#Lt Jenna Mitchell

[stemmefemme]

These are SO low quality but I felt like we desperately needed Jenna gifs

[universalimagines]

Strangers on a Starship (part 2)

Warning: Trigger Warnings (same warnings from part 1)

This is the second chapter in my longer Spock x La’an story.

La’an quickly got changed into a new uniform after she’d read the message. She’d tried to trace it but the messenger had been prepared and had taken steps to hide the location of where the message had come from. Truthfully, La’an didn’t want to think about it anymore given its implications. Perhaps it meant the assailant would come after her next, or intended to attack others of the crew, or perhaps it was simply psychological warfare designed to throw her off balance.

La’an brushed all those thoughts from her head as she met up with Spock at the crew lounge. Security had blocked off the room and the corridors for her and Spock to investigate and the crew present at the time of the attack were all secured and being questioned by security.

“Lieutenant.” Spock asked in a low voice. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Spock.” La’an lied putting up her professional mask as they both walked together into the crew lounge and beyond it into the maintenance tunnels where Jenna had been attacked. Power had been restored to the deck so most of the lights in the tunnel were on though some still flickered.

The pair stopped right in front of the formally busted relay, now recently repaired. “This was the relay LT Mitchell was assigned to repair by Hemmer.”

La’an nodded silently as she observed the relay. Her eyes stopped at a dried blood stain just at eye level. “And the location where Jenna was first attacked.”

“Indeed.” Spock replied. “Though she was found deeper down the hallway by LT Kirk. Why do you suppose that would be if she was attacked here.”

“Maybe she tried to escape, and her attacker caught up to her deeper down the hallway.” La’an theorized.

“Would she not have run in the direction of the crew lounge then?” Spock countered causing La’an to stop and think.

She hated to admit that Spock was right. Jenna had run deeper into the corridors and away from help. The smart choice should’ve to run in the nearest direction of help. La’an could see Jenna having panicked and just run off without thinking but it still didn’t make sense.

La’an walked down the hallway to the location Sam Kirk had pointed to her as the location to where he’d found Jenna. When they arrived, they found the location hadn’t been disturbed since Pike, Sam and Chapel had rescued Jenna and rushed her to sickbay. La’an felt a knot in her throat as feelings of both revulsion and rage filled her heart.

The floor was covered in a mess of what was left of Jenna’s uniform. La’an observed the damage finding mostly ripped off pieces of Jenna’s red uniform top and black undershirt. She’d also took notice large pieces that La’an theorized were the remains of Jenna’s pants. But one item brought sadness to La’an’s heart. Under the tattered shift remains was Jenna’s Starfleet badge. The badge had bene dented in the struggled and looked like a shadow of its former self. The badge had meant many things to so many people. For many it was a promise of protection. A promise, La’an bitterly admitted had failed to protect her friend.

Looking up from the mess on the floor, La’an could see Spock scanning the wall and floor where a significant trail of dried blood was affixed. “This was the location where Jenna was… raped.” Spock croaked out clearly finding it hard to say the words out loud.

“This attack was vicious.” La’an mumbled. “Why would someone commit such a horrid act?”

“Indeed.” Spock replied. “It is hard to imagine a member of the crew committing an act like this. The entirety of our crew is the best of Starfleet. For one of them to commit such an act, it is… illogical.”

La’an wanted to yell at him. An assault like this was more than illogical, it was damn evil. But she kept her temper in check. She’d noticed Spock’s own reactions to the news of Jenna’s rape. While his reactions had been muted, she knew he cared and that he also shared the revulsion she felt. He just didn’t always show it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Spock calling her over to him. Spock bent down and reached under one of the relays to find the remains of a tricorder, most likely Jenna’s. Spock stood up while silently observing the screen. He wordlessly gave the device to her.

La’an silently observed the device. The screen was cracked and obviously broken but the device’s screen still displayed the last task it’d been running.

“SCANNED OBJECT: DAMAGED RELAY”

"ANALYSIS: DAMAGE NOT CONSISTENT WITH OVERBLOWN FUSES. 95% LIKELYHOOD DAMAGE CAUSED BY DIRECT PHASER FIRE.”

La’an breath hitched in concern. “Spock, I think Jenna’s assault was premeditated.”

“I concur.” Spock agreed giving her nod. “Our assailant likely damaged the relays in order to lure out their victim.”

“But was Jenna the actual target or just a convenient victim?” La’an asked.

“It is difficult to say with certainty.” Spock answered. “Outside of Hemmer, few officer would have foreknowledge that a specific officer was assigned to the repair detail. The attacker could’ve just been looking for a victim but not a specific crewmember in particular.”

“Unless they were waiting for Jenna to be alone.” La’an countered. “We’ve been having power issues across the ship. Given that this relay was sabotaged, could others have been as well?”

Spock was following her logic. “The attacker would not have known who would have been assigned until they arrived. Perhaps they sabotaged relays in the hopes of luring LT Mitchell into a place where she would be alone and vulnerable.”

Spock continued. “But this is still speculation at this point. We still do not have any great deal of information on this case, let alone a suspect or motive.”

“Then we should speak to Jenna.” La’an announced.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When the pair had arrived in sick bay, they’d discovered that Jenna had regained consciousness and was currently awake. Though Nurse Chapel and Dr M’Benga were reluctant to allow the two to speak to her.

Chapel had bene the most insistent. “She’s still processing what happened to her and I really don’t think its fully sunk in yet.”

“We understand your concerns Nurse Chapel but LT Mitchell could possibly possess critical information to help our investigation and catch her assailant.” Spock replied diplomatically.

“She doesn’t remember much of anything.” M’Benga jumped in. “She took two successive strikes to her head. Her memory is foggy at best. And to be honest, I don’t think she wants to remember it anyways.”

“Look, I know Jenna.” La’an added. “She’s tough and I know she can help up.”

Chapel shot back. “She woke up screaming less than an hour ago. We had to administer a lot of anesthetics just to calm her down enough for treatment.”

“Nurse Cha… Christine.” La’an softened. “I want to help her. I don’t want to cause her more pain, but we all need to know who her attacker was.”

Nurse Chapel sighed, having lost her resolve. “Alright, but please be gentle with her.”

Spock put his hand on La’an shoulder. “Perhaps it would be best of you were to question her alone.”

Dr M’Benga nodded. “I concur. Mr Spock, perhaps I can show you the DNA evidence we uncovered during our examination and treatment.”

The two men walked away as Nurse Chapel and La’an walked over to the private medical booth, the booth that had previously held the Doctor’s daughter. Chapel went in first gently speaking to Jenna before gesturing La’an to enter.

La’an had tried to mentally prepare herself for seeing her friend, but it still hit her hard. Jenna was laying slightly elevated on the bio bed, her tattered uniforms having been exchanged for soft grey shirt and sweatpants, the common patient attire aboard ship. On what little skin Jenna had exposed, La’an could see several medical bandages, deep cuts and bruises. Furthermore, Jenna’s right arm was in a sling, the clear indication a bone in her arm had been badly broken.

La’an quickly noticed Jena shy away as she pulled the blanket closer as if trying to hide under it. “Please don’t…” Jenna whispered.

La’an shook off her stunned look. “I’m so sorry.” She whispered. “How are you doing?”

Jenna just shook her head and didn’t say a word. Chapel then spoke. “Jenna, La’an wants to ask you some questions. Now you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to and if at any point you want this to stop, let me know.”

Jenna still pulled the blanket closer to her chest but her grip on it relaxed. She quickly nodded to La’an.

La’an took the nod as her cue to begin. “Jenna what can you tell me about what happened?”

“I was in the maintenance hallways repairing a broken relay. I remember fixing the relay and I was about to turn the power back on when my tricorder beeped at me. I went to took look at but right then…” Jenna stated her story but paused as her breath tightened. “Someone attacked me from behind. I tried to fight back but… I couldn’t.” Jenna’s last sentence barely came out as her voice cracked.

La’an carefully thought through her words before she said them aloud. “What do you remember, about your attacker?”

Jenna shook her head quickly. “I don’t remember! I never saw them. They came out of nowhere and it was so dark! And when I hit them with the tool I grabbed, it was if it just made them angrier…”

La’an had heard the words sent her mind forward. “You managed to hit them!?” She said louder than she’d anticipated.”

“What tool did you hit them with? How’d you manage to get the drop on them?” La’an began bombarding her with questions.

It only took La’an a moment to realize she’d gone too far. Jenna quickly began hyperventilating and mumbling out a bunch of mixed words and chopped sentences.

Nurse Chapel quickly stepped in. “It’s ok! It’s ok! Your safe now. You’re not alone with them anymore. Your’e with us and you’re safe.”

Nurse Chapel continued to sooth Jenna hoping her words would calm the young woman down. But as Jenna kept hyperventilating, Chapel reached for a hypospray, loaded it and gently injected it into Jenna’s neck. The woman’s panicked words died away as she lapsed back into unconsciousness.

La’an was about to speak. “Nurse Chapel, I…”

But she didn’t let her speak. “I think this interview is done now.” She spoke in a tone that left no room for interpretation or debate.

La’an knew she’d gone too far. She gave Chapel an apologetic nod and quickly exited the private medical room.

Spock was standing outside waiting for her when La’an exited. Again, Spock noticed La’an’s changed attitude. “La’an, it is clear to me that you are clearly not fine as you state earlier.”

La’an sighed. She didn’t bother hiding it this time. “You’re right. I pushed Jenna too far in my interview. Nurse Chapel had to step in.”

“I’m sorry.” Spock state sincerely. After a short pause, he continued. “I understand LT Mitchell… Jenna is you friend.”

“Yeah.” La’an sighed. “She was one of the first to help bring me into many of our crew’s fun after work activities. Helped me make a few more friends among the crew. And I repaid that by sending into hyperventilating mess.”

“Knowing you, I doubt you did such an action intentionally.” Spock offered. “You simply were trying aid her by finding her attacker.”

“But I got too aggressive.” La’an replied. “Jenna let me know that she’d managed to hit her assailant…”

Spock then interrupted her. “Jenna managed to hit her attacker?”

“Yeah.” La’an stated. “She mentioned that she’d grabbed a nearby tool and managed to strike him with it.”

“Did she say what kind of tool?” Spock asked.

“She didn’t get the chance before Chapel put her to sleep.” La’an answered. “Why do you ask?”

“LT Kirk mentioned finding a tool that supposedly had blood stains on it before he found Jenna. But no one else was able to find that tool.” Spock provided.

La’an’s eyes went wide. “If both my security team and the two of us couldn’t find it, maybe her attacker came back and took it before we could!”

“The attacker may still have the tool.” Spock said. “They must’ve been someone with access to enter the maintenance tunnels. If we review the records, we might be able to narrow our search down.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By now, the news about the attack on LT Mitchell had spread to the crew. Many crew had been present at the crew lounge when the Captain and emerged with an unconscious Jenna in his arms shouting for everyone to make a path. Those present had told their friends and by now, the entire crew knew what had happened even without an official announcement by the command crew.

Since the news had spread, the tension aboard ship had risen to a pitch. Starfleet was hardly a place where crime ran rampant and not the place where sexual assaults happened. Plus, for a such an act to occur on the flagship, the pride of the fleet, it was completely unheard of.

The crew’s interactions had also become more tense. Interactions between departments were more intense and lacked the same zest that they normally did. Many of the younger crew even formed their own unofficial squads. These “squads” often spent most of their time together when off duty and they’d always insist on ensuring no teammate was walking alone in the corridors.

Ensign Zier had managed to join her own squad with three other ensigns. She, Christina, Shankar and Lance had all formed their own little group. Right now she and her squad, san Christina were all in the lounge nursing drinks after their shift ended.

The group had been quiet for most of the time they’d been plump down at one of the tables. Finally, Lance managed to ask a question. “Hear anything about Mitchell, Zier?”

“You do know this blue uniform isn’t a medical one, right?” Zier joked.

Lance smiled back at the good-natured jab. “I know. But you’re always going down to Sick Bay to drop off or pick up experiments.”

“Plus, you’re always working with Nurse Chapel too.” Shankar added. “Surely you must’ve heard something.”

“You’re one to ask.” Zier chuckled. “Aren’t you a Comms officer? Isn’t hearing things your job?”

Shankar scoffed. “Touché, but no. All I know is what you both probably already know. That Spock and La’an were assigned to the position of investigating this case. As far as I know they checked the maintenance hallways looking for evidence and they might be interrogating some crew soon.”

“Have they spoken to LT Mitchell yet?” Lance asked. “Is she even awake?”

Zier’s smile disappeared. “I think so.” She gestured the two men to get closer. “Earlier today I was dropping off some samples at Sick Bay when I noticed Spock talking with the Doctor.”

“What were they discussing” Shankar asked.

“I don’t know but Doc didn’t let me stick around long.” Zier admitted. “I… I might’ve overheard when Jenna first woke up…”

The two men leaned in closer, their minds both enthralled and terrified for the story their friend was telling. “I heard a lot of noise before Spock showed up… Guys, when she woke up, she was screaming so loud I could hear it from outside Sick Bay… It was scary…”

Lance put his arm on Zier’s shoulder and gave it a soft rub. Zier gave him a small smile in thanks. She then got up from her seat. “Well I should probably go wake up Christina for her shift on the bride.”

“We’ll come with you.” Shankar said and he and Lance got up and followed Zier out of the lounge.

When the group arrived at Zier and Christina’s shred quarters, they found the room pitch black. Zier was somewhat surprised by this. Christina was usually up by now and getting ready for her shift or she’d already left. Instead, a figure was lying face down on the bed, her body covered in the sheets and comforter on her bed.

“Come on Christina.” Zier yawned as she tried to coax her friend awake. But Christina wouldn’t budge.

Sighing, Zier ordered the computer to turn on the lights hoping that would rouse her friend but just like a minute ago, Christina still lay motionless on the bed.

Zier sighed even louder and grabbed the comforter and proceeded to yank it off the bed. “Come on Christina, sleeping in won’t make you shift go by…”

But Zier’s words were caught in her mouth as she observed the sight before her. With the comforter removed and the lights on, Christina’s state was plain to them all. Her nightgown had been torn open and her back was marred in scratches, bruises and cuts. Plus, a pool of blood of blood had formed and dried on the bed at around knee level.

“Help me!” Zier screamed to her friends. The two men rushed to their friend’s side as they turned her onto her back.

Lance put his hand on her neck and listened for breathing. “She still has a pulse! But her breath is shallow…”

“Get help now!” Zier screamed as she began administering CPR.

Shankar quickly went to the communicator on the wall panel. “Medical emergency on deck 6!”

Zier continued to administer CPR till Christina took a deep breath and began coughing. Zier and Lance tried to help her turn to her side so she could breathe but she resisted. Christina, her eyes closed began thrashing against them both screaming bloody murder.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in La’an’s quarters, she was preparing herself for the next phase of the investigation when a message came onto her screen.

When she checked it, she quickly realized it was from the same anonymous sender who sent the first message after Jenna had been attacked. Just like before, the message sender had disguised the location of where the message was sent from.

She took a deep breath and opened the message. Like before, the message was on a repeated loop using the same broken computerized voice as before. “That’s two. They got their due. But there’s more to pursue. When I’m through, maybe I come from you.”

La’an took a gulp at the speaker’s words. Truthfully, La’an wasn’t scared of someone coming after her. After Spock, she was probably the best fighter on the ship. Hell, she wanted this guy to come after her. Better her than the crew.

But that was what the attacker had done. Gone after the crew. If the attacker’s words were to be believed, then another crewmember had suffered just as Jenna had. La’an took off out of her room and sprinted down the hall raising her communicator and contacting Spock.

[nottinghillhq]

ALANA SMITH our jenna coleman is looking for her YOUNGER SIBLINGS (2/3) , with the faces of  nick robinson, nicholas hoult, adelaide kane, jeremy irvine, maia mitchell, any face that could work and in the age range of 25-32. if you’re interested and want more details please contact heather at oftatteredwings  ( is not necessary) 

[ TAKEN BY JACQUELINE ‘JACK’ & ROWAN SMITH ]

the smiths are london locals, having grown up in kingston upon thames for several generations. the family is crazy close, they have always had one another’s backs in whatever they chose to do and wherever they chose to go. I don’t imagine that’s something that has ever changed as they’ve grown up. would just some super wholesome family stuff out of this <3

[damnredthing]

Just a short ramble – SNW S1E04

This post – naturally – contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and do not want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

This is not an episode review but rather just a bunch of ramblings which I’ve tried to at least sort a little bit into categories.

Season 1 – Episode 4 – Memento Mori

My ramblings come a bit late, I was busy with RL the whole week and then some. Sadly I got very bad news in RL, which puts this blog at risk for a long hiatus. But I don’t know for sure yet. At the moment I lack the energy for (too) long ramblings, so I cut this short to just a few main topics.

Pike’s inner demons - continued

We didn’t see any of that directly, but I felt like we saw some effects of Pike’s knowledge of his fate. This is just my opinion, nothing more! If you see it differently, that is perfectly fine. But I felt that Pike’s repeated trust in the Enterprise was maybe based on his knowledge that he couldn’t die from the Gorn attacks. He knew he’d survive if the Enterprise goes deeper down the brown dwarf and later into the black hole event horizon. Would he have made the same decision if he didn’t know his fate?

If the Enterprise didn’t hide, the only two other options would have been trying to out-warp them or fight them. Both would likely have ended up with the Enterprise being destroyed or the crew being captured. The Gorn ships seemed technologically superior and probably could travel faster. And they also appeared to have superior weapons (not to mention that the Enterprise lost all but one torpedo). So had Pike decided differently, the Enterprise likely would have been boarded and everyone but one killed.

In the end Pike’s decision was the right one, even though it cost lives. But this could be a case of self-fulfilling prophecy. Pike only could decide the way he did to survive, so he could later fulfill his prophecy. But he decided the way he did because he knew his fate.

.

Didn’t Pike fail in astrophysics?

Where did he get all the knowledge about black hole physics from? Do you all remember the F he got in astrophysics when Tilly accidently showed Pike’s personnel file to the entire bridge crew in Discovery?

And yet he had a profound understanding of how the event horizon works, how objects appear as if they stand still to onlookers because of the gravitational redshift. How the Enterprise could use the black hole to sling shot themselves away from the Gorn.

Pike isn’t a stranger to astrophysics at all, so why the F at the academy?

I have 2 theories about that.

A – Pike was actually very good in astrophysics, but something happened right before the test was due that made him lose it. He failed the test because he just couldn’t concentrate. However, as with every university degree nowadays, I’d assume you cannot get your degree if you haven’t passed all tests. So he could repeat it later and passed with a much better grade. His personnel log which was displayed by Tilly probably only showed the grades of his first attempts (I doubt it showed all grades anyways and it was just an excerpt).

B – He failed the test on purpose. If you go check out his grades on Discovery again, you’ll notice they are all A+ to A-. Those are extremely impressive grades! For whatever reason Pike did what Bashir did and failed the test on purpose so he wouldn’t appear to be as too perfect. Do I think Pike is also engineered? Nope, but maybe he’s naturally extremely intelligent. Maybe he’s not 100% human. Whether he’s aware of it or not, all his good grades and how easily he got through all the classes maybe spooked him a bit and he didn’t want to appear to be a complete nerd. And so he blew one course.

.

Ortegas becoming too bitchy for my taste

I didn’t like Ortegas being constantly negative and bitchy and more so, doubting all of Pike’s decisions with snide remarks. Saying this hurts me because so far I’ve liked Ortegas a lot. But whenever she talks with her Captain in this episode, it annoys me. I am not sure if she was just scared or if she was insubordinate. None of her remarks were productive. Here are some examples:

-

Pike: Helm, full impulse to Spock's mark.

Ortegas: Aye aye. Full impulse. Into a giant gas cloud of death. Why not?

Pike:

-

[in the ready room]

Ortegas: So, no shields and no weapons. What do we do... throw luggage at them? And the Gorn... really? We're out here fighting the... the boogeyman? No one has even seen one. So how are we supposed to take them on?

-

La’an: We're outgunned. Time to run, sir.

Spock: I concur. But if we leave the brown dwarf they will see us. If we go deeper, it could destroy the ship.

Pike: Good thinking, Mr. Spock. We need to go deeper into the brown dwarf.

Spock: That is not what I suggested.

Pike: Ortegas, plot a course. As close as you can get us to center mass.

Ortegas: Sure. Didn't our science expert just say that would crush the ship? Just asking, Sir.

Pike:

-

I even got angry when she asked him if he understood Spock’s earlier remark. Pike’s reaction clearly showed he wasn’t thrilled. Spock also didn’t agree with Pike’s decision, but he still executed the orders without further questioning his Captain.

It’s not the first time Ortegas was lax with her respect for the Captain. When a crewmember doubts the decisions of their Captain, that is a very alarming situation. If this continues, it could be like constant dripping wearing away the stone. Every Star Trek show sooner or later will have a mutiny episode. On which side will Ortegas be?

I don’t understand why the writers made her so bitchy in this episode when she was so confident before. In Children of the Comet, she came up with the idea how to get M’hanit’s shield down. But in this episode she is nothing but bitchy and didn’t provide any helpful input.

La’an also confronted Pike, but her words had merit and her suggestions were helpful. She just had to get her argument through Pike’s skull. As soon as they were on the same page, they went through the whole situation in full agreement.

I do hope this was just an angsty reaction by Ortegas and she’ll not remain like this for the coming episodes. Or maybe I am just too touchy, I don’t know.

.

Some Randoms

Pike being the hero – This was an ensemble cast episode, but we could also see Pike at his best. We learn what a great tactician he is and that he can think way out of the box to find unusual solutions. He had to make some very hard decisions, some of which cost lives. But all in all he managed what people in previous encounters with the Gorn did not, he got the Enterprise to safety. As La’an pointed out, the reason why nobody knows how the Gorn look like is that those who saw them didn’t have enough time to tell. So usually encounters with the Gorn end up catastrophic. Even though his crew doubted him all along, Pike saved the ship.

Gorn –We got them! And then we didn’t. 😕 We only saw their ships and they admittedly looked scary, but also cool. I like the tripod design and they feel right for a reptilian species. But I’d have loved to actually see the Gorn, even if this would have been in contradiction with canon. However, the Gorn have been so underused in Star Trek that I would have happily sacrificed canon in this case. But maybe we will see them one day.

With Enterprise being damaged so badly, we’re doing a huge time jump within this season. I doubt we gonna see a damaged Enterprise in the next episode, so we lose at least a couple weeks in which the Enterprise gets repaired offscreen. Which brings us closer to Pike’s accident (and I don’t like that!).

I’m a bit disappointed that Hemmer’s antennae don’t move. Shren’s antennae in Enterprise did move and I totally fell in love with them. But Hemmer’s are just static and they clearly appear to be just glued on. ☹️

Is Lt. Mitchell part of the main cast? She has appeared quite a couple times now. I hope she’s not going to die to make place for Uhura as the main communications officer. I actually like Mitchell, she has a very unagitated and calm nature which I adore in a person. I would like to see more of her.

When Pike makes contact with the cargo vessel, Professor Thandie greets him with “Thank God, you’re Starfleet”. I thought religion isn’t a thing in the 23rd century anymore.

[ansonmountdaily]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds behind the scenes photo via Director of Photography Magdalena Gorka

Pictured are: Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Celia Rose Gooding (Cadet Nyota Uhura), Rong Fu (Lt. Jenna Mitchell), Ethan Peck (Science Officer Spock), Rebecca Romijn (Number One/Una Chin-Riley), Melissa Navia (Lt. Erica Ortegas)

Source: Magdalena Gorka via Trek Central

[universalimagines]

Team Building Antics

So after having rewatched Season 1 of Strange New Worlds and the Season 2 Premier, I’ve gotten inspired to write stories based on my ideas of post episodes scenes that I cant get out of my head! So, here’s my idea based off the Season 2 episode The Broken Circle.

To say Admiral April wasn’t pleased with the Enterprise crew when they came back was an understatement. Most of his annoyance was due to the fact that he himself would have to be responsible for handling the disciplinary measures for the crew. Normally a ship’s Captain or First Officer would handle internal discipline for crewmembers who stepped out of line, but Captain Pike was off looking for a lawyer for Una and Spock… well Spock was today the cause of the discipline issues.

So here he was, stuck in his office all night trying to come up with an appropriate disciplinary measure for the Enterprise’s command crew before they returned to Starbase One tomorrow. Initially he’d promised Spock that his only punishment would be his Klingon sized hangover, but recent events had pushed him to consider Admiral’s Mast.

This wasn’t the first time the Enterprise and its crew had gone off the reservation or butted heads with official orders and regulations. Plus, with war on the horizon, he needed everyone in the fleet to learn how to work together.

Just then, an idea came to him. April stood up and smile as he keyed the comms. “Computer send a recorded message to LT Spock on the USS Enterprise.”

The computer chirped in acknowledgement, waiting for him to compose his message. “LT Spock, upon arrival at Starbase One, I want to see you and your command crew in my office at 0900 sharp, April Out.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Spock had learned he, Noonien-Singh, Mitchell, Uhura, M’Benga Ortegas had been summoned to speak with the Admiral when they returned to base, it had put him on edge. The admiral had indeed been furious with him when he’d reported back in with his hangover no less, but he’d logically assumed that the hangover would be their only punishment.

And now here they all were, sitting outside the Admiral’s office for several minutes waiting for the proverbial hammer to drop. Each member of the crew was displaying telltale signs of nervousness. Jenna kept fidgeting with her uniform, Erica kept trying to find a comfortable way to sit but couldn’t sit still, Nyota kept talking under her breath, Spock theorizing that she was prepping her defense if asked.

Only M’Benga and La’an didn’t display outward signs of concern. M’Benga’s eyes followed each of the nervous crewmembers taking stock of their ticks. La’an meanwhile sat at attention like she normally did in briefings though he did notice a slight tension in her jaws, something he noticed she’d displayed more than once during other trying situations. He started wondering why now he was noticing this in her, theorizing that his lack of emotional control might be making him more aware of her.

Before he could theorize further, the Admiral’s aide informed them that the Admiral was ready to see them. The group nervously walked into his office to see Admiral April sitting down by his desk. “Please sit down.”

They complied silently. The Admiral got up from his chair and circled around to stand right in front of them all. “You’ve all created quite a mess for us to deal with. Somehow in the course of a single day, the six of you managed to disobey my orders…” Spock bit his lip.

He continued “-fake a warp core breach” causing Jenna and Nyota to rub their necks in embarrassment.

“-steal a Federation starship” Ortegas grimaced.

“… And yet somehow you all manage to rescue a member of your own crew and stop a war from breaking out between us and the Klingons.” He finished as the crew waiting with bated breath too concerned to even breath.

After a minute, Spock finally ventured making a remark. “Sir as I said before, the responsibility for this event is entirely mine…”

April interrupted him. “As Captain it is indeed your responsibility however you definitely couldn’t steal the Enterprise without help. Everyone here played a role in the events of the past few days.”

He took a breath and grabbed his PADD. “The Enterprise is the flagship of the fleet and represents the best of Starfleet. But this little stunt isn’t the first time the crew has balked Starfleet rules. The Kiley 279 incident, flying into unaligned space without authorization, plus all the complaints I’m fielding from Operational Support about this crew’s resistance to the technical upgrades.”

The crew all quietly grimaced and shuffled their feet in discomfort. April continued. “I’d like to nick this trend before it becomes a serious issue. So, here’s what’s going to happen. All of you here will have your shore leave revoked and you’ll spend the rest of your time in space dock taking part in a series of team building exercises.”

April passed his PADD to Spock to read. “This is a very extensive list sir.” Spock choked out, his dismay evident.

“Sir, with all due respect.” Ortegas interjected. “We’ve proven ourselves time and time again. Why do we need to take part in these ridiculous exercises?”

April smiled. “Because your ability to work with others inside Starfleet is also important. As is your ability to work within the rules. You may not like some of our regulations, but they exist for a reason.”

La’an raised her hand slowly. “Uh… sorry don’t mean to be that person but why am I involved in this conversation? After all, I didn’t actually steal the Enterprise…”

“But you have been gone from the fleet for months now. Consider this a chance to help reintegrate yourself back into fleet life.” April replied before turning to everyone.

“Sir if I may.” Spock added. “When we spoke, you state our only punishment would be my hangover. What may I ask changed your mind?

“Oh this isn’t punishment Mr. Spock.” April countered. “This is a team building exercise intended to help this crew work better together within Starfleet regulations.”

“I fail to see the distinction.” Spock admitted.

April then sighed. “You’re all dismissed.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spock had been correct in his initial statement that the team building event was quite extensive. April had arranged for them to take part in several exercises over the course of the next two weeks. The first of those events being a mindfulness meditation workshop in one of Starbase One’s biomes.

The event had proven to be a complete failure. Spock had found the event completely useless since Vulcan had taught him everything he needed to know about meditation. He’d spent the entire event ignoring the counselor’s words and indeed trying to put himself into his own meditative state. Though the actions of other crew members made that harder.

He was currently sitting in the back alternating between trying to find his own center and observing the actions of the crew.

Ortegas couldn’t sit still for very long without having to readjust and move around. Jenna, sitting next to her wasn’t doing much better. Spock had observed that Jenna just looked exhausted, and she kept dozing off while trying to center. One time, Ortegas had accidently knocked Jenna on the head while readjusting her seat and had woken up the other officer. Jenna had responded by stealing one of Ortega’s pillows.

Uhura and M’Benga at least were trying to get something out of it. Spock could see that Uhura had tried to engage in the meditation and had succeeded for a few minutes before it seemed that something and had entered her mind and distracted her. By now, she’d looked bored. M’Benga had actually been in a meditative trance before he’d been interrupted by Jenna and Erica’s antics. Annoyed, he’d picked up the book beside his station and smacked both young women on the back of the head eliciting soft owes from both.

His voice just above a whisper but filled with the paternalistic tone he’d no doubt used before. “Behave children.”

His words having an immediate silencing effect on the two women who both silently went back to trying to meditate.

La’an sitting next to Spock and having just as hard of a time focusing stifled a laugh at the event she just saw. She noticed Spock eyeing her. “Sorry.” She whispered.

“Do not worry.” Spock replied. “My focus is not on my meditation.”

“So where was it?” La’an asked.

“I must admit my focus was on returning to duty on Enterprise.” Spock admitted.

“Always the workaholic.” La’an smiled.

“Not exactly what I meant.” Spock admitted.

“Oh?” La’an asked, intrigued by Spock’s admission as well as the fact that he’d offered this up so freely.

“I must admit, seeing you back with us now fills me with hope.” Spock said.

“Hope for what” La’an asked?

“My time on the Enterprise has been very… agreeable. And while at times the crew can be exasperating.” He nodded his head in the direction of Ortegas and Mitchell who had gone back to their antics though slightly quieter than normal. “I would not have it any other way.”

La’an smiled. “Spock are you saying that you missed me?” She smirked and moved her hand from her spot to rest on Spock’s leg.

Spock tensed up a bit before responding. “I supposed I did.”

Just then the bell rang indicating that the session was over and the crew was released for the day.

“Oh thank God.” Ortegas remarked as she quickly stood up.

“I don’t know about you guys but I could definitely use a drink.” Jenna admitted as Erica nodded emphatically in agreement.

M’Benga smirked his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Mr Spock I’m not sure if these two should even be considered old enough to drink. What with them acting like five year-olds all day.”

The two women looked between each other. “First rounds on us?” Erica offered.

Everyone smiled as Nyota commented. “Sounds like a plan to me. Would you like to join us sir?” Nyota turned to Spock.

“Me?” Spock asked, surprised to be getting an offer to socialize with the crew.

“Yeah, I mean we all stole a ship together. Creates a bond.” Nyota smiled.

“Plus, we can workshop your captain’s chair thing.” Erica added as everyone began walking out of the biome and towards the bar.

“What is wrong with my thing?” Spock asked.

“Nothing at all.” Jenna admitted. “But it could always use some improvement.”

“Spock has a thing now?” La’an asked shuffling closer to the science officer. “Like how Chris always says Hit It?”

“Oh yeah.” Nyota said stifling a laugh.

“This I got to hear.” La’an smiled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The 602 Club crowd had arrived in force just before the Enterprise crew arrived. The music was blasting through the club with patrons dancing on the floor, huddle around the bar for a drink or sitting down at a booth.

The crew had taken the time to change into more appropriate club attire before regrouping at the bar that night. Now they were all sitting down at a booth at an elevate level that oversaw the dance floor. Erica was the last to arrive with two very large bottles of something Erica only referred to as liquid courage.

Spock had initially resisted the drink when it was passed to him, his mind still remembering the hangover from Cajitar Four. Though La’an coaxing convinced him to just nurse the drink for the night.

The night had gone off quite well. Christine had stopped by to pay homage to those in the Admiral’s Doghouse as she called it. The girls had all gone out onto the dance floor a few times to dance the night away. During some of the slower songs, Erica and Christine had gone out to the dance floor together. Uhura had taken those times to ask M’Benga if he could show her how to dance as well. He’d graciously done so much like how a father might teach a daughter before her first dance. Jenna had spent most of time going back and forth from the bar getting everyone’s drinks. She’d been offered to dance with others but had politely declined stating that she wasn’t a great dancer.

Spock had sympathized with her and had stayed at the booth most of the night watching the rest of the crew have their fun. That was until La’an had dragged him out to the dance floor. Spock had tried to refuse but the alcohol had dulled his resistance.

The pair got on the dance floor as the next song, a romantic one played. Spock followed the song’s beat content with a simple eight count step. La’an followed his lead gracefully.

“I didn’t know you could dance.” She admitted, surprise in her voice.

“I have never claimed to not know how to dance.” Spock replied as he continued the dance.

“I guess I’m just more surprised you agreed to come let alone actually come out on the dance floor.” La’an replied.

Spock, now confident in the basic eight count now began spinning La’an out in step before pulling her in. “After Valeo Beta V, I’ve had a difficulty controlling some of my emotions. Perhaps that loss of control is part of the reason I agreed to come out tonight.”

“Does that scare you” La’an asked, some concern in her voice. She knew how important his emotional control was to him, to all Vulcans in fact.

“I will not lie, it does.” Spock admitted as he moved to dip La’an just as the song neared its end. “But I will not let my fear control me. I will face this experience and face this fear.”

La’an smiled at the bottom of the dip and cupped his face. “I believe you will.”

As the song got to an end, the pair walked off the dance floor feeling an energy they hadn’t before. As they neared their booth, that euphoria turned into concern as they saw the events unfolding.

Three very drunk patrons were standing on opposite sides of Jenna Mitchell boxing her into her seat. “Hello there beautiful, how bough you and I share a nice dance tonight at my place?”

Jenna, still somewhat drunk though guarded tried to let the man down gently. “No thank you. I’m here with my friends, I’m not here looking for a hookup.”

But the man didn’t let it go. He closed the gap with Jenna and pushed her back into her seat. “Come on now you tease. Don’t you go turning me down yet.”

“I believe she said she wasn’t interested.” Spock announced in his command voice, getting the attention of the two men.

“Why don’t you butt out man!” The second man yelled. “This ain’t your business.”

“Oh?” La’an growled. “You’re both accosting our friend. So that makes it our business.”

“I suggest you leave this be girly.” The third man state showing the grip of a phaser pistol in his belt. “Unless you want trouble.”

“You all will be in deep trouble if you threaten a Starfleet officer once more.” Spock threatened.

“I’m done with this shit.” The first man said as he grabbed Jenna’s wrist and attempted to pull her out with him. Jenna kneed him in the groin and twisted his arm behind his back. The second man whirled around to face Jenna and managed to lay a solid punch to her face, knocking her to the ground and causing her to release her grip on the first man. The third man grabbed his phaser and tried to level it at Spock but the Vulcan acted fast twisting the man’s wrist and ripping the weapon from his hand.

The fight had caused at the music to stop as a crowd formed around the fighting. The first man recovered fast and charged La’an knocking her into the nearby table. La’an threw the man off her so she could get back to her feet. The man grabbed a broken bottle and swung it at La’an but she effortlessly dodged it. After a few strikes, she was able to wrap her arm around the arm holding the broken bottle, immobilizing it. She then kept striking harder and harder at the man’s head and gut hoping to knock him out while trying to block his hits from his free arm. But her strikes were more precise than his drunken swings and her hits eventually caused the man to pass out.

Spock meanwhile was facing down his attacker. With the man’s phaser busted, the man had tried a series of strikes only for Spock’s superior reflexes to catch and reflect them. Growing frustrated, the man charged Spock intent on taking him down. Spock flipped the man over his head and threw him down on a table nearby causing it to break under the force of the man’s weight.

The pair both realized their opponents were down and turned to face the final opponent who’d been attacking Jenna, only to find that the last man too was unconscious on the floor. Based on the liquid on the man’s head, the shattered glass around his and the broken bottle in Jenna’s hand, the two surmised that Jenna had smashed one of their bottles on the man’s head to knock him out.

As the adrenaline seeped from their bodies, the rest of the crew had made their way through the crowd to the scene before them.

By now, with the fight over, the crowd had dispersed leaving the officers and few onlookers and the only people there. Dr M’Benga and Christine each took a second to access the damage done as their friends were each sporting a few injuries themselves. Jenna had a bruise under her eye where she’d been sucker punched. La’an had a few scrapes on her arms from behind thrown to the floor. Spock however looked no worse for wear.

“Ow.” Jenna grimaced as M’Benga applied a makeshift icepack to the woman’s head.

“Well maybe next time you get into a fight.” The doctor said jokingly. “Try not to block closed fists with your face.

Christine meanwhile was pulling out a few glass shards from La’an back. “We leave you three alone for a few minutes to get drinks and you all start a bar brawl.”

“You know what’s gonna come next right?” Erica asked rhetorically.

Nyota nodded. “Yeah, The Admiral is going to kill us.”

“Perhaps not.” Spock offered drawing the attention of the others. “The point of this exercise was to teach us teamwork while still obeying Starfleet regulations. An investigation will clearly show we were not the instigators of this conflict and that we only fought back to defend ourselves, well within Starfleet rules.”

The group was stunned into silence at Spock’s explanation. La’an then had a wide smile. “Oh I can’t wait to see you make that explanation to the Admiral when he finds out.”