Fic: Escapade (Kirk/McCoy)
Title: Escapade
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Summary: It's a nice distraction from everything
Rating: Teen/PG13
Word Count: 3500
A/N: #33 in the Two Men & a Motorbike series. Follows Withdrawal. Thanks to florahart, heather11483 & emiime for all the listening & title help with this series. They help keep me sane when Jim makes me crazy! Also, thanks & ♥ to everyone who reads/comments!
There are hundreds of applications for everything from janitorial staff to First Officer. The meeting yesterday had been frustrating, mostly because Pike kept pulling Jim aside to mutter about him not needing to decide every single open position. Jim is ignoring that, of course. It’s his ship and this is going to be his crew for five years, so he wants to make sure that everyone brought on-board is someone he can trust. So, he brought the PADD with all the files on it home last night, and he reviewed every single application in-depth until he had to sleep for a few hours before starting again this morning.
Not only does he consider it an important duty as Captain, but it’s also a nice distraction from everything else. That’s not the only reason he’s being insistent, though. He’d be doing the same thing even if Bones was here because this is too important to leave to a team of strangers. Jim knows that he can be a stubborn ass, and this is one time when Pike’s going to have to deal with it. The diversion is just an added bonus. When he’s busy working until he has to sleep, there’s less opportunity for thinking about Bones and wondering how he’s doing.
“Damn it,” he mutters, rubbing his temple before he focuses on the screen. He has to choose another twenty applicants before his meeting with Pike in an hour, so he can’t lose his concentration. Not right now. The Enterprise is going to space dock tomorrow morning, and he wants to try to join her as soon as possible. It’s only Tuesday, but he still feels like he should have gotten more done already, even if he’s pushing himself more than he probably should.
It isn’t easy to make decisions that are going to seriously change someone’s life. If he doesn’t like an answer to one of the standardized questions in the application, that person isn’t going to be setting foot on his ship, if he has any say. The sheer responsibility of being captain is sinking in fast, and some of his previous concerns about having to try to keep hundreds of people alive and happy are starting to nag at him. While he knows that he can do this, he supposes that it’s only natural to feel some fear. If he didn’t, he’d probably be more worried, in fact.
“Do you think that Pike’s gonna have a fit when I refuse to choose for a few of these yet, Mac?” he asks, idly scratching the stuffed puppy behind its floppy ears. He makes a face. “Yeah, me too.” Oh well. Pike can glare all he wants. Jim’s not going to be rushed into choosing something as important as First Officer or CMO. Despite his preference to have Spock and Bones, he is trying to be professional and review the applications fairly, but he just can’t stand any of them.
There are still a few positions left to fill when he notices the time. He puts down the PADD and gets dressed quickly. His cadet uniform is no longer appropriate, but he hasn’t received his captain uniforms yet, so this is the best he’s got to wear for official meetings. He combs his hair after he’s dressed and grabs his PADD. “Back later, Mac. Keep the room safe,” he tells the puppy. Bones will probably mutter, a lot, when he hears that Jim’s named the puppy McCoy, and he’ll tease, even more, if he hears Jim talking to it. Jim’s really looking forward to that because it’s been only been two days since Bones left, but he misses the teasing and grumbling and the sound of Bones’ voice.
As predicted, Pike isn’t happy that he doesn’t have a complete list yet. Jim has to sit through a lecture, which he has a sneaky suspicion is going to become common with this whole captain thing. The thing is that not even Pike can deny that none of the CMO applications even compare to Bones, especially since most of the more experienced medical officers don’t seem to have any interest in reporting to a captain decades younger than them. In this case, his age is helping him keep the position open. He knows that he’ll have to fill it eventually, just like he won’t be able to give Spock much more time to make his decision, but he just can’t replace Bones yet. It’s too soon.
When he’s finally finished with his meeting, he’s got a nearly complete crew and permission to take a shuttle out on Friday night. If all goes well, he can be on-board by Saturday, after a brief layover at a starbase, where he’ll probably get some personal supplies. It’s good to have that date in mind. It gives him a goal, something to focus on to get through this week. Once he’s on his ship, he’ll have so much to do that he won’t be able to think so much. He wants to get to that point again, when thinking was random and rare and he just did things.
“It’s almost time to meet the others,” he tells Jess when he straddles her. He touches her handlebars and tries not to dwell on the knowledge that he’s about to lose her, even if it’s just for a few days. It’s tough to think about not having her in the parking lot waiting to take him anywhere he wants to go, even when he doesn’t know his destination. She’s also helping him with the whole missing Bones thing because, really, she’s been there since the beginning when their relationship first changed, and being around her is oddly comforting.
“You’re going to be fine,” he reassures her as he starts the engine. “If the plan works, you’ll be safe and secure, and I’ll visit you as soon as I get on-board. You might get tired of not having anything to do, but I got you a new tarp that’s kinda pretty, so at least you’ll look good, even if you’re bored.”
It doesn’t take long to drive from the administrative buildings to the dorm where Chekov is staying. Jim sees that Gaila’s car is in the lot, so she’s already there. Good. He doesn’t want to lose Jess, but he does want to get this done, if only to make sure that it’s going to actually work. Gaila and Chekov were really excited to help him plan on Sunday, despite the warning that they could get in trouble if they get caught, so he already knows that they’re going to be damn amazing crew. How could they not be when they’re willing to break rules to help him smuggle his motorbike onto his ship?
Chekov is on the third floor, and Jim finds his room easily. This dorm, like the others, is quiet and practically empty now that so many students are gone. He’s relieved that Starfleet is letting those with nowhere to go yet remain in the dorms for a couple of weeks. Even if he leaves Friday, he needs somewhere to live until then. It’s not like he has anywhere to go, which probably should be depressing instead of just normal. Well, it isn’t like he’s the only one, since he and Bones always spent their breaks on campus and there were always other students around then, too.
It’s almost funny how often Bones comes to mind, not just in a missing him desperately kind of way, either. Jim shakes his head and pushes that to the back of his mind. He has to give his attention to the upcoming plan, not dwell on all the emotions that take him over whenever he thinks about Bones. He knocks on the door and watches it slide open.
“Keptin!” Chekov greets him with a smile. “You are early.”
“Oh, guess I am,” he says, shrugging a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure how long my meeting would last.”
“We are wery anticipating of enacting your plan,” Chekov tells him as he steps aside to let Jim enter.
“Hello, Jim.” Gaila waves. “Have you eaten? Pavel has made us one of his favorite dishes,” she tells him. “He cooked it himself! It was fascinating to watch, and he might teach me how.”
“It is nothing,” Chekov murmurs, blushing as he tries not to smile too widely. Jim looks at the bowl curiously.
“What is it?” he asks as he walks over. He hasn’t really been thinking about food much, so he’s surprised when his stomach growls as he sniffs the air.
“Pel’nyan’.” Chekov grimaces slightly. “Am sorry. Pelmeni is translation. It is filled dough.”
“Filled with what?” Jim looks in the bowl and sees lumpy dumplings covered with some kind of creamy sauce. He picks up a fork and pokes it into one of the dumplings before either of them can answer him. After chewing, he licks his lips and nods. “Chicken and onions.”
“Yes!” Gaila claps and smiles at Chekov. “He likes them, too, see?”
Jim feels slightly uncomfortable when Chekov beams proudly and sits beside Gaila. They both look at him as if his approval really means something, which is just a little fucked up. Since when has his praise mattered to anyone, really? Sure, Bones always smirked a little whenever Jim complimented him, but no one else has ever cared about his opinions before. It’s got to be the captain stuff, which means there’s yet another thing that he’s going to have to figure out how to do if the rest of the crew is so openly eager for this sort of thing.
‘They’re, uh, real good,” he says before he sits on the wooden chair opposite them. It’s going to be times like this when he really misses his best friend. Bones would know exactly what to tell him to make this not feel awkward and strange. Sure, Jim can figure it out on his own, which he’s going to have to do, but he’d rather have Bones here grumbling and muttering.
“Thank you, Keptin.” Chekov smiles as he picks up an empty plate and piles dumplings on it before holding it out to Jim. “For you. Keptin must eat before our mission.”
Gaila stares at him until he actually eats two more before she nods slightly. He rolls his eyes when he realizes that she must think he isn’t eating properly. While he’s not, it doesn’t mean that he needs her thinking she’s got to ensure that he does. Damn Bones and his drafting of her, again, to look out for him. His bitching about it after his night in the hospital obviously had no affect on Bones at all. He’ll have to be sure to mention it when they talk, which will hopefully be soon.
“I’ve been thinking about our plan,” Gaila says. “I’ve run various analyses on it, and I think it has a 95.6% chance of success.”
“It will be higher percent,” Chekov interrupts. “I have already snuck into computer system and made warious changes to database.” He looks at Jim and smiles sheepishly. “It is not in your plan, Keptin, but I thought it was a good idea.”
“What did you change?” Jim asks before he eats another dumpling.
“It is back-up, in case something goes wrong,” Chekov explains. “I have put in code to alter the allowed items should anyone check. It is not breaking rule, since I did not find anywhere listing that motorbike was not allowed. I have simply made sure that motorbike is allowed.”
“Will they be able to tell that it is new code?” Gaila asks curiously.
“No,” Chekov says, sounding slightly offended. “I am wery good at what I do.”
“We’re not going to get caught,” Jim says confidently. “But, if we did, it’s good to know that there’s a back-up plan in place. Good thinking, Chekov.”
It’s a little frustrating that he didn’t think about doing it, but he’s glad to have some sort of fallback, just in case. While he knows that he’s not going off for five years without having Jess in close proximity, he also has no desire to lose his ship or his title if he gets caught sneaking a motorbike onto the Enterprise. Besides, he’s not doing this alone now, and he doesn’t want Gaila or Chekov to get in trouble because he’s selfish and can’t let go of Jess. It’s quite a contrast to how he was three years ago, when he tossed his keys to some stranger before boarding the shuttle that brought him here.
They finish eating, and he stands up. “So, are we ready to do this?”
“Yes,” Gaila says. She smoothes down her skirt when she gets to her feet. “We’ll meet you at the loading dock in a few minutes, Jim.”
“I am wery ready,” Chekov tells him. “This is exciting, Keptin.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” Jim warns. “There won’t be any of this sneaky stuff when you’re on my ship.”
Chekov rolls his eyes. “If I do it well, you will never know if there is sneaky stuff.”
Gaila laughs. “He’s got you there, Captain.”
Jim snorts and shakes his head. “I should get more respect from my crew,” he mutters as he leaves the room, having to smile slightly when he hears them laughing. He’s going to have to tell Bones about this, too.
The ride to the loading dock doesn’t take that long. He wishes that it was further because he’s going to miss speeding around campus on Jess. It’s only a few days until he wouldn’t have had the chance anyway, but it’s still going to be a pain the ass to deal with the campus shuttle or the trolley until Friday. He hates being dependent on someone else’s schedule like that; not to mention the inability to get transport just anywhere he wants or to be able to find a deserted road to just go as fast as he can when he feels restless or needs a break from everything.
Gaila and Chekov show up a couple of minutes after him. They don’t talk as they get to work. Gaila walks in ahead of them, and Chekov helps him push Jessica into the building. He and Chekov veer to the right, while Gaila continues walking straight. Since she’s in the engineering department, she’s got a reason to be there, even if it’s a contrived one that they thought up Sunday. Technically, he can be there, too, since it’s his ship, but he wants to deal with Jess personally, so Gaila’s running interference, should it be necessary.
“This is it,” he murmurs quietly when they reach the access to engineering. Chekov looks at the ship and nods his agreement.
“I will open, Keptin,” he whispers as he lets go of Jess and goes to the nearby computer terminal. It doesn’t take him long before there is a slight click followed by the access panel opening. Jim has to admire the kid’s skills, since he knows from experience about hacking into systems and covering his ass. He’ll definitely be an asset to the team, though Jim knows that he’s going to have to keep his eyes on him, too, cause Jim does have similar experience.
Once the panel is open, he wheels Jess onto the ship. “Oy, you’re late, Captain,” a voice hisses from the shadows. Jim nearly lets go of Jess as he looks up in surprise. Scotty peers out and grins. “Hurry up, man! I’ve got a place fixed up for her.”
“What are you doing here?” he asks as he wheels Jessica over towards Scotty.
“I know everything that happens in my engineering department,” Scotty tells him haughtily. “Besides, Gaila asked me to help, which honestly, Captain. Did ye really think I wouldn’t notice a beauty like this hiding away in my area?”
Damn it, Gaila. “This is considered confidential, got it?” he mutters as he frowns at Scotty.
“I can keep a secret, Captain.” Scotty reaches over and touches Jess. “You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? I’ve found a nice place for you to call home during our travels, my lady.”
Jim has to bite his tongue, hard, to keep from telling Scotty that Jess doesn’t like strangers. While he doesn’t mind that Bones is fully aware of how he can be about his bike, he’d rather not have Scotty witness that behavior. He also really hopes that he doesn’t sound as silly as Scotty does when he talks to her. No, it’s not possible, he decides. He’s Jim Kirk; he doesn’t do silly.
“Just get us there, fast,” he tells Scotty. He needs to get Jess settled then go back out there to his crew before someone notices them skulking around. He follows Scotty until they reach a storage area just past the Chief Engineer’s office. There’s a clear space in the back of the room that’s big enough for Jess, obviously created by moving some boxes of parts out of the way.
“Here it is, Captain. She’ll be safe here, even if we get attacked,” Scotty reassures him. “It’s one of the safest places on the ship.”
“Good.” Jim pushes Jessica into the space and looks around it before he gets her new tarp. He glances at Scotty, who is grinning and bouncing on the heels of his feet. “Can you give us a moment?”
“Hmm? Oh, right! I’ll just be in my office. It’s smashing.” He walks away, humming something under his breath about a woman named Fiona and a bottle of whiskey. Jim’s actually glad that he can’t hear the words since he doubts it’s a song he wants to learn.
Once he’s sure that Scotty is gone, he kneels down beside Jess. “You heard the crazy Scot, so you know that you’ll be safe here,” he whispers as he strokes the leather seat. “I know that you’ve never been in space before, but don’t worry about it. Just forget any of Bones’ bitching about flying that you’ve overheard the past three years. You probably won’t even notice.”
He leans his head against his hand and smiles. “We’ll be traveling all over the place, you know? You’ll be the most well-traveled motorbike ever by the time I finish this five year mission.” He stands up and pats her handlebars before he secures her into place. “I’ll see you in a few days, girl,” he tells her before he drapes the tarp over her and leaves the room.
When he walks past the office, Scotty appears suddenly, still grinning. “Get her all settled then?” he asks as he walks beside Jim.
“Yes, she’s secure. Thanks for getting an area ready for her,” he mumbles, feeling a bit guilty for being cross when he first arrived.
“Not a problem, Captain. I wouldn’t want to leave her behind, either,” Scotty says cheerfully. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow with the ship, so she won’t have to be alone for long.”
“How long do you think the maintenance is going to take?” he asks curiously. “I’ll be coming on-board this weekend. Found that out today.”
“A few days,” Scotty says in a vague way, which confirms Barnett’s suspicion that it’d likely take longer than Engineering claimed. Somehow, Jim isn’t that surprised. “We’ll have a grand time here before the crew arrives, Captain.”
Scotty’s idea of a grand time probably isn’t the same as Jim’s, but he decides not to mention that right now. Jessica’s been smuggled on-board successfully, and he won’t even have to lie to Bones about how well his plan worked out whenever he tells him about it. God, he hopes he hears from him soon. While he knows it’s only been a couple of days and that Bones probably isn’t even settled in yet, he can’t help but want to hear his voice or even read something from him.
Before he starts thinking about Bones and ends up in a bad mood, he focuses back on the mission they’ve just accomplished. Scotty is chattering on beside him about the turbo thrusters and maintenance plans, and he can see Chekov shifting awkwardly from one foot to another as they reach the access door. Chekov looks relieved to see them and quickly types something into the computer that closes the access door behind them.
“There. It is done,” Chekov announces happily as he steps away from the computer.
“Good work, lad,” Scotty compliments, clapping Chekov on the shoulder and grinning.
“Are you boys planning on leaving the scene of the crime or standing around and getting caught?” Gaila asks as she approaches them. “Let’s go!”
“She’s right,” Jim says. They leave the building as quickly as possible. When they’re outside, he looks from one face to another and has to laugh. They all look pleased with themselves and glad to have made it out with being caught, which he can understand. He shakes his head and smiles. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. Drinks are on me.”
End
#32: Withdrawal | #34: Acclimation
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Summary: It's a nice distraction from everything
Rating: Teen/PG13
Word Count: 3500
A/N: #33 in the Two Men & a Motorbike series. Follows Withdrawal. Thanks to florahart, heather11483 & emiime for all the listening & title help with this series. They help keep me sane when Jim makes me crazy! Also, thanks & ♥ to everyone who reads/comments!
There are hundreds of applications for everything from janitorial staff to First Officer. The meeting yesterday had been frustrating, mostly because Pike kept pulling Jim aside to mutter about him not needing to decide every single open position. Jim is ignoring that, of course. It’s his ship and this is going to be his crew for five years, so he wants to make sure that everyone brought on-board is someone he can trust. So, he brought the PADD with all the files on it home last night, and he reviewed every single application in-depth until he had to sleep for a few hours before starting again this morning.
Not only does he consider it an important duty as Captain, but it’s also a nice distraction from everything else. That’s not the only reason he’s being insistent, though. He’d be doing the same thing even if Bones was here because this is too important to leave to a team of strangers. Jim knows that he can be a stubborn ass, and this is one time when Pike’s going to have to deal with it. The diversion is just an added bonus. When he’s busy working until he has to sleep, there’s less opportunity for thinking about Bones and wondering how he’s doing.
“Damn it,” he mutters, rubbing his temple before he focuses on the screen. He has to choose another twenty applicants before his meeting with Pike in an hour, so he can’t lose his concentration. Not right now. The Enterprise is going to space dock tomorrow morning, and he wants to try to join her as soon as possible. It’s only Tuesday, but he still feels like he should have gotten more done already, even if he’s pushing himself more than he probably should.
It isn’t easy to make decisions that are going to seriously change someone’s life. If he doesn’t like an answer to one of the standardized questions in the application, that person isn’t going to be setting foot on his ship, if he has any say. The sheer responsibility of being captain is sinking in fast, and some of his previous concerns about having to try to keep hundreds of people alive and happy are starting to nag at him. While he knows that he can do this, he supposes that it’s only natural to feel some fear. If he didn’t, he’d probably be more worried, in fact.
“Do you think that Pike’s gonna have a fit when I refuse to choose for a few of these yet, Mac?” he asks, idly scratching the stuffed puppy behind its floppy ears. He makes a face. “Yeah, me too.” Oh well. Pike can glare all he wants. Jim’s not going to be rushed into choosing something as important as First Officer or CMO. Despite his preference to have Spock and Bones, he is trying to be professional and review the applications fairly, but he just can’t stand any of them.
There are still a few positions left to fill when he notices the time. He puts down the PADD and gets dressed quickly. His cadet uniform is no longer appropriate, but he hasn’t received his captain uniforms yet, so this is the best he’s got to wear for official meetings. He combs his hair after he’s dressed and grabs his PADD. “Back later, Mac. Keep the room safe,” he tells the puppy. Bones will probably mutter, a lot, when he hears that Jim’s named the puppy McCoy, and he’ll tease, even more, if he hears Jim talking to it. Jim’s really looking forward to that because it’s been only been two days since Bones left, but he misses the teasing and grumbling and the sound of Bones’ voice.
As predicted, Pike isn’t happy that he doesn’t have a complete list yet. Jim has to sit through a lecture, which he has a sneaky suspicion is going to become common with this whole captain thing. The thing is that not even Pike can deny that none of the CMO applications even compare to Bones, especially since most of the more experienced medical officers don’t seem to have any interest in reporting to a captain decades younger than them. In this case, his age is helping him keep the position open. He knows that he’ll have to fill it eventually, just like he won’t be able to give Spock much more time to make his decision, but he just can’t replace Bones yet. It’s too soon.
When he’s finally finished with his meeting, he’s got a nearly complete crew and permission to take a shuttle out on Friday night. If all goes well, he can be on-board by Saturday, after a brief layover at a starbase, where he’ll probably get some personal supplies. It’s good to have that date in mind. It gives him a goal, something to focus on to get through this week. Once he’s on his ship, he’ll have so much to do that he won’t be able to think so much. He wants to get to that point again, when thinking was random and rare and he just did things.
“It’s almost time to meet the others,” he tells Jess when he straddles her. He touches her handlebars and tries not to dwell on the knowledge that he’s about to lose her, even if it’s just for a few days. It’s tough to think about not having her in the parking lot waiting to take him anywhere he wants to go, even when he doesn’t know his destination. She’s also helping him with the whole missing Bones thing because, really, she’s been there since the beginning when their relationship first changed, and being around her is oddly comforting.
“You’re going to be fine,” he reassures her as he starts the engine. “If the plan works, you’ll be safe and secure, and I’ll visit you as soon as I get on-board. You might get tired of not having anything to do, but I got you a new tarp that’s kinda pretty, so at least you’ll look good, even if you’re bored.”
It doesn’t take long to drive from the administrative buildings to the dorm where Chekov is staying. Jim sees that Gaila’s car is in the lot, so she’s already there. Good. He doesn’t want to lose Jess, but he does want to get this done, if only to make sure that it’s going to actually work. Gaila and Chekov were really excited to help him plan on Sunday, despite the warning that they could get in trouble if they get caught, so he already knows that they’re going to be damn amazing crew. How could they not be when they’re willing to break rules to help him smuggle his motorbike onto his ship?
Chekov is on the third floor, and Jim finds his room easily. This dorm, like the others, is quiet and practically empty now that so many students are gone. He’s relieved that Starfleet is letting those with nowhere to go yet remain in the dorms for a couple of weeks. Even if he leaves Friday, he needs somewhere to live until then. It’s not like he has anywhere to go, which probably should be depressing instead of just normal. Well, it isn’t like he’s the only one, since he and Bones always spent their breaks on campus and there were always other students around then, too.
It’s almost funny how often Bones comes to mind, not just in a missing him desperately kind of way, either. Jim shakes his head and pushes that to the back of his mind. He has to give his attention to the upcoming plan, not dwell on all the emotions that take him over whenever he thinks about Bones. He knocks on the door and watches it slide open.
“Keptin!” Chekov greets him with a smile. “You are early.”
“Oh, guess I am,” he says, shrugging a shoulder. “I wasn’t sure how long my meeting would last.”
“We are wery anticipating of enacting your plan,” Chekov tells him as he steps aside to let Jim enter.
“Hello, Jim.” Gaila waves. “Have you eaten? Pavel has made us one of his favorite dishes,” she tells him. “He cooked it himself! It was fascinating to watch, and he might teach me how.”
“It is nothing,” Chekov murmurs, blushing as he tries not to smile too widely. Jim looks at the bowl curiously.
“What is it?” he asks as he walks over. He hasn’t really been thinking about food much, so he’s surprised when his stomach growls as he sniffs the air.
“Pel’nyan’.” Chekov grimaces slightly. “Am sorry. Pelmeni is translation. It is filled dough.”
“Filled with what?” Jim looks in the bowl and sees lumpy dumplings covered with some kind of creamy sauce. He picks up a fork and pokes it into one of the dumplings before either of them can answer him. After chewing, he licks his lips and nods. “Chicken and onions.”
“Yes!” Gaila claps and smiles at Chekov. “He likes them, too, see?”
Jim feels slightly uncomfortable when Chekov beams proudly and sits beside Gaila. They both look at him as if his approval really means something, which is just a little fucked up. Since when has his praise mattered to anyone, really? Sure, Bones always smirked a little whenever Jim complimented him, but no one else has ever cared about his opinions before. It’s got to be the captain stuff, which means there’s yet another thing that he’s going to have to figure out how to do if the rest of the crew is so openly eager for this sort of thing.
‘They’re, uh, real good,” he says before he sits on the wooden chair opposite them. It’s going to be times like this when he really misses his best friend. Bones would know exactly what to tell him to make this not feel awkward and strange. Sure, Jim can figure it out on his own, which he’s going to have to do, but he’d rather have Bones here grumbling and muttering.
“Thank you, Keptin.” Chekov smiles as he picks up an empty plate and piles dumplings on it before holding it out to Jim. “For you. Keptin must eat before our mission.”
Gaila stares at him until he actually eats two more before she nods slightly. He rolls his eyes when he realizes that she must think he isn’t eating properly. While he’s not, it doesn’t mean that he needs her thinking she’s got to ensure that he does. Damn Bones and his drafting of her, again, to look out for him. His bitching about it after his night in the hospital obviously had no affect on Bones at all. He’ll have to be sure to mention it when they talk, which will hopefully be soon.
“I’ve been thinking about our plan,” Gaila says. “I’ve run various analyses on it, and I think it has a 95.6% chance of success.”
“It will be higher percent,” Chekov interrupts. “I have already snuck into computer system and made warious changes to database.” He looks at Jim and smiles sheepishly. “It is not in your plan, Keptin, but I thought it was a good idea.”
“What did you change?” Jim asks before he eats another dumpling.
“It is back-up, in case something goes wrong,” Chekov explains. “I have put in code to alter the allowed items should anyone check. It is not breaking rule, since I did not find anywhere listing that motorbike was not allowed. I have simply made sure that motorbike is allowed.”
“Will they be able to tell that it is new code?” Gaila asks curiously.
“No,” Chekov says, sounding slightly offended. “I am wery good at what I do.”
“We’re not going to get caught,” Jim says confidently. “But, if we did, it’s good to know that there’s a back-up plan in place. Good thinking, Chekov.”
It’s a little frustrating that he didn’t think about doing it, but he’s glad to have some sort of fallback, just in case. While he knows that he’s not going off for five years without having Jess in close proximity, he also has no desire to lose his ship or his title if he gets caught sneaking a motorbike onto the Enterprise. Besides, he’s not doing this alone now, and he doesn’t want Gaila or Chekov to get in trouble because he’s selfish and can’t let go of Jess. It’s quite a contrast to how he was three years ago, when he tossed his keys to some stranger before boarding the shuttle that brought him here.
They finish eating, and he stands up. “So, are we ready to do this?”
“Yes,” Gaila says. She smoothes down her skirt when she gets to her feet. “We’ll meet you at the loading dock in a few minutes, Jim.”
“I am wery ready,” Chekov tells him. “This is exciting, Keptin.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” Jim warns. “There won’t be any of this sneaky stuff when you’re on my ship.”
Chekov rolls his eyes. “If I do it well, you will never know if there is sneaky stuff.”
Gaila laughs. “He’s got you there, Captain.”
Jim snorts and shakes his head. “I should get more respect from my crew,” he mutters as he leaves the room, having to smile slightly when he hears them laughing. He’s going to have to tell Bones about this, too.
The ride to the loading dock doesn’t take that long. He wishes that it was further because he’s going to miss speeding around campus on Jess. It’s only a few days until he wouldn’t have had the chance anyway, but it’s still going to be a pain the ass to deal with the campus shuttle or the trolley until Friday. He hates being dependent on someone else’s schedule like that; not to mention the inability to get transport just anywhere he wants or to be able to find a deserted road to just go as fast as he can when he feels restless or needs a break from everything.
Gaila and Chekov show up a couple of minutes after him. They don’t talk as they get to work. Gaila walks in ahead of them, and Chekov helps him push Jessica into the building. He and Chekov veer to the right, while Gaila continues walking straight. Since she’s in the engineering department, she’s got a reason to be there, even if it’s a contrived one that they thought up Sunday. Technically, he can be there, too, since it’s his ship, but he wants to deal with Jess personally, so Gaila’s running interference, should it be necessary.
“This is it,” he murmurs quietly when they reach the access to engineering. Chekov looks at the ship and nods his agreement.
“I will open, Keptin,” he whispers as he lets go of Jess and goes to the nearby computer terminal. It doesn’t take him long before there is a slight click followed by the access panel opening. Jim has to admire the kid’s skills, since he knows from experience about hacking into systems and covering his ass. He’ll definitely be an asset to the team, though Jim knows that he’s going to have to keep his eyes on him, too, cause Jim does have similar experience.
Once the panel is open, he wheels Jess onto the ship. “Oy, you’re late, Captain,” a voice hisses from the shadows. Jim nearly lets go of Jess as he looks up in surprise. Scotty peers out and grins. “Hurry up, man! I’ve got a place fixed up for her.”
“What are you doing here?” he asks as he wheels Jessica over towards Scotty.
“I know everything that happens in my engineering department,” Scotty tells him haughtily. “Besides, Gaila asked me to help, which honestly, Captain. Did ye really think I wouldn’t notice a beauty like this hiding away in my area?”
Damn it, Gaila. “This is considered confidential, got it?” he mutters as he frowns at Scotty.
“I can keep a secret, Captain.” Scotty reaches over and touches Jess. “You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? I’ve found a nice place for you to call home during our travels, my lady.”
Jim has to bite his tongue, hard, to keep from telling Scotty that Jess doesn’t like strangers. While he doesn’t mind that Bones is fully aware of how he can be about his bike, he’d rather not have Scotty witness that behavior. He also really hopes that he doesn’t sound as silly as Scotty does when he talks to her. No, it’s not possible, he decides. He’s Jim Kirk; he doesn’t do silly.
“Just get us there, fast,” he tells Scotty. He needs to get Jess settled then go back out there to his crew before someone notices them skulking around. He follows Scotty until they reach a storage area just past the Chief Engineer’s office. There’s a clear space in the back of the room that’s big enough for Jess, obviously created by moving some boxes of parts out of the way.
“Here it is, Captain. She’ll be safe here, even if we get attacked,” Scotty reassures him. “It’s one of the safest places on the ship.”
“Good.” Jim pushes Jessica into the space and looks around it before he gets her new tarp. He glances at Scotty, who is grinning and bouncing on the heels of his feet. “Can you give us a moment?”
“Hmm? Oh, right! I’ll just be in my office. It’s smashing.” He walks away, humming something under his breath about a woman named Fiona and a bottle of whiskey. Jim’s actually glad that he can’t hear the words since he doubts it’s a song he wants to learn.
Once he’s sure that Scotty is gone, he kneels down beside Jess. “You heard the crazy Scot, so you know that you’ll be safe here,” he whispers as he strokes the leather seat. “I know that you’ve never been in space before, but don’t worry about it. Just forget any of Bones’ bitching about flying that you’ve overheard the past three years. You probably won’t even notice.”
He leans his head against his hand and smiles. “We’ll be traveling all over the place, you know? You’ll be the most well-traveled motorbike ever by the time I finish this five year mission.” He stands up and pats her handlebars before he secures her into place. “I’ll see you in a few days, girl,” he tells her before he drapes the tarp over her and leaves the room.
When he walks past the office, Scotty appears suddenly, still grinning. “Get her all settled then?” he asks as he walks beside Jim.
“Yes, she’s secure. Thanks for getting an area ready for her,” he mumbles, feeling a bit guilty for being cross when he first arrived.
“Not a problem, Captain. I wouldn’t want to leave her behind, either,” Scotty says cheerfully. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow with the ship, so she won’t have to be alone for long.”
“How long do you think the maintenance is going to take?” he asks curiously. “I’ll be coming on-board this weekend. Found that out today.”
“A few days,” Scotty says in a vague way, which confirms Barnett’s suspicion that it’d likely take longer than Engineering claimed. Somehow, Jim isn’t that surprised. “We’ll have a grand time here before the crew arrives, Captain.”
Scotty’s idea of a grand time probably isn’t the same as Jim’s, but he decides not to mention that right now. Jessica’s been smuggled on-board successfully, and he won’t even have to lie to Bones about how well his plan worked out whenever he tells him about it. God, he hopes he hears from him soon. While he knows it’s only been a couple of days and that Bones probably isn’t even settled in yet, he can’t help but want to hear his voice or even read something from him.
Before he starts thinking about Bones and ends up in a bad mood, he focuses back on the mission they’ve just accomplished. Scotty is chattering on beside him about the turbo thrusters and maintenance plans, and he can see Chekov shifting awkwardly from one foot to another as they reach the access door. Chekov looks relieved to see them and quickly types something into the computer that closes the access door behind them.
“There. It is done,” Chekov announces happily as he steps away from the computer.
“Good work, lad,” Scotty compliments, clapping Chekov on the shoulder and grinning.
“Are you boys planning on leaving the scene of the crime or standing around and getting caught?” Gaila asks as she approaches them. “Let’s go!”
“She’s right,” Jim says. They leave the building as quickly as possible. When they’re outside, he looks from one face to another and has to laugh. They all look pleased with themselves and glad to have made it out with being caught, which he can understand. He shakes his head and smiles. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. Drinks are on me.”
End
#32: Withdrawal | #34: Acclimation