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Jim groaned as he sat back down in his chair. This was a long day. First Starfleet had ordered a new mission to Celtran 7 to deal with some medical emergency. The journey alone would take about three weeks to complete. Then they had to beam aboard a new medical officer, which meant Bones had to show her the ropes and that would take a while. And he had a meeting later with Admiral Dennison to talk about his success as a Captain, without Spock, because apparently that stuff was classified now. He leaned back in his chair. Sometimes, being a Captain was really tiring.
He got about two seconds of not doing anything before Scotty called up. “The Admiral’s all ready tah beam up, Captain!”
“I’m on my way.” Jim sighed as he got to his feet, leaving Sulu in charge of the Bridge. He rubbed a hand over his face in the turbo-lift. When the doors opened, something hard collided with his shin. A small child looked up at him, stuck his tongue out, and ran off. Jim looked up to see Ensign Campbell jogging down the corridor towards him. “Did you do that?”
“No, sir, I did not run into you, though I do apologize. Are you alright?” She actually looked concerned. Huh. “Sir?”
“You shouldn’t be running through the Enterprise, ensign,” Jim said, tired attitude making him lose his patience. “You should be working. That kid shouldn’t be running around either.”
“All due respect sir, but aside from running into you sir, Erik hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s just having fun.” Jim stared at her. She raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing wrong with having fun when you’re a kid, sir, is there?”
“No. No there’s not,” Jim admitted, looking after the kid. “Just make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else, okay?”
“Yes, sir.” The kid - Erik? - called down the hallway.
“Alex! Come on!”
“Coming!” Campbell started jogging after him again. “Wait up!”
Jim shook his head, part of him wishing he could just go after her and not go to this meeting. Arriving at the transporter, he waited for the Admiral to beam aboard before forcing a smile onto his face. Shake his hand, show him to the observation room, sit through the customary greeting, make sure to throw in a compliment, listen to the complaints about obeying orders, yeah, yeah, yeah. They couldn’t technically do anything to him because he hadn’t taken risks that hadn’t paid off, and he had Spock who could loophole their way out of everything. One last smile and handshake and the Admiral was gone. Jim’s smile slid off his face and he waved halfheartedly at Scotty.
“You look dead on your feet, there, Jim.” Scotty said, following him into the turbo-lift. “Maybe you should take a break.”
“Can’t. I have to talk to Bones first.” Jim got out of the ‘lift and waved to Scotty. “See you at 1900?”
“Aye, sir.” The doors closed. Bones looked up when Jim walked into sickbay.
“My god, Jim. You look terrible.”
“Good to see you too, Bones.” He jerked his head at the new officer who was over with Crystal. “How’s your new officer?”
“Oh, Lyssa? Yeah, she’s fine. She knows her stuff. Fits in well.” A familiar shrieking came from behind them. Bones grimaced. “That’s the problem.”
“Erik! What are you doing here?” The woman turns around, flustered as the kid runs up to her.
“Mom! Come see what I did! Come on, mom!” The kid keeps tugging at the woman’s sleeve, ignoring her protests. “Come on, mom!”
Another person tapped the kid on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’ve got him.” Lyssa sighed, and Bones smirked. Campbell crouched down in front of the kid. “Why don’t you show me, Erik?”
“Okay! Come on, Alex!” The kid ran back towards the turbo-lift. “Come on!”
As Campbell began to follow him, she picked up a PADD and handed it to Bones. “Completed results, sir, conclusion and all. The form is just awaiting your authorization.”
“Thanks, kid.” Bones waved her out after the kid. “You better thank her too when she gets back, Lyssa.”
“I will, doctor.” The woman smiled. “Your ensign is a godsend.”
“That she is.” Bones agreed. Jim huffed. “What?”
“That kid is annoying.”
Bones laughed. “Which one?”
“Both of them!” Jim said. “That little demon ran into me in the turbo-lift, and your ensign…” he trailed off.
Bones raised an eyebrow. “Is what?”
“Is headstrong, irritating, and has no respect for authority and yet for some reason everyone loves her.” Jim frowned when Bones burst out laughing. “What?”
“If you had asked me how I describe you, that’s the exact same answer I would’ve given you.” Bones grinned as Jim’s look turned murderous. “C’mon, just admit you don’t like the kid yet because she reminds you of you!”
“That’s not why - “ Jim stopped mid-sentence. “What do you mean yet?’’
Bones smiled. “You’ll see.”
Jim was in a bad mood all the way back to the Bridge. Spock confronted him when he sat down. “Yeah, I’m fine, ran into the new medical officer’s kid. Literally.”
“Yes, I have heard reports that he is…unruly.”
“Understatement.”
“However I believe Ensign Campbell has been able to control the child, at least somewhat.” Spock frowned when Jim’s head dropped onto the back of his chair. “Are you well, Captain?”
“What is it about this ensign that everybody is so obsessed with?”
“She is hardworking, loyal, and resourceful.”
“She’s annoying, arrogant, and doesn’t understand authority.” A corner of Spock’s mouth quirked up. Jim didn’t miss it. “What?”
“That description does bear some resemblance to one I would give for you, Captain.“
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Spock.” Jim heaved himself out of the chair. “I’m gonna go talk to Scotty. There was something with the core he wanted to discuss. You have the conn.” He shook his head. This damn ensign.
“Aye sir, I cannae understand it. I doubt the core’s gonna overheat, but it’s still worryin’.” Scotty closed the control panel. “We’ll get someone on it right away.”
“Good. Don’t want her falling apart, do we?” Scotty smiled.
“No, cannae have that.” He started looking at a few readings on the PADD. “I’ll get Campbell to look it over.” He glanced up when Jim groaned. “Captain?”
“Five minutes. That’s all I want. Five minutes without hearing about Ensign freaking Campbell.”
Scotty frowned. “Has the lass done something’ wrong?”
“She’s just annoying me. And I have no idea why you all love her so much.” He raised a finger to cut Scotty off as he opened his mouth. “And if you say that sounds like me so help me I will relieve you from duty.”
“Then I won’t say it,” Scotty smirked. “But it’s true.”
“Just get the damn core fixed, okay?” Jim stormed off. Luckily, his shift was almost over and he could go back to his quarters and not hear about frickin’ Campbell anymore.
——————————
Of course, not hearing about Campbell came with another problem. The mission to Celtran 7 got delayed when the Enterprise came across another planet with a contaminated water supply. Bones beamed down with Lyssa and Crystal. It was supposed to be easy. But, hey, this wouldn’t be the Enterprise if everything was easy. Turned out the source of the contamination was inside a cave that was not geologically sound. Which, of course, meant it had to collapse.
With the team inside it.
“Damn it, Jim, beam us out of here!” Bones kept yelling. “Few more seconds we’ll be buried under all these damn rocks!”
“I know, Bones! We’re doing the best we can!” Jim looked desperately at Chekov. “Can we get them out?”
“There is too much interference, I can’t get a lock on them!” Chekov kept typing furiously. “I have to keep trying.”
The transporter began to hum. “I’ve got two of them, but I can’t get the third.” A moment later, Bones and Crystal appeared on the pad. “I’ve lost the signal, Keptin.” Chekov’s head dropped. “I can’t get her back.”
Bones put his face in his hands. “Dammit. We needed Lyssa for the mission to Celtran 7.”
Crystal looked behind Jim. “I think we’re going to have a bigger problem, Doctor.”
“Mom! I wanna show you something!” Erik ran into the transporter room, Campbell just behind him. “Mom!”
“Sorry, sir,” Campbell muttered. “I’ll get him out of the way so that you three can get back to work.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at Bones, then her expression hardened. “Oh. Oh dear.”
Erik kept looking around. “Mom! Mom, where are you? I wanna show you something!” Jim looked at Bones for help. He shook his head. Campbell crouched down in front of Erik.
“Erik?” She waited until the kid looked at her. “Remember when your dad went to go help the people upstairs feel better?”
Jim winced. Was the kid an orphan now? Oh great. Erik nodded at Campbell. “Well, I think your mom has gone to help them too. She’s taking care of them.”
“Oh.” His face fell. “Does that mean she’s not coming back?”
Campbell shook her head. “No. I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” There was silence for a few seconds. “Can I show you, Alex?”
“Sure. Lead the way.” Erik ran off. Campbell slowly stood up, before facing Bones. “Sorry, sir. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“S’alright, kid. Thank you.” Campbell nodded and took off. Bones rubbed a hand over his face. “Chekov, you good?”
“Aye, sir.” Chekov looked up at Jim. “May I return to the Bridge, Keptin?”
“Go ahead.” Jim looked at Crystal. “You too, get back to sickbay. I’ll send the doctor along in a minute.” They left. “God dammit.”
“Yeah. Wonder what’ll happen now.” Bones agreed. “That kid’s a time bomb.”
“And I don’t really know what to do about it.” Bones stared at Jim.
“That’s a first. But I don’t know either.”
“Let’s just see what happens.”
Apparently, ‘what happens’ was total chaos. The kid was out of control. He ran through sickbay, knocking over chemicals and spilling the hypo-syringes everywhere. He showed up in Engineering and almost destroyed the warp core by whacking it with a crowbar (where did he even get that?). And, in the middle of Alpha shift he ran through the Bridge and hit Jim over the head as he dashed past. Jim stood up and tried to grab the kid by the arm, but he dodged it and ran into the turbo lift. Jim swore under his breath as the lift doors closed.
“This kid is getting out of control.”
“Indeed.” Spock had narrowly saved a PADD the kid hurled aside as he ran. “Perhaps we should confine him to quarters.”
“Under any other circumstances, I wouldn’t want to confine a kid to his quarters, but,” Jim rubbed the side of his head, “we may have to. For the safety of the kid.”
The lift doors opened behind them. “Sir?” Jim groaned and turned around. Campbell stood just outside the doors. “Did you see - “
“Kid just ran through here.” Jim cut her off.
“And assaulted the Captain.” Spock chimed in. Jim raised an eyebrow. “It is the truth.”
“I’m sorry, sir, he got out of his quarters.” Jim frowned.
“What were you doing there?” Campbell shifted.
“Well, I was checking on him to make sure he hadn’t hurt himself again.”
Jim shook his head. “That kid is a danger to himself.” He sat down. “Confine him to quarters, and station a security officer outside and inside to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Two officers ran off.
“Wait, you’re confining Erik to his quarters?” Jim swiveled around to see Campbell had taken a step closer.
“Yeah. I think you should return to sickbay now, ensign. Doctor McCoy will need you.”
“Sir, I highly doubt that confining a traumatized child anywhere will help anything.”
Jim turned around slowly. “I don’t think you get an opinion on the matter, ensign.”
“But sir, I - “
“But nothing. You’re putting this kid who has violated almost every rule on this ship in front of your loyalty to Starfleet. Doctor McCoy may be lenient with you for now, but I won’t be.” Jim stood up and faced her. “Return to sickbay. That’s an order.”
Campbell lifted her chin. “Yes, sir.” She held Jim’s gaze before turning away.
Jim sat back down with a huff. “If Bones and Scotty didn’t need her I’d confine her to quarters too.”
“I am sure the ensign has her reasons for protesting,” Spock said, “and I am sure such action would not be necessary.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see what happens after Celtran 7.”
He should really stop saying that. Seriously. Because everything seemed to go to the Romulans whenever he did.
“What do you mean the kid’s down there? How did that even happen?”
“Dammit Jim, if I knew don’t you think I’d’ve told you?” Bones’ voice sounded as angry as Jim’s.
“I don’t care, just get him back up here,” Jim said. “The last thing we need is him dying too.”
“We can’t. The medical shields won’t let the transporter beams through.” He could hear Bones’ sigh through the communicator. “We’ll just have to wait. Plus, he keeps trying to show Campbell something.”
“Fine.” Jim sat back down in his chair with a huff. “Dammit.”
The inhabitants projected their sensors’ readouts to the Enterprise’s screen. The Bridge crew watched as the signals of the Away Team moved into the contaminated zone. They separated and began moving to other signals, turning them from yellow to green. The Celtrans began to move around, locating the who had been treated and transferring them to another area. One Celtran began moving off to a corner. Suddenly, the screen went black, quickly replaced with a blaring red light.
“Enterprise to Away Team, what’s happening?”
There was no reply.
“Kirk to Bones, what’s going on down there?”
“Dammit, Jim!” Bones’ voice crackled over the line. “Beam us up!”
“Kirk to transporter room, can you lock on?”
“Yes, sir!”
“I’m on my way down. Hurry!” Jim got up. “Mr. Spock, you have the conn.”
There were three shimmering figures on the transporter pad when Jim burst out of the turbo-lift. A second later they burst onto the pad, Bones holding back Ensign Campbell.
“Dammit kid, stop!” She focused on Jim and cursed.
“No! He’s still down there!”
“Who is?” Bones looked up at Jim.
“Lyssa’s kid. Erik.”
“You can’t just leave him down there!” Campbell said, breaking free of Bones.
Jim looked over to the lieutenant on duty. “Can we get him out?”
“No, Captain. The Celtrans have re-established the containment field. There’s no way we can get through.”
Campbell looked down. Bones and Jim exchanged a look. Then transporter room communicator went off. “Bridge to Captain Kirk.”
“Go ahead, Spock.”
“Captain, there is an incoming - “ Spock’s voice was cut off by another transmission.
“I wanna talk to Alex!”
Campbell’s head shot up. “Erik!”
“I wanna talk to Alex!”
Jim shook his head. “Bones, bring her up to the Bridge. Let me try and talk to this kid.”
When they arrived, Uhura waved them over to her station. “There’s a signal that’s somehow been able to broadcast itself ship wide.”
“He’s used the connection to the Enterprise to get into the network,” Campbell said. “He’s a smart kid.”
“Yeah. Guess so.” Jim turned around. “This is Captain Kirk. Erik, can you hear me?”
“I wanna talk to Alex!”
Jim exhaled. “Erik, I’m sorry but there’s no way we can beam you out with - “
“I don’t wanna talk to you! I wanna talk to Alex!”
“Why won’t you talk to me?”
“Because you made Mom go away! I wanna talk to Alex!”
Jim looked over to Campbell. She stared at him, silently asking if she could talk to Erik. He nodded and motioned her forwards to the transmitter. “Erik?”
“Alex! Alex I can hear you!”
“Good. I can hear you too.” Campbell smiled shakily.
“Alex, I know why the shields broke. Someone turned them off. So I turned them back on after you left.”
Campbell frowned. “What do you mean someone turned them off?”
“Someone went to the corner where the thingy was and hit a button. Then everything went red.”
Campbell was silent. “Erik, when you say you turned them back on…”
“I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
There was silence. Jim glanced at Campbell, whose shoulders had tensed.
“Why didn’t you come back with us?”
“Because there was a little boy. He was scared. He lost his mom too. So I told him she went to help the people upstairs like you told me my mom went there too. I told him his mom could meet my mom.”
Uhura covered her mouth. Campbell took a shaky breath. “That was kind of you.”
“You told me it was important to make people feel better. I hope he was happy before he left too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s this green stuff floating around in the air. It smells funny.”
Bones swore. “That’s the Celtran’s safety policy. If the quarantine fails, toxins are released that kill everyone in the infected wards. He won’t last more than a few minutes.”
Campbell’s voice began to shake. “Erik, is there a way out of that room?”
“No.” The boy’s voice began to rise. “I’m scared, Alex. I don’t know what to do, I’m scared.”
“That’s okay.” Jim watched Campbell straighten and raise her head. “It’s okay to be scared.” Her fists were clenched at her sides.
“I’m scared, Alex. Can we play a game?”
Campbell laughed quietly. “Okay.” Jim saw tears running down her face. “Imagine a happy place, okay? Remember how you used to tell be about how you imagined this perfect place?”
“Yeah.” The boy’s voice was calmer.
“Well, if you tell me about it, then we can count to ten, and then you’ll be there. Okay?”
“Okay.” He sounded happier now.
“What do you see?”
“I see trees. There are lots of trees. Big trees.”
“Good for climbing?”
“Yeah, it’s so green. Green’s my favorite color. And mom’s here too. And dad! Mom looks so happy to see him!”
“That’s good.” Jim glanced around. The whole Bridge crew was watching Campbell. Chekov and Sulu had turned around and Uhura was staring avidly. “What is she doing?”
“There’s a picnic laid out. They have pancakes! I want pancakes!”
“Pancakes are good.” Campbell smiled. “That sounds like a nice place. I wish I could visit.”
“But won’t you be there too?”
Bones leaned against the wall and covered his face. Spock stiffened. Campbell’s face crumpled, and she hunched over for a few seconds, but she stayed very quiet.
“Maybe one day.” She straightened and wiped her face. “But I’m pretty sure I won’t be allowed to miss any more shifts for a while.”
“Okay.”
“Ready to count?”
“Okay. One, two, three…”
Campbell counted with Erik, eyes fixed on the screen. “Four, five, six, seven…”
The transmission cut out.
“Eight, nine, ten.”
Campbell stopped and breathed in slowly. She looked down “There are no more life signs in the room, sir.”
No one said anything. The Bridge was silent. Campbell spoke again, shakily. “Permission to leave the Bridge, sir?”
“Granted,” Jim said immediately. “Go rest.”
“With all due respect, sir, I have a few reports to file in sickbay. Excuse me.” Campbell kept her head down and started walking quickly to the turbo-lift. Bones followed her, acknowledging Jim’s concerned look with a shake of his head. The doors closed.
Chekov and Sulu had shifted closer to each other. Uhura was breathing heavily. Spock was staring at the screen. Jim sat down and put his head in his hands.
“Plot a course back to Earth, Mr. Sulu.”
“Aye, sir.” Sulu turned around and pushed the ship to warp. “On our way, Captain.”
Jim sat there for a few more minutes before getting up. “Mr. Spock you have the conn.”
“Yes, Captain.” Spock nodded in understanding. Jim got in the turbo-lift and went down to sickbay. Bones looked up when he heard him enter.
“She’s not here. I sent her back to her quarters.”
“Good. I was gonna tell you to do that.” Jim turned to go. “Thanks, Bones.”
“Jim!” He turned back. Bones had set down the towel in his hands. “Go easy on the kid, alright?”
Jim nodded and left. When he reached Campbell’s quarters, he rang the bell. No reply. He tried again. Still nothing. Opening the door, he found them empty, no signs that she’d been in. Sighing, he turned around, resigning himself to just going back to the Bridge. As he walked back, he passed the observation room. He stopped, and looked around. There was no one else in the hallway, so where was that sound coming from? He glanced back to the doors.
He waited a few more seconds before walking into the room. Campbell was standing by the window.
She didn’t look at him when he came in. He walked over and stood next to her, looking out. “How’re you holding up, kid?”
“I’ll be fine.” Her voice was quiet.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She replied quickly.
Jim looked down and muttered quietly. “Yes, it was. It was my fault that - “
“No, it wasn’t.” Campbell’s interrupted. “It is not your fault. It is not the transporter’s fault. It is not Erik’s fault. It is the fault of whoever released those damn shields and triggered the release of the Celtran quarantine toxins. Do not devalue Erik by assuming he was not capable of making his own decisions. It was not your fault!” Her voice had risen as she turned to look at him. He turned to look at her slowly. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and she stepped away. She seemed to shrink in front of him. “Sorry, sir.” Her voice was back to a whisper.
“No, it’s okay.” A corner of his mouth quirked up. “I can see why Erik liked you. You can be as passionate as he was.”
“I’ve been told I get overprotective quickly.” She still seemed uneasy.
Jim laughed. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” They were silent for a few seconds. “Starfleet is calling for an investigation on what happened.”
“I know.”
“They’ll probably want to talk to you.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“No,” Campbell unfolded her arms and lifted her head, looking at Jim, “but I’ll do it anyway.”
Jim smiled. “There’s the ensign I’ve heard about.”
——————————
The hearing arrived. Jim, Scotty, Bones, Spock, and Campbell were summoned into the chamber. There were five Admirals waiting behind the bench. Kirk recognized Admiral Dennison, Admiral Cartwright, someone he knew from the Academy, Admiral Floyd from Starfleet security, and Admiral Vale, from Starfleet’s strategic department. Each of his crew had been called up separately to give their report on the events on Celtran 7. They spent the most amount of time with Bones, asking him over and over what happened. It was clear the doctor’s patience was running out. By the time he sat back down next to Jim, he was muttering angrily.
“How many damn times to I have to say ‘I don’t know, Admiral?’ It’s getting on my nerves.” Jim patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they know that.”
Bones grumbled. The Admiral in the center stood. “Ensign Alexis Campbell, to the stand.”
She stood up and walked over. Admiral Floyd whispered something and Dennison snickered. Jim frowned. What now? The Admiral in the middle ignored them.
“State your full name and current deployment for the record.”
“Ensign Alexis Campbell, starship Enterprise.”
“Where were you when the shields collapsed on Celtran 7?”
“I was on the surface when the shields initially went down.”
“Who was with you?”
“Doctor McCoy and Medical Officer Crystal Falcone.”
The Admiral looked down at the PADD on the podium. “It says here you were in contact with the child on the planet for a period of time before the toxins were deployed.”
“Yes, sir, Erik Warner. He transmitted a signal up to the Enterprise to talk to me. He…”
She trailed off. “He died before the signal cut out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Admiral Cartwright spoke up. Jim smiled. Good old Cartwright. Campbell smiled.
“How did the shields get dismantled in the first place?” Admiral Vale asked. “The records indicate that they were intentionally turned off.”
“I don’t know, sir. Erik told me that he saw someone heading over to the control panel and turning the shields off.”
Admiral Floyd scoffed. “And how exactly are we supposed to believe that? The boy’s dead, it’s not like he can support your claim.”
Campbell frowned. “Sir, the transmission was recorded. The Enterprise has the recorded transmission in its memory banks.”
“And there is no possibility that they could have been forged?”
“With all due respect, sir, I highly doubt anyone would be capable of such a feat on board the Enterprise.” Campbell smiled slightly. “Mr. Scott has a very well-run system.”
Jim could hear Scotty’s murmur of “You bet your ass, Admiral.”
Admiral Dennison leaned forwards. “Yet the Enterprise has a history of disobeying Starfleet protocols.” He smirked. “Fitting. Putting you with this crew.”
She frowned. “I hardly believe my personal history has any bearing on this.”
“Oh, it’s very relevant ensign.” Jim winced when he heard the Admiral’s tone. It sounded too familiar. “The Prime Directive states not to interfere with the development of a civilization. This is a clear violation of that protocol. Both you and this ship have a history of disobedience and questionable loyalty.”
“Then why send us?” Jim glanced up to see Cartwright frowning at him as Campbell spoke. He shrugged before looking back to Campbell. “There are multiple other ships Starfleet could have sent to deal with the issue. Better equipped ones too. So why would you send the Enterprise if you have such a problem with it?”
“Because when you don’t follow the rules, there are consequences.” Admiral Vale interrupted. “You, of all people, should know that.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, sir.”
“Your…” Admiral Vale paused. “…incident at the Academy.” Campbell’s face darkened. “Another problem with following the rules, no?” His voice dripped with condescension.
“And as I said then, in the real world no one will rescind your victory just because you ‘broke a rule’,” Campbell used her fingers to make quotation marks, “therefore I didn’t do anything that would not be deemed acceptable in the field, and we all agree,” she added, raising her voice to speak over Admiral Floyd as he opened his mouth to interrupt, “that preparing cadets for the life in the field is the ultimate goal of Starfleet Academy, thus your inclusion of my past is not relevant.”
“We’ll decide what’s relevant and what’s not.” Admiral Dennison said. “And your opinion, ensign, is not.”
The Admiral in the middle cleared his throat, silencing the other with a look. “Ensign Campbell, your service record is exemplary, and there is no record of you ever disobeying your commanding officer’s orders. You have been very helpful in this investigation. Because of this, we have a choice for you. Starfleet Security is in need of a new ensign. Admiral Floyd will be your commanding officer.”
Campbell nodded. “Or?”
The Admiral was taken aback. “Ensign?”
“You said it was a choice. Typically there are at least two options.”
“Or you can remain on the Enterprise.”
Campbell looked down, thinking. She glanced over at Jim and the others. Jim smiled at her. It was a good gig, Starfleet security. With her abilities, she’d make lieutenant in no time. Sure, Bones and Scotty would complain about losing her for a few weeks. And he didn’t really want to lose her either, but hey, good for the kid, right? Campbell looked back up at the Admirals. Bones grumbled.
“Dammit. Now I have to find another ensign.”
“Aye. And it won’t be easy findin’ another one like our lassie.” Scotty added.
“I have made my decision, although I am sure it is no surprise to any of you, and I thank you kindly for this generous offer.” Jim looked down. “But I would like to stay on the Enterprise.” His head snapped up. What? Clearly the Admirals didn’t expect it either.
“You’re turning down that offer? You know how many ensigns would give up their entire careers for that chance?” Admiral Vale spluttered.
“I’ve seen a lot of stupid moves from you, Campbell, but this is by far the stupidest.” Admiral Floyd agreed.
“I think, what my colleagues are asking,” Admiral Cartwright interrupted, “is why exactly you chose to remain on the Enterprise.” Jim smirked. Good old Cartwright. Judging by his smirk, he knew she was growing tired of his colleagues too.
She smirked. “It doesn’t matter why Admiral. My opinion isn’t relevant.”
With that, she walked off the stage and stood next to the bench where the crew sat. The Admiral in the middle nodded to Jim. “You and your crew may leave.”
“Thank you, Admiral.” Jim nodded and they stood. Campbell stepped back, letting them go in front of her. As they left the chamber, the second the doors closed, Jim burst out laughing. Scotty followed a few seconds later. So did Bones. Even Spock cracked a smile. Campbell stopped, confused.
“May I ask what’s so funny, sir?” None of them could respond because they were laughing so hard. She looked at Spock. “Sir?”
“I believe the reason that they are unable to respond is that they are too enthralled by your attitude towards the Admirals.”
“I agree.” Jim managed to stop laughing long enough to look up and see Cartwright. “Though I must say I think it was well warranted.” He winked at Jim. “I’ve seen a few displays like that in my day.”
“Yes. Yes, you have.” Jim said, clapping Campbell on the shoulder. Cartwright grinned.
“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with this one, Jim. She’s quite the match for you.”
Jim scoffed. “Are you saying I’m not the most dramatic person you know?”
“I’m saying she’s giving you a good run for your money. I wouldn’t mind having her either.”
“Hey, back off my ensign!”
Cartwright waved them off. “Go now, get back to your ship, before they decide to tear your ensign to shreds.”
“I’d like to see them try,” Jim smirked. “Kirk to Enterprise, we’re ready to beam up.”
“Aye, Keptin.”
Jim waved to Cartwright before they were beamed back up. Scotty bid them farewell and headed back to Engineering. Spock turned to Jim. “Captain, I shall return to the Bridge. I shall await you there.”
Jim nodded. “Thanks, Spock.” He frowned as Campbell made to follow him. “Where are you going?”
“Sickbay, sir,” Campbell called over her shoulder. “It’s still my shift.”
Jim raised an eyebrow at Bones. Bones shrugged and followed, not bothering to hide his smirk. Jim shook his head, going back to the Bridge. Maybe Cartwright wasn’t just running his mouth back there.
——————————
Jim sighed, rising out of his chair. “Mr. Scott, you have the conn.”
“Aye, Captain.” Scotty sat down as Jim and Spock headed off towards the turbo-lift.
“Chess in 20?” Jim asked. Spock nodded.
“Affirmative.” He gestured to the observation lounge. “I must go to the lab and await the results of the experiment. Will the observation lounge be an acceptable venue?”
“Sure. See you then.” Jim turned into the lounge looking for the chess set. After setting the game up, he leaned against the table and stared out the window. He heard the door slide open, and turned, expecting to see Spock. “Oh. Hello, Alex.”
“Hello sir. Am I disturbing you?” Alex stepped inside.
“No, I’m just waiting for Spock.” Jim waved her over. “Come in.”
She joined him by the window. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Mhm.” Jim folded his arms. “Infinity never looked so lovely.”
Alex snickered. “Where’d you get that, the Starfleet coffee mug?”
Jim chuckled. “You got me. Normally works, though.”
“Yes, I’m sure cheesy pick-up lines are high on the list of ‘things that work.’”
“And you have a different set of priorities, huh?”
Alex grinned cheekily. “Absolutely.”
They were quiet for a few seconds.
Jim glanced over. “Would I be right to assume your position on the Enterprise is one of them?”
She nodded. “I thought so. After what happened back there, definitely. I was wrong to question your loyalty.”
“You were just doing what you thought was right, sir.” Alex was quick to reassure him. “I’m just really annoying.”
“I know a thing or two about that.” That made her laugh. “But, hey, Admiral Floyd was wrong too, so that makes me feel slightly better.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Alex wrinkled her brow.
“I mean about you, as a person.” Jim smiled at her. “A good person.”
“How can you tell?”
Jim smirked. “Little kids make the best character judges.”
Alex laughed, looking back out the window. “I know Commander Oslo would disagree with you.”
“Oh my god, is he still at the Academy?”
“He was there when I left.”
Jim rubbed a hand over his face. “He never liked me, always said I was never gonna make higher than Lieutenant.”
“And look at you now.”
He smiled. “He always went on about how I’d fail all the tests to make Captain, especially the - “
“The Kobayashi Maru.” Alex finished. “Yeah, he said that about me too.”
“They still have that damn thing?” Alex nodded. “Well, now I wanna know how you did.”
“So they changed the parameters so you can pass by hacking but they make it really hard to do.”
“It was hard when I was there.”
“No, but they have people actively going through the damn code and repelling the hacks.”
“So…”
“So, I installed a virus in the system that changed the sound system to play musical theatre numbers, and changed the parameters of the enemy ships according to the music, and we absolutely killed it.”
Jim threw his head back and laughed. “You…installed a virus…that made the entire sound system…play musical theater?”
“Yes, sir.” Alex giggled as Jim bent over with the force of his laughter.
“Did they manage to get the virus off?” He managed after he stopped laughing.
“No,” Alex smirked, “they couldn’t figure out how to.”
“So is it still on there?”
“No. I made it leave.” Jim stared at her, turning slightly.
“Made it leave?” He repeated in disbelief.
“Old friend of mine.”
“You’ll have to introduce me.”
“Happy to, sir.” She smiled up at him. Jim’s communicator went off.
“Kirk.”
“Captain, I have the results of the experiment.”
“Great, send them to Bones, he’ll be happy to hear that.” Jim shut the communicator and looked up to see Alex heading out. “Where are you going?”
“I have to go back to sickbay, sir.”
“Why?”
“Doctor McCoy will call if I don’t.”
“No he won’t.” No sooner had Jim finished speaking, the lounge’s communicator went off.
“McCoy to Campbell, you’re needed in sickbay.”
Jim shook his head. Alex smirked. “On my way sir. Captain.”
“Alex?”
She stopped, and turned around. “Yes, sir?”
“I get overprotective quickly too.”
Alex smiled. “Yes, sir. I know.”