AN and Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Star Trek. I'm just having a bit of fun here.

So if I don't update for a few days, I'm sorry. I have one week of teaching left then I am out for two months!!!! Please bear with me and enjoy this chapter!!!!


Chapter Four: Darkest before the Dawn

"Sir, the flag ship of the Federation has just docked with their Station," the crewmember said, walking up behind his commanding officer.

"Do they mention the girl?" he asked, without turning to look at his subordinate.

"No, but I do believe that they are looking for her."

He sighed. He couldn't risk being discovered no matter how much he wanted to keep her aboard. It wasn't the right time to reveal themselves to the Federation. But soon they would. "Put her into one of the stolen shuttles from the Logan and set a course on autopilot for the Federation station. But make sure that the distress beacon begins transmitting as well…"

"But sir," the crewmember began. "We are to never release a human hostage. It's either they die or are assimilated. It's the law of the Elders."

"Do not lecture me about the law!" he snarled, turning towards the lowly crewmember. "This one human will not be missed. She's already endured enough. And if she survives the trip to the station, it is unlikely that she will remember anything at all. Besides I will defend myself in front of the Elders if need be and they will, hopefully, see my reasoning behind it."

The crewmember didn't say anything else as he turned to leave the bridge. But his commanding officer had one other thing to add. "Before you send her off, let me know. I want to make sure that everything is flawless so we don't provide a chance being discovered before it is time."

"Yes sir."

Within minutes, the crewmember returned to the bridge and informed his commanding officer that the shuttle was ready with the girl aboard. "Good. I will make sure that everything is set before allowing the shuttle to leave," he said to his crewmember before leaving the bridge.

No one said anything as their commanding officer made his way towards the shuttle bays of the ship. So far, word about his plan to send their captive off in a shuttle hadn't reached them yet.

Good.

This was more a personal matter then a political or even spiritual one. But it hadn't of started that way. No, when he and his crew had raided the UFP vessel to kidnap their intelligence officers it had been a normal mission – kidnap anyone who could serve the Elders and their cause without question; while who could not be assimilated and cleansed were to be killed. Yet, when he heard the young woman's name for the first time during her first interrogating, something inside of him awoke.

This something had been from his previous life. Something that should have been "cleansed" from him but hadn't. He found that the more his crewmember's interrogated and beat this young woman towards submission, the more it began to enrage him. It was during her third beating, that the dam that had been holding back his memories from his previous life slowly began to crack. Images of happiness returned to him and he realized just why this young woman had an effect on him.

He had once made a vow to her to protect her from all the monsters in the universe.

And that was what he was going to do.

Staring down at the bruised and swollen face of the sleeping young woman who had been drugged more then enough times to make her forget what had been done to her, he couldn't help be feel like he had let her down.

"I'm sorry little one," he whispered before standing up and disembarking the shuttle once he had set the autopilot for the coordinates to Station 24. As the shuttle took off and began it's trek to Station 24, he couldn't help but what it disappear. Once the shuttle was completely out of sight, he turned and made his way back towards the bridge.

"Set a course for home," he announced.

"Yes sir!" the Helmsman said.

As his ship and crew made their way home, he couldn't help but dread what was about to come. He knew that he would have to face the Elders for what he had done.

But he knew it was worth it for now,


Kirk sat back and rubbed his temples – both trying to ease his impending headache along with his building frustration. Ever since arriving on Station 24, he has come up with more questions then answers about the attack on the U.S.S. Logan and the kidnapping of Callie and the two other Intelligence operatives. He and Spock had interviewed all the science researchers and crew who had been assigned to the Logan when the attack took place. And all of the responses were the same - the Logan had sustained a blow from an unidentified object before a mysterious vessel materialized out of thin air. Then after that little to nothing. It was almost as if their memories had been erased. The only other thing missing besides the three crewmembers was one of the shuttles.

Kirk found it all a bit odd. Sure, he knew that there were life forms in the galaxy that could alter memories – but not an entire crew in the amount of time that he was hearing about.

"I find this all fascinating," Spock said once all the interviews were complete.

"I don't," Kirk said slamming his hand down against the table that he, Bones and Spock were all sitting at in the Observation Lounge aboard the Enterprise. "How are we supposed to go about finding where this mystery ship came out of nowhere?"

"Lt. Uhura is monitoring all current communications along with analyzing the recordings from the ship at the time of the incident," Spock said. "Perhaps she has found something."

"I'll take anything now." Kirk said standing up and heading towards the bridge, with Spock and Bones following behind him.

Kirk didn't even get a word out as the trio entered the bridge. There was an urgent call coming from the Medical Center on Station 24. Uhura put the call up on the front view screen.

"Captain Kirk, this is Dr. Tycain from the Medical Center. We are requesting that you, Dr. McCoy and Commander Spock quickly return to the Station. There is someone that you need to see."

"Who is it, doctor?" Kirk asked.

"We think that it is Callista Montgomery," Dr. Tycain said, stepping back to reveal a bruised and battered young woman laying on a bed. "Please hurry. I don't think she has much time left."