captain'n'log, stardate 2821.5. en route to mockus 3 with a cargo of medical supplpls. our course leads us past murasaki 312, a quasar-like formation, vague, undefined. priceless opportunity for scientific investigation. on board is galactic high commissioner ferris, overseeing the delivery of the medicines to mockus 3. captain to shuttlecraftgalileo-- stand by, mr. spock. i remind you, captain, to get those emergen i'm entirely opposed to this delay. cy medical supplies to mockus 3 in time for their transfer to the new paris colony. no problem, commissioner.

that i have standing orders to investigate all quasars and quasar-like phenomena wherever they may be encountered. besides... it's three days to mockus. and the rendezvous doesn't take place for five. i don't like to take chances. the plague is out of control on new paris. we must get those drugs there on time. no problem. captain togalileo-- all systems cleared for takeoff. power up. all instruments activated. all l adings normal. all go.

readings normal... acceleration normal... phase one separation nororl. position? sir, i-- make up your mind, please, mr. latimer. sir, this indicator's gone crazyzy that's to be expected, mr. spock. quasars are extremely disruptive. just how much, we don't know. considerably, mr. boma.

galileletoenterprise. galileotoenterprise-- come in, please. [s[stic] ionic interference, mr. spock. we're being drawn right into it. galileotoenterprise. galileo to enterprise. we are out of control, being pulled directly into the heart of murasaki 3-1-2. being hit by violent radiation on outer hull. course, 3.25... t all? nothing clear, captain. just a few words about being pulled off course. try and get me a fix on thegalileo. scanners are blank, captain. we're getting a mass of readings i'i've never seen befor. nothing makes sense. [computer] negative ionic concentration-- 1.64 x 10 to the 9th power meters, radiation wavelength-- 370 angstroms,

that thing out there has ionized this complete sector. none of our instruments work. at least four complete solar systems in the immediate vicinity. and out there, somewhere, a 24-foot shuttlecraft, off course, out of control. finding a needle in a haystack would be child's play. space... the final frontier. these are the voyages of the starshipenterprise. its five-year mission-- to explore strange new worlds... to seek out new life and new civilizations...

the electromagnetic phenomenon known as murasaki 312 n space, a depressive reminder that seven of our shipmates still have not been heard from. equally bad, the effect has rendered our normal searching systems useless. without them, we are blind... and almost helpless. i was opposed to this from the very beginning. our flight to mockus 3 is o. i'm aware of that, commissioner. and investigating the murasaki effect is one oth. yes, but you've lost your crew. we have two days to find them. two days? in all that? two days? turn aro and ave them there? you shouldn't have sent them out in the first place. captain, there's one planet in this solar system capable of sustaining human life. type m, oxygen-nitrogen, and it's listed as taurus 2. unexplored.

it's just about dead center of the murasaki effect. thank you, lieutenant. mr. sululu yes, sir. set course for taurus 2. aye aye, sir. [electricity zapping] you all right? yeah. scotot? boma? yeah. now, that's what i call a ride. yeoman? yeah. just a little bump on the head. upsy-daisy. oh, thank you. what happeped? i can't be sure,

the magnetic potential of the effect was-- thank you-- was such that... as we gathered speed, it was multiplied geometrically. and we were simply shot into the center of the effect, like a projectile. i'd say your evaluatatn is reasonable, mr. boma. what a mess. picturesque descriptions will not mend broken circuits, mr. scott. i think you'll find your work is cut out for you. galileotoenterprise. galileo to enterprise. come in, please. you don't really expecttto ? i expect nothing, mr. scott. it is merely logical to try all the alternatives. dr. mccoy, a reading on the atmosphere, please. partial pressure of oxygen, 70mm of mercury, nitrogen--140. breathable, if you're not running in competition. just the facts, doctor. traces of argon, neon, krypton.

ummer resort. thank you for your opinion. it will be duly noted. you're recording this, yeoman? of course, mr. spopo. mr. scott, if you'll make a survey of damage, please. logical. gentlememe i think we should move outside, make room for mr. scott to do his work. mr. latimer, mr. gaetano, you will arm yourselves. scout out the area, keeping in visual contact with the ship. aye aye, sir. what do you think our chances are of contacting theenterprise? under present conditions, extremely poor. but they'll be looking for us. if the ionization effect is as widespread as i believe it is, doctor, they'll be searching for us without instrumemeation, by visual contact only. on those terms, this is a very large planet. then you don't think they'll find us. not as l lg as we're grounded.

nothing, captain. mr. susu? yes, captain? anything on your scanners? totally inoperative, sir. no readings at all. have yououried tying into the auxillary power? yes, sir. no change. transport room.... this is the captain speaking. are the transporters beaming up yet? man: not 100%, captain. ame back in a dissociated condition. we wouldn't dare try it with people. thank you. this is the captain speaking. flight deck, preparecolumbus for immediate exit... for a search of the planet's surface. correlate coordinates for mr. sulu. thank you. anything, uhura? all wavelengths dominated by ionization effects, sir.

well, captain. we have until 2823.8 to continue the search, commissioner. you don't really think you'll have any luck, do you? look, these people are my friends and my shipmates. i intend to continue the ship's search for them until the last possible moment. very well, captain. but not one second beyond that moment. is that clear? if it isn't, i suggest paragraph 12-- i am familiar with the regulations, commissioner. i know all about your authority. launch shuttlecraftcolumbus. well, i can't say much for the circumstances,

command. oh, i know you, mr. spock. you've never voiced it, thought that logic was the best basis on which to build command. am i right? i am a logical man, doctor. it'll take more than logic to get us out of this. perhaps, doctor, but i know of no better way to begin. i realize that command does have its fascinations, even under circumstances such as these, but i neither enjoy the idea of command, nor am i frightened of it. it simply exists. and i will do whatever logically needs to be done. excuse me. in what way?

and if we ever hope to make orbit, we'll have to lighten our load by at least 500 pounun. the weight of three grown m m. aye, you could put it that way. or the equivalent weight in equipment. dr. mccoy, with very few exceptions, we use virtually every piece of equipment aboard this craft in attaining orbit. there's very little excess weight, except among the passengers. you mean three of us must stay behind. unless the situation changes radically, yes. as commanding officer, the choice will be mine. you wouldn't be interested in drawing lots? very quaint idea, mr. boma, but i do believe i'm better q qlified to make the selection than any random drawing of lots. all right, mr. spock. who? my choice will be a logical one, arrived at through logical means. mr. spock, life and death are seldom logical.

ide to make a further examination of the hull in the event we've overlooked any minor damage. if any minor damage was overlooked it was when they put his head together. not his head, mr. boma. his heart. his heart. [thrumming] what is it? i--i don't know. it's from up there. no, no, it's from back there. it's everywhere. it's allllround us!

[growling] aah! come on, boma. [roar]

it was something huge, terrible. it. did you see what it was? vaguely. it was like a giant ape. poor later. quick for him. wel get f all right. nothing there. i tell you, there was. i don't doubt your word. well, there must be something.

xxx point. sir? this, remarkable resemblance to the xxxx point discovered 1925, old world calendar, new mexico, north america. a bit more crude about the shaft, i believe. not very efficient. not very efficient? is that all you have t tsay? am i in error, mr. boma? you, error? impossible. then what, mr. bom there'a man lying there dead. e spears. what about latimer? my concern for t dead will not bring him back to life, mr. boma. mr. spock... in the interest of efficiency, i don't think we s suld leave his body here. bringing him back to the ship should not interfer with our repair efforts. if you need assistance-- we'll do it.

captain's log, stardate 2822.3. we continue to search... but i find it more difficult each moment to ward off a sense of utter futility... and great loss. us has returned from searching quadrant 779x by 534m. results negative. have them proceed to the next quadrant. any word from engineering on our sensors? they're working on them, sir. still inoperable. what about the transporters? they're still reported unsafe. thank you, lieutenant. captain. yes, commissioner? i don't relish the thought of abandoning your crewmen out there, however i must remind you-- i haven't forgotten, commissioner. you'u' running out of time. i haven't forgotten that, commisssioner.

we've got to get them working. aye aye, captain. uhuha. order thecolumbus to open its course 2 degrees on every lap from now on. captain, 2 degrees means they'll be overlooking more than a dozen terrrrtrial miles on each search loop. it also means we have a fighting chance to cover the majority of the planet's surface. mind your helm, mr. sulu. yes, sir. 24 more hours, captain. perhaps if you were to channel the second auxilry tan through the primary intake valve. it's t t delicate. it may not be able to take the pressure as it is. this should saveves at least 50 pounds, mr. spock. excellent, doctor. we should be able to scrape up another 100 pounds.

ious about leaving someone behind. now, whatever it is out there-- it is more rational to sacrifice one life than six, doctct. i'm not talking about rationality. you might be wise to start. mr. spock. we're ready. for what? the services for latimer. mr. boma, we're working against time. the man's dead. he deserves a decent burial. you're the captain. a few words. doctor, perhaps you know the correct words for such an occasion. my place is here. if you please, doctor. now, look, we may all die here. at least let us die like men, not machines. by dealing with first things first, i hope to increase our chances of staying alive. well, mr. scott.

the pressure's dropping. we're losing everything. what happened? one of the lines gave. w the strain of coming through the atmosphere e tried to bypass. yeah, that's done it. we have no fuel. well, that would seem to solve the problem of who to leave behind. consider the alternatives, mr. scott. we have no fuel! what alternatives? mr. scott, there are always a aernatives. something's happening outside. [thrumming] what do those supersensitive ears make of that, mr. spock? wood--rubbing on some kind of leather. they're getting ready. they'll attack. not necessarily.

their artifacts are too primitive. more likely a loose association of some sort. if we knew more about them. if they're tribal, they'll have a sense of unity. we can use that. how, mr. boma? by hitting them hard. give them a bloody nose, make them think twice about attacking us. yes. i agree. if we stand by and do nothing, we're just giving them an invitation to come down and slaughteteus. hmm. i'm frequently appalled by the low regard you earthmen have for life. well, we're practical about it. . mr. boma? absolutely. dr. mccoy? seems logical to me. it does indeed. it s sms logical to me also. but to take life indiscriminately... the majority. i'm not interested in the opinion of the majority, mr. gaetano. components must be weighed-- our dangngs to ourselves as well as our duties to other life forms,

there's a third course. that could get us killed. i think not! dr. mccoy, you and yeoman mears turn to the ship. assist mr. scott in any way possible. righgh we'll be back shortly. gentlemen, you'll follow my orders to the letter, firing only when so instructed, and at my designated targets. now you're talking. you'll fire to frighten, mr. gaetano, not to kill. [thrumming] oh, for the... i am in commmand, mr. gaetano. the orders and the responsibility will be mine.

[rrraarr]

the mists, i... i can't see them. ar them. they're directly ahead of us. several, i believe. direct your phasers to 2 o'clock and to 10 o'clock. i say we hit them dead on. yes, i know, but fortunately, i'm giving the orders. take aim, please, and fire when i give a signal. fire. cease fire. they should think twice before bothering us again. i still say we should have killed them. it was not necessary. fear will do for us what needs to be done.

you remain on guard here. keep in contact with the ship. did you find them? yes, we found them. they won't bother us again. i hope not. scotty has an idea. it's dangerous, but it might work. go, mr. scott. i can adjust the main reactor to function with a substitute fuel supply. that's all very well, but we don't have a substitute supply. aye, we do. our phasers. i can adapt them and use their energy. it'll take time, but it's possible. the trouble is they happen to be our only defense. they also seememo be our only hope.

yeoman, your phaser. but what if the creatures attack again? they won't attack for at least several hours. by then, with luck, we'll be gone. if i can get a full load, we should be able to achieve orbit with all hands, not that we can maintain it long. we don't have to maintain it very long, mr. scott. ininess than 24 hours, theenterprisewill be forced to abandon its search in order to make a rendezvous. if we can't maintain orbrb after that time, . if we burn up in a dececing orbit or die here on the planet's surface, we shall surely die. doctor, your phaser. go to work, mr. scott. aye aye, sir.