Black Fire

by Sonni Cooper

  Each evening, when he completed his duties, Leonidas went to the recreation room. The first officer’s dancing lessons had become legend in record time. In a few days, he had a bevy of dancing enthusiasts, men and women. The hilarity in the rec room echoed though the corridors as the fun-loving Greek taught the crew of the Enterprise how to exult in movement.

  He taught the ancient Greek folk dances, and he played a stringed musical instrument whose poignant strains seemed to have a soul. He was the picture of warmth, whirling and singing, his black hair, longer than regulation, curling around his face—a true embodiment of the joy of life. His presence was a welcome bright spot in the tedium of spaceflight.

  This night Leonidas was in great form. Kirk, hearing the laughter as he passed by, peeked in to see what was going on. A flash of color went by the door, and a hand reached out to grab him. He was pulled into the center of the circle of dancing crew members. Whirling and singing, they drew him inexorably into the spirit of the dance, until they all stopped in sheer exhaustion.

  Laughing, Kirk dropped to the floor with the others. He realized he felt good; for the first time since the explosion he felt one with the ship and her crew—the way he remembered feeling before that terrible event. Leaving the rec room, he continued on to his quarters, reluctantly admitting that he had developed a fondness for his new first officer. In his own way, Leonidas was a valuable asset to the ship. He was vastly different from Spock: so relaxed, so affable. Kirk liked him.

  McCoy had just finished the routine physicals required of the entire crew. He sat back in his office and poured a glass of brandy. The buzzer sounded.

  "Come."

  The tall blond figure of the new science officer, Thorin Martin, stood in the doorway.

  "Come on in and have a drink, Mister Martin. You look like you can use one," McCoy commented.

  "Is it that obvious, Doctor?"

  McCoy nodded. "What's your problem? Women?"

  "I wish it was that simple, sir. It's the captain …"

  "Oh?"

  "Sir, I seem to have a problem communicating with him. Maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong."

  McCoy instantly understood. "Martin, it's not your problem. It's the captain's. You just can't help being you."

  "Would you explain that, sir?"

  "Simply, you are not Spock. And you can't be Spock, either. I've watched you on the bridge. You're human, not a walking Vulcan computer. Spock could think twice, maybe three times, faster than any of us. He has answers before there were questions. It's impossible for any one man to replace him. Jim—the captain—keeps expecting you to perform like Spock. It's impossible!"

  "Then what do I do?"

  "Relax. Do the best you can. It's all any of us can do."

  "But the captain's unhappy with my performance. I can tell."

  "No, Martin. He's a fair man. He's just asking you to fill in for his lost science officer. Spock was also his best friend. I guess just seeing you there makes him feel the loss all the more. Just give him some time. Do you want me to talk to him?"

  "Oh, no, sir," Martin answered quickly. "I don't want to cause any more friction!"

  "Have another drink, Mister Martin."

  "Please call me Thorin."

  "Okay, Thorin, take another swig. It's good for you."

  In Douglas's opinion, the extended period of maximum warp drive needed to bring the Enterprise to her destination was straining the ship too far.

  "But, Captain," the conservative engineer protested, "I can't see any reason to tax the ship at this point. There's no press for time. We're asking for an engineering disaster."

  "My decision stands, Douglas," Kirk insisted. "I believe time is a factor. I can sense it."

  The engineer logged his objections and grumbled, but the ship remained at maximum warp. Content in reading his journals Douglas retreated to his quarters. He removed the rumpled suit he was wearing, brushed the wave of his red hair back and settled his bulky six-foot frame into bed.

  He had no real friend on board the Enterprise yet. The first officer was too flamboyant, the science officer too busy. The only person of interest he noticed was Yolanda Helman. Wonder what it's like to be the moody captain's yeoman, he thought. How close to him is she? He found himself a little jealous. Her job doesn't automatically imply a deeper relationship, but she is pretty, and young, and desirable. If I were the captain . . .

  4

  The feeling of uneasiness began to creep over James Kirk again. The nearer they came to the star cluster Spock had marked in blue, the more necessary he felt was the need for speed. It was almost as if he were being magnetically drawn. He didn't understand it, but his whole being pulsed with the urgency. He was jumpy—every sound on the ship seemed magnified.

  "Captain, we're approaching the Xi star cluster. Sensors pick up one habitable planet orbiting the fourth star. Its oxygen level is adequate, but I wouldn't recommend any athletics. There seems to be a cool spot on the northern pole; the rest of it seems too hot for life as we know it." Martin continued to peer into the sensor, calling out the data as he read it.

  Kirk turned to the science officer, listening with great interest. Leonidas was studying another sensor, tapping his foot in excitement.

  "Navigator, set a course for that planet. High orbit. We don't want to be spotted."

  "Aye, sir."

  "Mister Sulu, as soon as you receive the coordinates, I want you to make the course change."

  "Aye, sir. Course plotted and laid in."

  They all watched the view-screen as the course change was executed, eagerly anticipating a clearer view of the planet. Leonidas was standing beside the captain, primed for an adventure. He had served on other ships, but had never before had the authority of the first officer to utilize the potential of a starship for his exploratory urges.

  Kirk looked around at the crew, mentally selecting the men for a landing party. He was feeling uneasy about taking his new officers with him; they were going into unknown and probably hostile territory. I must be able to trust them! No better time than now, he thought with determination.

  "Mister Leonidas, equip a landing party. You, Martin, Sulu, Chekov, and Doctor McCoy will accompany me." He chose a balance of his old reliable crew and new officers, hoping the mix would work smoothly.

  Obviously disapproving, Douglas balanced the transporter, testing it before beam-down. "Captain," he said hesitantly, "You are beaming down into an unknown situation. Shouldn't you have security check it out first?"

  "Douglas, I can't ask any man to risk more than I would. It's my responsibility and my choice. Just do your job and be prepared to beam us up in a hurry."

  Douglas frowned. "Yes, sir."

  Entering the transporter room with arms full, Chekov handed phasers to all members of the landing party.

  Martin, taking a last-minute scan of the planet, announced his findings.

  "Captain, sensors pick up life forms, about three dozen, at the center of the cool spot. They have a high metabolism and a great deal of body heat. There seems to be an energy source indicated in the area as well." Martin looked perplexed. "It's peculiar, sir. Something's wrong. It doesn't seem likely that on a planet that's so hot, a life form with that high a body temperature would evolve. I'll bet the life forms down there don't originate on this planet."

  "Well, we seem to have a puzzle already," Kirk observed. "Gentlemen, let's solve it!" He stepped into the transporter. The five others joined him on the platform.

  "Douglas, keep us out of sight of those beings. Energize!"

  They materialized behind a hill some distance from the inhabited area. No one was in sight. "Standard search pattern," Kirk said. "Move out."

  Leonidas and Sulu moved toward the range of low hills. Martin and Chekov headed warily toward the settlement. McCoy was left alone with the captain.

  "I have a strange feeling in my bones, Jim," he said. "It's hot, but I've got a cold chill. Let's get out of here."

  "Y
ou feel uneasy every time we beam down. Keep busy. Get at that medical scanner. See if there's anything of interest in the flora or something."

  Kirk's communicator signaled. It was Leonidas, extremely agitated but controlled.

  "Captain! We found the Raven. It's abandoned—no one around—not even footprints."

  "Did you go into the ship?"

  "No, Captain," Leonidas answered, "we thought you'd like to see it first." He was gradually learning about James Kirk and his command style.

  Chekov's voice broke in over the communicator. "Keptin, ve found a Klingon ship! It's abandoned." His thick Russian accent clipped the words.

  "Are you sure,Chekov?"

  "Keptin, I know a Klingon ship vhen I see vun."

  "Yes, you do, Lieutenant," Kirk agreed. "We will rendezvous at Leonidas's coordinates immediately. Kirk out."

  They all approached the abandoned Federation ship. Kirk mulled over the puzzle. The Raven and a Klingon ship. What is the connection?"

  All was as Spock had left it. The chart which had led them here, identical to that which Kirk used, was displayed on the navigation panel. A fresh change of clothes was spread out in the rear section. Martin ran the tricorder over everything. There was nothing unusual.

  "Looks like they planned on returning," Kirk observed.

  McCoy examined the medical supplies. "Jim, the painkillers are all gone. Spock must really have been hurting. Damn fool! I told him …"

  "Not now, Bones," Kirk warned.

  "No signs of a struggle, Captain," Martin commented.

  Sulu looked for their weapons. "Their phasers are gone, sir."

  They all left the ship.

  "What we have is an empty Raven, no struggle, no weapons, and a Klingon ship. Let's check that ship out."

  The Klingon ship offered no more information than had the Raven. They could tell she had carried three crewmen. The main point of interest was the map—the same coordinates Spock and the Enterprise had followed. lt was clear the Klingons were given the same lead. Why?

  Chekov and Leonidas, too curious to stay in one place, climbed the next hill to investigate further. They found the Romulan ship and stared at each other in amazement. Attempts to signal Kirk and the rest of the party proved futile. Running was quite strenuous in the thin atmosphere of the small planet, but they made it back to the remainder of the landing party in record time.

  "Ve found a Romulan ship!" Chekov gasped "Our communicators didn't vork. Must be something in de atmosphere here vhich inhibits certain transmissions …"

  Leonidas pointed in the direction of the scout ship. "Yes, sir, it's just over that hill …"

  "Abandoned?" Kirk anticipated their answer.

  They answered in unison. "Yes, sir."

  At the Romulan ship, they found weapons lying on the ground: Romulan stunguns and Klingon disrupters. In the ship they found the Federation phasers locked in the arsenal. The wind had blown away any sign of footprints. There was no evidence at all as to what had happened to any of them.

  The captain synthesized the findings as he tried to formulate some hypothesis.

  "We've found a chart on the Romulan ship similar to the ones on the Klingon ship and the Raven. Could we all have been led here?" He looked over his shoulder. "It must be a trap. If Spock was in jeopardy, then we may be in similar trouble. How far away are those life-readings?"

  "About a half mile north, sir."

  "We haven't been spotted yet. Odd. They don't seem to have sensors. Leonidas, Sulu, you two take the lead—and be quiet."

  They crept up the hill toward the life-readings and came into view of the launch gantry. On top of the structure was a rocket ready for takeoff.

  Leonidas whistled low. "Wow, look at that!"

  Sulu, for once in his life, was speechless.

  Kirk was wide-eyed with the discovery.

  The Tomariian crew was preparing to launch the rocket. The men from the Enterprise watched from behind the hill. The rocket took off with a flare of light, heat, and noise.

  Chekov was very impressed. "Vhat is it?"

  "An old-type chemical rocket, Lieutenant," Martin explained. "An old dinosaur. I never thought I'd ever see that primitive a device in action!"

  Their voices had begun to rise. Kirk quieted them. "We don't want to be spotted. Keep it quiet," he ordered.

  McCoy was very still. He had observed the Tomariian launch, but was more interested in the men of the ground crew. "Jim, look, they're hairy! I'll bet that explains Spock's depilatory. We must be on the right track."

  "You're right, Bones. I read the transcript. He did mention a depilatory!" He spoke into his communicator. "Douglas, beam us up!"

  Upon their return to the Enterprise, Kirk addressed his landing party.

  "This planet can't be the right place. There were only about three dozen men down there; this has to be some sort of an outpost. We have to find out where they came from and we haven't got a clue." He turned to Martin. "Any other sapient life-reading other than our furry friends?"

  "No, sir."

  "Then Spock isn't here and neither are the Romulans or Klingons. But I'll bet those life forms down there know where they are. It's not a dead end yet."

  "Keptin," Chekov called out from the security sensor, "they haf launched another rocket."

  "That's it!" Kirk ordered, "Chekov, trace the course of that launch. We're going to follow it. Sulu, I want us to match its speed. Stay at a discreet distance. I don't want to be spotted now."

  "I don't believe it!" Douglas said in astonishment as he studied the sensor readings. "That ship has warp potential and a matter/antimatter drive! It's smaller and more maneuverable than the Enterprise. Its drive isn't consistent with the method of launch they used."

  "Stay with them, Mister Sulu," Kirk said calmly. "We'll have our answers soon."

  Leonidas was exultant. The first officer observed and charted and enjoyed every bit. His excitement grew as they neared the huge red giant he had mentioned before. It completely dominated the region around it. Its glow could be seen from an incredible distance.

  "Captain," the first officer announced, "we're getting awfully close to that red giant."

  The view-screen showed the dull, red object overwhelming everything around it. Martin was at the science station, eyes on the sensors. "Sir, we're headed directly toward it. It could have a tremendous magnetic field. We can't get too close until we know for certain."

  "What about the ship we're following?"

  "Heading right for the sun, Captain. No, it's veered; it's skirting the red giant."

  "Keep following it, Helmsman. Adjust course," Kirk ordered quietly.

  The sun was so large it took a full day at warp three to circumvent it. When they arrived at the far side, Leonidas was riveted to the view-screen.

  "Look, Captain, a small, very hot sun, a baby, probably formed when the other exploded. That must have been something! I'll bet it engulfed everything in this area when it went red. There can't be a planet here, sir. Not with all of that energy spewing out. It must have destroyed all of its planets, if it had any."

  "No possible way there could be a planet in this sector?"

  "I can't see how."

  "Then where are our furry friends going?"

  "I'm at a loss, Captain. Their course is taking them between the two suns. The gravitational forces will pull them into one sun or the other."

  "I don't think they're suicidal, Leonidas. They must know were they're going. Follow them, Helmsman."

  Sulu acknowledged, and continued concentrating on their course. It was Martin who hesitated. "Captain, we're getting too close. We're becoming affected by the pull of the large sun, and if the helm compensates, we'll be pulled toward the small one. We can't safely go any further."

  "Are you sure, Martin?"

  "He's correct, Captain," Leonidas reported. "We'll burn up if we attempt to go any further."

  "Hold it right here, Sulu. Any solutions, gentlemen? Their ship seemed to
go into a corridor between the two suns. Why can't we?"

  "We're too big, Captain. A small ship could manage it, if it were careful to stay in between the pulls of both suns and travel at an awesome speed. It's a real tightrope in there!"

  "A shuttle, then," Kirk suggested.

  "No, Captain," Leonidas interjected. "The distances are immense. A shuttle wouldn't have the range or the speed necessary."

  Kirk retreated to his quarters to be alone with the problem. He wasn't going to give up now that he had come this far. He was determined to follow that rocket ship. After an hour of deep concentration, he called his staff together.

  "Gentlemen, I have made a decision. We are going to follow that ship into the corridor."

  "But, sir." Douglas nearly jumped out of his chair; standing abruptly, he voiced his objections loudly.

  Kirk's eyes narrowed. "I appreciate your opinion, but my mind is made up." Looking squarely at Douglas, he continued, "This is an order. We will take the Enterprise through the corridor despite the difficulty and the danger. I don't promise it will be easy, but we have no choice. I believe we were too conservative in our earlier estimation of the size of the corridor. We have the best crew in Starfleet. If anyone can get through, we can—and we are going to! It is up to you, gentlemen, to do it with the largest safety factor possible. We must hurry.

  "Sulu, you will take the helm during the entire maneuver. It'll be tricky and you're the best we have. Martin, you will navigate."

  Martin interrupted. "Captain, I suggest we go through the corridor at maximum speed. The magnetic fields will not affect us if we are traveling at multi-warp speeds. However, I think the entire mission too dangerous. I must log my objection."

  "Then do so, Martin. But do your duty." Kirk instructed, "Douglas, I want all ship's systems at peak efficiency. We might have to draw upon our reserves quickly. Uhura, send a message to Starfleet headquarters, announcing our rescue attempt and location."