"The distress call came from a solar system in this sector." "Can you pinpoint it?" "It was so garbled all we got was the name "Constellation"." "Sir, we're now within the limits of system L-370, but I can't locate..." "Captain, sensors show this entire solar system has been destroyed." "Nothing left but rubble and asteroids." "But that's incredible." "The star in this system is still intact." "Only a nova could destroy like that." "Nonetheless, sensors show nothing but debris where we charted seven planets last year." " Continue a search pattern." " Aye, aye, sir." "Entering limits of system L-374, sir." "Scanners show the same evidence of destruction." "Every solar system in this sector blasted to rubble and still no sign of the Constellation." "Matt Decker's in command." "The two innermost planets of this system appear intact." " Sir, a ship's disaster beacon." " Try to raise it." "I have it on the sensors." "By configuration, a starship." "She appears to be drifting." "No answer." "All I get is the beacon." "Sensors not recording normal energy output." "Approach course, Mr Sulu." "It's the Constellation." "Look at that." "She may have been wrecked by whatever destroyed solar systems." "She was attacked." "Red Alert." "Man your battle stations." "Red alert." "Red alert." "Man your battle stations." "Space - the final frontier." "These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise." "Its five-year mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." " Mr Sulu?" " All phaser banks ready." "lnitiate full sensor scan of the area for any other vessel." "I can't raise the Constellation, sir." "Subspace interference is blocking the signal." "Keep trying." "Evaluation of the damage to the Constellation." "Power plants dead, reserve energy banks operative at a very low level." " Life support systems?" " Also operative at a low power level." "The bridge is uninhabitable." "The rest of the ship seems able to sustain life." " Radiation levels?" " Normal, but readings are difficult." "No other vessels in the area." "All scanners show clear." "All hands, Yellow Alert." "Stand by battle stations." "Have Dr McCoy, Mr Scott and a damage control party report to me in the transporter room." " Mr Spock, you're in command." " Acknowledged." " Radiation level normal." " Filtration systems are out, sir." "The whole communication system is shorted out, too." "See if the phaser banks have been fired." "Bones, come with me." "What a mess." "No clutter." "Whatever happened didn't happen without a warning." " What do you think did it, sir?" " l don't know, lad." "But I want a full structural damage check and I'm going to have a look at those engines." "The crew wasn't abducted, they just left." "Kirk to Enterprise." " Enterprise, Spock here." " No survivors, no bodies either." "Could they have beamed down to a planet?" "Improbable." "The inner planet has a surface temperature of molten lead." "The other's atmosphere is poisonous." "We'll continue our search." "Kirk out." "Captain, I've checked the engines." "The warp drive is a pile of junk." "The impulse engines are not too badly off." " Phaser banks?" " Exhausted." "Where are they?" "Decker wouldn't abandon ship while life support systems were operative." "Computer system is still intact." "We can play back the captain's log." "Matt." "Matt, it's Jim Kirk." "Commodore?" "Commodore Decker?" "Matt." "Kirk. it's Jim Kirk." "What happened to your ship, Matt?" "A ship..." " Attacked." "That thing." " What was it?" "That..." "Answer me!" "What was it?" "What happened, Matt?" "Jim, give him a minute." "He's in shock." "Ready with the duplicate log, sir." "Go." "Captain's log, stardate 4202.1." "Subspace interference still prevents our contacting Starfleet to inform them of the destroyed solar systems." "We are now entering system L-374." "Science officer Masada reports the fourth planet breaking up." " We are going to investigate." " The fourth planet." "Only two left now." "Scotty, beam the microtapes to Spock." "I want a full report of what happened when they went in on that planet." "We tried to contact Starfleet." "No one heard." "No one!" "We couldn't run." " What happened to your crew?" " l had to beam them down." "We were dead." "No power, our phasers useless." "I stayed behind." "The captain, the last man aboard the ship." "That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it?" "And then it hit again and the transporter went out." "There they were down there and I'm up here." "What hit?" "What attacked you?" "They say there's no devil, Jim, but there is." " Right out of hell. I saw it." " Matt, where's your crew?" " On the third planet." " There is no third planet." "Don't you think I know that?" "There was, but not any more." "They called me." "They begged me for help, 400 of them." "I couldn't. I couldn't..." "Captain, Washburn has a report." "We made a complete check on structural and control damage." "Something crashed through the deflectors and knocked out the generators." "The antimatter in the warp drive pods has been deactivated." "Scotty, could some kind of general energy dampening field do that and would it account for the subspace interference?" "That all adds up, but what sort of a thing could do all that?" "If you'd seen it, you'd know." "The whole thing's a weapon, it must be." "What does it look like?" "It's miles long, with a maw that could swallow a dozen starships." "It destroys planets, chops them into rubble." "What is it, an alien ship?" "Or is it alive..." " Both or neither. I don't know." " Matt." "Your log stated that the fourth planet was breaking up." "We saw this thing over the planet, slicing out chunks with a force beam." " What kind of a beam?" " Pure antiproton." "Absolutely pure!" " Kirk here." " Spock here." "Unable to raise Starfleet Command due to heavy subspace interference." "What about the Constellation?" "She was attacked by what appears to be a robot, an automated weapon of immense size and power." "Its apparent function is to smash planets to rubble and digest the debris for fuel." "It is therefore self-sustaining as long as there are planets to feed on." "A robot weapon that purposely destroys entire solar systems." "Why?" "Unknown." "However, Mr Sulu has computed the path of the machine, using the destroyed solar systems as a base course." "Projecting back on our star charts, we find it came from another galaxy." "What is the projected course of this thing?" "If it follows its present path, it will go through the most densely populated section of our galaxy." "Thank you." "Stand by, Mr Spock." "Kirk out." "This whole thing's incredible." "A robot?" " Who would build a machine like that?" " We don't know." " An alien race from another galaxy." " But why?" "Bones, did you ever hear of a doomsday machine?" "No. I'm a doctor, not a mechanic." "It's a weapon built primarily as a bluff, never meant to be used." "So strong it could destroy both sides in a war." "Something like the old H-bomb was supposed to be." "That's what I think this is." "A doomsday machine that somebody used in a war uncounted years ago." "They don't exist any more, but the machine is still destroying." "Forget about your theories!" "That thing is on the way to our galaxy." " What are you going to do about it?" " Get you back to the Enterprise." " l'm not leaving my ship!" " lt's a dead hulk!" "We'll take her in tow." "I'll stay on board and get her ready." "Go back to the Enterprise with the doctor and let him help you." "It's just that I never lost a command before." "Kirk to Enterprise." "Have the transporter room beam Dr McCoy and Commodore Decker on board immediately." " Red Alert!" "Red Alert." " Come on." "It came up on us fast, but we seem able to maintain our distance." "We're blind here." "What's it look like?" "It looks very much like Commodore Decker's planet killer." "And it is pursuing us." "We are more manoeuvrable, but it is gaining on us." "Sensors indicate some kind of total conversion drive." "No evidence of life, subspace interference level incredibly high." "Whatever it is, we can't let it go beyond us to the next solar system." "If it's a robot, what are the chances of deactivating it?" "None." "The energy generated by our power nacelles attracts it." "I doubt we could manoeuvre close enough without drawing an attack." "The nature of this machine precludes easy access to control mechanisms." " lt's closing on us, Mr Spock." " Closing, Captain." "Lower your deflector screens long enough to beam us aboard." "Transporter room, beam party aboard." "Ready to beam, sir." "Evasive action, Mr Sulu." "Damage report, all stations." " The transporter's out." " Effect repairs." "Captain Kirk?" "We've been attacked." "Transporter is damaged." "Mr Spock, communications damaged." "Damage in communications..." "Spock?" "Come in, Spock." "Spock?" " We're stuck, blind and deaf." " And paralysed." "No power." "We just can't stand around." "Get me some manoeuvring power." " l can't repair warp drive." " Then get me impulse power." "If we get this hulk moving, maybe we can do something." " l might coax the impulse engines." " Then get moving." "Washburn, let's see what we can do about this viewing screen." "I've got to find out what's happening." "No casualties, Mr Spock." "How are we doing?" " We have outrun it, Doctor." " Status report." "Impulse and warp engines operative, transporter and communications under repair." "Random chance has operated in our favour." "In plain, non-Vulcan, English, we've been lucky." "I believe I said that, Doctor." "It's veering off, back on course for the next solar system." "The Rigel colony, sir." "Evidently programmed to ignore anything as small as a ship." "We'll circle back to pick up the captain." "You can't let it reach Rigel." "Millions would die." "I am aware of Rigel's population, but we are only one ship." "Our shields are strained, our subspace transmitter useless." "Our primary duty is to survive in order to warn Starfleet Command." "Our primary duty is to maintain the safety of Federation planets." "Do you deny that?" "Mr Sulu, you will lay in an evasive course back to the Constellation." "Belay that last order, helmsman." "180 degree turn, hard about." "We're going to attack." "You will carry out my last order, Mr Sulu." "Mr Spock, I am officially notifying you that I'm exercising my option under regulations as a Starfleet commodore and assuming command of the Enterprise." "You have that right, but I would advise against it." " That thing must be destroyed." " You tried to destroy it once before." "The result was a wrecked ship and a dead crew." "I made a mistake then." "We were too far away." "This time I'm going to hit it with full phasers at point blank range." "The object's hull is solid neutronium." "A single ship cannot combat it." "That will be all." "You have been relieved of command." "Don't force me to relieve you of duty as well." " You can't let him do this, Spock." " Doctor, you are out of line." "So are you...sir." "Well, Spock?" "Starfleet order 104, section B, leaves me no alternative." "Paragraph 1 A clearly states..." "You can't let him take command!" "If you can certify Commodore Decker unfit for command, I can relieve him under Section C." "I'll certify that right now." "You'll also be asked to produce your medical records to prove it." "You know I haven't had time to run an examination on him." "Then your statement would not be considered valid." " You may leave the bridge, Doctor." " What about the captain?" "Doctor, you may leave the bridge." "Spock, do something!" "Mr Spock knows his duty under regulations, Doctor." "Do you?" "Hard about, helmsman." "Course 32 degrees, mark 10." "Deflectors at full power." "Ready on main phaser banks." "Aye, aye, sir." "Kirk here." " The impulse engines are fused solid." " What about the warp drive circuits?" "We can cross-connect the controls, but the ship will be hard to handle." "You worry about your miracles, I'll worry about mine." "Aye, sir" "Washburn, try the 2G6 circuit." " Closing fast." " Deflector shields at full power." "They can't take much more." "Helmsman, hold your course." "Stand by all phaser banks." "Aye, sir." "Deflectors holding, but weakening." "We must retreat, Commodore." "I'm in command here." "Maintain course, helmsman." "Get us in closer." " Ready to give it a try?" " Just one minute, sir." " Scotty, how you doing?" " We should have some power soon." "Try it now, Captain." "Yes, I think..." "What the devil's going on?" "Fire!" "Direct hit." "It just bounced off." "I urgently recommend immediate withdrawal." "Recommendation noted." "Maintain course." "Fire!" "Kirk to Enterprise." "Come in." "Mr Spock, come in." "Kirk to Enterpri..." " Scotty, where's that power?" " Coming, sir." "If I push these engines too hard, they'll blow apart." "Washburn, go down to engineering." "Assist Mr Scott." "Scotty, push it right to the edge." "This ship has got to manoeuvre." "Deflector shields are gone." "Deck 7 reports power failure in main energisers." "Casualties on decks 3 and 4." "Damage control party sealing off inner hull rupture." " AG Section acknowledging." " Section stabilised." "All decks, this is bridge engineering." "We're in emergency condition 3." "It has ceased fire." "We're in a tractor beam." "We're being pulled inside, Commodore." " You must veer off." " Maintain phaser fire." "If we don't break the tractor beam within 60 seconds, we never will." "Don't you understand?" "We've got to destroy it!" "That, sir, is illogical. lt is suicide." "Attempted suicide would be proof that you are unfit for command." "If you don't veer off, I shall relieve you on that basis." " Veer off." " We can't break loose." " We need more power." " We haven't got it." "We're being pulled inside." "Scotty, give me that power." "You've got enough to move us." "I can't do better." "That'll do." "Full ahead, Mr Scott." "That's it, Mr Scott." "Keep that power coming." " Full power astern." " Aye, sir." "We still can't move." " Keep pouring it on, Scotty." " What are we doing?" "We're moving, the Enterprise isn't." "Maybe that thing will see us and let the Enterprise go." " lf l only had some phasers." " l have one bank recharged." "Scotty, you've just earned your pay for the week." "Stand by." "Fire phasers." " We're loose, Commodore." " Good boy, Jim." "We'll kill that thing." "Mr Scott, it worked." "Great!" "I think." "Scotty, get us out of here." " lt's closing fast on the Constellation." " Standing by." " Commodore, I suggest..." " Kirk distracted it." "Now it's our turn." "Fire phasers." "We did it!" "Hard about." "Give me some distance." "We're moving away." "It seems to have a defensive sphere." "Any energy source is subject to attack." "Mr Spock, status report." "Warp drive and deflectors will be out for a solar day." "Repairs proceeding." " lt's closing with us." " Maintain speed and distance." "It's sucking in space rubble from those destroyed planets." "We can maintain this speed for seven hours before we exhaust our fuel." " lt can refuel itself indefinitely." " Then we must fight it now." "illogical." "We cannot destroy it." "Therefore, we cannot save Rigel." "We must transport the captain and the others and escape this thing's interference in order to warn Starfleet Command." " We pierced the interference locally." " Can you raise Starfleet?" "No, sir, but I'm picking up Captain Kirk." " On audio, Lieutenant." " Enterprise, come in." "Mr Spock, I am still in command and I will speak for this ship." "Enterprise to Kirk." "Commodore Decker speaking." "Matt." "Give me Mr Spock." " l'm in command here, Jim." " What happened to Spock?" "Nothing. I assumed command as he was reluctant to take action..." "You're responsible for almost destroying my ship?" " You are speaking to a senior officer." " Give me Spock." "I am in command here, according to every rule in the book." "Anything you say, say it to me." "There's only one thing I want to say." "Get my ship out of there." " Mr Spock, ship status." " Commodore?" "Down here." "Warp drive out, deflector shields down, transporter under repair." " How long to repair warp drive?" " A solar day." "We'll exhaust our impulse power long before then." " lt's gaining on us." " Evasive action, Mr Sulu." "I told you, I am in command here and I will give the orders, Captain." " We are going to attack." " Not with my ship, you don't." "Mr Spock, relieve Commodore Decker." "You can't relieve me and you know it." "Mr Spock, I order you to assume command on my personal authority as captain of the Enterprise." "Commodore Decker, you are relieved of command." "I don't recognise your authority to relieve me." "You may file a protest with Starfleet, assuming we reach a starbase." "But you are relieved." "Commodore, I do not wish to place you under arrest." "You wouldn't dare." " You're bluffing." " Vulcans never bluff." "No, I don't suppose that they do." "Very well, Mr Spock." "The bridge is yours." " Captain, I have assumed command." " Good." "Now, Mr Spock..." "One moment." "Commodore, you are scheduled for medical examination." "Mr Montgomery, you will accompany the commodore to sickbay." "Mr Sulu, change course." "70, mark 21." "Mark 21, sir." "Captain, we are taking a course back to you." "We'll stay ahead of the object until we transport you aboard." "Make sure you stay ahead of it." "Captain Kirk. I've hooked in ship's communication." "The best I can give you on impulse is one third power." " Shields are up, but won't last long." " Keep it going, Scotty." "Mr Spock." "I'm plotting an intercept course." "Will rendezvous with you at 14:13.7 hours." "Mr Spock, someone's opening the shuttlecraft bay doors." " Shut them." " Too late." "Why are you launching a shuttlecraft?" "Whoever it is has no authorisation." "Raise the shuttlecraft." "Enterprise to shuttlecraft." "Enterprise to shuttlecraft." "Come in, shuttlecraft." "Shuttlecraft to Enterprise." "Decker here." "Commodore, I must insist that you return to the ship." "You said it yourself, Spock." "There is no way to blast through the hull of that machine, so I'm going to take this thing down its throat." "Matt, you'll be killed." "I've been prepared for death ever since I..." " Ever since I killed my crew." " Don't die for a judgement error." "The commander is responsible for the lives of his crew and for their deaths." "Well, I should have died with mine." "You cannot succeed." "Your only alternative is to return to the ship." "Matt, listen to me." "You can't throw your life away like this." "Matt, you're a starship commander." "We need you, your experience, your judgement." "We're stronger with you than without you!" "He's gone." "Constellation, come in, please." "Captain Kirk, come in, please." "Kirk here." "Sir, may I offer my condolences on the death of your friend." "It is most regrettable." "It's regrettable that he died for nothing." "Sensors indicate a minute drop in the machine's power emanations." "Do you think the shuttlecraft explosion might have done some damage?" "The drop in power is definite, Captain, but negligible." "The object is still pursing us, causing us to drain our power reserve." " The transporter is operational." " Transporter operational, Captain." " Shall we beam you aboard?" " Negative." "Mr Scott and I will stay here." "Beam the party aboard." "There is little to be gained by staying aboard." "Except possibly... the destruction of that thing." "Carry out your orders." "Transporter room." "Beam damage control party aboard." "Spock, listen." "Maybe Matt Decker didn't die for nothing." "He had the right idea, but not enough power." "Am I correct in assuming that a fusion explosion of 97 megatons will result if an impulse engine is overloaded?" "No, sir. 97.835 megatons." "97.835." "Will it be powerful enough to destroy that thing out there?" "Negative. its hull is pure neutronium." "There is no way of blasting through it." "Not through it, from inside it." "Will it be enough?" "lnsufficient data." "I shall take further readings." "Make it fast." "Kirk to Scott." "The damage control party just beamed to the Enterprise." "Good." "Can you set the ship's impulse engines to overload?" "Aye, it's hard to keep it from blowing." "Rig a 30 second delay detonation device." "Rig it so that it can be blown from up here." " Set it and get up here fast." " Captain?" "The object's hull makes readings of the inner mechanism impossible." " Spock, you don't know?" " Correct." "You're getting dangerously close to the planet killer." "I intend to get a lot closer and ram her right down that thing's throat." "Jim, you'll be killed, just like Decker." "No, I don't intend to die." "We've rigged a delay detonation device." "You'll have 30 seconds to beam me aboard before the engines blow." "Your chances of survival are not promising." "The explosion might not even be powerful enough." " A calculated risk." " There's another factor." "The transporter is not 100% efficient." "30 seconds is very slim timing." "A chance I'll have to take." "Kirk out." "A transporter's a finicky piece of machinery to gamble your life on." " What about the detonator?" " lt's armed now." "Press this one. 30 seconds later..." "Poof!" "Once activated, there's no way to stop it." "Mr Spock, prepare to beam Scotty on board." " Good luck, Captain." " Thank you." "What's the matter with that thing?" "A power drain, sir. I almost lost you." "It'll never work like this." "It's the main junction circuitry." "Bridge, transporter malfunction." "Transporter is out, Captain." "You'll have to stand by." "I can't." "Power level's dropping too fast." "Hurry." "Mr Scott, speed is of the essence." "He's 2,000 miles from the planet killer." "Transporter operational, but it won't last for long." " He must come off now." " 1,500 miles and closing." "Captain, transporter operational, but just barely." "Prepare to beam me aboard on my signal." " 1,000 miles and closing." " Transporter, stand by." "500 miles." " Beam me aboard." " Energise." " Bridge, it's shorted out again." " What's wrong with it?" " Gentlemen, beam me aboard." " We can't." "Transporter is out again." "Mr Scott, 20 seconds to detonation." "Mr Scott?" "Mr Scott, try inverse phasing." "60... 50...40..." " 30..." " l suggest you beam me aboard." "10... 9...8..." " 7..." " Mr Scott?" " Try her now, Mr Kyle." " 5...4..." "Bridge, we got him through!" "Energy output zero." "Radiation level normal." "Welcome aboard, Captain." "Sensors show all energy sources deactivated." "It's quite dead." "Mr Sulu, back to minimum headway." "Conserve power as much as possible." "Lieutenant Palmer, tell Mr Scott to expedite repairs on the warp drive." "Poor Matt." "He gave his life in an attempt to save others." " Not the worst way to go." " indeed, Captain." "I presume your log will show Decker died in the line of duty?" "Ironic, isn't it?" "Back in the 20th Century, the H-Bomb was their doomsday machine." "We used something like it to destroy another one." "Probably the first time such a weapon has been used constructively." "Appropriate, Captain." "But I wonder if there are more of those weapons wandering around the universe." "I certainly hope not." "I found one quite sufficient."