Spock met Dr. McCoy in the hallway just prior to the transporter room. They shared a relieved look and headed inside. Scotty stood by the transporter controls, yawning. He covered his mouth and smiled. "I've been waiting for the heads-up all night."

"You're not the only one." McCoy yawned, placing one hand on his medical tricorder.

"Lock on the captain's position and energize," Spock said. Scotty nodded and activated the transporter. A beam of light glowed on the pad, and Captain Kirk appeared. He was covered in mud and green slime, and his clothes were badly torn. McCoy and Spock approached the transporter as he stumbled off the pad.

"Captain, welcome back." Spock stood with his hands behind his back.

"We'd almost given up hope," McCoy added, turning on his tricorder and beginning to scan Kirk with it. His gaze flicked over Essa's necklace. "What's that? A souvenir?"

Kirk pushed the scanning device away. He reached for the crystal and tugged on it, breaking the cord, and pressed it into McCoy's hands. "Crush this and give it to Lt. Moss. Now, Bones."

McCoy stared down at it. He looked at Jim with concern. "Excuse me?"

Kirk grabbed McCoy's shoulders, looking him in the eye. "Trust me on this, Leonard." He broke away from the group and headed out the door, Spock following.

McCoy stayed behind, still gazing at the crystal, turning it this way and that in the light. Scotty looked over his shoulder at it. "It's verra pretty, but how could it possibly help the lieutenant?"

McCoy scanned the crystal with his tricorder."My word." He scanned it again. "Take a look at this." He showed Scotty the readings.

Scotty scratched his head. "I'll be…pure anthospadrite…yet no radioactive readings whatsoever." He picked up the crystal in one hand, staring at it as though it contained all the mysteries of the universe. "But that's supposed to be impossible."

McCoy nodded. "If there's one thing I've learned in my years of service, it's how fluid that word can be." He snatched the crystal from Scotty's hand and headed for the door. "One chance in a quadrillion may be low, but it's a lot better than none."