Leonard's not sure if he's relieved or disappointed that it's just Harrison that joins them for dinner. The fewer Botany Bay crew members the less chance a fist fight might break out, but talking with just Harrison has its own challenges. It's like pleading your case to a shark- no you wouldn't make a good meal even with bar-b-q sauce. All of the Botany crew seems to have attended the same finishing school. They're arrogant and uncouth and not winning over the Enterprise crew. Leonard's not the only one who's noticed; he can see it in the sighs of relief and ease of tension in the senior staff as they realize they won't be experiencing the full force of the Botany Bay circus tonight.

"Your friends won't be joining us?" asks Roberts after Harrison is seated and the meal is served.

"They have other things to do tonight," says Harrison, like the senior staff should consider themselves lucky he made time in his busy schedule for them. A smile never cracks his stone cold face.

Leonard can't imagine what could possibly be so important they can't come to dinner. It's not like they have a ship to run. Maybe Harrison has the same expectations for the direction of the evening should his people join them as Leonard has.

Jim fidgets beside Leonard, his knee bobbing up and down while his fingers drum along the stem of his fork. "Like what?" asks Jim in that same voice Joanna used to use when demanding to know why she has to eat her vegetables.

Harrison's eyes narrow in on Jim like he discovered the one knock off in a series of originals. "They're taking advantage of everything the Enterprise has to offer." Jim doesn't flinch; he just glares back. "It's been awhile since we've been around such advancement."

"Aye, she's top of the line, refitted just last year. Ye won't see anything newer until next year and even then it's hard to compete with this fine lady," beams Scotty like a proud parent.

"It must be hard being out here for long periods with outdated resources," sympathises Roberts. He grew up on freighters and private ships whose resources and information were limited to what they could manage to update at the next space station. It's one of the perks to working for Starfleet, all the latest toys, media and information are days away not months or years.

"We're very resourceful," assures Harrison. There's an evil predatory glint in his eye that's matched only by the violence in his smile.

Perhaps it's his tone or maybe his stone cold demeanour, but the answer sends chills down Leonard's spine. For most people he'd assume it was a declaration of intelligence but when Harrison says it, he can't help but think of the Donnor party's resourcefulness.

"Why the private sector?" asks Roberts, either oblivious to the chilliness from their guest or feeling the need to keep awkward silence at bay.

"We grew tired of taking orders by men who are too afraid to do what must be done," says Harrison and it's the most alive and engaged he's looked all night. They've clearly stumbled upon his vein of interest.

"And what must be done?" inquires Spock, folding his hands under his chin in contemplation.

"Those that threaten you must be subjugated or defeated. A universe full of peace keepers are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter should a wolf find their way into the fields."

Leonard can't help but feel that Harrison fancies himself the wolf in this scenario. No wonder he works in the private sector of shipping with all the other wannabe space pirates. Starfleet probably wouldn't have him.

The sentiment is the complete opposite of what Sulu stands for, what anyone on this ship stands for. He must of have missed something, because the general consensus of the Federation is towards peace. He asks, "You think Starfleet should be militarized?"

Harrison leans forward. "War is necessary."

"Peace is more beneficial," counters Spock. Many species have engaged in violent wars throughout history, even his own people gave into their violent temptations early on. Eventually reason and compassion team up with logic and more peaceful methods are implemented to solve issues, though there are still those that believe force is necessary. Clearly their guest is one of those people.

"The weak must be weeded out. One cannot do that if they coddle everyone. The species will wither and die if those strong enough do not take power."

"Sounds like genetic purification to me. That limited thinking went out centuries ago," says Leonard. And thank god. This evening is leaving a sour taste in his mouth. It's out of duty to his crewmates that he doesn't walk away.

"Nature is built on the idea that the strong will survive. Truly gifted men have chosen to speed up that process by either circumstance or science."

Leonard wants to roll his eyes but he can't very well ask Jim to be on his best behaviour if he isn't going to be on his. "How do you define strong?" Leonard can think of a million different definitions and none of them are defined by the ability to take another's life.

"Take you husband for example," says Harrison, turning his focus back on Jim and gesturing toward his cane propped against the wall behind him, "would it not have been kinder to put him out of his misery?"

"It's an injury," protests Leonard, slamming his fist on the table and looking to Spock to put Harrison in his place or better yet, throw him out on his ass. "One sustained in the line of duty. It's not the sum of his life."

Harrison ignores Leonard's protest. "But it is the deciding factor in his life. Tell me Jim McCoy, is this kinder? Left to languish in a living death?" His words drip with blood and a matter-of-factness that drives them straight into the soul. He's not saying it to cut or to pick on Jim for the sake of breaking him, but because he truly believes Jim would have been better off perishing than living life with such a disadvantage.

It's a question Jim's asked himself many times over. He's never come to a satisfactory conclusion, the scales always balancing even. It's a shitty hand that he's been dealt to play, one he often doesn't want to, but he'll be damned if someone like Harrison should be allowed take those cards away. He's grateful for everyday he gets to spend with Leonard, yet he can't pretend it doesn't come at a great cost. Jim's not sure he's strong enough to say he wouldn't change his run in with Nero which lead to his marriage to Leonard, if he had the chance. Even if he had a satisfactory answer, he wouldn't give it to Harrison. Jim places his hand over top of Leonard's, rubbing his thumb in gentle circles over Leonard's wrist. "I don't know, things are pretty good."

"Are they?" questions Harrison like he can smell the lie.

Jim sits up a little straighter, refusing to show any weakness in front of this apex predator. Harrison has no idea where Jim's come from or what he's over come. Even if it's not where Jim himself had ever hoped to be, he won't let some asshole diminish that, especially in front of Leonard who's fought just as hard, if not harder, to get Jim to this place.

"Do anything meaningful or great for Starfleet besides keeping the good Doctor's bed warm?"

"You're out of line," growls Leonard. The tension is high at the table, growing thicker by the second. An infinite number of conversational topics and Harrison's chosen Jim; it's a line Leonard's not comfortable crossing.

Jim just squeezes Leonard's hand. He's the emotional roller coaster; he doesn't need Leonard to get the reputation as the messy explosive one. "I find being written off and underestimated often works to my advantage." He's been underestimated his whole life, it's nothing new, even if the assumptions have changed over the years.

Harrison sits up, slightly more intrigued. He's found a combatant with a little spine among the Federation fodder. "You think that's enough to make a difference?"

Jim shrugs. He's not going to let some dick like Harrison tell him what he can and cannot do, even if the truth is, he is unable to do all the things he wants. "You only need one match to make an explosion."

Harrison sizes Jim up, eyes roaming every inch, dissecting and cataloguing every flaw and attribute Jim has to offer. "You truly believe inferior specimens have that spark that humanity needs to drive it forward?"

"You'll never know until they have their moment." It's an argument that can go on all night, neither side in the mood to concede to the other's point of view. Jim's met people like this before. Harrison isn't interested in Jim's or the crew's view of violence or genetic superiority, rather he's aiming to keep them on their toes, to rattle them. Jim can play Harrison's game too. "What exactly did happen to your ship?"

"Warp core damage," replies Harrison, calm and cool, despite the rising irritation of the crew. There's a flash of something dark in his eyes.. "Like all broken things that are no longer able to perform their primary use, the ship has been discarded."

"What's so important in the crates?" There's steel in Jim's voice; he won't be sidetracked from finding out what he wants to know.

"Habavrioum crystals."

"Surely your crew of superior specimens' lives are more important than risking them to remove crates of Habavrioum crystals when the warp core is damaged or is there something else in those crates, something you'd rather hide?"

The rest of the crew stares in silence as Harrison and Jim trade clipped remarks back and forth, both entangled in their own verbal tennis match.

"And just what would we be hiding in those crates? Your ship's sensors would detect anything of importance to the black-market," demands Harrison.

Jim's grin grows wider. "Interesting you bring up the black-market. I never said you were smuggling anything illegal."

"The implication of smuggling is that it is illegal, otherwise there would be no need to hide."

"So you are hiding something?"

"We are transporting Habavrioum crystals at the request of the Federation to a newly colonized planet. The only one implying anything is you Mr McCoy. Which is an interesting tactic by your captain, or should I say the captain as you are not a member of Starfleet. The captain allows you to do his dirty work for him so he doesn't appear to be interrogating his guest." Harrison's eyes drift over to Spock.

"Since this is not an interrogation, I suggest we speak of other matters," states Spock. Uhura gives him a small smile of support. The rest of the meal is quieter, with Scotty mostly talking about engines and Chekov talking about space anomalies that were along the Botony Bay's flight path.

Leonard has to practically be dragged back to their quarters, still toying with the idea of punching Harrison in his smug mouth and asking how superiority feels with a broken jaw.

"You can't let guys like that get to you, Bones," says Jim pulling him towards the bedroom. Leonard's tense and stiff in Jim's hands and there's simmering fury in the corner of Leonard's eyes. Jim pities the poor souls that are due for physicals tomorrow.

"I don't know how you don't. You're usually the hot tempered one." He sits on the edge of the bed but doesn't move to take off his uniform or his boots. There isn't going to be much sleep in his future tonight, his body a lightening rod of frustration.

Jim snorts and flops down on the bed beside Leonard. Leonard's the one that's quick to anger and far more emotional than Jim- Jim's just more physical in showing it. Leonard had the reputation of being a cranky curmudgeon long before Jim was branded as emotionally unstable.

"It's just…" starts Leonard.

"It doesn't matter," sighs Jim. It's bad enough Harrison ruined dinner with his delightful banter but know he's ruining what could be a perfectly good night.

"But it does," insists Leonard.

Jim wiggles around until he's sitting behind Leonard, wrapping his arms around his husband and gently kissing the back of his neck. "It doesn't matter," he says fondly. It's kind of hot when Leonard gets all white knight on him.

"Why aren't you more upset?" asks Leonard, getting up to pace. Everything Harrison had to say was bullshit but it is bullshit some people believe either wholeheartedly or subconsciously.

Jim hangs his head in frustration. Clearly Leonard isn't going to let this go, no matter how enticing Jim makes moving past it. He can't have Leonard lying awake all night fretting. "There's always going to be people like Harrison, some who believe it and some who say it just to get a rise out of me," says Jim. "And some days where maybe they're right," he adds quieter.

Leonard halts in his pacing and stares at Jim. He thought they were long past this. "You think this world would be better off if you hadn't made it off of that ship?" he asks, managing to look a little disappointed and a little sad.

"Not all the time," he confesses. At first, it was his primary thought but as the years have gone by and he's managed to build something with meaningful with Leonard, it only crosses his mind from time to time- times like when Leonard's lying in sickbay at death's door.

Leonard throws his hands in the air. "Not all the time?" One second is too much for him. Jim's perfect in any shape or form.

"There are times… Like when I lost the Michigan or when you were injured on that planet. But the rest of the time I have you, and Joanna, and it's all worth it, no matter the circumstances. Nero took a part of me but he didn't take the best parts. I just need to be good enough for you. I am good enough for you?" asks Jim with a slight pout, the one that turns Leonard into pliable mush.

"More than I could ever dream," insists Leonard, holding Jim tightly as Jim's hands work to relieve Leonard of the burden of pants.

Jim waits until Leonard is fast asleep to pull all the schematics and sensor readings the Enterprise was able to take of Harrison's ship and the Botony Bay crew's medical records. He has a mystery to solve.

Federation News Bulletin:

Dedication ceremony for the crew of the USS Troubadour takes place today. It is expected that four of the five survivors will be in attendance. The fifth still remains in critical condition.

The tension is high mixed with a healthy dose of sorrow, resentment and desperation to make the colourful Norman Rockwell of their lives. Jim's growing even more bitter the further from the hospital they get. He hasn't spoken to Leonard at all since renting transport in Sioux City after missing their scheduled public shuttle.

It was a panic attack at its finest. They'd just step onto the platform, Jim trailing a few steps behind Leonard like a reluctant teen being forced to go on a family vacation when they'd rather stay at home and hang with their friends, when Jim starts mumbling to himself. Leonard, short on patience and running late after fighting to even get Jim dressed this morning so they could leave the hospital, ignores it at first. He isn't interested in a public rehash of all their dirty laundry or Jim's out right protest to be allowed to continue his state tour of self destruction.

What finally gets his attention is Jim yanking hard on his sleeve forcing Leonard to stop his hurried pace to try and catch the shuttle. "What?" he snaps.

"We can't get on that shuttle," whispers Jim.

Leonard tilts his head to the sky and asks for divine strength. He just wants to get out of here and onto familiar ground or at least to a place where he knows Jim will be safe while he works to erase the image of Jim with his arm bandaged up in a botched suicide attempt out of his brain with the best liquor credits can buy. "We're getting on the shuttle, Jim, it's the last one to San Francisco today. We're not staying here another night."

"Ayel just got on that shuttle, we can't get on," insists Jim, pulling back on Leonard's arm.

Leonard looks, scanning the crowd boarding the shuttle. He knows the boogeyman's not lurking there but his gut still unclenches when he doesn't catch a glimpse of the devil's right hand. "Ayel's not here," insist Leonard, stepping forward.

Jim just pulls back harder. "He's here," Jim hisses through clenched teeth as he puts everything he has into holding Leonard back.

"Ayel's dead Jim. He can't be on the shuttle, he can't be in the hotel room. He can't be anywhere." Leonard rips his arm free, hefting his bag over his shoulder and stepping forward.

Jim plants his feet. "If we get on that shuttle we're going to die," he screams and that gets people's attention.

Leonard hangs his head. He's tired, he's brittle and he just needs Jim to cooperate for one more hour. Everyone is looking now, the platform becoming noisier as people start to question if Jim knows something they don't. "Keep your voice down," warns Leonard.

"Bones!" yells Jim.

And it's too late, security is already approaching them to see what's going on. "Is there a problem gentlemen?" asks one of the officers.

"No," insists Leonard, trying to grab Jim's arm to lead him to the shuttle.

"Listen to me," Jim persists, "there is a Romulan on that shuttle and he's going to kill all those people on there. There's desperation clouding his icy blue eyes.

One of the officers looks back at the shuttle with concern. The other asks, "Romulan?" with disbelief.

"There's no Romulan, sir," assures Leonard. People are starting to panic around them. Romulan has become somewhat of a dirty word since Nero engaged in genocide. "He suffers from PSTD," informs Leonard, aiming to get to the heart of the matter in a way people might understand without having to go into detail on the nuances of Jim's condition or his story.

It doesn't really work, the damage is done. The normally content passengers are panicking to the point where security has to do an investigation to disprove Jim's claim and settle everyone's nerves. It works for everyone except Jim who's holding firm to his belief that Ayel's come for his revenge. In the end Jim and Leonard watch the shuttle depart, security believing that public safety would be better served if they found an alternative way home.

And now Leonard's trapped in a car with a moody and sullen Jim for the next six hours.

"Are we there yet?" demands Jim, hostility rolling off of him like Leonard's intentionally taking the long way and there's a surprise execution for Jim at their destination. He readjusts in the passenger seat again. Sitting for this long isn't doing his leg any favours. The constant itching of his stitches isn't helping any either.

"If we were able to get on a shuttle, we would have been there hours ago," snaps Leonard. He's tired and just as frustrated and unfortunately Jim's making himself an enticing and unrelenting target.

Jim snaps his head around to glare at Leonard for the first time since their impromptu road trip began. "Nobody asked you to come!" he seethes. He can mange on his own just fine.

"The emergency room doctor asked me to come," counters Leonard. "Imagine getting that call."

"Well you came, you saw the invalid. Now you can go fly back out there and live your life."

Leonard grips the edge of the control consol tightly; his jaw aches from clenching his teeth. "Jim, you're my husband, I care about you. This isn't some feel good wellness check." He realizes his mistake the second the word slips from his lips. Jim isn't his husband and saying it out loud like he is, feels like a bullet to the chest. He wishes he could let go as easily as Jim can.

Jim crosses his arms and slouches further in his seat. "We're divorced, that means you don't need to come any more. I set you free of your obligation." It was a carefully crafted plan and Leonard's ruining it by being the caring bastard he always is.

"You're never an obligation, Jim and I'll always drop everything and come. I love you." A piece of paper won't change that.

It should make Jim all warm and tingly inside to hear that Leonard loves him despite everything but it just feels like another weight around his ankles. Leonard was free and regaining everything Jim had deprived him of and because Jim's too stupid to do the job properly or at the very least update his emergency contact, he's sucked Leonard right back into the fray.

"You're really stupid when it comes to people, you know that?" grumbles Jim. Jim doesn't know why he's picking a fight. He could at least be civil while they're stuck in a confined space together; he doesn't want to cause Leonard heart ache. He feels kind of bad he's been deliberately pushing every single one of Leonard's buttons for so long but it's become a habit as well as a necessity. And it's the only thing he can think of to get Leonard to put on his own damn life vest and save himself. "You love the idea of me. I mean it's a great trophy to get to say you had Captain Kirk."

Leonard wants to bang his head against the view screen. Why does every moment with Jim have to be a fight? Is he that unhappy with Leonard? "It's my life, Jim, I'll do with it and spend it with who I like."

"Then you should do that. That was the whole point of giving you a divorce."

"I didn't ask for one!"

"You should have. There's nothing here for you. You can do so much more than babysit. You have offers to serve anywhere and you just drop every good opportunity to come and save my broken ass."

Leonard's getting real tired of Jim being a self-sacrificing idiot. "Get this through your idiotic head. I am a grown assed man capable of making my own decisions. I didn't say yes so I could be Jim Kirk's arm candy or claim I fucked the infamous Captain Kirk. Trust me, there are plenty of people who can boast that."

It's a fair point. Jim has a long list of bed companions. None of which have even breathed his name since he lost everything. But Leonard, he said yes when everything was hopeless. It makes Leonard special- worth saving from the Kirk destruction tour that seems to consume and burn up everyone but Jim.

"I said yes because the thought of not having you in my life is asinine," continues Leonard, fully embracing his rant. "When you admitted to Nero that you sent that message so he would leave me alone, I died that day. Then I got that message that you..." Leonard can't even bring himself to utter the words; they're just too horrible. "I died all over again. God help me, I want to be married to you, James T Kirk."

"That's not going to happen," says Jim, firmly but without malice. Leonard's right, he chose to hang around and there isn't much Jim can do about it but he certainly isn't going to make it enticing or reward Leonard's dumb choices.

"You took that choice away from me too," grumbles Leonard bitterly. If Jim's so concerned about what's good for Leonard, then he should let him choose if he wants to walk away not shove him out the nearest airlock.

Jim turns so he facing the window again. "Sometimes we don't know what's good for us."

Something in Leonard snaps. He can't handle the hypocrisy any more. Out of both of them there's only one who's shown questionable judgement. Leonard lets out a little scream while holding his hands up in a strangling gesture. God he wants to wring Jim's neck until sense returns to the kid.

If he spends one more second in the car he might actually strangle Jim. He gets the car to pull over and gets out, kicking the dirt and screaming in frustration as he staggers towards the shore of lake they're driving past. He screams until his voice goes horse and his foot aches from taking its frustration out on the foliage and rocks. Collapsing boneless to his knees at the water's edge, he just sits there.

Jim sits in the car wide eyed and silent. He's really managed to hit a nerve and he kind of feels bad for it. Most people just apologise for not being able to handle Jim's crap, pack their bags and leave quietly- his mother and brother both left that way. Leonard fights to stay long after Jim's made it impossible. Jim's never been in a situation where he can't shake someone free. He's been fighting to free Leonard for so long, he hadn't really been paying attention to the toll it was taking on the most important person in this galaxy.

The sun starts to set before Jim slowly gets out of the car. He's given Leonard time and space to cool off a little but they can't stay like this forever- both in this physical place and this emotional space. Slowly he walks over and casually stands next to Leonard, his hands tucked into the pockets of his now oversized hoodie. "You know, only one of us can be on the verge of a mental breakdown at a time and I've got a medical status that states that it's me. Like all the time," says Jim all nonchalant. Jim wouldn't even know where to begin to apologise if he felt like he should. He stands by his decisions- Leonard would be better off without Jim tied around his neck. But if Leonard insists on going down in flames with Jim, he's kind of glad for the company.

Leonard whispers, "They'd never find the body." Jim's so good at pivoting; Leonard constantly has whiplash. He wishes he could do a one-eighty with his emotions the way Jim can. He's never met someone he so simultaneously wants to smoother with a pillow and die a thousand deaths for. They're volatile, bringing out the best and worst in each other but Leonard knows he'll never know real joy in his life again if he walks away. Jim is his everything. "You drive a man to drink you know that?"

Jim mulls the statement over in his head. "It's been mentioned before."

Jim waits around the corner of the corridor until the members of the Botany crew leave the cargo bay. They always head to the mess hall from the cargo bay around twenty-two hundred. They take turns hanging out in the cargo bay changing groups every five hours. Jim knows, he's been keeping pretty close tabs on their comings and goings.

He recognizes two of them from the gym and one from sickbay when he went to take Leonard to lunch but was too busy with running tests to join Jim. He can't say he's seen the fourth man with Otto, Joaquin and Ling though. Jim thought he had them all identified and logged like he's some sort of conservation officer tagging animals and watching their migration patterns. He's not sure how he managed to miss one again. Another previously unseen crewman was with this trio leaving the cargo bay a couple nights ago.

Once they're gone, he makes his way into the cargo bay via Jeffries tube; he doesn't need the computer to log his entry. As predicted the cargo bay is empty of life and will be for the next forty minutes when the quartet returns.

Harrison and his crew are definitely hiding something. Jim hasn't quite figured out if it's even something the crew has to be concerned about. Jim's been subtly watching their movements for days and they keep coming back to the cargo bay of all places, when there's nothing worth doing in here and they have actual quarters and the Enterprise's recreational centers to hang out in. And Harrison wasn't very keen on the subject at tonight.

Jim frowns as the container beeps denying his access. "We'll see about that," he mutters, prying off the casing around the key pad to expose the circuits underneath. He's already broken into the cargo bay, what's a little vandalism thrown in if it means discovering what Harrison is hiding. He synchs his PADD to the control panel and begins furiously typing in codes on both devices until finally the container clicks open in surrender.

He hesitates for a moment. This is a line, a big thick line that if he crosses, he might not be able to come back over. Protocol says he should take his concerns to the Captain. Spock didn't seem all that interested in pursuing Harrison's agenda at dinner. At the very least he should take his hunch to Leonard, who intern would have to take it up with Spock. Does he really want to drag Leonard into what could be nothing?

The crew's in agreement- they don't like their guests, but no one's raised any concerns about Botany crew doing anything untold. In fact, no one seems to think very much about them other than avoiding interactions. Maybe Jim just has too much time on his hands and he's seeing ghosts or Harrison really got under his skin to the point where Jim's desperate to find anything against the man.

He could walk away. He should walk away. He hasn't really violated any big rules yet. He's not Starfleet, ultimately whatever Harrison may or may not be hiding isn't his problem, assuming there is one. If Jim could trust his instincts he'd be the captain, not a passenger. Could this be the Michigan all over again? Jim's not sure he can put Leonard through that once more.

There's a flicker of something deep in his bones that wants to walk away. All he has to do is close the lock, crawl back out of the cargo bay and slip back into bed with Leonard. The ship will arrive at its destination and Harrison and his people will depart. It's what any normal, sane person would do.

Jim doesn't move.

He stays crouched in front of the container. It's like looking behind the curtain in oz, no matter what's in the container- Jim can't go back to ignorance. Either he opens it and it's exactly what Harrison claims, in which case Jim can no longer deny just how faulty his touch with reality is, or it's not but also not worth making a fuss over. In which case, no one will be able to deny that Jim violated so many standing orders and will irreparably damage any progress he's made with the crew. Or worse, it's something dangerous and not looking will put everyone he cares about in danger.

Jim opens the crate.

A cloud of cold air spills out obscuring Jim's vision for a moment. He's not prepared for what's staring back at him when the cloud dissipates. A strangled cry escapes Jim's lips as he falls flat on his ass as he tries to back away. He stares at the space directly above the crate in anticipation but nothing appears.

Pulse pounding in his ears, he crawls back towards the crate and takes a good look at the man inside. The man is frozen and if Jim can read the ancient tech, he's still alive. Of all the things he thought Harrison could be hiding, this didn't make the list.

Something clangs at the other end of the cargo bay. "Shit," says Jim. The Botany crew has returned early. He doubts they're just going to let him leave with a secret like this. Carefully, he closes the lid, wincing as it makes soft click. The four returning crew don't seem to notice, still wrapped up in their conversation that Jim can't quite make out.

He stealthily creeps around the stacked crates and cargo containers, trying to keep out of sight as he makes his way back to the Jefferies tube. He's almost there when he bobbles slightly, bumping into one of the containers and knocking some carelessly left tool crashing to the ground. "Shit!"

"We have a mouse," says Otto, their conversation coming to an abrupt halt. His head snaps towards the corner of the cargo bay, ears peaked for any further sounds.

Jim stays as still as possible, praying to go unnoticed.

"Spread out, find whoever it is," orders Joaquin. The four of them begin moving amongst the crates, searching for the intruder.

"Here little mouse," calls Otto, in a voice that promises nothing but pain if Jim's found.

Screw it, Jim thinks as he runs the last three meters to the Jefferies tube entrance and dives in. He can hear them moving towards the entrance to give chase now that they've seen him but they don't know this ship like Jim does. It's not hard to lose them in the twists and turns of the tube system. He comes popping out not far from the Captain's quarters.

Jim makes his way there, pounding on the door and ringing the bell with reckless abandon until a slightly irritated Spock arrives to open it. "We have a problem," blurts Jim, pushing his way inside.