TOS - Bantam 005 by Planet of Judgment

Author:Planet of Judgment [Judgment, Planet of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Captain's Log, Stardate 6133.4:

This is Captain James T. Kirk, Commander.

The bodies of Spock, McCoy, Charvat, Follett, Ybarra, and Dr. Atheling have been placed in the biological stasis chamber, for more thorough analysis on Academy. The consensus of opinion is that some manner of transporter accident killed them. Accordingly, we will not use the transporters until they can be tested under laboratory conditions.

Lieutenant Commander Scott and several other people in Engineering are very ill with a fever. Nurse Chapel has recommended a quarantine of the section, if many more people come down with it.

Morale in general seems very low. Both Spock and McCoy were well-liked by the crew.

Those who've fallen prey to the delusion believe that the ones who died on Nesta (or between Nesta and the Enterprise) are still alive, and being held prisoner on the rogue planet. Please ignore any transmissions relating this story, even if they come from me.

Further evidence, in the form of log entries and interviews with crewmen (those with the delusion and without), is here appended.

"Good God in heaven," Scott said, his brogue shocked completely away.

"I would bet any amount," Kirk said drily, "that the transmission is getting through."

"That's for sure," Uhura said slowly. "But, Captain... it does tell us one reassuring thing."

"Always in the market for good news."

"It shows us a limit of their powers. They can plant a fake story in the computer--but not in our heads! I still remember what happened, and so do you. Scotty? Did any of that happen, according to your memory?"

"Not a bit."

"Anybody?" Nobody on the bridge.

Kirk touched a button. "Computer."

"Working," it said.

"I would like to reprogram the distress message recorded on Stardate 6136.6: please erase."

"Won't work," Uhura muttered.

"This is contrary to my initial instructions."

"What difference does that make? This is Cap-recorded on Stardate 6136.6: please erase."

"Captain, when you recorded the original message you specifically instructed me to ignore any subsequent changes, by you or any other crew member."

Kirk reddened. "Are you aware that I was not even aboard the Enterprise on Stardate 6136.6?"

"If you were not aboard, you could not have recorded the message, Captain. I detect human error."

"Endit! Uhura! Can you get at that message physically? Tear out the wiring?"

"I wouldn't advise it, sir. It would--"

"Can you?"

"Yes, sir."

Kirk realized he had risen half out of his chair, and sat back down. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. What would it do?"

"Sir, it would disable the entire system."

"No way to get to just the message? Programming, rather than physically?"

"I don't think so, sir. The Arivne fixed it so that there's an unbreakable loop."

"Uh, Captain," Sulu said, "I almost hate to bring this up... but there's another possibility. The computer could be right."

They all stared at him. "If we did have the disease it describes, this is exactly the way we'd be acting."

Kirk laughed. "You're right, you know? Shouldn't be hard to check, though."

A quick check showed that the crewmen supposedly dead of the fever were still alive. The shuttles they'd gone to Anomaly with showed evidence of the trip (Johnson complained about the burn streaks on Shuttle #1, caused by the brush fire).

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