As a special bonus…. I'm going to… post 3 chapters this week ^_^
Season 2 next week.
And still don't own star trek
Episode 1-29 Operation: Annihilate!
They had received an insane message from Deneva and had moved to help but received no transmissions after the initial one. Kirk instructed Uhura to try a private transmitter frequency and requested an evaluation from Spock. "As I speculated, Captain, the overall pattern of mass insanity destroying civilisations follows an almost straight line through this section of the galaxy. Over here the Beta Portilin system the ancient civilisations. Archaeologists have given us information indicating that they were the beginning. Two hundred years ago, Levinius Five was swept by mass insanity, then Theta Cygni Twelve. The last was Ingraham B, two years ago."
Kirk said "And next in line, Deneva. Bones, what's your theory about the cause of all this?" McCoy had no scientific answer for it and Kirk replied again "But it follows a definite pattern, a systematic progression from planet to planet." Sulu informed them that they had found a ship heading directly into the sun. they tried to intercept and contact the ship.
They got too close as well, trying to save the person and the pilot finally communicated. "I did it. It's finally gone. I'm free. I'm" he said before he burned up. They headed back to Deneva and Kirk asked why the ship headed deliberately into the sun. McCoy speculated that the insanity had reached the planet.
Uhura was still trying to contact on the personal frequency and McCoy mentioned that Kirk's brother and brother's family was stationed on the planet. Uhura finally managed to make contact after Spock confirmed that the planet had no federation contacts for over a year. "Please hurry. Help us. I don't have much time. They'll know. Please! Please help us" came over the com.
"Aurelan, this is Jim on the Enterprise. Repeat your message." Kirk said. Uhura let him know that the contact was broken and Kirk told her to reestablish. When she said she couldn't he got frustrated and she told him that they stopped broadcasting and did not acknowledge their contact signal.
McCoy asked who the woman wa and Kirk answered "Yes. You were right a while back. My brother Sam lives on Deneva. He's a research biologist. That woman sounded like his wife Aurelan." Saya felt for him. Another hard mission with high chance of heartbreak.
Spock prepared to beam down to the surface, Saya was to take the role of a Yeoman and get the transcript of everything that happened. She stayed with Spock as reported to the transporter room. " has had no further response to our signals. Sensors report the expected number of humans on the planet surface. However, they are strangely quiet. Very little activity." Spock informed Kirk.
She had been given a phaser and hoped her phaser training would not be needed this time. They got ready to beam down and as soon as they were on the planet's surface they started moving, looking for anyone. The place was beautiful but far too quiet. Kirk commented "There are almost a million inhabitants of Deneva. There's more than one hundred thousand in this city alone. Where is everyone?"
Spock ran his tricorder and informed Kirk that the people were in the buildings and strangely quiet. Kirk pointed out his brothers lab and they started walking to it. Saya heard some shouting and Spock pointed out the people approaching. Saya wondered why they were shouting "Go back! Get away! We don't want to hurt you! Go back! Get out of here. Go on, get away! Go away! Get out of here! We don't want to hurt you."
Kirk noticed and commented to Spock about it after the group was stunned by the phasers. McCoy checked them out and said "There's something wrong, Jim. Their nervous systems. Unconscious like this, there should be just routine autonomic activity, but I'm getting a very high reading, as though even in their unconscious state, they're being violently stimulated."
They heard a woman scream and Kirk ordered the security men to follow. They ran to the scream to find a woman almost hysterical and a man and boy unconscious on the floor. Kirk held her, giving her a bearhug to try and calm her. McCoy sedated her and then asked if the man was his brother. The man was dead, the boy still alive but unconscious. They were in fact Kirk's brother's family.
McCoy, Kirk and the family beamed back to the ship and Spock took charge of the landing party. They kept looking but found nothing. The group they had stunned when arriving was gone when they came back out. Kirk beamed back down to the planet and asked for a report. Spock reported what they had come across and that they were going to check out the buzzing sound next.
"All right. Let's go find out what it is. Set your phasers on force three, to kill. We're looking for some kind of creature, and we already know it will kill." Kirk ordered. They followed the sound for a bit and Saya kept her tricorder running to be able to document everything. Suddenly some gooey looking creature detached from a wall and flew around.
Everyone ducked and on Kirk's order they formed a ring and fired. After a prolonged burst from a phaser one of them fell. "Incredible. Not only should it have been destroyed by our phasers, it does not even register on my tricorder." The guard said that it didn't even look real and Spock said "It is not life as we know or understand it. Yet it is obviously alive, it exists. Captain, I suggest we risk taking it aboard."
Kirk looked around then said "It's too close in here. It may be a trap in here. Let's move out." They started for the stairs again and the creature flew up, landing on Spock's back. Kirk shouted his name and they for a few moments wrestle to get the creature off of Spock's back. Saya watched him closely as they walked to the open and beamed back to the ship. She was quite concerned but didn't know what to do.
As soon as they returned she followed Spock to sickbay and borrowed a P.A.D.D. from McCoy to write her transcript. She worked diligently and still watched over Spock in concern. After an initial examination McCoy decided to try and do surgery to remove what had been embedded in Spock's back. Saya was sent to the outer room and tried to concentrate on the task as she waited and worried.
McCoy came out and told her she could sit with Spock and she did, continuing to work on her report. Saya looked at him in deep concern when he started saying "No! No! No, I won't" Saya tried to ask what it was and noted the pain in his voice. Spock simply got up and left. Saya tried to keep up with him but had to jog as it seemed he was trying to out walk her.
Saya moved to get on the turbolift but Spock managed to close it before she could. Confused and very concerned Saya waited for it to clear. Nurse Chapel followed and Saya went with her and saw 4 crewmen doing their best to pin Spock down. McCoy took a hypo from Chapel and moved to sedate him. Spock finally calmed and they took him back to sickbay and kept him under restraints. Saya stayed with him.
Kirk came to sickbay and McCoy showed him the K3 indicator. "The K3 indicator registers the level of pain. Watch as I turn it on. That's what he's been going through. I've never seen anything like it. No wonder the poor devils go mad." Saya wanted to cry at that, she didn't want anyone in that kind of pain, even less .
Spock opened his eyes and greeted McCoy and Kirk. "These restraints will no longer be necessary. Nor will your sedatives, Doctor. I'll be able to return to duty. I apologise for my weakness earlier when I tried to take control of the ship. I simply did not understand." Spock said in a measured tone. It was better but still hinted at his pain. Kirk asked what Spock didn't understand and Spock explained. "I am a Vulcan, Doctor. Pain is a thing of the mind. The mind can be controlled."
Saya wondered how true it was and Kirk mentioned that he was half human and asked after that half of him. "It is proving to be an inconvenience, but it is manageable. And the creature, with all of its thousands of parts, even now is pressuring me. It wants this ship, but I am resisting." Spock answered and Saya watched with the others as the pain indicator skyrocketed again.
Kirk asked if it was possible and McCoy said he didn't know. Kirk told him "I need you, Spock, but we can't take any chances. We'll keep you confined for a while longer. If you can maintain control, we'll see." Kirk soon left and Saya watched Spock.
After both men had left the room Spock started saying "I am a Vulcan. I am a Vulcan. There is no pain." Saya wanted to know if she could help but before she could ask Spock broke the restraints on one side. Saya watched him for a moment and removed the restraints on the other. She knew she could get in trouble for it but this time Spock felt safe… He felt in control.
Saya walked with him as he got a collection container and went to the transporter room. Scotty said he thought Spock was still confined to Sickbay and Spock said he was. Saya didn't know if there was anything she could do to help. Spock ordered Scotty to beam him down to the previous coordinates and Scotty said that the captain had ordered no one to transport down.
Something in Spock's posture said that he didn't want her to get involved so she stood to the side as Spock neck pinched Scotty's assistant after pushing Scotty out of the way. Scotty trained his phaser on Spock after getting up and called the captain. Kirk arrived and said that he gave Spock an order to stay in Sickbay. Turning to Saya he demanded to know why she didn't do anything about it.
Saya quietly said that she was unsure of the steps she was supposed to take. Spock replied that the orders were to stay until the pain was gone and he had discontinued it. Spock then explained "One of the creatures will have to be captured and analysed, Captain. We did not have a clear opportunity to do so earlier when I was attacked. Since my nervous system is already affected, as you pointed out, Doctor, I don't believe they can do much more to me."
McCoy complained about Spock not being in bed though he should be. "I am in complete control of myself, Doctor. The fact that I am here proves that I do not belong in bed."
Kirk examined Spock for a moment before saying " , your logic, as usual, is inescapable. Beam him down. Stay in constant touch with us. Give him your phaser. He'll need that, too." Spock thanked him and Saya waved him off as he beamed down. Kirk turned to Saya who had already left the room and followed.
"We need to get you educated in how to respond in those situations." Kirk told her.
"Not necessarily sir. I knew he was going against the rules. I even helped him get out of the restraints. Besides, i believe plausible deniability still exists." At Kirk's shocked look Saya held up a hand and continued "I could feel him in control of himself. That time he wasn't dangerous. I don't know what to call it by my mind can process information that I just don't have access to. I know what I know and go with it. He was doing something for the good of all despite the pain. I can not stand in the way of that and I knew he was the only one able to do it."
Kirk blinked a few times before saying "I believe you have spent a bit too much time with , you are starting to sound like him." Saya grinned saying thank you and McCoy told her to just not forget her emotions.
Spock returned and Saya followed Kirk to the lab Spock was working in. Before they could get there Kirk ordered Saya to return to her quarters and work on any assignments Spock had arranged for her. Saya reluctantly went knowing in part he was upset with her going against his command. Remembering the thing with Captain Pike she wondered if she had gotten in over her head this time.
Spock picked her up a short time later and took her to the lab where she heard Spock and McCoy discuss the thing. After quite some time and many tests neither had come up with an answer. They returned to the captain and Spock requested to beam down with Kirk's nephew so they could be destroyed with the planet. Kirk denied the request, determined that there must be an answer.
When he mentioned that something in the sun had worked suddenly it clicked in Saya. "None of the people were out in the light more than necessary. The creatures stayed in shadows too. It may be weird but could it be light?" The three men looked at her a moment then excitedly started talking about the possibility. They quickly decided to rig a test cubical up and test the specimen.
As they were leaving Kirk stopped Saya. "If Spock were anything other than loyal and good you would be in trouble. As it is, be careful, you may get in more trouble than you can handle someday. Not today though, today I might put you in for a recommendation if this works."
Saya smiled "I know, but if he wasn't him I would know." She answered confidently. Kirk just smiled as they walked out wondering where this path would lead her.
They went to the lab and Spock did the calculations as McCoy did the preparations. Soon Kirk joined them and Saya stood in the background as they worked. McCoy instructed them to put on their masks and Spock handed one to her. Holding it over her eyes she hoped with everything in her that it would work. After a few seconds they checked it and found the cell dead.
They discussed the live test of someone infected and Spock of course volunteered. McCoy demanded "Do you know what one million candlelight per square inch can do to your optic nerves?" Saya could guess that would be blindness and Kirk said that it needed done. McCoy wanted to rig up protective goggles but Spock and Kirk disagreed, as there wouldn't be them on the planet's surface. McCoy was forced to agree and Spock entered the chamber.
It only took a few seconds and they opened the door. Saya quietly asked "are you alright?" At the same time Kirk did.
"The creature within me is gone. I am free of it and the pain." Spock walked out of the room and straight into a table. "And I'm also quite blind. An equitable trade, Doctor. Thank you." Saya took his elbow and guided him to a chair among the concerned looks of Kirk and Bones. Nurse Chapel came in to show McCoy the results of the first test and they discovered that the whole spectrum of light was not needed.
Kirk and McCoy felt the guilt over blinding Spock when it wasn't necessary but Spock said it was his selection as well. Kirk returned to the bridge telling Bones to take care of Spock and Saya volunteered for that job. McCoy let her lead Spock back to his quarters where she asked if he wanted to play a mental game of chess.
They did for quite a while and he still beat her every game. "I'm amazed that you could keep all that in your mind at once. Maybe I should learn some of your mental exercises to help my mind get better." She said with a smile as she started resetting the pieces again. Feeling his eyes on her she looked up to see him staring at her. The smile disappeared, replaced with a look of concern as she examined him.
Spock was seeing the colors that he currently equated with Saya's hair and realized that his eyes were starting to focus as his vision returned. He stared at her, examining every detail as she asked him if he was alright. At his 'yes' he saw her smile and his lip twitched as well. "I believe my sight is returning."
Saya grinned and bounced in her seat happily "You're kidding… well Vulcans don't joke so that's not possible and you don't lie and you don't prank so you have to be seriously serious! That's amazing! How!?" She asked excitedly.
They got up and walked to sickbay for McCoy to examine his eyesight and he explained it as they returned to the bridge. Spock promptly started for his station and Kirk stopped him commenting on his ability to see. McCoy explained. "The blindness was temporary, Jim. There's something about his optical nerves which aren't the same as a human's."
"An hereditary trait, Captain. The brightness of the Vulcan sun has caused the development of an inner eyelid, which acts as a shield against high-intensity light. Totally instinctive, Doctor. We tend to ignore it, as you ignore your own appendix." Spock finished.
" . Regaining eyesight would be an emotional experience for most. You, I presume, felt nothing?" Kirk asked teasing.
Spock looked at Saya for a moment before answering "Quite the contrary, Captain. I had a very strong reaction."
Kirk looked at Saya briefly before smiling and saying "then I think it's time to go to starbase 10."
Bones went to Kirk saying under his breath "Unusual eye arrangement. I might've known he'd turn up with something like that." When Kirk asked what he said Bones as quietly as possible said "I said, please don't tell Spock I said he was the best first officer in the fleet."
Spock turned around and thanked McCoy and Kirk said "You've been so concerned about his Vulcan eyes, Doctor, you forgot about his Vulcan ears." Saya saw the almost cocky look Spock had and wanted to giggle.
As they went to dinner Saya asked something she had wanted to know for a while. "With as much information as your mind holds, how is it you don't have layouts memorized?" Spock quirked an eyebrow and she smiled "LIke this." She said as she walked into the mess hall with her eyes closed, navigated to the replicators, got her food and carefully walked to the table they usually sat at.
Spock watched her then joined her at the table. "Fascinating." He said as he put his tray down. Saya shrugged "when i was young and started having my eyes go bad the optometrist explained it to me in such a way that I thought I would go blind so I practiced. I may get lost going to less used parts of the ship but I could likely navigate any room, i've been in, decently."
Spock watched her for a few moments as he thought then replied "I have never needed to practice that skill, therefore I never learned it." They finished their meal with minimal chatter as Spock continued to observe Saya. Saya for her part was used to it so it didn't really bother her but she did notice him looking at her more than usual. she choose not to ask about it.
*END*