reputation for being a genius for nothing! But when Kirk was finally able to read the document in question, he found it to be rather odd. Instead of the usual page upon page, there was just one single page with very few words. Kirk frowned as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. He scrolled down to see if he’d missed something. He hadn’t. Kirk’s eyes returned to the sparse text.
Written in large, capital letters were the words,
THE GUARDIAN
Below the heading were a set of deep-space coordinates, presumably leading to the desired location.
The Guardian? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Kirk wracked his brain but couldn’t come up with a likely answer. He was, of course, dying to know where the coordinates led to, but that was not for him to know so he put it out of his mind. Instead, Kirk was more concerned about receiving his paycheck for this day’s work. He checked his chronometer. His customer was supposed to arrive at the lab in a few minutes. Impatiently, the hacker drummed his fingers on the top of the table. Patience had never been his strong point.
Just then, Kirk heard footsteps approaching the door. This was it, he was about to discover the identity of the person who had requested the location of The Guardian, whatever that was. Maybe if he flirted hard enough, his customer would reveal more about this mysterious Guardian…
It turns out his customer wasn’t a person at all. He was a Vulcan, and a very strict one at that if Jim’s friends’ stories were true. He was also exceptionally handsome, if you were into pointy ears. (Kirk definitely was.) Jim Kirk tried in vain to remember the Vulcan Commander’s name. It was something strange that started with an S. Spack? Speck? Spork? Somehow, none of those sounded right. Kirk decided it would be safer not to mention the guy’s name at all.
He’d heard that Vulcans never displayed much emotion, but that didn’t tally with the expression on this one’s face. The poor guy was sporting a ‘deer-caught-in-the-headlights’ look. Then again, Kirk had never heard of a Vulcan committing a crime before. Perhaps that was why this one was nervous.
“Hey, come on in.” Kirk motioned for the Vulcan to enter the lab.
“Good evening,” the Vulcan stiffly replied, closing the door behind him. Customers were often uneasy at completing transactions, due to conflicting morals or some crap like that. It was Kirk’s job to relax them long enough to deliver the goods and pick up his dues. Kirk blinded the Vulcan with his trademark grin and reached out to shake his hand in gratitude.
“I don’t know who I thought I was expecting, but I didn’t think it would be you.”
End Ch. 2
next