Chapter Text
“First Officer’s Log, Stardate 1312.4. A week has passed since Pike’s departure. So far, there’s no denying James T. Kirk’s success in commanding the crew. The Enterprise is running smoother than expected; after Pike’s relieve from duty, the ship’s functionality has only decreased by 4% compared to the usual 7% following a change in captaincy.
“Not only is this unexpected, but I must admit it’s interesting. I’ve been Pike’s first officer for years and have always commended him for being one of Starfleet’s best, but even he had not managed such a prosperous transition after being promoted to captain.
“We’ve passed the first few missions of the Enterprise, which were unproblematic democratic meetings and supply runs. It’s standard regulation, of course; a test to see whether this crew can function smoothly with Captain Kirk now in charge. Naturally, we’ve managed to avoid disasters, and the Enterprise is now officially back on active duty.
“I have.. purposefully steered away from the new captain thus far. Of course, my role as first officer has remained so I am present on the bridge when required, but I prefer to spend time in the Enterprise’s science labs, performing my duties as the ship’s science officer. It has been my main focus ever since Pike has departed.”
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Spock had met the new captain already. Pike had been the one to introduce the two, knowing they would end up serving together in the near future, and Spock found there was nothing unpleasant about the man. He was young for a captain, but a captaincy at 29 was not unheard of; it was only slightly disconcerting that there were very few years between the two.
“Your record is very impressive,” Kirk had said upon their meeting. “I look forward to serving with you.”
It seemed Kirk had done research on his crew. As Pike had explained to him through a call on his personal computers, Kirk thoroughly looked through the list of crew members before coming aboard, from his bridge crew to the ensigns that were serving here temporarily. Pike had been a social captain as well, often making more small-talk with his primary crew than Spock was comfortable with, but Captain Kirk was different. It seemed he wanted to know everyone aboard the Enterprise, no matter their rank and connection to the ship. It was an admirable goal, yet Spock couldn’t quite see the relevance in knowing about an ensign that was set to leave in a few months. Surely there was a better way for a captain to spend his time.
Yet clearly, it was working.
Not a single member of the crew had something negative to say about Captain Kirk. Quite the opposite was true—ensigns and commanders alike praised the new captain on his ability to run the ship, even though he’d only been captain for a few weeks. Spock had never seen anything like it.
It had been two months now, and Spock was no closer to finding out what made the new captain so likeable. Although to be honest, he hadn’t really made any attempt to find out.
Spock had once again retreated to the Enterprise’s science lab and was doing research on an interesting anomaly the captain had found on one of their supply runs. The Vulcan had volunteered to lead the research team, resulting in him staying in the laboratory until late at night because he wanted to be able to report back to the Captain at 0800 hours as was once habitual with Pike. However, he had not expected this anomaly to be quite as complicated as it was.
Every time Spock thought to have solved the mysteries surrounding the anomaly, something was out of place; there was something different about it that the Vulcan could not pinpoint exactly. He would never admit it out loud, but he could feel frustration bubbling up inside him, getting worse each time a scan came out negative. He had his human mother to blame for that, Spock thought. Nevertheless, he was determined to finish this research tonight, even if that meant being a bit more emotionally uncontrolled than during the day.
Spock had been so focused on his work that he hadn’t heard the sound of the door sliding open, nor the sound of footsteps approaching him. It was when he heard his name that he was alerted to the person’s presence.
“Mr. Spock.” It was unmistakably the voice of the new captain. “I thought I’d find you here.”
Spock didn’t turn to look at Kirk, his eyes still focused on the console in front of him.
80%
90%
100%
No match.
There was the frustration again. Spock suppressed a sigh and finally turned to face Kirk, giving him a nod. “Captain. I assume you are here to check on my progress.”
“That’s a wrong assumption,” Kirk said calmly, causing Spock to raise an eyebrow. The Vulcan waited for him to elaborate, but the captain just stayed quiet, glancing past Spock to his work station.
“Then what is the purpose of your visit?” Spock asked after a short while. The only times Pike had been in the science lab was to stay updated on the results, and to make sure everything was running smoothly. There was no other need for a captain to be present in the science labs.
Kirk looked back to the Vulcan and smiled at him. “I’m here to check on you.”
It was definitely an unexpected response. Spock carefully searched his captain’s expression for any sign of jest, but Kirk was smiling gently as ever, hands folded behind his back.
“Listen, Mr. Spock,” Kirk started. “I know that you were close with Cap– with Admiral Pike, and I don’t expect you to see me in the same light as him.”
“Pike was an admirable captain,” Spock responded simply, negating to mention that as a Vulcan, he did not feel closeness to Pike like a Terran would.
“He was, and he’s left big shoes to fill. I can only hope that you give me a chance to get to know you as well as he does,” Kirk said.
Spock silently gaped at his new captain for a moment longer, once again finding himself surprised at the man’s words. He was so straight-forward, yet unpredictable; he didn’t speak like any Starfleet captain he knew.
“I was under the impression that you already read my file before your transfer,” Spock said, to which Kirk instantly shook his head.
“That’s not what I mean. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling that you’ve been avoiding me ever since I became captain,” Kirk said. His voice held no malice, only curiosity.
“I have been performing all my duties on the bridge and in the science lab, as I am both first officer and the Enterprise’s main science officer,” Spock stated matter-of-factly, and Kirk smiled knowingly. He finally unfolded his hands from behind his back, only to clasp them back together in front of him in an almost childish gesture.
“Yet I also know you’re trying to spend as little time with me as possible while doing so.” Kirk was still looking at Spock with a knowing smile; he wasn’t spiteful in his accusation. “I value the relationship with my crew, and that includes you.”
Spock bit back a remark about his Vulcan nature and how Terran relationships were not his strong suit, instead choosing to remain silent. He knew the captain was right in his accusation, but was surprised that Kirk had chosen to confront him about it, rather than just accepting the fact that a close friendship with a Vulcan would never happen.
“I heard you’re quite the chess aficionado,” Kirk said suddenly. Spock had no idea how the captain could possibly know of Spock’s occasional habit to play chess against the ship’s computer, as he wasn’t even certain if Pike had known about it. “Care to play against your captain some time?”
Spock hesitated for only a moment before agreeing mostly out of politeness.
Kirk waited a moment but—after not getting any further response from his first officer—eventually walked over to look at the console at which Spock had been working. The only things displayed on the screen were failed scans and a bunch of wrongly written studies. Spock averted his gaze to avoid Kirk’s reaction, pretending to read through his PADD.
However, when the Vulcan looked back up, Kirk did not hold an expression of dissatisfaction like the Vulcan had expected. Instead, the young captain had a small smile on his face and the knowing look in his eyes had returned once more.
He patted Spock on the shoulder and the Vulcan surprised himself by not moving away, “How about you call it a night and continue tomorrow?”
“Is that an order?” Spock asked.
“No,” Kirk answered honestly. “It’s friendly advice. And I suggest you take it.”
With that, Kirk gave Spock another smile before heading back towards the door. When he was about to walk outside, the captain stopped and turned around. “I want this report at the end of the week. Don’t even think about trying to hand it in tomorrow,” he said, his smile growing. “And that is an order. Goodnight, Mr. Spock.”
When the doors had closed behind Kirk and Spock was once again alone in the room, he looked back at his console and slowly turned it off, his frustration gone and replaced with a feeling Spock couldn’t quite place. He did, however, feel a smile tug at the corner of his lips as he made his way towards his quarters. Kirk’s captaincy could be very interesting indeed.