@dishbestservedcold liked for a starter
The Ceti Alpha star system. The Enterprise had left the system in her wake and at best their First Officer had expressed curiosities about seeing the progress of the marooned crew of the Botany Bay in another century. Nothing they’d have to deal with, right? Wrong. Returning to the very planet they’d left the out of time tyrant and his crew had not been the intention. A distress call had been sent from a small passenger ship and with the Enterprise being the closest, on its way to Cestus III, the ship had adjusted her course.
The rescue of the poor ship drifting had gone off without a hitch and the crew unharmed. It was the star system itself that was not untouched. There had been something missing, an entire planet. Even further, Ceti V was far from what it once was. The planet had been a lush, though harsh, environment and was now so much worse. McCoy of course accompanied the landing party to assess the living conditions of the planet, find out if Khan and his crew still were alive and to maintain the health of the party.
From the moment the party beamed down to the surface, McCoy felt unprepared. The harsh winds sent sand billowing through the air and the doctor had to pull the collar of his shirt up over his nose and mouth. “Let’s make this quick as we can. We don’t need to stay in these conditions any longer than necessary,” he spoke muffled through the fabric as he squinted at the flat landscape that seemed to go on endlessly. Had the wind not been as strong, the team might have been able to see the clear signs in the sand of well-worn paths. Footprints, blown away as if they’d never existed.
