EDIT: FAIL. I FAIL. I have no skills and deleted the chapter. Here it is again.

When they beamed down to the planet over twelve hours ago, the landing party, consisting of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and a security detail, thought it would be simple. Initial scans showed no life forms and upon looking around, they all seemed to agree. There was some flora scattered about, but generally, the entire landscape was dominated by yellow rocks and craggy mountains.

In the distance, Kirk spotted something resembling an obelisk. It was not as refined as many of the ones the landing party had seen before, but it still indicated some sort of intelligent design. Whether or not that intelligent life was still around, nobody knew. Regardless though, it merited further examination more because Kirk was not eager to examine more chartreuse rocks. The color hurt his eyes after a while.

The small group traversed the dusty malpai, Spock pausing ever so often to scan a particularly interesting rock from one of the canyon walls, until they approached the obelisk. It was yellow, much like the surrounding rock, but much more faded and worn by the harsh desert winds. Kirk watched his first officer shift all his attention from the rock to the obelisk. Immediately, with tricorder in hand, Spock began eagerly scanning the monument. Kirk really did not know what was so interesting about the barren planet.

"More yellow rocks…why is it so damn yellow here?" Kirk asked.

Spock was prepared to explain the composition of the rock, but was interrupted by a large tremor. In the process of scanning, McCoy was unprepared for the shockwave and stumbled onto his rear side. A security officer helped him to his feet while looking around nervously. Small rocks broke off from the nearby cliff faces and seemed to imply that more rocks, and larger ones at that, were on their way.

"We need to get out of here before another shockwave-"

Before the security officer could finish her suggestion, another tremor coursed through the ground. Whipping out his communicator, Kirk hailed the Enterprise.

"Scotty, we need out of here now!"

Instead of hearing the chief engineer's voice, there was a wash of static. Kirk frowned and tried to hail the ship again. This time, he got a garbled response.

"Captain…seismic…transporter…signal lost…"

"Dammit, Scotty! Scotty, can you hear me?!" he continued to yell into the communicator.

"It would appear something is interfering with communications."

McCoy shot Spock an annoyed glare.

"No shit, Sherlock. What are we going to do?" the doctor growled.

"I believe we should reach open ground as soon as possible. The amount of debris from the cliffs is increasing."

Despite the higher frequency of seismic activity, Spock remained frustratingly neutral through the whole ordeal. Kirk wondered if he really was that calm or just hiding it really well. Whatever the case, he knew he had to keep it together since he was the captain. He quickly surveyed the surrounding area and decided the route they came from was the best bet.

"Backtrack people!" Kirk made sure the others were on the move before bringing up the rear. "Ooh, serpentine motion! Serpentine motion!"

Even though they were running and dodging falling yellow rocks, Kirk still found a way to not be serious. McCoy rolled his eyes, but still went with it while Spock just arched a single eyebrow. He had no idea why that would be funny or even helpful considering the fact that their route was narrow and most definitely did not allow for any serpentine motion.

So far, nobody managed to get squished by a yellow rock, which Kirk was happy for since that would have been one way to die he did not want to be known for. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep moving forward, especially when the tremors continued to keep them off balance.

When they were approaching the end of the canyon, the landing party thought they would be in the clear. But, when something started to go wrong, it continued to go wrong. One of the security officers, the young woman who had helped McCoy, tripped and fell during a particularly rough shockwave. She let out a small yelp as she fell. Looking over his shoulder, Kirk used his momentum to pivot on his heel and backtrack to the fallen officer. Seeing the captain run past him in the opposite direction confused Spock, who in turn, went after his captain. He could vaguely hear McCoy yelling some obscenity as he too went to Kirk and the security officer.

She ran with a slight limp and was trying her best to keep up, but the shifting ground made it near impossible for her to move at a reasonable pace.

"Captain, just leave, I'll follow behind. I-"

Kirk quickly cut her off.

"Shut up and keep moving. I'm not leaving anybody."

He examined her out of the corner of his eyes and contemplated the possibility of carrying her. Unfortunately, he did not think it would change much. She was a little shorter than he was but with a build many a man would be envious of. He could see why she was in security. In the end, he did not have to worry though.

"Excuse me."

Spock still managed to be polite in the middle of a life and death situation as he hefted the officer over his shoulder with perfect ease.

"It would be prudent to increase our pace."

Nodding his head once in agreement, they picked up their pace. In the distance, Kirk and Spock could make out the forms of the other security guards waiting impatiently outside the mouth of the canyon. McCoy was standing a little further in making a frantic waving motion.

"Hurry your asses up now!" he shouted.

Barely avoiding a falling chunk of rock, Kirk dodged to the side and stumbled, but kept moving forward. Right as they approached the end, the largest tremor by far, knocked a set of boulders off the top of the cliff. Eyes widening, McCoy acted on instinct and dove out of the way. Also responding on instinct, Spock more or less threw the security officer the rest of the distance before the boulders completely blocked the exit.

"Captain! Commander Spock! Doctor!"

Kirk was aware that the security personnel on the other side of the rockslide were yelling for them, he could not respond right away as the air was permeated by a thick yellow dust. He heard coughing to his side and waved his hand in front of his face in a vain attempt to see.

"Bones?! Spock!" he was able to rasp out.

"Jim, you okay?" the doctor's voice echoed from somewhere.

"Yeah. You?"

"Peachy. Just peachy."

The irritable tone was evident in McCoy's voice and Kirk knew his best friend was perfectly fine.

"I do not understand why you two are yelling so loudly. You are standing less than four feet apart." a subdued, calm voice interrupted their conversation.

The dust finally began to settle and Kirk was able to see that he was indeed standing very close to the doctor. The two gazed at each other with a relieved grin.

"Huh…maybe that crash affected my hearing?" Kirk asked. He figured either McCoy or Spock would know the answer.

"Yeah, my ears are ringing too. How about you, Spock?" McCoy asked as he rubbed his ear.

"My hearing is in optimal condition." Spock immediately answered.

Kirk looked to his other side to see unflappable first officer watching him and McCoy curiously. Other than some dust, Spock looked as prim and proper as ever. It was a mystery of mysteries how he managed to do that. Kirk would have to look into that.

"Hey, security, you people still alive?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, not noticing the slight cringe from Spock.

"Yes, Captain, we're all accounted for. Just hang on and we'll have you out of there in no time. The tremors seemed to have stopped!" somebody yelled back.

Sure enough, he was right. The ground was no longer shaking and everything was back to the quiet emptiness it was when they first arrived.

"Fascinating." Spock stated. "It would appear that the seismic activity we experienced was artificially created."

McCoy crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

"Wait, that implies something or someone had to have done that."

Spock nodded.

"Indeed, you are correct, Doctor." Spock replied.

"Then it looks like this planet isn't as empty as we first thought." Kirk finished the hypothesis. "What if there is life here, but they live, say, underground?"

"Subterranean civilization…a logical assumption. We can also assume that the natives possess either skills or technology in order to create seismic activity." added Spock.

"Ooh, subterranean…maybe like mole men!"

"Mole men?"

Both Spock and McCoy asked simultaneously and regarded Kirk with a cocked brow. It took a lot of effort for him not to cringe. It was bad enough when one of them did it. When both of them did it, it had a synergistic effect. On the other hand, Kirk was able to get back at them when mole-like creatures broke through the cliff faces and from the ground. McCoy blanched at the sight and was torn between horror at the aggressive looking natives and the fact that Kirk was gloating.

A series of barks and squeaks emanated from the largest of the natives. The leader stood a head taller than Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and easily dwarfed them in build. Small, beady eyes shimmered in the light of day while the mottled dark brown fur rustled lightly in the breeze. The snout kept twitching every which way as the leader, once again, let out a series of barks and squeaks. It sounded angrier this time. The leader swung his paw forward menacingly.

Now the three officers understood why they did not carry any weapons. Their limbs were short, but damn if they were not large. Sharp claws attached to thick, short digits, which connected to a large pad. The pinkish tone of the leader's paw was mottled with darker spots. It looked like it would be extremely painful to be hit by it. That was why, Kirk just settled for trying to make polite conversation.

"We come in peace." Kirk decided the classic line was the best one to use in this case. Hopefully they could understand him better than he could understand them.

More angry barks were his reply. He looked over at Spock who was just standing casually with his hands clasped behind his back. It took more effort to not be irritated by the blasé manner. Sensing the captain's eyes on him, Spock looked over at him questioningly.

"Got any bright ideas, Spock? I have no clue what we did to piss these guys off." he whispered harshly, not caring that they could not understand him.

"They do seem quite agitated. Perhaps they view us as trespassers." suggested Spock.

"They seem agitated? That's all you really have to say about them? And how the hell are we supposed to convince them we don't want to trespass?" McCoy growled. Unlike Kirk, he did not care to be quiet.

"I do not currently understand their language and they do not appear to understand standard. Therefore I do not know how to convey our regrets about trespassing."

"That was the longest, 'I don't have a clue' I have ever heard." Kirk said in all seriousness.

Before he could find a proper retort, Spock found himself suddenly on the ground seeing stars. The natives did not appreciate whatever it was they were doing. Now that Kirk thought about it, that last little bit was off topic. However, that did not mean they could clunk his first officer on the head with their massive paws. Kirk was about to just go with his initial instinct and fight them, but once again, he was thwarted by the leader's superior strength.

Faster than their bodies would indicate, the leader lunged forward and grabbed Kirk into a crushing bear hug. Well, he figured it was not a hug, but given the anatomy of the mole men things, that was about as good as they could do. He managed to turn his head and see the doctor placed in a similar embrace. McCoy looked absolutely chagrined at being hugged by a giant anthropomorphic mole. The one he was worried about though, was Spock. The Vulcan managed to pick himself off the ground, but moved slower and with less grace than he usually did. When he managed to stand up, he was immediately grabbed by another one and more or less dragged away along with the others.

The natives dragged them through one of the tunnels they bored into the cliff side. Kirk and the others continued to trip and snag their uniforms on stray rocks and protruding stone. Somehow, in the thickening darkness, the natives could maneuver just fine even though Kirk, Spock, and McCoy could see nothing. They traveled through darkness, weaving every which way until none of them knew what direction they were heading.

It was near blinding when they arrived in a large cavern and a steady stream of pale light broke through a hole high in the ceiling. Once Kirk's eyes adjusted, he realized the light was not that bright and the cavern was still covered in shadow. His eyes darted around, searching for a means of escape. As far as he could see, everything was darkness and twisting tunnels. Even if they managed to escape, it would do no good if they wound up lost for eternity or plummeted to their death in the various pits and abysses. So for now, Kirk decided to translate the dark glares Spock and McCoy were shooting him as "stay put and don't do anything stupid," and follow their advice. They were eventually tossed into the cell and left completely alone for hours.

"I hate you Jim. I hate you so much right now." Doctor Leonard McCoy growled.

Captain James T. Kirk held his hands up in a defensive manner not too many Starfleet captains had to do. Then again, not too many had this particular doctor.

"It's not like I planned on this."

He motioned vaguely to the area around them, which was not that much to look at. That tended to happen when one was locked in a large indentation carved out in the rocky wall. Everywhere he looked was the same yellowish stone. The only time there was a change in scenery was the electric field preventing his escape.

"How long have we been in here anyways?" Kirk deftly switched topics.

McCoy was not amused by his lack of tact, but remained silent for the time being. Admittedly, he was curious too. It felt as if days had gone by, even though he knew that was most probably untrue.

"We have been on this planet for twelve point four hours and have been confined in this cell for twelve hours." Spock promptly replied.

Currently, he was sitting calmly at the back of their cell with his eyes closed in meditation. Though his eyes were closed, Spock could easily detect the irritated sigh from McCoy and the soft groan from Kirk. He had to admit, twenty-four minutes was a painfully short time to have been free before being captured. Their frustration was understandable.

"So are they ever going to something? I'm getting stiff sitting on this rock." McCoy complained as he shifted his weight. No matter what he did, rocks were always digging into his back.

"Maybe they forgot about us." Kirk suggested.

"Highly improbable." Spock answered. "They are most likely deliberating as to what they will do with us."

Though Spock was merely stating a logical assumption, it still caused the two humans' shoulders to slump. They both feared the worst. Their treatment had not been the gentlest.

"…Are you-"

"Yes, Doctor. I am still awake as I just spoke to you four seconds ago." Spock interrupted McCoy's question sharply.

"Just checkin'." McCoy said with a smug grin.

Kirk rolled his eyes. The doctor had been asking Spock if he was still awake for the last twelve hours. When McCoy finally figured out Spock had a concussion as a result from the whack on his head, he sought out the most annoying ways to keep checking on him. More than once did Kirk have to mediate between the two when Spock began to look like he wanted to strangle the doctor, or at the very least, nerve pinch him. Thankfully, Spock still had exceptional control, but McCoy knew it too, so he figured he was fairly safe.

"You are always, 'just checking,' for the last twelve hours." Spock answered, his voice tight.

"I don't have anything better to do." McCoy defended.

"Sing another song if you wish…Regardless of the noise you call singing, it is more preferable to your inane questioning."

"But we already sang the ones we know." Kirk whined.

Spock fought the very human urge to roll his eyes and sigh. Instead, he reigned in his annoyance and calmly said,

"Then sing the illogical one about a merry boat…Perhaps the racket you make will draw their attention."

Kirk and McCoy shared an amused look between them. 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' was the first song they attempted to teach Spock during their captivity. He did not approve of 'such illogical lyrics when we are clearly nowhere near a stream' and he all but physically cringed when the two humans attempted to sing it in a round. Spock out right refused to participate. He also refused to sing about ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, especially since there was no actual alcohol on the wall. McCoy had asked him if he would prefer red balloons to beer. Spock did not know which one made less sense.

As the hours whittled away and Kirk and McCoy ran out of songs, they subjected Spock to a game called, 'I Spy.' Though Spock could understand the appeal behind such a game, it seemed utterly pointless in their current location. That did not deter Kirk or McCoy. They had soon moved on to games of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.' That actually proved to be an interesting use of time. After they had explained the purpose behind the game, Spock initiated a debate as to why a piece of paper could defeat a rock. It was far more productive and less surprising or embarrassing than when Spock had his hand continually smacked in some way by one of the three objects.

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…"

Spock allowed himself a small sigh. His thoughts were interrupted by the loud, and slightly off key, singing of Kirk and McCoy. Practice made perfect and Spock wondered why they were not perfect yet. They had plenty of practice and yet, Kirk and McCoy remained as discordant as ever.

"You are both singing in different keys…and you are not even in tune." Spock tried to prevent the little tic under his eye from showing. "…You are doing this to me on purpose."

Kirk grinned smugly.

"And who says you're oblivious? Seriously though, our captivity would be so much easier if these guys did something."

Spock tilted his head and strained to hear something. Kirk and McCoy leaned forward eagerly.

"It would appear your racket has drawn their attention." he replied calmly.

"Finally! Okay, what are we going to do?" Kirk asked conspiratorially.

"Listen and try to communicate with them." Spock answered promptly.

McCoy huffed and crossed his arms.

"Try to communicate with them? How do you propose we do that? Make squeaking noises and hope we say something right?!"

Kirk patted his frazzled friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. He looked over when he saw to of the natives trundle in. The three of them stood up. As the mole-like aliens approached, Spock quietly answered the doctor's question.

"Verbal communication is not the only means of communication."

McCoy was unconvinced and shot Kirk a questioning glare. Unfortunately, Kirk had no idea what Spock was talking about, let alone thinking. He could only shrug before they started making barking and squeaking noises. One of them made a move to grab Kirk, but was intercepted by Spock who grabbed the guard's large paw. Kirk practically cringed as he expected his first officer to be smacked in the head again, but slowly relaxed his tensed muscles when the guard backed off and made some bobbing head motion. Spock nodded his head once and followed the guard out.

Trying to follow him out of the cell, Kirk was a little more than miffed when the guard snorted in his face and roughly shoved him back in before sealing him in again. Both men watched Spock follow the guards out and disappear down a dark passageway.

"What the hell was that?" McCoy growled.

"How the hell should I know? It's not like he told me what he was doing." Kirk huffed back.

Just when it looked like a ripe opportunity for escape, a certain Vulcan had to get in the way. Then again, it was not like he had had a plan of escape, but that was a minor detail. Spock just decided to up and walk away with their captives and did not tell Kirk anything. He was the captain and he wanted to be kept in the loop. And so far, Spock was doing a fantastic job not keeping him in the loop. Now, once again, he was stuck with nothing to do and no closer to escaping. Plus, he no longer had a personal time keeper to tell him how many hours he was wasting away inside a mountain.

"So who would win in a fight; Spock or a mole man?" Kirk suddenly asked.

"In a fair fight, I'd bet on the green blooded computer…then again, maybe the moles got some ninja moves I'm unaware of?" McCoy speculated.

They settled into a silence as they actually considered what a fight would look like. They really needed to see the light of day again.

"…What do you think they're doing with Spock?" Kirk asked softly.

As angry as he was that his first officer was keeping something from him, Kirk was worried. He tapped his foot impatiently and tried to not think about it.

"I don't know. But I wouldn't worry. Spock seemed to have a breakthrough with our furry friends." McCoy replied with a wave of his hand.

Sure enough, soon as he spoke, a couple more mole guards came in. They opened the electric field locking them in. With a couple of squeaks and barks, far less intense than before, they made vague motions with their paws. Kirk correctly guessed they wanted them to follow. At least now, they were not man, or mole-handling them. Seeing as they were being treated with far more respect and courtesy than before, Kirk decided he would see where this all led. If he could help it, he really did want to avoid any altercations with the natives and establish peaceful relationships.

"Well I'll be damned…Told you he'd be fine."

They were back in the central cavern staring at Spock who was sitting cross-legged on the ground alongside a few mole natives. Kirk and McCoy slowly walked over to Spock, processing what was going on.

"You okay, Spock?" Kirk asked as he took a seat to the Vulcan's side.

"I am unharmed." Spock answered. "I have established basic communication with the Talpidae. It would appear we had desecrated their holy ground."

Kirk scratched his head.

"You mean that obelisk thing?"

"Yes, Captain. That was why we were greeted so aggressively."

As eh spoke, one of the natives clumsily patted Spock's head as if apologizing for the rough treatment. Spock allowed the contact as he continued.

"They were concerned we were here to conquer them and steal their treasures."

"You corrected them, right?" McCoy pressed.

"Affirmative. They apologize for our discomfort."

"I'd hardly call it-"

Kirk jabbed his elbow into McCoy's side. Sometimes his friend needed to remain silent. After making sure McCoy would watch his words, Kirk leaned forward and extended his hand with a smile.

"It's not a problem. I'm just glad everything's cleared up."

The largest native sitting nearby sniffed the offered hand. Kirk bit his bottom lip to keep form laughing. The bristly snout tickled the palm of his hand. After Kirk's hand was thoroughly examined, the native stuck out its large paws and sandwiched the hand between them. It looked at their hands a moment before tilting his head slightly to the side in puzzlement. Kirk carefully moved his arm up and down, guiding their hands into a clunky handshake.

"Friends." Kirk stated plainly.

He was not sure if the mole native could understand him, but Kirk was not one to be deterred. Flashing it a bright smile, Kirk tried to convey how much he wanted everybody to get along and how happy he was about their potential friendship.

It seemed to be the correct response. With a sudden loud barking noise, the native vigorously shook his hand. The others standing around began making similar noises. McCoy was startled, but more than mused when one of the natives clasped his hand and shook it. Despite his previous frustration, McCoy began laughing as every living thing in the cavern began shaking hands or paws. It was then that Kirk realized the natives' barking was actually laughter.

"They are highly amused and fascinated by your handshake, Captain." Spock confirmed his guess.

"No kidding." Kirk agreed with a grin. "By the way, Spock, how did you know they're called Talpidae?"

"That is the closet I could manage." Spock admitted. "It is ironically fitting considering their appearance."

"I'm assuming moles are part of the Talpidae family or something?" asked Kirk, already certain of the answer he would receive.

"You are correct, Captainn. I believe Lieutenant Uhura would be more helpful in regards to their language."

Kirk was finally able to free his hand and shook it out with a rueful grin.

"They've got a strong grip…and as far as languages go, you seem to have done just fine." he pointed out.

"I did teach xenolinguistics at the academy." Spock stated. "However, Lieutenant Uhura has a higher sensitivity to the subtlety of their language."

"Well, you would know…wow, they really like Bones." Kirk pointed at the doctor.

He was currently being bombarded by small natives, the children Kirk supposed. There was a furry ball of fluff in his arms while several others were piled at his feet, tugging at his pats.

"Stop pointing and staring, and get 'em off me!" McCoy yelled at them.

"It is a known fact that connection became stronger through bonding with the children. You are aiding in the diplomatic proceedings." Spock blandly responded.

McCoy's shoulders slumped, but he continued to carry and pet all the children's heads. Kirk glanced at Spock out of the corner of his eye.

"You're a tricky guy, you know that?" he said with a smug grin.

Spock stared blankly at a nearby wall.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Captain."

"Of course you don't." Kirk relied with a small, knowing grin. "But on the topic of not knowing what you're talking about, how did you know what they wanted and why didn't you say anything earlier?"

He was trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, but he had the feeling he failed at it. Spock almost cringed at the question, but managed to remain stoic. Sitting in close proximity of Kirk made it abundantly clear he was upset. Then again, Spock knew enough about James Kirk to know he would be upset at Spock's chosen silence over the matter. It had not been his intention to anger the captain, but clearly, he failed in that regard.

"I apologize, Captain. I was not fully positive of my hypothesis and I did not want to encourage…" Spock studied his hands clasped in his lap as he tried to think of a proper word. "False hope?...especially after spending hours of captivity and uncertainty."

"So basically, you got a gut instinct and went with it?" Kirk asked semi-amused at the sudden discomfort Spock was showing. "Fine. I can deal with that explanation, but next time, you let me decide what news I can handle, got it?"

Spock slowly nodded his head.

"I shall endeavor to inform you of my thought processes in the future." Spock said slightly hesitant.

Patting his shoulder, Kirk just grinned and decided to overlook the brief reluctance and discomfort on Spock's part. For now, he just wanted to clear the air and rid himself of his pent up frustration. He knew it did nobody any good and if anything, made Spock pull back from him. That was one of the last things he wanted to happen. It was essential he get along with his first officer. Of course, Spock was not making it any easier, but that was a talk for another time.

"Good…and good work with these guys. Now, are they going to show us out of here?"

The relief Spock felt at the change in topic was almost palpable. Kirk was amused by it. For being such a stoic and unemotional individual, there were instances where he was fairly easy to read.

"Affirmative. However, they seem to want us to see something. Some of their people are at the surface waiting for the search party." Spock exlained easily.

"What do they want to show us?" Kirk asked, his inner curiosity piqued.

"I do not know…I am under the impression it had something to do with their garbage."

At this time, McCoy limped over to where Kirk and spock were sitting. A particularly clingy child was latched onto his leg.

"Garbe? Why the hell would we want to see their garbage?" he asked loudly.

"One man's garbage is another man's treasure, Bones." Kirk answered with a smirk.

Much to the doctor's chagrin, Spock nodded his head in agreement.

"Indeed. From what I've gathered, the Talpidae have been attacked before and the invaders attempted to steal their garbage." Spock tried to explain as best he could.

"Okay then, since we're here, let's see their garbage." declared Kirk.

Even though the natives could not understand Kirk's words, they seemed to somehow understand what he wanted to do. The leader stood up and made a loud barking noise. Another native came trundling in, carrying something wrapped in foliage. It joined the small group and set the package down. The leader waved its paw at it. Kirk assumed it wanted him to open it.

Shrugging, Kirk grabbed the item while Spock and McCoy leaned over to get a better look. He carefully unwrapped it and practically dropped it when he saw what he was holding.

"Spock? Is this what I think it is?"

A/N: Huzzah. The first mission begins...and it involves moles...why mole aliens? The better question is, why not? This was going to be one giant long chapter, but it was a giant long chapter so I broke it up into two smaller chapters. See my creative prowress at work there? Next chapter should be up soon and it is a lot better written than this chapter. Happy readings, hope you enjoyed.

May moles dig wonderful tunnels in your dreams,
~Tofu