The fifth mission I will sing in blank verse
to honor all the witches of our seas
for ten is five by two with stress reversed
so too we seek dynamic harmony
in song and solemn death, in life, in course
that grief may find relief in time passing
that time may give small blessing and diverse
friends, companions, love, t'hy'la- sing.
The Captain and his crew embarked upon
a mission to explore a planet's crest
scanners aboard showed indications of
new forms of life within volcanic vents
The ridge of fire encircling the planet
gave blackest soil for mold-like grass to grow
and trees like giant mushrooms rose above
small dusty spores like snowy flies enclothed
the air, diffracting light to opal snow
insects ate spores, birds ate insects and mold
while nentaufors grazed without enemy
The spores, mold, fungus trees were toxic to
most Terran, Vulcan, tlhIngan biology
But Madeleine had strange immun'ty to
the opalescent air, so joined the team
of Captain, Sulu, Keenser, Ensign Yok
They wandered in the chitin walled forest
when suddenly they spied beyond a rock
a shimm'ring, gleaming dome- someone within
Jim cursed, then ducked and motioned them to crouch
while he went to investigate the shield
For shield it was, a tlhIngan prototype
long discontinued for its energy
drained ship, and did not let the warbirds fire
useless except in dire emergency
Jim looked within and saw a house, a yard
a gate, a fence, a field gone wild to seed
he looked again and thought he could discern
a tlhIngan woman, warriguls at her feet
a herd of tangqa', sargh, and lazing vlghro',
Da'nal, borghel, cha'bIp, cha'par, cha'qu'
all flittering and fluttering to feast
singing their songs so sweet to tlhIngan ears
The woman had not noticed his presence
the warriguls caught not his scent through shield
he slipped away, in his mind resolving
to leave alone the tlhIngan haven sealed
Spock from above continued their research
science officers a-humming at the helm
delight lighting their faces for they found
a clue to proteome evolution
But things can never go as planned with Jim
the universe seemed bent to throw his way
obstacles and twists, Herculean labors
to mold a bitter greatness from his clay
Sulu grabbed Keenser, dove under the mold
the others hid, bewildered but soon they
heard tlhIngan grunts, war cry, shouted curses
"You are a witch! You'll burn, you'll die, you'll pay!
You cast my soldiers into squealing targh!
You turned my wife into vem'eq and stay
behind your veqlargh shield- Qun smash your house
and when you die may vermin eat your skin!"
He fired on the shield but the shots bounced
directly back, he used his sword to break
the barrier but it stood firm and froze
the glitt'ring sword to ashen rust and slate
He used his fists to pound against the walls
he screamed his wrath, spores swirling round his head
he tore his suit, his mask, his hands and clawed
the shimm'ring surface that mercilessly stayed
impassive, silent, closed to his demands
each breath he took brought spores into his lungs
to bloom to mold and grass within the blood
each mucus surface, eyes, lips, nose and tongue
grew fungus sliming green, blue, yellow, pink
and when it seemed all life had left his eyes
and blackest mold covered him like a beard
the witch opened her door and took his sword
cut off his arm and dragged his body in
she turned to face the ten tlhIngan soldiers
"If you have face, come witness what I'll do
if you are loyal, follow your dear general
into my house, else take your honor to
Qo'NoS, the cursed darkened planet of home-
At least my targh are free to choose to roam."
Then Cirqce turned, the soldiers followed snared
she wove a spell into her very words
for they were tired, homesick, heartsick, helpless
of vendetta their general led them to
and as each passed the barrier of the shield
each turned into a tlhIngan creature gold
Jim understood all those under the seal
once were tlhIngan in body, mind, and soul
But why should he take pains to interfere
in tlhIngan troubles, why should he upset
the conflict balanced twixt witch and warrior
why should he risk his own and his crew's neck
They might leave now, for witch so powerful
is bound to know of their presence and yet
she let them be, did not compel them to
follow into her veqlargh fields of sargh.
Jim looked into the eyes of all his crew
knowing that each wondered what he'd do next
The ensign was afraid, Sulu was grim
he'd follow his captain to any death
even a death forgetting his human
ambitions, dreams, for one standing four-legged
Madeleine, taking Keenser's hand they stood
rough skin to skin and nodded their assent
Jim set Sulu and Madeleine to stand guard
while Keenser took his readings of the shield
then Jim, ensign and Keenser beamed back up
to analyze the data from the field
They told to Spock and Scotty all they saw
Spock saw the wall of will behind Jim's eyes
Jim could not leave his enemies to live
lives unchosen, for life is not a prize
of games of war, or vengeance, or dislike
While Scotty, Keenser, Bones marveled at the
device allowing Cirqce to transform
tough tlhIngan flesh to wing, scale, hoof, and horn
Spock spoke to Jim of how to best approach
this tlhIngan woman wild as wind and thorn
"You're certain that the herds and birds were free?
They were not illusions? They flew, they grazed?"
"They all looked happy, healthy, content to
continue all their days in her domain.
At first I thought her house was a place of
shelter for all the people who lived there
the warriguls had joy in their dark eyes
tails wagging as they followed her around
the vlghro' weren't afraid of them instead
they strolled with ease and napped in the cool shade
the sargh and tangqa' stayed in different fields
the targh took baths in dirt and dug for roots
I can't believe that all of them were once
tlhIngan soldiers, turned just for trying to
find their comrades. I would have done the same."
"Captain! We've found the little bugger that
will change the tlhIngan folk to beast. You see
the readings show a spike of dhuoNoR rays
which used to be the way their transporters,
until they improved their technology,
operated, and she's fine tuned it most
ingeniously- it rearranges their
skeleton, the whole entire anatomy
according to the types she's programmed but
there's just one thing." "Jim, there's no telling if
it can preserve personality of
the tlhIngans it chews up and spits out to
cows and pigs. We might be looking at a
bunch of rewritten tlhInganian sheep."
"Doctor, I am inclined to disagree"
("Of course you are" Bones said'n amusement)
"The captain stated all the people on
her grounds showed normal signs and wide range of
behavior. I believe the witch Cirqce
has certain rules and boundaries that she
upholds in personal integrity.
She did not leave the general's body
to be eaten with mold and lie rotting.
She invited the soldiers to enter in
her small haven, instead of forcing to
report back to Qo'NoS head bowed, dishonored
They walked to her domain knowing full well
the fate that lie ahead, and they too knew
she'd honor their desire to be a person
be seen for what they are, not what they do.
They were not bewitched, tricked, or enchanted
their general would have told them of her wiles
Nyota says there have been quiet whispers
in tlhIngan space, of Circqe's hidden isle.
More than this, I know- all living things have
minds, it is the beauty, of life's great range
in species life's produced. All life has signs
we often cannot read it, or discern
the language it may use. If the tlhIngan
soldiers are restored, they will retain all
personality. Being changed in form
does not imply a complete loss of agency.
If life is given freedom it will choose.
If not, do what it needs to stay alive."
"Spock, that's a huge leap in deduction there.
You don't know really if they chose to go
You don't know really if she lets them be-
she could make them happy by lobotomy
and even if every person can feel
each species' bodies adapted to deal
with their surroundings and we have developed
specific structures for memory and time.
I'm not saying that we are the better
I'm saying that we were born to this kind
to this body, this place, to this moment
and with it, hold our own problems we seek
to resolve. The tlhIngans are war-weary
but so are we. They have to live their own life
to see, how everything turns in the end."