Captain's log, Stardate 3784.09. We have come upon a planet that looks like an abandoned, unrecorded human colony. Three ships maintain a geosynchronous orbit, but they have been stripped of all useful components and currently have no functioning life support systems. The planet itself has negligible resources and the majority of the population is concentrated on the northern continent. Population seems to be concentrated within the mountains and caves. Also, appear to have what can only be described as flying dragons.

"Captain, observations of the planetary rogue are complete, sir." Spock was bent over his station and straightened as he spoke, his hands grasped loosely behind his back.

"Very well, Spock. What have you found?"

Without consulting his instruments, Spock recited, "The planetoid has a cometary orbit with a period of approximately two hundred fifty years. It appears to carry with it some Oort cloud material that it sheds as it approaches the sun. It has just reached the point at which the Oort material will begin to meet the atmosphere of the inhabited planet."

"Thank you, Spock. Uhura, anything?"

"No, sir, nothing on any band. There is an occassional tracking signal between the ships and what might be a ground base, but there are no lifeforms in the area and the signal is completely automated."

Kirk leaned back in his chair, humming as he turned back to the monitor. "Any estimate on how long the ships have been in orbit?"

"Based on the ship design, the colony should only be about two hundred years old, but the ships' data seems to indicate over two thousand five hundred years," Spock replied.

Kirk turned quickly. "How is that?" he asked.

Spock glanced at his station, seeking an answer that still wasn't there. "Analysis is still being run, Captain," he finally said, turning back to Kirk.

"He means, 'I don't know,'" McCoy offered helpfully from where he stood by the transporter door. "What are you going to do, Jim?" he asked, leaning forward, his hands on the railing separating the upper and lower deck of the bridge.

Frowning, Kirk's gaze returned to the view screen.

"Keptin, zere are no signs ov tacheon particlez," Chekov offered from Navigation. "Ze hullz are complete free ov any sign ov zem."

Kirk rubbed his chin. "What else have we learned?" he asked.

"There does seem to be a higher concentration of people in the Western cave systems," Spock supplied. "It does seem to be a pre-Industrial society."

Kirk's fingers played over his lips. "Have appropriate gear made up for an away team," he said, pushing himself up. "Spock, include yourself, McCoy—"

"I'd love to see the dragons, Captain," Sulu piped up from ConOps.

"—Mr. Sulu and a security officer," Kirk continued.

Spock's eyebrow quirked. "And yourself?" he asked.

Kirk grinned. "Of course," he said, moving to the turbolift.

A dragon flew in a lazy pattern in the sky above a fallow field. A shimmering sound broke the silence of natural sounds. Five figures in leather-like pants and close woven tunics appeared, turning outward when the shimmering stopped to raise boxy devices that disguised their tricorders.

"The settlement is five hundred meters that way, Captain," Spock said, pointing and setting his tricorder on his hip.

"Jim, Spock. We're playing civilians for now."

Spock's eyebrow flicked again. "Yes, sir," he said dryly.

Sulu's eyes remained mostly on the sky as they walked, following the path of the dragon intently. "I hope we get to see them up close," he said, excitement permeating his voice.

"You won't be seeing anything if you don't watch where you're going," McCoy pointed out, nudging Sulu as the man crossed his path.

Sulu grinned and resumed his place, unconcerned with the doctor's reproach or warning. His eyes continued to follow the path of the dragon's flight as it returned to the mountain above them. Once it was hidden, his eyes turned to the land, watching it. "It seems rather quite," he said. His eyes returned to the sky. "That doesn't look right, either," he said, pointing to the northeast.

The group turned to look. Overhead, formations of dragons rose from the cliffs and hovered a moment before vanishing. Just after, flames were visible in the silver cloud.

"What do you make of that, Spock?" Kirk asked, turning to more directly face the oncoming silver cloud and flame bursts.

"Phosphorous emissions, primarily," Spock replied, his eyes on his tricorder. "The cloud is not made of water vapor," he added. "It seems to be an organic spore, perhaps from the Oort matter dragged in by the rogue planet," he said, lowering his tricorder again.

Kirk drew his communicator out of his pocket, opening it with a chirp that echoed in the still air. "Kirk to Enterprise, Scotty?"

"Aye, Cap'in?" the Scottish engineer replied after a beat where Uhura patched through communications.

"I'd like a detailed analysis on the Oort Cloud material that is being dragged into this system."

"Aye, Cap'in, we'll ge' righ' on i'," came the crisp reply.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott. Kirk out." He closed the communicator with another chirp and slid it back into his pocket. He turned and started toward the shelter again, the others joining him, though Sulu continued to watch the sky.

There was a rush of wind from behind them. "Just what are you doing out here like a bunch of dimglows?" a voice asked from above and behind them.

The group turned as one to look up at the brown dragon creature behind them and the person seated just where the long neck joined the body. "We're not from around here," Kirk replied for the group.

The man ogled them. "Where have you been living? Between?" Another brown dragon landed behind him. "Two of you with me, the rest with him," he said, thumbing over his shoulder. "Be quick, before the leading edge gets here!"

"Captain, I believe it in our best in interest to go along with them," Spock said in a soto voce.

"Really?" McCoy asked as he passed onto the rear dragon with Sulu, who turned to walk almost backwards as he passed the first dragon, and the security officer.

"Spock, I already said call me 'Jim,'" Kirk said as he approached the dragon. He looked up, smiling again. "What is the best way to mount?" he asked. "It's been quite a while since I've ridden anything."

The man tossed the end of a rope connected to his belt. "Just climb up. We don't have all day. You could out talk a Harper," he grumbled, turning back to the sky with a frown.

Nonplussed, Kirk grabbed the rope and climbed up, Spock following him to setting in the dragon's neck ridges. He looked over and could see McCoy looking tolerantly amused and Sulu talking to the rider of the dragon they were on over his shoulder. The security office, Kirk really needed to get his name, didn't look very comfortable behind Sulu. His attention was brought back to the rider in front of him when the man raised his arm and the dragon beneath them gathered itself up before launching into the air with a powerful downsweep of its frail looking wings.

The sensation of flying on a creatures neck almost drew a laugh out of Kirk. Spock's eyebrow rose as he looked around, seemingly not holding on though he didn't move very much as the dragon left the ground and turned to head to the ledges of the extinct volcano above them.

"I'll drop you in the lower caverns. No sense in having you under foot with the injured dragons and men," the rider shouted to be heard over the wind, half turning to direct the words to his passengers.

Kirk leaned forward a little, wanting to make himself better heard. "May I ask what's going on?"

The man looked over his shoulder at the captain in utter disbelief. "Have you knocked yourselves Between recently?" he asked, aghast. "Twelve years into a Pass, and you'd think everyone would know," he muttered, the words almost lost to the wind.

Kirk looked over his shoulder to Spock. At the slight shake of his first officer's head, he turned back to see the dragon banking and then spiraling down into the bowl of the extinct caldera. Below them, a chaos of activity became more and more visible and distinct as they flew lower. Voices soon grew loud enough to hear over the wind, first the keening cries that had to come from the dragons at the far end of the bowl from where they were going to land. Soon, human voices, yelling commands and conversations. As soon as the dragon's feet touched the ground, the rider turned over his shoulder. "Off, I need to clear off. Swing your leg over and slide off."

Spock moved first, swinging his leg over the dragon's neck ridge easily and dropping to the ground. Kirk moved to follow him, though not quite as gracefully. He turned to thank the man only to find the dragon crouching for takeoff. He continued his turn, following Spock, who was already moving quickly to join the ring of observers. As he walked, Kirk noticed that most of the eyes were on him and his crew rather than on the magnificent beasts. He more felt than saw the other three join them. He turned a winning smile on the crowd. "Hello," he said, his hands up in greeting, to show he was unarmed.

A/N: This is a story I used to play with in my head when I was little (like between 8-11). I mentioned it to people in my livejournal and several were interested in actually reading it, so I am finally writing it, 22 years later ^^ I think it rather obvious that I do not own the characters but love them dearly.