A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!!

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McCoy sat across the conference room table from Spock, who would soon be presenting the findings of his mind meld to the rest of the senior officers. He was unusually quiet, lost in thought, oblivious to the animated discussions taking place around him. He had been relieved upon waking up to learn that he wasn't going insane, that there was an alien intelligence that had been in his mind night after night. But it didn't matter. His new-found knowledge didn't change the fact that every time he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of his little girl, diseased and dying. He could still hear her cries for help as though she were standing right behind him. Even though it wasn't real, it was still there, and he wondered if he could ever rid himself of those memories.

"People," Kirk called over the chatter, "let's come to order." Once the small talk had died down, he continued. "There has been an alien presence on board the ship at various times over the past few days. They don't intend us harm, but they do need our help." He looked over to his right where his first officer sat. "Spock?"

Spock picked up the conversation. "They call themselves the Naidu. They live on the fourth planet orbiting Beta Eridani, a star .364 light years from our present position." He paused and steepled his fingers in front of himself. "The Naidu are a race of pure telepaths, and they are dying. Ten years ago, their astronomers detected several asteroids that were on a collision course with their planet. Not yet having achieved space flight, they began to prepare for the disaster by storing up supplies in their vast underground caverns. Unfortunately, they had miscalculated when the asteroids would arrive by more than a year, and most of the people perished." He shifted in his chair. "The only ones who survived were the ones working in the caverns when the asteriods hit, and even then, the Naidu had underestimated the effect the asteroids would have on the planet. Many of the caverns collapsed, either upon impact, or shortly thereafter, destroying all the supplies and killing any Naidu who were there. From the caverns that did not collapse, only about fifty Naidu remain, and they are trapped beneath the surface of their planet. Many are injured, and most of their supplies have been exhausted.

"The Naidu's telepathic powers are extremely strong," Spock said. "They are also able to meld their powers into a collective, and it was by this means that they sensed our presence, even at this great distance, and they have been attempting to contact us for help for several days now. Unfortunately, their telepathic brain waves correspond precisely with--but are limited to--human REM wavelengths, making it impossible for those contacted to distinguish between the alien contact and their own dreams." He looked over to Kirk, finished with his report.

"Thank you, Mr. Spock," Kirk said, turning to his other officers. "We are going to help the Naidu. "I've already sent word to Starfleet. They've agreed to waive the Prime Directive in this case, since the Naidu already know of our existence. We have been authorized to rescue them and transport them to an uninhabited planet, the choice of which will be determined later. Any questions?" Hearing none, Kirk nodded his approval of their continued ability to adapt to new and strange situations with relative ease. "Very well, then, I'll take reports. Scotty, how are the engines?"

"Well, I dinna like the beating they took in that ion storm," he complained, "but I've managed to nurse the wee bairns back to health. We'll be ready for whatever comes along." His tone, however, indicated that he very much preferred that nothing come along that might upset his "wee bairns."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Scott," Kirk replied, more to Scotty's tone than to his report. He moved on to Uhura. "Anything from Starfleet on what planet we're to take these people to?"

The dark-skinned communications officer shook her head. "Nothing, yet, sir. But when it does come in, I'll let you know immediately."

"Thank you, lieutenant," he replied. "Sulu?"

"All clear up ahead, Captain," Sulu replied with a grin. "The roadblocks are behind us."

"Good work, Mr. Sulu," Kirk said, returning the smile. He turned to McCoy. "Bones, will Sickbay be able to handle fifty injured Naidu?"

McCoy roused himself from the hold his thoughts had on him. "I'll make sure they're ready, Captain," he replied absently.

Kirk shot him a sidelong glace, but did not comment. "Very well, people, we have our work cut out for us. If there's nothing else, you're dismissed to your posts. Sulu, you have the bridge. Set a course for Beta Eridani IV. The coordinates--" he paused and looked at Spock, who only nodded-- "are in the computer."

"Aye, sir," Sulu replied, and followed the others out of the room, leaving only Kirk, Spock, and McCoy sitting around the table.

"Bones," Kirk began, once everyone had left, "are you all right?"

"Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix," McCoy replied with a sigh, and then eyed Spock. "I'm not going to be receiving callers after midnight anymore, am I?"

"The Naidu informed me that they would not contact you further," Spock replied. "They also wanted me to convey to you their deepest apologies for the distress they caused. They sensed the feelings you have for Joanna and used her image in her diseased form to get your attention, expecting you to respond to them. They mistook your REM sleep for telepathic activity, and when you didn't respond, they tried harder to get your attention, and ended up overwhelming your mind in the process."

"Well, that certainly explains things," McCoy said, "but I sure wish they would have picked someone else to overwhelm." He tilted his head and regarded Spock thoughtfully. "They weren't able to overwhelm you, Spock."

"No," Spock replied, "they weren't. The distance between us, together with their weakened state made it too difficult for them to try to overpower my mind."

"So they moved on to me," McCoy said. "Aren't I the lucky one."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "You were their last hope of salvation, Doctor. They would not have had the mental strength to try again had contact not been achieved through you. The Naidu sensed in you your compassion for other beings, which is why they chose to contact you. They hold you in high esteem, which is quite an honor from what I gathered about their culture."

"Some honor," McCoy replied peevishly.

"Now, now, Bones," Kirk teased, trying to hide his own concern beneath a light tone, for Spock had all but admitted that emotion had prevailed over logic in this situation--yet McCoy hadn't taken the bait. One glance at Spock told Kirk that Spock had noticed this as well.

"They intend to build a monument to you on their new world," Spock continued, "and they want you to help lay the cornerstone."

"Hmph," McCoy said. "I'm a doctor, not an architect."

Kirk grinned and relaxed, knowing from McCoy's crotchety tone that his chief medical officer was secretly pleased in spite of his protest. "Come on, Bones. Let's go grab a cup of coffee before the fun begins."

The three officers stood and made their way across the room.

"So," McCoy said, "what's Starfleet going to do now that the Naidu know about us?"

"Commodore Mendez mentioned opening up diplomatic talks with them," Kirk replied.

"Of course, any discussions will have to take place in REM sleep," Spock said. "At least until they learn to read and write Federation Standard."

"Huh," McCoy remarked, as they made their way out of the conference room. "I know a few ambassadors that would be perfect for the job."