6

Evaluations

"This is all very interesting and I have to compliment you on the high level of advancements you have reached when it comes to medical care," Una began. "But my question to you is; where are all your regular patients? We have visited the emergency care unit, the intensive care unit and the rehabilitation care unit without seeing a single Circusian patient."

"We are a very healthy people," the chief doctor replied with a faint smile.

"Like I mentioned earlier, Commander Una," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus interrupted kindly. "This medical complex is very large. "I did not think you'd be interested in ordinary, general medicine practice. Most of the offworlders I've given this tour to are keen to see for themselves what a great care we are offering them should they become injured during their visit."

An alarm suddenly interrupted further conversation and a man, whose species none of the Starfleet officers could tell, was brought into the main emergency hall. Pike pursed his lips into a thin line of dismay and Una swallowed, her mouth dry while Spock rose a somewhat troubled eyebrow at the sight that greeted them.

The injured alien before them, lying unnaturally still on the hover-stretcher, was covered in blood. It was a sticky, almost purple substance that oozed out from several puncture wounds along his torso where he'd been impaled by something.

"That can't be good," Una remarked, her voice subdued.

Ta'Bob Bobba Dus nodded toward a largely-built man in a guard uniform and tugged at his arm, taking him aside for a moment. "What happened?" he whispered, mindful not to speak so as the Starfleet officers overheard.

"Jungle adventure jump," the guard whispered back, his undertone dark and cold. "I told you it needed to be redesigned before something else happened."

Spock carefully remained stoic and oblivious to the conversation in an effort not to give away his excellent hearing.

"Trouble, chancellor?" Una asked.

"No, no. Nothing that can't be resolved rather quickly," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus assured her sweetly.

Chris frowned as several people, belonging to the medical staff, rushed past them and took the hover-stretcher away from them and pushed it further into the emergency unit. "Chancellor Ta'Bob Bobba Dus," he spoke up diplomatically. "You never really told us about the Circusians as a race. Does your species vary in appearance as much as humans do?"

"No, we are very much like one another," he replied.

Pike nodded with a tight smile on his lips. One of the staff members, rushing by earlier, did not match the description of a Circusian. He filed it away for later questioning.

"Forgive me, you must all be tired and I have some business to tend to-," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus reasoned brightly as he clasped his hands together in front of him. "Please, feel free to take a look around outside. I will send someone to find you later."

OOOOOO

"So, what do you make of the place so far?" Chris asked curiously as the trio strolled down the worn path of a lush garden park.

Una shook her head slowly as she squinted against the setting sun. "I don't know, everything seems so –," she paused, looking for the right word, "– perfect."

"I do fail to see why that would be a bad thing," Spock said evenly.

Una narrowed her eyes and smirked at him.

"I am able to pick up on your sarcasm, commander. Even though it is a trait I fail to understand. However, during the years of service together, I have come to be able to judge when you are displeased with things even though you state something else."

Chris tried really hard to keep a neutral expression on his face.

"Hilarious," Una muttered.

"Now you are doing it again," Spock replied stoically as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Chris suddenly sobered, the smile on his face gone as he saw a man - the same man they'd seen rushed into the hospital earlier - walking casually in the large park. "Like you said, Una, it's a bit too perfect."

Spock and Una quickly followed his gaze. The Vulcan carefully reached for his scanner. "Very interesting indeed, captain," he stated.

"He was critically wounded from some kind of adventurous jungle jump in the recreation area," Una recalled. "Not even Phil can bring people back from near death and have them walk out of sickbay a few hours later."

"Funny," Pike remarked. "I didn't exactly see that kind of medical advancements while at the hospital."

"Perhaps, captain-," Spock began, "-perhaps they have found a way to heal people."

"I can't believe I am hearing this from a Vulcan," Una said softly.

Spock turned to her. "When all logic fails, one must consider the illogical," he replied. "You are aware of the dangers the captain faced at Talos IV – you were there. The Talosians mental capabilities could influence the human mind to the extent that an illusion became reality. Even though they did not have the means to heal Vina, they created an appearance of her."

"Yeah, so all this can be a giant ruse – one big illusion?" Una asked skeptically. "Maybe we just thought we reached Circusia-,"

Chris shuddered involuntarily at the topic.

"I can assure you, this is the real world, commander," Spock replied evenly. "However, there are aliens capable of healing. There are those who have perfected a technique to transfer life energy to others."

"The Araxians," Chris replied, his tone of voice unnaturally short.

"The Arax System is an awfully long distance away from here," Una reasoned.

"I was merely pointing out the fact that there might be more races capable of such things," Spock said.

"Our Circusian chancellor doesn't strike me as someone above – shall we say – average?" Chris remarked. "This planet feels like one giant ball of adventure, relaxation and one drink too many."

"I'll pass along my readings to Doctor Boyce as soon as we are back onboard the ship," Spock informed.

Pike was about to say something as one of the guards, who'd accompanied the chancellor earlier, showed up next to them.

"Captain Christopher," he acknowledged and nodded at the others. "Chancellor Ta'Bob Bobba Dus wishes to be accompanied at Circusian standard time, hour twenty-six."

Spock did a rough calculation in his head. "That is only two hours from now, captain," he translated.

Pike turned to the guard. "I have some things to tend to onboard my ship. We will be there in four hours – Earth GMT. Those are my terms," he replied.

The guard looked troubled and turned to the Vulcan.

"We will meet your chancellor at hour twenty-eight-point-four," he clarified.

"Excuse us. We'll recess and head back to the Enterprise," Pike added.

When they had walked a few meters, Spock stopped and curiously turned to his superior officer. "Captain, we haven't received words from the ship yet that they are back."

OOOOOO

"Entering geosynchronous orbit around Circusia," Lieutenant Montgomery said as he functioned as a stand in for Una.

"Crowded place," Louvier remarked from his position in the captain's chair.

"I wonder if they've even realized we've been gone," Lieutenant Amin stated as she let her fingers fly over the console before her.

The sound of yellow alert suddenly flashed between the helmsman's position and the navigator. Amin spared it a glance and smirked. "Debris peppering the hull has raised the alarm," she explained.

"I am detecting one of our shuttles on approach," Lieutenant Nicola informed. "We are being hailed by the Galileo."

"On screen," Louvier ordered.

The view switched from the exterior of Circusia to Captain Pike sitting in the pilot's seat with Number One to his right.

"Welcome back, sir," the chief engineer said.

"Likewise, commander," Pike greeted. "Permission to enter hanger deck."

"Permission granted, sir," Louvier said as he got out of the chair and turned to the turbolift.

OOOOOO

"They will not come for us, Katoth," Vasq argued heatedly. "I can only hope they sacrificed their lives for the Empire with glory. "That Captain La'Toll didn't give in easily."

"Impossible," Karash spat. "Nothing in this region of space have the power nor the capacity to destroy a cloaked Bird-of-Prey."

"Nothing but our echo," Mesh'ba called out. "Those treacherous descendants to the house of Sha'll

Kii."

Vasq turned to the group leader in surprise and balled his fists angrily. "You mean to tell me that the echo was a disguised Bird-of-Prey?" he shouted in disbelief. "That is dishonorable!"

"That is war tactics," Mesh'ba replied coldly. "The rivalry between our two houses has always been infected and dangerous."

Katoth snorted. "War tactics," he echoed. "L'Rell tried to unite us all against the Federation and she almost succeeded. We are a formidable enemy on our own, but together; standing united, we could have blown the Federation out of the galaxy – out of the Universe."

"It is a deafening blow to learn that our homeworld was nearly destroyed by those feeble, weak, peace-loving creatures. I will not accept it!" Vasq seethed. "I will kill the humans I see here with my bare hands in revenge, for they have taken my glory."

Mesh'ba gave him a toothy grin, his look one of disbelief. "How do you expect the four of us to bring the flagship of the Federation back to the Klingon Empire?" he asked mockingly.

"The Ka'le'la is not lost," Vasq insisted. "Captain La'Toll will arrive safely any day now and when he does, we will engage the Enterprise and defeat her."

"Glory to the Empire," the others chimed in as they raised their clenched fists in the air.

OOOOOO

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