Title: forgiven Author: Keridwen Disclaimer: Ok, about three more to go. Has anyone solved my riddle yet, A love so strong, a hate, so strong. If anyone has read shadows, you know that Jocelyn is never really forgiven right up until then end. ok, not going to give the book away. Another thing from the book. Kirk mentions that he remembered Jocelyn from their last meeting, which didn't go over so well. That is an understatement If I ever saw one. That is that story that I am trying to recreate. So whose love is brought back together? Who is forgiven? And is it the same person?

Ps, I gave up on chapter numbers

Star Trek is obviously owned by Paramount. They are nicer than me.







Missiles in the Night



Jocelyn ran through the dark Nilian night. The man next to her didn't say much; they were both concentrating on keeping their minds clear. Soon they came up to a building that she remembered, and a right turn took them to the window of the cell where Leonard was being held.

She moved much faster now, and pushed the Captain aside in her hurry to slide through the hole in the window that Mr. Spock had created.

When she slid down she saw Spock standing there in the center of the room with something in his arms. She gasped and ran to him.

Captain Kirk followed her down and took her in his arms as she began to sob at what she had seen. The stress of the past few days was wearing on them both. Even the Captain's eyes were not all together dry.

"Is he alive, Spock?"

"For the moment, Yes. There is extensive damage to his internal systems and both hands are completely broken, but he is still breathing."

The relief in the captain's eyes was evident.

"Yet we are not out of the clear, Jim. We must find the area from which they plan to detonate the warheads."

Kirk turned to Jocelyn.

"Can you stay with him?"

"Yes, but not here. Is there a place for us to hide?"

"Not safely."

"Spock, put me down."

To Kirks and Jocelyn's surprise, the Doctor had awoken and was trying to stand on his own two feet.

"Spock, I thought you said he had extensive internal injuries?"

Spock looked wearily as the Captain and he noticed that the Vulcans face looked much paler that usual.

"Yes, but the pain has been controlled for the moment. Doctor McCoy is now able to travel."

Spock looked at the Doctor.

"I believe I have returned the favor."

McCoy blinked, and then remembered that awful day when Spock had almost died. He grinned weakly and thanked the Vulcan.

Spock and Kirk helped Jocelyn and McCoy out of the window again and gave Jocelyn one of the inoperative communicators.

"We will try to life the field of interference," said Kirk. " Try signaling the enterprise every fifteen minutes."

"Alright, Captain, best of luck."

Kirk stood there at the open window for a moment and watched Jocelyn and McCoy hobble away. For an instant he wondered how tow such different people had ever found a place in each other's hearts.







(U.S.S. Athena on route to Nilana)

Captain Frederick Scherer stood at the doors to the forward observation deck and steeled himself for the encounter just beyond. He had faced Klingons, Romulans, and his mother in law with more calm and perspective than a Vulcan. Yet, the young woman behind those doors operated with methods beyond reason and sense. For a civilian med student from earth, Ms. Joanna McCoy was very resourceful. Two of his security officers were in sickbay getting treatment for bite marks and bruises.

The doors opened and he was surprised to see that the young woman had not moved from the position that he had left her in two hours ago.

She turned at the sound of the door and smiled.

"I do apologies for roughing up you security officers, Captain."

"Apology accepted, I expect they will survive. You damaged their pride most of all, Ms McCoy."

"I'm not surprised. I will not, however, apologize for stowing away on your ship."

"I really didn't expect you to."

Joanna turned back to the view port she had been staring out of and sat for a few moments in silence.

"I expect, you will want an answer as to why I want to go to Nilana so badly."

Of course, I have tried to guess, myself. I have even done a little bit of research into your past. There is nothing on Nilana that could possibly interest you, Ms. McCoy"

"Please, call me Joanna."

"Alright, Joanna, now, why do you want to get to Nilana so badly?"

"It's quite simple, really, Captain Scherer, There is someone on that planet who I have never forgiven. I must get there. I don't know if I will ever have another chance to do so, this person may be already dead. In any case, I must get there."

She turned back to the view screen and remained silent. The captain was even more confused than before and he moved to leave the room. As Joanna heard him go, she realized that she had lied to him. There was not one person, but two.



When Captain Scherer stepped through the door, a yeoman was waiting for him.

"Here is the report on the situation at Nilana, sir."

"Thank you, yeoman."

As he scanned the report, his eyes were immediately drawn to a name.

"Oh my God!"

He turned back to the door, and understood.







(Nilana, A few hours earlier)

"Sulu, admit it, were lost."

"No, my tricorder is just malfunctioning, that's all."

"Were lost."

Sulu glared at Chekov and then turned back to the tricorder in his hands. It was programmed to scan for human life forms. According to what Uhura had told them, there was only one human down here; Dr. McCoy. Yet, the scans of the area just ahead of them showed a high concentration of human life forms.

"Look at this, Pavel. I thought we were the only humans moving around in the area. This shows a rather large room up ahead and to the right with about ten or twelve life human life forms."

"I think your tricorder is malfunctioning."

"I thought you said we are lost."

""We are. And the tricorder is malfunctioning. It is the law of landing parties. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."

"Oh yeah, and who though that one up?"

"A great Russian cosmonaut called Ivan Glakonivitch. The first and only landing party he was ever assigned to lost thirty two security guards, four scientists, and himself, to freak accidents. Those were his last words before a giant man eating Venus fly trap swallowed him whole."

"Oh. Sorry I asked."

"Yes, well, what are we going to do next."

"I think we should check this room out. Who knows, Dr. McCoy may be in there."

Sulu and Chekov crept up to the door and crouched low so they could hear what was being said.

"I think we have gone to far Jean. Kirk is here, on the planet. We have him held at Observer 301 for the moment, but I don't know how long that is going to hold him."

"Have you found the first officer yet?"

"No, the man is like Houdini, we can't seem to get a fix on him."

"Well, find him, and don't bother with covering it all up anymore, tell your men to shoot to kill. Get rid of the Captain as well."

Very well."

"And what about the good Doctor."

"His usefulness here has run out. He turned down my proposition, which is to bad, he has a great mind, and we could have used him."

"Well, get rid of him."

"As you wish, Jean."

"Oh, and Julian."

"Yes."

"Keep it clean, I don't want a trail of bodies left here. There is going to be enough trouble explaining the Nilian missile launch that destroys the Enterprise. I don't want to leave the Federation any more mysteries than I have to."

Sulu turned to Chekov to signal that they should pull back. Clearly there was more going on here that even the Captain realized. And if everything he had just heard was true, a lot more people that Doctor McCoy were going to need saving.

Instead of Chekov, however, he found himself facing the business end of a phaser rifle.











And now, I hope you all understand at least a part of my riddle.