((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.

The chapter heading is a song by John Dowland. Like most of his songs, it's a love song and has nothing to do with this chapter. Take it literally, if at all. :P ))

Spock configured the tricorder with great care. There was no margin for error in this. Yes, they had multiple specimens as the Commodore had told him, and yes, there were more near the pond. But they were living beings that would die at the slightest imprecision, so, no, there was literally no margin for error. They may not be humanoid, but they should not die unnecessarily. That nature demanded their sacrifice in an unknown number of years was a different matter entirely, but the Vulcan refused to risk killing them just so.

Bligh muttered something to the computer, no doubt impatient, but that hardly mattered. 'The readings confirm my suspicion. I can determine quite precisely where the structure I looked for is. I can tell you what animal this is. Its size would suggest it is very young, however, I doubt that. The bark of the tree is not very dense, but its own molecular structure almost blocks my readings, which is why they appear weak. That, too must be taken into consideration.

'It appears that the plants do not act like parasites at this point. This is a symbiosis. They feed the host with the nourishment they take, and the host, in turn, offers a solid structure. The branches are very weak because of the brittle material the bush consists of. Where the animal is, it is much more firm.'

'Does that help us in any way?'

'Indeed it does. The tree consumes water from the host, which is why it shrinks, and replaces the skin. The bones and flesh are the pith. There is no dead wood as you find it in usual trees, but the skin of the animal or human is actually changed into what serves as the vascular cambium. This explains why the mammals can survive while humans can't.'

'Because the local animals have a thick hide, literally.'

'Indeed.' Spock glanced at the bush in front of him, hoping he was right about all this. Before he would do anything, he needed somebody else here. He walked to the computer. 'Spock to sickbay.'

'Rasul here.'

'Commander, I would like to borrow Doctor McCoy.'

'You have him. I'll send him over.'

'Thank you. I will need him to bring a sedative and sugar solution. Spock out.' He returned his gaze to Bligh. 'The fragile substance that remains after the bush has flowered are traces of bast fibre. That is what blocks our readings. It is consumed almost completely during the flowering process.'

'Well, if you're all set, what are you waiting for?'

'Doctor McCoy. After the process I have in mind, the animal will require medical attention.'

'It's an animal, Lieutenant. One of how many down on the planet?'

'I do not have sufficient data to answer that question. However, we want to keep in mind that the humans will also need help. We have to be certain that we can keep them alive afterwards. If that does not work with an animal, I do not deem it safe to try on humans.' The door opened, and McCoy came in. Spock nodded to him and continued. 'On the other hand, I do not think we should conclude that a human can be saved even if the animal is. That is something Doctor McCoy can evaluate.'

'What?' Leonard made. 'Evaluate what?'

'I would like to attempt freeing one of the mammals. You may need to sedate it. I do not know if surgery will be necessary, but I am quite certain that without medical attention, it cannot survive. Neither can a human.' The doctor took a deep breath.

'An earlier warning next time would be appreciated, Spock, but by all means. Knock yourself out.'

ϡ

Leonard watched the process with trepidation. Spock had injected something into the plant and stared at the computer for what seemed like an eternity. 'Expansion has begun,' he said then and proceeded to cut open the bark without removing it. And then Leonard saw it. There was a shift, the gaps between the sections of bark widening and underneath … wood.

'Now what?' he asked quietly. 'Is that how far you got before?'

'No. Before I did not know that the animal within is so dehydrated and malnourished a very small time away from the plant will kill it. I also did not understand that it does not have its normal skin any more. The skin will need to be transplanted.'

'All of it? Spock, do you know what kind of expanse we're talking here in a human? They'll die of an infection before I can even start properly.'

'The human average seems to be 1.91 square metres. However, the mucous membranes are unaffected.' Leonard rolled his eyes.

'Why, that's a relief then.'

'There is a more accurate formula …'

'Spare me the mathematics. And why the hell are we doing this up here and not in sickbay?'

'I don't believe that's necessary.' Leonard's blood ran cold at the detached tone from Bligh.

'Commodore, we're talking human lives here. I may be able to stabilise a small mammal long enough with a hypo full of sleep and sugar, but a human … Not to mention transplanting the entire skin. You know yourself what we're talking about here. I would say this can only be done in a clean room, only down in sickbay. Not here.'

'It will be done here. You refused to take care of these patients before and gave them to my department.' Heat crawled up Leonard's neck at that remark.

'Very well. I will state precisely that in my record. That I warned you about the potential consequences. If these people die, it'll be on your head.' Bligh glared at him.

'You forget that you want something from me, McCoy.' Leonard's eyebrows shot up.

'I want something from Starfleet Command, sir. I only asked you first because I deemed it polite. Spock, can you still stop that process?' The Vulcan shook his head by a fraction. 'Right. Then get a move on.' Wordlessly, Spock removed the bark and changed the settings on the computer that was taking constant readings.

'What do you make of this, doctor?' Leonard stepped closer and stared. The animal looked like a larger than average mouse. Only it didn't. Its form was as it should be, but the skin was hairless and looked like wood. And it had roots growing from its toes.

'Now what are we doing with that?'

'I believe the roots can and should be removed in surgery.'

'Obviously. Can they eat normally, Spock? Digest food? Breathe?' Spock ran a tricorder over the small animal.

'Indeed they can. And I am not certain if the cambium should be removed.'

'Cambium? That … hide?'

'Yes. It seems to have retained full functionality of animal skin, and maybe more. I will need to take a sample to be certain.'

'Take whatever samples you must, I'll run my own tests. I'll tell you something, I'm not performing surgery in here.'

'You will, if I order it.' McCoy felt Spock's eyes on him, could almost hear him asking him to let it go, but he couldn't.

'No, I won't. Because I don't have to take an order that I believe jeopardises a patient's safety. I am not even allowed to follow your orders in that eventuality. And this is such a case. The surgery will happen in sickbay or you can do it yourself. See if I care.' The truth was, he did care. Maybe not so much for this mouse-creature, but Bligh's attitude was getting worse by the minute. 'Look, maybe I should just check you for pollen.'

'Are you saying I'm insane?'

'I am saying that your passive-aggressive behaviour is getting out of hand.' The words came without much thought, and the worst part was, it was true. Chances were that Bligh did not have a single dead pollen in his brain stem. It had been there all the time. Now things were slipping out of his control, and it was all getting worse.

'You have no authority to …' Leonard shook his head, silencing him as effectively as if he had yelled.

'I do not, but Doctor Rasul does. Spock, bring that animal down to sickbay, if you're allowed to. Otherwise I trust you to keep it alive until I get clearance for you.'

'This is an animal, for crying out loud!' Leonard was already at the door but turned.

'Regulations do not state that the life in question needs to be humanoid or intelligent. That is entirely up to me. And I'll tell you something: The humans in the trees are not animals. You don't seem to make a distinction while risking their lives. Well, neither do I, only I try to save them.'

ϡ

'Doctor, would you please come inside.' With a wry smile, Leonard followed Rasul's beckon.

'Was the Commodore faster than I, then?' Rasul frowned slightly.

'I … McCoy, you don't seem like the type who antagonises people just for the fun of it, so I'll listen to what you have got to say.'

'I … I believe the Commodore needs help.'

'He said you called him insane.' Leonard rubbed the bridge of his nose and struggled to retain his composure.

'No. I did not. I said that we should look if he's got the pollen in his system, but I don't even think so. I believe that he is losing his grip. He's completely overchallenged and tries to ignore the problems. Tries to … I don't know, pretend that all is really well because there's been improvement.' He took a deep breath. 'Commander, he wanted me to operate in the science department. And it may be just an animal, but it's still a waste of life. And he wants … Well, Spock reckons he can free the scientists but they may need a full skin transplant. We don't know, but we can't try right next to the damn greenhouse. And that's what he wants.'

'No, that can't be done.' Rasul sighed. 'Well, I could say it was a matter of time.'

'Before what?'

'Before he breaks. You've read his record, you must have when you took a blood sample from him. You know what it says there. I've been having discussions with him, endless discussions, whether he needs therapy or not. Before you all came we had a psychotherapist, but he left maybe a week before your arrival. He took some medication from him, and he said he didn't need it any more. I tried to tell him he does, but would he listen? No. And I can't force-feed him. I can only wait until he does something so horrendous I can get rid of him.'

'Is this horrendous enough?' Rasul shook his head.

'Not yet.'

'With all due respect, you can't be telling me someone must die before you interfere.'

'No. No indeed. Rasul to science department.'

'Spock here.'

'I need Bligh.'

'The Commodore has left the department. I was on my way to sickbay with the animal.'

'Yes. Very good. If you meet Bligh on the way, send him to me. Rasul out.' He looked at Leonard again. 'You prepare your surgery. Keep that thing alive, McCoy. I'll run a few tests on Victor, and if he really skipped his medication I can say that he jeopardised his mental faculties and I'm pretty sure T'Kray will verify that he cannot function. There's just one thing. If he's gone, it's me that decides if you can go. Starfleet command has said it's up to us. There's no precedence for former Starfleet personnel undergoing this evaluation at all. So we have to decide if you are ready to go back into the real world, and with Commodore Bligh disabled, that decision falls on me.' He shook his head. 'You, for one, are more than ready, and so is T'Kray. I cannot really judge the other two, but given what Kirk did in engineering and the tower, and considering Spock's feat of finding a way to help the people in the trees … I think, yes. But the thing is, I need you, McCoy.' Leonard's eyes went wide.

'Don't do this to me, please.' Rasul smiled.

'You all want to stick together, don't you? I promise you one thing: I'll keep you all, if I decide to. It's in your hands. You see that this department can handle what is to come. Until the Commodore is replaced – and I have little to no doubt that he will be – I am in charge of the whole bleeding Morales. I don't like it, but that's how it is. And I'll have very little time for this here. I want you to take over for the time being. See that this place runs itself and you may go. And now I think you have a patient to attend to.'

ϡ

Spock had learned a long time ago that breathing down McCoy's shoulder while he worked was a foolproof way to get the man to explode. Therefore, he was mildly surprised when the doctor seemed rather relieved even at Spock's request to be present during the operation. 'You know what Spock, I think I'll leave it like that,' the doctor said eventually. Spock took a step closer and looked. The roots were gone, but the skin was still the green cambium. 'I gave it another scan with a medical tricorder. It protects it well enough, and I don't think it's necessary to transplant the skin.' He looked at the Vulcan. 'To tell you the truth, this is damn risky. I don't know. You can regrow skin pretty fast, but all of it? I just don't want to do this if it can be avoided.'

'Are we certain that it can be avoided, Leonard?' McCoy sighed.

'Only one way to find out.'

And that had been it. They had left the small animal as it was. It no longer had a fur, its skin was soft and pliable but maybe a little more robust than before. It seemed to thrive in sunlight. So from the medical point of view, it might actually make little to no difference. They waited for two weeks. Their charge, which Leonard had named Bernard for some unfathomable reason, was happy as a clam and taking a liking to them. Spock had carried it back to the science department and kept it warm and fed. Leonard had come to visit it a number of times and threatened to teach it tricks. He was not fooling anyone; certainly not Spock. The man was worried. About the mouse as well as the scientists, not to mention Commodore Bligh.

After Doctor Rasul had intervened, things had spun out of their control. The result were an Admiral who took matters into his own hands and a pending court martial for the Commodore. Spock found this was actually a good thing. It was high time that someone with at least a modicum of competence was in charge. Leonard felt guilty, but there was no need for that. Spock had told him that soon after it was clear where this was leading, Jim had agreed with fervour, but that had not stopped the doctor from worrying who would want him on their ship if he had brought this on. Jim had merely shaken his head at that.

Spock took what equipment he needed and started to leave for the sickbay. They would free the scientists first of the bark, then their roots, and then … Then they would see what state they were in. 'Science department, please come in. This is Ndaga.' He raised an eyebrow at Kresar at his station.

'Spock here, Admiral.'

'Do you have a minute for me?'

'Certainly.'

'Come to my office, please. The others are already here.' There was a short pause. 'This is about your requests to leave. I have an answer for you. All of you.'