Although the mission had suffered some stutters up until this point, the captain and his crew had agreed to put aside their arguments for the remainder of their time in the Taurus sector. After all, there was only one colony left and surely Starfleet should be on their way by now. Shouldn't they?

A disgruntled Captain Kirk sighed some as he slouched in his chair. Turning his head this way and that, he grunted a bit in satisfaction, his efforts met in a satisfying pop of his neck. He looked down towards the console of his chair and raised a hand, finger resting heavily on a button.

"Captain's log. Stardate 4848.8. After a successful trading of supplies between the Alpha and Beta colonies, the Enterprise is continuing its voyage to the third and final colony in the Taurus sector, the Gamma colony. Earth colony Alpha seems to be the most fertile and as such, has taken it upon itself to stock the other colonies with seedling rations of the local flora. Colony Beta also appears to be relatively stable, although much of the colonists have reported sightings of a strange creature. Director Graw has assured me that everything is under control and that sightings should decrease with our generous shipment of sensors and phasers... Supplemental: I am still somewhat worried over the colonists of Taurus IV."

"Sir, we have achieved standard orbit around Taurus V," said Mr. Sulu, turning to face his captain.

"Well isn't that a miracle in and of itself," muttered the captain, rubbing at his temples.

"Sir?"

"Uh, nothing, Mr. Sulu. Thank you." Captain Kirk turned towards Mr. Spock.

It wasn't often the captain found his science officer distracted, though there were a few times he had seen just that. To the untrained eye, all would appear normal. Mr. Spock could be seen leaning over his station, seemingly busy divulging the secrets of the Gamma colony's new home. Though Kirk could see through the act the Vulcan played, how his eyes appeared glossy as they glanced over the incoming data, how his brows furrowed ever so slightly, not in concentration, but in frustration, and how his fingers, usually lax and nimble, now held the dial with a sort of determination he usually reserved for the training room.

The captain cleared his throat, "Mr. Spock, what can you tell me about the Gamma Colony on Taurus V?" His eyes gave away a concern for the other, though Kirk wouldn't dare mention a word of it in such a public space.

The Vulcan's head snapped up, eyes widening slightly at the realization he had been caught. Quickly reverting to his indifferent demeanor, he replied, "The Federation has declared Earth Colony Gamma a mining colony, Captain. There would appear to be some indications that the planet has a substantially large deposit of dilithium crystals, though it is uncertain as to how large."

Kirk quirked a brow, determined to ask his friend what was troubling him at a more opportune time. "Why would that be, Mr. Spock?"

"Well, Captain, there seems to be some sort of interference emitting from the planet's core that is making sensor readings quite difficult to decipher. It is nearly impossible to detect much of anything past the first 258.37 kilometers."

"What's causing the interference?"

"I am unable to come up with a definitive answer, Captain. Although, I would hypothesize that it is perhaps a previously undetected source of radiation."

"I see, well is there anything you can tell me about the planet, Mr. Spock?"

"Yes, Captain. It would appear that given Taurus V's distance from their star, it is the coldest and possesses the harshest environment of the three habitable planets. I have readings of some areas reaching temperatures of 224.15 Kelvin. The gravity is also considerably greater than that of Earth's, given the planet's mass. As such, the Gamma Colony resides under an atmospheric dome. Surprisingly, however, there appears to be an abundance of life on the planet's surface. My sensors detect both animal and plant life alike, consisting of mostly dark green vegetation and animals of mammalian origin. In this regard, it is not unlike Colony Alpha, Captain." Spock stood at full attention then, hands folded behind him and eyes widened ever so slightly in expectancy.

Captain Kirk nodded, seemingly satisfied with his science officer's analysis. "Thank you, Mr. Spock." He turned towards Lt. Uhura, "Lieutenant—."

She only smiled at the captain, hands hovering over her controls. "Standard procedure, Captain?"

Kirk gave the Lieutenant a small smile of his own. "If you would please, Lt. Uhura."

After a few quick turns of some dials, Uhura turned towards her captain once more. "All frequencies open, sir."

For the umpteenth time today, Kirk sat up in his chair and began again. "Attention, Earth Colony Gamma. This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Please acknowledge."

"I have the Gamma Colony on channels 2 and 4, Captain. Though, the interference is making it difficult to discern which is more stable," said Uhura, looking towards her captain.

"Let's try channel 2 first, Lieutenant."

"I'm patching you through now, Sir."

Static once again flooded the bridge, though not to the degree it had with Colony Alpha. The captain and his crew winced before a message cut through. "Enterprise, this be Director O'Rien of Colony Gamma… Acknowledge," said a masculine voice in a Gaelic tongue.

"Acknowledged. Mr. O'Rien, this is Captain James T. Kirk, again. We have a shipment for you from Colony Alpha. Requesting permission to beam down."

"That'll be right,—Captain. Transmitting coordinates now… We'll be seeing you."

"Acknowledged," replied the Captain. He turned towards Uhura, "Lt. Uhura end transmission, please."

After a moment or two, the static was cut. Captain Kirk stood up, making his way to the turbo lift. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Have the rest of the landing party meet me and the others in the transporter room." He turned towards the bridge as he left. "Gentlemen, I suggest you follow me. I'd like to get this last freight over with as soon as possible."

Mr. Spock and Mr. Chekov left their stations without a word, as if in silent agreement with their captain.

They met up with the rest of the landing party in the transporter room, the sounds of a disgruntled CMO echoed through the halls. Dr. McCoy could be seen arguing with a crewman carrying a pile of thick winter gear. "Now I don't care what that damn computer says! If we have the coordinates, why do we need these parkas?"

The captain intervened. "Bones, gentlemen, what's the problem? Why is that crewman carrying winter gear?"

"It's the interference, Captain," said Scotty. "I cannae input the coordinates of the colony's dome. The transporter just won't lock on."

Kirk could just barely keep himself from rolling his eyes. Already, there were complications with this colony. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Alright, well what does that mean, Mr. Scott? Can you get us to the colony?"

The Scotsman leaned his head to one side, weighing his options. "Well, Captain, I may not be able to beam you down directly under the colonist's dome, but I can beam you to a small clearing nearby. You would be having to walk the rest the way."

"In a pig's eye!" said McCoy, elbowing his way towards the front of the group. He looked towards the captain, nostrils flared. "Jim, if Spock's readings are right, then that planet is at the most, 290 Kelvin right now. Do you have any idea what that kind of environment can do to a man? I'm talking hypothermia, Jim. Cell death! We could die before we even so much as reach Gamma's front door."

Kirk gave McCoy a hard look. It was obvious the doctor was mad, but he did have a point. Parkas may have been enough for Taurus IV, but there was a reason a dome was required for Taurus V. A man could only stay in that harsh a climate for a few hours at best before finally giving out, and who knows how long it would take them to reach the dome. Still, they had a job to do. "McCoy, I understand your concerns, but the Gamma Colony is relying on us. We're carrying their only chance of survival."

"Jim, it isn't safe. I know we have to get those supplies down there, but not at the cost of our lives." The doctor turned to give his parka back to the crewman who had brought it. "I'm not going, Jim, and I suggest the rest of you stay put."

The captain sighed, walking over to the transporter panel. He hit the communications button. "Uhura, get me Dr. M'Benga, please."

"Right away, sir."

Kirk and McCoy locked eyes for a few seconds, a sort of unspoken agreement. He couldn't force the doctor down with him, but he wished for him to come. Though, perhaps it would be wise to keep their chief medical officer on board in case one of the party did actually contract hypothermia.

M'Benga walked in not a few seconds later, disrupting the tension that had collected in the transporter room. Kirk handed him the parka. "It seems your services are required, Doctor. Care to join the landing party?"

He took the coat and slipped it on with ease. "Of course, sir."

McCoy did little more than shake his head before walking out of the room. Right or not, he was worried for his friends.

Once M'Benga had joined the party on the transporter, Kirk turned his attention towards Scotty. "Mr. Scott, I'll need those coordinates for the colony's dome before we beam down."

"Aye, sir. I've already sent the coordinates to your tricorders. If you stay on course, the walk should take you no more than an hour back and forth."

The captain gave a dry chuckle. "Just long enough to catch hypothermia, eh, doctor?"

M'Benga turned. "These parkas should give us just enough protection to survive that long, Captain. If we hurry, we should be fine."

Kirk looked back at Scotty. "Well, I sure hope so, Doctor. Scotty, energize."

"Energizing."

On Taurus V, deep below the planet's surface, was the city of D'Kal, home of the planet's true inhabitants. The subterranean world could be seen as being divided into three unique rings, each encircling a large and grand looking complex. The outermost ring was dotted with warehouses and strange looking farms. The second held what appeared to be homes of varying sizes, all conforming to a honeycomb-like structure plan. The first ring also held to this standard, but with larger structures, almost mimicking the center complex.

Within a lab in the first ring, was a pale young female, covered in purple freckles of some sort, conducting an experiment. She appeared to be in deep concentration, her large cat-like ears twitching with each move her outstretched hands made. Purple digits surrounded by a faint purple energy pointed towards a collection of rock samples a few feet away. Slowly, the samples, surrounded by a similar glow, moved from one marked platform to another. Blue eyes and slit pupils followed each sample as they floated by, transfixed as if the samples themselves held a mystery all their own.

A presence was felt nearby, lingering in a doorway. A darker older looking male with orange splotches, much older than the female, clad in a white lab coat watched on in silence as she worked. His expression was neutral, though his eyes held a knowing glint. 'Aliah, I do not believe this is the procedure I designed for you,' he said, lips unmoving.

The woman, Aliah, set her eyes on the male. 'No, Doctor, you did not. It seems I became distracted.'

He walked towards her, arms folded behind him, until he stood at her side. He too outstretched a hand and an orange glow flowed freely towards the rocks. He gave Aliah an expectant look.

She released the samples from her hold and watched as the doctor returned them to the first platform.

'Now, if you would, Aliah.'

The woman took a breath, centering herself as the purple energy returned to her purple hands. She raised them towards the samples and they began to vibrate as they were encased in the glow once more. Aliah concentrated on the composition of the rocks, the very same she and Dr. T'Bru had spent many hours painstakingly examining for the correct quantity of specific minerals and deposits. The many charts and formulas she needed to memorize in order to know exactly how to break apart the samples atom by atom.

Slowly, the samples faded away, breaking down into almost unrecognizable bits and pieces. They moved across the room towards the other platform, the experiment successful thus far. Aliah allowed herself the smallest of smiles for the near completion.

Though it was then that another door slid open and a pale man with silver hair and green markings dressed in a white uniform burst in. 'Dr. T'Bru—.'

Aliah gave a hiss, the intrusion ruining her concentration. The atoms of the samples collided and began reacting. She acted quickly, bending the light around them and encompassing what she could under a dome before it exploded. What was left fizzled and dissipated on its own accord.

Dr. T'Bru turned towards the intruder, his greyed brows furrowing ever so slightly and eyes slit with disapproval. 'Watchman, this is a specialized government lab and an extremely dangerous experiment. Do you realize the damage you could have caused with your interruption?'

The watchman, ignoring Aliah as she dispersed the smoke and soot, stood at attention for the doctor. 'Forgive me, Doctor. I was unaware of the nature of your experiments. However, the Council has issued word that there are intruders on the surface. All civilians have been ordered to return to their dwellings immediately.'

The doctor's eyes narrowed slightly before he gave a curt nod. 'I see. Very well. Aliah, we must return to our dwellings. This is a serious threat. Thank you, watchman. We will evacuate shortly.' He turned to Aliah, meeting her gaze once before heading for the door, hands folded behind him.

Aliah did her best to restrain herself, opting for a short huff as she straightened her black coat and pushed back her long dark and purple hair. So, there was word of invaders on the surface. This was interesting news indeed. Retrieving her gloves from a shelf nearby, she began walking towards the door when the watchman blocked her path. She stopped, looking up to see that he had not so much as given her a glance as of yet. Her brows twitched slightly. "Thank you, Watchman. Your message has come through quite clearly.'

Only now did the watchman meet Aliah's gaze, his own strained. 'Councilor Kine has given me strict orders to escort you to your dwelling.'

The disdain in the watchman's eyes was quite evident to Aliah, though she did little to show how it truly affected her. 'Yes, I'm sure my mother went to great lengths to find the most equipped watchman for the task. Though I can assure you, I am quite capable of finding my own dwelling, watchman.'

He did not move. 'I was given orders, Aliah Kine.'

'Yes, you were. I will inform my mother that you had executed your orders with maximum efficiency instead of causing my and Dr. T'Bru's near death. However, only if you return to your post, watchman.'

His eyes widened ever so slightly as he stood still for a moment, as if considering his options. 'I see that you have made it safely to your dwelling, Aliah Kine. Forgive me, I did not realize.'

'Thank you for your assistance, Watchman. You are dismissed.'

The watchman gave Aliah a nod and backed out into the hall, leaving her in the lab.

She quirked a brow, sliding on her gloves as she stepped after the watchman and out into the city. A sense of panic could be felt, the residual energy of the people lingering in the area. Aliah tugged at the small green stone she wore around her neck and made her way towards the edge of the city. There was a tunnel system that led to all parts of D'Kal, including a few access lifts to the surface. There hadn't been word of invaders in so long and no doubt the Council would simply leave all of D'Kal, all of Tu'aran, their planet, in hiding until the invaders left the system. Aliah wouldn't leave another chance to see aliens untaken. This time, she would find the invaders and study them as best as she could, no matter the risk.