Star Trek II Short Stories by William Rotsler

Author:William Rotsler [Rotsler, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0-671-46390-X
Publisher: Wanderer Books
Published: 1981-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

The star system of Omicron Theta was a wreck. Five planets orbited the Class M sun. Two were distant gas grants, one a near molten ball close to the star, and two were seared, lifeless worlds. Three long, thin belts of shattered rock circled the sun where planets had once turned.

“Natural disaster or war?” Kirk asked.

“My readings indicate an atomic war of immense magnitude, Admiral—enough to tear planets apart.”

“Radiation?”

“Minimal. The wars were well over a thousand years ago.”

Kirk sighed. “Well I suppose we should give them a quick survey as long as we are here, then move on. Mr. Spock, would you like to head the party? Either one of those ruined worlds would be enough, I think. We’ll leave the rest for the scout ships.”

“Yes, Admiral, I’d be most interested. The outermost of the two ruined planets would be the more appropriate.”

“Mr. Chekov, put us in orbit.” He thumbed a stud. “Transporter Room, prepare to beam down a party.”

He grinned at the Vulcan, “Good luck, Mr. Spock.”

The Vulcan raised his eyebrow. “Luck, Admiral, is no substitute for preparedness.”

The surface of Omicron Theta V was a bleak, nearly airless land where only tortured scrubs of grayish bushes grew. There were lakes of molten glass as large as American states, and vast deserts of seared soil and shattered mountains. There was no life, and only a weak, fitful wind stirred the sands.

Five shafts of light were the first new thing which had appeared on the surface of the cratered planet in over a thousand years. The light sparkled and took shape and five stood on the smooth surface, bulky in their spacesuits.

“Mr. Sulu, collect what biological specimens you can,” Spock said over his suit radio. “Sergeant Galloway, establish a lookout post. That hummock should do. Midshipman Chang, document the tricorder readings.”

“And me?” Lieutenant Commander Uhura asked.

“Basic observation, Commander. See what you can see. We meet here in one hour.”

“Aye, sir,” they all said and separated to explore.

Forty minutes later Uhura looked at her wrist chronometer and estimated how long it would take to return. She had been wandering through the crevices and folds of the melted landscape, finding little. Here and there was some unmarked feature of the old landscape, sheltered by a cliff or outcropping, but it told her little,

She turned to go back and took another slippery gulley, which promised to come approximately back toward the prominence where they had beamed down. The walking was difficult in the suit, as she could not see her feet all that clearly, and the ground was glassy with flamed soil.

Uhura rounded a corner and gasped as she saw a hunch backed shadow, then gave a great sigh of relief as she realized it was Spock in his cumbersome space suit. “You frightened me,” she admitted.

Spock did not answer, and she looked at what he was looking at. A little way off, sheltered in a fold of rock, was an artificial structure, a masonry block with a low, square doorway. On top of the block was a pair of feet, carved in stone, and sheared off just above the huge ankles.

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