A/N: I'm trying out this idea (ish). This chapter mainly sets the circumstances; I haven't gotten the main stage yet (does that make sense?) I debated over waiting until I least had the second chapter written before uploading, but decided to entice people with a beginning. I don't own Star Trek.

It was with heavy legs that he dragged himself back to his room that night. He was incredibly weary. It had been an insanely long day. Was it just one day? It seemed longer. First there was the meeting with the Halkan council, and then they beamed into that nightmare to end all nightmares. They'd returned home, at last, and the others seemed to shake it off. Yes, it was rattling, disturbing, but they had survived. Had he survived? He didn't know. He managed to joke about it on the bridge, but now, late at night, alone, he wasn't so sure.

McCoy entered his room and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to take off his boots. He still had the headache that persisted ever since the other Spock had melded with him. A part of him felt that he should be angry, it was a natural reaction to bad things, but he was too tired to care. He went straight to sleep and didn't move until it was time for his shift in the morning.

He was plodding to the bathroom when suddenly it felt like his head exploded. It was an intense, hot, raging pain shooting through his skull. It drove him to his knees and he cried out. McCoy didn't know how long it lasted, but when it finally faded he blinked away the blurry vision. He felt drained. Shakily, he stood up. Black spots clouded his vision and he held onto the wall until the dizziness passed. When the head rush was over, he grabbed the medical scanner he kept handy in his bag. It didn't read anything unusual. Weary and wary, he replaced it and went to start his shift.

As the days went on, McCoy found it easier to pretend everything was alright. He became very adept at hiding the… bangs. It helped that he could slightly tell when one was coming, and then excuse himself into his office. They normally lasted only a couple minutes, and so far Chapel didn't seem to suspect anything.

Once it started to happen on the bridge. It was quiet out and he was just observing, but he noticed that he suddenly felt very tired and had begun to sweat. He told Jim that he'd better get back to Sickbay and then left for the turbolift without another word. Once safely inside, he cringed as another head bang ravaged.

Oh, he sought treatment. Medical records already had a name for his problem: Exploding Head Syndrome. Of course, he didn't exactly fit the bill in how he got the affliction, but that didn't concern him. What concerned him was that there was no known cure for it.

Yet despite what the records said, it seemed to be easing. As the days stretched into weeks McCoy found that the bangs that had been happening a couple times a day had turned into once a day and then into every other day. His mood perking up, he made more of an effort to be cheerful. Chapel certainly noticed. She walked into McCoy's office to inform him she was going off duty to find him humming. "Of course, Chris, and I'm calling it a day as well. You have a good night." She had no idea that his upbeat mood was due to not having a head bang at all that day. Maybe things would get better after all.

"Bones," Kirk greeted. It was early in the morning and they were in the mess hall.

"Hi, Jim. Something you need?" He rerouted his footsteps to join him.

"We're approaching the Theta system and should arrive a bit before noon," Kirk informed, plopping his tray down.

"Theta, Theta," McCoy turned it over in his head as he chewed his biscuit. He swallowed. "Isn't that the system where the Iliad made First Contact?"

Kirk nodded. "Theta-4. The natives are still pre-industrial, but their stargazing techniques qualified them for the Federation. There'll be a briefing in Conference Room 2 before we beam down."

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "So I take it I'm part of the landing party?"

Kirk shrugged. "Only if you want to," but his glittering gaze and half-smile said otherwise.

McCoy briefly considered it. He'd felt good all day. There hadn't been a hand bang yet. Maybe some fresh air could do him some good. "Alright."

Kirk grinned. "Great. I'll see you in the briefing room."

"Theta-4. Known to the natives as Lefia." Spock brought up a picture of the planet on the viewscreen. There were oceans, plains, cliffs, and forests. There didn't seem to be any deserts, though. "Class M; slightly smaller than Earth. The Iliad was sent on a First Contact mission once it was discovered that the natives, the Ka'ari, had been observing starships and other space vessels."

"Doesn't zhat break the Prime Directive?" Chekov asked.

"In this case, no," Spock said. "The Ka'ari learned of us through their own methods. Because it is illogical to ignore that which is, Starfleet has decided to greet them and see if they would like join the Federation."

"The Iliad was called away for a medical shipment," Kirk said, picking up where Spock left off. "Starfleet has sent us to negotiate trade grounds, learn the culture, and things like that."

Spock fiddled with the computer and brought up another picture. It was an aerial view of two settlements. One was up on a plateau-like landform, and the other was below it. "The Ka'ari leader is in this settlement," Spock said, indicating the lower one. "That is where the beam-down point shall take place. Other Ka'ari are on the planet, but these are the only two places where they have settled and begun farming; even set up a rudimentary government. Their leader's name is Caynar."

Everyone absorbed the information for a moment; then Kirk stretched and rose. "Spock, Sulu, McCoy and I will beam down. Spock, I also want four others whom you deem necessary. Meeting adjourned." Everyone got up and started milling their separate ways. Kirk was about to join Spock when he noticed McCoy swaying slightly, a hand on the table.

"You okay?" he asked, approaching him.

"I'm fine, Jim," McCoy blinked. "Just a head rush."

Kirk grinned. "Ah. They are annoying, aren't they?"

McCoy chuckled. "You have no idea."

They walked together to the transporter room. Spock was already there, along with four redshirts, one of them female. "Lieutenants Brady and Collins are security," Spock introduced. "Lieutenant Essa is a linguist from Communications." She inclined her head. "And Ensign Forrest is from Engineering, but has a background in farming skills." Spock didn't need to say how that would come in handy.

"Very good." Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the two security members took their positions on the transporter pads. Sulu hurried in at the last moment and joined them, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Energize."

Please review if you like it so far. Again, I haven't gotten to the main problem just yet.