A Choice of Catastrophes by Michael Schuster

Author:Michael Schuster [Schuster, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Space Opera, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781451607161
Google: PxDE-pbL__gC
Amazon: 1451607164
Publisher: Star Trek
Published: 2011-08-30T07:00:00+00:00

Captain Kirk and the landing party hung back, watching the Farrezzi moving the cryopods into the block-like structure. Kirk hated to just watch, but he had his reasons. The first, he wanted a better idea of what was going on. The other reason was the Prime Directive.

If slavery was a normal Farrezzi practice, Kirk had no right to put a stop to it. The Farrezzi were trading with the Orions; perhaps they picked up the practice from them. In that case, Kirk could act, and argue that he was restoring the Farrezzi to their norm.

Or he could just take action and deal with the consequences later.

“Captain,” said Giotto, being sure to keep his voice down. Absorbed in their task, the Farrezzi slavers had not yet noticed their hiding place. “I recommend we reunite with Tra and Chekov, get back to the surface, and contact the Hofstadter. We can’t handle this ourselves.”

“I’m tempted—” began Kirk, but he was interrupted by footsteps from behind. Both of them looked around together to see Y Tra coming up in a hurry. He was alone.

“Where’s Chekov?” Giotto barked.

Tra looked uneasy. “The Farrezzi got him. I’m surprised you haven’t seen him yet. He was kicking up quite a—”

“Captain.” Rawlins pointed at the moving Farrezzi. Three Farrezzi were pushing a cryopod with a human into the blocky structure. Kirk couldn’t quite tell, but the figure could have been Yüksel. A fourth alien was coming up behind them, a human man in a gold uniform shirt squirming in its limbs. Even from this distance, Kirk could tell that it was Ensign Chekov. As he was dragged along, Chekov occasionally yelped in pain.

“Order: end of resistance, alternative: pain! Long agonizing pain!” the Farrezzi holding Chekov said. It was dragging the ensign up to the Farrezzi who had been issuing orders. “Discovery: biped here.”

“Confusion, annoyance. Query: biped intrusion imminent?” The Farrezzi did not have to change direction to focus on Chekov. The captain found its radial symmetry disconcerting. “Order: declaration of name, purpose of presence?”

“Aah! I am… a tourist. I came here… to visit your beautiful planet,” Chekov said, pain evident in his voice. “I heard you had nice beaches, but there was no one there. You can’t go swimming without a lifeguard, so I was looking for someone when I found you. Can you tell me why nobody lives on the surface anymore? And where I can buy sunscreen?”

“Query: clarification, not-I presence alone?”

“Of course! I always travel on my own. It’s much more fun that way.”

“Query: knowledge of previous biped?”

“I never saw him before in my life! I don’t even like other… bipeds. Why do you think I came to the planet of the octopi?”

“Order: statement of name!”

Chekov hesitated for a moment, before finally gasping out, “Cyrano Jones.”

Kirk had to smile at that.

“Query: purpose of presence? Order: truth!”

“As I said, I like nice beaches. Swimming is my favorite pastime, and I—aah!”

“Feeling of disbelief. Confusion, annoyance. Anger! Order: biped cooperation! Alternative: fatality!” The Farrezzi who was interrogating Chekov motioned to the one holding the ensign.

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