#pikeone

Chapters: 1/16 Fandom: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV), Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Number One | Una Chin-Riley/Christopher Pike Characters: Number One | Una Chin-Riley (Star Trek), Christopher Pike, others in more minor roles Additional Tags: Alternate Universe: Old West, Love, Secrets, respect, era-consistent religiosity, Gossip, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, courting, Falling In Love, cw for a church fire, cw for mentions of blood and phlegm, cw for era-consistent Sinophobia, cw for mentions of the U.S. Civil War, cw for non-main character deaths, some tense moments but I promise Chris and Una will be all right in the end Summary: “Evenin’, Miss Riley,” was the first thing he ever said to her, a tip of his hat and a shine in his eyes that she couldn’t place at the time.

“How do you know my name?” Una had asked, books held tight to her chest, sun low on the horizon behind him lighting up Christopher Pike like some sort of angel rising from the dust of the town’s main road, swarm of flies buzzing in the horse dung near his boots notwithstanding.

He’d chuckled, a fine sound. Thin, but fine, as if chuckling didn’t come easily to him but he’d practiced.

Una could appreciate practice at fitting in.

“Well, this is a problem.” Una frowned out the window at the storm, straining to see anything but a wall of white. All the scanners showed for miles was heavy precipitation and thick clouds, crackling with enough ion particles to fry the hair off her head in a second. The computer called any attempt to navigate the storm “unadvisable.”

Una begrudgingly called it suicide.

“Relax, Number One.” Chris, as smiley as ever, shot her a cheeky grin, already anticipating her snarky retort. While she had been trying to find a way out, Chris had dug out all the emergency gear. The portable heaters were assembled in a circle in the middle of the shuttle, and Chris had laid out her winter gear while Una had been too busy stewing to notice.

With a grumble that vaguely resembled a thank you, Una pulled on the thicker coat, hat, and gloves.

“We knew this could happen,” Chris said, completely unbothered by her withering look. “If Spock’s math was correct-” They both knew it was. “-the storm will clear this area in a few hours and we can fly out of here.”

“If we don’t freeze to death first.” Chris rolled his eyes and opened his arms.

“Come here, Number One. It’s regulations.” Una cocked an eyebrow but didn’t protest. Rubbing her arms and chattering her teeth, she allowed Chris to tuck her against him. “Got to preserve body heat.”

“I don’t remember this in the guidebook,” Una said dryly, and tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

“Oh, it’s in there,” Chris assured her, and rubbed her arms as he pressed a kiss to her head. “Regulation Pike Alpha: promote huddling for warmth whenever possible.”

Una grinned. “So, if it were Spock down here-”

“Captain does what he has to for his crew,” Chris said, and paused. “That rule is mostly for you, though.”

“Mmhm.” Una huddled closer, and Chris drew the heaters into a tighter semi-circle. The warmth washed over Una’s face and she sighed in contentment, tense muscles unwinding slightly. “Well, Captain, I admire your dedication.”

“Oh, anything for a crew member in need.” Una tipped her head up to him with a smirk. “If it’s you,” he amended, and pressed his lips to hers. “Though if Spock were to ask for a cuddle-”

“Chris.”

“Hm?” Una swung one leg over Chris’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Shut up and keep me warm.”

Desperate to escape her Illyrian colony and see the stars, Una answers a help-wanted ad and takes a piloting job on board the Enterprise. It’s the perfect opportunity to escape, and the job so easy that she is surprised that no one has taken the job already. When she arrives, she is told that she is allowed to go anywhere on the ship except for the captain’s quarters, which remain locked and he never answers her chimes. However, she soon finds that the Enterprise might not be all that it seems. For one, she is the only life form on board besides her enigmatic boss who communicates only through written messages. Coordinates are always delivered straight to the helm, food is synthesized, and somehow the warp core is always in peak condition. Curious, she vows to figure out the mystery of the ship.

After a devastating accident leaves Christopher Pike bound to a life-support chair and unable to speak except in Morse code, he is shunned by society. Depressed and bitter, all he wants is to escape to the stars on his beloved Enterprise. His chair is integrated with the ship’s computer so he can give orders via text message, deploy the DOT bots to make repairs, and view the security feeds. The one thing he cannot do, however, is pilot the ship. Hoping to hire a skilled pilot, he posts a help wanted ad but word of the Enterprise’s captain has spread and no one wants to take a job working for a monster. He is about to give up hope until one day his ad is answered by the beautiful, smart, and far too curious Una Chin-Riley. They quickly become friends. Una is an excellent pilot and easy to talk to, and she has never heard of Christopher Pike or his accident. Chris finds himself falling for her, but he knows that she would run screaming if she ever saw the real him.

Glow Bright

written by @pc-corner & illustrated by @betrayedbycinnamon a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Una Chin Riley/Christopher Pike fanfic

Una Chin-Riley has a secret. She's not only an Illyrian in hiding, she's an Illyrian princess and hiding, having escaped the attempt on her life by a family member.

Decades later her carefully crafted life in Starfleet is in jeopardy when her former identiy catches up with her in the form of a figure from her past. Una must face the demons of her her childhood or die trying.

Read the story on AO3