"Are you picking up any communications yet?" Sulu walked across the rough paving of the plaza, water splashing over the tops of his boots as he trod on the uneven slabs. Uhura was stood a little distance from the shuttle, turning in slow deliberate circles and scanning with her tricorder for any hint of a frequency. She looked up from under her grey hood as he approached, smiling at his grimace as he shook his wet leg.

"Actually, yes. The Klingons. They're trying to signal to their ship."

Sulu's eyes widened at this piece of news. "Where are they? Should we be moving on?" He grabbed her by the arm and started to pull her towards the shuttle, looking over his shoulder expecting phaser fire to begin at any moment.

Uhura pulled against him, bringing him to a halt. "Hey, don't worry. They're five hundred kilometres away. I don't think they'll be bothering us for a while." She thrust the tricorder under his nose and pointed to the readings. "Look."

Sulu stopped and took them in, grudgingly accepting Uhura's cool reaction as he confirmed the distance. "Any others?" he asked, still not completely reassured.

"No," she said cautiously, handing Sulu the tricorder as she pulled down her hood. "Not yet. How about you. Did you find anything?" Uhura noticed that he had pulled down his hood. She had been so engrossed in her work she hadn't noticed that it had stopped raining.

"Nothing either," he sighed. He indicated behind him with a sweep of his phaser. "Just empty buildings."

Uhura saw the lines between his eyebrows as he turned back to look at the ruins. They usually meant that something was troubling him. "But…?" she led him on.

He turned back and gave her a quizzical look as he placed his phaser back on his belt and handed back the tricorder. "Do you read minds, Uhura?"

"No," she said simply, folding her arms. "It's all about communication. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I couldn't read one of my closest friends like a book. So, go on. But…"

Sulu offered her an impressed look but almost immediately resumed his former frown. "But…and I don't want this to sound stupid… the buildings look too empty."

Uhura put her head to one side. "Hikaru, emptiness isn't a subjective concept. It either is or it isn't empty."

Sulu shrugged apologetically. "I hear what you're saying. But you'd think in ruins that are still basically standing, and a lot of them are, you'd see some evidence of the daily lives of the people that lived there… pottery, technology, art… something." He put his hands on his hips and turned back to face the buildings as if in a stand-off with them. "How long have I been looking?"

"About an hour," Uhura estimated, checking her tricorder.

"Right, and I haven't found a single thing. It's like a stage set."

Uhura didn't much like the sound of that thought. She preferred to have faith in what she could see around her. The idea that what they were seeing might have been created for them filled her with dread.

Suddenly a distant cry of pain rang out and echoed down the deserted streets. Sulu and Uhura looked at one another. The voice was unmistakable – it was Chekov's. Sulu turned in the direction which he had sent him shortly before.

"He's in trouble. I never should have left him alone," he said to Uhura. "Chekov!" he shouted back, starting to race across the square. There was no reply. Maybe he hadn't heard him. Maybe he was injured. A hundred scenarios began to play out in his head. He ran on, cursing himself. "Chekov!" he shouted again, his throat turning hoarse with the strain. He fumbled for his communicator, flipping it open as he ran, trying to access a channel.

Momani appeared at the shuttle's hatch, two hands placed on either side of the doorway, alarmed by the commotion. "Uhura! What's going on? Was that Sulu shouting? Is he ok? I'll get my phaser."

Before she had time to reply there was a screech of static from within the shuttle. Momani's face contorted with agony as his whole body was suffused with the energy of a phaser blast set to kill. He vaporised and vanished in an instant. Uhura put her hand to her mouth to stifle a scream as Senrug appeared in the doorway, holding Momani's phaser, a look of triumph twisting her brutal face.

Sulu was half way across the plaza when he heard the phaser shot. He skidded to a halt and spun round. He couldn't see what had happened – the shuttle blocked his view – but he had heard Uhura scream. He was torn in two, not knowing which way to run. He had to make a decision. He flung himself back towards the shuttle, praying that Uhura and Momani were safe. He stumbled over the uneven slabs, this time not noticing the water splashing up his legs. He rounded the front of the nosecone, his breathing ragged with the sudden spurt of effort, and brought himself up sharply. Senrug was stood outside the shuttle's hatch, a phaser pointed at Uhura. He green eyes glowed confidently above the sneer on her lips. She saw Sulu reach for his phaser and in response she raised her own a little more to bring it in direct line with Uhura's head.

"Drop your weapon, Mr Sulu," she said scornfully. "I've killed your security guard. The fool shouldn't have taken his eyes off me for a second. You all clearly underestimate me. He paid the price. Don't make the same mistake."

Sulu stood panting assessing his line and of fire and Senrug's position, calculating if he could get a shot in quickly enough to save Uhura. "Do it now, or this pretty lady here goes the same way. Or," she turned the phaser nonchalantly towards him. "I could just kill you first."

Sulu swallowed hard and reluctantly complied. He tossed the phaser onto the ground to one side, biting back the words of hatred he wanted to spit as her. He watched the weapon clatter across the wet slabs.

"Well done," said Senrug patronisingly. "Now stand next to her. You're going to watch my plans come to fruition. It's a shame that divine young navigator of yours couldn't be here too. Where is he anyway?" Sulu and Uhura exchanged glances: at least Chekov's disappearance wasn't down to Senrug. "No matter…He will join me when I take my place as ruler. If he will not join me willingly then I will persuade him as I did before, only this time I will never let him go. I've been waiting for this moment for two thousand years!" she declaimed, moving cautiously away from the shuttle, keeping he weapon trained on Sulu and Uhura. She stopped and looked around the plaza in triumph. "Cyliss is greatly changed since we left. Her towers have crumbled. My people need a new leader to rise her up. The Games must continue!" She threw her arms wide, turning and calling out to all four corners of the square. "Senrug has returned! I am bringing you a new message of hope. There is a whole galaxy waiting for us to conquer. I bring you examples from a planet called Earth. They are an inventive, cunning people with fighting spirits. They will make excellent thralls. You exiled me two thousand years ago, but I forgive you. Show yourselves to me now!"

Her voice echoed around the square and died away. Complete silence answered her. No one answered her call.

"Show yourselves!" Senrug called again, her face becoming furious. "I am Senrug!" The echoes rebounded from the buildings and faded.

"There's no one there," said Uhura quietly.

Senrug spun towards her, the nostrils of her large nose flaring with incandescent rage. "No!" she screamed. "I won't accept that. They will show themselves to me!"

Uhura took a step towards her and held out her hand. Sulu watched her nervously, worried by her bravery. "We've run countless scans. The life signs are inconclusive. Give me the phaser."

Senrug looked at her hand in outrage. How dare this simpering human female presume to give her orders? "No! Cyliss is mine!" she screamed again, raising the weapon with deliberate slowness at Uhura. She fired.