Hey, guys!

Yet another chapter.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I own these characters (and the actors! Oh, yummy...) I don't. However, I do own Niburan and it's inhabitants, the Joremur, Abrigon, Rhododensalvus, and all that other stuff. So no stealing, please!

AND PLEASE NOTE I changed the time it would take back up to get there to

"One day, eighteen hours, and twenty-two minutes, exactly." instead of the original approx. three days.

Thanks!

My eyes remained on the small planet before me, as they had for the past five hours or so since I've been back on the bridge. They raked over its surface - its smooth, green oceans and it's redish-golden peaks. The others had left long ago for their dinner break, allowing the bridge to die down to an almost-silence, only interrupted by the occasional beep from the monitors.

There was no reason for me to feel relief at this, but a small part of me felt more free than before to continue gazing upon the screen before me, my attention completely taken by the battle raging in my mind. Scenes danced before my inner eye, tormenting me silently. Scenarios of our taken crew mates - Nyota, mostly. What they could do to her, what pain they could inflict on her - my fists tightened on the armrest despite my calm expression.

It is my duty, my job, my responsibility...

I thought of how she pleaded with me to break the rules just once, to ensure the crew wasn't harmed. And now she could be harmed.

I sighed softly, the Chief's command still taking center stage in my mind. I had to follow orders - it was what was expected of me, it was... Logical.

I was in a light state of meditation when the Ensign's Russian accented words brought me back to reality.

"Commander, there is a signal on my screen," he said, his tone shocked.

It took me a moment to process his words, I didn't even hear him come in. "What is it coming from?" I asked him, the signal and a map appearing on the large screen before me.

"I don't know, but I will retrace its course," he said, his fingers coming to life across the keyboard as a thin, red line appeared on the map as it zoomed in.

"Sir, I - I think it's Lieutenant Uhura."

I studied it carefully. It's appearance time was consistent with the time we beamed down originally, its movements consistent with where we went while on the planet. It was now barely moving in one place. I small flicker of hope came to life in my chest.

"You cannot be certain," I pointed out softly.

"It is not out of character for her to keep something that could send us a signal," he countered and I nodded.

"Identify the object."

The sound of clicking keys filled the bridge as I waited. It took a few moments before an image came on the screen.

An image of a tiny silver earpiece.

Nyota.

The longer I wait, the more likely something will happen to her.

"Send the coordinates to Scotty," I told him, quickly standing up, heading towards the turbolift.

"Commander, what are you doing?"

"Breaking the rules," I said, the doors opening before me.

"Commander, as you said, I could be wrong," he exclaimed behind me. I turned to face him.

"It is possible. But it is also the only lead we have." I glanced up at the map, but this time my eyes stayed there. "That signal, Ensign, is positively correct in its placement on that map?"

"Yes, Sir," he said, following my eyes to the screen.

"If so, Lieutenant Uhura, or whoever is down there with a Star Fleet earpiece, would be - "

"Yes, Sir - Under the government building."

- - -

"I spy with my little eye something gray."

"A rock?"

"Got it again," I muttered, my eyes on the injured man sitting beside me. He smirked when I spoke, his eyes shifting around our dark corner of the cave. McCoy had already seemingly drifted off to sleep, but knowing him it was probably a guise.

I wrapped my arms around my small frame, leaning against the cold, hard wall - it was freezing down here during the night.

"Are you scared?"

I turned to him. His words interrupted my cloudy thoughts - mostly half-baked escape schemes and bittersweet memories that would keep drifting to my mind.

"Terrified," I answered softly, too disheartened to lie.

His smirk turned melancholy, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I didn't think you got scared," he admitted in a whisper, his blue eyes half closed.

I hugged my knees to my chest. "Everyone gets scared." I peaked at him out of the corner of my eyes.

He looked at me in a way I didn't recognize - he looked utterly crestfallen. "I guess so," he said with a sigh.

I'm sorry, I realize that wasn't very long, but the next chapter is going to need a lot of thought and planning, so this'll hold you over. :)