Set during the five-year mission. There will be slow build Spock/Kirk. Kirk likes Spock, Spock likes Kirk, but they have never said anything about it. Spock disappears, Spock reappears, but is he the same? Note: Reboot movie-verse, post Into Darkness.

Chapter One: Lost

In hindsight, Jim should have known this mission was doomed from the start. The day had started too well. He got up just in time to get his breakfast and hack the food synthesizer in his ready room to make a large amount of cheese puffs before Alpha shift started.

Right now, he was progressively tossing the cheese puffs higher and higher before catching them in his mouth. Noticing how his First Officer's shoulders tensed with every one he caught, he felt mysteriously satisfied.

Uhura's protegé Briana Clay (or was it Britney Fay?) was watching him out of the corner of her eye and laughing. Damn, it was good to be the Captain. It was time to up his game though, star mapping was boring for everyone except science officers.

He looked at the solid blue back of his First Officer and a smile formed on his face. He aimed right for the ear but no! Intercepted.

Spock looked at the food in his hand, his eyebrow twitching with exasperation. "I have so far tolerated your violation of Starfleet regulations by having consumables on the bridge, but launching food-based projectiles at your fellow officers is censurable."

Jim got up, took the chip from Spock's hand, and whispered cheekily, "I'm all uncensored, baby," before popping it into his mouth. Spock's eyebrows rose even higher on his forehead as he adopted a sterner expression.

Jim's attention jerked back to the command chair as he heard a light beep. Sitting back down, he picked up his PADD and opened his messages before another alert could sound, tamping down his excitement. He knew the alert could only mean one thing: new orders from Starfleet.

Quickly reviewing the mission data from his command chair, he rose and stood at the center of the bridge. "Alright. Looks like we'll be doing a first contact - bringing the planet Hlish and its population into the Federation. They seem to have been warp capable for a little over a year now, based on our considerably limited intel. This mission also comes with a side objective: there's this strange brand of alien tech that has been tracked back to this sector of space. The directive is to discern its origin. I have forwarded information on the Hlish and this directive to senior officers and officers specialised in this field."

Spock drew a deep breath. "First contact missions are solemn and serious affairs, while their results may be worthy of celebration, we must proceed with care so as to ensure that our performance is satisfactory."

"My performance is always satisfactory," Jim purred. He heard some chuckles from the other members of the bridge crew as he walked back to the command chair. "Sulu, chart the course for Hlish."

The helmsman attempted to stifle his grin as he took in the stern face of Commander Spock over the captain's shoulder. "We can arrive at Hlish in approximately 3.5 hours, or faster if you are willing to tax the engines."

"3.5 is fine. Engage. Meet in Conference Room One in half an hour to discuss the mission. Spock, round up everyone not on the bridge."

"Indeed, I shall message Lieutenant Hendorff, Lieutenant Uhura, and Doctor McCoy."


Jim opened the door to the conference room to see his staff readying for the meeting, discussing the upcoming mission in low voices as he strode to a seat near the middle of the table."Okay, so who would like to open up the discussion on the Hlish?"

Spock looked up from the image he had been disconcertingly frowning at. "The planet Hlish has an Earth-like atmosphere and a generally arid climate. Hlish cities have formed around sources of water on the surface. The Hlish homeworld is their only known settlement and the only planet capable of supporting life in their system, which consists of ten planets."

He glanced toward Uhura, who noted, "The Hlish have a warrior culture, with an emphasis on the weak and the strong. They use a much higher proportion of words devoted to strength and describing one's battle prowess than in our own language. They seem less skilled in the areas of trade and commerce. Their leader is a woman known as M'Hlishan, or the Strongest Woman."

Spock took back over. "Reports on the Hlish's warp capabilities indicate their ship's technologies seem to be influenced by different cultural sources. This may indicate that the Hlish are trading with other warp-enabled cultures in the area."

Jim steepled his fingers, giving the room an intent stare. "Starfleet has also commanded an investigation into rumors about another interstellar force coming into play from this sector of space."

Spock nodded slowly, stating, "The Hlish may be aware of this presence, since some of the items on their ship seem to be partially scavenged from technology matching these other found fragments. Their chemical composition and overall design indicate a common source."

Rolling his eyes from his position in the corner, Bones chimed in. "Great, so we have a bunch of super macho warriors to make peace with and some unknown invisible force to ,and there will probably be a feast, so Captain Fragile here is going to need to be hyposprayed to the gills."

"Nice to see you so optimistic, Bones. Cupcake, do you have any recommendations for security?"

"The Lieutenant's name is John Hendorff, Captain. Continuing to refer to him as a small iced cake is illogical." Spock's interruption drew drew a chuckle from the Captain.

"Hendorff and I go way back. Pre-fleet, even. Do you mind if I call you Cupcake, Cupcake?"

"No, Captain," Hendorff replied, launching into his security briefing.

Jim barely heard the Lieutenant's spiel about staying together and not entering buildings or areas shielded against transporters. Jim could not figure out what Spock was doing, staring at the alien tech intently.

"Okay everyone, be on alert after we hail the Hlish to arrange a meeting. Dismissed, unless there are any other questions or problems." Jim stood to watch everyone file out, getting a weird look from Bones as Spock hadn't risen from his chair.

Jim waited until everyone was gone, then walked over to Spock, sliding into the chair next to him.

He was about to speak, but Spock beat him to it. "This alien technology renders in me a feeling most curious."

Jim feigned a shocked expression. "You? A feeling?!"

Spock ignored his antics. "My mother once described to me dejá vu. I have never experienced it until now. This technology, while alien, is not wholly so - there are elements that are markedly compatible with Federation technology: some of the couplings are the same, and even the programing seems familiar, despite being in an alien language.."

"Dejá vu isn't anything to get worked up over. Maybe you simply have seen technology like this before?" Jim said, attempting to strike a comforting note.

"My memory is eidetic - I have seen nothing like this as yet. However, it is more than that. It is illogical." Spock motioned to the image open on the PADD, which, to Jim, looked like the equivalent of a twisted piece of space junk. Spock's eyes captured Jim's. "I have never seen this before, and yet I feel as if I could draw the item that this scrap belongs to unerringly. It is a strange feeling; one I cannot explain."

Spock rose, breaking the feeling of tension. "I am sorry for troubling you. I will return to the Bridge."

Spock left the conference room. Jim stared out the viewport window, perplexed by Spock, worrying about him, if he actually allowed himself to admit it. Spock played chess with him and sparred with him regularly outside of their duties. They both still had some unresolved issues from what had happened with Khan, but Jim was sure Spock would stop hovering over him anytime he got injured soon enough, and Jim knew he wasn't exactly unaffected when Spock came back worse for wear.

Spock never talked about his feelings, even abstract ones like dejá vu. Clearly this mission was triggering something within his first officer.


Jim's thought's were still on Spock's 'dejá vu' an hour later on the bridge. He felt the warp drive smoothly transitioning down before Sulu even mentioned it.

"We have arrived at Hlish."

Uhura spun in her chair to announce, "We are being hailed by the planet."

Jim straightened his tunic slightly. "Open communication with the Hlish."

A Hlishi male wearing a red turban and veil covering the lower portion of his face came on screen. "Who dares cross into the territory of the fearsome Hlish?"

James T. Kirk replied, "We are the daunting USS Enterprise representing the United Federation of Planets. While we are strong, we come peacefully to introduce you to the Federation and hopefully welcome you into it. We would like to send a small delegation to meet with your leader to fully express these ideas. Please, take my message to your formidable leader."

"I will do this," the alien replied; the communication immediately terminated.

"That went well. Uhura: I need more synonyms for fearsome." Jim raised an eyebrow in her direction. Jim got up, restless.

"Intimidating, powerful, impressive, not-jim-kirk," she turned away as she chuckled the last one.

"I didn't hear that last one, Spock did you hear that?" Jim bumped shoulders with him, lightly. Spock heard it, all right. Jim had too - but he had also heard that Vulcans didn't lie.

"There was something troubling about the inflection and syntax. It would not please your ears." Spock looked distressed about being put on the spot.

"Well, if that's the case, I don't want to hear it. Thank you, Commander Spock. Always looking out for me."


It was almost time for the changing of shifts when the Hlish contacted them again.

The red-veiled Hlishi began speaking immediately once on screen."M'Hlishan wishes that you send your strongest warriors to us so that we may assess the 'fearsome' Federation. You may meet us at these coordinates when you are ready. Do not delay, for delaying an encounter is a mark of a weak one." The Hlishi then terminated his communication.

Jim stood, clapping his hands. "Let's go, Spock, contact Cupcake, I've got Bones."

Nyota attempted to gain Jim's attention but Jim was gone before she could flag him down.

He strode through the halls, hitting medbay right as shift let out, right as Bones walked out. "Bones, aren't you glad you signed up for that mission this morning? We're leaving now."

"What? I'm sleeping and eating now. It's my shift off!"

"Well, hopefully the Hlish won't mind you sleeping during negotiations, weak one."

"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a diplomat!"

They beamed down to some unimpressed-looking Hlishi and some impressive looking monuments surrounded by unbroken desert. The worn monuments sparkled faintly in the bright desert sun, giant carvings of ancient weapons and the partial torsos of warriors that wielded them. The statues surrounded the clearing they had emerged in. They stood in the shadow of a descending axe.

Arranged in a loose rectangular formation, the Hlish delegation stood at attention, in silence. The Hlish men all wore turbans and partial face veils, but the women just wore head coverings that also covered their hair. Jim's face stung as a hot wind blew across the meeting site.

Finally, a female Hlishi stepped forward, "We welcome you strongest of the strong with all our strength to Hlish. Before much time has passed M'Hlishan will know your warrior spirit-strength."

Jim looks askance at Uhura, who said quietly "I don't think this is going to go as planned. They set this meet up for the strongest warriors, Jim. No emphasis on diplomacy at all."

"It could just be the way their speech patterns work?" Jim smiled a little, feeling optimistic.

Uhura huffed impatiently.

Jim smiled broadly at the Hlishi who had spoken. "I am James T. Kirk of the USS…"

His introduction was cut off by a sudden interruption from that same female Hlishi, "We will take care of introductions later. Now, please hand over any weapons you carry, and allow my guard to inspect anything you claim is not a weapon."

Cupcake gave Jim a hard look, but handed over his phaser anyway.


After they had walked for some time, the female Hlishi began to talk.

"In the old days, only the strongest and fiercest warriors would be allowed to negotiate peace between nations. Because they had seen the violence of war, the hardship of loss, the pain of grief, they knew what was at stake if they did not come away successful."

Jim looked at Spock, who had nudged him. There was an image on the scanner in his hand of the area they are approaching. No buildings were in front of them for miles.

The Hlishi woman was still droning on, though her pace had slowed. "Now, the Hlish know peace, though we still value strength. We have come to know more types of strength. Now, we will know your strength."

She pulled an ominous device from her voluminous garb. She hit a button on it. Remarkably stark compared to the desert, twenty feet away, a cargo container with some alien was markings on it was abruptly revealed.

Scanner in hand, Spock said in a low undertone, "That container bears marked similarities to the alien tech fragments that were listed in the brief."

"Guards, assist them in entering the assessment chamber." The Hlishi woman did not look so welcoming anymore to Jim.

"Not so fast." He used his comm. "Kirk to Enterprise," but there was no response. A Hlishi male had raised his weapon at Jim, but the woman gestured at him to lower it. Jim repeated, "Kirk to Enterprise," and again, no response.

"M'Hlishan, shall I kill him for his weakness in wishing to flee?" The trigger-happy Hlishi was itching to blow Jim's brains out.

"So you are M'Hlishan? Why conceal it?" Jim figured a topic change was now in order.

"I concealed nothing. Only the worthy may address me as such. Open the hatch, throw them in."

The Hlish raised their weapons, and other than one escape attempt from Cupcake's compatriot in red - he was shot in the shoulder for his apparent weakness - the Enterprise away team was placed into confinement rather easily.


"Goddamnit!" Jim punched the wall of the windowless compartment, dimly lit by what seemed to be emergency lights.

Nyota and Spock had gone right to the center of the room, examining what appeared to be a behemoth of alien tech. It was square, and missing one side except for a railing across the top with a control panel, and the center appeared to be hollow. It was dead center in the middle of the room, looming ominously.

Bones was with the ensign who had attempted to escape, in the right hand corner of the room, the ensign bleeding lightly onto the floor. Cupcake helped put pressure on the ensign's wound as Bones finished binding it with scraps of his own tunic.

Jim went to check the airlocked hatches for what it felt like the ninetieth time when he heard something.

Almost like a warp core starting up.

Everyone startled a little, looking around nervously.

The M'Hlishan's voice came over an intercom: "Now we shall separate the weak from the strong. There is no escape. If you are strong, face the hlishr k'nv bravely and survive the other side to return. The weak, the afraid, die."

Jim felt something intense in the pit of his stomach, like an elevator which had dropped or risen too suddenly, and then the machine in the middle of the room crackled to life, lights all over it that had been concealed showing as data readouts.

And in the empty center, forming, was something like a blackhole with a sickly yellow glow emanating from the middle. The size of a fist, it spiralled sinisterly.

Jim stood transfixed at the edge of the room. Spock and Uhura ran to him, away from the humming machine. Arriving at Jim, Spock motioned to his scanner, and then at Bones,who was madly gesticulating with his tricorder from across the room.

Spock yelled, "The radiation levels in this room are rising as the phenomenon gathers energy. Remain near the edge. I believe I have the best chance of stopping it from increasing to more dangerous levels."

With that, Spock ran to stand in front of the machine, accessing its panels on the bar that ran slightly overhead as he entered in commands that seemingly did nothing.

Bones ran over and screamed to Jim, "What is he thinking, he's getting a much larger dose of radiation standing there."

"He's trying to save us." Jim stared at the strange phenomenon - which seemed to falter for a moment in its growth. It then abruptly increased in size dramatically. Jim yelled out "Spock!" just as Spock held up the ta'al while pushing buttons with his other hand. Then, suddenly, the phenomenon was larger than ever, larger than Spock, amoeba-like in its shape, and equally suddenly there is absolutely NOTHING. No immense, swirling thing, but Spock is gone, too. There is a crack and an incredibly loud 'pop' as the lights went out on the machine and in the cramped compartment. Jim yelled for Spock desperately into the darkness and would have run out to look for him if Bones and Uhura hadn't been holding him back so tightly.

Then the lights came up, and there was no Spock in the compartment. No green blood. No scrap of uniform.

Jim walked over to the repugnant machine, looking at the now-clearly cracked display panels and buttons that were not functional. He lashed out at it, aiming a meaningless kick at the side of the contraption closest to him. He then vaguely noticed Uhura walking up behind him and then embrace him, tightly as Jim panted, and all he could hear was blood rushing through his ears and one word ran through his mind - Spock.

After a while, he became aware that the airlock had been opened and Cupcake and Uhura had gone through, the familiar chimes of the communicator sounding and then successful dialogue.

Bones was at his side, scanning him. "Mild radiation poisoning. We will all have to be treated immediately."

"Spock…" Jim croaked out.

"Spock knew what he was doing, you said it yourself. He saved us." Bones wrapped his arm around him and squeezed lightly.

"You make it seem like he's dead, Bones," Jim inched out of his friend's half-embrace to look him in the face. "We're going to figure out where that machine sent him and bring him back."