Long ago, back in the days when cowboys were cowboys, outlaws were dangerous and the west was still wild there was a small mining town by the name of Enterprise.

It was a small town, started by the mining company known only as Star Trails. Life there was had, dangerous but full of excitement, adventure, and reward for those who knew how to find it.

Lenard McCoy however wasn't really interested in the promise of adventure or excitement. He held a slightly more pessimistic view.

"The west is danger and disease wrapped in an empty horizon,"

He'd that tell anyone foolish enough to ask. McCoy hadn't meant to travel west.

Heck, he hadn't even meant to leave Georgia, let alone wind up in the god forsaken town of Enterprise. No, he had stated life in the east. Early on he'd shown a talent for medicine. With the best surgical and medical training he had quickly risen to the top of his field. Of course, that had been before his wife and his divorce. Her father had been a powerful man, and he had personally seen to it that his daughter had gotten everything.

McCoy hadn't much choice or much to lose, Star Trials had been his only option. They sent him to Enterprise because the town was in need of a good doctor.

Of course, the town didn't need a good Surgeon all the time, so in addition to taking care of the town's constant injuries, McCoy had, much to his dismay and eternal irritation, taken over the local saloon. To add insult to injury the saloon had been christened 'The hospital of Bones…'

" I'll take another…" The voice that spoke drew McCoy out of his reflections. Scotty was holding up his glass, swaying it slightly from one side to the other.

Montgomery Scot, the local town crazy. He had spent his youth in a nearby mine, tinkering with the mine machines and explosives. He claimed to have invented the mine elevator and conveyer belts, but such a thing was impossible to prove and as far as McCoy could tell, rather unlikely. Now however, he was the town's horse master, but he spent his spare time fiddling with machines and directing town repairs. He almost single handedly kept the town running.

McCoy grunted slowly making his way over. Crazy as he might be, Scotty was his best customer. And loathe as he was to admit it McCoy was fond of the loony engineer. A man who often broke out into such complicated ramblings an astrophysicists wouldn't have been able to keep up.

"No' much sense in tryin' ta go out in this…" Scotty gestured to the open swing style doors and McCoy looked, nodding as he did. A serious storm was in the works and anyone with any sense would be finding some shelter and planning to stay there.

The storms that frequently sprung up in Enterprise were volatile, deadly things.

"Only a real fool'd be wandering out and now," McCoy agreed in a soft southern drawl, as he turned back to Scotty.

" Now, Doctor you know how I feel about being called a fool…" Sheriff Pike said, amusement coloring his voice as he walked in, with the confident air, men who know their own strength and trust it, carry where ever they go.

Pike had been sheriff since nearly the day Enterprise had opened. He knew the people and he knew his business. He was however, still getting to know the good doctor, but Pike knew quality when he saw it, even shrouded by and antagonistic and forever grouchy demeanor.

"Something to drink Doc?" Sulu Pike's second deputy asked, but the question wasn't nessisary. McCoy had their drinks out and poured before they had even crossed to the bar.

Sulu had gone west as a laundry man, but the work hadn't suited man so active, proud and skilled. Within three years he had worked his way out of laundry and into the law. Skilled with the sword he had brought with him from his home country, Sulu was also fast with a horse and possibly the best long range rifle man in the state, possibly the whole west.

As much as some tried, discrimination was a luxury a town like enterprise could not really afford. Only hard real work kept the town from sliding back into the wilderness, and with its small population it was not feasible to pick and choose where the skilled labor came from. The competent rose, the lazy the entitled fell. It was the only way the town could function. Of course that didn't stop everyone…

" How have you been?" Uhura's voice was clear and sharp as she passed the new comers their food, before they'd even ordered naturally.

Uhura worked as McCoy's cook/ waitress, she'd lived most of her life as an orphan, and it had been a hard life. Tired of the pain and lack of work back home she used all of her not inconsiderable natural born cunning to make her way out west far as anyone knew she did work for McCoy, of course only McCoy and Pike knew better. She was the town's unofficial Madam. All of the local 'ladies' looked to her for leadership and basic protection. In return she was given dues and more importantly she held access to all of the town's unofficial information

But even those who were unaware of how much power she wielded stayed clear. She was tough, beautiful, and took no crap from anyone. To mess with her, or the girls she protected was to sign you own personal passport to pain.

"Just fine Miss. Uhura, that looks delicious by the way," Pike answered mildly.

Sulu didn't speak but downed his second shot and started to dig in. Uhura might have made it clear that she was too good for any man in this town but she was still the prettiest thing for miles.

For a time the bar was quiet. Pike and Sulu finished their meal and made their way to a poker game playing in the corner. Scotty nursed a scotch and McCoy kept the drinks flowing.

But McCoy's eye was twitching, just like it had back east when trouble was about to begin usually invited by a certain reckless friend…