Lieutenant Uhura checked her scanners again, as she had every two minutes this hour, but this time she could actually see it. She immediately pulled off her headset and spun around in her chair. "We have visual contact with the planet, Captain."
Kirk, who had just finished dictating his ship's log, had resumed his pensive posture—resting his face on his hand with legs crossed in the Captain's Chair. Upon the announcement, he assumed an authoritative posture and glanced back at Uhura. Looking back to the front, he released a mind-cleansing sigh. He never knew what to expect with each new planet they encountered.
"Put it on screen, Lieutenant," Kirk ordered.
As he watched, a remarkably blue marble of a planet appeared before them—with no sign of the energy aura that appeared on the computers.
"It appears to be rather Earth-like in size, appearance, and composition, Captain," Spock remarked.
"Yes," the captain shifted position. "It's — rather uncanny. Chekov!"
"Yes, Kyptin," he answered. Chekov had leaned over to tell Helmsman Sulu how the blue planet reminded him of the clear Russian sky, but the captain called him before he could speak.
"Run an analysis of that planet again. I want to know what is making the aura of energy that we can't see. Sulu, reduce speed to warp one. I don't want us to get too close until we're sure of the ship's safety."
"Aye, captain," replied Sulu. He was happy in the back of his mind that the captain had given both him and Chekov commands so he would not have to listen to another fun fact about Russia. At least for the moment.
"Kyptin," began Chekov, dumbfounded, "the computer isn't picking out any specific energy coming off the planet anymore! I'm only picking up life forms."
"My scanners are picking up life forms as well, Captain," announced Uhura. "Lots of them! They appear to be standard Earth humanoids!" She struggled to hide her excitement about finding what seemed to be an oasis in the galactic desert. The other members of the bridge crew were stealing excited glances at the planet.
"Really," Kirk remarked. "Radiation levels?"
"No significant radiation to report, Captain," Spock answered.
Mr. Spock, already standing from his chair, stepped closer to the captain while watching the planet grow larger each second. He couldn't help but notice the Lieutenant's excitement as well as the changed demeanor of everyone on the bridge. Everyone was transfixed on the blue planet. As Spock had predicted, the human crew found it attractive because it was like Earth. Even the captain's wary demeanor was beginning to change as he heard its positive reports. Spock knew that he would need to make sure the captain and crew made the most logical decisions.
Kirk, previously biting his knuckle, stood from his chair and walked closer to the screen. The planet was primarily water with many groups of island clusters instead of continents. He felt a pull inside him to enjoy the planet like the rest of his crew. The captain spun on his heel to face Spock, who raised an eyebrow at him quizzically. "Exactly how — Earth-like did you say this planet was, Spock?"
"The atmosphere is 64.865% nitrogen, 30.135% oxygen, 4.23% carbon dioxide, 0.77% other negligible gases, and manageable enough for a shuttle crew to enter and exit. Water covers 85.86% of the planet's surface, and the average surface temperature is ideal for human life," he squinted, "which is very curious, Captain, because there are no stars nearby to produce this heat."
The captain cocked an eyebrow and the corners of his mouth turned up in a gentle grin. "Noted, Mr. Spock." He didn't need such a long-winded description, but he had used the word "exactly" with a Vulcan.
Nevertheless, Spock's detailed report put Kirk more at ease with the planet, and he looked at the screen again. The planet looked fantastic, especially for something at the edge of the galaxy in the middle of nowhere. (He would have thrown his chair across the room if he had to hear Spock say "uninhabitable space rock" one more time.) Space was dead, vacant and black between the stars, but life was here. Jim felt alive just watching the planet grow larger on the screen. It was—he dare think—magical.
His jaw began to clench as he thought through the planet's bewitching façade. It was beautiful, but there was something strange about it. The brilliant blue color, uninterrupted by a single cloud, seemed almost too good to be true. He turned back to Spock, interested by the final fact he had relayed. "If there is no star, how would it reflect so much light on the surface?"
"Unknown, Captain, but it could correlate to the energy field."
The captain glanced at Chekov then; he was hard to ignore. He was actively using his console, trying to find out what happened to the energy and hoping to impress Spock with his success. Perhaps the ship was already inside the energy field, already influenced by its effects—whatever those could be. Before he could get too lost in theories, he bought himself back to practical matters. "What is our ETA, Sulu?"
"At present speed, 43 minutes."
He turned back to the planet. "It seems safe enough to approach. When we get there, I want a nice wide orbit."
"Yes, sir."
"And there is no signature of warp-drive technology here?" he checked.
"None, Kyptin," Chekov answered. "Only low-efficiency combustion engines."
"Well, then. It's important that we don't interfere with the native technology." Kirk stated and glanced over at Spock, who was watching the planet with no expression. "Spock, do you have any opinion? You seem," he lowered his eyebrows, "quieter than normal."
Normally Mr. Spock would have expressed some theories about the planet's peculiarities by now. Perhaps he couldn't say very much because there was a lack of data.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Quiet, Captain? I am merely as fascinated with this planet as you are, and I look forward to beaming down with your landing party for scientific analysis."
The captain chuckled and sat down in his chair. Was he really that predictable? "Ship-wide transmission, Lieutenant."
"Aye, Captain," she replied.
"Attention Enterprise: We are approaching an unknown Earth-like planet and we'll begin orbit in half an hour. It is teeming with intelligent life, and I will be leading a small landing party to investigate. The ship is to remain invisible, but prepared for any emergency. Standby for party assignments. Kirk out."
He stood up to prepare for transport, and he and Spock began to walk towards the elevator.
"Jim! Jim!" the captain soon heard in the hall.
Someone must not like their party assignment.
The captain grinned as his personal friend Chief Medical Officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy approached the bridge. "I knew we would be hearing from him," Kirk said tongue-in-cheek.
"I could hear him coming all the way from the medical wing, Captain," Spock added blandly.
The doors opened and the red-faced doctor approached the captain. "Jim, you're going to give me a heart attack!" he panted. "These people probably saw each others' limbs off from poison ivy!"
"That is why you must come along, Doctor," Spock replied, causing the doctor to flinch. "It is the most logical choice to have the Chief Medical Officer accompanying the landing party in case of a medical emergency," he explained, as if the explanation would stop the doctor from becoming more riled up.
Dr. McCoy slowly turned to glare daggers at Spock, who still watched him without emotion. The word "logical" coming from that Vulcan was one of the doctor's trigger words, especially today. That was another reason that McCoy wasn't looking forward to going on this mission.
"It's alright, Bones!" Jim put his hand on the doctor's shoulder to distract him from an impending argument with Spock. "They won't saw our limbs off since you'll be with us!"
The captain had forgotten that Spock and McCoy had a rather hot debate during breakfast about any number of things. ("It is not logical for a medical doctor to behave so unpredictably." "Then where's the logic in an emotionless Vulcan feeling the need to critique my every move!?") If he had remembered, he would have had one of them stay on the ship. He greatly valued their insight, but he would still send one back to the ship if necessary. He started to walk off the bridge to dress in appropriate planetary wardrobe and meet the rest of the landing party.
"I hope I don't stand next to you in the transporter," McCoy jabbed at the Vulcan before following Kirk.
"That would be highly unlikely," Spock replied.
He walked to Uhura's station after the doors closed behind McCoy. "Lieutenant, please make sure that the transporter room beams us to an island," he raised an eyebrow, "rather than underwater."
"Yes, Commander. I'll submit coordinates now," she replied with a little too much cheer.
Spock slowly nodded and walked off the bridge.
When she was sure Spock had gone, Uhura let out the laughter she had been holding in. She recalled the spat at breakfast, but she was mostly laughing from joy of the growing blue planet. She wished that she could be on the landing party this time. It looked like the most appealing, friendly little planet in the galaxy. She listened in on the peppy radio communications across the planet and heard the motion of industrial machinery. It made her feel nostalgic and a little giddy. The crewmen at the helm grinned back at her.
"I read you loud and clear, Lieutenant." Sulu smiled, "If this planet turns out to be safe, I hereby submit my request for shore leave!"
"Aye!" the entire bridge assented.
"Now closing in on the little blue oasis in space," Uhura announced. How could there be any danger?