Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Twenty Five

Emma ran her hands over the thick uniform as she stood in front of the mirror in her room. Her hair was pulled neatly back into a slick bun. The ridiculous hat that was a part of her Starfleet Academy uniform rested on her head. She was never a huge fan of the formal uniform. It was incredibly stiff and uncomfortable, but it would be the last time she wore it ever. She took one last look at herself before walking into the living room where her parents awaited.

Both her mom and dad donned their traditional uniforms. Her mother insisted that her father wear his since it was such a special occasion. Normally he saved his uniform for meetings with important people, but like always, appearances were everything to her mom. Her mom walked over to her without speaking and began to inspect her.

"Wouldn't want one thing amiss, right?" Emma said rudely.

"Emma..." her dad warned.

Her mom ran her hands over the shoulder pads on her shirt before letting her hands fall to the side. "Let's go. Don't want to be late."

Fortunate for her, the Academy was only a short walk from her parents' apartment. She was required to heels which was rare for her. The heels didn't exactly make it easy to walk. The last thing she wanted to do was fall and make a fool of herself. She parted ways with her parents at the door. The cadets were required to line up in alphabetical order and they would be marched in whenever the ceremonial music started. She tried her best to recognize any of her friends, but since they were so spread out so much, she didn't see any of them.

When she heard the music, she lifted her head a little higher and began to walk. She had dreamt of this day for years. It was just as she imagined as she walked down the aisle. Admirals, Captains, her instructors and other members of Starfleet and the Federation sat two one side of the room. The families sat on the other side. The room was filled with people from every inch of the galaxy. All of them were there to watch her fellow cadets and her walk across the stage.

The cadets were seated in a smaller section in the front of the auditorium. The Federation's national anthem was played followed by an abundance of speeches from the Dean of the Academy, the leader of the Federation and several Admirals. Most of the speeches could have been summarized as; You're very lucky, go make a difference and serve the Federation well. She had attended multiple graduations because of her mother and had pretty much memorized the entire ceremony.

The most important part of the graduation would be the removal of their cadet pins. Their pins would then be replaced by whatever department or rank they would hold. One by one, names were announced. One by one, they walked onto the stage and their pins discarded so they could be used for the next round of cadets. Finally, it was her turn. She saw her mom step forward from her seat in the stage as she walked onto it. Her mom stood in front of her and reached out to remove the pin.

As her mom did so, she scanned the sea of gold uniforms until her eyes landed on a familiar face. Chris. She contained her excitement and didn't smile at him. The last thing she wanted to do was have her mom notice. He, however did smile at her. She could see the pride written on his face which caused her to have a small boost of confidence.

"Congratulations, Ensign." Her mother spoke.

Emma dipped her head at her mom and she stood back to take her place while Emma walked off the stage. The rest of the ceremony passed by in a blur. All she could do was run a finger over her new pin. Finally, she was done with school. Finally, she could do what she wanted to do. It was like a new chapter in her life was starting. She had the job she wanted. Great friends. An amazing, handsome boyfriend. Everything felt so...perfect.

Suddenly, the room erupted in cheers indicating that the ceremony was over. Emma stood with the rest of her now former classmates and she could feel herself grinning from ear to ear. A few of the cadets had made plans with Emma to go get a drink to celebrate after the graduation, but she promised to see her parents so they could take pictures before she went. It was a nightmare attempting to find her parents in the crowd of other parents. Although, where there was usually a large group of people within a group, her parents were usually in the center of that group charming people.