WORD COUNT 3944
Morning reports had already been filed, and now Captain Christopher Richard Pike and Lieutenant Commander Annette Li Higarashi were eating breakfast together. The former had his usual bacon, eggs, and toast and the latter had her usual oatmeal.
“Do you know anything about the planet?” Higarashi asked during a pause.
Pike nodded his negatively as he finished his mouthful, “No idea. Spock says Ceti Alpha VI is barely habitable, no living creatures reported, but the planet is loaded with dilithium.”
“So we’re playing errand boys for the Federation?” she smirked.
“You are certainly not a boy,” he said before he thought, then turned away from her.
She smiled brightly at him, “I didn’t think you noticed.”
He shrugged and started eating. He distracted himself by staring at the closed door.
“What, no comment?” she teased, then started eating again.
Pike flushed a deep crimson, then changed the subject. “Spock says we can go down there without protective gear, but suggests Vulcan sand suits and goggles.”
“How are the winds?” she asked, noting his seriousness.
“Not too bad,” he laughed at some private joke. “Sixty mile an hour gusts.”
She nodded affirmatively as she continued to eat. After she had swallowed, she asked, “How long before we arrive?”
“Tomorrow, late in the afternoon according to Spock,” he informed her. “I’m going to take you and another engineer and that new security officer. What’s his name again?”
“Marco Palmer?” she asked.
Pike nodded affirmatively at Higarashi, “Yeah him. I was thinking isn’t it Chambers’ turn to go planet side?”
“Either her or Romano,” Higarashi informed him. As the captain’s assistant, a title Pike himself had given her, she was knowledgeable about the entire crew and their rotations to planet side missions.
“Which one is at the top?” he requested.
“Jessica is. Chambers I mean sir,” she replied.
He brought his back to Higarashi, “You know Lieutenant Chambers?”
“Jess and I have known each other since her posting, from what I know about her she’s a very qualified engineer,” she replied. “I’m off to the bridge, that is, if you are done.”
“I’ll be up in a few,” he replied.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bridge was silent, almost eerily so. The only sound was the functions of the ship itself.
“Estimated time of arrival?” Captain Christopher Pike asked his navigator breaking the silence.
Lieutenant Commander Annette Higarashi turned to face him after checking her board, “On schedule sir. Thirty-one point six hours until arrival.”
“Thank you Lieutenant Commander,” Higarashi turned back to the navigation board when Pike dismissed her. “Helm?”
Number One, in contrast, never looked away from her board as she replied, “Slight difficulties sir.”
“Spock,” Pike called tossing a glance Spock’s way without turning his chair.
Spock faced Pike from the science station as he informed his captain, “Just some space debris sir, nothing damaging. Navigational deflector still at peak performance.”
Pike turned his focus back to the screen, “Number One, you have the conn.” He stood behind Higarashi, “Will you accompany me?”
“Of course sir,” she left the navigation controls in the hands of Jose Tyler.
The two met in the turbolift. The doors closed in front of them, leaving them in privacy.
“You’re acting like a cadet,” he teased her.
She looked over at him. They were exactly the same height. “What do you mean sir?” she asked
“You turned to look at me when you reported, you usually don’t. A glimpse of recognition is usually all you do, but you turned to look at me. You’re well on your way to Commander, I don’t know why you acted so green,” Pike said, slightly irritated.
She looked away as she said, “You could’ve said something before.”
Pike nodded affirmatively, then grabbed Higarashi’s arm. “Look at me,” he pleaded.
She looked up, “Yes?” she said quietly.
“Please don’t be angry at me. I don’t understand women well do I?” he said.
Higarashi snorted a laugh as the turbolift doors opened and they continued to his private galley. “It’s not you, Chris!”
He smiled, it had been a few days since she had called him anything but ‘sir.’ As they went into the galley and the doors closed behind him, he turned and said, “Okay what’s going on?”
Higarashi smiled brightly, “You understand women just fine,” she laughed. “It’s easy to understand to opposite sex when it comes to friendship.”
Pike shook his head negatively, “When you’re telepathic, you can read anyone.”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s not telepathy, Chris. It’s understanding what a person is like. You know I’ve been upset lately and acting unsure. You may have said it a bit insensitively, but you know me.”
Pike joined her bright grin as he received his chicken thigh and mashed potatoes with corn. She leaned back so the chef could set down her salad.
“If I know you so well, why do I keep hurting your feelings?” he asked after the chef had left.
She waved a hand at him and replied, “You don’t. I believe that friends truly understand what the other is like. I know you’re just as straight forward as I am, a bit more biting where as I am gentle, but you know when to act.”
He bit into his chicken, chewed, and swallowed his bite before saying, “And I know something else, you’re avoiding my question. What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip as she told him, “It’s rather personal.”
“I thought you said I was your friend?” Pike countered tactfully.
Higarashi gathered strength from his ice blue eyes, as she replied, “Montie has a new girlfriend. He didn’t tell me either, I had to find out from Captain Galloway.”
“I’m truly sorry, Annette. I know how much he meant to you,” Pike put down his chicken thigh, wiped his hands and placed his strong hand on hers.
“You know today’s our son’s seventh birthday. Montie still doesn’t know about him,” she said sadly, then pulled her hand away from Pike’s and picked at her salad.
“I wish there were something I could do,” he said wistfully.
“I’ll be all right,” she smiled again.
Morning reports had already been filed, and now Captain Christopher Richard Pike and Lieutenant Commander Annette Li Higarashi were eating breakfast together. The former had his usual bacon, eggs, and toast and the latter had her usual oatmeal.
“Do you know anything about the planet?” Higarashi asked during a pause.
Pike nodded his negatively as he finished his mouthful, “No idea. Spock says Ceti Alpha VI is barely habitable, no living creatures reported, but the planet is loaded with dilithium.”
“So we’re playing errand boys for the Federation?” she smirked.
“You are certainly not a boy,” he said before he thought, then turned away from her.
She smiled brightly at him, “I didn’t think you noticed.”
He shrugged and started eating. He distracted himself by staring at the closed door.
“What, no comment?” she teased, then started eating again.
Pike flushed a deep crimson, then changed the subject. “Spock says we can go down there without protective gear, but suggests Vulcan sand suits and goggles.”
“How are the winds?” she asked, noting his seriousness.
“Not too bad,” he laughed at some private joke. “Sixty mile an hour gusts.”
She nodded affirmatively as she continued to eat. After she had swallowed, she asked, “How long before we arrive?”
“Tomorrow, late in the afternoon according to Spock,” he informed her. “I’m going to take you and another engineer and that new security officer. What’s his name again?”
“Marco Palmer?” she asked.
Pike nodded affirmatively at Higarashi, “Yeah him. I was thinking isn’t it Chambers’ turn to go planet side?”
“Either her or Romano,” Higarashi informed him. As the captain’s assistant, a title Pike himself had given her, she was knowledgeable about the entire crew and their rotations to planet side missions.
“Which one is at the top?” he requested.
“Jessica is. Chambers I mean sir,” she replied.
He brought his back to Higarashi, “You know Lieutenant Chambers?”
“Jess and I have known each other since her posting, from what I know about her she’s a very qualified engineer,” she replied. “I’m off to the bridge, that is, if you are done.”
“I’ll be up in a few,” he replied.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bridge was silent, almost eerily so. The only sound was the functions of the ship itself.
“Estimated time of arrival?” Captain Christopher Pike asked his navigator breaking the silence.
Lieutenant Commander Annette Higarashi turned to face him after checking her board, “On schedule sir. Thirty-one point six hours until arrival.”
“Thank you Lieutenant Commander,” Higarashi turned back to the navigation board when Pike dismissed her. “Helm?”
Number One, in contrast, never looked away from her board as she replied, “Slight difficulties sir.”
“Spock,” Pike called tossing a glance Spock’s way without turning his chair.
Spock faced Pike from the science station as he informed his captain, “Just some space debris sir, nothing damaging. Navigational deflector still at peak performance.”
Pike turned his focus back to the screen, “Number One, you have the conn.” He stood behind Higarashi, “Will you accompany me?”
“Of course sir,” she left the navigation controls in the hands of Jose Tyler.
The two met in the turbolift. The doors closed in front of them, leaving them in privacy.
“You’re acting like a cadet,” he teased her.
She looked over at him. They were exactly the same height. “What do you mean sir?” she asked
“You turned to look at me when you reported, you usually don’t. A glimpse of recognition is usually all you do, but you turned to look at me. You’re well on your way to Commander, I don’t know why you acted so green,” Pike said, slightly irritated.
She looked away as she said, “You could’ve said something before.”
Pike nodded affirmatively, then grabbed Higarashi’s arm. “Look at me,” he pleaded.
She looked up, “Yes?” she said quietly.
“Please don’t be angry at me. I don’t understand women well do I?” he said.
Higarashi snorted a laugh as the turbolift doors opened and they continued to his private galley. “It’s not you, Chris!”
He smiled, it had been a few days since she had called him anything but ‘sir.’ As they went into the galley and the doors closed behind him, he turned and said, “Okay what’s going on?”
Higarashi smiled brightly, “You understand women just fine,” she laughed. “It’s easy to understand to opposite sex when it comes to friendship.”
Pike shook his head negatively, “When you’re telepathic, you can read anyone.”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s not telepathy, Chris. It’s understanding what a person is like. You know I’ve been upset lately and acting unsure. You may have said it a bit insensitively, but you know me.”
Pike joined her bright grin as he received his chicken thigh and mashed potatoes with corn. She leaned back so the chef could set down her salad.
“If I know you so well, why do I keep hurting your feelings?” he asked after the chef had left.
She waved a hand at him and replied, “You don’t. I believe that friends truly understand what the other is like. I know you’re just as straight forward as I am, a bit more biting where as I am gentle, but you know when to act.”
He bit into his chicken, chewed, and swallowed his bite before saying, “And I know something else, you’re avoiding my question. What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip as she told him, “It’s rather personal.”
“I thought you said I was your friend?” Pike countered tactfully.
Higarashi gathered strength from his ice blue eyes, as she replied, “Montie has a new girlfriend. He didn’t tell me either, I had to find out from Captain Galloway.”
“I’m truly sorry, Annette. I know how much he meant to you,” Pike put down his chicken thigh, wiped his hands and placed his strong hand on hers.
“You know today’s our son’s seventh birthday. Montie still doesn’t know about him,” she said sadly, then pulled her hand away from Pike’s and picked at her salad.
“I wish there were something I could do,” he said wistfully.
“I’ll be all right,” she smiled again.
The deep connection between Annette and Chris does come through beautifully. However, it was Spock's reasoning at the end that resonated with me because it strongly echoes a trait of a character I spend a lot of time writing. In canon (Lessons), Picard is very clear that he cannot personally handle being involved with an officer under his command. One of the interesting things I've found as a writer myself is when reading feedback seeing my vision reflected back through the prism of the reader's perspective.
