by Star Trek
any Neutral Zone boundary and nullify the hated Organian Peace
Treaty. All of you will smile at our enemy, until I have
commanded you otherwise." Enthusiastic noise was again heard
in the background.
"My lord," spoke a captain in the back, "What if
they do not believe us, and do not allow us to join?"
The sounds of the encouraged, went silent. "First, my
astute Captain, they have Federation directives mandating that
PAGE 80
any planet or government that desires to petition the Council
for peace may freely come and present their case. By their
own laws, they can not refuse us. Second, we will convince
them of our good will towards them by demonstration. We will
break all ties with the Romulans, severing our alliance."
This announcement caused some division in the fleet
commanders. Some looked at the Romulans as much needed allies,
while others looked upon them as a necessary evil, that had
brought shame to the Empire by the mere admission of needing
allies.
"SILENCE!" commanded the Emperor. "This is not a debate!
This is the WAY! He who does not have the belly for victory,
you who can not stomach the glory of our ultimate battle, step
before me and I will put you out of the misery of my service!"
There was no sound to be heard among them. They were in awe;
some, of his majesty, others, of his fierce wrath, but all, of
his command of the Klingon Empire.
"WARRIORS!" he shouted as a battle cry, "LET THIS BE THE
FINAL EMPIRE!" The roar of cheers he received this day were
the likes of which no Emperor in the Realm had ever received
before.
Kang stopped the recording. The Emperor, the 'real' Emperor,
was right, when Kang saw him in the last moments of their
communication. Before Tromok had boarded the enemy's vessel, he
had said to him with his eyes, 'what evil have you loosed in the
galaxy?' It was Kang the Destructor who had allowed the Empire to
fall into the flames. It was Kang who now had to find a way to stop
the fire from spreading. He thought long and hard about his next
move. He would have to do what neither he nor anyone else was
permitted to even attempt. He arose from his seat and departed his
cabin for the bridge.
As Kang seated himself in his command chair, and opened intra-
ship communications. "This is Kang. We have received our new
orders and will be maintaining a communications blackout for the
duration of our mission. We will be testing the cloaking device
in the Neutral Zone. I am under orders to reveal our ultimate
destination to no one. I am not, however, restricted from telling
you that we may see several close-up views of the Federation
Fleet," he said, knowing that they would be encouraged by it. To
come face to face with a Federation vessel, knowing that they held
the power in their hands to destroy it before it was aware of the
peril, then doing nothing, would give them a sense of power.
He depressed a button on his command chair which changed the
security code of the navigational station's coordinates. This
allowed him the ability to tell his navigator/helmsman speed,
distance and bearing but would prohibit the navigator from being
able to read the destination code. He would, in essence, be flying
the ship blindly.
"Torvak, set course 8-3-12 mark 4, parabolic, 32 degrees Y
axis! Warp 7", Kang commanded.
PAGE 81
"Yes sir, laying course in."
"Engage," he ordered.
The Battlecruiser Fury turned about and headed away from the
rest of the Imperial fleet. It proceeded on a wide arc that would
make it appear, at first, to be heading for Klinzhai. It was, in
fact, on course for the forbidden planet Organia. Once out of
sensor range from the fleet, the interstellar craft began to
shimmer. Light reflecting from the vessel began to distort, and in a
matter of moments the ship vanished. The Romulan 'Cloaking Device'
engaged and enveloped the Klingon cruiser, making it undetectable by
sight or sensors. The ship stealthily approached the Neutral Zone
and increased speed, dangerously, to warp 9.
PAGE 82
*** THIRTEEN ***
The Starship Enterprise slowed, approaching a low-altitudinal
orbit around the world below. It was within one kilometer of
touching the blue planet's atmosphere; a caress that would be far
from gentle if she were to come closer.
James Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy, walked together down the
hall leading to the transporter room. Jim, in his formal dress-
green uniform, held a copy of the Peace Treaty and the Starfleet
Order sending him to Organia. They walked abreast down the long
corridor, each in his own thoughts; Kirk about what he would say to
the powerful beings they were about to revisit; McCoy about his
patient, Montgomery Scott; and Spock concerned himself with
gathering as much information on the Organians as possible. The
first time they had come here they were welcome. This time, they
knew, they were not.
The door to the transporter room opened to them, and the
company of three walked over to the platform. Lieutenant Patterson
stood behind the control unit and readied it, expecting the men.
He had relieved Mr. Kyle from his post for his lunch break.
Dr. McCoy stood on the broken pad that shorted out when
attempting to beam back the android. Spock gently moved him aside
to an operational one beside it. "This one is non-operational," he
offered the Doctor. "My luck it would be partially operational,"
the ship's Doctor responded unenthusiastically. The three of them
facing Lt. Patterson were a grim trio indeed.
"Energize, Mister Patterson," the Captain said.
"Aye sir," the transporter operator responded and the three
began to shimmer and were gone.
* * *
The surface of the planet Organia, was green with lush
vegetation. The air was a clean light blue, the water was pure and
the land seemed to be well cared for. It seemed to be late spring,
on Organia. Puffy white clouds drifted peacefully across the warm
sky. A gentle breeze caused the grass to ripple as if it were
waves on a green sea. It was in the midst of this green land that
the Captain, First Officer and Chief Physician of the Starship
Enterprise appeared.
The company looked round about them. Spock scanned with his
tri-corder, Jim and Bones used their own vision. Not a structure
of any sort could be seen in any direction. Not a person could be
found. The castle that should have been upon the hill was gone.
PAGE 83
The community that should have been all around them was not there.
There were animals in abundance, but nothing to indicate anyone of
intelligence. Jim pulled out his communicator from behind his back
and flipped it open. He adjusted the frequency and pressed the
sender.
"Kirk to Enterprise," he said.
"Enterprise here, Captain," came Uhura's voice.
"Transfer this communication to the transporter room, Uhura,"
he ordered her, politely.
"Yes, Captain," she said.
"This is Lieutenant Patterson," came the male voice.
"Lieutenant Patterson, confirm our present location, and
compare it to the first beamdown location recorded on this
planet."
"Aye, Sir," the air went dead as the lieutenant proceeded as
ordered. "Captain, You are within a few centimeters of the last
beamdown location," he said.
"Thank you Mr. Patterson. Kirk out," Jim replaced his
communicator and turned to the other two men. "Well, where is
everybody?" he said to them.
Spock let his tri-corder hang back down at his side. "I
believe it is highly probable that the Organians, after revealing
their true selves to us, had no need of the castle or any
structures and merely removed them," the First Officer commented.
"There is no evidence of civilization that I am able to register on
my tri-corder, Captain. Its field is, of course, limited," he
said. "There does seem to be an abundance of 'woodland creatures';
animals, insects, fowl of great variety, even micro-biological
organisms. But I have been able to detect no higher life forms."
He looked up at Jim, "Other than us," he added for additional
accuracy.
"Maybe we should have called first," offered the Doctor
flippantly, to no one in particular.
"Funny," Jim commented to Bones' humor. "It's probable that
we are not able to register the Organians with our equipment." He
looked around and came to the decision that they might as well pick
a direction to venture out and try to find 'someone'. "Well, let's
start walking. Maybe we'll stumble onto something."
"Which direction?" asked the Doctor. "It looks uninhabited in
every direction."
"Mr. Spock, what do you suggest is the logical way to go?" Jim
asked.
PAGE 84
Spock cocked his head. "Captain, I hear what appears to be
the sound of a large animal. It is getting closer."
"From which direction, Spock?" questioned Jim.
Spock pointed, his finger behind Bones, "Somewhere in that
general direction," he said, indicating a forest of small trees
some onehundred meters away. "By the sound of it, it is either
quite large or quite close."
"Or both! Let's go that way!" Bones suggested eagerly,
pointing in the opposite direction.
They had no weapons, although Jim did reflexively move his
hand down to his side where the phaser wasn't. All three turned
to see, what a moment ago, only Spock was able to hear, but now all
heard. They started to back-step just in case it was something
that might be dangerous.
Out from behind the front group of trees lumbered a large
bear-like creature, lazily coming toward them. It walked on all
fours, breathing heavily and dangling its lolling tongue out of
its gaping mouth. The three men ceased their retreat and stood there
unmoving, hoping that they would be unnoticed. The animal stopped,
put its nose up in the air, sniffed deeply, then looked straight at
them. Out from behind the animal a large tail started to swing from
side to side. It began immediately to head directly for the trio.
Bones nervously fumbled for his medical bag, in hopes of
loading his spray hypo with a strong sedative for the giant animal
and perhaps, he thought, for himself. Instead, he dropped the
contents of the bag in the thick tall grass. The bear-thing seemed
to increase in speed as it neared them.
"Nobody move," ordered Jim, who had spent several summers long
ago, in Yosemite National Park: Earth. The bears there were known
to occasionally attack a careless tourist or two. He had been
told to play dead if a bear had him cornered. Lie flat on his
stomach, just in case the bear decided to rake his claws across
him, protecting his vital organs from the often lethal blows.
As the bear creature closed the gap, Spock noticed that
instead of the pointy long teeth of a carnivore, its teeth were
blunt, even where the canines should have been. He could also
detect no claws on the creature's big shaggy paws, but it was
coming awfully fast, and it was Spock's experience that some of
the most gentle-looking animals could eat Vulcans.
"Asher, stop!" a voice commanded in the distance, as the furry
giant was almost upon them. It obeyed the voice, turned around to
see its master coming out of the trees, and sat, thumping its
heavy tail on the ground. It was Ayelborne. The robed man walked
towards the three men. "Don't worry about Asher," he spoke, loud
enough for them to hear him. "He cannot hurt you."
"Ayelborne," the Captain addressed him and started towards
PAGE 85
him. "I am glad to see you again."
"Why have you come, knowing that we do not wish you here?" he
questioned. The tone of his voice was one of deep disappointment.
"You have broken the treaty and brought back the evil to our
world," he said as he stopped to pet Asher.
"I was ordered here by my superiors, Ayelborne," the Captain
said as he walked up to the man and the animal. The animal sniffed
the Captain, and licked his hand like a gentle faithful pet.
"Don't you know why we are here?" McCoy jumped in, "Aren't you
guys supposed to be omniscient?"
"Bones!" Jim sharply rebuked him.
"In answer to your question, Mr. 'Bones'... no," Ayelborne said
mildly. "We have never claimed to be. We know many things that you
do not and we are certainly different from you, but there is only One
who is 'omniscient'."
"Ayelborne," Jim began, realizing that he was running out of
precious time, "I need to ask you... I have to ask you some
questions as a representative of the United Federation of Planets
and Starfleet," he said, none too comfortably. "The reason we are
here is because somehow the Klingon Empire has a weapon that was
taken from the Federation. I have been sent by my government to
ask you why you didn't intervene when the planet Elba II and
outpost Delta Gamma 13 were attacked and destroyed by the Klingons?"
"Captain, I assure you, the Klingon Empire has not been
involved aggressively in Federation Space," he answered in all
sincerity. "We have been watching, as we promised, both sides of
the Zone of Neutrality. There has been no aggression, Captain."
"Ayelborne, I would like to believe you," he began, but then
decided to be completely truthful with the man. "I do believe you,
Ayelborne, but I need some kind of explanation to take back with me
to my superiors. If I do not, I will be forced to do something
terrible."
"Captain, I can not explain what I have no knowledge of," he
said honestly. "We have never concerned ourselves with 'police'
matters on either side. Our involvement with you is limited to
holding back the evil of the two governing powers. The fact that
we have to do this is most disturbing to us," he spoke in earnest.
"Overexposure to men suc
h as you is not only painful to us but
there is the danger of, you might say, 'loosing the serpent in
Eden' again."
Jim reflected on the last, for a moment. So little was known
of this gentle and powerful people. Virtually nothing about their
history, or even their present civilization. And this peaceful
place was very much like the description of the 'Eden' he had
mentioned. He held many questions about them, but he had to return
back to the matters at hand. "Then you must at least know of the
PAGE 86
spaceship that crossed the Neutral Zone boundary three days ago."
"Yes, we did see a privately owned ship enter from your side
and exit on the Klingonese side," he confirmed. "But it was
neither owned by nor represented either governing body, in any
official capacity."
This was true, for when Captain Garth of Izar had been
institutionalized, he was stripped of all powers of diplomacy or
Federation representation.
"Can you tell me about this ship? Did it have a name, or
registration number? Anything about its design, external
markings, anything?"
"It did have a title written on the top of it. 'Fringe Ranger'
is what it read," he said in a mellow voice. "If that is any help
to you."
"Indeed," Spock stated. "It adds an important piece to the
puzzle." Spock worked silently on how the piece could fit.
"Captain, I have a hypothesis. I will need to have access to the
ship's computer to corroborate it. If I may contact the ship and