"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 civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." "Captain's Log, Stardate 1254.4." "For years scientists have theorized that if our galaxy was created from a great explosion, then the center of the galaxy might still be creating new matter." "The Enterprise is now on a science mission to investigate." "It's an awesome thought that we may actually witness matter being created." "If we do, Captain, we may also encounter forces and phenomena beyond our understanding." "Galaxy center, Captain." " Lieutenant Uhura, sound Yellow Alert." " Aye, sir." "Yellow Alert." "All stations report Yellow Alert readiness, sir." "Captain!" "The creation point." "An extraordinary phenomenon, Captain." "Reverse power." "Hold our position." "Deflector screens on." "Deflectors up." "Sir, it's taking considerable power to hold position." "Charting scanners on, Captain." "Beginning science survey." "Jim." "Spock." "What in the name of sanity is going on?" "We're here, Bones." "And the theories about this place seem to be right." "Captain, that thing's pulling us in." "I'm up to warp 6." "Scanners indicate it's some form of matter-energy whirlwind, Captain." "Warp 7, Captain." " Warp 8." " Take us out of here, Mr. Sulu." "Still being drawn in, Captain." "Warp 9." "Warp 10." "Emergency reverse power." "Captain, I don't know how much more emergency power we can take before we start to break up." "There may be only one choice." "We must hope this whirlwind is like its atmospheric counterparts," " that there is calm at its center." " Agreed." "We'll try to make for the eye of the storm." "Allow me." "Engineering, report." "Everything can be repaired, Captain." "An incredible experience, Captain." "I find this scientifically fascinating." "At least I have the good sense to be scared, Jim." "What now?" "We'll ride her through, Bones." "What else can we do?" " Ride her through where?" " Through the center of things, Doctor." "Through what may be the center of everything." "Where are we?" "I'm afraid our navigational coordinates mean very little here, Lieutenant." "My readings indicate we are not in time and space as we understand it." "Doctor, these readings may interest you." "Captain, the subspace radio, it's dead." "Even the ship's chronometers have stopped." "Captain, there's no reason for it, but the engines are fading out." "Apparently, the natural laws of our universe don't operate here, Captain." "Ship's life support systems fading." "Jim, we need oxygen." " Helmsman, emergency battery power." " There is none, Captain." "All systems are dead." "Jim, we've got to do something." "Humans." "Lovely primitive humans." "Can't you do anything right?" "Please." "Of course, friend." "Of course." "Rhadamanthus!" "Everything is working, my friends." "It cannot." "It is not logical." "Logic?" "Whose logic, my elfin friend?" "Look around you, Spock." "Everything is working." "Welcome!" "I knew eventually humans would come searching for me." " Who are you?" " Call me Lucien!" "Call me friend!" "Never could I abandon those who come to rollick with me." "But not up here." "No, no." "Let us leave this vessel and go where true delights lie!" "Bones, you all right?" "Nothing wrong, Jim, but a face full of dust." "But if I had a medical tricorder..." "Jim, look at yourself." " Lucien, do something." " Very well, Captain." "I'd forgotten how much bodily integrity means to you humans." "This isn't easy, you know, holding us together like this." "It's not even natural." "Being in one piece is very natural where we come from." "I find this all quite absorbing, Doctor." "Probably because you're not very natural to begin with, Spock." "Look, Lucien, or whatever you want to call yourself," "I want to know why you brought us here." "Children will play." "Is this better, my friends?" "I've translated my world into symbols your minds can understand." "Welcome, my friends, to Megas-Tu." "And just exactly what is Megas-Tu?" "A world, Captain James Kirk, that operates by rules quite different from those in your universe." "Our universe operates by what you superstitiously call magic." "I know this is just my imagination but..." "It is real, Doctor." "Beautiful?" "No." "But all our women are as young and beautiful as they want to be." "So as to ensnare the man of her dreams, she needs an edge." " A love philter?" " Never settle for anything less." "Do you need a room, a stable, a castle?" "Stop in at your friendly sorcerer-contractor." " Let him do the work." " Of course." "Our Federation scientists were more correct than they realized." "In order to function, the galactic creation point must extend through space, time, into another dimension where the logic of things is totally different." "It took magic to get your vessel working again." "Magic you, my friends, don't know how to work." "But then you never did know, did you?" "Lucien, you keep calling us friends, implying that you know us." "How?" "Oh, Captain, Captain, to feign such ignorance to me." "Very well." "Look." "Megas-Tu may seem to you a chaotic world, but its people are calm, peaceful, contemplative, each a specialist in his own kind of magic." "There are no rivals anywhere in our universe, Captain Kirk." "No other life forms at all." "Millennia ago, in our search for companionship, we Megans passed through the point between dimensions, and eventually, we found ourselves on your world, Earth." "Wherever we went, we became advisors to mankind." "To help your ancestors, we drew on the power left behind in our own universe and made it work in your world." "But eventually, we had to leave." "I didn't want to, my friends." "How I fought!" "I was the generalist amid all the specialists." "The troublemaker, they said." "But I'd always loved the people of Earth." "Those were the days." "But now you've come to me, and I'm so very glad." "But why did you Megans leave Earth?" "If you enjoyed it so much, I don't understand." "Captain, good Captain, always so curious." "That must be why I've always liked you Earthlings so much." "No." "You must go." "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "You must return to your vessel." "Quickly!" "Do not give your presence away." " Captain." " Captain Kirk, what..." " Everyone onboard is all right?" " Fine, Captain." "But you?" "Mr. Scott, I'm bewildered, that's all." "But that's enough." "What did he mean, we're not to give ourselves away?" " Can't they detect the ship up here?" " No, unless they have scanners." "See." "There." "It's like a cloud of some kind." "It's been between us and the planet since you vanished." "If Lucien put it there..." "If Lucien put it there, Captain, the questions become," ""Why is he hiding us?"" "And, "What is our danger if discovered by the rest of his people?"" "Weapons status, Mr. Scott?" "We may have to protect ourselves." "No way, Captain." "Everything's out but life support systems." "And I can't figure out how they're on." "I believe this is how the ancients used to draw their mystic symbols, Captain." "Spock, do you honestly believe that as long as we're in this universe, we can work magic, too?" "One uses the resources at hand, Captain." "Watch now." "I will attempt to move a Vulcan chess piece magically." "May the energy of this universe be the power in me." " Forget it, Spock." "It won't work." " It must work, Doctor." "It is logical here." "Power of this universe, enter my being." "I know I can." "I believe I can." "Captain's Log, supplemental." "In this incredible universe, it appears to be a part of the natural laws that belief is as potent a force as energy and matter are in our own." "Good luck." "What are you doing?" "Learning to protect ourselves, Lucien." "Protect yourselves?" "Is that all human beings ever think about?" "I'll take care of you." "That's what friends are for." "All this mental energy you're using, it can be traced." "You'll be found." "Have been found!" "So, the people of Earth would spread their evil to our home?" "We are ready for human perfidy this time." "This time, it is the humans who shall suffer, the humans, and you, Lucien, who shall pay!" "Keep calm." "It looks like ancient Earth, Spock." "16th or 17th century, I'd guess." "Approximately 1691, Captain." "Salem, Massachusetts, if I recall your historical records correctly." "We are gathered here today, good citizens, to see justice done." "You are the judges." "These are the defendants, as representatives of the vilest species in all the universe, treacherous humanity, and those who would aid them." "As a specialist in the ethics of magic, I have been appointed prosecutor here." "Wait." "If this is a trial, we have the right to know what you think we've done." "Has this one not told you how we visited your Earth?" "Or what was done to us there?" "Lucien has said only that you came as wise men, helpful wizards." "Then hear this." "Know that once, upon your world," "I was known as Asmodeus, he who sees all." "Gaze upon my countenance, so that you too may see." "We came to your world as friends." "But wherever we went, the story was invariably the same." "Some humans would attempt to use us to gain power, to serve their own greed and lust." "When we refused to serve them, they turned against us and taught other humans to fear us, to hate." "They called us devils, warlocks, evil sorcerers." "Those of us who survived came to the town of Salem in Massachusetts, as settlers, and tried to live like other men." "But you made mistakes, used your powers..." " And burned for it." "Burned!" " As witches." "We massed together, outside the town, immersed ourselves in Megan lore, revived ourselves enough to unite our minds and reach into our own universe, tap enough of its power to return from your hellish Earth to Megas-Tu." "And loneliness and fear..." "Should we not fear the Earthlings?" "Should we not fear the cruelty of outsiders?" "Never again have we explored." "Never again has companionship been sought." "Yet here you are." "And if one Earth ship can find us, friend Kirk, then so can others." "That's what they fear." "We do not want to hurt you." "We have never had to hurt anyone before." "If there were some reason not to..." "Who will speak in defense of the Earth humans?" "I will, Asmodeus." " I am not of Earth." " Yes, you are different." "The court will hear a defense." "I call Lucien as my first witness." "Lucien, you alone of all those here do not seem to fear or hate humans." " Why?" " They are like me," " Why?" " They are like me, with questions to be answered, with minds that range outward, boundless." "But every Megan is always alone in his sphere of knowledge." "Humans are always together." "They share." "That is why I adopted your ship when I saw it arrive." "Thank you, Lucien." "Next witness, please." "Captain James T. Kirk." "Tell the court, please, Captain Kirk." "Would you say that since Salem, humans have changed?" "I think we've been trying to, Spock." "Humans have their faults, greed, envy, panicky fear." "But in the centuries since the Salem witch trials, we have learned." "We try to understand and respect all life forms." "Indeed, Captain." "Could you elaborate?" "The records of the Enterprise are open for your inspection." "All the history of Earth and the Federation is at your disposal." "Look at General Order #1," ""No starship may interfere with the normal development" ""of any alien life or society."" "Compare that with the Earth you once knew." "Enough!" "Here is your history." "Here are your records." "Citizens, you have heard, you have read." "How do you vote?" "According to your records, your entry here was an accident unlikely to be duplicated." "With that in mind, plus all you have said, it seems to us that Megas-Tu is safe." "But Lucien must be punished." "For his betrayal of his people, he shall be confined in limbo for all eternity, to live with only himself." "No." "To isolate someone like Lucien, that's the same as sentencing him to death." "Do you realize who you defend?" "He has told you his name is Lucien." "Would you defend him still if you knew he had another name, too?" "The Rollicker." "The Tempter." "Lucifer." "We're not interested in legend." "He's a living being, an intelligent life form." "That's all we have to know about him." "We will not join in harming him." "Submit, Captain." "You haven't the power to fight us." "Captain, use the magic you know." "Believe." "You cannot beat an entire planet, Captain Kirk." "There is no way you can win." "I have to." "Or you'll become as bad as the Earthmen you fear." "You're acting out of terror, instead of out of thought or respect." "You were prepared to die for Lucien, a being who is alien to you?" "As I was sure you would, friend Kirk." "I told them their fears were groundless." "I don't understand." "This last was a test of your intentions, Captain." "We had to be certain your records were no ruse." "We have been tricked before much to our pain and sorrow." "I see." "The Megans had to have proof that mankind had grown and learned wisdom since they last saw Earth." "Your compassion was that proof, Captain." "If your people should visit us now, we shall do our best to welcome them." "The banishment of fear will help us all." "A favorite old Earth custom of mine, Asmodeus." "A toast to a new friendship." "All systems go, Captain." "We're back to normal." "No more magic for us, Jim." "It's all back there." "You think Lucien really was the demon some men call Lucifer?" " Does it really matter, Bones?" " It just might, Captain." "If he was, this would be the second time Lucifer was cast out, and, thanks to you, the first time he was saved."