Because I got a couple reviews about hoping I keep the updates coming (and similar comments), I just wanted to post my schedule: this story is complete. I never post anything unless it's done (because I hate getting into a really great story and then seeing that it hasn't been updated in 4 years). So regular updates will be coming, every Friday. Time of day will likely depend on when in the day I remember that it's Friday, but they should ideally come out sometime in the morning, US Eastern Time.

That's all, back to the story!

Disclaimer: Star Trek isn't mine

Jim remained tense for the remaining hour of their journey. They had tried hailing Doctor Sanchez again, but either the signal had gone dark, or his battery had died. In any case, he hadn't picked up, and no one else had responded to any of their calls over the multiple frequencies.

Finally, Sulu let them know they would be there in a few minutes.

Jim immediately stood up. "Good, park us above the planet. Uhura, let our teams know to meet us in the transporter room. Spock, you have the con."

Jim left quickly, while Uhura turned back to her console and Spock surrendered the science chair to his replacement so that he could take Jim's seat instead.

XXX

Jim met the Medical, Engineering, and Security teams in the transporter room. McCoy and April were there along with five nurses, a third of the Enterprise's Medical staff. Scotty was leading the Engineering team – a group of ten. Security was headed up by Lieutenant Hendorff, who had risen in the ranks to second in command of the Security department. He was bringing a group of eight down first, but a second team was also in the room and ready to go – they would need the man power to start digging survivors out once the first team declared it safe for everyone else to beam down.

Jim nodded in silent greeting, before barking out orders. "Hendorff, you and your team will go first; secure the area, then give us the signal. We'll beam everyone else down once you give the all clear."

Hendorff inclined his head and pulled his phaser out. The rest of his group followed suit. "Yes, Captain," he replied, before they moved to the transporter pad.

Jim took the few minutes of silence after the group disappeared to gather his emotions once more. No matter what he found down there, he was a Starfleet Captain. He had to be in control.

"All clear," Hendorff's call was welcome to everyone in the room. "There are a few people outside, trying to dig out some of the buildings. We're ready for you when you arrive, Captain."

"Acknowledged," Jim responded. He glanced around at the group. "Medical first, with me. Then Engineers, Security you'll follow. Thirty second intervals. Let's move."

Jim made his way to the transporter pad, with McCoy, April, and the nurses following quickly behind.

They beamed down and immediately moved to the side, following their first team to the nearby survivors they could clearly see sitting on the ground outside one of the destroyed buildings. Looking around, they could see that the damage was focused in two areas – a set of machinery off to one side that Jim recognized as the power source for the colony, still smoking slightly from the explosion that had caused it to fail, and two large buildings in the center of the community.

Jim greeted the two strangers, and saw their obvious relief as they almost wilted in their seats.

McCoy was quick to hand out protein bars and bottles of water that he and the other Medical staff had carried down in their packs.

"Thank you so much," one said, taking the food and drink eagerly. "We haven't been able to restore communications at all, not that either of us really had an idea how to do that anyway; we weren't sure anyone was coming."

Jim frowned. "We got a distress call a few hours ago, and immediately headed out to lend a hand. We were talking to a Doctor Sanchez on a personal comm., but lost the signal about an hour ago."

Both looked relieved to hear that there were other survivors.

Jim took a seat. "Can you tell us what happened? Sanchez said the power grid blew."

The man nodded quickly, introducing himself as Doctor Eric Aronson and his colleague as Doctor Amy Hilel, before explaining the situation. "One of our experiments went wrong. It overloaded the system, and the backup systems didn't come online when they were supposed to. It started a fire that went unnoticed, we didn't even realize there was anything wrong until the grid blew. That's when the buildings started to collapse. Most of the team was inside when it happened, I haven't seen anyone come out, and we haven't made any progress in moving any of this rubble. We're not a mining colony, we just don't have the machinery."

Jim nodded, and gestured for Scotty and his team to start working. "I brought some Engineers," he explained. "They'll figure out a way to get in. In the meantime, have you managed to communicate with anyone inside?"

Aronson shrugged. "We heard some yelling, but none of our communicators are working. All we have are our personal comms, the only stationary ones are located in the central control room, which is in that building," he pointed to the one they had been trying to enter when Jim and his team had arrived. Already it looked like Scotty, with his crew and the tools they had brought down, had made some progress. "I think all the damage obstructed any signal, and there was another building collapse a couple hours ago that probably took out the server room. That would have knocked out any communications on or off planet even without the debris that blocked us."

Jim nodded again, frowning in thought. They were lucky they had managed to get a distress signal out, and that the Enterprise had gotten close enough to receive Sanchez's call before the secondary collapse.

"Scotty, report?" he called out.

The Scotsman barely glanced back at his Captain. "Working on it, sir! We should be able to get through, might take a while though."

"ETA?"

Scotty pursed his lips, taking a few seconds to study the pile of rubble. "Maybe an hour or two?"

Jim sighed. "All right. Don't let me hold you up. Hendorff, why don't you guys start moving some of the smaller pieces. Free Scotty up to deal with the big stuff."

Hendorff immediately started dispersing his team to both buildings, clearing off any debris they could pick up, setting it off to the side and out of the way.

That done, Jim turned to McCoy. "You guys set up out of the way, we don't know how many injured or how bad they are, so prep the tent however you think is best."

The doctors and nurses nodded and got to work.

Now alone with the two survivors, Jim bit his lip, suddenly uncertain. "Doctor Aronson, do you have a list of colony members who are missing?"

Aronson shook his head. "Captain, I can name them all, we're not that large a colony. There's thirty-five people missing. Other than the two of us, we have three in the clinic – Doctor Blazig was there with Elise and Richard. Elise has the Andorian flu, and Richard went in early this morning to get treated for a burn. They weren't anywhere near the buildings that were damaged. We told them to stay put, there wasn't really anything any of them could do." He turned to his colleague. "Can you let them know we've got company?"

Doctor Hilel nodded and immediately left towards a smaller building a short distance away. There was a clear 'clinic' sign hanging over the doorframe.

Jim considered briefly what he was about to ask, before deciding to throw caution to the wind. "Do you know anything about Sam Kirk's status?"

Aronson frowned in confusion, but shook his head. "No, sir. I think he was in the main building when it collapsed, but I'm not positive."

Jim nodded slightly, trying not to let his disappointment show. "That's all right. I figured."

Aronson tilted his head to one side. "If you don't mind me asking, Captain, how do you know Sam? Not to pry or anything, but I've worked with him for a while, he's a pretty good friend."

Jim blinked, startled, and then realized he hadn't actually introduced himself. He and his crew were pretty well known throughout the Federation, but Deneva was pretty far removed, so it was possible they hadn't gotten blasted with the same headlines and news as the rest of the universe. "Sorry," he apologized, "I'm Jim Kirk. Sam's my brother."

Aronson leaned back slightly, surprised. After a moment, his eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "I should have recognized you." Jim shrugged, gaze shifting to the side. Then again, maybe Deneva had gotten the memo. He was surprised then, when Aronson followed it up with, "I've seen that picture of you and your brother enough times on Sam's desk. I mean, you're both kids in the photo, but you guys look a lot alike."

Jim was stunned into silence. He had come to visit Sam when he was a teenager, and the older man had told him to get lost. Sure, he had called Jim a few years later, ostensibly looking to make amends and form a relationship, but Jim hadn't been ready to hear it. Nothing about their relationship ever made Jim think Sam might want to showcase his brother. A picture of the two of them that Sam kept on his desk?

Aronson could see that this news was startling to the Captain, but he wasn't sure why. He had three siblings, and multiple photos of all of them and their families practically covered his workspace.

Despite his confusion, he still felt duty-bound to tell the Captain about his brother. "Sam talks about you a lot. He says you're brilliant, and could probably put us all out of a job if you put your mind to it," he grinned.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Bioengineering and microbiology aren't really my thing," he assured the other man. "I'm more into mechanical engineering and warp technology. Your job's safe."

Aronson's grin just widened. "Good to know. He also loves to talk about you out there, saving the universe. He was so proud when you made Captain."

Jim bit his lip. Had Sam really been following his career so closely? Seeing that the doctor was looking at him in confusion and concern, he offered up a shrug. "There's been a lot of tension in our family. Sam and I haven't talked much in the last few years."

Aronson nodded slowly. "Yeah, Sam mentioned something like that, once." He glanced around for a moment, seeing that they were alone. All of the Starfleet personnel were busy, and Hilel was still in the clinic. Looking back at Jim, he sighed. "He'd probably hate me for talking about this, but I could tell he had some big regrets. Ever since he started working here, something's been eating at him. I don't know what happened between you two, and really it's not any of my business. But maybe it's time you two sat down and talked it out."

Jim grimaced. He turned his gaze back to the ruined buildings a short distance away. "Let's hope we get the chance to make that decision," he replied softly, before heading over to where Scotty and the Engineers were working to clear a way in to the building on the left. He joined in with the Security team to help however he could.

It took over an hour, and everyone moving rubble away from the entrance, but finally Scotty let out a triumphant shout as he broke through. "Got it!"

Jim looked at the small entrance. "Scanners?" he asked, turning back to his Chief Engineer.

Scotty looked at his crew. One of them pulled out a scanning device and handed it over. Scotty studied the machine for a moment. "Hallway on the other side looks clear. I'm seeing some small fires, but most of it looks contained. Anything big worth burning has probably already burned out."

"Life signs?" Jim asked next.

Scotty furrowed his brow, still looking at the machine. "Faint heat signatures coming from what's probably the basement? A few more on maybe the… second floor?" It was hard to tell given the state of the building. It could be the third floor, or even the first with all the debris.

Jim nodded. "Easiest path?"

Scotty looked back at the Captain. "There's a stairway off to the left once we get inside. Might have to clear the stairs in a few places, but it doesn't look like anything that'll need more than your hands. The ones on the second floor might be more difficult. There's a lot of damage in there, looks like."

Jim turned to the Security team. "Half of Security, come with me. We'll take the basement. Hendorff, take the rest and work with Scotty on clearing a path to the other life signs in the building. The rest of Engineering, work on gaining entry to the second building." He raised his voice so that it would reach the medical tent that had been erected. "Doctor Vanderbilt, Nurse Billows, you're with me. Bones, go with Scotty."

The three medical professionals exited the tent, each carrying a small bag filled with hopefully enough supplies to help any injuries they came across.

Jim led his team through the small opening, and to the stairs. He nodded once at Hendorff, and then the two groups separated.

It was a cautious trip down a long flight of stairs. They did have to slow down twice to clear a path through the debris, but Scotty was correct that it was all easily manageable and didn't delay them too long. When they finally reached the bottom, it was to find that the ceiling had caved in, completely blocking off entrance to the basement.

This would take them much longer to clear, and they all moved forward immediately to start moving chunks of concrete and plaster away.

It took almost an hour to clear away enough to be able to reach the door, and when they entered, there was an immediate cry of relief coming from several of the dirt-covered bodies on the floor.

A couple surged to their feet, while still more looked too exhausted to move.

Jim gestured for April and Nurse Billows to get started checking the scientists out, while he moved over to the largest group of survivors. He recognized the man in front as Sanchez, and it looked like Sanchez recognized him as well.

"Captain Kirk!" he slumped slightly in relief. "Thank god."

Jim smiled reassuringly. "Let's get you all out of here."

No one had any issues with that, and any who could struggled to their feet. The few who were left sitting looked too injured to be able to move on their own, so April and Billows concentrated there. They patched up what they could, and Security officers moved forward to help get them out of the basement.

It was a much slower trip upstairs, taking into account all the injuries, and Jim was happy to hand them off to McCoy who had returned to the medical tent outside once they had started bringing bodies out – he had sent one of the nurses in his place to continue helping Scotty.

Jim could already see several makeshift beds filled, and had noticed a few more dirty scientists loitering around outside, eating protein bars and drinking from water bottles.

"How many?" he asked McCoy quietly.

The doctor glanced up from where he was currently trying to clamp a bleed on a man's lower leg. "Seven brought out so far," he replied. "Four injured in here, the rest suffering from dehydration and minor breathing issues from inhaling the dust for hours. They'll be fine soon enough."

Jim nodded. A quick glance at those inside and the rest outside, and his stomach twisted slightly. Sam wasn't here. "Scotty?"

McCoy jerked his head at the tent's door. "Working with his team to gain entry to the second building. Team from Security's still searching the first one, looking for any more survivors."

Jim didn't bother replying, knowing that the medical crew would have its hands full. He just left the tent and headed over to see how he could help.

Seeing that it would take a while to get through, Jim took the opportunity to contact the ship and brief Spock. It was heartening to know that so far, they hadn't found any dead bodies yet. Everyone had been pulled out alive, though there were some serious injuries.

"Do you need me to send down replacements, Captain?" Spock inquired. "By my estimation, you have all been on planet for approximately four point seven hours, performing physically intense search and rescue. Should you desire, I will have a replacement team depart immediately."

Jim glanced up, seeing Hendorff standing next to him, waiting for orders. On Jim's inquiring look, the Security officer shook his head. "I'm fine, Captain. I have three officers who could do with a break, they got a little roughed up in a minor collapse while we were digging people out, but the rest of us are fine."

Jim nodded decisively. "Send them back up, and make sure they go to Medical to get checked out." He turned back to the comm. in his hand. "Spock, I'm sending three injured Security officers back up, they're all fine, but they need to report to Medical. Can you send me three replacements?"

The First Officer immediately replied positively. "They will be on site in ten minutes."

Jim sighed, and put the communicator away. He looked back at Hendorff. "Make sure your team is eating and resting enough. I don't want anyone dropping from exhaustion. No superheroes here, if you or anyone else needs to head back to the ship, don't hesitate to let me know."

The Lieutenant nodded quickly. "Yes, sir." He paused briefly, and then offered, "Same should hold for you, too. Sir."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "If I need to take a break, I will."

He didn't wait for a reply, and headed back over to see how Scotty was doing. His nerves seemed to be rising with each passing minute. So far they hadn't found Sam in the first building, and Security hadn't come out with anyone in a while. There had been twelve in the basement, and another seven brought out by the other team. Which meant by Doctor Aronson's estimation, they were still missing sixteen people.

And Sam was one of them.

He threw himself into the rescue efforts, helping Engineering and Security move debris, slowly but surely gaining entry into the second destroyed building. It took another hour and a half, but finally, they managed it.

Once inside, he directed them to head towards the different locations Scotty's scanner had indicated life signs. He and Hendorff ended up pairing off as they headed to the back of the building, joined by two more Security officers. There had been two or three signs of life coming from that direction.

The first one they stumbled upon was an Asian woman who appeared to be dazed but lucid. Her lower leg was trapped by some debris, but prodding around the injury showed no signs of serious damage.

"I think it's just a broken leg," Jim said, looking at Hendorff. "Help me move this," he gestured to the rubble, "and let's get her out of here."

Hendorff nodded, and helped the Captain move a few pieces of concrete. The woman groaned painfully.

Jim let out a deep breath. "Ok, ma'am, there's one more piece here that's going to be a bitch to move. We can probably get it up a couple inches, but we're going to need to pull you out quickly. This is going to hurt."

The woman glared at him. "I've been trapped under this concrete for god knows how long, my leg is broken, and I feel like I'm breathing in glass. Tell me again how it's going to hurt?"

Jim couldn't help but smile. "All right then." He gestured for Hendorff to help him, while the other two officers got ready to move the woman. "One, two, three!"

The two of them lifted as much as they could, and the slab moved minutely. Putting more effort into it, they lifted a little more, and the Security officers were able to slide the woman out. She let out a small scream, but didn't protest as they dragged her out from the rubble.

Jim and Hendorff set the concrete down quickly, and Jim rushed to try and diagnose the injury. Her leg was bruised heavily, but he didn't see any telltale signs of crush injury. "It looks like a bad break," he told her, "but I'm in no way a doctor. Let's get you out here to someone who knows what they're doing, sound good?"

The woman smiled, breathing heavily. "Yeah, really not enjoying the ambiance in here. You should call the decorators and complain."

Jim huffed out a laugh. "I'll get right on that. Higgins," he raised his voice slightly and looked over at the Security officer in question, "take her outside. We'll continue searching."

The woman grabbed at his arm. "There were two more with me. We got separated when the ceiling caved in. We were talking to each other for a while, but I haven't heard anything from them in at least a few hours."

Jim gripped her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "We'll find them."

He gestured again for the Higgins to take the woman outside, and the rest of the team continued further back.

They found another person trapped behind a small cave in that had blocked him in what had once been an office. He was unconscious, but his vital signs were good. Jim had the second Security officer, Ensign Briggs, take him outside.

Another damaged room, another caved in part of the ceiling.

Jim almost tripped over the third life sign they had seen.

The man was trapped up to the chest under a pile of plaster, concrete, and pipes. He was unconscious, face covered in gray dust.

It was Sam.

Jim immediately dropped to his knees and reached out to feel for a pulse. It was weak, but there. He immediately started moving the rubble, trying to free his brother enough to pull him out. Hendorff quickly moved to join him.

Finally, they managed to pull Sam out from the pile of wreckage. Jim immediately started feeling his chest, searching for signs of injury.

Hendorff frowned. "Sir, shouldn't we take him outside?"

Jim didn't glance up. "If we move him and he's got a serious injury, we could just make it worse. Just keep two fingers on his wrist and let me know if his pulse changes."

Pulling up Sam's shirt showed serious bruising around his ribs and abdomen. "Damn it," Jim muttered. Hendorff looked confused, but didn't speak, just continued to monitor the man's vitals.

Jim bit his lip, thinking. Sam probably had broken ribs, but the bruising on his abdomen could indicate internal bleeding and possible organ damage. His hands moved up to probe at Sam's neck, moving down to his back to try and see if there was any sign of spinal damage. It was hard to tell from this angle, and he really wasn't a doctor – a first aid certification and standard Command training did not give him a medical degree. And years of physical abuse as a child only made him confident in assessing his own injuries. He knew the difference between cracked and broken bones because he knew the sharp papercut feel of a cracked bone, and the larger blunt force all-encompassing ache when it was broken.

That didn't help him in trying to figure out how bad someone else's injuries were.

"Captain, I've lost his pulse."

Hendorff's alarmed statement drew Jim back to the present. He reached out and rested two fingers gently over the pulse point in Sam's neck.

Nothing.

Not wasting any more time, he immediately moved to Sam's chest, performing CPR with a single-minded determination.

Hendorff sat back, pulling out his communicator to contact the medical team. He requested a portable gurney, knowing they needed help getting this man out. One of the nurses was the one to respond, since both McCoy and April were busy with other patients, and said she'd be there in a few minutes.

Hendorff signed off and watched his Captain. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked, hoping for a positive response. He didn't do helpless well.

Jim didn't reply, too busy counting in his head. Thirty compressions, two breaths of air, thirty compressions, air…

It felt like forever, but it had only been a couple of minutes, when Sam let out a choked gasp, and started breathing again.

Jim sat back, exhausted but incredibly relieved. He looked up, and Hendorff smiled.

"No superheroes here, huh?" the Lieutenant asked teasingly. "You sure about that?" Jim just looked at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Nurse Hanna is on her way. She's bringing a gurney."

Jim nodded, but Sam stirred slightly, opening his eyes a crack, and Jim shifted forward. "Hey, don't move. You've got a few broken ribs and it looks like a lot of internal bleeding. We're going to get you out, but you need to stay still."

Sam blinked slowly, gaze shifting uncomprehendingly to the man kneeling next to him. He could feel something like a fire in his chest, but there was nothing wrong with his vision, right? Was that really… "Jimmy?"

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