TOS - Episodes 13 - Mudd's Angels by Star Trek

Author:Star Trek [Star Trek]
Language: deu
Format: epub
Tags: \Star Trek
Published: 2011-01-02T07:59:05.850000+00:00

The Enterprise hung in space, mercilessly bombarded by hospitality. The answer was obvious.

"We'll send a contingent to each of you. Thank you," said Kirk. He turned back to his staff. "Duty Officer, we will assign one senior officer, two juniors, two yeomen and two crewmen to each planet. As soon as all assignments are distributed, send this personnel to the Briefing Room. There's some tactful probing to be done here— clam-digging, as it were. And these clams just may close up. I want to be sure each man and woman know what questions to ask."

But Sulu, returning reeking of fish and shiny with butter, and Chekov, glistening with ghee, and all the others as the groups filtered back, reported no difficulties in obtaining answers.

"They signed a contract with the Breetish Easht Indja Company," said Chekov. "They liked the name." He grinned. His teeth were bright red. "Betel nut. You chew it. Harmless but a leetle intaxionteexi—eentocsipating."

"I thought I gave orders that nobody was to overindulge!" said the Captain, scowling.

Chekov straightened to attention—at a 190-degree angle. "Yes, sir. Deedn't kow eet was alcoholic, sir. Deedn't want to be impolite, sir. But here's a copy of their contract, sir. Very sorry, sir."

"All right, Chekov. At ease." Chekov toppled over. Sulu picked him up and set him on his feet again, where he stayed at attention—still listing to starboard.

"Good grief, it is the British East India Company… Mister Sulu?"

"The Yukon Fur Trading Company, sir."

As the reports came in… The South Sea Bubble Company… The Muscovy Trading Company… "Vozdhrovia!" mumbled Chekov… The Governors and Company of the Merchants of the Levant… The Great Western Railway Company… All with the same story. And contracts.

Yeoman Weinberg was puzzled. "Those names. I've heard some of them before. The Yukon Fur Trading Company… and railways?" He snapped his fingers. "That's it! They're old Earth historical companies, part of the history of exploration and economic empires. Way back in the eighteenth century or someplace…"

Spock had been listening to the Yeoman with approval. "That is indeed the case, Captain. Those were the names of traders who went from Old Europe to the Eastern and newly settled territories, and established commercial relations."

"There's a bad smell in my memory around them," mused Weinberg. "I can't quite remember why."

"A great many were unscrupulous, exploitative and financially unstable. A few were of great mutual benefit," Spock went on. "Some, of course, opened the way for political exploitation, with effects that lasted for centuries."

"But does all this ancient history get us any further with the dilithium problem?" said Kirk impatiently. "All right, so there seems to be a bunch of commercial enterprises with antique and rather silly names. But who are they? What are they up to?"

"Klingons!" said Chekov thickly, grinning vermilion. "KLINGalingallingalingalons…"

Kirk turned, startled. "Mister Chekov, you're dismissed. Go to bed."

"It could be, Jim," said McCoy, considering, as Chekov wandered away, murmuring happily. "They could be preparing to renew hostilities. And if they could corner the dilithium market?

"We have a treaty." [See "Day of the Dove," Star Trek 11; The Trouble With Tribbles," Star Trek 3, Bantam Books.

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