The Undercover Symphony, a startrek: the original series fanfic

The Undercover Symphony

by Weird Little Stories for T_Lisa

Captain Kirk and his senior officers entered the secure briefing room on Starbase One. This room was constantly swept for bugs, was completely soundproof, and was monitored by a Starfleet telepath for the presence of other telepaths, ensuring that only the people within that room would be privy to what happened there. No logs or other records were kept, ensuring that the conversations in that room lived only the memories of the participants.

Kirk had been in this room only once before: when he and Spock had been given the mission to steal the cloaking device from the Romulans. Although they'd been successful in that mission, he and Spock had privately deplored the things they'd had to do to succeed. Kirk hoped that this mission, whatever it was, would not require them to compromise their ethical principles to perform it.

The Enterprise's senior officers seated themselves around the table. Only officers of the rank of lieutenant commander and above were present, with the exception of Lieutenant Uhura, whom Kirk had been asked to bring. The Enterprise contingent numbered eight: Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Lieutenant Commanders Scott, McCoy, M'Benga, Giotto, and Mulhall, and Lieutenant Uhura. Admiral Nogura seated himself at the head of the table, looked at each person present for a long moment, then filled them in.

"Several human colonies have changed in the past three years. They've all started out as the kind of colony the Federation can be proud of, yet over the course of just a few years they've become considerably more xenophobic. They've also gradually begun dismantling the democracies they started with and have begun to make their governments more authoritarian, even fascistic."

Nogura looked grim. "The affected colonies have not been in contact with one another, and none of them has gone wrong in exactly the same way. For example, one colony started out with men and women as equal partners, but they gradually started limiting their women more and more. A different colony still has equal sexes, but they've started discriminating against non-humans, even though the colony is predominantly human, so there are only a dozen aliens present. The underlying themes are always the same — xenophobia and authoritarianism — but the form it takes varies from colony to colony. Even though the affected colonies have not been in contact with one another, we're almost certain that someone or something has somehow changed the people in those colonies in a negative way."

The admiral looked around the table for a moment to let this sink in, then continued. "We don't know if we're looking for Klingon or Romulan agents, for telepathic aliens, for a drug that causes a personality change, or what. We don't know if whatever is causing this can operate only on relatively small settlements, like those of colonies, or if the major Federation worlds are in danger of undergoing the same changes."

Nogura looked stern. "We don't want word of this to get out, because we don't want to cause a panic. But we must know what is causing these changes in our people, and we must find a way to stop this from happening to anyone else. If possible, we'd like to reverse the changes in the colonies that have undergone them, but preventing the spread is top priority."

"Because of the secrecy involved, there will be no reports of this mission — neither written nor oral — unless and until you're successful. If anything regarding the mission goes wrong while you're investigating, you'll need to solve the problem yourself, because your true mission doesn't officially exist."

The admiral relaxed slightly and adopted a lighter tone. "Since your real mission is secret, we're giving you a cover mission. The Federation's Council for the Arts likes to send artists to the colonies, to remind them that creating food, clothing, and shelter isn't the only thing necessary to our lives as civilized people. The ostensible reason for your visit to the colonies is for you to ferry an orchestra to them, for some guest performances at each colony."

"Everyone on the Enterprise except for the people in this room should believe that you've been given a light, easy mission as a reward for the good work you've done so far. You can tell other officers on the Enterprise about the real mission if it becomes necessary for them to know in order to make best use their skills, but it's strictly on a need-to-know basis."

Nogura shook his head. "I wish we were giving you an easy mission as a reward, but unfortunately, we can't give easy missions to a team as successful as you are. There are always more problems than we can solve, and as our best problem-solvers, I'm afraid you're much in demand."

Nogura smiled briefly. "The President of the Federation has a son - Michael Kimura - who's the concertmaster of the IDIC Orchestra. The orchestra's conductor and manager, T'Brel, has been approached and has agreed to help in this endeavor and to take one of our operatives into the orchestra temporarily. Our operative is Lisa Schubert, and she actually plays the viola well enough to qualify for the orchestra if that were her primary occupation, but of course her real job is serving the Federation as an undercover agent. T'Brel and Kimura know that Schubert is working for us, but as far as the rest of the orchestra is concerned, she's just another viola player."

Nogura looked at Kirk. "People will talk in front of a musician much more freely than they will in front of a Starfleet officer, and Schubert, Kimura, and T'Brel can be your eyes and ears in the colony. Although I'm giving you one professional operative and two volunteers in the orchestra, you're in charge, and both the decisions and the responsibility are yours." He smiled briefly. "You have a reputation as a miracle-worker, Kirk. I hope you can work one again."

Kirk smiled back. "I can't promise anything, Admiral, but I'll do my best." He looked around the table at his senior officers. "We all will."

Nogura nodded. "You always do. I'm going to call in the three orchestra members so you can meet them and be able to pick them out of a crowd, but remember that when you beam the orchestra aboard, you've officially never met any of them before."

Kirk nodded. "Of course."

Since there was no intercom in the secure briefing room, Nogura went to the door and unlocked it. Opening the door, he said, "Schubert," and Lisa Schubert entered the room. Nogura then closed and re-locked the door.

Lisa Schubert was a blonde woman of average height and average weight. Her face was pretty enough to be pleasant to look at but not so pretty as to make it memorable. Except for her hair color, she had all the features necessary to make it easy for her to blend into any crowd, just as a special agent should be able to do ... and hair color was easily changed.

Nogura and Schubert seated themselves at the table, and Nogura continued briefing the Enterprise officers. "Because xenophobia is the hallmark of whatever this problem is, we need for some of the people who are working for us to be human and others to be of another species. The IDIC Orchestra is ideal for this, because it's intentionally made up of all four founding members of the Federation: 23 humans, 23 Vulcans, 23 Andorians, and 23 Tellarites. We need some of the humans to be men and others to be women, and we need some of the humans to be white, some black, and some Asian. If there's xenophobia in a colony, we need to stimulate it, so we can find out exactly what it is and just how far it goes."

He looked at Lieutenant Uhura. "And that's where you come in. The orchestra does have several black members, of course, but we need a black person in a more prominent role. We've heard about your singing, even here on Starbase One," he said, then smiled at Uhura when she looked flustered. "T'Brel has agreed to add some pieces that need a vocalist to the orchestra's usual repertoire, and we'd like for you to sing. We'll have someone else take charge of communications for the duration of this mission, and we want you to hide your Starfleet affiliation from everyone except Schubert, Kimura, and T'Brel. Will you do that?"

Uhura nodded. "Of course, Admiral."

Nogura continued, "We're sending the Enterprise to the Palatua Colony first. They're due for the usual health check-ups, and if whatever is wrong is caused by a drug or a mosquito bite or something, giving physicals to the colonists may enable the medical team to find it. They're also the ones who were affected most recently, which may make it easier to find the cause of the changes." He looked at Spock. "And if there's telepathy involved, we hope you'll be able to detect it at the very least, and overcome it if possible."

Spock inclined his head in wordless assent.

Nogura called in T'Brel and Michael Kimura and introduced them to the Enterprise officers, then said, "You'll pick up the orchestra from this starbase three hours from now, which should give you time to prepare your guest quarters for the orchestra. And you'll need to make up some reason why the rest of the ship's crew should act as if they don't know Lieutenant Uhura. You have my full confidence; good luck out there!"

The Starfleet officers returned to the ship and the orchestra members to the orchestra's temporary quarters on the starbase. Lieutenant Uhura packed her civilian clothing and a few other personal items, then beamed down to the starbase, reporting to T'Brel for addition to the orchestra.

Once on the Enterprise, Kirk sat in the captain's chair and pushed the button to make a ship-wide announcement. "All hands, this is the captain. We'll be picking up the members of the IDIC Orchestra at 13:00 hours, after which we'll be taking them on a tour of some of the colony planets; our first stop will be Palatua."

"Our own Lieutenant Uhura has been added to the orchestra temporarily as a vocalist, and I'm sure we're all proud of her for that. She doesn't want the other members of the orchestra to know that she's usually a member of this crew, though, because she thinks that would make it harder for her to fit in with them. So unfortunately, for the duration of this mission, we must all pretend that we don't know Uhura. I know this will be hard on her friends, but those very friends will, of course, want to smooth her integration into the orchestra. Lieutenant Palmer will be in charge of communications while we have the orchestra on board. I'm sure we're all looking forward to hearing the orchestra play. Kirk out."

Transporting a hundred and fourteen delegates to the Babel conference two years ago had given the Enterprise's crew experience in handling a large number of guests. The members of the orchestra — now including Nyota Uhura — were beamed up and escorted to guest quarters with a minimum of fuss.

Ninety-four orchestra members were easier than a hundred and fourteen delegates, and not just because there were twenty fewer guests. Ambassadors and their aides had to be treated very carefully, lest a slight to the ambassador be perceived as a slight to that ambassador's planet or culture. Orchestra members were generally a lot more relaxed and a lot less pompous than ambassadors, so they were relatively easy guests, genuinely welcomed by the crew of their temporary home.

Adding new faces to the Enterprise was always an exciting time for the crew. Four hundred and thirty people could get to know one another very well during several years in the confines of the ship, and the ninety-three members of the orchestra promised to bring a lot of new energy to the ship's social life and to spark a lot of new topics of conversation. The orchestra members were welcomed with sincere fervor, and they spent the three weeks of the trip enjoying the opportunity to socialize with the ship's crew in between rehearsals.

Kirk took this opportunity to flirt with Lisa Schubert, to give them an excuse for spending time together. As an experienced undercover operative, Lisa understood the purpose of the flirting and flirted back. They spent at least a little bit of time together every day, managing their flirtation in such a way that it would reach an increased level of intimacy at just about the time that they reached the first colony, to give them a reason to meet privately during the time when Lisa would need to report her observations to Captain Kirk.

The orchestra rehearsed privately for the most part, but on their last day before the visit to the Palatua colony, they invited the Enterprise's crew to attend their rehearsal, and the crew got to hear several orchestral favorites, plus one piece where Lieutenant Uhura sang with the backing of a full orchestra. Kirk was proud of them all, because although Uhura received many congratulations on her singing, not one of the people who congratulated her slipped and called her "Lieutenant" or showed more familiarity than they should have.

Kirk was also impressed by the orchestra. His relationship with Spock had showed him that humans and Vulcans could work together very well indeed, but that was on quite a small scale. Watching 23 humans, 23 Vulcans, 23 Andorians, and 23 Tellarites all take direction from the Vulcan orchestra conductor, all play together beautifully, all act as though the orchestra were a single organism with a single purpose ... it was inspiring.

Kirk already believed strongly in the values and goals of the Federation, but watching so many people from different planets work together seamlessly in order to produce beauty reminded him that he was not alone, that it was not just himself and his crew or even just himself and Starfleet who upheld the values of the Federation. The members of the orchestra weren't Starfleet, but they exemplified the values of cooperation and community in a way that only strengthened his already strong commitment to Federation values. THIS was why he was out here, why he fought so hard, why they must and would find the answer to the problem in the colonies.

The Enterprise entered orbit around Palatua, and Lieutenant Palmer hailed the colony. Robert Rutkowski replied, identified himself as the colony's governor, and expressed enthusiasm at the chance to host a symphony orchestra. He also agreed to allow the Enterprise's medical team to conduct physicals.

Kirk beamed down with Spock, T'Brel, and Michael Kimura to meet the colony's governor and arrange for a space and time for the performance. Kirk noticed that Governor Rutkowski eyed T'Brel and Spock with a strange look on his face, but Rutkowski didn't say anything untoward. Even in the Federation, humans who'd had little contact with Vulcans were often a bit intimidated by them on first meeting, so the governor's reaction might not be prejudice. But it was also possible that Rutkowski was simply trying to hide xenophobia from Starfleet, and Kirk was glad that the orchestra members would observe how the colony treated them when Starfleet officers weren't present.

The colony didn't have an indoor space large enough to hold the entire orchestra plus an audience, but the town square had plenty of space, and they agreed that the performance would be held there the following day, at 19:00 local time. Kirk also arranged for the colony's physicals to begin in Palatua's small clinic the next morning.

After several weeks on the ship, the members of the orchestra were eager to breathe the air of a planet once again and to see plants and sky and clouds, and all ninety-four of them beamed down to survey the performance space and tour the colony. Kirk noticed that the human and Tellarite members of the orchestra stayed on the colony for several hours, but the Vulcans and Andorians all beamed up after less than an hour. He headed to T'Brel's quarters and pressed the chime for admittance.

On receiving the invitation to enter, Kirk entered T'Brel's cabin, finding the Vulcan woman seated behind the desk, writing something on the computer. She looked up as he walked in and said, "Captain, I was just making notes about my observations of the colony."

Kirk sat down across from her. "That's why I'm here. I noticed that of the non-human members of the orchestra, all except the Tellarites beamed up after just a short time. What happened?"

T'Brel looked thoughtful. "I believe the members of the colony do not wish us to realize that they have become xenophobic, so they are trying to say nothing overtly prejudiced. But they do not realize that small actions give them away. When I entered a shop, the shopkeeper stared fixedly at me the entire time I was there, as if he expected me to attempt theft. When I walked in the gardens, the colonists who were already walking there all left hastily. And when I attempted to order a meal in a café, the server informed me that they no longer carried the meal I wished to order, even though I could smell it cooking in their kitchen." She paused briefly, and her face lightened in a way that Kirk's experienced eye told him presaged Vulcan humor. "I believe the Tellarites experienced the same treatment but simply weren't sensitive enough to perceive it or to mind it if they did perceive it."

Kirk shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to experience that, but it does support the reports we've received."

T'Brel raised an eyebrow. "Their actions would only hurt an emotional being, which I am not. I was pleased that their prejudice was overt, so that I have concrete instances to report."

Kirk chuckled. "Yes, of course. Spock would say something similar." His face hardened. "But even non-emotional beings should get decent treatment from fellow members of the Federation. I'm hoping Bones — er, Doctor McCoy — finds something during the physicals, something we can fix."

T'Brel inclined her head. "I wish this also."

Kirk took his leave of T'Brel and went to consult with McCoy. As lieutenant commanders, both McCoy and M'Benga had been present at the briefing and were fully aware of the importance of the upcoming physicals.

Entering sickbay, Kirk found the place quiet, since there'd been no injuries or illnesses while engaged in simple travel in Federation space. He sought McCoy in his office, finding the doctor catching up on the ever-present paperwork.

Kirk closed the door to the CMO's office. "Bones, I'd like to talk about tomorrow's physicals, and I need you to pass what I'm going to say along to Dr. M'Benga."

McCoy leaned back in his chair. "I know we're all hoping I'll find some kind of drug or something that will explain the changes in the colonists. You can be sure M'Benga and I will give these folks VERY thorough physicals."

Kirk shook his head. "Eventually yes, I want you to do that. But I think the first one or two should be as routine as possible. I want to make sure the colony's doctors and leaders don't suspect these physicals of being anything other than a routine duty."

McCoy brightened. "Ah, I get you! Sure, no problem. I usually talk to the patients a bit to try to put them at ease before I start waving instruments at them or taking samples. I can find out what they do and make sure to do a purely routine physical on the medical and political people and save the fancy stuff for colonists who won't know the difference between a regular physical and a more thorough one."

Kirk nodded. "Good. And you might want to move a bit more slowly than usual during the routine physicals so that the thorough ones don't take noticeably longer."

McCoy nodded. "Good idea; I'll do that. And is it all right if I bring Chapel in on things? We need her to help with the physicals, and she'll notice that something's up if we do two different kinds. Plus, although she's a nurse now, she used to be a research biologist, so we'll want her help if we find anything."

Kirk thought for a moment, then nodded. "As a nurse, she's used to maintaining confidentiality, so even though she's only an ensign, I trust her to understand about keeping things quiet."

McCoy smiled. "Good! That'll make things a lot easier." He looked questioningly at Kirk. "This is a lot of planning for just a bunch of physicals. Did something happen, or are you just nervous? Or is it one of your famous hunches?"

Kirk smiled. "That would be # 1 and #3. T'Brel reported some prejudicial treatment that was overt but relatively subtle. And the back of my neck is tingling in a way that usually means the other shoe is about to drop."

McCoy shook his head. "With anybody else, I'd think they just had the heebie jeebies, but I've seen your hunches pan out often enough that I think you're as psychic as Spock, just in a different way."

Kirk grimaced. "I don't think there's anything psychic about it; it's just that my mind picks up on little things, things I don't notice consciously, and somehow puts them together." He looked seriously at McCoy. "It saved my life on Tarsus IV, so I learned early to pay attention to it, no matter what anybody else thought."

McCoy nodded. "Well, however you do it, we've got a warning that something's about to happen. Be careful!"

Kirk smiled. "I always try to be careful, Bones; it's just that the universe doesn't cooperate all that often."

McCoy rolled his eyes and then smiled. "I'll be careful, too, Jim. Normal physicals on the touchy ones and a real investigation with the easy ones. We'll track this down!"

That evening, the crew of the Enterprise and the members of the orchestra were all socializing in the ship's various recreation rooms. Kirk and Lisa Schubert flirted with one another for a few moments, then Kirk said, "I have a book in my cabin that I think you might enjoy reading. Should we go and pick it up?"

Lisa smiled at him. "I'd love to see what the captain's cabin looks like!"

Kirk chuckled. "Just like all the other cabins, I'm afraid. It's a big ship, but that doesn't mean there's room for pomp and circumstance."

Lisa gave a sprightly laugh, tucked her hand into Kirk's arm, and the two left the rec room for Kirk's quarters. As soon as the door closed behind them, both dropped their flirtatious mannerisms.

Kirk gestured Lisa to a chair on the visitor's side of his desk while he took one behind it. "What did you observe while you were on Palatua?"

Lisa sighed. "The preliminary reports were accurate, I'm afraid. I went shopping, had lunch in a café, and scoped out the town square where we're supposed to play tomorrow. Everywhere I went, I acted outgoing and friendly and drew as many people as possible into conversation. Six different people asked me how I could stand to play in an orchestra with aliens! These are Vulcans and Andorians and Tellarites, the founders of the Federation. I don't think of my fellow members of the orchestra as aliens; I think of them as PEOPLE who play the violin or the French horn or the flute. It hurts my heart to see Federation citizens behave like this!"

Kirk nodded. "It IS hard to witness, but remember, the residents of the Palatua Colony are victims here. Someone or something has changed them against their will. We might voice the very same horrible thoughts if whatever had been done to them were done to us."

Lisa slumped slightly, her righteous indignation spent. "You're right. I need to remember to look at it that way." She looked at Kirk. "Do you want the rest of my report?"

"Of course."

"It isn't just xenophobia; I heard plenty of authoritarian ideas, too. I found a couple of candy wrappers on the town square and picked them up to put in the trash. One of the colonists saw me do it and said that people who litter should be put in jail for a month."

Kirk grimaced, then motioned with his hand for her to go on.

"When I was in the café, there was a table of teenagers who were kind of loud, but they weren't obnoxious in any way, they were just high-spirited and having a good time. When the waitress came to take my order, she told me that the governor should clamp down on people who disturbed others; she actually said she thought they should bring back the stocks and pillory!"

Kirk whistled. "I hadn't realized it had gone that far. We really must find out what's causing this, before it hits more than just a handful of colonies." He looked at Lisa Schubert. "Anything else to report?"

Lisa shook her head. "Just more of the same, I'm afraid. People wondering how I could stand to take direction from a Vulcan or people wanting to control other people. I talked to Michael Kimura, and he's had exactly the same sort of experiences." She sighed. "It was a really depressing day."

Kirk smiled gently. "I bet." He glanced at his collection of books, then turned back to Lisa. "You know, I should lend you a book to keep up appearances, and a nice book might be just the thing you need to take your mind off of your day."

Lisa got up and went to look over his book collection. "Oh, you have some Jane Austen! Yes, I think that's exactly what I need right now." She selected a book and settled back into her chair with it, then looked up. "How long does it usually take for you to dally with a lady? When can I go back to my own cabin?"

Kirk mock-pouted. "I know we were only pretending to flirt, but I didn't realize you found my company that unpleasant."

Lisa blushed. "Oh, I don't! From everything I hear, you're an excellent starship captain and an exemplary human being; it's been a privilege to make your acquaintance. It's just that I've been talking with people all day, and I could use some time to myself is all." She gave Kirk a mischievous grin. "Though if I were actually trying to flirt with someone on board, it would be with your fascinating science officer."

Kirk chuckled. "You and half the women we meet. I'm afraid he's very nearly impervious, though, or at least he acts like it."

Lisa smiled. "Oh, I know, and besides, I need to keep flirting with you, to keep giving us excuses to meet privately. It's just been hard not to bat my eyes at Mr. Spock."

Kirk shook his head. "I wish I knew how he does it. I mean, I've been quite successful with the ladies, myself; I can't complain that I have a lack of feminine companionship. But I usually have to exert myself to be charming, whereas he doesn't even try."

Lisa grinned. "And that's part of why, Captain. Spock is always absolutely honest, so you know you're not being manipulated or fed a line. You can trust him down to the ground."

Kirk cocked his head to one side. "I'll have to think about that."

He began working on ship's reports while Lisa read her book, and they spent a quiet couple of hours together, peacefully but not at all romantically.

McCoy and M'Benga began the physicals the next morning, assisted by Nurse Chapel. McCoy and M'Benga had been at the secure briefing, but Chapel was only an ensign, so she was unaware of the second purpose of the physicals.

McCoy took her aside before the physicals began and said, "There's something going on that I wasn't allowed to tell you about before, but I think you need to know now."

Chapel looked at him for a moment, then said, "Something to do with why the Vulcans and Andorians couldn't leave the planet fast enough yesterday? I already suspected something was going on here."

McCoy smiled at her. "Remind me to get you promoted to lieutenant as soon as I can."

Chapel chuckled. "Now there's a thing I'm glad to remember!"

McCoy went on to explain the situation to Nurse Chapel and to explain the plan for the physicals. Chapel grasped the situation quickly, and promised to keep the information confidential.

Kirk beamed down with the medical team, intent on distracting the colony's governor from the physicals. The governor knew the physicals were happening, but Kirk wanted to keep him from monitoring them in any way or questioning anything about the procedures used. Kirk left Spock in charge on the bridge, not wanting the Vulcan present on the planet to stir up Rutkowski's distrust or anti-alien prejudices.

Kirk pulled out all his charm when dealing with the governor, and since Rutkowski was clearly not prejudiced against humans, that charm relaxed the governor and made him happy to spend time in Kirk's presence. Kirk asked for a tour of the colony, professing himself eager to see all that the colonists had accomplished. The tour occupied the governor for hours, distracting him from the physicals and from the non-humans in the orchestra, lulling him into a sense of security.

Kirk and Rutkowski had lunch together in the colony's best restaurant, and while the restaurant would only be considered mediocre on Earth, it was still a cut above what came out of the food synthesizers on the ship. Kirk was vocal in his praise of the restaurant and of the colony's accomplishments in general, leading Rutkowski to show him even more of the colony after lunch and to go into even more detail about how it had all been accomplished.

As a result, the tour wasn't completed until well after the last physical had been performed, and Kirk and Rutkowski got to the town square only minutes before the concert was to begin.

Given that the mission was to bring culture to the colonies, it was understood that most colonies wouldn't have the appropriate equipment for a 92-piece orchestra, plus a conductor and singer. The orchestra carried appropriate equipment for seating, lighting, and so on, and the Enterprise's engineers had spent the previous several hours setting it up for them, overseen by Montgomery Scott himself. Scotty didn't actually need to supervise such a simple task, but as a lieutenant commander, he knew what the ship's real mission was, and he wanted to be on site to monitor the situation.

Hungry for a professional performance of live music, every member of the colony attended the concert. Per Kirk's prior order, every member of the ship's security team attended it as well, dressed in civilian clothing and carrying concealed phasers set to stun. There was a member of the security team in every row of chairs, scattered throughout the audience. If trouble started, a security officer would be nearby, no matter where it began.

Kirk and Rutkowski took seats in the front row that had been saved for them, and T'Brel addressed the audience. "Someday this colony will be large enough and advanced enough to have an orchestra of its own. But until that time, the Federation Council for the Arts hopes that you will enjoy the IDIC orchestra. We will play for you a selection of classical music from the founding members of the Federation and also orchestral music from popular holovids and games. We are certain that you will find something to enjoy in the following concert."

The orchestra began by playing the theme from Star Wars. The original 1977 movie had been remade more than once in the centuries since it debuted — most recently in 2260, shortly before this colony was founded — but none of the remakes had ever changed the music, and John Williams' score was as stirring today as it had been the day it was composed.

The audience, many of whom had thought they were going to hear music that some Federation authority thought was good for them, visibly perked up. The remade holovid of Star Wars had been the most popular movie the year before the colony was founded, and it was the last new holovid that most of the colonists had seen. The music crashed over them in a wave, reminding them of their connection to the larger Federation and reminding them that orchestras didn't just play "good for you" music; they also played music that ordinary people loved.

The concert continued, with classical pieces interspersed with popular orchestral music. During one piece, Rutkowski leaned over to Kirk and whispered, "Oh, I love this, even though I haven't seen the holovid. Which vid is it from?"

Kirk chuckled and replied, "It's Mozart."

Rutkowski looked at him questioningly, and Kirk nodded. "Yes, really. Everybody likes Mozart; they just don't realize it because he's classical, and they think 'classical' must mean 'boring.'"

Rutkowski turned back to the orchestra and basked in his new-found love for a classical composer.

When it was Uhura's turn, she took the stage in a stunning red gown and did a lovely rendition of "Voi che sapete" from The Marriage of Figaro, which was enthusiastically received, even though hardly anyone understood what the words meant.

The orchestra concluded with the Federation anthem, and while the actual music was rather bland — the fault of the composer, not the orchestra — people's sentimental attachment to the music made it a popular piece, anyway.

The audience applauded enthusiastically, and Rutkowski went to T'Brel and thanked her for entertaining the colonists. He still looked uncomfortable speaking to a Vulcan, but it was appropriate for the governor to thank the conductor, and he did so.

Kirk beamed aboard as soon as the concert was over, while the engineers began disassembling equipment, and the orchestra members lined up for the lengthy process of beaming 94 people aboard. It was four hours after the medical team had gone home, so Kirk went directly to sickbay, eager to learn the results of the physicals that he'd worked so hard to ensure would proceed undisturbed and unquestioned.

Kirk entered sickbay to find McCoy and Mulhall bent over adjoining microscopes, with Chapel and M'Benga standing nearby. Spock was seated next to the microscope table, working on one of the medical scanners with a small tool. Mulhall wasn't medical personnel, so she hadn't been assisting with the physicals. She was a biologist, though, and Kirk was glad to see her at a microscope, because that almost certainly meant that the physicals had discovered something.

"Bones, you find something?"

McCoy and Mulhall both straightened up from their positions over the microscopes and turned to face Kirk. McCoy said, "We sure did, but I'm not sure whether I should be happy we've discovered the cause of the problem so soon or alarmed at what we've found."

Spock looked up from the scanner he was working on. "We have discovered the proximate cause of the problem, but not the ultimate cause; that remains to be discovered. Still, this is an important and necessary step." He resumed working on the medical device.

Kirk looked at McCoy. "And what IS this proximate cause?" He gestured at the microscope. "What's on there?"

McCoy said, "I've examined the blood we took from the colonists and found a genetically engineered virus. This virus is designed to make one part of the brain grow larger and another part of the brain shrink. A naturally occurring virus couldn't do any such thing, but this virus was designed by an expert biologist, and it forces the amygdala to expand and the anterior cingulate cortex to shrink." McCoy shook his head. "I'm impressed at the expertise of the person who created this damned thing, even as I'm horrified at the result."

Kirk looked impatient. "I'm not a doctor, Bones. What does it do to a person to have the size of their amygdala increased and the size of their anterior something cortex decreased?"

M'Benga explained. "The amygdala governs the fear response. People with larger amygdalas tend to be more susceptible to fear and anxiety, and studies as far back as the early 21st century showed that politically conservative people have larger amygdalas than politically liberal people, since a lot of political conservatism is about fear."

Kirk nodded. "Okay, I understand that. And the other thing? The part that's shrinking?"

McCoy said, "The anterior cingulate cortex specializes in handling complexity. Most social problems have complex causes and require complex solutions, but it takes a brain that can handle complexity to understand that. Those same studies that showed political conservatives have larger amygdalas than political liberals also showed that liberals had a larger anterior cingulate cortex than conservatives."

Kirk's eyes narrowed in thought. "So the upshot of these brain changes is that people become more fearful of those who are different from themselves and less able to understand or formulate complex solutions to complex problems, so they turn to authoritarian forms of government to deal with those fears."

McCoy nodded. "That's about the size of it."

Kirk stared at McCoy. "And this thing is genetically engineered, so someone created it deliberately? They wanted to make people more fearful and less able to understand complexity?"

McCoy sighed. "Yeah."

Kirk took a step away, then whirled back around to face the doctors. "If it's a virus, can we get it? Are we in danger of undergoing these brain changes? And what about the orchestra?"

McCoy shrugged. "I don't know if it's accidental or by design, but it takes a fairly long exposure — at least ten continuous hours — to transmit the virus, and it only works in humans. So the orchestra is safe. Spock is modifying one of our scanners, so we can see if the medical team got it or if you did, Jim. The four of us are the only humans who were down there long enough."

Spock put down the tool and handed the medical scanner to McCoy. McCoy turned it on and waved it over M'Benga, then peered into the display on the end and smiled. "You're clear." He turned to Chapel, waved it over her, and checked the display. "Clear." He waved it over himself and smiled. "All medical personnel are clear. I hope that means it takes even longer than I thought to pick this thing up."

He stepped over to Kirk and waved the scanner over him, then checked the result. His face sobered, and Kirk knew what that meant even before McCoy said, "You've got it. I'm sorry, Jim."

Kirk looked intently at McCoy. "How long does the virus take to cause these brain changes? Does it happen in ten minutes? An hour? A day? A week?"

McCoy shook his head. "I don't know, Jim. We've only just discovered that this virus even exists, and you're the first patient we've found as soon as he contracted it. Adding cells to the amygdala and subtracting them from the anterior cingulate cortex would take longer than ten minutes, but I can't say if it takes a day or a month. The evil genius who designed the damned thing sure knew his biology, though, so I wouldn't bet on your having very much time."

Kirk snapped, "Sedate me."

McCoy blinked. "What?"

"Sedate me," Kirk said harshly. We can't afford to have a Constitution-class starship under the control of someone who's fearful and unable to handle complexity, and we certainly can't have it under the control of someone who's xenophobic and authoritarian. Keep me unconscious until you've found a cure." He stopped suddenly and looked uncertain. "You CAN find a cure, can't you?"

McCoy nodded. "We'll work night and day, Jim, until we've found a cure. And I can do you one better than just sedation. I'll put you in a medical coma until we find a cure. We'll make your metabolism as slow as possible without causing permanent damage, and that might slow down or even stop the virus' ability to damage your brain."

"Good." Kirk turned and looked at Spock. "Mr. Spock, I hereby relinquish command of this vessel to you. I know both the ship and the mission are in good hands when they're in yours." He took a deep breath. "Good luck."

Spock stood at attention. "Captain Kirk, I relieve you." He then relaxed somewhat and put a hand on Kirk's shoulder. "We WILL find a cure, Jim, not just for you, but for all of the colonists who have been altered to become lesser versions of themselves."

Kirk smiled. "I don't doubt it." He laid down on a biobed. Since Chapel, Mulhall and M'Benga were present, Kirk had kept up his captainly manner until the end, but Spock and McCoy — those who knew him best — saw how rigidly he laid upon the biobed and knew that he was angry and afraid. Losing command was Kirk's biggest fear, and now he'd had to relinquish command voluntarily, to prevent himself from misusing the Enterprise while in a brain-damaged state. His friends could only respect their captain all the more and turn with Kirkian levels of determination toward finding a cure.

Spock called Scott, Giotto, and T'Brel to the briefing room and updated them on the situation, directing the two men to alternate the conn for the foreseeable future, while he himself helped the medical and biological staff to create a cure for the virus.

Turning to T'Brel, Spock said, "The virus is designed to only infect humans, and it requires approximately ten hours of continuous exposure to do so. Thus, the human members of the orchestra should not have taken harm during the concert, but they should not spend any more time on the planet than they already have. The virus should not be mentioned to the colonists until we have a cure for it. Given that the colonists are humans, their emotions could lead them to unwise actions if they were to learn of the contagion."

T'Brel inclined her head in agreement. "Your instructions are logical, and I will see that they are carried out."

Returning to sickbay, Spock found McCoy, M'Benga, Mulhall, and Chapel in sickbay's lab, beginning to set up equipment. Spock joined them, and five of them discussed how best to research a cure for the engineered virus. While Spock was the senior officer present, McCoy was the chief medical officer, and the two men needed no discussion to conclude that McCoy was in charge of the research.

While McCoy could be heavily emotional when there was nothing for him to do, he could be nearly as focused and dispassionate as Spock when the situation demanded it, and McCoy assigned segments of the problem to the five researchers quickly and efficiently.

With Kirk out of commission nearby, all of the researchers were clear on the fact that the problem was serious, and speed was essential. But McCoy, M'Benga, and Chapel had already put in a long day conducting physicals, and it wasn't long before the three began to yawn. McCoy turned to Chapel and ordered stimulants for the three of them, and the nurse loaded and administered the hyposprays. Energy restored, the three returned to their research.

Twenty-four hours passed. The humans broke for a meal every six hours, eating as quickly as possible and returning immediately to the search for a cure. McCoy called for stimulants a second time, this time including Mulhall, but when twelve hours passed, and his vision began to blur, he put down the test tube he'd been trying to look at and turned to Spock.

"We're close, but I've been awake for more than 48 hours, and I simply can't concentrate anymore, not even with stimulants."

Spock said, "But I can, Doctor. Please rest now, because we will need your expertise to administer the cure once I have discovered it."

The humans all went wearily to bed while the Vulcan worked alone. McCoy had been correct that they were close, and Spock was sure that he could bring the search for a cure to a successful conclusion within the next twelve hours.

The humans slept heavily for the next ten hours, ate hearty breakfasts and returned to the lab. There they found Spock holding up a test tube. He handed it to McCoy. "I believe this is the cure we've been searching for, but before we administer it to the captain, I should like for you to check my work."

McCoy analyzed the contents of the test tube and looked up with a smile. "This is it! You've done it!"

Spock shook his head. "On the contrary, Doctor, WE have done it, under your direction. There were fourteen separate decision points during the course of the research, and in all fourteen cases, yours was the decision as to which course to follow, and in all fourteen cases, your decision was correct. I salute you."

McCoy swallowed. He'd known that the "beads and rattles" jazz was just Spock's way of teasing him, that Spock really did respect him, but Spock had never made his respect quite so overt before. But then, a threat to Jim always brought out the Vulcan's emotional side, didn't it? And since Spock not only hadn't slept, he hadn't even taken a meal break, even Vulcans might get a mite punchy after so long without rest or food. Now wasn't the right time to tease the Vulcan, and it was the right time to acknowledge the contributions of M'Benga, Chapel, and Mulhall. McCoy looked around the lab at the others and said, "I had some of the best collaborators in the fleet. Thank you all!"

There was a mood of restrained jubilation as McCoy filled a hypospray with the new compound. He turned to M'Benga. "I figure about 25 mg; what do you think?"

M'Benga nodded. "That sounds right to me."

McCoy administered the drug, then began bringing Kirk out of the medical coma. It usually took half an hour for someone to regain consciousness once the drugs that induced a medical coma were withdrawn, but Kirk's vitality was such that he opened his eyes after only half that time. He blinked sleepily at McCoy for a moment, then took in the circle of researchers around his bed. His eyes snapped back to McCoy. "Report!" he barked.

McCoy chuckled. "Well, I see you come out of a coma the way you do everything else. We've discovered what we think is the cure, and we've given it to you. We're gonna give it a few minutes to work, and then we'll scan you, all right?"

Kirk turned his head to look at Spock. "Ship?"

Spock didn't smile at Kirk, but his look was soft and his eyes were fond. "Misters Scott and Giotto have been alternating shifts at the conn while the people you see here have been working on a cure for the virus. I have received no reports of anything untoward from either Scott or Giotto, but I confess that I have concentrated exclusively on assisting the medical researchers."

McCoy said, "You're not in command of the ship yet, Jim, not until we make sure the cure works. Just wait for a minute, okay? You've been resting all this time, but the rest of us have been pulling 48-hour shifts to cure you, and Spock here hasn't eaten OR slept since you went down."

Kirk looked at McCoy. "How long was I out?"

It was Spock who replied, however. "Sixty-two point four seven hours."

"Two and a half days," Kirk said to himself.

McCoy waved the modified scanner over Kirk and smiled happily. "You no longer carry the virus, Jim. I'll have to do a brain scan to make sure it didn't manage to alter you during the time you had it, but I think the coma probably took care of that." He looked at Kirk mock-assessingly and asked, "You don't feel like pitching any green-blooded hobgoblins out the airlock, do you?"

Kirk smiled. "I'll have you know that my brother has green blood, and I'd pitch YOU off the ship before I got rid of him."

McCoy smiled back. "Yep, I think you're okay." He undid the straps that held Kirk to the biobed.

Kirk sat up. "Is there a way we can give the cure to all of the colonists?"

McCoy shook his head. "It's not ready for that yet. The cure we made for you only gets rid of the virus, but to cure the colonists, we'll need to get rid of the virus AND undo the damage it did to their brains. Engineering something to shrink the amygdala and expand the anterior cingulate cortex will take some time."

Kirk nodded. "Well, this team, minus Spock, can work on that. Now that we know how the colonists are being altered, we need to find out WHO is doing that altering, and I'll need Spock for that.

McCoy raised a finger. "Nuh-uh. We still need to do those brain scans before I give you your ship back."

Kirk looked at Spock, who said, "Dr. M'Benga, Commander Mulhall, and Nurse Chapel, please begin to research a way of reversing the cortical changes caused by the virus. Although this research is important, it is no longer necessary to strain your health to perform it; please sleep and rest at appropriate intervals."

The trio of researchers looked at Kirk as they said, "Aye, sir," and McCoy chuckled.

McCoy escorted Kirk to the brain scan machines, and in spite of his confidence in the cure, he did repeated careful scans while Spock waited to one side. The doctor pushed the machine aside and his manner was light and teasing as he said, "Well, captain, you have just as small of an amygdala as ever, the smallest one I've ever seen in a human. I maybe should have let that virus grow you a little caution before I cured it."

Kirk laughed and got out of the scanner's chair. "Bones, heading directly for the unknown is my actual job description. There's a reason why it's me who's out here and not someone else."

McCoy became serious for a moment. "I know, Jim. I want you to be careful because it would kill me to lose you, but you do your job the best of any captain I ever heard of."

Kirk looked at Spock, who inclined his head in the Vulcan's regal nod.

"Well," Kirk said, "I'm officially captain of the ship again, right?"

"Right," McCoy said. "Your captaincy is hereby officially restored to you."

Kirk pulled down his uniform tunic and stood tall. "Good." He turned to Spock. "And I hereby order YOU to have dinner and go to bed."

"Yes, Captain," Spock said, and turned and left sickbay.

Kirk called Scotty and Giotto to the briefing room and asked to be updated. They reported that the Enterprise had been in orbit around the colony during the time he was unconscious, but the ship and the colonists had had no contact; everything had been quiet except for the frantic research in sickbay.

Mr. Scott reported that he had told the bridge crew about the secret mission. With the captain unconscious in sickbay, he thought Sulu, Palmer, and Chekov would jump to conclusions if they weren't taken into the senior officers' confidence, and this way, they could be sworn to secrecy, rather than helping to fuel rumors.

Kirk thanked the two men for "minding the store" while he was unconscious and Spock was busy and got the expected protests that it was only their duty, but they were very pleased to have him back, all the same.

The next morning, Kirk was seated in the captain's chair, waiting for the results of the scans that the bridge crew were making. Sulu and Chekov were scanning the planet below, Palmer was listening for anything anomalous in the colony's broadcasts, and Spock was scanning the surrounding space.

Spock said, "Captain, I have sensor data that I believe requires your input." Sensing a break in the case, Kirk joined Spock at the science station.

Spock said, "I scanned all of the planets, satellites, and asteroids in Palatua's system, and I have found a structure on the eighth planet, Cardea."

"Just a structure," Kirk asked. "No lifeforms?"

Spock gestured at the screens over his station. "I have collated the sensor data and put it here for your perusal. There are no lifeforms on Cardea, and the presence of a structure but the absence of lifeforms to use the structure led me to scan for other types of consciousness. There are no readings of non-corporeal entities such as the Organians or the Thasians, but there is a mobile mechanical device whose readings match those I took of the androids on Exo III."

Kirk looked shocked. "Exo III? But I saw all the androids on Exo III as they were destroyed, first the Brown android, then Ruk, then Andrea and Korby together."

Spock said, "The android-creation machine was controlled by a computer, and computers can be programmed to respond to various eventualities. Perhaps the computer was instructed to make a second Korby android if the first were destroyed."

Kirk said, "The Korby android I saw destroyed was eventually convinced that androids had all the weaknesses of humans without humans' strengths. It was he, himself, who killed himself and the Andrea android."

Spock said, "But the Korby pattern stored in the computer would not have had those experiences, so it would have reproduced a Korby android as it was before you convinced it of the androids' weaknesses."

Kirk thought about this. "Korby was an expert biologist, so he could have created the virus. But why would he want to?"

Spock raised a brow. "Inducing authoritarianism into the human population would make it easier for him to take control of them."

Kirk frowned. "But making them xenophobic would make them more suspicious of androids, less inclined to be ruled by them."

Spock said, "Consider the pattern. Small, isolated settlements have been infected, and each has responded somewhat differently. This suggests that whoever has created the virus is performing experiments, altering the virus each time to try to make it perform as desired. Each colony is a separate test of a different version of the virus."

Kirk said, "But he doesn't seem to realize that the same brain changes that produce an authoritarian outlook also produce a xenophobic one. From what McCoy and M'Benga said, it sounds as if you can't have one without the other."

"And that is why he has not yet infected the population of Earth. But Jim," Spock looked pointedly at Kirk, "We do not know that decoupling xenophobia and authoritarianism is impossible; we merely know that he has not accomplished it thus far. The experiments must be stopped as soon as possible."

Kirk nodded grimly. "They certainly will! You and I will beam down to the eighth planet with a security team. Let's leave as soon as possible."

Spock looked troubled. "Captain, we should not assume that this Korby android will be as easily defeated as the previous one was. Remember that Korby can alter both his body and his mind, simply by programming the android-creation machine differently. No matter how much you respected the human Roger Korby, you should be aware that the machine that wears his face IS a machine; it is more a mobile computer than it is a person."

Kirk tilted his head to one side as he regarded his first officer. "What's a good way of using that?"

Spock looked slightly sheepish. "I suggest that you employ the strategies you use to defeat me when playing chess."

Kirk chuckled. "Masterful illogic. Gotcha." He thought for a moment. "We also have Korby's secret weakness on board with us. If we take Christine Chapel along, she might put him off balance enough for us to take control of the situation. The last time we confronted a Korby android, he didn't want to be truly ruthless in front of her."

"That is possible, but but it is also possible that the new version of Korby will have deleted those feelings from his mind."

Kirk blinked, assimilating this. "I think what you're saying about Korby's being a machine is starting to sink in." He looked at Spock with a questioning air. "Suppose that Korby can alter his body enough to make phasers set to stun ineffective. What do androids run on, anyway? And can you alter a phaser to emit a different kind of energy, one that would disrupt their power supply?"

Spock said, "The Exo III androids are powered by electricity, and a large enough electrical charge should disrupt their ability to transmit electricity along the circuits that allow them to move and think. Altering a phaser to produce such a charge would be the work of a few moments."

Kirk smiled. "Good. You can work on that while I'm assembling the rest of the team." He gestured at the science station. "What are the conditions on the eighth planet. What did you say it was called? Cardea?"

"Yes, Cardea. As the eighth planet in this system, it is 4.5 billion kilometers from the sun, with an average temperature of -220 degrees Celsius. Its atmosphere is 80% hydrogen, 18.5% helium and 1.5% methane. Gravity is 87% of Earth's, so you should feel slightly lighter and slightly more agile. Inside the structure, however, it is 22 degrees Celsius. While androids can survive much lower temperatures than humans can, the biological reactions needed to produce the virus undoubtedly require human-normal temperatures, which is why the structure itself is heated. The structure's atmosphere, however, does not differ from that of the planet, since androids do not need to breathe."

Kirk frowned. "So we'll need environmental suits. And a minor tear in the suit would be enough to kill a man in just a few minutes."

"Correct."

Kirk turned to Sulu. "Mr. Sulu, take us over to the eighth planet; assume geosynchronous orbit above the building that Mr. Spock found."

"Aye, Captain. How much of a hurry are we in?"

"Warp six."

Sulu whistled soundlessly. "We'll be there in two minutes."

Kirk went to the captain's chair and hit a button to call Giotto. "I want a security team of three, dressed in environmental suits and armed with Type 2 phasers to meet me in the transporter room immediately."

"Aye, Captain. We're on our way."

Kirk then called sickbay and gave similar instructions to Chapel.

Kirk and Spock went to the storeroom and put on environmental suits. They also armed themselves with phasers, and Spock took a tricorder as well. Thus equipped, they reported to the transporter room, finding Chapel and the requested security team already there.

Kirk gave the team a quick briefing, telling them about the unbreathable atmosphere and about the android nature of their opponent. He ordered phasers to be set to stun, since he wanted to question the Korby android if at all possible but told the team to switch the setting to kill if the android proved to be resistant to the stun setting. The party was to beam down with phasers drawn and ready to fire.

He ordered that he and Spock face forward, two of the security guards backward, Chapel facing right, and the remaining guard facing left on the transporter pads. Since they would be in the middle of the structure when they beamed down, this positioning would ensure that all sides of the room would be covered from the moment they beamed down.

Scotty beamed them directly into the structure on Cardea. They materialized into a room that was eight meters long and six meters wide, containing several tables filled with scientific equipment, an android-creation machine like the one on Exo III — or perhaps it was the one from Exo III — and an android of Roger Korby. The Korby android was two meters in front of Kirk, working at a lab bench; it turned around when it heard the sound of materialization.

The members of the landing party who had been facing backwards and to the sides turned to face the Korby android, all of them with phasers drawn.

Korby chuckled. "This is a new body, different than the one I had before. Go ahead and fire your phasers if you want; my exterior has an energy shield that repels phaser fire."

Christine Chapel said, "Roger!"

The Korby android looked at her coldly. "After the computer re-created me when the previous version was destroyed, I looked at the security footage from your visit to Exo III. It's clear that Roger's feelings for you were a weakness that I can no longer afford, and so I erased them from this brain and from the computer; I'm now completely unable to feel the emotion of love."

Chapel's eyes filled with tears, and she mumbled something that sounded like, "Seems to be my destiny," then her expression firmed, and her phaser stopped wavering.

Korby gestured. "Go ahead, Christine. I think this demonstration is necessary."

Chapel glanced at Kirk, who nodded, and she fired her phaser at the Korby android. Blue phaser fire outlined its body several centimeters above its skin, looking exactly like the ship did when her shields protected her from enemy fire.

Korby smiled. "As I said. This body is impervious to phasers." He looked at Kirk. "But yours is not!" He reached for the disruptor on the lab bench and pointed it at Kirk. "Once I have eliminated your companions and duplicated you, your android can report to Starfleet that there is nothing happening in this system, and it should look elsewhere for the solution to any problems." He gestured with the phaser. "Walk to the android-creation machine."

Helped by the lower gravity, Kirk leaped forward and grabbed Korby in a bear hug. The Korby android blinked for a moment, puzzled by this odd behavior.

This gave Spock time to pull the modified phaser from his boot and shoot Korby with it; the android made a crackling sound and fell over.

Kirk shook his arms and looked at Spock. "Gah. I feel like I've been given an electric shock all over."

Spock handed Kirk the modified phaser to examine. "And so you were. Our suspicions that Korby would have made its body impervious to ordinary phaser fire were correct, but the electrical charge from the modified phaser did disrupt the android's circuits. I regret that the experience was painful for you, but I did not expect you to attempt to embrace the android."

Kirk grinned. "Neither did he, and that's why it was an effective way of disrupting his plans for a moment."

Spock inclined his head. "The landing party owes its lives to your quick thinking."

Kirk smiled. "And to your forethought, Mr. Spock." Kirk looked down at the Korby android. "I had hoped to question him, but if you've fried his circuits, I guess we can't."

"On the contrary. I have only 'fried' them temporarily. We can restrain the android, restart it, and question it at our leisure." He looked at the computer and back at Kirk. "But perhaps we should reprogram it somewhat, to put it in a more cooperative frame of mind."

Kirk considered this. "Can you do that without altering his knowledge of his plans any?"

Spock drew himself up to his straightest posture and fullest height. "I will remind you, Captain, that I have an A-7 computer rating!"

Kirk put up both hands in a placating gesture. "I wasn't trying to insult your competence, Spock; I just don't know that much about how androids are programed."

Spock relaxed slightly to his normal posture. "I familiarized myself with the equipment when we were on Exo III. I regret that I did not have time to examine the programming in enough detail to discover the order to re-create the Korby android, but I can reprogram it without deleting its episodic memory."

Kirk nodded. "Do it."

While Spock was reprogramming the computer, Kirk turned to Christine Chapel. "We needed every advantage we could have against the android Korby. I'm sorry that was so hard on you."

Chapel gave Kirk a grim smile. "Don't worry, Captain; it was truly excellent closure."

Kirk gestured to her communicator. "I'm going to have the security team stick around for awhile, just in case, but we don't need you here anymore. Have yourself beamed up, and then go off duty for the rest of the day."

Chapel nodded. "Thank you, Captain." She beamed back to the ship, and Kirk relaxed slightly, now that he no longer had to account for her emotional connection to Korby.

Finished reprogramming the computer, Spock connected the Korby android to it and altered the android's programming so that it would consider any Starfleet officer to be its master. He had the computer awaken the android, then disconnected Korby from the computer. He turned to Kirk. "The android is ready for questioning, and it should be docile enough that it is safe for us to do so on the ship."

Kirk looked relieved. "Good! I wasn't looking forward to questioning him through an environmental suit."

As his last action before beaming off of the planet, Kirk set his phaser to "kill" and trained the beam on the android-creation machine until every last molecule of it was vaporized. When they had encountered the machine on Exo III, Kirk had kept the machine around to be examined by scientists. But even Spock didn't attempt to dissuade him from destroying the machine now.

They beamed back to the Enterprise and removed their environmental suits. Kirk dismissed the security team, then he, Spock, and the Korby android went to the closest briefing room so that Korby could be questioned.

Questioning Korby elicited little that they had not already figured out. He believed androids were superior to humans and thought that made him humans' natural ruler. Watching the security footage from the previous encounter between the androids and the humans had made him realize, though, that humans did not share this belief and were unlikely to let him lead them. Hence, he had decided to alter humans to make them desire a strong leader who would tell them what to do.

He devised a virus that would make this alteration and tested it on a small, isolated human settlement, finding that the very alterations that made the humans more open to authoritarian government also made them less open to android leadership. He tinkered with the virus, testing new versions in several different settlements, but had not yet found a way to make humans eager for authoritarian rule while also making them eager to be led by an android.

At this point, Kirk called McCoy, M'Benga, and Mulhall to the briefing room and had Korby explain how the virus was synthesized.

After Korby finished going through all of the technical details involved in the creation of the virus, McCoy brightened. "I can do that! Now that we know how the virus is made, it'll be a simple matter to make a counter-virus that reverses the changes in the colonists' brains."

Spock said, "If we have finished questioning the Korby android, perhaps it can assist in the creation of the counter-virus."

McCoy goggled at him for a moment and then blazed, "Not on your tintype!"

Kirk looked at Spock. "I know it's illogical of us, Mr. Spock, but there isn't a human anywhere on this ship who would be comfortable having the android participate in this research."

Spock considered this for a moment. "Then perhaps I can use him in the biology lab as an assistant under one of my senior scientists. Failing to use the android would a waste of a fine scientific mind."

Kirk shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Spock, but not on my ship. Turn it off, and we'll keep it around but deactivated until we've cured the colonists, just in case we find that there's a question we forgot to ask." His expression hardened. "But after that, the android must be destroyed."

Not for the first time, Spock regretted humans' reliance on emotion over logic. He knew, though, that when Kirk spoke in that tone of voice, his decision was final, and protesting would only anger him. He bowed his head in acquiescence and hoped he would live to see a future time when humans could work alongside androids with equanimity.

Kirk turned to the medical researchers and waved them out of the room. "Go get started." The research team left, heading back to the laboratory to work on the curative virus.

Kirk turned to Spock. "I'm trying to decide whether we should tell the colonists about what's been done to them, or whether we should cure them without mentioning it."

Spock considered this. "I am not generally able to predict humans' emotional responses to situations; you are a far better judge of their likely responses than I. I will ask you, though: If you were cured of the virus without knowing that it had existed, how would you have felt upon remembering your behavior while under its influence?"

Kirk clenched his jaw. "I would have despised myself, for giving up my principles and becoming small-minded and petty." He thought for a moment. "I think maybe we should cure them and then tell them everything as soon as they've been cured. We don't want their current attitudes to impede our ability to cure them, but they do need to know why they were the way they were."

Spock inclined his head. "I defer to your greater knowledge of human nature."

Late that evening, Kirk and Spock were on the bridge when McCoy called from sickbay. "Jim," he said, "I've got the cure all ready to go."

Kirk said, "Spock and I will be down right away, Bones." He turned to Sulu, who smiled and said, "I have the conn; just sit here and don't do anything." Kirk grinned and nodded.

Arriving in sickbay, Kirk and Spock found a jubilant McCoy. "It's ready! And I did Korby one better, because THIS virus starts working right away. It disperses through the air, starts working as soon as it's inhaled, then disintegrates after 24 hours. So it'll cure the colonists, but it won't stick around and alter the brains of anybody who comes to visit later. And there's a second virus that eats the original virus, so it won't linger in the environment to reinfect the colonists or anyone who happens to visit. We have some explosive canisters that are designed to disperse medication in the air, and I've made enough for three canisters. That should be enough to blanket the entire colony."

Kirk smiled. "Excellent!"

Spock said, "Given that the existing virus is dangerous only to humans, I suggest that I be the one to place the canisters on the planet."

Kirk nodded. "Just don't let anyone see you!"

"I will place the canisters under the cover of darkness; it is unlikely that I will be discovered."

Spock beamed down to the surface of Palatua, choosing an area that was visited infrequently, then placed and activated a canister. Taking no chances on discovery, he had himself beamed back to the ship, then beamed down again to another area on the other side of the colony and placed a second canister.

He beamed back to the ship, much to the apparent puzzlement of Mr. Kyle, who knew better than to question the first officer and beamed Spock down to a third area. In this area, though, Spock was less fortunate. He had just placed and activated the third canister when Governor Rutkowski said, "You, there! What do you think you're doing?"

Spock said, "If you will look at the object I have placed, I will explain."

As Rutkowski leaned over the canister and examined it suspiciously, Spock delivered a neck pinch. Catching the governor before he hit the ground, Spock held Rutkowski's head over the canister to ensure that he got a dose of the counter-virus, them had the two of them beamed aboard.

Once in the transporter room, he placed Rutkowski gently on the floor and used the intercom to call Kirk. "All three canisters have been placed; however, there has been an unfortunate development."

"What happened?"

"I was discovered by Governor Rutkowski and was forced to render him temporarily unconscious."

A heavy sigh came through the intercom. "I guess we can keep him here and have McCoy give him a personal dose."

"I have already ensured that he was exposed to the counter-virus."

This produced a chuckle. "Of course you did. All right, carry the governor to sickbay; I'll meet you there."

Spock said, "Acknowledged," then picked up Rutkowski once more and carried the unconscious governor to sickbay.

Once in sickbay, Spock deposited Rutkowski on a biobed, then turned to face Kirk and McCoy.

"What happened?" Kirk demanded.

"Evidently Governor Rutkowski suffers from insomnia and perambulates when sleep is elusive."

McCoy chuckled. "It's okay, Spock. I can keep him out for a few hours, and by the time he'd be noticeably absent, we'll be able to tell the colonists what's going on."

Kirk said, "Make a note of when you placed that third canister, since we don't want to beam down until the counter-virus has been deactivated."

McCoy smiled. "We sure don't! If the counter-virus made your amygdala any smaller, we'd all be in danger!"

Kirk smiled. "Mine doesn't need altering, but maybe we should do yours, Bones."

McCoy didn't reply, too happy at having successfully created the counter-virus to continue teasing.

Kirk yawned. "It's been an eventful day. Can I leave Rutkowski with you, Bones, until morning?"

McCoy smiled. "Yeah. I'll make sure the governor gets a good night's sleep for once."

The next morning, the counter-virus had done its work, and Governor Rutkowski was once more an open-minded Federation citizen. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy explained the situation to him.

Rutkowski looked shaken as he recalled his past attitudes and behavior and the attitudes and behavior of the other colonists. "To think that we were altered without our knowledge or consent, to become lesser versions of ourselves!" He gazed at the three Starfleet officers with teary-eyed gratitude. "I cannot thank you enough, for having saved all of us from such a terrible fate!"

Kirk said, "Believe us, Governor; we were happy to be able to stop the perpetrator and to cure all of you. This is what Starfleet exists for, and it's a pleasure to see you acting like a real Federation citizen again."

Rutkowski said, "My fellow colonists must be in terrible spirits this morning; I must beam down at once and explain the situation!"

Kirk said, "I'll have some of the orchestra's audio-visual equipment beamed down, so that you can use it to broadcast the explanation to everyone there. Unfortunately, we can't go with you until 24 hours have passed, because we don't want to be subject to the counter-virus."

Spock clarified. "The humans cannot go with you. As a non-human, I can accompany you and assemble the equipment."

Rutkowski nodded enthusiastically, so he was escorted to the transporter room, and he and Spock beamed down, together with a powerful audio-visual system.

Now that the perpetrator had been found and contained, and the colonists had been cured, their secret mission no longer needed to be secret. On board the Enterprise, Kirk made an announcement explaining the real mission to the crew and the orchestra members, then had Palmer tie the ship's monitors into the AV equipment on the planet, enabling them all to watch the governor's speech.

Spock made short work of setting up the AV equipment, and Governor Rutkowski made an announcement to all of the colonists. He emphasized the fact that the structure of their brains had been changed against their will, leaving them unable to behave as they formerly had. He also emphasized the work the Enterprise crew had done, to find the perpetrator and to engineer a virus that could reverse the changes they had undergone.

Once the situation was explained to them, the colonists were jubilant. Being afraid all of the time had been a terrible experience, and awakening to realize that they had behaved in a prejudiced and authoritarian fashion had eliminated whatever self-esteem they had formerly possessed. Discovering that they had been innocent victims and not to blame made their mood as high as it had been low, and as the sole representative of the Enterprise currently on the planet, Spock found himself mobbed by dozens of jubilant colonists. His perpetual air of touch-me-not dignity was usually enough to keep strangers from touching him, but even it could not prevail against the colonists' relief and joy, and he was hugged by several colonists at once, over and over again.

Although Spock normally disliked feeling the emotions of others, he mentally told himself that the cause was sufficient, and as it turned out, being subjected to grateful joy over and over again was not as unpleasant as he had believed it would be. He would still prefer tranquility over emotion, but he knew from first-hand experience how terrible it could be to be the object of prejudice, and being the object of grateful joy seemed as if it righted some internal balance that years of prejudice had caused to list.

Spock tried explaining to the colonists that the true authors of their happiness were Dr. McCoy and Captain Kirk, but that only caused the colonists to embrace him twice more and to say, "Well, then give them this from me," so he desisted. He was distracted enough by these events that he did not notice that Rutkowski had turned the camera so that it was now recording the colonists hugging Spock.

Eventually, the colonists had all thanked him, and Spock was free to depart. He had himself beamed up and felt so suffused with second-hand joy that he went directly to his cabin and took a quick meditation break. Once he had once more achieved the tranquility that Vulcan discipline demanded, he reported to the bridge.

As he entered the bridge, Spock found all of the officers, including McCoy, who was inexplicably present, had turned to look at him. Spock looked at Kirk and asked, "Has there been a new development?"

Kirk chuckled. "No, Spock. It's just that once Rutkowski finished his speech, he turned the camera so that it pointed towards you, and we saw you getting mobbed by the colonists. I think everyone is wondering what it was like for you to be hugged by several people at once, over and over again.

Spock's face had been appropriately impassive, but now it softened slightly. "It was an outpouring of emotion that I would normally find distasteful, but in this case, I believed the cause was sufficient."

McCoy smiled. "I'll be damned! That sounds like Vulcan for 'I didn't actually mind.'"

Spock looked at McCoy. "It was unfortunate that you could not be there to accept the colonists' gratitude yourself."

McCoy shook his head. "Don't fool yourself, Spock. It was a group effort." A mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. "And I think watching you be group-hugged by dozens of colonists may have been even better than being thanked myself."

Spock preserved a dignified silence as he went to the science station and resumed his usual duties.

Palmer said, "Captain, I have a call from the governor."

"On screen, lieutenant."

A smiling Rutkowski said, "Captain, because we weren't ourselves when the orchestra visited, we weren't able to give them a proper welcome. Do you think they'd be willing to come down again?"

Kirk smiled. "I think they'd be thrilled, governor. I'll talk with Conductor T'Brel and get back to you."

Kirk consulted T'Brel, who agreed that the orchestra would play on the planet once again.

They waited a day, to make sure the initial virus was completely gone and that the counter-virus had dissipated. Spock beamed down with a modified tricorder and sampled the air, the water, and the soil, and when all of his samples showed no trace of any of the viruses, everyone was notified of the concert that evening.

This time, ALL of the members of the orchestra were welcomed enthusiastically, and when the governor spoke to T'Brel, it was without the awkwardness of before.

The orchestra played an entirely new selection of songs, though it was once again a mixture of classical music from all four of the founding members of the Federation, plus several orchestral scores from holovids and games. Their final piece this time was Beethoven's Ode to Joy. The orchestra didn't have the singers necessary for the piece and used recorded singers, but the rest of the music was live. All of the members of the orchestra knew what the colonists had escaped and just how joyful they were, and while Ode to Joy was usually both beautiful and emotional, in this rendition, the Vulcans were the only ones whose eyes were entirely dry.

The Enterprise continued on her journey the next day, visiting all of the affected colonies, curing them, then explaining the situation to them. And of course at each stop, there was a concert. Lisa Schubert was no longer needed as a special agent, and so for a few months she was able to simply play her viola and relax, no longer responsible for helping the Enterprise save the Federation. Although orchestra members do work hard, it was satisfying creative work, and for the likes of Lisa Schubert, it was very nearly a vacation.

Eventually the last colony was cured, and the Enterprise turned towards Starbase One. Playing chess in Kirk's quarters, Spock asked, "Will you and Ms. Schubert attempt to continue your relationship once the orchestra has disembarked?"

Kirk looked at him in surprise. "Spock, Lisa and I were only pretending to flirt, to give her an excuse to spend time alone with me so she could report her observations. I thought you knew that."

"I knew that your flirtation began in that manner, but females who spend any time in your presence tend to succumb to your personal magnetism."

Kirk chuckled. "Actually, Spock, while we were spending time alone in my cabin — where I signed reports, and she read a novel, I'll have you know — she told me that if she had been going to flirt with anyone for real, she would have flirted with you."

"Hmm," Spock said. "Puzzling."

Kirk smiled. "Oh I don't know, Spock. You're wildly intelligent, exceedingly brave, wonderfully civilized, and easy on the eyes. She'd have a hard time finding anyone better than you."

"True," Spock replied — false modesty was not the Vulcan way — "But it is surprising that she realized those things so quickly."

Kirk shook his head. "I guess a professional spy has to be able to size people up quickly." His eyes took on a teasing glint. "Or maybe those ears are just irresistible."

Back on familiar ground, Spock gave the appropriately teasing response. "As they should be, Jim."

When they reached Starbase One, and the time came to beam the orchestra members back to the base, Spock appeared in the transporter room when Lisa Schubert's group was due to be beamed down.

"Ms. Schubert," he said.

Lisa looked at him, startled at being addressed. "Yes, Mr. Spock?"

"I regret that it was the captain and not I who was your liaison with the ship's officers. Captain Kirk is generally better at dissimulation than I, and he did not realize that in my case, no dissimulation would have been required."

Lisa gave him a blinding smile. "Not on my part, either!"

Spock inclined his head, then lifted his hand in the ta'al and looked at all six of the orchestra members on the transporter pads. "Your music has enriched all of our lives. Live long and prosper." He nodded to Lieutenant Kyle, who beamed them away.

Once the orchestra members had all returned safely to the starbase, the same people as before met in the same conference room, but this time the mood was relaxed and proud, rather than tense.

Nogura heard them out as Kirk, Spock, and McCoy explained what they had found and what they had done, then shook his head. "You've done it again! I almost can't believe it. Kirk, you really are a miracle worker."

Kirk smiled and shook his head. "Not me, admiral — my crew. They all contributed to our success; I probably had the least to do with it all."

McCoy spoke for them all when he said, "Jim, we perform miracles because you convince us that we CAN. There are lots of times on lots of missions when we'd have given up if it weren't for you. Maybe you can't do medical research, but you're why we know we can lick the problems."

Spock inclined his head. "The doctor and I are in agreement."

Scotty said, "And THAT never happens, so you can be sure it's true!"

Everyone present laughed, except for Spock of course. They all got commendations in their records, and a brand-new nearly impossible problem to solve for their next mission ... which was just how they liked it.

Author's Notes

1. This story was written as a birthday gift for T'Lisa, who has been extremely kind and supportive about my work. On my last birthday, she wrote a very long and detailed comment on her favorite story of mine as a birthday gift, which is all the more remarkable since English is her second language. So I owe her a present back, and I hope this story will suffice. Since she was born on Star Trek Day, it seems that she was destined to love Star Trek! T'Lisa plays the viola, so if there's a slight flavor of Mary Sue around the character of Lisa Shubert, well, she's not a Mary Sue for ME. :-)

I'm posting this the day before T'Lisa's birthday, since I hope she has better things to do on her actual birthday than read fan fiction. :-)

Happy Star Trek Day, everyone!

2. The difference in the brains of liberals vs. conservatives is REAL; I didn't make it up! A study done in 2011 showed that people who identified as conservatives had larger amygdalas — a part of the brain that handles fear and anxiety — whereas people who identified as liberals had a larger anterior cingulate cortex — a part of the brain that handles complexity.

What ISN'T known yet is whether this difference is genetic, or whether life experiences are the cause. It IS known that harsh parenting — which seems as if it might increase the size of the amygdala — is correlated with political conservatism. And university education — which seems as if it might increase the size of the anterior cingulate cortex — is correlated with liberalism.

You can read a description of the study in the April, 2011 issue of Psychology Today.

3. Yes, I like TNG's Data quite a lot! I'm assuming that the Soong androids were different from the ones made on Exo III. Or maybe humans were just less suspicious of them by the TNG era.

4. I actually know nothing about orchestras. I looked up many, many things, but I may still have gotten some things wrong. I apologize to those who know more for my lack of knowledge. I wouldn't normally write a story with an orchestra in a prominent position, but since T'Lisa plays the viola, I had to try to do it anyway. :-)

5. That mission to steal the cloaking device that put Kirk and Spock in the ultra-secure briefing room before was, of course, in "The Enterprise Incident." That is, the mission was in that episode; I made up the ultra-secure briefing room. :-)

6. Like most of my stories, this story takes place just after the end of Season 3 of TOS. So Sulu and Uhura are still lieutenants at this point in time, and Chekov is only an ensign.

7. We don't know what rank M'Benga held during TOS, since we only saw him in the short-sleeved medical tunic that didn't include rank bands on the sleeves. In Strange New Worlds, he has the two bands of a full commander on his sleeves. Since giving him a commander's rank during TOS would make him outrank McCoy, I've assumed that he was demoted for some reason during the interval between SNW and TOS, which is why I've made him a lieutenant commander.

Lieutenant Commander Mulhall is from the second-season episode "Return to Tomorrow;" she was the one who provided the body that Sargon's wife, Thalassa, borrowed.

Lieutenant Commander Giotto is the security chief from the first-season episode "The Devil in the Dark."

Admiral Nogura is from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A lot of the admirals we see in TOS seem either stupid or unimaginative, and I wanted a GOOD admiral. Since Nogura was smart enough to put Kirk in command when Earth was threatened, I thought that qualified him. :-)

8. Those of you who read my story about Spock's childhood called "Popular With the Girls" may recognize the name T'Brel as that of the flautist with whom he played musical duets when they were both children. Yes, this IS the same woman. Being nice to Spock earns you points with me, so you get to lead an orchestra when you grow up. :-)

9. We don't know who was the President of the Federation at this point in time; I've made up President Kimura and his son Michael because I think Asian people are horribly underrepresented in Star Trek, considering that they constitute a third of Earth's population, and I try to add at least one Asian character to all my Star Trek stories.

10. Palatua and Cardea are minor Roman gods. Since the planets in our solar system are named for major Roman gods, the names of other Roman gods sound vaguely planetary, at least to my ears. :-)

11. We saw Lieutenant Palmer covering the communications station during "The Doomsday Machine" and "The Way to Eden," so there's precedent for her covering it when Uhura is absent.

12. Those hundred and fourteen delegates that were transported to Babel are, of course, from the second-season episode "Journey to Babel."

13. Why do I sometimes say that the orchestra numbers 92, sometimes 93, and sometimes 94? There are 92 people in the orchestra, plus the conductor for 93, plus the temporary addition of Uhura for 94. So when I talk about something like room assignments, I include all 94, but when I talk about new faces on the ship, I say 93. As those of you who've read me before can guess, I really have thought it all out. Because over-thinking things is kind of my specialty. :-)

14. Of course, Tarsus IV is a reference to the events of "The Conscience of the King."

15. Roger Korby, Exo III, and the Ruk, Brown, and Andrea androids are, of course, from the first-season episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

16. The figures given for the temperature, atmosphere, and distance to the sun for Cardea match those of the eighth planet from OUR sun, Neptune. I've given Cardea a lighter gravity than Neptune has, though, so Captain Kirk can be especially agile while there. He does SO love his flying kick. :-)

17. The time when Spock accuses McCoy of using "beads and rattles" is in the second-season episode "I, Mudd."

18. If you've never heard Beethoven's Ode to Joy, I recommend that you listen to it. It's only four minutes long, but it always makes me cry, even though I only speak about fifty words of German, so I have no idea what they're saying. :-) You can find a nice recording of it on YouTube; search for "Ode to Joy - André Rieu."

19. I have a chronic illness that leaves me non-functional most of the time, which means that I am not always able to reply to comments. I do read them all with great attention, though, and I do cherish every single one of them, even when my health doesn't permit me to reply. I apologize for being so limited in what I can do.

20. I don't own Star Trek, and I make no money from the stories I write; everything here is just fans playing in the sandbox. Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say that Star Trek owns ME. :-)

21. Thanks for reading! If you liked anything about this story, I'd love to hear what you enjoyed.