In the end, getting the Andorians off the ship went quickly and without mishap. Vartheb and Kelan seemed eager to get to the surface. Their bioscan scan was clean, so they and their equipment were beamed down just after Enterprise reached orbit. The others followed thirty minutes later.

McCoy felt like he had materialized in Dorothy Gale's Kansas. Everything was grey, inside and out.

The landing party, Kirk, Uhura, McCoy, Giotto, Cassady, Chapel and T'Phol, had beamed down in the main building's receiving area. It was a long, narrow room, with the transporting area in an alcove at one end and a bank of wide windows at the other. The walls were massive stones, placed together almost seamlessly in great blocks. The floor was also rock, slate colored with tiny glittery bits like mica. There were lights held in sconces lining both long walls, but they were off and the main illumination came through several skylights. Benches and more comfortable looking chairs and tables were placed throughout, with vidscreens and computer interfaces at several. McCoy guessed it served as a common area and dining room, one door just off the transport area was marked galley.

They were met by a short, stocky, middle-aged Human who identified himself as Osmond Jasso, the head administrator of the Aminta Project. Kirk did the introductions. Jasso did not look overjoyed to see them, but was civil enough, inviting them to follow him to his office. It was not a large space, dominated by a bulky, cluttered desk in front of a big window. The walls were lined with shelves filled with paper books, tablets and random artifacts. The seven of them plus Jasso crowded into the room. McCoy moved to the side and glanced out the window.

The window overlooked a craggy, rocky landscape, dotted with scrubby, twisted dark evergreens and low shrubs with oval, thick greyish leaves. Grey lichen covered much of the ground. The sky was overcast but bright. McCoy could see a stone wall about four feet high just beyond the last trees. At first he thought there were statues or gargoyles carved there, but then he realized the great hulking shapes were large creatures sitting on the wall, very still. He thought he could see the gleam of their eyes as he imagined them staring at him through the window. It was a little unsettling. He turned his attention back to Jasso who was describing some newly discovered material at one of the sites. Uhura and T'Phol listened with enthusiasm, the others feigned interest for the sake of politeness. Kirk looked impatient, but waited until Jasso paused before interrupting.

"Tell us about this building. All new arrivals stay here for a while?"

Jasso blinked, as if changing subjects was a difficult task for him.

"Yes," he said, "if they need acclimating. This building is maintained at approximately seventy-eight kilopascals. Outside the air pressure is around sixty. Oxygen content in here is sixteen percent verses thirteen outside. In Earth terms, that's about seven thousand feet of altitude rather than thirteen. Some sensitive people have degrees of acclimation difficulty even in these moderate conditions. Time is the best cure. Our group is currently composed of eighteen Human, seven- no, make that nine- Andorian, three Rigelian and three Vulcan. Humans are the ones with acclimation problems, of course. The other races are native to thin air.

"As temporary assistants, your people may quarter here in the main building. To facilitate travel outdoors, we have scooters, all terrain pods, and crawlers. Flitters are not much use here, the ground is rather rocky and uneven."

McCoy glanced outside again and almost jumped, startled. One of the creatures was just outside the window staring at him. Jasso grimaced and slapped the pane with his hand. "Get away!" he shouted.

If the creature was frightened it didn't show. It continued to regard McCoy without flinching or turning away.

"This must be one of the flying predators," McCoy said in wonder. It was bigger than he had imagined, standing upright about five feet tall at the shoulders. Its face and neck were grey with small, smooth scales that seemed embedded with mica or glass, much like the floor. The scales on the wings and body were more feather-like, gleaming like burnished pewter. It had a beaked mouth and sharp talons, and eyes gleaming red and yellow, the vertical pupil constricting and then dilating as it regarded him with intensity. McCoy touched the glass with his fingertips, the eyes followed his movement, the beak almost touching the glass where McCoy's fingers rested.

Jasso hit the glass again. The creature turned its head slowly toward the disturbance and its mouth opened in what might have been a hiss, although McCoy couldn't hear through the thick glass. Inside the beak were two rows of sharp teeth.

"Don't do that," he said to Jasso, without thinking. Jasso turned, staring at him.

"Doctor- McCoy, isn't it? These creatures are becoming a nuisance. At first we hardly saw them, but lately they have ventured closer to our compound and our work sites. But they've never come this close before. Something will have to be done about them."

"Maybe they're curious. After all, you are visitors on their world."

Jasso snorted. "They are wild animals, and dangerous. Don't you see those teeth and claws?"

"Have they attacked anyone?"

Jasso's eyes grew somehow small and hard. "And I have no intention of letting that happen. We will deal with them. This is not your concern, Doctor."

"I'm a doctor. Life is always my concern," McCoy snapped.

The two glared at each other for a moment while the others stared at them. Jasso looked away first. Outside, the creature looked at McCoy again, then unfurled its wings, which easily spanned twelve feet. Its legs sprung into a mighty jump and with two or three beats of its wings it was flying over the wall. The others took flight following and soon they were out of sight.

Jasso looked at the group. "How many of you will be staying? I will have my assistant show you to your rooms. The linguistics lab is in the south hall. Doctor McCoy, she will also take you and your nurse to our clinic area, and you may coordinate your medical reports with her." He punched a button on his intercom. "Arnette, come to my office."

Arnette was either waiting for the call or very nearby, she was there within a minute, a tall, pale woman whose thin face betrayed no emotion. Jasso gestured toward the group. "This is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise and his people. Show them to their quarters and see to their needs." He sat at his desk and addressed Kirk. "Arnette will be your liaison while your party is here. Please let her know if you require anything as she reports directly to me. Good day." He picked up a PADD and it seemed they were dismissed.

Arnette led them down a hall to another part of the building, explaining the layout as they walked. The main building was shaped like an H with extensions on both sides of the crossbar. The wings were designated south hall and north hall, both with an A and B wing, and long hall. The offices, staff housing, common area, galley, and clinic were in the long hall, labs and work areas in south, and residences in north.

There were several groups of quarters in north hall. Some areas were laid out in quads, others with one or two rooms. Altogether, north hall could house up to thirty-six people. The accommodations in the field were bunk rooms, Arnette explained. The rooms she led them to were at the end of the hall, and laid out in two sets of three rooms, six small sleeping areas, each with a bunk, desk and chair, and computer interface, sharing a sizable living area and two bathrooms. Their bags were already sitting in the living area.

"How many scientists are here now?" Kirk asked.

"Fourteen are currently here in base, including staff and our support personnel. There are seventeen on location at four other ruins."

"Are Kelan and Vartheb here?" McCoy asked. "Vartheb is using a substance that is an extreme respiratory irritant to Humans, and probably to other species as well."

"We are aware, thank you. They left for their assignment immediately. There are only Andorians at their site."

Kirk caught the sidelong glance from McCoy, but said nothing, and miraculously the doctor didn't pursue whatever avenue of thought he was following. Arnette took several small electronic devices from her bag along with her PADD.

"You will need these badges, both to access the computer network and to travel outside this building. Yours are minimum level keys, allowing you to log on to any open computer and enter non-restricted areas. Your researchers will also be issued passes to our linguistics lab. These are bio-linked to one signature, and are not interchangeable. I will call your name." McCoy was called first, he stepped forward rather reluctantly. Arnette reminded him of his ex-wife and he was trying not to give in to the instant and irrational dislike that was blooming in his gut.

"Do you need the blood of our firstborn, too?" he quipped, but with an underlying thread of seriousness.

Arnette raised a thin, perfectly groomed eyebrow in icy politeness. "I beg your pardon?"

Evidently the distrust went both ways. "Never mind. What do I have to do?"

"It is painless, I assure you. You will grasp the badge in your hand." She touched the badge with her stylus, then placed the badge in his hand. After a few seconds she touched her pad and nodded. "Yours is now activated. You may wear it or carry it in a pocket."

She repeated the process with the others except for Kirk, who was not staying on Aminta.

"And if I decide my people need to return to the Enterprise?" McCoy asked.

Kirk watched as Arnette's face betrayed a bit of annoyance.

"Your people are not prisoners here. If any of your party leave, please return the badge to the office." She turned to the others. "I am available to answer any questions that may arise. Doctor McCoy, if you and Nurse Chapel are ready, I would like to acquaint you with our clinic facility. Two of our field teams are on the way in now, the Vulcans and Rigelians. It would be advantageous to their schedule if their physicals could be completed this afternoon."

McCoy glanced at Kirk, who quickly stepped forward. "I'd like a last minute briefing with my people before we separate. If you don't mind." He was pointedly courteous.

"Very well. When you are ready, my office is the third on the left after you enter long hall. You are free to explore the areas of our complex that are accessible with your badges, but please take caution if you go outside. The thin air is harsh for those who are not acclimated." She nodded and walked away, her footsteps staccato on the stone tile.

Kirk's eyes swept his crew, settling on Uhura. "I am not crazy about this place or those people. But I don't have to like the office staff. I know this is important to you. Do you want to stay?"

"Yes, Sir," Uhura answered without hesitation.

Kirk's lips thinned. "Doctor McCoy, a word with you, please."

They stepped to the hall junction and looked out of the window onto the grey landscape. The yard sloped downhill, and the perimeter wall was further away. Both men studied the scene for a moment.

"So you've been here fifteen minutes and you've already pissed off the administrator and his assistant," Kirk said quietly. "Good going, Bones."

McCoy shrugged. "I think the assistant is just moderately irritated."

Kirk looked at him, torn between exasperation and amusement. "You are in command of this mission, and a representative of the Federation."

"Yeah?" McCoy turned to Kirk. "Well, so are they. Jasso is threatening intelligent creatures just because they're curious. And Arnette is either lying or hiding something about Vartheb and Kelan. How would she already know about the defkato? This place is filled with uneasy in your face bureaucracy. They beamed down and left right away? What about their debriefing? What about these badges? Something doesn't ring true there."

"I'll echo Jasso for a minute and remind you that Vartheb and Kelan are not our concern now. They're gone and good riddance. But those creatures. You think they're - intelligent?"

"Yes. I do. Maybe more than intelligent."

"Based on?"

"A feeling. Intuition."

Kirk shook his head. "It's not that I don't trust your intuition, but..."

"I know. Don't say it."

"You want to stay, don't you?"

McCoy looked back out the window. In the distance, he could imagine great grey wings soaring over the harsh terrain that was their home "Yes," he said in a hushed voice.

Kirk nodded. "Just...Be careful. I still am uneasy about this. Get through with those physicals, watch over the team, and get back where you belong. Don't take risks."

"Coming from you, that's a tall order."

Kirk smiled a little. "Do as I say."

"And not as you do. I get it."

Kirk laid a hand on McCoy's shoulder. "You can't fix everything."

McCoy sighed. "I know."

They walked back to the group. Uhura looked up hopefully.

"Doctor McCoy is in charge while you are here," Kirk said. Don't leave the building alone, stay away from the magnesite areas. If there are any problems I will bring the team back aboard immediately. Everyone be careful."

He flipped open his communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise. Beam me up."

McCoy watched him shimmer away, then turned to the others.

"You heard him. Pick a room, I guess, and stow your things. Arnette said we could explore the facility. Stay inside until I can give you a tri-ox injection.

"There's more. Listen up, everyone, this is important. The conditions here are very similar to high altitude on Earth in terms of air pressure and oxygen levels. The thinner atmosphere causes some physiological changes. Your body saps energy from the digestive system to spend on breathing more efficiently. This happens even with the tri-ox injections. So eat small meals high in carbs and low in fat unless you want to feel like your stomach is loaded with rocks. Carry some nutrition bars with you and nibble if you're outside for any length of time. And drink more than usual. You're losing moisture every time you breathe, and your heart is pumping harder, so you'll urinate more often. If you get dehydrated, you'll feel worse.

"A feeling like you're hungover is normal mild altitude sickness. You may experience some headache, nausea, difficulty sleeping, shortness of breath, increased heart rate. See me if they are bothersome. If you get worse, or you develop a cough, or spit up froth or blood, or become confused or disoriented, or get a bad headache, or experience loss of coordination, see me at once. Severe high altitude sickness causes life threatening complications. So don't play around."

"Maybe that explains why everyone here is so grouchy," said Uhura. "They have altitude sickness."

"No, they have attitude sickness. The Human body can acclimate to these conditions. At the level outside it would take weeks," McCoy said. "Nurse Chapel and I have an appointment to inspect the clinic. I have no idea how long that will take." He patted his communicator. "Call me if you need me."

"We'll walk with you to the clinic," Uhura said. "T'Phol and I want to go to the linguistics lab as soon as we can."

"Yes," said T'Phol. "The Moog is not here. Presumably it was delivered straight to the lab."

"I'll go with them, Sir," Cassady said.

"OK," McCoy said. "Giotto, why don't you stay with Chapel and me?"

They walked together as far as Arnette's office. Her door stood open, but McCoy knocked on the door frame. She looked up from her work and immediately left her desk.

"Captain Kirk has beamed back to the ship," McCoy told her. 'The others are going to the lab. We are ready to see the clinic at your discretion."

"Very well. This way, please." She strode away at a quick pace without a further word or glance, leaving them to follow her precise and clicking footsteps down the hall.