Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Nine

Starfleet Remembrance Day was used to celebrate and remember those who had given their lives for the Federation. When Emma was young she didn't quite understand the importance of the day. However, the older she grew she finally understood the somber day. Her whole life she would accompany her mother to memorials or services on the day. She had always stressed the importance to Emma about honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Normally, you would wear a pin from a ship you may have served on previously or from a ship that you lost someone on. Since Emma had never served on another ship or lost someone, she opted to wear one for a friend her mother had lost when Emma was nine. It had been her mother's best friend from the Academy and she could still remember her mother's cries when she got the news.

So, she pinned the USS Kongo insignia above her Starfleet one and began to make her way up to the bridge. It would be her last day on bridge rotation. Tomorrow she would rotate to the medical bay which she wasn't exactly excited for. She knew for a fact she didn't do good around blood and gore hence the reason she chose not to become a nurse or doctor. She had enjoyed her time on the bridge and hoped that she would be able to return to it whenever her rotation was done for the day.

They would be delivering a atmospheric processor to the remote colony, Finibus Three. It seemed like a mundane mission, but sometimes Emma craved normal days on the Enterprise. No surprises. No one trying to shoot them out of space. She took her normal seat next to Spock and signed herself in so she could access the communication board just as Captain Pike began his announcement.

"Attention. This is the captain speaking. Many of us have known those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Officers, scientists, civilians who gave their lives in the hope for galactic peace. Today we remember the friends and comrades we lost. Exploration can exact a heavy toll. As captain, there is no loss more devastating than that of a crew member. Remembrance Day is about them. Those of us left behind wear the insignia of past ships on which we served together. As we honor the lives that have been given, let us also be grateful to be still on the journey. Pike out." He spoke.

It wasn't long after his message that they arrived to the colony. Something seemed off though. Normally someone would have hailed them by now, but so far there was silence. There wasn't even an escort ship waiting for them. Emma tried repeatedly to hail them, but they wouldn't respond.

"Where's the welcome wagon?" Christopher asked with confusion.

Emma turned her chair to look at him. "Captain Pike, they're not responding to the hails."

"When was their last transmission?" He asked.

"Looks like...two days ago." She told him.

"I have been monitoring radio wave interference emanating from a large brown dwarf in close proximity." Spock spoke up.

"That's what jamming the signal?" Pike asked.

"Possible. Let me adjust sensors." Spock said and spun back around. Emma glanced over his shoulder. "The brown dwarf planet does not appear to be the problem, Captain. Finibus Three is not responding because the colony's communications satellite has been destroyed."

Christopher stood up and walked over to where Emma and Spock were seated. "Accidental?"

"Impossible to say, Captain." Spock replied.

"Emma, report this to Starfleet." Christopher requested.

"Yes, sir." She told him and started typing again.

"Protocol now is we investigate, make contact on the ground. Go slow. No assumptions until we gather more intel." Christopher told the bridge.

For once Emma was grateful she wasn't apart of the landing party. Something about the lack of communication was making her have an uneasy feeling about what really happened to the colony. Minutes passed after the landing parted successfully beamed aboard the planet when a small ship appeared in front of them.

"No Federation badges. Ship has her shields up." Ortegas said.

"Scans reveal multiple life forms. Unable to identity." Spock told the Captain.

"Emma, try and hail them again. Yellow alert. Shields up." Christopher told her.

"No response. Wait." Emma looked down at her control board with confusion. They weren't responding to their calls. They were trying to hail them instead? "Captain, they're trying to hail us."

"On screen." Christopher said and he stood up to walk over to the window.

An older woman appeared with people behind her. They all looked worn out. Their clothing was tattered. Blood and grime caked their faces. Just what had gone down there on the colony?

"Thank God. You're Starfleet." The woman exasperated.

"This is Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise."  He introduced himself.

"Professor Thandie of Finibus Three. My apologies, but I needed to be sure." She told him.

"What's your status?"

"Most of us are injured. This is a cargo vessel. Life support is over extended."

"Prepare for transport to the Enterprise."

Professor Thandie spoke up. "Uh, Captain, this ship is used for hauling radioactive ore. The hull is transport resistant."

"Zuniga, attach a deep space transport tube." Christopher said before briefly excusing himself. He walked over to Emma and leaned down. "I know you aren't suppose to start you medical rotation until tomorrow, but they're going to need all the help they can get. Can you help?"

As much as Emma wanted to stay, she wouldn't. He was right. The sickbay was most likely about to be overrun by people that needed help and they only had so many doctors and nurses on the ship. "Of course, Captain."

"Thank you." He said genuinely.

She passed by where the remaining colonizers would board the Enterprise on her way to sickbay. When she walked into the stark white room, she could already feel the stress emitting from the nurses and Doctor M'Benga. They were so busy getting supplies ready that none of them noticed her standing there. There was one nurse that Emma knew well, Chapel, who finally asked what she was doing there.

"You don't start until tomorrow." Chapel noted.

"I know, but Captain Pike thought you guys might need an extra set of hands." Emma told her.

"Okay. What's your medical experience?" She asked.

"Umm...I took the required first aid class at the academy." She knew she wasn't going to be super valuable, but she hoped there something she could to help.

"Go to where the passengers are loading and escort the ones with major injuries down here. We'll start with that." She said.

Emma nodded her head and began to walk towards the tube connecting the two ships. People came flooding into the hallway. Men. Women. Children. They all had some sort of injury and they all looked terrified. She tried her best to sort the major injuries from the minor ones, they would need help first. She offered to be a crutch for some of the people that were injured to get to sickbay. There had to be at least a hundred people.

She thought she heard the sound of whirling from a ship in the distance, but they were the only ship around. That's what she knew last at least. She glanced over the shoulder of the person she was trying to help to try and look out the window and saw red followed by an explosion. They were being attacked.

"Go! Now!" Emma yelled at the person. They were other people lagging behind that needed to get to safety who couldn't see the danger approaching. The blasters were getting closer and she could finally see what they were aiming at. The ship and transport tube.

The Enterprise began to rock from being hit as she ushered people to safety. Orange and red from explosions were getting closer, but she couldn't leave the people. She could feel the heat from the fire and finally felt the force of the explosion. She was thrown up against a wall with a thud and then her visions started to go. She had to fight to stay conscious, but the pounding in her head was making it difficult.