STAR TREK - TOS - 64 - The Starship Trap

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THE STARSHIP TRAP

Chapter One

Captain James t. Kirk said, "The thing

I like most about this job is that I'm never bored."

He took a sip of the food replicator

memory bank version of coffee and watched the two

men who sat near him--Mr. Spock (his

Vulcan first name was unpronounceable by humans)

and Dr. Leonard McCoy.

The Starship Enterprise, presently moored

to Starbase 23 by a light tractor beam, was

manned by a relaxed and somewhat tired skeleton

crew. Most of them were enjoying Starbase 23's

limited but welcome opportunities for

entertainment.

Captain Kirk was among the few crew

members left aboard. He felt entitled

to make the command decision that for the moment, even taking

shore leave was too much trouble. Kirk assumed

that his first officer and his chief medical officer

felt the same way, or they would not have been there.

They were taking their ease at a table in the part

of the Deck 6 rec room that was designated as

officers' country. Except for the fact that the

tables were somewhat closer to the intercom and to the food

slots than the tables of the enlisted personnel,

officers' country was not very different from the rest of the

compartment.

While Spock and McCoy considered

Kirk's statement he pondered further on why

he and his friends had gathered there instead of joining the

shore parties on Starbase 23. None of them were

prone to avoid an activity merely because doing it

involved taking action. Some other factor was at

work in this case.

One factor was the pleasure Kirk felt in

marking time among the sounds, smells, and energies

where a great deal of concentration and responsibility

was normally demanded of him. However, he finally

decided the real reason they were all still there was that

none of them gave up responsibility easily,

and they felt obligated to stay close to their stations

even when their stations did not need them.

Spock was considering Kirk's statement--

seriously, as usual. Though--or perhaps because--his

intelligence was well off the scale in human

terms, he had little capacity for small talk.

McCoy, on the other hand, was always ready for a

friendly scrap. "Personally," he said

gruffly--McCoy often spoke gruffly--?af

what we've been through, I look forward to a little

boredom." Like Kirk, McCoy was drinking

coffee. Spock preferred an obscure blend

of Vulcan tea, also with a name unpronounceable

by humans.

Spock said, "Just as I do not understand the human

tendency to use up great quantities of energy

when supposedly resting on vacation, I do not

understand the occasional human desire for a lack of

mental stimulation."

"You understand it all right, Spock," McCoy

said. "But when you do it, you call it meditating."

Spock was long past being offended by anything

McCoy said, but he sometimes allowed himself to be

baited for the entertainment value of the discussion.

Kirk listened with only half an ear while

Spock explained meditation and its applications

to Vulcan philosophy.

The bosun's whistle sounded, and a female

voice came over the intercom. "Bridge

to Captain Kirk."

Spock stopped speaking. As he crossed the

compartment to the intercom Kirk felt his

dissatisfaction growing. He was miffed at having

been interrupted at doing not much of anything at

all. He hit the button and said, "Yes,

Ensign--Miraskin, is it?"

"Yes, sir. Is that you, Captain?"

Kirk wondered where these off-watch kids came

from. Gently he said, "Yes, Ensign, it's

me. What's the problem?"

"An emergency message has just arrived from

Starfleet."

Kirk covered the intercom grid with one hand and

said to Spock and McCoy, "Probably an

admiral with a hangnail." Into the intercom he

said, "Read it to me."

"I can't, sir. It's Eyes Only."

"Damn."

"What was that, sir?"

"Nothing, Ensign. Send it to my cabin.

Kirk out." He punched the button again and

turned to shrug at Spock and McCoy. "What

can I do? Starfleet can't get along without me."

"Let me know if you need any help with that

hangnail," McCoy called after him as the

door shushed closed.

The corridor was silent but for the hiss of the air

circulators and his own footsteps. Even

the constant thrum of the engines was absent. Scotty

had shut them down so they could be checked and tuned.

He had wanted to do the checking and tuning himself, but

McCoy had forced him to take shore leave

by threatening to impose a one-month medical leave

during which time Scotty would not be allowed to touch an

engine.

As he walked Kirk felt the immense size

and mass of his ship pressing in on him, squeezing

the mechanical artery through which he moved. He did

not feel this way often; normally the ship was more an

extension of himself than a big machine. But

empty, drawing its power from a starbase, its

self-sufficiency momentarily gone, everything

spiritual about the Enterprise was different. Kirk

smiled. Did the ship have a spirit? He would like

to see Spock and McCoy argue that one.

Kirk got to his cabin without meeting

anybody. Inside he hurriedly sat at his

desk and punched his private security code

into the intercom console. The Starfleet insignia

came up on the screen and then a request that he

further identify himself. While he waited for the

machine to read his retinal pattern he wondered

what this was all about. If he needed to go through all

this rigmarole, it must be something important.

Curiosity gnawed at him until the machine said

"Thank you" and the message came up at last.

A Starfleet officer Kirk didn't know

looked out at him. He was very thin and had an

immense bush of black hair that covered not only

the top of his head but his forehead as well. Perhaps

he wasn't entirely human. No matter. In

a nervous voice the man said, "I am

Lieutenant Lungo. Admiral Nogura

has asked me to give you the following orders.

Please proceed soonest to Pegasus IV,

where you are to follow without question the instructions of

Conrad Franklin Kent or his

representative."

"We've been on patrol for months,

Lieutenant. My people deserve a little R and

R. What's this all about?"

Lungo looked at something offscreen and then

smiled at Kirk without sincerity. What the hell

was going on here? Kirk wondered. Why had

Nogura sent this nervous lieutenant instead of

speaking with Kirk himself? Lungo said, "I'm

sorry, Captain. That is all the information I

have." The screen went blank. End of

discussion.

Kirk drummed his fingers in frustration on the

desk. His people were tired. Dammit, he was

tired. The crew of the Enterprise deserved a

rest. Still, when duty called Kirk could do nothing

but answer it. Nogura had not become a

Starfleet admiral by acting capriciously.

The thing that upset Kirk the most was the identity

of his prospective passenger. He had heard of

Conrad Franklin Kent--who in the Federation

hadn't? Kent was a senior member of the Federation

Council with unconcealed ambitions for the

presidency. And Kent was no friend of Starfleet.

At the least provocation he would assure anyone

in earshot that Starfleet was an outmoded,

warmongering, self-serving institution full of

half-bright egomaniacs. Kirk had no use for

him, but Kent obviously had friends in high

places. The urgency of the order meant that Kent

had probably gotten himself into trouble that Kirk

would be required to get him out of. And Kent would

certainly not be grateful. Kirk shook his head.

Orders were orders, but he didn't have to like them.

Kirk hit the intercom button, and the face of

Ensign Miraskin filled the screen. She was a

young, dark-haired woman with strong cheekbones and a

jaw like a lantern. Uhura was probably doing

her a favor by giving her bridge experience.

Kirk ordered her to recall all personnel;

they were to prepare for immediate departure. He made

particular reference to Mr. Scott, who should be

delighted, Kirk felt, that it was necessary for him

to start the engines.

Aboard shuttles and by transporter beams they

came. Grumbling and cursing they came. Quickly

the mixture of men, women, and aliens filled the

ship like a multicolored fluid red shirts for

engineering and support services, blue shirts

for the sciences, and gold shirts for command. The

members of the crew took their stations, still

grumbling, but with absolute competence and

reliability.

As the ship filled, Kirk's mood improved

because the Enterprise felt more and more like herself.

Crew members hurried through the increasingly

crowded corridors, each engrossed in his or her

small part of the business of running a starship.

Mr. Scott's engines maintained a constant

bass note.

In less than one day ship's time, when everyone

was at a station and the Enterprise was ready for

travel, Kirk stood next to his command chair

and spoke to his crew over the intercom. He

said, "This is the captain speaking. I understand that

some of you are not very happy about having your shore

leave cut short. The truth is, I'm not very

happy about it myself." When he noticed Spock

watching him, Spock quickly peered into his

library viewer. Kirk went on, "But we have a

job to do, and I expect that each of you will be

equal to the task. Kirk out."

Shortly they were on their way to Pegasus

IV at warp six, and no one had much to do till

they arrived. Kirk had no idea what Kent's

problem was, so there was no way for him to prepare

for that. But Spock was helpful filling in

details about Pegasus IV.

Spock pulled the receiver from his ear and said,

"Pegasus IV is a warm place by human

standards, with a mean daytime temperature in the

temperate zones of thirty-seven degrees

Celsius. The atmosphere is barely

breathable, being full of ash, andof chemicals that on

Earth are found only in laboratories. The

surface is mostly rock. I understand that

natural weathering by the corrosive wind and

volcanic activity has carved some of it

into sculptures that are quite beautiful."

Kirk smiled and said, "I doubt if Mr.

Kent is there for the scenery, Mr. Spock."

"Indeed not, Captain. The natives of

Pegasus IV are also quite interesting. They are

known as G'lops, and they are well adapted to their

geologically active planet. Each of them

seems to be no more than a quantity of brightly

colored mud bubbling in its own small crater.

Early survey teams established that the G'lops

were intelligent, though measured on an entirely

different scale from humanoids."

"So Kent is there looking for political

talent."

"Possible, Captain, but unlikely.

Pegasus IV is not yet a member of the

Federation. Its natives cannot sit on the council

because they are not citizens."

Spock claimed that Vulcans neither bluffed

nor lied. Yet Kirk always found it amazing that

Spock could say things like that with a straight face.

He suspected a Vulcan sense of

humor, or at least a sense of the ridiculous.

Spock denied understanding either one except as an

intellectual concept. Kirk said, "My

mistake, Mr. Spock. Why is he there?"

"I believe he is interested in the mineral

rights. According to surveys, the planet is well

over ten percent daystromite."

So that's what prevented Pegasus IV from

remaining a footnote in galactic history.

Daystromite was a crystal used in the

transtator, the fundamental component in almost every

piece of Federation technology. A thought chilled

Kirk. He said, "A find like that should bring the

Klingons out of the woodwork. Could that be Mr.

Kent's problem?"

"Possibly. Klingon warships have been

detected at the edge of this sector."

Kirk turned away from Spock and said,

"Uhura, see if you can raise anybody on

Pegasus IV. If there are Klingons around,

I don't want to be the last to know."

"Aye, Captain." Kirk barely had time

to return to his command chair and sit down before

Uhura said, "I've contacted a Dr.

Brewster, the supervisor of the team on

Pegasus IV."

"On screen."

The starfield on the main viewscreen rippled

and was replaced by what appeared to be a small

boulder. It stood against an angry red sky that

roiled over stages and pedestals of cracked and

blasted rock all the way to the far horizon. In

a surprisingly sweet voice the boulder said,

"I am Dr. Brewster."

It was a horta, of course. Who else but a

rock creature would the Federation send out to speak with

pools of intelligent mud? "This is James

t. Kirk, captain of the Starship

Enterprise. What is your status?"

"Status, Captain?"

"Does a state of emergency exist? Are you

in any danger? From Klingons, for example."

"We are in no danger. We are progressing

nicely with the G'lops."

Curiouser and curiouser. "What about Mr.

Kent?"

"Mr. Kent and party are fine, too. He

has been most emphatic about leaving. Are you,

perhaps, here to assist him?"

The horta actually sounded eager.

Evidently Mr. Kent was spreading sunshine

wherever he went. Kirk said, "Can I speak with

Mr. Kent?"

"Of course." With a sound of stone against gravel

Dr. Brewster slid out of range of the

subspace radio. In a moment a human took

his place. The human wore a breather, a

semipermeable membrane that was nearly invisible

over his face. He was a big man who had

obviously been a guest at too many formal

dinners and did most of his work sitting down. His

white hair was piled like tiny feathers on his head

and fell over his ears. He wore a

diplomat's gray jumpsuit with the Federation

insignia on one shoulder.

Kent nodded at Kirk and said, "I am

Conrad Franklin Kent, sir. You must be our

ride to Starbase 12."

Ride to Starbase 12? Had the Enterprise

actually been dragged away from a well-deserved

rest in order to haul this politician to his

next whistle stop? No wonder Nogura

wouldn't speak to Kirk personally. The old

campaigner was probably embarrassed as hell.

Kirk said, "In a manner of speaking, sir,

I suppose that's true. I am Captain

James Kirk of the Federation Starship

Enterprise. We were on leave when--"

Kent smiled and said, "I know who you are.

Payton, my aide, specifically requested the

Enterprise to transport us."

Kent was a very smooth customer, which immediately put

Kirk off. For one thing, though Kirk could be

smooth himself when it seemed called for, he

preferred sincerity to snake oil. For another

thing, Kirk had never fancied himself a taxi

driver. He said, "Surely the Enterprise was

not the only ship available to you."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but Payton

generally gets what she wants."

This was maddening, to have been dragged screaming and

kicking away from Starbase 23 at the whim of some

spoiled civilian! And not even by the man himself,

but by his assistant! Kirk attempted to contain

his anger. Considering Kent's attitude toward

Starfleet, the fact that he'd disturbed one of its

officers might be a great source of pleasure

to him. Kirk said, "Mr. Sulu, what is our

ETA at Pegasus IV?"

"Eight hours, fourteen minutes,

sir."

Brusquely Kirk said to Kent, "We will

arrive in eight hours. Please see that you and your

party are ready to leave at that time. Kirk out."

He flicked a hand signal at Uhura, and she

ended the transmission.

Spock said, "Anger is illogical,

Captain."

"Perhaps, Spock. But sometimes it's all you

have."

Eight hours and fourteen minutes later the

Enterprise made standard orbit around

Pegasus IV. From space it was an angry

ball that matched Kirk's mood exactly.

Spock reported no Klingons within sensor

range. All seemed well, except for the fact

that the Enterprise was there at all.

Kirk and Spock went to the transporter

room to welcome Kent and party. "Though,"

Kirk said, "that does seem to be beyond the scope

of our orders."

Mr. Scott glanced in their direction and

tried to hide a smile. ^w about why leave had

been cut short had gotten around the ship. Mr.

Kent and party were not popular aboard the

Enterprise.

"I would advise you to restrain your

disapproval, Captain," said Spock. "A

man such as Kent is already inclined to think the worst

of Starfleet. Rudeness will not improve the

situation."

Spock was undoubtedly correct, and yet

Kirk could not help wondering if Spock hadn't

been contemplating a little rudeness himself. After

all, .his leave had been interrupted, too. With a

straight face Kirk said, "I would never go so

far as to be rude, Mr. Spock." One of

Spock's eyebrows rose, indicating that while

he did not exactly believe Kirk, he was

willing to accept the captain's statement for

harmony's sake.

"Mr. Kent and party signal ready."

Kirk had a here-we-g feeling when he said,

"Beam them aboard, Mr. Scott."

The air above the transporter stage fizzed,

and a moment later two people descended to the floor of the

transporter room. One, with his hand outstretched

in greeting, was Conrad Franklin Kent. The

other was a stunning dark-haired woman who

stood to one side. She was dressed in much the

same way as Kent, with the addition of a shapeless

lump of a hat on her head.

Kirk perked up right away. Though he did not

like Kent, he approved of Kent's taste in

associates. Could this be the famous Payton, the

one who'd actually arranged to have the Enterprise

travel to Pegasus IV?

Kirk introduced himself and Mr. Spock as

they shook hands all around. The woman was in fact

Kent's senior aide, Hazel Payton.

Kirk smiled at Payton and said, "You must

be "and party."'"

"What?"

"As in Conrad Franklin Kent "and

party."'"

She studied Kirk for a moment with cool

disbelief. Kirk wondered if perhaps he'd laid

on the charm a little thick. The question was, why was he

laying on the charm at all? This woman worked for a

political enemy of Starfleet, and she had been

responsible for giving Kirk one of the sorriest

assignments of his career. He clapped his hands

together once and said, "Allow me to show you to your

cabins. Mr. Scott, call the bridge and have

Mr. Sulu make best speed for Starbase

12."

"Aye, Captain."

They walked to the turbolift in pairs,

Kirk and Kent leading Spock and Payton.

Spock said to Kent, "I am most interested to know

your impressions of the work being done on Pegasus

IV."

Seriously, almost conspiratorially, Kent

explained. "As Brewster said, it's progressing

nicely. But I never would have known it if I'd

stayed on Earth. I grew impatient with the

vagueness of the reports I was getting, so I

went to take a look-see for myself. Payton

set the whole thing up."

"She seems to do that a lot," Kirk said.

He glanced back at her. She seemed to remain

unaffected by the fact that they were talking about her.

Kent looked at Kirk quizzically and made

a single breathy laugh. "Has she rubbed you the

wrong way, Captain?"

"Perhaps not rubbed," Kirk said cautiously.

"I warn you, Captain. Hazel Payton

is a woman who gets the job done. Her

ethics are occasionally called into question, but

never her results. Isn't that right, Ms.

Payton?"

"I do my best, sir."

Kirk said, "As long as everyone remembers

whose ship this is."

"We are civilians, Captain. Starfleet

bluster will not avail you."

Before Kirk could think of a brilliant

rejoinder he would try to be sorry for later,

Spock said, "Our destination is Starbase 12.

I know of nothing there that merits a

"look-see."'"

T hey waited at the end of the corridor for a few

seconds, and then the turbolift came. They

stepped inside, Kirk said, "Deck 5," and it

rose. No one spoke. Kirk didn't like

Payton or her boss. He didn't like being a

messenger boy. And he didn't care why they were

going to Starbase 12. He wanted only to get

there safely, beam over his passengers, and go about

his business.

On Deck 5 Kirk decided that as angry

as he was, he could not entirely ignore his

responsibilities as host. "There are

observation windows in the lounge, as well as food

replicator slots. There are also food slots

in each of your cabins."

"We are familiar with starship geography,"

Payton said.

Kirk took a deep breath and let it out

slowly. He said, "Here are your cabins. If

they're not satisfactory, let Mr. Spock

or me know, and we'll try to remedy the problem."

"I'm sure they're the best you have," Kent

said. He looked warily in through the open

doorway, as if expecting to share the cabin with a

wild animal.

Kirk smiled without heat and escaped as quickly

as he could with Mr. Spock at his side. In the

turbolift Spock said, "Mr. Kent did not

respond regarding Starbase 12."

"As far as he is concerned, that is probably

not Starfleet business. And perhaps he's right."

"Perhaps." Spock clasped his hands behind his

back and gazed at the turbolift doors.

Kirk knew Spock was thinking hard about something.

He trusted Spock to tell him what it was when the

time was right.

Not an hour later Kirk was on the bridge

wondering if he and his passengers would survive the

next three days. Personally, he intended to have as

little as possible to do with them. Not even Payton, as

beautiful as she was, was worth the trouble of

getting to know better. He decided he could handle

three days, but he was glad that the trip

to Starbase 12 was not longer.

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THESTARSHIPTRAPChapterOneCaptainJamest.Kirksaid,"ThethingIlikemostaboutthisjobisthatI'mneverbored."Hetookasipofthefoodreplicatormemorybankversionofcoffeeandwatchedthetwomenwhosatnearhim--Mr.Spock(hisVulcanfirstnamewasunpronounceablebyhumans)andDr.LeonardMcCoy.TheStarshipEnterprise,presentlymooredtoS...

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