Chapter Four
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 2256.258. An hour into the mission, Lieutenant Uhura attempted to make contact with the landing party but it seems there is some kind interference with communications. Protocol mandates that we continue our assigned orders unless an emergency arises. If communication with Captain Kirk is not made before tomorrow morning, we will send word to Starfleet for further orders. Until then, we maintain standard orbit.
Shutting down the signal turns out to be surprisingly simple. Apparently, twenty-second century transmissions come only in short bursts, unable to travel great distances or for very long so it needs to be refreshed often. Simply jamming the radio's power grid is enough to halt the signal.
Kirk's communicator beeps to life when he snaps it open. "Captain Kirk to the Enterprise." He says, "Bridge, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Captain!" Uhura responds, sounding immensely relieved. The ship must have been trying to contact them.
"Good." The captain motions for Spock to follow him and they begin their trek back to the infirmary. "Lieutenant, please inform Mr. Scott that the landing party plus five others will be ready for transport in approximately ten minutes. I'll have Spock send you the approximate coordinates momentarily." Already, he can hear the Vulcan tapping away at his tricorder.
"Right away, Captain. Anything else?"
"We've got six wounded, have some gurneys and medical staff available in the transporter room."
"They'll be there when you arrive, sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Kirk out." Snapping the communicator shut, Kirk turns to Spock. "Have you sent those coordinates yet?"
"The bridge should be receiving them now, Captain."
Pleased that everything seems to be going relatively smoothly, Kirk turns his thoughts to other matters. Namely the Cravlynn and why they would attack so suddenly. Could the colonists have done something to provoke them? He doubts it. According to Andrew, they never go near the mountains. More than that, Ardin IV is a Class M planet with no notable mind or behavior altering vapors, fungus, bacteria or otherwise that could be released by such a simple farming community.
It just doesn't make sense. They're missing something, they must be...
The wounded are beamed aboard first, then the landing party. By the time Kirk finds himself standing on the teleporter pad, the last of the injured colonists are being carried out on floating gurneys, McCoy close on their trail. But before the doctor gets too far-
"Bones," Kirk calls out, stopping him momentarily. "Protocol C."
The doctor pauses for a moment, giving him a questioning look. But at the Captain's firm look, he nods and rushes out to catch up with his patients, obviously understanding his meaning.
"Thank you, Mr. Scott." The captain says as he, Spock, Coalson, and Andrew step down from the pad. "Would you please show Andrew to Medbay. I'm sure he'd like to be with his people."
"Right away, Captain." As soon as they're out of the room, Kirk motions for Spock to follow him. Stepping into the turbolift, Kirk turns to his first officer with arms crossed over his chest.
"I plan to return to the planet's surface tomorrow with a small team of security." He says. "I want to check out the town, see if there's something there that could be luring the creatures in."
"A...logical decision, Captain." Spock agrees, although the lift in his eyebrow says something else.
"Do you have a problem, Mr. Spock?" Jim asks.
"Not a problem, sir. I only require a bit of clarification."
"With?"
"You said you were returning to the surface. Surely I will be accompanying you."
Kirk shakes his head as the lift doors hiss open. "No, I'm leaving you the con tomorrow. I want you to find anything you can on Cravlynn behavioral patterns. Surely there must have been a study done on them before Starfleet began a colony here." Jim continues on toward his chair, not thinking there will be a problem with his plan. After all, it's the logical thing to do. And yet...
"Captain, if I may propose an alternate solution." The Vulcan stops just short of the captain's chair, hands folded behind his back. "I believe another crew member is perfectly capable of searching the data banks for information on the Cravlynn. My skills as Science Officer are better suited on the planet's surface taking direct observations."
"But your duty as first officer is here, Mr. Spock. With me down on that planet, the Enterprise needs you here in case something goes awry."
"Then perhaps you should remain on the ship, sir. After all, you are the Captain and therefore far more valuable to-"
"Captain, I've just received a message from Starfleet." Uhura interrupts, swiveling her chair to face Kirk. However, her eyes are directed at Spock, a frown on her face.
Kirk nods, decidedly ignoring whatever it is that might be between them again and turns back to Spock. "We'll discuss this later." He mutters, crossing the bridge to Uhura's station. "What is it, Lieutenant?"
"They're asking for a mission report." She says. "Specifically, the status of the Ardin IV colony and its residents."
"Alright, tell them we've been in standard orbit around the planet for approximately eighty-five minutes-"
"Actually, Captain, it was eighty-seven minutes, forty-three seconds." Spock corrects him from his seat.
"Ahem, thank you, Spock..." Returning to Uhura, who is shaking her head, he continues. "In which time we've managed to track the source of the distress signal to an underground bunker containing the five survivors of the colony. They have been beamed aboard the ship for medical treatment and discrete psychoanalysis from Doctor McCoy."
"Psychoanalysis, Captain?" Uhura whispers, her fingers hesitating over the keys of her computer.
"They've been trapped underground for two weeks, Lieutenant." Kirk reminds her. "They've watched everyone they love die by the hands of extraterrestrial creatures. That's bound to put a...strain on anyone's mind."
"I suppose you're right..." Her typing picks up again and Kirk squeezes her shoulder, straightening up from his hunch beside her chair. "Anything else, Captain?"
"Yes...tell them another landing party is going to be dispatched at first light tomorrow to investigate the circumstances behind the attack."
"Should I specify who will be in the landing party, sir...?" Uhura asks, raising an eyebrow at him. Neither of them miss the way Spock rises to his feet and approaches the station, lingering silently behind the Captain.
Kirk hesitates for a moment before answering. "Yes, um, tell them I will leading it personally to ensure everything is done to discover the..." God, he can actually feel Spock's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head. "...the reason for the abrupt change in the Cravlynn's behavioral patterns. I will be accompanied by three security officers..."
"Jim..." Spock says stiffly behind him.
God dammit. "Uhura."
"Yes, Captain?"
With a heavy sigh, Kirk turns to frown at Spock. Arms folded, he says, "Notify Starfleet that I will also be accompanied by my first officer."
"Of course, Captain. Will that be all?"
"Yes." He hears the ping of the message being sent and he drops his arms to his sides. "Happy, Mr. Spock?"
"I would not use that particular word, Captain. However, I am grateful you have elected to-"
"Good." With an irritated roll of his eyes, Kirk returns to his chair. Pressing the intercom button, he announces, "Auxilary crew to bridge, I repeat, auxiliary crew to bridge." Releasing the button, he turns back to the pointy eared bastard that serves as his first officer. It's not easy to miss the questioning arc to his eyebrow.
"Captain, auxiliary crew is not due to take over for another hour."
"I'm aware, Spock." He says, then turns to address those on the bridge. "Tomorrow at first light, myself, Mr. Spock, and a handful of security officers will be returning to the planet's surface to find the reason for the attack on the colony. So we're all retiring early this evening. Get a good night's rest, people, we're gonna need to be on our top game."
"Aye, sir." Comes the unanimous response as the first of the auxiliary crew report to their stations, taking over for those already on the bridge. As Kirk is the one crew member who doesn't have a station that needs handing off, he's alone in the turbolift when the doors slide shut.
"Captain's quarters." He tells the computer, not even feeling the movement as it glides down to the residential deck. The lift doors open and he steps into his room, flopping onto the bed without even bothering to change out of his uniform. He will in a minute, he tells himself. He just wants to rest his eyes for a second...
Just for a second...
Bing.
"Unn..."
Bing.
"Urggnn..."
Bing.
"Ughhhhh...wuu?" The room is dark when Kirk cracks open his eyes. Disoriented, he cranes his neck to see the time displayed on the computer. "Ughhwutthehell..." He mutters, stumbling to his feet. At his movement, the lights slowly brighten. He was asleep for an hour.
Trying in vain to straighten the wrinkles in his uniform, he goes to the door, which slides open to greet him. On the other side, Spock would look startled for the abrupt presence of the captain if Kirk didn't know better. The Vulcan lowers his hand from the pager on the wall and folds his arms behind his back.
"Hello, Jim." He says, his tone less stiff than before.
Kirk clears his throat of sleep before speaking. "Hey...Spock, what's up? Problem?"
"No, sir." Spock's dark eyes noticeably sweep over the captain almost analytically. Taking in the obvious bed hair, wrinkled shirt, and line of dry drool from his mouth to his chin... "Were you asleep?"
"Hm? Nah, course not, why do you ask?"
"Simple curiosity." He says.
"Hm," Kirk hums, fighting a yawn. "Well, did you need something?"
"Yes, Captain." Spock holds something out to him. A clipboard with a sheet of paper. "I stopped at Medbay on the way to my quarters to inform Doctor McCoy of our impending mission tomorrow morning. I thought he should be aware in case something...as you say...'goes awry'."
"Ah," Kirk responds dully, taking the clipboard and examining the data displayed on the paper.
"He asked me to deliver his assessment of the patients from the colony to you before retiring for the night."
"Seems like they're all in relatively good health now, that's good...ehh, psychoanalysis could be better for most, though..." Turning, he lays the clipboard on the desk just inside the door and then returns to Spock. "I'll have Uhura send the results to Starfleet in the morning. Thank you, Spock. Now go get some rest, we've got a long day ahead of-"
"Jim. There is another matter I would like to discuss..."
Kirk suppresses another yawn and nods, waiting.
"As you know, it is sometimes difficult for me to identify human emotions-"
"Oh, you don't say?" He meant it as a joke but Spock looks troubled nonetheless.
"-and so I would like to apologize for my behavior on the bridge, in the event that it caused you any emotional distress. I did not intend for it to appear I was questioning your orders in front of the crew although Lieutenant Uhura has informed me that it may have appeared as such. I was out of line, Captain, and I apologize."
Kirk doesn't respond right away, but when he does, he's smirking slightly. "There's no need to apologize, Commander." He assures him. "You might act Vulcan, Spock, but we both know you're just as human as you are alien. Not everything you do has to be in line."
At his first officer's perked eyebrow, Jim snickers and turns away. "Good night, Mr. Spock."
"Good night, Captain."
"Good Morning, Captain."
"Ughh..." Kirk blinks awake drearily for the second time to the mechanical voice of his automated alarm clock. The lights brighten steadily above him before he even moves but this time, as he claws his way out of the sheets, he's no longer wearing his wrinkled uniform, having changed shortly after Spock's visit the night before. Yawning deeply, he grabs the mug of synthesized coffee from the replicator without even bothering to look.
Unfortunately, he won't have time to enjoy it this morning. He's got just enough time to get dressed and clean himself up a little before he has to get to the bridge. He wonders vaguely how many of the crew are already there. Spock, at the very least, has already arrived. Vulcans are notorious early risers. Apparently.
The mug all but forgotten on his bedside table, the captain moves through his morning ritual in a groggy but thoughtful daze.
What could cause the Cravlynn to suddenly become so aggressive? Well, he supposes he's about to find out... The doors hiss shut behind him as he heads for the bridge. Only a few minutes until sunrise on Ardin IV. He doesn't want to waste a second of available time.