Greetings friends! Buckle in for a real chapter this time.

None of these lovely people are mine except Lieutenant Ball and Lieutenant Scroggins who are most likely long future descendants of my best friends and hetero life mates.

Enjoy!


Chapter Two: A Most Peculiar Situation

"Commander, the specifics you requested on the indigenous population are finished," Lieutenant Uhura spoke up suddenly, breaking the relative silence on the Bridge. They were hovering in orbit around a class-M planet that had been charted but never explored by a Federation Vessel. Preliminary scans indicated some sort of disturbance occurring on the planet, but due to a highly magnetic planetary surface further investigation from space was nearly impossible.

Several of the crewmembers in Communications and Social Sciences had been scouring scans and previous records for any indication of a sentient species, dangerous flora or fauna, and what an away team might be likely to encounter. This report had, after nearly four hours of restless waiting, useless scans and an agitated Captain, been finished and was passed stiffly from Uhura to Spock without so much as the meeting of their eyes.

Kirk noticed, but said nothing as his first officer's dark gaze scanned the computer file quickly, storing all the information away until it became relevant.

"An armed away party should be relatively safe on the planet surface, Captain, but any crewmember beaming down would have to wear a standard issue bio-hazard suit-the unsettled reading we picked up is the result of some sort of mass extinction event. The atmosphere is full of decaying life," Uhura said, and Kirk's eyes lit up.

"Sounds worth checking into. Bones!" he called into the comm, and his CMO grumbled a grudging reply from the depths of sickbay. "Suit yourself and a security team up in bio-hazard suits and meet me in the Transporter Room," he instructed, and there was a moment of disbelieving silence on the other end before Dr. McCoy growled a, "planning on getting us all killed in the most painful ways possible," and a more audible "alright Jim."

"Mr. Spock, you're with me. Sulu, you have the conn. Call Scotty if anything happens that you can't handle."

There was a joking tone to Kirk's words-they all knew there was very little the young lieutenant couldn't handle. Kirk and Spock strode down the hallway, two men on a mission, and Spock turned to his Captain.

"Captain, I should quote protocol and point out the potential that this extinction was not caused by any natural phenomenon. In light of the dangerous nature of this mission, I would suggest that you stay behind."

Jim snorted, and Spock nodded in understanding. "It was only an attempt to please protocol Captain. I never held any doubt."

They entered the transporter room, donning their bio-suits as Bones snarled at them before even a preliminary greeting.

"Jim, beaming down onto a planet that was deep fried by unknown causes may be the most stupid, godawful-"

"Actually, Doctor, the planet itself is unharmed and only mildly radioactive. We should be quite safe, barring any unforeseen circumstances," Spock rebutted, and McCoy glowered darkly.

"Unforeseen circumstances are our goddamn bread and butter."

"Pardon Doctor? You metaphor does not seem applicable in this-"

"Landing Party!" Kirk interrupted his officers' squabble, garnering the attention of the assembled crewmen. "We'll beam down in two squads-Alpha Squad, led by myself, which will contain Mr. Spock, Doctor McCoy and Lieutenant Scroggins. Beta Squad will be made up of the rest of you led by Lieutenant Ball. Our objective is sample collection of air, soil and radiation for analysis. Alpha Squad with me."

The first group assembled on the transporter pad, and with a shimmer and a flash they were gone.

.

Four humanoid figures materialized on the dusty brown surface of Alfa-177. They immediately spread out, scanning visually and technologically for any danger.

"No life signs anywhere on surface, Captain," Spock asserted, and Bones cursed vehemently as he tripped on an obstacle buried in ankle deep ash and sprawled into the dust, sending up a grey dust cloud. Jim frowned, catching some between his fingers.

"That ash is too fine to be Volcanic," he decided, and Spock nodded.

"Carbon based refuse, Sir."

"Cremated Life," Lieutenant Scroggins translated gloomily, and Bones squawked in horror and flailed about, trying to right himself and get out of the ash. The security officer assisted him as Jim trekked to the edge of the plateau onto which they had transported, gazing out across the barren valley before them. Spock stepped up beside his Captain, offering him silent strength. Jim turned to his First Officer grimly.

"Why do I get the feeling this wasn't a natural extinction?"

"It...would appear that the entirety of life on this planet has been vaporized in some fashion, Captain. If that is the case, the perpetrators would be subject to punishment most severe."

Jim's blue eyes darkened and he turned around, pointing Beta Squad in the direction he wanted them.

"Then we'd better snap to and find out who's responsible."

The combined landing party slid down the embankment, fanning out across what was once a riverbed.

"Captain...you should take a look at this," Lieutenant Ball called, and the senior officers hurried over to where he had stopped beside a large charred boulder resting in the center of the riverbed. The brittle remains of a skeleton huddled beneath it; a small canine creature with four legs, a long tail and the remnants of tiny horns.

"The boulder must have shielded it from the heat. That's why the skeleton is still partially intact," Bones theorized, and Jim sighed.

"That gives some hard proof that extra-planetary weapons were used, but no guess as to who did it. Spock, could it be Klingons?"

The party resumed its scouting, and the Captain's taller shadow replied, "Uncertain, Captain. The Klingon Empire has never demonstrated the existence of any weaponry capable of such devastation. However, that does not necessarily dictate such a weapon is not in their possession."

"But Jim," Bones spoke up to the Captain's left, "If this were a Klingon attack, why strike a planet uninhabited by any humanoid life? Why not a Federation Colony or Outpost? It just doesn't smell Klingon."

"Well if we can't figure out who, then the least we can do is find out how," Jim barked, and his shadows exchanged a worried glance.

"Jim..." Bones laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, but was quickly rebuffed as Jim shook him off. The Captain stalked through the ash, leaving tiny angry mushroom clouds in his wake.

"The Captain appears to be quite agitated," the Vulcan crew member noted, and Bones rolled his eyes.

"You really are a master of observation, Mr. Spock," he spat sarcastically, and Spock raised both eyebrows at the Doctor.

"Your praise, while unexpected, has been duly noted Doctor McCoy."

Bones stared disbelievingly after the Vulcan before following with some truly creative blasphemies muttered under his breath.

The party emerged from the river canyon, onto a wide flat flood plain. It extended for miles in every direction before coming to a mountainous halt. Kirk kept walking as if he intended to head for those distant peaks and Bones hurried after him, catching his arm.

"Jim, whoever did this, they're long gone. They left no trace-"

Suddenly the ground ahead of them exploded up and outward, throwing the Captain and the Doctor back.

"Jim!" Spock rushed to his fallen commander, and Bones landed directly on Lieutenant Ball, knocking the security guard violently to the ground.

"What is that?!"

A massive head reared out of the ashy earth, belonging to an enormous beast with scaled belly, jagged mandibles that could have crushed a shuttle between them, dozens of multi-jointed legs and shimmering prismed eyes. It shrieked piercingly, and Spock clapped his hands over his sensitive Vulcan ears.

"Phasers to kill!" he shouted, and the security team scattered, whipping out their weapons. The creature howled as it was fired upon on all sides, but the killing phaser fire did little to affect it's massive size. Lieutenant Ball was helping Bones to his feet, and Spock dragged the semi-conscious Captain behind an outcropping for cover.

"Captain Kirk," he urged, and the golden man shifted slightly. He shook his shoulders, cupped his face. "Jim!"

"Aim for its eyes!" Lieutenant Scroggins shouted, and a member of Beta Squad screamed and dropped as the creature fell upon him, tearing the fabric of his suit and then the flesh from his bones.

"Lieutenant Syr!"

The Captain stirred, sitting up and clutching the front of Spock's suit. He winced, pressing on his bruised ribs.

"Are you injured, Captain?" Spock inquired, and Jim shook his head, assessing the situation foggily.

"What's happening?" He demanded, and Spock gripped his upper arm, pulling him to his feet and steadying him when he swayed.

"You were attacked by a large and violent creature. I believe you have procured a concussion, Captain. The security officers are currently attempting to bring the situation under control," he explained rapidly and efficiently, and Kirk nodded, leaning on the rock as he came back to his senses.

"The phasers seem to be relatively ineffective on the creature, it appears to have armor plating," Spock explained, one hand still holding Jim's elbow should he need his help, and the Captain peered around the rock at the monster attacking his crew. Their ferocity had increased tenfold with the fall of their companion, and he breathed a sigh of relief to see Bones a relatively safe distance away from the rampaging beast.

"Communicators still down?"

"Affirmative."

"Any way to signal the Enterprise to initiate phasers?"

"Perhaps an emergency signal would be powerful enough to punch through the atmospheric disturbance," Spock postulated, and Jim nodded, pulling out his communicator. He cranked up the volume and signal strength to full and signaled and SOS, pushing the device into Spock's hands as he removed his Phaser.

"Captain, you are in no condition to be engaging a creature of such size or strength in combat," the Science Officer warned, and Jim ignored him, creeping around the rock slowly.

"I won't get close enough to get hurt," he lied, and Spock gripped his arm suddenly and with startling strength. He physically dragged Jim back behind the rock, pushing his Captain rather forcibly against the rough surface.

"I cannot allow you to place yourself in that unnecessary and extreme danger, Jim. I will not suffer you to die," he asserted, and Jim raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. You lead and I'll follow, but we have to help those men."

Spock agreed and moved out into the open, phaser set on the highest kill setting. The creature was flailing in agony, striking out at anything that moved, but the crew had learned how to avoid its sharp legs and darting mouth and were wearing it down. It shrieked that piercing screech again, and Spock grimaced as his ears rang.

"Aim for its eyes and mouth," Jim whispered, a steadying hand on the Vulcan's shoulder, and Spock placed a well aimed phaser blast directly down the monster's throat. It roared in pain and finally toppled over, writhing back into its hole. The crew circled warily, but it did not stir again and they retreated a safe distance back to the riverbed. Lieutenant Scroggins carried the desecrated remains of Lieutenant Syr, and Bones grimaced as Jim's jaw tightened painfully.

"It's not your fault, Jim. We couldn't have known there would be monsters like that on this planet," he comforted, and Spock's eyebrows drew together slightly in a Vulcan frown.

"That is an interesting point, Doctor," he commented, and Bones whirled on him furiously, but when he noticed the intensely thoughtful look on Spock's face he paused in his explosion.

"That creature is not native to this planet; or even this quadrant. I have heard only rumors that may coincide with its existence, and those in the Gamma Quadrant."

"What would a centipede monster from the Gamma Quadrant be doing on a vaporized planet here in the Alpha Quadrant?" Scroggins asked frustratedly, and Kirk shook his head. The emergency signal suddenly cut out, and they began to melt away as the transporter locked onto their signals.

Thus was born the mystery of Alfa-177, and the sinister beginnings of a much larger mystery indeed.