All Things Inherit – Twelve (complete) – DizzyDrea

Chris sat cross-legged on the floor of the meditation room in T’Pau’s home. She’d offered it when she discovered that Sentinels and Guides meditated regularly. It had fascinated her, which had amused Chris.

The meditation lamp sat in the middle of the room, unlit. Chris was on the fence about using it. He’d not been very successful in reaching a meditative state by himself up to that point. Len had been able to guide him into meditation more than once, but he always threw himself out of it after very little time because he was still on high alert due to their circumstances.

This was his first attempt since their arrival on Vulcan, and he was still unconvinced that he’d be able to read a meditative state, considering his past failures, but he’d agreed to at least try. He’d requested that Len stay away, because he needed to learn to do this on his own. She’d grumbled but finally agreed to let him find his own way.

He lit the lamp and took a deep breath, resting his hands palm up on his knees as he closed his eyes and sought to calm his mind. He hadn’t wanted to risk zoning on the flame, so instead, he imagined the flame in his mind’s eye, watching it dance and flicker as if it were alive.

The more he relaxed, the more his mind began to wander. Interestingly, it wasn’t thoughts of crew changes or engine updates that pushed at him. He seemed to just… float, as if on a river. The flicker of the flame continued to guide him, drawing him away from his everyday cares and worries. Each one seemed to shimmer bright as a star in the distance, but for once, he didn’t feel the need to pull them close and examine them. He just… let them be.

All at once, the air around him changed. He opened his eyes, only to be greeted by blue. Blue sky, blue grass, blue trees. Just… blue, as far as the eye could see. He got to his feet and turned in a circle, but the view never changed. It was all blue and ethereal, as if it were there and yet not. He couldn’t explain it, but he wasn’t afraid of it either.

When he’d finally come full circle, he found a beautiful woman in a white, flowing dress, standing before him.

“Who are you?” he asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

Len had told him about the presence that many Sentinels and Guides had felt over the years during meditation, and about the community’s belief that spirit guides were manifestations of that presence.

The woman smiled at him, brilliant and kind. “I am exactly what you think I am, Christopher Pike.”

“And why have you drawn me here?” he asked. “Where are we, anyway?”

“You are on the psionic plane,” she said. “And I did not draw you here. You sought me out.”

“Huh,” he said, utterly surprised. “I guess the meditation lamp worked.”

“It gave your mind a focus,” she said, nodding in agreement. “It is a technique I have not seen used before among your kind, but I find that it serves you well. Your mind is… difficult to quiet.”

Chris chuckled. “You could say that.”

“You have done well in the time you have been awake,” she said. “I am pleased with your progress, as is your Guide.”

“Len’s been an invaluable resource for me,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better Guide.”

“Such is the way of things,” she said. “Your fates intertwined as they were meant to, and you have formed a strong bond as a result.”

“Our fates,” he said. He shook his head. “This was not supposed to be my fate.”

“This was always your fate, Christopher Pike,” she said. “You were always meant to be as you are now. Despite the interference of the Klingons, you were able to find your way to the correct path.”

Chris felt the shock of that ripple through him. “But I thought I was supposed to be crippled for life?”

“Consider the source,” she said, smiling kindly at him. “A Klingon monk is still a Klingon. The only fate worse than being the sole survivor of an event is being injured to the point of disability. They assumed you would suffer unimaginably because that is how they would respond when you met your fate.

“You see, the time crystal is just a vessel; it is the one who holds the crystal that guides the vision. They did not look beyond that moment, and so they did not see your survival. Could not imagine it because that is not their way.”

“So, they let me believe something that wasn’t true,” he said, frowning.

“They allowed you to believe it because that would make your decision to follow through with your plan more worthy of their respect,” she said. “After all, today is a good day to die.”

“Except, I didn’t die,” he said.

“No, you did not,” she said. “The future is yours. Your path is clear. Your only decision now is whether to walk it or not.”

Chris blinked in surprise. “I have a choice?”

“Of course, you do,” she said, smiling at him as if he were a child. “You have free will, as all sentient beings do. It is—and always has been—your choice. But as with all things, there are consequences for the choices you make. Choose wisely.”

“That’s what my future self was trying to tell me,” he muttered. He looked at the woman, frowning. “He made it seem like I had no choice but to go through the accident, because disabling out of the fleet made room for someone else who’d make different decisions than I would.”

“The Christopher Pike that appeared to you from the future was not a Sentinel,” she said. “You are not the same person, nor will you ever be that person again. You are a hunter, a protector, a… blunt instrument in a world in need of something more violent to win the day.”

“The Vulcan Hello,” Chris said.

She inclined her head in approval. “As all Sentinels and Guides are, you are my tool on the mortal plane. The instrument of my choosing. You will protect all that you hold dear. I find honor in that.”

It was an echo of what Tenavik had said to him. He’d been through the crucible not once but twice, and now he was a new man on a new path. It was daunting.

“Will I ever meet you again?” he asked.

“I am always with you, Christopher Pike,” she said. Duke shimmered into view beside her. She tangled her fingers in his fur as he rubbed his head against her body. “You need only reach out for me, and I will meet your need. As it has always been. As it will always be.”

She faded from view, but Duke remained. He crossed the distance between them, appearing larger than he’d ever been on Earth. He bumped his huge head against Chris’ chest, a satisfied rumble vibrating against his breastbone.

Chris tangled his hands in Duke’s fur, much as the woman had done. “I get it, buddy. We’re a team.”

Duke gave one more chuff before he, too, disappeared. Chris could still feel his presence, stronger now than before. He opened his eyes, not realizing he’d even closed them, only to find himself sitting in the meditation room on Vulcan.

T’Pau sat serenely on the other side of the meditation lamp, legs folded elegantly, hands resting on her knees in a mirror of his own pose.

She opened her eyes, favoring him with a sparkling gaze. “You are a wonder, Christopher Pike. I have never experienced the presence of psionic energy. It is… indescribable.”

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Spock explained to me once that Vulcans have never been able to master psionic energy the way Sentinels and Guides have. I wouldn’t want to cause you harm just by doing something so innate to my nature.”

“Be at peace, Christopher,” she said. “I am well. I believe I understand now why it is so difficult for Vulcans to reach the psionic plane.”

“And why is that?” he asked curiously.

She tilted her head, as if contemplating the question. “We are beings of logic. It has been so since the Reformation, when Surak first introduced the principles by which we now live. Were it not for his work, we would have been consumed in a fire of our own making.”

“How does that relate to psionic energy?” he asked.

“The psionic plane is heavy with empathic weight,” she said. “It is… emotion, given form. To a Vulcan, that is anathema.”

Chris smiled. “I call bullshit on that. I have a Vulcan first officer. I know you guys have powerful and sometimes violent emotions. You practice logic to keep a lid on them, but they’re still there.”

“Yes, and that lid, as you so eloquently put it, would be… blown off?” Chris smiled and nodded at her correct use of a human metaphor. She nodded. “That lid would be blown off with extended contact with the psionic plane. We shy away from it on instinct, but now I believe I understand what that instinct is.”

“And what is it?”

“Self-preservation,” she stated simply. “Too much exposure to the psionic plane and we would revert to the savages we once were.”

“Then I’m sorry for that,” he said. “There’s beauty and peace on the psionic plane. More than I’ve ever known in my life.”

“Perhaps we can author a paper on the subject together,” she said, one eyebrow raised. “Two sides of the same experience.”

“That would be…” Chris paused, searching for the right word. When he landed on it, he smiled. “Satisfactory. That would be satisfactory.”

T’Pau inclined her head, agreement and acknowledgment in one. She moved as if to get up, forcing Chris to his feet immediately. He reached out his hand, only to be met with a frown.

“I am not infirm,” she told him tartly.

Chris laughed. “And I’m not suggesting you are. You have, however, been sitting on the floor for an extended period. Your legs must be falling asleep by now. I know mine were. A little help won’t dent your dignity as much as falling flat on your face would.”

“Your logic is sound,” she said with as much of a frown as any Vulcan ever showed. She took his hand and allowed him to help her get her feet under her. When he was sure she wasn’t going to fall over, he let go. “Thank you. It is more difficult now than it used to be to rise after meditation. I have a personal lamp in my quarters that is far less undignified to reach.”

“I imagine so,” he said, smiling at her.

He offered his arm and was gratified that she took it without argument. They left the meditation room and, once in the hall, he found Len leaning against the wall opposite the door, waiting for him.

“You two okay?” she asked as they emerged.

“Everything’s fine, Len,” he said. He dropped T’Pau’s arm and leaned over to drop a kiss on Len’s forehead. “We were just talking about the psionic plane. It’s… beautiful.”

Len’s eyes widened. “You saw it? And you came back?”

“I did,” he said. He glanced at T’Pau before looking back at Len. “I’ll tell you about it later. Suffice to say it put to rest some lingering doubts I had about my path.”

Len looked at him with a critical eye, but she must have been satisfied with what she saw and felt from him because she just nodded slowly. “I’m looking forward to that conversation.”

“Perhaps some tea is in order,” T’Pau said as she breezed past them. “We can talk more about the psionic plane and plan our paper.”

“Your paper?” Len asked incredulously. “I leave you alone for an hour, and now suddenly you’re writing research papers with T’Pau of Vulcan?”

Chris laughed as he threw his arm around Len and guided her down the hall toward the room T’Pau favored for afternoon tea. “It’ll be fun. I’ll even let you read it before we publish.”

“Damn Vulcans and their damn logic,” Len muttered. “I can just imagine how this’ll go over with the Federation’s S&G Council.”

“Hey,” he said, stopping and turning her to face him. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“I do,” she said, softening visibly. “With everything I have and everything I am.”

“And I trust you,” Chris whispered. ” As it has always been; as it will always be.”

“As it has always been; as it will always be.” Len took a ragged breath. “I’ve heard that before. It… resonates with me.”

“If I had to guess, you’ve been to the psionic plane before,” he said. “Maybe it isn’t so much that few ever do, but that most don’t remember.”

“And you do?” she asked.

“I do,” he said. “I think I need to remember.”

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s not keep T’Pau waiting. We can talk about this later.”

Chris just smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips before they turned and headed for the sitting room just down the hall. Chris knew he’d be thinking about this long after conversations and curiosity died down. It had been a humbling experience, and one he knew he’d never forget.

~0~

Epilogue

Len and Chris materialized on the transporter pad aboard the Enterprise, encountering the smiling face of Lieutenant Kyle and the equally taciturn face of Commander Spock.

“Welcome aboard, Captains,” Spock said, nodding in greeting.

Len frowned at being greeted by her rank. It was months old by this point, but she was no less thrilled by it now than she’d been when she was first notified.

Chris smiled as they descended the steps. “It’s good to be back home, Spock. Everything good here?”

“We are awaiting some crew transfers that the Vulcans are facilitating,” Spock said. “Once that is complete, we shall be ready to get underway.”

“Good,” Chris said. “Anything else I need to know about?”

“Doctors M’Benga and Chapel arrived on board just before we departed Earth,” Spock said as they headed out of the transporter room. “They are settling in as we speak.” He turned to Len. “The supplies and equipment you requested from Starfleet were delivered an hour ago. An additional crate was delivered from the VSI in that same transfer. Your staff is exceedingly curious to know what you have procured for them. I have left that conversation for you.”

“What did you ask for?” Chris asked her as they entered the lift. He grabbed the handle and requested the bridge.

There was barely a lurch as the lift rose through the ship. Len huffed. At least they’d worked that kink out. Her experience using the lift on other ships hadn’t been nearly as smooth.

“Among other things, I requested a full medical suite, including drugs, specifically for use with Mr. Spock and any other Vulcans who may end up on board,” she said. “And I asked for a REM for Sickbay. Starfleet couldn’t seem to move fast enough. I barely had the request out of my mouth, and they were already making calls to get one manufactured specifically for Enterprise.”

Chris stared at her for what seemed like an inappropriate amount of time, but it was Spock who spoke. “How did you convince them of the need? Considering the limited space aboard a starship, I would have expected them to decline.”

Len shrugged. “I told them that if they were going to insist on using technology that produces Delta radiation, they had an obligation to outfit the ship with a device that could be used to treat it. We can treat every other damn condition in the known galaxy. Now we can treat this one, too.”

“Well done, Len,” Chris said, smiling fondly at her. “Though how you’re going to get it to fit into Sickbay is a mystery.”

“Oh, the company that did the original design created a unit that can be deployed on a starship,” Len said, waving away his concern. “I gave them the specs for Sickbay, and they actually came up with a portable unit that can be attached to a bio bed. We’re going to install it in an isolation room, but otherwise, it doesn’t need anything special. It’s even set up to draw power directly from the ship’s engines when necessary. Mr. Scott is already enamored, as I understand it.”

“I’ll bet,” Chris said, smiling as he shook his head. “We may never get him out of Engineering at this point.”

The lift arrived on the bridge, and they all stepped out. Someone called out, “Captains on the bridge,” which made Len frown again.

“Relax, Len,” Chris said, patting her lightly on the shoulder. “It’s just a formality because we’re boarding for the first time. They won’t keep it up.”

“Your lips to God’s ears,” she muttered as she took her place behind and to Chris’ left as he settled into the captain’s chair.

“Lieutenant Uhura, shipwide communications, please,” Chris called out over his shoulder.

Len glanced behind her to see the young officer manning the comms console flip a couple of switches. She winked at Len as she hit the last button. “Shipwide comms at your discretion, Captain.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” he said. He cleared his throat and pressed the comm button on the arm of his chair. “Attention, all crew. This is your captain.”

He settled back in his seat as he spoke. “As you know, Enterprise has been assigned a five-year exploratory mission on the frontier. It is our supreme honor to carry the banner of the Federation beyond the reaches of our border. We go forth with courage and determination, with curiosity and eagerness, and with the knowledge that we will have each other’s backs every single day.

“As you are no doubt aware, I came online as a Sentinel some months ago,” he went on. “I have spent the last six months training my senses as I worked with Commander Spock and the rest of the command crew to prepare Enterprise for this journey. Along with my new senses comes a Guide, Doctor Eleanor McCoy, Enterprise’s new CMO. She holds the rank of captain, but she is not currently a line officer.”

Just then, Commanders Martin and Gallatin arrived on the bridge. Remy headed immediately for his station across the bridge from Communications, while Hugo stood next to his station. He wasn’t a bridge officer, so he was probably just here for moral support. Chris nodded at both of them.

“We have many new crew members aboard, some Sentinels and Guides, and others from various Federation worlds. It’s my hope that those of us who’ve been aboard Enterprise for a while will make our newcomers welcome. We’re going to be working together for the next five years, so let’s make the most of the time we have together. Pike out.”

He hit the comm button to disconnect, resettled himself, which Len could feel was a nervous gesture. What he had to be nervous about, she didn’t know, but she could hazard a guess. This was all new territory for him: being a Sentinel and being the ship’s captain. She had every faith in his abilities as a Sentinel, and a wealth of reports and medals to tell her that he was the finest captain in the fleet. She knew he believed in himself—in them as a team—but it was still unknown how the crew would react to them.

“Captain, I’m receiving a message from Starfleet Command,” Uhura said before he could open his mouth to give the order to depart.

“On screen,” Chris said.

Admiral April appeared on the viewscreen, literally larger than life. “Captain Pike, I understand you’re preparing to depart Vulcan.”

“Yes, sir,” Chris said. “Any last words of advice?”

“Don’t give away the homeworld,” April said, drawing a chuckle out of the bridge crew. “Just keep your heads on a swivel. We’ve had reports of activity on the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone, and there have been reports of Klingon sightings on the frontier.”

“They’re probably looking for the same things we’re looking for: resources and allies,” Chris said.

“It’s highly likely,” April said. “Just keep a weather eye on that situation. We’d rather not reopen hostilities with the Klingons, though I doubt that’s their aim. They’re still recovering from the war, same as us, even though it’s been years.”

“Do we have permission to engage diplomatically with either race if we encounter them?” Chris asked.

“That would be my preference,” April said. “If you think you can keep a lid on your Sentinel instincts long enough to avoid shooting at them.”

“I’ll shoot back if fired upon,” Chris said, “but otherwise, I’ll keep the phasers locked and loaded but holstered.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” April said. “Good luck out there. Fair winds and following seas, Captain. April out.”

“What are the odds we’ll run into any Klingons or Romulans out there?” Lieutenant Chekov asked from his tactical station.

“Better than I’d like,” Chris said, glancing at Spock, who had just raised an eyebrow at him. He turned back around and looked at the young Lieutenant. “Just keep those phasers at the ready, and study up on the Vulcan Hello.”

“Aye, sir,” Chekov said, smiling.

It disturbed Len how bloodthirsty the young man seemed, but his personnel file said he was a latent Sentinel, so the likelihood that an encounter with the Klingons would bring him online was pretty high. She’d have to keep an eye on that situation.

“Lieutenant Sulu,” Chris called out to their new helmsman. “Plot a course for the frontier, warp four.”

“Warp four, aye, sir,” Sulu said, fingers flying across his console. “Course plotted and laid in.”

Chris smiled, glanced at Len, who nodded. She was ready. They were ready. The galaxy had no idea what was about to hit them.

“Hit it, Mr. Sulu,” Chris said.

The ship eased out of orbit and seemed to hang there in space for just a heartbeat before it blasted forward like it was being shot out of a cannon.

~Finis

<img src="https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/74salteg3e3w4cxkhksvk/ATI-Cast-Collage.png?rlkey=ws56io4rnl7g5h63btph1c7p8&dl=0"alt="All Things Inherit Cast Collage"
Cast (from top left):
Anson Mount, David Strathairn, Adrian Holmes, Jess Bush, Zachary Quinto, Sam Neill, Sela Ward, Jean Reno, Damian Lewis, Stana Katic