Dear Irina
Part 2
Stardate 4190.7
Dear Irina,
It was wonderful to hear from you. Thanks for the birthday wishes. It's a little lonely celebrating a birthday by myself. I'm pretty sure no one here knows, so your remembering was really nice.
I was pleased to be able to catch up on some of your life since you left the Academy. I know that it was a difficult decision for you and I'm glad that it seems to be turning out so well. It sounds like you and your Dr. Sevrin are doing some very interesting research. Although, since you and I both know that paradise is somewhere near Moscow, I wonder why you aren't looking closer to home for Eden? (That was a joke Irina Galliulin, something you always said I wouldn't recognize if it hit me in the face.) Anyway, good luck with your research. I'd like to meet this Dr. Sevrin. Maybe we will all sit down one day and compare our experiences.
I am taking your advice to wait and not make any hasty decisions about leaving the Enterprise. I still don't understand the dynamics of this ship, but I am beginning to get a glimpse into the characters of my fellow bridge officers. You know that I have been troubled by some behavior, but as time goes by and I learn more about them I am beginning to feel a little more comfortable here.
Let me catch you up on what happened after we left Altair 6. Remember I told you that Captain Kirk ran into trouble on the planet? Well, he spent some time in Sickbay recovering from the beating he received in prison. The captain apparently also picked up some kind of bug from his stay on Vulcan. I understand that it will take a while before he is fully recovered. It apparently isn't contagious, because when I asked Dr. McCoy if he was in danger of catching the captain's illness, he looked at me as if I was insane. Then he said that if anything on Vulcan bit him, he'd bite back. I have absolutely no idea what that means. The doctor sometimes has a strange sense of humor, though I'm not really sure that he was making a joke.
I asked Lieutenant Uhura about Captain Kirk's legal troubles on Altair 6 and she told me to mind my own business. Sulu, who I've been getting to know and is becoming a friend, told me the same thing. I'm dying of curiosity, but I guess that since Captain Kirk is still in command, he must have worked things out. I suspect that Starfleet didn't buy the idea that the captain single-handedly sabotaged a whole planet. Even this captain is probably not capable of that.
As we head out into space to look for the Constellation, I have to admit that my job is great. I don't wake up every morning waiting for someone to realize they make a mistake. At least not every morning! I seem to have the confidence of the captain and Mr. Spock. I am now the permanent alpha shift navigator and I work closely with all the members of the bridge crew. Captain Kirk hasn't been on the bridge all that much because he is still on light duty, but when he is there he is patient and takes the time to work with me. I am still confused about him. How could someone who is such an excellent commander allow his crew to deviate from lawful behavior? I just don't get it.
I have to go now. I was just paged by Mr. Spock. I hope I'm not in trouble. I'll let you know what happens.
With love, Pavel
Stardate 4791.2
Dear Irina,
You aren't going to believe this. Do you know why Mr. Spock paged me? Somehow, Sulu found out that it was my birthday and he arranged a party for me. I walked into the briefing room, expecting to find Mr. Spock ready to discipline me for some error, and instead all the bridge crew and a lot of others were there. There was a cake and something that Uhura said were blinis with caviar. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but those blinis were no more Russian than she is and that caviar never saw the inside of a sturgeon. But, it's the thought that counts and this was one of the most thoughtful things I could imagine. Mr. Scott, he's chief engineer, had synthesized some vodka (much better than the blinis) and everyone drank a toast to me. It really made me feel like a part of the crew.
Even the captain came to the party. He and Dr. McCoy arrived a bit late. Captain Kirk joined in the toast and ate some of the blinis. In the middle of a bite of blini, he turned the most astonishing shade of pink. At first I thought it was because he knew what a blini ought to taste like, but Doctor McCoy hustled him out so fast that I guess it's because he's still ill. Mr. Spock left with them. It put a damper on the party because everyone is worried about the captain's health. But, it certainly didn't change my feelings about my crewmates. What a great bunch of people I work with.
Irina, do you know what a "lirpa" is? As McCoy was pushing the captain out of the room, I heard him mutter something like, "Damn lirpa, damn bugs." I didn't hear him too well. Do you think a lirpa is some kind of Vulcan disease? The captain kept rubbing his chest as if it hurt. Maybe lirpa is a lung disease. I think I'll try to look it up if I have time.
I'll write more soon. It's time for my duty shift and we are nearing the last location for the Constellation. I can't wait to meet Commodore Decker. I wonder if he's as impressive as they say. Of course, Captain Kirk isn't exactly what I expected.
Love,
Pavel
Stardate 4240.7
Dear Irina.
I still can't believe what happened. This ship is either blessed or cursed and I can't say which. Do you remember the Russian saying "May you live in interesting times"? Well, these have certainly been interesting times. I'm not sure that your friend Pavel isn't better suited to something a little more boring.
We came upon the Constellation, but not before finding an entire dead star system. I can't tell you which system because that information is classified. Suffice it to say that only rubble and debris were left of what had once been a living system of planets. It was horrible. The Constellation just hung in space, not answering any of Uhura's hails. It looked as dead as the system it was supposed to protect. The captain and a landing party beamed over to the ship and found that only Commodore Decker was left on board. Captain Kirk had the commodore beamed over to the Enterprise while he and some engineers stayed behind to see if they could get the ship to operate. I'm not sure what happened to the Constellation's crew. Scuttlebutt has it that Decker beamed them down to a planet that was destroyed.
Irina, a lot of what happened next is classified. I'm not allowed to say what destroyed the planets and nearly destroyed the Constellation. What I can tell you is that I had the chance to watch Commodore Decker, a commander who goes by the book, and I think I'll take Captain Kirk any day. Decker took command of the Enterprise from Mr. Spock while the captain was still on the Constellation. He tried to use our ship to destroy the device that had damaged the Constellation. Even after it was pretty clear that the Enterprise wasn't going to fare better than the Constellation, Decker wouldn't quit. He kept citing rules and regulations. Captain Kirk was furious. I could hear his outrage as he spoke to Decker. He wasn't about to let blind obedience to rules destroy the Enterprise. But the captain was on the Constellation and it seemed to me that there was nothing he could do. Ha! I should have known better.
I watched as the commodore was willing to sacrifice this ship and crew and the landing party on the Constellation for a pretty uncertain result. He ignored Mr. Spock's advice and Captain Kirk's orders and put us all in harms way. Finally, on Captain Kirk's order, Mr. Spock relieved him of command. I wasn't sure if security would relieve the commodore since he outranked both Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, but on the Enterprise it's clear where the crew's loyalty lies. It was pretty hard to watch, but in my opinion it was the right thing to do and it saved all our lives. Except Commodore Decker. He was killed in the line of duty.
I also watched Captain Kirk's willingness to sacrifice himself to save all of us. With every expectation that he might be killed, Captain Kirk stayed behind on the Constellation in order to destroy a device that could have been a threat to the Federation. It wasn't by the book, but it worked. Which captain would I choose to serve under? I think the answer is clear. I'm just not sure that I'm suited for this kind of work. Irina, I have to confess, I was scared to death.
Writing this down has really helped me sort some things out in my mind. I watched Mr. Spock while the transporter malfunctioned as Captain Kirk beamed back to the Enterprise, and I think that my original assessment of him was correct. There is definitely something underneath that Vulcan façade. He clearly cares about what happens to Captain Kirk, since I got the feeling that he was practically jumping out of his skin while he waited for Mr. Scott to fix the transporter. Nothing showed on the outside. He just kept saying, "Mr. Scott, Mr. Scott," over and over, but those two words spoke volumes.
The captain might be unorthodox in his command style, but he clearly would sacrifice his life for this ship and crew. You can't expect more, and I don't think that I would want to serve under someone who would give less. Also, some people who I have come to respect clearly worship him. McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu are unusually protective of him and seem to have real affection for the captain. That's pretty rare. Respect yes, but affection? I'm not all that experienced (another joke, Irina) but I'm certain that there is more than the usual rapport between this captain and his crew. I'm just not sure where I fit in. I don't know whether I'm suited to this kind of service. I know that I wanted the Enterprise more than anything I've ever wanted before, but I'm learning a lot about myself here. I think I may be better suited to a quieter life. Is there any chance of my joining up with you and working on your research? Please let me know.
Captain Kirk is back in Sickbay again. No one is really talking about it, but I can't help wondering whether the stress of this last mission made him sicker. I hope he recovers soon, because I think I've made a decision about my future, and I'd like to tell him first. I think I owe him that much since he's put so much confidence in me. I hope he won't think I'm letting him down.
Write soon.
Love, Pavel