Snippet 4c

---**---

CRASH!!

The scream of the red alert overhead grew even more urgent as the ship rocked from yet another violent blast from the Sartorian's attack maneuvers. Abruptly, every person on the Bridge and in the hallways were thrown from their feet again - this time with twice the force.

McCoy felt his head crack against the base of the computer console behind him, rendering him momentarily dazed as he collapsed again to the floor. Pain shot through the veins in his upper body, but he couldn't afford to let himself shut down. Especially since he had Chekov yanking at his arm a second later.

"Doctoor! Doctoor! Ve are at 10% shields!" the young Russian said fearfully, his eyes huge in alarm as he struggled to help McCoy up. "Ve shall haff to evacuate if ve cannot escape!"

"All communication channels are still completely severed," Uhura reported weakly from her station, the blood staining one side of her face evidence to why her voice sounded so faint. "...there's no chance of calling for help."

Another violent blast suddenly wracked the ship again, and everyone who wasn't able to hold onto something was thrown to the floor again. McCoy thankfully avoided the wall this time, managing to keep himself somewhat upright with the help of Chekov and the console behind him.

It was just his luck...in command during a time of fatal attack from Sartorians. This was never supposed to be possible...and yet, due to Kirk's undebatable need to be in Sick Bay, and Scotty's claim that the engines needed his undivided attention, here he was. In charge.

"Sir?" Chekov pressed him desperately. "Sir! Vhat should ve do?!"

McCoy blinked several times, looking at the screen. The red letters blared in his face. The sounds pressed into his ears, and he gradually got his head back together. He knew what he needed to do, and time was running out.

"All personel to the shuttle bay. All personel to the shuttle bay." Sulu repeated into the speakers, looking over at Chekov as he did so. "Emergency evacuation. Emergency evacuation."

"Go! Go! Go!" Chekov immediately started yelling at everyone on the Bridge, waving them toward the doors. "Ewacuation! Ewacuation!!"

"We're going. Go!" Lieutenant Rolan - the replacement for Mr. Spock - called out quickly, starting to usher people toward the doors. It took a bit of effort to get those like Uhura and Yeoman Raine to move, but eventually it was done, and all of them were piling toward the turbolift. "Everyone out!!"

The ship rocked fiercely again, nearly throwing them all off balance. The computers flashed and blared their warnings left and right, calling out the red alert and the names of the decks that were being shut down due to damage. They were definitely running out of time.

"To the shuttles! To the shuttles!" Lieutenant Rolan yelled. "GO!" He turned back to McCoy. "Doctor - are you coming?!"

"I'll stay here 'til everyone's clear." McCoy said, shooing him away. "Get medical bay out first! You hear me?!"

"...yes, sir," Rolan finally said, before he turned quickly to continue ushering the others out.

The ship was all but in chaos. People ran up and down the hallways, dashing to clear the decks and head to the shuttle bay - where every shuttle was now preparing for take-off by the light of the flashing red lights above everyone's heads.

Sick Bay was one of the first decks to be evacuated, as McCoy had ordered. Doctors moved quickly to get patients off the deck in stretchers, wheelchairs and by sheer manpower alone - among them being the captain of the ship himself.

"That's Bones's voice," Kirk panted, looking anxiously toward the ceiling as he was wheeled out of Sick Bay with the rest of the patients. Unlike the other patients, though, he was either looking toward the computer speakers above them, or toward the deck that they had just left. "Why are we evacuating?"

"The ship is in critical condition, sir," Chapel said rapidly, coming out quickly to help push his wheelchair down the hallway. "Everyone is being evacuated to the shuttles. We won't last another minute under these attacks."

As if on cue, another thunderous blast caused the ship to shake violently. Alarmed shouts came from decks above and below those that were heading toward the shuttle. They were clearly running out of time.

"Chapel, report!" McCoy shouted into his comm, his eyes alight with the flaming red lights as he picked Sulu off the ground and steadied himself against Chekov's chair. "Why the hell aren't you out yet?!"

"Half of the doors on Deck G have been deactivated, Doctor!" Chapel yelled over the communicator, still rushing with Boma down the hallway toward the shuttles. The lights around them were flashing brighter than ever, warnings screaming out from every computer on the walls. "We're moving as fast as we can! When are the rest of you coming down?"

"Don't you give a damn thought about that until he's out of there!" McCoy roared, hurrying over to Uhura and toppling over as they were hit again. "Chekov! Damage report!"

"Shields at less than 7%, Doctoor!" Chekov reported mournfully, barely managing to pull himself up into his chair again. "Ze ship vill not last even two more attacks!"

Down in the shuttle bay, the rest of the crew were finally being loaded into the shuttles, and - one by one - the shuttles were taking off, leaving the ship rapidly to escape the onslaught of fire from the Sartorians. Among the last were the final groups coming from Medical Bay and Engineering.

"Load in, quick," Boma said quickly to Chapel as they made it inside Shuttle 7, quickly motioning for the doors to be shut. "We need to prepare for take-off immediately."

"No!" Kirk shouted, his voice tight from pain as Chapel moved him toward the center of the shuttle. Sweat beaded on his face as he turned toward the medical officers half-threateningly, half-imploringly. "Don't you DARE leave without Bones!"

"Sir, we might not have a choice," Chapel said, helping to move the captain onto the bio bed that was situated in the shuttle. "You need to stay focused, you're nine centimeters dilated - "

"I don't CARE!" Kirk yelled, the desperation in his voice slightly overtaking his command tone. "Don't you even THINK about moving this shuttle until Bones is here!!"

"Dr. McCoy, what's the situation?" Boma was on the communicator again, putting the headset to his ear. "Are you coming down?"

"We're taking the next one!" McCoy shouted, grabbing Sulu by the shirt and tossing him toward the turbolift. "Get out of there NOW! Chekov, put her on autopilot and move! Uhura - out!"

"Yes, sir," Boma nodded at his communicator, before sitting back and turning to Chapel and the other medical hands. "We're moving out now. Prepare for take-off."

"NO!" Kirk shouted, his face alive with fear and pain - becoming even worse when another contraction rolled over him. "Boma, NO! Not without Bones!!"

"Sir, stay still," Chapel urged him, nodding toward the medical hands that were starting to close up the shuttle. "It's going to be all right, you need to rel - "

"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO RELAX!!" Kirk screamed, half out of fury, half out of another wave of intense pain. "I want Bones here, DAMMIT! Don't you DARE LEAVE HIM BEHIND!!"

'Warning, condition: critical. All personnel must evacuate the ship.'

"We've received orders, sir. We're going now," Boma said, already moving his hands back to the computer, his face forcibly expressionless. "Nelson, disengage the doors."

"NO!!" Kirk struggled violently against Chapel's hold, and the holds of the other doctors that moved in toward him. "God - NO!! BONES!!"

The shuttle roared to life as the computer engaged the power systems. It lifted from the ground, turning and starting swiftly to follow the rest of the shuttles out of the bay and out into space...leaving the Enterprise behind.

Moving quickly out of the way of the tractor beam, some caught sight of the true damage that had been inflicted on the ship... damage that was now behind left behind them as the shuttles headed toward safety, out into the vast emptiness of space.

Communication was severed almost immediately from the ship - but all of that was unheeded in Shuttle 7 as the medical crew gathered quickly around the bio bed of the shuttle, working feverishly to try and bring a life into the world that the Sartorians had almost succeeded in taking away during their attack. The Enterprise gradually grew farther and farther away as the welcome arms of space stretched out toward them.

"Push, sir! Harder! Push!" Boma's voice boomed over the other voices in the room, overpowering even the weakening sobs that wrenched from Kirk's lips as he fought to use up what remaining strength he had. And in the end, it turned out to be just enough.

Finally, ten minutes later...the first cry of a healthy, beautiful baby girl was heard inside the confinement of the shuttle.

"Here she is, captain," Dr. Gray whispered, moving to gather the tiny baby into his arms, wrapping her in a blanket before shifting forward to settle her in the crook of Kirk's arm. "...she's absolutely perfect."

Kirk turned weakened eyes toward the baby in his arms, staring down at her at last when she was given to him. She truly was the image of a perfect baby - already bearing flawless resemblance to him and McCoy. She was an angel if ever there had been one allowed in the heavens of earth.

The hiss of a communicator suddenly came in beside the wall - and Chapel picked up the comm from over by the computers, speaking quickly into it. "...Dr. McCoy...yes, sir...they're here. Everything's fine..." she glanced up. "...yes, sir. The baby is here. She's beautiful and healthy."

Kirk glanced up immediately. "Bones?" an immeasurable mixture of hope and sadness came over his face as he held the baby closer to him, looking toward the communication system as Chapel worked quickly to put communication through the entirety of the speaker system. "....Bones...you there?"

"Who else would be calling at this hour?" McCoy's voice asked sarcastically over the comm. "I hear she's beautiful, Jim."

"She's perfect," Kirk said, a sad smile briefly touching his face as he looked back down at his daughter, who was snuggling up to him already in the midst of her soft pink blankets. He reached up to gently take her tiny hand in his. "...Bones, you should be here..."

'Leaving Sector in two minutes.' The computer reported tonelessly from above.

A few chaotic sounds came over the comm, and McCoy's voice seemed distorted as he spoke. "Don't think about that when your daughter doesn't even have a name yet." Another blast cut him off. "Well? What are we gonna call her?"

Kirk blinked against the burn in his eyes, trying to focus on the tiny face below his as the sounds from the communicator continued to filter in faintly overhead. "We could name her after your mom."

"If you want her to die of humiliation."

The comm crackled. Boma steadied Kirk as their shuttle rocked suddenly.

"What was that damn name your ma was gonna name you if you were a girl? That she named that little rascal of a fox instead when you ruined her plans?"

"Beatrix?" Kirk said, a weak smile in his voice despite the efforts to keep himself and the baby still as the shuttle trembled. "...or Rosaline? The name she decided on after she read that book?"

"Rosie," Kirk murmured, glancing back down at the baby girl in his arms. "...okay...Rosie it is."

'Thirty seconds till collision,' The computer over the communicator reported faintly in the background.

"Bones?" Kirk glanced upward again, tears glistening in his eyes again as the sounds from the communicator grew louder. "Bones - are you there?"

"Yeah I'm here. Damn Jim I bet she's pretty."

Twenty seconds to collision.

"Now you listen to me good Jim, alright?" The voice said earnestly. "You know I love you and that little girl. You get your to safety and take care of yourself, you hear?"

Ten seconds to collision.

"I hear you," Kirk answered, his voice breaking as he clutched his daughter close, tears beginning to make their way down his face as the computer's countdown could still be heard faintly overhead. "...but, Bones...I can't do this without you..."

Five seconds to collision.

Two seconds.

"Yeah," Kirk let out a stifled sob, agony closing quickly on his features. "I love you so much, Bones..."

"I love you," Kirk whispered one more time, shutting his eyes as the last sounds of the communicator broke through their system - the sound of the impending collision echoing through the speakers until they faded into nothing.

Silence fell after that - broken only by the soft, wondering burble of the baby in Kirk's arms. She stared up at him, eyes as blue as his - but with a face so characteristically McCoy's that it was enough to make Kirk's eyes slowly focus again.

The shuttle moved off with the others into space, leaving the remnants of the Enterprise behind. The Sartorians thought that they had won, unknowing that the crew that they had sought to destroy had almost entirely escaped, saved by the efforts of just one who had chosen to stay behind.

The day, unknown to them, was not theirs.

----**-----

The vast sun of the Vulcan sky loomed overhead brightly, signalling the approach of the late afternoon. Across the lands, red sand blew over the mountains and empty fields, undisturbed by sounds from the inner city, which lay behind open outskirts, where several homes were built on the border.

There would not have been any sound save the wind coming from the area at this time of day...had it not been for the small cry that broke through the air just as the sun reached its peak.

On a balcony under the sun, a tiny newborn baby was being washed and wrapped by two Vulcan nurses, who attended to their duties expressionlessly...despite the true miracle that they were holding in their hands. One glanced at the other when they had finished wrapping the infant in a soft blanket, and the other took the small bundle toward the bed-like couch further out into the balcony.

"Your son, Commander," the nurse said softly as she approached the bed, reaching down to settle the bundle into the Vulcan man's arms. "He is healthy."