'Position eight minutes from outpost 4 at this velocity Sir,' Scotty informed him in that thick Irish brogue. Kirk couldn't help but smile at the gleam in his chief engineer's eye as he continued. 'We'll get more speed out of her Cap'n. Don't you worry.'

That's not exactly what I'm worried about, Kirk thought, flicking his eyes towards Gabriela. The ship's JAG was currently in deep conversation with Spock, both of them casting him nervous looks. Well, he wasn't sure what a nervous Spock looked like exactly, but Kirk was pretty sure that when his eyebrows slanted up that much higher…

'Outpost 2 coming into sensor range Captain,' Chechov announced. Spock and Gabriela ceased their talking.

'Outpost 2 was the first to go silent?'

'Yes Captain,' Spock answered. 'Then outpost 3 an hour later.'

'Sweeping the area outside outpost 2,' Sulu said, his hands flying across the console in front of him. 'Readings indefinite. Double-checking outpost 3.' There was a pregnant pause. 'I read dust and debris. The asteroids both outposts were constructed on seem to be…pulverized.'

A heavy silence followed his words. Kirk fisted his hands, feeling his short nails dig into his palm.

What the hell happened down there?

'Open a channel to the nearest command base. Send them quarter hour reports,' Kirk barked out towards Uhura, who immediately heeded his words. 'Call battle stations Sulu.'

'All decks acknowledge Captain. All stations show green.'

'All weapons to full power,' Kirk said after a beat.

'Helm, starboard and phasers all ready Captain,' Sulu informed him a moment later.

'Outpost 4 now five minutes away Captain.'

'I don't like this,' Gabriela murmured off to his side after Chekhov's proclamation. Kirk tried to ignore how good the slim line of her neck looked.

'Join the club Colonel,' Kirk told her wryly, though low enough that the words remained between the two of them.

'Captain Kirk, regaining contact with outpost 4,' Uhura fluttered her hands excitedly. 'Opening the line and switching to speakers.'

'Outpost 4?' Kirk's question seem to ring out for a minute with no response. Before he could question his communications officer, a tight voice blared through the channel.

'This is Commander Hansen.'

There's too much static…

'This is Captain Kirk from the USS Enterprise, Commander. We're five minutes away. Can you give us your status?'

'Outposts 2, 3 and 8 are gone. Unknown weapon. Completely destroyed, even though we were alerted. Had our deflector shield at maximum. Hit by enormous power. First attack blew out deflector shield.'

'Any idea what hit you Commander?' Kirk demanded.

'Negative.' Kirk had been expecting that. 'Caught a glimpse of a space vessel, but not enough to give you a clear identity. No identification. Didn't respond to our challenge.'

'Alright Commander. We'll be transporting a landing party onto your base, with your permission.'

A burst of crackling noise that made Kirk want to cover his ears. 'Affirmative. We'll be waiting Captain. Hansen over and out.'

Kirk motioned for Uhura to close the line.

'Captain, might I advise that it would be prudent to exercise some degree of caution on this mission?' Spock said to him, his stance as stiff as ever. 'And that means complying with the rules.'

'I'm going.' Kirk made sure his tone brooked no argument. But, of course, the Vulcan paid little heed.

'Starfleet Regulations specifically say that the Captain is not to be involved.'

'I'm sure they'll make an exception,' Kirk said out of the corner of his mouth.

'I can go in your place.'

'No disrespect Spock but I need to know what's going on. Terrorists, the threat of getting turned into space dust, both Terran and Federation brass breathing down our neck? Those outposts being destroyed isn't just a coincidence. I for one am tired of chasing my ass.'

'How…colourful,' Spock remarked dryly. 'I suppose you won't let me accompany you?'

Kirk winced. 'It's not like that. Something about all this doesn't feel right, you know? If I leave this ship, I want to leave it with someone I trust.'

'Are we having a moment Captain?'

'Men don't have moments, First Officer,' Kirk informed Spock, giving the Vulcan a hearty slap on the back. 'We have acknowledgements.'

'I see. Do you have someone in mind to accompany you?'

'Maybe.' Kirk couldn't help but cast his eyes towards Gabriela. His second-in-command appeared to take something from this.

'I see.' This time there was something smug in the way Spock formed his words. Kirk refused to be baited.

'I liked you better when you didn't like me, you know that? You had less of an attitude.'

The corners of Spock's mouth lifted in response at Kirk's attempt to infuse some levity into the situation.

'One minute ETA to outpost 4 Captain,' Chekhov said.

'Scotty, prep transporters 1 and 2 for the Colonel and myself,' Kirk ordered. Gabriela appeared to struggle with something for a moment before her face composed itself once again.

'Thank you Captain,' her words were formal but Kirk thought he could detect an underlying warmth that hadn't been present before. He flashed her a winning smile, making sure all his teeth were displayed prominently.

'I'm handing over command to First Officer Spock until I return,' Kirk rotated his head to meet all those stationed on deck. With a two fingered salute, Kirk headed towards the turbo lift.

'You're a good Captain.' Gabriela's voice broke through the quiet that had surrounded them. The whirr of the lift hummed in the background. Kirk shifted his feet, plucking at the form-fitting bodysuit he had donned. Gabriela was dressed similarly, and the material clung to every curve of her body in an extremely distracting way.

Kirk had apparently taken too long to reply, because she pushed forward. Her eyes flitted towards his briefly.

'I'm not saying it because…I'm just saying you are.'

'Thanks Gabs.'

The nickname earned him a startled look, though a pleasant one. Whatever had made her bolt out of his office appeared to have dissipated, though Lucifel's words had obviously left a deep impression.

Wonder who that call was too?

'Transporters ready Captain,' Scotty boomed as they stepped into the transporter pad. Scotty himself was seated behind the control pod, goggles affixed to his face. The effect made him look like a short, pasty bug.

'Call ahead to outpost 4 to inform them of our arrival,' Kirk told him. They stood to the side, taking in the raised circular platform and the pillars of light that illuminated the room.

'You ready?' Kirk asked, sucking in a breath.

'One thing you have to learn about us Marines James,' Gabriela said, eyes looking straight ahead with something akin to purpose. 'We're always ready.'

Let's hope that we make it out of this alive.