Second Star to the Right [Enterprise, open to all]

[genius_level]

The repairs were done. All of the last-minute preparations, the cleaning and restocking and all of the countless details-some invisible, others not-had finally come together in this moment. Ready or not… it was time

Comments

[dctr_mccoy]

Bones turned around at the sound of the doors opening up. He heard Sulu and Chekov report, saw Jim talking with everyone as he strode up into the room, looking every inch the captain of the flagship.

There was something like butterflies in his stomach as he stood behind the captain's chair. Everyone looked bright and shiny, ready and excited to finally be getting underway.

[genius_level]

"Bones." So many things he wanted to say and couldn't, aware of the eyes tracking his every movement, his crew (his grin widened just a little at that) eagerly awaiting their first orders. And maybe some of them were watching, waiting to see if he and Bones gave themselves away.

His grin broadened again as he clapped Bones on the shoulder, leaning in with eyes full of mischief and a hint of more. "Buckle up." He squeezed, letting his hand linger briefly as their eyes met, a silent communication before he stepped away, settling into his chair.

That smile was still on his face as he contacted Engineering, then looked over at Sulu, ready to give the order to get them underway.

[dctr_mccoy]

That kid... Bones just shook his head, trying not to laugh to hard.

Jim looked good in the chair. Everyone was ready, even that crazy Scot that Jim found on the ice planet. He'd heard the rumor from one of his nurses that had met up with someone from operations, that they were off to scan some unknown quadrant for their first mission. In his doctor's heart, he hoped it would be uneventful, though he knew that sort of mission would only bore Jim.

Then the door opened again.

[cso_spock]

He could fly up to the Starbase, he could redirect his luggage so that it was in the last big of cargo transported into the Enterprise, but he couldn't physically get onto the starship, now that his offer had expired.

So he found Christopher on the observation deck - the best place to watch the ship leave spacedock - and had slipped right past the security offers at the door to step up to his side. "Christopher," he said quietly, pupils wide to catch the ambient light outside the large glass window, "I desire to join the EnterpriseA few favors, a word of gratitude, and a lingering touch on Christopher's arm later, he was stepping off the transporter mat and into the turbolift, his hand unusually tight on the wall handle. He had dressed for the job in his normal science blues, but how did he know that Jim wouldn't dismiss him off the bridge? This was technically against regulation

[genius_level]

It wasn't until they had finally separated from the spacedock and were underway that Jim found time to think, time to breathe. He looked around the bridge, his crew working seamlessly as they left Earth behind, the quiet murmur of voices underlaid with the hum of the consoles relaying information making him incredibly proud of these people. They'd proven themselves in battle, true, but were equally impressive under more regular circumstances as well. He shook his head, going to stand by Bones as he observed them all, his eyes moving from station to station, finally landing on the pair at the science console.

"Lieutenant Commander Collins, take over for Commander Spock." The order was softened by the approving smile on Jim's face as Paula glanced over, puzzled, but immediately responded. "Aye, sir." He stepped over to Spock. "Commander, I'd like a word with you."

He caught Bones' eye as he turned to scan the bridge, shooting him a questioning glance, just a brief, silent query before he started forward. Do you want to be here for

[dctr_mccoy]

He looked over at Spock, his eyes the only thing betraying any emotion, and Jim, full of life and energy and excitement. He wanted to know why Spock was there, what had happened.

But he also knew that everyone was watching them all. "I'd better get back to Sickbay. I'll talk to you later, Captain," he said slowly, his eyes telling Jim that he knew Jim would tell him later, everything he wanted to know. Those two needed to talk, privately, and Leonard was okay with that. He and Spock could talk later, if they needed to, but he knew both men, trusted both men, knew that nothing that happened in there would jeopardize his relationhip with either of them.

He glanced over at Spock, giving him a wry smile. "Welcome aboard, Commander," he said, giving him a little wink before heading out the door.

[cso_spock]

Somehow that little wink didn't give him any reassurance, but nothing would have at this point, with the way his thoughts were spinning. Everything had gone as planned as they left the Sol system, and the warp engines were operating within normal limits...

There'd be nothing to interrupt them.

He followed Jim into the ready room, and folded his hands behind his back as the doors shut on the bridge. "...captain?"

[genius_level]

Jim met Bones' gaze, nodding slightly. "See you later, then." He watched him leave, knowing there would be time to share the conversation with him later, and with more privacy than they were guaranteed up here.

He leaned against the edge of his desk, arms crossed, and waited for the door to shut, not sure where to begin. "You have your clearance? Everything you need?" Jim looked at Spock for a long moment, wondering what was going on in his head. If he was half as confused as he was himself.

[flying_katana]

Sulu looked around, watching as the captain left the bridge, with Commander Spock. He whistled low, under his breath.

"Well, that was unexpected."

[victorvictortwo]

Chekov nodded and shot Sulu a curious glance from under his eyelashes. Someone was bound to see him if he wasn't discreet, especially on his first day. What was that? he communicated with a quick shrug and a raise of his eyebrows.

[flying_katana]

Sulu tried to keep from laughing at that look on Chekov's face. Maybe other people couldn't be able to tell, but Sulu could read his face like a book.

"Two minutes into our first mission and you have the con. This should be an interesting five years," he said under his breath. "So, you get everything unpacked?" he asked, noticing that some others were falling into their own conversations as the ship moved slowly on its way.

[victorvictortwo]

"Oh, yes. I do not have so much things." He'd had to leave his best sweaters behind, and that was a disappointment. The Enterprise wasn't as cold as Russia, but still. "And you?"

[lt_paula]

Paula glanced over at Commander Spock as he stood up to follow Jim out, then caught the eye of a couple others and shrugged, all of them equally puzzled. She wondered how he'd gotten on board so late. Maybe he'd been sent by Starfleet, another more experienced officer to keep an eye on Jim. She wouldn't put it past them.

Turning back to her console she transfered the readings over from the main screen, scanning through them and finding nothing out of the ordinary. No point in playing musical chairs, since Spock would probably be back soon. She settled more comfortably in her seat, wondering if the rest of the day was going to be as interesting as it had turned out to be so far.

[flying_katana]

Hikaru looked over, wanting to see if Paula was really okay. Much as he liked Spock being back on board - it was clear to see that the captain was happy - he didn't like Paula being shifted back and forth like that.

Once the coordinates were set, he nodded at Pavel and stood, walking over to the Science station. "Hey," he said, nudging at her shoulder. "Crazy, huh?" he asked her, looking over at the captain's office, where Spock and Kirk were meeting.

[lt_paula]

She looked up at Hikaru with a rueful smile. "You could say that," Paula agreed. It wasn't that she really wanted the job that badly, but she couldn't help a tiny bit of disappointment just the same. With a small sigh she nudged him back, her face brightening. "Of course, I'll probably have a little more free time this way, to set up my own research and just get used to being in space."

The idea appealed to her, though she had her sights set on eventually earning a CSO position for herself. "What do you think they're talking about in there?"

[flying_katana]

"How someone managed to sneak past all the captain's paperwork and get himself assigned to the flagship? Maybe that," he grinned.

"Though," he smirked a bit, nudging her again and leaning lower so she could hear his whisper, "Kirk knows a bit about sneaking on board this ship, doesn't he?"

Her smile didn't fool him. "Gotta admit, I'm glad you've got some extra time."

[lt_hank]

Hank couldn't resist wandering up to see what was going on. Rumors were already running rampant, since the Transporter tech had gossiped they'd let Commander Spock up onto the ship shortly before departing. What that would mean to the department heads, Hank wasn't sure. Also he wasn't entirely happy about them being vulnerable to the blandishments of Admiral Pike. He'd have to have a stern chat with his department about that. It was a security breach, no matter how benign.

[genius_level]

Jim had been back on the bridge for some time when Hank emerged from the lift. Turning at the sound of the door, Jim nodded and waved him over. "Everything's going smoothly so far, I trust."

He smiled easily at Hank, the bridge quiet for the moment. The first rush of departure had faded the farther out they got. An uneventful first day, Jim mused, was a good day. There was enough excitement in simply being out here after all the months planetside.

[lt_hank]

Hank leaned against the Captain's chair, looking out at the view. Specifically of Paula Collins. She was pretty hot. "Amazing. I heard we had a little security breach earlier?"

[genius_level]

He glanced up to reply to Hank and caught that intense gaze, then saw where it was directed. Grinning as the pieces fit together, Jim realized he might have an idea why Bones had been grilling him about Hank a couple of weeks ago. A man didn't look at a woman like that unless he was interested, Jim thought, smothering a smirk.

The smirk dropped away entirely when Hank's question registered, though. "Security breach?" Jim frowned, wondering what he was talking about. His face cleared when he finally realized Hank must be referring to the unusual circumstances surrounding Spock's arrival. "We did have a late arrival, yeah. Command forwarded Mr. Spock's orders directly to me." That much was true, as he'd noted when he checked his messages earlier.