Ultimately there would be a clash, new lines would be drawn and the uneasy
peace would be maintained. But in the meantime it was Vp for gabs, and the
two major powers would be battling by whatever
were available for territory. Kirk just hoped that word of the phenomenon
hadn't reached Klinzhai, and that he wouldn't find any Klingon destroyers
waiting at Thygeta. He leaned his head against the back of his chair, and
wove contingency plans if he should find the Klingons holding the high
ground, so to speak.
Ile turbolift hissed open again, and Sulu bounced onto the bridge. His dark
eyes were sparkling, and there was a wolfish grin on his narrow face. He
paused by Kit's chair, and shook a fist in mock anger.
"Have a good shore leave, Sulu?" Kirk asked blandly.
"That's the problem, sir. It's hard to come back to reality when a man's
been in heaven."
"Let me guess. You were at a fencing tournament?"
She does fence, sir." Sulu moved down to the helm, and tapped Riley on the
shoulder. "Okay, Riley. Move over and let the expert in the driver's seat."
"Whewl" The lieutenant pretended to reel away from Sulu's breath. "Didn't
anyone ever tell you about drinking and driving?"
"Clown," grumbled Sulu. "I took a soberall before coming aboard. What are
you trying to do? Upset the captain?"
"Oh no, never that, sir," called Riley to Kirk, and he executed a sloppy
salute and headed to the turbolift.
"Someday," Kirk remarked, almost to himself, "we'll make an officer of that
man."
"But never a gentleman," quipped Sulu, and began checking his panel.
Kirk waited several more minutes, but Uhura didn't appear. He decided that
the bridge was for the most part in 25
The Tears of the Shmers
competent hands, and Uhura did have to change, he thought, justifying her
tardiness. With a grunt he pushed out of the command chair and left the
bridge. A dose of Dr. McCoy seemed to be in order.
McCoy was wandering through sick bay with a bottle of brandy clutched in
one hand, a glass in the other and the overall appearance of a man who had
misplaced everything. He whirled when Kirk entered the office, and blurted,
"Now damn it, Jim. . ."
"Easy," Kirk said, holding up his hands. "It wasn't my fault. "
"So whose dulcet voice was it on my communicator ordering me back to the
Enterprise at eleven-durty at night. lAura?" -
"No. Besides, Uhura isn't back yet."
"Smart lady. Wish I'd had the gumption to ignore such an asinine order. So
when do we leave since you were in such an all-fired rush to call us back?"
Kirk gave a slight cough. "Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to delay
departure until we finish the mandatory inspection, and the people seem
determined to be difficult."
"Can you blame them? I bet you pulled them out of bed to finish those
inspections."
Kirk looked a bit shamefaced. Then a small smile tugged at his mouth.
"Actually, yes."
"And you enjoyed it too," McCoy accused.
"Again yes. These government bureaucrats seem to think we're here for their
convenience, and when I think of all the round-the-clock alerts this ship
has endured I decided it would do them good."
McCoy slowly smiled, and extended the bottle. "Have a drink."
Kirk poured out a small splash of the Saurian brandy, and took a seat
across the desk from McCoy. "Actually, it wasn't just malice that made me
roust the inspectors. We really do 26
The Tean of the Sinsm
have an urgent mission, and we've got to get out of here. Li called me and
showed Spock and me----"
McCoy held up a hand. "No. I don't want to know about it. Notuntil I
absolutely have to. I still might be able to grab a few hours of sleep
tonight, and I don't want to be disturbed by nightmares."
The communicator whistled through the sick bay. "Captain Kirk," came
Uhura's velvet voice.
Kirk leaned over and snapped on the desk communicator. "Kirk here, what can
I do for you Lieutenant?"
"Mr. Spock has just beamed aboard, and he would like you and Dr. McCoy to
join him in briefing room seven."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. We're on our way. And, by the way, glad to have you
back aboard."
"Yes, sir," Uhura murmured, and she sounded faintly embarrassed.
"There goes my sleep," muttered McCoy as he downed the last of his brandy.
Spock was seated at the briefing-room table when they entered. His hands
played with a stack of computer tapes that lay before him, and his face was
grave. Ib people who didn't know the Vulcan, his face always seemed
uniformly impassive; but after years with his first officer, Kirk knew
every subtle nuance that passed for expression on Spock's face.
"This better be good," McCoy growled as he pulled out a seat.
"Believe me, Doctor, I would not have disturbed you at this hour if I did
not feel it wenE`necessary."
"Just because you have a metabolism that can run without sleep--' McCoy
began, only to be interrupted by Kirk.
"What have you got, Spock?"
"I ran, a tape of the Tkygetians' song through the central library
computer. I instructed it to search for similar tonal patterns, and it
produced three such examples."
The Vulcan slid a tape into the computer terminal on the 27
The Tears of the Singers
table, and sat back to listen. Soon a strange series of sounds, ranging from
basso profundo roars to high-pitched squeals and clicks, echoed through the
room.
"What you are listening to," Spock said over the din, "are the songs of the
now-extinct humpback whales of your Earth. Fortunately a large body of
their songs was preserved before their final destruction."
The sound switched, and they listened to a series of fluting trills. 'This
second recording is the communication of a large aquatic mammal found on
Regulas V. " The tape shifted for a third time, and they heard a long
passage of wavering honks and squeals. "This final example is of a
freshwater dweller from the lakes of Deneb." Spock paused and glanced at
the two human . "All three examples represent the communication of
intelligent species."
Kirk gave a low whistle and leaned back in his seat. McCoy gave the other
men a mystified look and, finally, plaintively asked, "Would someone mind
filling me in?"
"I had assumed the captain had already done so."
Kirk gave the Vulcan a wry glance, and said quietly, "Occasionally I fall
from perfection, Mr. Spock. I , confess that Dr. McCoy and I were relaxing
rather than talking busines." I
Spock gave him a look that said he knew fully well what "relaxing"
entailed, then turned his attention to McCoy. In a few concise sentences he
apprised the doctor of the situation, and it was McCoy's turn to look
startled.
"So, it's likely that the critters on Thygeta, are intelligent, but what
has that got to do with this warp in the space/time fabric?"
"It is my opinion that the presence of the creatures on Taygeta and the
appearance of the phenomenon are linked."
"Your evidence, Mr. Spock?" The Vulcan remained silent I and looked faintly
uncomfortable. "Riding a hunch, eh?" Kirk added.
Spock raised an eyebrow. "The logic employed was some28
The Tears of the Singers
what complex, Captain, and I doubt I could explain it in simple enough
terms.99
"I see," Kirk drawled. He paused for several seconds, musing on what he had
heard. "It's interesting that all four races are water dwellers."
Spock nodded. "Yet it -does make a certain type of sense. By an
evolutionary f1uke these species have been denied manipulative appendages.
Since- they cannot build or write their only outlet would be in the area of
pure mentation, and music falls easily within that category. Also it could
be a way to preserve and pass on a body of philosophy, as is the caw on
Deneb."
"Could you translate any of the Thygetian song?"
"I regret to report, Captain, that I failed in the attempt. I believe it to
be possible, but only by a more talented musician than myself. 19
"I never thought I'd live to hear it," muttered McCoy. "Spock admitting to
a limitation."
"Recommendations, Spock," Kirk said hurriedly before the doctor and first
officer could begin exchanging insults.
ne Vulcan resW his elbows on the table, and steepled his hands. "We require
a musician of extraordinary ability, one who can translate music into
mathematics almost instantly, for all these songs have in common a strong
mathematical base."
"Good God," broke in McCoy. "How do you expect to find someone like that
out here on the edge of the Federation?"
"I made a computer search for such an individual, Doctor, and the machine
returned five names. Of those, two are on Vulcan, one is on Earth and one
is on Capica. The fifth, however, is present at Star Base 24."
Guy Maslin," murmured Kirk.
"Precisely, Captain. I suggest we contact the gentleman. He would be of
great aid in solving this problem."
Kirk pressed the communicator. "Lieutenant Uhura.1'
"Yes, Captain."
29
The Tears of the Singers
"Please locate Mr. Guy Mashn, and request that he come aboard the
Enterprise."
Uhura looked startled, and Kirk thought that she blushed slightly. It was
gone in an instant, however, and he decided he had imagined it. "Aye, aye,
sir. When do you want him aboard?"
"As soon as possible. Have him escorted to briefing room wven.9
"Yes, Captain." Her image faded from the screen, and Kirk swung back to
face his first officer and chief medical officer.
"Once we have Maslin aboard all that's left is to get rid of the
inspectors, and we're on our way."
"Somehow when you make things sound simple, Jim, they always seem to turn
out otherwise," McCoy remarked.
"Faith, Bones. Our troubles won't start until we reach Tkygeta."
It was Uhura who escorted Maslin and a fat balding man into the conference
room instead of the usual security detail. She also remained in the room,
taking an unobtrusive seat at the end of the table. Kirk decided to
overlook this newest aberration by his communications officer, and turned
his attention to the musician.
Kirk rose to shake hands with Maslin, and realized how small the other man
was. The composer had an overwhelmingly commanding presence from the stage,
but in person he stood no more than five feet three or four. Kirk became
aware of a dull red suffusing Maslin's pale cheeks at the obvious scrutiny,
and the captain hurriedly resumed his seat.
"I'm glad you could join us, Mr. Maslin."
"Did I have a choice?" Mashn remained tensely standing in front of the
table.
The fat, nervous man tugged at the sleeve of Maslin's coat, and indicated
a chair. "Why don't you sit down, Guy? It'll be better that way."
30
The Tears of the Sinym
The composer crossly shrugged off the other man's hand. "Do stop fussing,
Cubby. I'm fine."
Kirk eyed the fat man, and finally asked, "Excuse me, but just who are you,
and why are you here?"
"I'm Mr. Maslin's manager, Harvey Cumberland." Stating his name and
position seemed to give the man confidence. He stepped forward, rested his
knuckles on the table, and leaned in on Kirk. "And let me tell you, sir,
you had better have a pretty damn good reason fx)r pulling us out at this
hour."
"Since I don't recall inviting you, Mr. Cumberland, I'm not particularly
concerned with your likes or dislikes. My business is with h1r. Maslin. "
The captain turned his attention to the small musician. "Won't you please
sit down, Mr. Maslin, and hear what we have to say?" Maslin gave an abrupt
nod, and took a seat opposite Kirk.
"The Enterprise has been assigned to investigate a strange phenomenon in
the Taygeta V system. There is only one habitable planet in the system, and
the life form inhabiting it is a seallike creature which seems to sing."
Maslin had been looking bored, staring down at,his hands, which rested on
the table, but now his eyes flicked to Kirk's face. "Mr. Spock, if you
would, please."
The first officer snapped in a tape, and the eerie vocal blending of the
Thygetian song filled the room. Maslin closed his eyes, and leaned intently
forward. There was a frown of concentration between his upswept brows.
After a few minutes he opened his eyes.
"Large pieces of it are missing."
"I beg your pardon?" Kirk asked.
"Whatever these creatures are doing, their song has the scope and
compleltity of a Bach chorale, and the mathematical completity to match.
However, there seem to be places where the logical progression of the sound
breaks down. My guess is that some of the creatures' sounds are ultrasonic.
"
"Fascinating," Spock murmured. "And how would you go about detecting these
sections of the song?"
31
The Tears of the Singers
"You'd need a powerful CompuSynthesizer like the one I use for composition.
How you'd obtain one out here I don't know.11
Kirk gave a delicate cough. "Well, that rather brings us around to the
issue, Mr. Maslin. My first officer holds the opinion that the space
phenomenon which has already claimed one ship is somehow linked to the
creatures' song. His recommendation is that we obtain a superior musician
as expert advisor. A computer search turned up your name, and by good
fortune you are accessible, unlike the other four."
"What exactly is it you're suggesting, Captain?"
"We'd like to have you accompany us to Thygeta V, and work with us on
solving this problem."
"No," Maslin said crisply. He pushed back his chair, and headed for the
door.
The Star Fleet officers exchanged stunned glances. "May I ask why?"
"You can ask," Maslin said indifferently.
Kirk felt a dull rage beginning to roil through his body. He clenched a
fist beneath the table in an effort to calm. himself. The manager, Cubby,
seemed to sense Kirk's anger, for he turned back and helplessly spread his
hands.
"Mr. Maslin is on a concert tour. He has comiriitments that have to be met.
You know how it is."
"No, I don't," Kirk snapped, rising from his seat. "A concert date can be
rescheduled, while we may be dealing with something that could threaten the
Federation. That's hundreds of planets, millions of lives, and I would say
that outweighs the wishes and desires of one person. Some things are more
important than individuals. It's to just that sort of cause that the people
aboard this ship have dedicated their lives.?9
Maslin turned languidly back from the door. "Good. Then you military
geniuses figure it out. And by the way, save the stirring speeches for your
crew. They might find it inspiring-
. 32
The Tears of the Singers
I don't." Maslin paused, and withdrew a cigarette. Taking a long drag on the
cigarette, he eyeo Kirk through a haze of swirling smoke, and added, "I've
also never liked my tax dollars going to provide jobs for people who can't
cut it in civilian life, and given that attitude I'm not about to donate my
help to this institution."
"Now look here, Mr. Maslin," McCoy gritted, leaping to his feet. "This so
called institution has stood between you and some pretty unpleasant people
who would have made it real hard for you to tinkle on your piano if we
hadn't been
"Bones," Kirk said quietly, and pulled the doctor back into his seat. Anger
still smoldered in his eyes, but a slight smile played about his lips. His
officers recognized that expression, and they knew that Kirk was holding an
ace.
Kirk leaned back in his seat. "Mr. Spock, please assist me. Which section
of the Emergency DefenseAct am I trying to think oVII
For a moment Spock remained quiet, as if momentarily puzzled by Kirk's
request. Then he gave a slow nod of his head. "I believe the section you
are seeking, Captain, is article 9, section 5, paragraph 7 entitled 'The
Civilian Emergency Mobilization Act."'
"Thank you, Mr. Spock. That was the section."
Cumberland goggled, Mashn became even whiter and there was a faint,
inarticulate sound from Uhura. She had been go still during the entire
proceeding that Kirk had almost forgotten she was present.