.o0o.

Kirk climbed up the last ladder and stepped into the corridor, refusing to give in and voice his current complaints about his engineering staff. It wouldn't look professional for a captain to go about the hallways talking to himself. Besides, it wasn't really their fault he was in a bad mood.

The Admiralty seemed to be in an open war amongst themselves at this point and the result was inconsistent, ever changing orders about a whole slew of things that directly affected his ship. Worse, it was abundantly apparent that they could and would punish those who did not follow each turn of events.

Most recently, there was a document of indescribable length floating around the ships that detailed a new set of safety regulations in order to combat the high injury rate in Engineering. Officially, anyway. Scotty had chewed him out over several of the commands which, if he cleaned up the language a bit, would unduly affect the functioning of several integral parts of the engines in a distinctly negative fashion. Kirk had to make it clear that he was not going to budge on this topic, much to Scotty's chagrin.

Komack was already sending representatives to any ship that did not present diagnostic data from their databanks that they had complied with all the updates. Kirk thought it was just a sneaky way to get onto his ship and he wasn't about to have any of Komack's rats hanging around, waiting for him to make a mistake or break a code so Komack could dismiss him. It was complete garbage.

The turbolift doors opened behind him but he ignored it until he heard Bones. "Oh, Captain. Got a minute?"

Kirk turned. He had quite the to-do list built up and frankly he was feeling a bit annoyed. "A minute." He responded curtly.

"It's Spock." McCoy stated contemplatively. "Have you noticed anything strange about him?"

"No, nothing in particular." Kirk answered promptly. In point of fact, he'd hardly seen his First Officer outside of work over the last few days as they made their way to the planet Serin had suggested, currently dubbed Mokdan. And on the bridge, Spock had been just as quiet and studious as ever. "Why?"

"He's become increasingly restive. If he weren't a Vulcan, I'd almost say nervous. And for another thing, he's avoiding food. He hasn't eaten at all in three days."

"That just sounds like Mr. Spock in one of his contemplative phases." Kirk suggested, thinking it was entirely unfair for Bones to present the information this way when he undoubtedly had insight into the problem himself. He shrugged it off and continued about his course. They were due to arrive to the planet any time now, and he had every intention of finishing these updates.

"Miss Chapel." Bones addressed the upcoming nurse who was carrying a tray.

Chapel stopped in front of him. "Dr. McCoy."

"Captain." Bones called, dragging him back into the conversation.

"Captain." Chapel echoed.

McCoy lifted the cover on the tray. "What's this? Vulcan plomeek soup, and I'll be you made it, too." Bones' tone took on a condescending note, but Kirk realized with a start that it was more possessive than anything else. He wasn't sure if Spock was acting odd, but he was certain the doctor was. It was almost comical.

"Well, Mr. Spock hasn't been eating, Doctor, and I, I just happened to notice."

"It's all right. Carry on, Miss Chapel."

Kirk watched as she entered Spock's quarters, then turned back to his friend. "Bones, I'm a busy man."

"Jim, he's losing control."

Suddenly, Spock's voice carried into the hallway. "What is this?" Chapel hurried from the room just as the bowl of soup crashed into the outside wall. "Poking and prying! If I want anything from you, I'll ask for it."

Feeling his eyes go wide, Kirk took in Spock's disheveled state, which was due more to his strangely expressive face than the impeccable hair and dress. What was going on? It was clear that Bones was right, and Spock was losing control, but why?

"Captain, I should like to request a leave of absence of ten days from all of my duties aboard the Enterprise. I would like to remain undisturbed in my quarters during this time."

"Spock, what the devil is this all about?"

"I have made my request, Captain. All I require from you is that you answer it." Spock's tone was biting and it was disturbing to say the least. The Vulcan wasn't just losing control, he was unleashing his fury. "Yes or no."

For a moment, Kirk found himself uncertain how to respond, and Spock was not as patient as his normal self. He stormed back into his room. Turning to Bones, Kirk raised both his eyebrows in question. The doctor had better have an explanation for him. But McCoy had already turned towards Chapel.

"Sorry, Christine." And Bones actually did sound apologetic. "I hadn't realized it had gotten this bad." Kirk could practically hear the, "he's not this bad with me" on the end.

Chapel nodded and left.

"Bones? You want to tell me why my First Officer is acting like a crazy person?"

"Captain Kirk to the bridge." The intercom demanded.

Bones joined him as they made their way towards the turbolift. "I really think you should give him that time off."

"Are you intentionally trying to leave me out of the loop because I thought we all agreed we weren't going to do that again."

Bones got quiet and Kirk felt distinctly annoyed, until he realized that the doctor was waiting for the privacy of the turbolift. The doors shut. McCoy's response was automatic. "It's Pon farr."

Kirk found himself frowning. "That whole sex clause in your marriage contract?"

Bones snorted. "Yeah, that one."

"You didn't mention that it involved Spock becoming... not Spock."

"I was a little preoccupied at the time."

Kirk decided not to pursue it. "Fine. I'll grant his leave. How long before he returns to normal?" Plucking the PADD from Bones' grip, he signed the leave request which was waiting at the top.

"Well, I assume it'll be about ten days since that's the time he requested off." It was at times like these that Kirk wondered if McCoy tried to be unhelpful.

They arrived on the bridge, and Kirk relieved Scotty. On the viewscreen was a greenish-brown planet. "We've arrived at Mokdan, Captain." Uhura stated.

Kirk nodded, his mind absorbed in his new tasks. "Chekov, scan the planet for life-forms."

"None detected, sir." Chekov answered after a moment's pause. "Same as every other scan done in this sector."

"Well, the Indyrin seem to think our scans are mistaken." Kirk folded his legs. "Uhura, open hailing frequencies."

"Hailing frequencies open, sir."

"This is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. We are on a peaceful mission to make contact with outside worlds. Please acknowledge." Everyone held their breath as one minute ticked by, then two. Kirk repeated his message.

"They're responding!" Uhura said excitedly, switching on the audio so a stranger's voice could fill the room. "Audio only."

"Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise, welcome. We have had no visitors to our planet before. It seems we have found the answer to whether or not we are alone in space." The voice chuckled. "We would like to invite you to join us for a celebratory meal."

Kirk looked toward Spock's station where the Vulcan would usually be sitting with enough information to make up his mind. His chair was, of course, empty. Unexpectedly, Bones left his side to fill Spock's station. Bones tended to complain about being asked to do other jobs, but Kirk knew he had an excellent grasp on the science equipment, if nothing else. He'd been trained in all positions on the bridge, but he'd never actually demonstrated his knowledge before.

"We would be honored to join you on the surface. Where shall we meet?"

"I will send coordinates." The alien said.

"Class M planet, breathable atmosphere for humans, high in oxygen." McCoy supplied as he read out the screen. "There is a substantial amount of radiation from the planet's proximity to the sun. It appears as though this planet has been migrating slowly closer to their sun for centuries."

"Could the radiation be what has been interfering with our scans?" Kirk frowned to himself. That was the kind of question he'd ask Spock. The desired coordinates popped up on the viewsceen. He clicked on the communication again. "My team and I will be with you momentarily."

"Understood." The alien representative stated before ending the call.

"It seems likely." Bones looked up and perched on the console, destroying any emulation he may have been doing on Spock. "More specifically, I think their atmosphere has adjusted to the radiation and the combined result was something we couldn't pick up on our scanners."

"Is this radiation dangerous to us?" Kirk didn't really want to visit this planet with a full space suit on, it never seemed to make the best first impression.

"Over a few years, absolutely. A few hours or even days would have no effect."

"Excellent." Kirk slapped his hands together and looked around the bridge. "Sulu, you have the conn. The rest of you, you're with me."

Chekov eagerly bounced from his seat. He was rarely on away missions. Scotty and Uhura seemed mutely pleased, while Bones, as usual, looked surly. "Must I go?"

This gave Kirk pause. He wanted Bones with him in case something happened, but also wanted to prove to the brass that he was just as capable as he'd always been, maybe even more-so. He needed this evidence for Bones' own sake, even if he didn't know it. But it wasn't worth it if it was going to endanger Spock. "How long before Spock will need your assistance?" Kirk refused to find the question embarrassing. McCoy didn't seem to have the same problem.

"Three, four days."

"Then you can certainly spend at least one of those days on the planet."

"Yes, sir." Bones replied and joined them in the turbolift. "I recommend sunblock and sunglasses." Kirk ordered the supplies down to the transporter room. Within ten minutes, the away team had materialized on the planet's surface.

The first thing Kirk noted was that the sky was a bright red color, and the pools of water gathered around in small ponds at the outside of the compound they'd been sent to were a disgusting green color. He hoped they would be provided a different drink. A throng of people poured out of the double doors and seemed eager to greet them. They looked fairly human in all respects except for their eyes which appeared to have three sets of eyelids blinking in rapid succession. Also, Kirk swiftly found out, the average height seemed to be at least half a foot taller than a human.

They were surrounded fairly quickly by twenty some people who didn't appear to have any concept of personal space. Shortly thereafter, their interest narrowed onto two of their party: Uhura and McCoy. Everyone was talking at once and the blur of sounds was too much for their translators, only catching a word here or there.

"Stay close." Kirk ordered, resting his hand on his phaser. The group didn't seem harmful, but he was fearful of how quickly this scenario could turn bad. Suddenly, the group of aliens seemed to edge away from Kirk, but were reluctant to separate themselves from his officers standing in the middle.

"I wonder what's got them so fascinated by those two." Scotty asked himself.

Chekov was running his tricorder over them. "They're all male, Captain."

Kirk nodded. That would explain the interest in Uhura, he supposed. Kirk decided he wasn't going to wait longer to find out and snagged one of the people on the outside. "Why are you so interested in them?" He asked directly.

The man seemed startled at being addressed. "He wears such a strange color, an alien color. I have never seen such a color before."

Kirk let him go, rather surprised by the response. "You don't have the color blue?"

"Blue? It is called blue?"

Kirk nodded and the alien returned to the group crowding in a big circle. Uhura seemed to be doing fine despite an expression of awkwardness, though she'd quickly crossed her arms over her chest when a few hands became too friendly. Mostly the touches were mesmerized and patted her shoulder or arms. Bones, on the other hand, looked like he was about to faint, even rocking slightly. Kirk wondered if it was the barrage of emotions he was undoubtedly sensing. How much control would he have over them? For a brief moment, Kirk thought that maybe Nogura was right and he should have kept Bones off duty for a while. It passed as Kirk's mind offered up a solution.

"Bones!" He called loudly as to be heard over the jabbering. "You need to take off your shirt and give it to them."

Bones frowned but he didn't question the order. As quickly as he could with all the jostling, he pulled off his outer uniform, leaving himself the black undershirt, and handed it to the person in front of him. Suddenly, the doctor was free of the incessant interest. The alien looked thrilled and donned the blue shirt himself, which earned him much of the crowd's interest. He took off with his prize and several people followed him. Bones took a step back, then another until he was beside Kirk and away from the people.

"Thanks." Bones grunted. "I guess they like blue."

"They've never seen it before." Kirk supplied. He was already contemplating how to remove Uhura from the crowd as it would not be as easy as taking off something she didn't need.

The doors to the compound opened again and a man that commanded a great deal of attention emerged, two other older men flanking him. The people who'd been with Uhura scattered. The man cocked his head at Uhura, then addressed them all. "Welcome, strangers. My name is Eldrith, president of the country of Quorat." It was the same voice they'd heard on their ship. He seemed pleasant, but he also appeared overly confident, like he demanded respect and attention from everyone. He gestured to the men beside him, "This is my personal advisor, Eluro, and our head of medical sciences, Eltasat."

Kirk took his cue from the president. "I'm Captain Kirk. This is my Chief Engineer, Scott, my Medical Officer, McCoy, my communications officer, Uhura, and my navigator, Chekov. We're very pleased to meet you."

"This Uhura, she is a woman?" Eldrith asked curiously, taking a step closer to the away team.

"Yes," Kirk answered cautiously, wondering if this was one of those societies where women were so repressed that they weren't allowed out of the house. He glanced at Uhura to see how she was handling the situation, but her face was pleasant and unassuming, though he was quite sure she was forcing it to be that way. "Where are all of your women?"

"Dead." Eldrith stated succinctly. Kirk took a step closer to his communications officer. Perhaps it has been unwise to allow the people to touch her after all. "Within four days of their birth. Tragic, but for all of our medical technology, we have yet to solve the problem." This relaxed Kirk marginally. His thoughts toward mass murder mostly appeased. Still, Uhura wasn't going anywhere by herself on this mission, and that included if she had to use the bathroom.

The captain then caught Bones' eye and shook his head slightly. There would be plenty of time for questions later. For now, they needed to play unobtrusive guests. "I'm sorry to hear that, President."

"It simply is, Captain. Now, if you would like to join us inside the complex, we've prepared a feast for you."

Kirk nodded. "Lead the way." He caught Uhura by her shoulder and dropped his voice. "I'd understand if you'd like to return to the ship, Lieutenant."

Surprisingly, Uhura shook her head. "I'd like to stay."

Eldrith led them into the building, shockingly dark after the glare of the sun outside. Kirk pulled off his sunglasses and stuck them on the collar of his shirt. It was a quick walk into a large open chamber with one small skylight which seemed to provide adequate lighting for every crevice of the room. In the center was a long table simply draping in food of all sorts and varieties. Turning to Bones, he found the doctor had already tucked away his sunglasses, pulled out his tricorder, and was scanning the table before the order came to his lips.

"Safe for human consumption." He pronounced softly, though Kirk would be surprised if their hosts hadn't heard him. They studiously ignored what could have been a jibe at their hospitality, and Kirk silently berated McCoy for not making a less obvious comment or hand signal or something.

Eldrith had been moving to sit at the head of the table, but something about them apparently caught his eye and he glanced between them one at a time. Finally, his eyes rested on Bones, and it gave Kirk a sinking feeling. It always did seem to be Bones, didn't it? Eldrith straightened and brought himself in front of the doctor in a few short steps. He took hold of McCoy's chin in the same complete disregard for personal space and pushed it upwards so that he had a good look at the doctor's face. Kirk could see Bones tense, but he didn't pull away.

"Such a remarkable color." Eldrith commented before letting go. Of course, Kirk recalled, Bones' eyes were also blue.

"It's called blue." Kirk supplied when McCoy didn't speak. "It's actually a common color where we come from."

Eldrith nodded, finally tearing his eyes away from Bones'. "So, many of your people have eyes like his."

"Not exactly." Bones answered. "It's a recessive trait so it's not nearly as common as brown eyes, but it's not abnormal. What the captain was referring to was the color itself. On Earth, our skies and water is blue."

Eldrith's eyes seemed to light up and he encouraged them all to be seated and begin filling their plates. "I should very much like to visit your world some day."

"Well, that might be a possibility." Scotty slipped in, after swallowing a large helping of what appeared to be mashed potatoes. "You have developed a warp drive?"

Eluro, seated to the right of Eldrith finally spoke up. "We have. We're still in the testing stages, but we hope to make it out of our solar system in the next few years. I would be happy to show you our systems after we eat."

"I'd like to see them." Scotty agreed amiably.

Eluro smiled, as if sensing the warmth in Scotty's tone. "It would be a pleasure to show them to you."

"How long to you intend to stay?" Eldrith questioned. Eltasat looked sharply at the President, but continued in his silence.

Kirk filed away the odd exchange. "Well, that depends on a number of factors. We're part of a larger organization called the Federation, which is a series of planets joined together under the purpose of peaceful relations, exploration, and mutual aid. We'd like to spend a few days getting to know you and your people a bit better. Afterward, we will report back to our leaders. If we are all in agreement, we could start trade negotiations, or you could even join with the Federation. This usually lasts three weeks or so, assuming we are not called away."

"Very good." Eldrith responded. "I would like to know more about your Federation."

So Kirk struck up a conversation with Eldrith regarding their own history while Scotty discussed warp engines with Eluro, Chekov and Uhura chiming in occasionally. Bones, after some cajoling, managed to get Eltasat to talk with him regarding medical issues.

They discussed and ate for so long that Kirk thought his sides would burst from the food. It was well prepared and flavorful, unlike the replicated stuff they had on the ship. Kirk commented on this and Eldrith laughed in pleasure.

When the meal was finished and no one looked like they could eat another bite, Eluro offered to take Scotty to see the warp drive, and Chekov volunteered to go with him. Kirk nodded his assent.

As if taking his lead, Eltasat spoke up for the first time that Kirk had actually heard him. "If she is willing, I would like to invite the lady Uhura back to our medical labs."

Kirk found himself angered by the proposition, perhaps unreasonably so. He was not letting Uhura or any other women in his command on their own in a society with no females. At least, not until he was certain they reproduced asexually or something.

Before he could say anything, both Eltasat and Eldrith were lifting their hands in a sign of peace. Even Bones seemed to be looking at him oddly. Eldrith was the first to speak. "He meant no offense by the suggestion."

Eltasat agreed. "I had hoped that a few scans of her DNA might give us some clues on how to solve our own problems. I also invited Dr. McCoy as well to demonstrate our medicine for him. However, if this is offensive for you, I will not pursue it."

"I'll be there the whole time." Bones assured. He was not addressing Kirk but the communications officer. Kirk found that he didn't like that.

Uhura seemed to be giving him a dirty look that Kirk wasn't really sure he deserved. "I'd be fine with that." She consented.

Bones then turned to him, and slapped him on the shoulder. "Jim, it's been over three hundred years since the last woman here grew to maturity." Kirk tried to figure out why he should find that comforting. Seeing his confusion, Bones tacked on, "They probably don't even like women anymore."

If he knew Bones, he was trying to be inoffensive, which was, in general, not his strong suit. Briefly, he wished he was psychically connected to the doctor like Spock and could just ask him what the heck he was talking about. He thought he might be suggesting a lack of sexual interest in women necessitated by a lack of women. They had evolved (was that even the right word?) away from desiring women. "Fine." He relented. "But keep your communicators on at all times." He didn't need to order Bones to find out more about their survival without the opposite sex because Bones would undoubtedly seek that information out on his own.

"Yes, sir." Uhura acknowledged when his doctor didn't. They trailed after Eltasat out of the room. Kirk wondered if it was a good idea to send the two of them alone. Maybe he should go with them? Kirk hadn't found Bones' words all that comforting. They just made his concern shift from Uhura to Bones. He could read between the lines. If they weren't attracted to women, then they were attracted to men, and they'd already demonstrated a certain fascination with Bones' eyes.

"Your concern for your people is endearing, Captain. I can assure you that Eltasat would not harm them. There is little more in his head than science, I'm afraid." Eldrith chuckled at his own joke. "I'm sure you can appreciate the nature of a soul that yearns to heal."

Something in his gut twisted. Eldrith, it seemed, knew more than he should. "You're very wise."

"I know." Eldrith agreed easily, perhaps with more confidence than Kirk could manage to pull off. "Come, I shall show you more of my people and what we have to offer your Federation."

Not the first time that day, Kirk wished Spock had been well enough to join them on the surface. He wanted a logical perspective of their surroundings and to know if the niggling feeling in the back of his mind about danger had any merit.

.o0o.

A/N: Each chapter seems to be longer than the last, did you notice? I noticed. Sorry for the lack of Spock.