Among the Elite

Platform

As the five of us leave the Bridge we head down the hallways of the ship, grabbing one of the engineers as Captain Pike leading us, "without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job." As we continue through the ship we enter one of the many bays, "Mr. Kirk, Mr. Sulu and Engineer Olson will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they've 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. Mr. Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport  capability and communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet and report what the hell's going on here." As we reach one of the shuttle bay doors Captain Pike turns back toward the group of us, "and if all else fails, fall back and rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer."

"What?" Kirk tilts his head a bit.

"Captain?" Spock looks between Captain Pike and myself, "please, I apologize, the complexities of human pranks escape me. Wouldn't Ms. Spade be the most logical choice?"

"It's not a prank, Spock. With Sulu off the ship I need to make sure someone can fly this ship, and I'm not the Captain, you are." Captain Pike looks to Sulu, Kirk, and Olsen, "let's go."

Kirk and Spock almost glare at one another for a moment before Kirk follows Captain Pike, "sir, after we knock out that drill, what happens to you?"

"Well, I guess you'll have to come and get me." Once he is in the elevator Captain Pike turns back to Spock and I, "careful with the ship you two, she's brand new."

With a quick nod and a shared look of concern Spock and I start to make our way back to the Bridge. Once we are there Spock takes his place in the Captain's chair and I take Sulu's place at the helm. Once Spock sits he hails medical, "Dr. Puri, report."

But another voice answers, "it's McCoy. Dr. Puri was on Deck 6. He's dead."

"Then you have just inherited his responsibility as Chief Medical Officer."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

I wait and watch for the shuttle with Captain Pike and the others. Once I get the alert that they've left I report it to Spock, "Captain Pike and the others have left the dock."

Soon the monitors are able to detect that Kirk, Olsen and Sulu have left the ship, Chekov pulls up the display tracking them on the observation window, "away team is entering the atmosphere, sir."

"Twenty thousand meters," we watch as the team gets closer to the platform, "approaching the platform at fifty- eight hundred meters."

Then Kirk opens his channel to the ship, via his suit, "Kirk to Enterprise. Distance to target five thousand meters."

"Forty-six hundred meters from the platform. Three thousand meters."

I then hear Sulu, "pulling chute." Shortly after this Kirk and Sulu slow down, but Olsen does not.

I then hear Olsen continue to call out distances, "two thousand meters."

I watch as the stupidity of this man begins to become more and more present, "what is he doing?"

"Fifteen hundred meters!" Sulu and Kirk try to convince their partner to pull his chute, but their cries go unheeded as Olsen grows closer and closer to the platform, "one thousand meters!"

Olsen waits until the last possible second before pulling his chute. Unfortunately for him this also meant he didn't have suitable time to slow down, nor was he able to compensate for the wind's effect of his positioning. Almost as soon as Olsen reaches the platform the red target representing him disappears. Chekov stutters as he tries to report what happened, "Olsen is gone, sir."

I watch as Kirk and Sulu reach the platform, Kirk being the first to land, "Kirk has landed." It takes a few more minutes for Sulu to land, but soon he does, "Sulu has landed."

It feels like an eternity as we wait for the signal the machine is putting out to cease, soon I hear Uhura, "the jamming signal is gone. Transport abilities are reestablished."

As he hears this Spock begins to give orders, "Chekov, run gravitational sensors. I want to know what they are doing to the planet."

"Aye, Commander," Chekov groans and cringes, "Captain, sorry. Captain."

Soon Kirk hails the ship again, "Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet through the hole they just drilled. Do you  copy, Enterprise?"

"Yes, sir," one of the crewmen answers as the Bridge begins to erupt. Everything trying to relay information to the rest of the fleet.

Chekov starts to run the gravitational sensor and the helm almost over loads, I shake my head and glance toward Chekov, "gravitational sensors are off the scale."

Chekov looks to me, "if my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity," he looks back to Spock, "that will consume the planet."

As Chekov says this, I feel my blood run cold, "they're creating a black hole at the center of center of Vulcan?" I look up to Spock, with what I'm sure is a shocked, scared and terrified look on my face.

"Yes, ma'am."

Spock's face remains calm and cool, "how long does the planet have?"

"Minutes, sir, minutes."

"Alert Vulcan Command Center to signal a planet-wide evacuation, all channels, all frequencies," Spock and I stand, heading off the. Bridge.

I gesture to Chekov, "maintain standard orbit."

"Wait!" Uhura stops the elevator doors from closing as Spock and I turn toward her, "where are you going?"

"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council," Spock pressed the elevator button.

I take a deep breath, knowing we don't have the time, "they are tasked with protecting our cultural history."

"My parents will be among them."

Uhura shakes her head a bit confused, "can't you beam them out?"

"It is impossible. They will be in the Katric Ark. I must get them myself. Chekov you have the conn." As the doors close Spock turns to me, "you must stay on board the ship."

"No, I'm going with you. I have to help our people evacuate."

"We are about to lose our home planet, I will not lose you too," from Spock's tone I can tell the topic is not up for discussion. He takes a breath and calms down a bit, "our people will need someone here to greet them and help them once they arrive." I close my eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling and to control my breathing. I don't open my eyes until I feel Spock's hand on my cheek, "I will be back. I promise you that."