The Enterprise was on its way to Garresant. Carol walked down the corridor toward the observation deck. She did not spend much time there but she wanted to see that planet when they came to it. When she walked onto the deck, Ajah was there. "Oh, I didn't know anyone was here," Carol said.

"I like looking out into space even if it is just a warp field," Ajah replied.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you."

"Not at all."

Carol sat down on the bench that faced the large viewports. "I'm sorry this happened to Admiral Kirk," Ajah said. "All because of some story I wrote."

Carol looked at him. "What?"

"Because of some story I wrote. I'm going to destroy that holonovel."

"Wait a minute. You can't do that. This is not your fault."

"I wrote the story."

"That doesn't matter. You couldn't know that some maniac would take it and try to do this."

"Well, if it hadn't been there, maybe he wouldn't have thought of it."

"That's ridiculous. I've played a lot of your novels and I thoroughly enjoyed them. You can't stop writing or destroy a good novel because of this."

"It will probably be a long time before I ever write another novel."

"Ajah, you're a brilliant writer. Don't give that up because of this. Jim would say the same thing."

"I just hope we're in time to help him."

"So do I, but whatever happens, you can't blame yourself. This is the kidnapper's fault."

"None of us have ever been to this planet. We don't even know what to expect."

"So it was during that entire mission, mostly, but look at all the things we learned."

"Yeah. I'm glad you guys happened by my planet. I thought I might go back there when the window opens again and see how things are now."

"Perhaps you shouldn't go alone."

"Oh, I wouldn't, but it might be nice to see whether things are better."

"You have family there?"

"I had a sister there, but I don't know if she's still alive."

They were silent as they looked out the viewports. "We've certainly learned that space can be a very dangerous place," Ajah said.

"Not all of it," Carol replied. "Some of it is beautiful, and Jim has made great friends, even with some of the Klingons."

"Yes. The friends are the best part."

Solan walked onto the observation deck next. "Well, I didn't expect to find anyone here," he said. "Spock thinks the coordinates might be a little off. After all, Cax admitted that he had no idea where he had been."

"You mean we may be going in the wrong direction?" Carol asked.

"We don't know. If we don't find it, I'm going to contact some friends of mine who might know more about it."

"You think his navigation system is wrong?"

"He was only on that planet because he had to repair his ship. Seems like the navigation system kinda got mixed up as well."

Carol sighed. "Are we never going to find Jim?" she asked.

"Sure we are. We're going to keep trying until we find that planet."

"It's been so long."

"I'm going to keep searching for him, even if the Enterprise has to give up."

"Spock would never give up on Jim, and neither would Doctor McCoy."

"I know, but Spock is a captain in Starfleet. They might call him to do something else."

Ajah frowned. "What's more important than finding Admiral Kirk?" he asked.

"Let's just try to stay calm about this," Carol said. "They won't search for him forever. We know that."

"If they call off the search, I'm going with you, Solan," Ajah declared.

"As am I," Carol added.

Solan sat down next to Carol. "He would come after us," he said. "He risked his life so many times. We will find him."

Jim woke up feeling like his body weighed a ton. He sat up but he felt dizzy so he lay back down. Renegade neighed softly and nudged him with his nose. "I can't get up," Jim said sounding very hoarse. He remembered thinking a long time ago that he did not care to use the word 'can't'. He sat up again and leaned on Renegade. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping, but he realized the fire was out and did not even look like it was smoking. He thought he would be shivering if he were not wrapped up in the blankets. Ayeq was not there, but he had left firewood. Jim had simply not woke up to put it on the fire. He wondered if he even had the strength to build a fire now. NO. He would build a fire.

Jim forced himself to sit up. He crawled over to the firewood and piled some into the firepit that looked like it was build out of some sort of red clay. When he finished that he stopped as he realized his hands were shaking. There were several torches that gave light to the cavern. He would have to stand up to get one of them. He crawled over to the wall and got up slowly, feeling his knees shaking, and his right knee seemed to be even more swollen now than it had been before. He got the torch and then got back down to crawl back to the firepit. The wood burned easily so it was not hard to get the fire going. He leaned back against Renegade feeling himself trembling, and he did not even know why he was trembling but he could not stop. He was starting to feel the warmth of the fire which made him sleepy again. He began thinking about that fragrance that Ayeq described. He could definitely smell it. If he could somehow block that, maybe he would feel better. He was tired of feeling like he was in a dream world.

Jim looked around the cave but he did not see anything that he could use for a mask. He was sure there was nothing on this planet he could use to create a gas mask either. He had never heard of a planet that intoxicated its visitors just with a smell. He thought maybe he should go out to the stream. It was not far from this cave. If he tore his shirt and made a wet mask, it could block out some of that smell. He had to try it so he could think straight. Besides that, he had not had a bath since he had been to that planet.

Jim crawled over to the cave entrance which was completely covered with thick vines. Renegade now stood there cropping the vines. He nickered at Jim as he tried to make his way out. He finally made it out of the cave, and Renegade followed him. The horse knelt so Jim could get on and ride. "No, I want to go to the stream, not a long journey," Jim said. He began crawling through the thick undergrowth of the forest. He wished he could walk but he would be stumbling if he tried to walk.

Jim made it to the stream and started to wash his face when he saw his reflection in the water. If he had not known it was himself, he was not sure he would have even recognized himself. His eyes were bloodshot and drawn with dark circles around them, his face was drawn, and his beard had grown some. He thought his hair looked matted and his eyes watered. He thought he surely did not look like anything those female bird folk would want now. He washed his face and drank some water. He took his yellow shirt off, leaving the black one and took a long strip of the yellow shirt and wet it. He made that into a pad as he tore another strip, and then he tied it around his head. He hoped it could block out that intoxicant without smothering him. He stayed there on his hands and knees a moment just hoping he could gain some strength. His head felt incredibly weird. He did not like having the feeling of giving up. He knew that was not his way of thinking…everyone knew that. As he sat there, he thought of the time he had crawled into that reactor chamber, knowing that it meant death…but he had survived. That was only because of Spock, Bones, and Uhura. He did not have any of them here to help him now.

Was his captor right? Were all his accomplishments because of his crew? Could he not survive on his own? Perhaps he should just give in and become one of that tribe. Jim shook his head. No! He would not. He splashed more water on his face. He would just stay where he was until he could find a way off this planet. How could they destroy ships without a trace? He had to find out. If there was a ship on that planet somewhere, maybe it would still be operational.

Jim crawled back to the vine-covered cave. He helped Renegade get back inside, and then he lay down beside the fire. He stared up at the cave ceiling as he felt like he was struggling to breathe with the makeshift-mask on. Then again, he was not certain that was the reason he felt this way. He could feel his heart pounding, and he was sweating even though he was not hot, and on top of that, he was still trembling all over. What was that Ayeq had said? He was intoxicated? Jim sat up feeling like his skin was crawling. He stood up but fell to his hands and knees. He had to walk around.

"Renegade," Jim said. "Up, Boy."

Renegade stood up, and Jim stood up by holding onto him. "Walk," he said, making sure he had a good grip on Renegade's mane. Renegade nickered at him, but he started walking slowly. Jim was not sure why he felt so weak, but he knew why he felt dizzy. Withdrawal…he would have to go through withdrawal. He had not been wearing the mask long, and he thought he had already been feeling some of this.

As Jim thought of that, he fell down again. He did not know what was happening to him but it had something to do with this planet. Why was Zawek not affected like this? But he had been there three years, and he was even taking on some features of the bird folk, like the bluish purple skin. What did they do to help him once he gave in to them? What would happen to him if he did not give in to them? Would he just die here in this cave?

Jim fell asleep somewhere in his thoughts because he woke up later wondering if he was dying. How long had it been since he ate? How could he know? He did not even know how long he had been asleep. He had to get out of this cave. He managed to turn over on his stomach and crawled toward the opening. He got out, and Renegade followed. Jim got on his back and they were traveling again. "Find a village," Jim said before he fell asleep again.

The next day, the Enterprise dropped out of warp at the coordinates that Cax had. However, there was no planet. Everyone was disappointed. "Scan this area of space for any nearby planets," Spock said. "Perhaps the coordinates are simply altered slightly.

Lieutenant Ashley Jarvis, the pilot, scanned the area. "There is a planet perhaps one day away," she said.

"Is it identified?"

"No, but it is a Class M planet."

"That could be the planet we are looking for. Set a course."

"Another day," Carol said. She turned and left the Bridge.

Bones, Ajah, Helek, Cax, and Solan stood around Spock, who sat in the captain's chair. "I sure wish that planet had been there," Bones said.

"You and all of us," Solan replied.

"How do we know that the planet we're heading for now is the right one? We could be searching for days…years!"

"I'm sorry," Cax said. "I wish I could remember where it is."

"It is not your fault," Spock said. "If we could find Lieutenant Stow, he could be forced to tell where this planet is located."

"That's not likely," Solan declared.

"He is somewhere in the galaxy. He cannot hide forever."

"I don't know about that. People can disappear in this galaxy if they really want to."

"We are assuming that Lieutenant Brand is with him. Therefore, it is also assumed that they will be looking for a pleasant place to dwell, which would likely be populated."

"You may be right."

Everyone was silent as they were once again at warp. "This whole thing doesn't make any sense," Ajah declared. "It is like some sort of novel."

"Except it's not a novel this time," Helek replied. "Why would they want this person to bring someone there to trade for his own freedom? And why did he choose Admiral Kirk?"

"That is a good question. Although he did have resentment for him. Maybe he made them think Admiral Kirk would be a better catch."

"That doesn't make any sense either," Solan said. "Why would they care?"

"There has to be some reason," Cax said. "You're right, why would they care? It looks like as limited as their connections are to the outside galaxy, they would think one human was as good as another."

"Let's look at all the facts," Spock said. "According to what we have learned, they want humans to mate with their female population, therefore, they want offspring from humans. If their knowledge of humans is limited, and their main goal is multiplying, then the logical answer is that Lieutenant Stow could not give them what they wanted, and since he resented Jim, his logical trade was the admiral."

Bones stood there silent a moment. "Are you saying that Lieutenant Stow is somehow flawed and couldn't reproduce, so he agreed to capture Jim to replace himself so they would let him go?" he asked.

"I think that's what he's saying," Solan said. "He kidnapped Jim and took him to that planet to save his own hide."

"Well, then why would he be running off with Lieutenant Brand?"

"Doctor, we do not have to get into the sorted details of the situation," Spock interrupted. "Perhaps the two have been in a relationship and she helped him to escape even at the expense of her career."

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to look up medical records," Bones declared. He turned and left the Bridge.

"Is this the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?" Solan asked.

"I cannot say it is," Spock replied. "After all, if their goal is to populate their planet, it explains their actions."

"Spock, don't you think it's unethical for them to take people by force?" Ajah asked. "Just plain wrong?"

"It is not for us to question their cultures, but they have begun taking beings who are not part of their culture. Therefore, we will intervene as much as possible."

"How is this not already known in the galaxy?"

"As it was told, not many who go to this planet ever leave it. The only reason we know of it is because Jim was taken there. Also, the planet is known to space farers."

"Why doesn't Starfleet know about all this?"

"They do now."

"Right."

"Once we have accurate coordinates for this planet, there will be a record of it to warn others not to go there."

"I've heard of dangerous planets, but I've never heard of one that was dangerous for this reason," Helek declared. "Can't anyone talk to these beings?"

"Perhaps, in time."

"But right now, all we can do is wait," Solan said. He turned and left the Bridge as well.

Cax followed Solan. "Hey, Solan," he said.

Solan stopped a moment to wait for him to catch up. "What do you want?"

"How did you get in with this Starfleet? Close enough to an admiral to call him by his first name?"

"I helped rescue him from a Klingon prison. After that, I just stayed with them."

"He just let you stay aboard his ship?"

"Kirk is one of those people who sees the value in other people. He likes people who are trustworthy."

"So, you went from being a delivery guy to living on the Enterprise."

"Something like that. I guess I'm a delivery guy again now. I work for Admiral Kirk. Being on the Enterprise just isn't the same without him here, so I just didn't want to stay."

"You have your own ship."

"Yeah, and we used it plenty of times."

"You like working for Admiral Kirk?"

"Yeah. He's my friend." Solan looked at Cax. "Why?"

"Oh. Well, I just thought maybe he needs another honest, hard-working delivery guy."

Solan frowned. "If we can find him," he said.

"I'm gonna be honest with you…if we do find him, he may not even know who we are at first. I was only on that planet three days, and I almost lost my mind," Cax said.

Solan stopped. "You don't know Jim Kirk, and if anyone can survive, he can."

"I hope you're right, but you don't know what happens to a person when they're there. They make you think you have to have them to survive, and you think you can't leave or you'll die. That's why it's rather puzzling that this other guy got out by trapping the admiral there."

"It's just their way of breaking a person. Is it really all about mating?"

"I don't know. I'm just glad I escaped. It's about control. It seems like they've learned they can control people…maybe. I guess it's partly about mating, but that doesn't happen all the time."

"What exactly do you remember about this planet from space?" Solan asked.

"It has three moons," Cax answered. "Those are some of the beauty. You can't imagine how peaceful and beautiful the planet is, but that's before you realize you're being manipulated."

"How long did it take you to realize it?"

"I don't know. It's mostly a blur. I do remember thinking I wouldn't mind just staying there. And the women are very beautiful."

"They are?"

"Yes. You've heard some about this planet."

"Some, but not as much as you've told. I've heard about the manipulation."

"Yeah, and that fragrance. It's an intoxicant to humans, just like a drug or something. I was shaking all over for three days after I got off that planet."

"How are we ever going to go down there and find Jim?"

"You said you have those suits."

"Yeah. The ones Admiral Kirk calls an electro-suit. Designed by his crew and tested by him." Solan frowned as he thought about how Jim had risked his life to stop that Klingon after they almost killed him, Solan, by having a spy on the ship.

They arrived at the mess hall. "I'm hungry," Solan said. "I don't think I've eaten anything since yesterday."

"Who can eat thinking about all this?" Cax asked.

"Well, we have to eat something. Otherwise, we can't think straight."

"I guess you're right."

They got a meal and sat down at the table. Solan thought while he ate, and he remembered when they were in deep space and had a cook onboard the ship. It was a lot better than now, but being on the ship reminded him of those days. "I don't see why we can't scan the surface of the planet," he said thoughtfully.

"Some sort of interference that blocks biological scanners," Cax said. "I actually thought the planet was uninhabited until I got down to it and was approached by the Garre."

"The what?"

"The Garre. All I know is they're bird folk and they act friendly but they're not."

"So they just came and found you?"

"Yeah, but I guess they knew I was already being influenced by that fragrance or whatever it is."

"And you went there to repair your ship. You weren't kidnapped."

"No. Like I said, I didn't even know it was inhabited."

"Where do they live?"

"In tree houses in the tallest trees you've ever seen," Cax said. "Like I said, it seems peaceful and beautiful, and the most quiet place you ever been to, but it's a deception."

Solan thought about that while he ate. "If we could turn that deception back on them," he said.

"You can't. No one who goes on that planet can resist."

"I wonder if they've ever met a Vulcan."

"It won't work, Solan," Cax said, definitely.

"I don't know what we'd do anyway. If we could get them to realize their practices are not acceptable to the rest of the galaxy," Solan said. "Maybe we could get them to be more civilized. I mean, the Klingons have realized that they can't force their ways on the rest of the galaxy. If they can do it, surely these people can."

"Good luck."

"I wonder how and when they realized their planet was intoxicating to humans."

"Maybe the first time they saw one."

"It's amazing how things get started and just keep on going like that for centuries, untouched by the outside universe."

Cax frowned. "And it wouldn't be easy to get them to change," he said. "You know how difficult things have been with the Klingons. Imagine negotiating with people who live on a planet with intoxicants."

"You must keep up with everything going on in Starfleet," Solan declared.

"Do you know that everything Jim Kirk did was broadcast on all the information channels? It wasn't hard to know what he was up to."

"Right. I guess we were in some hairy situations."

"I never seen anyone so involved with the Klingons as your friend was."

"Yeah, and so many others. He's still involved with that when there's a problem."

Cax took another bite of his food. "I don't mean to sound like it's impossible. I hope we can help him."

Solan hoped they could too. Jim Kirk had helped him a great deal. He had let him become part of his crew and had trusted him with his life. He would find him if it was possible.