The Pandora Principle (Star Trek: The Original Series Book 49) by Carolyn Clowes

Author:Carolyn Clowes [Clowes, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2000-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

IT WAS THEIR third day out from Earth. With Spock at his science station and senior crew on duty, the command chair sat strangely empty. Enterprise was crossing parsecs of star desert, heading “up the Line” behind inspection stations monitoring the Neutral Zone. Blind spots existed in that surveillance net (Sulu called them “smugglers’ gaps”), where ion interference or passing comets obscured sensor drones—although some malfunctioned for less natural causes—and where outposts’ eyes and ears could be outwitted, and sometimes were. Beyond Substation 36, ion storm NZ14 had been raging for months, scattering its noisy particles into surrounding space. There Enterprise would enter the Neutral Zone and skirt the outreaches of the Empire to make starfall at 872 Trianguli.

Spock had briefed his officers on the extent of Earth’s crisis and the objective of their mission. Everyone on the bridge today knew the fate of worlds was riding on the Enterprise, but only Spock and Saavik knew that Enterprise was riding on a dream.

She spent her time working on lessons at the board next to Spock’s, watching shipboard routine with endless fascination, and trying to learn the reason for his long, private consultations with Mr. Scott. Yesterday she asked if she could attend. But Spock only raised a frosty eyebrow, pointed out a syntax error in her essay on symbolic syllogisms in the poetry of T’Larn, and informed the crew that routine maintenance would be conducted in his absence. Then he left. And in light of what happened next, Saavik forgot all about those mysterious meetings.

The lift Spock summoned contained a passenger, the oddest being she had ever seen. Its eyes glowed bright yellow; its webbed fingers waved in greeting, and its voice gurgled, as if it were speaking under water.

“Hi, Ssspock! Watch me eeeasy fix?”

“No, Mr. Obo. I am due in a meeting. You may carry on.”

“Okay. Bbbye. Hii, ggguys!”

And with that it worked its way around the bridge, chatting, using the hair-like extrusions on its gracile fingers and toes to remove panel covers, probe consoles’ workings—often several at once—and reassemble them with impossible speed. Instrument response time increased. Uhura’s board no longer screeched; it chimed. A passing hand banished the sticky action of Saavik’s chair, which she hadn’t mentioned to anyone. At the science station Obo found nothing to adjust. It stopped, turned a remarkable shade of pink, and stroked the viewer with great respect. “Ssspock!” it inferred correctly. After repairing the conn’s armrest panel, it climbed up into the captain’s chair and fell asleep. Which was where Spock found it when he returned to the bridge.

“Our stowaway appears fatigued,” he observed mildly. “Commander Uhura, perhaps you could assist it to its quarters.” Then he sat down to work, ignoring the openmouthed stares of the crew.

Saavik hadn’t seen the amazing person since. Today was just beginning, and she was wondering what would happen next.

“I’m getting comm, Mr. Spock. Starfleet channels,” Uhura said into the quiet of the morning watch.

“New information, Commander?”

“Yes, sir. All nonessential travel’s been suspended, and ships are being recalled to starbases .

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.