Prime Directive (Star Trek: The Original Series)

by Judith Reeves-Stevens

Glissa felt unexpected tears roll from her eyes as she watched him leave, for in all the worlds in all of space, she knew there was no place left for James T. Kirk to go.

The port nacelle was the reason why the Enterprise was still in orbit around Talin’s moon—kept there so she could be studied in the same way Karunda coroner beetles swarmed to dissect the corpses of their prey. She was the first ship to have engaged warp drive while still within the Danylkiw Limit of a planet’s gravity well and survive, even partially. Three and a half months earlier, Scott would have said that such a thing would not be possible.

“Why do you call us worldkillers?” Chekov asked.

“Shipmaster say, little ... mammals,” Artinton said, digging fingers like daggers into Sulu’s trapezius muscles, “you hired.”

But perhaps evil was more powerful than even the Federation had realized. Because Shipmaster Krulmadden was a slaver. And now, Chekov thought in rage, so are we.

“How can you be so sure about me? You don’t have the slightest idea about what really happened on Talin IV.” Gauvreau turned back to the navigation board. “But I will, won’t I? If I were you, I’d want someone else to know the whole story. And I tell you, Kirk, fourteen days in space on an automated ship is a long, long time.” Not as long as my five days at Talin IV, Kirk thought. But Gauvreau was right. It was time to tell his story.

Of all the strange and miraculous discoveries humans had made in their expansion into space, perhaps none had been as initially unexpected as the revelation that life was literally everywhere.

Thus, for the good of intergalactic peace, to acknowledge the uniqueness of each culture without prejudice, and in recognition that each intelligent lifeform must be free to choose its own future, the Federation created its most severe, most troublesome, yet most honorable and sacred commandment: Star-fleet’s General Order Number One.

The principle was this: The Federation would never allow itself to act as judge and jury to a developing alien culture. Only when cultures had developed to an appropriate point where they could withstand exposure to an interstellar community would they be informed of the Federation’s existence.

The FCO has never seen a culture progress so rapidly toward self-destruction.” Chekov cleared his throat “But in the same relative time period on Earth, Russia and the United States were in a similar position.” “Yes, yes,” Richter said with irritation, “but there was a long chain of historical and cultural events which made that period of confrontation inevitable as a prelude to their reconciliation and eventual cooperation to create a true unified planetary government. The Talin do not share that same historical and cultural background.”

“Director Wilforth,” Kirk said, forcing himself to keep his voice calm and controlled, “has the FCO lost or abandoned advanced technology on Talin?”

“The fate of an entire civilized world and the lives of more than two billion beings rest in your hands, sir. “What will you do?”

The viewscreen flared brilliant white until the visual compensators cut in. The ship shuddered as if it had smashed into solid rock. Uhura fell from her chair. Spock slammed over the railing. Richter cried out. And all Kirk could hear was every bridge alarm screaming at him in betrayal.

The screen went blank. Time stopped. Kirk fell into oblivion.