She opened her eyes to unfamiliar stars and constellations twinkling above her in an immense, stretching sea. Her attention was drawn off to her right as footsteps crunched purposefully to alert her to their presence. She nearly screamed as the same creature that had taken her now stood watching her, and Behind it she saw undefined shadows moving swiftly and low to the ground back towards the black maw of a cave opening.

But this one stayed right where it was. It crouched low and Nia leaned back, ready to move away but still too weak to stand and run. Everything was fuzzy and she couldn't quite grasp what had happened. Her last clear memory had been her attempt to move while being led into the giant open room. It tilted its head and looked at her.

"What…" Her throat burned with the attempt to speak and she winced, grabbing her throat and coughing. She couldn't decide if she'd meant to ask 'what are you' or 'what is going on.' The wind began to pick up and whip her hair in her face, a cold front was moving in quickly. The creature moved closer and Nia scooted back directly into something solid. Startled, she yelped at the warmth of the solid thing behind her, and turned to look at what she'd backed into. Her heart fluttered when she realized it was Torin. Moving to lean over him on her knees, momentarily ignoring the creature that had stopped a dozen feet from her and the sharp pain now throbbing in her side, she reached for his neck and nearly sobbed in relief at the pulse she found.

"Torin." She went to shake him by the shoulders, gently, in an attempt to wake him, but paused to inspect his shoulder more closely. It was heavily bandaged. She traced the outside of the bandage lightly and studied his face. Her eyesight blurred as she watched him breath, thanking whatever higher power existed that he had survived his Pon Farr and the creatures. A quiet sob shook her shoulders and she covered her mouth.

They'd survived.

Wiping her face quickly and looking back at the creature.

How the hell am I going to get us both out of here…

She tried her voice again. "Did you help us?" She asked, her voice croaking and stinging in her throat. The creature tilted its head to the other side now, studying her. If it weren't so terrifying to look at with its rows of razor teeth and disproportionate sharp angles, she'd say it reminded her of a dog just now.

"Yes." The sound made her jump; it sounded almost as though the creature had gagged on a growl or a hiss.

These things can talk? Nia marveled

"Yes. Difficult." The creature coughed out again.

She could feel the creature at the edge of her mind gleaning just enough to know what she wanted to say. She was still uneasy, but if the creature wanted them dead they'd be dead already.

"Why?"

The creature seemed to consider her question for a while, likely trying to condense the answer into the shortest amount of words possible.

"Living creatures." It rolled it's head from side to side, stretching it's neck. "Not… all the same." The presence grew and snapshots of the creatures inside the mountain flowed through.

Two larger creatures watching as a much smaller one play — it's offspring. Chasing small animals to bring back to the den. Watching a group of other fully grown creatures capture the members of a survey ship — the creature watching hissed nervously, not agreeing with the course of action. A small group carefully dragging Nia and Torin deep into a trap laden tunnel where a pulsing wall absorbed moonbeams through a small opening in the ceiling. Elation at the sound of the beating hears; dragging them out.

Nia felt dizzy as she tried to reorient herself once the visions had faded.

A deep inhale from Torin snapped her eyes to him immediately.

"Torin?" She brought her hand up to his face, uncertain as to whether her touch would hurt or help. The sudden movement took her breath away as her abdomen throbbed painfully. She pressed her hand to the spot and found it bandaged also. When she turned her attention back to Torin, his eyes were widely studying her. She was at a loss for words. A million life altering experiences stood between them and neither knew where to begin.

Her mind recognized him though as the bond clicked back into place, and she felt the tears well in her eyes again.

"We made it." Her voice wavered. He sat up slowly, one hand reaching out as if to make sure she was real — that she truly was here in front of him. His fingertips brushed against her cheek and she felt the deep grief and pain leaking through his frayed nerves. He could barely maintain a weak mental shield.

"You died, Nia." he whispered. "I held you. I watched it happen. You died." He spoke quietly and unable to process that Nia sat here in front of him alive and well. She leaned into his hand, welcoming his need to connect with her and lowered her own shield.

"I'm okay. We're okay."

He pulled her close and pressed his forehead to hers, taking deep breaths while Nia whispered over and over that they were okay now. His presence washed over her as the and tears of relief stung Torin's eyes, though they did not fall.

They sat like that for a while until the sound scraping claws on dirt made Torin snap his eyes up and pull Nia down into him in an attempt to put himself between the creature and her.

The creature paused in its retreat and looked back at them. Even while standing they were taller than Torin, but being on the ground while it stood made him feel especially vulnerable. He patted his side for his phaser or knife, but found nothing.

"Safe." It croaked. Torin stared at the creature.

"You can..speak?" The creature huffed out a light hiss in exasperation.

"Yes, but it's difficult for them," Nia chimed in as she attempted to pull away from Torin and sit. Her injured side was held painfully tight to Torin. His steel grip allowed no freedom of movement, however, as he held her in place and continued watching the creature.

"How did you save her?" Torin asked once he saw the creature would not attack them. His grip loosened slightly as he finally sensed her discomfort. She moved to sit next to him and he kept one hand on her at all times, if only to assure himself she was there and alive.

"You call katra stone. We have." It hissed.

"The wall inside the mountain," Nia whispered to herself. The creature hissed in affirmation towards her. Torin looked at her unable to hide his surprise.

"Wall?" He couldn't help but recall his own strange dream on top of a mountain in Vulcan. Perhaps it was a way for him to process what he was seeing in more familiar terms?

"The creature showed me things. They took us inside the mountain. I don't know what it was, but it healed us."

Everything clicked into place for him then. These creatures were strangely similar to Vulcans in their mental abilities. He was a little impressed, though still extremely distrustful. A katra ritual was an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish, and even most Vulcans did not attempt it.

With great difficulty he pushed down his emotional volatility. He was deeply concerned with the creatures entering her mind and tampering with her katra. If they could control people under normal circumstances, what could they do with a katra? They'd already taken enough.

"Thank you." Nia called out to the creature when she sensed his turmoil. Torin clenched his teeth, but took a deep breath and tried again.

"Thank you." He knew logically that this creature had saved their lives, but past experiences and survival instincts made it difficult to let go and acknowledge this creature could indeed be innocent of any crimes.

"Go. Rescue here. Town. Don't come back." With this final message delivered, it moved quickly and silently back into the bowels of the mountain.

Now, all they had was each other and the cooling wind that that warned of an incoming storm.

"Can you stand?" Torin asked suddenly.

"I think so." It took an extreme amount of effort, but she managed to stand. Torin stood easily enough, but looked curiously at his right hand, flexing it and moving his fingers as he studied it.

"What happened?" She looked again at the bandages.

"I was injured in a fight with one of those creatures. I do not have much feeling in my hand and likely have nerve damage."

"What happened to me?" She asked quietly, resting one hand on her bandaged side, right where her heart was. She had a feeling she knew the answer already. His silence and pursed lips was confirmation enough.

"The creature said to get to town and rescue was coming. We need to hurry back to the safehouse before we are caught out here by some others who are not as…. empathetic." Sensing she wouldn't get an answer from him yet, she didn't press the issue and began following him down the mountain.

The path was difficult to navigate in the dark, even with Torin's dim flashlight. Every part of her ached, especially her side. Her lungs burned and she felt as though she couldn't quite catch her breath. Torin kept one hand firmly on her back and never let her stray behind him. Every sound made Nia jump and she sensed similar anxiety in him as well. Torin kept his head constantly swiveling around as he watched for any potential enemy or predator, but it was oddly quiet on the mountain tonight. It made Nia all the more nervous and anxious. She felt watched and Torin pulled her closer, sensing her anxiety. He was in "protect my mate" mode now. He was wound tight.

Finally, a weight seemed to lift from them as the approached town.

"I…I need to rest. Please," Nia panted and held her side. Her pounding heart was excruciating and all she wanted to do was lay down. Torin fastened the flashlight to his belt and knelt down in front of Nia.

"I will carry you the remaining distance."

"Torin, no. Your shoulder-"

Her protest was interrupted as he leaned back, grabbed her, and stood, giving her no choice but to wrap her arms around him in order to avoid falling. She could sense him pushing down the pain and focusing instead on her.

"Do not feel guilty. I will be fine. Our survival is my priority. We need to get to the safehouse." He walked quickly and Nia rested her chin on his shoulder, giving him a silent thank you.

The creature had been correct. Rescue had been on the way.

Before they could enter the safehouse, an engine hummed overhead. Then a blinding light beamed down as a transport ship from a larger Starfleet cruiser descending into the colony.

"They came," she said in a whisper. Then again louder. "They came!" She shook Torin's arm in excitement. "They came, Torin!"

"They came," he acknowledged. The relief in him was palpable as armed soldiers began filing out of the ship. It wasn't many, maybe a dozen, but a dozen armed and trained Starfleet soldiers was better than the ragtag militia defense the colony had come up with. They created a perimeter around the ship with their weapons pointed out into the darkness, while a woman walked up to where they stood. She looked them over, quickly assessing the situation before she spoke.

"We're here to evacuate the colony." She was a tall, no-nonsense woman who cut straight to the point. Much to Torin's relief.

"This is the safehouse. The majority of the colony is in here." He gestured towards the thick metal door behind him.

"Open it."

And they did.

Nia reflected on how good it felt to be clean and safe as she sat on the bed and watched the stars blur by. They'd reach Earth in 2 days. On the table her replacement PADD continued to chime uncontrollably as notifications and missed messages continued rolling in. Mostly from her family. The door to the restroom shushed open behind her and Torin walked out clean and refreshed as well.

He glanced at the PADD for a moment before returning to Nia and laying down next to her on the bed. He flexed his hand and watched his fingers move.

"Did medbay say anything about that?" She turned to her side to face him.

"Permanent nerve damage. Whatever the creature had done to heal me worked, but it didn't repair the nerves. There isn't anything they can do now that it is almost entirely healed." He folded his hands on his stomach and watched her. Her own prognosis hadn't been all roses either. The heart monitor her doctor made her wear for the next 48 hours was uncomfortable. Hopefully the overall damage wasn't too severe. Shaking the thought from her mind, she focused on Torin. Her eyes traced the features that she had nearly lost forever.

"I can't believe…any of it really. I just…I have so many questions." Nia sighed.

"As do I. Hopefully Starflleet's investigation will produce data and information." He paused and added "Though, if I never hear of that planet again I would also be content." "Same." Nia smiled. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, soaking in each other's presence.

"Torin," Nia scooted closer to him and rested a hand on his. "What happened?"

He tensed and Nia could sense his apprehension and grief.

"Nia-"

"I want to know what happened to me Torin. Please," she asked quietly. His face remained neutral, but she could tell as he watched her face that his resolve was weakening.

" Very well," he sighed. Then, he relayed the story to her. As he spoke of the impalement, of what had killed her, she gently touched the spot on her side, above her heart, where a fresh scar now sat. And permanent heart damage. She'd never be an athlete, and she'd have to have yearly checkups for a while, but she was alive.

When he finished, Nia scooted closer against snuggled against him. Torin didn't complain as he lifted his arm to accommodate her.

"Have you spoken with your father yet?" He asked. She heard the PADD chime again from a missed message.

"Not yet. I just…I want some time to be normal for a little while. To pretend nothing happened."

"Denying the experience will not heal the trauma from it."

"You have no room in saying that. You wouldn't even tell me what happened to me," Nia pointed out. He lifted an eyebrow at her.

"I did not state that I was free to ignore it either." Nia shook her head at him and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and closeness. She opened them again though when she sensed a rising anxiety in Torin and he brought a hand to his side.

"We're safe. We're okay." She assured him. "I think we can safely agree that we will never be living off world again."

He took a few deep breaths.

"Yes. That would be a safe assumption." His grip on her had tightened, but he slowly began to loosen it as he relaxed. The phrase PTSD rang in the back of her mind.

"Will you sit here with me while I call my dad? I was unconscious during most of this. And I feel like he won't believe me when I say we're okay." Nia could only imagine the panic and anxiety her poor father felt when Earth lost contact with the Colony and got a distress beacon.

"Of course."

Smiling at him, she grabbed her Padd from the nightstand and waited for her father to answer. She felt Torin reach out to her through the bond affectionately. They would be okay.