Chapter 5
End of July 1998
So after three weeks we returned back to campus. It was definitely an interesting three weeks that brought a lot of awareness, information, kidnapping attempts, threats, but also one hangover laugh and a lot of jokes from our former classmates.
We were still too young in their eyes, but they learned to respect us a long time ago, mainly because we managed to go through four grades in such a short time and pass the exams as the top two of the grade.
Hermione, on the other hand, took the opportunity and hid in America. It helped a lot that I interceded and even Aunt Petunia agreed that she could live with them.
In those three weeks, I had the chance to get to know my family again. Now I can call them that, because they turned out to be people who mattered and I was not indifferent to them. Over the years, I've actually gotten used to the fact that my aunt and uncle are completely different people, as is my cousin. It can be seen that America has helped them a lot in many ways. Any other country in Europe probably wouldn't be far enough for them to escape Dumbledore's clutches. In general, it wasn't even like he could try to force them to tell him where I actually was. I never told them the exact location of the Academy, only that it is not on Earth.
But what was devastating to see was Pavel's desire to see his native Russia. He didn't say it out loud, but he didn't have to say anything at all so that a certain and almost slight envy could not be seen on him, when I could meet my family, while Pavel could not. He acts as if nothing is happening, but I know very well that he is extremely hurt by the feeling of rejection by his own family. I felt the same way when I realized as a child that my relatives would never accept me. Fortunately, it turns out that this is not true at all, and that people can change for the better.
I tried to point this out to Pavel, but it was absolutely clear that he had lost all hope of ever seeing his own family again. Maybe. Maybe one day he will actually see them, maybe his family will realize that they made a mistake by pushing Pavel away, but really just maybe.
My opinion of Pavel being a great young man is somewhat skewed by my feelings for him. It is just my personal opinion that it is impossible not to love Pavel, or not to like him in any way. His friends tell him the same thing, but it's basically not the same situation.
I completely understand his desire for his own family. What makes him different from me is that his parents are still alive. I never recognized mine.
In any case, we all definitely benefited from the time off. I feel much more rested and could just about deal with any problem that anyone throws my way, except perhaps expressing my feelings for Pavel.
I still don't know what to do, and I'm still afraid of how he'll react, but since my outburst at Ron, he's been acting...well...happier? Yes, I definitely feel a lot happier, I just don't know what caused it.
It would certainly be nice to find out, but I'm actually glad that Pavel doesn't worry about anything and is even happier than when I first met him. He definitely has so much energy flowing through him that I envy him for having so much of it. It's a nice change to see him relaxed and not worrying about anything.
We also learned about what ship we would be going on. And for the first time in my life I am lucky. Pavel and I have been assigned to the USS Enterprise as members of the command crew, and we are just waiting for the date when we can sail from the docks-
So I'll have to go because the emergency has started and they're calling us.
Their PADDs started flashing at an unexpected moment.
The message was clear and concise.
Volcano in danger. Immediate embarkation on a rescue mission. Report to your captain!
Harry and Pavel had packed for the trip in advance, but since it was only a rescue mission, they packed what was needed, the lightning speed with which they changed was amazing, but they were trained for this. The two in yellow t-shirts hurried with their reduced luggage towards Captain Pike to transfer to the Enterprise, while the undivided cadets were still waiting to be sorted. They had it easier in that they were informed in advance about where they would go, but also mainly because they were members of the command.
Captain Pike looked at them with some interest and confusion, but said nothing as he looked at their badges.
"Are you Lieutenant Potter?"
"I am, Captain."
“I've heard a lot about you. And about your boyfriend too. It is remarkable that such young people as you two apply to the Academy. No one expected you to make it, we were even more surprised when you made it through the Academy in just two years and in two majors straight away.” Harry couldn't help feeling that their captain couldn't remember Pavel's name.
True, it was a bit of a funny situation, he was sure that Pavel would definitely not be offended because his name, although not difficult to pronounce, was simply a foreign name and their professors had trouble remembering it. And Harry himself had a problem at first. Just weekly.
But their service under Captain Pike was something they both longed for in their own way. They had heard so much about him and captained them more than once during their simulations, they had to admit that the man definitely knew what he was doing.
And then it finally came. Transferring them to the Enterprise was basically their dream come true. Harry was to fulfill the duties of the main shields during this mission and was second in command to the helmsman when needed.
He didn't mind. He didn't need to have such an important role right from the start as Pavel, who performed the function of second helmsman. For now, he was glad to keep to himself and have time and peace to fulfill his duties. He would hate to neglect something. He had a function on the bridge and that was enough for him. It was even more enough for him to be near Pavel and watch over him. Not that he would ever admit it.
The bridge gradually began to fill with other officers and people from the commanding crew, each of them took their place and did their work for which they had their orders.
Harry only became aware of the captain's presence when someone from the crew announced his arrival. He didn't even realize he wasn't actually there.
“Lieutenant Potter. Can you keep up with us?” all attention was currently focused on him and only him.
This was the type of attention he just didn't like and he felt nervous. He wasn't going to throw it away. He was a man on a mission, just like everyone else on board with them. But he still didn't like it when someone tried to underestimate him. Captain Pike did run some flight simulations with them, but that didn't mean he noticed Harry's handling of his duties or not all the time.
“Of course I do, Captain.” and instead of an answer he only received an encouraging smile that gave him the courage to truly master his role and do his absolute best.
There was more and more commotion around him as the bridge gradually began to fill with command. And that was something Harry really liked. He would not be able to work in complete silence. That's why he liked the simulation classes taught by Captain Pike. Because under his command, he felt completely safe, even when they were training the Kobaiasha Maru, which was absolutely the hardest and could not be mastered.
He heard about what Cadet Kirk had done. Who not. His behavior was partly condemned and partly praised by some senior officers for his ingenuity, just as everyone heard that his hearing was scheduled for today to answer for cheating.
And cheating on simulations was something the Academy condemned harshly and mercilessly if they had a good reason to do so. Harry himself was of the opinion that as a cadet in the captain's position, he was definitely a resourceful person who would do absolutely anything to win and be successful, but he was also of the opinion that being successful and winning wasn't everything if you didn't have someone to brag about it and who would actually praise you for it and be proud of you. He shared his successes with Pavel and he with him. That was enough for him. He knew that even if he lost or failed in something, Pavel would always be there for him and would support him, whether it was a complete piece of crap or a huge problem.
Then the flight was finally ordered...
...just to stay put.
Everyone around looked around to see what was going on and why they hadn't moved from their spot and were still where they were five minutes ago.
“Lieutenant, where is the helmsman McCanell?
"He has pneumonia, he couldn't report for duty. I am Hikaru Sulu, sir.”
"And are you really a pilot?"
"Yes, I am, but ... I'm not sure what the problem might be."
"Don't you have the handbrake on, Mr. Sulu?"
"No. I'll figure it out."
"Did you turn off the external inertial damper?"
And then they finally unstuck. Something he had been waiting for for two long years. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Pavel, and his expression was equal to the utter happiness of a five-year-old child who received his dream Christmas present. Harry would say with absolute certainty that his expression was the same as Pavlo's. He wasn't going to judge him for it. After all, this is what they trained for.
“Hey, Russian genius, what's your name? Cherkov, Cheykov?"
“Chekov, sir. Pavel Andrejevic."
"Okay Mr. Chekov Pavel Andreevich, Announce our intention.
"Yes, Captain."
Then Harry heard Pavel try to enter through voice control, and then his Russian muttering when he failed the first time. Even after two years, he still had a heavy Russian accent, and Harry doubted he would ever get rid of it. He briefed the crew on the rescue mission to Vulcan and the estimated time of arrival. He would never have expected what would happen next.
Or rather a few minutes later.
Cadet Kirk, who, as Harry remembered correctly, wasn't allowed on any of the ships, let alone the Enterprise, barged onto the bridge without a single pass and started saying something about flying into a trap.
He definitely had substantiated and verified evidence for this, which even Commander Spock was able to confirm. The only Vulcan on board.
For Harry personally, it wasn't so much that he even got there even though he was barred, but what he was actually saying. For the first time in his life, he felt a significant amount of fear, when he feared not only for the lives of others, but for the first time he also feared for his own.
And that was saying something.
The idea of him flying into a Romulan trap was really real and especially made sense when Cadet Kirk mentioned what the facts and evidence were at Spock's request.
They flew straight into the trap, and Harry couldn't do anything until his captain gave the order. He just hoped he would release it in time. That is, if he releases it at all.
And to Harry's relief it actually did when the shield was ordered to be redirected to the bow of the ship, and seeing the devastation after they reached their destination, he was actually glad that Kirk had gotten aboard the ship despite his ban to warn them .
It was literally a stroke of luck.
Not that it was cause for real joy, as there was no time for that due to evasive maneuvers, and then someone calling themselves Nero called to them, demanding Pike's presence on the enemy ship. The arguments and fear for their captain was clear and obvious and logical, yet Harry wasn't surprised when Pike decided to accede to their enemy's demands.
"Who here has close combat experience?" wasn't really a surprising question either.
They wanted to destroy the receiver jammer and there was no doubt that Romulan enemies would be there as well.
"Me too, Captain." Harry would later say that it made perfect sense to him, but at the moment his mouth was working before his brain and he uttered the sentence with absolutely no thought.
But he never noticed the frightened look of his former classmate.
"Lieutenant Potter, this is not child's play."
“I know, sir. I had self-defense classes at the Academy, from which I received a professional certificate, the moment I managed to beat our instructor six times in a row." their instructor, he was actually the best kickboxer on Earth.
He was recognized by the Federation for what he had accomplished in his life, he was a professional in his field and definitely knew what he was doing, Harry was a natural talent during his training and it was rumored that none of his students had ever beaten him and that the cadet immediately marks a professional if he or she manages to beat him or her at least once. And Harry did it six times in a row in one day, just to prove that it wasn't just his luck.
Pike stared at him with his mouth hanging open.
Harry didn't have to ask why.
No one had ever managed to do what Harry had done, even though Harry had taken self defense classes just in case. It always came in handy because you never knew when someone would decide to attack you.
"Well. Mr. Sulu, Mr. Potter and you Kirk are coming with me. Commander Spock, the ship is now under your command."
Harry was shaking, not sure if it was fear or excitement as he pulled on his protective gear and sat between Kirk and Sulu. He faintly remembered that Kirk was the first officer at the moment, and even faintly remembered the sentence echoing in his mind about whether Pike was joking when he did that. All this was of no use to him now.
Kirk had everything they needed with him, Sulu was getting ready to drop, and Harry was trying to calm his pounding heart as this was the first time he was on a real mission and the first time he would be on another planet. He tried to calm himself down with what Pavel was doing aboard the Enterprise.
"What type of melee combat are you good at, Sulu?" the question took Harry's mind off his thoughts and he listened with interest to Sulu's answer to Kirk's question.
"Sword," was an unusual answer, but considering Helmsman Sulu's background, it made sense to him.
Kirk looked at him with a look of surprise and disbelief on his face. "Sword?" Sulu didn't answer him any further.
“Prepare to drop. Remember, if you don't destroy the jammer, we can't take you back to the ship. Good luck."
Here it was. An action Harry wasn't mentally prepared for, but he wasn't about to show his fear. He knew himself well enough to say that if he could do this, he wouldn't have a problem with anything. He was more or less sure of that.
Before he knew it, he was flying through space towards Vulcan, counting down in his mind how long he had until the landing point on the platform. He couldn't bring himself to think the worst, couldn't bring himself to think about what would happen to him if his visor broke. All he thought about was opening the parachute in time and landing with his feet where he was supposed to.
The Vulcan was slowly getting closer to the point where he could make out the platform that Kirk and Sulu were supposed to land on and he almost overheard the command to open the parachute, That was the end of his fear for him as he knew very well that he could do the rest without any trouble .
He watched with some fear as Kirk nearly fell off the platform but didn't have time to help him as the Romulan was attacking him. He automatically switched to self-defense and attack mode. It was a trait he had cultivated during school. he had to learn to separate school life from the normal life and eventually he was able to apply this method to all activities.
He took on two attackers at once to distract them from Kirk who had explosives on him giving him plenty of time to do whatever he needed to do, however two attackers was a bit much for Harry but that didn't mean he was going to let one or the other escape to stop Kirk from doing what he had to do.
With difficulty Harry was able to knock the one who attacked him unconscious giving Kirk much more time to his task when out of the corner of his eye he saw Sulu rushing towards him with a determined look on his face which was a mistake as the other The Romulan drew his knife at that moment when he saw what Sulu was holding in his hand. Harry wondered if the man really thought he could defeat someone with a katana in hand with a simple knife.
It was a good distraction for Harry, though, as two well-aimed blows were all he needed at this point and the Romulan attacker was lying next to his colleague on the platform. He bound them with his spell just in case they woke up and thought to attack them again.
He heard through the receiver that the interference had been cleared and they could safely transfer them to the Enterprise when he saw Sulu fall over the edge of the platform and Harry jumped after him without thinking. Maybe he would regret it later, maybe it would help him in some way, but he couldn't let anything happen to anyone, even if the mission wasn't under his command.
“Potter Enterprise, transport us please. Me and Sulu are falling.” the closer he got to the ground, the more he felt panic take over him.
An object flew past him, but he didn't care because Kirk had already reported it, and he was finally within reach of his mate, pulling him closer so they could more easily carry them aboard.
"We're doing what we can, but you're falling too fast."
“Then the hell transfer us. Soon you will have no one to carry.”
"Harry hold on. I can do it."
"Pavel the cannon, please! Now would be good.”
Harry closed his eyes before hitting the ground. He didn't want to watch his death. Or the death of someone else. At least he heard Pavel's voice. Not that he was reassured by that, at least somewhat. He hoped that Pavel could carry them back on board. He had the head and knowledge for it.
"I've got you." and only then did Harry relax because if Pavel said I've got you it always meant he'd actually made it and when Harry finally opened his eyes he saw golden beams beaming them aboard the Enterprise and with a hard impact , landed in the transmission room.
"Thanks," Sulu's voice said and Harry sighed along with him.
"You're welcome."
Kirk was already on board as well, Harry could hear him talking at someone a mile a minute, only to find out a moment later that it was Spock who was ushering them somewhere else. After his transfer, he suddenly had Pavel's arms full of him, who held him so tight that he ran out of air in his lungs. Who would have thought that he would have such power.
But it didn't matter. The feeling was so great that Harry couldn't think of anything else, and when he heard the softly spoken "I was worried about you," he knew he was the only one who really heard it, and two flocks of butterflies fluttered in his stomach.
He gently stroked his curly hair and whispered just as softly, “I was scared too. But we're needed on the bridge." But Pavel wasn't done yet when Spock called and asked to be transferred aboard.
The real disaster came when they lost Spock's mother. Not that Pavel wasn't trying, it was clear that he was truly sorry for this loss, but not only because of who the woman was, but also because it was Pavel's first failure, and Harry could see how he put on face mask, and continued on as if nothing had happened.
The next plot was a blur for Harry. One moment Spock was banishing Kirk from the ship to the planet Delta Vega, a deed that Harry didn't like doing at all, and the next he heard Pavel reporting intruders on board the ship, which shouldn't be possible and he was actually surprised when he was on the bridge brought in Kirk along with Montgomery Scott, who Harry only knew from stories and was famous for his attempts at trance mat transmissions and for "losing" Admiral Archer's beagle, then watched as Spock lost his temper and headbutted Kirk with obvious rage in his eyes .
This mission was really weird. Harry was sure of that. Whatever he had expected, it certainly wasn't that two captains would be replaced in one flight, and Spock was obviously supposed to follow. He didn't like where this was going. He was afraid that this mission would turn out to be a complete disaster.
"Doctor McCoy I am no longer able to serve as captain as I have been emotionally affected" and with that Spock left.
Montgomery Scott's comment: “I love this boat. You don't get bored here," he wasn't quite right, but Harry had to agree with the boring part, but he knew Kirk would take Spock's place.
“Well, that's great, Jim. What will we do now? We don't have a captain and we don't have a first mate to replace Spock."
"Actually, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Kirk was appointed first officer when we left for the landing party," Harry answered automatically.
"You've got to be kidding," McCoy said horrified.
Harry just shook his head and saw Lieutenant Uhura looking just as scared as the head doctor.
“I just hope you know what you're doing. Captain.”
No one ever wanted to hear the phrase, "Me too."
Captain Kirk's voice carried through the bridge and the entire ship as he announced what had happened and informed them that he was coming back for Pike. He was somewhat relieved when they set off on an actual rescue mission for their captain, who had indeed told them to come back for him, but Spock wasn't around to hear it.
The possibilities began to be speculated upon, with the help of McCoy, Sulu, and then, surprisingly, Commander Spock, who somehow calmed down. On this day, everything that could go wrong went wrong, and Harry's mind was absolutely nowhere else, so when Pavel poked him with his elbow to get his thoughts back to the bridge, he was a little startled.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I asked you how old you were, Mr. Potter," and something told Harry that the same question had been asked before, just not to him.
"I'll be eighteen, sir."
"Will be?"
"Next week."
“Well, great, Jim. One is seventeen, the other eighteen. Honestly, what the Federation thinks about this, I'd really like to know."
“The Federation accepted us based on our achievements, Dr. McCoy. We had a disadvantage regarding our age and it was a real challenge for me and Pavel, but we managed it. I personally hold doctorates in engineering, physics, applied physics, biochemistry and several others. The academy gave me the opportunity to complete my medical education, so I am a doctor at the same level as you, although not with as many years of experience, but no one complained about my skills at the hospital. Pavel and I then became helmsmen within two years and have a diploma in mechanical engineering.
I don't mean to be rude, Doctor, but I don't think the Federation has any problem at all with Starfleet having a Russian genius with the same Ph.D. he was just bored in class and doing PhDs on anything he could think of."
"Mr. Potter, he is telling the truth. Together with Mr. Chekov, they got into the elite of brilliant students. Not only did they complete their four-year course in record time, but they also surpassed all the results of our past students.
If the Federation should express anything, then it should be words of praise and pride, which, by the way, they really do."
It was something neither Pavel nor Harry knew about. They just settled for a degree and then waited for their first mission, but never heard of the Federation having five praises for them.
“Doctor McCoy. I think saving Captain Pike is in order, don't you think? So if you think our age won't be a problem in this rescue mission, I think using Mr. Scott's trans mat transfer is certainly a good idea and transfer someone to the Romulan ship and rescue the Pika captains."
A certain scramble began as to who would actually go. Harry didn't want to this time. It wasn't even six hours after he came back from his horrible near death experience and he didn't want to repeat this action in such a short time, Kirk was the obvious choice and no one was going to question it, Dr. McCoy made it clear, "I'm a doctor, not a soldier," which almost made Harry laugh, Spock did offer but it only took ten seconds for Kirk to agree and Pavel and Sulu didn't say a word as did Harry.
“Mr Potter. The ship is yours. If we don't come back, fire everything you've got at the Romulan crew even if we're still aboard and report to Starfleet.” Harry raised an eyebrow in unspoken question as to whether or not he was serious, but he didn't get a response as his acting captain had already left .
So he had no choice but to sit in the captain's chair and do as he was told. This action should end as soon as possible, because this ship had too many captains for one day and one mission, and Harry didn't feel like commanding an entire crew and explaining to someone what happened and why he did what he did. Still, he vowed to do what he had to do and what he was told, even if he only had to sit in that chair for ten minutes.
It wasn't like there was anything he could do just yet, they were hidden so they wouldn't be seen on the enemy ship's radar and they couldn't be seen visually either, they weren't allowed to move an inch and be where they were currently parked.
For Harry's taste, the whole action was going too slowly, he didn't communicate with Kirk, he occasionally confirmed something to Spock, but it was too slow. He watched the screen showing both Kirk and Spock's vitals and watched as they gradually got into the heart of the pounding situations and calmed down again, looking at the injuries Kirk had received and making sure neither of them none of them had fatal injuries. He couldn't do anything but this at the moment.
He didn't give orders, he didn't open fire, he just sat and waited for what happened next. Still, he had to do what he could. Although it meant that he was defying the captain's orders, he had to do something. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing, he couldn't sit and wait for their captains to return or for them to die on the Romulan ship. He had to do something, so he decided it was best to launch an attack and try to help somehow.
Later, it might mean that he would never be on the Enterprise again, but if it meant that he would save some lives, it was a small price to pay for sitting around and doing nothing.
And so he gave the orders he thought were right, and together with the crew they went to the aid of the three captains.
And when it was all over, they finally opened the door to the bridge and inside stood a battered Kirk with Spock, trying to convince the Romulans to surrender and let the Federation help them.
"I'd rather die than have the Federation help me!"
"As you wish. Mr. Potter, fire with everything we've got."
Later, Harry confides how he actually felt at that moment, but at that moment he didn't even realize what had happened or what he had done as an order. Clearly these Romulans were dangerous, and being in space they probably had no choice but to eliminate them, but much later, not immediately, not in a week, he would realize what he had done.
Fortunately for them, it's all over now. Everyone went back to their place. But they couldn't move when they were supposed to warp, and Harry listened intently as they tried to get away.
"Captain, if I drop the warp core, its explosion will push us," Pavel spoke up as they argued about what to do in such a short time.
But this was no longer Harry's role in this task. All he could do was move their shields to the back of the ship to protect them from damage to the ship, but there was nothing more he could do.
He was looking forward to taking a hot shower when they landed on the ground and everyone went where they were supposed to go.
After less than an hour, his wish finally came true, with the only difference being that for now he was helping the crew of the bridge to ensure everything they had to, and only then did he and Pavel, who was waiting for him, leave.
On solid ground and nestled in the shower, Harry finally relaxed enough to let his mind wander with all that had happened.
He still had to write a report, but he was assured that it would wait.