Hello all! I am a die-hard Trekkie, and I just re-watched Gamesters of Triskellion, and felt afterwwards that Shahna's character seemed a little unfinished. Hence, this one-shot headcanon that functions as an epilogue to that episode. DISCLAIMER- I do not own 'Star Trek' in any way, shape, or form and only wish to intrigue fellow Trekkies. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but if you see any continuity issues, please put it in a review!

Without further ado,

10 YEARS AFTER 'GAMESTERS OF TRISKELLION'

"Mommy?"

"Yes, James?"

"Look at all those lights in the sky! What are they? How come there are so many"

"Well… come closer and I'll tell you a story before Daddy gets home," Shahna murmured softly, as to keep her little girl in the back of the cave asleep. James scooted closer to her, and they both lay down on the earthen floor, gazing up at the myriad of sparkling stars above.

"Darling, you know your sister, Aitha, is named after my mother, right?"

"Uh-huh," James nodded his small head, his brown curls shaking in unison, remembering the day, just three months before Aitha's birth, when the papers with his grandmother's name were delivered to their house.

"Have you ever wondered who you were named after?" His mother's question startled him out of his reverie, and James became suddenly curious.

"Who, Mother? Who?"

"Hush my child," Shahna whispered, motioning to Aitha's sleeping silhouette in the background. "It all began the day a strange man and his companions came out of the sky, before you were born, before I even met your father, before we lived like this."

James looked confused. "How else is there to live, Mother?"

Shahna sighed, and looked away from her son's questioning eyes. "Another tale for another day, my child." Before James could protest, she continued on with the story:

"The man was not from Triskellion, nor any place nearby. He was from another world, one of those glittering dots in the sky, one called Earth."

"Earth," James breathed, testing the sound of the new word in his mouth. He looked up at the vast number of bright specks above, and wondered, "Which one is his, Mama?"

Shahna smiled, and looked back up as well. "I'm not sure darling, but I know it's one very, very, very far away." She picked back up with her story again:

"When the man came here with his friends, the Triskellions needed him. We were trapped in bondage, a miserable existence that you will learn about when you are older." Shahna internally shuddered at the harsh memories of this past that haunted her, but moved on quickly so as to avoid James' notice. "As soon as he appeared, the man became entrapped as well. He was very smart however, and figured out how to escape from containment temporarily. In that time, he managed to bargain with those who held us prisoners to not only free himself and his friends, but the entire population of Triskellion." James nodded, grasping the extent of the man's bravery and intelligence.

Shahna continued: "Once the captors had honored their word, and the people were set free, the man returned home with his friends. But because of his valiance and selflessness, the whole planet was saved for good. Those on Triskellion will eternally be indebted to James Kirk, the man who fell out of the sky and helped all of us. The End." Shahna's gaze returned back to the young boy beside her, and found him filled with questions once more.

"Does that mean I was named after him? That man in the story?"

"Yes, James, I chose that name for you so you would never forget the story of the brave man who helped us, and so you could one day be entrusted with that same courage."

"Did he help you, Mommy?"

"He helped me more than he will ever know," Shahna uttered wistfully, staring into the black night sky above, and looking, always looking, for the star which contained the hero who had saved her.

and that's a wrap! Remember, this is a one-shot, and I will NOT be continuing this into a full-length story. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW I am dying to know what people think of this! Please tell me if there are inaccurate parts, or you don't like the spacing/dialogue format, etc. etc.

Live long and prosper.