Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Paramount, Viacom, Bad Robot…many people who are not me.
Summary: An answer to “Where was Number One in the movie?”
Author’s Note: In a nod to “The Menagerie”, I’m going with the name “Leigh Hudec” for a character who after all was never given one in canon. Many thanks to Memory Alpha for other pertinent information.
Forward Progress
By Rocky
The sky overhead was awash with thousands of stars. Pike tipped his head back to better take it all in. “There’s no place like the desert at night to get such a view.”
His companion secured the fastening of her jacket a bit more securely, in deference to the cool night air. “For sheer astronomic density, one would do better in the center of the Argolian Cluster…but I do agree, the sky and the landscape are certainly lovely.”
Pike grinned, as proud of the vista from his backyard deck as if he'd made it himself. The rock-strewn terrain, dotted by scraggly Joshua trees, was lit with silvery moonlight which gave it an unearthly glow. No other buildings could be seen; it was if they were truly alone in the expanse of the heavens. “You know, Leigh, you can’t get a view like this in San Francisco. It’s only this far from any city that you can really see without any interference from artificial lights.”
“Not to mention the effects of pollution,” she said dryly. “Though I’ll grant you the atmosphere is a lot cleaner than it was a couple of centuries ago.”
“Pollution?”
“Smoke caused by wood-burning grills, for example.”
“I thought you enjoyed the steaks I grilled earlier,” Pike said. “Better than what you could get out of a food synthesizer back at HQ.”
Leigh raised her eyebrows in amusement. “Insisting on cooking over a fire is quite primitive, but I won’t argue with the results.”
In the distance, a coyote howled. A faint rustling noise nearby indicated the presence of other nocturnal creatures as well. Pike breathed in the dry, dusty air and sighed in contentment. “It’s good to get away from civilization once in a while. I don’t get back here nearly as much as I’d like.”
“I would think you’d have ample opportunity, being based in San Francisco for the duration of the work on the Enterprise.”
Pike grinned once more at the mention of the soon-to-be flagship, slated to be one of the first of the Constitution-class vessels to roll off the assembly line. “I’d think so too but the reality is far different. The last time I was here was early spring. Everything was green—and before you ask, there’s a couple of weeks, right after the winter rains, when everything blooms and grows in a hurry.”
“I am aware of the specifics of a desert ecosystem,” Leigh said.
Pike tipped his beer bottle in rueful acknowledgment of his error. Naturally, the woman known more commonly in her past Starfleet postings as “Number One”—for the highest intellect among the members of her Ilyrian crèche—would know full well the details of what he was talking about. Probably better than he did himself, for all that he’d been born and raised in this area right outside of Mojave.
“At any rate, the only reason I’m here now is because I’m heading to Riverside in the morning,” he said.
“Riverside?”
“Iowa. You know, the site of the shipyards?”
“I don’t see why they situated it there,” Leigh mused, taking a long swallow of her own beer. “I understand the sentiment behind the choice, of course, but the actual benefits of placing it there escapes me.”
“The actual ships are assembled in spacedock, as always. They’re just building the main components dirt-side—struts, relays, bulkheads, that sort of thing—and then ferrying them into space. At present, McKinley just isn’t big enough to do everything in one place. That’s why there are plans drawn up to make a new shipbuilding facility on Mars, with enough space to house all the necessary equipment and manufacturing plants. And Iowa was already the site of the main North American ‘Fleet recruiting center.”
“I suppose.” She considered her empty bottle in the play of the moonlight. “Speaking of recruits, did I mention that my baby sister was joining Starfleet?”
“Christine?” Pike thought fondly of Leigh’s half-sister whom he’d met on a few occasions. The two women shared the same mother, but Christine had a Human father. Unlike Leigh, who was twenty years her senior, she’d been born and raised on Earth. “That’s great!”
“Interesting how you always manage to remember her name.”
“It’s an easy one for me, for the obvious reason.” He was silent for a moment. “So, she’s actually going to join the ‘Fleet? I thought she was in medical school.”
“She is. Though from what I understand, she may find it easier to join the nursing staff of a starship, at least to gain an initial posting.”
“Well, I guess you had more influence on her than you’d thought.”
“Hardly, considering I was already living independently by the time she was born.” Leigh shifted to a more comfortable position. “I suspect the lure of space in this case is a man.”
“You don’t sound like you approve.”
“As motivation for a career in Starfleet? No, I don’t. Besides, she could do better,” Leigh said candidly. She changed the subject. “How long will you be in Riverside?”
“Just a couple of
days,” Pike said, mentally reviewing his trip itinerary. “I’m
taking a group of first-year cadets as well. I need to go and check
the communication and plasma relay consoles before they’re
installed, and figured this was a good hands-on learning opportunity
for them at the same time.”
“You’re taking
an entire class of cadets with you?”
“Just those majoring in communications and security.”
“Still, that’s quite a sizeable ‘flock’ to be responsible for. Not going to pack them back off to the Academy at the end of the first day?”
Pike laughed. “Oh, that’s always an option. But how much trouble can they get to, anyway?”
“First year cadets? You’d be surprised.”
“I’ll just have to do my best to keep ‘em in line.” Pike paused. “Due to the presence of the aforementioned recruiting center, I might even pick up a few more ‘lambs’ at the same time if I’m lucky.”
Leigh gave him a long look. “You know, I had wondered if you would be bored being planet-bound, waiting for the Enterprise. But I can see that you’re not.”
“No, I’m really not. I’m enjoying the classes at the Academy, the give-and-take with the students. I can’t say I’m entirely disappointed the new ship is taking so long—don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to finally launch the Enterprise and start her five year mission. But if we had to have all these overruns and delays, well, I can’t imagine a better way to spend it. Especially as it gives me the chance to come out to Mojave now and then.”
Leigh bent her head as she fumbled with her jacket closure once more. Her long dark hair obscured her face from view. “I could never have been happy doing what you are. I was never the mentor type. But you seem to thrive on it.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure Jose Tyler, among others, would beg to differ about your being a good mentor or not,” Pike said, referring to the young navigator who’d served with them aboard the Edison, the old Daedalus-class ship that had been his previous command. He was surprised at her assertion, however; being a ship’s XO practically demanded it as part of the job description. “And what about Spock?”
“The young Vulcan science officer? He was more your project than mine, Chris.”
“Insofar as he needed mentoring, that one,” Pike said, thinking of the cool, self-contained young man who by heritage or training or both was almost as controlled as the woman sitting before him now. “But he still looked up to you as a role model.”
“But I would never have been happy,” she insisted. “Not like you are.”
“I won’t argue.” He was about to ask her about her current assignment, when she rose and took his hand. “Didn’t you say something about getting an early start tomorrow morning? I think it’s time we called it a night.”
Much later, she lay in his arms, her hair strewn loosely against the pillow. He stroked the ends of it idly, noticing that it was much longer than it had been the last time he’d seen her. In repose, her usually stern features were softer, more relaxed. She was beautiful. A small sigh escaped him as he realized again how lucky he was—how lucky they were, to have had those years on the Edison and now thanks to fortune and the brass at Starfleet Command, they were going to go on together to the Enterprise in the not too-distant future.
“I was at HQ this afternoon,” she said suddenly.
He kissed her before answering. “I was going to ask you about that, when I got ‘distracted.’”
“I met with Matt Decker.”
“The Commodore?” Pike said, startled. “What did he want?”
“As you know, the Constellation is due to launch in just under a month.”
“Yes, and Decker raised a big stink about accepting a promotion for that very reason,” Pike said, giving her a questioning glance. “He said he was damned if he was going to miss out on commanding one of the new Constitution-class ships, after twenty years of the ‘old clunkers.’”
“That’s very nearly a direct quote,” Leigh said, the corners of her mouth quirking up.
“Name me one captain who didn’t hear Decker express his opinions. Repeatedly.” Pike sat up so he could face her better. “Well, Leigh, since you didn’t answer, I’ll ask you again. Why did Decker want to meet with you?”
“He offered me the position of his first officer.”
Pike was silent for a moment. “And what did you say?”
“I told him yes.”
Pike looked at her in shock. On the one hand, it was a great opportunity. As a recently promoted Commodore, Decker probably wouldn’t stay in command for very long, and the first officer would then naturally be expected to step into the position. Heck, Leigh could be in the captain’s seat before the Enterprise was even space-borne. But on the other hand…“What about our plans? Or were they only mine?” Instantly he hated himself for how petulantly that had come out.
“They were both of ours, Chris,” Leigh said softly, taking his face between her hands. “Once. But circumstances change. It’s been more than two years since the Edison came home, and the Enterprise launch is going to take at least another three or four. I’ve been filling in with various staff postings at HQ, but unlike you, this isn’t what I want. I never enjoyed being planet-side for so long.” She didn’t need to add, not since she’d left Ilyria had she ever been out of space for such an extended period. “I feel like I’ve been putting my life on hold for far too long. The Constellation is a great opportunity,” she said, echoing the very thoughts he’d just had himself. “Decker took the promotion when no one thought he would—with the stipulation he wanted to command the Constellation for two years. And then he’d hand her over to his first officer. To me.”
“I see.”
She dropped her hands to
her lap. “I hope you’re not angry.”
“No,
I’m not angry.” Pike sighed. “Disappointed,
yes—but at myself, not at you. I see it wasn’t right, it
wasn’t fair of me to ask you to wait. Not for so long. And
definitely not if it meant missing out on a chance like this.”
He swallowed. “You’ll be a great first officer.”
Just like you were to me, he thought. Aloud, he continued, “Decker
would be a fool to let you slip away and you’d be an even
bigger fool to pass this up.”
For one of the few times since he’d known her, her emotions were easily readable. “I’m sorry. What we had on board the Edison, Chris—“
“It was great, and it would’ve been great if we’d been able to recreate it aboard the Enterprise,” he said, cutting her off. “But we can’t. There’s too much time gone by…and it wouldn’t be fair otherwise, expecting you to sidetrack your own career and ambitions just to serve with me.”
Her lips trembled, but her voice was steady when she spoke. “There’s no finer captain in the ‘Fleet, Chris. You know that. Why do you think they’re giving you the new flagship?”
He pulled her into his arms. The scent of her hair rose up around him. He dashed his tears away, grateful she couldn’t see his face. “It’s time for you to go and develop into one hell of a captain yourself. I can’t hold you back, I shouldn’t ever have tried, consciously or not.”
“Thank you.”
He let her go, and watched as she rose from the bed and began getting dressed. Somehow he was not surprised that she would not be spending the entire night. “I’ll still miss you,” he said quietly.
“I know.” She paused, in the process of fastening her boots. “ I’ll miss you, too.”
“I’ll miss this as well,” he said, making a vague gesture at the bedroom around them.
Her hand was on the old-fashioned door knob. “It doesn’t have to end, Chris.”
He rose as well and slipped on his bathrobe, belting it firmly around his waist. “Who are you trying to kid, Leigh? All the new ships will be embarking on a five year mission, in previously unexplored stretches of the Beta Quadrant…shore leave will be few and far between. Each ship is going to have to forge its own community, being out there for long stretches, with no backup, no chance of coming home.” He didn’t need to add, “perhaps forever.”
“I’m sorry,” she said once more.
“Don’t be. At
least, don’t be to the extent of doing anything stupid, like
giving up your chance for command.”
She smiled, as if he had made a joke. “I won’t be, I can assure you. Oh, and I’m going to be taking Tyler with me, too. Just so you should know—which vacancies you’ll need to fill on board the Enterprise.”
“I’m sure I can find someone—for navigation. And to be my first officer as well.”
Leigh smiled once more and picked up her bag. He watched her go, biting back the impulse to call to her, ask her to stay. But whether she left now or in the morning, she was never going to stay with him. Not anymore.
In the morning, he set out for Riverside, with a flock of newly minted cadets in tow.
FINIS