Commodore

Chapter 5: Anger

It was only three days before they landed upon a new planet, named BKK-183, and Kirk called a landing party just as Rev was heading to the bridge from breakfast. Yawning, she turned on her heel and headed the other way, jogging to the transporter room.

The planet was sweltering, over a hundred degrees, and Rev's shipmates were having a hard time breathing. Rev, being from Vulcan, was far more used to the heat than her human friends, so she took the lead as they took readings.

Lieutenant Rieves, behind her, fell to the ground, her head suddenly bleeding profusely.

"Rieves!"

Rev held up her phaser as the Captain rushed to aid, then kneeled beside the Lieutenant and felt her pulse.

"She's dead," he said, stunned, and stood up slowly, brushing his hands off on his legs. "Dead."

Rev stared at him.

"Did you see where the--"

"No idea." He was watching her intensely, a look of intense worry written across his face. "Maybe we should beam up--"

"Since when have you, sir, backed down from a challenge?" Rev asked, then added another "Sir," so she sounded polite. Kirk just continued to stare at her, and if she didn't know better she'd describe his expression as longing, but she couldn't see why or what he'd be longing for.

"Let's continue on, then," he said after a moment, and the remaining landing party began to walk again, only the newest Ensigns quivering slightly in their boots. Kirk communicated with the ENTERPRISE, saying they should be ready to shoot at an unknown force, but otherwise he remained quiet. Unnaturally quiet, if you asked Rev. Something was up with him, and she didn't know enough about emotions to tell what.

"Is something wrong, Captain?" she asked, falling back. He seemed to ignore her for a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow, and she thought he wouldn't respond at all, until he finally said, "Nothing, Commander. Nothing."

Rev, successfully frustrated, quickened her pace; she didn't need Kirk lowering her moods, not when she was on an exciting new planet and had to keep her eyes alert for whatever killed Rieves.

"Ah!"

Rev spun around; Ensign Minee was holding her wrist, of which the hand was gone. Gone. The wound was bleeding freely, and the Ensign was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Minee!" Kirk yelled, and ran forwards. Rev understood, now, that they had to get off that planet, and reached for her communicator, but it was gone.

"Captain, my communicator is gone!"

"Perhaps they would not be if we had left sooner, as I suggested!"

"Now is not the time to argue, Captain! Something is trying to kill us!" Rev yelled, and Kirk looked up. Anger was seeping through her; it was not something she had ever really experienced, such horrible anger, and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Kirk looked as surprised as she felt; why was she so mad? All she knew was that she was fed up with Kirk being angry at her for so long, especially when she had done nothing wrong that she could remember.

"Well, what do you suppose we do, Commander?" said Kirk, with a strong air of passive-aggressiveness.

"You're the Captain! Your snarky comments are doing nothing to help us, so I suggest you stop worrying about me and we can figure this out!"

"Commander Zhi'Rev!" yelled Kirk, loudly. He looked angry. "I am your Captain! Calm down!"

Rev slowly felt her nerves calming, until everything was under control again. She ignored the others staring at her; she was used to stares.

She had to find a way out of here; she had gotten out of plenty planets before. She could do this.

The rocks were moving. She wouldn't have noticed this if she hadn't been focusing so hard, but they were, tiny shifts, as if breathing, trying not to be seen. Then, one shifted more than the others and aimed a small rock towards them.

"Captain!" Rev yelled, on instinct, and dove in front of Kirk-- just in time. Whatever it was that they shoot with dug itself into her right side, and she collapsed, her hand pressed to her stomach. Leaning on her hand, Rev's sleek black hair slipped over her shoulder and into the pool of blood. She coughed, and a trail of green flowed out, onto the dusty dirt in front of her. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the rock.

"Just let us leave," she said as loudly as she could. "Just give us our communicators and we'll leave. We're sorry we intruded. Please, just let us leave."

Her brother would be so ashamed of her begging. That was too bad; she was having an emotional day today, and the hole in her side was getting worse.

The rock seemed to pause, shifting it's little side-rock, which appeared to be it's arm, and then Rev felt something at her waistband, and moved her bloody hand down and grasped the communicator.

"Rev to ENTERPRISE," she said as loudly as she could, which was becoming quieter by the second.

"Are you okay, Rev?" came Spock's voice, and Rev coughed, another spray of blood sprinkling onto the sand before her.

"Just beam us up," she whispered, her voice rough. "Four to beam up, now."

Then, just as Spock signed off, Rev fell unconscious.

When she woke, Rev was in MedBay. Kirk was beside her, his head on the side of her mattress, fast asleep. How long had he been there for? Rev moved to wake him, but found, to her horror, that she couldn't move her limbs. She opted for the only option, staring at the ceiling, and waiting.

"Captain?" she asked, and found that talking hurt, her side squeezing every breath she took. "Jim!"

Kirk woke up, suddenly, and sat straight upwards, looking around. She chuckled at his askew hair and disoriented expression, but ultimately stopped because of the pain. Kirk looked at her, and his expression fell.

"I'm so sorry, Rev."

"Why?" She knew why, but didn't want to seem snarky.

"I've been an asshole to you lately, and I haven't explained why. I owe you an explanation."

"Yes," she said, and Kirk laughed. She could move her face, but not her spine. She tried to blow some of her bangs away from her face, but none moved. Kirk chuckled again, and brushed them away for her, so she could see better; his fingers were rough, but they brushed gently against her forehead, and Rev didn't care; she rather liked the feeling. "Thanks."

Kirk nodded, but sighed nonetheless. Rev felt her eyelids droop as the drugs took over again.

"Listen, Rev. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But the truth is... well, the truth is, I like you." He chuckled. "I hate to put it in such a childish way, but it's true. I like you, there's no other way about it. I'm falling in love with you, Rev, and I've pushed you away because I know you're Vulcan and I know it's impossible for you to love me back."

Rev's eyes were nearly closed, she was very tired, she could barely speak. But she could think, and wow, were there lots of thoughts running through her brain right now. Ultimately, she chose the most prominent thought that was pushing at her lips.

"You underestimate me, Jim Kirk," she said, just a little louder than a whisper, and then let the drugs take her over and felt the world slipping away. Kirk paused, and then, to her surprise, she felt a pressure as her took her hand and sat down next to her. She wanted to hold back-- to her surprise-- but the drugs wouldn't let her. Instead, the world slipped away fully and everything went black.