Chapter 5
1170 Words
Chapter 5
"So, we're on our way back to Earth?"
"Yep. Because of where we are, it'll take a little while, Bones," she said.
"Don't call me that," he grumbled.
"Why not? It's a nickname. That's what friends do, give each other nicknames," she told him.
"Okay. Why that one?" Bones asked.
"Because you want to be a surgeon. Old nickname for surgeons is sawbones. So, I've decided to dub you Bones. You can give me a nickname if you want, just nothing completely crazy," Jim said.
"I'll think about it, Blondie," he told her.
They looked at each other, "Nah."
"I wanna rock right now, I'm Rob Base and I came to get down. I'm not internationally known but I'm known to rock the microphone. Because I get stupid, I mean outrageous, stay away from me if you're contagious," Bones started.
"'Cause I'm the winner, no, I'm not the loser, to be an M.C. is what I choose 'a. People love me, they adore me, I mean even the ones who never saw me like the way that I rhyme at a show. The reason why, man, I don't know. So let's go, 'cause," Jim added.
"It takes two to make a thing go right," they both sang horribly. "It takes two to make it outta sight."
"And I thought I was old," Miss Pippa said from Bones' doorway. "At least it's appropriate for the two of you. I feel like I'm watching the magic happen."
"Magic would be use writing our own songs," Bones chuckled. "Since we both have horrible singing voices, I doubt that's gonna happen."
The newly turned twelve and thirteen year olds –Leonard's birthday was sixteen days after Jim's- were supposed to be working on an assignment. Between Leonard's scientific aptitude and Jim's engineering expertise, they finished it in record time and started singing random songs while they were hanging out.
"Well, at least…" Jim started but a Red Alert cut her off. Pippa looked at the two young teens.
"Go to your shuttle," the doctor told them. Their trip home was delayed a little because they picked up a distress signal and detoured. Jim wasn't sure what was going on but she wasn't gonna argue.
"Yes, ma'am," they both said as the doctor ran to sickbay. Jim and Leonard did as they were told and headed to the shuttle bay, unfortunately, they were blocked off. She pulled Leonard into an alcove before they were spotted.
"Oh, s**t," Jim muttered. "Nausicaan pirates."
"I assume that's bad," Leonard whispered. Jim nodded and pushed him into the lab they were standing outside of.
"Means the distress call was a fake," she told her friend while she directed him to the access panel to the Jefferies tubes. Nausicaans were known for their lack of subtlety and a surly, ill-tempered attitudes. Jim doesn't know how they got on the ship but she wasn't gonna let them win. "Get in."
"What are you gonna do?" he asked.
"I'm right behind you, Bonesy, I just gotta do one thing," Jim said. Using the access codes that Becker didn't know she picked up from him, she hacked the system and locked out the ship's computer. Intruders on the ship meant that the bridge might not be in the command staff's control. If someone got their hands on the information in their system, it would be very bad.
"Come on, Jim," Bones said, worry in his voice. She heard someone outside the door and knew she was out of time. Jim grabbed the PADD off the table and climbed into the tubes with Bones. He pulled the panel closed as soon as she was in. It was just in time too, a Nausicaan soldier checked the room and left a minute later. "What are we gonna do?"
"We gotta get to the Auxiliary Bridge," she told him. "It's the only way to run the ship since I locked the main bridge out."
"So bugging the chief engineer was helpful?" he asked as they crawled.
"Yep. Come on."
"You didn't show me this on the tour," Bones muttered as they dropped down into the Auxiliary Bridge.
"That's because I'm not supposed to know it's here," she shrugged.
"This is what your dad meant about you knowing the ship better than Commander Becker, isn't it?" he asked.
"Nope. Because I'm smaller than Becker, I mapped the whole ship by climbing around in the Jefferies tubes," Jim said as she read the screens in front of her. "They're using the transporters for something."
"Reinforcements?" Bones asked as he moved to another console.
"Possibly. Or they're sending the crew to the surface of the planet off our starboard hull. One is bad and the other is worse," she said.
"So what are we gonna do? We can't exactly fight them," he said.
"Can't we? 'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will'," Jim told him.
Bones rolled his eyes, "What genius said that?"
"Gandhi. You really gotta start reading something other than anatomy stuff, Bones," she chuckled.
"I think I'm good. What are you doing?" he asked.
"I just locked them out of the transporters so that I can use them," Jim said.
"Use 'em how?" He looked at her like she was crazy.
"Everyone who's supposed to be on this ship is in the system, registered by DNA scan. It's part of the physical that Miss Pippa does when new crew members get here. I'm gonna beam the people not in the system into the brig. I've also initiated the weapons deactivation program," she told him as her hands went flying. She's seen Becker use the transporter a million times, she just hopes she gets it right.
"You disabled the computers, locked out the transporters and beamed the pirates into the brig?" her dad asked. Jim nodded. He laughed, "Why am I not surprised? I knew you weren't just messing with Becker in engineering, you were actually paying attention."
"I told you I was. Bones helped," she said.
"I didn't do anything but make sure you didn't get yourself killed," Bones muttered.
"That helped. I couldn't do anything if they caught me," she said.
"Is that what you're gonna do when you join up? Engineering?" the captain asked.
"No, sir. I want to go command," she told him. "There's no reason why I can't be a captain who knows engineering."
"You'll be like George. He was a double focus; security and tactical," Chris said.
"Really? You can have two focuses?" Jim asked.
"Yep. Usually only the brilliant cadet even attempted it though. I think you and do it. When you're older," her dad said.
"You just want to keep me around," she teased.
Her dad chuckled, "Of course I do."
"He's not the only one. You kids saved the ship," Captain Dolman said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir," they both said. The ship's commanding officer smiled, whispered something to her dad and left the room.
"What he say?" Miss Pippa asked.
"Classified," her dad said. "Come on, I think ship rescues call for ice cream."
"What are we, six?" Bones asked.
"Yea, dad. We can get ice cream on our own," she said. "Thanks for the offer though. Come on, Bones."
"Did you see their faces?" Bones asked when they walked into the corridor.
"Well, we did save the day."
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