Captain Kirk leaned over his helmsman's shoulder and stared at a tiny dot on the viewscreen. It was barely distinguishable from the stars around it, but the stars were moving in relation to the Enterprise. The blip wasn't.

"Are we gaining on him at all, Mr. Sulu?" asked the captain.

"Negative, sir," answered the veteran officer, blinking away the heaviness from his eyes. This chase had started twelve hours ago, and it was beginning to take its toll on everyone. "His top speed matches our top speed warp for warp."

"How is that possible, Keptin?" asked Chekov with frustration. "That ship must be one-tenth the size of the Enterprise."

"Approximately one twenty-second the size of the Enterprise," responded a voice behind them. First Officer Spock straightened up from his science station. "However, size has nothing to do with warp capability, especially on a ship with low mass and a small crew. With minimal life-support needs, ninety percent of a ship's energy can be devoted to its propulsion system. It would also appear that the designers of Auk-rex's ship were able to avail themselves of the latest Starfleet technology."

"And why shouldn't they?" muttered Kirk. "They've been plundering our trading vessels for five years now. Blast that pirate! I thought we had him."

"Begging the Keptin's pardon," said Chekov, "but in thirty-eight minutes, we will enter a sector of space that has never been charted or explored by Starfleet. Do you wish to continue pursuit?"

"Absolutely," Kirk replied. "Auk-rex has attacked three freighters in the last month, and Starfleet wants an end to it." He turned to his trusted first officer. "Spock, you've got to figure out where he's going. Chart his course."

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. "That will be difficult, Captain, since we have no firsthand knowledge of this sector. But I shall try."

Kirk rubbed his eyes and said, "Lieutenant Uhura, radio our position to Starfleet and tell them of our intentions."

"Aye, Captain," answered the communications officer as her hands moved over her console.

Kirk strode toward the double doors of the turbolift, and they whooshed open at his approach. "You can reach me in sickbay," he announced to no one in particular. "Maybe McCoy has some ideas."

Dr. McCoy smiled slyly over a snifter of brandy. "So, Jim, he slipped through your fingers. The trap wasn't good enough?"

"Nothing wrong with the trap," Kirk answered testily. Perhaps the most irritating thing about McCoy, he decided, was that Bones liked to see people act human. And to err was human. "It was a good idea," he insisted. "But somehow, that thief sensed the freighter was a dummy. He got close to the bait, but he didn't nibble."

"That's why he's been around for so long." The doctor shrugged. "I know he's been a real pain in the cahoot, but you've got to admire Auk-rex a little bit. It's not easy being a pirate these days, with so many treaties and regulations. As I understand it, he never takes life wantonly."

Kirk scowled. "No, he just cripples a ship and takes its most valuable cargo. He figures out what it's carrying by tapping directly into the computer, then he beams it off before they know what hit them."

"Hmm. The computer data is worth something too, I bet. What else do we know about him?"

"Not much," Kirk admitted. "He's sophisticated but very mysterious. We don't know if he's human, or Klingon, or what. He never hails a ship by voice or visual, always code. And he sticks to trading routes on the periphery of the Federation. Starfleet has so many questions for him, they don't want him killed, only captured."

The doctor shook his head, clearly amused. "And in order to capture Auk-rex, we are basically seeing how far and how fast the Enterprise can go."

"That's about it," answered Kirk. He took a sip of his lukewarm coffee and frowned. "I came here to see if you had any ideas, but it sounds like you're rooting for the pirate."

"Well," said McCoy, smiling, "it's that part of me that always roots for the underdog. Here we are, a big starship, and we can't capture one little puddle-jumper."

"Hardly a puddle-jumper," Kirk said evenly. "That little ship is the equal of anything in Starfleet." The captain mustered a smile. "He's fast, but not fast enough. He can't lose us, and sooner or later he'll have to come out of warp. When he does, we hit him with a tractor beam and it's all over."

The doctor nodded. "But will it be sooner or later?"

"I wish I knew," admitted Kirk.

A high-pitched tone sounded, followed by the voice of Mr. Spock: "Bridge to captain."

The captain crossed to the wall and switched on the comm panel. "Kirk here. What is it, Spock?"

"We are crossing into the uncharted sector now," Spock answered. "No change in status, but I have a theory about where Auk-rex may be headed."

"I'm on my way," answered Kirk, switching off the panel. He turned to his friend and smiled. "So, Bones, do you want to come along and root for your underdog?"

"Wouldn't miss it." The doctor grinned.

When Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy reached the bridge, everyone but Spock glanced expectantly in their direction. The slim Vulcan stood motionless over his science console, absorbing data that were scrolling by too fast for a human to read. Kirk waited patiently until Spock turned to face them.

"Where do you think he's going?" asked Kirk.

"I can't be certain," Spock admitted, "but long-range scanners indicate that the course of the pirate vessel will take it directly into a solar system with nine planets, one of which may have an atmosphere capable of supporting humanoid life. Although Starfleet has never officially explored this sector, we have compiled a number of reports and rumors."

"Why, Spock," remarked McCoy, feigning astonishment, "it's not like you to traffic in rumors."

"Perhaps not, Doctor," agreed the Vulcan, "but everything we know about this sector is unsubstantiated. Therefore, we have no choice but to traffic in rumors." Spock turned to Kirk. "Have you ever heard of a planet called Sanctuary?"

"Sure," answered McCoy. "It's a mythical planet, a place where fugitives from all over the galaxy can go to escape their persecutors. It's one of those places like El Dorado or Atlantis -- sounds good, but there's never been any proof that it exists."

Spock nodded. "It does not exist in any area explored by Starfleet. However, most of the galaxy has not been explored by Starfleet. Klingon charts list such a planet in this vicinity, and the sanctuary planet is mentioned in the mythologies of numerous spacefaring worlds. According to legend, Sanctuary accepts all who fear capture or harm, both the justly and unjustly accused. It accepts no appeals from pursuers, and no one who has reached Sanctuary has ever been captured later."

"What are you saying?" asked Kirk, striding to his captain's chair. "That Sanctuary is a real planet, and that's where he's headed?"

"I cannot say whether Sanctuary is real," replied Spock. "But the Klingons believe it exists, and so may Auk-rex."

Kirk nodded, gazing thoughtfully at the tiny dot on the giant viewscreen. "He doesn't have many options, does he?"

"No, Captain."

James T. Kirk straightened up in his chair. "We didn't get much of a look at his ship, but do you think it's capable of atmospheric reentry? Could he land on this planet?"

"His ship is small enough," answered Spock. "It has already proven quite versatile, and atmospheric reentry would help it elude larger ships that must remain in orbit, such as the Enterprise. Even if his destination is not the fabled sanctuary planet, landing on a planet's surface would seem to be his only means of escape."

"Mr. Sulu," asked Kirk, "how long before we reach this unnamed solar system?"

"Forty-four minutes," answered the helmsman.

Kirk punched the communicator on the arm of his chair. "Captain Kirk to shuttlebay. Prepare shuttlecraft Ericksen for immediate launch."

"Aye, Captain," came the reply. "How many in the party?"

Kirk glanced back at Spock and McCoy. "Three," he answered. He switched off the communicator and smiled slyly. "Bones, would you like to make a bet with me that your pirate won't get away?"

"Sure." The doctor shrugged. "What have you got to wager?"

Spock raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"If I lose," said Kirk, "I'll take that physical you've been nagging me about. If you lose, you quit nagging me about it."

"All right," agreed the doctor. "But don't you still intend to lasso him with a tractor beam when he comes out of warp drive?"

"I do," said Kirk, nodding with determination. "But he'll come out of warp drive slightly ahead of us, and there may not be enough time. If he makes it into the planet's atmosphere, we'll have to follow him to the surface in the shuttlecraft. Then we'll send his coordinates back here and beam Auk-rex and his pirates off their own ship, just like they beam the loot off the ships they attack."

McCoy observed wryly, "You seem to have thought of everything."

Kirk nodded, the smile fading from his lips. "I hope so."

Copyright © 1990 by Paramount Pictures