10-73:

Beep.

Beep.

Beep—

Jim's eyes cracked open slowly.

Beep.

Painfully, he sat up from his position on the ground. His back twitched and his muscles screamed for him to stay still as they shuddered under his bruised skin. His bones gave a delightful pop and Jim let his shoulders slump forward with a sigh, exhaustion pulling him back down.

"Fuck…" Jim groaned and gingerly placed a gloved hand over the tender hole in his shoulder. Turning his head stiffly, he stared down at the dried patches of blood and sand and sweat. That's gotta be infected, he thought with a grimace.

Above him, one of the two suns blared, the second yet to show itself. Jim could feel the burn already cooking his outstretched legs. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rubbed them, trying to coax the ache out of his kneecaps. This action made his dick ached as his bladder had apparently doubled in size over night. For a moment, Jim thought of ripping his suit off just to be spared the humiliation of pissing himself.

Beep.

The tiny noise again resounded against the walls of his mask. With bleary eyes, Jim blinked down at the bottom of his mask:

The words [O2 LVLS AT 32%. PLEASE REFILL] flashed up at Jim.

Jim felt his head buzz. It was true that the tanks had only been given enough oxygen to last (maybe) two days, but even then that was a stretch as the pure Vulcan heat around him made Jim gasp for air. He'd down the remainder of the tank before the day was over.

"God dammit," Jim snarled and leaned forward slightly to reach back and feel the tank that clung to his back. It hung there almost mockingly.

He let his arms sag next to him and lay in the grass. He blinked over at the large display of brightly colored plants and stones that covered the garden. The sight reminded him how bright Iowa could get during the summers. Jim sniffed and let his eyes slide over to the bush of red buds that brushed up against the rounded rock Spock had fallen asleep on—

Spock!

Jim felt his entire body freeze up.

Spock—Spock, Spock, Spock! Holy shit!

Jim stared at the vacant rock for a second more before sliding his legs under the weight of his gear-covered body and pushing, rocking himself into a standing position. He tripped slightly then steadied.

"No…" Jim whispered, holding back the urge to hyperventilate as his O2 levels changed to 31%. He lolled his head to the side, searching frantically. He went side to side and back again; all he saw were plants.

"Spock!" Jim yelled, throat immediately tightening causing Jim to cough roughly in his mask. "Fuck—Spock!"

Silence answered him.

Images swamped Jim's mind without pause: Spock wandering off and being captured; Spock struggling against a band of Romulans as they hold him down and place a gun to his head; Spock's dead body lying on the side of a street, bright human eyes lifeless.

Jim yelled for the Vulcan again as he took off running as fast as his sore legs would carry him. His boots kicked up dust from the winding walkway as he sped around bushes and trees and—

"SPOCK!" Jim screamed until his throat trembled.

He was nowhere, fucking nowhere.

Jim's breath came out shallow and uneven. He stood looking wildly around in the middle of the walkway until he grabbed the comm. dangling by his backside with his hand. Franticly, Jim ripped the speaker cable out of the comm.'s compartment and slapped the machine on. "Chekov?!" he barked into the cable.

Static filtered out of the comm.

"Chekov, I've lost Spock!" Jim yelled. "I-I fuckin' lost him! Find his coordinates! Chekov?!"

Jim's eyes itched. "I lost him—"

"Lieutenant."

Jim spun around as a muffled voice came from behind him.

Spock stood there with his back straight and arms tucked behind his back. He stared at Jim before tilting his head to the side. "You are awake." He looked at the cable in his hands. "You are contacting Mr. Chekov?"

Jim felt his jaw go slack as he gawked blankly over at the other. His voice came out hushed and tight, "Spock…where were you…?"

Spock lifted his chin. "I was observing the area. I awoke from meditation 2.4 hours before you. As you were in need of rest, I did not wake you."

Relief and alivealivealiveokayhe'salive! filtered through Jim's brain. Dropping the cable, Jim closed the distance between them and grabbed Spock's thin arms in both hands—holding him, planting him in his spot. He squeezed his fingers around the Vulcan's small frame and shook. "Never again!"

Past the fog his breath made on his mask, Jim could see Spock go ridged in his grip, muscles tense.

"You will not leave my sight, okay? Never! Never leave my sight!" Jim barked, using every ounce of the building energy in him to shake the living hell out of the boy.

Spock's eyes clouded with confusion and alarm before steeling themselves. Swiftly, he ripped his arms away from Jim and took five steps back. He glared at Jim darkly from beneath slanted brows. "You will refrain from touching me, Lieutenant," he said, voice rumbling like a storm through his mask.

Slowly, Jim caught his breath and the buzz under his skin dissipated. He swallowed before saying, "You've got to work with me here, okay? You've got to. You can't just walk off without me. When you're awake, I'm awake. That's how this thing's going to work."

Spock face remained hard. He took another step away.

Jim felt his heart drop. He looked away and pulled up the helpless cable that dangled at his side. "I'm here to protect you," he mumbled as he slipped the cable back into the comm. He looked back at Spock. "I can't do that if you're not with me."

"I am not a child," Spock responded quickly.

Jim felt like scoffing. "Yeah? Well, you are to me."

Spock's eyes narrowed and his mask sighed. He dropped his head and turned his back on Jim. "I am sorry for causing you concern, Lieutenant," he said briskly.

Jim stared at the back of the boy's head with a small smile—yet the smile fell as he caught a glance of his oxygen levels. They read 26%. "Shit," he muttered, he'd burned up too much… "We gotta get out of the city or at least to one that hasn't been bombed."

At this, Spock turned back around, pale face vacant of any emotions that could have been there. "Agreed." He gestured down the walkway. "The exit to the gardens is this way. I calculate that if we walk for the remainder of the day, we will reach the port by tomorrow morning."

Jim nodded. "Cool, cool…" he paused to listen to his mask beep again. He sighed and jerked up the tank on his back. "Lead the way, kid."

Spock tilted his head quickly before turning and striding down the walkway.

0-0-0

Jim felt a pang of sadness when they stepped out of the gardens and into wreckage of East ShiKahr. There were no trees or happy little flowers or grass out here; everywhere Jim looked, there were mounds of fucking dirt and the jagged shapes of towering buildings that blocked out the suns.

Casting one last look over at the gardens, Jim turned and jogged up next to Spock. "Remember," he said, "work with me. I tell you to duck, you fucking duck, and so on, 'kay?"

Besides him, Spock's eyebrows twitched. "Yes. I will…evade oncoming threats if you instruct for me to do so."

Jim smirked. "We're getting to understand each other, huh?"

"…I am growing accustom to your sizeable usage of profanity if that is what you are implying to," Spock answered.

Jim's smile stretched. "Hah, yeah…"

Ahead of them, a lopsided building casted a long shadow across the street. Jim quickened his paces slightly so that Spock walked behind him. Jim took in a sharp breath when they reached a slight turn in the street. He put a hand out.

"Stay here for sec," he said to Spock.

Jogging lightly, Jim reached the side of a building the curve went around. He leaned on it and peered around the corner. An empty cul-de-sac stared back at him. Large buildings with pointed tops circled the clearing like silent guards. Everything was quiet except the slow drip drip drip that came from a bent fountain standing in the center. Jim felt a shiver go up his spine.

He looked back at Spock and flicked his hand. "It's a dead end."

Spock looked out into the cul-de-sac. "Not entirely." He pointed a slim finger to a building Jim could barely see. "The structure there is the academy that I study at. The academy is facing in the direction of the port."

"You go to an academy?"

Spock shot Jim a look.

Jim put his hands up defensively. "Okay. So, ah, at least we're going in the right direction." He shifted his tank and comm. before taking a slow step into the clearing. Jim waited—for anything really, maybe another surprise bullet—but nothing came.

He sniffed and walked all the way to the fountain. Jim stared. It was a rectangular slab of black marble with a circular base. The water the fountain held was murky and specked with pellets of dirt and rubble. The drip continued to echo. Jim watched the beads of water slide down the slab before mixing with the dark pool below.

"Hmm," Jim could feel Spock come up behind him as he placed his hand on the Vulcan words engraved in the slab. His gloved finger traced the letter. They were the same inscriptions as on the wall-hanging in the first home that he and Spock went to. Jim turned his head, "Hey, what does this mean—"

In a blur, Jim's world spun as something hard slammed into his side. Jim let out a groan when his body collided with the ground and slid, stopping finally only for his shoulders to be pinned down. Knees and hands and weight lay on top of Jim's chest, causing his lungs to shrink away and tightened. A small gasp escaped him as a cold line was placed to the side of his neck.

Steam clouded the outside of Jim's mask as the weight on him shifted closer to his face. Jim flinched his head back, burying himself in the confines of his mask. He (tried) to struggle, but the body on him was dense and unmovable. As the steam cleared, Jim could finally see the sharp grey eyes looking down at him.

The mask on his assailant's face sighed. "Tu kic'blu tor tev-tor, kre'nath?" he growled in Vulcan.

Jim's eyes bugged as a rumbling voice boomed above him. "WHAT?!"

The Vulcan turned his hand and pressed the knife at Jim's neck closer. Grey eyes narrowed, dimming the fire that they held. "Lau tu ket'lio k' t'nash-vehsular."

Jim watched, frozen, as the Vulcan pulled back the knife then brought it back down.

"Rai!"

It took every ounce of Jim's self-restraint not to piss in his suit as the knife stopped only millimeters from his neck. He gasped in a large lungful of air as the Vulcan pulled back from his chest.

The Vulcan looked over at Spock with raised eyebrows. Soon, his eyes squinted. "Spock?"

Jim gulped down air, ignoring the fact that the warning in his helmet now read 20%. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched Spock step closer to them. "To-sai?"

The Vulcan's knees jabbed into Jim's thighs as he pushed off of him. Standing, he towered over him. He shot Jim a look before walking over to Spock and taking his face in his hands. "Spock… Qual se tu?"

Spock nodded slowly. "Ah."

"Ah," the larger Vulcan sighed, leaning in and placing his forehead to Spock's. His eyes slid shut and they stood in silence.

Hacking, Jim managed to sit up. He rubbed at the two sore spots on his thighs and gawked over at the two Vulcans. "What the fuck?!" he yelled.

At this, both Vulcans opened their eyes. The larger one turned and fixed Jim with a cold glare while Spock blinked down at him. "Lieutenant, this is Tos. He is my third cousin."

Stiffly, Jim pushed himself off the ground. He swallowed as he caught his breath. "Well, that's fucking great, but why'd he have to attack me?!"

"Forgive me, Lieutenant," Tos replied in flawless English. "I did not know you were Human or that you were aiding one of my relatives."

Jim brushed off the dust that had collected on his suit. "OH, well in that case I guess it's all good," he bit out sarcastically.

Tos gave Jim a disapproving look then turned back to Spock. "I thought you dead."

"As did I," Spock replied.

"And what of your mother?"

Jim felt his gut tightened as Spock's face froze up. "She didn't make it," he said.

Tos turned to him with a questioning look before dipping his head. "Tushah nash-veh k'du," he whispered at Spock. "She was an honorable woman."

There was a moment of hesitation in Spock's words. "…Yes."

Jim scanned Spock's face before stepping forward so that his body was wedged between Spock's and Tos's. "So, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

He felt his nerves calm down slightly when Tos stepped back. The Vulcan glanced Jim up and down. "I have been looking for survivors," he started. "However, my wife, T'Lareth, and I have yet to be successful in this quest," he paused, "until now."

"Your wife?" Jim looked around. "Where is she?"

Tos cocked his head to the side. "We have taken shelter in my sa'mekh'al's home." Jim watched the hulking alien gesture to the side of the cul-de-sac. "Please, follow me there. I do not wish to stay out in the open longer than necessary."

Jim shared a glance with Spock before nodding. "That would be awesome."

Tos's mask huffed and he turned, sweeping his arm around his side and sliding his long knife into the sheath at his hips. "This way," he rumbled.

Jim waited until Spock took the first step. "When we get there, I'll try to contact Chekov, see how our coordinates are holding up."

Spock nodded his head slightly. "A wise idea, Lieutenant."

"A wise idea, Jim?" Jim smirked.

Spock blinked but did not answer. He continued to walk after his cousin.

0-0-0

Tos held open the small curtain to the room open for Jim and Spock. Jim ushered Spock in then followed, bumping into the boy as he had stopped to discard of his shoes. Spock flashed him an annoyed look.

Jim looked down at his boots before sighing. "Fine." With some effort, Jim managed to sit on the floor of the doorway and gripped at one of his boots. With a grunt, he ripped the boot off and threw it at the corner where Spock had placed his. The air in the stone house brushed against Jim's blistering foot, making him shiver. He pried the other boot up and stood.

"This way," Tos said, leading him and Spock deeper into the house.

They followed and soon entered a rather large living room. The windows were covered with thick red drapes and the only furniture anywhere was a low table with a bowl of incense sitting on it. Jim stopped abruptly as he caught sight of the slender women who sat on a cushion near the table.

She sat with her hand folded in her lap, back perfectly straight. Her thin delicate face was covered by the bulk of a filter-mask. Jim let his eyes glance down at the woman's rounded stomach. She must have caught him staring as her slow voice broke through her mask, "I am expecting in 12.5 days."

Jim smiled. "That's…that's great."

T'Lareth tilted her head at him. "Thank you. You are Human."

Tos came and sat on the cushion next to his wife. He placed a large hand over the woman's stomach. Jim followed as Spock also took a seat around the low table. "I, ah, am Human," Jim answered.

T'Lareth studied him for a moment before turning her gaze to Spock. "Nashaut, Spock."

Besides Jim, Spock bowed his head. "Nashaut."

"This is Lieutenant…" Tos began. He looked at Jim sharply.

Jim blinked before shaking his head. "Ah… I'm Lieutenant James T. Kirk."

Tos dipped his head. "Lieutenant Kirk has been escorting Spock," he said to his wife."

T'Lareth's eyes glinted. "How honorable of you, Lieutenant."

"It's my job," Jim shrugged.

"And what is your occupation?"

Jim noticed Spock glance at him out of the corner of his eye. He sifted on his cushion. "I work for the Federation Special Operations Command—Alpha Team, to be specific."

There was a pause in the conversation. "And where are your teammates, Lieutenant?" T'Lareth asked.

Jim's gut tightened.

"Ready?"

He heard Pike's voice drift through his head before vanishing in a blaze of fire. Jim shook his head. "Th-They died…in a crash."

His family died in a crash…

"Forgive me," T'Lareth said quickly. She rested a hand on top of her stomach, just brushing Tos's. "There has been too mush death this last week. My own sister was killed in Gol the day it was attacked."

Jim nodded and looked down at his lap. Too much death, he thought. He looked over at Spock.

Yeah, too much.

A deep growl suddenly filled the room. Jim's cheeks flared as the three Vulcan's stared over at him. He placed a hand over his stomach. "Ah…I haven't eaten in a while."

Tos cocked an eyebrow. "We are experiencing the same complication, Lieutenant."

"There is food," T'Lareth added, "yet we are unsure of its edibility. Our masks are also hindrances when dealing with the consumption of food." The woman looked down at her stomach. "I am…concerned that this absence of nutrition will affect my child."

"Nonsense," Tos glared at his wife. He slipped his hand off her stomach and stood. He looked down at Jim. "I overheard that you were in need of contacting a "Mr. Chekov." You may do so now."

With that, Tos left the room through another curtained entrance.

Jim stared after the Vulcan before looking back at T'Lareth. She caught his eyes then closed hers. "My husband has taken to…excessive prayer as of late. He thinks the Gods will help us through this war."

Spock finally broke his silence with a, "Do you not share his beliefs."

T'Lareth stared at Spock with a steady gaze. "My loyalty in the Gods have, admittedly, faltered. I find it reasonable that Tos still prays, yet I find it a…" she stopped and flicked her eyes to the side and back, "waste of my time."

Jim saw Spock swallow. "I too have disregarded prayer, yet far earlier than the events of this war."

"May I implore why?"

Spock's eyes slid shut. "I… My mother and father presented me with two separate religions. Because of this, my views on all religious practices were impaired." He paused. "I trust in logic and fact, not invisible beings."

T'Lareth let out a hmm. "Indeed. And what are your views, Lieutenant, if I may ask?"

Jim felt Spock's eyes glance at him. He stiffened. "Ah, I-I feel the same way as Spock," he shrugged. He felt Spock's eyes again. "I mean, I went through the same 'two-religions-in-one-house' type deal. My mom was an atheist and my stepdad was a good ol' Baptist boy. One tried to shovel the Gospel down my throat and the other wouldn't even talk about it so…ya know, I don't really have an opinion..."

Jim's voice faded as it stuck in his throat and the room went silent. He'd never spilled anything like that before—and Spock's eyes were still digging, digging for more of Jim than Jim would like him to see. T'Lareth stroked her stomach. "I believe the expression is, "To each his own."."

The eyes fell away and suddenly Jim could breathe again…

Jim jumped in his seat as Tos strode into the room. T'Lareth tilted her head up at him but said nothing, she continued to touch the barrier between her and her child. Tos looked around the room before sitting. He crossed his legs and placed both palms on his knees. He looked at Jim. "Lieutenant, have you finished contacting your acquaintance?"

Jim blinked over at the Vulcan before cursing. He fiddled with the comm. on his back and pulled it around so that it sat on the table. "I'll do that now," he muttered, pulling the speaker cable out and pressing the 'POWER' button. The comm.'s screen buzzed to life. Jim put the cable next to his mask. "Mr. Chekov? This is Lieutenant Kirk, do you read?"

Static filled the room.

Jim frowned over at Spock and tried again.

More static.

"There is a possibility that the person you are trying to contact is unavailable at the moment," T'Lareth piped up when Jim put the cable down.

"That or all communication from and to Vulcan has finally been severed," Tos added.

T'Lareth flashed a glare over at her husband. She turned softer eyes to Jim. "A delay in transmission might also be the cause…"

Jim looked up from the comm. as T'Lareth trailed off. He frowned when he saw her sitting motionless, sharp ears twitching. "What?" he asked, eyes traveling over to Tos. He mimicked his wife—still, listening.

Jim leaned back in confusion and looked over at Spock. The boy sat like a statue, ears pricked. Jim's stomach sank as he realized he'd seen Spock do this before. "What, Spock?" he demanded.

The small Vulcan's eyes shifted from their distant stare to lock with Jim's. Jim shook his head. "Spock wha—"

Before Jim could finish, Spock launched himself at him, toppling both of them over and pinning Jim's body to the ground. Jim's teeth bit down on his tongue hard, causing blood to swell up in his mouth. He tensed under Spock. "What…"

Jim managed to see Tos pulling up T'Lareth from her seat, his eyes wide and panicked, before there was a hissing and the world turned to smoke.

0-0-0

Jim blinked and blinked against the cloud of brown that swamped over his mask. He could hear crumbling and breaking and screaming but couldn't move. He twisted, disoriented in the murk, and reached out a blind hand. His fingers latched around something firm.

"Spock?!" Jim shouted, shapes blurring together through the smoke.

"I am here," Spock answered and Jim tensed as a hand met his.

Jim coughed as his throat was suddenly sore. He lifted his free hand so that it was right in front of his face, yet the smoke was so dense, so fucking thick. "Wh-What happened?! I can't see anything!"

The hand on his gripped harder. "Nor can I, Lieutenant. We were bombed." Spock tugged his arm. "We must evacuate the building immediately."

Jim blinked and breathed and blinked and turned and looked. "This is Cloud 9?" he shook. He was so lost, not even Spock's grip could help him find his way. There was a beep, his mask warning him to slow down. His percentage was reaching 5%. Jim took in a shaky breath. "Where're the others?!" he managed.

From somewhere, Spock's mask huffed. "I do not know. At the moment my eyes are shut." Jim was jerked to the side as Spock pulled him. "We must go."

Jim blinked and patted his free hand on the ground. He pushed himself up and stood. He turned his head, but all there was was smoke.

A beep.

4%.

"Follow me, Lieutenant," Spock called out from the murk. Jim was tugged to the left…or the right, he didn't know. The world was upside down.

A beep.

3%.

Slowly, Jim lifted his bare foot and stepped forward. He did this again, yet this time his foot stamped down on a chard of something. Jim yelled.

Beep.

2%.

There was another tug and Jim shuffled along with the debris sticking from the sole of his foot. He cringed as it dug deep. "Spock?" Jim called. He took a step then fumbled, losing Spock's hand.

Beep.

1%.

"Lieutenant!" Spock's voice called out sharply.

Jim looked around from his spot on the ground. He reached out his hands, crossing them in the air and uncrossing them, searching for something. He flinched back as his hand touched something soft.

Beep.

[O2 LVLS DEPLETED/ O2 LVLS DEPLETED/ O2 LVLS DEPLETED.]

Jim gasped as suddenly his mask seemed to close around him. He was breathing in nothing.

Patting his hand out again, Jim's fingers connected to the soft object. He panted as he felt around more, feeling a bulk and then and nose—eyes. A shiver shot up Jim's arms as he slid his hand under the head of the faceless body he touched. His chest tightened constantly as his fingers fumbled with the small latches of the filter-mask. Jim gasped and held and ached. He finished with the last clasp and ripped the mask off.

Clenching his teeth together and shutting his eyes, Jim ripped his mask off, throwing it far out into the smog, hearing it hit the ground and shatter. It jerked him slightly to the side as the tube connecting it and the empty tank tautened. Jim's face turned a bright red as he continued to shut off his lungs while he desperately slipped out of his tank. He threw it.

In one quick movement, Jim slapped the filter-mask in his hand to his mouth and breathed. One rough cough after another shook him was his itching lungs down clean air. Jim's shaky fingers latched the clasps of the mask together behind his head. He drank the air that rushed over his lips and nose.

Then, gradually, Jim's eyes blinked open.

The smoke had thinned, but it still hung to the air like a disease. Jim squinted against it before looking down. His stomach churned as Tos's lifeless face stared back at him.

His eyes were bulging out of his skull, wide and stricken with fear. His mouth was hanging open limply, a small line of green blood sliding from its corner. Jim let his eyes travel up to the large dent in the Vulcan's forehead where debris had struck him.

Jim gave a breathy groan and shut his eyes. "Fuck." he sniffed and patted at Tos's still chest. "Fuck."

"Lieutenant…"

Jim's eyes shot open as T'Lareth's voice called out to him.

Crawling, Jim dragged himself over to the woman who laid only feet away from her husband. "Oh, Jesus!" Jim cried as he got a good look at the large fragment of wall that pinned the Vulcan to the ground.

T'Lareth's sharp eyes stared up at him now dim and glossy. She had one hand on her stomach while the other flopped at her side, clawing to get at Jim.

He grabbed it. "Oh my God…" he whimpered.

T'Lareth said nothing, but blinked up at Jim with a look that he could not place. He watched her move her hand from his belly to slide the mask on her face down past her chin. Jim blinked in awe at the woman's face, now unhidden, completely open. She stared up at him.

"T… T'Karik…" she whispered.

Jim's eyes widened. "What?"

T'Lareth blinked then the corner of her mouth curled. "T'Karik. That's what I wanted to name her…" Jim watched as T'Lareth rubbed at her stomach. "That's…her name…"

Bile burned up the sides of Jim's throat as an itch stormed the back of his eyes. He tightened his hold on the woman's hand and nodded.

"It means strong-lady…" T'Lareth whispered, eyes rolling back in her head slightly.

Jim didn't know what to say, so he kept nodding.

"Hmm…" T'Lareth's chest rose and fell with a small sigh.

Jim almost vomited when her eyes fluttered shut. Hissing through his teeth, Jim let go of T'Lareth's hand and rocked back. He gripped at his head, squeezing, trying to somehow crush the pain in his skull. He hissed again as his body shook.

"Don't be afraid, James…"

"Lieutenant!"

Jim jumped as a hand slammed down on his shoulder. Whipping his head around, his bleary eyes found Spock's.

The boy stared at him through half hooded eyes. "We must go!"

Jim shot T'Lareth's body one last look before stiffly standing up and leaning into Spock. The Vulcan grunted then pushed Jim away. "Quickly," he snapped and took off. Jim followed, bloody feet barley registering in his mind.

Spock led them through the jagged opening in the building the bomb had left. Jim watched him jump the rubble that blocked the opening and he did the same, a large rock slicing up his thigh in the process. Jim stumbled to a stop behind Spock as the boy looked around.

The small area of buildings was covered in a blanket of twisted smoke. Other houses were now piles of smoldering wreckage. Jim blinked against the burn the haze created over his eyes and looked up. In the distant murk of the sky, a rotorcraft flies away, smoke trailing from its rear. He coughed as Spock snapped, "We will go to the academy."

Jim coughed again. "Just go!"

Spock's mask huffed before he darted to the side, rushing down the foggy street, bare feet slapping against the ground. Jim followed, gripping at the sore in his shoulder and the cut in his leg.

They ran until the broke through to the cul-de-sac. Jim froze for a moment to gawk at the completely demolished fountain that once stood there; the drip no longer sounded. "Lieutenant!" Spock shouted.

Jim blinked then ran after Spock, desperately trying to ignore the distant sounds of more bombs being dropped and more lives being taken.

Chapter 7! Ugh, this was lovely to write.

(Rough Translation:)

"Tu kic'blu tor tev-tor, kre'nath?" - "You have come to die, bastard?"

"Lau tu ket'lio k' t'nash-vehsular." - "May you burn like my people."

"Rai!" - "No!"

"To-sai?" - Other way to say Tos.

"...Quel se tu?" - "...Is that you?"

"Ah." - "Yes."

"Tushah nash-veh k'du," - "I grieve with thee."