...August 7th,2267...

..Alacatra city...3:20 PM...

"They are dead?" Shuttey said, in horror.

John-Luc nodded.

"They are," John-Luc said. "When I got to their bodies...It was too late. I had them be beamed up to the ship."

"Jarvis was...Just assigned," Kurter said.

"We are gonna make them pay," Shuttey said.

"No, we will not," John-Luc said. "We will find the captain and commander Spock."

Shuttey stared at the creepy Victorian like building.

"Reminds me of a good scary movie," Shuttey said.

"Kurter, you will go back to the ship," John-Luc said. "I will go with the Ensign who'll scare the cats away."

"You and your big mouth," Kurter said, with a snicker. He flipped open the communicator. "Kurter to Transporter. One to beam up."

Kurter was beamed up before their eyes.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

...August 7th..2267..

...Alacatra City,...3:49 PM...

Kirk awoke feeling pain in the back of his neck. He felt something hard and metal like instead of his typical soft smooth skin. His vision was a bit blurry at first. He saw Spock in the corner of the room with his arms folded staring at the door as though processing a mathematical problem how to break it. It was then Kirk recognized it is a energy field.

"Good afternoon, Captain," Spock said.

"Wait, it is in the afternoon?" Kirk said, surprised.

"Affirmative," Spock said.

"I don't remember being knocked out," Kirk said.

"That is because we were stunned," Spock said.

"Someone used our phasers against us?" Kirk asked, stunned.

"Affirmative, Captain," Spock said. "I theorize these are very paranoid beings who believe everyone is out to get them."

Kirk had a soft laugh.

"Describes most of humanity," Kirk said.

"I assure you Captain," Spock said. "I have no such thoughts because it is illogical for some-one to go after me."

"Right," Kirk said. "What is around my neck?"

"A skin collar," Spock said.

"...Come on, Spock," Kirk said.

"It is bound to your skin," Spock said.

"Why don't you have one?" Kirk asked.

"Because I am a alien," Spock said. "You, on the other hand, are not much of a alien."

"...Did he explain why?" Kirk asked.

"They explained their previous host was a Professor in the Science field headed to the planet Colo," Spock said. "I suspect Professor Quarty had at least visited this planet and escaped somehow."

Kirk paced back and forth rubbing the back of his neck.

"So the first human on this planet was Professor Quarty," Kirk said.

"Affirmative," Spock said.

"And he escaped," Kirk said. "I suppose they didn't have a collar on him!"

"We didn't," Came another voice.

Kirk turned toward the sound of the voice that belonged to Ambassador Edvige.

"Why did you collar me?" Kirk asked

"Because outside influence is deadly to our way of life," Edvige said. "And we cannot allow others to escape with knowledge of our life style."

"I have heard that phrase before," Spock said.

"So have I," Kirk said. Kirk stepped forward. "Ambassador Edvige--"

Kirk collapsed stung in pain.

"You will not move until I say so," Edvige said. "Your officers were supposed to be lured to their doom...But no, they had to investigate." Spock simply stared at Edvige taking note of his physical body signs. "They had us spill blood in our streets."

Kirk helps himself up.

"So...You...In fact killed two of my men," Kirk said.

"Bones to dust, blood to waste," Edvige said. "Their bodies are all but skeletons. They can be returned to their loved ones as our search was cleared."

Kirk was furious.

"This is a lot of effort to hide your illness,Mr Ambassador," Spock said.

"What?" Edvige asked, startled. "I have no illness!"

"If I am not mistaken," Spock said. "You have arthritis," Edvige stepped back. "There is no known cure for that on your planet."

"But the stupidity of your kind can be cured by death!" Edvige said.

"Which kind?" Spock asked.

"The one that shames you," Edvige said.

"I warn you," Kirk said. "Do not insult my first officer."

Two of your officers are now searching this building," Edvige said. "They should have died in the desert. Your Shootey and Pacurld duo!"

"Your humor is very flat," Spock said. "It is pronounced 'Shut-tea' and 'Pearl-card'."

"That is absurd!" Edvige said, as his wrinkled face is changing colors.

"Pocirld," Kirk repeated. "It is more like Po-Cured. Don't you agree, Mr Spock?"

"I agree, Captain," Spock said. "Like the name 'Edvige'. It sounds like Ed and Veg. The 'i' is silent."

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Edvige demanded.

"We are sharing a intellectual conversation, do you mind good sir?" Spock asked.

"FINE, I WILL TAKE YOUR CAPTAIN!" Edvige said. "Guards!"

"For what?" Kirk asked. "A dive in the water? No thank you."

"We don't have water," Edvige lied.

"Scientifically this planet has mass portions of water much like Earth. The tectonic plates are still moving and every year the plates on this planet move an inch," Spock said. "Logically you are the ones not paying attention to your surroundings."

Two guards appeared behind Edvige.

One guard was short and the other was taller.

"That is it," Edvige said.

Spock noticed the height difference as did Kirk. The guards wore helmets that covered their entire face along with a dark purple visor, large armor that seemed to be like the ones worn by knights in a era far back on Planet Earth. Edvige held the device out then pressed his elongated thumb on it.

It was so unexpected for Edvige.

Because the next he knew he was pinned to the floor feeling a sharp pain in his back. The pain was coming from knees sharply poking through. Now they must have some really sharp knees or might not be Alakatrakians because their knees are not that hurtful when digging into some-one's back. Kirk lay on the floor unresponsive with eyes open. The neck collar unwrapped off Kirk's neck then landed on the floor. Spock used a vaporizer to make it vanish into the air.

"What is wrong with the captain?" Shuttey asked.

John-Luc did not want to say it.

John-Luc refused to believe Captain Kirk died.

"Dead," Edvige said.

"Oh don't listen to him," John-Luc said. He slipped out another device poking out of Edvige's pocket. "He's perfectly fine."

He pressed a button and the energy field vanished while Spock performed CPR on Kirk. The caution taken over an old Ambassador is very warranted because of the circumstances and they are very unaware of the strength that Alakatrakians share, in fact they are not part of the Federation due to their mysterious and hostile planet.

"Lock him up, Chief," Spock ordered.

"You heard the Vulcan," John-Luc said.

They had pinned Edvige's arms behind his back. The two officers stood up then made their way back up the stairs. John-Luc and Shuttey, when a good distance from the cell, engaged into the unlikeliest of all conversations.

"Do you know how the Captain and the Commander have this kind of chemistry together?" Shuttey asked.

"Yes," John-Luc said.

"Like a juicy kind of spark where they can read each others minds," Shuttey added.

"That was established last year," John-Luc siad

"Yeah," Shuttey said. "I am aware of that. But do you think they might have something going on?"

"No," John-Luc said. "We should not be talking about this in front of the ones who tried to kill us."

"Well, we did knock out the guards," Shuttey said.

"Ensign Shuttey," John-Luc said, warningly.

The two tossed Edvige into the living room, closed the door, and used the broom to keep the doors closed. They took off the armor and got back into their most comfortable Federation attire. Shuttey sighed in relief, free of the over bearing metal. But John-Luc? He was perfectly fine maintaining the weight of the armor. They dumped the armor on the nearly naked guards.

Shuttey and John-Luc returned to the room where Kirk and Spock are.

Kirk is staring at Spock standing beside him kin shock while holding the communicator.

"Four to beam up," Kirk said.

"Good to hear you, Captain!" Scotty said. "Beaming up."