Kirk and Alyssa urgently retraced their steps back to the Sacramento refugee center. Upon their return, the place seemed to have transformed from their earlier visit. Already, it was booming like a beehive. Because they now had someone in their custody, the process of sanctuary and relocation began. Alyssa hoped that it wasn't in vain and that their efforts weren't too late.

After passing through security and reentering, Alyssa saw guards around the corner. Immediately, she and Kirk found Chekov standing to one side, pretending to clean his fingernails. He saw the pair and ceased slacking. He saluted them both, pretending not to be so familiar. Already, other interested Starfleet parties were lingering.

"Admiral, Captain." Chekov nodded sagely.

"Where did they place Jason Lattimer?" Alyssa asked.

"Processing," Chekov confirmed. "They vill have him in interview in half an hour. The floor is yours."

Alyssa was pleased. Thanking him with a kiss on both cheeks (which caused the Russian to blush brightly), she led Kirk down the appointed hallway. She found the way to the interview room via directions, enduring more security before entry. Spaulding was present and led the way, demanding answers to questions and using fingerprints and retina scans to an extreme, sometimes denying the results and ordering a retake. He knew who they were. He purposely kept messing up their testing to stall for time.

It was annoying. Alyssa thought it was revenge for their petulant interview previously. She and Kirk endured this as much as they could before the admiral threatened a call to Nogura. Once it was voiced, Spaulding was instantly satisfied. They were allowed a room, to wait for Jason Lattimer. There were no windows and only one camera to record visual and audio. They took the existing chairs on one side of a table and waited until their guest arrived.

This time, it did not take long. Three processing agents joined them, surrounding a young man. On close inspection, Jason Lattimer did not seem part Thyrian. Alyssa rubbed her eyes and looked again. Yes, he had some characteristics of his grandmother who escaped and some of the delegates that arrived. All and all, he had mostly the appearance of a human except for some of his skin. There was a light green pigmentation against the peach. His hair was black and stiff, almost like it was held back with hair gel, and his eyes were a dark brown.

Jason took the opposite chair and stared at the pair. It was extremely uncomfortable, but it did not faze them. When Alyssa motioned the three eavesdroppers to leave them, she returned the gaze without flinching. She hoped that Jason did not see them as a threat and tried softening her features. Already, she saw that he was frightened. He had been picked up by a Starfleet officer and deposited into an agency run by them. With news of the Thyrian peace, Jason must be terrified for his life.

He broke the trance and eyed Kirk. "I know you," he said carefully. Back to Alyssa, he added, "I also know you."

"I'm interested in how," Alyssa replied. She crossed her arms. "You have not met us until now."

"Personally, I do not," Jason admitted, "but anyone with Pholm's Radiation is easy to spot. And Admiral Kirk is a celebrated officer. I do not understand why he would need to speak with me."

"Because we have some business to conduct," Kirk announced. He leaned forward. "As you're aware, Thyria has declared peace and is here to dictate the terms with the Federation. They have named you as their new prisoner."

Jason paled. "W-w-w-what?"

"They want you as their prisoner," Kirk repeated. "Currently, the terms are not finalized. You are still a citizen of Earth and are subject to the laws of this planet. They cannot simply seize you."

"It won't stop them," Jason protested. He recovered himself. "They've kidnapped before. Children and enemies are their favorites. They become slaves."

Kirk and Alyssa exchanged quick glances. This wasn't what they were expecting. Slavery had been completely outlawed several decades ago. If a planet was joining the Federation, they had to admit all practices, even those that they deemed illegal. If Thyria failed to mention this, it would mean dire consequences. It wasn't just the conference that would be jeopardized. Kirk already saw Federation enforced isolation.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked instead. It terrified her to imagine Ryder and Ali being held as slaves. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering.

"I know that my grandmother is the only Thyrian to escape the world," he explained. "She was paranoid. She feared being captured and enslaved. Death was her only mercy. Until the end, she warned everyone that the Thyrians would be back."

"What other information did you grandmother have? What did she tell you about Thyria?"

"Information comes at a steep price, Captain…?"

"Elma. Captain Alyssa Elma."

"Captain Elma then. What is our exchange?"

"You're here and not released to the representatives of Thyria. Isn't that enough?"

"What about your word?"

"If you want to patch a video call through to Kepler III, you are more than welcome to. They can testify to my character. But we don't have time for any games, Jason. You are either going to help us or not."

"That planet was settled by a Starfleet savior. Are you telling me –?"

"I did nothing but move people from a dying world. I saved people and it was approved by the Federation. I am no one's savior."

Jason perked up. The way Alyssa deflected any credit from herself struck him as snappish instead of humble. He kept looking at her through another set of eyes. Sure, she was tough as nails. But inside of her was something else – a light of some sort. He kept that to himself and decided to use another tactic.

"There is a cure, you know," he mentioned casually. "That radiation was created through Synprilox's trade with Thyria. Those minerals they used to make weapons out of? Thyria changed the consistency of it and mold it in a molecular mess."

Kirk felt his heart rapidly beat into his throat. There was a cure for this deadly illness he feared would take Alyssa away? How was it made? Where could it be found?

For him, there was hope. It wasn't just for Alyssa. There was a chance now, one for thousands of people on Kepler III. Oh, he wouldn't be lying if he wasn't being selfish. It would mean a great deal to have her alive longer. But duty comes first. He and Alyssa would agree to the infected population being handled first before her personal gain. She would die than allow thousands to suffer more.

The security officer held off any excitement too. "That much we have deducted. Handling such material would mean a dedicated medical team to counter any side effects. If there is a way to prevent people from dying, then where would it be?"

"I would assume with the men who hold the weapons," Jason replied. "I know that they are contaminated from manning their stations. Because so many had been affected, they had to find a cure to reverse the effects. They would lose more people otherwise and wipe out a planet."

"How do you know so much?" Kirk demanded. "You seem to have more information than your uncle. He left behind a record, but in one part."

"Uncle Hugh had more knowledge than I ever will. He never completed his work. He verbally repeated everything to me until I memorized it. He knew that he was going to be poisoned. It was a matter of when. He did not go quickly. I just hope his soul is at peace."

"Poisoned from what? This radiation?"

"I will leave it to your imagination, Admiral. I have my theories. They cannot be proven though."

"That does not answer my question."

"No, it does not. But something that is so obvious should not be repeated."

"You were the secret keeper chosen by your uncle," Alyssa interjected. She could not be persuaded otherwise. "Your grandmother parted him the information and he to you. Your parents sent you away to live a life of solitude within a community almost like you to prevent someone from finding you. Someone had to."

"I would give you a prize for original thinking, Captain, but I have nothing except my name," Jason said. "However, your inquiries are tiring. Honestly, what are you planning on doing with me, now that I am a refugee?"

"Hopefully, reassign you to another location," Alyssa revealed. "Because your life is now in danger, Admiral Kirk and I are taking personal responsibility for your protection. You will be staying here. An agent will be retrieving your personal items to take on the next leg of your journey. You will be contacted about any information regarding Thyria when we request it. This, along with my word as an officer and a gentleman, will be our exchange."

Jason seemed somewhat pleased with the arrangement. "I would be careful if I were you, Captain," he warned. "The Thyrians do not take kindly to instigators."

"I figured as much," Alyssa stated coolly. "Before I let you go, Jason, I need you to answer this. If the Thyrians were to kidnap children, where would they be? You said that they will be slaves. But you never mentioned where they would be hidden."

Jason struggled to answer and hesitated many times. "If they are dry docked somewhere, I would begin a search there. There have a…a brig specially made for their new arrivals."

Alyssa did not want to imagine the implications. Time was of the essence now. The indirect mention of torture was sinister enough. Thyria was isolated enough that it could hide its transgressions. Easily, she could picture Riley and her children trapped inside a cell without room to stand, sit or kneel. She squeezed tears away seeing her daughter raped and her son whipped. The aide was daring and would be picked off in no time.

Underneath the table, she felt Kirk's hand brush her knee. He did not linger for long. It was a quiet gesture, telling her stay strong. She could not afford worrying. Jason was already peering at her curiously enough. His facial features asked for Alyssa to elaborate.

Instead, they thanked their guest and stood to leave. The three agents took Jason away. Outside the building, they found an awning to sit under and waited for the shuttlecraft to pick them up. All the while, they both kept the negative thoughts at bay. Without saying anything, they both found that the other was looking for comfort and denying themselves the right to take it from the other.

Kirk reached for Alyssa and held her hand. He was fighting. For the first time in his life, he had to battle with himself. To be a rock, he had to act like the Starfleet officer and remain impassive. To collapse in grief, he had to be a parent. It was so new that the feeling almost overwhelmed him in raw grief.

"What should we do?" Alyssa's voice sounded small. "We can't just waltz into a foreign ship in dry dock and demand entry. We have one witness and his information is third-hand."

"You have the power and the right on suspicion alone," Kirk reminded her. "If we can build a case, a team can investigate further for you."

She nodded in agreement. "We'll build it," she said. She didn't sound too confident though, like she was at the end of her road. "For our sake anyway, we need to. There are people who depend on us."

There was no need for a reply. By then, their ride arrived. They kept a silent vigil straight to Kirk's apartment, avoiding any contact with each other. Entering the complex made the pair uneasy though. By the time they entered the turbolift, Alyssa was on edge. She purposely put herself in front of the admiral and drew her service weapon with shaking hands. She sensed, as well as Kirk, that something was off.

When the doors opened, they walked the hallway to his apartment. Kirk also pulled his out to cover the rear. Alyssa did not think it was necessary because their danger lay ahead. All appeared normal though, even as the admiral ordered the computer to unlock his doors.

Inside, they saw no forced entry and nothing was out of place initially. However, they did not relax. Kirk went in one direction and Alyssa the other to search the apartment. The admiral saw nothing on his end and turned around to yell for the security officer. The reply was a scream and a loud fight that ensured from Alyssa's side. Rushing out, he found someone emerging from the shadows. Alyssa's limp form was dragged in front of the figure, a knife to her throat.

"One wrong move, Admiral Kirk, and it won't be the poison that deals a cruel hand." A Thyrian showed himself. "Put your phaser down slowly."

Kirk obeyed. He kept it between his fingers, inching his phaser to the floor and gently laying it there. Another Thyrian came up from behind him. He picked up the weapon and tossed it to his friend. It was pocketed quickly.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Admiral," the intruder continued. "It's been to long since you've seen everyone, hasn't it? Your lover included? You couldn't resist, could you?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Kirk demanded. He ignored any references to his relationship to anyone linked to Synprilox, Alyssa most of all. "We are on a mission of peace. We do not intend war."

"We do," the Thyrian announced. "I hope that my name you will remember, Admiral, since you cannot remember me. My name is Ghanstan, a member of the Honored and creator of all Thyria stands for. We have our dreamers who believe in peace. The rest of us are incensed about the Federation's dealings with Synprilox. It's because of you, Admiral, that we have suffered without our neighbor."

"I have done nothing," Kirk declared. "You have. This is an act of hostility."

Ghanstan smiled. "Precisely, Admiral." He faced his friend and waved. "Take him away. I'll take care of her."

Kirk lunged forward and tried reaching his adversary. He underestimated how easy two targets were and was quickly overcome by the Thyrian behind him and slammed to the floor. As Ghanstan disappeared from his blurry vision, carrying Alyssa over his shoulder like she was a prize, Kirk tried one more time to get up. His hand stretched out in a pathetic effort to catch her as his legs stumbled through the steps to stand. From behind, he felt something hard strike his head.

His world went black.

~00~

The next few weeks passed quickly and it soon reached the halfway point in the inspection tour. Nowadays, Kirk found that they were full of not just boring meetings and avoiding eye contact with a certain security officer until after hours. He also discovered that it was about compromise, secrets and observation. He could not make the situation with Synprilox change, but he was able to at least calm some of the radical behavior and bring safety to more.

Once most of Synprilox realized that the admiral was a complete tool for Starfleet and was here just to see things and report back to Earth, he was no longer an assassination target. He was respected. While he spoke with the chancellor and her counsel, people approached him with petitions and pleas for advice. They pelted him with urges for modifications with their membership. They begged for protection from the unknown enemy and a cure for the radiation so that they did not have to travel to another planet for sanctuary.

Kirk did the best he could to assemble teams for each problem, nagging Lori so much that she shut off communications for two weeks until he promised not to badger her for faster results. Some Federation groups had been dispatched to handle the political aspect. The search for the deadly rays continued in earnest though. Several ships searched far and wide after each attack. They had some clues and followed them.

At this point, Kirk had yet to hear back about the results. He was more concerned about the survivors and the defense. A treatment plan for those affected was implemented, but with little results so far. Medical teams studied for several hours, trying to find a solution. Regardless of the conclusions, he sent the information to Lori, whether she liked it or not.

The best parts of his day always involved Alyssa and Ryder. He slowly became accustomed to being a sort of parental figure to the boy, although the choice was not his or Alyssa's. It took some weeks before Ryder was used to the admiral. He was soon bothering him to play. At first, Kirk wasn't too keen on involving himself with a child that was not his and hardly had any idea how to deal with him properly anyway. He tried following along with the child and doing the best he can, even if it meant sitting outside and pretending to be an alien.

However, as time passed and Ryder led the way, he became more comfortable climbing to the treehouse, running around the yard and playing imaginary games that involve exploration and unknown worlds. Kirk was always good at the real simulation. He always imagined himself back on his ship and commanded Ryder. He obeyed quickly, countering with imaginary intelligence reports of his own. It made being a captain once more too bittersweet.

Like Kirk, Alyssa wasn't around often during the day. She was usually traveling Synprilox, responding to troubles in the palace or attending meetings with either her unit or the Synprilox government. They were lucky if they saw each other during those hours. If they did, they had to keep eye contact to a minimal. They both found themselves betraying their emotions if they did. Otherwise, in the safety of Alyssa's home, they hid behind the trees.

Actually, Kirk noted that she remained away from the marbled mansion as much as she could. The reason why did not matter much to him. All that he cared for was that they were together at the end of the night and woke up in the morning. It was what he looked forward to the most. They were times of opening up and talking about who they were. It made him fall in love with Alyssa all the more.

In his discoveries, he found what made Kurt Hemmingway mad and lenient at the same time with the black-haired beauty. Alyssa was extremely intelligent and cunning and very kind and generous, but she was also mischievous and sometimes dramatic. She was overly anxious inwardly and outwardly calm all at once and tried to control them by remaining in a state of calm. A contradiction of emotions meshed inside of her, all of it the aftermath of the long-term abuse suffered in the various stages of her life. Synprilox was another one.

"Breath in and out," he cautioned her. "One day at a time. One problem at a time."

It was the best advice he could give her. Since Kurt had tougher methods to deal with Alyssa's stress and panic attacks, she never recovered. With so much that happened in-between, she did not have an outlet. Kirk considered it a saving grace that Alyssa trusted him and allowed herself the luxury of falling apart in front of him. It meant that she could grow and that meant being a better Starfleet officer. He wished that for her too.

As Kirk laid next to Alyssa one night, he had to think about the overall situation, between his mission and his life. Yes, things had improved on Synprilox and he was no longer molested. However, there will always be those who disagree and argue with the changes. An idea carried a lot of weight. It can spread from one mind to another and never die. Kirk had seen how easy it was to do on Synprilox. The world was large, but it also carried a variety of political and social views that carried to Keplar III. However, its counterpart also worked in better harmony because of the tragedy most suffered under. They learned the old lessons and sought to create something new.

As for Starfleet…well, Kirk was a career man after all. It would be difficult to explain this to Lori for one thing if she found out and he decided to avoid that at all costs. She was playing a game of love with him and he avoided it. Now, leading Lori on seemed to Kirk the most logical conclusion. She wasn't going to take no for an answer and will be hurt that her subordinate stole his heart.

The other was that Starfleet made a grave mistake with Alyssa. From what the admiral had been able to discern, she was exiled on Synprilox. It was a taboo subject that they did not want to acknowledge. She had many enemies in and out of the Fleet because of her report to Admiral Uriah, he knew. What anyone could use against them could be catastrophic. Knowing that Alyssa was from the twentieth century could destroy Starfleet and it will be blamed on her. He wanted to do everything in his power to protect this woman and her family, no matter the cost to them.

Eventually, Alyssa stirred, almost sensing Kirk's misery. She rolled over and wrapped her arms around him. "What are you thinking about?" she asked dreamily.

"Many things," he replied vaguely. He wasn't ready to be specific. "Leaving Synprilox like this," he admitted.

The security officer was more alert with the comments. "If anything, live in the present. Don't think about our future for now. There's always another day."

"Easy for you to say."

"It's not easy for me either. I am dreading these things too."

"Oh?" Kirk easily pulled Alyssa on top of him. He covered them with a blanket when he felt Alyssa's clammy skin.

She giggled. It dispelled some of the foul mood. "Well, happiness and love are always fleeting. The good can only last so long. It's something best to hold onto it when you have it. In the future, you might not have it."

"You seem very wise for one who leans on another heavily."

"Well, it's a new mantra I am trying out."

"I think it's a good one." He kissed her.

"I am preparing myself," Alyssa continued. She turned grave, working out something and refusing to mention it. She tried another route. "Jim, there's only so much time we have together too. I can't take advantage of it. It's one day at a time, one problem at a time, you said. This is something that's bothering you too, isn't it? It's not just Synprilox, is it?"

Kirk cursed himself for being so obvious. "You're very perceptive."

"Comes with the job. Besides, we said we'd work out something later. I can deal with Admiral Ciana. She isn't that bad."

"Haven't you ever thought of the consequences of our actions?"

"Everyday." Alyssa was sad about the realization. She shivered.

"One day at a time," Kirk gently reminded her. "One problem at a time."

Alyssa could not resist. She had to dismiss the melancholy. She pushed the blanket off and reached over for another kiss. Kirk returned it, rolling over for a better angle.