copyright oct 1996 to Laurie D. Haynes. No reprints without permission of the
author. No license infringement intended on any holder of Star Trek licenses

                              NEURAL DECAY

                           By Laurie D. Haynes



     Kirk and McCoy materialized aboard the Enterprise after
transporting up from Neural. Scott immediately called for M'Benga
when he saw McCoy clutching his bleeding arm.
     "Cancel that, Scotty," McCoy sighed. "I'll meet him down in
Sickbay." He glanced down at his arm and said, "It's not bad. The
bullet went right through the flesh."
     After quickly checking in with Spock, Kirk accompanied the
doctor to Sickbay, loathe to let his injured friend make the trip
alone.

     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

     As he sat in Sickbay watching M'Benga clean and seal McCoy's
wound, Kirk rubbed his eyes tiredly and tried to decide what his
options were. He'd already seen a good example of what life would
be like for the villagers and the hill people of Neural if the
fighting continued. 
     The captain realized he had to face the fact that his
initial decision -- to arm Tyree's hill people -- was wrong. The
fighting and the arming would only escalate until finally the
entire planet's population would have destroyed itself. 
     Somehow, he had to get the villagers and the hill people to
make peace once again. The tremendous mistake he'd made weighed
heavily on Kirk's conscience. He rested his chin on his hand,
feeling the great weariness in his body invade his soul.
     M'Benga finally finished working on McCoy, injecting him
with another mild pain killer. McCoy flexed his fingers and
clapped M'Benga on the shoulder.
     "Good work, Luca! My arm doesn't even know it was hurt."
     M'Benga regarded him sardonically and replied, "But it WAS
hurt, so don't try to pull a James T. Kirk on me. Take it easy
for the next day or so."
     McCoy couldn't help laughing.
     "Don't worry, I'VE got enough sense to take care of myself."
     When Kirk pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and
didn't respond to the teasing, McCoy gently said to him, "Jim,
why don't you get some rest? You look like hell."
     Kirk glanced up at his friend.
     "You're a fine one to talk," he retorted.
     Seeing that the two friends wanted to talk, M'Benga
tactfully left the room.
     McCoy ignored Kirk's statement and continued, "Come to think
of it, you've BEEN through hell in the last couple of days."
     The captain smiled weakly.
     "I suppose so, Bones, but I'm okay. I'd like nothing better
than to get some sleep, but I just don't have the time. You were
right, you know. Those people are going to slaughter each other.
The last thing they need is for us to help them do it."
     McCoy said, "Normally, I'd take great pleasure in hearing
you tell me I was right, but..."
     "Yeah, I know," replied Kirk.
     The captain stood up -- a bit shakily -- and stretched. He
turned and was surprised to see Spock standing in the doorway.
     Kirk flashed the Vulcan a tired grin, and said, "Good to see
you back on your feet. Did you...ah...catch the conversation just
now?"
     "Yes, Captain. Does this mean you no longer wish to
manufacture 'serpents for the Garden of Eden?'"
     Kirk looked away and answered, "No, there's too damn many of
them there already. I certainly didn't help matters by
encouraging Tyree to fight. To think that I was actually teaching
them to use firearms. I can't understand what I could have been
thinking."
     "It does seem unlike you," said Spock.
     "Jim," McCoy interrupted, "obviously, something in that
ritual Tyree's wife performed made you susceptible to her
bidding."
     "I don't know, Bones. That seems awfully farfetched."
     "Ritual?" asked Spock, arching an eyebrow.
     Kirk felt strangely hot and weak and he plopped down in his
chair, no longer sure his legs would hold him.
     "I had a little run-in with a mugato," he explained.
"Tyree's wife Nona was a kanutu woman. She cured me using some
sort of root."
     McCoy snorted. "'Little run-in?' The damn thing nearly
killed him," the doctor told Spock. "Anyway, in the ritual, when
the kanutu's blood passes through the mahko root with that of her
patient, he can then refuse her nothing. It's a legend that's
widely accepted by the people as fact. 
     "I don't think there's anything supernatural in it, but I
suspect there may be some chemical in the root that accounts for
it. The locals would probably say Jim's free of her, now, because
she's dead. It's more likely the properties of the root have worn
off."
     Kirk shook his head sadly and wiped the sweat dripping into
his eyes.
     "I have to take responsibility for my own actions," he said.
"I can't make excuses for myself by blaming some local root and
herb doctor. The problem, now, is to try to implement some sort
of solution."
     The captain slowly stood once again and took a tentative
step forward. The room suddenly turned cockeyed as his knees
buckled. He dimly heard McCoy and Spock shout his name as the
lights quickly extinguished.
     "Damn!" McCoy cursed, hopping off the examining table and
joining Spock, kneeling at Kirk's side.
     The Vulcan couldn't hide the concern in his eyes, but
managed to keep his voice under control.
     "What's wrong with him, Doctor?"
     "I don't know. Exhaustion, maybe. Put him on the diagnostic
bed over there."
     Spock carefully lifted Kirk's unconscious body and placed
it on the bed. He stood aside, gripping his hands tightly behind
his back as McCoy checked the overhead mediscanner
     "I don't understand it," McCoy muttered. "Though I guess it
was too good to be true."
     Unable to contain his worry any longer, Spock asked, "What
is it? What is wrong with him?"
     The scared look in the doctor's eyes was very unsettling to
the Vulcan.
     "I'm showing unusual poisonous enzymes in his bloodstream,"
said McCoy.
     "The mugato?" asked Spock.
     "Undoubtedly," McCoy answered. "But after Nona worked on
him, he was fine -- or seemed to be. Well, so much for the
healing abilities of the mahko root. Apparently it didn't
completely draw out the poison. We'll have to work up an
antitoxin. For that, we'll need a sample of mugato venom."
     "It should not be difficult," Spock said. "We will simply
locate one of the animals with our sensors and beam it aboard. We
can stun it and obtain our sample."
     McCoy looked up at Spock and nodded.
     "You'd better hurry, though. The stuff's been in his
bloodstream too long as it is."
     Spock's eyebrows narrowed in worry and he quickly turned and
left Sickbay.
     The doctor injected Kirk with a stabilizing drug.
     "Garden of Eden, huh?" he grumbled. "More like the seventh
level of hell, if you ask me."
     Within two hours, McCoy received a call from Spock,
reporting success in capturing a mugato. The doctor hurried to
the transporter room to meet the Vulcan. They watched as one of
the ship's xenobiologists extracted venom from the poison sac in
the unconscious mugato's mouth. Two security guards kept their
phasers trained on the beast.
     "Get as much venom as you can," McCoy instructed. "The more
we have to run tests on, the better."
     The biologist managed to extract 15 cc's of venom. She
transferred it to a glass flask and handed it to McCoy, who
rushed it down to the medical lab.
     It took a little over five hours for the med-lab to develop
what tests showed should be an effective antitoxin to the mugato
venom. It was an anxious five hours for McCoy and Spock as the
captain's vital signs steadily dropped. McCoy injected the
antitoxin and together, they waited.
     Hours later, when Kirk finally showed signs of regaining
consciousness, Spock nudged the doctor, who had dozed off. McCoy
woke immediately, but Spock noticed the lines of fatigue and
strain in his face.
      Kirk groaned and opened his eyes to see the worried faces
of his two friends. He was confused and somewhat disoriented.
     "What ... happened? Where ...?"
     "You're in Sickbay, Jim," McCoy replied, quickly taking in
the reading on the overhead scanner. "You collapsed on us. Seems
that kanutu cure wasn't all it was cracked up to be."
     "But...I was fine," Kirk protested. "I've seen them work
their cures before."
     Spock thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps the
differences in physiology between humans and Neuralites could
account for it, Captain."
     "I guess," Kirk sighed, and tried to sit up.
     But McCoy put a gentle restraining hand on his shoulder.
Kirk was so weak, the hand held him down.
     "You've been through quite an ordeal, Jim, you've got to
rest."
     Kirk tried to rise again and argued, "No time. Tyree and his
people ... will die. And the villagers. Got ... to stop them."
     "You're in no condition to do anything," McCoy said,
reaching for a hypo. 
     But Kirk sank back on the bed, his eyes slowly closing,
though he fought to keep them open. His breathing was soon even
and steady as unconsciousness claimed him once again.
     McCoy yawned and turned to Spock.
     "He'll be all right, I think, but he's got to give himself
time to recover. He needs rest."
     "So do you, Doctor," Spock said pointedly.
     "Yeah, I don't mind admitting I'm bushed."
     "Get some sleep, McCoy. I will stay with him."
     "Thanks, Spock. I appreciate it. Call me if you need me."
     Spock assured him that he would and McCoy trudged off to
bed.

     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

     Kirk awoke much later, feeling better. He sat up and swung
his legs over the side of the bed, despite Spock's admonishments.
The Vulcan rang for McCoy, who soon appeared in Sickbay to find
Kirk pushing himself off the bed, onto his feet and demanding his
clothes.
     The doctor grew angry and shouted, "What the hell do you
think you're doing, you damn fool? Get back in that bed!"
     Kirk fixed a stern eye on him and said, "Need I remind you,
Dr. McCoy, that you are addressing your commanding officer?"
     Sparks lit in McCoy's eyes as he retorted, "Need I remind
you, Capt. Kirk, that as chief medical officer, I can order you
to stay put?"
     Kirk was none too steady on his feet as he replied, "Look,
Bones. I know you're just concerned, but I'm all right. There's a
planet's population down there hell bent on wiping itself out.
It's my responsibility to do something. The Klingons have
interfered with the natural evolution of that society. We've got
to set it straight. Spock, assemble a landing part. We're going
back down there."
     McCoy sighed heavily, but conceded. "All right, but I'm
going with you."
     Kirk grinned and said, "I was hoping you would. Meet us in
the briefing room in 30 minutes. We'll beam down after the
briefing."
     He cautiously took a step and nearly fell down again. Spock
grabbed his arm to support him.
     "Give it up, Jim," McCoy pleaded. "This is crazy."
     The captain closed his eyes for a minute as the room reeled.
He opened them again and turned to McCoy.
     "So maybe I am still a little shaky," Kirk admitted, "but
it'll pass. You're going to have to give me whatever it takes to
keep me on my feet, Bones. There'll be plenty of time for resting
when all this is over."
     McCoy glared at him in exasperation and caught Spock's eye.
The doctor silently agreed with the disapproval he saw there, but
prepared a hypo of stimulant nonetheless. Making Kirk sit down
first, he pressed it against the captain's arm. 
     After a few minutes, Kirk felt rejuvenated. He stood up
easily and began dressing in the uniform Spock handed him. The
captain pulled on his boots and strode out of Sickbay, the Vulcan
on his heels.
     As Kirk left, he called out over his shoulder, "Thanks,
Bones. See you in half an hour."
     McCoy grimaced and began packing a field surgical kit. He
had a nasty feeling he might need it. He hoped he was wrong.
     Kirk and McCoy once again donned the garb of hill people.
Following the captain's orders, Spock dressed as a villager. The
Vulcan adjusted a thick black wig over his ears. The two security
guards who accompanied them also wore village attire.
     "Hopefully, if they think some villagers and hill people are
cooperating with one another, others will be more likely to
follow suit," Kirk had explained in the briefing for his
officers.
     The landing party materialized not far from Tyree's camp.
They kept a wary eye peeled for mugatos, though Kirk felt
reasonably sure the pair they had killed earlier were the only
ones in the area. 
     They soon reached the camp and were received with suspicion
-- not at all like Kirk's previous visits. They found Tyree
giving instruction to a group of hunters on a plan of attack. He
smiled grimly when he saw Kirk.
     "James, you have returned," said Tyree. "Have you brought
the firesticks I asked for?"
     "No, Tyree. That's not the answer. I've come to help you
settle your differences with the villagers."
     "Our differences will be settled when I have killed the ones
who murdered my wife!"
     Kirk walked over and put his hand on the shoulder of the
tall, white-blond hunter and took him aside.
     "Tyree, my friend, I know you're grieving. The truth is,
though, Nona probably wouldn't have been killed if she hadn't
been trying to take my phaser to Appella. Your people would have
been wiped out if she had succeeded."   
     "No! You lie! She saved your life and now you soil her
name!" Tyree shouted, enraged, and struck Kirk hard with his
fist, knocking the captain to the ground.
     The fire left Tyree's eyes to be replaced with a look of ice
as he said, "I saw the two of you, you know. I saw you take my
Nona into your arms. I came very close to killing you at that
moment, but I could not bring myself to fire."
     Spock raised his eyebrows at those words and reached out a
hand to pull Kirk to his feet. The Vulcan stared down Tyree, who
looked away.
     "I am sorry, James, but you will not speak of Nona in that
manner," said the hill people chief.
     Kirk drew his hand across his mouth, wiping away the trickle
of blood there.
     "Okay, Tyree," he replied softly, understanding the intense
pain the chief was feeling. "I'm sorry you saw that. All I can
say is I tried to resist, but something in that plant she tricked
me into inhaling made me wild."
     "She cast a spell upon you," Tyree stated sadly. "She put
her spells upon me, also, but I did not care. I loved her. I
thought she loved me."
     "I'm sure she did, in her own way," Kirk consoled his
friend, but he wasn't so sure, himself. "But listen to me, Tyree.
What's going to happen when you find the murderers, if you do?
You'll execute them?"
     Tyree nodded and answered, "They must pay. They must die."
     "Uh-huh," said Kirk. "And then their friends and family are
going to turn around and hunt you down and kill you."
     "They will not succeed."
     "If they do, I suppose your people would avenge your death?"
     Tyree scowled and said, "It would be their duty."
     "And so the killing goes on and on," Kirk said. "For how
long? Until every person on this planet is dead? What will that
achieve?"
     Tyree had no ready answer. He cocked his head and regarded
Kirk keenly. 
     After a moment, he replied, "I will think on what you have
said. I have a question for you, though, James. Even if I can
convince my people not to go to war, what will convince the
villagers? They listen to the foreign devils."
     "Leave the Klingons to me, Tyree. If the villagers attack
you, try to protect yourselves, but don't seek them out. Give me
time to talk to Appella."
     "Very well," said the chief, "but I doubt he will listen."
     Kirk sighed wearily.
     "All I can do is try. Maybe I can get him to take the
murderers into custody."
     The captain turned and strode out of the encampment,
followed by the rest of the landing party.
     Tyree watched them walk away. Before they vanished from
sight, he shook his head, swearing, then snatched up his bow and
quiver and ran after them.
     Once out of earshot of the chief, McCoy spoke up, "Jim, you
may have talked Tyree out of killing for now, but if anything
else happens to his people, there'll be hell to pay."
     Before Kirk could reply, Tyree caught up to them. The
captain welcomed the hunter's company.
     "I'm glad you came with us, Tyree. After all, this is really
between you and Appella."
     Tyree nodded, but said nothing.
     They had been gone from the camp perhaps an hour when they
heard a ferocious growl, followed by a pair of high-pitched
screams. Kirk began running toward the sound, phaser in hand. The
others swiftly followed.
     Kirk came upon a clump of trees to find a mugato shaking one
of them violently. Perched precariously in the branches of a
small tree and hanging on for dear life were two small dark-
haired children -- a boy and a girl wearing villager clothing.
     Seeing that he didn't have a clear shot at the beast, Kirk
bodily launched himself at the mugato, knocking it away from the
tree. It backhanded the captain with one huge paw, knocking him
to the ground several feet away.
     As it advanced on Kirk, Spock and Tyree fired on the animal
simultaneously. The stun charge hit the beast just before Tyree's
arrow pierced its eye. Kirk's friend ran to him as he staggered,
dazed, to his feet. He was swaying badly, but waved them off.
     "What about the kids? Bones, see if they're all right."
     The security guards helped the children down from the tree.
The girl was perhaps 9 years old and the boy probably a couple of
years younger. A flintlock rifle lay at the foot of the tree. The
trembling children were obviously frightened, but glared
defiantly at Kirk when he knelt beside them.
     The captain shook his head to clear it and spoke to the
children, "Why are you two out here by yourselves? What are you
doing out of the village?"
     The girl put her arm protectively around the boy and
retorted, "You can't make us talk! We won't tell you anything!"
     Kirk smiled, then retrieved the flintlock.
     "This is a pretty dangerous thing to be playing with. Who
gave it to you?"
     "It's Papa's," replied the boy. "One of the strange ones
made it for him."
     "Hush, Pol," the girl hissed. "These are hill people.
They're enemies."
     "If we were enemies, we would have let that mugato eat you,"
Kirk pointed out. "Besides, as you can see, some of us are
villagers."
     "See, Arila! They're friends!" retorted the boy. 
     He regarded Kirk and added, "And if you're not, know that my
papa is Appella and he will punish you."
     Arila sighed, "You talk too much, Pol."
     "My name is Jim Kirk," the captain told them, and introduced
the other members of the party. "It just so happens we were on
our way to see your father. We want to talk to him. I think you
children had best come along. I have a feeling you two aren't
supposed to be out here."
     A guilty look immediately stole over the faces of the
children.
     "We wanted to help Papa's soldier," admitted Pol. "We were
on our way to their camp in the Shadowed Hills. We were about to
turn back, when the mugato came. I would have shot him, but I
couldn't figure out how to make this firestick work."
     Spock examined the gun Kirk had handed him and reported, "It
isn't loaded, Captain."
     Kirk shook his head.
     "You kids could have been killed."
     The children both studied the ground carefully.
     "How long have you been out here?" Kirk asked.
     "We sneaked out of the village last night," Arila replied.
     McCoy dug some field rations from his bag.
     "You kids hungry?" he asked.
     They nodded hesitantly and McCoy offered them the rations,
which they examined with curiosity. The girl took a small bite of
hers and chewed it carefully. She nodded to her brother, who also
began eating, and the two devoured the rations ravenously. Tyree
gave them a flask of water to wash down the rations.
     Kirk consulted briefly with Tyree, who was obviously angry.
     "My people have a settlement in the Shadowed Hills," he told
the captain. "The villagers must be planning an attack. We must
hurry. It will take over a day to get there."
     Kirk nodded unhappily, then addressed everyone, "I think
we'd better be going."
     He picked up Arila and motioned for Spock to carry the boy.
     "I know you kids must be tired, so we'll give you a lift.
Otherwise, you'll have trouble keeping up."
     Spock gently picked up Pol and the party set out for the
Shadowed Hills. They traveled until the sun began to sink, and
Kirk called for them to stop and make camp.
     "It's too dangerous to travel at night, with mugatos and
village soldiers on the roam. No fire, though, we don't want to
attract undue attention. Security, take first watch. Spock, you
and McCoy will take the second watch, then Tyree and I will
relieve you."
     Kirk helped the children climb into one of the guards'
sleeping bags. Though tired, the children were keyed up and
couldn't settle down.
     "Papa always used to tell us a story before bed," said Pol.
"It's been a long time since we had a story. Tell us one, Jim,
please?"
     Kirk chuckled softly and remembered the stories his own
father used to tell him -- stories about the stars. He sat down
beside Arila and Pol and took a deep breath. He pointed to the
stars in the night sky.
     "Once upon a time, near one of those lights in the sky, a
young boy lived who dreamed of traveling between those lights."
     Kirk glanced at the children and saw them gazing into the
heavens.
     "His father regularly traveled in a big ship that sailed
between the stars like a ship on the ocean, except that this ship
wasn't at the mercy of the winds, it had its own power and could
go when and where it liked. When the boy grew up, he became
commander of one of those ships and traveled to many strange
places. Places where dangerous animals masqueraded as rocks..."
     Pol interrupted, "An animal that looked like a rock?"
     He laughed in disbelief. 
     "That's funny!"
     A corner of Kirk's mouth turned up in a grin.
     "That's the way the story goes. This creature nearly killed
the young commander, though. He thought it was a crystal, but
when he tried to take a sample of it, it came alive and attacked
him. The creatures were called sandbats and had a poisonous
bite."
     "What happened then?" asked Pol, his eyes as wide as his
sister's.
     "The commander had a friend, who had pointed ears and was
very strong, who pulled the thing off him and killed it with his
bare hands."
     "Pointed ears!" Arila giggled.
     "Did the commander get bit?" asked Pol, enthralled.
     "Yes, he did, and he would have died if this friend hadn't
taken him back to the ship and got help. The commander's other
friend, a medicine man, cured him with a special potion."
     "What a great story!" exclaimed Pol, then yawned sleepily.
"Will you tell us another?"
     "Maybe another time," Kirk said. "You two need to get some
sleep. We may have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."   
     The children snuggled down in the sleeping bag and were soon
asleep.
     Kirk smiled indulgently, then walked over to his own
bedroll. He laid down gratefully and was asleep within minutes.
     McCoy, who had lain awake listening to Kirk, took advantage
of Kirk's slumber and ran a mediscanner on him. Tyree watched
curiously, surprised to find himself growing accustomed to the
strange instruments of the Federation people. Seeing the
questioning look in Tyree's eyes and feeling Spock's presence
behind him, McCoy quietly explained Kirk's condition to the
hunter.
     "Nona's 'cure' wasn't quite as effective as we thought. Some
of the poison was still in his system. We counteracted the poison
with a drug we made from the mugato venom."
     McCoy looked up at Spock and added, "He's still weak, but he
seems to be all right, otherwise."
     Tyree felt ashamed, now, that he had struck Kirk. He laid
down on his own pallet and turned his back to McCoy and Spock,
who had settled down in their bedrolls.
     In a few hours, the guards woke the Vulcan and the doctor
for the second watch. The two sat on a pair of boulders at the
edge of the encampment and discussed the chances for peace. In
the distance, they heard a wild animal scream. Their watch time
passed swiftly. When the time for the next watch came, they rose.
McCoy put a restraining hand on Spock's arm as he started to wake
Kirk, and drew the first officer aside.
     "Let Jim sleep," said McCoy. "He needs the rest."
     The Vulcan agreed, but pointed out, "He will no doubt be
angry with us when he awakens."
     The doctor chuckled and replied, "No doubt. I'll just tell
him it was a medical order. He won't like it, but he'll accept
it."
     "Logical," Spock commented, then walked over to Tyree and
gently shook him.
     Tyree came instantly awake. He reached over to wake Kirk,
but the Vulcan caught his wrist firmly and whispered, "He must
rest. I will stand watch with you."
     Tyree nodded and rose to his feet, slipping his quiver over
his shoulder and taking his bow firmly in hand. He looked Spock
directly in the eyes, taking his measure. The Vulcan returned the
gaze unwaveringly. The expression in Spock's eyes was calm, but
Tyree saw the underlying strength there. Together, he and Spock
moved to the edge of the camp. They sat silently for a long time.
Finally, Tyree sighed and spoke.
     "Life was simple and peaceful before you star people came to
us. The villagers were our friends, our weapons simple. Our only
enemies were the mugatos -- and even they are not evil, they only
wish to survive. When they feel they are threatened or their
territory is threatened, they attack."  
     Spock turned to Tyree and answered, "I am sorry it has come
to this, Tyree. The Federation wanted only to leave your planet
in peace to develop naturally. Sometimes circumstances or people
come along to change things. The Klingons would see you all
destroyed. I believe they want your planet for themselves. If
they can gain it by helping you to kill each other off, then
their job is simpler and they cannot be accused of genocide."
     Tyree nodded thoughtfully.
     "There is a saying among my people," said the chief. "'One
must follow the path set before him. Weeping and wishing will not
change the path and will only delay the journey.'"
     "Your people have much wisdom," Spock replied sincerely.
     Once again, Spock heard the screams of the wild animal,
answered by another, closer one. He asked Tyree about it.   
     "The mugatos fight among themselves for the territory
vacated by the ones that were killed," Tyree explained. "They are
most dangerous when in this state."
     
     *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

     Kirk awoke just after dawn, the early morning light shining
into his face. His eyes opened and he squinted into the bright
sunshine. He slowly got to his feet, feeling rested and not
nearly so weak.
     "Okay, everybody, on your feet. It's time to go."
     McCoy handed out rations, and when he approached Kirk, the
captain gave him a stern look.
     "I suppose I have you to thank for not being awakened for my
watch last night?"
     The doctor grinned and replied, "Spock said you'd be mad. It
was a medical decision, Jim. You're still not fully recovered."
     Kirk could not stay angry, knowing McCoy only had his best
interests at heart. He reluctantly returned the grin.
     "Okay, Bones, but no more of this. I'll decide what I'm
capable of."
     "Sure, Jim," McCoy agreed pleasantly, but the twinkle in his
eyes told Kirk nothing would change.
     
          *    *    *    *    *    *    *    

     After several hours of walking, the children tired, and Kirk
and Tyree picked them up and carried them. They finally came
within range of the outermost guard perimeter of the villager
encampment, manned by Klingons and villagers alike, reported a
security guard who had scouted ahead.
     As soon as the first encampment guard saw them, he called
out a warning and the party halted. The children were sound
asleep in Kirk's and Tyree's arms.
     Kirk called out to the guard, "Don't fire! We've got
Appella's children with us. We won't harm them, but we don't want
you shooting them by mistake."
     The villager guard rose up slightly from behind a boulder
and could see two children either unconscious or asleep in the
arms of two of the hill people. 
     The guard then yelled to Kirk, "Stay where you are! If you
hurt the children, we will kill you."
     The guard's Klingon companion immediately recognized Kirk.
     "It's a trick!" growled the Klingon to the villager guard.
"Look at the children! They've probably already hurt them."
     Arila and Pol stirred about that time, awakened by the
shouting, and rubbed their eyes. Kirk and Tyree set them down.
     The Klingon warrior couldn't help but think of the immense
reward that would be his for killing Kirk. Wishing for a
disrupter instead, he snatched the rifle away from the villager
and shoved him to the ground. He quickly pointed the gun at Kirk
and fired.
     Spock saw a flash of gunpowder from the rocks, then saw Kirk
crumple, a red stain quickly spreading over his tunic.
     "Take cover!" shouted the Vulcan, grabbing Kirk as McCoy
shielded the children and guided them behind some nearby
boulders.
     McCoy dug out the medikit and quickly examined Kirk, leaning
against Spock. The captain was swearing and gritting his teeth in
pain as Spock pressed the flat of his hand against the shoulder
wound. Despite the direct pressure, blood continued to trickle
through the Vulcan's fingers.
     Kirk squeezed his eyes shut, stifling a groan, as Spock
looked anxiously at McCoy. The doctor moved Spock's hand out of
the way and applied a pressure bandage. Blood quickly soaked
through and McCoy put another bandage over the top of the first.
Blood continued to seep through the bandages. 
     McCoy instructed the Vulcan to resume the pressure, and
pulled a hypo from his kit. The doctor injected a painkiller and
something to try to hold off the shock. Kirk soon relaxed, still
conscious, but a bit groggy.
     "Just lie still, Jim, and let us try to get the bleeding
stopped. The bullet shattered your collarbone and a bone fragment
hit an artery."
     McCoy pulled his communicator out and started to open it,
but Kirk reached across with his good arm and grabbed the
doctor's hand.
     The captain shook his head and said, "No, Bones ... prime
directive. The children, the villagers ..."
     "But, Jim, they've probably already seen the Klingons use
all this stuff already!"
     "Regrettably, Doctor, we do not know that. Regulations are
quite clear," Spock said.
     "He's right, Bones. There's been enough contamination as it
is. Can't ... take the chance. Ah!" Kirk gasped as the pain grew
worse in spite of the medication.
     Arila and Pol, frightened and worried, crept over to Kirk.
The girl took the captain's hand and held it as her brother sat
beside her, his eyes enormous.
     "I'm sorry they hurt you, Jim," Arila told him, tears
beginning to run down her cheeks.
     Kirk managed a smile and squeezed her hand gently.
     "Not your fault. We'll try ... to get you ... back to your
father."
     He closed his eyes again tightly as another spasm of pain
shot through him.
     Pol burst into tears and began to sob, "I don't want to be a
soldier. I want to go home. I want my mama."
     Arila put an arm around her brother and drew him close. She
cleared her throat and shouted as loud as she could to the guard
she recognized earlier.
     "Dallar!" she yelled. "It is me, Arila. Do not shoot
anymore! Please!"
     The villager guard angrily grabbed his rifle back from the
Klingon and pointed it threateningly at the alien. At that time,
Appella arrived on the scene with several of his soldiers, as
well as the Klingon commander.
     Dallar explained the situation at once, "And this fool," he
said, indicating the Klingon he held the rifle on, "fired at the
strangers while the children were with them. I do not know if he
hit one of the children."
     "I did not shoot the children. I shot James Kirk!" the
Klingon guard told his commander.
     "Kirk is an enemy, Appella. He would take everything away we
have given you," the commander said.
     "My only concern, now, is my children," Appella retorted.
"Arila! Pol! Are you all right?!" he called out, obviously beside
himself with worry.
     "Yes, Papa!" he heard his daughter reply. "Please don't let
them shoot anymore. They hurt our friend, Jim Kirk!"
     Spock called out himself, "Appella, your children are
unharmed! As a sign of good faith, we will allow them to go to
you. Hold your fire!"
     Kirk nodded to the children, who were reluctant to move into
the open.
     "Go on, kids, it's all right. Tell your father ... the
truth."
     Arila solemnly promised to do so and she and Pol climbed out
from behind the boulders and walked toward their father. When he
saw them, he stepped out and held his arms open. They ran to him
and hugged him fiercely as he embraced them and kissed them.
     Appella then held them at arm's length and asked them
sternly, "Why aren't you at home? Your mother must be frantic!"
     "We wanted to help, Papa," sniffed Pol. "But I don't want to
be a soldier, now. Soldiers get hurt. Our friend got hurt."
     "Kirk is your friend?"
     "Yes, Papa," Arila told him. "He and his friends saved us
from the mugato. Jim fought the mugato and made it get away from
us so Tyree could kill it."
     "Tyree? Tyree of the hill people?"
     "Yes. He is very nice, Papa, not like you said at all."
     Appella recalled other times, before the Klingons came.
     "I remember Tyree, He is an honorable man."
     "Jim and Tyree want to talk to you, Papa. Jim is hurt,
please help him," Arila pleaded.
     The Klingon commander argued, "Kirk has obviously duped the
children. He and his people are enemies. You must kill them!"
     "My children are not fools, Klingon, and enemy would not
have risked his own life to save Arila and Pol."
     He instructed Dallar to keep his gun trained on both the
Klingons.
     "Don't let them interfere," ordered Appella.
     He took both children by the hand and walked over to Kirk
and the others.
     Appella greeted Tyree with a curt nod, and stood over Kirk,
while Arila and Pol sat beside their new friend. Tyree moved
closer to Appella, ready to protect Kirk should the villager try
to harm him. Spock helped the captain lean against the boulder,
then stood between him and Appella.
     The village chief squatted on his heels so that he was more
on an eye level with the injured Kirk.
     "I must thank you for saving my children," said Appella.
"They are very precious to me. You should know that it was a
Klingon who shot you, not my people."
     Tyree addressed Appella angrily, "Your men DID kill my wife.
I want them." 
     Appella sighed.
     "I know the ones of whom you speak. They have grown to like
this business of killing."
     Kirk regarded the village chief appraisingly.
     "And what about you, Appella? You're ... their leader.
You've encouraged ... all this."
     Appella could no longer meet Kirk's steady gaze.
     "I ... wanted power. I wanted to rule the planet. The
Klingons said I would become a great governor."
     Kirk rested his head back against the boulder and closed his
eyes for a moment, shaking his head.
     "You'd become ... great fool."
     Kirk briefly outlined to Appella what he believed to be the
Klingons' plan for domination. The captain was tiring quickly,
and Appella noted he had to struggle to remain conscious even as
he spoke.
     The village chief looked thoughtful.
     Spock pointed out, "It was Tyree who killed the mugato. Your
children would be dead, otherwise. You owe him their lives."
     "I am a wealthy man, Tyree. Name your reward."
     "Leave my people alone. No more killing. And ..." he looked
to Kirk, then back to Appella. "I want a council made up of
villagers and hill people to judge the ones who murdered my
wife."
     Kirk nodded approval.
     Appella was silent for a moment, thinking. He looked down at
his children and pictured them carrying weapons and fighting in a
war. The village chief shuddered.
     "Very well, it shall be done."
     "One more thing, Appella," said Kirk. "If you continue ...
to let the Klingons stay here, they'll only ... cause more
trouble," Kirk told him.
     "But what can we do?" asked the village chief. "They are
much more powerful than us."
     "All we need is for you and Tyree to formally request that
the Klingons leave," Spock informed the chief.
     "If they refuse," said Kirk, his voice fading, "I think we
can put some pressure on them."
     He shifted his position and a groan escaped his lips.
     "Jim, we've got to get you back to the ship," McCoy
insisted.
     "You have a starship, too?" Appella asked in amazement.
     Kirk nodded.
     "Looks like you were right again, Bones. They ... already
know about these things."
     Kirk tried to get to his feet, but the loss of blood had
made him terribly dizzy and weak. He fell back, barely managing
to cry out as his injured shoulder hit the boulder. 
     Darkness reached up to claim him, but before he lost
consciousness, Kirk ordered his first officer, "Take care of the
Klingons, Spock."
     McCoy contacted the ship and called for an emergency beam-up
for Kirk and himself. They soon disappeared in the sparkle of the
transporter beam.
     Appella called for the Klingons to brought to him.
     "You are no longer welcome on this planet," he told them.
     Tyree agreed, adding, "You must leave and never return."
     Spock addressed the Klingon commander, "I have recorded
their statements. You must comply with their wishes. This planet
is now under Federation protection. The Enterprise is in orbit
and we have other ships on the way."
     The Klingon commander cursed, but knew he was beaten.
     "You fool!" he spat at Appella. "You could have had
magnificent weapons. You could have ruled the planet."
     "I no longer want the whole planet, Klingon. I want a world
where my children don't have to go to war. I don't want to see
this world destroyed," replied Appella.
     Tyree clapped his hand on Appella's shoulder and gripped it
firmly.
     "Well spoken!"
     The Klingon commander called his own ship and ordered the
removal of his entire operation, including the spare flintlocks
in Appella's armory.
     Spock did not consider that to be punishment and neither did
Tyree. Appella was not sure, but accepted it as the price to be
paid for his folly.
     The Vulcan prepared to depart.
     "We'll leave your people in peace, now," Spock said to Tyree
and Appella. "We will not interfere. Tell your children about the
legends of the star people. Perhaps one day you'll join us
there."
     "Perhaps," responded Tyree, smiling. "But we will get there
in our own way and in our own time."
     "Live long and prosper, Tyree, Appella. Don't worry about
the Klingons returning. The Federation will keep a watch on
them."
     The Vulcan opened his communicator and called for Scott to
transport the remainder of the landing party back to the ship.
     
          *    *    *    *    *    *    *    

     McCoy operated on Kirk, removing the bullet and rebuilding
the shattered collarbone. He kept the captain sedated for the
next 24 hours to insure his rest.
     The next day, Spock went to visit Kirk, who was sitting up
in bed, his shoulder heavily bandaged and his arm in a sling. He
was arguing with McCoy, and the Vulcan nearly smiled at the
familiar scene.
     He heard McCoy sigh, then say, "All right, Jim, I'll
compromise. Rest and take it easy and I'll release you to light
duty tomorrow."
     Kirk grinned in triumph. Spock cleared his throat and his
two friends noticed him for the first time.
     "Spock!" Kirk called out, smiling a welcome, and beckoned
with his good arm.
     "What happened down there?" asked the captain.
     The first officer gave Kirk a complete report. 
     The captain leaned back against the pillows thinking, then
said, "Well, they'll never have their Garden of Eden back, but at
least it won't be Hell."
     "It makes you wonder," McCoy mused. "It seems it's man's
destiny to always get himself kicked out of Eden."

				THE END