Week 3: On the Enterprise-Off Course (continued)

Nyota's shuttlecraft, the Galileo, took off from the hangar deck, following Sulu, who was ahead of her piloting the Columbia. She cleared the Enterprise hangar doors, and other shuttles descending toward the planetoid and ascending back toward their ships came into view. She felt the turbulence rock her ship and quickly compensated:

"Hang on, you guys! This will be a bumpy ride because of the turbulence generated by the planetoid."

"Thanks, Lieutenant; we can take it!" Nurse Brian Carroll shouted back. He glanced over at Nurse Chapel, who looked confident. He could tell this wasn't her first rodeo.

Nyota tapped in her landing coordinates and held her shuttle on course, fighting the shockwaves as she descended. This was not her first rodeo either. All her pilot training was paying off. She had scored highly in those classes. She maneuvered her shuttle toward a landing pad at the New Jersey Colony space center. As she approached her destination, she noticed people scurrying around, trying to reach a shuttlecraft. Someone was trying to control the crowd, to keep them at safe distance.

Christine and Brian got into position at the shuttle doors and waited for Nyota to announce that the shuttle was secure.

"Okay, clear!" Nyota shouted.

The doors opened, and Christine jumped off the steps to assist people. She saw fear and desperation to get off the base in their eyes. She signaled the hangar manager the number of people the shuttle could accommodate, and people raced to her to get on board.

"Take it easy; we'll get off safely. Please find the first available seat and strap yourselves in as quickly as possible."

A man ran up to Christine with a Padd in his hand. "I'm Doctor Patel. The radiation levels are increasing steadily, and radiation sickness is a concern."

"Dr. McCoy will assess each patient as we reach the Enterprise," Christine said as people filed past her onto the shuttle.

"Thanks! I have some critical patients that need attention first," Dr. Patel said.

"We will return for another load of patients; have them ready," Christine said while checking her Padd.

"Nurse Chapel, the passengers are secured and preflight checklist is complete," Brian said from the doorway.

"Thank you. I just transferred the critical patients to your Padd," Dr. Patel said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Thanks, we'll be back soon."

While Christine was speaking, the ground beneath the shuttle shook violently. People started screaming. Christine secured the door and took her seat.

Brian shouted at Nyota over his shoulder: "We're ready to lift off, Lieutenant!"

People were moaning in fear. The ground shook again as Nyota lifted the shuttle off the pad. As she lifted off, she felt a heavy pull on the engines and quickly adjusted for weight and balance. "Okay, Gali, work with me," she thought as she maneuvered the shuttle into space, fighting shockwaves as the ship ascended. She passed the second wave of shuttles leaving the Enterprise shuttle bay as the first wave approached in a coordinated effort. Once the second group cleared the bay doors, the first eight shuttles entered the shuttle bay one by one.

While Nyota was piloting the shuttle, Brian and Christine gathered people's IDs, completed basic medical assessments, and started classifying their patients based on the amount of radiation they had absorbed. Once a patient's vitals had been loaded into a Padd, they were automatically relayed to McCoy on the ship. Next, the two nurses began using their hyposprays to administer shots of the combined radiation treatment to the most seriously injured patients. Brian and Christine worked effectively as a team despite being thrown off their feet several times when the ship jolted.

Back on the Enterprise bridge, Charlene Masters continued to work feverishly, noting the status of each shuttlecraft's engines. She noticed when the engine of the shuttlecraft Nyota was piloting faltered for a brief moment. Charlene gasped and quickly pulled up the schematic of Galileo's engine, observing a re-route in progress. She used her Padd to push the notice to the computer that fed directly into Spock's station. He would determine whether the craft was in danger or not.

Spock continued to gather data on the planetoid's impending breakup. He had trouble reporting the progress of planetoid's with precision. The station itself was close to breaking apart in front of him. He knew destruction was imminent. When he saw the report on the fleet of shuttlecraft, especially one in particular, Spock left his station and joined Masters to verify her report. He stood behind her looking at the display of engine performance for the shuttle fleet.

Charlene looked up at her commander:

"Mr. Spock, Lieutenant Uhura was able to compensate for the engine's malfunction," she said, pointing at the fuel levels. "She re-routed the fuel to compensate for the unbalanced thrust and is in the process of landing the Galileo in the shuttle bay."

Spock, though struggling to control his concern for Nyota, verified Masters' report and replied to her with his customary calm demeanor: "Continue monitoring the shuttles, Lieutenant Masters."

"I also have an update from Lieutenant Brent on the progress of the transporter repairs." Masters said. "They are fine-tuning the energy flow from Engineering and applying incrementally adjusted mathematical formulas to compensate for the radiation's effects on the matter stream and pattern buffers, but the adjustments may not be able to completely compensate for the radiation in order to enable a transporter lock."

Spock stood there a moment, processing the information: "Very well. Direct them to monitor the radiation fluctuations carefully while making their adjustments."

"Yes, sir. I'll relay your orders right away," Charlene said, turning to continue her work.

As Spock went back to his station, the ship shook slightly. Palmer reported that the second wave of shuttlecraft were off, and the first wave was landing and preparing to deliver the first batch of survivors to the shuttle bay. Palmer gave regular updates from the other two starships while Kirk remained in direct contact with their captains in order to carry out the operation in as seamless a manner as possible. The other ships were experiencing the same effects of the planetoid's instability, which were causing havoc with their instruments and sensors.

The shuttle bay was pressurized once the eight shuttlecraft of the first wave landed. Security and medical staff with gurneys rushed in, going to their designated shuttles. DeSalle directed technicians to quickly complete maintenance on each shuttle, recalibrate the engines, refuel, and check the pilots' conditions. People poured out each shuttle and were directed to different parts of the ship depending on their condition. The medical staff took the most serious cases to Dr. McCoy in Sickbay and started applying medications based on the feed from the medical crew with the shuttles. The Enterprise crew worked like a well-oiled machine, but it still took nearly 1½ hours to bundle all the patients off the shuttles-just in time for the second wave of shuttles to start their run back to the Enterprise. Once the shuttle bay was cleared of personnel, the first wave was ready to return to the planetoid.

Sulu was cleared to pilot the Columbia past the bay doors, followed by the rest of the pilots. From the shuttle bay, the view of the shuttles from the other trips looked like trails of ants marching through space to their destination. Nyota lifted off last and followed the other pilots down to the colony.

But this time Nyota saw evidence of the impending doom; open fissures were clearly visible. She thought about how the shockwaves must be putting fear into the colonists waiting for rescue. For Nyota, it was her last pickup, based on Spock's calculations. She could hardly wait for the rescue mission to be over so she could put an end to her man's worries. Then a change of orders came through:

"Enterprise to Galileo. Enterprise to Galileo."

"Galileo here."

"The landing area had become unstable; change your heading to 105-mark-38," Palmer directed.

"Course plotted and executed."

The shuttle headed toward the new coordinates on the far side of the spaceport.

Nyota pressed the intercom button: "Hey, Chapel and Carroll, we had to change course because the landing area has become unstable."

"No problem, Lieutenant. We're ready back here," Christine replied.

As chaos continued below them, Nyota guided the shuttle to the new location, which took an extra 7 minutes. She saw other shuttles preparing to depart from the landing pad as she maneuvered and applied thrusters for landing. The area around them shook violently, and the shuttle drifted slightly; Nyota had to pull up to keep from crashing. Then she set the shuttle down on a landing pad. Outside the ship, the chaos was more evident than before. The people were scattered and their faces were desperate. Another shuttle from the Potemkin arrived at the same time, and people rushed to it, trying to board.

The Galileo's doors opened, and people piled in. Brian and Christine attempted to slow and calm them down. Then another violent shock heaved the ground, throwing around everyone inside and outside the shuttle. Nyota watched from the pilot's seat as another shuttle lost control in an attempt to land and crashed into a building. Nyota unbuckled herself and ran out the back door, heading toward the crashed shuttle. Christine saw Nyota run out the door, and she stood in doorway taking view of the downed shuttle.

"Brian, check everyone in. I'm going to help Uhura!"

"What? Is she hurt?"

Christine shouted at Brian: "Keep checking the people in! That's an order!"

She jumped out and followed Nyota to the other shuttle; as she ran, the ground below her shifted so that she almost stumbled.

Nyota banged on the door, and a dark-haired nurse with blood running down her forehead popped the hatch. Nyota climbed into the shuttle, looking around:

"Is everyone okay?"

The nurse who had opened the door was woozy on her feet. She clutched the doorframe and said, "I don't know; it happened so fast."

Nyota went to the pilot and found him unconscious and slumped over the controls; she checked his pulse and found a heartbeat. She unbuckled him and pulled him to the floor. A red-headed nurse who had been stunned by the crash regained consciousness and jumped out of her seat to help Nyota. She looked around the cabin, assessing the situation. Christine came to the front of the shuttle to assist as well.

Nyota looked up at the two nurses:

"Can we move him?"

Both women pulled out their medical tricorders and scanned the pilot's body. The nurse Nyota had met at the door came up to the front, asking, "Is Jason all right?"

"We're checking him now," Christine said.

He has a concussion," the red-haired nurse said.

"Can he be moved? We can't stay here," Nyota said.

"There are some indications of internal injuries," Christine said, looking concerned. She pulled out a pressure pad for his head.

"We need to move him, ladies!" Nyota said sternly.

"We need help carrying him!" the dark-haired nurse said.

"It will take all of us. Do you have a stretcher?" Nyota asked. "We need to move quickly!"

The dark-haired nurse left and quickly returned with a portable cloth stretcher, which she unfolded as she walked back toward the patient. The three nurses aligned the stretcher with Jason and gently rolled their patient onto it. Each woman took a corner and attempted to lift the man. The colony shook again, throwing them off balance so that they almost dropped him.

When they stepped outside, everyone was gone-even the shuttle from the Potemkin. "This doesn't look good," Nyota thought to herself. The women walked together, carrying the pilot, their faces strained because of the weight of his body. They carried the pilot up the ramp, and Brian greeted them and helped to move the patient to the back of the ship. There was barely any room to move with all the colonists aboard as well.

"Okay, secure the pilot!" Nyota said as she went to the cockpit to take off. The dark-haired nurse knelt to attend to him. Christine realized there were no more seats left and little room even to move around the shuttle.

Nyota buckled in and adjusted the controls., She applied thrust and the ship started to lift off. She knew right away that it felt wrong; she applied more power, and the ship struggled and fell back down with a thump. She quickly checked the levels on her panels and realized that with the weight of the extra passengers, they wouldn't be able to reach escape velocity or get back to the Enterprise. "Oh boy! This is not good, not good at all."

Christine appeared and looked at her: "What's wrong, Uhura?"

Nyota looked at Christine and said gravely: "Houston, we have a problem."

Meanwhile at the same time:

"Captain Kirk, this is Captain Morgan of the Potemkin."

"Yes, Morgan?"

"I have a report that one of our shuttles is missing; we're assuming it crashed. We're wondering if you have anybody near that shuttle? We are unable to reach them. Its last coordinates were 105-mark-38."

Kirk looked over at Spock: "The shuttle Galileo is in that vicinity, Captain," Spock said.

"Morgan, we do have a shuttle in that area; we'll contact the crew to see if they have a visual of your ship."

"Thanks, Kirk! I hope they are all right."

"We'll investigate." Kirk leaned back and gave orders: "Palmer, contact the Galileo and apprise Lieutenant Uhura of the situation."

Palmer began paging the Galileo but received no response:

"Enterprise to Galileo. Please come in," she repeated, working the console to adjust the array system, frequencies, and channels to reach them.

Spock went to the Communications station and readjusted some of the components that enabled the system to reach out for any form of signal. There was no response.

Masters was monitoring the shuttlecraft returning from the planetoid and meeting at the rendezvous point and noticed that there were only seven:

"Captain, the Galileo is not among the shuttlecraft approaching the shuttle bay, sir. It's systems are active at the moment, but it is not moving."

Spock went to the Engineering station and checked the Galileo's fuel levels and computer system; all parameters appeared nominal. He went back to the Communications station and watched as Palmer continued to page the Galileo with no success. Kirk took it all in with a worried look, knowing that he had sent his best friend's wife on this mission.

"The frequency is open, and, according to the telemetry, the shuttlecraft has been receiving our signals," Palmer said, addressing the Captain.

Kirk looked at Spock: "Something happened to them if the ship is intact."

"Something has happened on the planetoid; it is quite unstable, Captain."

"Something that is preventing them from leaving the colony?"

"I could beam down and investigate the situation, Captain."

Kirk gave him a stern look: "Like that's going to happen, putting another officer in danger? Plus I am expected to bring them both to Vulcan! No way!'"

"Let's find out if it's safe to transport with all those magnetic pulses and radiation."

Kirk punched the intercom: "Mr. Scott."

"Scott here."

"What is the status of the transporter; is it safe to beam someone down?" Kirk asked.

"No, sir. We're still calibratin' the transporter systems as we speak, per Mr. Spock's recommendations. Then we'll have to test-run the thing to make sure it's safe for a person."

"How long will it take, Scotty?"

"The magnetic and radiation pulses from that planetoid are not makin' it easy fer us, Captain. We would have ta adjust the transporter systems continually to stabilize the beam long enough for a beamdown, and even wi' that, it would be a crapshoot. I wouldna risk anyone's life on it right now."

The Enterprise shifted again. Spock grabbed the rail, to hold himself upright. He stepped down next to the captain and spoke quietly to him:

"Jim, with your permission, I would like to contact my wife."

Kirk looked at him and knew what he meant: "Of course, Spock. Take all the time you need. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help."

Spock went to his station, sat down, and opened up his bond with Nyota to find her.

Meanwhile in the shuttle, people were screaming, crying, and shouting while the ground continued to quake below them.

Nyota took charge: "Everyone, calm down! We will leave soon as we can. Don't panic; the nurses are here to help. The planetoid is shifting, and I need to adjust the controls so we can leave."

The people started to settle down: "Thank you. I can't do my work if there's a lot of distraction. Your safety is first. I need to work out the controls."

Nyota went back to the cockpit, pulled out a data tricorder, and spoke to the computer. She recalculated the weight to fuel consumption ratio and realized that they were overweight.

Christine came up to the cockpit and sat in the other command chair, looking at Nyota with concern:

"Are we stuck here?" she asked, pitching her voice low so the passengers wouldn't hear.

"Not if I can help it. We have a weight problem; we don't have enough fuel to lift off and achieve escape velocity."

Christine looked gave: "The shuttle has already been stripped down to the bare minimum as it is. There's nothing to jettison in order to decrease our weight."

Nyota's mind raced, wondering what her man would do. She looked at Christine: "We need more fuel; the crashed shuttle has it."

"I'll do anything to help, Nyota."

"I need help carrying those fuel cells."

"I'll get Brian to come with us and will tell the other two nurses to keep the passengers calm while we're gone."

"Thanks! That will help a lot. Let's go; we don't have much time."

Christine gave instructions to the other two nurses, and then she and Brian followed Nyota out of the shuttle. The ground vibrated and heaved as they walked. The building in front of them started to crumble. Nyota knew time was running out; they needed to lift off soon.

The team reached the damaged shuttle: "What do we do first Lieutenant?" Brian asked.

"There is a toolbox inside the ship, marked "Equipment"; bring everything if you can."

Christine and Nyota went behind the shuttle: "We need to get these panels off first; then we can access the fuel cells from the inside."

Brian came back with a bag full of tools and placed it on the ground; Nyota sifted through it and found a tool she could use to remove one of the panels:

"Brian, I need you to remove these panels; it will help loosen the fuel cells."

'Okay; sounds easy."

"I hope so. Come on, Christine."

The two women went inside and moved to the back of the shuttle. They knelt and removed the floor panels, exposing the tops of the fuel cells. Nyota directed Christine to remove the bolts securing the cells and showed her how to loosen them.

"I'm going to help Brian while you do that," Nyota said.

"Okay," Christine replied.

Meanwhile on the Galileo, the dark-haired nurse heard the page from the Enterprise; she approached the cockpit and answered:

"Galileo here!"

"Is this Lieutenant Uhura?" Palmer asked.

"No..." the nurse replied.

Then another voice came on: "Who is this? Where is Lieutenant Uhura?" Kirk boomed.

"I'm Nurse Jean Silverton from the Huron. Lieutenant Uhura saved us. She's outside trying to save the Galileo."

"What's the situation?"

"The pilot from the Huron sustained a concussion when he tried to land the shuttle. Lieutenant Uhura and the Galileo crew helped us to transfer the pilot to the Galileo. We tried to lift off in the Galileo, but we couldn't because of the extra weight. Lieutenant Uhura is trying to get the fuel we need from the Huron."

"Stay on this frequency so we can keep apprised of your situation," Kirk commanded.

Nyota went outside and helped Brian with the panels. Checking her tricorder, she saw that the cells were still intact and hadn't been damaged by the crash. Nyota and Brian loosened the housing that protected the cells. She used the side panel controls to order the computer to disengage the safety on the cells. Then they went inside the shuttle and found Christine finishing her work.

They took one cell each out of its holding case and dragged it off the shuttle. Brian was able to carry his, but the women dragged theirs back to the Galileo. Now they had to transfer the fuel from the Huron's cells to the ones on the Galileo. Nyota directed Christine and Brian on how to go about this, and the trio topped off the fuel in all three cells.

"Wow, I didn't sign up to be an engineer! This is hard!" Brian said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I think we're a bit spoiled in our nursing jobs," Christine said. "This was challenging-if it hadn't been for Uhura, we would have been in deep trouble!" Christine turned to see Nyota frozen in place.

Nyota was talking to Spock through their bond:

"Yes, we were able to obtain the fuel cells; we just transferred the fuel to the Galileo's fuel cells. They are all at full capacity now."

"Then you need to recalculate the weight to fuel ratio."

"Yes, I am about to do that."

"Be safe, my Aduna!"

"I will now...."

Brian and Christine watched Nyota with curiosity and then exchanged looks. Nyota said something, but she wasn't talking to them-she seemed to be talking to someone invisible. Brian looked to Christine: "What's wrong with the Lieutenant?"

"Shhh." Christine heard Nyota talking quietly as if she were whispering to someone. Christine slowly reached out and touched Nyota's arm. Nyota jumped as if she had had no idea Christine was there.

"Nyota, are you all right?"

"Yes, we need to hurry; we don't have much time," Nyota said, snapping back to the here and now.

When they went back into the ship, Jean said, "The Enterprise just contacted us wondering about our situation, and I told them everything I know."

"Thanks!" Nyota said. "Christine, come up to the cockpit; there's extra room."

Nyota sat at the helm; Christine sat in the navigator seat. Nyota quickly put their current weight and fuel capacity into the computer. The computer processed the data and indicated that the shuttle could lift off safely. Nyota adjusted the instruments to account for the increased weight and to balance the craft. Then the planetoid shook violently, and the building in front of them began to crumble, sending chunks of it flying. The passengers on board the Galileo began screaming and crying. Christine grabbed the arms of her chair and watched with shock as the colony began breaking apart.

Nyota shouted: "Hold on, everybody!"

The shuttle lifted, slowly at first, while another shockwave rattled it. Nyota added more thrust, and the shuttle cleared the ground. Nyota deftly piloted the shuttle away from the colony on the safest and most efficient route.

On the Enterprise, Kirk was talking with Captain Morgan of the Potemkin.

"A nurse named Silverton indicated that the pilot of the Huron is unconscious and that Lieutenant Uhura is trying to get the Galileo out of there."

"Lieutenant Uhura, you say? The famous code breaker?" Morgan asked.

"They had to adjust the weight and scrounge more fuel to lift off."

"All of our shuttles have reported in, except the Huron. Can you take care of my crew until we reach Starbase 12, Kirk?"

"No problem, Terrell. I'll take care of your people. Kirk out."

While Kirk was conversing with Captain Morgan, Spock and Masters had been monitoring the fuel levels on the Galileo:

"Lieutenant Uhura was able to retrieve the Huron fuel cells and transfer fuel to the Galileo's fuel cells to compensate for the increase in weight from extra passengers," Spock said.

"Yes, Mr. Spock. The shuttle should lift off with no problems; the fuel levels are at maximum."

"Have Engineering stand by to apply tractor beams, if necessary."

Masters looked at Spock: "Is that necessary? They will be able to reach escape velocity now that they have compensated for their weight with extra fuel."

"The magnetic forces from the planetoid will interfere with the instruments on the shuttle and cause it to shift, draining more energy as it ascends toward the rendezvous point. The destruction of the colony is imminent."

"I'll notify engineering, Mr. Spock."

Spock looked closely at the shuttle's readings on the sensors, not only those of the engines, but also those of the life support system. With both magnetic waves and radiation acting on the shuttle, the fuel cells would drain more quickly. Spock touched his temple as his racing mind calculated the shuttle's progress, adjusting for all the variables. He gave Kirk the latest update on Galileo's progress as the ripples of gravitational waves assailed the ship's hull.

Then Spock went to his scanner to monitor the shuttle, observing that it was moving at the appropriate speed based on its weight and fuel capacity. Kirk was watching the main viewer as the planetoid actually began breaking apart in front of him.

"Kirk to Engineering."

"Engineering here, Sir."

"Be prepared to warp out of here at best speed as soon as the last shuttle is aboard; we'll be cutting it close. Spock indicated it's a matter of minutes."

"She's ready to go on your orders, Sir," Scotty replied.

Then Kirk saw a speck come into view. It was the Galileo. He started to breathe a little easier.

"There she is, Sir!" Chekov shouted.

Kirk hailed DeSalle: "Is the hangar deck ready to receive the Galileo?"

"Yes, Sir. We just opened the hangar doors for them. They can land whenever they're ready."

"Make sure those doors are closed as soon as the Galileo clears them; we need to warp out as soon as possible. It's not safe here."

"Yes, Sir! As soon as the shuttle clears those doors."

"Galileo ees 1,500 keelometers avay," Chekov reported.

"The planetoid has become so unstable it will be unable to sustain its form. Radiation levels have increased another 45.6% since our last readings," Spock reported.

"Notify Starfleet of the complete evacuation of the New Jersey Colony and that we are en route to Starbase 12 with the survivors."

"Galileo ees 1,000 keelometers from the shuttle bay doors," Chekov reported.

Spock left his station and headed toward the turbolift. Kirk left his command chair to follow him, ordering Lt. Masters over his shoulder to take the conn. Kirk stopped and turned back to address Chekov: "Mr. Chekov, once those bay doors close, get us out of here at warp 8!"

Kirk and Spock rode the turbolift in silence, Kirk didn't want to disturb him in case Spock was communicating with his wife telepathically. When they exited the turbo, the corridor was full of crew members and civilians.

The shipwide intercom announced: "Shuttlecraft aboard, pressurization procedures in progress."

Spock broke into a light jog down the corridor, dodging people as he went. Kirk followed as quickly as he could. They reached the pressure doors, where DeSalle and the medical team were waiting. McCoy arrived right behind them with his Padd. The Enterprise jumped to warp as they felt the last of the turbulence from the planetoid. DeSalle opened the pressure doors, and people flooded into both sides of the bay to care for the injured passengers from the shuttle.

Inside the Galileo, Nyota gave a deep sigh of relief the moment she touched down in the shuttle bay. So did many of the people in the back. As they waited for the pressurization procedures to finish, Christine looked at her one-time friend and said sincerely, "Thank you, Nyota, for saving us."

"Christine, we worked as a team and saved each other."

Christine wanted to say more, do more-but the words were stuck in her chest. She had seen another side of her one-time friend. They had worked together on the Enterprise for almost four years. They almost lost their lives saving people, but that is what they signed up for-putting their lives on the line to safeguard the peoples of the Federation.

Christine got up from her chair to help with the wounded, mainly to check on Jason, the pilot of the Huron. Brian opened the shuttle doors and the ambulatory passengers slowly stepped down into the landing bay as the medical team rushed to assist them.

Spock stood waiting with his hands clasped behind his back. He knew that she was well; he felt it through their bond. Spock's heart beat faster as he thought about how satisfying it would be just to see her come down the steps. He would not be satisfied until that moment, and he watched impatiently (for a Vulcan) as the survivors and wounded were unloaded.

McCoy helped process the intake of the survivors, performing triage on the spot and directing each patient to the appropriate location.

Spock saw two nurses from the Huron emerge from the shuttle. Kirk greeted them and shook their hands. Then he saw Nurse Chapel and Nurse Carroll come out. The Captain acknowledged each of them and said a few words of thanks. Then it was her-his beloved-at the door. Their eyes locked. He moved swiftly toward her to assist her down the stairs; he gently held her arm to guide her. Then they stared at each other and spoke through the bond only they shared:

"My Nyota, you have excelled in all aspects of your task. But I am concerned that your harrowing experience may have affected you in an adverse manner. Am I correct?"

"Are you asking whether I'm okay?"

"Indeed. Thank you, my love."

"I'm safe, my Ashyam. Be at peace."

Spock bowed his head to her and then became aware of people looking at them. Feeling pleased that not a single person knew what had transpired between them, Spock turned and guided Nyota toward the shuttle bay exit.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Uhura, you and the rest of your crew need a medical check-in," McCoy called across the deck.

"Yes, doctor. I'm on my way," Nyota said with a smile. She was happy to be back on board; she turned and smiled at Spock: "Only a little while longer before we can be alone together, my Ashayam."