across the front of her heavy cape. "No, my position as Kor's wife gives me
certain advantages."
"I've read that a Klingon woman can only enter the service by marriage."
Yeoman Chou asked. "Is that true?"
"Yes, as far as it goes. A woman cannot enter the service 106
The Tears of the Singers
unless she has a male sponsor or protector. He may not necessarily be a
husband." Her lips twisted in a wry little smile. "We do not hold the
favored position in society that you Earthwomen have."
"We don't have a favored position, just an equal one."
"That, to me, would seem very favorable."
"How do you gain rank then?" Uhura asked.
"By working hard, doing a good job and by attaching yourself to a man whose
star is ascending."
"And what happens if his star ever descends?" Donovan asked as he tossed
another piece of driftwood onto the fire.
There was an explosion of sparks, and Kali stared bleakly into the blazing
inferno. "You fall with him."
"Sounds like a hell of a way to run a fleet," Brentano snorted, and gave
her a hostile look.
"I'm sure there are things in your service that could be improved."
"But you don't know, do you?" he sneered.
"Watch your mouth, Brentano," Lindenbaum snapped, starting to rise.
"You want to go a round, buddy boy? Well come on." Brentano gestured
menacingly.
"That will do, Mr. Brentano!" Spock's voice lashed out, separating the two
men, and sending them grumbling back to their places. "I would advise you
to remember not only our directive, but the philosophy contained in the
IDIC."
"After all, mister," Scotty purred quietly, "it's all that diversity that
makes the universe an interesting place."
Kali glanced down the beach toward the fights of the Klingon camp. "I must
return now. Thank you for your hospitality-"
"Come any tfine you like," ura said.
"I wish I could say the ;;me, but some things are not possible."
"If the Organians were accurate such things will, in due time, become
possible," Spock replied.
107
The Tears of the Singers
Kafi smiled, and held out her hand to the Vulcan. "Would it be treason if
I said I hoped so?"
"I would say rather it would be good sense," Spock replied, lightly
touching her hand.
All of the humans, except Brentano, wished her a good night, and
I.Andenbaum, the blue-eyed, gentle-faced security guard, offered to walk
her back to the Khngon camp. She smiled up at him, thinking how young he
seemed by comparison to Kor.
"That won't be necessary. It is only a short distance, and there is nothing
to threaten me on this world." She paused, and surveyed the star-sprinkled
sky and the silver ocean booming onto the sand in a deep counterpoint to
the Taygetian song. "In fact," she continued, "I have never been in such a
peaceful place before."
"I know. There's something about this world that sort of gets to you. Well,
good night."
','Good night, Mr. Lindenbaum." She walked into the darkness, and felt a
tug of regret as she left the beguiling warmth of not only the fire, but
the people as well.
She felt a surge of anger with herself for succumbing to the blandishments
of the humans, but she could not dismiss it as mere playacting. 'Mere was
something very honest and sincere about the Earthers and she found it a
welcome relief after the hostility and hypocrisy that riddled the ship.
She found herself beginning to worry once more, but she pushed it away. For
the present there was nothing she could do about the dangers which beset
Kor. She decided she could best serve them both by relaxing, enjoying the
peace of this new world and preparing for the next battle.
Using the darkness as a cloak she crept up the slope of the hill and,
scooping out some sand, she wiggled in beneath one wall of her tent. In
this way she avoided the five men who sat talking and drinking about a
portable heater in front of the circle of tents. She had no desire to
explain her absence to Quarag, nor did she feel comfortable being the only
woman
106
The Team of the Singem
in the landing party. She feared that the liquor might arouse both hostile
and amorous emotions in her companions, and as a precaution she slipped her
disruptor beneath her pillow.
Pulling off her boots she slid, shivering, into her sleeping bag, and then
lay listening to the song which wove mysteriously through the night sky. It
seemed to speak of peace, and rest and harmony, and for an instant she felt
a flicker of resentment at the circumstances which forced her to spend her
life constantly armed, and constantly on guard.
She wrapped her arms around her body, and at last fell asleep dreaming that
she lay safe within Kor's arms, and that they both lay in some place far
removed from the plots and politics of the Imperial fleet.
109
Chapter Seven
"Mr. Spock! Mr. Spock!" Donovan shouted as he and Chou came rumung into
camp. Spock straightened from where he leaned over Mashn's shoulder at the
synthesizer, and the other members of the landing party dropped whatever
they were doing and came hurrying to hear the news.
"Trouble, Mr. Donovan?"
"No, sir, I don't think so, sir," the lieutenant panted. "But we just saw
the most incredible thing."
"We were exploring a tidal inlet about four miles south of here," Chou
said. "Suddenly fish, hundreds of them, started throwing themselves out of
the water and onto the beach. It was happening for several miles because we
walked down the beach watching."
"And then the cubs arrived," Donovan broke in. "They all gathered around
this carpet of fish, and began this strange song. And ... and then wharal"
lEs arms circled excitedly in the air above his head. "The next thing we
knew the fish were gonePt
110
The Tears of the Singers
Spock thoughtfully tapped a forefinger against A lips, and eyed the two
young humans. "I trust you made a copy of this song. VT
"Only a part of it," Chou confessed. "We were so startled that we didn't
get the tricorders on right away."
"Let me have it," Maslin ordered, holding out his hand. "I'll run it
through the synthesizer. Maybe it'll help make some sense out of this
gibberish," he added under his breath.
"Interesting. Is it possible that this was part of some sort of breeding
frenzy on the part of the fish?"
"No way, Mr. Spock," Donovan said firmly. "I'm a biologist, and this
resembled nothing I've ever seen. It was almost as if those fish were being
yanked out of the water."
"Good work, Lieutenant, Yeoman. Dismissed." The members of the landing
party drifted back to their various duties, and Spock crossed swiftly to
his tent. Entering, he sealed the door flap behind him, and flipped out his
communicator.
"Spock to Enterprise."
"Enterprise here," came rzeela's raspy voice.
"Get me Dr. McCoy."
"Right awa
y ... oh, wait, sir. Lieutenant Mendez needs to speak with you."
"Mr. Spock, I've either got a problem with the scanners that defies
analysis, or there's something going on on that planet that defies logic,
" the woman said without preamble.
"Explain."
"I was reviewing the scanner tapes taken during our first pass over the
planet. I then checked the most recent tapes, and that's were the problems
began. Whole sections no longer correlate. Where there was desert I now get
a reading for forest, and so on. I've checked and rechecked the scanners-'
"Tbe problem may not be in the scanner, Lieutenant," Spock sqid, cutting
short her aggrieved recitation of the problems she had been enduring. "Two
of our members observed a phenomenon which closely resembles what you
The Tears of th e Singers
am describing. Please locate the captain, and Dr. McCoy. I wish to speak
with them."
96yes, sir. 19
"What is it, Spock?" McCoy's voice came over the communicator. "If it's
anything less than your discovery of the lost ship of the Agravean Emperor,
I don't want to know. I'm a busy man."
"First, why you would believe in that fable, much less that it would be
present on this world i--2'
He broke off abruptly as a keening, agonized cry ripped through the air. It
cut across the Thygetian song, marring the perfect harmony with its
hideous, pain-filled note. Spock jerked open the tent flap, and rushed into
the open.
People stood like statues, stunned and horrified with the sound. All except
Mashn. He clutched at his head, and toppled from the synthesizer bench.
"What in God's name was that?" McCoy yelled.
"Trouble, Doctor. Please get down at once. Mr. Maslin seems to have
collapsed." Spock shut the communicator and joined the knot of people who
had gathered around the composer.
"I'm all right. I'm all right," Maslin said, pushing away the supporting
hands. But he didn't look it. His skin was stretched tautly across the
bones of his face, and he was white as a skull.
"What happened, Mr. Maslin?" Spock asked as he caught the smaller man under
the arm, and helped him to his feet.
"I tell you I'm all right!" Maslin insisted agam.
1 am not interested in the state of your health. I want to know what
caused your collapse."
Maslin stood shivering in the center of curious onlookers. "I'm not sure,"
he said at last. "I was working on the synthesizer, hying to match
resonances with the song. Then that. . . ." He paused, groping for words.
"That terrible cry came, and I felt as if a part of me had been ripped
away."
112
The Tears of the Shwrs
Spock stared at the musician, and considered what he had heard. What Maslin
was describing sounded like a telepathic experience, but the talent was
rare among humans.
"Mr. Mashn," Spock began, only to be interrupted by a melancholy, dirgelike
descant. The cubs gazed up at the crystal cliffi and sang a song of such
pain and despair that several humans turned away, fighting back tears.
"Fit up a reconnaissance team, Mr. Scott. Somehow one or more of the
Thygetians has died. We will investigate."
"Aye, sir. It'll be a pleasure to find what ever it was."
"Probably those stinking Klingons," Brentano muttered.
"Conjecture will not supply us with facts. We will rendezvous back here in
ten minutes."
There was a hum, and a sparkling of molecules, and McCoy appeared. He
quickly surveyed the camp, ascertaining that everyone was safe, then moved
to Maslin.
"What are you doing here?" the composer asked rudely.
"I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd make a house r
-WI
"Well it's not necessary. I'm fine," Maslin said shortly, then swayed, and
clutched at Uhura's arm.
"Yeah, fine," McCoy repeated and, taking him by the other arm, he and
Uhura propelled Maslin to his tent.
Ten minutes later Scotty, Spock, Ragsdale and Lindenbaum headed out of
the camp, moving quickly along the base of the cliffs. Spock lifted his
tricorder, took a reading, then frowned.
"What is it, Spock?" Scotty asked as, phaser drawn, he kept a forward
watch.
"There is a group of five humans about two miles to our north."
"Humans?" Ragsdale echoed.
"But how did they get here?" Lindenbaum asked.
"Let's find them, and ask them," Scotty said with a smile, but it was not
a pleasant expression.
113
The Tears of the Singers
The two groups spotted each other simultaneously. Painstakingly working
their way down the rugged cliff face were five heavily loaded men.
Backpacks and bedrolls thrust above their shoulders, and shockwands hung at
their waists. One of the men on the cliff glanced down, and saw the landing
party. He gave a Comanche whoop, and waved vigorously. The men quickened
their descent, and soon joined the Enterprise party at the base of the
cliffs.
"Are we glad to see you," a big, heavyset man called as he shouldered
through his companions. His biceps looked like tree trunks, and his head
flicked evaluatingly over the men from the Enterprise.
"We've been waiting weeks for a pickup, but we never expected Star Fleet."
"You can keep waiting," Scotty growled, having taken an immediate dislike
to the man. "We're not here for you. Whoever you are."
"Garyson, Max Garyson."
"Lieutenant Commander Scott of the starship Enterprise. But what are you
doing here? We had no information of human presence on this world."
"Isn't that just like that turd Ridly. First he maroons us here, and then
he doesn't even inform anyone."
Spock turned to Scotty. There was a slight frown of aggravation on his
chiseled face. "Forgive me, Mr. Scott. I have been remiss in my duties. The
captain and I knew of the presence of the hunters. Commander Li mentioned
them during our meeting at Star Base 24, but when we did not find them in
evidence I confess that it slipped my mind."
"It's no real problem, Mr. Spock, but meantime what the hell do we do with
them?" Scotty asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the hunters.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Garyson demanded, apparently becoming
irritated at being discussed as though he
114
The Tears of the Singers
weren't present. He thrust out his chin belligerently, and stared
challengingly at the party from the Enterprise.
Spock turned coolly to face him. "Captain Ridly was returning to pick you
up when, regretfully, both he and his ship were lost in the space/time warp
that now exists in this system.,
"Tough luck about Ridly," Garyson said with a dismissing shrug. "But at
least you're here, and we can get home. God knows we're ready."
"Yeah, and it's gonna be party time when we get back," hooted one of
Garyson's companions.
"Say, what brought you fellows out this way if you didn't know we were
here?" a small dirty man with long stringy hair asked.
"We were investigating a death cry. We believe that one of the Taygetians
has been killed."
"That's right, and we did it," Garyson said, jabbing at his barrel chest
with a forefinger. "Great big male, but the take was worth it. Thirteen
tears."
"You killed that creature?" Undenbaum demanded, his normally gentle
expression replaced by one of loathing.
"Sure, that's what we come here for."
"Mr. Garyson, have you been continuing your hunt?" Spock asked.
"Yeah, but about fifty miles from here. We'd picked over this group pretty
well, so we went north to another large herd UP there."
"That would explain why we were unaware of your presence until today."
Spock paused, and considered how best to approach his next topic. "Mr.
Garyson, you and your men are naturally welcome to remain at our camp, or
aboard the Enterprise until our mission is complete, but I must tell you
that all further hunting must cease."
There was a confused and hostile babble from the hunters. Garyson cut it
off with a slash of his spadelike hand. "What the hell are you talking
about?" IIS
The Tears of the Singers
"The Thygetians are not animals as first believed. They are an intelligent
life form, and this destruction must cease."
"You got proof of that, Vulcan? 'Cause I got a piece of paper here that
says these critters are animals, and I've got a license to hunt them.
Unless you can show me where the law has changed I've got my rights. And my
rights included harvesting crystal tears." Garyson spat neatly to the right
of Spock's boot.
Ragsdale gave a growl of fury, and lunged forward. Spock's arm caught him
across the chest. It was like running into a steel bar, and the security
chief quit moving. "I do not have the documentation you request for it is
our research which has established the sentience of the Thygetians. But I
can assure you that the law will be changed once we return to the
Federation."
"You hear that boys?" Garyson, yelled, turning to face his companions. "He
says our little gravy train is about to be derailed." He turned slowly back
to face Spock. "Well, if that's the case I guess we're going to have to
move fast, and get what we can while we can." His broad face twisted in an