A.N. So the rescue gets underway. These chapters will be hard and might take a while but will get there. Cu soon J

Spock had used a transporter literally thousands of times in his near four decades of life. Materialisation was just as he had come to expect but for one detail. Stood before him were not only Jim, Leonard and the security detail but Dani, much to the apparent shock of everyone assembled. Spock couldn't help a slight frown of chagrin at his young relative's disobedience.

"Our instructions were very clear, Danielle. You were told to remain on board the Enterprise."

"I wanted to help."

"Dani, you are a child with very limited combat capabilities and no experience. The best way in which you could help would be to remain out of harm's way. Now that that is impossible, you will stay with either myself, the Captain or Doctor McCoy and obey all the instructions we give you. Do you understand?" he said sternly.

"Yes" she replied, shortly.

"Jim, we can't take her…" began McCoy.

"Not now, Bones!"

The group whirled around at the sound of an opening door. The raucous laughter of a group of Klingons died as they noticed the assembled Federation officers. After an almost comically frozen moment all hell broke loose. McCoy acted as a shield for Dani, while the others aimed their phasers. After a few moments of exchanged fire the group of Klingons lay unconscious. "Right, now to find our missing people." Kirk announced brusquely. The Enterprise group crossed over to pass their combatants. Dani held back momentarily. At first Jim thought it was shock but a frown of consideration told him that wasn't it.

"Spock, could you mind meld with these Klingons?" she asked her cousin.

"Dani, you are aware that Vulcan philosophy forbids doing so without permission except in very exceptional circumstances. Permission I cannot obtain from an unconscious person."

"Doesn't this count as exceptional? Besides finding where Mum, Dad and the others are from this Klingon means we don't need to search the whole ship. If we did, we might have to hurt people as well as take a long time. Our people could be hurt too. Doesn't Vulcan philosophy say that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Both you and T'Rallah taught me that."

Spock looked at his cousin, raising an impressed eyebrow. Her reasoning skills as well as her compassion reminded him so much of her mother that he felt anew the urgency of their situation. In response, he knelt beside the Klingon he knew to identify as the highest ranking among the group, placing gentle fingers on his psi points. With a few gentle murmurs and closed eyes, he gained access to the prone male's mind. Images flashed before his vision, the location of the brig. He frowned with the effort of focussing, of being careful not to access any of the Klingon's other thoughts. When he surfaced, his cousin, friends and colleagues were staring in anticipation.

"The prisoners are on deck 18, section 5. The duplicated files are stored in the ship's computer, which poses a concern. I have not bought the equipment that would be necessary to wipe the information from the Klingon hard drive."

"The one day you fail to be anything less than obsessive about organisation…"

"Doctor, there was very little time to prepare, if your memory serves you. In addition those with the knowledge to operate it will be otherwise occupied."

Jim cleared his throat pointedly and Dani raised her hand "Ji-Captain, can we beam anyone else over?"

"No, the shields will be up."

"A shuttle, then?"

"Should be okay but I don't see…"

"Doctor, is T'Rallah all recovered?"

All the three command crew members clicked. "So your suggesting T'Rallah fly the equipment in a shuttle over here while we get the prisoners?". Dani nodded.

"Hell, a few weeks with us and we turn her into some spy. Might as well induct her into Starfleet now!" McCoy shook his head "and isn't this unlawful? T'Rallah is a civilian!"

"Actually Doctor, while she may not be a Starfleet officer, she is still registered as an employee and has the benefit of years of survival training on Vulcan." Spock corrected him.

"Worth a shot. Hey Sulu!" Kirk addressed his comm.

"Sir?"

"How you holding up over there?"

"Taking a bit of damage, Captain but nothing we can't handle. We might loose comms at any minute though." Despite his words, the helmsman sounded strained.

"Right, we're going to need a bit of help…"

As soon as she had received the summons, T'Rallah had leapt to action, stopping only to retrieve the equipment needed. With the purposeful gait of a missile, she descended to the shuttle bay, boarding the Columbus and steering her out of the shuttle bay doors.

"Lieutenant Sulu, I anticipate that I will meet some resistance. I trust you will be able to counter it."

"Sure, T'Rallah, I got your back. Lucky their shuttle bay door's busted, eh? Which reminds me, you have your pressure suit?"

"Vulcans do not generally believe in luck Lieutenant but in this case I am inclined to agree. I have all the necessary equipment."

"Right then. Good…luck."

Of all the ideas that Dani had had, she felt this had to be one of the most reckless. What was she doing? Suggesting putting T'Rallah in the line of fire once again? If anything happens… she thought in an agony of moral self-flagellation. When they got her comm to say she had arrived on board safely, the girl was relieved beyond words "Be careful, yeah?" she spoke anxiously into Jim's communicator.

"Always, Dani" the Vulcan replied before cutting the connection.

"Right then! Our hacker's deployed. Let's get to the brig" Kirk called.