"Approaching Sigma Iotia II, captain." " Standard orbit, Mr. Chekov." " Captain." "I have received vocal contact from an official station." "They relayed us to a man named Oxmyx." "His title is boss." "Boss?" "All right, lieutenant, put him on." "Oxmyx." "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, representing the Federation of Planets." "Hello, captain." "You're from the same outfit as the Horizon?" "Yes." "Unfortunately, the Horizon was lost with all hands shortly after leaving your planet." "We only received her radio report last month." "Last month?" "What are you talking about?" "The Horizon left here a hundred years ago." "Well, it's a little difficult to explain." "We received a report a hundred years late because it was sent by conventional radio." "Your system is on the outer reaches of the galaxy." "They didn't have subspace communication in those days." "Toward the edge of what?" "I'll explain it in more detail when I see him." "The ship won't land, but we'll transport several people down." "Well, that's a little difficult for you to understand too." "I'll explain it in more detail when I see you." "Where will be convenient?" "Well, there's an intersection just at the end of the block." "Near a yellow fireplug." " Yellow fireplug." " Think you can find it?" "Scotty, do you have the coordinates?" " Located, sir." " Good." "Mr. Oxmyx, we have your intersection located." " Will five minutes be all right?" " Fine, fine." "I'll have a reception committee there to meet you." "Good, I'll be looking forward to it." "Kirk out." " Scotty, you have the com." " Aye, sir." "Spock, McCoy, we're beaming down." "Standard equipment." "The Horizon's contact came before the non-interference directive went into effect." "They must have interfered with the normal evolution of the planet." "It will be interesting to see the results of the contamination." "We don't know there is contamination." "The evidence is only circumstantial." "Well, what was the state of the lotian culture before the Horizon came?" "The beginnings of industrialisation." "Horizon reports indicate the lotians are extremely intelligent and somewhat imitative." "So we're going down to recontaminate them." "If the damage has been done, doctor, we are here to repair it." "Let's not argue about it, let's go study it." "Energize." " Fascinating." " This is like coming home." "Home was never like this." "I've seen pictures of the old days that looked like this." "Interesting, captain." "Passers-by are carrying, I believe, firearms." "Okay, you three, let's see you petrify." "Sir, would you mind explaining that statement, please?" "I wanna see you turn to stone." "Put your hands over your head, or you ain't gonna have no head to put your hands over." "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." "What's this?" "That's a weapon." "Be careful with that." "A heater, huh?" "Hey, the boss will love that." "Now, look, we were asked to come down here by a Mr. Oxmyx." " He said..." " I know what he said, bud." "He said some of the boys would meet you." " Okay, we're meeting you." " Those firearms are not necessary." " You trying to make trouble?" " Who, me?" "Don't give me those baby blue eyes." " What?" " I don't go for that innocent routine." "Sir, does everyone here carry firearms?" "I never heard such stupid questions in my life." "Well, since this Oxmyx asked us down here," " don't you think we should see him?" " All right, get moving." "Down the street." "Krako's getting more gall all the time." " Is this how you greet all your guests?" " It happens, pal." " That man's dead back there." " Well, we ain't playing for peanuts." "What's the matter, you guys never saw a hit before?" "Sir, there are several questions I would like to ask." "Ask the boss." "I don't know nothing." "Get moving." "That's the contamination you're looking for." "Yes, but the Horizon crew wasn't composed of cold-blooded killers, and they didn't report this culture in this state either." "What happened?" "Hey, Kalo." "Hey, when's the boss gonna do something about the crummy streetlights around here, huh?" "A girl ain't safe." "Yeah, and how about the laundry pickup?" "We ain't had a truck by in three weeks." " Write him a letter." " I did." "He sent it back with postage due." "Listen, we pay our percentages." "We're entitled to a little service for our money, huh?" "Get lost, will you?" "Some people got nothing to do but complain." "Is this the way your citizens do business?" "Their right of petition?" "They pay their percentages, and the boss takes care of them." "Hit that button." " Yeah?" " Got them, boss." "No sweat." "All right, bring them in." "Which one of you guys is the captain?" "It depends." "Make yourself a drink, captain." "It's good stuff." "I distill it myself." " No, thank you." "You're Mr. Oxmyx?" " That's me, pal." "This is my first officer, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy." "Doctor, huh?" "Put the chopper down, Kalo." "These guys are our guests." "Pick up a cue, captain." "Go ahead." "You gotta excuse my boys." "Can't be too careful around here these days." "Yes." "Judging from what we've seen so far, I agree." "They call you the boss, Mr. Oxmyx." "The boss of what?" "The boss of my territory." "I got the biggest in the world." "You know, there's one thing wrong with having the biggest." "There's always some punk trying to cut you out." "That's why you can't be too careful." " You're the government here?" " What government?" "Like I told you, I got the territory and I run it, that's all." "But there are other bosses, other territories?" "Yeah, sure." "Maybe a dozen or so." "Not counting the small fry." "But then they get burned anyway, as soon as I get around to it." "Does that include, if I may ask, a gentleman called Krako?" " How do you know about Krako?" " He hit us, boss." "Okay." "You hit him back, you hear?" "Hard." "I'll take care of it." "Captain?" "Doctor?" " Gangsters." " Chicago Mobs." "Published in 1992." " Where'd you get this?" " Hey, hey, wait a minute." " That's the Book." " I know it's a book." "The Book." "They left it." "The other ship, the Horizon." "This is the contamination, captain." "Astonishing." "An entire culture based on this." "You said they were imitative and the book..." " No more cracks about the Book." " Did they leave any other books?" "Yeah, sure." "Some textbooks on how to make radio sets and stuff like that but..." "Look, I brought you down here so you could help me, not for you to ask me questions." "After that, I'll answer anything you wanna know." "What is it you want?" "Well, I was thinking." "You Feds must have made a lot of improvements since that other ship came here." "You probably got all kinds of fancy heaters up there." "So here's the deal." "You give me all the heaters I need, enough tools so I can knock off all those punks all at once." "Then I'll take over, and all you have to do" " is deal with me." " Let me get this straight." "You want us to supply you with arms and assistance so you can carry out an aggression against your neighbours?" "What aggression?" "I gotta make some hits." "I want you to help me hit them, that's all." "Fascinating, but quite impossible." "Mr. Oxmyx, my orders are quite explicit." "Under no..." "I ain't interested in your orders." "From now on, you're gonna take orders from me." "I'm gonna give you just eight hours to give me the things I want." "If I don't have those tools by then," "I'm gonna call up your ship and have them pick you up in a box." "Is that understood, pal?" "Hey, boss." "This here's a heater, and I don't know what this is." " Well, let's see how this thing works." " Don't do that." "You could knock out the side of the building." "That good, huh?" "All you have to do is give me about 100 of these fancy heaters, and we'll have no more trouble." "Out of the question." "Captain Kirk, I usually get what I want." "What's this thing?" " All right, burn them!" " Now, hold it." "It's a communication device." "How does it work?" "It's locked onto my ship's system..." "Kalo, take them to the warehouse and put them in the bag." " Keep a sharp eye on them, you hear?" " In the bag, boss." "Come on." "Hey, you." "In the ship up there." " Hey, you in the ship." " Scott here." "Who's this?" "This is Bela Oxmyx." "I got your captain and his friends down here." "You wanna see them alive, you'll send me down a hundred of these fancy heaters you got, and some troops to show me how to use them." "Am I to understand that you're holding the captain and his party?" "You heard right, pal." "I'm gonna give you just eight hours to get me the goods I want, or I put the hit on your friends." "You understand?" "I don't know." "Lieutenant Hadley, check the language banks and find out what a... heater is." "One book on the gangs of Chicago did all this." " It's amazing." " They evidently seized upon that one book as the blueprint for an entire society." " As the Bible." " In old Chicago, conventional government almost broke down." "The gangs nearly took over." "Yeah, well, this Oxmyx is the worst gangster of all." "We may quarrel with Mr. Oxmyx's methods, but his goal is essentially the correct one." "This society must become united or it will degenerate into total anarchy." "If this society broke down as a result of the Horizon's influence, then the Federation is responsible, and we've got to do something to straighten this mess out." "Spock, if you could get to the sociological computers, do you think you could find a solution?" "Unfortunately, I do not have access to my computers, nor are these gentlemen likely to permit it." "Yeah." "Well, I've got an idea about that." "Gentlemen, gentlemen..." "This..." "This card game is a kid's game." " You think so, huh?" " Oh, yes, yes." " I wouldn't waste my time." " Who's asking you?" "On Beta Antares IV, they play a real game." "It's a man's game, but of course, probably a little beyond you." "It requires intelligence." "Listen, Kirk, I can play anything you can figure out." "Take the cards, big man." " Show us how it's played." " Captain, I am familiar with the culture on Beta Antares IV." " Spock." "Spock." " I don't know of any game..." "Of course, the cards on Beta Antares IV are different, but not too different." " Name of the game is called fizzbin." " Fizzbin?" "Fizzbin." "It's not too difficult." "Each player gets six cards, except for the dealer, the player on the dealer's right who gets seven." " On the right?" " Yes." "The second card is turned up, except on Tuesday." "On Tuesday." "Oh, look what you got, two jacks." "You got a half-fizzbin already." " I need another jack." " No, no, if you got another jack," " why, you'd have a shralk." " A shralk?" "Yes, you'd be disqualified." "No, what you need now is either a king and a deuce, except at night, of course, when you'd need a queen and a four." " Except at night." " Right." "Oh, look at that." "You got another jack!" "How lucky you are!" "How wonderful for you!" "Now, if you didn't get another jack, if you had gotten a king, why, then you'd get another card, except when it's dark," " when you'd have to give it back." " If it were dark on Tuesday?" "Yes, but what you're after is a royal fizzbin, but the odds in getting a royal fizzbin are astron..." "Spock, what are the odds in getting a royal fizzbin?" "I've never computed them, captain." "Well, they're astronomical, believe me." "Astronomical." "Now, for the last card, we'll call it a kronk." " You got that?" " What?" "I'll get it." "Spock, find the radio station." "Uhura is monitoring the broadcasts." "Cut in and have yourselves beamed up to the ship." " Surely you're coming?" " I will," " but I'm bringing Bela Oxmyx." " Jim, you can't..." "Bones, this mess is our responsibility." "You have your orders." "Let's go." "Hold it!" " Okay, pally, we're going for a ride." " If you don't mind, I'd rather walk." "Listen, pally, this could either be a taxi or a hearse." "You know what I mean?" "I'm beginning to get the idea." "You do that very well." "Now, how are you with primitive radio equipment?" "Very simple." "Amplitude modulation transmission." "I simply adjust the frequency, throw this switch, and the Enterprise should answer." "That was the Jailbreakers with their latest recording on Request Time, brought to you by Bang-Bang, the makers of the sweetest little automatic in the worl..." " Fascinating." " And very simple." "Well, let me see." "Enterprise, this is Mr. Spock." "Lieutenant Uhura here, Mr. Spock." "Mr. Spock, what are you doing on this frequency?" "A very long and complicated story, lieutenant." "Notify the Transporter Room." "Two to beam up, these coordinates." "So you're the Fed, huh?" " Well, well, well." " And you?" "Krako." "Jojo Krako." "I'm the head of the whole southside territory." "Hey, I'm glad to see you." "Would you mind telling me how you even know who I am?" "Sit down, Kirk." "I've got all of Bela's communications bugged." "He can't make a date with a broad unless I know about it." "Well, I guess you wanna know why I brought you here." "You wanna make a deal." "Hey, I like that." "That is sharp." " That's sharp, eh, Zabo?" " Sharp, boss." "That's right, a deal." "I want you to help me." "Let me guess." "You want..." "You want heaters, and then you'll want troops to teach them how to use them." "And then you'll attack the other bosses and take over the whole planet." " Then we'll sit down and talk, right?" " Wrong!" "I know Bela." "He didn't offer you beans." "Now, me, I'm a reasonable man." "You give me what I want, and I'll cut you in for, say, a third." "Skimmed right off the top." "Well, what do you think?" "I got a better idea." "This planet has to be united." "Now, you know that, Bela knows that." "Let's sit down." "You, me, Bela." "Discuss this whole matter, contact the other bosses, and talk about it like reasonable men." "You watch it, Kirk." "The Book tells us how to handle things." "You make hits." "Somebody argues, you lean on him." "You think we're stupid or something?" "No, no, no, I don't think you're stupid, Mr. Krako," "I just think your behaviour is arrested." "I've never been arrested in my whole life!" "Now, listen, pally, I know how to get what I want." "You wanna live, don't you, Kirk?" "You bet you do, but after I get through with you, you're liable to be sorry unless you come across." "Hold him here." "Tell Cirl the Knife to sharpen up his blade." "I just might have a job for him." "Unless you come across with the heaters." "I'm sorry, Krako." "No deal." "That's too bad." "Put him on ice." " Well?" " Futile, doctor." "No specifics." "There is no record of such a culture based on a moral inversion." " You mean you're giving up?" " No, doctor." "I'm merely saying the computers can offer us no logical, rational, factual way" " out of our current dilemma." " Mr. Spock." "Mr. Oxmyx is making contact from the surface." "On audio, lieutenant." "Mr. Oxmyx, this is Mr. Spock." "Hey, how'd you get back up there?" " Irrelevant, since we are here." " Oh, yeah." "I tell you, you better come on back down." "Krako's put the bag on your captain." "Why would he put a bag on our captain?" "Kidnapped him, you dope." " He'll scrag him too." " If I understand you correctly, that would seem to be a problem." "Look, you guys got something I want." "I can help you get your captain back." "Then we can talk about the deal I want." "I'm afraid I find it difficult to trust you, Mr. Oxmyx." "What's to trust?" "Business is business." "We'll call a truce." "You come on down." "My boys will spring Kirk, and then we'll talk about giving me a hand." "You will show no further hostility?" "I'm a businessman, pally." "What do you say?" "Since we must have our captain back, I accept." "We shall arrive in your office within ten minutes." "Spock out." "You mean you're gonna trust him?" "If we are to save the captain without blatant, forceful interference on this planet, doctor, we must have the assistance of someone indigenous." "We are therefore forced to trust Mr. Oxmyx." "Help me!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Help!" "Mr. Scott, though we hope to avoid interference," "I suggest you set one of our phaser banks on a strong stun position." "Aye, sir." "Now you're beginning to make sense." "I trust we shall not have to use them, but it is best to be prepared." "Energize." " You know what to do." " Don't worry, boss." "They can't do nothing till they're through sparkling." "Just the same, you be careful." "They'll have heaters on them." "Now, you watch this." "Ship's log, Mr. Spock reporting." "Incredible as it seems," "Dr. McCoy and I are once again prisoners of the chief criminal boss of a society patterned after old Earth gangsters." "Pick up many more of these, I won't need your cooperation." "Mr. Oxmyx, I understood we had an arrangement, a truce." "I was hoping you'd think that, dummy." "We're trying to help you, Oxmyx." "Nobody helps nobody but himself." "Sir, you are employing a double negative." "I fail to see why you do not understand us." "You yourself have stated the need for unity of authority on this planet." " We agree." " Yeah, but I gotta be the unity." "Cooperation, sir, would inevitably result..." "The most cooperative man in this world is a dead man." "And if you don't keep your mouth shut, you're gonna be cooperating." "Drop the guns." "Drop them." "Move down there." "Hey, captain, you got away from Krako." "You know, that ain't easy." "You were supposed to report to the ship." "We did, captain." "The situation required our return." "It may be just as well." " Find out anything from the computer?" " Nothing useful." "Logic and practical information do not seem to apply here." "You admit that?" "To deny the facts would be illogical, doctor." "Then you don't mind if I play a hunch?" "I'm not sanguine about hunches, captain, but I have no practical alternative." "What are we gonna do now, Jim?" "Well, now that we have Bela, I'm gonna put the bag on Krako." "Now, listen, you..." "Say, that's nice material." " It ought to be." "It cost a bundle." " Get out of them." " Hey!" " I said..." " Just a minute." " You too!" "Get out of the clothes." "Nobody's gonna put the bag on me anymore." "Wheels, Mr. Spock." "A filver, captain." "Key in the ignition, turn the ignition on..." "And nothing happens." "Where's the starter?" "There's the starter." "Yeah." "Interesting." " Gears." " Yes, gears." "Oh, I believe they had a device known as a..." "A clutch." "A clutch, captain." "Perhaps one of those pedals on the floor." "I kind of like this." "I may get one myself." "Captain, you are an excellent starship commander, but as a taxi driver, you leave much to be desired." "It was that bad?" "Now, that could be a bit of a problem." "If they were inside where they wouldn't be seen, we could stun them with our phasers, but not out here." "If we can get close enough to them, we should be able to render them harmless with a reasonable rapidity." "They don't look like the trusting type." " It's a hit, ain't it?" " I beg your pardon." "You're gonna hit somebody." "Can I watch?" " Young man, run along and play." " Where'd you get them ears?" " Young man..." " You gonna hit Krako?" "Out here?" "You open up and you'll be scragged from every window on the street." "I can fix it for you." "Young man, this is likely to be quite hazardous." " If I were you..." " Hold on, Spock." " Out of the mouths of babes..." " Who are you calling a babe?" " I'm calling you a babe." " Calling me a babe?" "Yeah, I'm calling..." "I'm calling you a babe, but there's nothing personal." "Sit down." "You know a way we could get close to them?" " Sure." " How?" " What's in it for me?" " What do you want?" "A piece of the action." "You do not even know what the action is going to be." "I figure it's gotta be a thick percentage," " or you wouldn't be trying to hit Krako." " Logical." "All right, young man, we'll guarantee you a piece of the action if we can pull this thing off." " Is that a contract?" " Done." " What do we do?" " You'll know what to do." "And that!" "And how do you like that?" "And that!" "Think you can gang up on me, huh?" "What are you, chicken?" "Come on, why don't you gang up on me?" "I'll cut off your head and throw it in your face!" "Now, take that and that!" "And that!" "And how do you like that and..?" "Daddy, Daddy, I hurt myself." " Daddy, Daddy, I hurt myself." " That's it." "Let's go." "What's the matter?" "Hurt yourself?" " I want my daddy." " Cute kid, ain't he?" " Sure is." " Daddy!" " I want my Daddy!" " Sonny!" " I want my dad." " Sonny." " What's the matter?" " Wait." "What have they done?" "What have they done to you?" "What have you done?" "A piece of the action." "No one can see." "Put your phaser on stun." "Well, ain't this nice?" "I was wondering how I was gonna get you back, and here you deliver yourself." "Who's your friend with the ears, Kirk?" "I think you've got it reversed, Mr. Krako." "I ain't, pally." "Put down your heaters." "Captain," "I believe that perhaps it would be wise to do as he says." "I just heard the sound of..." "The sound of a machine-gun bolt being pulled back." "Mr. Krako, I don't..." "So this is the fancy heater, huh?" " How does it work?" " I'm trying to tell you, Mr. Krako, that this is bigger than you, Oxmyx or anyone." "The only thing I want you to tell me is how it works." "Well, can you trust all your men?" "Of course I can." "Well, one of these could make a man a pretty big boss, you know." "I either trust them or they're dead." "Let's go in here and talk about it." "Now we got no busy little eyes to worry about." "How does this work?" "All right, Krako, we don't have time to show you how to play with toys." "Toys?" "What do you think we're here for, to get a cut of your deal?" "Forget it." "That's... peanuts to an outfit like the Federation, right?" "Unquestionably." " Right?" " Right." "Now, look, Krako, we're taking over the whole ball of wax." "And you cooperate with us, and maybe we'll cut you in for a piece of the action." "A minuscule..." "A very small piece." " How much is that?" " That's..." "We'll figure it out later." "I thought you guys had laws." "No interference." "Who's interfering?" "We're taking over." " Check?" " Right." "The planet is being taken over by the Federation, but we don't wanna come in here and use our muscle." "You know what I mean?" "That ain't subtle." "So, what we do is we..." "We help one guy take over the planet." "He pulls the strings, and then we pull his." "Hey, you, sit down." " What's your cut?" " What do you care, as long as you're being cut in?" "Of course, there's always Bela Oxmyx." "All right, it's a deal." "Call your ship, bring down your boys and whatever else you need." " Kirk to Enterprise." " Enterprise." "Scott here." "All right, Scotty, we made a deal with Krako." " We did, sir?" " Yeah, we're ready to make the hit." "We're taking over the whole planet as soon as you get ready." "Do you think that's wise, sir?" "Sure, we can trust Krako, but we don't have any choice." "You know what I mean?" "He's standing about 12 feet in front of me, all ready to be our pal." "Of course, Scotty, I'd like to show him the ship, just to show him that we're..." "We're on the level, but you know how it is." "Aye." "I know, indeed." "Scotty, we'll need phasers to equip every one of Krako's men." "We'll need advisors and troops to back him up on the hit." " You got all that, Scotty?" " Aye, captain." "Captain, we're preparing everything." "It'll be ready when you give the word." "You may begin, Mr. Scott." "Acknowledged, captain." "You mean you're gonna start sending down your boys now?" "Not exactly." " Right?" " Check." "How..?" "How'd I get here?" "What..?" "What happened?" "You, you must be that Scott fellow that Kirk was talking to." "I wanna know what happened!" "It looks like we put the bag on you, doesn't it?" " I got rights!" " You got nothing." "You mind your place, mister, or you'll..." "You'll be wearing concrete galoshes." "You mean cement overshoes?" "Aye." " Must we?" " It's faster than walking." " But not as safe." " Are you afraid of cars?" "Not at all, captain." "It's your driving that alarms me." "Spock, I've got the hang of it by now." "Go on." "Oh, not again." "Hey, wake up." "You all right?" "Hey, you guys, come in here!" "The Feds snatched Krako." "I never seen anything like it." "They're gonna move in unless we stop them now." "Yeah?" "How?" "Bela's mixed up in this somehow." "I got a sneaking hunch they're gonna hightail it back to his territory." "And you know what we're gonna do?" "We're gonna hit his place." "Where are they?" "Knowing Krako, he'll probably send them back on a blotter." "Wrong again, Oxmyx." " Jim." " Knock it off, Sawbones." "I wanna talk to this creep." "Now, listen, I'm getting tired of playing patty cake with you penny-ante operators." "What do you mean, a penny-ante operator?" "You're a penny-ante operator." "Sit down." "All right, Spocko, cover him." "Listen, sweetheart, the Federation's moving in." "We're taking over." "You play ball, we'll cut you in for a piece." "If you don't, you're out." "All the way out." "Do you know what I mean?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" "All you had to do was explain it to me." "Kirk to Enterprise." "Enterprise." "Scott here, sir." " You got Krako on ice?" " Aye, he's here." "Mad enough to chew neutronium, but behaving himself." "Okay, baby, cool him until I flag you." "Flag me?" "Keep him there until I send for him." "We're gonna make some old-style phone calls from this locale, so you locate the man on the other end of the blower" " and give him a ride to his flop." " What?" "Find the man at the other end of the phone, and transport him to these coordinates." "Can do, sweetheart?" "Can do, captain." " Standing by." " Now, you." "Get on the blower and call the other bosses." "I sure don't know what you think you're talking about." "Get with it." "I'm giving the orders here." "Hello." "Hello?" " Scotty." " Scott here." " Guess who." " Lock in and energize." "Yeah, you bet your life I've got a lot of nerve." "What are you gonna do about it?" "I'm coming over there with a couple of my boys and we..." "Mother..." " Hey, captain, that ain't bad." " Yeah." "I would advise youse to keep dialling, Oxmyx." "All right, you know what to do." "We hit Bela's place and nobody comes out alive." "All right, let's go!" "All right." "All right." "All right!" "All right!" "Now, the Federation's taking over whether you like it or not." "You people, you've been running this planet like a piecework factory." "From now on, it's gonna be under one roof." "You're gonna run it like a..." "Like a business." "And that means, you're gonna make a profit." "Yeah." "And what's your percentage?" "I'm cutting the Federation in for 40 percent." " You got any objections?" " Yeah." "I hear a lot of talk, but all I see here is you and a couple of your boys." "I don't see no Federation." "Listen, they got a ship." "I know, I was there." "Wait a minute." "Wait a minute." " Tepo's got a point." "All we see is them." " Right." "What?" "Couple of your boys?" "I'm not gonna believe my eyes..." "Hang on a minute, hang on a minute." "Quiet!" "Just a moment." "Let me say something." "I only saw three guys on that ship." "Maybe there ain't no more." "There are over 400 guys there." "That's your story, buster." "Hey, that's my boys, they're making a hit on this place." " My boys will put you down." " Wanna bet?" "Keep moving." "One move out of you two guys and I'll drill him." "Give me the hardware." "Hey, that's great, Krako." "Now we got hostages again." "We can make a deal with the Feds." "Are you kidding?" "This one's all mine." "From now on, nobody's going no place." "I'm gonna be the big boss in this here territory." "Now, wait a minute, wait a minute." "Get that heater down." "Don't you wanna take a look at what you're gonna fight?" "I already seen it." "You're nothing, Fed." "All right, but at least let me call my ship one last time" " and say goodbye." " Well, all right." "Go ahead." "Don't get smart." "Hello, Scotty, this is Kirk." "Enterprise." "Scott here, sir." "Scotty, put the ship's phasers on stun." "Fire out bursts in a one-block radius around these coordinates." "Right away, sir." "Scott out." "Gee, that's some trick." " Hey, did you see that?" " They're not dead, just knocked out for a while." "But they might just as well have been that way if we wanted them to." "Okay, okay, Kirk." "So we get the message." "Now, what was this syndicate deal you were talking about?" "He..." "He was talking about a percentage." " I was talking about both." " Okay." "A syndicate makes sense to me." "I'm a peaceful man at heart, but I'm sick and tired of all these hits." "I hit Krako." "Krako hits Tepo." "Tepo hits me." "There's too many bosses." "We can't get anything done." "I was thinking, if there was just one, maybe somebody like you as the top boss, then we can get things done." "Hey, Bela." "No, no, no." "The Federation can't get connected with a small-time operation like this." "No, I was thinking, Bela, you would be the top boss." "Krako, you'd be his lieutenant." "I don't want any trouble from the rest of you, because you'll have to answer to the Federation." "We'll be back every year to collect our cut." "Hey, look, you figure maybe 40 percent's enough?" "Yeah, I think 40 percent's sufficient." "It's reasonable." "It sounds reasonable." "That sound reasonable to you?" "It's reasonable, Mr. Oxmyx." "Let's break out some of your drinking stuff and celebrate the syndicate." "Gentlemen, you two have been brooding" " ever since we returned to the ship." " Brooding, captain?" "Brooding, Mr. Spock." "A sombre emotional state." "Now, do you wish to continue it or are you going to discuss it?" "Captain, I am neither brooding nor sombre." "But I do have reservations about your solution to the problem of the lotians." "Yes." "I understand that." "You don't think it's logical to leave a criminal organisation in charge." "Highly irregular, to say the least, captain." "I'm also curious as to how you propose to explain to Starfleet Command that a starship will be sent each year to collect our cut." "Yes, that's a very good question, Mr. Spock." "I propose that our cut be put into the planetary treasury and used to guide the lotians into a more ethical system." "Despite themselves, they'll be forced to accept conventional responsibilities." "Isn't that logical?" "All right, Bones, in the language of the planet, what's your beef?" "Well, I don't know how serious this is, Jim, and I don't quite know how to tell you." "Well, go ahead." " But in all the confusion, I..." " Go ahead, tell me." " I think I left it in Bela's office." " You left it?" "Somewhere." "I'm not certain." "You're not certain of what?" " I left my communicator." " In Bela's office?" "Captain, if the lotians, who are very bright and imitative people," " should take the communicator apart..." " They will." "They'll find out how the transtator works." "The transtator is the basis for every important piece of equipment" " that we have." " Do you think it's that serious?" "Serious?" "Serious, Bones?" "It upsets the whole percentage." "How do you mean?" "Well, in a few years, the lotians may demand a piece of our action."