A/N: Okay, so my abstinence from fanfiction lasted a grand total of THREE days! I was back writing on Sunday, and now that I'm done with the first chapter of this impromptu story I'm posting it. Man, I seriously cannot take a break from writing.

Anyway, here we go with the latest adventure! Enjoy!

He motioned for the first mate to come closer. At his side, the man peered down at the display. His eyes widened. "Is that real?" he gasped.

He nodded sagely. "It is."

The first mate pointed. "But, but the sheer size of that!"

"Is accurate," he replied smoothly.

"But that means that the entire planet is… well, it's the greatest single piece of treasure in the galaxy!"

"Agreed," he purred. "But also note its coordinates; it's knee-deep in Federation space. And they've been making use of it for decades."

The first mate recovered from his surprise. "What is it we are to do?" he asked tactfully, greed lining his face.

He could sympathize. They were all bored of freight runs. But this; this would provide a challenge. And though the challenge was undeniably risky, the reward was so vast that only a fool would turn down the mission.

He did not lead fools.

"Pay attention," he said. "Here's how this will happen."

"I can't stress the importance of this, Kirk," Commander Watkins told him. Kirk sat on the other side of the desk in the Starbase commander's office. He had his arms crossed, and listened carefully. "If one goes, then it puts all the others at risk because of the faulty wiring. And we can't risk that. Those drones provide the necessary amounts of diamond needed for half the Federation!"

"I'm well aware of that, Commander," Kirk said. "My chief engineer is the best in the Fleet; if he can't fix the problem then no one can."

Watkins marginally relaxed. "I have faith in you and your crew's abilities, Captain. Surely, though, fixing a broken drone is one of the, shall we say, less exciting duties of a starship."

Kirk inclined his head. "Perhaps in other settings. However, this particular environment should serve to keep us on our toes."

Watkins nodded. "Indeed." He pressed a few keys on the computer. "A replacement set is due to be ready and deployed at the end of the year. As it stands now, these drones are 30-45 years old. I'm not all that surprised that here, near the end, we're having a few start to go out on us. Still, we need them in as best a condition as possible. We have so few, and they reap so much. A damaged drone reduces our supply markedly."

"We'll find the malfunction and fix it," Kirk reassured him for the umpteenth time. He rose. "And the sooner we can do that the better."

"Certainly, certainly Captain." Watkins also stood. "My base is equipping your Engineering staff with everything they'll need for shielding; Lucy's neighbor has a tendency to mess with beaming, and though your shuttles are durable, they aren't especially designed to handle the conditions."

"Thank you," Kirk said. "If that is all, Commander, I must return to my ship."

"Of course," Watkins said. He stepped back, leaving plenty of room for the transporter beam.

"Enterprise, one to beam up," Kirk said into his communicator. An instant later he materialized away.

That had been 7 hours ago. Now, they were rapidly approaching the nearest star to the starbase. As they got closer to their destination, the light increased tenfold. Kirk ordered the screen to reduce the visual's picture to a darker exposure. Blinking away afterimages, the crew was grateful for the dimming light.

"Analysis, Spock," Kirk called automatically.

"PSR J1719," Spock replied seamlessly from his scanner. "A millisecond pulsar approximately twelve miles in diameter. Spin period of 5.8ms; we are deep in the constellation Serpens, roughly 4000 light years from Earth. Originally part of a binary system."

"And the planet?"

"PSR J1719-B; the former other half of the binary system. Originally a white dwarf; it is orbiting the pulsar every 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 37 seconds. The pulsar has stripped away 99.9% of its matter leaving only the core. Highly dense, it is composed mainly of oxygen and crystallized carbon."

"Diamond," Kirk clarified.

"Indeed."

Kirk watched as they drew nearer to the tiny system. He got up from his chair and crossed to the rail by the science station. "The whole planet is one big diamond," he mused, leaning on the support structure.

"It has singlehandedly been supplying 48% of the Federation's diamond needs for the last 50 years," Spock commented from his seat.

Kirk nodded. "Any why not? There's plenty of it." He kept watching the screen. "You know why they call this planet Lucy?" he asked suddenly. He didn't wait for a reply. "It was after an old Earth song from the… 1960's, I believe. 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'."

"The star BPM 37093 was named 'Lucy' in honor of that song," Spock stated.

"Yes, well this is the planet Lucy, Mr. Spock, not the star. The planet wasn't officially named Lucy until the early 22nd century. Up until then, it was just referred to as 'the Diamond Planet'."

"Entering orbit around the pulsar, Captain," Sulu called from the helm.

Kirk nodded in acknowledgement. Because Lucy orbited so close to her star, they couldn't safely orbit the planet without getting fried. According to Spock, the entire system could fit inside Earth's own sun. So they slid into a wide orbit around the bright pulsar.

"Mr. Spock," he said. "You have the conn. I'm going to check on Mr. Scott's progress with the shuttles."

"Acknowledged, Captain." Spock didn't move for the big chair as he was still taking readings of the pulsar and planet. Kirk left the bridge.

"Hangar deck," he said to the turbolift. It started humming as it descended to the appropriate level. Once out, Kirk briskly strode into the shuttle bay.

Normally empty, the hangar was bristling with red-shirted engineers and parts of equipment. Kirk picked his way across the floor. Huge clumps of machinery littered the deck. Some were getting worked on by engineers, others seemed to have been simply discarded. He stopped as a group lugging massive shield plating ran across in front of him. He wasn't bothered, however. It looked heavy and Kirk had no intention of slowing down the work.

"Lieutenant," he caught the arm of one passing redshirt. "Do you know where Mr. Scott is?"

He pointed. "Somewhere up in there, Captain. Good luck trying to pull him out."

"Thank you," Kirk said, releasing him. The lieutenant hurried away.

Kirk strode to the center of attention: the shuttle Galileo. It hardly looked like the same one that had replaced the doomed one from Taurus II. The standard Starfleet shuttle was being almost completely retrofitted. Thick plating lined its hull. Both pylons had been replaced with upgraded thrusters. The maneuvering system had been provided with extra details and fine-tuning. Sensors were also a priority. The focused beams were provided with several dozen filters to see through intense light on all wavelengths, as well as radiation and heat. Even though the upgrades were still underway, it already looked twice as big as the other shuttles.

Scotty was crammed halfway inside the Galileo's belly. Kirk could only identify him through the string of muttered Gaelic curses drifting out from below. He poked a boot, about the only part of the man outside the shuttle.

"Report, Scotty?"

"It's a'comin', Cap'n!" Scotty called from his position. "It's just gonna take some time t'get everythin' in place; I only had a few hours y'know-"

"Understood, Scotty, you have the time you need. We're in orbit around Lucy and her star now, but you won't have to leave until everything's done to your satisfaction."

Of course, Kirk also knew that if he really gave Scotty the Galileo to refit to his satisfaction, they would never leave.

"Thank ye, Cap'n. Bu' it's a lot of work to be done. We've just got the shielding t'handle the radiation in place-"

Kirk's eyes bugged. "All this is just for the radiation?"

"Aye." Scotty wriggled deeper inside and his boot disappeared. "We've also got t'worry about the electromagnetic fields, the heat, tho' that's already covered, as well as speed an' stabilizing t'fly through the planet t'find the right drone- an' wi' that tight orbit it's gonna be a close an' nasty place t'fly- gravity fluctuations are gonna give 'er a bumpy time so we've got t'compensate for that-"

"I get the picture, Scotty," Kirk said, trying to stave off the long list of problems Scotty was feeding him. "That's why I'm telling to take the time you need. There are a lot of dangerous factors to worry about, and a tiny slip up could kill the shuttle."

"Not this shuttle, sair," drifted Scotty's voice. Kirk peered down to try and glimpse how far someone could even fit inside a shuttle like that. "Not when I'm through with 'er."

"I have full confidence in your abilities, Scotty," Kirk told the shuttle. "Estimated time until completion?"

"I cannae even begin t'tell ye how long until we're done! We've still got t'load and refit all the equipment needed to fix th'drone t'go onto the shuttle plus all the necessary outfittin' t'the shuttle itself-!"

"Scotty," Kirk stopped him with a warning tone.

There were some foreign mutters. "In another five hours I should be able t'give ye a pretty fair end time."

It wasn't exactly the answer Kirk was hoping for, but he took it anyway. He could see just how hard everyone was working. "Very well, Mr. Scott, I'll check back in on your progress in five hours."

His only reply was a high-pitched sawing sound from inside the shuttle.

Kirk turned and carefully crossed the shuttle bay to the corridor. When the doors slid shut behind him, he was mildly surprised at the silence. Until now, he hadn't realized just how noisy the project had been.

Kirk strode back up to the bridge. He considered stopping by a few other places on the ship, but wanted to see how the orbit was going. It was tricking navigating a former binary system.

The turbolift doors opened and he stopped to see Uhura digging under her console. "Lieutenant?" he questioned.

"Here, sir," she said, scooting back out. "An engineer came up a little while ago and gave me a… well, I'm not sure what it was. But he described the device as a signal booster specially designed to cut through PSR's spectrum; most of the interference should be gone whenever we'll contact the landing party."

Kirk nodded. "Good," he motioned for Uhura to return to her work and crossed to his seat. "What are you doing here, Bones?"

The doctor looked at him. "Would I miss the chance to see the largest diamond we know? Sure is pretty."

"Yes, isn't it?" Kirk said, glancing at the screen. "Then it may interest you to know that you have the opportunity to see it a lot closer. I want you on the landing party."

"Me? Why? I'm not an engineer, I can't fix a drone."

"No, but everyone will be that much closer to the pulsar. I need you to keep an eye on everyone and monitor the effects. If people are getting nauseous, dizzy, uncoordinated… whatever effects come from being close to massive pulsar, even with shielding."

McCoy scowled. "And who better to send into hazardous territory than a doctor?"

Kirk shrugged.

"Captain," Spock spoke, standing by his station. "What are your plans for the landing party?"

"Well, I'm thinking on Bones, myself, Sulu, Scotty, and anyone else Scotty needs with him."

"Request permission to accompany the landing party."

Kirk frowned slightly. "Spock, that shuttle's going to be packed with equipment; there's not a lot of room for a lot of people-"

"Captain," Spock broke in carefully. "Perhaps I should clarify. I respectfully ask to go aboard in your stead."

Kirk blinked, mildly surprised. Before he could say anything, McCoy spoke up.

"He's right, Jim. We're going to need to squeeze in as many necessary personnel as we can if we're going to fix this drone in one shot. There's really no reason for you to be there, Captain."

Kirk swiveled in his chair. "And Spock…?"

"Captain, I have thoroughly researched the drone models. I am familiar with their computer mechanisms and hardware designs. I am capable of assisting Mr. Scott in repairing a number of machinery. Also, as science officer, if I am not currently needed with any repairs I can take close readings of the planet. I am also capable of copiloting with Mr. Sulu."

"I see…" Kirk trailed.

"You'd do a lot more good out here, Jim," McCoy commented. "Keeping the ship in good, safe condition. Fixing drones isn't exactly your area of expertise."

"Nor yours, Doctor."

"Well, excuse me, but if I recall correctly, which I do, I didn't volunteer for this."

Kirk exhaled heavily. "Fine. You've both made excellent points. Mr. Spock, you will head the landing party."

"Thank you, Captain," Spock said. He returned to his scanner.

Kirk drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. "Bones," he said after a moment. "Are we safe from the pulsar's radiation and other activities from here?"

McCoy glanced at the screen. "Well, with our shields and distance we should be pretty good. Of course, I wouldn't recommend sticking around for a couple months."

"Noted." Kirk sighed. "We've got some time to kill while Scotty finishes outfitting everything. You can relax for a few hours until the shuttle's ready."

"Riiight," McCoy said dryly. "I've now got to go and prep a medkit for a hazardous landing party. Not to mention upgrade all the bio-suits; make sure they're up to par in case the drone itself isn't. And about a dozen other things." He sighed and headed for the turbolift. "See you in a bit, Jim."

"Of course, Doctor," Kirk said. He swiveled back around to gaze as the glowing solar system.

"What do you mean we can't go back!" he exploded.

The first mate flinched. "We risk much-"

"We're already risking much!" He furiously paced the bridge. "How long until the crew is back on their feet?"

"Not long. Some are already waking up."

"Good. If that's not what's stopping us, then what is it?"

The first mate cleared his throat. "Another ship has entered, on the opposite side of the solar system."

He frowned, and brought up a tactical viewing screen. "Identification?" he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the first mate said. "It registers as the U.S.S. Enterprise."

He stopped cold, rooted to the spot. That name. He knew that name. He'd have to have been born yesterday to not know its significance. He knew very well what she, and her captain, were capable of.

But fear was for the cowardly. He was undaunted. Slowly, his lips stretched into a hideous smile. "Perfect," he purred.

Okay, here's the big news: PSR J1719-B is a REAL planet. Yes, Lucy truly does exist. All my facts about it come from Wikipedia and AllTime10's video on alien planets found on YouTube. Currently called 'The Diamond Planet', I had earlier mistaken the star that Spock mentions as Lucy the planet, but I still made it fit in the story by stating a future name change. Yes, the star BPM 37093 is called 'Lucy' now in honor of 'Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds', but again, I'm tying the name to this planet because I like it and it fits. You can learn more about all of these if you want.

Anyways, after those fun facts, please review! I debated whether or not to actually write this, so was it worth reading so far? Feedback appreciated!