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FQOTPRINT
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 These stories were ell entered for the competition in STi\G
newsletter No. 15, for 8 story entitled 'The Yeti's Footprint',
the winner being the story by Elizebeth Sherp.

Stor,Y by R; H. P. 1
Story by Gail Smith P. 3
Stor,Y by Helen Sneddon P. 9
Story by Vslerie ]\1cLeen P.17
Story by Elizsbeth Sherp P.20

A STAG publication.
This materi81 is copyright to the authors and publisher.
imyone wishing to reprint Bn,Y of the m8teriel is 8sked to obtain
written permission before d~)ing so.
It is understood thet only original materiel herein is covered
by tl'lis cop,yright, end no attempt is made to supercede 8ny oopyrights
held by Paramount, NBC BBC or any other holders of copyrights on
SThH TREK ill8terieJ ..

This publication costs SOp including postage. Cont8ct

Beth Hellam
Flc1t 3
36 Clapham Rd.
Bedford
England.
 1

Story by R.H.

Wi thin minutes of receivin(j the distress cell, the survivor

wes beamed eboard. ~oCoy's giving him 9 oleen bill of health
ensured thet Kirk could begin his interroga·tion almost immediatel.y.
Never tolerant of loose ends, he ge8 eeger to get the chore settled
and resume his current mission. Besides, the~e were events surr-
ounding this rescue th8t were, to 88y the le8st, giving him concern.
McCoy meiie the introductions e8 Kirk stepped. through the door
to the briefing room.
"Jim. let me present Milo Carne, pilot, 8nd, for w8nt of 8
better tRrci, explorer. Mr. Carne, James Kirk, Captain of the
Feder" tion Starshi p, the U.S.S. Enterprise."
Kirk raised 8n eyebrow. "Explorer', lInd what, may I ask, were
you exploring Wc'y out here?"
"The plerret you were so kind 28 to rescue me from, Captain.'!
Kirk welked towprds the table at the centre of the briefing room,
dismissing the odd, brown objects on it with e cursory glance. He
regf'rded the other pilot with i.:< shrewd expression on his face. He
had seen the type many· times before - loners, urJ'"ally retired or
pensioned off from the service - or, more often than not, court-
marti811ed out. :Blessed with 8 strange mixture of low cunning and
haphazard, impulse driven emotions, they were in any book e force
to be reckoned with.
n peir of derk eyes twinkled beck from en otherwise emotionless
feee es he spoke.
"Vfh8t h8ppened to your ship?"
"Stolen. "
Kirk should hBve expected this. He could see that he wes' going
to he.·,s trouble getting 8ny satisfactory answer from the pilot
without some considereble effort. He tried 8gain.
"B,Y whom?"
".:\IIy pertners."
"J\nd?1I
ll~nd whet?" The pilot loun~ed in the chair ecross the table
from Kirk. As for the Starflest commander, he could have quite
heppily str8ngled the man where he set.
Kirk spoke slowly, cerefully, willing his voice to be
dec~ptively celia.
" ..rr. Cerne. If we ere to be of Bny help, you'll h8ve to co-
OpGr8t(). Just e llS\Ver our qu6:)tions, volunteer 8 fev,l more answers."
Cerne pulled 8 lop-sided grimBce - something between a smile
end 8 frown, e8 if only in control of helf his f8cial muscles.
"l:[y two, uh, business pertners end I had e conflict of ide8ls .•. "
!tyou had 8 fight,H tr8Dsleted Kirk.
"Suffice to S8,y they stumbled. on e pet project of mine. 11
perticulBrly v8luBble project."
"The existence of which you kept secret from them."
"Correct. Big money Ci?n be .m8"de from unusu81 finds these dB,yS."
Kirk regerdod the pilot aith guerded loething. The scientist
within him held little s,ympathy for Cerne end his t,ype - profiteers
whose hem-fisted plundering of undiscovered p18nets h8d done much
to reterd the }'ederetion's 'Iuest for knowledge throughout the
Gelsx,Y. He noddiid towards the, until noVl, disrc.g8rded chunks of
plastic on the teble between them.
"l\nd these, presumably, ere simething to do with it?"
Carne picked u) the object nearest him. Kirk saw now that it
was a cast of some kind of footprint, teken from the original
impression in the ground. The materiel VlElS some kind of epoxy
reSin, the type used to make minor repeirs on b08rd a sp8cer.
Something' about the imprint strllCk " chord deep in Kirk's
memory.
 2

"Surely that looks like •.. "

"Exactly," interrupted C8 rl1 ~. "Shape and size exactly the same
as the trecks found in the Himalayas on old Earth. Footprints of
the Abominable Snowman!"
McCoy, until now regarding his nevI patient with a silent curiosity,
suddenly spoke.
"A Yeti's footprint?"
"Yes. Even the depth of the impression gives it a weight close
to that estimated for Earth's Yeti."
!I 1\nd this wss you secret project?!!
"Heh! '1'he othersthou.ght it was ... " Carne's voice trailed off
into silence, almost as if he had suddenly r~alised he was saYing
too much. Kirk sought out his eyes.
"'ifhet do ,you mean, the others thought."o.?"
He was interrupted by the insistent piping of the electronic
bosun's whistle from the intra-ship communicator. Kirk touched a
control on the table in front of him, end Spock's ?oice filled the
briefing room.
"Captain. Routine sensor scans of the planet's surface indicate
the presence of a non-sentient metallic object. Closer investigation
suggests that it is a grounded, possibly crashed, scout ship."
"Hold on, Mr. Spock." Kirk turned to Carne. "Another ship, this
fer off tho usual space lanes? Sounds too much of a coincidence to
me, Mr. Carne. Is this your Sllip?"
"Could be, Captein. I never spw it crash, but on the other hand
I didn't see the flare of its wsrp drive, either.11
Kirk returned to the intercom.
"iTr. Spock, .join me in the transporter room. Relay them the
co-ordinates of the wreck. I wan~ to take a look at it." He hit
the 'off' switch. "Bones, Mr. Carna. If you will join us."
"As you say, Captain.'1

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Carne and two security guards solidified

before the twisted hulk of the spacer. Kirk ran e critical 'eye
over it; The ship wes more or less still in one piece, but even the
most optimistic of ohservers wou.ld have to admit that it would
nover fly aGain
The Cause of the cresh weB not immedietely apparent, despite the
obviou.sly crude meinten2nce - or tathor lack of it - the ship had
boen subjected to.
"Your ship?lI Kirk's question waS more 8 stfltement.
"Correct." Even now, Carne W88 irritably unresponsive. Kirk
nodded towards the torn-open ou.tor airlock door.
"i\ftor you, Nir. Carne. It is still ,your ship."
"Oh, no, Capt8in Kirk. You arc tho Feder8tion representative
here, and as such are the one peid to take ell tho risks."
Dou.bly suspicious now, Kirk drew his pheser. Another hed .
appeared in Spock's hand as liicCo,y aimed his tricorder at tho hulk.
"No life forms registering, Jim. Onl.y 8. few insects in the
foliag" boyond."
Kirk sterted for the ship. "Watch Carn.G, Bones. Spock, cover
me. 1I
He climbed into the airlock .. Th0 inner door, also open, led. onto
the small flight deck. Aft was another door leading, he assumed, to
a storage aroa. The compact csbin was, surprisingly, relati~ely
undeffiEfged.
His boots skidded on something spilled Bcross the gently sloping
floor. He didn't need ;~cCo,y to toll him the gelling liquid, rust
coloured in thu pale light fil turing through the 01)8n airlock 8nd
the vie0ing ports, W8S humeD bIooa.
He rollow~d the trail. Tho body was still sosted in the commend
 3
chair, and bore horrible wounds. Yhetever had killed him hed done a
terribly thorough job.
Fighting the queasiness welling up in his stom8ch, Kirk, ph8sor
at chest height, made his way to the eft chamber. The Docond body,
b08ring similflr muti18tions, W8S lying in the romBins of 8 'packing
trunk that had, at one tin\8 in its life, held ration kits.
Feeling his control slipping, Kirk climbed from the wreck.
"Wh8t i8 it, Jim? You're 88 ,;",Ihite CIS 8 sheet ... "
lI'llwo mon, Bones. 'Both deed, in psrticu18rl:l gruesomo circum-
stences. '1 He bros'thud deeply 83 Carne spoke, trying to will the
t8int of th0 chrrnul house from hini.
"My two p81'tn(.d:'s. Ex pertrh;l'S, theSt is.!! Carne turned, <1 smile
thp'~ chilled Kirk's blood on his fece.
"You found 8n empty shipping contsincr?"
1I~IJhElt of i t?"
Carne chuckled, en evil chuckle that caused icy fingers to dance
along McCoy's spine. "It looks 8S though they found what they were
looking for."
"Explain yourself, mister." 'fhe discovery of the bodies hed
driven eny shred of petience Kirk mBY have had for Carne from him.
"My discovery ... 11
"Tho Yoti's footprints?"
"Yes, Doctor McCoy. They knuVJ ell about the footprints. What
they didn't know was that I had succeedod in capturing - alive - a
rual Yeti. It was in that container. Ona of them must have been
curious and tried to open it ... "

*******'**********
Story by Gail Smith.

The planet to which they beamed clown was pleBs8nt enough. The
greunery wes sparse, but it waS suffici0nt to break up the monotony
of the pele grey rock, and it W8S scatt0rod with tiny, straggling
flowers in soft mutud yellows and oT9ngos with the occasional dusky
pink. In the dis"tanc8 wes the sound of running water, end the
lilting cry of som~ animal.
'rhis then was thu plEln(1t Toyra, soon to be a member of the
Faderetion. nlrsady a badly needed medical tcam, led by an old
friend of McCoy's, Dr. Karlin, WFS on its way to help the Toyreans
build up their "lmost non-existent medical facilities.
~t that moment, 8S promised, tho welcoming committeD arrived -
if you could call two people a committoe. Kirk r8cognised Embrin,
lepder of tho ToyrGans, from tho visual contact they had mede a short
while ego. He wps a slightly built, pale-skinned m8n of about
twenty-eight. His companion wes in his fifties, a stately, pompous
looking men.
"Embrin, 8110w me to introduce my First Offioer, Mr. SpOCk9
ship's surgeon Dr. McCoy, Chief Engineer, ~r. Scott, and Lieutenant
Bland. tI
Embrin lowered his heed to 88ch in turn, hend to forehead. The
Enterprise perty returned the gesture SOme\Vh8t Bwkw8rdly.
llrrhis is my Chief ,AdVisor, l\bron," said Embrin, indicating his
companion, who gave the Toyrean bow stiffly.
j,t Embin's invitation, the,Y made their way to Marin, the capital
city, v~hich 18.1 fust over 8 rid.ge, snug 8geinst a sheet of overhanging
rock. The buildirLgs were simplG in design, short, squ8re, flat-
topped, built from the seme grey stone, but each had a painted design
if E' differe,nt 118t;ure ebove its entrance. In febulous oolours 9 each
had ona thin~ in common. In the centre of en array of various animals
2nd plents stood e large bleck bird with wide powerful wings Bnd long
 4
legs ending in huge five-toed feet. Toyreans were portrayed
worshipping it. ~n obvious deity. ~t the door of the Toyrean
leader's hall, where Embrin and his advisors dwelt, the design was
fabulous. It showed Embrin dressed in some kind of ceremonial robes,
a long-bladed we8pon in his hand, protecting his cowering people
from en arrey of ferocious-looking animals, with the S8me strange
bird fighting 8t his side. ns the two Toyreans reached the door,
they bowed to the bird. 8mbrin turned to explain.
".AEl e8ct leec10r inherits the hell, so the fece on the design is
altered. It s~ows that he will protect his people at all times."
"j,nd - the bird?" questioned Kirk, hoping that he wasn't tre8ding
on dangerous religious ground.
"That, my dear C8ptain Kirk, is the legendary ,Imaru bird. It will
comB in times of ~re8t denger from the llurin Mountains, to help us."
"This bird, you sey, is B legend. Does anyone claim to have Seen
it?" asked Spock.
Embrin and l\bron stiffened visibly. Kirk shot Spock a w8rning
glance. Spock, who had no personal need for legends, seemed about
to ruin a good friendship.
"Noone has seen the bird since the de:ys of my grandfather, but it:
is there. Its footprints have been seen often," countered Embrin.
"Huge, deep, five-toed footprints in the mountains," added Abron.
IIIJ.1he Yeti's footprint strikes 8g'ain," murmured Bland.
"Yes, Mr. Bland, I do see the similarity in the cases," afreed
Spock.
"Yeti?" questioned Embrin.
"The Yeti, sir," explained Jpock, were believed by some people
on Earth to have inhabited the llimah.yan l:!ountains. '.Phe myth Vias
entirely founded on footprints found in the snow, and occasional so-
called sightings of an ape-like creature. It W8S never proved to
exist."
IIThen there is no similerity, ~r. Spock. Our ~\m8rU bird exists.
I su~gest thet we dine now, gentlemen. 11
'royrcan hospi teli ty proved to be msgnificent. Captain Kirk,
however, was constelltly on edge throughout the meal, hoping 8 certain
8ub,ject would keep out of the conversation.
They had hardly finished discussing Toyrean membership of the
Feder8tion when Spock's curiosity urged him to ask if they could
visit the llurin Mountains.
!'But of course, you are my guests,1I was the repl,Y. !lEut forgive
me if I do not. join you; I have guests leter. Abron will be a more
competent guide."
dB they followed Abron, Kirk strolled alongside Spock, Scott and
HcCoy, out of hearing of the ToyreaD, who was 8 few yards aheed, deep
in conversation with Blend.
"Spock, I hope .10u're not going to attempt to prove their bird to
be non-existent," worried Kirk.
"Captain! I think that you could credit me with some tact at
least. To completely destroy a harmless belief held so important by
a total populace would not only demsge their way of life, but also
contradict our prime directive of non-interference."
"He means 'no' ," smiled McCoy.
Kirk sighed with relief. He should have known that, but the way
Spock had inquired about the bird hed been unnerving.
"We're el[iLQst there, Ce,)t8in."
The four lIlen stopped to louk where ,Ibron pointed. Not two hundred
yerds to t~leir left wer~ three sIDall peeks.
"Yon things?" 1I1uttered Scott to Kirk. t1The,y're nothin' but
pebbleB, Cept8in. Why, in 0cotlf'lnd .. ,II
"You"re 8S b8d 8S Chekov," grinned Kirk.
It wss not long before the,Y were a little way up the centre peak.
 5
"bron allowed them to go no further, explaining that it waS sacred
ground. Spack worked his tricorder, McCoy his. ~bron glanced at them
doubtfull,V, then he W8S cornered by Scott, who WClS intent on describing
the be2uty of the ~cottish mountpins.
liTtle only life forms reGisteri~g ere v8rious small 8~im21s 8nd
birds," steted ilcCoy.
"lio ilm8ru birds round here, then,lI s,.liled B18nd.
"Not here, or within ~ radius of ... " Spack stopped abruptly.
"You found a Yeti, Sir?" grinned Bland..
McCoy glanced up. Spack waS staring back towards Marin.
"What is it, Spock?"
Spack simply pointed. At the ridge where the,Y had beamed down
were four figures. McCoy couldn't see their feces, but even he could
recognise Klingon uniforms at co distance.
"Jim!"
Captain Kirk had been joining in Scott's discussion with ~bron.
He looked up, sensing the urgency in McCoy's voice. He ran to where
they stood, Scott and Abron behind him.
"Klingons! lind they're with Embrin!" gasped Kirk.
"He tolel ,you he hacl guests, did he not?" said "bron, puzzled.
"But - Klingons! Does he know anything about them?"
"The,Y arrived here two days ago, on the other side of the planet.
This is their second visit to 'M8rin itself. rrhey fire here for
supplies and to ill8ke friends, to investig8'te our wey of life .. . "
t'LBddie, ye dinn8 m8ke friends wi' 8 Klingon!" growled Scott.
"Sncli<.es in the gTBSS," muttered Blpnd.
"I{oVJ me-ny, .(·lbroll?!1
"Tuelve, eltogether. "
just to org2!lise 2 fooet supply end 1TI8ke 8 report!"
I!~C'Nelve,
mocked hl6Coy. "They're up to sorlsthing. 11
"Yes, Dr. McCoy, why teke tno days for 8 short operation such 88
that, Bnd why the pretence of being friendly? Klingons normally just
t8ke wh8t they want,'1 8greed Spock.
"They mentioned ecologic21 studies," proffe~ed ~bron.
"F8scin2-tinge Kling-ons doing ecological studiesK 1\ Klingon ship
leaves twelve men here end dis8p~e2rs out of sensor r8nge," puzzled
Spack.
James T. Kirk wanted 8n explanation, 2nd fast. Mountains 2nd
cousins of Yeti forgotten, they sped hack to Marln.
They burst in on a Klingon 'tat&-a-tete' with Emhrin in the
leeder's hall. [<'our Klingon hec1ds turned as the five men in
Federetion uniform entered.
One Klingon rose to his feet with a gesture of mock pleasure.
"Why, Earthmen! .OUI' old and trusted friends!" he said, with an
attempted smile. "I am Krodol. Yvh8tj :nay I 8sk, ere you doing heloe,
gentlemen?"
III Wf1S sbout to ask ,you the Berne question 9 11 snapped Kirk.
"We're interested in _" began Krodol.
"The ecology, so we heard. Unusual for ](lingons, I'd s~y,"
interrupted McCoy sarcastically.
rlNow, gentleme.n, v.!D..,V so sus'picious of ,your de8rest 8nd most
trusted fri'ends?lI leered. l{rodol. IIYfh,Y not le8ve us to our work
here, c1nd _II
":;Ie 81so have business here!" snepned Kirk 8ngril,y.
t'Sr ... your reces appeeT to ~e 2cqueinted,I' seid Bmbrin.
"n inol'Gdible piecel of detective work, thought Kirk sarcastically.
"If ,you'll excuse us, gentlemen," said Krodol, he and his men
rising to leave. If he uses that word in that tone of voice just one
more time, thought Kirk, I'll. .. then as the door closed. behind the
Klingons he wheeled on Embrin.
"Have you any idea what they're really like?"
 6

"1 don't understBnd ,you, ':;'''ptsin. You ccme speeking of friend-

ship end pe8ce, then treet my guests in such B wey. Is this the
friendship I hBve egreed to, the peBce?" It W8S 8 surprising outburst
from the normslly tBme Bnd pI8cid men.

Later, Kirk spoke to Spock. "Whetever the Klingons ere up to,

Embrin is up to his neCK in it. Thet's obvious from the wey he got
his bBck up just now. He's hiding something. He's a weak man, Spock,
and they've got some kind of hold over him."
"Captain!" Scott butst into the room.
"Whet is it, Scotty?"
"I ken whit they leddies ere up tee!"
IIWh8t!!!1I
"Teke e look st these, Jim." It wes McCoy who spoke 8S he
entered the room just after Scott. He showed Kirk e cleer cube
8 bout 8n inch squ8re. Inside it was 8 glittering stone.
"''''hElt is it'?"
"We were tallcing to One of the locals and 1 noticed this slung
round his neck. I inquired ebout it, end he seid it weB 8 rere 8w8rd
given for gref\t sex'vices to the plpnet. de 81so s<~id that the
Klingons hed 8sked him the seme thing~ And he showed me whet he showed
them - he's let me borrow it for 8 while ... " McCoy worked some kind
of cBtch on the cube thet let til(' stone fBll on to the t8ble. Wi thin
seconds it wes on the floor, having burned 8 nest hole through the
tBble. QUickly, )ilcCoy used enother piece of the cle8r stuff to flick
the stone into its cube 8gein. ~'here wes Blreed,y e sm811 hole in
tha stone floor. "This cleBr meteriBl is the only thing the stones
cannot herm. It's found round the stones, which the 10c8ls cell
'Kitrunes' ."
1I]18scinDting!" exclaimed Spock, worJ:cing his tricorder. "They
simply do not register. A mpterial completely unknown to us. Think
what these Ki trunes could ito, Cept"in, revolutionise _It
"And the Klingons pre Bfter them!" interrupted Kirk.
'tApP8rently," BPid McCoy. "The single locetion of these is known
only to Embrin."
"Come on!" yelled Kirk, storming out of the room.

"Yes, Ceptaln? lifore 8ccusations eg'Binst the Klingons?"

IlNo, Embrin. Ageinst you. II
"vlh8 t? II
"We know about the Kitrunes."
Embrin we,s stertled. "Wh2 t h£lve you been told r? By whom?"
"~'Ie know the Kling'ans pre 8.fter them, end since only you know
the loc8tion of them, the,ylre.:: twi;.;;ting your erm. ~onlt deny it,
please. If
"I .. ,"
"We know, Embrin. Don't.deny it. All we need to know now is if
you've told them where the Kitrunes ere. And what their hold over
you is."
Embrin c8pituleted. "I told them not pn hour ago thet the
Ki trunes lie in the catecombes tunnelling deep under the J\urin
Moun ta ins. "
Kirk groened. "Why, Embrin?"
"It ... it 811 he8 to do with the Am8ru bird."
"WhBt? With your Yeti? .. 1 mepn, legend ... "
"It isn't an old legend, Captein, it sterted when my gr8ndf8ther
reigned. He wes 8 we8k m8n, and. dis8ster pfter dispster threetened
his positioD. The people pre very superstitious ... they seid some
god WEtS egeinst him end would hElve deposed him. Then en even bigger
trouble 8rose - enother p18net deci.ded to inv8d.e us. IIIir8culously,
they were suddenly b18stfOd out of the sky before they could do much
 7
dc'mage. The people hed no idea 'ahE,t hed :.one it, so my grandfather
decided to cesh in On the miracle end seve himself. He played on
their superstitions end cleimed that the gods hed sent 8 huge bird
to defend them. He claimed thet it hed come to him end that he hed
directed its actions. He even resorted to creeping out in the
night to dig footprints, to prove his story. Thet's how desperete
he W8S, end we've hed to keep up the pretence since. He seid it
would return to our f2mil.y in times of trouble. So he seved himself."
"ilnd how do the Klingons fj.t into this?"
"They were the ones who reelly t,·ckled the inveders, who hed
tried to stop them pC'ssing."
"And they threatened to tell .your peopel this?" guessed Kirk.
"Yes."
Wclut they couldn't have known sbout the legend before. Why
return no"v? II
lIJ..t W88 merely e stop for sl1pplies - then they discovered the
kitrunes snd came to force me to give 8wey the source. It W$S only
while we were 8rguing eLaut i"t thet Krodel shouted thet their
encestors should nGver heve s8ved this miser8ble little pIe net 80
long ego. I just couldn't helD mys()lf - I just gesped in reelisetion •
... And seeing I wes scered, they ... they forced me to tell them the
s tor,Y • fJ.1h ey found it extremely 81i1US ing. II
"l\re they in the ce-t8combes now?"
"No. They ere meeting the other Klingons first, then I 8m to
show them the we-yo The c8t2cOm;)Os ere m8ny, end the,y do not trust,
me even though the.y know me to be [I cowerd."
"How long before you join them?"
I1Two hours."
"ShOW us the cE,tecombes, Embrin, we'll "
"But the Klingons! The bird!"
"We'll see to them, l[lddie," Beid Scott vehemently.
Kirk's communic"tor beeped. "Kirk here."
"Ceptein - Lt. Uhure here. 1\ Klingon ship just ceme onto the
S CE',nners • II
"Tkwnk you, Lieuten8nt. Usuel procedure. Deflectors up, 2nd
if they ID8ke 8 move, fight b8ck. Kirk out."
He turned to Embrin. "If the Klingons get those Kitrunes, they
will be beCK for more. They'll probebly cleim this plenet before
the Federetion could move to proteot you."
"Never!!!
"It I r; usa21 for them just to t8lli.:e whet they wrnt. Your plenet
Vlou.ld never breElk free fro,n the Kl ingon hold. Under mili t8ry rule,
your people would be crushed. You Vlould 211 be expendeble!" shouted
Kirk; "They live to steel, to murder, to conquer!"
"Might I edd, sir, th8t it would be better to edmi t to the f81se-
hood 'of the legend, even if it meens relinquishing your position,
then to 8110w the Klingons to destroy your W8Y of life, 8nd. perheps
your people too," seid Spock, summing it up completely.
"Yes, .yes, I see •.. but m.y people believe in the Ameru, they
depend on it to sElve them •.. "
"Cen it Seve them from the Klingons? Or will you?"
Spock h8d mede up Embrin's mind for him.

It wes exectl.y two hour end seventeen minutes leter when Embrin
led ten of the Klingons into the cetscombes. The Klingons did not
know thet Captein Kirk wes fully ewere of their plens - they hed not
expected Embrin to tell him, 11nd their greed for the Ki trunes m8de
them hurry efter their guide, f'rmed with fleshlights end boxes
Mede from the cleer meteriel to ho\" the stones. If they hed known
whet el', lpy in weit for them, they would h8ve been.most surprised.
Kirk's intention wes to cetch them in the ect of ste81ing the
Kltrunes, end with [1 cherge of threpts towerds the Toyrepns 8dded.
On to those of theft, the Klingons would heve been in deep trouble,
 8

in eccordence with the Orgeniflll Pe8ce Tre8ty. Unfortun8tely, thing's

didn't work out quite s's plenned.
As the Klingons nee red the hollow where the Kitrunes glistened
in the d2rk, the Enterprise pElrty 2nd eight Toyreens led by Abron -
who w8sn't reelly sure of whet WI'S going on, knowing only thElt the
Klingons were nOw his enemies - were hidden in nel'xhy pess£1ges
which brenched off in different directions. B18nd moved forwerd 8
little, peering rOtlIld the corner to See how close the Klingons were.
His h8nd WPS 8g8inst the w2ll, "nd. the stone there WI'S dry and~pwdery.
It st8rted to crumble. He m8n8ged to stop sny fr8gments f8lling,
but in the ensuing cloud of dust he felt himself beginning to choke.
Redfeced with the effort, he tried to hold bsck the coughs, but
suddenly, there were the Klingons, wee pons reised in triumph.
"So, Embrin decided to bring 8 few friends elong, did he? Well,
he'll be sorry, I Cen tell you th8t!" snerled Krodol.
"I doubt it! Drop your we8pons!"
The Klingons hed dismissed Embrin 88 h8rmless once egein, 8nd he
h8d jumped one of the Klingons from the beck, grebbing his weepon.
As the Klingons whirled in surprise, Kirk end the others took their
chence 2nd ett8cked from the reel'. Toyreen fists knocked weepons
wide, 8nd phesers set on stun did the rest.
ilfter the struggle, Abron heel e broken erm. B18nd ley de?d.
The Klingons were in some CBses bruised end in others unconscious -
?pf':rt from the stunning - but there wes no serious demege on their
side.

As the Enterprise p8rty, elong with Embrin 8nd Abron, ceme to

the surfece, the J' found two Kl ingon guerds the sullen prisoners of
e group of str2ngers in Sterfleet uniform.
"K8 rl in!" liIcCoy exc18 imed. He turned to K1 rk. "Jim, this is
Dr. KBrlin. We didn't expect 'you quite so soon," he edded.
Kirk glanced et Embrin. "Your medical teclm," he t}xp18ined, 88
he gripped Kerlin's hend. "Telk 8bout the c8velry 2rriving," he
went on, grinning broedl,Y. "Your trensport must heve mede ?ll the
difference to the situation."
Kerlin nodded. "Yes, the Klingons weren't 2t ell 88ger to fece
up to two Federetion vessels - even though ours wes only 2 trpnsport."
"We'll get them to lift off their men, then Idon't think they'll
need much persupsion to move off," Kirk decided.

Leter, in the le2ders' h811~ Kirk spoke to Embrin. I'Your

secret is still s8fe~ you know.'1
"i'To, Ceptein," he replied. "If I h8ven't the courege to rule
without 8 legend -to bpck me up, I shouldn't be ruling at alli Itll
8xplpin to my people pbout my grpndfether's ect, end let them judge
me 88 they will. Let them Etppoint p new leeder of their choice."
"Somehow, Embrin, I don't think it will come to thet," Kirk s8id.
"You h2d the courage to put your people before yourself in the end,
end got rid of the biggest threet they've ever h8d. - Klingon rule.
You did better th8n en,Y bird could ever h8ve done."
Suddenly, Abron eppe2red. It wes obvious that he hed heerd
enough to guess the truth, He looked ewkwerdly at his feet, his
feetures streined. Then he str8ightened up end g2ve Embrin the
hend to foreheed bow.
Kirk smiletl. He h2d been right.

Kirk; Bones, h8ve you ever seen 8n Abomineble Snowm8n?

McCoy; Not yeti.
 9
Story by Helen Sneddon.

Micas 2 WBS a very pleasant pIece. The reports thst had filtered
back to the ship from the land.ing pBrty had convinced Kirk th8t it.
would be worth while giving it 2 1001'1 there were enough hostile
planets around, a chence for a stroll on Paradise wssn't to be missed.
He spent the first minute after besmdown breathing in the warmly
scented E!ir~ then enother fninute surveying the 18ndscepe before him.
Wi thout turning his heEd he could see just about every possible
climetic veri8tion - green lus}l gress, trees, lekes, interspersed
with patches of rocky outcrops and desert scrubland, stretching in 8n
unduleting crazy petchwork to the forested foothills of the not too
distant mountains, which sheered up 81most vertically and disappeared
into snow, ice Bnd cloud.
Kirk snapped out of his daydream 8S Spock appeared, laden down
with 8n 8ssortment of survey ge8r.
"1\11 packed up, i'.1r. Spock?"
"Yes, Captain, just a few mcre oersonnel to report back."
Kirk surveyed the landscape once more. "Strange to see desert
so close to water, and the ice 80 near to 811 that temperate greenery."
"Extreme volc8nic acti vi ty crea ted the anomalies, C8ptain, forcing
the mount8ins up to their precipitous heights, 8nd pushing some of
the underlying rock strata close to the surface to cre£<te the deserts.
Our readings confirm this," he continued, warming to the subject,
"and other tests conducted showed the development of some most inter-
esting local phenomena, in particular s most curious ... "
Readings, tests, phenomens •.. Kirk wasn't about to waste a few
precious minutes listening to one of Spock's technical explanations.
"Animal life, Mr. Spock?" he interrupted.
"Animel life? Nothing of any great size, Captain, the largest
would appeEr to be 61 species resembling 8 smell g08t. 11
Smell? How smell?'!
"Abou·t 20 inches. 11
"Horns'?"
.lIN,o, e.t least none of those we 11["v8 seen hElve them. They are
rpther wpry of out presence, but OQr findings indicate them to be
very intel"Ligent."
"Good, well, th8t settles it."
"Settles wh8t, Csptclin?"
"I'm taking a walk." The arrival of McCoy end Scott with another
returning survey group further persueded him.
"Lovely pIece, Jim," beemed the doctor. "Pity you can't .•. "
"That's just where you're wrong, McCoy. Th8t's exactly why I'm
here. I don't see why I should moss out." He turned beck to Spock.
"Who's left?"
Spock checked the Bssc"mbled group. "~insign Cliekov is the only
one still to report. He is working on the far side .of the leke."
He took out his communicator. "I'll cell him in."
Kirk stopped him. "Don't bother, Mr. Spock. You start moving
all the equipment bsck to the ship and I'll find Mr. Chekov." And
with that he took a deep bresth of warm sir and set off al~ng the
path to the lake.

Chekov h8d finished his survey and was on his wsy back to the
landing area, but via another route, one which would toke him sway
from the swampsnd up into the rooky, ravine-ridden desert ares. He
hsd been five minutes into the sandy landscape when Kirk buzzed him
to check on his whereabouts.
Feeling 8 little guilty ebou·t getting off his 8ssi~~led route, he
begen e series of 8xp18n2tions, l)ut Kirk cut him short. He understood,
he felt the spme. It wasn't often. the pressures were eased and B
chance could be found to do what one .ented to do, instead of what
one wes ordered to do.
 10

"I'm heading for what looks like a deep gorge, Captein, just
below a tall rock piller form"tion."
Kirk scenned tile rock,Y hi118i(l8 rising a couple of hundred feet.
into the air about a mile OW8Y.
"I think I con seB the pil12r, Mr. Chekov, I'll he8d for that
end meet you there. Kirk out."
Kirk altered his dirGction to intGrcept the ensign among the
desol.te hills off to his left.

The gorge was nerrow, .bout forty feet wide at best, the wells
rising elmost vertically for a height of about a hundred feet,
pitted with coves Bnd ledges, the lowest some fourteen feet above
ground level. Here and there .long the length of the sandy floor
were strewn strangely-shaped boulders of all sizes.
Chekov paused. on the rocky entrence, the clattering of his feet,
megnified by the gorge, echoing noisily elong the length of the
revine. Here out of the sunshine it wes cold, lif~less, eerie,
unwelcoming, sinister. 11 slight shiver ren up his spine, but he
shook it off and stepped purposefully forwsrd onto the soft s8nd
Bnd into the Sh8dow of the gorge.
His eyes shifted nervously sbout the high wells ps he looked for
signs of life, pnd his eBrs were alert for the slightest noise.
Nothing moved, end ell WBS still, but sll thst did nothing to dispel
the cold clammy etmosphere which worsened the deeper he went into
the gorge.
Coming to 8 helt ebout midwey he casuelly dropped his eyes to
the ground in front of him, end v!het he sew sent his blood rsoing
uncontrolleblv through his body, setting eV8r.y nerve on edge. .A
footprint.
Childhood teles of tetror bogen to pour into his mind snd his
spine bagen to quiver helplessly. He inched closer, not dsring to
believe his a,yes, then instinctively 8crsmbled. bsck ss his worst
feprs woro confirmed. It wss Gxectly es Greet Uncle Boris had
described it. Greet Uncle Boris hed seen it, snd lived to tell the
tale. Now Greet Nephew Pevel hed seen it, but would he live to •..
His hoert turned to ice end he scurried for the shelter of the
nvsrest rocks, fumbling clumsily st his communicstor ss he did so,
trying to get some messura of control into his shettered nerve
centre.
"C-C-Csptsin K-K-Kirk!"
Kirk WBB instpntly on the plort, there could be no mistaking the
feer in tho Ensign's voice. Somuthing was dl!lfinitely wrong.
"Whet is it, Chekov?"
"Ceptein," he elmost screemed in ppnic mixed with r~lief at
heving mede contact. "I found. e •• • f-footprint."
"Footprint? What kind of footprint?"
"1\ •• . big one."
!tHow big·?"
"Very big."
"Hum8n?"
I'Nc ..• l don't think SO ••. "
"Ahere 8I'e you?rt
"In th?t gorge. If
Kirk's eyes urgently 'scBnnea the rock.y ourcrops. Rocks, rocks
Bnd more rocks. "K8SP your communic8tor open end.I'll find you;11
he instructed, end broke into e fpst run in the direction of the
signel.

Kirk reached the entrance to the gorge ten minutes later, pausing
momenterily p~ the sound of his echoing feet surprised him. He ren
on into the gorge itself, phoser drewn, end gradually came to e helt.
 11

He looked ceutiously Fround him, struck by the seme chilling eerie-

ness th8t h~'d so effsc"ted Chekov. The stoep c2ve-riddled wells
stered beck .t him soundlessly, blpnkly. Nothing stirred in the
VE'118'y~ no movement, no sound ... no Eilsign. Of Mr.'. Ghekov, there W88
no sign.
Kirk checked his communic2tor. r~his 'wes the right gorge, the
sigr,al confirmed it.
nChekov?" 1Nhf1t 2m I whis·,qering for) he thought. nChekov!1t he
c$lled, but the only enswer h0 received ceme chillingly from behind
him - en insidious, scraping, clpwing sound thpt set every nerve on
edge. Steeling himself for wh.tever it might be he turned slowly
round. Chekov grinned 8pologetic.lly from behind 8 comfortingly
18rge boulder.
"j\h ... hello, ef! otl?in."
"Chekov! Wh8t do you think you're doing?" But he could under-
st8nd something of the young led's fear - h8dn'r he himself felt
just 8 tinge of 8pprehension? It W8S the gorge th.t did it·- the
silence, the echo, the m.ysterious, c18mmy ...
"./here's this footprint?"
Chekov, fortified by th0 C.ptpin's prssence, pointed it out.
"You possed it, b8ck there." He hurried over to the spot 8nd
dropped on one knee. !'Here it is."
Kirk joined him and stu:lied the impression close.ly. It most
certeinl"' W2S not humBn. It hed 8 span of about fifteen inches,
2nd the indentotions in the sEnd indicoted three toes, eeoh with 8
long 012~ or telon on the end whioh hpd dug deep into the unresisting
Gerth.
For e few minutes they studied it in silence. There wos
de!initely something unre81 8bout it - wh8t kind of 8 cre8ture would
lerve 2 merk like thet? Kirk g18nced ebout him suddenly; a feeling
they were not plone, th8t they were being wetohed by someone ... or
something, would not let him be.
II Ge ptfl in? II

"Yes, .Chekov?"
"I think ... I know whot it is •.. "
Kirk looked et his feor strioken face. "You do?"
!tYes, sir. Greet Uncle Boris s9id thet ... "
"Wno? II
"Grest Unole Boris. He hpd 8 hunting lodge in the Himoloyas.
He told me ebout it."
".About whet?"
Chekov pOinted ot the footprint. "That."
"Vfuet ebout it?11
l'It's ••. i~'s the footprint."
"I know it's the footprint."
"No ... it's the footprint. It's footprint."
i 1 00 much spece wes werping thfJ le.d's mind, thought Kirk.
"Whet's footprint?" he c1sked pe.tientl,y.
"'llhe ... Yeti, II. Chekov 81most whispered.
1lI1'he ••• wheti?"
"The Yeti .. "
Kirk delved .into the furthest r82ches of his memo;ry. Yeti?
Yeti? He'd heerd of th8t ... Of course! - the .Abomin8ble Snowm8n!
"But th8t's just B legend, e myth. It doesn't exist."
Chekov bristled. "Gre8t Unole Boris sew it, 8nd lived to tell
the tele." Kirk sighed. 'rhe only .thing that w8s going to convinoe
Chekov uould be 0 herd fect or two.
"But the HimoloY8s ... snow, ioe," he seid, indicBting the gorge.
"This is 8 desert volley."
"The snow line is only B few miles awp.y," Chekov correoted.
"The Yeti will travel hundreds of miles in its s8eroh for .•. " he
s'N811owed, " ... food."
 12

This weS beginning to get a little out of halld. There was no

place in maturecivilise:: Starship personnel for such meanderings,
Kirk decided. But there was the footprint, pnd this wps an alien
"" :"cst. But therehed been nothing in Spock's report-:-:-:-nothing that
sensors hed picked up, 8t eny rp·te.
Kirk found himself recelling legends of his own home18nd, in
p8rticuler one 8bout 2 grept Beer MBn rumoured to h8unt the forested
foothills of •.• wps it the Rockies? The Appalachians? There were
forests et the foot of the Ricps mountains, weren't there? Nearer
than Chekov's Yeti ... A Beer Man, fourteen feet tall, six feet wide,
hends that could tear trees epart, feet big enough to ... to ... - he
glanced down - '" to leave e. footprint just like this one .. .
He shook himself. Now he was getting as bpd as Chekov. There
were no such things as ..•
His thoughts, 8nd Chekov's, were frighteningly interrupted by
the sounds of some unknown animal scraping on the stone entrance at
the far end of the gorge. From the amount of noise that repched
their eers it wps no midget, and from the volume of unholy vocal
sound th8t began to course along the valley towards them, it wps no
friend. It began 8S a low deep moan, rOSe undulatingly and horrify-
ingly in pitch Bnd volume until they felt their blood would freeze,
then slowly 8nd graduBlly subsided into silence.
Kirk was amazed to discover both he and Chekov hed pressed them-
selves instinctively against the gorge w211 for safety. He pushed
himself sharply off it ?nd tried to pull his shattered nerves to-
gether. .
"Quch creetures just do not exist," he stressed~ £IS much for his
own peace of mind 8S for Chekov's. Chekov nodded furiously.
"They don't, Mr. Chekov," Kirk insisted. Chekov continued to
nod furiollsl,Y. Illhe noise .from the entr8nce rose 26'8in, moening,
wFiling, terrifying ...
"On the other hend," continued Kirk, "it would do no herm to have
another opinion." Chekov's head looked in danger of being shaken
cle8n off his shoulders. Kirk pulled out his communicator.
"Kirk to landing pBrty."
"l/leCoy here."
Kirk heaved a sigh of relief 8nd offered up a prayer. At least
it hed been Bones who hed 8nswerad. What Spock would have r.ad to
say if he once got 8n inkling of the mad ideas running through their
minds didn't bear thinking about.
"Bones, 8re you busy?!! he 8sked casually.
"Nope. Spock's managing to get all the equipment taken back.
Scotty and I are just lazing around wBiting for you two to arrive.
Where are you anyway?"
"In a rocky gorge Bbout 8 mile west of the lake. There's some-
thing here we'd like your opinion of?"
"Is it anywhere near that big pillar?"
"Yeah, just at the base of it."
"Okay, we're on our way, we'll be along shortly."
Kirk put his communicator 9\V8y. Play it cool, keep the head, no
sense in panicking everyone, it might be nothing at all ...
Despite his instructions to himself the next twentj minutes
seemed interminable.

"What do you think of it, Bones?" They were all four clustered
round the indentation in the sand.
"Weirdest thing I ever S2W."
"Scotty? }\ny opinions?"
"Aye," the Engineer replied with greet feeling.
"What?"
"It's just as he described it."
"What is? And who did?"
 13
"Gr8ndfeither Angu.s. It l s i t [\' right."
"Whst is?1I
!I~~h8t is. rrhe beestie's footprint.!!
"Beastie?"
"Nessie," Scott s8id with deepest reverence.
Kirk couldn't believe his e8rs. "Nessie? You me8n that 8nti-
qusted lump of tourism you Scots keep dredging up whenever the
ecomomy f18gs?"
"Nessie exists!" Scott demended indignantly. Kirk tried the same
strategy he'd used on Chekov.
"Your 10ch Ness Monster lives in water," he 8xplained. "This is
a desert valley."
"Yon loch is only a mile awey. Nessie's been known tae travel
great distances in search of food." He was 8S b8d 8S Chekov.
"As fBI' 8S the Hima18yes?"
"Whit?"
"Chekov thinks it's s Yeti."
"Yeti? Huh! Bogey men! Nessie's real."
"The Yeti exists!" Chekov countered defensively.
"Look, SOIl, your Yeti's as reel es the kick in your vodka. We
Scots have re81 booze and re81 monsters."
"It's a Yeti."
lI;rt's Hessie."
The argument continued between them. Kirk turned to McCoy and
seid quietly, "nny chence of it being mede by a big Bear Man, ebout
fourteen feet tell ... ?II
~cCoy looked et him in disbelief.
"Well, if everyone's putting up ideas, I've got one to make."
"Vlh8t?"
McCoy licked his lips and rolled his eyes. "The Great Black
Slime Reptile of the Scarlet Swamp."
All three looked at him. "Never heerd of it."
"It's a greet, bleck, slimey lizerd that lives in the swamp
back home," he elaborated. "When the moon's full it slides out
beckwards and tramples people to deeth."
"You're making it up."
"Well, aren't you?"
"NeSSie is real, and that's her footprint! Or one like her .•. "
Scott qualified. "I'he real Nessie's still in Scotland, of course ... n
"It's a Yeti footprint. I know it. It's exactly as GreE't Uncle ..• "
"Its akin is all black and lumpy, and it oozes this hideous, foul,
treacly slime. My grandpappy ... "
"Gentlemen!" The argument "bated a8 Kirk's voice brought them
back to the matter in hand. "What is real is this footprint. Agreed?"
The,Y 811 Bgreed. "And some 8nimc1l 1118cle it. i\greed?!I
"Nessie."
"The Yeti."
liThe Gre8t Bl<?ck Slime ... "
1!l\nd thet noise W8S re81. 1T
McCoy looked at Scott, Clnd both looked "t Kirk. "'Nl1at noise?"
"'~ heard 8 noise ... " He broke off and turned sherply in the
direction of the end of the gorge. The hair on the backs of four
necks rose as the scraping, slithering noise came again, closely
followed by the same weird, ethereal, insidious, undulating moaning.
When the last nerve shattering sound had vanished a white faced McCo,Y
found his voice.
"What in hell was that?"
"It's the call 0' the Monster," breathed Scott.
"Uncle ~'''ris ... '' Chekov W<lS near to pEmic. Kirk dealt with the
situation firmly. "Mr. Chekov, there is no need for panic. We must
examine the available evidence, assess the situation fully, come to
 14
8 logical conclusion, end then •.. "
en? II
!l~rh

He shrugged. IIr.i~hen we p8nic. 1I He grinned, Chekov grinned 1 the

tension epsed. The four men clustered round the footprint once more.
tt~;iell, Bones?"
"Vrell, wh8t?"
II.An81ysis. "
"How cen I analyse 8 footprint?"
"You must be 8ble to Sf1.Y something."
McCoy looked et him scepticcl11y then eimed his SC8nner et the
send.
"Whet do .you read?"
"Air."
It l\ir?1I
"Well, e footprint isn't Elllything, is it, it's just e lot of
air surrounded by sElndL"
"jIll right, all right. What cen we tell by the shepe?"
"It's more then a foot wide, three toes with clews on the end ..•
one o~ tow other bits in the middle, probably peds of flesh."
"Could it be e pew?" Kirk Bsked hopefully.
"I don't think so." Kirk felt e touch of dejection as his Beer
1lIan theory toole e tumble. "The toes ere longer and thinner, but it's
h8rd to S8Y, we're de81ing with plian life here, remember."
Kirk studied the impression for e few seconds more then his brow
furrowed. "How tell would you sPy it wes?"
".HIram the size of th8t print, ebout fifteen fef;-~t at leBst."
"StDnding erect?!1
"Yes."
"On its one letS?"
"0no leg?"
11~e've ... 8h •.. only got one foo·tprint. 't He got wearily to his
feet. "Mr. Chekov, Hr. Scott, S<Je if you cpn find eny more. That
is if we h8ven't obliterated them all already.'1
"Hero's enother!" Chekov celled. It wes only 8hout eight feet
8wey emong some low rocks.
"And one here!" celled Scott from the far side of the gorge.
No more were found, just th~ three. They gathered by the first
footprint to discuss their findings.
"So whet do we have? Suggestions?"
ItA cr88ture with three legs?'!
"j\ hiped with an eight foot stride."
"It could be e one-legged Cr(lPture ... that hops."
"Or a quadruped with a wooden leg."
"TlicCoy •.• "
"There could he more than one, Csptc1in. It could be three one-
I egged. cre8 tures."
"Or [\ biped 1 find 8nother biped •.. wi th <3 wooden leg."
IIGentlemen, there is one other importent [Bctor we h8ve missed.
There fire only thru8 footprints, none of which is neer the entr8nce
to th8 gorg". How did this crepture get in without leeving tracks
8t (-3ither end?"
Hepllsetion slowly dewned on the men PH to this fact.
I'You roelise Wh8t this me2ns?11
"hye, it mus-t h8ve wings.11
As neither the Yeti, the Loch Nass Monster, the Bear Man nor
even bhe Creet Black Slime Reptile of the Scarlet Swamp hed boen
fpmed for their wings the next few seconds pessud in silence. Then
Kirk flet his nerVe·· :ends receive "nother twisting, this time from
the other end of the gorge.
"S88Sh! V!het's th8t?"
The slithering, screping noise w~s sterting egein, only this'
 15
time it was different. Louder, nesrer... then i t stopped 8bruptl,Y.
lIlt's coming in!'! Chekov panicked.
Wh,y is it it's alY/eys the Captein who h8S to take the lead, Kirk
wondered momenterily 88 he found himself involuntarily at the front
of the gro1..1,_p. frhen hi~~l thoui5'hts y~ere concentr8ted on prep8ring to
meet vh8tever W8S cOlnirlg in"to the gorge. Tensed, repdy, prep8red for
8nything ... anything' except ... 8 Stn'ship uniform'? Spock? Spock!
"Spock!" he exclaimed, relieved, 88 the familiar Starship blue
have into sight at the end of tho gorge. The Vulcan paused as he
caught sight of the huddled group hy the large boulder, then con-
tinued on along the sand to meet them.
"Capt8in, I ~8S ••• '1
"SSSSh!H
Spock lifted one eyobrow at the romark and dutifully fell silent.
Kirk beckoned him over to the footprint.
"IVo found this footprint. WhE,t do you think?"
'tlt's ... interesting."
"Intoresting?" challenged McCoy. "Is that all you can say about
it'?" Spack gave the Doctor one of his long-suffering looks and got
down on one knee beside the footprint.
!'You found this impression?"
"Yes. You said there was no life of any size here, Spock, but
something me d8 the t. "
"j\nd whet ever mBcl8 it," said Chukov, "is lyimg in wEdt for us
at the end of the gorge."
"H8V0 you forrn8d eny opinions E1S to vvhat it could be?"
Kirk looked uncolnforte"oly around. n'Helll" He W8sn't getting
8ny help from thu rust of thu group. For tho first time since they'd
got there they woro quito ruluct8nt to telk. "Well ... we throw out B
fow idu28, but nothing- concrvte .•. 11
1I']mmm." Hu S tu.dil..:d tho footpriHt. "It does cippv8r to hsvo
throe tou-liko projoctions, 8sch with 8 distinct projecting spur on
tho ond, and 8 rounder cuntr81 portion hero ••. 11
Intcrust r0vived in tho wetching grouy. lIlt dOGs?"
"Yes."
"About hO'iI tell would you Gstim8tu'?" Kirk 8sked csgerl,Y.
"Three fe(.;t thrQ8 inches.1t
"1fJh8t'? Is that pll?"
"Yos, fer too smell to be your Beer Men, Mr. Chekov's Yuti, Mr.
Scott's Loch Ness Monster, or ~v8n .•• I' he C8St 8 withering glsnce in
the direction of McCoy, " •.. thD Grept Blsck Slime Reptile of the
SC8rlet Svv8mp."
A stunnod silence descended on tho group.
"How ... how clid you ... '?"
Spack stood up. "Thu s~m8 W8Y I knuw how to loc~te you." He
moved over to tho 12rge boulder end picked up pn object from the
send et it's bps(:. IIlVIr. ChGkov's communicetor.1t
~rhree p8irs of eyes turned slovily in the Ensign's direction.
"H88 thet been opun since I got hure'?" qU0ried Kirk, in not too
friendly 2 menner.
"Woll, I 8upposu ... I muen, I must hev8 forgotten ... l •.. 1'
"';fhun I w\:]nt to c211 ,YO,U," continued Spock, "I c1iscov(~red I wes
c,lr<:;f'dy in contect. It h[,8 bc'un e mo,st entcrtEdning journe,Y here,"
h0 '1du.uc1, f3upres8ing <:' smirk 1 -but not quite fer enough to QSC2pe
McCoy's c2S1u gezu.
"You're so demn smf'rt, I SUPPOSQ you know whet mede th£1t foot-
print!"
I'CartE-inly. A specius known e8 Pes Tripodjs."
"Pes whe.t?"
I'Pes Tri~odis, or trensleted, tho foot of 8 tripod, specific81ly
Sterfloet roguletion supj)ort tripod m2rk two. If ,you will recell the
 16
configur0tion of tho b8st) you will no doubt romcmber thet it hes
threu projecting feet 020h with fin elongf'tion on thu end for
s tpbili ty ••• "
"1\11 right, ell right, 011 right."
"And I doubt ver,Y much if it's l,i.ing in w2i t for you c,t the end
of tho cenyon, since I rsturned it to tho ship some time ego."
III teke it you were surv0ying in this gorge?'1
"Yes, C[l pte in. Didn I t you notice our .footprints?"
"Mr. Chekov!" It just W2sn't thu Ensign's dey. "Did you not
notice eny footprints other th2n this on0)?"
"No, sir, I meen, I sew thi~~ on8 9 ['nd I thought ... "
Kirk sighud.. "lind by thG time Vie wuru 211 through tremping up
2nd down we wouldn't be eblo to tull yours from ours."
"But whet 8bout thpt screping C1nd howling?" flsked NieCo,Y. !lOr W8S
thet you too?"
lIYus, v(:;r,Y interosting. It acmu oVur the communic21tor. One
momont. '1 Ho welk0d up thu cpnyon in th0 diroction of tho noise 2nd
dis~'ppl)8 rIJd.
Hu wes b2Ck in 8 fu~ minutes. '1Vury interosting. 't
"'ilhet I s up thoro?"
"Nothing. At let-st nothing' more then r HicE's g02t. I think
you'll find thet's the ceUSe of the occurrences."
"Gopt? One little goat? How could. ... "
"The echo, Ceptein."
":8cho'?"
I'the Phenomenon we were inv(lstigeting. I tried to tell you
ebout it eerlier, but you were in e hurry to be elsewhere. The echo
is only triggered from within £I specific 8ref' [It either end of the
gorge. Here in the middle it is non-existent, 88 we discovered from
our survey tests.'1
"Ono stupid little goet '?"
l'On the contr2ry, 28 I elsa Qxpleinud 8erlier, e very intelligent
goet."
"Explpin. "
IIFor the p~st hour or so the g08t hrs been trying to r8f'ch its
cev0, probebly one of those off th2t ledge ebove your h:eds. It is
nf'turf'lly -'''-~f'ry of hUnl2nS, [,nd it hes found £1, whole collection of them
sitting on its front doorstep. It has utilised the n8~ur81 resources
to try to •.. scara you off. By stending et tho entrance to tho gorge,
its neturel cpll hes bU8n distortud 211d amplified by ... ".
ItI don't b81iuvu it.11
"lis you will, but I think you will find thet to be the ceso."
Ho indic2tud th~ gorg0 cntrencc. 1'1 thin'{ it is timu w~ were hoeding
bpck to tklv ship," he s2id 2nd set off. Th0 others wetched him go,
then d~joct0dly began following him,
'ilion they r.8ched the end of the gorge thoy stopped 8nd lookod
beck, just in time to see e little goat-like creature trot in from
the fer end, laep lightly onto tho 18rgo boulder, and from there
onto tho lodgo 8nd into onoof thv ceVeR.
All four turned "no. heeded beck to tho boemdown point in silence.
None of tho four. were koen to eng0ge the Vulc8n in convGrs8tion, not
eftar tho fools they'd made of th.maelves. All'except McCoy, of
course. lIfter 8 few minutes silent walking he spoke to Kirk, but in
a voice loud enough for Spack to hear.
"Of course, only we primitive humans would think up such
ridiculous myths and legends. The Vulc8ns wouldn't dre8m of having
anything 8S illogic81 8S Yetis and Loch Ness Monsters, would they?"
"On th," contr8ry, Doctor, we do."
"You do? Well, well, well!" The Doctor rubbed his hclllds in glee.
"We've had things from tho swamp, the lake, tho forest, the snowfiold.
Do 8sn' t leave you much, Spock. Aha t' s i t going to be?"
 17
"Ah •.. the Desert Domon."
t?"
"'.~lhG ••• Wh8
"ThG Desert Demon. Seid to heunt the gru2t Shireken Desert.
\fuole cer8V8ns of travellers h8ve dis8PPs8red whenever the Demon
chose to strike. Reports of th0 being's sheps ere ffi8UY end veried,
but whet does rem8in constent is its muthod of 8tt8ck. It spre8ds
itself .. ,"
MoCoy looked at Kirk. "Hv's m8king it Up.'f
"Didn't yoU?1I
lIMe? Of course not!
Hevu I got to suffer . .. 7"
tl • • • like
guletinollS not QVGr thD s8nd, not unlike your
2 gr0P"t
spider S9inning 2 web to cetch the urrw9ry inaoct, thon C8US0S the
8urroundin~ send to swirl ovur it 28 ceffiouf18go. lInd ell without
the 8id of 2 full moon."
"Jim, stop him!"
"You stop him, you st8rtcd him!"
"It liE-Js in w8it for the unsuspecting tr2vellor, who does not
roelisG TIh8t lies underfoot •.• "
"It's twenty minutes beck to tho b08mdown point!"
" ••• victirn9 VJho re.?lis88 to his cost th8t it is too If'te. tr
"I c8nlt stC'nd it!"
t'Grept Uncle Serrien.G •.... 't

Stoty by Vpleriu McLaen.

The enormous footprint sterad beck et thorn out of tho dried mud.
"\ihet is it?" Scott ['sleed.
!tA Yeti's footprint,') s8id McCoy.
"ll whet'?"
"J'lbominf'ble: dnowmf1n. It
I'I hopu we don't m~ot it."
"'do f3houldn' t. rEh'CiT\..:" isn' t ~"n,y snow."
Scott look~d p·t -bhu Doctor FS if hu thought his leg wuru baing
pulled, Pl1d dl;.;cic1ud to gl:t onto 8E':CO ground.
u-'.-Jhore's thu rl:st of the l<.'nding pc-rty'? \,-8 should look into
this."
McCoy looked eround. They eppeerad to. ~Hva lost sight of the
othe~8. But he wes not too worried.
"They won I t be f8l:' 8wey."
EClch person hed been told to investig'8te the Clre8 with p8rticular
reference to his own speci8lity. For Dr. McCoy this mUClnt medicine
end p00ple. Tho footprint, in spite of its size, lookud v8guoly
humen. He followed the diroction thu cru"turu lfiUSt hevo tekon, end
found pert of p,nother print furti10r 8wry from the river. Tho sonsors
on th(,; ship hed shown no signs of Iifv in this 8re8, but tho foot-
prints did not look too old, thu edges wora still very cleer cut.
He wonderE)d if SO~Gono h8d ffi8rkud them out 88 [> joke. This kind of
thing had been done on 8nother oec.sion, but thu culprit h8d been
S everuly roprimE'ndcd b,Y tho C~1 pt8 in.
'rho ground hure WE'S qui tu rock,Y 8ucl hilly.
!!lcCoy looked beck.
Scott wes w21king b8ck to look for tho rust of tho lending p8rty.
i~kCoy hesiteted, then took out his communic['tor.
u;',kCo,y to Enterprise. Is tho Cc1ptf'in. thore?"
"Kir).c hGr~. go 'E'hepd; Bones.!!
"I 'VB found something, it looks liko en onormous footprint, but
I could be YJrong. Could you hc'V0 [' sensor check mode for life forms
plorse. 1t
'I~urc. .3tcy put. If thera's ~nything there, I'll send some
moru men down. Kirk out.1I
 18

McCoy fol.dod tho communicptor's periel, end stood, surveying the

area. looking for clues, idly fingering the communicator ..
ns he turned he S8W it. Three times the height of himself, it
looked like" polar beElr, with pale golel fur. Hoving ver,Y slowl,Y he
r8ised the communic8tor, Bnd st8rted to open the 8eri81. J\ long Brm
struck out end knocked him flying, the communic8tor jolted from his
grasp.
The creeture ·took two steps end rested 8 heevy p8W on him9 while
it studied him. lIe forced himself to lie still 8nd hoped it would
lose interest. Through helf closed eyes he Sew the second forep8w
rS80h out, 2nd felt the strong, rudimentpry fingers closing round
him. 'l'hen he WBS pick(ld up Bnd held. close to the enquiring eyes.
The grip WBS strong 8nd he did not d8re move. The big nose snuffled
end blen ell over him end he ncprly 3uffocpted from the stenoh of
the bre8th. Then he WBS held tightly to the big furry chest ('lnd the
cre2ture loped off. His fBoe ViPS pressed tightly to the fur. He
struggled for bre2th, trying not to move. One Brll' w~s bent p8in-
fully beckwerds. There were bruises or cuts, he could not toll
which, on his elbow 2nd the beck of his shoulder where he hE'd been
knocked flying.
Out of tho corner of one eye he could see th8t thoy were trevell-
ing very quickly, end were soon going uphill whero 8 sG8rch J:.8rty
would never find him. But the lif8 d8tecting sunsors on the Enter-
prise might yet pick him out.
Thcl,Y must h8vQ b"en tr2velling for "bout tlm minutes whon they
went suddenly into the pitch d2rkness of 2 cevo, end the enim81
slowed down "s it folt its w'"y "long tho w811s, elthough it seemed
to know the layout of the 08ve.
~ little dim light 8ppGPred end McCoy Bf'W th8t they were in 8
bigger ceva thf.'t hed. e thin creek in the; roof. There were morG of
thu crOE'turu8 h0:CU. rfh8,Y Criile f01..'Vh'rd to invvstig['to the hum['n
cr~rturu ~,h2t ~2S put on tho ground in front of thorn. Th8Y poked
rnd prodd0d it Plld snufflGd it ell ovar.
Hu ley ebsolut01y still, going on the pril1cipla thet 8 wild
enilnel will lose interest if its prey 8ppe8rs lifeless, unless it
becomes hungry. ~t leest, he hoped th8t wes true.
He WPS right. ,After a while they wBndered BViFy Bnd left him.
Vlhem none of them were looking, ho got up Bnd ren into the) derk
ceve, from which they hE'd ent8red. the ffiein one.
Thore weB 8 ~re2t echoing roar from behind, 2nd two of the
CrG8tures followed et 8 four logged run. They hed en 8dv8ntege.
The,Y know the; CBve. He found" cr,'ck, pert of the wC,Y along, and
prussed himself into it, holding his bropth.
He hoard the crsptures go loping pest. HG ceme out and followed
the sound of them. They mede 80 much noicG they did not hear him.
Ell followudquickly, end B little dim light lit up the cave. He
drew his phosur, sot on thu setting beyond stun 8nd wont forwerd
cBut;Jusly. The second setting could kill" men. He wondered whet
it would do to those monsters.
They were et the untrence, snuffling round end onu of them
spotted Lim. He flrod. Tho croeture roared, rerred up on its hind
legs, blotting out ell the light, then. slowl,Y, it fell. The socond
one turned, st8red end snerled, low, et the beck of its throat.
1t~·..>orr.Y1 old follp," fflcGoy muttered, 2nd fired E1gElill.
It swuniS its he,d slol'll,Y from sid." to si.ele. Thon it too fell
hccvily. He rpn out ppst thurn. Thun he stopped. Vary quickly he
took e ppir of scissors from his ffiedikit end cut off 2 little of
on~ of tho 8nimels' fur~ which hu put in thu pouch plong with tho
scissors.
Then he stertod to run down thu slope. The ceve W8S sevorpl
miles from the lending p2rty, 2nd tho crocturus might rUCOVGr quickly,
but with 8 bit of luck p sonsor sweap would find him.
 19
He h2d boen gonu only five minutos, in which time h0 hr'd m2n2ged
to turn his enklu onc~, when hu hsrrd sounds of pursuit. He did not
want to do it, but he knew he would heve to phaser the cresture again.
The ground WB8 p:c"tty rocky here, d.th small, lumpy hills in between
18rger hills~ He Dtopped end w8i·ted~ 2mong the rocks, looking beck
for his pursller. Then one of tllGm ep98ered7 SPW him and stopped. It
snsrled BS he walked towerds it to get better firing range. Then it
rushed towerds him. He fired. It continued to run, then slowed and
collepsed.
The second one was nowhere in sight. Then suddenly a grest
ShEdow fell over him. He looked upwarda. The second creature had
lsunched itself off some higher ground. He fired instinctively,
realised his mist8ke snd started to run too late. 'rhe unconscious
creature fell on him, knocked him to the ground, pinning him there,
with only his hesd snd left Brm froe. The sudden shock, concussion,
end growing pein from creckad collar bone Bnd ribs made unconscious-
ness come very close. He fought pgClinst it, 8t thc) serne time trying
to bre8th 8g8inst the grept weight on his chest. He felt derkness
end ho[viness bacoma pert of his existence, pnd ~s it f8dvd he felt
some thing prodding et his left prm. It wps the other croeture Bnd
he knew he hed lost.
It clewed at his prm 2nd hu!d 88 it tried to gut him out from
under its compenion. 'Ehen it grippud his erm with its stubby fing0rs
2nd pulled. It W2S lik~ buing torn on thd r8ck. He scre8med. The
noise mede the orueture lut go 2nd brek off.
Ha r821illGd thet thw tug h,'d elmost freud his right i'rm. But it
wes his right collet bonu thclt wes broken, end [lllY further offort
produced only pein. 'rhu Crl:2tur0 wrs comine b2Ck et him. Vii th sudden
penic end struncth born of feFr h0 re2chud round with his loft hend,
gripp~d his righ"t hend, end pul10d it frG~. Gripping the phpsor with
both hpnds ho fired it et tho orui'tura. It aweyed pnd fell slowly.
Still with thu surgo of unnE'turpl strength, ho pulled eg8ins~ the
w'1 ~t of the enimel on top of him. Sometimes the p2in in his ribs
robbed hint of 811 strength but fin811y he wes coming free eesily, 2nd
stending up. His legs were not bedly hurt end he w81ked unsts2dily
8VvPY from the mountr:dnous furry crseture, c8reful to put his ph8ser.
beck in its holster bafora it fE:ll from his w88kenod hAnds.
His left prm 2nd the left side of his heed were bleoding from
the clpw merks. lh kI10" he could not meke th8 whole of the journey
beck without rest 8nd ho kept glrnc.ing bpck. Even now he W[lS reluct-
ant to put tho phpser onto p more poworful s8tting. His instincts
r0bulled. et the dostruction of lifo in E'ny form £1ud for [lny ru['son.
P8in w9rkened him9 but he plodded onw~rds, hG2vily, putting one
foot in front of thu other. Thu IGndscppo opaned out p bit more,
2nd hu S2W up 2ho2d the movemont of 8 shuttlecr2ft flying low 2nd
slow. Ho stood still, end gingerly reisod his loft erm to weve it.
But tho creft flew out of sight b8hind somB hills.
Behind him he hU2rd the crof'tures ['grin, still pursuing. He felt
he could not go on eny mora. liu stumblud [I few steps Bnd full full
longth, the 8udduD jolt E'gonising \..J"V'vry ppin in h:i.s body. Tho sounds
buhind bcc2mu cl~prer. He re2chcd with his left hend for tho phpser,
rollod over, to SGe thu crurturus. ~huy cpmo to within e hundred
yerds rIld stoppud. Thun they split up end stprted to move to oither
sir}e.
H~ fir0d 8t one 2ud "tho other rpc8d in towerds him. He fired et
th8t 011(") 2nd it fell 2 fow 'y8rds F<wr,y. HE: could not vIill his body
up, ell he wented to so WeB rust, 2nd let go. But out of the raCBSSOS
of his subconscious pn order W8S givon enel he pullud his knees up to
where he could. push himsolf up onto them 2nd dr,'g himself upright.
Tho pheser dropped to the ground unnoticed.
'l'hrue p,cI'ts unconscious he stumblod on, his g12zed "'yes fixed on
 20

e point somUW!lurc chupd. Something dprk 9nd hspvy moved e short

distrnco in front of him rnd ho strrted to look for his ph8sur. Tho
shedow beceme still snd 8 few moments l.ter he he8rd voices. His
eyes focussed slowly 8nd he sew thet the sh8dow was a shuttlecrBft
th8t hEld 18nded, end men were running tOVl8rds him, one of them
CeDtBin Kirk.
"Bones, 81'e you 811 right?"
'ID8mn silly question," he ffi8n8ged.
Kirk grinned briefly 8S he sew the blood on McCoy's arm Bnd heBd.
"Yes, I suopose it W88. Come beck in the shuttle. Nurse Chapel's
there. She'll see to you."
"There Bre two enormous cre['tures bRei<: there. Vle'll h8ve to
le8ve."
"How big are they?"
"Three times the height .•... "
He strrted to reBch upw8rds but 88 he tilted his he8d upwBrds he
rCFlised his mist8ke, but too 18ta, end hfl lost his belence. Kirk
pertl,Y broke his f811. 1\s he kJlel t b,Y the semi-conscious Doctor, he
glenCHd up Elnd 82\1/ one of the enorW.QllS cree tu,res towering up on its
himd logs.
1I~'ver.yone b[·ck into tho shuttle! 1\'1<8 off immodiEltely!"
He hepveillV!cCoy onto his shoulder pncl stumbled bRck to the shuttle-
cr2ft. Th0 others helped to dr~~ him in, tho door WRS shutting end
they wora t2kins off g-trpight up, ~ven b~for0 he could got up fro~
tho floor.
The rost W23 unuvontful. Thil shuttlecreft got beck to the ship1
8nd deCoy wes tekun to sickbp,y on [' strutch8r where h(; received
excellent trcptment.
When he W88 well 8nough to rGccive visitors he gevG the pioce of
pnim~l fur to SUlll, who WE'B int(;rO~)t0d in such things, end lef'rned
thpt pictures, still pnd rnoving~ hed boon t0kan by fully equipped
19nding p?rties~ since his 8dvDnture. But naone else hed 8 s[lmple
to Vlork from.

*******************
Story by Eliznboth Sherp.

Tho sun shone on 8n 211 bllt d8Pd world. Its pelo, yellow r8Ys
flicker0d Boreas thu whito, putrifiod forest, Dnd strotched onwerd
into tho empty wilderness beyond. DORth 2nd desolation h8d merked
this plpn&t for th0ir own~ thu rusults of their lebour plein to see.
It weB not for sorrow et thu d~pth of his people thet hed driven Bork
to his nU'N height of insi'nit,y. Not for the westa of 8 thous8nd
million Y02rs did he cursu th0 st2rs. Not out of rny sense of sheme.
or grief ct th~ to'tel destruction of tlis rece did he p~CG the onco
proud r~"'in fo:cest, n.ight [-ft0r night. But bCCC'U8C thoy hEld loft him,
bCCrUBG h0 W.S the: lest onu 21ivcJ, b0C2USU hu hpd undured thu pein
2nd horror for no glory, Bork criud his hetrud pt thu Universe.
l\lonu in his torl1ll:nt, the: 18rgG epom,'n hrd sGurriGd dUGP into tho
forllst, fer from thu sight ['nd 8;.lul1. oithu deceying rom2ins of his
peDDle.
He hrd lived thrt W2y for five conturios, in totel seclusion.
Then the new cr82tures h8d ppP(l2red. Thoy were 8m2ll cnd rovolting,
but Bark hE'd studied them. On occesions he hE'd even w8ndGrocl into
their minds~ probing their thoughts. But ~hey hed gona end once
mor~ he Wf'S 81one.
Hu sniffed nt the breeze, his huge pf'WS striking pt 2ir es the
sulphur smell rSf'chcd him. Thu wind Wf'S gutting stronger, rustling
tho b8ro br8nchos 9boVG his ho!.-d E'nd he r8F'lised ho hEld very little
time loft. But E'S d8speretion 2nd lonelinuss throE' toned 'GO crush
 21

~im, his t010p~lthic sensu cemo to his roscuo. Bark crouched, his
grzu h81d upwrrds at tht; sky, stp~ing into thL coming dewn. He
growled, once, avor so softly, 88 th tiny light followod 8 purfect
8rc in the sky frOlrl Eest to Vfest? then v8nishe:d into d1?:rkness. ~rhG
hum8l1s hE'd ODE1U eg8in end this t:i.ll1U h8 would strjJ(~.:.
Slowly tlle lines of hi.s body altered till they disepPc8rcd into
the golden~ trens].ucent cloud thet Bark hed bGco~o. The cloud V8n-
ishod in tho light of the tising sun.

~'he lopf sloVily turned tow8rdfJ tho golden sunlight. Yii th its
slim line and stirn 8nd deep groen, it WPS 811 but porfection. Only,
8t thu vary tip 8 little bit of brown hrd crept in, curling the
edges ever so slightly. N8turo would do her best to shine till tho
brown crept to the middle, bringing depth with it. Still, tho tiny
speck of green hpd pride of plpCG now.
It wps tho only lorf left alive. It fluttered in tho braoze 8S
the sun sont grey shpdoWd d2ncing BGraSS thu berren, desoletu 12nd-
seeps.
Spack stood nerr thu edge of the cliff. Fpr below tho Ipnd
.3tretched cndlussly to th\.; hOl.'izol1 till it "~hot thu jegged, rugged
j

cliffs th2't clcwud tha ~lion sky.

The VUlC8:"1 felt his clothing being pluckucl by thl:; wind. The icy
bruGzG weB bucoQin~ p gelc end the dis tent hODl took possossion of
the 2t~losphur0. A @oVUlllunt c2ught Spack's 2tt8ntion. The lopf
flucturod, thon fell fro~ the white bronch to the dry ground next to
his fcot. (l'ho g210 hE'd beun too much of 2 bettIe 8nd thu 1,)2f wes
sont scurrying plong tho ground, to tho brink of tho cliff - pnd
over it.
Tho wind blew in his fpcu, bringing the smell of sulphur with it.
Spock s~w~ in the distpnco, 2 fountein of fire boing Gxpollud with
violent fury frorn the confines of tho plen~t's coru. Enorgios th8t
could no long~r be conteined bur~t fron the distvnt volc8Does,
sonding ~ stro0ll of 12vP to crof,tc ~ fi0ry, moving 1endscppe.
In that violont, umpt,y plocl) whoro fire wps beconing tho domin?nt
elamen t, it would tekc E' men of 8xtrE' orcliupry s (:)fisi ti vi ty to find
8nything of beeuty. But such 8 DPn stood on tho cdga of the sheer
rock. Spack wcs 8 Vulcpn end p scientist, end the constent movement,
tho rising sound end the displE'Y of n8ture's forcas f't work formed
boputy in his ayes.
Irhe gl['o brought p new sound to nlS 82rs - th(-; sOllnd of voices.
He turned ~wPy frola thu precipice, end wrlkud tow2rds tho hidden
grove in thu direction of the voices. He w['lk8d r~)und the ruins of
?n 2ncient stone riuilding 2nd found the group st2nding on tho other
sida. Ceptr'in Kirk nodded in ['cknowledgvffiunt 28 ho crmc to join them.
"Seen 2nything, ~[r. Spuck?" Spack Sh00k his hord.
"No~ C2p)tc'in, I've SC'"l1 nJ indic.;'tion of ['ny life form Fnel
tricordor rep~ings c?ncur with 02rli0r onos trken by pr0vious
uxpudi tions to this pIp nut . Th" world is dopd uxcupt f~':r tho SiClplost
of lifo in plcnt form."
John Thomson Bedu, e bUSiness of clcering his thropt. He wes 8
sbort~ well built l:len vii th d8rk hE'ir end pE'le grey 0,yes thet soomod
to be perpetu["lly frowning. ThoI:ason W2B [\ 8ciontist - not [" very
distinguishcd one, but he W8S tiw larder of c group cof six other
scientists, four men end two women, who h8d come to study the p18net
KrDil for six months. They were 811 here now, stending in 8 semi-
circle fecing Kirk, Spack, Dr. wrcco.y 2nd Lt. Sulu, the .Enterprise
h8ving just brought them to Krell. Thomson didn't like Spack Emd he
hed gone out of his wp,y the P8St six deys to mcke his foalings well
known, not onl,V to thG Vulc,'n but to everyone c·lse on boerd. In
return, Kirk detested him E'nd wps only too glpct th2t cfter six dpys
they were 8t lest "Getting shot of the littla newt." Thomson's
voice dJ:ipped with contempt PS ho eddressed Spock.
 22

"Excuse me, CommBnder, but .tf this plenet is totelly devoid of

life 2B you sPy, whet made these footprints which, I mBy edd, have
been mBde during the lest five hours?"
Spock glenc~d down to where Thompson pointed. The tiny grove
collected water end on the ground in the muddy patch that Thompson
had indicated, several large impressions were clustered. They were
footprints, but by their sizB end shepe they obviously belonged to
some large epelike enim8l, resembling e8 much as an.ything the
fictitious Yeti's.
Spock looked bacle Bt Thompson. "I eccept that these prints
exist end my tricorder r8!?ctings confi):m the time they were made.
However, I cen find no indic8tion of the life form that made them.
This phenomenon hes been known for 8 long tome; indeed, this is the
reE'son ,you hE've come to .Kreil - to inv8stigc1 te the footprints."
"ThBt's cp,dte right, dr. Thompson," Kirk Bdded. "If Mr. Spock
knew whet hed meds the footprints, it would herdly be worth your
while coming here.'t
uQuite so, C2ptC1in,11 replied 1J.1hompson, "but I h[1Ve en excellent
scientific guelific8tion. I'll find out."
Kirk wes on the verge of telling Thompson eX2ctly whrJre he could
put his quelification when Spock excused himself end left. The
stone ruins behind him hed aroused his curiosity 2nd he wented to
take tricorder reedings before Kirk ordered the landing perty to
bepm up. The building hed obviously been e large ono, but only two
sidGS of the construction rerneined - the North 2nd Eest w811s. The
other two wells hed gone, 8S had the roof. All of the interior hed
gono, except for a smell stone or altar that stood against the North
wall. Spock pushed the button on the tricorder 2nd notod the
reedings ~ith interest. The building proved to h8ve b08n eructed
just over nine hundred Eerth yeers previously. It hed been damaged
for five centuries 2nd h8d thus stood longer 2S 8 ruin th~'n 28 8
complute building. Spock looked up from his study to find Kirk
stending beside him.
"l\nything unusuE1l, Spock?"
IINo, sir. It would seum thet this building WPS Groeted by e
primitive r2CU. There h2VO buun oth~r ruins found 81s8whoro on
Kr2il, but tilis is tho most complo'bu building still in oxistenco.
It is only round this ruill 'th2'L -thc; c12w-liku footprints hpVG boen
obsorvud."
Kirk nodd8d and looked round at the berG interior. As he did so,
he missed the stert of what was to become ona of tho most horrifying
experiences of his life.
It Vies like 8 burst of sunlight, pnd Spock's eyes darted to tho
light's source, et tho ver,y tip of tho North well. For 2 brief
fraction of a second the Vulc8n's eyes were dazzled by tho light end
his hoed sweffi with 8 cist8nt, obscur0 sound. He faIt 8 8onsetion,
like 8 huert beet, ongulfing him - pnd then it weB gonG. He decided
not to mention it since he felt perfectly normal again and even
begen to wonder if it had h8ppened at Bll.
If Kirk hed been watching his First Officer, he would have been
in no doubt 8S to the reE'li ty of his friend's experience. It would
h8ve been impossible to miss the look of total blankness thBt flashed
por08S Spock's usu811y elert f0ce. But the C8ptein f s eyes h8d been
elsewhere for the brief few seconds it takes to scen two stone w8lls.
His Byes returnGcl to the; VulcE'n as Spock switched off til" tricorder.
"Very woll, Spock, I doubt if we CE'n 181'rn anything else hero.
We'll beem back up to the ship end send down Thompson's supplies.
Then we cen loave the 'little genius' to his mysterious footprints."
Spock noddud end followod his C>'pt2in outsido to join HcCoy 2nd Sulu.
Kirk took out his communic['tor.
"Kirk to Enterpriso. 11
 23
IIS co tt hure, Cept['in.!I
"frhu lending pf'rt,y is rt.:pd,/ to be&m up, il:1r. Scott.1t Kirk lowGrad
thu communicBtor 8nd glencud 2h0':·ld of him. "Good.byo, art Thompson,
18dius, guntloffien. I ldish you every succef:lS in your investig8tions.
O.K., Scotty, energise."
The lending eprty vanishod in tho sparkle of thu transporter boam.
Greduelly their surroundings solidifiGd into the interior of the
transporter room. It W88 here that Spock got tho first of meny shocks.
P8rt of him, it soomed, ~8S seeing th0 trensportGr room for the
first time'. 1\ foeling of strengoness c?mu ovor thl:~ Vulcen 88 tho
reeli ty of tho exp~rience struck him. A t(H'rible loneliness surrounded
him, only to vanish ps suddenly 8S it hed come. Now Spock felt
compelled to tell Kirk, even if the Ceptein thought he WeS inseno. Ho
opened his mouth to spe8k, only to close it 2g8in 28 no words ceme
out. Instoed, 8 voice como into his mind, 2 dominent voice which
dom~ndod tc be obeyod.
- No. You will not spoek to him. You will nOV0r speak ebout mo
to eny of them. -
The Gcho of tho voice still in his mind, Spl)ck stood 810ne on
thl;] trf;nsporter pl8tform. l',1IcCo,y turndd to st2nd (lnd w9tch him,
curious. The VUlC2H looked so dism2yod thet McCo.y folt quite enxious.
Ho touch0d Spack's prm PHd spoke qUietly.
"Spack ••• bpocl<, C'ru yO!). £'11 right?" No ['nswer, "Are you in pein?"
ThD First Officor lookod .t him. Hu wentod to toll him ,bout
th~ voicl;, but 28 he spoku, hu bGcP~e peinful1y ~W~r8 th9t thu w!)rds
V1Crl: not hi3. "I elll ['11 right, Doctor. Don't trouble yourself."
Sheking his prm free from NcCoy's hend, the Vulcen brushod P2St
him to follow Kirk end Sulu to tho bridg0, pw['re now th8t not only
his thoughts but his pctions, too, wore undar 9H plion control.
All Spock could do wps obey.

Bork rolpxud in th" mind link. So fer, his mission wes St1Ccossful.
He hed left the de£'d forest fer behind him. In pure en orgy he h2d
merg8d with this £'lien 2nd only he knew he WPB herG. Soon the elien
would dio, end he, Bark, would t~k0 his plpcu. Hu would tekc over
control of tho bodY1 2nd no-One would evor know of tho 81ion'8 deeth.

"Trensportetion of supplies complete, Cepteill.'1

"Vary well, Mr. Sulu. Teku us out of orbit. Sot course for
Stcrb2S0 Four, w.:'rp one."
"Aye, 8Y0, C8ptein." Sulu's hends drrtud 8cr08S thu diels in
frolnt of him, the EntGrpris8 8il"mtly responding to its new orders.
Spock set very still 2t his st8tion, his eyes fixed on the screen,
wetching es the plenet shrenk s~211or 2nd smeller, only rt Ipst to
wink out of uxistuDCV. Thun the voice ruturned.
- At lest I 2m freu. I h2V0 severed my ch2ins to tho old onus. -
Ppinfully, Spock summon8d his tc!lepeth1.c skills in pn 2ttompt to
contEct 'th~ 21ien crortur0 ~ithin him. But once 2g2in the ~ev~g8
voice spoke. - ~fuFt ... you .•. 2liun, pre you listening? -
Spack WE'$ determined. - Who ere you? -
- I em Bark, son of Zukes. But you nond not concern yoursolf.
I rm hore to t2ke over your life. You 8ru going to diu, 2nd no-one
will eVer know. -
Tho cold hetrad in the voice WPS 211 too obvious to Spack. Now
h8 W2B 81ono with this elien thing - th8r~ W8S no wry he could rsk
for holp - he wos totrlly clone. Agrin Spock rssortod tho mind link.
- You will not succuud. I will fight you. I cen duf82t you. -
- You will not. I 8m Bork. Thoro is nothing I cennot make you
do. -
Spock's body wouldn't do whet ho wpntcd. H~ couldn't sPG8k, ho
couldn't m.'vo. ]\11 2round him tho humens \'lent on with thGir work,
 24

totall,Y unaware th8t Spook wes fighting for his life - and losing.
"Hr. Spook •.• SPOCK!" The voice out into his mind., dissolving
the link with Bork.
"Yes, Captain?!!
Kirk S8t beck in his commend cheir, w8tching his First Officer
intently. It wes not like Spook to have to be told twioe. But he
dismissed the thought.
"liIr. Spook, I went a brief report on Kreil - and the footprints,
to the effeot that our sensor reedings shal'l no life forms on the
planet end we have no theory 88 to what oaused the prints."
Spook nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll start it right aW8Y." He got out
of his cheir end turned to le2ve. The truth was thet Spock W8S in
prdn~ Bud it VIE1S gettinG "varse. His heed throbbed continuE-lIly end
tilers TIE'S e greet heet et the b2Ck of his eyes. It seemed the elien
W8S true to his word. It wpnted him depd.
Uhure helf turned in her chpir to fE'ce him. "EXCU::lO me 7 sir."
Spock interrupted her briefly. !!Not no':', Lieutenent." But
Uhure persidted;
"Sir, you did [-Isk me for the enel,ysis of Kreil's m8gnetic core
88 soon PS the science deppr"tment •.. "
Spock shouted ,t her, his voice hersh, snrrling. "I srid not nowl"
All noise on the bridge stopped. Kirk's ,jl'w dropped. Ever,yone
turned. to strre et the Vulcan es he wplkud quickly into thG turbo-
el",,_'tor. l\S Spack left, Kirk hurriedl,y closed his mouth. Uhure
turned to him in flffiezement. "V'lhet did I sey?"
The Ceptein shook his he8d. "Cen't im2gine." He set reg2rding
the elevetor [' few seoonds longer then orme to e deoision. Climbing
out of the chrir he herded for the door. "Mr. Scott, you hevs the .
con. 1'11 possibly be in Mr. Spook's qurrters, but I wouldn't bet
on it."
l\s soon rS the doors closed behind him r behble of indign['nt
voices broke out in criticism of the cbaunt First Offioer.

"Jim! II Kirk hpl ted end turned to fece McCoy. ~eho Doctor
looked very concerned.
"Yes, :Bones, whet CBll I do for you?"
l.I'hc Doctor h8Si tptud for e fuw seconds, then he 3hrugged. HIt's
Spack. Theru's SO:lluthi.ng wrong ~ith him. He beh8vud strpngoly in
thv trensporter roo:u wlle!i We bUC'i!Hld up from Kreil, but ... wull, I've
just Bpok~n to hi~. I rsked. if I could help with his rODort on
Kreil. Ho told me to shut up ,nd got out."
Kirk shook his herd. "Thrt doesn't sound liko him rt ell, but
hu's just buon shouting et Uhure. Where; is he now?"
McCoy indiceted 8 briefing room. "He's in there. I did teke 8
reeding on him, Jim. Thero's nothing physicelly wrong."
Tho Ceptein noddod. Th2t m02nt he wps totelly in tho derk. He'd
just h2vo to hopo h8'd 8sk thQ right quustions.

Since McCoy left, Spock hed bean sitting elone. Stupdily he hed
continued dicteting his report, He Vl2tchud, slightl,Y distrGctod "8
thE; computor turned his voice into taped words. '.the Ceptein would
be eble to r'JPd the r~port whenever he hed the time. jl sudden thought
struok tho Vulcen. The intense pein hed. gone, "nd try as h" might,
he oouldn't re-est2blish oontpot with Bork. Yet ho knew tho ~li8n
wps still thero. Perheps Bork hed to rust somutimos. It must bo a
considerpblu strain, trying to 2Pintein suoh mental pressure on his
host. A new hope rose in the Vuloen. If he spoke to Kirk the pein
would come be ck. Buts uppos 0 he 1 eft " written messpge? 'rha t Bo rk
und8rstood wri ttun s,ymbols W8S highly unlikely - espccipll,y if they
were Vuloan symbols.
 25
(!uickly, th0 Sci<l.nce Offic .·r disccngpgcd the, eomputer end chenged
the key boerd from English to Vulcen symbols. He typed p brief, two
word messege. It W88 pl1 he dered to write. Deep inside his mind,
Bark wp,s coming to life once morc.;. When the Cept['in cC'mu into the
room, Spock's pein W88 elroedy twiCG 83 bed 28 befaro. The Vulcen
bagen to st2nd, but Kirk signellGd him to remcin scpted.
"Spack, within these lec>t thirty ,linutes or so you heve beheved
totplly out of chprc'cter. You heve jumpecl Jown the throets of two
people. I would like to know why."
Spack spt still. He would not - could not - respond. At thpt
Inoment his surroundings looked very unreel to him, end his concent-
retion VIC'S VJf'nderinGo H(: YIE'.[., remerl.lboring 2 time long pest, when he
WPS surrounded by tell green trees ?nd_ the sky weB two different
shrdes of grey. The hum8n hend on his shoulder pWFkened hinl from
his dreCil1 find bro:;,.;"ht him beck to harsh reE'lity. It hEld been Bork' s
memory, not his. Thpt ~ps whet Kreil had looked like m~ny years ego.
And now Bark weB making his escppe.
"Spack, if there is something wrong, plepse tell me. I'd like
to help."
The Vulcen looked into the humen's eyes, hoping Kirk would senSe
his pElino But Kirk W8S humi?n [lnd insensitive to tele'9pthic feelings.
Bark took control of Spack end shook his heed. "I pm sorry if I
heve disturbed you, C"ptein. There is nothing wrong."
Something in tho Vulce.n's voice disturbod Kirk. His friond
seemed hersh, ebrupt. But Spock found ho he,d controlonce a,win and
ttlis tim(o Kirk founcl that the Vulcan'S quiet, gentle tones were b8ck.
"I have the report you wented on Krail, Captain. It is not very
long. lJiay I suggest that you read it now."
Kirk took tho tape that SpaCk held out to him. He glanced down
at it in his hands for a few s8conds the,J. turned and walked towards
the door. Helf way he stopped and turned to face his friend once
more. "Spack, if I ask McCoy to give you a medical examination,
would you object?"
Spack Hxpactod the alien to complain but tho mind link steyed
broken - only tllV IBin persisted. l'No, sir, I would not object."
Kirk sig'hud. Obviousl,Y thu compromise of ·,1,1cCoy's ()x8minrd;ion
would h8VG to do~ but he triud oncu mor~. t'If something W98 wrong,
you WOllld come to mG, wouldn't yoU?'1
SpaCk spoke; vur,Y c8rcfully. "I would let you know, Jim."
".1hon the Csptein loft, the p8in bec8ffil': twieo 98 Severe 88 before.
The Science Officer thought for p while and decided to go .1;0 his
cluerters. Perheps Bark would let him rest.

The door closed quietly behind him 9nd once 8gein Spock W8S
alone with the elien cro8turo. In his confusion h(o still h8d his
tricorder with him. It WI'S 88 he wps setting it down that the voica
spoke to him 9gein.
- Arc you tired? -
The quastion stertled him. - Why do you 8sk? -
Ag2in the voice erme. - Soon you will bo exhpustGd. -
- Why? -
Bark's reply ',l8S both h8rsh £'nd cruel. - I 2m going to tear your
soul 8p8rt. -
Instrntly, the p8in becrmu elmost unbe2r8ble, 0ven for 8 Vulcpn.
All the horrors of the Universe, 811 the Vlorst ppin he had ever
experienced, were thrust upon Spack by tho thing inside him. 'rhe
Vulcan col18psed in 2gony, but still llork couldn't wrench [I single
scre.m from Spack.

J8mes T. Kirk ",,,t deep in thought as h8 slowly pushed. the button

in front of him to turn thu m8chftnic81 peg(;. Somutimes when he wf'sn't
 26
suro pbout whet to do ho would lQrn to tho c188sics. On this occpsion
tho viewing screen in his quer"00rS held one of Tennyson's p08ms, 'In
Memori8m'. As the Enterpris8 movod stu2dily through the st2r cluster,
Kirk wps totelly "Dsorbed in the, poem.
"rho peth DY which W8 tW8in did go,
\'Ihioh lad by trects th<1t pluesGd us w811,
Trot four sweet y~f'rs erose end fell,
From flo~0r to flower, from snow to snow ...

But whore the peth we welk'd b0grn

To slent tho fifth sQtumnpl slope,
1\8 Wl.) duscenclud follov1ing' ILope;,
There set thu Sh~dow fe~r'd of men; I

"UhUI'8 to Cpptein Kirk.1I

The Ceptein jumped et tho sudden interruption. HG touched [1

switch. ItYes, Lieutenent. '1

III heve 8 messege from rlir. Thompson on Kreil, sir. 1:8 thought
you might liko to know thpt the footprints you spw heve v8nished end
no new ones hpve eppoered. If I mey sPy so, C8ptein," she 8dded, I'it
8 ppoers the Yeti have flown."
Kirk Ipughed. "Aore likely Thompson's just imp~tient. After all,
it hasn't been that long since W8 left. Still, thank him for the
informstion. Kirk out."
With difficulty, ho druw his attontion b8ck to the poem, but his
mood had 81ruedy beun broken. The next two verses sh8ttured it
comp10tol,Y.
'Who broke our fair companionship
And spro8d his mentle derk pad cold,
lind wrept theG formless in the folel,
lInd dull'd the murmur on thy lip,

~nd bore th88 Wl18TU I could not Soe

Nor follow, tho' I welk in heste,
~nJ think, thet somUTIhcJru ill thl) W8StC
The Sh~do~ si"ts 8nd weits for me. '

The scruun 'llont blenk. I?or his prosu"nt mood. tho poem W8S too
dopressing. Hu wes still worried 8bout Spock. Something W9S
dofinitoly wrong and it UpS8t Kirk that his friond obviously didn't
went to tell him sbout it. Kirk shook his hoed. Whet he needed
wes somothing to bring him beck to normeli ty.
He removed the poom end insortod Spock's report on Krail.
Q,uickly, he g18ncecl over it, not t8king much in since tho rup~rt
wes only routine. Only routinu - yet whon hv sew whet had be8n
typed at the end of the report, his nerves bogen to tinglo. Kirk
wes prcotty hopeloss at spo?king th~ Vulcen lengu8ge 2nd Spack hed
often despeirecl of him. But with the, reeding of Vulc8n, Kirk W8S in
his olument. There W8S no mistcking the mU8ning of the words. As if
in ~ dre2m he 82W the expression on the Vulc2n's f~co when ho h2d
questioned him eerlier, 2nd this time, hu understood. In Spock's
uyes ho hed been looking et desper8tion - perh2ps loneliness. Wh2t
WPS it he; h['.d psked him - "If something VIE'S wrong, you would come to
m~, wouldn't you?'! The Vulc8n's qpiet reply echoed in his mind.
III would "lot you know, Jim." jnd th8t W8S eX8ctly wh2t he hed done.
He h8d let hiw know with two words, quickly written in Vulcen -
!'~el Hil' - "Halp mG!'1

l\ftur tluch 8UE'1'C!1ing hi..; found thu Vulcan on the obsurvation dock.
He WBS stBnding very still against the wall, his eyes fixed on the
panorem8 visible through the tr8nsperent screen. Kirk's relief at
 27
finding his friend took 8 8udc.en downw8rd plunge. Spock's usuelly
bright eyes were dull 8nd he2\Y. His skin W88 fElr from its norm81
colour? in fBot he looked 8 lot pEller th8n Pn 8ver8ge hum8n.
"Spock!"
There weB no re91y. He gripped the \[ulc8n tightl.y by the
Shoilldero end shook 11iln. ";:)pock, fOl' God' 8 srke, look et me!"
;o3pock sighed, yet his Eiyes r81neinecl fixed on the screen; but
when he spoke, his vol.oe weB sof"t.
"100k out therG~" he whispered.. nrrhe stElr fields in Segi ttC'riu3.
~Phousei1ds ~lnd thousends of s"Gers - so meny they E'ppeE'r to ,shine es
one. I never thought the Universe could be so be8utiful."
Kirk WPS effi8zed. tI'\iih8t Bre you seying? "';!het's wrong?1I
The Vulcen frowned, end his geze shifted from the ster field to
Kirk's eyes. 'Ehe frown turned into e l"ok of puzzlement, then one
of contempt. Kirk spw the expression, 2nd it horrified him. He
gesped, pertly in disbelief 2nd pertly in pein 88 Spock's right hend
struck him full in the fe-ceo StE'ggerlng egpinst the w211, Kirk
grebbed for his phpser, but e Vulc.on's reflexes 8re fer quicker.
Spock rushed the C8ptein end pinned him to tho tr8nsperent screen.
As Kirk struggled tCl free himself the Vulc2n bagen to Lough - e
vicious, cruel Ipugh. urau c['nnot eSC8po me, hUllen. I hpV8 decided
Bnd I 3h811 heve this 3tprship.'t
Kirk found it difficult to speek. All he 8eid wes, "Spock .••
how? 11
i\gpin thE> Vulcen leughed 8S he sent Kirk cresi.ling to the floor.
"Spock ... I 8m not Spock. I heve destroyed this body's originel host.
I em Bork, son of Zuk8s, lest one of Kreil's ohildren." He stood
over the felled hUll[ln. "I shell hrve this ship." Then he Vlf'S gone,
the door sn~9ping shut.
Kirk st2.yc-;d W~H;r8 ho weB for [' few stunned momonts ['8 he thought:
over tho lest dpy's eVen"tB. The truth dewned on him with tho force
of [' supor nov~--'. rj!haro hFcl been" crepturo on Krell - but i t l,.IJ~1snj t
on Kr::,il E'ny morc. It WPS on boerd the Bnt(n:pris0 within Spock's
body. l\t th8t moment 9 Kirk's dusp2ir W8S 8bsolute.
Spock wes deed.

McCoy lU2nud brck in his chrir. He found the siturtion quite

unreel, yot he know the Ceptrin's story wes ell too possible. Such
things hed beon known on boerd the Enturprise before - but never wit,h
such brutrl hrrshness. Sedly enough, the incident hed been confirmed
by the tricorder Kirk hed found. in Spock's querters. While the two
men hed been stending in the building on Kr8il~ it h8d recorded 8
burst of energy, lesting only 2 frection of [' second it weB true,
but i't wes there, ,·'nd the comput8r confirmed it hrd been rbsorbed by
Spock. The computer h2d elsa confirmod .thet there weB no possible
wey of reversing the process. Suddcmly, the Univ.ersc seems,d 8 vPst:,
empty pIece to Leonerd McCoy. Ho IUFned forw8rd 2nd pushed 8 button.
IIMcCo,), to C8ptein Kirk.'"
!'I'm on the bridge, Bohes.!l
McCoy g12nced 0t tho men on tho scr~on, thon looked ewey quickly.
The hurt on Kirk's f~lcu TIPS more then he could beer. "I'm in my
querters, Jim. Will you COffil) 2nd sou mu? Thera's somothing I h~V0
to tell you."
"Ccn't you tell fiG now?!!
"No.l!
Kirk noddLd.hh(;n l;[cGoy wes 2 definite 28 th8t, he VIE'S ;,vorth
listoning to. "I'll bo rig~t thoro."
Tho scr8Un wunt blenk.
The Doctor rOSQ end paced tho room. The Captein hpd ordered
S8curi ty to search for the Vulc,'n but the full story hed not been
explainod to them. Only he end tho C80tein know of Bork's oxistence.
 2[,

Tho crew meraly thought thet Spack wrs insene. Thun there weB tho
C8ptein's priveto egony - hI) believed Spock to be dopd. ~cCoy h2d
to toll him now th8t dpock weB alive.
Thu buzzur sounded. McCoy went to thu door 2nd Q')'Jnod it.
Kirk looke-d tLC0d~ bllt; ch;tGr,:til1(·d. uJ3oncs, wh2ti3Ver it is, )11£1ko
it quicko I'vu got to go 2nd look lor him.'1 His voice huld groet
hl?trcd.
dcCoy spoke q.ui(~tl,y. "You don't heve to look eny mar", Jim. I
know QXFctly where he is. '1
Kirk seumed to become even more duturmined end his voice wc1 8
hersh. tlWhore?.~.\1fherG is ht::?"
McCoy stood psidu end nodded inside his room. "lIe's in there."
IIHe's wh2t?" Kirk pushed pest th~ surgoon? his mind in e shirl.
Didn't Bonus r021ise Bork wes P killer? Ho dr,)~ his phpsor.
"Jim!" Kirk h(']2rd ~;lcCoy's dvsPl!retG plee from £1- distpnco. Tho
hend thet huld thu phrsur foll limp rt his side. lie sterad with
feelings of relief 2nd desp2ir "t th0 sleeping figure on the bed.
Relief, becpuse he knew instincti~u1y th2t this roelly wes Spock - ho
didn't h2ve to wpke him or spuek to him - he just knew. And despeir,
boceusa he didn't know how to help him. Thera W8S no wey he could
set him froe. Ho S2t on thco Gdg8 of th8 bed, unmoving. Grcdu('lly
he beceme E1Wf'r0 of iVfcCooY.
"Ho's oxheusted, Jim. But hu wps eblo to tell me th8t Bark hps
ruechod tho limit of his powor. He c2n't forco Spack out of his body.
But neither cen Spock push Bark out. Their strength is aquel 2nd
B,)rk cen't 8xist without p body cnywher" except Krcil. l\nd es W8
know, Jim, Kreil is 2 deed world.'1
Kirk sighod. Spack's fc·te:: s8(uud well c~nd trul,Y sealed. He heed
to live with e demon teering at his mind for the rest of his life.
Kirk leened over to the intercom. !ll..'fr. Chekov, plot f? course beck
to K1:°8i1. Werp sl:~ven."
Chekoy's pUZZlement w:?s obvious. "Kreil, Ceptein'?"
"Yes, mister~ beck to Krpil."
IIWerp seven's going it 8. bit, Jim.1I
"We hpyo to~ Bones. I don't know whet we're goin~ to do, but if
Kreil is the only pIece Bark C0n lspve Spack's body, then we 8re
obviously going to h0ve to be there."
"But whpt if we cen't get Bark to le2ve? Kreil is deed."
Kirk turned to wetch the sleeping Vulcen. "If we fpil, there's
only one other thing I cpn do for Spack." His voice spnk to •
whisper. "I'll.heve to kill him."

Sulu glenced up et the screen end then et the diels on the boerd
in front of him. Setisfied, he signelled the trel1sporter room.
"Bridge to Cept8in Kirk."
"Yes, dlr. Sulu."
"We've echieved stend8rd orbit eround Krf'il, sir."
"Very 'well. M8int8in your position." Kirk turned 2WP,Y from the.
intercom to f2ce the group of security gU8rds who were trying des-
per2tely to keep Spack in one plece. Obviously Bark knew whero they
were 2nd it wes pretty cloer th2'b h~ wented to be somewhere elso.
Scott wes P.t the controls 1 cprefully checking tho settings.
Along ~ith thu brid~e cruw he weB now completely 8wpre of the
situetion rnd he ro"l:Lsuc1. thu lending pert,Y might 1188d to beem up
in p hurry if thuy did set Spack freu.
Kirk studied the b8ttlo thpt wes still going on pnd decided the
sooner tho,Y beemed down thu better. ThG four socuri t,y guerds might
just loso.
"Aro you reedy, Scotty?"
"AYG, sir. You'll b02ID down et, thu position you left Mr •
. Thompson's tep."
 2~

"Veery well. Qucurity doteil! Dr. 1kGoy?"

McCoy joinud Kirk on ·th;) trcnsport~r. Tho s0Cl1rity dutril hpd
some difficulty 110W(.vor, sincc::: .:}pock \'Jes m~·lking' it quite cluer thct
he wpntud to JO thu othor ~,y. But they finplly mpnpgud to pin him
to thu pl2tform by [' rumerkeblo picce of enginu0ring. The two
hurviest guprds set on him.
II .1';"rH:lrgis 8 ."

Scott sig!led with relief 88 the lending 12rty v~lnish8d. Silence

r8plly weB golden.
A few seconds l2ter, howovor, end the plenet's surfeco b8CPffiO
mor8 noisy then it hed boen for severel c0nt~ries. The four gU2rds
were yet pg2in occupied by the Vulcpn whose grect strength W8S
increpsed by Bark's violent emotion. But Kirk hed noticed 8 chpnga
in the elien's 8ttitude. No longer W2S Bark motiveted by his s8v~ge
contempy for thu hum.ns pround him. In Spack's fpce - Bark's fece -
Kirk sew grcet feer. ]Ie h8d [' sudden idee.
"L0t him go."
"Sir?" Tho security chiof couldn't hevG beon moru surprised if
the Cept2in hed ordered them to kiss Spack.
"You understend English, Chief? Lc~t him go! II
He did so, but for both Spock end Bark, the bFttlu hed only
begun. 1J..1he Vulcen W8S on his knuus, his h['nas clutching 8t his hCf1d.
Ho scr8cmod - 2nd the voice W~~8 Bark's. "Bprbf'rif:'n! Why \'lon't you
die?"
Kirk knecled in front of him~ his voict.! hf'rsh. "Bork, we dontt
went you on our ship_ L02ve thC't body. You hove no right to
mUl'QI.J:L". "
Bark who
l:f.1hv Vulc~1n seeliled 8 good de.?l c81mur, but it vies still
onswarcd. It wps only onu word, but it destroyed .11 hope in Kirk,
for iL "1/188 £' fin2l f'nswer, of thE't th;.:;re wes no doubt.
"trevor."
Thu,Y weI'" purh8ps fifty feGt eWF,Y from the cliff Gdgc, et thu
vary p18ce Spock hed stood end edmired tho view only 8 few dpys
bufore. And Spock knew it. Ha also knew the one thing that could
possibly drive Bark out of his body. It might work, it might not,
but there was one certainty. He couldn't live with the intense pain
Bark was inflicting on him. The mental agony WBS tremendous.
Of what happened next, Kirk wes never very sure, except that at
that moment, he know Bark hBd lost. It was Spack who stood and
turned to f8CB the cliff, and it was Spack who suddenly stertGd
running f"ster end fester towards the edge. Kirk could onl,Y st8nd
and watch in horror 2S his friend reached the brink of the cli(f -
and finally disappeared OVDr it.
Kirk felt something snep in the pit of his stom8ch. He hed just
livud through his worst nightmare and his Uliind r",j"used to beliuve it"
Griafstrickun, he sank to his knees, st8ring in disbelief et the
silver tr8nslucant cloud thet had risen from the c~iff edge. It
hovered for the briofest of seconds - then it wes gono. From far
8wey, thuy hoerd thu sound of 2 lerge, demunted crorturo, creshing
through thu du['d forost. Thun thor._ weB silonce.
J.'icCoy Cf-IllU rushing to "l;h,--, C[' T)tein, his concern for Kirk mingling
with his own grief et their loss of Spock. But Kirk pushed him
gently aside. He could never explain how he knew what he did •.. he
just knew. Climbing to his feet, he hurried to the c.liff Ilnd
looked over the edge.
"Jim! How much longer are you going' to be? I can't hane on
here indefinitely."
Kirk st8I'ed in relief at the VulcBn,kneeling on the narrow ledge
on the cliff f8ce. Yet all he could do, wps to turn to the puzzled
group behind him and Bsk,
"Will someone pleeso fetch the Comm~1nder 8 rope?"
 Johnston th0 seourity ohief stood in front of Kirk's commpnd
cheir. He weB fi!lding the Cpntoin difficult to t81k to.
1I~'.It.
Irhompson is quito engTy 8t b;:.-ing orderod to 180ve Kr8il,
sir. TIe wents to spue}.\: to ,you."
"Chief, you pre meking my life E' misery.1I
"Yes, sir ...•. Ylhf't will you toll him?"
Kirk considered carefully. "You CEln tell him whst you like,
but I don't wBnt to S80 him. Now vpnish, before I set Mr. Spack on
you pgein." Johnstom v8nish8d.
Kirk got up end welked over to stend busido his First Officer.
"Spock, onG question. 11
"Yes, sir?"
"If Bark wes such 8 scientific genius, why w2S he so primitive?"
Aftur " fev,! moments of thought, Spock replied. "His mind vu?s
highl.y dev8lopod, but his body 'NBS not. 'rh" y"ti's hends wer"
imperfed.t. The.y could not grip, thoreforo the .J2h,ysicBl building
of 8 civilisetion weB impossible. The only thing they could do W88
to kill one another. Humsnity weS once like that, Jim, but in the
opposite sense. It seemed thst at one time the only thing your rece
could do with their minds was to kill. Their limited scientific
knowledge enabled them to build bigger end more efficient weapons.
But thankfully the dewning of the 'dpece Age' provided 8 more
wortl1\'Jhile CBuse for their science."
Kirk noddGcl~. u-Yes, but whet of Bo~ck?"
"He is dec'd."
"Reell,y? }lOV} do you knovl?"
Spock W88 silent for 8 whilo, then ... "I know. ! 1

T·Ie turned in his cheir so that no-one else but Kirk could see
the look of 8gony end horror on his f8ce. There weB 8180 8 feint
flicker of Badness, but Kirk knew why. Bork hed been 8 lonely
cre~ture, seeking liberation from 8 deFd world - end the company of
others. Spock hed understood. But then the ins tent h8d gone, end
Spock wes hims01f pg8in.
But neither he nor Kirk ever forgot the very lest Yeti of 211.