New Eden: The Morning After

After a lengthy healing sleep, Tilly awoke refreshed and eager to start analyzing the core sample she extracted yesterday. It was now the single remaining piece of the asteroid fragment containing metreon-charged dark matter and might hold answers for building a new navigation system for the spore drive, freeing Commander Stamets from the burden. Busy formulating plans for the work, she dismissed any further concerns about seeing May. Sometimes it felt real, sometimes it felt like a vision, but, she reasoned, it was her own subconscious comforting her after the injury and helping her think through a thorny problem. Like her childhood imaginary friend's support when she was lonely.

Now that she felt better, and Michael was back onboard there was no need for anymore conversations with herself via May. Freshly showered and dressed she headed out for breakfast and to catchup with her friends.

After a short troubling sleep, Pike awoke in pain. Any movement sent waves of agony through his injured ribs. His side was covered with third- and second-degree burns and though the skin was starting to regenerate it was intensively sensitive to even the lightest touch. Dr. Pollard avoided dispensing any self-administered pain medication forcing a check-in when he needed a new dose. She must have taken a correspondence course from Dr. Boyce on treatment techniques for senior officers he grumbled to himself as he headed to Sickbay.

ooooo

The mess hall was buzzing with conversations recounting yesterday's events. By the time Tilly sat at a table with Joann Owo and Gen Rhys, she had picked out "Captain", "phaser" and "gravely injured". Her good mood vanished. She liked their new captain, a lot, maybe too much she admitted to herself reluctantly. "Wait," she interrupted their conversation, "is he going to be OK? I mean he must be OK, we can't lose another captain, can we? Maybe we are cursed. But we are lucky to have the chance to serve under Captain Pike, I mean …"

Owo put up her hand to stop the verbal barrage. "According to Bryce, Saru told the bridge officers the Captain will recover."

Rhys added blushing slightly, "Nurse O'Malley told me the same thing last night."

Owo grinned, "A subject we are returning to soon," and adding for Tilly's benefit, "he finally found his courage and asked O'Malley out." But Tilly couldn't focus on anything other than the Captain right now. Rhys ignored the remark and continued, "Joann was filling me in."

"The important bit is the Captain grabbed an overloading phaser from a young girl and fell on it to contain the blast. Literally with his own body. Saved everyone in the room – me, Michael, their priestess, the girl and her father."

Rhys added with a look of awe, "Rumor is he regained consciousness as you were taking him to the church for beam out and tried to walk part of the way."

"Didn't Michael tell you?" Owo asked Tilly.

"I haven't seen Michael since yesterday." Tilly answered absentmindedly. Rhys snapped his fingers to get her attention, "How are you after the accident yesterday? Did you get into trouble?"

"Lecture from Saru, not bad. He understands I did it to help Commander Stamets. I'm late." Tilly left quickly, anxious to get to the quiet privacy of the lab and sort through all the thoughts running through her head.

"That's the fewest number of words I have ever heard from her." Owo said to Rhys as Tilly left. "Now back to your date."

ooooo

Saru tracked Tilly down in the lab. He had hoped the reprimand he delivered to Tilly yesterday for the incident in the shuttle bay was sufficient to end the matter. He was trying to act as a buffer between this crew he loved as his family and the new Captain until they all learned more about how the Captain expected the ship to run and how he reacted to problems. A skill perfected and used under Lorca attempting to protect the crew from the mirror universe captain's more egregious demands and punishments.

But while emphasizing he agreed with Saru's handling of the incident, the Captain decided to speak to Tilly personally. Rather than issue an unnerving and possibly embarrassing ship-wide call for Tilly to report to the Captain, Saru delivered the summons personally.

Tilly counted to thirty to keep herself from rushing in after the chime announced her presence outside the Captain's ready room. She felt like she had been summoned to the principal's office which had never, ever happened to her. Once the Captain responded "Come" she entered the room just enough for the doors to close and tried not to fidget while standing at attention. Thank God I put my hair up this morning or I might be twirling it around my finger right now, she thought to herself.

Pike moved gingerly from the chair to stand in front of his desk and said, "At ease ensign."

He didn't invite her to sit down. That can't be a good, she thought. Staying at attention, she avoided looking directly at him.

Pike leaned against the desk assuring himself that only was to help her settle and not to ease the ache in his side. When there was no change in her posture, he sighed to himself and said quietly. "Ensign your conduct yesterday was worrying. Especially for a member of the Command Training Program. I am disappointed."

No, No, this is worse than I imagined, she thought. I could cope if he yelled, but disappointment? I can't believe I disappointed this Captain. My mother is right, I will never make it to Captain's rank. Will I get to stay on Discovery? He could transfer me and ensure I never serve on any starship. Right now, it was taking all her willpower to keep the tears from starting. Not knowing what to say she simply nodded her head and looked down at the floor.

"Ensign look at me. It is important you acknowledge your actions were ill-considered."

She started to explain why getting the sample was so important. Then looking up and examining his stern expression the constant river of thoughts flowing through her mind stopped. She nodded again.

"Please list the errors you made."

"I … didn't … inform anyone of my plan … not even my direct superior." She said haltingly.

"Did you have a plan?"

She shook her head. If she were honest with herself it was more of an impulse with a couple of precautions rather than a plan. "

"Continue."

"I didn't follow hazard protocol in the shuttle bay."

Pike noticed her shoulders relaxing slightly as she began to understand her rush to explore a worthy idea was the problem. Good, he thought to himself, that's progress.

And then the real Tilly came rushing back. "I didn't ask for the shuttle bay to be cleared as a precaution. I didn't review the sample container specifications with engineering to ensure it would hold the sample. I didn't have my calculations for the extraction laser duration and frequency double checked. I didn't ask a partner to work with me as required when performing an action deemed risky or unsafe onboard the ship. I didn't inform Sickbay or Security I was going to work with potentially hazardous material and get their clearance. I didn't ask anyone for permission. I put myself, the rest of the crew, and the ship at risk. I …"

Pike held up his hand to stop the conversation now that she recognized her actions endangered everyone. He motioned for her to sit and returned to the chair behind the desk. "It's important to learn when and how to break the rules. It must never happen as an impulse. I trust this mistake will not be repeated?" He smiled and she nodded. He continued before she began a 10-minute exposition or bolted out the door, "Good. This is serious and merits discipline, here is what I have in mind…"

Later, Saru found Tilly in the mess hall eagerly working at a table littered with five data pads and three drained expresso cups. She beamed when he walked over and sat down beside her. "I trust your conversation with the Captain was not too difficult?" He asked.

"I was terrified at first. And you were right, I didn't lose my place in the Command Training Program." She held up a data pad. "I've been assigned extra work." Her big smile returned and she continued, "By the end of the week I am required to submit a plan to you, approved by all the relevant department heads, for analyzing the core sample and, if it proves suitable, a project for the command trainees to design and build a prototype for a new navigation interface."

She finished, "Best freakin' amazing punishment ever."

ooooo

Saru had been dancing around the subject for most of the day. He finally seized a moment after Dr. Pollard's finished her crew evaluation report. It was the most assertive conversation from Saru so far. Pike was pleased to see Saru's self-confidence increasing as he braved speaking truth to his new Captain. Or in this case, scolding his new Captain for getting injured. An effective scolding, he admitted.

He suspected communication logs would show Saru had put in a call to Enterprise last night for a "Tips and Techniques for Managing Your Captain" chat between first officers. One that Una would have been all too happy to have and probably invite Dr. Boyce to join in order to brainstorm a wider range of ideas. Pike shook his head and called for Michael to come to the ready room.