Light The Way (And I'll Follow) || Spirk

Chapter 1

"First Officer's Log, Stardate 1312.4. A week has passed since Pike's departure. So far, there's no denying James T. Kirk's success in commanding the crew. The Enterprise is running smoother than expected; after Pike's relieve from duty, the ship's functionality has only decreased by 4% compared to the usual 7% following a change in captaincy.

"Not only is this unexpected, but I must admit it's interesting. I've been Pike's first officer for years and have always commended him for being one of Starfleet's best, but even he had not managed such a prosperous transition after being promoted to captain.

"We've passed the first few missions of the Enterprise, which were unproblematic democratic meetings and supply runs. It's standard regulation, of course; a test to see whether this crew can function smoothly with Captain Kirk now in charge. Naturally, we've managed to avoid disasters, and the Enterprise is now officially back on active duty.

"I have.. purposefully steered away from the new captain thus far. Of course, my role as first officer has remained so I am present on the bridge when required, but I prefer to spend time in the Enterprise's science labs, performing my duties as the ship's science officer. It has been my main focus ever since Pike has departed."

-

Spock had met the new captain already. Pike had been the one to introduce the two, knowing they would end up serving together in the near future, and Spock found there was nothing unpleasant about the man. He was young for a captain, but a captaincy at 29 was not unheard of; it was only slightly disconcerting that there were very few years between the two.

"Your record is very impressive," Kirk had said upon their meeting. "I look forward to serving with you."

It seemed Kirk had done research on his crew. As Pike had explained to him through a call on his personal computers, Kirk thoroughly looked through the list of crew members before coming aboard, from his bridge crew to the ensigns that were serving here temporarily. Pike had been a social captain as well, often making more small-talk with his primary crew than Spock was comfortable with, but Captain Kirk was different. It seemed he wanted to know everyone aboard the Enterprise, no matter their rank and connection to the ship. It was an admirable goal, yet Spock couldn't quite see the relevance in knowing about an ensign that was set to leave in a few months. Surely there was a better way for a captain to spend his time.

Yet clearly, it was working.

Not a single member of the crew had something negative to say about Captain Kirk. Quite the opposite was true—ensigns and commanders alike praised the new captain on his ability to run the ship, even though he'd only been captain for a few weeks. Spock had never seen anything like it.

It had been two months now, and Spock was no closer to finding out what made the new captain so likeable. Although to be honest, he hadn't really made any attempt to find out.

Spock had once again retreated to the Enterprise's science lab and was doing research on an interesting anomaly the captain had found on one of their supply runs. The Vulcan had volunteered to lead the research team, resulting in him staying in the laboratory until late at night because he wanted to be able to report back to the Captain at 0800 hours as was once habitual with Pike. However, he had not expected this anomaly to be quite as complicated as it was.

Every time Spock thought to have solved the mysteries surrounding the anomaly, something was out of place; there was something different about it that the Vulcan could not pinpoint exactly. He would never admit it out loud, but he could feel frustration bubbling up inside him, getting worse each time a scan came out negative. He had his human mother to blame for that, Spock thought. Nevertheless, he was determined to finish this research tonight, even if that meant being a bit more emotionally uncontrolled than during the day.