captain, we've reached the designated position for scanning the coded directive. good. we've both guessed right. negotiations with the klingon empire are on the verge of breaking down. starfleet command anticipates a surprise attack. we are to proceed to organia and take whatever steps are necessary to prevent the klingons from using it as a base. strategically sound. organia is the only class "m" planet in the disputed area,

spock. inhabited by humanoids, a very peaceful, friendly people living on a primitive level. little of intrinsic value. approximately class "d-" on richter's scale of cultures. another armenia, belgium. sir? the weak innocents. they always seem to be located on the natural invasion routes. captain, the automatic deflector screen just popped on. body approaching. configuration, mr. sulu. phaser banks. lock on. return fire. maintain firing range. 100% dispersal pattern.

captain, the other ship doesn't register. only drifting debris. we got him. all hands, maintain general alert. hold battle stations. damage report, mr. spock. minor, captain. we were most fortunate. blast damage in decks 10 and 11. minor buckling in the anti-matter pods. casualties are light. maintain surveillance, mr. sulu. no contact, captain. he blew up, all right. well, we've been anticipating an attack. i'd say what we've just experienced very nearly qualifies. automatic all-points relay from starfleet command, captain. code 1. well, there it is-- war. we didn't want it, but we've got it. curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want. war or not, we've still got a job to do-- denying organia to the klingons. with the outbreak of hostilities, that might not be easy.

aye, aye, sir. negotiating with the organians will be time-consuming, captain. and time is the one thing we'll have the least of. well, we won't get it by talking about it, mr. spock. the trigger has been pulled. we've got to get there before the hammer falls. ahead warp factor 7. 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...

captain's log, stardate 3198.4. we have reached organia and established standard orbit.

captain... unit x-y 75847 report a fleet of klingon ships in their sector, sir. what bearing? unable to ascertain, sir. mr. sulu, have the phaser crews stand by their positions. full power deflector screens. yes, sir. mr. spock and i are going down to the planet's surface. you will be in command. your responsibility is to the enterprise, not to us. is that clear? perfectly, sir. the klingon fleet is in this quadrant. we know that organia will be a target. if they should emerge-- we'll handle them, sir. if there is a fleet of them, you'll get out of here, mr. sulu. but, captain-- no buts. you'll get to safety and alert the fleet. you will not attack alone. mr. spock and i will be all right. mr. spock, let's you and i

you'd think they had people beaming down every day. yes. curious lack of interest. notice the ruins in the distance, captain. quite large. yes. a fortress, perhaps. a castle. whatever it is, it would seem to be inconsistent with the reports we've been given on this culture. welcome. reception committee? seems so. you are our visitors. welcome. welcome. i am ayelborne. i am captain james t. kirk of the starship enterprise, representing the united federation of planets.

you're most welcome, my friend. i would like to speak to someone in authority. we...we don't have anybody in authority, but i am the chairman of the council of elders. perhaps i would do. you people are in great danger. is there someplace we can go and talk? oh, yes. our council chambers are nearby. please. on't mind, i should like to wander about the village and make some studies. of course, my friend. our village is yours. captain. gentlemen, my government has informed me

against the federation. my mission, frankly, is... to keep them from doing it. what you're saying, captain, is that we seem to have a choice between dealing with you or your enemies. no, sir. with the federation, you have a choice. you have none with the klingons. the klingons are a military dictatorship. war is their way of life. life under the klingon rule would be very unpleasant. offer you protection. we thank you for your altruistic offer, captain, but we really do not need your protection. we are a simple people, captain. we have nothing that anybody could want. you have this planet and its strategic location. i assure you that if you don't take action to prevent it, the klingons will move against you just as surely as your sun rises. we will help you build defenses, build facilities.

gentlemen... i have seen what the klingons do to planets like yours. they are organized into vast slave labor camps. no freedoms whatsoever. your goods will be confiscated. hostages taken, killed. your leaders confined. be far better off on a penal planet. infinitely better off. captain, we see that your concern is genuine. we are moved. if anybody's in danger, you are. that concerns us greatly. it would be better if you returned to your ship as soon as possible. you keep insisting that there's no danger. i keep assuring you that there is. would you mind telling me-- it is our way of life, captain. that's the first thing that would be lost. excuse me. i'm a soldier, not a diplomat.

if you will excuse us, captain, we will discuss your kind offer. yes, certainly. captain, our information on these people and their culture was not correct. this is not a primitive society making progress toward mechanization. they are totally stagnant. there is no evidence of any progr der can register. that doesn't seem likely. nevertheless, it is true. for tens of thousands of years, there has been absolutely no advancement, no significant change in their physical environment. this is a laboratory specimen of an arrested culture. thank you, mr. spock. that might be useful. we have discussed your offer, captain, and our opinion is unchanged. we are in no danger.

although we must decline it, and we strongly recommend that you leave organia before you yourselves are endangered. gentlemen, i must get you to reconsider. we can be of immense help to you. in addition to military aid, we can send you specialists, technicians. we can show you how to feed a thousand people where one was fed before. we can help you build schools, educate the young in the latest technological and scientific skills. your public facilities are almost nonexistent. we can help you remake your world, end disease, hunger, hardship. and all we ask in return is that you let us help you... now. captain, i can see that you do not understand us. [communicator beeps] excuse me, sir. kirk here. [sulu] captain, a large number of klingon vessels have just arrived. they're opening fire. [kirk] positive identification?

n't drop them to beam you aboard. mr. sulu, follow your orders. get out of here. contact the fleet. return if the odds are more equal. kirk out. gentlemen, you kept insisting that there was no danger-- that is correct, captain. there is no danger. ayelborne. 8 space vehicles have assumed orbit around our planet. they are activating their material transmission units. thank you, trefayne. can you verify that? negative, captain, but it seems a logical development. captain, since it is too late for you to escape, . if you had listened to me-- we must be sure that you are not harmed. ayelborne, several hundred men have appeared near the citadel. they bring many weapons. how does he know that? oh, our friend trefayne is really quite intuitive. you can rest assured that what he says is absolutely correct.

so it would seem. not a very pleasant prospect. you have a gift for understatement, mr. spock.

captain's log-- stardate 3201.7. mr. spock and i are trapped on the planet organia, by the forces of the klingon empire. the organians have provided us with native clothing in the hopes we may be taken for organians. captain, our phasers are gone. did you take them? yes, captain, i took them. i must ask you to return them. i'm sorry, captain. i cannot do that. were you armed, you might be tempted to use violence, and that we cannot permit. you, captain, will pass as an organian,

he does not look like an organian. a vulcan trader perhaps, a dealer in kevoss and trilium, harmless to the klingons. they know that vulcan was a member of the federation. vulcan merchants are not uncommon, captain. it is a practical approach. what about the rest of you? we should continue as before. we have nothing to fear. you have a lot to learn...sir. and if i know the klingons, you'll be learning it the hard way. this is the ruling council? i am ayelborne, temporary head of the council. i bid you welcome. no doubt you do.

who are you? he is barona, one of our leading citizens. and he has no tongue? i have a tongue. good. you will be taught how to use it. where is your smile? my what? the stupid, idiotic smile everyone else seems to be wearing. a vulcan. do you also have a tongue? i am spock, a dealer in kevoss and trilium. you do not look like a storekeeper. take this man. vulcans are members of the federation. he may be a spy. he's no spy.

you object to us taking him? he's done nothing. nothing at all. coming from an organian, yours is practically an act of rebellion. very good. so you welcome me. do you also welcome me? you're here. there's nothing i can do about it. good honest hatred. very refreshing. however, it makes no difference whether you welcome me or not. i am here, and i will stay. you are now subjects of the klingon empire. you'll find there are many rules and regulations. they will be posted. violation of the smallest of them will be punished by death.

barona. you need my approval? i need your obedience. nothing more. will i have it? you seem to be in command. yes... i am. i shall need a representative from among you, liaison between the forces of the occupation and the civil population. smile and smile. i don't trust men who smile too much. you, barona, you're the man. me? i don't want the job. have i asked whether or not you want it? we klingons have a repuation for ruthlessness. you will find that it is deserved.

a thousand organians will die. i will have order. is that clear? commander, i assure you, our people want nothing but peace. we shall cause you no trouble. i'm sure you will not. take the vulcan to the examination room. you, come with me. i will familiarize you with your new duties. what about mr. spock? you are concerned. he is my friend. you have a poor choice of friends. he will be examined. if he is lying, he will die. if he is telling the truth... he will find that business has taken a turn for the worse. take him. you do not like to be pushed.

you may be a man i can deal with, barona.

"from this day on, "no public assemblages of more than three people.

"neighborhood controls will be established, hostages selected..." a somewhat lengthy list of crimes against the state. you do not like them? well? he is what he claims to be, commander-- a vulcanian merchant named spock. his main concern seems to be how he would carry out his business under our occupation. nothing else? the usual-- a certain amount of apprehension regarding us. his mind is remarkably disciplined. you are sure? i used force 4... which is sufficient to break down any pretense. very well, lieutenant. would you like to try our little truth finder? i don't understand it. it's a mind sifter... or mind ripper,

we can record every thought... every bit of knowledge in a man's mind. of course, when that much force is used, the mind is emptied... permanently, i'm afraid. what's left is more vegetable than human. and you're proud of it. it is a tool... a weapon. somewhat drastic, but very efficient. are you sure you're all right? perfectly, barona. but it was an interesting experience. all right, vulcan, you may go. but you are an enemy alien. you will be under our scrutiny at all times. if i have to warn you... not necessary, commander. i understand you... very well.

ve our official notifications as soon as they are published. in the meantime... keep the people in order. it is your responsibility. or i will be killed. that is exactly right. you will be killed. that mind sifter can't be all the terror they think it is. it should not be underestimated, captain. ind. we vulcans have certain mental-- certain disciplines which enable me to maintain a shield. without those disciplines, there would be no protection. i'll try and avoid it. out of the way, organian. i'm sorry, sir. we did not notice you. next time, keep your eyes open, or i'll shut them permanently. captain, i strongly suggest we direct our energies toward the immediate problem--

ead in, did you? i thought you might. you're right. but as you say, we still have a job to do. we'll receive no help from the organians. maybe, but sooner or later, they're going to start resenting how the klingons run things. if we could prove to them... they could do something to strike back, to keep the klingons off balance. verbal persuasion seems to be ineffective. perhaps a more direct approach. that's exactly what i had in mind. mr. spock, did i or did i not see something that looked like a munitions dump outside of kor's headquarters? you did. i think it's time we did a little simple and plain communicating. tonight. a very meritorious idea, captain. we're short of tools. i'm certain the klingons will provide whatever is necessary.

o.k. so far. sonic grenade. with a delayed-action fuse. good. these crates contain chemical explosives. they should make a most satisfactory display. 6...5...4...3...

you were right, mr. spock. a most satisfactory display. of course we blew it up. deliberately. but that was violence. we did it to show you that you could fight back, that you don't have to be sheep. you can be wolves. terrible... to destroy. history is full of examples of civil populations fighting back successfully against a military dictatorship. we may not be able to destroy the klingons, but if we can tie them up, blow up their installations, disrupt their communications, make organia useless to them-- our fleet will eventually arrive. in the meantime, the battle is ours. it can be a successful one. captain, i implore you never to do such a thing again. why? are you afraid of retribution? does your personal freedom mean so little to you? how little you understand us, captain. all i understand is that you apprently don't have the backbone to stand up and fight and protect the ones you love.

mean so little to you? [footsteps] you speak of courage. obviously you do not know the difference between courage and foolhardiness. always it is the brave ones who die, the soldiers. r the sweetness of your life. you disgust me. what are you going to do with him, commander? what is always done with spies and saboteurs. he will be killed after he has had first-hand experience of our mind scanner. there's no need to use your machine on him, commander. i can tell you his name. it is captain james t. kirk.

captain of the u.s.s. enterprise. a starship commander. and his first officer? hmm. i had hoped to meet you in battle, but... for some reason, he feels that he must destroy you, commander, just as you feel you must destroy him. that's going to be rather difficult now.