Note from Roselynde: Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks! Rook and I have been really surprised by how many visitors we've had to this. Big thanks to lele the drama queen for her review! We'd love to have more of them! Also, thanks to Black-Dirge and to Con4ti for putting our story on alert! We are absolutely thrilled and can't wait to get more of this story out for you guys.

Please! Read and review and we will send each person a personal note and reply to any comments or concerns you have!

So, without further ado! Here you are!

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Chapter 3

"At precisely 13:00 standard ship time, Starfleet received word of a distress signal originating from the fifty-five Cancri system. Within the hour, we will be setting out for the system in order to locate the signal and rescue any survivors. Arrival time is approximately in twenty-three hours. All cadets, report to your department heads. Cadets training for command are to report to me in the ready room. Captain out."

"Saddle up kid, looks like its back to the Rodeo!" McCoy called.

"Yeehaw! It's about time!" She called back, jogging towards the turbolift amongst the growing crowds.

Danny halted at the back of the small group, waiting for the turbolift when a hand plopped down on her shoulder, causing her to yelp embarrassingly and jump. Several personnel chuckled, shaking their heads at the antics. She spun around, swatting the much taller midshipman. He laughed, ruffling the blonde's hair playfully as she grinned and bounced up to give her friend a hug.

"Gabriel! I didn't know you were posted here!" She huffed, planting her hands on her hips and craning her neck back to meet his gaze.

"You can thank Admiral Pike for that. He decided you might need some company after all. Cecily, Caleb, Alec, and Serraph were all assigned to the Farragut-A since the rosters were all full here, otherwise we might've all been on the same ship." He explained.

"Awesome sauce." Denali grinned wider as the two stepped into the turbolift, stating their destinations.

"Really? You're still saying that?" He questioned.

"Well duh."

He snorted in response, rolling his hazel eyes at his smaller companion. As soon as the lift doors opened on deck eight, the two bumped fists. Gabriel chuckled and jogged away, joining a small group of cadets wearing red turtle necks beneath their gray jackets just as he was. Another group quickly entered and once more, they were off. Denali ignored the excited babble of her companions, finally stepping out onto the bridge with three of her classmates.

Of the four, she was the only female, and the smallest. Standing at only five feet tall, she was often underestimated because of her size, yet her classmates had come to learn that she packed one hell of a right hook. The entire bridge was organized chaos, with officer's relaying orders to the cadets in their departments and preparing to leave port. The officer's were well trained, and simply directed the four towards a door. The door in question slid open automatically and the small group entered, spreading out into a line at one end of the table and falling into a parade rest.

The youngest captain in Starfleet gestured lightly and the four took their seats, flipping through the data PADD's before them. He waited patiently for them to finish before leaning back comfortably and finally addressing them.

"You four are here because you show the most promise. So, before we get started, let's have introductions. Name, hometown, and why you're here." He glanced to his right.

Short black hair was twisted up into spikes while his dark eyes were sharp and focused, "Telash Sinclair. I'm from New Montana and I joined Starfleet to find out everything I can about what's out there." He had the same eagerness that they all shared.

On Sinclair's left sat Danny, "Denali Morgan. River City, Iowa. I'm here because I want to make a difference."

Across from her sat a brunette who arched one slender brow over startling green eyes, "Mikael Telinsky. Raised on the Lunar colonies. Joined up for the same reason Sinclair did, really."

Lastly, the young man with eyes a blue so odd it shone lavender in the light. "J.T. Steranko. Mars is my home and I joined up to make something happen in my life and do some good while I'm at it."

"Good! My staff has already been briefed on the situation, so I'll fill you guys in. From now on, you four are to attend all mission briefings, and you'll rotate on actual missions in alpha order," Kirk waited until they'd all nodded, "And keep to the bridge as we leave port since eventually you guys are going to be calling those shots.

"Anyway, what we've got right now is more of a mystery. The signal was picked up by a passing freighter and then the location was relayed to Starfleet. The actual planet is class M, though as to what kind of life forms, if any, are on the planet, is unknown since it hasn't been mapped yet. The mission is simple; retrieval of any survivors and clean up of the debris in accordance with the prime directive. We'll have to take a shuttle in because of the atmospheric conditions, but that shouldn't pose a problem. Once we know exactly what's down there, we'll be able to send crews down in order to pick up debris. Any questions? No? Good! Then that's all for now. Check things out on the bridge and help out where you can. Dismissed."

With that, the captain stood, as did the four midshipmen, all heading for the door, "Cadet Morgan, a word if you would."

She winced slightly, feeling it was inevitable and turned, tucking her hair back behind an ear, "Yes sir?"

"About this morni-"

"I'm sorry!" Danny managed to squeak out, blushing ever so slightly, "I, uh… shouldn't have slammed you, and it was way out of line… and…"

"Same here… look; I know we're stuck with each other for a while, so let's just make the best of it alright?" Jim quested finally, placing his hands on her shoulders reassuringly.

She smiled slightly, "Yeah, I think we can manage that."

"Why aren't you using your whole last name anyway?" He asked at last.

"I thought that was obvious. If I used the hyphenated, Morgan-Kirk, then it's a whole big can of worms and everyone compares me to you. Plus, it'd be weird if anyone on the crew found out, then it could be seen as me getting favors or some such nonsense. Besides, I don't want to live in anyone's shadow, I want my own life." The last part was said quietly as she managed another small smile.

"I know what you mean there," He referred to his own father in that regard, "Alright, we'll swing it. Get going pipsqueak!"

Danny laughed; grinning genuinely at last and leaving a few steps ahead of her half brother, taking up a post near the tactical station and listening to the eager young Russian explain what the controls were. Jim took the center chair, crossing one leg over the other before giving the orders to head out.

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In retrospect, the turbulence wasn't that bad. However, it was enough to make Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy turn a little green around the gills, something that made Jim tease him incessantly all the way down to the planet surface. Danny chuckled softly, patting Bones on the back lightly for a moment before tugging on her gloves as the shuttle came to a rest in a small clearing.

"Alright! Everyone got their gear? Good! Mr. Spock you take point. Bones, if you're gonna hurl, aim for someone else other than me." Jim grinned over at his friend.

The doctor glared at him grumpily as he gathered up his tricorder and med kit. Danny gathered up her wits, picking up her own tricorder and her pack before turning to follow the three officers out the door.

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The native's of this planet, Cancri 2, as outsiders knew it, began the day just as they had every other day of their lives. Hunters' readied spears, elders watched the skies and the surrounding jungle for signs danger, children gathered to play, and many set about collecting food and materials for later chores. Everything was as it should be, and possibly would be for a very long time.

The natives were somewhat humanoid but were far more reminiscent of lizards than mammals. Squared muzzles with large nostrils and hard bone platting covering their skulls and spines. The lower jaw was flexible muscled cartilage, which could open like pincers and snap back together, making a rapid clicking noise that made up a large part of how they communicated. On the back of the head and at the end of the thick tail were feathers.

One stranger was among them, a human trapped by circumstances he could not have control, and he had also prepared for the day. Kale washed his face in a bowl of water, rinsing away any dirt from the previous day. It wasn't much but at the very least it made him feel somewhat cleaner. Water was a hard to collect resource, even with the irrigation system that had been completed a year before. The system was nearly always clogging up with dirt and leaves or broken by animals. However, it was better than traveling out to the streams or ponds.

The only human in this village looked up and over at the entrance to his small home when heard whistling. To anyone else it might have sound like a loud, low-pitched bird whistle but over the years Kale had learned to decode the Palkwe's two languages. The basic one was something like Morse code, a string of clicks and whistles that was the easiest to pick up. At the moment someone was calling him. From the sound of it, something exciting was happening.

Exiting the hut he had built for himself one of the younger hunters was speaking rapidly, "A flying box, one that looks like the one that you came from!" Kale's eyes widened, immediately he thought of the crash that brought him here, one that had killed so many people. "Was it falling? Was it burning?"he asked quickly in turn. The native shook his head, "No, it seemed to be coming down of its own will."

"Did you see where it was landing?" If this was a rescue as he thought it might be then he wanted to find them not the other way around. The Palkwe gave a quick nod of confirmation. "Take me to it." The Palkwe nodded once more, commenting that there were several others going to investigate as well.

Leaving the safety of the village the foliage of the jungle swallowed the sunlight, turning it into dim light. To the careful ear the basic morse code language could be heard over the normal sounds of animals. The communiqué was simply to allow others to know where they were.

Their pace was fast, though Kale was a good deal slower than the one leading him. He wasn't built for this place no matter how long he had stayed here. They were drawing closer to an area that had been marked off limits. It was the crash site of the Volatus and the gravesite of those that had perished in it. He could feel his stomach twist into a knot. He didn't want to go back, he didn't want to remember. But he couldn't let whoever was landing on this planet stay.

He listened closely to the communiqué. The rest of the group had the new comers surrounded. The group appeared to be the same as him but they hadn't crashed. The Palkwe were waiting on him to make contact, which made him nervous. He didn't know who these guys were or if they meant trouble. For all he knew they could be hunters looking for new and exciting prey to hunt. They could shoot him on site. There were just too many things he didn't know.

Arriving at the edge of the clearing that made up the wreckage of the Volatus, he was now able to see the craft that the strangers that had taken. It was a shuttle craft he didn't immediately recognize the design until he saw the people themselves. The Star Fleet uniforms were unmistakable. They wouldn't shoot him but he could help but feel the fire of an old anger spark up again.

He spoke loudly as he moved towards them, "Your five years too fucking late."

A/N [Rook2pwn]: Two things real quick.

One: As some of you may have noticed, there was a bit of symbolism with Jack being in a red shirt in the first chapter. I just want to say, I totally didn't pick up on that until after the fact. I didn't do that on purpose, I just picked a color at random. This will probably be one of many face-palm moments.

Two: A reference pic for the palkwe is linked in our profile. It's a first draft so it stands to reason that I'll update it at some point. Please check it out and tell me what you think.