should be your motto."
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"If we live long enough to start a family it shall be the code of our
house." He smiled, and she tugged at one end of his trailing moustache.
"You are impossible, but I'll keep you. Am I not to see you again until
this mission is over, or will you come to the planet?"
"I expect I'll beam down at least once. I want to take a firsthand look at
these Thygetians."
"Do you really think the answer is on the planet?"
"No, but if the humans send down a party I must counter them. Strategy, my
dear."
"No, politics, my dear," she mimicked sarcastically. "Now I must go." She
pressed a kiss onto his lips, and bounced off the bed. "I will contact you
tonight."
He rose with a grunt, and smoothed down the front of his tunic. "I'll walk
you to the transporter room. That far at least I can go with you."
The rest of the landing party was milling about in the transporter room
when they arrived. Kor crossed to the officer behind the transporter
console.
"Are the humans down yet?"
"Yes sir, some twenty minutes ago."
"Excellent. Put the landing party down one-half mile from their camp."
64yes, Sir.,,
"Kor," Kali said quietly, crossing to his side. "Is that wise? You will be
putting a great deal of stress on both parties."
"I want them to be nervous. It wouldn't do to have them too cocky."
She gave him a quizzical look and shook her head. "Keep them guessing?"
"Absolutely." The landing party began to arrange themselves on the
transporter platform. Kor took Kah by the shoulders and looked down into
her face. "Survive and succeed," he said softly.
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The Tears of the Singers
"I will. See to it that you do the same," she added in a low voice.
He nodded and released her, stepping back to stand by the console. She
seemed a small figure among the tafl, heavyset males who surrounded her.
There were several flashes, and the landing party was gone. Kor stifled a
sigh, and headed for the bridge. He felt very isolated with Kali gone, and
he hoped he could maintain the delicate balance he was treading between the
Earthers and his own mutinous, ambitious crew.
Still, he thought with a fatalistic shrug, if I fail I won't be around very
long to worry about it. Karsul will see to that.
For a brief moment he wondered if Kirk were bedeviled with such problems.
Somehow he doubted it.
"Company, Captain," Scotty said with a jerk of his head. His face and tone
were grim. Kirk and Spock whirled and gazed in the direction of the nod.
Down the beach they saw the distinctive flashes of a Klingon transporter.
Ragsdale, Brentano and Lindenbaum, the three security guards, drew their
phasers and moved swiftly into cover. Scotty dropped the self-erecting tent
he had been holding, and fanned out to the left flank while Uhura took out
her communicator and flipped it open.
"Khngons, Mr. Kyle," she said crisply. "Lock onto our positions, and be
ready to pull us out of here if the situation should turn ugly."
Maslin glanced nervously from the tensely alert security guards; to Kirk
and Spock, gazing intently down the beach; to Scott, lovingly fingering his
phaser; to Uhura, her beautiful dark face set in grim lines.
"I think I like our other company better," Maslin muttered with a look to
the. Thygetian cubs who had been progressively flopping forward to
investigate the human camp.
"Unfortunately you sometimes can't choose your friends," Uhura responded.
"Why don't you take cover."
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"What about you?"
"I can take care of myself, and it's my job to be out here."
"Then it's my job to be out here too."
"Oh Guy, why must you be so damn competitive!" she snapped irritably. "I'm
trained for this. You're not."
"Why do you always assume that everything I do or say is motivated by ego?
Has it ever occurred to you that chivalry and affection might play some
part in this?"
Their eyes met, and suddenly the Klingons seemed very
remote and unimportant, for she saw in his eyes that which
she had not wished to see. Shaken, she dropped her eyes, and
for one wild moment wished she could return to earlier,
simpler emotions. Flirtation-even their affair --- seemed safer
than the warmth, affection and, yes, love that she now found
in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said at last. "I had no right to make assumptions about
your motives."
"Gracious lady," he said, touching her lightly on the cheek with one long
forefinger. "Now, do I get to stay or do I have to go skulk in a tent?"
She was grateful for the return to the original topic. She had no desire to
deal with this shift in their relationship right now. "I suppose you can
stay. Since nobody's started shooting yet we may be okay."
"I thought we had a truce with the Klingons?"
"What an innocent. The Klingons' basic law of life is that laws are made to
be violated."
"I had no idea," he said slowly as he watched the five dark and saturnine
men, and the one delicate, black-haired woman approaching. "I thought it
was just propaganda to keep the tax dollars rolling in for Star Fleet."
"Beginning to see a reason for our existence?" Uhura asked with an ironic
glance. At a gesture from Kirk she holstered her phaser. The security men
followed suit, but somewhat more slowly.
The five Klingons paused, and gazed curiously down at the
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Thygetian cubs who ringed the human camp. The cubs stared up at them
fearlessly out of pale blue eyes. Uhura didn't like the way several of the
Klingon males eyed the glorious silver white pelts of the Thygetians, and
she shifted nervously.
"Greetings, Kirk," a tall, slim Klingon called as he stepped over a
Thygetian. "I am Lieutenant Commander Quarag, science officer aboard the
Klothos. "
"Welcome to Taygeta, Commander," Kirk said with a faint smile.
4,4'kM you claiming this world already that you so boldly act as if we
were your guests?" Quarag smiled also, but it was a wolfish, unpleasant
expression.
"Neither your Empire nor the Federation is able to lay claim to this
world," Spock interjected. "The planet is inhabited. It will be the
decision of the natives to determine which, if any alliance, they desire."
"Natives?"
"M around you," Kirk said.
Quarag glanced about. "These animals?"
"Natives," Kirk repeated.
"If this is some Earther trick to take this world--2'
"'Mere is no trick," Spock said. "These are intelligent, sentient
creatures. They have a complex language. That alone qualifies them for
classification as a sentient race."
"My science officer, Aft. Spock, who commands the landing party, believes
there is a link between the Taygetians and the phenomenon," Kirk said
mildly.
"So we have heard," Kaff said softly. "But I fad to see why."
/>
Ie Earth party eyed her curiously, for women were rare on Klihgon vessels.
Only once before had they met one, and that had been Kang's wife, Mara.
Mara had been tall and angular with beautiful, but almost harsh features.
Kirk had been in the habit of thinking of her as the typical Kfingon woman,
but this was clearly not the case, for the woman who stood before him was
small and fragile. There was even a
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Dresden-china quality about her in spite of her honey gold skin. She seemed
disconcerted by Kirk's scrutiny, and she shifted h er topaz-colored eyes
away, fixing them at last upon Uhura.
"Is it because of the song?" she suddenly asked, with a quick took toward
the cliffs.
"Why would you reach that conclusion?" Masliii asked," taking a step
forward, and watching her intently.
"I'm not sure. There is something very compelling about the song. I feel
that if I could just turn a comer in my mind I would be able to understand
its meaning. It seems to speak of . . . well, of many things," she finished
lamely. Maslin wondered what she had really been going to say.
"You're very astute," Kirk said with his best smile and a warm light in his
eyes which he always acquired when he was interested in a beautiful woman.
"Yes, it is the song. That's why we've brought one of the Federation's best
musicians." He indicated the composer. "Mr. Guy Maslin."
Kali nodded politely, and Quarag looked disgruntled. It was apparent that
the Klingons were not prepared for a scientific inquiry that took this
particular direction.
"Well, I am certain we shall make equal progress using our own methods,"
Quarag said somewhat huffily.
"Oh, I don't doubt it," Kirk replied. "Where are you planning to camp?"
"There," the Klingon said, indicating a high knoll. From that vantage point
the human camp would be in plain view.
"Trusting, aren't they," Ragsdale muttered to Brentano.
"I don't mind them watching," the blond security guard replied. "But I sure
as hell wish they'd do it some three or four miles down the beach. I don't
like having them so close."
"That'll do," Scotty snapped, catching Kirk's irritated look, and realizing
that the Klingons had overheard the security guards' exchange. The two men
looked embarrassed, and subsided.
The Tears of the Singers
"We will set up our camp and begin work," Quarag stated. Kirk nodded. "Feel
free to use any of our equipment. The closer we work the more likely we are
to solve this problem. "
"I don't think that will be necessary," one of the heretofore silent
Klingons said with a sneer. "I doubt there is anything we could learn from
Earthers."
"Don't be a fool, Jennas," Kali said, exasperated. "Our first duty is to
determine the cause of the space/time rip and repair it.,,
"Who's in command of this team? You or IT' Quarag demanded. "I will
discipline anyone if it becomes necessary."
"You know my authority," the Klingon woman said cryptically.
"Your position in Kor's bed does not give you power over me, woman!" Jennas
said. "Keep to your place."
Kirk exchanged a quick glance with Spock. He then stepped forward and
lightly touched Kali on the arm. She shrank back, and he wondered if she,
like Mara, had been told stories of Earth torture and death camps.
"DoWt be afraid. We won't hurt you."
"My husband said you were different from most humans."
"And I could say the same about him."
"We will set up our camp now," Quarag announced in an overly loud voice as
he tried to reassert control, and separate Kirk and Kali.
"Do you need any help?" Kirk asked sweetly, enjoying baiting the Klingon.
"That will not be necessary," Quarag gritted. "Come, Kali." He turned on
his heel, and marched off down the beach with his landing team trailing
after him. The Thygetian cubs seemed to sense the Klingons' anger, for they
skittered nervously out of the way.
"An interesting female," Spock said, as Kirk gazed thoughtfully after the
retreating Klingons.
"Yes, very. I just wonder what she is doing here."
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The Tears of the Singers
"You suspect something?"
"I'm not sure. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that something's not
right among the Kfingons."
"Isn't it likely to be a bonus for our side?" Scotty asked, joining the
other two officers.
Kirk grimaced, and clucked dubiously. "Hard to say. Sometimes you can get
hurt worse on the periphery of a dog fight than if you're right in the
middle of it. Well, we'll just have to keep our eyes open."
"Have you got a few minutes or are you still being Madam Star Fleet?"
Uhura looked up from the stationary tricorder she was calibrating, frowned
and brushed back a trailing wisp of hair. "I thought I asked you to stop
calling me that."
Maslin shrugged. "You looked so officious it just sort of fit.,,
"I am busy, not officious. These tricorders need to be placed at the
perimeter of the camp. They'll make a constant record of conditions to a
radius of one hundred miles, and the information will be transmitted back
to the computers aboard the Enterprise. "
"My, my, I'm impressed," he drawled, dropping down to sit on the sand. He
scooped up a handful of the micalike grains, and stared moodily at it as it
trickled from between his fingers. Uhura sighed, and knelt next to him. She
took his hand, dusted the clinging grains of sand from his palm and held it
between her slender, dark hands.
"Is there some reason why you're being so cranky or is it just another
example of artistic temperament?" Her tone was gentle, softening the
harshness of her words.
He flushed, bringing some color to his pale cheeks. "Sorry. You must get
tired of me acting like a five-year-old."
"Good heavens," she said, a smile crinkling the comers of her eyes. "You're
not cranky, you're sick. A real apology from you?"
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He smiled crookedly. "Oh, I occasionally remember how to behave. Just don't
get used to it-it won't last."
"I'm sure of that. Now, what is the matter?"
Ile frown descended again, and he rested his elbows on his knees, and
stared out at the ocean. "I'm bored and I feel useless. Everyone is busy
setting up equipment, taking readings, standing guard, while I'm just a
piece of baggage."
"It's a little late for you to start analyzing the Thygetian song this
evening. Besides, once we have the camp set up and running we'll be moving
aside for you. If anyone's baggage it's us. What we've done, we've done to
help you, but you're the one who has to solve the mystery of the song.
We're just here to assist."
He touched her cheek. "You have the most amazing ability to make a person
feel important."
She turned her head, and pressed a quick kiss onto the palm of his hand.
"Thank you." She rose and brushed the sand from the knees of her pants.
"Give me five more minutes, and I'll have this finished."
>
"Awd then?"
"And then maybe we can go for a walk."
"Great. I want to get the feel of this place."
"So do I, but go and check with Spock first."
"Do we need permission to go for a walk?"
"There are a party of Klingons camped a half mile down the beach, and this
is an uncharted planet."
"Christ! Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands. "I'll try to act
subordinate."
She watched him walk back toward the cluster of metallic shelters, and felt
again that rush of joy and excitement that his presence always brought to
her. Something washappe i g here, for it was now obvious that the affection
and attraction didn't flow in just one direction. She knew that soon she
would have to face the situation and evaluate it, but not just yet. There
were too many decisions and potential changes in that evaluation, and she
was reluctant to deal with them.
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She hoped he would get Spock's permission to do a bit of exploring for she,
too, was drawn y the silver-lit beauty of the world, and the pervasive and
compelling song that wove its complex harmonies across the silent ocean.
Near the water's edge the covey?-herd?---school? She pondered the proper
designation for a group of Thygetian cubs, and finally decided that school
was the closest description. The cubs were scooping out hollows in the damp
sand, and settling down for the night. This task was accomplished with a
great deal of humming, tweeting and horseplay. The pups were flinging sand
with their front flippers, and rolling and tumbling about in furry balls as
they wrestled.
Guy came trotting back to her, stumbling a bit in the deep sand. "Spock
says we can go so long as we're back in thirty minutes," he panted. Flis
breath puffed whitely out in front of him, and Uhura realized that the
temperature was dropping with the sun.
"That's not much time."
"True, but I guess he's concerned about having us out at night. The sun's
almost down." He pointed out to sea.
She turned, and shaded her eyes against the slanting rays of the Thygetian
sun. Overhead the clouds were turning a rich orange and peach, and the
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