Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Eleven

Emma was quite looking forward to relaxing at the Starbase hovering above Earth for a few days following a strenuous first few months aboard the Enterprise. She had actually made plans to return to Earth to see her friends and family, maybe do a little shopping or drinking. She had just finished packing a small bag so she could board a transport down to Earth, when she was requested to meet in the conference room.

She swallowed an annoyed groan, but obviously complied. Technically, she could have refused since she wasn't on the clock per say, but part of her knew that there had to be a serious reason as to why she was needed. So, she pressed on towards the room and neglected her bag on her bed. The doors in front of her slid open and she could see Captain Pike donning a more causal, green Starfleet shirt as well as Spock and an old friend of her mother's, Admiral Robert April.

"Admiral April?" Emma asked in confusion as she walked inside.

"Ah, just the girl I was looking for." He greeted her with a warm smile and hug. "Look at you all grown up. Your parents must be proud."

"I like to think they are. To what do I owe this pleasure of seeing you again?" She asked, still confused as to why she was hailed.

Robert motioned for her to sit down at the table with Christopher and Spock. "Allow me to explain. The R'ongovian Protectorate controls a small but vitally important piece of territory in between Klingon and Romulan space. It's the fastest route to the other side of the Beta Quadrant, but without safe passage, we keep losing ships."

"Why haven't we been able to make inroads with them before?" Christopher asked.

"They've been unusually private up until now. That all changed after initial diplomatic discussions were undertaken by the Tellarites." Robert explained.

"And how did that go?" Christopher asked.

Admiral April pointed a remote at the screen behind him and a video from previous negotiations appeared. Emma watched with a raised eyebrow as the R'ongovia yelled at the Tellarites. Clearly, the meeting had no gone well.

"Wow." Captain Pike said slightly baffled. "I thought the Tellarites were rude."

"Maybe Ambassador Q'Ral said the wrong thing. We don't know, and we can't wait long to find out. We've just learned the R'ongovians are now in negotiation with the Klingons, with the Romulans not far behind. Time isn't on our side. We need to strike a deal with them first. Which is why I called you here, Emma." Admiral April turned to look at her. She knew exactly what his next words were going to be and she wasn't exactly excited about it either. "I like to think having an Ambassador as a father has been beneficial. I would like for you to assist Captain Pike and Spock during the negotiations. You could also use your personal experience as the daughter of an Admiral and Cadet to maybe convince them to join."

"Thank you, Admiral April for considering me, but you do know I failed my negotiations and public speaking class at the Academy? I had to retake the classes and barely passed the second time." She asked him causing both Christopher and Spock to look at her. They were probably wondering how the daughter of an ambassador could fail such a class, but what they didn't know was that she had a slight issue with public speaking.

"You wouldn't be alone. You would be used more as an example than anything else." He said.

She didn't want too. Not one bit. She wanted to go back home for a few days and relax, but then again, maybe it was time for her to face her fears and it could also give her some experience in the more political side of Starfleet. "Fine. I will attend the negotiations."

Christopher turned to lean over forwards Emma and spoke to her quietly. "You don't have to do this."

"I'll be fine. I promise." She said and gave him a forced, nervous smile.