The patient rested on the biobed appearing to be at peace. Stone felt disturbed as he rubbed his chin. The man nearly flatlined on him. He nearly lost the legendary doctor on his watch. But the odd part was that he had green skin, pointy ears, and a v shaped forehead. The man's beard had been shaved off during surgery. He had one hand under his elbow staring at the success story. It still bothered him that he almost lost McCoy.  He felt sick to his stomach. His nurses were excused after the surgery to recuperate from what they had seen. He had issued a 'no-visit' order for the doctor as he needed rest to regain his strength.

Ilia entered the private quarters.

"How is the patient?" Ilia asked, her hands tightly behind her back. She was in the golden variation of the jacket with a black skirt.

"He is fine. . ." Stone said. He looked over toward Ilia. "but I can't talk to you with what I found."

"I am first officer,"  Ilia said.

"That, you are," Stone said. "but honestly. . . Mr Spock should be handling this."

"He turned himself in," Ilia said.

"Listen," Stone said. "you don't want to see it."

"Why?" Ilia said.

"I am afraid what you will see will make you puke and run out like a ordinary person," Stone said.

"I will not," Ilia said.

"Have you ever stepped foot into space?" Stone said.

"Yes," Ilia said.

"No, I am serious," Stone said. "have you stepped foot into space and seen someone so unkept and so wild that they don't seem human?"

"No," Ilia said. "but I need to see."

"You are first officer," Stone said.

"Indeed," Ilia said.

"Just because you are first officer doesn't mean you are ready to see everything.  This. . ." Stone shuddered. "I am afraid you are not ready to see that." He glanced over toward the doctor. "He did something no one would have dared to do. And he saved lives," Stone turned his direction toward the woman. "you want to see how unwell they must be? Do you want to be attacked likely by someone who doesn't know you? Do you really want to see the worse of Vulcanian and Romulan when not taken care well?"

"Yes," Ilia said.

"Are you sure about this?"  Stone asked.

"Positive,"  Ilia said.

"Come with me," Stone said. "I don't care if this court martial business means staying in the brig until we reach a nearby space station or star base but this is serious business. I think they will trust Vulcans more than Deltans."

"They will have to trust me," Ilia said.

"I am not sure about that," Stone said.

"They will," Ilia said.

"Okay," Stone said.

The two went out of the private quarters then down the hall. There wasn't a sign of life to be seen except for them.  They came into the waiting  room that had been turned a empty room except for a small box on a ledge like shelf on the side. The human looked toward the woman, concerned, on how this might fair out for her. Usually, he wouldn't be afraid of how others saw nasty things. But  this was nasty. He would be afraid for men and women alike to stare into the face of horror and disgust. He raised a brow earning a nod from the Deltan. He pressed all the balls at once then tossed them into the air sending out jets of red energy. Saavik was the first to appear sitting down curled with her hands around her legs. Valeris had boggled, terrified eyes. There were other Romulan and Vulcan individuals who had not been cleaned in what seemed to be a long time. Stone heard the woman turn around then walk away leaving the scene. The transparent doors closed behind her.

"T'Hinek?" came the female, at the center, of the group.  Her eyes full of concern.

"My name is Doctor Stone," Stone said. "I am here to help you get better. He is perfectly safe and sound, recovering, in a individual room of his own." He gestured over to a pile of blankets and pillows that were neatly organized. "Until the current acting captain returns, we will be arranging you each to have showers then you will be fed in the mess hall. Afterwards, you will be kept together until the return to Starbase 1. Do any of you understand that?" There were a few nods. "the next time you see Romulans, they are not going to harm you, and Vulcans have some sanctuary for defecting Romulans." They nodded even more. "you will find that we don't let people die on our watch."

He could only imagine how painful it must be for the doctor to have seen the colonists on the morgue table. Just to see them not animated or alive. Not moving or breathing. Some of them were huddled in groups of their own. Saavik's eyes were stuck on the human. Stone walked away. What remained of the colonists went over grabbing the blankets in a organized line. Valeris returned with a large blanket and two pillows.  The last time that Saavik had see McCoy was the man sharing a smile back at her, reassuring her, that everything was going to be all right. He promised that he would be the first person that she would see as soon as she woke up.

He broke his promise.

The End.