01x04 - The Lorelei Signal

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Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

Its five

-year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Captain's Log, Stardate 5483.7.

The Enterprise is en route through an unfamiliar sector of space where a series of Earth Federation ships have disappeared mysteriously during the last 150 years.

Recent joint discussions with the Klingon and Romulan Empires have revealed that a starship has disappeared in this sector precisely every 27.346 star years.

If my calculations are correct, Captain, we have 20 seconds to go.

Twenty seconds to what? That's what worries me.

Lieutenant Uhura, place the ship on Yellow Alert.

Aye, sir.

Yellow Alert.

Five seconds.

Four, three All stations report Yellow Alert status, sir.

Captain, I'm getting some sort of subspace radio signal.

Put it on ship's speaker.

It's more like music than a message.

Captain, we are being probed.

From where? Can you trace it? The signal is coming from a star system

- Can you identify it?

- It is the Taurean system.

A small star at the extreme edge of this sector.

That's a powerful signal to reach here from that great a distance.



- It seems to be calling us.



- Strange.

Yes, I get the same feeling myself.

It does resemble a summons.

I find no resemblance to a summons, Captain.

Opinion noted.

Set a course for the Taurean system, Lieutenant Arex.

Warp factor 7.

You wanted me, Lieutenant?

- Are you all right?

- I am.

But I want you to observe the men here.

It seemed to start when we picked up that signal, and it's gotten worse.

Fascinating.

Like a Vulcan marriage drum.

I am experiencing audio

-visual suggestion, Captain.

So am I.

Dimensional visions.

Any idea what's causing them, Spock? Logically, we must assume they are created by the probe.

Sir, what visions? We don't see anything.

Miss Chapel, you don't see anything, either?

- No, sir.



- Take a medical reading, Nurse.

Lieutenant Uhura, call Dr.

McCoy to the Bridge.

Sickbay, Dr. McCoy.

Please report to the Bridge.

Dr. McCoy? No response.

Magnolias in blossom.

Beautiful.

The signal's getting stronger, sir.

Re

-scan your sensor readings, Mr. Spock.

Readings are still inconclusive.

It is odd that only the men are affected, Captain.

I suggest Ship's Log, Stardate 5483.8.

Engineering Officer Scott in command.

We are in orbit around Planet Two in the Taurean system.

Probes and sensors indicate there was once a vast civilization here.

Lovely.

Lovely.

However, life readings are sparse and concentrated.

Captain Kirk is beaming down with a scouting party to investigate.

These figures just don't match up with Spock's.

So far I count three sensor readings that are off.

Fantastic architecture.

Only an incredibly advanced race could have built it.

You want all those routine readings, sir? No, I don't think so, Carver.

Spock will do it.

There is something compelling about it.

Yes, I feel it too, Bones.

Captain, the urgency of our feeling suggests visual compulsion.

I advise remaining at a distance until I can determine the extent of its influence.

The life forms are indicated in its center.

There's no apparent danger, Spock.

Let's go.

They are here.



- Oh, such wondrous ones.



- Wondrous ones.

They honor us.

I am Theela, the Head Female.

Welcome, James Kirk, Dr.

McCoy, Mr. Spock.

Welcome.

The form is humanoid, but there are many internal differences.

Their bodies appear to function on an unusual psychokinesis level.

First time I ever admired a body function.

How do you know our names? The Opto

-aud revealed you to us.

Tonal control.

Fascinating.

The Opto

-aud will reveal whatever is asked, Mr. Spock.

We are grateful that you heard the signal, Captain.

The signal? A distress call, wasn't it? I will explain its meaning later.

We have prepared a feast to celebrate your presence.

Captain's Log, Stardate 5483.9.

The beauty of this place is unequalled.

It's the answer to all of man's dreams.

Exquisite in every way.

We're here to investigate To investigate The women radiate delight.

These are the most beautiful women in the galaxy.

But where are the men? They occupy another compound.

That makes sense.

Mr. Spock.

Spock Take them to the slumber chambers.

They must rest.

Probably that nectar.

It's potent as Saurian brandy.

Jim.

Jim! Results of every scan run by the women science teams.

If there is an answer, it's here.

Computer on.

Summation of medical, biological, astrophysical scans.

Working.

Probe directed at ship from planet surface is severely enervating to humanoid males.

Exposure causes increasing weakness.

Possibly to point of death.

Lieutenant Uhura to Security Officer Davison.

Davison here.

I want an all

-woman security team on every transporter immediately.

No one is to transport down to the planet unless it is on my order.

Aye, aye, Lieutenant.



- What are you doing?

- Taking command of this ship.

We must return to our duties aboard ship.

Yes.

Duties.

That's it.

Duties.

I have You cannot leave, Mr. Spock.

You are needed here.

Soon, all the men on your ship will feel as you do.

They are all needed, and they will join us.

We must go.

Obstruct them! Mr. Scott, as senior Lieutenant, I'm taking responsibility for the safety of this ship.

Very thoughtful of you, love.

Ship's Log, supplemental.

Lieutenant Uhura recording.

Due to Chief Engineering Officer Scott's euphoric state of mind, I am assuming command of the Enterprise.

I accept full responsibility for my action.

A detailed account will be recorded later.

Nurse Chapel, until further notice, you will act as Chief Medical Officer.

Yes, Lieutenant.



- They've gone.



- Yes.

Your medikit, Doctor.

It may contain something which will help us.

I wonder why they let me keep it.

Perhaps they saw no practical use in it.

Cortropine.

Could help.

It's a strong stimulant.

Go ahead.

Locked.

If the lock is magnetized, this may disrupt its field.

Assistance.

Assistance! The urn.

It's the only place.

This way.

They are not here, Theela.

Come.

They might have returned to where they landed.

The headbands.

Look at them.

I have noticed that their glow diminishes when the women are not present.

They could be polarized conductors which transfer our vital energy to the bodies of the women.

You mean they're actually draining our life forces? That would account for our rapid aging, Captain.

And our weakness.

If you recall, the women seemed listless at first.

But as our strength has failed, they have become more energetic and vital.

How long do we have, Spock? We seem to be aging Ten years?

- In four days, we'll be dead!

- And useless to them.

Theela said the other men of the crew would join us here.

They'll be lured into the same trap.

We've got to contact the ship.

I have retained more strength than any of you.

My internal structure is different, Captain, my life span longer.

It is wiser if I go to the temple to try to find the communicators and contact the ship.

The equipment belonging to the men of the Enterprise, where is it? Spock to Enterprise.

Enterprise.

Request rescue party.

All

-female.

Repeat.

All

-female.

All Ship's Log, supplemental.

Lieutenant Uhura commanding.

We have assembled an all

-female rescue party in accordance with Mr. Spock's request.

Greetings.

I am Theela.

Head Female of this compound.

Lieutenant Uhura of the Starship Enterprise.

We're here to locate Captain Kirk.

Return to your ship.

You are not wanted here.

Until we find Captain Kirk, we will not leave.

Phasers on stun.

Fire! Search the temple.

Parties of two.

No sign of them anywhere.

Miss Chapel.



- Miss Chapel.



- Wait!

- What is it?

- I heard Spock's voice.



- Christine.



- It is Spock.

There must be a panel somewhere.

Mr. Spock! Spock, what happened? We've got to get out of here.

Spock.

Oh, Spock.

Instruct female engineer to divert ship's energy into deflector shields.



- Block probe.



- We tried that.



- Block probe.



- We tried that.

Use all ship's energy.

Everything channeled to the shields.

Hurry, Christine.

Release Captain Kirk and his men or we will destroy your temple.

Wait! I will tell you everything.

The past.

Reveal it.

This is the race from whom we are descended.

They came to this planet when our homeworld began to die.

They built this place and all surrounding it.

They did not know this planet drains humanoid energy.

But the women's bodies developed a glandular secretion, enabling them to survive and to manipulate certain areas of the males' brains, influence their emotional senses.

Ultimately, it drained the men, caused them to weaken and die.

To survive, we must vitalize each 27 years of your time.

Instead, we are eternal prisoners.

We neither age nor die.

We are unable even to bear children.

What about Captain Kirk and the others?

- Can the Opto

-aud locate them?

- We shall see.

The men of the Enterprise, reveal them! They're drowning! Where are they? The nearest water accumulation is many cusecs from here.

That looks like a pool or a tub.

It is the urn in the garden.

Phasers on setting 1.

Fire! No results, Captain.

We've tried everything we know.

Perhaps the transporter is the key.



- Key to what?

- Our restoration.

It holds the molecular pattern of our original bodies when we beamed down to the planet.

Spock.

Can the transporter be programmed to re

-pattern us as we were? Possibly.

But the odds against us are 99.7

- To

-1.

We are on the surface, Mr. Scott.

Reprogram the transporter as previously directed.

But this has never been done before.

Suppose it fails? Their patterns will break up, scatter in space.



- Transporter reprogrammed, Mr. Spock.



- Beam us up, Scotty.

Scotty, we're losing them!

- Did it work?

- You're more handsome than ever.

Tell Captain Kirk we have kept the agreement.

A crew of women will bring a ship back.

You'll be transported to the first suitable planet.

How quickly will we become as other women? Dr.

McCoy says it should only take a few months.

A life of hope.

New learning.

Perhaps love.

Oh, it is a much better future than immortality.