"No life-form readings, captain." "Continuing scan." "Well, somebody sent a distress call." "No sign of the spaceship, no sign of debris." "I am getting readings on small metallic objects, captain." "It's possible the ship was destroyed in space and the survivors proceeded here in a shuttlecraft." "But where are they?" "Captain, I'm getting a reading now." "Two human forms at bearing 300, mark 7." "Confirmed." "I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise." "We came in answer to your distress call." "It was very kind of you to respond so quickly, captain." "Now you will surrender your ship to me." "You have a very strange sense of humour, Mr..." "I am Rojan, of Kelva." "I am your commander from this moment on." "Any efforts to resist us or to escape will be severely punished." "Soon we and you will leave this galaxy forever." "You humans must face the end of your existence as you have known it." "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." "You are all paralysed by a selective field that neutralizes nerve impulses to the voluntary muscles." "We can control you at will." "I will now release you." " Shea." " Captain." " It's all right." " Interesting." "A neural field?" "Yes, radiating from a central projector." " What do you want?" " Your ship, Captain Kirk." "It will serve us well in the long voyage that is to come." " Voyage?" "Where?" " To your neighbouring galaxy, which you call Andromeda." "Andromeda?" "Why?" "It is our home." "What brings you here?" "Within ten millennia, high radiation levels in our galaxy will make life there impossible." "So the Kelvan Empire sent forth ships to explore other galaxies, to search for one which our race could conquer and occupy." "Well, sorry, this galaxy is already occupied." "Captain, you think you are unconquerable, and your ship impregnable." "But while we've talked, the capture has already begun." "Something penetrating from the planet." "Increase power to shields." "It's dead, sir." "All major power disabled." "Sound red alert." "Red alert!" "All personnel, man your battle stations." "Go to red alert!" " Engineering, come in!" " Life Support, come in." "Drea, Tomar, report." "Life Support Control, secure." "Engineering is secure." "Rojan." "Hanar here." " Report, Hanar." " The ship is ours." "We control the Bridge, Engineering, and life-support systems." "Proceed with your orders." "What's the point in capturing my ship?" "Even at maximum warp, the Enterprise can't get to Andromeda for thousands of years." "Captain, we will modify its engines in order to produce velocities far beyond the reach of your science." "The journey between galaxies will take less than 300 of your years." "Fascinating." "Intergalactic travel requiring only 300 years." "That is a leap far beyond anything man has yet accomplished." "You made a voyage of 300 years?" "Our ships were of multi-generation design." "We were born in the intergalactic void." "We shall die there during our return journey." "And our mission will be completed by a commander who is my descendant." "What happened to your ship?" "There is an energy barrier at the rim of your galaxy." "Yes, I know, we've been there." "We managed to break through it with great difficulty." "Our ship was destroyed." "We barely managed to escape in a life craft." "And now we have the means to begin our journey back to Andromeda." "Why use our vessel?" "Why not transmit a message to your galaxy?" "No form of transmission can penetrate the barrier." "Rojan, there's no reason to do this by force." "Let's take your problem to the Federation." "Research expeditions have catalogued hundreds of uninhabited planets in this galaxy suitable for colonization." "We do not colonise." "We conquer." "We rule." "There is no other way for us." "In other words, the galaxy isn't big enough for both of us." "The Federation has handled foreign invasions before." "Captain, we can control the Federation as easily as we can control you." "The fate of the inferior, in any galaxy." "All is proceeding according to plan, Rojan." "Kelinda, take them to the holding area." "We'll keep you and your party here, captain." "Your crew will undoubtedly wish to cooperate with us if they understand that you are hostages." "Move there." "Tomar has examined the ship." "The modifications are underway." "Space again, Hanar." "I do not think we could have kept our sanity living too long on this accursed planet." "It is an undisciplined environment." "One cannot control it." "Yet there are things of interest." "Yes, but disturbing." "These shells in which we have encased ourselves, they have such heightened senses." "To feel, to hear, to smell." "How do humans manage to exist in these fragile cases?" "Since the ship was designed to sustain these forms, we have little choice." "At least we'll be away from all of this openness." "No, this is too strange for us, Hanar." "We are creatures of outer space." "Soon, we will be safe in the comforting closeness of walls." "Fascinating material." "Similar to diburnium, but considerably more dense." "I doubt even phaser fire could disturb its molecular structure." "All right, we can't break out." "There must be another way." "Captain, what do they want from us?" "What kind of people are they?" " That's a very good question." " They registered as human." "No, doctor, more than that." "They registered as perfect human life forms." "I recall noting the readings were almost classic textbook responses." " Most curious." " Spock, what are the odds, in such absolute duplication, of life forms in another galaxy?" "The chances are very much against it." "Captain." "Captain." "However perfect they are, there don't seem to be very many of them." " Why don't we..?" " They have the paralysis field." "Rojan mentioned something about a central projector." "Yes." "If we could put that out of operation, we might have a chance." "Gentleman, I am constrained to point out we do not even know what this projector looks like." "Those devices on their belts might indicate the source of the force field." "Possible." "I would have to have one to examine." "Oh, you'll have one, sir." "If I have to rip one of the Kelvans apart to get it." "You'll get your chance, but you'll do it under orders." "Yes, sir." "On Eminiar Vll you were able to trick the guard by a Vulcan mind probe." "Yes, I recall, captain." "I led him to believe we had escaped." "Do you think you can do it again?" "I shall attempt it." " You all right?" " Yes, I will be all right, captain." "But we must hurry." "This cannot go unpunished." "Hanar." "That one." "Take him aside." "Kelinda, the female." "Captain." "Go." "As a leader, you realise the importance of discipline." "I need you and these other specialists." "But those two are unnecessary." "I'm responsible, let them go." "I think we're somewhat alike, captain." "Each of us cares less for his own safety than for the lives of his command." "We feel pain when others suffer for our mistakes." "Your punishment shall be to watch them die." "Captain." "Proceed, Hanar." "Bring them to me." "This is the essence of what they were." "The flesh and brain and what you call the personality, distilled down into these compact shapes." "Once crushed this person is dead." "However that one can be restored." "Hanar." "Captain's log, stardate 4657.5." "Work is proceeding on the Enterprise as my crew is forced to make the required changes in the ship for intergalactic travel." "I can't forget the picture of Yeoman Thompson crushed to a handful of dust." "Spock, are you sure you're all right?" "Yes, quite all right, doctor." "You didn't look very well when you broke that mind touch." "I did not break it, doctor." "I was thrown away by something I've never experienced before." "What was it?" "A series of bizarre and exotic images bursting on my mind and consciousness." "Colours, shapes, mathematical equations, fused and blurred." "I've been attempting to isolate them, but so far, I've been able to recall clearly only one." "Immense beings, a hundred limbs which resemble tentacles, minds of such controlling capacity that each limb is capable of performing a different function." "Do you mean that's what the Kelvans really are?" "Undoubtedly." "If they look that way normally, why did they adapt themselves to our bodies?" "Perhaps practicality." "They chose the Enterprise as the best vessel for the trip." "Immense beings with 100 tentacles would have difficulty with the turbolift." "We've got to stop them." "We outnumber them." "Their only hold on us is the paralysis field." "Well, that's enough." "One wrong move and they jam all our neural circuits." "Jam." "Spock, if you reverse the circuits on McCoy's neuro-analyser, can you set up a counter field to jam the paralysis projector?" "I am dubious of the possibilities of success, captain." "The medical equipment is not designed to put out a great deal of power." "The polarised elements would burn out quickly." "Is there a chance at all?" " A small one." " We'll take it." "You and Bones have to get up to the ship." " How?" " Yes." "Mr. Spock you're sick." "I assure you, captain, I'm in perfect health." "No, you're not." "Dr. McCoy's given you a thorough examination and you're ill." "In fact, if you don't get to the Sickbay, you're gonna die." "It's a good idea, Jim, but anyone looking at him can tell he's healthy." "Vulcans have the ability to place themselves in a kind of trance." "Complete relaxation of every part of the mind and body." "We find it more restful to the body than your so-called vacation." "Can you do it now, and come out of it in the Sickbay, say, in half an hour?" "It will take me a moment to prepare." "Go ahead." "Jim, his heartbeat really is slow." "His pulse is practically nonexistent." "Hanar!" "Hanar." "What do you want, human?" "Mr. Spock is ill." "The doctor thinks he may be dying." "This illness came on him rather suddenly." "Is it not unusual?" "He's a Vulcan." "They don't react like humans." "He may die." "If I can get him up to Sickbay, there's a chance he'll live." "Stand away from the door." "I will have you beamed aboard." "Do what you can with him, Bones." " Doctor, what happened?" " Prepare two cc's of Stokaline." " Stokaline?" "But, doctor, that..." " Don't argue, nurse, just get it." "This may be the turning point." "Prepare another shot." " But, doc..." " Please, just follow orders, will you?" "There, that should do it." "Just let him rest now." "You see, it's a flare-up of Rigelian Kassaba fever." "He suffered from it about ten years ago, and it recurs every now and then." "There's no danger if he gets medication in time." "He'll be all right in a couple of hours." "Very well." "I will inform Rojan." "You will stay here." "What do you want from me now?" "We will beam aboard the vessel shortly." "I wish you to understand your duties." "My duty is to stop you in any way I can." " You will obey." " Or you will kill more of my people." "Captain Kirk," "I cannot believe that you do not understand the importance of my mission." "We Kelvans have a code of honour." "Harsh, demanding." "It calls for much from us, and much from those whom we conquer." "You have been conquered." "I respect your devotion to your duty, but I cannot permit it to interfere with mine." "These are lovely." "Captain Kirk, what is it you call them?" "Flowers." "I don't know the variety." "Our memory tapes tell us of such things on Kelvan." "Crystals that form with such rapidity they seem to grow." "They look like this fragile thing somewhat." "We call them sahsheer." "A rose by any other name." "Captain?" "A quote from a great human poet, Shakespeare." "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." "Drea has computed and laid a course for Kelva, captain." "We've jumped to warp 8." "And we'll go faster yet." "Increase speed to warp 11." "Increase speed to warp 11, Mr. Chekov." "On course and proceeding as planned." "We will approach the barrier within an hour." "Very well." "Rojan, I'm going to Sickbay, my first officer has taken ill." "Yes, I was informed." "You may go." " Anything?" " I've located their power source." "It's installed in Engineering." "We're just going to jam it." "I've tied in all the lab computers." "That'll give it a bit more power to push with." "This is it." "Now all we have to do..." "Whatever it is we must do, it is impossible." "Why?" "This material surrounding the projector is the same as I discovered on the planet." "Readings indicate it is impervious to any of our weapons." "We cannot penetrate the casing to get to the machine." "That's it, then." "There is one other possibility, Mr. Scott." "The final decision, of course, must be the captain's, but I believe we must have it ready for him." "The Enterprise is propelled by matter-antimatter reactors." "The barrier we must traverse is negative energy." "I see what you're getting at." " I can't say I like it." " Nor I." "But it must be made available to the captain." "Captain Kirk to the Bridge, please." "Well?" "Impossible, captain." "The power source is protected by a material we cannot breach, even with our phasers." "Mr. Scott and I have prepared the means for the only logical alternative available to us." "What alternative?" "The barrier we must penetrate is composed of negative energy." "I have opened the control valves to the matter-antimatter nacelles." "On your signal, I will flood them with positive energy." "What?" "When we engage the barrier, the ship will explode." "The Kelvans will be stopped here." "And so will we." "Are you mad?" "I can't just..." "Take your places, gentlemen, we're approaching the barrier." "Captain's log, stardate 4658.9." "With the Enterprise under control of the Kelvans, we are approaching the energy barrier at the edge of our galaxy." "Spock and Scotty have devised a suicide plan to stop the Kelvans." "They have rigged this ship to explode on my signal." "Readings, Spock." "Sensors indicate density negative, radiation negative, energy negative." "All instruments off the dial, captain." "We are in contact with the barrier." "Outside hull temperature rising, sir." "Over 2,000 degrees now." "Sir?" "Hold your position." "We made it." "Instruments returning to normal, captain." "All decks report, damage and casualties." "Several systems out, sir, operating on emergency backup." "None affect flight procedure." "Life support systems sustaining on emergency." "I'll have a full report on ship's status for you in a moment, sir." "Your people are most efficient, captain." "Thank you." "So are yours." "Hanar, start the neutralising operation." "What neutralising operation?" "You humans are troublesome for us." "We needed you to get us through the barrier." "But there aren't enough of us to efficiently guard all of you all of the time." "Further, the food synthesizers cannot manufacture enough food for the entire journey." "We are therefore neutralising all non-essential personnel." "No." "The procedure is already under way." "Now, as to Bridge personnel..." "Drea." "We have no need for communication." "And since Drea is capable of handling the ship from here on..." "Do you not agree that this is a better thing for them than exploding the ship, as your engineer had thought to do?" "We detected it, of course." "Tomar has devised a mechanism to prevent any further tampering." "Please accept your situation, captain." "It will make things much less painful for you." "Is this all?" "I have reviewed ship's personnel, captain." "It appears we four are the only ones the Kelvans consider essential." "Scotty tells me that you could have destroyed the ship in the barrier." " Why didn't you?" " I couldn't." " If that was our only chance..." " I didn't think it was." " Jim..." " That's enough!" "Jim, I saw them reduce four of my doctors and nurses" " into those little cubes." " They've reduced the whole crew!" "I do not understand why you take the trouble to consume this bulk material to sustain yourselves." "We have ascertained that these contain all the nutritional elements." "Before you condemn it, why don't you try it?" "I believe I will." "Assist me." "It's your idea, doctor, go ahead." "All right, I'll show you how to work the selector." "Sir, why don't we try again to knock out the paralysis projector?" "I know the casing looks impenetrable, but I may be able to do something." "It's out of the question." "We need that projector to bring our people back to human form." "Then how will we stop the Kelvans?" "Captain." "It's quite good." "I'm delighted." "Most curious." "What is?" "The isolated glimpses of things I saw when I touched Kelinda's mind are beginning to coalesce in my consciousness." "The Kelvans have superior intellectual capacity." "To achieve it, they've apparently sacrificed anything which would tend to distract them." "Perceptive senses such as taste, touch, smell, and, of course, emotions." "But then, Tomar shouldn't be enjoying the taste of his food." "Yes, quite correct, captain." "But they have taken human form, and are therefore having human reaction." "If he keeps reacting like that, he's gonna need a diet." "If they all respond to stimulation of the senses, then maybe we can distract them." "They can't have been able to handle the senses yet." "If we can confuse them enough, we can get those devices from their belts." " It seems reasonable." " All right." "It may be our only chance." "Look for any way to stimulate their senses." "I can think of one way right off." "Lad, you're going to need something to wash that down with." "Have you ever tried any Saurian brandy?" "I don't know about that." "Please articulate." "Well, that body of yours is a bit anaemic." "Comes from taking food in pills, instead of solid sustenance." " What are you doing?" " Gonna give you a shot." "High-potency vitamin concentrate." "You'll need three a day for a few days." "And eat some solid food, will you?" "No more?" "Am I disturbing you?" "What is it you wish?" "I wish to apologise." "I don't understand, captain." "For hitting you." "I'm sorry." "That is not necessary." "You attempted to escape, as we would have." "Yes, well, I don't usually go around beating up beautiful women." "Why not?" "Well, there are better things for men and women to do." "Like what?" "Is this where I hit you?" "No, the other side." "I'm sorry." "Is that better?" "Better?" "Was it intended as a remedy?" "This is." "Is there some significance to this action?" "Well, among humans, it's meant to express warmth and love." "Oh, you are trying to seduce me." "I have been studying you." " Me?" " All humans." "This business of love." "You have devoted much literature to it." "Why do you build such a mystique around a simple biological function?" " We enjoy it." " Literature?" "Kelinda, I'm sorry I brought up the whole subject." "Do you really regard this touching of the lips as pleasurable?" " I did." " Curious." "Let me try." "Is there some problem, captain?" "Not when I came in." "What did he want here?" "He came to apologise for hitting me." "Apparently, it involves some peculiar touching contact." "In what manner?" "Very odd creatures, these humans." "Do you have more?" "Not of this." "Anything." "Yes, humans are very peculiar." "I often find them unfathomable, but an interesting psychological study." "Well, I do not understand this business of pressing with the lips to apologise." "I believe you are referring to a kiss." "But it is my understanding that such apologies are usually exchanged between people who have some affection for each other." "Kelinda has no affection for Captain Kirk." "Your game is off." "Are you disturbed by the incident?" "Why should I be disturbed?" "You've known Kelinda for some time." "She is a Kelvan as you are." "Among humans, I have found the symptoms you are displaying usually indicate jealousy." "I have no reason for such a reaction." "Kelinda is a female." "Nothing more." "Captain Kirk seems to find her quite attractive." "Well, of course she is." " You are not jealous." " No." " Nor upset." " Certainly not." "Checkmate." "I found this on..." "What is it?" "Well, it's..." "It's green." " Kelinda, I've been thinking." " Yes?" "I do not wish you to fraternize with any of the humans." " Why not?" " Well, they..." "They offer such strange ideas." "They're not meant for us." "Not for Kelvans." "Have you given this order to the others?" "No." "And I wish you to particularly avoid Captain Kirk." "I will not." "You have told me over and over again humans are no threat to us." "We are superior." "I will do as I please." "You will do as I say." "Or I will neutralise your Captain Kirk and all the other humans as well." "How many more of these?" "Well, now, let's see." "You've had three shots." "I think you better stay on them for a few days, and then we'll see how you respond." "I see no reason for you to refer to yourself in the plural." "You have more?" "All I have is a bottle of very, very, very old Scotch." "Whisky!" " Well, I will try it!" " I'll get it!" " I was saving you for..." " What?" "Never mind." "Give us your glass." "The thing is, I can't tell if we're getting anywhere." "I haven't seen Scotty in hours." "We haven't seen Tomar either." "But my man Hanar is getting more irritable by the minute." "I'm giving him shots of Formazine." "It should have him climbing the walls." "Rojan has exhibited symptoms of jealousy." "I would like to speak with you, captain." "Doctor, I'm due for another injection of Stokaline." "Stokaline." "You will pardon us." " You had something to say?" " Yes." "This cultural mystique surrounding the biological function..." "Yes?" "You realise humans are overly preoccupied with the subject." "Yes, we do think a great deal about it." "I've done some supplemental reading on it, and..." "You have a question?" "Yes, I was wondering, would you please apologise to me again?" " Rojan, I want to talk to you." " Very well." "First, I do not like the way responsibility and duty has been portioned out to us." " It's the way it has always been..." " That is my second quarrel with you." "Further, I do not care much for the way you run this ship." "Hanar, confine yourself to your quarters!" "Rojan has forbidden me to see you." "Yes, that's too bad." "Why do you defy him?" "It's not a question of defiance." "We were told to find out everything we could about you." "And how's the research going?" "I need some more experiments." "Mr. Spock, you were not ordered to the Bridge, what is your purpose here?" "Automatic sensors and various other recording devices require monitoring and periodic adjustments." "Very well, proceed." "Have you seen Captain Kirk?" "If you wish, I shall call him to the Bridge." "No." "I was wondering where he was." "I left him in the Recreation Room." " He was alone, then." " No." "Kelinda was with him." "She seemed anxious to speak to him." "I told her to stay away from him." "It would appear, sir, that you have little control over her." "Or perhaps Captain Kirk has more." "Very interesting." "But I feel rather strange." "We did it." "You and me." "Put him right under the table." "I'll take this to the captain." "Kelinda, I told you to avoid this human." "I did not wish to." "I am your commander." "That's not enough, Rojan." "You did this to her." "Corrupted her." "Turned her away from me." "If you can't keep her, that's not my problem." "You will release her." "Why don't you use your paralyser?" "You thought I was taking your woman away from you." "You're jealous." "You tried to kill me with your bare hands." "Would a Kelvan do that?" "Would he have to?" "You're reacting with the emotions of a human." "You are human." "No, I cannot be." "I'm stimulating him." "You have no choice." "To use this ship, you have to use our form." "Now you're stuck with it, you and your descendants, for the next 300 years." "You fool, these bodies are tools." "We remain Kelvan." "Look what happened in the short time you've been exposed to us." "What do you think will happen in three centuries?" "When this ship gets to Kelva the people on it will be human." "They'll be aliens." "Enemies!" "We have a duty, our mission, to accomplish any way we can." "Your mission is to find new worlds for your people to live in." "You can still do that." "We can bring this problem to the Federation." "There are many planets in this galaxy that can be inhabited." "You would really do that?" "You would extend welcome to invaders?" "No." "But we would welcome friends." "Rojan, you were only a link in a chain, following an order given 300 years ago." "This is an opportunity for you to establish a destiny of your own." "Perhaps." "Perhaps it could be done." "A robot ship could be sent to Kelva with the Federation proposal." "But if we retain this form, where could we find a place?" "Seems to me that little planet you were on is kind of nice." "And you you would wish to remain with him?" "He is most interesting." "But I wish to go with you." "I believe I owe you an apology." "It was most pleasurable." "Yes." "Very curious." "You see, Rojan, being human does have certain advantages, of being able to appreciate the beauty of a flower or a woman." "Bridge, this is Rojan." "Yes, commander?" "I am returning command of this ship to Captain Kirk." "You will follow his orders." "Sir?" "Turn the ship around." "We're going home."