Chapter 2
by Trish Bennett

Kirk's few brief hours of sleep did little to offset the weariness that had plagued him for the past several weeks. He sincerely hoped the three cups of coffee that served as his breakfast would give him the boost he needed to make it through the morning.

The turbolift had nearly reached its destination. Kirk suppressed a gaping yawn, straigtened his spine and squared his shoulders just as the doors opened onto the bridge of the Enterprise.

Kirk immediately moved to his first officer, who was hunched over the science station scanners.

"Report, Mr. Spock," he said, so crisply that it surprised even him.

Spock straightened from his task to face the captain. "We have achieved standard orbit, Captain. Preliminary scouting probes have reported Margala 3 as an uninhabited Class "M" planet, containing a wealth of unremarkable mineral ores. Our sensors thus far would tend to agree with those findings."

"Very well. Mr. Spock, continue sensor sweeps. Lieutenant Sulu, maintain standard orbit. Lieutenant Uhura, assemble the landing party and have them meet me in the transporter room."

A chorus of "aye, sirs" followed him as he headed back for the turbolift.

"Mr. Spock," he called without looking back, "the ship is yours." Then he promptly disappeared into the lift. So far, so good.

Kirk made his way to the transporter room in a matter of seconds and found upon his arrival that the landing party had already convened. He hesitated briefly inside the doorway, then moved to the console where chief engineer Montgomery Scott stood at the ready.

Kirk smiled. "Looking forward to shore leave, Scotty?" he asked.

"Aye, Captain," the Scotsman replied in his thick brogue, happily returning the grin. "I understand they've been working on a technique to regenerate dilithium at Starbase Four. It should be an interesting week."

Kirk shook his head with gentle amusement. Where was McCoy, he thought, when other people thought of nothing but work? He quickly dismissed the notion and moved to mount the transporter platform. The rest of his party quickly followed suit. Kirk waited a moment for them to position themselves on the pads before he said, "Energize, Mr. Scott."

Scott's hands reached for the controls, and a moment later Kirk heard the familiar hum of the transporter. In an instant, the scene around him swirled and sparkled, transforming itself into a view of scenic beauty.

The first moments after transport were always a bit disconcerting, and Kirk involuntarily gasped as the warm breeze brushed his face. Fresh air and sunshine. Soft grass and trees. This place was a lot like Iowa, he thought. All except the pale lavender sky.

Kirk reached for his communicator and flipped it open. "Kirk to Enterprise."

Almost immediately came the familiar response. "Enterprise. Spock here."

Kirk watched as the landing party fanned out to begin their various duties as he spoke.

"Transport is complete, Mr. Spock. I'll contact you at regular intervals. Kirk out."

Kirk closed the communicator, and as he reattached it to his belt, he took his first good look at the landing party. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew nothing of these people other than what he had read in their service records. And their records were exemplary, of course. He would accept no less for the crew of the Enterprise.

He watched as his security man canvassed the area. Lieutenant Anthony Foster was a tall, muscular man very near Kirk's own age. He was strong and alert, and poised for action. Kirk suddenly felt a twinge of regret that he could offer him nothing more exciting at the moment than a routine scouting patrol, and made a mental note to request his services again.

He turned his attention to the biologist McCoy had praised so highly. My God, Kirk thought, he is young! As he watched Ensign Patrick Graham collecting cell samples from the lush greenery, he was reminded of his first experience with Pavel Chekov. It was probably the eagerness of youth, Kirk decided, that inspired the comparison, for the two had little else in common. Graham was tall and lanky, and seemed to have nothing on his mind other than the business at hand. He also seemed acutely nervous, though he made a valiant effort to hide it.

Suddenly Kirk's attention was drawn to the team's geologist, Lieutenant Martina Girard, who had been running tricorder readings since their arrival. She was relatively new to the Enterprise, but Kirk was surprised that he had never noticed the dark-eyed brunette before. Business was business and his crew were romantically off-limits, but as McCoy was so fond of reminding him, the captain was only human. And extreme feminine beauty was hard for him to ignore.

She must have sensed him watching her, for she looked up from her scanner to meet his steady gaze.

He smiled lightly. "Carry on, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," she replied quickly, returning a pleasant smile.

As he surveyed his crew carrying out their assigned duties, Kirk suddenly felt very useless. McCoy was right. He really didn't need to be here. But it was beautiful, and the fresh air and sunshine were doing wonders for his morale. Besides, accompanying a landing party always gave him a chance to get to know the members of his crew a little better, something he found essential for a good commander.

Kirk chalked his presence up to the privileges of rank and moved to join his security officer.

The Klingon commander slowly drummed his fingers on the arm of the command chair and watched the Enterprise drift peacefully in her orbit, totally unaware of the cloaked enemy vessel hovering just kilometers off her bow.

His officer moved to his side. "Four humans have just transported to the surface," he reported, his eyes also trained on the viewscreen.

Kor's face twisted in a smile. "Kirk is with them," he said after a moment. "Bring him to me."

"And the others?"

The commander pondered the question. "They may be of value," he decided finally. "I leave it to your judgement."

The officer nodded abruptly and left Kor staring at the viewscreen in glorious anticipation of victory.

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Ensign Pavel Chekov was manning the science station scanners. Something in the scanning field suddenly caught his attention.

"Mr. Spock," he said, his voice rising in the tone of a question.

The first officer gazed at him from the command chair. "Yes, Ensign?"

"Sir," he said, excitement and confusion blending with his heavy Russian accent. "Scanners are picking up an unusual energy surge."

Spock was out of his chair and halfway to the science station before the young ensign had even finished his sentence.

"From the planet surface?" he asked.

Chekov continued to stare intently into the scanner. "No, sir. It's just...there. Several kilometers off our starboard bow. Irregular...fluctuating...but it's definitely there."

He obligingly stepped back from the scanner and allowed Spock to study the readings.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said without looking up. "Hail the captain."

"What is it, Mr. Spock?" Chekov asked.

"Unknown, Ensign. Possibly a naturally occuring space distortion. I shall need further data..."

Kirk's voice suddenly filled the bridge. "Kirk here. What is it?"

"Unknown, Captain. An unusual energy reading on our scanners, several kilometers off the starboard bow. It is being analyzed now."

"Is the ship at risk?" Kirk asked.

"Not at present, Captain," Spock replied. "We shall continue to monitor the situation."

"Very well." Kirk seemed content that the ship was in good hands. "Carry on, Mr. Spock. Keep me informed. We've got a job to do down here. We might as well..."

The energy surge suddenly made its appearance as the Klingon cruiser swiftly decloaked, its menacing form filling the viewscreen and its close proximity setting off alarms at nearly every station on the Enterprise. The wail of sirens and the flurry of voices and activity from the bridge crew completely eclipsed the captain's voice.

"Red Alert!" Spock shouted immediately. "Shields up! All hands, battlestations!" He quickly made his way back to the command chair, leaving Chekov to man the science station.

Kirk's voice was demanding information. Spock quickly seated himself in the chair at the center of the bridge.

"Lieutenant Uhura, have the transporter room stand by to bring the landing party aboard. Begin hailing the Klingon vessel." Then his hand moved to activate the communicator at the arm of his chair. "Captain, a Klingon battle cruiser has just decloaked off our starboard bow. Red alert and battlestations have been activated. The transporter room is standing by to beam the landing party aboard. We shall lower the shields..."

"Keep those shields up!" Kirk's voice was adamant. "Have they activated their weapon systems?"

Spock glanced quickly toward Chekov. The ensign responded directly.

"Affirmative, Captain. Weapon systems activated, but they have not yet opened fire."

"Nor are they responding to our hails," Spock added after checking their status with Uhura. "I must insist that you beam aboard, Captain. You and the landing party are in grave danger."

"No arguments, Spock," Kirk barked. "Take the ship out of orbit if you have to, but you are not to lower those shields. Do I make myself clear?"

Spock's face hardened. "Affirmative," he responded in a voice that matched the expression.

The turbolift doors opened and Spock noted Doctor McCoy's entrance to the bridge. He had been expecting it, as he had often noted the doctor spent almost as much time on the bridge of the Enterprise as he did. Spock decided to ignore his presence, but McCoy moved to his customary position beside the command chair. Thankfully, he remained silent.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said without turning to face her. "Any reponse from the Klingon vessel?"

"No, Mr. Spock," she replied. "They're receiving our transmission. They're just ignoring it."

"Mr. Spock!" Chekov called from the scanners. "The Klingons have just activated their transporter!"

Spock rose from his chair as the ensign straightened from the viewer. When he turned to face the Vulcan, his face was white.

"Sir," he said. "The landing party...they've taken the landing party!"

Spock's words had struck like a dead weight at the pit of Kirk's stomach. A Klingon battle cruiser. He felt almost betrayed. Two days ago in the safe confines of the admiral's office, he had been assured that the Klingons would not be ready for months. How could they have been so wrong?

Kirk was in the process of assembling is landing party when he felt the tingle of the transporter beam. Spock had disobeyed his direct order, and Kirk was furious. Loyalty to his commanding officer aside, Spock had no right to jeopardize the ship. And he was definitely going to hear about it.

"Dammit, Spock!" he shouted as the materialization ended and he started to dismount the platform. A second later, he noticed an unpleasant stench. A moment after that, he noticed the Klingon disrupters that were leveled at him and his landing party. Kirk stopped dead in his tracks.

Before he had time to move or speak or think, Lieutenant Foster had drawn his phaser. It proved to be a fatal mistake. Kirk turned just in time to see his security officer disintegrate in the disrupter's deadly beam, a sight that hit him harder than a disrupter blast ever could. Kirk looked into the frightened faces of his crew, then slowly back to face his captors.

One of the three Klingons that greeted them mounted the transporter platform to relieve them of their weapons and equipment. The humans offered no resistance. They were silently shackled, their hands before them, and ushered into the rank, dismal corridor of the Klingon battle cruiser.

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Spock's mind was racing. His outward appearance, however, remained deathly calm. The entire bridge was silent except for the steady hum and whir of the equipment. Though visibly shaken, Chekov had returned to his duties at the scanners.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said finally, breaking the eerie silence. "Open hailing frequencies."

"Aye, sir," she replied, her voice almost a whisper. Her slender fingers danced across the controls before her.

"Klingon commander," Spock said firmly. "This is the U.S.S. Enterprise. First Officer Spock speaking. You have violated neutral zone treaty and entered Federation space. You have abducted key Federation personnel. We demand the immediate release of our landing party and an explanation of your actions. Please respond."

He had honestly expected no response, and he received none. He repeated the effort anyway.

"Klingon commander, this is the Enterprise. We demand the immediate release of our landing party and are awaiting your reply. Please respond."

This time he did receive a response, but it was not the one he had hoped for. The Klingon cruiser suddenly banked and fled, swiftly disappearing behind the veil of its cloaking shield.

"Mr. Chekov," Spock said quickly. "Are you still detecting the energy surge?"

"Yes, Mr. Spock," the Ensign replied. "Moving away at...warp four."