This story occurs in 2269, after the end of the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series, and prior to the start of The Animated Series.
Captain's log, stardate 6043.2. The Enterprise has arrived at the third planet of the Alpha Omaris system in response to a plea for help.
Sitting in his command chair on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk contemplated the image on the main viewer of Alpha Omaris III as the starship entered orbit of the planet. It seemed a fairly typical Class M world: Large blue oceans, brown-green landmasses, white clouds and ice-caps. "Lt. Uhura, replay the message we received," he said to the communications officer.
A second later, a frantic voice issued from the speaker: "To any vessels, this is Captain Matthias Cronin of the commercial ship Athos. I am on planet Alpha Omaris III, and need immediate help! Am in extreme danger! Please, someone, help me now! Help - " The message abruptly cut off then, leaving only silence. So it had been for the last two hours.
Kirk rose from his chair and approached the science station. "Well, Spock, what do we know about this planet?"
The Vulcan science officer was peering into the scope mounted on the console, the light from the small screen castig his normally faintly greenish features in a blue shade, as he replied "Alpha Omaris III is the site of the New Britain colony, established one hundred and twenty-five years ago. The colony was heavily attacked during the Romulan War, and following the end of the conflict, sealed itself off from the Federation, wishing to have as little as possible to with the interstellar community. There has been no contact with the colony in ninety-three years. However, I am reading large numbers of lifeforms in what appear to be small urban areas scattered across the small islands of the northern hemisphere. Power readings are minimal, but I am also detecting a vessel of modern manufacture on the surface."
"Uhura, try hailing the planet," Kirk ordered, looking back to the viewscreen.
"Aye, sir," Uhura responded, manipulating the controls on her board. A moment later though, she gave Kkirk an apologetic look. "Sorry, captain, no response."
"Looks like we'll have to beam down," Kirk murmured.
"Caution is advised, captain," Spock said, looking at Kirk. "Sensors indicate an approaching ion storm. It will pose no danger to vessels, but may severely disrupt transporters and comunications."
Kirk considered his options for a moment, then announced "We'll take a shuttlecraft down. Spock, you're with me. Uhura, contact Doctor McCoy and have him meet us on the hanger deck, and inform Mister Scott that he has the conn."
OOOOOOOO
The quiet stillness of the air on Alpha Omaris III was suddenly disrupted by a sound uncommon in that area: The steady droning of the engines of a Starfleet shuttlecraft as it descended from the sky and made a gentle landing on the grassy ground within a patch of trees on a wide expanse of moorland. Within a minute of the craft settling down and the engine cutting off, a door had slid open in its' side and from it three figures emerged to set foot on the heather. Captain Kirk, flanked on either side by Leonard McCoy and Spock, stood and peered between the trees until his eyes saw the slight gleam of the top of a spacecraft's hull protruding from the bottom of the hill they were on. "Alright, gentlemen, let's go," he said, gesturing for them to follow him.
A cold wind had begun to blow across the moorland as the three men made theirway down the hillside, penetrating sharply through the thin material of their uniforms. Not for the first time, Kirk and McCoy missed the grey jackets that Starfleet had withdrawn a decade earlier; they would have been added comfort in this weather. "Lord, this place is bleak," McCoy observed, surveying the landscape with its grassy slopes and clumps of thickets beneath a leaden sky. "Kinda reminds of parts of northern England."
"No doubt, doctor, such resemblances are among the factors that initially drew the first colonists here," Spock remarked. "Many of them did hail from such parts of northern Britain as Lancashire and Yorkshire."
"I imagine it's not too unpleasant in the right season," Kirk said, shivering slightly against the cold. "Scotty would no doubt be reminded of parts of his native Scotland here." A minute later they had reached the ship, a fairly standard and unremarkable type. They instantly noticed the hatch in the side was open, the interior dark.
Spock activated his tricorder hanging from a loop over his shoulder and checked the readings. "There are no lifeforms on board, captain," he reported after a few seconds.
Kirk looked up at the ramp into the darkness. "Which means it's either deserted, or the crew is..." He did not finish voicing the unpleasant thought. At his gesture, Spock and McCcoy accompanied him up the ramp and into the vessel.