Star Trek Discovery: Penitent's Walk

Prologue

Author's Note:

1) There's no real way this works in the Discovery timeline. I notionally set it some time between the last few scenes of "Will You Take My Hand," but even then there are some continuity problems. Just go with it.

2) The character named EunLim was referred to as "Osnullus" in previous stories as per the Discovery promo material. However since writing those stories, CBS has acknowledged that"Osnullus" is actually the species name and not the character name. The character as of now is simply referred to as "Osnullus Bridge Officer." Of course, this could be fixed if Discovery ever bothered to get to know the bridge crew, but I guess that task is left to fanfic writers :)

The Enterprise screamed as her engines, throbbing to the red-line and bleeding energy, punched a hole in reality and slid through warp-space. On the main viewer, the usual glittering warp-tunnel effect had turned redder and redder as the great ship edged closer to speeds never before encountered by man.

Leaning forward in his command chair in the center of a bridge that was silent except for the chirping of the systems and the heavy drone of the laboring warp engines, Captain Christopher Pike knew it still wasn't enough.

"ETA, Mr. Miles?" He asked, breaking the tense quasi-silence. His voice had become brittle.

"Sixteen standard minutes, sir," the young helmsman with the slightly retro hairstyle answered tightly. He sounded, to Pike, like a kid fessing up to an angry parent.

"That's not soon enough," Pike said reproachfully. "Lieutenant Park, I need you to find a faster route to Hazarian system."

The willowy officer turned and dipped her head slightly. Her milky complexion flushed gently at her cheeks. "Captain, we're on the most direct course. There are almost no gravimetric or navigational obstacles...we're on practically a straight line..." She trailed off, coloring some more.

"All right," Pike said quietly. He sat back in his chair and keyed the intercom switch on the armrest panel.

"Engineering here," Chief Louvier's accented voice filtered through the bridge speakers.

"Chief, you have to give us more speed. Whatever it takes, you need to squeeze it out of those engines." Out of the corner of his eye he caught Number One cock her head disapprovingly, but she said nothing, and he didn't acknowledge it.

"With all due respect sir, we're at warp thirteen-point-two. That's already faster than anything is supposed to be able go."

Pike felt an irrational flash of anger. "I don't care about what is 'supposed' to be, Chief. I'm concerned with the environmental cataclysm that will occur is we don't get to Hazarian Prime quickly enough. I'm concerned about the hundreds of millions that will die if we don't get there inside of ten minutes. Get me more power, Pike out." He cut the line more aggressively than he'd intended.

This time, Number One didn't hold back. "Chief knows the stakes, Captain," she admonished gently.

"I'm sure he does," Pike said gravely, "but that doesn't change the facts any. Lynne is counting on us. We're the only hope she has."

"Captain," Lieutenant Spock's firm, dispassionate voice was almost a relief in the tension-wracked bridge. "We have Hazarian Station on the furthest edge of our sensors. It appears to be falling through the planet's mesosphere and will be entering the stratosphere in approximately two minutes.

Pike felt an ice-cold blade stab deeply into the pit of his stomach. "Margin of error, Mr. Spock?"

"Insignificant, Captain."

Pike could only stare at the light show on the viewscreen, stunned by the reality behind Spock's words.

"Chris," Number One said quietly, "we can't get there in time."

He turned to argue with her, but the words weren't there. Her blue eyes just barely betrayed the pain she must have been feeling. Lynne Lucero had been her mentee as much anyone.

"We can't change the laws of physics."

Pike wanted to clamp his eyes shut, dig the heels of his hands into them, do anything to blot out the world and the ugly reality it held. He didn't, of course. When you sat in the center seat, you forfeit the right to any signs of weakness or uncertainty. Instead, he straightened up and took a ragged breath.

"Mr. Spock," he said slowly. "I'll need you to start preparing to direct disaster relief efforts."

"Aye sir."

"Prepare for a mass-casualty event rolling into a terrestrial extinction-level phenomenon."

Spock bowed his head to show his understanding. Around him, the bridge crew exchanged stricken looks. All of them, in their own way, saw the same image of their former crewmate plummeting to the planet's surface, alone atop the massive reactor that would annihilate the world.

I'm so sorry, Lynne...Pike thought.

Starfleet is a promise. But not all promises can be kept.

A captain can't flinch in the face of destruction or death, regardless of who it touches, so Pike kept his gaze fixed on the strobing viewscreen as he offered her a prayer, dredged up from childhood memories, and his ship raced to its rendezvous with cataclysm.