Prologue
Soft foot falls down the corridors, softer light glinting on gray walls, sweet whispers gently hummed; lulled the crew on evenings as a mother would a child, but if you were the captain these were the words of dearest friend and truest love, the hours of peace in the twilight halls of the Enterprise.
One might say day and night were equivalent on a starship, but the crews of these ships lit them as though they were home on earth. Perhaps it helped dim with allusion the homesickness that space created in its distance. It was these hours, when the lights darkened and the voices of the crew were hushed that he would pace the lonely decks and gaze into the starry heavens. Unfailing and ever brilliant are the stars, yet in the hush they appear brighter, undimmed by the chaos of the day. His face would lift and what thoughts whirled through his mind none could fathom. Were they of a pretty girl he had danced with on a distant starbase, or was he solving some problem of the day with the brilliance that caused Mr. Spock to lose to him in chess, or yet again, perchance he was buried in a cornfield on the plains of Iowa with a book in his hands reading some adventurous tale?
Spock hesitated on the threshold of the deck. Was he tentative to break the captain's meager chance at peace and disrupt the smile that hovered on his lips? Or is all this far too fanciful to cross a Vulcan's mind? Whatever the reason may have been, Kirk had heard him and turned from the stars, the smile disappearing into a business question. "Yes, Mister Spock?" But memory holds fast and laughter still played behind the hazel eyes.
Dutifully Spock replied, "We have reached Aegle, and are holding standard orbit around the planet. Also, as requested upon reaching this system, the box Admiral Komack presented you." Kirk took the small parcel turning over in his hands as if to discover its secrets without removing it from the hiding place. The Admiral had requested he open it in private, away from even Spock. Kirk untied the strings. Starfleet command did not trust Spock the way he trusted his first office.
A thin silver chain slipped from the box, a radiant pedant attached. Kirk held it up, and even in the dim light from the stars it seemed to take every ray of light and shatter each into thousands of pieces that reflected on all. "Spock?"
"May I captain?" Kirk surrendered the silver tread to his first office who examined it closely. "Captain, it appears to contain energy of a highly valuable nature. However, without further analysis I am unable to say more conclusively."
Kirk allowed the chain to slip back into its hiding place. The room returned to shadows, and both were surprised at the amount of light a tiny pendant had generated.
"Further study may reveal how it generates that quantity of light."
Kirk hesitated. "Any research must be done without any of the crew's knowledge."
Spock bent his head in acknowledgment. "Also," he added as Spock turned away, "we beam down in an hour. Anything you can discover before we visit this strange planet will be vital."
"Captain, why did Komack give you this pendant?"
"He said it was necessary for negotiations. I wish he had given me clearer details."
"Indeed captain. I do not like this mission. A planet Starfleet has never visited and with a mission we do not fully understand."
Kirk laughed. "We are to make contact and receive a special gift that we know Starfleet is eager to gain. Simple. Besides, while we have not visited this planet, their counsel has met frequently with command. I see no problems."
"If Dr. McCoy was here, he would use an earth expression and say you have jinxed this mission."
Silence reigned again as Spock disappeared down the corridors. Kirk gazed at the stars once more before he turned and made his way to the bridge.