Jim practically ran all the way to the medical bay and hurried inside. Bones was standing beside the medical bed his brother now occupied. "How is he?" Jim asked.

Bones was almost in tears. "He's alive," he said. "I told him I wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"Bones, is he alright?"

"I don't know yet!"

Solan sat on the next bed watching what Bones was doing. Jim went over to Solan and looked at his hand. Jim almost grimaced at the look of it. "It'll be alright," Solan said.

Jim thought he was starting to feel what had happened to him now. "We'll be there in a few hours," he said, for nothing better to say.

Bones did everything he could and watched the heart monitor. He gave John a hypospray, and saw the heart rhythm start to return to normal. He looked at all the scanners and monitors, and they were all starting to return to normal. However, he was still worried about the brain which had not returned to normal activity just yet.

Jim stood beside the bed. "Is he gonna be alright?" he asked.

"Well, I think his chances are pretty good," Bones replied. "That electric current just jolted his heart too much, I guess."

Jim looked at Bones. "I'm sorry, Bones. I should have sent him with the others."

Bones was silent a moment. "What?" he asked.

"I shouldn't have let him go with us, but I…"

"Hold on. You know what he told me when we were crawling through all those tunnels? He thinks you don't trust him because you never take him with you on away missions."

"That's not the reason."

"He also said he thought you didn't take him because he's my brother. Is that true?"

Jim frowned. He had to admit that he had had those thoughts. Bones nodded. "It is true," he said. "I should have never let him join this crew."

"He's a good officer," Jim declared. "I'm the one who decides who can and cannot join this crew."

"Then don't treat him different because he's my brother. He wants to impress you. Always did."

"I remember when I first met him on Pacifica. He was…annoying."

"Yeah, but you didn't have any trouble getting anything you needed or wanted there."

"I didn't say he wasn't a good officer." Jim leaned on the rail of the bed and sighed.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Bones asked.

"Just a little dizzy."

"Get on that bed over there."

Bones checked on John again. He looked at Solan who had only been sitting there listening to their conversation. Bones realized that he had done nothing for Solan's burn. He went over to him. "Lie down there," he said.

Solan lay down on the bed. Bones fixed the burn on his hand first and then scanned him. "All the symptoms of an electric shock," he said. "I have to scan everyone when we get where we're going. That hand will be sore for a while, but it'll be alright." He wrapped Solan's hand so that it could have a little support while it healed.

Bones realized he was not feeling good himself. He had been so upset and concerned about his brother, he had just about forgotten that he himself had been shocked too.

Just then, Artemus walked in. "Doctor, I'm not feeling so good," he said.

"Lie down over here," Bones replied.

Artie lay down on a bed. Bones realized Spock and Sulu were on the Bridge alone. He pressed the intercom button on the wall. "McCoy to Bridge," he said.

"Yes Doctor," Spock answered.

"Are you two feeling okay?"

"We are functioning adequately. However, I have experienced some slight dizziness, and so has Mister Sulu."

"Yeah. I figured as much. Once we get to Caldonia, you all have to go through treatments. Electric shock is serious."

Bones wiped sweat off his forehead. "How is John?" Spock asked.

"He's gonna be fine," Bones said. "He's resting now."

Sulu was glad to hear that. "We will reach Caldonia in approximately six hours," Spock said.

"If you two feel faint or anything, you call me right then. I'll be up there when I'm done with everyone here."

Bones worked on everyone in the medical bay, and Solan and Artie went back to their usual jobs. Jim folded his arms. "I had to run out of that ship," he said. "Don't you think that means I can get up now?"

"You did that because you didn't have a choice," Bones reminded him. "And if I hadn't given you that stuff for pain, you wouldn't have walked anywhere. You should know it by now."

"Why do you think I'm still laying here?" Jim asked.

"I can't believe they did that. They were really desperate to get this ship."

"They were, and when they get that ship going again, it's likely that they're gonna come after us again."

"You really think so?"

"Sulu gave them a pretty bad boom though. It may take them a while to recover from that."

Scotty came into the medical bay next. "Lay down," Bones said.

Scotty nodded and got onto a medical bed. "Those prisoners need those stun cuffs off," he said. "What should we do about them, Captain?"

"Until we get more security officers here, they have to stay where they are," Jim replied. "I'll talk to them when I'm not feeling dizzy. I'm sure they're glad they're out of the hands of those Nausicaans."

"Oh yes, they are that, but they're getting a little restless in there."

"Well, until I'm sure I won't fall off my feet walking down there, they'll have to learn some Vulcan patience. Spock has to stay on the Bridge right now…we're shorthanded, as I'm sure you know."

"Yes, Captain."

After almost six hours, they were at Caldonia again. Jim was standing at the entrance of the shuttle bay, even though Bones did not want him to be up. He did not know which shuttle Carol was in, but he was waiting to see her. Bones was also there waiting for Andrea.

"Captain, all the shuttles are onboard," Spock reported.

"Great. Do you have all the ones in the transporter room who want to beam down to the planet?"

"I do."

"Beam them down."

Spock nodded to Scotty. The beings on the transporter pad waved to Spock as they disappeared, and he did his usual Vulcan salutation: live long and prosper. They would be taking the other prisoners on their ship to their own planets as they went.

Jim finally saw Carol coming down the boarding ramp of one of the shuttles. He hurried over to her, and she looked relieved when she saw him. He had his communicator out. "Spock, you got those people down yet?"

"Yes," Spock answered.

"Get us out of here then. Set course for the nearest planet of their origin."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim put his communicator away and touched Carol's hair when she got to him. "I am so glad to see you," he said.

They kissed and then left the shuttle bay, not knowing when the ship went to warp. Bones saw Andrea when she descended the boarding ramp of her transport as well. She ran to him when she was out. "I was so worried about you," she said.

"We made it once again," Bones replied.

Jim West caught up with Jim and Carol. "Captain!" he called.

Jim stopped and waited to see what he wanted. West stood at attention when he came to him. "Captain," he said.

"At ease," Jim replied.

"I'm glad to see you well, Sir."

"Thank you."

"Where's Artie?"

"I'm not sure right now. He's alright though."

"Good. He's like my own brother."

Jim nodded. "He's doing fine."

"Yes sir."

Jim and Carol walked on. "You think they're going to come after us again, don't you?" Carol asked.

"I'm afraid they will," Jim said.

"What will we do?"

Jim shook his head. "Scotty's trying to reconfigure the shields to make them stronger and less vulnerable. The Enterprise did get some readings from that ship."

Jim's communicator beeped. "Kirk here," he said.

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission from Admiral Winston," Uhura said.

"Send it to my quarters."

"Yes sir."

Jim and Carol went into the room, and Jim turned on the monitor and Admiral Winston was there. "Admiral," Jim said, feeling like he should stand at attention. "It's good to see you, Sir."

"I hear you were captured by space pirates," Admiral Winston said.

"Yes sir."

"I also see you escaped. Like I said before, Kirk, you're becoming a legend."

Jim was not sure how to respond to that. "The pirates were Nausicaans, Sir."

"Some of the worst. I hear you also rescued prisoners from that ship."

"Yes. We're taking them to their own planets. That ship is very formidable. We were caught in a tractor beam that drained the power from the shields. Mister Scott is working on modifying the shields in case we encounter them again."

Admiral Winston was silent a moment. "They have been plaguing the galaxy for far too long," he said finally. "They have to be stopped. Every time we think we've got a lead on them, they're moving again. They know how to escape detection, and they have a way of knowing when someone is tracking them as well, which is virtually impossible."

"I saw their ship, Sir. Any single ship would have a hard time combating that thing. It's huge."

"You were inside that ship and escaped, Captain. Did you learn anything about it?"

"Mister Scott found that the ship uses isolinear optical chips. I thought those were only experimental technology. I've never seen them in use before."

"Obviously they've found that technology perfected somewhere. They're gathering technology from every ship they capture, and probably gathered some from your own."

"I locked the ship's systems, Sir. They didn't get much."

"Captain Kirk, you've been inside that ship. You know more about it than anyone else in Starfleet."

Jim frowned, wondering what was coming next. Carol moved over to the monitor as she was wondering what was coming next as well. "We didn't actually learn that much about it," Jim said.

"Tricorder data?" Admiral Winston asked.

"We did gather some, Sir. Some of the others were in the access tunnels. But, Admiral, they captured Solan and me, and would have tortured him to make me tell them the access codes to the ship. When I helped him escape, they tortured me. I'm not fully recovered yet. I'm actually up…" Jim looked at Carol, but then went on. "I'm up against the doctor's orders."

Carol folded her arms at that revelation. She did not know what had happened to Jim aboard that ship. She had noticed that he was limping again, but he usually did when he came back from a vigorous mission.

"Captain Kirk, I want you to come to Pacifica," Admiral Winston said. "You can stay here until you're recovered…and then we may have a mission for you."

"Sir, we're not done with the mission that we started…"

"I realize that. Right now, we have more important things to consider."

"Yes sir."

"I'll see you when you get here, Kirk."

"Sir, we have to return these beings to their planets."

"Do that, and then get to Pacifica."

"Yes sir."

"Winston out."

Jim just stood there after the transmission ended. "Jim, what happened aboard that ship?" Carol asked.

Jim did not answer for a moment. "I, uh…" He was not sure he wanted to talk about that at the moment.

"Jim."

"Carol, I have to talk to Spock." Jim looked at her. "I'm sorry, but you heard that."

"You think he's going to send you after that ship? That's crazy! You can't do that."

"We don't know anything right now."

"But you suspect…Jim, I'm tired of sitting and waiting to see if you come back or not. I just can't go through these emotions anymore."

"Carol, this was not my fault. We were observing a planet. They came after us."

"I didn't say it was your fault, but if he wants to send you after that ship, you'll go. Can't you ever turn down some mission?"

"He didn't send us after that ship. He told us to come to Pacifica after we get our passengers back to their planets."

"So that you can rest and recover for some dangerous mission he wants to send you on!" Carol went over to the bed where the baby was lying. "You see this child? He's your child as well as mine, Jim. Do you want him to grow up without his father?"

"No, I don't! I'm going to Pacifica, but that doesn't mean I'm going to accept a mission to go after that ship."

"Oh, you will. You can't wait to do it!"

"Don't try to put words in my mouth! I promised you that I would do something different when this five year mission is over. It's not over yet."

Carol folded her arms and walked over to the portal. "I promised you that I would stay on the ship with you too," she said. "I'm always worrying whether you'll return or not."

"Not always. Carol, there have been times when it was months that we didn't even see anyone, and some planets have been peaceful and the inhabitants there were friendly. I know we've run into a lot of trouble, but…look at all the things we've learned and seen."

"Jim, I love discovering new things too, but I want to discover new things with you. I don't want to sit and worry about you for the rest of my life."

"You won't." Jim blew out a breath. "I don't have time to argue about this right now. I have to tell Spock our new orders."

"Yes, I know."

Jim picked Alex up. "I'll take him with me," he said.

"Jim, think about Alex and me before you accept another dangerous mission," Carol said.

"I always think about the two of you. We'll talk about this more later."

Jim left the room, and Carol just lay down on the bed. She knew Jim would take that mission…if there was a mission. And she would be left on Pacifica to wonder if he would ever come back.

Jim walked onto the Bridge with Alex asleep on his shoulder. He could not help but notice all the smiles he got when he brought the baby with him. "Captain on the Bridge," Sulu said quieter than usual.

Spock stood up. "Captain."

"Spock, we have new orders," Jim said. "Admiral Winston wants us to take our passengers home, and then go to Pacifica."

"For what purpose?"

"I don't know yet, but he was very curious about the information we found out about that ship."

"We could simply send him all the data we gathered."

"I don't think it's that simple, Spock."

Spock considered that a moment. "You believe he is planning to send us on a mission after that ship?"

"I'm not sure of anything, but…he made a point of referring to us having been aboard that ship and having more knowledge about it than anyone else."

"That would be a particularly dangerous mission, Captain."

"I know that…Carol knows it too."

"I presume you have discussed this with her."

"She heard him. I don't know if I can go on a mission like this, Spock."

"I understand, Jim. I will go with you to meet with the admiral. I believe he will understand your dilemma."

"I don't know about that. I'm a member of Starfleet, and so are you. We can't disobey a direct order. We'll be court marshaled. If I was court marshaled, I would be sent to prison."

"Most likely. However, you would eventually get out and your family could visit you. If you are killed on a dangerous mission, they will simply be without hope that you will return ever again."

"I know that." Jim hugged his baby. "Carol doesn't like this life anymore."

"Are you considering resigning?"

"I have too much to think about. Let's get these others home and I'll have time to think while we're on our way to Pacifica too. It'll take at least two weeks to get there."

"It will be time to think, as you say."

Jim sat down in the captain's chair. He was so tired, and now that he was sitting down, he knew it. Right now, he just wanted to get the passengers home so they could go on with their lives…and then he had to make other decisions.