Okay, cue overly dramatic second epilogue. Sorry for the wait, I am no longer and unemployed ex-student and I'm moving so busy busy busy, the plus is the final epilogue has already been written but on a PDA so i'll put it up in a couple of days when I can find the connections. Enjoy.

Epilogue One of Two (Three years after the movie, two after the last chapter)

"CAPTAIN! KLINGON WAR BIRD PORT SIDE."

"What!" Jim stood up and rushed over to the scanner his shoulders jabbed into the ensign's as he looked through the view scope.

"Put it on view screen now!" The stress in the Captain's voice was clear for all to hear.

"How did we not see them?"

"I don't know sir, they seem to have a new cloaking devise." The Ensign replied nervously.

Kirk studied the view screen for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if it could give him answers to the sudden appearance of one of the federations greatest enemies right above a peace conference when there were other vessels patrolling.

"Shields on full Sulu." He said distractedly over his shoulder before turning back to the ensign.

"I've never seen a war bird like that before. Put it on view screen."

All eyes flicked up to the view screen and froze there. The new ship was black so the features were not clear against the background of space but flat disk like shape was unlike any ship belonging to the Klingon's they had ever seen before but the outline of an orange bird painted on top was not.

"Who gave them that?" Kirk mussed.

"They're are highly armed Captain."

"Open up coms."

Kirk turned and sat in his chair. The lights on the arm flashed letting him know the coms were open.

"Klingon vessel, this is Captain Jim Kirk of the U.S.S Enterprise you are in federation space."

"Kaptain, they are arming weapons." Chekhov shouted.

"Sulu start defensive maneuvers."

"Captain, I don't think they're aiming at us." The young ensign on the senser system shouted. Jim Kirk made a split second decision to trust the inexperienced young mans translation of the situation.

"Then who?" Kirk paused the blood drained from his face.

" I need confirmation, the minute you get it fire. "

He turned to his Com's officer, Nyota's friend Susanna, she was the second most talented Com technician in the fleet.

"Get in contact with the palace. They need to be warned."

Susanna didn't waste time with a nod of confirmation concentrating entirely upon her fingers dancing across the board.

Kirk opened the coms up again.

"Kirk to Klingon Vessel, answer Klingon vessel! I am taking your presence here as a threat on the peace negotiations on the planet below."

"They're arming weapons."

"KLINGON VESSEL, ANSWER OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE."

"Captain they've launched a missile, I believe it's targeted the palace."

"Sulu, open fire." Kirk shouted standing up.

They watched the red lines of the Enterprise phaser dart through space, Kirk thought he saw a burst of orange flames as the phasers hit their target but he couldn't be sure because a nanosecond later the ship had gone to warp leaving behind a splattering of blue plasma particles.

"Dammit!" Kirk shouted.

"Did you get a message through to them?" He asked Susanna.

"I believe so sir." But her words came out sounding more like 'I hope so'.

"Open persuite captain?"

"No, we need to get down there. Send a message out to the scouting ships, the enemy has been hit. There's a chance they'll have to slow down for repairs soon."

Kirk callapsed on the seat he rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"And Commander and lieutenant Spock are down there."

Nyota smiled across at her husband. They had both enjoyed their lunchtime walk. They never realized how much they missed the wind, the smell of grasses and the the changing heat of a planet until they were down on one. Though the Enterprise was home she was also a mistress who demanded sacrifice from those who lived aboard her.

"I believe they will agree to our terms." Spock said folding his arms behind his back again.

"Yes, at least our last assignment together will be successful. I don't want Jim to regret sending me."

"Most of our missions have been successful Nyota. There cannot be any doubts that your presence has been a great help in the success of the mission, your condition though having raised questions has not been of detriment. After all these people, like most, hold fertility in high regard."

Nyota practically jumped as a loud whirling alarm started. She looked to Spock, his eyebrows furrowed, he glanced towards the door down the hallway they had just come from then his eyes flicked around and he grabbed Nyota and lifted her with amazing ease.

"Spock..What?"

Nyota grabbed hold of him tightly as he ducked into the alcove under the staircase and pushed her down. He covered her body with his tucking her head down by his chest. She felt a wave of panic as she felt his fear filtering through their connection.

Their was a ear splitting noise that came over the top of the alarm. Then, a crashing explosion that was too much for Nyota to process. She snuggled close to Spock holding him tight;y as the ground shook and there were more explosions. It seemed to last for a long time.

I love you.

No goodbyes, it's almost over.

Nyota nodded her head and held onto Spock the noise seemed to stop but for what felt like a lifetime there continued to be bangs and small trembles. Finally it was quiet long enough for Nyota to open her eyes and try to look up at Spock. Except the hallway they had been in had disappeared, everything was pitch black.

Stay still Nyota I need to check the area.

Nyota nodded and though Spock could not see her she knew he would sense her. She could feel him moving around, first his body close to her and then he moved away. Her eyes began to clear and she started to make out different shades of darkness, wall , close to her, surrounding her.

"I believe that due to the strength of the stairwell, the amount of floors above us and the weight of this material there is a sixty seven percent chance that with no further disruptions we shall be safe."

Spock said. In the years Nyota had knew him she had learned to read small differences in his voice. She could sense the small relief in his voice and was sad to know that his relief would be short lived as she could feel the trickle of liquid running down her legs and the slight tightening feeling in her stomach. She could sense him turning to look at her as a rush of fear made her feel dizzy. If she were not already sitting down then she would likely have fallen over. Spock crouched beside her and put his hands on her shoulder. She could just make out his features mere inches from her face. She took a deep breath to try and clam herself. She needed the facts of the situation and Spock's more acute senses might have picked up something she had missed.

"What happened?"

"I believe that the building was attacked, probably by a missile of sort but I can not determine from where or who initiated the attack."

Nyota couldn't hold it in any longer. They were trapped, buried under four floors of cold stone and green metal beams.

"I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault that the building was attacked Nyota."

"No, my water just broke."

The sun was shining, a day for beaches and sunbathing. If they were on leave, that is. Instead a third of his crew were shifting through the three achre mound of rumble. Jim rested for a moment against the three stories of wall that remained standing, jutting up out of the ground. He felt hopeless as he looked over the rubble. Piles had been carefully moved by hand and bodies had been dragged out but as he watched the small groups of red clad soldiers he knew that they weren't working with the determination they had started with almost three days previously. They were starting to think their was nobody alive. He knew that because he was starting to believe it. He was starting to believe in no win scenarios.

"Jim, you haven't slept in two days."

Jim turned his head to see his friend Lenard McCoy hold a bottle for him. He took it suddenly realizing how dry his mouth felt, it was as if it was filled with the dust that danced around him every-time he and his team moved a large piece of masonry.

"I authorized that they come down here Bones."

"I know you feel bad Jim. I know they were you're best friends but I was there too. Nyota wanted to come down here, they wanted one more mission together as they wouldn't be able to work together after the baby was born."

Jim shook his head as they talked. Bone's didn't know what he was feeling. He was in care of the ship's health. He could make wrong decisions on how to treat people If they were injured (which he never had, the man seemed to work miracles some times). Jim however made the decisions to send them into dangerous situations. If somebody died on a mission then it was he who had picked them for that mission, he who wrote the messages to their parents, he who filled in the forms and spoke at the funerals. He had been Captain for three years, he had lost men but he had never felt this level of guilt. Spock and Nyota were his friends, his family and about to start a family themselves.

"She was one day away from the seven months mark. One day before regulations say she has to stay aboard, I could have refused."

"None of us knew the Klingons would do this, it was meant to be a risk free mission..."

"WE BOTH KNOW NO MISSION IS RISK FREE BONES!"

Jim shouted standing up and throwing his bottle of water. He regretted it immediately seeing the closed off expression on Bone's face and the shocked expression on some of his crew stood near him. He turned away and his eyes focused upon the gushing bottle of water as it dribbled down into a small hole in the rubble. Jim closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose feeling some of the anger drift away. It was wrong to shout at Bones, it would make for an unhappy crew if every time he was angry at himself for a bad decision he took it out on one of them. Especially Bones, his oldest friend.

"Sorry." He muttered.

Bones nodded in acceptance of the apology.

"It's been two days, we haven't pulled anybody out alive in over twenty four hours. They're dead Bones." He felt the tears well in his eyes.

Bones walked over and squeezed his shoulder. Jim wished he'd pull him into a hug, the first time since he had become Captain he wished it was somebody else's job. He wished that he and Bones were back at colleges, that he was antagonizing Nyota again and Spock was just a stranger who shot him daggers from across the room. He wished he could live it all over again, he;d only change one thing. He would never have sent them down here.

"Don't give up hope yet Jim. You know how tough that hobgoblin is and he'd do anything to protect 're out there somewhere, if only the damned radiation on this planet and this weird alloy stuff didn't interfere with our scanners we'd have had them out by now."

Jim nodded. He tried to give his friend a smile but he knew that Bone's words were just wishful thinking.

"You need sleep."

"No." Jim refused.

"Food then, an hour or I'll sign you off duty."

Jim knew it wasn't an empty threat, Bones would sign him off if he thought he was unfit for duty. Jim would never trust him to be his main medical officer if he didn't.

"Okay." Jim didn't have a choice.

They started walking together over the rubble helping each other when they stumbled on the loose rubble. Jim stopped to talk to his men as he passed, he let them know they were doing a good job and asked the to keep trying. They wouldn't give up on two of their own, not until there was no hope left.

They were climbing over the deepest part of the metal when Jim heard a noise. It was like metal tapping against metal. He would have passed it by, after all there was a lot of noise on the site. But there wasn't anybody around here. He stopped and started listening. The tapping was odd, repeating in a pattern. It was too perfect to be made by chance.

Bones turned to look at him when he realized that he had stopped walking.

"Did you hear that?"

"No."

"Listen."

Bones paused for a few moments.

"Jim I don't hear anything."

"QUIET EVERYBODY!"

It took a long moment for all the noise to stop as the message was passed on from those groups close to him right to the edges of the disaster zone.

Jim listened carefully, the noise had stopped. He waited staring down at the yellow rubble below his feet. Then, just as he was giving up it started again. He looked up at Bone's face and realized by his shocked look he had heard it too.

"Is that ...old Morse code?" Bones asked.

"Yes." Jim said knowing it was true the instant Bones said it. The antiquated earth code, dots and dashes. His heart soared, there were only two people on the palace that would have ever heard of Morse code.

"Over here." Jim said walking a little to the left till the noise was at it's loudest.

"Here." He said pointing at a large piece of stone in front of him. It was two about two meters long and a meter wide, maybe eight inches thick.

"WE HAVE POSSIBLE SURVIVORS." Bones shouted.

They were surrounded by the red and blue shirted crew within moments. They quickly organized themselves and started shifting debris removing all the other pieces of stone that was keeping the largest bit held down. It took sixteen men nearly forty minutes to remove the big block but when they did they saw the first three steps of a ruined staircase and the pitch black foot deep gap that ran along the side of it. There was a space down there that hadn't caved in.

Jim grabbed a flashlight and ran forwards but it wasn't needed because just as he reached the pitch black hole something appeared out of it.

He had to stare for a moment for his confused tired brain to realize that the pale item was a hand. He dropped to his knees and clasped it in between his two. He could see the pale green blood running down from a gash in the palm and spots of red blood on his fingers.

"Spock! Spock, I've got you."

"We've got him." Bones shouted.

Jim felt Spock's hand tugging on his own, he let go wondering if he was hurting him. He was confused as the hand disappeared. His eyes kept trained on the spot where it had disappeared as his crew worked around him trying to widen the hole without the whole thing collapsing on Spock. Jim reached for his flashlight again when the hole seemed wide enough but was stopped by a weak cry. The sound went straight through him. Was that what it sounded like? He stared at the hole as a bundle wrapped in a blue science shirt was pushed up into the air.

"Oh lord." He heard Bones say behind him. "Is that?"

Jim gently took the bundle seeing skin beneath the material. He let out a deep breath as he felt movement under his fingers. He pushed aside the sleeve of the science uniform that had fallen out of place. He looked in wonder down at the tiny form it had hidden. Pale latte colored skin, long black lashes, tiny pointed ears a splattering of black hair and big dark brown eyes that squirmed shut at the sudden intrusion of light.

"My goddaughter." Jim muttered turning to look at the stunned face of doctor McCoy. It took a moment for him to shake himself out of it.

"She's not crying, dehydration, let me take her."

Jim held the baby against his heart for a second silently promising that he would take care of her no matter what. Then he passed her to Bones.

"Enterprise two to beam up, and get some stretchers down here we're going to need them."

"They're alive." Jim whispered as he watched his friend and goddaughter beam up to the Enterprise.