When Home is Gone

Part One - The Mission Begins

Third Person Point of View - USS Enterprise NCC-1701

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"Captain's log, Stardate 1500.35, Commander Spock has picked up an unusual signal which he has discovered to be a distress signal coming from the planet Archer IV, located less than ninety light years from the Sol system. The very first M-class planet the Enterprise NX-1710 had surveyed. We are currently on route to Archer IV to learn of the nature of this distress call."

"Mr. Spock, analysis?" Captain James Tiberius Kirk rose from his chair. Straightening his mustard yellow shirt, he walked around the barrier of the upper level, leant against the science stations control panel and  waited for his First Officer to respond. Spock leant away from his three-dimensional scanner and placed his hand to his temple, slightly wincing in pain.

"Spock?" Kirk was becoming curious and worried as to why his Vulcan officer was looking pained. Kirk stood and went to press the communications panel to contact his Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy.

"Captain, wait." Kirk's hand stopped. Spock's voice sounded strained. This only worried Kirk more.

"Spock, what is it? What's wrong?" He moved closer to Spock.

"The signal... I can hear it... In my mind... It's..." Spock collapsed before he could finish and fell in a heap in Kirk's arms. The weight of Spock made Kirk stumble and almost fall to the floor himself.

Freeing one of his hands, he slammed the communications button to open a channel to Sickbay. By then the whole bridge had stopped what they were doing, looking worriedly at Spock's unconscious form.

"Bones! Get up here now!"

Within a few seconds, the turbolift's door slid open and Dr. McCoy burst onto the bridge, rushing to Spock and Kirk's side carrying his black medical bag.

"What happened?" He asked Kirk as he scanned Spock with his tricorder.

"I don't know. He said that he could hear the distress call in his mind and it looked like it was causing him pain. Then he just collapsed." Kirk explained, not once taking his eyes off his best friend's unconscious body in his arms.

"Well, according to my scans, nothing's wrong with him. But just in case, we should get him to Sickbay for further scanning." Bones was incredibly confused. From what he knew about Vulcan biology and physiology, Spock wouldn't show any form of pain or emotion, unless it was incredibly bad.

Kirk nodded in agreement. He lifted Spock's arm and hauled him over his shoulder. He began to make his way to the turbolift. The doors slid open, but before he walked in, he called out to the bridge crew.

"Alright everyone, back to work. Scotty, you have the bridge." Kirk and McCoy stepped into the turbolift and the doors slid shut behind them. Leaving a very worried and confused crew in their wake.

Chief engineer Montgomery Scott, or Scotty for short, stood up from the engineering panel and made his way to the Captain's chair in the center of the room. He sat down and saw that all eyes were on him.

"Well don't just sit there." His Scottish accent broke the heavy silence. "We 'ave work to do."