Post by magicmuggle01 on Oct 15, 2018 9:21:18 GMT
Beaming down to a planet to search for the crew of a missing ship, the crew is captured by its alien inhabitants.
Summary
"Captain's log, stardate 5501.2. We are orbiting the planet Lactra VII. Our mission is to discover the whereabouts or fate of a six member science crew. Voice contact having yielded nothing, a landing party beamed aboard to see if the deserted ship's log and computers could give us any information."
Their computer intones, "It is now 32 minutes since our last contact with the three members of our crew on the planet's surface. As the senior officer aboard I, Lieutenant Commander Markel, have made the following decision. The three remaining crew members, myself included, will beam down to effect a rescue. If for any reason we do not return, be it known that..." Kirk cuts off the log while the senior staff sits around the briefing room's table and says, "It was against all orders." McCoy claims, "The crew was apparently desperate." Kirk states, "The captain of a ship, no matter his rank, must follow the book." Spock remarks, "A capability, I'm afraid, out of the reach of most Humans." Kirk wants a landing party to beam down to the last known coordinates the crew used. "Gentlemen, we'll travel light. Phasers, tricorders, communicators and medical kit." Kirk, Spock, and McCoy assemble in the transporter room and are beamed down to Lactra VII by Montgomery Scott.
Their communicator picks up a short signal, but there is no trace of sentient inhabitants. They are attacked by a gigantic beast that seems similar to one on Canopus III, which is many light years away, but the desert area they now occupy is the same. As they continue walking the environment changes. Spock doesn't think that two such disparate ecologies could co-exist so closely. Scott communicates to the landing party that ship's sensors have discovered a large concentration of lifeforms 98.5 kilometers north east. Apparently a city or some sort of central gathering place. Spock's has a theory that they have found a plethora of different habitats and their inhabitants. The various environments have been manufactured, not created by nature.
They are attacked by other creatures, but before any harm can befall them the creatures are stopped by a force field. The crew meets the Lactrans, a group of twenty-foot slugs who capture them. Spock discovers the Lactrans are telepathic, but the speed at which their thoughts flow is too difficult for him to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image. He realizes that they are advanced as much beyond Kirk as he is to a colony of ants. They are taken to an environment like Earth and imprisoned along with the three remaining Ariel crewmembers, Lieutenant Commander Markel, Lieutenants Randi Bryce, and Nancy Randolph. They have become exhibits in a Lactran zoo.
The Lactrans are unaware Ariel's Lieutenant Randolph has become ill, and they were too late to save the first landing party. They have tried every means of escape they could. They have attempted communication with the Lactran life forms but only aroused a quivering motion. Kirk asks Spock to try to make contact but he can't. His impression is that they are laughing at him. They all concentrate their need to have McCoy's medical kit that is located outside a force field and ultimately succeed.
Spock notices that the Lactrans can pick up specific thought transmissions from them if they care to go to the trouble. He suggests that one of them should appear to be ill and the rest of them should put strong thoughts in their minds that a communicator is needed for recovery. A child responds, gives them the communicator and Kirk quickly flips it open and contacts the ship, ordering to be beamed up immediately. However, the child snatches the communicator from Kirk's hand and dematerializes up to the ship. The elders are worried about the child and think Kirk made the child disappear. The child's parents are worried and almost kill Kirk in an attempt to contact him. On the starship, the child enters the bridge carrying Scott and reads the chief engineer's brain, all the information contained in the library computer, and sends the Enterprise flying out of orbit. Scotty convinced the child that Humans are not pets and to return and let his parents know what he has learned. The child does so and the Lactrans release the crew from their confinement and allow them to leave because the Lactrans do not feel the crew belongs in their zoo. They send a final telepathic message to Spock – that Federation visitors will be welcome back in 20 or 30 Lactran centuries. Spock adds that it will take "some time to figure out how long that is." Kirk replies, "Either way Mr. Spock, it will hardly be our problem."
Memorable quotes
"You Vulcans are the most impossible, unimaginative..."
"Bones, that's not helping the situation."
"Sorry, Jim."
- McCoy begins to hurl insults at Spock but Kirk stops him
"Jim, if the others are lost, why take the risk?"
"Because they may not be dead. We have to find out."
"It's still a risk."
"That's why we're here, Bones."
- McCoy and Kirk
"My shoes are full of sand."
"Doctor, your lack of scientific interest is amazing."
"I'll be happy to discuss that with you, Mr. Spock, next time you drop in to my medical lab."
- McCoy and Spock
"They don't seem very interested in communicating with us, if they can communicate at all."
"Perhaps not in a way we understand. I keep receiving impressions."
"Any ideas, doctor?"
"Well, I've got one and I definitely don't like it. I'd guess they're doing exactly what we would do."
"Which is?"
"Well, if we came upon an alien creature we'd never seen before, the first thing we'd do is to make sure it was free of harmful bacteria. Then we'd see if it was intelligent."
"Congratulations, Doctor. A most logical assumption."
- McCoy, Spock and Kirk
"Are the aliens telepathic?"
"I've come to the conclusion they are, captain, but the speed at which the thoughts flow is too great for me to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image."
"Surely we can communicate with them someway."
"They appear to be as advanced beyond Earth civilization as you are from a colony of ants."
- Kirk and Spock
"We are considered simplistic, but in the process of evolving into a higher order."
"Even Vulcans?"
"Yes. Even Vulcans."
- Spock and McCoy
Summary
"Captain's log, stardate 5501.2. We are orbiting the planet Lactra VII. Our mission is to discover the whereabouts or fate of a six member science crew. Voice contact having yielded nothing, a landing party beamed aboard to see if the deserted ship's log and computers could give us any information."
Their computer intones, "It is now 32 minutes since our last contact with the three members of our crew on the planet's surface. As the senior officer aboard I, Lieutenant Commander Markel, have made the following decision. The three remaining crew members, myself included, will beam down to effect a rescue. If for any reason we do not return, be it known that..." Kirk cuts off the log while the senior staff sits around the briefing room's table and says, "It was against all orders." McCoy claims, "The crew was apparently desperate." Kirk states, "The captain of a ship, no matter his rank, must follow the book." Spock remarks, "A capability, I'm afraid, out of the reach of most Humans." Kirk wants a landing party to beam down to the last known coordinates the crew used. "Gentlemen, we'll travel light. Phasers, tricorders, communicators and medical kit." Kirk, Spock, and McCoy assemble in the transporter room and are beamed down to Lactra VII by Montgomery Scott.
Their communicator picks up a short signal, but there is no trace of sentient inhabitants. They are attacked by a gigantic beast that seems similar to one on Canopus III, which is many light years away, but the desert area they now occupy is the same. As they continue walking the environment changes. Spock doesn't think that two such disparate ecologies could co-exist so closely. Scott communicates to the landing party that ship's sensors have discovered a large concentration of lifeforms 98.5 kilometers north east. Apparently a city or some sort of central gathering place. Spock's has a theory that they have found a plethora of different habitats and their inhabitants. The various environments have been manufactured, not created by nature.
They are attacked by other creatures, but before any harm can befall them the creatures are stopped by a force field. The crew meets the Lactrans, a group of twenty-foot slugs who capture them. Spock discovers the Lactrans are telepathic, but the speed at which their thoughts flow is too difficult for him to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image. He realizes that they are advanced as much beyond Kirk as he is to a colony of ants. They are taken to an environment like Earth and imprisoned along with the three remaining Ariel crewmembers, Lieutenant Commander Markel, Lieutenants Randi Bryce, and Nancy Randolph. They have become exhibits in a Lactran zoo.
The Lactrans are unaware Ariel's Lieutenant Randolph has become ill, and they were too late to save the first landing party. They have tried every means of escape they could. They have attempted communication with the Lactran life forms but only aroused a quivering motion. Kirk asks Spock to try to make contact but he can't. His impression is that they are laughing at him. They all concentrate their need to have McCoy's medical kit that is located outside a force field and ultimately succeed.
Spock notices that the Lactrans can pick up specific thought transmissions from them if they care to go to the trouble. He suggests that one of them should appear to be ill and the rest of them should put strong thoughts in their minds that a communicator is needed for recovery. A child responds, gives them the communicator and Kirk quickly flips it open and contacts the ship, ordering to be beamed up immediately. However, the child snatches the communicator from Kirk's hand and dematerializes up to the ship. The elders are worried about the child and think Kirk made the child disappear. The child's parents are worried and almost kill Kirk in an attempt to contact him. On the starship, the child enters the bridge carrying Scott and reads the chief engineer's brain, all the information contained in the library computer, and sends the Enterprise flying out of orbit. Scotty convinced the child that Humans are not pets and to return and let his parents know what he has learned. The child does so and the Lactrans release the crew from their confinement and allow them to leave because the Lactrans do not feel the crew belongs in their zoo. They send a final telepathic message to Spock – that Federation visitors will be welcome back in 20 or 30 Lactran centuries. Spock adds that it will take "some time to figure out how long that is." Kirk replies, "Either way Mr. Spock, it will hardly be our problem."
Memorable quotes
"You Vulcans are the most impossible, unimaginative..."
"Bones, that's not helping the situation."
"Sorry, Jim."
- McCoy begins to hurl insults at Spock but Kirk stops him
"Jim, if the others are lost, why take the risk?"
"Because they may not be dead. We have to find out."
"It's still a risk."
"That's why we're here, Bones."
- McCoy and Kirk
"My shoes are full of sand."
"Doctor, your lack of scientific interest is amazing."
"I'll be happy to discuss that with you, Mr. Spock, next time you drop in to my medical lab."
- McCoy and Spock
"They don't seem very interested in communicating with us, if they can communicate at all."
"Perhaps not in a way we understand. I keep receiving impressions."
"Any ideas, doctor?"
"Well, I've got one and I definitely don't like it. I'd guess they're doing exactly what we would do."
"Which is?"
"Well, if we came upon an alien creature we'd never seen before, the first thing we'd do is to make sure it was free of harmful bacteria. Then we'd see if it was intelligent."
"Congratulations, Doctor. A most logical assumption."
- McCoy, Spock and Kirk
"Are the aliens telepathic?"
"I've come to the conclusion they are, captain, but the speed at which the thoughts flow is too great for me to comprehend, except for the most fleeting image."
"Surely we can communicate with them someway."
"They appear to be as advanced beyond Earth civilization as you are from a colony of ants."
- Kirk and Spock
"We are considered simplistic, but in the process of evolving into a higher order."
"Even Vulcans?"
"Yes. Even Vulcans."
- Spock and McCoy
