Chapter 2

As Kirk looked out at the empty transporter pad in front of him, he felt a small pang of jealousy. His inner curiosity burned to stomp his boots on the unknown surface of a new planet. Shifting back, Kirk looked to Scotty and ran a few questions by him on the ship's progress. Satisfied with the answers and accepting that it was his job to stay on board when he had no one else to replace him should things go astray, he settled on watching from the bridge. His thoughts were interrupted by the growl of his hungry stomach. Bidding goodbye to Scotty, he walked towered the mess hall.

The room was all but empty as he pulled up a chair with a steaming plate of food at his regular table. Just as he began to eat the questionable looking substance, another tray slid next to his.

"I swear Jim; you would think people would know better than to run head first into low slung ceilings. I've had to do three sets of regenerative stitches in the last week and I can guarantee there will be more before Monday." The doctor opened his own dish and started to pile the food into his mouth with the fever of a starved man.

"Glad to see you're entertained. What deck is it that everyone is getting hurt on?" Jim said between two considerably slower bites.

"The one on D in front of the replicator. I think someone rigged it to make good chocolate because they all seem to go for it." Bones took a long swig of this and looked about to continue his rant, but halted at the look that crossed Jim's eyes.

"What are you looking at?" the doctor said with his normal early morning grumpiness that never seemed to go away as the day progressed.

"Just wondering how you can inhale your food so damn fast. Isn't that against some medical recommendations or something?" Kirk said to his less than amused looking friend.

"After a few years of this crap, you don't taste it, just shovel and hope it doesn't come back up later. Unlike you, I ate all of my food in the cafeteria, not in some girl's dorm after you coned her into to cooking, so I'm used to it already."

Kirk flashed a cocky grin. "It's not my fault they all believed the way to my heart was though my stomach. "

"I still feel bad for that one girl who gave you beets. Her face when she all but crashed down my door begging me to save your life. Priceless."

"You would find my near death to that horrid cooking funny," said Kirk.

"So how goes the away crew? Spock seemed almost happy to be able to find data on the planet first hand. You must really have gotten to him yesterday with that soap incident. Why did you use his bar anyway? You have such a fetish about your own."

"Look, I told you yesterday, mine was still packed! How the hell was I supposed to know that his would give me some freakish rash?" Kirk said defensively as he scratched the physiological itch on his arm.

Bones whipped out his tricorder and ran a scan down along the place that Kirk was rubbing. "Bones," Kirk said with the most annoyed captain's voice he could muster, "what the hell are you doing? I'm trying to eat."

"Don't even kid, I'm not taking chances with your allergies." Looking down at the scanner, the gruff doctor looked almost amused. "All right, you're clear."

"So glad," Kirk said sardonically as he glared holes in to the oblivious doctor's scull. Picking up his fork, he began eating again.

Placing his tricorder back on his belt and shifting the conversation back to its earlier topic, he began another one of his speeches. "You may not like the alien, and I'm not saying that I particularly enjoy his company either, but he is a damn fine officer and has more training on ship procedures then all of us. He's nothing but an asset."

"I don't doubt that," Kirk said almost exasperatedly. "He has a lot of good information to give and his opinion on anything is great to have. I just hate that I don't get him. I want to make this mission as bearable as possible for everyone on board, but there's just this wall around him that makes me want to take the blunt end of a phaser to his head."

"You'll get used to it fast enough. You have a way with people that he doesn't. You two complement each other. If he can mellow you out and you can get the stick up his ass out, then I think you two will have a great career together."

Kirk let out his trademark smirk and chuckle. Looking to the tiled ceiling, Kirk tried to ignore the niggling feeling that Bones might have a point, if that weird conversation with the other dimension Spock was anything to go off of.

"Just keep him out of medical. He's a prick when trying to give him a physical; I'd hate to see what he would do if there was ever anything seriously wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you were a child when it came to inspection time. The way he just looks at me while I try and work makes me feel like I'm some evil Klingon trying to skin his cat."

"Thanks Bones. I'm beginning to think that it's you who has the stick up his ass. Whatever happened to good bed-side manner?"

"I have a great temperament with my patients. I haven't missed with a hypo in years," said Bones in a matter-of-fact way.

Rolling his eyes, Kirk looked up to see Bones getting ready to leave. Looking at the table's gleaming surface, he tried to immerse his thoughts into something more productive then the off feeling in his gut. Maybe he had forgotten something on the bridge, or maybe he just needed a bit more time to adjust to space life.

"You've got that look that tells me something isn't right," said McCoy, his voice laced with concern. "What's bothering you?"

Kirk just shook his head and crammed the last bit of food into his mouth, getting ready to leave.

Sensing the source of his anxiety, Bones clapped him on the shoulder. "They'll be fine Jim, you of all people should be aware of how strong Spock is when provoked." Ignoring Kirks sharp look, the doctor pushed him toward the door. "Go back to the bridge and monitor their frequencies. Make sure the subs are doing their job and try to get Uhura in a better mood for the goblin when he comes back."

Nodding, he followed his friend out of the mess and parted with him on the turbo lift. Moving onto the bridge, he walked over to Uhura's station to check her monitors. "How is everyone down there?"

Turning, all traces of her bad mood gone and the face of an officer in place, she addressed him with a fickle calm. "They seem to have stopped moving in this area." She pointed to the red heat grams of his personnel, Spock's signature showing considerably higher body heat than the other four. "I can't tell why though, maybe something about what they're researching. The area is hard to get weak signals like communications into orbit, so I haven't been able to keep communications up. The transporter will be fine due to the higher frequency, but as of now, all we have are the scanners." By the look in her eyes, he was not alone in his off feeling.

"Ok, can you make sure that Scotty is on high alert? I want everyone in position now that communication is out."

"Of course captain."

Walking across the bridge, he sat down and addressed Spock's fill-in. "What are the readings showing so far ensign?"

Turning to attention, the browned haired crewman skimmed over a few more screens, drawing the rest of his conclusion, "It seems like the gravitational levels are all normal compared to the last reported time, but the climate and temperatures seem to be going a bit astray."

"What do you mean by astray?" said Kirk, not liking his vague terminology.

"Well captain, from the logs we have, it's clear there are two seasons on the planet, but it's unclear as to how long it takes to transition in between them. Normally it is an extended period, shifting of planets and what not, but this one seems to be progressing rapidly from one extreme to the next. There has been a great drop in temperature compared to the normal recorded temps for this time of year."

"Uhura, I want communications up now. I don't care what it takes. I want a visual on what's going on down there."

"On it Captain."

"Sir, I looked up the planetary movements for the area and it looks like the shift in temperature is indeed the start of a new season. From the position of the suns orbiting the planet and shadow of the moons, every four months the sun is all but blocked out from the planet." He moved the screen to shift with the incoming information.

"Due to the high levels of gravity emitted by the moons, whenever the sun is out of sight, the large bodies of water form into clouds and make up the rain season, but as the moons move out of the suns path, the heat evaporates the water faster than it can form into clouds. That's what is causing the extreme opposite seasons of rain for half the year and then desert oasis the other."

"So what does that mean for my men on the planet?"

Uhura stood and walked to the station. "I have a slight signal, but it's hard to distinguish what they are saying," she said as she pressed her headset deeper into her ear. "The readings show that the others are moving, but Spock seems to be stationary again. I think he knows that we are trying to get in touch with him."

"Keep up on it, lieutenant. Try and get them to move to a more accessible spot."

"Of course sir."

Turing his attention back to the monitor, Kirk addressed the science officer. "By the looks of how fast this moon is orbiting, the shift between seasons is faster than expected," Kirk said. He trailed a finger across the screen, looking for more data.

"Incredibly sir. The area they are in will fully shift into the rainy season in approximately fifteen minutes.

Kirk looked down at the officer. "How long do they have before the actual rain starts to form?"

"Well, looking at the strength, an hour, maybe two?" Nodding, Kirk moved to pace along the deck, trying to come up with the best plan of action. Though the weather was an unforeseen complication, rain was hardly deadly. By the time it started to turn to precipitate, they would be long gone.

Grabbing a data pad, he pulled up the information on the dropping temperatures. It had only plunged two point three degrees Celsius in the hour they had been on planet. The cooling was still well in comfort ranges and allowed for at least another three hours before they would be harmful to Spock and at least four for the others.

"How long do the scans have before they're complete?"

"Just over an hour, sir. The data requested by Starfleet is rather extensive for an uninhabited planet. I'm sure that's why Spock agreed to go shore side. There has to be something that we are looking for out here," the science crewman said as he looked at kirk.

"Don't make assumptions. Good information makes future missions easier, and this planet is severely lacking in that department."

"Captain! I've hailed the men! Putting them over the con."

A scratchy but understandable voice filled the room. "Captain? This is Sulu, what seems to be the problem?"

"An unforeseen complication seems to have arisen that is making the climate shift at an alarmingly fast rate. You should have enough time to complete your observations, but I want it done quickly. Get back on ship as soon as possible. Clear?"

"As crystal captain. The sky seems to be darkening a bit and it's not so overwhelmingly hot anymore, but aside from that, all is normal."

"Make sure it stays that way. Kirk out."

He looked over the briefing data again, scanning to see if he missed something. The authorization to go on land if the opportunity presented itself, the little info on an animal that may or may not be more than a resilient rat, even the nature of the greenery all seemed to check out as being fine. By the time the rain started to pour, no one would be on planet side, so it should be pointless to worry.

Trying into get his gut to go with his logic, he started to pace again. "What power level are we at Chekov?" He felt as though he needed to do something to keep his mind occupied.

"We are in full power, Captain." The navigator said quickly.

"Shift to idle, give the engines a break."

Moving over the controls of Sulu's replacement and hitting a few commands, Chekov eased the ship out of the gentle growl and slid her into a content purr. "All main engines on idle, Scotty will be pleased. "

"Thank you Chekov." Again, he began pacing. They had just under an hour before they were expected, but if Spock knew that a possible storm was on the horizon, then he would undoubtedly take the safe track and expedite the research.

"I'm going to take a walk to blow off some steam. I don't know why, but I'm restless. Uhura, you have the con, hail me if anything changes."

"Yes sir."

Walking out of the bridge, he tried to look normal as he walked down to D deck to investing the popular replicator and possibly treat himself to a chocolate bar. There was no need to startle the crew and make something out of what could easily be nothing. He nodded to a few passing crew as they stopped at attention and slipped onto the thankfully empty turbolift.

Planting an arm above the controls, he eased his weight to the cool frame and pressed his head to the metal, trying to sort his thoughts. Something was not right. He could feel it moving in his stomach and planting a seed of doubt in his mind. Taking a deep breath as the turbolift came to a halt; he schooled his features and walked out into the hall.

Hearing the loud beats of running footsteps, he turned around just in time to see McCoy charging full speed toward lift, emergency medical bag in hand with two trauma nurses following closely on his heels.

"Bones! What the hell's going on?" Kirk said, instantly on high alert. Bones continued to the lift doors, ignoring him. Kirk sprinted across the hall and slipped into lift just as the doors began to close.

"Jim, what the hell are you doing all the way down here? We've got an emergency on our hands!"

Kirk looked at the thee medical officers all crammed into the small space and couldn't help his frustration. "What do you mean, emergency, I just got off of the bridge and everything was fine! What happened?"

McCoy gave him a hard look. "We just got hailed and informed that one of the science officers on the landing crew was severely injured. We have to beam down planet side and stabilize him before he can be transported. Something about the wild animals going into shock with the weather."

Nodding a quick good luck, the door opened to his floor and he ran at a full sprint until he reached the bridge and burst inside. The noise of hurried people, computers and the rush of an emergency assaulted his senses as he barked an order. "I want to know why the hell my CMO was the first one to tell me about an accident and why he is currently beaming planet side without my authority. Now!"

Kirk moved to the front of his post as Uhura slipped out of her chair and made her way to the large data screen behind him. "Sorry sir, Spock had to relocate and just found a place where he could get a signal; I was just about to hail you. Following her to the screen, he let her hastily pull up an image of the planet. "Here's where they are sir, they contacted us just moments after you left asking for emergency medical help. Some of the native animals hurt one of the scientists. He took a hit to the spine and can't be moved."

"Is everyone else ok? What about the other four officers? How are they fending the animals off?" Kirk studied the map and the small dots with names attached representing his crew. They looked to be in a narrow ravine of sorts, a good tactical spot for fighting off an unknown number of attackers.

"The others all report ok. Spock said that between him and Sulu, they were managing the animals. Bones should be leaving soon, he just had to grab the animal poisoning kit and he will beam down. He said he would send the other men back as soon as they landed. That way Scotty will have a solid lock on their position. The rest will follow the second the injured are though."

Nodding, he turned his attention to the science fill in. "How long before the scans finish?"

"Um… forty three minutes sir."

Moving his attention back to Uhura, he switched the screen settings to show the weather and climate changes. "It looks like the clouds are starting to form but there is still too little in the atmosphere for rain to fall. The temperatures are still dropping, how low can they get before Spock has to worry?"

Uhura looked back at him, her focus moving from Chekov to Kirk. "Another ten degrees sir. He'll be uncomfortable, but nothing he can't handle till then. "

"How is communications looking on the planet? Are they in range?" Kirk said, voice tense.

"No sir, Spock had to move out of the ravine just to tell me that. He would have stayed in range, but he had to help fight off the animals. The other officers don't have the combat experience."

"All right, I want another medical crew at the ready for when Bones gets back. We've been in space for less than two days, I will have no fatalities. Understood?"

"Yes captain," Uhura said as she tried to configure the screen into a more detailed layout of the planet.

"Captain…" Chekov stammered as he tried to make sense of what his scanners were telling him.

"Yes Chekov? What is it?" he moved to face the navigator.

"It seems like there is another ship in orbit around the planet sir."

"What?" Kirk said, trying to process his words. "How did this go unnoticed? With the gravitational scans we have going on this planet I should know the exact locations of space dust in a fifty mile vicinity!" Kirk turned to the fill-in science officer who was never going to step foot on his bridge again.

"Sorry sir, the commander has his station set up differently, I'm not sure how to work all of it." Sighing, Kirk looked away from the officer before he ended up yelling again.

"Who are they and are they friendly?" he barked out a second later, the sinking feeling in his gut tightening to a dull throb.

"I'm scanning now sir, but no Federation ships should be anywhere near us."

He looked at Uhura who had the same look of dread across her face that he was feeling.

"Can they see us?" Kirk turned in his chair automatically to look toward Spock's station, accustomed to having his lighting quick if somewhat over-rational analysis in just these kind of situations. Instead of Spock's impassive, slightly irritating face Kirk found himself gazing at the idiot replacement that could do little more than read data from his screen. Momentarily derailed by the lack of Spock's steady presence, Kirk turned to look at the blurry image.

"We have a visual on the ship captain," said Chekov.

"And? Who are they?"

The navigator quickly brought the image into focus. Kirk stared at the ship in dread as the situation quickly went from in his control to farthest from it.

"It's Klingon sir…" Chekov said in small voice as the noisy bridge came to a silence as all eyes were riveted to the image of the ship orbiting on the other side of the small planet.

Kirk let out a low curse. Looking at the image again, he tried to find the solution the rest of the bridge was eagerly waiting for. "Zoom onto the hull, Chekov."

The screen narrowed and focused on the writing that spanned the older ship. The name of the bird was long gone, as well as the markings of its imperial ranking, but the purpose of its creation was still clear. It was a war bird, too old to be in active service to the Klingon Empire, but any Klingon in space was dangerous enough to be a threat, especially to a Federation ship. Going off the engines it sported and the shape, he could tell it had been made about thirty years ago, long before the technology necessary for detecting a ship like the Enterprise had been invented.

Thanking his ship history class he had taken last semester, he addressed his silent bridge. "The reason they haven't hailed or tried to attack us yet is because they don't know we're here. The ship is too old to be able to detect our outgoing transmissions. Because we're in idle and so close to the shifting moons, our signal could easily be overlooked in a system not programed to detect it."

"Captain," Uhura's voice beckoned. "That ship is long out of commission. The only reason it would be out this far away from their empire would be because they are no longer welcome or refused to be retired. They must be rouges."

Letting his silence confirm the idea, he grasped the railing in front of him and looked down at his hands, trying to think.

"I want to know how close they have to be to detect us as well what kind of electronics they have aboard. Get Scotty up here and tell him to find a replacement for the transporter pad, well need all the additional information we can get on that ship."

"Captain!" Chekov said as he raced his fingers across his key board. "Though the ship can't detect anything going out because of the gravitational flux from the moons, even old equipment like that will be able to read any incoming signals to the Enterprise. If we take any more transmissions in, both from transportation and communication, they might detect our position."

"I want a red alert. All stations battle ready. If that ship so much as looks in our direction, I want phasers locked and ready. I will not take chances with rogue Klingons. "

"Sir," Chekov said as Kirks mind began to race. "They have beamed five to the surface of the planet, about a mile away from where Spock and the others are."

Putting together the new information with the knowledge that his best friend had beamed aboard a planet that he would not be able to get back from and that he might already be sending back officers, his thoughts went into overdrive. "Hail the transporter room lieutenant and make sure McCoy is aware of the Klingons."

"I've already tried Captain. I can't get through, Scotty is on his way here and whoever is at the station isn't picking up."

"Damn it," Kirk spat as he turned on his heel to the door. "Alright, keep trying, if anything happens, I had better be the first to know this time."

Ignoring Uhura as she stared after him in question, he gave her the con in a rushed order. Making a mad dash out of the bridge, Kirk ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the transport pad, hoping like hell that by some stroke of luck, Bones hadn't beamed back yet.

He urged the lift to move faster as his breath came in long pulls and adrenalin coursed through his system, causing his body to move as fast as his mind. He heard the red alert and Uhura's voice as she ordered battle stations. As soon as the doors started to open, Kirk was running through them full speed to the transporter room.

As he ran through the halls, the crew looked as hurried as he did. Few even realized who he was. The ones that did quickly acknowledged him with a sharp salute and moved back to their stations.

As he drew nearer to the transporter room, Kirk didn't hear the sound of a medical emergency and thanked the gods. He might still have a chance. If he could just get down to the planet before they beamed anyone else up, he might be able to keep them undetected and avoid a confrontation.

Bursting into the room, barely avoiding the sliding doors, he ran for the transporter station and stopped Scotty's replacement just as he was sliding the last dial up to receive the crew. "Sir?" said the man, not bothering to hide his questioning gaze. "We have to get the doctor back on board…"

"No one is to come aboard this vessel until I give permission." Kirk said as he strapped on his belt and phaser and moved to the front transport circle.

"But-"he stopped as Kirk's glare silenced him.

"Energize," said Kirk, a hard look still in his eyes, daring the engineer to disobey him. A few seconds later, the familiar hum of electricity slid though his body and sent him into the unknown of the planet below.

Disclaimer: I do not own star trek, blah blah blah.

A.N. Cliffhanger! Come on, it was obvious that something was going to happen. Bet you didn't suspect Klingons though.

Thank you those who reviewed and the others who read! Sixteen alerts already! Hope I can live up!

Again to my epic beta, much love!

Is it just me, or does this chapter seem more adventurous when read to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme… lol