Star Trek II: Distress Call Read online

  Along both walls of the corridor were long, coffinlike niches, and in each roughly hewn niche lay a figure. In the first nine niches were the Luna University team. Then came two Klingons and, opposite, a Romulan. Flashing his light along the passage, Chekov recognized a Deltan, two Vulcans, a plantlike Phylon, a Daarlin, Argelians, a Thrix, even some Andorians.

  “What is it, sir? A cemetery?” the security man asked.

  Narva Moktar ran a sensor along the first body, then another, then hurried across to the Klingons. She turned to Chekov to report. “They’re alive, sir, but in some kind of stasis.”

  “What did this?” Chekov wondered aloud.

  Proceed to page 47.

  Page 16

  From page 11.

  The transporter beams set down Kirk’s and Spock’s teams a short distance apart, and Spock immediately took his team toward the far entrance, leaving Admiral Kirk to take the closest. Spock ordered all phasers set to “stun” and then plunged quickly into the excavated entrance to the immense cluster of` ancient, star-shaped buildings.

  Spock kept his eye on Lieutenant Lex Nakashima, a brilliant young computer expert of Japanese-American descent. This was his first alien planetfall and far different from his formerly sheltered life surrounded by massive computer banks.

  The stone passage was dark. Their lights flashed along its length, revealing only dust at first, then the skeleton of some kind of creature. Spock paused next to it, noting the decayed shreds of clothing and the moldering remains of a weapons belt.

  “A Thrix, I believe,” Spock said. “Fascinating. They have been extinct for centuries.” He motioned down the corridor. “Continue, Lieutenant.”

  Proceed to page 34.

  Page 17

  From page 11.

  The transporter beams glittered and shimmered as Admiral Kirk’s landing party materialized on the cleared turf before the large, star-shaped cluster of ancient buildings. Spock’s group materialized moments later, and Kirk sent him to enter the building by an entrance further north.

  “Mister Larek,” Kirk said, turning to the young Vulcan ensign on her first training mission, “take the lead.”

  The dark-haired young woman said, “Yes, sir,” crisply and formed up the security detail to march off toward the nearest entrance. Kirk watched her with approval, for she had all the qualifications of an excellent officer. If only she could learn a little human compassion, he thought to himself.

  Teaching young officers the responsibilities of command was a constant and ongoing task all starship commanders had to undertake. No amount of computer simulation at starbase training centers could fully qualify any officer. Kirk sighed and moved ahead with the others, pulling out his phaser.

  “Phasers on ‘stun,’” he ordered.

  If you wish to follow Admiral Kirk, go to page 35.

  If you want to accompany the young Vulcan officer, proceed to 36.

  Page 18

  From page 9.

  “Bones” McCoy looked sourly at his second-in-command as he struggled into the medical combat pack. “Mister Castora, what experience have you had in first landings on alien planets?”

  The young officer smiled. “Very little, sir, but the archaeological team was here first, and it is an Earth-type planet.”

  McCoy grimaced. “You can get killed in a lot of places on Earth, too. But come on, let’s get this over with.”

  The transporter beam always made McCoy slightly sick, and he had never been able to fully accept that his body was routinely disassembled and reassembled. He always expected to get his hands or feet on backwards.

  Before him he saw the crumbling ancient ruins of the Vardan buildings, which seemed to be something like a series of star-shaped pyramids. Farther down the cleared area he saw Spock’s team materialize, then the Captain’s.

  “All right,” McCoy grumbled. “Let’s go see what this is all about.” He looked uncomfortably at the security men, their phasers in their hands and their hard eyes searching every spot where an enemy might hide.

  If you choose to climb the building first, seeking other entrances, go to page 28.

  If you choose to follow McCoy directly into the alien building, go to page 30.

  Page 19

  From page 9.

  Spock’s eyes narrowed as he watched the advance scout enter the crumbling entrance. Logic told him that he was a highly trained officer, whose experience was valuable to Starfleet and to the Enterprise, as well as to his friend, Jim Kirk. But still, he wished it were he who led the party into the Vardan structure; he hated to endanger any person, human or Vulcan.

  The scout signaled that it was safe, which Spock knew to be a relative term. His team advanced and entered the passageway. Just before entering, Spock signaled the Enterprise of their action.

  “Which of these passages did Commander Chekov use?” one of the security men asked Spock as they edged along the dark passage.

  “Unknown,” Spock responded. And equally unknown was what had happened. There was so little information that even the Vulcan officer could not arrive at any logical conclusions.

  “Sir!” the advance scout called out. “We’re coming to some kind of large room!”

  “Careful!” Spock ordered. He and his team edged closer, and found a vast space, artificially created, which plunged into darkness below them. Their flashlight beams failed to reach to the bottom, but revealed glints and glimmers of something down there.

  Turn to page 20.

  Page 20

  From page 19.

  Spock noticed a wide, worn staircase that went down the side of the immense, steep-sided space. It was too big to be called a room, but it was not one of nature’s caverns, unless someone—or some thing—had artifically smoothed the sides.

  Faintly, they heard distant scuttlings and a low moan. “Proceed,” Spock said stoically. He flipped open his communicator, but there was too much interference this deep inside the strange, star-shaped building. Spock closed the communicator and put it away. They were on their own.

  Proceed to 31.

  Page 21

  From page 9.

  James T. Kirk listened carefully as his team shuffled cautiously along the passage he had selected. The wall murals were less worn and more brightly painted as they proceeded through the intersecting maze of passages and side branches.

  Which had Chekov selected? wondered Kirk. Maybe he had not even entered through this corridor. The head of his security team looked back at him as they approached another branching corridor, and Kirk waved him to the right. At the last branching, he had selected the left-hand passage. There wasn’t much in the way of choice: both were dark, ancient, cold, and, except for murals, featureless.

  Then he heard the shout of the point man. “Admiral Kirk! Come here! Look at this!”

  Kirk trotted forward, his phaser ready in his hand, his team with him. He came around a turning in the passage and found he was looking at an immense glowing ball of yellow light.

  “Ensign Gottlieb, use your tricorder!” Kirk snapped.

  The young woman’s fingers trembled slightly as she aimed the device at the glowing ball of bright yellow light that floated in a spherical room of shiny black rock, reflecting and re-reflecting the yellow light until the whole thing was blinding. Her fear, as well as Kirk’s, was that it was radioactive.

  Turn to page 22.

  Page 22

  From page 21.

  “It’s not radioactive, sir!” she reported gratefully. “It’s some kind of energy source, self-replicating. I do not know the fuel, or the purpose. But I…I think it’s harmless.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Kirk said, gesturing for the team to continue. Chekov and the archaeological team from Earth had to be here somewhere. But where? Now, which passageway to take?

  If you take the right-hand passage, go to page 32.

  If you take the left-hand passage, turn to page 33.

  Page 23

  From page 13.

  Th
e passages seemed to go on forever, and Chekov was increasingly aware of the pressure of millions of tons of stone over his head. He kept a quiet watch on Narva Moktar, the medic, and on his security team. Leadership was a great responsibility, which he felt keenly.

  They all stopped when they heard a slithering sound. They looked at one another for explanation, but before anyone could act, a flood of soft red balls came sweeping along the passage. Narva screamed, and Chekov thumbed his phaser to “kill” and sprayed the wall of red balls with deadly fire.

  But nothing stopped them—the soft red objects, rubbery and clinging, were quickly smothering Chekov and his entire crew.

  For a quick solution, go to page 38.

  For a strange experience, go to page 40.

  Page 24

  From page 12.

  “You mean the rabbit, sir? Of course.” She looked at him critically. “It was quite large. Of course I saw it.”

  “Didn’t, didn’t you think it…peculiar?”

  “Naturally, sir. It was not a typical Terran rabbit, sir. Not even the genetic engineers have given powers of speech to a rabbit.”

  “But don’t you—” He stopped. He was not setting a good example of leadership. “What do you make of it?”

  “Either the genetic engineering here is considerably in advance of Federation science, sir, or it was an illusion.”

  Chekov felt flooded with relief. “Which do you think it was?”

  “Since Varda III has had no prior known connection with Terran literature, sir, I suspect an, illusion, perhaps drawn from the minds of the archaeologists…or from one of us.”

  She put forth this suggestion so calmly and logically that it took Chekov a moment to understand the underlying meaning. “You mean, something, right this minute, is reading our minds?”

  If you want to follow the white rabbit, go to page 43.

  If you wish to continue the search, go to page 44.

  Page 25

  From page 12.

  “What, sir? Did I see what?” the young African medic asked. Her eyes examined Chekov expertly, seeing his shock and concern.

  “Uh…nothing, Mister Moktar, nothing.” But his eyes betrayed him, looking nervously toward the dark tunnel where the creature had disappeared. “Go on, continue,” he ordered his men.

  A few steps farther and Chekov stopped again, his mouth gaping open as he saw in a niche at the side of the passage a large green-scaled dragon, calmly cleaning his claws with the barbed tip of his long tail. The dragon looked up with lazy, hooded eyes and gently burped.

  “Excuse me,” he rumbled politely. Chekov turned to Moktar and forced his voice to be calm. “Um, Mister Moktar, do you notice…uh…anything unusual in this area?”

  She frowned and looked around. He saw her eyes pass over the section of wall that housed the dragon’s niche, but she did not blink an eye. “No, sir.” She looked anxiously at him. “Sir? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Chekov said, turning slowly back.

  No niche. No dragon. Only a terrible suspicion that he was going mad.

  If you think Chekov is going mad, turn to page 41.

  lf you believe him to be the victim of a trick, turn to page 42.

  Page 26

  From page 14.

  Chekov flipped open his communicator. “Chekov to Enterprise.” Captain Kirk responded, and Chekov filled him in on what had been found.

  “We’ll lock on your coordinates,” Kirk said, “and beam them up.”

  “Better have security ready in the transporter room, Keptin,” Chekov said. “There are Klingons and a Romulan here.”

  “We’ll bring them up six at a time, and I’ve dealt with Klingons before, Mister Chekov.”

  Chekov turned and saw the first six of the scientists dissolve in a glitter cascade of light, then disappear completely.

  Proceed to page 46.

  Page 27

  From page 14.

  “What can we do to bring them out of it?” Chekov asked the medic.

  “We can transport them to the Enterprise, sir. We have the proper equipment there.”

  “Very well,” Chekov said, and reported the situation to Admiral Kirk. The nine scientists were beamed aboard and then, in groups of six, all the others. Then finally Chekov and his team were enveloped in the tingling, glittering transporter beams and found themselves on the Enterprise.

  And looking into the muzzle of a phaser set on “kill,” resting in the hand of a leering Klingon.

  Proceed to 45.

  Page 28

  From page 18.

  “Jim and Spock are going to the other entrances,” McCoy said. “Let’s go up a few tiers and see if we can find a way in from there.”

  “A pincers attack, sir?” Lieutenant Castora said.

  McCoy frowned at him. “Don’t get warlike, son, I just want to increase the odds that someone gets to Chekov and his people.”

  “Yes, sir,” Castora said, directing the security team to begin scaling the stone walls. There were enough finger- and footholds in the old stone crevices, and they were up one tier very quickly.

  McCoy turned around. “Is that an opening in the next tier up?” he asked. They boosted a security man up, who reported that an entrance, partially blocked, did exist. Within moments McCoy and his team were standing on the grass-grown second tier.

  They could see the layout of the buildings more clearly now, a ring of five star-shaped buildings, with five levels each, and some sort of domed structure in the five-sided enclosure within.

  Continue on next page.

  Page 29

  From page 28.

  “It’s clear!” a security man called from just inside the second-level entrance. They entered cautiously, their footsteps ringing on the worn stone flooring.

  “Eerie,” McCoy muttered, looking at the curved stone murals.

  Then the advance scout called out. “Sir! There’s—” Then came the rumbling of sliding stone and the scream of the security man. McCoy was hit and knocked unconscious.

  If you choose to investigate immediately, go to page 48.

  If you choose to advance cautiously, go to page 49.

  Page 30

  From page 18.

  “Lights,” Castora said, and several powerful beams illuminated the dark stone passage. McCoy saw murals cut into the stone and stopped to l examine them, but Lieutenant Castora urged them on.

  “Someone might be hurt,” the young officer said, and McCoy had to agree.

  “You know, Lieutenant,” McCoy said, “I think I’m getting too old for stumbling around in the dark in some alien apartment house.”

  “It suggests more a municipal structure, sir,” Castora said. “Perhaps a religious facility as well.”

  “I have two perfectly sensible experiments ongoing up in the Enterprise,” McCoy mumbled, stepping gingerly around a pile of stone debris from a fallen section of roof. “I should have sent one of the medical orderlies.”

  “I’m certain that Commander Chekov would like the best medical assistance possible if he—”

  “That’s enough, Lieutenant,” McCoy said. “I am properly reprimanded.”

  “Sir, I didn’t mean that—”

  There was a sudden rumbling of sliding stone, a rush of cold wind, and the lights were knocked from the hands of the team.

  Proceed to page 67.

  Page 31

  From page 20.

  Spock directed his team down the wide staircase, their flashes probing the mysterious depths in vain. Their footsteps echoed on the stone. Then the lead security man hissed a warning, his light pointing down the steps.

  They all stopped, hearts pounding, as they heard the scrabbling of something sharp on the stone. A pair of eyes glittered in the darkness further down the stairs, circling the huge room, und the man in front aimed his phaser.

  “No!” Spock snapped. The security man hesitated, frightened at the unknown. “That’s an Orwellian rat,” Spock said. “It
has a distinctive set of light-refractive eyes.”

  “But, sir,” the security man said, “Orwell Four is twenty light-years from here!”

  “You are correct, Sergeant, but it undoubtedly came with the archaeological team. Rats, I regret to say, have accompanied the human species wherever it has gone.”

  A nearby security man managed a grin. “And on Vulcan, sir?”

  Spock looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Since they serve no purpose in Vulcan ecology, it would not be logical to permit them.”

  The chastened crewman nodded as the rat scurried away into the darkness. They proceeded cautiously.

  Proceed to page 50.

  Page 32

  From page 22.

  As they went into the right-hand passage, Kirk’s men immediately saw a difference. The walls, instead of square-sided rough old stone, became smooth, the ceiling arched, the floor curved. Soon they were moving through a perfectly round tunnel of glistening dark stone.

  “Careful,” Kirk whispered as they heard echoing sounds ahead. “Phasers on ‘stun,’” he ordered.