Star Trek

- Phaser banks standing by. - Range 43,000 and closing.

- What do you read, Mr. Spock? - Configuration unidentified.

Ion propulsion, high velocity, though of a unique technology.

- Any contact? - All languages attempted, no response.

- Using standard interstellar symbols. - Keep trying.

- Magnification 10, Mr. Chekov. - Aye, sir.

Thirty-eight thousand and closing.

- Well, Scotty? - Beats me, but isn't she a beauty?

- Interesting design. - And ion propulsion, at that.

They could teach us a thing or two.

- Life-forms, Mr. Spock? - One. Humanoid or similar.

Low level of activity, life-support systems functioning.

Interior atmosphere: conventional nitrogen-oxygen.

Instruments indicate a transferal beam emanating from the life-form,

directed at the bridge of the Enterprise.

- Security guard. - Security guard to the bridge.

I'm Captain James Kirk. This is the starship Enterprise.

Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

to boldly go where no man has gone before.

- What happened? - Helm status, Mr. Sulu.

- No change from last reading. - Condition reports from all decks.

Spock. Where's Spock?

- Jim? Jim? - Yes, what is it?

- You'd better come to Sickbay now. - All right. On my way.

Deck 5. Personnel, no damage.

Now.

Functioning.

My God.

- Spock. What happened? - I found him on the table.

- Like this? - No, not like this.

- What happened? - I don't know.

You've got him on complete life-support. Was he dead?

He was worse than dead.

- What do you mean? - Jim...

Come on. What's the mystery?

- His brain is gone. - His brain?

It's been removed surgically.

- How could he survive? - It's the best technical job I've seen.

Every nerve ending was neatly sealed. Nothing ripped, nothing torn.

No bleeding. It's a medical miracle.

If the brain is missing, then Spock is dying.

No.

That incredible Vulcan physique hung on till the life-support cycle took over.

His body lives. The autonomic functions continue.

But there is no mind.

- That girl. - Aye.

- What girl? - From that ship.

She took it.

I don't know why, or where, but she must have taken it.

Bones, how long can you keep him functioning?

- I can't guarantee. - That's not good enough.

If it happened to any of us, I would say indefinitely.

But Vulcan physiology limits what I can do.

Spock's body is dependent on that tremendous brain for life-support.

Then we'll have to take him with us.

- Take him where? - In search of his brain, Doctor.

From what you say, the moment we find it we must restore it to his body.

Jim.

Where are you going to look?

In this whole galaxy, where are you going to look for Spock's brain?

How are you going to find it?

- I'll find it. - Even if you do, I can't restore it.

I don't have the medical technique.

It was taken out. It can be put back in.

But I don't know how.

The thief that took it has the knowledge. I'll force it out of her.

If you don't find it in 24 hours, you'd better forget the whole thing.

You and Scotty. Have Spock ready.

I've got it again. An ion trail from that ship of hers.

- Where does the trail lead? - System Sigma Draconis.

- Maximum speed. - Warp 6.

- No question about the trail? - No mistake, sir.

Captain's log, stardate 5431.4.

For 15 hours and 20 minutes, we have followed the ship that has Spock's brain.

Time left to us: eight hours and 40 minutes.

- I've lost the trail. - All scanners, extreme sweep.

Aye, sir.

- Well? - No signal at all, Captain.

- It's gone. A sudden deaction shift. - We've lost her trail.

But she went into that system.

Put a schematic of Sigma Draconis on the screen.

Aye, Captain.

Read-out, Mr. Chekov?

Sun, spectral type, Gamma 9, nine planets.

Three of them Class-M, possessing sapient life according to reports.

She was breathing our air. She must have gone to one of them.

Show us the three Class-M planets, Mr. Chekov.

The one on the left, number III, rates letter B on the industrial scale.

Earth equivalent, approximately 1485.

Yes, sir. Second planet, Class-M, number IV, rates letter G.

The year 2030.

That ship was many years ahead of us or the most incredible design fluke.

- Third Class-M planet? - Number VI. No industrial development.

Last report, in a glacial age. Sapient life plentiful, but on a most primitive level.

As I understand it, there are three Class-M planets.

Not one is capable of launching an interstellar flight, yet one did.

- Yes, sir. - Thank you.

I'm picking up high energy generation on planet VI.

That's the primitive glaciated planet. The source?

It could be natural. Volcanic activity, steam, any number of causes.

- It's regular. - What do surface readings show?

No organized civilization. Primitive humanoids at irregular intervals.

- Pulsations of generated energy? - I can't explain it, sir.

I can't afford to guess wrong.

Better choose the right planet, get there, find the brain.

Eight hours and 35 minutes.

- Recommendations? - Sigma Draconis III.

- It's closest, heaviest population. - But a technological rating of 3.

- It couldn't put that ship into space. - None of these planets could.

I say planet IV. It's ahead of planet III technologically.

But advanced ion propulsion beyond even our capabilities.

What would they want with Mr. Spock's brain? What use is it?

- Why do they want it? - Yes, why would they want it?

Eight hours and 34 minutes.

Planet VI is glaciated, you say?

For several thousand years at least. Only the tropical zone is ice-free.

But the energy. Regular. It's there.

- It's real. - It doesn't make sense, but it's there.

Transporter room, stand by. I'm taking a landing party to Planet VI.

Aye, aye, sir.

A hunch, Captain?

A hunch, Mr. Sulu.

But if you guess wrong, Captain?

If I guess wrong, Mr. Spock is dead.

Spock will die.

Captain's log, stardate 4351.5.

We are beaming to a glaciated planet in the Sigma Draconis star system.

Time left for us to find Spock's brain: eight hours and 29 minutes.

Suit temperatures are 72.

Life-form readings, Mr. Spock? Mr. Scott?

Scattered, widely spaced. Humanoid, all right. On the large side.

Watch out. We know their development is primitive.

Read-out?

No structures, no mechanized objects I can read.

No surface consumption or generation of energy.

Atmosphere is all right, of course. Temperature maximum of 40. Livable.

You have a thick skin.

Captain!

There's someone out there in the rocks.

- Five of them. Humanoid. Large. - Phasers on stun.

I want them conscious.

Fire only on my signal.

Flank out.

Chekov.

We mean you no harm. We're not your enemies, we're your friends.

We only wish to talk to you.

You... are not the others?

No. We come from a far place.

We are men.

- Men? - Like yourselves.

You are small. Like the others.

- Who are the others? - Givers of pain.

And delight.

Do they live here with you?

No. They come. They give pain and delight.

- Do they come from the sky? - They are here.

You will see.

The others will come for you.

They come for all like us.

Do they come for your women as well?

- Women? - The female of your kind.

Your words say nothing.

Don't you have a mate?

- Mate? - A companion.

- Will you take us to find the others? - No one wants to find them.

We want to find them. Take us and we'll let you go.

Captain. 500 meters in that direction is a foundation under the surface.

- The registration's all over the place. - Buildings?

- Buried, but they were here once. - Down there is where the others live.

- See if you can find a way down. - No!

- Do not go there! No! No! - It's all right.

It's all right. Let him go.

- What do they do to cause such terror? - What did he say? Pain and delight?

- Peculiar mixture. - A dead and buried city

on a planet in a glacial age.

The male humanoid who doesn't know the meaning of the word "female".

Captain!

Over here, sir.

There's food in there and other stuff. A storehouse for our muscular friends.

I don't think so. Scotty.

Metal, forged. Tempered.

Our apish friends didn't make these.

What do you think?

It could be to keep those creatures away from the food.

Or the food could be a lure set by the others to bring them here.

- Then the beam would be a signal. - And this cave a trap.

If it traps the creatures for the others, won't it trap us too?

Exactly.

- Kirk to Enterprise. - Enterprise. Uhura here.

Have McCoy beam down immediately.

You and the security team will remain here. We'll be in constant contact.

Aye, sir.

All right, Bones. Bring him along.

Keep him close to the right.

Ready?

Call Chekov and tell him to send my stomach down.

It might be a long wait. We may as well be comfortable.