Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek TOS*

Sweet Deception

Chapter One

Yesterday

Commander Spock was tired – no, there was more to it than that - he felt bone-weary as he sat down on his bed after yet another long shift on the bridge of the Enterprise. Kirk had eyed him suspiciously before he left and he had a feeling that his commanding officer knew something was off. Kirk was smart and intuitive and Spock had no doubt he'd call him on it. In a way, even though Kirk was younger and acted more brashly, there was a strong resemblance to his former commanding officer, mentor and friend, Christopher Pike.

Kirk was the soulmate Michael had told him to look for before she so heroically took Discovery with her to the future. He missed her deeply at times when he allowed himself the luxury of human emotions to surface. Although, he always had to be careful in reviving them because they threatened to overpower him, to tear him apart. The longing for her and the others he'd come to know onboard the Discovery was destructive to him and not to mention the thought of not ever being able to see, or help, Christopher Pike again.

There were moments when Spock had feared that his friendship with James T Kirk would tear him apart as much as his friendship with Pike had at the end. That he'd form such a strong bond to Jim as he had with Chris. He had felt Pike's pain and anguish through space when the accident had happened and he'd staggered as the emotions assaulted him. Chris hadn't died but their friendship had changed that day, the casual talks they'd had at length when Spock was troubled over a private channel could be no more.

Deep down Spock knew that he'd already crossed the limit with Kirk, he'd come to rely on Jim the way he had with Chris and even more so. Kirk had become like a brother to him and he would always be loyal to him. Jim had away with people, he was kind, helpful and didn't shy away from a challenge presented to him but he could also be careless when it came to his own safety. Even though Spock would never admit such a thing he and McCoy shared an anxiety and worry every time the captain went away on a mission. The reason was simple enough, he didn't want to lead, didn't have a desire to command a starship, let alone the Enterprise, and he enjoyed Jim's company.

Spock was not an empathic being but the friendship's he formed developed under longer periods of time and built on trust. He created a deep connection that would last for a lifetime with people of his own choosing and that was what made it so difficult to let go.

Every now and then he thought back upon Pike and his sacrifice, his suffering, but now he'd started to dream. He kept seeing Una and Philip hovering over him, fighting over him in the engine room of the Yorktown and it confused him. He hadn't been there, he'd been on Vulcan when the accident had occurred. Still his nightmares seemed so real that it felt like he had taken part of all of it.

He sighed as he shrugged out his blue uniform tunic and neatly folded it next to the bed. He continued to undress and then got into a Vulcan attire, he pulled the robe tighter around himself and slid under the covers.

"Computer, lights off," he said.

The darkness didn't last long, within seconds he was back in that dream, that horrible dream in which he could only helplessly watch his friend throw his life away. Chris acted without thinking, for the greater good of course, saving the young and inexperienced cadets, giving up his own life in the process.

"Captain, we have a problem, sir," the young and inexperienced cadet shouted from the main console.

Pike was instantly at her side, carefully scanning all the gauges and noted to his dismay a large energy spike building up. He pushed the intercom button. "Engineering to bridge," he called.

"Chris?" Una asked worriedly as she took a step toward him. She and Philip Boyce had beamed over an hour ago to rendezvous with him and was planning on doing a little catching up when the training exercise was over and they were back at Starbase five.

Pike cursed under his breath, the old ship was a joke even for cadet training. She should have been scrapped years ago. He pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure as he shook his head at Una and waited for the bridge to reply to his hail.

"Bridge here!" a young woman shouted over the klaxons. "Sir, can you come up here?"

She was anxious and distressed and Pike tried to recall whom the voice belonged to. "Cadet Ross, just calm down. Everything will be all right," he said kindly, his voice steady and smooth. "Can you tell me what is happening and call Captain Thomas to the bridge."

"Something is gripping for us, sir!" The young cadet at navigations shouted worriedly. "Almost like a tractor beam. We're being pulled toward something."

Pike smirked angrily.

"I'll go," Una said seriously, knowing the situation was spiraling out of control. "I'll be on the bridge in no time."

The fleet captain turned to the cadet at the engineering station and then nodded at an older lieutenant who was in charge of the department. "Make sure the containment field holds," he ordered seriously.

The hull shrieked forebodingly and Chris grimaced at the sound. For a moment he contemplated whether or not he should leave engineering and get to the bridge but decided against it. Una should be there by now and hopefully Thomas too.

Pike's fingers danced over the console as he tried to erect a level one force field but the ship was of old design and the mighty forces that pulled on the ship was too much for it.

"Hull integrity is failing!" the lieutenant shouted. "Attempting to-"

Then everything went to hell. Sparks flew all around them, klaxons for hull decompression, proximity alert and red alert went off at once. Something was pulling them and while doing so compressing the frame of the vessel. Pike had never seen anything like it during all his active years and he had seen a lot.

"Warning radiation leak detected," the computer stated. "Training exercise aborted."

"I've got this!" a young female cadet shouted confidently.

"Get out of here," Pike shouted at the cadets. "Go! Move, now!"

Most of them reacted instantly but it was hard to run in a straight line due to the rocking of the ship. He realized with horror that the evacuation was taking too long, they would never make it. The young cadet was still standing at the console trying to contain the damage. He both cursed her for it and commended her for it as he was sure he would have tried the same thing.

"Lock down in progress in four, three-" the computer informed.

Intent on saving all of them he began to make his way over to her, he would haul her out of the room if necessary. However, Pike didn't get that far before she was flung across the room and ended up next to him. He grabbed her ankles, oblivious to the explosions and sparks that flew all around him.

"Radiation reaching critical level," the computer stated, only a machine could stay calm under such duress.

Pike grimaced, realizing there was no way out of this scenario, at least not one that ended well. He was too far from the door.

Then everything seemed to happen at once, the breach was a fact, the hull broke apart. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, Pike was slammed hard against a bulkhead, cracking almost all of his ribs on the right side, his face connected with steel and the skin on his cheek split open to reveal bone as blood oozed from the wound. He felt the radiation burns on his face, his arms, the agony and despair was indescribable. Then the bulkhead closed before him, trapping him in the contaminated area and he knew it was all over. Every nerve end seemed to short-circuit, every fiber in his body tingled and yet the high dose of adrenaline that coursed through him encouraged him to lift his head one last time. He glanced up at the screaming cadets seeing the fear in their eyes, their injuries, their tears as they called his name. He wanted so badly to tell them everything would be all right but he couldn't, instead he let his head loll to the side and gave in to the darkness that lurked at the corner of his vision.

Spock steeled himself. He knew what was about to happen; he had seen it happen before. He watched with dread how it repeated itself before his very eyes the third night in a row.

Una quickly stepped in and took command, the rift was sealed off and the force field seemed to be holding but the ship had been severely crippled. Luckily no one had been lost before the hull breach was sealed, the bridge had been a mess of debris and flickering lights when she'd left, a klaxon blaring in the cramped space, assaulting their senses. When there had been no reply from engineering she'd shared a worried look with Captain Thomas and leaped into the turbolift, praying she wasn't too late.

Number One willed for the turbolift to go faster, unconsciously gripping the handle harder and kept squeezing it until her knuckles turned white. When the door opened she took off at a run and pushed herself into the cramped department. Then, without as much as a word, she made her way over to Captain Pike who was lying on his side, completely still, on the other side of the closed bulkhead.

Una forced out a quivering breath as she neared him. She knelt next to him and felt a knot forming in her stomach and bile rise up in her throat.

"No, please, Chris," she whispered as she desperately placed a hand on the glass. She couldn't lose him, not today, not like this. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the shaken cadets. "Somebody get Doctor Boyce here and find me a hazmat suite! Now!" she shouted.

Una swallowed and let out a sharp breath, he was almost unrecognizable. His handsome face was severely burned, his cheekbone appeared to be broken and blood trailed from his mouth. She refused to believe she was looking at a dead body but even she had to remind herself that it didn't look good. They had been through so much together, shared so much, he had been her friend and confidant while they had served together, he had taught her what it meant to be a captain and she'd followed in his footsteps earning a ship of her own thanks to him.

There was no sign of life. "No," she shouted. "No!"

Spock hitched on a breath and hastily opened his eyes. He stared into the blackness of his quarters and tried to gather himself. He took a moment to calm his breathing and then reached up to rub his aching forehead. He contemplated whether or not he should take leave and return to Vulcan. He needed to remaster his emotions, to be in control again, and the best way to do that was to return to his roots and practice the old teachings of Surak.

The Vulcan science officer closed his eyes again and drifted off back to the horrible nightmare.

Number One cursed under her breath and silently wondered why Phil was taking so long. She bit her lower lip as she tried to assess his injuries through the glass. She stared mesmerized at the blood trickling down the side of his face and the radiation burns on his skin.

"Good lord," Boyce mumbled as he appeared next to her, all suited up and equipped with a medical tricorder. "Chris, you've really done it this time."

He glanced around for a senior officer among the shocked cadets and finally spotted a lieutenant. "I need to get in there."

"You can't doctor. It's locked, the computer won't let anyone inside," he said regrettably.

"What do you mean can't!" Boyce boomed angrily. "Make it happen."

Una shook out of her stupor and got up on her feet. "I'll get you in there," she said. "I'll try to open the other door. Get out in the corridor and wait until the seal is broken."

Phil gently placed a hand gloved on her shoulder and squeezed it. Their eyes met for an instant and a shared sadness and despair threatened to overcome both of them. However, they couldn't allow for that to happen, they were trained Starfleet officers, they were the best, they had to set an example for the rest of them, Chris expected them to behave exemplary.

Ten agonizing minutes later the doctor scanned their common friend and gently turned him on his back, revealing even more damage to the broken man.

Una felt her mood plummet and her anxiety growing. "Philip," she whispered. "You have to do something."

Boyce swallowed. "Una, he's gravely injured, he'll never be the same again," he said seriously.

"But he's still alive. I can see it in your eyes. You have to save him, Philip, please," she begged as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Boyce hesitated. "I took an oath to do no harm," he trailed off and swallowed. "You have to understand that this is a borderline case. If I bring Chris back it won't be-"

"Philip," she whispered in a quivering voice.

"We should let him go, Una, despite all the advancements in the medical field -," the doctor paused, "- he will never be the same. Don't you understand?"

The woman started to sob, she was usually the strong and silent type, and she never lost her wits. To Philip Boyce it was disconcerting to see. He took a deep breath and finally nodded.

"Don't you dare leave me," Una said harshly as she fought to regain in control of her emotions.

Spock bolted upright in bed. "Computer lights," he ordered. His former commanding officer's pain had been so sharp it had frayed his nerves, he felt stricken and he suddenly grew cold.

He hadn't met Una for over a year, not since he took temporary control of the Enterprise and ran off with it to Talos IV with Captain Pike himself. He'd fought his emotions as Pike had been restored to his former self and left the wheelchair behind. Vina had come to greet him and hooked arms with him, to lead him back into the underground complex that was the home of the Talosians. There was no mistake, it had all been for show, but their illusions were so complex and so masterful that it seemed real to all of them. General Order Seven was still in place when it came to Talos IV and as far as Spock knew Christopher Pike was still there.

With the nightmare fresh in his mind he made a mental note to visit old Doctor Boyce in his home back in Atlanta when he came to Earth next time. The good old doctor wasn't getting any younger and his health had been swaying lately. There were a few things that needed to be said between them before the doctor passed away. He respected the old man deeply, he was more lenient than Doctor McCoy, didn't have that kind of temper, didn't admonish him for doing completely logical things. Now, he did appreciate McCoy as well, in his own way, but he would never admit such a thing. McCoy wore his heart on his sleeve, something that troubled Spock and made the doctor do the most illogical things at times that he could neither predict nor understand.

Spock got out of bed and padded across the room. He withdrew an old photo from the top drawer of his desk, one that Una had insisted he'd have a long time ago. He wasn't sentimental and it wasn't logical so he couldn't really explain why he'd kept it but it had felt right. He stared at the picture in his hand; stared at a younger version of the bridge crew of the Enterprise with Doctor Boyce and the stubborn chief engineer hanging around in the background. Una was beaming at the camera as she stood behind the captain's chair with her hands firmly placed on Christopher's shoulders. The captain too was smiling and his blue eyes sparkled. Spock felt the beginning of a smile at the edge of his lips but quickly schooled his expression. The photo had been taken almost eleven years before as a promo photo for the new uniforms. It had been before the 'Red Angel' had appeared to him, before Captain Pike had taken temporary command of the Discovery and before he had reunited with his sister. So much had happened since then, it felt almost like a lifetime had passed.

"Computer, time," he demanded stoically as he put down the picture.

"Ship's time is four-hundred-hours," the female voice of the computer replied dutifully.

The Vulcan swallowed. Sleep would not come tonight, it wasn't logical to expect such a thing when he clearly wasn't in control of his emotions. He might as well start his shift early. Without hesitation he reached for his uniform and boots, within two minutes he was dressed and ready for yet another day.

OOOOOO

To be continued

*A fix-it story in which Chris gets an ending he deserves. Adapted to the events shown in season two of Discovery. Will be AU. Please read and, if you have time, review and share your thoughts with me. I'm doing my best but I'm not a native English speaker so if you see anything strange, tell me how to correct my mistakes.