((ADDENDUM: I changed the last name of the CMO of the space station to Rasul. I don't normally do that, never have before, but in this case I had a good enough reason to do it.

Chapter heading is a line from Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb.))

'There is something we forgot to consider,' Kresar said suddenly, out of nowhere in the middle of their work. Spock looked up from the computer. By now, the Caitian knew that this was his way of saying that he should speak up. 'Whatever caused the start of the reproductive cycle, these trees aren't the only plants it worked on.'

'Of course. There were many plants that were never found before.' He frowned. 'You are right. We can rule out insects.' The Caitian's ears flattened, an expression of frustration.

'Then what? The weather didn't change in a way that doesn't fit the season.'

'No.' Spock had to admit to himself that he had no idea. 'We can try to pinpoint a time before the first two scientists vanished. Then we have to find something in the computer log. Anything at all.'

'I'll get to it. I'm at a loss with the bushes. Why didn't we find anything in the trees when we opened them?' The likely answer was because there was nothing to be found, but Spock was as unwilling to accept that as Kresar was.

'Because we did not look close enough. I am almost convinced that the people structurally still exist. I do have something new, however: I know how the flagellates find the infected organisms. The male plants in the brainstem cause them to seek them. The flagellates have a quite distinctive smell, to me quite an unpleasant one. I assume that would change, were I infected.'

'And ready to be turned into a tree.'

'Plantified,' Spock said automatically. Kresar looked at him and burst into laughter.

'I thought you Vulcans don't have a sense of humour.'

'Humans do, and it seems I spend too much time with them.' He offered a half-smile. 'Speaking of which, my shift has ended thirty-nine minutes ago, and I had plans for the evening. If you will excuse me.' Kresar's eyes twinkled.

'Give your Captain my regards.'

ϡ

Exhaling, T'Kray opened her eyes again and listened. Not to her surroundings, but into her very self. She was calm. She needed to be for what she planned. Len's shift would end in five minutes, and T'Kray intended to intercept him. So she sat and listened – this time to the corridor he would have to pass on his way to his own cabin.

She did hear him, and opened when Leonard was just outside. He stopped and smiled at her. 'Please come in,' she said seriously. The reaction on his face was instantaneous, a slight furrowing of his brows, a shadow of suppressed worry. That was precisely the point. She had felt his unease before, and it was growing. For a moment she had thought he was losing patience with her or with himself. Then she had seriously believed he might have second thoughts. Being a telepath should have helped, but with the man's iron shield, she could not pick up anything that wasn't an extreme emotional reaction. 'Len. What's up with you?' His right eyebrow was a little more strongly arched than the other, and slowly, it travelled up, the curve even more pronounced. It was endearing, she had to admit.

'With me? I'm …'

'Don't lie to me, please.' Leonard pursed his lips and nodded. 'You are concerned, and it's directed at me.'

'I just … you seem miles away, T'Kray, and I don't know how to reach you.' That was interesting. T'Kray was very certain that her behaviour hadn't changed in any way. She sat down on one of her chairs and indicated the one across her.

'Do I act differently?'

'Yeah, you …' He hesitated. 'I don't know, can't point my finger at it.' T'Kray shook her head marginally and offered her middle- and forefinger. Leonard responded, and she allowed the small emotional exchange. To her, it didn't feel different. This touch didn't allow for much more than a mutual transfer of unspoken affection.

'Do you trust me?' she asked softly.

'I … sure, what a question.'

'I would like to meld with you. I shall not go deep.' He nodded without hesitation, surprising himself. Her fingers found the points on his face, and she went to find the shield that refused to budge, expecting it to have hardened further, allowing less of her mind to reach within. She nearly jumped at what she found and lost her concentration.

'Len … you fool.' He tilted his head at her. 'Once again?' He nodded slowly. This time she took a moment to prepare. She would have to work hard on herself. She craved this man's mind, but she needed to leave him in control. The shield he had erected was still there. It had been constant, ever present, only somehow their frequent brushes must have done something, because it was more like a shield should be. She nudged at it. This is where you allow me, Len. No further. Will you not let me see you? I fear that you will slam all your defences up if I try.

What do you mean? In such direct contact he could talk back.

I mean that you feel I am detached. This made me think you were blocking me harder. But in fact you feel that way because a part of you wants more than I dared to offer. I offer now. Leonard's reply was almost timid.

A full mind meld? T'Kray nodded. He couldn't see that with his eyes closed, but he caught the intent. Hell, I don't know what I'll do if you try. But … you should try. I think … I think I'm ready. And she did. Cautiously, she touched the shield. At the contact, it flared in defence, but only for a brief moment. After a careful nudge, the shield gave. It didn't break, it remained where it should be, but she was allowed through. And right there before her, she saw the soul of the man who had chosen her, whom she had chosen likewise. Deciding this was entirely unfair, T'Kray lowered her own shields, letting him see her. All her past fears, pain, and grief. All the joy he gave her by the simple fact that he allowed this.

When she withdrew from the meld, she had to admit she had lost her sense of time. It might have lasted hours or minutes, for all she knew. 'I believe,' she said hoarsely, 'that it is time you consider if I am really what you want for the rest of your life.' Leonard's smile was the most beautiful thing in the world.

'Ashal-veh,' he said softly, and T'Kray's mouth fell open. Had she somehow given him knowledge through their link? But if so, why that word? It wasn't the first one on her mind.

'Where do you get that from?'

'Spock. You weren't very forthcoming with an explanation of your Lenkam, so I asked.'

'Ah, and he said you should return the favour.' She took Leonard's hand into hers, caressing it with her thumb. 'You'll learn another one, then. Ashayam. Beloved.' Leonard rose and pulled her to her feet and into an embrace. His lips found hers, and T'Kray's eyes shut. She had expected him to do this, but she hadn't expected human kisses to feel so good. Her head was spinning with the sensation. Leonard was steering her somewhere, and only when her calves made contact with something did she realise where that was. She lowered herself onto the bed and pulled him with her. 'I take it you've made up your mind already.'

'Long time ago, at that.' His expression was sincere. 'Do it, T'Kray. Join us. Now. I'm certainly not going to change my mind, and we've waited long enough.'

'You realise how that is done, don't you?' Lost for words, her human nodded. 'Well.' For once making use of her strength, she pushed Leonard onto his back and straddled him, grinning down at him. 'In that case it seems that we are both overdressed, Lenkam.'

ϡ

Jim felt his heart pounding in his throat. 'Mavenow to Kirk.'

'Tell me already.'

'The tricorder arrived in perfect working order.' Jim punched the air and grinned at Vral before muting the connection for a moment.

'Are we good, or what?' The Caitian seemed to have grown since he had donned the real uniform the previous day. Things were starting to work again, ships could dock, and it appeared the transporter was functional as well. He didn't like what he had to do now, but there was no other way. He placed the two small cages he had borrowed from the science station on the transporter. 'Transporting two animals now,' he said into the open channel. 'Energise, Vral.' He locked eyes with the Caitian as he pushed the lever. 'Mavenow?'

'Both in perfect health. Bring them both and the tricorder back up.' Without waiting for another instruction, Vral did as he was told. One of the mammals was making soft chirruping sounds. They did that when they were afraid, and Jim couldn't blame the little thing.

'Don't worry, that was the last time. I'll return to you Spock in a moment.' He turned to Vral. 'Now me.' The Caitian took a deep breath. 'Oh, now come on. You know we've got to. The computer is working again and says it's all right, and the test just now confirms it.'

'I know.' The Caitian nodded.

'Energise.' Down on the planet, Jim saw the young scientist in her white robe with her arms folded.

'Welcome, Captain.' He grinned at her.

'Channel is open? Vral? I seem to be alive. Bring me back up, would you?' The Caitian smiled at him when he stepped back down from the transporter pad. 'Good work, Vral. Here's a thought, and maybe you can present it to Kresar. We, that's Spock, T'Kray, Doctor McCoy and myself, we'll see if we can't leave before a year is over. I'd ask you to consider joining my crew when your evaluation is complete.' Vral beamed at him.

'I'd be honoured.'

ϡ

The auditorium had never been so full since Leonard was on the space station. Now, they all had a few things to say after their research was almost concluded. So he sat on a chair with the wall behind his back, next to him Kresar and Commodore Bligh, while Spock presented his part of the report.

Leonard listened attentively as Spock explained just what had happened on the planet. So far, he had said what they had discussed already. Now he launched himself into why the hell it had all gone downhill. 'Three weeks prior to our arrival,' the Vulcan said, 'the sensors registered a coronal mass ejection. The space station, of course, is protected against this eventuality. The station on the planet has been build seven months after the planet was discovered and has measured sun activity ever since then for 103 years and four months. The solar activity was minimal until this rather impressive event.

'The solar storm was followed by the bushes that were dubbedfrutex villosus flowering.'

'Frutex villosus?' Leonard asked incredulously. 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.' He had almost snorted. Almost. Bligh growled.

'Not the most sophisticated name science has come up with. But it's what they are, hairy bushes.' Leonard glanced at Jim who was trying desperately to stifle his laughter, and he wasn't the only one. T'Kray was entirely unfazed, of course, as was Spock. The latter frowned slightly, the humour for once entirely lost on him, and Leonard laughed.

'Do us all a favour, Spock, and just continue.'

'As I was about to say, these bushes were actually already in the database when we came here. The solar activity triggered the growth of multiple plants that were previously undetected. We can only assume that they will vanish again after a while to lie dormant until the next solar storm, but I doubt that any of us will live to see that day. The bushes live for a very long time until a solar flare forces them into flowering. Shorty after they release their gametes they die. We were able to reproduce the necessary circumstances in the science station. Kresar, this is your work.' The Caitian stepped up to the podium.

'Yeah well, we have covered the metagenesis already, so I'll spare you that,' he said. 'But this now is interesting. Aside from determining the cause of the transformation we also tried to find a way to free our scientists. We attempted cutting them out of the trees. Well, no, actually we tried cutting small mammals out of their bushes. That's a good thing, because they died.' The Caitian was obviously tense, and Leonard couldn't blame him. He was talking to every single member of the science department as well as the entire level of command on the space station. He exchanged a short glance with Spock, who nodded briefly, encouraging the poor young being to continue. For all his usual swagger, that's what he was. 'As Spock mentioned, we observed that after the pollen or ovules were released, the plants died and decayed very quickly. What did not decay so fast was at first disconcerting, at a closer look it gave us basis for further research that we have now concluded. It was the small mammal that had been the host for the small plant. It was, however, highly compressed and had a green hue. It decayed at a normal rate.'

'Question,' Leonard said. He smiled at Kresar, who seemed rather nervous that someone had spoken. 'Why didn't the trees on the planet decay so fast? They're still standing, far as I know.'

'Ah, yes. The bushes use a lot of their own substance to build the pollen. The trees died of malnutrition. Our test-specimen had ejected its own substance, so there wasn't that much left in the first place.' Leonard nodded, contented with the explanation. 'Would you like to … er … continue, Doctor?'

'Already? All right.' He rose and stood beside the other two. 'Well, from my perspective, things are simple. Keep monitoring the sun activity and keep an eye on those damn pollen. They're the real problem. They cause hyperthyreosis, psychoses, and subsequent memory loss. They're what caused someone to sabotage the transporter, the computer, and who knows what else. They're ultimately what drove Commander Irina Melczuk to take her own life when she realised what she had done. The symptoms only last for a couple of days. It seems Caitians react especially strongly and are in actual physical danger. There's no need to take blood samples. If you find someone has the pollen in their brainstem keep them clear of the ovules and wait until the immune system reacts. Then treat the symptoms. You have my medication in the log, altered for humans, Caitians, Vulcans, and Vulcan-human hybrids. Any other species will need adjustment, of course, but that shouldn't be a problem.' He shrugged. 'Well, that's all.' Commodore Bligh looked at them all.

'Well done. All of you. Do we know how we can free the scientists?'

'Not yet,' Spock said. 'I am, however, confident that there is a way.'

'In that case, I'll close the meeting. Oh, and I received those requests you gave me. I'll discuss them with my personnel. You'll have my replies soon.'

((The implications of the name I gave the bushes hit me only when I proofread the chapter. I shamelessly projected my own reaction to what I'd done onto Jim. I very nearly changed the name, but then I thought, hell with it. There are names for plants and animals out there that are even worse than this one. Look up what the common stinkhorn is called in Latin before you name me pervert.))