All current Starfleet cadets had been called to the meeting hall for an unspecified, but urgent matter. As Leonard and Jim made their way to the hall, a sudden figure running towards them brought the two men to a halt. It took Leonard a moment to realize who it was, his mind still clouded from the conversation with Anatalia the night before, but as the girl now came barreling towards him, showing no signs of stopping, Leonard shook himself from his thoughts and bent down slightly to allow Ana to jump into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he held her tightly in his arms.
"I did it. I passed my CSO exam!" Relieved by the good news, Leonard spun the girl around in his arms with joy, causing the young cadet to hold on tighter and laugh in his arms.
"I told you you'd pass! I never doubted you for a second. Congratulations, Tali. I'm so proud of you." Given that the couple was surrounded by hundreds of other cadets making their way into the meeting hall for whatever lecture awaited them, Talia did her best to restrain herself and not pull Leonard into a searing kiss. She failed miserably when she instead did just that, despite knowing Leonard's less than enthusiastic feelings about excessive PDA. Leonard set Talia down as they pulled apart and couldn't help but smile down at his girl despite the multiple looks they were getting from the cadets around them.
"Sorry, Len. I couldn't help myself. I was just so excited to tell you when I checked this morning."
"You didn't get the results last night?"
"I didn't wait for them. It didn't seem as important after our conversation last night."
"About that. Darlin, I'm sorry for the way that conversation played out. It wasn't my intention but once my mind starts thinking about stuff like that it just starts to spiral on its own. But Tali, I am happy with you. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I hope you understand just how serious that is for me. And I hope you know that while I'm still working on my trust issues and commitment issues, I know just how deeply you care about me, and that means more to me than you can possibly imagine. I really like being with you, and I hope we can continue like this for a long time."
Anatalia couldn't fully express just how relieved she was by Leonard's words. She had spent half the night lying awake with worry, wondering if the next day would resume as normal between them, or if Leonard would call it quits once and for all. Once again, Leonard's simple act only further confirmed to Tali just how much he too cared about her, and it reassured her that they'd get through all of their struggles together.
"Thank you, Leo. I hope so too. I love you." Finding it appropriate to respond with a simple kiss, Leonard did so, allowing it to last a little longer than he would typically allow while out in public, but he wanted to be sure to convey his feelings for her as well, and he could only do that with a kiss. The two smiled wide like teenagers in love when they pulled away before Kirk finally saw fit to interrupt the moment.
"If you two are done with that disgusting display of affection, we should probably head inside for the council meeting about to start." Shoving himself in between the two, Kirk made his way into the meeting hall, Tali and Leonard following close behind in each other's arms.
-----
"We are here today to discuss an incident that concerns the entire student body. James T. Kirk. Step forward to the stand." Unwilling to show his sudden surprise at the call of his name in front of the entire student body, Kirk quickly obeyed and made his way to the stand. Ana and Leonard shared a concerned look. No way the head of Starfleet Academy calls a mandatory meeting with all of Starfleet and the board of trustees, and it turns out to be a good thing.
"Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council suggesting you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to regulation 17.43 of the Starfleet code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin?"
"Yes, sir. I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly."
"Oh shit." At the sight of Commander Spock standing and making his way to the stand, Anatalia shrunk down into her seat. Kirk was in some deep shit now. From beside her, Leonard tapped her repeatedly, trying to understand her sudden distress.
"What? Tali, what's wrong?"
"Commander Spock. Vulcan. If he's the accuser, Kirk is absolutely screwed." Turning his attention back to the hearing, Leonard couldn't help but mimic Tali's earlier words.
"Shit." A rather intense "discussion" ensued between Spock and Jim concerning the nature of Kirk's cheating and the overall purpose of the Kobayashi Maru exam. The hearing didn't proceed much further though, as Admiral Barnett suddenly received an urgent transmission along with all other members of the board. The hall had gone deathly silent, everyone waiting to hear what the urgent notification had been in reference to.
"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. All cadets are to report to shuttle hangar one immediately. This hearing is at recess until further notice. Dismissed." Everyone in the hall was quick to report to their stations as ordered. Tali was quick to make her way out as well before Leonard laid a gentle hand on her wrist, prompting her to hold back for a moment longer. As Bones approached Jim, the fellow cadet continued to follow Commander Spock with his eyes until he disappeared from the hall.
"Who was that pointy eared bastard?"
"I don't know. But I like him." Talia laughed as Leonard pulled Jim from his frozen position on the stand to make their way to the hangar, grabbing Tali's hand as he passed her, and they made their way out of the hall together.
-----
"McCoy, USS Enterprise! Uhura, USS Farragut! Tonks, USS Enterprise. Gaila, USS Wolcot! Welcome to Starfleet, and Godspeed." Anatalia didn't even have time to celebrate her orders for the Enterprise as Kirk immediately pulled her and Leonard along with him as he tracked down the teams director.
"Sir, you didn't call my name. Kirk, James T."
"Kirk. You're on academic probation. That means you're grounded until the academy board rules." Unable to stick around any longer, Anatalia pulled on Leonard's sleeve to grab his attention, causing him to turn to face her direction.
"I've got to go. I've got a lot of prep work before takeoff. I'll see you on the ship, yeah?"
"Yeah, go. I'll take care of him."
"Okay. I love you. Don't do anything stupid." Before Leonard could respond, Tali gave him a quick kiss and a smile before running towards the Enterprise's shuttle.
"Name?"
"Tonks, Anatalia N."
"Tonks. You'll be one of two CSO's on the USS Enterprise. You'll have your assigned team waiting for you at arrival."
"Actually, sir, I have my own unit that I would like transferred onto the Enterprise to be under my command."
"Is that authorized by Captain Pike?"
"I'm not asking. Here's the list of cadets. I'll be waiting for them on board." As Anatalia's shuttle landed on the ship bay a few thousand miles from Earth, she felt her jaw drop in awe at the sight of the newest starship in the fleet, the USS Enterprise. Since announcing its construction nearly five years ago, Anatalia knew that she needed to be one of the first cadets to ever walk its halls and now not only would she get to do just that, but she was one of its Chief Security Officers. The inside of the ship was just as beautiful as its exterior. The glistening white halls were the perfect contrast the pitch black of space surrounding them. It had an almost homey feel to it, something Ana was sure would come in handy once it was cleared for extensive exploration missions. For now though, Talia made her way to the security bay to prep before her team's arrival. She stepped onto the security dock and spotted a familiar face, bringing a warm smile to her own.
"Evans. I knew I hadn't seen the last of you." The giant man laughed excitedly as Ana advanced towards him to pull him down into a hug. As Talia had previously predicted, the two had become fast friends at the academy, but didn't see each other much outside of classes. "Are you the other CSO?"
"Unfortunately not. Fell a couple of points short on the exam. I'm second in command."
"Damn. Sorry to hear that. Who's my counterpart then?"
"That would be me." At the sound of a distinctive Scottish accent, Anatalia had the sudden urge to vomit all over the security bridge.
"Seriously Olsen? How'd you con your way onto the Enterprise?"
"No cons here lovely. They just wanted the best of the best."
"That still only explains why I'm here, not you." Before things escalated to a physical altercation, Evans quickly moved to stand between his two chiefs and he had a feeling he'd be doing it pretty often so long as they all remained on the ship.
"Alright guys. Takeoff is in twenty minutes. We've got a lot of security checks to get done before then. The first lieutenant said you both can decide how to evenly divide the ship between your two teams. So, let's all play nice and get to work, yeah?" Olsen and Talia continued to hold one another's glare for as long as possible, each too stubborn to be the first to crack. Ultimately though, Anatalia decided she could be the bigger person and try to remain as professional as her temper would allow while dealing with Olsen.
"Fine. I say you take the left side of the ship and the lower decks, i.e. engineering, resident halls and main level. My team will take the right side and upper decks: resident halls, med bay, and the bridge. Fair enough?"
"Why should you get the bridge? So you can try to make me look bad around Pike?"
"I'm sure you'll do plenty of that all on your own, Olsen." Olsen took a few steps forward in intimidation which Ana immediately replicated herself. Evans pushed himself even tighter between them, stopping them both in their tracks once again.
"That's enough. Olsen, we don't have time for this. Tonks finished top of the class. She gets the bridge. Now let's go get our crew ready, yeah?" Olsen didn't respond verbally. Instead, he harshly shoved past Evans and made his way out of Ana's security dock, muttering something under his breath that Anatalia was sure would have warranted a punch to his throat had she heard what it was.
"Thanks Evans."
"Don't mention it. I'd rather be under your command then his, but orders are orders."
"I'll keep that in mind should any positions on my team open up." Evans gave a grateful nod at Ana's words before exiting the dock himself and leaving Anatalia to her own preparations.
-----
The last shuttle finally made its way to the ship with five minutes to spare, and somewhat to Anatalia's surprise, her entire requested team was on it. As the security dock bay doors opened, Anatalia let out a long breath of relief at the sight of the seven women previously in the security program with her at the academy. All the women lined up in formation in front of their new CSO, and while they all appeared the image of professionalism, Ana could see their excitement threatening to spill over the edge as they all did their best to contain smiles and squeals of joy. She knew because she was doing exactly the same thing.
"At ease, lieutenants. While I'd love for us all to have our much earned celebratory moment, your late arrival will not allow for such luxuries at this time. I've requested you all on my team because you all are the best of the best in your respective focuses. And I'll tolerate nothing less than the best. Which is why I've got a special present for all of you." To her side, Anatalia opened a box and pulled out what looked like a traditional Starfleet PADD, but with some rather inventive changes. Ana distributed one to each of her team members before returning to her position at their front.
"I designed these new PADDs myself. They are retrofitted to attach to your forearm and it is mandated by myself that they stay there as long as you are on duty. These PADDs give us a direct line to one another, allow for us to program missile and weapons systems for the entire ship as well as set up shuttles for evacuation. We can see shield integrity, ship wide specs for damage control and even tracks one another's locations in case of power outages. Everyone works in teams of two and patrols specific areas of the ship. Your PADD will ping every two hours for shift rotation to a new area of the ship. Rotation is random. Until we know everyone on this ship, we give no patterns for anyone to figure out. Your partner assignments should be programmed on your PADDs already. Kenshi, you're with me, you're my second." At that, one of the lieutenant's heads shot up, utter surprise locked on her face.
"Is that a problem, Lieutenant?"
"No, Chief. Just surprised, that's all."
"No reason to be. You were second in our class and have secondary degrees in engineering and xenolinguistics. Those are both incredibly useful skills in this line of work."
"Well, yeah. You have degrees in both of those as well."
"So, you see why you're my second, then?" Realizing Ana's train of thought, Kenshi let out an amused chuckle and nodded her head.
"Yeah, I guess so. Thank you, Chief."
"Don't mention it. Alright, everyone to their posts. Let's hope for smooth rescue. Dismissed."