Disclaimer: The "Star Trek" movies and its characters don't belong to me. I only borrow them for this story.
A/N: This story contains Swearing, Graphic Description of Violence, Blood and Injury! Read at your own risk! Kinda inspired by an episode of "Sea Patrol"
The Hunted
Kirk's head was pounding as he opened his eyes. He looked around and did not recognize the world around him.
Tall trees, glowing in the most varied shades of green. Chirping birds that made themselves comfortable in them. Vines, bushes and creepers.
It was apparently... a kind of jungle.
How the heck had he ended up in the jungle?
The last thing he remembered was that his senior officers and he had been invited to a peaceful meeting at the palace on a planet. They had held diplomatic talks with the Redorian chiefs about joining the Federation.
Everything had gone perfectly. The Redorians seemed satisfied with the demands, had also rejoiced in their own advantages that accession could offer them.
The members of the Enterprise had been about to contact the ship when suddenly...
Yes, what exactly had suddenly happened?
Jim just didn't know anymore. He only remembered a loud bang and billows of smoke. He had felt nauseous and his ears had been deaf.
Then there was nothing more.
Slowly Jim got to his feet and he swayed dangerously, only managing to hold on to the bars with great difficulty.
Wait... bars?
The captain blinked in irritation and only now did he even realize that he was sitting in a cage. And he was not alone.
Standing up, he had a much better overview and he realized that the rest of his crew was also locked up.
The cages were all in a large circle. Kirk could see each of his friends. To his left was his first officer, still lying motionless on the floor like everyone else.
"Spock, hey, Spock!"
Jim waited impatiently for a reaction from the Vulcan. And he got it.
However, not only Spock but also the others came back to consciousness moaning softly. In each cage something moved and Kirk looked anxiously from one to the other.
"What the heck...," McCoy muttered to himself, rubbing his presumably aching head as he sat up. He was to Jim's right.
"Bones."
The doctor's gaze fell on Jim and he only groaned more as he noticed the bars.
"Oh, great. What kind of situation have you maneuvered us into this time?"
The captain immediately raised his hands defensively.
"Hey, I have nothing to do with this. I don't know what's going on any more than you do," he protested, and before McCoy could say anything back, another voice spoke up.
"Captain?"
Jim wheeled around and looked at Spock. The Vulcan had stood up and was now analyzing their surroundings.
"Spock, it's good to see you awake. Any memory of what happened?"
But the first officer also just shook his head.
"Not much, Captain. I only remember our meeting with the Regorians, which seems to have been the target of an attack."
Oh great. Jim had gotten that far himself. He had hoped that Spock knew more.
"Oh, no. Oh no, no, no..."
The eyes of everyone present turned to Scotty, who was to McCoy's right. The engineer looked around searchingly.
"Scotty?" Kirk asked, irritated. What was going on?
"Our insignia and communicators are gone, Captain!"
Only now did Jim notice the things that had immediately caught the Scotsman's eye.
"Damn it!"
Without the communicators and insignia, the ship wouldn't be able to locate the missing crew members! Nor could they call for help.
Jim tried to make sense of their current situation and he quickly realized that it was... exceedingly humble. To put it mildly.
No way to contact the ship. Somewhere alone in a jungle on a planet not really scouted out. No memory of the events that had led them there.
"Okay, quick check. Is anyone hurt?"
Jim looked from one to the other and he got the same answer from each. Everyone was fine. That... that was a good thing.
"And does anyone have any idea how we got here?"
The disappointing answer to this question was a collective shake of the head.
Jim sighed. Too bad.
"How about a plan on how to get out of here? Scotty, Chekov, Spock?"
The captain deliberately directed the question to the more technically gifted members among them. Although, of course, he would take suggestions from the others as well.
Scott and Chekov were already examining the locks, and Spock was doing the same.
"These locks are encoded with a numerical code. We may be able to figure it out, but... it may take hours, if not days," Pavel said sullenly.
Jim had been dreading it. But he didn't want to give up.
"What if we break the lock somehow? Spock, you're strong, aren't you?"
The Vulcan shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Captain. This material cannot be destroyed without aids."
"So we're stuck here with nothing to do but wait. Perfect."
Jim glanced at McCoy, who had crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
The doctor had not been particularly enthusiastic about leaving the ship from the beginning. And he had probably been right.
"Or maybe not. Look."
Sulu's voice made Kirk's head spin around and he spotted a group of locals approaching the cages.
The shape of the Regorians was almost humanoid. However, their arms and legs were longer than those of the human species. They had pointed ears and purple fur, which was dotted with dark spots in some places. Pointed yellowish teeth filled their large mouths. And these very ones were bared by the group. They grinned.
"Well, well, well. Awake they are."
The tallest of the group stepped into the center of the cages and looked around, surveying the crew members.
Piercing red eyes, finally coming to rest on Jim, twinkled with delight. It sent a shiver down the captain's spine.
"Humans, aren't you?"
Kirk swallowed hard once, somehow intimidated by the deep voice, before regaining his confidence and standing up straight.
"Indeed. And you belong to the Regorians, with whom we just made a treaty. So why did you lock us in here?"
The grin on the Regorian's face only widened.
"Well, Captain - you are the Captain, right?"
Jim nodded and their captor continued.
"We... do not agree with the views of our chiefs. We don't want to join your Federation."
A group of rebels, then. Good... they'd get along with them somehow.
"This decision is not particularly logical. Your civilization would gain more advantages than disadvantages from joining."
The Regorian wheeled around to Spock and he tilted his head, twitching his ears.
"You are not human."
"That is correct. I am half Vulcan," Spock replied, and the Regorian seemed puzzled by this.
"Then you may not participate either."
"Participate?"
Uhura's voice sounded from the cage to Spock's left. She eyed the leader of the group questioningly.
And Jim asked himself the same question. What were they to participate in? But the Regorian did not respond. Instead, he responded to Spock's comment.
"For our group, joining would have only disadvantages, as we would be oppressed with your help."
Jim eyed the rebels. The group consisted of only a dozen members, maybe a few more. Surely it should be a breeze for the authorities to suppress this minority. Unless there were far more rebels.
"Why? What makes you different?"
The grin widened again as the leader stepped closer to Jim's cage.
"We... follow the example of our ancestors. We... are hunters."
Jim swallowed again.
Hunters? Was that supposed to mean...
"When a species comes to our planet, we check if it is worthy to meet us on eye level. We check if it is strong enough. Fast enough. Smart enough."
Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw that the rest of the rebels had made their way to the other cages. They were looking at his crew with greedy eyes.
"And if it isn't... at least we know it'll make good prey."
His tongue slipped out of the Regorian's mouth and ran over his furry lips.
"I'm curious what category the humans fall into."
Jim's eyes widened. These Regorians... they were actually going to hunt them. They were going to eat them!
"Woah, woah… s-slow down, will ya? We're not animals you can just hunt down."
McCoy had taken a few steps back and was staring at the rebels in disbelief.
"We'll figure that out."
Jim winced as the locks on most of the cages opened with a loud crack.
Only one cage remained locked. Spock's.
"If any of you manage to find our sleeping place, then the survivors get to leave and never come back. If not..."
"Then I guess we'll all be fed today," gloated a member of the rebels standing in front of Chekov's cage, suddenly extending sharp claws.
Pavel backed away, startled, and Jim heard a low whimper.
"I'm curious what human flesh tastes like."
The Regorian reached out to Pavel, but the leader's voice stopped him. Kirk could not understand the words because they were spoken in the native tongue, but it was apparently a clear command.
"We will give you a twenty-minute head start."
With these words, the leader turned back to the captain.
"What about Spock?"
Jim looked at his first officer, who was standing helplessly in his cage.
"He'll be allowed to wait for his own hunt."
Good. That was good. Maybe Spock could manage to escape and somehow contact the ship.
Kirk gave his friend a meaningful look, and Spock nodded, barely perceptible.
"This is crazy! If Starfleet finds out about this, then-"
Scotty didn't get to protest further, for the Regorians were already starting the countdown.
"Your time starts in three, two, one... Run for your life."
With a loud blast from some kind of phaser, the hunt was ceremoniously opened and the humans had no choice but to run.
They had not gone far when Sulu suddenly stopped, causing the others to stop as well.
"Wait! We can't do it like this."
"What do you mean! We have to run as far as we can as fast as we can if we don't want to die!"
McCoy stared at the helmsman with wide eyes. He was in a panic. So was every single one of them.
But Kirk knew what Sulu was getting at.
"No, no, Bones. Sulu's right. If we stay in one group, then we make it easy for the hunters. We... we have to split up."
"What?!" Chekov shook his head in shock, fear in his gaze.
"We have to. Only then will we have a chance to find the sleeping place faster," Uhura now said as well. Scotty nodded in agreement.
"Aye."
"Bones?" Jim looked questioningly at his best friend and he threw his arms in the air.
"Whatever. We probably don't stand a chance anyway," he returned grumpily, and Kirk couldn't help smiling slightly. That sounded like good old Bones.
"All right, Sulu, you run east. Uhura, you take the west. Scotty, north. Pavel, you come with me. We'll take the south."
Jim knew better than to leave the young navigator alone. He seemed far too frightened and couldn't think straight.
"Uh, aren't you forgetting someone?"
Kirk wheeled around and looked from Chekov to McCoy.
"Bones, I want you to hide as best you can. If one of us gets hurt, we'll need you. Find a place that's easy to get to from all directions."
The doctor just blinked, eyebrows raised wide, but before he could say anything Jim had already started running.
"Let's go!"
Sulu somehow made his way through the densely overgrown plants, trying not to trip.
His mind raced, looking for ideas where the rebels might have their sleeping place. It had to be a well-protected place. Somewhere where the other citizens could not find them.
Searchingly, the helmsman looked around. Where? Where would this place be?
Definitely near a water source. Everyone needed liquid to survive - even the Regorians.
Sulu closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. As a child, his grandfather had taught him that it was very important to have good hearing. One had to be able to hear dangers from afar... but also to locate other sources of noise.
There!
The sound of rushing water reached Sulu's ear and he opened his eyes, a smile on his lips.
A river was close by. He would only have to follow the sounds and then look around closer to the water.
Quickly, the helmsman continued on his way. He only hoped that the others were all right.
"Hide somewhere, Bones. We need you, Bones. It's gonna be all right, Bones. Of course it will, Jim. I'm sure it will."
Muttering under his breath, McCoy wandered through the jungle.
Where should he hide, damn it?! The rebels surely knew this jungle like the back of their hand. There were no safe hiding places! But his oh-so-perfect captain had probably not considered that. Of course not. What did McCoy expect?
He should never have agreed to come along. He should have just stayed aboard the Enterprise.
No... that would have been wrong. How terrible he would have felt if he had learned that all his friends were gone. He would have blamed himself forever.
"At least I'm in this shit with them."
Better to die with the others than to be alone forever. That should be his motto. As terrible as it sounded.
The doctor glanced at his watch, which for some reason had not been taken from him.
The time was up. The Regorians were already on the hunt.
McCoy swallowed hard. As a child, his father had always taken him hunting. It had been a great hobby of his old man, even if McCoy had not shared it.
He loathed the thought of killing anything. Even if there were too many rabbits or deer or whatever, he didn't think it was right to just shoot them down. Everything in him resisted even today.
And now they were these animals themselves. The Regorians wanted to hunt them, kill them, and worse, eat them. They were like wild predators.
McCoy didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to be caught between the creatures' claws and teeth. It was a horrible way to die.
Lost in thought, the doctor didn't notice that there was a thick tree root in front of him. His foot got caught in it and only a moment later McCoy was lying on the ground.
He groaned, but when he looked in front of him, he suddenly saw something that might help him.
A hole in one of the trees! Maybe - if he made himself small enough - he could hide in it!
On his knees, the doctor crawled forward. The hole was narrow, but with effort he managed to squeeze in.
If a hunter found him here, he would be trapped, but it was still better than just being out in the open.
McCoy used some branches to cover the entrance. Then he waited, hoping the others would find the sleeping place quickly.
Jim could literally feel how tense Chekov was. With every step they took, the young navigator looked around scrutinizingly.
Since they were the team that had run back a bit, they had made a wide berth around the area where the cages had been. Neither Kirk nor Pavel planned to encounter the Regorians.
"I just don't get it," Chekov muttered softly, and his captain looked at him questioningly.
"What do you mean, Mr. Chekov?"
The young man almost tripped over a rock, but Jim managed to catch him just before he could fall. Chekov thanked him and they continued walking while he explained his statement.
"Why haven't the planet's leaders informed us about the rebels? Surely Starfleet must know about it."
Kirk gave Pavel a weak smile and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I think they may have been afraid that they would then be denied entry. Maybe they are in desperate need of help. After all, we don't know how much danger the rebels pose to the other group itself."
Chekov nodded in understanding.
"How large do you think the rebel group is, Captain?"
Jim shook his head, perplexed.
"I haven't the faintest idea. But probably bigger than we think. We should assume the worst."
"I... understand, sir."
Immediately Jim realized that his words had only made Chekov more uneasy, and he stopped for a moment and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"We're going to sort this out, all right? We'll get out of here alive."
Pavel didn't look at him, his gaze scowling off to the side.
"Hey, look at me, Pavel."
Slowly the eyes moved and when the navigator looked at him properly, Jim squeezed his shoulders.
"I don't believe in no-win-scenarios. We can do this."
As long as Jim believed in those words himself, perhaps he could convince others of the same. He knew that their youngest crew member especially needed that confidence.
Chekov nodded slowly, a spark of hope in his gaze.
"I trust you, Captain."
A smile crossed Jim's face and he tapped Chekov's arm once more before they went on their way again.
"That's what I want to hear."
They'd make it all right. And they might even have a contingency plan called Spock.
Spock stood in his cage and tried to get an overall picture of the situation.
All members of his crew had started their escape about half an hour ago, the rebels followed ten minutes ago.
Twelve members had gone off in pursuit, while three others had stayed behind to guard the Vulcan.
They sat in the center of the cages and conversed in their native tongue. Spock could only guess what their topics included.
One of the guards was the Regorian who had explained the hunt to them. It surprised Spock that the leader, of all people, did not participate in the hunt. After all, it seemed to be a joyous event for the rebels. So why was he just sitting there?
The leader apparently noticed that Spock was eyeing him, because he stood up and slowly came sauntering over to the cage. He pressed a button on his gray coat and the translator was activated.
"Don't even think about breaking out."
Spock raised an eyebrow.
"What makes you assume I would think about that?"
The Regorian grinned, baring his sharp teeth.
"I know for a fact that you're looking for a way to escape and get help."
Well... the leader had a point there. Of course, Spock had thought about it.
"My chances of a successful escape are low, which is why I asked myself another question."
The Regorian twitched his ears in interest.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"I was wondering why you were here and not out hunting."
The rebel's grin widened. He came even closer, his red eyes probably trying to intimidate Spock.
"I'd rather save my energy for you. Hunting your species should... prove far more interesting."
The Vulcan merely nodded.
"I see. Well, I doubt you will get a chance for this hunt to take place. My comrades will find the sleeping place for sure."
He knew his crew. And he knew Jim. He knew the captain would find a way. He had proven often enough that no situation was hopeless for him. And this time, too, he would manage it.
"We'll see."
With these words, the leader turned away and went back to his fellows.
Having received an answer to his question, Spock could now concentrate again on the original problem.
Finding a way out of the cage.
Uhura ran through the jungle, her eyes always on her surroundings. She was on the lookout for even the slightest conspicuous feature that might indicate a camp.
But all around she found nothing but trees and other green plants. The search seemed hopeless, but she could not and would not give up.
The communications officer thought of the others, tried to imagine that one of them had more success than she had.
Perhaps a member of the crew was already close to the goal, or Spock had managed to break out. Of course, Uhura had noticed the looks the captain and first officer had exchanged before they had started running. Did they perhaps have a plan?
Uhura could only hope so.
A sharp stone caught the woman's eye and she stopped, picked it up and examined it.
It would make a good weapon. Even if the thought of a fight was repugnant to her, she knew that a tool for self-defense could not hurt.
Determined, Uhura clutched the stone and continued on her way, but she didn't get too far. She had just walked a few steps when the ground suddenly gave way beneath her.
With a startled yelp, the officer in red plummeted and landed ungently at the bottom of a deep hole.
Fortunately, she managed to roll off and did not come up the wrong way. A sprained or broken ankle would have been all she needed.
Uhura's gaze wandered upward and she found that about three or four meters separated her from the surface.
Cursing softly, she got to her feet and scanned the wall of the hole. Some vines adorned it and the communications officer knew that with a little luck she could climb out, but she would need time to do so.
Time she did not have.
And yet... it was her only hope. So Uhura grabbed one of the tendrils and set about climbing it.
She only hoped that her friends would be spared from such traps.
Scotty had quite quickly come up with the same thought as Sulu, and he too had set off in search of the river.
While still heading north, he had suddenly discovered footprints on the ground that were clearly Regorian.
Even though he had moved a bit further into the northeastern direction, he had decided to follow these tracks.
On this way he had also come to the river, which he now followed.
His heart beat faster at the thought that this could be a false trail. The rebels had been smart enough to kidnap them. What if they left tracks on purpose and he blundered straight to his doom?
The Scotsman didn't want to imagine what it would be like to be attacked by the Regorians. A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the sharp claws and pointed teeth.
He was about to turn back, worried about the possibility of a trap, when he saw something yellow flashing not too far away.
The blood froze in his veins.
"Sulu?"
Oh, no. Please, no. This couldn't be happening!
The engineer ran toward the yellow dot, slowly at first, then faster and faster.
The closer he got, the more clearly he recognized the human figure lying motionless on the ground.
"Sulu!"
It really was the helmsman. Why wasn't he moving? Was he...
"Mr. Scott?"
Thank heavens! He was alive. Scotty exhaled in relief, but he quickly came to a halt as Sulu suddenly warned him.
"Look out! Don't run any further!"
Irritated, Scott looked around.
Sulu was lying on his side on the ground, near the river. His head was looking toward the water. Why wasn't he moving it?
"What, why?"
"Those bastards were laying traps. I... I stepped on something and suddenly I was enveloped in a mist. My body is... paralyzed," Sulu explained bitterly, and Scotty swallowed hard.
Of course there were traps. They should have expected it.
Scott looked around worriedly. Were there any hunters nearby? Did they know when their traps were activated? He hoped not.
"A-all right, laddie. Are... are ye hurt?"
Carefully, eyes on the ground, Scotty put one foot in front of the other. He had to get to Sulu.
"No. It's just the paralysis."
All right. That... was good, wasn't it? At least the helmsman wasn't in pain.
"I...I'll get Dr. McCoy."
A humorless laugh was the response to that statement.
"And what is he supposed to do? I hardly think he can conjure an antidote out of his pocket. You'd better get out of here and try to find the camp."
Scotty shook his head, even though Sulu couldn't see it.
"Oh, I think ye underestimate the good doctor, Mr. Sulu. I'm sure he'll find a way."
Leonard always found some cure for any problem, no matter how difficult.
At last Scotty had made it and he knelt beside Sulu, looking into his eyes, which the man could apparently move. Scotty smiled encouragingly.
"But first I'm going to hide ye, laddie."
With those words, the engineer grabbed Sulu and set about getting him out of plain sight. After that, he could worry about finding McCoy.
McCoy didn't know how long he had been sitting in the hole, but when he heard noises, he pressed himself even closer to the back wall.
Damn it! The rebels!
His breathing became more frantic and he tried not to make a sound when he saw the shape of the Regorians through the branches.
They were very close. There were two or three members of the group, talking in their native language.
McCoy closed his eyes for a moment and just prayed that they would not discover him.
He didn't want to die! Not like this!
A pair of feet came dangerously close to his hiding place, but a scream caught the hunters' attention.
The doctor's heart stopped for a brief moment. He could clearly assign the female voice to Uhura.
Shit! What had happened?
The Regorians suddenly turned around and immediately ran in the direction from which the noise had come.
McCoy knew that they were no longer a danger to him, but he also knew who their victim would be.
He did not hesitate long. He had to do something!
Carefully he crawled out of his hiding place and with a sufficient safety distance he followed the hunters.
He had to realize that the beasts were damn fast, but their tracks on the ground told him the direction. It was easy to follow them.
But the closer he got, the more he would have liked to turn back.
He heard loud laughter, drowned out only by a screech.
"No! Let me go!"
"Such a pretty little birdie. Let's see if it tastes as good as it looks."
At last McCoy reached the scene and he kept hidden behind one of the trees.
Only a few meters in front of him stood a Regorian, who looked at the spectacle in front of him with joyful excitement.
McCoy saw Uhura, who was being held by one of the rebels. She tried to break free, but the Regorian was stronger.
A second hunter stepped in front of the officer and placed one of his paws on her hip.
He leaned forward and licked through Uhura's face.
McCoy boiled with rage and he clenched his hand into a fist. He had to stop these monsters!
But before he could do anything, the rebel suddenly groaned.
Uhura had apparently kicked him in his most valuable piece, because he backed away and doubled over in pain.
The fighting spirit in the communications officer seemed awakened, for suddenly she was kicking and thrashing about like mad.
But the Regorian was not about to let this get the better of him. The hunter standing behind Uhura dug his claws deep into her flank.
Only a little later, both hunters pounced on the woman and even if Uhura was a well-trained Starfleet officer, she had no chance against two opponents of this size.
McCoy reacted immediately. He grabbed a nearby rock and used the element of surprise to knock out the third Regorian with one blow.
He quickly grabbed the weapon the creature was carrying and without giving it much thought, turned to the other hunters.
"Hey you bastards! I'm here!"
Immediately, the Regorians let go of Uhura and looked to the doctor. Their claws and mouths were covered in blood.
They both wanted to lunge at McCoy, but he was faster.
Even though he had said that he hated to kill, he knew when to do it.
He fired two shots and immediately the attackers went down, lying lifeless. He had killed them.
But before he could even think about what he had done, his medical mind kicked in.
Uhura! He had to help her!
As fast as he could, McCoy ran to the woman lying on the floor, covered in blood. Quickly, the man turned her onto her back and let his analyzing gaze wander over her body.
At first glance, the doctor recognized two life-threatening wounds.
One on the neck and the wound in the flank.
"D-Dr. McCoy?"
Uhura's voice sounded weak and confused.
"Don't speak, Nyota. You're badly hurt. I need to stop the bleeding."
He tried to sound as calm as possible. Many times he had seen terrible wounds like this, but it was different when it involved a friend.
Pieces of flesh had been torn out and McCoy was aware that Uhura could not survive long without professional help.
He quickly removed his blue dress shirt and tore it in half, using both pieces as bandages.
"I'm... I'm going to die, aren't I?"
Uhura sounded frightened and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No! No, no, no. You're going to be all right. I'm sure you will," McCoy assured her, even though he himself didn't have too much confidence in his words. But his patient was not supposed to know that.
"I'm going to take you somewhere safe for now."
McCoy lifted Uhura, careful not to hurt her more, and then looked around searchingly.
There, some distance away, he spotted a rock wall. If he was lucky, there was a cave somewhere there.
"Hang in there, Nyota!"
Jim and Pavel had made good progress and somehow the captain felt they were on the right track.
His instinct told him that they would find the sleeping place and most of the time his gut feeling was right. They just had to trust it and hope that the others were okay.
Kirk was about to say something reassuring to Chekov to give the young navigator confidence when the man suddenly cried out loudly.
Startled, Jim stared at the floor and he saw what had caused Chekov to do that.
His stomach turned at the sight that presented itself.
The young man's foot was stuck in some kind of bear trap! Pointed blades pierced the flesh at the ankle and blood flowed down the silver material.
Again and again Chekov cried out and he had to hold onto one of the trees to keep from falling.
Jim's mind raced, going through how he had to act.
Calm down! First and foremost, he had to calm Chekov down.
Quickly Kirk stood in front of him and he grabbed the navigator by the shoulders.
"Pavel, Pavel! Shh, shh, calm down!"
The longer Chekov yelled, the more likely the hunters were to spot them.
Somehow the young Russian managed to calm down and with wide eyes he stared at his captain.
"Very good," the latter assured him.
"M-my foot. I-it hurts so bad."
It was no more than a whimper that left Chekov's mouth, and Jim nodded in understanding.
"I know, Pavel. I know."
His gaze slid back down to the trap. He could manage to break it open with a stone, but... he realized it would cause Pavel infinite pain.
"We have to get your foot out of there."
Kirk tried to sound as calm and reasonable as possible, but Chekov shook his head in panic.
"N-no, please."
"Pavel, the Regorians will find us if we don't. They're probably on their way by now."
But Chekov continued to protest.
"It can't be done, sir. I-I can't."
"Oh yes, you can! I'm not going to leave you here."
The navigator would be far too easy a prey. The hunters could snatch him without much trouble.
"I know you can do this. I'd really like to think it over longer, but we have to hurry."
Without waiting for a response, Jim grabbed a rock and a broken branch.
Chekov just looked at him, sobbing over and over.
"You're going to put this stick in your mouth and I'm going to open the trap and get your foot out, okay?"
Naked panic was in Pavel's eyes, but he carefully grabbed the branch and placed it between his jaws.
A proud smile flitted across Jim's face as he knelt down and looked at the trap. Chekov would do it! He was, after all, a member of the Enterprise crew.
"On the count of three, I'm opening the trap, all right?"
Chekov nodded and Kirk began counting as he placed the stone.
"One..."
He sensed that Pavel was tense.
"Two!"
The sound of a branch cracking and a pained whimper cut through the silence.
"It's always better to be surprised, isn't it?"
Spock wandered up and down his prison. He knew the code for the lock, had seen it when one of the cages next to him had been opened, but even if he could open the lock, he would never get away unnoticed.
His gaze slid to the Regorians standing guard. There were only two left. The leader had disappeared a few minutes ago. The reasons for this, however, were unknown to the Vulcan.
The remaining guards were talking, not really paying attention to him, and a thought occurred to him.
If he broke the lock now and then pretended it was still closed, maybe he could lure one of the guards close enough to the cage to surprise them.
But he had to be quick.
Unnoticed, he entered the code and a soft sound told him that the lock was open.
"Excuse me."
The Regorians looked at him and just grinned.
"What is it?" one of them asked, getting to his feet.
"I think the lock has come loose."
It was the truth. And Spock was sure the rebels would check it out.
The men exchanged a look, then laughed.
"A fine prisoner. Instead of escaping, he tells us his cage is open. Not very smart."
"But most obliging."
The taller of the two Regorians approached, and just as he was inspecting the lock, Spock took his chance.
He reached through the bars and with a well-aimed nerve pinch on the neck, took out the rebel.
The other immediately jumped up and ran over, gun drawn, but Spock was faster.
He abruptly opened the door, which slammed right into the Regorian's face, and only a moment later, he had disarmed the rebel and sent him too into the realm of dreams with the Vulcan nerve pinch.
Spock looked around. Should he wait for the leader and try to overpower him as well, or should he go in search of the rest of the crew?
He decided on the latter.
His crew needed his help. And he would give it to them.
But before he could start running, a familiar face appeared right in front of him.
"What the- How did you escape?"
The leader! Oh well... Spock would have to take care of him first after all.
Scotty ran as fast as he could. He had to find Dr. McCoy and his hiding place.
His eyes were focused on the ground. He must not activate a trap under any circumstances! But how should he recognize them? Maybe they were very well camouflaged?
Just as he quickly turned a corner that would bring him closer to his goal, he saw something.
"Oh damn!" he hissed.
Regorians at eight o'clock!
He stopped in place and hid behind a tree, holding his breath.
They were not allowed to discover him!
Quietly, the Scotsman crept forward, this time in a different direction. He had to hide first and then he could continue searching.
But he did not pay attention.
His foot touched something and before he knew it, something big fell out of the trees above him.
Scotty felt something wrap around him and he got tangled in the holes.
A net!
Panicked, he tried to free himself, but he had no chance.
And only a moment later, he heard footsteps coming closer. He stopped struggling against the net and stared at the two Regorians approaching.
"I told you I heard something."
A wide grin was on the face of a female figure. The male Regorian next to her twitched his ears.
"You've always been the better hunter of the two of us," he replied, and if Scotty wasn't mistaken, the two seemed to be a couple. The male's eyes gleamed with delight as he eyed Scott up and down.
"Well then... I've been wanting to take you out to dinner again for a long time."
With his claws, the Regorian severed the web, which fell to the ground, but the female only sighed.
"Poor thing. Can't even fight us off."
Scotty stopped, frozen. He knew he didn't stand a chance anyway.
"How about another little hunting party? Twenty seconds head start?" the female suggested. Her companion just nodded.
"As you wish."
He gave Scotty a little push.
"Go on. Run along."
It was a sick game. Scotty knew that. But he would be foolish not to take every chance.
So he ran.
He heard the racing of his pulse and the beating of his heart before he became aware of the rustling and laughter behind him.
It hadn't been twenty seconds. Ten at the most.
His lungs burned as he made his way through the thicket.
He got farther than he expected before he was suddenly knocked to the ground.
"Gotcha!"
He tried to somehow wriggle out of the male Regorian's grip, but it was no use.
"Go on, you deserve the first bite."
Scotty saw the female rebel get down on her knees next to him and grab his arm.
Smiling, she cut off the sleeve, exposing the white skin.
Scotty felt a chill run down his spine as he felt the rough tongue run down his arm. And then there was a sharp pain.
Teeth dug into his flesh, tearing it out, and he screamed in pain.
"So, how does it taste?" the Regorian's partner asked with interest.
But before she could give an answer, two shots suddenly rang out.
Both hunters fell to the ground and when Scotty sat up, he couldn't believe who he saw there.
"Doctor?"
Sulu tried to breathe as calmly as possible. Scott had hidden him in a thick bush, said he would be back as soon as possible.
It was killing him.
He could just lie there and do nothing. And he was alone with the horrible thoughts.
What about the others? How were they doing?
He had to think about Pavel. His friend had looked so scared when they had split up.
Sulu would have liked to stay with him, at his side. But then Chekov would probably have ended up like him. They both would have been doomed to wait for their end, unable to move, without hope.
No... it was good that Pavel was with Kirk. The captain would certainly look out for him.
Sulu trusted that Chekov was all right. That was the only reason he somehow managed to stay calm and sane.
When he heard noises, he simply closed his eyes. He knew it was the hunters and he could only hope they didn't find him.
Uhura leaned back hard against the wall. Every breath she took hurt.
McCoy had taken her to a cave, which they had miraculously found. He had wanted to take care of her, but the woman had sent him away.
McCoy had to stay within range of the others. And he had to look for the camp. He didn't have time to just keep her company and watch her die.
She knew she couldn't make it. The wounds were too severe. If help didn't come soon, she would be lost.
Part of her regretted sending McCoy away.
She was afraid. She didn't want to die alone. But if it might save the lives of the others, it would be worth it.
She forced herself to keep her eyes open. She couldn't sleep. Because then it would be over.
Jim did not let go of Chekov. He had been supporting the young navigator for quite a while now, but he knew they had to move forward.
Pavel was shaking violently. His face was pale.
The wound was infected for sure. That much was clear.
But what was Jim to do? He could have simply turned back and looked for McCoy, but he feared there was not enough time.
"Can you still go on?" he asked Chekov again, and he nodded slowly.
"Aye, sir, it... it's all right."
Kirk's heart grew heavy at the sight of the injured man. He should have taken better care of him. Chekov had trusted him and he had blindly let him walk into a trap.
Now he had to at least make sure that they found the sleeping place and could return home as quickly as possible.
"We can do this, Pavel. We'll make it."
Spock pointed the gun at his counterpart. He was not a man of violence, but he had to protect himself and his friends.
"Where have you been?" he asked a counter question and the rebel leader bared his teeth.
"I knew you weren't supposed to be playing along."
"This is not a game."
Spock's voice seemed almost chilly.
"You're threatening my crew. My friends. My captain. I demand an answer from you."
The leader just grinned.
"Well... I'll give it to you. Why wander far and wide when good things are so near?"
Spock raised an eyebrow. A human figure of speech? What was the Regorian getting at?
And suddenly it became clear to him.
The camp! It was not far away! It was right here.
"You cheated them."
The Regorian just laughed.
"Oh no... they were just too stupid to realize it. It's just too bad you won't tell them anymore."
With those words, the leader lunged at Spock and a fierce fight broke out.
"Okay... that should hold for now."
McCoy had taken off Scotty's red overshirt and used it to bandage the bleeding arm. It wasn't perfect, but now at least it looked a little more protected.
"What are ye doing here? Ye're supposed to be hiding. A-and where did ye get the gun?"
With a quick wave of his hand, McCoy cut the Scotsman off.
"No time for explanations. We have to find the sleeping place!" he ordered curtly and Scotty nodded, but shook his head a moment later.
"N-no... ye have to help Sulu first."
McCoy frowned. Sulu? How had Scotty met the helmsman if he had gone in a different direction?
"He... he fell into a trap and now his body is paralyzed. I told him I'd take ye to him."
McCoy swallowed. Another trap! Earlier he had learned from Uhura that she had fallen into the pit that lay at the site of the attack.
"I doubt I can do anything for him, but-"
McCoy didn't manage to finish the sentence because a Regorian suddenly appeared.
It was the rebel he had struck down!
With bared teeth, he glared at McCoy, obviously bent on revenge.
He immediately raised his gun and pulled the trigger, but was surprised to see that nothing happened.
With widened eyes, he stared at the useless thing and cursed.
It was empty!
"Run!"
With these words, he ran, pulling Scotty along with him. As fast as they could, they tried to escape, knowing that this plan would probably fail.
Jim and Pavel were taking a short break when suddenly a voice sounded in the captain's head.
He froze. It was Spock!
{"Jim! The camp is where they kept us!"}
Kirk blinked in irritation as he listened to his T'hy'las' words. But... if that was true, then... then they were all barking up the wrong tree!
He cursed loudly and Chekov gave him a puzzled look.
"Captain?"
"We have to get back! Now!"
Without further explanation, Kirk put Chekov's arm around his shoulder again and pulled him along.
There was no time to lose.
Spock did his best to fight off the rebel leader, but he was incredibly strong.
And on top of that, he fought with teeth and claws.
The Vulcan felt every single scratch and bite that was inflicted on him, but he blocked out the pain, just as he had been taught.
He could not let it affect him! He had to fight! He had to defeat the leader!
For himself. And for Jim and the others!
The captain knew about the sleeping place. Spock had used their mental bond to inform him of it.
Now he could only hope that Jim made it in time.
Scotty and McCoy ran as fast as they could, but it did them no good.
As the Regorian yanked the doctor to the ground, Scott also fell. He cried out as he fell on his injured arm.
But much worse than his own pain was the sight of the hunter running his claws across McCoy's chest.
Blood spurted from the deep wounds and McCoy screamed in agony. He grew louder with each scratch.
"Keep yer ugly claws off him, ye monster!"
Without thinking, Scotty lunged and slashed at the Regorian. He had to stop him!
With each step they took, the pain only became more unbearable and Pavel clenched his teeth tightly.
He could not give up. He had to hang on!
Even if he didn't know exactly what the captain was up to, he couldn't stop him by saying that he needed another break.
His field of vision was getting narrower and narrower. He didn't know how much longer he could even stay conscious, but he tried to stay strong and awake.
Suddenly Kirk stopped, and when Chekov raised his head, he also saw the reason.
Regorians! Three of them! One of them was the one who had almost attacked Pavel in the cage.
Shocked, the navigator shook his head.
"Well, well, well. I was hoping we'd run into you."
A broad grin was on the rebel's face and he licked his lips.
Immediately, Kirk took a step in front of Pavel.
"If you so much as touch him, then-"
"Then what? You are an incredibly weak species. You don't stand a chance against us."
Pavel tried to stand still without the captain's support. It was incredibly difficult for him, but he mustered the last of his strength.
"Let's see about that!"
Kirk lunged at the Regorians and Pavel would have loved to stop him.
One human against three of these monsters?! Surely he didn't stand a chance!
But James T. Kirk was just like that. He always had to try to play the hero.
Chekov leaned with his back against one of the trees. He blinked again and again.
He had to stay awake. He could not pass out!
He thought of Sulu. Was the helmsman all right? He prayed that he was. He didn't want to lose him.
And suddenly there was this paw on his neck, holding him down.
Teeth bared in front of him and he knew that it was the hunter who had it in for him.
His eyes slid down and he spotted a gun on the Regorian's belt and as the monster leaned in to rip his throat, Pavel grabbed the weapon with the last of his strength.
He pulled the trigger. Again. And again.
Then he collapsed.
Spock lay on the floor, having lost the upper hand in the fight. The weapons were out of reach. Both opponents had only their own body strength left.
Both were injured, blood in their faces.
The leader looked down triumphantly at Spock. Claws pressed into the Vulcan's neck, but did not yet shred it.
"Your species could have been the one. One of the few equal opponents. You fought well."
Blood flowed from the cuts on his neck.
"But not well enough."
Spock didn't answer, just stared at the rebel.
He had never wanted to be an opponent. He had only fought because he had wanted to save his crew.
As a Vulcan, he was a pacifist. It was far from him to be violent.
But his human half wanted nothing more than to simply kill the Regorian. He wanted to make him pay for what he did to his friends... what he did to his T'hy'la!
Spock closed his eyes and saw him before him. Jim.
As long as he lived, everything would be all right. As long as he lived, the crew would make it.
Spock was ready to die. As long as Jim lived.
"Let him go!"
That voice. It couldn't be, could it?
Slowly, the Vulcan opened his eyes and looked to the side.
There he stood.
Jim.
The captain had an unconscious Chekov in his arms and yet he somehow managed to point a gun at the rebel leader.
Slowly, he put down the navigator, his eyes menacingly fixed on the Regorian.
"I have found your sleeping place. The hunt is over."
Incredulous, the leader stared at Kirk as he slowly got to his feet.
"How is this possible?"
The Enterprise captain laughed humorlessly.
"The one place we would be guaranteed not to look, because we know that's where our hunters are. It... is only logical."
Spock nodded. He should have seen it sooner.
"So... we have won. End this hunt."
The leader moved closer and Jim put his finger to the trigger.
"Don't make me do this."
Spock knew Kirk would pull the trigger if he had to. What would the Regorian do now?
Sulu was afraid. The hunters were still creeping around the hiding place.
They knew he was there. They just knew it!
And they played with him like cats with a mouse. They knew they could kill him at any moment. Whenever they wanted.
The helmsman closed his eyes. He knew that his moment had come.
But suddenly there was a loud bang... and the Regorians ran away.
What the-
Uhura looked up at the evening-red sky as colorful fireworks lit it up as if from nowhere.
It... was beautiful.
She didn't know what it meant. Had they won? Had they lost?
Her eyes grew heavy. She just wanted to rest. Slowly, she gave in to fatigue.
A loud bang made Scotty stop in his beating. He looked up at the sky, where colorful rays suddenly flashed.
McCoy, too, stared at the luminous spectacle, blinking in confusion.
What was going on here?
Scotty's gaze wandered down to the rebel, who closed his eyes and smiled bitterly.
"Congratulations. You won."
Surprised, Scotty plopped down on his butt next to McCoy. Both men just looked up at the sky before laughing in relief and crying at the same time.
They had done it.
Jim stood next to Spock and looked at the rebel leader, who had just fired a flare telling his followers that the hunt was over.
They had done it. They had won!
"You will leave our home and never come back," the rebel repeated the words he had said at the beginning.
Jim just stared at him. He had been ordered by Starfleet to negotiate with the heads of the planet so that they would join the Federation. But under these circumstances, the situation looked quite different.
"I can guarantee you that we will definitely not return."
He did not plan to put his crew in such a situation again.
Whether another ship opened renewed negotiations was none of his concern. He would definitely warn the Fleet and the Federation about the rebels.
"Now let us go so we can find our people."
The rebel leader reached into a bag he had come to carry and pulled out communicators and insignia.
"Maybe they're still alive," he said, grinning maliciously, and Kirk glared at him.
He was quite sure of that. They were his crew. They were his best people. Nothing could defeat them.
~
They made it. Despite severe injuries, they were all found in time and treated aboard the Enterprise.
And once again, Jim knew he had the bravest and best crew a captain could ask for. And the best first officer.