copyright January 1997 to Laurie D. Haynes and LoneStar Trek No reprints without permission of the author. Archiving okay. No license infringement intended on any holder of Star Trek licenses. EXERCISE IN SURVIVAL By Laurie D. Haynes "No peace as long as Kirk is alive!" the Klingon Ambassador, Kamarag, had said. Captain William Stiles clearly remembered that meeting, as well as James Kirk's later court martial. Stiles smiled at the thought of the power and fame he could obtain simply as a result of taking out James T. Kirk. Stiles chuckled. * * * * After leaving messages with the appropriate people, Stiles was able to set up a meeting with Kamarag. The Klingon ambassador was extremely receptive to the human's idea. "We will aid you in any way we can. It would give us great pleasure to see Kirk dead, but our hand in the matter must not be discovered. We will agree to sign a peace treaty with the Federation once the act is done. You will be amply rewarded," Kamarag told Stiles, then silently added, * * * * A week later, on a starbase loading dock, Capt. Kirk was engrossed in conversation with Cmdr. Spock, who was personally checking out some scientific equipment before it was beamed aboard the Enterprise. Robot forklifts were busy picking up crates and carrying them to the transporter platform. One robot picked up a crate and followed a course that would take it directly along the path Kirk was walking, while a second gained speed and headed to intersect the first one. The robots ran so quietly, Kirk didn't hear them. Fortunately, Spock caught sight of them just before they hit the captain, and tackled his human friend, taking them both clear of the robots. The sound of grinding gears and tearing metal filled the dock area as the two forklifts collided. The dock foreman ran over to Spock and Kirk who were picking themselves up off the floor. "Are you all right, sirs?" asked the foreman anxiously. "I'm so sorry! Something must have gone haywire. You know computers!" "Spock dusted himself off and pulled Kirk to his feet. "Indeed, I do know computers," he replied. "May I respectfully suggest the error most likely exists in the programmer, not the hardware." He noted the distress on the foreman's face. He checked Kirk quickly. "We are, however, uninjured." The dock foreman breathed a sigh of relief. "Once again, I apologize. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Kirk spoke up, "Keep your equipment in proper working order, and double-check the programming. I'd hate to see a repeat of this incident. Next time, somebody might get hurt," Kirk lectured him. "C'mon, Spock. Let Chekov finish up for you. Let's go get something cold to drink." "Very well, Captain, as you wish." Spock called the Enterprise and asked Chekov to beam down. When Chekov arrived, Spock and Kirk left the loading dock and went to the base canteen. * * * * Kirk and Spock talked in the canteen. "Thanks again, Spock. I'm sure I would have found an encounter with those robots most unpleasant." "Indubitably. However, thanks are not necessary, Jim. You have done that much and more for me...and at great personal cost. You lost your son as well as your rank." "The cost was high, but I couldn't have done otherwise," Kirk answered as he carefully studied his hands. "I wish things could have been different, though. I wish I could have gotten to know David better. When I think of all the years wasted because I didn't know he was my son. Carol still won't answer my calls. I guess she blames me for David's death and in some ways, I suppose I was responsible. If only I'd given in to that Klingon's demands, David might still be alive today." "That is an illogical assumption. You had no way to know what would happen. The Klingons are responsible for your son's death, not you. In time, perhaps Carol will come to understand this," Spock told his friend. Kirk brushed a hand across his suddenly watering eyes and replied, "In my head, I know you're right, but in my heart there'll always be a doubt. As for my rank, you know I never liked being at the admiralty. I'd much rather captain a starship. They did me a favor by busting me, but they know that." He sighed and stood up. "Let's get back to the ship." Kirk and Spock beamed back to the Enterprise, along with three new crewmembers reporting for duty. The captain personally welcomed the three: Lt. Mueller and Ensign Barnes, assigned to security, and Lt. Smythe, in the science department. Kirk talked amiably with each one for a few minutes before leaving with Spock for the bridge. In the turbolift, Kirk remarked to Spock, "I'm looking forward to the captain's survival exercise. It'll be good to get planetside again. How long did you say it would take to get to the staging area on Janus?" "22.53 hours," the Vulcan answered. "Uh, right. Of course, it would be more enjoyable if we didn't have to go through the exercise separately," Kirk commented as they stepped from the turbolift onto the bridge. Spock shrugged and said nothing. * * * * The following morning, the captain left his quarters at his customary time and headed for the turbolift. He waited beside a female crewmember, also awaiting the turbolift. The lift doors opened and Kirk motioned for the crew woman to enter first. Just as Kirk was about to step aboard, someone called to him, "Captain Kirk! Wait up a moment!" Kirk said to the crewwoman already aboard the turbolift, "You go ahead, I'll catch the next one." The yeoman who had called out, ran up to Kirk. "Sir, I need you to sign these papers." Kirk, his back to the turbolift was signing the datapad when they both heard a scream from the turbolift shaft, followed by a loud crash. They both spun around and stared helplessly at the turbolift door. "Oh, my God!" the yeoman gasped, horrified. The captain immediately called for an emergency crew, though he didn't see how the woman could have survived the impact, from the sound of it. He also called for Scott to investigate the cause of the turbolift failure. * * * * Much later, it occurred to Kirk that he himself might have been killed if the yeoman hadn't detained him. He considered his recent narrow escapes and shook his head. Kirk beckoned to his first officer. "Spock, has Scotty determined what caused the turbolift to crash?" "At this time, Mr. Scott is baffled," Spock answered. "The turbolift had been working perfectly until now, and what remains of it is crushed and battered. "I am currently checking the control program for an error, but there does not seem to be any." "What in blazes is going on lately?!" Kirk shouted, pounding his fist on the arm of the command chair. He lowered his voice. "First, the robots on the landing dock go berserk, then, for no apparent reason, the turbolift crashes and kills one of my people. What's the answer, Spock?" "Both times you narrowly escaped death, Jim. There may be a connection. You may be a target." "Who on the Enterprise would hate me enough to kill me? No, it's probably just a coincidence," Kirk replied uneasily. "The possible motive is unclear, Captain, but perhaps you should cancel your participation in the survival exercise." "On what grounds? We have no proof that any of this was not accidental." "I implore you to reconsider, Jim. Alone in the exercise staging area, you would be at the mercy of a killer." "If there is someone out to get me, which I'm not sure I believe, then I'd rather be one-on- one with him in the wilderness than a sitting duck for some 'mechanical malfunction' aboard the ship." "Then I suggest you at least delay your participation in the exercise for a few days until we can conduct an investigation." "I can't do that, Spock. We've got to be at Benecia in three days. We can't afford a delay. We'll have to go ahead with it. We'll be in orbit around Janus in a few hours. Notify the crew they'll be permitted shore leave in the capital, Gatetown, twelve hours per shift until we leave orbit," Kirk ordered. He got up from his command chair. "You have the con, I'm going to my quarters to get my gear ready for tomorrow." Spock uneasily watched Kirk go before seating himself in the center seat. He couldn't shake the feeling of impending danger. * * * * At 0645 the next day, Kirk, wearing his field jacket, reported to the transporter room. The technician opened Kirk's equipment locker and handed the captain its contents. Kirk stuck the phaser into a pocket of his jacket and stashed his communicator, flashlight and emergency medikit in the storage pockets in the lining. He slung a tricorder over his shoulder. Into his right boot, he slipped an additional item, a dagger Spock had once given him for his birthday. Kirk called his communications officer, "Uhura, I'm about to beam down. Remember, there are to be no communications with me unless it's a dire emergency. I'll call you in 48 hours when I reach the pickup point. Spock will follow me down in six hours. The same instructions will apply to him." "Understood, Captain. See you in two days. Have fun." Kirk beamed down to the forest preserve. He tried to call the Enterprise to let them know he had made it down safely, but couldn't raise them. He shrugged and decided Uhura was taking her instructions to heart. Kirk started walking down the dry land trail, enjoying the feel of solid ground beneath his feet. A little over an hour later, Kirk reached a clump of trees. In the distance, he saw an attractive young woman in a Starfleet uniform waving her arms at him, "Help! Please, help me!" Kirk started running toward her. Before he could reach her, though, he fell into a covered pit. Momentarily stunned by the fall, at first he didn't see the snarling Janusian black tiger crouched against the far wall. He shook his head to clear it and heard the big cat's warning growl. Muscles rippling, the tiger gathered its feet beneath it and prepared to spring. Kirk pulled out his phaser, pointed it at the tiger, and pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. The phaser wouldn't fire. The tiger leaped at the human -- who tried to dodge but lost his footing in the pit's muddy bottom. The tiger was instantly upon him and a 300 pound mass of muscle, fangs, and claws drove him down. Thrusting his left forearm into the cat's mouth and digging his knees into its belly, Kirk tried to fend it off, while the cat did its best to tear the human into small pieces with its foreclaws and teeth. With his free hand, Kirk pulled his knife from his boot. The black tiger overcame Kirk's forearm thrust and sank its teeth into the human's left shoulder. He felt the animal's teeth grate against his shoulder blade as he repeatedly stabbed the cat. It finally released him once it was dead. Kirk managed to drag himself from underneath the cat and propped himself against the wall of the pit. Kirk was covered with blood, and not all of it was the tiger's. His shoulder was bleeding heavily. Fortunately, the cat's claws hadn't done as much damage, although the wounds they had left were quite painful. Kirk opened his medikit, and found that most of the items had been removed. He found some punctured cans of spray dressings and a roll of bandages. The captain clumsily bound his shoulder and rested a moment before getting to his feet. Kirk took out his communicator and attempted to call his ship. "Kirk to Enterprise, come in, please. This is an emergency! Come in, Enterprise!" He received no reply. There wasn't even any static. The captain opened up the back of the communicator, only to find it an empty shell. He threw it down in disgust, angry with himself for not checking his equipment personally before beaming down. Kirk tried to activate the emergency beacon on his field jacket, but found that the tiger had crunched it nicely with its jaws. Kirk felt his wounds beginning to stiffen up on him, and knew that was another reason for haste. He had to climb out of there while he still could. Taking his knife, he began to carve out finger and toe holds in the firmly packed dirt wall of the pit. In this fashion, with a great deal of pain, he was able to escape the pit. By the time Kirk reached the top, he was dripping with sweat and the blood from his shoulder wound was soaking through the bandage. He lay prone for a few minutes, then stumbled to his feet, his sense of urgency driving him on. He looked around and was not particularly surprised to find the woman had disappeared. It occurred to Kirk that his original route might be further booby trapped. Checking his tricorder, he was relieved to find it in working order. He took a reading and detected several humanoid forms ahead on his original route, but none on the alternate route, which led through a swamp. The captain checked his chronometer. In about four hours, Spock would be beaming down. He knew he had to warn Spock, but also knew it was dangerous to stick around. Taking the uncharged phaser he had brought up from the pit, he set it up on the edge by packing dirt around its butt, with the barrel pointing toward the dry land route. Kirk drew an arrow in that direction and hoped Spock would understand there was danger ahead. Kirk set off for the swamp, trying to apply pressure to his bleeding shoulder as he ran. * * * * Kirk sloshed through the swamp waters in order to hide his trail. He regularly took tricorder readings, making sure of the footing ahead, as well as checking for dangerous life-forms -- particularly of the humanoid variety. * * * * When Spock beamed down, he tried to raise the Enterprise, but received only static. He checked his communicator and found that it appeared to be functioning. Using his tricorder, Spock deduced a jammer was being used and was immediately suspicious. The Vulcan continued on the main trail in a ground-eating stride. He soon reached the pit and discovered the dead Janusian black tiger. Spock noted the blood at the edge of the pit, as well as the phaser and the arrow drawn in the dirt pointing to the dry land route. Raising an eyebrow, he took a tricorder reading on the blood and found it to be human. From the presence of the Starfleet issue phaser and communicator, he had to assume the blood was Kirk's. From the amount of blood, Spock decided the injury was probably severe. Since the trail of blood pointed in a different direction from the arrow and the phaser, he concluded Kirk was warning him of danger on the dry land route. * * * * Exhausted, Kirk dropped to his knees. He knew he should go on, but he was too weak and tired to continue. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but were stiff and painful. The captain scanned the area with his tricorder, and realized his pursuers were gaining on him. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stand. Looking around the swamp, he spotted a hollow in a huge nearby tree. The hollow was so large, it was more like a small cave, and the opening was partly concealed by tall trees. Directly ahead of him was a section of muddy ground. Kirk climbed onto the little island of tree roots and mud, making sure to leave clear tracks that seemed to lead over the island and into the water again on the other side. Once over the small section of ground, he circled around and used the tricorder to make sure the tree cave was uninhabited. The bottom of the hollow was covered with water, but Kirk lay on his stomach in it and watched through the reeds for the assassins. He didn't have to wait long. Kirk soon spotted his would be assassin, a human. He noted the man's clothing with surprise when he realize the human was wearing a Starfleet uniform. Two Klingons joined the human, who pointed at the tracks, then in the direction of the pickup point. Kirk studied the human's face. He tried to hear what they were saying, but couldn't make it out. But when they took off running in the direction indicated by the tracks, he knew they had fallen for his ruse. Kirk let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding. Sitting up, he leaned against the tree cave wall. His shoulder was throbbing and hurting worse than ever. Kirk was extremely thirsty, and decided to risk drinking the swamp water. He scooped up a small amount in his hand and drank it. He would have liked to drink more, but didn't want to risk consuming any more of the unpurified water. The wounded man fell asleep, his hand on the hilt of his dagger. * * * * A few hours later, the assassins still hadn't found Kirk. Apparently deciding he must have tricked them, they turned around, spread out, and slogged back the way they had come. * * * * About that time, Spock reached the small island and saw four sets of humanoid footprints. He checked for lifeforms with the tricorder, Following the tricorder's reading, Spock walked toward the tree hollow where Kirk was resting. Kirk woke when he heard the splashing outside the cave. He crouched, knife in hand and prepared to jump the intruder. The captain was about to attack when Spock called out softly, "Jim, are you in there?" Delighted to hear Spock's voice, Kirk emerged from the hollow. "Spock! Good to see you. I take it you got my message." "Obviously, Captain, since I am standing here now," Spock replied, looking his friend over. "You do not look particularly well, Jim. Are you all right?" "I've been better," Kirk admitted. "Do your communicator and phaser work? Mine were sabotaged." "My phaser is operational, but I cannot contact the ship. Your attackers are apparently using a jamming device," Spock reported. He took another tricorder reading. "Jim, there are three humanoids heading this way. I suggest we conceal ourselves and I will endeavor to surprise them." Kirk crawled back into the tree hollow, followed by Spock. When the human assassin and his Klingon associates returned to the island, Spock stunned them with his phaser, then tied them with vines. "You can come out, now, Captain," Spock called, "they are quite indisposed." Kirk crawled out of the hollow and rose wearily and unsteadily to his feet. "Well done, Spock. Let's go see if we can't find that communications jammer and shut it down. It's bound to be closer than the rendezvous point." "My tricorder indicates the presence of electronic equipment near the starting point. That may be the jammer." Spock continued to scan. "Unfortunately, there are several additional humanoids coming in this direction from that same area." He studied the readings carefully. "Klingons." Kirk cursed. "Okay, then, we'll go on and try to circle back to the jammer. I'd rather not have another confrontation." Spock and Kirk fought their way through the dense swamp growth and out of the path of the Klingons. Just over an hour later, Kirk began to lag farther and farther behind. "Spock! Wait up a minute!" the captain called, and leaned up against a gnarled old tree. The Vulcan turned and walked back to Kirk, breathing hard. "I'm played out," said the captain. "Give me your phaser and I'll stay behind while you get to the jammer." Spock's eyebrows narrowed. "Jim, we have eluded the assassins so far, but not likely for very much longer. It's too dangerous to stay here long, but we can rest for just a bit before continuing." Kirk nodded and sank to the ground exhausted. He closed his eyes, and against his will, dozed off. Spock sat beside him, watching with concern. After fifteen minutes, he woke his friend with difficulty. The human shook his head. "Spock, I just can't go on, right now. Leave me your phaser. I'll take care of those guys if they come this way. Go on, get out of here. And don't give me any arguments.!" The Vulcan was silent for a moment, apparently considering. "Get going, Spock. That's an order." "Very well, Captain," replied Spock, and handed over the phaser. Kirk stood, turned his back to his first officer, and leaned his good shoulder against the tree. Spock quickly reached out and applied a nerve pinch on Kirk, knocking him out. Spock caught his friend as slumped, and effortlessly slung the human over his shoulder. The Vulcan picked up the phaser and stuck it in his field jacket before taking off once again through the swamp. * * * * After the Janusian day had ended and night was well upon them, Kirk began to come to. Spock stopped, set him down upon some reasonably dry ground, and examined his semi-conscious friend. The first officer cut away the bandage, jacket and tunic with laser scissors from his own medi-kit. Taking an antiseptic swab, he cleaned the dirt from the wound. Spock sprayed a dressing on Kirk's shoulder and touched his hand to his friend's forehead. It was difficult for him to tell, since his own body temperature was higher than that of a human, but it seemed to Spock that Kirk was running a fever. Kirk fully regained consciousness and gave Spock a dirty look. "Very funny, Mister. What's the big idea? I thought you understood. It's illogical to risk two lives for the sake of one." "It is not logical to risk one life unnecessarily for whatever reason. We can both make it. How do you feel, Jim?" "Hot, tired, and thirsty. I could use a drink of water," Kirk told him, groaning as he sat up. "I'll purify some water. Jim, I think you have a fever. Did you use any of the medications from your medi-kit?" "The medi-kit was sabotaged, too. The only thing in there was some bandages. Everything else had been ruined or removed." "This was obviously well-planned. One of the assassins I stunned was wearing a Starfleet uniform," Spock informed his captain as he attached a vial of antibiotic to the hypospray then injected Kirk with it. The Vulcan used a cup from his mess kit to collect some swamp water. He dropped two purifying tablets into it and gave it to Kirk to drink. "So. You were right. The dock incident and the turbolift crash were not accidents," Kirk commented, savoring the pure water. "That human in the Starfleet uniform looked familiar. Wasn't he one of the new crewmen who came aboard at the starbase?" Spock nodded. "Yes, I believe his name is Richard Mueller, one of the new security guards." With Spock's help, Kirk struggled to his feet. "Security? That explains how he got access to my equipment. I'll be surprised if Mueller is even his real name. Question is, why is he after me?" "You have no shortage of enemies, Jim. I suspect he was hired to kill you." Kirk agreed. "Someone had to have him placed on the ship -- someone in Starfleet." He sighed in exasperation. "I wish you'd had time to interrogate him. Oh well, I guess we'd better get moving." "It is several kilometers, yet, back to where the jammer must be. Are you capable of making it that far?" Spock asked his bedraggled friend. "I honestly don't know," Kirk replied, drawing his good arm across his face to wipe away the sweat and dirt. "But I'll try. Check your tricorder for the location of our 'friends.'" Spock took a scan. "They're four kilometers from here and headed directly for us -- and they've increased in number. There are now nine of them. I suspect the new arrivals must have freed their companions from the vines. Some of them must now have a tricorder to be able to determine our position so easily." "Great! There goes our one advantage," Kirk commented sarcastically. "Captain, I may be able to adapt my tricorder to put out a signal that will overload their tricorder and destroy it. Doing so, however, will also destroy mine." "It's worth a try, Spock. At least we'd still have my tricorder and they wouldn't be able to pinpoint our position." The Vulcan nodded and instructed Kirk to turn the power off on his own tricorder. Within half an hour, Spock had completed the adaptation. He turned his tricorder on and it began to whine, the pitch steadily increasing. He set it down on the ground. "I believe I've done it. I suggest we leave this area at once." They switched on their flashlights and moved at a right angle to the direction they had been traveling. They soon heard one explosion and then another, followed by screams. Kirk turned on his tricorder and took a reading. "All right, Spock! The 'hounds ' have decreased in number. We got four of them -- their lifeforms are no longer registering. That makes the odds a little better, and the fox has always been smarter than the hounds." The two took a roundabout course back toward the original starting point. They moved as quickly as possible, considering the tricky footing in the dark. Kirk managed to keep up for the first kilometer, then tripped over a submerged root. Clutching his wounded shoulder, he closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth in pain. Spock turned to come back, but Kirk waved him on. Spock ignored his friend's gesture and returned to him. Kirk slowly clambered to his feet. "This is as far as I can go for now, Spock," Kirk said breathlessly. He gave the Vulcan a warning look. "And don't even think about pulling another stunt like last time. You've got to get to that jammer as soon as possible. I'll only slow you down." Kirk indicated a nearby tree growing at about a 45 degree angle. "I'll hole up in this tree. You keep the phaser and the tricorder. You're more likely to encounter that group than me." Spock reluctantly agreed and waited to leave until the human was hidden in the tree. Kirk tried to rest, his pain and his concern for Spock waking him frequently. * * * * The Klingon contingent commander expressed his dissatisfaction at Mueller's lack of success, "It would seem, Earther, that you are not as clever as you thought. Four of my people have been killed, and two others are injured. This is becoming an expensive proposition. Under the circumstances, I think it only fair we increase our price by 1,000 credits." "Oh, come now! We had an agreement," contested Mueller. "The agreement was for one unarmed Starfleet officer. We now have two of them to deal with, and at least one of them has a phaser. Either accept the condition or hunt the Federatiis down yourself." "All right, all right, you'll get your extra thousand," agreed Mueller reluctantly, thinking of his dwindling profits. "We have to take out Kirk and the Vulcan today," he told them as the sun rose. "Kirk should be just about at the end of his rope by now. From what I've heard of the Vulcan, there's no way he'll leave Kirk behind, so that means they'll be together." The assassins trudged through the swamp, picking up speed as the day grew brighter. They eventually found the old bandages and the pieces of Kirk's jacket and tunic that Spock had left behind. The immediate area showed marked evidence of the explosion. The blast had uprooted a tree, and a charred area on the ground indicated where the tricorder had been. "This is really encouraging. They can't be far ahead, now," Mueller pronounced. "Kirk has to be slowing them down." He thought for a moment, then said, "You, know, they might just be trying to get to the jammer and take it out." "They may also be heading for the park entrance, to try to get back to town," the Klingon commander pointed out. "That's true conceded the human. "I'll tell you what -- we'll split up. You and your two injured people will head for the entrance. The remaining man will come with me to the jammer." Mueller and his assistant broke away from the group. They soon came upon Kirk's and Spock's trail. Mueller congratulated himself on second-guessing the Enterprise captain. * * * * Perched in his tree, Kirk finally grew thirsty again. He climbed down to get some water. As he drank, he heard the sound of people sloshing through the swamp. He obliterated his footprints and ascended the tree again. Pulling his knife from his boot, Kirk then cut loose some vines from the tree. He tied them together into a noose, then slung the vine over another branch and lowered the noose to the ground. Mueller and his henchman walked directly past Kirk's tree. The human assassin noted there was only one set of tracks that continued. "They split up here. I'll bet Kirk's around here someplace. I guess the Vulcan got smart and went off and left him. You stay here and find Kirk. If you find him, go ahead and kill him, but try to make it look like an accident. Surely, you can handle one wounded guy?" "I can easily dispatch one wounded human," the Klingon retorted. "Are you capable of taking on a healthy Vulcan?" "I'm not at the top of my field for nothing. Now, start searching for Kirk!" The Klingon shot an angry glance at Mueller's tone, but proceeded to look around for the primary target while Mueller continued on Spock's trail. From his tree branch, Kirk watched the Klingon. When the assassin walked past the tree again, Kirk rustled the leaves to get his attention. The Klingon spun around and scanned the nearby trees. Phaser set on kill, he crept in the direction of the sound. Kirk grinned when the assassin finally stepped into the noose. Holding onto the opposite end of the vine, the human jumped from the tree. The Klingon flew feet first into the air and dropped his phaser in surprise. Kirk quickly secured the end of the vine to the tree. He picked up the phaser, reset it to stun and shot the assassin. "Good night, sweet prince," he wisecracked. "Nice of you to drop in." Kirk took a minute to catch his breath, then set out after Mueller. * * * * Finally, Spock located the jammer in a shed near the beamdown point and destroyed it with his phaser. He immediately called the ship. "Spock to Enterprise, come in, Mr. Scott." "Scott here, sir. Are ye already at the rendezvous point?" "Negative, Mr. Scott. Get a fix on my communicator signal and beam down Dr. McCoy and a security team. There is a group of five assassins attempting to kill us. They were nearly successful in Captain Kirk's case. He has been injured, and is in need of medical attention. I was forced to leave him a few kilometers back." "Understood, Mr. Spock. They'll be with ye shortly," replied Scott. * * * * Kirk stalked Mueller, who stopped from time to time to check for tracks. Just as Kirk got close enough to get a shot at the assassin, he stepped on a small, dry branch, which snapped loudly under his foot. The assassin caught sight of Kirk and dove clear at the last moment. As he hit the ground, Mueller's phaser flew from his hand into some tall reeds at the edge of the water. He crawled on his stomach into the water and hid himself among the reeds. Thinking he might have hit the assassin, Kirk cautiously approached the patch of dry ground where he had last seen Mueller. As he drew near, Mueller jumped him from behind and the two wrestled for possession of the phaser. Kirk called up the last of his physical reserves to defend himself, but in his weakened condition, Mueller threw him off. The captain landed on his bad shoulder and was momentarily disabled by the pain. Before Kirk could regain his feet, Mueller grabbed his opponent's phaser and stunned him. Breathing heavily, Mueller considered killing Kirk then and there with the phaser, but remembered the death was supposed to appear accidental. The assassin dragged the captain over to the water and plunged his head under the surface. The water revived Kirk, and he struggled to free himself from the killer's grip. At that moment, Spock and the security team arrived on the scene. The Vulcan fired at Mueller, but the assassin had turned his victim loose and run off into the swamp. Spock and McCoy hurried over to Kirk, who was gasping and coughing and trying to sit up. The security team took off after Mueller. Spock pulled Kirk onto dry land, and McCoy ran a medi-scanner on their friend, and announced the results of his examination, "You've got a high fever, Jim. Those wounds are infected and you've got the beginnings of hepatitis. What have you been doing -- drinking the swamp water?" "Didn't have much choice." "Well, I'm going to give you a couple of shots that should help. You and I are beaming up to the Enterprise," McCoy told Kirk, and pressed the hypospray against his patient's arm. Kirk sighed and replied, "For once, I won't give you any argument, Bones. Spock, I want Mueller taken alive. He's got a lot of questions to answer. And there's a Klingon hanging by his feet from a tree. He might be a source of information, too. Get Scotty to beam him up." "Very well, Captain," Spock helped McCoy get Kirk to his feet, then moved away from them before they beamed up to the ship. * * * * The security team was hunting for Mueller, but the assassin had climbed a tree. As soon as the security team drew near, the assassin took aim and vaporized the nearest guard. The other four guards returned fire, stunning Mueller, who fell headfirst to the ground. His neck snapped audibly when he landed. Spock immediately arrived on the scene as one of the guards checked Mueller. "He's dead, sir," the guard told the first officer. "Sorry. We know you wanted him alive, but he broke his neck when he fell out of the tree. We had to shoot. He'd already killed one of my men." "I understand, Lieutenant. You acted correctly," Spock assured the security chief. "The man brought it on himself." * * * * Back on the Enterprise, when Spock visited Kirk in Sickbay, he informed him of Mueller's death. "Damn!" Kirk swore, and sat up on the bed. "I would have given a lot to know who he was and who hired him. Did you catch the others?" "We interrogated the one you caught, and the Gatetown police are searching for the three others, but we feel certain they've already left the planet. As for your prisoner, all he knew was the name the human had told him -- Mueller -- and that Mueller had been hired to kill you. Apparently, the Klingons were merely subcontractors and the prisoner insists he doesn't know the identity of Mueller's employer. We've had a chance to perform an autopsy on your would-be-assassin. Comparing the findings to Starfleet medical records, we have positively determined he was not Richard Mueller." "Whoever planned this was very thorough. I suspect they killed the real Richard Mueller," Kirk concluded. "I'm afraid the assassin has taken the name of his employer with him," Spock said. He quickly noticed a grimace of pain cross Kirk's face. "How do you feel, Jim?" Kirk settled himself down into the pillows. "Okay -- now that I'm back aboard the Enterprise. That was hardly the nature romp I expected." Spock arched an eyebrow and replied. "You saw nature, Jim -- human nature, and it was not at its best. Someone wants you dead. They failed this time, but it illogical to assume they will not try again." Kirk nodded slowly. "Well, I'll just have to be on my guard, then. I got a bit careless. That won't happen again," he assured the Vulcan. * * * * Kamarag and Stiles soon heard about the failed attempt on Kirk's life. Kamarag was disappointed, though hardly surprised. Stiles, even though he was relieved the assassin had died without revealing his employer's name, was furious and inconsolable for weeks afterward because Kirk had escaped with his life.