Chapter One: In which, with a stutter over pronounced through the translator, the Gorn are here for desssstruction.

Gasping as he lifted his arm, he realized the deep jagged knife wound had re-opened. But it was his only chance, so, gritting his teeth he reached for the next rock above his head. As he lifted his right arm, he could swear he felt the muscle pull. He had been through worse though, he reminded himself. If I survived that mess, this is no problem. Just keep moving… was his silent mantra as he slowly moved up the cliff face.

Then his foot slipped. He began to fall back down the twenty feet he had just scaled. Back down, he fell into the alien Camp were he was being held prisoner in the canyon. Time for plan A again, he thought without looking at the ground, if I make it. With a smack that brought fresh waves of pain, he hit the ground, unconsciously finding another way to escape his Gorn captors: a dreamless sleep.

The guard finished zipping up his uniform and sighed relief. Looking to see that no one was watching, he turned from the damp rock and ran back to the tent he was guarding. He checked around the tent's perimeter to see that everything was in place. His eyes widened to see that prisoner 086 was on the ground. The man's golden tunic was torn, his right arm was at an odd angle, and blood was pouring from his mouth. Swearing, the Gorn guard reached into his pocket for his communicator. Sweating bullets, he feared what punishment he would receive for leaving his post and letting the most valued man his Captain had ever captured get hurt. "Um, um, this security member Alec, um, prisoner zero eight six is hurt real bad here and…."

"What?" Came the instantaneous reply, "Security member this security chief, you said Zero Eight Six?"

"Yes, sir."

Alec heard curses and barked orders on the other end. Before they came, he decided it would be best to start composing his will.

SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS

Spock looked fixedly at the buttons on the command chair. He was so used to the science station buttons, that as un-logical as it sounded, these seemed foreign to him, and somehow un-touchable. Perhaps they had that feeling because of his own worries that he could never fill the, as McCoy might say, Captain's shoes. With no recent information, he didn't expect the crew to say anything new. "Report," he said half-heartedly.

Sulu flashed a tired smiled and excitedly exclaimed, "I found out what it was that disabled our ship. It took some time but it was in my computer bank. We faced it once before."

Spock broke away from the multi colored buttons. "Who was it?"

"We met them at Cestus III. It was Gorn. The energy signatures match exactly."

Spock breathed deeply. He couldn't understand why the situation made him so, mad? Or frustrated? It couldn't have been caused by sleep loss, he only meditated. It wa hunger either. He'd been eating correctly, when he could. Maybe he had been on the bridge to long. This was urgent though, he had to keep scanning the stars for the Captain. His friend was waiting. Sulu, watched as Sock rubbed his forehead. He thought that only humans did that to prevent migraines. You never knew though, he concluded, Spock was an alien, anything was possible. Spock's voice did not betray him, as he flatly said, "Good, Chekhov, find all recent information on Gorn Activity."

Looking up from the science station Chekhov acknowledged with a curt, "Yessir."

Spock turned to look at Uhura. "Well? Any radio calls expressing nefarious intent? Or perhaps a wish for a collaborative exchange? Anything?"

Uhura took out her ear piece. "No sir. Whatever they want with him, we won't find out until their done, I fear."

Spock turned away. "Then you should take a sedative to quell your fears, we will find him before they are finished. Meanwhile, Ensign Jones takes us to Cestus III at maximum warp."

Jones did not look up from navigation as he adjusted the buttons, "Yes sir, but uh, are the repairs finished? I mean, is it okay to get going already?"

"Just do it," Spock said. He looked back at the chair's armrest. The clock said it was 20 hundred hours. The day shift would be over soon. Just not soon enough, Spock thought, I need to go to my quarters.

SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS

When he opened his eyes, his vision immediately blurred. For a second the walls looked like home, and not some filthy, torn medical tent. He was wrong, of course. When he breathed the pain came back, as well as the heavy feeling in his arms. He tried to shut his eyes and wipe it all away. Then he heard the Security Chief's voice. Knowing that respect was demanded, he started to sit up. He felt a wave of dizziness then a scaly fist slamming back onto the cot. The humanoid recognized the fist as one of the second in commands, or rather, the Chief's hired Muscle.

"Rest, my good sir," said the Chief in his mocking voice. "You gave us quite a scare. Good thing we saved you in the nick of time."

"Good thing," he coughed. The second in command cuffed him.

As his coughing fit receded, he wiped a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth. The Chief, patient through the man's ordeal, continued, "Anyway, you'll be staying here in this ward with Alec for the time being, at least until the cast sets."

"What makes you think I can escape while tied to this cot? Why is that pathetic excuse for a lizard here guarding me?"

"He's not guarding you," Chief hissed, "He's another patient."

Chief nodded, and the Muscle used a Gorn equivalent of a hypo to inject him with a purplish substance. The mocking tone returned to his voice, "Sleep well, Captain."

As the pair left, he shuddered. The Chief's favorite nickname for him (aside from filth, slime, and eighty six) was Tiger, after his middle name Tiberius. It was not a good sign if the Gorn who enjoyed inflicting bodily harm on Kirk was calling him by proper Starfleet rank. Kirk looked at the cot next to him. The guard named Alec looked bad, and not just Kirk's usual standard of ugly, but really bent out of shape. He didn't feel sorry for the guy. Even though this tent was as familiar to him as to the one were he was usually kept, he began to count the holes in the tent's ceiling, again. His arm tingled.

Outside the window he saw a red beam cut across the camp. James blinked, it was just his vision blurring again. It couldn't be, could it? He turned his head to get a better view of the window. He saw more of the beams fly, too many to be a coincidence. Perhaps Plan A had been working? His hopes flew to where he thought the Enterprisewas in orbit.

Several shadowy figures crossed the dirt. The flap of the medical tent opened and for a moment he was afraid the Chief had come to get rid of him before who ever his rescuers were came. Instead he saw a familiar form clad in blue, with cheeks green from the adrenaline rush. "Captain? Is that you?"

Spock took steps forward into the light, illuminating the bags under his eyes. Kirk squinted looking at his almost to-thin friend. "Spock, you look worse than me."

"I doubt it since, your arm is broken and your leg is in a, might I add, poorly constructed splint," Spock said with one brow raised.

The Vulcan lowered his weapon and started to un-do the restraints on Kirk. Kirk looking up at Spock, barely saw the Gorn uniform glint in the corner of his eye before he could shout, "Get down!"

Spock turned to see, and took the weapon in the chest. Before he finished falling to the floor Spock had been wiped from the face of the planet. Looking from were his friend should have been to the Gorn security member at the door, Kirk was speechless for a moment. "No! No! You'll pay for this!" He yelled venomously at the Gorn. He tugged at his restraints that refused to come undone.

Two tents away, in his office, the Chief smiled at the sound of yells. "Looks like tiger is bouncing back," he said to his secretary, "tell the Captain we'll have the information he wants shortly. "

The secretary, contrary to the rapidly forming Gorn stereotype, was attractive (for her species) with curves unlike the rectangular shape of the males. She smiled, an unusually beautiful smile, and did as she was told.

In orbit, the only ship hovering was the G.S.S. Safari. No one wanted to wake the Captain while he slept, but when he woke the communications officer would relay the message. At least two solar systems away was theEnterprise.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

In his quarters, Spock went straight to his desk. Tonight, same as the night before,he had skipped diner. Several nights ago, when the ordeal had begun, (it was probably the second night) as he was meditating something unusual had occurred. A flicker had come across his mind, a map of the stars, as if someone had been lying on the grass taking a picture. Spock dismissed it at first, but it happened again the next night. The image stayed in his mind for ten seconds longer than the previous evening's. Again, on the fifth night he saw it, and felt the energy that came with it. It was Spock's hypothesis that Kirk was trying to project an image of were he was to him. Last night there had been no image. At the time when it should have come however, Spock had been in the science lab gathering spare parts.

He sat at his desk and looked at his project so far. If he was correct, it could potentially strengthen his telepathic powers, and allow him to connect with Jim. Maybe, if he was strong enough, even talk to Jim. Only time would tell, and he needed to stop speculating. Spock felt that with the absence of a picture things had perhaps turned dire.

Sulu meanwhile was in the gym. His frustration with the inability to locate the Captain was wormed out and dealt with here. He swung his rapier fiercely, adding another useless former-target practice to the incinerator pile in shreds.

How long ago was it? It must have been a week and a little more. Sulu began to work on his foot work, not wanting to waste another dummy. The Captain had made a joke right before the ship shuddered. It was perhaps, the most unusual weapon they had ever faced. It did not jar the ship like Alaska's 1964 earthquake, but rocked it as it's energy wormed in and destroyed systems. Sulu had noticed it first, immediately reporting that the weapon systems were at half-power. Then Scotty came over the intercom. Engines were mysteriously drained. The Captain looked at Spock, who knew with out being told what the question was. It is alien fire, he said, there is a ship de-cloaking behind us.

Sulu stopped and went to put away the rapier. He needed something heaver, and picked up the saber. He looked at the blade were the events of the past kept replaying. It had been no surprise when the Captain had ordered full power to defensive shields, especially the ones on the aft. He then told Uhura to clear her board of the incoming reports from the other decks. Without waiting for him to call them, the Gorn appeared on the screen. "Sssurender yourssselves. I am Captain Squmata of the G.S.S Safari. You will be the first causalitiesss of the new Gorn empire."

Unsurprised, Kirk told them they would never surrender. Sulu wondered now looking back if they had really wanted them to surrender. It was probably just buying them time to configure their machine. Captain Squmata hissed, As you wish. Then Captain Kirk disappeared. The Gorn ship flew away faster than any speed the Enterprise could do at full power.

Sulu dropped the saber. He was done for the evening.

Uhura, Nurse Chapel, and Yeoman Rand were in the medical lab discussing the current situation as well. However, they were playing cards as a way of relaxing. Like Sulu, their recreational hobbies did nothing to ease the tension.

End of Chapter One

If you know the what the Gorn Captain's name means, Congratulations , you are a nerd.