AN: Usual disclaimer, the rights to Star Trek etc. belong to someone else. The entire story is complete on my PC, and I'll try to load up a new chapter every few days. Please read and review – constructive feedback will help me finalise the remaining chapters.

Many apologies for going AWOL. Life got in the way, anyhoo I am back and intend to complete this story.

Chapter 23

Securely ensconced within their shuttle, the shielding around Samson and Kulj'ita craft dampened down the relentless phaser fire searching for a weak spot. The initial firefight had damaged the propulsion systems of the shuttle - it could no longer fly, but had managed to power back to life just in time for Kulj'ita to tap in the necessary codes for the shielding to deploy. Now pacing back and forth he racked his brains for a way, any way, out of their predicament. Nothing short of a miracle was going to help them. Deftly sidestepping the fretful Perpetuan, Samson stooped forward and peered out of the view screen to observe just how close they were to being extracted. Satisfied Freedan's men were no closer she puffed out a sigh of relief before returning to her crossed legged position in the pilot's seat. Whether or not they were prepared to out wait the mayhem, this was their lot for now.

'What?' Samson barked as she slowly swivelled around to face a panic stricken Kulj'ita. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she inhaled, counted to 3, and then exhaled before giving him her devout attention.

'What are we going to do?' Eyes darting in and around the vehicle, Kulj'ita hunched over her seated form. 'We are trapped, and everybody out there is out for our blood...we're trapped...' repeatedly pointing around the vehicle, 'in what might be the most technologically advanced burial chamber, and you are doing nothing to get us out of the situation you created'.

Shoving him out of the way, Samson stalked to the nearest display terminal. Lithe fingers inputted the relevant algorithms to pull up operational ability. Life support - 88%, weapons - unavailable, shielding - 57%, propulsion - unavailable, communications - 13%, long range sensors - unavailable, short range sensors - available 12%.

'How about plan D...' she mused quietly to herself.

Getta's finger repeatedly pressed down on the trigger...silence...nothing…the weapon failing to discharge. Dazed, he stared at the nozzle pressing the trigger, still nothing, nothing at all. From the periphery Captain Kirk crept into Getta's range of sight. Sinking down to one knee, he carefully withdrew the malfunctioning weapon from the broken man's grasp.

This was the crewman who betrayed his crew in the most heinous fashion. Saw senior officers kidnapped and tortured, and worst of all, led Uhura into this perilous situation. Anger clouded Kirk's judgement; his fist clenched so hard his knuckles glowed white. But as angry as he was, duty drew him back from the brink of something reckless, and he began to think clearly once again.

Forcefully he commanded, 'Getta look at me. It's Captain Kirk. I'm not here to hurt you', attempting to reassure the officer, and possibly himself. Settling beside Getta, Kirk scooted closer so he was out of sight of any passing guards. 'We're in a bit of a situation - you, me, Lieutenant Commander Scott, Commander Uhura and Commander Spock. We all need to get out of here and you need to help us achieve that...'

Kirk craned his head to observe Getta's profile. Straining to recognise any sign that his officer had registered let alone understood the request. Sighing, Kirk drew his hand through his beard, fatigue beginning to slow his reactions and test his resolve. 'I'm not going to lie to you, we are in a seriously fucked up situation with the odds heavily stacked against us...'

From Getta a low whine grew louder in intensity, but Kirk simply spoke over the panicked sound. 'But, in all the time we have served together, the time you have spent as part of my crew, when have I ever not got us back to safety. You need to believe me when I say we will get out of this'. Kirk maneuvered his body in front of Getta's, determined to be in his line of sight. 'Now...will you help me...please…?

Getta weakly nodded his head in affirmation. Willing down the bile that threatened to spew out of his mouth. 'I didn't mean for any of this...' he whispered, voice raw from all the crying. Loudly sniffling, 'I'm sorry...' he faltered sweeping the back of his hand under his nostrils.

'I know...' Kirk offered in return. Yet another sigh 'you'll serve time when we get back...' Getta eyes widening in realisation, fear crossed his features as he began to babble and frantically retreat back into the small space. Desperate not to lose Getta to catatonia yet again, '...but I'll speak up on your behalf, about how you helped us get back...I can't promise anything more than that'. Kirk's voice resolute, yet firm.

'Freedan has the Sunstones, they're in his craft...Samson has his money...' Getta explaining the cause of the battle. He wasn't sure how useful the information would be, observing Captain Kirk pull open the first aid trunk, shrugging his oversized jacket to the ground, before self administering something to close up the vicious looking wound on his shoulder. Watching the captain grimacing as the tendons, muscles and flesh reformed, Getta dropped his eyes to the floor.

'What do you need me to do?' Getta's voice unnaturally high.

'Find me a top that fits...then we'll talk', Kirk steadying his breathing as the healing sting faded. Truthfully he was amazed he had not keeled over yet. Then his brain finally assimilated information it had processed. 'The sunstones are on Freedan's craft! That's where Nyota is'. Grabbing his jacket from the floor, he sprinted out of the shuttle closely shadowed by Getta.

Uhura was not a particularly religious person, she believed in what she could see; what science could prove and explain, but at this very moment she called on every deity she knew of to help. The last 10 minutes of battle drowned out by the blood racing around her ears, fingers deftly manipulating the controls of Freedan's shuttle. Knowledge of the Perpetuan language - check, knowledge of their crafts she had not - a resounding hell no. Surprising, it was not something that had crossed her mind to research. Stupid, so fucking stupid, now she was stuck where she was. Accessing what she hoped to God was the hail channel, a SOS whizzed off to the Enterprise. It had been encrypted to avoid detection by anyone other than Starfleet personnel, that little step using up valuable run and hide time, unfortunately Uhura couldn't take any chances. Come on, come on, come on, impatiently tapping the terminal, manipulating the modulation frequency to counter the effect of the cave network. Second after painful second passed, still no response to her hail. 'Dammit!' she screamed, slamming her fist down on the console. She had no other plan, this had to work. Yet another modulation adjustment, exhaling, she pressed the hail once again, going so far as to cross her fingers on both hands.

'Commander Uhura!', a faint and crackly voice responded back to her. 'I can just about hear... ...it's Behan...' before static drowned out the friendliest voice she had heard in a long time.

Oh thank God, Uhura worked into a frenzy battling to make the transmission clearer. 'Don't you disappear on me Behan! Come on!' motivating herself to complete the task.

As fate would have it, simultaneously Sulu cornered McCoy in the Captain's ready room. McCoy backed against the Captain's desk, looking down at the extremely irate and red-faced man.

'You knew and you didn't tell me!', Sulu apoplectically reacted to the news McCoy had knowingly let Scotty and Uhura beam planetside, and waited this long before confiding in him. 'What were you thinking?! Why didn't you trust me?' The lack of trust more galling than anything else, he could have helped them.

'Plausible deniability. Captain you would be in deep shit if it were revealed you knew and let them go ahead with the hare-brained scheme. I promised them a 12 hour head start, now here I am…' Using the opportunity side step out of Sulu's wrath.

Before Sulu could reply in barged a breathless Ensign. 'I'm so sorry Captain, this couldn't wait, Commander Uhura, SOS...' Behan panted. 'They need help now!'

'You've spoken to her? They're alive!?' McCoy manhandling the shocked Ensign. Sulu jerking the manic doctor away. 'Back off doctor, you've helped more than enough!'

A comforting arm around the Ensign, together they settled on the charcoal grey sofa. Encouraging Behan to speak, Sulu held up a hand to warn McCoy to stay where he was. All three listened to short but detailed message from Uhura. Turning away from Behan mid questioning, Sulu stiffly tapping his comms badge 'Lieutenants Embry and Addo to the Captain's ready room now...' McCoy recoiled slightly at the summoning two security officers, was Sulu so pissed off he was going to have him thrown in the brig?

Clearing his throat, Sulu dismissed Behan biding her to attempt recontact with Uhura. Passing by McCoy, she momentarily held his gaze and then was gone. In that time Sulu quickly typed a memo to Admiral Routledge. In it he explained what had occurred, his intention to lead a team to rescue his crewmates with or without her approval, and finally attached Uhura's recording. Entering a delay of 15 minutes, he hit send and removed his comm badge just as the security officers entered, 'lady and gentlemen come with me...' Sulu intoned, directing them towards the nearest shuttle bay. The officers were the best the Enterprise had to offer. He directed each of them to a shuttlecraft after explaining and giving them a choice to back out. He didn't have the exact co-ordinates of the cave's shuttle entrance, but with the method employed by Uhura to originally find the cave network, and the opportunity to scan for faint Starfleet emissions from Getta's craft he had a vague idea where to search. The three crafts could triangulate the position of the entrance from planetside, it would take too long to adapt the Enterprise's sensors, and from Scotty's notes he would have to be planetside anyway.

'Sulu, for what it's worth, I'm really sorry...' McCoy had followed the trio to the shuttle bay, watching his friend collect various tactical weapons, and a sword. Sulu eyed the millennia old hand crafted samurai sword. A distant link to his homeland, it would prove useful against the enemy who valued hand-to-hand combat.

'I know...' forgiveness soon replaced by steely determination. Entering his shuttle, the last thing he saw was the worried face of his friend, soon Sulu launched into darkness of space - destination the cave network.

McCoy sprinted back to sickbay; experience dictated that his services would soon be required. 'Pull all available staff on standby...' his staff assembling to duty, readying themselves for the unknown spurred on by the tension that radiated from their leader.

'Slow down Captain!' Getta grabbing at the cuffs of his superior. Spinning the Captain around and, slamming him into the shadows before they were discovered. A guard stalked by muttering to himself. Getta scanned around their surroundings, surmising they were heading towards Freedan's shuttle. There was no way the Captain would leave Lieutenant Uhura alone, especially in her condition. He had two older sisters, Marcy, the eldest was onto child number three, and was the one who told him of the special tea he had prepared Uhura. Although she had never told him she was pregnant, he knew.

A scream chilled them both to the bone, rushing through the shadows they raced towards the fearful sound. Both arrived to see Uhura manhandled out of Freedan's craft. Getta's grasp tightened preventing Kirk from revealing himself too. The sight of his Captain distress suitably ashamed him. All this was his fault. Impotently, they both watched Uhura refuse to give Freedan's men the satisfaction of seeing just how scared she really was.

'I need to get her...I have to protect her...' Kirk whispered forlornly. He knew it would be suicide to reveal himself, but the woman he loved was in danger.

'We'll save her, we'll save her and the baby...' Getta reassured, loosening his grip slightly unaware that words which were intended to soothe, had opened Pandora's box releasing whole heap of trouble.