STAR TREK: The Original Series - Garth of Izar

by Pamela Sargent

  “But to imprison them,” Spock said. “The Prime Directive—”

  “—does not apply in this case,” Garth finished. “Mr. Spock, you saw how the Antosians live—in one city, with a First Minister whose authority is nearly absolute, because he can be trusted with such authority. Such centralization is all they know. They don’t know how to deal with dissidents—they’ve never had rebels before. I did not propose to exile the rebels—that solution was put forward by Antosians. It is the only way they can think of to handle the problem. But as soon as I considered it, I knew that it was the only choice we had.” He paused. “I remind you that there are still prisoners down there being held by the rebels. First Minister Empynes is a prisoner. I must get back there soon.”

  “Captain Garth,” Kirk said in a low voice, “how can you claim to know all that you’re telling us? How can you lay out such an elaborate plot and expect the reactions you hope for? Your scheme, from what you’ve said, can go wrong at any point, including right now, since it depends on whether we believe you or not.”

  “Yes, very true.” Garth leaned back in his chair. “But I do have backups and alternatives, too many moves ahead of where we are at the moment to waste time in discussing them now.”

  [122] Suddenly Kirk found himself being convinced by the hero of his youth, and he wondered whether he believed Garth because of the way circumstances, at least so far, seemed to confirm his story, or only because James Kirk wanted to believe it, rather than admit to and accept the mental collapse and failure of Garth.

  “Mr. Spock,” Kirk said, “what do you think of all this?”

  “Improbable and exceedingly complex, Captain,” Spock replied, “but self-consistent, and the complexity is plausible if we consider the complications of political power. The game of chess, even three-dimensional chess, is simplicity itself compared to a political game using pieces that can change their minds independently of other pieces.” Spock looked thoughtful. “I am well aware that Captain Garth was a chess champion while a cadet at Starfleet Academy.”

  “There wasn’t much he wasn’t a prizewinner at,” McCoy muttered. “You just don’t know, do you, Spock? Admit it.”

  “Evidence is lacking in the extreme,” Spock said.

  “Still, there is some evidence in favor of Captain Garth,” McCoy continued.

  “And what evidence is that?” Kirk asked.

  “Damn it, Jim, Captain Garth was cured of his neurological malfunctions, and my tricorder scan shows a healthy, functioning brain. There’s no reason to think that a thorough workup wouldn’t confirm that. As for his display of histrionics before Scotty beamed us all aboard, I can only say that he should [123] have auditioned for the Starfleet Academy Dramatic Society—probably would have won a prize for acting, too. You certainly convinced me.”

  Garth said sadly, “Dr. McCoy, you did not have to confront me when I was truly mad—when I wasn’t acting—as Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock did.”

  “And you assume that if I had, I’d have doubts now? Poppycock! I saw the medical reports, saw my own tricorder readings. I’d have to declare myself incompetent to deny the evidence of your recovery.”

  “We can’t leave any room for doubt,” Kirk said as he stood up. “Captain Garth, you’ll accompany me and Dr. McCoy to sickbay, under guard. Bones, you’ll give him every test you need to be certain that he’s still sane, and then I’ll decide what to do next.”

  “I agree.” Garth got to his feet. “But quickly, Doctor, quickly.”

  Garth lay on a biobed, with his upper body raised nearly to a sitting position. Christine Chapel stood at his left, glancing from Garth to the readings on the display panel just above the bed; Chekov and the two security guards were on his right, phaser pistols in hand.

  “Well?” Kirk said to McCoy.

  “He’s entirely sane and perfectly healthy by every test we can run, Jim. About the only advice I’d have for this patient is to get some rest.”

  “Doctor,” Garth said, “time is short. I must—”

  “Wouldn’t hurt you to get a little rest while the [124] captain’s making up his mind about what to do,” McCoy cut in.

  Garth closed his eyes as if grateful for the suggestion. Kirk looked at the suddenly composed face and knew that this visible extreme was part of an epic undertaking by the mind behind the mask. He wanted to believe it was something noble, but it was not yet time to excuse Garth from scrutiny.

  Kirk motioned McCoy away from the biobed.

  “Whatever he’s doing,” Kirk murmured, “we now know he’s doing it with full knowledge and intent, and not as the puppet of a disability.”

  “That’s exactly it,” McCoy said in a low voice. “And if he’s lying, he knows exactly what he’s trying to do. He’s entirely responsible for his actions. We can’t get out of this by declaring him insane and shipping him back to Elba II.”

  “And if he’s telling the truth about what’s going to happen on Antos IV, then we can’t let it happen. We have to do as he asks.”

  “Admiral Mendez gave you full authority to step in. It has to be your decision.” McCoy offered Kirk a wry smile. “Sorry I couldn’t give you a medical excuse for a way out of this mess.”

  Garth’s medical examination had taken about an hour. Kirk knew that he could use some rest himself, but if the situation among the Antosian rebels was as grave as Garth had indicated, immediate action was necessary while it was still possible to exert control over events. Even the Prime Directive could offer [125] him no guidance here, since it was clear that Federation interference, in the person of the injured and mad Garth, had precipitated the rebellion on Antos IV.

  McCoy said, “It’s your call, Jim. What will you do?”

  “What I’ve often done,” Kirk replied. “Take it one step at a time. There’s no choice for me but to return to Antos IV with him, according to his plan, and letting him play out this game. But I’ll watch him very closely.”

  “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go, if I’m remembering Shakespeare correctly. But why in blazes did he have to make this so complicated?”

  “Because intelligent beings are complex, societies are even more so, and Garth had to choose a way equal to the task—a quick way.” He was surprised at his own defense of Garth, but doubts still played their game in his mind, and he feared that Garth might be drawing them all into a labyrinth of illusion from which there would be no escape.

  “We’re too damned suspicious for our own good, is the problem,” McCoy muttered. “Once trust is gone, it’s almost impossible to restore it, but you seem willing to trust Garth.”

  “If he’s telling the truth,” Kirk said, more out of duty than conviction.

  “Are you going to go armed?” the physician asked.

  Kirk nodded. “Garth can’t object, by everything he’s told us.” He would conceal his weapon, as he had before, and hope again that he would never have to use it—against any Antosians, or against Garth.

  [126] Kirk went back to Garth’s bedside, McCoy right behind him. “Captain Garth?” Kirk said to the sleeping figure.

  The other man was awake in an instant. “Yes, Captain Kirk?”

  “I’ve decided that I am going to go planetside with you after all.”

  Garth sighed, looking relieved. “I’m glad to hear it.” He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed as Chekov and the two security guards stepped aside. “We have to move fast.”

  “Exactly what am I supposed to do?” Kirk asked. “What role am I to play?”

  Garth stood up. “Very simple, Captain. I’ll explain it to you on our way to the transporter room. You are to be my accomplice, my co-conspirator if you will. You’re going to join our cause.”

  Dawn was breaking. The sky above the clearing was lightening into a deep violet as Kirk and Garth materialized at the rebel campsite, both of them dressed in long black coats over their uniforms.

  The Antosians on guard—two men and one woman who were sitting around th
e fire—jumped to their feet, clearly startled. They gazed at Kirk and Garth for a long moment in silence. Kirk looked past them and estimated that at least a hundred people were in the clearing, perhaps as many as two hundred. At last a muscular, fair-haired man stepped forward, and Kirk saw that he was Kellin, the youth who [127] had impersonated Garth during the ride out from Pynesses.

  “Lord Garth?” Kellin asked. “Can it truly be you? We had begun to doubt.”

  “Of course it is!” Garth cried out in his mad theatrical voice. A loud cheer went up from the Antosians; fists shook and spears rose above heads. “Lord Garth walks among you once again! Comrades—brothers and sisters in our coming battle—the Enterprise is ours!”

  The massed Antosians cheered more loudly and stamped their feet. Kirk, standing just behind Garth, glanced surreptitiously around the clearing, but could see no sign of Empynes, Gyneeses, Heje-Illuss, or any of Heje-Illuss’s followers. He felt a rush of dismay as his doubts assailed him once more. Garth might have deceived him. Something else entirely might be going on behind the scenes; luring him back to Antos IV might have been nothing more than a plan to trap him.

  He quickly pushed such worries from his mind, reminding himself that the Enterprise was safely in the hands of Spock and Scotty. Security guards were on duty in every one of the transporter rooms; it would be impossible for any shape-changer to get aboard in another guise. The Antosians that he and Garth were planning to beam up, allegedly to a starship that was now under Garth’s control, would not be permitted to materialize fully inside the Enterprise, but would immediately be forwarded to the island of Acra.

  That was the plan. However much he turned it over [128] in his mind, Kirk could not see where there might be any possibility for treachery on Garth’s part. Better to hold to his conviction that Garth was telling the truth and to do whatever he could to help resolve this situation. There were still too many points at which the complex scheme could fail.

  “Lord Garth!” several Antosians shouted. “Lord Garth!” Others behind them took up the chant, and then they abruptly fell silent and backed away from the fire as another Antosian came striding toward Garth and Kirk.

  She was a woman, tall and commanding, with long dark hair that was as black as the long coat she wore over a tunic and trousers. Her skin was a dark coppery color, while her pale eyes were golden; a sword and scabbard hung from her right shoulder. She stopped in front of them and stared for a while at Garth, then turned her attention to Kirk. Immediately he saw suspicion and resentment in her beautiful face, and suddenly guessed who she had to be: Hala-Jyusa, the rebel leader who had broken with Heje-Illuss.

  “I greet you, Hala-Jyusa!” Garth called out, clasping the woman’s hands.

  Hala-Jyusa frowned, slipped her hands from Garth’s, took a step back, then drew herself up again. “I am pleased to hear of your triumph, Lord Garth,” she said in a resonant alto voice, “but how is it possible that you have taken control of the starship without any help from us?” She glanced around at the others. [129] “I arrived here with the rest of our followers only to be told that you had been taken from us, beamed up to the starship along with its Captain Kirk and the three who were with him, and with three of our fighters who were to take their places.” She pressed her lips together in a thin line. “As brilliant as you are, my Lord Garth, I don’t see how you could take over such a vessel with so little assistance so quickly.”

  “You are as discerning as always, Hala-Jyusa,” Garth replied. “I did not need to take over the Enterprise that way. Captain Kirk has joined our cause!”

  Kirk moved closer to Garth’s side; the gathering grew silent. Garth had only had enough time in the transporter room to sketch out the kind of story Kirk should tell the rebels. He would have to ad-lib the details as he went along and hope that he was convincing.

  Hala-Jyusa’s eyes narrowed. “Is this true?” she said, still obviously doubtful. “He’s come over to our side?”

  “Of course it’s true,” Garth said loudly. “Kirk has always been my disciple.”

  Nice touch, Kirk thought. Next he’ll declare me his heir apparent, as he did on Elba II.

  Hala-Jyusa glared at Garth. Perhaps, Kirk thought, she resented the power Garth, the offworlder, held over her followers. “I did not pose the question to you, Lord Garth,” she said, showing her teeth, “but to Captain Kirk.”

  “And I shall happily respond,” Kirk said. The Antosians began to settle themselves on the ground or [130] on the logs grouped around the fire. Hala-Jyusa kept near Garth, still with a wary look on her face.

  “I have long been an admirer of Lord Garth,” Kirk began, “ever since my days as a cadet. He’s been one of my heroes for much of my life. I’ve always dreamed of serving with him, and then a time came, not long ago, when I learned that Garth—my hero, a legend, the officer I admired more than any who had ever served in Starfleet—had been confined to an asylum.” All of that was true enough, and Kirk saw from the faces of the rebels nearest him that they believed him.

  “They called him mad,” Kirk continued, “and criminally insane, and perhaps he was, since he was then still recovering from the severe injuries he sustained after his first contact with your people. But his intellect was intact, his dreams of glory had not died, and when I realized that—”

  “We know about all of that,” Hala-Jyusa interrupted. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

  “My dear Hala-Jyusa,” Garth said softly, “our new ally Captain Kirk is speaking.” His voice took on a harder tone. “Please show him the courtesy of hearing him out.”

  “Then let him tell us more convincingly why he’s decided to join us,” she said.

  “That is what I am attempting to tell you, my lady and comrade.” Kirk bowed in her direction; Hala-Jyusa gazed back at him coldly. “I well understand why you might have your doubts, but they are easily banished by facts.” He paused. “I was given [131] orders by Starfleet Command to bring Lord Garth back to Antos IV, supposedly to discuss with your leaders the possibility of your planet’s becoming a part of the Federation. But I was certain that one so great as Garth, one who had once dreamed of greater glory, could not have allowed his dreams of conquest to die. I also suspected that he harbored some resentment against the Federation, and also against the officers who had mutinied and seized command of his starship and those who had sentenced him to Elba II. They called it a cure, locking him up there, but I saw it as trying to rein in a proud and noble spirit.”

  He had them now; he could see it in the upturned faces around the fire. Even Garth looked proud of his performance.

  “I have my own grievances against the Federation and Starfleet Command,” Kirk went on. “It is true that I have won command of a starship, but I have also been deprived of honors that might have been mine. Even though I was acquitted in the end, I have endured a court-martial as the result of false accusations against me. I did not reveal my resentments to Garth at first, but on our way here, I grew to know the officer I had so long admired. And when I followed him here, events soon showed me that his dreams were not unlike my own. I also well understand why you do not want to give up your biological heritage and the art of cellular metamorphosis that is so integral to your culture, for I value my own genetic [132] heritage as much as you value yours, and would not willingly surrender it.”

  “Lord Garth was threatening you,” Hala-Jyusa said. “I was told about that when I arrived here, that he was shouting that he would kill you and those with you if you did not allow him to board your ship immediately. What was that all about?”

  “Lord Garth was not yet certain he could fully trust me or my crew,” Kirk said smoothly, “and did not want to endanger your people—your followers—until he was sure of me. When we were beamed aboard, and I told him that I sympathized with him and would fight with him, he knew that he had an ally in this battle.”

  Garth was smiling as he looked around at the people in the clearing, but Hala-Jyusa still looked skeptical.
“That’s all very well, Captain Kirk,” the Antosian woman said, “but what about the rest of your crew? Have they thrown their lot with you and with us?”

  Kirk thought quickly. “It is not necessary that all of them do so,” he replied, “for they have but one imperative—to obey their captain. My authority over them is absolute.” The Antosians would probably accept that, especially since they were used to being governed by a First Minister with such authority, but it wouldn’t hurt to give them another convincer. “But as it happens, others among my officers have been moved to join our cause. Mr. Spock, my first officer, has also agreed to become one of us.”

  “The fellow with the pointed ears,” Garth added with a big smile.

  [133] “Once his people, the Vulcans, were warriors,” Kirk said, beginning to pace in front of his audience, “and Spock has long been an admirer of his ancestors and their accomplishments.” It was similar to the truth, in any case, Kirk thought. “Another who has joined us is my chief engineer, whose people were once fierce warriors on our homeworld of Earth. And there are others who have a personal loyalty to me. Most of my officers and crew will follow me anywhere and won’t question anything I do.” He stopped pacing. “As for the rest—and they will be very few in number—they will obey my orders, or they can easily be put under restraint, as have those who tried to stand against you—Heje-Illuss and the First Minister and the others.” He looked around. “By the way, where are they?”

  “They are being held not far from here,” Hala-Jyusa answered. “Why are you so interested in them, anyway?”