Disclaimer: Jim, I'm a writer, not Paramount Pictures Corporation!

Chapter One

The landing party beamed to the planet's surface in an uninhabited area. They split up to cover ground faster. Mr Spock's mission was to gather scientific samples.

Captain Kirk sat in the chair, tapping his fingers, bored.

"Spock to the Bridge."

Kirk opened the comm. "Yes, Spock, what is it?"

"I'm not within sight of the town yet, but I have just seen a few natives. There is no open hostility, but I do not think everything is peaceful." he reported. "Several people are openly carrying some kind of long firearm. I hypothesize that there is some danger around, ferocious animals or -"

Spock abruptly stopped.

"Mr Spock?" Kirk frowned. He strained his ears, then heard something thudding loudly.

A child's voice screamed.

"Are you okay?" A voice was fading in, a woman coming closer to the still open communicator.

"Am I okay?" The very young girl was upset. "What about him? You shot him! Why'd you do that?"

"I thought he was a mountainer. Is he still alive?"

"How should I know?"

Kirk heard loud static as the girl picked up the communicator and ran her fingers over the speaker.

"What's this?"

"Give it to me. It could be a weapon." The older girl ordered.

Then only static.

"Connection lost, sir." Uhura reported, turning her chair to look at the captain.

"Contact the rest of the away team. Beam them back right now!" Kirk ordered. He pressed a button on the arm of his chair. "Bones, meet me in the transporter room. Uhura, with me – Sulu, you have the conn."

He strode from the bridge.

Star Trek

"Can you beam us to his location?"

Scotty scratched his head and peered at the screens. "I don't have a signal from his communicator – it isn't working, I guess, so not to where he is, but I can beam you to where he was when he contacted you. Give me a moment." Scotty concentrated on his work, ignoring Kirk briefing Doctor McCoy and two redshirts on what had happened.

"All right. Ready, captain."

"Okay." Kirk nodded,"Let's go."

Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and the two security stepped up onto the platform.

"Energize."

A moment later, they glanced around the area. They were on the edge of a forest, a field in front of them.

"Fan out, look for Spock and those two girls." Kirk ordered.

Only a moment passed.

"Over here!" Uhura called, standing next to an area where the dry, brown leaves were tinted a Vulcan green.

"Keep looking." Kirk told the security crewmen.

McCoy knelt and looked at how much blood there was. "Definitely Spock's blood." he diagnosed, "But I don't think there's enough for it to be fatal."

"Could be fatal anyway if the people here are disturbed by green blood." Uhura pointed out. "Maybe we should go to the town. He could be in a hospital . . . or prison."

"Right." Kirk nodded. "We'll check it out."

Star Trek

Spock opened his eyes and blinked, slightly dazed. His eyes met the ceiling of the log house.

I was shot by a native. He remembered. The Captain heard it, though. He'll be searching for me.

He sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of the small cot. Pain flared in his side, but he used a Vulcan mind technique to suppress it. He glanced around and saw he was in some kind of log cabin, with a limited amount of sunlight coming in through two glassless windows.

Across the room a young woman, 17 or 18 years old stood, holding a firearm.

"You woke up pretty quick." she commented. "I don't know who you are, greenblood, but you sure don't look like a mountainer from up close."

Spock blinked again, unsure how to respond.

The woman spoke again. "What's your name?"

"My name is Spock."

"That's not a name."

There was silence for a moment, as Spock realized it would be culturally unacceptable to correct a host who had bandaged one's injury.

"What sort of weapon did you attack me with?" Spock asked, curious.

She held up the firearm. "Shotgun." Spock began to stand up, but she cocked the gun. "Stay right where you are. I'm sorry I had to shoot you earlier, but I'll do it again if you give me an ounce of trouble."

"Why did you shoot me earlier?" Spock obeyed her, sitting back down.

"You were way too close to my sister, and you were on private property. I was perfectly justified. I figured you were a mountainer."

"Who are these mountainers you speak of?"

"The people in the hills."

"They live on the mountains just northeast of here?" Spock guessed.

"Of course not. They live in the caves. You must know that. Everyone's heard of mountainers."

"I'm new to these parts. A traveler."

"There aren't any travelers here. No one gets here. Fess up. Where you from?"

"Far south."

"That's ridiculous."

"Lydia!" the door was slammed open by a young girl, less than ten years old. "Mountainers! They're coming 'cross the field!"

"Get the shutters!" Lydia ordered her little sister. "Sprok – Skorp – Greenblood, get up. You don't get a gun, so I hope you can fight."