2.8 - Vulcan

~~*~~

Captain Pike led the group through the many corridors of the Enterprise. Spock followed Pike first with Jim directly behind, who still had a strong grip on Cali's hand making him follow along while Sulu was at the back.

Jim had grabbed Cali's hand for comfort and decided he would still need the moral support, and not wanting to leave Cali alone on the bridge when he would be leaving and Spock was following along, he decided to bring him along. He knew that Pike had noticed, but the man was probably amused by the act and so didn't mention anything.

Cali felt somewhat awkward, knowing he was meant to be back on the bridge, but trusted Uhura to man the station while he was being kidnapped by his partner. Plus, he didn't mind staying close to Jim and Spock, wanting to keep an eye on them.

Spock felt similarly. Though he wanted Cali to stay safe on the bridge, he was somewhat pleased when Jim decided to bring him along, as then he could stay with him and escort him back to the bridge after.

As they reached engineering, Pike started explaining the plan. "Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job. Mister Kirk, Mister Sulu, Engineer Olson, will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get inside. You'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mister Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport capabilities, communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet, report what the hell's going on here. And if all else fails, fall back, rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer."

"What?" Jim exclaimed, exchanging a look with his boyfriend that he still held the hand of.

"Captain?" Spock questioned, believing Pike to be joking, "Please, I apologize. The complexities of Human pranks escape me."

"It's not a prank, Spock. And I'm not the Captain, you are. Let's go." Pike announced, but paused, noting with amusement the fact that Cali was still being dragged along by Kirk, "And Kirk, release the Cadet so he can go back to the bridge."

Cali laughed lightly as Jim finally let go of his hand, just before he went to follow after the captain, or ex-captain. "Be safe." Cali said quietly to Jim as he moved away from him, though his partner heard and flashed a reassuring smile at him as he turned to Pike.

"Sir, after we knock out that drill, what happens to you?"

"Oh, I guess you'll have to come and get me." He joked, before turning to Spock, who was stood next to Cali on the outside of the turbolift, "Careful with the ship, Spock. She's brand new."

The lift doors closed leaving Spock and Cali alone. Cali looked up at Spock and smiled as he looked back down at him and gave a nod before they both started backtracking to the bridge.

As they walked back, Spock kept an eye on Cali, who looked immediately worried as soon as he had heard what Jim had to do, though hadn't said anything and seemed to be hiding it quite well. Turning to look at him as they walked, he spoke, attempting to comfort the anxious man who had offered the same to him. "If there is one thing that I have observed about your partner, it is that he is stubborn. He will make his way back. You should not worry, Caliaire."

Cali laughed lightly at Spock's observation, especially due to how true it was, and turned a thankful smile up to him. "Thank you, Spock." He said, just as they arrived back at the bridge. As Spock made his way to the captain's seat, Cali moved over to the science stations, seeing that Uhura was still at his previous one, he sat at the one Spock had been at and got back to work.

He heard as Spock turned on the communicator on the chair in order to call for a medical report from the chief medical officer but was shocked when he heard Bones' voice call back through. "It's McCoy. Doctor Puri was on deck six. He's dead."

Pausing for a moment to process the new development. "Then you have just inherited his responsibility as Chief Medical Officer."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know." Bones snapped back making Cali laugh lightly at his station. At least he was alright.

~~*~~

As the bridge prepared to monitor the three dropping as Pike's ship approached the drop zone, Cali had turned his chair around as soon as they were mentioned and had not been able to turn back since, too worried about Jim and Sulu to focus on communications. Since the jamming would still be happening until they disabled the device anyway, he still couldn't hear anything. Focusing on static and silence was pretty pointless. He'd focus when he was needed.

After a moment, a box appeared on screen, showing the drill and three coloured dots falling down it, a counter starting on twenty-thousand meters but rapidly decreasing as the three dots fell.

They'd dropped.

Cali found himself standing up without meaning to as Chekov announced that they had entered the atmosphere of Vulcan. Spock noticed Cali's actions, but didn't reprimand him, allowing him to focus on his partner's safety until he was actually needed.

"Approaching the platform at fifty-eight hundred meters."

"Kirk to Enterprise." Jim's voice rung out making Cali audibly sigh in relief, causing Spock to look over his shoulder slightly, "Distance to target, five thousand meters."

"Forty-six hundred meters from the platform."

"Forty-two hundred meters to target."

"Four thousand meters."

"Three thousand meters."

"Two thousand meters."

"Pull your chute!" Sulu ordered as the yellow and then blue dots suddenly slowed their fall significantly.

"Two thousand meters!" Olson shouted, sounding way too much like he was enjoying it.

"C'mon, pull your chute, Olson!" Jim called.

"No, not yet! Not yet! Fifteen hundred meters!"

"Open your chute!"

"Yeah!"

"Olson, pull your chute!"

"One thousand meters."

Everyone in the bridge watched the dots with wide eyes as they listened to Sulu and Jim start to panic, calling desperately for Olson to listen. Then they heard his screams. Not that of joy like before, enjoying the thrill of the dive. Pain and fear. Then there was silence from his com, his red dot disappearing off of the screen as it collided with the laser.

"Olson is gone, sir." Chekov confirmed making Cali bow his head for a moment, before looking up in relief as Chekov continued, "Kork has landed, sir." Spock acknowledged the young Russian with a small look before turning slightly to his side again, spotting Cali still standing with his eyes glued to the screen, desperately listening to everything going on around him.

Though, as if sensing Spock's eyes observing him, he tore his stare away from the front and met the Vulcan's gaze. Cali could see that the Vulcan was trying to display comfort and reassurance in his chocolate hues despite his face's stoic, somewhat apathetic, expression. He was thankful, feeling comforted in the knowledge that the current captain was looking out for him while he tried his best to do the same for Jim.

Cali's relief, however, was short lived as voices on the bridge called warnings of two Romulans life signs appearing on the top of the platform where Jim was, engaging him in combat as Sulu was still setting up for a landing. The calls immediately sent Cali's eyes back towards the front, feeling useless in his inability to assist his partner, or even his captain, in any way as he simply watched everything around him happening. He prayed to the Elder that his partner would be alright.

Spock's eyes stayed on him for a moment longer, unbeknownst to Cali, feeling equally as useless to help his home planet or the cadet that caused him to feel so much.

~~*~~

Practically as soon as Jim had landed, it had become a fight for his life. Thrown into battle with the two Romulans, Jim was able to hold his own, despite their larger size, quite well. He had the many bar fights he had gotten into in his life against much large men, often multiple at a time, to thank. But just because he could try and handle them by themselves, didn't mean that he wasn't still extremely glad when Sulu landed and gained the attention of one of them.

As Sulu managed to fight off his Romulan with a long sword, Jim was forced to resort to pushing and punching as his phaser had been knocked off the platform early in the fight. Luckily, so had the Romulans'. While this was likely the best way that Jim fought, hand to hand like in his previous experience, he still found himself getting thrown around by his rather muscular opponent, to the point where he was on the floor way too close to the end.

Though adrenaline had already been rushing through his veins from the moment he had stepped foot in the shuttle, if not earlier, the moment he felt the large clunky shoe of the Romulan kick him rolling off of the side, it had spiked. Skyrocketing as he quickly clung to the curbed edge causing him to dangle precariously off of the edge with no way to defend himself and his opponent still standing over him.

As the man tried to stomp on his hands, causing him to constantly move them so that he didn't fall, Jim's mind raced with thoughts of falling. He'd certainly die, no doubt about it. There was no way to teleport with the drill still working and, though he had a parachute, the laser would likely catch him if he tried to use it.

How would Cali feel, watching as his monitor suddenly stopped? While a selfish part of Jim hoped he'd mourn, another part, the part too in love with the silver-haired-man to even breath, prayed that he wouldn't. Prayed that Cali would simply move on with Spock and wouldn't become as broken as he likely would as he witnessed his death.

No. Jim silenced the thoughts as he jumped his hands again desperately so they wouldn't get stomped on. Jim wouldn't die here. He would go back to his angel.

~~*~~

Suddenly, Cali could hear the static clearing in his earpiece causing him to turn around to look at his station just as Uhura called out, working on her station to try and get in contact with Vulcan, "The jamming signal is gone. Transport abilities are re-established." Cali quickly sat at his station and begun working, trying to pick up any subspace transmissions, possibly from the wreckage of the fleet, hoping someone was somehow still alive out there, or even from the Romulan's ship.

Several other people on the bridge called out developments, but Cali was only able to pick up the familiar accented voice of the young Russian as he worked, "Transporter control is reengaged, sir."

"Chekov, run gravitational sensor, and I want to know what they are doing on the planet." Spock ordered, his worry for his home and species clear enough for Cali to hear.

"Aye commander, ack, Captain. Sorry, Captain." Chekov acknowledged shyly almost making Cali smile despite everything going on around him.

As Cali worked, a new voice rung out amongst the bridge through the com, easily recognisable even among all the others. "Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet, through the hole they just drilled." Jim informed in a shout over the background noise of the upper atmosphere that he was in, sounding fearful. "Do you copy Enterprise?"

Cali was able to hear someone acknowledge Jim's information but was distracted when Chekov spoke again, sounding panicked and mournful. "Captain, gravitational sensors are off the scale. If my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity, that will consume the planet."

"They're creating a black hole at the centre of Vulcan?" Spock clarified causing Cali to turn around to look at him. Although he couldn't see his whole face from his seat, he could clearly hear the quiet fear in his hushed voice.

"Yes sir."

"How long does the planet have?"

Chekov shrugged, not rudely but mournfully, knowing that there was nothing to be done. "Minutes, sir. Minutes."

Suddenly, Spock got out of his chair, turning to Uhura who was still on the main com. "Alert Vulcan command centre to signal a planetwide evacuation on all channels, all frequencies." He ordered, causing her to sit back down from her fearful stand she had taken from the news, before turning to another bridge member, "Maintain standard orbit."

He quickly made his way to the turbolift making Cali get up from his seat, following him to the doors, "Where are you going?"

"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history and my parents will be among them." Spock explained, meeting Cali's eyes.

"Can we beam them out?" Cali asked quickly, his mind racing at the thought of Spock losing his parents along with his planet.

"It is impossible. They will be in the katric ark. I must get them myself."

"Then I'm coming with you." Cali replied firmly, entering the turbolift at the captain's side.

"That is illogical, I—" Spock tried, turning to Cali with a disagreeing look.

"Time limit Amatus." Cali replied sternly, cutting the Vulcan off and meeting his eyes, trying to show Spock how useless it would going to be to argue with him.

"Chekov, you have the conn." Spock called as he pressed the destination button and the doors closed on the bridge. He quickly turned to Cali, trying to persuade him to change his mind. "You do not have to accompany me. It will put you at risk and—"

"And you going won't?" Cali interrupted again, meeting the Vulcan's eyes once more with a stern but worried frown.

That threw the Vulcan for a moment as he slightly gaped at the certain looking silverette before he found his words again, sounding a lot less strong as he spoke this time, much more worried for Cali than himself. "There is no point putting us both at risk."

"Maybe it's not logical to you, Spock, but it is to me." He replied as the lift stopped, gesturing for Spock to start moving. Without another delay, Spock left the lift, leading the way for Cali, who stayed just behind him but still within the Vulcan's sight.

As they rushed, Cali paused. Through his earpiece, he had been keeping up with Jim and Sulu's situation and had not been too worried as he heard them prepare to bean up. That was until he heard Jim suddenly announce that the two were falling without a parachute. He froze in fear, causing Spock to stop his quick movement and turn around to look at him. "What is it?" he asked worriedly, eyes narrowed as Cali stared wide eyed directly in front of him, as if looking through him.

"They're falling..." he replied, looking up to meet Spock's eyes showing nothing to the Vulcan but terrifying panic.

"Go to the transporter room, I will meet you there." Spock quickly ordered causing Cali to break out in a run in that direction, not even pausing to say anything. Watching him go for a moment, Spock turned back and continued to his direction.

Cali approached the transporter room just as he saw Chekov running in. "Give me radio control, I can lock on!" The younger man called to the woman on transporter duty, as he rushed to the controls. Cali came to a stop just to the side of them, watching Chekov work fearfully as he heard Jim still on the com calling to them.

"Enterprise, where are you?"

"Hold on, hold on!"

"Now, now, now!"

"Do it now! Now, now, now!"

"Chekov!" Cali prompted in fear, watching the life signs of his partner and friend getting dangerously close to the surface.

"Don't move! Hold on! Computating gravitational pull and..." there was a dangerous pause as Chekov worked but the sound of the transporter working drew Cali's eyes away from him just as the wizz kid shouted, "Gotcha!"

Cali could hear Chekov exclaim as Kirk and Sulu slammed into the transporter pad. Cali immediately ran over and helped them stand up, supporting the two possibly injured men as they stood.

As he did, Jim met his eyes. "Honey, I'm home." He joked, sounding a lot more light-hearted than he was. He knew how close they had been to the planet surface when they were finally transported. How close they had been to death. Jim had almost thought he wouldn't get to see his angel again. It would have been his last thought if Chekov were a second later.

Just as Cali helped Jim get off of the pad, Sulu still a few steps behind them without the support, Spock entered the room in a rush, clipping on the belt he had gone to get. "Clear the pad. I'm beaming to the surface."

"The surface of what?" Jim questioned as he felt Cali go to move forward to join the Vulcan, but he quickly grabbed his boyfriend, halting his move. "What? Are you going down there?"

"Jim..." Cali tried, placing a hand onto where Jim was holding his arm, stopping him from moving, trying to get him to let go without forcing the matter.

"Are you nuts?" he asked, first aimed at his boyfriend and then at his boyfriend's possible boyfriend, "Spock, you can't do that?!"

Spock ignored Jim's warnings, getting down to brace himself ready for the seismic activity, and looked over at Cali, who was still being held back but watching him. Spock could clearly see the offer in the man's loving blue eyes, he would still come despite his partner's obvious vote against it. Spock was thankful, knowing that Cali was there to support him, but still gave a short shake of his head. He was also very thankful to Jim for having stopped the man from coming, not wanting to have put him at risk. "Energize."

"Spock!" Jim called, not believing it as he watched him dematerialise on the pad. Then he turned to Cali, finally letting his arm go, "Were you gonna go down there?"

"I didn't want him going by himself." Cali justified sternly, not bothering with denying it. He didn't feel like it was the wrong choice despite Jim's disapproving eyes boring into him.

"The planet's about to implode."

"Exactly!" Cali snapped in disbelief, turning away from his partner to watch Spock's life signs on the transporter tracker. Did Jim really not understand him wanting to help his friend?

Jim watched the back of Cali's head for a moment. He knew that Cali loved Spock, but to go down there after him? But then again... He knew he'd go down there if it was Cali.

"Spock to Enterprise. Get us out now!" Spock's voice called out over the room's com making Cali relax slightly before tensing again, his eyes snapping from the screen to the pads impatiently.

"Locking on to you." Chekov replied, working as he spoke, "Don't move. Stay right where you are." He ordered. "Transport in five... Four... three... two..."

"Mother!" Spock's voice shouted in despair just before the alarms began blaring.

Cali's eyes snapped back to the console, watching as one of the life signs quickly began disappearing. "I'm losing her. I'm losing her, I'm losing her! No, I've lost her." Chekov mumbled quickly, unable to look up even as the transport began.

The sound of people materialising on the pad started making Cali's eyes focus on them. He looked over all of the people, not recognising any of the Vulcan's beside Spock as his eyes widened in fearful realisation. There wasn't a human among them.

He looked over at Spock, his hand still reached out in front of him, eyes focused on someone not there, breathing heavy. The Vulcan looked in shock, slowly lowering his arm, eyes watered but no tears were allowed to fall. Slowly, his eyes moved to the empty transport pad, the one his mother should should have been standing on. Cali could see several of the Vulcan's looking at it, but his eyes stayed locked onto Spock as he stumbled a few steps towards it. Cali wanted to run out to him. To hold the Vulcan. To comfort him any way that he could.

But he, like everyone else in the room, was frozen to their spot.

~~*~~

I severely apologise for my inability to write fight scenes. I was gonna try and avoid doing it, but that was always unrealistic when writing about an action movie.