Emma had never experienced such cold weather before when she stepped onto the surface of Valeo Beta Five. The icy air whipped right through her thick jacket making it feel like needles were poking her skin. She felt as if she would be knocked over any second by a gust of wind. Besides the climate, she still found it exciting to be on it's surface. It was a rare opportunity when people were allowed on a planet outside of the Federation. However, in the back of her mind remained the reason why they were there.
The Starfleet ship, USS Peregrine, had made an unauthorized landing on the planet days ago. It took two days before a distress signal reached the Federation and another two days to get to them. A small group of the Enterprise, including Emma were being sent to investigate what happened to the ship and if they needed assistance while the rest of the crew would head to the space station to deliver the part. Chris had decided to join the group on Valeo Beta Five and in order to avoid any suspicions, he paired her up with Spock.
Emma took in her surrounds as she helped unload the equipment they needed. Tall, sharp mountains covered in snow stuck up from the ground. The entire rocky surface was covered in snow and ice. In the far distance she could make out the familiar shape of a Starfleet ship. It looked like it had been there for some time.
"Man," Sam Kirk said when he saw how far they were from the ship. "This is gonna be a hike."
"Geothermal anomalies have forced us to land several kilometers from the Peregrine. We should work quickly. This area is highly volatile. It is due to be overrun by an ice storm in approximately six hours." Spock explained to them.
"You know, Spock, the last time we got caught in a storm Captain Pike, you and me almost died." Emma attempted to joke, but Spock didn't take it as one. He just stared at her with a blank expression.
"This wind reminds me of Andoria." Hemmer said, unconcerned by the cold.
"Is the storm causing our coms to jam?" Duke asked.
"Negative, Ensign. It is the ionic interference that prevents long-range communication." Spock answered.
"Drink!" Sam yelled out suddenly. "You owe him a drink, Spock."
"Duke's a lieutenant now. Call him an ensign, you got to buy him a drink. Starfleet tradition." Chapel added.
"Another human drinking game." Spock mumbled to himself. "Does their number have no limit?"
"Nope. Don't act like you don't partake in drinking, Spock. Remember when I was sixteen and we snuck some of Ambassador Lux's liquor onto the bridge of the Monat?" Emma asked.
"If I remember correctly, we got caught after the meeting was over and we were all reprimanded." He said.
"It was worth it." Emma said, hoping she could get Spock to smile.
The hike to the ship felt like miles and miles away. At one point her body felt numb from the cold and all she could think about was sitting in front of a fire once their mission was completed. Even though she was freezing, she still kept her eyes peeled. They still had no idea what happened to the crew of the Peregrine. They didn't know if it because of the harsh environment or something far worse. She stopped next to Spock as Chris fought to open the door.
The door made an awful moaning sound as he opened it and she held her breath when he went inside. They had no idea what was waiting for them. Her uneasiness only grew when Spock and Christopher observed blood inside the ship. Once it was clear, she walked inside. Nyota and her both began to run systems through their data pads to see what they were working with.
"Any luck on the internal comms?" Chris asked Nyota.
She shook her head. "No. They're still down."
"The environmental systems are only at 20%." Emma added.
YOU ARE READING
Destined | Christopher Pike
Fanfiction"Do you believe that our future is set in stone?" Christopher asked. She tore her gaze away from the fire that was warming the room up and at him. "That's a...random question. What do you mean? Like it's premeditated?" "Yes." He rubbed his hands to...
