ST: Beyond

After the hell the Enterprise and Avenger crews have been through in the past three years, shore leave on the starbase Yorktown is a welcome reprieve.  Commander Kara Emberlynn finds Spock in the observatory, watching the stars.  She grins.  "I'm surprised you're not attached to Kirk right now." she teases, falling in beside him.  Spock offers her a faint smile.

"He is currently with your captain." he replies softly.  "I do not know what they are discussing."

Kara nods.  "That's driving you insane, isn't it?"

He casts her a look.  "I would feel better if he was trying to blow something up, like usual."

She laughs.  "You'd rather he was hanging out with me, but since he's hanging out with Serron, you're worried he's about to do something rash."

"Precisely."

Kirk sits down across from Serron, who merely raises an eyebrow at him. "Is something the matter, Captain Kirk?"

"Yes? No? Maybe?" Kirk sighs, running his hands through his hair. He frowns at the table between them before looking back at Serron. "I was offered a post as Admiral here at Yorktown, and I'm considering it."

Both of Serron's eyebrows raising was the only indication that he'd surprised the Vulcan. "Indeed. May I ask why?"

"I just - it's hard to not lose focus, you know? I've been sent on a five year mission, and it's been awesome, for the most part. I met you guys, and my crew is the best, if I do say so myself. But I just feel like I'm maybe missing out on something." Kirk says, directing his gaze outside.

"And you think that maybe it's time to settle down a little? Take a break from the rigors of being captain?" Serron says quietly, watching Kirk.

"Yes. Don't get me wrong, I love being captain. But I'm tired. Does that make sense?"

Kara sighs. "Well, there's no point in thinking too hard on it. When he does do something rash, you'll be there to beat it out of him." She nudges his shoulder with hers. "Hey, Chirp is in the science lab. Wanna go see what she's got cooked up?"

"Do I dare ask what project she's working on?"

"Remember the physics incident in the Academy?"

Spock actually pinches the bridge of his nose. "I cannot forget that. I believe it has been etched into my brain."

Before they can leave the observatory, two older Vulcans enter the room. "Commander Spock."

Spock nods and approaches them. Kara keeps a respectful distance and continues to admire the stars, pretending that she's not actually observing Spock's body language. She sees it when he stiffens, the set of his shoulders indicating surprise. He offers the Vulcans the ta'al and takes a box from them. They leave. Kara approaches him slowly.

"Spock?"

"It appears my counterpart is dead."

"Shit, Spock. I'm so sorry."

Serron nods. "It does. Just do not make this decision in haste. I do not want you to regret it, especially considering that once you become an Admiral, you will be behind a desk for the rest of your career. My advice is to think this over."

"I am. I just wanted an outside, neutral opinion." Kirk gave Serron a small smile.

Serron nodded back. "If I may speak candidly, though?" At Kirk's nod, he continued. "Being an Admiral would suit you ill. You have neither the temperament nor the capacity to deal with the politics that come with being an Admiral."

Kirk laughed, finally relaxing. "That's true. I'm not so great with politics, as Pike could attest to."

Serron gave a quiet laugh. "I don't need Pike to tell me that - I've seen it."

Kara puts her hand on Spock's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I - I do not know."

She nods. "You'll figure it out."

Suddenly, the PA system crackled to life.

"Command teams of the USS Enterprise and USS Avenger, please report to the Control Room."

Kara scowls at the ceiling. "We're on shore leave, assholes!"

That earns her a small smile. "I do not believe they can hear you."

"They will once we get to the Control Room."

Kirk and Serron both frown at the speakers before standing up and heading out. Serron casts Kirk a sideways glance. "What do you think this could be about?"

"Hell if I know." Kirk mutters with a small shrug. "But whatever it is can wait. We're on shore leave!"

"Not for much longer if that summons is an indication." Serron says with a small grin. The grin disappears when they walk into the room and find Kara and Spock had beaten them there.

"What's going on?" Kirk demands as he strides over to Spock's side. Spock nods in greeting and turns his attention to the Admiral in the room. "We do not know. We were waiting for you and Captain Serron to join us before we were given the parameters. Despite Kara's insistence."

Kirk snorts and gives a wink to Kara before turning to the Admira. "Admiral. Is there a reason we've been summoned off our shore leave?"

"Our well deserved shore leave, I might add." Kara tacks on. Serron casts her a glance, which silences her for the moment, but he can tell she is very not pleased. This will be the third shore leave in a row that has been cut short.

The admiral doesn't even flinch. "There's been an attack. We have the only survivor. We need you to hear her story and head out to investigate."

Kirk arches an eyebrow. "And there's not another ship that can do this?"

The admiral shakes her head. "Hear her story. You two are the best for the job."

Kara leans over to Spock. "What's the statistical likelihood of this mission going to hell in a handbasket?"

"97.6%."

"Shit. I'm going back to bed."

Kirk and Serron exchange long-suffering looks before turning to the girl standing off to the side. Kirk gives her a small smile. "Hello. I'm Captain Kirk of the Enterprise, and this is Captain Serron of the Avenger. We were told you needed help?"

"Yes. My ship is stranded in the nebula, and we have no way of getting out. We were exploring the nebula and something began to interfere with our sensors and engines." As she spoke, Serron frowned just a little, but enough for Kara to notice.

"Something wrong?"

"I do not believe her story, and I don't think Kirk does either. There is something she's not telling us."

"Want me to beat it out of her?"

"Not yet."

"Killjoy."

Kara exchanges looks with Spock, who inclines his head before returning his attention to the girl's story. She's been outfitted with a Universal Translator, but Kara can tell it's a struggle not to slip into Standard. Whoever she really is, she's putting a lot of effort into this act.

The admiral looks at the two captains when the girl is done. "What do you think?"

"I think this is going to suck." Serron says frankly. Kirk can't help a small snigger at that. Serron casts him a faint smile. "I also think that you will send us out there regardless of our choice."

"You're right." the admiral replies. "Suit up, boys. The Enterprise is going in first, just in case we need to take diplomatic measures."

"Who got the bright idea that i'm good at diplomacy?" Kirk wonders.

"Better than us." Kara laughs.

"Yeah, but not by much." Kirk mumbles, pulling his communicator out. "Scotty? Has the Enterprise been prepped?"

"Aye, laddie. And if Kara and Serron are there, tell them that Haymitch owes me a bottle of scotch. We took a wager on whether we'd be sent out or not."

Kirk sighs and heads out, Spock behind him. "I'll pass the message along. Spock and I are on the way, and once we get on board, let's get moving. Kirk out." He turns to the alien girl behind him. "You're with me. Serron, Kara, we'll meet you outside Yorktown."

"Of course!" Kara grins. "We'll follow your lead, oh mighty diplomat."

"Bite me, Kara." Kirk grins back.

"Nope, you taste bad, and Serron would get jealous." Kara shoots back as she follows Serron into the hangar where the Avenger is waiting. "See ya on the flip side!"

"Yep." Kirk and Spock enter the Enterprise, the girl behind them. Kirk sighs, and straightens his back. "Okay, time to go to work." he mutters, Spock cracking a small smile at the tone.

Serron offers Kara a small smile. "You enjoy harassing Jim, don't you?"

"Of course! I can't get a rise out of you anymore." she teases. They beam up to the Avenger and head to the bridge. Kara turns to Na'Lith, the communications officer. "Recall the crew. We're heading out."

"Joy." comes the slightly sarcastic response. "The Enterprise as well, I assume?"

"Yep, so you'll probably find Rem with McCoy."

"They won't be happy at being interrupted." Na'Lith laughs.

"Neither were we." Serron says dryly.

Kirk blinks in surprise when he sees Checkov and Sulu already at their posts. "Wow, that was fast. When did you guys get here?"

"Just now. Commander Spock commed us when you were called to the Admiral's." Sulu says. "We've already recalled the crew, and they're on the way." he glanced at the screen. "Correction, everyone is on board."

Kirk nods. "Good. Then let's get moving." He settles into the captain's chair, sliding a look at the alien girl before turning his attention to Spock. "You okay, Spock?"

Spock nods. "Yes. I admit to being curious about where we are headed, though, considering this is uncharted space."

Kirk nods, his eyes never leaving the viewscreen as they moved into the nebula. Ahead of them, asteroids crashed into each other, sending debris flying in every direction. A screen opened on the side of the screen, and Serron gave him a faint smile. "Well, we were told it was unstable. I do not know what I expected."

Kara's snort is audible. "Maybe not death in a cloud."

Kara grins. "Nah, probably not. Hey, stay just ahead of us to the left. If anything comes too close, we can blast it away."

Kirk glances behind him at the alien girl. She seems nervous, but he can't tell why exactly. "You got it."

As they navigate their way through the nebula, Kirk can't help but feel like they're on an amusement park ride. It must have shown on his face, because Sulu looks back and grins.

"It's a bit like a roller coaster, isn't it?"

"Just a bit." Kirk says.

"Keptin, we're nearing the end of the nebula." Chekov says, directing everyone's attention to the screen. The planet slowly grows bigger as they approach.

The alien girl speaks up. "That is Altamid. My ship is stranded there."

Kara presses her lips together. Serron glances at her. "You are troubled."

"I really don't like this. Something is wrong."

"How wrong?"

"Like, screw this and let's jet wrong." She grips his shoulder tightly.

Serron turns to the helmsman. "Shields up, 100%. Set the crew to yellow alert."

Kirk frowns at Serron's order. "Everything okay?"

Serron gives the Vulcan equivalent of a shrug. "Kara has a sense for danger. It is going off, and I have learned through experience to heed it's warnings. I would advise you to raise your shields as well."

Kirk nods. "That's good enough for me. Shields 100%, and go to yellow alert."

"Keptin! There's a ship!"

"Hail it."

Uhura flicks a few switches and frowns. "No response."

Kirk's head tilts as he eyes the ship, eyes going wide in alarm. "RED ALERT! THEY'RE GONNA ATTACK!"

As he finishes yelling, the other ship attacks, smaller ships breaking formation and pelting toward the Enterprise and Avenger.

"FIRE AT WILL!" Serron and Kirk yell in tandem.

"Our weapons aren't doing any damage!" Sulu yells! "And our shields are barely able to stand their hits!"

Kara's eyes narrow. "Those things are fast."

"Too fast!" the helmsman says. "And we can't seem to hit them!"

"They're small." Serron muses. He's considerably calmer than everyone else, including the Enterprise bridge crew. "Maybe -"

There's an explosion that knocks them all off-balance. Kara catches it first and races over to her station. "Our shields have been breached!" she shouts. "What the hell?!"

"Hull breach on decks 5, 9, 13, and 15!" Na'Lith announces. "Chirp says we're being boarded!"

Serron's eyes narrow. "Kara, take the con. Kirk, watch your back. Our welcoming committee is trying to come aboard."

Chekov's hands are flying over the console. "Hull breach in decks 13, 14, 20, 25, and 30! They're coming aboard Keptin!"

Kirk's fists clench. "Get us out of here, Sulu! Warp back to the nebula! We might be able to lose them there!"

Sulu nods and pushes the throttle to full. "Why aren't we moving, Sulu?"

"The engines are down, sir! And I can't access the impulse engines from here! The power has to be redirected!"

"Scotty! We need power!"

"Ah'm working on it, laddie! Ya have ta give me some time!"

"We don't have any time!"

"Make some, then!"

Kara whips around. "Serron - "

"That's an order, Commander."

She grits her teeth. "Yes, sir."

Serron walks off the bridge, phaser drawn. Kara counts to ten. "Okay. Na'Lith, start evac procedures. Get Chirp to help out." Na'Lith nods and starts the alert. "All power to shields and weapons."

"That'll leave us dead in the water, so to speak." the helmsman says. "We won't be able to maneuver."

Kara nods. "That's sort of the idea. Man the short-range shuttles, let's go after them with something a little less easy to hit."

The helmsman nods and grins. "Aye, Commander."

"Sulu! Start evac procedures! Scotty, where are we with those impulse engines? The Avenger is dead in the water and we gotta help!" Kirk demands.

"Impulse power rerouted to the the dish, and Ah'm evactuatin' the crew down here!" Scotty yells. "We'll meet ya on the planet, sir!"

"Go on - there isn't much you can do here." Kirk watches as the evac shuttles take off. He leaps to his feet. "Kara! I don't know if you can see this, but they're taking the crew!"

"I see it, Kirk!" She turns to Na'Lith. "Let's do what we can to make sure they make it safely!"

"Captain! In order for us to use the impulse engines, the dish has to separate from the rest of the ship!"

Kirk nods. "Sulu, you have the conn. Evacuate the bridge crew and I'll meet you there."

"Aye sir."

Serron races through the halls, doing what he can to ensure that the crew makes it to the escape pods. His communicator crackles. "Serron."

He pauses and pulls it from his belt. "Kara?"

"The small ships - they're taking the crew."

That chills him. What purpose is there in taking the crew? "Acknowledged. Have the short-range shuttles been deployed?"

"Yeah, but that's not doing much. They're being taken when they can, blown away when they can't." She pauses. "I have an idea. Don't kill me for this, okay? I'm evacuating the bridge crew. See you dirtside."

With that she disconnects.

Serron stares at his comm for a moment before swearing in Vulcan under his breath.

On the bridge, Kara pings Kirk. "Hey, I'm evacuating the bridge. The Avenger is gonna hang around on autopilot, hopefully get those guys to keep shooting at it, but we're clearing out while we can. We're falling apart."

"Same here!" Kirk pants. "I'm in the middle of disconnecting the dish from the rest of the ship, that should buy us some time."

"Be careful, Kirk. I mean it. I don't wanna have to kick your ass when I find you." Kara says sharply.

"I'll be careful." Kirk glances back at the slowly emptying bridge. "I'll meet you on the ground, okay?"

"You got it." With that, Kirk cuts the connection. "Kirk to McCoy."

"McCoy here. What the hell is going on, kid?"

"You and Spock need to evacuate, I've ordered the bridge crew to go."

"We're climbing into the shuttle now. We'll see you dirtside."

"Yep." With that, Kirk yanks the final lever and runs back into the dish as it separates. He runs to the last escape pod and buckles himself in. As the pod ejects, he watches the Avenger and Enterprise crash into the mountains.

Kara abandons the bridge and finds one of the various tiny ships that have penetrated the hull. With a grunt, she climbs inside.

The controls are odd, but it doesn't take her long to figure out how to disengage. Unfortunately, she can't shoot and fly at the same time - this thing requires two drivers. Assholes. So that really only leaves her with one option as she takes off into the swarm.

She watches the ships crash and only prays that everyone got out safe.

One of the ships darts towards an escape pod. Kara growls. "Not on my watch." She slams the throttle down, and rams the ship with hers.

Needless to say, that works about as well as she expected. Both ships go hurtling towards the planet.

This is gonna suck so hard!

Kirk's pod crashes into the ground, throwing him around enough that he blacks out for a moment. When he comes to, he forces the hatch open and grabs the few items that he'd thought to get. He staggers out of the pod, his eyes narrowing on the alien girl. He points his phaser at her, everything in him screaming at him to shoot.

"You knew." Kirk's voice is rough. "You knew we'd be attacked. You lied. Why?"

The girl holds her hands up. "My crew. . . was taken. The leader, Krall. He promised to give my crew back if I brought you to them."

Kirk's weapon doesn't waver. "Keptin!"

"Chekov!" Kirk turns to the young helmsman. "Have you found anyone else?"

"No, just you two. Keptin? What are you doing?"

"She led us into a trap. She knew we were gonna be ambushed."

Serron climbs out of his pod as carefully as he can. He's not unduly injured, but the landing rattled him. He grunts as he lifts himself up, surveying the area.

There's no one out there. It appears as if his pod landed a fair ways away from everyone else.

In the words of Haymitch, freaking perfect.

He fumbles for his communicator and brings it to his mouth. "Is anyone out there?" Nothing but static. "This is Captain Serron, can any of the crew hear me?"

Nothing.

-------/

Kara grunts as the world finally stops spinning. She tries to push herself from the wreckage, and a flash of pain quickly draws her attention to her leg. It's caught between fragments of metal. She can pull it out, but it's gonna strip the skin from her shin. She can already tell that's not the worst of the damage, and there's no way to move the offending metal. She rolls her eyes.

"Perfect."

She can't completely stop her scream as she pulls her leg free.