Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!olivea!charnel!psgrain!ee.und.ac.za!hippo!cc194.ru.ac.za!g92n3258 From: g92n3258@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR RL NICOL) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: Repost: A MATTER OF DIFFERENCES 01/02 - story Message-ID: Date: 28 Mar 93 16:09:34 GMT Sender: news@hippo.ru.ac.za (Usenet News Admin) Organization: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa Lines: 1408 While I finish off Part six of "I, Locutus", here is a Kirk/Spock, etc story that I posted early last year. I you don't have all of the first five parts of I, Locutus, mail me, and I'll supply me with the missing parts. All the best, Ryan. A MATTER OF DIFFERENCES: By Ryan Nicol Dedication: To Gene Roddenberry, who taught me the value of dif- ferences....... Historians' note: This voyage takes place between the television episodes "The Menagerie" and "Shoreleave". The Priority One distress call reached the Enterprise five days before the ship's scheduled rendezvous with the USS Potemkin. Kirk found himself faced with a tricky decision - ignore the distress call and rendezvous with the Potemkin safely on time or answer the distress call and risk being late. The cargo to be transferred to the Potemkin was of extreme importance. It consisted of food supplies that were desperately needed on the famine-ravaged planet orbitting Kaplan's star, where it was reported that approximately three hundred inhabitants were dying daily while the rest were praying that it would be their turn next. Kirk had never known starvation and he hoped that he never would. How Starfleet and the Federation could have let the situation get that critical, was beyond him. Nevertheless, he decided to risk being late for the rendezvous and ordered Mr Riley to plot a new course that would take the Enterprise to the origin of the distress call. Even McCoy, whom Kirk had thought would protest against such an action, saw the logic in the diversion from their previous course. With luck, they would be able to investigate the distress call and still reach the designated point for the rendezvous on time. Spock swivelled around in his chair to face his captain, who had been waiting patiently by the railing near the science station. "Sensor readings confirmed, Captain. The distress call is coming from Reneva III, a dilithium mining colony that is on the edge of Federation space." "Any data on Reneva III that could account for the distress call, Mr Spock?" Spock turned back to his library computer, "Negative, captain. However, Reneva III is situated very near to the border between the Federation and the Raagziin Hegemony." "And that's nothing to worry about." Kirk said, dubiously. Spock considered the captain's words for a moment. Though he had only known Jim Kirk for a relatively short time, he had had enough exposure to humans in general to know when a particular remark was meant to be taken at face value and when not. It was the times when they were meaning the opposite of what they had said that caused Spock much confusion. Illogical, but consistent, Spock thought, then spoke: "The Raagziin Hegemony, though having been discovered several years ago, have remained in isolation for most of their long space- faring history. To break off that policy when there is no threat to them or their culture would not seem likely, nor logical." "Has it ever crossed your Vulcan mind that just perhaps not every creature in this universe is logical, Mr Spock?" McCoy queried from where he stood behind the captain's chair. "Perhaps you should lower your estimation of certain intelligent beings." "I have been aware of that for some time, Doctor." Spock answered pointedly. "However, my estimation of you has and always will remain sound." Kirk grinned, then continued: "But, Spock, if I remember correctly, as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, they were in the middle of negotiations with the United States of America." "Quite true, Captain. But from what I have read about the Raagziin, they are an extremely honourable race. I don't believe that it would be in their nature to take such a course of action. However, my knowledge as to their culture and beliefs is quite limited." "You mean that you may be wrong." McCoy allowed a ghost of a smile to form on his face as he moved to Kirk's side. "No one, not even myself, Doctor, is incapable of error." Spock replied, defensively. "Yes. Well, Jim is more of a history buff than I am, so correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall, the Japanese were an extremely honourable race themselves." "They still are, Doctor." Sulu said from his position at the helm. "I wasn't trying to suggest otherwise, Lieutenant." McCoy spoke. "I'm merely saying that there will always be a black sheep in a flock. The Raagziin may be honourable as a people, but individually...." "You raise a salient point, doctor." Spock conceded, then added after seeing McCoy's grinning face: "There is, however, always room for improvement." Two hours later, Kirk assembled his senior officers in the Briefing Room. "Right, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "We have roughly twenty hours before we arrive at Reneva III. You have all been debriefed as to the situation as we know it. So let's get down to the reason why we're here. Mr Spock?" Spock looked up to survey the faces of the officers around the Briefing Table. Finally, he said: "The captain asked me to collect all relevant data concerning the Raagziin so that if we do find ourselves opposing them in the Reneva star-system, we will know what to expect." He paused for a second, then continued: "As I have already informed the captain, their existance was discovered several years ago by an independent scout ship. Since then, numerous other contacts have been made and an Ambassador of the Federation has been sent to their home- world in order to maintain ties with the Raagziin. They are a very secretive people and prefer to be left alone. It is only recently that they sent an ambassador to us. As to their appearance, they look strikingly human, which has caused people in certain scientific circles to believe that they are an off- shoot of the human race. They are unique in the way that they find their own form so disgusting that they take great care in hiding their features. To reveal what you look like to anyone is considered as an act of submission. It's regarded as saying that you are one of a lower breed, no better than an animal. Those wealthy enough sometimes spend vast sums of their form of currency in order to be disfigured." Spock noted Kirk's shocked look and added: "I believe, Captain, that the Raagziin are not the only ones to behave in such a manner and not accept the way they are. Am I not correct in stating that humans used to care a great deal about how they looked, to go so far as to get face-lifts and hair transplants?" "Yes. I'll grant you that, Mr Spock. But not to the point that we got ourselves disfigured or to consider oneself a lowly animal." McCoy objected. "I believe that at one stage to inhale noxious fumes, thereby risking lung cancer, was considered the correct thing to do. And those who did not do it were not considered as one of worth." McCoy was about to respond to that statement, but was halted by Kirk: "Gentlemen, we're not here to fight amongst ourselves. Spock, please continue." Spock nodded: "They will also not be taken captive easily, but instead will fight until killed, for it is against their custom to give up when they still have the strength to fight." "They sound formidable." Scott said. "They most certainly are." Spock agreed. It was eighteen hours later that the Enterprise went into orbit around Reneva III. Kirk had put her on yellow alert, not wanting to risk a confrontation with a Raagziin combat vessel unprepared. But from the moment they entered the solar system, it was quite clear that there was no other ship in the vicinity. Reneva III was an ice world. It's blue-white surface filled the bridge's view screen as the Enterprise went into orbit around her. Kirk's orders were swift: Spock was to take a sensor sweep of the whole surrounding area of space and of the planet's surface; Uhura was to hail the colony and get whoever was in charge to tell them what the exact problem was. He was determined to make that rendezvous on time, and didn't want to waste the precious three days that they had when something important and time-consuming might have to be dealt with. "Report, Mr Spock. Anything unusual down there?" Spock looked up from his viewing hood, "I'm afraid that our sensors will be of little use for scanning the surface, captain. The atmosphere is in the throws of a magnetic storm, which will probably continue for quite some time. I will nevertheless continue to attempt scanning." Kirk cursed silently to himself, then turned to Uhura, who had just looked up from her communications board. "Chief Engineer Crawford on line, captain." "Thank you, Lieutenant. Patch him through." Kirk turned to face the viewscreen, where the grubby face of an elderly, heavily built man replaced the familiar stars and the planet. The moment Kirk saw him, he knew something was definitely wrong. There were beads of sweat on Crawford's forehead and his eyes seemed fixed on some distant horror that existed only for him. "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise." Kirk pushed his thoughts aside. "You issued a Priority One Distress call, Chief Crawford. What seems to be the problem?" "Enterprise." A weak smile cracked the corners of the Chief Engineer's mouth, and Kirk thought that the man was going to cry. His thoughts became reality, as Crawford's dirt-smudged face suddenley became wet with tears. The Chief Engineer gave a half- cry, half-laugh, and his smile broadened. His voice kept breaking, but he managed a "Thank you". "Captain," Spock's voice had an unusually urgent tone in it, "The Mining Colony has been attacked." Kirk stared at Spock for a second, then once more turned to face the viewscreen: "Chief Crawford, if you would be so kind as to give us your co-ordinates, we'll beam down a rescue party immediately." Crawford seemed to fumble with some peice of equipment that was out of sight, then looked up again, his face now showing a more calm and authorative look. "I've just done that, Captain. But we've got a smaller mining village a few hundred kilometers away that was also attacked...." "We'll handle one thing at a time, Chief." Kirk broke in. "Just hang in there. We'll be with you in a few minutes." Crawford's face disappeared from the viewscreen and the stars returned. Kirk got up and moved over to the science station. "Co-ordinates received and stored, captain." Spock announced. "Then let's get moving." Kirk turned to Uhura, and said: "Lieutenant, tell McCoy to get a couple of medics together with him and that they are all to be equipped for a medical emergency. Tell him to meet Spock and me in Transporter Room 2." Kirk walked to the turbo-lift, then said to his Science Officer: "Mr Spock, feed those co-ordinates into the transporter." "Already done so, captain." Spock answered as he moved towards Kirk. Grinning, Kirk stepped into the turbo-lift. "Mr Spock, what would I do without you?" "Appoint another science officer, I should think." Spock replied as the doors to the turbo-lift closed behind them. The six figures shimmered into existance on the barren world of Reneva III. Barren, except for one or two tiny settlements, each containing a few dozen colonists. The one Kirk, Spock and McCoy found themselves in was almost wholly rubble. Spock took his tricorder out and began scanning the area as four more figures materialized a few metres away from him. "There are faint life signs in this direction, captain." He said, pointing to a huge heap of rubble and one or two fairly undamaged buildings. Kirk, McCoy and the seven medics followed him, taking in the dismall surroundings as they approached the two buildings. Huge iced peaks rose hundreds of meters above them in all directions, and Kirk couldn't make out a single area on the surface that wasn't white with ice or snow. McCoy shivered, "It's damn freezing down here." Spock nodded as he headed for the larger of the two almost- undamaged buildings, saying: "For once I must concur with you, Doctor. If one were to stay outside without protection for any reasonable length of time, one would most probably die from the cold." "What a hellish planet to live on." McCoy grumbled, staring up at the faint light in the misty white sky that was the sun. "It takes special people to decide to live out here." Kirk agreed. The landing party entered the building cautiously. An eerie twilight cast a shallow glow in the room they entered. It was fairly large and arrayed with various computers and terminals. "This must be the Communications and Central Control Building." Kirk mused, moving towards the nearest terminal. "Jim, I suggest we find those injured people first before we..." Kirk nodded at McCoy, then turned to Spock: "Stay here and try and find their sensor equipment. They probably would work better down here than ours up there. Locate that other town Crawford was talking about and any other life forms in the vicinity." Spock moved over to the computer terminals as Kirk, McCoy and the various medics made their way towards the faint signs of life indicated on the Doctor's medical tricorder. Ten minutes later, the unconscious form of Chief Engineer Crawford was found slumped over a computer console in the Communications Room. "Captain's Log, Stardate 3485.3. The majority of the miners of Reneva III have been transported aboard the Enterprise and are being cared for in Sickbay. Doctor McCoy reports their conditions as varying from satisfactory to a cause for concern. However, he assures me that none are in any immediate danger of dying. There are still roughly fifteen colonists unaccounted for, and I have authorised the use of shuttlecraft to help in the search for these missing miners. There is a risk that the magnetic storm could affect some of the circuitry, but I believe that this is the only way that we can be sure of completing this rescue mission and still making it to the rendezvous on time. Besides, with the magnetic storm increasing in strength, our sensors have become next to useless and the colony's one, which has aided us in recovering most of the miners, is almost as bad. Only the sensors of the shuttlecraft in the nearby region of the missing people can now be of any use. With two of our three days gone, that's all that we've got to get the remainder of the colonists. Meanwhile, I remain at our base of operations on the planet's surface - the Communications and Central Control Building." Kirk stared out to the jagged white landscape and noticed for the first time that it was snowing. Soft flakes of white drifted down to the ground, creating a soft sheet on top of the hard, icey surface. Crawford had confirmed his suspicions that it was the Raagziin who had attacked the colony. They had apparently robbed the miners of roughly sixty four thousand tons of dilithium crystals, before destroying the two towns with phaser-fire from their ship. Though the Enterprise's sensors still revealed no other ship in the area, he had ordered Scott to maintain battle readiness. If the Raagziin returned, the Enterprise would not only have to defend herself, but also the five shuttlecrafts being used to search for the missing colonists. And Spock and McCoy were on one of those shuttlecrafts, he thought. Turning to the Lieutenant who was stationed at the Communications Console that kept him in contact with the lead shuttlecraft that contained Spock and McCoy and which was co-ordinating the search, he asked: "Any more colonists recovered?" Leslie looked up at him and shook his head. "Not since those last six, sir. There are still ten colonists out there." And our shuttlecraft, Kirk thought. Why he had allowed McCoy to join the search, he did not know. Allowing Spock was understandable. Owing to the magnetic storm, the shuttlecraft's sensors could only pick up the faintest echo of a life form. If one wasn't watching every scanning instrument every second, it was extremely easy to miss a life form reading. Spock, in the lead shuttlecraft, had his equipment tuned to all the other shuttle's sensors. And the chances of Spock missing something were infintismally small. But McCoy.... The only reason he was out there was because he had been so adamant. He had stated that his officers were experienced enough to handle things in sickbay and that he wanted to help in a more direct manner, especially with the last sixteen. And he, Jim Kirk, had relented. It wasn't a bad idea, actually. If they discovered a miner who needed immediate treatment, McCoy was the best person to be there. But that didn't mean he would worry any less. Turning to Leslie once again, he said: "I'm beaming back to the Enterprise, Lieutenant. If anything happens, let me know immediately." Seconds after informing Scott of his decision, he felt the familiar tingle of the de-materialization process taking effect. The interior of the Renevan building changed to the familiar surroundings of the transporter room and a smiling Scott. "Mr Scott," Kirk grinned, "Why the special treatment? Surely you could have got one of your technicians to perform the miracle." "Why?" Scott put on an offended look. "I find pleasure in performin' th' little miracles myself." "Make sure you don't forget about the big ones." Kirk joked, as he left the transporter room and headed for Sickbay. When Kirk entered Sickbay, Crawford was lying back on top of the bed in which he had been placed when he had first arrived. His reading viewer was on and he seemed to be enjoying the first bit of relaxed reading that he had had in a long time. "Chief Crawford," Kirk said, as he strode over to Crawford's bed, "If you don't mind my doing so, there are still a few questions that I would like to ask you concerning the attack on the colony." "By all means, Captain." Crawford said with his loud, authorative voice. He switched the reading viewer off and looked up at Kirk. "It's the least I could do for you after all that you have done for us." He continued, gesturing around at the sickbay in general. He was certainly looking in better form than when they had first found him, Kirk thought. "According to your own report, the Raagziin came and stole about sixty four thousand tons of dilithium before destroying the two towns." He said. "That is correct." Crawford nodded. "Our records state that the Raagziin are an honourable race and that such an act would be contradictory to their customs and beliefs. Did they say whether they were acting on behalf of their government or why they were stealing the dilithium?" "They told us nothing regarding whose orders they were acting on or why they were stealing our dilithium, captain." Crawford answered. "But it is generally known that the Raagziin's home- world isn't a very wealthy one. Perhaps they found that they had to sacrifice some of their ideals in order to maintain their dignity as a space-faring race." Kirk flicked on the viewer before Crawford and called up an inventory of the number of crystals reportedly mined on Reneva III. As the information he requested appeared on the screen, Kirk looked up at the Chief Engineer and said: "That still leaves ninety three tons of dilithium missing, Chief." Crawford nodded and looked up at Kirk, answering Kirk's unspoken question: "We hid it in various caves across the planet's surface. Our sensors told us of the approaching Raagzin vessel as it entered our solar system. That was when we sent out the distress call and hid the dilithium. I don't think they suspected that there was more. They left just before you entered the solar system." "And the magnetic storm hid the dilithium from their and our sensor sweeps." Kirk said, thoughtfully. Crawford nodded. "Well, our cargo holds are fill at the moment. I'm afraid they'll have to remain in their present hiding places for the time being." Kirk told him. The Chief Engineer smiled: "They're more than safe where they are, and whose likely to come looking for them anyway? There's no hurry to move them." "I certainly hope not." His Quarters offered him the privacy he needed to lie down on his bed and succumb to the tiredness he had felt creeping up on him. The last two days had been hectic - organizing and co-ordinating searches, worrying over the Raagziin threat and the added strain due to the limited time they had to search for the missing miners. He hoped that they would find those ten people. He was shaken from his reverie by the loud beeping noise of the intercom. Slowly, he managed to push himself from his bunk and swing around onto his feet. Switching on the intercom, he said: "Kirk here. What is it?" "Emergency message from the surface, sir." Uhura replied. "Patch it in." Uhura's image was replaced by static, then the vaguely recognizable features of Lieutenant Leslie. "Report." He tried to keep his voice steady and calm. "Captain, sir...." Leslie answered in a quavering voice. He gathered himself together, then spoke, "I was in contact with the lead shuttle, sir. Mr Spock reported some malfunction with the ioniser, then all I got was static." There was a moment of deadly silence. If the shuttlecraft's ioniser had gone.... Kirk did not want to contemplate that. "Have you got their last reported co-ordinates?" Remain calm, he told himself. Don't panic. He's looking to you for guidance. "Yes, captain." "Send them to all shuttlecraft. Tell the two closest to those co- ordinates to converge on that point. The rest are to continue on their pre-arranged flight-plans." Kirk hesitated. Had he given the right orders? He added: "I'll be down there in two minutes." "Captain's Log, Stardate 3491.2. I am.... concerned. Since having reported that they were having trouble with their ioniser, the lead shuttle, with my First Officer, Chief Medical Officer and one of our pilots aboard, has gone missing. Ship's sensors are being used in order to try and locate the missing craft, but owing to the magnetic storm, as of yet, all efforts have proved fruitless. Neither are the other shuttles having much luck, though it is consoling to know that three of the missing ten miners have since been discovered. We now have seven hours in which to find the other seven and our missing shuttlecraft before we have to leave Reneva III in order to reach the designated point for the rendezvous on time. But my main concern is whether they can stay alive long enough to be found." Kirk sat silently in his command chair and stared out at the distant stars. He couldn't think of a life without Spock or McCoy. "What would I do without you?" He had said. "Get another science officer." He had replied. Damnnit, Spock! Kirk thought. You're more than a first officer to me. You're a friend. And friends can't be replaced. And Bones....! Why the hell did I allow you to go? If I had only.... He stopped there. I'm not one to dwell on the past, he thought. Do something useful. You've got your friends into this mess, now bail them out. Turning to the ensign who was manning Spock's science station, he said: "Ensign.... ahh...." Hell of a time to forget a name. But then again, the Ensign had just been assigned. He had come on board a few weeks ago when they had stopped off at Starbase 6 in order to answer a call that had supposedly been sent by the Enterprise's former Captain, Christopher Pike. Only later was it discovered that Spock had sent the distress call...... Spock. "Pavel Checov, sir." The ensign's voice broke Kirk's thinking, his Russian accent being easily distinguishable. "Mr Checov. Have sensors anything to report?" He had asked that question minutes ago to the person Checov had just replaced. But what else could he do? "Interference is still too strong for any accurate readings, sir." Checov replied, then returned to his previous position over the hooded viewer. Just relax, Kirk thought as his gaze returned to the screen. They're probably all right. They've got to be.... McCoy felt the coldness of snow against his face and shivered. His body was numb, though he could feel the warmness of blood flowing down his right leg. He tried to sit up, but found this movement too painfull. So he decided to just lie still for a while until he could find out exactly how much damage he had sustained. After a few seconds of lying still in the coldness, he opened his eyes. The first thing that caught his gaze was the litter of glistening metal lying in the newly-fallen snow. The big bulk of the shuttlecraft lay not too far away at the base of a mountain and half embedded in the snow as it had ploughed its way into the planet's surface. And Spock? The Vulcan's body lay five or six meters away in a crumpled heap, and from where McCoy was, he could make out a long green stain on Spock's forehead. "Spock!" McCoy yelled at the top of his voice. There was no answer. "Spock!" The Vulcan stirred, but did not look up. McCoy looked around for his medikit, which he always kept on him when off-ship, but couldn't locate it. However, he could make out his medical tricorder lying two metres away. Propping himself up on one elbow, he faught off a wave of dizziness, then slowly maneuvered himself towards the tricorder by pulling himself along with the arm he was leaning on. As he crawled, he looked around at the bleak surroundings. It was just ice, snow and a hilly terrain. And the shuttle's whiteness would make it almost impossible to spot, McCoy thought bitterly. After what seemed like an eternity to McCoy, he finally reached the tricorder , then turned over to face Spock, and activated the instrument to scan the First Officer. Spock was bleeding profusely from both his head and from internal wounds. His heartbeat was fluctuating and McCoy didn't like the look of the other readings that sped across the viewing screen of his medical tricorder either. At least he's alive, McCoy thought, then turned the tricorder on himself and studied the results. He had fractured three ribs, was bleeding excessively on his right leg and internally in the abdominal region and had one hell of a headache. Not a very good diagnosis, McCoy thought, but thanked the snow for having ensured that it had not been worse. Very slowly, McCoy crawled over to Spock and gently turned him over. "Spock! Are you all right?" Spock's voice was as soft as a whisper, but his tone was dry: "That is an illogical question, Doctor. Having already taken the liberty of scanning me, you are naturally aware of the answer already." McCoy pretended to ignore the remark and instead ran his tricorder over Spock's body for a more thorough reading. Finally, he put the tricorder away, and said: "Spock, you are in no condition to travel; neither of us are." "If we stay here much longer, Doctor, neither of us will be in any condition to live." Spock replied. "Give me a few moments alone. So long, check on the condition of the pilot and see if the shuttle's communicator is still functioning." McCoy hesitated, then tried to get up very slowly. After two minutes of combating both the dizziness and the pain, McCoy was on his feet. He turned in the direction of the crashed shuttle and slowly moved forwards, taking each step as if it were his first. He was damned if he was going to fall. Probably wouldn't be able to get up again, he thought to himself. It took him a surprisingly short time to reach the battered remains of what had been a shuttlecraft and stared at the huge rip in its side. Half of the shuttle's roof was also missing, lost when it had careened into the base of the mountain. Spock and I were damn lucky we were thrown clear, he sighed, then wondered whether the pilot had had the same fortune, though having been in the cockpit at the time of the crash, that was probably unlikely. His thoughts were answered as he found the limp body of the pilot slumped over the controls in front of him. The console on which his head was resting was smeared with red blood that dribbled down the side and onto the floor of the shuttle. McCoy didn't need his medical tricorder to know that the pilot's neck was broken. It was obvious from the angle of his head in relation to the rest of his body. McCoy moved over to the front left-hand corner of the shuttlecraft and found the communications console. After a few minutes of futile attempts, McCoy gave up. The magnetic storm was obviously affecting communications. Either that or the equipment had been damaged during the crash-landing. Moving to the back of the shuttlecraft, McCoy searched for the thermo- blankets and the emergency ration packs that were a prerequisite on any shuttle flight. He found them in the small holding area that was built into the floor and removed one thermo-blanket for Spock and one for himself. He took as many ration packs as he could carry and moved outside to where Spock was still lying in the snow. The Vulcan's eyes were closed and one look at his tricorder told him that Spock's body-functions were deteriorating rapidly. "Spock!" McCoy yelled into the Vulcan's ear. "Snap out of it!" The Vulcan did not move. "Spock!" Once more, Spock stirred, and looked up. Without a single word, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Then after a few seconds with an expression of deep concentration on his face, Spock stood up. McCoy was ready to protest: "Spock, you are in no condition to travel. Now I am the doctor and you do as I..." "How is Mr Shepherd?" Spock asked, his voice controlled, the pain pushed to the dark recesses of his mind. McCoy hesitated, then answered: "He's dead, Spock. And so will you be if you don't rest." "I am ready to travel, Doctor McCoy," Spock replied, his voice tinged with a trace of irritation, "Unlike you humans, I am able to control the pain....." "That doesn't mean you can control the amount of green blood you're losing every minute." McCoy argued. "With your medical expertise and a certain amount of luck, I am sure you will be able to solve that minor problem." Spock said, not without a look of amusement written on his face. "Even so, we're in the middle of nowhere. Where do you propose we travel to?" Spock looked up at the faint sun and said: "From what I can remember prior to the crash, we are approximately twenty kilometers South of that other mining village that Chief Engineer Crawford mentioned. With these thermo-blankets and ration packs we should be able to make it." "Why not stay here?" McCoy queried. "We can find shelter in the shuttlecraft and this is the general area in which they'd be searching for us." "Doctor," Spock sighed, "The shuttlecraft has sustained enough damage so as to make it as good a place of shelter as where I am standing now. Secondly, the magnetic storms are disrupting sensors, so the chances of finding us are similiar to the proverbial needle in a haystack. Thirdly, and lastly, the Enterprise is due to leave this planet in roughly five hours time, in which case staying here will do us no good. The only logical course is to find shelter and a place with a stronger communications beacon so that we have a better chance of survival." "Well, I still think that you're in no conditon to travel. And neither am I." McCoy said, stubbornly. "Then I will have no choice but to carry you." Captain James T. Kirk flicked off the intercom switch, after having asked Checov for yet another sensor report. He felt utterly helpless, a feeling that he hadn't experienced for a long time. With a starship to back him up, he had always been able to do something. But now that the sensors were useless and he had less than five hours in which to find his friends, that unfamiliar feeling had enveloped him. All the miners had been recovered, which meant that all the other four shuttlecraft that were down on the planet were able to help in the search for their missing sister-vessel. And yet still nothing had turned up. Getting up from behind his desk, Kirk headed for the door when a familiar buzz sounded. "Come." He said, trying to sound calm and controlled. The door opened with a hiss and Lieutenant Kevin Riley stepped hesitantly into Kirk's Quarters. "Captain," He said, nervously, "May I have a word with you?" "By all means." Kirk said, motioning him to a chair, then once again seating himself behind his desk. Riley remained standing. "Captain... I have been thinking about this for sometime, sir, and I am here to ask you to accept my transfer." Riley looked down and didn't meet the captain's gaze. Damn, Kirk thought. First Janice and now Riley! Is it me.....? The incident involving Kodos the Executioner had occured three months ago. Surely it couldn't be because of what had happened then. Kirk decided to take another approach: "To what ship would you like to transfer, Mr Riley?" Riley hesitated, then said: "I don't want to transfer to another ship, sir. I wish to transfer to the Academy." Kirk was visibly stunned. He did not know what kind of an idiot Riley was trying to make himself out to be, but the Academy...! Kirk swallowed, looked down at his desk and echoed: "The Academy." There was a long silence in which Riley tried to figure out exactly what his question had done to the captain he had admired for so long. "I know this isn't the best time I could have chosen..." "The Academy!" Kirk repeated, then got up and looked Riley squarely in the eyes. "Have you left your senses, Mr Riley?" Riley didn't answer. He shifted slightly from one foot to the other. "You have the potential to become a fine officer. You're a damn fine Lieutenant. What the hell gave you the idea that you would want to settle for the Academy?" Riley didn't answer. "I've got two missing officers down there, Mr Riley. I don't want to lose them, but I might. And I don't want to lose you any more than I want to lose them." At the look on Riley's face, Kirk suddenly wondered if the Navigator had known about the missing shuttlecraft. The news had been kept quiet and as far as Kirk knew, only a few officers had been told of the fact. Perhaps Riley hadn't realized that his timing had been off - extremely off. He paused for a moment, then moved toward the Irish Lieutenant. "What position did they offer you?" "Navigations Instructor, sir." Riley answered, his voice not able to hide his hurt as well as his face did. An idea suddenly occurred to Kirk. He asked: "Lieutenant, does this have anything to do with Lana Shemry?" Riley didn't answer. Instead, he looked down at the floor and kept silent. Kirk's tone softened as he said: "Mr Riley, I want you to think about it. I mean really think about it. I'm not going to accept your transfer, not yet at least. If you still feel the same way at a later date, I may consider it then. But as of now, your request for a transfer is denied." Riley didn't argue. He simply turned and left. He'll snap out of it, Kirk thought to himself. The guy's too smart to let one mistake ruin an excellent career. He'd lost people under his command before. It was always hard the first time. But he pulled through. And Riley also would. Sickbay was littered with injured miners, most suffering from frostbite and from the severe cold, some having caught pneumonia. But even with the worst cases, Nurse Christine Chapel had no doubt that they would pull through. The medical staff on the Enterprise was the most professional group of people with whom she had ever worked. The miners and their families were in good hands. She moved out of the largest of the medical wards and entered Doctor McCoy's office, checking the various incoming reports on the conditions of the latest group of people recovered from the surface of Reneva III. All were in fair to satisfactory conditions. But Mr Spock and Doctor McCoy were still out there. And from what she had heard about the surface of the planet, unless they were discovered soon, Chapel didn't rate their chances very highly. Doctor McCoy had been like a father to her. She knew it sounded ridiculous, but he had always seemed to be there for her. And Spock..... She had felt only half-alive after the tragic episode on Exo-III, in which the Enterprise had discovered her fianc, Doctor Roger Korby, alive in an android's body. He had killed himself once his chilling plan to replace humans with androids had failed. A part of her had died with him and she had hid from her pain by suppressing those emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. She saw that as the only way in which she could carry on with any degree of competency at her work and in her life. But, like the father that he was to her, Leonard McCoy had shown her that by supressing her emotions, she wasn't solving the problem, only building a new one. He had told her something very personal. When he was young, he too had supressed his own emotions. And that was part of the reason why his marriage had fallen apart. He had then taken Spock as an example. Spock was someone who rejected a part of what he was, and to do that would never lead to inner peace and happiness. He had spoken vehemently, but never harshly, and she realized that he was right. But she also found that she now understood Spock in a way that Leonard McCoy did not. She had felt the kind of things she imagined Spock experienced - the loneliness, the privacy that was needed and the fact that there were feelings, no matter how deeply they were buried. She had had a crush on Spock, though she had never truly known why. Now she felt that she was falling in love with him, and she knew the reason. She understood how he felt and knew of the loneliness. Now, without both Leonard and Spock, she felt that same loneliness that she had felt when she saw Roger die. Perhaps more. Christine suddenley realized that her face was wet and hurriedly turned to a mirror to make herself look presentable. But the thought of Spock stayed with her as she left the office to help care for the miners and their loved ones. "Captain's Log, Stardate 3534.7. Our time is almost up. Within one hour, the Enterprise will be forced to abandon its search for the missing shuttlecraft with its three passengers and head for the transfer point. Sulu and I will remain behind with the four shuttlecraft that are still searching the planet's surface and Mr Scott will take command and see that the cargo is handed over to the USS Potemkin." "But, Cap'n...." Scott began, but was cut short by Kirk. "I don't want any protests, Scotty. You have your orders." Scott looked dubiously at his commanding officer: "Cap'n, you'll be alone on that planet for two days and if the Raagziin return..." "They've got what they came for. I doubt they'll be back." Kirk said, then joined Sulu and the two security officers on the transporter platform. "And what if one of th' other shuttlecraft go missing while they continue searchin'?" Scott asked. "The Magnetic Storm is clearing, Mr Scott. They should be fine. Anyhow, I've made up my mind and I'm sticking to my decision." "Aye," Scott grumbled as he maneuvered a lever on the transporter console, "Nothin' much ever changes. Good luck, Cap'n." "Thank you, Scotty. Engergize." A spattering of sparkles surrounded the four figures on the transporter pad as they de-materialized. Kirk, Sulu and the two security gaurds found themselves at roughly the same point where Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the medics had beamed down previously. Kirk immediately made his way towards the Communications and Central Control Building, in which Lieutenant Karen Palmer, the relief communications officer, was maintaining contact with the other four shuttlecraft. "How is everything, Lieutenant?" Kirk asked, his concern clearly evident. "Not much luck so far, Captain." She didn't have to say sorry; it was written across her face. Kirk nodded reassuringly, then turned to Sulu and the Security gaurds: "The Enterprise won't be back for two days, so we'll be down here for some time. Make yourselves at home." The two security gaurds nodded and walked towards the array of computer consoles. Sulu moved closer to Kirk, then looked at his captain with a look of concern. "Captain, what are the chances of Mr Spock and Doctor McCoy still being alive?" That was something Kirk didn't want to think about. "You'd need Mr Spock to answer that question for you, Lieutenant." He said, then moved away. "Appoint another science officer, I should think." Spock's words returned to haunt him. McCoy pulled the thermo-blanket ever so tightly around his body and head, and peered out into the hazy whiteness before him. He had long since lost direction as to where they had come from and to where they were going. If Spock's wrong.... he began to think to himself, but pushed the thought aside, not wanting to think of the consequences. Ahead of him, he could see the hunched figure of the Vulcan, moving ever so slowly. McCoy had managed to stop the external bleeding and minimize the internal letting of blood, but he knew that Spock was in pain, whether the Vulcan cared to admit it or not. But Spock had kept moving without saying a word for the last three hours. At the beginning of the journey, McCoy's leg had caused him much pain, but Spock had willingly performed a mindmeld, allowing McCoy's pain to ease, and finally almost to diminish. McCoy was grateful that the Vulcan had been prepared to take on his pain along with his own and now felt slightly ashamed for the way he had badgered Spock in the past. Though Spock explained his reason for performing the mindmeld as so that they would not be hindered by McCoy's slow pace, the doctor had a strange feeling that Spock wanted to help him with his pain, so that if he were to die in this harsh wilderness, he would go peacefully and as comfortably as was possible considering the circumstances. It had brought an unusual sense of warmth into McCoy's heart, though he would not have admitted it. For the third time in thirty minutes, McCoy asked Spock whether they could stop to rest for a moment. "Negative, Doctor," Spock answered, keeping his gaze locked to what was ahead of them, "To do so could prove fatal. Once one stops, one is often tempted to remain where one is. Besides, the sooner we reach that town, the sooner we will be safe." "But according to your own calculations, the Enterprise should have been long gone by now." McCoy argued. "That is true. However, we have more chance of survival at that town than over here." McCoy was silent for a while. When he next spoke, his tone was casual, almost relaxed: "Spock, we seem to have some time on our hands. So why don't you tell me a bit about yourself." "Such as what, Doctor?" Spock said, emotionlessly. "Such as what is the real reason you refuse to accept your human half." "We've been through this before, Doctor. Countless of times, as I recall." Spock's tone now carried a slight trace of irritation. "Indulge me, Spock." Under his thermo-blanket, Spock cocked an eyebrow, but said no more. The two walked in silence for an hour, though there were a few breaks of the stillness when McCoy once more brought up the subject of rest. Spock finally relented, more so that McCoy would shut up than to allow their tired legs to rest. Opening one of the five remaining ration packs, Spock offered some of the contents to McCoy. "You'd think they could pack something a little more enjoyable in these things." McCoy muttered, helping himself to some of the contents. "If they did that, people would not leave them for emergencies." Spock stated, leaving McCoy to wonder whether the Vulcan had tried to make a joke or not. "You didn't answer my question back there." McCoy told him, pointing in the direction from which they had just been walking. "I did not want to." Spock said. "Why not?" "Because it would have inevitably led to the same conclusion that has resulted at the end of all the other arguments you and I have had based on that very question." "Well, perhaps this time you could be truthful when we discuss that very subject." McCoy said. "I have been truthful in the past." "Do you admit to having emotions?"McCoy asked. Spock was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was quiet: "Doctor, I am a Vulcan." "You're half-human, Mr Spock. That's a fact that you seem to keep forgetting, or don't wish to accept." McCoy allowed himself a mischevious grin, then said with a certain amount of satisfaction at having been able to re-open an old argument that Jim Kirk had originally put a stop to: "Perhaps, Spock, you aren't so different from the Raagziin after all. You aren't willing to accept what you are. And with that in mind, you are obviously quite human, since, according to you, we also retain that illogical trait of non-acceptance." "I may have had a mother of human heritage, but I was raised on Vulcan and am therefore a Vulcan. I accept myself as such, for I am thus." Spock said, defensively. "But even Vulcans have emotions." McCoy pointed out. Spock decided to tackle the subject from another angle. "What do you have against logic, Doctor? You rarely seem to practise it." McCoy had managed to dodge that question by suggesting that they continue on their long journey. He had offered a pain-killer to Spock, but it had been rejected. "Vulcans can control their pain without the need to use drugs, thank you, Doctor." Spock had said and had carried on walking. But McCoy had continued to worry about the First Officer's deteriorating condition. They had both lost a lot of blood, from internal as well as external wounds. McCoy was feeling faint and walked mindlessly behind the Vulcan. But he knew that Spock had lost more blood than he had, and that knowledge wasn't very comforting. He tried to put his concern down as the natural worry he would feel as Chief Medical Officer over any injured crew member of the USS Enterprise, but he knew this was something deeper. Ahead of him, Spock suddenly stopped, almost causing McCoy to walk into him. Scanning the area in front of them with his tricorder, Spock looked behind him at the doctor: "A crevasse, Doctor. I suggest you follow me step for step." They both moved around the ice-covered chasm, being careful to maintain a distinct distance away from it. A few minutes later, they had passed it and carried on their journey. "Do you really think Jim would have left by now, Spock?" McCoy asked, wanting to hear a "No", but Knowing the answer Spock would give. "The Enterprise has a mission to complete. The captain understands that thousands of lives depend on that cargo reaching Kaplan's Planet. As much as he would like to stay, I am sure that he would see that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Spock replied. They both walked on in silence. Twenty metres later, McCoy collapsed head-first into the snow. Spock picked him up and continued walking, but not before making sure the doctor was well-covered with his thermo-blanket. Jim Kirk woke to the sound of phaser blasts. In seconds he was on his feet and with two quick strides he had crossed the tiny room in which he had been sleeping and had reached the door that exited into the corridor. Phaser in hand, he pushed himself against the wall of the room and stole a look over his shoulder and down the passage from where he had heard the sound of the phaser blasts. At the end of the corridor, the door to the Main Room, where Karen Palmer and the sensor and communications equipment were located, was closed. The deathly stillness unnerved him and he gathered his thoughts about what he was to do and considered what he might be facing. Had the Raagziin returned after all? Where were Sulu, Galloway and Nguni? Slowly, he moved into the corridor, being careful to keep his eyes locked on the door to the Main Room and to have his phaser at the ready. He was less than ten metres from the door when it slid open and two figures clad in long peices of material burst through the doorway, weapons in hand. Kirk managed to dodge the beam of energy from one of their weapons by performing a side- ways roll that brought him into a crouch against the corridor wall. With his phaser aimed at one of the strangely clad humanoid before him, Kirk fired. The beam lanced out of his weapon and hit the being in the centre of its chest, causing it to fall silently to the corridor's floor. But the other humanoid was too fast for him. No sooner had he fired at the first alien, had the other aimed its weapon at him and had fired. Kirk crumpled into a heap at the edge of the corridor. The next thing he felt was a boot connecting with his jaw, which caused a shock-wave of pain to travel through his skull. He tried opening his eyes, but a blinding light prevented him from finding out where he was or who had kicked him in the head. "Get up!" The sound of a muffled voice said in an accent that he couldn't quite place. Kirk managed to roll over into a sitting position on the edge of the bunk on which he had been lying. No sooner had he done so, than a huge hand grabbed his neck and through him against a bulkhead at the opposite end of the room in which he was in. "Wake up, you human dog!" The voice yelled once more. Kirk rubbed his bruised jaw and once more tried to look up at his tormentor. This time the blinding light did not prevent him from seeing the owner of the muffled voice. The muscular being was approximately two metres tall. Other than that, Kirk could discern no more information, as it was enrobed in a thick, rough material that was dark in colour and gave the alien a menacing appearance. Its head was covered with the same coarse-looking material. Only over his mouth and eyes were there anything other than dark clothing. The mouth was covered by a metal grid, through which Kirk could make out thin, cruel lips that had been disfigured in such a way that they were covered with scars, and at one corner were bloated and had a blue tinge to it. The humanoid's eyes were covered with a similiar looking metal plate that more resembled a visor than a grid. Through the visor, Kirk saw two piercing eyes, unmerciful and despising. There was no doubt in his mind. The Raagziin had returned. "Get to your feet! The Commander is waiting." As if to enforce his demand, the bestial alien moved forward towards the stunned starship captain. Kirk managed to haul himself up by holding onto the bulkhead against which the Raagzin had just thrown him. "I'm up." He managed to say, wanting anything but to be once more thrown to the deck of the quarters in which he was in. The Raagzin didn't stop moving towards him. Instead, it once more grabbed him around his neck and dragged him towards the door of the room. It hissed open. Much like the ones on board the Enterprise, he thought. Before allowing Kirk to step into what seemed like a corridor in front of him, the alien took a large peice of cloth and wrapped it tightly around the captain's head. Kirk gasped for air, but the Raagzin didn't seem to be phased by the fact that it's captive was struggling to maintain consciousness. Instead, it propelled him forward and through the door. Kirk was led down various corridors and into three different elevators, blind to where he was going and what was going on around him. He didn't try to struggle, as he knew that it would have been useless. The Raagzin had a tight hold on him, and even if he did manage to break free, where could he go? Besides, he didn't want to get this particular Raagzin angry. At least not until he could meet the alien on equal footing. They finally came to a halt, and Kirk once more heard the hiss of an opening door. The Raagzin pushed him forward into the darkness that had surrounded him ever since he had left the Quarters in which he had been placed. "Rhul," came a strong, commanding voice from a few metres in front of him, "Take that scheylark off his head. Let the animal live as it pleases. It only dishonours itself." The voice sounded smug and cruel. Yet there was a certain intelligence in it. An intelligence that couldn't be discerned in Rhul, Kirk thought to himself. The large peice of material was quickly removed from Kirk's head, and he took in a deep breath of air. What he had been breathing for the last ten minutes had been nothing but stale air and he fought to remain steady as the dizziness threatened to overwhelm him. "Welcome to my humble abode, human." He heard the smug-sounding voice say, then looked up to locate its source. He was surprised to see an uncloaked figure approaching him from the dimness of a corner of the Quarters in which he had been pushed - the Commanders Quarters, he assumed. "I am Commander Sakal." The Raagzin introduced himself. Only once the alien had moved into the centre of the room, which was lighted, could Kirk see why the being did not wear a so-called scheylark. The Commander had been so horribly and grotesquely disfigured, that for a moment Kirk had to fight against a feeling of nausea. Massive cuts were evident all over the Raagzin's face, and it seemed as if huge chunks of skin and flesh had been removed from his face, which had then been left unaided in its attempts to heal itself. But it wasn't the fact that the face was disfigured that shocked Kirk, but the neatness and precision with which the disfigurement had been done. He had been prepared for this since Spock's debriefing on the Raagziin race, but confronting it was an entirely different matter from merely discussing what was to Kirk nothing short of mutilation. "Sit down, Captain." Sakal said, motioning Kirk to a seat before the desk which the Raagzin Commander had been sitting behind when Kirk had come in. Kirk didn't move. Instead, he remained standing, staring defiantly at Sakal, who had moved back to his previous position behind his desk. "I believe the human term is please." The voice spoke, threateningly. It had not been a request. "Why have you taken me prisoner? What have you done with my personnel who were with me on the surface?" Kirk asked, not moving. Sakal didn't answer. He glanced over his captive's shoulder at Rhul, who immediately wrapped a beefy, scarred hand round Kirk's neck and tightened his grip until a cry of pain was forced from Kirk's contorted body. Rhul didn't ease his grip, but moved Kirk over to the chair in front of the desk and dropped him in it. "You will answer my questions, Captain. Not I yours." Sakal said, simply. "What were you looking for on the planet? And where is your ship?" Kirk did not answer. "You are little less than a worthless animal on this ship, Captain." Sakal said, slowly. "So if you refuse to co-operate, I will simply put you to sleep. Permanently." "What is it that you want with me?" Kirk managed to ask through clenched teeth as he gently rubbed his neck. Sakal looked down at his desk, trying to remain calm. Finally, he looked up at Kirk, his eyes filled with anger. Yet he managed to retain the unemotional tone in his voice. "You do not ask questions, Captain. I talk and you listen. I tell you what I wish to tell you and nothing more." The tension seemed to ease from his muscles, and he leaned back in his chair, inspecting Kirk's smooth, unscarred face. "You humans are a strange people, Captain. You are willing to see yourselves as the best that you are. There's no need to improve. No higher standard." Sakal smiled, then continued, a slightly mocking tone entering his voice. "And that's why you are animals, Captain. You've reached your peak. And look at yourselves. Ugly and docile with a skin of a baby." Kirk risked an attack from Rhul, saying: "We strive for higher standards, Sakal. But we do not concern ourselves with our appearances as much as with what is within us. True beauty lies within, Commander, and it is this that we try to improve." Sakal didn't seem to take offense at Kirk's rebuttal. Instead he seemed to enjoy it, and answered Kirk as if he were speaking to something with little, if any, intelligence: "You're as weak as you look, Captain. Whether from inside or out. You are an animal." He paused for a moment, then a slow grin began to spread across his scar-ridden face. "Perhaps you would like to become more civilised." He said as his hand gently glided over the ridges from the surgical wounds on his lips and chin. Sulu stared out of the small enclosure in which he , Karen Palmer and the two security gaurds had been placed. Through the shimmering of the force field before him, he could make out the bulky figure of a Raagzin Security Gaurd. So far, no one had bothered to pay them a visit or much less care to come and inspect them. All he could remember was the front door to the building in which they were staying being blasted open and four cloaked figures bursting in, stunning first the two security gaurds and then Karen and himself. He had been told that the four other shuttlecraft that had been involved in the search had been grounded by Raagziin fighter shuttles. The Enterprise's crafts had been involved in an aid and recovery mission and were therefore carrying no weapons or defenses. They had been helpless against the Raagziin attack. The survivors of the ground vessels had been brought aboard the Raagziin starship with him and the others, but where they were being kept was beyond him. Nor did he know what had happened to the Captain. His thoughts were broken by the sliding door in the room outside the enclosure opening, and another cloaked figure entering. The Raagzin approached the gaurd and spoke a few unintelligable words, which were muffled by the grid he was wearing over his mouth, then stared at Sulu. The gaurd nodded, then turned and moved towards the enclosure. The other Raagzin took out a familiar weapon, identical to the one which had stunned Sulu on Reneva III, and held it in a steady, gigantic hand, ready to use it if any of the captives tried to escape. The gaurd turned a switch on the wall outside the enclosure, and the force field disappeared. By this time, the two security gaurds and Lieutenant Palmer had joined Sulu at the front of the enclosure, all staring defiantly at the two Raagziin. The gaurd stepped forward, grasped Palmer by the wrist and pulled her out of the cell, his grip so tight that the Enterprise's relief communications officer let out a sharp cry of pain. Without lessening his grip, the gaurd turned to the control panel set into the wall and once more turned the force field on. The shimmer returned and Sulu and the two security gaurds were once more helplessly confined in the detension cell. "Let me introduce you to Naguml, our Chief Mutilator." Sakal said, then let out a laugh at his own joke. The Raagzin Surgeon looked up at Kirk and Sakal with a smile. At first Kirk thought that the Raagzin was merely grotesquely deformed through some genetic blunder. It suddenly occurred to him that the Surgeon's face had been surgically altered for the very appearance that Kirk was seeing, and he found himself having to once more fight off a wave of nausea. Nagaml's face appeared to have a variety of growths on it. The one side of his forehead jutted out as if his skull had refused to stop growing. The same could be said for his chin. As with the Raagzin Commander, the Surgeon's face was scarred and cut. But that was not all. The Raagzin's left ear had been cut away. "An induced form of Paget's Disease?" Kirk inquired. Sakal nodded as he moved over to Nagaml, who added: "But controlled." The Raagzin Commander grinned as he spoke: "And you, dear Captain, are about to experience it." END PART ONE Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Path: newserv.ksu.ksu.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!psgrain!ee.und.ac.za!hippo!cc193.ru.ac.za!g92n3258 From: g92n3258@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR RL NICOL) Subject: Repost: A MATTER OF DIFFERENCES 02/02 Message-ID: Lines: 798 Sender: news@hippo.ru.ac.za (Usenet News Admin) Organization: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1993 11:18:23 GMT A MATTER OF DIFFERENCES: By Ryan Nicol "The USS Potemkin is signalling us, Mr Scott. They're ready to receive the cargo." Uhura said, turning from her station to face the centre of the bridge. Scott swivelled around in the command chair to look at the Ensign who was manning the Science station. Probably has plans to take over that position, Scott thought to himself, but said: "Ensign Checov, have you received the co- ordinates for the Potemkin's Cargo Hold." "Coming in now, sir." Checov replied. "Very well, Ensign. Feed them into the Transporters so they can beam th' stuff over as soon as possible." Scott turned to face the star-filled view screen once more. He could see the starship Potemkin in the distance, seemingly tiny against the vastness of space that lay behind it. He wondered about Spock and McCoy..... The beam of energy cut into Kirk's face, causing him to let out a scream of pain. Slowly it worked down the right side of his face, from the far corner of his right eye to the corner of his mouth. It left behind a thick red scar that swelled up as the flesh underneath was scorched by the heat. It was over within seconds, but what it had left was painfully obvious. Sakal grabbed Kirk by the jaw as the surgical laser turned itself off. "I know how much you Earthers cherish your ugly features, but that's going to change for you." He snarled. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know?" Kirk remained silent. He simply stared at the angry Raagzin, unable to defend himself, as his arms and legs were strapped down to the table on which he had been placed. "Are you going to answer me?" Sakal repeated. The few buildings that made up the small town that Crawford had spoken of were all covered with snow. It would have almost looked beautiful, but, to Spock, all it meant was survival. Since the time that Doctor McCoy had collapsed in the snow, leaving Spock with no choice but to carry him, the Vulcan hadn't taken the time to stop to check the doctor's pulse. He had carried on walking for the rest of the journey without a break to rest or to eat. At moments, the pain that he had so carefully hid threatened to erupt inside of him. He had squashed it down mercilessly. The bitter cold affected him more than it would have a human, as he was used to a much higher temperature. However, he had managed to control the chill that his body felt better than a human could have, and it was this that had allowed him to keep moving. But now the long journey was over. He realized that there would be nobody to help him, as the Enterprise had long since rescued the miners and their families from this town, leaving it deserted. But at least there was shelter from the elements. At least they would have a better chance at survival. The town was set out in a similiar manner to that of the other town in which they had found Crawford. Though the buildings did not look exactly the same as the buildings in the other town, it didn't take Spock very long to find the Communications and Central Control building in this village. It was the second largest building and, as far as he could see, the tallest in the town - three stories high. The large front door was locked and Spock had to get in by cutting the door open with his phaser. It took seconds, and before long, he and McCoy were inside. After a brief search for a bed, he managed to find one on the second floor. He removed McCoy's boots, then placed him in the bed, covering him with the blankets, including the Doctor's thermo-blanket that had been taken from the shuttlecraft. Medical attention would have to come later, he thought, then headed down to the first floor, where the communications instruments were located. Kirk touched the long, deep scar on the side of his face, then immediately pulled his hand away. The wound stung when touched. It stung even when untouched, Kirk thought grimly. Sakal noticed his pain, and moved to him while the Raagzin Surgeon worked on the surgical laser. "Normally the person undergoing the operation is sedated, Captain. We're not squeamish, believe me. But if there is no need for pain, then there is no reason to endure it." Sakal looked over his shoulder to Nagaml, and asked: "Is it ready for Fhulbargn?" Nagaml looked up and nodded. Sakal turned to what looked similiar to an Enterprise's intercom that was set into the wall near them. "Leyt tasth k'neish." There was a moment of silence, then a nearby sliding door slid open and two Raagzin security gaurds entered the room with Lieutenant Palmer between them. Sakal turned to face Kirk. "I want those dilithium crystals. You may not talk to save your own skin, Captain." He smiled. "But you will talk to save hers. Especially since she will be undergoing.... what did you call it? An induced form of Paget's Disease. And, as with you, without sedation." Kirk glanced over at the beautiful Karen Palmer. "How would you like to have an elephant woman as an officer, Captain?" Karen Palmer lay on the Surgeon's table. The surgical laser hung above her, menacing to Kirk, but unknown to her. She only knew that it was not designed for pleasure. Kirk's scar gave her a hint of what could be coming her way. "What kind of a person are you?" Kirk said, firmly. He didn't try to suppress his anger. He couldn't. "As far as I'm concerned, Captain, I'm doing her a favour. You may be scarred, but you're still an animal." Sakal spoke, emotionlessly. "What I'm about to give her is very expensive. I'm going raise her from an animal to something of importance and it won't even cost her a pethm." Kirk faught to find some way of stalling the inevitable order. "Where is your honour? That concept is supposed to mean something to your race. So far all I've seen is butchery and primal savagery. You have the gull to call us animals when you act no better!" "Honour!" Sakal yelled. For the first time, rage seemed to have enveloped him. "Survival comes first, Captain. How does honour serve us if we are not alive to use it?" Sakal started to move to Nagaml, who was stationed behind a control station not unlike that of a transporter console, then swung back to face Kirk. "We're a poor race, Captain, with nothing to sustain us but the dust covering our planet and the few colonies we managed to erect before we met your mighty Federation!" He spat the words out. "While our government talks of peace, our very culture - what we are! - is being threatened." He stalked over to Kirk, glaring at him. "Can you comprehend that, animal? Extinction of everything that you cherish, that you are." "Your government is asking for aid..." Kirk began, but was cut off by a roar from the enraged Raagzin Commander. "Aid! And where is our honour if we are forced to accept aid from a form so bestial in nature as your own?" Something suddenly dawned on Kirk. "Then you're not acting on behalf of your government?" "If they knew of what we were doing and were caught, we would be executed for being dishonourable." Sakal nodded, then continued. "But those who take pleasure in the idea of aid and peace with the human animal are far between, Captain. And I assure you that that radical element is being wiped out. If we were caught now, we would be shot. At a later date, when we reveal all, we will be commended." Sakal turned to Nagaml as if to give him the order to proceed with the operation when he was interrupted by a low whine from the intercom system in the wall. Sakal moved to it and flicked a switch. A female's voice came travelled out of the intercom grid, sounding as unemotional as a Vulcan. "Seyal t' kar'im." Sakal hesitated for a second, then answered: "Kaya dae' leyfa sjordul." He closed the intercom channel, then turned to Nagaml: "We will postpone the operation." He looked at Kirk, then added: "Temporarily." "I do not know exactly where the dilithium crystals are, Sakal." Kirk said, tightly. "You will talk, Captain." Sakal told him. "Even if you don't care for her, the others are just as much a waste of space on a cramped ship. If you don't talk, they will die." The Raagzin Commander strode out of the room and headed for the Ship's Control Deck. "This is First Officer Spock. Come in Enterprise. I repeat, this is First Officer Spock. Are you receiving me?" Sakal grinned with satisfaction as the voice carried over his ship's communications band. "Ryet seyal k' reyeim?" He asked his Science Officer, Kathille, a beautiful female. She had a beautiful, dark complexion. Her scheylark hid that fact from view, but he nevertheless knew. "Kalarm fey de'swar." She answered, not turning from her station located below and in front of his own command console. He swung around in his chair, as the voice of Spock continued to filter in through the communications grid. "Theyal t' sekarm. Fherl a' gattal destrum." He told the officer at the Security station, who nodded and left the Control Deck. "Enterprise, are you receiving? This is First Officer Spock calling Enterprise. Come in Enterprise...." McCoy felt the hand grasp his shoulder and shake it firmly. He let out a moan, but otherwise continued to lie still. "Doctor, wake up." It was Spock. McCoy rolled over from his side onto his back and opened his eyes. "What is it, Spock?" Then, realizing that they weren't on the Enterprise and recalling the past events, McCoy sat up and looked around. "Where are we?" "We have arrived at our destination, Doctor." Spock told him. "However, the Enterprise has left. There's no answer to any of my calls." McCoy was silent for a moment. Finally, he said: "Could the magnetic storm still be interfering with communications?" Spock shook his head. "Negative. Though the sensor-range of the equipment in this building is considerably less than the range of the equipment in the other town, they are strong enough to tell me that the storm is clearing. If the Enterprise were up there, they would have received my signals." "They will be back once they've transferred the food supplies to the Potemkin." McCoy said, hoping that Spock would confirm that statement. "It is possible." The Vulcan nodded. "However, it is just as likely that Starfleet would send another vessel to come and find us. One specifically designed for rescue and recovery." Spock got up and moved towards the door. "And where are you going?" McCoy asked, attempting to get up as well, but the sudden, excrutiating pain in his chest causing him to fall back down onto his back. "To find some food, Doctor. Now that we have found shelter, our next pre-requisite for survival is food." "Spock." McCoy said as Spock once more turned to the door. The Vulcan turned around once again. McCoy hesitated for a brief moment, then looked up at the First Officer. "Thanks." Spock nodded and left. With his thermo-blanket wrapped tightly around his body, Spock braved the extreme cold once more. He stepped out of the safety of the building in which he had left McCoy and into the night, heading across the iced-over road to another small row of houses that had survived the Raagziin attack. There had been no food stored in the Communications and Central Control Building, and Spock knew that that was what was needed to keep up both McCoy and his strength. They had both lost a lot of blood and had travelled a great distance. What was needed was both food and rest. He reached the small row of houses and entered the one nearest to him. He found himself in what seemed to be a large hallway, empty except for one fairly large picture that hung on the wall to his right. It was dark and cold inside. Even with his excellent vision, Spock had trouble seeing. Slowly, he began to move down the narrow hallway, towards the door that was on the opposite side of the corridor. He had just reached the door when a familiar sound floated through the open front door of the house. Someone transporting down! He thought, with a brief sense of excitement, which he promptly squashed. Spock made for the front door as fast as he could, though keeping silent. He stared out into the night and managed to make out five dark figures. Their size and shapes gave them away. Immediately Spock grabbed his phaser, ready to defend himself if it became necessary. However, the Raagziin began to head for the building in which Spock had left McCoy. As the Raagziin entered the other building, Spock slipped out of the house and crossed the road silently. Slowly, he moved forward and stared through the ground-floor window of the building. A door on the far-side of the room which Spock was looking into opened and the five cloaked figures re-appeared, this time with McCoy. Either he's been stunned or he's lapsed into unconsciousness, Spock thought, hoping it was the former, as the latter would have meant that McCoy's state had worsened. He gripped his phaser tightly, ready to fire as soon as the five figures stepped through the front door. Instead, two of the figures stopped in the centre of the room with McCoy and stood still. There was the familiar whine and they disappeared in a shower of blue and green sparkles. The other three figures moved towards the front door. There was only one thing to do. Spock moved back around the corner of the building. He then lowered himself down onto his haunches and leaned against the side of the building, concentrating inward upon himself. Then, just as silently, he fell over into the snow. His body was discovered almost immediately by the three Raagziin. "The human is alive, barely. He's lost a lot of blood and is still bleeding internally at an incredible rate. Three of his ribs have been fractured and one my officers broke another by mistake when they went to fetch him." Sakal said, watching Kirk's face intently for any sign of emotion. "He won't be helped unless you tell me where those dilithium crystals are, Captain." He said, simply, then paused for a reaction. Finally, he continued: "Without medical treatment, he'll bleed to death, filled up with blood, drowned in it." The door buzzer sounded, and Sakal pressed a button on a panel built into his desk. The door to the cabin opened and a Raagzin Security Gaurd who reminded Kirk of Rhul (Then again, all the Security Gaurds reminded Kirk of Rhul; they all wore scheylarks.) entered and stood at attention. "Report." Sakal said. The Security Gaurd's muffled voice flowed out of the mouth grid of his scheylark. "We discovered the Vulcan's body outside the building, Commander. It appears that he had died of the cold. When we found him, we could hear or feel no resperation or heartbeat." Sakal was silent for a moment, then said: "Store him in the dispensary. Tell Nagaml that he can dissect the Vulcan whenever he has the time. Meanwhile he must prepare Lieutenant Palmer for her operation." The Gaurd left, and Sakal turned to Kirk. "If you don't talk, Captain, the human will soon be joining your Vulcan pet." Lieutenant Kevin Riley sat quietly at his station, watching the stars glide by across the viewscreen as the Enterprise headed back towards Reneva III. This was the life he had always wanted to lead. Be amongst the stars and away from civilisation. Not to be stuck on some distant planet where people were susceptible to famine and drought. Not to be on a planet where he could be reminded of the horrors of Tarsus IV and of Kodos the Executioner. He had not wanted to admit to Kirk that their recent mission that brought them into confrontation with Kirk and his old nemesis had not affected his decision to transfer to the Academy. It had. But it was what had happened to Lana Shemry that had finally convinced him that he just didn't have what it would take to continue voyaging on a starship, let alone get a command of his own. She had been under his command when he had taken a shore party down to investigate the forbidding world of Alpha IV. They had been friends for a long time, and he had managed to wangle her into the landing party partly due to the fact that he was commanding it and partly because Kirk seemed to be want to give him a chance to prove to himself that he had what it took to be in command. After the Kodos the Executioner incident, Riley had had little self-confidence in himself. He had requested a transfer to a colony or base, but Kirk had refused, knowing that it was merely the recent mission at Planet Q that had caused him to lose confidence in his own abilities. Kirk had given him the oppurtunity to prove himself to himself on Alpha IV, and he had messed up. The result was three injured crewmen, one scarred for life, and the failure of the mission. But the thing that had hit most was Lana Shemry's death. He knew Kirk had a good idea of why he had asked for the transfer, but he didn't care. He was going to get it whether Kirk wanted him to have it or not. He only wished that he hadn't chosen such a bad time to ask for the transfer. If only he had known that Mr Spock and Doctor McCoy were.... "Mr Riley, we'll be reaching Reneva III in two hours. Tell Shuttle Bay Control to be prepared to receive four shuttlecraft." Scott's voice broke his train of thought. "Aye, sir." Riley answered, and proceeded to press two buttons down on his control panel. Spock's eyes shot open, but he remained unmoving. When he was certain that he was alone and that nothing was watching him, he sat up and looked around the room in which he had been placed. The table that they had placed him on was cold and made of solid metal. It was the only one in the room, which otherwise was bare of any other objects. Except in the far corner there was a small table with various medical instruments on them. Spock slid off the table and moved over to the only door in the room. There was a small, rectangular glassed-over area on the door, which Spock peered through. In the room adjacent to his, he could make out only one gaurd, covered in the strange cloak-like garb that the Raagziin were renowned for wearing. Spock leaned his head against the wall near to where the gaurd was standing in the other room, and concentrated. He didn't place any thoughts or ideas in the gaurd's mind so much as a feeling. Slowly the gaurd stood up and walked over to the door which would lead him into the room in which Spock was locked in. He peered through the glass window, but the table lay out of sight from where he was standing. There was a buzz as the gaurd entered the code which unlocked the door, then a hum as the door slid open. Spock was ready, and in a matter of seconds, the massive bulk of an alien lay on the dispensary floor. Spock quickly undressed the Raagzin and covered himself in the cloak and Scheylark. Within minutes, he was in the corridor of the Raagziin vessel. Karen Palmer lay on the medical table, the surgical laser hung above her, its nozzle aimed at her left cheek-bone. Kirk stood five metres away, Rhul gaurding him to make sure he didn't try anything rash. Sakal moved to where Nagaml was standing behind the operating console for the surgical laser. "Are you ready?" Nagaml nodded. He even seemed a little eager. Sakal turned to face Kirk and said: "This is your last chance, Captain. Or hers at least." Kirk suddenly lunged forward toward the medical table, but Rhul's huge arms snaked round his body and held him fast. Kirk struggled vainly with the huge Raagzin Security Gaurd, then finally managed to grab hold of Rhul's scheylark. He tugged at it, but it didn't budge. He yanked again, and this time the scheylark came loose. Rhul screamed, half through embarrassment and half through rage, as he tried to cover his scarless face with his cloak and at the same time recover his scheylark which Kirk still held in his hands. They don't pay their Security Gaurds too well, Kirk thought grimly as he made another lunge for the medical table. But this time he was stopped by a beam of energy from the weapon in Sakal's hand that stunned him, causing him to drop to the deck in a heap. When Kirk woke, he discovered that he was once more in the tiny quarters in which he had first been placed when he had first arrived on the Raagziin vessel. Everything was as he remembered it, right down to the intelligent bulkhead that was Rhul. Kirk corrected himself - merely a bulkhead. The Raagzin gaurd eyed Kirk for a moment, then turned to an intercom and spoke into it. Kirk could hear the voice of Sakal flowing out of the intercom grid, but what was said was gibberish to him. Rhul said something into the intercom, then switched it off and turned to face Kirk. He stayed where he was, but through the slits in the scheylark Kirk could see that the Raagzin's eyes were blazing with fury. Kirk suddenly felt a tinge of regret at having unmasked the massive gaurd. The corridor was unlit except for the occassional thin lighting panel that was built into the bulkhead of the great ship, scattering a dim light on the surrounding metal. Spock made his way down the corridor, the dark cloak and scheylark and the shadows of the sides of the corridor helping to conceal his movements from any passers-by. Not that there were any. Since he had moved out of the main corridor and into the elevator, which he had then directed to this gloomy portion of the vessel, he had not passed any Raagziin. Spock was not concerned. It was extremely logical. The area in which he was in was, after all, off limits. He had managed to short circuit the security devices that would have given his presence away and was now moving slowly toward his goal. It was a matter of minutes until he reached what would have been called the Engineering section on the Enterprise. Thirty minutes later he had put five Raagzin engineers and two gaurds out of commission and had successfully rigged a complex detonation device, consisting of parts of the weapons which he had removed from the Raagzin gaurds, around the computer panels that supplied power to the engines, defense screens and weapons of the combat craft. He flicked a switch on the control board and ran. The very energy that the ship's engines created was used to trigger the explosives. As Spock entered the elevator, the explosion rocked the ship, throwing him to the floor of the elevator. The loss of power to the Raagziin ship caused the lights to go out momentarily and the elevator to stop. In a moment they were back on and the elevator was once more moving upwards to another level. Two seconds of realization was all that Sulu needed in order to acknowledge the fact that the screen keeping them locked in the detension cell had disappeared. He pushed himself back onto his feet and made a flying leap at one of the two gaurds that stood in the small room outside the cell before they could draw their weapons or before the screen could once more appear once reserve energy power had been released. With the help of Galloway and Nguni, the two gaurds were soon unconscious. Now to find the Captain and Lieutenant Palmer, Sulu thought to himself as Galloway and Nguni covered themselves in the Raagziin's cloak and scheylark. Pitch darkness surrounded Kirk, who didn't waste an instant of the few seconds given him. He rolled off the bunk and onto his feet in a single move, then leapt into the darkness, towards the area where Rhul had been standing. The security gaurd had been trained to use brute force, that much was clear. But intelligent thinking and speed were two things the Raagzin gaurd did not possess. And in pitch darkness those were the things that counted. When the lights returned, Rhul's body lay in a crumpled heap next to the bunk on which Kirk had been lying, his head having made a sizable dent in the metal board below it. Kirk donned the cloak and scheylark, then made his way towards the medical section in search of Lieutenant Palmer and the injured McCoy. Then he would find Sakal..... "K'lah tha bakale!" Kathille cursed from her science post as she picked herself off the deck. "Ryet sa de'selam?" Sakal demanded from the entrance to the Control Deck, where he had been thrown from the explosion that had shaken the ship. "Masler sai retara." Kathille responded as she studied the readings that came pouring in from all areas of the ship. "Dwar te pharm. Se' Enterprise kwarm offi' se' gwarm!" The Officer in front of Sakal yelled from his communications post. So, Sakal thought with disgust, the Vulcan wasn't dead after all. "Mr Scott! Raagziin combat vessel in orbit around Reneva III!" Checov yelled from the science station. Without a moments hesitation, Scott asked for a status report from the Engine room, then ordered the raising of shields. "Red Alert." He ordered. "Weapons at the ready, Mr Riley." Damn, he thought. If they had the captain.... "Signal them, Lieutenant. They should know we're here by now." Uhura nodded, then turned to face her communications console. "Mr Scott! They still haven't raised their shields. According to sensors they haven't even gone to battlestations." Checov's puzzled voice drifted into Scott's right ear. "Do you think it's a trap?" Scotty knew it. He didn't know how, but the answer was clear in his mind. "They have shields, Mr Checov. The best shields they could have asked for." Scott muttered. "They have our Cap'n and First Officer." "S'kdal reiyt se' Enterprise!" Kathille spat, causing Sakal to move to her station and check her sensor readings himself. "G'ardahl feteyr kahl baght." He muttered to himself, cursing the gods and the animals of all living races, especially those of the humans and Vulcans, then turned to his Chief Security Officer. "K'ahl de'swaar se' Kirk." "Incoming message, sir." Uhura reported. "Visual as well." "Put it on the screen." Scott ordered. The image of the stars faded out and was replaced by the scarred face of Sakal. For a few moments Scott was lost for words, his mind a complete blank except for the sight of the horrendous sight before him. He gathered himself together, then spoke. "This is Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott of the Starship Enterprise, Acting Captain. Your presence in this area is a violation of the agreement laid down by our respective governments. Not only that, but our sensors detect signs of human life on board your ship, which we have reason to believe are members of our crew. We therefore ask in the interests of interstellar relations...." Sakal cut him short with a series of outbursts that Scotty did not understand, though the meaning behind them was plain. "We made no agreement, animal. Our government has no control over us, nor us over it. If we had, no such agreement would have been made. As for your fellow dogs, a number of them went astray and we decided to intervene." Sakal grinned, causeing a portion of his scabbed lips to crack. "You should take more care of your pets, Mr Scott. When unclaimed, they can be put to sleep." Scott felt his back stiffen, a sign that his Scottish blood was flowing at a fairly high pressure. "Unless you wish to provoke an attack, you will immediately hand o'er our fellow officers unharmed. You have five minutes to comply or so help me I'll beam them out mysel' an' carve your ship up bit by ugly bit!" Sakal seemed unphased by Scott's threat. The whole Control Deck crew on the Raagziin vessel were so interested in the exchange between their commander and the human animal on their viewscreen that they failed to notice the three Raagziin gaurds enter the Control Deck from the rear elevator. "I warn you, Mr Scott. You take any action against my ship and I will have every Enterprise officer under my control brutally executed. Is my meaning plain?" "It's plain." Kirk answered from under the scheylark. "But the only thing you're going to execute are my orders." Before any of the Raagziin on the Control Deck could reach for their weapons, Spock and Sulu had stunned the majority of them. "Mr Scott, beam a couple of security gaurds over at my co- ordinates. We've got a ship to secure." Kirk said out loud. And once more Scotty performed the little miracles. It was with a new face that Kirk greeted Sakal. Thanks to a little treatment with some fibroblasts, his skin had healed and the scar that the Raagziin surgical laser had created had been removed from sight by new skin having been applied to that area of his face. He had even offerred the treatment to Sakal, not thinking for a moment that the Raagzin Commander would accept it, but merely to see his disgusted reaction. But now the dead Raagziin Combat Vessel was in tow, with only enough power being given to it to keep its life support system functioning for its crew and the large number of security gaurds that had been sent there to keep an eye on them. "Where are you taking us?" Sakal asked Kirk in the Captain's Quarters. "You will be handed over to the Star Fleet authorities and most likely in the interests of interstellar relations you will be sent back to your own territory for your own government to deal with you." Kirk answered. Sakal merely smiled. "As I told you before, Captain. I will be commended for my actions. If anything, I will be given a Fleet to commandeer." "You seem rather sure of that fact, Commander." Kirk said. "I am, Captain. And when I have that Fleet, I will be coming to look for you. Your fibroblasts will have quite a job once I've skinned you alive." Kirk didn't respond. He merely signalled for Nguni, who entered to take Sakal back to his ship. The Raagzin Commander stopped at the door to Kirk's Quarters and turned. "The day is soon at hand, Captain. Consider it a fair warning, but your Federation isn't as safe as it thinks it is." The door hissed shut, leaving Kirk alone. He hesitated for a moment, then punched the intercom button. "Lieutenant Kevin Riley to my Quarters." First Janice, now Riley..... "Doctor McCoy, I take it that you have recovered sufficiently?" Spock asked from his science station as the ship's Chief Medical Officer entered the Bridge. "Why, Mr Spock! I never knew you cared." McCoy grinned as he made his way to the lower level of the Bridge and over to the railing near Spock's station. "Doctor, if you are trying to cajole me into an argument, you might as well know that you are wasting your time." "What I am trying to say is that I'm thankful, Mr Spock." McCoy said. "I haven't been able to tell you until now that I don't think I would have been able to get through that experience without you." "That much was obvious from the start." Spock replied. "What the hell do you mean by that?" Spock's answer was cut short by Kirk's entrance onto the bridge. With quick strides, he made it to his command chair and seated himself in it, relishing a feeling that he hadn't felt for a long time. "Lieutenant Uhura, is all that dilithium on board yet?" "Yes, Captain. Chief Crawford, the miners and their families, and a damage repair team have transported down to Reneva III. All sections report ready to leave orbit." Uhura answered. Kirk nodded, trying hard to supress a smile from spreading across his face, but failing miserably. "Send Chief Crawford my best wishes. Mr Sulu, let's get out of here." As the hum of the engines increased and the view of Reneva III faded into the distance on the screen, Jim Kirk welcomed the stars as he answered their beckoning. McCoy moved to his friend's side. "You seem awfully pleased, Jim." "I'm glad to be back. I've been away from home for too long." Jim stared at his Chief Medical Officer. "How about you, Bones? Happy to be back?" "With someone else to talk to than a combination of walking library computer and a diagnostic table gone haywire? Absolutely." But he knew that this time, for the first time, he didn't mean it. Something had changed. But what did it matter? What, when it was only a matter of differences. Reference Books and Episodes: What are Little Girls Made Of? (Episode by Robert Bloch) The Conscience of the King (Episode by Barry Trivers) A Taste of Armageddon (Episode by Robert Hamner and Gene L. Coon) By Any Other Name (Episode by D.C. Fontana and Jerome Bixby) Enterprise pg. 108 (Book by Vonda N. McIntyre) The Lost Years (Book by J.M. Dillard) The Best of Trek 4: Friendship - in the Balance (by Joyce Tullock) The best of Trek 9: Brother, My Soul (by Joyce Tullock)