STAR TREK: TOS #12 - Mutiny on the Enterprise

by Robert E. Vardeman

  To one side of the transporter room stood Constable of Peace Ganessa, arms crossed just below her small breasts. She glared at all and said nothing until Spock tried to take her arm and escort her into the corridor. The woman flew into a murderous rage, slamming Spock back against a bulkhead.

  “She is remarkably strong, Captain. I had not anticipated such strength in the Jurnamorians.”

  “Try to touch me again, deformed one, and I’ll show you Jurnamorian strength.”

  “You won’t be harmed, Constable. I give you my word,” said Kirk.

  “Your word? What’s that? The promise of one bedding with Ammdons? A kidnapper? How did you steal me away from the safety of my vessel? The Bor is the strongest vessel in space, yet no alarm was raised when your boarding party entered.”

  “Entered?” asked McCoy, puzzled.

  “You must have used some diabolical gas to poison my crew, then whisked me away and brought me here.”

  “Was she unconscious at any time, Mr. Kyle?” asked McCoy, concerned for her health. “A blow to the head might have distorted both time and perception.”

  “Doc, she arrived in one piece and fighting mad. I don’t know what she’s carrying on about.”

  “Vice-Regent, Constable, please accompany me. Since you seem unwilling to do so at my personal request, as the captain of this ship I hereby order you to do so.” A security [181] team, phasers drawn, appeared. “Please escort our guests to the detention level.”

  “Detention level?” parroted Falda. “So you imprison me. I will petition that the Ammdon-Federation treaty be voided because of this discourtesy. Or, if you slay me, my successor will so order.”

  “See the type of slime lizard you bed with, Falda?” taunted Ganessa. “They are as treacherous as the Romulans claimed.”

  “I mistrusted the Romulans; their motives were too transparent. But perhaps I was hasty. They might have been turned to Ammdon’s advantage, after all.”

  “They are Jurnamoria’s advantage now, scum eater.” The woman stalked off, head held high. Falda cast Kirk a withering look and followed at a discreet distance, close enough to watch Ganessa but far enough back to thwart any attack she might launch.

  When the security team and their two hostages vanished into the turboelevator, McCoy took Kirk’s arm and spun him around. “What’s the meaning of this, Jim? You can’t hold the heads of two planets like this. That’s a violation of—”

  “Noninterference with a culture’s right to self-determination. I’m aware of that. But what I’m going to do is meddling even more. I have to count on a peaceful settlement so that neither side will want to tell Starfleet exactly what’s happened up to this point.”

  “They’ll hang you, Jim, and the entire crew along with you. I don’t have any desire to see my neck stretched.”

  “You are quite right, Doctor,” broke in Spock, coming down the stairwell from above. “Your neck is already quite long enough. Further elongation would give you the aspect of one of your planet’s turkeys.”

  Kirk gripped the doctor’s arm and squeezed so that he [182] wouldn’t respond to Spock’s sarcasm. To Spock he said, “Is the detention cell ready for our guests?”

  “Eminently so, Captain. I wish you luck with this ploy.”

  “I didn’t think you believed in luck, Mr. Spock.”

  “I don’t, Captain. But it is obvious you do, or you’d never have tried such a scheme.”

  “Let’s go to the detention level. I want to see how things are progressing.” The turboelevator returned and the trio entered. The lift speedily deposited them on the level above. Before entering the cell area, Spock took earplugs from his pocket and handed them to both Kirk and McCoy while inserting a pair into his own ears.

  “What are these for?” asked McCoy.

  “I had Mr. Spock construct them specially for our use. They filter out all but the frequencies between two hundred fifty and two thousand hertz.”

  “That’s about the normal range for human voices.”

  “They filter out harmonics and beats and other interesting but virtually unexplored areas of speech. What you hear will sound flat and even uninteresting, but the reason for the earplugs will be obvious.”

  Kirk gestured for his two friends to enter the detention area. Mr. Neal stood by, earplugs already in place. Inside the large cell where Lorelei had been alone, she now had two visitors. Neither the vice-regent of Ammdon nor the Constable of Peace of Jurnamoria appeared to enjoy the small woman’s company in the least.

  “We must protest, Kirk. This is a violation of the Covenants of War. You cannot imprison three in one cell of this size.”

  “Especially when two are leaders,” cut in the vice-regent, glaring at Ganessa.

  “It seems you’ve already found one area for agreement. [183] You don’t want to remain in this cell longer than necessary. I don’t think you will be here for much longer.”

  “Let us out. Now.” The cut of command laced the constable’s voice.

  “Shortly.” To Lorelei he said, “A word in private, please.” The small woman stood by Kirk, her hand rising to touch the earplugs he wore. She made no attempt to remove them.

  “You trust me so little?” she asked.

  “Lorelei, you can only be true to your philosophy, what you’ve trained for all your life as a Speaker of Hyla. I don’t ask any more. Unless you wish to allow a war to rage, one which you all too accurately predicted.”

  “The presence of your ship precipitated the war?” she asked. Kirk only nodded. The woman’s words echoed slightly, sounding flat and almost lifeless due to the earplugs. Only the intensity of her personality acted on him—or was it also her pheromones to which he was so intimately attuned? Even with the earplugs, Jim Kirk had to fight to keep from falling under this beguiling woman’s spell.

  “I wish I found some satisfaction in saying ‘I told you so.’ That particular idiom is new to me, but it fits so many of your situations. On Hyla, there is scant opportunity for such words. We know our destiny and all contribute to achieving it.”

  “There’s nothing more I can do with either Ganessa or Falda. Would you talk to them? Just for a few minutes? Try to persuade them that their war is a foolish one and that they really ought to cooperate.”

  “I will see what can be done, but I will not speak for your Federation.”

  “Speak for peace. That’s what we both want in the matter.”

  She nodded briskly. The tiredness washed from her face and the woman turned to the others in the cell. Where once [184] she had felt the strain of influencing an entire starship crew of the error of their ways, now she had only two. Lorelei began talking, first in Hylan, then in the common language shared by Ammdon and Jurnamoria.

  Kirk stood by Spock and McCoy as the woman began learning more and more of the Ammdon speech.

  “It is truly amazing, Captain, how fast she learns a language. Lorelei not only picks up the gross grammar, she seems to intuitively understand the nuances.”

  “The body language is part of it. Look at that,” said McCoy. “See how she lifts her left shoulder and drops her right when she speaks to Ganessa? That must have something to do with obeisance, of knowing her position.”

  “Knowing her position,” said Kirk, smiling. “Falda and Ganessa haven’t seen the smallest part of what Lorelei can do. She’s just now mastering their language.”

  “It took four point nine three minutes,” offered Spock.

  “In just about five minutes she’s dickering with them, probing, finding their weaknesses. In another ten, she’ll have them shaking hands.!’ Kirk felt the vibrancy of Lorelei’s voice, even through the earplugs. He watched as she positively radiated confidence as she expounded on the True Path, on peace and mutual cooperation. Like magic, the frowns and tenseness faded from both Ganessa and Falda, to be replaced with a wariness of one another. Soon this too vanished and the lifelong antagonists began arguing, not with rancor but for mutual gain. Threats no longer entered
their speech as they bargained for the maximum possible for their individual worlds.

  “It’s truly amazing,” said McCoy. “Those two act like business partners rather than commanders of opposing armies. Why, I can actually feel it when Lorelei talks to them. She must be laying on the sonic persuasion as heavily as she can.”

  [185] “I’m certain of it. Note the expression as her empathic powers sense the shifts in mood. Two enemies are becoming two cautious friends. And, unless I miss my guess, Falda and Ganessa are strong enough leaders to sway their own people. They’ll return to Ammdon and Jurnamoria with peace plans instead of war tactics. And they’ll make it stick, in spite of the hawks that must have surrounded them for so many years.”

  Satisfied, James Kirk indicated that Lorelei and the two leaders be left alone to work out any remaining differences. The only thing he misjudged was the time it took Lorelei to convince Ganessa and Falda to shake hands. It wasn’t ten minutes; it was eight.

  “I’m undecided as to what to do with Lorelei,” Kirk admitted to Spock. The captain of the Enterprise hiked tired feet up and put them on the corner of the desk as he leaned back in his seat. His quarters provided about the only sanctuary he had now. The crew bustled about, repairing all they could to prepare for the long trip back to Starbase One. Lorelei had achieved great results with Ganessa and Falda, but their respective cabinets refused to support peaceful actions—until they, too, had the opportunity to speak with Lorelei.

  “She is not technically a Federation citizen,” Spock pointed out. “Therefore, she cannot act as Federation ambassador.”

  “I’m not too worried about that. We can come up with some high-sounding title. Representative or counselor-at-large or delegate without portfolio. Anything to make it sound official. That’s the small part of it. What I don’t know about is her effect on Ammdon and Jurnamoria.”

  “She will not turn them against us. Not as long as she follows her so-called True Path.”

  [186] “But, Spock,” cried Kirk, dropping his feet to the deck and leaning forward over the desk, “we’ve got to think about the Romulans. They won’t leave the planets alone if they get wind of any pacifist tendencies. They’ll swoop in and take them as neat as wolves going after lambs.”

  “Your metaphor smacks of Dr. McCoy.”

  “It’s nonetheless something to consider.”

  “Perhaps we can let the Romulans know that the Federation will not tolerate intervention in this system.”

  Kirk shook his head. “If Lorelei has her way in this system—and she will—how do we keep the Romulans out?”

  A faint upturning at the corners of Spock’s lips made Kirk more attentive. Something amused his science officer. Whatever it was, it had to be of the highest magnitude.

  “What is it, Spock?”

  “An idea crossed my mind, Captain. Do you suppose it is possible to arrange for Lorelei to be kidnapped by the Romulans?”

  “Kidnapped! Why, they’d—” Kirk stopped, then laughed. “They wouldn’t kill her. They would end up being the challenge of her life. Stopping a war between two backward planets would be like child’s play for her compared to the efforts required to turn the Romulans into peaceful beings.”

  “It might not be practical, but it is something worth thinking about, Captain.”

  “You’re right, Spock. And until that comes up, she can maintain the peace better than anyone. I can see the day when the ones like Zarv and Lorritson are out of jobs, all Federation negotiating being done by Hylans.”

  “That is assuming they can stand Federation policy. To them, we must be intensely warlike.”

  “You’re a Vulcan. Can you pass up the challenge of [187] convincing a Hylan we’re not, that we seek only peace but are ready to fight to prevent a greater violence?”

  “No, Captain, I cannot pass up such a challenge. And neither can you.”

  “So right, Mr. Spock. Let’s inform all those concerned of the decision.”

  Whistling, and noticing it was flat because of the earplugs he still wore, Jim Kirk smiled. It wouldn’t be much longer before the earplugs weren’t needed aboard the Enterprise.

  “Is this agreeable to all concerned?” Kirk asked.

  “Lorelei is acceptable to the people of Jurnamoria,” said Ganessa, Constable of Peace.

  “To those of Ammdon, also.” Falda hesitated, then added, “There are some points of dissension we must work out. Lorelei has accepted the task of dealing with those for us.”

  “Good.” Turning to the viewscreen, now directed at the detention cell where Lorelei was still quartered to provide filtering capability for her sonic brainwashing, Kirk said, “You realize, Lorelei, that you do not officially represent the Federation?”

  “That is my wish. I do not represent Hyla, either, although I am a Speaker. This is a personal mission.”

  “As such, the Federation can send an ambassador at a later date to work out the terms of a trade pact between all parties.”

  “It is expected,” said Vice-Regent Falda. “Lorelei has convinced us that interchange between our cultures will be mutually beneficial.”

  Kirk hid his surprise. If Lorelei said such a thing, she had motives of her own. Perhaps free run of Federation worlds, spreading her True Path philosophy, might be guaranteed if she applied for entry as a representative of Ammdon [188] and Jurnamoria. He didn’t much care. That sort of thing was for diplomats and politicians to worry over. He had carried out his orders and stopped the war. For the time being, the Romulan thrust through the Orion Arm had been halted.

  “I need some further information from Lorelei before beaming her to Ammdon.”

  “What is this, James?” she asked quietly. For the first time, he felt no twinge of sonic lacing in her words. They carried no persuasive undercurrents but only simple curiosity.

  “We have no way of contacting Hyla with news of your survival. That explosion aboard your ship prevented your communications officer from doing more than broadcasting a simple SOS. Any information you have on how we might go about finding Hyla would be appreciated.”

  She studied Kirk for a moment, then smiled. “Before, I might have been reluctant. You are warlike, but you are learning. Yes, I will give you what information I can so you can seek out Hyla.”

  For a moment neither spoke; then Kirk broke the silence. “We’ll meet again, Lorelei. I’m sure of it.”

  “I, too, James. We’ll meet once more on happier terms.”

  The viewscreen switched off. Kirk heaved himself out of the command seat and said to his two guests, “Mr. Spock will see you to the transporter room and beam you back to Ammdon. If there is anything you need, please feel free to contact the Federation.”

  But Ganessa and Falda barely heard. They nodded curtly and left, heads together, shoulders rubbing, speaking in low voices. Spock followed them into the turboelevator.

  “Now, there goes a happy couple,” said McCoy.

  “Hmm, oh, they’re just discussing ... treaties,” said Kirk, eyes twinkling.

  [189] “You’re starting to sound like Spock. Those two are in love. Imagine, hating one another for so long, and now, who knows?”

  “Yes, Doctor, who knows.” Turning to Sulu, he requested operational status.

  “Transporter activated. Ganessa, Falda and Lorelei beamed down.”

  “Very good, Mr. Sulu. Lay in a course for Starbase One. Mr. Scott,” Kirk called out. “Would you feel put upon if I asked for warp factor one?”

  “I canna guarantee the engines, sair, but they can take warp factor one for a few weeks.”

  “Excellent. Lay in course for home, Mr. Sulu. Warp factor one.”

  All seemed right to James T. Kirk now. The crew had returned to its normal efficiency, all was at peace and the mission, in spite of serious setbacks, had been successfully completed.

  The Enterprise shivered with power, then leaped from orbit on a direct line for Starbase One, refitting and a much-needed rest for both equipment and crew.
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