CHAPTER ONE: Lost & Found
"Captain, I'm picking up a distress call. It's coming from an unknown planet in a language I've never heard before." Lt. Uhura sat at her position on the bridge trying desperately to figure out what the incoming message was trying to say. Never before had she encountered a language that was completely foreign, bearing no resemblance to any other she knew or knew of.
"There aren't any planets charted in this area." Captain Kirk turned in his chair and looked at the Lt. questioningly.
"I could only make out a few words spoken in Standard Captain but they were planet, freezing, emergency, and evacuate. They sound like they need immediate help."
"Can you get an approximate location of the signals origins?" Captain Kirk stood from his chair and walked towards her station, peering down at the computer screen showing a long set of numbers.
"I already have them Sir."
"Keptin, I checked on the map and there is no planet in those coordinates." Chekov squeaked from his station as if he were afraid the lack of a planet were his fault.
"Right." Kirk pauses as he tries to formulate a plan "Well we have to check this out, we can't just ignore whatever it is that's being broadcast. Mr. Chekov plot a course for those coordinates. If we find a planet we'll beam down and survey the area. Hopefully whatever is going on down there can be helped. Lt. Uhura please hail the Federation and let them know what's going on and alert them to the possibility of a new planet and new life form." Kirk sat back down in his chair and started typing onto his PADD.
"Captain." A calm, even voice spoke from behind him. "I do not think it is wise to fly into uncharted space and beam down to an unknown planet without express orders to do so. You would be breaking several Federation rules in the process and…"
"Yes Mr. Spock, I know this is dangerous, but someone set out that distress signal and it would be wrong not to try and assist them. Prepare to beam down." The Captain was used to his first officer disagreeing with him and was smart enough to leave the room before an argument could ensue.
Several hours later the Enterprise dropped out of warp next to a planet that no one was sure would even be in the area. Commander Spock, Captain Kirk, and Dr. McCoy quickly prepared to beam down to the planet. They were dressed as if they were visiting Delta Vega and were well armed against whatever threat might be out there.
"Set your phasers to stun. Don't be afraid to shoot if something attacks." The Captain commanded firmly. "We're beaming down, scanning for life, finding that life, and beaming right back up. No research this time, no doddling. Understood?" Both the science officer and the Doctor nodded their agreement before the Captain gave the signal to beam them down to the surface.
The surface of the planet was a frozen wasteland and it was hard to believe anything could ever have lived here, let alone be continuing to live now.
"Jesus Jim, what did you bring us down here for! I'm a Doctor not a damned polar bear!" The Doctor was hopping from foot to foot trying to keep warm but he wasn't in the worst state. Spock who was used to searing Vulcan temperature was shivering violently, frost already forming on his eye lashes.
"Bones just shut up and start scanning for life okay? We're all freezing." Jim was quite irritable in the cold and wanted more than anything to be back on the ship, warm and far away from this mess.
"I picking up a very faint sign of life. One single life. What the fuck are we doing down here man?" Bones was crabby on a normal day but today he was downright miserable.
"We're looking for whatever life form that may be." The three men started searching for anything that could be living underneath all the snow and ice build-up. After what seemed like hours but was likely only a few minutes they found an unnaturally large pile of snow in the middle of a flat expanse. Bones quickly scanned the mass before nodding and the three of them started to dig.
There was a gasp from both Bones and Kirk when they uncovered what looked like a human child sleeping in a dug out under the mountain of snow. The little girl was hugging a small backpack and a soaking wet stuffed toy that looked like an earth kitten but had wings sewn on.
"It's…it's a child Jim." The Doctor started to reach for the little girl but was beaten to the punch by Spock who swept her into his arms and tucked her inside his jacket. This earned him a bewildered look from both the Doctor and the Captain. Neither of them had ever seen Spock show such a display of compassion for another living creature.
"If you wouldn't mind Captain" Spock's teeth were chattering almost too much for him to be able to speak but that didn't stop him from trying "we are able to beam aboard the ship now." Spock ignored the look his fellow crew members gave him and focussed on keeping the little girl warm and safe. Although he could not understand it, he felt unbearably protective over the child they had just rescued.
Jim signaled to the Enterprise to be beamed up as he grabbed the little girls few belongings. Soon the four of them were on the transport pad thankful for the warmth of the ship like they had never been before.
"Spock, we need to get that little girl to the sick bay. I'm sure she's hypothermic and besides we don't know what kind of disease she might be carrying." Spock denied McCoy's attempt to take the child and instead marched down the hall still holding her close to him, trying to give her any excess warmth he had to spare. When he thought about it later he'd realize that her skin had actually felt warmer to the touch than his own right at that moment.
"I know she LOOKS human Jim but I'm telling you none of the readings I'm getting match with that of a human her age. Her heart beat is slow, her breathing is slow, her blood pressure is akin to the hobgoblins over there." Bones was running tests on the sleeping child who was surrounded by many blankets that look like they'd be recently tossed off. "I thought she would have been freezing but she's showing signs of having a fever just from being aboard the ship. It's like it's too warm for her up here after living in the snow."
"That would be logical Doctor, and would be no different than a Vulcan's reaction to the cold." Mr. Spock stood with his hands behind his back at the child's side. He seemed reluctant to move even when not doing so would interfere with a test McCoy was trying to run. He was just about to snap at the half-human when the little girl started to move. She gave quite an exaggerated stretch before opening her eyes and freezing, her little hands still above her head. She looked around at the three strange men standing around her and promptly began to wail. Before the humans could even blink Spock was at her side, carding his fingers through her hair.
"We are not going to hurt you. I promise, you are safe here." The little girl looked up at Spock and started to giggle a little bit through her tears.
"You…you have pointy ears." A green blush spread across Spock's cheeks as she reached up and grabbed onto one of his ears.
"Mr. Spock!" Bones sounded both sarcastically shocked and delighted all at once. "Are you blushing?"
"That would be most illogical Doctor." Spock straightened up immediately and resumed his usual emotionless stance and facial expression. The blush from moments before was already fading from his cheeks.
"What are you going to do with her?" The two men suddenly noticed that the Captain of their vessel seemed to be almost hiding from the girl. He stood slightly behind McCoy and seemed to be hunched over as if he could make himself invisible.
"Jim, you saw her planet. We can't just send her back, and you know the Federation would have a field day with her if we sent her to them." Dr. McCoy frowned and moved so that there was no space between her and the Captain. Jim immediately tensed.
"We can't just keep her! Who would look after her?" It was then that both the Doctor and the First Officer realized. Jim had never taken care of a child before, and he was scared.
"I'm sure that the Doctor and I, along with the help of the crew, will be able to care for her. It is only logical to keep her with us until we have gathered more information about what happened to her planet."
"Well look at that. The hobgoblin made a friend." Bones gestured to the little girl who was now grabbing wildly at the air, clearly wanting to be picked up. "If she can win over the Vulcan she can win over the rest of the crew. What harm could it do having her on board?"
"S…S…Spock?" The little girl spoke quietly but her eyes and her actions betrayed her sense of confidence.
"Yes little one, that is my name." Spock knelt down beside the bed so he could meet her eyes. "Do you have a name?"
"Towi. I Towi." The corner of Spock's mouth twitched just a little bit but he managed to suppress the urge to smile before he was caught.
"Well hello, Tori. How would…" Spock was cut short when Tori latched her arms around his neck.
"Uppy! Uppy!" She demanded, biting his chin with her tiny little teeth. Spock scooped her up into his arms quickly.
"Tori, we do not bite people." She blushed briefly before settling into his side. Bones was red in the face trying not to laugh and Jim looked like he might be sick.
"I guess we have to keep her." Bones declared through his giggles. Jim sighed and threw up his hands in defeat.
"Fine. But let Daddy Spock over there take care of her. Kirk out." As soon as the Captain was out the door Bones was howling with laughter and the green tinge had returned to Spock's cheeks.