STAR TREK: PHASE ONE

We Push On PART TWO

Space City:

Captain Kirk could tell right off why Lt. Uhura was, seemingly, in sheer heaven. The large City in Space they had come to was, for all intents and purposes, a large mall. It didn't seem really important to her that they were in the company of, at least, fifty or sixty different sentient alien life forms, and literally hundreds of them, as the Enterprise landing party, Kirk-McCoy and Uhura, walked about the large facility.

Kirk handed them each something that appeared to be popsicles. He had given the strange looking alien, which resembled a walking pig and was selling them, some coins he had accidentally left in his shirt pocket.

"These are actually pretty good," McCoy said. "It has to be made from some kind of fruit."

"Doctor," Uhura said, "do you think it is safe to eat the food here? I don't know about you, but I've had some bad bouts of food poisoning in my time, and that was with food from Earth."

"I'm not promising it won't happen," McCoy said, "but as they say," McCoy said motioning to what appeared to be alien children walking with a parent and enjoying their own popsicles, "when in Rome…"

"On that subject," Uhura said to Kirk, "What about those Romulans we encountered Captain? Do you think they're from Earth?" She asked.

Kirk was about to reply when suddenly Uhura's eyes got wider.

"Look," She said excitedly, "a shoe store!"

Uhura darted away from McCoy and Kirk and into the shoe store.

"Some things never change," Kirk said. "Women and shoe stores, you gotta love them."

"Now that is a sexist comment," McCoy said as he shook his head. "You could be put on report for saying something like that."

"Oh shut up," Kirk said. "Look there, next to the shoe store; that looks like a bookstore."

"I doubt they're going to have anything you can read," McCoy said in a dry tone.

"Maybe not, but look at the book in the window display, towards the back," Kirk said as he pointed at the window.

"Looks like a book of star maps," McCoy said.

"It's strange, in the time that we have been here that we've just been accepted as just another alien species walking around a crowded mall. Makes you wonder why Earth has never detected this much life in space. Isn't it cool to find out that there is a variable sea of life out here?"

"Look there," McCoy said. "Those two over there are wearing the same kind of uniform the Romulan we saw earlier was wearing. They even have the same kind of helmets."

"Let's go over there and introduce ourselves." Kirk said. "I'd like to know where they are from."

Mars

Captain Terrell and Lt. Chekov were taken, by force, toward one of the other warehouses in the distance. Their captors said not a word. And when Terrell tried to speak with Chekov, to make sure she was okay, a fist was planted into the Captain's face, causing blood to be drawn.

Terrell could only guess as to who the hooded people were. But none of the guesses made any sense. Finally they were brought into the warehouse. Both Terrell and Chekov were forced to their knees. There was nothing Terrell or Chekov could do as the upper parts of their space suits were ripped apart, and then totally off, exposing Terrell's muscular torso from waist up, and Chekov's equally in shape body, including her small sized breasts.

"Who are you?" Terrell demanded.

Their captors all stood back, and spoke not a single word.

"Are you okay?" Terrell asked Chekov. He was really proud of her bravery.

"Yes sir, I am fine," she replied. "My Grandfather told me the stories of his Grandfather's beatings at the hands of Stalin's men. My family has endured far worse than this."

Terrell looked back to the silent group of hooded figures who had captured them. The blood that had came from Terrell's had dried.

"Would you please tell us what you want?" Terrell asked.

One of the captors stepped forward. This one also wore a dark colored Turban that covered the dark cloth mask that covered his face. The man took the Turban off, handed to another person. Then the man took off cloth mask; it was Commander Khan. He had a very strong presence about him; it was a mixture of pride and anger. The man nodded his head and two of the captors behind Terrell and Chekov, lifted the two up to their feet. Khan came over and stood very close to Terrell. Khan studied the black man's face.

"I don't know who are," Khan said to Terrell.

"My name is Captain Joseph Terrell," Terrell replied. "I trained exclusively at the California camp, so we would have never met, Commander. Khan," Terrell said. "Now listen. I demand you let us go before this becomes more of a problem than it already is."

Khan smiled. "You are in the position to demand nothing; Captain Joseph Terrell."

With that said, Khan took two steps to his left and stood before Chekov. Khan let his eyes look over her nice toned body, and her soft breasts. He then locked eyes with Chekov.

"I never forget a face," Khan said. "Lt. Chekov. Why are you not with Kirk?"

"The Reliant needed some crew augmentations," Chekov said. "I was assigned to the Reliant."

Khan nodded his head, and looked genuinely disappointed.

"Then I am sorry for you, Nadya," Khan said to her. "It is most unfortunate that someone who really wasn't supposed to be on the Reliant has to endure what is to come."

"What do you mean by that?" Terrell asked.

Khan gave Terrel a perplexed look.

"You mean, they didn't tell you what really happened up here?" Khan asked. "Now I am really upset for the both of you. I almost feel guilty."

Khan walked away from them and over to what appeared to be a fish aquarium. But instead of fish floating around, the aquarium had no water and was halfway filled with Martian sand.

"This aquarium," Khan said as he smiled and looked back at Terrell and Chekov, "is the home of an indigenous life form on Mars."

Khan reached down at the table where the aquarium sat and lifted up a metal rod and a hand held grasping device which was usually used on repairs. He opened up the aquarium and stuck the metal rod into the sand, and then the sand began to move. There was a creature inside the sand. Khan used the grasp and caught the creature by the neck. Khan lifted the creature out.

The creature looked somewhat like a scorpion on Earth, but much more intimidating. It was nearly the size of Khan's forearm.

Gary Mitchell piloted the shuttle down through the turbulence. The raging sandstorm made it nearly impossible to see. Behind him, in the passenger area, sat four security guards who were each armed to the hilt.

As the shuttle descended through the whirling sand, Gary could finally see the other shuttle parked on the pad. He expertly landed the second shuttle next to it. And then he had a vision; but this one wasn't of Chekov, it was...of a baby being butchered. And then Gary snapped out of it.

Continued…