Area 51, Stardate 1986.29 (2260.29)

The moment they were beamed aboard the ship, they all knew that an attack was happening. The ship was in Red Alert and shook as they were hit. A crewman quickly came up to help take Amara back to their quarters. Elyse was still wounded but at this point she was thinking about the ship and the crew...not herself. She opened her mouth to start to argue with Jim and tell him she was alright to take her post, but one look from he and Leonard caused her to close her mouth and agree to go to sickbay. 

Down in Engineering, Scotty and Sofia were racing to get the Warp Drive back up. There was no playful banter or arguing now. They worked together so well that they almost didn't need to say anything. They each knew exactly what they needed to do. The only speaking that was done was when they were calling out orders to the crewmen.

Scarlett and Jim were still in their scrubs from the hospital. There was no time to remove them before getting onto the bridge...not with the ship being attacked. They got onto the bridge and they both immediately looked at the view screen and saw a large, almond shaped ship. It didn't look like any ship Scarlett had ever seen before, but clearly it had the capabilities to fire energy bursts.

Scarlett quickly took her station. "Scanning now Captain," she said as she used the sensor to scan the odd ship.

Lucia fired the phasers at the ship but they just weren’t doing much damage to it. “Captain, this ship has some kind of ablative hull. Phasers aren’t penetrating their ship,” she said in an urgent tone.

“Dump all phaser power to the shields and auxiliary power to the inertial dampers. Prepare photon torpedoes,” Kirk said as Scarlett turned to face him.

“Captain, they do have a propulsion system but it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. They are using some kind of resonance from the very tip of their ship that pulls the ship forward instead of pushing it like normal propulsion,” She said. “You heard her Lucia, fire at the nose,” Kirk said and Lucia did.

On the front screen there was a bright flash of light that destroyed the first torpedo but the second and third ones hit very near the coned tip of the ship. The ship actually made some sort of sound as if it was hurt and Scarlett began to read Etarian lifesigns aboard.

“Kal, keep us beneath them and as much to their rear as possible,” Kirk said. Their ship was more maneuverable then theirs was but he hoped they could damage its warp propulsion systems and get theirs repaired before they were destroyed.

As the Enterprise and the ship exchanged fire again Scotty was thrown so hard he nearly fell off the catwalk he was on. Sofia would have had no time to help him either. “Get those constrictors back in place!” Scotty barked as he stood back up. He felt his forehead and there was moisture there. He was bleeding but he had had worse.

“Scotty,” Kirk said over the ship’s intercom. “We need Warp speed!” Kirk said quickly. Scotty just rolled his eyes. “We’re workin as fast as we kin Captain!” Scotty replied. As if Kirk didn’t know that already!

McCoy was working on a very agitated Elyse. “If you keep moving, this is only going to take longer!” Leonard snapped at her. They had been arguing since they entered sickbay. He had pulled his medical rank on her when she asked him t just slap a bandage on her. He threatened to remove her from duty altogether when she refused to get onto a bed.

Scarlett and Spock shared a glance between them when they heard the sound that the Etarian ship made when it was hit by their weapons. It had sounded as if the ship itself was hurt. Could they really have made a ship entirely from organic material? And even so, would it actually make a wounded sound?  This was highly unusual and unlike anything they had ever seen before. Scarlett actually wished she had more time to study the ship, but they needed to get out of the vicinity of the Etarian's as quickly as possible. 

Sofia had been looking in Scotty's direction when the ship lurched and he was nearly thrown off of the catwalk he was on. Sofia had felt as if her heart was going to stop in her chest. Thankfully though, he was alright, apart from a cut on his forehead. Sofia reinstalled the constrictors and after a few more moments they had warp speed back.

"Captain, warp speed has been restored," Sofia told Kirk through her communicator.

Elyse was a terrible patient. She liked playing doctor and patient back in their quarters, but to actually be a patient in sickbay was not where she wanted to be...especially when a space battle was happening. She had tried telling Leonard to simply put a bandage on her wound, but once he threatened to remove her from duty all together she sighed and got onto a bed. 

"It doesn't even hurt," she lied.

"Fiona...I need a heading!" Kal demanded as he desperately tried to keep the ship away from the front of the Etarian vessel. Fiona frantically worked and fed Kal a warp heading that wouldn't have them flying into a planet or a star. Lucia hit the ship one more time with 2 more torpedoes and then Kal pivoted the Enterprise away and then went to warp.

Scarlett looked to see if there was any pursuit but there was none. "We're clear Captain," Scarlett said but it would be a while before Kirk allowed any reduction in speed. Kirk stood up. "It appears you've had quite the adventure Captain," Spock said as he put his hands behind his back. "I trust I will be able to read about it in your report," He said. Kirk just smiled as he moved toward the door. "Spock, you have the con," He said as he made his way to their quarters.

Elyse could feel the ship going to warp and then traveling at warp. "There, ya see? Out of danger," McCoy said.

Elyse rolled her eyes at her husband. "Yes, and I missed it all." She smiled a little when she saw Leonard's disapproving look. "Oh, like you didn't already know that about me." She glanced over at her shoulder. "So, how does it look?"

----------------------------------

James would not immediately see Amara when he walked into their quarters. He would find her sitting on the floor in the bathroom, with her back against one of the walls. She had taken off the bandage around her head and her hair was a mess with dried blood. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she pulled her legs up against her body and wrapped her arms around them as James walked in. 

"I don't even know who I am anymore," she said. "I don't know who might be controlling me, or if I'm ever fully in control of myself and my actions."

Kirk sighed an exasperated sigh but it wasn't directed at her. It was everyone else that screwed around with her. He bent down and picked Amara up and carried her out of the bathroom and set her down onto the bed. He laid her on her side and drew the covers over her. "Amara...I can't begin to know what you're going through, I can just help with picking up the pieces," he said softly. He laid behind her and kissed her cheek. She was a bit of a mess but they could shower together later. "No one's controlling you now. It's just us, you and me," he said.

Amara didn't fight James when he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom. She knew that she needed to shower, but she just wanted to lie in her husband's arms and feel like she had some control over her life. She felt him get in close behind her and wrap her up in his arms protectively.

"Section 31 can control me whenever they want. I feel like I'm constantly on edge and wondering what they're going to want me to do next."

"Try to live for the moments you do have control. There will come a time when they will let you go. I can promise you that," Kirk said as he nuzzled her ear. "Whatever it takes for us to be together. That's what we have to do Amara," Kirk said. "And I know you're tough, I know you can take it. I'll help you take it, we'll take it together," he said.

James' words brought fresh tears to Amara's eyes and they began to stream down her cheeks. "I don't deserve you James T. Kirk. You are a great man and I hate that I lied to you for all that time. I didn't deserve a second chance, but I'm glad you gave it to me. You are the one good thing in my life and you've changed me in so many ways."

Kirk just kept kissing her cheek and rubbing her arm and shoulder. He just let her cry, he felt she deserved it. There was no harm in it. Amara had been through alot. He didn't know why it always seemed to be her too. Always Amara being thrown to the wolves and he was left to pick up the pieces. He would not leave her behind. He just laid there with her until she fell asleep. He had tried to get up but she had a good grip on his arm and hand and would not let it go so he was just stuck there in bed.

Kal eventually eased off on the speed and they continued on their way along their mission path. Spock sent the message and warning about the Etarians to Starfleet.

Amara cried herself to sleep. All of this was taking a toll on her mental health, but she would continue on, as she always did. She would shower and put on a brave face and pretend that everything was alright. She would look at everyone else around her who had full control over their lives and be jealous of them and their somewhat normal lives. Nothing about Amara's life was normal. She knew that she should have died from that wound to her head, but she hadn't. She began to wonder though when her luck might run out.