If one were to watch the da Vinci away team materialize on the beach of the Monagas Lagoon, they would observe an interesting case study of differential behaviors of a multitude of species.

Gomez and Tev both immediately reached for their tricorders and began scanning the area, each trying to discover their quarry first. Soloman’s face was a mix of wonder and fear. All his life he had been used to the sterile simplicity of his homeworld. Yet, even though he had been to many a planet, the look of raw nature always filled him with a mix of emotions. Pattie always gave a slight shudder whenever she first materialized on solid ground. Even though she didn’t visit her homeworld often, she still had her tree legs and was much more used to clambering about from limb to limb.

Corsi reached for her phaser and turned with a scowl to Angelopoulos who immediately drew both his phaser and tricorder. She didn’t say a word to him, waiting for him to complete his task.

“There’s nobody in the area for about one hundred meters. I’m picking up the unusual energy reading in that direction,” Angelopoulos said, pointing to the caves. “That’s where our Gorn friends were looking before.”

“Me, too,” Gomez said even as Tev said simultaneously, “As am I.” They looked at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to say something. Their staring contest was cut short by a clap of thunder overhead.

“All right,” Gomez broke the silence. “We’re moving into the caves. I want security scanning ahead; I’ll follow with Soloman and Pattie in the middle and Tev covering the rear.” She brushed away a lock of her hair blown in front of her by a developing wind.

Tev was about to object when a streak of lightning sizzled across the sky. Everyone suddenly realized just how humid it was becoming.

“It looks like we’re in for a storm,” Gomez said. “Let’s move out, people, and let’s be careful. We don’t know where that third Gorn is or if Kazar has joined him.”

They began their trek across the sand, moving toward the cave entrance. The wind picked up its pace, staggering some of the crew with its buffeting force. Pattie reached out and steadied Soloman, who looked as though he was going to be lifted off the ground.

As they advanced, Corsi stepped up to Gomez and whispered, “I’m impressed. Tev didn’t put up a fight or anything.”

“He’s learning. Sometimes he forgets that he’s second in command—and I didn’t help matters on our first mission when I dropped the command ball. But I think I’ve earned a grudging respect from him.”

“That says a lot.” Corsi let a grin slip out.

“Exactly,” Gomez replied. “But by the same token, I can’t let his brusqueness take command of any situation I’m in charge of handling. I’ve still got to sometimes remind him that I’m in charge.”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Corsi sighed.

“Speaking of crowns, how about you?” Gomez looked at Angelopoulos. “How are the new recruits adjusting?”

Corsi shrugged. “All right, I guess. I haven’t heard any complaints.”

“Do you ever?”

“From the recruits? No—but I trust Hawk to let me know if something’s up. I’ve been trying to keep a looser hand, anyhow. Most of these people know their stuff—Lauoc, Krotine, even Konya.”

“What about him?” Gomez asked, indicating Angelopoulos.

“Pretty straightforward and clever, based on his record. And he asked to transfer here.”

“I’m impressed, Domenica—you’ve mellowed in your old age.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Corsi said with a smile. “I just think that, especially after everything that’s happened to us in the past year, there are some really important things in life you have to appreciate in the here and now.”

Gomez knew exactly what the security chief was talking about, especially in regards to a certain Fabian Stevens, who was waiting for her back at the ship. Gomez was of two minds about their slowly developing relationship. On the one hand, Fabian and Domenica were a good match.

On the other hand, Gomez harbored a thin, green streak of envy. Watching the two always reminded Gomez of what she and Kieran had and she wanted it again. How many times had she been the one who cooled down Duffy’s advances, even hesitating when he proposed to her just before the Galvan VI mission began? Despite her words, hadn’t Corsi learned anything from Gomez and Duffy?

The area around the away team began to darken, and a call from Angelopoulos ahead of them drew Gomez from her morose thoughts.

“I’ve pinpointed the source of the energy pattern,” he reported. He held up his tricorder and tapped a command into the small unit. “I’ve also mapped out the interior of the cave system. I’m sending it to your tricorders. There are two entrances into the cavern.”

Gomez turned to Corsi. “Well?”

“We keep it simple to start, Commander,” Corsi replied quickly. “You and I and Blue will enter from one side while Tev, Soloman, and Angelopoulos will enter from the other.”

Gomez nodded appreciatively. “Good. I like it. Let’s make no sudden moves here. Wait for my signal to move in.” She was looking at Tev as she said this. The Tellarite grunted his acknowledgment.

Sparky had been silent for some time. Eddie didn’t bother his new friend as he was still getting used to the sensation of the absorbed energy washing over him. There was that little part of Eddie that wondered if he was causing any harm to himself being joined to Sparky.

Physically, he looked the same, save for the hairs on his hands and arms standing up. He reached up and felt his hair swaying about in an upright position. Other than his odd hairstyle and the tingling sensation coursing throughout his body, Eddie felt fine.

DANGER.

“What?” Eddie still wasn’t used to hearing Sparky’s voice in his mind.

DANGER. OTHERS OF YOUR KIND APPROACHING.

“My kind?” Eddie repeated. “Humans?”

SOLID MATTER. ENERGY DEVICES. Sparky paused. WEAPONS. MAY HARM EDDIE JOHNSON.

“Me? How do you know they’re going to hurt us? They might be here to help us.”

TRUST NO ONE.

“You trusted me,” Eddie argued.

FRIEND.

“And these people could turn out to be friends too.” Eddie continued to press his point. “My father could be among them.”

ANGER AT FATHER. HE HURT EDDIE JOHNSON. FATHER HURT SPARKY.

“I was mad at my father, yes, but I wouldn’t want to hurt him.”

NOT HURT. INCAPACITATE.

Sparky began to glow again, preparing itself for an assault. Eddie tried to call out, but found that his voice wasn’t echoing off the cavern walls.

CANNOT ALERT THEM. INCAPACITATE AND THEN INVESTIGATE.

“No!” Eddie cried out. “You don’t know if you’ll hurt them! Stop!”

The young boy, now a part of the energy being, struggled to stop the surge. He willed himself to halt the process.

STOP. EDDIE JOHNSON CANNOT CONTROL THIS.

“I have to try,” Eddie said, gritting his teeth as he tried to maintain his concentration.

In the large outer cavern, Corsi and Angelopoulos checked the setting on their phasers.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to have any effect on something that can suck the energy from an entire peninsula,” Gomez said.

Corsi tapped at her phaser. “It makes me feel more secure.” She lifted the weapon and examined it. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. It’s been drained.”

“As has my tricorder,” Soloman reported.

“I’ve still got my phaser,” Angelopoulos said, lifting his weapon.

“As do I,” Tev added. “Interesting. Some of our equipment is being affected this time, while others are not.”

“Yes.” Gomez was interrupted from continuing her thoughts by a cry from Soloman. He dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. Gomez was quickly to his side, pulling out her tricorder.

“Whatever is causing this drain is affecting Soloman. It’s feeding on his neural impulses. He’s slipping into a coma.”

“That does it,” Corsi said, taking Angelopoulos’s weapon from his hands. “Let’s take this thing out.”

Before she could take another step, she was knocked off her feet by a concussive force, brought about by a phased explosion nearby.

“Well,” Angelopoulos said, pointing toward the entrance to the cavern. “And I thought things couldn’t get worse.”

The three Gorn had entered the cavern, their weapons raised. They advanced slowly, making sure they had the entire away team covered.

“Do not move,” Kazar hissed.