Ad Astra :: Star Trek Fanfiction Archive ^{Beam me up, Scotty.}

Chapter Text

Maya had faced things objectively more dangerous than this on a regular basis, but already heightened and full of adrenaline the idea of having every atom in her body scrambled was enough to make her reconsider everything.  She braced herself, feeling as though she stood at the edge of a cliff, about to jump.

The actual experience, however, was instantaneous.  Maya had to temper any sense of wonder she felt.  To be honest she hadn’t planned much further than this because she didn’t think she would make it this far.

The transporter room of the USS Portland appeared before her, and in it a team of medical personnel swarmed around her to escort her to sickbay.  No one had ever made so fuss over her before.  It hardly seemed worthwhile for what was really just some blood and bruises.

The doctor on the USS Portland was a Vulcan woman with a stern face and long hair coiled into a tight bun.  Not the sort of person to whom she’d be able to make a desperate emotional appeal the way she had to Captain Albrecht’s, but everyone had their uses.

“To be honest, I had expected worse,” The Vulcan doctor said, matter-of-factly.  “Our reports stated that the augments could possess strength up to five times that of a typical human.”

“Believe me, he was holding back.  I’m lucky to just have gotten away with nothing worse than a swollen face.”

“As well as two broken teeth and a mild concussion,” the doctor added.

“Still less of a concern than an old injury I was hoping you could help me with.  It’s my left shoulder.”

The Vulcan doctor examined Maya’s shoulder with her tricorder.  “Nerve damage, excessive scar tissue…what happened?”

Maya’s heart sank, that was not an emotional wound she wanted to dig back into so soon, but then she realized that the doctor was probably more concerned with a mechanism of injury than any personal history.  “I’m sure you know that it’s easy to dislocate a shoulder, but challenging to put it back correctly.  It might not be such a bother if I wasn’t left handed.”

The doctor nodded.  “The kinesiology of the human shoulder favors range of motion over stability.”

A moment of silence as Maya considered her strategy.

“Doctor, may I ask you a few questions?”

“You may.”

“My apologies, this may be outside your area of expertise,  but in the short time I’ve been on this ship, I’ve seen so much that surpasses my wildest Imagination.”  Playing the angle of innocent curiosity and wonder might not do much to sway a Vulcan, but it would at least justify the string of questions she had in mind.

“Go on.”

“I’m most intrigued with the transporter, how does it work?”

“The simplest explanation I can give is that it converts matter into energy, transmits the energy, and converts the energy back to matter.”

“I understand that much, but out of an entire planet, how were you able to find me and beam out the right person?”

“The ship’s sensors are able to detect life forms and their locations.”

“Then what’s stopping you from simply beaming out the hostages?”

The doctor paused.

“You’re beginning to ask questions that I am not at liberty to answer, but what I can tell you is that one great challenge is, as you put it, beaming out the right person.  Every hostage as well as the entire population of Ceti Alpha V is human, and because the Toyotomi was a civilian ship, we have no records with which to compare their life signs.”

“Is augmented DNA not different enough to help differentiate?”  Maya spoke softly, trying to maintain that she was simply curious.

“I have no way of knowing.”

“If you’d like to find out, I consent to giving a blood sample.”  Maya’s heart was racing.  So many wisps of plans that she was trying to grasp, something would have to come together.

Eighteen hours had passed since Khan gave his new ultimatum.  The Enterprise had been rushing along at full speed.  So far they were making good time, but anything could happen in those final hours.  The engines were running hot, and even in the best case scenario they would barely reach Ceti Alpha V in time.  Captain LeFevre’s whiskey and Québécois cuisine had been a small comfort for a short while, but now exhaustion and a creeping sense of dread took their toll.

“Hail the Portland.  I need to speak to Captain Albrecht again.”

Kirk felt his throat close up when the interior of the Portland’s bridge appeared on screen.  The conversation he was about to have would not be easy.

“Captain Albrecht.  There’s still a chance we can make Ceti Alpha V, but our margins are razor thin.  I don’t feel comfortable relying on our reaching the planet in time.”

“Understood.”  Albrecht seemed tense, and was more soft spoken than usual.

“Captain, I need you to prepare your away team and have them stand by.  With enough luck they won’t be needed, but….I’m not sure we’ll be that lucky.”

“Understood, Admiral.  I have my short list of personnel, and they should be ready to stand by soon.

Kirk leaned closer.  Something felt off.  “Captain, is everything alright?”

“Yes, Admiral, my mind is just full right now, planning out the next steps.”

“Understandable.  End transmission.”

“Permission to speak freely, Captain.”  The Portland’s first officer spoke moments after the screen went blank.

“Permission granted.” Albrecht answered with a heavy sigh.  She already knew what this was going to be about.”

“Permission to speak freely and privately, Captain.”

“Meet my in my ready room.”

Standing next to one another, the Portland’s Captain and first officer looked comically contrasting.  Captain Vivienne Albrecht was tall and lean, almost willowy, while Commander Anthony Tift was short and built like a brick wall.

“Captain, I think there’s something you forgot to mention to Admiral Kirk.”  Tift crossed his arms.

“I know.”  Her voice was soft and distant.

“I’m not here to question your choice to bring the augment on board, but it you really should have come clean to Admiral Kirk.”

“I have my reasons for concealing that information,” she snapped, but then she paused and took a deep breath to steady herself.  “I don’t want to make any judgments about the Admiral’s moral character, but everything he said was so black and white.  He spoke as if each and everyone of them were unspeakable monsters.”

“The history books were clear on that one, Captain….”

“I didn’t see a monster.  I saw a person, a girl who was scared and hurt and has probably been scared and hurt for much of her life, I couldn’t in good conscience ignore her cry for help.”

“I want to trust that you’re making the right choice, Captain, I really do.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Doctor T’Rallia said she’s been perfectly agreeable, and I’m taking all the necessary precautions to be sure she’s closely monitored.”

“And I hope none of those precautions will end up being necessary.”