Captain James T Kirk was only just aware of his Chief Medical Officer holding firmly onto his right arm and his Chief Engineer holding firmly to his left arm as they lead him slowly through the corridors of his ship. Them supporting and moving him was about all he was aware of apart from the total numbness that seemed to have engulfed him.

Neither of the men supporting him spoke as they walked. He had not seen how the two men had exchanged glances in silent communications and was so numbed he would not have fully understood. A part, an essential part, of him was gone and the loss seemed to have blocked all other senses and awareness.

Both men, to a degree, understood what their Captain was experiencing. They both had gone down to that planet and helped its inhabitants evacuate prepare to be evacuated as the seismic activity intensified and increased. They had returned to the ship to prepare for the last of the evacuees while the Captain, the First Officer, and two other officers remained to get the last group rounded up. They had not seen the First Officer and one of the other officers being swept away by a tsunami as their Captain and friend had done just as the transporter beam took encircled him. Together they had lifted their Captain and friend up from the transporter pad where he had collapsed when they had materialized back on the Enterprise as the last to leave the planet. They had heard him call out his First Officer's name as the numbness fully claimed him. Both were sure it was a cry from a tortured soul, a soul that had just been torn apart.

Once they had arrived at Doctor McCoy's office they had Kirk sit down and while McCoy got him a cup of strong coffee Mister Scott handed him a glass of whisky. Even that did not take away to numbness but Kirk was aware of a return to feeling, was aware that he had a ship to captain, had evacuees that he had to take to Starbase Nine, and a crew of over four hundred long overdue for shore-leave. He knew he would need to also get a new. No! Priorities. He had to take care of completing the mission, of reporting on the end of the planet, of getting the evacuees to Starbase Nine, of letting his crew have some much needed downtime, and then he would think of that, of a complement.

Slowly Kirk let himself remember how it had all started. They had been heading for Starbase Nine for some much needed rest and recreation when the emergency had arisen. They were the only ship in the area fast enough and large enough to take all the inhabitants enough to get there in time. Three teams had beamed down to ensure they got everybody off, to ensure that all the specialized equipment was beamed up, and there had just been the last five of them left.

As McCoy placed the coffee cup in his hands Kirk looked up and saw authority yet also the compassion he always found in those blue eyes, "Uhura has the bridge well under control. We are in a standard orbit till we have verified the planet is uninhabitable and to measure its stability. You just sit here a bit longer."

All Kirk could do was nod. He knew he had a good. He stopped himself. He knew he had the best crew and that it was standard procedure to verify the status of a planet before leaving it after such a mission. The coffee was strong and there was the distinct taste of McCoy's secret additive in it. Slowly he felt the numbness lifting more and started to think, think as his training and experience had made a part of him. There were still those images he could see when he closed his eyes, there was still the feeling of a great numb emptiness and grief in him and an awareness of a strange feeling of being disconnected for something that had been a vital part of his life for so long, but he would deal with that later, in his quarters, in private, alone.

Prioritize. He nodded to himself. Follow procedure. First was to meet with those from the landing parties to get their assessments of what had happened and to see how they were adjusting to the events. Then to check on those they evacuated to hear their stories and what they saw before, during, and after the start of the seismic activity intensifying. And finally the report to be written and sent along with the notification to the families of the three fallen crewmen.

Three fallen? Spock had not fallen, he had been,

No! Kirk put down the cup and stood up. He would dwell on that later. He had the rest of the crew, the evacuees, and the ship to deal with first.

"Jim?" McCoy's concern was clear in his voice.

"I, I'm fine, Bones. I want to see all the officers who were on the landing parties in the briefing room in thirty minutes. Are all the evacuees together?"

"They are all in the recreation room, Sir. Largest area they'd all fit into. We could nae have taken many more." Mister Scott looked at him. "I have my lads all taking their statements for ye now so there's nae a need to think of that. They are all a tad shaken in many ways but are all glad to be aboard and being taken care of. They confirm that they are all aboard. Ye have nae need to worry about them. My lads will see to them."

Kirk nodded, "Good, good. I'll, I'll go down shortly and,"

"And they've all been checked by my team. A few bumps and bruises and about sixteen with broken limbs but nothing major." McCoy's voice was just as controlled as Scott's had been and Kirk was grateful that neither of them had mentioned the missing crew. "I'll have my report on the condition of the crew who were down as well as the evacuees ready for you shortly."

"I," Kirk looked first at his Chief Engineer then at McCoy, "I'll be in my quarters and see you both at the briefing." then strode out as he was back into command mode. Or he thought he had been in command mode till he was passing the door to Spock's quarters.