Captain's Log: Stardate 4720.1

Mapping of the Class-Q type planet, Delta Canaris IV, continues. This planet, discovered three years into our five year mission, is providing a needed break from deep space routine for the crew. The violent gravity waves emanating from the planet require constant orbital corrections, but the added work might prove worthwhile due to the possibility of life on the planet. Sensor readings are positive although in a part of the life-spectrum indicating beings unlike any previously discovered by a Federation starship. Excitement among the crew runs high. Morale has never been better.

Captain James T. Kirk felt the deck of the Enterprise vanish from under his feet. Grabbing a handrail, he steadied himself until the gravity fluctuations had passed. He glanced around the bridge and saw his officers busy themselves counteracting the adverse influence of still another gravity wave from the planet below.

"Mr. Sulu, report," he ordered.

"Orbital corrections already made, sir," said the efficient helmsman. Sulu continued to punch in orders to the ship's control computer, his fingers almost a blur. Kirk nodded. The Asian knew his job and did it well. The captain continued his visual inspection of the bridge.

"Lt. Uhura, are those gravity waves affecting communications?"

"No, sir," she answered. "Subspace is clear all the way to Starbase Sixteen. Do you wish to transmit now?"

"Not immediately. I still have to finish the annual efficiency report."

"And if subspace transmission wasn't possible, you wouldn't have to do the report right away?" The Bantu woman's eyes sparkled.

"I didn't realize my motives were so transparent to the crew," said Kirk tiredly. "Those reports are due too often. I'd rather be with Mr. Spock, seeing what that planet down there really has to offer." He looked at the viewscreen and the dancing, shifting rainbow of the planet's methane atmosphere. "It looks just like Jupiter, even to the large red spot," he said, more to himself than to his communications officer.

"The similarity ends there, Captain," came the level voice of Mr. Spock. The Vulcan had come onto the bridge, and Kirk hadn't even noticed, being too engrossed in the sight of the gas giant. "Computer analysis of our previous sensor readings indicates life-forms similar to a sheet of paper."

"How's that, Mr. Spock?" Kirk looked at the imperturbable science officer, wondering if the Vulcan wasn't deliberately baiting him. He had noticed a sly sense of humor creeping into the Vulcan's words from time to time, but he had always discounted that as his own facile imagination at work. Humor wasn't logical and, above all else, Spock valued logic.

"This is a new life-form, probably sentient."

"Probably?"

"A ninety-four point two percent probability, Captain. The life-forms are slightly larger than your hand and less than a millimeter thick, due to the intense gravity of the planet. We have detected distinct roadways, structures believed to be cities and even indications of an ammonia ocean spanning trade."

"But they're only a millimeter thick?"

"Less than a millimeter. The exact thickness fluctuates due to food intake, movement and--"

"Thank you, Mr. Spock." Kirk sighed. "I would like to know more, but I am afraid I must leave it in your capable hands for the moment. The annual efficiency and promotion reports are due at Starbase all too soon. I'd be more than happy to have you file the reports except it is a captain's duty, and you are more efficiently employed studying Delta Canaris IV."

"Logical," agreed Spock, turning to his computer. His fingers inputted information as he stared into the blue dimness of his console display. Kirk knew the Vulcan was lost in a world of rapidly changing data, correlating it, digesting it and producing logical hypotheses for inclusion in the final report on the planet.

Reports, snorted Kirk to himself as he turned away. His life was plagued by a continual flood of reports. Status reports to Starfleet Command, matériel reports, utilization reports, efficiency reports-- a starship captain had to be more of an accountant than a commander these days.

"Mr. Spock, you have the conn," he said, going to the turbo-elevator. The movement of the elevator didn't affect him like the fluctuations caused by the gravity waves from the planet. Long years in space had inured him to this familiar motion. The pneumatic hissing ceased, and the doors opened onto the deck containing his quarters. He had barely gotten to his desk when he remembered a disciplinary problem that he had failed to attend to earlier. Kirk punched the call button on the desk and said, "Mr. Scott to captain's quarters immediately. And bring your chief engineer with you."

He had just begun work on the reports when his door chime sounded.

"Come." Kirk straightened as he saw Scott and the engineering chief stiffly enter the room and stand at ramrod attention in front of him.

"Reporting as ordered, sir," said the dour Scots officer. "And I brought Chief McConel with me."

Kirk found it hard to look with displeasure on the chief. Very attractive, she kept her red hair pulled back from her forehead and held in a small knot at the side. He saw a perfect complexion marred only by a trace of grime on one cheek, piercing green eyes ... and a mind that was as agile as her lithe body.

"Chief McConel, are you aware that gambling is not allowed aboard ship?"

"Aye, sir," she said, her slight burr a companion to Scott's.

"You're not denying that you were caught with elaborate gambling equipment in the engine room, are you?"

"No, sir, I am not."

Kirk sighed. "Chief-- Heather-- I don't care if there are games running. They keep the crew busy during slack times. You know that. This whole matter would never have reached my attention officially if you hadn't rigged the roulette wheel with that laser." Kirk leaned back, trying hard not to smile. "Tell me, how did you do it?"

" 'Twas but a wee bit of hocus-pocus, sir," she said, brightening. "The roulette ball is painted black. A mite of a laser beam against the ball and it dances to whatever tune I choose."

"So that's how ... " Kirk bit off his words. He had often wondered how he could have lost so much of his pay in such a short time at a casino on Argelius II. The captain shook himself back to the issue at hand. "Chief McConel, you will dismantle your gaming equipment-- and that still you so cleverly hid in the machine shop-- and put yourself on back-to-back shifts until I relieve you of the extra duty. Perhaps the added work will burn up that surplus energy of yours now being diverted to rigged games of chance."

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Dismissed. And Mr. Scott, a word with you in private." They both watched the chief leave, her behind twitching just the right amount as she went through the door. Scotty's heavy exhalation told Kirk more than words could have.

"She's quite pretty, isn't she, Scotty?"

"Aye, Captain, thot she is."

"And you let her get away with rigging the roulette wheel. It's you I should have on punishment duty, but I'm letting you both off this time. Nothing will be entered on her record. I don't want this showing up on the Enterprise's efficiency report. Those desk-skippers at Starfleet would jump all over something like this. I know you won't stop the gambling-- you shouldn't-- but don't let me hear any more about cheating. We will have fair contraregulation gambling aboard this ship while I am captain. Do I make myself clear?"

"Pairfectly, sair!" The burr heightened in his words, and Kirk knew that Scotty wouldn't let his feelings for the chief get in the way of his duty again.

"Good. Now let's forget about those reports for a minute and have a little--"

The buzz of the ship's intercom interrupted him. He stabbed down on the call button and said, "Kirk here."

"Captain, a message from Starfleet Command." Uhura sounded excited.

"Flash it on the screen, Lieutenant."

"I can't, sir," she said. "It's encoded and tagged. 'For Captain's Eyes Only.' You have to decode it yourself, sir."

Kirk felt momentary surprise at this. Highest priority messages were routinely squirted along in microbursts and received through devious computer-controlled equipment, making interception highly unlikely. To further encode a message was almost unheard of.

Almost.

"Send the coded message down by courier, Lieutenant," he ordered. Looking up at his engineering officer, he said, "Dismissed, Scotty. We'll have to have that drink later."

"Aye, sair. Be looking forward to it!" Smiling, the engineer left.

Kirk's attention focused on his tiny viewing screen, as soon as the security man delivered the message cassette. Row after row of numbers paraded out until the viewing area was filled. Leaning over, he opened the captain's safe, keyed only to his palm-print. The small decoding device inside hummed as he began copying the numbers displayed on the screen. When the message became intelligible, his face stiffened. Erasing the words, he activated the ship intercom.

"Bridge. Mr. Spock."

"Yes, Captain?" came the calm tones of his first officer.

"Lay in a course for Alnath II immediately. Warp factor eight."

"That is emergency speed, Captain."

"Aren't the engines up to it?" snapped Kirk.

"Of course they are, sir."

"Warp factor eight, Mr. Spock. Our presence is required at the start of another interstellar war." He sagged back in his seat for a moment, then hastened to get to his bridge. The Enterprise had to be made battle-ready before arrival.

"General quarters, general quarters. All stations, condition red. Repeat, condition red," intoned Sulu, his voice trembling slightly. He looked back over his shoulder at Captain Kirk, sitting in the command seat, a mask of intense concentration freezing his features.

"But, Jim," protested Ship's Doctor Leonard McCoy, "they can't be serious about this. The Klingons wouldn't dare attack a Federation vessel. That's like ticklin' a bull with a feather!"

"Are you saying Starfleet Command ordered us here by mistake? No, Bones, that order was signed by Admiral Tackett himself."

The doctor hesitated, then said, "The Chief of Staff?"

"That's right. Unless the Federation Council had issued the order directly, it couldn't come from a higher source."

"What happened, Jim?" McCoy moved closer to insure more privacy. The bridge hardly seemed the place for this sort of confidential discussion, but he had to know.

"The Vulcan Science Ship T'Pau has been destroyed. The instant the onboard computer ceased to register life readings, it automatically ejected the ship's recorder. All life aboard the T'Pau, Bones, ended within a few seconds. No disease, no equipment malfunction, no collision in space, nothing was recorded to indicate what happened. Starfleet Command believes that recent activities by the Klingons in this region indicate high probability that they were responsible."

"A new weapon, Captain?" asked Spock.

Kirk only nodded glumly.

"But the T'Pau wasn't armed!" exclaimed McCoy, beginning to show the intense emotions he kept checked until now. "They couldn't have resisted a Klingon warship."

"Mr. Spock, sensor readings." The Vulcan drifted back to his console and began studying the readouts.

"A dreadnought class Klingon vessel in orbit around Alnath II," he said. "There has been no indication they have detected us. We are still beyond their sensor's limits."

"They might be more heavily armed," conceded Kirk, "but our sensors are still better than theirs. A small edge, very small."

"Captain, I have located the T'Pau. The ship is adrift and intact. No life readings from the vessel." Spock looked up, his face bathed in the harsh blue light from his computer readout screen. With his pointed ears, dark hair and sallow complexion, he looked like Satan himself. The only thing missing was the hint of cruelty. Spock's face remained impassive as he read off the grim findings.

"Dammit, Spock," yelled McCoy. "Don't you feel anything for them? They were Vulcans!"

"Dr. McCoy," said Spock in his even voice, "I mourn for all tragic loss of life. The full information in this matter has yet to be determined." He turned back to his console, studying the sensor readings intently.

"Bones, quiet down," ordered Kirk, before McCoy could retort to Spock's reply. "I won't have you yelling at Spock like that on the bridge, especially not now while he is busy." He chewed on his thumb as he studied the viewscreen. The drifting T'Pau appeared, no visible scar marring the small vessel's hull "You get together a few of your personnel for a boarding party. I want a complete rundown of conditions aboard the T'Pau."

"Right, Jim. And ... sorry."

Kirk looked up at his medical officer and smiled slightly. He knew McCoy. The man was competent but sometimes let his emotions run rampant. McCoy left quickly, mumbling to himself, already selecting mentally the staff he would take.

"Mr. Spock, have Security beam over a team prior to medical examination. I want to make certain no booby traps have been laid for us. Mr. Chekov," Kirk said, addressing the navigator, "what of the Klingon ship?"

"Still in orbit about the planet, Captain," the young ensign responded briskly. "I have all phaser batteries fully charged. Awaiting orders!"

"Keep phasers at full charge-- and keep your finger off the triggers until I give the command."

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Security team is aboard the T'Pau," said Spock. "They report nothing unusual-- except the corpses."

"Put it on the viewscreen, Lt. Uhura."

Kirk propped his chin on his palm as he studied the viewscreen. The sight aboard the T'Pau made him shudder slightly. He could tolerate blood. A starship captain sees more than his share of combat and death. The eeriness of a ship emptied of life without visible struggle got to him. The security team moved swiftly through the corridors of the ship, relaying back the grim picture of Vulcans peacefully lying on their bunks, faces composed, hands folded across their chests, hinting at something wondrous by their expressions. All were dead. It was as if they had simply lain down and gone to sleep, dreaming pleasant dreams, never to waken again.

"Theories, Mr. Spock?" asked the captain. He could think of no reason for the demise of the T'Pau's crew. All the tiny details only a spaceman would notice were in perfect order.

"None, Captain. I must rely on Dr. McCoy's autopsies for further data."

"Beam over the medical crew," Kirk said into his intercom. He watched as the shimmering columns of energy solidified and the medical team, headed by McCoy and his chief assistant, Dr. M'Benga, dispersed through the ship.

"Lt. Uhura, any communication from the Klingon vessel?"

"None, sir. The ship remains in orbit. It doesn't seem to be following more than routine radio blackout procedure. I'm picking up radiation that wouldn't be present if they were operating under full battle conditions. Even assuming their deflector screens aren't as efficient as ours, they don't seem to be trying to avoid detection."

"Might I point out, Captain," said Chekov, "that there is no need for them to hide? That is a new Klingon dreadnought."

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Chekov. As I am aware that any battle with them will be one-sided. How far away are any of our own dreadnoughts, Mr. Spock?"

"The Konkordium and the Dominion are the nearest. Both are currently in dry dock at Starbase Seven."

"Starbase Seven?" Kirk felt cold all over. The dreadnoughts were in neither position nor condition to fight the Klingon vessel. Yet he would have to engage anyway, alone, with no support. The Klingons had violated the Organian Peace Treaty, using a secret weapon against a peaceful Vulcan scientific expedition. They must not be allowed to return to their own empire unscathed. A heavy cruiser might not best a dreadnought, but it was his duty to try.

The encoded orders from Starfleet Command had been explicit on that point: The Enterprise was expendable.

"Put me through to Dr. McCoy," he ordered Uhura. A hiss and McCoy's voice peevishly snapped at him.

"What do you want?"

"A report, Bones. What did it? What did the Klingons use to instantly kill a shipload of Vulcans?"

"Can't answer that. I'm beaming the bodies aboard, stacking most of them like cordwood into the cryogenic vaults until we can ship them back to Vulcan for burial. M'Benga will do the autopsies on the others, since he is more familiar with Vulcan physiology than I am. But we can't get the job done if you keep bothering us."

"Beam over a pair of the bodies and get back here yourself. Leave the other corpses in place and evacuate the vessel. Drain off the air; the hard vacuum of space will preserve the bodies as well as our cryovaults. I can't take the time for the transfer."

"But, Jim--"

"Now, Bones, do it now. Kirk out."

Kirk felt the eyes of his officers on him. Staring straight ahead at the viewscreen, his voice as calm as he could make it, he ordered, "Impulse power, helmsman. Take us to Alnath II, using the bulk of the planet to shield us from the Klingon vessel."

"Sneak attack, sir?" asked Chekov, both eager and apprehensive.

"It looks that way, Mr. Chekov. It looks as if that might be our only hope of success."

"I tell you, this is unlike anything I ever saw," said Dr. M'Benga, the body of the Vulcan partially dissected and spread before him on the autopsy table. "He is in perfect condition. There is no reason for this person to have died."

"None?" asked Kirk.

"I studied for four years on Vulcan to learn what I have, Captain Kirk. I never witnessed a death on Vulcan similar to this."

"Mr. Spock?" Kirk turned and looked at his science officer. Spock's eyes darted back and forth as he studied the numbers on the medical computer printout.

"I can draw no inference, Captain. Dr. M'Benga is best qualified to evaluate this data."

Kirk hardly believed his ears. Spock was as close to being nonplussed as he had ever seen him. The array of numbers meant nothing to Kirk, but the lack went further-- it extended to his most highly trained officers.

"Radiation? Could it have been a radiation burst?" he pressed, hoping for some clue to the Klingon weapon.

"If so, it is no radiation we are familiar with," the doctor said. "The cells of the bodies are in perfect condition. No ionization indicative of gamma radiation or X rays. The central nervous system is in good shape, too. No contusions, lesions or evidence of struggle. Their deaths were most peaceful. When I go, I hope it is like that." The black doctor stared down at the corpse on the table.

"Thank you, Doctor. With any luck, none of us will be departing this vale of tears anytime soon."

"McCoy, Spock, a word with you." Kirk left M'Benga intent on the autopsy. When he had the officers aside, he asked, "Any indication of Klingon intervention?"

"None, Captain," said Spock. "I have fully analyzed the recordings made by the T'Pau. At no time did any aboard even mention Klingon presence. Our own recordings taken after the crew's demise also lack positive indicators of Klingon action."

"McCoy? Did you see anything? A feeling, a tiny detail, anything?"

"Nothing definite, Jim. But the Klingons are warlike. We all know that. They would like nothing better than to destroy the Enterprise in battle. They live for war and the Organian Peace Treaty has robbed them of that for too many years."

"But the T'Pau," protested Kirk. "Any sign the Klingons caused the Vulcans' deaths?"

"No, Jim, but they must have done it. They're in orbit around that planet, aren't they?" demanded McCoy.

"Yes, Doctor, the Klingons are there. And we must attack, it seems. Soon."

Command weighed heavily on James Kirk. He had studied the results obtained from the analysis of the Vulcan craft. Seventy-two dead, no survivors, no records as to the cause of the tragedy-- and no evidence indicting the Klingons, either. That worried him the most. They were within the seven-hundred-and-fifty parsec treaty zone imposed by the Organians. The Klingons couldn't have attacked a Federation vessel without instant retaliation by the Organians-- or could they?

The Organians were peaceful, alien, powerful, but they weren't infallible. They could make mistakes. If the new Klingon weapon operated in such a fashion that it was indetectable by whatever means the Organians used, then the Klingon Empire would feel emboldened and attack with impunity. The United Federation of Planets couldn't run crying to the Organians. The Federation would have to deal with this threat. Swiftly. Decisively.

And Captain James T. Kirk was the instrument of that action. He had ordered strict battle silence. No communication with Starfleet Command was possible now. The slightest subspace squeak would alert the Klingons. The burden of decision was his and his alone. Admiral Tackett had entrusted him with complete discretion in this matter.

"Mr. Chekov, status."

"We are within forty planetary diameters of Alnath II," said the navigator. "All phaser banks are fully charged. Photon torpedoes are armed and locked in on horizon."

Kirk's eyes drifted back to the viewscreen. The planet loomed bright and shining, an M-class planet, another Earth with sweet spring rains and soft breezes and warming sunlight. The single point on the planet's horizon where the Klingon vessel would appear, if it maintained its computed orbit, appeared no different from any other point. At his command, that area of space would be filled with ravening phaser beams and a score of torpedoes, each one capable of destroying an entire planet's surface. So much power-- and all his to command.

He felt the tension around him. It was palpable, a fist crushing him. Decision. All his. Attack the Klingon before the other craft could prepare for battle. Spock agreed this was the logical course of action. The Klingon ship was newer, more heavily armed, swifter. The Enterprise's only advantage lay in surprise. If the Klingon warcraft could be damaged severely enough before their defenses stiffened, the Enterprise might survive the battle. Kirk wasn't even sure his ship could outrun the enemy.

Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the ideas of "enemy" and "battle." The evidence failed to convict the Klingons. He didn't know if the Klingons had ever detected the Vulcan ship. Perhaps M'Benga and McCoy had missed some little-known virus. A plague of incredible virulence might have ravaged the crew, killing them quickly. But a wealth of data argued against this interpretation. Where would the plague come from? Not Alnath II. The planet had been cleared by Planetary Research as safe, as safe as any M-class planet could be. No diseases, no dangerous beasts, no hidden menace. But something had killed those aboard the T'Pau.

"Deflector screens up," he ordered. "Prepare to attack as soon as the Klingon vessel clears the horizon."

"Four minutes, Captain," came Chekov's voice, quivering with ill-suppressed emotion. Kirk knew Chekov was like a racehorse in the starting gate. Nervous now, waiting, unsure of himself, but when the battle commenced, he would settle into cool, error-free activity.

"Captain!" cried Uhura, "I'm picking up a broadcast from the planet's surface. They claim to be part of the T'Pau's crew. No, they were part of the scientific expedition. They ... it's so confused, sir!"

"Put it on the screen, Lieutenant. And you, Mr. Chekov, keep your finger off the phaser controls." Reluctantly, the young ensign leaned back, his hands away from the deadly trigger button.

"Keep a close monitor on the Klingon ship's position, however," Kirk added. He looked to the viewscreen and saw the blue-tinted, craggy face of an Andorian staring back at him. One of the hearing stalks had been broken off in some past encounter, causing the alien to cock his head slightly toward his communicator unit.

"Who is this? Is that you, Captain Sullien? What is the meaning of abandoning us in this high-handed fashion? Answer me!"

"Mr. Spock, analyze and identify."

"The Andorian is a scientist of some renown, Dr. Threllvon-da, an archaeologist who has worked with other Vulcan expeditions. He appears distraught that Captain Sullien, the commander of the T'Pau, has not performed in a manner meeting Threllvon-da's expectations."

"The transmission is real? It is not being faked by the Klingons?"

"Negative, Captain. It is real."

"Uhura, patch me through to the Andorian. And keep the transmission on as tight a beam as possible. I don't want any leakage warning the Klingons of our presence."

He heard buttons pushed, the communications computer being programmed to carry out his desires. A small hiss marked the opening of transmission to the surface of Alnath II.

"Dr. Threllvon-da? This is Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Are you in danger?"

"Danger?" squawked the Andorian. "Of course I am in danger. Always in danger of some upstart damaging part of the ruins. This is why I need my laboratory equipment aboard the T'Pau. You get that scurrilous Vulcan back here with my equipment, or I shall lodge a very stiff protest with the Interstellar Studies Committee!"

Kirk thumbed off two-way communication and asked Spock, "Is he for real?"

"I am afraid so, Captain. Dr. Threllvon-da appears very upset at the loss of his equipment. The voice-stress analyzer has been set for the particular physiology of the Andorians, and the results show only annoyance at having his researches momentarily thwarted."

Kirk thumbed back the communication link. "Are you in personal danger from the Klingons, Doctor?"

"No, no, they are such a nasty folk, but they are no real problem. Always bothersome, but the delays I am forced to tolerate are even more bothersome. You up there, Kirk, I think you said your name was, get Captain Sullien here immediately!"

"I am afraid that's not quite so easy. The entire crew of the T'Pau is dead. Perhaps you can shed some light on this."

"What? Dead? Of course not. We are all fine."

"Are there any Vulcans among your number?" asked Spock, standing near Kirk's right hand.

"No, none. All Andorians, of course. All scientists intent on studying these wondrous ruins. The artifacts alone will be worth a hundred fine research papers. Even that fool Thoron can successfully finish off his doctorate with the dissertation he can write now. Never thought he would amount to anything, but this discovery will benefit us all. It--"

"Doctor, please. Will you beam aboard the Enterprise?" Kirk glanced at Chekov, who pointed to the chronometer. The Klingon warship would cross the horizon in less than a minute. Even with the relatively insensitive sensor devices aboard the Klingon dreadnought, they could not fail to detect the Enterprise. Then battle would be joined, all advantage of surprise lost to Kirk.

"What? Leave? I suppose I can, for a short while. Without my equipment we are digging with our fingers. Very unscientific. I do so need my ultrasonic brushes, too. One of those blocks can be destroyed with improper cleaning, you realize."

"One to beam up," Kirk said to the transporter chief. "Mr. Sulu, can you keep the mass of the planet between us and the Klingon, at least for a few more minutes?"

"Aye, aye, sir. We will have to achieve the same orbit as the Klingon, but that won't be any trouble as long as they don't try any quick maneuvering."

"Do so, Mr. Sulu." Kirk flipped his intercom switch again and asked, "Has the Andorian beamed up, Mr. Kyle?"

The transporter chief immediately answered. "Just arrived, sir."

Kirk heaved a sigh. "Now maybe we can find out what's going on around here." He glared at Spock as the Vulcan raised one eyebrow in skeptical response.