This was going to be longer, but I decided to favour update speed over length. More coming soon.

"Readings, Mr Spock?"

"Planet is borderline class M, Captain." came the first officer's swift reply." Atmosphere higher in oxygen and carbon dioxide than is normal, which may be both cause and result of the large amounts of vegetation on the surface."

"Habitable then," mused the Captain. "Intelligent life, Spock?"

"I can find no signs of it, Captain." Kirk swung around to face his science officer. This was decidedly unusual. Spock continued, by way of explanation; "I find traces of only small mammal and insect-type life forms, all with only minimal intelligence. Nothing that could be classed as sentient."

"Is this a young world then, Mr Spock?"

"Quite the contrary, Captain. It has been in existence for at least two billion years longer than your Earth." Captain Kirk frowned. It sounded like yet another long investigation into yet another of the anomalies of the universe. Sometimes he thought one could get tired of endless unforeseen delays in this mission. Still- He would never have taken the job if he didn't love, deep down, all the little things that they did to look a little deeper into the great mysteries of the cosmos.

"Captain!" Lieutenant Sulu's voice broke across Kirk's reverie. "Scanners detect structures on the surface!"

"On screen and magnify to maximum." ordered Kirk. Sulu complied, and the bridge crew were treated to a slightly blurred image of a small cluster of smooth metallic domes, the largest about the size of a sports stadium. "No intelligent life, you said, Spock?" Kirk asked, half-joking.

"None that my scanners could detect." It was Spock's turn to frown now. "It is possible that this planet was briefly settled then abandoned, or that its inhabitants dwell too far below ground for my scanners to reach them, although such an eventuality is highly improbable."

"Of course it is, Mr Spock." Kirk smiled. "But in this job we seem to encounter the utterly impossible six times before breakfast, so the merely improbable is looking increasingly more likely to me these days."

"Six times before breakfast, Captain?" Spock's frown deepened. "I do not recall-"

"It was not intended to be a literal statement of fact, Mr Spock." The Captain sighed. "In any case, I'd say that those domes merit further investigation. Spock, you said that the surface can support human life?"

"Undoubtedly Captain."

"Then report to the transporter room in fifteen minutes, with your tricorder and anything else you deem necessary. Sulu, you and Chekov come along as security. You might get a chance to have a look at some of the local vegetation too."

"Thank you Captain." Sulu left his post and headed off to collect his equipment. Another crewman smoothly took his place.

Kirk swivelled in his chair. "You want to come, Uhura?"

His communications officer blushed. "Well, yes sir, I do. But why would I be included?"

The captain smiled. "If we do end up below ground it could be useful to have a communications expert with the team. Besides which, you've been stuck on board ship for a few months now. I'm sure Doctor McCoy would advise me to let you get a bit of real air before you go stir-crazy."

"Damn right I would!" Kirk's grin grew wider. He'd thought that the doctor would be listening in on the sick-bay channel- just in case the captain did something overly foolhardy of course. Not in any way to satisfy his own overwhelming curiosity about each new planet they observed. Not in the slightest. "But Jim, you can't go gallivanting off to an unknown planet without any medical support, especially if you might be going out of transporter range. If I-"

"I thought you were busy with Crewman Thomas' leg wound?" interrupted Kirk. "You told me he required your constant supervision because of the rad-burning."

"Well-yes." The doctor's disappointment was evident. "But you can still take as member of my staff with you. I don't need all of them here for one man."

Kirk knew when to give in. "Alright Bones, if you insist. Who can you spare?"

"I'll send Nurse Chapel down to the transporter room. She's capable enough, and I suspect most of the others are too in awe of you to make you take your medicine when you need it." With a laugh, the captain closed the channel. His day was looking up.