A Shipwide Situation

There was a short pause as the computer checked its records. Then, "126 female crew members were on the surface of the planet during this ship's last visit."

McCoy grunted. "I was afraid of that. We don't get a lot of shore leave on pure, unspoiled planets like that, so there wouldn't be many aboard who'd turn down the chance."

Kirk stood pulling on his lip, thinking. "Uhura - Nurse Chapel - do either of you recall anything unusual happening while you were on Livingston IV?"

"No sir," Nurse Chapel said, "Nothing out of the ordinary, that I can recall. Nyota?"

Fred sifted through Uhura's memories of her time on the planet. Finally, she too shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Captain - it was a just a standard, if idyllic, shore leave."

"Well, what did each of you do while you were there?" McCoy asked. "Think."

"And please, be as specific as possible," Spock added. "Since we do not know what we are dealing with, the smallest detail may hold the key."

Fred looked at Nurse Chapel. "Well, we spent some time wandering in the forest," Chapel said. "We got some sunbathing in. We swam. What else did we do?"

Again, Fred went back through Uhura's memories. "We, uh, we played a few games of volleyball. We had a few picnics."

"Picnics?" McCoy interjected. "You didn't consume anything indigenous, did you?"

"Absolutely not, Doctor!" Chapel said, a bit offended. "We all know the dangers of that?"

"Is that all?" Spock asked patiently.

Fred wracked Uhura's brain, but that was all she could remember. Chapel, too came up blank.

After a moment, Kirk asked, "Well, Mr. Spock, anything to go on?"

1. Spock was silent for a moment, - then collapsed to the deck.

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