Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Twenty One

The start of Emma and Chris' relationship had been one filled with sneaky glances, short nights together and tense interactions. They didn't want a single soul to find out about the two of them, but it grew harder and harder with every passing week. They knew in time that someone would find out eventually. They just hoped the person who did find out would be kind enough to come to the two of them before spreading rumors. Emma had wanted to wait until she was an Ensign to tell anyone, but she had started to grow worried that people would think that Chris was the only reason she was working on the Enterprise.

They both had a week to make a decision on how public they wanted to be. In a matter of days they would be returning to the star port that hovered above Earth. From there they would take a transport down to Earth and Emma would attend her Starfleet Academy graduation. After that the other cadets, members of Starfleet and Emma would be granted a few days off before they had to report to the ship. The last mission she would tend to as a Cadet would be delivering Vidium power cells to the K-12 space station.

Chris had been kind enough to throw a small dinner to celebrate her fellow Cadets; Chia and Uhura as well as promoting an Ensign. It felt weird that she would be trapped in a small space with Chris, but not a single person knew they were together. Although, there was something almost exciting about it. Chris' room had been transformed into the perfect area to have a small send off party. An array of food and drinks covered every avails surface. He had turn the fireplace on to offer some warmth. Soft music could be heard over conversations.

Her hands were clasped in front of her as she mingled with those closest to the door. Many of them offer her a 'congratulations' or 'Welcome to Starfleet' as she passed by them. However, she really only had eyes for one person. When she saw him, he was conversing with a Lieutenant whose name Emma had forgotten. It didn't take him long to find her in the room. She watched as he picked a drink off the table and handed it to her causing their fingers to brush briefly.

"Cadet Coleman." He greeted her. There was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

She tried not to stand too close to him or gaze at him for too long. She didn't want to give the impression that something was going on. Instead, she just gave him a small smile and nod.

"Captain Pike. Thank you for putting this together for us. Did you prepare all of this?" She asked.

"Some of it. The synthesizer helped me out a little." He admitted to her. "Have you...talked to your parents?"

Emma froze. She had in fact not talked to her parents since she told them about being accepted to work on the Enterprise. Nor had they contacted her. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a large sip out of it causing Chris to raise an eyebrow at her. "I'll take that as a no."

"You would be correct. I'm not going to worry about it. If they don't want to be proud that their daughter is working on one of the best ships in Starfleet, then so be it. I'm happy. That's all that matters." She said.

"Try to enjoy yourself, okay?" He whispered just for her to hear before making his way in front of the crowd. "Welcome to the big send-off, although they leave us in a couple of weeks, today it's official. Let's hear it for Cadets Chia, Uhura and Coleman for completing their training rotation on the USS Enterprise. You have all been exemplary crew members. Dedicated. Hardworking. Collaborative. We've seen some things together. We've survived things together. We are bonded now and forever by the family that is Starfleet. And speaking of bonds and oaths... Ensign Duke, front and center."

Emma watched with a smile on her face as Duke stepped forward for his promotion.

"Effective immediately, you are no longer an ensign. Congratulations, Lieutenant Duke." Una finished and everyone applauded.

Emma took a minute to ponder her rotation aboard the Enterprise. When she had first came aboard months ago, she was a different person. She was timid, quiet. She wasn't sure what she wanted in life. Now she was more confident. She was okay without her mom's approval even though it was hard. Mostly, she had fallen in love with the most amazing man she had ever met.

"You look like your worlds away." Uhura broke Emma from her thoughts.

She took another sip of the drink Chris had given her. "It's because I am."

"Want to talk about it?" She asked.

"I mean, I should talk about it, but drinking it away is much more fun." She joked dryly.

Her fellow cadet laughed. "Do you remember that party that Cadet threw in Year One and we got blackout drunk because you insisted that you and I could beat those Year Four guys?"

"And if I remember correctly, we did." Emma smiled at the memory. "Those days are long behind us."

"Yes they are." Uhura agreed.

"I heard you haven't made your mind up about staying on the Enterprise."

"You are correct. I just...I don't know. I think I'm scared of making the wrong decision." She admitted.

"I understand. Believe me, but the Enterprise would be lucky to have you." Emma said. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Chris walked past them and to his com.

"You're staring." Nyota said.

Emma's eyes flashed to her's. "No, I'm not."

"Oh, you most definitely are. Have you talked to him about...that thing you told me about?"

"I'm staring, because I would like to know what the transmission is. It has to be pretty important to interrupt the Captain."

"You're avoiding my question."

Emma's cheeks burned pink. She opened her mouth to come up with some sort of excuse or lie, but she couldn't. Her face caused her friend to erupt in laughter. "Relax, Emma. I'm messing with you."

It wasn't soon after Chris received a transmission that the party began to dissipate. They were getting closer to the space station which meant everyone needed to get ready. Only a few people lingered from the party. Emma helped cleaned up as an excuse to be alone with Chris so she could figure out what was going on. She kept assuring the lingerers that she could handle the clean up by herself and finally she was alone with him. He stood over his small control table. His fingers occasionally touched the screen.

"What do you know about the planet Valeo Beta Five?" Chris asked her.

Emma put the trash bag in the ground and walked over to stand next to him. "Not much. It's an L class planet. Very cold. The atmosphere is most likely comprised of Nitrogen which means nitrate ions that can cause communication failure."

"Sounds like you know a great deal about it." He teased her with a half smile.

"Why do you ask? Isn't it outside of Federation space?" She asked.

"I can't answer that question....yet. Una and I need to talk to La'an, Spock and Dr. M'Benga first." He admitted.

"Well," she said and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Whatever our business is with the planet, I would love an opportunity to be involved. I've never been on a planet outside the Federation, much less a planet with that climate."

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

"Most definitely."

He leaned down and pressed his lips against her's. "We'll see. Now, go. I don't want anyone to catch you in here when I'm suppose to be having a meeting."

"I'm going to take that as a yes." She called out to him as she walked towards the door. All he could do was shake his head.