A/N: Writer's block (kind of) broken. This is my version of the TAS episode "The Terratin Incident". Hope you like it.


I made my way down to Engineering after leaving Lily on the bridge under the watch of Jim. Scotty and I had planned to start the annual routine maintenance on all the ship's systems and hoped to finish it within a week, or one and a half at most. But then again the Enterprise's systems were state-of-the-art in the Fleet that had been enhanced and modified several times. That made it pretty impossible to have anyone but Scotty and me as Chief Engineers. The only ones who knew them as well as we did were Pavel and Jim. I shook my head out of these thoughts and found my husband looking over the schematics of the most important system: Life support. We exchanged a glance and set to work, making sure everything was working properly. It took the entire shift and a few hours more before we slumped down on our chairs in our rarely-used office. I rubbed my eyes and blinked. They were stinging and watering after hours upon hours of staring at screens and masses of wires that wouldn't make sense to anyone else. I sighed and started on the report but didn't get past the first few words before Scotty pulled my PADD out of my hands.

"Ye need a break, lass." He said softly. "The report can wait."

I met his gaze and nodded, allowing him to place a short, gentle kiss on my lips. My husband tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and turned my PADD off. He rose from his seat and pulled me up from mine, entwining our fingers. One of the things I loved so much about him was how little he cared about what others thought of our relationship. He wasn't afraid to show affection in public and would always jump up to defend my honour. (Not that I really needed it but I loved it anyways.) We left Engineering to grab a bite and a drink.


I breathed out deeply through my nose and leaned backwards, pressing my fists into my lower back. I let out a satisfied groan when the joints popped. After a week and a half Scotty and I had finally finished the annual maintenance. Now all that was left to do was write up the last report and get the whole batch signed by our Captain. My husband wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Finally finished with that, huh?"

I smiled.

"Mm-hmm. Just going to finish the last report and ask Jim to sign them all tomorrow." I replied, turning so I could face him. "But for now: Our shift's over, let's go grab a bite."

"Jus' the two of us?"

I slung my arms around his neck and nodded. Scotty smiled and leaned down for a kiss before resting his forehead against mine for just a moment. He released me from his grip and held his arm out to me.

"Let's go then."

Taking his arm I followed him out of Engineering and to the officer's mess that was empty, seeing as most of the time the Command Crew ate with the rest of the crew. After we finished eating Scotty pressed a few keys on the control panel in the wall, causing Please forgive me by Bryan Adams to come out of the speakers. He smiled at me.

"May I ask fer this dance, M'lady?"

"Always." I replied and stepped closer to him.

It was one of those little things we did ever since Delta Vega: Dancing with each other simply for the sake of it. Scotty held me close with his hands on my waist and my arms slung around his neck. We swayed gently in the rhythm of the music, just enjoying the warmth and closeness of the other, once again allowing a free flow of thoughts and emotions over our bond.

"I love you so much." I whispered.

"I love ye too." Scotty looked into my eyes. "More than anythin' in the universe, lass."

We kissed again just as the song ended. Even after the speakers went silent we remained in our embrace. I glanced at the chronometer on the wall and sighed.

"We should go and relieve Jim." I said softly.

Scotty nodded after a moment and let go of me. Jim's shift had already ended so we made our way to his quarters and pressed the chime. The door opened and Lily slammed into Scotty's legs, nearly knocking him over. My husband laughed and lifted Lily up to press a kiss to her cheek.

"Look out, Lillabelle." He grinned. "Wouldnea be good ta knock yer old man over."

"You're not old, Daddy!"

I smiled at Jim.

"Thanks for looking after her."

"No problem, you know I love spending time with my goddaughter."

"I'll see you tomorrow on the bridge then."

"See you then."

With that we returned to our quarters to spend the rest of the day with Lily.


It was one of those days I was on Bridge duty instead of down in Engineering. Bones was looking after Lily in med bay. We had been sent to map the burnt out supernova Arachna and measure its radiation and volume expansion.

"Arachna is entering its cycle of strongest emissions, Captain." Spock stated.

"Uhura, inform Starbase Twenty Three we have arrived at the gas cloud and are starting to map." Jim ordered.

"Captain, I'm getting some interference on subspace extreme upper registers. If it's a signal, I don't recognise it." Nyota reported with a frown.

"Source?" Jim asked.

"The star Cepheus. From its single satellite. That area's never produced radio transmissions before."

"On speaker."

I frowned at the sounds, unable to make any sense of the sounds.

"Signals appear random. Perhaps some are beyond our reception capability." Spock mused.

"Could be a natural radio source newly energised by-" Jim started but was cut off by Spock.

"Correction. One isolated word pattern detected. If you accept intersat code as still operative."

"Intersat? That's been out of use for two centuries." I commented.

"The code word is t-e-r-r-a-t-i-n."

"It's stopped now, sir." Nyota reported. "No response at all to our signal."

"Computers show no immediate information on the word terratin." Spock added.

"Was the word totally random, Mister Spock?" Jim asked.

"No, sir. It was repeated twice in the transmission."

"Mister Sulu, lay in a course for Cepheus." Jim commanded.

"Aye, sir."

"Mister Spock, continue research on the word terratin."

"Yes, sir."

We arrived at the star about ten minutes later.

"Only data is from early exploration. Planet is listed as Class M, core molten, mantle and crust entirely crystalline." Spock explained.

"But nothing in the computer banks about surface eruptions. There's our likely radio source, simply crystalline projections of recent volcanic activity." Jim shrugged. "Set for a single elliptic orbit."

"Aye, sir." Hikaru said. "Entering orbit now."

At that moment I felt something wash over me, like an impulse.

"I register a disturbance, Captain. As if an impulse just passed through the ship." Spock unknowingly voiced my thoughts.

"Type and source?" Jim questioned.

"Unidentified. It's extremely faint and diffused. Captain, I suggest we delay orbit until it can be analysed for nature and effect."

"Bridge reports." Jim ordered.

"All instruments functioning, ship's condition normal, all area status lights are green." Hikaru replied.
"Sensors detect nozing abnormal, sir." Pavel added.

Jim pressed the intercom button.

"Bridge to Engineering. Scotty, how are your engines?"

"Purrin' like happy kittens, Captain."

"Bridge to Sickbay. Bones, we've just recorded an unidentified impulse. Any effect on sensitive lab animals?"

"Nothing, Jim. The gossamer mice show no signs of shock." Bones' voice explained.

"Our halo fish is bright as ever, Doctor. Now, this species loses all colour at the least environmental change." Nurse Chapel threw in.

"Very well." Jim sighed and cut the link before turning to Spock. "Well, Spock, your x-waves seem harmless enough. Make your analysis while we proceed into orbit. Commence your sensor sweep, Mister Chekov."

"Sensors show crystalline surface heavily fractured by lava flows. Ash and smoke suspended in oxygen-nitrogen atmos-"

There was a loud noise and everything started glowing bright like a halo fish.

"My eyes!" Pavel cried.

The glow stopped as fast as it had started and I blinked to get the spots from my vision.

"Anyone hurt here?" Jim asked.

"No, sir." Several voices replied.

"Ensign Chekov?"

"No injury, sir."

"Damage reports, all ship areas, damage reports." Nyota said into her earpiece.
"All instruments functioning normally. Maintaining orbit. But strictly on impulse power, sir." Hikaru noted.

"Wave bombardment reduced, but continuing. Deflector shields ineffective." Spock stated.

Bones' voice sounded over the intercom.

"No casualties reported, Jim. What happened?"

"Don't know yet." Jim replied.

"Engineerin'. No casualties, Captain, but trouble aplenty with the engines. Every dilithium crystal connection's smashed in the warp engine circuitry. We're tryin' ta bypass them now." My husband explained.

"What about main circuits?" Jim asked.

"Well, ye have to see it to believe it, sir. Those big crystals in there have come apart. Each of them unpeelin' like the rind of an orange."

Jim sighed.

"I'll come down. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn."

I followed Jim and Spock into the turbolift to get down to the engine room, feeling as if I was more needed down there than on the bridge.


"Our only hope now is rewirin' impulse. But there are a thousand broken connections." Scotty explained, pointing at the screen that showed the way the dilithium crystals had broken up.

"Captain, this is quite unprecedented. Notice the fracturing is spiro-form, similar to long chain molecules." Spock commented.

"But dilithium molecules are the hardest, most rigid…" Jim frowned.

"Mister Scott! More trouble with the circuit work." Lieutenant Gabler called.
"What now, Gabler?" Scotty and I sighed in unison.

"All the tools, sir. They're too big for us to handle."

"Ye sound like ye're blatherin', man. Wait, we're comin'."

Scotty and I walked away from Jim and Spock to take a look at the tools. There were three sounds of metal hitting metal and we had to see that our wedding rings and my engagement ring had fallen off.

"What the hell?" I muttered, picking the three rings up.

"Are we shrinkin'?" Scotty asked in disbelief.

"Looks like it." I replied as several more plings and my falling hair signalled that I lost my hairpins.

I sighed and picked them up.

"Now I have to find a new way to keep my hair from getting in the way."

"Here." Scotty said and held a zip-tie out to me.

I blinked.

"A zip-tie?"

"If we keep shrinkin' ye can just make it tighter." My husband shrugged.

I smiled and pecked his lips before turning.

"Would you mind helping me with it?"

"Not at all, lassie."

He gently pulled my hair back to a high ponytail and fixed the zip-tie around it. I turned again and grinned.

"Come on. Let's get to fixing our engines."

"Ye speak from me heart, lass."

It took us about half an hour to replace as many damaged parts as we could but there was still the fact that something was draining our power and if it kept up like this we would soon be dead in the water. And all of us continued shrinking. It became more and more difficult to reach tools and parts of machinery that were higher up. Even magic didn't make it easier because the engineers didn't know about it.


Two hours after the trouble started we weren't much taller than our communicators and tasks that were supposed to be easy became almost impossible to accomplish.

"Kirk to Engineering. Scotty, can you hear me?"

"Barely, sir." Scotty shouted up to the communications panel on the wall.

"Get a crew down to transporter room three. We have twenty minutes left while we can still operate transporter controls."

"How many beaming down, Captain?"

"One, Scotty. Myself."

The link cut and Scotty and I shared a glance before calling a group of engineers together and making our way to the transporter room. It took a while to get everything ready by constructing a system of "ropes" (namely some string but with our present size it could have as well been rope) to be able to even use the transporter. Jim was talking to Spock on the transporter pad and raised his voice.

"Scotty, set automatic return for me. If there's anything to be found down there, ten minutes should do it." He ordered.

"Aye, sir. Timer being set." Scotty replied and we pressed the necessary keys.

"Captain, the transporter retains a memory of the body's molecular structure. Will it apply as well to your present height?" Spock asked.

"We'll know that in ten minutes. After that, it won't matter anymore. Prepare to energise."

"Good luck, sir." Spock nodded.

Jim looked at us.

"Energise!"

"All right then." Scotty nodded. "Heave, lads. Heave!"

The engineers pulling the ropes panted with the effort but managed to activate the controls and beam Jim down.

"We should go up to the bridge." I suggested, tightening the zip-tie again. "We can't do anything in Engineering at this point."

Scotty just sighed and we made our long journey up to the bridge. Just as we'd arrived the crew manning the Bridge at the moment were beamed away.

"What in the name of Merlin's flabby backside?" I gasped.

Jim walked in, his normal size again. He squinted until he spotted us at the base of the Captain's chair.

"Scotty, Amy, is it you?" He asked.

"Aye, Captain. For the love of heaven, be careful where yestep." My husband replied, shouting so Jim could properly hear him.

"Is everyone safe?"

I covered my ears with my hands.

"Captain, you'll deafen us at this rate!" I shouted.

"Everyone accounted for?" Jim whispered.

He crouched and held his hand out for us to climb on. He then put us down on the armrest of the Captain's chair.

"All but the Bridge crew, sir! They were trying to man their posts here when all of a sudden they were beamed away. Every living one of them!" Scotty exclaimed.

Jim pressed some keys on both helm stations before he went over to the communications station and spoke.

"Message to the inhabitants of the city on the planet below. I hope you can receive this frequency and understand my words. Your survival depends on it. All this ship's armament is locked on the co-ordinates of your city. A demonstration, in case you doubt."

One of the smaller phasers was fired at the planet.

"You have one minute to restore my Bridge crew unharmed, or you will undergo full barrage" Jim ended.

The viewscreen came to life and showed a group of red-headed people, all of them dressed in yellow and green.

"In the name of the Terratin people, I forbid you to destroy us, Captain Kirk." The man in the middle spoke.

"You forbid me after what you've done to my people?" Jim scowled.

"I am Mendant of all this city, equal in command to yourself." The man on the screen explained. "We are people of pride, Captain, equal to your own. We neither suffer insult nor give apology for actions. But I give them now, for damage done your starship. Be assured, this land contains much dilithium to replace that you lost."

"Where are my officers?" Jim asked.

"I request you to understand. We tried to tell you our plight as you passed, that our adopted planet is dying. But our great antenna was buried. We had no choice but to use our invasion defence to reach you." Mendant almost pleaded.

"You still haven't answered my question. Either you tell me what's happened to my people-"

Pavel appeared on the screen.

"Here ve are, Keptin."

Hikaru stood next to him.

"We're down here in the Capitol building of the Terratins, sir. They beamed us down with their transporters. See for yourself." He explained.

The camera panned around, showing the rest of the bridge crew, Spock working at a computer.
"Spock, who are the Terratins? Where'd they come from?" Jim asked.

"Descendants of an early lost colony, which is why they retain some knowledge of starship methods such as transporter mechanisms. These Earth colonists named and numbered this planet Terra Ten. Hence the present corruption of their name." The First Officer reported.

"There've been no Earth colonists a sixteenth of an inch tall." Jim frowned.

"Exactly why they were lost, Captain." Spock replied. "Spirod epsilon waves are natural here, and shrank them to this size. It has become a genetic characteristic now."

"Our ancestors were too small ever to be found again, Captain Kirk." Mendant took over. "We had to build our own world, master our own ways, our own defence. We sought no outsiders, asked no help. Now you see, Captain Kirk. We are about to lose all. We had to force help from your ship."

"Your actions all but lost us our ship." Jim accused.

"I do not know how to beg. I can only request. Save as many of my people as you can." Mendant said evenly.

"They had no other way to reach us except to make us their size. They didn't mean us harm, sir." Nyota added.

"I can help no one under present conditions. All Bridge crew prepare to beam aboard. Each of you carry as much dilithium as you can find." Jim said.

"The Captain orders dilithium. Bring the largest crystals in the city." Mendant announced to the people behind him.

Jim gently lifted Scotty and me up and went down to the transporter room. He quickly programmed the controls.

"Bridge crew, prepare to beam up." He declare.

"Energise, Captain." Spock's voice replied.

Seconds later the others of the Command Crew materialised, dilithium crystals at their feet.

"Nice to be back aboard, sir, and fitting the room again." Nyota smiled.

"All crew personnel report to Transporter rooms immediately. Prepare to beam down to planet surface." Jim spoke into the intercom.

"The Terratins are making available all possible dilithium." Spock reported. "The crystals are small, but I believe they will provide enough power until we can obtain larger pieces."
"Sulu, take over the transporter here. Spock." Jim ordered and left the room with Spock.

Sulu put Scotty and me down on the transporter pad to be beamed down. A minute later we had our normal size again. I quickly pulled the zip-tie from my hair and put it back in the usual bun before we headed down to Engineering to replace the broken crystals.


We walked back onto the Bridge.

"How's the helm, Sulu?" Jim asked, back in his chair.

"Responsive, sir." Hikaru nodded.

"Subspace radio now operational, sir. Starbase Twenty Three is reading." Nyota reported.

"Last of the crew beamed up, sir. Dilithium supplies are fully restored." I added.

"Mister Chekov, prepare for immediate departure from this area." Jim ordered.

"Captain, what about the people on the planet?" Spock asked.

"Mister Sulu, direct forward phasers at the Terratin city. Set for pinpoint fire pattern." Jim commanded without answering the Vulcan.


I smiled as I watched Jim say his farewells after the entire crew had been declared honorary citizens. For three days many of the crewmembers had volunteered to help the tiny people move around the ship without needing hours from point A to point B or fear of being stepped on. We had arrived at Verdanis and were preparing to beam the city down. Jim turned to Scotty and me at the controls.

"Energise."

We beamed the city down, closing what Jim had taken to call 'The Terratin Incident' in his log.


"But from that day forward, the wizard helped the villagers like his father before him, lest the pot cast off its slipper, and begin to hop once more."

I closed my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to see that Lily had fallen asleep, her head resting in Scotty's lap. I smiled softly and put the book aside, rising from the couch.

"I'll get Lillabelle ta bed." Scotty said softly and kissed my cheek. "Don't forget that Jim wants ta start that karaoke night thing."

I rolled my eyes and nodded. Jim always had new ideas in the name of 'team building': A Dance Dance Revolution Tournament, Game Night, and now karaoke. I shed my uniform and stepped under the shower, allowing the water to wash the grime and sweat of a day in Engineering away. I wrung out my hair and stepped out, wrapping a towel around me.

A few minutes later I was dressed in a pair of tight dark blue jeans, black flats, and a loose black sleeveless top with a v-neck. I pulled my hair back in a French braid and finished my outfit with a simple silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of the Enterprise. Nyota and I had gone out after the whole Khan fiasco and gotten these for ourselves. I heard the shower running again and shortly after that Scotty came into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and using another one to dry his hair. I took the opportunity to not so subtly check my husband's rather toned body out. He smirked and dropped the towel as he grabbed some underwear and civil clothes.

Ten minutes later we stood outside the mess hall, the door sliding open for us. The normally bright and pretty simple room was mostly dark now, most of the little light directed at the stage set up complete with the karaoke system. The tables had been rearranged to face the stage. I couldn't help it: I grinned. Jim waved us over to where he sat next to a grumpy looking Bones, a very amused Nyota, and a slightly puzzled Spock. We sat down and I looked around the room. Apart from the command crew there was a table with some of the nurses from med bay, a bit farther away some securities, including Giotto, quite a few engineers, and three tables filled with various members of the science department. After a few more minutes Jim climbed onto the stage and took the microphone.

"Alright, as you know this is the Enterprise's first karaoke night. And because I now otherwise nobody would sing at all I'll start." He grinned and pointed at Pavel who was sitting at the controls. "Hit it."

I snorted when a familiar tune came from the speakers, soon followed by the lyrics on screen.

Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On a-Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me

I had to admit our captain had a nice voice and no difficulties carrying the tune. He moved slightly with the music and sent his trademark grin to a few women in the audience, causing me to roll my eyes.

Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you

Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, in other words
I love... you

Jim left the stage under applause and with an exaggerated bow. He sat back down and we waited for someone else to gather the courage to take the stage. After a few moments Scotty grinned, rising from his seat and pulling me with him onto the stage. He told me his plan over our bond and I returned his grin, each of us taking a microphone.

(Scotty Singing; Amy Singing; Both Singing)

Listen, baby
Ain't no mountain high
Ain't no valley low
Ain't no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far

Don't worry, baby
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry

'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you baby

Remember the day
I set you free
I told you
You could always count on me, darlin'
From that day on I made a vow
I'll be there when you want me
Some way, some how

'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Oh no, darlin'

No wind, no rain
Or winters cold
Can't stop me baby
No, no baby
'Cause your are my goal

If you're ever in trouble
I'll be there on the double

Just sittin' for me
Oh baby

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart

If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can

Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough

Ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough

We bowed deeply to the loud applause from the audience and stepped down from the stage. Jim grinned at us while he brought drinks to our table.

"You know, if Starfleet hadn't worked out for you, you might as well have become singers."

I blushed a little at the praise. Scotty sat down and pulled me onto his lap. I really wasn't in the mood to resist and snuggled against him, my arms around his neck, his around my waist. I listened to Hikaru giving his interpretation of Sweet Victory by David Glen Eisly while sipping my drink (Scotch on the rocks, Scotty preferred his pure). All in all the evening went smoothly, with Jim eventually convincing Spock and Nyota to sing a duet. That night I lay in my husband's embrace and couldn't help but think about what might have happened if I had never requested to be stationed in a remote area. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes, listening to Scotty's even breathing, and was simply happy to be there in that moment.


A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review.