Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Four

Despite going to bed late, Emma actually felt fine when she woke up the next morning. She felt more than fine. She was happy that she had finally been able to get Captain Pike to speak more than three words to her. She wanted to ask him why he had been avoiding her and why she wasn't invited to his dinner, but she still felt like it wasn't her place to ask. Not yet at least. She still hardly knew him. However, she knew that she was about to get to know him better since she would start her rotation on the bridge.

Excitement coursed through her as she walked towards the bridge. There was something about being up there. Yes, every department of the ship was important, but the bridge was where most of the decisions were made. They were the first people to discover an imminent threat or make first contact with a new planet. It was where the main controlling of the ship happened. She had spent many years in the bridge aboard one of the ships where mother would be captaining.

When the elevator doors opened, Emma took a deep breath in and walked inside. A flood of sounds filled her ears; soft beeps from the controls, crew members talking amongst themselves. Her eyes traced over the large window with a view of a planet that had yet to make contact with as well as a comet they had been watching. The Captain's chair turned slightly and Christopher smiled to himself when he saw Emma. He could tell she was trying to hide her excitement.

"Welcome to the bridge, Cadet Coleman." He greeted her and suddenly everyone was staring at her.

She wanted to shrink back, but she tried to remain confident. She could do this. This was probably the most comfortable position she could be in. It was familiar to her. She nodded her head slightly at Captain Pike and took her designated seat near Spock. "Thank you, Captain Pike."

Spock took one look at the young Cadet before turning his attention back to the comet. He had met her many times. In fact, he was almost sure their father's knew each other since they were both ambassadors. "The computer simulation suggests that, when the comet strikes the planet in two days, there will be no survivors. Persephone III is an M-Class world. Previous surveys suggests it is home to an intelligent, pre-warp species that call themselves the Deleb. Given their current state of technological advancement, it is highly unlikely that they're aware of the danger they are in."

Emma knew that they would face dangers. It came with the job, but what she seemed to forget that other planets who weren't ready for First Contact could also be harmed.

"Options?" Captain Pike called out.

"The Deleb can't move the comet, so we move it for them?" The Enterprise's Number One, Una suggested.

Christopher turned to look at Spock as if he were seeking confirmation they could do such a thing. "Mr. Spock?"

"An ion engine. To be precise, four, programmed to fire in sequence to account for the comet's rotation." Spock explained.

"And what do you think, Cadet Coleman?" Pike asked her. 

Emma froze. She wasn't expecting him to ask for her opinion. She turned her chair to look at the crew. "We could, um, use the photon torpedos to move it. They would need to be retrofitted of course."

"Not a bad idea, Cadet." Pike complimented her. "Let's get it done, people. We've got a planet to save before breakfast."

It would take an hour to prepare the torpedoes. Emma hoped she was right. However, she wasn't 100% positive she would be. The fate of an entire planet could rest on her idea, as well as Spock's idea. Once the torpedoes were ready, she turned her chair to watch with bated breath. Four, red balls of fire came shooting out of the Enterprise and attached themselves to the comet. However, what they weren't expecting was for the comet to have a force field.