Star Trek 12

by James Blish

  Without moving, Kirk eyed the bushes. "We've got to get back to the others and warn them."

  Spock, immobile, murmured, "Yes."

  "We have to get out of here."

  "Immediately, Captain."

  They looked at each other sidewise. "You go first, Spock. I'll try and distract him."

  "I can't let you do that, sir. I'll distract him." The tiger waited patiently for them to make the first move. It waited, crouching, then settled down. It began to lick its paws.

  "We could try moving very slowly."

  With extreme caution, Kirk extended a foot. The tiger watched interestedly. He leaned weight on the foot and achieved a step. Spock glided beside him as they edged around the rock. They ran like hell.

  Behind them, the tiger turned itself off.

  Rodriguez fell out of the shrubbery in their path. "Angela! The plane—" On cue, the Sopwith Camel appeared overhead in mid-dive. Kirk threw himself and his men to the ground as 50-caliber machine-gun bullets plowed the path at their side.

  "Don't think about it!" said Kirk. "To the glade, fast!"

  "Hai!" The Japanese warrior in his heavy complex armor flailed at them with a sharp sword. "Ahh-HOU!" But he was hampered by his carapace, and they dodged him easily.

  As they reached the glade, Yeoman Barrows seemed to be in difficulties again. Sulu was wrestling with the bearded amorist in the black cloak as she clutched her tattered tunic in front of her; apparently she had been changing out of her princess's dress when accosted.

  But Don Juan melted away as Kirk and Spock pelted up to them.

  "Sulu, Rodriguez, Barrows—front and center!" snapped Kirk.

  "Sir—"

  "Don't ask any questions. This is an order!" They moved in to face him, Tonia squirming into her uniform.

  "Now brace. Everyone, eyes front. Don't talk. Don't breathe. Don't think. You're at attention and concentrating on that and only that. Concentrate!"

  The three crewmen obediently struggled not to think.

  Spock gestured, and Kirk turned to see a new apparition. A kindly old gentleman in dignified robes smiled at him.

  "Who are you?" From whose errant thoughts had this one appeared?

  "I am the Caretaker of this planet, Captain Kirk."

  "You know me?"

  "But of course." He nodded toward the bewildered crewmen. "And Lieutenant Rodriguez, Lieutenant Sulu, Yeoman Barrows—and Mr. Spock."

  The dangers in this place had not, so far, appeared in sheep's clothing. They had been all obvious threats. Perhaps . . .

  "I stopped by to check our power supplies, and have only just realized that we had guests who did not understand all this. These experiences were intended to amuse you."

  Kirk was taken aback. "Amuse us! Is that your word for all we've been through?"

  The man laughed easily. "Oh, none of this is permanent." He waved at the surrounding glade, the forest, the meadows. "Here you have merely to imagine your fondest wishes—old ones you wish to relive, new ones, battle, fear, love, triumph. Anything which pleases you can be made to happen here."

  "The term," said Spock, out of the encyclopedia he housed in his brain, "is 'amusement park.' "

  "But of course." The Caretaker sounded as though this were perfectly obvious.

  "An old Earth term for a place where people could go to see and do all kinds of exciting and fantastic things."

  "This planet was constructed for our race of people, Captain. We come here, and play."

  Sulu was puzzled. "Play? As advanced as you are, and you still play?"

  The Caretaker looked at him pityingly. Kirk waved Sulu to silence. "Play, Mr. Sulu. The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play."

  The robed figure beamed approvingly. "Exactly, Captain. You are most perceptive.

  "I regret that your equipment was inadvertently affected. The system needed slight adjustment—it was pulling energy from the nearest available source. I think you will find that all is now in order."

  But it hadn't been all play. The fight with Finnegan had been extremely satisfying; the tiger had, after all, harmed no one; and Tonia's virtue was still intact. But . . .

  "None of this explains the death of my ship's surgeon," said Kirk. The "amusement park" of an advanced race had turned killer for the younger people. The Caretaker's face was gentle and his words reassuring, but perhaps the toys of his race were too dangerous.

  "Possibly because I haven't died, Jim," said McCoy's voice behind him. Yeoman Barrows turned pale, and then radiant with joy.

  McCoy sauntered into the clearing, in the pink of health, with a young lady clad in a few feathers clinging to each of his arms.

  "I was taken below the surface," he explained, glancing at his chest, "for some rather—remarkable—repairs. It's amazing! There's a factory complex down there like nothing I've ever seen. They can build anything—immediately!"

  Tonia had run to him, and was gazing into his face as if she could not believe her eyes. She touched his chest, last seen torn and bleeding. She became conscious of an obstruction and belatedly realized that McCoy was not alone.

  She found her tongue. "And how do you explain them?"

  "Er—" McCoy glanced fondly at the two voluptuous, bare, willing beauties on his arms. "Well, I was thinking about a little cabaret I know on Rigel II. There were these two girls in the chorus line that I—well—" his assurance faltered. "Er—here they are."

  Tonia looked. He said, "Well, after all, I am on shore leave."

  "So am I," said Tonia ominously.

  "Er—" McCoy would just have to spread himself around. "So you are."

  Yeoman Barrows waited.

  Resigning himself to the not-unattractive inevitable, McCoy released the charmers. "Well, girls, I'm sure you can turn something up."

  The girls smiled a cheerful farewell to the doctor and moved. To Sulu's evident delight, the redhead chose to nestle up to him. Spock, however, did not appear gratified at the armful of blonde that approached him. He dodged politely, but to no avail. She insinuated herself somehow and stood alarmingly close.

  Rodriguez said, very quietly, "And—Angela?"

  "Esteban!" she said, hurrying out of the shrubbery. "I've been looking all over for you!" He took her hand and stared, unbelievingly.

  The Caretaker smiled upon all these couples, even at the restive Spock. "We regret that you have been made uncomfortable, even puzzled."

  Kirk had relaxed enough to be curious. "You say your people built this? Who are you? What planet are you from?"

  The Caretaker shook his white head. "Your race is not yet ready to understand us, Captain Kirk."

  Spock, still trying to tactfully disentangle himself from the cabaret girl, replied, "I tend to agree."

  The communicator beeped. "This is the bridge, Captain. Our power systems have come back in. Do you require any assistance?"

  "Everything is in order, Lieutenant Uhura. Stand by." It seemed now that everything was indeed in order. But . . .

  "With the proper caution, our amusement planet could be an ideal place for your people to enjoy themselves, if you wish," said the Caretaker.

  McCoy, now firmly attached to Yeoman Barrows, said, "It is what the doctor ordered, Jim.".

  "Very well . . . Bridge! I'll be sending up a short briefing. As soon as all personnel have heard it, you may commence transporting shore parties. And tell them to prepare for the best shore leave they've ever had!"

  As Kirk shut his communicator, Mr. Spock approached him, still surrounded by pink feathers and bare legs. "I'll go back aboard, Captain. With all due respect to the young lady, I've had about all the shore leave I care for."

  The young lady, acknowledging defeat, joined her companion. Sulu did not seem to mind.

  "No, Mr. Spock, I'll go. You—"

  Ruth glided out from the forest canopy and held out her hands, smiling.

  "On the other hand, perhaps I'll stay for a day or two . . ." said the Captain, le
aving Spock to his own devices.

  Later, Spock greeted them, impassive as ever. He shook his head as he looked at their suntanned faces.

  "Enjoy your shore leave, gentlemen?"

  Kirk met McCoy's amused eye. "That we did, Mr. Spock. That we did!"

  Spock stared at them, puzzled. They seemed full of satisfaction. He shrugged.

  "Most illogical," he said with finality. The Enterprise departed at Warp Factor One amid the guffaws of the Captain and the ship's surgeon.