Five times Chekov accidentally saved the Enterprise - Trek reboot - PG

[tigriswolf]

Title: Five times Chekov accidentally saved the Enterprise, and one time he did it on purpose

Fandom: Star Trek reboot

Disclaimer: the Enterprise and her crew aren’t mine

Warnings: spoilers for film; mentions of torture

Pairings: slightly implied Chekov/OMC for a split second

Rating: PGish?

Wordcount: 790

Point of view: third

Notes: I asked my sister for a Trek five things prompt and she’s a major Chekov fan.

More notes: I’m handwaving away parts of the chain of command. *handwaves*

 

 

 

 

I

He’s off-shift, lazing about his room, playing around with the ship’s mealplan. He’s curious to see how long it’ll take anyone to notice his changes.

 

Pavel’s about to click out of the program and take a nap when he catches a small glitch. It’s minor, but could so very easily lead to a major malfunction with the replicator.

 

He corrects the one piece of code and shuts everything down to nap.

 

II

Prince Kokocho is awesome, Pavel decides almost immediately. (Well, he’s not really a prince, and Kokocho isn’t his real name, but it’s the closet the universal translator could come, and he answers to it.) The technology is early twentieth century and designed for the Vilentaians’ three hands, and Kokocho’s showing Pavel around, blushing a dusty yellow and only meeting his eyes half the time.

 

Pavel is so fascinated and caught up with Kokocho that he doesn’t realize negotiations on the ceasefire between the Vilentaians and Guorinzes have reached a major snag. Guards march into the planetarium(again, not exactly, but the closest thing Pavel can understand) and grab him, pull him along despite Kokocho’s protestations.

 

He’s shoved into a line with the rest of the negotiation party—Uhura and the Captain and two other communications officers Pavel recognizes but cannot name. The Vilentaian king raises all three of his hands; the guards lift their rifle-like weapons and take aim.

 

Prince Kokocho marches up to his father and hisses something in his ear. Almost immediately, the king gives a command which translates to, “Let them go eat freely.” 

 

The Enterprise officers are hustled out into the gardens and the Captain barks into the com, “Get us out of here, Scotty, now” and Pavel looks back to Kokocho, who waves slowly, with longing on his face.

 

Pavel smiles at him.

 

III

“Captain,” Pavel says seriously. “Are you drunk?”

 

“No, no,” Captain Kirk slurs. “Imma dance, Cherpi.”

 

Pavel raises an eyebrow and glances around the bar. They’re on leave for two weeks, Earth-side, and Pavel hadn’t even intended to be here tonight. But the shuttle was delayed and here he is, with a highly inebriated captain and no other Enterprise personnel in sight.

 

Shouldn’t Dr. McCoy be present, at least?

 

“My name is Chekov, Captain. You know that,” he says gently, maneuvering Kirk around. He is so very glad for that most recent growth-spurt. He’s still not close to the captain’s height, but it makes it much easier to cart Kirk’s heavier weight.

 

Kirk mumbles something, clinging tight to Pavel’s shoulders. Pavel calls Dr. McCoy and stays with Captain Kirk until he arrives.

 

IV

Pavel is alone on one of the observation decks looking out at the stars. They have just completed a mission and are awaiting orders from Command.

 

Something moves out in space. Pavel focuses on the shimmer, head cocked to the side. Whatever that thing is, it shouldn’t be here. None of the nearby planets have progressed beyond the equivalent of the Stone Age. Pavel checks his PADD, and the Enterprise’s sensors have yet to pick up any sign of the whatever.

 

Pavel contacts the bridge.

 

V

The Machiverion people have the equivalent of nuclear weapons and the capability of sending them to the next planet over. The Zioran people have minerals that the Machiverions want and no way of defending themselves.

 

Pavel isn’t even supposed to be a member of the away team; it’s a last minute switch-off, when they realize they’ll need technical advice to give to the Ziorans.

 

Despite knowing better, he wanders away from the rest, curious about a rock formation just on the other side of the clearing.

 

When he comes to, he’s strapped down and there is a large knife-like object in his direct line of sight, held by a terrifyingly emotionless Zioran. 

 

“You will tell us all you know about our enemies,” he says.

 

Pavel breathes deeply and braces himself for pain. Eventually he screams, but it is only nonsense sounds. He refuses to give up his ship, his crew. 

 

Finally, though, he tells the Zioran the first thing that comes to mind, trying to make it all go away, and only later, in the sickbay with McCoy ranting at him about leaving his teammates and getting kidnapped and tortured, does Pavel realize that what he told the Zioran was a distress code Uhura had just created the day before and mentioned only in passing.

 

And the one time on purpose

Captain Kirk is unconscious in the sickbay, Dr. McCoy is completely enthralled attempting to save him, Uhura and Sulu and Spock are all still trapped on the planet, and Scotty is trying to work out a way to save them.

 

So Pavel takes his place as Acting Captain and makes it work.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[alphabet26.livejournal.com]

Tim Gunn is this awesome, awesome mentor from the reality show "Project Runway" and he had a couple of catchphrases, one being "Make it work!" (the other is "Carry on.") I can't find any clips on YouTube, but just about every show he would say it.

Well, here's a clip of some of one of the designers doing an impression of him and it cracks me up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj33t1Fbc-A