STAR TREK: PHASE ONE
The PR effect
The Enterprise had successfully made it to Mars. The crew of the ship, the first humans to Mars, all took a moment to gaze out their windows, or used their monitors, to view the absolute beauty of the red planet beneath them. Doctor McCoy had entered the bridge and stood on the lower level, next to Kirk, who was sitting in the command chair.
"Well, we made it," McCoy said. "So when do the engineering teams head down?"
"Actually," Kirk said as he sipped from a cup of coffee that McCoy had brought for him, "I just spoke to Lt. Khan and he told me they will be ready to take the two shuttles down to the planet within the next two hours or so."
"Do you think Khan and his construction crews will have enough of the colony up and running in time for the Lexington's arrival next year?" McCoy asked.
"Sure," Kirk said, "with all the pre-positioned materials the Space Agency has been sending up here over the past three or four years, they should be able to get it done on time. Khan and his crew no doubt understand the time table they are on."
Uhura came down to the lower level.
"Sir," she said to Kirk, "I just received a coded message. I have transferred it to your ready room."
"Thanks, I'll check out later." Kirk said, "Have you gotten any word from Olivia yet? You know she wants to tell everyone back on Earth that she was the first person to talk to a man from mars."
"No, not yet," Uhura said with a sly look, "but you're right. I'm sure we'll get a hail any moment. If I know her, she's twisting the arm of a certain senator to get her air time at the United Space Agency complex in D.C."
At that moment Doctor Richard Daystrom came out of the turbo-lift.
"Ah," Captain Kirk said as he saw Daystrom survey the bridge area, "Welcome to Mars Dr. Daystrom."
Daystrom smiled, and then started looking around at the various stations on the bridge, which were configured with many of his duotronic advancements through the years.
"So," McCoy said to Kirk, "are you still planning on going down there when the construct-crews go?"
"Are you kidding?" Kirk asked with a smile. "The Amazonian plain, where the first automated module is already situated, and where the construct-crews are heading, is at its most clearest this part of the Martian year. The next season of wind storms isn't due for another month. I want to see this place, and all its beauty before the sandstorms arrive..."
Gary Mitchell heard Kirk's excitement, and fed off of it.
"You're still going to let me tag along, right?" Gary asked from his post.
"I don't know," Jim Kirk replied. "The last time we talked about going down there, you said you were really going so you could take a golf club and see how far you could hit a golf-ball."
"Ummmmmm, yeah?" Mitchell said. "Come on Jim, you gotta know that someday they're going to put a golf course up here. If I could get a picture of me, holding a wood, posing for a perfect shot, I could get a cover shot on Sports Illustrated."
Sulu agreed from his post, "We could put that in your media profile. I'm talking mega-Q rating rise if you could arrange that shot."
"Well," Kirk said, "I wouldn't press my luck. If the Al Gore Mars Preservation Society finds out you're up here hitting golf-balls, we might find ourselves involved with a PR nightmare."
"Commander Mitchell, who is going to take the pictures?" Sulu asked.
"I was going to have Jim take them," Gary said, "but I doubt he will now. No bother, my camera has a 15 second delay on it."
Daystrom came over to where Kirk was sitting in the command chair.
"Yes Doctor," Kirk said, "can I help you?"
Daystrom looked at the Spock unit, on the left arm of Kirk's command chair.
"I was wondering," Daystrom said, "If you could give Spock an exercise."
"Sure," Kirk said. "What would you like me to have it do?"
Daystrom thought for a moment about the preceding conversation between Kirk and Mitchell.
"Would you be so kind," Daystrom said "as to ask the Spock unit for its recommendations for the Mars landing party?"
"I don't follow." Kirk said back to Daystrom.
"Well," Daystrom said, "Someday a unit, much like Spock, may be called upon to designate which crew members would be necessary for a landing party. This is a perfect time to see what Spock would suggest."
Kirk nodded, "Very well, Doctor Daystrom, I will do what you ask." Kirk said.
With the Spock Unit on the arm of his chair to his left, Kirk pressed the inter-com switch that allowed him to interact with the advanced computer system, designed by Daystrom.
SPOCK: Spock reporting as ordered, (in the voice of James Earl Jones).
"Mister Spock," Kirk began to say, before realizing he was talking to just a computer-interface, "Spock unit, could you please give me your recommendations for augmented landing party."
SPOCK: Yes, Captain. I would select Ensign Tom Jenkins.
Kirk seemed befuddled. "Jenkins? He's just a two year cadet. Why would you have chosen him over Commander Mitchell or me?"
There was a brief pause.
SPOCK: Assigning non-essential personal is not logical. Ensign Jenkins' geological training specialty and atmosphere sciences are values. His grandfather designed the first Mars rover. These are qualities that make him more essential to the protocols of the mission; chronicling the historic nature of the mission, while having an understanding of the surface of the planet:
Before Kirk could respond, Mitchell did, and he wasn't happy.
"The planet is fricking red, that's all you have to know about it. Red and it has a lot of red rocks." Gary said to the Spock unit. "Hell, why are we even talking to you, you're just a fricking Xbox-3500 with vocal chords."
Gary stormed off and back to his post.
"Please excuse him," Kirk said to Daystrom. "He's just excited, we are all excited, having made it this far."
"No offense taken," Daystrom said. "Though, I do not believe the United Nations sent us up here to hit golf-balls with the taxpayer's money."
With that Daystrom headed up to the turbo-lift, and left the bridge.
"You know me Jim, I think Gary's full of hot air most of the time," McCoy said, "but that man, Doctor Daystrom, is a head case."
Kirk looked at McCoy and shook his head.
"Doctor Daystrom is a genius," Kirk said in defense of Daystrom. "I'm sure he understands the humanity of the mission." Then Kirk turned toward the Spock unit. "Spock unit," Kirk said, "please classify the inclusion of Doctor Daystrom on the mission to Mars crew roster, since we have already been trained on how to run your basic programming; Would he not be considered non-essential personal?"
There was a pause.
SPOCK: I have not been programmed to comment on such inquiries. Please direct this question to Doctor Richard Daystrom.
"Was that response entirely unexpected?" McCoy asked.
Sulu, who had heard the entire exchange, pivoted his chair to face Kirk and McCoy. "That is a peculiar response. I bet it has specific programming to prevent detailed questioning as to its operation platform."
McCoy nodded. "Maybe," McCoy said, "but if that thing is going to have access to our personal files, then we should be able to pull back the 'wizard's curtain' and see how it works too."
His point made, McCoy headed off of the bridge via the Turbo-lift.
Kirk looked at the Spock unit, then back to Gary.
"Let's go Commander Mitchell," Kirk said, trying to liven up the tension. "We have a date with the planet Mars."
Gary looked at Kirk with a slight look of anger in his eyes.
"Can I bring my driver or not?" Gary asked.
Kirk smiled. "You better believe it."
Two hours later, two Omega-class landing craft exited the Enterprise's hanger-deck, and headed down to the planet below. The human adventure, on Mars, had just begun.
Continued…and very soon things are going to go sideways...can you say "Romulans?"