Angels (Pavel Chekov)

A Proper Update (finally)

In my last notice to you all, I informed you all that I'd be rewriting Angels at some point.

That point is now.

Thank you all for your patience.

From here is the revised edition, starting from the very beginning. I don't have the heart to remove all the previous chapters (along with your comments and messages) so I shall keep them up and begin from here onward. The main plot will stay the same but I'm planning to fix a lot of plot holes and make sure that this edition is far better written. The formatting is easier to read and I changed it from first person past tense to third person present tense. I've tried restarting Angels twice but this time, I'm finally happy with it to a point I'll share it with you all.

With a warm heart, I would like to give you the first revised chapter of Angels, a book I never should have left as long as I did.

- Lucky

(Disclaimer - Angels may contain themes that are unsettling to some viewers)

Chapter One - The Fourth Row

☆☆☆

In the cold month of January, Vienna Hallows learns the hard way that it is indeed possible to do something both good and bad, simultaneously.

Things don't always go to plan. Vienna had applied to Starfleet because her school had told her to. She didn't object to the idea of space adventures, assuming her mark wasn't high enough to get accepted anyway. And on the way back to her dorm, she wonders just how she did it. She hadn't imagined this life for herself. She imagined a future much closer to home.

There are still another four days before classes. Vienna makes the most of her free time by studying before she officially starts studying. She feels far behind already. A few days of working hard won't fix that. She puts her PADD down with a sigh and tells herself she'll come back to it when she's a little more focused.

The cafeteria is warm and has quickly becomes the hangout for most of the first-year students. Vienna takes her PADD from her bag and finds a seat at the edge of one of the long tables. For a little while, she manages to get lost in the chatter and read through another textbook chapter. Time slows a little and she realises that she's dreaming about space rather than getting anything productive done. She rubs her eyes and turns her PADD off, wondering if she's better off going back to her dorm for a while.

"Hey," someone calls. "Join us. We don't bite."

It's a tall guy calling out to her. He has a bright grin and dark hair, she smiles at him. She joins the end of their table and he asks what her name is. He has a look in his eyes she can't exactly interpret, almost like she's an old friend of his.

"I'm Vienna," she introduces.

"It's nice to meet you," he says, shaking her hand. "You ready to start classes yet?"

"Nowhere near," she laughs. "What division are you in?"

"Security. Surprise, surprise. What about yourself? I'd probably guess either science or medical?"

Vienna nods. "Medical. I didn't really think I'd end up in Starfleet but I somehow got in. I feel like I'm already behind and I haven't even started yet. I'm worried I won't last the first semester."

"Hey, if you're willing to try and study before we even start classes, I think you've got a pretty decent chance here. I specifically picked the subject that required the least amount of study."

The rest of the group are getting up and he asks if she wants to join them on a bar crawl. She declines, having little interest in drinking. He tells her he'll see her in class and just before he goes, she asks his name.

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you. It's Damien. I'll see you around Vienna."

Classes start, and Vienna sits nervously in the fourth row. There are far more people than she expected hoping to be in the medical division. As soon as they start work she manages to focus in a little. Starfleet Academy moves quickly and covers topics as if everyone else in the room knows what's going on already. Vienna feels her confidence fade with every lecture slide that goes on. She gets a two hour break before her next class and spends most of it trying to catch up on everything she just went over. By the time her next class comes around she's already lost in thought.

Damien is in the same class for Starfleet protocol and ethics. It's a mandatory class and one of a few that they have to take as a first year. She waves to him as he passes and she gives him a soft smile. He returns her smile and takes a seat up the back with some of the people from the cafeteria. As the class begins, Vienna takes notes on her PADD. Ethics and protocol is far more relaxed than her medical class and she appreciates the slower pace. They're asked to get into pairs and Vienna looks across her row. Not many people seem to sit so close to the front. The nearest person is about five seats away and isn't sitting with anyone. He looks up, realising that the rest of the room are moving into pairs. He looks to his left and then to his right, noticing Vienna looking at him. He smiles politely, picking his book up. He takes a seat next to her and doesn't say anything while the lecturer finishes explaining their task.

"Hi," Vienna starts. "I'm Vienna," she smiles. His eyes meet hers and he gives her another polite smile.

"I'm Chekov," he introduces, breaking eye contact to pick up his pen. His hair is a mess of dark brown curls and he brushes them from his eyes before copying the title off the board.

"We have to discuss what we'd do if our friend disobeyed an order from a senior officer," she reads, looking at the board. "Um, I'll go first?" She suggests, wondering if he's shy. His voice is quiet and he doesn't seem to talk unless necessary. He nods and listens as she speaks, noting a few points on his PADD.

"Anything to add?" She asks, when she's finished her thought. He thinks for a few seconds, nodding a little.

"In the scenario they gave, they didn't explain why our friend did what they did. There could be some sort of justifiable reason. Hard to say without any background information."

It's then that Vienna notices a distinct accent, European perhaps. He doesn't pronounce 'th' or 'w' properly.

"Where's your accent from?"

"Oh, I'm Russian," he says quietly, still looking down at his notebook. He has a page of writing that seems to be entirely in Cyrillic and she wonders if it's from their lesson today.

"Is Russian your native language?"

He nods again, not adding anything to the comment. His leg is bouncing rapidly under the desk and she wonders if he's nervous. She was too a few hours prior. He keeps writing as the lecturer brings their attention back to the front of the room.

"Are you doing the Life on Starships introductory course?" He asks softly, looking over to her. She nods, asking if he is too. "Yes," he quietly agrees. "I'll probably see you in class."

It'sthen that she really notices how kind and gentle his dark blue eyes look. Hegoes back to his book, continuing to write in Russian and occasionally looks tothe front of the class. The lecturer eventually wraps up and people startpacking up their things. Chekov closes his PADD continuing to write in his book.

Please let me know what you're hoping to see in the revised edition! Thank you for sticking with this story.