When Spock and Kirk arrived in sickbay carrying the unconscious Lieutenant Warren, the deranged chief medical officer was attending to half-a-dozen patients with more on the way. "Nurse, I want this man treated for a severe concussion," he spoke to Christine who was also monitoring her own batch of patients.

Still in Spock's arms, the dreary eyed Lieutenant lifted her hand, reaching out to Ensign Van who was splayed out on one of the biobeds. "Thuy," the groggy words barely escaped her lips.

Kirk stepped forward, latching onto the sweating doctor's shoulder. "Bones!" he spoke above the chaos of the room.

"Can't you see I'm busy, Jim!" the doctor growled. "I wake up to find the ship in absolute chaos and dozens of injured officers waiting outside my door! What on Earth is going on here?!"

Taking initiative, Spock moved to a vacated biobed and placed the dying officer down. "Now is not the time to explain, doctor," Spock turned to Bones. "Lieutenant Warren is dying and needs immediate medical attention."

Those few choice words were all it took to change the doctor's expression from one of anger to deep concern. "What happened to her?" Bones jogged to the biobed and held onto the Lieutenant's arm.

Warren's weary eyes drifted open once more. "Ensign?" she spoke.

"No, Susanna," Bones replied. "It's me, Bones, the doctor."

Spock briefly studied the readings on the Ensign's biofunction monitor, discovering that Ensign Van was no longer with the crew of the Enterprise. "She was attacked by a beam of thermal energy," Spock answered Bones, understanding that now was not the time to inform the Lieutenant of Ensign Van's status. "May I remind you doctor that although she may not appear to be Vulcan, she does have the anatomy of one."

Bones offered Spock a wicked glare as he replied, "I'm well aware of the medical history of all the officers aboard this ship, Spock. Vulcan or not."

"Can you save her, doctor?" the Vulcan asked.

"I'm not sure," Bones lifted his eyes to the biofunction readings. "I won't know until I try."

Kirk wedged himself between his two friends, glancing down at the fading officer. "No time to argue about it," he interjected. "At least you've had plenty of practice on one particular Vulcan officer."

Spock raised his brow to the Captain. "Indeed," he said.

"At least it was all for something," Bones snarked. "Knowing that I can save this young, attractive woman makes all those years of performing medical duties on a cold, green-blooded alien worth it."

Kirk rolled his eyes at the doctor, moving his attention back to Spock, "I'm going to talk to this… Mooranda. Maybe it's not too late for her to do something."

Spock shuffled away from the doctor, allowing him space to give proper attention to the Lieutenant. "Based on the Hallonite's reaction, I find it unlikely she will be able to help the Lieutenant," he said to Kirk.

After listening to Spock, Kirk departed from sickbay and made his way to the brig where Mooranda was currently being held. When he arrived, he peered through the cell's energy field, noticing that the forlorn woman had curled herself tightly into a ball in the room's corner.

"Give us a minute," Kirk spoke to the guard.

Upon hearing Kirk's voice, Mooranda's teary face perked up. "Is the woman alive?" she wondered.

"Currently," Kirk responded while lowering himself to the ground to be on the same level as the depressed woman. "But she is dying."

"I should not have hurt her." Mooranda crawled on her hands and knees to face Kirk at the cell's forcefield. "But she must be strong to have survived. No being has ever survived it."

"She is more than just a human," Kirk acknowledged. "It may be enough to keep her alive, but if there is anything you can do-"

"-It is too late," Mooranda did not allow Kirk to finish. "The damage has been done. I can not reverse it."

"We did not destroy your planet," Kirk felt it was necessary that the woman understand. "It was an accident of nature. Something that could not have been prevented if your people did not know."

"I have been alone for a very long time," she continued to sniffle. "I was to protect from the men who come to threaten us. I had never met one until now. I did not understand you; I did not understand how to be."

"I am sorry… About your people."

"I was alone before and I am even more alone now." Her eyes fell down and she wept once more. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want," Kirk smiled. "The galaxy is a wondrous, adventurous- romantic place. You are only limited by your imagination."

"Where am I to go; what am I to do?" She rubbed at her wet face, attempting to compose herself.

"Well…" Kirk's brows lifted and his smile became brighter. "You can stay here on the Enterprise until we reach the next starbase. From there, it's up to you what you want to do with your life."

"Can I stay on this ship forever?!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"Starships are for Starfleet officers," his grin faded. "But if you want to become a Starfleet officer, you can train to become one."

"And then I can be on the ship forever?" her voice was flooded with hope and innocence.

"Perhaps," Kirk nodded. "Maybe one day."